2026-02-27 16:46:40"System," Ye Chen groaned into the absolute darkness, his voice rough with dust and dried blood. "Give me a full damage report. Do it now."
[Affirmative. Host sustained severe blunt force trauma from the geological collapse. Left fibula fractured. Minor internal bleeding detected in the lower abdomen. Healing protocols are currently initiating.] "Use whatever energy is left from my previous beast hunts to fix my leg," Ye Chen commanded. He pushed himself up onto his elbows, wincing as sharp pain shot through his side. "Where exactly are we? I cannot see a single thing down here." [We are located three miles beneath the Myriad Beast Forest. The ambient Qi here is highly toxic. It is the raw, unrefined discharge of the fractured subterranean Spirit Vein you learned about earlier.] "So we fell directly into the poison source," Ye Chen said, coughing as the heavy, metallic tasting air filled his lungs. "Can my new defense stats handle this toxicity?" [Your reinforced tissue will delay the decay, but prolonged exposure will eventually rot your meridians. I advise finding an exit within seventy two hours.] "Seventy two hours," Ye Chen echoed, forcing himself to stand. His left leg pulsed with pain, but the bone was already knitting itself back together. "That is plenty of time. Give me some light." [Activating visual enhancement overlay.] The pitch black cavern suddenly illuminated in a pale, digitized blue light. Ye Chen looked around. The space was massive, filled with jagged stalagmites and glowing veins of corrupted green crystal pulsing in the walls. "System, do you have any historical data on this cavern?" Ye Chen asked aloud, limping forward. [Negative. The Azure Cloud Sect records do not extend this far underground. This area predates their occupation.] "Look there," Ye Chen pointed. Resting against a massive crystal pillar in the center of the cavern was a skeleton. It was sitting perfectly upright in a lotus meditation posture. "Who dies sitting perfectly straight in a toxic cave?" Ye Chen asked, approaching the skeletal remains with caution. [The structural integrity of the skeleton suggests the individual perished over five hundred years ago. They were likely a guardian of the Spirit Vein before the Azure Cloud Sect was even founded.] "A guard from a forgotten era," Ye Chen murmured. His eyes fell upon the items resting in the lap of the skeleton. There was a heavily rusted iron sword and a pristine, glowing jade slip. "Let us see what you left behind, senior." Ye Chen picked up the jade slip. "System. Analyze these items immediately." [Scanning...] [Item Identified: Sword Intent Fragment. Grade: Unknown.] [Warning. The martial knowledge contained within the jade slip is far too profound for your current soul strength. You cannot learn it directly through conventional meditation.] [Cost to System Learn: 500 System Points.] "Five hundred points?" Ye Chen scoffed, his voice echoing sharply off the cavern walls. "Are you trying to rob me? I barely have any points left after upgrading my defense to survive those mercenaries." [The System does not dictate the value of ancient legacies. The price is fixed based on the quality of the item. You currently possess insufficient funds.] "Is there a way to liquidate my current assets?" Ye Chen asked, tapping his chin in the gloom. "I spent two entire days hunting Grade two beasts in the forest above. My Inventory Space is full of beast cores. Can I sell them directly to the Shop?" [Affirmative. The System Shop will purchase beast cores at a depreciated rate. Do you wish to appraise your current inventory?] "Appraise it all," Ye Chen ordered without hesitation. [Fifty two Grade two beast cores detected. Total value: Five hundred and ten System Points. Warning. Selling these cores will leave you with absolutely no resources for alchemy refinement or trade in the outside world.] "The outside world just put a one hundred Spirit Stone bounty on my head," Ye Chen laughed, a cold and dry sound. "What good is future wealth if I die in this hole today? Power is the only currency that matters now. Sell them all. Buy the skill." [Transaction complete. Beast cores removed. Five hundred