Chapter 6: Unwanted Guest

The howl did not come again.

Lin Yuan remained seated near the entrance of Wandering Cloud Tavern, his sword resting across his knees.

Minutes passed.

Then an hour.

Outside, Blackstone Wasteland was silent.

No footsteps.

No growling.

No movement beyond the windows.

Eventually, Lin Yuan stood and walked outside.

Moonlight covered the courtyard in a pale glow.

The old stone wall cast uneven shadows across the ground.

Nothing was there.

Lin Yuan looked toward the western road.

The darkness stretched endlessly.

Maybe the wolf was farther away than it had sounded.

Maybe it had already changed direction.

That would be convenient.

Lin Yuan wasn’t interested in chasing a dangerous spirit beast across the wasteland just to prove something.

If it stayed away from his territory, he would happily stay away from it.

He returned inside.

But he didn’t put the sword away.

That night, Lin Yuan slept lightly.

Before dawn, his eyes opened.

Something was wrong.

Lin Yuan remained still.

The tavern was quiet.

Then he heard it.

Scrape.

A faint sound from outside.

He sat up.

Another scrape followed.

Then silence.

Lin Yuan took his sword and moved downstairs.

The main room was dark.

He didn’t light a lantern.

Instead, he quietly approached the window beside the entrance and looked outside.

At first, he saw nothing.

Then something moved beside the courtyard wall.

Large.

Far too large to be an ordinary wolf.

Lin Yuan’s expression changed.

"So you really came."

The creature stepped into the moonlight.

Its body was nearly as long as one of the tavern’s tables.

Grey fur covered most of its body, but patches along its shoulders and back looked more like rough stone than hair.

Its claws dug shallow marks into the hard ground as it walked.

Stonehide Wolf.

The traveler hadn’t exaggerated.

This one was unusually large.

Lin Yuan tightened his grip around the sword.

The wolf hadn’t noticed him yet.

Or perhaps it had and simply didn’t care.

Its head remained lowered.

It sniffed the ground.

Then moved deeper into the courtyard.

Not toward the tavern.

Toward the well.

Lin Yuan paused.

The Stonehide Wolf stopped several meters from the Spirit-Touched Well.

Its nose lifted.

It sniffed again.

Then took another step.

Lin Yuan’s eyes narrowed.

"You’re here for the water?"

That made uncomfortable sense.

The well contained only trace spiritual Qi.

To a cultivator, the amount wasn’t particularly valuable.

But Blackstone Wasteland was barren.

For a spirit beast wandering through an area with thin Qi, even a small source of spiritual energy might stand out.

Lin Yuan hadn’t considered that.

Travelers could notice the well.

Apparently spirit beasts could too.

The wolf approached the stone edge.

Lin Yuan opened the tavern door.

The sound immediately caught its attention.

Its head snapped toward him.

Two pale eyes reflected the remaining moonlight.

Lin Yuan stepped outside.

"That’s far enough."

The Stonehide Wolf stared at him.

A low growl came from its throat.

Lin Yuan stopped several meters away.

He had no desire to fight if he didn’t have to.

The well could produce more water.

If the beast wanted a drink and then disappeared into the wasteland, Lin Yuan could tolerate that.

The problem was everything else.

If it learned that Wandering Cloud Tavern was a reliable source of spiritual water, what stopped it from returning?

What happened when customers were here?

What happened if it decided an Ironhoof Beast looked more appetizing than water?

Lin Yuan lifted his sword slightly.

"Go."

The wolf’s ears flattened.

It didn’t move away.

Instead, it stepped toward the well again.

Lin Yuan moved sideways and placed himself between them.

The growl deepened.

"Of course."

Apparently negotiation had failed.

The wolf lowered its body.

Lin Yuan immediately circulated spiritual Qi through his meridians.

The tiredness from the night disappeared.

His attention sharpened.

For several breaths, neither moved.

Then the Stonehide Wolf lunged.

Fast.

Much faster than something that large had any right to move.

Lin Yuan stepped aside.

A grey shape flashed past him.

His sword followed.

