Chapter Twenty-Four: Dominating the Poison Miasma Forest (Part Two)

Hundreds of bandits at the Longba Training Ground were lined up in neat formation, resembling a disciplined army. Standing before them were Cui Ba, Cold Second, Lu Kai, Qian Duoduo, Wang Wu, Zhao Liu, and Lei Yan.

Cui Ba paused for a moment before raising his voice, "Brothers of Longba, today you’re faced with a choice. My adopted son has concocted a spiritual elixir—it can boost your cultivation in a short time!"

His words were like a spark, instantly igniting the crowd. Instantly, the hundreds of bandits began whispering and murmuring among themselves. The thought of gaining strength without training aroused some suspicion among a few, but most of the bandits’ eyes blazed with longing. After all, their survival depended wholly on strength. Even Wang Wu and Zhao Liu were shocked—so such an elixir truly existed in this world.

Anticipating their reaction, Cui Ba suddenly raised his voice, "But you must pay a price for power gained without effort. This price may mean you’ll never truly step into the Innate Realm—you’ll possess its power, but not its essence."

At these words, the training ground erupted. A bandit shouted, "Cui Ba, you’re speaking too cryptically! We don’t understand..." The majority echoed, "Yeah, we don’t get it!"

Cui Ba pressed his hands down to silence them, then explained, "To possess the cultivation of the Innate Realm means that those below that level will no longer be your match. But simply having the power is not the same as truly stepping into that realm. Face an Innate opponent, and you’ll still die!"

A hush fell—a strange, heavy silence. The bandits were stunned. They were outlaws, living on the knife’s edge, and being able to slay anyone below the Innate Realm meant better odds of survival. Many might never reach that level through training alone—why not take the elixir and gain that extra assurance? After a moment’s silence, the bandits broke out in a clamor, "I’ll do it... I’ll do it..."

"Enough!" Cui Ba’s voice cut through the noise. "You have two choices. One: take the elixir and immediately increase your cultivation—stand to the left. Two: refuse the elixir and follow my adopted son in earnest cultivation—stand to the right." The words had barely left his lips before most of the crowd moved to the left, including even Qian Duoduo, Wang Wu, and Zhao Liu. Of course, some followed blindly. A small number hesitated, standing in the middle—none went to the right.

As Lei Yan watched the bandits’ choices with some regret, a thin man with sharp eyes stepped out from the hesitant group. "Strength gained without effort will never truly be your own!" he declared, moving to the right. People are like that—once someone takes the lead, others follow. The rest soon joined him on the right.

Lei Yan eyed the thin man with interest, memorizing his face. In the end, hundreds of bandits stood to the left, while fewer than fifty stood to the right.

Cui Ba admired those who resisted temptation and chose self-cultivation. After all, it took backbone. Smiling, he said to Lei Yan, "Go ahead, Lei’er!"

"Alright," Lei Yan nodded, signaling Lu Kai to bring over the medicine pot. After diluting the elixir in a wooden tub, he addressed the bandits, "Line up and come forward one by one. After drinking, you must sit and meditate to absorb it!"

While Lei Yan distributed the medicine, Cui Ba turned to Cold Second, "When this is over, take some men to Jiling in Jiangzhou."

"Yes," Cold Second replied respectfully. He understood Cui Ba’s intention: those who gained power from the elixir would need restraint, and the best way was to bring the bandits’ families from Jiling under their control.

******

In a hidden cave deep within the Poison Miasma Forest, a burly man paced anxiously, his footsteps echoing within the stone chamber.

"Report!" came a voice from outside, growing nearer. A shirtless man burst in and dropped to one knee.

"Speak!" the burly man halted immediately.

"According to our scouts, the boss... the boss, he..." The messenger stammered, clearly afraid to say more.

"What happened to my brother?" the burly man demanded, gripping the messenger’s arm.

"He’s dead!" the messenger answered, grief etched across his face.

"What?" The burly man staggered back. His brother had gone to Longba and hadn’t returned in a day, a bad omen that had now come true.

Gritting his teeth, he growled, "So, Longba, you even dared harm my brother! Gather every man—we’ll attack!"

"Yes!" The messenger hurried out.

After about the time it takes to brew a pot of tea, a hundred fierce bandits set out from their lair, surging toward Longba’s stronghold.

******

Back at Longba’s training ground, hundreds of warriors were abuzz with excitement. After drinking the elixir, they felt their strength multiplied, each eager to test their newfound power.

