Rampage on Mufu Mountain

Perched atop Mufu Mountain, Lin Tian meticulously perused the Spirit-Gathering Heart Manual. This cultivation technique promised accelerated growth and faster recovery of spiritual energy, proving invaluable until one reached the Core Formation stage.

He had also delved into texts on alchemy, yet found himself unable to practice it currently. Alchemy necessitated Earth Fire—a natural, intense flame—as ordinary fire simply wouldn’t suffice.

The books mentioned Heaven Fire as well, a legendary flame capable of being carried. Heaven Fire, imbued with sentience, was essentially a spirit, making it utterly unobtainable for anyone below the Core Formation stage.

With alchemy temporarily set aside, two other books proved far more useful to him. The tome on array formations, in particular, was one he fully comprehended within half a month.

This Tri-Harmony Array Manual detailed three distinct types: illusion arrays, defensive arrays, and offensive arrays. He had witnessed illusion arrays firsthand, recognizing them as the deceptive mists shrouding the entrance to the Fog Mountain cave. These arrays would be perfect for ensuring undisturbed cultivation during his seclusion.

Conversely, offensive arrays, while incredibly potent, consumed an exorbitant amount of spirit stones. Their power made them suitable only for attacking stationary targets.

A month had passed since his return to Mufu Mountain. Lin Tian found himself poring over a cultivation insights manual, and countless previously perplexing concepts now became startlingly clear, as if a master were guiding him.

Most wondrous of all was the Divine Sense, which transcended the five senses, akin to a sixth sense. For instance, upon breaking through the first layer, he could distinctly perceive Luo Tao standing just outside his door.

In combat, even without sight or hearing, one could pinpoint an enemy’s location. Thus, ambushing a cultivator was generally considered impossible.

However, there was one exception. The manual also described a technique for concealing one’s aura: the Breath Concealment Art!

This art allowed a cultivator to completely retract their aura. While it didn’t grant visual invisibility, it effectively prevented others’ Divine Sense from detecting them.

Unless an opponent’s cultivation far surpassed one’s own, or they possessed a unique magical artifact, penetrating the Breath Concealment Art was simply not possible.

****

The following day, Zhang Yu returned to Mufu Mountain, striding familiarly into his former four-person dormitory.

The three occupants within paused, then burst into derisive laughter. “Well, well, look who’s back!”

“Brother Zhang Yu, weren’t you chosen by an immortal to be their disciple? Kicked out so soon?”

“If you ask me, that old fogey was blind. Imagine not choosing me, picking a good-for-nothing instead.”

The two bantered back and forth, but Zhang Yu merely watched them with a cold gaze. The third person rose from their spot.

“Don’t talk like that, you two. Zhang Yu must have missed us, right?” As he spoke, he reached out an arm, intending to sling it around Zhang Yu’s neck.

A piercing scream echoed through the room! Everyone in the dormitory flinched. Without a word, Zhang Yu had snapped the man’s arm clean off!

It was in this horrifying moment that they realized Zhang Yu was no longer the pathetic good-for-nothing they had once bullied!

“Brother Zhang Yu! Let’s talk, please, let’s talk…” The man whose arm had been broken stammered, quickly falling to his knees to beg for mercy.

“Hey! Zhang Yu, this is Mufu Mountain! How dare you strike someone?” A burly man with a scarred face threatened.

“Hmph! Strike someone?” Zhang Yu sneered, a single-handed gesture employing the Traction Art to drag the burly man to the floor!

“What if I beat you all to death today?!”

He roared, his long-suppressed fury erupting, and began viciously kicking the burly man. With each kick, he bellowed:

“Try being fierce again!”

“You made me carry your foot-washing water, didn’t you?!”

“Was it fun treating me like a horse?! Was it?!”

“Is sleeping on the ground comfortable?!”

****

By the time he regained his senses, the burly man on the ground was lifeless. The other two shivered uncontrollably; their screams had been so loud that people from the surrounding dorms had rushed over.

Witnessing Zhang Yu’s brutality and the death of one of the disciples, they hastily notified the elders.

A young elder, hearing the commotion, hurried to the scene. Seeing the three disciples in the dorm dead and Zhang Yu still assaulting a corpse, the elder bellowed, “Stop at once! Where did this brat come from?! To dare cause trouble on my Mufu Mountain, you forfeit your life here!”

