By dark-kingxu
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The cold crept into his bones.The sky above was still dark, but Xu Ming could tell dawn was near — the threads shifted. Every morning, they shimmered gold for a heartbeat before fading into pale blue.
He was learning to read the language of the world.
But insight didn't ease pain.
His limbs trembled. Qi cultivation was slow, cruel — every cycle burned like fire under the skin.Still, he endured.
---
> "One more breath...""One more pull..."
He'd failed to absorb even a drop of Qi yesterday. But tonight, he had drawn in nearly ten — a huge leap for someone who was called crippled.
Suddenly—
Snap!
His arm locked. His chest twisted in a cramp so severe it felt like he was dying. He collapsed forward, coughing blood onto the forest floor.
> "Damn it!"
But instead of fear, his mind burned with defiance.
> "Break me. Break everything. I'll rebuild stronger."
He gritted his teeth and forced himself back up.
Again.
Suddenly, Xu ming heard footsteps approaching him—
He crouched low and let his new sight bloom. The threads came alive — five figures. Tall, armed, one radiating killing intent like wildfire.
"Mercenaries?"
No. Too organized, he focused harder.
The leader wore clan robes — not Yun Clan, but similar. An allied family. And on his hip… a token.
Xu Ming's jaw clenched.
nnjb"That's... my father's clan crest."
His hands shook, not from fear — from rage. He had never known his father. Never seen his face. All he knew was his mother's broken whispers of betrayal… and the day she died clutching a torn piece of that same crest.
Were they looking for him?
Or… hunting him?
---
They stopped at the well.
"It was here. The seal was disturbed."
Xu Ming froze behind a boulder. His fists tightened.
He couldn't take five cultivators now — not even one.
But he didn't need to fight. Not yet.He needed to watch. Learn. Wait.
For now.
The threads around the leader's head burned a furious red — pride, arrogance… and weakness in his left shoulder.
A plan began forming in Xu Ming's mind.
"You hunted my mother.""Now you're hunting me."
Fine come after me."