Chapter Fifty: The Price of Experience
The tension that had gripped the camp slowly faded.
The guards did not celebrate their victory.
To them, this had simply been another night on the road.
Secure the perimeter. Treat the wounded. Begin recovery."
Half the guards remained at their posts while the others moved onto the battlefield. The Frost Wolves searched the surrounding darkness for hidden threats before helping drag the larger corpses toward camp.
Yun Che watched with interest.
Nothing was wasted.
The Cave Bloodbats were gathered into piles before being loaded into one of the consortium's reinforced storage crates. The Bloodvine Creepers were cut into manageable sections, their thorn-covered vines carefully bundled together instead of being discarded.
Even the massive horned lion-like beast was hauled back by four guards working together.
The creature looked even larger now that it lay motionless on the ground.
Its broken horns, scarred hide, leathery wings and barbed scorpion tail gave it an intimidating appearance even in death.
Aunt Mei immediately walked over, circling the beast with obvious interest.
"Oh..."
She gently touched one of its thick forelegs.
"I've only seen illustrations of these."
"You recognize it?" Yun Che asked.
She nodded.
"It's called a Gray Ash Manticore."
"It isn't native to these canyons."
"It comes from the western mountain ranges, thousands of kilometers from here."
She examined its claws.
"This one's already reached the Third Stage of the Foundation Realm."
"A wonderful ingredient."
Jin Wei blinked.
"...Wonderful?"
Aunt Mei laughed.
"For a Spirit Cook, absolutely."
"The meat is rich in spiritual essence."
"A few proper meals from this creature could save weeks of cultivation."
"Prepared properly, the meat is a treasure. Prepared poorly, its ashfire will burn the eater's meridians from inside."
She pointed toward the claws.
"Those will sell for an excellent price."
"The venom sac can be refined by alchemists."
"The bones are valuable."
"The hide can become armor."
She smiled warmly.
"A powerful monster is a treasure from nose to tail."
The caravan workers nodded in agreement.
Nothing would be thrown away.
Nearby, the injured Frost Wolf lay quietly upon a thick blanket.
The paralysis had already begun fading.
One of the five shield bearers knelt beside the injured wolf. He carried a sword, but medicine pouches occupied far more space on his belt.
A gentle green glow spread from his hands.
The poisoned flesh slowly returned to its normal color.
"Fortunately..."
the healer said with relief,
"...the poison was intended for hunting."
"The venom evolved to immobilise prey rather than kill it immediately. We removed it before it could spread to the heart and lungs."
The young spear guard finally released the breath he had been holding since the attack.
Gao Feng stroked Stonepaw's neck.
"I'm sorry..."
The Frost Wolf simply nudged his shoulder with its nose.
Almost as if telling him to stop blaming himself.
Once the perimeter had been checked, the damaged pillars refilled, and the wounded treated, Yun Che unfolded his workstation again.
This time...
He wasn't making toys.
Several guards approached carrying damaged weapons.
A chipped sword.
A cracked shield rim.
Bent armor plates.
A fractured spear shaft.
Yun Che examined each one carefully before naming a reasonable price.
Elder Ruan inspected Yun Che's prices and approved the repair expenses on behalf of the company.
After watching his work earlier that evening, every guard trusted his craftsmanship.
His forge glowed once more.
Steel softened beneath controlled flames.
Cracks disappeared beneath precise hammer strikes.
Edges became sharp once again.
Watching him work was strangely satisfying.
The weapons gradually returned to the same condition before the battle.
Word spread quickly.
By the end of the repairs...
Yun Che had earned more Spirit Stones in a single evening than he had expected.
Jin Wei watched proudly from nearby.
"See?"
"I told you."
"You'll never stay broke for long."
Only one customer remained.
The young spear wielder.
His broken weapon rested across his knees.
"My name's Gao Feng," he introduced himself.
Yun Che nodded.
"Yun Che."
"I know."
"Everyone does."
The two shared a brief laugh before silence settled between them.
Gao Feng kept his eyes lowered.
His embarrassment was obvious.
He had nearly lost both himself...
...and his partner.
Even now he carefully avoided looking toward Elder Ruan.
The old captain hadn't scolded him.
That somehow made the shame even worse.
Yun Che gently picked up the shattered spear.
"I have an idea."
