The Jin Clan's training grounds bustled with energy. Dozens of juniors trained under the scorching sun—sparring, sweating, shouting. Everyone was preparing for the upcoming Outer Sect Trial.
Everyone except Tae-hyun.
At least, that's what they thought.
---
In a shadowed ravine past the forest's edge, Tae-hyun stood shirtless, chest heaving. His fists were cracked. His arms bruised. But his eyes—sharp as blades.
Five Bonefang Wolves lay in a circle around him, unmoving. Blood soaked into the dirt.
> [Combat Report: 5 Beasts Defeated – Qi Harvested: +7]
[Beast Core x2 obtained]
[Absorption in process...]
[Progress to Body Refinement Stage 2: 81%]
He could feel it—his body straining under the rising current of Qi. The barrier between Stage 1 and Stage 2 was thin now, trembling.
He dropped to a knee and inhaled slowly.
> [System Suggestion: Initiate Breakthrough?]
[Warning: Host stamina is low. Risk of failure: Medium.]
"No. Not yet."
Tae-hyun didn't take risks when it came to breakthroughs. A mistake meant Qi deviation—or worse, death.
He needed something... someone... stronger.
---
That night, as the clan slept, Tae-hyun returned to the edge of the training courtyard, dressed in plain robes.
A familiar voice rang out. Mocking. Confident.
"Cripple boy. Out past curfew again?"
It was Jin Hyeon, another senior disciple. A sycophant of Jin Mu. Middle of Stage 2—and arrogant beyond belief.
Tae-hyun bowed slightly. "I'm just walking, Senior."
"You're breathing the air of real cultivators. That's disrespectful."
Three others surrounded him.
Tae-hyun didn't back down. His heart was cold.
"They'll do."
---
> [New Encounter Detected: Jin Hyeon – Body Refinement Stage 2]
[Threat Level: High. Victory bonus: +Skill copy chance, +Qi boost]
"You're not even worth beating up," Hyeon sneered. "But maybe I should, for fun."
Tae-hyun said nothing.
Then he moved.
Phantom Step.
The distance between them vanished. His palm struck under Hyeon's jaw—fast, brutal, precise.
The older disciple reeled back. "What the—!?"
Tae-hyun pivoted, swept the legs of one of the lackeys, elbowed another in the ribs, and ducked a fist before slamming it into the attacker's throat.
One breath.
Three down.
Only Hyeon remained.
"You bastard—!" Hyeon's fist came like a hammer.
Tae-hyun blocked it. Barely.
Pain shot through his arm—but his mind was still calm.
> [Combat Scan: Opening detected – Overextended right shoulder]
Tae-hyun twisted and struck the shoulder joint.
Crack!
Hyeon screamed, falling to one knee.
Tae-hyun placed a hand to his chest.
"No one will believe a cripple beat you," he whispered.
Then he drove his palm into Hyeon's core.
Not enough to cripple—but enough to disable him for weeks.
> [Victory Achieved – Qi Absorbed: +4]
[Skill Fragment Copied: Iron Body Tempering – 27%]
[Stage Advancement Initiating...]
Tae-hyun staggered.
The dam broke.
Qi surged through his limbs—hot, liquid power flowing into every muscle fiber.
His bones thickened. Muscles coiled. His heartbeat slowed but deepened, like thunder in a canyon.
> [Breakthrough Achieved: Body Refinement – Stage 2]
[Stat Boost: +2 Strength, +1 Speed, +1 Endurance]
[Skill Upgrade: Phantom Step Lv. 2]
[System Function Unlocked: Stat Evolution Menu]
He exhaled slowly, shaking off the blood from his knuckles.
"I'm ready now."
---
Back in his hut, he opened his stat window.
---
[STATUS WINDOW]
Realm: Body Refinement – Stage 2
Qi: 14/14
Stamina: 12/12
Skills:
Phantom Step Lv. 2
Combat Scan Lv. 1
Stone Fist Style (Copy Progress: 43%)
Iron Body Tempering (Copy Progress: 27%)
Unlocked Feature: Stat Evolution
Stat Points: 2
> [Available to assign: Strength, Speed, Endurance, Qi Capacity, Stamina]
---
He assigned 1 point to Speed, 1 to Qi Capacity.
> [Speed increased – movement techniques become 12% faster]
[Qi Capacity increased – max Qi: 14 → 16]
He closed the window.
No time to rest.
The Outer Sect Trial was in eleven days.
And he'd just painted a target on his back.
---
The next morning, Jin Mu's expression was murderous.
"You crippled Hyeon?" he snapped.
Tae-hyun looked up calmly from where he swept the floor.
"I defended myself. If he fell, it's because he was weak."
"You dare—!"
Elder Yun, an old man with a hawk-like gaze, stepped between them.
"That's enough," the elder barked. "Trial begins soon. If you juniors waste strength now, the sect elders will see nothing but brats squabbling."
He turned his gaze to Tae-hyun.
"You. Tae-hyun. You're joining the Trial, aren't you?"
Tae-hyun met his gaze. "I am."
Yun stared for a moment.
Then... he smiled faintly.
"Let's see if a fallen leaf can rise with the wind."
---
---
Eleven days.
That was all the time Tae-hyun had to leap beyond his current limits.
He wasn't foolish. Beating Jin Hyeon had been a calculated strike. But the true enemies—true talents—would appear at the Outer Sect Trial. Sons of elders, chosen disciples, warriors with real backing and technique.
