Era of Mist

The atmosphere shifted in an instant.

A bleak wind kicked up, causing the large lamp over the kebab stall to sway, its light and shadows dancing erratically.

Zhou Nan looked around, his eyes narrowing. He, too, sensed that something was amiss.

It was too quiet.

From the depths of the darkness, from the distant mouth of the alley, from some nameless, shadowed corner, a malicious gaze seemed to be watching. A simmering killing intent was closing in fast from an unknowable direction.

A sudden instinct made cold sweat break out on Zhou Xiong’s forehead.

His eyelid twitched. He shot to his feet and hissed urgently, "Go!"

His boys also sensed something was wrong and quickly followed Zhou Xiong out of there.

"I’m outta here. We can have our little contest another time." Liu Shufeng smoothed back his hair, but he ran off even faster than Zhou Xiong.

"Hey! The bill! Settle the bill first!" the stall owner shouted at Zhou Xiong’s retreating back. Zhou Xiong disappeared quickly without a word. The owner just shrugged. "See? Told you I wouldn’t be getting that money."

Then he turned back and saw Shi Tiexin, still sitting there as if he owned the place, leisurely eating a large kebab. "You’re not leaving?" he asked, curious.

Shi Tiexin ate his meat and drank his tea, as calm as if nothing was happening. "You aren’t leaving either."

"I just grill kebabs. What’s any of this got to do with me?" The stall owner was completely nonchalant. "But you... you’re really not going? That young man next to you is practically vibrating with fear."

Zhou Nan was indeed trembling beside him, looking left and right like a frightened rabbit, seeing danger in every rustling leaf. That was just his nature; he was good at hatching sinister plots from the sidelines, but he’d cower the moment things got real. The one saving grace was that even though he was shaking from head to toe, he didn’t run.

Having served the tea and sworn fealty, the kid at least knew the meaning of the word "loyalty."

Shi Tiexin didn’t spare Zhou Nan a glance, but he was inwardly pleased. He went on eating his kebab. "If they’re here for the others, there’s no need to go."

The owner asked with keen interest, "And if they’re looking for you?"

"Then there’s even less reason to."

He was still so composed, as steady as a rock. His composure was so absolute that Zhou Nan, who had been a nervous wreck, gradually calmed down. Watching the unflappable Shi Tiexin, Zhou Nan once again felt the immense gap between them. ’A true badass is a true badass. It’s not something you can fake.’

"Interesting. Quite confident, aren’t you, young man? In that case, you can pay the bill."

"I’m not the one who invited everyone."

"But you’re the one who ate. Eight people were eating, and you ate half of it yourself." The owner pointed to the nearly empty platters. "The guy buying ran off, but you’re still here. If you don’t pay, am I supposed to eat the cost?"

"Fair enough. But I don’t have any money."

"Not a single penny?"

"Nope." Shi Tiexin polished off the last kebab, downed a cup of tea, and patted his stomach. "I was invited out to eat. Why would I bring any money?"

The last wisp of primitive vital energy emerged. His entire lower abdomen was now filled, brimming with a hundred wisps of it. The wisps were like mist, separating and merging without any definite shape. Yet as the vital energy circulated, it gave off a sense of perfect, self-contained harmony.

The first stage of Essence Nurturing—Essence Storage—was complete.

HUM... HUM... HUM... Like a warning light flashing, Shi Tiexin instinctively knew his consciousness was about to return to his original timeline. He had no idea what would happen to this world’s Champion Scholar Stone after he was gone.

’Will the Mind Energy cultivation base remain? Will he go back to his old life? Will he be able to test back into the elite class like he wanted? Will I ever come back? And if I do, will things have changed again?’

Shi Tiexin didn’t know the answer to any of these questions.

But in their short time together, some changes had undeniably taken root, altering the path Champion Scholar Stone was originally meant to walk. He’d been demoted to a trash class, but he’d also gotten the local delinquents under control. He was on his teachers’ blacklist, but he’d also tied for first place in the entire school. He’d made zero progress in his high school curriculum, but his fundamentals were now much more solid than before.

There were pros and cons. Shi Tiexin couldn’t say whether his arrival had been a blessing or a curse for Champion Scholar Stone.

But one thing was certain.

The Force Arts cultivation would absolutely remain within this body, within this possibility.

’Champion Scholar Stone, thank you for everything. I’ve gained a lot from my time here. Now that I’m about to leave, let me give you a little something you don’t have...’

Focusing his mind, the hundred wisps of primitive vital energy in his lower abdomen began to spin, slowly at first, then faster and faster. The hundred wisps of energy were like a school of fish chasing each other’s tails, churning the depths of his body into a whirlpool that spun with ever-increasing speed.

The primitive vital energy accelerated, then accelerated again, becoming like a typhoon, a maelstrom, consuming vast amounts of energy. The kebabs in his stomach weren’t fully digested yet. While they couldn’t produce any more primitive vital energy, they provided a steady stream of fuel, allowing the spinning vortex to churn without any sign of fatigue.

’Having high-grade, essence-nourishing food is amazing!’

’The last time I broke through the Essence Storage stage, it was an incredible struggle, and I barely managed to succeed. But now... listen!’ There were no physical sound waves, yet Shi Tiexin’s eardrums seemed to ring with a hum like a turbocharger spooling up. It went from a gentle thrum to a fierce roar, growing more powerful by the second.

Before, he was like a worn-out ox cart running on fumes. This time, he was a Hummer with a full tank of gas. No matter the obstacles or pitfalls ahead, this Hummer could plow right through and crush them all.

HUMMMMM! The thrumming grew stronger. At the core of the spinning primitive vital energy, a semi-corporeal nucleus rapidly formed. This nucleus was only the size of a soybean, and wisps of energy were continuously injected into it as they spun and compressed. It transformed from an illusory mist into a dense, semi-solid state.

’This is it! The sign of breaking through Essence Storage—the process of condensing vital energy!’

As Shi Tiexin silently focused on his inner cultivation, the stall owner watched him without a word. After a moment, he took out another cigarette, CLICK, and lit it with a smile. "Heh, what do you know. Looks like my money’s coming back to me."

Zhou Nan started, looking around frantically. A moment later, he saw people stumbling back. As they staggered closer, into the light of the stall’s lamp, Zhou Nan realized with a jolt of anxiety that it was his own brother, Liu Shufeng, and their crew.

They were all retreating backwards, facing away from the stall. The faces of the four boys were masks of tension and panic!

’What’s going on?!’

A chaotic shuffle of footsteps echoed from all directions. Figures emerged from the darkness—shirtless, tattooed punks with bleached-blond hair. Hefting clubs in their hands, they sneered and leered as they closed in, forcing Zhou Xiong and the other five back toward the stall.

At a rough glance, there were more than twenty of them. A dense, dark mass in the shadows, they were a terrifying sight.

’Wh-what’s happening?! Why is it such a huge ordeal?!’

"Zhoooou.... Naaaan?" A familiar voice called out from the depths of the darkness. "Good. I have you to thank for luring him out."

Zhou Nan couldn’t help but cry out, "Teng Chaoguo?!"