The morning air carried a hint of coolness.
Before the city had fully awakened, Xiao Feng was already standing outside the Xiao Clan’s main hall.
A simple travel pack rested beside him.
Everything else was stored inside his Spirit Storage Ring.
He had never liked carrying unnecessary weight.
The only thing left to do…
Was say goodbye.
A servant soon returned.
“The Clan Leader will see you now.”
Xiao Feng nodded and stepped inside.
Xiao Zhan was already waiting.
Unlike the formal atmosphere of clan meetings, today’s conversation felt much more relaxed.
“So.”
“You’ve made up your mind.”
“I have.”
“The Magic Beast Mountain Range?”
“Yes.”
Xiao Zhan looked at him for a long moment before smiling.
“When I was your age…”
“I also wanted to see the world.”
He poured two cups of tea.
“For young people, staying in one place forever isn’t living.”
“It’s hiding.”
Xiao Feng accepted the cup with both hands.
“Thank you, Clan Leader.”
After a sip of tea, Xiao Zhan opened a nearby wooden box.
Inside lay a folded map.
It wasn’t new.
The edges had faded with age.
“I used this when I was younger.”
“It only covers the outer region of the mountain range.”
“But the marked campsites and water sources should still be useful.”
Xiao Feng accepted it carefully.
“I’ll return it.”
Xiao Zhan laughed.
“If you return safely…”
“…that’s worth far more than an old map.”
Before Xiao Feng left, Xiao Zhan spoke once more.
“You’re a member of the Xiao Clan.”
“No matter where you travel…”
“…don’t forget that.”
“I won’t.”
Leaving the hall, Xiao Feng looked at the old map for a moment before placing it inside his storage ring.
It wasn’t a valuable treasure.
Yet somehow…
It felt more valuable than many treasures.
As he crossed the courtyard, another familiar figure approached.
“Cousin Feng.”
Xiao Yan.
The two stopped beneath a large tree.
“I heard you’re leaving.”
“I was wondering who told you.”
“My father.”
Xiao Feng laughed.
After a brief silence, Xiao Yan said,
“The mountains are dangerous.”
“So I’ve heard.”
“If you run into trouble…”
“Run.”
Xiao Feng smiled.
“I’ll remember.”
Xiao Yan hesitated before speaking again.
“When you come back…”
“Let’s have a proper spar.”
“Oh?”
“You sound confident.”
A faint smile appeared on Xiao Yan’s face.
“I’ve made some progress.”
“I can see that.”
Neither said anything else.
Some conversations didn’t need many words.
Before leaving, Xiao Feng lightly punched Xiao Yan’s shoulder.
“Don’t work yourself to death.”
“You too.”
By noon…
Word had quietly spread that Xiao Feng was leaving.
A few clan members wished him luck.
Some barely noticed.
Others simply assumed he would return after gathering herbs for a few days.
Nobody imagined this journey would change his life.
Xiao Feng preferred it that way.
As the city gates came into view, he stopped one final time.
Wu Tan City wasn’t particularly grand.
Compared to the great cities of the continent…
It was insignificant.
Yet…
It had been his home for seventeen years.
He silently looked back.
The rooftops.
The marketplace.
The distant Xiao Clan.
“So…”
“I’ll be back.”
Then he turned around.
Without hesitation…
He began walking toward the distant mountains.
Several hours later…
Wu Tan City had already disappeared behind the hills.
The road grew quieter.
Merchants became less frequent.
Occasionally, adventurers passed him on horseback.
Most barely spared him a glance.
Exactly the way Xiao Feng liked it.
As sunset approached…
The outline of the Magic Beast Mountain Range filled the horizon.
Endless forests.
Towering cliffs.
Even from this distance…
The place felt alive.
Xiao Feng stopped walking.
For the first time since leaving home…
A genuine smile appeared on his face.
“Now…”
“The real journey begins.”
That evening, beside a small campfire, he opened the diary.
Diary Entry #7
Today I left Wu Tan City.
Seventeen years is a long time to spend in one place.
Long enough that even ordinary streets begin to feel familiar.
I thought leaving would feel exciting.
Instead…
It felt strangely quiet.
Clan Leader Xiao gave me an old map.
It’s probably worth very little.
Still…
I think I’ll keep it for a long time.
Some things aren’t valuable because they’re rare.
They’re valuable because of the person who gives them.
Tomorrow I’ll enter the Magic Beast Mountain Range.
Hopefully my first opponent isn’t something ridiculous.
I’m aiming for experience.
Not an early grave.
He closed the diary with a smile.
“That should do.”
[Diary Entry Completed.]
Reward Granted.
Breath Concealment Technique
A complete cultivation art flowed into his mind.
It allowed him to perfectly suppress his spiritual fluctuations, making him appear no different from an ordinary Dou Qi cultivator unless he chose otherwise.
Xiao Feng’s eyes brightened.
“Now that’s useful.”
This reward suited him perfectly.
Remaining unnoticed had always been his preferred way of living.
Far away…
The Little Fairy Doctor quietly lowered the diary.
“He really came…”
She looked toward the endless forest outside her cabin.
For some reason…
She had the feeling their meeting wasn’t very far away anymore.
Inside the black ring…
Yao Lao read the final entry before closing the diary.
“So…”
“The first traveler has left home.”
He smiled faintly.
“The continent is becoming more interesting.”
Night fell over the mountain range.
Somewhere within those endless forests…
A gentle healer gathered herbs beneath the moonlight.
Elsewhere…
A young cultivator sat beside a small fire, completely unaware that fate had already begun guiding their paths toward one another.