If he entered unprepared, he would be crushed.
---
Tae-hyun stood once more in the forest, beneath a jagged cliffside. A dozen stone targets stood in the distance—crude training dummies he had built himself from logs and bones.
He exhaled.
Stone Fist Style.
His right fist twisted low and surged upward—a spiraling strike that cracked the center log in half.
> [Skill Progress: Stone Fist Style – 67%]
[Core Movement Recognized: Twisting Pulse Impact]
[Qi Efficiency increased.]
He trained in silence for hours.
Each punch, kick, or movement fed the system—until knowledge turned into mastery.
---
> [New Skill Acquired: Stone Fist Style – Lv. 1]
[Passive Bonus: 5% bonus to blunt strikes, reduced arm fatigue in prolonged combat.]
He grinned slightly.
Three styles. One week. And now, a core martial art was his.
Still, it wasn't enough.
He needed a weapon.
---
That night, Tae-hyun returned to the forbidden warehouse beneath the clan's abandoned armory—long sealed off due to collapsing foundations and beast infestations.
Few dared enter.
Tae-hyun welcomed it.
> [New Zone Detected: Corrupted Armory Ruins – Risk Level: Moderate to High]
[System Alert: Rare item presence nearby.]
He stepped through broken stone, treading softly.
A low snarl echoed from the shadows. Red eyes gleamed.
A Ravager Hound—a mutated Qi beast with bone-plated jaws—lunged from behind a shattered rack of weapons.
He didn't hesitate.
Phantom Step—Activate.
He vanished and reappeared behind it, slamming a kick into its exposed ribs.
> [Weakness Detected: Lower spine – armor thin]
[Chance of success: 72%]
He ducked under its next bite and drove a broken sword hilt directly into its back.
With a pained howl, the beast collapsed.
> [Target Neutralized. Qi Harvested: +4]
[Beast Core obtained.]
But Tae-hyun was already moving toward what the system had highlighted.
A weapon buried beneath a pile of ancient blades.
He pulled it free.
It was a short black blade, curved slightly, made of metal that shimmered faintly with blue veins.
> [Item Identified: Fangsteel Dagger]
[Grade: High Mortal]
[Effect: +15% damage when targeting weak points. Enhanced sharpness. Binds with user upon blood mark.]
He cut his palm and let the blood flow over the dagger.
It pulsed in response. A cold hum vibrated up his arm.
Perfect.
A weapon made for assassins.
---
Back in his hut, Tae-hyun knelt and meditated. He let the beast core dissolve under the system's control.
> [Qi: 16 → 18]
[Progress to Body Refinement Stage 3: 19%]
Too slow.
He needed more.
The system pinged.
> [Optional Mission: Eliminate Rogue Disciples in Forbidden Valley]
[Target: Bandits posing as fallen disciples. Estimated Realm: Stage 2-3]
[Reward: +6 Stat Points, +2 Skill Fragments, Rare Drop Chance]
[Penalty: None]
Tae-hyun's eyes narrowed.
He stood.
---
Three days before the Trial.
Tae-hyun entered Forbidden Valley under a starless sky. The air reeked of rotting Qi and damp earth.
There were five of them—exiled Jin clan disciples who had turned to banditry and bloodshed. They guarded a flickering campfire, drunk and arrogant.
Tae-hyun observed them from a tree branch above.
One was Stage 3—taller, scarred, with a giant hammer. The rest were Stage 2.
He didn't wait.
He descended like a ghost.
Phantom Step—Silent Variant.
Combat Scan—Overclock.
The first two never even screamed. His dagger slid through their throats cleanly.
By the time the others reacted, Tae-hyun had already vanished again—appearing behind the hammer-wielder.
Steel met steel.
The hammer crashed into the earth, shaking the ground.
Tae-hyun flipped, landed behind the man, and stabbed the dagger into the back of his leg.
> [Weak Point: Behind the knee – tendon exposed]
The man roared and turned.
Too slow.
Tae-hyun's foot met his chin with a vicious snap.
The hammer dropped.
Tae-hyun didn't hesitate. He reversed his grip and drove the dagger into the man's eye.
Silence fell.
> [Mission Complete: Rogue Disciples Eliminated]
[Qi Absorbed: +9]
[Skill Fragment Copied: Earthbreaker Hammer Technique – 21%]
[Stat Points Earned: +6]
[Loot Drop: Reinforced Qi Robes (Mid-Mortal Grade)]
[Progress to Body Refinement Stage 3: 61%]
---
Tae-hyun wiped the blood from his blade and slipped on the new robe—simple, gray-black, but reinforced at key points with Qi threads.
He returned to the clan grounds before dawn, unseen.
He assigned his new stat points:
> [+2 Strength, +2 Speed, +1 Stamina, +1 Qi Capacity]
His body responded instantly. Stronger. Faster. More Qi.
He could feel it.
The gap between him and the outer disciples... was shrinking.
---
The day of the Outer Sect Trial had come.
Hundreds gathered in the main courtyard. Clan elders stood above on the terrace. Banners flew. Tension rippled through the air.
Jin Mu stood in fine silk robes, smirking at Tae-hyun from across the field.
"You're still breathing," he said. "How annoying."
Tae-hyun didn't reply.
He only smiled.
Because he wasn't here to survive anymore.
He was here to hunt.
---