C3 Protoss

Emerging from the mine, Xu Tianzhi took several deep breaths of the long-missed fresh air, his spirits lifting. He gazed at the nearby mountains adorned with various pavilions and terraces and strode toward one in particular. Atop that mountain lay the sect's designated spot for exchanging Spirit Stones.

Guidance, Agility, Body Quenching, Foundation Establishment, Yin God, Divinity, Integration, Finality, Mahayana, Dao Transformation. Though Xu Tianzhi was merely in the Spiritual Movement Stage, he could project the spiritual energy within him, his strength and speed far surpassing that of an average person. He wound his way up the mountain paths with such swiftness, likening him to a galloping horse wouldn't be an overstatement.

As he walked, a fellow disciple clad in an embroidered robe approached. With a slight sidestep, Xu Tianzhi allowed the man to pass. Suddenly, a voice, both astonished and delighted, called out from behind, "Xu Tianzhi!"

Before Xu Tianzhi could even turn around, the sound of rustling filled the air above him. The brocade-robed man had leaped over him like a large bird, landing squarely in front of him.

"Senior Brother, is there something you need?" Xu Tianzhi inquired, a smile on his face as he regarded the man before him.

"Ha, I knew it was you, Xu Tianzhi!" The man in the brocade robe didn't respond to the question. Instead, upon confirming Xu Tianzhi's identity, his face lit up with excitement. "Xu Tianzhi, I've heard you've been in the mine for three months. You must have unearthed a wealth of red crystals. I won't be greedy; just hand over five hundred red crystals, and I'll let you pass."

A typical disciple might extract three hundred red crystals over three months, yet this man demanded five hundred at once, well aware of Xu Tianzhi's reputation as a mining prodigy with thrice the efficiency of his peers.

"Damn, it's a stick-up," Xu Tianzhi inwardly cursed. Yet outwardly, he remained composed and asked with a stern tone, "Senior Brother, aren't you concerned that such blatant robbery could land you in the Law Hall to face the consequences?"

"Gaga," the man in the brocade robe bellowed with laughter, his body trembling slightly. Suddenly, behind him materialized the spectral image of a beast cloaked in white fur, tiger-like in form but with hooves akin to those of a horse. Most peculiar was the lower half of the creature's left front leg, which appeared incredibly solid, as tangible as reality itself.

Xu Tianzhi's heart skipped a beat. Legends spoke of numerous gods once roaming this continent, their descendants inheriting bloodlines that, once awakened, granted boundless strength and a myriad of divine powers. Identifying them was simple; should the godly progeny wish it, they could manifest the ethereal visage of their ancestral deities.

The solidity of the creature's left foreleg indicated that the senior brother before him had unlocked a portion of pure physical might! Even a mere sliver of such power was divine in nature!

"Xu Tianzhi, you're nothing but a lowborn commoner. Your admission to our Hero Sect for cultivation is solely due to your family's substantial offerings. Ha, it's only right and proper for you lowly ones to venerate our Protoss. Now, hand over the red crystal!" The man in the brocade robe demanded audaciously, showing no regard for the Hero Sect's rule against unwarranted oppression among sect members.

"Senior brother, your argument lacks fairness," Xu Tianzhi retorted, his eyebrows lifting subtly. Protected by the sect's prohibition on infighting, he stood his ground without fear.

"Ha!" The brocade-robed man let out an enraged shout, his eyes bulging with fury. Energy pulsed from within him, cascading over his skin, which soon took on a metallic white sheen.

The surge of spiritual energy transformed his skin, significantly bolstering his body's defenses and raw power. Clearly, this man had reached the Body Quenching Stage. As a member of the Protoss with a fraction of divine force awakened, he would likely overpower even those at the ordinary Foundation Stage.

With a swift "Whoosh!" the man lunged forward, aiming a fierce palm strike at Xu Tianzhi's forehead. As his palm descended, the air compressed with immense force, and a rapid succession of explosive cracks resounded above Xu Tianzhi's head.

"Damn, he's actually attacking!" Xu Tianzhi inwardly cursed, swiftly ducking and sidestepping to the right, narrowly evading the blow.

"Boom!" A thunderous crash erupted from behind, sending shivers down Xu Tianzhi's spine as he whipped around to see the source of the commotion. A massive tree, so wide it took two people to embrace it, had been snapped in half by a single palm strike from the man in the embroidered robe! The sight that followed was even more bone-chilling: the top half of the tree had been sent flying dozens of yards away, while the bottom half, roots and all, clung to a chunk of earth as large as a house, yanked from the ground like an enormous radish by an unimaginable force. The power on display was truly terrifying.

"Damn it, he's really going for the kill!" Xu Tianzhi inwardly cursed the man in the brocade robe's ancestors back to the eighteenth generation, a sure sign of his deep-seated anger. He quickly rummaged through his storage ring and pulled out several items.

"Senior Brother, let's talk this through, no need for violence!" Xu Tianzhi pleaded, his voice tinged with both fear and urgency. With a flick of his wrist, a pouch materialized in his hand, radiating a potent essence of fire spirit energy. "Senior Brother, it's just some red crystals, right? Take them, please."