Elder Liu watched the returning teams file through the rally point, his hands clasped behind his back where no one could see them tremble.
Thirteen days since he'd returned from his scouting mission. Thirteen days since the serpent.
He'd told himself the danger had passed. The rash on his hands had faded to nothing, whatever strange reaction he'd suffered finally clearing from his system. The serpent was deep in the forest. He was here, behind city walls.
But his hands still trembled.
The memory came unbidden, as it did every night when he closed his eyes.
Twelve days earlier...
The Blackwood's depths swallowed light like a hungry thing.
Elder Liu moved through the undergrowth with the practiced ease of a foundation establishment cultivator, his spiritual sense extending in a sphere around him. Day three of his scouting mission. Day three of pushing deeper than any sane cultivator should go alone.
But he needed to know. The wolf pack he'd manipulated, the chaos he'd seeded, it should have worked by now. Wang Ben should be dead. Wang Tian should have died trying to save him. Instead, the boy had killed a Jade Snow Wolf, and now rumors swirled about impossible techniques and mysterious recoveries.
He needed answers. He needed to understand what had gone wrong.
What he found instead was something hunting him.
He'd first noticed it on the second day. A presence at the edge of his spiritual sense, there and gone like a shadow. He'd dismissed it initially as paranoia, the natural wariness of operating in Rank 3 territory. But by nightfall, the pattern had become undeniable.
Something was tracking him. Something patient.
On the morning of the third day, it attacked.
The serpent exploded from a mud-slicked hollow with speed that belied its massive form. A Rank 3 beast, late-stage foundation establishment equivalent, his senses screamed. Ten meters of scaled death, fangs dripping venom that sizzled against fallen leaves.
Liu barely twisted away from the initial strike. His blade came up, qi flooding his meridians, and he met the beast's fury with the desperate efficiency of a man who understood he'd badly miscalculated.
The serpent was strong. Rank 3, pushing toward peak. But he was a peak foundation establishment cultivator. He should have been able to kill it or drive it away within minutes.
Instead, the fight dragged on.
The beast didn't fight like a territorial predator defending its hunting grounds. It fought with rage. Focused, burning hatred that drove it to take wounds it should have avoided, to press attacks that left it vulnerable. Twice Liu landed strikes that should have ended the battle. Twice the serpent ignored what should have been crippling injuries and came at him again.
When he finally created enough distance to flee, the beast followed.
Through ravines choked with thorny undergrowth. Across streams that should have masked his trail. Past the territories of lesser predators that fled from both of them. The serpent pursued with relentless determination, its fury never dimming.
By afternoon, Liu understood he wouldn't escape through speed or cunning alone.
The territory ahead felt wrong. His spiritual sense brushed against something vast and dormant, a presence that made his cultivation seem insignificant. Every instinct screamed at him to turn back, to find another route.
But the serpent was still coming. He could hear it crashing through the forest behind him, could feel its spiritual pressure like a weight against his back.
Liu made his choice.
He ran into the forbidden territory.
The forest changed around him. Trees here were older, their trunks scarred by claw marks that could have been made by siege weapons. The undergrowth had been flattened in paths wide enough for carts. And at the center of it all, barely visible through the ancient growth...
A shape.
Massive. Mottled gray-brown fur matted with old blood. One eye ruined, a slash of scar tissue across a face that could have swallowed a man whole.
The beast wasn't moving. Resting, perhaps, or recovering from wounds that would have killed anything lesser. But even dormant, its presence filled the territory like a physical force.
Definitely a Rank 4 beast. He could feel a late-stage core formation pressure radiating from its dormant form, possibly peak. A creature that could slaughter foundation establishment cultivators like insects.
Liu froze, terror locking his muscles in place.
Behind him, the serpent's pursuit suddenly stopped.
He didn't turn to look. Didn't dare. He simply continued forward, moving with agonizing slowness, praying to ancestors he'd never believed in that the massive beast wouldn't wake.
It took him three hours to cross that territory. Three hours of measured steps and silenced breathing, his heart hammering so loudly he was certain it would give him away.
The beast never stirred.
When he finally emerged on the other side, the serpent was gone. Driven off by the same presence that had nearly stopped Liu's heart. He'd escaped.
But the image of that massive shape stayed with him. Late-stage core formation at minimum, possibly peak, wounded but alive, resting in territory that sat between the deep forest and Redstone City.
He should have reported it immediately.
