Safe and sound, Sa Min stepped out of the Wing family’s main hall and halted, squinting up at the blinding sun. Too bright. He really wished it didn’t exist. Like in the Sunless Plane, where he'd spent most of his life. Over the years, he had come to prefer the dark and cold, the quiet places with fewer people. But he couldn't just destroy the sun, could he?

He sighed, rubbing his left eye. I need to get some sleep, he thought, his body screaming for rest. An hour and a half should be enough... then back to cultivating.

There was no time to waste.

His bare feet sank into the wet soil as he made his way from the Wing family residence to the nearby inn, each step heavier than the last.

Inside, he approached the innkeeper’s desk, eyes half-lidded with exhaustion.

"Got any clean clothes here?" he said, leaning against the counter. “Anything will do.”

The innkeeper's eyes widened slightly in concern as he took in Sa Min’s appearance—his indifferent face filled with blood and bruises, his body caked in dirt.

Sa Min ignored the look, handing over 10 coins and the umbrella he had borrowed earlier.

The innkeeper nodded slowly. "We’ll surely find you some clothes. Are... are you alright?"

“I’m good,” Sa Min replied flatly. Without further exchange, he turned and made his way up to his room, leaving a faint trail of dirt behind him.

Once inside, he collapsed loosely into the chair, his gaze drifting out the window to the Wing family's courtyard, though his mind wandered elsewhere.

Every man born into this world is shackled by the chains of slavery, he mused silently. Whether they realized it or not, those invisible chains were always pulling them toward their fate. It was simply the way of things. Love, revenge, family, cultivation, wealth, sexual desire, hunger—every desire, every pursuit, everything around them, everything within them—twisted and influence their decisions, quietly binding them to a path not of their own making.

Like it or not, you were never truly free.

But there was one chain — the ultimate chain, as Sa Min called it — that surpassed all others. It bound every neck without exception.

This was the chain of death. If you could seize control of another's death chain, you effectively owned them.

Sa Min had managed to grasp the death chain coiled around the Wing family’s neck. Their lives were literally in his hands. But… he was too weak to control them as he wished.

It felt like a child grabbing onto the reins of a wild horse. impossible and extremely dangerous.

As much as they were slaves, people cherished the comforting illusion of freedom, believing they were in control of their own lives. They despised being controlled by others, especially when those others were weaker than they were.

Sa Min understood this deeply. He knew that if he had attempted to force the Wing family to bend to his will, they would have killed him—maybe not right away, but they would have once they found the right opportunity.

All is well, Sa Min sighed, glancing at the servant who finally arrived with a simple black robe. Convincing them that another group is searching for the Key is enough.

In fact, he hadn’t truly convinced them; it was the only logical conclusion they could reach. Sa Min had simply made sure they arrived at it. If he had managed to convince them of anything, it was that they needed him on their side.

He had explained to Wing Xieren that the reason he had been following his son was because he wanted to enter the Inner Domain, as it would greatly benefit his cultivation. That was the honest truth—no lies there.

Then, he had laid out his terms: the only way to guarantee his silence about their activities was to work for them. If he became one of their own, any reports he made would also mean reporting himself.

Wing Xieren had agreed to the arrangement, and one of his motivations was to get closer to Sa Min and uncover the identity of the other party involved.

Sa Min had made them need him, just as he had done with Sa Huiqing.

This was a favorable outcome for him.

Sa Min stood up casually to close the door. He reached into his soiled robe and pulled out the first-grade, low-tier Body Cleansing Powercube he had brought with him from the academy. After removing his dirty robe, he stood naked, ready for a much-needed cleansing.

Without hesitation, he infused a sliver of his pure force into the small sky-blue cube resting in his palm. The Powercube trembled in response, the black symbol on its surface glowing. In an instant, it launched itself from his hand, whirling around his body in a rapid cycle, from head to toe, scrubbing away the dirt and grime. It took just fifteen breaths to complete its task.

Once finished, the powercube returned to his palm, now black with the filth it had collected. The symbol on it was gone, indicating that its usefulness had been exhausted.

Sa Min set it aside and collapsed onto his bed.

Three days already, he thought, fatigue settling in. I need to buy two bottles of soul liquor for the Volcanic Black Rock Ka again once I wake up.

With that thought in his mind, he surrendered to sleep.

….

The sun was still shining brightly when Sa Min arrived at the academy. After getting the rest he needed, he’d headed straight to a cultivation shop, where he’d fed his Volcanic Black Rock Ka.

Now I’ve only got 521 force apples left, he thought while walking toward his dorm in the inner circle. With the current strength of his Ba, he only needed one force apple a day, maybe two at most, to cultivate. But he knew that by next week, as his Ba grew stronger, that need would double.

