『Calm Before The Storm』

"Finally! Qi Refining 7th Layer!" A man exclaimed.

[The host is recommended to sacrifice their cultivation]

"..."

It has been two weeks since then, and Ling Yan has had a peaceful yet fulfilling life in Huàn Yǐng Village. Instead of cultivating all the time, he had spent some of his time outside talking and bonding with the locals—which explained why his progress was slightly slower.

"Little Brother Ling Yan...?" A knock resounded in his room.

"I'll be there in a while."

Aside from the locals, Ling Yan had especially developed a fondness for spending time with the Fu family. This time, he thought, he would take his time and wait until the 'right' time before parting ways.

"Honestly, I don't mind living like this... for some, it might be better to have a grandeur life of a hero or a heaven's chosen, being on top of the world. However, for me, living a life like this is not so bad at all." Ling Yan thought as he stretched his body to start the day.

He didn't need to eat now, as he was already in the cultivation realm where he can self-sustain himself. However, he still looked forward to dining with the small but lively family.

<<----------->>

"[Grand Thunder Fist]... it seems this technique is more powerful than I thought."

[Grand Thunder Fist][Low-Tier Rare-Grade Fist Technique]

[Has the ability to call on the power of thunder to infuse in the user's fist. Its speed is unparalleled under the Foundation-Establishment Realm and can instantly knock someone out due to it being able to electrocute the senses instantly. In a thunderstorm, it attracts lightning and strikes the enemy that comes into contact with the technique.]

Ling Yan has been practicing his newly obtained technique on the outskirts of the village—it seems that learning the technique was quite different from mastery. Mastery, in simple terms, is the ability to bring out a technique's full potential.

[Set the Host's Mastery with [Grand Thunder Fist] to Elementary, Requires 15 Psionic Stars.]

"I've already spent so much for this, don't you dare swindle me again." Ling Yan cursed at the system, as he grimaced about the meager amount of Psionic Stars he had left.

Ling Yan was not wrong, instead of a random common or rare-grade technique—he had opted to get a random low-tier rare-grade fist technique instead. This was slightly cheaper compared to getting a random rare-grade technique but was more powerful than the common-grade ones—which allowed him to beat someone who was two minor realms above him.

"I wonder where they are now..."

After that incident, the usual magnanimous Fu Lan was furious and the five were exiled from the village—even the locals had disdained them just after hearing about it. Some, however, had reservations—these were the village's hunters, after all.

While cultivators like Deng Wei could go by without food, the rest of the villagers had no aptitude for cultivation and most of them were only mortals.

"Well, this incident has given me an opportunity to have more battle experience."

Hearing this, Ling Yan took it upon himself to act as the new leader of the village's hunters. This job was made easy since he had a spatial ring—which apparently was pretty rare in the village, as they could only be found in cities.

"Ah...! Is that you, brother Ling Yan?"

"Oh...? You're right, thank you for the other day brother Ling Yan!"

"Mhm, it was my pleasure."

Two of the villagers' hunters were passing by and had greeted Ling Yan in his daily practice. He occasionally joined them when they were venturing deeper into the forest. Since, aside from the village chief, he was the strongest in the village at the moment.

"...hey! Don't push me..."

"Hehe, what are you saying at this point sister Lie?"

"...?"

"That's right, didn't you bring us along because you couldn't go yourself?"

A few moments later, three of the village girls' approached Ling Yan, teasing the girl in the middle. He, despite understanding the situation, found it oddly wholesome—and a soft smile formed on his face.

"Umm... big brother Ling Yan..."

"Hmm...? What's the matter, little sister Cao Lie?"

"...! You remembered my name!"

"Of course, it was quite a scene seeing sister recklessly enter the forest only to be injured."

"I've learned my mistake... I have troubled brother to carry me on the way back." The young maiden said embarrassingly.

As if their job was finished, the two girls who accompanied Cao Lie instantly vanished. Admittedly, Ling Yan thought it was all too comical.

"So...! I'd like to repay big brother by treating him to lunch at Grandma Ku's place." Cao Lie bowed, she was too embarrassed to meet his eyes.

"Oh...? Then, how could I refuse little sister's proposition? Especially since you're doing it so sincerely." Ling Yan smiled at the slightly shaking girl, putting her at ease.

In the whole village, there was only one inn—but it was primarily used as a gathering place for all the villagers since they rarely get travelers. The place was cozy and lively every day, as the villagers drank and chatted away at every free time they could have.

"Really—!"

"...!?" A loud noise interrupted their conversation.

As if interrupting the girl's lively outburst, an explosion occurred. Its distressingly blaring noise reverberated throughout the village. Ling Yan could feel the shockwave from where he was as his heart immediately dropped quickly afterward.

"That's...!"

"I'm sorry little sister Lie! I'll be going onwards!" A panicked voice came from the usually calm Ling Yan.

"Ah—oh! Be careful big brother Ling Yan!" The girl, befuddled, could only look in shock.

Before Ling Yan noticed, he had already moved a considerable distance from the girl—all he could think about was returning to the village as soon as possible.

"That's! That's the direction of the village's manor!"

With each step, his anxiety and panic increased. This was unusual for him, even back in his old world—but thinking about the possibilities had put a strain on his mind the closer he was to the village.

"Psi!? What's going on!?"

His voice cracked, as another explosion occurred, louder than the first. He could hear the collapse of buildings and shrieks of cries that sounded all too familiar to him. Slowly, but surely, despair crawled in Ling Yan's eyes.

[Warning: Approaching an expert in the Core Formation Realm with killing intent (300 meters)]