Lin Shu continued through the forest, his eyes searching for a beast close to his strength. Before long, he found what he was looking for—a colossal bear towering nearly five meters tall. Its brown fur rippled with raw power, and every heavy step made the ground tremble. Just from its oppressive aura alone, Lin Shu could tell it was a peak-stage Rank 1 beast. A smile stretched across his face.
"Finally. While I do want to take it slow and test my normal armor before my monolith one, I don't want to take any risks in case the normal armor isn't enough to defend against it."
With that thought, Lin Shu activated Ivory Monolith. Bone-white plates grew across his body, clicking together as they interlocked into a fearsome armor. His clawed gauntlets fully formed, the jagged bone extending into twin blades fused to the backs of his hands. The bear's roar thundered through the forest, its bloodshot eyes warning him not to step into its territory. Lin Shu's only answer was to launch forward with blinding speed—his movement comparable to at least a high-tier movement technique.
The beast swung a massive paw to meet him. Lin Shu's blades slashed across its forearm, carving deep into flesh and leaving a bloody gash, but the sheer density of muscle and bone kept the limb intact.
"I can wound it," Lin Shu muttered as he slid back, his blades dripping crimson. "But this made blade and strength aren't enough to amputate it with one strike."
The bear's pained bellow shook the trees as it retaliated, smashing its paws down and cracking the ground beneath them. Lin Shu instinctively withdrew, then caught himself. No—that wasn't why he was here.
"I shouldn't be fighting it from a safe distance. I need to take hits to test my body. After my refinement, my bones should be strong enough to endure those blows."
Dissolving the bone blades, Lin Shu clenched his clawed gauntlets, preparing to fight barehanded. Lightning flickered faintly along the armor's surface, threads of pale arcs dancing across the bone plates. His steps were light, his speed terrifying as he darted in.
The bear swiped again, but this time when it connected, sparks leapt across its fur. The creature howled, jerking back as the crackle of electricity burned into its flesh. Every second it remained in contact with Lin Shu's armor, its body twitched, spasmed, and slowed under the current.
Lin Shu's eyes gleamed with understanding. "So the lightning is more than just defense—it eats into anything that dares touch me."
With renewed ferocity, he closed the distance again, the forest floor exploding under each clash. Trees splintered, dirt and stone flying as man and beast collided in brutal exchanges. The bear's roars grew more frantic, its strength great but its movements becoming sluggish after every contact with Lin Shu's flickering lightning.
Then, Lin Shu stilled, his gaze sharp. It was time to test his trump card.
"Rank 1 Peak-Tier Technique: Lightning Fang Surge."
Qi surged through his arm, lightning coiling around it like a predator unchained. His clawed gauntlet blazed with crackling light until it was no longer an arm but a storm made flesh. With a roar of his own, Lin Shu drove his strike into the bear's abdomen.
The explosion was catastrophic. Lightning detonated inside the beast's body, tearing through muscle and bone. Trees were obliterated by the shockwave, their trunks snapping apart as the ground quaked. The bear staggered backward, its chest and stomach split wide open, one arm hanging by a shredded strip of flesh. Charred guts spilled to the dirt, sizzling as smoke rose from the ruined remains.
Lin Shu stood amidst the wreckage, his breath steady as he surveyed the devastation. "So… this is the extent of that strike."
The once-mighty beast stumbled, then collapsed in a bloody heap. Without hesitation, Lin Shu stepped forward, tearing a core from deep within the corpse. He cast one final look at the ruined body, then kicked it aside.
The smell of blood and scorched flesh clung to the air, but Lin Shu didn't care. The beast was nothing more than another stepping stone—and its body too ruined to be worth carrying.
Lin Shu left the place deep in thought. "The beast managed to land a few hits on me because I allowed it, yet all it did was crack my armor. That means my defense should at least be on par with the finest high-tier techniques, perhaps even the lowest level of peak-tier arts. While fighting, I did manage to wound it, but against cultivators of the same rank, I doubt I'd fare well unless they weren't heirs or disciples of high-ranking figures. Those people will always have superior techniques compared to mine. Right now, aside from Lightning Fang Surge, I don't have anything decisive enough to kill them with. If they possess a peak-stage defensive technique, my punches and bone blades wouldn't be enough to pierce through. Unless they have a peak-stage technique, however, they won't be able to do anything to me either—unless they carry enough Qi to unleash multiple high-stage techniques against me without running dry. For now, I should avoid anyone at the peak stage, especially if they're heirs of clans or disciples of powerful cultivators."
