As Lian walked, he felt a cool, surging power wash over him. He had broken through the Fifth Stage of cultivation.
Even if I couldn't get access to the martial books, at least I got an unexpected gain. The Elder's martial intent helped me break through... but I still need books if I want to fight in the disciple selection tournament.
"But where to get them?" he wondered. "I don't know anyone who would be willing to give me their cultivation art."
I guess I have no choice. I have to go hunt beasts and sell their cores to buy a cultivation book... but first, I need a weapon.
Lian went back to his house and found a broken broomstick. He then sharpened one edge of it, forming a crude spear. Before leaving, he closed his eyes and channelled his Fifth Stage Chi into the broomstick, hardening the tip into a point as dark and tough as iron.
This should do, he thought. He prepared to sneak out of the compound again, knowing that if they caught him, he would be in serious trouble.
"Never walk out! You will make us lose face!" they would scold him every time he asked to go outside. Because of this, he had formed a habit of sneaking out through a tunnel he had stumbled upon one day while cleaning.
He crouched low and left through the narrow tunnel, finding himself outside once more.
Huu... finally, fresh air, he thought as he began charging toward the great forest of Toe, where most beast hunting happened.
He began his run, now even faster than before. "It's truly addictive," he thought. "I finally understand why people would cultivate despite the danger. The feeling of breaking through your limitations is indeed a great feeling."
As he approached, he found himself instinctively slowing down. A great pressure emanated from the forest—it was as if a powerful force was pushing down on him.
"I might have underestimated the danger of this forest," Lian thought, walking closer.
The place had many dense trees that covered most of the area, making it difficult to see.
Lian began his hunt, starting with small beasts, Yin Rats. This took up most of his morning, and high noon finally came, the sun hot outside.
"Back in the day, I would struggle to catch even a baby Yin Rat, but today I managed to catch seven of them! This is great, Lian thought to himself.
He then searched for a river where he could cool himself. Throughout the day, he had realised that the only places he should avoid were the deeper parts of the forest, as well as the far north and west.
His instincts told him that was where most of the great beasts rested.
Mmm, that sounds like the flow of water, he thought to himself, his ears now fine-tuned to hear things that were far away.
He rushed toward the sound, climbing trees and leaping from one to the other. At first, he would slip and fall, but the more he did it, the more he got the hang of it.
"I see. The key is dispensing the chi in my toes. That way I can have a great grip but also a burst of speed... Mmm, this is a wonderful feeling.
It feels like I am gliding through the air."
The river finally came into view. Lian stood atop a tree and scanned the area for danger, concentrating most of his chi into his eyes.
He looked through the river but saw nothing. Confident, he leapt off the tree and dove into the water.
"Ugh... finally refreshing!" Lian thought. "I thought I was going to die from this heat. Since I got here, it's been getting hotter and hotter. I wonder what's going on."
Lian spent the rest of his day lazing around, splashing the water, until he heard a cry.
"Ahhh, let go of me!" a feminine voice echoed. "Have you no shame? You were supposed to become the guards of my family, yet here you are doing something so unsightly!" The voice continued.
I hope they don't come this side... I don't want any trouble, Lian thought to himself, quickly walking out of the water.
As Lian walked out of the water, a bright flash of light boomed from the distance, causing the nearby trees to shake violently and prompting the surrounding beasts to flee.
Lian quickly threw on his clothes and jumped atop a nearby tree to hide.
"Damn, these people look like they are masters…" he thought, concealing himself deeper within the leaves.
"Come on now, Huǒ Yànhuā, let's have a taste." A large brute spoke. His body was twice the size of a normal person. A massive grin split his face, and a single scar crossed his cheek. He was drooling at the mouth. In his hand, he hefted a large axe-sword, its silver head glimmering high in the air.
"Shame on you all," a feminine voice responded. It belonged to a girl around Lian's age, with pink hair and pale skin. Her orange robes lay perfectly across her curvy body.
"How dare you betray my family after everything we have done for you?" the girl, Huǒ Yànhuā, demanded.
She drew the sword from her waist; its hilt was made of gold, and a simple carving of a flame was embedded in it.
The blade pulsed with a vibrant red flame. She swung the blade, intending to strike the man before her, but from a distance, an arrow came flying through, knocking the sword away from her hand.
"Hahaha… come on now, Princess, why are you making this hard for yourself?" The brutish man spoke, striking Huǒ Yànhuā down. He then laughed out maniacally.
"Finally, I will take back everything that the Huǒ family has taken from me! If I get the Ten Thousand Year Fire Essence, I can break through the Jīn Hé stage, and while I'm at it, I get to enjoy this princess!" He spoke, licking his lips.
"Wait… Lu Yan, you said we would sell the fire essence for essence stones, didn't you!?" The archer spoke, stepping into view.
He was a thin-looking man wearing a sharp hat, his face resembling a rodent, and his wispy beard like whiskers.
One of his eyes was covered by an eye patch, and his bow hung on his back.
"Hahaha… of course we will sell! I never go back on my word…" the large brute replied, a huge grin stretching across his face.
His words said one thing while his body showed another.
"Huu… this is truly dangerous, but the Fire Essence might help me greatly. I could sell it for some decent cultivation techniques and still have money left to buy cultivation stones." Lian thought this as he tried to readjust his stance.
Shhhh!
The trees rustled as Lian shifted his position.
"Oh… it seems we have a rat here," Xianshun, the archer, spoke, drawing his bow and shooting an arrow straight towards Lian.
"Damn, they found me," Lian mumbled as he jumped off the tree, narrowly evading the arrow. He fell to the ground on his feet and watched the tree behind him instantly disintegrate.
"Hey… Hey! I'm no threat!" he spoke, raising his hands high.
"Too bad for you. The fact that you are here is the reason why you will die. Blame yourself for being in the wrong place at the wrong time... ahahaha!"
The brute, Lu Yan, spoke, throwing a slash with his axe-sword. A blue light flew from the blade, whistling through the air.
It scorched the ground as it headed straight for Lian.
But it did not hit him. Lian used the movement technique he had learned while running through the trees and swiftly evaded the attack, moving to the side.
"Wooo! I guess you have some skill, ha! It will take some effort to try and get rid of you," Lu Yan spoke, tossing another attack, which Lian evaded as well, before turning and beginning to run away.
"Xianshun! Go after him! If word gets out about what happened here, we will be in trouble!" Lu Yan commanded.
Xianshun instantly ran after Lian.
Lu Yan turned back to Huǒ Yànhuā. "Now, Princess, let—" But before he could finish, he realised the princess had escaped during that brief interaction with Lian.
"Damn it! Damn it!" Lu Yan roared as he quickly went after the girl.