Night Raid

Chen Chuan spent the entire night immersed in continuous spiritual cultivation. Although the quintessence surging from the other side could not compare to the period when Center City's Heavenly Gate had opened, there were no enemies around here, nor did he need to worry about anything else. Even if beings on the opposite side coveted this world, they were held back by the creature occupying the fissure's mouth, allowing him to throw himself wholly into his training. Only when dawn drew near did he withdraw from his meditative trance, reach out to take the Xuejun Saber beside him, and rise to his feet. Perhaps because he had been so completely absorbed, it felt as though only a single instant had passed. Throughout this session, he could feel his spiritual power increasing bit by bit. Cultivating like this was truly intoxicating, making one never want to stop. But since he had agreed with Talu not to cultivate during the day, and she trusted him enough to let him come here alone, he had no intention of breaking that tacit understanding. He would return tomorrow. As he stepped back, the tendrils ahead intertwined once more, closing shut tightly. Leaving the waterproof bag behind, he turned and exited the fissure carrying only his Xuejun Saber. After surfacing on the sea, he scaled his way back up the sea cliff. Just then, the sun was rising over the sea. Golden light bathed the entire island, while dense morning mist drifted from the forest, weaving together with the glow and drifting wisps of clouds to form a dreamlike vista from afar. Once he reached the clifftop, Uncle Gan seemed to be waiting there. Seeing him, the elder walked over and said, "Mr. Chen, I thought you would stay down there the whole time. Past guests were never willing to come out once they went inside." Chen Chuan, however, felt this was better. He sensed that being on this island had a soothing, relaxing effect on his spirit, which would actually make his nighttime sessions more efficient. Uncle Gan looked at him and probed, "Mr. Chen, while cultivating yesterday, did you happen to encounter any presence from the other side?" "None at all," Chen Chuan replied. Uncle Gan took on a grave expression and cautioned, "It's still best to be careful. Talu encountered them when she went down before—several times, in fact. Each time, it took a great deal of effort to purge it. The guests who came before also had similar experiences to varying degrees." He continued, "There is a lotus pedestal within the Danliu School, said to be where Master Hongfa once meditated on Zen. Practicing there can soothe the spirit and purge filth. Would you like to try it, Mr. Chen?" Chen Chuan understood at once. Were they worried his spirit had suffered contamination down below? Perhaps surfacing so readily without lingering had made them nervous instead. "You can set your mind at ease, Elder," he said. With that, he took out the jade pig dragon that Mr. Zhuan had given him. Only a faint trace of black had surfaced upon it, practically invisible unless inspected closely. That was because his Second Self had absorbed the brunt of the taint. Uncle Gan looked closely and seemed to relax slightly. "It seems I worried for nothing. Please do your best to keep this item by your side during future cultivation, Mr. Chen." Chen Chuan nodded and asked, "Where is the lotus pedestal you mentioned earlier, Elder?" Since it had been left behind by Master Hongfa and supposedly possessed the ability to purge filth, he was quite keen to see it. "I'll take you there, Mr. Chen," the elder said warmly. He led Chen Chuan past the training ground. Even before sunrise, the local youths had already begun training with Talu. Seeing the two approach, Talu waved at them from a distance. Chen Chuan nodded in response. After rounding the training ground, he followed Uncle Gan into the ruined buildings. One section had clearly been deliberately repaired; beneath a curved stone wall sat a jade lotus pedestal. It was evidently ancient, bearing numerous signs of flaking and damage. The seat itself, however, was polished completely smooth. Approaching it, Chen Chuan suddenly felt a faint wisp of spiritual power, distinctly gentle and tranquil. He felt a touch of surprise. At least seven or eight centuries had passed since Master Hongfa's time. After so long, could spiritual residue still remain upon it? Or did it belong to someone else? Yet the sensation closely mirrored the soothing comfort permeating the island; evidently, there was some connection between the two. He stepped before the lotus pedestal and sat on the cushion in front of it. Before long, he noticed that the black tinge on the jade pig dragon had actually faded a little. It really was effective. Seeing Chen Chuan settle in and quickly enter a meditative state, Uncle Gan felt vastly relieved. Stroking his grizzled beard, he turned and left. Over the next several days, Chen Chuan cultivated within the fissure by night and meditated here by day. Ten days slipped by in the blink of an eye, and his spiritual power showed marked progress. Because his spiritual power stood at such a high foundational level, each increment of growth far outstripped ordinary progression. Seeing him sit here every day and cultivate by night without missing a single day, singularly focused on his practice, Uncle Gan was filled with deep admiration. He remarked to Talu, "Legend says Master Hongfa sat in meditation for ten years to realize the true practice. For Mr. Chen to possess such strength at such a young age and still work this hard—no wonder Mr. Zhuan recommended him to come here." Talu nodded in wholehearted agreement. Had it been someone else seeing Chen Chuan like this, they would have felt immense pressure and rushed off to put in extra training of their own. But she did not. She practiced combat simply because she loved it. She strove only for herself, independent of anyone else, and had no reason to change her ways on another's account. