Cold wind howled across the barren land.
Lu Haotian staggered forward, boots scraping against dark stone as he steadied his breathing. The space around him stretched unnaturally wide—a desolate mountain region formed of jagged ridges, uneven slopes, and narrow passes that cut like scars through the terrain. The pale light overhead had no sun, yet everything was visible, as though the world itself wished to be seen.
His heart was still pounding from the sudden transition.
He clenched his injured hand. Pain was real. The air was real. This place was not illusion.
Before he could take another step, a low growl rolled across the ground.
Then another.
Then dozens more.
Lu Haotian's head snapped up.
From the far ridge ahead, shadows moved.
One by one, wolves emerged—formed entirely of condensed qi, their bodies semi-translucent and faintly glowing, yet terrifyingly solid. Their eyes burned with cold intelligence. Their claws sank into stone as if it were soil.
Ten.
Twenty.
Fifty.
By the time the last of them appeared, Lu Haotian's throat had gone dry.
A hundred…
They spread out naturally, flanking without command, forming a crescent that slowly tightened. This was not mindless aggression. It was discipline.
At the center of the pack, stepping forward last, was a larger wolf. Its aura pressed down like a weight, heavy and unmistakable.
2nd order beast and one at mid stage at that.
Lu Haotian's pupils shrank.
"What … is this," he whispered.
The pressure intensified.
An unseen intent settled over the land, calm and merciless.
—Trial of Physical Limits. Survive. Endure. Advance.—
The wolves lunged.
Lu Haotian turned and ran.
No hesitation. No pride.
His instincts screamed the truth—charging head-on was suicide. Even if most of the wolves were only 1st order beast, with about 10 at 2nd order early stage, their numbers alone would tear him apart in seconds.
Stone cracked beneath his feet as he sprinted toward higher ground. His breathing grew sharp, controlled, his mind racing faster than his legs.
Think. Terrain. Formation.
He glanced back mid-run. The pack pursued relentlessly, spreading wider to cut off escape routes. They were herding him.
Then he saw it.
A narrow mountain path—no wider than three men abreast—cutting between two sheer rock faces. Steep drops lined either side, jagged and unforgiving.
Lu Haotian veered sharply toward it. "If only i have a sword right now"
The moment the thought crossed his mind, the sword appeared.
Cold.
Solid.
It formed in Lu Haotian's right hand as if it had always belonged there, qi flowing naturally along the blade.
The first wolves reached him just as he entered the pass.
He spun, drawing the short sword. Metal hummed as he slashed, forcing the lead wolf back. Another leapt—he ducked, felt claws rake over his shoulder, pain flaring, skin tearing.
Blood splashed onto stone.
He stumbled deeper into the path and planted his feet.
Only three wolves could attack at once now.
That was the difference between death and possibility.
The next hours blurred into survival.
He fought without finesse—blocking, retreating, striking only when necessary. His arms burned, muscles screaming with every clash. When one wolf dissipated, another replaced it almost immediately.
There was no rest.
No pause.
When exhaustion crept in, he relied on stubbornness.
When fear rose, he smothered it with calculation.
One step at a time. Don't get surrounded. Don't fall.
His body was drenched in sweat and blood—most of it his own. Cuts lined his arms and legs. His breathing was ragged.
He didn't stop.
He couldn't.
Pain became constant.
The assault never stopped.
There was no sense of time. No rise or fall of light. No signal for pause.
Wolves came in waves. When one dissipated, another replaced it instantly. His arms burned. His legs shook. His lungs screamed.
He fought without style—block, retreat, strike. Nothing wasted.
When exhaustion threatened to slow him, he forced qi through his meridians, drawing it inward, circulating it again and again through his dantian.
Qi Condensation was not about brute strength.
It was about control.
Compression.
Flow.
Under pressure, his qi grew denser. Each circulation packed it tighter, heavier, more stable.
During a desperate clash, as three wolves surged together, something shifted.
His qi moved faster.
Not violently—smoothly.
The dantian within his abdomen expanded slightly, then stabilized, allowing more qi to settle without leaking.
His strike landed cleaner.
The wolf dissolved instantly.
Heat surged through his meridians.
Lu Haotian froze.
…Breakthrough.
Sixth Qi Condensation layer.
There was no celebration.
No relief.
The wolves kept coming.
He laughed hoarsely, the sound raw and almost hysterical.
"I'm… still alive."
Then—
A howl split the land.
Long. Sharp. Absolute.
The entire pack froze.
Every wolf pulled back at once, retreating to the edges of the mountain path. Their glowing eyes turned inward, forming a wide ring.
From the rear, the Alpha stepped forward.
Its aura crushed down without restraint, violent and dominant. This was not a test anymore.
This was execution.
The Alpha raised its head and howled again.
The wolves answered—but did not move.
They were being ordered to wait.
Lu Haotian wiped blood from his mouth, breathing hard.
"…so you're serious now."
The Alpha vanished.
Impact tore through the stone wall as claws slammed into it where his chest had been a breath earlier. Lu Haotian twisted, felt his ribs scream as pressure grazed him, then countered.
Sword met claw.
The force sent him skidding backward.
His arms shook violently.
Second-order mid-stage.
Too strong.
The Alpha pressed relentlessly, forcing him into defense. Every strike carried killing intent. A single mistake would end him.
Lu Haotian retreated one step.
Then stopped.
Qi surged inward.
He pulled everything back—every strand of condensed qi collapsing toward his dantian, compressing again and again. The pressure turned painful, then dangerous. His meridians screamed as if they would tear apart.
The Alpha lunged.
Lu Haotian stepped forward instead.
Jaws clamped onto his shoulder.
Bone cracked.
Blood poured.
But Lu Haotian locked his arm around the wolf's skull and pulled it in close.
"Die."
He released everything.
Condensed qi surged through the sword, refining again mid-flow, drilling forward with brutal focus. The blade punched through the Alpha's jaw, shattered its skull, and pierced straight into its core.
The Alpha convulsed once.
Then exploded into light.
Lu Haotian dropped to one knee, coughing blood.
Inside him, the condensed qi collapsed inward and stabilized.
Seventh Qi Condensation Layer.
Not complete.
Not yet.
Before he could breathe—
The wolves screamed.
All of them.
They charged.
No order.
No formation.
Only rage.
Lu Haotian forced himself upright.
"So… that's how it ends."
He moved.
No wasted motion.
No fear left.
Sword rose and fell.
Wolves dissolved one after another, qi flooding back into his body in violent surges. His dantian roared as the condensed qi stacked, tightened, refined—pushing higher and higher within the same realm.
Meridians burned.
Bones ached.
But he did not stop.
When the last wolf fell silent, Lu Haotian stood alone, sword trembling in his hand, blood dripping steadily from his body.
The condensed qi inside him settled at last.
Heavy.
Full.
Perfectly compressed.
Peak of the Seventh Qi Condensation Layer.
The land trembled faintly.
—Trial of Physical Limits: Passed.—
Lu Haotian exhaled slowly, shoulders sagging.
"…still alive."