Fang Hu opened his eyes. He had been cultivating for two days after his successful creation of the no-attribute, solar dao, breath cultivation technique for his disciple. Jiahao had struggled to learn the technique Fang Hu had created. Firstly, as a peasant, Jiahao didn't know how to read English. When Fang Hu learned of that, he vowed to remedy that problem, but he couldn't do it right then and there. He didn't have the leeway with his time. Once he was at the foundation establishment level, he would then have enough time to focus on helping the old man to learn to read. As it was now, he could only spare enough effort to jot down an alphabet and their basic intonations, using qi to give an auditory imprint to help Jiahao read. Fang Hu still didn't know if this place just spoke English, or if the system is just auto-translating everything he says and reads. Either option was possible, mostly because Fang Hu didn't know jack-shit about the system.

He couldn't prove it anyway, and like every theoretical problem which might be impossible to solve, Fang Hu put it in the corner of his mind. It would set there with concepts like, "What does the concept of a system being active say about religion?" and "Where was all the qi and magic in my world dammit?"

After a while, Fang Hu focused his mind back on the problem at hand. He was trying to figure out a way to help Jiahao follow his dao. Jiahao couldn't read the extremely detailed notes on Fang Hu's study of the solar dao, and the subject manner was much to in depth for anything short of lectures. Practicing the technique as Fang Hu showed his disciple wouldn't have any bad consequences, but it would weaken his dao pillar. That would, in turn, slow his cultivation and make his qi much more brittle. Fang Hu was worried, but a quick glance of their progress as cultivators was enough to calm his woes.

~~~

Jiahao

68 yrs old

Roots: Non-elemental 19.23%

Cultivation: Qi Gathering 3/13 97.94% Trash

Body Cultivation: Qi Gathering 0/13

Techniques: Basic Lower Dantian Cultivation

Basic Fist Reinforcement

Powers: Hardy

Background: A disciple of a loose cultivator, picked up because of his potential and circumstances.

Potential: Mid-Mid

~~~

~~~

Fang Hu

15 yrs old

Roots: Non-elemental 22.34%

Cultivation: Qi Gathering 6/13 40.76% Average

Body Cultivation: Qi Gathering 4/13 36.93% Very Poor

Techniques: Serpent's Breath Cultivation Technique

Spiral Snake Striking Fist

Solar Body Reinforcement

Powers: Understanding

Theoretical Test

Background: An exiled disciple of the Spiral Snake Scholar Sect, now wanders as a loose cultivator. Scholar.

Potential: Low-High

~~~

Just as Fang Hu was about to stop Jiahao's meditation, allowing Hu to bug him about his age, he felt something incredibly chilling, heading directly his way.

*Old Man! Get the FUCK up!*

"JIAHAO, AWAKEN!"

"!- Fang Hu?! What's goin-"

*Leave the city! Go back to your farm! I'll come for you when I can!*

"Leave this place! Return to your previous dwelling! If fate wills it, we will meet again."

Jiahao tried to talk again, but Fang Hu grabbed the old man's shoulders.

*I'll kill you myself if I have to, just leave! They'd do worse, trust me.*

"If you stay here, my hand will kill you before you will suffer defeat at the hands of our attackers. It would be kinder on your soul."

As he said his piece, Fang Hu radiated a disturbing amount of killing intent directly into Jiahao's face. Until Jiahao is able to overcome the effect the killing intent had on his soul and mind, he would be forced abide his master's words. It was only 30 seconds after Jiahao had bolted though one of the weaker walls of the shack that Fang Hu, with seemingly no prompt, focused qi into his legs, and jumped through the roof of the rundown place. He landed on one of the more stable buildings in the slums, just in time to see a shadowy object obliterate the shack he was previously in. It wasn't that Fang Hu couldn't see the object, no it was midday, it was as if a pillar of shadows had exploded the shack.

The shack they were staying at didn't have anyone nearby, but he could already see onlookers beginning to gather. Whoever sent that attack forward doesn't care about casualties. In other circumstances, this would have confused Fang Hu greatly, as they were in a loose city protected by a core formation elder. Yes, they were in the slums, but a large scale qi attack should be a big no-no anywhere even close to the city.

As Fang Hu was easily distracted, this all would have usually confused Fang Hu. But not today, today Fang Hu was a man with priorities. He did what his brain instinctively told him to do.

"*FLEE*"

Fang Hu boomed loud enough to be heard throughout Iron Dragon City. He spent a not insignificant portion of his qi channeling his inner snake and sent out a truly mind-boggling amount of killing intent out with his command. The killing intent was vast enough that, if he hadn't given out an order, every mortal in the slums would have passed out on the spot. As it was, a tidal wave of people began fleeing the slums.

It was with a chill that Fang Hu felt intent behind his back. The entity wasn't practicing a technique that could actualize it's killing, but Fang Hu wouldn't misplace it anywhere. Either instinctively, or due to his techniques and years of practice, Fang Hu managed to impossibly contort his body and put up a desperate block. That wouldn't have done much some three days ago, but Fang Hu's powers are every bit as broken as he liked to brag. The amulet, among many other things, works as a protection charm. Enough solar qi to carry Fang Hu to the foundation establishment stage burst out of the amulet to reinforce his defense.

Lesser cultivators observing the event would see a golden snake trying to swallow a black hole sun. Higher cultivators would see a young cultivator bend his body unnaturally and use a protection charm to block a sneak attack by an assassin. The young cultivator's golden qi was visibly eating the assassin's qi. It seemed like the young cultivator's qi was quite suited to fight the elder, but even if a fly was quite suited to block a flyswatter, it would still be hard-pressed to survive.

Both sets of cultivators would be able to see the first cultivator flying through a building and into the city wall. The young cultivator was lucky. If he hadn't gone through the building, as it has a lot less give than the walls built for war, then he would have gone splat against the wall. Now all that occurred were a few sickening crunches as he bounced off the wall.

"Oh Ho! So the person who dishonored my lineage was a genius! Unfortunately for you, even heaven-defying brats have to face the consequences of threatening my bloodline!"

Fang Hu fought through the pain, while he coughed up blood and his arm dangled limply by his side, he put on a look of utter bafflement. After struggling to stand up, he asked:

"That utter fool of a man is related to you? How can that be? That worm barely knew how to cultivate."

Judging by how livid the elder looked, this was the wrong course of action.