ã€ŠOverthrowing Fateã€‹


 Chapter 0: Prologue

    Chapter 0: Prologue

    ¡°You scum, why don¡¯t you just f*cking die already?!¡± A cold voice sounded throughout the empty field as a young child dressed in fine clothes kicked a figure lying on the ground. His eyes were gleaming with pleasure as he let his kicks rain down on the boy on the ground who had coiled up, doing his best to protect his face and stomach with his arms.

    The overbearing child could not be more than eight years old as his features were still quite effeminate and his voice had no rust of age. His eyes were light brown and a smile adorned his face, making his childish features even more striking; a shocking contrast to the show of brutality he was showing.

    Behind the well-dressed boy was a group of children, all of them around the same age. All of these children were giggling andughing, pointing at the person who was currently being kicked and beaten up as though they found this disy of cruelty entertaining.

    Blood sprayed from the mouth of the boy lying on the ground as another kick managed to break through the flimsy guard he had made with his arms. A cracking noise sounded loud and clear as a rib broke, resulting in even more blood spraying from his mouth and his already pale skin turned ashen. As the cracking sounds were heard throughout the field, the young boy dressed in fine clothes finally seemed to be satisfied with the beating he had given to the pitiful creature.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you ever show your face to me again, or I will beat you to death. It is your fault that Father keeps telling me to improve!¡± With dark eyes filled with hate and anger, the young boy spat on the wounded child before he turned around and beckoned to his entourage to follow him as hisughter rang through the air.

    As the young boy and his entourage disappeared into the distance, the other child was still lying on the ground cowering in fear. Tears and mucus kept flowing down his face, his eyes were closed and his ashen face was visibly in pain. This crying, however, did notst long. As soon as the final person vanished into the distance, the wounded boy instantly stopped weeping and his tears vanished with a wipe of his dirty clothes.

    His ck eyes were filled with anger and hate as he managed to slowly stand up. His lips twisted in an ugly expression as all the remaining blood in his face was drained away; the pain in his ribcage was simply too much for a boy his age. Grinding his teeth, he slowly made his way back home.

    This time they have really gone too far, he thought as he grimaced. Every step he took caused a sharp pain to run through his entire body; but in spite of his heavy injuries, his eyes were not clouded by pain, but instead, with anger.

    The wounded boy slowly walked in the same direction as the previous group had before, albeit his speed was far inferior to that of theughing youngsters.

    ....

    ¡°Little Min!¡± A gentle and melodious voice rang out as Xu Min walked through the front door into a shabby cabin that he and his sister owned. The exhausted expression on Xu Min¡¯s face instantly changed into a small smile as he heard the worried voice, and he gathered some of thest bits of his energy to make himself stand straight.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry big sis.¡± With the remainder of his energy, Xu Min moved towards the bed where he slowlyid down because his entire body was tired from walking such a distance with his injuries. His entire body was burning in pain as blood flowed in a steady stream into his mouth, forcing him to swallow it repeatedly, because he did not wish to spit it out and worry his sister even further.

    ¡°Was it the young master who injured you again?¡± His older sister asked with a frown on her beautiful face. Slowly making her way towards the boy, she sat down next to him and gently removed his dirty clothes because she noticed that he was unable to move on his own. Her heart was trembling ¨C the closer she got to her little brother, the more blood-stained his clothes appeared to be, making her previously beautiful bright eyes darken with anger. When she saw a small trail of dried blood in the corner of his mouth, her heart almost stopped.

    When she finally managed to remove all the clothes, she let out a low hiss as she saw how blood was gathering on the side of his body where the rib was broken. Her hands instantly withdrew because she knew just how painful it had to have been for this young boy to endure her constant touch while she tugged his clothes off.

    ¡°A broken rib?¡± She asked, her face dark with anger. Without waiting for an answer, Xu Wu instantly ran out the shack and went outside into the dark night, her face filled with determination.

    Seeing how his sister had ran out into the night, Xu Min wished that he could stop her. He had a good idea where she was going, but he was incapable of doing anything to stop her. He was left behind in the cabin, cursing his inability to act.

    It took around an hour before Xu Wu returned to the cabin. She was gasping for air and her hair was disheveled from running far and fast while her eyes were wide open and alert. She was clutching a herb which Xu Min instantly recognized as the Thousand Jade Flower. This flower with healing abilities was an item grown by the Zhong family, the family which Xu Min and Xu Wu worked for.

    To get her hands on one of these nts, it was obvious that Xu Wu had stolen it from the fields, since just one Thousand Jade Flower was worth more money than servant children like them would ever see in their lifetimes.

    Stealing a medicinal herb from the fields was punishable by death, so Xu Min¡¯s heart started to beat frantically, fearing that at any moment, a guard woulde through the door and grab Xu Wu, bring her to the family¡¯s main residence, and prosecute her as a thief.

    Knowing that his sister went through such lengths for his sake, Xu Min could say nothing about how she had obtained the nt and epted the congee that she had made for him, which was brewed using every part of the precious medicine.

    For the sessful andplete refinement of the herb, one needed to be specialized in refining medicinal materials, but neither Xu Wu nor Xu Min knew anything about that, for the two of them were mere servants. While Xu Wu dealt withundry everyday, Xu Min was being trained to be a family guard.

    Both children were sold to the Zhong family at a young age and neither of the children had ever received any pay from their owners. The only thing they could expect was a monthly ration of food and once a year, they would each get a set of clothes and shoes.

    Since neither of them knew how to refine the medicinal properties within the Thousand Jade flower, Xu Min ended up eating it raw, mixed within the congee. Although not refined, it¡¯s healing properties were not something to look down upon, and sure enough, as soon as Xu Min had eaten the flower, he felt that the pain within his chest subsided somewhat.

    Astonished to see that the pain was being eased away, Xu Min managed to send a small smile to his sister. As with every other day in his life, he felt blessed. Even if he was being mistreated by the young master, none of it mattered so long as he had his sister to return home to. His sister was the only person upon this world that Xu Min loved.

    As the pain had lessened to arge extent, Xu Min could no longer stay awake. After eating the food, his eyes slowly closed shut as the mentally and physically exhausted boy slipped into a deep sleep.

    Seated across from the bed, Xu Wu¡¯s eyes narrowed and her beautiful face twisted in anger and indignation. The two of them were sold to the Zhong family when Xu Min was an infant and Xu Wu raised him while working hard for this family. To see her little brother tortured to such an extent, only contempt and hate was left within her eyes.

    Sighing deeply, Xu Wu slowly rose from the chair and put the mes within the firece out before she tooid down in bed, needing to sleep so that she could work hard the following day.

    ....

    ¡°The young master seems happy today,¡± One of the servants said as they stepped away from the table, having just served the Zhong main branch their dinner.

    Exactly as they had just said, the young master was indeed looking very happy and relieved, a feeling which seemed to be shared by a few other youngsters at the table. Had Xu Min been present, he would have been instantly able to point out these happy children to be the ones who had participated in his beating earlier that day.

    Seeing that his son was in such a good mood, the Zhong family leader also smiled. He had only one son and his son was already a Student Warrior by the age of eight. Although he had to rely on medicinal nts and pills to reach this stage, it was still quite a feat, ranking the young master as one of the geniuses of the younger generation.

    The Zhong family leader knew very well that when his son was happy, something unfortunate had happened to the servant boy Xu Min.

    Xu Min was a rare talent. The boy had reached the ranks of a Student Warrior on his own, never relying on medicinal pills and herbs, unlike what his own son had done. Furthermore, Xu Min had broken through to the Student Warrior rank one day ahead of his ¡°genius¡± son.

    Seeing as Xu Min had broken through to the Student Warrior rank, the young master had instantly started to ask his father for stronger medicinal pills, which his father unconditionally provided for him.

    The Zhong family head was, in many ways, grateful for having such a talented child like Xu Min within the young batch of children training to be warriors. He had repeatedly encouraged his own son to work harder so that he would not fall behind ¨C not only in training, but also in tempering his personality.

    The young master was the heir to the entire Zhong family. He needed to grow into a strong man who could look after the entirepound and control a wide array of servants and workers alongside his own family one day.

    It was imperative that such a privileged person learned how to deal with hardships ever since he was young and the Zhong family leader was very pleased with the way his son was dealing with the issue. By simply trampling on the low ranked servants and outer branch members, he made them understand the differences which were between a main branch heir of the entire n and anyone else within the Zhong family residence.

    Sitting at the main seat within the hall, the Zhong family leader lifted up his arm and spoke with his voice, clear and filled with power, making his words resound throughout the room.

    ¡°Yesterday, my son became a Student Warrior!¡± He started, everyone within the hall nodding their heads enthusiastically. ¡°Everyone, join me in raising our cups to our prosperous future. To have such a genius in the younger generation within our family is truly a blessing!¡±

    Following those words, everyone within the room raised their sses to the young master, who was filled with pride; his heart beating fast as everyone within the hall was looking at him with admiration in their faces. It was only when he thought about Xu Min for a moment that the feeling turned slightly sour as he knew that that servant boy was indeed more talented than him. However, he quickly forgot that sour feeling as one family member after another called out a cheer for the young boy.

    Chapter 0: Prologue

 Chapter 1: Servant Boy

    Chapter 1: Servant Boy

    The gentle sound of singing birds could be heard through the rough, broken door as the first rays of sunshine shone through the cracks, waking up both brother and sister.

    Although Xu Min ate the Thousand Jade Flower the night before, it was not enough to fully heal the serious wound on his side, and the bruise left behind by the wound was even more colourful this morning than it had been the night before.

    Not only was there a bruise on his side, one had spread across his face as well, and one of his eyes waspletely closed due to the swelling around it.

    Although the bruises looked terrible, Xu Min did not feel a lot of pain, and the majority of his body was in a better condition than it had been in a long time. Seeing the degree to which the herb had helped him, Xu Min finally understood just how the Zhong family managed to maintain their position as the richest family in the city.

    Spending no more time thinking about it, Xu Min went on with his daily chores. He went out to pick up some branches which he could use the following evening to keep the fire alive. After finishing the task, he went to the nearby stream where he washed himself. Upon grazing the bruises, Xu Min would grimace from the sharp pain.

    Seeing that her brother was doing much better, Xu Wu smiled before she changed her clothes and rushed towards the main house. Unlike her brother, the majority of her work was to deal with theundry and changing of the beddings at the main house every day. All her work had to be done during the morning and the early noon.

    As he saw his sister head off, Xu Min felt immense gratitude towards her. She had raised him from infancy and even now, she treated him as though he was her own child rather than her brother. She was now a beautiful young woman whom many of the male servants were courting, yet Xu Wu showed no interest in anything besides looking after her baby brother.

    This in turn, had caused many servants to either try to befriend the young man for the sake of winning Xu Wu¡¯s heart, or to threaten him to be more independent so that they had a chance. Seeing that all these servants approached him with ulterior motives, Xu Min had a very hard time trusting anyone, because he never knew the reason behind why they kept approaching him.

    This had, in turn, caused Xu Min to be a loner. During the earlier days when most of the servant boys who trained to be Warriors would y along with each other, Xu Min would rather be on his own and spend his time on cultivating more Qi ¨C cultivating to be a Warrior.

    After he finished his bath, Xu Min quickly dried himself and found his clothes before he sat down on the riverside, crossing his legs and cing his hands on hisp, before he slowly closed his eyes and started breathing steadily. At first, nothing seemed to be amiss. However, small ripples of energy started to emerge from the body of the young boy followed by a suction force dragging in what seemed to be air from the surroundings.

    With each intake of breath, the ordinary air seemed to enter Xu Min¡¯s body, and upon exiting, small specs of golden energy could be seen.

    The boy seemed very rxed as the minutes turned into hours, and it wasn¡¯t until the sun stood high in the sky before he finally opened his eyes, with golden specks of energy visible in his ck eyes. He exhaled deeply before slowly making his way to where his sister had gone hours before.

    But unlike Xu Wu, Xu Min went towards the training grounds where all young men of the family, servants and nobility alike, were taught how to cultivate.

    The training ground was arge area that was ced behind the Zhong family residence. The Zhong family residence was located at the outskirts of their small town, as it needed quite a lot of space for its many herb fields. In one of these fields, no herbs were nted; instead, it was used by men as a ce to train.

    ¡°Oh little Min, it looks like the young master got the better of youst night,¡± The voice came from behind him, and as Xu Min turned around, he came face to face with arge and burly man whose face was scarred by fire, making him seem mean and unapproachable.

    However, as soon as Xu Min saw the man, arge smile appeared on his face and the young boy jumped into the embrace of the burly looking man, hugging him affectionately as though he was a small child who had just seen his parent after a long time.

    ¡°Overseer Tian!¡± Xu Min said with excited voice as the man returned the hug. However, a worried expression could be seen on the older man¡¯s face when he saw the swollen eye and discolored skin.

    Releasing a humming sound, the elder managed to release himself from the hug before he gently patted the head of the young boy, sighing once again as he saw the dark bruises that were littered all about the young boy¡¯s body.

    Following side by side, the grown man and the small boy made their way towards the training grounds where a sea of young children was standing in small groups, chatting and ying while waiting for Overseer Tian to appear.

    ¡°Line up!¡± The Overseer¡¯s voice boomed out and all the children immediately took off their shirts before they lined up in front of him. ¡°Today, we will be practising the Shattering Palm technique. First, you need to ce your right foot in front of the other, like this,¡± The voice roared out as Overseer Tian started to describe and act out the stance that the children were to learn.

    The Overseer¡¯s eyes swept across the group of children, hesitating slightly on Xu Min as he saw the bruise on his chest. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to move on to alternately observe every child on the field.

    After showing the proper stance, Overseer Tian started walking around, constantly correcting one student after another. His eyes were firm and filled with tenderness while dealing with some kids, but scornful when dealing with others.

    Looking around, the eyes of Overseer Tian turned kind as soon as theynded on Xu Min. Although the boy¡¯s body was filled with bruises, he worked harder than anyone. Sweat was gushing down his body because he was holding the exact pose that Overseer Tian had taught them earlier.

    All the children were working hard, but many of them were on the verge of copsing; their faces were twisted in pain from enduring in the same position for a long period of time and sweat trickled down in streams from their bodies.

    Seeing this, Overseer Tian suddenly stopped and shouted loudly. His voice rang through the fields as every child listening to his voice was filled with amazement,pletely forgetting the pain they were in from holding the position.

    ¡°Listen you youngsters! You are not just training to be guards, you are training to be Warriors! You are training to be cultivators! Look at the young master and Xu Min ¨C both are already Student Warriors! They are soon going to step into the world of cultivators! They are both going to be real Warriors!¡±

    A smile adorned Overseer Tian¡¯s face as he saw how everyone around him focused on himself and the two youngsters. The many ck eyes were filled with astonishment as they looked from the young master to Xu Min and from Xu Min back onto Overseer Tian. Smiling like this, the overseer continued with his speech.

    ¡°To be a Student Warrior is the first true step to be a real cultivator! After the Student Warriors are the real Warriors! To be a real Warrior, you need to work hard!¡±

    ¡°The Warriors are divided into nine stars: the first three stars are for the early stage warriors, then we have the next three stars for the middle stage warriors and finally, when you all manage to get through these stars, you will finally be capable of bing an advanced stage warrior much like the Zhong family leader!¡±

    ¡°Train hard and be Student Warriors! When you are a Student Warrior, you need to train more to be a real Warrior, and as a real Warrior, you will bring fame and wealth to your families!¡±

    After hearing these motivating words, every boy in the field was filled with veneration. The two young boys were both eight years old, both of them were only children, but at the same time, both of them were working hard to be Warriors even though neither of them was close to that goal.

    Seeing the two young boys work hard, looks of determination filled the eyes of all other children and they gritted their teeth as they attempted to persevere, an act that caused Overseer Tian to smile with satisfaction.

    While the young master was taken in by being in the spotlight in front of all his peers, Xu Min paid no attention to anything that was being said, focusing solely on training instead. Overseer Tian was astonished when he looked at the Xu Min¡¯s impassiveness and concentration.

    The entire air around the boy was filled with golden specks and his entire focus was given to training ¨C nothing else seemed to matter to the young boy. This was what true talent and hard work looked like.

    Watching this young boy for some time, Overseer Tian hoped that the young boy would be capable of reaching the rank of a one star Warrior by the time he was twenty years old. Although twelve years seemed to be quite a long time, it was not that long for cultivators.

    A Student Warrior was one who had managed to sessfully refine the essence of the heavens and the earth, however it was not enough to truly be a warrior. To be a warrior of the first star, one needed to refine a decent amount of Qi, which was why it usually took about twenty years of training to reach the the rank of a first star Warrior.

    Because the path to bing a warrior was quite difficult and strenuous, Warriors were venerated throughout thend. Even one star Warriors were far above themoners who did not cultivate. The moment one reached the first star Warrior rank, one would have an average lifespan of three hundred years, and as one reached the second star, another hundred years were added and so on. This would continue in a pattern of adding a hundred years of longevity until the ninth star Warrior. Upon reaching that rank, one became unable to die from old age and they were often referred to as immortals.

    Sighing, Overseer Tian stopped thinking about when Xu Min would reach the Warrior rank, and looked at the many children who were currently training instead. Although his speech had made them more motivated and determined, many of the students were unable to keep maintaining their stances and gave up one after another. In contrast, Xu Min continued training the exact pose with his eyes full of determination. Only after most of the children gave up did Xu Min finally give in too and allowed his tired body to copse on the ground.

    Looking around, only a few boys who were around three to four years older than him were still standing strong, their teeth gritted with determination since they were dead set on being thest man standing.

    ncing behind him, Xu Min saw how the young master and his friends were looking at him with eyes filled with hate and anger. The young master swept his hand in a cutting-like fashion across his throat as his eyes locked on to Xu Min, telling him that the young boy was in for a world of pain afterwards.

 Chapter 2: Hatred

    Chapter 2: Hatred

    ¡°Don¡¯t idle about!¡± Overseer Tian¡¯s shout boomed over the many voices which were now more focused on chatting than on training. By reflex, everyone quieted down as soon as Overseer Tian raised his voice. If they didn¡¯t do so, they were in for a small beating, and unfortunately, even a small beating from an expert like Overseer Tian was bound to hurt a lot, so everyone closed their mouths instantly.

    ¡°Start running around the field. Fiftyps and then you can have a short break!¡± Yelling out the new instructions, Overseer Tian smiled with satisfaction as all the children started running.

    Some of these students were already breathing raggedly because their cultivation levels were far too low, but surprisingly, some of the children kept running at a steady pace with only a few drops of sweat falling from their faces.

    Leading the group of students was the young master, who managed to run at a decent speed. Hisplexion appeared rtively energetic and his speed was nice and steady. Behind him ran his entourage of noble young boys, all of whom were sweating noticeably more than the young master.

    Behind the entourage was Xu Min. Not even one drop of sweat was visible on his face as he managed to keep up with the speed that the young master set. Seeing how easily Xu Min followed them, Overseer Tian secretly mocked the young master and his friends because Xu Min, a servant boy, was keeping up with them without breaking a sweat.

    The sun was high in the sky. Its harsh rays shone down on the children until their bodies started screaming inint from the mixture of the harsh sun and the strenuous exercise. More and more sweat started to appear on their faces and bare upper bodies as they kept running, one round after another.

    Finally, the young master finished the fiftyps. Exhaustion was visible on his face as he dragged his worn out body towards the shade of a tree, where he sat down gasping for air with his eyes glued onto Xu Min and hate shining in them.

    The young master¡¯s entourage had long since fallen behind, leaving second ce to Xu Min. Seeing how Xu Min even now had only a few drops of sweat falling from his forehead, anger twisted the young master¡¯s face as he gritted his teeth. He tore his focus away from the Xu Min, contemting on how he would get his revenge on him.

    Two days ago, Xu Min stepped into the realm of cultivators. He became a Student Warrior and his strength was no longer something to be trifled with. He was slightly younger than the young master, but his cultivation base seemed to be even above those of ten years old and older.

    The young master sighed deeply as he remembered how his father had handed another medicinal pill to himst night. It forced him to think that it would have been better if he had that insane cultivation talent himself instead of this young kid from the servant quarters.

    Thinking about this sore subject made the young master angry. Currently, he was able to keep up with Xu Min when it came to cultivation due to the many medicinal pills, herbal baths, acupuncture, and various other helpful methods he used to improve his cultivation. The only reason why he was able to use them was due to the fact that he was the oldest son of the Zhong family. He also had outstanding talentpared to others at his age, but despite all this, his talent was dwarfed next to Xu Min¡¯s; they couldn¡¯t even bepared!

    He knew that even his father, the person he looked up to the most, had taken notice of Xu Min¡¯s outstanding talent. This was thest straw. The young master could no longer control himself. Anger burst forth, turning his eyes red as he looked over at the boy who was leisurely leaning against a tree. Xu Min appeared nonchnt and unburdened as if he did not just run fiftyps around the field.

    Their break was short, and as soon as the final person finished the fiftiethp, Overseer Tian stepped forward once again, his voice booming out, ¡°You need to learn bnce. Put all your weight on your arms and slowly raise your body up, then lower it again. You are not allowed to touch the ground with anything other than your hands! The Student Warriors among you are only allowed to have their fingertips touching the ground!¡±

    Hearing the instructions, all the students sighed deeply, but everyone did exactly as they were told. While the majority held their bodies up with their palms touching the ground, about ten children were supporting their entire weight on their fingertips alone.

    ¡°Don¡¯t fall down yet!¡± Yelled Overseer Tian after an hour had passed, as some students could no longer resist and started dropping to the ground utterly exhausted. ¡°Get back up! Keep working hard! Bnce and endurance are the keys to sess!¡±

    Everyone who heard Overseer Tian would think that his behaviour caused his students to loathe him; however, he was a very well-liked man and someone whom all the students respected.

    The reason for this was very simple, Overseer Tian was previously a captain in the Royal Army, where he had legions of soldiers beneath him! He was a man of the world with hundreds of amazing stories and a real Warrior, someone who had seen blood and death. All his students naturally admired him.

    The training took most of the afternoon. Xu Min enjoyed the training as always. He liked the feeling of improvement and his dream was to join the army one day, where he could rely on his hard work to make his way up until he could be a general.

    A general was a high ranking position in the Royal Army and was considered the utmost pinnacle of cultivators. Anyone who became a general would be showered with riches and prestige, which would make their life much simpler.

    Xu Min had no wish to be a general for the sake of fame and glory. No, Xu Min wished to be a general so that he would earn enough money, to provide for him and his older sister. This position and wealth would also ensure that no one would dare to bully either of them ever again.

    What Xu Min needed the most right now was a position where he could earn money. With money, it would be possible for the young boy to protect his sister. That was what he learned from the world where even his own parents had to sell him and Xu Wu so they wouldn¡¯t starve to death.

    These were the thoughts that drove Xu Min and forced him to keep working hard. His eyes gleamed with determination and his breathing quickly changed to follow a specific pattern, which Overseer Tian taught to him. Golden specks surrounded his body as every muscle was pulled taut, soaking in the golden specks Xu Min inhaled.

    Xu Min had entered the ideal training stance, bing one with the world around him. It was an act that was very hard to achieve, but the boy¡¯s stubbornness and grand ideas were what pushed him beyond his limits every single day, allowing him to aplish things that others his age could not achieve.

    Overseer Tian¡¯s shock changed to astonishment as he saw Xu Min¡¯s aplishment. A sh of pride was shown on his face, because the child had listened to every instruction Overseer Tian had ever given, from which Xu Min greatly benefitted.

    While Overseer Tian was feeling proud and amazed by the sudden change, the young master of the Zhong Family felt a sour taste in his mouth as his eyes narrowed slightly and filled with hate once again.

    The young master was perfectly well aware of Xu Min¡¯s talent and because the boy had no one to back him up, the young master was certain that if he truly wished to kill him, then no one would get in his way.

    The only reason that Xu Min was still alive was because the young master did not just wish to kill him. He wished to thoroughly humiliate Xu Min before he finally ended his life. To make him taste the same agony which he felt every morning while he had to look at Xu Min. He wished to break the proud young man, only to let him wallow in self pity and hate. He wanted to break him so hard that he would want to die, but wouldn¡¯t have the ability to do so.

    While the young master was thinking these thoughts, Xu Min continued to stay on the training ground long after everyone else had finished and gone home. He stayed in his trancelike stance, pushing the limits of his endurance and forcing his fingers to support his weight the whole time. Only when the sun began to set behind the horizon did Xu Min stand up, his fingers numb and his arms filled with a strange prickling feeling.

    Arge smile was evident on Xu Min¡¯s face as he slowly clenched his fists, feeling a sensation of strength rushing through his body.

    ¡°Don¡¯t start cking off just because you reached the Student Warrior rank!¡± A voice said from behind Xu Min. It was Overseer Tian who had been watching him the whole time. He walked up to Xu Min, who still had an expression like he was drunk on his newly acquired power on his face.

    ¡°What I taught you was how to strengthen the body and to use specific martial arts; however, to be able to use this strength you need be able to cultivate Qi on your own.¡±

    Hearing the same words every single day, Xu Min nodded his head seriously, his eyes shining happily as he knew that Overseer Tian was reminding him for his sake. Xu Min could not help but feel grateful to the older man.

    ¡°I promise to work hard!¡±, Xu Min promised with a slight bow, then the young boy rushed back towards his home, where Xu Wu was waiting for him.

    It was now evening, which meant it was also time for dinner. Dinner was always congee, which was why it could get repetitive at times, but his sister Xu Wu was very good at cooking so it did not happen too often. She would regrly talk about what the women in the household had done the previous day. Due to this, Xu Min knew much of the gossip about the Zhong family. Although he lived a poor life, the young boy loved tough at the many intrigues and masquerades that happened in the family just because they were rich.

    Although Xu Min wanted money, he only wanted it for the sake of stabilizing his and his beloved sister¡¯s lives, but sadly he knew that this dream was very far away.

    Walking towards his home, Xu Min was filled with excitement, wondering what gossip he would hear about today. A smile appeared on his face as he rushed back home.

    A short whileter, Xu Min frowned slightly and wrinkles appeared on his face as he noticed unexpected smell on his way home. His eyes widened in fear, as he realized which direction this smell wasing from.

    It was the pungent scent of smoke from burning wet wood! Xu Min started running very fast, yelling, ¡°FIRE, FIRE!¡± Xu Min yelled as loudly as he could, straining his lungs as he gasped for air.

    The shouts caused the quiet and peaceful Zhong familypound to burst into action as some families started to gather water buckets and others nkets. People from every house appeared and followed Xu Min as he rushed to his home.

    After he furiously ran around thest turn, Xu Min nearly stopped in his tracks as he saw the young master and his friends watching the house burn. Scared expressions could be seen on their faces as screams could be heard from inside the house.

    As soon as he heard the shrill cry, Xu Min¡¯s eyes widened. He elerated to run as fast as he could, but by the time he got to the front of the house, the house had already beenpletely swallowed up by the vicious mes.

    Jumping into the nearby stream, Xu Min soaked himself from head to toe and rushed into the house, prepared to rescue his only family member at any cost.

    Xu Min kicked some burning wood away from the door and ripped it open. He managed topletely shatter its charred remnants by doing so and fearlessly entered into the small shack.

    Although it was considered the residence of Xu Min and Xu Wu, it was truly just one room which was used as both kitchen and bedroom. Although the young boy used to wish for a mansion to live in rather than this shack, he was now grateful that everything was gathered in just one room.

    Shock filled Xu Min as he saw a figure copsed on the floor. With a scream of pain, Xu Min managed to drag her out of the cabin. It was not one moment toote, since the shack copsed behind him in mes.

 Chapter 3: Escape

    Chapter 3: Escape

    Sitting on the cold hard ground, Xu Min stared at his sister as sheid in his arms. He then hugged her with all his might, holding her close, not wishing to let her go.

    His mind became a mess, since memories of their life together flooded in. He kept reying the scene from this morning, when he saw his sister thest time, over and over again. A gaping wound appeared in his heart as though it had been ripped out from his body.

    No matter how many times Xu Min called out for his sister, nothing happened. Her eyes did not miraculously open. She did not call his name back in response. Her entire body was limp in his arms, making him realize that she would never move again.

    Her body had not caught on fire, but the smoke in the cabin made it impossible for her to breathe. In the end, she copsed onto the ground and sumbed to the smoke which choked her.

    Although Xu Min managed to drag her out just in time before the house burned down, he was not fast enough to prevent her death. Even though he applied everyst bit of the limited amount of first aid that he knew, nothing changed. She wouldn¡¯t wake up.

    He realized that everything that he could have done to try to save his sister would be futile. His heart burned with the pain of this searing loss. The world, previously filled with colors and happiness, turned dark and bleak before his sight faded away. Xu Min closed his eyes as he yelled out in pain.

    ¡°Big sister,¡± Xu Min sobbed and gentlyid her down. He looked around at all the adults who had arrived, cursing them under his breath for just standing there with dumb expressions on their faces and not assisting him earlier.

    All of them had long since given up trying to save the small shack from the raging fire. Instead, they all gathered around Xu Min and Xu Wu. A mix of sadness andpassion could be seen in their eyes as they shook their heads in regret.

    While he looked at everyone just standing there, anger sprouted in Xu Min¡¯s heart, because he simply wished to be left alone with his sister. Why did the fire have to happen to them? He cursed before a sudden thought entered his mind, making him clutch Xu Wu even more tightly than he had before.

    ¡°Let her go.¡± A familiar voice sounded from behind him,interrupting Xu Min¡¯s thoughts, making him turn around. Hope sprang to life as he saw Overseer Tian striding towards him. Perhaps he knew some sort of martial arts which could bring a dead person to life once more. She had, after all, not been dead for long. A slight smile appeared on Xu Min¡¯s tearstained face, but it was a smile of madness.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be okay sis!¡± Xu Min said to the lifeless body in his arms. ¡°Overseer Tian can help you.¡± The words of Xu Min were like bolts of lightning to everyone who stood around him, and looks of pity were directed at the poor boy who was still in denial.

    Upon hearing the words spoken by Xu Min, a tremor ran through the body of Overseer Tian and a sad expression became visible in his eyes. The older man kneeled down next to Xu Min and hisrge arms gently held the smaller boy by the shoulders, shaking him lightly.

    ¡°Pull yourself together, Xu Min!¡± he said with a harsh voice, ¡°Tell us what happened here!¡±

    Overseer Tian had known Xu Min for years and he obviously knew Xu Wu. Xu Wu was smart, and although she had never cultivated, she was still considered fairly strong. For her to be unable to leave a burning shack, something definitely had to be out of the ordinary.

    ¡°The door was blocked!¡± Xu Min suddenly said, his voice filled with certainty. How could he have not realised it before? Someone blocked the door before the fire started. It had to be, how else could a conscious Xu Wu sumb to the fire?

    Thinking things through, an anger unlike anything he had ever felt before suddenly burned within Xu Min¡¯s gut as his eyesnded upon the frightened young master and his entourage, who were standing on the side of the crowd.

    At first, he wondered why they were here. Had they seen the fire and rushed over to help? No way! The young master would never be found in these poor areas of the familypound upied by the servants, unless he was nning something.

    As if the young master knew that Xu Min was looking at him, their eyes locked and a horrified expression started to spread on the young master¡¯s face. He slowly tried to back away, only to find himself sliding to the ground. Boundless anger rose up within Xu Min. Anger, hate, and murderous intent.

    ¡°They did it!¡± Xu Min yelled while pointing at the young master. Everyone in the crowd turned their eyes in the direction of the pointing finger. An unexpected sight unfolded before them ¨C the young master¡¯s face waspletely pale as he actually quickly fell to the ground kowtowing in front of the furious Xu Min.

    ¡°It was a mistake!¡± He said with a frantic voice, desperation clear from every move he made. ¡°It should have been you! You should have died, not your sister!¡±

    Hearing that, Xu Min tilted his head slightly and looked down at the unmoving woman in his arms again. Tears welled up in his eyes as he gently touched her skin, that was still warm, but no pulse could be felt. His dear sister, his only family, had left him for good.

    And it was all his fault. Xu Min¡¯s eyes became red as he wished that he had been the oneying there; he wished that he could trade his life for his sister¡¯s, yet no matter how much he wished for it or how much he begged, he knew it was impossible. The only thing that was still possible was to get revenge for Xu Wu¡¯s death.

    Xu Min gentlyid Xu Wu down on the ground and ced her arms over her chest, before he plucked a flower and ced it in her hair, after which he turned away. The anger in his eyes shone brightly into the dark night. The fire that was burning behind him made it seem as if he were a demon beast, ready to ughter anything in its path.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± Overseer Tian said, as he sensed how Xu Min was about to jump onto the young master, to kill the person who caused Xu Wu¡¯s death. Before Xu Min even had the chance to move, Overseer Tian had already ced his arms around the boy, locking him in a tight embrace.

    Xu Min¡¯s entire body was filled with pure hate. The only reason why he could still stand on his own two feet was due to this hate and the need for revenge. It felt as though Xu Min had turned into an avenger. He had no other purpose in life than to ensure that Xu Wu¡¯s death was paid for in blood.

    Xu Min was trying his very best to escape from the tight embrace in which he was locked, however, he was still only a Student Warrior and nowhere near strong enough to pull away from Overseer Tian. He was filled with unreasonable hate towards the Overseer who had acted like his parent in the past years.

    From far away, bustling sounds could be heard as more people approached. Xu Min narrowed his eyes as he saw that the Zhong family leader was amongst those people. He knew that his chances of realising his revenge had now just plummeted to the ground.

    This young master was the only son of Master Zhong and he spoiled him rotten, handing him all the cultivation resources he could have possibly wished for.

    Xu Min was not the only one who saw Master Zhong appear. Overseer Tian also noticed the arrival of his master. Upon seeing him, he let go of Xu Min to greet Master Zhong and rushed to the Master¡¯s side to exin what had happened.

    As soon as Overseer Tian let go of Xu Min, the anger within the young boy exploded, causing him to instantly rush towards the young master. He smashed a clenched fist into the young master¡¯s face at full force, causing the spoiled brat to scream out in pain and stumble backwards, blood streaming from a broken nose.

    One of the guards immediately rushed to the young master¡¯s side, caught Xu Min¡¯s shoulder and tore him away from his liege. Xu Min was thrown several meters away, where he got up, only to see the young master hiding behind the guard, which made him grind his teeth in anger.

    Master Zhong looked at his son with displeasure as he saw his reaction to the pain. However, as soon as Overseer Tian exined what exactly happened, his face instantly turned brighter and a smile appeared on his face.

    ¡°Little Ji, I never thought you had it in you!¡± He said in a praising voice, causing the young master to be stunned for a moment, shocked to see that he was not being scolded. ¡°To think you actually had it in you to kill someone, father is proud of you!¡± He continued, his eyes lighting up with surprise and his words causing Xu Min¡¯s head to go nk..

    To kill an innocent woman who had never cultivated was considered something to bemended for? Hate seeped out of his eyes and Xu Min felt as though he would jump right at Master Zhong, attacking him with his fiercest attack.

    Fortunately, Xu Min was aware that he was nowhere near as strong as Master Zhong and his burning desire for revenge told him that he had to endure for now, or else he would fail for sure. Endure! He bore his fingernails into his palms, allowing the pain to flood in, in an attempt to fill the void that appeared in him.

    What Xu Min did not expect was that right at this moment, while Xu Min was staring at Master Zhong, the family leader looked at him and a cold sh appeared in his eyes.

    ¡°Kill the brother!¡± He said with a casual voice. The order caused enormous shock amongst many of the people present. Xu Min used that moment of surprise to turn on his heels and run. With a final look at his beloved sister, Xu Min rushed into the thick forest, running through the familiar paths with sure steps.

    Xu Min had lived in that shack his entire life, and his mornings were always spent either bathing in the nearby stream, or ying in the forest behind the city. Xu Min could move through these paths with sure steps even in the dead of night, giving him a head start on the many soldiers who were trying to catch up with him.

    Back at the still burning cabin, a frown was apparent on the face of Master Zhong. However, it quickly smoothed over as he looked at his son who was still crying from the broken nose.

    ¡°Stop being such a wuss!¡± He scolded his son, with a resigned voice, almost as though he was giving up on him, ¡°Go to the healers and have them patch you up. Everyone prepare a feast! My son has finally be a man! This is a great time to celebrate for anyone who cultivates martial arts!¡±

    ¡°But milord,¡± One of the guards behind him asked in a trembling voice, ¡°The person who died was a personal maid of the third wife. A maid who never cultivated....¡± Before the man managed to continue, a hand smacked his head with such force that the guard fell to the floor, blood running from all the openings in his face.

    Master Zhong looked around at the people present and his eyes promised more pain for those who dared to say anything against him. ¡°No one cares about a mere maid. She died for the sake of teaching my son how to kill, and that is already a noble cause to die for. If anyone ever brings this up again, I will see to it that they are the next person my son trains on.¡±

    His voice was ice-cold and seemingly devoid of all feelings. Seeing that no one dared to look at him, Master Zhong snorted contemptuously as he started moving away. ¡°Make sure to prepare a great feast. I will give one gold coin to anyone who can get me the head of that boy.¡±

    After saying that, Master Zhong turned around, not even looking at the forest once more, and hummed quietly as he made his way back to the main hall of the Zhong Family Mansion.

 Chapter 4: The Hunt

    Chapter 4: The Hunt

    Within the forest, Xu Min was rushing forward, his feet moving on a familiar track that he usually yed on. His head was clear, with only one thought floating through it ¡ª survival.

    The most important thing for Xu Min was to survive, so that he could return one day. Return to ensure that both the young and old master of the Zhong family died by his hands. But right now, he knew that his chances of survival were slim, since a horde of guards was hot on his trail.

    Had this happened just a few days earlier, Xu Min would have been caught already; however, after breaking into the Student Warrior rank, Xu Min was now much faster than he would have ever believed to have be, and he also became able to store Qi within his body.

    What assisted him in his escape was not only the small amount of Qi he had been able to gather in thest few days, but also his familiarity with the forest, and the physical strength he had trained to improve.

    The guards never needed to enter the forest, and although it was considered safe, it was not a ce people would venture into, unless they were poor and tried to harvest edible nts or hunt small critters.

    Another thing that slowed the guards down was the borate metal armour they were wearing to show off the magnificence of the Zhong family. Unfortunately for them, it was far from helpful while chasing someone in a dense forest. After a few hours of chasing after Xu Min, the final guard gave up and returned to the mansion.

    ....

    ¡°What do you mean, you can¡¯t find him?!¡± Master Zhong¡¯s voice roared throughout the entire hall, as everyone present cowered in fear from what their family leader might do as punishment for failing toplete their mission.

    ¡°That boy is not ordinary,¡± Master Zhong said with a low and intimidating voice, ¡°His talent is far above average, so we can¡¯t afford to let him go. If we do, it wille back to haunt us. Have someone who knew him sketch up a drawing, issue a bounty of one hundred gold coins, and give it to whomever manages to provide me with his severed head.¡±

    Having said this, Master Zhong took a small break to consider what he should do with the ones who failed to capture the boy. With a sigh, he waved his hand, ready to dismiss them.

    In the middle of the motion, Master Zhong seemed to have changed his mind, since he opened his eyes once more and said, ¡°Every day, send a team into the forest to see whether or not you can capture him. The same bounty holds true for my guards as well as anyone else. You have to kill him.¡±

    Seated beside Master Zhong was the young master. At first, his face had been rigid from fear and regret; however, as the night progressed and he was congratted on his actions, excitement grew in him and he felt as though he had finally seeded. Murder was truly the way to bing stronger.

    He was also thrilled that Xu Min left. It didn¡¯t matter much to Zhong Ji whether Xu Min was alive or dead anymore. As long as he was gone, it meant that there was no longer anyone of simr age who could overtake him while training or be more skilled than him. Thus, the young boy had a broad smile on his face.

    Young master Zhong was not aware why his father was so intent on killing Xu Min, because he saw Xu Min as nothing more than a pest. Although his talent was astonishing, he was nothing but a small boy who was now all alone in the world. He could hardly be called a threat by anyone.

    Master Zhong disagreed with him on this point. Allowing for the boy to live would result in a potential thorn in his side, because he had seen the sheer hate and anger burning in the boy¡¯s eyes when he escaped into the forest.

    Master Zhong felt rather ufortable as he mulled over the entire situation, but after shaking his head a little, he decided to return to the banquet he was hosting. With a polite smile on his face, he greeted the family members that were present once more.

    At the almost unnoticeable background of the banquet, all the maids who were ordered to pour wine and serve the food did so without smiles on their faces. Instead, most of them even had almost unnoticeable tear stains on their cheeks. They all thought about how their good friend died because of a weak-willed pathetic young master who killed her just because he did not have the guts to face his rival head on.

    ....

    As he sat on a branch of one of thergest trees in the forest, Xu Min gritted his teeth. His hands were filled with scrapes and his eyes shone with a red hue.

    It had been days since Xu Min was chased into the forest by the Zhong family guards and he had long since realized that all the humans in the forest were after him.

    On the first day, he had almost gotten caught by a group of mercenaries because he went to them for help, only to hear that they were after a bounty on his head. Since then, Xu Min dreaded sleeping because he feared being found during the night.

    Leaving the forest was not easy either, because Xu Min saw that guards were patrolling the vicinity of the forest, ready to catch him whenever he showed himself. With no other options left, Xu Min decided to venture further into the forest and see what kind ofndscape was on the other side.

    In all the years Xu Min had lived, he had only heard a little information about the other side. The other side was a vast country, unimaginably bigger than the city Xu Min grew up in, a ce where every cultivator would venture out to carve out a name for themselves. Stories, which Overseer Tian told about it, were what caused Xu Min to be interested in cultivating in the first ce ¡ª one day, he would carve his own name into history.

    As he thought about his childish dream, Xu Min snorted at himself for being so na?ve. Currently, he was wounded, tired, and mentally unstable, but deep within, his survival instinct was still roaring, forcing him to hide day after day.

    He had not slept for days and he had finally managed to climb up into arge tree, where he could spot anyone without them noticing him. The branches were allrger than he was and he finally allowed himself to rest a little while sitting leaned against therge tree trunk with his legs crossed.

    Xu Min kept swearing at himself for not being strong enough to fight his way into the main house and y his targets immediately, but he knew that now was not the right time. It was the time to continue cultivating, following the instructions taught to him previously by Overseer Tian. Currently, Xu Min did everything in his ability to stay invisible. To pretend that he was the air, that he was the essence of heavens and earth.

    The sky was dark when Xu Min finally fell into a light sleep. Although he slept lightly, his body was still that of an eight year old boy which needed rest, inducing him to sleep throughout the night and the majority of the morning.

    When he woke up, Xu Min was shocked when he realized how long he had been asleep. He even felt a tinge of guilt that he could sleep so soundly while his beloved sister could not sleep at all anymore.

    Although Xu Min felt a bit guilty, his alertness never faltered. He kept looking at his surroundings, not daring to move even slightly. Because of his vignce, he noticed yet another group of humans walking through the forest. This time they were led by Overseer Tian, which caused his already wounded heart to hurt even more.

    Climbing down the tree silently, Xu Min went as close as he dared to without being noticed, so that he could hear what was being said.

    ¡°We are going to enter the forest again tonight,¡± Overseer Tian said with a cold and indifferent voice, ¡°Perhaps I can lure him out if I pretend to be alone. When he appears, shoot him right away. We can¡¯t afford to let him keep evading us.¡±

    Hearing these words spoken from the one adult whom Xu Min viewed as almost a father, his eyes burned with unshed tears and his heart hardened as he climbed back to the perch that he was previously sitting on.

    Xu Min stayed at the top of the tree for days without end, living on nothing but the bark of the tree and the moisture collected on the leaves. In the first few days, Xu Min would cry randomly, but as the hours went by with nothing but his own thoughts, the young boy slowly stopped crying and started thinking about everything that had happened again.

    Xu Min was still just an eight year old boy, but while he was living at the top of the tree, his mentality changed. Deep within him, there was a fire fueled by anger, a fire which grew slightly brighter every day. However, no matter how strong this fire burned, it was always suppressed by the need to endure.

    The season changed from the warm summer to the chilly autumn and finally, after several months passed by, it was possible for Xu Min to descend from therge tree, seeing that the forest was no longer filled with mercenaries, guards, or other men who wished to hunt down the young boy for the sake of money.

    After descending, Xu Min instantly went towards a small stream where he washed himself and his clothes. The months had taken their toll on his body as he was now incredibly scrawny, with his ribs visible through the skin. His body was weaker than it had been ever before and all the muscles he worked hard to build up had lost most of their strength through the long wait and malnourishment.

    His eyes, previously filled with childish happiness and naivety, became cold and distant; not even a speck ofpassion for this world remained. Instead, they were filled with vignce as he looked around.

    Moving deeper and deeper into the forest, Xu Min quickly passed the furthest point that he had ever been to before. Instead of being filled with happiness and excitement from the new frontier, as he would have been just a few months ago, those childish feelings were nonexistent, long dead and reced with seriousness and alertness as he observed his surroundings, constantly on guard for humans that could appear.

    The further Xu Min went, the more careful he became. He didn¡¯t dare to travel on roads made by humans, nor did he wish to follow too many animal trails. In the end, he chose the most difficult way to go through, believing that the path he chose would also be the hardest one to follow.

    As Xu Min made his way towards the depths of the forest, he quickly found that although it was considered a safe forest by most, many demon beasts resided in it. However, when those demon beasts encountered the small boy, they quickly lost their interest, since skin and bone alone were not enough of a meal for them.

    While he traversed through the forest, Xu Min finally dared to spend time on training once more, making his already slow trip be even more drawn out. He would spend hours each day breathing in and out, creating golden specks of light like Overseer Tian had taught him.

    The breathing exercise was not the only training Xu Min did. He trained the stances he had learned during his time in the Zhong Family Compound once again. He remembered every muscle strengthening stance ever showed to him and he would spend hours on those every day.

    One day passed another, the seasons came and went. Xu Min slowly made his way through the vast forest, moving at an incredibly slow pace as he focused on rebuilding his strength and cultivation base.

 Chapter 5: The World on the Other Side

    Chapter 5: The World on the Other Side

    One month passed after another as he made his way through the forest. Seasons came and seasons went and a year passed in the blink of an eye.

    Xu Min spent his time practicing his cultivation ording to the instructions he had been given by Overseer Tian and his body quickly regained the healthy state it had been in before.

    The long time spent atop the tree waiting for mercenaries and guards to give up hunting him caused Xu Min to lose a lot of weight and his cultivation base dropped below the Student Warrior rank once more. Xu Min showed no signs of regret or despair though. Instead, he now had an iron will and determination that shone from his charcoal-ck eyes as he viewed his current state as a new beginning.

    Xu Min was all alone. His parents sold him at a young age and his sister was murdered right in front of his eyes. Although he had an amazing talent for cultivation, this young boy had not been capable of saving his only family. Thus, guilt and hate were the two emotions that now drove Xu Min.

    The only thing within his mind, that was only suppressed by a small voice of reason that kept telling him to wait and endure, was revenge.

    After having trained in the forest for three months, Xu Min had regained his Student Warrior rank and with that, the ability to kill young master Zhong. However, killing young master Zhong was not enough for the young boy. He clenched his teeth as he kept training harder and harder. His goal was to defeat Family Leader Zhong, a full-fledged Warrior.

    In this world, strength was what mattered. Everyone was divided into ranks by how strong they were.

    The lowest tier were those who did not possess any Qi. They did not even deserve a proper rank and were justmoners. As soon as a person had gathered enough essence from the heavens and the earth, he or she could start refining Qi. Those who reached the point of being able to refine Qi were called Student Warriors. Above that, one would be a proper Warrior, a master of the martial arts.

    The Warrior rank was split into stars. Warriors of the first, second and third star were considered early stage Warriors. Warriors of the fourth, fifth and sixth star were considered mid stage warriors, andte stage Warriors were the Warriors of the seventh, eighth and ninth star. Family Leader Zhong was ate stage Warrior and his strength was many thousand times stronger than that of a Student Warrior. This fact caused Xu Min to clench his fists and work even harder to be able to defeat the Zhong Family Leader someday. Even if he had to wait for years, this was an enmity that would never be resolved until one of them was dead.

    The step between a Student Warrior and a real Warrior was as great as the difference between the heavens and the earth. A difference that could only be covered after many years of hard work and cultivation. Hard work did not scare the young boy; instead, he weed it. He weed anything which would keep his mind busy; if not, he feared that he would go insane.

    As Xu Min made his way through the forest, he trained three things. The first was his breathing exercises, that allowed him to absorb the essence of the heavens and the earth, which he then refined into Qi.

    The second thing he improved was his physical strength. Every day he would train his body with various physical exercises that Overseer Tian had taught him. As the old man had said, ¡°The body is a tool that we rely on to use our inner energy. The stronger the energy, the stronger the tool must be. If you release too much energy, your body cannot withstand it and you will end up breaking yourself.¡±

    Although Xu Min still felt a tinge of pain in his heart every time he thought about Overseer Tian, he was perfectly well aware of how much information he was given. He had all the tools necessary for him to be a great cultivator, thanks to the amount of time that Overseer Tian had spent on teaching him.

    The final thing which Xu Min trained within the forest was the Shattering Palm Stance. The Shattering Palm was a martial art skill, one of the few which Xu Min had ever seen. Its strength was limitless. Itpletely depended on how proficient the cultivator was.

    The Shattering Palm Stance was a technique that created a massive palm-shaped Qi strike, but since the students who had been taught the stance were not Student Warriors, much less real Warriors, none of them were capable of creating this palm strike from their inner energy. Instead, they were taught the stance itself, along with an exnation of the meridians and points in the body that the Qi needed to travel through to activate.

    Having trained the stance for more than a year now, Xu Min finally managed to create a transparent palm the size of his head. Although this seemed like a rtively small palm, it felt like a great sess for the young boy.

    Approximately two years had gone by when Xu Min finally saw a clearing ahead of him. Great shock filled his face as he saw that thendscape no longer had trees as far as his eyes could see.

    Instead, right in front of him was arge field of grass stretching as far as his eyes could see. By now, Xu Min was a Student Warrior with good strength and his body was filled with lean muscles. His shattering palm strike was now strong enough to be a threat to any Student Warrior.

    Seeing the open ins in front of him, Xu Min¡¯s eyes widened. Although he had gone through a lot and he had matured immensely, he was, after all, only a ten year old boy and seeing the ins in front of him was something he could have never imagined.

    He came from a small valley that was hidden betweenrge forests and tall mountains; every bit of soil was used for agriculture, which was a huge difference from what he now saw in front of him. It was a wilderness, but another kind of wilderness than the one he had been in so far.

    Although Xu Min was deeply shocked, he only needed to take a deep breath once or twice before he started walking towards the ins, leaving the safety of the forest behind.

    Xu Min brought nothing with him when he escaped from the Zhong family residence. Throughout the years, he had managed to hunt down several animals, especially because his skill using the Shattering Palm improved, and he had used their hides to create a small bag to fill with berries, dried meat and other necessities.

    Some of the hides were tanned and made into leather and fur clothes for the young boy. The young boy¡¯s time in the forest had taught him how to be self-sufficient.

    Xu Min was now fully able to live on his own without having to rely on other people. There was one more item in his backpack aside from berries and other food. It was a smaller bag which was filled with all the medicinal herbs that Xu Min had found while traveling in the forest.

    Some of the herbs he found were used to increase his cultivation rate, but most of them were packed away because Xu Min knew that he needed money. The easiest way to earn money would be to sell valuables, but the small boy had none of those. This was why he fought off the temptation to use all the healing flowers with beneficial effects on himself.

    With determined steps, Xu Min set off towards the horizon, and it did not take long before he saw somerge city walls in the distance. The walls alone were so tall that they hid everything behind them perfectly. Smaller viges were spread out near the wall itself. Agriculture appeared once more, causing Xu Min to feel slightly at home.

    Xu Min¡¯s n was to enter a city and somehow find a ce where he could train himself faster than he had done so far. He had learned to persist, as he knew that he was still far too weak. Because of this, he endured the hate that never fully let go of his heart. As he stared at the massive city many times bigger than Xu Min¡¯s hometown, he assumed that there would be teachers of the same or better quality as Overseer Tian.

    As he slowly inched closer and closer to the city, Xu Min quickly found that although the city was visible on the horizon, the trip to get there was many times longer than what he expected. The night quickly descended upon him, forcing him to set up camp. He would rather camp outside than go to an inn.

    Although he had no money, he was certain that some innkeeper would trade a warm bed and a bowl of stew for one of his medicinal herbs; however, the stew and the bed were something which Xu Min could only dream about as he picked up some dried meat from his bag and started chewing upon it as he looked all around him with alert eyes.

    Thest two years, Xu Min had done everything he could to avoid humans. During this time, he had not spoken even once, out of fear of attracting someone to his location. His avoidance grew so severe that he even refused to follow animal trails, forcing himself to make his own path through the thickest parts of the forest by relying on his Shattering Palm.

    It was fortunate that the forest was a rather safe area and not one of those forests that were overrun with demon beasts, but even so, Xu Min would rather run into a demon beast than a human; he feared that all humans within the forest were there for the sake of killing him.

    A slight fear crept into his heart when he thought about entering the city. However, with a determined shake of his head, Xu Min ordered himself to get some rest as he would continue onward the following day. Even if the city was daunting and slightly scary, it was a necessary step towards defeating the Zhong Family Leader.

    As he slept, the young boy once more relived the nightmare which happened years before where his sister died in his arms.

    ....

    As the moon descended and the first rays of sunshine started to shine upon the grassy ins, Xu Min woke up. His cheeks were tear-stained and his heart was beating erratically. Dark eyebags were visible on his face and his fists were clenched so hard that blood was dripping from his palms.

    Xu Min sat up, sighing deeply. Although he wished to reach the city early, he did not rush; instead, he entered meditation. As soon as his eyes closed, he descended into a trance-like state and small specks of golden light started surrounding him. Some of these specks were inhaled while others were exhaled.

    Seated still in this position in the middle of the ins, Xu Min spent a couple of hourspletely in a trance as he absorbed the essence of the heavens and the earth and refined it into Qi in his dantian.

    After a couple of hours, Xu Min finally opened his eyes and the golden specks in the air slowly disintegrated, vanishing into nothingness as a satisfied smile appeared on Xu Min¡¯s face.

    Standing up, Xu Min started to train his body, going through the various muscle training exercises that Overseer Tian had taught him once again. After training his physique for a couple of hours, he finally took a specific stance, closed his eyes, and released the Qi from his dantian throughout his body and allowed it to rush through his meridians. A white colored palm appeared in front of him. With a satisfied smile, Xu Min dismissed the hand before he raised his head, looking at the city in front of him, and slowly started making his way towards the city in the distance.

 Chapter 6: Honghe City

    Chapter 6: Honghe City

    As he made his way towards the city, Xu Min once more confirmed his belief that the city was truly far away. He kept walking for the first half of the day, not taking even one break, but no matter how high the sun stood in the sky nor how scorching hot it felt for someone who had lived in the deep shadows of the forests for two years, he didn¡¯t reach the city.

    The fur vest he had been wearing quickly ended up within his bag, leaving his upper body bare. The young man continued towards the city with steadfast steps. As he got closer, he suddenly found himself on a dusty road with other people who were also walking towards the city.

    At first his entire body was rigid; however, as he walked further, Xu Min came to realize that these people did not even notice him. The majority of them rushed towards the city much like he himself was doing.

    The barrennd also changed slightly as he got closer and closer. The dry ground transformed into fields. Rice was growing from some of them and corn from others. Medicinal herbs and grain could also be spotted sometimes. There were many plots ofnd specialized in growing produce; in these fields, humans worked to remove the weeds or water the nts.

    Watching these people, Xu Min rushed forward. His head stayed facing down to the ground while he was ncing to the sides and wondered what to do when he reached the city. He wanted to sell the many medicinal herbs that he had collected, but he would need to speak to do so, which was something that he had not done in two years. Just thinking about it caused the young boy to shudder slightly.

    While he was wondering what to do, the young boy lifted his head and his eyes widened in surprise. Because he had gotten closer to the city, the horizon was no longer onlynd as far as the eye could see, which he was used to by now. Something blue spread out behind the city. It was something astonishing that Xu Min remembered his sister telling him about once.

    ¡°Listen closely little Min. Far away, even further than the ends of the forest, is a giant blue sea. It is simr to thekes in the forest, but much bigger.¡± Xu Wu¡¯s eyes glittered as she longingly thought about the sight she had seen many years earlier.

    ¡°How do you know this, sis?¡± Xu Min asked curiously, his eyes big and na?ve, something that had not been seen in his eyes for years now.

    ¡°When we were small, we sailed on that sea on the way here . One day I want to return to the other side and find our family once more.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like them,¡± Xu Min pouted as he heard his beloved sister speak, ¡°I just want to spend my life together with you. I don¡¯t need anyone other than you.¡±

    Tears were in his eyes as the young boy reminiscenced about the conversation he had had with his sister years ago. With an angry wipe of his arms, he removed the tears which pressed their way through his eyes.

    Red-eyed and determined, Xu Min started to pick up speed as he moved towards the city. He was ready to find a way for him to work and strengthen his body at the same time. But before that, he decided that there was a ce he had to see first. He had to see the sea that his sister had dreamt about.

    The city walls were taller than anything he had ever seen before. The walls were far bigger than thergest tree he had seen within the forest, but unlike the wild untamed nature of those trees, these walls made of ck bricks were the evident work of man.

    At the top of the walls, guards were visible. All of them were Warriors, a sight that shocked Xu Min. In his home vige, a Warrior was by far a force to be reckoned with; yet here, even before entering the city, the young boy saw more Warriors in one ce than he had seen during his entire life until today.

    By now, he was part of the steady stream of humans walking towards the city gates. Most people around him weremoners ¨C people who had chosen to make their living by means other than bing martial art experts. There were also guards, mercenaries, and soldiers; perhaps one of these people would carve their name into history.

    Xu Min was trembling slightly as he looked down at the ground, since he had to peek at both sides, constantly on guard against the many people surrounding him. His worst fear was that someone from his hometown was mixed within this massive body of humans pushing their way towards the city gate to get inside just a moment before the others.

    If he was noticed, he wouldn¡¯t be too easy to deal with. His cultivation base was no longer that of a mere child who had just broken into the Student Warrior rank; instead, he was now at the peak of the Student Warrior rank. He was now ready to break into the rank of a real practitioner.

    Although Xu Min only knew one martial art skill, it was a skill he had trained to perfection. Despite that his Qi was still somewhatcking, he would be able to stand against the majority of the guards sent from the Zhong Family. But if it was a captain or even Overseer Tian who found him, then the young boy was quite unlikely to escape from his grasp.

    Having trained alone for two years, no one understood their body as well as Xu Min understood his. He knew his limits along with the best use of his current strength. His knowledge not only extended to his Qi limits, but also the body¡¯s condition. Having trained his body physically, he managed to be a person with lean strong muscles. Thinking back at the many guards that he had seen back at the Zhong Family Compound, he knew that his body alone was strong enough to deal with early Student Warriors without any sort of assistance.

    When it came to using the Shattering Palm, no one in the entire Student Warrior rank was a match for the young man, which meant that he had confidence in his own ability to stay alive.

    Having assured himself that the captains and Overseer Tian were unlikely to be at this city, Xu Min finally dared to lift his head up. As he did, he stopped in his tracks, his jaw falling down as he stared agape at the city gate in front of him.

    The gate itself was huge. It was at least twenty meters tall, and to a ten year old boy, this was an astonishing size, making him feel much smaller than usual. His heart started pounding hard from this sight as he was pushed forward by the endless stream of people entering the city.

    The city walls were ten meters thick. As soon as he entered the city, he became even more astonished by the town houses and the many busy citizens bustling in the streets. Shops were everywhere, selling anything from shoes to services; anything that you wanted to buy was for sale.

    All the sights in the city overwhelmed him as he was nudged further and further into the city. The stream of people led him past several different marketces wheremoners hoped to sell their goods.

    Arriving at one of these marketces, the streets that previously had been so busy and bustling were suddenly easier to move on. He also noticed that there were many carts parked with their owners calling out the prices and items they were selling.

    Looking around the city, one thing that Xu Min noticed was that he was unable to find any shops that specialized in selling items rted to martial arts nor were there any martial art schools in sight. After oveing his hesitation to speak for the first time in two years, he decided to ask around. The answer he got, was that martial arts were something that only the noble families of the city had the luxury to enjoy. It was not formoners such as themselves.

    Hearing this, the young boy could not help but to feel downcast. Nevertheless, his eyes remained focused because he was certain that he could be strong enough on his own. All he needed was the strength to defeat the Zhong family leader. The young man was unsure of what he wanted for his future after his revenge.

    Moving around casually within the city, Xu Min suddenly found himself at the harbor. His eyes widened with surprise as he saw blue water as far as his eyes could see. Ships sailed to and from the docks andrge groups of men were loading and unloading cargo on the ships.

    Having nothing to do except for adoring the scenery in front of his eyes, the young boy went down to the docks and looked around, wondering if he could be of any help.

    He did not want to help because he was a kind person. No, as soon as he had been informed that there were no specific ces within the city where they would teach martial arts, Xu Min decided to focus on training his body, sculpting it into the perfect tool.

    Physical exercise would also help him to increase his cultivation base. He was, after all, a Student Warrior. Unfortunately, although it was a way to raise one¡¯s strength, it was far inferior to absorbing the essence of the heavens and earth and then refining it into Qi.

    What Xu Min had discovered during his time within the forest was that if one only trained in one aspect without the other, then it was far inferior to training both physically and mentally simultaneously.

    Hearing that there were no schools in the area, the n of the young boy was to find manualbor to do during the day, and then spend his nights cultivating Qi. That way, a bnce would form and he would be able to train throughout the whole day, not wasting any time.

    This schedule did not allow for any time to learn martial arts, but this was not a real problem because Xu Min had already perfected the Shattering Palm and he had no other martial art skills at his disposal to train.

    Walking down to the harbor, Xu Min found a man who seemed to be an overseer and caught his attention by pulling at his shirt.

    ¡°What do you want, boy?¡± The older man asked with a grumpy voice, ¡°Are you lost from your mummy and daddy? It¡¯s dangerous here, you better run along and find some nice people to help you out!¡±

    Hearing that, Xu Min could not help but feel slightly insulted, but none of his emotions showed on his face. Once more the young man overcame his fear of talking and his hoarse voice was heard, ¡°Old man, I¡¯m looking for a job. Do you need more manpower?¡±

    Hearing the young boy ask such a question, the overseer stared at him with disbelief before a deafeningughter escaped from his lips.

    ¡°Oi kid, this is no joke. Children like you have nothing to do here! We don¡¯t need people to sweep the floor, we need strong men who can lift these crates with one arm. You think you can lift this crate with one arm? I would like to see you try.¡±

    Hearing the challenging voice with which the man spoke, a harrumph sounded from the young boy before he went towards one of the crates. With a leisurely expression, the child lifted the crate exactly with one arm and as he walked past the overseer, his eyes could not help but appear to be slightly mocking.

    ¡°Where do you want me to put it down?¡± He asked. This time the overseer looked at him with a wry smile as he scratched his forehead. ¡°Why don¡¯t you put it down over there with the other ones.¡± He no longer made fun of the youngster.

    Xu Min was a peak Student Warrior. How could it be hard for him to lift such a crate? Although this city was far bigger than the one Xu Min came from and despite there being many more Warriors within this city, the men working at the harbor were far from being Warriors. Real Warriors could obviously find a much better paying job.

    cing the crate with the others, Xu Min went back to the overseer, and not even one drop of sweat was evident on his face. The overseer could do nothing butugh bitterly at himself while wondering where such a monstrous young boy came from.

    ¡°Am I good enough to get the job?¡± Xu Min asked with bated breath. The job here at the harbor would be perfect for him, and happiness bubbled up inside of his chest as he saw the overseer nodding his head.

    ¡°You can start now. Move all those crates to the pile over here. You get paid at the end of each day and you better work damn hard, or I¡¯ll fire you.¡±

    Nodding his head, Xu Min was excited as he got his first job within Honghe City.

 Chapter 7: Overseer Wang Li

    Chapter 7: Overseer Wang Li

    Hearing that the overseer gave the young boy a job, the other workers could not help but sneak a nce towards the young boy who immediately started to move crates like he had been told to.

    Although he was young, no one made fun of him, nor did they question why he had wanted the job. They just observed the young man as he moved the crates, one at a time, towards the shoreline part of the harbor. A cart was waiting for them so they could be sent to the shops in the city.

    After they saw the young boy working earnestly and how his face was starting to sweat like their own, they felt respect for him. Their respect increased even more when they saw that even after several hours moving crates, the boy continued, sweating hard but showing no signs of giving up.

    Seeing this, all the older men who worked at the harbor were greatly surprised. When it came to strength, it seemed as if the boy was equal to them, something they had a hard time epting. His speed was also very simr to their own, signifying that he was definitely a cultivator.

    The other workers were not the only ones watching the young boy. The overseer spent the majority of his day observing the young child. His eyes narrowed and his hands clenched and unclenched once in awhile. All this time, his eyes were focused on the boy but also somehow distant, as though he was busy contemting something important.

    The day turned to dusk and the sun set on the other side of the sea. The blue seawater and the blue sky turned purple from the sinking sun. The sight was so breathtakingly beautiful that even Xu Min, whose heart was filled with hatred and vengeance, had to stop to enjoy the beautiful scene.

    As Xu Min was observing the beautiful sunset, a new group of workers arrived at the harbor. The voice of the overseer rang through the air, ¡°Everyone gather up! Time to switch shifts. Come and collect your money or I will keep it.¡±

    Hearing the voice,ughter could be heard in the harbor as everyone went towards the overseer and gathered up in front of him to ept their pay.

    Working at the harbor was a job that could only be done if the workers had a certain amount of strength; however, when these men gained enough strength, they would move on to better paying jobs. This meant that the job as a worker at the harbor was neither really good nor bad.

    After waiting for his turn, Xu Min was astonished when he received five copper coins. Although five copper coins was only enough to pay rent for a bed and get one meal at an inn, it was still the first time the young boy had ever earned money with his own hands.

    His life at the Zhong Family Compound had been one where he was a servant. Everything he had was given to him, or provided by the family. Since they had paid money to buy him at a young age, Xu Min never saw any sort of payment for his training to be a family guard. Neither had his older sister.

    Just as Xu Min was about to walk away, wondering if he should sell some of the nts he had found, he heard the overseer¡¯s voice, ¡°Wait. I still need to speak with you kid,¡± He said it in a whisper right next to him. Xu Min instantly stopped in his tracks and obediently stepped aside, waiting for the overseer to finish his job.

    The overseer¡¯s job was not done yet. As soon as he finished paying the workers at the harbor, he had to spend another half an hour exining to the new overseer which ships were unloaded already and which ships still needed to be unloaded. He also needed to report what happened during the previous shift.

    While the overseer was working, Xu Min stoodpletely still, waiting for the overseer to return to him. He was in no rush since he had nowhere to return to in this city. All he needed to do was to find an inn and spend the rest of the night cultivating.

    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you waiting for me,¡± A deep voice sounded. Xu Min was startled, because he had not expected to hear any voice from right behind him. He was a cultivator, how was it possible for him to be taken by surprise like this? Even if the other guy was a Warrior it still should have been possible to detect his movements.

    ¡°Now follow me,¡± The overseer said, as he turned around and walked into the dark alleyways leading from the harbor. Seeing this, Xu Min hesitated slightly before he decided to follow the man. It was obvious that the overseer¡¯s cultivation base was far above his own and if he had wished to harm him, he would have done so already.

    The truth was that Xu Min was curious. He was curious to know what rank this man had achieved and how he could sneak up on him without being noticed.

    Walking through one alleyway after another, Xu Min had quickly lost track of where he was and which way they were moving. Even so, the young boy still rushed behind the older overseer, following him to the best of his abilities.

