Two days passed in the cave. Huo Chen sat cross-legged against the back wall, his eyes closed in deep meditation.

  The mid-grade spirit stone in his hand had dimmed considerably, its brilliance noticeably diminished after two days of absorption.

  Before him lay one of the Blood Flame Purifying Fruits, half-eaten, the crimson glow dimmed but still pulsing faintly.

  The purification process had been intense. For the first day, his body had expelled thick black impurities through his pores—toxins and corrupted Qi that had accumulated over years of inefficient cultivation with his original mortal-grade spirit roots.

  The stench had been awful, forcing him to wipe himself down multiple times with water from his storage bag. But the results were undeniable. His Qi flowed smoother now, circulating through meridians that felt cleaner and wider than before.

  His foundation at the sixth layer felt significantly more solid, the energy denser and more responsive to his will.

  "The fruit worked even better than I expected," Huo Chen thought, opening his eyes slowly. "My body feels lighter and stronger."

  His wounds had healed during the cultivation as well—not completely, but enough that the cuts had closed and the deeper bruises had faded to dull aches.

  The combination of the spirit stone's energy and the fruit's purifying properties had accelerated his recovery far beyond normal. He stood up carefully, testing his body. His movements felt smoother, more controlled.

  The pain in his ribs was manageable now.

  That's when he heard it.

  Voices drifting from outside the cave.

  Faint at first, then growing clearer as the speakers approached. Huo Chen's eyes narrowed. His breathing slowed as he stepped lightly toward the cave entrance.

  "They were right there," a rough voice said. "Three of them, hanging on that tree. I saw them three days ago when I scouted this place."

  "You're absolutely sure they were Blood Flame Purifying Fruits?" Another voice asked.

  "You think I'd mistake something worth thirty mid-grade stones?"

  "And the guardian?"

  "Shadow-Stripe Tiger. Seventh layer cultivation. Massive beast, probably been living here for years protecting that tree. That's exactly why I didn't try to take them alone."

  "Smart decision. Better to come back with help and split the reward than die trying to claim it all."

  Huo Chen stayed in the cave entrance, concealed in shadow, and peered out carefully. Three cultivators entered the clearing, all of them radiating seventh-layer Qi signatures.

  They stopped when they saw the state of the area—blood staining the ground in dark pools, shattered remnants of stone walls and deep claw marks gouged into tree trunks.

  The oldest of the three was a stocky man in his late thirties with scars covering his forearms and a weathered face. He wore practical hunting robes and had a sword at his hip. He crouched near the largest blood pool, running his hand over the stained earth.

  The second was younger, maybe mid-twenties, with sharp features and alert eyes. His robes were clean but functional, marked with small formation arrays for protection.

  The third was thin and wiry with calculating eyes that swept across every detail of the clearing.

  Wei Zhao's fingers pressed into the blood-soaked soil. His expression darkened. "The tiger's dead."

  Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

  The younger cultivator walked toward the tree trunks, examining the deep gouges. "These claw marks... the tiger definitely fought something here. Look at how deep they go."

  "Fought and lost from the looks of it," the wiry one added, pointing at the ground. "See these marks? Earth spikes erupted here. Multiple strikes from different positions. Someone used earth techniques against it."

  The air felt heavier. A faint spiritual pressure lingered in the clearing—residue from the battle that had taken place.

  The younger cultivator crouched near a shattered stone wall, running his fingers over the broken pieces. "This blood hasn't completely dried yet. Whoever did this was here recently—maybe a day or two ago at most."

  The wiry cultivator walked to the charcoal tree and stared at the empty branches where the fruits should have been hanging. His expression didn't change, but his eyes narrowed. "The fruits are gone. Someone harvested them already."

  Silence fell over the three of them. Wei Zhao stood slowly, his grip tightening on his sword hilt. "Someone got here first and took everything."

  "Brother Wei—"

  "I spent weeks watching this place," Wei Zhao cut in, his voice controlled but something dangerous edged beneath it. "Tracked that damn tiger's movements, And now someone just walked in and took what I'd been preparing for."

