Chapter 46: Into the Hunting Grounds

The wind became violent before they could reach the next ridge. Snow tore across the plateau in heavy sheets, prompting Leon to lower his head as another savage gust slammed into him hard enough to make his clothes snap aggressively against his body. Maya's mount staggered under the sudden visual whiteout.

"That's getting worse," she called out over the howling gale.

Another gust hit them immediately, and this time Leon felt his feet leave the ground for half a second before his weight settled back into the saddle. Lyra raised an arm, her expression hardening. "Inside."

They abandoned the trail temporarily and pushed toward the nearest rock formation. A narrow opening appeared between two massive slabs of frozen stone, barely large enough for the mounts to squeeze through. Inside the crevice, the roaring wind became distant. The cave wasn't comfortable, but it was dry shelter. They settled into the familiar watch arrangement: Lyra slept first, Maya took the first watch, Adrian followed for the second, and Leon took the last.

While the others slept, Leon opened the manual Lyra had given him to study the foundational scripts of the Sage Arts. He had spent the previous day learning the basic principles, and now he finally had enough control to attempt something practical.

He released a thin, controlled thread of Qi, drawing carefully along the cave floor and adjusting its properties so that the Qi lines didn't dissipate and held their form against the cold. Leon directed the energy forward, crossing it with a second thread, and then a third. He worked methodically, mapping out lines, angles, spacing, and frequencies.

His Sage Eyes activated, and the ordinary appearance of the Qi transformed under his vision. He could see subtle distortions that would have been invisible otherwise; some arrangements remained perfectly stable, while others immediately collapsed into drifting motes. Leon adjusted a single line, and the entire structure shifted in response. He added another, and the Qi began vibrating with localized energy.

He stopped, thought, and then tried again. He was actively understanding the precise mechanics of why it worked. A thicker line could carry more raw Qi, while a thinner line could serve as a precise directional channel. Some arrangements stabilized the flow, while others redirected it; some could be expanded, while others were better suited to monitoring or control.

Leon spent hours experimenting with the variables. Maya eventually woke for her turn and found him sitting in the corner of the cave, completely surrounded by faint geometric patterns glowing softly in the dark. She watched him silently for a while before speaking.

"You're still awake."

Leon didn't look away from his work. "Yes."

"How long?"

"To finish? I feel like I'm not far," Leon replied as a line flickered on the edge. He immediately adjusted the flow, and the pattern stabilized. "I am almost there."

A simple formation took shape on the stone floor. Leon stared at it. It was basic—almost embarrassingly basic—but it was real. A foundational structure capable of controlling, monitoring, and expanding the flow of Qi through a larger arrangement. It wasn't impressive on its own, but it was a perfect framework; a foundation that could eventually become the central hub of something far more complicated.

Leon smiled. "First formation."

Maya smiled too, leaning her back against the cave wall. "Congratulations."

Leon dismissed the praise. "Now I need to figure out what I can build on top of it."

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By morning, the storm had weakened enough for them to travel. Leon had completed nine more background cycles, and the second stage of the Bloodline Awakening Foundation Realm was officially complete. His meridians felt structurally different again—denser and more capable, with his total capacity reaching eight units now. Maya and Adrian had also managed to maintain Sage Breathing throughout their sleep, and the difference was obvious; neither needed to consciously force the rhythm anymore, meaning Sage Breathing was fully mastered for them. It was time to start Sage Guidance, as the loop simply happened naturally.

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They continued forward. The wolf's trail led them farther from the familiar wasteland, and the landscape became noticeably harsher. The tracks eventually entered a territory marked by deeper claw impressions, causing Lyra to pull her reins.

Leon looked at her. "What's wrong?"

She stared ahead at the shifting snow. "Grade One territory."

Adrian's expression tightened, and Maya looked toward the fading trail. "Are we turning back?"

Lyra didn't answer immediately. Something was bothering her, but she couldn't place her hand on the discrepancy. Leon felt it too; something was fundamentally wrong with the environment. There was no obvious sign or anything he could explicitly point to, yet the atmosphere felt deeply unnatural.

Lyra tightened her grip on her weapon. "We keep moving."

They entered the high-tier zone. The first creature appeared less than ten minutes later, and then another. A massive crab emerged from behind a rocky ridge, its shell covered in a thick layer of frost. A second followed immediately, and then a third. Leon recognized the species instantly.

"Gazer Crabs."

But these weren't the juvenile pairs they had encountered before; these were fully matured adults. Their bodies were enormous, armored shells carrying a single grotesque eye above their backs, with translucent tendrils disappearing beneath the thick plates.

The carriage-wheel eyes opened simultaneously, and the surrounding world distorted visually. Leon felt the mental shockwave before he even understood what was happening.

"Don't look directly at them!" Lyra shouted.

She vanished forward, blurring into the pack. The first crab's massive claw came down with a heavy thud, but she slipped beneath the arc and struck, cracking the thick shell. Another beast charged from the side, but Lyra twisted around the momentum and drove her weapon straight through its exposed joint.

Leon drew Maya's saber. He had never relied on a weapon before, but now he had a reason to test his new theory. Purple light flowed through his muscles in Boost Mode, green circulated through his blood in Self-Reliance, and yellow spread beneath his skin in Bitter Strength. Finally, his Sage Eyes illuminated the sword in his hand, channeling his stored Qi straight through its steel edge.

Leon moved. The first crab swung its scythe, but he stepped aside, the claw passing close enough to tear his sleeve. His reinforced sword cut across the exposed joint, the blade biting significantly deeper than it physically should have. Leon followed up with another strike, and then another. His movements weren't elegant yet, but they were deliberate; he was actively learning the ergonomics of the weapon as he fought, letting the saber become an extension of the same principles he had spent days understanding.

The adult Gazer Crab screamed. The eye on its back flashed, and Leon felt a sharp mental shock slam into his skull, causing his vision to blur. He forced his concentration back into place through his Qi buffer.

"Annoying," he muttered.

He swung again, and the silver-sheened blade cut cleanly through the damaged shell. Around him, more crabs emerged from the crags. There were too many. Lyra was still tearing through the ranks, but even her immense speed was being forced to give ground against the sheer volume of the swarm.

Leon looked past the line toward the wolf. It was already running, utilizing the chaos. "Of course."

The Spirit Wolf had used them as a distraction, vanishing between the cliffs. Leon started after it, but a massive crab blocked his path. He struck it, the blade cracking its shell, but another instantly appeared behind it. Leon retreated, checking his parameters.

The situation was becoming impossible; they were being surrounded.

"Lyra!"

"I know!" she shouted, landing directly beside them in a flurry of snow. 'I can cut through them easily on my own but the recruits can't keep up. We have to retreat.' Lyra sighed and said "We relocate!"

Leon glanced toward the direction the wolf had disappeared. He hated leaving the trail, but continuing meant getting completely buried beneath a pack of Grade One beasts. "Fine."

They withdrew, moving at a fast trot. The Gazer Crabs didn't pursue them far, remaining firmly within their territory to watch and wait. Leon looked back once. The feeling he had experienced before entering hadn't disappeared; if anything, it felt stronger. Something about this place had been wrong from the beginning, and now the wolf was gone.