The first week was agony.
Kai pushed his body beyond anything he'd experienced, even during Master Shen Yue's brutal training. Four hours of sleep felt like nothing. His body screamed for rest, but he refused to listen.
[Gate 1 Progress: 10% → 23%]
[Warning: Fatigue accumulating]
[HP regeneration reduced by 15%]
Morning combat training with Wei Long and Ling Xiu was relentless. Master Shen Yue had noticed Kai's increased dedication and responded by making the training harder.
"Again!" she commanded as Kai sparred against three opponents simultaneously.
His Shadow Phantom Step was improving. The afterimages confused his opponents, buying him precious milliseconds to strike pressure points and disable them.
[Shadow Phantom Step (Beginner) → Shadow Phantom Step (Intermediate)]
[Qi Cost reduced: 15 → 12]
But his body paid the price. New bruises layered over old ones. His muscles ached constantly.
In the afternoons, he met secretly with his alliance. They trained together, sharing techniques and pushing each other beyond limits.
Hong Wei taught him the basics of saber work. Yun Xia shared earth formation techniques that could create temporary barriers. Mei Lin demonstrated poison application methods that Kai's advanced knowledge helped him master quickly.
[New Skill Acquired: Basic Saber Arts (Beginner)]
[Earth Formation Knowledge (Beginner)]
[Poison Application (Intermediate) → Poison Application (Advanced)]
Nights were for cultivation. Six hours of pure focus on the Nine Gates method, feeling the first gate slowly opening like a rusted lock finally giving way.
Day 14
Two weeks in, and Kai felt like he was breaking apart and rebuilding himself simultaneously.
[Gate 1 Progress: 23% → 38%]
[Level Up!]
[You are now Level 8]
[HP: 140/140 → 160/160]
[Qi: 80/80 → 90/90]
[+2 Stat Points Available]
He allocated the points to Vitality and Agility. His body needed endurance for this brutal schedule.
[Vitality: 13 → 14]
[Agility: 12 → 13]
Master Shen Yue summoned him to her private training chamber—a rare honor and a dangerous sign. Personal attention from her could mean either advancement or elimination.
"Kai Zhang," she said, studying him with those crimson eyes. "You've improved significantly in two weeks. Your cultivation speed has doubled. Your techniques have refined. Your combat effectiveness has increased by forty percent."
"Thank you, Master."
"I didn't say I was pleased." Her voice was cold. "I said you've improved. But improvement means nothing if you burn out before the selection trial. You're cultivating too aggressively. Your body shows signs of qi strain."
[Warning: Master Shen Yue has noticed your excessive training]
[Risk of exposure increased]
"I can handle it, Master."
"Can you?" She moved faster than Kai could track, her hand suddenly gripping his wrist. Her qi invaded his meridians, checking his condition. "Your gates are opening too quickly. The Nine Gates method requires balance, not brute force. You're at 38% on the first gate. Normal progression should be 15% by now."
Kai's mind raced. He couldn't reveal the system, but he needed an explanation.
"I've been using the Qi Enhancement Elixirs you provided, Master. And I found some supplementary cultivation texts in the library that complement the Nine Gates method."
Partially true. The elixirs had helped, though not as much as the system's optimization.
Master Shen Yue's eyes narrowed. "Ambitious. Dangerous. But effective." She released his wrist. "Very well. Continue your accelerated cultivation. But know this—if you fail due to qi deviation or exhaustion, I will not waste resources saving you. Understood?"
"Understood, Master."
"Good. Now, I have a mission for you."
[Quest Alert!]
[Mission from Master Shen Yue]
Kai tensed. Missions from hall masters were never simple.
"There's a merchant caravan arriving at Iron Mountain City in three days. They're carrying rare cultivation resources that the sect has purchased. You will escort the caravan from the city to the sect."
"Alone, Master?"
"No. You'll take your... associates. Mei Lin, Hong Wei, and Yun Xia. Consider it a test of your alliance's effectiveness."
[Mission Details Updated]
[Escort Mission: Rare Resource Caravan]
[Participants: Kai Zhang, Mei Lin, Hong Wei, Yun Xia]
[Danger Level: Medium-High]
[Estimated Enemy Presence: Bandits, rival sect disciples]
[Reward: 500 Contribution Points (split), +200 EXP]
[Time Limit: 7 days]
"We depart tomorrow at dawn," Master Shen Yue said. "This mission will test whether your alliance is built on genuine strength or hollow promises. Don't disappoint me."
---
The four of them gathered at the southern gate before sunrise. Each carried provisions, weapons, and determination.
"An escort mission," Hong Wei said. "Could be worse."
"It will be worse," Mei Lin countered. "Master Shen Yue doesn't send personal disciples on simple tasks. Someone will try to ambush us. Either bandits paid to test us, or disciples from rival factions."
"Or both," Yun Xia added quietly.
They traveled quickly, using movement techniques to cover ground. Iron Mountain City was two days away by normal travel, but they made it in one day by pushing hard.
[Stamina decreased]
[Team coordination: Good]
The city was a sprawling merchant hub built into the mountainside. Markets filled the streets, and cultivators from dozens of sects mingled with ordinary merchants.
