"If you cannot circulate your energy through your secondary elbow node in three heartbeats, put down that iron pike and step back into the coal dust, because I am not taking weak men to the water," Lin Feng barked, his voice carrying a harsh, metallic edge that cut cleanly through the damp thunder of the subterranean river. The lower staging cavern smelled heavily of damp mud, copper oil, and sweat. Deep beneath the sandstone floor of the frontier, a massive underground stream rushed through a cavernous stone channel, its dark water churning against ancient wooden support posts. torchlight flickered against the damp walls, casting sharp, dancing shadows over three hundred men and women sitting cross-legged on the slick gravel paths. They were organized into long, tight rows, their breathing loud and rhythmic as they tried to force their crude spiritual energy through newly modified pathways. The giant Purple Flame Tiger lay stretched

 A sword made of forged steel can be broken on a granite floor, but a blade fashioned from pure, frozen hatred will only sharpen the moment a person loses everything they used to love.The lower staging area of the captured mine sat in dark, heavy shadows, illuminated only by a single iron lamp that swayed gently from a low ceiling beam. Outside the thick stone chamber, three hundred liberated miners were loudly loading heavy crates of raw spirit stones onto wooden carts, their wild chatter mixing with the clatter of iron tools. Inside the small room, the air was dropping into a deep, bone-chilling cold that made the moisture on the sandstone walls freeze in

Five hundred polished iron spears do not make a quiet sound when they hit the dirt together at midnight.The heavy, rhythmic march of disciplined boots vibrated through the narrow, red rock canyon, sending tiny showers of dry red gravel sliding down the sheer sandstone cliffs. High above the canyon floor, three large silk banners fluttered against the cold desert wind, each bearing the glittering silver emblems of the three mid-tier orthodox sects deployed by the Alliance. Bright yellow paper lanterns hung from tall wooden pikes, casting a harsh, artificial light over neat rows of heavily armored soldiers marching in perfect formation. At the front of the column rode three elder captains on tall, armored warhorses, their white silk robes completely spotless despite the thick cloud of dust rising behind them."They brought five hundred men and three elder captains to take back a coal pit, Lin Feng, and their front rank is carrying heavy bronze shields from the inner city," Ye Xue said,

  A single stroke of high-grade wind energy can cut a iron shield in half before the man holding it even hears the air whistle. The wide stone crossing at the mouth of the canyon was littered with broken wagon wheels and smoldering wood, but in the center of the clearing, a twenty-foot circle had been swept clean by a sudden, violent gust of razor-sharp air. The rest of the battle had ground to a sudden halt. On the high rocky ledges, Iron Blade Sun and the Vanguard held their black pikes ready, their breathing heavy as they watched the lone figure standing near the wooden river sign. Ye Xue stood ten paces back, her pale blue frost aura humming softly against her skin while her cold eyes remained locked on the tall, slender man wearing the pristine emerald robes of the high wind pavilion. The giant Purple Flame Tiger growled low in its throat, its purple flames popping nervously as the intense air pressure in the clearing continued to

  Fear is a far more contagious disease than any plague born in the deep sulfur pits of the frontier. The sight of Sword Master Han dropping into the dry red gravel like a hollow sack of old grain shattered whatever military discipline remained among the surviving alliance soldiers. For three seconds, an absolute, suffocating silence hung over the dark stone crossing. The four hundred armored guards of the three mid-tier sects stared at the empty space where their high commander’s green wind aura had burned so brightly just moments before. Their hands trembled against the wooden shafts of their spears, their knees buckled beneath the weight of their iron breastplates, and their eyes darted wildly toward the dark canyon walls. The terrifying image of Lin Feng standing in the pale moonlight, wiping red blood from his chin while black smoke drifted lazily off his bare knuckles, was simply too much for their minds to process.&