Cultivator of the Shattered Heavens

4.Plow Kick: 3 Weaknesses

Hook:

The forest breathed. It wasn't a metaphor. In the silence broken by insect chirps and the hiss of the night wind, Lin Feng could hear its breath. Every leaf, every root, every small stream flowing in the distance emitted a rhythmic pattern of energy, a symphony of life guided by his Deconstruction Eye.

He sat cross-legged on a mossy rock, twenty meters from where the teleportation had dumped them. Chen slept soundly between the roots of a large tree, exhaustion and trauma finally winning. His thin body rose and fell regularly. The burns on his hand, beneath the leaf bandage Lin Feng had roughly applied, emitted a faint healing energy. The Deconstruction Eye showed his intervention had worked; the meridian damage had stabilized.

But Lin Feng's attention wasn't on Chen, or even on the deep fatigue that made his bones feel like chalk. His attention was on the Blueprint now blazing in his mind.

"Shattered Heaven Refining Art - Basic Level (Fragment)"

Since the parchment dissolved into his consciousness, information had flowed, a river of cold, logical knowledge. This was no ordinary cultivation technique full of poetic language and mystical metaphors. It was a technical manual. A protocol.

Lin Feng closed his physical eyes, fully immersed in the world of the Deconstruction Eye. Before him, a diagram of his own body was displayed, more detailed than ever. His twelve main meridians shone like muddy rivers, clogged with black sediment of Spirit Dust and the knots of congenital flaws. In the center, in the heart region, the Heaven's Core Shard pulsed like a miniature purple sun, radiating pure yet wild Primal energy.

The Blueprint offered a path.

Principle #1: Selective Deconstruction. Instead of trying to blast through blockages with brute force—a method requiring spirit stones and often damaging—this technique taught using Primal energy to "deconstruct" the blockage itself. Breaking it down into its harmless energetic components, which could then be absorbed or expelled.

Principle #2: Patterned Reconstruction. After a meridian segment was cleared, Primal energy was used to "re-print" the meridian walls according to the optimal energy efficiency patterns stored within the Shard. It was like replacing a clogged clay pipe with a smooth crystal one.

Principle #3: Fracture Energy Assimilation. The technique was specifically designed to draw in and process "Fracture Energy"—the toxic, unstable energy leaking from the Celestial Fracture—transforming it into fuel for the deconstruction and reconstruction processes. It was a near-limitless resource in this broken world, but deadly to traditional cultivators.

Lin Feng took a deep breath and decided to try. He focused on the meridian most in need: the Lung Meridian - Heart Connector. The channel was vital for breath and energy circulation, and was still lightly contaminated. If he could fully open it, his capacity would surge.

With steely resolve, he directed a thread of Primal energy from the Shard, thin as a silk filament, toward the first blockage in that meridian. As the energy touched the hardened black Spirit Dust deposit, his Deconstruction Eye automatically activated.

[Meridian Blockage - Analysis:]

· Composition: Calcified Spirit Dust + Dead epithelial cells + Excess Yin Qi.

· Structure: Layered, with a weak point at the interface of layers 2 and 3.

· Suggested Deconstruction Method: Low-frequency resonance (8.1 kHz) to loosen bonds, followed by gradual energetic dissociation.

Lin Feng followed the internal instructions. He modulated his Primal energy, making it "vibrate" at the precise frequency. Within his body, a strange sensation arose—not pain, but a deep itch, as if something tightly adhered was being loosened. He maintained it. Slowly, the outer layer of the deposit began to crumble into fine energetic dust particles.

Then, carefully, he began to "dissolve" those particles with Primal energy, turning them into a neutral cloud which was then absorbed by his own Shard for reprocessing.

Progress: 1%... 5%... 12%...

It was agonizingly slow. Exhausting. Every percentage point required full concentration. Lin Feng lost track of time. Sweat soaked his thin frame, but he felt something he never had before: progress. With each particle removed, a faint sensation of flow, like cool air moving through a passage clogged for centuries, grew stronger.

After perhaps an hour, he reached 45% clearance. He was nearing the peak point. But suddenly, a warning from the Deconstruction Eye froze his blood.

[Warning: Excess Fracture Energy Detected.]

· Source: Celestial Fracture (Crimson Branch - East). Primary distortive energy wave.

