"Stay on the boat," Elder Feng commanded as he drew his sword and leapt into the air. The blade glowed with qi, allowing him to stand on it as if it were a flying platform.

There it is! The classic ‘flying sword’, Kai’s eyes widened. I wonder how long it’ll take me to learn it.

As the elder met the three Thunderwing Drakes in the air, the beasts began to circle him. Elder Feng made sure to keep his back to the boat, not letting them get around him.

When the first drake dove at him, mouth open wide, Elder Feng didn't even flinch. He raised his hand, and a powerful gust of wind slammed into the drake, sending it tumbling backward.

The other two drakes attacked from opposite sides, trying to catch Elder Feng between them. Lightning crackled around their mouths, building up for a devastating attack. But Elder Feng was ready.

He spun in the air, his robes flapping wildly. As the drakes unleashed their lightning strikes, Elder Feng's hands shot out, fingers splayed. Two brilliant bolts of lightning erupted from his palms, meeting the drakes' attacks mid-air.

The beasts shrieked in pain, their scales smoking. They backed away, regrouping.

Nice crowd control, Kai thought, watching closely. He's not just defending, he's controlling the battlefield.

Elder Feng pressed his advantage, he thrust his palm towards the green drake, unleashing a concentrated blast of wind that slammed into its chest, sending it tumbling backward.

The purple drake retaliated, its jaws crackling with electricity as it lunged for Elder Feng's leg. The elder pivoted mid-air, narrowly avoiding the bite. In the same motion, he brought his elbow down on the drake's neck, channeling a bolt of lightning through the strike. The beast convulsed, smoke rising from its scales.

It's like watching a wizard duel, Kai thought.

The blue drake circled around, trying to flank Elder Feng. It inhaled deeply as it began to gather lightning qi. Elder Feng noticed just in time. He raised both hands, forming a swirling vortex of wind between them. As the drake released a stream of lightning, Elder Feng's wind barrier caught the attack, dispersing it harmlessly into the air.

Without missing a beat, Elder Feng clasped his hands together. The air around him began to ripple and distort. Suddenly, he threw his arms wide, and a shockwave of pure qi erupted in all directions. The drakes shrieked as the invisible force battered their bodies, sending them reeling.

Elder Feng has area-of-effect attacks to handle multiple enemies, and he's using the sky as his arena. Smart, Kai nodded.

The green drake, recovering fastest, dove at Elder Feng with its claws extended. The elder met the attack head-on, his fist crackling with lightning as it collided with the drake's talons. There was a blinding flash and a thunderous boom.

When Kai's vision cleared, he saw the drake's front leg hanging limply, its scales blackened and cracked.

The purple drake's tail whipped towards the elder, only for him to catch it bare-handed, using the beast's momentum to swing it into its blue companion. Both drakes crashed into each other with a sickening crunch.

He's making it look easy, if it was me fighting, I wouldn't last more than a few seconds against even one of these drakes, Kai realized, a chill running down his spine. The gap between Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment is big but the gap between the stages of Foundation Establishment seem even bigger. A Pseudo Core Formation cultivator really is on another level.

One of the drakes, frustrated, tried to dive past Elder Feng towards the boat. The elder's eyes widened. He abandoned his offensive, racing to intercept the drake.

"Wind Wall!" Elder Feng shouted, throwing both hands forward. A massive barrier of swirling air appeared between the drake and the boat.

The drake slammed into the wind wall, roaring in anger. But Elder Feng's quick defense left him vulnerable. The other two drakes seized the opportunity, one biting into his shoulder while the other raked its claws across his back.

Elder Feng grunted in pain but didn't falter. He maintained the wind wall, protecting the boat even as blood soaked his robes.

Damn, Kai thought, his fists clenched. He could have dodged that if he wasn't worried about us.

As the battle raged on, the elder struggled to fend off all three drakes while still protecting the boat, his movements were slower, his attacks less powerful, his actions more cautious.

He needs help, Kai thought desperately. But what can we do? At our level, we'd just get in the way…

"The elder is making a mistake," Shen Yu’s voice cut through his thoughts.

Kai's ears perked up at this. He moved closer to Shen Yu. "What do you mean?"

Shen Yu turned to look at Kai, his eyes unreadable. For a moment, Kai thought the boy might not answer. Then, to his surprise, Shen Yu spoke.

"The Thunderwing Drakes have a weakness to sound. High-pitched noises disorient them."

"And how exactly do you know that?"

Shen Yu shook his head. "That's beside the point. We need to help the elder before he gets himself killed trying to protect us."

He's deflecting, Kai thought. But he's also right. We need to do something.

Making a split-second decision, Kai focused on his hand, channeling his qi, he began to shape the energy.

Let's see... circular shape, thin material for better resonance... Kai's brow furrowed in concentration as he molded the qi. Slowly, a translucent gong took shape in his hand.

Shen Yu nodded approvingly. "I was just going to suggest you do that."

Liu Wei, who had been watching wide-eyed, finally found his voice. "Master, what are you doing?"

Before Kai could answer, Zhi-Zhi's muffled voice came from within his shell. "Isn't it obvious? He's creating a sonic weapon to exploit the drake’s auditory vulnerability! I was going to suggest it myself, but I wanted to see if any of you would figure it out."

Kai suppressed a smirk. Nice save, "Master" Zhi-Zhi. Pretend you knew all along.

