Chapter 15: Thirty-Five Years of Internal Strength
\nZuo Meng stopped hiding his movements. He yanked the rope hard, causing the dust powder caught by the hook to drop into his palm.
\n\u201cSeeking death!\u201d
\nThe guarding strong individual erupted in fury when Zuo Meng ignored his warning and stole the item openly. Three flying knives shot toward Zuo Meng\u2019s face like streaks of cold light, arriving just as his fingers closed around the dust powder.
\nHaving secured his prize, Zuo Meng had no intention of lingering. This was enemy territory with multiple guards\u2014the noise would draw others.
\nHe slapped the rooftop, sending tiles flying to knock away the three knives. Pushing off the eaves, he channeled all his internal energy into his legs. With one light step, he shot forward like an arrow. Tossing broken tiles into the air, he used them as stepping stones when his momentum faltered, leaping again in a manner resembling cloud-walking until he vanished from sight.
\nBy the time guards reached the roof, only a retreating shadow remained.
\n\u201cSteal from Heifeng Zhai and flee?\u201d
\nA white-haired Elder Liu in green robes dropped from the third floor onto the stone street below. This was the expert Zuo Meng had feared earlier. The elder didn\u2019t pursue\u2014his duty was defense. Raising his clawed left hand, he condensed dark-gray energy into a swirling orb that exploded with a bang, lifting debris into a hovering force field.
\n\u201cAir Palm!\u201d
\nHe slashed horizontally. The debris coalesced into a giant stone hand that rocketed toward Zuo Meng with a sonic boom. The crushing blow flattened nearby structures, turning rubble into bullet-like projectiles.
\n\u201cMonstrous energy!\u201d
\nEven at this distance, Zuo Meng felt awe. This old man likely possessed sixty years of internal strength\u2014a Liuhe Sect Headmaster. Direct combat meant certain defeat, but escape remained feasible.
\n\u201cLaw!\u201d
\nDiscarding his tools mid-flight, Zuo Meng crushed the porcelain bottle. Dust powder spilled across his palm, its energy instantly absorbed. Energy gathered at his fingertips.
\n\u201cModify.\u201d
\nLaw chains materialized as he funneled the energy into his cultivation. His twenty years of internal strength surged by fifteen years within breaths. Whirling around, he channeled thirty-five years\u2019 worth of energy into his right palm and struck back.
\nBoom!
\nThe collision\u2019s energy wave shattered nearby windows. Using the recoil, Zuo Meng vanished into darkness.
\n\u201cNo farewells?\u201d
\nOther Heifeng Zhai experts arrived to find a storm-ravaged street.
\n\u201cElder Liu, caught the thief?\u201d
\n\u201cEscaped.\u201d
\nThe green-robed elder left without elaboration. His duty involved protecting the Divine Weapons Pavilion\u2014unaffected by this theft. Letting the thief flee paradoxically highlighted his competence.
\n\u201cElders, any losses?\u201d
\nThe manager arrived after Elder Liu\u2019s departure.
\n\u201cMerely one dust powder bottle,\u201d said Elder Wang, the first responder. \u201cThe thief fled when struck by my attack.\u201d The experts spun the narrative\u2014their vigilance had prevented greater losses.
\n\u201cOnly dust powder?\u201d
\n\u201cOur failure to stop even this shames us,\u201d Elder Wang feigned contrition.
\n\u201cNo blame, Elder Wang.\u201d The manager bowed. \u201cYour efforts minimized damage. I\u2019ll report your merits to the pavilion master.\u201d
\nAmid mutual flattery, the incident dissolved. A cheap powder\u2019s loss became proof of the guards\u2019 effectiveness.
\nZuo Meng slept soundly at an inn, untroubled. As a Liuhe Sect disciple in Liuhe City, suspicion wouldn\u2019t touch him.
\nHe woke at dawn, puzzled. No Dream World visit? His ability had gaps\u2014dreams weren\u2019t nightly guarantees.
\n\u201cKeep strengthening. Must reach that elder\u2019s level.\u201d
\nHis master and Junior Sister were trouble magnets. Surviving their protagonist-tier misfortunes required overwhelming power.
\n\u201cHeifeng Zhai\u2019s dust powder stores are exhausted. Scattered remnants won\u2019t suffice.\u201d
\nZuo Meng plotted. Find the powder\u2019s source. Raid it.
\nOne grand heist for permanent gains.
\nBecome the world\u2019s strongest, then retire on the mountain to build his Dream World.
\nThis was Zuo Meng\u2019s path.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Chapter 15: Thirty-Five Years of Internal Strength Zuo Meng stopped hiding his movements. He yanked the rope hard, causing the dust powder caught by the hook to drop into his palm. \u201cSeeking death!\u201d The guarding strong individual erupted in fury when Zuo Meng ignored his warning and stole the item openly. Three flying knives shot toward Zuo Meng\u2019s face like streaks of cold light,\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","categories":[3],"tags":[],"fcn_genre":[],"fcn_fandom":[],"fcn_character":[],"fcn_content_warning":[],"class_list":["post-1393","fcn_chapter","type-fcn_chapter","status-publish","hentry","category-dreaming-to-become-a-creator"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_chapter\/1393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_chapter"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/fcn_chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1393"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_chapter\/1393\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1393"},{"taxonomy":"fcn_genre","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_genre?post=1393"},{"taxonomy":"fcn_fandom","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_fandom?post=1393"},{"taxonomy":"fcn_character","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_character?post=1393"},{"taxonomy":"fcn_content_warning","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_content_warning?post=1393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}