    Finally, after moving for half an hour, they arrived at a shabby looking house attached to other simrly looking houses, none of them seemed to be in good condition. Watching the overseer open the creaking door, Xu Min would have guessed that it would fall from its hinges at any moment, but, unexpectedly, itsted.

    Entering the house, he saw that it was not as shabby as on the outside. Inside was a small stove and a bed. Apart from the overseer, no one else seemed to live in the house, but unlike the outside, both the stove and the bed seemed to be well-maintained. At the foot of the bed was a chest with a lock on it; as to what was locked within the chest, Xu Min had no way of knowing.

    ¡°Wee to my home,¡± The overseer said casually as he kicked his boots off and sat down on the bed. ¡°So, tell me, are you a young master who escaped from home?¡±

    Shocked at the question, Xu Min looked at the overseer with an expression ofplete and utter disbelief on his face. He looked so lost that the overseer could not help butugh out loud.

    ¡°I guess not,¡± He said while wiping a tear from his eye, ¡°Well, if you want to keep your job, you better tell me your background. I can¡¯t afford to have someone noticing you and thinking that we have kidnapped a genius from some noble family.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not from any noble families, though.¡± Xu Min said with his hoarse voice as he looked at the overseer and contemted whether or not to tell the truth. Telling the truth would not be a big deal, as long as he made sure not to tell him where he came from; however, there was always a chance that the overseer would start searching for his background. If he found out, who knew, if he would sell Xu Min for the bounty given out by the Zhong family.

    ¡°You have to be from a noble family. How else can a kid like you be a peak Student Warrior?¡±

    ¡°My talent is good.¡± Xu Min stated. When it came right down to it, it really was his own talent which brought him this far. He was never given any medicinal herbs or pills like the young master, so he was actually not lying.

    ¡°Well, someone taught you how to cultivate. And it was someone who was not aplete idiot either. Looking at you, it¡¯s obvious you have been training both your body and your Qi. It is not a bad job you have done, not at all.¡± The overseer said as he kept looking at Xu Min with a prating look. It seemed as if he could see the deepest secrets of the young man.

    ¡°I¡¯m not a noble runaway,¡± Xu Min finally said, ¡°But I can¡¯t tell you where I¡¯m from.¡± Having decided that it was simply too risky to talk about his background, the young boy could only clench his teeth and ept that he needed to find another good manualbor job.

    ¡°Alright,¡± The overseer sighed, ¡°My name is Wang Li. You can stay here for now. Since you are only a kid, I can¡¯t let you fend for yourself.¡±

    He saw that the young boy was very hesitant and unsure. He wished to refuse the offer, but as soon as his eyes locked with Wang Li¡¯s, he understood that this was not an offer but an order. He swallowed his objections and nodded obediently.

    ¡°My name is Xu Min.¡± He answered honestly, before his eyes became alert because he finally realized his mistake. Telling his real name had never been his intention, yet this man managed to get it out of him without any problems.

    Seeing a satisfied smile on Overseer Wang Li¡¯s face, Xu Min had the urge to punch him in the face, but instead he moved towards the wall of the house and sat down, leaning against the chilling wooden wall.

    As he closed his eyes and he was about to start breathing like Overseer Tian had taught him, he felt somethingnd on hisp. Opening one eye, he saw that a key was lying on his leg.

    ¡°Since you will be living here for some time, you better keep this copy,¡± Overseer Wang Li said before he turned towards the stove and started a fire in the hearth.

    Taking the key in his hand, Xu Min once more closed his eyes and started breathing as he had been taught. It did not take long before golden specks of light were visible in the air around him, with some entering and others exiting.

    Looking at the boy, a brief expression of surprise was visible on the face of Overseer Wang Li before he smirked and murmured to himself, ¡°He truly does have monstrous talent,¡± before he continued focusing on the stove in front of him.

    On the stove was a saucepan and within it was a hearty seafood soup filled with the best shellfish and stonefish which he managed to purchase during a small break at work. On the side was some bread which Overseer Wang Li sliced into pieces. He quickly ced it next to the soup on the stove, allowing the bread to heat up slightly.

    After he heated the food up, Wang Li did not instantly start eating; instead, he looked at the meditating Xu Min. A smile appeared on his face as he saw the boy constantly absorb and emit those golden specks. Then he sat down on his own bed and started to meditate as well.

    The two men, one young and the other old, were seated in meditation for a few hours as both of them absorbed the essence of the heavens and the earth. Their breathing started to sync at some point, resulting in the entire room being filled with golden specks of light. Some of these specks wererge while others were small, but they were everywhere within the room.

    After a few hours, Xu Min finally opened his eyes. As he did, Wang Li did the exact same thing. Looking around, the young boy was deeply shocked because he had never seen that many golden specks before. But sadly, they soon dissipated into nothingness, leaving behind no traces at all. Sighing deeply, Xu Min heard his stomach growl. A smile appeared on his face though, as he saw Wang Li handing him a bowl of soup and some bread.

    ¡°Eat Up,¡± the Overseer said, as he poured another bowl of food for himself.

 Chapter 8: A Hundred Gold Coins

    Chapter 8: A Hundred Gold Coins

    Hesitating slightly, Xu Min looked at the food that had been handed to him. Although he had decided to rely only on himself, his stomach did not seem to agree with him now. It started growling loudly, making the young boy¡¯s face turn crimson.

    Fortunately, Wang Li showed no signs of reacting to the loud growling sounds of Xu Min¡¯s stomach; instead, he kept pouring the warm soup into his mouth and as soon as he had emptied the bowl, he would pour a new serving for himself. He was eating to his heart¡¯s content. Looking at Wang Li, one would think that they had found the mostfortable man alive.

    Smiling slightly, the young boy ced the bowl to his lips and tried some of the broth, only to realize that the vor was amazing. He quickly ate in a hurried but satisfying way. It was as though the food was rejuvenating his starved and exhausted body.

    ¡°So, kid.¡± Wang Li said after they finished the entire pot of soup, ¡°Are you going to be meditating all night, or do you n on getting some sleep?¡±

    Looking at the old man with vignce, Xu Min wondered whether or not it would be possible for anyone to sleep if they were in his situation and responded by moving towards the wall again.

    He fell to the floor and quickly sat with his legs crossed and his hands resting in hisp. He closed his eyes and started breathing in the way Overseer Tian had taught him.

    Usually, it would take some time for a young boy such as Xu Min to get adjusted to his new surroundings; however, after living in the forest without any proper rest for two years, Xu Min learned how topletely disregard his surroundings and only react to the essence of the heavens and the earth.

    While Xu Min was very attentive and alert, he was also aware that it was impossible for him to escape Wang Li¡¯s grasp. As long as the older man wished to look after him, the young boy had absolutely no way to go against him. Since this was the case, he decided to use the opportunity that he was seated in a warm room with a roof above his head to cultivate, hoping that at some point he would break through and transcend the Student Warrior rank.

    Although this was Xu Min¡¯s hope, the young boy was aware that despite the fact that he was cultivating every time he could, he was unfortunately in need of some kind of challenge to push his limits. But he simply had no clue how to challenge himself other than how he had been doing for the past few years.

    Every day he challenged his physical limits and transcended them while working hard. Previously this constant cycle was aplished within the forest; however, from now on he would do so at the city harbor.

    More than anything, Xu Min wished to find a teacher who would assist him with his training, but finding a teacher proved to be much harder than he expected. If he spent every day at the docks, the young man found that he would have no time to search for a teacher. His only option was to see whether or not he could form a bond with this Overseer Wang.

    It was with mixed feelings that Xu Min reached this conclusion. Mainly because the young boy did not trust the man at all. The fact that he identally gave away his real name was also something that bothered him a lot. Were this man to hear about the bounty that was ced on him then Xu Min was certain that his head would be delivered to the Zhong Family on a tter.

    But at the same time, although this man was someone Xu Min did not trust, Overseer Wang was clearly an expert ranked far above Xu Min. Seeing someone with such strength caused the young boy to feel veneration and hope at the same time. He was hoping dearly that the overseer would not sell him out, and instead focus on teaching him as a disciple.

    These thoughts were floating in his head all night as he cultivated. As the sun rose in the sky, painting the clouds to a beautiful purple color, Xu Min opened his eyes and saw that Overseer Wang was gone. The boy quickly locked the small house before he rushed towards the harbor.

    Rushing through the alleyways, the young boy was uncertain which way he should go, but his physique was good, which allowed him to keep running at his highest speed for quite a while. At first, he ran about randomly, but as the scent of the salty seawater and fish reached his nose, the young boy rushed in the direction of the smell. He arrived just at the time the sun was finally visible above the eastern horizon.

    Wang Li was already busy working in the docks. Multiple scrolls were open in his hands while he barked out orders. As soon as he saw Xu Min, a smile appeared on his face and he waved the boy towards him.

    ¡°Good job at arriving on time. Now go move all those crates with fish to that cart.¡± The Overseer said as he pointed to the crates and the cart.

    Hearing the order, the young boy immediately did as he was told without hesitation. Xu Min was hard working. Although he started sweating, he kept working at the same pace, pushing his tired limbs to their limits. He forced his body to ovee its limitations as he constantly trained to improve his strength.

    Every time his body was just about to break, it would scream in pain and agony, begging his muscles to stop working; however, when this happened, Xu Min would force himself to remember how his sister died in front of him, and how he was unable to do anything but watch. Watch, as she died. Had he been stronger back then, he should have been able to save her.

    While Xu Min was busy focusing on improving his body and working hard, Wang Li was often observing the young boy with a curious gleam in his eye. Throughout the day, the overseer watched the young boy for a long time before he temporarily left his duties at the harbor and found a good friend of his, a beggar.

    ¡°Listen up, Xiao San,¡± He said with a smile on his face, ¡°I need you to get me all the information you can about a boy named Xu Min. No matter what you find out about this boy, just tell me. I¡¯ll pay a good price.¡±

    Having asked the beggar, Wang Li rushed back to the harbor only to see that everyone was still doing their tasks as ordered, none of them cking off in the slightest.

    As the day passed and the sun started to set, Wang Li looked at the boy and gave him onest order, ¡°Put these cases up, go back home, and start cultivating. I¡¯ll cook when I return home.

    Wang Li could not help but pat the young boy¡¯s head while he said that and a gentle smile emerged on his face. To be honest, Wang Li usually disliked kids a lot. He hated all people who were weak-minded and easy to control, yet this boy was clearly willing to do anything to increase his strength, something that both amazed and worried the older man.

    Xu Min looked at his benefactor, hesitating slightly because he had to wonder again how big of a risk it was to stay with this older man. As he pondered over this dilemma, he suddenly remembered the delicious food that was cooked for him the day before. Considering that he had eaten nothing at all the whole day and was working the entire time, his judgment was clearly clouded as he slowly walked towards the small house owned by Wang Li.

    At first, Xu Min walked slowly towards his destination, but how could someone this motivated to be stronger walk slowly? He quickly increased his pace while he rushed back to the house. He traveled through all the many alleyways he had used in the morning.

    Although the trip was longer than when he had followed Wang Li, it was definitely the best way for Xu Min. He could be familiar with the different alleyways he needed to use to get to the docks like this. Xu Min was the kind of person who would rather be safe and spend extra time on something than be sorry and find himself in a troublesome situation.

    While Xu Min was running back to the house, Wang Li was standing at the harbor, no longer focused on the workers in front of him. He was instead leaning against a wall, seemingly in wait of someone¡¯s arrival.

    It did not take long before a poor beggar made his way towards the overseer with a sleek grin on his face.

    ¡°Overseer Wang,¡± He greeted, nodding his head yet showing no signs of respect apart from that. ¡°I did as you asked and investigated this kid called Xu Min.¡±

    ¡°Xu Min is a fugitive from a small town within the woods. The reward for bringing his head is a hundred gold coins. As to why he is wanted, I could not determine. In spite of that, let¡¯s split the reward, fifty-fifty. You kill him, and I will return with his head to the Zhong family who issued the bounty.¡±

    Hearing this, Wang Li went quiet for a while, ncing at the beggar to see his expression.

    ¡°This information,¡± He asked with a low voice, ¡°have you told anyone else about it?¡±

    Hearing the question, the beggar could not help but snort in contempt. ¡°Who do you think I am?¡± he asked, slightly upset, ¡°I do not want others to steal my golden goose. Are you interested or not?¡±

    After Wang Li heard these words, a cold gleam shed through his eyes. Quicker than anyone was able to notice, his hand struck out, entering the chest of the beggar where his hand squeezed tightly around the beggar¡¯s heart, turning his heart into pulp.

    As Xiao San copsed to the ground, his face was filled with shock. He had not even had a moment to let out a sound, let alone a scream.

    As the man copsed to the ground, Wang Li had long since vanished. He merged with the dark shadows of the small alleyways and made his way back to the house where the young man was awaiting his arrival.

    Wang Li stopped briefly in one of the darkest alleyways where he wiped the blood off his hand with a cloth, which he then tossed away. A hard expression was present on his face, which then slowly turned back to his usual jovial look. As his appearance slowly returned to normal, the Overseer headed towards a marketce, where he purchased ingredients for dinner.

    Returning to the room, Wang Li noticed that Xu Min was seated on the ground. He was in the exact same ce as he had been the previous night. A slight chuckle escaped the older man¡¯s lips. For some reason, Wang Li took a liking to this young man, and he could not help but feeling curious about what such a young child could have done to be hunted at such a tender age.

    Without disturbing the cultivating boy, Wang Li started cooking the food he had purchased. After an hour, Xu Min was unable to cultivate any further because the scent of food reminded his body how hungry it was after a whole day of hardbor, and it interrupted his concentration.

    Seeing that Wang Li seemed to be contemting something while cooking, a feeling of danger surfaced in Xu Min¡¯s heart. Instinctively, his eyes looked towards the door as he estimated the necessary time he needed to run away.

    However, before he had a chance to make even the slightest movement, Wang Li was in front of the door with a smile on his face.

    ¡°So kid, I hear your head is worth a hundred gold coins. Why don¡¯t you tell me what you did? Depending on your answer, I might just find myself a hundred gold coins richer.¡±

 Chapter 9: Attempted Escape

    Chapter 9: Attempted Escape

    Xu Min froze as he heard Overseer Wang¡¯s words. His eyes widened and his heart started beating rapidly. Since the door was already blocked, he quickly looked around to search for other exits. There were none and the overseer just stood in front of the door with a sly smile on his face.

    ¡°Now now,¡± Wang Li said as he noticed the boy¡¯s sudden panic, ¡°I am not so desperately in need of money that I would hand over a boy without hearing his side of the story. But if you lie to me, then I¡¯ll make sure that you never speak another word again.¡±

    As the overseer threatened Xu Min, the young boy already knew that he had no other choice than to tell the truth. Fleeing would be impossible now, because the only exit was fully covered by the overseer¡¯srge figure. His eyes were locked onto the little boy who was currently feeling like a rabbit trapped by a hungry wolf.

    Seeing the fear in the young boy¡¯s eyes, Wang Li could not help but wonder once more what exactly a child this young could have done to make him worth such an extravagant bounty.

    Young eyes locked onto older ones. Both of them werepletely silent The atmosphere within the room was so tense that one could cut it with a knife.

    Because the only exit was guarded, attempting to escape would be futile and would likely only cause the older man to be angry. He also already said that if Xu Min were to lie, then the young boy would have sealed his fate to be delivered to the Zhong Family.

    Thinking all his possible choices through, the young boy sighed deeply ¨C his eyes gleaming with perseverance. He lived to get revenge on the Zhong family. He could not afford to die now.

    Nodding his head, Xu Min sat back down on the ground. His ck eyes were seemingly as deep as an endless abyss and no emotion was visible other than overwhelming despair.

    Seeing his despair, Wang Li once more questioned the past of this young man. To be honest, he had no intention of handing the young boy over for the sake of some petty coin. It was only due to his curiosity, how such a skilled young boy could appear seemingly out of nowhere, that spurred him to pressure the young boy to get information about his background.

    Xu Min gritted his teeth as the despair in his ck eyes turned to anger, and then to hate. His fists were gripped tightly, and although he had not said anything, Wang Li easily understood that something terrible had happened to make this boy this way. His interest grew even stronger, and the sly smile on his face grew somewhatrger.

    ¡°My sister and I were sold when we were children,¡± Xu Min started to exin, and spent the rest of the evening talking about everything that had happened to him.

    He did not reveal his background for the sake of confiding in Wang Li nor from the threat made by him. The reason he exined everything down to the tiniest detail was to get some pity from the much older overseer. If the Overseer pitied him, there would be a bigger chance for him to live.

    Another reason why he opened up to Wang Li was the hope that Wang Li would get distracted; creating a chance for him to quickly escape from the small house without risking his neck in the process.

    The most important thing for Xu Min was not how others viewed him, nor was it honor and pride. In his perspective, survival was the most important thing. As long as he was alive, he would be able to get revenge.

    That being said, although this young boy did not feel about honor and pride like most people do, he still had his own code of conduct. As long as he was treated with kindness, he would repay that person in kind. If he was shown respect, he would in turn give respect.

    Halfway through his story, Xu Min¡¯s face turned exceedingly ugly. He noticed that no matter what he said trying to cause the older man to lose focus and move away from the door was futile.

    At the same time, the only change to the elder man¡¯s expression was a crooked eyebrow and a twitch in his sly smile. Seeing him like this, the young child felt that his possibilities of garnering pity were limited, and he started to think about his other options for escaping once again.

    Xu Min¡¯s eyes grew darker and darker as he tried toe up with various escape ns, only to discard them all in the end, because he realized that none of them would work. Hoping to find a weapon of some sort, his mind became frantic as he nced around the room. Not that he had any experience wielding weapons, but he felt as though his situation would be better with a weapon in hand rather than without.

    Unfortunately, no matter where he looked, nothing suitable was in sight. A short timeter he finally ended his tale with how he entered the city to look for a master; only to discover that to learn martial arts within the city, he had to be a part of a sect or a great family.

    Hearing the whole story, Wang Li started contemting for a short moment. As soon as his eyes left Xu Min¡¯s body, the young boy kicked the ground, and used the explosive force of the kick to dart towards the door as fast as he could.

    For a millisecond he even thought that he had seeded. However, before he had the chance to celebrate, he felt something hook onto the back of his cor.

    It happened in the blink of an eye, and by the time Xu Min realized what had happened, he was hanging in the air. His clothes were gripped by a strong hand belonging to Wang Li.

    Although he was caught, the young boy refused to give in. He abandoned his vest to wriggle out of Wang Li¡¯s grasp and rushed towards the doorway once more.

    A look of pleasant surprise appeared on the face of Overseer Wang Li, but it took him just a second to catch Xu Min¡¯s leg. Xu Min found himself hanging in the air, his leg held by the older man¡¯s strong arm. To lift him with such ease, the man was at least an early stage Warrior.

    ¡°No need to rush like this,¡± Wang Li chuckled. With a flick of his hand, the young boy was thrown towards the bed. Colliding against the wall, the young boy could not help but grimace in pain before he fell down onto the bed.

    Although Xu Min was in pain, he refused to give in. He forced his body to stand up while he waited to see what the older man would do next.

    Seeing that Wang Li did not move, the young boy gritted his teeth and quickly took the Shattering Palm stance that he had trained for such a long time. Xu Min stood up and raised his hand in front of him. The Qi that was roiling inside of him went through his body¡¯s meridians in a specific pattern before it started to leak out from the body of the young man, consolidating into arge palm hovering on top of his head. Seeing this translucent palm that appeared above the head of the young Student Warrior suddenly flying toward him, Wang Li was shocked. He couldn¡¯t believe that someone who was not a Warrior yet could have the ability to activate such an advanced technique.

    Seeing the palm, a genuine smile appeared on Wang Li¡¯s face, and with steady steps he strode to meet the translucent palm. His own fist moved to meet it in the middle of the room.

    Seeing that Wang Li intended to take the hit head on without using any Qi to protect himself, Xu Min was taken aback. He was certain that even early stage Warriors would need to use some Qi to protect themselves against his Shattering Palm. Could it be that Wang Li was a middle stage Warrior, or perhaps even a peak stage Warrior?

    These thoughts worried Xu Min; however, he already started the attack and everything was riding on his sess. He was sure that if he failed, it would only take a moment for Wang Li to kill him. The boy would do anything to avoid this oue. If he managed to escape Overseer Wang Li, then he would have to keep running until he found another city where he could try settling down again.

    Thinking back, Xu Min cursed himself for stopping in the first city he came across. He should have continued until he was a good distance away from the Zhong family. However, regretting his actions now would achieve nothing. Instead he poured his entire cultivation base and energy into the palm strike heading towards Wang Li.

    The translucent hand was growing more substantial as beads of sweat appeared on the young boy¡¯s face. His arm was starting to shake ¡ª the shaking was even visible by the naked eye, reflected in the massive palm of Qi.

    Two palms, one created by translucent Qi and the otherpletely bare, collided midair resulting in a resounding boom followed by an intense shock wave. The shock wave caused Xu Min to stumble backwards, blood spraying from his mouth as he copsed on the ground. The world turned ck around him and a bitter taste filled his mouth as he realized he had failed.

    ....

    Xu Min starteding to his senses but his eyes felt like they were glued shut. His mouth was dry as the treebark that he had lived on in the forest.

    His entire body was exhausted with no energy left at all. Although his body was filled with difort and pain, the first emotion which the young boy felt was happiness; a happiness that was impossible to describe or convey.. Even if he had been tied down and brought back to the Zhong family, it was still better than being dead.

    Forcing his eyes open, Xu Min found that he wasying on afortable bed, still in Wang Li¡¯s house. The smell of delicious food permeated the room.

    The first thing his eyesnded on was Wang Li. There were no marks on his body, nor were there any scratches on his fist after directly colliding with Xu Min¡¯s Shattering Palm Strike, a fact that caused the young boy to feel shocked. He was greatly disappointed with his own performance. Although he had mastered this technique, he was still unable to use it to the fullest due to hisck of cultivation. He became astonished because he came to the conclusion that Wang Li was at least a peak stage Warrior, someone capable of fighting against the Zhong family head!

    Feeling the gaze directed at him, Wang Li lifted his head, revealing a smile on his weatherbeaten, grim face.

    ¡°Well done, waking up so soon!¡± Heplimented the young boy, ¡°It seems you¡¯ve had a terrible past, but I don¡¯t really care about that,¡± He said. ¡°What I do care about, however, is your talent. I¡¯ve wanted to teach my martial arts to someone else, but I haven¡¯t seen anyone who was even close to being worthy of my teaching before.¡±

    ¡°You can choose to either be my disciple or go back to those Zhong friends of yours.¡±

    At his words, the young boy¡¯s mind was inplete disarray, but soon a smile appeared on his face. Bing Wang Li¡¯s disciple and working hard under his care was something that Xu Min knew he was capable of doing.

    Seeing the smile on Xu Min¡¯s face, Wang Li¡¯s lips curled upwards. He poured soup into two bowls and went towards the young child in front of him. ¡°You better make me believe that having you as my disciple is worth more than one hundred coins of gold.¡±

 Chapter 10: Warrior

    Chapter 10: Warrior

    At first, Xu Min had believed that bing the disciple of Wang Li was a fortunate event ¨C an event that would help him increase his strength. However, it did not take long before he realized that being Wang Li¡¯s disciple was not as great as he had expected.

    The first thing that Wang Li had taught the young boy was how to cook food that was as delicious as the food made by the overseer himself.

    Having learned how to cook, he was told that it was his job to ensure that their living quarters were always clean; not even one speck of dust was allowed within the room or Xu Min would end up being sold back to the Zhong family. Although it was just a threat, the young boy believed that the old man would really do it.

    As soon as the sun rose in the sky, Xu Min had to be at the harbor where he was expected to work as hard as everyone else who worked there. The young boy worked hard every single day. He always gave the task at hand his all and frequently ran from one side of the harbor to the other, sometimes carrying two, or even three crates at once.

    This sort of physical training was much more intense than the training he had received at the Zhong familypound. It was even harder than the training that he had given himself during his time in the forest. However, this was a wee change because the young boy could feel that his muscles were screaming day in and day out. This was proof that he was oveing hurdles every day, increasing his strength by leaps and bounds whenpared to before.

    As his body became stronger, his mental training and cultivation became much smoother. Finding someone who would use their external strength to support their internal energy was rare because it was incredibly hard for anyone to go through the physical training that left the body feeling sore and broken. However, as soon as that person sat down and started cultivating, their body would be rejuvenated once more, filling the person with newfound energy and strength.

    Seeing the young boy bustling about and working as hard as he could, many of the harbor workers would ask the Overseer why he was making such a poor young boy work so hard. All of them got the same answer: The boy was a peak-rank Student Warrior who was training himself through lifting and moving crates.

    Within this world, there were three ranks that one could reach. The first was the rank of a Student Warrior. Student Warriors were people who had be able to refine Qi from the essence of the heavens and the earth. However, since they had too little Qi, they could not truly be considered Warriors. It usually took ten to fifteen years before a Student Warrior would be able to refine enough Qi to transform into a Warrior.

    The second rank ¨C the Warrior rank ¨C was split into nine stars. The first three stars were considered the Early Stage, the three middle stars were considered Middle Stage, and the final three stars were considered Advanced Stage.

    The majority of all cultivators were either Student Warriors or Early Stage Warriors.

    Guards and soldiers were often Middle Stage Warriors. Middle Stage Warriors were not to be taken lightly because they were, without a doubt, a force to be reckoned with.

    Advanced Stage Warriors were considered experts. As an Advanced Stage Warrior, one was virtually unrestricted in whatever they wanted to aplish. Nine-Star Warriors were especially in high demand for everyone.

    Above the Warrior rank was only the Emperor rank. Emperors were the pinnacle of the cultivating world, and not many managed to reach this peak. Xu Min had never before seen an Emperor; he had only heard about them from Overseer Tian. But even Overseer Tian did not know much. All he knew was that one had to defy the heavens and ascend to immortality in order to be an Emperor.

    Xu Min¡¯s dream was to be an Emperor one day. However, his revenge could not wait for him to reach the peak of cultivation. The Zhong family leader was an Advanced Stage Warrior, but he was an Eight-Star Warrior, not a Nine-Star Warrior. The gap in strength between Xu Min and the Zhong family leader was simply as vast as the distance between the heavens and the earth. For now, the young boy had no other hope than to work harder than anyone else to achieve his revenge.

    Because Xu Min trained his body to such an extent, his body began showing evidence of his hardbor. His initially lean muscles became bigger proportionately along with his height, which also grew at an astonishing speed. In this way, his body was bnced in terms of strength and size.

    Had Xu Min been focusing on the same training curriculum that Overseer Tian had put the Zhong Family guards through, his body would not have been able to achieve this equilibrium. He would had just been solely strengthening his arms and legs, neglecting the other muscles that were just as important .

    When Xu Min had first heard that Wang Li would take him in as his personal disciple, the young man expected that he would be immediately learning new martial art skills. However, he was quickly disappointed. He discovered that Wang Li had only required him to do chores around the house and work at the docks. In his spare time, he would be told to cultivate.

    Having his life filled with working at the docks alongside cultivating nightly, time quickly flowed by, and before long the ten year old boy turned into a fifteen year old young man.

    ¡°Overseer Wang!¡± Xu Min called out, his eyes filled with delight as he jumped up from his seated position. Around him was a myriad of golden specks of light, all of which quickly dissipated into thin air, removing any traces of what had just transpired.

    Looking at the ecstatic young man, Wang Li smiled gently as he guessed what the young man was about to say. He waited patiently to allow his disciple to have the joy of announcing it himself.

    ¡°I did it! I managed to be a Warrior!¡± He eximed, his face flushed red, and his eyes filled with delight. During thest five years, the young man had worked tirelessly to constantly train both body and soul; and now he had finally seeded in bing a true cultivator.

    Being a One-Star Warrior at the age of fifteen would not cause him to be considered as a truly outstanding talent, but it was quicker than the average individual. But how could anyonepare Xu Min with ordinary cultivators?

    Although Xu Min was focusing every night on cultivating his internal energy, the majority of his day was spent improving his physical strength, something that the majority of cultivators disregarded because all of them focused mainly on the internal aspect of cultivation.

    Because he went through the experience of doing all the chores and working hard at the docks, Xu Min was well aware that Wang Li had intentionally focused on tempering his body and put a secondary focus on cultivating internal Qi. He did not fully understand the logic of Wang Li as to why he had decided to train him in this manner, but he chose not to question Wang Li¡¯s reasoning.

    Back when Xu Min had first be Wang Li¡¯s disciple, the young man found that it was impossible for him to feel the auraing from the older man, and he quickly guessed that his strength was far superior of his own. Now that he had reached Early Stage Warrior, he could feel a domineering auraing from his teacher.

    The aura was so domineering and overpowering that Xu Min feltpletely incapable of going against it.

    One had to remember that Wang Li was not using any abilities nor was he intentionally releasing his battle aura; instead, this was just the aura that belonged to the Advanced Stage Warriors, a realm that no one wanted to fight against unless the contender was of the same realm themselves.

    ¡°Well done!¡± Wang Li revealed a rare smile on his weather-beaten face.. He then went towards a bag that he had tossed in a corner of their shared room.

    From within the bag, he pulled out two bottles of wine. After looking around the room for some time, he found two cups in which he poured the wine into, then handed one cup to the young man.

    ¡°Congrattions on finally joining the ranks of cultivators!¡± He said, before lifting the cup of wine up to his lips and emptying the cup in one gulp.

    Seeing his teacher toast him in such a manner, Xu Min followed with drinking his own ss.His face flushed red as soon as the strong wine entered his mouth. A burning sensation followed as it went down his throat, and his face turned pale with sweat as the liquor ended up in his stomach.

    Watching the interesting changes that manifested themselves in his disciple¡¯s face, Wang Li ended up letting out loudughter. Clearly in a great mood, he smiled as he sped his legs with his hands,.

    ¡°Let me see you use that Shattering Palm technique,¡± Wang Li finally said. ¡°You can use it against me. I want to feel just how strong you are now.¡±

    Hearing this, Xu Min instantly bowed andplied with the order he had been given. Although he was about to use an ability against his teacher, he did not hesitate. He already knew that although he had be a true warrior, it was impossible for him to truly pose any threat to this teacher of his.

    Taking the stance he had performed so many times in the past and forcing Qi to flow out from within his dantian and through his body, it did not take long before pearl-white Qi flowed from his palm, creating arge, seven-meter long palm of Qi.

    The palm hovered above the head of Wang Li and with a few quick movements, Xu Min mmed down the palm onto Wang Li¡¯s head, only to hear a resounding boom fill the room.

    A shockwave erupted outwards and swept the unprepared young man upwards and threw him backwards. Hended heavily against the wall, causing him to taste blood in his mouth.

    Swallowing down the blood and standing up on wobbly legs, Xu Min approached his teacher to ensure that he was unhurt. As he neared, he secretly looked at the ce where he had aimed at Wang Li, but he quickly was disappointed because the only change he could see was that his teacher¡¯s hair was slightly disheveled.

    Although disappointment was evident within Xu Min¡¯s eyes, an approving expression was seen on Wang Li¡¯s face. He nodded his head a couple of times before he once more brought forth the bag from before, and started looking around for items within.

    Seeing his teacher acting somewhat differently than normal, Xu Min quickly forgot about the disappointing disy of his Shattering Palm technique, and attentively observed his teacher as Wang Li searched through the bag.

    Initially, Wang Li had pulled out three scrolls from bag. However, Wang Li did not stop. He searched and searched until he found some other scrolls, followed by a map and a small bag of coins.

    ¡°Tempering your body enables it to withstand physical attacks; and at the same time, it also provides you with the capability of using material attacks without relying on your inner strength.¡± Wang Li started speaking formally as a teacher for the first time. As soon as Xu Min heard Wang Li¡¯s words, he instantly sat down, staring intently at his teacher. He swallowed every word whole, memorizing them within his mind.

    ¡°Being able to rely on your body is something that will make you even stronger than your peers; however, you are currentlypletely unable to use the strength that you have gathered. I have forged your body well, making it definitely equal to even the bodies of a Two-Star Warrior. However, only you yourself can learn how to use this great weapon that you have polished for thest five years. It is about time for you to go on a trip.¡±

 Chapter 11: Departure from Honghe City

    Chapter 11: Departure from Honghe City

    ¡±A trip?¡± Xu Min furrowed his brows as he pondered over the reason as to why he had to go on a trip. He had done all that had been asked of him, his training was smoothly underway, and he had finally broken into the rank of Warrior. Now, his teacher wanted to throw him out?

    ¡°Yes,¡± Wang Li answered straightforwardly. ¡°It is one thing to have a strong body, but unless you obtain experience outside of my protection, you will never be able to be strong and independent,¡± he continued, this was the first time in all the years that Xu Min had lived together with him that he sounded like a true teacher.

    ¡°I know that you had previously lived within a forest for two years, but the forest that you lived in was as dangerous as my grandmother¡¯s home.¡± Wang Li mocked, ¡°What I want you to do is to enter a forest infested with demon beasts; only then will you understand what true survival is.¡±

    ¡°But teacher,¡± Xu Min interrupted, with confusion evident in his expression, ¡°You never taught me how to fight, nor did you teach me any martial arts. How am I supposed to survive in a fight against demon beasts?¡±

    After hearing Xu Min¡¯s question, Wang Li snorted and started searching for something in his bag again. After rummaging through the contents for some time, a long sword appeared in his hands, a sword that was clearly farrger than what the bag could possibly contain. Seeing this, Xu Min¡¯s eyes grewrge.

    ¡°Since you are going on a trip, of course this teacher of yours will give you some gifts,¡± Wang Li said magnanimously. ¡°Not only will I give you this weapon, I¡¯ll even give you one more martial art skill, since you know that Shattering Palm thing. You should be fine.¡±

    Hearing his teacher say as much, Xu Min could do nothing but nod his head in return, and he quickly epted the sword that was given to him.

    The sword was incredibly beautiful. The de was around ten centimeters wide and half a centimeter broad. The sword was about a meter and a half long. The shaft was made from bone and wrapped in leather.

    The de was incredibly sharp. Just touching it cut Xu Min¡¯s finger, making him bleed. What was strange was that Xu Min¡¯s blood, upon contact on the sword, disappeared. It was as though the sword was drinking the blood up directly. Suddenly, ck runes that Xu Min had never seen before appeared on the sides of the de.

    Staring agape at the sword, Xu Min, who had never used a weapon before, could not help but feelpletely bbergasted as he held the heavy sword in his hand.

    Although the sword was heavy, it fit in his hand perfectly. A strong desire to swing the sword and cut down his enemies arose in Xu Min. There was something about the sword thatpletely enveloped Xu Min, making him feel as though he had found a missing part of himself.

    Seeing his reaction, Wang Li snickered. How could this sword be a simple item when it was pulled from his plethora of treasures? What he feared was that the young man in front of him would be incapable of holding himself back and start swinging the weapon inside their small room.

    ¡°Teacher, thank you!¡± Xu Min gave his heartfelt gratitude to his teacher. Although he had never used a weapon before, he already felt as though this sword was a part of his body. Although Xu Min had a lean body, his body was finely tempered through five years of hard work at the harbor, making his body as strong as that a Two-Star Warrior.

    ¡°Right,¡± Wang Li was as happy as Xu Min. Initially, he was worried that Xu Min would not be able to use the sword. Sometimes, an enchanted weapon such as the long sword would refuse to be used because of one¡¯sck of affinity with the weapon. However, the weapon had fully epted the ck-haired young man, putting Wang Li at ease.

    ¡°The martial art skill that I am giving you is the Radiant Jade Shower.¡± Hearing this, Xu Min¡¯s eyes grewrge, and a silly grin appeared on his face. He had never heard about this Radiant Jade

    Shower before, but the name alone was so astonishing that it made him feel as though it had to be an amazing ability.

    ¡°Currently, you have the Shattering Palm for one-on-one fights,¡± Wang Li exined. ¡°However, the Radiant Jade Shower is not a single target skill. As a result of this skill, your Qi will split into thousands upon thousands of small drops of rain that are as hard as jade and shower down upon your enemies. They will wreak massive destruction upon your enemies.¡±

    Hearing an exnation of the skill, the young man could not help but be amazed. It would take him a long time to perfectly create and control that many drops of jade.

    As Xu Min was deep in thought about this skill, Wang Li once more rummaged through his bag. He whipped out an old scroll of parchment and passed it to the young man in front of him.

    ¡°Good thing I taught you how to read,¡± hemented as he tossed the scroll towards Xu Min, who caught it on reflex. Looking at the scroll, Xu Min¡¯s hands trembled slightly as he opened it. He slowly rolled out the text that exined the stance and energy flow needed to learn the Radiant Jade Shower.

    ¡°Being a One-Star Warrior makes you stronger than the average human within our Qin continent, but amongst cultivators, you are the weakest of the weak.¡± Wang Li warned him. ¡°You are strong enough to deal with weak and young demon beasts, but if you face any thing big, run. Running to preserve your life is not shameful. Dying a silly death, on the other hand, will not enable you to get revenge. So forget about being stubborn and prideful; instead, do everything you can to stay alive.¡±

    ¡°Also, make sure that you don¡¯t insult cultivators who are stronger than you. Although they normally won¡¯t lower themselves to fight anyone weaker than themselves, if you are too arrogant, they certainly will make an exception.¡±

    Wang Li had been living alone for a very long time, doing nothing other than his job and drinking quality wine whenever he felt like doing so. His life was easy, especially after having taken in Xu Min. The young man dealt with every chore that needed to be done, and he made sure that Wang Li got food and drink whenever he requested it while still working incredibly hard at his daily duties.

    The old man had quickly gotten used to the life with the young boy who was so keen to improve himself on everything he possibly could. He never onceined about the chores he had to do, nor the hard work he was given at the docks.

    At first, Wang Li did not expect that he would grow this attached to the young man. Now that they were about to part ways, the older man felt a bit apprehensive for some time, despite him being the perpetrator who ordered Xu Min to venture into the world.

    Xu Min was, just like Wang Li, slightly apprehensive. However, his reason for being so was different. He could felt as though his speed in reaching the ranks of a Warrior was due to the help and guidance of Wang Li. To enter the wild and try to train on his own made him worried that he would take the wrong path.

    Although he was slightly hesitant, he was filled with excitement. He understood that to temper himself, he would need to go somewhere other than at the docks working at carrying crates. He needed to experience life threatening situations where he could truly unleash his potential: kill or be killed.

    ¡°Enough of this,¡± Wang Li stopped with the warnings before he moved towards the firece, and for once he sat down and started to peel the potatoes and cut the onions. The old man ended up making the night¡¯s dinner. The two of them sat there in silence. Both were somewhat mncholic as they reflected back on thest five years, but both were also excited about whaty ahead for him.

    ¡°After I go out traveling, when I return, you won¡¯t be able to recognize me,¡± Xu Min said with a sly smile on his face. ¡°I might even have grown stronger than you!¡± He continued, however, this time it was more jokingly than anything else. He had long since realized that although Wang Li refused to say how strong he was, he was somewhere in the advanced Warrior stage.

    The rest of the evening was, for the first time, not spent on cultivating. Instead, Xun Min kept Wang Lipany for a cup of wine. The two men spoke about a wide variety of topics ranging from how he had grown from a little brat to a young man to his dreams and aims for his life.

    Wang Li did not speak much and listened to Xu Min about his dreams and his goals¨C dreams he already knew about, but to hear them again after five years, the young boy had not changed. He still wished for nothing more than to destroy the Zhong family, to kill both the young master and the Zhong Family Leader.

    Every time Xu Min spoke about the Zhong family, a me of hatred raged deep inside him. The difference now was that he could speak about the Zhong family without allowing the hate to show on his face. He learned how to keep his rage under control. He now knew what it meant to endure.

    As he thought about his sister, the me of hate would grow, but he was still able to remember the good times he had shared with Xu Wu. He had not blinded himself with hate. Every time he thought about her, he grew even more determined as the ferocity of his personality would increase, and the gaze of his eyes grew increasingly sharper.

    Xu Min spent the entire night emptying himself to Wang Li as he told him about both the good and bad experiences that he had throughout his life. He talked about his escape, about his life in the forest, about Overseer Tian, and his training to be a Student Warrior. He talked about Xu Wu and her constant care for him, and how the young master and his friends would torment him.

    Eventually, Xu Min told him about how his sister had spoke about thend on the other side of the sea, thend from where he and his sister originated. Hearing this, Wang Li¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly, and his smile turned slightly rigid, but Xu Min never noticed. Instead, he carried on with the stories of his life, never once realizing that Wang Li seemed to be deep in thought.

    ¡°The sun is rising,¡± Wang Li suddenly noted, his eyes watching the purple sky visible through the open door of their small room.

    Hearing his voice, Xu Min went quiet for some time. His eyes adopted a determined look and he nodded his head.

    ¡°I won¡¯t tell you where to go,¡± Wang Li said with a tired voice that sounded deste. ¡°Go out and conquer the world on your own. Go wherever your legs take you and experience everything.¡±

    ¡°Should you, by chance, ever feel that you need a rest, thene back here. I will always be waiting. I am your teacher after all.¡±

    Gratitude welled up inside the heart of Xu Min. With a nod and a final nce around the room in which he had lived for so long, the young ck-haired young man stood up and left, not once looking back as he made his way towards the western city gate.

 Chapter 12: West City Gate

    Chapter 12: West City Gate

    Travelling through the city, Xu Min felt as though everything was different from how it used to be. Although everything looked the same, small changes were apparent. The world seemed brighter in front of his eyes because the rising sun colored the sky purple and shined various rays of light down upon the buildings.

    The city gate was located in the west area of the city. This was the wealthy area where the majority of thend was owned by various powerful families. This gate was mainly used by the families who went out to practice their martial art skills in the real world because there was a forest filled with demon beasts not too far from the city.

    The outside edges of the forest mainly contained low grade demon beasts. Only rank one and two demon beasts would be seen in this area; however, the deeper into the forest one ventured, the stronger the demon beasts became.

    Xu Min was well aware of his strength, and his aim was to camp on the outskirts of the forest, where he could focus on tempering his personality, perfecting his Shattering Palm, and learning Radiant Jade Shower.

    Arriving in the western part of the city, Xu Min could not help but suck in a breath of air. He had never actually explored Honghe City, he only stayed at the docks and the poorer area where he and Wang Li lived. He never considered the other areas to be worth his time because all his spare energy was spent on cultivating.

    Seeing the massive familypounds rise high into the sky made Xu Min aware of what a real sessful family was. He had previously thought that the Zhong family was a family far above the others, but now, he saw mansions that were constructed from pure jade and marble, and some even iid with pearls. He finally understood that the Zhong family was truly nothing but a small family with merely one Advanced Stage Warrior.

    Seeing these families, Xu Min felt relief in his heart. At first, he thought that the Zhong family was immeasurable, a force that he would find extremely hard to fight; however, after seeing the other families, he quickly understood that the Zhong family no longer dominated his mind.

    Feeling liberated, a smile adorned this youth¡¯s face as he traveled through the final part of the city. His eyes shone with confidence as he saw the west city gate ahead.

    As he was about to exit the gate, Xu Min thought back to all the things which he experienced in the past five years. Five years... It had been a whole five years since he arrived at Honghe City. Those five years were spent training hard. As long as the sun shone, he would be working hard at the docks, moving crates to and fro. He constantly challenged his limits of how many he could lift, while at the same time, he increased his speed and efficiency with which he moved the crates.

    Each night would be focused solely on cultivating. He would refine the essence of the heavens and the earth into Qi, which allowed him to train the Shattering Palm and increase his rank.

    All these years, Xu Min worked incredibly hard, never onceining about the work he was given, nor about the small chores he had to do at home. Everything was aplished so that one day he could get his revenge.

    Xu Min reaching the one star rank by the age of fifteen was an astonishing feat. It was enough to call him a genius, but it was not unprecedented in Honghe City.

    Every major family had at least one or two young masters who would also reach the Warrior rank by the age of fifteen each year; however, they were born into a wealthy family. Their parents and n would often give them medicinal pills, herbal baths, acupuncture, and various stimnts to allow their cultivation speed to soar.

    For someone to be a one star Warrior by himself and not rely on medicinal pills, herbs, and the like was very rarely seen. Such a youth was, without a doubt, a true genius.

    As he walked through the west city gate, Xu Min¡¯s face had a smile. His heart was beating slightly erratically as he looked around observing his surroundings. When he had entered the city through the east city gate, he still remembered how the road had been filled with farmers and othermoners who were heading to town to sell their harvest.

    The west gate waspletely different from the east gate. A few caravans were visible. Each caravan belonged to merchants who traveled between the major cities of the continent. A few mercenaries and even fewer entourages that contained guards and what seemed to be young masters of the highly esteemed families within Honghe City were seen on the road leaving the city.

    Xu Min was, without a doubt, the most poorly-dressed person of all the people at the west gate. Everyone around him stared at him with puzzled looks. His aura was that of a one star Warrior, but his face was still youthful. No stubble could be seen on the face, it still had the softness of youth.

    Looking at the young man, many determined that he was a young master, who, for some reason, enjoyed dressing like amoner. The rich youngsters in the city each had various hobbies, and seeing one dressing up like amoner was amongst the least entric ones.

    Xu Min was excited as he made his way through the gate. His eyes scanned the surroundings, and his smile remained on his face as he saw the destendscape in front of him.

    In front of him was onerge road. Everyone left the city by this road, caravans and mercenaries alike.

    Thendscape was much like the barrennd Xu Min encountered the first time he had left the forest in which he lived for two years. Looking closely, Xu Min noticed the top of a forest far off in the distance. Although he could see the forest, it was clearly quite a distance away. Finding his destination, the young man started walking towards the forest, following the road upon which everyone else also traveled.

    It was early morning when he departed from Honghe City. He knew that at this time, Wang Li was currently busy at the docks. He could feel how his body was bursting with unused energy, his body almost screaming with the urge to move.

    Grinning broadly, Xu Min could no longer hold back, and with an explosive step, he started running towards the distant forest.

    As soon as he started running, afortable humming sound spread throughout his body as every muscle was being used. He rushed down the paved road, overtaking one group after another. The explosive speed with which he was running was enough to make the overtaken groups and caravans stop and look up. They were surprised to see a lone figure moving as swiftly as the wind down the road, showing no signs of slowing down.

    Xu Min spent five years running around the docks. At first, he carried one crate at a time, but as time went on, he carried two, then three crates. During thest year, he moved up to four crates at once, each weighing around fifty kilograms.

    Now that he was running down the paved road and not lifting anything, his movements were filled with strength. His speed was unprecedented amongst his peers. He was as swift as the wind, and his movements were fluid. No sound could be heard, and the majority of the warriors who saw him were incapable of seeing how he moved. All they saw was a blur rushing past them.

    Feeling his legs growing tired, Xu Min forced himself to keep running at the same speed as before, squeezing every single drop of energy from his body to his legs to keep his pace up. In the end, he managed to run straight ahead at the same pace he had started at for thirteen hours. By the time he stopped, the sun was setting far off in the distance, setting behind the forest that was much closer now.

    Looking around, Xu Min noticed that the further he walked along the road, the more deserted it became. Looking around his surroundings, he saw that some caravans had set up camp a few kilometers away from the road in the barrenndscape. Seeing this, Xu Min decided to follow suit and kept walking until he found a suitable location to camp.

    What he was looking for was a location with some vegetation. However, thend was barren. Small bushes were seen here and there. He ultimately picked out a location in one of the weatherbeaten bushes.

    Getting closer, Xu Min could not help but celebrate as he saw that the bush was bigger than he had expected. He quickly climbed under the branches until he entered the inside of the bush, where he slowly but gently moved the branches away until a small cave was created.

    If one were to look at the bush from the outside, it would be impossible to tell that someone was camping inside. Although he had the aura of a one star Warrior, Xu Min knew that someone had to be close to him to feel his aura.

    Seated in the bush, Xu Min was satisfied with his shelter. He quickly crossed his legs and closed his eyes. Although he was alone and on his way to the wilderness, he still knew how important cultivation was. Within moments, golden specks of light appeared in the air. Some of the specks were absorbed by the young man who was breathing heavily while others were expelled every time he took a new breath.

    The night went by quickly, and no one noticed the young man who was hiding in the bush. As the sun rose in the sky, his closed eyes instantly opened, and Xu Min left the safety of his bush as he returned to the road. He started running once more as swiftly as he could, running quickly towards the forest.

    Although Xu Min was running fast, he ended up having to camp in the bushes two more times before he finally reached the outskirts of the forest. Looking around, the young man was deeply taken aback because nothing was how he had imagined it.

    This forest was known for its demon beasts, and many families used it as a training ground for their young masters and guards, while mercenaries used it as a way to make money. Xu Min was shocked when he saw that right in front of the forest, there was a small town that seemed to be flourishing with business.

    The town had more than one inn, and there were merchants selling everything from food and drinks to weapons and armors.

    Apart from merchants and inns, there were smithies, pharmacies, and even a shop that rented out carriages. Looking at all these things, Xu Min could not help but feel slightly numb. The sight was anything but what he expected to see.

    Although there was civilization right in front of him, Xu Min quickly decided to move the other way. Even though there was some appeal to the town, the only things that the young man brought with him was his sword that he had in a sheath on his back and a small bag bound around his waist. In the bag were food and drinks; the young man had brought no money with him.

    Even back when he worked at the docks, Wang Li never once paid him a sry. The young man never once asked for it. The two of them found a great bnce where Wang Li bought everything he needed and Xu Min did all the chores and followed the orders he was given in return.

    Seeing a town that required money for him to purchase goods, Xu Min could do nothing but sigh as he turned around and walked in the opposite direction. He preferred to enter the outskirts of the forest somewhere without too many people watching. When everything was said and done, Xu Min was still only a Warrior, and based on his previous experiences, he knew very well that animals were not the only thing to be feared in a forest.

 Chapter 13: Building a Lair

    Chapter 13: Building a Lair

    Xu Min skirted around the outskirts of the town for a few days; however, just as he decided on a location, he saw yet another town, much like the previous one that had been established. This city seemed to attract mercenaries and young masters from cities other than Honghe City. As soon as it came into view, Xu Min grumbled slightly as he turned back and moved towards the forest between the two towns.

    Standing there, he looked to both sides. Seeing that no one was around him, he finally moved into the forest. Being in a forest somehow caused Xu Min to quickly calm down. Previously, he had been excited and worried about the many men he coulde across in the forest, but now that he had finally entered the forest, he felt as though he had returned home.

    Walking with stealthy, silent steps, Xu Min ventured further and further into the forest, moving from the areas where the trees were sparse to the wilderness where even the sunlight was blocked by the trees above.

    As soon as he made it to the thicker parts of the woods, he instantly stopped, took his sword from off his back, and wielded it in his hand, ready to take on any beast or human that decided to stand in his way.

    As Xu Min looked around, his eyes didn¡¯t look for a demon beast, nor were they looking for other humans, instead, his eyes were constantly looking at the treetops as he tried to determine the best location to build his stronghold. After travelling through the forest for a few hours, Xu Min finally came across an area that lived up to his expectations.

    The trees were tall, growing into the sky. Xu Min quickly sheathed his sword before he climbed to the top of these trees. At the top, the branches and leaves were weaved together, blocking the light from above and the eyes from below. Looking at the trees on which he was currently seated, a satisfied smirk appeared on his face as he started to rearrange the branches. He started to make a small nest-like structure. After finishing his construction of the nest and ensuring that neither anyone from below nor none of the beasts that could fly could see him, Xu Min was finally satisfied.

    As soon as he had finished hisir, Xu Min sat down for a moment and took a deep breath beforeying the sword by his side. He took one deep breath after another, and the golden specks started to appear in the air around him. After only a few moments, Xu Min managed to enter a deep trance-like meditation.

    The sun was setting by the time Xu Min woke up from his meditation, and he quickly stood up, stretching his body that had been sitting still for quite some time as his muscles were slightly sore. Standing up, he picked his sword up and sheathed it on his back before he slowly climbed down therge tree in which he had created hisir. He then decided to go looking for some dinner.

    The light was already dim when he started walking around the forest. Even the final rays of sunshine were unable to break through the heavy canopy created by the trees that were close by one another. The tree tops were blocking out even the rays of the rising moon.

    Xu Min looked around for a moment; however, he quickly found that within the dense forest, the night descended quickly. As the night descended, sounds of the demon beasts increased, and in the forest, bonfires were lit as mercenaries and young masters stopped their daily hunts to start rxing.

    Seeing this, Xu Min quickly retreated back to hisir. Although he was here to fight demon beasts, he had no wish to fight them during the night as they had the advantage when it came to familiarity with the forest, and their night vision was definitely better than that of a human, even a warrior ranked cultivator did not have as good of a view of the night as a demon beast.

    Moving back to hisir, Xu Min picked some dried meat out from his bag along with a bottle of wine that he enjoyed while lying down in his nest.

    Xu Min rxed for a moment while listening to the sounds of the forest. Although the forest he had lived in before had neither as many demon beasts nor as many humans as this one contained, the scent and the feel was exactly like what he had been used to. For a moment, he was overwhelmed by nostalgia as he remembered the forest that had been his world for two years.

    While thinking about this, he once again remembered the Zhong family. It was impossible for him to go through a whole night without thinking about the Zhong Family, and for once, his mood turned sour. He sat up, no longer lying down in the nest and rxing. Instead, he sat up again and started to cultivate, allowing the golden specks to rece the other specks within his body. He became enveloped by afortable feeling.

    Being at the top of the trees, he was able to see the morning sunshine from his nest, and the pale green light that shone onto the young man caused him to open his eyes as the golden specks in the air instantly dissipating into nothingness.

    Seeing the morning green light, afortable feeling appeared in Xu Min¡¯s heart as he slowly left hisir. When hended on the ground, he looked up towards the nest, satisfied to see that it waspletely impossible for anyone to notice it.

    Even though Xu Min was cultivating, his aura was notrge enough to reveal his location to any humans or beasts on the ground, just as the demon beasts flying above the forest should be unable to sense him as well.

    Satisfied to see that hisir was of range from the others, Xu Min started moving soundlessly through the forest, his keen eyes constantly alert as he expected an attacking his way at any moment.

    His alertness soon paid off as he noticed movements to the side, and by reflex, his hands twisted the sword, allowing it to block the two horns that were aimed straight at his stomach.

    The force behind the horns was nothing to look down on, and Xu Min felt that he was tossed backwards as his eyes instantly rested upon the beast in front of him.

    The beast was unlike anything Xu Min had ever seen. The body was norger than one meter tall and it was a meter and a half long. It had a long rat-like tail and its face was like that of a wild hog. He soon noticed that what he had assumed were horns were in factrge tusks.

    Seeing the beast, Xu Min¡¯s heart skipped a beat. A smile appeared on his face. The beast in front of him was an ordinary Pest Hog. It was a hog species that was as numerous as rats, and they were considered pests as they usually came inrge hordes and took over the farnd.

    Seeing one of these hogs, Xu Min now understood why the ground between the Honghe City and the forest was barren. Even if they tried to nt crops, it would all be eaten by the Pest Hogs.

    It took Xu Min by surprise that he met only one of these beasts; however, he did not allow himself to be too shocked as he lifted his sword with both hands and chopped downwards at the beast.

    ¡°Boom!¡±

    A boom sounded out as the swordnded on the ground. The beast had swiftly escaped the sword blow and it was currently charging towards the young man in front of him, its tusks protruded as it¡¯s face was lowered slightly.

    ¡°ng!¡±

    Seeing the beast running towards him, Xu Min had moved the sword and once again managed to block the tusks. The contact between the hard tusks and therge sword caused a metallic sound to be heard, followed by Xu Min being sent flying away from the impact.

    Although he was being thrown backwards, Xu Min did not fall onto the ground. When he saw the beast assaulting him again, he threw his sword to the side and took up the stance that he had been taught when he was a little boy. Above his head, a big white hand that was neither illusive nor transparent appeared in the air.

    The hand was as white as the colour of the Qi within his body. Although Xu Min was tempted to increase the size of the hand, he was perfectly well aware of the dangers in the forest. Using all his power in one attack was very risky.

    Another risky thing was that this battle had already gone on long enough, so every human and demon beast in the area would have been able to feel the ripples of their battle or hear the sounds of the collisions.

    Seeing this, Xu Min no longer paid attention to defeating the beast with the sword. Instead, therge hand descended from above, the speed much faster than that of the sword, and then suddenly, a squealing sound could be heard, a sound that loudly spread through the forest and put a grimace on Xu Min¡¯s face. He quickly picked up the demon core from the head before he rushed away from the ground where he had fought the beast.

    Xu Min was still curious as to who might be around, and although he understood the dangers of staying close by, he quickly jumped into the treetops close to his previous location. His disappearance was not a moment too soon as a group of four mercenaries broke through the bushes and entered the very small clearing where the fight had taken ce.

    The four mercenaries walked around in the clearing, looking at the beast before they shook their heads. The four mercenaries all spoke together, but Xu Min was out of range to hear the words that were being spoken. Soon after, another group burst through the bushes that surrounded the clearing. However, as soon as theyid eyes on the four mercenaries who were already there, the men quickly turned around and escaped into the surroundings.

    As to whether they felt inferior when it came to fighting or did not wish to start a brawl over a simple Pest Hog, it was impossible to tell. However, they quickly vanished into the distance, leaving behind no answer for Xu Min.

    One of the four mercenaries looked at the Pest Hog and quickly gave it a harsh kick, causing it to fly far away. Looking at this, Xu Min¡¯s eyes narrowed, as he determined that the man who kicked the Hog was at least a Two-Star, if not a Three-Star Warrior.

    Seeing this, Xu Min hid further up the tree. If the man was a Three-Star Warrior, then he was likely to be much stronger than the usual warriors who were moving around in the outskirts of the forest. It was also likely that he was capable of sensing Xu Min because his spiritual sense was much stronger than that of a warrior of the First or Second Star.

    Spiritual Sense was something that grew alongside rank. It was the sense that one could utilize to feel what went on around them, and in their mind, they could even see something as small as an ant. Even Xu Min had this spiritual sense, but because he was a warrior of the First Star, his spiritual sense was limited to twenty meters away around him.

    Currently, he was seated in a tree thirty meters up and around fifty meters away from the site. If the third ranked warrior truly wished to find him, it would not be a problem to do so.

 Chapter 14: Unfortunate Encounter

    Chapter 14: Unfortunate Encounter

    Sitting in the tree, Xu Min felt that his heart was beating more and more erratically; however, he didn¡¯t dare to move a muscle.

    Having understood that one of the men was a Three-Star Warrior, he was quiet like a mouse as sweat started trickling down his forehead. Looking at the four experts below, he was certain that they were the kind of mercenaries who would attack other cultivators just to steal their possessions. Even someone as weak and poor as Xu Min would be killed for the sake of the possible wealth he had.

    It felt like an eternity for Xu Min as he sat in the tree before the four men finally started to move away. Only then did Xu Min dare to breathe a heavy sigh of relief as he retreated back to hisir, leaping from one tree to another.

    Although he wished to go down and pick up the Pest Hog¡¯s corpse, he did not do so because he feared that someone would boobytrap it. There might have been some more people lurking around, observing the corpse and waiting for an opportune moment to strike.

    On the way back to hisir, he managed to grab some fruits growing in the tree tops along with some eggs from certain low-ranked winged demon beasts. Some of them were delicacies known as miniature flying horses.

    Arriving back at his nest, he climbed down to the ground where he found a few big stones that he carried back up to the nest. Although these stones were heavy and incapable of being lifted by a Student Warrior, Xu Min had the physical strength of a Second-Star Warrior. He took full advantage of his strength as he carried the heavy stones up to his nest.

    As heid the stones on the floor that he had built from several heavy branches, the floor sunk slightly, but managed to hold the weight of the stones. After a moment, dried branches were ced upon the stones and lit up for a small bonfire. A stone was put inside the fire and the eggs were cracked upon the stone, cooking deliciously under Xu Min¡¯s watchful gaze.

    The fire was somewhat risky because there was a chance that it would set the rest of the tree on fire; however, Xu Min had some experience in setting up bonfires in the treetops and he knew exactly how to deal with the fire after he had finished cooking. After a short while, he ced more stones on the fire, killing off the me, and sat down to eat the miniature flying horses eggs and the fruits that he had picked up.

    The night was once again spent cultivating; however, as the next day arrived, Xu Min waited before he went into the forest to look for more prey. He took a stance that was unfamiliar to him and, at the same time, closed his eyes to feel his Qi flowing through his body, gathering behind him like a nket that slowly transformed into small beads of white, slightly translucent arrowheads.

    The difficulty of the movements took quite some time for him to get to this stage; however, he tried his very best to remained focused, enabling him to slowly create the thousand arrowheads behind his body. With but a thought, those thousand small arrowheads showered down in the direction that Xu Min had intended.

    Seeding in performing the ability, Xu Min was incredibly exhausted; however, his eyes were glistening with satisfaction. A smile adorned his lips as he slowly leaned back against the big tree trunk where he had built hisir.

    He quickly entered a meditative state to replenish his Qi. After an hour, he had fully recovered. Slipping down the tree trunk, Xu Min once more made his way through the outskirts of the forest. As he looked around with alert eyes, his heart beat with excitement because he could not wait to see what would attack him next, whether it was a demon beast or human cultivator.

    As he traveled in the outskirts of the forest, Xu Min came across a few groups of people; however, these groups paid no attention to him, and he did nothing but nod to them in recognition. Because he had the physical strength of a Two-Star Warrior and speed that he had diligently trained during his time working at the docks, Xu Min had a feeling of safety. As long as he did not run into a Three-Star Warrior, he should be capable of escaping with his life.

    Soon, he found an area where there were no other humans. After a short while, another Pest Hog appeared. This one was slightly smaller than the previous one; however, although it was smaller, it was not necessarily any weaker.

    ¡°Boom!¡± A boom resounded as he drew his sword. With a swift strike, he swung his sword out in front of him, carving arge crack in the ground. However, he missed the Pest Hog because it was swifter than the Pest Hog he had encountered yesterday.

    Seeing this, Xu Min knew that the possibilities of being able to defeat it using his sword were slim. He needed to kill the pig quickly or else other people would find his location.

    Seeing this, he activated his Shattering Palm once more. As soon as he was about to use it, a young man appeared on the small animal trail, his eyes glistening with excitement. However, he was not looking at the Pest Hog. He was looking at Xu Min instead. His eyes sent a chill through the body of the young, ck-haired man as Xu Min felt the killing intent from the bystander.

    The killing intent from the man caused the Pest Hog to squeal as it escaped into the vegetation of the forest, leaving Xu Min and the man who clearly enjoyed whatever was happening in front of him.

    Looking at the man, Xu Min could easily tell that he was of a higher rank than him. He was most likely a Two-Star Warrior. It was clear that he was no Three-Star Warrior. However, he still looked down on Xu Min because the aura Xu Min had was that of a One-Star Warrior.

    ¡°You should never have entered the forest with such weak strength,¡± The manughed as he flicked his hand and a knife appeared out of nowhere. Looking at this, Xu Min¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly before he gripped the handle of the sword with both hands, lifting it in front of him. He calmed down. His eyes never once left the man in front of him.

    ¡°ng!¡± The sound of metal colliding could be heard as Xu Min¡¯s broad sword collided with the other man¡¯s knife. The sword managed to push the Two-Star Warrior back. Disbelief was evident in the opponent¡¯s eyes as he realized that this One-Star Warrior in front of him was in no way inferior when it came to physical strength.

    Xu Min was aware that he did not have much of a choice but to kill the man quickly. This was a battle to the death. Even if he were to escape, the man he was battling was a Two-Star warrior, who was capable of catching up to the young man.

    The man¡¯s dark eyes grew darker as a chill shed through them. The smile on his face vanished, and a serious expression was shown. Whether or not this guy hadpanions, Xu Min did not know, but he had no time to truly care about others as his full focus wasid upon the opponent in front of him.

    Both hands gripping hard on his sword, Xu Min took a stance that he was not very familiar with as he knew that his Shattering Palm was nowhere enough to deal with this man.

    Standing with the sword in front of him, his feet found the right stance. Without closing his eyes, he felt his Qi rush out behind him, creating a nket that quickly gathered into multiple white, translucent arrowheads that aimed straight at his opponent.

    Unlike the first time, Xu Min had managed to make these arrowheads appear in a few seconds. His opponent did not create any countermeasures. The opponent¡¯s eyes glistened with self confidence, and a mocking smile was seen on his face as he too took a stance, his Qi billowing out from behind him, taking the shape of a wolf head before it gathered around his fist.

    Seeing the formidable attack of the person in front of him, Xu Min felt a cold shiver run down his spine, but he knew that he had to put everything he had into this attack. The thousands upon thousands of arrowheads suddenly shot through the air at a high speed.

    ¡°Woosh,¡± ¡°Woosh,¡± ¡°Woosh!¡±

    The wind was crying with each arrowhead¡¯s formidable speed as the thousand arrowheads showered down on the opponent. Following behind these arrowheads was Xu Min. The young man used his physical strength to its limit as he gripped the sword and swung with all his might at the enemy in front of him.

    Feeling the translucent arrowheads pierce his body, the young man soon found that this attack was not to be looked down upon simply because it was executed by a One-Star Warrior.

    What was even worse was that just as he had realized that the arrowheads were capable of doing some damage to him, he noticed that the sword wasing straight for him and did not manage to fully guard against it. His entire chest was sliced open by the heavy sword.

    Xu Min was not satisfied by the result he had produced. The Radiant Jade Shower had injured his opponent, but none of the jade arrowheads had managed to prate deeply enough to seriously wound him. Although the opponent¡¯s chest was cut open, the biggest danger was only the loss of blood. The wound alone was too shallow to be considered lethal, and Xu Min had run low on energy.

    Looking at the wounded man, Xu Min could see the shock and disbelief in his face so he decided to pick this moment to escape. Sheathing his sword on his back, he turned around and ran as quickly as he could, relying solely on the speed of which he was proud, running as far away from the opponent as he could.

    The wounded man was left back on the animal trail. His face turned increasingly sour as he picked up his sliced robe and made some makeshift bandages before he looked in the direction Xu Min had fled with hateful eyes.

    Shortly after, the wounded man vanished into the thick forest. However, it was in the opposite direction of the one in which Xu Min had run off. The wounded man¡¯s face was increasingly ugly to behold, but at the same time, a hint of astonishment remained within his eyes.

    Xu Min rushed away as quickly as he could, never once turning around to see whether or not he was being chased. He returned to hisir and patiently waited to see if anyone was chasing him. However, after waiting for a better part of an hour, no one came. His breathing finally returned to normal, and his vignce became slightly more rxed, as he could confirm that no one was after him.

    Sighing deeply, Xu Min looked at his own hands. He had managed to kill one Pest Hog so far, but he had not managed to gain anything, apart from the one beast core when he had salvaged from the kill. Secondly, he had run into a Two-Star Warrior who was clearly far stronger than he was. Finally, he had expended his energy without being capable of killing his opponent and obtaining anything from the fight.

    As he thought more about it, he understood that he had indeed gained something from both battles. He understood that it was important for him to change his way of fighting. He needed to be far more decisive and ruthless. Closing his eyes for a moment, he remembered how Xu Wu died right in front of him, and his eyes turned as cold as the deepest winter. His muscles tightened as he prepared for one more hunt. A hunt that he was certain that he would defeat his opponent.

 Chapter 15: Demonic Golden Collared Wolves

    Chapter 15: Demonic Golden Cored Wolves

    Having understood that it was impossible for him to continue fighting the way he had so far, Xu Min entered the thicker parts of the forest again.

    Once again, his eyes were alert. However, they no longer just contained an alertness, but also a coldness that had not been there before. Looking around, the young boy was no longer hoping to quietly find a beast that he could attack and then eatter. No, he wished to find anything that was alive so that he could hone his skills and temper his personality.

    Xu Min had lived in a forest before. As he moved through the forest, not a single sound was heard. No leaves were rustling and no branches were snapping. The surroundings were as quiet as if no one was there.

    Looking around him, he quickly located a living being somewhere by his right side. The aura had not reached him yet; however, the sound of rustling leaves could be heard in the distance.

