The qi-fog enveloped Kai Shen like a shroud, its dense spiritual energy clawing at his senses. For a moment, the world spun, a disorienting whirl that left him staggering. When clarity returned, he stood in another gray corridor, its walls as featureless as the last, but shorter, denser with traps. The air was colder here, the Frost Ridge's icy qi seeping through the stone, amplifying the tomb's oppressive aura. Kai's fire qi flickered, a candle in a storm, as he summoned a new light orb to banish the shadows. Fen, perched on his shoulder, muttered under her breath, her feathers fluffed in silent protest.
"Another one?" Kai sighed, anchoring the orb. Fire qi leaked from the formation, a constant drain in this prison for fire cultivators.
"Stop whining," Fen snapped, her voice sharp but tinged with worry. "You wanted this."
Kai didn't argue, his mind replaying the tomb's trials so far: the crushing entrance fog, the Wandering Ice, the pressure plate with its deadly spikes. Simple, yet lethal for the unprepared. His enhanced physique and Devourer technique gave him an edge, but Fen's cryptic warnings gnawed at him. She knew something—her slip about poison traps, her insistence on avoiding this place. Why stay silent? Was it fear, shame, or something deeper?
The corridor was a gauntlet. Five traps in twenty meters, each more insidious. One, a qi-triggered glyph, forced Kai to unleash a fire stream to burn it out. The resulting ice storm tore the walls to shreds, leaving deep gouges in the stone. Kai's heart pounded—this tomb wasn't playing games. Fen's silence grew heavier, her eyes darting to every shadow.
"Talkative today," Kai teased, dodging another pressure plate.
"Focus," Fen hissed, claws tightening.
The Tomb of the Departed was a labyrinth of frost and shadow, its vast chamber a battleground scarred by Kai Shen's desperate struggle. Gray stone walls, pitted by ice and claw marks, loomed under the faint glow of Kai's light orb, its fire qi bleeding into the Frost Ridge's oppressive cold. The air reeked of ozone and burnt chitin, the floor slick with acidic blood. The ice centipede, a monstrous predator, lunged with terrifying speed, its mandibles snapping inches from Kai's chest. Despite its bulk, it moved with predatory grace, its qi control conjuring deadly ice spikes. Kai's heart pounded, his Acceleration technique barely keeping him ahead.
"I told you!" Fen shrieked from the ceiling, her ice phoenix form a fluffed blur darting through the shadows.
Kai dodged a claw strike, rolling across the floor. The centipede's speed was unnatural for its size, a nightmare for Qi Condensation cultivators. Its qi manipulation—ice spikes erupting without warning—had nearly skewered him early on. He'd tried fleeing to one of the three doors, but the tomb's creator ensured no escape; the door resisted even a Night Blade strike, its glyphs pulsing defiantly.
The chamber offered no cover, its expanse a cruel arena. The corridor behind led to a dead end, too cramped for evasion. Kai gripped a Night Blade talisman in one hand, its dark energy flickering, and the Fire Whip in the other, its flame struggling against the Ridge's qi drain. Neither weapon dented the centipede's armor—fire left scorched streaks, the blade a shallow cut that healed instantly, acid blood hissing on the floor.
Ice Centipede, Mortal Rank
Traits: Natural armor, regeneration, qi resistance, speed, strength
Weakness: Fire disrupts regeneration
Core: Head
How was this a trial for beginners? Kai's mind raced, Fen's warnings echoing. She'd known this place was a death trap, yet refused to explain why. Her secrets were a weight, but her shouts kept him alive.
"Behind you!" Fen cried.
Kai rolled forward as ice spikes erupted where he'd stood, their jagged tips grazing his cloak. The centipede screeched, a sound that scrambled his thoughts. "Anything this thing can't do?" he muttered, dodging another claw.
He darted close, wrapping the Fire Whip around a leg joint. A Night Blade slash severed it, the limb falling without regenerating. Success—but the beast had dozens more. It screeched, accelerating, its movements a blur.
Kai aimed the whip at its eyes, but a claw blocked it. His talisman fizzled—out of charges. Gritting his teeth, he drew his sword, its familiar weight grounding him. An idea sparked: the Night Blade's dark qi had enhanced his whip. Could it work on his sword? He activated a talisman, letting it dissolve, and channeled the dark qi into his fire aura. The blade flared black, a sinister glow that felt alive.
The centipede lunged. Kai parried a claw, the impact slamming him into the wall. Health: 85/100. The claw cracked, a small victory. Pain flared, but his enhanced physique held. A distraction saved him:
"Take this!" Fen roared, unleashing a stream of white fire—cold yet searing. The centipede howled, its icy armor melting. The fire vanished quickly, but the damage was done.
Kai struck, the whip blinding the beast's eyes as his black-flamed sword slashed its head. The chitin split, the wound refusing to heal. Fire blocked its regeneration, just as the manuals said. But how to kill it?
