Leaving the City

Shen Fei had been thinking about growing stronger for a long time.

When he had transmigrated in his previous life, he had been gold rank 1-star. During his year in the City Guard, he had honed himself through the crudest methods, yet had never broken through that bottleneck before his death. Now that he had been reborn into this life, he had returned to an earlier point in time. His body was still Silver 3-Star, two minor realms below his strength before rebirth.

But that was not a bad thing. What he had failed to change at gold rank 1-star in his previous life might turn out differently if he started again at Silver 3-Star and took another path. He might even go further. The prerequisite was that he had to become stronger.

If he stayed in Glory City and cultivated step by step, Shen Hong would only give the Sacred Family's resources to Shen Yue. Relying on the Holy Orchid Institute's basic methods, there was no telling how long he would have to slog away before reaching gold rank.

He needed genuine life-and-death trials-the kind he had faced on the walls in his previous life, battles where every strike could cost him his life.

Three days in advance, Shen Fei submitted an application for extended leave to the Holy Orchid Institute, citing outside training to improve his practical combat skills.

The application was approved quickly. Students in the advanced class were already permitted to undertake independent training, provided they returned for regular assessments.

Besides, he was the Sacred Family's eldest legitimate son. The institute's instructors would not make things difficult for him over this. They merely gave him the customary reminders to stay safe and return on time.

He took the approval document back to the Sacred Family and stopped by the study on the way to inform Shen Hong.

Shen Hong was reviewing the family's accounts with his head lowered. He did not even look up at the news, and the scratch of his pen across the paper sounded distinctly. "Go if you want. Know your limits. If you die out there, the family will send someone to collect your remains."

His tone was as flat as if he were discussing some trivial matter.

To him, whether an eldest legitimate son at Silver 3-Star lived or died during outside training truly made little difference to the Sacred Family. If he died, Shen Yue could take his place. If he returned alive, he would not be much more useful.

Shen Fei said nothing. He bowed in acknowledgment, then turned and withdrew.

As he reached a corner in the corridor, he ran into Shen Yue.

Shen Yue held a cultivation manual, with two disciples from branch families following behind him. They looked as though they had just left the library. Seeing Shen Fei, he stopped and gave an amused smile.

"I hear you're heading out of the city to train, Brother?" Shen Yue looked him up and down, his tone airy. "You're only Silver 3-Star, and you're going into the wilderness alone? Don't die out there and disgrace the family. We'd have to send people to find you, too. Nothing but needless trouble."

The two branch-family disciples beside him lowered their heads, stifling their laughter without daring to make a sound.

Shen Fei did not stop. He walked past him, leaving only a single remark. "No need to concern yourself."

Shen Yue watched his retreating back and snorted, then turned to the others. "I bet he's just bored at the institute. He'll wander around for a few days and come back. Does he really think the wilderness is some marketplace he can stroll through? With his strength, even one Silver Demon Beast would give him trouble."

As his words fell, the others chuckled quietly.

Shen Fei heard them but did not turn around. Compared with the life-and-death struggles on the walls in his previous life, mockery of this caliber did not even amount to a passing breeze. He had neither the time to trade barbs with Shen Yue nor any need to prove himself. When he returned, his strength would say everything.

On the last night before his departure, Shen Fei sorted his equipment in his room.

He did not wear the attire of the Sacred Family's eldest legitimate son. Instead, he chose a durable, dark gray outfit of coarse cloth, with sleeves and trouser cuffs that could be cinched tight for ease of movement. Everything he planned to bring lay spread across the bed, and he checked each item in turn.

His rations were wheat cakes he had asked the kitchen to prepare beforehand. Dried thoroughly so they would not spoil easily, they would last him half a month.

He had two waterskins filled with clean water, along with a small packet of water-purifying tablets. They had been commonly used in the City Defense Army in his previous life. If he came across dirty water in the wilderness, soaking a single tablet in it would make it drinkable.

