Descending from the sacred heights of Wudang Mountain, Liam Ardent moved steadily westward. His destination: the distant Kunlun Mountains, where the legendary Nine Suns Divine Skill yet awaited him inside the belly of the colossal white ape. Though he knew Lucas Rowan—his counterpart in another strand of fate—would not walk this path, Liam also understood how treacherous the Jianghu could be. If another opportunist stumbled upon the treasure, the consequences could alter the balance of the martial world. He had to claim it, and quickly.
The road unfurled before him like a scroll of desolation. Cracked paddy fields stretched under a merciless sky, withered stalks of grain bent like the backs of defeated peasants. Here and there, gaunt corpses lay abandoned, little more than bone wrapped in parchment skin, their mouths still open as if crying for food that never came.
Liam's steps slowed as he took it all in. This is the Yuan Dynasty's twilight. Famine and war carve deeper wounds upon the land than any blade. No wonder the people rise in rebellion, banners of fire and vengeance flying across the provinces.
Yet hunger was no tyrant to him. His cultivation kept his body resilient, and the wilds provided what the villages could not. He hunted pheasants and rabbits along the way, roasting them carefully over small fires, savoring what warmth and nourishment he could find.
On this particular day, he crouched beside a fire in a secluded copse, the scent of rabbit meat wafting upward into the breeze. Grease sizzled as it dripped into the flames, and his stomach welcomed the promise of a full meal.
Then—footsteps. Several pairs, crunching dry leaves. Liam's ears twitched like a predator's. He did not reach for his sword immediately, but his hand was never far from it.
Five figures emerged from the treeline. Their robes were worn, their gazes sunken with exhaustion, and yet each carried the air of Jianghu warriors. Liam's sharp eyes identified their affiliations at once: disciples of Kongtong Sect and Huashan Sect. Their leader, bald and broad-shouldered, had once crossed paths with him—Galen Ashford of Kongtong. At his side trailed Xander Farrow, Gareth Holloway, and Tobias Kane, all Huashan disciples.
But it was the fifth figure that stirred Liam's memory most sharply. A tall youth, forehead broad, features bold and resolute.
System Update
[Name Identified: Hector Xu]
[Cultivation: Second-Rate Expert – Peak Stage]
[Affiliation: Ming Cult – Flood Banner Division]
Liam's brows lifted slightly. So fate arranges another meeting. Hector Xu… destined to rise as one of the great anti-Yuan generals. A pillar of rebellion, a man whose name shall thunder through history. To meet him here, starving and hounded, is no small twist.
Galen Ashford's eyes latched hungrily onto the rabbit turning on the spit. His mouth opened, and spittle glistened at the edge of his lips. "So it's you, Master Ardent—the famed physician-warrior. We've gone five days and nights without so much as a grain of rice. Only bark and roots fill our bellies. That rabbit… could you spare us some? Just a bite to keep us alive?"
Behind him, the other Huashan disciples swallowed audibly, their eyes glowing with the green light of wolves circling prey.
Liam considered the meat, then their faces. He was not cruel, and yet generosity given to the wrong mouths often festered into disaster. Still, he inclined his head. "There isn't much. But since our paths cross, I can share half. Enough to keep the hunger at bay."
The words caused Hector Xu to glance at him with genuine respect. His posture straightened, as if weighing Liam not only as a martial peer but as a man of honor.
But where nobility gleamed in Hector's eyes, greed burned in others.
"Half?" spat Gareth Holloway, his voice sharp with desperation. "What use is half a rabbit between us? You look well-fed, Ardent. You won't miss it. Hand the whole beast over!"
Liam's gaze cooled, like frost spreading over still water. So generosity is met with teeth. How many times must I learn this lesson?
Xander Farrow tugged Gareth's sleeve, whispering harshly, "Careful! Did you not hear? It's said this very youth struck down Mother Clarisse Hale herself. Better not provoke him."
But Gareth sneered. "Idle tales! I saw him no more than a week ago, and his cultivation was little above ours. A brat who stumbled into fortune cannot kill a titan like Mother Clarisse Hale. Brothers, if we strike together, he won't withstand us!" His voice grew harsher, desperation fermenting into madness. "Besides, if the rabbit isn't enough, his flesh will be. Look at him—strong, full of blood. One corpse can feed four!"
The others stiffened, then nodded slowly, hunger gnawing away reason. Their eyes glowed with the hunger of hyenas.
Liam did not rise. He merely tilted his head, speaking with the detached clarity of a physician diagnosing death. "You call me savior when I heal you, and butcher when I refuse to die for your bellies. If that is not betrayal, then what word remains?"
