The screams of Yang Kai became fainter,
His leg... what remained of his leg... was a mangled mess now.
Chen Wu couldn't look away.
The Alpha stood over Yang Kai's convulsing body, blood dripping from its jaws and those eyes fixed on Chen Wu and Su Ling.
Like saying.
You're next..
Behind them, the pack of young wolves were still fighting, relentlessly pressing the attack on Zhao Wei and Liu Chen. The two disciples barely holding on.
Su Ling stepped forward, her hands moving as she gathered qi around her palms.
"Barrier Art - Iron Shell!"
In an instant, spiritual energy crystallized before her, forming a translucent wall between them and the Alpha.
However, the Alpha didn't hesitate, charging at full speed and then slamming into the barrier with three massive strides — the Barrier Art held for barely two seconds before it shattered like glass, fragments of spiritual energy dissipating into nothing.
Su Ling stumbled backward from the backlash, her face went pale.
The Alpha closed the distance.
"Su Ling, move." Immediately Chen Wu grabbed Su Ling's arm and yanked her aside, the two of them rolling just as the Alpha's claws came down, tearing through the ground where they'd been standing and leaving deep gouges in the earth.
Su Ling recovered first, her hands moving again, faster this time.
"Qi Needle Strike!"
And in an instant, five thin needles of condensed spiritual energy materialized in the air around her, each one about the length of a finger, glowing with pale blue light.
She thrust her palm forward and all five needles shot toward the Alpha.
They struck the it's shoulder, flank and hindquarters.
Yet the Alpha didn't even flinch, the needles sank barely an inch before dissolving into fading strands of spiritual energy.
The wounds they left were superficial at best
Foundation Establishment techniques against a Core Formation beast. It wasn't enough.
Su Ling's expression twisted with frustration. "It's too strong!"
The Alpha's paw came up, aimed straight for her face. but Chen Wu's sword intercepted it barely
Steel met claw.
The impact sent shock through his arms and his blade screamed in protest.
Chen Wu didn't hold the clash. He activated his movement technique and a burst of qi shot through his legs.
"Cloud Step!"
He shot backward five meters, dragging Su Ling with him. The Alpha pursued, each of its strides covering twice the distance Chen Wu could manage with his technique.
They were going to die, all of them.
Chen Wu's mind started racing, trying to find ways out of this situation — Lin Mei was down, Yang Kai was dying, the other disciples were overwhelmed, and on top of that, Su Ling's Arts couldn't penetrate the Alpha's cultivation level advantage.
And Chen Wu himself was nearly out of spiritual essence, almost empty from the earlier fighting.
There was nothing left.
And yet… how could this be the end for the chosen one?
At that very moment, his system had already begun working, desperately trying to save its host.
Ping….
[ Inheritor in a serious situation.]
Achievement unlocked…
Calculating rewards..
[Temporary Ascension Token]
One-time use item.
Seeing this item on his screen, a glimpse of hope flashed in his eyes and without hesitation, he immediately used it.
[Temporary Ascension Token]
[Effect: Elevate cultivation to Core Formation realm for 10 minutes. Warning: Extreme exhaustion and qi depletion after use.]
Chen Wu's hand closed around empty air, the gesture that activated system items — and then he shattered the token, power flooded through him, hitting like tidal waves.
His Foundation Establishment cultivation base cracked and expanded, reforming at a higher level: Core Formation, temporary but real.
Chen Wu's entire body burned with spiritual energy, his meridians feeling like they were on fire, his qi reserves weren't just refilled, but rather doubled.
Meanwhile, the Alpha sensed the change and stopped mid-charge, those intelligent eyes narrowing.
Chen Wu's sword started glowing, white spiritual energy wrapping around the blade like a living flame.
He moved and the Cloud Step movement technique at Core Formation level was completely different, crossing meters in a single burst and appearing directly in front of the Alpha.
His sword came down and the Alpha tried to dodge it.
Too slow. The blade cut deep into its shoulder, through fur and muscle. The Alpha howled and lunged with its jaws, but Chen Wu was already gone. Another burst of movement carried him behind the creature.
From there his sword struck again, carving across the hindquarters and leaving another deep wound.
