The wind blew steadily across the dusty road as Jin rode with a completely bored expression on his face. If any ordinary traveler had looked at him closely, they might have questioned his sanity: the young man wasn’t holding the reins, nor was he even sitting in a conventional manner. Instead, he remained in a lotus position atop the saddle, arms crossed within his sleeves, back straight and eyes half-closed as if meditating on a mountain peak rather than traveling along a commercial road.

  Surprisingly, he had not fallen even once.

  He hadn’t even ridden a horse in his previous life, but the body of a cultivator was something else entirely. His balance was absurd, his center of gravity seemed anchored to the world itself, and his adaptability made every movement of the animal feel natural. By the second day of travel, he could adjust his posture with simple shifts in muscle tension, as if he had been born on horseback.

  Even so… he was deeply bored.

  Two full days on the road and absolutely nothing worth mentioning. No bandits, no spiritual beasts, no arrogant youths looking for trouble. Just open fields, scattered forests, and from time to time, merchant caravans or solitary travelers passing by. Some stared at him strangely when they saw him meditating on the horse; others simply assumed he was some eccentric cultivator and continued on their way without daring to observe too closely.

  Jin sighed inwardly.

  “I thought traveling through the cultivation world would be more exciting…” he reflected with mild disappointment. He remembered the stories he had read: chance encounters, ancient inheritances, unexpected ambushes. Instead, the only thing he had encountered so far was dust.

  He opened his eyes slightly and looked toward the horizon.

  According to his calculations, he was on his second day of travel. If there were no errors in the mental map he had formed, he should be able to see the city where the family who commissioned the mission resided at any moment. He was no longer far; the flow of travelers had increased slightly, a clear sign that he was approaching an urban area.

  The horse snorted softly, maintaining its steady pace.

  A few hours later, as the sun began to tilt westward, Jin finally caught sight of his destination. In the distance rose gray stone walls, visibly lower and less imposing than those of Blue Cloud City. In fact, compared to that vibrant metropolis, this place seemed more like a large settlement than a true city. Even the city at the foot of the Eight Heavenly Peaks Sect surpassed this place in both size and presence.

  Still, the structure was solid. Modest watchtowers, iron-reinforced gates, and a steady—though not excessive—flow of merchants and travelers entering and leaving.

  Jin shifted out of his lotus posture and adopted a more conventional seat on the horse before approaching the northern entrance. The robe he wore now—white, with delicate cloud-patterned trims and a bearing far more elegant than the simple attire of an outer disciple—drew slight attention, though it was not ostentatious. As expected, two guards crossed their spears in front of him to stop him.

  “Halt. Identify yourself and state your purpose,” one of them said firmly.

  Jin showed no irritation. He allowed the horse to slow and casually indicated the token hanging from his waist. It was his original outer disciple badge from the Eight Heavenly Peaks Sect, the one that had survived everything that had happened.

  The guard barely glanced at the token… and his expression changed immediately.

  His eyes widened in surprise, and he withdrew his spear almost at once, taking half a step back.

  “D-Disciple of the Eight Heavenly Peaks Sect! This subordinate… this subordinate did not intend to offend,” he said nervously, bowing his head slightly.

  The second guard quickly imitated the gesture.

  “Please, you may pass freely. No further inspection is necessary.”

  Jin raised an eyebrow slightly at the sudden change in attitude but said nothing. He nodded calmly and rode into the city without further obstacles.

  As he passed through the gate, he couldn’t help comparing these guards’ reaction to those in Blue Cloud City. There, though respectful, they maintained a much firmer composure, as if accustomed to dealing with high-level cultivators and influential figures. Something similar occurred in the city at the foot of the sect: the respect was evident, but it did not verge on fear.

  Here, by contrast, the mere sight of the token seemed enough to make an ordinary guard tremble.

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  “Interesting…” Jin thought as he guided the horse down the main street, observing the simpler buildings and the considerably less sophisticated atmosphere compared to the major cities he had seen. “It seems that in smaller places, the name of the sect carries far more weight.”

  He adjusted the pouch at his side and directed his gaze toward the heart of the city.

  Now he only needed to find the family that had commissioned the mission.

  After advancing a few streets, Jin slowed the horse and began calmly asking a few passersby. He did not need to insist much; upon mentioning the Han family, several people pointed toward the city center with expressions that mixed respect and a certain caution. Apparently, they were not only prosperous merchants, but one of the most influential forces in this relatively small place.

  With a clear direction, Jin headed toward the heart of the city. The streets became slightly wider and the buildings somewhat more refined. No one stopped him along the way. In fact, something curious happened: a pair of rough-looking men, who seemed to be evaluating passersby as if searching for trouble or easy prey, changed their attitude the moment they noticed the token at his waist. Their gazes shifted instantly, their bodies stiffened… and like mice spotting a cat, they simply stepped aside.

