The night wind howled softly across Cloud Mist Market.
Snow drifted from the dark sky in scattered flakes, coating rooftops and alleyways in pale white. Lantern light flickered throughout the market, illuminating the bustling streets below, yet in the outer districts, silence still ruled.
Especially near the southern side of the Lin Family Training Centre.
A shadow moved soundlessly across the rooftops.
Fast.
Light.
Almost ghostlike.
The figure wore black robes tightly wrapped around the body. Even the face was hidden beneath a dark cloth mask, leaving only a pair of sharp eyes exposed.
His movements were smooth and practiced.
Clearly not his first time sneaking through hostile territory.
His name was Ghost.
A rogue cultivator.
A Qi Refining cultivator at the peak of the early stage.
But unlike ordinary rogue cultivators who survived through exploration or trade, Ghost lived through ambush and murder.
For years, he had hunted other cultivators.
Especially weak ones.
Qi Refining Stage One to Stage Three cultivators were his favorite prey.
His methods were simple but effective.
A Qi Breath Holding Technique allowed him to suppress his aura completely, making detection extremely difficult unless one possessed powerful spiritual sense.
Then came the scent powders.
Special powders refined from beast blood, herbs, and corpse fluids.
Once scattered in a region, nearby demonic beasts would gradually gather toward the scent source.
Unprepared cultivators would suddenly find themselves surrounded.
Panicked.
Exhausted.
Injured.
Then Ghost would strike.
Steal the space pouch.
Erase evidence.
Disappear.
Using that method, he had accumulated enormous wealth over the years.
Spirit stones.
Techniques.
Medicines.
Weapons.
All stolen from corpses.
It was through that wealth that he eventually raised himself to the peak of Qi Refining Early Stage.
And perhaps because of his repeated successes—
His confidence grew.
Then transformed into arrogance.
That arrogance nearly killed him.
A few days ago, Ghost had targeted a Qi Refining Stage Four cultivator.
Mid Stage Qi Refining.
Normally, rogue cultivators avoided people at that level.
But Ghost had observed the man hunting alone in the Yunwu Mountains and assumed he was weak.
After all, many cultivators forced to hunt personally usually lacked strong backing or sufficient resources.
At least that was what Ghost believed.
So he used his usual methods.
Scent powder.
Beast attraction.
Ambush preparation.
Everything proceeded smoothly at first.
Until it didn't.
The cultivator dealt with the demonic beasts terrifyingly fast.
Far faster than Ghost anticipated.
Not only that, the man fought like a beast himself.
Decisive.
Ruthless.
Efficient.
Ghost had panicked slightly during the fight and accidentally released part of his concealed aura.
That single mistake exposed him instantly.
The cultivator turned toward his hiding place immediately.
The battle afterward was short.
And brutal.
Ghost escaped—
But barely.
Even now, while moving through the snowy rooftops, pain pulsed through his chest and ribs.
His injuries had not healed properly.
"Damn bastard…"
Ghost gritted his teeth beneath the mask.
That cultivator had nearly destroyed his dantian with a single spell.
If not for his escape techniques, he would already be dead.
Still—
He survived.
And survival was enough.
For now.
Ghost landed silently atop another rooftop and lowered his breathing further.
Ahead of him stood the southern district of the Lin Family Training Centre.
He had already slipped through two guarded regions of Cloud Mist Market using his concealment technique.
But his injuries were worsening.
He needed somewhere to hide temporarily.
Somewhere quiet.
The training centre's outer regions had fewer patrols compared to the market core.
Especially tonight.
Ghost narrowed his eyes.
"Martial trainees…"
His tone carried faint disdain.
In the cultivation world, martial artists without Innate cultivation were barely considered threats by immortal cultivators.
Still—
Ghost remained cautious.
The Innate Realm guards protecting this place were not weak.
Late Stage Innate martial artists could fight against Qi Refining Late Stage cultivators directly.
Their combat instincts were terrifying.
If discovered, Ghost knew he would probably die before even understanding how.
That was why he carefully suppressed every trace of killing intent while slipping over the walls.
He landed inside the southern courtyard silently.
No alarms.
No reactions.
Good.
Ghost exhaled softly.
His eyes swept across the row of residences.
Most rooms were dark.
Some had faint candlelight.
Then his gaze stopped on one particular residence.
Silent.
Calm.
No movement.
Using his spiritual sense carefully, Ghost detected someone lying inside.
