Chapter 36: The Nascent Soul

Ao Kuiba returned to the Lin residence shortly before noon.

Ao Kuiba was about to enter the house when he suddenly saw the chaos outside.

The defensive formation around the Lin family property was trembling under the pressure of repeated attacks, its white barrier wavering. A ring of Ironwood cultivators surrounded the courtyard, while several lineages of the Lin family fought desperately to keep the enemy away from the main house.

Ao Kuiba looked around.

Two Core Formation cultivators were locked in a fierce fight with Lin Qingshan at the main gate. Lin Yuanhong and Lin Chen protected the younger ones while Su Wan took care of Lin Mei and Lin Yao. Su Wan was behind the barrier of the formation.

Then Ao Kuiba saw Lin Yue.

She noticed him almost immediately.

"Ao Kuiba!"

Lin Yue came towards him, her sword still in her hand. She slowed down after several paces and looked past him on the road and returned her look to his face.

"What happened?" Ao asked.

"The Ironwood Clan came for the Spiritual Spring. This time they didn’t come to negotiate. They sent several elders and a large group of cultivators and have already started attacking my family."

Ao Kuiba glanced at the battlefield.

"I can see that."

Lin Yue’s expression darkened.

"There is something else you need to know."

Ao Kuiba looked at her.

Lin Yue hesitated.

"The man who came with them is not one of the elders you have fought before. It is the head of the Ironwood Clan."

Ao Kuiba’s eyes moved to an area farther from the battle.

"The clan head?"

"Yes." Lin Yue lowered her voice. "He is a Nascent Soul cultivator."

Ao Kuiba examined the man for a few seconds.

Lin Yue watched his face closely.

"I saw him a few days ago when my father and I were in the city. He was at a gathering at the City Lord’s residence with several other influential people in the city. I did not speak to him, but I have seen him before and my father told me who he was."

She tightened her grip around her sword.

"He is not the kind of person the Ironwood Clan would send to intimidate a small family. He is the one who gives the orders."

Ao Kuiba was silent.

Lin Yue came closer.

"That is why you have to leave."

Ao Kuiba looked at her.

"Leave?"

"Yes."

Although her voice was firm, the concern in her eyes was obvious.

"You have already done enough for me. You helped my father, you defeated Elder Han, and you forced the Ironwood Clan to retreat once. Whatever debt you thought you owed me has already been repaid and you don’t have to stay here for my family’s sake."

Ao Kuiba glanced towards the Spiritual Spring.

"They’re taking your family’s property."

"I know."

"And you still want me to leave?"

Lin Yue’s fingers tightened around the hilt of her sword.

"I want you to leave because I don’t want your involvement with my family to turn into a fight with a Nascent Soul cultivator."

She paused and looked directly at him.

"I’ve seen what you can do, Ao Kuiba. I know you’re stronger than most people at your cultivation level and I’m not asking you to leave because I think you’re weak. I’m asking because the person standing over there is not Elder Han."

Her voice dropped to a whisper.

"He is the strongest cultivator in the Ironwood Clan."

Ao Kuiba looked towards the clan head again.

Lin Yue continued, "My granduncle is the strongest person in our family, and even he can’t fight someone like that without risking his life. If you stay here and the clan head decides to fight you, the entire courtyard can be destroyed."

Ao Kuiba’s gaze returned to her.

"You think I should run."

Lin Yue shook her head.

"I’m telling you to leave before you have to fight him."

Ao Kuiba was silent.

Lin Yue looked away for a moment before continuing.

"I know what you’re going to say. You’ll probably tell me that you don’t run from people who come looking for you. Maybe that’s true. This is not about pride."

She looked back at him.

"My family is the reason you’re standing here. If you fight him because of us and something happens to you, I won’t be able to accept that."

Ao Kuiba studied her face.

"You said the debt was repaid."

"It is."

"Then why are you worrying about me?"

Lin Yue’s face changed slightly.

For a moment, she said nothing.

"I don’t know."

She looked away and gave a quiet sigh.

"I suppose because knowing that you helped us doesn’t make it easy to watch you walk into something dangerous."

Ao Kuiba said nothing.

