The Cloud Mist Forest was quiet.
Too quiet.
The smell of blood from the fallen wolf pack still lingered in the air.
Fresh corpses lay scattered across the forest floor while mist drifted lazily between the ancient trees.
Yet beneath the calm surface—
Killing intent was brewing.
---
A few hours earlier...
Lin Zheng's hunting party had entered the outer region of the Cloud Mist Forest.
As one of the Core Courtyard alliance leaders, Lin Zheng naturally possessed considerable strength and influence.
With him were five trusted subordinates.
All of them had opened at least four Innate acupoints and stood firmly within the Innate Inner Strength Realm.
Against ordinary yao beasts, such a lineup was more than sufficient.
Throughout the morning, they hunted several Rank-1 yao beasts and accumulated a decent harvest.
Their mood was excellent.
That was until one of the subordinates returned from scouting.
"Senior Brother Lin."
"I discovered a wolf pack several miles away."
"A large one."
Lin Zheng's eyes brightened.
A wolf pack represented contribution points.
Spirit stones.
Resources.
Naturally, they immediately altered their course.
Unfortunately—
Neither side knew that fate had other plans.
---
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the forest.
Lin Sheng's group was already battling the wolf pack.
Because the battle required concentration, Lin Sheng's mental field remained focused on the battlefield itself.
Furthermore, continuously maintaining a ten-meter mental field consumed mental energy.
He could not keep it expanded indefinitely.
However—
The chip was different.
Although its spiritual perception was limited, its heat-detection functions still operated constantly.
Long before Lin Zheng arrived—
The chip had already marked six approaching heat signatures.
---
Present time.
The two groups faced each other.
The atmosphere was tense.
The wolf corpses had already been collected.
Only bloodstains remained on the forest floor.
Lin Zheng's gaze swept across Lin Sheng's group.
His smile widened.
"Junior Brothers."
"What a coincidence."
His eyes landed on Zhao Feng's storage pouch.
Then toward the fresh blood on the ground.
A trace of greed flashed within them.
His plan had never been to kill them.
The risks were too great.
Five newly promoted Core Courtyard disciples disappearing would attract investigation.
But crippling one or two of them?
That was another matter entirely.
As long as they were injured badly enough to affect future cultivation—
The lesson would be learned.
Unfortunately for him—
Lin Sheng had no intention of playing along.
---
Before anyone could continue speaking—
Whoosh!
Lin Sheng moved.
The sudden action shocked everyone.
Even Zhao Feng was stunned.
The chip's Combat Assist Mode activated instantly.
Countless calculations flooded his vision.
Trajectory predictions.
Movement patterns.
Attack opportunities.
Everything appeared clearly before his eyes.
Lin Zheng's expression changed.
"Lin Sheng!"
But it was already too late.
With a flick of his wrist—
Five metallic spheres shot outward.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
The black spheres streaked through the air toward Lin Zheng's group.
Seeing such a simple attack—
Everyone dodged instinctively.
Lin Zheng sneered.
"Is this your idea of an attack?"
The next second—
Boom!!!
A deafening explosion erupted.
Thunder and fire exploded simultaneously.
Blinding light swallowed the battlefield.
Shockwaves swept through the forest.
Trees trembled violently.
Several nearby trunks snapped from the force.
The six martial artists were launched backward like ragdolls.
"AAARGH!"
"What is that?!"
"Cough!"
Smoke filled the surroundings.
The sudden attack left everyone stunned.
---
Even Lin Sheng himself still found the results shocking.
These mechanical thunderfire spheres were products of his recent experiments.
Among the Hundred Arts of Cultivation existed a lesser-known path—
The Path of Mechanics.
Most cultivators ignored it.
But Lin Sheng's memories from Earth had given him unique ideas.
He had attempted recreating various explosives.
Unfortunately—
The world's laws were different.
Normal chemical reactions simply didn't work properly.
The explosive force was pitiful.
However—
After countless experiments, he discovered something.
Fire-element materials.
Lightning-element materials.
When combined together—
Their explosive power increased severalfold.
Thus the Thunderfire Sphere was born.
Using Rank-1 Thunder Stones as the core.
Ignited by specially prepared Innate Flames.
The result was terrifying.
Even Lin Sheng hadn't expected such effectiveness.
---
Without hesitation—
He charged.
Whoosh!
Eight Step Cicada erupted.
His body became a blur.
The battlefield calculations provided by the chip guided every movement perfectly.
His target—
Lin Zheng.
Take down the strongest first.
The rest would collapse naturally.
---
Within the smoke.
Lin Zheng emerged.
His clothing was torn.
Several burns covered his body.
Blood dripped from his arm.
More importantly—
His True Qi Field was unstable.
The explosion had shattered most of its structure.
Lin Sheng's eyes narrowed.
Perfect.