  Jin observed the scene with a neutral expression, though inwardly he felt a small—very small—disappointment.

  “Not even an attempt?” he thought with mild irony. “What a lack of spirit.”

  It wasn’t that he truly desired trouble, but a part of him—the one that had grown up reading countless cultivation stories—had expected some kind of cliché scene before reaching his destination. Apparently, the mere weight of the sect’s name was enough to keep most people in a place like this in check.

  Finally, he arrived before the Han family residence.

  The main gate was flanked by two dark wooden columns and a wide door reinforced with metal plates. The property occupied a considerable portion of the block, with high walls protecting the interior and well-maintained tiled roofs visible from the outside.

  Large?

  Well… compared to the rest of the city, yes, it was large. Even imposing by local standards.

  But from Jin’s perspective, having seen the vast expanse of the Feng Clan in Blue Cloud City—and clearly remembering the courtyard where he had awakened after his battle against the crimson wolf, a mere secondary courtyard within a much more powerful clan—this residence seemed no more than… modest.

  “Hmm… about the size of the Feng Clan’s backyard,” he evaluated mentally, without real arrogance, merely comparing scales.

  Even so, he did not underestimate the place. In a city like this, the Han family must carry considerable weight. He straightened his back atop the horse, adjusted the pouch at his side, and advanced toward the main entrance.

  It was time to complete the mission.

  A few steps before reaching the entrance, Jin gently pulled the reins and the horse slowed to a stop before the imposing main gate. He dismounted naturally, adjusted his robes, and walked with calm steps toward the guard standing watch.

  The man was robust, broad-shouldered and thick-armed, with a spear resting against the ground. His expression was already impatient even before Jin opened his mouth.

  Jin inclined his head slightly, prepared to politely ask if someone from the Han family could be notified that he had come regarding a mission requested from the sect. However, as soon as he took another step, the guard extended an arm and stopped him abruptly against the chest.

  “Hey! Stop right there!” he growled in a rough voice. “What’s a brat doing in front of the great Han family? Get lost, kid. This isn’t a place for games.”

  The words continued, but in Jin’s mind they began to lose shape. They were sounds… loud, disordered, like repeated barking without much substance.

  Jin opened his eyes slightly, surprised.

  Not out of anger.

  But out of genuine disbelief.

  Since leaving the sect, most of the people he had encountered—guards, merchants, travelers—had shown at least a minimum of sense upon noticing the insignia at his waist. Even in a smaller city, the outer disciple token had been enough to soften attitudes and open doors.

  For a moment, Jin had truly begun to think that arrogant idiots were more of a cliché from stories than something common in reality.

  Well… to be honest, he had started his journey in a relatively high social environment. The Feng Clan, the sect, Blue Cloud City… places where, at least on the surface, rules and hierarchies were clear.

  Perhaps that had given him a somewhat… distorted perspective.

  He blinked once, processing the scene before him.

  The man was still talking, growing more irritated at the lack of reaction.

  Jin tilted his head slightly, not in submission, but with an almost contemplative calm.

  Ah.

  So they did exist.

  Jin watched the man as he continued barking, his thick voice heavy with disdain echoing at the entrance as if trying to impose itself more through volume than authority. For a moment, the young man simply looked at him, and then a faint smile appeared on his lips. It was not open mockery nor restrained anger; rather, an almost childlike curiosity. After all, he had always wanted to try something like this.

  With the same calm with which he had intended to ask about the Han family, he spoke in a polite, even cordial tone.

  “For someone so arrogant… what cultivation level are you at?”

  The question fell like a stone in the middle of the noise. The robust guard fell silent. He had not expected that. And upon meeting the boy’s smile, he could not explain why a chill ran down his spine. He hesitated only a second before responding, as if the inertia of his own pride compelled him to do so.

  “I’m at the fourth level of Qi Condensation.”

  Jin nodded slowly, as if evaluating something important.

  “I see…” he murmured thoughtfully. “Very well. Clench your teeth.”

  The guard frowned, confused. He did not have time to react. In the next instant, the young man was no longer in front of him, but at his side. There was no explosion of energy, no dramatic display of aura; only a clean, precise movement. Jin raised his arm and, with an open palm, delivered a sharp smack to the top of the man’s head. The impact was enough to send the robust guard’s face slamming into the ground with a dull thud, dust rising around him.

  Silence returned with almost absurd naturalness.

  Jin looked at the unconscious man at his feet and flexed his fingers slightly, as if testing the sensation.

  “Good… that feels very good. I wanted to slap you, but I think a light tap on the head is better, don’t you think?”

  The guard, of course, did not respond.