The levels of cultivation in this world are divided into several realms. Each realm consists of nine minor stages: Qi Condensation, Core Formation, Golden Soul, Heavenly Spirit, Void Ascension, Divine Transformation, and Demigod.
These are the seven cultivation realms that every cultivator must go through. Of course, the difference between each realm is like heaven and earth. That should be the case, but an anomaly appeared—someone with a shattered dantian who could still fight on par with a Golden Soul stage cultivator.
Lou Quan himself was still at the early stage of Qi Condensation, yet he possessed above-average combat skills. He could also harness natural qi. That allowed him to nearly match a Golden Soul cultivator.
"Damn, this is bad," Lou Quan clicked his tongue in frustration.
In front of him were two cultivators at the Heavenly Spirit stage. The natural qi Lou Quan could use was limited; this was a city. Too many cultivators were present. The natural qi was divided, and besides, this place wasn't rich in qi.
"Am I going to lose?"
Lou Quan shook his head—he wouldn't allow that. He took a stance and prepared to fight. There was no choice—he would fight to the death.
---
"Good, I like your spirit, boy."
One of the men vanished instantly from view. Lou Quan couldn't follow his movement. It was faster than he expected. One second later, the man appeared right in front of Lou Quan. A palm strike directly aimed at his chest.
"Die!" said the man.
Lou Quan tried to block it. He crossed his arms. Even so, he was thrown back and rolled several meters. He got back up, just as he was about to take another stance, Lou Quan suddenly coughed and blood spilled from his mouth.
"My ribs are broken." He took a breath. It felt like something was stabbing his chest. "Damn. Damn. This is really bad."
As Lou Quan was preoccupied with his pain, the other attacker struck from behind. Lou Quan immediately used the Dragon Emperor Sword to block. The sword glowed, emitting a dragon's aura that shook the air. A faint rumble accompanied the slash.
Clang!
The two weapons clashed. The attack was blocked, but the shock left Lou Quan's arms numb. He was thrown back, and his chest ached again.
Lou Quan glanced at the sword in his hand. "If I didn't have this sword, I'd be dead." He felt lucky.
The woman stepped back, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "As I thought, that sword is powerful. Luckily it's not being wielded by a senior cultivator. If that were the case, we wouldn't be able to take it."
The man and woman looked at each other and nodded. They stood at opposite sides. They had agreed to attack Lou Quan together.
Lou Quan wiped the blood from his lips. "Looks like I'll have to use my strongest technique. There's no other choice."
His two enemies had already begun their assault. They were about to strike. Meanwhile, Lou Quan stood still. He took a deep breath and began gathering the natural qi around him.
His two opponents were very close now. They were about to slash when suddenly Lou Quan's body glowed. A bright blue light radiated from him. Instinctively, the two tried to back away.
"Too late," said Lou Quan.
A second later, a lotus flower appeared, enveloping all three of them. The lotus grew larger and glowed a bright blue. Lou Quan's enemies sensed something ominous.
"Blue Lotus Annihilation."
At that moment, a massive explosion occurred. The ground, houses, trees—everything was destroyed. Innocent people were flung aside. They suffered from the tremendous blast.
The three enemies Lou Quan faced were caught in the explosion. One of them died instantly. The other two were seriously injured, nearly dead.
In just seconds, a massive crater formed. The explosion was incredibly powerful, but Lou Quan staggered from exhaustion. His entire body felt like it was going to explode too.
"Damn. I overdid it."
Lou Quan tried to leave, but several strangers appeared at the edge of the crater. They looked toward Lou Quan—they were city guards. Of course they would apprehend Lou Quan for causing such destruction.
Lou Quan tried to move, but his legs were exhausted. He collapsed and lost consciousness a few seconds later.
---
Lou Quan felt intense pain all over his body. He opened his eyes and got up. But immediately he was shocked to find himself somewhere else.
He stood and took a battle stance. However, he nearly fell—he was still too weak.
"Sit down! I saved your life," said a voice.
Lou Quan turned toward the voice. When he saw who was sitting near the campfire holding a fish skewered on a small stick, Lou Quan was stunned.
"You…"
"Relax! I have no intention of killing you." The old man extended a hand holding the grilled fish. "Eat! You need the energy."
The old man was the vendor from before. The same one who brought those three strong cultivators. How could Lou Quan not be suspicious? That old man had put him in this situation.
He stared at the grilled fish for a long time, not taking it immediately. Suspicious.
"If I wanted to kill you, I would've done it when you were unconscious," said the old man again.
Finally, Lou Quan took the grilled fish. He sat down and started eating the fish the old man had given him. It tasted bland, but that didn't matter. Lou Quan devoured it greedily.
After finishing one, he looked again toward the old man. The old man sighed. "I shouldn't have offered you my food."
He took another grilled fish and handed it to Lou Quan. The old man ate slowly, while Lou Quan ate like a starving man. Within a minute, he had devoured another fish the size of a palm.
The old man shook his head in amazement. "Did you swallow the bones?"
---
Night fell. Lou Quan's body had recovered slightly. He could now stand and move a little. But every time he moved, he felt like his body would break apart. The Blue Lotus Annihilation technique placed too much strain on him. His body wasn't strong enough to handle it.
"I need to restore my dantian quickly. If I don't, I'll be dead sooner or later," Lou Quan complained.
He could use natural qi for offense and defense. But the technique had many drawbacks. In places with many cultivators, the qi available became scarcer. Not to mention places that lacked natural qi altogether.
And his body was still at the Qi Condensation stage. It was extremely vulnerable if the natural qi shield coating his body was broken. That could mean instant death.
"I'm still lucky to be alive. If that deceitful old man hadn't saved me, I'd be dead." Lou Quan glanced at the old man relaxing near the fire.
Suddenly the old man turned to him. "Who exactly are you?" he asked.