Here is the complete passage with the addition of Linfei refusing the rogue's demand and launching into a fiercely contested fight, incorporating the use of the silver ring. Following that is a fitting chapter title:
After days of patient healing and cultivation, Linfei ventured once more into the forest's depths, determined to seek new Qi nodes and rare herbs to aid his further breakthroughs. The dense foliage seemed alive with unseen energy, but the wilderness was no place for complacency.
As Linfei moved cautiously through a narrow ravine, a chilling voice snapped through the stillness. "Hand over all your belongings—every last coin, every tool, everything you carry—or die here alone."
From the shadows, a figure stepped forth—a rogue cultivator known for ambushing travelers and stripping them of their treasures. His dark eyes gleamed with cold malice, and the vicious grin twisted his face. This rogue's cultivation was strikingly more advanced, two levels beyond Linfei's Third Level of Qi Refining, a gulf in power that felt like standing before a storm.
Without warning, the rogue lunged forward, a brutal strike aimed to end the confrontation swiftly. Linfei twisted lightly, dodging with the instincts honed by countless hours of Iron Fist Boxing cultivation. His fists flared with Qi energy as he countered, launching a fierce barrage of precise punches mixed with explosive bursts of energy.
Though the rogue's strength and speed overwhelmed him in raw power, Linfei fought tooth and nail, moving fluidly, blocking, striking, and retreating with calculated rhythm. The silver ring on his finger pulsed faintly, infusing his muscles with an unseen boost. It sharpened his physical strength, allowing him to trade blows with a cultivator technically beyond his level.
Each punch struck with solid force, each dodge was narrow but effective, and despite the disparity in cultivation stages, Linfei's resolve and the ring's energy kept him standing and fighting. The battle rang through the forest—a deadly dance of Qi and fists, a test not just of power but of spirit and will.