Without hesitation, he stepped forward. The moment his foot touched the spatial field of Tier-2 Hunting Ground, light surged outward. Space twisted, folding inward before expanding again, pulling him through in a seamless distortion of distance and form.
An instant later—
He emerged.
The environment had changed.
Unlike the Tier-1 grounds, the teleportation portal here stood only a few steps from the defensive barrier. The transition was abrupt, the atmosphere heavier, the air carrying a faint pressure that pressed subtly against his senses.
Beyond the barrier, the forest loomed.
Dense. Ancient.
Its edges blurred by drifting mist and faint, shifting movements within the shadows.
To his left stood a tall stone stele, its surface worn by time yet illuminated by a soft, steady glow. Sunlight traced across its engravings, highlighting the bold characters etched at its crown.
Yellow Rank Leaderboard.
Li Yan's gaze moved downward.
The top names shone with quiet authority, each one carrying a presence that reflected both achievement and persistence.
[1st – Zhen Mo – Qi Refining Realm (Stage-Peak) – 736 Hunts
2nd – Yue Lin – Qi Refining Realm (Stage-Peak) – 721 Hunts
3rd – Feng Chen – Qi Refining Realm (Stage-Peak) – 707 Hunts]
His eyes continued scanning, the numbers gradually decreasing as the list descended. By the time he reached the bottom, the fiftieth position flickered faintly, marked by a count of seventy-three hunts.
Beneath it, a timer pulsed softly.
Refresh in 11 days.
Li Yan lingered there for a moment, his expression unreadable. He considered walking past it.
The aftermath of the annual competition had not yet faded. Whispers still followed his name, attention lingering where it was no longer needed. Stepping onto this board again would only draw more eyes.
More scrutiny. More interference. For a moment—
He almost turned away. Then another thought surfaced. Not of recognition or reputation—
But of those he had quietly supported. Disciples lacking resources, struggling to maintain even basic cultivation. The rewards he had earned from the leaderboard before had not been for himself.
They had served a purpose.
"They still need that support," he thought quietly. "If I hide my ability… I limit more than just myself."
The hesitation faded. Li Yan stepped forward.
Placing his palm against the rune-inscribed base of the stele, he released a controlled stream of Qi. His thoughts aligned, projecting a name with quiet clarity.
Li Yan Tian.
The stele responded instantly.
Golden script flickered into existence—
Li Yan Tian – Qi Gathering Realm (Stage-8) – 0 Hunts.
For a brief moment, his name appeared at the fiftieth position. Then—
It vanished. Unrecorded to the eye.
But not to the system.
Li Yan withdrew his hand, his expression calm as he turned toward the Hunting Ground.
The barrier shimmered faintly before him, its surface thin yet absolute. Beyond it, towering trees stretched upward like ancient sentinels, their jagged trunks wrapped in moss and creeping vines. The air carried a mix of damp earth and something sharper—
The metallic scent of blood.
A distant howl echoed through the trees, low and uneven, carried by the shifting wind.
Li Yan inhaled slowly, grounding his senses. "Let's see," he murmured, his voice steady, "how stronger the Tier-2 Magical Beasts are."
He stepped forward. The moment he crossed the barrier, the world shifted.
The air grew heavier, saturated with wild, untamed Qi that pressed faintly against his skin. Sunlight struggled to pierce the dense canopy above, scattering into fractured beams that cast moving shadows across the uneven terrain.
The forest felt alive.
Watching. Waiting.
Li Yan stood still for a brief moment, then he took his first step into the Hunting Ground.
After advancing several dozen meters, Li Yan slowed his steps before coming to a complete stop. The surroundings had grown quieter, the air heavier, as though the deeper layers of the Hunting Ground had begun to press back against his presence.
He closed his eyes.
His Spiritual Sense expanded outward in a controlled surge, spreading through the terrain like an invisible tide. Within a fifty-meter radius, the forest revealed itself in layered detail—the faint tremors beneath the soil, the subtle sway of branches, the scattered heat signatures of insects and small creatures.
