Metamorphosis (First Update)

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The saying goes that a drum's first beat inspires courage, the second wanes, and the third exhausts it—this is the very principle at play. Su Ming had followed Grandpa since he was a child, and he had read almost every one of the many animal-skin scrolls in Grandpa's collection countless times. There was much wisdom within them that fascinated him.

This wisdom of the ancients had, over the passage of time, slowly and imperceptibly carved itself into Su Ming's mind. Yet, it had always remained dormant, as if in a deep sleep. But now, in the midst of this pursuit following his first kill, Su Ming was gradually awakening that latent wisdom, bit by bit.

Yu Chi was feeling quite anxious. He had initially thought he could not escape, and having risked everything to turn back and fight for his life, his resolve had vanished into thin air the moment he saw the distance between him and his pursuer widen again. When his eyes turned red with rage once more, it was the same story.

After a few such cycles, that desperate, all-or-nothing feeling had left him; it was difficult to summon it as he had before.

In Su Ming's eyes, this Barbarian Warrior from the Black Mountain Tribe was merely his prey—a prey that had been thoroughly frightened. As long as he let the man believe there was still hope, he could slowly wear him down to his death.

Su Ming followed this very method, using the pursuit to continuously grind away at Yu Chi's confidence and courage. As the chase dragged on, he would even intentionally widen the gap from time to time, allowing the man a moment of relief amidst his high-strung tension.

Su Ming vaguely remembered a scroll that stated, in essence, that once a state of sustained tension is suddenly relaxed, the underlying exhaustion and pain will be magnified countless times over. That sensation was enough to overwhelm any living soul.

Su Ming had only understood these things in theory before, but now, under the pressure of this pursuit, that understanding was gradually transitioning into instinct. He didn't even need to do it deliberately; the effect he desired occurred naturally.

For him, today was his first time killing a man, his first time hunting someone down, and, more importantly, the first invisible transformation of his life. It was a pity that only Yu Chi could personally experience the process of this transformation.

Yu Chi's experience was profound, though he did not understand the cause of it all. He only felt that his confidence and courage, which had already been diminished after witnessing that eerie scene of death, were now gradually vanishing entirely during this flight.

He was even unaware that he no longer harbored any thoughts of turning back to fight for his life. Although the youth behind him appeared to be at the same second level of Blood Condensation, he felt with absolute certainty that if he turned back, he would surely die, whereas if he kept running, there was still a glimmer of survival.

What he didn't realize was that his sense of exhaustion was growing invisibly. Especially when he noticed the youth behind him had vanished from sight, that fatigue made his legs feel weak and wobbly, as if he were about to collapse. Yet, he could not rest; he had to grit his teeth and push on.

However, this persistence turned into an even greater exhaustion the moment the youth's figure appeared once more at the edge of his vision, leaving Yu Chi feeling as if he were going mad.

"An Evil Barbarian!! He must be an Evil Barbarian!!" Yu Chi trembled with fear. As he fled, a fork in the path appeared before him: to the left lay the depths of the mountain forest, a road leading away from the Black Flame Peak, while to the right was the path circling the peak that led back to the Black Mountain Tribe.

Su Ming, in pursuit, had long known of this fork. His eyes flashed, and suppressing his own fatigue, he suddenly burst into a sprint. He did not chase straight ahead, but wove through the forest to close in on the path to the right.

He acted as if he were certain Yu Chi would take the right path, moving ahead to narrow the distance between them. While leaping, Su Ming drew his bow and fired several arrows in quick succession toward the right-hand fork. With a series of whooshes, they all struck the trees along the path, piercing deep into the wood, their nocks vibrating with a low hum.

That humming sound seemed to possess a strange power; as it reached Yu Chi's ears, his footsteps faltered for a fleeting moment.

As Su Ming drew his bow fully to continue the pursuit, Yu Chi let out a roar, intending to head right, but Su Ming's speed increased once more, immediately giving Yu Chi a false impression.

He felt that if he continued to flee to the right, he would likely be caught immediately. But if he fled to the left, he could widen the gap again due to his pursuer's misjudgment.

With the humming echo still ringing in his ears, Yu Chi gritted his teeth and abruptly turned to change direction, bolting toward the left. He moved with great speed, vanishing into the forest in the blink of an eye.

Su Ming's eyes flashed; through his exhaustion, a grim, cold smile touched his lips.

He flickered into motion, quickly retrieved his arrows from the tree trunks, and continued to chase after the Black Mountain tribesman.

"By controlling the direction in which the enemy flees, I can control his body." Su Ming murmured. He remembered this line from one of the animal-skin scrolls; he had been ignorant of its meaning before, but now, he understood it instantly.

