‘The first activation of my Evolution Talent… but it was expected. I didn’t have any Fate-related talent before, so prolonged training in this field naturally made me more attuned to it.’

‘Once the accumulation reached the required threshold, the Evolution Talent activated and granted me this new affinity. It’s not surprising—it’s only logical.’

‘A month and a half of focused “cultivation” may seem like nothing for a cultivator—and truthfully, it isn’t much. Which means the Evolution Talent normally wouldn’t have activated from training this short… but that’s without taking into account the difference in level between the two talents.’

‘The Evolution Talent is seven levels higher, after all. So acquiring Fate Affinity – Level 1 didn’t take long—but in the future, it’ll only get harder. As the gap narrows, the time required to evolve the new talent will increase. And worse, as the Fate Affinity rises, advancing it further will also demand more time. A “double” increase.’

Even if the news wasn’t the best, it didn’t darken Mikael’s mood. ‘The Evolution Talent, huh… Really monstrous. Even those so-called “geniuses” would kill to have it, wouldn’t they?’

He shook his head. ‘I can understand why. It’s an absurd growth talent—its worth only increases as I grow stronger.’

His thoughts drifted briefly to the author of the book he’d bought nearly four years ago. ‘Carefree Immortal really helped me big on this one…’

His gaze returned to the tattered manual resting in his lap. ‘Let’s dive back into comprehension. With this new talent, I’m confident it won’t take long to reach my goal.’

And he had no idea just how right he was.

Normally, without this new talent, he estimated that it would take at least twenty more days of comprehension. But only five days later—

He reached the 1st layer in the Foresight of Heaven’s Mandate.

Even as Mikael achieved his goal, he didn’t open his eyes. He remained completely immersed in the change he was perceiving. It wasn’t something easily described in words, but Mikael could feel himself more in tune with his surroundings. Not quite like someone attuned to nature—but more like someone beginning to sense the hidden threads beneath reality itself.

Of course, it was only an impression. He didn’t see any literal ‘strings’, but it was undeniable that his perception had shifted. He could now see more.

The first thing he did once his objective was reached was to test for danger—to sense if any calamity was awaiting him.

Mikael pushed his Foresight of Heaven’s Mandate sense to its limit, stretching it as far as possible. But even after a long moment, he felt nothing. ‘Maybe the backer of these three demonic cultivators doesn’t care about them? Or else why wouldn’t I feel anything? Or maybe…’

A new thought dawned on him. ‘They’re too strong to be seen by my current comprehension? That could be it. Considering that I was able to fool the eldest brother’s senses by suppressing my presence to an insane degree, and by using a 5th circle shadow spell, maybe something similar is in play.’

He nodded to himself. ‘Maybe it’s that—or maybe it’s something else—but I should still be cautious as I go train in the Savagefang Mountain Range.’

With that thought, Mikael stored the tattered manual back in his ring and, without further hesitation, took flight toward the Savagefang Mountain Range.

But just as he crossed a little more than half the distance to his destination, his expression subtly changed.

Something felt… off.

Mikael stopped mid-flight and pushed all his senses to the absolute limit.

At first, he didn’t hear anything unusual—only the howling wind at high altitude. But then, he felt it. It wasn’t exactly a sound. It wasn’t a threat. Just a faint tug on his perception… an unusual fluctuation.

Extremely curious, Mikael flew in the direction of the disturbance.

It didn’t take long before the vast plains below gave way to a small village nestled at the edge of a shallow valley. From above, it looked completely unremarkable—just a scattering of wooden houses with simple tiled or thatched roofs, narrow dirt paths weaving between them, and a few tilled fields awaiting the next season.

A handful of villagers moved about under the golden afternoon light. An old man carried a bundle of firewood on his back toward a crooked doorway. Two children splashed water at each other near a shallow stream. A woman strung up wet clothes on a rope tied between two trees. It was the kind of mundane, unchanging scene found in countless places across the continent—peaceful, forgettable, untouched by cultivation.

As he flew overhead, one of the villagers—a middle-aged man with a weathered face and a hoe slung over his shoulder—looked up and spotted him. With no trace of fear or suspicion, the man raised a hand and waved.

Without thinking, Mikael returned the gesture, instinctively halting mid-flight just above the village.

Somewhere below, deep within the cracked foundation of an old shrine, something twitched awake.

His gaze wandered back to the villagers. ‘It really looks peaceful. Maybe I could go take a look. It would be good… and relaxing,’ he thought with a strange sense of longing.

He watched the village for a few more seconds and was just about to descend when—

Slash.

Sangrelia, strapped to his back, activated on her own and suddenly lashed out—attacking him.

From her position, she twisted just enough to slice across his back. The cut wasn’t deep enough to cause serious harm, but it hurt.

“What, San—” Mikael exclaimed, stunned, even feeling slightly betrayed by his supposedly loyal sword. But before he could finish the sentence, realization struck.

Blood ran down his back, staining the fine Core Disciple robes, now marked by a clean cut. But he didn’t care. ‘Why did I want to go see this village?’

A cold chill crept down his spine. Something wasn’t right.

Logically, he had no reason to stop here. It made far more sense to simply ignore a random village and continue on his way. And yet, that odd longing still tugged at him…

Recalling how he'd felt moments earlier, a chilling realization dawned. ‘My mind was muddled!’

