One Step Closer To Another Realm

Ming Ren almost transformed into a beast of battle. His silvery black hair, like the mane of a mythical creature, framed a visage etched with primal intensity. His eyes, narrowed to slits, held the glint of a predator, while his lips, pressed into a thin line, spoke of an untamed spirit within. His entire being radiated a feral aura, as if the very essence of a wild beast had taken hold, transforming him into a creature of both terror and allure. 

Lost in the whirlwind of his transformation, Ming Ren remained oblivious to the extent of his change. The once elegant and refined young man was now a whirlwind of untamed power, his skilled fighting prowess infused with a terrifying, yet alluring, wildness. He had become a beast, his fury ready to be unleashed upon the world.

"You arrogant brat!" the enemy roared, his voice thick with rage, his claws glinting menacingly under the moon's pale gaze. Driven by bloodlust, he lunged towards Ming Ren, his eyes burning with murderous intent.

But Ming Ren was ready. With the reflexes of a seasoned predator, he sidestepped the attack, effortlessly evading the deadly claws. In a fluid motion, he drove his elbow deep into the enemy's solar plexus, eliciting a sickening crunch as bone met flesh. The attacker gasped for air, his body crumpling forward as the wind was knocked out of him.

Seizing the opportunity, Ming Ren wasted no time. He pulled back his fist and unleashed a devastating punch aimed directly at the enemy's chest. The movement seemed almost languid, deceptively slow, yet before anyone could react, it connected with its target. The force of the blow was immense, instantly crushing the enemy's chest, rendering his spiritual energy defenses utterly useless.

[Ming Ren Style Heaven Tier Art: Clear Sky Fist]

The impact reverberated through the air with a sickening thud, leaving the enemy's body limp and lifeless. Ming Ren stepped back, his gaze unwavering as he watched the crumpled form fall to the ground.

The remaining two assassins, momentarily stunned by the swiftness and brutality of their comrade's demise, quickly regained their senses and launched into their own attacks, desperate to cover their fallen companion. They were oblivious to the fact that their friend was beyond saving, his life extinguished in a single, devastating blow.

The assassin with the chain sickle lashed out, the weapon whipping through the air like a venomous serpent. But Ming Ren, with his preternatural reflexes, effortlessly evaded the oncoming blow. His lithe form danced closer to his adversary. The enemy's chain, a menacing dance of steel, sought to entangle him, but Ming Ren's anticipatory footwork allowed him to slip through its grasp. 

Seizing the opportune moment, he pivoted, the wicked curve of the sickle sweeping down in a decisive arc. He dodged the blow and closed the distance between them. Once more, he breached the adversary's defenses, his body coiled like a spring, ready to unleash a devastating blow. His palm, propelled by sinew and focused power, found its mark with unerring precision. The assassin, faced with imminent danger, desperately channeled his spiritual energy, attempting to erect a barrier against the incoming attack.

But Ming Ren's assault was not a mere frontal assault, but a calculated maneuver aimed at exploiting the body's vulnerabilities. His strike bypassed the external defenses, channeling the force inwards, directly towards the assassin's vital organs. The delicate network of life within crumbled under the onslaught, his defenses shattering like glass.

The assassin collapsed to the ground, his life extinguished. Ming Ren stood over him, his expression stoic, his eyes reflecting the harsh realities of the cultivator's path – a path paved with violence and death.

Silence descended upon the battlefield, broken only by the rustling of leaves and the distant chirping of crickets. Two assassins lay dead. Each strike, a distinct tale of power and precision, ended in the ultimate silence of deaths. Two strikes, two lives extinguished.

The remaining assassin, his spirit broken by the sight of his fallen comrades, found himself at a crossroads. The camaraderie that once fueled his courage had evaporated, leaving only the cold grip of fear. He abandoned the fight, surrendering to the primal instinct of survival. His legs, once steady for battle, now carried him away in a desperate scramble, each step a frantic attempt to distance himself from the horrors he had witnessed.

As he fled, a chilling realization dawned upon him – he had never known fear as potent as this, a terror that gnawed at his very core. His breaths came in ragged gasps, the world a blur around him. He had underestimated his opponent, failing to anticipate the sheer mastery that Ming Ren possessed.

With breathtaking speed, Ming Ren transformed into a phantom, his movements transcending the limitations of ordinary mortals. His [Flash Step] turned him into an elusive wisp, his body a blur as he vanished from sight. The assassin's desperate swings met only empty air, his blade dancing a futile dance against an ethereal foe. The very air crackled with anticipation, yet it yielded nothing but the echo of emptiness.

In a display of extraordinary agility, Ming Ren soared skyward, defying gravity's pull. His [Flash Kick] descended upon the assassin's exposed neck with the force of a thunderbolt. The impact reverberated through the air, bone meeting bone with a sickening thud. Life's fragile hold on the assassin slipped away, his body crumpling to the ground like a discarded puppet.

