Si Ming emerged from his courtyard gym as dawn's first light brushed the peaks of Shadowmoon Mountain. Shirtless, every sinew of muscle gleamed with morning dew, each movement a testament to the year he'd devoted to forging his body into living steel. He flexed deliberately, veins tracing patterns like miniature rivers of Qi. A gentle breeze whispered through the pines, carrying the echo of distant training halls. For a moment, he simply inhaled—grounded in the certainty that his cultivation had soared beyond his past limits.
As he sheathed his saber, a faint green glow unfurled at his belt: the Elder's Transmission Stone. A calm voice filled his mind. "Retrieve the Mystic Yin Mushroom Sprout from the Mist–Shrouded Ravine within three days." No sooner had the message faded than his System Interface materialized before him in transparent glyphs.
Mission: Obtain Mystic Yin Mushroom Sprout
Rewards (choose one):
- Radiant Silver Ingot (Mid–Tier Artifact)
- Essence Lactation Pill (Mid–Tier Pill)
- Earthen Qi Crystal (Mid–Tier Refined Jade)
- Minor Void Fragment (Mid–Tier Relic)
Plus 1,000 Spirit Stones
Si Ming tapped Accept. The panel disintegrated in a swirl of emerald light, leaving only the weight of his resolve.
By midday, he had traversed two leagues to the Mist–Shrouded Ravine's yawning entrance. A curtain of silver fog poured between jagged cliffs, its surface rippling like liquid moonlight. Iridescent fungi clung to ancient stones, casting a ghostly glow that danced across his focused gaze. He centered his spirit, unleashing Void Resonance Meditation to sense every hidden current of life. Three signatures pulsed against the ambient Qi: two minor presences and one preternatural force.
No sooner had Si Ming stepped onto moss–draped ground than two Mist Serpents lashed from the haze, their scales shimmering as if forged from quicksilver. Their serpentine bodies coiled in perfect synchronization, mouths widening to unleash a cloud of numbing venom. Si Ming pivoted, his saber humming as it sliced through the poison–laden air, sending crystalline droplets scattering like shattered glass. He closed distance in a heartbeat, delivering a thousand winds barrage—each wind petal a razor of compressed spirit energy that carved through the serpents' layers of scale.
The ravine's gray walls towered above, mist swirling at their feet. Each fallen serpent dissolved into motes of silver Qi, leaving chill silence in its wake. Si Ming's chest rose and fell steadily as adrenaline gave way to serene clarity. He stowed his blade and pressed deeper, eyes scanning for his final adversary. Bioluminescent spores drifted like embers in the air, drifting toward his hair and clothing, as if beckoning him further into the unknown.
Through a narrow fissure, the Mist Serpent King materialized like a living storm. Twice the girth of its kin, its scales churned with shifting patterns of storm–gray and sapphire blue. Electric sparks danced along its spine, and venomous fog curled from its open maw. It coiled atop a jagged rock, eyes glowing with ancient, cunning intelligence. In that instant, every instinct within Si Ming ignited—this was the true test of his year's cultivation.
Atmosphere charged, Si Ming adopted his battle stance, Qi surging like a tide behind his closed fists. The Serpent King lunged with impossible speed, lightning–poison clouds trailing its strike. He sidestepped, the ground erupting in fractured heels, and countered with Celestial Blade Art: Crescent Moon Slash. His saber arced in a blaze of fire–infused Qi, carving through half a dozen coils as sparks rained like meteor showers.
Si Ming's eyes burned with fierce determination, veins pulsing under skin white as bone. His every fiber resonated with elemental roots—fire, water, wood, metal, earth—fusing into a singular, unstoppable torrent of power.
The cliff walls shuddered from the shockwaves, dust cascading like waterfalls into the swirling mists below.
The Serpent King roared, its voice a hollow boom that rattled eardrums. It summoned a vortex of toxic mist, aiming to suffocate his Qi flow. Si Ming channeled his secret conditioning technique, compressing spirit roots into his dantian until his entire body radiated icy stillness. He burst forward, arms weaving through the mist like twin phantoms, each palm strike igniting hidden flame circles that detonated on contact. Barking scorch marks scarred the rock as the Serpent King staggered, wounded but defiant.
Spotting an opening, Si Ming vaulted over a snapping fang, landing in midair before the beast's head. Time dilated: he could see every scale tremble, every droplet of venom flicker. His saber glittered at his side as he unleashed the apex of his training—Dragon Phoenix Union Strike—a synergy of dragon-breath Qi and phoenix-feather wind. Impact detonated in a crescendo of roaring winds and blinding incandescence. The Serpent King convulsed, then shattered into drifting tendrils of mist and storm.
Silence reclaimed the ravine. Si Ming's breathing eased as he retrieved the Mystic Yin Mushroom Sprout, its gills glowing with moonlight. He placed it gently in a jade bowl, savoring the succulent bloom of its Qi essence. A soft chime heralded his System Panel: Mission Complete. The four parcels materialized—Radiant Silver Ingot, Essence Lactation Pill, Earthen Qi Crystal, Minor Void Fragment—alongside 1,000 Spirit Stones.
Just as he turned to depart, the air behind him shimmered with lethal quiet. Without warning, a blade of compressed spirit Qi hissed through the gap between his shoulders. Its trajectory blurred with unnatural speed, slicing the air in a single silent arc. Si Ming's head snapped back, eyes widening. He reached for his saber—too late. The hidden weapon embedded itself in the rock above him, erratic sparks dancing along its edge.
He spun, senses blazing, but across the voided ravine nothing stirred beyond the fading echo of that single, deadly whisper.
His heart hammered. Whoever sent that blade watched from the shadows, and their true intentions remained buried in mist.
Also, if you enjoy my writing and want to support me, consider subscribing to my Patreon: [patreon.com/Writing_when_bored].