The house had never been this quiet.
For the past three years, Guanhao had been filled with small sounds.
Kalifa moving from one room to another.
The soft rustle of clothes and the clink of utensils.
Her footsteps approaching before she announced herself.
Sometimes, she would complain about something I had done.
Sometimes, she would simply sit beside me and read.
Now there was only silence.
I sat crosslegged on the balcony, facing the evening sky.
My Qi circulated through my body.
Slowly and Steadily.
I really need real experience to breakthrough, been stuck like this for the past 3yrs.....
A knock came from the front door.
knock
The next moment, the door opened.
Lucci stepped inside.
He had grown considerably over the past three years.
His body was leaner now, but beneath that frame rested strength far beyond what anyone should have possessed at his age.
His eyes swept through the room.
Then he noticed the empty, quiet house.
"Where is Kalifa?"
I exhaled.
"I sent her away," I said with a sad smile.
Lucci's eyes widened for the briefest moment.
Only a moment.
"I thought you two were…"
He paused.
His gaze shifted slightly to the side.
"…close."
I stared at him.
Then I chuckled.
"What?"
"Nothing."
Lucci gave me a flat look.
I laughed again.
"She is safe," I said. "And she has work to do."
Lucci nodded.
He did not ask anything else.
That was one of the things I liked about him.
He was observant.
He noticed everything.
But he rarely forced his way into matters that did not belong to him.
I turned toward the horizon.
"She will be fine."
"I did not ask."
"No, but you were thinking it."
Lucci said nothing.
Which was an answer enough.
I stretched for a bit, then looked toward him.
"Today, we are not cultivating."
One of his brows rose; that got his attention.
"We aren't?"
"Yep, Today we begin putting everything we learned to the test."
His eyes sharpened.
"Combat?"
"Real combat."
The faintest smile appeared on my face.
"Follow me."
Lucci followed without another question.
We crossed the quiet hallway and entered my bedroom.
The first thing he noticed was the shrine.
It stood near the far wall, newly placed upon a low wooden platform.
The wood was dark and ancient, its surface carrying faint patterns that seemed almost like veins beneath bark.
It was not ordinary timber. Even without touching it, I could sense something sleeping inside it.
Lucci stopped.
"What is that?"
"That is a shrine."
He stared at it for a moment longer.
Then he looked at me.
I went to the shrine and took out a thin incense stick.
I blew on it softly and the stick lit.
The flame flickered once before settling into a steady glow.
The scent that spread through the room was unfamiliar.
Not the fragrance of any incense I had used in Mary Geoise.
It carried the faint smell of old forests, mountain soil, and something much older than either.
I placed it into the sand filled burner before the shrine.
The moment it touched the sand, the room changed.
The air became still as if the entire world had stopped breathing.
I turned toward Lucci.
"Come here."
He approached.
I looked at the shrine, then spoke.
"Repeat after me."
"A glimpse reveals the foes' might
A talent tilts to an unfair fight."
For a moment, nothing happened.
[DING!]
[KEEPER'S SHRINE ACTIVATED!]
SWooosh!!
The Shrine came to life.
A luminous golden branch emerged from it.
It grew and split into smaller branches before blooming with delicate plum blossoms.
Each petal shone with a warm golden light.
The flowers drifted downward.
But before they could touch the floor, they dissolved into motes of light.
The shrine trembled.
Its wooden doors opened.
Inside sat a tiny figure.
An old earth deity.
Its body was small and ancient, its expression difficult to read. Its eyes moved slowly toward us.
Then they began to glow.
A low chant filled the room.
It sounded like distant Buddhist chanting carried through a mountain valley.
For one instant, I felt the world stretch
The peach blossom petals surrounded and spun around us.
zoooom~
Lucci's eyes widened.
Then the world turned white.
....
The first thing I felt was the air.
It was thick and heavy.
My lungs filled with an unfamiliar freshness, and the Qi surrounding us rushed against my skin like a slow-moving tide.
I opened my eyes, and I saw towering trees surrounding us on every side.
Their trunks were twisted and ancient, their roots breaking through the earth like fingers.
Dense green foliage blocked most of the sky above, leaving only scattered patches of pale light.
Somewhere far away, insects chirped.
Howling in the distance.
The sound echoed through the forest.