· Arrival Time: 12 minutes, 34 seconds.

· Nature: Gamma-Spiritual Wave. Effect on living beings: Accelerated mutation, spiritual agitation, meridian damage to the unprotected.

· Suggestion: Seek shelter or activate Primal Energy Defense.

Lin Feng's eyes snapped open. Twelve minutes! He looked to the sky. The crimson branch in the east now looked brighter, more vicious, like a vein pulsing with fiery blood. The forest's sound changed. Insect chirps grew louder, more chaotic. In the distance, a bird shrieked in an unnatural pitch.

"Chen! Wake up!" Lin Feng shook his friend's shoulder.

Chen awoke with a start. "What? What's happening?"

"Energy storm incoming. We need shelter. Now!"

They scrambled. Lin Feng's Deconstruction Eye swept the surroundings. He needed something solid, something with mass to absorb the energy radiation. A cave, a large rock cleft...

[Environmental Analysis:]

· Nearest Features: Small river (inadequate). Dense tree cluster (minimal protection). Anomaly: 200 meters northwest - large rock formation, composition: high granite with iron inclusions. Detail: Shows signs of internal cavity.

"There!" Lin Feng pulled Chen, and they ran through the underbrush, their feet sinking into the damp soil.

The rock formation was a small granite outcrop overgrown with vines. But Lin Feng's Deconstruction Eye saw it: a hidden crevice behind a curtain of hanging roots, barely body-width. Without hesitation, they slipped inside.

Inside was a small, dark cave, perhaps a former den of a large animal. The air was stale, but safe. They had just entered when the world outside changed.

There was no sound. Just a pressure.

It came like an invisible wall, pushing the air from their lungs. Lin Feng felt it in his bones, in his teeth—a high-frequency vibration that pierced. Then, light. Through the entrance crack, a crimson glow swept the forest, not like ordinary light but like a liquid, painting everything in hues of blood and violet shadow.

Chen screamed, covering his ears, blood trickling from his nose. Lin Feng felt a crushing pressure in his head. But the Heaven's Core Shard in his chest flared angrily. Primal energy flowed out, forming a thin sheath around them, a protective bubble that vibrated under the Fracture energy assault.

[Primal Defense: Active.]

· Fracture Energy Absorption: 12 units/second.

· Conversion to Primal Energy: Efficiency 8%.

· Warning: Absorption rate exceeds processing capacity. Excess energy detected. Options: Vent to environment (explosion risk) or channel into cultivation cycle.

The cultivation cycle! The Shattered Heaven Refining Art!

With no other choice, Lin Feng sat back down, forcing himself to focus amidst the sensory storm. He directed the incoming flood of Fracture energy—coarse, wild, and damaging—toward the Shard. Instead of repelling it, the Shard opened to it, like a thirsty mouth, and began processing it. It felt like swallowing fire laced with shards of glass.

But the Blueprint worked. The conversion patterns embedded in the Shard began turning the chaotic crimson Fracture energy into more pure, though still turbulent, Primal energy. This newly converted energy he then channeled back into the meridian he was cleansing.

The effect: The deconstruction process skyrocketed. 50%... 65%... 80%!

It was too fast, too harsh. Lin Feng felt his meridian was about to tear, being scoured with high-pressure sand. But he held on, relying on the Deconstruction Eye to monitor every millimeter, directing the energy to prevent damage.

With an almost palpable rumble, the final blockage in the Lung Meridian - Heart Connector was cleared.

[Achievement: First Major Meridian Fully Opened.]

· Effect: Breathing capacity +200%. Qi circulation efficiency +150%. Physical stamina +50%.

· Shard Synchronization Level: Increased to 25%.

The crimson Fracture energy wave began to recede as swiftly as it came. The pressure vanished. The light faded back to the usual dual moonlight. A deafening quiet blanketed the forest.

Lin Feng gasped, his body drenched, but feeling... strong. For the first time in his life, he drew a long breath without pain, without a wheeze. The air felt sweet and alive in his lungs. Energy circulated freely along the newly opened meridian, a pleasant electric sensation.

He looked at Chen. His friend was pale, trembling, but didn't seem severely injured. "What... what was that?" Chen mumbled.

