The wind atop Iron Spine Peak howled like a wounded beast.
Not metaphorically.
It actually sounded like something large and angry had been stabbed in the lungs and was now screaming into the night.
Lin Feng stood at the edge of the cliff, robes whipping violently around him, staring down at the endless sea of clouds below. Lightning flashed in distant veins across the sky, illuminating the jagged mountain ridges of the Azure Continent like dragon spines piercing heaven.
Behind him, the stone platform trembled faintly.
In front of him, something ancient was waking up.
And unfortunately for everyone involved, it had just noticed him.
A deep rumble shook the mountain.
Cracks split across the stone ground like spiderwebs.
From the center of the platform, ancient runes ignited in violent crimson light. Symbols older than any sect history glowed like molten lava beneath the rock surface.
Then a voice spoke.
It did not echo.
It did not shout.
It simply existed.
"Who… dares disturb… the sleeping fist?"
Lin Feng blinked once.
Then twice.
He slowly turned his head left.
Then right.
"System," he whispered, "please tell me this is a side quest and not a 'survive ancient god awakening' situation."
[DING!]
Hidden Quest Triggered: The Mountain That Kneels
Objective: Survive the awakening of the Ancient Stone Titan
Reward: Unknown
Failure: Death
System Note: You are in danger. Serious danger. Not "haha training is hard" danger. Real danger.
Lin Feng sighed.
"I miss when my biggest problem was getting slapped by Senior Brother Wang."
The ground exploded.
Stone pillars shot upward as the mountain split open. From beneath the platform, a colossal stone hand burst through the earth.
It was larger than the entire courtyard of the outer sect.
Five massive fingers clenched, crushing boulders into dust.
Then another hand.
Then shoulders.
Then a head the size of a small temple rose from the mountain itself.
The Ancient Stone Titan stood.
Its body was carved from living mountain rock. Runes glowed across its form. Its eyes were twin suns burning with golden fury.
When it inhaled, the clouds below were sucked upward.
When it exhaled, thunder rolled.
Lin Feng stared up at it.
"…I regret everything."
The Titan's gaze locked onto him.
"You… carry the aura… of the Fist God."
Lin Feng straightened immediately.
"Correct. That would be me. Very prestigious. Very important. You may kneel now."
The Titan blinked.
Then it raised its hand and brought it down.
The sky disappeared.
Lin Feng reacted instantly.
"Golden Core Reinforcement!"
Qi surged through his limbs, veins glowing faint gold beneath his skin. He leapt sideways just as the massive stone palm crushed the platform where he stood.
The impact shattered the cliff edge.
Shockwaves exploded outward.
Rocks tumbled into the abyss.
Lin Feng skidded across the ground, coughing as dust filled the air.
[WARNING!]
Opponent: Ancient Stone Titan
Level: ???
Strength: Mountain-Class
Defense: Extreme
Weakness: Unknown
Suggestion: Pray.
"I don't like that suggestion."
The Titan's other hand swung horizontally.
Lin Feng ducked low, the wind pressure alone ripping his outer robe clean off.
"HEY! That was custom made!"
He sprang upward, gathering qi into his fist.
"Fist God Art: Iron Shattering Strike!"
He punched downward mid-air.
His fist collided with the Titan's forearm.
The sound was like two mountains colliding.
Shockwaves rippled outward.
The Titan's arm shifted back—barely an inch.
Lin Feng flew backward like a kicked pebble.
He crashed into a stone pillar, coughing blood.
[Damage Taken: Moderate]
HP: 73%
"Okay," he wheezed, standing shakily, "so punching the mountain isn't effective."
The Titan spoke again.
"You are… weak."
Lin Feng dusted himself off.
"That was unnecessary commentary."
The Titan raised both hands this time.
Qi condensed around its fists—no, not qi.
Earth energy.
The entire mountain trembled.
Trees uprooted.
Cliffs cracked.
Lin Feng's instincts screamed.
If those fists landed, Iron Spine Peak would cease to exist.
[DING!]