Without a functioning True Qi Field—
An Innate martial artist's defenses dropped drastically.
---
Seeing Lin Sheng rushing toward him—
Lin Zheng's expression twisted.
"You're courting death!"
Boom!
Killing intent erupted.
A dark saber appeared in his hand.
The weapon immediately drew attention.
Countless treasure markings covered its surface.
Spiritual light flowed through its blade.
A magical treasure.
Not an ordinary weapon.
---
Shing!
Lin Zheng swung.
A crescent-shaped Saber Qi tore through the air.
The surrounding trees split apart instantly.
The attack possessed power capable of severely injuring Innate Outer Strength martial artists.
Whoosh!
Lin Sheng sidestepped.
The saber qi missed him by inches.
Boom!
A massive trench appeared behind him.
The power alone was enough to make ordinary martial artists despair.
---
Lin Sheng closed the distance immediately.
His fists erupted with golden light.
Vajra Momentum surged outward.
The air around him grew heavy.
The illusion of a colossal Vajra appeared briefly behind him.
Lin Zheng's pupils shrank.
"Momentum?!"
Only then did he understand.
Lin Sheng had already comprehended Momentum.
A realm usually reached only by veteran Innate experts.
---
The next moment—
Lin Zheng abandoned restraint.
Boom!
A sharp saber aura erupted from his body.
The surrounding air distorted.
The wind itself seemed to sharpen.
His own Momentum emerged.
The invisible force condensed around his blade.
The air became visibly compressed.
Qi taking form.
Momentum approaching Intent.
A level cultivated through seven years of battle.
---
The two attacks collided.
BOOM!!!
A shockwave exploded outward.
Dust filled the air.
Leaves scattered in every direction.
Both men slid backward several meters.
Lin Sheng's feet carved trenches into the earth.
Lin Zheng's expression changed.
Disbelief appeared in his eyes.
Equal?
Even while injured—
That attack had still represented his full strength.
Yet Lin Sheng matched him.
At that moment—
A dangerous thought emerged.
This junior had become a threat.
A genuine threat.
And threats had to be removed.
---
Killing intent surged.
For the first time—
Lin Zheng genuinely wanted Lin Sheng dead.
Boom!
Metallic True Qi erupted from his body.
Geng Metal True Qi.
Sharp.
Dominating.
Destructive.
The surrounding air filled with cutting pressure.
Leaves were shredded merely by proximity.
Lin Zheng raised his saber toward the sky.
The momentum condensed further.
And further.
And further.
Until even Zhao Feng's expression changed.
"Watch out!"
---
"Sword Qi Reaches the Heavens!"
Lin Zheng roared.
Shing!!!
A massive silver arc slashed downward.
The attack tore through the forest.
Trees split apart instantly.
The ground cracked.
Even before arriving—
The pressure alone threatened to tear apart flesh.
This was Lin Zheng's strongest attack.
A strike intended to kill.
---
Lin Sheng remained calm.
He had already anticipated this.
The chip's calculations flowed endlessly.
Every variable.
Every possibility.
Every weakness.
At the same time—
Golden True Qi erupted from his body.
"Hunyuan Bell Cover!"
Boom!
The True Qi condensed.
Solidified.
Compressed.
A massive golden bell manifested around him.
Ancient runes flickered across its surface.
Golden light illuminated the forest.
The defensive art had been optimized countless times by the chip.
Far beyond its original form.
---
The sword arc arrived.
BOOM!!!!!
The world shook.
Silver and gold collided.
A blinding explosion engulfed everything.
Shockwaves flattened nearby vegetation.
Several wolves corpses were thrown into the air.
The ground beneath Lin Sheng collapsed.
Dust rose like a sandstorm.
For several moments—
Nothing could be seen.
---
Silence followed.
Everyone stared.
Waiting.
Even Zhao Feng unconsciously held his breath.
Then—
Footsteps sounded.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
A figure emerged from the dust.
Golden light gradually faded.
Lin Sheng walked forward calmly.
Not a single visible injury covered his body.
The Hunyuan Bell Cover had held.
Completely.
---
Lin Zheng stared blankly.
His saber slipped from his grasp.
Clang.
The weapon struck the ground.
His eyes were filled with disbelief.
Despair.
And shock.
He had lost.
Completely.
Not because of injuries.
Not because of bad luck.
But because Lin Sheng had genuinely reached a level capable of challenging him.
A monster.
The realization destroyed the last of his fighting spirit.
The accumulated injuries from the explosion.
The strain from his ultimate technique.
The mental shock from defeat.
Everything struck simultaneously.
His vision darkened.
The last thing he saw was Lin Sheng standing before him.
Then—
Thud.
Lin Zheng collapsed unconscious.
The battlefield became completely silent.
Only the distant sounds of the Cloud Mist Forest remained.