Lucci opened his eyes beside me.
He immediately turned toward me.
"Where-...."
He stopped.
His gaze dropped.
His expression changed.
"What is that?"
I followed his eyes.
Then I looked down at myself.
The armour covered my body.
Red metal.
Layered plates.
A rugged, battleworn design that looked more suited to a wandering warrior than a Celestial Dragon.
The Folklore armour set.
For years, I had kept it in hidden mode.
It had remained equipped beneath my clothes, invisible to the outside world.
'So it only stays hidden in the One Piece world'
I flexed my fingers.
The armour moved with me perfectly.
No stiffness or weight interfered with movement.
Lucci looked me over.
"You were not wearing that before."
"I was. It was just hidden before..."
His eyes narrowed.
"You are...strange"
"Eh? Walking around Mary Geoise in battle armour would have attracted attention."
Lucci just nodded and looked around.
"And here?"
"No need to hide here"
A faint metallic sound came from the armour as I moved my shoulder.
I could feel the equipment clearly now.
Its presence was no longer concealed.
But that was not the only difference.
The Qi here was overwhelming.
Even the One Piece world's richest locations could not compare.
The air was saturated with it.
I slowly inhaled.
The Qi entered my body almost greedily.
My meridians responded.
The sensation was refreshing.
Lucci stood silently, his eyes half closed.
He was sensing it too.
"Do you feel it?" I asked.
His eyes opened.
"The air."
"The Qi."
He glanced toward the trees.
"It is much denser than ours."
"Not just denser."
I looked deeper into the forest.
"It is richer. More abundant. It is everywhere."
Lucci's gaze sharpened.
"What kind of place is this?"
I smiled.
"A world beyond ours."
He waited.
I continued.
"A world where gods, demons, and humans struggle to reach the absolute peak."
The distant howl came again.
This time, something answered from farther away.
The forest seemed to shift around us.
"Here," I said, "everyone has the means to cultivate.
A true Dog eat Dog world"
Lucci looked toward me.
His expression did not change.
But the light in his eyes grew colder; he understood that kind of world.
Perhaps better than most.
We began walking.
The forest floor was uneven, covered in roots, stones, and fallen leaves.
Every step carried sound farther than it should have. The air itself seemed to listen.
I kept my Divine Sense spread around us.
The forest was full of life.
Small creatures, insects, birds.
Strange beasts hiding beneath the undergrowth.
And something else.
The Qi carried traces of cultivation everywhere.
Not only in the air.
In the living things.
Lucci suddenly stopped.
I followed his gaze.
A shape moved between the trees.
Then another.
Wolf yaoguais.
I could almost see the questions forming in his mind.
"Are they human?" he asked.
"No."
"Can they speak?"
"Some can."
A rough voice came from the shadows.
"Humans…"
Yellow eyes appeared between the trees.
A wolflike creature stepped into the open.
Its body was twisted and muscular, its claws long, its mouth filled with sharp teeth.
A crude weapon rested in its hand.
Another emerged behind it.
Then another.
The first wolf yaoguai grinned.
"Soft."
A second one sniffed the air.
"Fresh meat."
The others laughed.
"Two little humans."
"Look at them. They came walking into our meal."
One raised its weapon.
"Kill them?"
The first wolf yaoguai tilted its head.
"No."
Its eyes gleamed.
"Play first."
Lucci watched them without moving.
His gaze travelled across their bodies, studying their limbs, their weapons, their stance.
The wolf yaoguai noticed.
It grinned wider.
"What are you staring at, little human?"
Lucci's eyes lifted to its face.
"Your movements."
The creature blinked.
Then it burst into laughter.
"Movements?"
It spread its arms.
"We are going to eat you."
The wolves charged.
I stepped forward.
The first one swung its weapon toward my head.
I slipped beneath it.
My fist struck its ribs.
The impact folded its body around my knuckles.
Before it could hit the ground, Lucci moved.
He appeared beside another wolf yaoguai and drove his elbow into its throat.
The creature staggered backwards, choking, only for Lucci to seize its arm and throw it into a tree.
The remaining wolves surrounded us.
Their confidence vanished.
For the next few moments, the forest filled with movement.
Claws tore through empty air.
Weapons struck tree trunks.
Bodies crashed against roots and stones.