Emergency Skill Unlocked: Earth Pulse Perception
Effect: Detect structural weakness within earth-based entities.
Duration: 30 seconds
Lin Feng's vision shifted.
The Titan's body turned semi-transparent in his sight.
Golden lines ran across it like meridians.
Most were solid.
But near its chest—
One crack.
A faint fracture glowing dimly.
There.
"Found you."
The Titan's fists came down.
Lin Feng ran.
Not away.
Forward.
He sprinted directly toward the falling apocalypse.
"ARE YOU INSANE?!" his inner voice screamed.
"Yes!" he screamed back internally.
The fists slammed down behind him, obliterating half the platform.
He leapt, kicking off falling debris.
He ran up the Titan's arm as it lifted again, dodging chunks of rock the size of houses.
Every step cracked stone beneath his feet.
"Stop moving so much!" he yelled at the Titan.
The Titan growled.
It tried to swat him.
Lin Feng flipped backward, landing on its shoulder.
The crack in its chest glowed faintly ahead.
But suddenly—
Stone spikes erupted from its back.
Lin Feng twisted mid-air, barely dodging.
One spike grazed his side.
Blood sprayed.
HP: 61%
"You really don't want to lose, huh?"
The Titan's chest core began glowing brighter.
Energy gathered.
A beam.
It was charging a beam.
"Of course it has a beam," Lin Feng muttered.
[DING!]
Adrenaline Surge Activated
All stats temporarily +30%
Duration: 15 seconds
Time slowed.
Wind quieted.
The world sharpened.
Lin Feng inhaled deeply.
His heart pounded like a war drum.
Qi flooded every cell in his body.
"Fist God Art…"
He bent his knees.
Energy spiraled into his fist.
The sky above darkened.
"…Heaven Splitting Descent!"
He launched forward.
The Titan fired its beam.
Golden light tore across the mountain.
Lin Feng ran along it.
Not around.
Not through.
Along the beam itself, using it as a pathway.
The heat burned his skin.
His robes caught fire.
His teeth clenched.
Closer.
Closer.
The crack in the Titan's chest pulsed violently.
The world disappeared.
Only the target existed.
He punched.
The impact did not sound loud.
It sounded final.
The crack split wide open.
Energy exploded outward in a blinding storm of golden light.
The Titan froze.
Its beam shattered.
Its massive body trembled violently.
Cracks spread across its form like lightning in reverse.
"You… carry… his will…"
The Titan's voice grew softer.
"He… returns…"
Lin Feng dropped to the ground as the colossal body began collapsing.
Chunks of stone rained down like meteors.
He shielded himself as the Titan crumbled into dust.
Silence fell over Iron Spine Peak.
The wind stopped.
The storm clouds parted.
Moonlight bathed the shattered mountain.
[DING!]
Hidden Quest Completed
Reward Acquired: Titan Core Fragment
Strength +20
Endurance +15
Earth Resistance +30%
New Title Earned: Mountain Breaker
Lin Feng lay on his back, staring at the stars.
Smoke rose from his clothes.
His hair was half-burnt.
He was bleeding from multiple cuts.
"…I am never climbing a mountain again."
The System chimed softly.
Titan Core Fragment can be absorbed.
Warning: Process will be painful.
Lin Feng closed his eyes.
"Of course it will be."
He sat up slowly.
In his palm floated a small golden crystal, humming with immense power.
The fragment pulsed.
The air around him grew heavy.
Somewhere in the distance, a new presence stirred.
Something had sensed the Titan's fall.
Something far more terrifying.
Lin Feng grinned despite the exhaustion.
"Good," he whispered.
"Let them come."
He crushed the Titan Core Fragment in his fist.
Golden energy surged into his body.
His scream echoed across the mountain as his bones reinforced, muscles tore and rebuilt, and qi pathways expanded violently.
The night trembled.
Deep beneath the continent—
A sealed altar cracked.
Ancient eyes opened.
And a voice whispered through the darkness:
"The Fist God… has chosen."