Bright Moon City stood like a dream sharpened into steel.
Yun Ting walked down from the teleportation platform, the marble underfoot humming faintly, still charged with the remnants of the spell. The air was different here—thinner, cleaner, tinged with incense and something metallic, like ozone before lightning.
She adjusted her jacket, her boots tapping softly as she moved through the crowd. No one paid her much attention. And yet, a few heads turned—people who remembered a face like hers, a girl with eyes too calm and posture too sure.
She didn't look around.
She didn't need to.
The city breathed beneath golden rooftops and cloud-scraping towers, each paneled in jade and glass. Lanterns floated on invisible streams above her, their silk skins glowing faintly in the morning light. Stalls lined the white stone roads, shouting sellers haggling over beast cores, rune-engraved relics, and even robotic pets chirping in crates. It was a place of old magic and new tech—held together by power and the promise of gold.
Her destination loomed ahead.
The Yellow Spring Building.
It wasn't the tallest in the city, nor the most impressive, but it gleamed like authority. Its gates were inlaid with carved obsidian, the sigil of Taixu's Monetary Association hanging above—three coins nested in a crescent moon. Though overshadowed by the Four Great Pavilions, Yellow Spring remained one of the city's most important centers—handling all things trade, from currency exchange to the valuation of beast cores.
Hunters came and went in groups—some laughing, others bloodied and silent. Most were here to cash in after a long expedition.
Yun Ting moved through the entrance, the heavy doors parting for her like she belonged.
Inside, golden light spilled from crystal chandeliers. The floor was polished marble, reflecting her shadow. Dozens of counters formed a half-circle around the central hall. Some were manned by assistants in crisp robes. Others were abandoned, papers still fluttering from past transactions.
She scanned the room.
There. An empty counter near the right wall, manned by an older man with silver hair and a pale scar over one eye. His gaze followed a young mercenary walking past, then calmly settled on her.
Yun Ting approached.
The man spoke first, voice low and precise. "Young lady, how can I assist you today?"
His demeanor was professional—bordering on bored—but something about him didn't quite match the other clerks. His aura was sharp. Coiled. Like a sword too long kept sheathed.
Yun Ting didn't answer right away. She reached into the inside of her jacket, carefully drawing out the small creature she'd kept hidden all morning.
It was curled tight—a trembling sphere of legs and chitin. Still alive.
She placed it gently on the counter.
The old man's eyes widened. His hand stilled over the register. For a moment, he just stared.
"By the heavens... a Wisdom Spiritual Essence," he breathed, leaning closer.
Yun Ting blinked. "A what?"
He looked at her like she'd asked what a fire was.
"It's not just a beast core," he explained, lowering his voice slightly. "It's alive. Contains a spark of will. A rare mutation. Most beast cores are dead—nothing more than condensed power. But this... this one adapts. It learns. In Taixu, we call it a Wisdom Essence, though some prefer the term 'Living Core'."
Yun Ting stared at the creature. Her mind flashed back to the hornet spider's final shriek, its unusual resistance, and how even its corpse hadn't truly gone cold.
"So… what does it do?"
The man chuckled. "Depends. Implant it, and your body might adapt to its bloodline traits. Strength. Agility. Or venom. If your body can handle it."
He tapped the edge of the counter. "But be warned. It's still from a Widow Hornet Spider—not a highly evolving species. Limited abilities, limited future growth."
"So... not worth much?" she asked carefully.
"Oh, it's worth plenty," he said, pulling out a screen. "Just not as much as if it came from, say, a Spirit Serpent or Storm Wolf."
She leaned forward. "Then how much?"
He turned the screen toward her. "In gold coins? Roughly 65,750."
Yun Ting's mouth parted. That was a fortune. Enough to buy clean housing, maybe even citizenship in one of the upper quarters.
"But…" she said slowly, "my system scan listed it at 120 coins."
"Ah." He smiled gently. "You're from the outer zones, aren't you?"
She hesitated, then nodded.
"We use Tayuan here," he explained. "Official currency of Taixu Island. One Tayuan is equivalent to about 550 of your gold coins. So 120 Tayuan is still… well, quite a lot."
She almost laughed. Almost.
Yun Ting's fingers hovered near the creature.
"I have a question," she said. "My system updated recently. It said I could... consume this. To evolve, Is that possible?"
"Interesting." He leaned back slightly, folding his hands. "Then yes—consumption is possible. Some systems offer integration features that bypass natural evolution. Risky, but efficient."
"How risky?" she asked.
"Extremely," he said bluntly. "Your body would need to endure the entire essence merging process. Painful. Sometimes fatal. Especially if your level, constitution, or soul strength isn't high enough. And since this Essence is alive… it may resist."
"So it could... take over?"
"In theory, yes. Most hosts lose control mid-fusion. The lucky ones die quickly. The unlucky ones... become something else and afterwards killed by the association because they are no longer humans ."
Yun Ting's breath slowed. That system update hadn't exactly come with a warning label.
She stared at the pulsing creature. Evolve. The word sat heavy in her thoughts.
"I want to sell it," she said at last.
"Are you sure?"
She nodded. "I'm sure."
The old man reached for a slip of paper, but then
"Stop right there!"
The voice cracked through the air, echoing off the walls like a command.
Heads turned.
Yun Ting froze, her hand hovering above the desk.
A man walked into the hall, flanked by two guards. He wore a long black coat, tailored and spotless, with a badge pinned to his chest—the emblem of Taixu's Law Enforcement Guild. His hair was slicked back, and his eyes scanned the room like a hawk looking for prey.
Behind him stood a young man—hood up, half his face hidden. But Yun Ting recognized the shape of his jaw, the narrowed eyes.
It was him.
The man from earlier that morning. The one who had tried to steal from the spider's corpse after she'd killed it.
The officer stepped forward. "Mr. Li Zhengzhou," he said to the old man. "Apologies. But we're here on official business."
The old clerk stood stiffly, bowing his head. "Mr. Charles. Of course."
Charles turned to Yun Ting. "young lady , under the constitution of Taixu, specifically under Clause Forty-Seven regarding hunting claims, you are under investigation for possession of a previously claimed core."
Yun Ting blinked. "What…?"
The hooded young man stepped forward, pointing directly at the creature still on the desk. "She stole it," he said coldly. "That' was mine."
"No it isn't," Yun Ting snapped, stepping back. "I killed the widow hornet spider. And aren't the guy I found trying to steal something from its corpse. "
Charles raised a hand. "You'll have your chance to speak, Miss Yun Ting. But for now, we'll need you to come with us."
The guards stepped forward.
Yun Ting's pulse quickened. This wasn't just an accusation, it was a setup.
And it had just begun.