The room was in ruins.
Cracked walls, shattered furniture, and lingering traces of frost and explosive qi painted the aftermath of the battle. The air still carried a faint chill—mixed with something darker.
Jiang Chen leaned slightly against Lin Xue, his breathing uneven.
The cost of that last strike was far worse than he expected.
"…You're barely standing," Lin Xue said quietly, supporting him.
"I've been worse," Jiang Chen replied, though his voice lacked its usual steadiness.
Chen Yu let out a long breath as he slumped against the wall. "Yeah, well, next time try not to almost die while winning."
Han Wei chuckled, though his eyes were still sharp. "That last move… you're hiding something dangerous."
Zhou Yan didn't speak immediately. His gaze remained fixed on Jiang Chen, calculating.
"…That wasn't qi," he finally said.
Jiang Chen didn't deny it.
"No," he said simply.
Silence followed.
Zhou Yan nodded once. "…Then don't use it lightly."
Jiang Chen gave a faint smile. "I wasn't planning to."
Before anyone could continue, footsteps approached rapidly from the corridor.
Moments later, several Inner Clan guards and a pair of elders rushed in, their expressions tense as they took in the destruction.
"…What happened here?" one elder demanded.
Zhou Yan stepped forward before anyone else could answer. "Assassination attempt. Multiple attackers. Unknown origin."
The elder's expression darkened. "…Again?"
Jiang Chen straightened slightly, forcing himself to stand on his own. "They're targeting me specifically."
That drew immediate attention.
"…Explain," the elder said sharply.
Jiang Chen met his gaze calmly. "I can't. Not fully. But they're organized, adaptive, and not part of the Inner Clan."
The elder studied him for a long moment, then glanced at the others, clearly weighing the situation.
"…This is no longer an isolated incident," he said finally. "We'll report this to the upper council."
Another elder stepped forward. "Until then, Jiang Chen, you will remain under protection."
Jiang Chen frowned slightly. "Protection… or surveillance?"
The elder didn't answer directly. "…Both."
Han Wei smirked faintly. "At least they're honest."
Chen Yu pushed himself up. "So what now? We just sit around and wait for the next group?"
"No," Zhou Yan said calmly. "We prepare."
The elders exchanged glances before one of them spoke again. "…You all will be relocated temporarily. A secure area."
Lin Xue's grip on Jiang Chen tightened slightly. "…And if they attack again?"
"…Then we'll see what they're really after," the elder replied.
Jiang Chen's eyes narrowed slightly.
*They already know what they're after,* he thought.
*Me.*
---
Not long after, the group was escorted to a more isolated section of the Inner Clan—heavily guarded, quieter, and far more controlled.
Jiang Chen sat once more, this time in a sealed chamber meant for recovery. The moment he closed his eyes, the system flickered back into view.
**[Body Integrity: 36%]**
**[Meridian Damage: Critical]**
**[Origin Usage: Overload Detected]**
"…Worse than before," he muttered.
But beneath the warnings—
Something else pulsed.
Faint.
Waiting.
The Origin Thread.
Jiang Chen raised his hand slightly, staring at his fingers.
"…Authority…" he whispered.
He could still feel it.
That moment—when everything slowed.
When the enemy became… simple.
Controllable.
A dangerous thought formed.
*If I master it…*
Then—
He stopped.
The memory of the backlash hit him instantly.
Cracking bones.
Shattered meridians.
Near collapse.
"…Not yet," he said quietly.
---
Outside the chamber, Lin Xue stood alone in the corridor.
Her gaze was distant.
"…You're worried about him."
Zhou Yan's voice came from behind her.
She didn't turn. "…He's pushing too far."
"…He always has," Zhou Yan replied.
"…This is different."
Zhou Yan was silent for a moment before speaking again.
"…That power of his… it's not something you can control halfway."
Lin Xue's expression tightened slightly. "…Then he'll have to learn."
"…Or it will destroy him."
That possibility lingered between them.
---
Elsewhere—
At the edge of the Inner Clan, beneath layers of concealment formations—
A figure stood in silence.
Unlike the previous hunters, there was no haste in his movements.
No wasted motion.
Only stillness.
His eyes opened slowly.
Cold.
Focused.
"…Confirmed," a voice echoed faintly through a communication artifact.
"The target has engaged multiple units. Displays partial control."
The figure said nothing.
"New directive: Eliminate."
A pause.
"…Understood."
The artifact dimmed.
The figure stepped forward.
The space around him seemed to distort slightly—subtly, but unmistakably.
Far more stable.
Far more real.
"…So this is the one," he murmured.
Then—
He vanished.
---
Back within the Inner Clan, Jiang Chen's eyes snapped open.
His expression changed instantly.
Not pain.
Not exhaustion.
But something sharper.
More instinctive.
The system reacted:
**[Threat Perception Activated]**
**[Incoming Danger: Extreme]**
Jiang Chen slowly stood.
"…They've sent someone else."
Chen Yu, who had been resting nearby, blinked. "Already?!"
Zhou Yan stepped forward immediately. "…How strong?"
Jiang Chen didn't answer right away.
Because for the first time—
He wasn't sensing multiple presences.
Just one.
And that made it worse.
"…Stronger than the others," he said finally.
Lin Xue's eyes narrowed. "…How much stronger?"
Jiang Chen looked toward the door.
His gaze steady.
Serious.
"…Enough that this won't be like before."
Silence fell across the group.
Han Wei grinned slowly. "…Good."
Chen Yu groaned. "…You say that every time."
Zhou Yan exhaled quietly. "…Positions."
Jiang Chen stepped forward.
Despite the pain.
Despite the damage.
His aura began to rise again.
"…This time," he said,
"…we don't hold back."
---
Somewhere in the shadows of the Inner Clan—
A presence moved silently.
Closing in.
---
The hunt had entered a new stage.
---
And this time—
It wouldn't end with retreat.