The air in the street grew heavy, charged with the oppressive aura of the Heavenly Sword Sect disciples. Commoners scattered like frightened birds, pressing themselves against walls or ducking into alleys to avoid eye contact.
In the Infinity Kingdoms, offending a disciple of a Great Sect was a death sentence. They could kill a mortal in broad daylight, and the city guards wouldn't dare to intervene.
Kai stood in the middle of the street, holding Lian's trembling hand. His grip was firm, grounding her.
"Don't run," Kai whispered, his lips barely moving. "Running makes you prey. Walking makes you a predator."
The group of disciples, led by a tall young man with a haughty expression, scanned the crowd. The leader held a compass-like artifact in his hand—a Qi Tracker. The needle was spinning erratically.
"Brother Chen," one of the junior disciples said, pointing at Kai. "Look. A child carrying a sword."
The leader, Chen, narrowed his eyes. He saw a young boy in black robes, looking calm despite the chaos, and a girl in white silk, her face veiled. They didn't look like commoners. They looked like young nobles.
But the sword on Kai's back... it was wrapped in cloth, but the shape was undeniable.
"You there!" Chen barked, stepping forward. "Halt!"
Lian stiffened, her breath hitching.
Kai stopped. He turned slowly, his face a mask of bored annoyance. He didn't bow. He didn't kowtow. He simply looked at Chen with a raised eyebrow.
[Active Skill: Eye of Insight.]
[Target: Chen Wu (Outer Disciple of Heavenly Sword Sect).] [Cultivation: Qi Refining - Stage 4.] [Status: Arrogant, suspicious.] [Equipment: Low-Grade Spirit Sword.]
'Stage 4,' Kai calculated instantly. 'He can kill me with a flick of his finger. I cannot fight. I must act.'
"Are you shouting at me?" Kai asked, his voice smooth and cold.
Chen paused, surprised by the boy's attitude. Usually, people groveled. "I am inspecting everyone carrying a weapon," Chen sneered, walking closer. "A precious artifact was stolen from our Sect's vault last night. A sword. Unwrap that weapon on your back. Now."
The other disciples circled them, hands on their hilts. The crowd held its breath.
Kai didn't move to unwrap it. Instead, he let out a short, mocking laugh.
"You want to see my sword?" Kai asked, his eyes flashing with disdain. "Do you have the qualifications?"
"Qualifications?!" Chen's face turned red. "I am a disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect! I am the law in this city! Unsheathe it, or I will cut your arms off!"
"System," Kai commanded internally, his heart rate spiking despite his calm exterior. "Is there a way to mask the sword's aura?"
[System Alert.] [Host is in danger.] [Solution: "Illusion Veil" (One-time use). Can disguise the item's appearance and aura for 5 minutes.] [Cost: 5 System Points.]
'Do it,' Kai thought. He had 10 points left from the previous quest. Now he had 5.
"Fine," Kai sighed, as if indulging a noisy child. "Since you insist on embarrassing yourself."
He reached over his shoulder and pulled the cloth away. He drew the sword.
Shing.
The crowd gasped. Chen stepped back, ready to strike.
But what Kai held in his hand wasn't the dark, blood-veined Blood-Drinker's Jian. To everyone's eyes—even the Qi Tracker—it looked like a rusty, chipped piece of scrap metal. A sword that looked like it had been dug out of a grave.
"This is what you are looking for?" Kai asked dryly, holding up the rusty blade. "My Master gave me this 'training weight'. He said until I can cut a falling leaf with this piece of rust, I am not allowed to touch a real spiritual weapon."
Chen blinked. He looked at the sword. It had no spiritual energy. It was trash. He looked at the Qi Tracker in his hand. The needle had stopped spinning.
"This..." Chen frowned. He felt foolish. He had threatened a young noble over a piece of scrap metal.
"Are you done?" Kai sheathed the sword. "My Master is waiting at the Cloud Pill Shop. He has a foul temper. If I tell him the Heavenly Sword Sect delayed his medicine..."
Kai let the threat hang in the air. He dropped the name "Cloud Pill Shop" intentionally, knowing it was a neutral ground for powerful cultivators.
Chen hesitated. The boy's clothes were fine. His attitude was arrogant—classic behavior of a disciple from a hidden clan. And the girl... she wore a veil, hinting at mystery. If he offended a powerful eccentric elder, the Sect wouldn't protect a mere Outer Disciple like him.
"Hmph," Chen scoffed, trying to save face. "It was just a routine check. Since it's trash, go on. Don't block the road."
He waved his hand dismissively and pushed past Kai, leading his group deeper into the market.
