The Horned Sheep lowered its head slowly, steam puffing from its nostrils as it scraped one hoof against the forest floor.
It was a herbivorous demon beast—low level, commonly hunted—but standing this close, its presence felt anything but harmless. Thick brown fur covered its muscular body, and four massive horns curved outward from its skull like natural weapons forged for destruction.
"They're extremely territorial," Nie Li said calmly, eyes never leaving the beast. "They don't attack without reason—but once you step into their domain, they won't stop until the threat is gone."
From behind a tree, Du Zhe swallowed hard.
"So… basically," Karma muttered, peeking from the brush beside Nie Li, "it looks peaceful right up until it decides to kill you."
As if offended by the comment, the Horned Sheep snorted and lifted its head.
Its eyes glowed red.
At that exact moment—
"WHY AM I THE BAIT?!"
Lu Piao came sprinting out from the trees, arms flailing wildly as the Horned Sheep thundered after him, each step shaking the ground.
"Nie Li actually used me as bait?! Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!!"
"Focus!" Du Zhe hissed, raising the crossbow with trembling hands. "If he doesn't move, it'll step into the trap and fracture its leg!"
Karma leaned against the tree, arms crossed, watching Lu Piao zigzag in terror.
"…He's moving," Karma observed dryly.
Lu Piao screamed and swerved hard to the side.
The Horned Sheep followed.
Du Zhe shot and arrow towards the beast the arrow landed.
—but not where it was supposed to.
The beast leapt clear, hooves slamming down just beyond the mechanism.
Du Zhe's eyes widened.
"It dodged?!"
"DU ZHE!" Lu Piao howled. "YOU MISSED?! YOU ACTUALLY MISSED?! I'VE REALLY MADE THE WRONG FRIENDS—AAAAHHH!!"
The Horned Sheep roared.
This time, there was no hesitation.
Its muscles bulged, veins pulsing beneath its fur as it charged—not recklessly, but with terrifying focus.
"It's mad," Du Zhe muttered, hands shaking as he tried to reload. "Not enough time—!"
Lu Piao tripped over a root and fell hard onto his back.
The Horned Sheep closed in.
Too fast.
Too close.
Karma's expression changed.
For the first time, the lazy grin vanished.
"…Tch."
He stepped forward without thinking.
There was no chant. No visible energy surge. Not even intent.
Just instinct.
The air around the Horned Sheep shifted—barely perceptible, like the world itself hesitating for half a heartbeat.
The beast's charge faltered.
Its massive body dipped unnaturally, hooves digging deeper into the earth as if the ground had suddenly grown heavier.
Not enough to stop it.
But enough.
Lu Piao scrambled backward, staring in horror.
"What—why did it slow down?!"
Karma exhaled sharply, fingers curling slightly at his side.
"…That better not give me a headache later," he muttered.
"Now!" Nie Li shouted.
Nie Li's crossbow was already raised.
His breathing steadied.
The world narrowed.
Click.
The bolt flew.
It struck cleanly—piercing deep into the Horned Sheep's flank, right where the prepared drug had soaked into its bloodstream.
The beast let out a strangled roar.
Its legs buckled.
Momentum carried it forward—but strength abandoned it mid-charge.
With a thunderous crash, the Horned Sheep slammed into the ground, skidding across the forest floor before coming to a violent halt.
Silence followed.
Leaves drifted down slowly.
"…Dead?" Lu Piao whispered, afraid to breathe.
The Horned Sheep twitched once.
Then it went still.
But Nie Li wasn't looking at the beast.
His eyes were fixed on the space just before where the Horned Sheep had charged.
That moment.
That impossibly brief hesitation.
Others would call it luck.
Timing.
Coincidence.
Nie Li knew better.
For a split second—so small it barely existed—the weight of the world had shifted.
Not enough to stop the charge.
Not enough to reverse momentum.
Just enough.
Enough to bend the trajectory.
Enough to give the bolt its opening.
Enough for the sheep to die.
Nie Li's fingers tightened around his crossbow.
That pressure…
That feeling…
His mind was dragged backward—far beyond Glory City, beyond this life, beyond even the ruins of the Divine Realm.
Back to a throne of jade cracked by blood and lightning.
Back to a man who stood beside him against the Sage Emperor.
Back to the Jade Emperor—laughing even as the curse ate away at his soul.
Karma.
You used it.
Nie Li slowly turned his head.
Karma stood nearby, hands resting on his hips, breathing slightly heavier than normal. His expression was relaxed, almost lazy—like someone who had merely stepped aside from danger.
He had no idea.
No awareness.
No memory.
The Jade Emperor's authority over gravity—now reduced to a flicker, buried so deep it surfaced only as instinct.
Nie Li looked back at the fallen Horned Sheep and smiled inwardly.
Karma noticed the look and frowned slightly.