"The heavens," Lin Feng rasped, "are dying loudly." He stood, his newly strong legs supporting him easily. "We need to move. That wave will have drawn attention, and we need water, food."

They exited the cave. The forest had changed. The vegetation looked more... vicious. Leaves glistened with a sticky fluid, flowers emitted oddly pulsating bioluminescent light. In the distance, an unnatural howl—not a wolf, something with too many vocal cords—echoed.

The world was evolving. And they were in it, unprepared.

Their trek through the rest of the night was tense. Lin Feng's Deconstruction Eye became their sentinel. He identified edible berries (Analysis: High nutrition, contains 0.1 unit Fracture Energy - tolerable), avoided heavily contaminated streams (Toxicity Level: Lethal), and detected the presence of small mutated creatures hiding in the foliage.

As dawn broke, the dual moonlight fading replaced by pale sunlight through the canopy, they found what they sought: a settlement.

Not a city, not even a proper village. It was an outpost, a cluster of twenty wood and mud huts surrounded by a crude wooden palisade. Smoke curled from a few chimneys. A sagging wooden board at the gate read: "Half-Moon Outpost - Trade, Information, Protection (Pay Upfront)."

It was a bolt-hole, a trading spot for hunters, herbal gatherers, and perhaps fugitives like them. Lin Feng could see a few armed men on the palisade, watching the forest.

"People," Chen whispered, his voice full of hope. "They can help."

"Or sell us back to the Verdant Vine Sect for a bounty," Lin Feng replied calmly. His Deconstruction Eye swept the outpost. He saw five aura signatures—Qi Refinement level cultivators, all at stage 2 or 3. One of them, a large man with an axe on his back, was at stage 4. None approached Foundation Establishment. They could handle him... maybe.

But they needed information. A map. And most crucially, they needed spirit stones. The currency of the cultivation world. Even with his new technique, pure spirit stones would greatly accelerate his cultivation and were needed for transactions.

"We go in," Lin Feng decided. "But we act as lost herbal gatherers. Don't mention the mine. Don't mention... this." He tapped his chest where the Shard lay hidden.

They approached the gate. A guard with a scarred face and narrow eyes watched them. "Halt. Business at Half-Moon?"

"We got separated from our herbal gathering party," Lin Feng said, making his voice sound weary and scared. "Attacked by beasts. Need a place to rest, buy supplies."

The guard eyed them—their ragged clothes, thin frames, Chen's bandaged hand. His eyes gleamed with easily read greed. "Entry f*e. One low-grade spirit stone fragment per person. Or equivalent goods."

Lin Feng frowned. They had nothing. But then, his ever-active Deconstruction Eye saw something on the guard's belt. A knife with a bone handle. And in that handle, a small inclusion... a rough, uncut spirit stone the size of a fingernail, set as decoration. Its value was probably a few fragments.

"We lost everything," Lin Feng said, feigning desperation. "But... how about information? We heard there was... an energy anomaly to the east. What happened?"

The guard's face changed. "You felt last night's wave too, eh? Everyone did. None of your business, kid. Pay or leave."

It was a dead end. But Lin Feng noticed something. The guard's mannerisms. As he spoke, his hand reflexively touched his knife's handle, his fingers tapping the rough stone. A nervous habit. And his posture... Deconstruction Eye analyzed.

[Subject Analysis: Gate Guard]

· Cultivation Level: Qi Refinement Stage 2.

· Technique: Basic, poorly trained.

· Weakness #1: Balance. Weight over-relies on right leg due to old injury in left hip (Analysis: badly set fracture). A 15 cm forward shift would unbalance him.

· Weakness #2: Visual blind spot. Right eye has early-stage cataract. Right peripheral vision reduced by 40%.

· Weakness #3: Reaction time. Nerve reflexes in left arm are 0.2 seconds slower due to old stab wound scar on shoulder.

Three weaknesses. Displayed as clearly as a diagram before Lin Feng.

In an instant, a plan formed. Not a good plan, but the only one they had.

"Alright, alright," Lin Feng said, raising his hands in surrender. He took an exaggerated step back, as if to leave, then pretended to trip over a root. "Oof!"

He fell forward, right into the guard's visual blind spot.

"Hey! Watch it—" the guard began, his good (right) arm reaching to shove Lin Feng.

