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Chapter 35 — The Shadow's Edge
The Xiao Clan didn't wait long.
By the third night after their men had been humiliated, the city streets were crawling with their lackeys.
Groups of thugs patrolled the alleys, questioning merchants, harassing beggars — searching for a ghost they couldn't name.
And then they made their first mistake.
They came for someone close to the Yun household.
---
The Bait
I'd been shadowing the northern quarter that evening when I saw them:
three Xiao enforcers tailing Yun Xiaofan, one of the Yun Clan's outer servants.
A kid barely seventeen, barely a threat, but enough to draw attention.
He didn't even notice the shadows following him, didn't notice when they steered him into a narrow lane near the city wall.
I did.
---
The Decision
I could have walked away.
No one would have blamed me.
But then the System chimed:
> [Warning: Collateral Timeline Instability Detected.]
[Risk: Yun Household Collapse +15%.]
I cursed under my breath.
"Fine," I muttered. "Time to teach you bastards a lesson."
---
The Ambush
I moved in as one of the enforcers shoved Xiaofan against the wall.
"Boss says you Yun rats need to learn your place," the thug sneered.
I didn't give him the chance to finish.
Adaptive Flow engaged, my breathing steady, my body loose but coiled like a drawn bowstring.
One step.
Two.
Then—impact.
The first thug never saw the strike that folded him into the dirt.
The second spun, blade flashing — too slow.
My hand deflected the weapon, my knee slamming into his gut.
The third, smarter or maybe just luckier, actually managed to swing his club at my head.
It didn't matter.
I slipped under the arc, my dull training blade flicking out in a clean, precise strike to his wrist.
The club clattered uselessly to the cobblestones.
---
The Aftermath
Xiaofan stared at me, trembling, eyes wide with disbelief.
"W-what… who—?"
I kept my hood low, voice cold but calm.
"Go. Tell no one you saw me. Not even your master."
He nodded furiously and bolted into the night.
---
The Message
By dawn, the city was buzzing again.
Another patrol crippled.
Three men unconscious, one with a shattered wrist.
And whispers of a phantom growing bolder, striking harder.
---
System Notification
> [Combat Assessment: Intermediate Level Achieved.]
[Timeline Stability: Maintained.]
[Warning: Xiao Clan Investigation Escalating.]
---
A Quiet Moment
I returned to my rented room, stripped off my sweat-soaked shirt, and stared into the cracked mirror.
Beneath the calm expression, there was something new in my eyes — something sharp, dangerous.
The Adaptive Flow wasn't just changing how I moved.
It was changing me.
I exhaled slowly.
The Xiao Clan had no idea what kind of storm they were summoning.
But soon, they would.
---
Chapter 36 — The First Rank-Up
The room was silent.
Only the faint hum of circulating profound energy filled the air as I sat cross-legged, the Adaptive Flow guiding every breath.
Then it happened.
A sharp, crystalline chime echoed in my mind, followed by the System's calm, almost ethereal voice.
[Cultivation Threshold Reached.]
[Rank: Elementary Profound Realm (Peak) → Nascent Profound Realm (Initial).]
[Special Rank-Up Simulation Unlocked.]
[Warning: This simulation carries lethal difficulty. Proceed with caution.]
The Offer
Panels of light bloomed across my vision, revealing four shimmering gateways.
Each one pulsed with a unique energy, whispering promises of power.
Naruto — Curse of Hatred Arc
Rewards: Uchiha Bloodline Fragment or Enhanced Chakra Control
Risk: Very High — combat-heavy, survival uncertain.
One Piece — Marineford War (Observer's Path)
Rewards: Paramecia or Zoan Devil Fruit (Randomized), or Advanced Combat Instincts
Risk: Extreme — survival dependent on stealth and strategy.
Bleach — Soul Society Infiltration
Rewards: Spiritual Pressure Conditioning or Zanpakutō Synchronization (Basic)
Risk: Extremely High — one mistake equals death.
Hunter x Hunter — Heaven's Arena
Rewards: Nen Foundation Technique or Physical Reinforcement Trait
Risk: Moderate — requires endurance and strategy.
