Wang Feng didn't spare a glance at the shattered remnants of the statue that had just erupted in golden flame. His gaze had already shifted—sharp and focused—onto the next target.
With a powerful stomp, he launched himself sideways, narrowly slipping past the simultaneous strikes of three approaching statues. The wind of their attacks brushed past his robes, but he moved like water—fluid and precise.
As he pivoted mid-air, his katana arced in a gleaming sweep, intercepting a descending blow from another statue. The clash rang out like thunder in the cavern, but his blade cleaved through cleanly, severing the stone arm and continuing its path—decapitating the statue in a single, elegant motion.
Without missing a beat, he twisted his body and leapt again, repositioning with lethal grace. As he landed, he brought his sword down in a swift, brutal strike—splitting another statue clean through the middle from crown to waist.
Stone cracked, splintered, and fell in jagged fragments at his feet.
Nine statues surged toward him from every direction, Wang Feng's eyes flicked around sharply, calculating in a heartbeat.
With a sharp exhale, he swung the Celestial Splitter downward, embedding it into the ground. A surge of Earth Qi exploded from him in all directions.
In an instant, nine jagged earth spikes erupted from the floor—each aimed with surgical precision. The statues impaled mid-charge, suspended high above the ground like broken puppets skewered in the air.
But before the energy could settle, the remaining statues barreled forward—colliding into the spikes, shattering them in a cascade of stone and dust.
Wang Feng vanished in a blur, his figure dissipating into the haze.
He reappeared behind another statue like a phantom, his fist already ablaze with fierce, golden fire. The heat rippled off his arm in waves, distorting the air around it. Even before his knuckles met stone, the statue's surface began to dry, crack, and crumble—stripped of moisture by the sheer intensity of his flame.
The impact landed with a deep, resonant thud—his blazing punch crashing clean through the statue's torso like molten iron through clay.
Before he could breathe, another statue lunged from the dust. He twisted his body, narrowly slipping past its strike, his robes whipping in the aftermath of the near miss.
"Hmm… twenty left," Wang Feng mused, standing still as a stone, his hand resting lightly on the hilt of his sword, now sheathed once more. His eyes remained half-lidded, calm amidst chaos, watching as the statues began their relentless charge once again.
Then—his aura shifted.
The lingering Earth Qi and dancing flames that radiated from his body suddenly converged. They flowed into the Celestial Splitter like rivers into a divine reservoir. The blade shimmered, now wrapped in a dual halo of golden embers and earthen dust, its surface gleaming with molten intensity and the weight of ancient stone.
A wicked smirk tugged at Wang Feng's lips.
"Come and get it, you stupid rocks."
Fifteen statues thundered toward him in a tight formation, their heavy bodies hurtling through the dim cavern with mechanical fury. He stood motionless, waiting. Silent. Perfectly still—until they crossed a threshold.
In a flash, he moved.
Gripping the scabbard with his left hand, he drew the blade in a single, fluid motion—
Shhhhhing!
A blinding arc of radiant gold and dusty brown surged forth—a crescent slash that tore through the air with the force of a storm.
It hit.
The statues didn't shatter… they melted.
The moment the elemental slash made contact, their stone forms began to liquefy—turning into bubbling magma and crumbling rock, dissolving in mid-motion as if caught in the core of an erupting volcano. Limbs sloughed off like wax, torsos twisted into molten ruin, and heads rolled to the ground with soft hissing thuds.
The cavern glowed briefly in the wake of that devastating stroke, then dimmed again into the silence of destruction.
Wang Feng narrowed his eyes, "Huh… is that—!!", his smirk deepened as he watched the molten remnants of the statues continue to bubble and dissolve. 'But something's off', he mused silently, 'something's missing… what is it?'
Before he could grasp the answer, a sudden whir of movement pulled him back to the present—a statue lunged at him from the side.
Wang Feng clicked his tongue, side-stepping fluidly, "Tch. So you all enjoy charging head-on, huh?"
A surge of scorching energy erupted from his core, forming a dense, fiery aura that clung to him like a second skin—an infernal cloak that rippled with intensity.
'Yang Arts: Blazing Bull Charge!', he whispered inwardly.
The cavern trembled as the technique activated.
Power flooded his limbs—his speed, strength, and reflexes multiplying in a heartbeat. A shockwave burst outward from his position, cracking the ground beneath his feet as he launched forward like a blazing comet.
His figure vanished in a flicker—then:
BOOM!
A statue exploded into scorched debris.
BOOM!
Another shattered, its stone flesh peeling back under the pressure of pure, flaming force.
Wang Feng didn't stop. Like a phantom wrapped in wildfire, he zipped from one target to the next—unstoppable, untraceable. Stone cracked. Limbs crumbled. Fire clung to their bodies like a judgment from the heavens.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
The fifth statue stood frozen because its foe vanished from sight, then a network of glowing cracks split across its surface, as though lightning had struck from within.
And in the next instant—
BOOM!
It exploded into dust and flame, revealing the source of its destruction.
Wang Feng stood behind where it had once been, surrounded by silence and ruin. Steam hissed softly from his form, the residual heat of his charge seeping into the cool air of the cave.
He turned slowly, his gaze sweeping over the aftermath.
