The Riverside Tribe.
Or, more accurately, what remained of the Riverside Tribe.
By now, the place was awash with blood, and severed heads littered the ground.
Ren Kurogane stood in front of a weapon rack, examining the weapons displayed on it. After a moment, he selected a long spear.
"Finally, I can stop using a wooden spear!"
Grinning, he changed into a fresh set of clothes and put on a pair of sturdy straw sandals. Then he left the Riverside Tribe and headed for the Blackfang Tribe, where Chun Cao was staying.
He planned to wait there for Ji Ning and latch onto this future powerhouse!
Although Ren had finally realized just how awesome he was, who could say whether he'd remain this powerful throughout his cultivation journey?
That's why having friends was important!
And a friend like Ji Ning was especially valuable. He was practically guaranteed to become an ultimate supreme powerhouse in the future.
When Ren returned to the Blackfang Tribe, Chief Blackfang greeted him with a broad smile. Seeing Ren return in clean clothes, he immediately came forward to welcome him.
He'd already learned about Ren from his daughter, Chun Cao, and knew that Ren was a Xiantian lifeform. Naturally, he wouldn't dare treat him casually.
"My lord!" Chun Cao greeted him respectfully.
"Mm. I'll be staying here for a while. Once Ji Ning arrives, I'll leave with him," Ren told Chun Cao before heading straight toward a mountain within the Blackfang Tribe's territory.
Even the chief's house in the Blackfang Tribe wasn't as sturdy as the wooden hut Ren had built for himself back in the forest. He might as well live outdoors.
Standing on high ground, Ren looked down at the busy tribe below. Within his eyes, it seemed as though entire worlds were unfolding and evolving.
At the same time, flowers, grass, and trees seemed to appear across his body, vivid and lifelike, as if they truly existed.
This was Ren's visualization technique: The World!
He'd stumbled upon this method of visualization by chance over the years. Before today, he hadn't even realized what he'd accomplished. Only after Ji Yichuan explained the complete cultivation process had Ren understood just how incredible he was. He'd figured out a visualization technique entirely on his own, through nothing but trial and error!
Time passed, and a month slipped by in the blink of an eye.
One day, a visitor arrived at the Blackfang Tribe.
He wore animal hides, carried two swords on his back, and was accompanied by a person and a beast.
"Chun Cao!"
"Young Master!"
Reunions after a long separation were always emotional. The moment Chun Cao saw Ji Ning again, tears poured from her eyes, and she broke down sobbing.
Ji Ning could only comfort her.
Nearby, his other maid, Qiu Ye, smiled and said, "If Chun Cao can't bear to be away from you, Young Master, why doesn't she come back?"
Chun Cao stiffened. But when she remembered the difference in status between herself and Ji Ning, she eventually shook her head.
"No. I'd rather stay with my father."
It wasn't that she particularly wanted to stay with her father. She simply wanted to keep her distance from Ji Ning.
Unfortunately, Ji Ning had cultivation on his mind and saw Chun Cao's affection for him as nothing more than the feelings between an older sister and a younger brother.
Ren leaped down from the mountaintop. Tiny shoots sprang from the ground and grew into trees in an instant, cushioning his landing.
Ji Ning also noticed Ren, a Xiantian lifeform, and immediately grew somewhat wary.
"Chun Cao, who is this?" he asked curiously.
Chun Cao was even more confused than he was. She'd assumed Ren had been sent by Ji Ning to protect her, but now it seemed that wasn't the case.
"My name is Zhang Shan. I met your father at Winged Serpent Lake a month ago. He gave me some guidance on cultivation and helped me a great deal," Ren said calmly.
Father? What was he doing at Winged Serpent Lake? Ji Ning wondered.
Nevertheless, he nodded politely toward Ren. "I'm Ji Ning."
"Zhang Shan."
After introducing themselves, Ji Ning was about to catch up with Chun Cao when Ren pulled the long spear from his storage bracer and looked at him with a fighting spirit in his eyes.
"We're both ten-year-old Xiantian lifeforms. It'd be a real shame not to have a sparring match!"
Whoosh!
Ren swung his spear, stirring up a gust of wind.
Ji Ning frowned. He felt as though Ren had simply come looking for trouble!
Chun Cao hurried to explain.
"Please don't take offense, Young Master! Lord Zhang may have some unusual ways of doing things, but he's a good person. If it weren't for him, I might never have had the chance to see you again!"
"What? Chun Cao, what exactly happened to you during this time?" Ji Ning asked in shock and anger.
Chun Cao told him everything that had happened recently.
After hearing the whole story, Ji Ning was both furious and shaken by how close she'd come to disaster.
Finally, he sighed.
"Don't worry, Chun Cao. From now on, the Blackfang Tribe will be under the protection of my Ji Ning!"
Blackfang was overjoyed by Ji Ning's promise. He hadn't expected his daughter to have such a deep bond with Ji Ning.