The Dilemma
I sat frozen, staring at the choices.
Each world was dangerous in its own way.
Each reward tempting in ways I couldn't fully ignore.
The Uchiha bloodline… the potential of Sharingan would change everything.
But the risk…
A Devil Fruit could tilt battles drastically, but its randomness terrified me.
What if I ended up with something useless in a cultivation-heavy world?
Bleach was… tempting. Spiritual pressure training could evolve my control to insane levels, but Soul Society was practically a death sentence.
That left Hunter x Hunter — safer, relatively speaking, and Nen mastery would synergize well with my cultivation.
The Decision
I exhaled slowly.
"Hunter x Hunter," I said. "Heaven's Arena. Let's play it smart first."
The gateway pulsed, light swallowing me whole.
[Simulation Commencing: Hunter x Hunter — Heaven's Arena.]
[Objective: Survive and Advance to 200th Floor.]
[Bonus Objective: Achieve Nen Awakening.]
[Time Limit: 7 Days (Simulation Time).]
The Arena
I blinked.
The air around me hummed with noise — the roar of a thousand spectators, the clang of steel, the electric excitement of battle.
I looked down at my hands, then at the arena floor.
No cultivation, no profound energy — just my body, honed and ready.
And an opponent walking toward me, grinning with sharp teeth.
[Survive.]
Chapter 37 — Heaven's Arena
The announcer's voice thundered across the arena.
"Match Start!"
I didn't move.
Not yet.
The man across from me—a tall brute with arms like tree trunks—charged forward, his grin feral.
Every step he took shook the floorboards, every movement loud and sloppy.
I let my breath settle into the familiar rhythm.
Adaptive Flow, engage.
First Match
When he swung, I was already gone.
A simple sidestep, weight shifting just enough to let the punch pass harmlessly by.
Then—impact.
My palm slammed into his ribs, not hard enough to break them but enough to knock the air out of his lungs.
He crumpled.
The crowd erupted.
The announcer screamed my victory, but I barely heard him.
[Match Complete.]
[Reward: 10,000 Jenny.]
The Climb
The first ten matches blurred together.
Amateurs with strength but no skill.
Street brawlers trying to muscle their way into fame.
With each fight, my body adapted more.
Adaptive Flow made every movement faster, smoother—every dodge a hair's breadth from perfection.
By the 50th floor, the fights were harder.
Men with actual technique.
Women with speed that forced me to think instead of react.
And still, I advanced.
The 100th Floor
The moment I stepped onto the 100th floor, the atmosphere shifted.
This wasn't about easy wins anymore.
The fighters here were killers—people who had survived this climb long enough to understand the rhythm of death.
My first opponent here was a thin, wiry man with dead eyes and a knife hidden in his sleeve.
The fight lasted three minutes.
Every second of it was a razor's edge.
One mistake would have ended me.
When he finally dropped, unconscious but breathing, my hands were shaking.
System Prompt
[Progress: 100th Floor Cleared.]
[Skill Synchronization +12%.]
[Warning: Nen Pressure Detected. Prepare for Exposure.]
Nen.
I'd been waiting for this.
The Awakening
The 150th floor was where everything changed.
My opponent didn't move fast.
Didn't hit particularly hard.
And yet…
Every blow grazed me.
Every step felt heavier, like invisible chains weighed me down.
By the time I hit the mat, the System flared.
[Hidden Trait Detected: Potential Awakening Condition Met.]
[Initiating Nen Trigger.]
It felt like fire ripping through my veins, like the first time I'd drawn profound energy into my meridians.
And then—clarity.
The arena sharpened.
Every breath, every movement around me became visible, predictable.
I stood, and for the first time, my opponent looked afraid.
The 200th Floor
By the seventh simulated day, I stood before the gates to the 200th floor.
My body ached, my mind burned, but my control was sharper than ever.
[Objective Complete: Survive and Advance.]
[Bonus Objective Complete: Nen Foundation Achieved.]
[Reward: Nen Technique — Ten (Defensive Aura).]
[Additional Reward: Physical Reinforcement +15%.]
The world dissolved into light.
