The moon hung high above the village.
Its pale light filtered through the window, spilling across the quiet room.
Inside—
Lían sat cross-legged upon the bed.
His eyes were closed.
Spiritual energy quietly circulated through his meridians.
Earlier—
he had taken out a portion of the flesh from the massive horned fish he had encountered beneath the lake.
His mother had cooked it.
Aunt Xu, Mei, and even Village Head Wa Shi had joined them for the meal.
The flesh of a Third Stage demon beast was naturally filled with dense spiritual energy.
Even after being cooked—
the energy contained within it remained astonishingly pure.
And—
Lían had eaten considerably more than everyone else.
Now—
he was quietly refining the energy that remained within his body.
One cycle.
Two cycles.
Three cycles.
The spiritual energy slowly flowed through his meridians before gathering within his dantian.
Lían remained completely focused.
His breathing was steady.
His mind was calm.
He carefully guided the energy through each meridian, refining it little by little and removing every trace of impurity.
After some time—
the final traces of energy were gradually refined.
Lían slowly opened his eyes.
A faint gleam flashed across his crimson-red irises.
Then—
he exhaled.
"Haa..."
A warm breath escaped his lips.
Lían stretched his arms and rolled his shoulders.
"...That feels good."
His body felt considerably lighter.
The spiritual energy from the demon beast's flesh had been completely refined.
He could feel his cultivation becoming slightly more stable.
Lían lowered his gaze toward his hands.
*The flesh of a Third Stage demon beast really is useful.*
*If I continue eating things like this...*
He paused.
*I should be able to strengthen my cultivation considerably faster.*
But—
he quickly shook his head.
There was no point thinking about it too much.
He had already benefited from the meal.
And—
he still had several pieces of the beast stored away.
His gaze shifted toward the window.
Moonlight illuminated the quiet village outside.
Lían slowly stood.
He walked toward the window.
Then—
he pushed it open.
A cool night breeze entered the room.
His long hair moved gently behind him.
Lían glanced toward the sleeping village.
Most of the houses were already dark.
Everyone was asleep.
"...It's nighttime."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
*Good.*
He had been waiting for this.
Lían placed one foot upon the windowsill.
Then—
his body suddenly disappeared into the darkness.
No sound.
No disturbance.
Only the gently swaying curtains remained behind.
Outside—
a faint figure silently moved through the night.
Lían was heading toward the forest.
---
The forest was quiet beneath the moonlight.
Lían moved between the trees.
His footsteps barely made a sound.
His body flowed naturally with every movement.
One step—
then another.
His figure occasionally disappeared behind the trees before emerging several meters away.
Lían's eyes remained calm.
*Flowing River Steps.*
He was still getting used to it.
Even though he had already memorized the technique—
memorizing it and actually using it were two completely different things.
His movements were smoother than before.
There was less wasted force.
Less hesitation.
And—
his body naturally adjusted whenever the terrain changed.
Lían's lips curved slightly.
*It's definitely useful.*
He continued deeper into the forest.
The village gradually disappeared behind him.
Soon—
there were no longer any lights.
Only the moon above—
and the countless trees surrounding him.
Lían suddenly stopped.
He looked around.
"...This should be far enough."
He stepped onto a thick branch.
Then—
he looked toward the darkness ahead.
Tonight—
he hadn't come here simply to walk around.
He wanted to practice.
More importantly—
he wanted to see just how much his new movement technique could improve his combat ability.
Lían slowly drew Thunder Vein.
**Shing!**
The dark blade reflected the moonlight.
A faint trace of lightning flickered across its surface.
He held the sword in one hand.
His body relaxed.
*Flowing River Steps...*
He took a step.
His spiritual energy circulated through his waist.
His body shifted.
Then—
he moved.
**Whoosh!**
Lían shot forward.
His foot landed upon a branch.
Instead of stopping—
his momentum immediately carried him sideways.
His body turned.
Another step.
Then—
another.
He flowed between the trees like water.
A sudden smile appeared on his face.
*Again.*
He accelerated.
**Whoosh!**
His figure blurred.
He passed around one tree.
Then another.
Then—
he suddenly changed direction.
His foot touched the trunk.
His body twisted.
And—
he shot backward.
Lían landed lightly upon a branch.
He stared at his feet.
"...Not bad."
But—
he wasn't satisfied.
*The movements from the dream were smoother.*
He remembered the copy.
Every movement had been precise.
There had been no unnecessary motion.
Every step had served a purpose.
Lían slowly raised Thunder Vein.
*I need to combine them.*
He closed his eyes.
The memories of that dream resurfaced.
The endless battlefield.
The copy standing before him.
The countless times their swords had collided.
The movements he had learned through repeated failure.
Lían opened his eyes.
His expression became serious.
He moved.
This time—
he didn't consciously think about the technique.
His body simply followed the principles he had learned.
Step.
Turn.
Shift.
Flow.
His body moved between the trees.
His sword followed naturally.
**SHING!**
A branch fell.
Lían turned.
**SHING!**
Another branch was severed.
His body changed direction immediately.
No pause.
No hesitation.
He moved around a tree—
then used the momentum to launch himself toward another.
His foot touched the trunk.
His body twisted.
He landed on a branch behind himself.
Lían stopped.
Silence.
He stared forward.
Then—
a smile slowly appeared.
"...I think I understand."
The technique itself wasn't the goal.
It was the foundation.
The movements from the dream weren't something he needed to copy exactly either.
He needed to combine their principles.
