In the early morning, thin mist drifted through the woods, and a cool breeze carried the damp scent of vegetation. Qingxiao got up for his morning training as usual.
He had just finished a set of weighted sprints, faint cursed energy circulating through his body with his breathing, when the atmosphere of the quiet mountain forest suddenly changed.
An immense surge of violent, chaotic cursed energy erupted from the dense woods behind the mountain, like a thunderclap out of nowhere, tearing through the mountain's tranquility.
"Hm? Such dense cursed energy?"
Qingxiao stopped in his tracks, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes.
He had been active in these mountains for half a year. Usually, there were only a few faint traces of low-level cursed spirits, never cursed energy this powerful.
Without the slightest hesitation, Qingxiao darted down the forest path toward the source of the sound.
Before he had fully approached, the sounds of fighting, a cursed spirit's roars, and a human's panting reached his ears clearly.
Qingxiao lightened his steps and peered out. In a clearing amid the dense woods, a young boy was barely holding on, locked in combat with an enormous Grade 2 Cursed Spirit whose body was covered in gray-black curse markings.
The boy was slender and looked about his own age. The attacks formed from cursed energy in his hands were weak, his moves disjointed. He clearly lacked practical combat experience.
By contrast, the Grade 2 Cursed Spirit attacked with ferocious precision, its sharp claws tearing relentlessly, each swipe whistling through the air with an overwhelming sense of pressure.
Within just a few exchanges, the boy had already suffered numerous injuries. Sharp claws had torn his clothes, tiny beads of blood seeped from his skin, his breathing was rapid and uneven, and his arms trembled