Chapter 39: Into the Greenveil
Wu City slumbered, unaware that its War God had already vanished into the night. While rumors still whispered of Wu Yuan's "ongoing seclusion," he was, in truth, breathing the chill air beneath a waning moon, his form blending like a memory against the dark.
He left through the North Gate—a gate rarely watched at this hour, shadows pooled thickly beneath its crumbling arch. Yet, as the stonework faded into the distance, Wu Yuan's path swerved sharply east, his footsteps leading him toward the untamed wilderness at the city's edge. Far to the east, the land broadened into the mysterious Greenveil region—a place of whispering canopies and secrets as old as the mountain itself.
On three sides—north, west, south—the plateaus fell away in brutal cliffs, sheer drops that had claimed the reckless and unwary for generations. Many cityfolk told tales of bitter enemies who had simply… disappeared, never to be found, their grudges carrying into legend.
Wu Yuan's steps were measured, silent. He shunned the main routes, slipping instead through a lattice of fox trails and overgrown paths, Aura Veil Technique shrouding his presence to all but the most attuned. Here, under the cover of old willow shadows and ghostly cattails, a single misstep might set the world spinning—but he moved like someone born in the dark.
Hours slid by. The sky shifted from deepest dusk to the pale glimmer before dawn. After nearly six hours of travel—each step taken with calculated caution—Wu Yuan reached the border of the Greenveil Grove. In the etched gray light, the forest loomed: fierce, ancient, and heavy with the weight of hidden things.
Greenveil Grove: a name known in the stories of Wu City's elders and herbalists, both feared for its savage secrets and coveted for its rare treasures. The air smelled of moss, wildflowers, and something sharper—ozone, perhaps, or the cold breath of spirit beasts slumbering somewhere just out of sight. Here, legendary plants were rumored to grow—skyshade speargrass, ghostroot, brazen ferns thick with healing sap. But bounty was balanced by peril: quick-shadowed wolves, venomous moths, unseen predators, and caves whose darkness was said to swallow the unwary whole.
The distance from Wu City to the threshold of this verdant wild was no accident—a fifty-kilometer strip of open ground patrolled by merchant guards, city cultivators, and the occasional Wu Clan detachment. It kept the monsters at bay, and, until now, had kept most trouble outside the city walls.
Now, stepping through the weathered timber archway that marked the boundary, Wu Yuan drew a long breath and narrowed his focus. With a subtle flicker of will, he let his aura collapse down to the strength of a mere Level 4 Body Tempering junior. The art was imperfect—even he knew that a true expert might sense more—but every sliver of deceit was a shield between life and death.
"So this is Greenveil Grove…" he murmured, running calloused fingers across a mossy branch. Light filtered through tangled leaves above, glinting silver-green on his cheek. "A perfect place for the next trial. Shadow and quiet. But before I begin, I should tidy up old business."
Wu Yuan moved deeper. With every step, birdcalls faded, replaced by the throb of distant water, the rustle of leaves, and the formless sense that eyes watched from the shadows.
Finally, in a clearing where emerald grass spread like velvet and the canopy arched high, he stopped. He waited—a minute, then another, letting the hush deepen into something almost sacred. His senses searched: not with eyes, but with the instinct honed by near-fatal duels and months of subtle war.
After a time, he spoke. "Come out. Following me all night must be exhausting, don't you think? If it was for me, it's worse for you."
Silence answered first—a breeze, a hesitant chirp. Then, almost reluctantly, a tall man in gray robes emerged from behind a leaning pine, boots stained with dew, eyes shadowed and sharp.
Lei Hanwu.
Power hung around him, coiling and barely restrained—a snake just before the strike. Wu Yuan caught the smallest flicker of disbelief in his expression: an invisible predator suddenly caught beneath the lantern's beam.
How long had he known? Lei Hanwu wondered, lips compressing into a tight line. The night's patience had bought him nothing. This isn't a trap, he finally understood. Wu Yuan had truly come alone.
Hanwu's voice broke over the hush, sharp as a falling shard of glass. "How did you know I was there?" The words carried irritation, disbelief, and a thread of dangerous pride.
The shock in his voice faded, replaced by a sneer. Alone or not, he didn't fear a mere Body Tempering Realm cultivator.
Seeing the shock on Lei Hanwu's face, Wu Yuan couldn't help but smile inwardly. It felt strangely satisfying—to toy with someone like this. Just like the protagonists in the novels he'd read in his past life.
"I didn't know for sure," Wu Yuan said calmly, as if reading Lei Hanwu's thoughts. "Not at first. But the moment I left Wu City, I had a gut feeling someone was tailing me. And now, I was just throwing stones in the dark… Looks like I hit something."
He didn't sound arrogant—just confident. And somehow, that annoyed Lei Hanwu even more.
A faint twitch appeared at the corner of Lei Hanwu's mouth. His calm mask was cracking slightly, and in its place, a flash of irritation flared in his eyes.
"You're just a Body Tempering brat," Lei Hanwu muttered under his breath, a trace of anger slipping into his voice.
"So what if you're here?" Wu Yuan asked, his gaze steady. "Who are you, and why were you following me?"
Lei Hanwu narrowed his eyes, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "Wu Yuan, Wu Yuan… you don't even know who I am, and yet you dared to wander this far alone? Reckless."
He took a step forward, no longer hiding. "I'm Lei Hanwu of the Lei Clan. Now that you know, you should understand the situation you're in."
Wu Yuan's pupils shrank. Lei Clan…?
How did he identify me even with the disguise?
Seeing the flicker of surprise, Lei Hanwu finally relaxed a little. "Let me help clear up that doubt of yours. When an amateur plays tricks in front of an expert, they're bound to get caught."