Galen Ashford's grin turned feral. "Aye, betrayal! But what does that matter when our guts twist empty? You showed us our shame when you mended our wounds. If word spreads, Kongtong and Huashan alike will laugh at our misery. Better to silence you and eat your flesh. That way, no one shall ever know."
At last, Hector Xu moved. He drew a short steel blade from his belt, stepping between Liam and the circling predators. His voice thundered, stern and righteous. "Enough! Is this what the Jianghu has become? To prey upon the weak, to turn against those who offer us kindness? If we fall so low, then the Yuan hounds need not lift a finger—the martial world will devour itself!"
Gareth Holloway spat. "Shut your mouth, Xu! Starvation has no honor. Meat is meat, whether beast or man. Stand aside, or we carve you first!"
The bald Galen snarled, drawing his saber. "A traitor among us, eh? Kill him too, then share both bodies!"
Weapons rasped free. The three Huashan disciples and Galen advanced in a rough circle, blades glinting like jagged fangs.
Hector Xu tightened his grip, but Liam's calm voice halted him.
"Brother Xu," he said evenly, standing at last. His hand fell upon the hilt of the Heavenly Reliquary Sword. "You need not dirty your hands. For dogs that once tasted my medicine, it is only fitting that I also administer their cure. They forget: I gave them life once. I can just as easily take it back."
The air quivered. A pressure settled over the clearing, as though the forest itself drew breath and held it.
Galen Ashford barked a laugh. "Empty bravado! Slay him, brothers!"
Four blades lunged.
Liam's sword whispered free of its scabbard.
What followed was not a battle, but a slaughter. His body blurred, each stroke precise as a surgeon's cut. A saber shattered against his edge, sparks flying. A throat opened under silver steel, the scream gurgling short. One disciple's wrist snapped as he raised his weapon; the next instant, Liam's boot crushed his chest, ribs cracking like dry wood.
Within heartbeats, three men lay bleeding on the earth. Only Galen staggered back, horror carving away his hunger.
System Update
[Enemy Defeated: Second-Rate Expert]
[EXP +1,200]
[Silver +300]
[Enemy Defeated: Third-Rate Expert]
[EXP +600]
[Silver +200]
[Enemy Defeated: Third-Rate Expert]
[EXP +600]
[Silver +200]
[Total EXP: +2,400 | Silver: +700]
Hector Xu stood frozen, blade still raised but unneeded.
The last survivor, Galen, stammered, "Mercy, Ardent! I—I was misled—"
"Misled by your own hunger," Liam finished for him, his tone like iron. The sword flashed once more. Galen fell, lifeless.
System Update
[Enemy Defeated: Second-Rate Expert]
[EXP +1,200]
[Silver +300]
[Total EXP: +3,600 | Silver: +1,000]
Liam exhaled, the sword sliding back into its sheath. His eyes turned to Hector Xu, who regarded him with a mixture of awe and solemnity.
"You need not thank me," Liam said quietly. "I did what had to be done. In times like these, kindness must be sharpened by steel. Else it is trampled."
Hector lowered his blade, bowing low. "All the same… you spared me from disgrace. Xu shall remember this debt. If Heaven grants me the chance, I will repay it a hundredfold."
The fire crackled. The rabbit still turned, fat dripping into the flames. Liam cut it in half and offered the portion to Hector. "Eat. Tomorrow, the road to Kunlun awaits. And perhaps, if fate weaves it so, we will walk together."
As the night deepened, Liam looked westward. Beyond the barren fields and empty bellies, the Kunlun peaks pierced the stars like spears. And within them, a treasure of flame and power waited to be seized.
Chapter 31 – End
Glossary
Hector Xu – Future great general of the Ming Rebellion. Currently a Ming Cult disciple under the Flood Banner, peak second-rate expert.
Galen Ashford – Kongtong Sect disciple, turned betrayer under hunger's desperation. Slain by Liam.
Nine Suns Divine Skill – A supreme internal cultivation method said to generate boundless energy and heal all wounds. Hidden within the belly of the Kunlun white ape.
Heavenly Reliquary Sword – The divine weapon in Liam's possession, famed for its unmatched sharpness and resilience.
System Update – Liam's Infinite Upgrade System provides notifications on kills, rewards, and status in bold with [brackets].
This story is inspired from various Wuxia novels ,so if you find any similarities please dont mind . and if you think this is boring wait till the Dual cultivation starts ,Thank you .
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T/N :
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