Time slowly slipped away during the pursuit. Soon, it was deep into the night. The bright moon hung high, casting a silvery glow upon the snow-covered ground, making the mountain forest clear even in the darkness.

Throughout this chase, Su Ming had forced Yu Chi to change direction three times, slowly and indirectly manipulating the man's body to lead him exactly where he wanted him to go.

He touched his chest, a flicker of tenderness appearing in his bloodshot, weary eyes. Tucked inside his clothes lay the unconscious Little Monkey. During one of the times he had forced Yu Chi to change direction, the man had thrown the monkey in the opposite direction, hoping to use the distraction to gain more distance.

That move had indeed worked; Su Ming had rushed to retrieve Little Monkey, which had allowed Yu Chi to breathe a sigh of relief, though his speed had only increased.

But it wasn't long before Yu Chi discovered that arrows were once again whistling toward him from behind, a realization that nearly drove him to madness.

Night had fully descended. The stars hung in the sky, twinkling like countless eyes watching the hunt unfolding in the forest below.

Yu Chi was utterly exhausted. He stumbled, his physical state being secondary to the state of his heart, which was now riddled with holes. He felt endless regret; he regretted discovering that small cave, he regretted chasing that Fire Ape—otherwise, none of this would have happened.

Before him lay a stretch of forest dense with weeds and shrubs. Though it was winter, the depths remained hidden from view. Not long after Yu Chi stepped into the thicket without a second thought, Su Ming's figure appeared at the edge of the woods.

He stood there, breathing heavily, thick white mist pouring from his mouth, but his eyes were filled with a chilling coldness. He did not pursue further, but waited silently in place.

"This is the burial ground I have guided you to! If you can walk out of here in your current state of exhaustion, then your luck is truly great!" Su Ming whispered to himself once his breathing had steadied.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a shrill, miserable scream erupted from the forest in the silent night. The sound echoed, chilling the heart of anyone who heard it.

A moment later, the screaming gradually faded, turning into a faint, lingering wail.

Su Ming walked forward in silence, slowly entering the forest. He moved with great caution, carefully checking his surroundings every few steps, retreating, circling, or leaping over obstacles.

This was an area where the Wu Mountain Tribe's hunting party set traps for wild beasts. The forest was riddled with them, and aside from the Wu Mountain Tribe, no other tribe could possibly know of them.

Even Su Ming only knew of some of the traps; others remained unknown to him.

Had Yu Chi been in his prime, he might have had a chance to walk out alive, but in his current state, stepping in here was equivalent to stepping into the underworld.

Su Ming walked cautiously, step by step. The wailing from the distance grew fainter. As he pressed on, he saw Yu Chi ahead, suspended by a row of ropes, pinned against the trees like a rake by several sharpened logs as thick as a man's waist.

The man was drenched in blood, yet he was not dead; he was trembling, letting out weak, ragged moans.

Su Ming walked up to him in silence. He looked at the man for a long time before drawing his Bone Horn and slicing across his throat.

Yu Chi's body struggled violently for a few moments before he breathed his last. His eyes remained fixed on Su Ming, filled with endless resentment.

Su Ming stood silent. He cut the ropes of the trap, rummaged through the corpse for some odds and ends, and then took out the remaining bit of Blood Powder. He used it to reduce the body to bone, which crumbled into dust at the slightest touch.

Turning away in silence, Su Ming walked out of the forest. Outside, he looked up at the bright moon in the sky, his eyes filled with a sense of bewilderment. This was his second time killing a man. He could not describe the feeling—tension, anxiety, confusion...

After a long while, he sighed softly. Although the Black Mountain Tribe and his own Wu Mountain Tribe shared the same roots, they had become mortal enemies over countless years. If one tribe grew too strong, the other would inevitably face the threat of annihilation. When that day came, all the men would be slaughtered, and only the women would be taken away to serve as breeders for the other tribe.

Fortunately, such a thing had never happened. For many years, the Grandpas of both sides had remained at the same level of cultivation, and neither would easily initiate a great war.

Taking a deep breath, a wave of exhaustion surged through Su Ming's entire body. Dragging his frame, which was on the verge of losing consciousness, he gritted his teeth and departed toward the distance...

Time slowly slipped away. When dawn had passed and the first rays of the morning sun faintly peeked over the horizon, Su Ming returned to the tempering grounds of Black Flame Peak. With a sallow complexion, he ducked into the cave entrance, and upon appearing inside the Fire Lava Cave, he collapsed to the side and fell into a dead faint.