Far below, beneath the village’s worn cobblestones, something coiled tighter. An ancient thing. Watching. Waiting. The echo of a breath no longer tied to any living creature pulsed once—unheard.

Instantly, his gaze sharpened to a terrifying clarity as he scanned the village below. But nothing stood out. Everything looked exactly as it had before—a small, normal, quiet settlement.

The sharpness in his eyes began to fade. ‘Maybe I was wrong after all…’ But before he could fall back into that strange, passive state, he surged with willpower and forced himself to remain alert.

‘NO. Something is definitely wrong. Let’s get the fuck out of here!’

He was just about to fly off at full speed when another thought struck him. ‘And if the thing that muddled my mind realizes I’m trying to escape, won’t it act?’

Mikael let out a quiet, annoyed sigh. “What is it now?” he muttered, voice tinged with irritation, then pulled out his Core Disciple token.

He sent his Divine Sense into it, only to frown deeply a moment later. “Seriously, what the fuck are they doing? Are they totally unable to function without me?”

He cast one last reluctant glance at the village. “Now I need to go help these fuckers… when this village clearly hides some kind of opportunity…”

By the time those words left his mouth, his eyes were already clouded again. He sighed in frustration. “I’ll be fast and come back before anybody finds it. That opportunity will be mine,” he declared greedily.

Then he turned and flew off at a brisk pace—not quite frantic, but fast enough to appear as though he was moving with the excitement of someone chasing a potential fortune.

Behind him, in the shadowed doorway of an abandoned home, a silhouette leaned forward. Its shape didn’t resemble anything human. Its head tilted, slowly—almost as if tasting his presence.

Mikael kept flying at that same measured speed, but once he was far enough from the village to be outside both visual and sensory range, he dropped the act entirely and erupted with his full power.

He activated Cloudbreaking Stride and Weightless Wind-Explosive Style to their peak, his figure blurring as he shot across the sky without ever looking back. It felt like fleeing from a great devil…

As he flew, he couldn’t help but curse aloud, “What the hell is with my luck? I’ve only been away from the Sect for two short months, and this is already the second life-threatening situation I’ve run into!”

“First, the backer of those demonic cultivators… but that one wasn’t too bad. I managed to flee before they reached me. But today…”

His thoughts drifted back to the small, seemingly ordinary village now hundreds of kilometers behind him. A subtle chill clung to his chest—tight and uneasy.

‘If I hadn’t pretended to be the guy trying to hog the opportunity all for himself, I doubt I would’ve escaped so easily. I was mentally influenced without even realizing it—and my 1st layer Foresight of Heaven’s Mandate didn’t react. Not even slightly. The danger level of that village must be off the charts.’

‘Without Sangrelia’s help… whether I would’ve survived to see another day is honestly uncertain. Even with Master’s talismans,’ he thought grimly, his gratitude for his sword swelling.

Still flying at full speed toward the Savagefang Mountain Range, he reached back and drew her into his hand.

“Thank you, Sangrelia. You really saved me today,” he said softly, offering her a warm smile. He didn’t know how much she truly understood—but he wanted her to feel it all the same.

Hummm.

Sangrelia vibrated gently in his grasp, as if responding. It wasn’t speech, but the timing… the weight behind it… felt deliberate.

Mikael’s expression shifted slightly. ‘She’s really becoming more and more sentient…’

He stayed silent for a moment, the wind roaring past them. Then, a quiet thought surfaced. ‘Maybe I should do something to thank her.’

But almost immediately, his lips curved faintly in amusement. ‘She’s a bloodthirsty sword. Something sentimental probably wouldn’t land—especially since I doubt her sentience is developed enough to understand that kind of thing just yet.’

His eyes narrowed, excitement flickering in their depths. “Say, Sangrelia. Once we reach the Savagefang Mountain Range… how about we go massacre some demonic beasts together?”

Sangrelia vibrated sharply in response—intense and immediate—clearly thrilled by the idea.

Mikael let out a small laugh. “Seems you like the idea. Then let’s do this.”

With that, he carefully slid Sangrelia back into position on his back and resumed his flight at full speed toward their next destination.

As he flew, the lingering restlessness in his chest gradually began to ease. The encounter with the small village still hovered in his thoughts, but the tension that had wrapped itself around his nerves was finally starting to loosen. A big part of it came from his recent interaction with Sangrelia—it had been unexpectedly refreshing, a contrast to the suffocating pressure that had weighed on him inside that cursed village, where a single misstep could have spelled his death.

Now, hundreds of kilometers away, he no longer felt the same sense of looming dread. Part of that was Sangrelia’s presence, but the greater reason was the simple belief that he was finally out of danger.

‘Whatever that entity was… monster, cultivator—no, it didn’t feel like a cultivator. More likely some kind of entity? I don’t know. But the thing that muddled my mind and cloaked that village in madness—it seemed bound to that place. If it could leave, it probably wouldn’t have let me go. Or maybe my act fooled it?’

He shook his head. ‘I don’t know. But either way, it shouldn’t come after me anytime soon. And even if it does realize I tricked it, by then I’ll already be deep in the Savagefang Mountain Range—or back at the Sect. It won’t know where to find me.’

With that final thought, Mikael let himself relax a little more. He tried not to dwell on that terrifying place, choosing instead to focus on what lay ahead. Convinced that he was safe for now, he continued his flight toward the Savagefang Mountain Range.

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— End of Chapter —