    Xu Min was incredibly vignt as he strained his senses to their limits. This was the reason why he managed to located any beast or animal that was moving towards him.

    Smiling slightly, the young man felt that the gods were with him as he quickly blended into the dark shadows of the forest. He stood right by the side of a massive oak and allowed his aura to be one with the tree.

    Truthfully, Xu Min was not erasing his aura. Everything within the world absorbed essence from the heavens and the earth and created an aura of its own. Because he was a One-Star Warrior, his aura was still incredibly weak. He was capable of masking it with the aura of the tree behind him as he used the forest¡¯s aura to hide himself.

    This was something Xu Min previously needed to do a lot when he was escaping from the guards back at the Zhong Family. Even after all these years, he still remembered how he had managed to survive. He could sense the iron will in his eyes as they were focused in the direction from where the sounds could be heard.

    Although he wished to have an even fight against his opponent, Xu Min had long ago admitted that he was nothing more than a One-Star Warrior. Although he had broken into the ranks of a warrior, he was one of the weakest bottom feeders around.

    Xu Min was a One-Star Warrior, but his body was as strong and tough as a Two-Star Warrior. However, his Qi was still weak and it was not even enough to ce him around the mid stage One-Star Warriors. Without a doubt, he was in the early stages of being a One-Star Warrior.

    Coupled with his experiences from thest couple of days, this was enough to make him understand that he had been lucky to still be alive. What he needed now was to stay alive and defeat the challenges he came across.

    After having waited for some time, the rustling sound came closer and closer. After only a few minutes, a small beast appeared in front of Xu Min. It was a winged hare. Although they usually lived within the sky, they sometime came to the ground to find delicacies.

    Seeing this, Xu Min ever so slowly unsheathed the sword from his back and gripped it between his hands as he waited for the beast to inch closer. His eyes never once left the beast in front of him. He lifted the sword as to be careful not to hit any branches or any leaves. His movements were slow and precise while being as quiet as the still wind.

    Standing so close to the tree had helped Xu Min tremendously. He managed to perfectly conceal his aura as the beast walked right past him.

    ¡°Bang!¡±

    A loud bang sounded out from the force of the sword hitting the ground. The sword managed topletely cut the beast into two halves. Guts and intestines fell out from inside the animal.

    Seeing the sight, Xu Min was slightly nauseous from the blood and the foul smell. After instantly turning around, he proceeded to quickly remove the beast core. Swift as a bird, he darted away from the location where there was nothing more than the corpse of a demon beast and a long crack in the ground left behind.

    Xu Min was incredibly excited as he had managed to seed in his ambush. However, he was slightly bothered that he had aimed at the body rather than the head. Having cut the intestines and the stomach, the beast was not worth eating. On the bright side, he gained a demon core in the end and had managed to escape without any dangers following from behind.

    After escaping the old location, Xu Min once again started to walk through the forest while looking around for targets to improve, He noticed the dwindling daylight and knew that though the forests seemed deserted during the day, the night wouldn¡¯t be the same. During the day, the demon beasts were hunted by man. At night, it was the exact opposite.

    It was important to be in a group of men or hide somewhere where the beasts could not find him. This was if one wished to persevere through the night.

    Thinking about this, Xu Min deserted his old hiding ce and ended up climbing up other tall trees around him. This was a new ce where he could build a different tform and rest for the night.

    He finished building the new tform and not a moment too soon. The howls of Demonic Golden Cored Wolves started to echo through the forest. Having moved from his location, Xu Min clearly felt that he was now in a much more popted location. A wry smile appeared on his face. This was indeed much more dangerous than staying where he was before; however, danger came great benefits. It did not take him long to decide to stay within the area where he was currently located.

    Knowing that the Demonic Golden Cored Wolves were unable to climb trees, Xu Min calmly closed his eyes. Once more, he started breathing heavily and entered into a deep trance-like meditation. He spent every night working on advancing his rank.

    The following day was much like the previous one. Xu Min spent his time hunting down beasts and he managed to kill quite a few of them. Only a small amount sensed him in time. They managed to depend on their abilities and escaped from the young man who was hiding in the shadows ofrge and ancient trees.

    For the first time since Xu Min entered the forest, Xu Min ate fresh meat. This was meat he had managed to y himself. As he was thinking about it, the young man¡¯s face was filled with pride and satisfaction. He began eating the meat that was burning in front of him on the make-do stove built from heavy stones he had carried up to his nest.

    Eating the meat, Xu Min started wondering how it was possible that during thest two days, no humans had made their appearance. So far, he had encountered quite a few beasts. On the first day, lots of humans had been around but now the situation was somewhat different.

    Xu Min knew that he was still quite far away from the inner ring of the forest. After realizing this, he believed that the surrounding areas should be infested with both humans and demon beasts alike. Xu Min saw that no other human was cautious of him. Usually, they would only stay away if there was something dangerous. There could be an incredibly strong demon beast or perhaps a group of mercenaries that had taken the area as their territory.

    Seeing that this was most likely the situation, Xu Min sat still for quite some time to decide what he was supposed to do. He knew that he had too little strength to deal with a group of mercenaries. If the area belonged to a strong demon beast, Xu Min knew that he would have no chance of defeating it.

    Filled with hesitation, a small part of Xu Min was burning with curiosity to see exactly who and where the owners of this small piece ofnd were.

    Having decided to figure out who the owner was, Xu Min started to traverse across the treetops and through the forest. The further in he went, the more deserted the surroundings became.

    The location where he had first rested during the night had quite a few demonic beasts with the strength of a One-Star Warrior. To his surprise, he further in he went, the more sparse these demonic beasts had be. He had travelled thest hour without seeing neither a beast nor a human on the way.

    As theck of beasts became more and more obvious, Xu Min slowed his speed down. This was so that he was not rushing into something he could not escape from. Looking around him, there weren¡¯t any sounds or movements to reveal that there were living creatures around this area. As he moved closer and closer, he suddenly found a small valley.

    This valley was unlike any other he had seen before. The old forest was nothing like it and everything within this forest wasn¡¯t remotely simr to this.

    The entire valley was covered in fog and the ground was littered with medicinal herbs. With all these herbs, even the fields on the Zhong family residence would be embarrassed if they werepared to this massive find.

    Stopping his movements, Xu Min stood on top of an ancient tree and his eyes were fixated on all the flowers. However, all his other senses were stretched to their limits. He was constantly listening and feeling for the sound of the leaves moving, branches cracking, or another person¡¯s aura entering his field of vision.

    Xu Min stood still on top of the branches for a long time, but no signs of life showed regardless of the time he waited. Eventually, he climbed downwards. His heart was beating erratically and his senses sharpened to heights never seen before.

    Entering the valley, he felt how the dense energy of the essence of the heavens and the earth surrounded him. This was a quality that he had never before experienced. His heart squeezed in surprise and astonishment; even though he was not meditating, golden specks of light appeared in front of him and entered his body.

    Bending down, Xu Min quickly picked up one herb after another and ced them within his bag. Not sure what to do, he kept picking herbs. Quickly deciding not to be greedy, he disappeared in a sh only after half his bag was filled. He was once more found on top of one of the massive tree tops.

    The herbs he had taken were less than a hundredth of the herbs contained within the valley. Although he had vanished, no one had appeared to stop him. No one had appeared to get revenge for the stolen goods.

    Seeing this, wild joy filled the young boy as he thought about all the medicinal nts he had within his bag. Xu Min also thought about how those nts would be capable of assisting him in increasing his strength. By relying on these herbs, he hoped that he would be able to advance swiftly. Advancing swiftly was exactly what he wanted to do and without looking back, Xu Min rushed back to their he had created the day before.

    Sitting in their, he picked out of the flowers from the bag and ced them in front of him. One shone more splendidly than the others. No matter how much he looked at these flowers, Xu Min feltpletely ecstatic. He only had one problem. He had no idea what types of flowers he had picked or their uses.

 Chapter 16: The Mysterious Valley

    Chapter 16: The Mysterious Valley

    Looking at all the flowers in front of him, Xu Min felt his head slightly ache as he realized that he had no idea what these flowers would do to him if were he to eat them.

    He knew that some herbs, like the ones the Zhong Family were harvesting, were for healing injuries. The Zhong family also cultivated medicinal herbs that increased the Qi of a warrior. They even allowed the cultivator to be better at absorbing the essence of the heavens and the earth.

    Unfortunately, Xu Min knew that most medicinal herbs needed to be refined and mixed with other herbs to produce pills. These medicinal pills were far more potent when it came to both healing and improving cultivation. Although these medicinal nts worked great whenbined, they worked terribly when they were eaten alone. Some of them were even poisonous.

    This wasmon knowledge amongst the many servants of the Zhong Family. Xu Min, like most servants, had never even seen a medicinal pill before.

    However, what he had seen were the medicinal herbs that were grown by the Zhong Family. These herbs allowed for one to be healed. He remembered one herb perfectly well as Xu Wu had gifted him one on her final night.

    Looking at the herbs in front of him, he instantly recognized which one was meant for healing injuries. He sighed deeply as he regretted picking up random flowers instead of just taking one type, the one type he knew well.

    His regret did notst long. As he stayed within the treetops, the night was descending. Even though it was the middle of the night once again, no sound was heard. No humans were setting up bonfires and the woods werepletely deste.

    As Xu Min¡¯s curiosity could not be held back, he decided to go sneaking around the mysterious valley at night. He was excited to find what the valley held for him. If there weren¡¯t any beasts or humans were around, he could perhaps even manage to grab a few more herbs.

    Xu Min made it to the valley without any problems as he did not encounter any beasts or humans. As he closed in on the valley, his eyes threatened to pop out of his skull from the majestic scenery thatid before him.

    Strangely enough, all the medicinal herbs were gently swaying without a breeze. A humming sound was rising from the hordes of shining leaves and petals. In addition, a silvery light rose from the core of the flowers only to gradually fly towards the back of the field filled with flowers.

    The fog that enveloped the entire field during the day had now been reced by the imprable endlessness of the silvery light.

    Hearing the flowers humming, Xu Min instantly discarded the idea of picking up more flowers. Since he was truly astonished, he stayed to watch the beautiful disy of the flowers.

    Xu Min felt as though the density of essences of heaven and earth around him was increasing. Once again, the golden specks of light had appeared. They entered his body through various veins and pores and exited through exhtion.

    Seeing that he was once more refining Qi without having to enter a trance-like meditation, Xu Min could easily tell that there was something special about this valley. Just because it did not seem to pose any threat towards the young man, he refused to allow his guard to be lowered. One could never know for certain.

    Deciding to find out what was going on in this odd valley, Xu Min remained vignt all night. He waited for the sun to rise so he could enter the valley again and see what was inside.

    Looking around, he did not waste his time. Since it was possible for him to cultivate while still being awake, Xu Min spent his time doing as much as possible while observing his surroundings.

    Eventually, he came to the conclusion that the unknown entity that sucked in high amounts of silvery light from the flowers was at the end of the valley. He decided against walking on the ground. Instead, he chose to travel through the treetops until he reached the area where the silvery mist moved to.

    As soon as the first rays of sunshine broke through the sky, Xu Min was astonished to see how the nts stopped swaying and humming. Instead, they stood up as the moving silvery mist fell down and shrouded all the nts in the fog-like mist that had previously confused the young man. It seemed that the mist and the fog were one in the same. They were actually the essences from the heavens and the earth!

    Discovering this, Xu Min was even more curious to see what creature was behind these flowers. He also wonder what ability it had tomand so many flowers to give up the essence they had meticulously gathered throughout the day.

    Getting ready to explore, Xu Min moved to the outskirts of the valley through one treetop after another. The valley was muchrger than what he had expected; however, he did not have to travel far before he saw what was sucking in the essence. He felt astonished just by looking at it.

    In front of him was arge tree, a tree that was even more ancient than the ones Xu Min had used previously to hide behind. However, this tree was sorge that its aura was not in any way inferior to the aura he had felt from his teacher Wang Li.

    Looking at the tree, Xu Min was dumbstruck at first. After thinking the situation through, he slowly understood what was going on.

    Every living creature in the world, even the nts, absorbed essence from the heavens and the earth. The more essence one absorbed, the higher cultivation one had.

    This wasmon knowledge for anyone; however, it was very rare that nts managed to cultivate to the point where they had a consciousness. And even if they did, they would not be able to transform into humans just by having a consciousness.

    It was much akin to how demon beasts became much more intelligent the higher rank they achieved. What Xu Min could not understand was why this tree was so obsessed with cultivating. To release the same kind of aura as his teacher Wang Li, it was obvious that this tree had reached the Nine-Star Warrior rank, the final destination for cultivators.

    Although Xu Min did not understand why the tree was cultivating to such extents, he could not help but feel slight pity towards it. Even so, he had no intention of advancing. He had previously plucked some of the herbs that were in charge of giving the essence of the heavens and the earth to the tree. It was likely that this massive tree was not friendly towards him.

    Havinge to this conclusion, Xu Min frowned again as he started wondering why there were neither beasts nor humans near this ce. Although the tree had a high cultivation base, it was impossible for it to move from the soil which it had been nted many eons ago.

    Turning around, Xu Min was about to leave when he noticed that he was no longer alone. Behind him. there was a massive green snake and its eyes were shining as the purest gold. Its tongue slithered with a sly smile apparent on its face.

    ¡°Where do you think you are going?¡± it asked with a slithering voice. Xu Min¡¯s heart trembled as he heard the human wordsing out of the mouth of the snake. Only Advanced Stage beasts were capable of speech. Only at the very peak of the Advanced Stage beasts could they speak as fluently as this snake. Xu Min felt the danger and uncertainty of his current situation.

    Although he truly wished to flee as quickly as possible, he knew that there was no way for him to outrun the snake. The only option he had was to allow the snake to twist its tail around his body and slowly make its way towards the giant tree.

    Being next to the giant tree, Xu Min felt fear. He felt more fear than when he was next to therge snake. The snake had no reason to have enmity towards the young man as they had never met before. There was a chance that he would not stoop so low as to kill a weak One-Star Warrior. On the other hand, the tree had a good reason to dislike him, half a bag full of reasons to be precise.

    Gritting his teeth, Xu Min cursed his own curiosity. Deep down, he was still fascinated by therge tree and its ability to ept the essence of the heavens and the earth from other flowers. Not to mention, he admired the iron will that was behind such arge tree that had allowed it to prevail this many years. In a way, Xu Min felt great respect but also great pity towards the tree.

    Saying nothing, the young boy saw that the tree and the snake seemed to bemunicating somehow. And while they weremunicating, Xu Min was ced right in front of therge tree trunk. He looked up and saw that it was well over one hundred meters tall, the tallest tree he had ever seen. The trunk was a good twenty meters in diameter and the leaves were almost as long as Xu Min¡¯s arms.

    Although the young man knew he was in great danger, he was unable to hold back his urges. His hand caressed therge tree in front of him and his eyes filled with wonder. Being this close to the tree, it was easy to tell that he had not overestimated it earlier. The tree was without a doubt as strong as Wang Li when it came to raw power. Unfortunately, it waspletely incapable of using all that strength which was just coiling up inside. Seeing this, sadness welled up within Xu Min. For the first time ever, he thanked the gods that he had been born a human. A human had a much easier path when it came to cultivation.

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch her!¡± The snake hissed at Xu Min. However, he did not show any signs of attacking and neither did the tree. Suddenly, the snake disappeared with swift movements and into the tree¡¯s top. He made its way up with a speed far above that the young boy had ever seen before. His eyes glistened. Although he would regret never getting revenge, he still would feel no remorse if he were to die. He was able to meet a speaking demon beast and a tree that had cultivated at unprecedented heights.

    Looking up in the tree top, Xu Min saw that the snake wasing downwards at a speed as fast as before. The snake moved at a speed so swift that even he was unable to truly follow it. Looking at the snake, Xu Min closed his eyes. He expected that he was about to be eaten. Before he managed to do anything, he felt somethingnding on his shoulder. He first opened one eye and saw that nothing had happened yet. Then, he proceeded to open the other eye.

    The world around him seemed the same as he had not been eaten by therge snake. In the corner of his eye, he noticed something moving. Something that caused a shiver to run down his spine.

    On Xu Min¡¯s shoulder, there was a one-meter-long snake curled up. Its eyes stared at Xu Min with curiosity and its tongue was constantly slithering in and out of its mouth.

    ¡°Uhm, excuse me?¡± Xu Min asked with a meek voice as his eyes were glued onto the snake. ¡°I think you might have dropped something,¡± he continued.

 Chapter 17: Cao Cao

    Chapter 17: Cao Cao

    ¡°You, stay quiet!¡± therger snake hissed at Xu Min. As the young man was feeling somewhat ufortable about having a one-meter-long snake curled atop of his shoulder, the snake looked at him with a very curious gleam in its eyes.

    The young man did not dare to disobey the big snake, so he stayed quiet. He constantly felt the snake on his shoulder move about. He investigated everything from his feet and shoes to the insides of his clothes. It even went as far as to personally investigate his skin beneath the clothes. This caused the intimidated and frightened young man to tremble even further as he was scared as to what the snake might do.

    Therger snake was casually lying on top of a branch of the tree and it seemed as though the two snakesmunicated much as they had before. This was something that took Xu Min byplete surprise. He had never imagined that a tree couldmunicate.

    Although he considered it asmunication, he could not help but wonder about how it was done. No words were said, but from time to time the snake would nod or shake its head. Its tongue was constantly slithering and its eyes focused solely on the tree in front of it.

    After what seemed like an eternity, anger could be seen in the eyes of the snake. However, it did not take long before the anger was reced by tenderness and apology. Once more, the conversation seemed to continue.

    Xu Min had been standing close to the tree for hours on end. And while he was standing there, the small snake had investigated the young man¡¯s entire body. After a while, it had finally found the small bag on his waist where he entered and curled up into it. It only allowing for his face to be visible.

    After yet another hour, the snake suddenly made its way down to the young boy. Looking at him, the snake sighed deeply.

    ¡°You, human!¡± he called out. Without wasting time, Xu Min stepped forward. ¡°My son, Cao Cao, has been itching for an adventure for a long, long time,¡± he started while looking at the sleeping snakehead that was visible on the satchel.

    ¡°You are to take him with you on your journey,and you are to have personal responsibility over him,¡± the snake continued, ¡°You are to make a blood bond with my adorable son just to give some authority over him. If you ever mistreat him or sell him off, you will soon find yourself dead. I won¡¯t need to act as my dear son is strong enough to get rid of someone with the useless rank of a One-Star Warrior.¡±

    Hearing this, Xu Min felt a shiver run down his spine. He quickly nodded in reply as he bit his finger and allowed for some blood to drip out.

    Therge snake suddenly shed the forehead of the tiny snake. Within moments, the snake woke up and let out an rmed scream. Seeing the actions of therger snake, Xu Min¡¯s heart grew cold. He previously called the baby snake his dear son. But now he had sliced him, something which could have been done in a much simpler way.

    Daring not to say anything, Xu Min stayed quiet as he allowed their blood to mingle. A weird feeling filled the young boy as he felt as though some of his soul was sucked into the beast in his bag. In return, he gained a little bit of the snake¡¯s soul.

    ¡®It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!¡¯ A juvenile voice echoed throughout Xu Min¡¯s consciousness. It was a voice filled with indignation. It sounded as though the voice came from a ten year old child.

    Hearing the voice, Xu Min¡¯s eyes widened in surprise and he was stared at the snake lying in his bag. Its eyes were closed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t cry,¡± the young man said. He had forgottenpletely about therge snake and the tree that was right next to him. His entire being was focused on the snake as he could feel the sadness and indignation in the heart of the snake.

    Picking up the small snake, Xu Min ced it around his neck and the small snake allowed him to move him exactly as he wished.

    As soon as the snake was moved from the purse, Xu Min rummaged through his satchel and quickly found a medicinal herb he recognized. With the herb, he allowed the small snake to sleep in the bag again before he shredded the herb and ced it in the mouth of the meter-long snake.

    ¡°Eat this,¡± he said with a tender voice. The situation made him recall how Xu Wu stole herbs to heal him. Now, he had used stolen herbs to heal someone else. Somehow, he could understand how Xu Wu felt during the times that she looked after him. A sad smile was evident on his face as he gently patted Cao Cao¡¯s little head after he gave him the herb to eat.

    Standing beside him, the tree and the snake werepletely surprised. The snake¡¯s eyes were filled with utter disbelief; however, it soon changed toughter. Looking at therge tree, its eyes filled with tenderness as it nodded gently.

    ¡°Go out and explore the world with our little Cao Cao,¡± the snake said with a gentle voice. ¡°As long as you have Cao Cao with you, you are wee inside this valley. But if you ever arrive without him, I can guarantee that you will die an excruciating death.¡±

    Nodding, Xu Min had already guessed that returning without the small snake would be suicidal. However, hearing his words still caused him to feel slightly worried.

    The small snake had fallen asleep as though the conversation had nothing to do with him. The only thing it felt before going to sleep was that this human, who had given him herbs, was a good person. The little snake was but a child. He instantly felt safe, so he went to sleep as the medicinal herb helped the wound on his forehead heal over.

    ¡°Feel free toe here whenever you need to, but don¡¯t take too many medicinal herbs,¡± the snake warned. ¡°Although we¡¯ll allow you to take a few, you can only fill your satchel twice a year. We need the rest of the flowers to reach the final stage.¡±

    Hearing this, Xu Min¡¯s eyes grewrger as he understood that he was allowed to take more medicinal herbs. He no longer felt as though he should fear the snake and the tree. With a deep bow, he turned around and picked up multiple healing herbs. Although he picked quite a few of them, he still made sure to not take more than what he could fit in his satchel.

    Currently, he was incapable of cing them in the bag as the small snake was in it. He just tucked them into his robe before exiting the mysterious mist-filled valley.

    Travelling through the top of the trees, Xu Min quickly found the way back home to the nest he had created earlier. On the way, he hade across another Flying Hare which he executed swiftly. This time he brought the beast with him towards the nest. As he inched towards the nest, he started to hear an ufortable amount of rustling leaves. This was not something done by one creature or human. It was clearly done by a whole group or a horde.

    As he inched closer, he was suddenly moving much slower. His eyes were alert and his senses stretched to their limits as they observed everything around them. Feeling the change in Xu Min¡¯s soul and vignce, Cao Cao slowly woke up and his eyes stared into the distance. He was just as prepared as the older boy who was trying to stay cautious.

    As he slowly moved closer, he noticed that the sounds did note from the ground. Instead, it came from the nest that Xu Min had created. He soon saw a group of seven mene into the view. He instantly stood and slightly retreated.

    Cao Cao¡¯s voice sounded out within Xu Min¡¯s mind. ¡®Why retreat?¡¯ However, the young man still did not know how to respond to the question in the snake¡¯s mind like Cao Cao could speak in his. He did not know how tomunicate without needing to open his mouth. Instead, he just shook his head as he retreated.

    ¡®Oh right,¡¯ a disappointed voice sounded out in his mind. ¡®You are just a weakling. I could have dealt with the troublemakers if I did not have to nurture the wound on my forehead.¡¯

    Hearing the voice, Xu Min almost let out a snort only to stop himself in the final moment. Shaking his head, he started to move away from the location where he had been before. After travelling through the trees for a few more hours, he finally found a ce that seemed devoid of humans. He built a small nest for the two of them to stay in. Throughout the stealthy escape, Xu Min had brought the Hare with him. After finally setting up another nest, he found more big stones and started cooking the beast.

    As soon as Xu Min had brought the stones into the nest, Cao Cao had been incredibly curious as to what was happening. His eyes twinkled with curiosity as he saw how the beast was being cooked on the stones.

    At first, he had only observed the procedures because he had never seen anything like it before. As the meat was getting cooked and the scent filled the air, Cao Cao started salivating. He constantly asked whether or not he was allowed to have a small bite.

    Xu Min was quite worried because the scent of the cooked meat could attract the attention of others. When he looked at the small snake, he felt that the snake was in no way as weak as him. He believed that the snake would not fight for the sake of a weak human,but it would indeed fight for the food it was looking at.

    Chuckling slightly, Xu Min looked at the snake whose eyes were glued to the meat. He could not help butugh at the snake. Although heughed at him, he spent some time looking at the rank of the snake. He was astonished to notice that the aura that it exuded was far stronger than even the Three-Star Warrior he hade across earlier.

    Having shared his blood with the beast, something had happened. Xu Min felt as though he too was capable ofmunicating with the beast without speaking. When trying to do so, he realized that he needed to use another part of his brain he had never used while speaking naturally. It took him some time before he managed to perfect it.

    During this time, the young man quickly understood that Cao Cao was getting bored. He had bought himself time by giving the young snake more and more cooked hare meat. This seemed to work perfectly well. After countless mistakes, Xu Min finally understood how to speak using nothing but his will.

    Looking at the hare meat that was left, Xu Min could only sigh heavily as he found some dried meat from his satchel and ate it together with a jar of fine wine. It turned out that the entire hare had long since been eaten by the small Cao Cao.

    ¡®You aren¡¯t that bad,¡¯ the snake said with a tired voice as it slithered next to Xu Min. Seeing that the human was seated with his legs crossed and his eyes closed, he noticed one speck of gold after another appearing out of nowhere. The small snake quickly coiled up on thep of the young man and closed its eyes contently. Xu Min spent the night cultivating, much like any other night.

 Chapter 18: Flee!

    Chapter 18: Flee!

    The night went by smoothly. Xu Min spent his time cultivating while Cao Cao slept on hisp. A few times during the night, a few beasts woulde close by. Cao Cao would open his eyes and quietly look through the dark night, only to close them as soon as the beasts vanished into the dark forest.

    As the sun rose in the sky and rays of sunshine were beginning to shine through the leaves, Xu Min finally opened his eyes, and the golden specks around him vanished. As he stood up, he forgot about the small snake on hisp. It fell to the floor of the nest, and Xu Min instantly bent down to pick him up.

    This snake was much stronger than Xu Min. Not only the snake, but also its parent was a being that he did not wish to insult. Thus, as soon as the juvenile snakended on the ground, Xu Min instantly picked him up, gently patted his jade green head, and apologized mentally.

    ¡®Cook me some more meat tonight,¡¯ the snake said with a sneaky smile on its face. ¡®As long as you cook me two beasts, I will forgive you.¡¯

    ¡®You¡¯ll grow fat,¡¯ Xu Min replied. Internally, he wished that he was capable of capturing two beasts. He suddenly stood up and noticed that something was not the way it was supposed to be.

    ¡®Cao Cao,¡¯ he called out with his internal voice. ¡®Can you feel anyone close by? I feel as though something is wrong.¡¯

    The snake raised its head. As his tongue slithered in and out of his mouth, he looked at their surroundings.

    ¡®There are quite a few humans around us,¡¯ he finally answered. His face seemed apathetic about their presences. However, Xu Min¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and a cold sweat appeared on his back.

    ¡®How many?¡¯ he asked silently. He did not wish to hear the answer, but he knew that he needed to know. He suddenly remembered the numerous mercenaries he had seen the night before at his old nest. He could not help but curse himself for cooking food even though he knew that there wa danger close by.

    ¡®They are still looking for us. You can just escape through the treetops the same way you didst night,¡¯ Cao Cao said as though he thought it was that easy. Right now, Xu Min knew he had no choice other than to try and escape.

    ¡®Let us y a game,¡¯ the juvenile voice suddenly rang out, ¡®I know you want these mercenaries dead, so let us y the game of who can kill the most!¡¯

    Hearing that, Xu Min felt like knocking the snake out. Although the snake was strong, it was unlikely that it was strong enough to defeat the mercenaries by itself. The ck-haired, young man knew perfectly well that he was incapable of dealing with more than one of even the weakest mercenary.

    ¡®Right,¡¯ the snake said, as though he had read Xu Min¡¯s thoughts. ¡®I forgot you are so weak. How about I say that the more I kill, the more meat you have to cook for me!¡¯

    ¡®Cao Cao, are you certain that you are capable of dealing with these many mercenaries?¡¯ Xu Min finally sighed, as he looked at the little snake whoid in his arms. Had it been its father, he had no doubt that it would be able to defeat them. However, he did not think that the little snake could handle these many mercenaries. Unless absolutely necessary, Xu Min decided that he would not start a battle.

    Standing up, Xu Min rushed from one branch to another as he traveled across the treetops. Fortunately, none of the mercenaries below had noticed him. For some time, he rushed towards the outskirts of the forest, the only location where he could exit the forest.

    As Xu Min went further and further towards the outskirts of forest, the trees became more and more sparse. The distance between the trees increased, making it harder for him to keep travelling on top of the trees until he had to travel on the ground.

    What shocked him was that the ground was littered with people. For once, these people paid no attention to each other. Instead, they were inrge groups, and seemed to be making their way into the forest, one group at a time.

    He was quite curious as to the reason why these many mercenaries entered the forest and started to search like mad men. Xu Min decided to keep to his n. A few momentster, he left the safety of therge trees. Once more, he started walking towards one of the cities.

    Having left the forest, Cao Cao was filled with astonishment as he perched on Xu Min¡¯s shoulder. He looked at everything that was happening around him and observed the barrennd in front of them.

    ¡®There are no trees here!¡¯ Cao Cao said with astonishment in his voice. ¡®Are we going to travel through areas like this? I like this. It¡¯s new,¡¯ hemented. Xu Min just chuckled and kept walking on the outskirts of the forest. He continued until he reached one of the small mercenary viges.

    Seeing the vige in front of him, the chuckle grew into a smirk. ¡®Be careful here,¡¯ Xu Min warned the snake on his shoulder, ¡®This is a vige, a home for humans. We need to go in and sell some of the herbs your father allowed me to pick.¡¯

    ¡®A vige?¡¯ the juvenile voice was filled with curiosity. The ck-haired youthughed out loud and shocked a few of the humans who were rushing towards the city.

    ¡®Right, just stay on my shoulders, and I¡¯ll let you see the entire world,¡¯ Xu Min said,ughing. The snake felt how its heart quivered with excitement. Coiling itself around his neck, the two youngsters went into the vige. They walked on the main road while looking at shops one after another that had been set up on the side.

    On the side, there was an inn with loud and cheerful noisesing out from within. Next to it, there were various shops. Some shops sold street food, while other shops focused on armor and weaponry.

    Xu Min was looking everywhere to try to find a pharmacy. Soon enough, he quickly noticed the drooling snake coiled around his neck as it was looking at one food stall after another.

    ¡®Just wait a little,¡¯ Xu Minughed. ¡®I need to sell these flowers first, and then I¡¯ll have money to purchase as much food as you want.¡¯

    The young man was not used to selling items, and he was not certain that he knew exactly how much medicinal herbs were worth. However, he knew that they were worth quite a lot. They were so much that he should be able to feed the snake until it burst.

    Xu Min did not n on selling all the herbs he had gathered. Even if he sold some, he should still have enough money to fund his trip for another distant forest.

    While the ck-haired young man had been focused on his ns for the future, he found himself in front of a store where the scent of medicinal herbs wafted out. On top of the door, a big sign with the word ¡®Pharmacy¡¯ was visible.

    Smiling, Xu Min stepped in through the door as his eyes shone with excitement. As he moved towards the counter, the snake on his shoulders lifted its head and looked at everything with great curiosity.

    Although Xu Min went towards the counter, he gazed around him. He was observing all the medicinal herbs shown around.

    Picking up four herbs, Xu Min ced them on the counter. Behind the desk,an elderly man looked at them with an astonished look on his face.

    ¡°You picked up all of these from within our Forest of the Snake?¡± he asked curiously. Just as that man was curious, so was Xu Min when he found that the entire forest was named after a snake.

    The elderly man adjusted his sses slightly. He looked at Xu Min once more, his eyes widening in surprise as he saw the snake which was resting on his shoulders. Saying no more, he took the nts and started observing them.

    ¡°These nts are quite old,¡± he started. ¡°Definitely over fifty years old, I would pay twenty gold coins for each of them.¡±

    Hearing that, Xu Min¡¯s eyes widened. Although he knew that they were worth quite a bit, he had never expected it to be that much. He quickly epted.

    Pausing for a moment, he wondered whether he should say that there were even more herbs. But before he did, he managed to stop himself as he noticed some long nces sent his way by others within the room.

    Taking the gold coins, he quickly left the room. The first thing he went towards was a street stall where he purchased food worth one whole gold coin.

    Looking at the food, the eyes of the snake widened in amazement. His little tongue slithered constantly as though he could taste the food from the scent alone.

    Xu Min smiled as he saw the reaction.Deep within, he was pleased with the fact that the snake would be so easy to manage as long as he had ess to food.

    The n was quite simple. This snake demon beast was without a doubt incredibly strong. He was so strong that even Three-Star Warriors would be nothing next to him. Making friends was the most important part for now, something which Xu Min fully understood.

    Cao Cao was still only a juvenile. How could Xu Min not know that the older the snake grew, the stronger it would be. His father alone had an aura simr to that of Overseer Wang Li. It was obvious that although it took time for him to grow, it was definitely beneficial for Xu Min to befriend the little snake quickly. If that required him to spend money on food, then so be it.

    Extending his hand, Xu Min took one skewer of meat after another and lifted it to the snake. He was coiled around his neck and hummed in happiness. His eyes shone with delight as the food was eaten at a rapid pace.

    Seeing this, the ck-haired man could not help but chuckle a bit. After feeding all the meat he had bought to the small snake, he looked around the various locations before he decided to head towards the inn. Although he was capable of returning to the forest and make another nest, he quickly decided on getting a room at the inn. He needed to see if he coulde across some information about therge number of mercenaries who had appeared out of nowhere. He especially want information about why these men had decided on entering the forest in small groups of people.

    Xin Min was walking towards the inn. He noticed that even here, with all the shops selling items such as weapons and armories, a lot of mercenaries were present. They were there even in the typically quiet pharmacy was filled with people who were buying elixirs in bulks.

    After looking at the men, he was unable to conceal a frown as he noticed that many of the men in front of him were not mercenaries. They were wearing uniforms or armors adorned with random family emblems. These were not mercenaries, but instead were soldiers. A group of young men were leading these soldiers, the geniuses from the younger generation.

    Seeing this many families present, Xu Min could understand that something was going on. However, he was smart enough to not try walking towards any random man on the road to ask what was happening. Instead, he moved towards the inn and entered into the dim light.A smirk appeared on his face as he looked forward to the information he would be able to pick up from the bustling shop.

 Chapter 19: Mysterious Treasure

    Chapter 19: Mysterious Treasure

    Entering the dimly lit room, Xu Min needed a moment before his eyes could adjust to the light. As soon as they did, he walked towards the counter where a lovely youngdy was cheerfully chatting with some customers within the shop.

    When he reached the counter, the woman stopped chatting with them and turned around with a big smile beamed towards Xu Min. As her eyes nced upon the young man, she quickly determined that he was neither a young master nor a sessful mercenary. Although he had the aura of a One-Star Warrior, it was not that umon to see one. This was especially true since the town was filled with the geniuses from the new generation. Although she was aware that he was not a rich young master, she sent a half smile his way as she waited to hear what he had to say.

    ¡°Excuse me, I¡¯d like to rent a room for the night,¡± Xu Min said straightforwardly while only turning his side towards the woman. This led her to raise an eyebrow in surprise. She was considered a beauty and was used to all the young men who tried to woo her or at least, paid attention to her. Yet, this young man was busy looking at the restaurant guests instead.

    At first, this woman had paid no real attention towards the young man. But as she saw that he also didn¡¯t pay her any attention, her interest was piqued. She was even more intrigued when she noticed a green snake coiled around his neck. He had beautiful jade-like eyes which stared at her. No matter how she looked at this demon beast, it was impossible to tell what it was thinking. This was the same case when she couldn¡¯t figure out why the snake was coiled around the neck of the seemingly poor young man.

    Turning his head, Xu Min looked at the woman. As their eyes met, an uncontroble red colour rose in her cheeks. She hurriedly found a key to one of the rooms to the inn. ¡°Excuse me,¡± she murmured as she traded the key for a gold coin.

    Seeing that the young man was paying a whole gold coin for a night at the inn, the woman¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. She quickly curtseyed out of respect and gratitude. How could she have known that Xu Min had nothing less than a gold coin? The Pharmacy had paid him solely in gold coins, so the young man had no other option than by paying in gold.

    Having received the key, Xu Min quickly made it to the room. He was quite astonished when he discovered that the room was almost asrge as the one he had shared with Wang Li back at Honghe City.

    ¡®Hey, you there. I would like some more food,¡¯ a voice resounded once again within Xu Min¡¯s mind. A wry smile appeared on his face. This snake was eating a lot of food; however, Xu Min had already decided to feed the snake all that it could eat. He wanted to befriend the snake, but the young man started to wonder whether or not he had enough money to sustain having the snake. For now, he did what he could to amodate for it.

    Moving downstairs, Xu Min found a small table in the corner of the restaurant. He smirked as he saw how thedy from the counter made her way towards his table. She was ready to take his order.

    ¡°I want one of each item on your menu,¡± he started. As he said the words, he could feel the bliss that arose from the snake as he slowly slithered down his arm and coiled up onto the table. Its eyes fastened onto the woman who seemed to understand that the food he wished to eat would be delivered to their table by her.

    Alongside the food, Xu Min also ordered some drinks. As he ordered two cups, he wondered how the snake would manage to drink alcohol.

    While it took some time for the food to be delivered to their table, the drinks arrived almost as soon as they had been ordered. Xu Min poured himself and the snake a cup each, smiling as he saw the hesitant expression on the snake¡¯s face.

    ¡®Father always told me not to drink this,¡¯ he murmured. However, it was clear that his curiosity was overtaking the warning from his father. After only a few more minutes, the slim snake¡¯s tongue entered the drink only to instantly removed again as the snake shook his head, and tears appearing in its eyes. ¡®It burns! It burns!¡¯ the snake cried and Xu Minughed out loud as the snake was twisting and turning on the table, behaving as though the alcohol had sat him afire.

    ¡®That was not fun,¡¯ Cao Caoined as the burning sensation slowly vanished, his beautiful jade like eyes had unshed tears in them. ¡®I¡¯m sorry.¡¯ Xu Min said with hisughter still hiding within. Although he was truly sorry that the snake had had such a reaction, it had still been incredibly fun to watch.

    Hearing the snake snorting at him, Xu Min smiled at it and patted the smooth and soft head of the small snake, ¡®I really am sorry.¡¯ he repeated, ¡®I ordered a lot of food. Perhaps you¡¯ll forgive me when you get a lot to eat?¡¯

    Hearing that Xu Min had ordered a lot of food, the snake no longer felt as mistreated as it did before, as his mind started swirling around food. Looking at how simple the snake behaved, much like a little kid, Xu Min chuckled as he started observing the other guests at the inn. Every table was filled with people, and three servants were rushing here and there, bringing kegs of ale, or wine, and wine cups to the various guests. Sometimes food would be brought out from the kitchen, but the majority of the guests were just drinking their alcohol while seemingly waiting for something to happen.

    It didn¡¯t take long before tes of food were taken to Xu Min¡¯s table. The massive quantities of food caused the majority of the guests from within the restaurant to look towards his direction. Some narrowed their eyes as they saw the young, poor looking man, but others were a lot more careless and quickly retracted their gazes. Only a few of the men within the room had their eyes focused upon the small green snake. It was seated on the table and happily eating away the many dishes which had been ced around it.

    Although some had been very curious about the snake by the young man¡¯s side, no one did anything about it. Soon, the chatter within the room returned to the same height that it had been previously. At the counter, one could hear how the various customers were wooing thedy while others were calling out for beer or wine to be brought to their tables.

    As the atmosphere returned to the way it had been before, Xu Min finally started straining his ears to their limits. He listened in on every conversation that was being held within the restaurant.

    ¡°I heard that the ck Wolves moved their headquarters into the forest itself. It seems that they are nning on making the forest into their own personal space.¡± someone mentioned. Xu Min had finally understood why a lot of mercenaries were within the forest. However, that did not exin why many families had sent out their geniuses alongside many warriors, and not to mention, why other mercenaries were flooding into the forest. While trying to pick up on other conversations, he honed in on anything from a man talking about wedding his daughter to a local mercenary discussing with someone on how to kill a friend of theirs who had been lucky enough to achieve a treasure from within the forest.

    After having listened to the conversation within the room for more than an hour, it was shown to be possible for Xu Min to get his hands on some information. The information was given by two customers dressed as soldiers who were discussing their master¡¯s ns.

    ¡°Having arranged for this many soldiers to set out, we will, without a doubt, find the hidden treasure within the forest,¡± one of the men said in which the other man nodded. ¡°When I heard that they had found an ancient cave filled with the leftovers from a Nine-Star Warrior, I thought it was a joke,¡± the other said with his eyes glistening with greed.

    ¡°Although we will enter the cave, we aren¡¯t eligible to get any of the treasure anyway,¡± the first man continued. He sighed deeply as he also had a hint of greed within his eyes. ¡°The young master will get all the treasure we find. Although we might get a raise in sry, we won¡¯t be getting anything from the cave itself.¡±

    Having heard enough, Xu Min looked at the men and noticed that both of them had a keyying on the table in front of them. They were the keys that showed that they were staying at the inn just like Xu Min himself was.

    ¡®Eat up,¡¯ Xu Min said with a chuckle. The snake had been eating one dish after another with an expression of utter bliss. After the snake had finished the final te it slithered up Xu Min¡¯s arm with an experienced move. It coiled itself around his neck once more. If it were not for their blood bond, Xu Min would have been incredibly ufortable by having a snake around his throat.

    The two youngsters, man and snake, moved towards their room where they both sat down. Xu Min once more entered a meditative state where the snake coiled up within hisp and looked at the surroundings. From time to time, he grabbed one or two sparks of the golden light.

    The night went by quickly. As he woke up the following morning, Xu Min felt much more energetic than he had been previously. Too many mercenaries were entering the forest and he felt that he should enter to see what was going on. However, unlike the majority of the men who had entered, Xu Min had no wish of achieving anything from the cave itself.

    Xu Min already had a great weapon that had been granted to him by his teacher, Wang Li. He also had the snake which was far stronger than he himself was. When it came to martial arts, he was learning the Radiant Jade Shower. Currently, he felt as though he had everything he needed. However, he still wished to see the surprises in the cave. At the same time, he wanted to get a better look at the geniuses to measure his own strength against theirs.

    Waking up early, Xu Min went down to the restaurant where he ordered a hearty breakfast for both him and Cao Cao. The snake was filled with excitement because it understood that they were going to enter the forest once again.

    ¡®Let me kill some of them this time,¡¯ Cao Cao said with a childlike excitement. This was something which caused Xu Min to frown a little. Although he was aware that he had to kill humans to stay alive and prove his strength, he still prefered to not kill if it had no reason. If any of the men they came across had any ill intentions, he would be as merciless as the Zhong family leader had been back when he knew that Xu Wu had been killed.

    Finishing the food quickly, Xu Min smiled as he picked up Cao Cao and allowed for the snake to coil around his neck once more. The two, man and snake, left the inn and followed the big flood of humans that was making its way into the forest ahead.

 Chapter 20: Immortal Cave

    Chapter 20: Immortal Cave

    Cao Cao and Xu Min both made their way down the bustling street of the small town. The small snake constantly looked at the numerous street stalls selling food; however, this time Xu Min did not buy anything. He could only do nothing and sigh heavily as he opened his mouth toin about not getting enough food.

    ¡®I¡¯m a snake in the midst of growing into adulthood. How can you not feed me food?!¡¯ an indignant voice sounded out from within the head of Xu Min. The only reply it got was a chuckle from the young man. He left the main street and readied himself to follow the mercenaries and guards into the forest in front of him.

    ¡®So Cao Cao, you¡¯ve lived within this forest for a long time right?¡¯ Xu Min asked curiously while looking around at the people in front of him. He noticed that none of them knew where they had to move to. Each group was going in different directions, so they hoped that they would be the lucky ones toe across the cave. None of them even knew whether or not there truly was a cave to be found within the forest.

    Hearing the question, Cao Cao snorted in contempt as he thought the answer was obvious. ¡®I¡¯ll buy you all the food you want for dinner if you take me to this cave,¡¯ Xu Min edged the snake. He was offering the only thing he knew the snake would definitely work for. Only after a few moments did the snake stop contemting and the previous indignant expression had suddenly changed to excitement.

    ¡®I know where the cave is,¡¯ the snake said. ¡®But it doesn¡¯t matter because it was emptied long ago.¡¯ ¡®Emptied?¡¯ Xu Min asked, feeling slightly disappointed. He truly wished to see a cave which had previously been their of an extreme expert. However, here he was being told that there was no such thing. Disappointment was shown on his face.

    Seeing the disappointment, Cao Cao felt slightly guilty. Although he was not a big fan of Xu Min yet, he knew that the human had given him a lot of food thesest few days. In addition, he had not asked for anything in return. Not only had he given him all the food it had asked for, but he had also started patting the head of the snake, something that it had found incrediblyfortable.

    Seeing that he had gained quite a lot, the small snake pouted for a moment before deciding to pay him back even if it was just a little. ¡®Although it had been emptied long ago, I can still show you where it is,¡¯ the small snake said. It was trying to cheer up Xu Min in the only way it knew how to. ¡®It is empty, but it is still an immortal cave created by a genius expert.¡¯

    Hearing these words, Xu Min nodded his head. Although he could not get any of the items, he could still see the cave. Soon after, the snake started to describe the way that they should take. Unlike the other groups, Xu Min was not waiting at random ces or looking through every nook and cranny looking for the cave. Instead, he started moving with a certainty that none of the others had, something which brought the attention of many groups to him.

    Moving through the forest with a certain confidence caused many smaller groups to follow behind him. This was something that Xu Min did not notice at first as they kept a fair distance between them. As he went further and further into the forest however, he soon felt that there were people behind him when the groups were within his range. He soon stopped and pretended that he too was confused; however, his act didn¡¯t cause any of the groups to leave. Instead, Xu Min felt the groups moved closer and closer towards him.

    As he felt the groups inching in on him, he knew they had unfriendly intentions. He instantly climbed onto a tree and continued advancing through the treetops.

    Having moved into the trees, he caused many of the groups that were following him to stop because they were unable to follow him. Moving with speeds as swift as Xu Min moved in the treetops was something that could only be done by few cultivators. However, many of the cultivators who had followed him were far above him in rank and they managed to follow suit. Although they could not decrease the distance between them and him, they managed to continue following him which caused the young man to feel very worried about his options.

    ¡®We can always go to father¡¯sir,¡¯ the snake said with a careless voice. However, Xu Min shook his head, ¡®No, that valley is filled with medicinal nts. If even one of them survives and escapes, they wille back with many experienced experts and harvest them all. They¡¯ll bring so many people that even your dad will have problems.¡¯

    ¡®This is something we¡¯ll have to deal with on our own.¡¯ Xu Min said with his eyes dark and his mood sour. He truly wished to visit the cave, but currently, it seemed as though it was not an option for him.

    Suddenly, a smile appeared on his face as the cave was exactly where he needed to go. With a single thought, he once more followed the way that was shown to him by the snake.

    ¡®I didn¡¯t think you wanted to go to the cave anyway,¡¯ the snake said, but showed the way towards the cave withoutint. Hastening his speed, Xu Min inched closer to the cave. As he approached it though, he noticed that the people following him were decreasing in numbers. Only a couple were unable to follow him, but the majority still held out. As they went deeper into the forest, the majority continued to remain steady as they used their their full power to keep the weaker Xu Min within their sights.

    The wild chase went on for two more hours before they finally arrived at a mountain side. When Xu Min climbed the mountain side, he saw a massive cave right in front of him. As he saw the cave, the others behind him noticed it too. They no longer paid any attention towards Xu Min who kept rushing through the high tree tops and quickly vanished into the forest on the opposite side of the mountain.

    Seeing Xu Min escape into the distance, the groups that were following him focused on the cave that they had heard so much about. As soon as they entered, anger filled their eyes and they ordered their swiftest men to locate and capture Xu Min. Nothing was left within the cave and the only thing that could be seen was the furniture made from stone. Not even a scroll of parchment could be found lying in the corners.

    Xu Min was not dumb as he knew that the groups would be anything but satisfied with what they had found within the cave. Which was why he quickly made his escape. Moments after he heard the sound of smashing trees and agitated men as he swiftly escaped through the opposite side of the mountain into an area he had never been in before. Xu Min was already far into the middle of the forest and many beasts within this area were dangerous. So far, he had been exceptionally lucky as he had not run into even a single beast. However, he knew that the further he ventured, the more likely he was to run into a beast.

    Unfortunately, he had no other option than to keep moving forward. His hope was to keep running across the treetops so that the majority of the beasts on the ground would not notice him as much. After running further ahead, he suddenly noticed the sounds of fighting behind him. As he looked back, he saw demon beasts after demon beasts blocking the road from the pursuers.

    Xu Min was not dumb. He instantly understood that something like this had to do with Cao Cao. Now was not the time to ask the snake, but instead it was time to keep moving forward in order to constantly increase the lead he had gained from the men following behind him.

    Having moved for a long while, Xu Min finally slowed down. He was unable to notice anyone following behind him. The forest was filled with the sounds of demon beasts, yet none of them wereing close to Xu Min as long as Cao Cao was fastened to his neck.

    Xu Min¡¯s aura was that of a One-Star Warrior. With Cao Cao coiled up around his neck, Cao Cao¡¯s aura overwhelmed his own weak aura. He was really thankful for that.

    ¡®Let us return to your father¡¯s ce,¡¯ Xu Min said. His heart was beating quickly as he felt the auras of the strong foes headed towards his way. However, Cao Cao shook his head.

    ¡®This forest belongs to my father,¡¯ he said with a gleam in his green eyes. ¡®Do you think anyone within this forest dares to go against me, the only son of my father? Even if I bring in a human, no one will touch you although they mighte to see what you look like.¡¯

    Hearing this, Xu Min saw how demon beasts after demon beasts appeared in front of him. There were Demonic Golden Cored Wolves, Blood Red Peacocks, Violet Fanged Panthers, Thunderstrike Crown Sparrows, and even Winged Horses.

    Looking at these beasts, it was obvious that none of them seemingly had any ill intentions. However. Xu Min felt incredibly nervous as the beasts inched closer. They were looking at him, sniffing him and even touching him. Had Cao Cao not been by his side, it was obvious that he would have been eaten long ago. As they currently had no intentions of harming him, instead, curiosity was shown.

    ¡®These beasts have never seen a human before,¡¯ Cao Cao said with aughter as he saw and felt the difort in the heart of Xu Min. They were all eitherte Middle-Stage Warrior Rank or even the Advanced Warrior Rank beasts. All of them were so strong that it would take nothing but a swat of their paws to kill the human. Xu Min had a hard time understanding the potency of their strength.

    ¡®This is my ce. I always y with these guys when I¡¯m bored. Hey, hey, I saved you! You should buy me a lot of food!¡¯ Cao Cao¡¯s eyes were shining with happiness.

    Seeing that the snake was happy, Xu Min could not keep the feeling of danger from what was around him. Instead, he startedughing out loud as he patted the snake on top of the head.

    ¡°Sure,¡± he said out loud as the many beasts looked at him curiously. None of them were capable of speaking the humannguage. However, they knew that the snake¡¯s father, the King of the Forest, was capable of speaking the human tongue. In many ways, Xu Min was as exciting to them as they were to him.

    Xu Min knew that he owed Cao Cao a lot. Although the problem had started initially on their trip towards the immortal cave, he knew that it had been him who had wanted to go in the first ce. As soon as they were followed by a force much stronger than him, he found that in an emergency, Cao Cao had saved his life. This caused him tond within the inner area of the forest safely.

    ¡®I promise to buy anything you want,¡¯ Xu Min said quietly. ¡®But we can¡¯t return to the city we came from. We will need to travel through the forest. If we go back, we will be caught by the guys who followed us. Even if you were to bring your friends, we won¡¯t be able to manage.¡¯

    ¡®That¡¯s fine,¡¯ Cao Cao said, ¡®I need to say goodbye to my friends. In the future I will be living in the human world together with you.¡¯ His face was all smiles and Xu Min was capable of feeling an excitement bubbling inside of the young snake. Laughing out loud once more, Xu Min moved the snake back onto his neck where it coiled around. They slowly started moving towards the opposite end of the forest. It was time for him and Cao Cao to start venturing into the world on the other side.

 Chapter 21: Attack!

    Chapter 21: Attack!

    The goodbye was finished much faster than Xu Min had expected. Cao Cao had only said goodbye to the beasts who had arrived moments before they left to look at the human boy. The goodbye was neithercking in emotion nor was it careless. All it took was a few moments for the small snake to make a few hissing sounds. Afterwards, he told Xu Min that it was time for the two of them to be on their way.

    Making their way from the innermost center of the forest, Xu Min took to the treetops and started running in the opposite direction of where they had been before. They ran towards the unknown future.

    Making his way towards the outskirts of the forest, the entire trip had only taken a few hours. During these few hours, they had run into various demon beasts. Many of which had such an aura that Xu Min was incapable of even determining their rank. Even though this many demon beasts showed their faces, none of them dared to attack the two youngsters who were rushing through the forest. Seeing this, Xu Min felt eternal gratitude towards the strong King of the Forest.

    The further away they got, the more rxed Xu Min became. The ones who had been hunting him down were no longer on his mind as he knew that he was heading out the other way. He was uncertain about how many had survived as they had followed him into the core areas of the forest. The areas that were filled with beasts that did not show any remorse for attacking humans were not under the protection of Cao Cao.

    Xu Min rxed so much that he only noticed that someone had crept in on him toote. The aura had been withdrawn so well that even the snake around his neck had not sensed anything. This was something that showed exactly how strong the cultivator was.

    ¡°He is here!¡± said a short and strong yell that suddenly rang out from the trees close to Xu Min. The young man was shocked as he saw one of his previous pursuerse out from within the trees close by. He was rushing towards the unsuspecting young man who had narrowed his eyes.

    The man who was aiming for him was a Three-Star Warrior. As he came in closer, Xu Min called out a single name, ¡®Cao Cao!¡¯

    Although he could have started battling the man himself, it was impossible for this young man to defeat the Three-Star Warrior on his own. It was much more efficient to call for backup from the snake coiled around his neck.

    As soon as his name was called out, Cao Cao instantly slipped down the young man¡¯s arm. It leaped from his hand onto the face of the yelling man. He opened his mouth and four incredibly sharp fangs were revealed with white liquid dripping from each of them.

    Soon, the snake had reached the man. No matter how swift the Three-Star Warrior might have been, he was far too slow to have blocked the snake. After a few moments, Cao Cao returned to Xu Min¡¯s neck as his previous opponent plummeted to the ground. His eyes were open and devoid of all life. As soon as Cao Cao had the chance to bite a human, he would never again see the light of day. The poison was that deadly.

    That is to say, there were various ways one could defend against this poison. If the cultivator was of the same rank as Cao Cao, they could use the Qi inside of their bodies to battle the poison and eventually dispel it. However, a Three-Star Warrior was far from being close to this juvenile snake and the result was therefore certain.

    ¡®You are too weak!¡¯ the snakeined with a bit of self-righteousness. ¡®I¡¯ll leave the Two-Star Warrior down there for you. I even told you where he is hiding, so go and end him!¡¯

    After he had heard what Cao Cao said, Xu Min shook his head but said nothing. Since he had been within the forest for some time, Xu Min finally understood exactly how weak he was. Although he was a One-Star Warrior, he had just sat foot in the world of a cultivator. Had he not been so lucky as to have Cao Cao with him, he would have passed away long ago.

    Looking down within the thick leaves, Xu Min noticed the warrior that Cao Cao had pointed out to him. As Xu Min looked at this warrior, it was easy to see that he was waiting for the young man to pass by so that he couldunch an ambush. Seeing this, his dark eyes grew even darker. A furrow appeared between his eyebrows as a sneer showed itself on his lips.

    Having seen that this man was waiting for an ambush, Xu Min decided to return the favor. He slowly gathered the Qi that he had spent years refining into his body before he taking the stance needed for the Radiant Jade Shower. Behind him, thousands of specks of translucent light appeared. As soon as they appeared, they shot towards the warrior in the thick bushes below the ground.

    Moments after, the thousand jade-like shards of Qi had shot into the bushes. An agonizing scream could be heard as the man rushed out. Blood poured from his body as countless of small cuts had been made on his skin.

    Looking at the man, Xu Min jumped closer to him in the thick tree tops. He hid himself to the best of his ability as he looked down at the man below him. Unsheathing his sword without making a sound, Xu Min stopped right above the Two-Star Warrior. His eyes were fully focused on the man below. His facial expression became frosty.

    Counting to ten in his mind, Xu Min finally jumped down from the tall tree. Having borrowed the force of the fall and wielding the sword in his hands. Xu Min quickly arrived in front of the man. He swung the sword with all his might as the muscles on his arms protruded.

    The man never had the chance to say a word before his torso had been severed into two parts. As soon as Xu Minnded on the ground, a multitude of experts appeared as they all rushed towards the boy.

    ¡°Capture him!¡±

    ¡°He knows where the treasure is!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t let him get away!¡±

    Suddenly, a wide array of yells could be heard throughout the outskirts of the forest. Many of the men jumped towards the boy who was standing in the middle of the forest.The next man that reached him was cut in half as well.

    ¡®Defend yourself, I¡¯ll try to deal with as many as I can!¡¯ Cao Cao said with a careless voice as he suddenly slithered away from Xu Min. He left himpletely alone against three approaching One and Two-Star Warriors.

    Looking at the three Warriors, Xu Min¡¯s eyes turned cold. He instantly targeted the two One-Star Warriors. Although he was only a One-Star Warrior, Wang Li had spent a lot of time training his body and his physical strength could rival that of a Two-Star Warrior¡¯s. This was apparent as he wielded his broad sword with both hands. A straight sh left another Warrior in two piece. His eyes had long since lost their sight of life before his body slumped to the ground.

    Seeing how Xu Min had easily removed one of the three Warriors, the two others felt their heads grow numb as they looked at the Two-Star Warrior which had been cut clean in half. At first, they had expected that the attack had been sessful because the young man had snuck in on the warrior and used the force of his fall to deliver a devastating cut. After looking at the corpse of the One-Star Warrior which had fallen under his sword, it no longer seemed to be a coincidence. The two Warriors paused their advance and looked cautiously at the young man before they advanced a few steps at a time.

    While these two Warriors were advancing slowly, Cao Cao was flying about and attacking one Warrior after another. Anyone who decided toe into the very small clearing ended up dying. After having seen this, the Warriors outside the clearing stayed back. Those that had entered had long since forgotten about capturing the young man. Retreating to stay alive was their main focus.

    Everyone apart from the two Warriors in front of Xu Min knew that escape was impossible. For some reason, the snake had done nothing to the two of them. It left them with the hope that they would be able to escape when they caught the young man.

    Seeing that capturing Xu Min was their ticket out of the clearing, courage swelled within their bodies. They were Warriors and one of them was even a Two-Star Warrior and the other was a strong One-Star. Defeating and capturing an early stage One-Star Warrior should not be difficult for the two of them.

    Seeing the madness appear in the eyes of the two Warriors as they saw theirrades being killed, Xu Min understood that he had only one chance to fight back.The Warriors who were left were all hiding and no backup was avable. The two Warriors gave in to their madness and with a loud yell bellowed out from deep within their throats, they rushed towards Xu Min.

    Xu Min knew that, although his body was as strong as a Warrior of the second rank, his strength alone was not enough to defeat the two men who wereing his way.

    Closing his eyes for a moment and taking a deep breath, Xu Min reached within himself, all the way down to his Dantian and to a point where he stored every single scrap of Qi he could find, and inserted it into the broadsword in his hands.

    As he opened his eyes, he exhaled. The two Warriors were finally within range. Seeing this, a wry smile appeared on his face. This would either seed or he would die. As he swung the sword, his face grimaced as he felt how the power inside of him burst forward.

    Swinging the sword in front of him, he cleanly sliced the first man in half. The sword was almost impossible to stop. However, the Two-Star Warrior managed to summon his Qi in a protective barrier around himself to keep the sword from killing him. But, the force still knocked him five steps back.

    Seeing this, Xu Min could not help but to grit his teeth.The Two-Star Warrior was staying back and was stunned by the fact that he had been forced to retreat by a cultivator weaker than himself. However, here he was forced five steps backwards. Hisplexion was rather pale which was nothing like it had been before.

    Seeing that the man had survived, Xu Min felt despair well up within him. Although he had used everyst scrap of Qi he possessed, he had still failed to kill the final Warrior in the group of attackers. He once more wielded his sword, ready to attack, when the man¡¯s eyes suddenly bulged outwards as he fell to the ground. Hisst breath of life left him.

    ¡®You weren¡¯t too bad,¡¯ Cao Cao¡¯s voice sounded out within his head. ¡®But if you want me to acknowledge you as my boss, then you had better start improving at a rapid speed! You only managed to kill three men in the time it took me to kill seventeen. Seventeen! You had better treat me to some good food!¡¯

    Xu Min had never before been as happy about the snake¡¯s ranting as he was now. Heughed helplessly as he sheathed his sword on his back while the snake coiled around his neck. The man and the snake quickly vanished into the forest and rushed towards the outside of the forest.

 Chapter 22: Ri Chu City

    Chapter 22: Ri Chu City

    Some warriors had survived the ordeal, but they were the warriors who had not participated in the battle. They were the ones who had been staying away from the clearing as they watched theirrades and friends get executed one after another.

    Xu Min paid no attention to those men. He knew that if they were to participate then Cao Cao would have stepped in and stopped them. Although Cao Cao wished for Xu Min to increase his strength, the snake had no interest in seeing him dead. Due to this, he still assisted the weak young man.

    ¡®How can you even be called a man when you can¡¯t even protect your own life,¡¯ Cao Cao muttered as he was coiled around the young man¡¯s neck. His eyes were struggling to keep open. After only a few moments did the snake fall into a deep sleep. Snickering, Xu Min looked at the snake. He was fully aware that he too had pushed himself to be able to take care of those seventeen men. And now, he now needed a long sleep.

    While the snake was asleep, Xu Min came to the end of the forest. As he looked around, it looked exactly the same to how it had been where he had entered at the opposite side of the forest.

    Small towns adorned thendscape here and there. They were selling items needed for the cultivators who entered into the forest. These towns had inns for other groups and pharmacies to buy and sell medicinal herbs and concoctions.

    Looking at these towns, Xu Min opted not to enter them. The warriors within the forest were likely to inform their superiors about which direction he was taking. It was highly likely that he would be attacked the moment he were to enter town.

    Instead, Xu Min left the area around the forest and decided not to follow the standard roads on his way towards a major city.

    No cities were within range of view. By moving parallel to the road, Xu Min only needed to walk for around four days before he could see the massive city walls in the distance again.

    All this time Cao Cao had been deeply asleep. He had never once left the position around Xu Min¡¯s neck. Although he was sleeping, the young man felt quite rxed knowing that the snake was with him.

    Travelling for an extra few days, Xu Min reached the agricultural area outside the city. As he was finally closing in on the major city, Xu Min once more dared to travel on the roads. As a matter of fact, he did not have any choice other than to follow the main roads. Anything between the roads had turned into rice fields or other kind of agriculture.

    Reaching the roads, Xu Min was capable of moving much quicker towards the city. After another three days did he finally arrive at the city gate. This city was the same size as Honghe City which he came from. A special feeling of nostalgia welled up within the young man as he wondered how Overseer Wang Li was doing.

    Xu Min knew nothing about the city he had arrived at, but what he did guess was that much like any other city. This ce much like any other ce epted gold coins as payment. He quickly entered through the gates, looking for inns anywhere around the entrance to the city.

    Many inns were located at the entrance. It was not that rare that travellers came across; however, all these inns looked to be rather run down. Xu Min remembered that he had promised the snake the meal of his lifetime, so he needed a proper ce to amodate them.

    Walking through the town, Xu Min caught a hold of the name of the city. The city was named Ri Chu City and unlike Honghe City, this one did not have a harbor. Instead, it was considered one of therger intersections for travellers and merchants which had allowed for the city to grow to the size it had today.

    Moving towards the inner regions of the city and looking for a high ss inn, Xu Min¡¯s eyes were caught by a pharmacy. Looking at this, the young man tapped his bag and moved inside. Hepletely ignored the nces given by the citizens around him.

    Xu Min wore simple clothes which were the clothes he had gotten from Overseer Wang Li back when he lived at Honghe City. They were clearly the clothes of a worker. For him to enter a high end pharmacy was something which caused much interest on those who walked on the street. However, only a few of the curious citizens entered the store to see what would happen.

    Xu Min had long since guessed that these citizens were curious about him. Ignoring them, he went to the desk where a middle-aged woman was standing. Looking at the young man, the woman could not help but frown her nose. She wondered why such a weak person would have entered her esteemed shop.

    She did not have to wait long. After a few moments, Xu Min had reached the counter. As soon as he did, he swept his hand across the counter and ced down four herbs he had no clue of what use they had. The moment he ced them down, shock and greed became visible in the woman¡¯s eyes. Her expression no longer was loathing, but was extremely weing.

    ¡°Greetings, my good sir,¡± she said with a gentle and pleasant voice. ¡°Am I correct to believe that you are willing to sell these herbs?¡± she asked while licking her lips. She tried to moisten them as she felt deeply shocked.

    Seeing her expression, a sly smile appeared on Xu Min¡¯s face as he shrugged carelessly. The shop itself was filled with customers as they all held their breaths in excitement. For many citizens, this was some of the most exciting thing they had seen in the recent days.

    ¡°I am looking to sell,¡± Xu Min said with a slow voice. He was dragging on every word and making the woman wait for the ¡®but¡¯. The young man did indeed say a ¡®but¡¯ as he continued his sentence.

    ¡®I am indeed looking to sell,¡± he repeated, ¡°But, you see these herbs were quite dangerous for me to gain.¡± he continued, ¡°I am only selling them if I am getting a good price. After all, I did risk my life to get them.¡±

    Hearing the words, the woman¡¯s face turned slightly sour. After only a few moments had she managed to control her facial expression once more. She was all smiles once more as she looked at the herbs.

    These herbs were all rare herbs. They were herbs she could sell to the upper families within the city. The woman could use them to invite alchemists or other important people to the city.

    Gnashing her teeth, she looked at the young man in front of her who had a wry but indifferent smile on his face. His eyes were curiously scrutinizing the shop as though this had nothing to do with him.

    Looking at him, the woman could instantly tell that this young man was perfectly well aware of the value of his herbs. She came to the conclusion of giving a serious offer from the start in case he would get insulted and move to another pharmacy to sell. That was without a doubt something which she could not afford that he did.

    Looking at the herbs on the desk, she took one and ced it away from the rest. Pointing at that herb, her soul somewhat trembled as it was the rarest amongst them. After a short break came her offer. ¡°I will offer you one thousand gold coins for this one,¡± she said. Her eyes clearly had a pained expression. ¡°The rest of them I can¡¯t pay more than five hundred gold coins for a piece.¡±

    Hearing the valuation, Xu Min had to swallow a little as he was caught off guard. He expected that they were worth an amazing sum of money, but this was far above every expectation that he had. He was even more so surprised considering that he had a whole bag stuffed full of the herbs.

    Xu Min was not the only one shocked within the shop. The entire shop was still filled with curious citizens. As soon as they heard the value that these herbs were worth, they were all stunned into silence. Some tried to squeeze up towards the counter to see these amazing herbs.

    Fortunately enough for Xu Min, no cultivators had entered the pharmacy. Onlymoners did which meant that no one would try to steal the herbs from him. As amoner, one had to be suicidal to battle a One-Star Warrior.

    Saying that thesemoners were not cultivators was quite the wrong phrase. Everyone throughout their lives cultivated in one way or another. One¡¯s body would always change throughout the years bying into contact with the essence of the heavens and the earth. However, thesemoners had not had the time to prioritize cultivation over their chores or every day lives. This resulted in them only bing Two or Three-Star Warriors throughout their entire lives. Many of them would only be a few hundred years of age before aging and dying.

