The sun dipped lower behind the skyline, casting long shadows across the backlot near the broken temple ruins. The air was still, charged — like something waiting to break.
Ren Wei stood alone, shirt sleeves rolled, Qi still faintly pulsing from his morning cultivation beneath the spirit tree.
> "One more step," he muttered, "and I'll break into Level 3…"
But silence rarely lasts long for men who defy the world.
A low whistle echoed.
> "So you're the brat who humiliated Li Zhengyu?"
Ren Wei didn't turn. He already felt the Qi signatures: three of them. One smug, one silent, one sniveling.
**Zhao Fenglin** stepped into view. Eighteen, dressed in silver martial robes embroidered with the side crest of the Zhao Family. Behind him trailed two lesser thugs — more noise than threat.
A golden talisman pulsed on Zhao Fenglin's chest, humming with protective energy.
> "Zhao Family," Ren Wei said, dryly. "Another clown."
Zhao Fenglin's eyes narrowed.
> "You think a gala token makes you untouchable? I've trained under Elder Mo Yunjie of the Western Cloud Sect. What are you? A stray?"
Ren Wei's silence was like a blade.
> "I challenge you. Right here. If you refuse—"
He didn't finish.
Because Ren Wei **moved**.
Faster than the Zhao disciple could blink, a palm **slammed into his face** — a bone-snapping *crack!* followed as the bridge of his nose caved inward.
The talisman flared gold — **too late**.
Zhao Fenglin staggered, shield activated, but Ren Wei's follow-up strike wasn't spiritual — it was **brutal**.
A kick to the kneecap — *pop!*
A heel to the collarbone — *crunch!*
Zhao screamed. The shield absorbed the Qi, but not the raw **hatred** packed into each strike.
> "Your talisman can block Qi," Ren Wei growled, grabbing his arm, "but it can't stop pain."
Then came the elbow — driven into Zhao Fenglin's shoulder until it **dislocated with a wet snap.**
Blood spurted. One of the lackeys vomited.
> *Ding!*
> **[Iron Blood Meditation] Activated**
> – Pain threshold increased
> – Qi regeneration boosted during combat
Zhao Fenglin gasped beneath Ren Wei's boot.
> "P-Please...!"
Ren Wei leaned down, calm as dusk.
> "Mercy is the luxury of those who never bled like me."
He **stomped** his ribs.
A soft wheeze. A talisman — shattered.
By now, a small crowd had gathered — whispers, gasps, smartphones held high.
> "That's… a Zhao talisman. It shattered?!"
> "No sect backing, no family name. Just fists…"
> *Ding!*
> **Side Quest Unlocked: "Recognized by the Low"**
> – Progress: 2/5 acknowledgments earned
> – Reward: Passive Skill Fragment (locked)
Ren Wei turned to the crowd, face unreadable.
> "If you came to see justice, leave."
> "If you came to see blood—"
He glanced down at Zhao Fenglin's broken body.
> "You're late."
Then he walked off into the shadows, as casually as if he'd taken a stroll.
But the wind whispered through the alley.
And behind him… **the Zhao Family had just been humiliated.**
Zhao Fenglin lay on the ground — bones cracked, mouth bloodied, shield talisman flickering uselessly on his chest like a broken lamp in a storm.
One of his followers finally snapped.
> "D-Don't think you've won anything! His master is Elder Mo Yunjie! You'll—"
Ren Wei's eyes met his.
Just that.
The boy choked on his next words, turned, and ran. The second followed, dragging his trembling legs.
Zhao groaned, tried to crawl.
Ren Wei stepped over him like trash on the roadside.
---
The alley was quiet, but not empty.
Phones still glowed. Qi still lingered. Fear still clung to the bricks like fog.
One young cultivator whispered:
> "That wasn't a clan technique…"
> "No. No formation either. Just… pure physical slaughter."
> "He didn't even draw a blade."
A silent voice traveled further than any scream.
---
> *Ding!*
> **Side Quest Progress Updated: "Recognized by the Low"**
> – Progress: 4/5 Acknowledgments
> – +1: [Cultivation Blogger @SilentShadowSect] has uploaded your battle footage
> – +1: [Inner City Mercenary Network] has flagged 'Ren Wei' as Tier-2 Threat (Unaffiliated)
---
Ren Wei walked away from the blood without looking back. His fists were still clenched. Not from rage — but calculation.
He passed a cracked storefront, caught a glimpse of himself in the window.
The reflection was… strange. Calm. Cold. Not broken anymore.
> "Qi Refinement 2."
> "Stronger than before."
> "Still not enough."
He flexed his hand. Muscles shifted beneath skin that once barely held together.
---
> *Ding!*
> **System Suggestion: Internal Synchronization Available**
> – Your technique \[Heaven-Flaying Vein Scripture] can now unlock:
> → *First Internal Resonance Layer*
> – *Resonance increases Qi channel stability by 35%*
> – *Unlocking will bind your cultivation further to this path.*
> Proceed?
Ren Wei didn't blink.
> "No."
> "Not yet."
He closed the prompt with his mind. He wasn't here to be guided.
He was here to **become something the system couldn't define.**
---
Somewhere far above, the Zhao Family's surveillance networks began to churn.
Elder Mo Yunjie would see the footage within the hour.
But by then…
Ren Wei would already be preparing to meet the next level of hell.