"In a city built on bones, coin is just another blade."
Night over Qinghe wasn't peaceful. It was thinner. Hollow.
The kind of silence that followed after too many voices had gone missing. And Rael had added another to that number. But he didn't sleep.
Sleep was for those who hadn't stolen power yet.
---
System Status – 3 Hours After Kill
[Stored Trait Expiry: Bone Fortification (Lesser) – 66 hrs remaining]
[Martial Slot Upgrade Token (Unused)]
[Core Density: 0.18 / 1.00 – Core Formation Stage: Initiate]
[Qi Stability: 79% – Improving]
Rael sat beneath a slanted rain-eave. The city below him flickered with lanterns and curfews. The Ironback Ape beast core sat between his palms, its black-gray glow pulsing like a second heartbeat.
He hadn't yet crushed it.
He was thinking.
The core would raise his cultivation density. Speed the path toward a stable foundation.
But rushing would bring fractures.
And fractures invited death.
[Option: Absorb Beast Core Now?]
[Warning: Core Efficiency will depend on physique, cultivation art, current Qi state]
[Risk: Slight internal instability due to damaged meridians (Rib Cage region)]
He shelved it.
Not yet.
---
Memory Recall: The Combat Lessons of Bone and Blood
He replayed the fight in his mind.
Tuo Lan was stronger. Tougher. Even protected by a basic spiritual technique.
But he'd lost because Rael didn't face him head on.
He broke him sideways. Strategy over strength. Time over talent.
That realization wasn't comforting.
It was addictive.
[Hidden Stat – Tactical Instinct: +0.1%]
[System Remark: Mental Patterns adapting to non-linear combat]
[Title Update: Martial Strategist (Progress: 2.7%)]
Rael's fingers curled. He wanted more of that feeling.
Not the kill.
The control.
---
Dawn – Hidden Pavilion Market
Dawn came with fog. The kind that hung low over the stone tiles and made voices echo like ghosts.
Rael moved through alleyways, arriving at a market not marked on any map. The Hidden Pavilion was a black market for rogue cultivators, minor sects, and outcasts.
He wasn't questioned.
He looked like he belonged.
Inside, rows of makeshift stalls glowed faintly with formation arrays. Beast bones, spirit ash, illegal talismans, even body parts of slain spiritual creatures — everything was for sale.
Rael wasn't here to buy everything.
He was here for two things.
---
Purchase Log
1. Binding Silk Thread (Rank F) – 9 Silver Talons
▸ Purpose: Bind runes to physical weapons
▸ Effect: Reduces artifact instability by 12%
2. Cracked Spirit Engraving Tablet
▸ Effect: Allows single Martial Art transcription
▸ Limitation: Fragile, may shatter on failure
He also bought a single gourd of "Bloodroot Elixir" — not because it tasted good, but because it burned like guilt and cleared the mind.
He drank half immediately.
The pain behind his eyes faded. His thoughts aligned.
---
Midday – Rooftop Workshop
Rael crouched on the roof of a crumbling temple, the wind carrying incense from some distant prayer bell. The Broken Sabre lay in front of him, chipped and dark.
He began wrapping it in Binding Silk.
Then he set the Spirit Tablet beside him and began the transcription.
[Choose Martial Art to Imprint – Slot 1: Active | Slot 2: Available (Token Ready)]
[Available Options (Based on Exposure)]
– Severing Steps (Form I & II) – Progress 21%
– Shadow Bloom (Unrefined, Requires Lunar Qi)
– Bone Piercer Strike (Low Grade) – 12%
– Fang Flow (Formless Brawling Style) – 8%
Rael chose Severing Steps. Not because it was strong.
But because it was his.
[Inscription Begin]
[Warning: Tablet Cracked. Qi Flow Must Be Stable Throughout]
[Estimated Completion Time: 3 hours]
He remained perfectly still.
Breathing.
Channeling.
A mistake now would destroy both the sabre and the martial art.
---
System Notification – 3 Hours Later
[Inscription Successful: Severing Steps I – Permanently Bound to Sabre]
[Weapon Rank Upgraded: Broken Sabre → Bound Martial Artifact (F)]
[Passive Bonus: Qi Efficiency +4%, Steps Flow More Precisely]
[Remaining Slot Upgrade Token: 1]
Rael grinned faintly. The blade didn't look different.
But it moved differently.
Like it wanted to be drawn now.
---
Evening – City Patrol Shift Change
By now, whispers of Tuo Lan's death had begun to spread.
The Mudbacks were in hiding.
The City Watch was pretending they weren't interested.
And someone — someone — had posted a fresh bounty.
[Web Registry – New Kill Order (Encrypted)]
Target: "Lan Qiren"
Rank: Qi Disciple (Mid-Tier)
Profession: Talisman Smith, Black Market Operative
Reward: 3 Spirit Binding Scrolls + Unknown Physique Sample
Special Clause: "Deliver pain, not death."
Note: Target is protected by the Ash Chain Sect's eyes. Proceed only with subtlety.
Rael didn't know who was placing these hits.
But they were starting to trust him.
And trust was more dangerous than coin.
He closed the registry and stood.
---
Moonrise – Meditation in a Ruined Garden
He found himself seated again, beneath the broken statue of a long-forgotten war goddess. Her arms were missing. Her face cracked.
He wondered how many killers had once knelt here.
He set the beast core in front of him.
Crushed it.
Swallowed its fragments.
[Beast Core (Grade 2 – Ironback Ape) Absorbed]
[+0.12 Core Density]
[+6 Qi Threads Strengthened (Muscle Focused)]
[Minor Trait Surge: "Reckless Endurance" – Available]
[Warning: Trait conflicts with existing movement path]
[Physique Update: "Unstable Hybrid Foundation"]
▸ Temporary Stat: +5% Physical Resistance
▸ Cultivation Path Complexity: Increased
Pain raked his stomach.
But he didn't scream.
He focused.
[Trait Selection Available – Store / Absorb / Discard "Reckless Endurance"?]
He stored it.
And this time, a soft tone followed.
[Stored Traits: 3 – Maximum Limit Approaching]
[Trait Purge Event will trigger if limit exceeded]
He leaned back.
Not victorious.
But... evolving.
---
Final Status (End of Chapter)
[Cultivation Level: Qi Disciple – Core Density: 0.30 / 1.00]
[Martial Arts: Severing Steps I (Bound)]
[Weapon: Bound Sabre (Rank F)]
[Stored Traits: Bone Fortification (Lesser), Reckless Endurance, Shadow Bloom (Unrefined)]
[Special Items: Martial Slot Upgrade Token (1)]
[Titles: Nameless Blade | Martial Strategist (Hidden Progress: 3.1%)]
[Mental State: Focused, Hungry for Control]