Behind them, a heavy impact shook the courtyard.

Lin Yue turned towards the sound.

Lin Qingshan had been forced back several steps by the two Ironwood elders. He steadied himself, wiped a line of blood from the corner of his mouth, and raised his sword again.

Lin Yue looked back at Ao Kuiba.

"They’re already losing ground."

Ao Kuiba watched the fight.

"They won’t hold for long."

"I know."

"And you still want me to leave?"

Lin Yue nodded.

"Yes."

She stepped closer and lowered her voice.

"Please, Ao Kuiba. Just leave this time. My family will deal with what happens here. You don’t owe us anything anymore."

Ao Kuiba looked at her for several seconds.

Then his eyes moved past her.

The Ironwood Clan Head was standing at the edge of the courtyard.

The man had been watching them.

When their eyes met, the clan head smiled.

Ao Kuiba looked back at Lin Yue.

"You should move behind your family."

Lin Yue’s expression tightened.

"You didn’t listen to me."

"I heard you."

"Then why are you still here?"

Ao Kuiba looked towards the battlefield.

"Because they came back."

Lin Yue stared at him.

"You don’t have to fight every person who causes trouble."

"I know."

"Then don’t."

Ao Kuiba’s gaze remained calm.

"But they came here looking for me."

Lin Yue followed his gaze towards the clan head.

"They came for the Spiritual Spring."

"They came for both."

Her expression changed.

Ao Kuiba stepped forward.

Lin Yue immediately caught his sleeve.

"Wait."

He stopped.

She looked up at him.

"If you stay, at least promise me you won’t underestimate him."

Ao Kuiba looked at her hand around his sleeve.

Then he looked into her eyes.

"I won’t."

Lin Yue slowly released him.

"That’s all I wanted to hear."

Ao Kuiba walked into the courtyard.

The surrounding Ironwood cultivators immediately noticed him.

Several turned towards him, but none dared move.

The clan head finally stepped forward.

"So you’re Ao Kuiba."

Ao Kuiba stopped several meters away.

"That’s what I’m called."

The clan head studied him.

"I’ve heard quite a bit about you."

Ao Kuiba glanced at the cultivators surrounding the estate.

"I’ve heard about your clan too."

A faint smile appeared on the clan head’s face.

"Then you should understand why you shouldn’t be standing here."

Ao Kuiba looked at him.

"I understand that your people came to take something that doesn’t belong to them."

The clan head’s expression became colder.

"You defeated Elder Han, interfered with our affairs, and now you’re standing in front of me as though none of it matters."

"It doesn’t."

Several Ironwood cultivators became visibly angry.

The clan head raised one hand, stopping them.

His eyes remained on Ao Kuiba.

"Do you know who I am?"

"No."

The answer was so simple that the clan head paused.

Lin Yue covered her forehead briefly.

She already knew where this conversation was going.

The clan head stared at Ao Kuiba.

"I am the head of the Ironwood Clan."

"I know that now."

"And I am a Nascent Soul cultivator."

Ao Kuiba nodded.

"I know."

The clan head’s eyes narrowed.

"Then you understand the difference between us."

"Yes."

"Yet you’re still standing there."

"Yes."

The clan head studied him for a moment.

"Why?"

Ao Kuiba’s gaze shifted briefly toward Lin Yue before returning to him.

"Because she asked me to help."

The clan head glanced toward Lin Yue.

"That girl?"

Ao Kuiba nodded.

"You are willing to make an enemy of the Ironwood Clan because of a favor?"

"She’s the reason I became involved."

The clan head laughed softly.

"You’re serious."

Ao Kuiba didn’t respond.

The clan head’s smile faded.

"Then I’ll make this simple. Leave Azure Cloud City. Don’t involve yourself with the Lin family again, and today’s matter ends here."

Ao Kuiba remained silent for a moment.

Then he shook his head.

"No."

The clan head’s expression hardened.

"You understand that I’m not offering you a negotiation."

"I know."

"Then why refuse?"

Ao Kuiba looked directly at him.

"Because I don’t care what you want."

The spiritual pressure around the clan head suddenly became heavier.

Several Lin family members staggered.

The stone beneath his feet cracked.

