From where I was positioned, it would have been easy to kill one, possibly two of them before they were able to locate me and respond. My [Water Pierce] technique was rock solid. If I took a shot, I would hit what I was aiming at. A sneak attack would almost guarantee one would die, even the cultivator would not have time to respond or a way to reach me quickly.

The problem for me was one of morality, I had never killed a person before, hunting with my father we had killed animals, but this was completely different. And I had become too immersed in the world to pretend it was all just a game, especially when it came to killing people. Virtual or not.

I was worried that taking a life would affect my cultivation progression. Karma might not exist, but psychological and emotional fluctuations during cultivation could distract me, and the technique I cultivated had severe consequences if that happened. I couldn't afford to suffer setbacks. Even if Braun and his brother weren't considerations I needed to worry about, there would always be something or someone I needed to guard against.

Elder Cix had warned me about how disadvantage it could be for me if I needed to spend months or years repairing meridian points or channels that burst because of a mistake or lapse in concentration. I hadn't considered actions that might affect my emotional stability when I selected [Transcend the Heavenly Footpath].

I should have.

All children on Shijie learned the harsh realities of the world in school, that Cultivators would be forced to defend and kill at some point in their path to power. The dangers were explained in stark detail, even going so far as to share jade slip recordings showing the aftermath of fierce battles.

The thought of murdering these men was not something I was comfortable doing, at least not by using sneak attacks. It would be different if they died because I was defending myself from their attacks, I would still experience regret, probably some emotional angst, but defending myself seemed more acceptable, perhaps an unjust rationalization, but one I thought I could live with.

My soul-space should withstand the repercussions since I was hoping to capture not kill. A person's belief was a major consideration when dealing with esoteric issues of Karma and morality, but I should be able to weather any fluctuations to my emotional stability.

Naive, and something that would probably get me hurt. I hoped I wasn't killed, and made a mental note to work on my moral compass. I didn't want to discriminately kill in the future, but I did want to adapt my belief system to fit the realities of this world.

Taking better stock of my surroundings, I was looking for something that might give me an advantage, or at least distract them enough to let me get close, If I wasn't going to kill using the Bow, I needed to engage with them in melee range using my [Tessenjutsu] techniques. The sole cultivator in the group was barely a consideration.

Although [Tessenjutsu] was a multi-level martial art that would grow with my cultivation level, at present I was only able to use the katas available to the Body Refinement Realm. My foundation was firm, I had mastered the essence that made the Tessen so deadly. And I had gained complete control of my weapon int the process, able to snap open and release the individual spines of the fan, as well as the cloth. With the measure of control, Elder Shadow had demanded, both attacking and defending, I was confident, certain that I would be able to hold my own.

I did wonder why a cultivator would associate with the other two men, ignoring the resources that could be gathered, and claimed by aligning himself with a Sect, Clan, or town. It was bewildering. It seemed they were what they appeared to be, malcontents scrambling for resources, and willing to do dirty deeds for others when it amused them or coincided with their agenda.

But there were easier ways to attain or farm resources. And from the looks of things, they weren't well suited to gathering or hunting. At least they hadn't been very successful at it, they looked like they were one meal away from starvation.

The area, both within the ravine and the surrounding cliffs were littered with patches of brush, rocks, and not much else. Nothing that leaped out immediately as useful. There was a bit of an overhang near where the three men were camped, but I didn't think that could be helpful. Moving so that I could get a better look, I found something near the overhang that might do.

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The overhang was deeply embedded, but next to it there was a section of cliff that appeared to be perilously close to breaking free. Deep cracks had sheared off the substrate surrounding most of the stone, and for one of the larger boulders, only the smallest part appeared to still be attached. It was amazing that the rock hadn't fallen already. But with a bit of judicious Qi, and some help from [Water Pierce], I should be able to create the distraction I was hoping for.

At least enough of one to get close.

I knew I was being reckless, that the smart move would be to aim at the cultivator and hope to kill him before they were aware of my presence, but my hubris or fear wouldn't allow it. Aiming my bow, I began to infuse Qi, waiting to release, considering if my squeamishness made any sense, but decided it didn't matter.

I began to channel Qi along the conduits of a meridian cluster. One I had formed, that combined air and water to form ice. Directing that energy into a [Water Pierce], my Qi created a construct, an arrow that was primed to explode.

Water, frozen into ice, had been formed, twisted and layered to shatter on impact. I activated a secondary meridian channel, attaching Qi steeped in the air element to the shaft of the newly formed arrow so that I could increase the speed and precision of the shot. The elements assigned, [Water Piece] gathered enough of the creative energy until sufficient potential and intent had been gathered and contained. Drawing back on the sting another hand-span for maximum penetration, I made sure of my target and released.

I channeled Qi to my legs as soon as the arrow took flight, activating [Lightning's Rush] I blurred, utilizing my increased speed to navigate a route almost straight down the side of the cliff. I wasn't flying, instead; I used the mountain and the small purchases my feet found as a springboard, but to those watching it might have appeared as if I were.

My arrow flew true and had the desired effect. Exploding on impact, that small sliver of stone that had kept the shale from falling was blasted with enough force that it cracked. The weight of the boulder was enough to do the rest. As the men turned at the loud sound and scrambled to get out of the way of falling debris, I stored my Bow in my spatial ring and equipped my Tessen.

A practiced flick of my wrist and the fans were open, and I was at the camp. My plan was not perfect, the male Eoraptor that had been guarding his mate charged at the sound of the explosion, attacking the men that had been controlling it for days. It had already been wary of people so close to its nest, not trusting them but willing to accept a truce, especially after the men had led it to a source of food.

But the loud sound and the falling debris were too much, and the lack of trust became clear as the sounds of the rockslide released a raging beast. Eoraptors were not as large as Velociraptors, about three-quarters the size, but their claws and teeth were just as deadly. The men focused on the falling rocks failed to notice as the animal attacked and the one closest to the nest was savaged before they could.

Blood spurted as claws and teeth slashed and bit, the animal's instinct was to aim for the soft unprotected areas, it had learned from past hunts that this area was the least protected and most likely to cause debilitating wounds to prey. Its instinct held true; the man screamed in pain as his unguarded stomach met razor-sharp claws. His entrails spilling out before he could raise his hands to stem the flood of viscera and blood.

I didn't have time to worry about his prognosis or if he would live or die, before I arrived in the thick of it, and began the spinning dance of my [Tessenjutsu] martial technique, techniques that were second nature by now after all the work that Elder Shadow had invested in training me.

The Katas when performed elevated the movements of death into an art form, almost poetic in nature. The flowing cloth of my Hanfu twirling and obscuring the steel edges from the spines of the fan. The fluttering beauty of silk cloth stretched taut between those steel spines detracted from how deadly the Tessen was as a weapon.

The wind began moving to my dance, each flutter of the fan, each gesture powered by Qi, drawing in and controlling the surrounding air. I had split my concentration and Qi resources by this point, continuing to power my legs with [Lightning's Rush] as well as the opening martial forms of [White Crane Opens Wing]. It made for a flickering dance of movement, as I wove between opponents, including the Eoraptor. The Tessen opening skin or parting scale as I moved.

For the men, I fought to disable and incapacitate. I still was averse to murdering them. I would if I had too, but I was hoping to question them. I thought it possible they would identify who among the farming community had fed them information. Because the fire that destroyed fields was too timely set not to have been in response to my arrival. Someone must have warned them.

The Eoraptor was different, I couldn't afford to spare a raging dinosaur, and struck to kill or deflect teeth and claw each time my dance brought the beast within range.