12. Results of the Raid

(After the commotion died down, In the Golden Prosperity City Lord's mansion)

The dim glow of lanterns flickered in the city lord's lavish office, casting long, restless shadows on the walls. The butler reported the results of the investigation at the merchant district, while the city lord sat on his chair, his fingers tapping anxiously against the edge of his desk.

After a moment Zheng Renshu stood up and paced in slow, rigid steps around the office, before turning sharply toward his butler.

"Nothing? Not a single lead?" his voice was tight, barely restrained. His eyes darting around the room as if the very walls were conspiring against him.

The butler, stoic yet weary, bowed slightly. "My lord, we've investigated the scene. The culprit used quick movements and assassinated every guard without alerting them. Additionally, we checked every rumor, watched every suspect, yet no trail leads back to a culprit."

Zheng Renshu exhaled sharply, rubbing his temple. "First, whispers in the streets, then attacks on my trade routes. Someone is moving against me, and I don't even know their face!" He slammed his palm against the desk, rattling the inkstone and scrolls.

The butler remained silent, knowing no words could ease his master's paranoia. The walls of power were closing in, and in Zheng Renshu's mind, every shadow now held a hidden dagger.

After calming his mind, Zheng Renshu looked at his butler and asked "Has Zheng Xi already found out who destroyed and exposed our slave warehouse in the abandoned ruins?"

The bulter's reply came quickly "Yes my lord! The culprit behind it was an old demon that escaped from captivity. After Zheng Xi came to the site he came across the corpses of two of his guards in the woods between the site and the city. He had them with him when he went to inspect the site, but none of them returned. The only cells that had living people in it was the beggar young master Zheng Xi had found on the street and an old demon that the lord had captured. From a logical conclusion, young master Zheng Xi thinks that the guard has betrayed our Zheng Family. His family is also not in the city any longer."

A shiver ran down the city lord's spine, cold sweat forming at his brow. First the rumors, then the destruction of his hidden trade and now his normal trade routes. It was a deliberate strike against his power, yet he had no enemy to fight, no traitor to punish. He staggered back, his thoughts racing, every silence in the room feeling like unseen eyes watching, waiting.

"Impossible… This shouldn't be happening!" he muttered, hands gripping his temples. His breath came in sharp gasps, paranoia clawing at his mind as the weight of uncertainty pressed down like a noose tightening around his throat.

As if a light bulb appeared above his head. He calmed down and said to the butler "the only thing we have is the identity token of the Jian Family… Send a message to the Jing Family. They would be able to mediate the situation. If not, we will send a message to the main family. It will be war."

The butler got chills down his spines as he imagined the consequences of this order, but he was the butler and not the city lord. He quickly went out of the city lord's office to send the message.

The city lord sat back on his chair, looking at the ceiling with an exhausted expression. He let out a tired sigh.

*Sigh*

 ...

(Just before sunrise, Slums outside of Golden Prosperity City)

A boy trudged through the narrow, filth-ridden alleys of the slums, his clothes damp with sweat and dirt clinging to his skin. The stench of rot and unwashed bodies filled the air, but he barely noticed, his mind was too busy thinking about the loot he had collected.

By the time he reached home, his legs felt like lead. Mo Tian pushed open the creaking door, the faint warmth of the dimly lit room the only welcome he had. The moment he closed the door his exhaustion kicked in and with a weary sigh, he dropped onto the bag on the rough wooden table, too tired to even care about anything else he sat down on the chair and closed his eyes.

…

(At noon.)

His body felt heavy, limbs sluggish as he stirred. A dull ache throbbed in his skull while his fingers twitched against the rough bedding. Slowly, his eyes fluttered open, met by the sunlight filtering through a crooked window.

After having slept for a few hours, Mo Tian was ready to look through the loot. He picked up his bag and sprawled the manuals and scrolls out on the table. Then he put the manuals on the left and the scrolls on the right. Once he was done he started to look at the scrolls. There were 5 scrolls in front of Mo Tian. These contained basic arts, because they could fit on the scroll and nobody would need to edit the technique. Mo Tian started reading them all briefly. He quickly realized that each scroll contained the art of a different weapon, namely the blade, sword, staff, heavy weapon and bow. He had an idea of what to do with them, but first wanted to continue to look into the manuals.

Mo Tian quickly read the manuals. The manuals on the other hand were filled with martial arts cultivation methods. They were mostly demonic techniques and some fit for rogue cultivators. Additionally, they did not exceed the high-level. It seems that these were controlled by the families from the Justice League as they ruled the land now after dethroning the demonic cult.

After he was done, Mo Tian sighed

*Sigh*

This was not what he was hoping for. He hoped to find a technique to match the 'Demonic way', but was more towards stability than raw power. He had learned from the fight with the leader of the justice league that he could not win with raw power alone, especially against an experienced martial artist like the leader of the justice league.

Seeing no hope, Mu Tian was going to start back his training. He looked at one of the barrels that was half filled with grain balls. He still had food for a few months. "It should be enough." Thought Mo Tian.

Quickly after that, Mo Tian went to sit cross legged again. Mo Tian had finally managed to reach the a balance between size and stability in the 'Training Space Mind Technique'. Now, he was going to proceed to the second stage of the 'Training Space Mind Technique'. At this level he needs to start refining the space. Mo Tian quickly reviewed the second level of the technique

As Mo Tian closes his eyes, his consciousness sinks back into the depths of the Mind Space he created through the first level of the technique. When he open them again, he finds themselves standing upon a vast, motionless sea, its surface so perfectly reflective that it feels as if they are suspended between two skies. There was no wind, no sound, only silence and the weight of unseen pressure pressing down upon his mind.

