Chapter 9: Staying in the Shadows
Morning arrived quickly in Misty River Village.
The quiet streets from the previous night had disappeared.
Young cultivators gathered around the training courtyard, some practicing techniques, others discussing the upcoming Annual Aptitude Test.
The atmosphere was different from usual.
Excitement.
Competition.
And beneath it all...
Anxiety.
The test would determine which young cultivators possessed the greatest potential.
Those who performed well would receive better resources.
Better techniques.
Perhaps even the attention of the village elders.
For ordinary children, it could change their entire lives.
For Han Feng, it was something else.
A problem.
He walked through the courtyard without attracting attention.
His clothes were simple.
His expression was calm.
Nothing about him suggested that he had changed.
That was exactly how he wanted it.
Since the evolution of the Dual Chaos Larva, Han Feng's strength had increased considerably.
His Qi circulated more smoothly.
His spiritual perception had improved.
His connection with the Gu had become deeper.
But none of that mattered if everyone discovered it too early.
Strength was useful.
Information was better.
Han Feng had learned that lesson quickly.
The moment people realized he possessed something valuable, they would stop treating him as an insignificant orphan.
They would start treating him as a resource.
Or a threat.
Neither was desirable.
He preferred to remain invisible.
At least for now.
"Well, well."
A voice came from the other side of the courtyard.
Han Feng stopped.
Several young cultivators turned their heads.
A tall boy was approaching.
Zhao Kun.
He was one of the more talented youths in the village.
His cultivation was already ahead of most people his age, and he knew it.
That confidence had gradually turned into arrogance.
Zhao Kun stopped in front of Han Feng.
"I heard you managed to obtain a strange Gu."
Han Feng said nothing.
Zhao Kun smiled.
"Yet you still look exactly the same."
A few boys nearby laughed.
"Maybe the Gu isn't as impressive as everyone thought."
"Of course it isn't."
"He probably got lucky."
Han Feng ignored them.
Zhao Kun stepped closer.
"I expected more from someone who caused such a commotion."
Han Feng looked at him.
"Did you?"
Zhao Kun's smile disappeared for a moment.
Then returned.
"How about a test?"
The surrounding conversations stopped.
Several people immediately gathered around them.
A fight before the Annual Aptitude Test was exactly the kind of entertainment they wanted.
Han Feng looked around.
Refusing would attract attention.
Accepting too eagerly would do the same.
He needed something in between.
He sighed.
"Fine."
Zhao Kun's eyebrows rose.
"You're agreeing?"
"One exchange."
Han Feng raised one finger.
"Nothing more."
Zhao Kun laughed.
"Afraid of losing?"
"Afraid of wasting time."
The laughter around them became louder.
Zhao Kun's expression hardened.
"Then don't blame me."
He took a step back.
Qi surged through his body.
The surrounding air seemed to become heavier.
Han Feng's eyes narrowed slightly.
Interesting.
Zhao Kun's cultivation was higher than he had expected.
The boy wasn't merely arrogant.
He had something to back it up.
Zhao Kun moved.
His foot slammed into the ground.
His body shot forward.
"Nebula Lotus Fist!"
Qi gathered around his right arm.
For an instant, the shape of a blooming lotus appeared around his fist.
The technique was beautiful.
And dangerous.
Han Feng analyzed it immediately.
Speed.
Trajectory.
Center of gravity.
Weak point.
He could dodge.
Easily.
He could even counterattack.
One precise strike would probably put Zhao Kun on the ground.
But Han Feng didn't move.
Not yet.
The fist approached.
At the last moment, Han Feng shifted his body half a step.
The punch grazed his shoulder.
Pain exploded across his arm.
Han Feng allowed himself to stumble backward.
One step.
Two.
Then he caught himself.
The courtyard became quiet.
Zhao Kun stared at him.
Han Feng rubbed his shoulder.
"Your strength has improved."
Zhao Kun blinked.
Then laughed.