Ren, however, had been waiting for quite some time. Now that they'd finally finished talking, he urged Ji Ning again.
"Ji Ning, come on! Fight me!"
He wanted to test his strength, and Ji Ning was the perfect opponent.
Ji Ning cultivated the Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens, one of the most powerful body-refining techniques in this world. For visualization, he used the Nuwa Painting, a treasure so rare that even the most powerful clans rarely possessed it.
On top of that, Ji Ning had comprehended the Water-Fire Lotus, giving him both formidable offense and defense. Among Xiantian cultivators, he was practically invincible.
If Ren could defeat him, it would mean that Ren had combat strength on the Zifu level. That would give Ren a much clearer understanding of his own abilities and help him figure out which places he could safely visit and which he should avoid.
Ji Ning no longer refused. After learning that Ren had saved Chun Cao, his impression of him had improved considerably.
To Ji Ning, Chun Cao was family. And he placed great importance on family.
"Fine! Let's go somewhere farther away and have our match!"
Ji Ning immediately used his movement technique and sped off.
Ren hurried after him.
Damn it. I underestimated him. I didn't expect Ji Ning's movement technique to be so good! Ren frowned.
Up ahead, Ji Ning wore a pleased smile.
I've spent the past month practicing the Windwing Evasion my mother gave me. My movement speed has improved considerably. Zhang Shan doesn't seem to have practiced any movement techniques. Should I slow down and wait for him?
Ji Ning reduced his speed, and the two soon came to a stop almost side by side.
"Please go easy on me!" Ren said, cupping his hands.
Ji Ning frowned.
As far as he remembered, people in this world didn't usually greet one another by cupping their fists like that.
And Chun Cao had mentioned that Ren occasionally made other strange gestures, too. A bold idea began to form in Ji Ning's mind.
Let's test it first.
The next instant, a Water-Fire Lotus appeared around Ji Ning, layers upon layers of water and fire surrounding his body.
"So this is the Water-Fire Lotus?!" Ren's eyes lit up.
Even setting aside its power, the technique looked so impressive that anyone would want to learn it!
Ren laughed heartily.
"That's quite a trick, brother! But don't think I'm helpless!"
He tightened his grip on his spear and charged forward in a flash.
Whoosh!
The spear carried a sharpness Ji Ning couldn't comprehend. It pierced through the Water-Fire Lotus with astonishing ease.
"What?!"
Ji Ning was horrified!
His newly comprehended technique had been broken so effortlessly!
He immediately used his movement technique. It was as if a pair of wings had sprouted from his back, allowing him to pull away from Ren in an instant.
Seeing this, Ren took out his bow and drew it to its full extent.
A golden arrow appeared on the bowstring.
"Can you stop this? Probably not, right?"
Just as Ren released the string, he withdrew his heartforce. The arrow carried only the power of his current cultivation level.
Whoosh!
The arrow tore through the air and reached Ji Ning almost instantly.
This arrow isn't as powerful as his spear thrust. He held back.
Ji Ning understood almost immediately.
He spread his Windwing and dodged the arrow by the narrowest of margins.
The next instant, he drew the two swords from his back and charged toward Ren.
"Now we're talking!"
Ren laughed, put away his bow, tightened his grip on his spear, and clashed with Ji Ning.
"Dripping Water Sword!"
Ji Ning struck repeatedly at a single point. His attacks came one after another, like drops of water falling onto a stone until they finally bored straight through it.
Ren twisted his body and rotated his spear around his waist, gathering his strength into the weapon before sweeping it horizontally.
" sweeping through a thousand armies!"
BOOM!
Their techniques collided with a thunderous roar.
The ground cracked, and both fighters were sent flying backward.
Ji Ning thought to himself, Zhang Shan really is formidable. He's at the early Xiantian stage, just like me, yet my strongest defensive technique, the Water-Fire Lotus, is useless against him. Even my Dripping Water Sword was easily countered…
Although Ren had shouted the name of his technique, Ji Ning had received proper cultivation training and immediately recognized what Ren had done. He'd simply infused his spiritual power into his weapon.
He'd just applied it with remarkable finesse, allowing him to unleash power comparable to the Dripping Water Sword.
There really are countless geniuses in the outside world. I haven't even left Mount Yan yet, and I've already met someone my age whose talent far surpasses mine!
On the other side, Ren planted his feet on the ground, bent his knees, and suddenly surged forward!
"Cleave Mount Hua!"
Whoosh!
Ren burst through the lingering dust, his spear blazing with golden light as he brought it crashing down toward Ji Ning.
This is bad!
Ji Ning's heart lurched. He crossed his twin swords in front of himself to block the attack.
BOOM!!
"It's so heavy!"
Gritting his teeth, Ji Ning struggled to hold his ground. Water and flames surged along his twin swords as he desperately resisted Ren's attack.
Ren noticed that Ji Ning had once again resorted to the power of water and fire. Realizing that his opponent had reached his limit, Ren eased off and retreated.
