"And there's more…"A cold glint flashed through A-Ling's eyes. "This exotic beast attack was not an accident."
Xu Zixi's heart jolted. "Not an accident? You're saying it was man-made?"
A-Ling nodded, her voice turning icy. "We found traces of a frenzy-inducing drug inside the beasts. Someone deliberately drugged them and then lured them straight into our tribe."
"Who would scheme against us?" Xu Zixi frowned deeply. "And they chose this exact moment… They know our tribe far too well."
At present, the tribe had only two Mystic Extreme Realm experts—the Grand Elder and his father. But his father was away.
As for Heaven Extreme Realm experts, there were only eight in total.
Two were with the hunting team, currently deep in Tungwood Mountain.One was the patrol captain, still in closed-door cultivation.Aside from A-Ling, the remaining four were elders.
Of those elders, three were leading teams at the trade market, while the last was nearing the end of his lifespan and rarely appeared.
Counting it out, Xu Zixi realized that right now, the only real combat strength in the tribe was A-Ling and the Grand Elder.
No wonder the enemy had chosen this moment.
"I've already sent word to the hunting team," A-Ling said. "They'll return as soon as possible."
"What about my father?" Xu Zixi couldn't help asking. "Can you contact him too?"
A-Ling shook her head. "No. I can't reach the Chieftain."
"Then the hunting team—did they encounter him in Tungwood Mountain?" Xu Zixi pressed, hope flickering.
A-Ling shook her head again. "I asked A-Tu. He went near the gold vein during the hunt, but didn't see the Chieftain."
"What?"Xu Zixi's heart sank hard. "Then… where did Father go?"
A surge of panic rose in him. Please, nothing must happen to him…
Seeing his anxiety, A-Ling tried to reassure him. "Don't worry. Maybe the Chieftain didn't find the Purple-Gold Fruit at the gold vein and went elsewhere."
"Before this, he searched several locations with gold deposits."
"…"Several gold veins?
If this were his previous life, Xu Zixi might have jumped in excitement.
But in this world, he felt nothing.
Gold was nearly useless here—aside from the Purple-Gold Fruit, it couldn't be eaten, nor was it suitable for forging artifacts.
Trade here relied instead on crystal coins that could store energy.
Even with A-Ling's reassurance, Xu Zixi couldn't relax.
Before, he might have believed her without question. But now, with the beast attack happening so suddenly, he couldn't help overthinking.
Logically speaking, even if Father failed to find the Purple-Gold Fruit, he wouldn't leave Tungwood Mountain without a word—unless something had happened that forced him to.
What exactly was going on?
Xu Zixi's brows knitted tightly.
A-Ling was equally puzzled. She didn't understand why the Chieftain would leave Tungwood Mountain in silence.
Unless… he hadn't left at all.
The two of them fell into uneasy silence.
After a while, Xu Zixi broke it."A-Ling… do you have any cultivation techniques meant for ordinary people?"
He understood that worrying was useless.
With his current strength, he couldn't help anyone. The only thing he could do was improve himself—clear more stages and obtain more Life Force.
Although he couldn't cultivate properly, he could still learn basic, non-ranked techniques. They would be extremely useful in the Life-and-Death Arena.
"Yes," A-Ling nodded. "The Chieftain instructed me earlier to collect unranked, ordinary techniques for you."
She stood up. "I'll go get them now."
"Mm."Xu Zixi's eyes warmed slightly.
Father… you've really done so much for me.Please come home soon.
A-Ling returned with three manuals—one for palm techniques, one for sword techniques, and one for movement techniques.
After some thought, Xu Zixi chose the movement technique.
After all, if he couldn't win, he could at least run.
Decision made, he took Light Swan Steps to the training room.
The technique contained twelve forms. Its core lay in a single word—lightness.
Xu Zixi began practicing from the first form.
His feet tapped lightly as his body moved according to the technique. Again and again, he repeated the steps.
While he practiced, the hunting team returned to the tribe.
After briefly informing Xu Zixi, A-Ling went to discuss reinforcing the tribe's defenses to prevent another attack.
Aside from meals, Xu Zixi spent the entire day in the training room.
By nightfall, he had fully mastered the first three forms of Light Swan Steps. His speed had increased noticeably—almost on par with the scaled beast he fought before.
The entire tribe was now on full alert. Three Heaven Extreme Realm cultivators patrolled throughout the night.
With only the Grand Elder—a single Mystic Extreme Realm expert—holding the fort, no amount of caution was excessive.
That night, Xu Zixi had the system open the Life-and-Death Arena again.
This time, three scaled beasts appeared on the arena.
His heart leapt into his throat.
One had already been terrifying—now there were three?
"—Screee!"
The three scaled beasts shrieked simultaneously and lunged at him from different directions.
Xu Zixi immediately activated Light Swan Steps.
But whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
In the blink of an eye, claws raked across his body, leaving several deep wounds that exposed bone.
Pain exploded through him.
"So fast!"Their speed was at least twice that of the previous beast.
So when the system said the difficulty doubled… it meant the beasts' strength doubled, not just their number?
This wasn't doubled—it was three times harder!
Before he could think further, the three beasts surged toward him again. Their claws flashed coldly, so fast that afterimages nearly vanished.
Xu Zixi pushed Light Swan Steps to its limit.
His footwork shifted rapidly, his body light as a swan feather. He narrowly dodged the killing claws—again and again.
But before he could even breathe, attacks came from all sides, sealing him in completely.
He could only dodge desperately. Counterattacking was almost impossible.
The slightest mistake earned him another wound.
Light Swan Steps had reached its absolute limit, yet the beasts were simply too fast—endless, omnipresent, with nowhere to hide.
Hours passed.
Xu Zixi was covered in blood, his body riddled with wounds.
One gash ran from his cheek to behind his ear. If he'd been any slower, his eye would have been torn out.
Thankfully, he had learned Light Swan Steps beforehand and instinctively avoided vital points. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Even so, the defensive artifact—the Guard Token—had already consumed one of its charges.
While Xu Zixi struggled for survival in the arena…
Deep within Tungwood Mountain, a group of people moved silently through the night.
After clearing the surrounding exotic beasts, they lit a torch.
By the firelight, a middle-aged man examined a yellowed map in his hand.
It depicted the terrain of Tungwood Mountain.
But a closer look revealed subtle differences from the tribe's official map.
After studying it, several figures appeared beside him.
"Clan Leader," one asked quietly, "the Xu Tribe has raised its defenses. Should we continue monitoring them?"
"No need."The man folded the map away. "We've already tested their strength. Aside from that Mystic Extreme Grand Elder, the rest are insignificant."
"Return and inform the elders. Bring people here immediately. While their Mystic Extreme Chieftain is absent, wipe out the Xu Tribe swiftly."
His voice was cold and merciless."Have someone keep watch on the trade market as well. After dealing with this place, eliminate their elders too. No survivors."
"Yes."The figures answered in unison before melting back into the darkness.
The man waved his hand at the remaining group."Let's move. Find the ruins as quickly as possible."
What was happening in Tungwood Mountain remained completely unknown to the Xu Tribe.
When the arena finally ended, Xu Zixi lay barely alive on the ground.
He had survived—by sheer will—under the claws of three ferocious scaled beasts.
The system's cheerful voice rang out."Congratulations, Xixi! You've survived another day~ Would you like to use Life Force now?"
"Yes…"Xu Zixi's entire body throbbed with pain as he answered weakly.
"Okay~"
A strand of Life Force descended.
His wounds slowly healed as vigorous vitality circulated through his body, sustaining his fragile life.
After leaving the arena, Xu Zixi's injuries were gone—but his mind felt utterly exhausted.
The second stage was far more difficult than he had anticipated.
Tomorrow, he'd need to train Light Swan Steps even harder.
With that thought, he fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, Xu Zixi woke up as usual.
A-Ling was busy handling patrol matters, so he ate breakfast alone before heading to the training room.
He was now practicing the fourth form of Light Swan Steps. The footwork grew increasingly complex, but if he wanted to clear stages, his speed had to increase.
He focused completely, practicing over and over—
When suddenly—
A shrill warning alarm rang out again.
Then came earth-shaking explosions.
Stone houses collapsed one after another.
A strange, booming laughter echoed over the tribe.
"HAHAHA! Tribesmen—kill them all! Leave none alive!"
"Kill!"
The clash of metal filled the air.
"Who dares act so recklessly here?!"The Grand Elder roared in fury, followed by a series of agonized screams.
Someone had attacked the tribe.
Xu Zixi's face went pale. He sprinted outside.
When the Grand Elder appeared, an unfamiliar old man laughed loudly."Perfect timing!"
He thrust out a palm strike of terrifying power.
Where the palm wind passed, stone houses collapsed instantly. Tribe members caught in it were torn apart, blood splattering everywhere.
The Grand Elder was enraged.
His long spear moved like a dragon, carrying thunderous force as it smashed toward the attacker.
BOOM!
The two forces collided midair, exploding violently.
Amid the raging energy, the two quickly engaged in fierce combat.
Suddenly—
Another figure appeared behind the Grand Elder, swinging a massive hammer down at him.
"Grand Elder, watch out!"Xu Zixi, hiding in a corner, cried out instinctively.
But his voice was swallowed by the sounds of battle and death.
Sensing danger, the Grand Elder flashed aside, narrowly avoiding the hammer.
The two attackers exchanged glances—
Then attacked together.
As the Grand Elder was beset by two powerful enemies…