At this rate, he calculated that he would consume about 100 force apples in a month just for cultivation.

He frowned, knowing he also needed to purchase some basic powercubes to protect himself, especially since he wouldn’t be opening his essence core for another month.

Luckily, since searching for the Key for hours would take up a significant amount of his time—and time was a precious resource for cultivators—Sa Min had asked Wing Xieren to supply him with one force apple every day.

Wing Xieren had agreed without much thought.

While 1 force apple might seem insignificant, it was worth 6,000 gold coins—enough to sustain a family of five for a month in terms of non-cultivation expenses. To Wing Xieren, it was nothing.

Why hadn’t Sa Min asked for more? First, he didn’t want Wing Xieren to feel like he was being used, and second, he aimed to present himself as naive, as someone easily manipulated and controlled.

This way, Sa Min could subtly manipulate and control Wing Xieren.

If I’m not careful, these force apples are going to disappear in no time, Sa Min thought, frowning. I need to make sure I save some for after I open my essence core; I’ll need them to purchase Imprints and some Kas.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Now, he had three sources of income: one force apple daily from the Wing family, an allowance of five force apples monthly from the Sa Clan, and five force apples weekly from the academy.

That totaled about 55 force apples a month.

Sa Min sighed. That’s not enough. I need to find profitable ways to earn more force apples once I open my essence core.

The male inner disciples’ dormitories at the Cultivation Academy were a row of connected bungalows.

Sa Min stopped at his dormitory, the third one on the right. The door was closed, and he recalled his roommate, Xieng Zan, mentioning that they would be going on a mission yesterday. He reached into his new black robe for his key, and just as he inserted it into the lock, a deep voice called out from behind him.

“Where have you been all this time?”

Sa Min turned around.

A big, bearded young man stood bare-chested in the doorway of the opposite dormitory, sweat glistening on his muscular frame. It was Sa Wen.

"Your sister was here yesterday looking for you, but you didn’t show up," Sa Wen said between heavy breaths, clearly having just finished a round of cultivation. “She came back this morning.”

Sa Min frowned. “What does she want?”

“She wants me to let you know that your father has requested your presence in the clan.”

Sa Huiqing… Sa Min's frown vanished, replaced by a half smile. It must be about the Pointed Jade Box Ka, no doubt. He’ll try with me again.

He would also provide Sa Juan and himself with force apples for cultivation. However, Sa Min was certain that, unlike Sa Juan—who was the clan’s jewel—Sa Huiqing’s blessings were merely a way to persuade him to open the Ka.

This was indeed an opportunity for Sa Min to gain some of the force apples he needed.

But…

"Thanks for letting me know," Sa Min said with his cold voice as he turned back to unlock the door.

Sa Xen waved his hand and went back inside. "Gotta get back to cultivation."

With a sigh, Sa Min entered his dorm to cultivate as well.

….

As night fell, it was that time of day again. Wing Lian stepped out of his dormitory, dragging his gray, scratched, and rusty bike that he had brought with him to the academy earlier.

Tonight was different; this time he had a companion to pick up.

He hadn’t walked long before stopping outside a particular dormitory. He pressed the horn and called out, “Sa Min.”

A few curious disciples peeked out to see who had arrived on a bike. While bicycles couldn’t possibly compare to the rank 1 transport-type Yantras, their rarity and the fact that they required no pure force to operate made them quite desirable among weaker cultivators.

Moments later, Sa Min came out, looking much better than before. He was clean, dressed in fresh clothes, and his hair was nicely pulled back. But... with that expressionless face of his, Wing Lian found it impossible to read him.

Sa Min glanced at his bike, unimpressed, as he approached.

There were times Wing Lian felt like Sa Min didn’t care about anything at all, indifferent to the world around him. Other times, he was cold, angry, or serious. Sometimes even amused.

Wing Lian just couldn’t figure him out.

What the hell is up with him? he thought, but instead said, "Why so serious, man?"

His father had instructed him to get closer to Sa Min, to find out if the Lin family was truly the group behind him. Starting off with What the hell is up with you wouldn’t exactly be the best approach.

Sa Min remained silent as he settled onto the bike's carrier.

"You know, you remind me of a man from the past." Wing Lian wasn’t lying; there was something eerily familiar about Sa Min, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

Still, Sa Min said nothing.

Seeing no reaction, Wing Lian got on the bike and began to pedal slowly out of the academy.

Sa Min smiled to himself. He gave up that easily?

…..

After riding the bike down the mountain, they took the street running between the cursed zone wall and the Duo Clan territory wall. Once they emerged, they made their way to the front gate of the cursed zone and entered.