    Although some of them were One-Star Warriors much like Xu Min, none of these men were cultivators. None of them knew about the random martial arts nor did they know about how to use their strength. Considering this, no one wished to participate in a battle against a real cultivator.

    Xu Min was still slightly hesitating. The reason he hesitated was not because he was unhappy with the price, but rather because he was truly astonished by it. However, thedy did not know this. After clearing her throat once, she gritted her teeth and spoke once more. ¡°Eleven hundred is the absolute highest price I can pay for this herb,¡± she said. Her heart bled thinking of all the gold coins she would have to spend. At the same time, it was definitely worth it.

    The herb was known as a Yearning Sunflower. It was a flower which only grew within the densest areas of a forest where no sunshine would ever reach. On the other hand, the petals looked as though it were a small sun. The taller the stalk was, the older it was. The older the flower was, the more precious it was.

    This flower had gotten its name as it would always grow towards the sun. Should the flower seed in reaching sunlight, it would mutate and be a Lustful Sunflower. This was a flower that never received enough sunlight and always begged for more.

    The Yearning Sunflower Xu Min had brought with him today was at least fifty years old as the stalk was quite tall. Selling it to a high ranking entric expert or an alchemist would bring in tens of thousands gold coins. If she was unlucky, she could not find a collector interested in the flower. In that case, it was only worth two to three thousand coins. This was why she had sat at such a low buyout price. Before she could sell, she needed to get her hands on the flower first.

    Seeing the nervousness in the shopkeeper¡¯s face, Xu Min shook his head and nodded vigorously. The price was definitely much better than what he had expected. With great happiness did he wait for the woman to receive the money. She took out clear card made of jade and handed it to the young man who curiously took it to see what it was.

    One has to know that Xu Min never really dealt with money before. Back in Honghe City, he had never been paid anything from Overseer Wang Li. The money he had received in the town on the border of Snake¡¯s Forest had been given to him in cash.

    Now he was handed a clear card made from white jade, his face was filled with questions when he received it. Looking at his confused face, thedy could not help butugh a little.

 Chapter 23: Jade Card

    Chapter 23: Jade Card

    ¡°This is a White Jade Card,¡± thedy said with aughter. ¡°Jade Cards can be found in both green and white jade. The Green Jade Cards can hold up to one thousand gold coins while the White Jade Card can hold up to ten thousand gold coins.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m giving you a White Card containing eleven hundred for the Yearning Sunflower and fifteen hundred for the three other herbs,¡± she said. She gestured towards the three herbs at the other side of the counter, ¡°In total, this Jade Card contains two thousand six hundred gold coins.¡±

    ¡°All the decent shops within this city epts Jade Cards as a form of payment so you should be all set now.¡± Having given a short introduction of the Jade Cards, the woman no longer paid any attention towards Xu Min. Instead, she paid her full attention towards the Yearning Sunflower. Her face was filled with smiles and expectations of what she would use it for.

    Seeing that the woman no longer paid attention to Xu Min, the young man took the Jade Card and looked at it. No matter how much he stared, it looked exactly like a very in Jade Card. Had it not been for the customers¡¯ reactions within the shop when the woman pulled out the white jade card, Xu Min would have been certain that he was being tricked.

    Now that he had seen greed in the men¡¯s eyes around him, he quickly stored the card within his robes and left the store. One again, he started hunting down an inn where he could feed the snake a meal that it deserved.

    Walking through the streets, Xu Min had soon noticed that he had reached the upper ss stores within the city. His appearance was far away from someone who belonged within the town. Everyone stared at him with tant mockery within their eyes.

    Even if he managed to find an inn that sold delicious food for the snake, the young man was quite certain that they would bar him from entering due to his clothes. When a clothing store appeared by the side of the road, Xu Min did not think twice before he entered the shop.

    Entering a shop which specialized in clothes was apletely new experience for Xu Min. All his clothes had been previously gifted to him by Wang Li. None of it had been sewn to him, but instead had all been oversized so that he could grow in it.

    Xu Min did not mind the clothes being baggy nor did he mind that they were a bit oversized. He did not even care about what others thought of him. However, he did care about keeping the promise he had made. He was perfectly aware that his life had been saved quite a few times by the snake coiled around his neck.

    If paying the snake back meant that he had to no longer look like a country bumpkin or a manual worker, then so be it. Although the store was a new experience for him, he still entered. He wore nothing but his clothes and looked like a worker.

    The store clerk instantly went towards the young man. His face was frowning and his nose wrinkled. He expected the young man to be have a foul odor. As he came closer, he noticed the young man withdraw a White Jade Card from his clothing. The frown instantly disappeared and his unsightly expression changed to a gentle, kind, and weing visage.

    ¡°Wee, my good sir!¡± the clerk said as he sped his hands together. Afterwards, he was gesturing for the young man to follow him. ¡°What can we do for you today?¡± he asked with a gentle voice as he was constantly staring at the White Jade Card in the hands of the customer. The store clerk wondered where this young master hade from.

    ¡°I need a set of clothes. I don¡¯t want anything gaudy nor do I want anything excessive. Just a set of ordinary clothes of good fabric,¡± Xu Min answered. He was notpletely sure what to say or how to convey his intentions.

    Although he had money now, he had never had money in his hands before. He was very worried about spending it all and bing penniless with a snake which seemed to enjoy eating as much as a full grown dragon.

    Hearing the description, the man nodded his head for some time. Without wasting any time what so ever, he suddenly returned with a few sets of clothes. One of these sets, Xu Min instantly liked. It was a ck shirt with ck trousers. Attached to the set was a ck robe. The robe was lined with a simple red border and a red belt.

    Looking at that set of clothes, Xu Min instantly picked it. The clothes were made from the best materials around. While wearing it, the young man could definitely feel the difference between his previous clothes and this set. It was as though he was wearing clouds as his clothes were light on his body and felt soft and durable.

    Sewing the robe to fit Xu Min¡¯s size did not take long. As soon as it had been sewn, Xu Min handed over the White Jade Card which the clerk took thirteen gold coins.

    Thirteen gold coins was an astronomical amount of money for a set of clothes. However, Xu Min had chosen the best materials they had within the store. Looking at the clothes now, it was definitely worth every coin.

    Walking on the street no longer caused anyone to look at him. Although he was still unwashed and weary, the clothes he now wore was enough to make him fit into the upper ss of the town.

    After having wandered about for another good hour, Xu Min finally started to smell the scent of delicious food. As he followed this scent, he ended in front of a massive building built solely from marble. The windows were open and the scent of food wafted out together with light and cheerful sounds.

    Entering this building, Xu Min quickly found that two floors were used as restaurants and the residence area was above this. Walking to the counter, he was bbergasted to find that almost every table was already filled with customers. As Xu Min entered, quite a few were looking his way. He felt that the majority of the customers inside the shop were cultivators.

    Being aware that he was watched, Xu Min went to the counter. With a low voice, he asked for a room in which he could board for a week.

    This was a high ss inn and even the rooms were much more luxurious than those of smaller inns. As a result, they charged an astonishing twelve silver coins a night. Hearing this, Hui Yue intentionally picked up one gold coin from his bag and handed it to the owner.

    Xu Min intentionally chose to use cash. He knew that he was currently being observed. If he was dumb enough to bring out his White Jade Card now, it was highly likely that he would be tailed and killed so that someone could steal his money.

    Although one gold coin was a lot, it was not unnatural for travellers to pay a high fee for a good bed, bath, and delicious foods.

    Xu Min had also ordered that some tes of food were to be brought to his room. In the end, not many tips were left for the man behind the desk.

    epting the keys and moving upstairs, Xu Min kept his full attention at the dining room. He knew that there still were a few cultivators who were eyeing him. As long as they did not follow him, he saw no reason to start a fight.

    As he entered the room, he could not help but whistle in amazement. This was anything but the in room he had lived in together with Wang Li. The room itself was a little bigger than the room he had shared with the Overseer for years. It was an suite where the bathroom was located right next to the bedroom. The bathroom had a submerged bath and steam wafted out from the deep water. A look of delight appeared on Xu Min¡¯s eyes.

    Just as he was about to undress and enter the water, he heard a knocking on his door. The once blissful expression on his face became serious. His body instantly turning vignt and he slowly made his way to open the door only to realize that it was the food he had ordered.

    te after te entered through the door. Before long, the table was filled with delectable and enticing foods. Nodding gratefully, Xu Min closed the door behind the servant who vanished down the stairs. He moved towards the table.

    The scent of the food was filling the entire room and Xu Min no longer thought about the warm bath. Instead, he sat down at the table and gently patted the snake¡¯s head to rouse it from its deep sleep.

    The gentle pats roused the snake with a soft andfortable touch. Soon, the snake¡¯s face lifted slightly and its tongue slithered in the air. Its beautiful green eyes opened, but they initially seemed as though Cao Cao¡¯s mind was in a bit of a disarray. After a few moments, the scent of the food caused the snake to close his eyes and inhale strongly.

    ¡®You are not a bad human,¡¯ the snake said with a blissful smile on its face. It slowly made its way down to the table where he started to slowly eat one te of food after another. Seeing that Cao Cao was eating quickly, Xu Min could not help allow aughter to ring out through the rooms they had booked. He quickly sat down at the table and ate the foods together with the snake. He quickly hurried to fill his stomach before everything had vanished.

    When all the food had been eaten, a chuckle could be heard from the small snake as it slithered around on the table. It was looking around to ensure that every meal had been eaten. Although he had eaten far more than the size of his body, its stomach was not the slightest bit bulging outwards.

    Having rested in the chair for some time, both the snake and the boy went to the bath. They allowed for their sore muscles to rest and removed the dirt that had been growing on their skins.

    Although Xu Min was in a hotel and the bed was soft andfortable, the young man spent no time sleeping. Instead, he sat with his legs crossed on the soft mattress while he cultivated. He was refining the essence of the heavens and the earth which allowed for him to gain more Qi.

    Refining the essence from the heavens and the earth was something that took time. Although Xu Min was working hard, he was still only an early stage One-Star Warrior. Having battled within the forest, he had understood how weak he was. His n was to settle himself within the city until he managed to reach a Two or Three-Star Warrior. To keep travelling in the world filled with cultivators, the weak would be swallowed up by the strong. Forcing himself to be a part of it too was something which wasn¡¯t considered bravery. Instead, it was clearly stupidity. Thinking about it like this, Xu Min could not help but wonder why Wang Li had decided to send him away as soon as he managed to reach the One-Star Warrior rank.

    ncing at Cao Cao by his side, Xu Min sighed in envy. The snake was deeply asleep and not bothering with refining essences at all because he was a magical beast. Cultivation for a magical beast was quite different from those of humans. While Xu Min was working hard to increase his rank, Cao Cao automatically grew stronger and stronger just by growing up. He was currently nothing more than a juvenile. However, the strength he would gain by the time he reached adulthood was unknown. Also, no one would know how much food he would be eating.

 Chapter 24: Shopping Time

    Chapter 24: Shopping Time

    Early in the morning, the golden specks of lights fluttering around the young man shone in the rays of sunshine. As soon as he stopped his regted breathing, they all dissipated into thin air. By his side, little Cao Cao was still asleep while coiled up on the soft bed with a satisfied look on its face.

    Cao Cao had finally woken up the night before. After looking at the small snake, Xu Min understood that it was still exhausted after having battled many men in the forest. The young man could not help but feel both gratitude and a desire to improve rapidly so that he was strong enough to protect the snake by his side.

    Having decided to strengthen himself, Xu Min started stretching his tired muscles before he quickly dressed. Afterwards, he went to the outskirts of the city once more. He exited therge gates and started to run from one gate to another.

    The city was massive. At first, Xu Min had nned on running around the entire city. However, as he ran for hours on end without even havingpleted even a quarter of the way, Xu Min finally decided to only run towards the next gate.

    Running in the scorching sun with the snake coiled around his neck, Xu Min pushed himself to his limits. His legs had long since gone numb. Sweat dripped from his body and the only thing that motivated him to keep moving was the constant thoughts of how weak he was. Laughing at himself, he remembered that he wished to take revenge upon the Zhong family leader. However, he was nothing more than an early stage One-Star Warrior.

    Gritting his teeth, Xu Min forced himself to keep running every time his body wished to stop. After running at his fastest speed for what felt like an eternity, he finally saw a city gate in the distance.

    Witnessing him running all the way to the wall, everyone stared in shock. The sight of the sweat dripping off his body and the sound of panting from inhaling air was enough to make anyone who looked at him to slightly inch away. But the young man did not care. Looking at the sun, he could see that it was the afternoon and was shocked to know that he had managed to run for all these hours straight.

    With tired legs and a rumbling stomach, Xu Min went back to the inn. His entrance was even more astonishing than it was the day before. This time, no one assumed that he was rich. Everyone could see that he looked like a poor man who had managed to find enough coins to rent a good room for a short time.

    Having people think this way did not bother Xu Min. The more people who expected him to be poor, the more likely he was to be left alone by the other cultivators within the inn and the restaurant.

    Xu Min started to make some stretching movements which Overseer Tian had taught him. He slowly rxed his entire body before he went for a bath to wash all the sweat off his body. At the same time he began washing himself, Cao Cao decided to wake up. With skilled movements, he swam around in the water with as much enjoyment as Xu Min.

    After the bath was over, Xu Min once more ordered a massive amount of food. He shared it with the snake and then stood up within the room to take the stance which Wang Li had given him. Standing in position, the young man closed his eyes as thousands of jade white specks of light appeared behind him. At a closer inspection, one could see that these specks of light actually looked like small shards of ice made from white jade. They all hovered there filling up the entire room with specks. As Xu Min opened his eyes, an excited expression was on his face.

    Having created this many shards, he was incredibly satisfied with his performance. The sun was getting ready to start its descent behind the city walls. Xu Min looked out to the city at dusk and the streets were still bustling with life. Carts were driving on the busy roads and customers, cultivators, andmoners alike were travelling to and fro within the city.

    Xu Min looked at the bustling life down on the street the young man sighed deeply. Having finished the scheduled physicalbour of the day, the young man knew it was time for him to start cultivating the Qi within his Dantian cave. Unfortunately, he also knew that even if he had started a few hours earlier, it wouldn¡¯t have amounted to much. Cultivating the Battle Qi was something which took an immense amount of time.

    The reason why the majority of the so-called geniuses were all from rich families were because they could afford to purchase medicinal herbs, pills, and pastes to enhance their high ss martial arts.

    Knowing this, Xu Min suddenly felt like hitting his head heavily against something hard. He knew that with the money he currently possessed, he would still be able to purchase some pills. However, they would not be the most expensive and rarest of the pills but would be a great benefit for an early stage One-Star Warrior.

    Xu Min looked at the bustling streets once more. He rushed out the door, down the stairs towards the restaurant, and left through the front door with an incredible speeds.

    As soon as he had entered the stone roads outside the inn, Xu Min was suddenly andpletely uncertain about what to do. He knew what he wanted to do, but how to execute it was not easy. He had no idea as to which kind of shop sold medicinal pills nor did he know anything about which kind of pills he needed to purchase. Every time he thought about how weak he was, Xu Min¡¯s eyes glistened with anger and determination. So, he rushed through one street after another as the sunshine slowly became less and less. As his passion grew, the sun began to descend behind the city gates as a chilled air filled the city.

    Customers no longer headed out to shop and the majority were on their way home to eat with their families or to finish their work. Even so, Xu Min did not give up and finally, he reached a ce called Alluring Treasures Pavilion.

    Looking at the ce, Xu Min could not think of anywhere else that could sell medicinal herbs or medicines. He saw that customers still entered the shop.

    He was relieved that he had been wearing his ck set of clothes as he had left the bath. They had made him look less like a penniless manualborer.

    When he came to the front gates, he found that one had to pay an astonishing entrance fee of fifty silvers. Even though the fee was quite extraordinary, multiple people kept flooding into the store. Eventually, Xu Min paid the fee and began to follow the flood of people.

    Following the masses, Xu Min and Cao Cao were taken into a massive room filled with people who each were sitting on chairs that were ced in front of arge stage. Seeing this, Xu Min waspletely taken aback. He had previously heard about auction houses from Overseer Wang Li, but he had never truly entered one before. As he continued exploring the inside of the house, he was filled with confusion as to what to do.

    He had been given a number when he had paid the entrance fee. At first, he had expected that it was the number in which he¡¯d be served. But now, he understood that it was a number used when bidding on an item.

    Although Xu Min felt somewhat out of ce, he quickly found a seat. As he nced in every direction with curiosity, he finally experienced what an auction house was like for the first time.

    Xu Min was not the only one astonished because little Cao Cao¡¯s face was turning from one side to another. He looked at the humans and his surroundings, while feeling the apprehension within the small room. Both the man and snake could not wait for the auction to actually begin.

    Although they were impatient, it took about an hour until the doors of the auction house were finally closed. Prior to the start of the auction, guests constantly flooded in through the doors. Atst, the light within the room dimmed while the lights at the stage shone with an amazing radiance.

    Seeing this, Xu Min was excited and happy. Although he had never been at an auction before, he had heard that exotic and tempting items and high end medicines all appeared there.

    Waiting patiently, a woman finally stepped onto the stage. Her body was shrouded in a very tight fitted dress and an borate and bejewled crown sat on the woman¡¯s hair. She was so incredibly beautiful that both Xu Min and Cao Cao found themselves breathless. Looking at this beautiful woman, Xu Min remembered a sentence his teacher once had told him,

    ¡°Women are the cause of many evils. A beautiful woman can cause men to go insane and cities to be destroyed.¡±

    Looking at the woman in front of him and at the fevered nces of the surrounding men, Xu Min could not think of any other woman that the phrase could fit as perfectly as it did on her.

    Her beautiful hand was slim and disyed a bit of her wrist. Her skin was white like jade and her lips were as red as blood. Her eyes were dark and deep like a phoenix. Her hair appeared to be smooth and beautiful in an borate style.

    Even Xu Min, who usually felt nothing about women, could not help but feel his heart skipping a beat. Even Cao Cao, the snake around his neck, was mesmerized by the beauty of the woman on the stage.

    Just as Xu Min was drawn into her beauty, the red lips opened themselves and a greeting sounded out. Her voice was soft as velvet andfortable like a warm bed in the cold dark night.

    ¡°Wee to the Alluring Treasure House,¡± the woman started. ¡°Today, we have three extraordinary items on disy. To ensure that the good gentlemen have enough money for the items all the way to the end, we will start with these treasured items.¡±

    And without further ado, the woman swung her hand and came four cultivators. Each one of them were far higher in rank than Xu Min. This made it impossible for him to determine their strength. Cao Cao whispered, ¡®Four Seven-Star Warriors!¡¯ which took the young man by surprise.

    On the table, there was a scroll in a case. The scroll looked like any other, but the way it was guarded clearly showed something different. Xu Min¡¯s curiosity prompted him to adjust himself slightly in his seat so he could see the scroll better. Yet no matter how hard he looked at it, it was just an ordinary scroll.

    Sighing deeply, Xu Min leaned back against the seat once more as he waited for the exnation from the beautiful woman. He did not have to wait long before a smile broke out on her tempting red lips. A gentle voice rung through the quiet auction house.

    ¡°What we have here, good Sirs, is a martial art skill that has been acquired earlier this season from the Ruins of the Immortals.¡± she said. As the ravishing woman paused slightly, a collective gasp of air could be heard within the room. Xu Min was not as interested in the martial art skill as he was for what this Ruins of Immortals could be. He had only nced once at an Immortals Cave. To see the legendary Ruins of the Immortals would be something he would trade his wealth to see.

 Chapter 25: The Alluring Treasure Pavilion

    Chapter 25: The Alluring Treasure Pavilion

    ¡®I want to go to the ruins.¡¯ Cao Cao¡¯s voice sounded in Xu Min¡¯s mind. The young man could not help but chuckle as he had the exact same thoughts as the small snake around his neck. Petting the snake with adoration, Xu Min could not help but answer, ¡®We¡¯re going to watch the auction for now. Later on, we can use some coins to gather information on these Ruins of the Immortals.¡¯

    Hearing this, the snake nodded in agreement as it closed its eyes from being petted by Xu Min.

    Looking at the auction house, one guest after another lifted their signs. They were bidding for the martial art scroll. The price quickly surpassed the amount of money Xu Min had, even after counting the White Jade Card. Now, the young man understood that he could be considered a rich young master just from selling the Yearning Sunflower. However, he was still far from being able to hold a candle against the rich families and ns within the Ri Chu City.

    Although Xu Min followed, interested in the price of the martial art skill, he still did not have feelings of jealousy towards the ones who could afford it. Instead, he felt excited from thinking about the Ruins of the Immortals. Although he had told Cao Cao they¡¯d find outter, his curiosity was still very strong.

    The martial art skill ended up selling for the astonishing amount of three thousand and four hundred gold coins. It was a tremendous amount of money for such an item.

    ¡°The first of our three special items this evening was just sold for such an amazing price,¡± the woman said as she, once more, stood at the stage. She caused every man within the room to cough, clear their throats, and rub their eyes. Their eyes and throat had suddenly gone dry from staring at the alluring curves and the beautiful figure.

    ¡°I hope you have not spent all your money just yet,¡± the woman continued. Shepletely ignored the numerous gazes that were glued to her body. Instead, she moved around on the stage which allowed her figure to twist and turn. From doing that, she attracted even more gazes her way. A mischievous smile was ying on her blood red lips as she looked at the men within the room.

    ¡°Our next item is incredibly rare,¡± the woman said. She continued as though her movements came from her excitement about the items rather than to draw in more fevered gazes. This convinced the men to try and make her notice them by bidding on the items she was selling.

    Once more, four high ranked Warriors came from through the door. This time, Xu Min waspletely bbergasted as he looked at the item up for sale. On the transparent counter, a flower was standing tall. It was a flower which Xu Min knew all too well. It was the Yearning Sunflower he had sold earlier for a whopping eleven hundred gold coins.

    Patting his bag by his side, Xu Min put a quick nce into it and noticed that he had two more yearning sunflowers. A grin appeared on his face as the young man leaned back into his chair to ready himself to watch the bidding war with interest. He was very curious to see how much the flower would sell for and not to mention how many bidders would be interested in buying this flower.

    ¡°Today we have this astonishingly beautiful Yearning Sunflower,¡± the woman started to describe the flower. ¡°The Yearning Sunflower will turn into a Lustful Sunflower the moment it touches sunshine. This makes it even more rare than its mutated stance. I know that Master Dong Liang is currently searching for a Yearning Sunflower. Anyone who can gift him one of these will be able to invite him over to visit their family or n. Not only master Dong Liang, but Huang Zhen is also looking for one. To be able to pick and choose between the two grandmasters, one can imagine how important this flower may be.¡±

    The woman continued as she walked around the stage. Her eyes nced over the audience but were shortly stopped on a smirking youngster as he pet a snake coiled around his neck. Seeing this, the young woman could not help but frown slightly. However, she quickly regained herposure and a blinding smile showed on her face as she started the bidding war.

    One sign after another was lifted into the air. Voices constantly shouted greater and greater amounts of gold coins. Within a few moments, the price of eleven hundred gold coins Xu Min had sold it for was the calling price for the Yearning Sunflower. It did not stop there, however. Three family leaders were battling it out each other. One after another, each family yelled a higher price than the previous family. It quickly reached three thousand gold coins where it slowed down slightly. The bids now only raised fifty gold coins at a time.

    Eventually, one of the families had to opt out and were no longer capable of bidding. Two families stayedpeting until eventually one of the men shook his head. He stopped the bids which allowed a tall and lean man with a ck beard and long hair to shout out the winning bid of three thousand seven hundred and fifty gold coins.

    Hearing the shocking amount of money, Xu Min could not help but raise an eyebrow in surprise. The price was quite higher than what he had expected it to sell for. Yet, it was still quite a bit less than what the woman who had purchased it had hoped to sell it for.

    After the first two items had been sold, the woman on the stage once more started to pace around the stage. She was using a lot of flowery and grandiose words to describe the winning families. Anyone could see that her words pleased the families they were spoken about.

    ¡°Finally,¡± the woman said with her face growing very mysterious. A smile hung on her face as she was preparing to describe the final item. ¡°This item is the main attraction for tonight. It can clearly rival both the Yearning Sunflower and the Martial Art Skill from the Ruins of the Immortals.¡± The mysterious expression on the woman¡¯s face grew further into amusement as though she was finding this entertaining.

    ¡°The next item up for sale is a suit of armor which has been given further protection by a runic inscription from our very own Ri Chu City¡¯s Lord Zhan Weisheng.¡± As soon as the words had been said, arge tremor ran through the entire room. Everyone seemed to be looking around as though they were searching for someone. Before they had managed to find anyone, the woman on the stage cleared her throat. Instantly calling everyone to order, shemanded the men to once more sit down in the seats. All their eyes were glued onto the woman who nimbly went towards the side where she gestured towards a balcony.

    ¡°It is with my great pleasure to also inform you that Lord Zhan Weisheng is also present at our humble auction house.¡± As she spoke, an elderly man rose to his feet and nodded towards the buyers in the filled room.

    The major families all stood up and bowed towards the man while the other cultivators and travellers did not show the same sign of respect.

    ¡®Do you know who this Lord Zhan Weisheng is?¡¯ Cao Cao¡¯s voice curiously rang within Xu Min¡¯s head. The young man chuckled once more as he petted the curious snake on his neck. ¡®How can I know?¡¯ he asked whileughing. ¡®I haven¡¯t had any time to really learn about this Ri Chu City yet. I¡¯ll make sure to figure out all these thingster.¡¯

    ¡®Hey, are we going to sell some of those flowers that you stole from Mother¡¯s garden?¡¯ Cao Cao asked curiously. The question caused Xu Min to raise an eyebrow. ¡®Mother?¡¯ he asked curiously. Cao Cao instantly quieted down for a bit. ¡®Yeah. Father said I had to call the tree, Mother. I really don¡¯t know whether or not she is my mother.¡¯

    Hearing the voice, it was like a child uncertain about its own heritage. Xu Min could only feel the pain that the snake felt. He too, was alsopletely uncertain about his heritage.

    Xu Min had never before told anything to Cao Cao about his past. However, in the middle of the auction house did the human tell everything to the small snake who listened with wide open eyes.

    At the right times, Cao Cao¡¯s face showed killing intent. At other times, he showed sadness for the young man¡¯s loss. Hearing about the goals which Xu Min had in his life, he did notugh at how far away he was from his goal. Instead, he agreed that the two of them needed to take revenge together.

    ¡®Father decided that you became my boss,¡¯ Cao Cao said with a sigh. ¡®I don¡¯t really know why he chose a weakling like you, but you really aren¡¯t as bad as I thought you were,¡¯ he continued. ¡®We¡¯ll get revenge for your sister and also find out why your parents sent you and your sister away.¡¯

    Hearing these kind words, Xu Min could not help butugh at them. With a gentle hand, he pet the snake once more on the head. He showed his gratitude through actions.

    ¡®Back to your earlier question, I think I¡¯m going to see whether or not I can trade a Yearning Sunflower for a few medicinal pills.¡¯ Xu Min said with a smile. He was sure that if he brought forward his flower, the auction house would treat him as a great customer.

    Having sat still for a couple of hours, nothing worth Xu Min¡¯s attention appeared. Herbs and medicinal nts were sold, but nts were not what Xu Min was after. Armour and weapons appeared, but none of them were of any interest either.

    Eventually, even captured Demon Beasts appeared within cages to be sold off to cultivators or families. They were either going to be tamed or be used to breed demon beasts for the major families.

    Finally, the night drew to a close and the final item had been sold. As soon as the final item had been sold, all the customers who had purchased items went behind the stage into separate rooms. There, they each paid the gold coins they had spent before their items were handed to them.

    Having bought nothing, Xu Min followed the stream of people outside the main building. As soon as he came out, he didn¡¯t stopped even for a moment before going back into the inn where he got ready to spend the night cultivating.

    ¡®I thought we were nning on selling some flowers?¡¯ Cao Cao asked curiously on the way home. Xu Min just smiled as he petted the snake¡¯s head in an indulgent way. ¡®Don¡¯t worry,¡¯ he answered. ¡®We will go there tomorrow. No rush, no rush. Rushing in now will seem weird.¡¯ Xu Min said with a smile. After ordering the usualrge portion of food, he sat on the bed where he calmed himself and started to focus on cultivating.

    Cao Cao spent the better of half an hour eating quite arge portion of the food. It only left some of the food for Xu Min who could be hungryter. After finishing his portion, the snake moved onto the bed. He was next to the young man where he came to a rest. Cao Cao curled up right next to the young man. Happiness could be seen in his green eyes before he closed them.

    Golden specks of light started to shine from both Xu Min and Cao Cao. The specks were both ingested and expelled from the bodies. They soon filled the entire room and both the cultivators were in a deep trance. Neither of them noticed as the hours passed. The moon shone through the clouds while cascading its light down upon the hotel. The rays of moonlight entered the hotel through the windows and illuminated the two friends, man and snake.

 Chapter 26: Pretty Woman

    Chapter 26: Pretty Woman

    ¡®Let us eat breakfast before going,¡¯ Cao Cao said with a smile on his face. The two had just awoken from their trance. Having just opened his eyes, Xu Min was slightly taken aback. He soonughed heartily at the snake in front of him. It clearly thought about nothing else but when his next meal would be served.

    Taking a quick bath and dressing in his best clothes, Xu Min stepped out from the room with a snake coiled around his neck. The two found a table within the restaurant and sat down, waiting for the waitress to notice them.

    It did not take long before he was finally noticed. As soon as the food arrived at the table, the snake uncoiled himself and rushed to eat the dishes one after another. Once again, the young man wondered where all the food disappeared off to, as the snake never seemed to be full.

    Having finished the food, Xu Min quickly rushed out the door and headed towards the Alluring Treasure Pavilion. His hand gently patted his pouch to ensure that the flowers he was going to sell were still there.

    Walking through town, Xu Min saw that shops were slowly opening. Some of the citizens were waking up and bustling about toplete their daily chores. He maneuvered around to escape the traffic of the high volume of the people. His speed swiftly changed as he made his way towards the building he had been at the day before.

    Looking at the building in broad daylight, the young man bent his neck back in astonishment. The sun¡¯s rays were shining upon the beautiful white jade building. Having seen the building at night, it had been beautiful and lit up by fire but it was nowhere near as stunning as it was right now.

    The translucent jade was milky white as the light shone through it. The sunshine reached all the way into the pavilion itself. Rays of light shone onto various tables where, behind each, were workers from the Alluring Treasure Pavilion. They were all looking at various items being put up for sale.

    Seeing this, Xu Min frowned slightly. He had wished to sell the Yearning Sunflower. However, if he picked it up at a location like this, it would instantly transform into a Lustful Sunflower. The herb would no longer be worth even half the price as it was before its transformation.

    When Xu Win looked around, there were less people crowding at the tables further in the room. One could tell that the further one came in, the rarer the items became. Eventually, no one was present at the tables except for the clerks waiting to appraise the items being brought to them.

    Although Xu Min hade to the end, the sunshine still shone through the translucent jade. A sigh was all the young man could muster. Every step that he took, further into the pavilion, more and more people would start ncing at him. Now that he had reached the end, everyone who nced at him thought that he was either a tourist who knew nothing about their system or some other young master who wished to seem more important than he truly was.

    However, this was not the case. Xu Min could do nothing but sigh deeply once more. Just as he was about to turn towards one of the clerks, a woman came walking into the pavilion from the opposite side.

    This woman was the stunning beauty from the night before. She was the one who had managed to sell the Yearning Sunflower for an astonishing price. Although Xu Min didn¡¯t feel a more deeper attraction to the woman, he still could not help but feel that she might be able to assist him.

    It was not only he who recognized her. She too recognized the calm youngster from the previous night. He was the one who had been smirking without being too attracted to her to join the bidding frenzy. Seeing a young man who was capable of not being mesmerized by her was news. Which was why she was feeling slightly indignant and curious at the same time. She instantly started swaggering towards him. She allowed for her alluring hips to move mesmerizingly from side to side. Her luscious lips caused all the clerks around to stare at her, mesmerized. However, Xu Min was still unfazed by the waltzing hips and the beautiful, deep eyes.

    Seeing this, the woman did not give up right away. Her confidence was starting to slightly falter as she was not capable of figuring out how to seduce a young man alone.

    ¡°Hello there, young friend,¡± she said with her most alluring and melodious voice. The hint of a gentle smile was evident on her face. At the same time, she winked cheekily at the young man and asked, ¡°What brings you here?¡±

    ¡°I have some items I want you to appraise,¡± Xu Min said directly. His voice never shook and his eyes looked straight at the woman¡¯s eyes without blinking. He did not show any signs of blushing either. There were no signs of difort or reactions to her actions. This was something which caused the woman to almost explode with anger. Meeting a guy who was capable ofpletely ignoring her benefits was simply too frustrating.

    ¡°If you have items to appraise, I am sure these people are capable of helping you,¡± she said. The gentle smile still remained on her lips as she refused to admit defeat.

    ¡°I know,¡± Xu Min responded as he looked at the desks. His eyes scanned the surroundings and noticed that many of the clerks were ring at him. They were clearly dissatisfied with the attention that Xu Min was getting from their local beauty.

    ¡°I need somewhere I can disy my item. Somewhere with no sunshine,¡± Xu Min said straightforwardly. His words caused the woman to raise an eyebrow in surprise.

    ¡°Somewhere with no sunshine you said?¡± the woman continued and Xu Min nodded his head. The beauty asked slowly while her hand slowly tapped her chin. After a few moments, her beautiful face turned into a big smile which beamed towards Xu Min. Any human would feel their hearts beating slightly faster from such a smile.

    ¡°Something that cannot take sunshine surely has made me curious,¡± the woman continued. ¡°Please follow me. I have a wonderful room where I can personally make sure to appraise your item for the right price.¡±

    ¡°Then I will take you up on the offer,¡± Xu Min said with a gentle smile on his face as he had managed to calm his beating heart. Without further ado, he followed the beautiful woman in front of him. She turned around and walked back the way she hade from.

    Following behind the beauty, they left the pavilion and behind it was arge building. It was a the center of the management of the Alluring Treasure Pavilion.

    Following the beauty, Xu Min noticed that this building was not created by translucent white jade much like the pavilion itself. Instead, it was build from red stones. Within the many rooms in the hub, the beauty went for a specific one in particr.

    ¡°Please enter,¡± she said with an alluring voice. She dly held the door for the young customer. Her eyes batted at him which caused the young man to sigh deep within.

    It was neither that Xu Min did not appreciate the beauty in front of him nor was he unfazed by her behaviour. The reason for his actions was that the young man had often seen that the people around him had be his enemies. His old teacher that he looked up to for years on ends was a prime example. Xu Min simply had no room for other people within his heart. It did not matter how beautiful they were.

    Strutting past Xu Min, the woman walked towards a desk where she sat down and gestured for Xu Min to sit across from her. The young man quickly followed her gesture and sat down.

    With a gesture of her hand, the windows suddenly were blocked from all light. The room emanated a light glow as only a few candlelights were keeping it lit. This was something which seemed natural because many sellers wished to stay anonymous.

    Looking at the woman who was curiously observing him, and with a sigh, the young man opened his bag and with a stealthy move, withdrew one Yearning Sunflower while skillfully hiding the rest of the contents within his bag. He had long since learnt that showing off his wealth was not rmended.

    The eyes of the woman instantly widened as she saw the Yearning Sunflower. She was incredibly familiar with the flower as she had sold one just the night before, and knowing the sunflower, she also knew how much it was worth. It was definitely not what she had expected to see the young man withdraw.

    Clearing her throat, the young woman sneaked a nce at the young man who had leaned back against the chair. His eyes were calm and a smirk was on his face. Xu Min felt a weird satisfaction for stunning the woman who had done everything in her power to entrance him.

    ¡°This is... a Yearning Sunflower?¡± She said it as a question. But without giving him the time to respond, she picked up the flower in her hands. She looked at it from every angle and in every nook and cranny while her face grew more and more astonished.

    ¡°This is indeed a Yearning Sunflower,¡± she said with an amazed sigh. Only after a moment did she finally manage to pick herself back up. Her gaze was shifted back to the young man in front of her and her eyes narrowed slightly.

    ¡°I assume the Yearning Sunflower from yesterday also appeared from that bag of yours,¡± she said with a gentle and thoughtful voice. ¡°I have a fairly good guess that you have more than this one sunflower, is that correct?¡±

    Without answering, all Xu Min did was shrug. He had no interest in telling this vixen exactly how much wealth and how many sunflowers he had.

    ¡°This Yearning Sunflower is all that I have for sale right now,¡± he said. He neither confirmed nor denied her im. The woman could do nothing but sigh.

    ¡°What do you want for this flower? I assume you are not just interested in selling it for some petty coin,¡± she continued. She had seen the entertained look on the youngster¡¯s face the night before. It was clear that he was not moved by money so the vixen had no other ideas as to what could move this cold young man in front of her. She had no other option than to ask him directly.

    ¡°I am willing to trade it,¡± Xu Min started. He spoke slowly and each word was clearly heard within the dark room. The woman leaned forward in the chair. For some reason, she held her breath while her eyes were glued to the young man in front of her.

    ¡°What I need is not beautiful flowers such as this one,¡± Xu Min continued. ¡°What I want is quite simple. I want medicinal pills which are created for the Early Stage Warriors.¡±

    Hearing this the woman could not help but frown. ¡°This is it?¡± She asked feeling anticlimactic. ¡°You are willing to trade a Yearning Sunflower for something as useless as medicinal pills for Early Stage Warriors? You¡¯re not even going to ask for some for the Advanced Stage? You should be able to trade the sunflower for one of such pills.¡±

    Before she was capable of stopping herself, the words had alreadye out of her mouth. She realized it was already toote to take back her words. Cursing at herself, the woman swore that she needed to be more on guard when speaking with such a level headed young man.

    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in Advanced Stage Warrior pills,¡± he said calmly. His words caused the woman to once more feel relieved. Getting the Yearning Sunflower for cheap pills would be a great aplishment.

    Usually, she managed to get her items cheaper than other appraisals within the store as she was capable of ying on her beauty. In this current transaction, her beauty had no usage whatsoever. She had already epted that the price she had to pay for this Yearning Sunflower would be extremely high. Who would have known that he was willing to sell it for such a cheap price?

    Hearing this, the woman once more became ecstatic. ¡°I¡¯ll sell it to you for a box with a hundred medicinal pills of various sort aimed at the Early Stage Warrior rank.¡±

 Chapter 27: Purchase Complete

    Chapter 27: Purchase Complete

    ¡°A hundred medicinal pills of various sorts? All of them aimed at Early Stage Warriors?¡± Xu Min frowned as he heard the answer. Although the offer seemed incredibly good and he was truly very excited, he was still uncertain about the ¡°various sorts¡± that was mentioned. Although he was looking for medicinal pills, he was not looking for the kind that healed injuries. He was looking for the kind that either replenished his internal energy after it was depleted or the kind that helped increase the amount of energy of the heavens and the earth one could absorb and refine.

    Seeing how he was frowning, the woman in front of him was taken aback. Most people would have instantly epted the offer she had made; however, this strange young man was clearly not pleased with the offer she had given. She could not help but curse at herself for her greed.

    She had indeed intended to give him medicinal pills that were used for healing or for replenishing energy. However, the more expensive ones that were used to improve cultivation bases were medicines that she had no intention of handing over if she had any way of avoiding it.

    The price of the flower was definitely enough to cover a hundred pills of the highest ss. The woman wished to get it for the cheapest price but she now regretted it.

    Unfortunately, it was obvious that this young man had found a w in her offer and the woman was unhappy with herself for having been greedy. Although she was unhappy, the smile on her face had never vanished; her outside appearance never once disyed her true feelings.

    ¡°The medicinal pills will obviously be a mixture that will improve your cultivation base and replenish your energy of the heavens and the earth.¡± she said. Her smile grew as she saw that the frown on the young man¡¯s face was reced by a smile. Although she herself was partly feeling sour, she was also excited.

    If she had been too greedy, she would without a doubt have lost the whole transaction of the Yearning Sunflower. It was a sale she could not afford to mess up. Thus, she quickly sold the more expensive pills to the young man who now looked satisfied.

    ¡°Buying medicinal pills like those would be my greatest pleasure,¡± Xu Min said as his face was filled with a cheeky smile. The woman could not help but feel that although it was a good deal, she had been robbed.

    With her beauty, she was used to the seller epting her bid no matter how bad it was for them. However, this young man had made her question her own beauty; at the same time, pay a fair price for a flower. This was something that she had never experienced before and it made her feel slightly confused as to who this young master could be.

    Looking at his clothes, he was obviously from a family with money. But when thinking about all the different families within Ri Chu City, she came to a conclusion that he did not fit into any of them. Could he perhaps be a traveller? But travellers usually wore worn clothes. They would neither be this young nor would they be interested in medicinal pills. They would be interested in hard, cold cash instead.

    While the woman was quite curious about the young man, she refused to disy any of it on the outside. With a teasing wink, she left the room to pick up the medicinal pills she had agreed to trade for the Yearning Sunflower.

    Waiting patiently in the room, Xu Min was growing increasingly impatient as he wished to rush back home and experience just how efficient these medicinal pills were. He knew that these medications were the reason why the young master was capable of keeping up with his cultivation back in his hometown. He, as a servant boy, had only eaten one medicinal herb once before and that was the one his sister had provided for him.

    Although he had a bag filled with medicinal herbs, he did not know anything about them or about what kind of effect they would have on him. He was aware that some medicinal nts were even poisonous before they were refined. He had no wish to gamble his life. Trading the flowers for the sake of medicinal pills seemed to be the most efficient way for him to increase his cultivation base.

    Having waited for around fifteen minutes, Xu Min looked at the door as the beauty walked through. In her hand was a massive case and within the case were rows of beautiful medicinal of many colours.

    Looking at these pills, a gleam of excitement appeared within Xu Min¡¯s ck eyes that usually never disyed any of his emotions. The young man had long since learnt well how topletely conceal his emotions. What went on within him was one of the reasons for the woman to bepletely incapable of reading him.

    However, the joy he felt when he epted the medicinal pills was astonishing. Even he, who usually concealed everything perfectly, was incapable ofpletely hiding the excitement that was growing within him.

    His excitement did not pass by the beautiful woman. She felt quite disatisfied that the thing that caused him to show interest was not her or her beauty, but medicinal pills. In the end, this told her that this young man lived and breathed for the sake of cultivating.

    The woman once more nced at the young man who had handed her the Yearning Sunflower as he epted the case filled with medicinal pills. As she nced at him, she looked at the bag by his side. She noticed that it seemed to be filled with items.

    She understood that this young man most likely possessed more treasures. So, she came to the conclusion that befriending him was in no way a bad idea even if he was not interested in her beauty. She let go of all her pride and leaned forward while sping her hands to slightly bow to the young man.

    Seeing this, Xu Min was taken aback. He had long since understood that this woman was used to get by on her beauty alone. However, now she had no air of haughtiness or arrogance. Instead, she was incredibly polite.

    ¡°My name is Yong Meilin,¡± the woman said as she had bowed to the man. Her face was gentle and her voice bore no sign of the previous haughtiness. ¡°Should you have any more items you wish to sell, thene and tell them that you need to speak with Yong Meilin. I¡¯ll make sure to give you favourable prices. When you are in a need to buy anything, call for me and I¡¯ll find it for you at the best price.¡±

    Hearing the words, Xu Min was taken aback. Since he was shown with respect and friendliness, he returned the gesture. He sped his hands and bowed slightly. Although he was incapable of trusting humans, he knew how to repay kindness as the woman was being very kind. This rtionship could be of great importance for himter on, should he be in need of help to purchase more pills.

    ¡°My name is Xu Min,¡± the man introduced himself. Usually the seller would never give away their name and would be anonymous while dealing with a sale. However, Xu Min decided to be friendly instead. His name caused the woman to have a ponderous expression on her face. She was no longer hiding anything.

    Her ponderous expression came from the fact that she knew nothing about this young man and that she never heard about a Xu Min before. So the only conclusion that she could draw was that he was indeed a traveller. Either he had travelled to the city recently or he was giving a fake name.

    Having greeted one another, Xu Min once more nodded towards the woman. He proceeded to turn around and leave the room. He exited the building and stepped out onto the street. Now that his bag was filled with the case of pills, he rushed back towards the inn.

    ¡®How did you do it?¡¯ Xu Min asked Cao Cao as they made their way home. The snake was smug as it was coiled around his neck.

    ¡®Do what?¡¯ He asked with a teasing tone as he was clearly eager to hear Xu Min praising him. The young man did just that as he knew that it would make the snake be in a better mood.

    ¡®During this entire time at the Alluring Treasure Pavilion, nobody and not even that woman Meilin noticed that you were coiled around my neck. Are you able to vanish?¡¯

    Smiling happily, the snake shook its head. Suddenly, everyone around Xu Min were definitely able to see the snake that was coiled around his neck. The nces sent his way were not few.

    ¡®It¡¯s Shroud of Shadows,¡¯ the snake said, ¡®I¡¯m a demon beast, and the older I get, the more skills I learn. Demon beasts can¡¯t learn martial art skills; what we learn are inborn abilities that we unlock the older we get.¡¯

    ¡®I am only around fifty years old, so I only have around five different abilities I can use,¡¯ Cao Cao said with a downcast expression. Xu Min was deeply taken aback to know that the childish snake that constantly spoke about food was so much older than he himself.

    ¡®So what is this Shroud of Shadows thing?¡¯ Xu Min asked curiously. He did not know much about the different demon beasts so all the info he could get was something that for which he was very grateful.

    ¡®Shroud of Shadows is more or less a camouge ability,¡¯ Cao Cao said enthusiastically, ¡®I can be one with any shadow and hide myself so that no one can see me. That is, as long as they are not specialised in the same sort of abilities as I am.¡¯

    ¡®So you can hide in any shadow?¡¯ Xu Min asked, astonished. He was greatly amazed by the ability to be nothing. It was also an ability that he was capable of usingter on.

    ¡®Then, can you tell me about your other abilities?¡¯ Xu Min asked curiously. Cao Cao shook his head. ¡®Sorry,¡¯ he said with a smirk on his face. ¡®I might tell you after a scrumptious dinner though!¡¯

    Hearing this, Xu Min could not help butugh at the small snake and nod his head. He had already been given information that he could useter on while encountering demonic beasts in the future.

    Arriving at the inn, Xu Min once more ordered a feast to be sent to his room. Before he went up the stairs and sat down on his bed, he finally picked up the box of medicinal pills.

    Two-thirds of the pills were all red while one-third were silver. The red pills were meant for increasing his cultivation base. The silver ones were for replenishing his energy if it was low after a fight or even mid-battle.

    Xu Min had a pride of his own; however, he was willing to do almost anything as his survival was crucial for him to be capable of taking his revenge. If taking medicinal pills during a battle was needed, then he would definitely be using his pills that way.

    After the food arrived in the room, Cao Cao ate all the food he could while Xu Min ate just a small portion as usual. Having eaten, Xu Min sat down on the bed as his eyes focusedpletely on the box in front of him. An uncontroble smile adorned his face as he picked up one of the red pills from within the box and slowly ced it in his mouth. He felt how it melted on the tongue and pure energy flooded down his throat.

 Chapter 28: Balancing Energies

    Chapter 28: Bncing Energies

    Xu Min looked at the box of medicinal pills in front of him. With a hesitating and slow hand, he picked up one of the red pills and slowly ced one inside his mouth. He felt it as it melted on his tongue. An overwhelming amount of pure energy seemed to fill his mouth and slowly flow down his throat. It continued to flow until it had reached the dantian which was just below his navel.

    The dantian was the ce where one stored the mist-like energy known as Qi. This was the energy that came from refining the essence of the heavens and the earth.

    This energy that had just entered Xu Min¡¯s body was not refined Qi. Instead, it seemed to be something that allowed for all the pores within his body to increase its absorptivity to suck in the energy of the heavens and the earth. This allowed for a flood of essence to enter his body and float throughout the meridians before it finally became fully refined. The Qi would then settle together with the rest of the energy within the dantian cave.

    Xu Min had been an early stage One-Star Warrior by the time he had eaten the first pill. As he ate it, he sat down on the bed, closed his eyes and started to meditate. He wanted to use the effects of the pills to their absolute maximum potential.

    Seated like this, Xu Min was astonished. He was filled with veneration for how strong these medications truly were. One pill alone took around seven hours of nonstop cultivation before the effects were to stop working. Xu Min found himself shocked when he felt that his cultivation base had increased to that of the middle stage One-Star Warrior. As soon as he stood up, Xu Min felt rather queasy. His body was bursting with energy but unfortunately, the energy felt as though it was bursting out from his body. The speed that he had absorbed the energy had left his body feeling slightly ufortable. Had it not been for the fact that he had the physique of a Two-Star Warrior, he would have been feeling much worse by now.

    Pondering about this for a while, Xu Min finally stood up and lifted a hand to the air. His hand expanded and glowed with a pearly white aura. It took up the entire ceiling of the room. By using the energy that was stacking inside of him, it caused the young man to feel much morefortable. It was as though an overfilled balloon finally managed to let go of some air.

    But even though some of the energy had been released, Xu Min still felt ufortable. He needed to bnce his cultivation stance. However, he was uncertain as to where he should be doing this. Standing within the hotel room, it was obvious that training the two stances he knew would end up destroying the room. This would not allow him to continue his training.

    Gritting his teeth, Xu Min made his way down the stairs of the inn. Cao Cao curiously coiled on Xu Min¡¯s throat as he found the entire process interesting. Now that Xu Min felt how more and more energy was shing inside him, his eyes darkened with displeasure.

    Only now did he understand that the young master most likely vented to Xu Min as a reason to let go of the extra energy stored within his body.

    Running through town, Xu Min hoped toe across a brawl somewhere. However, he was unable to find any and eventually found himself in front of the Alluring Treasure Pavilion. Sighing deeply, he looked at the location once more. He wondered whether or not to ask for assistance, but he quickly decided not to. He did not wish to owe that woman anything so he made his way away from the Alluring Treasure Pavilion. As he was about to leave, he noticed that the building next to the pavilion was lit up and people were flooding in through the open gates.

    Looking at the building, Xu Min frowned slightly but he quickly shrugged as he moved towards it. His curiosity piqued as he slipped into the stream of people.

    Once more, an entrance fee was required to be paid. This ce had the same feeling as the Alluring Treasure Pavilion yet did not looked the same.

    This sturdy building was neither as borately adorned nor was it filled with powerful guards. Yet, everyone suddenly decided to enter this building much like they had the previous night when they were trying to enter the Alluring Treasure Pavilion.

    Paying the entrance fee, Xu Min looked around only to see that the entire building was filled with small arenas. Within these arenas, experts were battling each other. Many different martial art skills were visible throughout the entire building and ripples of energy were constantly distorting the air.

    Looking at this ce, Xu Min waspletely bbergasted. He was astonished because what he needed the most had appeared right in front of him. After scanning his surroundings, he quickly found a ce where he could sign up to participate in the fights. There was another ce where he could bet on the ones he thought would win too.

    Walking towards the registration counter, Xu Min could not help but see how a beautiful woman was attracting the attention of many men both young and old alike. Having looked at her, he found out that it was Yong Meilin. With a grimace, he hid behind other cultivators who rustled towards the counter to sign up for the battles.

    As he reached the counter, Xu Min found that one would only fight depending on the rank he was and each win had a cash prize. The more popr a fighter became, the more they would get paid upon winning. One could only participate in five battles a day. When one reached a hundred consecutive wins, the reigning winner would be a champion and receive special benefits alongside arger cash prize.

    Xu Min was not keen on the cash prize, but was interested in the fact that he could absorb medicinal pills. Afterwards, he coulde here and use up the incredible and overwhelming pent-up energy.

    ¡°Hello, I¡¯m a One-Star Warrior,¡¯ the young man said. His words caused many people around him to stare at him with shocked expressions. He was clearly still very young and his face still had a childish look to it. To hear such a young child say that he was a One-Star Warrior caused great shock as the majority would not reach that rank before the age of thirty. Geniuses would reach it by the age of twenty, but only the geniuses had ess to medicinal pills. They were the only ones who had the ability to be Warriors of the First Rank before they turned twenty.

    ¡°You are a One-Star Warrior?¡± the clerk asked doubtfully. But as soon as he saw the young man¡¯s nod, he no longer continued asking. Instead, he provided an iron medallion with the number two hundred and seventy one.

    ¡°You will find the battle schedule over there,¡± the man said. He pointed towards a wall where there was a list of names which were ced against each other and a small mark saying which one of the many arenas the battle would be held on.

    Having epted the mark, Xu Min instantly went towards the wall which was filled with numbers and arenas. Looking at the wall, there were three men constantly recing the old numbers with new numbers and writing the winning side on one of the columns to the sides.

    Making his way over here, the young man did everything he could to avoid Yong Meilin. Although he had endedst night on friendly terms with the woman, he still had no urge to try and proceed to create a better rtionship with her. He was more than satisfied with what he had already seen of the beautiful woman.

    Looking at the wall, Xu Min had to wait for some time before his number finally appeared. As he looked at it, he saw that he was up against abatant who had already won three battles this evening. Seeing this, the young ck-haired man felt a tinge of excitement grow inside of him. This sparked an urge to fight and put his life on the line while improving his cultivation base. Although he felt like putting his life on the line, he knew that he could not jeopardize his life for something as small as an arena match.

    There were two ways to lose within the arena. One was to lose one¡¯s life and die and the other was to forfeit. Should Xu Min be in a situation where he was to die, forfeiting was without a doubt was the dishonorable way he would go. His mindset was much like the majority of the cultivators present.

    Walking towards the arena, it became harder and harder to move behind other people to hide from Yong Meilin. She was fortunately quite busy watching the Fifth and Sixth Ranked Warriors do battle.

    Having finished one game, the beautiful woman went towards the betting area to collect her winnings. She bet on another game when her eyes were caught by the letters spelling out Xu Min¡¯s name. The name rung out through her memory and the figure of a quite young but very mysterious person appeared in her mind. Looking at the arena he was about to fight in, Yong Meilin stared and her eyes narrowed as she instantly recognized the young man d in ck.

    ¡°I wish to bet all of this on Xu Min,¡± she said to the broker and handed over all her winnings from the previous rounds. As to why she was certain of his victory she did not know, but from deep inside, it felt as though she was certain that he would not lose.

    It was still some time before it was Xu Min¡¯s turn to battle. He too narrowed his eyes as he saw how Yong Meilin was on her way towards him. She had ditched her group of men who were all courting her to meet up with the young man. Xu Min could already feel a headacheing his way.

    ¡°Master Xu, I never expected to see you around here,¡± Yong Meilin said with her clear and beautiful voice. She reminded Xu Min of a clear summer sky with no clouds in sight. She was as bright as the sun that shone its light upon the world and enlightened all with its warmth.

    Xu Min was not the only one who heard the alluring voice. Everyone around him heard it too. Any Warrior of Rank Five or above heard it as their senses sharpened through countless battles and years of training.

    Being greeted like this from Yong Meilin caused many of the surrounding men to look at this young Master Xu. They all gave anything but friendly nces towards his way. Even Warriors of the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Rank were ring at him and waited to see how he would respond.

    Looking at all of them, Xu Min could not help but snort in contempt. Although Yong Meilin was incredibly beautiful, her personality was stillcking. Xu Min was in a foul mood for having been noticed by her.

    ¡°Well if it isn¡¯t Lady Yong,¡± he said with a smile stered on his face. ¡°I never thought I would see you here,¡± he continued. His eyes darkened slightly and his smile changed from a gentle smile to a snicker. ¡°I have to thank you forst night. It truly was exquisite. You took so much time out of your busy schedule just to please me. I¡¯ve never been as filled with energy as I am now. I only have you to thank for this miraculous transformation within my body.¡±

    Every word he said was said with a clear voice; however, he never spoke too loudly. He didn¡¯t need to speak loudly as everyone could strain their hearing to hear his words. The words he spoke boomed in the ears of the ultimate experts. Even Yong Meilin was beet red in her face as she heard the words he had spoken. Who would have imagined that he would have said words like these.

 Chapter 29: Punishment

    Chapter 29: Punishment

    Three of the Five-Star Warriors within the hall stood up and started walking towards Xu Min while everyone around him had stepped backwards. All of their faces were filled with admiration, jealousy, andplete shock.

    Yong Meilin was standing there right next to Xu Min. Her intention had just been to tease him, but hearing the words spoken from the young boy, how could she? It would just make what he said even more real. Although he had not lied, he had indeed chosen some wrong words and caused her cheeks to flush even further. Xu Min¡¯s intention was to scare her away and currently he seemed to be sessful in his endeavour.

    It was impossible for her to reject what he had said, so she just stood there next to him with a flushed face and downcast eyes. She dared not to look at anyone around them. Anyone who looked at her would see that she was not rejecting what he said.

    ¡°You!¡± A voice suddenly boomed out from within the hall. Arge man stood up from the seats of the champions. These seats were reserved for those who had managed to consecutively win a hundred times. He tookrge strides towards Xu Min and Yong Meilin. However, just as he was about to touch Xu Min, a green light shed towards the man and then back to Xu Min¡¯s neck.

    Two secondster, a gurgling sound could be heard. Therge man had blood and foam falling from his mouth while his hands clutched his neck. Another two seconds went by and the man copsed on the floor with his eyes open and devoid of all life.

    Seeing this, the entire arena was silent. The man was a Four-Star Warrior and had won his hundred battles in the arena. He was known to be the strongest of all the Four-Star Warriors, but here he was dead on the floor. He was seemingly killed by a One-Star Warrior who didn¡¯t break a sweat.

    ¡®Cheers, Cao Cao,¡¯ Xu Min thought. ¡®I¡¯ll make sure to get you all your favourites tonight,¡¯

    ¡®No worries,¡¯ the snake replied, ¡®I loved what you said to that woman. She deserves it with the way she swaggered around with those hips of hers. Humph humph, you did well. I am proud of you!¡¯

    Hearing this, Xu Min could not help but chuckle. The chuckling seemed a bit odd because he had just killed someone who was far stronger than he himself was.

    ¡°You there!¡± Another yell sounded out; however, this time it was not a Warrior but instead a guard.

    ¡°What do you think you are doing? Killing members of this arena without inside is a penalty. This makes it impossible for you to participate in any arena matches for the next month unless someone challenges you!¡± the man said with a heavy voice. Xu Min rose an eyebrow in surprise. He had expected some kind of punishment; however, he thought that this was too lenient.

    ¡°Well... In that case, I have nothing to do here any longer,¡± he sighed as he turned around to get ready to go back to his inn. As he left Yong Meilin¡¯s side, a group of cultivators surrounded him. All of them stared at him with jealousy and hate in their eyes as they cracked knuckles, and showed no signs of letting him go.

    The experts that had surrounded him were all One-Star and Two-Star Warriors. None of the higher ranked Warriors wished to participate in the battle. The speed of the attack that had killed the Four-Star Warrior had been so swift that they had not even been capable of seeing it. This warned them that they too would die if he could use the same attack once more.

    ¡®You know, it¡¯s striking me how disliked you really are,¡¯ Cao Cao said with a teasing voice. ¡®Your hometown has given a bounty for killing you. The people we met within the forest were quite keen on killing you. Now, all these guys want to kill you too.¡¯

    ¡®Oh f**k it,¡¯ Xu Min said back. ¡®I feed you lots of food so you deal with the highest ranked of them. I¡¯ll deal with the lower ranked ones.¡¯

    As soon as Xu Min had said the final sentence, he stomped the ground hard. By borrowing the force of the impact, he shot towards the first One-Star Warrior. He grabbed him around the cor and he lifted him up only to smash his head down into the floor. A cracking sound could be heard as the skull caved inwards and blood started to stream on the ground.

    As soon as the first person had died, the trance that had been around the remaining cultivators instantly vanished. Soon, they started fighting for their lives.

    Xu Min was feeling terrific. He had been filled with pent-up energy from the medicinal pill; however, he was now capable of finally letting it go and used it to sharpen his senses. He jumped away from them all and entered the Radiant Jade Shower Stance. Suddenly, thousands of jade shards appeared behind him. As his hand stretched out and clenched, the numerous shards shot forward with the speed of light. They buried themselves inside the bodies of his opponents and caused multiple wounds.

    While they were wounded, Xu Min once more stomped on the ground and shot toward two One-Star Warriors. He caught them around the cor and smashed the two against the ground.

    While he was busy dealing with the lower ranked Warriors, a green sh could be seen moving from one of the high ranked expert to the next. Everywhere the green sh went, death would follow. No matter how much the experts of the fifth rank and above tried to catch a glimpse of the green sh, it did not help much.

    Soon, everyone who had been there to hold Xu Min back had now died. Now, he looked towards the guard who had been there before. He sighed, ¡°Is it umtive or can I return within the next month?¡±

    The guard waspletely stunned, but he eventually stuttered that one month was all. He could return after then.

    Hearing this, Xu Min nodded politely towards the man and winked at Yong Meilin who red at him. Even though she was ring, her face had be increasingly hot once more. This made her seem more adorable than ever before.

    Suddenly, the woman came to her senses and instantly rushed after the young man who was about to leave the hall. Her face was still red and her breathing was somewhat ragged, but she was still quick in catching up to the young man. She grabbed his hand and dragged him with her out of the arena hall.

    As soon as they entered the darkness outside, Xu Min had nned on dragging his hand back. However, he suddenly felt an immense sense of danger and instantly dodged an attack. He saw three experts appearing behind him and Yong Meilin.

    ¡®We might be in for some real trouble now,¡¯ Cao Cao said with a quiet voice. His body was once more camouged against Xu Min¡¯s neck. When even the snake said that they were likely to be beaten, it was not a good sign.

    Xu Min¡¯s face turned grim, his eyes turned dark, and his body became alert. His senses were sharpened as he observed the three men in front of him. Just as he was about to estimate their strength, Yong Meilin waved her hand and four experts appeared from around the area. All of them stood in front of the beautiful woman and Xu Min.

    ¡°Oh my, Xiao Lei, Han Shi, and Wu Weisheng, what are the three of you doing here?¡± Yong Meilin asked with her most alluring voice. Her personality turned back to that of a vixen as her act made Xu Min roll his eyes at her. However, he said nothing and just looked at what was happening around him. He stayed vignt albeit feeling that the danger had passed.

    The four experts that had appeared out of nowhere were clearly protecting Yong Meilin. For some reason that Xu Min was incapable of truly understanding, the woman seemed to protect him for some unknown reason.

    Yong Meilin was indeed nning something as her face was adorned by a sly smile. She quickly grabbed Xu Min¡¯s hand and red at the three men in front of her. All three were stunned by this sudden disy of affection, even Xu Min was slightly taken aback.

    ¡°For what reason are you following behind us and even ambushing my good friend? Had he not jumped to the side, he would have died by now!¡± Yong Meilin said with an indignant voice.

    The three men were all stunned from hearing her words. Everything they saw seemed to make the words spoken by Yong Meilin even easier to be misunderstood.

    Many other experts had exited the arena hall and observed what was happening. Xu Min was just following the flow and allowed Yong Meilin to drag him around, hold his hand, and y a worried friend.

    The four experts who were protecting Yong Meilin were all ring at Xu Min. In addition, the entire male body that was standing behind her waited to see what would happen afterwards.

    Sighing deeply, Xu Min was about to drag his hand back and get ready to go back to the inn. However, the woman squeezed his hand and held him back. The whole misunderstanding was started by Xu Min himself. So, he decided to see it through as he appeared to be carelessly observing anything happening around him as though it had nothing to do with him.

    To be honest, he was quite confident in his ability to survive. Even if Cao Cao was incapable of killing these high ranked experts, the two of them together should be able to run away from the danger. It was highly likely than they would all underestimate him. None of them were capable of understanding how a One-Star Warrior could have the physique of a Two-Star Warrior.

    Although he had understood that he could run away, he eventually came to the conclusion that it was not needed. Finally, the crowd vanished and allowed for Xu Min to stand alone with Yong Meilin. The two stared at each other as though they were battling purely on their will alone.

    Both of them did not speak for a long time. They just stood there looking at one another. Finally, after a long time, a sigh broke the silence as Yong Meilin finally looked away.

    ¡°Come with me to the Alluring Treasure Pavilion and stay with us for a short while,¡± she said with a self-mocking smile. ¡°You will be wanted by a lot of jealous men, so let me help you to a safe location.¡±

    Hearing this, Xu Min considered the offer for a moment. He pondered slightly before he nodding his head and epting the offer. Although he could escape, he had no interest in living on the run anymore. So, he smirked as he followed behind the beautiful woman because he felt the multiple gazes hidden in the shadows directed at him but acted as though he felt nothing. Xu Min vanished within the beautiful Alluring Treasure Pavilion. He was enjoying himself as he was once more looking at the very beautiful woman in front of him.

    Staying within this Alluring Treasure Pavilion, Xu Min could only smile. It seemed as though he had found a good location to hide while he increased his cultivation base.

 Chapter 30: The Yong Family

    Chapter 30: The Yong Family

    Following behind Yong Meilin, Xu Min looked around at his surroundings. The beautiful woman had dragged him by the hand through the pavilion. They travelled through the building in the back and finally to an area located behind the building. This was an area where a great deal of small houses were situated. All of them had small courtyards outside and guards were patrolling the area.

    ¡°This is the humble abode of the Yong n,¡± Yong Meilin said as she still held Xu Min by his hand. She led him further into the maze of streets and alleys towards a small one story house where she finally let go of his hand.

    ¡°You can stay here for now,¡± she said with her gentle voice. With a flick of her hand, a set of keys appeared from the pouch which hung around her waist. Seeing the curious look on Xu Min¡¯s face, Yong Meilin could not help but chuckle slightly. She felt very satisfied with herself for having something that caused the young man to be interested.

    Yong Meilin was as old as Xu Min. However, she seemed much more mature as she had grown up within a family of merchants. She had learnt during her childhood that the more mysterious you were, the more attractive you could be and the better you would do. Yet, here was a man who had appeared to be unaffected by her. Somehow, he had triggered an interest from the beautiful woman.

    Seeing that Yong Meiling was deep in thought, Xu Min looked at the keys in his hands. He quickly entered the building and found a ce where he could sit down and meditate. He had to find a way to let go of all the overflowing energy from when he ate a medicinal pill.

    Xu Min was unaware about what determined the capacity of the energy from the medicinal pill he had been absorbed. The energy floated through the meridians and veins within the body. It was the strength of the body that determined how much extra energy it would be able to handle. Someone who had trained his body from the day he was born had a great advantage over the young masters who had never before trained their bodies.

    This was also the reason why the young master of the Zhong family had been capable of keeping up with Xu Min. He had undergone the same physical training as the servants to be strong. His body was well nurtured and looked after by the Zhong family.

    Having such a strong body and eating medicinal herbs allowed for a stronger effect. This was the same feeling that Xu Min was experiencing now.

    Having found the building that was filled with Arenas, Xu Min felt slightly disappointment that he could not go there again for a full month. However, he had already waited this long so enduring for one more month was doable.

    Thinking like this, Xu Min sat down on a bed that was inside the house. He closed his eyes as he started cultivating. The snake around his neck slithered down and ced itself within hisp where it once more coiled into a round circle. Its eyelids closed which allowed for the small snake to fall into a deep sleep.

    ....

    ¡°Little Meilin, I heard some crude gossip about you from the Hall of Champions,¡± an elderly man said as he looked at the beautiful woman who was standing right in front of him.

    ¡°Grandpa, it¡¯s the young man whom I¡¯ve relocated over to our own guest wing.¡± she started. Her voice had none of the usual haughtiness or arrogance. Her entire personality was incredibly respectful towards the elder.

    ¡°He is the one who has provided both of the Yearning Sunflowers and I am of the impression that he possesses even more legendary herbs. Not only that, he managed to kill the first champion of the Four-Star Warriors without moving. Later on, I was sure the attack he used was the legendary Falling Night Sky.¡±

    Hearing these words, the elderly man narrowed his eyes and looked at the girl. He was determining whether or not she was lying. As he saw that she waspletely honest with him, the elderly man could not help but sigh.