  The wiry one tilted his head slightly, his tone thoughtful and analytical. "A seventh-layer Shadow-Stripe Tiger isn't easy prey, even for cultivators at our level. Whoever killed it had to be strong."

  "Or they got lucky ," the younger one said, his voice sharper and more aggressive. "They didn't kill it cleanly. Must've cheated it somehow".

  Wei Zhao's jaw worked. His breathing slowed. "It doesn't matter how they did it. Those fruits were supposed to be mine."

  "What can we even do at this point?" the younger cultivator asked. "Whoever took them is probably long gone by now."

  The wiry one's eyes swept the clearing again, taking in every detail. "The blood is still fresh and the fight happened recently. If they were injured during the battle with the tiger, they would need time to recover. They might have found somewhere nearby to rest and heal."

  A vein pulsed at Wei Zhao's temple. "Spread out and search the area. Check for caves or any hidden spots. They can't be far."

  Huo Chen, still hidden in the cave entrance, weighed his options. They were going to search thoroughly. They'd find him eventually.

  'Better to face them now on my own terms,' he thought. He stepped out into the clearing releasing his aura.

  The air shifted instantly. Three pairs of eyes snapped toward him, spiritual senses locking on. The temperature seemed to drop. For a long moment, nobody moved. They studied him—his bloodstained robes, the visible healing cuts on his arms and face, the sixth-layer cultivation their senses had detected.

  Wei Zhao's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"

  "And who are you?" Huo Chen replied calmly.

  Wei Zhao’s expression hardened, His gaze swept over Huo Chen, sharp and assessing. His eyes moved to the cave entrance behind Huo Chen, then back to the blood-soaked clearing. "You took the fruits," Wei Zhao said, his voice flat.

  Huo Chen's lips curved slightly. "What do you think?"

  "Brat! Those fruits were ours, and you stole them", the younger cultivator said sharply, stepping to Huo Chen's right.

  "Stole?" Huo Chen's tone stayed level. "There was a tiger guarding them. I killed it and took what it was protecting, how is that stealing."

  The younger cultivator’s eyes narrowed, voice cold but firm. "Claiming what was ours doesn’t give you the right to just take it."

  Wei Zhao stepped forward, spiritual pressure intensifying. "I’ve been tracking this spot for weeks. And you? You think you can just take what I worked for."

  Huo Chen laughed—a short, dismissive sound. "Laughable. You think it's yours because you saw it first? Then you should've killed it when you had the chance."

  Wei Zhao's breathing slowed—the dangerous calm before violence. "I've hunted in this forest for fifteen years, boy. Don't think killing one tiger makes you special."

  The wiry cultivator moved to Huo Chen's left. "You killed one beast and now you think you're untouchable? You're badly underestimating the situation."

  The younger cultivator's face turned cold, anger simmering beneath a controlled expression. "Hand over what's left of the fruits and your storage bag. Do that, and maybe we'll let you walk away in one piece."

  Without hesitation, all three cultivators closed in, instinctively forming a triangle around Huo Chen, cutting off every escape route. Spiritual pressure pressed against him from all sides.

  Huo Chen's expression hardened, annoyance flickering around his features. "You dare threaten me?"

  Wei Zhao's eyes narrowed. "Boy, can't you see the situation you're in? Three against one. All of us seventh layer. And you're standing there talking like you have a chance."

  "Brother Wei, stop wasting words." The younger cultivator's voice was eager. "Let's just kill him. He's too ignorant to understand he's already dead."

  "Agreed," the wiry one said quietly. "Lets kill him and take everything he has."

  Wei Zhao drew his sword. "Last chance. Hand everything over."

  Huo Chen centered his Qi, readying himself for what was coming, eyes scanning all three cultivators.

  "Well?" Wei Zhao demanded.

  Huo Chen smiled slightly. "Come and take it."

  Wei Zhao's expression went dead cold. "Kill him."

  Three seventh-layer auras descended on him at once as all three cultivators moved simultaneously.