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With the gong formed, Kai quickly shaped another qi construct - this time, a simple hammer. He knew he had to work fast; maintaining multiple qi constructs was taxing, and he could only hold them for a few seconds at most.

Usually, that's fine for battle, Kai mused. Quick tripwires or barriers to catch opponents off guard. But this needs to pack punch after punch.

Without wasting another moment, Kai brought the hammer down on the gong. A clear, resonant tone rang out, surprisingly loud for its size. The effect on the Thunderwing Drakes was immediate and dramatic.

The blue-scaled beast was the closest, it recoiled violently at the sound. Its wings suddenly buckled, causing it to drop several feet in the air. It thrashed its head from side to side, eyes unfocused and disoriented.

The drake with green-tinged scales let out a high-pitched screech. Its flight pattern became erratic, spiraling awkwardly as it tried to escape the sound.

The larger drake with purple markings seemed the least affected. Still, it shook its massive head, momentarily stunned.

Elder Feng was also startled by the unexpected sound but he recovered quickly. His eyes narrowed, recognizing the opportunity Kai had created.

With a burst of speed, Elder Feng shot towards the blue drake - the most vulnerable target. Wind and lightning crackled around his outstretched hand. He struck the drake's exposed underbelly, just behind its left foreleg where the scales were thinnest.

The impact was devastating. Lightning arced through the drake's body, and a sickening crack echoed as ribs shattered under the force of the blow. The blue drake's eyes rolled back, and it let out an agonized roar.

Smoke rising from its scales, the injured drake desperately flapped its wings as it fled from battle.

The green and purple drakes, however, shook off their disorientation quickly. Their eyes, now glowing with rage, fixed on Elder Feng. With ear-splitting shrieks, they charged at him simultaneously.

It worked better than I expected, Kai thought. But those two recovered fast. And now they look pissed. I need to give the elder another opening.

As the gong dissipated, he immediately began forming another one. While he worked, he heard Shen Yu speak up again.

"I've never seen anyone form qi constructs as easily as you do," the boy commented, a hint of genuine interest in his voice.

Kai couldn't help but laugh. "Well, being a mortal, I'd be surprised if you had."

A moment later, Kai finished shaping the second gong but that was when he noticed something odd. Shen Yu had moved. The boy was now standing on the opposite side of the boat, as far from Kai as he could get without being obvious about it.

What's he up to? Kai wondered. But there was no time to dwell on it. The qi constructs would collapse soon, and he needed to act.

Once again, Kai brought the hammer down on the gong. The sound rang out, even louder than before. This time, the effect on the Thunderwing Drakes was even more pronounced.

The green drake, already wounded from Elder Feng's earlier attacks, reacted violently. Its wings seized up, muscles spasming uncontrollably. Unable to maintain its flight, the massive beast began to plummet. It let out a terrified shriek as it fell, its body twisting and turning in a futile attempt to regain control. It quickly plummeted from the sky, its massive body crashing into the forest below.

The purple drake, however, had a very different reaction. Its eyes began to glow an angry red, and its movements became erratic. Sparks of electricity danced across its scales as its qi went haywire.

Oh crap. It's gone into rage mode, Kai's eyes widened in realization.

Does everyone in this world have a berserk button or something? he thought, remembering his encounter with the rogue cultivator. Note to self: Kill enemies before they get a chance to powerup.

Before anyone could react, the enraged drake let out an ear-splitting roar and dove…straight at the boat.

Time seemed to slow down as Kai assessed the situation. Liu Wei was standing closest to the incoming beast. Shen Yu, unsurprisingly, was the farthest away. Zhi-Zhi was still hiding in his shell.

That sneaky bastard, Kai thought, a mixture of admiration and annoyance coloring his thoughts. He could have warned us.

At the speed the drake was moving, it would reach them long before Elder Feng could turn around and intercept it. In its berserk state, the beast would likely kill Liu Wei before anyone could stop it.

Shit, Kai thought, his mind racing. There goes a respawn.

Without hesitation, he activated his Wind Step skill. In a burst of speed, he appeared in front of Liu Wei, shoving him backward just as the drake reached them.

"Master, no!" Liu Wei cried out, his eyes wide with horror.

Kai looked up to see the drake's glowing red eyes and rows of razor-sharp teeth looming over him.

Come on, Iron Rebound, Kai prayed. Now would be a really good time to—

Pain exploded through his body as the drake's jaws clamped down. There was no magical reflection of damage, no last-second save. Just razor-sharp teeth tearing through flesh and bone.

The electricity from the bite set every nerve ending on fire. Kai felt his ribs crack like twigs, puncturing lungs and rupturing organs. The drake shook its head violently, and Kai's world became a blur of agony and vertigo.

So much for protagonist luck, Kai thought bitterly as darkness began to creep in at the edges of his vision. Guess I’ll just have to respawn.

As he fell, Kai saw Elder Feng appear behind the beast. The elder shoved his hand right through the drake's back. His fingers came out the other side, sparking with lightning. The drake began convulsing, its jaws loosening just enough for Kai to fall.

Kai hit the deck of the boat hard. He could hear Liu Wei screaming "Master!" and Zhi-Zhi's shell clattering as the spirit tortoise finally emerged.

As the darkness closed in, the last thing Kai heard was Shen Yu's whisper.

"Let's see if that was also an ‘illusion’."