Instead, he'd said nothing.
Present day.
Elder Liu watched Wang Ben's team emerge from the forest, all six members intact. The boy was laughing at something the Zhao retainer had said, his bearing confident in a way it hadn't been ten days ago.
Mid-stage body refinement now. Liu's senses confirmed it. The boy had broken through during the expedition, along with his friend. Both of them stronger than they had any right to be.
And still Liu said nothing about what waited in the deep forest.
If he reported the beast now, questions would follow. How had he found it? How deep had he gone? Why was he alone in territory that required squad-level coordination?
The answers would lead to more questions. His scouting patterns. His interest in Wang Ben. The timing of his missions relative to Wang Tian's treatment.
Better to stay silent. The beast was deep in the forest, wounded, dormant. It might never emerge. And if it did... well, the clans had core formation cultivators of their own. Let them deal with it.
Liu turned away from the returning teams and retreated to his quarters.
His hands had stopped trembling.
That frightened him more than the trembling had.
Wang Ben felt the breakthrough settling into his bones as he walked through the rally point.
Mid-stage body refinement. The advancement had come three days ago, during a running battle with a pack of Shadowfang Wolves that had separated his team from the main expedition. His body had been screaming, muscles burning, blood pounding through veins that felt ready to burst. And then something had clicked into place, the barrier between stages dissolving like morning frost.
[CULTIVATION ADVANCEMENT: Body Refinement Stage 6 confirmed]
[Physical capabilities increased by 18%]
[Muscle density and bone structure enhanced]
[NOTE: Combat-triggered breakthroughs often produce more stable foundations than meditative advancement]
Beside him, Zhao Yu moved with the easy confidence of his own recent breakthrough. Late-stage body refinement now. Two more advancements and he'd begin forming his qi condensation foundation.
"Ten days," Zhao Yu said, shaking his head. "Felt like ten months."
"We're alive." Wang Ben kept his voice light. "Not everyone can say that."
The words cast a shadow over both of them. The expedition had extracted a toll that no amount of merit points could offset.
Elder Dao Mingzhi. Early-stage core formation. Dead.
The news had reached them on day seven, spreading through the expedition like a disease. A core formation elder, killed in the Blackwood. The details varied depending on who told the story. Some said he'd encountered a Rank 4 beast that had been driven from deeper territories. Others claimed he'd been overwhelmed by a coordinated pack of Rank 3s.
What everyone agreed on was the implication. If a core formation cultivator could die out here, no one was safe.
The Dao Clan had withdrawn half their forces that same day. The Huo Clan had lost a senior disciple to a Shadowmane Panther, and their remaining cultivators hunted with desperate aggression. The Xue Clan's losses were harder to quantify, but their senior disciples had been hit hard.
Only the Wang Clan had escaped relatively unscathed. Outer disciples, yes. Three confirmed dead, two more wounded badly enough to require evacuation. But no elders. No senior disciples. No core members of the clan.
Luck, some called it.
Wang Ben knew better. Wang Hao's experience and caution had kept their team alive when others fell to ambition or carelessness. The squad leader's insistence on proper reconnaissance, controlled engagements, and immediate retreat when conditions shifted had preserved all six of them through situations that had killed cultivators twice their strength.
The rally point was quieter than it had been ten days ago. Fewer cook fires. Fewer voices. The expedition that had marched into the Blackwood with three hundred cultivators would return to Redstone City with barely two hundred and fifty.
"Team Seven, on me."
Wang Hao's voice cut through the ambient noise. Wang Ben and Zhao Yu exchanged glances and moved to join their squad leader.
The older cultivator looked tired. Ten days of responsibility for six lives had carved new lines around his eyes. But his voice remained steady, his bearing unbroken.
"Commander Wang Lei has ordered a general withdrawal. All teams are to return to Redstone City by nightfall tomorrow. The expedition is over."
Sun Bao's relief was visible. The twins remained stoic, though Wang Jun's shoulders relaxed slightly. Zhao Yu simply nodded.
Wang Ben felt the System processing the information.
[TACTICAL ASSESSMENT: Expedition withdrawal ordered]
[Probable cause: Unsustainable casualty rate]
[Secondary factor: Beast behavior increasingly erratic]
[Tertiary factor: Evidence of imminent beast tide]
[Recommendation: Return to city, prepare for siege conditions]
"Before we break for rest," Wang Hao continued, "I want to acknowledge something." His eyes moved across the team, settling on each face in turn. "You all did well. Better than well. We're the only team in the expedition that didn't take a single casualty."
