Cultivation begins with earning spirit stones

Chapter 12: Lure the snake out of its hole

Zhang Lin walked down the mountain at a leisurely pace.

He is waiting.

We'll wait for the Black Wind Society members to come to us.

The few medicinal herbs he carried were the bait he used.

Zhang Lin walked calmly, his pace neither hurried nor slow, his expression as usual.

But his hand never left the hilt of the sword.

The Black Wind Society members have been keeping watch in Qingyun Town.

Since they found out he was a disciple of Shangqing Temple, they must know the location of Shangqing Temple.

If they are bold enough, they might even set up an ambush on the mountain road leading to Qingyun Town.

Zhang Lin came down the mountain today to lure the snake out of its hole.

He deliberately slowed his pace, making himself look like an unsuspecting early-stage Qi Refining cultivator, carrying a medicine box on his back, eager to go down the mountain to exchange for spirit stones.

Such people are the most lucrative prey in the eyes of the Black Wind Society.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, the mountain path gradually became gentler, and the view opened up.

Ahead lay a bamboo forest, the emerald bamboo reaching for the sky, blocking out the sun. The mountain wind rustled through the bamboo tips, like thousands of silkworms munching on mulberry leaves.

The moment Zhang Lin stepped into the bamboo forest, a sense of unease suddenly arose in his heart.

It wasn't something he saw or heard, but rather an inexplicable intuition, as if a pair of eyes were lurking in the shadows, coldly watching him.

The enhanced physical body not only gave him a strong physique, but also perception far exceeding that of his peers.

It was a beast-like intuition, inexplicable yet never wrong.

Zhang Lin did not stop walking, nor did he look around.

He continued walking forward, his steps calm and his expression normal, even humming an unknown tune.

But his true energy was already quietly circulating within his body, like an undercurrent, waiting only for an opportunity to surge forth.

Deep in the bamboo forest, the light was dim.

When Zhang Lin reached a relatively open space, he suddenly stopped.

"Aren't you tired after following me for so long?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it was clearly audible in the quiet bamboo forest, echoing among the rocks and startling a few roosting birds.

silence.

A moment later, rustling sounds came from both sides of the bamboo forest.

Four figures emerged from the bamboo forest and surrounded Zhang Lin in a semi-circle.

The leader was a man in his thirties, wearing a black brocade robe, with a rugged face, a short beard on his chin, and a broadsword at his waist.

His cultivation level was not low, at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, with his true energy overflowing and his imposing aura making him clearly someone who had spent years licking blood off the blade.

The other three, two at the early stage of Qi Refining and one at the middle stage, were all dressed in short-sleeved clothing, each holding a sword or knife, and their gazes were hostile.

"The young Taoist priest from Shangqing Temple is quite shrewd." The leading man grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. "Unfortunately, his shrewdness is useless. Today, this bamboo forest will be his burial ground."

Zhang Lin glanced at the four people, his expression unchanged, but he already had a plan in mind.

Two are at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, and two are at the early stage of Qi Refining. One of the mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators has weak and unstable true Qi, as if he has just broken through and his foundation is not yet solid.

Such a lineup would indeed crush ordinary mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators.

Unfortunately, he was not a typical mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator.

"The Black Wind Society?" Zhang Lin asked.

The leading man was slightly taken aback, then burst into laughter: "Since you know about the Black Wind Society, you should be sensible and hand over your spirit stones and medicines. If we're in a good mood, we might spare your life."

Zhang Lin ignored his nonsense and asked again, "Kill me? I'm afraid you're still a bit lacking?"

"Oh, you're quite calm." The man's smile faded, his gaze turning sinister. "Little Taoist priest, I don't have time to waste with you. Are you going to do it yourself, or do you want us grandpas to help you?"

Zhang Lin sighed.

He slowly drew the iron sword from his back. The silver-white blade gleamed coldly in the dim bamboo forest, like moonlight pouring down, illuminating the several ferocious faces around him.

"Then let's get started."

