2026-04-15 02:30:40"No! Wait! It must be a mistake!" Gao stammered, his fat face sweating. "The supplier... they must have tricked me!"
But the damage was done. The wealthy disciple slapped Gao across the face, grabbed his money pouch, and stormed off. The other shoppers began to jeer and mock Gao. His reputation was ruined in a single moment.
Han Feng stood there, calm. "Now, about those Vitality Pills. I think three silver is a very fair price for a jar. Don't you?"
Gao looked at Han Feng with pure, unadulterated hatred. His hands were shaking. But with everyone watching, he couldn't attack. He reached under the counter, grabbed a dusty jar of black pills, and slammed it down.
"Take them," Gao spat. "And get out of my sight. If I ever see you in the Under-Alley again, I’ll have you skinned alive."
Han Feng took the jar, tucked it into his cloak, and turned to leave. He had won, but he knew he had made a dangerous enemy.
As he moved away from the stall, a hand reached out and grabbed his shoulder.
Han Feng’s reflexes screamed. He spun around, his hand curled into a strike, ready to crush the throat of whoever was touching him.
He stopped just in time.
Standing there was a girl. She was about his age, but she didn't look like a servant. She wore a simple, grey disciple’s robe, but it was clean. Her hair was tied back in a practical ponytail. Her eyes were sharp, intelligent, and completely calm.
It was Su Yan. He had seen her before. She was the "Jade Outcast." She was a genius who had been demoted because she refused to follow the Sect Leader’s specific training methods.
"That was a clever trick," she said. Her voice was like cool water. "But you were sloppy."
"I don't know what you mean," Han Feng said, trying to pull away.
She didn't let go. Her grip was surprisingly strong. "You didn't use Qi. I was watching your chest. You didn't even take a deep breath. You used your bones. I could feel the floorboards humming under my feet when you flicked that glass. That’s 'Internal Resonance,' isn't it?"
Han Feng felt a chill go down his spine. "I don't know what that is."
"Don't lie to me, Han Feng," she whispered. "I know you're a 'Null.' Or at least, everyone says you are. But a Null can't shatter wax through glass without breaking the glass itself. You’re practicing something forbidden. Something ancient."
Han Feng looked into her eyes. He saw no malice there. Only curiosity. "Why are you telling me this? Are you going to report me to the elders?"
Su Yan laughed, but there was no joy in it. "The elders? They’re the ones who put me in this grey robe because I found a better way to breathe than what they taught. No, I won't report you. In fact, I think we might need each other."
She leaned closer. "The Culling is in twenty-five days. The Great Elder isn't just looking for the weak this time. He’s looking for something specific. He’s looking for people with abnormal bloodlines. If he finds out what you are, he won't just exile you. He’ll put you on an altar and open you up to see how you work."
Han Feng tightened his grip on his jar of pills. "Why help me?"
"Because," Su Yan said, her eyes darkening, "I want to see this sect burn. And I think you might be the torch."
She let go of his shoulder. "Go. Merchant Gao is already talking to his 'Fixers.' If you don't hurry, you won't make it back to the servant quarters alive."
Before Han Feng could ask anything else, she vanished into the shadows of the market.
Han Feng didn't waste a second. He moved quickly, ducking into a narrow alleyway that served as a shortcut. The walls here were high and dripping with slime. The only light came from the moon high above.
He was halfway through the alley when he stopped.
His "Nerve Sight" picked up a vibration. It wasn't the sound of footsteps. It was the sound of heavy, rhythmic breathing. Three people.
"Coming out to play, little rat?"
A man stepped out from behind a pile of crates at the end of the alley. He was huge, with a bald head and a jagged scar across his nose. He carried a heavy iron chain wrapped around his fist.
Two more men stepped out from the shadows behind Han Feng. They were holding spiked wooden clubs.
They weren't just thugs; they were discarded disciples, men who had enough training to be dangerous, but not enough to be successful.
"Merchant Gao says you owe him five hundred silver," the big man with the chain said. He cracked his neck, the sound echoing in the narrow space. "Since you don't have it, we’re going to take it out of your hide. Starting with your fingers."
Han Feng looked at the exit. It was blocked. He looked at the entrance. It was blocked.
He felt the jar of Vitality Pills in his pocket. He felt the "Copper Skin" on his arms. He was tired. He was hungry. But for the first time in his life, he wasn't afraid.
"I’ve had a very long day," Han Feng said. He dropped his hood, letting his silver eyes shine in the darkness. "If you turn around now, you might live to see tomorrow."
The thugs laughed. The big man swung his chain, the heavy iron links whistling through the air.
"Kill him," the big man ordered.
The two thugs behind Han Feng charged, their spiked clubs raised high.
As the clubs swung toward his head, Han Feng didn't move to dodge. Instead, he reached out and grabbed both clubs with his bare hands.
The sound of wood hitting "Copper Skin" was like a hammer hitting an anvil. The thugs’ eyes went wide with terror as they realized their weapons hadn't even left a scratch.
"My turn," Han Feng whispered.
