As the man's final words echo in Su Lin's mind, a sudden sensation of falling overwhelms his body. In the next instant, he blinks and opens his eyes, only to find himself back inside the cave. His entire body is covered in cold sweat.
As he looks around, he sees Shan Yan sitting outside the cave. Under the moonlight, Shan Yan's shadow resembles that of a nocturnal phoenix.
"Finally, you're awake! It's already midnight. Come on, hurry up. We still need to leave this place. And what kind of epiphany did you have? Do you have any idea?" Hearing those words, Su Lin gives Shan Yan a long look before replying,
"First, we need to get out of here. Don't forget, the Jin Clan won't let us off so easily." With a smile, Su Lin moves toward Shan Yan. However, halfway there, he suddenly feels a sharp pain inside his dantian.
Su Lin immediately sends his consciousness into his dantian, but he cannot find anything unusual. However, he soon senses that something is wrong and sits down in a cross-legged position to examine it more carefully. Seeing Su Lin's actions, Shan Yan approaches him to find out what has happened, but Su Lin does not respond.
After some time, Su Lin finally speaks to Shan Yan.
"Shan Yan, I just felt a sudden pain in my dantian. When I examined it, I noticed that the pressure inside it was increasing. It feels as though…"
Before Su Lin can finish, Shan Yan speaks.
"It feels as though a massive burst of power is about to surge through your dantian."
Hearing this, Su Lin nods.
Seeing his reaction, Shan Yan smiles and speaks in his usual manner.
"Congratulations! You're about to achieve your first breakthrough. Focus on your dantian, and when that burst of power arrives, try to form your second circle."
"But you told me that we need Qi to achieve every breakthrough, and gathering enough Qi takes a considerable amount of time. So how is this possible?"
Hearing this, Shan Yan replies,
"Don't worry. Don't forget that, besides Strength Qi, you have another type of Qi inside your body. As far as I can understand, it belongs to the category of support Qi. That means you can use it to strengthen your Strength Qi. After that, it should leave your dantian on its own.
"However, if it doesn't disappear, that means it isn't a support-type Qi. I don't know why Elder Hong allowed this thing to remain inside your body, but it seems quite important. For now, focus on your breakthrough."
After that, Su Lin focuses entirely on his breakthrough, sitting in the lotus position.
A short while later, a powerful surge of Qi and spiritual energy flows into Su Lin's body. After circulating throughout his entire body, the energy gathers in his dantian.
After circulating several times, a faint thread begins to take shape, outlining a circle. Its color is identical to that of Strength Qi. Gradually, Su Lin focuses on shaping the thread into a complete circle.
Just like that, three hours pass. The morning sun is about to rise, but the circle is still incomplete. Only a little more time is needed for it to take its final shape.
While Shan Yan watches Su Lin progressing through his breakthrough, he senses something and turns toward the forest. His expression turns cold as he speaks.
"Have you finished watching us? Come out."
Moments later, three figures emerge from the forest. Two are men, while the third is a woman.
Both men wear blue robes, clearly identifying them as members of the Jin Clan. The woman, however, is dressed in white.
"I never expected you to have such sharp senses, Junior. You killed Jin Sa. I only recently heard that he was dead. To be honest, I was quite pleased when I heard the news. What can I say? We both came from the main branch, but you saved me a great deal of trouble by killing him. So, thank you. Now, you can die in peace. Go on and give me his head. Uncle and Aunt will be delighted, and I'll gain quite a few benefits from this."
The man speaking with such arrogance has an average appearance, but his face radiates pride, giving him a distinctive air.
Meanwhile, the other man, whose appearance is rather hideous, steps forward and takes out an axe, preparing to fight. The woman moves into the handsome man's embrace and laughs.
"Boy, you're quite good-looking. What a pity you're going to die at the hands of our Senior Brother."
As she speaks, she gives Shan Yan a mocking smile.
As the man slowly approaches Shan Yan with his axe, the other two continue laughing. Shan Yan laughs as well, then looks at the trio with an expression of unshakable pride.
