Chương 8: The Price of Patience

"Isn't this brat a little too calm for his age?" In the span of a few heartbeats, the three rogue cultivators had already put over a kilometer between themselves and the formation. But inside the formation, Zhang Huaijin remained utterly motionless. A flicker of doubt crept into the grey robed elder's eyes.

"Big brother," the fourth level Qi Refining Realm rogue cultivator hissed, his voice edged with panic, "this one's different from the other youngsters. He's cautious. We're running out of time, if we wait any longer, the Zhang family's late stage cultivators will be here." They had taken a gamble, hoping to provoke Zhang Huaijin into stepping out of his protective formation. But the young man wasn't falling for it.

"Let's go." The grey robed elder finally abandoned all hope. Behind him, his two companions exhaled in quiet relief. Staying any longer would mean certain death. The three rogue cultivators didn't slow down. They fled at maximum speed, racing toward the distant horizon. Clang! But in the next moment, a streak of light erupted from the distance, blazing fast, sword-radiance splitting the air as it hurtled directly into their path! Boom!

A crimson spiritual sword tore through the void and came crashing down toward the grey robed elder with terrifying speed.

"No! How did the Zhang family get here so quickly?!" Sweat poured from the elder's forehead. Black light swirled in his palm. A black bead rose into the air, releasing a shimmering curtain of energy that wrapped around his body like a cocoon. Boom! The crimson sword struck. Light rippled outward like water meeting stone. Crack! The energy curtain splintered, countless fractures spreading across its surface before it shattered with a bang. The elder's face went pale.

He tried to raise his white bone club in defense, but the crimson sword was already swinging down. Swish! The bone club shuddered. A deep, bloody gash tore across the elder's chest and abdomen. Blood sprayed into the air. In a single blow, he was mortally wounded. The wielder of that crimson sword was none other than Zhang Huaijin's father, Zhang Lixian. At this moment, Zhang Lixian's aura was overwhelming. He radiated power, confidence, and cold, killing intent. In just one strike.

The grey robed elder was finished. The remaining two rogue cultivators, blind with terror, veered desperately toward Heavenly Yang Mountain. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. But Zhang Lixian had already sealed their escape. There was nowhere left to run.

"Late stage ninth level Qi Refining Realm? You… you broke through?" The elder's voice was thick with regret. Zhang Lixian's expression did not change. The crimson sword howled again. Thud! A head flew through the air. The body crumpled to the ground. Zhang Lixian collected the storage pouch, flicked his finger, and a fireball bloomed, consuming the elder's corpse. Moments later, only ash remained. Without hurry, he turned and pursued the last two rogue cultivators. —— Meanwhile, Zhang Huaijin felt it too.

Outside his formation, two rogue cultivators were charging straight toward the Heavenly Yang Mountain, their movements wild and desperate. That's… Father's aura. A familiar presence reached him through the fragments of the transmission talisman. Zhang Huaijin watched the two men draw closer. A slow, cruel smile curved across his lips. He did not hesitate. He stepped out of the formation. Clang! The Blue Bamboo Sword materialized, transforming into a streak of cyan light that slashed horizontally toward the enemy.

At the same time, Zhang Huaijin's two left fingers turned pale gold. A one inch long beam of energy, Attacks from the Metal Finger Art, shot through the air. Straight for the third level cultivator's brow. The two rogue cultivators jolted in surprise, but their reactions were sharp. They raised their spirit artifacts and unleashed techniques, striking back at Zhang Huaijin. Earlier, he refused to come out. Now he's stepping forward on his own? Is it because he thinks we're weak?'

A sheltered family cultivator who had only trained and never fought, trying to take on two at once? That was suicide. They were rogue cultivators. They had survived countless battles. Their experience was their greatest weapon. If they could subdue him, they could use him as a hostage. A bargaining chip for survival. But the moment their attacks collided, their faces twisted in shock.

"Such dense spiritual energy!" the fourth level cultivator gasped, stumbling backward.

"He just broke through to the fourth stage?!" As for the third level cultivator, he was already overwhelmed, forced on the defensive, barely holding on. Zhang Huaijin's expression remained calm. He unleashed another Attack from the Metal Finger Art. Then another. Then two more in rapid succession. Each strike was stronger than the last. Thud! The third level cultivator's body went rigid. A bloody hole appeared in the center of his forehead. Blood gushed out. He collapsed.

Zhang Huaijin's spiritual energy was dense, several times more concentrated than an ordinary cultivator at the same level. This was his first real battle. With more experience, he could have ended that third level rogue in a single blow. But even so, one down. Zhang Huaijin's face did not change. He pressed forward. The Blue Bamboo Sword wove a net of flashing light, each strike cutting off the fourth-stage cultivator's escape. Spiritual energy flowed steadily through Zhang Huaijin's meridians.

He kept firing Attacks from the Metal Finger Art, aiming for the man's limbs. The fourth level cultivator, pale and desperate, swung his white bone club again and again. Sparks of energy exploded with every clash against the Blue Bamboo Sword. Five seconds passed. Crack! An Attack from the Metal Finger Art struck the fourth level cultivator's left knee. The kneecap shattered. His body lurched. He pushed the black bead's energy to its limit.

Light flickered from his storage pouch, he was searching for something, anything, to turn the tide.

"Heavenly Fire Sword." Clang! Overwhelming fire attributed spiritual energy erupted from the Blue Bamboo Sword. A 3 meter blade of crimson flame burst into existence and swept downward. Boom! The black energy curtain shattered like glass. Crimson light flashed across the fourth level cultivator's neck. Thud. Blood sprayed. The fourth level Qi Refining Realm rogue cultivator dropped to the ground, dead. The Heavenly Fire Sword was a technique from the Heavenly Fire Blaze Art. This was Zhang Huaijin's first battle.

Clean. Decisive. Two kills. He reached into his storage pouch and pulled out a Qi Return Pill. Threads of spiritual energy slowly began to replenish in his meridians. Footsteps approached. Zhang Lixian walked over slowly, his presence calm and unhurried. Zhang Huaijin caught his breath and offered his father a small smile. Then, without ceremony, he crouched down and began looting the bodies, collecting storage pouches, searching every fold and pocket.

He formed a fireball on his fingertip and dropped it onto each corpse, reducing them to ash.

"Father," Zhang Huaijin said, his voice steady.

"You've been here for a while, haven't you?" Zhang Lixian nodded.

"Yes. The spiritual rice ripens in a few days. I arrived a day ago." His father's words confirmed what Zhang Huaijin had already suspected. If Zhang Lixian hadn't arrived early, even with his breakthrough to the ninth level, he couldn't have reached Heavenly Yang Mountain so quickly. And of course, if he hadn't sensed his father's presence, Zhang Huaijin would never have stepped out of the formation to engage those two rogue cultivators alone.