A cold breeze swept through the mountain pass.
Drops of blood slid from Lin Yuan's clenched fist onto the dusty ground.
The bandit captain stood twenty paces away, his chest rising and falling steadily. Although Lin Yuan's punch had forced him back, the captain's eyes held no fear—only growing interest.
For years, he had roamed the mountains, robbing merchants and killing cultivators weaker than himself. He had fought talented disciples from small sects, wandering rogue cultivators, and even former soldiers.
Never...
Had he been forced back by a boy.
"You surprise me," the captain admitted, rubbing his aching forearm. "I thought you were nothing more than a lucky survivor."
He looked Lin Yuan up and down.
"But now I see it."
"Whatever happened beneath Black Crow Mountain changed you."
Lin Yuan remained silent.
The secret of the Nine Chains would die with him before he ever revealed it.
The captain sighed.
"A pity."
"I was hoping you'd save me the trouble."
His spiritual energy surged.
The loose gravel beneath his feet floated into the air before shattering into powder.
A wave of pressure rolled toward Lin Yuan.
His breathing immediately became heavier.
"So this... is a true Spirit gathering cultivator."
The difference between them was obvious.
Lin Yuan possessed terrifying physical strength thanks to the First Chain, but his experience was almost nonexistent.
The captain, on the other hand, had survived countless life-and-death battles.
Experience...
Was often deadlier than talent.
Without warning—
The captain disappeared.
Lin Yuan's pupils shrank.
Too fast!
Instinct screamed.
He twisted sideways.
A razor-sharp blade swept past his neck, slicing several strands of black hair into the wind.
The saber missed him by less than an inch.
Before Lin Yuan could recover, a heavy kick slammed into his abdomen.
Bang!
The force launched him backward.
He crashed into the trunk of an ancient pine.
The tree shook violently.
Birds burst from its branches in panic.
Lin Yuan coughed violently.
Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.
His ribs burned with pain.
"So weak."
The captain slowly approached, spinning his saber lazily.
"You rely entirely on raw power."
"You don't know how to fight."
Lin Yuan wiped the blood from his lips.
The captain wasn't wrong.
Before obtaining the inheritance, he had been an ordinary hunter.
He had never learned martial techniques.
Never sparred.
Never fought cultivators.
Every movement he made was driven by instinct.
The captain smirked.
"Now..."
"Let me show you what real combat looks like."
He lowered his stance.
The saber hummed.
Blue spiritual energy wrapped around the blade like flowing water.
Then—
He attacked.
The first slash came from above.
Lin Yuan barely blocked it with his forearm.
Pain exploded through his arm.
The second slash came from the side.
He ducked.
The blade carved a deep groove into the cliff wall.
The third strike became a thrust aimed directly at his heart.
Lin Yuan jumped backward.
The tip of the saber pierced only his clothing.
Even so...
A thin line of blood appeared across his chest.
Three exchanges.
Three wounds.
The captain smiled.
"Do you understand now?"
"Strength alone cannot defeat experience."
Lin Yuan said nothing.
Instead...
He closed his eyes.
The captain frowned.
"Given up?"
Inside Lin Yuan's body...
The First Chain pulsed quietly.
The world around him seemed to slow.
He could hear the wind.
The beating of his own heart.
The crunch of the captain's footsteps against the gravel.
For the first time since inheriting the Nine Chains Scripture...
Lin Yuan stopped relying on brute force.
He observed.
The captain always shifted his weight onto his right foot before attacking.
His left shoulder dipped slightly before every slash.
His breathing became heavier after launching consecutive attacks.
Those tiny habits...
Were openings.
Lin Yuan opened his eyes.
The captain laughed.
"So you've accepted death?"
"No."
Lin Yuan's voice was calm.
"I've finally started learning."
The captain snorted.
"Learning?"
"You'll be dead before your lesson ends."
He lunged again.
This time, Lin Yuan did not panic.
He watched.
One step.
Two steps.
The captain's left shoulder dipped.
"Now!"
Lin Yuan sidestepped.
The saber sliced through empty air.
Before the captain could recover, Lin Yuan drove his elbow toward the man's ribs.
Crack!
The captain grunted.
His balance faltered.
Lin Yuan followed with a punch toward the jaw.
The captain raised his arm just in time.
The impact still sent him skidding backward several meters.
Silence filled the mountain pass.
The captain slowly lowered his guard.
There was a fresh bruise on his ribs.
His expression darkened.
"This monster..."
"He's adapting during the fight."
High above them, concealed among the dense branches of an ancient pine, the gray-robed old man stroked his beard.
"A natural combat instinct..."
"He entered this battle as prey."
"And after only a few exchanges..."
"...he has begun thinking like a hunter."
A faint smile appeared on the old man's weathered face.
"Interesting."
Very interesting.