Lucci moved like a hunting beast.
Every attack was direct.
Every movement had purpose.
He did not waste energy.
I moved through the group like a shadow.
A palm strike crushed one wolf's chest.
A kick broke another's knee.
One creature tried to flee.
I flicked two fingers.
A leaf shot through the air.
It struck the back of its skull.
The wolf yaoguai collapsed without another sound.
The final creature dropped its weapon and stumbled backwards.
"Wait…"
It raised both hands.
"Wait! We were only..."
I appeared before it.
Its eyes widened.
My fist struck.
The forest became quiet.
The bodies of the wolf yaoguais lay scattered along the path.
Lucci stood among them, breathing calmly.
He looked down at one of the corpses.
"They were weak."
"Compared to us."
I glanced deeper into the forest.
"That does not mean everything here will be."
We continued forward.
The path narrowed between the trees.
The distant sounds of the forest grew stranger as we walked.
Somewhere ahead, something large dragged its feet across the earth.
Then came a deep, broken groan.
"Uuuh…"
Lucci stopped.
Another sound followed.
A heavy impact.
The ground trembled beneath our feet.
I looked toward the source.
A trail of destruction led away from the main path. Trees had been crushed, stones overturned, and deep footprints marked the soil.
Something enormous had passed through there.
Lucci's eyes sharpened.
"What is that?"
"Your opponent."
He turned toward me.
"My opponent?"
I pointed down the main path.
"Something big is waiting for you."
"There is a wandering monk nearby. Follow that route and find him."
Lucci glanced at the destruction.
"You want me to fight that?"
"Yes."
"And you?"
I looked toward a smaller path branching ahead.
Beyond it, I could sense another presence.
A metallic scraping sound drifted through the forest.
Then a voice.
"Who dares…"
The words were faint, carried through the trees.
But the heat behind them was not.
I smiled.
"I have someone else to meet."
He stared for a good minute before he sighed.
It was a small sound, but one I had learned to recognise.
He did not like being sent toward an unknown opponent.
He liked even less that I was clearly enjoying myself.
"Fine."
He turned toward the ruined path.
Then he paused.
"Can you take that wolf alone?"
I looked toward the red glow flickering between the trees.
"I need to find that out too."
Lucci stared at me for a moment.
Then he shook his head.
"You are troublesome."
"And you talk too much now."
"I learned from you."
"That is unfortunate."
Lucci ran down the path.
His footsteps quickly faded into the forest.
I waited until his presence had moved beyond the range of ordinary hearing.
Then I turned toward the smaller trail.
The heat grew stronger.
A faint orange glow reflected against the tree trunks.
The path opened into a small clearing.
A wooden hut stood near the edge of it.
It was little more than a crude forest dwelling, built from rough timber and old planks. Smoke drifted from the roof, carrying the scent of ash and burnt wood.
A few scattered weapons and broken objects lay around the entrance.
I stopped several steps away.
For a moment, nothing moved.
Then the hut's door opened.
A tall figure stepped outside.
He possessed the body of a wolf yaoguai, covered in thick reddish fur. His frame was broad and powerful, his limbs shaped by years of combat.
Twin crimson glaives rested in his hands, their blades glowing with intense heat.
Flames crawled along the weapons.
The air around him shimmered.
His eyes settled on me.
Then they moved over my armour.
"A human?"
His voice was rough, but clear.
"Or something pretending to be one?"
He chuckled.
He looked toward the path behind me.
"Only two of you came?"
I said nothing.
[DING!]
[YAOGUAI CHIEF: GUANGZHI]
[WARNING!
ENEMY CULTIVATION: PSEUDO DOU SPIRIT (DOU LING)]
Guangzhi stepped farther from the hut.
His claws pressed into the earth.
"Strange."
He tilted his head.
"Most humans who enter this mountain run away before they reach my dwelling."
His gaze sharpened.
"But you walked here."
He looked me over again.
"And you killed the wolves."
"Was that a problem?"
A low chuckle escaped him.
"No."
He lifted his glaive.
The flames around its blade surged.
"It saves me the trouble."
The weapon's heat rolled across the clearing.
The nearby grass blackened.
Guangzhi's expression became more interested.
"You have some strength."
"Some?"
His grin widened.
