Liu Xing knew a technique called Mount Shattering Fist. It was a Base Grade technique so common even he could afford it. He had never thought of buying it because he knew the technique, despite its imposing name, was an exaggeration. Several disciples practiced this technique, but not a single one had become famous using it. The technique was basic; many fist techniques were better, including his own Exploding Fist. Yet, as Liu Xing tilted his head up and saw the debris of a mountain raining down like the aftermath of fireworks, he thought that there was a true Mount Shattering Fist that deserved its name.

"What a tough mountain," Moon Flower said, dusting her shoulder even though not a single speck had fallen on her. "You would have died if it had hit you, Liu Xing. Good thing I was here."

Eyes wide, mouth agape, body trembling, Liu Xing nodded. Someone had thrown a mountain over here!

His mind wondered what would have happened if Moon Flower had not been there. Would he truly have died? After all, while it was a mountain, he could dig into it. His gun and his stone blade—which he kept inside his spatial bag—could chip away at that mountain. Still, this wasn't just a mountain; it was a technique activated by someone else. To test his conjecture, he summoned his gun, absorbed the bullets into his body, released the qi, and ordered it to catch a clump of earth falling from the sky. His qi encased it easily, and soon a chunk of earth the size of an ostrich egg rested in his palm.

Moon Flower raised her eyebrows at his small feat, but with his mind still reeling and hands trembling, he focused on the chunk of earth. He tried to crush this clump—which looked soft and ordinary—with both hands, as if trying to form it into a ball. But when his hands pressed down, instead of shaping as he wanted, it resisted as if it were the hardest rock in the world. One side of the chunk was pointy, and as he saw blood well from his right palm, his mind froze.

"It was so hard. I can't even crush it," he muttered.

Moon Flower hovered to his side, observed the chunk of earth for a moment, and blew on it as if it were a birthday candle. Then, as if the chunk were made of dust, it crumbled, flew away, and swirled on the wind. "Of course it was hard. It was a technique from a cultivator at the Black Sun realm. Unless you were an anomaly, you could not destroy it with your current cultivation."

"A Black Sun cultivator," he muttered, tasting the words in his mouth, repeating them several more times. Then, heart still thumping, he looked at Moon Flower's ethereal form. "That technique was meant to attack you, right? Has something like this occurred often? Why?"

"It seems your mind is still reeling. Understandable. But, to answer your questions. No, this was the first time a cultivator had dared to attack my mountain in such grand fashion. And, since I'm already dead and bound to this mountain, I have no real enemies remaining."

Liu Xing's heart thumped fast, as if dozens of galloping horses were inside his chest. "Then, that meant..."

"Indeed," Moon Flower nodded. "That attack was not meant for me; it was intended to crush you. It seems you have offended quite a troublesome person."

"No way, no way," Liu Xing muttered, the gears inside his head turning frantically, trying to make sense of the situation. He didn't remember offending a Black Sun realm cultivator. If he had done that, he would already have died hundreds of times over.

He tried to trace his movements and realized there were only two instances that could warrant a grudge from a Black Sun cultivator. The first was Wang Miau. That guy was an inner disciple, so he must have had a master. There was a chance Wang Miau felt resentment and reported Liu Xing to his master. But remembering how Wang Miau had spoken, Liu Xing thought it unlikely. Which meant the Black Sun cultivator was likely the master of the three inner disciples he had beaten.

"Damn," he muttered, then looked at Moon Flower. "Senior, was that Black Sun cultivator from our sect?"

"Hmm," Moon Flower crossed both her arms and closed her eyes for a moment. "I'm not sure. I'm not very good at glimpsing information from a technique. But, considering we are in the middle of Purple Moon Sect territory, and as far as I know, there isn't another sect strong enough to have a Black Sun cultivator nearby, the chance the one who threw the mountain is from our sect is quite high."

Moon Flower's explanation aligned with his hypothesis, which made him feel as if he had just swallowed a nest of wasps. It seemed that by defeating those three inner disciples, he had invited an elder's wrath.

He clenched his hands and wondered if he had made a mistake. Was all of this because he had let those three go?

"No," he muttered. If he hadn't let the three go, he would definitely have killed them. And he knew killing them would also have invited the elder's wrath. He realized that whether he killed them or not, the outcome would likely have been the same.

He inhaled deeply and tried to calm his mind. He knew that as long as he held half of the dragon vein, he would make enemies. He just had never thought an elder would attack him directly. But since he had already offended an elder, he needed to think about his next move.

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He had intended to return to the Purple Moon Sect to deal with the contract. If he moved at maximum speed, he was sure he could get to the sect before sunset. Yet, since the elder who threw the mountain at him was probably in the sect, this complicated his initial plan.

"You're quite in a pickle, huh," Moon Flower commented.

He came out of his thoughts to see Moon Flower hovering in front of him. With no debris flying overhead, the sun shone brightly, making Moon Flower's form glitter. He decided to kneel again and clasp his hands. "Thank you for saving me, Senior Moon Flower."

"You're welcome. It was not a big deal. Moreover, you accepted my request. There's no way I would let you die here."

"Thank you," he said again. Beads of sweat fell from his forehead, his heart beat against his chest, and anxiety suffused his body. He admitted the situation was bad, but at least, thanks to Moon Flower, he was still alive.

