Standing in the waiting hall of the Heaven's Protection Guild, Jian and Yun Ji stood an unlikely pair, one a young cultivator, the other a seasoned protector whose presence now felt familiar.
"Kid," Yun Ji muttered, his tone carrying the wisdom of someone who had seen countless life experiences, "the cultivation path isn't an easy one.
"I see you had a breakthrough into the Flesh Tempering Realm within a day from the fifth stage of the body refining realm which is impressive for some one who just started Cultivating even for a dual cultivator."
Unbeknownst to Yun Ji that the man standing before him was a dual cultivation prodigy,
Yun Ji continued, "What you faced back in your home… that was nothing more than an introduction a whisper of the reality of this world."
Jian remained silent, his gaze fixed ahead.
"In the days to come, you'll have to study countless techniques," Yun Ji continued, his voice low but edged with steel.
"You'll train until your body feels like it will break, you will push your mind until sleep becomes a stranger… and even then, there will always be someone who carries more talent than you do.
That's the vastness of this world as the life of a Cultivator is an endless climb."
The words settled heavily between them.
Just then, the receptionist returned, her steps soft against the polished marble floor. In her hands was a long, narrow scroll—its surface shimmering faintly with layered seals. The contract that had bound their lives together.
"Place your hands," she instructed.
They obeyed.
The scroll shimmed with an ancient, resonant hum. A faint green light began to pulse from its surface, wrapping around their palms like living threads before sinking deep into the parchment.
Then, from Yun Ji's chest, a sharp burst of white aura exploded outward, an unbinding force that left the air quivering.
Yun Ji exhaled, rolling his shoulders with exaggerated relief. "Finally," he said with a smirk, "I'm free of you, kid. You're a walking magnet for trouble. But…" His smirk softened into something almost nostalgic.
"…I'll admit, I haven't been on edge in a long time. Our little adventure—though hectic—was… interesting."
Jian couldn't help but return the faintest of smiles.
"As a parting gift," Yun Ji said suddenly, stepping closer, "since you want to walk the path of martial cultivation, I'll leave you with something of mine."
Before Jian could react, Yun Ji raised a finger and tapped him lightly on the forehead.
The world seemed to fall away as his gaze blurred.
Information—poured into Jian's mind in a rush of blazing light. Every movement, every shift of weight, every strike, every silence was imprinted into his consciousness like molten iron branding steel.
"Silent Step Slash," the voice in his head whispered, ancient and cold.
When Jian's focus returned, Yun Ji was already walking away, his figure fading into the bustle of the guild hall. "You won't be able to use that technique until you have reached a certain cultivation, The next time we meet I expect you to give off a formidable presence
"Where do you think you're going?" Jian's voice cut through the air, sharp as His gaze locked on Yun Ji like a predator stalking prey. "Have you suddenly forgotten you're still my protector?
You are my escort to the Crystal Province. We only came here to unlink my life from yours to make certain you'd be able to save yourself if the worst comes."
"And that's because somebody is afraid of death."
Yun Ji froze, his fists clenching at his sides as this was his last futile attempt to get away from jian.
Every instinct told him to turn away from Jian. The man was a harbinger of death, a walking disaster in human form.
And he wasn't certain he could stand against the higher ranks of the Blood Mist Assassins.
"Fine," he said at last, voice flat and edged with frustration. "But understand this—if the situation spirals beyond what I can handle, I will leave you behind." His eyes hardened, i didn't live this long by encroaching into a fight I wasn't certain I would win.
I "I doubt they'll target me anytime soon, but if they do… your credentials clearly says you're a battle freak. You'll manage."
"Battle freak…" Yun Ji muttered under his breath, the words tasting sour, "but I never fight without cause." Yun Ji thought inwardly
Jian didn't bother to respond. As he casually strolled to the exit.
The two men stepped out from the towering gates of the Heaven's Protection Guild. Outside, two carriages waited, their lacquered glossy wood gleamed in the sunlight.
Two Armored guards stood beside them.
Without hesitation, Jian moved to one of the carriages and climbed aboard. Inside, Maria was already waiting, her posture calm though her eyes lit with relief at the sight of him.
Jian settled into his seat without a word. The carriage door shut with a firm thud, and soon the wooden wheels began their steady roll.
Minutes blurred into hours, and hours turned into days as the carriage carried them peacefully away from the royal capital of Lianzhou toward the outskirts of the empire.
Yun Ji sat cross-legged in a lotus position—not cultivating, but extending his spiritual sense ahead.
He moved it carefully in a radius of thousands of meters ahead, like a scout in the dark, feeding off lingering traces of energy rather than drawing on his own reserves.
On the surface it seemed effortless, but in truth it demanded constant, uninterrupted focus.
After all, they had already been attacked twice in a single day by the blood mist assassins as such Yun Ji's nerves were on edge, his attention razor-sharp, every passing breeze a possible threat.
Suddenly, his brows knitted and furrowed. His spiritual sense had brushed against the carriage not far from him and what he found there made his breath hitch. He withdrew instantly, shaking his head with a wry smile.
"This kid never ceases to amaze me," Yun Ji muttered under his breath. "Even in the face of death, he does this?"
Inside the carriage, Jian was in the midst of a heated cultivation session with Maria as she was bent doggy style on the cushion of the carriage.
Jian had paid extra for this carriage as sound proving arrays has been embedded within it stopping any sound from escaping the confines of the carriage.
Blocking spiritual sense cost an astronomical amount and to himbas a previous dual cultivator, he didn't care to put on a show for who ever cared to watch, tho he was sure the guards wouldn't peek in his carriage without a cogent reason. And for Yun Ji well he would have to deal with it.
Yun Ji's thoughts darkened as he considered it. Which sect could have possibly given him a dual cultivation technique.
Techniques of that kind were rare, forbidden to most, and the few sects who specialized in them guarded their secrets like Leprechaun hoarding gold.
Entire sects warred endlessly for dominance, and each new technique was a weap
on in the struggle for supremacy. Yet here was Jian, wielding one as though he had plucked it from a tree.