Squad

East Courtyard, C-7, beneath the old plum tree.

Li Xuan sat cross-legged, both palms facing upward, each gripping a spirit stone.

The low-grade spirit stones were the size of pigeon eggs and warm to the touch. In five days, he had already exhausted the three spirit stones issued as his monthly allotment. These were the fourth and fifth.

Spiritual energy within the stones seeped through his palms in wisps, traveled upward along his meridians, and converged in his dantian.

The Mountain Suppressing Art circulated.

His qi and blood were like a millstone, slowly grinding the spiritual energy and tempering it into purer earth-element inner force.

This was the embryonic form of the Inner Qi Realm—after reaching perfection in Body Tempering Realm Level 9, a martial artist had to convert part of their qi and blood into inner qi before they could attempt to break through to the Inner Qi Realm.

Li Xuan was still far from the Inner Qi Realm, but he had already begun tempering his foundation.

[Mountain Suppressing Art: Thorough Mastery → Mastery Perfected (Proficiency 96%)]

[Constitution: 52.3 → 55.8]

[Strength: 10.8 → 12.5]

The instant the spirit stones were exhausted, he opened his eyes.

The golden patterns on his palms were a shade deeper than they had been five days ago. They had changed from an extremely faint pale gold into clear golden threads, winding like ancient seal script.

Blood Fiend Gang Qi circulated through his body alongside the qi and blood of the Mountain Suppressing Art, neither interfering with the other—one was as violent as a tiger, the other as heavy and still as a mountain. The two forces occasionally clashed, but under his deliberate suppression, they gradually formed a fragile balance.

Someone knocked on the courtyard gate.

"Come in."

A gray-robed old man entered after pushing open the door. His sideburns were mottled with white, and his face was lean.

"Senior?"

The old man waved his hand. "There's no need to call me that. My surname is Han, and my given name is Yue. I hold a nominal post in the Outer Sect's Hall of Deacons, but I have no hope of advancing in martial cultivation."

He drew a yellowed scroll of silk from his sleeve and placed it on the stone table.

"How much of the Earth Vein Fiend Stone have you refined?"

"About twenty percent."

Han Yue nodded. "Faster than I expected." He pointed at the silk scroll. "This scroll records a map of the underground ore veins beneath the Crimson Firmament Mountain Range. I drew it thirty years ago when I participated in an exploration. The ruins you're heading to lie deep within an abandoned mine at the northern foothills."

Li Xuan's gaze narrowed slightly.

Han Yue continued, "That mine was sealed thirty years ago because of 'missing miners.' Back then, the sect sent two teams of disciples to investigate. One team was attacked inside the mine—three died and two were wounded. The other stood guard at the entrance and personally saw black mist surge out of the mine, with green light within it."

"What caused it?"

"No one saw clearly." Han Yue said, "The survivors only said that there seemed to be a human figure in the mist, moving extremely fast. When struck by blades or swords, it felt like hitting rotten hide. Later, the sect invited an elder to investigate personally. The elder returned three incense sticks after entering the mine and said only one thing: 'Seal this mine. No one may enter without an order.'"

He paused. "Now the sect is sending disciples there again. Presumably, the seal has weakened, or... that elder concealed something back then."

Li Xuan was silent for a moment before asking, "Why are you telling me this, Senior?"

Han Yue looked at him, a complicated expression in his eyes.

"When I was young, I cultivated the Blood Refining Art. The killing intent rebounded on me, and my meridians gradually withered." His voice was calm. "That one-armed veteran was on the same team as me. He said he had a disciple who would come to the sect one day, and asked me to offer him some guidance if I ever met him."

Li Xuan's heart jolted.

"That veteran... was he missing his left arm, with broad palms and thick knuckles?"

Han Yue nodded. "His surname was Qin. He had no wife or children and was once a disciple of the Crimson Firmament Sect in his youth. Later, he was expelled for some reason and drifted through the Northern Territory, sweeping floors at a martial arts school."

He rose and looked toward the old plum tree in the courtyard.

"He said his disciple was fiercer than him and more capable of enduring loneliness. In the future, he would surely go farther."

"He asked me to tell you this—'Killing intent is a blade. A person isn't the hilt, but the hand that grips the blade. The sharper the blade, the steadier the hand must be.'"

