Lin Xiaotian stood at the edge of the city plaza, staring at the vast Beast Forest marked on the map. The distance alone made his brow crease.
They could not walk there in ti. Not without exhausting the disciples before the real training even began. As he silently calculated routes, Yan Feng stepped forward.
"Sect Master," he said calmly, "the city has a civilian flying transport service. rchants and rogue cultivators use it to cross dangerous regions. It’s not luxurious... but it’s fast."
Lin glanced at him. "Cheap?"
Yan Feng nodded and disagreed at sa ti there are but cheap ones don’t have credibility. That single word made Lin uneasy.
Still, options were limited. An hour later, they stood before a modest spirit-powered vessel docked at the edge of the city. Compared to the grand warships in his sect’s docks, this thing looked like a patched-up coffin with wings.
The fee was suspiciously low just to low but that was the only one they could afford.
Lin hesitated for a mont. His instincts told him sothing was wrong. But they were running out of daylight.
He boarded the mont they stepped onto the deck, the unease deepened there were no other passengers than them and so crew mbers.
The crew smiled eagerly too eagerly the captain, a tall middle-aged man with narrow eyes, welcod them warmly.
The ship lifted into the sky. As the city shrank beneath them, Lin stood at the railing, robes fluttering in the wind. His senses scanned constantly. The farther they flew from the city, the more oppressive the air felt.
Then, as the Beast Forest ca into view on the horizon, the formation beneath their feet shifted.
The ship started slowing and the captains smile shifted into a nacing grin. "Well then," he said lightly, stepping forward. "We’ll stop here."
Lin’s gaze hardened but he still looked at everyone calmy and told everyone to calm down.
Then crew mbers dropped their polite expressions spiritual pressure erupted. "Hand over all your possessions," the captain said flatly. "Weapons, Storage rings, Pills, everything or I’ll throw you off the ship."
No theatrics just business Lin xiao tian’s jaw clenched as he disagreed calmly "No." he answered.
The captain’s aura surged False Core Formation Lin’s pupils shrank slightly not a true Core Formation cultivator but soone who had condensed a fake core due to lack of resources or talent. Stronger than Foundation Establishnt, weaker than true Core.
Still too dangerous the fight exploded instantly without any warnings
Lin’s sect master robes flared as he restrained the captain mid-strike. The borrowed authority from his robes barely allowed him to match the man.
Their clash cracked the deck beneath their feet.
anwhile Three Early Foundation Establishnt experts and over twenty Qi Transformation cultivators surrounded the disciples.
The battle descended into chaos. A Foundation Establishnt lackey charged toward the steering formation.
Before anyone else could react ciao Xiaoshan burst forward and with raw force ramd into the foundation expert from side disbalancing him and swung his halberd with full might once, just once.
The sound of air splitting echoed across the deck. The Foundation Establishnt cultivator was launched off the ship like a broken kite, vanishing into the forest below.
Everyone was shocked but Lin xiao tian knew even though it looked effortless it consud more than half of his spiritual energy.
The captain went mad on losing a foundation expert at the start of the fight.
"Trash!" he roared, but he dared not unleash his full strength. A full-power False Core strike could destabilize the ship and kill them all.
Yan Feng stepped forward, blade flashing. Together with Xiaoshan and two other disciples, they barely held back the remaining Foundation Establishnt enemies.
Barely blood sprayed across the deck one disciple’s shoulder was split open another’s ribs cracked.
Yan Feng fought calmly, but even he was being pushed back Lin understood sothing crucial. They would lose.
Not because they were weaker in skill but because their energy would run out first and they lacked experience.
He couldn’t drag this out. Mid-clash, Lin split his attention and opened the system store his vision blurred as he scrolled frantically Then he saw it. Grade-3 Top-Tier Pill: Tyrant Burst Dan
Temporary surge of cultivation. Severe backlash afterward. Cost: 1000 Store Points. He bought it instantly.
The pill dissolved the mont it touched his tongue. Power exploded through his ridians as his aura skyrocketed.
Without warning, he broke through the captain’s guard and drove his blade straight through the man’s heart.
The captain’s eyes widened in disbelief before anyone could react, Lin pivoted and killed another Foundation Establishnt cultivator in a single burst.
The deck fell silent for a split second then before anyone could cheer the last Foundation Establishnt lackey’s face twisted in madness.
"If I die, I’m taking one of you with !" Ignoring all other opponents, he lunged toward a female disciple who was already locked in combat.
Lin tried to move but he couldn’t the backlash had hit his whole body was paralyzed.
His mind crashed he froze, For a horrifying mont, a thought pierced through him: If I hadn’t recruited her... she would still be living peacefully.
This is all my fault The short sword descended but just Then:
A massive fra stepped in front of her Ciao Xiaoshan the blade struck his chest. His seven-foot body absorbed the impact. The sword failed to pierce deep enough to hit vital organs.
Blood sprayed but Xiaoshan did not fall his halberd rose and ca down. The Foundation Establishnt cultivator was split cleanly in two.
Silence only heavy breathing remained.
Lin staggered forward as the pill’s effects faded completely. He exhaled shakily. Relief crashed over him like a wave.
They were alive. He imdiately distributed the last of his healing pills to the injured and stabilized Xiaoshan’s wound.
The female disciple trembled, eyes red. He said nothing only nodded once at Xiaoshan.
Then they began collecting the loot Storage rings, Spirit stones, High-grade materials.
These were not petty bandits they were organized and rich at least much richer than their sect in terms of imdiate resources.
Lin took everything every last coin and just as he finished the ship tilted violently.
The deck lurched the steering formation flickered. The man controlling it had been the one Xiaoshan knocked off earlier.
None of them knew how to operate the vessel. Then the ship began descending rapidly.
Lin looked at the approaching canopy of the Beast Forest "...Brilliant." And the flying coffin started falling.
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