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew past, rattling loose gravel in a crackling patter. Uncle Gan looked up at the sky and squinted. "A big wind is coming." Talu grunted in affirmation. Every year in mid-July, powerful sea gales struck the area. Fortunately, they were seasoned in dealing with it; the island's houses had long since been reinforced, and guests were always advised to leave ahead of time. Meanwhile, the members of the Turbulence Squad, having posed as tourists on the island for several days, had already scouted out the layout. After being urged to leave, they returned to report to their squad leader, Utiko. "That fighter stays on a large terrace halfway up the mountain; she's barely ever seen coming down. Fearing we might alert her, we didn't go over to investigate, but we confirmed through the villagers that aside from her, everyone else in the martial arts school is quite mediocre. "However, there are at least several thousand residents on the island, plus communication methods we haven't figured out yet. Gaining full control won't be easy..." Someone spoke up, "Kenwa refused to cooperate with us. He has plenty of manpower under him. If we brought them along, we wouldn't have to worry about this." Another scoffed, "No need to bother with that lunatic. He thinks that just because he received power bestowed by superiors, he can look down on Captain. He's nothing but a clown. Besides, his strength is mediocre at best—it wasn't cultivated by his own efforts. How far can relying on gifts from others take anyone?" Utiko said in a deep voice, "Well said. Only power earned through your own hands truly belongs to you. It doesn't matter how many people are on the island. When the time comes, all we need to do is seize control of the main ferry crossings and docks. Once the storm hits, no one will be able to cross the sea at will." One squad member suddenly noted, "Captain, quite a few people have been loitering around lately, as if searching for something. It seems others have set their sights on this place too—and definitely more than one party. Looks like we have plenty of rivals." Utiko said with a cold look, "Ignore them for now. Stick to our own plan. If they get in our way, we'll just wipe them out along with the rest." Two days later, on the fifteenth of July, fierce winds whipped across the ocean. On the sea reef closest to Feiguang Island, the Turbulence Squad—already outfitted in diving gear—waited for night to fall before leaping one by one into the surging waves, swimming submerged toward Feiguang Island. Their elite team numbered six in all, every one of them a third limit fighter and highly adept at coordinated encirclement. Utiko had even cultivated spiritual power, something an ordinary third limit fighter could never hope to stand against. Thus, they held absolute confidence in this operation. Forty-some minutes later, the Turbulence Squad arrived on Feiguang Island. The squad members who had previously visited had stashed some equipment nearby. Upon arrival, they retrieved it without issue and geared up. Most of them carried crossbows and throwing weapons. Firearms were effective, but they made too much noise; at close range, they were far less practical than throwing weapons in their hands. With their strength, they were more than capable of slaughtering the entire village within ten minutes. However, they had no intention of doing so. After all, they planned to stay here long-term; if the fissure was here, they wouldn't be able to leave, and they would need people to provide services and daily necessities. As long as they eliminated or controlled the village leaders and the martial arts school members, they could take over the ecological niche formerly held by the school. Once everyone was ready, they swiftly moved up the mountain. On the terrace halfway up the mountain, before the stone lotus pedestal, Talu sat kneeling. After embarking on the path of cultivating spiritual power, she spent most nights substituting sleep with breath regulation, relying on the influence of the lotus pedestal to aid her practice. At that moment, she suddenly sensed something—as if a pebble had been dropped into a calm lake, causing a distinct ripple. She opened her eyes and rose. Reaching out, she took a long staff in hand while flipping backward. The moment she vacated her spot, several hastily fired crossbow bolts struck right where her feet had been. At the same time, her staff whirled in a blur as she bounded sideways, deflecting the remaining incoming bolts and thrown projectiles. Several auras appeared around her, forming a wide perimeter that closed in to press against her. Talu took one look and showed no interest in fighting them. With a flick of her staff, she bolted straight outward—because a single glance told her these people were beyond what she could handle alone. Old Talu had once told her: fight if you can win; run if you can't. "Huh?" Utiko had anticipated many possibilities and even foresaw this scenario, but you're the successor of a martial arts school, after all! So many people view you as their guardian deity, yet you turn tail and run right off the bat—do you have no shame at all?