"This is bad! Retreat, now!"
The burly Tribulation Cultivator had been keeping Xu Qianhuan on the defensive. It wouldn't have been long before he wounded, or even killed, his opponent. But then he heard the commotion in the distance and knew it was over.
The Xu Family had discovered them! Reinforcements were coming!
If they lingered, they'd all die here!
"Go!"
Incredibly decisive, he immediately turned to flee.
The remaining Tribulation Cultivators unleashed a final burst of power to break away from their opponents and retreat together.
"How dare you act so brazenly before the Xu Family! You won't leave here alive!"
A furious, booming roar accompanied the rapid approach of a Dharma Ship!
The relieved Xu Family Cultivators then saw a palm-sized Copper Mirror fly up from the Dharma Ship, shooting a beam of light toward the backs of the frantically fleeing Tribulation Cultivators.
PSSSH!
The Copper Mirror trembled, and a hazy, earthen-yellow column of light erupted from it, shooting forward. An injured Third Layer Qi Cultivation Tribulation Cultivator was the slowest, and the beam pierced straight through his chest.
A gruesome, bloody hole appeared in his chest. The man let out a pained cry, then pitched forward, dead.
The Copper Mirror swiveled, the earthen-yellow beam lashing out again, about to strike down the other Third Layer Qi Cultivation cultivator who had now fallen to the rear.
"Hmph!"
The burly Tribulation Cultivator glanced back, his eyes glinting coldly. With a thrust of his spear, he unleashed a bloody light that intercepted the beam.
The Third Layer Qi Cultivation Tribulation Cultivator, having narrowly escaped death, trembled uncontrollably.
Shooting one last cold glare at the newcomer on the Dharma Ship, the burly Tribulation Cultivator used his Magical Power to grab his subordinate and led the rest of his group into the mountains, disappearing from sight.
"Don't give chase."
Xu Qianhuan stopped the Xu Family Cultivators, who, with their morale soaring, had started to pursue. He then went to greet the arrivals on the Dharma Ship.
The newcomer was a middle-aged Male Cultivator who leaped from the Dharma Ship. His Cultivation was at the Ninth Layer of Qi Cultivation. He surveyed the messy scene, frowned, and ordered, "Assess our losses and tally the spoils."
"Yes, Patriarch."
Two uninjured Middle Stage Qi Cultivation Cultivators in relatively good condition responded in unison and began their work.
By now, Lin Changheng had already gone to check on the Ink Master and Shopkeeper Xu. He received a slightly haughty, two-word reply from the Ink Master—"I'm fine"—and an appreciative look from the old Shopkeeper Xu, who was muttering to himself about being too old and no match for the younger generation...
Only then did his heart finally settle.
He then turned his gaze to the newly arrived Patriarch of the Xu Family, Xu Xuhe. Lin Changheng had seen him twelve years ago, when he made an appearance at the welcome banquet for new prospects.
Back then, Xu Xuhe had already been at the Eighth Layer of Qi Cultivation for some time. Only now had he finally consolidated his Cultivation at the Ninth Layer of Qi Cultivation.
At just over fifty, he still had a chance of reaching Foundation Establishment, but it wasn't a high one.
Of course, Lin Changheng himself couldn't discern the Patriarch's Cultivation level. This was all information Xu Fugui had shared with him over a meal, and it wasn't considered a major secret anyway.
In a Qi Cultivation Clan like this, while the potential of young geniuses needed to be concealed to prevent assassination plots, the strength of the top experts had to be broadcast. Announcing it within the clan increased everyone's sense of security and fostered loyalty.
In the distance, four more Xu Family Cultivators were rapidly approaching.
Just then, the accounting of the battle's outcome was completed.
"Reporting to the Patriarch, our clan lost two mortal disciples. One Alchemy Apprentice is severely wounded, and two Middle Stage Qi Cultivation Cultivators have minor injuries."
"Have they taken Elixirs?"
Xu Xuhe interrupted.
"They have. They are resting now."
"What were their casualties? And our spoils?"
"The Tribulation Cultivators lost three at the Third Layer of Qi Cultivation and one at the Fourth Layer. You killed one of the Third Layers, Patriarch. The Third Elder slew two, and the last Third Layer..."
His voice faltered at this point, clearly uncertain.
At that moment, Xu Qianyou stroked his beard and spoke up with a chuckle, "Changheng killed that Third Layer Tribulation Cultivator. And the one the Patriarch finished off? Changheng helped me injure that one as well."
