The transition was jarring.
One moment, Kai was standing in the jasmine-scented air of the bamboo cottage. The next, he stepped through the illusionary barrier of the ash tree and was assaulted by the thick, suffocating humidity of the real Bone-Eating Forest.
The air here didn't smell of incense; it smelled of wet rot, decaying leaves, and the metallic tang of dried blood.
Kai adjusted the collar of his simple grey traveler's robe. It was the same one he had worn yesterday, but he had taken the time to scrub the dried mud and grime from the fabric in the churning waters of the riverbank immediately after exiting the sanctuary. It was still slightly damp and cold against his skin, but the feeling of cleanliness was a small, grounding comfort in a hostile world.
He stood over there, the water churning violently over jagged black rocks. According to the map he had memorized, following this stream upstream for ten miles would lead him to the edge of the Rank 3 territories—a dangerous path, but the fastest route toward the North East.
Kai looked down at his hand.
There was nothing in his grip. No bundle of clothes, no heavy sack of food.
Instead, resting on his left index finger, was a simple, unassuming band of dark silver. It looked like tarnished iron to the naked eye, dull and worthless. But Kai could feel the terrifying complexity of the runes etched on the inside of the band.
It was Su Qing's Spatial Ring.
"Grade 5 Spatial Formation," Kai whispered, rubbing the cold metal.
In the world of cultivation, a Spatial Ring was a luxury. Most rogue cultivators used Spatial Bags—bulky sacks that could hold maybe a small chest's worth of items. But this ring? Su Qing had boasted that it contained a space as large as a warehouse.
Inside, she had prepared everything: piles of Spirit Stones, dried rations, spare robes, medical kits, and a small arsenal of basic weapons she had collected over her years.
But there was a catch.
"Security," Kai muttered, bringing his finger to his mouth.
Su Qing had designed this ring with paranoia in mind. Unlike standard rings that bound to a user's mental signature once, this specific artifact required a fresh "key" every time the spatial gate was opened.
Chomp.
Kai bit the tip of his thumb. A bead of bright red blood welled up. He smeared it across the surface of the silver ring.
Hum.
The ring drank the blood greedily. It flashed red for a split second, and Kai's mind suddenly connected to the vast, empty void inside.
"It works," Kai sighed, the mental connection establishing. "But needing a drop of blood every single time I want to take out an apple? That woman really didn't trust anyone."
He glanced inside at the Crescent Jade Pendant resting around there like normal pendant, tucked safely between various artifacts. The ghost was silent, deep in her slumber to preserve her soul.
He then checked the other item in his mental inventory—the Phantom Visage Mask.
It was a thin, skin-like membrane floating in a corner of the ring's space. Su Qing had explained its power: it didn't just create an illusion; it physically morphed the wearer's facial bone structure.
"Focus on a human face," she had instructed. "Any face you have seen clearly. The mask will mold you into that image. But remember, it consumes your mental energy constantly. At your level, one hour is the limit."
Kai shook his head. He didn't need a disguise in the forest. He needed his hands free.
He looked at Xiao Bai. The white fox was perched on his shoulder, sniffing the dangerous air with twitching ears.
"This is going to be a rough trip, little one," Kai said softly. "I need to fight. I can't protect you if you're clinging to my neck."
He brought the bloody thumb back to the ring.
"Go inside," Kai commanded gently.
Most spatial rings were vacuums; living things would suffocate instantly. But Su Qing was a genius. She had carved a separate, smaller compartment within the ring—a "Life-Pocket"—specifically designed with an Air-Circulation Array for small spiritual pets.
Xiao Bai hesitated, looking at the ring with disdain, but she sensed Kai's seriousness. With a soft yip, she leaped.
Flash.
Mid-air, a red light enveloped her, and she was sucked into the ring.
Kai checked his connection. He could sense her inside the separate pocket, curled up on a pile of silk robes Su Qing had left there. She seemed annoyed, but safe.
"Good," Kai exhaled, rolling his shoulders. "Now, I am light."
He began to run.
He didn't sprint; he moved with the loping, energy-conserving stride of a wolf. He followed the riverbank, his boots splashing in the shallow mud. His eyes scanned the treeline constantly, his Dark Affinity spreading out like a radar, searching for the heavy, suffocating feeling of a beast's aura.
One mile. Two miles.
The forest grew darker. The trees grew twisted, their roots gnarled like arthritic fingers.
Snap.
A sound broke the rhythm of the rushing water.
Kai stopped instantly. He didn't freeze; he dropped into a crouch, his center of gravity lowering.
To his right, a massive boulder near the water's edge... moved.
It wasn't a boulder.
Slowly, the grey, moss-covered shape uncurled. Four thick, stump-like legs slammed into the mud. A head, armored in thick, stone-like plates, turned toward him. Small, beady black eyes glared with territorial rage.
It was an Iron-Hide Boar.
But this wasn't a normal pig. It was massive—easily the size of a carriage. Its skin wasn't just tough; it was literally calcified, covered in natural armor plates that looked like slate. Two curved tusks, yellow and jagged, protruded from its snout.
Rank: Peak-stage Rank 2.
"A defensive type," Kai whispered, his heart rate spiking. "The worst kind for a fist fighter."
The boar let out a snort, blowing a cloud of steam from its nostrils. It scraped its hoof against the ground.
Thump. Thump.
It charged.
It didn't accelerate slowly. For something so heavy, it moved with terrifying momentum. It was a living battering ram aimed straight at Kai's chest.
"Move!"
Kai channeled the Aether Qi to his calves.
'Phantom Strike: Explosive Step.'
He kicked off the ground, blurring sideways just as the boar thundered past.