Li Xuan lowered his eyes without speaking.

Han Yue walked to the courtyard gate and stopped.

"That is all I can tell you about the ruins. If you go, remember one thing—if you see black mist inside that mine, retreat immediately. Don't concern yourself with your teammates."

"Why?"

Han Yue did not turn around.

"Because the thing in the mist doesn't eat corpses. It only eats the living."

The courtyard gate closed.

Li Xuan sat alone beneath the plum tree, motionless for a long while.

He thought of the abandoned kiln cave behind the martial arts school, the hunched back of the old handyman, and the incomplete Blade Breaking Saber Technique manual handed to him that night.

That old man had never spoken of his past.

Li Xuan tightened his grip on the silk scroll and tucked it into his robe.

At noon, in the Discussion Hall of the West Courtyard.

Seven people were already standing inside.

Li Xuan swept his gaze across them.

Shi Yong stood in the center. A heavy saber was strapped to his back, and when he saw Li Xuan arrive, he waved. "We were just waiting for you."

Five people stood beside him.

One was a thin, tall young man with a pale face. A string of medicine pouches hung from his waist, and his eyes were sinister.

One was a round-faced girl of seventeen or eighteen, holding a long-handled hammer taller than she was. The hammerhead was as large as a bucket.

There was a pair of twin brothers. Their features were similar, they both wore black, and each carried a long sword on his back. Neither spoke.

And then there was one more—

Li Xuan's gaze stopped.

That person stood against the wall with his arms tucked into his sleeves. His face was ordinary, his build ordinary, and even his aura was so ordinary it was nearly transparent. If one did not deliberately look at him, one might even overlook his existence.

But Li Xuan noticed that the man stood precisely in the blind spot of everyone's field of vision in the hall.

He looked at Li Xuan and gave a slight nod.

Li Xuan returned the gesture.

"Come, get acquainted." Shi Yong pointed at the thin, tall young man. "Xu He, a new Inner Disciple. He cultivates both medicine and poison arts and is at Body Tempering Realm Level 8. Don't offend him. You wouldn't even know he'd poisoned you."

Xu He glanced at Li Xuan and gave a cold snort.

"This one here." Shi Yong pointed at the round-faced girl. "Su Ying, the strongwoman, at Body Tempering Realm Level 9. Even someone in the Inner Qi Realm would have to dodge if she brought that hammer down."

Su Ying grinned, revealing two small canine teeth. "Senior Brother Li Xuan, I watched your fight with Zhao Yuanchen. You were amazing!"

"Luck."

"It wasn't luck. That move when you drew your sword—the angle was vicious. He couldn't block it at all." Su Ying said seriously, "My father said that's called a sword that has killed before."

The hall fell briefly silent.

Li Xuan did not deny it.

Shi Yong coughed and pointed at the twin brothers. "Zhou Wen and Zhou Wu, both at Body Tempering Realm Level 8. They practice combined attacks and can fight someone at the first level of the Inner Qi Realm when they join forces."

The brothers cupped their fists without speaking.

Finally, Shi Yong pointed at the man leaning against the wall.

"His name is—" Shi Yong paused. "What was his name again?"

"Shadow." The man spoke, his voice flat. "One name. Shadow."

"Right, Shadow. His origins and cultivation are unknown, but his movement technique is excellent. He'll handle scouting and reconnaissance." Shi Yong said, "I paid eighty Contribution Points to get him to join the team."

Li Xuan looked at Shadow.

Shadow looked back at him.

Their eyes met, both without a ripple.

"Everyone's here." Shi Yong took a jade slip from his robes and placed it on the stone table in the hall. "Sect mission order—Number C-17: investigate the abandoned mine at the northern foothills of the Crimson Firmament Mountain Range, draw an internal map, and mark areas of unusual activity. Time limit: three days."

"Mission rewards: each person receives one hundred and fifty basic Contribution Points. After any additional spoils are turned over to the sect, thirty percent of their assessed value will be allocated to the individual."

He looked at everyone. "Any questions?"

"I have one." Xu He spoke, his voice shrill. "Why is this person on the team?"

He pointed at Li Xuan.