The elder drew a large saber, preparing to subdue Zhang Yu. However, upon seeing his face clearly, he froze. Wasn’t this the outer disciple who chopped wood daily? The one chosen by an immortal?

“You, surnamed Liu! For all my days of chopping wood, you gave me mere scraps of merit points. Today, we settle the score properly!”

Zhang Yu swung his hand, and a Fireball Art slammed directly into the elder! His upper body was instantly incinerated, leaving only his legs still standing on the ground.

The surrounding disciples, who had gathered to watch, were utterly stunned. No one dared remain, scattering in every direction!

Zhang Yu himself hadn’t anticipated mortals to be so fragile. At merely seventeen years old, a surge of unbridled power and the desire to act as he pleased swelled within him.

He cast a glance at the inner disciples’ dormitories, then walked directly towards them…

The four brothers who had bullied him during the entrance selection were one by one dragged out and subjected to a brutal beating! This news immediately spread to all the elders.

Many elders, upon hearing this, rushed to intervene, but they couldn’t even withstand a single move from Zhang Yu. All of them perished!

The disciples panicked, fleeing in every direction. Reaching the foot of the mountain, however, they crashed into an invisible barrier. The entire Mufu Mountain had been sealed by an array formation, allowing entry but no exit. No matter what methods they employed, they could not break through the barrier!

****

“Sect Leader Tang… Sect Leader Tang… this is bad!”

“What’s all this shouting about so early in the morning?” The Sect Leader of Mufu Mountain was still unaware, as events had unfolded far too rapidly.

“Something terrible has happened!”

“What is it? Speak slowly.” The Sect Leader poured a cup of tea for the elder who had come to report.

“What tea are you still drinking?!” The elder, his expression frantic, smashed the teacup and quickly recounted the entire incident.

****

“A cultivator?! Where is he now?” The Sect Leader’s expression grew serious.

“I heard he ran towards the female disciples’ dorms!”

“Quick! Gather your weapons! Tell all the other elders to assemble immediately!”

The Sect Leader personally led several elders to the female dormitories, only to find Zhang Yu savagely dragging three female disciples by their hair!

“Villain! You seek death!”

One of the elders swiftly charged forward, followed by the others. Seeing this, Zhang Yu turned and rapidly formed hand seals!

A pull from his Traction Art sent several elders crashing into each other, as if an invisible hand had pinned them down, rendering them immobile! Then, two Fireball Arts exploded, incinerating them into charcoal.

Sect Leader Tang’s eyes reddened. He suddenly leaped out from behind, unleashing several hidden weapons from his sleeve!

Zhang Yu was startled. He quickly channeled spiritual energy into his jade pendant, and a transparent barrier of spiritual energy enveloped him. The hidden weapons deflected off it as if striking stone.

While using this artifact, Zhang Yu couldn’t launch attacks, so he simply charged at the Sect Leader, his protective barrier knocking him to the ground!

Zhang Yu dropped his defense and unleashed a Fireball Art. The Sect Leader reacted quickly, slamming his palm on the ground and rolling to evade the attack!

The explosion of the fireball still sent him reeling. Zhang Yu then controlled a flying sword, which pierced directly through the Sect Leader’s heart!

All the elders and the Sect Leader were dead…

At this point, Zhang Yu was virtually invincible. Originally, some inner disciples had also wanted to join the fight, but if even the Sect Leader was killed in a few moves, what could they possibly do?

“Brother Zhang Yu! Please, no more fighting… I’ll give you anything you want!” pleaded the female disciple named Wu Ya. She was precisely the one who had bullied Zhang Yu most viciously in the past.

A tense atmosphere permeated the area; no one dared utter a sound, and running was impossible.

“You? What can you give me? Call all the outer disciples over. Have each of them slap these three once. If it’s not done by noon, you all die!”

Upon hearing Zhang Yu’s words, the three female disciples’ expressions turned blank. The others, too, dared not resist and quickly summoned all the outer disciples.

Zhang Yu scanned his surroundings. Wherever his gaze fell, no one dared meet his eyes, all bowing their heads.

“Hmm? Seize those two for me!”

Many recognized the two female disciples; they were highly skilled, second only to the elders. They exchanged a look and immediately bolted into the distance!

The crowd hesitated for a moment, then gave chase. One ran towards the mountain peak, the other towards the foot of the mountain…