The mountain pass fell into an uneasy silence.
Dust drifted lazily through the air between the two figures.
Lin Yuan stood with his breathing steady, his fists lowered but ready. Fresh cuts covered his arms and chest, while blood slowly soaked through his torn clothes.
Across from him, the bandit captain no longer smiled.
The confidence that had filled his eyes moments ago had vanished.
In its place was something far more dangerous.
Caution.
"He's learning..."
The captain's grip on his saber tightened.
"Every exchange makes him stronger."
"If I let this continue..."
"I might actually lose."
The thought enraged him.
He, a Spirit Foundation cultivator who had survived over a decade in the lawless mountains, was being pushed back by a nameless youth.
Unacceptable.
"You've forced my hand."
The captain reached into his robe.
His fingers closed around a small jade bottle.
He pulled out a single crimson pill.
The two surviving bandits immediately paled.
"C-Captain..."
"You can't..."
"That's the Blood Ignition Pill!"
The captain ignored them.
His eyes never left Lin Yuan.
"This pill burns my essence for power."
"When its effects end..."
"My cultivation may fall."
He smiled viciously.
"But if I obtain the inheritance hidden beneath Black Crow Mountain..."
"It will all be worth it."
Without another word—
He swallowed the pill.
For one heartbeat...
Nothing happened.
Then—
BOOM!
Scarlet spiritual energy erupted from his body.
The ground beneath his feet shattered.
Cracks spread through the mountain pass like spiderwebs.
His veins bulged beneath his skin, and the blue qi surrounding his saber turned blood-red.
The pressure alone forced Lin Yuan back three steps.
His chest tightened.
"His aura..."
"It's almost twice as strong."
High above, the old man hidden in the pine tree frowned.
"What a fool."
"The Blood Ignition Pill forces out power that doesn't belong to the user."
"It can win battles..."
"...but it destroys futures."
He lifted his wine gourd and took a slow drink.
His eyes never left Lin Yuan.
"Now, boy..."
"Show me whether you're worthy of the inheritance you carry."
The captain vanished.
Not because of a technique.
Simply because he was moving too quickly.
Lin Yuan's eyes searched desperately.
Left?
Right?
Above?
Then—
Pain exploded across his back.
Slash!
A long wound opened across his shoulder.
He stumbled forward.
Before he could regain his footing—
Another slash.
This time across his thigh.
Blood splashed onto the stones.
Lin Yuan gritted his teeth but refused to cry out.
The captain appeared several meters away, smiling cruelly.
"You can't even see me anymore."
"This..."
"...is despair."
Lin Yuan forced himself to breathe.
Fast opponents...
He had hunted hawks before.
They were faster than rabbits.
Trying to outrun a hawk was impossible.
Instead...
His father had taught him something.
"Don't chase speed."
"Predict where it will be."
Those words suddenly echoed inside his mind.
His father...
A simple hunter.
Yet hunting and battle shared one truth.
Every predator followed patterns.
Lin Yuan slowly closed his eyes.
The captain laughed.
"Have you gone blind from fear?"
No response.
The world became quiet.
He ignored sight.
Instead—
He listened.
The wind.
The shifting gravel.
The heartbeat in his own chest.
Then...
A faint sound.
A single footstep.
Behind him.
Lin Yuan spun.
His fist exploded forward.
The captain's eyes widened.
"He predicted me?!"
Unable to dodge completely, he crossed his arms.
BOOM!
The punch struck with terrifying force.
The captain flew backward, crashing into a massive boulder.
The stone cracked from the impact.
Dust billowed into the air.
The two surviving bandits stood frozen.
"No..."
"That shouldn't be possible..."
The captain slowly emerged from the dust.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
His forearms shook violently.
He stared at Lin Yuan with naked disbelief.
"Who..."
"...are you?"
Lin Yuan lowered his fist.
"I'm no one."
"I'm simply a son..."
"...who refuses to die before avenging his parents."
For the first time...
The captain felt fear.
Not because of Lin Yuan's current strength.
But because of what the boy could become.
"If I let him live..."
"He'll return one day."
"And when he does..."
"He'll destroy everyone."
His killing intent surged to its peak.
"I don't care what inheritance you possess."
"I'll cut off your future..."
"...right here!"
The captain raised his saber with both hands.
Scarlet qi poured into the blade until it trembled violently.
The old man hidden in the pine tree narrowed his eyes.
"That technique..."
"So he's willing to gamble everything."
The saber emitted a deafening hum.
The surrounding spiritual energy rushed toward it.
Even the clouds overhead seemed to darken.
The captain roared,
"Blood Moon Severing Slash!"
A gigantic crimson blade of qi, nearly ten meters long, erupted from the saber and tore toward Lin Yuan, ripping the earth apart as it advanced.
Lin Yuan looked up at the overwhelming attack.
For the first time since receiving the Nine Chains inheritance...
He understood.
There were enemies that could not be defeated by courage alone.
Yet he did not retreat.
Deep within his dantian...
The First Chain began to glow.
Not with violence.
But with an ancient, majestic radiance.
The mysterious black mark over his heart pulsed once.
Somewhere in the depths of his soul...
A voice whispered.
"The First Chain is not merely strength..."
"...it is the Chain that Breaks Shackles."
Lin Yuan's eyes flew open.
Golden light flashed within them.