"Hah!"
He lowered his fist.
"I thought all those rumors meant you had actually become stronger."
A few people laughed.
Han Feng smiled faintly.
"I suppose I still have a long way to go."
Zhao Kun looked pleased.
He had gotten the reaction he wanted.
But Han Feng was watching him carefully.
The technique had weaknesses.
The rotation of Qi around his wrist was slightly uneven.
The moment Zhao Kun attacked, most of his power concentrated on the front of his body.
His defense became weaker.
If this were a real fight...
Han Feng would have ended it before Zhao Kun could complete the technique.
But nobody needed to know that.
"Maybe next year," Zhao Kun said mockingly.
Han Feng nodded.
"Perhaps."
He turned around.
Then stopped.
"By the way."
Zhao Kun looked at him.
Han Feng glanced over his shoulder.
"Your left foot."
Zhao Kun frowned.
"What about it?"
"You put too much weight on it before releasing the technique."
Zhao Kun's expression changed.
Han Feng continued walking.
"Someone faster than me might notice."
Silence.
The laughter disappeared.
Zhao Kun looked down at his foot.
He tried the stance again.
His expression became complicated.
He hadn't expected Han Feng to notice.
Neither had the others.
Han Feng walked away without looking back.
A tiny smile appeared on his face.
The best way to hide weakness wasn't always to appear stupid.
Sometimes...
It was better to appear ordinary.
Several minutes later, Han Feng left the training courtyard.
He didn't return to his cabin.
Instead, he took a narrow path leading toward the edge of the village.
The path eventually disappeared into a small clearing surrounded by trees.
Nobody came here often.
That was precisely why he liked it.
Han Feng sat beneath a large tree.
Only after confirming that nobody was nearby did he close his eyes.
The Celestial Diagram appeared within his consciousness.
The hexagram pulsed faintly.
The Dual Chaos Larva responded immediately.
A strange sensation spread through his body.
Han Feng slowly circulated his Qi.
His expression became serious.
The duel had confirmed something.
His physical strength was already beyond what he had expected.
But more importantly...
His control had improved.
The Dual Chaos Larva was no longer merely a Gu he carried.
It had become part of his cultivation.
The two systems were slowly beginning to merge.
Han Feng opened his eyes.
"This is only the beginning."
He looked toward the distant village.
The Annual Aptitude Test was approaching.
That meant opportunities.
Resources.
Information.
But it also meant attention.
Han Feng didn't want to become the center of attention.
Not yet.
He needed to remain weak enough to be ignored.
Strong enough to survive.
And patient enough to wait.
A dangerous combination.
But necessary.
He remembered the expression on Zhao Kun's face.
The boy had been arrogant.
But he wasn't stupid.
And if Zhao Kun could notice that something was wrong with Han Feng...
Perhaps the elders could too.
Han Feng's eyes narrowed.
That meant he needed to be more careful.
From now on, every action mattered.
Every fight.
Every conversation.
Every resource he obtained.
Even every failure.
They could all reveal something.
Han Feng stood.
The wind moved through the trees.
He looked toward the Misty Forest.
There were still too many things he didn't understand.
The Celestial Diagram.
The Dual Chaos Larva.
The strange seventh mark he had seen.
And now...
The Annual Aptitude Test.
Han Feng clenched his fist.
He had no intention of becoming famous.
Not yet.
Fame attracted enemies.
Power attracted greed.
And secrets were safest when nobody knew they existed.
He would cultivate quietly.
Gather resources.
Study the village.
Learn the weaknesses of the people around him.
And when the time came...
He would stop hiding.
But not before.
Han Feng turned back toward the village.
A faint smile crossed his face.
"Let them think I'm weak."
Deep within his consciousness, the Celestial Diagram pulsed once.
A tiny golden mark appeared along one of its lines.
Then disappeared.
Han Feng didn't notice.
Somewhere inside the mysterious formation, however...
Something had begun to change.