On a starless night, Li Xiuwen stood before the gates of the Blood Moon Sect for the last time. He wore a simple, common outfit, no longer the robes of a disciple. In his hand was nothing but a small cloth satchel containing the herbs and necessities he had gathered over the past few days.
He did not turn back to look upon the sect where he had spent many years with any sense of longing. Instead, he regarded it with a sense of emptiness, as if this place were merely a harsh lesson that had taught him how cruel the world could be, and that he must do whatever it took to survive.
"It's time…" he thought with firm resolve, before stepping out of the sect gates and into the darkness, a silent shadow about to fade away.
The outside world, once terrifying, now seemed exciting to Li Xiuwen. He did not feel lonely; instead, he felt a sense of freedom from the shackles that had once bound him to the sect.
He followed a path leading to the nearest city, a place he had never been before. But as he walked along the narrow path, overgrown with trees and vines, he heard a roar from ahead.
"Grraawk!"
The roar was not that of an ordinary beast, but the ferocious cry of a "Shadow Tiger," a low-level demonic beast many times stronger than a typical human. And now, it was staring at him with eyes full of hunger.
Li Xiuwen did not panic. He remained calm, as if facing a demonic beast was a common occurrence. He smiled faintly, before once again gathering all of his Qi into his right hand. This time, it was not three strands, but six silver, gleaming Qi chains, looking many times stronger than before.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The Shadow Tiger lunged at him with incredible speed, but it was instantly bound by Li Xiuwen's six Qi chains. Each chain tightened around the Shadow Tiger's body, preventing it from moving.
"I don't need your blood," Li Xiuwen said coldly. "I only need your core essence."
He walked closer to the Shadow Tiger. His fierce and pure Qi slowly began to absorb the beast's energy into his body, causing the demonic beast's body to wither away in the end.
Having finished the kill, Li Xiuwen walked past the corpse of the Shadow Tiger with indifference and continued on his journey in the darkness.
He knew that this vast world would be filled with endless struggles, but he was not intimidated. For now, he was no longer a talentless youth in the eyes of others. He was Li Xiuwen, the one who would overcome all obstacles on his path to immortality.