Chapter 27 - New Challenges

De-Reece spends the first few days tending to Solar, keeping her wounds dressed and ensuring her qi circulation stabilizes. She has yet to fully wake during the first day, her body still mending from the brutal battle against the rogue cultivator. Every few hours, he checks her breathing, making sure the pills he has given her are working.

He does not emerge from the cave for the first two days, using that time to reinforce the formations and replenish his exhausted qi. The backlash from infusing his own blood into the alchemy process has left his meridians sluggish, his body weaker than it has been in weeks. Only by relying on his crafted recovery pills and intense meditation does he regain his footing.

By the third day, Solar's eyes flicker open.

She is sluggish at first, her usual sharp gaze clouded by exhaustion. But as the hours pass, she begins to stir more, her appetite returning, and with it, the steady hum of her presence in his mind.

"You're always getting into trouble, huh?"

Her telepathic voice is dry, amused—but laced with relief.

De exhales, brushing a hand down her now thicker fur, feeling the lingering warmth of her healing qi. "I could say the same to you."

She huffs, curling her tail around herself.

By the fifth day, she moves freely again. Though still weak, she insists on walking, stalking the cave's perimeter as if she needs to prove to herself that she has survived.

De uses the next week to train, reinforcing his body while slowly increasing his stamina. His right-hand node is finally stable after breaking through to the seventh node, but his control over his new strength is still lacking.

With each passing day, he practices—not just his fists, but his blade as well.

By the second week, he knows it is time to leave the cave.

The wolves are no longer a challenge. He has memorized their pack formations, their patterns, their strengths and weaknesses. Their bodies now only serve as a means to increase his qi and refine his battle instincts.

Which means he needs something greater.

Something stronger.

Solar lays stretched beside him, her violet-lined mane rising and falling with steady breaths. She cracks open an eye, sensing the shift in his resolve.

"You're ready to go deeper."

De finishes tying his wrist wraps, exhaling a slow breath as he sheaths his sword.

"Yeah. We're wasting time here."

Solar rises, shaking herself free of the night's stillness.

And so, they move.

Moving deeper into the forest's heart, De feels a distinct shift.

The dense foliage of the inner forest is silent, save for the steady rustling of leaves underfoot. De moves cautiously, his senses sharper than ever. He has been hunting the past few days, testing himself against the wolves that once nearly killed him, but now?

Now, he barely breaks a sweat.

Even Solar, walking beside him, seems restless.

"These fights bore me now," she murmurs through their link, her new form moving with a quiet grace.

De smirks but doesn't respond. She is right.

There is no challenge anymore. And without a challenge, there is no growth.

He pauses as his eyes catch something new—deep claw marks etched into the bark of a tree, the grooves running unnaturally deep. The scent of blood lingers in the air, fresh but faint, carried by the humid breeze. De kneels, pressing his fingers to the disturbed earth.

A struggle.

Something has died here recently.

"Not wolves," Solar murmurs in his mind, her ears flicking toward the north. "Something bigger. Stronger."

De nods, standing. His grip tightens around the hilt of Cheon Ma Sin Gun's blade resting at his side.

"Let's go find it, then."

They follow the scent of blood and decay, moving deeper than they ever have before. The forest changes around them, the air thickening with an oppressive weight.

Then, they see it.

The carcass of a forest bear—ripped open, entrails spilled across the forest floor. Its body is still warm. The kill is fresh.

De exhales slowly. This isn't the work of wolves.

"Something's watching us," Solar warns, lowering her stance, her fur bristling.

Then, in the next breath, a shadow moves.

Fast.

A blur of black and silver streaks between the trees. De barely has time to react—he twists, feeling the rush of air as massive claws rake the space where his head had just been.

He lands in a crouch, blade flashing out, his eyes locking onto their attacker.

The creature stands just beyond the clearing, muscles coiled beneath sleek, obsidian-black fur lined with jagged silver streaks of bone protruding from its shoulders. Its amber eyes burn with intelligence, its long, wicked claws glistening with fresh blood.

A Duskrend Striker.

De feels his pulse quicken. He has heard whispers of these creatures from passing traders—solitary apex predators, built for speed, strength, and precision. Their claws can rend through steel like paper.

This…

This is the kind of fight he has been looking for.

The Duskrend Striker lunges.

De steps into Shadow Phantom Steps, his body flickering just out of reach as razor-sharp claws rip through empty air. He barely has time to twist before the beast corrects itself mid-air, twisting unnaturally as it aims another strike at his back.

Before De can react, Solar intercepts, slamming into the beast's side like a bolt of violet lightning.

The impact sends both creatures skidding, the forest floor tearing beneath their claws and paws.

Solar lands first, her stance low but firm, golden-violet eyes burning. The Duskrend rolls and recovers, its silver-lined fur bristling, amber gaze locked onto both of them.

De narrows his eyes. It is smart.

It has already adjusted to their speed.

And worse—it isn't afraid.

De tightens his grip on Cheon Ma Sin Gun's sword, his muscles coiling.

"This thing's on a whole different level than the wolves."

Solar's mental voice echoes in his mind, sharp and focused.

"It's a predator, De. If we let it dictate the fight, we're dead."

He exhales.

"Then we don't let it."

The Duskrend Striker moves first—because of course it does. It is the hunter.

It comes at Solar first, recognizing her as the bigger immediate threat. But this time, they are ready.

De moves first.

He is already in motion before the Striker even reaches her.

In one seamless step, he weaves past Solar, raising his sword.

The Striker reacts, jerking away mid-lunge, but not before De's blade carves a deep cut along its flank.

The beast snarls, its momentum broken.

Solar capitalizes immediately, darting forward, fangs glowing faintly with infused qi, striking at its already injured side.

The Duskrend howls as Solar's teeth sink into its shoulder, her qi flaring in response.

It thrashes violently, trying to shake her off—but she holds firm.

For the first time, it is desperate.

De sees his opening.

He doesn't hesitate.

His qi surges, pouring into the blade, its purple lines igniting once more, but this time, it is different.

Darker. Heavier. More refined.

His seventh node pulses, the energy flowing cleanly for the first time.

The Domineering Demon Sword Style demands precision, not just power. And De? He has been made for this.

"Faster. Stronger. Ruthless."

With a single breath, he steps in.

One clean, decisive cut.

His sword carves through flesh, muscle, and sinew, slicing into the beast's exposed side.

The Striker howls.

Its form jerks violently before collapsing, its body writhing as its qi shatters from within.

De exhales.

It is over.

The forest falls silent, the weight of battle lingering in the air.

De watches as the Duskrend Striker's body finally stills, blood pooling beneath its fallen form.

Solar stands beside him, her breath coming quick but steady.

"That was…" she starts but doesn't finish.

De rolls his shoulders, exhaustion settling in now that the adrenaline is fading.

"A real fight."

The path ahead is still long.

But after this?

He is ready for whatever comes next.