The crimson light of the hexagonal barrier hummed with a malevolent hunger, pressing against Ethan’s skin like a physical weight. Inside the "Crimson Cage Formation," the air was heavy and stagnant, designed to suffocate the "Pure Yang Body" that Viper coveted so desperately.Motionless Ethan stood amidst the trap, feeling how Golden Qi fought like fire quenched under a wet blanket."Suppression..." Ethan muttered, eyes closed. "For it suppresses Yang, but what if I pull?"He now reflected on drawing the "Nine Yin Cold Constitution" out of Emily late last night, not so much expelling it as understanding it. The "Frost Lotus Manual" he taught her was not for defense only; it was the other half of the circle.Deep breath taken, Ethan inverted his flow instead of fighting with the suppression: He took the golden fire in his dantian and forced it to move counter-clockwise, visualizing the "Soul Mending Flower" and the ice spike Emily had created, instead.Fizz.Sparks of grey energy crack

The mist in the Dragon Tooth valley was instantly shredded by a blinding flash of silver light.The mysterious woman's sword did not only cut the air; it froze the air. There was a crescent-shaped wave of glacial energy, sharp enough to slice through a tank, which was now hurtling toward Ethan's neck."Too slow," murmured Ethan.He didn't use a weapon. He stepped forward, his right fist gargantuanly enigmatic with Golden Qi, thrusting it forward against the emptiness.CLANG!The noise was reminiscent of a temple bell being hit with a behemoth sledgehammer. The golden fist boomed against the ice blade; the whirling energy burst into a fabulous torrential shower of diamonds from which thousands rained down on the floor of the forest.Her eyes widened behind the veil. Her expectation was that the intruder would be severed by the blade. Instead, her whole sword arm went numb on the feedback."Foundation Establishment?" she whispered and landed like a dancer on a tree branch. "And a body t

River City Airport. Private Hangar.Rain lashed against the fuselage of the sleek, black Gulfstream jet sitting on the tarmac. It was a ghost plane—no markings, no flight number.Ethan Smith stood under the wing, his phone pressed to his ear."The jet is fueled," Lin's disembodied voice crackled over the communication system. "It will take you to the airstrip to 'Iron Creek,' the last town ever before the Northern Exclusion Zone. But Ethan… you are walking into a meat grinder. There are three battalions of General Kuhn stationed there.""I don't need a headcount, Yuna," Ethan's voice revealed no emotion. "I need equipment.""Check the cargo hold," Yuna sighed, realizing there was nothing she could do to stop him. "I sent whatever I could. A Kevlar-weave tactical suit. A satellite phone. And… something from my grandfather's personal collection. A sword made from meteorite iron. It can conduct Qi even better than steel.""Thanks.""Ethan-" Yuna hesitated, "Bring her back. And come back a

The lab floor vibrated as War, the granite-skinned giant, charged. He moved with the momentum of a runaway freight train, his armored shoulder lowered for a tackle that would pulverize concrete.Ethan stood his ground with Black Heaven in his hand."Little doctor, die!" roared War.Just before impact, Ethan sidestepped. He didn't just dodge; he spun, drawing the black meteorite sword in a blur of motion.SHING.Ethan slashed at the back of War's knee-the only joint not fully covered by the heavy power armor.CLANG.Sparks flew. The blade didn't cut deep. The mutant's skin was harder than the steel Ethan was used to."Tickles," War grunted, swinging a backhand that caught Ethan in the ribs.BAM!Ethan was thrown across the room, crashing into a bank of computer servers. Sparks showered down on him. He coughed, tasting blood. Physical strength alone wasn't enough against these monsters."Target damaged," the synthesized voice of Death announced. The scythe-wielder floated forward, his b

The journey south was a blur of stolen license plates, backroad diners, and sleepless nights.They dumped the military pickup thirty miles across the border before trading it in for a rusted sedan found in a junkyard. Traveling through the empty highways interlinking the provinces, Ethan wasted no time."Cultivation is breathing," Ethan explained, glancing at Emily in the passenger seat. She was meditating, and a thin layer of frost covered the dashboard in front of her. "The world is filled with Qi. Most people breathe just to survive. We breathe to steal the power of heaven and earth.""It feels... heavy," Emily whispered after opening her eyes. "Like drinking mercury.""That is the Spirit Vein energy settling in your marrow," Ethan replied. "You skipped ten years of foundation work in three days. Your body is a weapon now, Emily. You have to learn the safety catch."By the time the skyline of the Capital appeared on the horizon- a sprawling metropolis of nearly neon skyscrapers and