Han Yu left the cave at dawn when the light was still weak and cold.
His robe was stiff from the chill, but the warming formation quickly softened it. He got down from the cliff with steady steps, halberd strapped to his back, and made his way toward the direction marked on his map.
It took him several hours of wandering between scattered ridges before he finally discovered the narrow route carved into the rock. Once he confirmed it matched the records from the sect, he followed it without hesitation.
He refused to wander freely now. He had already paid the price for curiosity earlier. His life was more valuable than shaving a few days off the journey.
According to the old map, this route skirted the very edge of the Inner Ring. It would loop around the central territory entirely, then emerge out the other side of the Harrow Mountains. It was the path with the highest survival rate among the sect disciples who had taken missions here in the past.