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
Chapter 64
"I am not a human body," Han Feng said. He took a step forward. Thud. His silver boot hit the ground, and a small crack appeared in the marble dust under his heel, running straight toward the Sect Leader."I am the Watchman," Han Feng said. "I am the mountain. You can shatter a man, Sect Leader. But you cannot shatter the earth."The Sect Leader backed away two steps. He looked at Han Feng’s silver-black knuckles. He looked at the choir of children who were still humming, their voices holding the black fire of the ship. He looked at the giant silver ship above, which was still shaking, its blue alchemical light flickering frantically under the pressure of the song.The Sect Leader realized the truth. He could not win this fight with simple techniques. He could not win by being fast. This boy was not just a cultivator. He was a living metamorphosis. He was a weapon that could rebuild itself in real-time."You..." the Sect Leader growled, his face twisted in a mask of manic fury. "You
Chapter 63
The Sect Leader stood back three feet. He pulled his hand away. His palm was no longer black; it was pale and clean again. He looked at Han Feng with a quiet, satisfied look."A good body, Han Feng," the Sect Leader said. "But the sky always wins. The Void Palm has turned your inside parts to ash. In thirty seconds, your silver blood will stop moving. You will be a cold statue of obsidian, and I will take the core."He turned his head to look at the children "Now," the Sect Leader said. "Let us stop the song."But Han Feng was still alive. His mind was in a dark place. He was standing in a void of his own, surrounded by grey shadows. He could hear his father’s voice. He could hear the wind.“Do not let go, Feng,” the voice said.Han Feng’s will did not break. He was the boy from the pit. He had survived the culling of his family. He had survived the Void-Rot. He would not let this sky-god have the mountain.He reached into his chest with his mind. He did not have Qi. But he had his "L
Chapter 62
The black fire from the Exordium ship was very close. It came down from the grey sky like a giant, falling wall of dark ink. It did not smell like a normal fire. It did not smell like dry wood burning. It smelled like burning hair, wet rust, and the cold metal of a grave. But the black fire did not hit the dirt. It hit the song.In the Great Training Square, the fifty outer disciples were still humming. Su Yan was standing by the broken stone wall, her throat dry, her lips bleeding, but she did not stop. She held her hands flat against the rock.Hmmmmmm... hmmmmmm... hmmmmmm... The hundred voices had turned into a solid shield. It was a shield of gold-grey light that hung thirty feet above their heads. When the black fire hit the shield, there was a loud, wet rushing sound, like water hitting a hot iron pan.Sssssssssss! The sky was split. The black fire ran down the sides of the gold-grey shield, falling into the deep ravines around the square, turning the ancient pine trees into b
Chapter 61
Han Feng did not answer. He was already leaping. He jumped from the terrace of the barracks to the roof of the Outer Sect kitchen. The kitchen was an old building made of wood and dry straw.BOOM! When his heavy silver feet hit the roof, the wood shattered into splinters. But before he could fall through, the stone pillar under the kitchen rose up, supporting his weight.He looked at the Sect Leader, who was floating in the air above the garden. "Try this," Han Feng said. He swung his arm in a big circle.In the medicinal gardens below, the ancient pine trees began to shake. Their needles shivered, and their branches bent. Suddenly, the giant roots of the trees broke through the dirt like big, wooden snakes. They shot into the air, reaching for the Sect Leader’s ankles.At the same time, Han Feng threw his left fist forward.The air in front of his hand compressed, creating a wave of sharp, grey stone shards that flew out of the broken roof, following the roots like a swarm of angry
Chapter 60
Han Feng did not answer. He was already leaping. He jumped from the terrace of the barracks to the roof of the Outer Sect kitchen. The kitchen was an old building made of wood and dry straw.BOOM! When his heavy silver feet hit the roof, the wood shattered into splinters. But before he could fall through, the stone pillar under the kitchen rose up, supporting his weight.He looked at the Sect Leader, who was floating in the air above the garden. "Try this," Han Feng said. He swung his arm in a big circle.In the medicinal gardens below, the ancient pine trees began to shake. Their needles shivered, and their branches bent. Suddenly, the giant roots of the trees broke through the dirt like big, wooden snakes. They shot into the air, reaching for the Sect Leader’s ankles.At the same time, Han Feng threw his left fist forward.The air in front of his hand compressed, creating a wave of sharp, grey stone shards that flew out of the broken roof, following the roots like a swarm of angry
Chapter 59
The wind was very strong. It made a loud, whistling sound in the deep chasm. Han Feng was falling. The dark walls of the Sovereign Gate rushed past his face like grey shadows]. Below him, the giant brass gears were turning, making a heavy, metallic grinding sound. Clank... clank... clank… He did not want to hit the gears yet. He needed to stop his fall. He reached out with his right arm. His fingers were no longer soft flesh; they were made of solid, black obsidian and silver. He slammed his hand into the grey stone wall of the cliff.Screeech! The sound was terrible. It was the sound of metal tearing through rock. A shower of bright silver sparks flew into the dark air as his hand carved a deep, five-inch line in the basalt wall. He slowed down. His boots hit a stone terrace on the side of the cliff, and he stopped.Thud. He landed on his feet. The ground here was covered in dirt and broken pieces of wood. It was the lower terrace of the Outer Sect barracks.The Sect Leader was alr
You may also like
Qi Architect Soul: The Rise of the Elgara Legacy
Elga.ra508 viewsAncient God, The Sword God of Horror
Elixir of Life824 viewsBeneath the Ashes, He Rose
Frank Torrey2.0K viewsStormpine Chronicles
Victor raja657 viewsA Slave's Path to Blood Enlightenment
Black hole2.1K viewsBlind Paragon: Soul Devourer in a Game-Like World
SkylarX1.0K viewsCollecting Experience Until I Am The Desolation
Black hole2.3K views