At first, there was nothing unusual.
Only stillness.
Then—
A disturbance.
A faint rustle was hidden behind a dense cluster of thorny brambles. Beneath it, a low, rhythmic breathing pattern, heavy and deliberate, carried through the ground and into his awareness.
Li Yan's eyes opened slowly. "There you are." A faint smile touched his lips, restrained but certain.
Without hesitation, he summoned his sword. The blade appeared in his hand with a soft hum, its cold surface catching fragments of filtered sunlight that slipped through the dense canopy above.
For a brief moment, the clearing ahead remained still.
Then—
He moved.
His figure blurred forward, footsteps light and soundless despite the uneven terrain. Leaves shifted beneath him without a sound, his movement precise and controlled, leaving no trace of disturbance behind.
Within seconds, he broke through the bramble line and entered a small clearing ringed by jagged rocks and twisted shrubs.
At its center—
A Flame-Tusk Boar.
The creature was massive, towering over two men in height, its broad frame radiating heat into the surrounding air. Coarse bristles, the color of molten copper, lined its back, while faint waves of thermal distortion rippled from its body.
Its tusks curved upward, thick and jagged, each one threaded with ember-like veins that pulsed with internal fire. When it exhaled, sparks scattered from its nostrils, falling like dying embers onto the scorched ground beneath it.
Li Yan's gaze sharpened.
His Spiritual Sense locked onto the beast, analyzing the fluctuations of its Qi with quiet precision.
"Tier-2… Mid-stage," he murmured. "Good." His grip on the sword steadied. "Let's see."
The boar reacted instantly.
A low, guttural growl rumbled from its chest, deep enough to vibrate the ground beneath them. Its hooves scraped against the earth, tearing up soil and blackened grass as heat gathered around its body.
Then—
It charged. The ground trembled under its weight, the air split with the force of its movement.
Li Yan did not retreat.
At the last possible moment, he shifted—just a fraction of a step to the side. The motion was minimal, almost effortless, yet perfectly timed.
The boar tore past him like a blazing projectile, its tusks carving into a thick tree behind him. Wood splintered violently as the impact sent fragments scattering through the clearing.
Before it could recover—
Li Yan moved.
Darkness Qi flowed into his blade, a shadowed aura wrapping around its edge as the surrounding light bent subtly, distorted by its presence. The air itself seemed to dim for a fleeting moment.
He struck.
The sword carved cleanly across the boar's flank, tearing through its hide and leaving behind a deep, searing wound. A faint echo of shadow lingered in the air before dissolving.
The beast roared in pain, its massive body staggering sideways.
Its eyes burned with fury.
The ember veins along its tusks flared brighter, flames licking outward as it launched itself forward once more—faster, more violent, driven by rage.
But Li Yan was no longer there.
Phantom Dash.
His figure blurred, splitting into fleeting afterimages that scattered and vanished almost instantly. In the next moment, he reappeared behind the beast, already mid-motion.
His blade descended. The strike landed with precision against the boar's hind leg.
A sharp crack echoed through the clearing.
The limb gave way.
The massive body collapsed onto one side, its momentum broken as a distorted roar tore from its throat. Flames sputtered unevenly across its back, flickering with instability.
Li Yan did not pause.
He advanced.
Each movement flowed into the next, his sword cutting through the air in controlled arcs. Darkness Qi seeped into every strike, embedding itself within the wounds, slowing the beast's reactions, dulling its strength.
The boar struggled—
Then faltered.
Then stilled.
Its body collapsed fully, the last traces of movement fading as silence reclaimed the clearing.
For a moment, only the faint rustle of leaves remained.
Li Yan exhaled slowly, his breathing steady despite the brief intensity of the fight. The dark aura around his blade dissipated as he lowered it, flicking away the blood with a practiced motion.
"It's like facing ten Tier-1 beasts at once," he murmured, his tone calm, analytical. "But still… not strong enough."
His gaze lingered briefly on the fallen body. "I haven't needed to use my Superior-Level affinity."