But Lin Feng was already moving. Not to attack, but to distract. As he fell, his hand swept the ground, throwing a handful of dust and gravel at the guard's healthy left eye.

"Bastard!" the guard snarled, reflexively turning his head and shutting his left eye—relying fully on his problematic right eye.

This was the moment.

Lin Feng, seemingly falling, used his left hand to push off the ground. He shot forward, not standing up, but like a snake, his newly strong leg sweeping the guard's right leg—precisely where his weight rested.

Weakness #1: Exploited.

The guard staggered, his balance lost. With watering eyes and wobbling stance, he threw a crude right hook.

Lin Feng saw it coming. Slowly. He let it get close, then, at the last moment, twisted his torso. The fist sailed past his shoulder. And because the guard was already off-balance, the swing made him over-commit further.

Now, the guard's left arm was wide open, swinging for balance. But it was the arm with the slow reflexes.

Weakness #3: Exploited.

Lin Feng didn't punch. That would make noise. Instead, he used two fingers, tipped with a wisp of Primal energy, and stabbed a small pressure point in the guard's armpit—a point that, according to the Deconstruction Eye, connected directly to the nerve slowing the arm.

Zap!

A brief, sharp electric sensation. The guard's left arm stiffened like wood, going completely numb for two precious seconds.

That was all Lin Feng needed.

With a swift motion borrowed from memories of watching guards train, he snatched the knife from the guard's belt. Not to stab, but to use the hilt. He reversed the knife and with its bone hilt, tapped a point behind the guard's ear—a point that, according to analysis, would cause brief unconsciousness without permanent damage.

Tok!

The guard's eyes rolled back, and he crumpled like a felled tree, collapsing unconscious where he stood.

The entire exchange took less than eight seconds. Silent. Efficient.

Chen was dumbstruck, mouth agape. "What—how—"

"No time. Help me hide him," Lin Feng ordered. They quickly dragged the unconscious body behind a nearby bush, out of sight. Lin Feng took the knife and, carefully, used the blade to pry the rough spirit stone from its hilt. The dull green stone was warm in his palm. Its value was perhaps a few fragments, enough for entry.

But his Deconstruction Eye, upon seeing the stone, offered more.

[Rough Spirit Stone (Wood/Earth Aspected)]

· Purity: 31%.

· Extractable Energy: ~5 units.

· Inclusion Analysis: Contains traces of "Fracture Spore" - a type of energy fungus growing in Fracture zones. Note: Spores can be purified into "Fracture Essence Concentrate", a valuable component for certain Formations or Pills. Market Value (Estimated): 3x value of ordinary spirit stone if processed.

Information. Opportunity. This was how the Deconstruction Eye could be used—not just for combat, but for appraising value.

They entered the outpost calmly, trying to blend in. The place was grimy and busy. The smell of sweat, cooked meat, and something sweet and alien—perhaps "Fracture-herbs"—filled the air. A few people glanced at them, but none immediately suspicious. They looked like unlucky herbal gatherers, nothing more.

First goal: A map. They found a wooden notice board. There, among notices for monster hunts and herb requests, was a crude map drawn on hide.

Map of the "Broken Ridge" Region:

· Current Location: Half-Moon Outpost (marked).

· West: Verdant Vine Mountains (the mining area! Marked with a skull and crossbones - "Forbidden Zone, Toxic").

· East: "The Crimson Scratch" (New Fracture! Marked with a pulsating red line - "High Danger Zone, Mutation, Resources Unknown").

· North: City of "Whispering Willow" (3 days travel - "Market, Minor Sects, Relative Safety").

· South: "Fungal Wilds" (marked with mushroom drawings - "Source of Rare Herbs, Poisonous Creatures").

Whispering Willow. That was their destination. A city meant crowds to hide in, a market to sell goods, and access to wider information.

"You two, new here?" A gruff voice came from behind them.

Lin Feng turned. It was the large man with the axe he'd detected earlier—the stage 4 cultivator. He had a scruffy beard and X-ray eyes that scanned them, lingering on Chen's bandaged hand, then their ragged clothes.

"Yes, sir. Herbal gatherers," Lin Feng said, bowing slightly.

