The soft crimson rays of the rising sun pierced through the thin morning mist, illuminating the quiet mountain trails of the Green River Region. A crisp, cool breeze swept through the valley, rustling the golden leaves of the pine trees that lined the winding stone path.
In front of Medicine Harmony Hall, the atmosphere was thick with a mixture of deep gratitude and bittersweet farewells.
Doctor Song-Jiang stood near the wooden steps, holding a neatly wrapped leather traveling pack. Beside him, young Xiao-Lian was wiping away tears with her sleeve, her small hands clutching a cloth bundle filled with freshly baked trail bread and medicinal dried fruits.
"Ah-Wen," Doctor Song-Jiang spoke, his voice filled with deep emotion as he handed the traveling pack to Li-Wen. "Words cannot express the debt of gratitude our humble shop owes you. You saved Medicine Harmony Hall from ruin, protected our dignity, and taught us the true essence of the medical path. I know a small pond like Pine Creek Town cannot hold a dragon like you forever."
Li-Wen received the pack with both hands, bowing respectfully to the old physician. His blue scholar gown flapped gently in the morning wind, his eyes clear and serene.
"Doctor Song, you gave me a peaceful sanctuary when I needed time to heal and consolidate my foundation," Li-Wen replied in a warm, calm tone. "The medical knowledge we shared was merely a exchange of respect. Please take care of your health and continue to heal those in need."
Xiao-Lian stepped forward, sniffling as she pushed the food bundle into Li-Wen's hands. "Brother Ah-Wen... will you ever come back to visit us? If those wicked people from the Lin Merchant House try to trouble us again..."
Li-Wen smiled softly, gently tapping Xiao-Lian's head with a reassuring touch. "Do not worry, Xiao-Lian. The Lin family will not dare to step within three miles of Medicine Harmony Hall ever again. Their arrogance has been shattered into dust. Focus on your herbal studies, and one day, you will become a great physician."
Earlier that morning, news had already spread like wildfire across Pine Creek Town. The Lin Merchant House had suddenly announced a complete withdrawal from all medical trade in the southern valley. Young Master Lin-Tian had reportedly fallen severely ill with an uncontrollable trembling disease, locking himself inside the deepest chambers of his estate, surrounded by dozens of high-priced guards who were all terrified of the dark. The warning left in Lin-Tian's room had accomplished its purpose—the Lin family was completely broken in spirit.
With a final farewell bow, Li-Wen turned around and stepped onto the northern mountain road.
He did not walk fast, yet each step he took seemed to cover a distance twice as far as an ordinary human's stride. Within a few breaths, his tall, slender blue-robed figure faded into the thick mountain fog, leaving behind the peaceful valley where he had quietly cultivated for weeks.
The northern road leading toward Azure Mist City was long and treacherous. It stretched over three hundred miles of rugged terrain, crossing dense wilderness, steep rocky gorges, and territory notorious for dangerous beast packs and ruthless bandit clans.
For ordinary merchant caravans, traversing this route required hiring heavy mercenary escorts and taking over a week of careful travel.
For Li-Wen, however, this journey was an opportunity to test the newly consolidated power of his Fourth-Stage Ki foundation.
As he walked along the deserted mountain paths, Li-Wen maintained a constant, rhythmic circulation of the Void Sovereign Technique. With every breath, the ambient spiritual energy of the surrounding mountains flowed through his pores, filtering into his meridians like cool mountain spring water.
Inside his chest bone, the Ignis-Frost Astral Rune pulsed in perfect harmony with the Abyssal Bone Rune on his spine. The microscopic balance between the burning thermal resonance and the freezing arctic energy was no longer just a weapon he activated—it had become an effortless, passive state of his physical body.
"My Fourth-Stage Ki ocean has completely stabilized," Li-Wen thought smoothly as he moved smoothly through a dense forest trail. "The physical body of an ordinary Fourth-Stage scholar is limited by raw muscle and bone density. But with two celestial runes integrated directly into my skeletal structure, my physical durability and strike force already exceed those of a Seventh-Stage Grandmaster."
Suddenly, Li-Wen's ears twitched ever so slightly.