Ming Ren stood amidst the fallen assassins, his countenance betraying no sign of fatigue or exertion, despite having effortlessly dispatched three cultivators far above his own cultivation level. His spiritual sense swept over their bodies, but apart from their unranked weapons and a meager collection of low-grade pills, there was nothing of value to be found.

With the battle concluded and his enemies vanquished, Ming Ren returned to his meditative state, assuming the lotus position as if the deadly encounter had been nothing more than a passing breeze. Despite his impressive victory, a sense of dissatisfaction lingered within him.

'My body is already much stronger than common peak early-stage cultivators of the Spirit Sea Realm,' he mused. 'But defeating enemies with poor body tempering and weak cultivation laws brings me no satisfaction.'

He circulated the One Breath Luminescence Law, drawing upon the energy of the low-grade spirit stones he had acquired. His mind raced, seeking a solution to the pressing problem of the spirit bugs.

'How can I get rid of those spirit bugs without pills?' he pondered. 'Spirit poison? No, too difficult to create at my current level. Can I use my blood? No, my bloodline is too powerful; it would counter the poison but strengthen the bugs instead. Sigh, everything is so inconvenient at the Body Tempering Realm.'

As time flowed like the river of his thoughts, a glimmer of possibility emerged. 'Wait… they cannot poison me due to my bloodline, only absorb my spiritual energy,' he realized. 'They are beings of pure spiritual energy, so I should be able to absorb them if they die within my body. It might have been possible to absorb them alive if they were normal spirit bugs, but these are much stronger. If I cannot kill them, they will grow even stronger and drain my entire spiritual energy, leaving me vulnerable to the disease. This is too risky.'

Ming Ren sighed, gazing up at the starlit expanse above. 'I possess so much knowledge, yet I cannot find a simple solution. The Dao is indeed profound.'

'The best course of action is to find the parent,' he concluded. 'The spirit bugs will wither away after severing their connection. But the range is too large. How do I find them? They could be anywhere.'

He yearned for control over the Power of the Stars within his soul, knowing it held the key to finding the source of the infestation. 'If only I could harness its power,' he lamented. 'But my realm is too low. Sigh, it seems cultivation is my only option for now.'

With renewed focus, he immersed himself in cultivation. The One Breath Luminescence Law guided the rhythmic flow of Qi through his meridians, each breath a step closer to unlocking his full potential.

Cultivating was a canvas of his own making. His path was unique, shaped by his own experiences and the peculiar circumstances of his existence. His spirit sea, already exceptionally strong, was further enhanced by the enigmatic bloody stew, Jana's bloodline, and his unwavering dedication. He had built a foundation that surpassed even those of higher cultivation realms.

Ming Ren's pursuits echoed the search for the greatest peak, the vessel that encased his essence was sculpted meticulously. While cultivators only formed a complete spirit sea at the next realm, his spirit sea was already extremely stable and well-formed, stronger than most Spirit Sea Realm early-stage cultivators. Jana's potent bloodline, a force of generations past, pulsed within him, a dormant power, a slumbering giant of potential, strengthening his inner sea to a profound level. It laced his spirit sea with a resonance that defied convention, a resonant hum that hummed in tune with ancestral power. 

He repeatedly challenged the bottleneck to the ninth layer, each attempt met with resistance. But with each failure, his understanding deepened, and a new approach began to take shape. He realized that his previous attempts had lacked the necessary finesse, the subtle nuances required to break through. His path was one that veered from the original course through the Bright Scripture, yet in the paradox of his struggle, he discovered the very essence of growth.

'I was mistaken,' he thought. 'Completing the spirit sea at the half-step is not the only path. What is actually stopping me from doing it now? I already fulfilled all the requirements. Only true elements and rare energies yet elude my grasp. I should try.' 

With renewed determination, he focused his spiritual energy on the core of his spirit sea, causing it to solidify and coalesce. The air crackled with power as he channeled the One Breath Luminescence Law, his control over his Qi reaching new heights. 

And then, it happened. His spirit sea achieved perfect unity, its fragmented elements merging into a harmonious whole.

He had broken through.

Ninth layer of the Body Tempering Realm!

The flow of spiritual energy from his inner sea surged, transforming into a powerful external spiritual energy. His Qi was now of exceptional quality, surpassing even the strongest cultivators he had encountered. Even the illustrious Bright Patriarch, a beacon of power at the Spirit Gate Realm, seemed to pale in comparison to the sheer vitality and quality of Ming Ren's Qi. 

Excitement coursed through him as he experimented, manipulating his Qi with effortless control. A thin, nearly invisible layer of spiritual energy enveloped his body, a feat demonstrating his impeccable control, 'The lack of knowledge is truly what prevents cultivation to succeed. Most cultivators on the Lower Realms only focus on power and neglect control.' 

