The alley was narrow, hemmed in by rust-stained brick and the smell of old rain. A broken streetlamp buzzed overhead, casting the woman's silhouette in a jittering halo of light. She didn't move. She didn't need to. Her qi pressed against Luo Tian's skin like the weight of a storm.
Mei Ruo's voice was low but firm. "Keep your senses open."
He already had. His Energy Sense painted the scene in his mind — the faint retreating trace of the man in the windbreaker moving toward the main street, the weaker pulses of ordinary pedestrians beyond the walls, and in front of them, her: dense, steady, impossible to ignore.
The System's voice slid into his head like a whisper:
> [Status: Base Power Mode]
[Combat Efficiency: -27% compared to peak synergized state]
He clenched his jaw. Base Power meant no Dual Cultivation bonuses — no speed boost, no qi recovery acceleration. They hadn't had a "session" since last night, and now he could feel it like a missing limb.
The woman stepped forward, her movements unhurried, deliberate. "You're not from here."
"Neither are you," Mei Ruo replied.
Her gaze flicked between them before settling on Luo Tian. "Your qi… young. Untamed. You haven't learned to hold it steady."
She didn't know the truth. No one did. The System was theirs alone, and Luo Tian intended to keep it that way.
"I'm in control enough," he said, forcing a calm that felt thinner than it sounded.
Her smile was faint, almost polite. "We'll see."
Then she moved. One instant she was standing still, the next she was a blur of black and silver, qi flaring around her like heat shimmer.
Mei Ruo met her halfway, intercepting with a sharp upward block. The impact cracked through the alley like a gunshot. Dust skittered along the ground.
Luo Tian circled wide, looking for an opening. His Energy Sense sharpened, tracking every flicker in her stance. The System chimed again:
> [Pattern Analysis: Target favors right-hand initiation, left-foot pivot. Exploitable gap: 0.8 seconds after pivot.]
Perfect.
The woman swept low, aiming for Mei Ruo's legs. Mei Ruo hopped back, and Luo Tian lunged for the opening. His fist sliced toward her ribs — exactly where the gap should be.
But she wasn't there. She'd twisted away a hair's breadth before impact, her eyes glinting with sudden interest. "Fast. But predictable."
Not for long, Luo Tian thought.
She lashed out with a backhand strike, the air humming from the force. He ducked under it, feeling the whisper of qi graze his ear. His counterstrike was sloppy but forced her to step back.
Her gaze lingered on him. "You adapt quickly. Rare."
Mei Ruo slid into place between them again. "Maybe you should find someone else to test."
For a moment, the woman's qi swelled — not an attack, just a statement of presence. Then, without another word, she stepped to the wall, planted a foot, and vaulted upward in a single smooth motion. The slap of her landing on the rooftop was almost silent.
Her presence faded beyond the reach of Luo Tian's senses. The alley seemed suddenly larger, emptier.
Mei Ruo didn't relax. "She'll be back."
Luo Tian's pulse slowed as the System's voice returned:
> [Quest Update: First Contact – Partial Success]
[Threat Level: Elevated — pursuit probable]
[Predicted parity achievable after 3 synergized sessions]
[Projected growth trajectory: Invincibility confirmed]
He smirked. "Then we'll be ready."
Mei Ruo's eyes narrowed in amusement. "Confident, aren't we?"
"Confident enough to know she won't be smiling next time."
Mei Ruo finally let her stance ease, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Next time, we don't leave the house without preparation."
Luo Tian chuckled. "You mean—"
"I mean we go in at full strength," she said, smirking. "Whatever it takes."
They stepped out of the alley and back into the city's noise. Traffic honked in the distance. The air smelled faintly of grilled meat from a nearby street vendor. But beneath it all, Luo Tian's Energy Sense was still awake, still aware, tasting the faint ripples of qi through the crowd.
The woman was gone — but not far. And she'd made a mistake tonight. She'd shown him her rhythm.
The System's certainty echoed in his skull: Three sessions and she won't be able to touch you.
Luo Tian didn't doubt it. With every fight, every lesson, every moment in Mei Ruo's presence, he could feel himself getting closer to something dangerous — the kind of dangerous no one could stop.
And when that day came, the only question would be whether the rest of the world could keep up.