Su Chen had already escaped from the inner parts of the city. Now, he found himself in a quiet, almost deserted area on the outskirts. He didn't know where he was—he had simply moved instinctively, searching for the least populated route and ended up here.
Leaning against a wall, he stood hunched over, breathing hard. One hand pressed against his chest, the other bracing himself on the cold surface beside him. It wasn't from exhaustion or Qi depletion—he hadn't used much in his escape—but from the simple fact that he had been too close to death. That feeling always shook him.
He closed his eyes briefly, forcing his breath to steady. Then he looked up, scanning the unfamiliar surroundings.
"I was too close," he murmured under his breath.
Still unsettled, he activated his Wood Sensing Technique, trying to locate familiar landmarks or plant life to help orient himself in the city.
But before the technique could even form fully—
Boom. Thud.
A sudden wave of pressure burst from the ground beneath his feet.
A formation had activated.
The technique collapsed instantly, not just blocked—but forcibly broken. The backlash struck his spiritual sea like a hammer. His Sea of Consciousness trembled violently, and for a moment he felt a sharp spike of pain behind his eyes. Spiritual energy surged out of control, threatening to spiral, before finally settling on its own.
He leaned back against the wall, eyes narrowed, waiting to see if anything worse would follow. When nothing came, he slowly exhaled.
His Innate Sacred Dao Fetus physique had stabilized the damage, but the backlash had still left its mark—his spiritual sense would be unusable for at least a day.
"Still alive," he muttered quietly. But his fingers had curled slightly. For the first time in a while, he felt genuinely uneasy.
He had always trusted in the Wood Sovereign Script. It had never failed to sense its surroundings before—not even against other high-level techniques. Yet here, it hadn't just failed—it had been directly countered.
He didn't like what that meant.
He stood in silence for a few more seconds, then pulled himself upright. His expression was calm, but his thoughts were sharper now.
"I've been thinking I understand this world because I've survived a few close calls… but clearly, I don't know as much as I thought."
That realization lingered. Then he shook his head.
"This place isn't simple. But that's not my concern right now."
His voice was flat. Focused.
"I need to understand where I am… and find a way out."
He walked slowly—very slowly—along the quiet street, his footsteps light, one hand brushing against the wall for support. The deeper he went, the more surprised he became.
Beautiful spirit plants lined both sides of the road, blooming with a soft glow under the ambient light. From his perception, this area didn't seem like a public part of the city. It was too quiet… too clean… and far too big. It felt like he had unknowingly stepped into someone's private domain.
After walking for a while, he finally saw the path leading toward an enormous gate—majestic, ancient, and intimidating. Tall spirit trees and exotic flowers had grown around it, their colors vibrant and enchanting, adding to the surreal beauty of the scene.
Just as he was about to take another step, a sudden chill ran down his spine. He instinctively turned around.
Nothing.
But what he saw made his heart skip a beat.
The road he had walked down just moments ago… was gone. It was no longer there. In its place stood a blank wall of dense mist, completely sealing off the path.
His pupils shrank slightly. A bead of cold sweat trickled down his back.
"…What the hell? Where the fuck am I?"
He cursed inwardly, a mix of fear and frustration bubbling in his chest.
"I just wanted to earn some resources with robbery....ahem.....honest effort… and now I'm trapped in some weird, dangerous place?"
Suppressing the panic rising within, he turned to face the grand gate again.
"System," he muttered, narrowing his eyes. "Let's start with you. If this is some kind of illusion or trap, you better be useful for once…"
"System, show me status," Su Chen muttered.
[Ding]
A familiar half-transparent blue screen appeared in front of his face, hovering quietly in the air.
[Status Panel]
[Name: Su Chen]
[Realm: Core Formation Realm (Early)]
[Species: Cultivator]
[Physique: Innate Sacred Dao Fetus]
[Techniques: Wood Sensing, Plant's Eyes and Ears, Sky Peeking Hand, Five Elements Escape]
[Scriptures: Wood Sovereign Script (3rd Level)]
[Special Talents: Outsider Aura, Poison Immunity]
[System Storage: Moon Stone, Fire Stone, 2 Verdant Origin Berries, True Essence Apple, Crystal Flake Fruit, 4,300 High-Grade Spirit Stones, 13,000 Middle-Grade Spirit Stones, and 20,000 Low-Grade Spirit Stones, Wind Sword (Foundation Building Realm), etc.]
Su Chen's eyes quickly scanned over the screen before pausing at the system storage section.
He paused. Then slowly rubbed his hands together, eyes lighting up with a grin creeping onto his face.
"So rich…" he muttered, suppressing a laugh. "No wonder people say once you taste robbery, it's hard to go back to honest work."
He chuckled softly.
"Because robbery is the best… it can make you rich in such a short time."
But after a brief pause, his expression turned a little serious, and he sighed.
"Though sometimes... it can throw you into deadly danger."
With that thought, he shook his head and turned his attention away from the glowing screen and toward the massive, ancient gate ahead.
Should he enter or not? Su Chen thought to himself. Going in could cost him his life.
It wasn't that he didn't believe in himself or luck—he just wasn't the "son of luck" type. Unlike those stories where someone stumbles into a cave and finds the inheritance of some powerful man, filled with treasures.If he entered, he believed there would be deadly traps rather than treasure.
But it's not like he could just sit here and wait for death.
"Fine," he muttered. "Let's go in."