Chapter 9: Crucible of Chaos
Zhang's sneer faltered for a microsecond. The cripple wasn't cowering. He was *smirking*, standing amidst the grotto's steam and the Salamander's agonized thrashing like some deranged hermit welcoming a guest. That flicker of doubt was all Kai needed.
"Environmental Liquefaction? Mostly Bullshit? Sounds perfect," Kai thought, slamming the mental **Y**.
**<< Executing Strategy: Environmental Liquefaction. >>**
**<< Requirements Met: >>**
**<< - Volatile Geothermal Qi (High Concentration - Confirmed) >>**
**<< - Reactive Catalyst (Stonehide Stag Blood Residue / Spirit Moss Particulates - Confirmed) >>**
**<< - Ignition Source (Magma Salamander Distress / Host Qi Manipulation - Standby) >>**
The System overlay flashed, highlighting weak points in the grotto floor – thin crusts over seething mud pockets. It traced a path Zhang would likely take if he charged. Kai's hand, dipped into his pouch, wasn't just holding Stag Blood residue. It was mixing it with the last gritty traces of the amplified Spirit Moss spores and the mineral dust he'd used before. He infused the foul paste with a surge of his Mid-stage Qi, not for power, but for *instability*.
"Come on in, Zhang!" Kai yelled over the Salamander's weakening hisses and the grotto's constant rumble. "The water's fine! Or rather, the *mud* is lovely and warm!" He took a deliberate step back, deeper into the grotto, towards the steaming lotus pool. The move was bait, pure and simple.
Zhang's eyes narrowed. Suspicion warred with fury and the pressure of his Late Stage cultivation aura. This was a trap. It *had* to be. But the cripple was backing *deeper* into the danger zone? Was he suicidal? Or… confident? The sight of the thrashing, frost-rimed Salamander, a creature Zhang himself would approach with caution, gnawed at him. How had the trash done it?
"Think you're clever, cripple?" Zhang spat, taking a single, testing step over the threshold. The heat intensified, making his green robes ripple. "Hiding behind tricks and beasts? Pathetic." His Qi flared brighter, a visible green aura pushing back the steam. He drew a sleek, spirit-steel short sword from his belt. "I'll carve the answers out of you."
He took another step, then another, moving cautiously but inevitably closer, eyes fixed on Kai, the System-highlit weak points in the floor directly beneath and slightly ahead of his path. Kai kept backing up, his own Qi churning, readying **Heavenly Step** for a desperate dodge. His infused hand hovered over the grotto floor.
**<< Target Entering Optimal Zone. Prepare Catalyst Ignition. >>**
Zhang, emboldened by Kai's apparent retreat and his own power, lunged. Not a full charge, but a swift, controlled thrust with his spirit-steel blade, aimed to cripple Kai's leg. "Enough games!"
*Now!*
Kai didn't dodge the blade. Instead, he dropped *towards* it, slamming his infused, Qi-charged hand onto the brittle crust of the highlighted weak point just as Zhang's foot landed squarely on another.
***CRACK!***
Kai's palm strike, weak physically but supercharged with volatile alchemical energy and focused Qi disruption, shattered the thin rock layer. Simultaneously, Zhang's Late Stage weight and focused aggression shattered the crust under his leading foot.
***WHOOM-SHLOOP!***
It wasn't an explosion. It was a *collapse*. The floor beneath Zhang and around Kai's hand liquefied instantly, transforming from semi-solid rock into superheated, sulfurous quicksand. Thick, bubbling grey mud, hotter than boiling water and reeking of rotten eggs, surged upwards.
Zhang's lunge turned into a startled plunge. His sword thrust went wide as his leg sank instantly thigh-deep into the scalding muck. "GAH! What—?!" He screamed, more in shock and disgust than pain, his Late Stage Qi instinctively flaring to protect him from the worst of the heat, but the sheer suction and instability were overwhelming.
Kai, prepared, had already activated **Heavenly Step** the moment his hand struck. He *pushed* off the crumbling edge with all his might, becoming a backwards blur. Scalding mud splattered his legs, searing through his trousers even with Iron Skin partially active, but he cleared the collapsing zone, landing hard but clear near the grotto wall.
