The biting wind of Snow Peak whipped at Yan Mo's cloak as he ventured beyond the fortress and into the snowy whiteness. His Dantian hummed with power. When he first arrived, he figured out a way to pump Qi through his entire body to warm it and do so efficiently. Apparently it was a technique that took months for others to learn, which made him quite happy.
He was out on the mountain for the hunt, to test the limits of his strength against wild beasts of the unforgiving peak. He had heard tales of frost wolves or mountain cats, formidable beasts! Even if their name provided a bit...weak. Before he had left, he was given a pamphlet by the captain, a small pamphlet that detailed out the zones within the peak and what type of beasts reside on it. Had he read it? No, he didn't think it fair. He wants a fair and tough fight, and if he knew about the weaknesses of beasts while he did not, what was the point?
Yan Mo breathed out of his mouth as he walked, it felt like he had been walking for miles and he has yet to see a single beast! He was also sure he hadn't traveled to far up the peak, not yet atleast. Unbeknownst to him, he had traveled too far to the side, and ended up on the western face of the mountain. The particular zone he was in, as well, happened to be the domain of quite a beast...
After enough time had passed that he had used nearly a quarter of his Qi reserves on just keeping himself warm, he got pummeled into the snow. A large beast had barreled itself directly onto Yan Mo. He struggled, unable to see, feeling only dense muscle and frozen fur. He wrestled for a few moments until his danger sense acted up and he used his Ghost Step to roll out of the grip of the creature. He was covered in snow and was breathing heavily, he looked up, and saw a terrifying sight.
It was a tall monster, nearly 7, if not 8 feet tall, with each of it's limbs being uncomfortably long. It had lots of fur around it's torso, and a very fluffy tail. However, the fur around the face of the creature was painted a frosted red. It grinned, showing off every one of it's sharp teeth. It's claws that were moments from ripping apart Yan Mo tore into the snow, as it became ready to pounce. This creature was wolf-like, but with stronger legs and a longer body, looking more like a white werewolf. In addition to it all, and perhaps the first thing Yan Mo had noticed, was this beast was not in the Mortal Honing Realm. He couldn't clearly sense what Layer, but Yan Mo could feel that the beast had very recently entered into the Sea Spirit realm. Compared to Yan Mo's Qi, which was in the form of gas, it's was in the form of liquid. It was more potent, more dense, and it was able to store significantly more Qi within it's Dantian, while Yan Mo had already spent a quarter of his reserves on keeping himself warm.
Yan Mo pre-emptively rolled to the side as the beast tore apart the snow he was standing on mere moments earlier. He was filled with a surge of conflicting emotions. Firstly, he became excited, his heart racing, he had finally found a strong opponent! Extremely strong at that...But also, his heart raced for another feeling, one he hadn't felt in a long time. Fear. Something about this creature, not just it's realm, told Yan Mo that he would most certainly die if he were to face it. So he did the wisest thing, he ran. He was a fighter, sure, but he wasn't an idiot.
The beast didn't seem to like his idea, and chased behind him. It was naturally fast, but Yan Mo's liberative use of Ghost Step let him create a widening gap as he rushed down the face of the mountain, just trying to get to the fortress and outside it's domain. It was then that he heard a roar, and could sense, without even looking, a surge of Qi being used behind him. He used Ghost Step to move laterally and wildly swing with his sword to his side. His reckless swing nicked the beast at the side of it's arm, which had moved in a frenzied speed to Yan Mo's previous location.
Yan Mo had to stop for a moment and take a few deep breaths, before continuing to run. He racked his brain on what to do. At this point, he had used more than half his Qi, and the beast had only just began using it's own. And not only that, while Yan Mo had superior short-range dashes with his Ghost Step, the creature was more than threefold faster than Yan Mo over a long distance.
He couldn't think of much and continued to half run and half roll down the steep mountain face. He used his extensive battle sense that he'd gained to dodge the attacks of the werewolf like beast every so often, but with each missed strike, it became only more acute. It eventually stopped leaping, realizing it was fast enough to simply run and strike, making it only harder for Yan Mo. The hair on his left side was cut shorter, and the right side of his robe was entirely tattered, all from strikes of the beast that landed just a few inches short.
But eventually, Yan Mo had no more. He was gassed, he was tired, he was out of Qi. The cold began to seep in, and his movements became slower and more sluggish. The snow that was knee high became more and more of an obstacle than he remembered, and it felt like he was getting dragged deeper in. He yelled out for help, only for his meager and shaky voice be unable to shout. His mind was flooded with fear, and memories of his past life began to flash. And tears began to well up in the corners of his eyes-
Yan Mo shouted out, causing the wolf to stop momentarily. Why would his voice be weak? And why was his mind so fearful? He looked up to the wolf, and realized it. The wolf was skilled in mental techniques! That had to be it! Yan Mo smiled, rising his sword. He was still deprived of Qi, and he was still tired, and he was still outmatched by the wolf on every other factor, but he had realized something.
