The wind blew gently on the hills, lifting swirls of dry grass swirling around Lin Yue as if to greet his return to reality. He took a deep breath, letting the cool air fill his lungs, laden with the acrid smell of the wet earth and the dry scent of the hills beaten by the climate of the north. He sat up slowly, his smooth but vigilant movements, and his silver armor emitted a slight metallic clank, like a reminder of his condition as a soldier.
His dark eyes landed on the horizon, where a city with blackened walls and dark roofs stood: Donqi. A forgotten, rough, austere fortress lost in the lands of the North, where civilization and chaos were constantly brushing against each other. He remembered this name, Donqi, thanks to the memories still burning in his memory, those of the body he now inhabited.
A border city, marked by blood and conflict, frozen in a constant war against the dangers of the outside world.
"According to the last memories of this body… it has been several millennia since the race of black wolves is at war with humanity."
His gaze grew harder as he clenched his fists.
Black Wolves. A cursed race, born from the wild depths of Xuanyuan. Unlike simple beasts, they weren't just monsters. Endowed with intelligence, a formidable tribal organization and a fierce survival instinct, they had been able to evolve quickly in the hierarchy of spiritual beasts. Today, most of their leaders were terrifying entities, equivalent to rank 7 of spiritual beast. Only one of them could destroy an entire army.
"Yesterday…" he thought, his jaws clenched.
Yesterday again, he had received the order to go to this isolated region, by a commander of the 3rd division. According to reports, an old spiritual mine had been spotted in the surroundings. The news had immediately aroused covetousness: such a discovery could tilt the balance of a front, both for the resources it offered and for the prestige it brought to the one who took control of it.
But they had fallen into a trap.
The mine was very real, but already occupied by black wolves. The latter, informed of their arrival in a still unknown way, had set a bloody ambush for them. The massacre had been rapid, relentless. Lin Yue was the only cultivator to reach the innate realm. The rest of the troop a hundred cultivators were made up of simple cultivators of the Foundation etablishment realm. They hadn't made the weight. Taken aback, surrounded, shot one by one, the majority had perished under the fangs and claws of black wolves.
Even the previous owner of this body, could not resist the assault. Indeed, in the enemy troops were several beasts of rank 4 but also three beasts of rank 5. Even the old Lin Yue could only be an ant in front of a lion. Lin Yue gritted his teeth, his gaze sweeping the hills and the hollows of the landscape.
"I have to find survivors… if there are any left. »
Thanks to the still-fresh memories passed down from the soul of this body's previous owner, Lin Yue closed his eyes for a moment and circulated his Qi through his meridians. It was like activating an ancient current of energy, an invisible river flowing through every fiber of his being. Slowly, his body lifted off the ground. His feet left the solid earth effortlessly, and he rose into the air, carried by a force both gentle and powerful.
He opened his eyes, arms slightly spread to balance his posture, and looked down upon the world. The landscape stretched out beneath him: rolling hills, grasses swaying in the wind, the ruins of an old guard post, and further in the distance, the dark walls of Donqi City. A majestic, dizzying, surreal view.
His heart began to beat faster. He was flying. Truly flying, powered solely by his Qi.
A sincere and slightly incredulous laugh escaped his lips, breaking the silence of the sky.
"Ahah… So this is it, huh? This is what it feels like to fly?"
He smiled broadly, like a child discovering a new toy, unable to hide his excitement despite the tense situation surrounding him. The sensation was exhilarating, liberating. He felt the air glide against his skin, energy vibrating around him, the world stretching out beneath his feet. Nothing held him to the ground anymore. He could go wherever he wanted, whenever he wanted. He was free, if only for this brief moment.
He began to accelerate slightly, testing his agility in the air. He veered right, then left, shot upward with a sudden burst, then dove downward like a bird slicing through the sky. He adjusted the flow of his Qi with precision, fine-tuning his speed, stability, and altitude. He experimented for a while, playing with his new power, getting used to this ability he had always dreamed of in his former life.
But reality quickly returned.
His gaze grew serious again. He steadied himself in the air and closed his eyes once more, focusing inward. He unleashed his spiritual sense that extrasensory perception unique to advanced cultivators. It was like opening a third eye, an invisible sense allowing him to scan the surroundings for several kilometers. The energy around him grew denser, heavier. He probed the vibrations of the earth, the traces of Qi in the air, hidden movements in the brush or terrain crevices.