Lin Yue immediately looked toward Ao Kuiba.

"He’s going to attack."

Ao Kuiba didn’t move.

The clan head looked at him for another moment.

Then he raised one hand.

"You’ve mistaken my patience for hesitation."

His spiritual power erupted.

A violent wave of energy tore across the courtyard.

Ao Kuiba disappeared from where he stood.

The attack smashed into the ground.

The stone courtyard exploded, sending fragments in every direction.

Lin Yue was thrown backward by the shockwave.

"Yue’er!"

Lin Qingshan broke away from his opponent long enough to catch her by the shoulder and pull her behind the defensive formation.

"Stay back!"

"I’m fine," Lin Yue said, pushing herself upright. Her eyes remained fixed on Ao.

The dust slowly cleared.

The clan head stood exactly where he had been.

His gaze moved across the destroyed courtyard.

Then he looked toward the roof.

Ao Kuiba stood there.

The clan head’s eyes narrowed.

"Fast."

Ao Kuiba looked down at him.

"You attacked without warning."

"You were warned."

The clan head raised his hand again.

The surrounding spiritual energy compressed.

Ao Kuiba’s expression changed slightly.

The next attack came faster.

A massive palm of condensed spiritual power formed above him and descended.

Ao Kuiba moved.

The palm crashed through the roof.

The entire building collapsed.

The clan head looked at the wreckage.

Then a figure appeared behind him.

Ao Kuiba’s fist drove toward his back.

The clan head turned.

He raised his arm.

The fist struck.

BOOM!

A shockwave ripped through the courtyard.

Ao Kuiba was pushed backward, his feet carving deep lines into the stone.

The clan head moved only half a step.

He looked at the mark left on his sleeve.

"So Elder Han wasn’t exaggerating."

Ao Kuiba flexed his fingers.

The impact had numbed his hand.

The clan head’s expression changed slightly.

"You have a strong body."

Ao Kuiba looked at him.

"You have a strong cultivation."

"Of course I do."

The clan head stepped forward.

"You are Core Formation. I am Nascent Soul. Whatever advantage your body gives you, it cannot erase the difference between our realms."

Ao Kuiba’s eyes remained fixed on him.

"I didn’t say it could."

The clan head’s brows rose slightly.

"Then perhaps you’re finally beginning to understand your position."

Ao Kuiba’s expression remained calm.

"I understand your cultivation."

The clan head’s smile returned.

"Then you understand that you cannot win."

Ao Kuiba looked at his own hand.

"I don’t know that yet."

The clan head’s smile disappeared.

He vanished.

Ao Kuiba’s eyes followed the movement.

The next instant, the clan head appeared above him.

His palm descended.

Ao Kuiba crossed his arms.

The impact drove him into the ground.

Stone exploded beneath his feet.

Lin Yue’s face went pale.

"Ao!"

The clan head landed beside the crater.

He looked down.

"Leave now and I will allow you to live."

For several seconds, there was no response.

Then a hand pushed against the broken stone.

Ao Kuiba slowly stood.

Blood ran from the corner of his mouth.

He wiped it away with his thumb.

Lin Yue stared at him.

"You’re hurt."

Ao Kuiba looked at the blood on his finger.

"Yes."

The clan head watched him carefully.

"You should have left when you had the chance."

Ao Kuiba raised his head.

"I’ve been fighting you without using a technique."

The clan head’s expression changed.

"What?"

Ao Kuiba straightened his back.

"You’re stronger than I expected."

The clan head’s eyes narrowed.

"But that doesn’t mean I’m finished."

The air around Ao Kuiba’s body began to change.

The space near his fingers distorted slightly.

The clan head stared at the movement.

"You’ve been holding back."

Ao Kuiba looked at his hand.

Memories of another lifetime surfaced naturally.

Techniques he had not needed since his fall.

Techniques belonging to the Perfect Cultivator he had once been.

His golden eyes became colder.

"I haven’t needed to use them."

The distorted space around his fingers became clearer.

The clan head’s expression finally became serious.

"What technique is that?"

Ao Kuiba raised his hand.

"One I haven’t used in a very long time."

The space around him trembled.

And the battle changed.