Through his vast Divine Sense, which spread out like an invisible spiderweb covering a hundred-pace radius around him, he detected the sharp metallic ringing of clashing weapons and the desperate shouts of guards echoing from a valley below.
CLANG! BANG! SCREAM!
"Protect the cargo! Do not let those Iron-Blood bandits breach the circle!"
"Aaargh!"
Li-Wen paused on a high cliff edge overlooking the narrow valley passage below.
Down in the rocky gorge, a medium-sized merchant caravan was completely surrounded by over forty fierce, bloodthirsty bandits clad in spiked iron armor and wielding heavy notched broadswords. The merchant guards, wearing the silver-crane badges of the Silver-Crane Trading Society, were fighting desperately, but they were vastly outnumbered and gradually being cut down.
At the center of the defensive circle stood an ornate wooden carriage. Guarding the carriage door was an elderly, grey-haired captain wielding a double-handed longsword, his body covered in deep bloodstains. He was battling two powerful bandit leaders who were both at the Third-Stage of Ki refinement.
"Hahaha! Old man, give up!" One of the bandit leaders sneered, swinging a heavy iron mace that smashed against the captain's longsword, sending a shower of sparks into the air. "The Silver-Crane Trading Society's luck ends today! Hand over the silk cargo and the young lady inside the carriage, and we might leave you a whole corpse!"
"Rogue scum!" The old captain spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes burning with fierce determination. "Over my dead body!"
From inside the carriage, a young woman's anxious voice called out, "Captain Chen! Take the remaining guards and retreat! Do not throw away your lives for me!"
Li-Wen stood on the cliff top, watching the battle with a cool, impassive gaze. Normally, he preferred not to meddle in the chaotic struggles of mortal merchant houses. However, as his eyes swept over the merchant guards, he noticed something intriguing.
The flag mounted on the central wagon bore an ancient silver crane emblem—an emblem belonging to a high-tier trading society based directly inside Azure Mist City.
"The Silver-Crane Trading Society holds deep commercial ties with the outer council of Azure Mist City," Li-Wen analyzed silently, his mind evaluating the situation in a split second. "Entering the city as a lone traveler during the Wu Clan's high-security assessment period might attract unnecessary attention from the town gate inspectors. Arriving as a distinguished guest of a major trading society will grant me unrestricted access to the inner commercial districts."
A calm, faint glint appeared in Li-Wen's eyes.
"A convenient vessel has presented itself."
Down in the gorge, the situation had reached a desperate breaking point.
The old captain's longsword was snapped in half by a heavy mace strike, and he was knocked backward onto the rocky ground, coughing blood. The remaining five merchant guards were forced back against the wheels of the carriage, exhausted and heavily injured.
"Hahaha! Break the carriage doors!" The bandit leader roared with sadistic delight, raising his heavy iron mace high above the old captain's head. "Kill the old man first!"
The old captain closed his eyes, preparing for death.
SWISH—!
A sound lighter than a passing breeze echoed through the narrow valley.
Before the heavy iron mace could descend even an inch, a plain, wooden tree twig—no longer than a palm's length—pierced through the air at a speed that shattered the sound barrier!
THWACK!
The fragile wooden twig struck the center of the iron mace head!
The bandit leader expected the twig to snap instantly. Instead, a terrifying, explosive pulse of compressed kinetic energy erupted from the wooden twig upon impact!
BOOM!
The heavy iron mace exploded into a cloud of sharp metal shrapnel! The overwhelming force blasted the Third-Stage bandit leader backward like a cannonball, crashing through three heavy oak trees before collapsing into a bloody, lifeless heap fifty paces away!
Silence. Absolute, terrifying silence suddenly enveloped the entire valley gorge.
The bandits, the wounded merchant guards, and the old captain all froze in complete shock, their eyes wide with disbelief as they looked at the smoking crater where the bandit leader had stood a second ago.
"Who... who is there?!" The second bandit leader shrieked in horror, his broadsword trembling violently in his hands as he looked around the surrounding cliffs. "Which senior cultivator is playing tricks on the Iron-Blood Bandit Clan?!"
From the top of the steep cliff, a slender figure in a simple blue scholar gown stepped casually into the air.