Lin Shu walked deeper into the forest, his mind turning colder with each step. "The future…" he thought. "I still don't know where I should go. If I join the wrong place, someone might recognize me and sell me to the empire. Perhaps a mercenary group would work—fewer restrictions, steady work, and I wouldn't have to show everything I have. An assassination organization would be ideal, but I doubt I'd be accepted. My techniques are loud, my fighting style is too direct. I can kill, yes, but not in silence. A mercenary group… that fits better."
He frowned. "But mercenaries rarely have access to techniques. A sect would give me what I need, yet joining one is dangerous. If I pick a sect loyal to the empire, I'll be hunted. If I pick a sect that despises the empire, maybe I'd be safe… but the bounty already marks me. They know about my lightning techniques, they know I can create bone like ivory. Even if I dye my hair, change my cut, my armor alone would expose me. If I join a sect, I cannot reveal Ivory Dominion. Without my normal armor, my defense drops—no longer able to withstand high-tier techniques. Without the Monolith Armor, peak-tier strikes will cut me down. I'll return to how weak I was before completing the Thunderforge Physique."
His hand clenched tightly. "In tournaments and open battles, I would be nothing more than prey. Only in hidden, solo missions would I be able to use my true power. That is far too great a risk. At least… for now."
He paused beneath a dying tree, eyes narrowed. "I'm not yet eleven. Most sects accept disciples until eighteen. That leaves me seven years until the empire forgets me… or until I can fake my death. Perhaps I could teach someone Ivory Dominion, disguise them, and hand them over as a corpse—let the empire believe Lin Shu has fallen. But if they uncover the truth, if they see through it, my path would end there."
A dark glint flashed in his gaze. "No… the best path now is to remain untethered. Join a mercenary group if it benefits me, work with assassins if they allow me… or walk the road alone. Kill, plunder, and take what I need from cultivators. That way, I am free."
Lin Shu decided he would test his luck as a rogue cultivator until he could find a place where he could safely join and work without the constant shadow of danger. His path turned westward, toward Gloomvale, the third major city of the empire and the seat of the infamous Darklight Gate.
Gloomvale was no ordinary city—it was carved into four hostile quarters, each locked in a perpetual struggle for dominance. One quarter was firmly held by the empire, its banners and soldiers casting their oppressive weight across the streets. Another was divided among mercenary groups and independent organizations, each carving out influence through blood and coin. The remaining two quarters were ruled by sects, and not just any sects—they were the VenomHeart Sect and the Ironblood Sect, both great mid-sized powers, counted among the empire's four most formidable sects.
The two sects despised each other, their hatred burning hotter than steel in the forge. Yet, despite countless opportunities, neither dared unleash a full-scale war. The reason was simple: the empire. Whenever the empire extended its greedy hand to seize more of the western lands, VenomHeart and Ironblood stood together, along with many local organizations, to repel the advance. But unity only lasted as long as the empire threatened. The moment stability returned, the alliances shattered. VenomHeart struck at Ironblood, Ironblood retaliated, mercenary groups fought among themselves, and those aligned with the empire schemed to weaken the rest.
To walk into Gloomvale was to walk into a pit of blades, where strength and cunning meant survival—and weakness meant death.
Lin Shu chose the west for a reason—it was the one place where the empire's grip was the weakest, and his chances of slipping into an organization without drawing too much attention were far greater. In other lands within the region, the empire had already carved deep roots. The east was its strongest domain, with more than seventy percent under imperial law and order. The south was a battlefield of small sects and great clans clashing against imperial forces, yet even there the empire controlled nearly half the land.
The north, where Lin Shu currently wandered, was no better. Though two mid-sized sects held their headquarters there and kept the empire at bay, imperial influence still reached thirty to forty percent. If they discovered his identity, those sects would never welcome him.
But the west—that was different. From the whispers he gathered, the empire's authority there was crumbling fast. Its once-secure quarter of Gloomvale, the massive city at the heart of the west, was slipping from its grasp. The two mid-sized sects that ruled the city—the VenomHeart Sect and the Ironblood Sect—had set aside their hatred long enough to form a truce, focusing their blades on weakening the empire. With both sects intent on expanding their dominance and the empire's power dwindling, Lin Shu saw his best chance.