With Lian's arrival, the group promptly stood up. Rumi, the only boy in the group other than Lian, had a sharp gaze, displaying a warrior-like expression. Lian felt satisfied with the progress of the young one, who had dedicated intensely to learning about poisons with him.
With a decent understanding ability, Lian planned to seek out some of the treasures left behind by Zeke in the past. He remembered entrusting a treasure to a clan of divine beasts tasked with protecting it, which would be extremely useful for Rumi in the future.
As they sensed Lian's presence approaching, the four girls immediately became nervous and started clutching their clothes with their hands. Their garments were cut in various places, some not very convenient.
When Lian arrived, his eyes instinctively fixated on Shiho's large, mature, and radiant bosom. The clothing in that area was considerably torn, so she firmly held onto that region. Upon noticing Lian's gaze, Shiho blushed slightly and "accidentally" loosened her grip a little, revealing a bit more than she should.
Blood began to boil as Lian realized what was happening. He quickly shifted his gaze and struggled to keep his stern expression. This caused the other girls to have a look of defeat in their eyes.
---
The Albedo clan was one of the clans closest to the central forest of the continent. In the past, it was built to manage and protect the city that existed there from the demonic beasts.
About 10,000 years ago, Demons emerged from that forest, and the familial clans were given much greater responsibility in defending the wandering cultivators and mortals. In the past 100 years, the number of demons multiplied almost a thousandfold, which drove the people of the capital to begin training the new generations in a nearly desperate manner.
The large training formation and the illusory barrier created in the clan by Lian quickly consumed all the spiritual stones in the clan's coffers. Now, after a few months, almost everything had been used to fuel the energy.
Two days passed, and the group was fully recovered. Lian gathered them together again, and they headed towards the central forest. It was a good time to continue training and gather resources for the clan.
While Lian sought these demons, he also hoped to gain a lot from them, especially to feed the small and strange plant that existed within his meridians.
As they ventured deeper, a gust of astral winds blew over them, followed by the roar of a wolf that echoed like thunder, making their ears tremble. They were entering the territory of a powerful demonic beast.
The group quickly organized themselves into a defensive formation. Riria positioned herself at the back, leading and protecting the group's rear. Edea took her place in the front, using her agility to dodge and protect herself. The siblings positioned themselves in the center, ready to attack or provide support at any moment. Wei stood close to them, ready to stop any hidden dangers.
Riria nervously looked at Lian and said, "It's a wild Dire Wolf. It has a natural affinity for thunder. Even a group of a hundred people wouldn't dare provoke it without a heavy weapon."
In the next moment, a sense of death filled their hearts, and their expressions completely transformed. A thirty-meter wolf, covered in flickering lightning runes, appeared before them. Its roar caused the corrupted runes to glow. Its lantern-like eyes stared at them, sending shivers down their spines. The runes emitted a familiar pressure to the group of youngsters, the same pressure Wunu emitted after his transformation while fighting Lian. However, Lian simply stepped forward. That infuriated the wolf as his fur stood on end while he roared, launching itself at him.
*BOOM!*
An earth-shattering power erupted from Lian's body, and he delivered a single punch to the wolf's head. The earth split as the massive body of the Dire Wolf was crushed against the ground, remaining motionless.
Through practice and interaction with the small Gnome accompanying him, Lian had managed to master the laws of the earth bestowed upon him. As an elemental being born from the pure energy of the earth dao, he possessed tremendous potential.
Lian had mastered the supreme earth technique reminiscent of the Divine Plane, the Earth Dragon King style. Using only his body and fists, he channeled the power of the earth with the help of the Gnome, leaving everyone astonished.
Incredulity and astonishment were plastered on the faces of the others. Although Lian's cultivation base was equal to theirs, he had defeated that terrifying Demonic Beast with a single blow.
The Dire Wolf was known for its immense strength and feared for its speed. If struck by its lightning, paralysis or even death was almost certain.
Stories circulated about a group composed of clan members on the same level as the advisors, who were killed without any chance of escape. Even a properly armed group of a hundred people wouldn't dare to face it lightly. A single mistake could result in the loss of lives. In the worst-case scenario, the entire group could be annihilated. However, the terrifying beast couldn't withstand a single strike from Lian.
