Rain rode behind the masked men, keeping out of their sight. Since advancing to a more powerful realm, which he had named the True Energy Realm, his senses had sharpened considerably. Now, he could hear the distinct cadence of each masked man's horse as their hooves struck the ground, recognizing subtle differences between the animals.
After two hours of trailing the masked men, Rain noticed an increasing number of travelers on the road. Most were families with children, likely bound for Wutan City for the Black and White Holy Land's recruitment trials. The martial art holy land had recently opened its gates to accept new disciples.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of horse hooves approaching from behind again. He guided his horse to the side, letting the newcomers pass. As they came up beside him, Rain observed a young boy with a chubby appearance riding alongside a middle-aged man—likely his father. The two shared a single horse, with a second horse trotting along as a spare, which they'd probably switch to in order to maintain their pace.
The pair continued riding beside him without advancing, which piqued Rain's curiosity. He glanced at them with interest.
The young boy spoke up, "Brother, where are you going? My father and I are headed to Wutan City."
Rain smiled, "Me too."
"Are you going for the Black and White Holy Land's recruitment ceremony?" the boy asked eagerly, not waiting for Rain's reply. "Brother, how old are you? Only those under sixteen can participate."
Rain, rather than concealing his strength, decided to be direct. He disliked wasting time on needless displays, such as pretending to be weaker than he was. It reminded him of the previous night, when the captain had intended to ask him to leave the clearing. If Rain had hidden his strength, it would have led to a series of tiresome steps: the captain would have politely asked him to leave, Rain would have refused, then come threats, a fight, and eventually Rain's full power, which would likely end with apologies and attempts to appease him—all a needless waste of time.
With this in mind, Rain displayed his true energy, letting it radiate around his palm for the boy to see. Smiling at the young boy, he said, "I don't think I need to join the Holy Land."
The boy and his father looked on, eyes wide with awe at the sight of true energy—a clear mark of a Strength Realm warrior.
"Brother, you're a Strength Realm warrior? How old are you?" the boy asked eagerly.
His father gently chided him, "It's not polite to ask strangers such personal questions." Then, turning to Rain, he added, "Apologies."
Rain smiled, "It's fine. I'm eighteen. And you?"
The boy beamed, "I'm thirteen and at the middle of Gathering Strength Realm. My name's Zhou An."
Rain hesitated for a moment, considering whether to reveal the body's original name or his own. Remembering the trouble tied to the body, he replied simply, "Rain."
Zhou An's father spoke up, "Sir, I think the Black and White Holy Land would gladly welcome you."
Rain looked at him, raising an eyebrow to signal him to explain further.
Zhou An's father continued, "You're a young genius—becoming a Strength Realm warrior at eighteen is remarkable. The Black and White Holy Land's Grand Master is nearing the end of his life span, and most of their current Strength Realm warriors are too old to try for the Grand Master realm. To have a young warrior like you join would be a blessing to them."
This was the first time Rain had heard of the Grand Master realm. "Grand Master? And please, no need to call me 'sir.' You're older than me; you can just call me by my name."
Zhou An's father shook his head respectfully. "You may be younger, but you're stronger, and strength deserves respect. As for Grand Master, it's the advanced realm beyond the Strength Realm." He eyed Rain curiously, wondering how someone so powerful wasn't familiar with this.
Rain recalled that Yun Ting's teacher had mentioned the Strength Realm as the highest for a warrior, likely to encourage him to focus on breaking into it first. However, Yun Ting had lost touch with his teacher after reaching that realm and never learned about further advancement.
"Grand Master is indeed the next level," Zhou An's father explained further.
Rain asked, "How does one cultivate to the Grand Master realm?" He wondered whether his True Energy realm was similar to the Grand Master realm or if there were important differences.
Zhou An's father shook his head. "I'm not sure myself, but the Black and White Holy Land might know. I've heard that understanding and mastering a superior practice method is key to breaking into the Grand Master realm."
Rain pondered this, considering that he might need to speak with the Grand Master of the Black and White Holy Land to learn more about warrior cultivation.