"Fen, can you hit it again?" Kai shouted, dodging ice spears.
"Need crystals!" Fen panted. "Low on qi!"
Kai tossed a sack of spiritual ice from his ring, far from the beast. Fen could absorb it to recover, a trick they'd tested. Now for his gambit: he activated another Night Blade talisman, channeling its qi into the Fire Whip. The artifact trembled, its crystal cracking, but the flame turned black, a void-like blaze. Memories of the Phoenix Sect's arena flashed—dark qi was deadly, but unstable.
"Now, Fen!" Kai yelled, seeing her finish absorbing the ice.
Fen's white fire engulfed the centipede, its cracked armor sizzling. Kai lashed out, the black whip coiling around the beast, burning deep. The creature thrashed, screeching, but didn't die. The whip's crystal flickered—seconds from failure.
Gripping his sword, Kai charged. A claw twitched, but the black fire held it. He leaped, driving the blade into the head's core. The chitin shattered, black flames erupting. The head fell, the body convulsing.
Kai retreated, panting, as the system chimed:
+3516 Qi
The qi flooded him, ice transforming into fire mid-flow, a miracle he couldn't explain. His reserve filled, excess qi condensing into a potent energy akin to Life Flame, but denser. It patched his spiritual wounds, some sinking deeper, beyond his perception. Devourer level 2 was rewriting his limits.
"Hope I don't sprout claws," Kai chuckled, leaning against the corridor wall.
"What?" Fen tilted her head, feathers ruffled, eyes glinting with excitement and judgment. "I nailed it, right?"
"You saved us," Kai admitted. "What was that fire?"
"Not important!" Fen squawked, panic flashing. Her feathers bristled comically. "You saw nothing! This tomb's messing with you! I told you not to come! And what was that black stuff? You'd be dead without me!"
"Do you know the labyrinth's center?" Kai asked, sidestepping her outburst.
"Dumb?" Fen glared. "I didn't say center. I said exit."
"Where, wise Fen?" Kai grinned.
She sniffed, perching on his shoulder. "Find a door with a special glyph. Channel qi into it. Normal doors are random, but this one's an exit if you know you're outmatched."
"Still hiding secrets?" Kai sighed.
"Move!" Fen huffed.
Kai eyed the doors—no glyphs. Fen's knowledge was specific, her fear of the center palpable. The centipede's corpse lay still, its armor pitted by Fen's fire. The Fire Whip was slag, its gold remnant pocketed. Life was worth more.
A scream echoed, followed by clashing steel. Kai sprinted down the corridor, traps sparse. A qi web slowed him, but he burned it away. In a new chamber, three cultivators fought ten Wandering Ice constructs, their cores pulsing.
"Brother Kai!" one shouted, nearly struck.
Kai charged, sword aflame. He sensed each core, felling constructs with single strikes. Each kill fed Devourer, small qi bursts healing him. +15 Qi per construct.
"Brother Kai," the trio bowed. "Thank you."
"No big deal," Kai waved. "This normal?"
"Insane," the girl said. "First room was fine—standard foes. Second had an ice spirit that nearly killed me. Saved by a talisman."
"A frost guar hit us," a boy added. "Five started, only I survived."
"Let's stick together," Kai said. "Try this—hold hands."
They stared, but complied. In the fog, they teleported as a group, emerging in one corridor. "How'd you know?" the girl asked.
Kai pointed at Fen, who huffed. "Oh," they nodded.
Another scream. Kai led the charge, traps already sprung. In the next chamber, he froze.
"You've got to be kidding!" Kai shouted.
"Run!" a cultivator yelled, with five others, battling a swarm of Crykids—ice-dwelling bugs Kai had faced his first day in the Ridge. Weak alone, deadly in numbers. A colony's chunk had been teleported here.
"Form a wedge! I'm point!" Kai barked, recalling Belozar's drills. They stayed in the corridor, backs safe.
Kai cleaved the first Crykid, Devourer absorbing a trickle of qi. +5 Qi. His fire aura flared, a torrent incinerating dozens. The stench was vile, and he reined back—his qi wasn't infinite, despite Devourer's efficiency. The swarm pressed, but he carved through, healing allies with Life Flame mid-fight. The tide slowed, then stopped.
"Done?" a boy asked, stunned.
"Seems so," Kai nodded. "Let's move."
No glyphs on the doors. Fen fidgeted, her worry clear. They held hands, teleporting together. Battle sounds echoed again—a frost guar versus three cultivators.
"Bind it!" Kai ordered. Ice techniques shackled the beast, and Kai's qi-charged blade killed it in one strike. +241 Qi. His spiritual wounds eased further.
"Brother Kai," the trio bowed.
"Keep up," Kai said, eyeing the glyphless doors. Fen's nerves were fraying.