    ¡°The medicinal herbs I can understand. He must havee across a patch of good fortune on his way towards this city. As for killing the first of the fourth champions, he must possess some treasure which allows for him to kill opponents that are stronger than him. However, I imagine that it only works once or twice and that he too must pay a great price in order to use it. As for the Falling Night Sky, I refuse to believe it. It must have been a cheap trick. There is only one person who can execute the Fallen Night Sky and he had died millenias ago.¡±

    The man was quiet for some time as he contemted, ¡°We cannot steal from our customers. Our reputation is clean and we wish to keep it this way. If he truly possesses more of these legendary herbs, then it is indeed beneficial for us to befriend him and get him to sell them through us. Also, he must be quite a talented child to be able to withstand your beauty. I will go and visit him tomorrow.¡±

    Having said that, Yong Meilin was very well aware that she was dismissed. With a deep bow, she left the office. Yong Meilin headed towards her own courtyard with mixed feelings swirling around inside of her.

    For one, she wished for the young man to stay. She wished to get to know him a bit better and hear what his story was like. She wanted to hear about how the world was on the outside of the city. But at the same time, her pride told her that she was the one who had men dancing to her song. She did not follow other men like a cheap girl would.

    While Yong Meilin was filled with mixed emotions, Xu Min was feeling great as he was seated within the room. His eyes closed and golden specks of light surrounded him. They enveloped him in a golden gleam, almost like a nket.

    The young boy was fully absorbed in refining the essence of the heavens and the earth. He was invested in her cultivation so much that he did not show any signs of noticing that the door to the small building had opened. A person stepped inside the room.

    Looking around, the elderly man was curious as he sat down on a chair. He quickly noticed that the young man had touched almost nothing within the house. All that he had touched was the bed with which was where he was currently cultivating.

    Upon closer inspection, he also noticed the sleeping snake which was asleep on hisp. The small snake instantly gave the elderly man a chill down his spine. His eyes widened in surprise and he no longer stayed within the room to observe the meditating young man. Instead, he instantly rushed outside.

    As the older man left the house, Xu Min opened one eye narrowly. A smirk appeared on his face as he gently padded the sleeping snake in hisp. How could someone who has been on high alert the majority of his life not notice when someone enters his room? Even if that someone is a higher ranked warrior, Xu Min will always notice it unless he used special items to conceal his aura.

    Ensuring that the old man did not enter once more, Xu Min stayed awake without cultivating for roughly an hour. The only thing he could see was the moonlight cascading down through the window. After the hour had passed, he no longer bothered wasting more time. Once more, he entered the cultivation trance and his body once more becamepletely rxed as golden specks of light appeared around him.

    ....

    ¡°Grandpa? Why did you call for me?¡± Yong Meilin asked confusedly as she was standing in front of her grandfather within the room once more. She had never before been fetched by a guard from her grandfather in the middle of the night. As to why, this was something she could never imagine.

    ¡°This young man is not so ordinary as I thought,¡± the elderly man said with a pondering look upon his face. ¡°He is in possession of a green snake. Green snakes are valuable and all of them are born with the strength of the Third Star. If I am guessing correctly, then this snake is at least a snake of the fourth star. It is obvious that this snake was the cause of the death of the Four-Star Warrior earlier that day.¡±

    ¡°But Grandpa, what does this have to do with me?¡± Yong Meilin asked curiously but the elderly man just shook his head and sighed deeply, ¡°You are the one who has brought him to the Yong family. He is indeed a rare gem. He is already a Warrior of the First Star, but he is not even twenty years of age yet. He even has a green snake with him. Although I am incapable of truly determining what kind of snake he is, it is a great benefit to the young man. He is also likely to have more herbs. Your job is to make him feelfortable. If you manage to make him fall for you then that would be even better. I have no idea where such a talented youth could have appeared from but we can use him.¡±

    Yong Melin was stunned as she heard what her grandfather had said. After a short while, she nodded her head. She was a member of the younger generation of the Yong n. It was her responsibility that the Alluring Treasure Pavilion and the Hall of Champions were flourishing. If that meant that she had to spend a lot of time on this mysterious young man, then so be it.

    ¡°That was it for tonight. Tomorrow, convince the young man to enter the town with you. We cannot allow for him to leave the city just because he cannot join the Hall of Champions for a month. We need to keep him here in Ri Chu City. I am leaving him to you to take care of,¡± the elderly man finished. He stood up and ced a gentle hand on her shoulder. The grandfather gave her a small squeeze as a way of wishing her good luck. Before he left the office, there was a stunned and confused young woman who slowly came to her senses left behind.

    The only reason that she had invited Xu Min inside was because of his potential. She had seen great potential of both business and cultivation wise when it came to this young boy. After hearing her grandfather¡¯s assessment of him, she was still thoroughly shocked.

    Looking at the empty office she was standing in, Yong Meilin left the room dazed. Her brain was working in highest gear as she wondered how to change the first hand impression Xu Min had of her.She was thinking how she could con the young man to stay within the Alluring Treasure Pavilion.

    Gritting her teeth, she felt as though something dangerous was approaching her from the shadows. A shiver ran down her spine and she looked towards the location where she had left Xu Min. A desire to run over and see how he was doing was pulling at her. Eventually, she forced herself back to her own home. Her heart was clearly affected.

    While Yong Meilin was feeling worried, Xu Min was focused fully on cultivation. His eyes closed as he felt the essence of the heavens and the earth enter his body. He waspletely unaware of the conversation which had transpired between Yong Meilin and her grandfather.

    Although he had noticed the elderly man, Xu Min had no way of knowing who he was. Since he did not know the old man¡¯s identity, the young man paid no attention towards him. Moving to the Alluring Treasure Pavilion was definitely done for the sake of protecting him. Xu Min was certain that what truly had made Yong Min assist him was the pouch filled with herbs alongside whatever the ability he had used to kill the Four-Star Warrior.

    Knowing that Yong Meilin intended to use him and his abilities, Xu Min saw no reason as to why he should not use her in return. Being under the protection of the Alluring Treasure Pavilion was something which could help him greatly. No one would dare to touch him when he had such arge faction backing him.

 Chapter 31: Visiting at Home

    Chapter 31: Visiting at Home

    The night was spent peacefully by Xu Min. After the elderly man had snuck into the house, nothing happened to interrupt him. He ended up spending all the night cultivating which was the way he prefered to spend the night.

    Someone who did not have afortable night was Yong Meilin. She had been pacing around within her room and never once sat down to rx. She was feeling both ufortable and excited at the same time. She did not wish to follow the young man and felt even less attractive at the thought of herself being submissive. She behaved like a servant to ensure that he would stay within Ri Chu City.

    Although she disliked the idea her grandfather hade up with,and the order he had given her, she was trembling with excitement when she thought about how amazing it would be. She could finally manage to flirt enough with this young man and make him fall for her. He had made her feel ufortable so many times and caused her face to flush red in public by announcing that she had pleasured him a previous night. To be able to twist him around her little finger was something she dearly wished to experience.

    These two conflicting thoughts of the blow to her dignity and the wish to prevail were constantly at odds with each other. At some point, one of the emotions took over, but was reced moments after. In the end, she knew that no matter how she felt about the job she had been given, it was something she had to do. An order from her grandfather was impossible to go against, especially since she wished to prove her worth. She wished to take over the Alluring Treasure Pavilion when she grew older.

    As Yong Meilin was spending her time constantly uncertain as to what her emotions truly were, her heart kept beating erratically. Eventually, the morning sun shone its rays of sunshine through her window. They called her back from her pondering of the world around her. Back to reality where it didn¡¯t matter how she felt about it, she had to do anything in her ability to entrance the young man.

    Calmed down, Yong Meilin instantly got herself under control. Her acting skills were first rate. As a servant entered through the door, the young woman looked as calm and collected as usual. Her face was adorned with a beautiful smile and she nodded in a friendly way when her breakfast was brought forward.

    Eating the food, every movement was graceful. All servants within the room, even the women, were all mesmerised by her grace and entranced by her beauty. Seeing this, the smile on Yong Mei Lin¡¯s face grew ever so slightly. Suddenly however, the face of Xu Min¡¯s wry smile appeared in her mind and she could not help but feel irritated. If he had behaved like any other person around her, she would like him much more.

    Eating the rest of her food with a somewhat stiff smile on her face, Yong Meilin quickly excused herself as she saw how all the servants left her room. Within her eyes, determination shone as she went towards the cab where her lushest clothes were hanging. She picked up a form fitted red robe with a beautiful golden skirt. There was a golden colored embroidery of a phoenix lined around the entire robe. The golden belt fastened it to her body and showed off her alluring curves as well.

    Looking at herself in a mirror, a content smile was seen on her face before she moved to another ce within her room. With experienced hands, chalk powder was patted all over her face. She applied a red substance on her luscious lips to create a fuller volume. Meilin used a pencil to outline her eyes and entuate her eyshes.

    The woman was now so stunningly beautiful that cities would go to war over her. With a satisfied smile, she did her hair in an intricate design and made it look like a blooming flower adorned with pearls made from gold.

    ncing once more at the mirror, the woman nodded her head in satisfaction as she left her house. Outside, anyone who saw her would bepletely stunned. Every man had feverish eyes when ncing upon her. All the women were filled with jealousy but also an unexinable worship.

    Every nce sent her way boosted her confidence. Soon, the haughty and arrogant air around the beautiful woman returned to how it had been when Xu Min first saw her. As she walked towards the house she had left the young man, every step made her feel better and better. She quickly forgot that the young man had previously managed topletely ignore her charm. She was filled with excitement about how the young man who had caused her such worry would fall for her the moment he saw her.

    The smile on her face kept increasing until she finally stood in front of the house she previously lent to the young man. She paused slightly while making her obvious grin into a mesmerising smile. Her beauty and grace shone from every move she made.

    Knocking at the courtyard gate, Yong Meilin waited patiently for it to be opened for her but nothing happened. No sound could be heard from within the courtyard and no movements can be seen. After having knocked at the gate for quite a few moments, the graceful air around her started to falter. Her smile turned sour and her beautiful eyes turned dark and filled with anger.

    Seeing that there was no response, the woman was both frantic and relieved. She was frantic because her job had been to ensure that the man would stay within Ri Chu City. At the same time, she felt relieved that she would not have to try and attract the young man. She felt as though the task at hand was too difficult. The fact that no one answered her call and the gate didn¡¯t open would most likely mean that there would be no one who would be inside.

    Yong Meilin stood outside and contemted for some time. Eventually, she drew out a bundle of keys and picked out one simr to the one she had given Xu Min the previous evening. With a click of the keyhole, the gate slowly swung open which allowed for the beautiful woman to enter through.

    Slipping into the courtyard, Yong Meilin looked around frantically. She thought of the anger her grandfather would show when he realised that his valued person had left town without as much as a word to anyone and that she had failed her task. Her heart quivered as she feared that this mistake would cost her the seat of the Director for the Alluring Treasure Pavilion.

    The courtyard at first nce lookedpletely empty; however, Yong Meilin¡¯s eyes frantically searched every part of the area. The phoenix-like eyes came to a rest upon a figure in the shadows of arge tree.

    This figure was without a doubt Xu Min. His upper body was bare and it glistened with sweat as it rolled from his body. His entire weight was being held on by one finger as the body moved slowly up and down.

    The air around him was filled with golden specks of light as he had entered a higher stage of cultivation. He was at a stage where his body was naturally sucking in the essence of the heavens and the earth. Without being seated in a cultivating form, he created these specks of light which entered into his body.

    Yong Meilin waspletely taken aback as she saw the young man working hard as his body was glistening in his own sweat. The young woman was incapable of moving away her eyes. They just widened in surprise and she waspletely engrossed in watching the young man.

    As it was early in the morning, the sun was low in the sky as it slowly crept further and further deeper. Yong Meilin only had the energy to move into the shades herself. Her eyes constantly glued to the man in front of her.

    At first, Yong Meilin had expected that the reason he was capable of killing that Four-Star Warrior was due to the snake her grandfather had spoken about. She also thought that this boy somehow had managed to stumble across a fortune which were the snake and the legendary herbs.

    Now that she looked at the young man, she noticed that every part of his body was filled with lean muscle. Although the sweat was almost raining down on his body, he still prevailed in his training. Without a doubt, he was the hardest worker whom Yong Meilin had ever seen.

    Seeing the strength the young man disyed, it was now obvious that he had not used any sort of trick the night before. He had killed multiple cultivators just by grabbing their heads and mming them against the floor.

    As hours went by, the only difference in Xu Min¡¯s training was that he switched from one finger to another. He ensured him to do push-ups on every one of his fingers before he finally jumped into the air where he gracefullynded on his legs. He turned towards Yong Meilin and a dazzling smile appeared on his face. The smile caused all the thoughts within the beautiful woman¡¯s mind to be foggy as her heart started beating rapidly.

    Lifting up his arm, a snake jumped from the tree above which he had been training. The snake climbed from the arm to the neck where it coiled itself around the warm skin. The camouge skill was once more activated and the snake was no longer visible.

    Seeing this, the woman was even more shocked. She finally saw the snake which her grandfather valued highly. In her eyes, the man was far more impressive than the juvenile snake.

    ¡°For what reason am I blessed by your presence?¡± he asked politely as he looked at the beautiful woman in front of her. A cheeky smile was adorning his face as he picked up a washcloth from the ground next to a bowl of water. As though no one was watching, Xu Min started to wash himself and removed the sweat. His actions causing the already stunned Yong Meilin to be even more shocked. Her face became beet red and her eyes were so wide that they almost fell from her skull. Her beautiful mouth constantly opened and closed as she tried to answer the question she had been asked.

    ¡°I.... I came to invite you to eat some lunch with me in the Flower Gardens,¡± she finally stuttered. Her eyes were downcast and her face red. She had long since turned her side to him as she dared not watch. She was frightened that he would drop the rest of his clothes at any moment.

    Seeing the reaction of the haughty beauty, Xu Min could not help butugh loudly. Hisughter caused the already embarrassed woman to be even more embarrassed and slightly indignant. The time it took for the young man to answer was like an eternity for the poor woman. However, Xu Min eventually smiled at her and answered.

    ¡°Sure,¡± he said with a casual voice. ¡°Just give me some time to take a bath and get some clean clothes on.¡±

    Without waiting for a reply, Xu Min turned around and went towards the building he had been given by Yong Meilin. Behind him, the beauty spent the time trying to calm herself down and ensure herself that the lunch would be just fine.

 Chapter 32: Divine Flower Garden

    Chapter 32: Divine Flower Garden

    Standing within the courtyard, Yong Meilin was incapable of determining what to do with her body. At first, she strolled around aimlessly within the courtyard but her impatience got the better of her. Eventually, she stood on the spot and tapped her finger on the robes she were wearing. Her face switched between beet red and deathly pale.

    Waiting for a guy was something she had never experienced before. Every time she thought about the words he had said, she was strangely embarrassed. Although Yong Meilin was known to tease men and flirt shamelessly, she had never experienced any true rtionship with men. Also, she had never met someone who waspletely ignorant such as Xu Min.

    Even today he hadpletely ignored her beauty and instead had been training hard. Hs bodynguage showed no signs of caring about her. He even went as far as to tell her that he was going to take a bath while she was waiting for him! Knowing that he was taking a bath had made her even more restless and incapable of knowing what to do with herself.

    After what seemed like an eternity to Yong Meilin but had been only around fifteen minutes. Xu Min arrived at the front door once more. This time, he dressed in his fine clothes and his hair was still damp from the bath. A breath of fresh flowers wafted out from the house itself and enveloped Yong Meilin. Her senses were assaulted by the scent and her mind was somewhat drawn aside. Shaking her head, she finally returned to her normal personality and within her eyes was a slight anger burning. This anger existed because she could not say no to her grandfather¡¯s order. It was also an anger aimed at herself as she waspletely incapable of staying strong in front of this odd boy. She knew that something about her was excited. She was excited about being together with someone who was different and eager to get to know him even better.

    Xu Min had no idea as to what went on within Yong Meilin¡¯s head. All he could see was her attempt to be friendly and a burning anger within her eyes. This made him to believe that she was doing something she definitely did not wish to do.

    Xu Min personally did not dislike Yong Meilin but he did not like her either. The reason he went along with her request was mainly due to the man who had visited him the night before. He was fairly certain that it was this man who had ordered Yong Meilin to act the way she was doing.

    Another reason to ept Yong Meilin¡¯s offer was for the protection that the Alluring Treasure Pavilion could give him. It could provide protection against the many cultivators who had already be hostile towards him after his disy at the Hall of the Champions.

    When he said the things he said, he had not intended to cause as much of a ruckus as he did. All he wished to do was to cause the smug and self-satisfied face of Yong Meilin to be a little bit forced. He wanted to trouble her just as much as she was troubling him. After all, he had not forgotten how the woman had tried to scam him earlier. Although he ended the trade with respectful greetings, it had only been achieved by not being fooled by her beauty.

    ¡°Took you enough time,¡± Yong Meilin said with an indignant voice. As soon as she saw the young man and just as the words escaped her lips, she lifted her hands to cover her mouth. Her eyes widened in shock as to how she had said her thoughts out loud. She looked tentatively at the young man as she feared his reaction.

    Hearing the words did indeed make Xu Min feel taken aback, but not in a bad way. Laughter rung through the courtyard as the young man smiled a cheekily at the beauty in front of him.

    ¡°Sorry, sorry,¡± heughed. ¡°I was certain you didn¡¯t wish to go with me smelling of sweat.¡±

    Hearing the reply, Yong Meilin let go of an harrumph but her mind was put at ease. She was supposed to be making sure that the young man did not leave; however, if she insulted him right away it was most likely going the wrong way.

    ¡°Well if you know, then let us get moving,¡± she answered. Once again, her haughty personality shone through and she once more felt like kicking herself hard. The young man showed no signs of truly caring about her personality but instead started walking slowly and looking around at the surroundings.

    When he first came to visit the Alluring Treasure Pavilion, it was in the middle of the night when the sun had set behind the city walls. The second time he had arrived when he had entered the Hall of Champions, it was once more during night time. Walking through this part of the city during the day was the first time Xu Min had seen the city in daylight. He was in no rush and the more people who saw him walking with Yong Meilin the better.

    Yong Meilin was a well-known figure throughout the entire Ri Chu City. Today, her beauty was even more stunning than when she was selling items at the auction house. Every man who saw her instantly recognized her. They also saw the young man who was walking with such carefree and happy pace while Yong Meilin was matching him at his side.

    Yong Meilin knew that everyone recognized her and saw how she was walking with a young man, but what could she do? It was an order given to her from her grandfather. There was simply no way she could say no. Instead, she decided to allow everyone to know that this man was protected by the Alluring Treasure Pavilion.

    Deciding upon this, she turned towards herpanion and smiled at him. Her smile made a chill run down Xu Min¡¯s spine. Although he smiled back, he suddenly felt a certain degree of danger.

    ¡°I was nning on bringing you to the Divine Flower Gardens. It is a part of the city where the temples are located and a beautiful flower garden is erected to see the beauty of life. Within this beautiful garden is one restaurant which I wished to bring you to. It is known to produce the most delicious delicacies of our city. I am sure a traveler like you would like to try out these delicacies with me.¡±

    Hearing the words, Xu Min was slightly taken aback as he was uncertain as to why they suddenly wanted to bring him around. He once more thought about how the elderly man¡¯s eyes had widened in surprise. It was obvious that they truly valued him based on his rtionship with the green snake.

    ¡°I would love some delicacies; however, there is a slight problem,¡± Xu Min said with a sigh. Hearing this, Yong Meilin looked confused at the young man and waited for the exnation.

    Xu Min lifted his arm and on his arm a green snake appeared out of nowhere. This green snake looked at Yong Meilin with very curious eyes.

    ¡°This little fe likes to eat a lot,¡± he said, ¡°And I am not sure if beasts are allowed within the restaurant. If they are not then I am afraid I cannot go either. Wherever I go, he goes too.¡±

    Hearing the determination within Xu Min¡¯s voice, Yong Meilin was slightly taken aback but it needed more than that to shock her. She nodded her head, ¡°Depending on who the guests are, beasts are allowed inside. You are allowed to bring the beast inside. I was told about your snake by my grandfather,¡± she exined. Although she had not mentioned to her grandfather before, she had an idea that the two had met. If they had not met, it would make no sense why he would have known about the snake beast.

    Hearing how Yong Meilin honestly answered and that she had thought about Cao Cao, Xu Min felt a slight gratitude towards her. Xu Min had never had anyone whom he could trustpletely. From a very young age, the ones he thought he could trust had turned against him. But Cao Cao was different. Cao Cao was like a small child who hadtched onto him and who was so honest that he would never betray him. Not to mention, they had been linked together by his father. The two of them depended on each other.

    Following the woman, the two of them quickly came to what was the Divine Flower Gardens. It was arge park filled with flowers of various kinds. Some were medicinal herbs while

    others were simple flowers. All of them were beautiful in the sunshine that shone down.

    The garden wasrge and small roads were crisscrossing within going to different locations. Some of them went towards the temples while others went towards gates for the city. Even some went towards the restaurant they were walking towards.

    Everywhere they walked, gossip started to be spread. Both Yong Meilin and Xu Min were smiling and pretended not to notice that they were being gossiped about. Both of them were chatting together with smiles on their faces, their conversation boring about anything from the weather to the flowers they passed on their walk.

    For anyone who was viewing them, they seemed like the perfect couple. They were smiling at each other and both looked stunningly beautiful in the sunshine surrounded by the blooming flowers.

    Soon, they made their way towards the restaurant they saw in the distance. The two of them sat down and ignored the obvious stares. Their chatting was seemingly intimate. At first, Xu Min had just nodded and said yes and no. He was participating in the conversation but paying it no actual heed.

    Having tried various subjects, Yong Meilin finally found one which the young man found interesting. Talking about cultivation sparked a gleam in his eye. With an eager voice, he participated in the conversation.

    ¡°Why would you train your body physically rather than just cultivate your inner energy?¡± Yong Meilin asked curiously as she looked at the young man in front of her. She was remembering the muscr but lean upper body she had seen earlier that day.

    Although she did not see many men half naked, she had seen quite a few. She saw the guards and younger generation of the Yong family trained at the training facilities within the Yong family residence.

    These men trained various martial art stances and how to refine the energy of the heavens and the earth into Qi. However, they were not doing any physical training to temper their body or to make the body capable of withstanding the excessive amounts of energy which had to travel through the body itself.

    ¡°Imagine Qi being this wine,¡± Xu Min said as he raised a cup of wine which he had between his fingers. ¡°The Qi is strong and the amount of Qi is what determines how strong a person is. However, Qi relies on your body just like this wine relies on the ss to contain it. Without the body, the Qi will dissipate and turn into nothing but essence of the heavens and the earth once more.¡±

    Thinking about it that way, Yong Meilin was slightly confused. She understood what Xu min meant, but she did not understand why it was important for him to keep doing physical exercise.

    ¡°The stronger your body is, the more Qi you will be capable of activating,¡± Xu Min continued his exnation. ¡°But strength can also be used without Qi. Every time you reach a higher star, your body will automatically enhance its strength. But if you can raise this strength manually, your body will be much more durable, tougher and stronger. You saw how I was capable of tossing around other humans as though they were nothing at the Hall of Champions,¡± Xu Min continued. ¡°That was because my strength is far superior to that of a One-Star Warrior.¡±

    Hearing this, Yong Meilin somewhat understood what he meant. She could not help but wonder as to why other cultivators did not do the same thing. Knowing what she was thinking about, a wry smile appeared on Xu Min¡¯s lips but he said nothing. He knew that only few cultivators had the patience to train their body physically as it slowed down the speed with which one would refine the inner energies. This was something that not many experts were willing to do.

    Just as Xu Min was about to say something, a waiter arrived with trays filled with food. Suddenly, a green snake appeared coiled up around Xu Min¡¯s neck. He quickly slithered onto the table where he started eating one of the delicacies after another. This caused Xu Min tough at theck of manners and Yong Meilin to be surprised by the carefreeness shown by both man and snake alike.

 Chapter 33: Mutual Benefits

    Chapter 33: Mutual Benefits

    As he watched Cao Cao eat, a happiness spread within Xu Min. Half of this was due to the shared soul with the beast while the other half were his own emotions. Cao Cao had saved his life more than once. He was always willing to help out as long as delicacies were shared with him.

    Yong Meilin was stunned as she saw how the beast and man were reacting. She was relieved that she had ordered a separate booth for themselves so that they could get some privacy.

    Xu Min was leaning against the chair as heughed at the snake that rapidly made its way through all the food. Xu Min said nothing at all to Yong Meilin. It was as though he was deeply engrossed in something else. Looking at the young boy and the frequent nod or shake of the snake¡¯s head, she understood that the two were conversing.

    Conversing with a magical beast required that the two had entered a bond of blood. It was increasingly rare to see this.

    Having sat still for half an hour, Yong Meiling finally cleared her throat as the entire table had been cleared of food. Seeing this, Xu Min raised his arm and called over a servant.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to order another set of these delicacies,¡± he said as though it was normal to order two portions. At first, the waiter was about toment but when he saw that Yong Meiling was in the booth, he said no more. Instead, he nodded his head as he scurried away. He rushed to deliver another set of delicacies to their table. He was wondering which of the two was eating as much as what he had seen.

    As the delicacies had been delivered, Xu Min casually picked up a few samples and tasted them. The smirk constantly yed on his lips as he knew he had the upper hand in his current rtionship with Yong Meilin.

    Sighing deeply, the woman decided that she would gain nothing from trying to seduce the man. The only other option she could think of was the truth and hoped that the Alluring Treasure Pavilion was enough for the young man to wish to stay.

    ¡°My grandfather visited youst night and noticed your snake. He was astonished by your power that was able to defeat a Four-Star Warrior as easily as you did. He told me to ensure that you are to stay within the city for at least a month so that he can see you fight in the Halls of Champions.¡±

    The smirk on Xu Min¡¯s face grew slightly as he heard the words. He needed protection from the Alluring Treasure Pavilion and that was something that Yong Meilin knew. Although she knew this, she did not mention it to threaten him. Instead, she brought in the grandfather who had offered to look after them. Seeing that Xu Min said nothing, Yong Meilin continued. ¡°I am sure that you and I can achieve mutual benefits,¡± she said, her voice slightly hoarse as she worried whether or not he¡¯d decline. Being honest like this was a first for her and her heart was beating rapidly. Her mind cursed at how incredibly calm Xu Min was.

    ¡°You are not in anyck of gold coins and you also managed to get your hands on a high amount of medicinal pills. Currently, youck almost nothing. However, what I will offer you is the right to battle the Yong family guards every day to help digest the medicinal pills. You are not allowed to kill them, but sparring matches should be better than nothing.¡±

    Hearing this, Xu Min raised an eyebrow. Battling against other warriors was definitely something that would be of great interest to him. Even if he had been offered nothing, he would still have stayed by her side. He had no intention of leaving Ri Chu City so soon as he was painfully aware of how weak he was. To stay within this city and to be backed by the Alluring Treasure Pavilion ruled the Yong family was important for him.

    Waiting for a moment and trying to look as though he was contemting, Xu Min looked at Yong Meilin before a wide smile spread on his face. ¡°It seems as though your offer is hard to refuse,¡± he started, his voice slow and every word clear. ¡°I¡¯ll ept your offer as long as the Alluring Treasure Pavilion guarantees my safety. I am, after all, only a One-Star Warrior.¡±

    Hearing him speak like this made Yong Meilin almost snort in contempt. It was obvious that he was capable of dealing with the low ranked experts just fine on his own. However, he would indeed be in trouble if one or two Five-Star Warriors or higher came after him.

    On the outside, the snort was never shown. Yong Meiling sipped her tea while looking at Xu Min. A beautiful smile adorning her face and made her eyes radiate as though they were made from the most beautiful ck gemstones.

    ¡°It will be our honor to take care of your safety,¡± she said with a gentle voice. She herself was not a cultivator and to keep her safe were four Six-Star Warriors who constantly followed her around. They kept her safe and sound from stalkers, very persistent men, random duels, jealous women, or anything else that could cause her to be in danger.

    Now that she was moving around with Xu Min, it was obvious that these four warriors also had to look after him even if they disliked it.

    The two finally finished their meal. Xu Min followed right by Yong Meilin¡¯s side as they made their way back through the Divine Flower Gardens, the upper ss areas of the city, and finally to the Alluring Treasure Pavilion.

    During their walk back, more citizens had taken notice of them. One rumor after another started to flourish. It was anything from Yong Meilin being forcefully married to some young man that had stolen her heart to the gossip that they were likely to elope together. A rumor said that this young boy was her long lost brother. Others said that he was a secret member of the Yong family who finally was getting ready for his debut into the stage of the nobles within Ri Chu City.

    While the gossip was floating within Ri Chu City, neither Yong Meilin nor Xu Min had heard about it as they were busy with other things. Yong Meilin had her entire schedules cleared. The only thing she could do was wait on the young man, stay by his side, and give him what he needed, within boundaries, of course.

    Xu Min, having been told that he could spar against the guards of the Alluring Treasure Pavilion, was ecstatic. As soon as they had returned to the premises of the Yong family residence, Xu Min rushed towards the house given him. He instantly went inside the house where he sat down on the bed and looked at the medicinal pills in front of him.

    At first, he remembered how the energy had entered him the day before when he had first used it. He was slightly apprehensive once more as he knew it would be disastrous if he found no one to spar against afterwards. After recalling Yong Meilin¡¯s words, he calmed down further. He put aside the medicinal pills as he decided to use them in the middle of the night. He aligned the time where he had finished absorbing all the energy with the time the guards started their morning training.

    Coming to this conclusion, Xu Min closed his eyes and started cultivating. He spent all his time on refining the essence of the heavens and the earth into Qi. He did it the same way he had been doing it for multiple years without pills.

    One hour took another and as the night came to its peak, his closed eyes instantly opened. Xu Min picked up a small red pill which he popped inside his mouth.

    The result was the same asst time. Energy flooded through his body and he struggled to keep up refining it all. His body was pushed to its limits and he quickly closed his eyes. He focused on nothing else but refining the energy flooding into his body.

    As the morning broke, Yong Meilin once more stood in front of the small house and knocked on the door. Unlikest time, the door was opened by Xu Min who was smiling at her and jumping on the spot.

    Looking at him, even Yong Meilin could see that he was different from how he had been the previous day. His skin almost glistened with small beads of sweat appearing on his forehead and an excited smile was ying on his lips.

    ¡°Pretty one, take me to those guards you spoke of,¡± he said with a smile on his face. His smile made Yong Meilin¡¯s heart race and her face flushed red from being called pretty one. She mumbled a reply which no one could hear before starting to walk towards the training grounds.

    As they walked around within the family residence side by side, many nces were shot their way. Many had heard about the rumors, but neither Xu Min nor Yong Meilin had paid it any heed. They kept moving together and were chatting with each other in a more friendly manner than before.

    ¡°You are a training maniac, has anyone ever told you this before?¡± she asked curiously while almost running to keep the same pace as him. Her breathing quickly became ragged and eventually her mood was too terrible. As a result, she stopped, came to a halt, and waited for the young man to follow suit.

    Seeing Yong Meilin stop, Xu Min had no other choice but to stop up as well. He had no idea as to where the training grounds were. He slowly understood that he had been moving too fast in his eagerness topete against the guards of the Yong family.

    ¡°Sorry, sorry,¡± he said with a smile on his lips. ¡°But you¡¯re right. I am indeed a training maniac. I need to grow much stronger as soon as possible,¡± he continued, but the yful smile that had adorned his face vanished. A sinister expression appeared in his eyes and a killing intent emanated from the young boy. This killing intent was dense with hate and anger which he had collected over the years against the Zhong family. While thinking about what had happened, his killing intent always snuck out. This time it happened in front of Yong Meiling. The young woman felt frightened by the density of the hatred the previously cheerful young man hid inside.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much,¡± she said in a meek voice as she unconsciously grabbed one of his hands in her own. She looked at him with her deep ck eyes and worry shone out from within, ¡°You are already strong and a hard worker. You¡¯ll keep growing stronger every day.¡±

    Hearing the beautiful woman say such words and showing such care, Xu Min was taken aback. The feeling was not horrible and he ended upughing out loud as he patted her head with his free hand. ¡°You are not as cynical and cold as you seem to be,¡± he said withughter in his voice.

    Without freeing his hand, he turned around to the direction they had been going from the start. With a gentle smile on his face, he looked at Yong Meilin, ¡°I think you should bring me to that training ground soon or I will explode from internal energies rupturing their way through my body.¡±

    Hearing this, Yong Meiling dared not wait any further. While still holding the young man¡¯s hand, she rushed towards the training ground where the guards were going through their morning drills.

 Chapter 34: Training Grounds

    Chapter 34: Training Grounds

    Although Xu Min was over-dramatising it, he was indeed in some pain from the overflowing energy inside of him. He could not wait to let go of it in a sparring lesson.

    Sparring was much better than fighting to the death. It was an exchange of pointers. What Xu Min needed right now was the opportunity to disy his two martial arts and pour the overflowing energy into them. He wanted to let them shine as brilliant as the sun and burn out all the energy so that his body could slowly get used to the high amount of internal energies.

    Yong Meilin grabbed Xu Min¡¯s hand and towed him towards the training ground. Her face showed a slight panic and her speed rapidly increased.

    Seeing this, Xu Min could not help butugh out loud. ¡°Sorry, sorry,¡± he saidughing. ¡°I won¡¯t explode, it is just ufortable.¡± He continued and an indignant expression appeared on Yong Meilin¡¯s face. On the inside, however, she breathed a heavy sigh of relief. She told herself that the reason she cared was because of the order she had been given by her grandfather.

    Although Xu Min hadughed at her and told her that it was not true, the two still held hands together. The both of them felt natural as they moved through the family residence towards the training ground.Their behavior once more sparked life into the rumors about the two of them, but neither truly cared. The day before, they hade to the conclusion of benefiting one another. What others thought was left for them to think about.

    Reaching the training grounds, Xu Min was ecstatic to see multiple sparring rings. All of which were ced on the grass close by each other. Many were already sparring with one another within the ring.

    Every guard on the ground stopped as they saw their most revered Yong Meilin arrive. But, their eyes almost bulged out of their heads as they saw how she was holding the hand of an unknown youngster.

    A hopeless smile appeared on Xu Min¡¯s face as he realised that he had just gained the hate of everyone who was present. Now, his eyes gleamed with excitement. He knew that these men would show him no mercy in their training fights. This was exactly what he wished for.

    A few of the sparring rings were free. Xu Min took off the top of his robe which he handed to Yong Meilin. Now he wore only his pants and an undershirt. Wearing this. he jumped into one of the sparring rings and started stretching. His skin glistened with energy and his lean and strong muscles yed beneath the tanned skin. Even Yong Meilin had her eyes fully glued onto the young man in front of her and she had to gulp slightly to wrest away her eyes.

    As soon as Xu Min had jumped into one of the rings, a long line appeared on the outside of the ring. Everyone wished to challenge him.

    ¡°I¡¯m only a One-Star Warrior,¡± Xu Min said with a loud voice. ¡°I only take on challenges from One or Two-Star Warriors. Early Stage Three-Star Warriors are wee as well.¡±

    Everyone heard a One-Star Warrior was willing to take on not only a Two-Star Warrior but also a Three-Star warrior, albeit an early stage Three-Star Warrior that was still far above his strength. This was something that seemed both cocky and suicidal.

    Hearing this, a majority of the guards left the line as they were too strong. Instead of continuing their training, they all stood around the ring instead, ready to see just how strong this young man was.

    Xu Min relied heavily on his own physical strength in fights like these. Having the physical strength of a Second-Star Warrior meant that he was able to stand against martial art attacks done by a One-Star Warrior. He would also be capable of defeating them without wasting any of his internal energy But right now, his body was bursting with internal energies. Although he could defeat One-Star Warriors with physical attacks, he wished to go against higher ranked warriors as he wished to use the overflowing energy within him.

    ¡°The rest of you return to training,¡± arge muscr man said with a satisfied smile on his face as he stepped into the ring. ¡°I will deal with this pretty-boy and make sure that no woman will ever find him appealing again.¡±

    Hearing this, many of the guards around him startedughing out loud while others curiously watched Yong Meilin¡¯s reaction to the words that were said.

    Looking at Yong Meilin, she showed no signs of fear nor did she show any kind of worry for the young man. If anything, she looked interested at the disy in front of her.

    She had personally seen how this young man had smashed the heads of multiple cultivators using strength alone. She was perfectly well aware that although the snake was not visible, it was most definitely around his throat, ready to attack should Xu Min truly be in danger.

    The man who had stepped into the ring was a Two-Star Warrior. He was a warrior who trained his body well and had more internal energy than Xu Min had. However, Xu Min had never even once rxed. His physical body was definitely as strong as the man in front of him. The only difference was that Xu Min¡¯s body was lean. He had trained every muscle within his body and trained for agile movements alongside strength and speed. The man in front of him had focused on strength alone.

    Looking at this strong man, Xu Min instantly knew that he was being underestimated. A smirk appeared on his face as a satisfied feeling welled up inside him.

    Xu Min closed his eyes and breathed out heavily before he took the stance needed for Shattering Palm. Without giving the other man time to truly prepare, arge and somewhat transparent palm was gliding down from the heavens and struck the muscr man.

    Xu Min waspletely well aware that the attack he had used required internal energy. His was weaker than that of a Two-Star Warrior; however, he did not truly aimto smash him down with the palm. The palm was meant to pressure the guard who had beenpletely taken aback by the sudden attack and while the he was pressuring forward. Xu Min suddenly stomped against the ground and picked up enough energy to shoot towards therger man in front of him.

    Although the guard saw Xu Mining, he could do nothing to stop him as both his hands were tangled up in the Shattering Palm. Releasing his Qi, he created a protective barrier around himself. He only used a minimum amount of Qi as he knew that the young man in front of him was only a One-Star Warrior. The rest of his energy was used to enter his arms and was sted through his palms. He shattered the massive Qi Palm that Xu Min had created earlier. A sly smile appeared on the face of therge man.

    ¡°Eat this,¡± Xu Min said quietly as he gathered all the strength in his body into his right arm and hand. As swift as a tiger, the entire energy exploded as the impact hit the guards aside.

    Being hit by the full force of a Two-Star Warrior was something which no one would do without protection. Even a full force hit of a One-Star Warrior was something which could prove fatal if one not have the right defences. This young guard had only used a very thinyer of Qi around his body. At the moment of impact, the immense amount of energy which Xu Min had collected within his hand erupted forward. It mmed into the higher ranked warrior who instantly was knocked so far that he flew out of the ring.

    These sparring rings were in no wayrge. There were only around ten by ten metersrge. The guard had been standing within the middle of the ring, only five meters from the railing. As soon as Xu Min released his full strength, he tossed arge man five meters as if it was nothing. This was possible especially since he was not prepared for the attack.

    Silence filled the training grounds. The battle had been simple and swift. A martial art skill had been used to keep the guard upied as a physical attack had been used to finish off the Two-Star Warrior. To lose like this to a warrior of a lower rank was embarrassing; however, there was no question as to whom the winner was.

    ¡°He was too focused on the martial art skill,¡± someone mumbled. ¡°He was so focused that he forgot to use a shield to protect him against the physical attack. It had to be like this.¡±

    ¡°I saw him using a defense but it was too weak to block the attack of a One-Star Warrior. He was definitely underestimating the opponent.¡± another low voice sounded out.

    Eventually, everyone came to the conclusion that this warrior had lost because he had underestimated Xu Min.

    The next warrior who stepped up was a One-Star Warrior. Although he was of a One-Star Warrior, he was in thete stage and was about to break into a Two-Star. He had won various battles against other One-Star Warriors and he was certain that he could defeat Xu Min with ease.

    This took even less time than the previous sparring match as Xu Min simply grabbed the guy by the cor and threw him out of the ring. His strength was simply too outstanding.

    Multiple One-Star Warriors showed up, but the results were the same. Every one of them was being tossed outside of the ring and this made them embarrassed. Although he had spoken big, they understood that this young man was truly capable of living up to the words he had spoken.

    While Xu Min was having fun within the sparring rings, Yong Meilin had been standing by the side the entire time. The smile on her face grew slightly every time he had defeated an opponent. She soon saw how the previously glistening skin faded and instead returned to its usual tanned look.

    After having beaten seven One-Star Warriors, no one else of that rank wished to fight him any longer. Instead, the Two-Star Warriors stepped forward. These fights took slightly longer and were more challenging. Xu Min¡¯s strength was something that no one was capable ofpletely understanding. He was indeed a One-Star Warrior but his actual strength was far superior than that. Although he had the strength of a One-Star Warrior, he had far toorge a Qi pool.

    Having beaten nine guards and not including the first one, Xu Min finally felt how his dantian waspletely dried up. He had no more internal energy left. Although he heavily relied on his physical strength, he still needed the inner energies to make joint attacks, feints, and misdirections.

    Standing still after thest person had been defeated, Xu Min had forced his inner reserves out and sweat was running down his upper body. His eyes were gleaming with excitement. Standing straight, he bowed towards the group of defeated warriors. None of them had sustained any serious damage. The Two-Star Warriors were almost untouched, but Xu Min had used his element of surprise to toss them outside the small ring.

    Now that he could no longer could do this, he decided to stop for the day. After having bowed, he turned back towards Yong Meilin where he picked up his clothes before smiling tiredly to the girl. He showed his gratitude with a smile before he made his way back to the courtyard where he was nning on doing the physical training. He had not had the time to do it this morning. Shifting his trainings schedule slightly, Xu Min had nned the entire day as he did not have long to spare anymore. His eyes were only focused on increasing his strength.

 Chapter 35: A Storm is Brewing

    Chapter 35: A Storm is Brewing

    ¡°Well done little Meilin!¡± the old man seated behind a desk said as he saw Yong Meilin entering the room. ¡°I heard that he trained with the young guards this morning. Without any help from the snake, he managed to defeat an overwhelming amount of opponents and even those stronger than him.¡±

    ¡°This young man can be a great catch for our Alluring Treasure Pavilion. I heard that there are quite a few rumors going around about you and this young man. The majority of the rumors say that you and this young man have something together.¡± As the elderly man said this, a smile appeared on his face.

    ¡°I want you to keep him here as long as possible. Make him a part of the Alluring Treasure Pavilion, even if that means that you will have to act ordingly to these rumors.¡± The grandfather continued with a serious expression on his face.

    ¡°I will not force you to marry him, but making him think that you are interested will have no harm done,¡± a grin appeared on the face of the old man. Yong Meilin felt ufortable about this. She already had a lot ofplicated feelings for this young man. He was unlike any other she had seen. She didn¡¯t have a persuasive method of convincing him to stay with them for a longer period of time.

    ¡°Grandfather,¡± she started, getting ready to oppose the order. This was something that she had never done before. Before she had the time to continue, the grandfather lifted his hand. His gesture made her silent and kept the unsaid words inside.

    ¡°Little Meilin,¡± he said with a sigh, ¡°You are a woman. Women are good for two things: enticing men into spending more money and convincing them to invest their time in return for thepany of beautiful women.¡±

    ¡°You are far more beautiful than any other woman within our family and this young man is currently my highest priority to get hold of. Therefore, you will do what you have to do. For the family, you will make this young man fall in love with you. You will make him stay within the Alluring Treasure Pavilion.¡±

    Hearing her grandfather¡¯s words, Yong Meilin felt great pain. She knew that her sess within the family was mainly due to her beauty. She could use it as a way to make the customers pay an extra amount of money just so that she would notice them.

    As she considered her rank within the family, Yong Meilin was astonished to hear what her grandfather had said to her. To him, she was but a beautiful woman while Xu Min was a very important person. The young man was capable of defeating opponents stronger than him and possessed a small snake-like creature as apanion. Everything about him was mysterious, but his strength was true. To think he had reached the rank of a One-Star Warrior already, it was obvious that he had great talent. He had such overwhelming power which already promised a bright future. The Yong family leader did everything in his power to ensure that this young man stayed with their Alluring Treasure Pavilion, even if it meant that he had to sell out his dear grandchild.

    While this conversation was going on, Xu Min had no idea how valued he was by the family leader. However, he was incredibly satisfied with the training he had gone through in the morning. His body and Qi pool had been pushed to their limits. Although he did not have sufficient Qi to take on more opponents, he was already pleased with the amount he took down. Now, it was time to train his physique.

    Starting as usual with his vertical pushups on one finger at a time, he started counting. By the time he reached one thousand, he would switch to another finger. His arm and finger strength was astonishing. Although he was not bulky in any way, the lean and toned muscles beneath the skin were something not to be underestimated.

    After having trained his fingers and arms, he went to strengthen his leg muscles before he continued with the stomach and the back. As the evening air started to be chilled, Xu Min finally finished his physical training. With an exhausted body. He went to the hot bath within the and soothed his tired muscles. With a sigh offort, he managed to stay in the water for an entire hour.

    Having finished his bath, it was now time for a quick meal before Xu Min once more started refining the essence of the heavens and the earth. Looking at the medicine box, Xu Min quickly decided not to use a medicinal pill every single day. Doing so was likely to have the opposite effect. Although pills were beneficial, the body required a bnce of energies.

    Coming to this conclusion, Xu Min sat down on the bed. He closed his eyes as he started to breathe steadily and refined the essence of the heavens and the earth.

    While Xu Min waspletely focused on his training, he was unaware that the entire Ri Chu City had started to be abuzz because of him and Yong Meilin. Yong Meilin was the woman that any young master wished to marry. As they heard that she had already picked a young man whom no one knew anything about, they all felt cheated and wronged.

    The rumors went as far as to say that Yong Meilin had walked hand in hand with the young man to.the Divine Flower Garden and gone to eat at their restaurant in a private booth.

    The more rumors these men heard, the more agitated they became. They all wished to duel this young man and prove that they were far stronger, richer, and more handsome. Unfortunately, no one knew anything about this young man. Those who sent challenges to the Alluring Treasure Pavilion were told that Yong Meilin¡¯s love was something that could not be determined by a duel but her only feelings alone.

    This reply made the young men grow even more desperate as to at least see this young man whom she had thrown her love towards. But, the young man had hidden himself within the Alluring Treasure Pavilion. Even the guards who usually sold information could only tell about the duel he had had against other guards. As the days passed by, no new information surfaced. It was as if the young man hadpletely vanished from the face of the earth.

    Truthfully, Xu Min had not vanished. As a matter of fact, he was unaware of the many challenges which had been sent his way just as he was unaware that he and Yong Meilin had been recognised as a couple.

    During the days, Yong Meilin usually fled to his courtyard where she would sit still and observe him train. Yong Meilin knew that this would increase the rumors, but she did not care. She was hurt that her grandfather only saw her as a woman, only usable to attract other men. She was partly ming Xu Min for being too overwhelmingly strong.

    That was the start; however as she ended up within his courtyard, she soon found that this young man was not just talented. The reason how he had managed to get this far was not due to a talent mixed with medicinal pills such as she had expected. No, this was due to the hard work Xu Min put into every waking moment of the day.

    Seeing how hard he was working, Yong Meilin was thinking for a bit before she left the courtyard. She headed to the Yong family¡¯s library. What she was about to do was something she had never considered before. Seeing Xu Min work this hard and seeing how her grandfather valued an expert such as he, she decided to try out cultivating on her own.

    Borrowing three books on the topic, Yong Meilin felt ecstatic as she rushed back to Xu Min¡¯s courtyard. As she arrived, she noticed that the young man had just finished one set of exercises. He was standing in the shade under a tree and wiped his bare upper body from sweat. At first, the young woman had found it incredibly embarrassing to see so much bare skin. As the days had gone by. it had turned normal. Now she even appreciated the sight.

    Sitting down in the sunshine on a small patch of grass, the young woman looked through the books she had found. All of them exined the very basics of the breathing exercise needed to refine the essence of the heavens and the earth.

    Taking the position the book rmended, Yong Meilin closed her eyes and slowly started breathing in and out. If someone were to refine the essence of the heavens and the earth, one had topletely empty their head and feel the air around them. Within the air, multiple energy ripples were constantly crashing against the skin of the cultivator. The veins, pores and meridians all absorbed the energies brought them into their bodies where they would constantly rotate it throughout. They rotated the energy through the meridians where all impurities would be breathed out until only the purest Qi was left behind inside the body.

    Although she read the text, Yong Meilin was not able to fully understand it. While a few specs of golden light appeared around her, it was nothingpared to those that appeared around Xu Min while he was training.

    The young man was doing some stretching as he had just finished training his legs. He was astonished when he saw Yong Meilin cultivate. She was fairly old to be starting her training, but Xu Min could not help but feel that it was admirable that she even attempted. Stopping his stretches, he moved towards her where he ced his hands on her shoulders.

    At first she tensed up, but as he gently massaged her shoulders, a sense of calmness appeared in her. She soon feltfort and lost herself in this feeling. Without noticing it, the golden specks around her increased in quantity and she managed to cultivate on her own. Seeing this, a gentle smile appeared on Xu Min¡¯s face as he returned to the shade below the tree. He started another set of exercises and trained his stomach and back muscles.

    From time to time, Xu Min would walk over to Yong Meilin. With a tender expression on his face would he teach her how to cultivate.

    At first, Xu Min thought that it was a fleeting idea the young woman had found. However, she appeared within his courtyard cultivating day after day. She appeared at dawn and did not leave before dusk. Every day spent on cultivating, the two youngsters stood together within the courtyard, both practicing hard in their own ways.

    No one apart from Xu Min knew that Yong Meilin had started cultivating. Now, she had already started to feel a difference in her everyday life. Although it was only a little, the energy she absorbed managed to change her perspective on things. She became much calmer than she had been before. She also felt that things were much easier to handle now than ever before. She knew exactly how to deal with people and her entire personality changed from the haughty young woman to an elegant youngdy.

    Sensing the change in the woman, Xu Min could not help but smile as he too remembered how he had started training when he was just a small child. He recalled how the energy had changed his view on the world. He felt mncholic as he remembered how simple his life had been back then, especially when he remembered his cherished memories of him and Xu Wu.

    While Xu Min and Yong Meilin spent their days together within his courtyard, the month quickly passed. The time that Xu Min had been banned from the Halls of Champions came to an end. The young man was ecstatic as he woke up. For once, he was not going to start the morning with physical training. Instead, he was going to eat a medicinal pill and prepare for the fights in the evening.

 Chapter 36: Challenges

    Chapter 36: Challenges

    The night was chilly and there was no moon. Only the light of the stars cascaded down towards the buildings. The majority of these buildings were dark and closed of for the night; however, one of these buildings was different from the others. One of the building was filled with lights and cheerful banter. Getting closer, one could see that it was arge hall-like building. Citizens were constantly moving both in and out. Some were cheerful and delighted while others were discouraged and downcast.

    Making his way to this building, Xu Min and Yong Meilin slowly walked side by side. Their presence caused everyone around them to gossip and get out of their way. Their eyes looked at the two youngsters who were talking together in afortable and intimate way. They had gotten used to each other since they had trained by each other¡¯s side for a full month.

    ¡°Is it him?¡±

    ¡°He isn¡¯t as handsome as the young master from the Wei family,¡±

    ¡°Look at that, they are so intimate,¡±

    ¡°Young Lady Yong Meilin is as beautiful as ever.¡±

    ¡°I heard that they have been spending each and every day together thest month from dawn to dusk.¡±

    Gossip was floating in the air, and for the first time ever were the two youngsters aware of the gossip which had flourished over the past month. While Xu Min found it rather fun, Yong Meilin was fully embarrassed as her face turned red.

    While Xu Min found her reaction quite curious, he could not help butugh gently as he patted her head. It was a habit he had learnt from the time when he had helped her train her inner energies.

    ¡°Ignore them,¡± Xu Min said with a gentle voice as he looked around. He found both admiring gazes and eyes filled with hatred and jealousy. Most men were ring daggers at Xu Min who managed topletely ignore it.

    Yong Meilin slowly nodded her head. With a long sigh, she managed to once more control her emotions. Although she acted fully in control, her cheeks had gotten a red flush which suited her perfectly.

    ¡°So Xu Min, which one are you going to fight? The One-Star Warriors are not challenging enough, are they?¡± Yong Meilin asked curiously. She looked around the multiple arenas within the room and Xu Min shrugged carelessly.

    He was filled with energy once more. The energy came from having eaten and digested a medicinal pill. He could not wait to try and see who he should battle. Thinking about it, he had to agree with Yong Meilin that the One-Star Warriors were not enough of a challenge.

    The young man went to sign up. This time, he signed up for the Two-Star Warriors. As he did, arge group of people stepped up to the sign ups and quickly signed up. The group of Two-Star Warriors had grown to be thergest group in the entire Hall of Champions.

    Many of the viewers went and stared at the rings for the Two-Star Warriors. Many of them were curious as to how dangerous this young man truly was. Many wished to be able to mock him, a One-Star Warrior who wished to fight the Two-Star Warriors.

    ¡°Come on! Let me deal with all those stupid humans who look down on you!¡¯ The snake around his neck suddenly said. Xu Min felt the killing intent rise in the small snake¡¯s mind and Xu Min gently patted the snake¡¯s head.

    ¡®If you can defeat four Two-Star Warriors then I¡¯ll actually approve of you a little more,¡¯ the snake said magnanimously. To be honest, the snake had long since approved of the young man. He was being spoiled even more now than he had ever been with his father. This young man clearly felt some kind of affection. Being petted by the young man, fed all these different foods, and never hearing anyints made Cao Cao absolutely content. He had long since epted the blood bond he had together with Xu Min.

    Xu Min and Yong Meilin went towards therge wall which the matchups were shown. He was excited to see that he was fighting fairly soon. Looking at the surroundings, he could not help butugh.

    Thest time he had been here, multiple warriors had challenged him because of some inappropriate words he had said about Yong Meilin. Yet only a month afterwards, he was at this arena once more, he one who followed behind him was Yong Meilin.

    The young woman herself seemingly found it just asical as a small giggle escaped her lips. She looked at Xu Min with a gentle smile on her face.

    Although she had disliked Xu Min from the start since he was not easy to wrap around her little finger, she had found that this young man was hardworking but also sincere. When she did her best to train, he would gently and naturally assist her in doing it the most optimal way. He showed her a friendliness she had never expected before.

    Thinking like this, she was now grateful to her grandfather for giving her this task. She had learnt a lot about herself and a lot about Xu Min. For the first time in her life, she felt like she had found a friend who purely cared about whom she was. He was not just wishing to be friends with her because of her poprity.

    While Xu Min and Yong Meilin made their way towards the arenas, no one dared to attack him, Much like they had done the month earlier, everyone was tensed up as he walked past.

    Many of the men within the Hall of Champions wished to attack him instantly. They wished to remove all notions of pride and attack in a group of people to ensure that he would not manage to escape once more. If he was gone, Yong Meilin once more belonged to no one. Belonging to no one was far better than belonging to one man.

    Jumping into the arena, no one dared to openly boo at the young man. No one cheered either but when his opponent, a Two-Star Warrior most likely middle stage, stepped onto the stage, the entire hall cheered. This could not help but cause Xu Min to smile wryly.

    He knew that he had caused the majority of the men within the city to dislike him. He somewhat understood why they were so upset. He had taken Yong Meilin to be an annoyance at first, but seeing her work eagerly towards a goal, he had been moved. Although she was beautiful, he soon learned that she was also a hard worker. She was someone who was used to not getting what she wanted easily and she did notin even if it was slow training.

    Seeing Yong Meilin train, Xu Min could not help but wonder what would have happened if his sister trained to be a Student Warrior as well.

    Thinking like this, sadness swept over Xu Min. This sadness soon turned to a boiling hateful anger which fueled the me of revenge inside of him. His eyes were no longer friendly and cheerful. Instead, they were filled with killing intent as he stared at the warrior in front of him. Defeating this guy would make him stronger, so Xu Min took the stance of releasing the Shattering Palm. He used the exact same tactic as he had done against the guards back at the Yong family residence.

    These warriors had not witnessed him fight before and as the palm descended upon the warrior, Xu Min followed suit with a physical attack. He instantly knocked the opposing warrior out of the ring.

    Standing back, Xu Min let go of a deep breath. Together with the air, golden specks of light appeared. These lights showed that this young man was training at the same time as fighting, Only few cultivators dared to do this. If their dantian were damaged during this kind of training, it was highly likely that they would never return to the life of a cultivator.

    Seeing this, the opponents standing in queue to battle Xu Min all had faces filled with delight and excitement. The reason that Yong Meilin was interested in this guy was likely because he was special, either as a talent or because he was special in some way. It was obvious that Yong Meilin would not fall for a normal youngster. Thus, they all expected that once they had crippled the young man, it would be possible for them to make him less attractive and for Yong Meilin to dump him.

    Thinking about killing him or crippling him, the opponent prefered crippling him as this would make him taste despair. Their ns were already spinning and their eyes filling with joy as ultimate ideas on to how to destroy the young man¡¯s pride swirled within their minds.

    Xu Min was not dumb. He knew exactly what their thoughts were, but the only thing he did was snort in contempt. It was true that it was risky, but the riskier it was, the better benefits it gave. Xu Min was not worried. He had already agreed with Cao Cao that if anyone were truly likely to defeat him and if someone were able to kill him, then the snake was allowed to save his life.

    Xu Min was very apprehensive and did not wish for the snake to take action. But he did not wish to die either, so he was just as stubborn as the young men who wished to defeat him.

    Cracking his neck, Xu Min gestured to the opponent to enter the ring. A mocking smile appeared on his face.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think that you are something just because you managed to defeat one puny little expert,¡± a loud voice boomed through the entire hall. Everyone who was still battling stopped for a moment to nce towards Xu Min and the loud speaker. Yong Meiling giggling as she heard the words.

    Although Xu Min was the one who was battling, Yong Meilin felt no worry at all. She had seen how hard the young man trained day out and day in. He never let himself rx and currently he was filled with the extra energy from the medicinal pill. In Yong Meilin¡¯s eyes, there was simply no way for Xu Min to lose. She was also aware of Cao Cao being coiled around his neck as the snake was ready to assist him whenever needed.

    The man who had called out was arge man. He was at least two heads taller than Xu Min who was a good one hundred and seventy centimeters. The man¡¯s body was bulging with muscles. However, these muscles were still only of a Two-Star Warrior. His focus had been solely on strength.

    Xu Min frowned slightly as he knew that this man was going to be much harder to deal with. The muscles were not only good for disying strength, but they also managed perfectly well to protect the man. The tactic he had used so far would definitely not work on this man. Grumbling for a few moments, the young man returned to his mocking smirk as he looked at the super strong man. Strength might be a benefit when it came to defense and hitting the opponent. However, this man who focused solely on strength was not well versed in speed.

    The moment the man appeared, Xu Min stomped the ground hard and sped towards the man who was taken by surprise. His eyes widened, but then he grinned loudly and spread open his arms.

    Just as Xu Min was about to arrive, he stepped on the strong arm and borrowed the force from his strength to nt his knee into the face of the strong man. He broke his nose in a clean hit before he used the recoil to jump far back. He went back out of range of therge man who was shrieking with agony.

 Chapter 37: Silence before the Storm

    Chapter 37: Silence before the Storm

    Landing on the arena ground once more, Xu Min smirked as he saw that therge man who had been so loud previously was now screaming in agony as his nose had been broken. He was not the only one who was shocked. Everyone within the arena was astonished to see how he had moved around with such nimbleness. How he had managed to use the strength of his opponent to put enough force behind his attack to do some real damage was incredulous.

    Unfortunately, this man was far tougher than any other opponent Xu Min had faced before. After having released a few agonizing screams, he red at the young man in front of him. His eyes told that when he got hold of the young man, he would ensure that he did not make it out of the arena alive.

    At the start, thisrge man had wished to show his prowess to Yong Meilin and some sort of real strength to this man who was rumored to be Yong Meilin¡¯s beloved. Now the young woman was nowhere within his mind. The only thing he could think about was to get revenge for the broken nose and redemption from having been wounded by a mere One-Star Warrior.

    Yong Meilin lifted her hands to cover her face as she saw the attack Xu Min had made. Her eyes filled with disbelief. Although she knew that Xu Min¡¯s physique was far above the One-Star Warrior, she was instantly certain that he was at a disadvantage against such a physically strong man. To see how Xu Min managed to be the first to draw blood, she was shocked. Her eyes were now glued to Xu Min, waiting to see other surprises he had in store.

    Xu Min was grateful that this man had appeared as soon as he did. Had he fought two or three more experts before this one appeared, then it was highly likely that he would not have had the stamina to deal with him. But, he was the second opponent and the young man held nothing back as he dashed around on the stage. He was abusing his speed to the limit and managing to dodge every single attack from therge man.

    Although his opponent was far stronger than Xu Min, he had focused all his practice into bing strong. Such strength was useless against a nimble and swift Xu Min. If he could not get his hands on the person, how was he to trash him?

    Xu Min knew that he was only able to keep running so long before his stamina would be used up. By constantly ncing at therge muscr man, he quickly found that his gamble was paying off. The muscr man was getting more and more frustrated. His eyes were turning red and the blood from his nose kept dripping, He soaked both himself and the floor of the arena deep red. He left a metallic scent within the air.

    Waiting for a bit longer, Xu Min nced over the body of his opponent. For once, he swore at the Hall of Champions for not allowing weapons. Had he had his sword, the one he had been gifted by his teacher, he could easily deal with such arge man. He could force enough strength into the de and catch enough momentum to thoroughly defeat this giant. However, it was not allowed and Xu Min had to find another way to deal with him.

    Suddenly. his eyes were caught by the blood pool on the floor. A sinister smile appeared on his face as he once more charged towards the giant man. His focus was fully on the two arms and he expertly dodged the both of them before he twisted his body slightly and ced a foot behind his leg.

    Having done so, Xu Min pushed his two hands forward. He borrowed momentum from his advance and the two palms heavily collided with the bare upper body. He released a pping sound before the bulky man tripped in the blood. Therge man was incapable of regaining his bnce as a foot was ced behind the legs. This caused him to fall and his head banged into the stone flooring.

    Once more, Xu Min retreated as far back as he could. His main goal was to stay alive and ensure that no one was allowed to reach his dantian so that it would be smashed.

    Now lying on the ground, the man once more let go of a scream. Yet this time, it was not an agonizing scream. Instead, it was a roar of rage that he, who was clearly stronger, was incapable of defeating this youngster who was nimbly running all around.

    Had this man used any sort of martial art skills instead of trusting one hundred percent on his physical strength, it was highly likely that Xu Min would have lost. Now the two of them were battlingpletely based on their physical strength. It was a duel where they ranked the same, but their strengths were different, In the end, Xu Min¡¯s speed was what determined the advantage he had gotten.

    Standing tentatively to the side, Xu Min waited to see whether or not the opponent once more stepped up. He waited to see what he was going to do this time.

    Coming to the conclusion that he could not wait without having at least an attack ready, Xu Min took for the Radiant Jade Shower. While his hands were reaching forward, a translucent mist left his body before it crystallized into thousands upon thousands of small jade shards behind him.

    Waiting patiently for therge man to step up once more, Xu Min¡¯s senses were on high alert. He could see how countless men within the arena were staring at him in disbelief and jealousy visible in their eyes. Some of them even showed strong hatred.

    Sensing the hatred which was aimed towards him, Xu Min did not care. He had been hunted before. This was nothingpared to the life he had led when he was on the run. Not to mention how he constantly had feared for someone to recognize him back when he moved to Honghe City.

    Now he was in Ri Chu City and he knew that there was no need for him to fear his past sneaking in on him. Now, he was once more a hunted person because he had be close with the most beautiful woman in town.

    Most men would have epted the fact that Yong Meilin had found herself someone she loved. The cultivators had a hard time epting this since epting that he had been chosen meant that he was better than them in one way or another.

    The man whom Xu Min was battling was in no way different from the others. He too had challenged Xu Min because he thought that he was a far better option for Yong Meilin. He found himself injured time and time again. This time when he had been knocked to the floor, he had heard a terrible cracking sounding from his skull. Blood was flooding the stone floor once more and it did not take long before his entire world turned ck.

    Seeing that he had sumbed, Xu Min could only heave a heavy sigh of relief. Although he had the stamina to continue for a few more minutes, his speed was not unlimited. He could already feel how he was pulling on his reserves. This caused him to leave the arena after only two matches, still two away from the four that Cao Cao had told him to fight.

    ¡®You owe me a great meal,¡¯ Cao Cao said, his usual words as they left the Hall of Champions. Yong Meilin was by their side and many experts slowly making way for them to move through.

    Although the higher ranked experts felt like attacking him, they knew that if they stooped to that level, they would have no face left to live within Ri Chu City.

    Having shown that although he was only a One-Star Warrior, he had managed to defeat Two-Star Warriors and even the ones with physical strength. Everyone had to admit that this man was truly a talent amongst talents. They started to understand why Yong Meilin paid attention to him. However, this did not make them more prone to epting the young man.

    After having battled at the Arena, Xu Min and Yong Meiling went back to the Alluring Treasure Pavilion together holding hands.

    ¡°I never believed that you would be able to defeat thatrge loaf of muscles,¡± Yong Meiling said with a giggling voice. ¡°I actually expected that you would be the one to lose.¡±

    ¡°Harumph,¡± Xu Min pushed out his chest and made a serious expression on his face as he twisted his voice and said, ¡°I am the great Xu Min. How can I lose to a bundle of muscle but no brain?¡±

    Hearing the words, Yong Meilin¡¯s giggles increased and the two of them walked infortable silence.

    ¡°How long do you n on staying within Ri Chu City?¡± Yong Meilin suddenly asked as she rose her head and looked at the sky above. Her brows were furrowed and her heart beating rapidly in fear for the answer.

    Looking at the young woman, Xu Min could not help but sigh. He had be friends with her after all the time they had spent together. But even now, his heart was set on nothing more than getting revenge for his sister. To do that he needed to train, to gather strength. Although he could gain some of this strength within Ri Chu City, he needed to experience true life and death battles. He needed to pave a road for himself in the world, not just within the city¡¯s Hall of Champions.

    The question Yong Meilin had asked required all her courage to ask. Her heart was pounding hard and a sadness welled up within her as she saw theplicated expression within Xu Min¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°I will stay here until I am strong enough,¡± Xu Min finally said with a sad smile on his face. He dared not say how long that would be. He was unaware of how long it would be, but he did know that he was currently weak. The only reason he dared acting as arrogant as he had the previous night was due to Cao Cao. His revenge had to be taken by his own hands, not by Cao Cao stealthily attacking.

    ¡°Strong enough for what?¡± Yong Meilin asked as she furrowed her brows. It was true that everyone trained to be strong, but the young men within Ri Chu City were not training for any specific goal. For them, it was enough to be stronger than their peers; however, hearing him speak sounded as though he had a goal in mind. This caused her curiosity to pique.

    Looking at the sincere and curious eyes in front of him, Xu Min felt a heavy weight on his shoulders. In many ways, Yong Meilin was like his dead sister as he got to know her and a mncholy overtook him. It swept him away in emotional struggles until he finally managed to calm himself. A sad smile was on his lips as he petted Yong Meilin¡¯s head.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry your pretty head with my affairs,¡± he said gently. Moments after he excused himself, he turned down a road heading for the courtyard he had been given.

    Standing back in the dark night was Yong Meilin. Her heart was hurting and her eyes moist. Although Xu Min had smiled at her, that smile had contained a world of pain and sadness. The young woman finally gave up and epted that she would do anything as long as he never showed such a sad face again.

 Chapter 38: Drums of War

    Chapter 38: Drums of War

    That night, Xi Mun spent the entire time cultivating his inner energy. At first, his body had been rigid. He was filled with hate and pain as he once more remembered the scenes from his childhood where he was sitting on the ground and his beloved sister was dead in his arms. As the night progressed, his body got to rx and Xu Min thought about all the warmth he had received.