"…Why are you staring at me like that?" he asked.
"If you're about to say I saved the day, I'm gonna deny it. Hero work is exhausting."
Nie Li shook his head calmly.
"No," he said. "You just moved out of the way."
Karma shrugged.
"Yeah. I'm good at that."
If only you knew, Nie Li thought.
If only you remembered what kind of emperor you once were.
Du Zhe stared, stunned.
"Never imagined the drug would be that effective…"
Nie Li lowered his crossbow, calm as ever.
"It wasn't just the drug," he said quietly.
Karma turned his head slightly, avoiding eye contact.
"…Guess teamwork counts," he said lightly.
Lu Piao looked between the fallen beast, Nie Li, and Karma.
"…I survived," he said weakly. "I really survived."
Karma smirked.
"Try not to get used to it."
Nie Li allowed himself a small smile.
"Hurry up and clean it. We only want the horns, the fur around the neck, the demon crystal, and the demon spirit itself." Nie li said.
As Du Zhe worked, his excitement grew. Nie li continued.
"The horns alone can sell for five Demon Spirit Coins!"
"The neck fur goes for three!"
"And the demon crystal—five more!"
Du Zhe eyes lit up as he clenched his fist.
"If we keep hunting like this… we could earn thousands in a single day!"
Nie Li nodded, already moving.
"We need to be faster. No resting tonight."
Lu Piao's soul visibly left his body.
Karma laughed.
"Careful, now. If he collapses, you're carrying him."
That night, beneath the crescent moon, the forest echoed with movement.
Another Horned Sheep charged.
Another fell.
Du Zhe fired.
Nie Li calculated.
Lu Piao screamed and distracted.
And Karma—sometimes tripping over roots, sometimes tossing sarcastic commentary—
"Left! LEFT! Unless you want to get skewered!"
—always appeared exactly where things almost went wrong.
By midnight, their hands were numb and their clothes soaked with sweat.
Yet none of them stopped.
By dawn, sacks of materials piled high.
Seven consecutive days passed.
During the day, they attended classes—faces blank, eyes hollow.
At night, they returned to the training ground like ghosts.
Even teachers noticed something strange.
"The number of Horned Sheep has dropped sharply," one student whispered.
"I heard the school sent people to investigate… but found nothing."
The forest remained silent.
Too silent.
On the eighth night, Lu Piao collapsed onto the ground.
"I'm dead tired," he groaned. "Seven days! I'm sleeping. I don't care if the sheep eat me!"
Du Zhe yawned loudly.
"I also need sleep…"
Nie Li nodded.
"You guys look for a safe place to sleep first. We'll stop hunting tonight there is no need to come tomorrow. I have other plans."
Lu Piao jumped on the tree's branch.
Du Zhe "hey, wait for me"
Lu Piao " i can finally have a nice long sleep!"
Nie Li slowed his steps and glanced sideways.
"What about you, Karma?"
Karma stretched lazily, hands laced behind his head, eyes half-lidded as he looked up at the dark canopy above. "I'll sleep later," he replied casually. "Night's too quiet to waste."
Nie Li's lips curved into a knowing smirk. "I was thinking the same thing. I want to explore a bit further—maybe I'll find something interesting."
He tilted his head. "Want to join?"
Karma chuckled softly. "Exploring with you usually means trouble," he said. Then, without hesitation, "Alright. Let's go."
The two slipped away from the main path, their footsteps muted by thick grass and fallen leaves. The forest grew denser as they moved deeper, twisted roots and towering trunks blocking out what little moonlight remained.
Nie Li slowed suddenly.
"I'll go explore further," he whispered. "Maybe I'll run into something… interesting."
Karma stopped beside him, his relaxed posture tightening just a little. "Careful," he murmured. "This place feels… off."
Nie Li nodded and moved ahead, brushing past hanging vines. Then—
He froze.
"There's something there?" he muttered, turning slightly.
Karma stepped closer, his gaze sweeping the shadows between the trees. "…It's a human," he said quietly.
Nie Li frowned. "Who else would come into the training grounds so late at night?"
They shifted behind a thick tree trunk as a faint presence moved through the undergrowth ahead.
"Let's take a look," Karma whispered.
They crept forward until the trees thinned.
"There's a clearing here," Nie Li breathed.
The moment he pushed aside the last layer of leaves, his eyes widened.
A brilliant blue light flared in the center of the clearing—pure, radiant soul force rising like a living flame.
Karma's expression sharpened, amusement completely gone. "That glow…" he murmured. "That's not normal."
Nie Li stared, stunned. "This light… this soul force…"
His pupils trembled. "This person should be entering Bronze Rank soon."
From within the blue radiance, a figure stepped forward—slender, calm, wrapped in flowing energy that danced like fire yet felt gentle and pure.
Nie Li sucked in a sharp breath.
"Xiao Ning'er…?"