The moon hung high in the inky black night sky, its pale luminous glow casting an ethereal light over the vast open grasslands.

The tall grasses danced in the gentle night breeze, swaying hypnotically back and forth. The distant croaking of ravens echoed hauntingly, piercing the stillness of the night.

Flickering torch lights bobbed in the darkness, carried by shadowy figures giving chase to a lone man. The dancing flames cast elongated, distorted shadows that seemed to stretch endlessly across the undulating terrain.

The pursuers' ragged breaths escaped in misty puffs as they ran relentlessly, their feet pounding the earth.

"Damn it! What kind of devilish martial art is that?!" one of the pursuers cursed through gritted teeth. A faint azure aura of Qi enveloped his feet as he propelled himself forward with bursts of speed.

He wore a dark gray martial robe with blue stripes that whipped around his body. His eyes narrowed, locked on the elusive figure ahead clad in a long black hanfu with a bamboo hat obscuring his face.

Strangely, the man in the bamboo hat did not run, but rather seemed to glide effortlessly across the ground as if weightless, mocking the frantic pursuit. He moved with an almost supernatural fluidity, slipping through the air faster than his pursuers could chase despite their speed having been enhanced by the Qi.

Four other figures flanked the cursing pursuer, each garbed in differently colored hanfu that rippled like silken banners in their wake. Jians hung at their waists, the blades glinting in the torchlight, and they too carried blazing torches aloft, casting a warm orange glow on their determined faces.

"By the heavens! How much stamina does that damned pig have?" another pursuer growled, his breath becoming ragged and labored. He glared daggers at the fleeing man who continued to weave an infuriatingly winding path through the grasslands, almost as if taunting them with his effortless evasion.

The rest of the pursuers fared no better, their faces twisted in frustration and fatigue. None had managed to gain ground on their quarry despite their enhanced Qi speed. In the distance, the faint outline of the Kunlun Qiuxiu village rose into view, the terrain gradually ascending towards it.

They knew once their chase neared the village, they would be forced to abandon their pursuit lest they risk alerting those of Kunlun.

"Damn!" One of the men spat out a guttural curse of pure vexation. As if spurred on by his outburst, the shimmering Qi auras around their feet intensified from a faint glow to a bubbling, roiling torrent of energy.

Their speed increased dramatically, kicking up a cloud of dust as the five pursuers surged forward in a desperate final burst, determined to run down their infuriatingly elusive prey.

However…

"H-How is this possible?!" one of the pursuers shouted in disbelief, his eyes widening as the man they chased seemed to inexplicably increase his speed even further.

What made the sight even more maddening was that they could discern no shimmering aura of Qi around the feet of the elusive figure in the bamboo hat—he appeared to be sliding along effortlessly, propelled by some unknown force or technique that only enraged them further.

This meant the infuriating man was achieving such unnatural swiftness using only the capabilities of his physical body and some strange martial art rather than enhancing his movements with Qi.

As if acknowledging the sheer impossibility of what they witnessed, the rest of the pursuers, despite still running with Qi-powered strides, began to involuntarily slow their pace. They exchanged bewildered glances with furrowed brows and looks of consternation.

"7th realm martial artist?" one of them muttered under his labored breaths, eyes narrowing suspiciously at the fluid, graceful movements of their quarry.

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"No, that cannot be," another immediately countered, shaking his head adamantly. "If he were truly so formidably skilled, why is he fleeing from us like a hunted beast?"

"And do not forget," a third pursuer growled through gritted teeth, "that scoundrel butchered my men in cold blood! Even if he has ascended to the 7th realm, I will confirm the extent of his abilities with my own eyes!"

None of the pursuers had yet unveiled their true, full power and martial arts skills, relying only on enhancing their speed through crude Qi augmentation. The reason was that each was cautious of the others, wary of revealing too many of their skills in the Tower. Who knew when they might be stabbed by their comrades?

This was the rule of unorthodox martial artists.

Suddenly, to their collective astonishment, under their vision, instead of continuing his path straight toward the Kunlun Qiuxiu Village, the man in the bamboo hat abruptly veered off course.

He angled his fluid slide down a descending slope, heading away from the village and directly toward the treeline of the dense forest looming ahead. The unexpected detour left the pursuers momentarily stunned and wrong-footed.

"What a fool!" one of them barked out a harsh laugh, lips twisting into a mocking smirk as the others joined in with derisive chuckles and nods of agreement.

They found it highly amusing, almost pitiable that their quarry had run himself into what seemed to be an inescapable dead end in those woods, for nothing but the sheer cliffs of a waterfall awaited him there.

...

A short time later, the thunderous roar of falling water crashing into a stream filled the air as the five unorthodox martial artists neared the source of the sound. The moon shone its brilliant white light over the scene unfolding at the base of the tall waterfall.

