After all, the Qi Refinement stage could not compare to Foundation Establishment. Wang Hao relied on his familiarity with the terrain (thanks to the map) and fled as fast as he could. Still, the Foundation Establishment cultivator pursued him relentlessly, and Wang Hao's spiritual energy was nearly depleted.
Ahead, Wang Hao spotted a fissure in the rock face and slipped inside. He needed to consume some pills to replenish his mana. Inside, he found a surprisingly spacious cavern—about a hundred square meters—with a narrow entrance that could likely deter his pursuer.
Wang Hao took several Qi-Replenishing Pills and swallowed them. As soon as they slid down his throat, he felt revitalized: his dantian filled, and his body lightened. As expected of pills he himself had refined, the effect was excellent.
In that brief window, the black-robed Foundation Establishment cultivator caught up. He scented the air and snarled with rage:
"Qi-refinement pills, boy? You just wasted my senior's precious pills?"
Wang Hao laughed inwardly. Such thieves were absurdly overconfident.
"Boy, come out. With your limited skill, you can't escape. Bring your storage pouch! If I'm in a good mood, I may even spare your life."
Wang Hao, naturally, did not trust him. He retorted, "My storage pouch is right here in my hand. Why don't you come take it?"
Seemingly unfazed, the black-robed cultivator struck the rock wall, making the entire cavern tremble violently. Wang Hao cursed his poor choice of hiding place. He risked being buried alive. He considered using Earth-Evasion to dig an escape route, but his consciousness collided with solid stone instead, leaving him momentarily stunned.
A mocking laugh echoed from above:
"I already said you can't escape, but you insist on making trouble. Come on, boy—think I won't burn you alive?"
With no alternative, Wang Hao stepped into view:
"Senior, we have no past or present grudge. You seek resources. This junior will hand over my storage pouch. I hope you'll show mercy."
Naturally, Wang Hao did not expect mercy. He gripped his Earth-Mud Seal tightly, ready to release Little White (his White Tiger cub) for a last-ditch fight if necessary.
The black-robed cultivator, brimming with arrogance, still did not attack immediately. He snorted contemptuously:
"Boy, give me that storage pouch. Let me warn you: don't hide anything, or you'll learn the true meaning of 'death.'"
Wang Hao noted that this man seemed plenty experienced at robbery, yet gave his opponent no room to breathe. He studied the Foundation Establishment cultivator's aura and realized that—despite his higher level—the man's techniques were surprisingly mediocre, like a new Foundation Establishment novice who had not yet adapted fully to his own mana.
With confidence, Wang Hao drew a low-level storage pouch from his belt—one containing only a few spirit herbs—and tremulously handed it over:
"These spirit herbs I collected in the Broken-Origin Mountains are all here. Please spare my life, senior. I will never forget your great kindness."
The black-robed cultivator snatched the pouch and eagerly began inspecting its contents. Wang Hao saw his chance. The moment the cultivator opened the pouch, Wang Hao triggered several spirit talismans concealed within.
However, the result diverged from Wang Hao's expectation. The cultivator easily dodged most talisman attacks, and those that struck him were harmlessly blocked by his protective aura. He sneered:
"Boy, I knew you wouldn't be honest. A Qi-Refinement insect dares plot against a Foundation Establishment cultivator? Seems you want to resist to the bitter end! And don't think you're just buying time to restore your spiritual energy. Believe that I've not recovered mine as well?"
With that, the burly cultivator drew a long azure sword and struck toward Wang Hao. To test the man's strength, Wang Hao had ten defensive talismans attached to himself—yet three were shattered in that single strike.
"So weak… or am I just strong?" Wang Hao taunted. "Why did I even come here?" Even if he struck back, he could still shatter four more talismans.
He drew his Wind-Cleaving Sword and counterattacked. Since he carried many talismans on his person, defense was a secondary concern. The adversary could only rely on his protective aura to withstand the strikes.
After hundreds of exchanges, Wang Hao expended just over two hundred spirit talismans, leaving the black-robed cultivator panting:
"How many spirit talismans do you have left, boy? This never ends!" he gasped.