Return
I opened my eyes in my room in Floating Cloud City, gasping for breath, drenched in sweat.
And then the System spoke:
[Simulation Complete.]
[Power Integrated: Nen Foundation + Physical Reinforcement.]
[Cooldown: 14 Days Until Next Rank-Up Simulation.]
I stared at my hands, feeling the hum of power beneath my skin.
Not cultivation.
Not profound energy.
Something… different.
Something that could change everything.
---
Chapter 38 — The Fusion of Power
For two days, I locked myself in my rented room.
No visitors. No distractions.
Just breathing, meditation, and control.
The simulation hadn't just given me Nen—it had given me something far rarer:
understanding.
---
The First Experiment
I sat cross-legged, breathing deeply, profound energy circulating through my meridians in perfect loops.
Then I layered Nen over it.
Ten—the basic defensive aura—wrapped around me like a thin, invisible cloak.
The result was… unstable.
The two forces didn't reject each other, but they didn't blend cleanly either.
Like oil and water, forced to share the same space.
But Adaptive Flow guided me.
I slowed the pace, let the energies adjust to one another.
Breath by breath, they began to sync.
---
The Breakthrough
The moment it clicked, the world around me sharpened.
The hum of insects outside the window.
The soft creak of wood as someone walked by the corridor.
Even the distant murmurs from the marketplace blocks away.
Everything became clearer.
Not just through senses—but through awareness.
And my body…
Stronger. Faster.
Every movement more efficient, every strike more precise.
---
System Update
> [Nen-Cultivation Fusion: Stage One.]
[Passive Enhancement: +20% Physical Control, +10% Energy Output.]
[Warning: Overuse may destabilize meridians. Moderate training recommended.]
I grinned despite myself.
For the first time since arriving in this world, I felt untouchable.
Not invincible—never that.
But prepared.
---
A Test in the Shadows
That night, I moved.
Floating Cloud City was quiet, the streets painted in moonlight.
I leapt from rooftop to rooftop, testing my new balance.
Every jump was smoother, every landing silent.
I stopped when I sensed movement below—a group of Xiao Clan thugs, whispering near the edge of the slums.
I didn't attack.
Not yet.
Instead, I closed my eyes and let my fused energy expand.
Their heartbeats.
Their nervous breathing.
The faint shift of steel as one adjusted his grip on a dagger.
Every detail flowed to me in perfect clarity.
When I finally retreated, they never knew I'd been there.
---
Reflection
Back in my room, I stared at the cracked mirror.
"I'm not just a ghost anymore," I whispered.
"No… I'm becoming something else."
The Xiao Clan thought they were hunting a phantom.
Soon, they'd realize they were baiting a predator.
---
Chapter 39 — The Trap Is Sprung
The message came at dawn.
A coded knock on the door, followed by a whispered voice:
"Young Master Xiao Che… it's Yun Xiaofan. They took her… Miss Xiao Lingxi. The Xiao Clan took her."
The words hit me harder than a hammer.
Lingxi.
For a moment, I couldn't breathe.
Then the System flared.
> [Critical Event Detected: Timeline Instability +45%.]
[Recommendation: Immediate Intervention Required.]
---
The Bait
It wasn't hard to piece together the plan.
The Xiao Clan had been growing more desperate with each passing week.
The humiliation, the whispers, the broken bones of their men—it had all built to this.
And now they had taken Lingxi, dragging her to the abandoned granary at the northern edge of Floating Cloud City.
A trap.
Obvious.
Crude.
Effective.
Because they knew I'd come.
---
Preparation
I dressed in silence.
Black tunic, soft boots, hood pulled low.
Adaptive Flow hummed through my veins.
Nen and profound energy layered together like a second skin.
Every muscle, every sense sharp and ready.
I whispered a promise into the empty room:
"None of you are leaving that granary alive."
---
The Granary
Night fell by the time I arrived.
The granary loomed ahead, its windows cracked and its walls rotting.
Shadows moved inside—at least a dozen men, maybe more.
And in the center, tied to a wooden post, was Lingxi.
Bruised, gagged, but alive.
