Chapter 11: Black Mist Jade

The footsteps of the disciples echoed faintly through the Dark Wind Valley, mixing with the whispering wind and the thick gray mist.

Yanzhi, along with Mei Jiu and Bai Lin, headed deeper into the valley, toward the heart where the Black Mist Jade was said to be most concentrated.

Meanwhile, the support group, led by one of the senior disciples, was sweeping the outer edges, keeping wild beasts and stray ghouls at bay. Among them was Han Ye—a sharp-tongued disciple with a reputation for being blunt and refusing to work with anyone for too long.

It didn't take long for Han Ye to get fed up with the slow pace of his team.

"Slow and noisy. If this is what they call a plan, I'd rather trust the wind," he muttered, turning away and heading off on his own, following nothing but his instincts.

Back on the main path, Yanzhi felt something off when they reached a sharp bend covered in swirling black mist.

"Wait," he said, stopping in his tracks. "There's a trace of energy here... but it's different."

Mei Jiu grabbed his arm.

"Don't be stupid. That's not on the approved route."

"I'm just going to check. Keep going—I'll catch up," Yanzhi said shortly.

He stepped off the path, moving down a narrow rocky slope. The mist hung thick and low, blocking his vision beyond a few meters. The ground was damp, trees growing wild and dense, and the spiritual energy here felt... strange.

"This place... it's too quiet," he whispered.

The spirit inside him hissed.

"Quiet doesn't mean safe. Sometimes, quiet means something is waiting."

Suddenly, through a tangle of roots and scattered stones, Yanzhi spotted a faint glimmer—a dark blue shard half-buried in the ground.

He crept closer and found a small jade badge etched with an unfamiliar symbol. It didn't look like any sect's insignia. A thin chill seeped from it.

"This doesn't belong to any sect," the spirit said sharply.

"A spirit seal... a relic from before your sects even existed. It was probably used to keep something locked away."

Yanzhi didn't even have time to respond before the air around him shifted.

WHOOSH.

From behind the mist, a dark figure lunged—too fast for any normal person. Claws slashed toward him from the side. He threw himself back just in time, but the edge of his robe tore open.

"An attack?!"

The creature came into view—humanoid, but with burning red eyes, ash-gray skin, and a feral aura. Not a disciple. Not a beast. Something in between, like a man twisted by a hungry spirit.

"A soul ghoul... leftovers from an old curse," the spirit inside him said coldly.

"If this thing's out here, the seals in this valley are starting to weaken."

Yanzhi stepped back quickly, summoning flickers of spiritual fire to his hands. But the ghoul wasn't alone.

Two more figures emerged from the fog, closing in with twitchy movements and ragged breaths.

Yanzhi gritted his teeth.

"Three against one? That's overkill for a little test, don't you think?"

Flames flickered around his palms. But he knew—his body wasn't fully recovered. A head-on clash would cost him.

The first ghoul lunged, fast and reckless. Yanzhi dodged to the side, blasting a small burst of fire into the ground to clear the mist for an instant.

In that brief opening... he saw a larger shape standing motionless deeper in the fog. Someone—or something—was watching.

"Yanzhi," the spirit murmured, voice low and edged with warning. "This isn't just a test. You just opened an old door that was meant to stay shut."

The mist thickened. Strange whispers and low growls echoed between the stones and roots. Yanzhi crouched, breath heavy, sweat dripping down his temple.

Around him, the three ghouls circled, patient hunters waiting for the right moment.

His flames pulsed weakly in his hands. Too much energy had drained away since they entered the valley. The spiritual field here felt like it was draining him, bit by bit.

"I can win..." he muttered, but even he didn't sound convinced.

The first ghoul charged.

Yanzhi leapt aside, throwing a thin jet of flame—but the ghoul's claws slammed into his shoulder, knocking him sideways into a rocky outcrop.

"Yanzhi! Focus!" the spirit barked.

He pushed himself up, unsteady, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. The other two ghouls didn't wait—they lunged at the same time.

He raised his hands, but his fire barely flickered. Too slow.

WUSSH.

A sudden blur cut through the valley's edge. A sharp gust like a blade ripped the air. One ghoul was flung back, crashing against the stone wall.

The second one tried to pounce but was struck by another blast of slicing wind from above.

Yanzhi coughed, looking up.

A young man with messy black hair and sharp eyes like drawn steel stepped closer.

Without a word, the newcomer flicked his hand. A spiral of wind gathered around him—then slammed into the remaining ghouls, sending them crashing into the rocks, destroyed in an instant.

Yanzhi staggered, staring at the boy through ragged breaths.

"You..."

"Still standing?" the boy asked, voice flat.

"I didn't need help," Yanzhi snapped back, half scowling.

"Obviously," the boy shot back dryly. "Looked like you were about to win any second now."

His tone was sharp, but not mocking—more like an honest evaluation.

He stepped past Yanzhi without a backward glance, then paused, looking slightly over his shoulder.

"Name's Han Ye. Don't get it twisted—I just hate seeing people lose where they're supposed to prove themselves."

Then he walked away, leaving Yanzhi alone in the hushed valley, chest heaving—but now with a new question burning behind his eyes.

The spirit inside him clicked its tongue, unimpressed.

"Tsk. Dramatic entrance. All flash."

Yanzhi sighed in his head, still catching his breath.

"Did you see that? He took down two ghouls in one move."

"And? I could burn half this valley in my sleep. That was child's play."

Yanzhi wiped blood from his lip.

"You really do have a gift for insulting everyone."

Spirit:

"Most deserve it. Including that noisy brat—what was his name again?"

"Han Ye."

"Fits him. I hope he doesn't pick a fight with you. I'd be offended if people thought you two are equals."

---

Yanzhi's steps felt heavier as he forced himself to keep moving. The fog in the Dark Wind Valley didn't thin out at all—if anything, it felt thicker, pressing on his skin and seeping into his bones. The damp ground dragged at his feet, and the spiritual energy in the air seemed to eat away at his strength bit by bit.

But he didn't turn back. The last fork in the path was too far behind him now, and his pride was too stubborn to let him return empty-handed.

Beyond a low ridge tangled with old roots, he finally saw it—a faint crack in the earth, pulsing with a dull blue-black glow under a thin layer of moss and dust.

"Black Mist Jade," he breathed out, relief flickering in his chest.

He stepped closer and reached out, pressing his palm lightly against the stone—

CRACK.

A sharp splitting sound echoed in the hush of the valley. The ground around him suddenly belched out a thick, pitch-black mist. This wasn't normal fog—this was poison. Yanzhi choked as his vision blurred and his knees buckled. The toxic vapor clawed at his lungs, and his spiritual power stuttered like a dying flame.

"Idiot," the spirit inside him hissed. "You triggered its protective seal."

Yanzhi tried to back away, but his legs felt like lead. The poisonous fog coiled around him, pinning his power inside his body.

"Damn it… I can't even light a flame like this."

In the corners of his vision, shadows began to take shape—half-formed wraiths born from the rotting resentment buried in the valley for centuries.

Yanzhi staggered. His breaths came shallow and ragged. One more step and he'd hit the ground—

WHOOSH!

A cutting wind tore through the poisonous fog from above, splitting it like paper.

"Seriously, why is it every time I come by, you're seconds away from dying?"

The flat voice came from a boulder overhead. Han Ye landed lightly beside him, moving like the wind wielding a blade. He flicked his hand and a thin vortex of air swirled around them, pushing the poison back and clearing the space around Yanzhi.

Deep in the Dark Wind Valley, another fight was just beginning.