Gao Feng looked up.
"What kind?"
"A custom weapon."
The guard sighed.
"If it won't help me survive what happened tonight..."
"...then I don't need it."
"It will."
That answer immediately caught Gao Feng's attention.
Yun Che crouched beside the broken spear and began sketching on a piece of parchment.
"The overall weapon remains a spear."
"But..."
He drew a spiral around the spearhead.
"...the base of the blade rotates."
Gao Feng frowned thoughtfully.
"Rotates?"
"The spearhead will not rotate constantly," Yun Che explained. "You activate it during the thrust. A three-edged point will drill into armor instead of fighting against the rotation."
He marked another rune near the forward grip.
"This Repulsion Rune will release force only through the front of the weapon. If something enters inside your reach, brace the rear of the spear against your body and activate it. The burst creates several steps of distance."
"Then I attack?"
"Then Rotation and Wind activate together. The first rune drives the point through resistance. The second forms a cutting layer around its edges."
Yun Che had already made an arrangement with Lin Xia, so they would work on custom products on the journey. Without her help, he couldn't really make real artifacts and would need to rely on expensive ores.
Gao Feng studied the sketch quietly.
His fingers unconsciously traced the drawing.
"I've been saving for years."
"I wanted my first real Foundation weapon."
He looked toward the broken spear.
"I don't want to regret choosing the wrong one."
Yun Che nodded.
"Don't decide tonight."
"Think about it."
"If you still like the idea later..."
"...come find me."
After several moments, Gao Feng carefully folded the sketch.
"I will."
He smiled faintly.
"And..."
"...thank you."
Lin Xia handed Yun Che one of the steaming bowls before sitting beside him.
"You missed an impressive transformation."
Yun Che glanced toward the Gray Ash Manticore. Its leathery wings, venomous tail, powerful body, and strange gray flames would have provided an extraordinary collection of abilities.
"It was never available to me."
"Because Elder Ruan killed it?"
Yun Che nodded.
"My bloodline requires me to deliver the final blow, but that isn't the only condition. I have to genuinely participate in defeating the creature."
Lin Xia looked thoughtful.
"What would happen if Elder Ruan imprisoned it and let you kill it?"
"Nothing."
"Even if your weapon delivered the final blow?"
"It wouldn't matter. The victory would still belong to him."
Yun Che stared down at his soup.
"During a real fight, my bloodline seems to establish some kind of connection with the creature. It experiences its Ki, abilities, instincts, and resistance. When I finally kill it, that connection becomes a complete transformation."
He looked back toward the manticore.
"Executing something another person already defeated would give it nothing to record."
Lin Xia nodded slowly.
"So you cannot simply collect powerful creatures."
"No. Every transformation has to represent a victory I actually earned."
Lin Xia nodded slowly.
"That makes sense."
She stirred her soup thoughtfully.
"So..."
"...what are you thinking now?"
Yun Che looked toward the neatly stacked monster corpses.
"I honestly don't know."
"The bats are interesting."
"So are the Bloodvine Creepers."
"They both have unusual abilities."
"The vine especially."
"It can split itself into countless bodies."
Lin Xia remained silent for a moment.
Then she spoke softly.
"I think..."
"...you should wait."
Yun Che looked at her.
"What if..."
"...those transformations become permanent choices?"
She continued.
"If your bloodline only allows a limited number..."
"...using them on ordinary monsters would be tragic."
"You'd eventually regret it."
Yun Che smiled bitterly.
"I've been thinking exactly the same thing."
He stared into the dying campfire.
"My father knows very little about our bloodline."
"I don't even know how many transformations I can have."
"If I choose carelessly now..."
"...I might spend the rest of my life wishing I'd waited."
For the first time since awakening the bloodline...
It truly felt less like a blessing...
...and more like an enormous responsibility.
A familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.
"You know..."
Jin Wei sat down beside them, carrying another bowl of stew.
"...you might not need to guess forever."
Yun Che looked up.
"What do you mean?"
"The Goldriver Library."
Jin Wei took another bite before continuing.
"It isn't just famous inside our kingdom."
"Merchants buy books from all over the continent."
"If information about the Transformation Bloodline exists..."
"...there's a decent chance we'll find something there."
Lin Xia's eyes brightened.
