The forest was silent.
Not the calm, peaceful silence—but the stunned, heavy quiet of nature reeling from a predator's death.
Tian Jue exhaled deeply, forcing his knees to hold. His spiritual power was nearly drained. The beast's remains oozed black blood, melting into the ground in sizzling rivulets. A lingering stench of demonic Qi remained in the air, but the threat was gone.
"We need to get him stabilized—now," Tian Jue said, rushing toward Xu Lin.
The disciple's body was twisted unnaturally. His ribcage was cracked, and dried blood clung to his lips. His spiritual core hadn't shattered, but it pulsed weakly, like a dim lantern in the dark.
Tian Jue placed his fingers on the boy's wrist, his eyes sharpening.
"Spiritual backlash... internal rupture… three meridians near collapse."
He pulled out a small silver bottle and quickly emptied a viscous green liquid into Xu Lin's mouth. The injured disciple's throat moved faintly, swallowing with a reflexive twitch.
"He's not out of danger yet."
Tian Jue activated the Herbalist System interface—his screen displayed an emergency concoction path. From his pouch, he removed several spirit herbs: Moongrass, Heartnut bark, and Silent Ginseng.
"I can't make a full pill here, but a fusion broth will stabilize his organs."
He prepared the ingredients with practiced precision, his Tier 2 Herbalist knowledge guiding his every move. Using a portable cauldron, Tian Jue concocted a rapid-healing medicinal slurry—thick, bitter, but laced with vitality-enhancing properties.
Xu Lin's breathing grew steadier.
Meanwhile, Huan Tao sat cross-legged, her eyes shut.
The last battle had pushed her to the limit—but something within her had cracked. Not broken, but opened.
Her Qi sea roiled—a violent storm brewing just beneath her skin. Blood energy twisted like coiling serpents through her meridians, threatening to overflow.
"She's at the edge," Tian Jue muttered, stepping over beside her after stabilizing Xu Lin.
A faint red glow emitted from Huan Tao's dantian, like a blood moon rising in her belly.
Her breath deepened. She pulled the spiritual Qi from the battlefield, refining the residual energy with her unique blood-burning technique. It was not elegant, but it was powerful.
Her muscles tightened, bones resonating like low gongs. A subtle, serrated aura began to emerge from her body—fierce, sharp, and primal.
Then—
BOOM!
An internal sound wave echoed through the cave.
Tian Jue's eyes gleamed as he sensed it.
"She broke through… 10th layer."
A gust of wind rolled outward from Huan Tao, shaking the dust off the cave walls. Her skin glowed with residual Qi, and for a moment, red petals of Qi manifestation danced behind her back—illusory, like bloodlotus.
Her breathing steadied. She opened her eyes.
"You okay?" Tian Jue asked calmly.
Huan Tao blinked, then smiled.
"Feels… like I just tore through a mountain wall."
Tian Jue chuckled lightly. "Well, you almost did."
She glanced to the side, noticing the now-stabilized Xu Lin lying peacefully on a laid-out beast hide. Her eyes softened.
"He would've died, wouldn't he?"
Tian Jue nodded. "Within the hour. His core was nearly destroyed."
she said, frowning slightly. "You're… something else."
"A cultivator who doesn't want to watch people die again," Tian Jue replied, his voice unusually quiet.
That night, the two didn't speak much more. The weight of battle and recovery hung thick in the air. They took turns meditating while keeping watch, the crackle of flames from a low fire mixing with the hum of night insects.
And though Xu Lin remained unconscious, the light sheen of spiritual protection over his body gave a sign—
He would live.
The morning mist hadn't yet risen, and already, the forest felt heavier—its Qi thicker, more watchful.
Tian Jue and Huan Tao looked toward the distance, where the battle had nearly taken Xu Lin's life. The direction didn't sit well with Tian Jue.
"From the patterns in the trees and collapsed brush... The fight didn't start here," he murmured. "Xu Lin was dragged from the border of the outer range."
Huan Tao narrowed her eyes. "That close to the midpoint? The demonic beast must've slipped through… or been pushed."
They exchanged glances. That unspoken thought hung between them—was this orchestrated?
"Let's head back," Tian Jue said. "He's stable, but his body still needs shielding."
When they reached the cave, the stench of blood clung thick in the air.
Tian Jue acted swiftly. From his pouch, he took out two scrolls—he burned one, releasing a thin, silvery smoke that masked the blood's scent with the scent of crushed moonvine and ghostpetal. The other, a Calming Incense, released a slow swirl of Qi designed to settle the mind and nerve.
"I'd rather not draw in another beast tonight," Tian Jue muttered as the cave's air began to shift from metallic to tranquil.
Once inside, he knelt beside Xu Lin again. The boy's face was no longer pale, his pulse steadier than before.
"This guy's vitality… it's extraordinary," Tian Jue said, more to himself. "Even after an injury like that, his core is stabilizing on its own. His cultivation won't regress. He might even evolve faster from the trauma."
Huan Tao, seated across from him, nodded. "Some people are born with iron bones. He's one of them."
She slowly stood. "I need to consolidate my tenth layer. If I delay, the Qi in my meridians might lash back."
"Go," Tian Jue said. "I'll handle the cave's defense."
Once she disappeared into the deeper recess of the cave, Tian Jue reached into his storage ring and drew out something wrapped in crimson silk: a black, tattered soul flag, stained with ancient characters that shimmered dimly with purple-red light.
He pierced it into the dirt just outside the cave and summoned the Soul Refining Formation.
The earth shook subtly.
Dark tendrils crept outwards, anchoring the flag into place. As the formation activated, a subtle hum filled the air—one that made Huan Tao flinch even within the cave.
"That thing…" she whispered. "It's filled with resentful spirits…"
But she said nothing more. She trusted Tian Jue—enough to know he wouldn't use something like that recklessly.
Inside the formation, the air grew thick. Tian Jue stood, surveying it with a flat expression.
"Even peak Foundation Realm would hesitate to step in," he muttered. "Good."
Back in the cave, Tian Jue set up his cauldron.
He laid out three blood essences—one from the Razor Wolf, one from the demonic ape, and one from the imperial-bloodline beast they fought earlier. Each pulsed with powerful beast intent, and their auras caused the very temperature of the cave to spike.
Next, he added three Tier 2 herbs:
Earthspine Root – for bone resilience.
Thunderleaf – for tendon regeneration.
Molten Marrow Vine – for inner vitality.
He slowly fused them in the cauldron, controlling the flame with perfect balance. Steam rose—dark red and sickly sweet.
When the mixture reached its boiling point, the pain would become unbearable for an ordinary cultivator.
Tian Jue didn't hesitate.
He stripped his robe to the waist, revealing his lean, battle-hardened torso, already marked with faint golden veins from his previous body tempering.
"This is the path I chose."
He stepped into the cauldron.
Immediately—the pain hit.
His bones screamed. His muscles spasmed. The burning medicinal energy, saturated with essence from three ferocious beasts, invaded his marrow, tearing through his veins like wild dragons.
His jaw clenched. He gripped the sides of the cauldron as steam enveloped him. His vision blurred, but his mind remained steel-like.
He channeled his Qi, guiding the blood essence through his five elements scripture.
Each breath was a war.
Each second was a lifetime.
Outside, the soul formation's dark glow pulsed, shielding the area from prying eyes—and possibly warning any would-be intruders with a message clear as day:
"Enter, and you die."