The wind was cool and carried the rhythmic sound of the stream beyond the town perimeter. It was the dead of night, the silence within Karthus's Crossing broken only by the snores of exhausted travellers and the deep, even breathing of the few cultivators who were sleeping off their evening's wine. Disciple Jorun was among them.
Arin slipped from the outer wall's shadows, utilising the cover of thick ivy that clung to the inn's rough stone exterior. He was aiming for the window of Jorun's second-floor room the best spot for a quick, silent entry.
He did not climb by strength alone. He used the subtle enhancements of the Blood-Engraved stage, distributing his weight with unnatural precision, finding foot and hand holds that would crumble under normal pressure. His ascent was a slow, vertical flow. It culminated with him slipping through the slightly ajar, unlatched window a lapse Jorun, in his spiritual arrogance, believed secured by the simple fear of mortal thieves.
Arin landed silently on the wooden floor. The sparsely furnished room was illuminated faintly by the moonlight filtering through the window. Disciple Jorun lay sprawled on the bed, his refined Qi circulation humming predictably. Arin's enhanced hearing, a legacy of his divine Mark, confirmed the merchant was in a deep, undisturbed sleep.
The prize was a thick, iron-bound trunk tucked into a corner. Arin moved toward it, his eyes immediately drawn to the shimmering defence Jorun had publicly displayed.
A faint, pale green haze covered the trunk—the Qi Web. It was a spiritual tripwire, keyed to register any sudden concentration of external Qi or rapid change in ambient spiritual flow. A common thief would instantly trip it, alerting Jorun.
Arin stopped a foot away. He focused his will, drawing the Marrow-Sealed Qi deep inside his bones, suppressing all outward manifestation until he was again a mere mortal shell. Then, he activated the passive defensive force of his Bone-Forged stage a controlled, inward density that made his hand feel like a block of polished steel.
He eased his hand toward the web. The green haze tickled his skin, but Arin didn't rely on Qi to move; he relied on pure, transformed physical integrity. He pushed his inert hand through the spiritual strings, the movement so slow, so deliberate, and his internal Qi signature so flat and inert, that the formation registered nothing. The web was keyed to sense power and motion, not the slow, quiet presence of mere density.
His hand touched the cold iron of the lock. The Qi Web remained silent. The merchant's arrogance trusting a brute-force spiritual defence against a foe with no spiritual signature had cost him.
The lock was simple, a mortal one easily bypassed by Arin's nimble, enhanced fingers. He lifted the heavy lid, revealing a layer of shimmering silks covering the contents.
He found it immediately: a thin, dark blue manual tucked beneath a small bag of spiritual coins. The manual's title, written in elegant script, was Shadow-Weave Steps: A Guide to Minor Phasing and Misdirection.
Arin's pulse quickened. Mobility, stealth, misdirection exactly what he needed.
He snatched the manual. Next, he assessed the bag of coins. They were low-level currency, enough to sustain a traveller for several months in the mortal world, but spiritually potent enough to be necessary for bartering or minor spiritual purchases. Arin took the coins and the manual, leaving the merchant's higher-value trade goods untouched. He was not a bandit; he was a strategic thief.
He replaced the trunk lid, leaving the lock unpicked, giving Jorun no immediate sign of violation. He moved back to the window, paused to confirm the merchant was still sleeping soundly, and melted back into the shadows of the ivy.
By the time the first rays of dawn touched the ramparts of Karthus's Crossing, Arin was miles away, walking swiftly along the King's Road.
He did not open the manual until he was far out into the open plains. He sat beneath the sprawling branches of an ancient oak, the road a thin, silver line behind him.
He unrolled the scroll. The Shadow-Weave Steps technique was complex, requiring refined Qi control a stability he now possessed thanks to his Marrow-Sealed stage. The technique allowed the user to subtly manipulate their Qi field to create micro-distortions in light and sound, allowing for short, silent bursts of movement and visual obfuscation.
It was exactly the tool he needed to navigate the watchful eyes of the cultivation world. He had stolen necessary knowledge, defied a spiritual guard, and acquired the means to purchase his way to Port Zenith.
Arin closed his eyes and began to absorb the instructions, his mind already translating the intricate spiritual pathways into practical, lifesaving movements. His journey was no longer purely about endurance; it was now about mastery. The next act of defiance was already unfolding.