Instead of falling, Li-Wen drifted down the thirty-foot cliff drop with absolute grace, his gown fluttering softly in the wind, landing silently onto the blood-stained gravel of the valley floor like a falling autumn leaf.
His posture was light, his face serene, and his dark eyes swept over the forty armed bandits as if he were looking at harmless dust particles.
"A scholar?!" The remaining bandit leader gasped, struggling to process how a young man who looked no older than eighteen could possess such absurd, godly strength.
The old captain on the ground scrambled to his feet, his eyes filled with awe and hope. "Senior... Senior, please save our Silver-Crane Trading Society! We will reward you with any treasure you desire!"
Li-Wen did not even look at the captain. He simply placed his hands behind his back, looking calmly at the trembling bandits.
"You have three breaths to drop your weapons and leave this valley," Li-Wen's smooth, clear voice echoed softly across the gorge. "If you remain after three breaths, your blood shall nourish the mountain soil."
The second bandit leader's face turned red with a mixture of terror and humiliation. He looked at his thirty-odd remaining men, then looked at the unarmed, blue-robed youth standing before him.
"Arrogant brat! You used a high-tier concealed explosive talisman to kill my brother, didn't you?!" The bandit leader bellowed, trying to boost his own courage. "You are just a single youth! Surround him and chop him into pieces!"
"Kill him!" Over thirty ruthless bandits roared, surging forward from all directions, their swords and spears aimed at Li-Wen's vital points!
Li-Wen sighed softly, a look of mild disappointment in his eyes. "Insolent."
He did not draw a weapon. He did not even take a step forward.
Li-Wen simply raised his right foot and tapped the heel of his cloth shoe lightly against the stone ground.
TAP.
The moment his shoe touched the stone, a microscopic pulse of the Ignis-Frost Astral Rune's dual-element energy surged into the earth!
RUMBLE—!
The ground beneath the thirty rushing bandits violently trembled! In an instant, two contrasting elemental phenomena erupted simultaneously from the stone cracks beneath their feet!
A wave of volcanic, white-hot thermal energy blasted upward on the left side, instantly melting the bandits' iron weapons into liquid slag and searing their armor into ash! Simultaneously, a wave of sub-zero arctic frost erupted on the right side, freezing over fifteen bandits into solid, dark-blue ice statues mid-stride!
CRACKLE... SNAP!
Within two heartbeats, the white-hot thermal wave and the freezing arctic frost collided in the center of the bandit formation, creating a violent shockwave of compressed elemental pressure that swept across the gorge!
BOOM!
Over thirty ruthless Iron-Blood bandits were blown away like dry autumn leaves, their bodies shattered and frozen, hitting the cliff walls before collapsing into absolute silence!
The entire battle had ended in less than five seconds.
The surviving second bandit leader was the only one left standing, his broadsword melting into hot iron drops that burned his hands. He fell to his knees, his pants soaked in urine, his eyes filled with utter, spirit-crushing terror as he looked at Li-Wen.
"Demon... you are a demon..." The bandit leader wept hysterically, slapping his own head against the sharp stones until his forehead bled. "Mercy! Spare my life! I was blind! Mercy!"
Li-Wen did not even look at him. He casually flicked his sleeve.
A microscopic gust of compressed air Qi shot through the air, piercing straight between the bandit leader's eyebrows, ending his breath instantly.
The valley fell into absolute, serene quietness once more, broken only by the whistling mountain wind and the rapid, terrified gasps of the surviving merchant guards.
The old captain stood frozen, his mouth open, his mind completely numb from the terrifying display of divine power he had just witnessed.
Bare-handed elemental manipulation! Instant control over volcanic heat and arctic ice without using a furnace or casting hand seals! This was a realm of power that far exceeded anything he had ever seen, even among the high-tier elders of the martial clans in Azure Mist City!
The wooden door of the central carriage creaked open.
A young woman dressed in an exquisite lavender silk gown stepped out, supported by a young maidservant. Her face was pale, but her eyes were filled with intelligence and deep reverence. This was Miss Liu-Rong, the young mistress of the Silver-Crane Trading Society.
