The translucent map continued to hover between them, its faint golden glow casting soft reflections across their faces. Tiny points of light shifted slowly, unaware that every step they took was now visible upon the formation’s silent display.

  Eklavya studied the map carefully for a moment before speaking again.

  “Zeliang,” he said calmly, still observing the shifting lights, “how badly did you injure the elder of the Falling Leaf Sect?”

  Zeliang folded his arms as he considered the question. The memory of that brutal clash still lingered fresh in his mind—the violent surge of power, the clash of techniques, the desperate gamble that had allowed him to escape.

  “I injured him enough,” Zeliang replied slowly, “that it should take until noon before he can fight properly again. If he hadn’t had the healing pill like yours. That’s probably why he stopped to recover in the valley instead of chasing further.”

  ‘There is no one who can make that pill. Haha!’ Eklavya laughed inside his thought.

  ‘But the high-tier healing pills can be made by the high-tier Alchemist.’ Magha warned him not to be cocky. Eklavya nodded in response. ‘I know. I know that.’

  Zeliang's eyes drifted toward the map.

  “But if we move within about thirty-two kilometres of him,” he continued, “he’ll be able to sense us.”

  Eklavya nodded slightly. “Yes,” he said. “But only if he activates his divine sense domain.”

  The Divine Sense Domain is a sensing technique that can only be learned after reaching the Grandmaster realm. No warrior below that level possesses the spiritual awareness required to use it. When activated, it creates an invisible boundary around the user, allowing them to sense the presence and movement of anything within the domain—even subtle disturbances like shifting air, falling leaves, or someone attempting to conceal their aura.

  The range grows with each advancement in rank. A One-Star Grandmaster can sense roughly 250 meters, and the range doubles with every star, eventually reaching 64 kilometres at the level of a Nine-Star Grandmaster.

  Magha’s voice immediately echoed through his mind.

  ‘He has already activated it,’ Magha informed him. ‘Wait, I will mark that region.’

  A moment later, the map changed.

  The area surrounding the elder’s location slowly darkened, forming a shadowed circle within the glowing boundary. The thirty-two-kilometre radius appeared clearly defined, like a dark zone carved directly into the terrain of the map.

  Eklavya watched the adjustment and nodded slightly.

  “We’re currently positioned to the left of the elder’s location,” he said, tracing the area lightly with his finger above the projection. “So here’s what we’ll do. We divide the team into two groups.”

  He paused briefly before adding,

  “I’ll operate alone.”

  Inside his mind, his reasoning was already clear. ‘It will be easier to move alone.’

  Eklavya knew exactly what he was capable of. Against low-level Master Warriors, the demonic needle technique was more than sufficient. The attack was silent, swift, and lethal—but it required precision and secrecy.

  If anyone accompanied him, he wouldn’t be able to use the demonic needle, as it is a demonic technique, and that would only slow the mission.

  Zeliang immediately shook his head. “No. If you want, Chandra can go with you, or I can.”

  Eklavya gave a small dismissive wave of his hand. “I prefer hunting alone,” he said simply. “You should already know that. Most of the time, I’m known for killing alone.”

  Zeliang frowned slightly. “But—”

  Before he could finish, Eklavya cut him off gently but firmly. “I don’t want anyone with me.”

  For a moment, Zeliang studied his expression carefully. There was no arrogance in Eklavya’s voice—only certainty.

  Chandra, who had been quietly observing the map, finally spoke.

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  “Then at least take some Master Warriors with you,” he suggested. “Even if you move independently, having support nearby is safer.”

  Eklavya paused for a brief moment, pretending to consider the suggestion.

  Inside his mind, however, a different calculation was taking place.

  ‘That’s fine,’ he thought calmly. ‘I’ll just move faster than them.’

  If the Master Warriors could not keep up, they would naturally fall behind. By the time they arrived at any target location, the Falling Leaf Sect disciple would already be dead.

  A simple solution. Eklavya finally nodded.

  “Alright,” he said.

  Above them, thunder rolled once more through the darkened sky, and the map between them flickered faintly as another cluster of purple lights appeared near the edge of the boundary.

  “Okay, but only one low-star Master Warrior, and I am not going to slow down for him,” Eklavya said calmly.