Wang Hao grinned. "If you let me go, I'll even give you some talismans—no charge!"
"You impudent brat, you dare mock me? Today I'll kill you!" he snarled and struck again.
Wang Hao dodged nimbly, but neither side could land a decisive blow. The Foundation Establishment cultivator's speed and protective aura rendered Wang Hao's attacks largely ineffective. Meanwhile, the adversary's mana reserves far outstripped Wang Hao's. He had yet to take even a single pill to recover energy. Yet Wang Hao couldn't risk prolonged combat—his Refinement body fatigue far faster than a Foundation Establishment cultivator's, even a martial artist.
"Should I try it?" Wang Hao mused, recalling the Spirit-Cone Divider Technique he had cultivated. But that technique's prerequisite was that his divine sense be stronger than his opponent's—and this man was a Foundation Establishment cultivator. If he missed, Wang Hao would be the one to perish. He decided to test the waters a bit more.
He scattered talismans furiously and released Little White the White Tiger cub. The goal was to exhaust the adversary's energy while observing his tactics.
A single high-quality First-Rank spirit beast could indeed hold the opponent in check, which made Wang Hao lament letting Wang Yanfeng flee first. With both of them and Ya Ya joining, defeating the thug would have been far easier.
The black-robed cultivator, named Zhao Kuang, was now at a loss, furious and frustrated. A Qi-Refinement junior possessing a Second-Rank magic tool was plausible—yet Qi-Refinement cultivators typically lack deep spiritual energy and cannot sustain such resources. So he had not been too worried.
He had three possibilities: either he'd inherited nothing but a random Foundational Inheritance and only recently broken through to Foundation Establishment, or… He'd simply been careless. Zhao Kuang was a former itinerant cultivator who had stumbled upon some inheritance luck, fattening himself enough to break through to Foundation Establishment. But since then, he had neither proper techniques nor resources.
Now what? He could only resort to desperate measures. He had allied with other itinerant Foundation Establishment cultivators, hiding on the fringes of the Broken-Origin Mountains, planning to ambush Qi-Refinement juniors and seize their resources. That explained his boldness.
Meanwhile, Wang Hao pressed the offensive. Exhausting the opponent to death? Perhaps possible, but Zhao's mana reserves far outmatched Wang Hao's. The man had not even consumed mana pills; Wang Hao dared not prolong the fight. A Qi-Refinement cultivator's body fatigued much faster than a Foundation Establishment one, even if he was a strength-focused alchemist.
Yet as Wang Hao continued, he realized his adversary's attacks were little more than flashy—and ineffective. Now he understood: Zhao had only just reached Foundation Establishment and lacked any truly refined methods. Given enough talismans and Little White suppressing him, victory would be inevitable.
In truth, such bitter experience deepened Wang Hao's confidence. He recognized that Foundation Establishment rank alone did not guarantee invincibility if the cultivator's foundation remained shaky.
Finally, Zhao Kuang's protective aura flickered. Panting heavily, he raised his azure sword in desperation:
"Enough! I won't—" But before he could finish, Wang Hao thrust his Wind-Cleaving Sword through Zhao's guard, severing his left arm at the elbow.
Zhao tasted blood, staggered, and fell to one knee. For an instant, he gasped, "You… you insolent brat…"
With a final, ragged breath, Zhao Kuang fell forward onto the rocky ground, dead.
Wang Hao sheathed the sword, wiped his blade, and retrieved the black-robed man's Storage Pouch. Then he rummaged through the man's pockets, collecting a few low-rank spirit rings, some second-grade alchemy ingredients, and a handful of spirit stones—enough to cover his expenses for a long while.
He exhaled: "So, even a Foundation Establishment cultivator can be a beggar without true skill. Never underestimate a Qi-Refinement junior with hidden strengths."
Smiling grimly, Wang Hao gathered his spoils and set off to reunite with Li Derong and Wang Yanfeng—three stronger cultivators now armed with Ningyuan Condensation Fruits and a new-found lesson in humility for anyone who sought to rob them.