"Really?"
Jin Wei nodded.
"The Transformation Bloodline isn't some forgotten village technique."
"It was once famous."
"People still talk about it."
He paused.
If Goldriver has nothing useful, the best remaining lead will be the Heavenly Flame Empire."
Silence settled over the three of them.
That name carried weight.
It was the birthplace of Yun Che's ancestors.
The homeland of the clan that had once possessed this mysterious bloodline.
Jin Wei smiled.
"So don't rush."
"We'll look for answers first."
Yun Che looked toward the distant stars beyond the canyon walls.
"...Let's hope we find them."
For now...
Hope would have to be enough.
------------------------------
The campsite gradually grew quiet.
The excitement of battle had faded into tired conversation before disappearing altogether.
One by one, the lanterns inside the merchant tents were extinguished.
Gao Feng decided to go and meet the Elder for advice.
"You did not abandon your position," Elder Ruan told Gao Feng. "You moved to protect a formation pillar. That was correct."
Gao Feng looked toward his wounded companion.
"Then what did I do wrong?"
"You saw the enemy in front of you and forgot to ask what might be watching from behind it."
Ruan glanced at the shattered spear.
"Tonight, experience cost you a weapon and your partner a wound."
His expression hardened.
"Be grateful the road accepted such a small payment."
------------------
Lin Xia disappeared into the tent shared by the female members of the caravan after wishing everyone good night. Her rune pen remained tucked safely inside its case, and despite her exhaustion, there was a small smile on her face. She had broken through as a Grade One Rune Master and that joy was keeping her excited.
Jin Wei stretched lazily.
"I've had enough excitement for one day."
He yawned so widely that Aunt Mei laughed.
"I'll leave tomorrow's disasters to everyone else."
"That's a wise business strategy," Elder Liang replied with a grin.
"It has kept me alive for decades."
Jin Wei saluted dramatically before disappearing into his tent.
Within minutes, only the sounds of slow breathing remained from the merchant camp.
The guards did not all retire at once.
Five remained on the first watch while the others cleaned their equipment, treated minor injuries, or settled beside their Frost Wolves. At the Foundation Realm, they could remain awake for several days if necessary, but Elder Ruan saw no reason to exhaust people when a proper rotation would serve better.
Yun Che sat alone beside the dying forge.
He wasn't tired.
Physically, today's work had barely taxed him.
Most of his time had been spent forging, repairing equipment, and observing others fight.
His body still possessed plenty of strength.
Which meant...
There was no reason to waste the night.
He looked at the growing list inside his notebook.
Telekinesis.
Ki Zone.
Fire Drake Breath.
Parallel Thought.
There were dozens of ideas waiting to be explored.
Eventually, his eyes settled upon one name.
Parallel Thought.
Jin Wei had kept his promise.
Before leaving Stoneford, he had paid the remaining cost of the Grade Three manual and handed the sealed jade box to Yun Che.
Yun Che had resisted opening it during the day. The road required his attention, and the campsite preparations had left little time for proper study.
Now, with the camp secured and the night quiet, he finally removed the book.
Inside rested the Grade Three manual.
Yun Che gently removed the book.
Its leather cover was worn smooth by countless hands.
Opening it carefully, he began reading beneath the firelight.
The further he read...
The brighter his eyes became.
"...Interesting."
Very interesting.
The manual did not begin with Ki circulation.
Nor breathing exercises.
Nor meditation.
Instead...
The opening chapters discussed the human mind itself.
It described how people mistakenly believed they performed only one task at a time.
That was never true.
The brain constantly regulated breathing.
Heartbeat.
Balance.
Vision.
Hearing.
Touch.
Temperature.
Countless muscles.
Thousands of tiny unconscious adjustments occurred every second.
Even while concentrating on a single task...
The mind was already processing hundreds of others.
Parallel Thought simply sought to make conscious use of something the brain already did naturally.
Yun Che slowly closed the book.
His expression became thoughtful.
"...So that's the foundation."
In his previous life...
People had also understood this.
The human brain wasn't truly single-threaded.
Different regions processed different information simultaneously.
Walking while speaking.
Reading while listening.
Driving while thinking.
The subconscious handled astonishing amounts of work every moment.
This cultivation technique followed exactly the same principle.