Clang!

The blade struck the wolf’s shoulder.

Lin Yuan felt as though he’d hit a rock.

The impact traveled up his arm.

The wolf twisted in midair and landed several meters away.

A shallow line appeared across the stone-like hide covering its shoulder.

Lin Yuan looked at his sword.

"So that’s why you’re called Stonehide."

The wolf didn’t appreciate the comment.

It charged again.

This time Lin Yuan was ready.

He moved backward and angled his body.

The wolf’s claws swept toward him.

Lin Yuan avoided the first strike.

The second passed close enough that he felt the air move across his robes.

His sword came down.

Clang!

Another strike against hardened hide.

Almost no damage.

Lin Yuan retreated.

The wolf turned immediately.

It was strong.

Fast.

And extremely difficult to injure from the front.

The traveler had made the right decision.

A normal sixth-layer Qi Refining cultivator would have struggled badly against this thing.

Lin Yuan was at the seventh layer.

That gave him an advantage.

Not a comfortable one.

The Stonehide Wolf lunged again.

Lin Yuan didn’t retreat this time.

Spiritual Qi flowed into his legs.

He stepped forward at the last moment, shifted past its claws, and slashed toward the side of its body.

The sword struck fur rather than stone.

The wolf recoiled.

A short howl echoed across the courtyard.

Lin Yuan immediately created distance.

Better.

Its entire body wasn’t protected.

The hardened areas were concentrated around the head, shoulders and back.

The sides were weaker.

Now he had a target.

The Stonehide Wolf seemed to realize the same thing.

Its movements became more cautious.

It began circling him.

Lin Yuan adjusted his grip.

His heartbeat was faster than normal.

This was the first genuine fight he’d experienced since arriving in this world.

Practicing sword forms alone was one thing.

Using them against something actively trying to tear through him was very different.

His body knew how to fight.

His mind was still catching up.

The wolf suddenly changed direction.

Lin Yuan reacted half a moment too slowly.

It crashed into him.

He managed to place the flat of his sword between them, but the force still threw him backward.

Lin Yuan hit the side of the courtyard wall.

The old stones shook.

Pain spread through his shoulder.

He pushed himself upright immediately.

The wolf was already coming.

Lin Yuan moved.

Its claws struck the wall where he’d been standing.

Several loose stones fell.

Lin Yuan stared at them.

"Hey."

The wolf turned.

"I repaired enough things already."

Spiritual Qi surged through Lin Yuan’s arm.

He attacked first.

One slash toward the head.

The wolf raised a hardened foreleg.

Clang!

Exactly what Lin Yuan expected.

He immediately changed direction.

Second slash.

The wolf twisted.

Third.

Lin Yuan stepped closer instead of retreating.

His sword moved according to the basic forms he’d practiced repeatedly over the past few days.

Nothing elaborate.

Nothing beautiful.

But each movement connected smoothly to the next.

The wolf blocked one.

Dodged another.

Then Lin Yuan found the opening.

His blade struck its unprotected side.

The Stonehide Wolf stumbled away.

Lin Yuan didn’t chase recklessly.

He remained between it and the well.

The wolf’s breathing became heavier.

So did his.

For a moment, the courtyard became still again.

Lin Yuan could feel the spiritual Qi inside his body circulating faster than it ever had during practice.

The barrier he’d sensed during cultivation seemed strangely close.

Eighth layer.

He ignored it.

This wasn’t the time.

The wolf lowered itself again.

Lin Yuan knew what was coming.

"So do you."

It charged.

Lin Yuan waited.

Ten meters.

Seven.

Five.

At the last moment, he stepped aside.

But instead of continuing toward him—

The Stonehide Wolf changed direction.

Toward the well.

Lin Yuan’s eyes widened slightly.

Clever.

He moved after it.

The wolf reached the stone edge and turned suddenly, claws sweeping backward.

A trap.

Lin Yuan barely stopped.

The claws passed in front of his chest.

The wolf lunged immediately afterward.

Lin Yuan couldn’t fully avoid it.

He raised his sword.

The impact forced him back several steps.

