Flashback
As Yi Fan gazed at the Miao family mansion from a distance, a wave of urgency washed over him. He thought to himself, "I have only one day to prepare. Tomorrow they will be under siege." The weight of the coming attack pressed heavily on his heart. The night wind felt colder than usual, and the faint light of the city made the sky look dim. He understood very well that achieving a breakthrough to the next cultivation stage was impossible overnight. Refining his body to increase strength in such a short time was also out of the question.
He stood there for a long time, thinking quietly. In this limited time, the only way forward was to strengthen what he already had and push his movement technique to the next level. The only thing that could help him now was to master the second stage of the Blazing Flame Step technique.
Yi Fan had practiced this movement skill in secret during his travels. Every night when others were asleep, he repeated those fiery steps again and again until his breath felt like burning flame. He always knew that his movement was still not fast enough. If a real battle came, speed could decide life and death.
He sat cross-legged under a tree, circulating his Qi and replaying every detail of the first stage in his mind. Then he started to move, letting the fire Qi wrap around his legs. Each step created a faint red glow on the ground. Sparks flashed in the darkness. The second stage was not just about speed — it was about control, flow, and balance between flame and body.
Yi Fan clenched his fists. He knew that the survival of the Jiang family might depend on this. "If I can fully master it before dawn," he thought, "then I still have a chance. If not, then all of them will die tomorrow." That thought alone made him train harder through the night.
---
The Following Day
When dawn arrived, the first golden light spread across the horizon. Yi Fan was still practicing. His clothes were soaked with sweat, but his movements were steady and sharp. Each step left a faint trail of heat in the morning air. The forest around him was silent except for the sound of his breathing.
Just as he completed another round of the technique, a familiar tone rang in his mind — the voice of the system.
[Host, you have successfully mastered the second layer of the Blazing Flame Step technique. By utilizing this technique, your movement speed now equals that of a cultivator at the Separation and Reunion stage.]
Yi Fan stopped moving. For a moment, he stood silently. Then a small smile appeared on his face. Relief mixed with confidence rose in his chest. The fear and uncertainty of last night faded away, replaced by determination.
He looked toward the direction of the Miao family mansion and whispered to himself, "With this speed, I can protect them. This time, no one will die before my eyes."
The sunlight touched his face, and the faint flame Qi around his feet slowly faded. His heart calmed. He took a deep breath and walked forward, ready to face whatever danger awaited him.
Returning to the Present Moment
The scene unfolded into a critical and intense confrontation. Yi Fan, had launched a sudden and unexpected attack on the patriarch of the Miao family. The attack was clean, sharp, and without warning. The patriarch, who was only at the Separation and Reunion stage of cultivation, was taken completely by surprise and found himself unable to defend it.
With a swift and precise movement, Yi Fan wielded his Emptiness Sword, driving its blade into the right side of the Miao family patriarch's chest.But careful about a giving a injury with which he will not die. The sound of steel meeting flesh echoed. The patriarch gasped in pain, staggering backward as blood began to stain his robe. Yi Fan's strike was controlled and deliberate.
Though it was a fatal-looking blow, he had carefully avoided the heart, leaving his victim alive but gravely injured.
This was no mistake. Yi Fan had done it on purpose. He wanted him to live—for now. Whether his reason was simple if they die how can crimson cloud sect get the map of island.
At the same time, chaos erupted elsewhere. Elder Wu was locked in a fierce battle with another Miao family guard. Sparks flew as their weapons clashed. The old man's breathing grew heavy, yet his strikes remained strong. Around them, the atmosphere thickened with killing intent, and the air itself seemed to tremble under the pressure of Qi.
Not far away, one of the guards who had survived the earlier ambush now lay lifeless on the stone floor. His eyes were wide open, fixed on the ceiling, as if still trying to understand what had happened.