The disciples were astonished, never having witnessed such overwhelming power. The Qi in their bodies was also stirred by the magnitude of that punch. In an instant, the entire group realized that not even tens of thousands of those wolves would be able to defeat him. To the eyes of the four young maidens, he was an invincible divine being, their true god.
They didn't know that for Lian, fighting opponents from higher realms was as common as eating. Like Zeke, he had learned that to become strong, it was necessary to face more powerful adversaries.
At that moment, Lian opened his hand and pressed it against the corpse's head. Sparks flew from his palm as he absorbed the enemy's strength. The black Qi was completely sucked in, but the thunder Qi remained intact.
He had managed to absorb Wunu's earth runes and, from that, generate a spiritual being. Lian wondered what the prerequisites would be to create other beings like that, but he left that question to explore in the future.
The corrupted runes covering the Dire Wolf's body slowly diminished until they completely disappeared. Lian then opened the wolf's head and retrieved a palm-sized crystal containing a terrifying thunderous power, carefully storing it. It was something that would be useful in the future.
"We will proceed cautiously. Any beasts we encounter along the way will be left for you to handle. However, let me warn you that I am well aware of how powerful you are. I will personally take care of any beasts that are beyond your capabilities, but I won't intervene if you can handle them. If there are casualties due to cowardice or lack of cooperation, I won't take any action. Your lives are in your hands, so fight for them."
He needed to make things clear from the start so that they wouldn't become complacent with their own safety due to Lian's power. If that happened, they wouldn't give their best.
"You were humiliated and treated as mere objects simply because you were weak. True weakling never allows themselves to remain weak... But you are no longer weak. You are striving to become strong. You have taken the first step on this journey."
Everyone's hearts trembled. Their spirits were at their highest as Lian was there, teaching and advising them. They had to rise to the occasion, willing to fight to the death without retreating.
After an hour, the group finally encountered a Bloodthirsty Wild Lion. In a bloody battle where everyone was injured, Wei found an opportunity to decapitate it.
They were all covered in blood, but an excited light shone in their eyes. They had single-handedly managed to defeat a bloodthirsty wild lion. This was unthinkable for what they were before.
"Master Lian, our performance wasn't bad, was it?" Edea cautiously asked, but couldn't hide her satisfied expression.
"It is still far below acceptable," replied Lian, delivering a merciless judgment.
Immediately, the group's excitement dissipated. Their achievement was deemed negligible by Lian.
"In just ten seconds, you made seventeen fatal mistakes and missed thirty opportunities to kill it. Instead, you wasted time and ended up injuring yourselves. If you were attacked immediately after, you would be dead by now," Lian said coldly.
After his criticism, he explained in detail the mistakes made and the opportunities they should have seized.
"If you see a chance and don't take the risk, that's cowardice. Cowards are afraid to die. They're afraid to die because they don't trust themselves. If you have enough confidence, you won't complain about the consequences."
"The most annoying thing for me is that, at times, you retreated from attacks when you were about to kill. Are you stupid? Always attack to kill, even if the blade is pointed at you. Never hesitate! Or do you want to continue being weak and controlled by others?"
People have the instinct to retreat when they realize they can get hurt. But a moment of hesitation in a fight means death. The one who hesitates first is always the first to fall.
However, a cultivator needs to master that instinct, especially in a fight where their cultivation is not strong enough. They need to use courage and experience to defeat their opponent. Retreating or not being prepared to get hurt in combat is inviting death.
"Young Master Lian, I acknowledge my mistake. Next time, even if it means sacrificing my life, I won't take a single step back." Riria said with teary eyes, clenching her fists in resolute determination.
Lian confidently expressed his words, "Being weak at this moment is not a sin. I have countless ways to make you stronger. However, if you don't have the courage to seek that strength, even a million methods would be useless. It all depends on you. In battle, forget about death, forget about fear. You must only have one conviction: eliminate your enemies. Confidence is cultivated through combat; it is accumulated through countless victories. That's why every battle must result in a victory. There is no room for defeat."
After his words, Lian dedicated an hour to reviewing and correcting the mistakes made during the battle against the Bloodthirsty Wild Lion. He also helped the group heal using medicines. Finally, they continued on their way.
However, suddenly, everyone stopped abruptly. That's because they felt a terrifying Qi that shook their souls.