Rather than forcing the brain to divide unnaturally...
It encouraged the cultivator to connect a second thought process to something their body already accepted as natural.
Doing so greatly reduced the mental burden.
Yun Che immediately understood why the manual insisted on choosing carefully.
The wrong choice would constantly fight the brain's instincts.
The right one...
Would eventually become effortless.
His thoughts naturally turned toward his own abilities.
Ki Zone.
That technique already extended his senses beyond his physical body.
In many ways...
It simply expanded what his brain was already doing.
Then there was...
Telekinesis.
His control over floating metal had never truly felt external.
Whenever he manipulated steel wires or small tools, it almost felt as though he were reaching out with invisible hands.
Not controlling an object.
Moving another limb.
"...They're both suitable."
He read the manual again.
Then a third time.
Only after checking every warning...
Every diagram...
Every circulation pathway...
Did he finally take a slow breath.
"...Let's begin."
"You intend to establish the first thread tonight?"
Yun Che looked up. Elder Liang stood beyond the forge, studying the open manual.
"I've read every warning."
"That was not my question."
Yun Che hesitated. "Yes."
Liang sighed and lowered himself onto a nearby crate.
"Then I'll remain here. Once the circulation reaches your mind, stopping will only force you to suffer through the beginning again."
Ki flowed upward.
Instead of circulating through his body, it slowly climbed toward his head.
The pressure built immediately.
It felt uncomfortable.
Then painful.
Then...
Something changed.
The manual's final warning echoed inside his mind.
The first connection is the most painful step. Endure it. If interrupted before completion, the process must be started again.
Yun Che gritted his teeth.
"...I can handle—"
The sentence never finished.
Agony exploded through his skull.
His vision went white.
Every nerve inside his head screamed simultaneously.
It wasn't like being struck.
It wasn't like burning.
It felt as though someone had reached inside his skull and was trying to tear his thoughts apart with their bare hands.
He doubled over.
His hands clutched his head.
A strangled cry escaped his throat.
Nearby, several guards immediately stood.
"What happened?"
Elder Liang glanced over once.
Then immediately understood.
"So he chose tonight."
The old merchant calmly walked over.
Yun Che opened his mouth to scream.
Instead...
A rolled leather grip was firmly pushed between his teeth.
"Bite."
Yun Che barely heard him.
His entire world had become pain.
"Don't stop."
Elder Liang's voice remained calm.
"If you break the circulation now..."
"...you'll have to experience all of this again."
Yun Che's eyes had turned bloodshot.
Tears streamed uncontrollably down his face.
His heartbeat thundered inside his ears.
The camp.
The fire.
The guards.
Everything disappeared.
Only pain remained.
The worst migraine he had ever experienced.
Even memories became difficult to distinguish.
Thoughts shattered apart before they could finish forming.
He wasn't sure how much time passed.
Minutes.
Perhaps longer.
Then...
Somewhere inside that storm...
Something clicked.
A second awareness quietly unfolded.
It wasn't dramatic.
There was no explosion of power.
No brilliant light.
Simply...
Another thread.
His Telekinesis no longer felt like a technique he consciously activated.
It felt...
Present.
Waiting.
Like discovering he possessed another arm he had never learned to move.
For one brief instant...
He smiled.
Then darkness claimed him.
Yun Che collapsed sideways before striking the ground.
Elder Liang caught him effortlessly.
The old merchant merely nodded to himself.
"He succeeded."
One of the younger guards looked astonished.
"You know Parallel Thought?" one guard asked.
Liang chuckled. "Most successful caravan leaders know at least its first stage."
He extended one hand, and Yun Che's unconscious body rose smoothly into the air.
"Telekinesis moves the crates," Liang explained. "Parallel Thought lets me move them while reading a manifest, calculating expenses, and listening to three workers complain at once."
The guard stared at him.
"That sounds exhausting."
"Only during the first few years
Still guiding Yun Che through the air with effortless precision, Elder Liang carried him toward Jin Wei's tent.
He lowered the unconscious young blacksmith onto a blanket and covered him carefully.
"He'll sleep until morning."
One of the guards glanced toward the tent.
"...Worth all that pain?"
Elder Liang looked toward the closed entrance.
His answer came without hesitation.
"For a cultivator with his ambitions?"
"...Every moment of it."