Being in the Innate Realm changed everything.
At this stage of cultivation, his Qi no longer depended solely on external absorption. It had merged with him, rooted in his flesh and bones, in his mind and soul. He now generated Qi naturally, like a flame that never dies. It made him something else entirely, a being on the threshold of true mastery.
The Innate Realm was also the first major bottleneck on the path of cultivation. It was at this level that true cultivators were set apart. Here, they had to confront their essence, forge their "true self," and build a Qi core within their sea of consciousness. A core that would become the very heart of their power, housing their soul.
It was at this point that cultivators began to manipulate natural forces, to perceive the laws of the world, to twist energy around them through sheer will. This realm opened new horizons—but demanded a clarity of mind few could attain.
And those who succeeded, as he now had, gained extraordinary longevity—up to two thousand five hundred years of life, if they avoided battles and disasters.
But Lin Yue had never been the type to avoid a fight.
After covering dozens of li at high speed (1 li = 500 meters), Lin Yue suddenly slowed down. His gaze pierced the light mist clinging to the hills, and he felt a familiar fluctuation in the air: five sources of Qi. He focused his spiritual sense with greater intensity. Their auras were weak, marked by exhaustion, but recognizable. Humans. Cultivators. And judging by their level…
"They must be survivors from my men… I have to check," said Lin Yue, before diving at full speed toward their position, his Qi slicing through the air like lightning.
Meanwhile, the group was moving swiftly along a steep path between two hills. The ground cracked beneath their hurried steps, and their ragged breaths mingled with the whistling wind.
At the head of the group was a young woman of about twenty. Her black hair was tied in a high ponytail, and her gaze was hard, focused. She wore a long, reinforced combat armor, covered in dust and dried bloodstains. She held a spirit spear firmly, its tip faintly glowing with a bluish halo. This was Shan Mei, the youngest lieutenant of the 3rd squadron.
Behind her, four other cultivators two men and two women advanced in silence: Hou Yan, Liu Fen, Jiang Yu, and finally Bai Zhi. They had been fleeing for nearly an hour.
"We should find a place to hide and recover," panted Liu Fen.
"Impossible. Until we're out of the hills, we're exposed. And you know very well the black wolves are still out there," replied Shan Mei without turning her head.
Hou Yan grimaced, leaning against a tree. "That wasn't just an ambush… They were waiting for us. As if they knew our exact route."
"They did know, Hou Yan. They left the mine nearly empty to lure us in. And we charged in blindly…" said Jiang Yu, teeth clenched.
A heavy silence followed. Then Bai Zhi murmured,
"The sergeant… do you think he's still alive?"
They all froze for a moment, as if paralyzed.
Shan Mei gripped the shaft of her spear. "Sergeant Lin Yue is in the Innate Realm. Even a whole army of black wolves would struggle to take him down."
"Maybe… but he was badly injured at the end. I saw him protecting our retreat… alone," said Liu Fen, her voice trembling.
"He… he might have escaped. Or he's still fighting. He can't be dead. Not him," added Hou Yan, jaw tight.
Jiang Yu sighed, crossing his arms. "Maybe he bought us time for nothing…"
At that precise moment, a chill ran down their spines. They all stopped in their tracks. A presence had just entered their spiritual range.
Powerful. Oppressive.
Shan Mei spun around. "Formation!"
In an instant, the five took defensive positions, weapons drawn, auras condensed. A strange wind rose, lifting the dead leaves around them.
"He's coming from the sky… Get ready!" shouted Liu Fen.
Then, amid the clouds, a figure appeared. A man in light armor, hair flowing in the wind, floating effortlessly above the ground. His Qi radiated implacable calm—and undeniable power.
His eyes met theirs.
"Sergeant?!" Shan Mei whispered, stunned.
Lin Yue descended slowly, a calm smile on his lips. "I see you're still alive. Good."
A wave of relief, disbelief, and emotion swept through the group. Hou Yan dropped his saber, Bai Zhi held back tears, and Shan Mei stepped back, her mouth slightly open.
"You're… alive…" she breathed.
Lin Yue nodded slowly. "Duty still binds me to this world. And you… you survived well. I'm proud of you."
The group then dropped to one knee, as one.
"Sergeant Lin Yue!" they cried in unison.