Miss Liu-Rong quickly walked forward, kneeling respectfully on the gravel before Li-Wen, bowing her head deeply.
"Liu-Rong of the Silver-Crane Trading Society greets the divine Senior!" She spoke in a trembling, respectful voice. "Thank you, Senior, for saving our trading society from total annihilation. Your grand virtue shall never be forgotten by our family!"
The old captain and the remaining guards instantly fell to their knees, bowing their heads alongside their young mistress.
Li-Wen looked down at Miss Liu-Rong, his posture calm and majestic. "Rise. I did not strike out of virtue, but out of convenience."
Miss Liu-Rong stood up slowly, her cheeks flushing slightly as she took in Li-Wen's youthful, incredibly handsome appearance. She had assumed from his terrifying strength that he was an ancient monster who had disguised his appearance, but looking closely at his serene, golden-tinged eyes, she felt an indescribable sense of ancient majesty that made her heart flutter.
"May I dare ask where Senior is traveling to?" Miss Liu-Rong asked politely, her tone deeply respectful. "Our caravan is heading directly to Azure Mist City. If Senior is traveling in the same direction, our Silver-Crane Trading Society would be deeply honored to provide you with our finest luxury carriage, top-tier mountain tea, and full VIP passage through the city gates!"
A faint, subtle smile touched the corner of Li-Wen's lips. This was precisely the outcome he had anticipated.
"I am indeed heading to Azure Mist City," Li-Wen replied smoothly. "A comfortable carriage is far preferable to walking through mountain mud. I accept your offer."
"It is our supreme honor!" Miss Liu-Rong's face lit up with immense joy and relief. Having a terrifying expert of this caliber traveling inside her caravan meant that no bandit clan or rival trading house would dare to touch them for the rest of the journey!
Within an hour, the merchant guards quickly cleared the battlefield, repaired the damaged carriage wheels, and prepared the grandest carriage in the center of the convoy for Li-Wen.
The interior of the carriage was lined with soft tiger-fur cushions, heated by a small incense burner, and stocked with rare dried fruits and vintage wine.
Li-Wen sat comfortably cross-legged on the silk cushion, sipping a cup of warm, fragrant tea brewed personally by Miss Liu-Rong, who sat respectfully on a lower cushion near the carriage door to serve him.
As the carriage wheels rolled smoothly along the northern high road toward Azure Mist City, Miss Liu-Rong carefully opened the conversation.
"Senior... if I may ask," Miss Liu-Rong spoke softly, handing him a fresh plate of sweet pastries. "Are you visiting Azure Mist City to observe the upcoming Wu Clan Grand Family Assessment?"
Li-Wen held his teacup, his eyes gazing calmly out the carriage window at the distant, towering mountain ridges.
"Observe?" Li-Wen repeated quietly, a cool, razor-sharp glint flashing deep within his dark pupils. "No. I am returning to settle an account."
Miss Liu-Rong felt a subtle, bone-chilling shiver pass down her spine at those words, though Li-Wen's tone remained as smooth as velvet.
She continued carefully, "The Wu Clan's assessment this year has attracted the attention of the entire northern province. It is said that Young Master Wu-Feng has recently broken through to the Fifth-Stage of Ki refinement and has been recruited as an outer disciple by the grand Sovereign Sword Sect! The Wu Clan elders are planning to use this assessment to declare Wu-Feng as the official heir and cement their absolute control over the city's commercial council."
Miss Liu-Rong sighed slightly, her eyes showing a hint of anger. "The Wu Clan has become increasingly tyrannical in recent months. They have been forcing smaller trading houses to pay absurd protection fees. Even our Silver-Crane Trading Society has been pressured to surrender thirty percent of our city market stalls to them."
Li-Wen took a slow sip of his tea, his expression completely undisturbed.
"Wu-Feng... the Sovereign Sword Sect..." Li-Wen murmured softly, his mind recalling the memories of the original host of his body—the young scholar who had been betrayed, crippled, and left to die in the cold rain by those very same people.
In the original timeline, Wu-Feng and the corrupt elders of the Wu Clan had treated Li-Wen like trash, stripping away his status, mocking his dead parents, and casting him out to rot in the wilderness.
They believed they had destroyed a helpless ant.
