The night was quiet.
Crickets hummed in the grass, frogs croaked along the river, and smoke from cooking fires drifted lazily toward the cracked bell in the village square.
Long Chen sat cross-legged inside the small hut offered to him. A dim oil lamp flickered at his side. In his palm rested the jade slip, still whispering the crude Azure Sky Breathing method into his thoughts.
He inhaled. Silver mist stirred around him, drawn reluctantly from the thin air. With each cycle, it grew a little less shy. Slowly, the Qi threaded into his dantian, stitching itself into his meridians.
A chime rang softly in his mind.
[ Status Update ]
Realm Progress: Mortal (Qi-Sensitive) → Mortal (Qi Initiate)
Spirit: 9 → 10
Vitality: 5 → 6
Qi Circuits: 7/100 (Foundation Stage)
He opened his eyes. A faint glow flickered behind them before fading. Progress was slow, but steady.
Then—the cracked bell rang.
It was a desperate sound, not the calm call of mealtime or gathering. Villagers shouted outside. Long Chen rose immediately, slipping from the hut.
Torches lit the night as men and women scrambled for weapons—rusty spears, wooden clubs, farming tools. Fear thickened the air.
"What happened?" Long Chen asked, his voice steady.
A panting youth pointed toward the riverbank. "Beasts! Too many! The tide comes early this year!"
Long Chen's eyes narrowed. From the darkness beyond the fields, red glimmers appeared one by one. Eyes. Dozens of them.
The ground trembled. Snarls rose, mixed with the screech of claws against stone. Shapes surged into the torchlight—wolves with skeletal frames, boars with cracked tusks, deer whose antlers dripped black Qi. Each beast bore the taint of corruption.
The villagers shrank back, but the elder struck his stick against the ground. "Stand! If we fall, the children die first!"
The beasts roared as one.
The System's voice cut across the chaos.
[ Side Quest Triggered ]
Protector of Mortals
Objective: Defend the village from Beast Tide (Wave 1).
Reward: Basic Spirit Weapon (Low)
Failure: Village destroyed.
Long Chen stepped forward, placing himself between the villagers and the horde. His black hair fluttered in the night wind, eyes shining faintly with the light of dragon blood.
So this is the test the heavens prepared for me.
"System," he whispered, "open Devour."
The dragon mark burned on his chest. Hunger surged through his veins.
The first beast lunged—a wolf, fangs glinting with poison. Long Chen's palm lashed out, catching its skull.
"Devour!"
The wolf convulsed. Its eyes dulled as foul Qi bled into his hand, consumed by the dragon bloodline. The corpse collapsed like dry leather.
[ Battle Log ]
Target Defeated: Corrupted Wolf
Strength: 4 → 5
Bloodline Unseal: 6.7% → 7.9%
Gasps erupted behind him. The villagers stared wide-eyed at the stranger who drained beasts with a touch.
The second beast charged—a tusked boar. Long Chen twisted aside, slammed his fist into its flank, and unleashed Devour again. The boar shrieked before falling silent, its bulk crumbling into bones.
The ground shook with the advance of the horde. More beasts surged forward.
"Behind me!" Long Chen barked. His voice carried with authority, cutting through the panic. The villagers obeyed, retreating as he faced the tide alone.
Beast after beast came. Claws slashed, tusks gored, teeth snapped—but each time, Long Chen dodged, struck, and devoured. His movements were not refined like a trained cultivator, but raw instinct and burning will drove him forward.
His body ached. Each use of Devour strained his veins, but his bloodline drank eagerly, refining, strengthening, awakening.
[ Status Update ]
Realm: Mortal (Qi Initiate) → Mortal (Qi Tempered)
Strength: 5 → 6
Vitality: 6 → 7
Bloodline Unseal: 7.9% → 10.5%
Skill Upgrade: Devour (Rank 1 → Rank 1+) — Efficiency 43% → 51%
Dozens of beasts lay in broken heaps. The ground was stained black with corrupted blood. The villagers, clutching their crude weapons, stared in stunned silence.
Long Chen's chest heaved, but his eyes burned with a cold fire. "Is this all the heavens can send me?"
As if in answer, the forest shook.
From the shadows emerged a beast twice the size of the others. A wolf king, its fur black as pitch, horns curling from its skull, eyes burning with malice.
[ Scan ]
Target: Corrupted Wolf King
Realm: Qi Refining (Stage 2)
Threat Level: Deadly (to current user)
Special Ability: Poison Fang, Corruption Howl
Refineable Value: High
The villagers screamed. Even the elder's stick shook.
Long Chen's lips curved into a fierce grin.
"Good. A true enemy."
The Wolf King roared and charged.