Wang Ben spent the morning with the jade slip.
The patrol schedules were comprehensive. Routes, times, personnel assignments, all organized by week and sector. Months of data compressed into crystalline memory, waiting to be analyzed.
He sat in his courtyard, eyes closed, letting the information flow into his awareness. The System parsed it automatically, flagging inconsistencies and patterns.
[ANALYSIS: PATROL SCHEDULES - PAST 90 DAYS]
[Personnel rotation: Standard 5-day cycle, 4 teams per sector]
[Route variation: Minimal. Patterns predictable within 2-hour windows]
[Security assessment: VULNERABLE. Routine too established, observation would reveal schedule within 1-2 weeks]
That was the first problem. The patrol routes were predictable. Anyone watching for long enough could map the patterns and plan an ambush. That wasn't a spy. That was just poor security.
But the attack on Patrol Team Seven had been different. They'd been on a modified route, covering for another team that was short-handed. That modification had only been decided the night before.
[ANOMALY DETECTED]
[Patrol Team Seven route change: Decided 11th hour of previous day]
[Attack occurred: 3rd hour of following day]
[Window for intelligence transmission: Maximum 14 hours]
Someone had communicated that route change very quickly. Within hours of the decision being made. That narrowed the list of suspects considerably.
Wang Ben made mental notes. Who had access to route modifications? Who had been present when the change was discussed? Who had left the compound between the decision and the attack?
The jade slip held some of those answers. Not all. He would need to ask careful questions, talk to people who might have seen something without realizing its significance.
[RECOMMENDATION: Interview personnel present at route modification meeting]
[RECOMMENDATION: Cross-reference compound exit logs with timeline]
[RECOMMENDATION: Identify communication methods capable of rapid transmission]
The last one was interesting. Standard message talismans took hours to reach their destination. Anything faster required either expensive resources or a predetermined contact within easy reach.
Wang Ben was still processing the implications when movement at the edge of his awareness made him open his eyes.
Zhao Yu was approaching, but he wasn't alone. Behind him walked a young man Wang Ben didn't recognize.
"Ben." Zhao Yu's voice was carefully neutral. "Someone's looking for you."
The stranger was perhaps twenty, with sharp features and the lean build of a traveling cultivator. He wore simple robes, worn but clean, and carried a sword at his hip. He moved with the coiled tension of someone ready to strike at any moment.
[THREAT ASSESSMENT: UNKNOWN SUBJECT]
[Cultivation: Qi Condensation Stage 5 (mid-stage)]
[Combat stance: Aggressive posture, weight forward]
[Weapon: Standard jian, well-maintained, slight wear pattern suggesting right-dominant style]
[Threat Level: MODERATE]
[Assessment: Subject's body language indicates hostile intent]
Mid-stage qi condensation. A full realm above Wang Ben's current level. And from the way he held himself, he knew how to fight.
"Wang Ben?" The stranger's voice carried across the courtyard, loud enough to attract attention from nearby disciples. "The so-called wolf killer?"
Wang Ben rose slowly, setting aside the jade slip. "I'm Wang Ben. Can I help you?"
"Help me?" The man laughed, harsh and theatrical. "No. You can't help me. But you can answer for your words."
"What words?"
"Don't play innocent." The stranger's eyes narrowed. "Three days ago, in the eastern market. You spoke of my master. You called him..." He paused dramatically. "A fraud. A pretender to cultivation."
[ALERT: Claimed incident has no corresponding memory in host records]
[Assessment: Accusation is fabricated]
[Probability of Xue Clan connection: 78%]
Wang Ben kept his expression neutral. "I don't recall any such conversation. I've been in the compound most of the past three days."
"Are you calling me a liar?" The stranger's hand drifted toward his sword. "My master is Chen Yunfeng, wandering swordsman of the Azure Peaks. His honor cannot be questioned by some mid-stage body refinement child."
Around the courtyard, disciples had stopped what they were doing. Faces appeared in doorways and windows. The confrontation was drawing exactly the audience the stranger intended.
Zhao Yu stepped forward. "This is Wang Clan territory. If you have a grievance, take it to the elders."
"The elders?" The stranger snorted. "I'm not here to beg permission from old men. I'm here to issue a formal challenge." He pointed at Wang Ben. "Three days from now. The public training grounds outside the south gate. A duel of honor. Unless the famous wolf killer is too afraid to face a real opponent."
[ANALYSIS: FORMAL CHALLENGE PROTOCOL]
[Formal duels are governed by city regulations]
[Refusing a properly issued challenge damages reputation significantly]
[Accepting poses risk: Subject is 1 realm above host cultivation]
[Note: Challenger timing is suspicious. Host breakthrough to Stage 8 estimated in 4-6 days]
[Assessment: Challenge designed to force combat before advancement]
Wang Ben understood the trap immediately. If he refused, word would spread that the Wang Clan's rising talent was a coward who hid behind his family's walls. If he accepted, he would face a mid-stage qi condensation cultivator with only late-stage body refinement to defend himself.
