When Mo Ling regained consciousness, he found himself in a dimly lit cave chained to the wall, at the other end of the room, he noticed his captor practicing various killer moves with Gu, some of which seemed eerily familiar to him.
Despite his hazy mind, he powered through, collecting any information he could to better ensure his survival. The first thing he noticed is his aperture had been emptied, and secondly his connection to them had been severed - a blow that would have sent most cultivators spiraling into despair.
Mo Ling had worked tirelessly for years to attain his rank-4 position, becoming the undisputed leader of the mountain range. But in one swift moment, he had lost it all. However, despite the setback, he refused to succumb to defeat. Taking a deep breath to center himself, he began to formulate a plan for escape.
As his mind raced to formulate a plan for escape, a sudden realization struck him like a bolt of lightning. The killer moves being performed before him were all his own, the product of months, some of them years, of painstaking practice and refinement. And yet, the man in front of him was executing them with a precision and ease that suggested he had mastered them in a mere fraction of that time.
Despite the frustration that welled up within him at this realization, he could not help but feel a grudging sense of respect for his captor's skills. As he continued to observe the man's movements, he noticed that something else was off - the man that had attacked him and the one practicing in front of him felt different for some reason.
When he was under attack, his attacker felt like a wild beast, all teeth and claws. But now, watching him practice the killer moves, he felt like he was observing a professional artisan putting their all into their work.
Suddenly, the man crumpled to the earth, his body giving out as he failed in his attempt to execute one of the killer moves.
Without skipping a beat, He knew exactly what had happened - his captor had failed to execute the killer move 'heightened senses', leaving him in a state of confusion where none of his senses worked.
This was Mo Ling's chance to escape. He was about to attempt to break the chains that bound him when the man suddenly stood up as if nothing had happened and resumed practicing the killer moves.
Mo Ling froze for a moment, confusion etched on his face. The only way the person could have broken the effects of the killer move was if he had prepared such methods in advance, meaning Mo Ling himself had been targeted. The only people who could have given the mysterious person such a method were Mo Ling's two masters. Immediately, Mo Ling began to formulate possible reasons for their actions. "Was this a test?" he thought with uncertainty. "Or have they decided to abandon me?"
Shaking his head in denial, Mo Ling realized that either way, he needed to pass this trial that had been brought upon him. He continued to ponder the situation for a while longer until he noticed that the man had finished practicing the killer moves. Quickly, he decided to feign unconsciousness, hoping to catch him off guard and make his escape.
⸻
Upon perceiving his aperture reach 35%, Xie Ling ceased his training in killer moves. Without the protection that came from the village, he could no longer deplete his primeval essence reserves freely.
Muttering to himself, he mused, "The more I refine my abilities, the greater my control becomes. I can manipulate even objects that are difficult to discern whether they possess a will or not, such as blades of grass or seeds."
Approaching the seemingly unconscious Mo Ling, a smirk grew on his face. "I could tell you were conscious the moment you awoke," he said, rolling his eyes when he received no response.
"If I broke one of your legs, you probably wouldn't even show a reaction," he continued, "The only reason I approached you was to inform you that you're free to go."
Mo Ling internally scoffed at the thought of being let go so easily, remaining motionless for a while. But when he heard nothing from Xie Ling, even after waiting for hours, he decided to finally open his eyes. To his surprise, he noticed that the ground was littered with many of his Gu, while others had been replaced with new ones. There was also a strange pile of rocks in the middle.
Immediately he broke out of his bindings, which he found to be shockingly easy, as he was about to pick them up, he paused for a moment, checking if there were any traps, before swiftly grasping his Gu back and refining them with his will. He then looked at the pile of rocks, confused as to their purpose, but decided that staying there any longer would be dangerous.