6 — City of Broken Paths
Three days passed before Kael saw walls again.
Not fortress walls.
City walls.
They rose from the plains like a scar across the land — weathered stone reinforced with iron bands, guard towers positioned at disciplined intervals. Trade banners fluttered from the ramparts, and long caravans waited outside the gates in orderly lines.
This was not a sect stronghold.
This was a cultivation city.
The wooden sign near the entrance read:
Blackwind City.
Kael slowed his steps.
Unlike Graystone Fortress, which had existed purely for cultivation hierarchy, this city felt layered — merchants, wandering cultivators, mercenaries, information brokers, alchemists, rogue scholars.
Movement.
Exchange.
Opportunity.
And danger.
He adjusted the plain gray cloak he had taken from a fallen disciple and joined the caravan line. Guards at the gate inspected travelers, occasionally stopping cultivators for closer scrutiny.
The system activated automatically.
[ ─── Environmental Scan ─── ]
[ Population Density: High ]
[ Energy Variance: Wide Spectrum ]
[ Cultivator Presence: Moderate to High ]
[ Highest Detected Realm: Law Seed — Early Stage ]
[ Threat Assessment: Manageable ]
[ ─────────────────────── ]
Law Seed.
So this city housed individuals above Blood Refinement.
That confirmed the tier structure was not theoretical.
It was active.
When Kael stepped through the gates, the atmosphere shifted immediately. Spiritual energy flowed more steadily here, guided by city-wide formation arrays embedded beneath the streets.
Shops lined both sides of the main road.
Spirit herbs displayed in glass containers.
Weapons forged with faintly glowing inscriptions.
Small formations inscribed on talismans.
And everywhere—
Cultivators evaluating one another.
Kael kept his aura restrained.
Blood Refinement — Late Stage was respectable in a small sect.
In a city like this, it was average at best.
He needed information first.
Power later.
The system flickered faintly.
[ ⚠ HEAVENLY LAW SURVEILLANCE: STABLE ⚠ ]
[ Concealment Integrity: 53% ]
[ Observation Intensity: Moderate ]
[ Probability Trail Distortion: Active ]
[ ───────────────────────── ]
It had stabilized slightly.
Good.
Kael moved toward the central district where information exchanges were typically located.
A wooden building stood at the intersection of two major roads. Its sign bore a simple inscription:
Broken Path Pavilion.
Inside, cultivators sat at scattered tables. Some discussed trade routes. Others whispered about sect conflicts. A faint array insulated the room from outside detection.
Kael approached the counter.
The attendant, a thin middle-aged man with sharp eyes, glanced at him once before speaking.
"Information costs spirit stones."
Kael placed a small pouch on the counter — the last of what he had salvaged before fleeing Graystone.
"I need continental structure. Major powers. Realm hierarchy beyond Blood Refinement."
The attendant studied him briefly.
"Recently displaced?"
Kael did not answer.
The man smirked slightly and pushed a thin jade slip forward.
"Southern Continent structure overview. Basic tier classification included."
Kael took it and moved to a corner table.
He pressed the jade slip against his forehead.
Information streamed into his mind.
Southern Continent divided into four major zones.
• Azure Ridge Coalition (Eastern Mountains)• Iron Wolves Mercenary Dominion (Western Plains)• Central Imperial Domain Outpost (Northern Region)• Scattered Minor Sects (Southern Territories)
Graystone Fortress had been categorized as a minor sect.
Insignificant in continental politics.
Realm hierarchy detailed clearly:
Mortal Tier:
• Body Tempering• Blood Refinement• Bone Forging• Organ Tempering• Spirit Awakening
Transcendent Tier:
• Law Seed• Law Embryo• Domain Formation
Above that:
Fate Tier (rumored; few confirmed cases)
Kael's pulse steadied.
So Blood Refinement was only second step of Mortal Tier.
He had climbed quickly.
But he was still near the base.
The system updated.
[ ───── SYSTEM NOTICE ───── ]
[ Knowledge Integration: Confirmed ]
[ Realm Map Synchronized ]
[ Heaven's Debug Synchronization: 41% ]
[ Level 2 Unlock Threshold: 72% ]
[ ───────────────────────── ]
Seventy-two percent.
It was accelerating.
But something else in the jade slip caught his attention.
The Central Imperial Domain Outpost.
A branch of a greater power from another continent.
Meaning—
Continents were politically connected.
Trade routes existed across oceans.
This planet was active.
Alive.
Complex.
Kael leaned back slightly.
I need resources.
He exited the pavilion and moved toward the cultivation market district.
Blackwind City was known for one thing:
Broken paths.
Cultivators who failed sect advancement came here.
Rogue warriors.
Failed disciples.
Unregistered talents.
It was a place for rebuilding.
Or falling further.
As he passed a training courtyard, the sound of clashing weapons drew his attention.
Two cultivators sparred intensely.
One at Blood Refinement — Peak Stage.
The other—
Bone Forging — Early Stage.
The difference was obvious.
Bone Forging wasn't just stronger.
It was denser.
The sound of impact carried weight.
The Blood Refinement cultivator was being overwhelmed steadily.
Kael watched carefully.
The system activated subtly.
[ ─── Combat Analysis Mode ─── ]
[ Observing Realm Gap: One Major Stage ]
[ Structural Reinforcement Difference: 27% ]
[ Energy Output Efficiency: Bone Forging +34% ]
[ Advancement Projection: Host Requires Structural Compression Training ]
[ ───────────────────────── ]
Structural compression.
So advancement was not just about accumulation.
It was about refinement.
The spar ended quickly.
The Bone Forging cultivator left calmly.
The defeated one remained kneeling, breathing heavily.
Kael turned away.
He needed stable income.
Stable training.
Stable concealment.
But fate moved faster than preparation.
As he stepped into a narrower street near the market's edge—
The system pulsed sharply.
[ ⚠ ANOMALY DETECTED ⚠ ]
[ External System Signature Identified ]
[ Probability: Artificial Augmentation Host Nearby ]
[ Classification: Irregular ]
[ ───────────────────────── ]
Kael froze internally.
Artificial augmentation host?
Another system?
His gaze shifted slowly across the street.
A young man stood beside a weapons stall, dressed in clean travel robes. His aura was controlled, but slightly too controlled — as if fine-tuned rather than naturally cultivated.
The system flickered again.
[ Signal Interference Detected ]
[ Similar Data Manipulation Pattern ]
[ Synchronization Fluctuation: 41% → 44% ]
[ Warning: Potential Rival Entity ]
The young man's eyes briefly met Kael's.
Just for a second.
But something passed between them.
Recognition.
Not of identity.
But of anomaly.
The air seemed to tighten.
Then both looked away.
The moment passed.
But not fully.
Kael continued walking, heart steady but mind racing.
If I have unauthorized access to Heaven's code…
And there is another irregular entity…
Then this world had more glitches than he thought.
High above the planet—
A faint pulse echoed.
Two irregular signatures.
Registered.
Logged.
Observation priority increased slightly.
[ Heavenly Monitoring Update ]
[ Anomaly Count: 2 ]
[ Interaction Probability: Rising ]
[ Monitoring Status: Active ]
In Blackwind City, nothing outwardly changed.
But a thread had been woven.
Kael did not know the young man's name.
The young man did not know his.
Yet the world had marked both.
And when irregularities converged—
Correction followed.
Kael exhaled slowly.
Level 2 was approaching.
The world had expanded.
And now—
It was pushing back.