Chapter 8: Facing Fabian Cutmore

Words : 1748 Updated : Mar 26th, 2026

The cracking sound that had just echoed through the pagoda was the sound of a barrier giving way, the invisible wall between realms shattering at last. After nearly two years of bitter cultivation, Archie Cutmore finally broke through into the Spiritual Master Realm. Joy lit his face. He rose, rolled his shoulders, and stretched until his joints loosened. Then his figure flickered. With Swimming Steps, he vanished from where he stood and appeared several yards away in an instant. Next, he brought his right hand up, fingers pressed together like a blade, and circulated Fire Cloud Palm. Violent spiritual power surged and compressed in his palm, swelling with a pressure that made the air feel heavy. He did not strike, but he already felt the terror of that palm. "With my strength, I can fight an ordinary Second Level of Spiritual Master head-on." Archie withdrew his hand. A sharp gleam flashed in his eyes. Nearly two years of hard training had done more than push his cultivation into the First Level of Spiritual Master. It had also raised his alchemy to a mid-tier first-rank alchemist. Fire Cloud Art had reached major completion, while Fire Cloud Palm and Swimming Steps had both reached perfection. Even though he had only just stepped into the early stage of the First Level of Spiritual Master, with perfected Fire Cloud Palm and Swimming Steps, even a late-stage First Level of Spiritual Master cultivator would be no match for him. "If I counted it right, seven and a half days should have passed outside. That leaves half a day before my life-and-death duel with Flynn Cutmore." Archie spoke softly to himself. "Perfect. I'll go stretch my legs and find a weaker low-tier second-rank demon beast to warm up on." With a thought, he left the first-floor space of the pagoda and appeared on the outskirts of the Quirby Range. It was deep night. The bright moon hung high, pouring clean light over the land like a layer of silver. Archie checked his bearings and sprinted toward the inner region of the Quirby Range. Low-tier second-rank demon beasts lived there. Only by going deeper could he run into one. An hour later, just as he was about to enter the inner region, a battered black figure suddenly shot out from the depths like an arrow. "Damn you, Archie Cutmore! If it weren't for you, how would this elder have gone into the inner region? How would I have run into an Ironback Wolf and ended up in this miserable state? Once I catch you, I'll skin you alive, tear out your tendons, and grind your bones to dust!" The one cursing was none other than Fabian Cutmore, the third elder of the Cutmore family side branch in Quirby. Three and a half days earlier, Fabian had turned the outskirts of the Quirby Range upside down and still failed to find Archie. So he had forced his way into the inner region to continue the hunt. For the first three days, luck had been on his side. The demon beasts he encountered were only high-tier first-rank, nothing that could threaten him. But last night, he had met a vicious Ironback Wolf. An Ironback Wolf was a low-tier second-rank demon beast, powerful enough to rival a Second Level of Spiritual Master cultivator. The moment Fabian saw it, he turned and fled. The Ironback Wolf refused to let him go and chased him relentlessly. After more than an hour of pursuit, when they were nearly back to the outskirts, the beast finally stopped, letting out an unwilling howl before it gave up and withdrew. When Archie saw Fabian, Fabian saw Archie as well. "You little bastard! I finally caught you!" Fabian's eyes blazed as he laughed wildly. The exhaustion of fleeing vanished from his mind. If he killed Archie, he would not only avenge Timothy Cutmore, he would also earn a reward from Santiago Cutmore. Compared to that, a little fatigue meant nothing. "Bastard," Fabian sneered, staring Archie down. "If you kneel and kill yourself right here, I'll show mercy and leave you a whole corpse!" In his eyes, Archie was still only a Sixth Level of Spiritual Warrior-fish on a chopping block, waiting to be carved. Archie's lips curved into a faint arc. His voice carried a cold edge. "Third Elder, if you kneel and kill yourself right here, I can show mercy too. I'll leave you a whole corpse." Fabian's expression turned instantly grim. His voice dropped, icy and murderous. "I already gave you a chance. You refused it. Don't blame me for being ruthless!" As the words fell, he stomped hard. His body blurred into an afterimage as he charged straight at Archie. His right hand clenched into a fist and drove toward Archie's dantian. He used only half his strength, confident it was more than enough. With his First Level of Spiritual Master cultivation, crushing Archie should have been effortless. Archie felt the force packed into that punch and let a mocking smile flicker across his face. He sank his shoulder and shifted his stance, letting the power flow from shoulder to arm, arm to fist, gathering his entire body's strength into his right hand. Then he smashed forward with everything he had. "A mere Sixth Level of Spiritual Warrior dares trade fists with me?" Fabian scoffed, as if he could already see Archie's hand exploding into pulp. In the next heartbeat, their fists collided in midair. Fabian's face changed. From Archie's punch surged a vast, roaring force, like a flood breaking through a dam. Crack! The sound of bone snapping rang out. Fabian's right fist twisted out of shape on the spot. The bones in his hand shattered. "Ahhh!" Fabian screamed. Before the scream even finished, Archie was already in front of him. A heavy iron fist tore through the air with a low boom and slammed into Fabian's chest. Fabian's pupils shrank. He hurriedly used Swimming Steps to dodge. It was useless. Archie's mastery of Swimming Steps was higher. He caught up in an instant. That ruthless, domineering punch drove straight into Fabian's chest. Pfft! Fabian's throat flooded with sweetness. He spat a mouthful of bright blood, his body flying backward like a kite with its string cut. He crashed into a thick ancient tree. His chest had caved in slightly. That single blow had snapped several ribs, leaving him seriously injured. Fabian staggered to his feet, clutching his chest. Disbelief filled his face. "Your cultivation isn't Sixth Level of Spiritual Warrior. You're First Level of Spiritual Master! How is that possible?" Santiago Cutmore had used a secret method to strip Archie of the Spirit Flame Bloodline, reducing him to a cripple. The fact that Archie had recovered to the Sixth Level of Spiritual Warrior had already been a miracle. How could he have leapt from Sixth Level of Spiritual Warrior to First Level of Spiritual Master in just a few days? This was no miracle. It was a goddamn divine sign. After the shock, something seemed to click in Fabian's mind. Greed crept into his eyes. He stared at Archie as if he were looking at an unrivaled treasure. "You must have obtained some great fortune. That's the only way you could reach First Level of Spiritual Master so quickly. It has to be!" If he could seize that fortune for himself, his cultivation might soar. He might reach Fifth Level Spiritual Master or higher, maybe even break through into the Grand Spiritual Master realm.

Chapter 8: Facing Fabian Cutmore

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