A full realm of difference. A body refinement cultivator against someone who could wield qi was not a fight. It was an execution. Even with the Body Tempering Pill's enhancements, even with his knowledge and training, Wang Ben would lose. The only question was how badly.
"A formal challenge requires witnesses and documentation." Wang Ben kept his voice steady, though his heart hammered against his ribs. "It also requires verification of the grievance."
"The grievance is stated. Witnesses are present." The stranger gestured at the gathering crowd. "Unless you're suggesting my master's honor means nothing?"
"I'm suggesting I've never met your master and never spoke ill of him."
"Then prove it." The stranger smiled, cold and sharp. "Fight me. Win, and the matter is settled. Lose..." He shrugged. "Well. We'll discuss that when you're lying in the dirt."
[WARNING: Situation escalating beyond optimal parameters]
[Host cannot refuse without significant reputational damage]
[Host cannot accept without near-certain defeat]
[Recommendation: Seek third-party intervention or delayed engagement]
Wang Ben's mind raced through options. He needed time. Time to investigate this supposed master and find proof the accusation was false. Time to find some way out of a fight he couldn't win.
But the stranger wasn't going to give him time. That was the point.
"Well?" The stranger's voice dripped with contempt. "What's your answer, wolf killer?"
Before Wang Ben could respond, a new voice cut through the tension.
"How tedious."
The words were soft, almost lazy, but they carried across the courtyard with absolute clarity. Every head turned toward the source.
A woman sat on the courtyard wall.
She hadn't been there a moment ago. Wang Ben was certain of that. One instant the wall was empty, the next she was perched there like she'd always been, her legs dangling, her expression one of elaborate boredom.
Shen Ruoxi.
The stranger's hand froze on his sword hilt. His eyes widened, and Wang Ben watched the blood drain from his face as his cultivation senses registered what was sitting twenty feet away.
[ALERT: HIGH-PRIORITY CONTACT DETECTED]
[Subject: Shen Ruoxi]
[Cultivation: Mortal Shedding Stage 9 (peak)]
[Assessment: Subject's appearance changes tactical situation entirely]
"You." Shen Ruoxi didn't move from her perch. Her eyes, ancient and amused, fixed on the stranger. "You're doing this wrong."
"I... I don't know what you..." The stranger's voice cracked.
"The disguise, I mean. It's sloppy." She tilted her head, studying him like a curious artifact. "Your robes are new, artificially weathered. Your sword's binding uses Xue Clan cord-work. And that technique you're barely hiding?" She smiled. "Red Vein Binding. Very distinctive. Very Xue."
The stranger's face went from pale to gray. He took a step backward, then another.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Of course you don't." Shen Ruoxi hopped down from the wall, landing without a sound. She walked toward the stranger with the casual grace of a predator who knew its prey couldn't escape. "You're a wandering cultivator seeking justice for your master's honor. That's your story, isn't it?"
"Yes. I..."
"Then you won't mind if I verify?" She stopped three feet in front of him, close enough that he had to look up to meet her eyes. "Just a small examination. A peek at your technique circulation. Nothing invasive."
The stranger broke.
He turned and ran, abandoning all pretense of honor or challenge. His body flickered with desperate speed as he pushed his cultivation to its limits, racing for the compound gates.
Shen Ruoxi didn't chase him. She just watched him go, that amused smile never leaving her face.
"Interesting," she murmured. "Very interesting."
The courtyard was frozen. Disciples stared at the ancient cultivator in their midst, their faces a mixture of awe and terror. Zhao Yu's hand had dropped to his sword, a reflexive gesture that wouldn't have helped at all.
Wang Ben forced himself to breathe.
"Lady Shen." He bowed formally. "Thank you for your intervention."
"Intervention?" She turned back to him, eyebrows rising. "Is that what that was? I thought I was just making observations." She walked past him, brushing close enough that he could smell something like winter roses. "Besides, I told you. You're my entertainment. I can't have you getting damaged by amateur provocateurs."
"Still. I'm grateful."
"Are you?" She stopped, looking back over her shoulder. "You shouldn't be. Gratitude implies debt. And you don't want to owe me anything, little wolf killer."
She vanished. One moment there, the next gone, as if she'd never existed. Only the lingering scent remained.
The courtyard exploded into whispered conversation.
Zhao Yu caught his arm before he could move. "Ben. What was that?" His friend's face was pale, but his grip was steady. "Who was she?"
"Someone dangerous," Wang Ben said quietly. "I'll explain later."
He pulled free and walked toward his quarters, feeling the weight of every stare pressing against his back.
Wang Ben retreated to his quarters before the questions could multiply.
His hands were shaking. Not from fear of the stranger. From the sheer weight of what had just happened. A peak mortal shedding cultivator had appeared in his courtyard, exposed a Xue Clan operative, and vanished again, all while treating the entire situation as mild amusement.