    First was meeting Cao Cao. Although he had been scared witless by the father, Xu Min was grateful for the snake. It was the only reason that he had managed to survive the ordeal within the forest.

    Having fought together like this, the two of them wererades. Cao Cao had turned out to be very much like a little child and Xu Min enjoyed spoiling him. He fed him all the foods he could dream about and pet his small head whenever he could.

    Cao Cao was not the only one who treated him with friendliness. The Alluring Treasure Pavilion and Yong Meilin had opened their home to him and allowed him to be safe for a while. At the same time, they ensured that he had everything he needed. Yong Meilin alone was spending all her time together with him. She was definitely the closest thing to a friend he ever had.

    Thinking about these things, Xu Min slowly managed to let go of his anger. Once more, he buried himselfpletely in his training as golden specks appeared all over the room.

    ....

    ¡°Father, are you sure we want to do this?¡± Tang Jing asked curiously as he walked to his father¡¯s side in a humid dungeon. No one apart from themselves knew of their location. The dungeons below their Tang Manor was only known to the main branch of the Tang family.

    On a day like today, five men had been led into a room within these dungeons. Tang Ye, the father, and Tang Jing, his young son, were on their way towards this underground room. Their faces were both serious and their steps were hurried.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, son,¡± Tang Ye said with a frown on his face as his legs led him closer and closer to the underground room. ¡°Had this young man not appeared, then we would not act. But now it seems as though we have lost our only way into the Alluring Treasure Pavilion.¡±

    Hearing the words spoken by his father, Tang Jing¡¯s gaze became hard and he nodded his head. At first, when it was only gossip, no one had paid it any mind. Upon seeing Yong Meilin together with the young man entering the Hall of Champions holding hands. It seemed that all the rumors were ground in some sort of reality.

    ¡°We cannot wait any longer; the Alluring Treasure Pavilion have been too full of themselves recently. They have a monopoly on all treasures that appear within our Ri Chu City. They should learn to share some of that glory.¡± Tang Ye said as the two of them entered a round room far underground. Both of their faces were filled with sleek smiles and their arms opened up to wee the five men who were seated within.

    ¡°Wee to our Tang family¡¯s underground chamber,¡± Tang Ye said with a friendly manner. ¡°Today, let us discuss how we should convince the Alluring Treasure Pavilion to share some of the fortune they have taken from all us nobles of Ri Chu City.¡±

    ¡°Neers like them think that they can do whatever they want to within our family,¡± a man said, his voice deep and his bodyrge. His face was hidden behind a mask. Even though it was hidden, everyone within the chamber knew that he was Lord Shiu Kang.

    ¡°This is hypocrisy.¡± one man said. His words caused anger to re amongst everyone present. None of them dared say a word as they waited for him to continue.

    ¡°Because that Yong girl has decided to find a lover, you want to start a war against the Alluring Treasure Pavilion? Everyone in here has been wooing her. What would you have done had my son won her affection? Would you then go against my family as well?¡±

    Hearing the words, the other four men were slightly unsettled. They too had been wooing her, but no one had been sessful. Had they been sessful, would the Tang family then have gone against them? The thought was frightening.

    ¡°Lord Guo, I can assure you that I would not have gone against anyone within this room,¡± Tang Ye said with a smile on his face and a easy voice. He was in no way insulted by the question; however, his eyes were lit with anger as he spoke. It was a detail no one failed to notice.

    ¡°We are all from Ri Chu City. To lose to one of us is eptable, but now this youngster appears from out of nowhere. He is talented, that is certain, but he has no backing, apart from the Alluring Treasure Pavilion. To hand over the prospects of such wealth to an unnamed talent is not eptable! We will share the Pavilion six ways and give an even amount to each who participate.¡±

    Snorting, the masked man who was called Lord Guo stood up. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be part of this, but don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t tell the Alluring Treasure Pavilion about your ns. They are rubbing me the wrong way too. But to directly act, I see nothing that can justify it.¡±

    Looking around, the masked man¡¯s eyesnded upon the young Tang Jing. ¡°You there,¡± he said, while pointing at the young master, ¡°Lead me out of these damned underground tunnels and make sure that I don¡¯t get lost. I¡¯ll leave the scheming to you guys.¡±

    Having said that, the man started walking and didn¡¯t give Tang Jing any time to consider what to do. He rushed out to the masked man and tried to show him respect as he humbly led the lord out.

    Looking at the closing door, Tang Ye sighed deeply. The smile never vanished from his face as he turned around and looked at the four remaining masked men within the room. ¡°Sorry about that, let us start discussing how we will deal with the Alluring Treasure Pavilion.¡±

    ....

    That night as Yong Meilin finally understood her own feelings, she was unable to sleep. Half of the night was spent filled with happiness and eagerness to see the young man the following day. At the same time, she was filled with worry. What if he did not share her feelings? What if she was acting weird? She knew that she was pretty, but was she to his liking? Having spoken with him as often as she had, she knew that Xu Min valued inner values far more than the outer looks. Was she good enough for him?

    The rest of the night was spent pacing her floor as she switched between eagerness and happiness or sadness and nervousness. She could not understand her own emotions because she had never felt this way before. Should she tell her grandfather about this? Should she keep it a secret? Should she tell Xu Min or perhaps sneak it in the conversation somehow? Maybe asking him quietly about what he thought about her, but did she have the courage to do so? Thinking about all these things, her cheeks flushed red. She felt as though she was too hot within the room. As she opened the windows and looked out at the beautiful and starry sky, her mood was the best it had ever been. She knew that, under these stars, Xu Min was sitting still and cultivating. Although he was not thinking about her, she knew he was close by. It was a closeness that finally helped her calm down.

    ....

    Xu Min was standing in his courtyard. Within his hand was his sword given by Wang Li. He had brought it with him for a long time, but he had never actually used it. Although he knew that this weapon was a fierce weapon because it was arge and could be used both defensively and offensively, he was unskilled with swords. Even holding it in his hand felt foreign. But after standing still for some time, his muscles tensed. One sword stroke was drawn through the air.

    *Zhing*

    As the sword swung through the air, a sound could be heard. The heavy sword required Xu Min to use his full strength to carry it, let alone swing it. On his face, a brilliant smile was visible. Not only would training with the sword familiarize himself with it, but also it would also help him with his physical training. He swung the sword again and again. The sounds resounded within the courtyard as sweat started to appear on his body. Wielding a sword this big was hard work, but it was also a rewarding experience for Xu Min. He was filled with excitement as he stood still and made the same swing again and again. He slowly opened the world of a swordsman.

    Xu Min was so focused on training that he did not hear the knocking on his courtyard. Yong Meiling was not one who enjoyed waiting, so she entered through the gate even though no one gave her permission to go in. Her heart was beating rapidly and as she entered the room, red spots appeared on her pale cheeks. Her throat turned dry and she was incapable of saying anything. Her entire body was controlled by her emotions.

    While Xu Min was training, Cao Cao was usually sleeping. However, the snake had noticed the strange behavior of Yong Meilin and slithered down to the ground. He drew close to Yong Meilin and slithered onto her arm where it observed her curiously.

    Although Cao Cao could converse with Xu Min, the two of them conversed spiritually. For him to talk out loud was still impossible; thus, it was not possible for him to speak with Yong Meiling. However, the young woman had guessed as to why the snake had appeared, and with a trembling finger did she shush the small snake.

    ¡°Don¡¯t say anything,¡± she whispered to the snake as she petted its head. ¡°I¡¯ll give you the most delicious food as long as you promise me not to tell Xu Min anything.¡±

    Hearing the words ¡°delicious food¡±, Cao Cao was instantly sold as his eyes glistened. Drool could be seen on his small mouth as he snuck closer to Yong Meilin. Although Cao Cao was against most humans, he had gotten some kind of trust when it came to Yong Meilin. He was further tempted by the prospect of delicious food, so it was an impossible task to not ept the offer to him.

    Looking with one long nce towards Xu Min, Yong Meiling quickly understood that the young man was simply too deeply immersed within his training to notice anything at all. A wry smile appeared on her face. She alone had gotten all worked up about visiting him today; however, he did not even notice her.

    With mixed emotions and a final nce towards Xu Min, Yong Meilin stood up. With Cao Cao on her arm, she left the courtyard and moved towards the main mansion of the Yong family.

    ¡°I know someone who would be very honored to meet you,¡± Yong Meiling said to the snake on her arm. Together, the two of them entered the main mansion and headed towards the office where Yong Meilin¡¯s grandfather worked on the matters that concerned the Alluring Treasure Pavilion.

 Chapter 39: Younger Generation Geniuses

    Chapter 39: Younger Generation Geniuses

    ¡°Grandfather,¡± Yong Meilin said respectfully as she entered the door into the office where the elderly man was seated. She was currently looking at a scroll within his hand that made him frown slightly. The news he had received was anything but jubilous.

    ¡°Grandfather,¡± Yong Meilin repeated, to ensure that he had heard her. It seemed as though the second call had managed to return the grandfather to the room. His mind no longer circted about whatever information it was that he had read within the scroll between his hands.

    ¡°Little Meilin,¡± he said with a gentle smile on his face. Looking at the young girl in front of him, the smile froze as his eyes widened in disbelief when he saw what was curled around the woman¡¯s arm lookingpletelyfortable and smug.

    Seeing the snake, the elderly man stood up and slowly approached Cao Cao, who did not mind it at all as he adored getting a lot of attention. Instead, he slithered around and made himself look very big and important. Seeing this, Yong Meilin could not help but giggle at the young snake, but she still petted it gently on its head. Her beautiful face shook slightly with a gentle smile on her face.

    ¡°Grandfather. This is Cao Cao, Xu Min¡¯spanion.¡± Yong Meilin said respectfully and the snake understood the cue and moved towards the elderly man. It slithered up his arm and resting gently on the shoulder.

    ¡°Grandfather, I promised to give Cao Cao a good meal. He adores the delicacies from Ri Chu City and I would have invited you toe with us,¡± she said smiling, but the elderly man showed a depressed smile as he shook his head.

    ¡°We have received an invitation to a tournament held by the Tang family,¡± he said. His voice was devoid of all emotions, making it impossible for Yong Meilin to determine whether or not this was a good thing.

    ¡°This is a tournament held by the young generation of Ri Chu City and we have also gotten an invitation.¡±

    ¡°But Grandfather, we do not have any young cultivators who are suitable for such apetition,¡± Yong Meilinined and her grandfather nodded gently.

    ¡°Usually, we would have had no one in our family participating and we would not have been given an invitation. But it is obvious that they expect Xu Min to make an appearance on behalf of us.¡± Contemting for some time, the elderly man finally smiled.

    ¡°After you have given the snake some food, go to Xu Min¡¯s courtyard. Get him toe visit me, I need to talk with him about this offer.¡±

    Hearing this, Yong Meilin nodded and epted the order given by her grandfather. Small butterflies started to appear in her stomach as she thought about going to visit Xu Min once more. Her entire mind was about the young man as she had changed severely over the past day after she had epted her emotions. Without showing even the smallest change to her personality, Yong Meiling went towards the kitchens to get some food for the hungry snake.

    While Yong Meilin and Cao Cao were enjoying food, Xu Min finally felt like he was getting the hang of his heavy sword. The sword kept creating energy ripples in the air every time it was swung. The ripples changed drastically from earlier when they were first impossible to control and followed the sword. However now, after having trained the exact same sword stroke all day, his control had increased tremendously. By turning the sword slightly, he could control the energy ripples, and even use them to attack the enemies in front of him.

    Controlling the energy ripples was as hard as controlling the sword itself, but as the day was passing by, Xu Min kept training the same sword strike as before. He would continue to train until the day he had perfected it. Only then would he switch to another strike, another strike that he would then train until perfection.

    As the sun was starting to descent in the sky, the gates to the courtyard opened and Yong Meiling stepped inside, bringing Cao Cao with her. The two looked at Xu Min who was still training and had sweat running down his entire body. He knew that using such a heavy sword as the one he used now was currently a disadvantage as it required too much strength. Instead, it would assist him when he grew stronger.

    Although Xu Min knew this, he still kept training with the sword. Transcending his limits was what had allowed for him to be stronger physically than the average One-Star Warrior and this was the training he kept improving on. But it has to be said that although Xu Min was transcending his limits, he knew when to stop and rx. As the sun hadpletely gone down behind the city wall, Xu Min finally came to a stop. Looking around, a smile adorned his face as he saw both Yong Meilin and Cao Cao waiting for him at a grassy patch in the courtyard.

    ¡°Xu Min, my grandfather requested to talk with you,¡± Yong Meilin said instantly, her voice serious. Although she wished to spend time with him, she wanted to ensure that her grandfather¡¯s task was handled first. Seeing her serious face, Xu Min lifted his arm and the snake slithered up his arm to coil around his neck. He camouged himself once more as Xu Min wiped his sweaty body and found a clean set of clothes.

    Changing in front of Yong Meilin was no problem for Xu Min; however, the poor girl waspletely astonished and embarrassed by it. Her hands covered her eyes as her face grew red, something that caused Xu Min tough out loud.

    ¡°Show me the way,¡± he said after having finished dressing. A sly smile was sent towards the girl who still had red cheeks. She could not help but pout, making her seem absolutely adorable. Even Xu Min who for the most part was capable of ignoring her beauty had to admit that her pouting was incredibly attractive.

    Clearing his throat and looking away, Xu Min started to walk in the direction he thought the office was. Not given any more time to pout, Yong Meilin quickly followed suit. She gathered her courage to pick up Xu Min¡¯s hand and lead him by hand towards the office in which her grandfather was awaiting them.

    Knocking on the door, Xu Min stepped through the the opening. His bearings were not like a young man, but instead he managed to seem far taller than he was. His personal calmness was something which easily smote those around him. An aura of strength was what the grandfather felt when he looked at the young man.

    ¡°Young man, I hope you stay here at the Alluring Treasure Pavilion. We are very grateful to be looking after you, and it seems as though my dear grandchild has taken a fancy to you,¡± the man chuckled. His words were a way to tell him that he too approved of their connection, but he had never expected that Yong Meilin would turn beet red and her fingers fidgeting.

    The smile on his face grewrger as he observed the two youngsters. He had expected that Xu Min would have turned embarrassed in some way, and at the same time happy. But the only reaction he got was Xu Min smiling slightly and his grandchild beet red and flustered.

    ¡°As you might have noticed, the Yong family does not have any young men who are strong enough to be considered a part of the geniuses of the younger generation within Ri Chu City. It turns out that the Tang family is holding a celebration tournament to celebrate the twenty-fifth birthday of their young master and they have invited us. We are not capable of producing such a genius to the tournament so I wondered if you were interested on joining? You will be heavily rewarded depending on how well you do.¡±

    Xu Min was contemting for some time, his face not disying any of his thoughts. He kept both the elder and the young girl holding their breaths as they were waiting for the answer.

    ¡°How strong are the opponents?¡± Xu Min suddenly asked, his question bringing some joy to the elder as he now knew the young man was seriously contemting it.

    ¡°The strongest opponents will be Three-Star Warriors,¡± the elder said, ¡°But you only do one battle a day and the contest runs for a whole week. At the same time. There will be a festival within Ri Chu City, a festival to celebrate the birth of the city.¡±

    ¡°Three-Stars, huh,¡± Xu Min said to himself, his eyes were shining with excitement. ¡°Are weapons approved of?¡± He suddenly asked. Defeating Three-Star Warriors without a weapon was an impossible task, unless he relied on Cao Cao. However, he saw no reason to do so for a simple tournament held within the city.

    ¡°Weapons are approved of, but killing is frowned upon. If you cannot control your strength then be aware that you are likely to be disqualified.¡± The elder said with a neutral voice. He had not heard about the fights Xu Min had participated in so far. He had also not heard about him using a weapon making him slightly sceptical about the abilities belonging to this young man. He was already spectacr but if he could wield a weapon, it would be even more astonishing.

    ¡°When is this tournament?¡± Xu Min continued to ask questions until he felt like he had gotten all the answers he needed.

    It turned out that the tournament would be held two months from now and that every major family within Ri Chu City would be participating within the tournament. The Alluring Treasure Pavilion had never participated within a tournament before. Although they knew about the rules and such from watching the tournaments, this was the first time they dared step into the ranks of the big cities within Ri Chu City.

    Xu Min finally understood that the Alluring Treasure Pavilion was new to Ri Chu City. This was but a small branch of one of thergest merchantpanies within the continent. In Ri Chu City, they had only just entered ten years ago.

    Although they had arrived ten years ago, they had managed to pave out a road for themselves and they had be the richest of all the families within Ri Chu City, something which every other family hungered to be a part of.

    Even though The Alluring Treasure Pavilion had managed to make arge amount of money and found a niche for themselves within the city, they were still looked upon as neers. The Yong family was not particrly sessful when it came to cultivation. However, they were great at making a profit, something which caused many to envy them.

    Everyone knew that the next in line to the position as a branch leader was Yong Meilin, which was another reason as to why the families had allowed their sons to woo her. Unfortunately, she had been known as an ice-queen who enjoyed to mingle within the younger generation. But as soon as it came to rtionships, she would back away like a cat hit by lightning and never let herself be bound by one person.

    The elder was aware that inviting Xu Min to this tournament was done for the sake of killing him and making it out as an ident. However, the elder felt that Xu Min would not die from such a simple tournament. The elder was aware that somewhere on Xu Min¡¯s neck was the snake Cao Cao, a beast who would keep him safe. Lost in his thoughts, a smile appeared on his face, ¡°Join for us and we will reward you heavily. We can even find some medicinal pills for you, should you wish for stronger pills than those you gotst time.¡±

    Contemting the many different reasons for why he should join and not join, Xu Min came to the conclusion that a Three-Star Warrior was incapable of endangering him. He smiled towards the elderly man, ¡°Of course I¡¯ll attend the tournament as your representative, but I will need to focus on my training in the time I have before the tournament starts. I am afraid that the way I am right now is not good enough.¡±

    Hearing the words, the elder¡¯s eyes were gleaming with excitement. He stood up and shook the hand of the young man, sealing their agreement.

    ¡°Well in that case, please excuse me,¡± Xu Min said as he bowed towards the elder and then left the room. He headed back to the courtyard where he was going to train harder than he had ever trained before.

    Staying back within the room, the elder looked at Yong Meilin. Arge smile was his face, ¡°Good job little Meilin, keep up the hard work!¡±

 Chapter 40: Mastering the Sword

    Chapter 40: Mastering the Sword

    Standing back in the courtyard, Xu Min thrust the sword forward. He maneuvered it in an elegant, but strong manner as he sliced through the air. One minute passed after another as Xu Min was fully focused on mastering the sword in front of him. His hands were slowly getting used to the feeling of the heavy sword within his hands.

    Getting used to using a sword was not as simple as Xu Min had expected. The sword had to be an extension of the arm. He felt as though they connected together and every movement had to be fluent and graceful. Yet, the movements made by Xu Min were hard and jagged. There was neither grace nor any sign of Xu Min and the sword being connected in any specific way. Anyone who looked at the two would instantly be able to tell that this man was a new to the sword.

    Using weapons was different from using martial art techniques. When using a technique one needed to take a specific stance and allow for the Qi to flow through the meridians at specific patterns. This activated specific points within the body and the Qi would slowly leave through the veins to form an attack made outside the body.

    When one were to use weapons, one could either imbue the weapons with the Qi or use physical attacks. These physical attacks mainly relied on the physical strength mixed with the Qi one forced out and merged together. It did not require any specific stance as it just followed and increased the damage done by the body itself.

    It was quite rare for people to focus on physical strength, but Xu Min had always focused on his body. Being gifted a weapon by Overseer Wang, Xu Min felt that the way for him to go was the way of an external energy expert, someone who focused more on his physical strength and his weaponry than the stances and techniques.

    Many of the experts who focused solely on the internal energies were considered the most dangerous experts around. They were capable of using attacks at a range, killing the opponent before they even were to close in enough to wound them.

    Xu Min was perfectly well aware of this, but at the same time he also knew that physical warriors had some strength which internal warriors did not have. Their speed was far superior to that of an internal warrior, alongside their defense. Although they were not masters of rangedbat, every warrior knew a few stances. While an internal expert had to stand still while making a stance for the technique, the external warriors were capable of constantly moving around and merged their Qi with their physical strength.

    Saying that external experts did not use techniques was somewhat an error. What they did was be capable of merging the Qi with their physical attacks, allowing for them to create attacks on their own. But techniques such as the ones internal experts used were not something which an external expert excelled at.

    Knowing all of this, Xu Min still decided to stay focused on his external strength. He was already far stronger than other warriors at his rank, and he had an astonishing weapon from Overseer Wang upon his leave. It was only now that he truly appreciated the weapon he had gotten, and truly understood how hard it was to fully master and excel at using a weapon.

    Day out and day in, Xu Min made the same sword strokes. The first day, he spent every waking hour on making the exact same thrust over and over again. The following day, he focused on a specific sh, which he repeated from sunrise to sunset.

    The days went by and each day was a new attack. Ever so slightly, the attacks became more and more graceful and the sword seemed to be a naturalpanion for Xu Min. The young man¡¯s face soon sprouted a smile as he was training in the art of the sword.

    Every day while Xu Min had trained, Yong Meilin had stayed within his courtyard, looking at the sword strokes. She was surprised and amazed that this young man was capable of continuing the same stroke as many times as he did. Her eyes followed every single one of his sword strokes.

    The first day, she had tried to convince him to take a break and eat some food as they reached the middle of the day. However, Xu Min hadpletely ignored her and paid no heed to the food in her hands and the pleading expression on her face. Cao Cao was the only one who paid attention to her. Although Yong Meilin was hurt, she quickly recovered as the young snake followed her to eat the food.

    Cao Cao was bored when it came to Xu Min¡¯s training. The snake wished for Xu Min to be stronger so that he could approve of him as his boss much like his father had wanted. However, every time the young man was fully focused on training, Cao Cao would be bored and have nothing to do. Fortunately, Yong Meilin was the same and the both of them spent a lot of time together. Neither spoke as they just both observed Xu Min while Yong Meiling gently patted the snake¡¯s head.

    When Xu Min first started training his sword skills, it had been two months until the start of the tournament. By the time he had fully familiarized himself with the sword in his hand, a month and a half had already passed.

    Every hour during the day had been spent on practicing his swordy. During the nights when he was incapable of training with his sword, he instead increased his cultivation level. He knew that if he asked for stronger medicinal pills, he would have been granted them without any questions. Instead, he had chosen to stick with the ones he had purchased from the trade with Yong Meilin back when he met her the first time. Xu Min did not wish to owe the Alluring Treasure Pavilion more than absolutely necessary. Right now, he already felt like he owed them a great deal for looking after him and protecting him. He understood that the foolish actions he had done to embarrass Yong Meilin had caused his reputation to plummet and made quite a few people wishing to kill him if they had the chance. Being disliked did not matter to him, but having a great ce to train like this was something he truly valued.

    Xu Min was not dumb as he was perfectly well aware that the majority of the city wished him dead. Some of these would have gone further than just wishing for his dead, yet he had never been told about how someone was trying to kill him. The Alluring Treasure Pavilion had just looked after him without asking for anything in return except to participate in thispetition.

    Knowing that thepetition was made from geniuses of the younger generation of Ri Chu City, Xu Min was aware that his chances of winning were definitely not high. However, his mind was determined and his soul unwavering. He had no intention of passing up first ce to anyone.

    This had resulted in Xu Min using medicinal pills once a week and refining the energy which he then bnced while training with his sword. As only half a month was left until thepetition, Xu Min suddenly stood in front of Yong Meilin, a genuine smile on his face as he patted her head gently.

    ¡°Wake up, sleepyhead,¡± he said with a gentle voice as he roused the woman from her sleep. The young woman was instantly embarrassed, her face filled with a red flush because she did not know what to say. Fortunately, Xu Min knew what he wanted to say, not leaving her in the awkward silence for long.

    ¡°I need to spar against some of your guards,¡± Xu Min said with a serious expression on his face. ¡°Please bring me to the same ce asst time, I really need to try this sword in actualbat before the tournament starts.¡±

    Hearing this, Yong Meilin was taken aback but she quickly forgot her embarrassment. Instead, she nodded her head seriously. ¡°If that¡¯s what you want, then please follow me,¡± she said with her melodious voice. As she stood up, she gently removed the grass and soil from her beautiful red robes and with a hand from Xu Min did she stand up.

    The two left the courtyard side by side, walking towards the training grounds. ¡°Do you think that you are ready to battle those of a higher rank than you?¡± Yong Meilin asked worried, her voice was slightly trembling. A shudder ran through her body as she thought about the young master Tang versing Xu Min.

    A wry smile appeared on Xu Min¡¯s face. Even after having relied on medicinal pills, he had still not broken into the ranks of the Two-Star Warriors. Instead, he was now a Late Stage One-Star Warrior, something which did not amount to much in the eyes of a Three-Star Warrior. An Early Stage Three-Star Warrior should have an easy time disposing a One-Star Warrior.

    Fortunately, Xu Min had some benefits on his side which gave him certain advances. First off, it was obviously Cao Cao; however, Xu Min had told the snake not to participate in the battle unless they were trying to kill him. He wished to depend on himself and win on his own. He wished to prove to Cao Cao and himself that he was worth following. He also wanted to discover if he actually had a chance for revenge.

    Cao Cao was not the only advantage as the second was Xu Min¡¯s physical strength. Having worked at the docks of the harbor for as many years as he did and doing exercises every single day, his strength was equal to that of a Late Stage Two-Star Warrior. This was something that increased his chances of winning greatly.

    Lastly was the sword which Xu Min had been gifted by Overseer Wang. This sword was not an ordinary sword, but instead was a broadsword. Its length was a meter and a half, only thirty centimeters shorter than Xu Min himself. It was not only the length but also the thickness and width of the de. The de was five centimeters thick and forty centimeters wide. It was so wide that Xu Min could use it to protect his entire body.

    Looking at the sword, Xu Min had been incapable ofpletely understanding what kind of materials this sword was created from. The sword seemed to have been created from a ck type of metal. Its weight was incredible and at the same time, the metal shone with a blue-ckish light as the sunlight shone upon it.

    The sword had a sharp edge, an edge that would cut through everything as though it was made of butter. This was the sword Xu Min had been given, and it was a sword which the young man had finally managed to master. Although he had not managed to create any physical attacks so far, he was capable of using the sword skillfully and each of his strikes could be imbued with Qi, making them stronger by tenfold. His speed was already incredibly fast and his reflexes were swift.

    Adding all these benefits together, Xu Min would be stronger than the One-Star Warriors, slightly stronger than the average Two-Star Warriors, and only slightly weaker than a Three-Star Warrior when it came to physical strength.

    When it came to Qi, the story waspletely different. He was superior to a One-Star Warrior, but he was far inferior whenpared to Two-Star and Three-Star Warriors. He had to rely solely on his increased strength and the energy to fortify it while learning how to use the sword to block techniques from other experts.

    Following Yong Meilin, all these thoughts were swirling within Xu Min¡¯s mind but as they came closer and closer to the training grounds. The smile on his face grewrger and he held some promise and determination within his eyes. He was going to prove that he was capable of defeating Three-Star Warriors. If he could not do it now, then he would not be capable of defeating the ones at the tournament.

 Chapter 41: Physical and Internal Strength

    Chapter 41: Physical and Internal Strength

    It did not take long for Xu Min and Yong Meilin to once more reach the training grounds, the ce where Xu Min previously had battled against the guards.

    These guards, the ones who were currently fighting and training, were a mixture of Young family members and hired guards. This Young family was a side branch to the main Yong family. Although they were fairly new within the Ri Chu City, they had existed for a long time in the capital of the Hekou Province.

    Now that they had brought the entire side branch of the sect with them to Ri Chu City and had set up an auction house of their own, the family had flourished and soon became one of the top factions within the city. One of the reasons that this was possible was due to wealth. The family had been given a handsome amount of money to set up the Alluring Treasure Pavilion. This had made it easy to be one of the leading factions.

    The Alluring Treasure Pavilion was different from the other families and ns within Ri Chu City. They did not gain their fame through high ranked experts, tournaments, or talented individuals from within their families. For them, talent depended on how much money one managed to earn for the family. What they spent their time on was promoting the children that could take over and manage their auctionhouses. Those who were not talented on this behalf were the children who started focusing on cultivation. They would cultivate to as far as their talent allowed them to, and work their lives as guards for the Yong family and the Alluring Treasure Pavilion.

    Family members were not enough to keep the blooming business safe and all the branch families had to spend coin to ensure that they managed to have enough safety for their auctions. With enough gold, experts could be bought to protect their business. For the Yong family, this was far more beneficial than risking cultivation materials and time to promote youngsters who were not certain to provide the safety needed for their auction house.

    Making his way to the training grounds, Xu Min developed a smile on his face as he saw warriors of almost any rank and strength in front of him. The majority of the guards were ranked from One-Stars to Three-Stars. These were the cheapest experts to hire and also the rank most warriors managed to reach. It was the limit of their talent.

    Some Four-Star Warriors and Five-Star Warriors were conversing at the back of the training grounds. Some Six-Star Warriors were shouting at a group of young men who were clearly Student Warriors currently undergoing training to be experts much like Xu Min did back at the Zhong family mansion.

    ¡°So, how is training going?¡± Xu Min asked casually as the two of them stood in the training area. His eyes swept across the many experts who were training and a whistle of respect was heard from his lips. These experts were indeed serious about their training.

    Some were standing still, practicing specific stances while others were moving swiftly, practicing physical training. There were those who ran and others who were doing push ups. Some had Qi leaving their bodies in specific shapes above their head or behind their backs. They were preparing to strike. Some were attacking dummies, raining down kicks and fists against the straw-dolls. The heavy sound of the fighting resounded through the massive training grounds.

    What caught Xu Min¡¯s eyes were not the ones training in various ways, but instead the arena that was located at the very back of the training grounds. On this arena, two warriors battled each other. One was a Two-Star Warrior while the other was a Three-Star Warrior. Looking at the two, one could truly see just how much difference there was between a Two-Star Warrior and a Three-Star Warrior. It was as though a cat was toying with a mouse.

    The battle quickly ended. Soon after, another hopeful expert stepped onto the tform where yet another battlemenced. This time, there were two Three-Star Warriors who battled one another.

    This arena was very simple. The winner was to stay until he no longer could fight. The longer one stayed in the arena, the bigger one¡¯s bonus would be that month. Staying in the arena meant that one was strong enough to be considered the elites of the guardsmen.

    This was only for the Three-Star Warriors and below. Everyone above already got such a high sum of money protecting the Alluring Treasure Pavilion that even if the other families of Ri Chu knew about it, they would almost be choked in their tea by shock.

    Xu Min made his way to the arena. Without much ado did he stand in the queue, waiting for it to be his turn. By his side, Yong Meilin was standing.

    ¡°You can battle the guards anywhere you wish,¡± sheined as she saw how the man who never seemed to spare one moment of the day was suddenly just standing there, waiting for it to be his turn to battle.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Xu Min assured her. He knew how she wished to give him anything he wanted, not just because they were friends, but also because that her grandfather had ordered her to do so.

    ¡°I wish to battle these experts,¡± Xu Min stated with a serious expression in his eyes. ¡°These experts need to have won a battle to be able to stand up there on the arena and ept challenges from others,¡± he started exining as he saw how Yong Meilin looked confused. ¡°These men are all higher ranked than I am. I might have an advantage against the Two-Star Warriors when ites to my physical strength. But when ites to Three-Star Warriors, I am in in aplete disadvantage. I do not have the same physical strength as them, and I definitely do not have even half of their Qi. So when ites to battling them, I need them to have some kind of disadvantage. For instance, they had already battled in one or two fights and he been forced to use their inner energies beforehand. This makes it slightly more equal.¡± Xu Min finished. A gentle smile was on his face as he patted Yong Meilin on her head as she was listening to him withplete attention. Her focus was solely on him, not paying any attention to the many guards around them.

    While Yong Meilin paid no attention to anyone else, the guards paid quite a lot of attention to her and the young man by her side. They had long since heard rumors about how their family¡¯s ice-queen had taken a liking to a stranger who had appeared from out of nowhere. These guards had even been given information from the maids that the mysterious stranger had visited the family leader together with Yong Meilin. Could it mean that he had given them his blessing to have a rtionship? They hoped not.

    No one dared saying anything when they saw Yong Meilingughing and smiling to the young man in front of her. Also, they didn¡¯t dare to say anything to the man who was smiling carelessly back at the woman. While a few felt content to see Yong Meilin this happy, others were anything but on her behalf. Instead, they were ring at Xu Min.

    These people, looking at the young man by her side, were grimacing as they noticed that the aura of this young man was only a One-Star Warrior. Although it was astonishing that he had reached this rank before the age of twenty, it was not all that unusual if he was a young master from arge family and had ess to medicinal nts and pills.

    While looking at this One-Star Warrior who was standing in the queue, many of the guards felt likeughing out loud. The queue consisted mainly of Three-Star Warriors and a few Late Stage Two-Star Warriors. None of them were One-Star Warriors, and yet here he was, a young man who was smiling leisurely as he chatted with the woman that all guards considered the goddess of the Yong family.

    If this young man was that disillusioned that he thought he could battle these veteran guards of the Yong family, they would dly wee him. While they would not seriously wound him out of fear for their own lives, they would still give him a thrashing, one so painful that his ego would be mmed straight down into the ground.

    None of the guards spoke a word, but as their eyesnded on one another it was easy to see that they all felt the same way. While these guards were busy nning. Xu Min was standing with Yong Meilin. The sword was hanging over his shoulders and his face was filled with a smile.

    Standing on the arena was still a Three-Star Warrior. His breathing had started to be shallow after battling multiple opponents. His eyes stood unyielding but his power would soon to bepletely deted.

    Seven people stood in the queue in front of Xu Min and the next man who went to the stage was ate stage Two-Star Warrior.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand why he looks this happy,¡± Yong Meilin said with a frown on her face as she saw how the Two-Star Warrior was grinning from ear to ear as he made his way to the stage. ¡°He is only a Two-Star Warrior, yet he looks as though he is going to be the winner of this match.¡±

    Hearing the words Yong Meilin said, Xu Min could not help but tough out loud. After having met Yong Meilin, the once somber and serious Xu Min had learned how tough and feel happy. Yong Meilin was his very first friend, and somehow Xu Min hade to truly value her. Having her around made his life far more interesting than what it had been before.

    ¡°Look at me,¡± Xu Minughed at Yong Meilin, ¡°If I, a One-Star Warrior, dare to go against a Three-Star Warrior, then why would a Two-Star Warrior not give it a try?¡± He asked gently as he once more patted the woman¡¯s head. Somehow, this action had be a habit for him and he greatly enjoyed it.

    Hearing Xu Min¡¯s words, Yong Meilin pouted slightly as she said with a whispering voice, ¡°You are different from the rest of them. It doesn¡¯t count.¡±

    Although she had whispered it, how could the rest of the queue not hear what she said? All of them were Two-Star or Three-Star Warriors. Their bodies were enhanced by constantly refining by the essence of the heavens and the earth. Their senses were improved by the constant influx of energy flooding their bodies. How could they not hear the whisper of Yong Meilin?

    The guards were taken aback by the partiality which Yong Meilin was clearly showing the young man in front of her. Some started to take him serious and others still looking down on him. The only two who could not afford to listen in on the conversation was the two guards currently at the arena.

    Although the Three-Star Warrior was exhausted, he was still a Three-Star Warrior. Even with almost no energy left, the Three-Star Warrior seemed to have the upper hand. His Qi was equal to that of the Two-Star Warrior; however, his physical strength was far superior to the lower ranked expert.

    Having patted Yong Meilin¡¯s hair, Xu Min¡¯s eyes once more focused on the battle in front of him. He did not notice how everyone else in the queue was looking at him. They were determining whether or not he was worth putting in their eyes, or if they should keep on ignoring him. The majority of these guards ended uping to the conclusion that this young man was not as simple as he seemed. Seeing how he was focused fully on the battle in front of him, his eyebrows frowned from time to time. His lips moved as he could not help but whisper a few remarks about the battle he was watching.

 Chapter 42: My Turn

    Chapter 42: My Turn

    As Xu Min was fully focused on the battle in front of him, Yong Meilin understood that now was not the time for her to speak. Instead, she sped her hands on her back as she shifted her eyes between Xu Min and the battle in the arena. It was not that Yong Meilin did not enjoy watching battles, but the young woman was proud as she stood next to Xu Min. Her face could not help but smile and a warm smile was on her face as the butterflies in her stomach increased the closer they got to Xu Min¡¯s battle.

    Yong Meilin did not like Xu Min because he was a talented cultivator unlike any she had seen before. No. Yong Meilin liked him because he was different from anyone else she had ever met before. He cared about her as a person, not as a trophy to show off. He was always there to answer her questions when she asked. This also meant that although she saw Xu Min train daily, Yong Meilin was truly worried as to whether or not he was capable of defeating experts stronger than him. She waspletely aware that a One-Star Warrior should not be capable of defeating Three-Star Warriors or even Two-Star Warriors.

    Yet Xu Min paid no attention to the worried Yong Meilin, but instead his eyes constantly roamed across the arena. He was picking up every single movement and every attack used. His eyes soon noticing how each of the experts attacked.

    The Three-Star Expert was an internal expert. One stance after another was taken and Qi swirled around him. It took one shape after another, each internal attack hitting the opponent. As time went on, the Qi turned transparent and the attacks weakened in strength. Although the Three-Star Warrior was higher ranked than the challenger, the challenger had an advantage as the other was exhausted. As an internal expert, he relied solely on his inner energies to make him win battles. Having used it all, he had no ability to protect himself from the energies raining down upon him from the opponent.

    ¡°Look at this,¡± Xu Min said with a smile to Yong Meilin who instantly looked at what was happening in front of them. ¡°Both of these two experts are internal experts,¡± Xu Min started exining what was going on around them. ¡°Although both are internal experts, the higher ranked warrior has already used the majority of his energy and he is unable to gather enough Qi to deal any serious wound on the challenger.¡±

    ¡°The challenger, on the other hand, has more Qi than the higher ranked expert. But he will need to use a high amount of his internal energies to muster an attack that might cause the opponent to feel danger. If he does not, it will be a battle of attrition. In the end, neither will be able to defeat the other and the battle will drag out forever. If I were him, I would use the Qi to win. In the long run, that is the most beneficial as he will just burn it up the other way.¡±

    Hearing Xu Min exin what he was seeing made the battle easier to follow for Yong Meilin. Just as Xu Min had spoken, the Two-Star Warrior drew back and took a stance which seemed somewhat simr to the Shattering Palm. This caused Xu Min to raise an eyebrow.

    The attack looked different to the Shattering Palm, but the Qi which gathered above the young man¡¯s head was simr to the Shattering Palm. Arge hand appeared over his head, as he pushed his own hand downwards. The massive hand of Qi hovering above his head did the exact same action and the hand pushed downwards to the opponent, pressuring him to the ground.

    ¡°This is only a spar,¡± Xu Min whispered to Yong Meilin as he pointed at the massive palm on the arena. ¡°If he had truly wished to kill the opponent, he would have made a swift strike with his hand. A swift strike would have instantly crushed him to pieces; however, this attack seems to be slightly less useful than the Shattering Palm I own,¡± pride appeared in Xu Min¡¯s voice as he analyzed what he saw in front of him. ¡°The Shattering Palm requires a bit less Qi since I am capable of executing it. But this guy, an internal Two-Star Expert, has used around half of his Qi to deploy this one attack. He will need to use all his energy to stay there for one more battle, and after that he is unlikely to stay any longer.¡± Xu Min continued to speak. This time, he calcted how the battles in front of him would happen. Instead of speaking clearly, his voice became lower until it was nothing but a mumble, impossible for Yong Meilin to hear what he was saying.

    In front of him were three experts. Two of them were Two-Star Experts while the final was a Three-Star Expert. The battle was anything but beneficial to Xu Min. It was likely that the current champion would defeat the next challenger, but the likelihood of him beating a second warrior was low. The champion would be changed to another Two-Star Warrior who would definitely be defeated by the Three-Star Warrior.

    As soon as the Three-Star Warrior had recharged his strength, he would be able to defeat the Two-Star Warrior without using too much of his Qi. If this guy was an external expert, then Xu Min would be at a loss. His only strength was the fact that he was a Late Stage Two-Star Warrior when it came to his physical strength. Mixed with the weapon and his limited Qi, Xu Min knew that his chances of winning against a Three-Star Warrior was less than forty percent. But he still wished to try it.

    Around his neck, he felt thefort of a resting snake, but his eyes were firm as he decided that this was his battle. Cao Cao was only allowed to participate if he believed that someone was able to threaten Xu Min¡¯s life.

    But this was not the tournament and there were no guards around here who wished to take Xu Min¡¯s life. Instead, he could practice against the guards without having to worry about his survival. This was the perfect ce to start practicing and he had half a month left!

    The following battles transpired exactly as Xu Min had guessed. He could not help but smile wryly when he stepped onto the tform. Xu Min was the only One-Star Warrior in the entire queue and his courage was a show of recklessness. Others hoped that this young man truly had some secret powers which allowed for him to be arrogant enough to walk around with their Ice-Queen hand in hand.

    Xu Min was almost facing the hardest possible situation. The Three-Star Warrior in front of him had only battled a Two-Star Warrior to be the reigning champion and the Two-Star Warrior had been low on Qi. This resulted in the man in front of him having almost full Qi. The only positive thing that Xu Min saw was the fact that the man was an internal expert. As long as he managed to escape the different stances and techniques, he should be having a certain degree of sess.

    There was obviously a reason why Xu Min dared to go against a Three-Star Warrior. Although the warrior should be able to beat him silly within moments, Xu Min still had his speed. This made it possible for him to avoid some of the attacks, but mainly he relied on his sword.

    Xu Min had been gifted this broadsword by Overseer Wang. At first, Xu Min had expected that this was a very simple artifact; however, as the days went by, he came to understand it far better than what he had expected.

    This sword was not an ordinary sword. It was a sword that was immune to Qi. Usually weapons were only used by external experts and they would be fortified by inserting one¡¯s Qi into the weapon itself which increased the damage done by the sword. However, this weapon refused to react on Qi, just as it was incredibly good at guarding against attacking Qi. If he managed to hit an attack head on, the attack would dissipate into thin air.

    Xu Min had still not tried this out on anyone other his own Shattering Palm and Radiating Jade Shower. He ended up finding different results. The single target attack Shattering Palm was easily countered while the Radiant Jade Shower was far more troublesome. The attack consisted of thousands of small jade-like Qi pieces which rained down upon the opponent and the sword could only block so many of these attacks.

    Stepping onto the stage, Xu Min started to smile as he prepared for his battle. His heart rate had picked up and his eyes were gleaming with excitement. It had been so long since he had been in a battle, even something as simple as a spar. Taking his ce at the arena, he respectfully nodded to his opponent. Looking at this Three-Star Warrior, Xu Min noticed that although there was a look of disdain was on his lips, his eyes were filled with vignce. It was clear that this Warrior had no intention of underestimating this young man in front of him.

    The Three-Star Warrior in front of Xu Min had a tall and lean body type. His entire focus was clearly on refining internal energies. His body was neglected to a point where Xu Min was astonished that he could still control his energy with such a frail body.

    As long as he managed to stay clear of the skinny man¡¯s attacks and get close enough to use one of his own, Xu Min should be fine. As soon as the battle started, the skinny man instantly took a stance. Qi quickly began to billow out from his body, gathering behind him in the shape of a long snake. The long Qi snake slithered around, tangling up the thin man. As he moved his arms, the snake started moving around and its speed was equal to that of the arm movements. Xu Min, who had trained his speed whenever he worked at the docks, skillfully dodged therge snake which moved around on the stage.

    Seeing how nimble the One-Star Warrior was, many of the observers were instantly quiet as they knew that their own speed could notpete with his. Over two-thirds of the Warriors currently standing in the queue were all internal experts. For them to be slower than Xu Min was not that shocking. The external experts on the ground all narrowed their eyes. The explosive speed he had used to dodge the snake was definitely not something that a One-Star Warrior was capable of doing. One single thought ran through the whole surrounding area was clearly ¡®Is this guy truly a One-Star Warrior?¡¯

    Xu Min, on the stage, had no time to pay any heed to the ones staring at him. Instead, he let out a sigh of relief. He had feared that his speed had truly been too slow that he would have been crushed with the first exchange; however, he was still doing okay on the stage. With his eyes constantly on the slithering snake, he stomped the ground and ran around on the stage so quickly that he turned into a blur for the naked eye. Some of the guards had to strain their eyesight to truly catch a glimpse of this swift expert.

    As Xu Min kept running around, he finally unsheathed his sword and as he did, in one flowing motion did it cut downward. The weight of gravity added to the heavy sword and as soon as it touched the snake closing in on him, Xu Min used all his strength to chop right behind the snake head.

    *Boom!*

    As the loud boom sounded out, dust rose on the stage and the snake was coiled up, slowly dissipating into thin air. Xu Min was panting slightly as he once more sheathed the sword on his back and took a defensive stance as he knew that the snake had only been to feel him out. The expert in front of him was far from being defeated.

 Chapter 43: Victory and Defeat

    Chapter 43: Victory and Defeat

    Seeing that his snake had been crushed from only one attack by the young man in front of him, the Three-Star Warrior raised an eyebrow in surprise. He was incredibly shocked but also excited. A smile appeared on his face and he retreated backwards, ended up directly into yet another stance. His body strung like a bowstring, and the sound of waves could be heard as Qi once more billowed out from the back of the expert. The Qi gathered in waves which swept over the stage, headed straight for Xu Min.

    Seeing the wave, Xu Min was not panicking as he once more unsheathed his sword and pouring his Qi into the arms. ¡°Hyaa!¡± Xu Min yelled out as he swung the sword in his hands against the tidal wave in front of him. As soon as the tip touched the wave, Xu Min¡¯s own energy attacked the wave and slow-moving ripples of energy disappeared. It opened a small pathway in the waves and allowed for him to safely get through without being crushed.

    The wave shed against an invisible barrier around the arena. Buhe young man had no time to look at this barrier because he was focused fully on the battle in front of him.

    Having chopped down the snake and forced his way through the Qi wave, Xu Min could feel that he had used quite a significant amount of Qi. Although he was an external expert, someone who used far less Qi for each attack than the internal experts. However, he was currently against a Three-Star Warrior, someone who was far stronger than Xu Min and forced the young man to use all the power at his disposal. Twice he had gone against the opponent and twice he had gotten through the dangers which were opposing him. The price had been expensive as his Qi was already low, but his physical body was still bursting with energy. Xu Minunched himself towards the expert.

    The most vulnerable time for an internal expert was when they had finished casting a stance and before they were capable of taking another one. If the stance had been broken through, much like Xu Min just had done now, the internal expert was standing with one very big decision to make. If he was going to back off, he needed to forcefully stop the attack happening which was the wave which he had casted out. Forcefully exiting a stance would cause injury to oneselves. The stronger the attack, the more damage it would do to oneself. Another problem was that when someone forcefully cut the link to the Qi attack, one would lose all the Qi that was within the attack. This did not allow for any of the Qi to return to the body. Instead, it would dissipate into the air, making the expert end in a less favourable position. The other option was to hope that the opponent was incapable of reaching him in time and let the attack die out on its own before he took on another stance.

    Looking at the young man dashing towards him, the Three-Star Warrior gritted his teeth as he forcefully cut the link between him and the Qi he had sent out of his body. He allowed himself to jump backwards and instantly take another stance.

    Although this expert was in no way an external one, he still had some speed which made it possible for him to dodge just far enough to avoid a hit from Xu Min¡¯s sword. Standing further back, the Three-Star Warrior was in a bad position as Xu Min had pushed him further back. He was so close to the corner of the arena that he was uncertain whether or not he was going to fall down. Currently finding a ce to take a stance was in no way an easy feat.

    Being in the corner, Xu Min constantly got closer and closer to the older man. The sword in his hand had been raised slightly, drawn back, and ready to attack. Before he could do this, the expert desperately took a stance causing even more of his Qi toe out. This Qi turned into gale winds, forcing Xu Min backwards and making it impossible for him to advance closer.

    Lifting up the sword within his hand, Xu Min managed to block some of the wind ande to a standstill. Moving forward was still hard, but falling further back was now stopped and the two experts were caught in a standstill. Xu Min could not move further up, but the opponent could not stop wasting his Qi. He knew that as soon as he did, Xu Min could once more move closer.

    Gritting his teeth, the opponent forced even more Qi out from his body. He pushed back the young man and observed the arena in front of him, calcting how far back he needed the young man to go to be able to put out another stance.

    The entire surrounding area was quiet as no one said a word. Everyone was deeply shocked by what they saw in front of them. The majority had at first expected Xu Min to lose within one attack, especially as they saw the snake which had been slithering around the ground. But as soon as it had appeared, the young man who was clearly only a One-Star Warrior had decapitated it. Next, the Qi waves had appeared and once more the young man had managed to get through them without problems. Finally, everyone within the room had understood that the young man who had seemed arrogant actually had the strength to back up his persona. Even the opponent on top of the arena had understood that although he could look down on the majority of the experts below his rank, including many on his own rank, this young man in front of him was clearly different from the other ones he had battled before. To think that a young man who still had traces of childness in his features was this strong. He was clearly a young man with amazing talent.

    Although he was thinking like this, the tall expert was aware that he had no time to waste. Instead, he stopped the gale wind of Qi and took another stance. A small stream of blood was leaking out from the corner of his mouth, showing that forcefully canceling his attacks had injured him internally. Although he was injured, his eyes were filled with determination and no signs of giving up could be seen. This was something that caused Xu Min to smile gently and happily as he stayed at a distance, waiting for the next attack.

    Although it was risky for Xu Min to take on each attack, he simply had no other choice. To attack, he needed to force the opponent to cancel an attack and then use his own stance to force the opponent out of the arena.

    The tall andnky warrior was fully aware of how Xu Min thought. Although he hated the fact that he needed to follow the expectations of the young man, he had no other choice. If he did not make a stance soon, the young man was going to directly attack him. This left him no room to make a stance and protect himself.

    Seeing this, the older man lifted both his arms and took a stance. A white cloudpletely surrounded him that quickly rose in size until eventually the entire half stage was filled with this Qi flowing from the older man.

    Seeing this, Xu Min gritted his teeth and the sword in his hand started humming as it slowly shot towards the Qi in front of him. This caused the young man to be astonished as the sword itself seemed to absorb the Qi that had filled half the arena.

    As soon as the sword had touched the Qi, small snakes appeared and attacked the edge of the sword. As soon as it touched it, the Qi snakes were being absorbed by the sword itself, alongside the Qi filling up the entire arena.

    Feeling this, Xu Min felt how the sword in his hands grew in strength. More and more power was sucked up and energy ripples were emitted from the sword; some of it was leaking through the handle and into Xu Min¡¯s arm which was filling his body with foreign Qi. This Qi which slowly went through his body and through the meridians to slowly merge with his own Qi. As this happened, the young man felt how the Qi which had been around the arena slowly made him climb closer and closer to the ranking of a Two-Star Warrior. After only one-third was left behind of the Qi that filled up the arena, Xu Min felt how his body started to tremble. Ever so slowly, his bones started emitting creaking sounds. The dantian inside his body swelled, Qi billowed through his body filling him with strength, and the fatigue he had felt before hadpletely vanished.

    Although Xu Min had just broken into the ranks of a Two-Star Warrior, the sword seemed to not stop just there. It kept sucking up energy from the arena and this energy entered both the sword and Xu Min.

    Everyone viewing what was happening were stiff in surprise. They could not understand why the Qi that was meant to attack and protect slowly dissipated like this. All of them were also astonished to see that during this critical moment, the expert was finally breaking through. No one apart from the opponent could feel or see that the Qi was entering Xu Min, strengthening him from the inside.

    Who did know what was going on was the opponent who was still hiding within the mist of Qi that kept swirling around him. He could feel how his Qi was being sucked away from him, into something different. He also felt how he was constantly being weakened. Although he was not going lower in rank, the Qi he was losing was no small matter. He had released everything within his ability before the abnormal suction force appeared, sucking up the Qi that had left his body.

    Finally, the Qi had gotten so transparent that the older man could see the sword tip which was touching the wall of the Qi. The suction force came from within this sword, something which shocked the taller man deeply. Seeing that his energy was being absorbed, the older man once more forced himself to break one of his stances. Instantly after he took a new stance, the rest of his Qi flew above him where it took the shape of a bow and an arrow. The arrow pointed straight at Xu Min who narrowed his eyes as he saw the weapon pointing his way.

    Not wanting to waste time and give the young man enough time to actually prepare for the attack, the older man¡¯s hands made a gesture. As though he let go of an arrow, the Qi arrow instantly followed suit. The arrow rushed towards Xu Min who lifted the sword as a protective shield, hiding behind it. He smiled as he felt how the arrow was turning into splinters before another arrow appeared. Soon, arrows rained down upon Xu Min; however, he was now filled with energy on the inside. His sword hummed with strength and the young man slowly made his way towards the taller man.

    Reaching him did not take too long as he managed to block every arrow. As he reached the opponent, it was easy to finish the battle. All he had to do was ce the sword at the neck of the opponent who instantly nodded in forfeit.

    The opponent had already lost more than four fifths of his energy to the abnormal suction force within the sword. He had used the remaining of his energy to execute the stance where he created a shower of Qi arrows. This ended up draining hisst bit of energy, causing him to not even have enough energy to move away from Xu Min as he arrived with his sword.

    Smiling, Xu Min went to the middle of the arena, his body bursting with energy. He was far stronger than he had ever experienced before. A smile was on his face as he knew that this had been the best luck he had ever experienced. Although he should know when to stop, Xu Min felt like he could afford to suck up Qi from one more person before he had to go back home to bnce his energies. He wanted to continue to prepare for the uing tournament.

 Chapter 44: Stealing Energy

    Chapter 44: Stealing Energy

    The entire room was silent. The ones who had been training and heard the unusual loud noisesing from the arena at the back all stopped their training to walk closer and see what was happening. Seeing that there was a One-Star Warrior fighting a Three-Star Warrior, everyone was perplexed as to how this youngster was capable of holding his ground against a superior opponent. Even more shocking was that the young man managed to make a breakthrough right there on the middle of the stage.

    Although this young man had broken through, he was still only a Two-Star Expert. The opponent in front of him was a Three-Star Expert and still he had been incapable of defeating the Early Stage Two-Star Warrior. This proved that although this young man had shown his arrogance earlier, he was indeed capable of showing off as anyone would consider him a great genius of the younger generation.

    By the side of the Arena, Yong Meilin was standing with a smile on her face and her hands pping. Herughter was like drops of fresh water falling into a small stream. Her joy was able to refresh anyone who listened to the sound, entrancing them as though she was a fairy. She was stealing away their lifeforce with nothing but her beautiful voice and astonishing appearance.

    ¡°Xu Min, you are as amazing as you said,¡± the fairy said with her beautiful voice. The moment she said this, the spell had been broken. Everyone within the training ground came back to their senses, their faces turning sour as they saw the ted expression on Yong Meilin¡¯s face as she looked at the young man on the stage. Seeing how he only replied to her with a small smile, the many men felt so jealous inside. They were jealous that it was not them who were being looked at with such care.

    Xu Min did not care about the jealousy as all he felt was the thrill when the sword in his hand started absorbing the energies from his opponent and depositing them inside himself. He was notpletely certain how it worked. He knew that he had to practice it some more to truly understand what type of weapon his master had given him as a farewell gift.

    ¡°Who is next?¡± Xu Min¡¯s voice rung through the incredibly silent grounds and the next in line finally realised that it was his turn. His eyes turned serious and a sneer appeared on his face.

    ¡°You might be good,¡± the opponent said as he climbed onto the arena, ¡°But I am not as easy to beat as some internal expert. Let us see how well you will manage someone who is an external expert just like you!¡±

    The expert in front of Xu Min was a Two-Star Warrior much like him. Xu Min¡¯s physical strength was equal to ate stage Two-Star Warrior and he also noticed that the man in front of him was a warrior of the same rank. Although, his internal energy was stronger than Xu Min¡¯s.

    As an eternal expert, this man¡¯s entire body was filled with bulging muscle. His body was clearly focused on pure strength alone, especially since his arms had astonishinglyrge muscles beneath the somewhat tanned skin. Looking at this man, Xu Min could understand the major difference between the two. Although they both were external experts, they had gone down two different paths of training, and now they were waiting to see which way was the better one.

    Xu Min trained his entire body and ensured that every muscle within his body had been pushed to their limits. He also specialised in speed while the man in front of him who focused purely on strength would not be as nimble as Xu Min. However if this man managed to catch Xu Min, the battle would be over. There was no way that Xu Min could hope to escape such a grip or be able to protect himself against the strong arms mping down upon him.

    Even though it was like this, the certainty of victory was evident on Xu Min¡¯s face. He even winked to Yong Meilin just as the battle was about to begin. This caused the opponent to be starling red as rage fumed within his body causing him to run towards Xu Min.

    The strong arm shot out like a snake attacking, but although he was fastpared to other experts, he was nothingpared to someone like Xu Min. He had trained his entire body day in and day out. Xu Min trained in the docks at Honghe City and within the small room that belonged to Overseer Wang.

    As the attackunched towards him, Xu Min took a step to the side and he gracefully avoided the punch which wasing his way. Seeing this, the older man felt his anger rise. As he was thrusting the arm forward, he swept it to the side in the hopes to catch the young man off-guard.

    Seeing the arm change trajectory, Xu Min was not astonished in the least. Instead, he let go of a snort filled with disdain as he leaned backwards and once more managed to escape the double attack from the opponent. He avoided the attacks so skillfully that not even the corner of his sleeves had been touched. As he avoided the attacks so gracefully, Xu Min once again astonished the ones observing the battle. Yet, one thing was to avoid, but another was to attack. The man in front of him was filled with muscle in his upper torso. There was so much so that they managed to create an amazing defense, not allowing for any Qi to prate into his internals and cause him serious injury.

    The man in front of Xu Min was a very well-known expert within the paid guards of the Yong family. He usually fought against the Three-Star Warriors as his body was protected by argeyer of muscle. This allowed for him to stand against the internal techniques and made it easier for him to win against the average Three-Star Warriors.

    Usually, external experts were weaker than the internal ones. Once in awhile, experts would appear as opposites, the external experts which specialised against internal experts. Xu Min¡¯s current opponent was one of these experts.

    ¡°So you think that just because you can defeat Three-Star Warriors that I am an easy target?¡± Xu Min mumbled to himself, his brown eyes turning slightly chilled. Absorbing energy from an external expert seemed to be impossible for the sword as all the Qi was only floating around within his body and not outside it. The sword in his hands only seemed capable of absorbing the energy which was floating around within the air. This removed any chance of Xu Min draining the opponent¡¯s energy.

    ¡°It is a pretty cute weapon you got there,¡± the tall bulky man said, standing on the other side of the arena. He reached his arm down from the arena and he too grabbed his weapon of choice.

    Xu Min raised an eyebrow in surprise as he saw a massive axe within the arms of this external expert in front of him. It seemed as though things had just gotten much moreplicated.

    The two men were standing on the arena, neither of them took the initiative to attack first. Both were wielding their weapons in a posture so that they could both block and attack at any moment. The atmosphere was so tense that one could almost cut through it. The axe seemed dominant, as though it was capable of chopping through the young man in front of him. Although he was not as bulky as the man in front of him, Xu Min had a strong body and the sword in his arms was humming slightly. Energy ripples left the sword one after another much like waves crashing against the beach, rolling overnd, and slowly vanishing into the sand. These energy ripples did just that. They left the sword and rolled into the air until it vanished into the air, dissipating to never be seen again. Feeling this much energy within the sword, Xu Min understood that he had most likely only gained half of the energy absorbed. The sword was simply filled with energy which did not belong to Xu Min himself.

    ¡°Prepare yourself!¡± The other man finally lost patience, having been affected by rage for too long. He was incapable of holding back for any longer and with a strong and outstretched arm, he swiped across the entire half of the arena. The sound of the air being split into two was sounding out. Although Xu Min had managed to avoid the first few attacks, many of the audience were looking at the arena with held breaths as they wondered whether or not he would be capable of avoiding this swift axe that only left a blur behind. The strength of the man¡¯s arm was even stronger than what Xu Min had expected. As he once more got ready to dodge, he was surprised to see how skillfully the axe was being moved.

    At first, he had nned on running to the side, making a narrow escape. Now, this was not an option as therge axe was swiping past its range being half a circle. Xu Min retreated a few steps instead. He looked at the ground and saw that some ck hair had been cut off,nding on the floor of the arena ground.

    Seeing how close it had been, Xu Min raised an eyebrow on his forehead. The young man was suddenly unable to contain a grin which appeared on his eyes.

    ¡°My turn!¡± he said and with a kick on the ground he used the force to set off against the opponent. The sword in his hand was ready to strike. This was the first time that Xu Min was using his real speed. Speeding towards the man in front of him, a grin was evident on his face as he wielded therge sword as though it weighed nothing. Seeing this, the opponent¡¯s eyes widened in surprise.

    Although he had nned to attack, he quickly got in a defensive stance. The muscle in his body swelled, and he grinned just as much as Xu Min was. Both men were Late Stage Two-Star Warriors, and both of them were capable of posing a threat to the other. Neither dared to becent as still both werepletely certain that they would win.

    This was an attack of pure strength. Looking at the two from outside, it would seem that Xu Min had no chance of winning. However, he gathered all the strength throughout his entire body, and poured it all into the already humming sword in his hands. As he brought down the sword, it collided with the opponent¡¯s great axe.

    A massive boom sounded out and the entire ground shook. The arena waspletely filled with a cloud of dust. From the arena, there was arge scar stretching through the entire training ground, disturbing anyone who tried to train.

    The dust took forever to settle and as it did, everyone stared in astonishment when they saw an unconsciousrge man and an axe which had been cleaved into two parts in front of them. Xu Min was standing in the middle of the arena with a massive gash between his legs while holding a grin on his face that hadn¡¯t disappeared. The only change was that a fineyer of dust had settled upon his clothes, and he was now resting against the sword.

    As the dust had settledpletely, he shrugged his shoulders and looked at the long gash. It had spread beneath his legs, towards the edge of the arena, and even further away through the ground. His eyes widened in surprise.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Xu Min said as he sheathed his sword and went towards Yong Meilin, ¡°I did not expect thest attack to be this damaging,¡± he grinned and Yong Meiling could not help but giggle in return. It was none of her concern that the arena had been destroyed, someone ranked lower than her in the family would deal with getting it reced.

    ¡°Well. Since you destroyed the arena, there is no real reason for us to keep hanging around here,¡± Yong Meilin said with pursed lips as she reached out a hand towards Xu Min. Understanding what she wanted, the young man could not help but chuckle on the inside at the obviously cute behavior of the young woman. Jumping from the stage, Xu Min took her hand. With a shrug of his shoulders, the two of them together departed the training grounds, leaving behind one stunned expert after another.

 Chapter 45: Master Dong Liang

    Chapter 45: Master Dong Liang

    As Yong Meilin and Xu Min were leaving the training grounds, they saw a servant rushing towards them. In his hand was a sealed scroll which he humbly gave to Yong Meilin. His entire demeanor was that of a servant: he never once looked her in the eyes, he fell to his knee as he lifted the scroll above his head, and he dared not say a word. This behavior caused Xu Min to raise an eyebrow in surprise but he said nothing. Instead, he looked around waiting for Yong Meilin to finish reading so that the two of them could return to his courtyard and once more begin training. He found that he had gotten quite some enlightenment during the battles he had participated in, especially with the sword in his hands. He needed to test it more, to try to see if he could control the absorption or if it was automatic. In general, he needed a greater understanding of the weapon he had in his hands.

    While Yong Meilin was busy reading the message she had been given, her brows frowned for a short while. She nced at Xu Min who only had eyes for his sword, and a sigh escaped her lips. She had been with Xu Min long enough to know that training had priority for him, but she had been given an order saying that he had to follow her. ¡°Xu Min,¡± she called out and the young man by her side looked at her, curious as to what she wanted. ¡°You need to follow me. There is a very important guest who wishes to see you and it cannot wait,¡± she said with a trembling and low voice. She knew that Xu Min would prefer not to follow her but she had no choice other than make him. Knowing her dilemma, Xu Min sighed a small sigh and then nodded his head, ¡°Let us go then. The sooner we go, the sooner I can train.¡±

    Nodding her head, Yong Meilin instantly took Xu Min by the hand and rushed towards the office belonging to her grandfather. Seeing where they were headed, Xu Min assumed that it had to do with the tournament which was only half a month away. He was also curious to hear what he had to say. Had he regretted letting a One-Star Warrior represent them? Although Xu Min just reached the rank of a Two-Star Warrior, the grandfather should now know about it. Thus, this was a very logical decision for him.

    As they reached the office, Yong Meilin took a moment to calm herself. She smoothed her form-fitting dress and pinch her cheeks, making them seem healthy with a scarlet color on the otherwise pearl white skin.

    Xu Min, looking at her, could not help but be curious. Her behavior seemed to be different from someone who came to visit their grandfather. He was now excited to see whom was waiting inside the room. Yong Meilin knocked on the door and moments after an elderly voice sounded out, ¡°Come on in.¡± Both Yong Meilin and Xu Min followed suit and entered the office.

    As soon as they entered, the first thing Xu Min noticed was that there were blinds for the windows and the room itself was only lit with some candlelight. There was absolutely no sunshine inside the room. The second thing Xu Min noticed was an elderly man. He seemed to be around the same age as the grandfather, the leader of this Yong family branch. But, he was someone Xu Min had never seen before. In his hands was something he recognized though. In the hands of the elder man was the Yearning Sunflower that Xu Min had sold to Yong Meilin months before. Now in his hands, he gently caressed the stem as though it was the most valuable treasure he had ever seen. It was so astonishing that he could not help himself from caressing it.

    ¡°Wee Xu Min, little Meilin,¡± the grandfather said as he nodded to the two youngsters who had just entered through the door. The young man saw how Yong Meilin instantly curtseyed deeply to the stranger and to behave properly, so Xu Min decided to give the man a bow. He had been taught to be polite to strangers. Being polite usually got him further than being arrogant. Seeing Xu Min bow, the grandfather was pleasantly surprised and a smile yed on his face.

    ¡°I assume that my dear little Meilin is fully aware of who our esteemed guest is; however, Xu Min, I doubt you ever had the possibility to work together with this astonishing individual before.¡± he said as heplimented the stranger with as many words as he could. ¡°This is Master Dong Liang, the best alchemist within the entire Hekou Province. He epted the invitation to visit our humble abode and assist you until the tournament. He will be brewing some medicines to help your body regain strength quickly. He will be making herbal baths for you and a few special pills.¡± The grandfather had a great smile on his face, but just as he looked at Xu Min, a frown was on his face, ¡°I could have sworn you were a One-Star Warrior. Tell mechild, did you just have a breakthrough?¡± he asked deeply astonished and Xu Min nodded his head slowly. ¡°I was fortunate to have a breakthrough during training,¡± he confirmed. Finally, Master Dong Liang¡¯s eyes shifted from the flower he lovingly held within his hands. Looking at Xu Min, he too frowned. ¡°How old are you boy?¡± the Master finally asked. Xu Min, who looked at him, contemted the benefits of telling the truth. It was not only the Master who looked at Xu Min, but also Grandfather and Yong Meilin who were both looking at him with deep curiosity. They had dealt with Xu Min for a long time, but he had never mentioned his age. All they knew was that he was fairly young as his face still had a look of a child.

    ¡°I¡¯m fifteen years old,¡± he said and everyone¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Fifteen years old?!¡± the grandfather eximed shocked. ¡°You are not just a One-Star Warrior, but a Two-Star Warrior at the age of fifteen?!¡± he continued. Xu Min was calm and collected as he nodded his head. The Alchemist was now looking at the young man with apletely different look in his eyes. He reached out his hand, ¡°Give me your palm,¡± he demanded and Xu Min did as he was told. Moments after, his old bony fingers touched the veins in his hands and he nodded his head, ¡°He is indeed only a fifteen year old boy. To think I would see such a genius. Let us hope you are one of the few geniuses that manages to survive,¡± he said with a sigh.