In the middle of all this turmoil, Yi Fan stood tall before the gathered crowd. His clothes were splattered with blood, but his expression was calm, even confident. His gaze swept across the faces of the terrified onlookers—Madam Jiang, her daughter, and the few remaining servants. Then, in a steady voice, he declared,
"I have gathered intelligence through my relatives' information network that identifies this man as the one responsible for our attack last night."
However, the truth was far from what he claimed. Yi Fan had no relatives in this city. He had no secret network of informants. Everything he said was a lie—in someday planning he only find this only way. He wanted them to believe that he had uncovered the truth through his own sources, that he was acting and not out of hidden motives.
Inside his mind, Yi Fan thought quietly, "If I speak with confidence, no one will doubt me. Fear makes people believe anything."
Madam Jiang and the others looked at him with relief and trust. To them, Yi Fan was their savior, the one who had protected them from the ambush and brought them to safety. How could they doubt him now?
Madam Jiang said to kill him.
But Yi Fan warned, "If you kill them, it will only bring more trouble. A low-class family like the Miao family can't dare to kill you openly, but if you kill them, don't forget his son is a member of the Crimson Cloud Sect.
Or do you think you can survive their wrath? I will not stay here all the time to protect you even if I stay my cultivation is not high to face them."
His calm but serious tone made everyone pause. The servant girl, however, could not stay silent. She shouted angrily, "They tried to rape the young lady! They deserve to die!"
But Madam Jiang began to understand Yi Fan's words. Her eyes trembled slightly, and she said nothing further.
Yi Fan didn't stop there. He continued, "Seeing this situation, I'm sure they want something from you. And I believe the Crimson Cloud Sect is helping them. Otherwise, the Miao family could never afford to hire a Qi Foundation stage cultivator just to ambush you on the road."
Hearing this, Madam Jiang hesitated for a while. Then, with a slow movement, she took out a turtle shell. On its inner surface, a strange map was carved and marked with faint glowing lines. Yi Fan recognized it immediately—it was the treasure island map.
He reached out, took it gently from her hand, and without saying a word, placed it into his system inventory.
The servant was startled and said, "What are you doing?!"
Yi Fan ignored her and stepped closer to Miao Hong Cheng, the patriarch, who was still struggling to breathe after being stabbed. He said coldly, "I think you need this map, don't you? If you don't want me to kill you, then don't stop Madam Jiang and the others from leaving. Once they're gone, I'll give you this map back—and I'll forget that anything happened here."
Several guards immediately moved to attack Yi Fan, but he reacted first. With a sharp motion, he pulled Miao Hong Cheng toward him, pressing his sword near the man's throat. The guards froze.
Miao Hong Cheng gritted his teeth and said, "Don't think you can leave this place with your Initial stage cultivation."
Yi Fan's eyes narrowed. "Are you sure you can stop me?" he replied. "In your family, there's no one else who's the same level as you. And right now—you are already in my hands."
Madam Jiang and the others quickly took the chance to escape. They ran out of the Miao family while Yi Fan kept his sword firmly against the patriarch's neck. After a while, when they were gone, Yi Fan released him,make a copy of the map in system and tossed the turtle shell artifact back. "Now we are even," he said quietly.
System help him to made a copy in his inventory.This time not another turtle shell but it is copied in system panel.He can see the map in a panel when he open this.
When just as he turned to leave, several Qi Transformation stage cultivators appeared from deeper inside the mansion. They shouted and charged at him without hesitation.
Yi Fan's expression didn't change. He use the Blazing Flame Step. His figure blurred like fire flickering in the wind. The cultivators tried to follow, but none could keep up. Before they even realized it, Yi Fan had already passed through them.
One by one, they fell to the ground—each throat cut open cleanly. The sound of his Emptiness Sword slicing through the air was faint but deadly. That sword, which could even injure a sixth-stage beast, cut through them as if they were nothing.
Within moments, silence returned to the Miao family mansion. The air was heavy with the smell of blood and burnt Qi. Yi Fan wiped his blade, his expression calm, and without another glance, he left that place.
To be continued