"Because you kept us alive," Wang Xiu said. "Your calls saved us a dozen times."
"My calls, and your execution." Wang Hao's gaze lingered on Wang Ben. "Some of you contributed more than your cultivation level should have allowed. I noticed. I'll be noting it in my official report."
Wang Ben met the older cultivator's eyes. The suspicion that had marked Wang Hao's early observations had transformed into something else over the past ten days. Not quite trust, but a professional respect that accepted what it couldn't explain.
"Get some rest. We move at dawn."
The return march to Redstone City passed in a blur of exhaustion and vigilance.
Wang Ben's team took rear-guard position for the final stretch, watching the forest behind them for any beasts bold enough to pursue. None came. The Blackwood seemed almost relieved to see them go, its depths quiet in a way that felt more ominous than any attack.
The city walls appeared through the trees as afternoon shadows lengthened. Wang Ben had never thought he'd be so glad to see worked stone and formation barriers.
[LOCATION: Redstone City, Northern Gate]
[Status: Elevated alert]
[Observation: Guard presence increased by 40% since expedition departure]
[Observation: Formation arrays at heightened activation]
[Assessment: City preparing for beast tide conditions]
The expedition filed through the gates in ordered groups, directed by city guards to staging areas where clan representatives waited to collect their members. Wang Ben spotted Wang Clan banners near the eastern quadrant.
"This is where we part ways," Wang Hao said as the team reached the designated area. "You're all Wang Clan or Wang retainers. Report to your families, get proper rest, and prepare for whatever comes next."
He paused, something shifting in his weathered features.
"If the beast tide hits, and it will hit, I'd be proud to have any of you at my side again. You've earned that."
From Wang Hao, it was practically a declaration of undying loyalty.
The team dispersed with handshakes and quiet words. The twins headed toward the outer branch quarters. Sun Bao practically sprinted toward wherever his family waited. Zhao Yu lingered, catching Wang Ben's arm.
"My father wants to meet you properly. Says anyone who saved his son's life deserves a meal and whatever weapons the Zhao forge can provide." His grip tightened briefly. "I meant what I said before. I owe you. That doesn't go away because we survived a few more fights."
"We survived because we worked together."
"We survived because you think three steps ahead of everyone else." Zhao Yu's eyes were serious. "I don't know how you do it, and I've stopped trying to figure it out. But I know what I saw, and I know what I owe. When you need me, I'll be there."
He released Wang Ben's arm and headed toward the forge district, leaving Wang Ben standing alone in the milling crowd.
[ANALYSIS: Zhao Yu loyalty assessment]
[Commitment level: High]
[Reliability projection: 94%+]
[Note: Bond forged through shared combat is characteristically durable]
Wang Ben dismissed the System readout and turned toward home.
The Wang Clan compound felt different.
Wang Ben noticed it immediately as he passed through the gates. Guards stood straighter. Servants moved with purpose rather than resignation. The air of genteel decline that had characterized his home for as long as he could remember had been replaced by something sharper.
Hope, perhaps. Or preparation for crisis. Possibly both.
His mother found him before he reached the main house.
"Ben'er." Li Mei's arms wrapped around him with surprising strength, pulling him close despite his road-worn state. "You're safe. You're home."
"I'm fine, Mother." He returned the embrace, feeling ten days of tension begin to unknot. "The expedition was successful. Our team took no casualties."
"I heard." She released him, her hands moving to his shoulders, his arms, checking for injuries with a mother's thoroughness. "I also heard you broke through again."
"The combat pushed me over."
"Your father predicted as much." Li Mei's expression softened. "He's in the workshop. He'll want to see you, but he's been preparing constantly since..." She paused, choosing her words. "Since the expedition launched. The clan needs pills. More than we have. More than anyone has."
The beast tide. They all knew it was coming.
"Chen?" Wang Ben asked.
"With his wet nurse. Growing faster than any baby I've ever seen. Your father thinks it's a sign of strong spiritual roots." Li Mei's smile carried a mother's pride and a mother's worry in equal measure. "Go clean up. There's hot water in your quarters. Then find your father. He's been worried, no matter how well he hides it."
Wang Ben bathed quickly, scrubbing away ten days of forest grime and dried blood. His body felt different now, his mid-stage body refinement cultivation settling into his muscles and bones with comfortable solidity. Stronger. Faster. Still nothing compared to the beasts he'd faced, but the gap was narrowing.
