Li Ming crouched on the cliff above the Azure Heaven Academy, the wind slicing at his robes. His senses were sharper than any disciple below, every pulse of life in the forest mapped, measured, and cataloged in his mind. The wolf was out there. He could smell it, taste its intent, feel its heartbeat like a trembling thread in the web of existence.
[Side Quest Complete: Forbidden Technique Acquired. +10 years lifespan]
[New Paths Unlocked: Blood Path, Soul Path. Main Quest: Walk the Eternal Dao]
The wolf would die today. It had no choice, and neither did he.
He flexed his fingers. Blood Path coursed beneath his skin, reinforcing bone, muscle, and tendon beyond human limits. Soul Path reached outward, feeling life as one might feel currents in a river. Every thought, every movement, every weakness of the world around him was laid bare. Knowledge, power, opportunity—all in his hands.
From the shadows, a growl erupted. The Azure Spirit Wolf stepped forward. Larger than a horse, fangs glinting, claws sharp enough to slice stone. Its eyes burned with instinctual hatred for intruders.
Li Ming smirked.
[Creature Detected: Azure Spirit Wolf]
[Level: 18 – High Threat]
[Attributes: Strength 180 | Agility 160 | Vitality 170 | Intelligence 80]
[Loot: Spirit Wolf Fang x2, Life Essence]
[Experience: 450 XP]
The wolf was strong, but predictable. Strength alone was worthless. It had no mind, no strategy, no cunning. That would be his advantage.
He drew a circle in the dirt, pricked his palm, and let blood drip in measured rhythm. The circle glowed faintly as the Blood Soul Tempering flared.
[Blood Path Activated: +50 Physical Power, +20% Damage Reduction]
[Soul Path Active: Target Life Threads Traced, Combat Prediction +30%]
The wolf lunged, teeth bared. Li Ming rolled aside, muscles reinforced, blood surging. Claws shredded the stone where he had been a heartbeat ago. His mind calculated, predicted, and executed.
[Prediction: Incoming Attack from Right Flank in 0.7s]
He struck first, delivering a precise blow to the wolf's flank. Pain erupted across the creature, but it remained on its feet, snarling. Most would see a fight, a struggle of strength. Li Ming saw opportunity. Every pain point, every strike, every mistake was a resource, and he would harvest them all.
The system pinged:
[Damage Dealt: 60 | Wolf Status: Injured | Blood Path Efficiency: 85%]
The wolf snapped blindly, teeth and claws striking at shadows. Li Ming stepped back, reading its intent like a book. He would kill this beast, yes, but not recklessly. Efficiency mattered. Wasted effort was a sin.
> "Every life has value," he thought. "If it can serve me, I take it. If it resists, it dies."
He lunged, fist reinforced by the Blood Path, guided by Soul Path predictions. Elbow to ribs, knee to spine, a strike to the skull. Each hit calculated, each movement precise. No emotion, no hesitation. Just cause and effect. The wolf faltered.
[Damage Dealt: 180 | Wolf Status: Severely Injured]
It was time. Li Ming pressed the edge of his hand into its chest, draining the creature's life through Blood Path transference. Qi and blood intertwined, feeding him, strengthening him, bending the forest around them to his will.
[Final Strike: Life Essence Drained – Wolf Killed]
[Experience Gained: 450 XP | Blood Path Level Up: +1 | Soul Path Level Up: +1 | Lifespan +1 Year]
Li Ming straightened, letting the corpse slump to the forest floor. Blood and essence lingered in his veins, a reminder: the world was weak, and the strong must take what they needed without hesitation. The forest smelled of iron, of victory, of inevitability.
He turned his gaze toward the academy. Students below were sweating through sword drills and Qi exercises, their movements flawless in form but meaningless in substance. They could train a thousand years, and yet none would survive this cliff, this wolf, or the trials that awaited the unprepared. Li Ming's contempt was faint, deliberate, careful not to betray itself. Weakness was obvious, but unnecessary arrogance would draw attention.
A figure appeared atop the highest peak overlooking the academy, motionless, exuding sharp, disciplined energy. Not a student. Not a master. Someone who had the audacity—or perhaps the orders—to test him.
[Potential Threat Detected: Level Moderate]
Li Ming's hand rested lightly on the iron sword at his hip. It was a tool, nothing more. His Blood Path, Soul Path, and reinforced body were the true weapons. He did not fight for honor, or for recognition. He fought for survival, advancement, and the perfection of the Eternal Dao.
From the forest, other movements stirred. Human, not beast. Patience and calculation evident in their subtle shifts. Li Ming smiled faintly. Perfect. A real challenge. Not meaningless squabbles, not staged duels. These were the first threats that truly mattered.
He flexed his fingers again. Blood coursed like fire, Soul Path sharpened perception, Body Path ensured endurance. Each pathway was a tool. Every kill, every lesson, every betrayal would only serve to make him stronger.
> "Let them come. Let the world try. None survive by being kind. None survive by being weak. I walk the Eternal Dao, and nothing will stand before me."
Night fell over the academy. Shadows stretched across stone terraces. Eyes followed him from treeline and peak alike. The figure above remained poised, an unknown variable, while watchers in the forest shifted, calculating.
Li Ming's system recorded everything: movements, lifeforce, potential attack patterns. He did not need the others to act yet. Observation alone was preparation. Calculation was power.
The wolf was dead. The first obstacle had been cleared. The forest, the academy, and the distant figure were next. And Li Ming would meet them all with one goal in mind: The path to Eternal life
This was only the beginning.
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