Chapter 8: Plans
Lin Yi's eyes lingered on the second talisman—the Explosive Flame Talisman—with reluctance, his face twisting in pain. This was a treasure! A one-use treasure, gone once spent. On the market, it would fetch a mid-grade spirit stone. Thanks to a deep friendship, he'd bought it at cost: sixty low-grade stones—nearly his entire fortune back then. He'd agonized over the purchase, clinging to it as his ultimate lifeline. Only today had he mustered the courage to use it.
"If the plan works and I survive, what's one Explosive Flame Talisman?" Lin Yi gritted his teeth, hardening his resolve, pushing aside thoughts of its value.
In mere heartbeats, the golden warrior faltered, cracks spiderwebbing across its form. Lin Yi didn't hesitate, activating the Explosive Flame Talisman and hurling it at Chu Tianhu.
Fireworks erupted around Chu Tianhu, blooming into a sea of flame in the blink of an eye, encircling him.狂暴的 (Violent) fire energy surged into the blaze, making it roar brighter. Branches, grass, and vines *crackled* and burned, smoke curling skyward in thick plumes!
Cultivators can't fly on swords until reaching Foundation Establishment. In Xuanyin Mountain Range's four sects, even sect leaders were only at Foundation Establishment. The Dianxuan Sect, of course, had Core Formation cultivators—but these two Supreme Elders spent years in seclusion, emerging only for crises.
Thus, immortality cultivation was no easy path.
For cultivators, Foundation Establishment marked the true threshold of immortality.
Chu Tianhu was a rogue cultivator. Rogues, lacking resources, relied on plunder, making Foundation Establishment even more elusive. After nearly thirty years, he'd only reached Qi Refining Stage 6—a feat of extraordinary talent for a rogue.
Naturally, Chu Tianhu couldn't fly on a sword, either.
Trapped in the flames, he had to channel all his spiritual energy into a shield, barely holding the inferno at bay, three inches from his skin.
But Chu Tianhu forgot the warrior.
Lin Yi hadn't. The warrior was the linchpin of his plan. He knew the Explosive Flame Talisman wouldn't last—so he counted on the warrior. With a roar, the warrior charged into the fire, its golden form blazing brighter against the flames. It smashed a fist into Chu Tianhu's shield, cracking it in an instant.
The warrior's hand shot through the crack.
Scalding fire seeped in. Chu Tianhu's veins bulged, sweat pouring down his face, eyes blazing with rage and helplessness. He bit his tongue, spitting blood onto the crack to seal it—his last desperate move.
His face drained of color, strength flagging. His gaze on Lin Yi was pure venom.
In truth, the warrior's strike had nearly exhausted its power. Lin Yi had gambled on its final dregs of energy to yank Chu Tianhu's storage bag free and fling it toward him.
"No!" Chu Tianhu's scream was hysterical, eyes blazing.
Lin Yi ignored him, snatching the bag and fleeing.
The warrior dissolved into sparks, its power spent.
The fire died as the Explosive Flame Talisman's energy ran out, leaving Chu Tianhu disheveled and weak, howling curses at the sky. His eyes seethed with nothing but venom.
Already miles away, Lin Yi shivered, glancing back nervously before speeding toward Lingwu Mountain.
After this fiasco, he dared not return to the market. For now, the sect was his safest refuge.
What Chu Tianhu and his trio thought upon their return mattered little. Back at the sect, Lin Yi bolted into his room, slamming doors and windows shut. His chest heaved, heart racing.
Recalling the fight, cold sweat still dotted his back. Without the two talismans, perfect timing, Chu Tianhu being alone, and his underestimation of Lin Yi—he'd never have survived.
*A close call.* He'd never danced so close to death.
Yet it felt worth it. He was alive, and he'd gained a storage bag. Eagerly, he dumped its contents onto his bed.
The snow-white jade slip drew his gaze first. He inspected it repeatedly, then sighed, tucking it away. Even to his untrained eye, it was warded—forced spiritual probing would shatter it, yielding nothing.
"Dammit, all that for nothing. Why'd those four bastards chase that beauty for this? Ugh, that beauty… she broke my heart. I risked my neck for her! Still, she was *gorgeous*." Thoughts of Fairy Yu made him wince, then grin like a fool, fantasies swirling.
"Wonder if she escaped those three beasts? What a waste—such a stunner, naive enough to trust that old b*st*rd Chu Tianhu. So stupid… so stupid." He shook his head,惋惜 heavy in his voice.
Finally, he turned to the other items.
But Chu Tianhu, a penniless rogue, had little of value. Lin Yi rummaged through everything: 23 low-grade spirit stones, and other trinkets worth roughly 30 more.
Total: 53 low-grade stones.
"Dammit! Never seen such poverty—you're poorer than me! My Explosive Flame Talisman alone was worth a mid-grade stone. Sell all this junk, and you still couldn't afford it. What a loss! My Explosive Flame Talisman… my Warrior Talisman!" Lin Yi howled, distraught.
If Chu Tianhu heard this, would he feel shame? Or rage?
After venting, Lin Yi repacked the items. Remembering his dinner with Deacon Zhang—and his empty wine cellar—he fetched a trusted outer disciple (also Qi Refining Stage 1), gave him a few stones for travel, and sent him to buy wine, with a message for Li Shun at Fan's General Store.
Done, he meditated until the disciple returned at dusk, knocking an hour before sunset.
"What? Shunzi's not at Fan's? Where is he?" Lin Yi jolted, alarmed.
"The boss said a skinny old man in black took him two days ago."
"An old man? Black clothes, skinny?" Lin Yi murmured, dazed.
"Oh! Li Shun left a message with the boss."
"What was it?" Lin Yi pressed.
"He said he'll come back for you. Told you to keep cultivating—don't let him down."
"..."
Lin Yi thanked the disciple, saw him out, and shut the door, his expression stormy. Li Shun's disappearance felt wrong. The cryptic message gnawed at him. Unsure what to make of it, he forced himself to meditate, waiting for sunset to visit Zhang Wanshan.
An hour slipped by. He reviewed the Flesh Transmutation technique, then checked his progress. Today, he'd absorbed earth energy from Old Mo's spell and wood energy from Chu Tianhu's vines.
These refined energies—purer than the mixed five-element energy he drew from air—had worked wonders on his muscles.
A quick check revealed small patches of his chest and back had completed Flesh Transmutation, though they weren't connected.
"To master Flesh Transmutation quickly, I need to fight Stage 3 or 4 cultivators. Cooping myself up won't work." He mused.
"But where? The sect has plenty, but exposing my secret is too risky. I can't spar with fellow disciples unless forced."
"There's one good spot… but after today, I dare not leave the sect. Running into Chu Tianhu's crew would be suicide."
"Guess I'll wait. They won't lurk at the mountain foot forever, right? And I shouldn't have blurted I'm from Dianxuan. With a disguise, I could've gone. Oh well—wait for this to blow over."
Mind made up, he left for Zhang Wanshan's quarters.