Charred fragments littered the ground—splintered limbs, molten shards, scorched rubble. What had once been a serene and calm cave now lay in ruin.
He exhaled slowly, the last flickers of his aura fading into the darkness.
The Celestial Splitter on his waist turned illusionary before entering his body again, returning to its resting place.
Wang Feng hummed as he cracked his shoulder, "well, that was a good exercise.", he muttered.
"Now, I should lea—", Wang Feng's words caught in his throat. From the corner of his eye, something glimmered faintly among the debris. He turned and stepped toward it, crouching low to pick it up.
As his fingers closed around the object, surprise flickered in his eyes—followed quickly by a grin, "I almost forgot about these things...", he muttered, inspecting it closely.
In his hand rested a small, sculpted figure—an exact miniature of the stone statues he had just destroyed. But unlike those lifeless constructs, this one pulsed faintly with a unique energy. Intricate symbols and concentric circles were etched across its surface, forming a web of arcane patterns that shimmered softly under the dim cave light.
This was a Star Diagram—a relic of inheritance. Each one contained a single technique, sealed within and waiting to be unlocked by its finder. But there was a catch.
They were entirely Random.
It could be anything—a low-tier Common Grade Technique, the kind used by outer sect disciples... or a rare and powerful Mysterious Grade technique coveted even by elders. Or even a Spirit Grade Technique capable of elevating an entire sect's foundation.
But Wang Feng wasn't concerned.
If he ended up with a low-grade technique, he'd simply offer it to the sect in exchange for resources. But if fate smiled and he drew something rare...
He'd keep it. And use it.
The discovery stirred something in him—eagerness, curiosity, and a familiar hunger for power. Without wasting a moment, he scoured the battleground, carefully searching through the rubble of the shattered statues.
His efforts paid off.
By the end of his search, he stood with four Star Diagrams in hand, including the first one he'd spotted. Each was slightly different in design—unique etchings, varied patterns, a distinct feel to their aura.
With that, Wang Feng turned on his heel, looking for an exit to the cave, fully satisfied with the harvest.
....
After nearly an hour of relentless maneuvering through the winding, dimly lit tunnel, Wang Feng finally caught sight of a soft, beckoning glow ahead.
A ray of sunlight filtered through the opening—gentle, golden, and warm.
Stepping out, he was greeted by the caress of fresh air brushing against his skin and the soft rustle of leaves in the distance. The warmth of sunlight kissed his face, and for a moment, everything fell silent—save for the tranquil whisper of the breeze.
The world before him unfolded like a painting from a dream.
Lush greenery stretched in every direction, vibrant and untamed. Trees swayed lazily under the gentle wind, their leaves glistening with dew. Wisps of clouds floated lazily across the vast cerulean sky, while a clear stream meandered in the distance, its waters sparkling like polished jade under the sun's gaze.
Everything—the colors, the air, the very energy that hung in the atmosphere—felt... cleaner? Purer? He didn't know what it was, but he felt something... Different, distinguished from the outside world.
Wang Feng narrowed his eyes slightly, sensing it clearly now. The spiritual Qi in this place—it was denser, richer, almost intoxicating. Far more potent than anything he'd experienced in the outside world.
He took a deep breath, letting the ambient Qi seep into his lungs like a fine wine, refreshing and revitalizing.
"So this is the Inheritance Cave's Small World…", he murmured.
For a few quiet minutes, he simply stood there, taking it all in—the serenity, the surreal beauty, the underlying sense of power that seemed to hum beneath the surface of everything.
Eventually, he exhaled slowly, a small smile touching his lips, "Alright... time to see what secrets you hold."
And with that, Wang Feng stepped forward, ready to explore the wonders that awaited within.
scanning the surroundings with quiet intensity, noting every subtle shift in terrain, every rustle of leaves, every whisper of the wind. After a few minutes of tranquil exploration, he finally arrived at the stream he had glimpsed earlier.
Its crystalline waters shimmered beneath the sunlight, flowing lazily over smooth stones. Without hesitation, Wang Feng stepped to the edge and dove in, the cool embrace of the water washing over him in an instant.
He emerged moments later, hair slicked back, droplets trailing down his now clean form. With a wave of Qi, steam rose gently as his soaked clothes dried, leaving him refreshed and ready.
"Now then... where to?" he mused aloud, his gaze drifting across the serene landscape.
Spotting a nearby tree, an idea struck him. He walked over, leapt up, and snapped off a slender twig. Returning to the open space, he stepped away, then tossed the twig high into the air.
His decision was for fate to decide his destination.
It spun rapidly as it climbed, twirling like a compass needle caught in a storm. At the peak of its arc, it hovered for a split second before descending slowly. Wang Feng watched with mild curiosity as it bounced lightly on the ground a few times, then stilled—its tip pointing somewhere between north and west.
Following the line of direction with his eyes, he took in the view ahead: rolling valleys, towering ancient trees, and far beyond, a solitary mountain that pierced the sky like a blade.
He let out a breathy chuckle, shaking his head. "Well... that might take a while," he muttered with a wry smile.
But his eyes gleamed with anticipation—burning with the thrill of discovery.
Without further hesitation, he planted his foot forward with a sharp stomp, Qi surging faintly beneath his stride. A grin crept across his lips as he marched onward into the unknown, the wild beauty of the Small World stretching out before him.