His heel struck the base of the well.

No more room.

The wolf attacked again.

Lin Yuan’s expression hardened.

Spiritual Qi rushed into his sword.

He didn’t aim for the stone-covered head.

He waited until the wolf lifted its front body for another strike.

Then he moved beneath the attack.

One step.

Turn.

Slash.

The blade struck beneath the creature’s side where the protective hide was thinner.

The Stonehide Wolf let out a sharp cry and stumbled past him.

Lin Yuan turned immediately.

The wolf tried to rise.

Its movements had slowed.

Lin Yuan didn’t give it another chance to attack.

He stepped forward and struck once more.

The wolf collapsed.

For several seconds, Lin Yuan remained ready.

Nothing happened.

The courtyard became silent.

He waited longer.

Still nothing.

Only then did Lin Yuan lower his sword.

His breathing was heavy.

His robes were covered in dust.

One shoulder hurt considerably more than he would’ve liked.

He looked at the motionless Stonehide Wolf.

Then toward the well.

"So much trouble for a drink."

Dawn slowly arrived.

Lin Yuan sat on the steps outside Wandering Cloud Tavern with a cup of Spirit-Touched water in his hand.

His sword rested beside him.

The Stonehide Wolf remained in the courtyard.

Lin Yuan had already checked it.

It was dead.

The body itself was worth something.

Spirit-beast hide, claws and other materials could usually be sold in cultivation cities.

Lin Yuan had no idea exactly how much this particular beast was worth.

That could wait.

His attention was elsewhere.

He closed his eyes.

The spiritual Qi inside his body was restless.

The fight had pushed him much harder than his normal training.

And now—

The barrier.

Lin Yuan could feel it more clearly than ever.

Qi Refining, eighth layer.

Very close.

He was tempted to immediately sit down and attempt the breakthrough.

He resisted.

His spiritual Qi was unsettled, and his body was tired.

Breaking through in that condition would be stupid.

"Later."

He opened his eyes.

There was something else he needed to understand first.

Lin Yuan looked toward the Spirit-Touched Well.

The Stonehide Wolf hadn’t wandered here randomly.

It had gone directly toward the well.

That was unlikely to be a coincidence.

His territory was still barren.

The amount of additional spiritual Qi was tiny.

But even tiny improvements stood out in a place like Blackstone Wasteland.

What happened when the well improved again?

What happened when the Territory Core reached Level 2?

What happened when the entire territory eventually contained noticeably denser spiritual Qi?

Lin Yuan looked beyond the courtyard wall.

Travelers wouldn’t be the only things attracted here.

Spirit beasts would notice too.

Perhaps other things would.

That was a problem.

But as Lin Yuan thought about it, another realization followed.

It was also proof.

The Territory Core was genuinely changing Blackstone Wasteland.

Not quickly.

Not dramatically.

But enough that a spirit beast had sensed the difference from hours away.

Lin Yuan looked back at Wandering Cloud Tavern.

The wooden building stood exactly as it had yesterday.

Quiet.

Simple.

Small.

But it was no longer quite as insignificant as it looked.

His gaze eventually moved toward the courtyard wall.

Several stones had fallen during the fight.

One section was cracked.

Lin Yuan’s expression darkened.

The tavern itself had been reinforced by the Territory Core.

The old courtyard wall had not.

If the Stonehide Wolf had ignored him and charged directly into it, there was a good chance part of the wall would’ve collapsed.

Lin Yuan sighed.

Another problem.

He had wanted customers.

Then he needed a better stove.

Then more cultivation time.

Now apparently he needed defenses too.

"Owning land is expensive."

He stood and picked up his sword.

Twenty-one spirit stones remained in his storage bag.

Territory Revenue was still far from one hundred.

His cultivation was only at the seventh layer.

And somewhere beyond the courtyard was an enormous wasteland filled with things stronger than the wolf he’d just fought.

Lin Yuan looked at the damaged wall.

Then toward the rising sun.

For some reason, he smiled.

At least things weren’t boring anymore.

And before dealing with anything else He needed to break through.