My hands clenched.
Patience.
Control.
The System whispered:
> [Enemy Count: 14.]
[Threat Assessment: Moderate.]
[Optimal Strategy: Silent elimination, sequential.]
---
The Hunt
I slipped inside like a shadow.
One guard at the door—silent takedown.
A precise blow to the neck, his body lowered gently to the ground.
Then another.
And another.
By the time they realized someone was inside, five of them were already unconscious.
---
The Confrontation
"Show yourself, coward!"
The leader, a burly man with a scar running down his face, stepped into the center of the room, blade in hand.
"You think you can keep humiliating the Xiao Clan? Tonight, we end this—"
He never finished.
I moved.
One step, then two—fused energy exploding through my limbs.
My fist slammed into his gut, folding him in half before he even registered my presence.
The others surged forward, shouting.
Too slow.
Far, far too slow.
Adaptive Flow danced through my veins.
Every strike was precise.
Every dodge effortless.
By the time the last man fell, the granary was silent again.
---
Lingxi
I cut her ropes gently, pulling the gag from her mouth.
Her tear-streaked face turned up to me, eyes wide with fear and confusion.
"Che-ge…?" she whispered.
For a moment, my carefully built walls cracked.
I brushed her hair back, forcing a small smile.
"You're safe now, Lingxi. I promise."
---
Aftermath
By the time the Yun Clan discovered what happened, the granary had burned to the ground, hiding the evidence of my massacre.
But the Xiao Clan…
They knew.
They had to know.
And they would come for me with everything they had left.
---
Chapter 40 — Storm on the Horizon
The next morning, Floating Cloud City was buzzing with rumors.
The granary fire.
The bodies.
The whispers of a shadow that struck down a dozen men without leaving a trace.
No one said my name.
Not yet.
But the Xiao Clan knew.
---
Inside the Xiao Clan
"Enough!"
Xiao Yulong slammed his hand onto the table, his face twisted in rage.
"He humiliated us, slaughtered our men, and burned our property. Are we just going to sit here and take it?"
Xiao Yunhai sat in silence, his fingers drumming against the armrest of his chair.
"Father," Yulong pressed, "we can't keep underestimating him. He's dangerous. More dangerous than anyone realizes."
Finally, Yunhai spoke, voice cold as steel.
"Then we kill him. No more games. We'll bring in the mercenaries from New Moon City—professionals. Let's see if he can fight when death comes for him in the night."
---
My Room — Preparation
I sat cross-legged, eyes closed, the hum of fused energy steady and calm.
Every sense was sharpened.
Every breath deliberate.
The System's voice broke the silence.
> [Simulation Cooldown: 12 Days Remaining.]
[Recommendation: Focus on real-world combat integration.]
[Threat Assessment: Xiao Clan — Escalating Response Imminent.]
I exhaled slowly.
"They're going to throw everything they have at me," I murmured.
Good.
---
Training
I pushed myself harder than ever.
Day and night, I honed the fusion of Nen and cultivation.
Ten for constant defensive coverage.
Profound energy to boost my strikes, my speed, my reflexes.
Adaptive Flow sharpening every movement until it was instinct.
By the fourth day, my strikes split wooden training dummies cleanly in half without effort.
But I wasn't satisfied.
Not yet.
---
Lingxi's Worry
"Che-ge… what's happening to you?"
Her voice trembled as she stood in the doorway, clutching the edge of her robe.
"You're… different. Stronger. But also… colder."
I froze.
For a moment, I had no answer.
Then I forced a smile that didn't reach my eyes.
"I'm just… making sure no one ever hurts you again, Lingxi. Not them. Not anyone."
She didn't look convinced.
---
The System's Reminder
That night, as I meditated, the System spoke again.
> [Approaching Rank-Up Threshold Detected.]
[Special Simulation Trial Pending: Select World Access.]
[Warning: Prepare Physically and Mentally. Difficulty will escalate.]
I opened my eyes, staring at the cracked ceiling.
Bloodline fragments.
Devil Fruits.
Maybe even something rarer.
The next simulation could define my path.
But first, I had to survive the coming storm.
---