Back at the center, Lin Feng continued, tracing invisible lines on the projected map. "The northern valley,"
he said softly, "houses three minor camps and one command node. Only two cultivators at void refinement Level 2 occupy these positions. They are capable of resistance, yes, but they cannot predict coordinated infiltration."
" A calculated strike here will force the Barbarian Sect to consolidate their forces at a single point, where we can observe, isolate, and neutralize without unnecessary casualties."
Elder Han's voice trembled, yet his curiosity overcame fear. "And if… they resist? What of reinforcements from their outer territories?"
Lin Feng's expression remained calm, his eyes piercing but gentle.
"They are geographically constrained. Their reinforcements cannot arrive faster than our precise strikes. By the time the outer camps respond, the node will already be compromised."
"The appearance of resistance is merely an illusion they will believe they control the situation, but it will be we who orchestrate it."
The council was silent. The idea was elegant but… audacious.
Elder Bi, nervously rubbing his fingers together, whispered,
"It seems impossible. We have trained in siege tactics, ambushes, battlefield formations… yet his plan renders all conventional methods… redundant. It is as though the very laws of strategy bend to his will."
Zhao Yue stepped closer to Lin Feng, her voice soft but firm.
"Father, Lin Feng has already handled far greater threats than this. The Zhao family incident alone without your kingdom's aid demonstrates his capability. Trust his judgment."
King Zhao Feng exhaled, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully. He may have only reached Void Refinement Level 3, but he was not foolish. He could sense the confidence and power in Lin Feng's aura, the subtle authority that needed no cultivation to impose itself.
"Very well," the king said slowly. "Young Master Lin, you will direct this operation. The council and all generals will follow your guidance. No action will be taken without your approval. Understood?"
Lin Feng inclined his head. "Understood."
A faint tremor ran through the council. They were aligning themselves under a youth barely fifteen, yet whose experience, cultivation, and strategic clarity far outstripped anything they could hope to achieve.
Outside the council hall windows, the northern winds carried the faint scent of pine and smoke from the outskirts signs of the Barbarian Sect's minor raids.
To the elders, it was a reminder that their borders were fragile, their people vulnerable. Yet Lin Feng's calm presence reassured them that this crisis would not spiral out of control.
zhao yue looked at lin feng who looked like he is planning a great plain . Her shoulders somewhat felt a little light and she knows that her decision was right ....
For now, however, the plan was simple: observe, strike with precision, and let the enemy overextend themselves.
Lin Feng's confidence was quiet, almost disarmingly so, but it carried the authority of someone who had seen beyond the ordinary limits of 8th-tier and 9th-tier logic.
As the council session continued, the elders contributed their knowledge of the terrain, scouting reports, and cultivator strengths. Lin Feng absorbed every detail, noting weaknesses, opportunities, and psychological tendencies of the Barbarian Sect.
Every suggestion was folded seamlessly into his strategy. By the end of the session, the plan was no longer a theoretical discussion it was a living, breathing operation that could be executed immediately.
The final words of Lin Feng were simple, almost understated,
"Contain the minor threats. Consolidate the enemy at their core positions. When the time comes, strike decisively. The rest will follow naturally. Trust in the plan. Trust in yourselves."
A heavy silence followed. The elders, who had once doubted, now felt a mixture of reverence and apprehension.
They could sense that the weight of the Western Region's northern borders now rested on the shoulders of this boy in white.
And in the shadows, Jian Tian's gaze never wavered, prepared to intervene should that weight ever tip toward disaster.
Now it was time for The Northern Valley Strike,
The sun had barely risen over the northern valleys of the Solaris Kingdom, casting long amber shadows across the dense forests and rolling hills.
Birds stirred, villagers whispered prayers for protection, and faint smoke rose from early morning fires in frontier settlements.
From afar, the Barbarian Sect's raiding parties began to stir, as they had done for months. Minor camps mostly void refinement Level 1 or 2 cultivators were preparing to harass nearby villages.
From their perspective, the valleys were quiet, unguarded, and ripe for plunder. They had no idea the entire operation had been orchestrated by a single mind far beyond their comprehension.
Lin Feng arrived at the head of a small, select contingent of Solaris cultivators, the King's order giving them authority to move quickly and decisively.
His calm movements contrasted sharply with the nervous energy around him. Generals and elders watched every subtle gesture, trying to gauge the boy's intentions, yet failing utterly to read the depths of his plan.
"Stay close to the flanks," Lin Feng instructed quietly. His voice carried no strain, only precision, and the soldiers and cultivators around him obeyed instinctively.
His eyes swept the valley ahead, noting every hill, every pass, every stream that might conceal enemy forces.
"Do not engage unless ordered. Let the enemy make the first mistakes ,they will. Their overconfidence is already a weapon for us."
Elder Han whispered under his breath to Mo Kun.
