Chapter 44 – The Weight of Intent
The "Rose and Hammer" Inn was a hub of activity, filled with travelers, merchants, and Spirit Masters heading toward the Star Dou Great Forest. In the far corner, shrouded by a Song of the Adarna: Muted Echo, Lakan and Zhu Zhuqing sat in total anonymity.
Lakan watched as the Shrek group entered. They walked with an unearned swagger, led by a hungover Dai Mubai and a lecherous Ma Hongjun. Tang San walked behind them, his face a mask of calm "superiority," flanked by Xiao Wu and the others.
"Look at their 'Flow,'" Lakan whispered to Zhuqing. "Aggressive, jagged, and undisciplined. They don't seek strength for protection; they seek it for permission."
The conflict began almost instantly. At a neighboring table sat the students of Canghui Academy, including several female students who were quietly eating. Ma Hongjun's eyes lit up with a greasy flame. He leaned back, intentionally raising his voice.
"Hey, Boss Dai, look at those girls over there. I wonder if Canghui spends more time on 'private' training than spirit cultivation? I'd be happy to show them what a real flame feels like."
Dai Mubai let out a bark of laughter, his dual-colored eyes scanning the girls with predatory intent. "Forget it, Hongjun. Quality over quantity. But you're right—Canghui is just a collection of trash. Why bother being polite to trash?"
The Canghui students bristled, their faces flushing with indignation. Their teacher, Ye Zhiqiu, a stern man in his fifties, gripped his glass until it cracked. "Young men, your language is offensive. Apologize at once."
Tang San didn't intervene. He didn't tell Ma Hongjun to be respectful. He didn't remind Dai Mubai that they were guests in this city. Instead, he reached into his sleeve, his fingers brushing against his Silent Sleeve Arrows.
"They provoked us first by being weak," Tang San thought, his internal monologue justifying the cruelty. "If they had strength, they wouldn't be insulted. Besides, Teacher said Shrek must be fearless. To back down now would be to lose our 'Monster' spirit."
This was the core of his hypocrisy. If a Spirit Hall member had insulted Xiao Wu, Tang San would have claimed they had "a path to death." But since his "brothers" were the aggressors, it was merely a test of character.
"Third Brother," Xiao Wu whispered, her rabbit ears twitching. "Should we stop them?"
"No," Tang San replied coldly. "Let them learn. In this world, the mouth is only as loud as the fist behind it."
Lakan's silver sun-eyes narrowed. "Did you hear that, Zhuqing? 'The mouth is only as loud as the fist.' Let's see how loud his mouth is when the fist disappears."
As the brawl erupted, Dai Mubai charged forward to strike the first Canghui student. At the same time, Tang San saw a Canghui student reaching for a hidden blade. He flicked his wrist, launching a Sleeve Arrow with lethal precision—aimed not to disarm, but to maim.
Lakan didn't move a muscle. He simply channeled a microscopic needle of Fist Intent through the air, vibrating the frequency using the Song of the Adarna: Harmonic Discord.
Snap.
As Tang San's arrow left the mechanism, the Fist Intent struck the internal spring. The arrow didn't fly straight; it jammed mid-launch, causing the mechanism to explode on Tang San's own wrist.
"Gah!" Tang San recoiled, his hand trembling as the metal shards bit into his skin. His face twisted in confusion. Impossible. I maintained that weapon perfectly!
At that exact moment, Dai Mubai lunged. Lakan sent another pulse of Intent into the floorboards under Dai's leading foot. The wood didn't break; it became frictionless.
Dai Mubai, the "Mighty White Tiger," didn't land his blow. Instead, he performed a comical, ungraceful slip, his face slamming directly into the edge of a heavy oak table. CRACK. His nose shattered, blood spraying across his green uniform as he tumbled into a pile of discarded food.
"Boss Dai!" Ma Hongjun screamed, but as he tried to ignite his Phoenix fire, he felt a sudden, crushing pressure on his chest—a spiritual weight so heavy it felt like a mountain was sitting on his lungs. He gasped for air, his fire flickering out like a dying candle.
Ye Zhiqiu, the Canghui teacher, stood up, manifesting his five spirit rings (White, Yellow, Yellow, Purple, Purple). He looked around, bewildered. He hadn't even moved yet, and the "Monsters" were already falling apart.
Lakan stood up, his cloak fluttering despite the lack of wind. He walked toward the exit, Zhu Zhuqing following in his shadow. As he passed the Shrek table, he paused.
He looked at Tang San, who was desperately trying to fix his broken sleeve arrow. Then, he turned his gaze to the forest.
"The Star Dou Forest is no place for children who play with toys," Lakan said, his voice carrying a resonance that made the glasses on the table vibrate.
He then looked at Zhu Zhuqing. "Tomorrow, you will absorb the Void-Stalking Panther. A 30,000-year-old beast. Let the world scream about 'limits' and 'theory.' A Sovereign does not follow the path; he creates it."
They left the inn, leaving a humiliated and confused Shrek team behind. Out in the cool night air, Zhu Zhuqing looked at Lakan. "A 30,000-year-old beast? I read a book from a renowned Grandmaster that says the limit for a third ring is 1,760 years."
"Yu Xiaogang is a man who measures the ocean with a thimble," Lakan replied, his eyes glowing with a fierce silver light. "Your meridians are now Jade-Flesh, and your spiritual sea is protected by my Mind-Anchor. The 'Limit' is a lie told by the weak to keep the strong from rising."
He looked into the dark canopy of the Star Dou Forest. "We are going to find a 30,000-year Void-Stalking Panther. It is an intelligent beast, capable of speech and shadow-manipulation. It won't just be a ring, Zhuqing. It will be your partner in the darkness."