"Herbal gatherers with energy burns?" the man snorted, disbelieving. "And the two of you... look like runaways from somewhere." He stepped closer, his scent of liquor and sweat pungent. "Verdant Vine Sect posted a notice. Looking for two escaped slave boys. Bounty: twenty whole spirit stones for both, alive. Ten for the corpses."

Lin Feng's heart pounded. But he kept calm. His Deconstruction Eye activated.

[Subject Analysis: Axe Hunter]

· Name (From Belt Buckle): "Borg"

· Cultivation Level: Qi Refinement Stage 4.

· Weapon: Iron-Steel Axe (weight: 25 kg, balance: poor, micro-cracks in haft).

· Technique: "Mountain Splitter Axe Art" - Crude, relies on brute force. Weakness: Slow recovery after powerful swings. Stiff-legged due to over-reliance on upper body strength.

· Weakness #1: Right shoulder joint inflamed (old arthritis). Rotation limited.

· Weakness #2: Tunnel vision. Over-focuses on immediate target, ignores surroundings.

· Weakness #3: Addiction. Nervous system impaired by frequent "Dream Moss" consumption. Mental reaction time slowed by 0.3 seconds.

Borg smiled, showing yellow teeth. "Twenty spirit stones. A year's drinking. You got an alibi?"

People around were starting to pay attention. Several hands drifted toward weapons.

Lin Feng knew dialogue was over. Borg had already decided. He was just seeking confirmation, or perhaps the thrill of the hunt.

"Chen," Lin Feng whispered. "When I move, run north, out the gate. Don't stop."

"But—"

"RUN!"

Lin Feng moved. But not at Borg. He attacked the environment.

With the rough spirit stone in hand, he channeled a tiny amount of Primal energy into it, not to absorb, but to disrupt. The stone vibrated, then with a small pop, exploded into sharp shards and a cloud of green energetic dust—the dispersed "Fracture Spores"!

Borg, with his tunnel vision, focused solely on Lin Feng and didn't expect this. The spore dust scattered into his face. He coughed, his eyes stinging.

"You little—!" he growled, swinging his axe blindly.

Lin Feng was already not there. He had dove sideways, using his analysis of Borg's stiff legs. He didn't enter the axe's range; he stayed at its edge. As the heavy axe slammed into the ground (and was bogged by debris), Borg was pulled forward to yank it back.

This was the moment of slow recovery.

Lin Feng shot in. Not toward Borg, but toward the nearest table where a group of men were drinking. With a quick kick focused by Primal energy (his new understanding of force concentration), he kicked the table leg.

CRACK!

The table collapsed, spilling cups and plates toward Borg, further distracting and obstructing.

Borg cursed, wiping his eyes. He saw Lin Feng now standing in open space, as if taunting. Enraged, Borg hefted his axe again, swinging it sideways—a swing requiring full shoulder rotation.

Weakness #1: Exploited.

Lin Feng didn't retreat. He stepped in, inside the swing's arc. As Borg's shoulder rotated, reaching its inflamed limit, there was a split-second of tension, a flicker of pain causing a slight hitch.

0.3 seconds. It was enough.

Lin Feng ducked, the great axe whistling over his head. Then, he used his hand, suffused with Primal energy, and slapped a point on Borg's axe-holding elbow.

It wasn't a hard blow. But it was a precise one, at the exact angle, with energy that disrupted the local Qi flow in the joint.

The fingers of Borg's axe hand suddenly stiffened. His grip loosened.

The 25 kg axe, still in the momentum of the swing, slipped from his grasp!

It flew across the outpost, smashing a liquor barrel before embedding itself in a hut wall with a splintering crash.

Borg stared, looking at his empty hand, then at Lin Feng. Pure rage suffused his face. "I'LL TEAR YOU APART—"

But Lin Feng was already done. He didn't need victory; he needed escape. As Borg charged weaponless, his mental reaction time slowed by rage and addiction, Lin Feng did something simple.

He picked up a spirit stone fragment from the ground, and threw it. Not at Borg. But at an oil lantern hanging near a stack of dry hay.

Clink... smash... whoosh!

Flame ignited, licking the hay. Smoke began to billow.

"FIRE!" someone yelled.

Chaos. Everyone who was watching now scrambled, shouting, trying to douse the flames or save their goods.

In the confusion, Lin Feng saw Chen had reached the gate. He himself turned and sprinted, joining Chen. They ran out of the Half-Moon Outpost, back into the forest, this time heading north, toward Whispering Willow.

