The lizard hovered silently above Lin Canghua, wings folded, tail flicking. Its golden eyes traced every ripple of spiritual energy, analyzing, calculating.
> "So it's a 6 Layer… it's twice my level. But it's still a mid-stage. Hm."
It asked the System.
{System}
"Confirmed. from The fourth to sixth layer is considered the the middle stage of foundation building."
>"Huh." A 4 Layer is also a mid stage but why are they so weaker compare to the mid stage at the fifth layer.
{System}
"Correct. The mid-stage spans three levels: Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth. A Fourth Layer cultivator is at the lower mid-stage—energy is stable but still limited. The Fifth Layer represents the true middle mid-stage, with refined control and stronger techniques. By the Sixth Layer—the upper mid-stage—mastery of the foundation nears completion. Together, these three levels form the heart of the mid-stage, where a cultivator prepares for the leap into the high stages."
The lizard's claws flexed, tail twitching.
> "Hm so it's in upper mid-stage and I'm in the upper early-stage," it thought, gold eyes still fixed on Line Canghua. It's energy is strong… but not overwhelming. Only a little bit stronger than the 5 layer so even if it's strong it shouldn't be too Strong, though fighting it directly would be dangerous, but it can't see me. that's my advantage is complete."
It hovered for a moment, considering.
> "I just need to strike first. I won't be able to kill it with just that alone, but I can wound it—then use a soul attack. Even if that doesn't finish him, I'll use the opening to end it in one strike."
Its golden eyes glinted with determination, wings adjusting slightly as it prepared to descend, carefully plotting the precise path to the first strike. The night around them seemed to hold its breath.
The lizard shifted its weight in the air, wings barely moving, tail flicking in tiny, precise adjustments. Every pulse of Lin Canghua's energy was cataloged, memorized, analyzed.
Lightning coiled along its back in preparation, the faint sparks illuminating the contours of its pale whit scales. painting its body in ghostly luminescence.
Then—
—in a heartbeat—it darted forward.
Invisible to the eye. Silent as the breath between heartbeats.
Its wings twitched, adjusting its path mid-flight. Every motion was calculated to perfection.
Lin Canghua sat unmoving, eyes closed, the faint rhythm of his cultivation undisturbed. Yet—something stirred.
A subtle tremor in the air.
A flicker in the spiritual net surrounding him.
The lizard sensed it instantly, adjusting its angle.
A faint pulse of energy rippled from its body, brushing against Lin Canghua's aura like the whisper of a knife.
The cultivator's eyes opened slightly—silver light flashing within—sensing the disturbance.
But before thought could become motion, before breath could shape a defense—
—the lizard, still invisible, jaws wide open, was already beside his head.
The lizard's invisible jaws snapped shut.
But in the instant before impact—
A flare of gold.
A rune ignited beside Lin Canghua's head, bursting outward in a fan of light. The air itself screamed as lightning met pure spiritual force, rippling through the courtyard like a thunderclap muffled in velvet.
The lizard reeled back, wings jerking. Its fangs had grazed something—not flesh, but a barrier so dense it felt like stone. Sparks flew as lightning crackled against the defensive talisman that shimmered around Lin Canghua's body.
the lizard eyes narrowed.
>" A defensive talisman."
The cultivator's eyes snapped open, silver light gleaming from within. For the briefest moment, his pupils constricted—not in fear, but recognition.
> "what is that?" Huh.
His sleeve flicked. Spiritual power surged—sharp, disciplined, coalescing into a thin line of qi that sliced through the air like a blade. cutting the surrounding structure.
The strike tore through the courtyard.
Stone split. Roof beams shattered. The wall behind him exploded in a burst of dust and fragments. The shockwave rolled outward, flattening the nearby vegetation as a ripple of force carved a perfect arc through the building.
The lizard twisted midair, barely avoiding the blow. The heat from the passing qi scorched the tips of its scales as it vanished again, body rippling with sparks of lightning—only a faint shimmer betraying its presence.
From above, thunder rumbled—not from the sky, but from the lizard now visible. Electricity arced along its wings as it dove again, cutting through the faint halo of light around Lin Canghua's form.
Lin Canghua rose to his feet, calm and deliberate, one hand raised in a sigil.
> "So that's how you want to play."
The courtyard erupted with motion—lightning against light, silence against sound. The lizard's strikes came like whispers, fast enough to blur, each one testing the boundaries of Lin Canghua's defenses. Every time, golden symbols flared briefly around him before fading.
But with each clash, the lizard's rhythm quickened.
> "Its defenses is strong," the lizard thought, eyes narrowing. "That barrier... it's still helping I need to destroy it if I want to wound it —"
It darted again, lightning pulsing down its spine, jaws glowing with coalesced lightning.
This time, Lin Canghua didn't defend.
He stepped into the attack.
The lizard's jaws slammed shut on empty air as the cultivator's silhouette fractured—his body dissolving into an afterimage.
> "Huh—?!"
A palm strike landed against the lizard's chest before it could turn. Pure force—not explosive, but heavy—drove it backward, sending ripples of distortion through the air. The blow didn't crush or burn—it disrupted.