Grey Rift Valley lay beyond the outer mountain.
A place where mist never fully cleared and the ground cracked like broken glass.
Kael arrived at the departure platform at dawn.
Two figures were already waiting.
The first was a tall man with calm eyes and a spear strapped to his back.
Rovan Kells.
The second was a woman in light armor, her expression sharp and unreadable.
Mira Vayne.
Kael paused.
"So they sent both," he thought.
Rovan nodded once. "Looks like we're teammates."
Mira said nothing.
A formation activated beneath their feet, and the world blurred.
Moments later, the valley appeared.
Cold air rushed in.
The land was twisted—jagged rocks, crooked trees, and mist crawling low across the ground.
Kael felt it instantly.
The pressure here was uneven.
Unstable.
"This place is good for you," Mira said suddenly. "Bad for everyone else."
Kael looked at her. "Then stay behind me."
She snorted but didn't argue.
They moved carefully through the valley.
Qi beasts had torn claw marks into stone. Broken bones lay half-buried in the soil.
Rovan crouched and examined the ground.
"Beast patterns are wrong," he said. "They're moving in groups."
Kael frowned.
That wasn't normal.
A low growl echoed through the mist.
Then another.
Shapes moved.
Three Grey Fang Wolves emerged, their bodies larger than usual, eyes glowing faintly red.
"Mutated," Mira said.
The wolves charged.
Rovan thrust his spear, Qi flashing as he pierced the first wolf's skull.
The second leapt toward Mira.
She sidestepped and slashed, blood spraying.
The third—
ran straight at Kael.
Kael stepped forward.
No technique.
No dodge.
He raised his arm and took the impact head-on.
Boom.
The wolf's body slammed into him and bounced back violently, bones shattering on contact.
It hit the ground and didn't move.
Silence.
Mira stared.
Rovan exhaled slowly.
"…That was a full charge."
Kael lowered his arm.
His skin tingled, but there was no injury.
"Too light," he said.
They continued deeper.
The mist thickened.
The ground sloped downward.
Kael's senses sharpened.
"Something's watching us," he said.
Rovan nodded. "I feel it too."
Then—
the ground trembled.
A massive shadow rose from the mist.
A Stonehide Boar, twice the size of a normal one, its hide layered like rock.
It snorted.
The pressure it released crushed the ground beneath its hooves.
Mira swallowed. "That's not medium risk."
Rovan tightened his grip. "Kael—"
Kael stepped forward.
"I'll hold it."
Mira's eyes snapped to him. "Alone?"
Kael didn't look back.
"Yes."
The boar charged.
The ground cracked as it accelerated.
Kael planted his feet.
Void Tempering surged.
Impact.
The world shook.
Kael slid back half a step—
and stopped.
The boar squealed in shock as its charge was halted.
Kael's arms trembled violently.
Bones screamed.
But he held.
Rovan and Mira moved instantly, attacking from both sides.
After a brutal struggle, the boar collapsed with a final roar.
Kael released his grip and stepped back.
His chest rose and fell heavily.
But he was smiling.
[Combat Assimilation Triggered.]
— Body Tempering: 41% → 44%
— Structural Integrity Reinforced
Mira looked at him in disbelief.
"You're insane."
Kael shrugged. "Probably."
Rovan wiped blood from his spear.
"This mission just changed," he said seriously.
Kael looked deeper into the mist.
"No," he replied.
"It just began."
Somewhere ahead—
something far worse was moving.
The valley grew quieter after the Stonehide Boar fell.
Too quiet.
Kael stood still, listening.
The mist did not retreat. It thickened.
"This isn't normal," Rovan said, lowering his spear. "Beasts usually scatter after losing a leader."
Mira wiped blood from her blade. "Unless something bigger is keeping them in line."
Kael nodded.
He could feel it now—a subtle pressure, different from natural Qi. It wasn't crushing.
It was watching.
They moved cautiously forward.
The terrain sloped downward into a wide basin surrounded by broken cliffs. The ground was scarred with deep grooves, as if something massive had been dragged repeatedly across the stone.
Bones littered the area.
Not just beasts.
Human bones.
Rovan's expression hardened. "This wasn't in the report."
Mira crouched and touched one of the remains. "Inner disciple robe fragments."
Kael's eyes sharpened.
"So people were sent here before us," he said quietly. "And didn't return."
The air suddenly vibrated.
A deep, slow breath echoed through the basin.
Not wind.
Breathing.
[High-Level Presence Detected.]
[Threat Classification: Unstable]
Kael's heart beat once—heavy and steady.
"This thing," Mira whispered, "isn't just a beast."
The mist parted slightly.
A massive figure shifted within the shadows.
Four thick limbs pressed into the ground. Its hide looked like layered stone and black crystal fused together. Veins of dull red light pulsed beneath its surface.
Its head lifted.
Two eyes opened.
Not feral.
Aware.
Rovan inhaled sharply. "…A Rift Guardian."
Mira cursed under her breath. "That's at least early Core level."
The creature released a low growl, and pressure rolled outward like a wave.
The ground cracked.
Kael stepped forward half a pace.
"Don't," Mira snapped. "You can't block that."
Kael didn't answer.
Instead, he felt his body respond.
Void Tempering surged on its own.
Every muscle tightened. Bones compressed further, humming under unbearable strain.
The pressure slammed into him.
Kael's boots dug deep into the stone.
His vision blurred—
but he didn't fall.
[Void Tempering Art: Forced Advancement]
— Environmental Pressure Assimilation
— Structural Density Increasing
Rovan reacted instantly.
"Mira—now!"
They attacked from both sides, releasing Qi techniques in a coordinated strike.
The Rift Guardian roared as blades and spear struck its flank, cracking crystal armor and sending shards flying.
But the beast did not retreat.
It swung one massive limb.
The shockwave hurled Mira backward.
Rovan barely blocked in time, skidding across the ground.
Kael felt something shift.
This pressure—
was too much.
Not yet.
But—
perfect.
He stepped forward.
Every movement felt like lifting a mountain.
He placed his palm against the creature's forelimb.
"Compress," he whispered.
The Void Tempering Art responded violently.
Pain exploded through his arm.
Blood seeped from his skin.
But the limb stopped.
The Rift Guardian froze, confusion flickering in its eyes.
Kael pushed.
The crystal armor cracked.
A deep fissure spread.
Rovan's eyes widened. "Now!"
They struck together.
The fissure shattered.
With a final, thunderous roar, the Rift Guardian collapsed, shaking the basin as it fell.
Silence followed.
Kael staggered back and dropped to one knee.
His breathing was rough.
But he was alive.
[Body Tempering Breakthrough:]
— 44% → 47%
[Status:]
— Temporary Overcompression
— Recovery Required
Mira stared at him, chest rising rapidly.
"You're not human," she said flatly.
Kael laughed weakly. "Not yet."
Rovan helped him up.
"This wasn't a normal mission," Rovan said grimly. "Someone wanted this thing tested."
Kael looked at the corpse.
"And someone wanted to see if I'd survive."
Far above the valley, clouds shifted.
The pressure faded.
But Kael knew—
this was no longer just cultivation.
It was selection.
And the eyes watching him—
were getting closer.