"Your situation is not without a way out. I think the heavens favor you, since you already have the solution," Senior Moon Flower said.

There was a moment of silence as his brain tried to shed its anxiety so he could think clearly, and when he realized what she meant, Liu Xing nodded. Indeed, the situation had a solution and it was something he had already thought about.

He knew he would gain many new enemies. Those three were just the beginning, and he understood his enemies would have backers. But he, too, would get a backer once he became an inner disciple. The problem was that since he couldn't return to the sect to become an inner disciple, he currently had no backing. Worse, because a Black Sun cultivator had dropped that mountain, he knew he couldn't rely on just any elder to become his master. He needed a strong backer. And there was a way to get one.

"Elder Zhang Zhenking," he muttered.

Moon Flower nodded. "He was indeed talented. In the past, he was still a disciple, but he is currently an elder, right?"

"Yes, he is one of the Twelve Elders."

Moon Flower whistled. "Then it seems you need to complete the mission he gave you, Liu Xing."

"Yes," he nodded. Completing the mission to retrieve the Heaven Severing Pill suddenly became his utmost priority. The dragon vein contract became the third priority, while delivering the Spirit Flower became his second. This was because he felt indebted to Moon Flower.

"Then get going, Liu Xing," Moon Flower said, and the Spirit Flower, which had been orbiting them like a little planet, began to move toward him. Soon the Spirit Flower, encased in a barrier, arrived before him. He intended to catch it, but instead, it passed between his hands and entered his chest. As it entered, a ripple spread across his chest, as if his body were a water surface. When it had fully entered his body and the ripples settled, a necklace wrapped around his neck.

Seeing that both items he needed to deliver were now in his possession, Liu Xing nodded, thanked Moon Flower once again, and kicked off the mountaintop as hard as he could. His chest still thumped, and his stomach still felt as if full of wasps, but at least he knew the way out of this situation. He imagined the special mission would be hard, but if he didn't want to be crushed by a mountain, he needed to complete it.

With the Lightning Cloak encasing his body, he jumped from shield to shield. Aside from getting the pill and Elder Zhang Zhenking's backing, he resolved to grow stronger and stronger. So when he returned to the Purple Moon Sect, he would be so powerful and valuable that people could not mess with him lightly.

"Alright," he said, slapping his face with both hands and forcing a ferocious smile, as if an army of spirit beasts waited to fuel his advancement. "I'll advance, no matter what!"

Liu XIng cycled his qi faster and faster, maximizing his Lightning Cloak Technique, and moved through the sky toward the west, where the Wild Tide Region existed. As he kicked repeatedly off his shield, he moved as fast as lightning. Kicking the shield so hard it created loud booming sounds, as if he were thunder rolling from a dark cloud. He passed dozens of mountains and forests, and even when night began to descend, he didn't dare stop. He only had two weeks to finish the mission, and since the Wild Tide Region was located on the outer border of the Purple Moon Sect's influence, he needed to hurry.

Before meeting Moon Flower, while he had heard of the Wild Tide Region, he hadn't known its location or much about it. Luckily, Moon Flower had apparently thought of this and slipped some information about the place into his mind along with the knowledge to upgrade his Eye of Lightning.

More than twenty four hours later, Liu Xing moved through dark clouds while real lightning lashed out around him. Some bolts struck other clouds, some descended to earth, and some even streaked toward him. Yet, when the lightning touched him, although he felt it, it didn't hurt at all. He knew natural lightning couldn't harm him since he cultivated the Lightning Scripture, but this was the first time it had actually struck him. Later, he would experience lightning tribulations. While that lightning would harm him, compared to cultivators using non-lightning scriptures, he would have an easier time.

The dark clouds, lightning, and rain hitting his body like a kite caught in a storm made him feel like practicing the Eye of Lightning technique. While he still couldn't fully digest the knowledge from Moon Flower, he already had partial understanding. The most interesting aspect of the upgraded technique was that it would allow him not only to see, but also to hear, smell, feel, and even taste. Essentially, it encompassed all five senses. Yet, he felt his comprehension was still imperfect. He suspected Moon Flower knew the completed technique but intended for him to comprehend it piece by piece, rather than giving him the final form directly.

As he contemplated whether to slow down and practice or maintain speed, he suddenly burst out of the dark clouds. The constant rain stopped, and he realized he had successfully emerged from a mild storm. In the distance, there were more dark clouds, but they were thin, perhaps still gathering into a storm. Below the clouds, he could see a dark blue sea, with huge waves rolling and crashing onto the shore.

It seemed he had arrived at the edge of the Wild Tide Region.

This region was unique. It was technically a giant lake, but its sheer size—greater even than the Phoenix Empire—made 'sea' a more fitting description. In the middle of this lake, there were many large, medium, and small islands, hosting several hundred nations. He couldn't be sure, but the lake was probably as big as half of Earth and once again, he was reminded that this world was mind-bogglingly vast.

As Liu Xing wondered about the region's sheer size, he suddenly heard a sharp cry. His head instantly snapped down toward a little girl reaching both hands toward the sea, tears freely falling from her eyes. But before he could observe her further, a bolt of lightning descended from the edge of the dark cloud, streaking right toward the girl.

Liu Xing's eyes widened. Was it mere coincidence, or was there intent behind the lightning strike?

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