He brought two spare swords, both ordinary Fine Iron Swords rather than the family's standard-issue weapons. The issued swords bore the family crest and drew too much attention. Ordinary refined-iron swords were slightly inferior, but they were inconspicuous, and he would not mind if they broke.

He had spent two months gathering the trapping tools himself: thin iron wire, brass whistles, parts for beast traps, and several packets of specially prepared powder.

These were all methods he had learned from veteran soldiers on the walls in his previous life. Thin iron wire could be strung into tripwires and paired with brass whistles to provide warnings. Beast traps hidden in the grass caught Low-Tier demon beasts with unerring accuracy.

There were two kinds of powder. One masked human scent, while the other irritated demon beasts' sense of smell. At a critical moment, they could help him escape.

He had only one small vial of poison, procured from the Black Market. It killed the moment it entered the blood and was meant specifically for coating sword blades. When he could not win head-on, a single cut would be enough to take a demon beast's life. In his previous life, he had used it to kill several demon beasts of a higher rank than himself.

The last thing he picked up was the damaged inscription stone tablet he had found in the Black Market.

The tablet was only palm-sized, with several chunks missing from its edges and broken patterns etched across its surface. Even after studying it for months, he had not fully deciphered those patterns. He could only vaguely tell that it bore some kind of defensive inscription.

It was simply too incomplete to reproduce. Still, he had always felt that there was something unusual about it, that it was no ordinary fragment. It took up little space anyway, so he would carry it with him. Perhaps it would prove useful someday.

He sorted everything into his backpack. The weight was just right and would not hinder his movements. When he finished packing, the sky outside was still dark, with two hours left until dawn.

Shen Fei did not go back to sleep. He sat cross-legged on the bed and circulated his soul force once. A warm current flowed through his meridians, bringing him into peak condition.

He knew that from the moment he stepped out of Glory City, there would be no turning back. The wilderness was nothing like the city. There were no walls to shield him and no reinforcements. If danger struck, he could rely only on himself.

But he was not afraid.

He had spent a year defending the walls in his previous life and had seen more than enough life and death. Rather than sit and wait for death, he would rather fight for a way out.

Before dawn, Shen Fei shouldered his pack and left.

The servants in the residence were not yet awake. Only the night patrol's lanterns lit the corridors, their dim yellow glow falling across the bluestone slabs. He crossed the courtyard quietly and slipped out through a side gate without disturbing anyone.

The streets were empty. Only a few breakfast vendors had begun setting up their stalls, white steam rising from their steamers and dispersing into the morning mist. Shen Fei kept close to the walls, avoiding the main streets as he made his way toward the southern side gate.

The southern side gate was small, normally used only by farmers bringing vegetables into the city, and security was lax. At this hour, the gate had just opened. The soldier guarding it leaned against the wall, wrapped in a cloak and nodding off, completely unaware that someone was walking out.

Shen Fei lowered the brim of his hat and mingled with several farmers carrying shoulder poles laden with vegetables, leaving the city without incident.

When his feet touched the dirt road outside the city, he glanced back.

The towering walls emerged through the morning mist, their blue-gray stone blocks standing in silence. Sentries still paced along the battlements, and the flags hung almost motionless from their poles.

The city looked utterly secure. Its people were still asleep, unaware of how many dangers lurked in the forests beyond its walls, and unaware that a catastrophe would swallow them whole in a few months.

In his previous life, he had walked out of this same city to the recruitment station at the south gate, then died on its walls. This time, he had left the city again, but he was heading in a different direction.

He was not going to defend the city. He was going to become stronger.

Strong enough to change this city's fate. Strong enough that he would no longer have to watch everyone die before his eyes.

Shen Fei withdrew his gaze, turned, and headed toward the Dark Forest.

The morning mist was thick, and dew clung to the grass beside the road, soaking his trouser cuffs. Few people were traveling. Occasionally, he encountered merchant caravans that had set out early, but they were all in a hurry. No one paid attention to a young man traveling alone.