The city was quiet at this late hour, with only a few people scattered along the street.

Sensing the moment was right, Sa Min finally broke the silence. "Looks like you're quite the drinker," he said nonchalantly. "You know alcohol damages the Ba and shortens its lifespan, right?"

Wing Lian glanced over, startled by the sudden conversation.

Just as Wing Lian wanted to get close to Sa Min to figure out who he worked for, Sa Min had his own questions to uncover. How did they learn about the Key and its passway? Was it through an inheritance, or something else entirely? And most importantly, did anyone else know about the Key?

Sa Min was still in the dark about these matters.

"That's just nonsense," Wing Lian scoffed, chuckling. "Plenty of people have been drinking for years, and nothing’s happened to their Bas. Besides, I only drink to divert attention."

Sa Min hummed, unconvinced.

"I brought another bottle for you, too," Wing Lian added.

"You don’t need to drink that much," Sa Min said with a smile. "Just pour some on your clothes, and you’ll be fine. Or is something else driving you to drink? Guilt, maybe? For all those innocents you've killed? Or... could it be your sister?"

At that, Wing Lian suddenly pedaled faster; a nerve had been hit.

Sa Min could feel anger coming from his silence. If it weren't for his importance, Wing Lian would have undoubtedly stopped to fight him, just as he had done to anyone else who dared mention his sister.

The gentle night breeze tousled some loose strands of hair across Sa Min’s face. Family…he mused.

Families and clans were chains that held most people back. You could give a weak cultivator 10 force apples, and he would feel obligated to do anything you asked to repay you, even if he didn’t want to. Now, imagine the family that had brought you into the world, cared for you, and protected you when you were vulnerable.

Only a few could break free from such chains, and even fewer could escape the guilt that came with doing so.

“Look,” Sa Min said after a while. “Since I’m working for you now, I can get you into Sa Clan territory to search for the Key. Your sister doesn’t have to stay there if she doesn’t want to.”

Wing Lian turned back to him, suspicious. “How do you know she’s there to search for….”

Sa Min simply smiled.

“Don’t try to manipulate m—”

“I’m not trying to do anything. You could always ask your father. I just understand what it’s like to watch your family struggle while feeling powerless to help.”

Wing Lian frowned, confused by Sa Min’s unexpected openness.

“Sixteen years isolated in the city’s mountain, all I thought about was how to get my family out of that situation…” Sa Min said, a hint of warmth in his eyes. “I might seem to have a bad relationship with my sister, but believe me, I’ll do everything for her…she is after all… my only sister.”

Wing Lian's confusion deepened. He never thought he would hear Sa Min say something like that. I guess he is just a human being after all. Looking closer, he realized Sa Min was somehow like him. “I’ll let my father know, and we’ll see... I…I appreciate your words, though,” he said, his view of Sa Min had changed slightly.

Sa Min simply nodded.

…..

After some time, they arrived at their intended destination. The cursed area was notorious for its dangers, and Wing Lian halted at a street corner not far from the Investigation and Justice Bureau at the heart of the area.

With their level of cultivation, they only dared to comb through the safer neighborhoods, where they weren’t as worried about being robbed or attacked by gangs. The more dangerous parts of the cursed area were likely left to other Wing members with stronger cultivation levels, Sa Min figured.

Wing Lian secured his bicycle to a nearby pole, then opened his carefully stitched backpack. He pulled out two long black bottles. “Take this,” he said, handing one to Sa Min with a serious expression. "I’ll assume you know what it is."

Sa Min studied the bottle in his hand. It appeared normal, made of glass. Glass-Smallway, perhaps? “What Yantra does this Ka belong to?” he asked, then noticed Wing Lian pulling out a tiny bottle of booze, taking a swig before handing it to him.

“I have no idea.” Wing Lian chuckled. “Just spray one drop every five steps. And don’t spray when we’re within five steps of each other. We don’t have enough blood to waste. Oh, and make sure you don’t pass by where I’ve already walked.”

Sa Min splashed some alcohol on his clothes, handed the mini bottle back, and silently considered the plan. One drop every five steps, huh? They think this is what’s needed for the Key to react. But are they really sure, or just making assumptions? He raised an eyebrow and said, "Why don’t we take different paths? It’ll be more effective, save us time and all."

Wing Lian chuckled and strode off. After three steps, he stopped and turned back. “You're kidding, right?”

Sa Min only smiled at him, nonchalantly crossing over to the opposite side of the street.

He was walking on one side of the road, and Wing Lian on the other, looking like two pathetic drunks in the dark.

And so, with a drop of blood every five steps, Sa Min's quest for the Key that led to some immortal’s Inner Domain, had begun.