They found the caravan easily—five wagons loaded with crates marked with the Blood Demonic Sect's symbol. The merchant leader, a portly man named Chen Bo, looked relieved to see them.
"Shadow Hall disciples! Thank the heavens. I was worried we'd have to make the journey with just my guards."
His guards were four Foundation Establishment Realm Level 2 cultivators. Competent, but not exceptional.
"What's in the crates?" Kai asked.
"Spiritual herbs, refinement stones, some formation materials. Valuable, but not irreplaceable. Your sect master paid well for safe delivery."
[Scanning cargo...]
[Contents confirmed: Cultivation resources, mid-grade quality]
[Total value: Approximately 50,000 contribution points]
[Warning: High theft incentive]
They departed at midday, the caravan moving at a steady pace. The guards took the front, while Kai's alliance spread out—Mei Lin scouted ahead, Hong Wei guarded the left flank, Yun Xia watched the right, and Kai stayed with the caravan center.
The first day of travel was uneventful. They camped in a defensible valley, with Kai and his alliance taking watch shifts while the guards slept.
During his watch, Kai continued cultivating. The Nine Gates method didn't require perfect stillness—he could progress while maintaining awareness.
[Gate 1 Progress: 38% → 41%]
Mei Lin joined him during the third watch. "You never stop, do you?"
"Can't afford to."
"I know the feeling." She was quiet for a moment. "I talked to one of the guards. He says this route has been hit by bandits three times in the past month. Always the same pattern—they attack at the narrow pass twenty li from here."
"Let me guess. We'll reach that pass tomorrow."
"Around noon."
[Warning: Ambush highly probable]
[Recommended: Prepare defensive strategy]
"We should set a trap of our own," Kai suggested. "If we know they're coming, we use that advantage."
They spent the rest of the watch planning. By dawn, the alliance had a strategy.
---
The narrow pass was exactly as described—a tight canyon with high walls on both sides. Perfect ambush terrain.
As the caravan entered, Kai gave the signal.
Hong Wei and Yun Xia took defensive positions at the rear. Mei Lin climbed the canyon wall using Shadow Step, positioning herself above. Kai stayed with Chen Bo in the center.
They didn't have to wait long.
Bandits emerged from hidden caves in the canyon walls—two dozen of them, ranging from Qi Condensation Realm Level 7 to Foundation Establishment Realm Level 1.
[Enemy Count: 24 bandits]
[Leader: Foundation Establishment Realm Level 3]
[Threat Assessment: Significant]
"Drop your weapons and leave the cargo!" the bandit leader shouted. "The Crimson Blade Gang claims this caravan!"
Chen Bo looked terrified, but Kai stepped forward calmly.
"Leave now, and you keep your lives."
The bandit leader laughed. "Bold words from a boy! Kill them all!"
The bandits charged.
Kai activated Shadow Phantom Step, his form blurring into multiple afterimages. He appeared behind three bandits, striking pressure points with precision. They collapsed before they knew what hit them.
[Enemies Disabled: 3]
Hong Wei met the left flank with his saber, the Beast Fang Saber glowing with qi. His strikes were powerful, each one forcing bandits back.
Yun Xia created earth walls that channeled the bandits into kill zones, her Earth Spirit Stone glowing as formations activated beneath their feet.
And Mei Lin rained down throwing knives from above, each one coated with paralytic poison. Bandits dropped like flies.
The caravan guards, encouraged by the alliance's effectiveness, joined the fight with renewed vigor.
In three minutes, half the bandits were down.
The bandit leader's expression shifted from confidence to shock. "What—you're just inner disciples!"
"Surprise," Kai said, appearing behind him with Shadow Phantom Step.
The leader swung around with a massive axe, but Kai was already gone, his afterimage dissipating.
"Hold him!" Kai shouted.
Yun Xia's formation activated, stone hands erupting from the ground to grab the leader's legs. Hong Wei charged from the side, saber aimed at the leader's weapon arm.
The leader broke free with a burst of qi, but it cost him his balance. Mei Lin's knife took him in the shoulder—not lethal, but the poison worked fast.
He stumbled, his movements sluggish.
Kai struck the final blow—a precise palm strike to the leader's solar plexus that disrupted his qi circulation completely.
The bandit leader collapsed, unconscious.
[Combat Victory!]
[Enemies Defeated: 24]
[Alliance coordination: Excellent]
[+300 EXP]
[No alliance members seriously injured]
The remaining bandits, seeing their leader down, fled into the canyon.
Chen Bo stared at them in awe. "That was... incredible. You're only inner disciples?"
"Personal disciples of Master Shen Yue," Kai said. "Shadow Hall doesn't produce weaklings."
They secured the bandits, took their valuables as additional compensation, and continued the journey.
That night, around the campfire, Hong Wei raised his water flask. "To the alliance. First real mission—success."
"To the alliance," they echoed.
[Mission Progress: 70% Complete]
[Estimated arrival at Blood Demonic Sect: Tomorrow evening]
Kai felt the satisfaction of victory, but he knew better than to relax. The mission wasn't over until they delivered the caravan safely.
[Gate 1 Progress: 41% → 44%]
[Days until The Purge: 106]
[Current Survival Probability: 47.2%]
The first month was nearly complete.
But the real challenges were still ahead.