Chapter 24: Tribulation Cultivation

Father Li didn’t use a ‘Lightening Talisman’. Though it wasn’t particularly expensive, his family was not well-off.

In any case, once he left that street in the ghost market, the Security Bureau would likely lose interest.

The Security Bureau’s raids on the ghost market were aimed at limiting its size, not abolishing it entirely.

Otherwise, given their capabilities, they wouldn’t let anyone escape unscathed.

He walked through two alleys, returning to the safe route he had planned out.

“Hey, don’t leave! Leave those pills behind!” Two figures blocked Father Li’s path, one in front and one behind. The cultivator behind him spoke sternly.

Father Li’s heart jolted with fear. He had been incredibly cautious, but still managed to draw the attention of a cultivator.

If he had taken the main roads, he wouldn’t have worried about robbery under surveillance. However, the route he chose specifically avoided any monitored areas, plunging him into this predicament.

He refused to give up; this risky venture to buy pills from the black market was all for his son.

His son possessed superior spiritual root talent compared to himself, ensuring a brighter future ahead.

He understood their family situation well: only when his son reached the early stages of Qi Refinement could he truly begin contributing significantly.

When his son’s cultivation reached the mid-stage of Qi Refining, they would require resources beyond what he and his wife at the initial stage could provide.

He slipped his hand into his pocket and felt a talisman—a life-saving charm. It was a mid-grade Fireball Talisman, its power capable of delivering a fatal blow to two cultivators of his caliber if it hit them both.

But this presupposed those two cultivators wouldn’t have talismans of similar quality themselves. The mid-grade Fireball Talisman was his only means of self-defense; regardless of whether it proved useful or not, he wouldn’t get a second chance to attack.

He wasn’t a combat professional—he was a spirit farmer—and even the magical tools in his home were specifically designed for spirit farming.

Yet the two cultivators before him each wielded their own magical tool.

“You’re thinking about resisting?” One of the cultivators—whom Father Li assumed was a Cataclysm Cultivator—saw through his thoughts and issued a casual threat. “I’d advise against it. We’ve killed quite a few cultivators who dared to resist!”

Father Li realized that these two weren’t ordinary cultivators either. Many who had only just begun cultivating had likely only learned basic combat techniques in school, with their sole experience coming from using practice tools provided by their educational institutions.

Though frightened by the mention of a Cataclysm Cultivator, Father Li couldn’t risk losing these pills—his son’s best chance at success.

Gritting his teeth, he was about to activate a mid-grade Fireball Talisman when…

CRACK! The head of the cultivator ahead exploded.

“Hurry! Get out while you can!” a hoarse voice urged.

Without hesitation, Father Li sheathed the fire talisman. There was no time to be frugal now; instead, he activated a low-grade Lightening Talisman.

Striding over the corpse, he fled into the distance.

“Who’s there?” The pursuing Cataclysm Cultivator didn’t dare engage further. He raised a shield before him and bellowed.

He recognized the attack—it had come from a runic spear.

Runic spears aren’t toys, thought the cultivator. Only those venturing beyond city walls might hope to acquire one. Such weapons were far beyond the reach of novice Qi Refiners like himself, who barely scraped by within the city limits.

The attacker must have been Li Zhen, using an altered voice to urge his father onward.

Li Zhen had witnessed the entire encounter. The cultivator had sealed his own fate by standing frozen in place for so long—it had given Li Zhen ample time to take aim.

In terms of proficiency with a rune dart, he could at best be considered a novice.

He lacked confidence even when shooting at stationary targets, primarily due to having had no opportunity to practice against actual opponents.

Li Zhen sheathed his rune dart and stepped forward wielding a Nine Heavens C045 mid-grade flying sword.

The presence of a shield significantly diminished the threat posed by the rune dart.

The primary advantage of a rune dart lay in its suddenness and the element of surprise. Once anticipated, there were numerous ways to counteract such a weapon effectively.

The Cataclysm Cultivator observed the diminutive cultivator approaching but noted that he hadn’t drawn his rune dart. This realization made him even more cautious.

Most crucially, he was unable to discern Li Zhen’s cultivation level.

“Friend,” he said while remaining on high alert, “you’ve already slain my brother. Why don’t we both stand down?”

Li Zhen remained silent, fully concentrating on preparing his sword technique.

He gradually closed the distance between himself and the Cataclysm Cultivator, employing a common tactic among low-tier fighters known as probing. Each novice cultivator has their preferred striking range, which feels most comfortable for them.

At this moment, Li Zhen was adjusting to find his optimal attacking position within that range.

