With a guttural roar that scraped the inside of his throat, Roy forced his trembling legs to lock. He gripped the lacquered hilt with both hands, channeling the absolute final reserve of his stamina into his shoulders, and drove the silver blade downward.

SWISH.

The katana cleaved through the central axis of the tracking matrix. The trajectory was a flawless, unyielding vertical line. Not a single horizontal rod rattled. Not a single vertical stick clicked. The blade cut cleanly through the exact center of the space, stopping perfectly an inch above the dirt.

The moment the momentum of the swing carried through, Roy’s eyes rolled back into his head. His fingers loosened, the katana slipping from his palm as his knees gave out completely. He collapsed sideways into the dust, totally unconscious, but a faint, victorious expression remained locked on his pale face.

Ethan looked down at the unconscious boy and let out a genuine, satisfied smile. "Good. The boy has heart. If he keeps pushing himself to this absolute limit, he might actually achieve great things on the martial path."

From the porch, Mary and Louisa let out synchronized gasps before bursting into joyful, breathless cheers. They had seen the final, flawless strike pass through the guide rods without making a single sound. Seeing her son collapse, Mary rushed down the steps, her face a mix of intense pride and maternal panic.

"Don’t worry, he’s just completely exhausted his physical energy," Ethan reassured her, stepping forward to easily lift the teenager over his shoulder as if he weighed nothing.

He carried Roy inside the house, gently laying him down onto his small bedroom cot and pulling a coarse blanket over his shoulders. Mary followed them in, wiping a tear of relief from her cheek. "I will prepare a heavy, nutrient-rich breakfast immediately to help him recover his strength," she said softly.

"Thank you, Sister Mary. I think I’ll take a quick rinse to wash off the sweat before we eat," Ethan said, turning toward the hallway. He paused, casting a brief glance at his pristine white and gold practitioner’s tunic. "Actually... would it be too much trouble to borrow a spare set of local clothing? I’d prefer not to wear my clan’s formal tunic out into the mountain ridges for today’s hunt. It would be a shame to ruin it in the thick brush."

Mary turned to her daughter, who was standing near the doorway. "Louisa, go into the storage chest in the back room. Fetch your late father’s hunting attraction for Ethan. It might be a little loose on him, but it should suffice."

Louisa’s posture instantly went rigid. Her jaw tightened, and a look of deep, protective reluctance flashed openly across her face. To her, those clothes were one of the few physical pieces of her father she had left.

Ethan caught the expression instantly. He raised his hands with a warm, understanding smile, keeping his tone entirely polite. "Ah, please don’t trouble yourself, Sister Mary. If it causes any discomfort, there’s absolutely no need to hand over those garments. I can easily walk down to the lower market plaza and purchase a standard set of traveling clothes before we head out to the trails."

"No! No, it’s not that at all!" Louisa stammered quickly, her face flushing bright red with embarrassment as she realized her hesitation had been completely transparent. "I’ll... I’ll bring them out right away!"

She turned and sprinted down the hallway toward the back storeroom. A few minutes later, she returned, carefully carrying a neatly folded bundle of heavy leather garments.

Ethan took the bundle, unrolling it to inspect the material. It was high-tier, durable hunter’s garb. The main tunic and trousers were crafted from thick, treated hide dyed a deep, dark crimson—a practical color meant to conceal bloodstains during long mountain excursions. Along with the tunic came a pair of reinforced, knee-high black leather traveling boots, heavily oiled to resist moisture.

"This is perfect," Ethan said, nodding with genuine appreciation as he felt the dense texture of the leather.

After a quick wash, Ethan changed into the outfit. The deep crimson leather hugged his broad shoulders and narrow waist flawlessly; While it had been slightly loose on his frame initially, his dense, muscular build filled out the chest and torso perfectly. Striding back into the kitchen with the black leather boots clicking firmly against the Azure Mist timber floor, the elegant young master had completely vanished. In his place stood a strikingly handsome, deadly accurate local hunter, perfectly synchronized with the rugged aesthetic of the frontier town.

Mary brought the steaming platters to the wooden table, the rich aroma of the horned-deer stew filling the kitchen. She glanced toward the hallway, a look of lingering concern on her face. "Roy still hasn’t woken up. Should I try to rouse him? We need to get a head start if we want to beat the other hunting parties to the lower ridges."

Ethan sat down, casually pulling on the heavy leather gloves that came with the crimson hunter’s outfit. "Leave him be, Sister Mary. His body reached its absolute physical limit during the morning drills. If you force him to walk the mountain trails today, his muscles will tear, and his foundation will be damaged. He won’t be in any condition to hunt."

Mary sighed, looking down at her hands. "Then... we’ll lose a full day of tracking. Without Roy to help carry the gear or watch our flanks, it will be much harder to secure a good catch."

Ethan took a quick, hearty bite of the meat, his expression entirely calm. "You don’t need to worry about that. I can go into the mountains alone today. Your map gave me a clear enough layout of the periphery, and I can handle the hauling myself."

"Absolutely not! How could I possibly let you venture into those dangerous ridges by yourself?" Mary insisted, her voice firm as she looked up, her mature face filled with determination. "You are our guest, and you’ve already done so much for us. I am coming with you. I know the hiding spots of the smaller game better than anyone."

She turned toward her daughter, who was sitting quietly by the hearth. "Louisa, stay here and watch over your brother. Make sure he drinks plenty of water the moment he wakes up, and don’t let him touch that sword again until tomorrow."

"I understand, Mother. Please be careful out there," Louisa nodded obediently, her eyes lingering on Ethan’s new crimson leather look, which made him appear incredibly dashing yet dangerous.

Ethan wiped his mouth, a confident, relaxed smile playing on his lips as he stood up and adjusted the blackened iron rod securely across his back. "Well then, Sister Mary, if you’re ready, let’s head out. I want to make a good amount of money today."

-------------------

From this moment forward, to avoid confusion regarding cultivation ranks, I will include this footer with the current established levels.

Note: These are only the ranks mentioned so far to avoid spoilers.

Body Refinement Realm

Skin Refinement / Bone Refinement / Organ Refinement

Spiritual Gathering Realm

Spiritual Perception / Spiritual Mist / Spiritual Condensation

Spiritual Core Realm

Core Solidification / Core Awakening / Spiritual Collapse (Half-step Spiritual Core)

Spiritual Soul Realm

Spiritual Soul Awakening / Soul Nourishing / Soul-Core Fusion

Golden Core Realm

Prime Fusion / Core Perfection / Core Destruction

Spiritual Sea Realm

Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??

Dao Manifestation Realm

Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??

Spiritual Transcendence

Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??