The aftermath of what the dockworkers were already calling "The Porcelain Catastrophe" settled over the Iron Whales Transit Convoy like a suffocating shroud.
Overseer Deng had fled the scene entirely, too terrified of Shen Jin’s apparent demonic luck to stick around. The two elite disciplinary enforcers had been quietly hauled off to the infirmary, picking sharp shards of glazed clay out of their armor and groaning about fractured ribs.
Shen Jin, anwhile, spent the rest of the morning diligently sweeping up the remnants of the broken pottery. He made sure to move with an exaggerated wince, rubbing his lower back and sighing loudly whenever an overseer walked past, perfectly maintaining his guise as a fragile, exceptionally clumsy teenager who had sohow survived an execution by the grace of a rotted rope.
By mid-afternoon, the loading dock had cleared out. Seizing a rare mont of solitude behind a towering wall of timber crates, Shen Jin leaned against the rough wood and ntally summoned the System interface.
The pale-blue screen rippled into existence.
📊 HOST PROFILE
Na: Shen Jin
Realm: Mortal Layer (Foundation Stabilized)
Vanguard Points (VP): 20
📜 CURRENT PASSIVE SKILLS:
[Absolute Obscurity - Rank: Max]
[Danger Sense Radar - Rank: 1]
Twenty points, Shen Jin calculated, a cold, focused light entering his eyes. Yesterday I only had ten, and that bought a purge of my mortal impurities. With twenty, I can finally start building the actual foundation for martial arts.
In his previous life, he had spent years practicing a generic, low-grade breathing exercise he bought from a traveling rchant for three silver pieces. It had been slow, inefficient, and ultimately left his internal pathways too brittle to withstand high-level cultivation. This ti, he wouldn't make the sa mistake.
He imdiately opened the Vanguard Exchange Shop.
🏪 VANGUARD EXCHANGE SHOP
[Iron Skin Ointnt (Low-Grade)] — Cost: 15 VP
(Increases physical density against blunt force trauma.)
[Vanguard ridian Scripture - Volu 1] — Cost: 20 VP
(An ancient, hidden-tier foundation mantra. Focuses on kinetic redirection, internal storage, and perfect Qi containnt. Hides the user's presence entirely during cultivation.)
[Nine Shadows Footwork (Fragnted)] — Cost: 10 VP
(Basic evasive maneuvers to complent danger evasion.)
Shen Jin didn't even glance at the other items. His eyes locked onto the Vanguard ridian Scripture.
In the Nine Heavens Domain, martial styles were typically divided by elents—fla, frost, lightning, or blade-intent. They were loud, destructive, and designed to show off power. But the Vanguard style was entirely different. It didn't seek to crush the world; it sought to survive it, neutralise threats, and turn an opponent's montum back upon them. It was a style built for a ghost.
Purchase the Vanguard ridian Scripture, Shen Jin commanded ntally.
[Transaction Complete. 20 Vanguard Points deducted.]
[Item Acquired: Vanguard ridian Scripture - Volu 1.]
[System Notice: The technique has been synthesized directly into your soul mory. To initiate physical cultivation without drawing local spiritual fluctuations, it is highly recomnded to utilize [Flawless Simulation] during your next rest cycle.]
A sudden, sharp rush of information flooded Shen Jin’s brain. It didn't cause pain, but rather a profound sense of clarity. Complex diagrams of internal pathways, breath-control rhythms, and theoretical models of kinetic deflection mapped themselves seamlessly onto his mind. It felt as though he had already practiced the scripture for a decade.
"Shen Jin! Get your lazy ass out here!"
The gruff, booming voice shattered his concentration. Shen Jin instantly closed the interface, adjusted his expression to one of timid compliance, and stepped out from behind the timber crates.
Walking down the pier was Chief Overseer Gao. Unlike the bloated, petty Overseer Deng, Gao was a genuine martial artist who had reached the third stage of the Qi Gathering realm. He was a tall, lean man with sharp features and grey-streaked hair, wearing the official iron-trimd robes of the Iron Whales managent.
"Chief Gao," Shen Jin said quickly, lowering his head and bowing deeply.
Gao stopped in front of him, hands clasped behind his back. His sharp eyes scanned Shen Jin from head to toe, searching for any signs of hidden strength. Thanks to the maximum-rank passive skill [Absolute Obscurity], all Chief Gao saw was a scrawny, slightly malnourished dockhand with zero spiritual energy and a nervous disposition.
"I heard about what happened this morning," Gao said, his voice flat and unreadable. "Deng claims you assaulted his enforcers. The enforcers claim they tripped over a freak structural failure in the warehouse cargo. What do you say?"
"I... I slipped, Chief Gao," Shen Jin stamred, keeping his eyes glued to the stone dock. "The rope broke when I tried to run away because Overseer Deng was angry. I didn't an to hit anyone. I was just terrified."
Chief Gao stared at him for a long, agonizing mont. Finally, the older man let out a sharp, dismissive snort.
"Deng is a fool who lets a drop of alcohol and a minor title go to his head," Gao grunted. "And those enforcers are growing soft if they let a panicked child cause a structural collapse. However, forty jars of fine porcelain were shattered today. The company doesn't absorb losses, Shen Jin."
Shen Jin's heart sank slightly, playing along with the role. "Am I... am I being fired, Chief?"
"No. We are short on hands," Gao said. "But your wages for the next month are completely forfeited to pay for the damages. Furthermore, you are being reassigned. Tomorrow morning, a high-priority transport caravan is leaving for the Sanctuary City of Drifting Leaves. They need an extra hand to tend to the pack beasts and clean the stables along the route. It’s a dangerous path through the Black Ridge Mountains. If you survive the trip, your debt is cleared."
[PING.]
[World Progression Event Triggered: The Black Ridge Caravan.]
New Quest Unlocked: The Low-Key Escort.
Objective: Accompany the Iron Whales Transit Caravan to the Sanctuary City of Drifting Leaves. Ensure the survival of the cargo and key passengers without exposing your martial arts identity.
Reward: 50 Vanguard Points, Unlocking of the Vanguard Shop - Tier 2.
Shen Jin’s eyes flickered behind his lowered gaze. The Black Ridge Mountains. In his past life, he rembered hearing about this specific caravan trip—it had been ambushed by vicious rogue cultivators, resulting in a bloody massacre that nearly ruined the Iron Whales Convoy. He had skipped the trip back then due to the permanent limp he received from Deng's beating.
This ti, he was being sent directly into the at grinder.
But looking at the quest reward—fifty Vanguard Points and a tier upgrade for the shop—Shen Jin didn't feel fear. He felt a cold, deep sense of anticipation.
"I understand, Chief Gao," Shen Jin said, his voice trembling with a perfectly fabricated layer of dread. "I’ll pack my things and report to the caravan stables at dawn."
"Good. Don't be late, brat. The wilderness doesn't wait for laggards," Gao said, turning on his heel and walking away.
As the sun began to dip below the horizon, painting the river in shades of dark amber, Shen Jin walked back toward the communal bunks. Tonight, he wouldn't just be washing his ridians. Tonight, inside the safe, endless expanse of the simulation, he would take his very first step into the true realm of cultivators.
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