Zhang Hao's Experience

Zhang Hao had originally been an ordinary villager from a village in Clearwater Prefecture of the Great Li Dynasty.

When he was fourteen, both his parents died in an accident.

With few blood relatives and none of any influence, he was often bullied by the villagers. Even his family's fields were taken from him.

Left with no other choice, he could only hunt in the mountains to stay alive.

When he was fifteen, Zhang Hao went into the mountains to hunt and accidentally came upon two mortal innate masters fighting to the death over some treasure.

In the end, the two perished together. Hiding nearby, Zhang Hao not only obtained the treasure, but also acquired two Innate Cultivation Methods, one for cultivating the physical body and the other inner force. From then on, he embarked on the path of cultivation.

With the treasure's aid, he reached the innate realm in merely two years. He also happened to meet a cultivator and was fortunate enough to step onto the immortal path. Three years ago, he even forcibly cleared the trial designed by the Azure Cloud Sect and became an Outer Disciple.

From mortal to immortal, his experiences could be called legendary. If he had possessed decent talent as well, he would most likely have gone even farther.

Unfortunately, when his spirit roots were tested, Zhang Hao was found to possess Five-element Spirit Roots—a Pseudo Spirit Root.

Not only was his absorption and refinement of spiritual qi exceedingly slow, but he also required far more spiritual qi to advance than other cultivators. Let alone the cultivation method he practiced, which consumed resources in truly vast quantities.

Had he not possessed that treasure, coupled with the great effort he had spent to become an alchemist, he likely would have had no hope of reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm in this life.

But even though he had cultivated to the Late Qi Refining Stage, his hopes of Foundation Establishment remained exceedingly slim.

After all, the Pill Recipe for the Foundation Establishment Pill was strictly controlled. Zhang Hao had no way of obtaining it through legitimate channels.

Even if he acquired Foundation Establishment Spirit Items such as the Immortal Foundation Fruit, his talent meant that, even with numerous Foundation Establishment Spirit Items, his chance of succeeding in Foundation Establishment was still below fifty percent.

Thus, he could only set his sights on a Foundation Establishment Secret Method. He had even mortgaged several precious spirit herbs before finally getting his hands on it.

Unfortunately, he was not the only one eyeing this method. Though he had been extremely careful to conceal his tracks, he was still found and besieged.

To shake off his pursuers, Zhang Hao had no choice but to use a Second-tier Talisman he had won during the Sect Grand Competition—[Spirit Sun Fire Talisman].

But there were formidable figures among his pursuers as well. Relying on Life-saving Means, they evaded his Fatal Blow and continued their relentless pursuit.

He had even chosen a random direction to flee, only to be blocked by cultivators who had caught wind of the news.

Damn it... If the attributes of my Five Elements Spirit Root were balanced, generating and restraining one another, my talent could have rivaled that of an unparalleled genius with a single spirit root. But my spirit roots are uneven in strength, restraining one another and dragging down my cultivation...

If not for that, why would I have needed to fight over that Foundation Establishment Secret Method and end up in this state?

Seeing the cultivators blocking his path, Zhang Hao could not help but resent his own talent in his heart.

But he had, after all, risen from a mountain village to become the cultivator he was today. His temperament was resolute. The thought merely flashed through his mind before he swiftly steadied himself.

What matters most now is finding an opportunity to break out. I still have a [Purple Thunder Pearl] left from my last Cave Mansion expedition. It can unleash the power of the Foundation Establishment Realm...

But the problem is, these people all have their eyes on me. The moment I make a move, they'll definitely be on guard. Then... hmm?!

Zhang Hao's eyes suddenly widened.

Before him, a Black-robed Cultivator with his back turned abruptly lunged at a Grey-robed Cultivator.

That alone was nothing remarkable, but what happened next made Zhang Hao's jaw drop.