"It was just a stroke of luck," Lin Changheng said with a faint smile, shaking his head. He knew it was pointless to hide it.
SWOOSH. In an instant, all eyes turned to Lin Changheng, filled with surprise and curiosity.
It wasn't just that he had killed a cultivator of the same tier, but also because of his identity... he was an Entry Tier Alchemist!
Most people in the Xu Family knew that one of their prospects, an apprentice for twelve years, had finally become an Entry Tier Alchemist. But they never expected him to have a talent for Magical Combat as well...
"Not bad."
Xu Xuhe looked at Lin Changheng and offered a word of praise before nodding to the reporting Male Cultivator.
Immediately, a Storage Bag was placed in Lin Changheng's hands.
"What's this?"
"Clan rules are clear on rewards and punishments. A prospect who single-handedly kills an enemy is entitled to all the spoils of war."
Xu Xuhe explained.
'But in his heart, he valued Lin Changheng's status as a Pill Master far more. So what if he can kill someone at his own level? So what if he has a talent for Magical Combat? His Mixed Spirit Root limits his potential. He's destined for mediocrity.'
The reason his Xu Family invested so heavily in recruiting prospects who failed the Spirit Testing Conference, offering them generous treatment, was precisely to unearth talents in the Hundred Arts and to gamble on their offspring having better Spirit Roots.
'Expecting these prospects to become truly great cultivators themselves wasn't realistic...'
...
And so, the great battle came to an end.
The Xu Family had suffered some losses, but they weren't severe. The Tribulation Cultivators, on the other hand, had been dealt a heavy blow.
But if Patriarch Xu had arrived even a moment later, Xu Qianhuan would have been injured, or even killed. That would have freed the burly Tribulation Cultivator, and everyone else present would have certainly died.
Victory and defeat truly were decided in a single instant.
Realizing this, Lin Changheng became even more committed to his initial resolve: avoid conflict and confrontation at all costs.
Then again, if Xu Qianhuan alone had been killed, the loss of a top-tier expert at the Eighth Layer of Qi Cultivation would have been a devastating blow to the Xu Family.
Unfortunately, there were no identifying marks or symbols on the bodies of the dead Tribulation Cultivators or in their Storage Bags.
There was no way to know where this band of Tribulation Cultivators had come from, or what their motives were.
Clutching the Storage Bag that had been handed to him, Lin Changheng didn't open it right away. He silently followed the group, and they soon crossed the Black Water River, arriving at the clan's main encampment.
It was a vast mountain estate built along the river, stretching for dozens of miles.
The mortals of the Xu Family were all housed in ordinary towns.
The Cultivators, on the other hand, were distributed among the various locations that housed a Spirit Vein.
The Xu Family possessed one Tier One Upper Grade Spiritual Vein and one Middle Grade Spiritual Vein. The Upper Grade Spiritual Vein was reserved for Late Stage Qi Cultivation Cultivators and other core members.
Clan members at the Sixth Layer of Qi Cultivation could also apply for access.
Everyone else shared the Middle Grade Spiritual Vein, though there were still hierarchical distinctions.
Middle Stage Qi Cultivation Cultivators and Honored Guest Elders resided in the main area, where the Spiritual Qi was much denser. The remainder established their Dao Fields along its branches.
The group of prospects from all those years ago had been assigned to a branch of the Tier One Middle Grade Spirit Vein on the Black Water Riverfront, a place called the Tingchao Dojo.
...
The party had just entered the encampment when a large, somber-faced crowd came to greet them.
They all began asking questions at once.
Amidst the crowd, Lin Changheng spotted a dark-skinned Male Cultivator with a wide, toothy grin, waving right at him.
It was Xu Fugui.
He smiled and waved back.
Seeing that the main group up ahead was completely surrounded, and that no one was paying him any mind, he casually walked over to Xu Fugui. The two began to chat and laugh in low voices.
Suddenly, a goddess-like girl drifted toward them from a distance.
Her cyan silk hair cascaded like a waterfall, her eyes held a frosty glimmer, and her jade-like face was set with crimson lips.
She wore a floor-length, light-purple dress that hinted at her flawless, ethereal complexion. What a cold and noble beauty!
The surrounding crowd voluntarily parted to create a path for her, their faces a mixture of reverence and stunned admiration.
"Who is that?"
Such a stir naturally caught Lin Changheng's attention. He turned and asked Xu Fugui.
"The Xu Family's prized young lady. The Patriarch's own daughter, Xu Hanji."