"He speaks so calmly… as if he has already foreseen the outcome. Does he really intend to face the Barbarian Sect himself?"
Mo Kun's jaw tightened. "Whatever he intends… we must trust him. There is no other option."
They did not yet realize that Lin Feng held within him powers that could turn the entire valley into a storm of willow leaves, or annihilate their enemy with a single talisman.
Powers that none of the elders or even the Barbarian Sect could anticipate.
The first skirmish came at midday. A group of Barbarian scouts soul transformation level cultivators, some at peak some at lower levels attempted to ambush a Solaris supply caravan.
Lin Feng did not act immediately. Instead, he watched, his sharp gaze recording every movement. When the scouts struck, he allowed them to think they had the upper hand.
Then, with a subtle flick of his wrist, the air shimmered. In an instant, thousands of spiritual leaves materialized, each a thin, razor-edged fragment of Lin Feng's Willow Sword Intent.
They swirled into a vortex that lifted the raiders' horses and men into the air, spinning them helplessly. The village supply caravan was untouched, yet the enemy was thrown into disarray, terrified by the invisible, unstoppable force.
Lin feng flicked his hand and thousands of willow leaves cut their bodies in millions of pieces in front of the horrified eyes of elders, soldiers and even generals .
Elder Bi gulped a huge amount of saliva , what the hell ! How is it possible that a nascent soul guy is killing spirit transformation peak cultivators as if cutting vegetables.
You should know the elders are all at this level at most . That means ? They didn't even think about it further and looked at Lin feng in horror.....
The Solaris soldiers gasped. Even the elders had never seen a Nascent Soul Peak cultivator act with such deadly precision.
Yet Lin Feng moved as though nothing extraordinary had occurred he simply lowered his hand and gestured to the valley.
"Consolidate your positions. Allow the enemy to react," he instructed. "Do not chase them. Let them overthink and then ..."
The elders exchanged astonished looks. It was not merely the destruction of enemy forces that shocked them it was Lin Feng's composure, the total control over both perception and outcome. To them, it seemed like magic.
They could not imagine that a fifteen-year-old boy, only Nascent Soul Peak, could dominate even Soul Transformation Peak opponents with such elegance.
By late afternoon, the Barbarian forces had begun to gather at a command node the central valley where Lin Feng predicted they would concentrate.
The void refinement Level 2 elites arrived, confident, assuming they had cornered the Solaris defenders. Yet Lin Feng remained calm, observing their formations.
"Do not engage yet," he whispered to the generals. "Their confidence will betray them. Watch the patterns their leaders rely on, it's their ego more than strategy. They will overextend."
As expected, the apex of the Barbarian node moved forward recklessly, sending waves of cultivators into the valley's narrow passes.
Solaris soldiers attempted to block, yet were pushed back by raw force. Panic began to ripple through the defenders.
From the shadowed tree line, an elder dressed in black watched silently. Jian Tian's eyes, sharp and alert, followed every step. His hand rested lightly on the hilt of his sheathed sword, though he did not intervene.
He knew that Lin Feng could handle this he had been trained for this scenario but his presence was a silent reassurance, ready if the worst occurred.
The Barbarian leaders, void refinement Level 2, pressed forward with confidence, unaware of the trap unfolding. Lin Feng finally rose, drawing his sword lightly. He did not shout, he did not call for attack he simply moved.
The willow leaves manifested again, thousands upon thousands, spinning into a violent vortex that seemed to fold the valley in on itself.
The void refinement elites found themselves caught in a storm, their coordination collapsing as if an invisible hand had rewritten reality.
Soldiers were thrown aside, their attacks ineffective against the sheer speed and precision of Lin Feng's unseen technique.
The elders in Solaris were stunned. One whispered, almost in fear, "He is fighting… as if the laws of cultivation bend around him."
Yet still, Lin Feng did not reveal his full strength. The talismans remained untouched, the secret Willow Sword Intent restrained to only what was necessary to neutralize threats.
The strategy was surgical, not indiscriminate destruction. To the Solaris Kingdom, this operation was miraculous but still comprehensible they saw the logic, even if they could not fathom the execution.
By evening, the command node had been neutralized without a single Solaris cultivator falling.
Enemy morale shattered; the Barbarian Sect forces began to retreat in confusion. Lin Feng remained at the center, calm, his dark eyes reflecting the sunset, silent as a mountain peak.
Jian Tian, still in the shadows, allowed himself a rare small nod. The operation was proceeding flawlessly.
Only if the remaining enemy elites, or some desperate apex leader, escalated beyond their level would he intervene. Until then, Lin Feng's mastery was sufficient.
The Solaris elders and King Zhao Feng could hardly contain their astonishment. They had observed strategy, precision, and skill beyond any standard 8th-tier or 9th-tier operation,
yet they had no clue the boy had reserves that could annihilate even their most powerful enemies.