"Do not misunderstand."
He planted it against the ground.
The earth cracked beneath its tip.
"I have burned countless humans who believed themselves strong."
His eyes glowed in the firelight.
"Some came with weapons."
"Some came with companions."
"Some even believed they could defeat me."
He slowly raised his searing red glaive.
"All of them burned."
I lowered my stance.
The armour around my body shifted.
Guangzhi noticed.
His grin faded.
"You are not afraid."
"I am cautious."
"Good."
He rolled his shoulders.
"Fear keeps weak creatures alive."
The flames climbed higher along his weapons.
"But caution…"
His eyes narrowed.
"…will not save you from fire."
A low growl escaped his throat.
He stepped forward.
The ground beneath his foot cracked.
"Come, human."
The firelight reflected across his fangs.
"Show me how long you can dance before you burn."
I smiled.
Behind me, far down the other path, a tremendous crash shook the forest.
Then came a broken, childish sound.
"Uuuh…"
Guangzhi glanced toward the noise.
"The Wandering Wight."
I kept my eyes on him.
"My companion is dealing with it."
Guangzhi looked back at me.
"You sent another human to that monster?"
"Yes."
His expression shifted.
For the first time, genuine curiosity entered his eyes.
"You humans have become strange."
"People say that about me often."
Guangzhi laughed.
The flames on his glaives roared.
"Then let us see if you are strange enough to survive."
He vanished.
The clearing exploded with fire.
------
Elsewhere
Lucci followed the ruined path downward.
The farther he went, the more violently the forest had been disturbed.
Trees lay broken across the earth.
Large stones had been crushed into fragments.
Deep footprints marked the soil, each one wide enough to swallow a child.
Then came another sound.
A low, broken groan.
"Uuuh…"
Lucci stopped.
The forest opened into a wide clearing.
At its centre stood a massive figure.
Its body was pale and bloated, its head resembling a gigantic stone skull.
Thick limbs hung from its sides, each one carrying enough weight to crush a man beneath it.
Its skin was rough and hardened.
Not merely tough.
It looked like stone that had learned to breathe.
The creature stood with its back turned.
For a moment, it did not move.
Then its enormous head slowly twisted around.
Two small eyes settled on Lucci.
"Ahh…"
Its mouth opened.
"Human…"
The word came out slowly, broken and wet.
The Wandering Wight tilted its head.
"Little…"
Its lips stretched into a strange smile.
"Human…"
Lucci said nothing.
His eyes moved across the creature's body.
The thick neck.
The massive shoulders.
The heavy limbs.
There were no obvious openings.
No exposed weakness.
No part of its body that looked easy to break.
The creature raised one enormous hand.
"Come…"
Its fingers curled.
"Play…"
Lucci's gaze remained cold.
He reached up and loosened his tie.
The black fabric slipped from his collar.
Then he began removing his shirt.
The buttons came undone one after another.
He pulled the shirt from his shoulders and threw it aside.
It landed on the forest floor.
Beneath it was a body refined through three years of relentless training.
Lean muscle wrapped tightly around a powerful frame.
His shoulders were broad for his age, his arms defined without excess bulk.
Every part of him had been trained for movement, balance, and explosive force.
There was nothing showy about his physique.
It was a weapon.
The Wandering Wight stared at him.
"Uuuh?"
Lucci rolled his shoulders once.
Then he raised both arms.
One hand opened.
The other curled into a fist.
His body lowered slightly, his weight settling into the earth.
His back straightened.
His eyes narrowed.
The stance was simple, almost relaxed.
But every part of him was ready to move.
A martial artist's stance.
A predator's patience.
The Wandering Wight leaned forward.
"Human…"
Its enormous hand struck its own chest.
"Fight?"
Lucci's gaze did not leave it.
"Yes."
The creature's face twisted with delight.
"Good…"
Its shoulders began to shake.
"Good!"
It let out a deep, broken laugh.
"Play!"
The Wandering Wight raised one foot.
The ground beneath it cracked.
Lucci's fingers tightened.
The Wandering Wight suddenly roared.
"UAAAAH!"
Its massive fist rose into the air.
The shadow of it covered Lucci.
Lucci's eyes sharpened.
Then,
The fist came down.
BOOOOM!!!!
To be Continued....