As soon as they were out of earshot, Kai exhaled a breath he didn't know he was holding. His back was soaked with cold sweat.
"Brother," Lian whispered, gripping his hand so tight her knuckles were white. "That was... terrifying."
"That was expensive," Kai muttered, mourning his 5 System Points. "But we survived. Let's go."
They didn't go to the Cloud Pill Shop. They went to the bustling open market.
Kai needed ingredients. The Explosive Qi Pill blueprint he received from the quest was his priority. It was a consumable item that could act like a grenade. In his current weak state, he needed gunpowder—or the cultivation equivalent of it.
He moved from stall to stall, buying seemingly random items:
Sulfur stones from a blacksmith.
"Fire-Toad Skins" from a hunter.
Dried "Star-Leaf" herbs.
He spent 10 silver coins. His pouch was lighter, but his inventory was full.
"Are we going back to the inn?" Lian asked, carrying a small basket of fruit she had insisted on buying.
"No," Kai said, looking at the setting sun. "The inn is public. Too many eyes. We need a place to work."
He led her out of the city gates, toward the forest edge near the river. There was an abandoned woodcutter's hut he remembered from the game map. It was secluded, run-down, and perfect for explosions.
Inside the hut, Kai secured the door with a heavy log. He lit a candle and sat Lian down.
"Lian, I'm going into seclusion for a few hours," Kai said seriously. "I need to make something. Whatever you hear—explosions, strange noises—do not open the door. And if anyone comes..."
He handed her a small dagger he had bought at the market.
"...Scream. And stab them."
Lian took the dagger. Her hands were steady. "I understand."
Kai nodded and closed his eyes.
[Entering Inner World.]
The bronze hall greeted him. The air here was always clean and filled with spiritual energy. Kai approached the cauldron. He dumped the sulfur, Fire-Toad skins, and herbs into it.
[Alchemy Recipe Detected: Explosive Qi Pill.] [Success Rate: 80% (Due to low-level ingredients).] [Batch Size: 3 Pills.]
"Refine," Kai ordered.
The silver flames roared. This time, the process was violent. The cauldron shook. Booms echoed inside the Inner World. The Fire-Toad skins provided unstable volatile energy. The sulfur acted as a catalyst.
Bang!
The lid of the cauldron popped open. A puff of black smoke rose.
[Refinement Complete.] [Success: 2 Pills.] [Failure: 1 Pill (Turned to ash).]
Kai floated two red, marble-sized spheres into his hand. They were warm to the touch and vibrated slightly.
[Item: Explosive Qi Pill (Low Grade).] [Effect: Upon impact, releases a violent burst of Fire Qi equivalent to a full-strength attack of a Qi Refining Stage 5 cultivator.]
"Stage 5..." Kai grinned savagely. "This isn't a pill. It's a bomb."
With these, even that arrogant disciple Chen would be blown to pieces if he wasn't careful.
Kai exited the Inner World. He found Lian asleep on the floor, the dagger still clutched in her hand. He smiled softly, took his outer robe off, and covered her.
He didn't sleep. He sat by the door, the Blood-Drinker's Jian on his lap (now looking normal again as the illusion faded). He began to cultivate. The Dragon Sutra churned inside him, pulling ambient Qi from the air.
He needed Stage 2. Tonight.
Meanwhile, back in the Rat District.
The slums were never truly quiet. But tonight, there was a commotion in the territory of the Black Dog Gang.
In a dimly lit tavern that served as the gang's headquarters, a man sat on a throne made of beer barrels. He was shirtless, revealing a chest covered in black hair and scars. A massive iron club rested by his side.
This was "Iron-Head," the leader of the Black Dog Gang. A cultivator at Qi Refining Stage 3.
Before him, two trembling beggars were kneeling. Between them lay the headless body of Rat-Tooth.
"So," Iron-Head rumbled, his voice like grinding stones. "You say a child did this?"
"Y-Yes, Boss!" one beggar stammered. "It was the boy called Kai! The one who died yesterday! He came back... he had a sword! He moved like a ghost!"
Iron-Head leaned forward. The wooden floor creaked under his weight. "Rat-Tooth was useless, but he was my earner. He brought in 5 silver a week."
He stood up, picking up his iron club with one hand effortlessly.
"If a slum rat finds a sword and learns to kill, he must have found a legacy. Or a treasure."
Greed flashed in Iron-Head's eyes. A treasure that could turn a starving boy into a killer overnight? That was worth more than a few silver coins.
"Gather the boys," Iron-Head commanded. "Turn the slums upside down. Find the boy. Find the girl. I want his sword... and I want to know his secret before I crush his skull."