System Points deducted.] [Processing Sword Intent...] [Congratulations! Host has acquired a new skill: Phantom Sword Step.] [Description: A movement and attack hybrid skill. Allows the user to blend with shadows, turning physical momentum into a concentrated blade of pure Qi.] "Phantom Sword Step," Ye Chen whispered, feeling the intricate and deadly knowledge sear directly into his brain. "It pairs perfectly with the Cloud Step. I am no longer just a brawler. I am a bladed weapon." He reached out and picked up the rusted sword from the skeleton. It was heavy, but the balance was perfect. A soft, ragged sound broke the silence. "Did you hear that?" Ye Chen asked, freezing in place. [Audio sensors confirm. Rhythmic exhalations detected. Faint life signature located thirty meters ahead.] "I am not alone down here," Ye Chen whispered, gripping the rusted sword tightly. "Keep my life signs masked. I am going to investigate." He crept forward, rounding a massive stalagmite. He stopped abruptly. A young woman lay slumped against the cavern wall. She wore pristine white robes embroidered with silver clouds. It was the uniform of the Inner Sect elite. Her skin was pale, and her breathing was incredibly shallow. "A Core Disciple?" Ye Chen muttered, kneeling beside her unconscious form. "What is an Inner Sect elite doing rotting in a toxic cavern? Did she fall like I did?" [Negative. The subject trajectory does not match a fall. Her boots show traces of refined clay from the upper sect tunnels. She traveled here deliberately.] "She came down here on purpose," Ye Chen said, his eyes narrowing as he studied her face. "Was she investigating the Spirit Vein corruption? Or is she part of Elder Wang and Su Rou faction?" [Analysis: The subject is suffering from severe Qi deviation. The toxic energy of the Spirit Vein has infiltrated her meridians. Her organs are currently shutting down.] "If she is an ally to Su Rou, I should slit her throat right now," Ye Chen said, his voice dropping to a deadly whisper. He raised the rusted sword, pointing it at her neck. "Three years ago, I would have healed her without asking questions. But Su Rou cured me of my mercy." Ye Chen paused, looking at the silver crest on her chest. "But if she came to secretly investigate the corruption, she must be an enemy of Elder Wang. The enemy of my enemy is a very useful tool. System, can you identify her specific political faction from her robes?" [Negative. The silver cloud insignia denotes high rank, but factional politics are not woven into fabric.] "Then I will have to ask her myself," Ye Chen decided, lowering his sword. He reached out and shook her shoulder firmly. "Hey," Ye Chen said loudly. "Wake up. Tell me who you serve. Tell me why you are here." The woman gasped. Her eyes snapped open. Ye Chen froze, his blood running entirely cold. There was no white in her eyes. There were no pupils. Her eyes were completely pitch black, swirling with the exact same toxic green energy that pulsed in the cavern walls. [Warning! Extreme hostile intent detected! Target has lost all rational consciousness! The toxic Qi has taken over her nervous system!] "System, give me her stats!" Ye Chen shouted, leaping backward just as the woman raised her hand. [Target: Unknown. Cultivation: Unknown. Combat Power: ???.] [Warning. Fatal danger. The gap in power is absolute. Evasion is mandatory!] "Not again," Ye Chen cursed violently. The woman did not speak. She let out a piercing, inhuman shriek that rattled the crystals on the ceiling. The air around her violently distorted. A massive wave of black frost erupted from her palm, freezing the stone floor instantly as it rushed directly toward Ye Chen. "Phantom Sword Step!" Ye Chen roared. He stepped directly into his own shadow. The new skill activated instantly. His body turned into a blur of dark Qi, allowing him to phase through the outer edge of the frost wave. The intense cold seared his reinforced skin, but he survived the impact. The cavern wall behind him shattered into a million pieces of ice dust. The woman slowly turned her pitch black eyes toward him. She raised both of her hands, and the entire subterranean cavern began to violently shake.
