NOVEL NEXT Stronger Opponent
With the bandit leader dead, his quest here is done. But Brax feels a little unsatisfied by the outcome.
He expected himself to be pushed so that he could have an understanding of his own limits, but he was a little too strong for this bandit leader.
'I at least got a rough estimation,' he thinks as he should be able to put up a fight against a 7th-stage foundation-establishing cultivator.
Brax looks around and sees a few bandits still alive, looking at Brax with terrified expressions. And why wouldn't they be terrified of Brax? He just killed their boss with ease.
As they see Brax looking at them, they turn their backs and try to flee, but it's all futile. They don't even know what hit them before getting sliced by a Qi blade.
Brax ended them with one swing of his dagger.
The bandits' situation is dealt with. "Now the riches," Brax says as he looks around the bandit camp. Compared to Farco's house, this small camp has way more riches.
With so many precious items already out in the open, he wonders what he can find inside the tents.
But before he can even take a step to check his potential loot, his danger senses immediately flare up.
Brax instantly turns his body to the left and takes a step back as he feels a cold sensation brush right below his left eye. Brax feels his blood drip down his cheek but his attention is completely on the man that just attacked him.
An old man stands in front of Brax with a thin saber in his hand. Brax immediately recognizes the old man as his face is similar to the corpse he found in Farco's residence. This old man in front of him is wearing Farco's skin.
"I was expecting you," Brax says and smiles at Farco, but his smile doesn't say everything he is thinking.
The fake Farco frowns upon hearing Brax. He notices that Brax is just a 7th-stage Qi condensation cultivator. 'He is hiding his strength,' He concludes as it is the only logical explanation, or else Brax wouldn't have been able to dodge his attack.
Brax too is studying the fake in front of him, but he isn't getting anything. This is the second time Brax couldn't read the cultivation of a cultivator, meaning that the person in front of him is way above his league.
'It's good that I over-prepared' Brax thinks as he anticipated something like this could happen. The chances of Brax encountering a cultivator that is above his league in this small mortal village is extremely low, around five percent. But after his unwanted death in his previous world, Brax is a little more cautious now.
"Who are you?" the fake Farco asks.
"Shouldn't I be asking that question to you? You went out of your way to put on this elaborate scheme. Putting on a mask of a former eleven mountain sect cultivator, faking a bandit attack on a village to draw out a sect cultivator. Hiring bandits to do nothing with them. What are you planning, exactly?" Brax asks.
Brax might be an intellectual genius and he did figure out that he is being pulled into a trap, but he is not a seer. He can't read people's minds. The only thing he can do right now is observe, plan, adapt, and execute.
"Now that it's just you and me, why don't you lose that mask and introduce yourself," Brax says.
Fake Farco doesn't answer. He keeps staring at Brax with his cold, ruthless eyes. He is still trying to figure out Brax. 'Why is this brat so confident right now? Does he think he can take me on?' Farco questions.
'But why would such a strong cultivator accept such a small quest? I expected at most a 7th-stage Qi cultivator, but this brat is clearly stronger even though his cultivation says otherwise.
Did the eleven mountain sects figure out our plan, and that is why they sent this brat here? No, that's not possible. Only a few elders are aware of the plan. Unless... there is a traitor among us,' The fake Farco's thoughts run wild.
"Come on, I am waiting," Brax speaks up again. "No need for me to reveal myself to a dead man," The fake Farco finally speaks up and instantly attacks Brax with a swift thrust.
Since this man is a lightweight saber user, his speed is incredible. He instantly closes the distance between himself and Brax.
Brax's pupils constrict as the tip of a saber is inches away from his face and on the very last second, Brax changes level and crouches down a little, dodging the saber thrust. His hand flares up with raging flames and he goes for a counter overhand right with full power.
Fake Farco never seen such a movement, gets caught off guard and Brax's flaming fist smashes into Farco's face.
Farco is immediately sent shooting towards the biggest tent, tearing through its fabric.
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Inside the tent, the caged-up girl is on high alert from the moment she heard that loud explosion. Suddenly a body comes flying, tearing through the tent's wall, and crashes against her cage.
The girl sees the man and immediately recognizes him. It's the man who is masquerading as her father.
"~ARRRGGGG~" she hears the man scream as his face is being burnt by fire. The man has no other option but to put all his effort into putting out the fire and, in doing so, his disguise fades away. Revealing a decent-looking middle-aged man with sharp facial features.
The girl can see extreme rage in the man's eyes as half of his face is burnt. He immediately shoots up and bolts out, leaving the girl confused.
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Brax didn't expect the success, but it did happen, too bad he didn't get much time to rejoice as a middle-aged man with a half-burnt face immediately bolts out of the tent with lethal intent.
Brax immediately infuses his dagger with a lot of Qi to enforce it and blocks the saber swing directed towards him.
He instantly feels the power disparity between him and his opponent. Brax's dagger shatters and he is blasted away several meters back.
The middle-aged man doesn't stop. He continues his assault with raging intensity following a lethal thrust.
Seeing that ordinary weapons are of no use, Brax can only rely on his body. His mind becomes hyper-focus as his multitasking ability is put on hold. All his trains of thought are now focused on this singular being.
Brax needs this because he cannot allow himself to make mistakes against a much stronger opponent.