    Xu Min understood what he meant. There were countless geniuses in the world, but not many of them survived to adulthood. Some were killed by intrigues while others frompeting families. Some had been over-confident while others were incapable of adjusting to life away from their families.

    Both the grandfather and Master Dong Liang sighed in unison as they both thought of geniuses they had seen die through the years. But looking at Xu Min, they both felt renewed hope. They hoped that this man was different from the other ones.

    Yong Meilin was embarrassed. She was sixteen years old, older than Xu Min but she had always looked at him the way one would at an older man. To think he was actually younger was making her feel embarrassed.

    Xu Min was excited as getting the assistance of such an amazing alchemist meant that he would, without a doubt, be quickly stronger than what he had expected earlier. Once more, he felt gratitude towards the Yong family. He had long since decided that he was going to use all his power to try and get the first price. Not for his own sake, but because it was obvious that this truly mattered to the Yong family.

    ¡°Let me not hold you youngsters any longer,¡± the family leader said with a smile on his face. ¡°I need to take our esteemed guest toward our stockrooms to find the herbs he is going to be needing for the herbal baths, pills, and medicinal concoctions. Stay within your courtyard and train. We will send a servant to fetch you when things here are ready for you,¡± he said. Xu Min nodded his head and bowed deeply to both Master Dong Liang and the family leader before he turned around and left the room. Yong Meilin followed behind him.

    As soon as the door was closed, Master Dong Liang looked at the family leader with slightly narrowed eyes. ¡°I hear that the Tang family of Ri Chu City has invited Master Huang Zhen to assist their young master in preparation for the tournament that urs every year. Something that urs every year should not warrant such attention from the family leaders.¡± Seeing that the family leader did notment, Master Dong Liang scratched his chin while contemting. ¡°It is astonishing that two Yearning Sunflowers have been found within Ri Chu City so soon after one another. Even more astonishing is that both families who have gained these Yearning Sunflowers were interested in handing them out at the same time.¡±

    The family leader said nothing again, but he felt a little uncertain as to what the alchemist tried to say. The words caused sweat to appear on his forehead and he licked his lips nervously. Seeing the actions of the family leader, Dong Liang began to smile and shook his head, ¡°It has nothing to do with me,¡± he concluded. ¡°I am here to help this young genius be even stronger than he already is, but do not expect miracles. Although I can help him increase his cultivation base, soothe his body when he has trained hard, and make some pills for him, I am incapable of making a major difference. He has just broken through into the rank of a Two-Star Warrior. Even if I spend all my skills, he will not be capable of breaking into the level of a Three-Star Expert before the tournament. Still, my skills will make quite a difference.¡±

    Although the family leader was aware of this, he hoped for a great miracle. He feared for the young man and his family¡¯s reputation, but he could only push forward. Nodding his head, he stood up and gestured for the esteemed guest to follow him. ¡°Let me take you to the storage rooms and see which of the herbs you should be in need of.¡± Together, the two older men left the room and closed the door behind them.

    While the two elder men were talking, Xu Min and Yong Meilin made it back to the courtyard where the young man did not even wait a moment before focusing on the sword in his hands. At first, he examined it closely to see if any changes had been made to it. But it looked as it always did. With a harrumph, he found the medicinal pills he had gained from selling the Yearning Sunflower. He took one of the pills which restored his energy, rather than the ones increasing his cultivation base. Sitting down for a moment and breathing in and out, he felt how the energy rushed into his body. Only momentster did he stand up and take a stance he knew perfectly well. Moments after, a massive Qi hand appeared above his head.

    Ordering the attack to wait in position, Xu Min unsheathed his sword. Momentster, he felt how the sword started humming again. With a suction force so strong, he felt how the energy he was controlling started to be impossible to control. The energy was bing someone else¡¯s and Xu Min had to forcefully cut the link to his attack as the inner energies from his dantian was starting to be swallowed by the sword. Injuring himself was difficult, but Xu Min had to do this to understand his sword. A small stream of blood was running from the corner of his mouth, but arge grin was evident on his face. Xu Min felt the how energy rushed through his body and delivered directly to the sword in his hand.

 Chapter 46: Uncontrollable Sword

    Chapter 46: Uncontroble Sword

    Repeating the same action over and over again, Xu Min injured himself time after time. He would summon the Shattering Palm, and then unsheathe his sword only to see how it would absorb the Qi. It would start by absorbing all the energy that was present outside of the body. As soon as it had sucked up the final bit of Qi, it would follow the connection between the expert and the Qi and start to absorb the energy inside the body of the cultivator. The only way to avoid this was to forcefully cut the connection between himself and the attack being swallowed up by the sword.

    Another astonishing urrence he found was that the sword kept around two-thirds of the energy within the de. At the same time, it would send one-third of the energy to the holder¡¯s body which was Xu Min. He also found that no matter how hard he tried, it was impossible for him to insert Qi into the sword the way one usually would imbue their weapons. No matter how much he tried, it was an impossibility. The only way for the sword to gain strength was from absorbing it in the air.

    ¡°This might work as well,¡± Xu Min mumbled to himself as he looked at the incredibly sharp sword by his side. Very carefully, he cut a small wound on his leg to allow for the tip of the sword to enter into his flesh. The sword was so sharp that he felt no pain, but as soon as the Qi was running through the wound, the sword instantly absorbed all the Qi Xu Min had left in his body. Unlike the outside energy, it was impossible for him to cut off the connection with the Qi inside of his body. The sword did not stop humming and absorbing until Xu Min waspletely drained. For the first time in his life, Xu Min understood how it felt to bepletely powerless. All the energy within his body had been drained down to the veryst drop. He was breathing heavily as he allowed his body to fall down to the ground.

    Seeing Xu Min copse, Yong Meilin felt her heart quiver and instantly rushed towards him. Yet, what she found was a young man covered in sweat. Although he was looking weak, arge grin was spreading across his face. His eyes were closed and he seemed to enjoy the sun shining down upon him. He had found a way to absorb the energy of external experts as well.

    There was, however, one thing which made Xu Min question the amazing ability of his sword which was how many experts it worked on. He could not believe that the sword would be capable of absorbing the energy of a Nine-Star Warrior or did he expect that it would be possible of snatching away the energy of a Seven-Star Warrior. But it had worked on a Three-Star Warrior just fine. Contemting how strong the sword truly was, Xu Min once more sent a prayer of thanks to whatever god was looking after him. The weapon he had been given by Overseer Wang Li was anything but ordinary.

    Although he waspletely drained of energy, Xu Min slowly managed to get back on his feet and reach the box with medicinal pills. He took one of the pills that helped restore energy. Afterwards, he dragged his tired body into position and started meditating. He needed all his energy to return to him since he was not done training for the day. He had to test the sword¡¯s power against stronger opponents as he could not afford to be in the dark.

    Two hours passed by and Xu Min did not move a muscle. His entire body was submerged in cultivation, and his senses had be one with the world around him. His mind was flowing from his body, feeling the wind that swept down in his courtyard. He heard the breathing of Yong Meilin and Cao Cao, and felt the closeness of the two beings. A feeling of calmness hadpletely overtaken his body. He felt the grass swaying under his body and parts of the trees reaching to the sun. Everything was one and he was a part of it. He had never before felt such a tranquil meditation. He never before been pushed so far as to be one with the earth. He was not even able to tell what was happening.

    Finally after two hours, the young man opened his eyes. His dark ck phoenix-like eyes were filled with surprise as he felt how the energy within him was stronger than it had been before. It was as though it had been refined more than what it used to have. It was as though he needed less of his Qi to get the results he wished for. Feeling like this, Xu Min had an enlightenment. He had never before used up every drop of energy and went directly to training. He had never before been so empty that he was able to be one with the world around him. Now that he did, he was astonished to see what had happened to him.

    Standing up, he felt stronger than he had ever felt before. It was as though the Qi had been refined while his muscles, veins, and entire body had been cleansed. It was with great gratitude that he once more picked up the sword that had beenying by his side. While picking it up, he felt that the sword was alive. This was something he had not felt before. As to what had sparked this changed, Xu Min was unaware. Yet in his hand, he could feel a throbbing pulseing from within the sword which was filled to the brim with Xu Min¡¯s energy. It had the energy it absorbed earlier that day.

    ¡°Meilin!¡± he called out and the young woman lifted her head from the book she had been reading. Her eyes questioned what was happening. Nevertheless, she stood up, dusted the dress, and moved towards the young man who had called for her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± she asked. It was rare for Xu Min to call for her thiste during the day. He usually prefered using all of the waking hours on his own, either on cultivation or practice for his sword techniques.

    ¡°I need to have a group of experts gathered. I need two internal and external Four-Star Expert. I also need both internal and external Five-Star Experts and Six-Star Experts. If you can find one of each for Three-Star, then I will be incredibly grateful.¡± he said. He needed to fully understand his sword in the time for the tournament. The days were rushing by so fast that he had no other option than to ask Yong Meilin right away.

    The woman had a confused expression on her face, but she quickly nodded her head and gently ced the green snake on the ground before she let herself out of the courtyard. She moved towards the barracks where the experts were living. She needed to find quite a few experts. She was worried whether or not the higher ranked experts were avable but she hoped for the best.

    It took Yong Meilin an hour to gather the experts that Xu Min had asked for. As she entered the courtyard, she saw that Xu Min was once more fully focused on training just one sh. Yet as soon as the door opened and Yong Meilin entered with the experts behind her, Xu Min felt a smile slip onto his face. He suddenly had the hope that if he could absorb the energy of a Six-Star Expert, then perhaps he could also absorb it from a Seven-Star Expert. If he could do this, then he did not have to wait long. He would already be ready to face off against the Zhong family leader. If he could absorb all his energy, then he could without a doubt get his revenge without waiting too long.

    Yong Meilin had seen Xu Min get excited before. She had seen him like this whenever he spoke about cultivation or if he had just mastered a new attack or technique. She had seen his eyes filled with astonishment when he had seen the medicinal pills for the first time. She had seen him filled with determination whenever he had been training, but looking at him now she saw something that took her by surprise. Looking at the young man, she found that there was hope within his eyes. A heart-wrenching and painstaking hope that seemed to fill every fiber of his body. Seeing him like this, Yong Meilin could not help but wonder about what exactly had changed the young man to be what he was. For the first time, he seemed a boy his age. He did not have the aloofness that seemed as though nothing could faze him. Instead, he was now very human, filled with a naive hope for something that Yong Meilin could not understand.

    ¡°Thank you all for helping me out,¡± Xu Min said politely as he bowed to the many experts in front of him. His actions caused all the guards to be slightly confused. They had not been told what it was that Yong Meiling needed them. Seeing the most hated individual within Ri Chu City in front of them was not making things easier.

    Although they disliked Xu Min, no one said a word. This was a part of their job and they wished continue without any problems. ¡°The internal Three-Star Expert, please step forward,¡± Xu Min called and a young man stepped forward. Although he looked to be only around twenty years of age, Xu Min could easily guess that this man was at least double his age. Knowing that the man was older caused Xu Min to once more bow at the expert.

    ¡°I will need you to produce one of your martial art skills. Do not attack, just call forth the martial art skill.¡± The expert frowned slightly but he quickly did as he was told. Xu Min unsheathed his sword and slowly touched the martial art skill with the tip of the sword. There were not sparring matches, but instead were experiments. He did not need to sh anything, but only be calm and collected.

    As soon as the tip of the sword touched the outside Qi, the face of the expert changed drastically. Xu Min¡¯s face turned excited. The attack was slowly growing transparent and the Qi was being absorbed by the sword tip.

    ¡°I cannot cancel the suction force,¡± Xu Min said apologetic, ¡°You will have to forcefully cancel the technique,¡± he said. The expert did not need to hear it twice before he forcefully cut off the link between him and the attack. Breathing out, the expert slowly went back to the group of experts. His face was pale and his eyes were filled with disbelief. It was not just him, everyone around him was shocked at the sight that had happened.

    ¡°The external expert, pleasee forward,¡± Xu Min continued and a massive man appeared. This man was so strong and massive that Xu Min was taken aback by looking at him. ¡°I am sorry but I need to make a small cut in your skin.¡± he started, but the massive man shrugged. A small cut meant nothing to a great expert, ¡°I am unable to stop the suction force from my sword, so in case it manages to suck up your Qi, then we have to wait until you arepletely emptied. If that happens, I have a medicinal pill for you. You should sit down and cultivate right away. It will be very beneficial to you,¡± he said after having experienced how well it went for himst time. The massive man nodded his head. ¡°No worries, just go ahead,¡± he said and Xu Min did just that. With a gentle hand, he made a one centimeter deep cut and allowed for the tip of the sword to sit in the flesh.

 Chapter 47: The Devourer

    Chapter 47: The Devourer

    The moment the sword entered the expert¡¯s body, a humming noise and a shrill shriek sounded out from the external expert. He felt all of his strength leaving his body. The energy was not listening to his orders. Instead, the Qi was absorbed. This left therge burly man l feeble and weak.;an experience he had never known .

    Silence filled the small courtyard. The famous external expert was reduced to nothing by the young man and his sword. Xu Min¡¯s smile grew wider and wider ¨Chis sword reassuredly did not fail him.

    After this unexpected scene, the internal expert gulped, realizing t though he had been injured, there was a big difference from forcefully breaking off an ability than being sucked dry. He understood, now, that this boy, although incredibly disliked, actually had the right to be arrogant. Looking at the sword, he surmised that this young man must have a very important background.

    After helping the external expert sit down to meditate, Xu Min handed him a medicinal pill. He then examined the remaining experts. Some of their faces contained ufortable expressions. They feared Xu min enacting the same fate upon them as he did the external expert.

    ¡°Next, the Four-Star Internal Expert,¡± he called out. A rather slim looking young man sighed deeply and stepped forward. Again, the slim looking expert summoned an attack and awaited for Xu min¡¯s sword to touch it. Upon contact, a shiver ran down the spine of the internal expert. However, this time the sword was absorbing energy far slower. So slow that it seemed almost impossible for Xu Min to empty this expert¡¯s energy than the other two.

    ¡°Just cut it off now,¡± hemanded while waving at the internal expert.Additionally Xu min noticed that the suction forced diminished significantly as well after he cut the external four star expert. Now, he could cut the suction force just by removing the weapon from the wound.

    Since the first moment of the expert¡¯s appearance,, Xu Min frowned. . Comprehending the situation, Xu Min understood his sword though wonderful was not capable of miracles; there were limits.

    The sword could still devour some energy of the Five-Star Expert. Nheless, it absorbed such miniscule amounts It did not matter. His attemptto absorb energy from the Six-Star Experts was nearly impossible,.

    Finished with his experiments, the sign of hope within Xu min¡¯s eyes disappeared..He was just testing the sword¡¯s capability, but truly believing the sword effective against a high ranked Seven-Star Warrior was in idiotic of him.. He shook his head and mocked himself for his stupidity.

    With the experiments at an end, Yong Meilin quickly made all the experts swear never to tell anyone their experience in the courtyard and followed them back to the barracks.

    While walking away, Yong Meilin kept looking back towards the courtyard. She anxiously pressed her hand on her chest, mirroring her worried facial expression. Seeing the fear in Yong Meilin¡¯s eyes gave truth to the rumors the experts heard. They all sighed deeply,slightly disappointed, but deep down all wished the best for her.

    Contrastly, Xu Min had already stopped thinking about the experts. His face seemed serious not so much because he was worried but rather from deep concentration.He was now cultivating and trying to absorb as much energy as he could. This would make his cultivation soar rapidly.. He needed strength but not just for his revenge. Soon, He would be participating in a tournament which he needed to prepare for. .

    Taking deep breaths and releasing them, Xu Minpletely cleared his mind for meditation.. The current cultivation would not be good if his emotions controlled him. However, the more Xu Min tried to be serene the more impatient he became in his goal to be patient. Forcibly collecting himself, he tried to enter into the state he had earlier that day, a state where his entire body had be one with the world around him.

    Already seeding once, Xu min entered the cultivation stance easier and managed to gain more energy than before. His immersion with the world even rivaled the medicinal pills he took before. Suddenly, exactly when Xu Min felt he was absorbing the energy, the sword in his hand started humming again. The heavens and the earth¡¯s essence swirled around him like they were specifically drawn to Xu Min. The sword absorbed the essence simr to its absorption of thee Qi earlier. Xu Min was so surprised that he withdrew from his cultivation stance.. The energy from the sword that was pouring into his body had been perfectly refined into Qi. Yet, not just regr Qi, but refined from the heavens and earth¡¯s essence acquired during his meditation.

    Staring at his sword in disbelief but excitement, Xu Min finally understood the devouring ability was not solely meant for Qi. It contained unlimited possibilities. The energy absorbed from the sword was more powerful than his energy alone. Even if he were to cultivate for a full night, he still would not have possessed as much refined Qi as he had now with his sword.

    Astonished, Xu Min slowly but surely stood up and started physical training. His body burst with energy. As soon as he imbued his hand with Qi, a white me rose from his skin. The Qi was so powerful and vigorous that it turned into a me. Normally, this did not ur until a was a Five-Star. However, it was happening with a Two-Star Warrior who did not specialize in internal strength but external, making it even more iprehensible.

    Even Xu Min was shocked. Just from holding the sword in his hand and summoning Qi to his body caused him to be numb. No matter where the Qi was gathered: arms, legs, or hands, the Qi kept transforming to mes. His strength was so outstanding that it could have easily rivaled that of Three-Star Warriors.

    The Qi he collected also helped him to reach the peak of the Two-Star. The sudden boost in power was almost monstrous. Xu Min dared not believe it until he walked towards a set ofrge boulders ced within the courtyard. What their actual use was, Xu Min had no idea, but he quickly decided that their use was for the sake of training. With the white me around his arm, he resolutely punched the boulder with all the force he could muster.

    This Boulder was as tall as Xu Min himself and even wider than three of him standing together. With this image one can imagine how magnificent the Boulder was. Nevertheless, as soon as the me covered palmnded on the surface, cracks appeared deep within the stone. Moments after, it shattered into a thousand pieces, a feat no other than a Two-Star Warrior could aplish.

    Contemting for some time, Xu Min withdrew his energy once more. He took a stance he had repeatedly tried before; he wanted to see if there would be any change., A massive pearl white hand appeared in front of him. Thrusting his arm downwards, the pearl white arm replicated Xu Min¡¯s movement.. WhileXu Min¡¯s arm touched nothing, the pearl white hand mmed down directly onto the second boulder, causing a massive explosion. The ground trembled and the boulder, incapable of withstanding such pressure, turned into sharp stones shooting outwards. Some of them even grazed Xu Min, scratching and slighlty wounding him.

    Xu Min grinned upon hearing loud voices outside the courtyard. One guard after another rushed towards the main house; they were wondering what caused such a loud tremor and if the Yong family was safe.. The attack was almost equivalent to a Three-Star Internal Expert. Feeling greatly satisfied, Xu Min decided not to cultivate any more tonight. He needed to stabilize his newfound strength. If he was too greedy, his hubris woulde and take revenge, surely wanting too much would have its consequences.

    A smile formed on Xu Min¡¯s lips as he closed his eyes and entered his unconsciousness. Deep within, he found his Qi to call forth and train. mes appeared and disappeared on one part of the body before reappearing on another. Xu Min was doing his best controlling the extreme and ferocious energy flooding his meridians.

    This newly acquired energy was strong, far stronger than before. As a result, he had issues rapidly switching energy from one limb to another. Xu Min understood he needed to control this new energy or it would be ultimately useless for him. Bent on mastering the energy, Xu Min hardly noticed the days passing.

    While Xu Min trained, Yong Meilin spent her time within the courtyard. She would try to train a little on her own, read a book, ensure food and water was prepared for the young man, and entertain Cao Cao who was incredibly bored whenever Xu Min arduously trained.

    Time rushed by and before Xu Min realized itt the tournament had arrived. However, what Xu Min did not know was that the tournament had been the talk of the city; everyone spoke of nothing else. The families holding the tournament was notified that Xu Min, the young genius from the Yong family, epted the invitation.

    Everyone knew Xu Min captivated the heart of the city¡¯s favorite Yong Meilin. Furthermore, everyone was curious as to the mysterious young man¡¯s skills. Was he truly a genius or perhaps just an arrogant young upstart?

    No one truly knew anything, but everyone was curious. This tournament usually received a lot of attention as it allowed the city to find the younger generation geniuses. This time, though, it was even more interesting.

    Yong Meilin aware of this did not feel any need to tell Xu Min. In her heart, he was invincible. He trained harder than anyone else and showed insane amounts of improvement just when she had watched him.. In her heart, he was already the champion.

    Xu min waspletely unaware of everything urring while he was training. When he opened the door,he saw multiple guards were awaiting him, sternly staring at him.

    Clearing his throat, Xu Min scratched his head awkwardly as he wondered what he was supposed to say. Fortunately, he did not have to say much as Yong Meilin¡¯s grandfather appeared on the road in front of them.

    ¡°It is time,¡± he said quietly, ¡°Do not let us down!¡± He mumbled something afterwards, but the train started moving with the three of them in the front. They began their journey towards the tournament.

 Chapter 48: To the Tournament

    Chapter 48: To the Tournament

    As the guards heard the family patriarch¡¯s words, they all nced at Xu Min. However, none of them dared to say anything. Although all the guards hadplex emotions towards the young man, they just silently observed him.

    ¡°Okay, let us set out!¡± The patriarch shouted. Right behind him was Xu Min, walking slowly without saying anything. Around his neck was the invisible snake and by his side was Yong Meilin. As well, Master Dong Liang walked beside the patriarch.

    Xu Min felt quitefortable with the present t situation. He was eager to battle; because his current strength equaled to three-star warriors and even his stances matched internal experts, he mainly wanted to fight the experts of the other families.

    On Xu Min¡¯s back was his infamous sword, the sword which devoured the different energies of the world. With both Cao Cao and his sword by his side, Xu Min knew he almost impossible to defeat. Even still, Xu Min deep down desired to win only by his strength. He wanted to increase his personal strength. For him, he needed to know that he, alone, improved his strength. Nheless, this was just the first step down revenge¡¯s road.

    Leaving the Yong familypound was quite easy. However, once they stepped onto the outside roads, many citizens were curious to see Xu Min. Only the city¡¯s elite families could attend the tournament since it was being held at the Tang family¡¯s familypound. Commoners were not allowed inside.

    Seeing all themoners astonished Xu Min. Now, he realized how important the tournament was to the city and victory for the Yong family. Understanding the gravity of his situation did not deter Xu Min. Smiling, he looked forward to the tournament even more. He knew the opponents there would not be easily beaten, but he also knew he stood a chance to beat them. His sword¡¯s strange devouring ability alongside his sudden boost in strength strengthened his certainty he could rank in the top three. Truly, though, Xu Min would only be satisfied with being first ce and gaining the trophy.

    Xu Min spent hours after hours advancing his swordsmanship. The master alchemist trained him, and he was allowed all the sparring partners he desired. As a result, Xu Min had been treated as though he was his weight worth in gold. Because nothing was taken away from him and everything was given to him, he felt the pressure of all the expectations which weighed on his shoulders.

    ¡®Don¡¯t worry Xu MinIf you can¡¯t handle it, just let me know. I can easily overpower these puny little human cultivators,¡¯ an arrogant voice sounded within his mind, which made a smile appear on Xu Min¡¯s face. ¡®Yes Cao Cao, if I can¡¯t handle them then I will be counting on you,¡¯ Xu Min answered the snake in his mind, ¡®Nheless, I should be able to deal with the humans on my own now.

    How will I ever be able to defeat the Zhong family leader if I am defeated by these weak cultivators?

    When Xu Min questioned his abilities, his insecurity froze him. This frigid yet fearful emotion Xu Min felt quickly appeared on his face; however, itsted no more than seconds and then he was smiling again. Only those who were attentively observing Xu Min caught it; no one else but Yong Meilin noticed Xu Min¡¯s frigid expression. This sight filled her face with worry; yet, as soon as the smile had returned she could do nothing but sigh. She wished to know more about this young man, but no matter what she tried to do, she always felt a barrier around his innermost being. It seemed he refused to let anyone be close to him, anyone apart from Cao Cao.

    Although Yong Meilin noticed Xu Min, the young man did not see the worry on her face. He was busy discussing with Cao Cao about the battles they were soon to experience since the snake was begging for a possibility to attack. He wished to be a part of the fights. After all, he was a fight crazed snake who regrly wanted to show off his superior ability.

    The group forced their way through one horde of citizens after another. These citizens went mad gossiping as they saw Xu Min and the Yong familying towards the arena. The patriarch had guessed themoners would be overwhelming, so he brought guards with him from his familypound. The guards, this time, surrounded the Yong family group, using their force and batons they waved themoners aside to keep them back. Because of the guard¡¯s action, the family could move forward.

    Otherpetitors such as Xiao Lei, Han Shi and Wu Weisheng, young geniuses, who Xu Min previously met also experienced simr situations all over the city. Xu Min met them at the Challenger¡¯s Hall the first night he visited the ce. These three experts were moving with their families towards the Tang family mansion. Specifically, Zhan Weishing, the inscriptor from Ri Chu City, apanied W Wu Weisheng and his family. Zhan Weishing also happened to be Wu Weisheng¡¯s uncle; his mother named her son after her brother in the hope that her son somehow would manage to be as famous as the inscriber.

    Apart from these families were the Wei family, the Shiu family, the Tang family, and the Guo family. Although the Guo family separated themselves from the Tang¡¯s family¡¯s devious ns, they still presented themselves at the tournament since they were one of the four strongest families in the city.

    All over the city, people were cheerful and excited. Even themoners so desired to join that they were willing to give their right leg to be allowed entrance into the tournament. Nheless, they had no ability to make that happen. Furthermore, none of the elite families would want amoner bleeding and soiling the tournament¡¯s floor because they had no right leg. Although average citizens could not attend, there were still many others who were allowed in as spectators. Firstly, all the prestigious families were there, all the patriarchs of the twenty strongest forces of the city were invited, including a few members of their families, and the many guilds of specific standing were also invited. Beside Zhan Weisheng, a smaller more insignificant group of inscribers had been invited.

    The city¡¯s alchemists were attending as well. Though these alchemists ranked lower than Master Dong Liang and Huang Zhen, they were still major yers within Ri Chu City, selling medicinal pills that assisted the younger generation in cultivation. All the pills Xu Min received were from the alchemists¡¯ guild. The alchemists guild was the only guild, apart from the Alluring Treasure Pavilion who often sold pills on behalf of the alchemists guild that sold medicinal pills within the city.

    Wealthy merchants were also invited because they sold items Ri Chu city¡¯s families needed. Even the leaders of the most prominent mercenary guild in town had been invited. Thus, anybody who was somebody was invited; nobodies stood outside.

    The arena grounds in the Tang family were massive; the participating experts were surrounded by seats on all four sides. The arena could hold thousands of visitors; nevertheless, once the tournament would begin the whole arena would be packed., the seats would bepletely filled.

    Arriving at the Tang family¡¯s pce, they were met by a group of guards. The Yong family met with no show of respect or friendliness towards them by the guards rather they snubbed the patriarch as hees walking by. Whereas, some of them looked at Yong Meilin with greedy, lustful eyes and licked their lips. Being treated like this was not below the patriarch¡¯s expectations. The families whose prestige and power was gained by sheer strength looked disdainfully down on the Alluring Treasure Pavilion who gained their fame and position solely through wealth only. Their experts were not experts of the family, but instead,moners they had hired. Their way of doing things was so different from the other families and this difference often caused the families to butt heads.

    Just the fact that the Alluring Treasure Pavilion was participating in the tournament shocked everyone. Even more so, when they found out that the participate was not a part of the Yong family, but instead a traveler whom they took in. Furthermore, realizing the ice queen of Ri Chu City seemed to have fallen for this person was even more shocking. Xu Min was without a doubt the most discussed topic in the entire city.

    The guards leading the Yong family into the Tang family¡¯s courtyard constantly red at Xu Min. To everyone, it was clear that they wanted to start a fight, but Xu Min paid no attention at all; it was as if the guards did not exist, quickly frustrating the guards, the Yong family¡¯s guides. How could anyone endure the hostility these two guards showed him? Usually, young masters such as Xu Min should be filled with confidence in their ability and battle whoever instigated a disgrace or insult against them. Xu Min, on the other hand, was so level headed he did not even notice their res against him.

    After walking through the Tang family¡¯s ground, they finally reached the outskirts; this was where the arena was located. At this point, Xu Min walked away from the other Yong family members and towards a group of young experts while the Yong family seated themselves in spots reserved for them.

    Upon seeing and standing with the group of experts, Xu Min realized he was far younger than all the other experts there. Rather, these experts were all around the middle of their twenties if notte twenties while Xu Min was merely fifteen years old. The younger generation geniuses were considered, the younger generation until thirty years old, and it was obvious that the older experts were the strongest. Therefore, these experts were the ones whose families sent them to fight.

    ¡°It¡¯s him.¡±

    ¡°What is so special about him?¡±

    ¡°He is quite ugly.¡±

    ¡°What? So all this drama was about a little boy?¡±

    ¡°Beating him will make us seem like bullies.¡±

    Many words were spoken about Xu Min and even though they were quite low, Xu Min heard every single word as walked towards them n. He heard all the maliciousments and gossip concerning him; yet, these hurtful words didn¡¯t affect Xu Min. He didn¡¯t care what others thought about him and looking at the many experts who had appeared in front of him, Xu Min just gave them a quick nce of acknowledgment but not respect.

    Currently, thirteen experts had arrived. These were all more or less from the twenty most influential families within Ri Chu City. However, all of them were too weak to be considered equal to the four great families and the Alluring Treasure Pavilion.

    Many of these experts were two-star Warriors. Now, reaching the rank of a two-star warrior before thirty years of age could be considered decent cultivating talent; nheless, regarding true geniuses, this was a far cry. All the participators were hoping to defeat each other and reach the top ten. Everyone knew that the top four spots were already taken.

    At the same time, they knew that the top four was always upied by the strongest families. Additionally, they also understood that the Yong family had never participated and even ranked. So, even though they had someone joining this year, everyone looked down and resented him. He was after all very young, and his rank did not seem to be higher than theirs.

    It was a feat to reach that rank at such a young age, but he was still being silly believing he could beat others.

 Chapter 49: Let the Tournament Begin!

    Chapter 49: Let the Tournament Begin!

    Xu Min sighed, seeing that the group of experts looked at him as though he was trash. His rank equaled their rank; but, due to their age, they had been second-star warriors for quite some time already. This age difference needed to be taken into ount since this would make them stronger than someone who had just reached the rank of a two-star warrior.

    Although Xu Min knew the experts¡¯ thoughts, he paid no heed to them. He knew that his strength could not be measured against the average experts¡¯ energy. Furthermore, with the benefit of strong stance and an outstanding sword, Xu Min had some advantages to bnce his youthful appearance. If he were in a potentially fatal situation, Cao Cao would save his life, but he was very certain that reliance on his snake friend would not be necessary. The strongest personpeting was a three star Warrior, and Xu Min easily remembered his fight against the three-star guards at the Yong family mansion.

    Not only had the sword assisted him in defeating these experts, but it had also managed to devour and deliver their energy to Xu Min¡¯s body. In turn, the sword helped make him even stronger and grow at an unbelievable speed.

    While exclusive experts joked amongst each other and disdainfully looked at Xu Min, the youngster stayed to himself. Suddenly, a mor arose from the group of experts as two other young men walked to them. These two men were Tang Jin, the oldest son, and heir to the Tang family and Wei Ling, the oldest son and heir to the Wei family. Behind them, Guo Long followed. Interestingly, though, he was in the top three, he was not walking alongside Tang and Wei. Usually, the three geniuses stayed together, but now this was not a case. Maybe a disagreement had urred between the three families.

    These top three experts were the ones who captured Xu Min¡¯s interest. In the tournament, Xiao Lei, Han Shi, and Wu Weisheng were also three-star warriors like the three top masters; however, they were still not as powerful as the three geniuses.

    Looking at these three geniuses, Xu Min furrowed his brows. He sensed a dangerous presenceing from Tang Jin. It seemed that he had sessfully broken through into the fourth-star Warrior rank. Being nurtured by Huang Zhen greatly assisted Tang Jin, and every expert started praising Tang Jin.

    ¡°You are going to win this year¡¯s tournament even without having to exert any energy!¡±

    ¡°To think, the honorable young master Tang managed to be a fourth star Warrior rank before the age of thirty. Yes, no one isparable to you.¡±

    ¡°Young master, congrattions on your advancement! You are soaring to the heavens like a dragon, defeating any other genius on the way!¡±

    Words of praise flooded the young master, and he genuinely smiled from all thepliments nodding and thanking the many experts; yet, he never corrected them or asked them to stop. Apparently, he felt like a divine prodigy, a peerless expert amongst the many geniuses in the world.

    As Tang Jin basked in his acim, his eyes suddenly fell upon Xu Min. The young man stood separate from the group, a small smirk shown on his face and his dark eyes stared straight at Tang Jin, never blinking, nor lowering his eyes in fear, just staring directly into the eyes of each other.

    The tension in the air suddenly rose. Everyone stopped speaking as the audience looked at Xu Min. Some were shocked that he dared to look directly at Tang Jin; others gleefully snickered because they expected him to be beaten up soon.

    Tang Jin felt his hair stand on end. He had never met anyone who did not fear him, even if it was only a little bit Nevertheless, within this boy¡¯s ck phantom eyes, no signs of fear nor signs of hesitation appeared. All there was was a keen interest in the battles.

    Clicking his tongue, Tang Jin turned around and walked towards the entry into the arena with everyone following behind. At the very back of the followers walked Xu Min. Although he was very unassuming, he instantly drew the audience¡¯s attention who turned their heads to catch a glimpse at Xu Min. Their eyes stared at Xu Min; this youngster who filled the city with so much turmoil.

    The experts lined up, and their faces radiated their pride; just to be allowed into this tournament, one had to be the most prominent expert in their family, and their family needed to have some standing within the city. In short, they were all the cream of the crop, and their pride was well earned.

    Xu Min was the only one who seemed apathetic. His eyes roamed across the entire audience; his eyes never once shied away from those who stared back at him. The Xu Min¡¯s onlookers all felt a sense of difort, but they could not understand fully why. Maybe it was because he was an outsider or is absolute fearless scared them; they didn¡¯t know.

    ¡°Ladies and Gentlemen! It is our Tang family¡¯s great pleasure to wee all of you to the one hundred and sixty-seventh tournament for young talents within Ri Chu City. For the first time, the Yong family from our Alluring Treasure Pavilion is joining the fighting households with a talent they have recently taken in. Every other spot filled is from the same families who have joined us for thest forty years.¡±

    ¡°You all know the rules; each participant will fight another one at a time. Whoever manages to stay on the tform until the end will be the winner. At one time, only two individual experts will fight.¡±

    ¡°Furthermore, a challenger may choose a particr participate. If the challenger does not ept, he will instantly be disqualified.¡±

    ¡°Since we all know the rules now, let the fighting begin!¡±

    The moment Tang Ye, the patriarch of the Tang family, finished speaking, cheering sounds could be heard from the audience. None of the experts, though, rushed to the stage, everyone wanted someone else to go first. This tournament was not where a fighter would first enter the stage, but who would stay there for the most rounds. It was only natural that no one wanted to be the first fighter.

    Finally, one of the smaller family experts gritted his teeth, and with decisive steps walked to the arena. ¡°I know I will not win anyways, but I can at least prove that I am better than the boy Yong Meilin has fallen for.¡± he murmured. Although the audience could not hear what he had just murmured, every fighter on the ground heard him. Some started snickering while others seemed as though they wished they had thought of it first. Still no one moved towards the arena to battle the first expert. Suddenly his voice rung out through the entire arena area, ¡°I challenge Xu Min from the Yong family!¡±

    As soon as the words had been yelled, a collective gasp could be heard from everyone in the audience. The faces of the Yong family turned dark, everyone except Yong Meilin appeared and felt as if they had already lost. Yong Meilin, on the other hand, smiled knowingly. She had seen Xu Min train daily, and she had also witnessed his sword¡¯s devouring energy. She was certain that it did not matter whether Xu Min was first, second, orst. He would win no matter what. She felt an unnerving and never-ending faith in Xu Min; her feelings bubbled up in her heart. Her faith in him was unnerving and never ending.

    Having seen that gentle smile on Yong Meilin¡¯s face, many of the experts questioned why she would smile at Xu Min¡¯s seemingly impending defeat. Only Xu Min knew the truth, and seeing her smile did he move towards the arena where his first opponent awaited him. Unsheathing his sword, he climbed onto the tform and looked straight at his opponent in front of him.

    Xu Min was an external expert. Everyone realized this once he pulled out his sword, and the ones who had previously looked at him with disdain were no incapable of notughing out loud, directly mocking him as they knew that external experts were far weaker than internal ones.

    Everyone except the Yong family wasughing at Xu Min. However, theughter quickly faded when they nced at the Yong family¡¯s knowing smiles. Did they know something that the others did not know?

    The judge didn¡¯t care. He already expected Xu Min to hide some secret attacks up his sleeve. He also knew that the Yong family invited Dong Liang to practice his cultivation skills much like the Tang family invited the Huang Zhen. Not only this, the Yong family were very far-sighted individuals. They were not desperate enough to show up with an expert who would be weak enough to lose the first round. Thus, the Judge would be very disappointed if Xu Min did not manage to at least defeat the first opponent.

    Xu Min still retained his apathetic smile as he gently tapped the sword against the ground; each time it touched the arena floor a small cut could be seen. One could easily guess, from the cuts, how shockingly sharp this sword was, and how heavy it had to be to create such a cut from nothing more than a slight tap.

    ¡°Weapons are allowed,and let the battle begin!¡± The judge said, non enthusiastically. The first of many battles were deemed to be the lower ranked experts against each other, and, unfortunately, their fights were not sensational. If anything, these fights were all desperate battles with evenly matched opponents. Many wounds would be inflicted, and they would be severely injured before a victor would be decided. As a result, the fights were drawn long and tedious.

    Seeing Xu Min was the opponent, everyone expected another boring and long battle, but they were soon surprised. Xu Min¡¯s opponent lifted his arm, and Qi poured from his body into an eagle behind his back. The eagle had released a silent roar before it rushed towards Xu Min.

    Xu Min narrowed his eyes, but he did not move in the slightest. No Qi left his body; the only part of Xu Min which did move was his sword. He shed horizontally right through the Qi eagle.The energy slowly vanished as the sword greedily absorbed it all.

    The eagle was still controlled by the two-star internal expert; where the sword did what it did best, ittched itself onto the strands of Qi and forcefully absorbed the Qi from inside the body of the internal expert.

    It did not take long before the internal expert copsed on the ground. All the energy in the opponent¡¯s body had been drained. His eyes were listless and his body limp. The absorption of the Qi invisibly took ce, so no one exactly knew what happened. The audience¡¯s expectationspletely dismantled as the strongest one they thought would be victorious was defeated in one attack. Silence soon followed as everyone was stunned. He should not have been so quickly defeated from having his eagle destroyed, but something happened, something invisible. Nevertheless, no matter what it was, Xu Min released no Qi, no ripples of energy came from him, yet his opponent was stillpletely drained.

    Not only the audience were shocked, everyone on the ground was shocked too. The experts remembered how they hadughed at Xu Min, but now that he had swiftly defeated one of their own, who was to say that he could not defeat two? Perhaps three? His ability was unlimited if he could deal with the two-star Warriors without the need for using his Qi. If this was the case, only the third and fourth-star Warriors were capable of dealing with him. The tournament had a dark horse participating, and this dark horse brought change.

 Chapter 50: The Dark Horse

    Chapter 50: The Dark Horse

    Silence swept over the arena, everyone¡¯s eyes stared at the defeated Warrior. ¡°He must have lost on purpose; I¡¯m sure that the Alluring Treasure Pavilion paid him to lose! They can afford it, after all!¡± someone suddenly and loudly interjected. Since thement was spoken in the silenced arena, everyone heard what was said.

    The Yong family¡¯s faces filled with anger and veins could be seen throbbing in their foreheads. It was clear that they were forcing themselves to remain calm and unaffected.

    Looking up, Xu Min noticed that the speaker satin one of the rows reserved for the weaker families attending the tournament. Xu Min abruptlyughed, aughter which shocked everyone present.

    ¡°You use me that I need to pay to win?¡± he asked with a sinister smile spreading on his lips, ¡°In that case, I challenge your family¡¯s expert. Let us see if your family too has been bribed to win.¡±

    While everyone thought this was a rash decision, three men knew otherwise. Xiao Lei, Han Shi, and Wu Weisheng knew of Xu Min¡¯s hidden strength. They then told their families about Xu Min¡¯s strength they saw at the challengers hall. None of their families though went to other families with the information. Although families might ally from time to time, the families were mainly loyal to themselves. All knowledge they had, they kept for themselves unless they benefitted from sharing it.

    Everyone¡¯s eyes were glued to the stage. Many in the audience thought the Yong family conspired the first battle from their riches. This young fighter was different; this man had called them out. If they lost, didn¡¯t that imply they seemed unreliable too?

    ¡°You have the guts to challenge me?¡± An expert eximed, walking down the stairs leading to the arena. Unlike the previous expert, this man was without a doubt an external expert. His body was massive with tanned skin and bulging muscles. Looking at his appearance, Xu Min instantly understood that he focused fully on strength; thus, his speed was incredibly slow. The warrior¡¯s sloth-like slowness reminded Xu Min of a battle he had fought earlier, remembering how that fight had gone, he could not help but confidently smile.

    Entering the arena, the external expert stretched his body, cracked his neck and looked menacingly at Xu Min. Comparing the two fighters, they looked ridiculous. Xu Min was a full two heads shorter than the bulky external expert. Furthermore, his body was small, lean, and agile; his body was swift. It resembled a wolf trying to kill a mouse.

    The spectators watched breathlessly. This battle would prove if Xu Min were naturally strong as the Yong family led on or if he was just a young man they had picked up and exaggerated his strength. Everything depended on Xu Min now.

    The fight was about to start. As soon as the judge dropped his hand, Xu Min¡¯s big opponent charged forward, with every step the ground shook. If amoner, unpracticed in cultivation, saw this charge, they would be shocked by the speed. However, many experts felt that thisrge man was incredibly slow. Avoiding his attacks proved to be the easiest Xu Min had ever done, dodging and evading, he managed to dodge every single attack. The fists aimed towards him never even touched the corner of his clothes.

    Everyone on the seats narrowed his or her eyes. Observing the fight, it was evident who was at an advantage and who was at a disadvantage.Although therge external expert was constantly advancing towards Xu Min, due to his snail-like slowness he was unable to reach him, making him at a disadvantage.

    Xu Min was considering if he should just stop retreating and attack instead attack. Should he use his sword? Or should he use his fists? Uncertain if he used his sword he could finish the battle early while at the same time increase his strength because adding too much energy would cause his body to explode. The energy he received from his first was already quite a bit, absorbing more could be risky.

    ¡®Fine, let us go with the fists then,¡¯ Xu Min decided, ¡®I¡¯ll just use some of the energy I have already absorbed and then suck the next expert dry.¡¯

    ¡®Hey! You should let me deal with him,¡¯ Cao Cao¡¯s voice suddenly resounded in Xu Min¡¯s ear. ¡®I owe that Yong family a lot. They gave me plenty of good food, so we cannot afford to lose this tournament. If I see you having problems, then I will personally make sure to step in so that you win.¡¯

    Hearing these words and the arrogance behind them, Xu Min couldn¡¯t help but snort. The spectators above and the fighters below noticed the snort, and they assumed it was a sign of disdain for the expert in front of him. Suddenly, all of them believed that the Yong family had not cheated. Perhaps, they truly had found a peerless genius.

    Understanding this realization, many of the experts felt pity for the young man. To have such a great talent and then use him this year in the tournament was an unfortunate situation. He was under twenty years of age; thus, he could have joined thepetition until another ten years. Nevertheless, he had joined, and only when he was a second-star student. Even if he were talented, he would be destroyed by the third-star Warriors, if not them by young master Tang Jin for sure since he was a four-star Warrior

    However, the human being isplex, and though they felt pity, they were secretly pleased with this misfortune as well. The Alluring Treasure Pavilion was already a giant within Ri Chu City without having martial powers due to their money.

    If this person truly had the chance to grow and be older and a higher-ranked expert, Then the other presitiges families and experts would have to pay even more respect to the Alluring Treasure Pavilion. No one wanted that.

    ¡°Let us see if he can turn this around,¡± some of the experts in their seats mumbled.

    ¡°Perhaps he only knows how to flee,¡±

    ¡°He is slower at defeating this expert than the previous one. They were probably correct about the Yong family paying the expert for losing on purpose.¡±

    ¡°He is so young. Although he might have the advantage, if he cannot utilize his advantage then it doesn¡¯t even matter. He cannot have much experience in battle, so he is going to get beat anyway.¡±

    Many simr words were uttered. These murmurings could be heard by the audience from the experts seating down. No one blinked; rather, everyone looked at the arena, determining whether or not Xu Min could actually win.

    The Yong family¡¯s faces soured, their moods fouled, and they could not help but grimace at the negative words about Xu Min that rained down upon them. The only one who seemed serene was Yong Meilin. A gentle smile was on her lips and her eyes glued to Xu Min.

    Xu Min didn¡¯t even nce at the seats, but he knew that there was at least one person who did not doubt him. This assurance was all he needed deep within in his heart. Having been alone for such a long time, and then just being with Cao Cao, Xu Min was used to not dealing with other people. He didn¡¯t trust humans after Overseer Tian¡¯s infamous betrayal.

    Nheless, Yong Meilin wasn¡¯t there, not doing anything specific apart from just being around him and he had found that he could rx with her by his side.

    A gentle smile appeared on Xu Min¡¯s face. He abruptly came to a standstill. Instead of turning backward, Xu Min rushed forward; his sword was sheathed on his back, and Qi entered his fists. Although Xu Min was not as physically dominant as his opponent, he had speed at his disposal, and he punched his opponent squarely in his opened chest with Xu Min¡¯s Qi enhanced fist.The Qi poured into the opponent and sent a shockwave through his muscle, crushing his heart His opponent staggered backward, a stream of blood ran from his lips.

    This man was far older than Xu Min and though he was injured he forcefully managed to stand his ground before he charged forward. Rushing towards Xu Min his fastest speed was like a snail in front of a cheetah. As a result, Xu Min had long since pounced backward far away from the muscr man.

    Grinning Xu Min decided he needed to end this fight; he instantly pounced forward again, Qi glistening on his palm. He struck the shoulder, the abdomen, and the sr plexus in rapid session before he once more retreated and the opponent was propelled backward.

    The opponent falling to the ground was shocked to realize he could do nothing to stop the attacks. Additionally, his body had been severely damaged by these attacks. Trying to stand up once more, he fell to his knees and vomited blood. It was clear that he was fully unable even to fight back against the swift Xu Min.

    Although everyone wanted to prove and say that Xu Min was not experienced enough, it was apparent he had won this battle. Because it was not a fight to the death, the Judge stopped it after the expert had vomited blood.

    ¡°The winner is Xu Min from the Yong family,¡± he apathetically called out, causing surprise in the audience. When Xu Min had attacked, pouncing only twice had been enough to make thisrge muscr man submit. With the first expert everyone still had not figured out how Xu Min defeated him and now this?. Silence prevailed once again in the audience; finally, they understood that this young man might equal the others because of his inherent hidden strengths.

    Although everyone knew that his power was real and not bought by the Yong family, they started, even more, to desire he would be defeated by the strongerpetitors. They couldn¡¯t allow the Yong family to rise too much in the martial artspetition. It would ce all of them in an unfortunate position.

    Knowing Xu Min¡¯s unstable situation, the patriarch of the Yong family worried. He knew Xu Min would likely be severely injured by the young master of the Tang family or by the three-star Warriors, but he would have to still ask this young man to fight against the higher ranked cultivators. No matter what happened to Xu Min,ter on, his time to shine was now, and his rank was what determined by how strong and prestige the Yong family became.

    Knowing this, Xu Min stayed on the stage. He owed the Yong family a lot, and if not for anything else, he still would have participated due to his friendship between him and Yong Meilin. Unlike the Yong family patriarch, Xu Min did not think his future would end here. Xu Min exactly knew what his hidden strengths were like, and with Cao Cao around his neck he knew there was a fifty-fifty percent chance of winning. He was not sure how well he could do against the fourth-star ranked Tang Jin, but he did know he would do his best to bring fame for the Yong family. He needed to repay the kindness they had shown him before he had to move on, move on onto the road of revenge.

 Chapter 51: The Might of a Two Star Warrior

    Chapter 51: The Might of a Two Star Warrior

    Silence surrounded the audience sitting and the experts standing. Everyone stared at Xu Min; they finally understood his strength was authentic. Acknowledging this reality, many of the two-star Warriors hesitated to ept a challenge since they knew they were not stronger than the two opponents who had already been defeated.

    Seeing that no one stepped forward, Xu Min pointed at a random cultivator. This cultivator was an internal expert, and as soon as the battle begun, Xu Min once more wielded his Qi devouring sword. Simr to the first match, Xu Min¡¯s third opponent copsed on the arena¡¯s floor without even putting up a fight. Xu Min¡¯s sword swiftly and efficiently drained all of his energy. Unable to stand up and walk, he needed assistance from the other experts to leave the stage.

    A pattern developed. One person Hui Yue actually fought while the next opponent he would use his sword. Thus, he rotated between his sword and his physical strength. It didn¡¯t take long for many of the most skilled experts in the audience to understand Xu Min¡¯s sword had a draining ability. Many experts greedily looked upon Xu Min¡¯s now coveted sword; the older experts restrained themselves from charging down and forcefully stealing the sword from the young man. Their reputations would be tarnished, and they would appear unsightly; especially since they assumed it was a treasure the Alluring Treasure Pavilion had gifted him.

    What these families did not know was that even the patriarch of the Yong family was shocked to see this important treasure in the hands of Xu Min. A peerless treasure, helping its owner defeat this many experts without relying on his Qi within.

    The fights were quick and short. Xu Min kept on devouring as much energy as he possibly could.When he felt his body filled with energy, then he would use his external attacks and outstanding speed to deal with the rest.

    All the two-star experts were swiftly defeated. None of them managed to hit Xu Min even once, let alone touch the corner of his robe. Xu Min defeated them in rapid session of each other, and he never had to leave the arena. Looking at him, all the spectators were filled with disbelief.

    Xu Min had been using some of his Qi here and there, but he never seemed low on Qi, not even when he fought the twenty experts in a row. In front of Xu Min, only six experts remained.

    These six experts were Xiao Lei, Han Shi, Wu Weisheng, the young master Wei, young master Tang, young master Shiu and young Master Guo. All of them, apart from young master Tang Jin, were three-star warriors while Tang Jin was a four-star warrior.

    Finally, the casual expression on Xu Min¡¯s face turned serious; he knew the easy fights had ended. Although the sword had managed to subdue third-star experts at the Yong familypound, this time, it was different.

    These experts in front of him were the sons of influential families within Ri Chu City.

    They had been raised far differently than the guards of the Yong family home. The families fed them medicinal pills and gave them anything they needed to enhance their training. They were the best, the most outstanding and dangerous youngsters in the younger generation. These experts should be able to quickly deal with the devouring effect of the sword, understand how it works, and counter its effects.

    While Xu Min earnestly looked at the experts in front of him, the Yong family was already satisfied with the results Xu Min had achieved. In the tournament¡¯s history, this was the first time one person defeated twenty opponents in a row. Even a high-ranked fighter without a devouring sword would be limited by his or her Qi and after defeating twenty opponents would be definitely at their limits.

    The record-setting young man did not seem to be at his limit at all. There was no sweat on his face, no fatigue in his eyes, and no exhaustion in his movements. He seemed as vigorous as when he first entered the arena. This sight alone shocked the spectators.

    The experts on the ground were numb and worried since they were the ones fighting not the audience. After seeing one person getting defeated after another, they felt apprehensive. They all waited for Xu Min to reach his limit while he was fighting, but now looking at this young man he was far from his limit.

    Looking at each other, the reality was clear; no one was interested in being the next person in the arena.

    ¡°Hahaha,¡± suddenly aughter rang out, ¡°don¡¯t tell me that all of you have be scared of a mere two-star Warrior?¡± a voice mockingly interrogated. Everyone turned their heads to the speaker and Xu Min¡¯s eyes narrowed. It was Tang Jin.

    ¡°If not one of you dares to challenge an expert a whole level below you then allow me to demonstrate therge difference between the ranks, as if a two-star Warrior is capable of defeating me.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t consider this bullying, do you?¡± Xiao Lei asked. However, his question only made Tang Jinugh even more, ¡°Bullying? He just bullied twenty experts; should we just let him do whatever he wishes to do?

    True, I might be twice his age and twice his rank, but I will show him that he has been on stage far too long. I will prove to him he is not the only genius around here.¡±

    Hearing these words from Tang Jin, Xiao Lei said no more; but, he and Han Shi and Wu Weisheng all looked dismayed. It was evident they were displeased with what Tang Jin said, yet none of them dared to say more. They were young masters indeed; nheless, their families could not afford to insult the Tang family.

    Xu Min was standing still, leaning on his sword and feigning interest. To him, it did not matter which one of them would fight him. However, if it truly were the young master Tang, then Xu Min would not be upset. He was fully energized to focus solely on this high ranked expert. Having the strength to fight Tang Jin made Xu Min feel somewhat excited even. Tang Jin reminded him of the young master of the Zhong family, and thisparison made Xu Min¡¯s eyes burn with anger and hungry to do battle. He wanted to prove he had be stronger, and a spoiled young master was now going to be his stepping stone.

    Hearing that Tang Jin stepped forward, the young master of the Guo family cleared his throat. ¡°The winner of the next match will be the winner of the entire tournament,¡± he dered, ¡°We cannot defeat Young Master Tang Jin; thus, if he wins we will all forfeit. If by any chance, this young man were to win against Tang Jin, then we will dere him the winner as he has managed to defeat the one fighter we could not defeat.¡±

    His words caused a slight displeasure, not only by the audience but also amongst the participating experts. The audience wanted as many battles as possible while the experts also wanted to battle Xu Min. After thinking and discussing the matter, they finally agreed. The chance of Xu Min winning was so slim.They knew it was not possible for them to fight him in the arena. After a few minutes, all the experts nodded their heads and left the arena floor, heading to some seats that had been set up for them. They contented themselves to be just spectators as well, ready to watch the final match of this year¡¯spetition.

    The audience fell silent, seeing Tang Jin step onto the arena floor. Tang Jin was an internal expert. Most of the young masters were internal experts since they were considered the strongest and easier to train. However, internal experts did have some disadvantages, and Xu Min knew every benefit and drawback there was. He had a few stances he could use alongside his external strength.

    ¡°I will not kill you; I will only cripple you, so you better be d,¡± Tang Jin hostile and coldly said with a sinister grin, baring his teeth. Every expert heard his words, and many of them sighed, thinking this would be the end of one more rising star. With this in the mind of many of the spectators, Xu Min was deemed to be a cripple after today; but even so, the short while he fought he had shined. He had shined as the brightest star in Ri Chu City. He set new records for the tournament by defeating twenty experts and brought pride and honor to the Yong family. It was just a shame that he had to pay this high price by doing so.

    Shockwaves appeared in the entire arena as Qi energy ripples started appearing around Tang Jin, encircling him like a snake does with its prey. Xu Min had seen this attack before, so it did not impress him; rather, he disdainfully looked at the snake Qi. He had met snakes many times before, and more dangerous than a snake made from Qi.Unsheathing his sword, a low sound could be heard before Xu Min took a defensive stance. Unlike the other defeated experts he had faced so far, Xu Min knew he would be able to devour some of the snake¡¯s energy, but his opponent was not easy. He could not only rely on his sword¡¯s devouring ability but had to fight using all of his strength. Everything he had within him needed to be used now.

    The snaketched out like a whip. So swift it was almost impossible to see it, but Xu Min specialized in speed and with a simple sidestep he avoided the Qi snake. The snake shot right past him, yet it did not even touch the corner of his sleeve.

    He then brought the sword down, with a clean cut, and a swishing sound the snake¡¯s head separated from its body. Xu Min¡¯s sword quickly devoured the Qi that made up the snake¡¯s head while the other body instantly retreated into Tang Jin¡¯s body.

    Everyone including Tang Jin was shocked to Hui Yue quickly escaping the Qi snake. As well, Seeing that he could destroy Tang Jin¡¯s attack with one sword strike was even more shocking. Looking at the two experts, it did not quite seem they were two full star¡¯s a part.

    Some of the experts in the audience started observing the Yong family. When they saw the serene expression on Yong Meilin¡¯s face, doubt welled up within them, doubt and a slight fear. They started praying Tang Jin would take the fight seriously; so, seriously he would trample upon this young genius. Allowing the Alluring Treasure Pavilion more strength was enough to frighten everyone present.

    While the audience was busy in their thoughts, Xu Min was entirely focused on Tang Jin. Though he had managed to escape the attack, he had only done so because he correctly guessed when Tang Jin was going to attack. His focus on speed also allowed him to read his opponent easier, but there was a whole two-star difference between them. Although Xu Min could dodge and avoid, what was this worth if he could not attack?

    Thinking while dodging, Xu Min and Tang Jin exchanged one attack after another. While Xu Min¡¯s attacks werepletely useless against Tang Jin, the older and higher-level expert¡¯s attacks were not much more useful since none of them hit their target. It was evident both experts were in a desperate deadlock. A situation none of the experts assumed would happen. Their eyes bulged in surprise; their hearts raced, and none dared to breathe, blink, or move. They feared of missing that one mistake, which would determine the winner.

 Chapter 52: Young Master Tang Jin

    Chapter 52: Young Master Tang Jin

    Xu Min was doing his utmost to avoid every single attack thrown at him, and Tang Jin was not letting up. Since the battle had started, he had not moved even once. Tang Jin would consistently create one creature after another from Qi and send them after Xu Min, who would use his sword time and time again to decapitate the beasts.

    Sweat started to pour down Xu Min¡¯s forehead. He knew t he couldn¡¯t just keep on dodging. At some point, he would judge wrongly, make a mistake, and not be able to dodge the attack. Once he got hit from a four-star Warrior, he would be in a dire situation.

    ¡®Leave it to me!¡¯ Xu Min heard Cao Cao¡¯s voice in the back of his mind, but he ignored it since his mind kept reeling with questions. ¡°Which options did he have?¡± It wasn¡¯t until now Xu Min realized that although he had a trained for a long time, he was dependent upon his sword too much. The only reason he was still standing was solely from the sword¡¯s energy it devoured which resupplied his energy levels. Xu Min had long since used his energy, and the sword alone kept pushing him past his limits. However, no matter how much Xu Min tried, the physical attacks he tried tond on Tang Jin were easily deflected by a Qi armor that covered him.

    Xu Min was not the only one growing frantic. Tang Jin felt his reserves were soon being used up from all the energy he kept pouring out. What frustrated him was Xu Min countered every attack. If a four-star Warrior, equal to him, countered his attacks he wouldn¡¯t mind. He had just reached the four-star just recently, but the person in front of him was no four-star Warrior. He was only a two-star Warrior, which seemed to continually dodge his attacks, surviving by a hairs breath every single time.

    Anger arose within Tang Jin, but he did not allow his feelings to control him. Instead, he lowered his hand and returned all the Qi which was floating in the air back into his body. Closing his eyes for a moment and having a Qi armor protecting his body, he made himself breathe slowly, made himself forget the humiliation he had experienced so far, which made his demeanorpletely changed.

    ¡°How unlikeable,¡± Xu Min mumbled, realizing Tang Jin did not submit to his anger but instead calmed himself. ¡®I agree, but if he is too much of a threat, just let me help out,¡¯ Cao Cao¡¯s voice sounded in Xu Min¡¯s mind, but he replied just with smiling a little before shaking his head. This was the one fight he needed to win on his own. He could not afford to lose in front of the Yong family.

    Stopping, Xu Min and Tang Jin stood in front of each other. Their eyes were caught in a dead-lock. Xu Min took a deep breath. There was one thing he could do. With a determined expression on his face, Xu Min took a stance, moved one foot and lifted one arm.

    Shocked voices could be heard from the audience as they saw that Xu Min was capable of doing stances. Most external experts had not been giving any time for learning stances as they fully focused on using Qi as a supporter for their physical strength. However, here he was Xu Min, a young genius, who seemed capable of doing both internal and external attacks.

    ¡°How strong can the stance of an external expert really be?¡± Tang Jin mocked in his heart before looking at Xu Min whose face was serious and his eyes constantly watched the older man.

    Behind Xu Min Qi suddenly started to leave his body and materialize into many arrowheads. They seemed to be made from jade although everyone knew they were created from Xu Min¡¯s Qi.

    The Qi that had left his body gathered behind him. The shining jade arrowheads looked like a massive starry sky. The sharp tips of the arrowheads seemed dangerous, and even Tang Jin felt a shiver run down his spine. He once more summoned his Qi shield to protect him.

    Although he saw Tang Jin¡¯s shield in front of him, Xu Min lowered his hand, following Xu Min¡¯s gesture the arrowheads shot forward towards Tang Jin. Seeing the arrowheads speeding towards him, a grin appeared on Tang Jin¡¯s face. Though there was a lot of arrowheads, his shield was big enough to protect Tang Jin¡¯s entire body. How could Xu Min believe that his two star Qi attack was able to defeat a four star expert in direct confrontation?

    A snicker appeared on Tang Jin¡¯s face as the arrowheads headed towards him. Just before they came into contact with Tang Jin¡¯s shield, Xu Min clenched his fist and the many thousand arrowheads scattered in every direction. Some of themnded on the shield and loud ¡®dong¡¯ sounds appeared in rapid session as many of the arrows still crashed into the shield.

    No cracks could be seen in the shield even though it sounded like they severely damaged it. Clearly, the shield was easily strong enough to handle the arrowheads. The other half of these thousands of arrowheads were not hitting the shield. Instead, they evaded it before they once more focused onto Tang Jin. The young master felt frantic, seeing these sharp arrowheads heading for his body. Lifting up the shield, he managed to protect his head. Nevertheless, the arrowheads sharply embedded themselves into the lower body of the young master Tang Jin.

    Blood started flowing, and the entire arena waspletely still. Although the wounds were not incredibly serious, they had drawn blood. The first person in the battle to draw blood was Xu Min, the two-star Warrior, and not Tang Jin, the one person whom they assumed would cripple Xu Min within a few attacks.

    The angered Tang Jin once more had to collect himself. He was so angered that he felt his veins throbbing in his forehead. He knew if let the anger control him, he would likely be defeated. This loss was something he could not afford. Thus, he forcefully calmed himself down once more before he snorted. The wounds stung but they were not deep, nor were they threatening. Channeling his Qi to the wound, he quickly managed to close the wounds up and took a stance.

    This stance was nothing like the previous ones. Tang Jin was finally taking Xu Min seriously, and the attack he summoned was a massive spear created from Qi. The spear appeared as real as could be, and while one looked at the edge, one could easily guess how incredibly sharp it was.

    The surrounding atmosphere became unusual. Shockwaves from the energy¡¯s ripples could be felt exuding from the spear. Xu Min knew this was the moment he had waited for. Now, he would fight Tang Jin with everything he had.

    Contrary to everyone¡¯s expectations, Xu Min did not unsheathe his sword; instead, he too took a stance and lifted his arm. Qi poured out from his body and created a massive palm above his head, a palm which seemed as real as Tang Jin¡¯s spear in front of him. Looking at these two experts, it was easy to understand that both attacks were incredibly outstanding. However, no one could forget that one of the experts was a four-star Warrior while the other was a two-star Warrior. There was a great difference in strength between them. Nevertheless, Xu Min was not backing down.

    The spear shot forward as the palm descended. A loud boom resounded in the arena and dust whirled from the ground, masking everything which just urred. The experts sitting down were all astonished to see the colliding attack. Unfortunately, the dust made it impossible for them to see the result of this impact.

    With the dust disappearing, everyone was shocked to notice that both experts were still standing on the stage. Xu Min had a slight trail of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. This was the first time Yong Meilin appeared worried. The expression quickly returned to being confident However, quite a few noticed the brief change in her expression and secretly felt happy.

    Eliminating Xu Min became the earnest wish of many families present. Some families who were not supportive of the Tang family, but the Yong family, amongst these were the Guo family, the Xiao, the Han and Han and the Shiu families, were also somewhat uncertain in where their allegianceid. Seeing this two-star Warrior expert standing up against a four-star Warrior was refreshing, they found themselves hoping Xu Min would prevail ¨C albeit, they knew it was unthinkable.

    Xu Min wiped the corner of his mouth as he unsheathed the sword on his back, ¡®Let me, let me, let me, let me!¡¯ Cao Cao repeatedly whined, but the young man kept ignoring the snake. Although Cao Cao wanted to attack, he knew Xu Min would not forgive him if he jumped in without being allowed to do so. Thus, the snake stayed behind, doing nothing, even if it meant Xu Min was in severe danger.

    ¡°Let us see how this works then,¡± Xu Min mumbled. He twirled the massive sword in his hands before getting ready to meet the spear once more.

    The palm attack done earlier had managed to push the spear away from Xu Min, but it did not manage to destroy it. Rather, the palm shattered the moment it sessfully managed to push the spear away.

    Tang Jin did not wait to let Xu Min calm down. He instantly shot the spear forward once more. Avoiding the spear by sidestepping, Xu Min swung down the sword. With a loud boom, the sword cut the spear in half. A shockwave appeared from the impact. Both Xu Min and Tang Jin were shot backward like a kite with a broken string. Theynded heavily against the arena walls, coughing up blood.

    Standing up, Xu Min felt wobbly. The world around him started to spin; he bit his lip hard enough, so the pain would sharpen his senses. Tang Jin was in a slightly better state but not much. His head had banged straight into the arena wall, and blood had started dripping from the back of his head. His eyes were filled with anger, and his body was jolting as he tried to force himself to calm down.

    Tang Jin¡¯s strength was not something to trifle with. Now that he was on the edge of letting go of his anger, Xu Min could not help but smirk. If Tang Jin did let go of his anger, he was likely to win. Nheless, this lowly two-star Warrior did cause him to bleed twice. This was an undeniable humiliation the entire city¡¯s upper ss had witnessed. Even if he had tempered his mind, he knew he could not afford to let anger control him. But, he had a hard time epting the humiliation he had undergone today.

    ¡°You disgusting little shit, I am going to trample you! I am going to make you wish you were dead!¡± Tang Jin finally howled before rushing forward. He was not taking a stance; instead, his Qi flowed around him. He wished to crush Xu Min with his Qi alone. Smiling sweetly, Xu Min did not move. He had been waiting for this exact moment.

 Chapter 53: My Son!

    Chapter 53: My Son!

    Xu Min smirked as he saw the furious Tang Jin rushing towards him. All the Qi from within his body started to burst forward,ying itself like a dense nket on the arena. The energy rushed towards Xu Min who was standingpletely still, looking at the heavy energying his way.

    Here was a four-star warrior releasing his Qi, intending to let it crush anything on its way; yet, Xu Min dared to meet it head on. It was a crude way to fight. Unlike a stance, releasing one¡¯s Qi like this was the most destructive way of fighting. Nheless, this technique was like a two-edged sword. A fighter would release all the Qi in their body; the moment the attack died out, they would be unable to continue fighting.

    ¡°So, you are finally going all out,¡± Xu Minughed at the desperate attack from Tang Jin. Tightening his grip on the sword handle, he prepared to cut the nket of Qi. His face focused and a small smile could be seen.

    The Qi moved swiftly. Within one moment of time, the energy reached Xu Min. He swung the sword down, managing to cut through the nket of Qi, he saw Tang Jin¡¯s face suddenly turned pale.