They continued riding in silence until a small road merged with theirs, where they spotted two horses ahead. One carried a man and a young girl, about Zhou An's age, with a spare horse trailing alongside them. As soon as Zhou An saw them, he began shouting excitedly, "Lu Jing! Lu Jing!" The girl and her father joined their group, and soon Lu Jing and Zhou An were chattering away.
After a few minutes, Rain felt someone's gaze from the side. He turned to see Lu Jing staring at him. "Who are you?" she asked.
Before Rain could answer, Zhou An jumped in, "He's Rain, and he's a Strength Realm warrior." Hearing this, both Lu Jing and her father looked at Rain with wide eyes, then exchanged glances with Zhou An and his father.
"Sir Rain is a Strength Realm Master warrior," Zhou An added, clearly proud.
They rode in a quiet awe for a minute, and then Zhou An and Lu Jing returned to their conversation. Suddenly, Lu Jing looked back at Rain. "Sir Rain, how did you reach the Strength Realm so quickly?"
Rain answered calmly, "I practiced every day without fail, and one day, I broke through to the Strength Realm."
Lu Jing's father nodded approvingly. "You hear that? Sir Rain trained daily, without missing a single day. Yet you two spend time playing. You should practice diligently, and one day, maybe you'll reach the Strength Realm and make us proud."
Just then, Rain caught the sound of commotion ahead. As the road came into view, he saw a crowd gathering, blocking the way forward.
Zhou An's father looked ahead, frowning. "What's going on? Why are they stopping in the middle of the road?"
Lu Jing's father squinted forward. "Looks like the road ahead is blocked."
As they reached the gathered crowd, Zhou An's father leaned over to ask one of the bystanders, "What's happening up ahead?"
"A group of people is blocking the road," the person replied.
Rain asked, "For what reason?"
Before the man could answer, Rain heard the unmistakable sound of fighting up ahead. Now he understood why the road was blocked—and exactly who might be causing it. He pulled on his horse's reins and urged it into a swift gallop. As he passed through the crowd, he soon reached the front, where five men on horseback blocked the road.
Seeing Rain approach, they shouted, "Stop!" and drew their weapons.
Rain drew his own sword, his expression calm but focused. As he neared them, he swung his sword with full strength, channeling his true energy into the blade. The energy extended from the sword, amplifying its reach and force. The men attempted to defend themselves, raising their weapons in a desperate effort to block the strike, but it was no use. Rain's powerful sweep sent them sprawling off their horses, and, as their frightened mounts bolted, Rain passed by without a second glance, indifferent to whether they lay injured or worse.
After a few minutes, the dense forest of towering trees shifted to rocky terrain flanking the road. Ahead, bodies lay scattered on the ground. Guards formed a defensive circle around a carriage, struggling to hold off masked attackers surrounding them. Archers positioned behind the masked men unleashed a steady rain of arrows on the beleaguered guards.
As Rain approached, the masked men turned their attention to him, unleashing a volley of arrows. He deflected them effortlessly with his sword, urging his horse forward to reach the guards. Seeing this, several masked men broke away from the main attack and moved toward him. Rain leaped from his horse, activating his Cloud Movement Technique to close the distance. Within seconds, he was upon the masked men, and with three precise strikes, he felled them before they could react.
The sudden elimination of three masked men in mere seconds caused a temporary pause in the battle. Behind him, the sound of hurried footsteps grew louder. Rain glanced back to see the travelers who had been halted by the blockade, including Zhou An, Lu Jing, and their fathers, watching in shock.
One of the masked archers called out, "Who are you?"
Rain replied calmly, "What difference would it make if you knew?"
The archer sneered, "Are you really prepared to go against us? Do you even know who we are?"
Rain's tone remained steady. "I have no interest in making enemies. But you've blocked my path, and here you are, attacking innocent travelers. How could I stand by and watch? And who, exactly, are you?"
Before the archer could respond, an elderly man with long, grey hair and a worn, grey robe stepped forward, placing a hand on the masked archer's shoulder. At the sight of him, all the masked men lowered their heads in deference, and murmurs rose from the crowd behind Rain: "Evil Crow Master…" "Seven Evil Palace…"
A ripple of fear spread through the onlookers, and many began to quietly turn and slip away.