Before he finished speaking, his figure had already disappeared from the spot.

Wind Control Technique – Ride the wind!

Zhang Lin moved like a gentle breeze, silently gliding through the bamboo forest at an astonishing speed.

The man who had just broken through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining suddenly narrowed his eyes and instinctively swung his sword to block.

"clang!"

The sound of metal clashing rang out, and sparks flew everywhere.

The iron sword clashed with the long saber, and a tremendous force came from the blade. The man felt a numbness in his hand, and the long saber almost flew out of his grasp. He was shaken back three steps, crushing several bamboo whips under his feet.

"you--!"

He stared wide-eyed at Zhang Lin in disbelief.

Is this physique and strength at the early stage of Qi Refining?

The power of this sword strike was clearly at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, even stronger than his own.

"Boss, your intelligence is wrong!" the man shouted sharply. "This kid isn't at the early stage of Qi Refining, all of you attack!"

Upon hearing this, the other two early-stage Qi Refining cultivators activated their true energy, drawing their swords and blades to attack Zhang Lin.

At the same time, a fireball flew in from the left, the size of a fist, bright red and hot, with a long tail of flame, scorching the air with a sizzling sound.

That was a fireball spell cast by the leading man. Although it was the most basic of the Five Elements spells, if you were hit, being torn apart would be the least of your worries.

Zhang Lin dodged to the side, and the fireball grazed past his Taoist robe, slamming into the bamboo behind him and blasting a thick, green bamboo stalk into a charred and broken state, sending bamboo shavings flying everywhere.

At the same time, the early-stage Qi Refining cultivator on the right swung his sword, aiming straight for his waist and ribs.

The moves are ruthless and leave no room for error.

Zhang Lin kept moving, pushing his Wind Control Technique to its limit, his figure as elusive as a willow catkin in the wind.

The sword missed its mark, its tip only piercing the lingering afterimage of him.

"This kid's movement technique is strange!" the cultivator exclaimed.

Zhang Lin did not give him a second chance.

The iron sword swept horizontally, and the silvery-white sword light drew an arc in the air. The sword energy surged and knocked the long sword in the cultivator's hand away. The sword tumbled a few times in mid-air before falling to the ground with a clang.

Immediately afterwards, an invisible wind blade condensed in his hand and flew out.

The invisible wind blades, as thin as cicada wings, trembled slightly in the air.

The cultivator saw no light, heard no sound, and felt no obvious fluctuations of true energy.

He just instinctively felt a sense of unease, as if something unseen was flying towards him.

He instinctively turned to the side to avoid it.

But it was too late; the wind blades passed silently.

"ah--!"

The cultivator let out a muffled groan and flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing into two green bamboo stalks. A huge gash appeared in his chest, blood splattering everywhere. He was already unconscious when he landed.

One strike, and one person is crippled.

The remaining three people's expressions changed drastically, and the atmosphere in the bamboo forest suddenly froze.

Zhang Lin, having crippled one of them, did not press his advantage. Instead, he retreated three steps, holding his iron sword horizontally in front of him, and calmly swept his gaze over the remaining three.

The man in the lead's face darkened completely.

His name is Xiong Kui, the cousin of Xiong Ye of the Black Wind Society. He has a cultivation level of mid-stage Qi Refining and can be considered a figure within a hundred miles of Qingyun Town.

Today I brought three brothers to ambush a young Taoist priest. I thought it would be a piece of cake, but one of them was killed in the first encounter.

"Good lad, pretending to be weak to deceive others?" Xiong Kui slowly drew the broadsword from his waist. The blade was dark red and faintly glowed with spiritual light. It was actually a low-grade magic weapon.

"I'd like to see how long you can hold out."

Before he finished speaking, he flipped his left hand, and a crimson fireball, the size of a fist, condensed in his palm. It was blazing with flames and was three times larger than the previous one.

At the same time, the remaining two cultivators exchanged a glance and then flanked from the left and right, their swords imbued with true energy, the blades glowing with a faint spiritual light.