Asleep.
A child.
"Hmph."
A martial trainee.
Probably twelve or thirteen.
Perfect.
Ghost's eyes darkened slightly.
Killing the boy quickly and taking the room for temporary shelter should not alert anyone.
He moved toward the residence silently.
Step by step.
Like a shadow drifting through snow.
Then—
He entered.
The room was dark.
Only faint moonlight passed through the window.
Ghost immediately spotted the silhouette lying on the bed beneath the blanket.
Without hesitation, he drew a thin black knife.
Fast.
Precise.
Silent.
His arm blurred forward repeatedly.
Stab!
Stab!
Stab!
The blade pierced downward again and again.
Then he stopped.
Breathing lightly.
Finished.
But—
Something felt wrong.
Ghost frowned beneath the mask.
There was no resistance.
No blood.
No smell.
His pupils shrank instantly.
Trap.
Before he could react—
BANG!
A heavy force smashed against the back of his head.
Ghost staggered forward violently.
Pain exploded through his skull.
He nearly lost consciousness on the spot.
Turning abruptly, he clutched the back of his head while staring toward the darkness.
Then he saw him.
A youth around twelve years old stood several meters away holding a white sheathed sword.
His expression remained calm.
Too calm.
Ghost's heart tightened slightly.
The boy had hidden beside the bed the entire time.
How?
Before Ghost could even speak, the youth moved.
Fast.
Far too fast for an ordinary trainee.
The Eight Step Cicada technique erupted beneath Lin Sheng's feet as he charged forward with startling precision.
Ghost's eyes widened.
Instinctively, he swung his knife downward.
Even injured, he remained a Qi Refining cultivator.
The blade sliced toward Lin Sheng's neck viciously.
But Lin Sheng twisted sideways narrowly.
The knife barely grazed past his shoulder.
Too close.
Lin Sheng's pupils contracted slightly.
If not for the chip's predictive calculations, that strike would have crippled him instantly.
Still—
He had expected this.
The moment Ghost's arm moved, the chip had already begun calculating trajectories.
•[Warning: Blade trajectory adjusted]•
•[Optimal evasion angle calculated]•
Lin Sheng's body reacted almost instinctively.
At the same time, Ghost suddenly formed hand seals with his free hand.
A faint fluctuation of spiritual qi gathered.
Lin Sheng's expression changed immediately.
Spell.
"Fire Ignition Spell…"
Ghost began chanting rapidly.
Even injured, a cultivator spell at close range could kill Lin Sheng instantly.
But before Ghost could finish—
Lin Sheng suddenly flicked his fingers.
A burst of pale powder exploded directly toward Ghost's exposed eyes.
Ghost screamed.
"ARGH!"
Burning pain erupted through his vision instantly.
The powder felt like fire entering his eyes.
Optimized irritation powder.
A formula Lin Sheng developed earlier through the chip using local medicinal ingredients.
Originally intended for emergency defense.
Now it finally showed its value.
Ghost stumbled backward blindly.
His chant broke instantly.
"No—"
BANG!
Before Ghost could recover, the white sheathed sword slammed against the side of his head brutally.
The force nearly shattered his balance.
Lin Sheng followed immediately with another strike.
BANG!
The second hit landed directly against Ghost's temple.
The rogue cultivator collapsed heavily onto the floor.
Silence returned instantly.
Lin Sheng remained frozen in place for several seconds.
His breathing was uneven.
His palms sweaty.
That fight had lasted less than ten seconds—
Yet it felt far longer.
One mistake and he would have died.
A real cultivator.
Even injured.
Even weakened.
Still terrifying.
Lin Sheng stared at the unconscious figure cautiously.
He did not lower his guard immediately.
Instead, he stepped forward carefully and kicked the knife away first.
Then he checked the man's breathing.
Still alive.
Barely conscious.
Lin Sheng finally exhaled deeply.
"That was close…"
His heart still pounded heavily.
This was his first real life and death battle since transmigrating into this world.
And the danger felt completely different from training.
No rules.
No restraint.
Only survival.
If he had reacted even slightly slower, the Fire Ignition Spell alone would have reduced this room to flames.
Lin Sheng looked down at Ghost silently.
Then his eyes narrowed slightly.
A rogue cultivator sneaking into the training centre…
This matter was far bigger than it appeared.
And more importantly—
How had this man entered unnoticed?