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Thunder vs Phantom
"My Master said to make it slow," Lei Bao rumbled.Actual sparks of blue lightning arced across his thick knuckles, illuminating his heavy features. He stepped closer, his massive frame casting a long shadow over Ye Chen."I am going to start with your legs," Lei Bao continued, his voice echoing loudly in the tense silence of the amphitheater. "I will shatter your knees so you can never stand before your betters again. I want you to completely understand your place in this world, trash.""My place is standing exactly where I am right now," Ye Chen replied calmly. His voice carried effortlessly across the arena. "Do you truly believe Elder Wang cares about you, Lei Bao? You are just another dog he threw into the fighting pit. When I am done with you, he will abandon you in the dirt, just like he abandons everyone else.""Shut your mouth!" Lei Bao roared, his face twisting into pure rage. "I am the pride of the Outer Sect! I am destined to be an Inner Sect elite! You are nothing but
Uninvited Challenger
The deafening strike of the great bronze gong still vibrated in the crisp mountain air. Ye Chen stood before the notice board in the empty entry plaza, his eyes fixed on the official declaration of his own execution. He lowered his hand to the hilt of his rusted sword.The Grand Assessment was the singular event that separated the worthless from the elite in the Azure Cloud Sect. It was held within the sunken arena of the Outer Peak, a massive stone basin carved directly into the mountain rock by the founding ancestors. Thousands of disciples gathered there today to fight for resources, for elevated status, and for the rare chance to step into the Inner Sect.Ye Chen turned away from the notice board and began walking toward the echoing cheers. His torn, blood stained gray robes flapped wildly in the wind.Inside the arena, the atmosphere was electric. Elder Wang stood heavily on the elevated jade platform overlooking the central fighting stage. He wore his finest emerald robes, hi
The Ice Queen
The cavern wall behind Ye Chen shattered into a million pieces of sparkling ice dust. The sheer force of the cold was unimaginable.Ye Chen materialized a few feet away, stepping seamlessly out of his own shadow as the Phantom Sword Step deactivated. His breath plumed into thick white clouds in the suddenly freezing air. He looked at the woman in the white robes.She did not speak. Her pitch black eyes were entirely void of reason, swirling with the same toxic green energy that pulsed within the cavern walls. She raised her pale hands again, and the temperature plummeted further."System," Ye Chen said, keeping his voice low as he gripped the rusted sword. "She is not attacking me specifically. She is attacking everything. The poison has completely warped her mind."[Affirmative. The target is experiencing severe neurotoxic hallucinations. The raw Spirit Vein Qi has breached her mental defenses. She perceives you as a monstrous threat.]"I need to neutralize her without killing h
The Sword Saint Grave
"System," Ye Chen groaned into the absolute darkness, his voice rough with dust and dried blood. "Give me a full damage report. Do it now."[Affirmative. Host sustained severe blunt force trauma from the geological collapse. Left fibula fractured. Minor internal bleeding detected in the lower abdomen. Healing protocols are currently initiating.]"Use whatever energy is left from my previous beast hunts to fix my leg," Ye Chen commanded. He pushed himself up onto his elbows, wincing as sharp pain shot through his side. "Where exactly are we? I cannot see a single thing down here."[We are located three miles beneath the Myriad Beast Forest. The ambient Qi here is highly toxic. It is the raw, unrefined discharge of the fractured subterranean Spirit Vein you learned about earlier.]"So we fell directly into the poison source," Ye Chen said, coughing as the heavy, metallic tasting air filled his lungs. "Can my new defense stats handle this toxicity?"[Your reinforced tissue will dela
Turning the Tables
"Boss, where did he go?" a mercenary’s voice trembled, echoing loudly against the sheer rock face. "Men do not just step into the sky. He vanished into thin air.""Hold your ground and keep your blades up," Zhang Hu commanded. His deep voice cut through the rising panic, masking his own uncertainty. "He used a movement technique to reach the trees. He is up there right now, watching us.""I do not like this, Boss," another mercenary muttered. "The sect intel said he was a crippled servant. But his skin turned my dagger away like it was forged steel. We are hunting a monster.""We are hunting one hundred Spirit Stones," Zhang Hu corrected him sharply. "Watch the branches. If he moves, shoot him down."High above, Ye Chen smiled. It was a cold expression devoid of warmth."System, isolate the two men on the left flank," Ye Chen whispered into the darkness. "Give me their exact distance and visual blind spots."[Target One: Distance twelve meters. Blind spot located at upper right
Prey vs Predator
The rushing stream masked Ye Chen’s breathing. He stood perfectly still, eyes locked onto the dense canopy. The Myriad Beast Forest was dark and alive with ancient malice."System, confirm the target," Ye Chen whispered.A translucent blue screen flickered in his periphery. The mechanical voice echoed directly into his soul.[Target identified: Grade 2 Wind Blade Wolf.][Cultivation Equivalent: Body Tempering Stage 5.][Warning: Target agility surpasses Host by thirty percent. Probability of evasion low. Direct physical confrontation highly unadvised. Utilize environmental advantages.]"Thirty percent faster," Ye Chen breathed out slowly. "Then I cannot outrun it. Or punch what my eyes cannot catch."High in the branches, two glowing yellow eyes blinked. A guttural growl shook the damp air."You rely on sheer speed," Ye Chen spoke aloud, stepping backward toward the muddy riverbank. "You think I am prey."The wolf snarled. It launched from the tree, a terrifying blur of silver
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