Dymas left the clearing behind. The three wolf bodies stayed where they fell, blood soaking into the moss. He did not look back. The forest swallowed the scene as he pushed forward.
The trees thinned after another hour of walking. The qi in the air changed too. Less wild, more structured. He was nearing the edge of the Forgotten Forest, close to the old trade roads that led away from the capital.
His body felt solid now. Qi Condensation Layer 2 settled in like new muscle. The minor regeneration worked quietly. The last bruises from the bandits had faded to nothing. His torn tunic hung open at the chest, but the skin underneath looked healthier, paler but unmarked except for the thin silver scar on his cheek.
He checked the screen again while he walked.
Current realm progress: Qi Condensation Layer 2 – 28%
Current points: 22,997
The kills had given a good boost. He still had plenty of points to spend if needed. For now he saved them. He wanted to see how far the passive cultivation could take him before he had to fight again.
The ground sloped downward. He heard water ahead, louder than the small stream from earlier. A river. The Blackthorn River, wide and fast, ran along the eastern border of the capital lands. Crossing it meant leaving the empire's heart for good.
He reached the bank. The river stretched thirty meters across. Moonlight rippled on the surface. No bridge here. The nearest one was miles north, guarded. South meant more forest, more beasts.
Dymas looked upstream. A fallen tree lay half in the water, it was thick enough to walk on if he was careful. It would get him most of the way. The rest he could swim.
He stepped onto the log. Bark rough under his boots. He walked slow, spear balanced across his shoulders, axe tucked in his belt. Water rushed below, cold spray hitting his legs.
Halfway across the log shifted. Rot had weakened it. He froze. The trunk groaned louder.
He moved faster. Steps quick but steady. The far bank was close.
The log cracked. Wood split. He jumped.
Shadow Step activated. He blurred the last ten meters. His boots hit solid ground on the other side. The log sank behind him with a heavy splash.
He landed in soft dirt. Knees bent to absorb the impact. No fall. No injury.
Shadow Step used. Cooldown: 25 seconds remaining
He straightened. The river kept flowing. The capital lights glowed faint in the distance.
He was out.
No guards had chased him yet. No alarms from the palace. They probably thought he was still dying in the courtyard. Or already dead.
Dymas kept moving. The land here was open fields again, dotted with low hills. Tall grass swayed by night wind. Qi was thinner out here, but clean. Easier to pull in.
He walked for another hour. The fields gave way to a dirt road, old and rutted from carts. It ran east, toward the outer villages and eventually the border provinces.
He stayed off the road itself, parallel in the grass. Better cover.
A sound reached him. Hooves. Multiple. Coming from behind.
Dymas dropped low. He crawled to the top of a small rise and looked back.
Four riders. Black armor. Palace guards. Torches in their hands. They rode hard along the road, scanning the fields.
One pointed. "Tracks! Fresh boot prints in the mud."
Another cursed. "The prince escaped. How? He was half-dead."
The leader pulled his horse to a stop. "Spread out. He can't have gone far. Find him before dawn or we all hang."
They split. Two went north, two south. One headed straight toward Dymas's position.
Dymas backed down the rise. He crouched in the tall grass. The rider approached slow, torch raised. The horse snorted, hooves soft on the dirt.
Dymas waited until the guard was ten paces away.
He stood.
The guard startled. "You!"
Dymas moved. Shadow Step. He appeared beside the horse. The guard swung a sword down. Dymas caught the wrist. Strength points held it still. He twisted. Bone snapped.
The guard yelled. The horse reared.
Dymas yanked the man down. The guard hit the ground hard. Dymas drove the spear through his chest before he could stand.
Kill: Palace Guard (Body Tempering) – +900 Grind Points
Current points: 23,897
The horse bolted. Torch fell into the grass. Flames caught, small but spreading.
The other guards heard the yell. They turned their horses.
Dymas did not wait. He ran into the grass. Shadow Step cooldown ticking. He kept low, moving fast.
Shouts behind him.
"There! In the field!"
Hooves pounded.
Dymas reached a cluster of rocks. He ducked behind the largest one. The guards rode up, torches high.
One dismounted. "He's here somewhere. Fan out."
Dymas breathed slow. Cooldown ended.
He waited until the nearest guard passed the rock.
Shadow Step again. He appeared behind the man. Spear thrust. Clean through the back.
Kill: Palace Guard – +900 Grind Points
Current points: 24,797
The body dropped. The others turned.
Dymas rolled behind another rock. Arrows whistled past where he had stood.
The remaining two guards dismounted. Swords out. Torches on the ground now, flames growing.
One called out. "Surrender, traitor. You're surrounded."
Dymas stayed silent. He circled wide in the grass.
The guards moved together. Back to back. Smart.
Dymas waited. Let them search.
One stepped too close to his position.
Dymas lunged. Axe this time. He swung low. The blade caught the guard's leg. Hamstring cut. The man screamed and fell.
The last guard charged.
Dymas dropped the axe. Spear up. He met the charge. Swords clashed and sparks flew. The guard was stronger, trained.
Dymas parried twice. Then he stepped inside the guard's reach. Elbow to the throat. The man gagged. Dymas finished with the spear tip through the neck.
Kill x2: Palace Guards – +1,800 Grind Points
Current points: 26,597
Qi absorbed: +500
Realm progress: Qi Condensation Layer 2 – 38%
The fire in the grass spread. Smoke rose thick.
Dymas pulled his spear free. He looked at the bodies. Palace armor. Blackthorn crest on the chest plates.
No more mercy. They had come to kill him.
He took one of the horses that had not bolted. Black stallion, calm now that the fighting stopped. He mounted. The saddlebags held a waterskin, some dried meat, and a short cloak. Better than nothing.
He rode east along the road now. No need to hide anymore. The fire would draw more attention, but he would be long gone by then.
The night air cooled his face. His black hair whipped back. His gray eyes stayed fixed ahead.
The capital shrank behind him. Lights dimmed. The empire's grip loosened with every mile.
He had escaped.
But escape was only the start.
The road stretched on. Villages ahead. Sects in the distance. Beasts in the wild.
More points. More kills. He thought as he rode into the dark.