[CULTIVATION STATUS: Body Refinement Stage 6]
[Time since last breakthrough: 3 days, 7 hours]
[Foundation stability: Excellent]
[Projected timeline to Stage 7: 2-4 months with current resources]
[Note: Combat experience has accelerated advancement rate]
He dressed in clean robes and made his way to his father's workshop.
The door stood open, warm light spilling into the evening corridor. Wang Ben paused at the threshold, watching his father work.
Wang Tian stood before his primary cauldron, Spirit Fire dancing beneath the vessel with controlled precision. His movements were smooth, confident, showing none of the hesitation that had marked his work during Wang Ben's childhood. Late-stage qi condensation now, Wang Ben reminded himself. Higher than his father had ever reached before the injury.
"You can come in," Wang Tian said without turning. "I sensed you at the door."
Wang Ben entered, settling onto a cushion near the workbench. "Mother said you've been working constantly."
"The clan needs pills. The city will need more." Wang Tian made a subtle adjustment to his qi flow, and the flames beneath the cauldron shifted color. "The expedition losses were worse than the official reports suggest. Forty-seven confirmed dead, another thirty wounded severely enough to require extended recovery. The beast tide hasn't even hit yet, and we've already lost a tenth of our combat strength."
"Elder Dao Mingzhi."
"You heard." Wang Tian's hands paused momentarily. "Core formation. Gone in an instant. Whatever killed him was fast, strong, and utterly without mercy."
The workshop fell silent except for the soft crackle of Spirit Fire.
"You broke through," Wang Tian said eventually. "I can sense it. Solid foundation, good integration."
"Three days ago. Combat breakthrough."
"The best kind, for those who survive them." Wang Tian finally turned to look at his son. "Wang Hao's preliminary report mentioned you specifically. Said you showed tactical awareness beyond your years. Identified weaknesses, predicted beast behavior, made calls that saved your team multiple times."
"I paid attention. Learned quickly."
"Mm." Wang Tian's eyes held questions he wasn't asking. "Your friend Zhao Yu also broke through. Late-stage now. His father came by yesterday, wanted to thank me for whatever role I played in keeping his son alive. I told him the credit belonged to you."
"We kept each other alive."
"That's not what Zhao Daniu believes. Or Wang Hao, from the sound of his report." Wang Tian stepped away from the cauldron, letting the refinement continue under formation-assisted automation. "You're drawing attention, Ben. The right kind, for now. But attention always comes with complications."
Wang Ben met his father's gaze. "I know."
"Do you?" Wang Tian's voice was soft, not accusatory. "The beast tide is coming. Everyone can feel it. What happens after will reshape this city's power structure. Clans will rise or fall based on their performance during the crisis. Individuals will distinguish themselves or be forgotten."
"Or die."
"Or die," Wang Tian agreed. "You've already distinguished yourself twice. The wolf. Now the expedition. People are starting to ask questions about Wang Tian's unremarkable son who suddenly became remarkable."
"What do you want me to do?"
The question hung in the air. Wang Tian was silent for a long moment, his expression unreadable.
"I want you to survive," he said finally. "Whatever that requires. Whatever secrets you're keeping, whatever's changed about you, I want you to use every advantage you have to stay alive through what's coming."
He returned to his cauldron, signaling that the conversation was over.
"Rest tonight. Tomorrow, the clan will announce its preparations for the beast tide. Every able-bodied cultivator will have a role. Including you."
Wang Ben rose, bowing to his father. "I'll be ready."
He left the workshop, his mind already turning to what lay ahead.
The System scrolled information at the edge of his awareness.
[BEAST TIDE PROBABILITY: 98%+]
[Estimated time to initial contact: 3-7 days]
[Threat level: SEVERE]
[Recommendation: Rest, recover, prepare]
[Note: Elder Liu's behavioral patterns suggest concealed information regarding expedition observations]
Wang Ben paused at that last line. He'd noticed Elder Liu watching him at the rally points, noted the elder's silences when others discussed the deep forest, caught the way his eyes sometimes drifted toward the treeline with an expression that looked almost like guilt. The System had flagged the pattern.
The elder was hiding something. Something important.
But that was a problem for another day. Tonight, Wang Ben would rest.
Tomorrow, the real battle would begin.
END OF CHAPTER 19