At first, the Cataclysm Cultivator didn’t notice anything amiss, but it quickly became apparent.

Li Zhen’s probing was far too naive; the Cataclysm Cultivator seemed to have realized this immediately.

While the Cataclysm Cultivator was still analyzing whether Li Zhen was an experienced fighter or a novice, Li Zhen had already launched his attack.

The weapon in Li Zhen’s hand was a flying sword, which he held like a short blade. This necessitated that he get much closer to his enemy than would be necessary with a traditional longsword.

Basic sword techniques don’t employ any feints or tricks, relying solely on fundamental attacking methods without any fancy maneuvers.

His strike came directly forward, narrowly avoiding the Cataclysm Cultivator’s shield-like magical artifact held in his left hand.

The Cataclysm Cultivator’s response differed greatly from his sparring matches with Coach Wu. The low-grade longsword in his hand glimmered with spiritual energy as if intending to meet Li Zhen’s attack head-on. However, just as their blades were about to clash, he suddenly unleashed a swift kick.

This unexpected move caught Li Zhen off guard; he’d never encountered such a style of attack during his training sessions. Caught unawares, he could only raise his arm to block the blow.

As the Cataclysm Cultivator’s foot made contact with Li Zhen’s forearm, the sole of his shoe ruptured, releasing a cloud of white powder into the air.

Li Zhen’s face and head were instantly covered in white dust. Fortunately, his reflexes were exceptional, and he managed to close his eyes just in time, preventing the fine particles from entering them.

“So he’s just a greenhorn!” The Cataclysm Cultivator laughed heartily upon seeing Li Zhen fall for his trap.

He realized now that his earlier fear had been entirely self-induced.

Li Zhen felt some of the white powder enter his body, causing his limbs to weaken and grow heavy with fatigue.

However, at this moment, his “dragon heart” gave a slight tremor, instantly dispelling all discomfort.

This is what true combat feels like! he admonished himself silently.

Once again, he charged towards the Cataclysm Cultivator, launching another frontal assault.

The Cataclysm Cultivator was taken aback; his white powder contained paralyzing toxins, potent enough to affect even mid-stage Qi Refiners. He couldn’t comprehend how Li Zhen remained as vigorous as ever.

He retreated a step, wondering if this was Li Zhen’s final desperate move.

But it quickly became clear that Li Zhen hadn’t been affected in the slightest, his attacks relentless and unceasing.

The Cataclysm Cultivator recognized the weapon in Li Zhen’s hand—a mid-grade flying sword imbued with spiritual energy. His own low-grade longsword and shield would struggle to fend off such an attack, even bolstered by spiritual defenses. A few strikes from this blade could easily breach his defenses.

His only option was to employ finesse, using his techniques to deflect the mid-grade flying sword’s edge rather than block it head-on.

Of course, the wiser choice would have been to take the offensive: by using his shield to absorb one blow from the mid-grade flying sword, he could counterattack Li Zhen’s vital points with his low-grade longsword. However, this strategy carried risks—it might fail to kill his opponent while sacrificing a valuable magical shield.

Li Zhen, oblivious to the Cataclysm Cultivator’s thoughts, focused on denying him any opportunity to employ other tactics. By forcing close-quarters combat, he aimed to neutralize the threat posed by the enemy’s magical artifacts.

The Cataclysm Cultivator, cautious by nature, found himself facing off against Li Zhen—a young man as fearless as a newborn calf. Li Zhen launched an all-out attack on his opponent.

Their battle raged back and forth in the deserted alleyway.

In truth, this was precisely what Li Zhen had hoped for. Unlike the Cataclysm Cultivator, he held a trump card: at any moment of extreme peril, he could unleash his dragon might to instantly turn the tide.

He’d long sought a genuine opportunity to fight, but such chances were rare—especially for a student like himself.

After dispatching another Cataclysm Cultivator, it dawned on him that this was a rare chance to put his skills to the test.

Wielding his mid-grade flying sword with deadly precision, he kept the Cataclysm Cultivator constantly on the defensive.

The Cataclysm Cultivator felt helpless; he realized that while Li Zhen had only learned the most basic of sword techniques, his execution was pure Orthodox Academy style.

This traditional approach favored straightforwardness over flashy tricks, relying solely on overwhelming one’s opponent through direct confrontation.

Proponents of the Orthodox Academy style looked down upon unorthodox methods, believing they offered fleeting victories without long-term potential.

The Orthodox Academy style formed a complete system, accessible from middle school onwards. With enough talent, students could continue refining their skills all the way up to top-tier universities, where even Gold Core and Nascent Soul stages had corresponding orthodox curricula.