Despite this being a training regime—a competition to see who could obtain the finest monster core—this was still a righteous sect.
There were lines that could not be crossed.
No matter how fierce the rivalry was, they were still a part of the orthodox alliance.
They were cultivators bound by discipline and honor, not cutthroats scrambling for scraps.
Helping others when needed, not harming them out of greed or spite, was part of what separated them from the demonic paths.
Hei Long pressed deeper into the forests.
He wasn't here to sabotage anyone.
Besides the protagonist…
But nobody had to know that…
Eventually, Hei Long arrived where his instincts and the faint claw marks along the cliffside told him to go.
A shadowed cave opened ahead, its mouth wide and jagged like a beast's jaw.
Hei Long didn't hesitate.
He stepped inside.
Cool air greeted him at first, brushing past his skin like a whisper from the underworld.
