Juwon watched as the figure hesitated before emerging from behind the tree.

He was a young man in his early twenties, with unkempt brown hair and dirt-streaked clothes, his wide eyes filled with fear.

A young man, probably in his early twenties, with dirt-streaked clothes and wide, fearful eyes, stumbled forward.

His breath was ragged, and his hands trembled as if expecting another attack.

"T-The bear... it's really gone?" the young man stammered, scanning the area nervously.
Juwon smirked, crossing his arms.

"Unless it suddenly knows how to regenerate, yeah, it's gone."

The young man exhaled sharply, nearly collapsing in relief. "Thank the heavens... I thought I was done for."

Juwon raised an eyebrow. "You were hiding in a pit. Not exactly the most dignified way to go."
The young man shot him a look.

"Hey, survival first, pride later. You think I wanted to be bear food?"

Juwon chuckled. "Fair enough. What's your name?"
"Lin Feng, a friendly neighbourhood trader," he said, brushing off his clothes.

"I'm a trader, or at least, I was before that monster destroyed my caravan."

Juwon glanced toward the wreckage. "What were you transporting?"

"Honey, mostly. High-quality stuff from a nearby village. I was taking it to trade in the next town,"

Lin Feng said, sighing. "Now, thanks to that beast, all I have left is sticky boots and a crushed cart."

Juwon nodded.

"Speaking of the next town, I need to get there. You wouldn't happen to have a ride, would you?"
Lin Feng gave him a wary look.

"You save my life, and now you want a ride? You're not planning to kidnap me, are you?"

Juwon scoffed. "For that, you'd have to be a kid."

Lin Feng sighed dramatically. "Fine, but you owe me a drink once we get there."

Juwon smirked. "Deal."

The journey to the village was uneventful but filled with lively conversation. Lin Feng, as it turned out, was quite talkative.

"So, you just wander into bear-infested forests for fun?" Lin Feng asked, eyeing Juwon suspiciously.
"Something like that," Juwon replied vaguely.

"Mysterious. I like it. But seriously, you're not from around here, are you?"

"No. Just passing through."

"Passing through after wrestling a bear to death with your bare hands?" Lin Feng laughed. "That's not exactly normal."

Juwon smirked but said nothing.

They arrived at Chenjiapu Village, a small settlement nestled in the mountains.

Lin Feng, knowing the area well, led Juwon to an inn. It was a modest lodging, nothing extravagant, but it would do.

With what little blood-soaked money he had left, he handed it to Lin Feng, who smoothly handled the booking for him.

The innkeeper, an older woman with streaks of silver in her tightly bound hair and piercing eyes that missed nothing, eyed him suspiciously.

Her posture was rigid, her arms crossed over her chest as if daring him to cause problems. "You look like trouble."

"And you look like someone who makes great tea," Juwon countered smoothly.

She snorted, but before she could say anything else,

Lin Feng flashed a wide smile and threw an arm around Juwon's shoulder. "Actually, he's the guy who saved me from a bear.

Wrestled it with his bare hands and everything!" He shot Juwon a sly look. "You should've seen it, innkeeper. It was like something out of a legend!"

"Flattery won't get you extra blankets, but if you did wrestle a bear, at least you're not just another runaway looking for a cheap bed."

Juwon sighed, shaking his head as he took the key. "You're really overselling it, Lin Feng. I just did what needed to be done." "I'm going to get some rest.

Try not to get eaten while I'm gone."
"No promises!" Lin Feng called after him.

In his room, Juwon sat cross-legged, exhaling slowly. He focused inward, feeling the flow of Qi within his body.

His cultivation had advanced.

Unknowingly, he had reached the eighth-layer peak of Qi Awakening.

He didn't understand cultivation realms, but he could feel it—"I am getting stronger".

He flipped open the book he had taken from the ruins. The Celestial Dragon Steps.

Below that, another passage caught his eye—Dragon Fang Void Break.

"Dragon Fang Void Break is a technique that channels Qi explosively, condensing it into a single strike capable of overwhelming defences and even breaking apart spaces.

However, the immense strain on the user's Qi reserves means it can only be used sparingly before complete depletion."

Juwon frowned. "So that's why I collapse after two uses… my body isn't ready to handle the drain yet."

A footwork technique designed to manipulate movement using controlled bursts of Qi.
"Let's see what this can do."

Standing up, he attempted the first movement. The moment his foot touched the ground, the tiles beneath him cracked.

Juwon grimaced. "Yeah… maybe not inside."
Without hesitation, he jumped out of the first-floor window, landing effortlessly before heading into the forest.

Reaching a clearing much sooner than he expected, Juwon was reminded that he wasn't just an ordinary man anymore.

His speed had increased, his endurance felt limitless. He was a martial artist now.

"Alright, let's try this again."

The Celestial Dragon Steps had six stages based on individual mastery:
1. Draconic Mirage Step
2. Void-Drifting Step
3. Dragon Tyrant's Stomp
4. Sovereign Ascension
5. Temporal Shift Step
6. Star-Walking Technique

Juwon started with the first stage—Draconic Mirage Step.

It involved five sequential movements, each regulating Qi flow through the body to create afterimages while moving.

He attempted the first two steps, and instantly, a mirage of himself flickered beside him.
His eyes widened. "This is tough… but damn, this is something else."

He pushed himself to try more but felt his Qi reserves draining at an alarming rate.

Hours passed as Juwon pushed himself further, repeating the movements again and again.

Sweat dripped from his brow, muscles ached, but he kept going, refining each motion.

The first two steps became easier, and he even managed glimpses of the third before his Qi reserves plummeted.

Only now did he realize how reckless he had been.

Time had slipped away, and he had drained himself without considering the return trip.

What had felt like a short dash earlier now stretched endlessly before him.

Damn it… I didn't think it was this far. How could I be so reckless?

Frustration welled up inside him—he prided himself on being meticulous, yet here he was, drained of Qi with a long trek ahead.

"I swear, for someone who prides himself on being smart, this was downright stupid. Running on empty in the middle of nowhere? Brilliant."

Exhausted, he forced himself to stumble back toward the inn.

By the time he reached his room, he collapsed onto the bed, his body aching from the exertion.

Morning came too soon.

A knock at his door jolted him awake. He groaned, dragging himself to his feet and opening it to find Lin Feng standing there.

The young trader looked nervous.

Juwon raised an eyebrow. "You look like you need something."

Lin Feng hesitated before nodding.
Sensing his fearfulness, Juwon asked him to come inside. "Alright, let's hear it."