People in Stone Creek had lived with a false sense of what it meant to wield power. To them, it was all about brute strength, loud and brash-the stuff of which bullies like Zhang Bai were made. But Lin Feng was reworking that paradigm. True power, he knew, was silent, insidious. It need not be yelled; it needed only to be felt.

By the third day since his public display in the village square, whispers spread like wildfire. The crippled orphan who was unable to defend himself had risen as a cultivator-to be more precise, as a wielder of dark qi. And it reflected in the eyes of each one every time Lin Feng would walk the streets.

He loved it.

---

The elders of Stone Creek were in a dimly lit hall at the edge of the village. It smelled of damp wood and incense, heavy with foreboding. Elder Zhou sat at the head of the table, his cane resting across his lap. Around him sat six other elders, each representing a prominent family.

"We cannot continue to ignore this," Zhou started in a low, firm tone. "Lin Feng has brought disorder into this village. This must be dealt with before his influence grows further."

One of the elders leaned forward, a round man with a patchy beard. "But he's a cultivator now, isn't he? We've never had one among us. Perhaps we could… guide him. Bring him into the fold."

Zhou's face blackened. "You fool, you saw what he did to Zhang Bai. That boy's power is dangerous, and it doesn't come from any righteous source. No, Lin Feng is a threat, and threats must be eliminated."

The other elders all murmured in agreement, though a few looked uneasy.

"How do you propose we do it?" asked another elder.

Zhou's lips twisted into a cold smile. "Lin Feng may be cultivating, but he's still young and inexperienced. He'll fall easily if we strike swiftly. I've already contacted a mercenary from the Iron Fang Syndicate. He'll arrive tomorrow."

---

The following night, Lin Feng sat in his hut, poring over the Soul Devourer Manual. His cultivation was improving, though it was extremely slow. Its first stage required him to refine the black qi into stable currents that could flow through his spiritual veins. The process was excruciating, as the cursed energy resisted every attempt to control it.

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A light breeze blew through. Lin Feng's eyes snapped upwards; in an instant, his senses had perked. The candle flame danced across the room, and that instant it felt so much colder.

Someone was there.

Lin Feng stood noiselessly, his fingers touching the uneven piece of wood from the table he had kept with him. It wasn't much, but it was something.

"Show yourself," he said, his voice low but with an edge of a cut.

The shadows stirred, and a figure stepped into the diffused light. He was tall and lean, clad in black armor with a wolf insignia etched on his breastplate. His face was obscured by a mask, but his eyes shone with a predator's intensity.

"You must be Lin Feng," he said in a deep voice as smooth as silk. "Compliments of Elder Zhou."

With that, he pounced.

---

Lin Feng barely had the time to react. His blade whirled in a crazily fast arc and whizzed right over his shoulder, because he twisted out of the way. The man was really going too fast for Lin Feng's thin body to react against.

But Lin Feng had faced quicker opponents in his past life; he knew that battles weren't won with strength or speed - they were won with the mind.

The mercenary struck again. He moved in quick, accurate jabs and cut-thrusts, each meant to eliminate a foe. Lin Feng ducked and rolled, using the cramped space of the hut to his advantage. The man's blade smashed into the wall, sending splinters flying.

"You're quick for a beginner," the mercenary said, his tone almost amused. "But you're still just a cripple playing at being a cultivator."

Lin Feng's lips curled into a smirk. "Is that what you think?

Flicking his wrist, he sent a tendril of black qi forth. The cursed energy coiled around the mercenary's blade, eating away at the metal. The man cursed, releasing the weapon just as Lin Feng darted forward, driving the jagged wood into his side.

The mercenary staggered back, blood seeping from the wound. His eyes burned with fury. “You’ll pay for that.”

Lin Feng didn’t give him a chance to recover. He channeled the black qi into his legs, propelling himself forward with surprising speed. His fist slammed into the man’s chest, sending him crashing into the wall.

The mercenary collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. Lin Feng stood over him, his gaze as cold and hard as iron. "You were sent to kill me. Didn't they tell you who I am?"

He glared up at Lin Feng, refusing to give up pride even in defeat. "You're nothing but a worm acting like a dragon."

Lin Feng knelt beside him, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Then let me show you how a worm survives."

He pressed his hand against the man's chest, channeling the black qi into his body. The mercenary's eyes widened as the energy consumed him, drawing out his life force and transferring it into Lin Feng's dantian.

When it was over, the mercenary's body slumped to the ground, ashen and without life. Lin Feng rose to his feet, calm and relaxed; his cultivation base much stronger.

---

Next morning, the village center was quite busy. It was here that a cluster of villagers congregated around an unpleasant-looking spectacle: the impaled mercenary's body with a large stake in between the legs. The stake at the top read:

> "To those who seek my life: think carefully."

The elders were as white as sheets, standing safely inside their hall. Elder Zhou's hand was trembling, clutching his cane in his fist.

"This… this cannot be allowed to continue," he stammered. "The boy is a demon."

The rest said nothing. Their silence spoke volumes. Lin Feng had sent them a loud and clear message.

---

In his hut, Lin Feng sat cross-legged, going over the events of the night in his mind. He had crossed a line-took a life for the first time since his reincarnation. But instead of the guilt that should overwhelm him, he felt only satisfaction.

The Soul Devourer Manual pulsed beside him, its pages glowing faintly as if in approval.

"This is just the beginning," Lin Feng murmured. "Stone Creek was never my destination. It's merely the first step."

He flipped to the next chapter in the manual, the words seared deep into his mind.

> "Devour or be devoured. Such is the way of the heavens."

Lin Feng's smile was grim. The heavens would learn to fear his name.