Chapter 11: The First Hunt
Twelve years.
In the outside world, it was a breath in the long history of cultivation sects. In the timeless sanctuary, it was an entire lifetime. The cave behind the mossy curtain was now the heart of a small, thriving homestead. The air, once just thick with raw energy, now circulated with a gentle, harmonious rhythm, guided by arrays so masterfully integrated into the environment they seemed to have grown there.
The rich, pure energy of this hidden world, combined with the exponential growth from their Lineage Bond, had worked miracles. For Liam and his wives, it had been a period of rebirth. They had not only healed their old wounds but had surged past their former limits. Both Isadora and Lysandra had successfully broken through to the Sky Aperture Realm (Realm 5) in their Qi cultivation, granting them the incredible ability of true, sustained flight. While Lysandra's Phoenix Wings remained a faster and more combat-oriented option, both matriarchs could now soar through the skies of their home. Liam, with his peerless physique, had advanced even further. His reconstructed Genesis Core was now stable at the very first stage of the Cloud Weaver Realm (Realm 6), placing him at the pinnacle of power in the mortal world, with a long and arduous journey still ahead of him.
This new era was defined not by survival, but by the sound of children's laughter and the sharp crackle of sparring sessions.
On this day, the four children of the Blackwood legacy stood before their father at the edge of the western valley. At eleven, Eli stood with the calm posture of a scholar, while his half-siblings, the twins Ada and Orion, crackled with a barely contained energy. Ada's silver eyes were sharp with competitive zeal, while Orion's golden ones were narrowed in cool analysis. A step behind them stood ten-year-old Liana, her violet-gray eyes wide with an infectious excitement.
Liam looked at them, his heart swelling with a pride so fierce it was a physical presence. "You have all reached the peak of Spirit Vein Opening," he said, his voice the calm, resonant tone of the patriarch they knew, not the broken man of their parents' stories. "Your foundations are solid. Today, your training moves beyond theory."
A familiar blue screen shimmered into existence before them all, a sight as normal to them as the jade-green leaves on the trees.
[Family Quest Issued: Prove Your Mettle]
[Objective: Hunt a Realm 2 Horn-Shelled Gorger.]
[Rules: Your parents will not interfere. Succeed or fail as a unit.]
[Reward: Evaluation and personalized instruction from the Patriarch.]
A grin split Ada's face. "Finally," she muttered.
"The Gorger's shell is nearly impenetrable to direct attacks," Eli said immediately, falling into his natural role as strategist. He looked at his half-sister. "Ada, that means you cannot simply charge in. Its weak points are its joints and underbelly. Orion, your lances will be useless against its back. We need to force it onto its side. Liana, you will support where needed. I will coordinate."
"Less talking, more smashing," Ada retorted, cracking her knuckles.
Their target was not hard to find. The Horn-Shelled Gorger was a massive, armadillo-like beast the size of a boulder, with a thick, plated carapace that deflected the ambient light. It was noisily digging for roots at the center of the valley.
"Okay," Eli whispered from their hiding spot. "On my mark, Ada, you will create a diversion from the left. Draw its attention. Orion, when it turns, you will target the joint in its right foreleg. That should unbalance it."
"Got it," Orion said, his gaze already locked on the target.
"Ada?" Eli asked.
Ada was already gone. With a fierce cry, she burst from the undergrowth, her fists wreathed in her signature Crimson-Black Flame. "Come on, you ugly rock!" she yelled.
"Ada, wait!" Eli's carefully laid plan dissolved into chaos.
The Gorger, startled, let out a furious snort and charged, not with speed, but with the inexorable momentum of an avalanche. Ada met it head-on, her `Shadowing Ember Strike` landing squarely on its armored head with a dull thud, doing little more than angering it. The beast swung its massive head, and Ada was forced to use the `Unfettered Phantom Steps` to leap backward, narrowly avoiding being thrown across the valley.
"Its shell is too thick!" she yelled in frustration.
"I know!" Orion shouted back, repositioning. He couldn't get a clean shot with Ada so close to the beast, dancing in and out of its range. He launched an `Emberpoint Lance`, but it glanced off the creature's curved carapace with a shower of dark sparks.
The hunt devolved into a frantic, uncoordinated mess. Ada's relentless attacks kept the Gorger enraged but did no real damage. Orion's precise lances were wasted on the impenetrable shell. Eli, his plan in shambles, tried to direct them, his voice lost in the sounds of the chaotic skirmish.
It was Liana who saw the opening. While her siblings focused on the beast itself, she had been watching the ground. As the Gorger charged, she saw how its heavy feet sunk into the damp earth. An idea, a fusion of lessons from her parents, sparked in her mind.
"Ada, lead it towards the muddy patch!" she yelled.
Ada, trusting her younger sister's strange intuition, did so. She dodged another clumsy swing and led the beast on a chase towards a low-lying, swampy section of the valley. As the Gorger's feet hit the soft mud, it slowed, its heavy body sinking slightly.
"Now, Orion! Its leg is stuck!" Liana shouted.
Orion didn't hesitate. Seeing the momentary opportunity, he planted his feet, gathered his Qi, and unleashed his most powerful `Emberpoint Lance`. It struck the Gorger's exposed knee joint with a sickening crunch. The beast roared in pain and surprise, its leg buckling.
"Eli, now!" Liana urged.
Eli, seeing the beast stumble, acted instantly. He projected his `Warding Soulflame`, not at the beast, but on the ground in its path. The shimmering, silver-blue wall erupted, not as a destructive force, but as a psychic irritant. The enraged and injured Gorger, confused by the spiritual interference, stumbled directly into it. The moment it was off-balance, its immense weight carried it over, and it crashed onto its side with a thunderous boom, exposing its soft, unarmored underbelly.
"Yes!" Ada screamed in triumph, surging forward, her fists burning hot.
"Wait!" Eli commanded, his voice sharp with authority. "Together!"
For the first time, they listened. Ada took her position, Orion gathered energy for a final shot, and Eli maintained the ward. Liana stood beside them, a strange, harmonious glow enveloping her hands.
"Now," Eli ordered.
Ada struck the underbelly, her flames searing the soft flesh. Orion's lance pierced through its exposed side, a fatal blow. As the beast gave one final, dying thrash, Liana completed her own technique. She thrust her hands forward, and a wave of energy washed over the Gorger. It was a bizarre, hybrid art—a soothing pulse of life essence laced with a black, draining fire. The beast's final, violent throes calmed instantly, its life extinguished without a prolonged struggle.
Silence descended upon the valley. The four of them stood over their kill, panting, covered in mud and sweat. They had won.
A blue screen appeared before them.
[Quest Complete: Prove Your Mettle.]
[Evaluation: Success, but with chaotic execution. Teamwork requires significant improvement.]
They looked at each other, the reality of the message sinking in. They were strong, yes. But they were not yet a unit. Their first hunt was over, but their true training, it seemed, had only just begun.