After roughly four hours of walking, the morning mist dispersed, the sun climbed into the sky, and the outline of the Dark Forest came into view.

From a distance, the entire forest was a looming black mass, like a colossal beast sprawled across the earth. Its trees grew tall and dense, their branches and leaves entwined so tightly that little sunlight could penetrate. A scattering of woodcutters and herb gatherers could still be seen around its fringes, but the farther inward he went, the fewer people there were.

Shen Fei paused at the forest's edge, found a rock to sit on, took a drink of water, and pulled out his map to check his bearings.

He had bought this map from the Black Market. It was not an official version, but one drawn by mercenaries who spent years roaming the wilderness. It marked many details absent from official maps: demon beast lairs, dangerous terrain, and water sources were all clearly indicated.

The outskirts were not his destination. Only bronze rank demon beasts lived there, offering him little challenge and no real tempering. He intended to reach the forest's middle reaches, where silver rank demon beasts roamed.

The density of demon beasts there was moderate and the terrain complex. He could practice his skills without encountering black gold rank demon beasts that he had no hope of withstanding.

After a brief rest, Shen Fei stood, put away his map, and entered the forest.

At first, he could still hear voices outside. After walking inward for about fifteen minutes, those sounds vanished entirely. All that remained was the rustling of wind through leaves and the occasional cry of a demon beast in the distance.

The trees grew increasingly dense. Sunlight filtered through the foliage, breaking into scattered patches of light. A thick carpet of fallen leaves covered the ground, soft and nearly silent beneath his feet.

Shen Fei slowed his steps, every nerve in his body drawn taut.

The wilderness was nothing like the city walls. Demon beasts would not charge according to any rules. They hid in trees and crouched in grass, springing suddenly from places beyond one's sight. In his previous life, he had seen far too many recruits fall to ambushes as soon as they entered the forest, all because of carelessness.

As he walked, he marked the tree trunks along his route.

The marks were discreet, readable only to him, and would keep him from losing his way. At intervals, he set thin iron tripwires with brass whistles attached. If anything touched the wire, the whistle would sound and give him advance warning.

These were all survival skills he had learned from veterans in the City Defense Army in his previous life. They looked unremarkable, but at a critical moment, they could save his life.

After about an hour of walking, he heard rustling up ahead.

Shen Fei stopped immediately, slipped behind a large tree, and held his breath.

The sounds drew closer. Three bronze rank Fanged Beasts were approaching. They were not large, but their mouths were filled with sharp teeth, and they were nosing through the ground for food. These demon beasts lived in groups and had vicious dispositions, but they were not intelligent, and their strength in a direct fight was nothing exceptional.

An ordinary Silver 3-Star student would probably have needed some effort to deal with three Fanged Beasts. To Shen Fei, however, they were no match.

Instead of charging straight out, he took three beast traps from his backpack, quickly unfolded them, and placed them in the Fanged Beasts' path, covering them with fallen leaves. Once he finished, he picked up a small pebble and tossed it aside.

The pebble landed in the grass with a sharp smack.

The three Fanged Beasts immediately grew alert. They turned their heads in unison and headed toward where the pebble had fallen. Barely two steps later, the one in front stepped into a trap.

With a crisp snap, the trap's sharp teeth sank viciously into the demon beast's leg bone.

The Fanged Beast screamed and thrashed in circles from the pain. The other two froze for a moment. Before they could react, Shen Fei had already charged out from behind the tree.

He moved swiftly, his footsteps almost soundless on the fallen leaves. Reaching the nearest Fanged Beast, he flicked his wrist and swept his blade straight across the Demon Beast's throat.

Blood sprayed out, spattering the fallen leaves. The Fanged Beast collapsed without even a grunt.

Seeing this, the remaining beast lunged at him with bloodshot eyes. Shen Fei sidestepped, seized the Demon Beast's ear, and drove his knee hard into its belly. The instant the Demon Beast doubled over in pain, he thrust his blade into the back of its neck.

In little more than ten seconds, all three Fanged Beasts had been dealt with.