The pursuers strode forward with self-assured smirks plastered on their faces as they spotted the man in the bamboo hat cornered against the nearby waterfall.

"Well, well, well," one of the pursuers drawled menacingly, his voice dripping with venomous disdain. "Looks like our little mouse has finally run out of holes to scurry into." A cruel sneer twisted his lips as he took a calculated step forward.

He was a man in his thirties with a jagged scar marring one eye, clad in a long, flowing dark gray martial robe with azure blue stripes. The torch he had carried lay discarded, and instead he now gripped a jian in his calloused hand - the blade flickering with an ominous glow of pulsating dark energy.

The inky blackness shrouding his sword seemed to almost absorb the surrounding shadows, shifting and undulating like a living thing. It was unmistakably the manifestation of Sword Aura - proof that this particular pursuer was a martial artist of at least the 5th realm.

"Surprised, you miserable cur?" the scarred man sneered, his good eye narrowing to a disdainful slit as he took another purposeful stride forward. His gaze burned with that same sinister dark light, and his entire body was wreathed in a faint shimmering aura of protective blue Qi.

"How utterly foolish and arrogant you were to kill our Elder. Did you really think a worthless dog like you could escape the wrath of the Night Mountain Sect?" His words dripped with equal parts disdain and threat.

"Don't kill him," another voice cut in, smooth yet laced with an undercurrent of steel. "At least, not yet. Leave him in a condition where he can still speak."

A younger man in his twenties emerged from the shadows, his long hair bound in a tight ponytail. He too was garbed in the dark robes of a martial artist, though his bore crimson red stripes. With a casual wave of his hand, he summoned forth a small wooden crate from which five rats suddenly scurried, immediately scattering off into the surrounding forest.

"Shut up! How dare you order me around!" the Night Mountain disciple snarled, rounding on the younger summoner with undisguised hostility and challenge burning in his eyes.

The other man met his fury with an icy stare, seeming utterly unperturbed as he slowly rose from his squat, Qi already gathering in his upturned palms.

"What? Are you trying to pick a fight with me?" the hot-headed Night Mountain disciple taunted, his voice laced with a goading lilt as his fingers tightened around the hilt of his sword. "Come on then!"

Provoked, the summoner wearing the black-striped robes inhaled deeply, clearly preparing to unleash his own abilities as the tension between the two martial artists ratcheted up another notch.

However, before the internal clash between the hot-headed Night Mountain disciple and the collected summoner could escalate into actual violence, the rest of their pursuers appeared, immediately quelling the confrontation with stern glares and barked reprimands.

"What is this?" One of them questioned sharply, his tone laced with disdain and authority. "Are we going to let that rat escape while bickering amongst ourselves?"

He was an imposing man garbed in a simple yet elegant black hanfu, a long scarf wrapped securely around his neck. Two jians hung at his waist, the hilts peeking out from the folds of his robes. His gaze was as cold and indifferent as his words as he scolded the squabbling pair.

"Remember our Lord's warning - both your sects could be erased with a single word if you cannot put aside your petty rivalries."

"Hmph!" The Night Mountain disciple sneered, cursing vehemently under his breath before rolling his eyes and refocusing his attention on their cornered quarry.

The man with a scarf, seemingly the leader, also shifted his piercing stare to study the figure in the bamboo hat - the one they had been relentlessly pursuing for nearly an hour across the open plains.

'He's too calm...' the man with the scarf thought, his eyes narrowing as he glanced about their environment with heightened caution.

The dense shadows of the forest closed in around them on all sides. They had him completely encircled and cornered - there was no escape.

"It's clear, there's no other living being nearby," the summoner stated flatly, addressing the scarfed man as the handful of rats he had sent scurrying off returned unharmed before dissipating into faint wisps of bluish Qi.

Still, the scarfed man frowned deeply, his sharp gaze moving between the motionless figure and their surroundings, clearly sensing something amiss his companions had failed to detect. Two of their group stood sentry at the sides, weapons ready, while another guarded the rear path they had come from - everything outwardly seeming secure and accounted for.

And yet...the leader's eyes were drawn inexplicably to the cascading torrent of the waterfall itself, sizing it up with a scrutinizing look.

In the next instant, the man pulled his scarf up to cover his mouth and nose before inhaling deeply. Qi burst forth from his body in a faint radiant aura as he swiftly unsheathed the twin jians at his waist, the blades igniting in brilliant waves of molten red energy reminiscent of lava.

"Get ready!" he shouted in warning to his companions, his stance low and coiled like a venomous serpent about to strike.

Suddenly, from high above, a multitude of shadowy figures rained down towards them with startling swiftness.