The fog held its breath.
Two figures stood across from each other, one calm, refined, and certain… the other newly awakened, burning with something unknown even to himself.
Li Shen flexed his fingers.
The heat beneath his skin hadn't faded. If anything, it had grown stronger, like the armor was… responding.
Watching.
Waiting.
The man in the dark coat stepped forward.
Measured. Controlled.
Every movement carried precision.
"You don't understand what you've become," he said. "That makes you dangerous."
Li Shen's voice was quiet. "Then explain."
A pause.
"…No."
The man raised his blade.
Its surface shimmered faintly as thin lines of silver light spread across it, forming intricate patterns, like symbols carved into steel.
"Explanation is a privilege," he said coldly. "You haven't earned it."
Then
He moved.
CLANG!
Li Shen barely reacted in time.
The blade appeared in front of his throat, faster than anything he had ever seen. His arm shot up instinctively
Golden light flared.
The strike was blocked.
But the impact
BOOM!
The force drove Li Shen backward, his feet carving deep lines into the wood before he finally stopped.
His eyes widened.
Fast…
Not just fast.
Trained.
Refined.
This wasn't a brawler like Harold.
This was something else entirely.
The man didn't give him time to think.
A second strike came, low this time.
Then a third
Then a fourth.
Each movement flowed into the next like water, seamless and relentless.
Li Shen blocked what he could.
Dodged what he couldn't.
But he was being pushed back.
Overwhelmed.
"…You're inefficient," the man said calmly as he attacked. "You rely on instinct. Raw power."
His blade flashed again.
Li Shen barely avoided it, feeling the cold edge graze his cheek.
A thin line of blood formed.
"…And that won't save you."
Li Shen's breathing steadied.
His body moved without thought, but his mind began to catch up.
The attacks…
They weren't random.
They followed patterns.
Angles.
Intent.
He's controlling the fight…
Li Shen's eyes sharpened.
Then
He stepped forward.
The hunter's blade came down again.
But this time
Li Shen didn't block.
He moved inside the strike.
For a split second, the man's eyes flickered.
Surprise.
Li Shen's hand shot out
And grabbed his wrist.
The moment contact was made
The golden patterns ignited.
BOOM!
Energy surged violently between them.
The hunter's calm expression cracked.
"…What?"
He tried to pull back
But couldn't.
Li Shen's grip tightened.
And the pull began.
The silver light on the blade flickered.
Then distorted.
Then
Started flowing.
Not outward.
But inward.
Into Li Shen.
Pain exploded again.
Worse than before.
Different.
Sharp. Violent. Refined.
Not like the chaotic energy of the creature.
This
Was controlled power.
And it resisted.
The hunter reacted instantly.
His free hand moved.
Fast.
Precise.
A small metallic object slipped between his fingers
Then
CLICK.
A sigil ignited.
BOOM!
A burst of force erupted between them, throwing both men apart.
Li Shen crashed backward, rolling across the dock before slamming into a wooden post.
The hunter landed cleanly, sliding back just a step.
But his breathing
Had changed.
"…You can absorb energy," he said, voice lower now. Sharper.
Not calm anymore.
Not entirely.
Li Shen pushed himself up slowly.
His body trembled, but his eyes burned.
"…Seems like it."
The golden lines across his body pulsed again.
Stronger than before.
For a moment
Neither moved.
The fog curled around them, tense and heavy.
Then the hunter exhaled slowly.
"…That confirms it."
His grip on the blade tightened.
"You're not just a threat."
A faint silver glow spread from his weapon, crawling up his arm like veins of light.
"You're an anomaly."
The air shifted.
Pressure dropped.
Something unseen… pressed down on the world itself.
Li Shen felt it instantly.
His instincts screamed louder than before.
Danger.
Real danger.
The hunter raised his blade slightly.
"This ends now."
Then
A new voice cut through the fog.
"Such killing intent… from the Crown's little watchdogs. How disappointing."
Both men froze.
The fog behind them parted silently.
A figure stepped forward.
Light.
Graceful.
Effortless.
A young woman.
Her long dark hair flowed with the movement of the air itself, and her robes, simple at a glance, carried an elegance that didn't belong in this broken dock.
Her eyes landed on Li Shen.
Then shifted to the hunter.
A faint smile touched her lips.
"…Hunter," she said softly, "you're quite far from your jurisdiction."
The man's gaze hardened.
"…Azure Cloud Pavilion."
The name carried weight.
Recognition.
Tension.
The woman tilted her head slightly.
"Mm. So you are trained properly."
Her gaze returned to Li Shen.
Lingering.
Studying.
Interested.
"…And him?"
She stepped closer.
Li Shen felt it instantly.
Unlike the hunter's sharp pressure,
Hers was… vast.
Like standing beneath an open sky.
Endless.
Unfathomable.
"…Curious," she murmured.
Her eyes traced the faint golden lines beneath his skin.
And for the first time
Her expression changed.
Not amusement.
Not calm.
But something deeper.
"…Heaven's aura…"
The hunter moved.
Not attacking
But shifting position.
Guarded.
"This matter belongs to the Crown," he said coldly. "Step away."
The woman smiled faintly.
"And yet," she replied, "you're losing."
Silence.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
Li Shen stood between them.
One, a hunter who wanted to eliminate him.
The other, a sect cultivator who saw something in him.
Neither was safe.
Neither was simple.
Deep within him
The armor pulsed.
Once.
Twice.
Hungry.
The woman's voice came again, soft but clear:
"Come with me," she said. "Or stay… and be dissected by them."
The hunter's blade lifted slightly.
A silent warning.
Li Shen exhaled slowly.
His life had changed.
Completely.
Irreversibly.
And now
He had to choose.