They had no idea that their actions had cleared the way for the soul of the Void Sovereign to inhabit this body.
"A Fifth-Stage disciple of a sword sect..." Li-Wen thought, a faint, cold smile curving his lips. "In their eyes, that is an insurmountable mountain peak. In my eyes, it is merely a small pile of dirt waiting to be swept away."
Three days passed in a flash.
Thanks to the presence of Li-Wen, the journey through the dangerous northern mountain passes was entirely smooth and peaceful. Not a single mountain beast or bandit clan dared to approach the Silver-Crane caravan, as the subtle, terrifying aura radiating from the central carriage was enough to intimidate any wild predator within five miles.
On the morning of the fourth day, the thick mountain fog finally cleared away, revealing a grand, majestic panorama.
Stretching across the vast northern plain was a massive, ancient city surrounded by forty-foot-high dark granite walls. Towering watchtowers stood like giant iron sentinels along the perimeter, and grand silver banners fluttered proudly above the massive iron-reinforced city gates.
This was Azure Mist City—the bustling regional capital of the northern province, home to over a million residents, wealthy merchant guilds, and powerful martial clans!
The high road leading to the main southern gate was packed with hundreds of horse-drawn carriages, armored martial artists, merchant caravans, and traveling scholars, all queuing up under the strict inspection of heavy-armored city guards.
As the Silver-Crane caravan approached the VIP passage lane, the city guards recognized the silver crane banners immediately. The captain of the gate guard, a stern man in iron plate armor, stepped forward and bowed respectfully to Miss Liu-Rong's carriage.
"Welcome back, Miss Liu-Rong! Inspection is waived for the Silver-Crane Trading Society. Please pass through!"
The heavy iron gates creaked open, and the carriage rolled smoothly into the bustling, grand cobblestone avenues of Azure Mist City.
The streets were alive with the deafening roars of street vendors, the ringing of blacksmith hammers, and the vibrant colors of silk banners hanging from four-story tea houses and grand martial pavilions.
Li-Wen pulled back the silk curtain of his carriage window, looking out at the familiar yet distant city streets.
Through his vast Divine Sense, he could feel the faint, restless energy vibrating throughout the city. Banners bearing the black-and-gold crest of the Wu Clan were displayed prominently on every major building and commercial square.
The entire city was buzzing with excitement for the event taking place tomorrow morning at the city's Central Martial Arena—the Wu Clan Grand Family Assessment!
Miss Liu-Rong looked at Li-Wen with deep reverence. "Senior, our Silver-Crane Trading Society's main manor is located in the eastern district. Please allow us to host you in our finest courtyard tonight."
Li-Wen slowly set down his teacup, stepping out of the carriage as it came to a gentle stop near a quiet, high-class tea pavilion in the central district.
"Your hospitality over the past four days was sufficient, Miss Liu-Rong," Li-Wen spoke in a quiet, smooth tone. "We shall part ways here."
Miss Liu-Rong felt a wave of reluctance, but she knew better than to question the decisions of a supreme expert. She quickly pulled out a polished, silver VIP token stamped with the crane emblem and offered it to Li-Wen with both hands.
"Senior, this is the Supreme Elder Token of our Silver-Crane Trading Society," Miss Liu-Rong said earnestly. "Holding this token allows you to command any resource, carriage, or intelligence network owned by our society across the northern province without question!"
Li-Wen glanced at the silver token, accepting it with a subtle nod. "Very well. I shall accept your goodwill."
He placed the token into his sleeve, turned around, and walked casually into the bustling crowd of the central avenue, his blue scholar gown blending effortlessly into the sea of people.
Miss Liu-Rong stood near her carriage, watching his receding back until his figure vanished into the crowd.
"Captain Chen," she spoke softly to the old captain standing beside her.
"Yes, Young Mistress?"
"Send our top intelligence scouts to keep a close watch on the Central Martial Arena tomorrow morning," Miss Liu-Rong commanded, her eyes shining with intense foresight. "I have a strong feeling... tomorrow, the entire power structure of Azure Mist City will be shaken to its very foundations!"
Night fell over Azure Mist City.