Unlike the first level, where thoughts were disciplined through focus, the second level forces the cultivator to confront their own mind directly. The reflection in the water is not just an image. It is their deepest fears, suppressed memories, and hidden doubts, staring back with unblinking clarity.

His first step forward is met with resistance. not from the water, but from within. Doubt creeps in, old fears stir, memories long buried begin to surface in the reflection beneath their feet. Every ripple distorts the world around them, twisting illusions into reality.

To advance, Mo Tian must silence the turmoil within. Every stray thought, every hesitation, will send waves across the sea, threatening to swallow him whole. But if he can walk with absolute clarity, his mind undisturbed by fear or illusion, the horizon will no longer seem unreachable.

Time passed rapidly, As he refines the space the mental realm becomes more structured, developing landscapes that reflect his emotions, experiences, or aspirations. Slowly Mo Tian could projecting thoughts, illusions, or even constructing mental versions of himself.

…

(Two months passed)

The city roared with unrest. Clan rivalries boiled over, merchants cursed in the streets, and desperate commoners scrambled to secure their livelihoods. Fires flickered in back alleys, the scent of smoke and blood clinging to the air as armored guards rushed to quell any attacks. Rumors spread like wildfire, whispers of betrayals and assassins lurking in every shadow.

Yet, within the quiet depths of a slums, Mo Tian sat in stillness. The world outside raged, but his breathing remained steady, his mind an unshaken lake. Even as the distant echoes of clashing steel and shouted accusations reached his ears, he neither flinched nor wavered. In the storm of mortal chaos, he remained untouched. He was cultivating a power beyond the reach of fleeting struggles.

The reason he could do it, while others could not is because he is the one who lit the fuses. During his training, Mu Tian went according to his usual schedule. Every time he went outside to do chores for the old lady, he met with beggars to get information and to let them spread information. Once every week, he went out at night to cause chaos in the merchant district. Sometimes he was lucky to get some new books and scrolls, at other times he went back with some food or illegal products that could help him with his next raid. He always targeted different merchants, so they would be least protected against him.

Unfortunately, good times are always short. After two months of raiding, every merchant started to hire guards and mercenaries to prevent people from raiding their warehouses. Nobody has found out about Mo Tian yet because he was not the only one raiding after his second raid. This was good for Mo Tian in order to hide his trail and it brought the city into bigger chaos.

Additionally, Mo Tian heard from some of the beggars that a new group had entered the city. They seem to be investigating who is behind all the raids. Therefore, Mo Tian stopped raiding and continued his former schedule. However they did not turn the others away.

Currently, Mo Tian was sitting on a chair in his house. He was reviewing his training for the past two months. He already had his [Host status] open.

[Host Status]

Name: Mo Tian

Lifespan: 80 Years

Race: Human (Savage Grade)

Cultivation: Mortal Realm, Third Rate Martial Artist (No cultivation method detected)

Techniques, Arts & Inherent Abilities: Basic Movement Art (Mortal Mid-Grade, 80%), Demonic Blade Arts (Mortal High-Grade, 81%), Training Space Mind Technique (Unknown, 50%)

Physique & Bloodline: None

Occupation: None

[Return]

When looking at his status, Mo Tian was quite satisfied. His proficiency in the Basic Movement Art and Demonic Blade Art had increased. When looking at his Mind Space, it has become more structured and he could even project himself.

Mo Tian stood in the boundless world of the Mind Space, surrounded by shifting projections of himself. Each of them was a perfect mirror of his thoughts and intentions. This gave Mo Tian an idea.

"Why not create one art that encompasses all the basic arts?" thought Mo Tian. As he quickly exited the Mind Space and got back to the table which had multiple stacks of manuals, scrolls and books laid out on it. He quickly picked all the books and started reading them. 

The room turned deathly silent, save for the faint rustle of pages turning at an inhuman speed. Candlelight flickered over Mo Tian's unmoving face, his eyes scanning each word with unnatural focus, absorbing knowledge like a dry sponge to water. Scrolls lay scattered around him, yet not a single breath was wasted. Only the relentless pursuit of understanding filled the air and slowly it came to a stop.

Having finished reading and understanding all the basic arts he had collected during his raids, Mo Tian entered the Mind space again. The projections of himself started moving. As he observed their movements, he pondered the possibilities, imagining them executing the arts with flawless precision, adjusting stances, refining strikes before a single move was ever performed in reality. With a mere thought, the projections moved, their attacks unfolding like flowing ink on an empty canvas. A battlefield shaped by his mind alone.

He cycled through the arts, combining strikes, adjusting stances, testing footwork, watching as the illusions clashed in endless battle. Every failed sequence shattered into mist, yet from each fragment, a new path emerged.

With every refined motion, his understanding deepened. Strength, speed, flow, vision were all dissected and reconstructed. He envisioned counterattacks before they existed, saw flaws before they could manifest, sculpting his new art like a blade tempered in fire. Finally, after countless iterations, the illusions moved in perfect harmony, executing an Art never before seen, its power undeniable.

Opening his eyes, he exhaled slowly. What was once only thought now existed in reality… His own martial art, forged within the depths of his mind. However, Mo Tian knew that this would just be an orthodox martial art if he kept it this way.

The demonic cult pursued strength to the extreme. They would sacrifice their own safety and the stability of the technique for more power. This results in a great focus on brute force and flow in the technique. Contrary to the demonic cult, orthodox focus on stability with strength like the art he had just created.

"How do you combine the two? A stable demonic art. A balance beyond a mortals"

With this thought in mind. He started his training again...