"I'm more talented than you," he said with certainty. "And I'm especially sensitive to lightning. Even if you suppressed your cultivation well, you recently broke through, didn't you? That lingering lightning essence—you can't hide that from me."
Wu Yuan's eyes darkened as realization dawned.
I didn't consider this. I should've waited at least a day before leaving Wu City…
A wave of caution washed over him.
So this is the difference between theory and reality. Just because I've read dozens of novels doesn't mean I can predict everything. This world isn't a story—it's real.
And this experience, however dangerous, was exactly what he needed to grow.
Wu Yuan finally composed himself, his expression calm once more.
"So," he asked coldly, "what exactly do you want from following me? Why has the Lei Clan come to Verdant Mountain? Why challenge the Wu Clan?"
Lei Hanwu smirked. Now that the 'mouse' couldn't run, he was in no rush. In fact, he was enjoying this.
"Are you really this dumb?" he said, tilting his head mockingly. "Or are you one of those guys who only knows how to fight but forgot to grow a brain?"
He chuckled, then let out a long laugh, clearly enjoying himself.
"I see, I see... That five-year sleep must've fried your mind completely."
Seeing Wu Yuan's eyes tighten, Lei Hanwu laughed even harder. "There it is! Getting angry now, are you? Good, good. I like when the mouse squeaks before the kill."
Then his tone abruptly shifted—cold, sharp, deadly.
"Obviously, I followed you to kill you. What else? As for the bigger plan, ask King Yama when you get to the underworld."
He stepped forward, aura beginning to rise.
"I don't know what the elders have in mind, and frankly, I don't care. All I know is—after today, there will be no more Wu Yuan in Wu City."
"Oh? Is that so?" Wu Yuan said calmly, a confident glint in his eyes. "And are you sure you can kill me?"
Lei Hanwu burst into laughter, almost doubling over.
"Hah! You're really not just dumb—you're hopeless!" He sneered. "Can't you see the difference between us? I'm already at Level 7 of the Spirit Initiation Realm."
He raised his hand slowly, as if weighing its power.
"You know what that means? One slap from me… and you'll be nothing but a bloodstain on this forest floor."
Wu Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly. Level 7, huh? He had suspected Lei Hanwu was in the Spirit Initiation Realm, but now he had confirmation.
But instead of fear, a faint smile appeared on his lips.
"So what if you're in the Spirit Initiation Realm?" Wu Yuan replied, voice low and firm. "Do you really believe that guarantees your survival?"
Lei Hanwu's lips curled into a sneer as he took in Wu Yuan's steady expression. So this is the so-called 'genius' of Wu City? Pathetic.In his travels across smaller cities under the Lei Clan's domain, Lei Hanwu had crushed countless so-called rising stars—none of them ever lasted beyond the first exchange. Wu Yuan was no different in his eyes, just another provincial upstart inflated by local praise.
"What's with that look?" he mocked, arms loosely crossed. "Still thinking some miracle will save you? Don't tell me your 'great' Wu Clan elders are hiding behind trees, waiting to pounce. Oh, wait… they wouldn't dare enter this forest even if their heir was about to die."His voice dipped with scorn. "You know, I almost felt sorry for you. Five years in some mysterious sleep—what did it do to your head? Scrambled your brain? Or maybe you just woke up too weak to realize your clan's already finished."
A flicker of cruel amusement sparked in his eyes. "But don't worry, today's not about your pathetic little clan. Today's about me. A test. A gift to the elders. A reminder that the Lei Clan doesn't need to send their top geniuses to wipe out Wu City's best. Just me is enough."
Wu Yuan stepped forward slightly, the air around him shifting.
"How do you know it won't be you who dies here today?"
Seeing that smirk—calm, steady, mocking—something in Lei Hanwu snapped.
The explosive temperament typical of the Lei Clan finally surged to the surface.
"You dare…?!"
With a roar, Lei Hanwu lunged forward, palm raised high, the air trembling as crackling force gathered at his fingertips. He struck downward in a clean, brutal arc, aiming to crush Wu Yuan's skull in a single blow.
He wanted it over. Quick. Clean.
But Wu Yuan was ready.
He had already decided—this time, no holding back.
With a sharp breath, Wu Yuan met the falling palm with his own full-force counterstrike, his body surging with power far beyond what any Body Tempering junior should possess.
BOOM!
The earth buckled, bark and leaves flying. Wu Yuan slid back, boots scoring deep furrows in the moss, but did not fall. His arms burned with impact, nerves screaming—but he was still upright.
Staggered, but still standing.
Lei Hanwu's eyes widened. His smirk vanished, replaced with disbelief.
What?!
"That… that wasn't just Level 5," he muttered, taking a cautious step back.
The force he'd felt wasn't from a weak junior. It was more like… clashing with a Spirit Initiation Realm cultivator!
He narrowed his eyes, scanning Wu Yuan's aura carefully.
Still—Body Tempering Realm. Peak Level, perhaps. But unmistakably still Body Tempering.
And yet…
That power... what the hell is going on?!
For a heartbeat, time slowed. Wu Yuan exhaled, feeling the ache, savoring the danger. This is real, he thought. Not a story, not a dream—here, pain and precision decide everything.
Hanwu's disbelief soon twisted back to cruelty, but at the edges now: uncertainty, even fear.
Cold resolve filled Wu Yuan. Every lesson, every humiliation, every ounce of pain—this was where it paid off. And if Hanwu slipped, if he mistook this for an easy culling, then Wu Yuan would bury him beneath the weight of that arrogance.