The Alpha spun, trying to track him but Chen Wu was everywhere, moving so fast he left afterimages, each strike of his glowing blade opening new wounds —
Shoulder — Flank — Leg — Neck.
The Alpha's regeneration couldn't keep up anymore. The wounds were too many. Too deep.
It tried to retreat, backing toward the forest.
Chen Wu cut off the escape. Another burst of speed carried him straight into its path.
"You're not leaving." — his voice came out cold and hard, nothing like his usual tone.
The Alpha snarled desperatly, spiritual energy gathering in its throat. One of its abilities. But how could Chen Wu let it finish.
He charged with his sword raised, qi pouring into the blade until, the Alpha met his charge with jaws open wide and claws extended as they collided.
Chen Wu's sword plunged into the Alpha's mouth, through the roof of its throat and up into its skull.
Its momentum carrying it forward and driving the blade deeper, they crashed to the ground together, the Alpha on top and Chen Wu underneath.
For a moment everything was still, then Chen Wu felt it, the Alpha's cultivation base collapsing and its spiritual energy dissipating.
it was already dead.
Chen Wu pushed the massive corpse off himself and struggled to his feet.
His temporary Core Formation cultivation was already fading, draining away with every passing second. The ten minutes weren't up yet, but the intense combat had accelerated the process.
Around him, the pack of wolves were already scattering into the forest, their leader dead and with no reason to stay.
Chen Wu stood there, breathing hard.
Then the exhaustion hit. His legs gave out and he dropped to his knees.
His cultivation base was reverting, Core Formation collapsing back down to Foundation Establishment but it felt wrong, like something had been stretched too far and couldn't quite snap back into shape.
"Chen Wu!"
Su Ling rushed toward him, her face smeared with blood and dirt.
She dropped to her knees beside him and quickly checked him for injuries.
"Are you hurt? Are you—"
"I'm fine. Just... tired."
"That power. What was that? You were Core Formation for a moment. How did you—"
"Just a technique" He couldn't tell her about the system.
"Is everyone..."
Su Ling's expression darkened — "Yang Kai is barely alive and Liu Chen is trying to stop the bleeding. Lin Mei is unconscious and Zhao Wei has some injuries but nothing critical."
Chen Wu closed his eyes.
"We need to get him to the sect. To Elder Han. If we don't..."
"I know. We'll move at first light."
Chen Wu nodded and tried to stand but failed and Su Ling caught him, helping him stay upright.
"You did it," she said quietly, "you killed it, you saved everyone" — trying to encourage him but had he though?
Yang Kai had lost his leg and the village was completely destroyed, this didn't feel like a victory.
Still, the Alpha was dead, the pack had fled and the mission was technically complete.
A system notification appearing in his vision.
______
[QUEST COMPLETE: Investigate Iron Fang Wolf Attacks]
Calculating rewards
500Spirit Stones,
Sword Art Manual - Intermediate Grade]
[Additional Achievement: Defeated Core Formation Beast While Foundation Establishment]
Bonus Reward: Cultivation Technique - Blade Resonance Method
________
The notifications kept appearing, rewards stacking up — but Chen Wu dismissed them with a thought as exhaustion overwhelmed him completely, his vision blurring. Su Ling caught him before he fell,"Chen Wu!"
She helped him move toward where the others were gathering. Yang Kai lay and the wounded were being treated..
As they moved, Su Ling's grip on him tightened slightly.
The last thing he felt before
unconsciousness took him, her arms closing around him, pulling him closer, even if it didn't quite feel like an embrace.
Six days had passed—Clouded Peak Sect.
I sat in my prison cell, staring at the system screen floating.
[CHOSEN ONE PROFILE: CHEN WU]
[Recent Quest Completion: Investigate Iron Fang Wolf Attacks - SUCCESS]
[Rewards Acquired: Multiple]
[Current Status: Recovering from temporary cultivation elevation]
[Corruption Progress: 50% - STALLED]
Chen Wu had completed the quest while he had been sitting in a prison cell for six days on false charges that no one had even bothered to properly investigate.
I closed the system screen. My eyes shifted to the iron bars and my hands clenched into fists.
Expression calm and neutral.
Suddenly the eyes went cold, fixed on the bars with an intensity that wanted nothing but a corpse.