Zhang wasn't so lucky. He flailed, his Late Stage power keeping him from being instantly submerged, but the mud was like tar, pulling him down relentlessly. His furious struggles only sank him faster. "YOU FILTHY RAT! I'LL SKIN YOU ALIVE!"
**<< Environmental Hazard Triggered: Geothermal Quicksand. Target Immobilized. >>**
**<< Secondary Effect: Toxic Fume Release (Concentrated). >>**
The violent disturbance released a massive, noxious bubble of sulfurous gas directly into Zhang's face as he yelled. He choked, his protective Qi flickering as he instinctively tried to shield his airways, weakening his hold against the mud's pull. He sank to his waist.
Kai didn't wait. He scrambled towards the grotto entrance. He had the pollen. Zhang was stuck, not dead. A Late Stage cultivator wouldn't be held by mud for long. The Salamander, recovering from the thermal shock, let out a weak, bubbling hiss nearby, adding to the chaos.
**<< Opportunity: Neutralize Threat Permanently? Feasibility: Low (Target Qi Reserves High). Risk: Extreme. >>**
Kai glanced back. Zhang was glaring pure murder, already channeling Qi into his free hand, likely preparing a powerful ranged strike despite his predicament. The mud bubbled furiously around him. Trying to finish him now would mean getting close, entering his effective range. Suicide.
"Not worth it," Kai spat, turning and bolting for the entrance. "Enjoy the mud bath, Zhang! Tell the Sect I said hello!"
He burst out of the grotto into the marginally cooler forest air, the stench of sulfur clinging to him. He didn't stop, pouring Qi into **Heavenly Step**, weaving through the rocky, steam-veiled terrain. Behind him, a roar of pure, impotent rage echoed from the grotto, followed by a concussive *BOOM* as Zhang undoubtedly blasted the mud in fury.
**<< Patrol Leader Zhang: Status - Immobilized (Temporary), Enraged. Threat Level: High (Persistent). >>**
**<< Primary Objective: Escape Immediate Area - Critical. >>**
Kai ran, not just from Zhang, but from the entire tightening grid. He pushed his speed and Earth Sense to the limit, detecting patrols converging on the grotto's commotion – Beta unit, responding to Zhang's rage-blast. He used their distraction, slipping through a gap in their response vector, heading deeper into the hazardous geothermal badlands southwest of the grotto, where the patrols were thinner, deterred by the environment.
He ran until his lungs burned and his Qi reserves dipped dangerously low. He found shelter in a shallow, sulfur-reeking crevice, collapsing against the warm rock, trembling from adrenaline and the lingering pain of mud scalds on his legs. He pulled out the vial of Sunfire Lotus Pollen. It glowed warmly in the dim light, a counterpoint to the Frost Essence Crystal's chill. He had it. He had *all* of it.
**<< Critical Components Acquired: >>**
**<< - Frostwhisper Orchid (Stabilized) >>**
**<< - Frost Essence Crystal (Crude) >>**
**<< - Sunfire Lotus Pollen >>**
**<< - Spirit Spring Water (Source Secured - Stream) >>**
**<< Remaining Requirement: Portable Spirit Refining Kit (200 SP) >>**
**<< Host SP: 145 >>**
He was so close. 55 SP short. The System screen pulsed, almost sympathetically. **<< SP Acquisition Opportunities: High-Risk Patrol Engagement (Not Recommended), High-Yield Resource Gathering (Geothermal Zone - Hazardous), Defeat High-Tier Spirit Beast (Risky). >>**
Kai leaned his head back against the rock, closing his eyes. The image of Zhang, waist-deep in superheated mud, roaring in fury, flashed in his mind. A grim satisfaction warred with the cold knowledge that he'd made a powerful, relentless enemy. The Sect wouldn't just be searching for a thief anymore. They'd be hunting for the one who humiliated an outer disciple leader.
He looked at his SP count. 145. He needed one more windfall. One more piece of bullshit luck. His gaze drifted to the glowing pollen vial, then to the hostile, steaming landscape around him. The geothermal zone was dangerous, yes. But danger often walked hand-in-hand with opportunity. And Kai, the Absolute Bullshit Cultivator, was running out of options that didn't involve walking straight into the fire.
He pulled out his flint knife, testing its edge against a piece of sulfur-crusted rock. It sparked. Just like his resolve. Time to go hunting in hell's backyard.