"He's seriously injured and hasn't even been an Inner Disciple for ten days. He's clearly a burden. Shi Yong, did you bring him along because you think we haven't died quickly enough?"

Shi Yong's brows furrowed. "He defeated Zhao Yuanchen in three moves—"

"What is Zhao Yuanchen worth? He's the weakest True Qi Realm disciple in the Inner Sect, with a flimsy foundation and a sword technique full of fancy flourishes." Xu He sneered. "If I fought him, I could beat him within thirty moves."

He stared at Li Xuan. "But you're different. Your meridians are injured and still haven't healed. Forcing yourself to circulate energy will inevitably leave hidden problems. In this condition, are you going into the ruins to die, or to wait for us to save you?"

The atmosphere in the hall turned icy.

Su Ying looked left and right, wanting to speak but not knowing what to say.

Zhou Wen and Zhou Wu stood like clay statues, pretending they had heard nothing.

Shadow lowered his eyes, as if dozing.

Li Xuan looked at Xu He and spoke.

"You're afraid I'll drag you down?"

"Afraid?" Xu He sneered. "I simply don't want to be distracted because of you."

"Good." Li Xuan said, "Once we enter the mine, I'll take point. If anything happens, I'll block the first wave. You only need to stay behind me—use poison when poison is needed, and retreat when it's time to retreat."

Xu He froze.

"You..."

"You're afraid of death. I'm not." Li Xuan's tone was calm. "So you only need to consider how to survive and how to earn more Contribution Points. I'll handle the rest."

Xu He's face flushed red, but he could not find a rebuttal.

Shi Yong slapped his thigh. "Enough. It's settled. Li Xuan takes point, Shadow scouts, I hold the rear, Xu He and Su Ying provide support from the center, and Zhou Wen and Zhou Wu bring up the rear. Anyone else have an opinion?"

No one answered.

"Then we'll meet at North Mountain Gate tomorrow at the Mao hour."

The group dispersed.

Li Xuan walked out of the Discussion Hall, and footsteps sounded behind him.

Before he knew it, Shadow had come within three steps of him.

"You know Qin Lie?" Shadow asked.

Li Xuan stopped.

"Who?"

"Qin Lie." Shadow repeated, "Missing his left arm, skilled with the saber, and once an Inner Disciple of the Crimson Firmament Sect ten years ago."

Li Xuan was silent for three breaths.

"I don't know him."

Shadow glanced at him and did not press further.

He turned, his robes melting into the shadows, and vanished as though he had never existed.

Li Xuan sat alone in the courtyard, the Earth Vein Fiend Stone clutched in his palm.

The golden patterns had faded by seventy percent, and nearly half the killing intent within the stone had been refined by him.

[Blood Fiend Bone Forging Technique, Third Layer: Perfection → Perfection (Killing Intent Reserves +12%)]

[Mountain Suppressing Art: Mastery Perfected → Perfection (Proficiency 100%)]

His thoughts stirred, and he poured his final point of potential into the Mountain Suppressing Art.

Boom—

His qi and blood surged like an earth dragon turning over, rushing from his lower body through his entire frame.

His bones, muscles, and meridians were all scoured by that heavy, condensed force.

After three breaths, everything returned to stillness.

[Mountain Suppressing Art: Perfection (Cannot continue adding points)]

[Characteristic Enhancement: Immovable as a Mountain—while standing, can dissipate fifty percent of impact force; Rooted—after circulating energy in place for three breaths, impact resistance increases by another thirty percent]

Li Xuan rose, both feet planted on the ground, like the roots of an ancient tree.

He drew the Crimson Firmament Sword temporarily lent to him by Yun Qingxuan and swept the blade across his left arm.

It was like striking iron or stone.

Only a white mark remained on his arm.

At the Mao hour, North Mountain Gate.

The sky had yet to brighten, and the mountain wind was biting.

The seven formed up, with Shadow at the front and Li Xuan behind him.

Shi Yong checked their equipment one last time.

Pills, fire starters, ropes, talisman paper...

"Everything's ready." He nodded. "Set out."

Seven figures vanished into the morning mist.

Behind them, Crimson Firmament Peak gradually receded.

Ahead, the entrance to the abandoned mine yawned silently between the gray-white rocks like the maw of a giant beast.