Dawn crept over the horizon like a tired soldier, dragging pale light across the forest floor. Ling Canglong walked alone along a dirt path barely wide enough for a cart, his belongings tied with worn rope behind his back.
He hadn't slept. His mind replayed the rogue cultivator's final words.
"A child with no fate should not have something like that inside him…"
He didn't understand it, but he didn't need to. The mortal village could no longer protect him. Whatever lurked within his blood, whatever creature beat like a war drum in the depths of his mind, would only draw more danger.
He needed strength.
The Falling Sky Sect's outer disciple testing grounds were ten days away if he moved fast. For ordinary mortals, it was an impossible journey. The path cut through beast territories and bandit camps. But Canglong's steps were steady. His breaths were deep. Every sense felt sharpened since the night of the eruption.
He could feel the forest.
He could hear what others could not.
A twig snapped behind him.
Canglong paused, turning his head slightly but not raising his guard.
"If you're thinking of robbing me," he said calmly, "you picked the wrong day."
A thin man stumbled out from behind a tree. He had messy hair, muddy robes, and eyes so tired they looked older than his face.
"I wasn't going to rob you," the man muttered, waving his hands. "I was… hiding."
"Hiding from what?"
"From them."
The stranger pointed with a shaking hand. Two breaths later, Canglong felt it too, the faint ripple of killing intent drifting between the trees.
Bandits.
Four of them.
They stepped out with cruel smiles, blades already drawn. The leader grinned, crooked teeth showing.
"A brat and a useless beggar. Easy pickings."
The thin man beside Canglong flinched. He whispered nervously, "I'm not a beggar, I'm a spiritual practitioner. Well… I used to be. Mostly."
Canglong ignored him.
The bandit leader swaggered closer. "Boy, hand over your pack. And the pendant around your neck."
Canglong didn't have a pendant.
He sighed.
"I don't have time for this."
One bandit rushed forward, blade raised. Canglong took a single step. The world slowed. The heartbeat in his mind pulsed once.
He moved.
His hand shot up, grabbed the man's wrist, and twisted. The blade fell. Canglong kicked the bandit's knee sideways. A sharp crack echoed.
The man collapsed screaming.
The other three froze.
"That wasn't normal," the thin stranger whispered beside him. "Boy… who exactly are you?"
Canglong didn't answer.
The remaining bandits rushed him together. This time, he felt the dragon's pulse again. The world became sharp and clear. The forest, the wind, the shifting of feet, everything flowed into his senses.
Canglong's body responded on instinct.
He ducked under a slash. His elbow drove into a ribcage. His heel swept another off balance. The last one panicked, trying to flee. Canglong caught him by the collar and slammed him into the ground. Dust blossomed around the impact.
Silence returned to the forest.
The thin stranger stared, mouth open. "You're a monster."
Canglong shook blood from his knuckles. "I'm someone who needs to get stronger. That's all."
The stranger swallowed. "Well… since you saved my life, allow me to repay it. My name is Han Lie. Once, I was called a spiritual master. Now, I'm mostly a man who is very good at running."
Canglong looked at him for a moment. "Ling Canglong."
Han Lie's eyes widened with recognition.
"If you're heading to Falling Sky Sect," he said slowly, "I might be able to help you survive long enough to arrive."
Canglong felt a shift in the air faint, like a breeze brushing past his consciousness. It was coming from Han Lie. His presence was weak, but his spiritual sense… it was deep, like a lake hiding something at the bottom.
"You're not a normal wanderer," Canglong said quietly.
Han Lie chuckled bitterly. "Neither are you, boy."
Canglong turned back to the road.
"Let's go. The farther we get from this forest, the better."
Han Lie nodded and followed him.
The journey to Falling Sky Sect had begun, and already the heavens were watching. Whether they approved or not meant nothing.
Ling Canglong would carve his own path.
Even if the world broke around him to stop it.