He Had Experienced countless battles between cultivators. They had always involved both sides facing off, using spirit artifacts, talismans, and tricks to clash. Yet this bizarre battle was the first he had ever seen.

Every attack unleashed by the Grey-robed Cultivator was utterly ineffective. The other man even seemed to teleport, vanishing from several meters away and appearing directly before the Grey-robed Cultivator, then snapping his neck alive with his bare hands.

The battle gave him the eerie feeling of an image in a mirror suddenly reaching out and strangling the person standing before it to death!

Ignoring attacks, teleportation, even shifting between the tangible and intangible—were these methods a Qi Refining Stage Cultivator could possess?!

Wait, this is an opportunity! Though shocked, the battle-hardened Zhang Hao quickly came back to his senses and keenly seized upon the opening.

The other party's bizarre methods made everyone present deeply wary. Even though Zhang Hao was their target, they would still have to divert part of their attention.

And that was his opportunity to break out!

Once he leaves the room, the others will instinctively relax. That will be my moment! With that thought, Zhang Hao immediately focused all his attention and fixed his gaze on the Man in Black's movements!

Five meters, six meters, seven meters... ten meters—now! The instant the man reached the edge of the crowd and everyone relaxed inwardly, Zhang Hao made his move with fierce resolve!

Sizzle!

A vast amount of lightning flashed into existence, forming a Ball Lightning in an instant. It continued expanding, swallowing everyone present within only a few seconds!

"Charge!" Zhang Hao bellowed as he braced himself behind his Defense Spirit Artifact!

The [Purple Thunder Pearl] had undergone special refinement, allowing it to avoid harming its user.

As a result, after this attack, everyone inside the room was either dead or injured, while he himself remained in fighting condition and could Take This Opportunity to escape!

As for killing them in return, he discarded that thought the moment it surfaced.

It was not that he did not want to strike back, but every cultivator who had managed to track him here had a trump card up their sleeve. Even severely injured, they would take time to kill. If more people caught up by then, things would become troublesome.

Sizzle!

Zhang Hao sprinted wildly outward.

Residual lightning traced arcs across his Defense Spirit Artifact, scattering sparks amid crackling noise, while charred corpses lay all around him.

With no one stopping him, he swiftly escaped the encirclement.

"Finally, I'm out!" Having escaped the besiegement, even the ever-resolute Zhang Hao could not help revealing a trace of joy.

With a leap, he quickly vanished into the forest.

"Phew—finally safe!"

After escaping some distance, Zhang Hao could not help but let out a long breath.

After all, being hunted down gave one a feeling Similar To walking a tightrope. It truly was not pleasant.

Fortunately, he had finally escaped.

Looking at the breathtaking moonlight, feeling the evening wind brushing past, and listening to the lingering flute melody that suddenly drifted over from afar, the nerves that had been taut from the pursuit could not help but relax.

"This flute melody feels strangely familiar. It feels like the lullaby Mother hummed when I was young," Zhang Hao Muttered, his gaze somewhat unfocused.

However, the Next Moment, his body inexplicably stiffened, because he quickly realized something was wrong.

In this wilderness, where could a flute melody possibly come from?!

And at This Moment, Zhang Hao suddenly felt a bone-chilling coldness from behind him.

His whole body tensed, every hair standing on end as he instinctively turned around.

But unfortunately, it was too late.

Behind him, in a place the moonlight could not reach, a tall, gaunt figure that resembled a ghost had appeared at some unknown time.

Holding the Dark Red Dagger in his hand, he viciously stabbed it toward Zhang Hao's back while Zhang Hao Had Not Yet Had Time To react!

I forgot to tell everyone: this book is not a traditional Mortal Flow story. Later on, professions such as [Heavenly Secret Master] and [Gu Master] may appear, along with antagonists like [Heavenly Demon] and [Asura]. Fellow Daoists who want to read Mortal Flow stories and cannot accept this for the time being may consider leaving. My deepest apologies.