[ANALYSIS: INCIDENT AFTERMATH]
[Xue Clan operative identity: Unconfirmed but probable]
[Shen Ruoxi interest level: Escalating]
[Public perception impact: Positive. Host appears to have powerful connections]
[Warning: Shen Ruoxi's intentions remain unknown]
The System's assessment was accurate but incomplete. The real question wasn't what had happened. It was why.
Why had Shen Ruoxi intervened? She'd said he was her entertainment, but that was too simple. A cultivator of her level didn't spend time on juniors without purpose. There was something she wanted, something she saw in him, and Wang Ben had no idea what it was.
And now the Xue Clan knew that Wang Ben had connections to someone terrifying.
That could be good or bad. It might make them hesitate before their next move. Or it might make them desperate, willing to take greater risks to eliminate him before those connections became more established.
[RECOMMENDATION: Continue intelligence gathering]
[RECOMMENDATION: Prepare for escalated retaliation]
[RECOMMENDATION: Advance cultivation as rapidly as possible]
His body hummed with accumulated power. The Body Tempering Pill continued its work, each absorbed fraction bringing him closer to the next breakthrough.
[STATUS UPDATE]
[Body Tempering Pill absorption: 39.4%]
[Physical enhancement: +58% baseline]
[Projected advancement to Stage 8: 3-5 days]
Three to five days until Stage 8. Not that it would have mattered. If the stranger had succeeded in forcing a duel, Wang Ben would have fought at body refinement against qi condensation. A guaranteed loss. The only variable would have been how much damage he took before going down.
But Shen Ruoxi's intervention had removed that threat entirely. Now he had time. Time to investigate. Time to continue his advancement without the shadow of an unwinnable fight hanging over him.
Assuming the Xue Clan didn't try something else first.
The news spread through the compound like wildfire.
By evening, everyone knew that a mysterious woman had appeared in Wang Ben's courtyard and exposed a Xue Clan spy. Details varied wildly. Some said she was a sect elder from a distant region. Others claimed she was Wang Ben's secret protector, assigned by powerful allies. A few wild theories suggested she was an immortal descended from the heavens.
None of them were quite right. None of them were entirely wrong, either.
Wang Tian found Wang Ben in the family quarters that night, his expression carefully controlled.
"I heard about your visitor."
"Word travels fast."
"In a clan, everything travels fast." Wang Tian sat across from him. "A cultivator that powerful, Ben. Someone who could make a qi condensation disciple flee in terror with just a few words. That's not a connection most people have."
"I don't know what connection we have, exactly." Wang Ben chose his words carefully. "She appeared in my courtyard several days ago. Said I was interesting. Said she would be watching."
"And today?"
"She called me her entertainment. Then she vanished."
Wang Tian was quiet for a long moment. "People that powerful don't involve themselves without reason. Whatever she wants from you, it's not simple curiosity."
"I know."
"And you have no idea what it is?"
"No." Wang Ben met his father's eyes. "She sees something wrong about me. Something that doesn't fit. I think she's trying to figure out what it is."
The admission hung in the air. Wang Tian's expression shifted, something flickering behind his eyes that Wang Ben couldn't quite read.
"Your mother says similar things," Wang Tian said finally. "That you're different now. That you see the world differently than you used to." He paused. "I've noticed it too."
"I'm still me."
"I know you are." His father leaned back. "But whatever changed in you, whatever woke up after that wolf... it's drawing attention. Powerful attention. And attention can be dangerous."
"I'll be careful."
"I know you will. You're always careful." Wang Tian stood, moving toward the door. "But sometimes being careful isn't enough. Sometimes you need allies. People who will stand with you when the attention becomes too much."
"I have you. Mother. Zhao Yu."
"You need more." Wang Tian paused at the threshold. "The Grand Elder. The Patriarch. Other elders who can provide cover. Build those connections, Ben. Before you need them."
He left, and Wang Ben sat alone in the gathering darkness.
His father was right. The attention was growing. Shen Ruoxi. The Xue Clan. The Grand Elder. Too many eyes focused on a late-stage body refinement cultivator who should have been unremarkable.
He needed to be stronger. Needed to advance. Needed to reach a point where attention wouldn't automatically translate into danger.
[STATUS REMINDER]
[Body Tempering Pill absorption: 39.4%]
[Stage 8 advancement: 3-5 days]
[Current advantages: System analysis, cross-universal knowledge base, enhanced physical baseline]
[Current vulnerabilities: Cultivation level, political isolation, unknown factors (Shen Ruoxi interest, external Xue Clan funding)]
Three to five days until Stage 8. Then continued advancement toward peak body refinement. Then... qi condensation. The transformation of the body's physical foundation into something capable of containing and channeling spiritual energy.
That was still months away. Maybe longer. But it was coming. And when it arrived, Wang Ben would be stronger. Strong enough, perhaps, to stop walking away from challenges he should be able to face.
Until then, he would be careful. He would investigate. He would build connections and gather information and wait for the right moment to strike back.
The Xue Clan had sent their operative today. It had failed. They would try again. And again. And again.
But eventually, they would make a mistake. And Wang Ben would be ready.
END OF CHAPTER 31