Cold.
Not the kind that bites skin.
Not wind. Not winter.
Something deeper.
The first thing I noticed… was silence.
No sound of traffic.
No hum of electricity.
No faint vibration from devices.
Nothing.
Just… quiet.
Too quiet.
I opened my eyes.
The sky above me was unfamiliar.
Not gray.
Not polluted.
Clear.
Wide.
Almost… unreal.
For a brief second, I did not move.
Not because I was confused.
Because I was thinking.
Last memory.
A stream.
Late night.
Chat scrolling too fast.
Someone arguing about strategy.
Then—
Nothing.
No pain.
No transition.
Just this.
I sat up slowly.
The ground was rough. Dry soil. Small stones pressing against my palm.
Real.
Too real.
Chen Xu breathed out once.
So this is how it feels.
No panic.
Panic wastes time.
Instead, I looked around.
Forest.
Sparse, but not empty.
Trees stretched unevenly. Some twisted. Some broken.
No clear path.
No signs of civilization.
But something felt… off.
Not dangerous.
Not yet.
Just—
Different.
System spoke suddenly.
System initialized.
Chen Xu blinked once.
Late.
That was the first thought.
Chen Xu responded inwardly you took your time.
System replied tone flat.
System presence not required earlier.
Chen Xu did not argue.
Because that answer—
Made sense.
If it had been there before, it would have spoken.
If it didn't… then it wasn't needed.
Chen Xu stood up.
Body felt normal.
No weakness.
No enhancement either.
Average.
System spoke again.
System physical state: baseline human.
Chen Xu nodded slightly.
Expected.
No advantage.
No disadvantage.
Balanced.
He stepped forward.
Leaves cracked softly under his feet.
The sound lingered longer than it should.
Or maybe the silence made it feel that way.
A faint breeze moved through the trees.
Carrying something.
Qi.
Subtle.
Thin.
But present.
System spoke.
System environmental energy detected. Compatible with cultivation framework.
Chen Xu glanced ahead.
So this is that kind of world.
Not surprising.
Actually—
Expected.
Because anything else would be boring.
A sudden sound broke the quiet.
Footsteps.
Multiple.
Approaching.
Not careful.
Not hidden.
Which meant—
Weak.
Chen Xu did not move.
No reason to.
Three figures appeared between the trees.
Young.
Rough clothing.
Weapons… barely maintained.
Bandits.
Body Tempering.
Low level.
Their breathing was uneven.
Their stance… loose.
Untrained.
One of them stepped forward.
Scar across his face.
He looked at Chen Xu, eyes narrowing slightly.
Bandit Leader said you are alone.
Chen Xu looked at him.
Silent.
The bandit frowned.
Bandit Leader said lost.
A pause.
Then a smirk.
Bandit Leader said unlucky.
The other two laughed quietly.
One of them spoke.
Bandit said maybe he has something.
Another added.
Bandit said even if he doesn't, we take his clothes.
They stepped closer.
Casual.
Confident.
Because to them—
This was routine.
Chen Xu tilted his head slightly.
Not in fear.
In observation.
Their movements were simple.
Predictable.
No coordination.
No awareness.
Just numbers.
And even that… barely mattered.
Bandit Leader stopped a few steps away.
Bandit Leader said hand it over.
Chen Xu finally spoke.
Chen Xu asked what.
The bandit paused.
Then laughed.
Bandit Leader said everything.
Chen Xu looked at him for a moment.
Then—
Slightly longer.
Something shifted.
No wind.
No sound.
Just—
Pressure.
The bandit's smile froze.
Not fully.
Just enough.
His eyes flickered.
Bandit Leader said what is—
He didn't finish.
Because suddenly—
He couldn't.
The air around him felt… heavy.
Not crushing.
Just wrong.
The other two stepped back slightly.
Confused.
One of them spoke.
Bandit said what is happening.
No answer.
Because there was nothing to see.
Chen Xu did not move.
Did not gesture.
Did not focus.
He simply—
Looked.
The bandit leader's breath became uneven.
Sweat formed.
His hands trembled.
Bandit Leader said stop.
Chen Xu remained still.
The bandit took a step back.
Then another.
But it did not help.
Because distance—
Was meaningless.
The second bandit panicked.
Bandit said run.
He turned.
Did not finish the step.
Because his body—
Stopped.
Not frozen.
Not paralyzed.
Just—
No longer continuing.
Silence.
The third bandit stared.
Eyes wide.
Bandit said what did you do.
Chen Xu answered.
Chen Xu said nothing.
The bandit shook his head.
Bandit said no.
His voice cracked.
Bandit said no, this is—
He did not finish.
Because his mind—
Could not complete the thought.
Chen Xu looked at him briefly.
The bandit collapsed.
No wound.
No blood.
No sign.
Just—
Gone.
Not physically.
But everything that made him… him—
Removed.
The forest returned to silence.
Slowly.
Like nothing happened.
Chen Xu exhaled.
So this is how it works.
No excitement.
No satisfaction.
Just confirmation.
System spoke quietly.
System ability recognized. Classification unavailable.
Chen Xu replied inwardly expected.
Because it wasn't something that needed classification.
It just—
Was.
Chen Xu stepped forward.
Walking past the bodies.
No hesitation.
Because they were no longer relevant.
The forest stretched ahead.
Quiet.
Wide.
Unknown.
Chen Xu glanced up at the sky.
Then forward again.
No urgency.
No goal.
Yet.
Because before moving—
He needed to see.
Observe.
Understand.
Then decide.
Slowly.
Precisely.
Because power—
Was not something to use.
It was something—
To place.