  “Fine,” Zeliang replied. He lifted his hand and pointed toward one of the warriors resting nearby. “You—come here.”

  The man immediately rose and approached them. He had a simple, unremarkable appearance—long black hair tied loosely behind his back and dark brown eyes that carried the quiet alertness of someone used to battlefield commands.

  “Yes, Young Master,” the man said respectfully as he stopped before them.

  Zeliang gestured toward him. “This is Solan. He’s a three-star Master Warrior.”

  Eklavya looked him over briefly, measuring him with a glance that was calm yet assessing. After a moment, he nodded.

  “Alright. He’ll come with me.”

  Zeliang gave a small wave of his hand, signalling Solan to sit with them. The man nodded silently and lowered himself to the ground beside the small group, his posture attentive.

  Eklavya turned his attention back to the glowing map floating before them.

  “So here’s how we move,” he began, pointing toward the projection. “I’ll head toward the right side of the elder’s position. Look at the map—there are two groups there, five members in each group.”

  He traced the clusters of purple dots with his finger.

  “They’re outside the elder’s domain zone, which means we can eliminate them without alerting him.”

  Chandra leaned closer to examine the positions while Zeliang listened carefully.

  Eklavya continued, shifting his finger across the map to another section.

  “Meanwhile, there are three other groups of six in this direction,” he said. “And one Grandmaster warrior with them.”

  The map showed the cluster slowly drifting through the forest.

  “Since they’re moving,” Eklavya added thoughtfully, “they’re most likely searching for you.”

  Zeliang gave a faint snort. “They haven’t found me yet.”

  “That’s because their Grandmaster is probably low-level,” Eklavya replied. “His Divine Sense Domain isn’t large enough to cover the entire region.”

  Chandra nodded in agreement. “That makes sense.”

  Eklavya tapped the map once more.

  “Which means we need to finish this before the elder recovers enough to move.”

  His finger slid across the projection toward a flatter area of terrain displayed on the map. When he touched the location, the formation responded instantly, highlighting the spot with a glowing square marker.

  “This place,” Eklavya said, indicating the marked region, “is where that Grandmaster is currently located.”

  The square pulsed faintly on the screen.

  “Once we eliminate the outer groups, we regroup here.”

  He withdrew his hand and looked at Zeliang and Chandra.

  “After that, we’ll decide the next step.”

  The forest around them remained quiet, the distant rumble of thunder the only reminder that time was moving forward.

  Zeliang studied the marked positions on the glowing map for a few moments before speaking again. His eyes moved slowly across the clusters of purple dots, carefully considering the distances and movements.

  “The plan is good,” he said at last. “Our primary objective is to eliminate every member of the Falling Leaf Sect present in this forest.”

  He paused slightly before raising another concern. “But what if the elder decides to move earlier than expected?”

  Eklavya did not hesitate.

  “Then we abandon the plan immediately and retreat toward the centre of the valley,” he replied calmly. “Right now, we are not strong enough to confront him directly.”

  His gaze shifted toward Zeliang. “And you haven’t fully recovered yet.”

  Zeliang did not argue. He understood the truth in those words. Even if he had managed to injure the elder earlier, that had been a desperate gamble rather than a fair fight. Facing the elder again while still weakened would be reckless.

  Chandra folded his arms as he considered the situation. Solan remained silent beside them, though his expression showed he was following every word closely.

  For a brief moment, the four of them remained quiet, each running through the plan in their own mind.

  Finally, Zeliang nodded.

  “Well,” he said, “I agree. It’s not like we have a better plan right now.”

  Chandra gave a short nod as well. Solan followed immediately after.

  With the decision made, the small council dissolved. The four of them rose to their feet.

  The golden map flickered faintly before fading away as they withdrew the ki sustaining the marks. The forest around them felt darker now, the sky above thick with storm clouds that threatened rain at any moment.

  But none of them paid attention to the sky. Their focus was already elsewhere.

  Without another word, they began moving—each stepping silently into the forest, the hunt now officially begun.

  Somewhere among the trees, members of the Falling Leaf Sect were still searching for their enemies. They did not yet realise that the roles had already reversed.