He stepped forward and crouched slightly, extracting the beast core from within the boar's body. A faint red glow pulsed within the crystal, its surface warm, dense with contained energy.
He examined it briefly, noting the quality and stability of the Qi within. "Not bad."
The result aligned with expectations.
From what he had read, the drop rate for Tier-2 Beast Cores was roughly one in four. A fortunate outcome—but not one he would rely on.
With a flick of his wrist, the core—and the entire beast—vanished into his storage ring.
The hunt—
Had only just begun.
A faint smile deepened across Li Yan's lips as he straightened, his gaze drifting toward the darker stretches of the forest where the canopy thickened and light struggled to reach.
"One down," he said softly, his tone calm yet edged with anticipation. "Let's see how far I can push myself today."
The thought did not carry recklessness.
Only intent.
Without another word, his figure shifted forward, dissolving into motion. His presence blended seamlessly with the shifting shadows beneath the trees, each step measured, each breath controlled as he advanced deeper into the wild heart of the Tier-2 Hunting Ground.
The forest seemed to close around him.
Watching.
And he did not slow.
____
Back at the Shadows Haven Sect, the atmosphere was far from quiet.
Whispers spread quickly—faster than wind, faster than reason—carried from one disciple to another until the entire sect seemed to hum with speculation.
Under ancient trees, near training grounds, and along the edges of stone-paved courtyards, small groups gathered, their voices low but urgent, threaded with disbelief, curiosity, and unease.
"Did you hear? Li Yan Tian entered the Tier-2 Hunting Ground this morning."
"What? That's impossible. He's still a White Rank disciple, isn't he?"
"He is," another replied, lowering his voice slightly. "But he's not an ordinary one."
A third scoffed lightly, though uncertainty lingered beneath it. "Winning the White Rank competition is one thing. Tier-2 beasts are another entirely."
"Then why would he go?" someone asked, brows furrowed.
"That's not just ambition—that's risk."
A girl leaned closer to the group, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.
"Think about it. The Goddess's task—collecting a thousand Tier-1 beast cores. What if he's already finished it?"
The group fell briefly silent.
Then—
"Finished it… already?"
"Or," she continued, her eyes narrowing slightly, "he's aiming for something none of us have even considered."
The words lingered.
Speculation grew.
What began as curiosity shifted gradually into something else—
Attention.
The murmurs did not remain confined to the outer grounds.
They traveled.
Across courtyards.
Through corridors.
Into halls where authority resided.
Elder Yu Long stood near the edge of one such gathering, listening without interruption. His expression remained composed, but his eyes reflected a trace of thoughtfulness as the fragments of conversation settled into something more concrete.
Without delay, he turned and made his way toward the Sect Leader's chamber.
Inside, Ji Hong sat in silence.
His gaze was directed toward the open window, where distant clouds drifted slowly across the horizon. The room was still, undisturbed, carrying a quiet weight that reflected his presence.
" Sect Leader." Yu Long's voice broke the silence as he entered, bowing respectfully.
"News has just reached the sect grounds," he continued. "Li Yan Tian has entered the Tier-2 Hunting Ground." A brief pause. "Alone."
Ji Hong did not respond immediately. His gaze remained fixed outward, as though the information required no urgency.
Within his thoughts, however, something shifted. "At least he hasn't confined himself entirely to alchemy."
The thought passed quietly.
Measured.
Then, after a moment, he spoke. "He moved sooner than I expected." His tone was calm, carrying a faint trace of amusement beneath its surface.
Yu Long lifted his head slightly, surprise flickering across his expression. "You anticipated this?"
Ji Hong turned his gaze toward him at last. A subtle smile touched his lips—not wide, not expressive, but knowing.
"Li Yan understands his limits better than most," he said evenly. "If he's entered the Tier-2 grounds, then he's already decided he can handle what's inside."
His voice remained composed.
Certain.
Not a trace of doubt lingered within it. Outside, the clouds continued to drift.