The silence in the cave was heavier than the roar from before. Han Sen leaned against the glass-slick wall, his breath coming in ragged gasps. Every muscle in his body felt like a frayed rope. Even though Nixi had provided the fire, his Level 1 body was the conduit.
[HP: 2/10]
[Warning: Physical vessel is near collapse. Extreme energy strain detected.]
He stared at the red bar in his vision. A single fall or a sharp rock could kill him right now. He was a god in terms of output, but a porcelain doll in terms of durability.
Nixi chirped softly, rubbing her warm head against his chest. She seemed to understand. The small bird glowed with a soft, restorative light, and Han Sen felt a tiny spark of warmth return to his limbs.
[HP: 4/10]
"We have to move," Han Sen whispered. His voice was a dry rasp. "The Sect will send others. They'll look for a master, not a Level 1 trash."
He looked at the ashes on the floor. To anyone else, it would look like a high-level fire mage had passed through. No one would suspect the boy who had been mocked in the Awakening Hall.
He needed to hide Nixi. A Phoenix, even an infant, was a beacon for every greedy cultivator in the world. He opened his skill menu, his eyes scanning for something to mask her presence.
[Skill Selection: Basic Camouflage]
[Allocating Skill Points: 800,000]
[Basic Camouflage has evolved into: Void Shroud (Max Level).]
Han Sen reached out and touched Nixi's shimmering feathers. A ripple of distorted air washed over the bird. To the naked eye, Nixi simply disappeared. She was still there, perched on his shoulder, but she was now invisible and her heat signature was erased from the world.
"Stay quiet," he cautioned.
He walked out of the cave and began the long descent. He avoided the main paths, using [Ghost-Veil Steps] to move between the shadows of the boulders. The mountain air was bitter, but his [Void Aegis] kept the chill from his skin.
As he reached the base of the mountain, the trees began to thin. A dirt road appeared in the distance, and with it, the sound of wagon wheels and low chatter.
A merchant caravan was slowly winding its way toward the border city of Willow Creek. They were guarded by a handful of mercenaries dressed in iron hide armor.
Han Sen slowed his pace. He didn't want to look like a suspicious traveler. He messed up his hair, rubbed some dirt on his face, and made sure his clothes looked torn and battered. He needed to look exactly like what the world expected: a Level 1 failure who had barely survived the woods.
He stepped out onto the road just as the lead wagon approached.
"Halt!" a guard shouted, leveling a spear at Han Sen's chest.
The guard was a burly man with a Level 12 badge pinned to his leather vest. He looked down at Han Sen, his eyes scanning the boy's frame. When he saw the "Level 1" aura radiating from Han Sen, his posture relaxed. The spear tip lowered, replaced by a look of amused pity.
"Look at this one," the guard laughed, turning to his companions. "A Level 1 brat out here in the Cinder Peak foothills. How are you still breathing, kid?"
"I hid in a hole," Han Sen said, his voice trembling slightly. It wasn't entirely an act. His 4 HP made him genuinely nervous around a sharpened spear.
A woman poked her head out from the second wagon. She was dressed in simple but elegant blue robes, her black hair tied back with a silver ribbon. She didn't look at Han Sen with mockery. Her gaze was sharp and observant.
[Detected: Qin Xuan (Level 35)]
She stepped down from the wagon, her movements fluid and graceful. The guards immediately stood straighter, their faces turning respectful.
"Let him in," she said. Her voice was cool, like mountain water. "He's harmless. Give him some bread and let him sit in the back of the supply cart. We're heading to Willow Creek anyway."
The guard grunted but stepped aside. "You're lucky, kid. Lady Qin is too kind for her own good."
Han Sen bowed his head, playing the part of the grateful beggar. He climbed into the back of the cart, sitting among sacks of grain.
As the caravan began to move, he felt Qin Xuan's gaze on his back. It was a heavy, probing look, as if she were trying to peel back his skin to see what was underneath.
Han Sen didn't turn around. He just stroked the invisible bird on his shoulder and closed his eyes. The tension of the mountain was over, but a different kind of danger was beginning. He was entering the world of men, and men were far more treacherous than beasts.