I needed a plan to greet the invading cultivators. One that would hopefully lead to intimidating them enough to keep them away rather than fighting. As much as defeating them in a battle was tempting, I couldn't do that, not when I didn't know what else they could send.
No, I needed to defeat them in a way they were convinced that probing me further was a bad idea, which meant, from their perspective, my victory needed to look effortless.
Luckily, the evolution of the spirit vein arrived just in time. With the Qi it was providing increasing wildly, I had the ability to use some complicated formations to help me.
"Let's start with flying," I muttered even as I pulled an expensive robe from my inventory. As I put it on, ready to float upward. It was not something that could be done with Martial arts, so I used a formation to achieve it, soon reaching the sky.
It was my first step to deflect them from the true source of my power.
"Who dares to step into the inheritance land my master had chosen!" I shouted even as I stood in front of the giant ship. It was easy to act arrogant when I was being defended by formations powered by the new spirit veins. I was aware of the strength of the ship, and the kind of attack they had used against my ship could be easily blocked.
As for anything stronger, I trusted my speed to get away in time before retaliating with the presence of the tree. If they had such an attack, it was better for them to target the sky, giving me a chance to counter-attack.
A figure wearing the robe of the Treasure Pavilion floated toward me, his expression tense. "Who are you to dare to cut our path!" he declared. I watched him carefully, trying to measure his cultivation. I was happy to note that he was not in the Nascent Soul realm, which was what I was afraid of.
"A merchant daring to raise his voice to his betters," I growled, doing my best to look insulted even as I waved my hand, sending a simple palm to his way. It was a deceptively simple attack, one that relied on the concept of deflection that had been embedded in the Forest Dance, carrying no destructive properties. It also had a nice wrapping to make it look like a Qi attack.
One that hit hard and fast, sending him careening away back to the flying ship, while everyone froze.
Their shock was understandable. Based on their nature, Qi attacks were mostly extremely deadly, and the nonlethal options were considerably more difficult to master. More importantly, since Qi relied on explosive power with limited endurance, such restraining methods were not the greatest strategy.
In comparison, martial arts afforded a much greater endurance. More importantly, by its nature, Forest Dance was designed to restrain and deflect rather than destroy, making the attack far more effective considering my power level.
Of course, that specialization wasn't without a cost. Due to the unique nature of my breakthrough, I was significantly stronger than Lannayin and Elsana, but even with that, I doubted that I could match their efficiency when actually killing.
It was a tradeoff I was happy with. I had yet to kill someone, and I doubted that I could ever get comfortable with the idea. And, even if I had any such intention, I could always mix in some poisons, gaining some time while I dealt with the rest.
Actually adapting Forest Dance wasn't my first choice, but it wasn't exactly a great loss either.
But, as I watched twenty peak Golden Core figures leave the boat to float in front of me, ready to activate a battle formation, I focused on the present. Detecting their cultivation had been easy. I just needed to read the System notifications as their presence washed over me trying to intimidate me.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
[Cultivation Difference Bonus - 260; Insult Bonus - 140]
[400x Return - 2,294 Qi Drop]
[400x Return - 1,049 Qi Drop]
…
[400x Return - 1,117 Qi Drop]
The change from strand to drop was intriguing. I immediately reached to pull a drop, but the moment it appeared in my dantian, it started to evaporate, showing that it required the compression of a Golden core.
Luckily, while it was the first time I actually got the condensed version, it was not the first time I interacted with it. I let that drop bleed into the formation, my mind already churning the ways to use it in battle. Techniques such as Golden Core alchemy techniques, particularly when it came to poison.
Too bad I lacked the time to properly take advantage of it.
However, while I lacked the time to experiment, I was also glad that I waited. Now that I was in the Spirit Infusion realm, my strength was roughly equivalent to theirs, and their aura attack was easily subdued by my essence, allowing me to get the reward.
If I tried to do that merely with my Qi cultivation, the pressure alone would have killed me.
"Really, you're sending a bunch of merchant lackeys against me," I grumbled dismissively even as I looked at them. I expected them to attack immediately, but to my surprise, they did not.
Instead, a voice rose from the ship, one that was even louder than mine, but that part wasn't as scary as the Providence infused in it. I strongly suspected that the one who spoke was a Nascent Soul cultivator. "How dare you challenge the Great Accord!"
It was time to bluff. I had no idea just how far the true power of the cultivation world had gone, but if the woman who gave me the System as a punishment was any indicator, Nascent Soul was far from the peak of it. And, considering the role they played during the undercover war, it stood to reason that Heavenly Pavilion wasn't a true peak power either. Of course, I might be reading it wrong, but it still felt like a good poker move.
However, even as he spoke, he didn't send any pressure, reinforcing my conclusion that Nascent Soul cultivators were restricted from acting freely in some manner.
"Accord. Why would I care about the rules of a bunch of backwater cultivators of a minor world that actually respects a bunch of pathetic merchants," I said dismissively, bluffing. "You're lucky I had already promised my master not to kill without reason, or I would have evaporated you, little boy."
"Little boy!" the voice came from the ship, shocked and insulted.
"Of course. You think you're a grown-up just because you have a nascent soul, pathetic," I replied, letting the shock ripple through the ship crew.
It was not without a reason. Even as I was talking, I had pulled multiple Qi drops from my inventory, multitasking while experimenting with formations to see if I could use them to my benefit. I was reluctant to use the System aggressively in the presence of a Nascent Soul cultivator, as I was afraid of him noticing the fluctuations in Providence. However, that reluctance didn't mean I would refuse to use it to save lives.
It was better to be prepared.
I had chosen my insult carefully, implying that I wasn't afraid of Nascent Soul cultivators, implying that I was at least a stronger cultivator.
As the silence stretched, I looked at the massive flying ship hovering ominously in front of me, wondering how things had come to this. I was supposed to be living in the shadows, doing nothing but lazing around as I got stronger through the System rewards, hoping to gather just enough power to stay safe, and nothing more.
What better way to mark those dreams dead than a floating fortress brimming with cultivators who had come to destroy the land just to make a point. I wondered how it looked from the outside. A solitary floating figure, no larger than an ant compared to a flying ship stood in front of me like a predator, no smaller than an actual mountain.
I didn't know which was more comical. The absurd difference in size and power, or the fact that I was not afraid. Yes, I was reasonably tense, but I wasn't afraid. Not only I was confident in my preparations, but also I had my System, one that I could use the twist the situation as needed.
"Are you sure you want to violate the Accords!" the nascent soul voice asked. I just scoffed, acting more confident than I had been feeling. "So be it!" he shouted, and a flicker of providence rose from him to rise to the sky.
Even as I waited, I didn't stop subtly experimenting with the last drop of Qi I had pulled, trying to understand its nature, ready to act as needed.
But, there was no reaction for a minute, then followed by another flicker of Providence, but the target was not me. It was the ship. It was a backlash.
I smirked even as a deep, pained cry echoed in the opening. Whatever he had done backfired badly. My guess, it was about the Accords. I didn't know why it didn't work. Maybe it was the fact that I didn't sign anything. Or maybe it had something to do with the System shielding me.
It might even be my martial cultivation.
But, regardless of the reason, the sure-kill tactic of the Nascent Soul cultivator had just backfired badly. "Kill him!' he shouted.
And, the ship started to gather power…