The wolf had set up an illusionary veil, causing him to run around in circles, which Yan Mo should've caught on sooner, as he had been running for far too long. There was a reason to this after all, it was because he had been extremely close to the fortress walls, and had managed to break out of the illusion near the said walls. He heard shouts from the fortress, and arrows whistled past Yan Mo's head. Each was filled with Qi, Qi of a Sea Spirit Realm cultivator, and one of the arrows nearly struck the wolf. The wolf-creature wasn't startled, instead having a stare down with Yan Mo for a few moments, as if questioning him, or analyzing his face, before it ran off and quickly disappeared into the white snow.
Yan Mo's smile drooped, his sword fell, and his entire body collapsed. He had used up every bit of his vital, Qi, and mental energy in this battle, and now that he was out of danger, he fell into the deep snow. It was comforting, his body, unknowingly to him, had become extremely hot, and needed some snow to cool it down. Steam, or what seemed like it, rose from up around him, and he could hear the crunches of snow near him. He was being carried away inside the fortress.
…
Bai Yuan stared at the beast beneath his feet. A Nine Tailed Fox. Though it may not rival the same beast of legends. It wasn't one to underestimate either way.
Each tail acted of its own accord and yet moved with perfect elegance and timing with the rest, each could land a powerful attack or defend itself with ease. Taking it down was no easy matter, but for Bai Yuan it was destined to be.
He is the beloved son of the White Tiger Clan after all, the future patriarch, holder of the most legendary bloodline, soon to be one of, if not the, most politically powerful person in the entire Crimson Valley.
But he could not care less for it. He didn't want politics, he hated it, he hated talking, he only loved one thing, hunting. Was it not what the entire clan was about? Tapping into your primal nature and hunting instincts. Alas it seems many of the elders have lost the ways, but fear not, Bai Yuan shall lead!
He picked up the Nine-Tailed Fox. It was hurt, severely injured, but not dead. If anything, it would make an incredible pet. He carried it out of the forest and back to the Western Peak, where his White Tiger Clan was.
…
Yan Mo sat on one of the benches outside the hospital. Red ice, his blood frozen over, was still stuck on the fur of his heavy robe. He breathed deeply, staring out into the crowd of people walking around. He had thought he was not afraid of death, that no matter how strong a foe, he would fight against them nevertheless. Now he realized how hypocritical he sounded. It made him reflect and think.
He didn't want to die, which was a natural part of him. But there was more to it. He didn't want to die in a one-sided massacre. He would be fine with dying in a close, heated battle that lasted for hours and constantly wavered who would win! He wasn't an idiot, right? He liked the thrill of battle, not loss. Yan Mo looked up at the Peak, that's why, when I breakthrough to the Sea Spirit Realm myself, I'll make you run from me, make you afraid of me! He thought to himself.
Then he coughed and sat still. He hated being in recovery, and Liu Mei not being here to heal him didn't help either. Sure, the people at the hospital were good, most likely, but he was short on money. He had spent most of it on some hot food and heavy robes once he got to the Snowy Peak Fortress...
Which made him reflect, this fortress was really giant, it was more of a city. It's size could even compare to the size of the Azure Sword Sect. It makes sense, he thought, as after all, this Fortress is one of the four big powerhouses of the Crimson Valley.
The Azure Sword Sect, the Snow Peak Fortress, the White Tiger Clan, and, er, the other one. The sect that resided on the Southern Side of the valley, which Yan Mo knew very little about. Truth be told, he knew very little of the Snow Peak Fortress, and even less of the White Tiger Clan. To him, it was mostly politics he didn't care about. He knew that he'll find out more about them as he needed to, as for now, he wanted to train for the upcoming Sect Event. The one Liu Mei had told him about, where the 100 strongest Outer Disciples could challenge the 100 weakest Inner Disciples for their spot within the sect. As far as Yan Mo knew, this event only happened once a year, so it was a very crucial chance for many. Additionally, many of the 100 strongest Outer Disciples happened to be previous Inner Disciples that slacked for a bit too long, causing them to lose to an Outer Disciple and lose much of their resources.
Yan Mo grinned at the thought! That would be such an incredible chance for battle! He also knew he'd likely see many familiar faces there, Han Bao, Liu Mei, Liu Ren, and last, but certainly not least, the mysterious swordsman he'd been practicing with for so long. He was definite that the man was an outer disciple, just from the look of his robes. Even though it was slightly modified and looked a bit fancier than normal, it was definitely the robes of the Azure Sword Sect! His smile only widened, and he suddenly became curious of something.
Within his dreamscape arena, he could make his recreated visions fight other visions, which could only lead one to wonder...what would happen if the mysterious swordsman fought against the Snow Peak Werewolf? He smiled, and instantly dozed off on the bench outside the hospital.