Kai felt the hostile stares long before the ambush was sprung. Ever since his rapid advancement, the background radiation of jealousy and suspicion had intensified. Zhang Long's particular brand of burning hatred was almost palpable whenever their paths crossed. Kai knew another confrontation was likely, and he had prepared accordingly. His hidden 'shop' near the woodshed was convenient, but also a predictable vulnerability.

  As he left the woodshed that evening, having just concluded a transaction for an 'Illumination Stone', his senses, sharpened by his Level 5 cultivation, picked up furtive movements in the deepening shadows among the trees. Five distinct energy signatures, three at Level 4, two at Level 2. Zhang Long, predictable as ever, and he’d brought friends this time. Heishi and Ma Feng – known troublemakers.

  Kai didn't panic. He subtly accessed the system interface. His point balance, after paying off the debt and careful reinvestment, hovered around 80 points. Enough for some tactical expenditures.

  Activate Minor Combat Assistance Module!

  [Module Activated. Predicts basic attack vectors, enhances reflexes (+10%), optimizes Qi flow for combat maneuvers. Cost: 10 System Points per minute.]

  [System Points Balance: 70]

  A cool clarity settled over his mind. The module didn't fight for him, but it processed information faster, highlighting potential threats and suggesting optimal responses like a subtle tactical overlay in his vision. His reflexes felt heightened, his connection to his own Qi more immediate.

  "There he is! Get him!" Zhang Long burst from the trees, Heishi flanking him on one side, Ma Feng on the other, while Wang Tao and Li Chen scrambled out behind them, trying to cut off any retreat. They fanned out, attempting to encircle him.

  They expected fear, maybe a desperate attempt to flee. Instead, Kai stood his ground, a strange, almost bored expression on his face. From his dimension storage, he materialized an object – not a sword, but a sleek black rod, about a foot long, with metallic contacts at the tip. His 'Lightning Spirit Wand'.

  Activate Lightning Spirit Wand (High Voltage Taser)! Cost: 75 Points for initial charge/materialization - Already Paid during previous purchase/preparation.

  [Lightning Spirit Wand Ready. Charge Level: 100%.]

  Heishi, relying on brute strength, charged straight in, bellowing, aiming a powerful fist strike enhanced with thick, earthy Qi. The Combat Module highlighted the linear trajectory. Kai sidestepped easily – his agility already decent at Level 5, now enhanced by the module – letting Heishi's momentum carry him slightly past. As Heishi turned, surprised by the easy dodge, Kai jabbed the 'Lightning Spirit Wand' into his exposed flank.

  ZZZZZAAAAAPPPP!

  A bright blue arc of electricity crackled. Heishi let out a strangled roar as high voltage surged through his body. His muscles locked, his eyes rolled back, and the burly Level 4 cultivator crashed to the ground, twitching uncontrollably, completely incapacitated.

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  One down. Four remaining stared in shock. What was that artifact? Demonic lightning?

  Ma Feng reacted next, living up to his name ('Horse Wind'). He darted in from the side, launching a series of rapid kicks aimed at Kai's legs and torso, his movements blurring slightly. The Combat Module tracked the attack vectors, suggesting parries and evasions. Kai flowed backwards, using minimal movements to deflect or avoid the strikes, his system-enhanced reflexes just barely keeping pace with the Level 4 speed specialist.

  Seeing Ma Feng occupy Kai, Zhang Long roared and charged again, fists glowing with Qi. Wang Tao and Li Chen hesitantly moved in as well, trying to overwhelm Kai with numbers.

  This was Kai's opening. He allowed one of Ma Feng's kicks to connect glancingly with his forearm (protected by his robes and dense Level 5 Qi), using the impact to pivot sharply. He lashed out not with a fist, but with a technique learned from the Earth Knowledge Archive – a precise, open-palm strike aimed directly at Zhang Long's throat as he charged in.

  Zhang Long, expecting a Qi-based block, was caught completely off guard by the targeted, vulnerable-point attack. Kai's palm connected – not with lethal force, but enough to disrupt his breathing and momentarily stun him. Zhang Long gagged, stumbling back, clutching his throat.

  In that same instant, Kai spun, the Lightning Wand flashing out again. He didn't target Ma Feng, who was already reacting defensively, but instead swept the wand across the chests of Wang Tao and Li Chen who were rushing in blindly.

  ZZZAP! ZZZAP!

  Two more yelps, two more bodies hitting the dirt, convulsing weakly. The sheer unexpectedness and effectiveness of the 'Lightning Wand' was terrifying.

  Now it was just Kai facing Ma Feng and a winded, furious Zhang Long. Ma Feng, seeing his allies drop like flies to the strange lightning weapon, looked distinctly nervous, his rapid attacks becoming more hesitant.

  "What is that thing?!" Zhang Long rasped, his throat still sore.

  Kai didn't answer. He advanced slowly, the tip of the Lightning Wand crackling faintly. The Combat Module highlighted Zhang Long's unstable stance and Ma Feng's flickering gaze towards escape routes.

  "You yield," Kai stated calmly, his voice devoid of its usual deference. "Leave whatever spirit stones you carry as compensation for this disturbance, and you can crawl away."

  Zhang Long bristled, humiliation warring with fear. Ma Feng took an involuntary step back. They had come expecting an easy mugging, a brutal beatdown. Instead, three of them were incapacitated by terrifying lightning, and Kai, wielding the strange artifact, looked utterly unfazed, even dominant. The power dynamic had irrevocably shifted.

  "Never!" Zhang Long roared, gathering his Qi for one last desperate attack.

  Kai sighed. Fine. He dashed forward, not towards Zhang Long, but towards Ma Feng. Ma Feng, startled, tried to unleash another flurry of kicks. Kai ignored them, activating a short burst from the 'Minor Pain Relief Spray' (cost 1 point, rebranded Numbing Dew) from a small canister materialized in his other hand, spraying it towards Ma Feng's face as he closed the distance. Ma Feng recoiled, eyes stinging, momentarily blinded. Kai brushed past him and delivered a swift chop to the back of his neck – another non-cultivator technique aimed at a nerve cluster. Ma Feng crumpled without a sound.

  Now, only Zhang Long remained, standing amidst his fallen comrades, staring at Kai with wide, terrified eyes. Kai raised the Lightning Wand.

  "Last chance, Zhang Long. Compensation. Now."

  Defeated, terrified, and utterly humiliated, Zhang Long threw his meager pouch of spirit stone fragments onto the ground. "Take it! Just… just let me go!"

  Kai deactivated the Combat Module ([Total Cost: 20 Points]). He calmly picked up Zhang Long's pouch, then efficiently relieved the unconscious Heishi, Ma Feng, Wang Tao, and Li Chen of their own fragments. It wasn't a huge amount – maybe 50 fragments total – but it was the principle.

  "Consider this a lesson," Kai said, looking down at the groaning bullies. "The Outer Sect has rules. Even for bottom-feeders." He turned and walked away, leaving them scattered in the dirt, utterly broken and terrified. He hadn't killed anyone, hadn't permanently maimed them, but he had established absolute dominance in a way brute force alone never could. Word of this encounter would spread like wildfire.