Inside the grand, illuminated estate of the Wu Clan, multi-tiered wooden lanterns lit up the vast marble courtyards like daylight. Soft music, cheerful laughter, and the clinking of wine cups echoed from the grand main hall.
Tonight was the eve of the Grand Family Assessment, and the Wu Clan was hosting a lavish banquet for high-ranking city officials, martial sect envoys, and allied merchant leaders.
At the head table inside the main hall sat the Chief Elder of the Wu Clan, Elder Wu-Bao—a stern, ruthless man with sharp eyes and a goatee beard, dressed in luxurious gold-embroidered robes.
Sitting at his right side was his proudest son, Young Master Wu-Feng.
Wu-Feng was twenty years old, dressed in the pristine white-and-silver robes of the Sovereign Sword Sect. A high-grade longsword encased in a blue gem-studded scabbard rested at his side. His aura was arrogant, sharp, and radiating the distinct, formidable pressure of a Fifth-Stage Ki cultivator!
"Hahaha! Congratulations to Chief Elder Wu-Bao!" A city council member raised his wine cup, bowing flatteringly. "Young Master Wu-Feng breaking through to the Fifth-Stage at such a young age and joining the Sovereign Sword Sect is a glorious honor for our entire Azure Mist City!"
"Indeed!" Another elder chimed in. "Tomorrow's assessment will merely be a formal coronation! Young Master Wu-Feng will officially assume the position of Young Patriarch, leading the Wu Clan to conquer the entire northern commercial sector!"
Wu-Feng picked up his silver wine cup, taking a smooth sip, a condescending, arrogant smirk gracing his lips.
"The young generation of our Wu Clan is filled with incompetent trash," Wu-Feng spoke in a cold, dismissive tone. "Tomorrow's assessment is merely a routine formality for me to demonstrate the superior sword techniques of the Sovereign Sword Sect."
Elder Wu-Bao laughed loudly, stroking his goatee with satisfaction. "Well said, my son! Strength is everything in this world! Those without talent deserve only to be crushed underfoot!"
Suddenly, an elderly record-keeping steward stepped up to Elder Wu-Bao's side, whispering softly, "Chief Elder... regarding the participant roster for tomorrow's assessment... there is a small matter."
Elder Wu-Bao frowned slightly. "What matter?"
"It... it concerns the former branch young master, Li-Wen," the steward whispered cautiously. "According to the family charter, tomorrow marks the exact three-week deadline of his exile. If he does not appear before noon tomorrow to accept his official stripped status, his name will be permanently erased from the clan lineage records."
Wu-Feng scoffed loudly, his eyes filled with extreme disdain. "That useless scholar who couldn't even cultivate First-Stage Ki? Three weeks ago, I personally broke his ribs and threw him into the wilderness during a rainstorm. He has long since died in some ditch and been eaten by wild dogs!"
Elder Wu-Bao waved his hand dismissively with a cold sneer. "Do not mention that trash's name on such a joyful night. If his corpse hasn't rotted away, he wouldn't dare step back into Azure Mist City even if he had ten thousand lives! Erase his name from the ledger tomorrow morning!"
"Yes, Chief Elder!" The steward bowed and backed away quickly.
The banquet continued with loud music and laughter, the members of the Wu Clan completely oblivious to the cold storm gathering over their heads.
Meanwhile, on the high roof of a quiet tea pavilion located directly across from the Wu Clan Estate.
Li-Wen stood motionless in the midnight breeze, his black cloak fluttering softly around his blue scholar gown.
His dark, golden-tinged eyes looked down at the brightly lit Wu Clan estate, listening to the loud laughter and arrogant declarations echoing from the main hall through his vast Divine Sense.
"Trash... erased from the ledger... eaten by wild dogs..." Li-Wen repeated those words in a quiet, smooth voice that carried no anger, only the icy, absolute coldness of an ancient deity.
He slowly raised his right hand, looking at his clean, unblemished fingers.
"Enjoy your final night of laughter, Wu Clan," Li-Wen murmured softly, his dark pupils flaring with a terrifying, golden-purple cosmic luminescence that shattered the moonlight above him. "Tomorrow morning... the debt shall be collected in full.
See you in next chapter.....