Suddenly, shouts erupted as a hundred fierce bandits burst in. Their leader, a bandit with a red kerchief, roared as he entered, "Cui Ba! Today I’ll wipe out Longba and avenge my brother!"

"It’s him?" Cui Ba immediately recognized the man—Leopard’s Second, Feng Shuang, brother of Feng Dan whom he had killed. The sight of Leopard’s men made Cui Ba uneasy. He turned to Lei Yan, "Lei’er, has the medicine taken effect?"

"Godfather, didn’t you see the brothers just now? They’re itching for a fight! What a coincidence—the perfect chance to let them loose," Lei Yan said with a smile. The bandits, having just gained new power, were eager for a real battle, and these attackers had appeared at just the right time.

Cui Ba nodded and announced loudly, "Brothers, it’s time to test your strength! Kill! Kill to your heart’s content!"

At his command, the hundreds of bandits charged forward. Numbers mattered—and now, with so many pseudo-Innate warriors, even if they weren’t true Innate, dealing with acquired-level foes was effortless. In the blink of an eye, Feng Shuang’s men were slain or wounded, with only a handful surrounded by Longba’s forces.

Tears welled in Feng Shuang’s eyes. When had Longba become so powerful? A hundred acquired-level warriors wiped out in an instant, and the enemy had barely suffered any casualties—no, none at all.

Cui Ba’s eyes sparkled with delight—he hadn’t expected Lei Yan’s elixir to be so miraculous, boosting Longba’s strength severalfold in mere moments. In the past, these fierce bandits could have exhausted all of Longba’s forces, but now they’d been defeated in an instant.

"I’ll fight you all to the death!" Feng Shuang roared, eyes red, charging into the fray like a leopard.

"Shhhh!"

A man blocking Feng Shuang’s path was torn apart by his claws. "No! He’s late-stage Innate! To kill Feng Shuang, even those who just took the elixir will pay dearly," Lei Yan thought, springing forward. Mid-leap, his palm transformed into a fist and smashed toward Feng Shuang.

Cold Second raised his blade to join the fight, but Cui Ba stopped him. "Lei’er just joined Longba—he needs to earn the others’ respect. Let him show his strength." At his words, Lu Kai and the others halted as well, each privately noting that Cui Ba truly regarded Lei Yan as his son.

In the chaos, Feng Shuang sensed Lei Yan’s attack and met his fist with his own.

"Boom!"

A visible ripple spread from their collision, stirring up a gale that knocked many Longba men off their feet. Lei Yan was not unscathed—he was thrown backward, coughing up blood.

Feng Shuang staggered back as well, blood trickling from his lips. He was shocked—Lei Yan’s attack was bizarre. The internal force had pierced through Feng Shuang’s own, invading his body. Had he not quickly countered with his own energy, he’d be dead already.

Landing unsteadily, Lei Yan pulled out a handful of pills from his demonic artifact and swallowed them without hesitation. "Die!" he shouted, charging Feng Shuang. After their exchange, he had discerned the vibration frequency of Feng Shuang’s internal energy—this time, Feng Shuang would not survive.

Feng Shuang, wary from their clash, dodged repeatedly, seeking an opportunity for a decisive blow. His afterimages flickered through the air.

"Feng Shuang’s too fast—this won’t work!" Lei Yan thought. Suddenly, he feinted at an afterimage.

"Here’s my chance!" Feng Shuang’s eyes flashed as he spun and struck at Lei Yan. But when he saw Lei Yan’s gaze, his heart skipped—too late to withdraw, he bit down, pouring all his energy into a blow to Lei Yan’s chest.

"Boom!"

But when Feng Shuang’s hand was half an inch from Lei Yan’s chest, Lei Yan’s palm struck down, sending a wave of internal energy into Feng Shuang’s body. Feng Shuang froze, then his whole body convulsed, eyes locked on Lei Yan as he crashed to the ground—dead, never understanding how a blow to his arm could be fatal.

Lei Yan’s face was pale from the effort. He finally realized how formidable a late-stage Innate expert was. He took out more pills, swallowing them with a pang of regret at the extravagance.

With Feng Shuang dead, his hundred fierce bandits were gone as well. Cui Ba laughed loudly, "From today on, the Poison Miasma Forest belongs to Longba!"

Cheers erupted—"Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!"—as Longba’s followers surged forward, lifting Lei Yan and tossing him into the air, over and over. Cui Ba watched with a smile. He knew that even if Lei Yan had boosted their cultivation, the bandits might not truly accept him. But now, things were different—Lei Yan had earned their respect with his own strength.