"What's that?" Feng Rui muttered, eyes narrowing as a flicker of unease crossed his face. In that moment, a quiet voice inside his mind warned, I should better be careful of this. Each encounter held unseen dangers, and this felt different.
Yang Zhai's left hand had almost become useless, robbed of strength and speed.
In a battle, every single second counted. Previously, Yang Zhai recalled, I could easily use the red poison because my opponents were inexperienced or weak. With this in mind, he dodged swiftly to his left, avoiding Feng Rui's powerful fist at the last moment. Yellow lines illuminated softly inside his body, a subtle sign of energy flowing through him, preparing him for the next strike.
Suddenly, Feng Rui came to an abrupt stop. Without warning, he twisted sharply and threw another punch at Yang Zhai. However, this time, his fist was caught firmly by the gorilla's massive right hand. The gorilla countered quickly by swinging its left hand straight at Feng Rui's face. But Feng Rui was fast—just in time, he backflipped away as his punch was intercepted, flipping again and again with graceful agility. He created distance, keeping careful space between himself, Yang Zhai, and the gorilla.
"If you want to defeat me," Yang Zhai said steadily, placing his injured left hand on the gorilla's broad back, "you will have to face this one as well."
Yu Hao watched quietly nearby, his tone calm but filled with respect. "This is the strength gained from a firm body for Body Path cultivators. They can survive attacks aimed at leaders rather than their armies. The Mastery Path itself is extremely difficult to cultivate—some even say it's more difficult than the Body Path. Because of this, even those who pursue dual cultivation usually avoid training both of these paths, not to mention together. I'm impressed this boy has managed to cultivate both, though his body cultivation isn't particularly strong."
"Even though Feng Rui holds the upper hand at the moment, he can't do much real damage because of his opponent's mixed skills. Yu Hao, let's stop here. We're running late and must depart soon," Li Min said firmly.
Yu Hao took a moment to think before nodding in agreement.
"You survived my first strike," Feng Rui growled, "but let's see if you can endure the second!" Sharp thorns sprung from the backs of his hands like deadly weapons as he clenched his fists and rushed forward faster than before.
"Stop, both of you!" a firm voice rang out.
Right on the edge of Feng Rui's attack, the voice caused him to halt immediately. Recognition flashed in his eyes; he stopped without hesitation.
"Let's end this for now. We must leave. And you," Yu Hao said, pointing at Yang Zhai, "will accompany us, but only as your master's servant disciple." With that, Yu Hao shook his head and turned away, gazing toward the vast, endless ocean.
Yang Zhai called the gorilla back with a thought, and it retreated quickly. He threw the red poison away into the dense forest. It disappeared slowly, striking the thick trunk of an old tree. The tree instantly began to rot; a red decay spread rapidly, eating through the wood, consuming the trunk, even decaying the earth beneath it as the poison took hold. The rot spread relentlessly, devouring everything it touched.
Nearby, Yu Hao moved his hand deftly, and the sandy beach stirred beneath him.
The sand shifted, swirling and swirling, slowly forming into a small, delicate canoe made entirely of sand. It floated gently toward the water's edge. Yu Hao glanced at Li Min, who gave a brief nod and stared intently at the horizon, where the ocean met the sky.
After a moment, a massive figure emerged from the ocean depths. It soared into the air, flying as high as seventy meters before crashing powerfully back into the water. The resulting waves rolled toward the shore with great force. However, an invisible dust barrier shimmered into existence, protecting everyone standing safely on the beach from the water's advance.
"Wow, what's that!" someone breathed in awe.
"It's so huge! And terrifying!" exclaimed another.
"Are creatures like that really in the ocean?" someone asked nervously.
"I wonder what else lies hidden in those dark waters," a voice murmured with curiosity.
Yu Hao, Li Min, and the elder leaders stepped gracefully onto the sand canoe.
"Everyone, get on! We must leave now," Li Min commanded, noticing the new recruits frozen in a combination of fear and amazement.
The canoe's size was just enough to hold roughly forty people, and soon, they had all boarded.
The giant ocean creature surfaced again. It was a massive fish, with enormous fins on each side that resembled wings stretching fifty meters wide. Its tail alone was thirty-two feet long—strong and sweeping. The main body measured roughly twenty meters. It had rows of teeth layered upon one another, each tooth as large and sharp as a one meter. It let out a roar that echoed for miles across land and sea.
Suddenly, it slipped under the surface and reappeared beneath the canoe. Carrying the canoe on its powerful back, it steadily lifted into the sky and soared above the cloud line, far beyond any ordinary height.
"It can fly..." someone whispered in shock.
"Wow! We're above the clouds! I've never seen anything like this before!" a voice exclaimed with wonder.
"I wonder if we'll see more amazing things like this after joining the Iron Clad Sect," another said in hope-filled words.
"I'm so happy I chose to join the Iron Clad Sect!" a recruit said joyfully.
Everyone not belonging to the Iron Clad Sect stared wide-eyed in shock and amazement—except Yang Zhai and Zuh Qil. Yang Zhai showed a small, controlled reaction, whereas Zuh Qil watched silently, his calm demeanor never broken, observing carefully because Yang Zhai asked him to keep watch.
Kilt, Yang Zhai's mind pronounced—the name of the terrifying creature. A beast that can both swim and fly with terrifying power. It can attack with its tail and bite with crushing force. And it has control over the water around it.
"Go," Li Min ordered quietly.
Kilt began to move slowly at first but soon accelerated until reaching its full speed. Despite its enormous size and frightening appearance, its speed was not slow, but also not impressive compared to smaller, faster beings.
"We could travel faster on our own, without this beast and the canoe," Li Min explained to the wide-eyed disciples. "But you are different, powerless and inexperienced; so this is the safest way to bring you along."
Her tone softened slightly. "Because almost all of you are body cultivators, except one, I have a welcoming gift." She brought her right hand forward with a gentle motion, and a flute appeared, shimmering in her palm.
She handed the flute to Zuh Qil, seated at the front of the canoe.
"Blowing this flute will strengthen your body temporarily—your bones, veins, flesh, and skin. However, it can only be used three times before it loses its power. It is called Glutton. If used every day, it will help you slowly build strength. But you can also use it in battle to gain an advantage." She distributed the flute to each disciple personally.
"You can exchange the essence stones at the sect with flute, so don't worry and use it all the time. Use it to become stronger."
Yang Zhai examined the flute carefully, turning it over in his hands.
Glutton, he thought, the symbol of the Iron Clad Sect. If I remember correctly, its maximum rank is 9. This flute is a huge advantage in battle.
After a moment of thought, he hung the flute by his waist.
His eyes scanned the crowd, searching for Mil Do Nim, but he could not indentify him among the new recruits.
I wonder who Mil Do Nim is among them. I'm sure he came to the Iron Clad Sect during this journey with our caravan.
!|!*****!*****!|!