chapter 4: stepping into the unknown
The wind howled as Shen Tian stepped beyond the grand gates of the Shen Clan, his figure disappearing into the dense mist of the mountain path.
For the first time in his life, he was truly free.
No shackles.
No ridicule.
No family to betray him again.
But freedom came at a price.
The world outside the clan was vast, cruel, and filled with dangers that could swallow an unprepared cultivator whole. However, Shen Tian was not the same weak boy they had cast aside.
His new path had only just begun.
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A Lonely Traveler on a Dangerous Road
Shen Tian moved swiftly through the Emerald Mist Forest, a dangerous region teeming with spirit beasts and rogue cultivators.
The forest was known as a death trap for weaklings.
But Shen Tian… was no weakling.
As he walked, his mind raced.
The Primordial Dao Scripture.
This was the cultivation technique that had transformed him. Unlike ordinary techniques that followed the structured path of Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, and so forth, the Primordial Dao Scripture was something far beyond mortal comprehension.
It did not cultivate Qi.
It did not rely on spiritual roots or dantian capacity.
Instead, it refined the very essence of existence, absorbing the fundamental laws of the universe directly into his body.
Even now, Shen Tian could feel his body pulsing with a power he didn't fully understand.
What truly was this scripture?
Who left it behind?
And more importantly—why did it choose him?
His thoughts were interrupted.
Rustle.
Shen Tian's ears twitched.
His instincts screamed danger!
Without hesitation, he leaped backward, just as a streak of light sliced through the air where he had been standing.
A hidden ambush!
"Hah! The rumors were true. The crippled young master of the Shen Clan is alive and well."
A sinister voice echoed from the shadows.
Stepping forward was a group of mercenaries, their clothes tattered but their weapons gleaming with a murderous aura.
At the center stood a scar-faced man, his eyes glinting with greed.
"We've been waiting for you, boy."
Shen Tian's expression remained calm.
"Bandits?"
The scar-faced man grinned.
"We prefer the term opportunists. Someone paid a high price for your head. Though, looking at you now… you don't seem like the worthless cripple we were told about."
Shen Tian narrowed his eyes.
'The Shen Clan? No, they wouldn't be this direct. Someone else…'
Whoever it was, they clearly feared his return enough to silence him permanently.
Shen Tian sighed.
"Since you're here, I'll give you one chance."
The bandits blinked in confusion.
"Run."
Silence.
Then—
"Hahaha! This brat thinks he can scare us!"
The bandits roared with laughter.
Scar-Face wiped a tear from his eye.
"Alright, I've had enough fun. Boys, kill him and—"
BOOM!
Before he could finish his sentence, Shen Tian moved.
Faster than the wind.
His palm shot forward—
A blast of golden force erupted!
The nearest bandit's chest caved in, sending him crashing into a tree, blood spraying through the air.
The laughter stopped.
"What—?"
Shen Tian's figure blurred—
SLASH!
A second bandit was decapitated, his head rolling across the forest floor before his body even realized it had died.
Scar-Face's pupils shrank in horror.
This… this was not human speed!
"What are you all standing around for?! Attack together!"
The remaining bandits lunged at once, unleashing their fiercest techniques.
Flames. Blades. Spears of lightning.
But Shen Tian… merely raised a single finger.
And then—
Time itself seemed to slow.
A golden glow erupted from Shen Tian's body, his presence swallowing the entire battlefield like a black hole.
In that moment, he was absolute.
The master of reality.
With a flick of his wrist, the surrounding space shattered.
The energy attacks froze in midair, twisting violently before being devoured by an unseen force.
Scar-Face's mind went blank.
This is not a human!
A monster.
A demon.
No, worse—a god.
Shen Tian stepped forward.
Scar-Face instinctively tried to run.
But before he could escape—
Shen Tian raised his hand.
CRACK!
The bandit leader's body imploded.
Not a single trace remained.
The last surviving mercenaries dropped their weapons, shaking uncontrollably.
"P-please… mercy…!"
Shen Tian tilted his head.
He had no reason to kill the weak.
"Go."
The bandits scrambled away, disappearing into the forest.
A deep silence settled over the battlefield.
Shen Tian exhaled slowly.
"…I'm still not used to this power."
Even though he hadn't even used one-tenth of his strength, the difference between him and those bandits was absolute.
He looked down at his palm.
How far would this power take him?
Would he reach the peak of immortality?
Would he become a god?
No.
That wasn't enough.
He would surpass gods.
Shen Tian turned and resumed his journey.
This was just the beginning.
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End of Chapter 4.