They ran for an hour before daring to stop, hiding under a rocky overhang.

Chen was panting, laughing a hysterical, breathless laugh. "You... you saw his face? His axe flew! I can't believe it!"

Lin Feng didn't laugh. He looked back the way they came. He had used his Deconstruction Eye in real combat for the first time. He had identified weaknesses and exploited them with deadly precision. But it had only worked against low-level cultivators, and barely.

He took out the rough spirit stone from his pocket. The dull green stone. But in his eyes, it was more than currency. It was an example. This world was full of resources others misvalued, but that he could fully comprehend.

The Fracture wave had created a new danger zone in the east—"The Crimson Scratch". But where there was danger, there was also opportunity. Mutant herbs, rare minerals, perhaps even "Fracture Spores" he could purify.

He needed power. He needed resources. And he needed a safe place to practice.

[Shard Synchronization Level: 26%]

Blueprint Discovered: "Basic Purification Array Schematic" (Inferred from Fracture Spore analysis). Principle: Uses geometric energy patterns to filter impurities from energy-infused materials.

An idea began to form. He couldn't trade in ordinary spirit stones. But what if he could create a new product? What if he could purify Fracture-contaminated materials into valuable components needed by pill refiners and artifact crafters?

That required knowledge, practice, and seed capital.

He looked north. Whispering Willow. A city with a market.

Cliffhanger/Plot Development:

They arrived at the forest's edge, looking into a valley. There, protected by simple wood and stone walls, lay the City of Whispering Willow. Larger than the outpost, home to perhaps thousands. Smoke from hundreds of hearths rose into the sky. He could see windmills, a temple, and a bustling market district even from a distance.

But what caught Lin Feng's attention wasn't the city itself.

Outside the walls, on a small hill, a makeshift market had sprung up. Dozens of tents and stalls, surrounded by carts and crowds. And many of those people were cultivators, some with auras stronger than Borg's. They sold weapons, armor, bottles, sacks of herbs... and fragments of purple meteorite.

Last night's Fracture wave had caused a local "fallout". Small Heaven's Core Shards, perhaps the size of marbles or coins, had scattered in the area. And treasure hunters and merchants were already capitalizing.

But Lin Feng's Deconstruction Eye, as he focused, could see something else. Many of the "shards" being sold were fakes—ordinary stones infused with Fracture energy residue. The real ones, though small and unstable, were being sold at high prices to unsuspecting buyers.

Amidst the crowd, he saw an old merchant with a gray beard arguing with a young cultivator. On the merchant's table lay three purple stones. Two were forgeries. But the third... the third was real. And not just that. Deconstruction Eye analyzed it.

[Heaven's Core Shard (Micro-Fragment) - Stable]

· Contained Law Pattern: "Minor Kinetic Energy Redirection".

· Intrinsic Value: High for Lin Feng (can be assimilated for comprehension). Market Value: 15-20 Pure Spirit Stones (if recognized).

· Note: Merchant unaware of its true nature; he classifies it as "Fracture-charmed stone" for decorative artifacts, value: 3 Spirit Stones.

Lin Feng's heart raced. Before him lay a marketplace full of ignorance. He had the ability to see the true value behind the deceit. He had the rough spirit stone he could sell for a few fragments. It was seed capital.

But there was more. At the end of the market, a large notice board was plastered with posters. One of them, printed with the familiar seal of the Verdant Vine Sect, depicted two crude but recognizable sketched faces: His and Chen's. Text below: "FUGITIVES. Thieving Slaves. Bounty: 20 WHOLE Spirit Stones. Contact: Verdant Vine Overseer's Office, Southern District."

They were already here. The hunt had reached the city.

Lin Feng pulled Chen back into the tree shadows. "We can't enter like this. We need disguises. And we need a plan."

He looked at the bustling market, then at the bounty poster of himself. A thin smile touched his lips. The world might be full of dangers and enemies. But it was also full of inefficiencies and misvaluations. And with the Deconstruction Eye, he was the one who could see it all.

He would start here. In this market. With one rough spirit stone and the ability to see the weakness in everything, he would begin his true journey. Not just as a fugitive, but as an arbiter of true value in a collapsing world.