*Flowing River Steps gives me control.*
*The dream gave me combat instinct.*
*If I combine both...*
Lían's eyes brightened.
*My movement should become much more natural.*
He looked down at Thunder Vein.
*And I can use my sword at the same time.*
Lían suddenly heard something.
A faint rustling came from nearby.
His expression changed.
His eyes turned toward the darkness.
Leaves shifted.
Branches trembled.
Something was approaching.
Lían tightened his grip.
*Perfect.*
He hadn't come here expecting to simply practice against trees.
A pair of glowing eyes appeared between the bushes.
Then—
another pair.
Lían's eyebrows lifted.
"...Two?"
Low growls echoed through the forest.
Two demon beasts slowly stepped out from the darkness.
They resembled large wolves.
Their bodies were covered in dark fur.
Their claws dug into the earth.
Their eyes remained fixed upon Lían.
Lían looked at them.
Then—
he smiled.
"Looks like you two came looking for me just when I was thinking about finding something to practice against."
The two beasts suddenly charged.
**ROAR!**
Lían's body moved.
One step—
his body slid sideways.
The first beast passed directly beside him.
Lían's sword flashed.
**SHING!**
Blood sprayed through the air.
A deep slash appeared across the beast's side.
It stumbled.
Before the second beast could reach him—
Lían's foot touched the ground.
His waist twisted.
His body flowed backward.
The beast's claws tore through the space where he had stood a moment earlier.
Lían's eyes narrowed.
*Too slow.*
His body turned.
**Whoosh!**
He stepped forward.
Thunder Vein swept across the beast's side.
**SHHK!**
Another wound opened.
The beast roared.
It spun around and charged again.
Lían didn't retreat.
Instead—
he stepped forward.
Then sideways.
Then—
he suddenly accelerated.
His movement was no longer rigid.
He flowed around the beast's attacks—
like water moving around a stone.
Lían's eyes brightened.
*That's it.*
The beast swung its claws.
Lían leaned away.
The claws passed inches from his chest.
At the same moment—
his foot slid across the ground.
His body turned with the motion.
He used the beast's momentum against it.
Lían stepped around its flank.
Thunder Vein rose.
**SHING!**
The blade flashed beneath the beast's jaw.
Blood sprayed.
The massive body collapsed.
**THUD!**
The remaining beast froze.
Its eyes widened.
Lían slowly turned toward it.
The beast hesitated.
Then—
it turned and attempted to flee.
Lían smiled.
"You're not getting away."
His body moved.
**Whoosh!**
Flowing River Steps carried him forward.
The distance disappeared rapidly.
The beast glanced backward.
But—
it was already too late.
Lían's sword flashed.
**SHING!**
The beast collapsed heavily onto the ground.
Silence returned to the forest.
Lían stood among the trees.
He looked at the two corpses.
Then—
he lowered Thunder Vein.
A faint smile remained on his face.
*It's much better.*
He could feel the difference.
The technique wasn't merely increasing his speed.
It was making his movements more efficient.
And—
when combined with the experience from the dream—
the improvement was even greater.
Lían walked toward the corpses.
He crouched beside the first one.
His palm rested against its body.
A faint current of spiritual energy immediately spread from his hand.
The demon beast's remaining vitality began flowing into him.
Lían quietly absorbed it.
The energy wasn't particularly strong.
*First Stage.*
His expression remained calm.
*These two are only First Stage demon beasts.*
*They posed no real threat.*
He glanced toward the second corpse.
*Still...*
His eyes narrowed slightly.
*I should absorb them all the same.*
His target wasn't someone at the same realm.
It was a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Realm.
The difference between them was enormous.
If he wanted to find his sister—
and eventually confront the person who had taken her—
he needed to become stronger.
Every increase mattered.
No matter how small.
Even the energy contained within two First Stage demon beasts couldn't be wasted.
Lían continued circulating his spiritual energy.
The remaining essence within the corpse was gradually extracted.
The faint spiritual energy flowed through his palm and entered his meridians.
After a while—
the final trace of energy disappeared.
The beast's body became completely still.
Lían shifted toward the second corpse.
He placed his palm against it.
The same process repeated.
Its remaining vitality slowly entered his body.
After a while—
the final trace of energy disappeared.
Lían slowly stood.
He exhaled.
"...Every bit counts."
His gaze fell upon the two corpses.
Then—
he crouched down again.
He began removing the useful materials.
The sharp fangs came first.
Then—
the claws.
Finally—
the thick fur covering their bodies.
He gathered everything carefully.
One piece after another—
the materials disappeared into his storage pouch.
Once he finished—
Lían stood and dusted his hands.
He glanced toward the darkness ahead.
The forest stretched endlessly beneath the moon.
Trees towered over him on every side.
The deeper darkness seemed almost endless.
His expression became calm.
*Foundation Establishment...*
His fingers tightened slightly around Thunder Vein.
*I still have a long way to go.*
The difference between the Third Stage of Spirit Refining and Foundation Establishment was far too great.
He couldn't afford to become complacent simply because he had defeated two First Stage demon beasts.
There would be stronger enemies.
Much stronger.
And—
one day, he would have to face the cultivator who had taken his sister.
Lían's crimson eyes gradually hardened.
*Until then...*
*I'll keep getting stronger.*
Without wasting any more time—
Lían turned.
His figure continued deeper into the forest.
The trees slowly swallowed his silhouette.
Only the faint sound of his footsteps remained.
Then—
even that disappeared into the darkness.