– The First Step
The scent of blood still clung to Ye Tianfeng's robes, though the rain had long since washed most of it away.
He stood silently at the forest's edge, eyes fixed on the hazy lights of a distant settlement. The stars above were veiled by clouds, but the glow of life ahead was unmistakable.
> "So this is where the system wants me to go…"
---
🔹 [Heavenly Engraving Panel]
> System State: Semi-Stable
Engraving Slot: 0 / 1 (Cooldown – 3 hours)
Active Talent:
– Minor Wind Affinity (Lv.1)
– Hardened Skin Technique (Passive)
Martial Archive:
– Gale Step (Basic Movement Art)
System Quest – Active:
Reach the Nearest Mortal Settlement
Reward: Unlock [Talent Scan (Active)]
Status: 84% Complete
---
> "That panel… It's not a tool. It's a path."
Ye Tianfeng moved with silent precision, using Gale Step to travel the uneven terrain. Every stride felt like a dance with the wind—light, fluid, instinctual. It wasn't just movement anymore.
It was evolution.
---
[Scene: Edge of Wolfpine Village]
A wooden gate came into view, half-rotted and loosely guarded. Two men lounged by a dying lantern, laughing softly, weapons resting against a barrel.
Tianfeng crouched behind a thicket, observing. He didn't need trouble—yet. But he needed to enter.
> "No uniform… just village militia. Not sect-controlled."
He waited for one of them to nod off, then slipped past with a ghost's grace.
Within minutes, he was deep inside the village—just another wet traveler with sharp eyes and a worn cloak.
The village was poor. Thatched roofs. Mud roads. Peasants and minor cultivators. Yet despite its humble nature, it was buzzing tonight.
He followed the noise to a central square.
A cage stood in the middle.
Inside it—three youths, battered and unconscious.
> "Auction?"
> "No," a whisper to his right, "Recruitment."
Ye Tianfeng turned his head slightly. An old woman with milky eyes stood beside him, as if materializing from the shadows.
> "They're selling them to the Fang Irons," she rasped. "Crimson Moon's dogs in disguise."
His fingers tightened.
> "Even out here… their rot spreads."
---
Suddenly:
🔹 [System Notification]
> Optional Target Detected
Talent: Qi Sense Bloom (Lv.2)
Status: Malnourished
Location: Target 1 of 3 – in cage
Ye Tianfeng's eyes narrowed.
> A cultivator talent… in one of the prisoners?
A talent that improves qi sensing speed—that's priceless for someone rebuilding like me.
And it was about to be sold.
He stepped into the shadow of a broken hut and exhaled slowly.
> I can't save all three. But if I move fast enough…
> I can take the one I need.
---
🎯 [New System Prompt]
> Engraving Strategy Unlocked: Pre-Scan on Targets in Proximity
— Range: 15 meters
— Target Marking Enabled
He moved.
Gale Step ignited beneath his soles, launching him forward in a silent dash. Before the guards could react, he was inside the square.
A burst of wind scattered the cage door like splinters.
> "What the—?!"
He struck once—swift, sharp—collapsing the nearest guard's throat.
Another charged. Too slow.
Tianfeng's dagger pierced his chest with chilling accuracy.
One prisoner blinked awake—the girl. Her eyes were vivid with fear and qi fire.
> "Hold still."
Tianfeng grabbed her shoulder—and the panel flared.
---
🔹 [Engrave Talent?]
> Target: Qi Sense Bloom (Lv.2)
Status: Weak, Compatible
Warning: Slot Cooldown Active (2h 38m Remaining)
---
> Still on cooldown.
No time to wait.
Then… protect it.
He broke the cage open completely and pulled the girl onto his back.
More guards arrived. Shouts filled the square.
Tianfeng vanished into the night with the wind at his feet and the girl clinging faintly to consciousness.
---
[Scene: Outside the Village – Abandoned Shrine]
By the time dawn crept over the hills, the two of them were hidden in a ruined shrine a mile from the village.
The girl stirred weakly beside the fire he'd built.
> "Who… are you?" she whispered.
He didn't answer at first.
Then:
> "A dead man."
> "But they took everything from me… and now I take back more."
---
🔹 [System Notification]
> Quest Complete – Reach Mortal Settlement
Reward Unlocked: Talent Scan (Active)
[New Feature Available]
Talent Scan (Active):
– Range: 20 meters
– Filter by Talent Type
– Target Lock (Passive Link Available)
---
A new panel appeared, more detailed than before.
Tianfeng smiled.
> "Now we begin."
---
[End of Chapter 3]