"Looks like that's enough for today," Ren said with a smile.
Ji Ning gave a bitter smile and nodded.
"I didn't expect someone as powerful as you to be hiding here in Mount Yan. I used to think I was a genius, but now I realize how much I've underestimated the rest of the world."
Seeing Ji Ning looking rather dejected, Ren tried to reassure him.
"Don't say that, brother. To be honest, the reason I'm this strong is that I ate a spiritual fruit some time ago. It gave me an early advantage over others my age. But the road of cultivation is long, and there's no way I'll stay ahead forever."
"That's true. The road of cultivation is long."
Ji Ning gazed at the sky and suddenly began to speak.
"Brother, you…"
In the end, he didn't ask the question on his mind.
Whether his suspicion was correct or not no longer mattered.
Ren scratched his head, unsure what Ji Ning had been about to say.
Then he spoke up.
"Brother, I'm planning to leave Mount Yan and explore the wider world. You're quite strong yourself. Why don't you travel with me?"
For a moment, Ji Ning was tempted. But in the end, he shook his head.
"Forget it. My strength is still lacking. I've spent some time training outside, and now it's time to return home."
Ren looked disappointed, but he understood Ji Ning's character. Family meant a great deal to him.
So he didn't try to persuade him further. Instead, he cupped his hands and said, "Then let's meet again at the peak someday, brother!"
Ji Ning returned the gesture. "Agreed! We'll meet again at the peak!"
Ren slung his spear over his shoulder and walked away.
Although he'd already decided to cling to Ji Ning's coattails, that was something for the future. For now, it was enough that they'd met and gotten to know each other.
His first priority was to find somewhere he could learn proper cultivation techniques.
"I don't even have a cultivation technique yet. If I want to break through to the Zifu level, I'll need one. Preferably a technique that can take me all the way to the Celestial Immortal level!"
With wonderful visions of his future dancing in his mind, Ren left the Blackfang Tribe.
"Move faster!"
"You damn slaves! If you're still alive, get moving!"
Crack!
A leather whip sliced through the air, producing sharp, explosive cracks.
Hidden nearby, Ren watched the group.
Slaves?
He was puzzled. It was strange. He'd lived in the primeval forest for ten years without seeing a single person. Yet ever since his encounter with Tie Muzhan, he'd been running into people one after another.
Could the area where I used to live have had bad feng shui? Was that why nobody went there?
Without bothering with the slaves, Ren continued his journey.
Using the map he'd obtained from Ji Yichuan, he headed out of Mount Yan.
The strongest cultivators in Mount Yan were only at the Zifu level. Given Ren's current combat strength, Zifu cultivators were no longer a threat to him.
Leaving the region was only natural.
He traveled onward for more than three months before finally crossing the borders of Mount Yan.
Now, however, he would have to face an entirely unfamiliar world.
"Here I go!"
Ren leaped into the air. A pair of windwings seemed to form behind him, allowing him to remain airborne for a short time.
Whoosh!
Gliding along, Ren finally got a proper look at the world beyond the mountains.
"This is supposed to be a world of immortal cultivation, yet there are barely any proper cities. It's just one tribe after another…"
Ren was bitterly disappointed.
He'd already traveled countless miles from Mount Yan, yet he'd encountered tribes almost everywhere he went.
The large tribes were like the Ji clan of Mount Yan, with Zifu experts overseeing their territories.
Medium-sized tribes had Xiantian lifeforms.
Small tribes, like the Blackfang Tribe, were at the mercy of anyone stronger than them.
One day, Ren strolled across a grassland with his hands in his pockets.
At some point, two figures appeared behind him.
"Big Sister, are we really going to rob that child?" a timid female voice asked. There was a note of reluctance in it.
"We have no choice. We're completely broke, and the Flying Eagle Tribe's pursuers are still after us. If we don't replenish our supplies, we'll both die out here!" The woman addressed as Big Sister spoke firmly. Though her voice trembled, she'd already made up her mind.
To survive, she had to abandon that foolish sense of pity!
Seeing that her younger sister was still worried, the elder sister tried to reassure her.
"Don't worry. I'll only take his belongings. I won't kill him. He's so young, yet he's already a Xiantian lifeform. His talent is far greater than ours. He might even come from a powerful tribe…"
After hearing her sister's explanation, the younger woman finally accepted the plan.
"Big Sister, I'll help you! But we absolutely mustn't hurt him!"
The two sisters used their movement techniques and rushed toward Ren at once.
"Oh? Finally made up your minds, have you?"
Ren turned around. A long spear appeared in his hand, and he swept it toward them.
"Sweeping Through a Thousand Armies!"
Golden light flashed along the spear.
Under the sisters' horrified gazes, the attack instantly shattered their protective magical treasures and slammed directly into their bodies.
"Ahhh!!"
Both women screamed as trails of blood streaked through the air.