The ancient tree line of the eastern ridge loomed before them like a wall of silent giants. The massive trunks, centuries old, stretched high into the canopy, their leaves weaving together to blot out most of the morning sun. Rolling out from the heart of the forest was a thick, clinging vapor that heavily restricted their vision to just a few meters ahead.

This was the defining characteristic of the territory. The mist carried a distinct, ethereal bluish tint that shimmered faintly in the dim light. The deeper one ventured into the mountain range, the denser and more saturated the azure hue became, acting as a natural, disorienting labyrinth for anyone foolish enough to wander off the marked paths.

As they stepped into the blue-tinted shadows, the ambient sounds of the mountain shifted. The distant birdsong vanished, replaced by the rising, chaotic chatter of primates echoing through the high branches. Shadows darted occasionally through the upper canopy, rustling the leaves as the first scouts began tracking their movements.

Suddenly, Ethan’s posture snapped into a tense, hyper-alert state. He thrust his right arm backward toward Mary, his large hand accidentally wrapping firmly around her full, heavy left breast.

"Get down," Ethan whispered sharply, his fingers giving her soft, milky bosom a firm, deliberate squeeze before he subtly adjusted his grip to her shoulder, seamlessly acting as if he hadn’t noticed the intimate contact in the heat of the moment. "There is a massive disturbance just ahead of us. Stay behind me, follow at a distance, and wait for my signal."

Mary’s face instantly exploded into a deep crimson blush, her breath hitching at the sudden, intense sensation of his strong hand gripping her chest. But seeing Ethan’s deadly serious expression, she swallowed her embarrassment and nodded silently, dropping low into the brush.

Ethan glided forward with absolute silence, blending into the azure fog like a specter. As he neared a small clearing, the chaotic screeches of the monkeys were violently drowned out by a barrage of human noises—the sharp twang of bows, the heavy thud of arrows burying into flesh, and the desperate, guttural roars of men locked in combat.

Peering through the thick blue haze, Ethan witnessed a brutal skirmish. A group of heavily armed independent mercenaries was completely surrounded by a dozens-strong pack of warrior monkeys. The dirt was already painted with dark blood, both primate and human.

The moment Ethan’s crimson-clad figure emerged slightly from the mist, the mercenary rearguard reacted instantly. Two blood-stained warriors snapped their shields up, shifting into a defensive mid-stance that covered both the attacking beasts and Ethan’s direction. Their eyes were wild, filled with absolute hostility and paranoia.

In these lawless mountain ridges, getting blindsided by opportunistic human scavengers was a constant reality. In fact, ninety percent of the casualties on the frontier didn’t come from the claws of wild beasts, but from the blades of fellow cultivators looking to steal a harvest. To these seasoned mercenaries, a powerful stranger appearing out of the blue fog was infinitely more dangerous than the monsters they were currently fighting.

Ethan kept his palms open and raised to chest height, his plain iron sword remaining securely in its leather sheath. "Relax, gentlemen," he called out, his voice smooth and entirely untroubled by the surrounding chaos. "We are just passing through. We have no interest in your harvest or your fight."

"Shut your damn mouth, kid!" the mercenary with the notched shield roared back, his eyes bloodshot as he spat a mouthful of red saliva into the dirt. "Nobody just ’passes through’ the eastern ridge in hunter leathers! Keep your hands where we can see them, or I’ll gut you before the monkeys get a turn!"

"Hold the line, you idiots!" a scream echoed from the front of the mercenary formation. A massive warrior wielding a two-handed axe was frantically swinging at three wire-furred warrior monkeys. "The scouts are raining stones from the canopy! If you drop your guards to watch a couple of stray peasants, the apes are going to breach the flank!"

Mary slowly drifted closer to Ethan’s blind spot, her hand tightly gripping her hunting bow, though she kept the arrow pointed downward to avoid escalating the tension. "Ethan," she whispered, her voice trembling slightly as she kept her eyes locked on the rearguard. "Those patches on their shoulders... they are the Blood Moon mercenaries. They are incredibly notorious around the frontier, and absolutely none of it is for good reasons. They are ruthless thieves."

As Mary spoke, the two mercenaries holding the rear guard didn’t even bother looking at the monkeys anymore. Their predatory gazes swept over Ethan’s crimson leather before locking directly onto Mary’s mature, voluptuous figure. The way their eyes lingered on her chest and hips made it entirely clear what they were thinking—to them, she was a juicy steak that had just willingly walked onto their plate.

"Hey, boss!" one of the rearguard men shouted over his shoulder, a disgusting, toothy grin splitting his scarred face. "We got a fresh local piece of meat back here! Looks like the mountain is treating us well today!"

"Secure her after we clear the pack!" the axe-wielding leader roared back, dodging a heavy rock that shattered a thick root beside his foot. "Don’t let them leave!"

Ethan’s amethyst eyes turned completely cold, though his facial expression remained entirely relaxed. He immediately realized that turning his back on these cutthroats would invite a spear through his spine. Instead of retreating or advancing, Ethan began to walk sideways in a slow, deliberate arc, forming a precise tactical triangle between himself, the mercenaries, and the attacking horde of primates. He placed himself in a perfect dead zone where he could monitor both threats simultaneously.

"Don’t move, brat!" the shield warrior warned, his blade twitching as he tracked Ethan’s casual movement. "Stay right where you are!"

"I’m just finding a better view," Ethan replied with a chillingly polite chuckle.

The standoff grew incredibly tense, but the tactical pressure quickly shifted. The Mist Monkeys completely ignored Ethan and Mary, entirely focused on finishing off the human invaders who had breached the core of their nesting grounds. A barrage of screeching echoed from the high branches as a fresh wave of warrior monkeys dropped from the vines, slamming directly into the mercenaries’ faltering front line.

"Ahggg! My arm!" a mercenary screamed as a wire-furred beast tore through his leather gauntlet with its fangs.

"Fall back into a circle! Damn it, the apes aren’t stopping!" the leader bellowed, his axe swinging wildly as his men continued to take severe damage on both fronts, their greed thoroughly colliding with the brutal reality of the mountain.

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

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 ??