"Hahaha... If that's what you really think, then so be it. If you want my head, come and take it. But first, you'll have to prove that you're strong enough." He then speaks without turning toward Su Lin.
"Su Lin, I know you can hear me. Don't worry about anything. Focus entirely on your breakthrough." Hearing this, the man holding the axe speaks mockingly.
"Do you really think you can defeat us? I'm at the peak of the Qi Refining Stage, the young lady is at the Eighth Circle, and our Senior Brother has already reached the Foundation Establishment Stage. And you? You're merely a cultivator at the Fifth Circle of the Qi Refining Stage!"
Hearing this, Shan Yan turns his cold gaze toward the man and replies in a calm voice.
"Who told you I was at the Fifth Circle? Let me tell you something. If not for my own goals, I would have reached the peak of the Foundation Establishment Stage long ago.
"I know what you've heard. When your masters sent you here to kill me, they must have told you that I was severely injured after fighting Jin Sa.
"Hahaha... You bunch of idiots. The ones who will die today are the three of you.
"And also thank you. Because my brother here has been looking for a decent weapon to wield too i can give this axe to him." Before anyone can react, the man wielding the axe suddenly charges at Shan Yan, attempting a surprise attack.
Seeing the man's actions, Shan Yan smiles calmly.
"If this had happened before, I might not have been your opponent. But now, things are different for some reason."
Just as the axe is about to strike his head, Shan Yan shifts slightly and dodges the attack.
In the next instant, a black sword appears in his hand.
Slash!
Before anyone can even comprehend what has happened, Shan Yan severs both of the man's arms in the blink of an eye.
A bloodcurdling scream erupts from the man's throat as he collapses to the ground.
Meanwhile, Shan Yan calmly watches him struggle in agony. The man desperately tries to stop the bleeding, but every movement only makes his condition worse.
Seeing this, the other man's expression darkens, while the woman stands dumbstruck, trembling with fear.
However, the man's sudden voice brings her back to her senses.
"Don't let your guard down! Attack him with your full strength!"
As he speaks, the man summons five flying swords and launches them toward Shan Yan with full force. At the same time, the woman uses her Fire Qi to launch an attack of her own.
Facing the incoming attacks, Shan Yan smiles and assumes an attacking stance.
He charges forward.
Just as the attacks are about to hit him, he holds his sword vertically, with its tip pointing toward the ground. Without moving his arm, he rotates his waist and swings the sword clockwise at an astonishing speed.
Crack!
The strange movement puts tremendous strain on his arm, producing the sound of cracking bones. Yet, despite the pain, his sword moves with terrifying precision.
In an instant, all five flying swords are sliced in half.
Before the woman's fire attack can reach him, Shan Yan points his sword toward it, channels his Qi into the blade, and swings it in the opposite direction.
The fire attack is effortlessly neutralized.
Seeing this, the woman stares at him in disbelief and takes a step backward. However, she loses her balance and falls to the ground. When she looks at Shan Yan again, she tries to launch a second attack. But the moment her eyes meet his, all her courage disappears.
She immediately turns toward her Senior Brother, hoping he will help her. However, when she looks in his direction, she discovers that he has already fled for his life. Tears fill her eyes. Just then, she hears footsteps approaching from behind.
She turns toward the sound and sees Shan Yan standing there, completely unharmed, looking down at her with a smile. "That Senior Brother of yours has fled. What a shame. And he calls himself a man?"
Shan Yan pauses for a moment before continuing. "But let me ask you something. Do you think I can kill you or not? Think about it carefully while I finish dealing with that screaming fellow. I really hate people who make unnecessary noise."
With that, Shan Yan turns around and walks toward the man who is still writhing in pain. When Shan Yan stands beside the injured man, the man desperately tries to escape by crawling in the opposite direction.
However, Shan Yan simply looks at him before thrusting his sword into the man's chest.
After a brief struggle and several agonizing screams, the man finally becomes motionless.
Witnessing this brutal scene, the woman trembles uncontrollably. Sweat covers her body, and her nails dig deep into her palms as tears stream endlessly down her face.
As she stares at the horrifying sight before her, only one word echoes through her mind.
'Monster.'