THE SECOND AWAKENING

chapter 10

The rest of the morning was a blur of final preparations. Uncle Feng insisted on making sure I had weapons, healing pills, protective talismans—every defensive item he could think of. Marcus packed my clothes and supplies. My other uncles gave advice and warnings.

Finally, it was time to leave.

The entire family gathered to see me off. Even my younger cousins—the daughters of my uncles—came to say goodbye. I realized with surprise that many of them were crying.

They care about me, I thought. Despite everything the old Chen Wei did, they still care.

"Take care of yourself, young master," Marcus said, wiping his eyes. "Come back safely."

"I will, Uncle Marcus. Watch over my grandfather for me."

Uncle Feng walked with me to the city gates. Four family guards came along, their job to escort me to the academy safely.

"Remember everything I taught you," Uncle Feng said. "Trust your instincts. Don't take unnecessary risks. And contact us if you need help—we'll come immediately."

"Thank you for everything, uncle. I wouldn't have made it this far without you."

He smiled sadly. "You remind me so much of your father. Please don't disappear like he did. I couldn't bear losing you both."

"I won't. I promise."

We said our final goodbyes. Then the guards and I set off down the road leading north toward Shadowpeak Academy.

The journey would take two weeks by foot. We'd have to pass through several smaller cities and cross mountain passes. Plenty of opportunities for ambushes or accidents.

I stayed alert, watching everything. The guards were good—experienced fighters who took their duty seriously. But I couldn't rely only on them. I had to protect myself too.

Nothing happened the first day. We made good progress, stopping at an inn just before dark. The second day was also quiet. Too quiet, maybe. I felt like we were being followed, but I never caught sight of anyone.

On the third day, as we entered a forest pass, my instincts screamed a warning.

"Stop," I said quietly to the guards.

They halted immediately, hands moving to their weapons.

"What is it, young master?"

"We're not alone. There are people hiding in the trees ahead."

The lead guard frowned. "I don't sense anything."

"Trust me. They're there."

He nodded and signaled the other guards. They formed a protective circle around me, weapons drawn.

For a long moment, nothing happened. Then a figure dropped from the trees ahead—masked, dressed in black, landing silently on the road.

Then another appeared behind us. And another to our left. And another to our right.

Six of them in total, all skilled fighters. This was a professional ambush.

"Young master Chen Wei," one said. Their voice was distorted somehow, making it impossible to identify. "You were warned to abandon your father's path. You should have listened."

"Who sent you?" I demanded.

"That's not important. What's important is that your journey ends here."

They attacked simultaneously from all directions.

The guards fought bravely. They managed to hold off three of the attackers. But the other three came straight for me.

I drew my sword—a good-quality blade, but nothing special. The first attacker reached me and thrust their blade toward my heart.

I used the time-slowing technique, making their movement seem slow. I sidestepped and countered, my blade cutting across their arm. They gasped in surprise and jumped back.

The other two attackers were more cautious now. They circled me, looking for an opening.

I couldn't reveal my real abilities—not yet. These assassins might be watching to gauge my strength. If I showed too much, whoever sent them would know I was dangerous.

So I fought at the level of a Peak Earth realm cultivator—slightly above what they expected, but not impossibly so. I blocked, parried, dodged. I made them work for every attack.

One guard went down, injured but alive. Another was bleeding from a deep cut. But they kept fighting.

Finally, one of my attackers made a mistake. They overextended on a thrust, leaving their side exposed. I struck hard, my blade piercing their ribs. They collapsed.

The other attackers hesitated. They'd expected an easy kill. Instead, they were losing.

"Retreat!" the leader ordered.

They all disengaged simultaneously, vanishing into the forest as quickly as they'd appeared. Two of them grabbed their injured companion and dragged him away.

The guards and I stood there, panting and bleeding. But we were alive.

"Everyone alright?" I asked.

"I'm fine, just scratched," the lead guard said. The others had minor injuries but nothing serious.

"We need to keep moving. They might come back with reinforcements."

We hurried through the forest pass, not stopping until we reached the next town. There, we found a healer for the injured guards and secured rooms at a well-defended inn.

That night, I reviewed what had happened. The assassins had been skilled—all of them at least fifth level Peak Earth realm or higher. Whoever sent them wanted me dead and was willing to spend money on quality killers.

But they'd failed. And now they knew I was stronger than expected.

Would they try again? Probably. But next time, I'd be ready.

I took out the jade pendant and reinforced the technique hiding my cultivation level. Let them think I was still in middle Earth realm. Let them underestimate me. Each attack was an opportunity to learn about my enemies.

The rest of the journey to Shadowpeak Academy was uneventful. We saw no more assassins, suffered no more ambushes. Maybe they were regrouping. Maybe they'd decided to wait until I reached the academy.

Finally, after two weeks of travel, we crested a hill and saw it in the distance—Shadowpeak Academy.

It was even more impressive than I'd imagined. Multiple towers rose into the sky, their tops shrouded in mist. Walls enclosed a massive compound. Mountains loomed behind it all, giving the place a dramatic backdrop.

But I also sensed something else. Danger. Secrets. Hidden power.

This place held answers to mysteries that had plagued my family for generations. But it also held threats that could destroy me completely.

I took a deep breath and started down the road toward the academy gates.

My real test was about to begin.