'Qi is not rigid, but flexible,' he realized. 'It can be molded and shaped like clay, its potential limited only by one's understanding and imagination.'

This revelation was as profound as the foundation he had painstakingly built for himself. He extended his fingers, and countless strands of Qi shot outwards, effortlessly retrieving the weapons of the fallen assassins and depositing them into his spatial ring.

'This opens up so many possibilities,' he mused. 'It's almost as if I have stepped into the Spirit Sea Realm. I can create new techniques, refine my cultivation law...'

His thoughts were abruptly interrupted as a tremor shook the ground beneath him. Instinctively, he expanded his spiritual sense, detecting a powerful Qi pulse wave emanating from a distance beyond his perception. The wave, infused with potent metal Qi, swept outwards, impacting everything in its path.

Despite fortifying himself with spiritual energy, Ming Ren was unable to withstand the onslaught of the potent Qi pulse. The invisible wave, slammed into him, causing nausea and forcing him to his knees. His insides felt as if they had turned to metal, his Qi flow sluggish and thick, his heart rate plummeting.

While Xu Tian, Pan Ruolan, and other nearby cultivators were also affected, none suffered as severely as Ming Ren. His heightened senses and the True Wood element within his bloodline made him particularly vulnerable to the metal Qi, amplifying the wave's impact on his body.

"Ugh… such a powerful Qi pulse!" he groaned, struggling to regain his composure. "And I even tried to protect myself with spiritual energy. What's going on?"

After a moment, he managed to recover, his senses identifying the origin of the disturbance. "It came from that direction… Mount Ironclaw!"

The connection was undeniable. Mount Ironclaw, renowned for its abundance of metal Qi, was undoubtedly the source of the pulse. Ming Ren's mind raced, attempting to comprehend the cause of this extraordinary event.

Suddenly, a chilling realization dawned upon him, his expression darkening with worry.

"The featherwing spirit bugs!" he exclaimed, and with a surge of urgency, he dashed towards Xu Tian and Pan Ruolan.

***

Within the halls of the Forest Clan in Redwater Town, a sense of unease permeated the air. Patriarch Lin Huangfu, amidst a briefing with his elders, received unsettling news from a messenger. The third elder had been apprehended by the city lord, plunging the clan into a state of shock and outrage.

"How dare he!" one elder exclaimed, his voice laced with indignation.

"What is the meaning of this?" another questioned, confusion and anger mingling in his tone.

Lin Huangfu, his brow furrowed with concern, pondered the implications of this act. The third elder, despite his familial ties to the city lord through marriage, had been taken into custody. A sense of foreboding washed over the patriarch.

"They have launched an investigation," the messenger stammered, his voice trembling with anxiety. "Our clan is under lockdown. We are forbidden from leaving Redwater, and any attempts to escape will be met with severe consequences."

A wave of anger surged through the assembly.

"Preposterous!"

"What is that tyrant up to?"

"Patriarch, this is…" the Second Elder began, his gaze seeking guidance.

Lin Huangfu, his face grim, nodded towards the Second Elder. "Our enemies are making their move," he stated. "Second Elder, attempt to contact our allies."

The Second Elder reached for his communication jade token, but his efforts were met with silence. The isolation formations employed by their adversaries had severed all lines of communication.

"They are preparing to strike," Lin Huangfu sighed, his voice heavy with the weight of the situation. "We have sent emissaries before, but we have received no word of their fate."

"From this moment forward, we stand on the precipice of war," he declared, his voice ringing with authority. "Dispatch our emergency orders!"

The elders responded with a resounding "Yes, Patriarch!" as orders were relayed with urgency.

"Patriarch, we cannot withstand this alone," an elder cautioned. "The City Lord's Mansion of Bluecloud and Redwater, the Silver and White clans… are we to become the next Bright Clan?"

"It's all Lin Dong's fault for protecting that boy!" another elder spat, his voice laced with bitterness.

"ENOUGH!" Lin Huangfu roared, silencing the dissent. "You will not speak ill of that boy! He is our benefactor!"

The elders exchanged bewildered glances, their curiosity piqued by the patriarch's cryptic declaration.

"Second Elder," Lin Huangfu continued, "spread the improved techniques and cultivation law among our members. Before they learn them, they must swear a heavenly oath of secrecy."

A glimmer of hope flickered in the eyes of the elders. Improved techniques and a new cultivation law?

"We will follow the patriarch!" they declared in unison.

"Also, ensure that Lin Qiang and Lin Dong receive the most valuable resources we possess," Lin Huangfu instructed. "They are our best hope, our beacons in the encroaching darkness."

With the orders issued, the patriarch retreated to his chambers, his expression resolute. "If this is our tribulation," he murmured, "then so be it. I will not allow our enemies to take those precious to us again without a fight."