    No matter how hard he had tried. Tang Jin had beenpletely blinded by anger. He previously knew that it was possible for Xu Min to absorb Qi by his sword; however, the short moment he had acted upon his anger, he had forgotten all about this strange ability. Now, he was like a mouse locked in a trap with no way to get out of it.

    Once the swordnded on the Qi, a humming sound could be heard, filling the entire arena. At the same time, the nket of Qi was turning transparent. The more transparent the nket became, the higher the humming sound was.

    The Qi which the sword was devouring was the highest grade of Qi. Previously, when training with the sword, the experts had made various stances, and a stance could be cut forcefully. However, using a raw form of Qi to attack, it was impossible to disconnect the Qi from the sword no matter how much Tang Jin tried. The sword continuously gulped down more and more Qi.

    Half of this Qi was being refined through the sword. It entered Xu Min¡¯s body, and his dantian was constantly quivering as more and more energy filled it up. It was so full that it was about to explode. Channeling the Qi from the dantian to his body, he managed to make sure he was not being crippled. The amount of Qi entering his body was so ferocious that Xu Min was almost in a worse position than Tang Jin who was being sucked dry.

    The moment Tang Jin felt the suction force he backed away, but it was toote. The energy was being swallowed whole by the sword. While the Qi was pouring into Xu Min, he poured it out into the surroundings, making nket of Qi simr to Tang Jin¡¯s. However, Xu Min¡¯s nket was smaller than the previous one, and it was not as dense. Still, it was enough to be terrifying, especially for Tang Jin who had beenpletely emptied and now defenseless.

    Having sucked up the final Qi from the atmosphere, Xu Min stomped on the ground and shot forward. The Qi nket roiled around him, and shockwaves were constantly being emitted.

    Moving forward, Xu Min¡¯s Qi nket enveloped Tang Jin. Soon, blood-curdling screams could be heard. Although Tang Jin was a four-star Warrior, he was currentlypletely useless as all his internal energy was depleted. He had never physically trained his body, so there was no way for him to stand against the Qi which was crushing him.

    His arms were raised for protection against the Qi, but these arms soon broke like twigs. His legs followed soon after, and blood started pouring from his eyes and his ears. His screams resounded through the silent arena until suddenly someone yelled out and a boom could be heard, ¡°My son!¡± Tang Ye yelled and as hended on the ground. Xu Min could feel an outstanding pressure behind him. Using the Sword to suck in the Qi, half of it returned to his body, and the Qi nket on the arena vanished. With the Qi nket gone, everyone was able to see Tang Jin had been crippled by the one Tang Jin said he would cripple. The two-star Warrior defeated the four-star Warrior, somethingpletely unheard of.

    However, Tang Ye, Tang Jin¡¯s father, was fuming with anger. His body trembled when he saw his son, his pride,ying there crippled. He would never again be able to advance once in the world of cultivators.

    ¡°He was going to cripple me! If I crippled him first, it¡¯s just too bad old man,¡± Xu Min said honestly to Tang Ye. Xu Min was fully aware that the expert¡¯s power he could not defeat.

    Retreating backward, Xu Min knew what Tang Ye was currently contemting to do. His anger was clear. It was obvious he wanted to make Xu Min suffer, but the arena¡¯s audience was filled with Ri Chu City¡¯s top experts. Personally acting in front of all of them would cause Tang Ye¡¯s family to be disgraced, losing their position and respectability. This was a battle between the younger generation, and he had to admit Tang Jin had intended Xu Min to undergo a ferocious defeat. Thus, only Tang Jin was to be med.

    ncing towards his young son, his anger arose once more. He decided his son was worth more than his pride, and he strode towards Xu Min who wore a bitter smile on his face, beat the young one, and the older man would appear.

    ¡°That is enough old Ye! ¡± someone suddenly called out as he joined the arena. It was a man Xu Min had never spoken with before; but looking at him, he knew that it was the patriarch of the Guo family.

    ¡°You don¡¯t want the city to know what I know,¡± he said with a low voice. A voice he thought only he and Tang Ye could hear; however, the words were just loud enough for Xu Min to hear them as well.

    ¡°You have the skillful alchemist Huang Zhen as your guest in your mansion right now. Why don¡¯t you hope he can do something for your son. Rush to the medics now and see what can be done. His dantian is not shattered. It¡¯s just his arms and legs that have been crippled. Even if he cannot walk, he can still be an internal expert.¡±

    These words were loud enough for all to hear, and the audience all nodded their heads in agreement. What he had said seemed reasonable to the audience. It was just bad luck that it had been Tang Jin that got crippled instead of Xu Min. Everyone was shocked seeing Xu Min standing still in the arena while Tang Jin was a bloody mess. The judge finally stepped in, ¡°Older generations of the Ri Chu City have no reason to be on this stage. The battle has finally finished, and no one has died. I dere Xu Min of the Yong family has won this year¡¯s younger generation tournament.¡±

    After his deration, no one knew if they were supposed to cheer or not. The dark horse had proven to be a true dark horse all the way to his victory. It was the first time anyone had seeded in battling twenty-one experts in one go, and, even more outstanding, being a two-star Warrior who defeated a four-star Warrior. What they did not realize was that Xu Min only won because Tang Jin lost control of himself due to his anger for a short moment, and this short moment allowed his demise. It gave Xu Min the one mistake he needed to win.

    Had he fought the other experts, the ones who had willingly stepped down, then he would have likely lost? The only reason he could anger Tang Jin enough was that he was so over confident.His cockiness stopped him from crushing Xu Min from the very start.

    Everyone was still shocked, even the Yong family. Even Yong Meilin was shocked, but her face was as tranquil as it had been almost the entire battle. Pride was shining in her eyes as a beautiful smile shone on her porcin-white face.

    As Xu Min stepped down from the arena, he was greeted by the experts who had stepped back from him at the beginning of the tournament. All of them tried to curry favor with him. However, Xu Min excused himself quickly, saying he had sustained internal injuries and needed to move back to the Yong familypound, but they could find him thereter on.

    The Yong family, alongside Dong Liang, had faces full of smiles as they looked at Xu Min. Seeing blood was still trickling down the corner of his mouth, Yong Meilin found a cloth tissue from her dress and gently wiped away the blood before she gently supported him. Together the two of them headed to the Yong familypound. Xu Min had not been lying, he had sustained internal injuries, and he needed to heal himself before continuing down the road of revenge.

    ¡®You did pretty good,¡¯ Cao Cao said, but his voice was sullen. It was clear he had wanted to battle the stronger expert himself. Understanding Cao Cao¡¯s disappointment¡¯s Xu Min chuckled in turn causing more blood to appear.

    Yong Meilin who had been certain in Xu Min¡¯s victory greatly worried as she gently wiped his mouth again. She helped him back to his house where she ced him on his bed. He instantly fell asleep. The final battle had severely exhausted and injured him.

    After a few moments, Dong Liang suddenly showed up He knocked on the door before he entered the room. A great smile was on his face as the Yong family¡¯s patriarch stood behind him.

    ¡°This young man won against the cultivator who was personally looked after by Huang Zhen. This is my victory,¡± he cackled withughter and reached into his cloak. He took out a small jade case which he opened, and a strong medicinal smell wafted out.

    ¡°This is a special pill. Even I only have around thirty percentage chance of seeding in creating it, but it can heal any injury. Allowing me to win against Huang Zhen, I don¡¯t mind parting with one of these pills. Little girl, give this pill to him,¡± he said as he reached out his hand and passed over the pill to Yong Meilin who took it gratefully. Tears were in her eyes while she quickly ced the small pill within Xu Min¡¯s mouth.

    The energy in the room started rushing towards Xu Min, being absorbed by his body and slowly the sound of bones against bones could be heard. Grunts of pain escaped Xu Min¡¯s lips; but even so, he did not wake up.

    Dong Liang sent a final nce to the two youngsters in the room before he nodded his head and turned around. ¡°Take good care of him!¡± Was the patriarchs only words before he hurried after Dong Liang.

    Looking at the two departing figures, Yong Meilin quickly went and closed the door. She once more sat down next to the bed; her eyes were glued to Xu Min¡¯s sweat covered face. She found some cold water and started wiping him down. She could not wait for him to wake up once more as healthy as he had been before entering the tournament. Yong Meilin wanted once more to return to the days where she and Xu Min would spend their time training together in the small courtyard, eating together and talking together and training together for their entire lives.

    Although Yong Meilin wished for a daily life like this, she also remembered the cold expression on Xu Min¡¯s face when he thought of his past. She understood his future was not with her, but in the viciouslypetitive world. He would rise to fame and be a known figure who would reside in another world than her.

 Chapter 54: Departure

    Chapter 54: Departure

    Tears streamed down Yong Meilin¡¯s eyes while she looked at the bustling road in front of her. This road was always busy with merchants, mercenaries and other adventurers, people who came and went. She had been standing there since morning with tears constantly falling from her eyes.

    Many young men had tried to talk with her. Some had brought her tissues whereas others would try and make her look at them. Yet, no matter what anyone did, Yong Meilin ignored them all and kept looking at the road. She felt as if someone had shattered her heart and broke it into thousand of pieces. It seemed impossible for her to pick them up and put them together again.

    It was now three months after the tournament¡¯s end. Xu Min had spent an entire two weeks healing before his body was back at his peak performance. Afterwards, he spent another two and a half months training. He had long since made up his mind of leaving. The question now was finding the right time and nning where he wished to go.

    ¡®If we are gonna leave, why haven¡¯t we left already?¡¯ Cao Cao repeatedly whined, but every time Xu Min just shook his head and replied, ¡®we cannot leave just like this. There is a lot of things we need to prepare first. Or, are you saying that you don¡¯t want to ensure we have enough food for the travel? You know I want to enter the Ruins of the Immortals, but I need to have some more information about this ce.¡¯ The snake hissed a little when he heard about the food, but he still didn¡¯t believe Xu Min.

    ¡®You just don¡¯t want to leave Meilin!¡¯ the snake said with a smirk on his scaly face. Xu Min, shaking his head, decided not to argue any further. Rather, he wentinto the city where he had collected all the information possible about the Ruins of the Immortals.

    The Ruins were a massive part of the neighbouring kingdom. It was a whole province where one could find both forests and ins. Scattered around the entire province were old cities thatid in ruins. All of them had been in their prime many years before, and they had all housed immortals. One could visit these sites and gain enlightenment in front of their ancient intricate inscriptions. Some of the ruins still controlled the elements and one could gain enlightenment in how to be one with the world.

    Other ruins were inhabited by old magical beasts. Their strength were simr or stronger than Cao Cao¡¯s father. These ruins had gained the reputation of forbidden cities. No one dared entering them as they knew it would be impossible for them to return.

    Even now, millenias ago, after the immortals had left the province, new cities would sometimes surface. These cities had previously been ced within pocket dimensions that were scattered around the Ruins of the Immortals. After countless of years these pocket dimensions had broken down and the cities were sent back to the world from which they originated. These cities were often the target of treasure hunts.

    Xu Min had acquired all the information he was able to get. He had even used the Yong family¡¯s reputation and the power it offered to obtain maps. These maps were filled with dots, showing where they should go and should not go.

    It had taken Xu Min three months to feel as though he was ready to leave the city, and even so, he was shocked to find himself still hesitating. In these three months, Yong Meilin had only left his side during the night. Every other moment during the day, morning and evening, were spent together with the young man. Xu Min easily felt the worry and dread growing in her heart.

    Just as he was about to leave, Xu Min looked around the courtyard and the house which he had been living in all these months.He sighed deeply. He had the option of beginning a new lifeHe could stay with the Yong family. He could live an easy and happy life together with Yong Meilin. However, every time he thought about this happy life a face appeared in front of his eyes. It was the face of his beloved sister smiling at him, only to be engulfed in mes.

    Even though he did have this opportunity, he understood deep down that it was not a possibility for him. He would never be free to enjoy life before he had gotten revenge. He was forced down the road of revenge, forced to walk a deste road where he alone could pressure himself time and time again. This understanding made it possible for him to reach the limits of his talent. When he reached high enough rank, he would return to the small valley within the forest and mountains. This small vige where the Zhong family lived their daily lives. He would return and make them regret what they had done to his sister.

    Just as Xu Mi made his decision of leaving, he looked at Yong Meilin by his side. Impulsively acting, he moved towards her, swept her up into his embrace, and gave her a long hug before he slowly pulled her backwards and ced a soft and gentle kiss on the her lips.

    Yong Meilin had be stiff as a wooden nk at first but soon tears started falling from her eyes as she gripped onto the Xu Min¡¯s robe. She buried her face in his shoulder and cried her heart out.

    ¡°Wait for me,¡± Xu Min said gently as he stroked her hair, ¡°I have something I need to do. Something that makes it impossible for me to enjoy life, but as soon as I am done I wille back to you, I promise.¡± His words were low, no one could hear them apart from Yong Meilin, but the words soothed her broken heart, and she slowly stopped crying. Wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her dress, she looked at Xu Min with pride in her eyes as she nodded her head.

    ¡°No matter how long I have to wait, I will always be Xu Min¡¯s woman¨C the most talented youth within Ri Chu City.¡± she whispered back. Her voice still slightly trembled, but her eyes were filled with a fire that no one could extinguish. ¡°When you can, return to find me. I will always be waiting for you here.¡± She promised herself to Xu Min. Looking at her, Xu Min smiled,and he once more dragged her into his embrace.

    Xu Min had buried his feelings ever since his sister had died. Although he had lived with Overseer Wang, he had never allowed himself to be emotionally attached. Overseer Wang was his teacher, but neither were gentle and caring towards one another. They just shared their days with each other. Yet, even now, Xu Min felt gratitude towards Overseer Wang. Especially because this man had given him a treasure such as his devouring sword. Nheless, Overseer Wang and Xu Min did not share any emotional ties.

    When Xu Min had reached Ri Chu City, he had been as emotionally dead as before. Although he had warmed up to Cao Cao, he still did not trust any humans yet., However, Yong Meilin had forced her way into Xu Min¡¯s life. She had never expected anything from him. All she wanted was to be close to him, and soon she had entered his heart. In the beginning Xu Min had refused to acknowledge this, he knew deep down that one of the reasons that he had a hard time leaving Ri Chu City was because of her.

    Sighing deeply, Xu Min took Yong Meilin¡¯s hand. Hand in hand, the two of them had left the Yong familypound moving towards one of the city¡¯s gates. Many experts, including the patriarch, all stopped what they had been doing. A group of high ranked experts all followed Xu Min through the city. All of them felt unhappy thatXu Min was leaving. Nevertheless, all of them assumed it would happen sooner orter.

    It was not only the Yong family who followed behind Xu Min, everyone who was of a major power in the city as well, came to bid him farewell. Everyone apart from the Tang family who still hated Xu Min more than death itself.

    Reaching the gate, Xu Min stopped for some time and looked at Yong Meilin. A sad smile was on his lips as he gently stroked her hair. Such an obvious gesture of love was enough to make many of the experts present sigh with jealousy, but no one said anything. All of their hearts clenched when they saw the most beautiful woman in the city having tears stream down her cheeks.

    If anyone had ever doubted the rumor about a rtionship between these two youngsters, no one questioned it any more.

    ¡°I¡¯ll wait until I die, so you bettere back as soon as you can,¡± Yong Meilin said. Her voice was not lowered.She intentionally said it loud, so everyone could hear her deration. She, who had been the ice queen, had her heart stolen by this unknown youngster. She felt pride in being able to call herself his woman and she knew that in her entire life no other man would ever have her heart.

    ¡°I will return,¡± Xu Min promised with a smile on his face before he nodded to all the patriarchs present. He then turned his back and slowly walked out the city gate. He followed the road in front of him¨C the road which led him towards the Ruins of the Immortals.

    Standing back in the city one patriarch left after another, leaving only Yong Meilin behind. Her tears did not stop, and her hands clutched together in front of her heart. Following Xu Min¡¯s back into the distance, she continued to look out even after he had vanished into the horizon. The entire day she stood there, looking towards Xu Min¡¯s direction before she finally wiped her eyes once more and left to go back home.

    As soon as she returned home, she copsed on her bed and fell asleep. She slept long and deep and when she woke up her eyes were filled with determination. Her back straight and her head held high. She went towards her grandfather¡¯s room and knocked on the door with her hand.

    ¡°Enter,¡± the grandfather¡¯s voice sounded out through the door.Yong Meilin entered the room. Her entire demeanor had changed. ¡°Grandfather, I wish to take over the spot of the next patriarch of the Yong family here within the Ri Chu City,¡± she said with a hidden power in her voice.

    ¡°I might not be the highest ranked expert, but I am the best salesman. I have the best connections and I am willing to do what has to be done for the Yong family to flourish.¡±

    ¡°Does this have something to do with the youngster Xu Min?¡± the patriarch asked curiously. Yong Meilin nodded her head, ¡°He will go and fight the world. He will be strong, and while he fights, I need to improve so that when he returns I will be able to be his pir of support.¡± She waspletely honest and didn¡¯t hid anything from her grandfather.

    Sighing the old man started rubbing his forehead as he considered what to say. ¡°I see,¡± he finally said after a long time, ¡°Well, if you prove that you can keep the rank as the best salesman within ourpany and if you truly manage to get us some good business than I do not mind granting you the rank of the next Patriarch,¡± the Grandfather said with a smile on his face. ¡°Work hard, you will need to be very outstanding if you want to stand by his side. He is talented enough to be an immortal.¡±

 Chapter 55: Ruins of the Immortals

    Chapter 55: Ruins of the Immortals

    Having traveled for around four months, Xu Min finally found himself entering the area known as the Ruins of the Immortals. The ce he arrived at was the easternmost area. Looking at his map, Xu Min realized he would soon reach a city.

    The Ruins of the Immortals was a farrger province than the one Xu Min hade from. The city he was about to enter was double the size of Ri Chu City. Even though it wasrge, it was not considered one of the major cities of the Ruins. The major cities of the Ruins of the Immortals existed since the ancient times whereas this city Xu Min soon would entered had not. Moreover, considering that the Ruins of the Immortals was a ce where multiple experts came to train, to find a treasure which would allow them to live afortable life, or to undergo the trials of bing an adult. People came to this province from all around the world, and the promise of treasure had drawn in experts since long ago.

    During his journey, Xu Min did not travel on the main roads but instead entered through forests, ins,kes, and rivers.Thus, his advance was greatly hinderedpared to traveling on the easier paths. This detour tempered his temperament and body.

    At first, he had felt rather sad leaving Ri Chu City. Nheless, every time hardship arose all he had to do was imagine his sister¡¯s face and the rage within him would burn once more. There was no way he could get any peace of mind before he could achieve his revenge.

    To not constantly dwell on Yong Meilin and his sister, Xu Min blindlyunched himself into the forests, fighting one magical beast after another. When trouble woulde, Cao Cao assisted him. However, as they moved further and further through the wilderness Xu Min had to rely less and less on Cao Cao. This lessening of help was something Cao Cao oftenined about.

    Now that Xu Min and Cao Cao had reached the Ruins of the Immortals, Xu Min knew that it was best to enter a city to obtain some information about the area. Although he had acquired as much information as he possibly could from the Yong family, their information was not from the area itself but rather from books. It was impossible for them to have updated information, and they needed to be updated information.

    Deciding he needed to enter a city, Xu Min slowly joined a broad, dusty road. He followed many other people marching onwards towards arge wall surrounding the city. Xu Min was in no rush. As well, he was not moving faster than any other ordinary person would.He did not want to draw attention towards himself. Wearing some in, peasant clothes, which were dusty and worn from his long travels, and with his sword sheathed behind his back, Xu Min resembled an average adventurer.However, upon a closer inspection, his persona changed in the onlookers¡¯ eyes.

    No one paid any mind to the young man, at first. Everyone was busy dealing with their matters. The merchants, especially, entirely avoided all interaction with mercenaries or adventurers. Strong guards patrolled their caravans. Even though they had power, they preferred not to insult or interfere with anyone. One never risked insulting a person that was prestigious or powerful.

    Xu Min followed this same mentality. He did not annoy anyone, and, in return, no one annoyed him.

    The sword, however, managed to grasp people¡¯s attention. Because of Xu Min¡¯s sword, they instantly understood this young man was an external expert. His rank was not easy to guess, and no one would ever guess he knew some stances as well. However, examining Xu Min¡¯s body, he did not seem as powerful as most external experts. As a result, they all assumed he was a low ranked expert. If he had reached the ranks of a Warrior, he was at most a one-star warrior.

    Even so, no one desired to insult him. His sword was mighty, and his person seemed calm but also slightly aloof. If he had reached the rank of a Warrior at such a young age, everyone assumed that he was from one of the major factions within the Ruins of the Immortals, sent out on a trip to prove his worth.

    A real expert would be somewhere near looking after this young man if he was one of these young masters. No one knew whether he was an adventurer or a young master, but either way, he was someone they did not wish to deal with.

    Thisck of interference was a great benefit to Xu Min who could observe everything around him. From time to time, he would talk with Cao Cao since the snake was shocked by a number of humans, and the size of the city they were going to.

    ¡®How can so many people live within a single city?! I just don¡¯t understand.¡¯ Cao Cao eximed time and time again. ¡®Although I know that there are numerous beasts in forests, it is nothingpared to these cities.¡¯ he continued. His eyes were round from staring at everything and his tongue constantly slithering next to Xu Min¡¯s ear.

    ¡®This is thergest city I have ever seen.¡¯ Xu Min stated, agreeing with Cao Cao, ¡®but this is considered one of the more average cities within the Ruins of the Immortals.¡¯

    ¡®Here is the n. We will enter, get some information and then determine which ce is best for training. I prefer if we can find a forest ruin to examine. Although we won¡¯t discover any treasures since they have been explored by thousands of people, I still believe that we can gain some training, and I can see what the actual ruins are like. One day, I wish to be an immortal as well.¡¯

    Cao Cao just hummed an answer while his face constantly turned from side to side, looking at the many different experts.

    ¡® I have some gold coins, but I don¡¯t think I can be considered wealthy.¡¯ Xu Min continued to ponder. ¡®I wonder how much we need to pay for a room and food in this city? Not to mention, how much it will cost to get the information we need.¡¯

    ¡®We need food!¡¯ Cao Cao said adamantly. ¡®We can get the information slowly from random people, but we should not go around without food!¡¯

    Hearing the desperation in Cao Cao¡¯s voice Xu Min gentlyughed before he patted the snake head. ¡®Don¡¯t worry; I won¡¯t let you starve.¡¯ he assured Cao Cao while his eyes were ncing across the massive city in front of him.

    At first, it had been possible to see the start and end of the city wall. The closer they came towards the city, the more the walls enveloped the horizon. This made it difficult for Xu Min to see everything. No matter which way Xu Min looked, all he could see was the wall of the city. He could not help but feel his heart beating rapidly, and his eyes filled with disbelief. A city thisrge was considered an average city within the province? That was unfathomable for someone who came from a small area like Honghe and Ri Chu City.

    Xu Min was on high alert because of thergeness of the city. Although he knew it was highly unlikely that anyone would fight him right outside the wall, he still felt worried.

    The gate was in front of him, and following everyone else he made his way into the city. Everywhere he looked houses were taking up the entire view, some of the houses were multiple stories while others were single story. The single storyplexes were not in as great shape as the others. Alleyways were visible on the side of most of the houses. They lead into a world of darkness.

    Within these alleyways were scents of urine and blood. Clearly, only the brave dared to enter. Ignoring them, Xu Min kept moving through town until he found an inn which did not look too high ss but not too low ss either.

    Entering in the inn, he went to the desk. ¡°I¡¯d like to book a room, please.¡± he gently requested. His hand brought forth a jade card. As soon as the card was seen by the shopkeeper, he instantly showed more respect towards Xu Min, ¡°Young master, how long do you wish to stay?¡± He asked while bowing slightly. Contemting for some time, Xu Min was uncertain how long he would stay, but eventually, he decided to stay a week.

    ¡°Seven days? Okay, please hand me your jade card, and I will deduct the amount from your card.¡±

    With the card in the clerk¡¯s hand, he instantly took out a ck stone.He then swiped the card; moments after, the jade card was delivered back to Xu Min.

    ¡°Breakfast is included in your fee. If you wish to eat lunch and dinner those will be extra.¡± the shopkeeper automatically said before he found a key and handed it over to Xu Min. ¡°This is the key to your room. Your room is on the third floor, room seven.¡±

    Hearing this, Xu Min nodded his head as he epted the key and turned around. Looking at his room, he observed many experts were eying him. Some of them with greed in their eyes, while others had curiosity in their expressions. Seeing the different expressions, Xu Min did not think too much about it. He was quite certain that none of the experts present were stronger than Tang Jin. As long as they were weaker than him, they would be easily disposed of.

    Though he had a few problems when he fought with Tang Jin, that battle was almost half a year ago. Presently, Xu Min had increased hisbat ability since then. He fought one beast after another and became much more skilled in life-and-death battles. He had learned to let go of the hesitation and aim straight for the kill, and he now knew how to use his strength most efficiently.

    Even if someone who was present was stronger than Tang Jin, Xu Min should still be able to win since he had Cao Cao who had slowly but steadily grown stronger as well.

    Xu Min did not avert his eyes, but instead looked into the eyes of everyone present causing the experts to be shocked. The experts spected Xu Min was without a doubt only a two-star Warrior, but even so, he still seemed confident in dealing with them.

    It was not before now these cultivators also reached the conclusion he was a young master who was being protected by an unknown expert in the shadows. Knowing that he was so confident, no one wished to battle him. The specialists in the inn were not willing to gamble on Xu Min¡¯s supposedly watcher not being there and perhaps lose their lives for a single jade card.

    Looking at these hesitating experts, Xu Min went up the staircase to their room. Here, he picked up a lot of food and handed it to Cao Cao. During their fights with wild beasts much meat had been dried and although it was not as delicious as fresh dishes Cao Cao enjoyed gnawing on the dried meat of magical beasts.

    Xu Min looked tenderly at the snake while he was eating. Then he quickly wrested his attention from the eating snake; and instead, he looked at the room he was currently within. After a few moments, he changed his clothes, leaving the worn clothes in a cloth bag. He put on his ck robe with the golden embroideries.

    ¡°Time to get some information,¡± he said to Cao Cao. Cao Cao agreed by instantly nodding his head and quickly grabbing another few mouthfuls of wild beast meat. He slithered onto Xu Min¡¯s shoulder where he coiled around his neck. Everyone could see this food-gorging snake was content with his current life.

 Chapter 56: Uninvited Guests

    Chapter 56: Uninvited Guests

    Leaving the inn, Xu Min and Cao Cao walked around the city for some time. Both observed everything around them. Most of the things they saw were different kinds of shops and stalls. Some of the shops sold medicinal pills while others sold armor and weapons.

    Small stalls were selling food and drink to any of the passersby willing to buy them. A few traveling merchants, on the other hand, had made small stalls in their carriers, calling out what they sold and their incredibly low prices.

    Many experts were moving within the town. Some were wearing elegant clothes with guards following behind them, and some were in tattered clothes, trying to beg for some coin or food. Mercenaries wereughing out loud while bragging about the monsters they had killed or the treasures they had found. Guards from the city lord¡¯s mansion would patrol the streets to ensure that no one started any trouble.

    Commoners could be seen here and there. Some were maids running errands for their masters while others were citizens working in the various shops. Everywhere Xu Min looked hordes of people were moving around. They were apparently used to the city being this crowded.

    However, Xu Min was not used to this many people in one ce, and he quickly found that he could not move forward unless he started using his elbows and power to push his way gently through the many people.

    While pushing his way through all these people, he tightly held his jade card in his hand, ensuring that no one had the possibility of stealing it.

    Xu Min moved further and further away from the center of town. The further out he went the fewer shops he found, and the easier it became to move. Xu Min was not looking for any physical items within these shops, but to find someone who was familiar with the Ruins of the Immortals and get some information.

    Just as Xu Min was about to head down an alleyway to look for a poor person who would be willing to sell knowledge for money, he suddenly saw a massive shadow appearing from above. Looking up, he could not help but swallow deeply.

    In the air, a massive ship was hovering. Four pairs of pearl white wings were on the side of the ship, con pping, keeping the ship in the air.

    "Everyone! We are an envoy from the Snow Mountain of the Dragon Ruins! We will be taking over this city. Should you wish to do battle, then expect your entire city to be dyed in blood. You have one hour to surrender. If you do not, then we will attack at full force!"

    The speaker¡¯s voice rang throughout the entire city. The streets which had been bustling with life were so quiet now. It was so still that even a needle being dropped on the ground would be heard. The silence hadsted for a full moment before everyone heard a person scream. After the scream, everyone woke up from their trance; the merchants instantly packed up their items and started pushing their way out of the city.

    Xu Min was standing still; he was pondering on what to do. Many citizens had already started returning to their houses, to the mansions they belonged to or the gate. They were trying to escape alongside the rest of the merchants.

    Xu Min had all his items with him, so he did not return to the inn. He did not get ready to move either. He did not know what the Snow Mountain was, but he did know what the Dragon Ruins were.

    The Ruins of the Immortals was a province filled with many ruins. These ruins had been cities back in their prime, and each one of them was a thousand times thousand kilometers wide. While the entire region was named Ruins of the Immortals, each of the ruins had different names. The Dragon Ruins were a set of ruins fairly close to the area where Xu Min had entered the region.

    Xu Min guessed the Snow Mountain was some faction that originated from within the Dragon Ruins. Although these factions were about to do battle, Xu Min felt that it had nothing to do with him. He was an adventurer who had just arrived in the city. If there was a battle, then he would find a ce outside the battle and just observe. It did not matter to him who won.

    Deciding not to be drawn into the battle, Xu Min jumped on top of a building. He sat down and looked up at the ship in the air. Xu Min had never seen, nor heard, about a ship capable of flying in the air and looking at it it was at least several hundred meters long and fifty to hundred meters wide. One could hear the many experts marching on top of it. While the four sets of wings were pping in a calm and controlled manner, which kept them hovering over the middle of the city.

    The city¡¯s street had emptied. There was not even one citizen out anymore. Xu Min was all alone looking at the ship. An hour quickly passed, but no soldiers had emerged from the city lord¡¯s mansion nor had anyone announced surrender either. Looking at the reaction of the city lord¡¯s mansion Xu Min was puzzled, but he did not have time to wonder for long.

    Abruptly long ropes were thrown from the ship, and experts climbed down. A few of them jumped straight over the side of the ship andnded on the ground, causing tremors to run through the city as though there was a line of earthquakes. To be able to jump from the ship one had to be at least a six-star Warrior, and looking at these warriors, Xu Min was taken aback. There was at least a hundred experts of the sixth rank and above while the weaker ones were climbing down the ropes.

    Once the expertsnded down on the ground, they instantly started ughtering everyone around them. They ruthlessly entered houses, inns, shops, and stalls. Not caring at all, they killed everyone they came across.

    Xu Min¡¯s heart grew cold, watching this merciless carnage, and he was filled with anger as he saw how the children and women were being killed right in front of him. His eyes exploded with anger. He had not expected these experts would kill helpless and weak citizens who were incapable of protecting themselves. Murdering citizens was enough to thoroughly anger Xu Min; he then jumped from the tall building he had been seating on. He looked at the many experts pouring into the roads.

    "Kill them all! Let blood run in this city. Let the City Lord know that we have no intention of backing down. They can hide and barricade themselves within the mansion, but they will be forced to join the battle sooner orter!" A yell sounded out in the entire city. The me of hate that always burned within his chest suddenly burst open, and Xu Min looked at the road behind him. It was a small alleyway, but a lot of women and children were hiding within it. All of them were citizens. None of them were cultivators, and they were filled with fear.

    It was clear that they were giving up their lives, hugging one another with tears fell from the eyes of the adults while the children constantly asked what was happening. Looking at this pitiful scene, Xu Min was reminded of his sister who was killed for no apparent reason. He ced himself in front of the entrance and unsheathed his sword from his back.

    ¡¯Sorry Cao Cao,¡¯ he whispered, ¡¯I am afraid that we are going to be in a tight situation. I cannot ept these experts to kill wantonly like this. I am not strong enough to protect everyone within this city, but let me fight for the ones who are standing behind us. You can go mad and kill as many as you want to, but as long as they are soldiers of the Snow Mountain.¡¯

    Hearing what Xu Min said, Cao Cao did not disagree. Instead, he solemnly nodded his head. He was rarely serious. Yet, today he was aware that there was nothing funny about their current situation. He stopped relying on the Shroud of Shadows which usually hid him from the eyes of humans. Thus, the snake suddenly appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

    The two of them stood leaning against the house which led down the alleyway. Hidden in the shadows, both had their sensespletely sharpened. They attentively listened to the footsteps that wereing increasingly close.

    Tightening his grip around the sword, Xu Min¡¯s eyes went cold. They were filled with killing intent. At his neck was a small green snake which also emitted a strong a killing intent; both were ready to jump at the first person who appeared in front of them.

    Behind them, the children and women becamepletely quiet. They gazed at Xu Min with hope in their eyes; a hope tinged still with agony. Even if they were to survive, they would stand to lose a lot, and none of them could afford to do so.

    ¡¯I don¡¯t know if I regret going to this city.¡¯ Xu Min casually sent to Cao Cao, ¡¯although it would have been easier in another city these people would not have had a chance at all. I wonder if this means that they are lucky or not?¡¯ he contemted for some time until he heard footsteps so close to them t he had to concentrate fully on the battle at hand.

    Slithering down the body of Xu Min, Cao Cao looked out at the main road before he slithered back. ¡¯We are in luck. It is a group of four, but all of them are three-star experts. I am sure they are far below the quality of the likes of Tang Jin, so you should be able to deal with them on your own. However, I will lend you a hand. This is a battle of attributes, and although the sword can help us a big deal, you still need to be careful. We saw six-star warriors after all. The absorption is not very powerful against them.¡¯

    Nodding his head, Xu Min acknowledged what Cao Cao said. His expression was serious as he readied himself to advance. On the ground was Cao Cao, ready to entangle and poison some of the experts.

    Although Cao Cao had told Xu Min to watch his energy, this was also the case for the small snake. He had a lot of poison in his nds, but he also had a limit to how much poison he could use. Without poison, though he could strangle opponents, it was far from as efficient as the poison.

    Man and beast were standing still. They waited for the footsteps to be right in front of them. Once the footsteps stood squarely before them, Xu Min¡¯s sword shed shing the enemy. Only the afterimage of a sword could be seen; yet the exact moment the blood sprayed from the chest of one expert,h the other expert who was standing by his side had also received a part of the sword attack. Though the first expert was severed from the top to his lower body, the second expert only had a superficial wound.

    Seeing the shock on the Snow Mountain Warriors, Xu Min did not wait another moment. With another flick of his hand, the sword danced around, cutting and slicing, chopping and stabbing, instantly getting rid of the four experts.

    Sighing deeply, Xu Min immediately dragged the corpses into the alleyway. There was much blood on the ground, but not many of the warriors would worry about this. However, seeing lifeless bodies of theirrades is a different story. They would instantly be worried. Getting rid of the corpses could allow for Xu Min to use the element of surprise once more. The more he could surprise, the less energy he needed to use, and the more he could kill while keeping the children and women behind him safe.

 Chapter 57: Hero

    Chapter 57: Hero

    Xu Min looked behind him and saw the women holding the children; they covered their eyes so as not to let them see the corpses. The eyes of these women, previously filled with despair and hopelessness, were now filled with a slight tinge of hope.

    All the women were doing their absolute best to make the children quiet while they observed Xu Min from time to time. The young man had just changed from being a rogue cultivator to a hero for the small group of people.

    Although Xu Min wished to pay more attention to the women, he suddenly heard the sounds of loud voices which wereughing and joking between one another; three voices could be heard, but Xu Min was unaware of whether or not there were more experts than that. There might be some quiet people within the group. He knew that he could not afford to becent. If he wished to keep these people alive, then he had to keep battling.

    Keeping his eyes on the road in front of him, Xu Min soon saw the shadowsing his way and gritted his teeth. There had been a few quiet people in the group. ¡¯Cao Cao, I¡¯ll need you to deal with two of them. I¡¯ll deal with the rest.¡¯ He called out, and the snake nodded his head. Usually he would have joked about saying that he would take care of all of them, but this time, it was serious. The citizens behind them depended on their strength, and they could not afford to screw up.

    As the experts moved in front of the alleyway, Xu Min¡¯s eyes locked onto the first person and with a stomp on the ground, he shot forward with lightning speed. With the sword in his hands, he chopped down upon his first target. Stumbling backward, the first expert Xu Min had locked onto opened his mouth, but no sound was emitted since his body was split into two. A green sh appeared by his side, and two of the group¡¯s members plummeted to the ground as the snake once more returned to his neck.

    Xu Min, being grateful that Cao Cao took care of the two others, instantly changed his direction and sliced through the neck of another opponent.

    "Quick sound the rm!" one of the surviving people ordered through gritted teeth. His hands wielded a battle axe while the other surviving member was wielding a one hand sword.

    ¡¯More than expected, Cao Cao you take care of one while I¡¯ll get the other,¡¯ Xu Min called out. Without waiting for an answer, the snake around his throat once more turned into a streak of green light which caused the axe-wielding man to copse.

    "I should have brought the rm!" Thest surviving personined as he turned tail and tried to run away. But, how could Xu Min let him run away? If he escaped, multiple experts would being this way in a few moments. So, Xu Min chased after him and quickly ended the expert¡¯s life.

    ¡¯We can¡¯t keep going on like this,¡¯ Xu Minined. ¡¯We will die ?f we stay within this alleyway. I need to get them out somehow.¡¯

    Taking all the corpses and stacking them in another alleyway, Xu Min made sure to take all the valuables on the corpses, including a small emblem which clearly was the rm they had spoken about before. Breaking this emblem would cause multiple experts toe rushing to the location.

    Moving back to the alleyway where there were many women and children, Xu Min moved towards them; some seemed scared while others appeared hopeful.

    "I need help if I am to get you all away from here alive," he said quietly, "We cannot stay within this alleyway. We will be noticed, but I also know that we cannot exit through the gates. I am not strong enough to jump the city walls with you on my back, so I need to know if there is any way to exit this city without going through the entrances?"

    The question was reasonable. Many mansions were likely to have hidden exits as well as other ces scattered throughout the city. These young women and children were clearly working as maids or something simr, so they should know of at least one way, but no one said a thing.

    Sighing Xu Min was about to give up when a girl who seemed to be no more than fourteen years of age stepped forward.

    "The trickster¡¯sir has an exit." she said hesitatingly, "I am quite sure that the trickster and his friends have already left.I don¡¯t think that the soldiers as well should have too much of interest in air down in our quarters of the city. It smells too much, and it is poor. If we move through the alleyways we should be able to make it out within an hour," the girl exined. Xu Min was excited to hear this.

    "That is what we will do," he said with a nod. Some of the other poor exchanged nces. They were clearly uncertain whether or not they should follow, but soon all of them had determined expressions on their faces. They were not going just to wait for their death. If they were to die, they would die trying to escape.

    Xu Min was satisfied as he saw the change in the women. He and the young fourteen-year-old girl went to the front. "Show me the way but stay close behind me. Although we are moving through the alleyways, we might run into groups of warriors."

    The young girl nodded her head. Walking just behind Xu Min, she pointed out which alleyways they should go.

    Since they were traveling through the alleyways, they did not encounter many mercenaries. However, they often had to stop and wait for patrols to walk past if they crossed the main road. Screams could be heard throughout the city. The smell of charred corpses and metallic blood wafted through the entire city. This scent was apanied by the sounds of shouts and a horrendousughter from the soldiers.

    Lifting his arm, Xu Min made everyone stop. Even the children who had been previously sobbing were nowpletely quiet. It was as if they had understood how important this was, so they dared not utter any sound. The group concealed themselves in the shadows of the houses. These alleyways were made for the sake of throwing grime and sewage into, and a foul stench masked their movements. No expert wished to enter these back alleyways. Furthermore, they didn¡¯t expect anyone to be hiding within them. Even if they were hiding, they had toe out sooner orter. Going into the grime was something these exalted killers would never think of.

    "Okay stop for a moment, everyone," Xu Min whispered, "we need to cross the main road to be able to get to the next set of buildings." His face was ugly to behold as he inched closer and closer to the main road. One patrol of Warriors after another moved in front of their hiding ce. He could not help but frown.

    Crossing the road, Xu Min realized he needed to battle a group of Warriors. However, even though he needed to battle these Warriors, there was a limit for how long they could battle before a new patrol would walk by. Even Xu Min could only deal with one group at a time.

    Waiting for the perfect time, Xu Min saw only one group of Warriors walking past, and he instantly flew into action. His sword was unsheathed, and Qi was swirling around Xu Min¡¯s body which fortified his strength.

    "A Warrior ising our way!" a young man called out. He was wearing the soldier uniform and had three stars embroidered upon the shoulder. He was a three-star Warrior, and looking at Xu Min, he could easily sense that this iing Warrior was weaker than him. "Don¡¯t call for reinforcement. Let us deal with this guy on our own. There has been ack of cultivators, and all we have found are old people and women. I wonder if all the experts spent their time running away."

    The other experts grinned. All of them rushed to fight with Xu Min. ¡¯Cao Cao take care of the three on the right, and leave the others to me,¡¯ Xu Min ordered before he turned around and rushed towards the left side. Sword in hand and Qi strengthening his arms making the chop he made as powerful as if Xu Min was a three-star warrior, he engaged the men in battle. Whereas with Cao Cao, a green sh appeared and his three targets copsed on the ground.

    The speaker who wanted to fight alone suddenly clutched an emblem in his hands, but before he had the time to break it his hands went limp. He fell on the ground. Getting rid of the other Warriors was as easy, and the first and he quickly returned to

    Xu Min gestured to the women and the children to cross the street. They all rushed past the usually very trafficked road and into another set of alleyways. "We need to hurry now," Xu Min stated. He led them deeper and deeper into the maze of backstreets and alleyways towards the trickster¡¯sir.

    This time, it had been impossible for him to hide the corpses, and he knew that soon they would be pursued by Warriors. It was only a matter of who would move the fastest. Xu Min¡¯s eyes turned serious as he gently hurried themon women and children further and further to the edge of town.

    "We need to make one more turn, and then we will be free," the young woman hopefully said, anticipation resonating in her voice. All the women behind Hui Yue were also filled with hope. However, Xu Min was silent. He felt as though it had all been too simple, too easy, but he dared not say anything. Perhaps these women and children were all innocent and blessed by the heavens with good luck.

    Just as he was about to reach the mansion, he finally heard the sound of experts rushing their way. Stopping, Xu Min looked behind them; his action instantly caused the hope within the women¡¯s eyes to be fearful once more.

    "Don¡¯t worry, and keep moving forward. I will hold the guards here. Get as far away as you can and don¡¯t stop before you are in another city or found a vige that will take you in. If anyone tries to threaten you, tell them that you are under the protection of Xu Min, a cultivator who will catch up with you soon." Xu Min asserted He then handed the rm he had stolen to one of the women. "If they are harming you break this emblem. The Snow Mountain¡¯s Warriors wille instantly."

    Hearing this, the woman was frightened, but she nodded her head and epted the emblem. "Hurry go now!" Xu Min ordered. The women and children then rushed forward leaving Xu Min behind. The fourteen-year-old looked back. Her eyes were filled with gratitude, but she did not linger and rushed forward, entering a back door into the trickster¡¯sir.

    As to who the trickster was, Xu Min did not know, but he knew that the women were finally safe. Turning around, he unsheathed his sword. ¡¯This time, we are in for it, my friend,¡¯ Xu Min said to Cao Cao. ¡¯I¡¯m sorry, but I need you to go all out. We don¡¯t know how many we are up against, but we need to hold out until the women and children have escaped. Only then can we escape as well.¡¯

    ¡¯Don¡¯t worry about it!¡¯ Cao Cao said with a smile on his snake-face. ¡¯I have wanted an all out battle for some time. Let us show them how strong we are! There is no way we can allow these weak Warriors to overpower us!¡¯

 Chapter 58: Escaping the City

    Chapter 58: Escaping the City

    Cao Cao left the neck of Xu Min and slithered to the ground. Standing side by side, the two friends looked once more at one another before their eyes went towards the road in front of them. Steps came closer and closer before suddenly the first person could be seen rushing towards them.

    Having moved through the roads for as long as they had, Xu Min and his followers had left behind them many footsteps and a few corpses here and there. They were doomed to be noticed at some point. Though Xu Min had hoped they would have been slower, he could only thank that they had not been noticed previously. If anything, he was happy that the group of women had gained the possibility of running away.

    "I wonder how many people will being?" Xu Min said between his gritted teeth. "I had not had a serious battle since before I met you," Xu Min said. His heart was beating rapidly, "ever since meeting you, I have had a cushion which could defend me. Even in the tournament you and I were never in any danger as you could move any time necessary." Xu Min mused as the figures in front came closer and closer. The sword on his back became unsheathed. "This time we will have to go all out," he stated. The adrenalin was pumping in his blood. Looking at the snake on the ground, he also noticed that Cao Cao¡¯s eyes had turned red; a grim smile appeared on the scaley face.

    A grin showed on Xu Min¡¯s face, as well. He could not afford to die here, but looking at the people appearing, more and more experts were turning towards them. "Let us begin!" Xu Min yelled out loud as the first opponent reached him. The sword shed in the dim light within the alleyway. With a downwards sweep, the sword cut through the chest of the first person reaching him.

    The alleyway was a perfect ce for Xu Min to battle. It was narrow and tight. He was standing at the far back with arge wall against him, ensuring that no one could sneak behind him. In the front, two, at most three, experts could stand side by side, but even if they did stand side by side they would be incapable of wielding their weapons; thus, only two experts couldunch an attack at a time.

    Cao Cao was rushing through the people, biting right and left. Bodies fell to the ground in his wake, but new experts jumped on top of these fallenrades. They did not even show the slightest hesitation to stop. This made it easier for them to move forward since they did not step in the mud which would have slowed them down.

    Although Cao Cao was an arrogant snake, he dared not move too far ahead. Instead, he moved just in front of Xu Min, catching every second expert. The others were left alone as they rushed towards Xu Min who was twirling, shing, stabbing, striking and thrusting the sword in one expert after another, killing them almost instantly. Every time he cut through the expert he felt the Qi being poured into his body. He was soon at the maximum of how much energy his dantian could contain.

    ¡¯Cao Caoe back!¡¯ Xu Min called out while shing thest expert. He jumped back so that his back was right against the wall. Without hesitating, he took the stance of Radiant Jade Shower. Qi started swirling around him before it quickly crystallized into shards as sharp as swords and as beautiful as jade. It resembled the starry night sky; the little light within the alleyway made the attack dazzling, stunning the advancing experts.

    Seeing the thousands upon thousands of Qi shards being ready tounch, the experts started backing away. Terror was in their eyes yet how could they rival the speed of the Radiant Jade Shower which rushed through the sky and embedded themselves within the bodies of the experts.

    Previously, Xu Min had been able to unleash the strength of the Radiant Jade Shower, but now he could even control the Qi which had left his body. He used all the Qi possible to make the embedded Qi jade shards explode within the bodies of the experts, causing severe damage to the closest ones had gotten hit.

    Seeing that Xu Min was done with the internal attack, Cao Cao once more rushed through the human wave of expertsing their way. His fangs bit time and time again, and Xu Min wielding the sword, allowed for the Qi to once more float into his body and dantian.

    ¡¯This is never ending!¡¯ Xu Min yelled to Cao Cao, and the snake could only grit his teeth and agree. Biting onest person, he turned back to Xu Min and slithered up onto the neck ¡¯I am out of poison,¡¯ Heined as hefortablyid on the neck, but Xu Min felt the pressure. Previously, he had only needed to deal with half the experts. Now, he needed to deal with them all.

    Closing his eyes for one second, Xu Min calmed himself within. When the eyes were opened again, he was filled with determination. He would not allow himself to die here. The sword dance even swifter than before. Unfortunately, he was also injured. One of the opponents had cut his thigh; another grazed his shoulder. One stabbed his arm; another nicked his forehead.

    None of the attacks were lethal. However, blood had started to flow, and Xu Min had to use his Qi to close the wounds. The current situation was bad for both of them.

    ¡¯I think we need to ept that we cannot win this,¡¯ Cao Cao said with worry in his eyes. Xu Min could only nod in agreement, but he was not in a position where he could run away. Experts kept charging towards him. The wounds he sustained became increasingly more serious, and the fighting became more and more frantic and desperate.

    ¡¯We need to escape now!¡¯ Cao Cao urged him, but Xu Min nodded his head. Pouring the Qi into his legs and with a high jump did he manage tond straight up on top of the building before he started running from one building after another before they finally reached the city wall.

    Looking down, Xu Min swallowed his saliva. It was far down, but even so, he decided to jump. A cracking sound could be heard as hendeding from his leg followed by a sharp pain. Even so, Xu Min quickly stood up and started running as fast as he could away from the city.

    Looking back, he found that the experts were not following him. Instead, they stood on the city wall looking at him; their eyes filled with anger, yet none of them showed any signs of jumping down to the ground. Seeing this a stone left his heart; he felt relieved. Looking at the ground, he found that he was moving on a group of footsteps, clearly steps from the women and children who had escaped the city earlier.

    Xu Min did not know even closely to enough information about the Immortal Ruins. Thus, he quickly decided to follow these footsteps. Moving at his highest speed was virtually impossible. He had a broken leg and many wounds on his body. Some were very serious while others were not so much. He could at most keep the pace of a normalmoner.

    It took him three hours before he finally reached arge vige. This was clearly nowhere near as big as the city, but it was big enough to house all the women and children whom he had help.

    The city had massive stone walls surrounding it while this vige had a three-meter tall wooden fence and only one entrance into the vige. In front of this vige was four guards, clearly cultivators, yet they were at most experts with the strength of the third-star Warrior.

    "Begone pest!" one of the guards yelled. They were aware of the trouble which had transpired in the major city. Consequently, they quickly guessed that they had gotten new overlords. In turn, epting someone who might be an enemy of this new overlord was not a good idea. It could bring misfortune to the entire vige.

    "Stop!" a female voice suddenly rang through the air. The guard instantly stopped speaking. "Miss," he called out and bowed deeply, however, the moment the woman reached them, Xu Min copsed on the ground. The final Qi left his body, and the world turned ck.

    ....

    Everything was ck when Xu Min opened his eyes. Looking around, he found himself in a corridor, but feeling around there was no way to find light. The moment his hand touched a wall, he kept holding on to it as he moved forward.

    Suddenly a sh of white appeared in front of him, but it vanished just as swiftly. Seeing the light, however, made Xu Min excited and he sped up his pace, no longer moving slowly but running down the dark corridor hoping to catch up with the sh of white.

    Moving further and further into the dark corridor, he from time to time saw the sh of white which kept him moving, constantly rushing forward.

    The ck corridor slowly became lighter and lighter, and suddenly he reached arge room where everything was light.

    Just as he reached the room, his eyes opened up, and he sat up with a jolt. Looking around, he found that there were four women within the room he was ced in. He was sleeping on a bunk bed, and he could feel a cool piece of cloth on his forehead.

    The women were as shocked as he by the sudden awakening. However, they soon regained theirposure. Looking at the four women, Xu Min instantly recognized them as the women from the city.

    "Thank you, mister," one of the women said quietly, "you will be safe here for only a few more days. The Snow Mountain will soon have taken full control of the city. Once they have all our small viges, we will have to submit to them. Having you living within our city when you fought against them will not be possible.." The woman was apologetic. She knew that she and her friends had been saved by this man, but they were unable to save him in return.

    "Don¡¯t worry about it," Xu Min said with a smile on his face. After having slept his body was refilled with vigor, and his wounds had almost healed. Cao Cao was sleeping on his side, but he was using the shroud of darkness. No one was capable of seeing him; only Xu Min would notice him.

    "Thank you for looking after me," Xu Min said smilingly as he stood up. In his backpack, he found a clean set of clothes which he quickly changed into before he decided on moving forward once more. Picking up his things, he quickly left the room.

    Looking around he found many of the women and children he had saved. He was relieved to see that all of them had been received with great friendliness. These women, although no longer living in town, now had a new lease on life without being mistreated.

    "We owe you our lives," the woman who had been there when he woke up. "I am but the daughter of a small vige chief. However, if you ever need sheltere back here, and I will help you. Even if it costs me my life, I will dly help you," she swore as she looked at him

    Laughing Xu Min waved his hand, "You just got your life back. Why don¡¯t you cherish it some more?"

    Having said the words, Xu Min left the vige. He walked away from the city the Snow Mountain experts had just conquered. He needed to find another city where he could get information about the Immortal Ruins. It seemed that something major was happening in the area. aA change in the powers was happening just as Xu Min had entered the area. Already dangerous ground had just be even more dangerous to traverse.

 Chapter 59: City of Thousand Stars

    Chapter 59: City of Thousand Stars

    Upon leaving the small vige, Xu Min did not stay in the wilderness for too long. He needed interaction with numerous people so that he could acquire more information on the Ruins of the Immortals. In short, he needed a city. Hisst experience in a city did not quite go the way he nned. Instead, a faction called the Snow Mountain had gotten in his way, leaving him with hardly any knowledge at all.

    As to whether or not these experts from the Snow Mountain nned on taking over more than one major city, Xu Min had no idea. However, to do so, they would most likely need time to readjust. If Xu Min entered another city, he was sure the same thing would unlikely happen again.

    Xu Min sped towards the next city. He traveled thousands of kilometers a day, running at the fastest speed he could maintain. The Ruins of the Immortals was a vast area ofnd. Even though he was traveling on the main road, all he had met were caravans that were also heading for a city in the distance. He traveled for full nine days before he finally saw a city rising in the distance.

    While getting closer to the city, more and more caravans, carriages andmoners appeared. This proximity with other travelers made it impossible for Xu Min to keep moving forward with the speed he had maintained beforehand. Now, he was forced to slow down. Xu Min quickly found a hat which he wore; he needed to dimly hid his appearance Although he did not know anyone within the Ruins of the Immortals, he had caused quite a stir in the first city he arrived. He was not willing to make the same mistake this time.

    The city¡¯s wall was an astonishing twenty meters tall; the gate itself was ten meters tall, and on top of the city wall strode ck clothed Warriors who were patrolling. In front of the gate was another four guards. All of them casually observed the many experts andmoners who were constantly entering the city.

    The moment Xu Min reached the gate, one of the experts warily looked at him. What seemed like an eternity, the expert finally decided Xu Min was not worth investigating.

    Feeling a cold sweat break on his back, Xu Min bowed his head and quickly walked into the city. He did not stop until he had reached a small inn, which was located in a poverty-stricken looking area.

    While Xu Min was roaming through his bag, he found some gold coins. He tossed one of the coins to the innkeeper. "I need a room, if possible," he said. The innkeeper, whose eyes filled with greed from seeing a gold coin, instantly clutched it to his chest while looking around the room, making sure no one saw him.

    Fortunately, this inn was not very active during the day. No one seemed to have noticed the gold coin. Nodding his head, the innkeeper found a key which he handed to Xu Min; he led the young man up the stairs towards a room at the far back.

    "Here no one will ask questions about you as long as you don¡¯t ask questions about others. The pay is enough for a full month. Wee to the City of Thousand Stars." he exined before bowing deeply. He then turned around and left.

    Holding the key in his hand, Xu Min quickly opened the door and stepped inside after which he locked the door once more. Sighing, he removed the hat from his face. Once more he revealed his face, a face clearly contemting on what to do next.

    "As long as I don¡¯t ask questions, no one will ask questions about me," he murmured to himself while he paced back and forth in the room. He was not willing for someone to start interrogating about him; but, on the other hand, he did need to ask questions about the city, about the current strength and build of the different factions within the Ruins of the Immortals, and alongside where one should train if one wished to improve.

    "Well, let us calm down first, at least," Xu Min decided. He sat down on the creaking bed. "We are not in any rush for information at the moment. Fortunately, those people from the Snow Mountain did not get my name and the few who saw my face all died. Otherwise, I would have to fear for my safety while traveling amongst these Ruins of the Immortals." Xu Min mused to himself. A grin slowly spread on his face as he gently stroked Cao Cao. He waspletely submerged in his thoughts of just how amazing this trip had be.

    ¡¯Even though this innkeeper said if we start gaining information on others, other will gain information about us, I am certain there is some ce where we can acquire some information. The information that we seek is readily avable in the entire area, so I don¡¯t think we need to fear about others. If we use a fake name, no one will know.¡¯ Cao Cao¡¯s tongue slithered in his mouth as he spoke, and Xu Min nodded his head.

    Standing up, he picked up his hat and ced it on his head. He left his room and locked the door behind him before he slowly made his way down the stairs.

    The inn was still as empty as it had been before; only the innkeeper noticed that Xu Min left. However, he paid a good price for the room, so the innkeeper had no interest in offending the young man by asking him where he was going.

    ¡¯First, let us look around the city,¡¯ Xu Min decided as he started moving, ¡¯it seems even bigger than the previous one. I fear an entire day would not be enough to reach the end of this city.¡¯ he saidughingly. He was moving towards the center of the city. The ce where all the stores and marketces were located.

    In the beginning, Xu Min could move around quickly. The roads were not filled with people; only a few were within sight. As they wereing closer towards the center, it became more difficult to move. Xu Min had to cken his pace. Many people were gathering on the roads. The city came alive on the streets with the movement of people.Xu Min was excited to see this. It was harder to move forward now, but he was happy that he had reached the ce where he wanted to be.

    Unlike Ri Chu City, this ce was mainly filled with experts. Even the people who were selling items were Warriors; themoners walking around also seemed to be experts. Xu Min¡¯s eyes were shining with excitement. He had never seen a city which had mainly experts living within it. He instantly understood that this ce was suitable for him.

    "Look at that man wearing a hat like that. He looks silly!" a haughty female voice suddenly boomed through the air, clearly reinforced by her internal energy. Hearing this voice, Xu Min could not help but sigh internally. He didn¡¯t want to be noticed nor did he want to show his face; obviously, the hat made that clear. Nheless, there was always someone who wished to insult and cause strife in every city.

    "He ispletely ignoring you, Shui Wu. It seems he does not know who you are, Master Bu Huang¡¯s favorite disciple." Another voice sounded out this time. It was an arrogant voice of a young man, and Xu Min realized their intentions now. There was a group of young experts who had decided on insulting him. Most likely, they wished to anger him so that he would battle them. Thus, their names would be more widespread if they defeated a cultivator in the middle of town. However, Xu Min would not y their petty games.

    Sighing, Xu Min was a little perplexed by the sudden attention he was getting. Although he was slightly annoyed, he decided that it was better to just ignore the group.

    Xu Min continued walking on the road. Xu Min, however, had long since guessed the intention of these experts. Instead of being insulted and lose his temper, he focused on his destination. To the dismay of those taunted, insignificant voices, he did not stop. . While walking the sword was visible on his back. Exposing his sword made it obvious for anyone to guess that he was an external expert. He was an easy target to pick on if one was an internal expert.

    Though the hat covered his face from the outside world to see him, it also made it hard for him to see what was going on. Cao Cao, on the other hand, could see everything that was ongoing, and he was far less cool-headed than Xu Min; he kept swearing at the young experts that had spoken out. Fortunately, Xu Min was the only person who could hear the foul words, and he could not help but smirk; Cao Cao¡¯s profound words were truly insulting.

    Suddenly the smile on Xu Min¡¯s face froze, he felt an attacking his way. Many of the experts walking near him had already backed away. The attack looked like a snake created from Qi, and it was bursting right towards him.

    In one gliding movement did he unsheathe his sword, turn around, and decapitate the snake. Xu Min sheathed his sword seconds after the attack and turned the way he had been walking before. His swift move caused many of the present experts to gasp in awe. It was clear that he had not used any Qi to fortify his sword, nor his arms, yet he was still capable of decapitating the Qi snake with one gliding movement. All of Xu Min¡¯s movements were t as light as a butterfly and powerful as a pouncing tiger.

    The youngsters who had been obnoxious andughed turned suddenly quiet. They understood that this person, though, he was an external expert, he was without a doubt an expert that knew how to battle.

    Again the haughty, feminineughter could be heard booming throughout the street. It wanted to chase down Xu Min¡¯s ungiven attention. "Who cares if he could decapitate the snake, so what!?" the brazen female boldly stated. Xu Min swore he heard some denial in her voice as well. He could not help but shake his head. Some people were not very smart.

    "Shui Wu! What are you doing?!" A powerful voice abruptly sounded out, a voice which caused even Xu Min to feel some pressure. He instantly backed away. The sudden movement caused the surrounding experts to understand that this targeted expert was quite aware of who to battle and who to run away from.

    "Shui Wu, I told you not to battle unknown experts in town! You are causing a huge ruckus, and one day you will meet an expert even stronger than you!" he scolded his disciple in front of everyone. While many of the spectators had fun seeing this, Xu Min tried to use the time to escape and leave without anyone noticing where he had gone.

    Unfortunately, things would not go as he had wanted it to. He sighed deeply when he felt the pressuring energye closer and closer to him. Eventually, he could feel this expert right behind him, and with a sigh did he turn around. "Greetings senior," Xu Min greeted. As he spoke a rough hand suddenly grabbed his hat and removed it from Xu Min¡¯s head.

    Sighing deeply, Xu Min knew he could not use his disguise again since now everyone had seen his face. A massive man was in front of him. He was at least two meters tall and wore a beautiful white robe.Behind him was a young woman who seemed to be one or two years older than Xu Min. The woman¡¯s face was shocked when she saw the young face revealed underneath the hat.

    "Oh, we have a quite skilled youngster here! And if I am not mistaken, you have some rtionship with the old fox Wang Li! That sword seems very familiar." therge burly man said. His words now stunned Xu Min. He unconsciously blurted out, "You know Master Wang Li?!"

    Thisrge man known as Bu Huang was surprised as well. "Wang Li is my sworn martial brother!" Heughed out loud, "He was certain he would never get a disciple, and thus he left the Ruins of the Immortals to find his ce in the world. To think, one day I would meet his disciple, how fortunate I am!" Therge burly man had a roughughter, but the pressure Xu Min had felt earlier slowly retracted.

    "Come with me, I want to hear how that old fox Wang Li is living now!" the man rejoined. Without having a choice, Xu Min nodded his head and followed behind this extreme expert.

 Chapter 60: Master Bu Huang

    Chapter 60: Master Bu Huang

    Upon noticing the change in the grand master¡¯s demeanor, Xu Min was assured Master Bu Huang indeed knew his Master Wang Li. There was no hostility left in his recent acquaintances, only friendly curiosity.

    Master Bu Huang did not wait for Xu Min¡¯s answer whether he wished to tell about his master¡¯s current lifestyle or not. Instead, he instantly started to move, and Xu Min had no other option than to follow.

    He walked straight behind Bu Huang, side by side with Shui Wu, the woman who had previously tried to cause strife. Now, however, she was as docile as a kitten. Although she was calm, she walked with a haughty air around her; her nose was high in the sky. She did not look around her. Rather, her entire focus was with the master in front of her.

    Xu Min, on the other hand, was observing everything he could get his eyes on. He soon discovered that anywhere this Master Bu Huang moved, others would move away, ensuring he had free passage even if the street was incredibly crowded.

    "Who is this young boy?"

    "Has the exalted Master Bu Huang taken on another disciple?"

    "Do you think he is in trouble? Look at Miss Shui Wu¡¯s face; she is clearly not impressed by him."

    Mumbling voices could be heard by Xu Min while they walked past the crowds. Rather than answering back or reacting to these people, Xu Min kept a smile on his face as he slowly moved forward.

    They walked through the entire center of town and finally reached an area filled with beautiful mansions, guards patrolling everywhere, and beautifully dressed experts and nobles. Magnificent demonic beasts pulled ornate carriages; everywhere affluence, wealth, and beauty could be seen.

    Although Master Bu Huang was not currently riding in a carriage, the pace he moved at was as swift as any carriage they hade by; both Shui Wu and Xu Min followed closely behind.

    After following Bu Huang for some time, Shui Wu could not help but look at Xu Min for a swift moment. She never expected that this two-star warrior would be capable of keeping up with them at the same speed.

    "Why are you so surprised Shui Wu?" she mumbled to herself, "he is an external expert. Of course, he is better at moving than us internal experts." Although her voice was extremely low, a subtle smile appeared on Xu Min¡¯s face. However, he just kept following behind Bu Huang not saying a word.

    They finally reaching a white marble mansion. On their arrival, Bu Huang also finally slowed down. Once he appeared in front of the guards at the gate, the guards bowed deeply while calling out, "Wee back, Patriarch!" "Wee back, Miss Shui."

    Looking at Xu Min, the guards were clearly confused as to who this young man was. Since they did not know his name, they did nothing but nod their heads at him. They were unaware of his rank, name, and reason to be here which perturbed them.

    As they entered the house, Master Bu Huang waved his hand, "Little Wu go and y but do not cause any more trouble," he said gently. The young woman nodded her head before she turned around and left.

    "You, boy, follow me to my study. I have a lot of questions I want to ask you." therge man requested and, again, without waiting for a reply did he continue walking; Xu Min followed right behind him.

    The mansion was enormous., Moving down one corridor after another, through halls and chambers, the two of them met multiple servants, maids, and guards on their way alongside young talents, older cultivators and members of the Bu family.

    They had walked for around an hour before they reached the innermost part of the mansion, which was exclusively used by the patriarch.

    Bu Huang opened a door and gestured for Xu Min to enter an office-like room. The walls were filled with shelves, and on these shelves were everything from jade bottles, parchment scrolls, inscribed hides, and runes engraved on metal tes.

    In the middle of the room was arge table made from a golden kind of wood, a wood called Celestial Wood. It was incredibly rare. Celestial Wood was a mutation that one out of hundred trees would undergo when turning two hundred years old.

    Celestial Wood was as hard as metal and as precious as gold. It was the best material used for bows and arrows, and it was also used as City Gates for major cities. To see Bu Huang had a desk made from Celestial Wood, Xu Min could easily understand just how wealthy the man in front of him was.

    Two leather chairs were visible within the room; one behind the desk and one in front of the desk. "Sit down," Bu Huang said.Xu Min quickly sat down on the chair clearly designated for guests. He felt incredibly small within this room made for therge man.

    "So tell me about your story. How did you be Wang Li¡¯s disciple? The old man swore to never take on a disciple. So for him to change his opinion, you must be a natural treasure." Bu Huang saidughingly and looked at Xu Min.

    "Unfortunately, at a young age, I was forced to leave my home," Xu Min said hesitantly. He was not going to delve into details about his past too much. "When I reached the city, I found Master working at the docks as an overseer." Xu Min continued. There was no reason to hide this fact. Anyone going to Honghe city would know that Wang Li was the foreman of the harbor.

    "I asked him for work, and he took me in. He also started training me and thus became my master. When I reached the rank of a one-star Warrior,he sent me out to experience the world."

    Bu Huang asked numerous questions concerning Xu Min¡¯s time in Honghe City and about the life Wang Li was living. All the while, he paid great interest in Xu Min¡¯s cultivation base, and the apparent fact he was so young at this rank level already.

    Silence descended upon the room for a moment before the master sighed. "You answered all the questions I asked you. Now, it is my turn to answer your questions. Being a new person within this city, I am sure you have many questions."

    Looking surprisingly at Bu Huang, Xu Min was shocked to hear what he had been searching for all this time. Nheless, he quickly recovered and nodded his head. "I do indeed have a few questions. First, I need to know about the power struggles within the Ruins of the Immortals. Secondly, I¡¯d like to know where I most suitable for training." Xu Min asked. Although he had tons of questions, these two were the most urgent ones and also the ones he had been thinking about the most.

    Slightly baffled, the older man nodded his head, "If that is what you want to know, then I will dly answer you."

    "Within the Ruins, there are three major factions. The first one is the oldest. It is known as Snow Mountain. Though the oldest, Snow Mountain is only ranked third in strength. The second strongest is the Thousand Sword Sect. This faction differs from Snow Mountain by leadership. Unlike Snow Mountain, a family does not lead it. Instead, it is experts of unknown origin who usually enter the sect and direct it. The Thousand Sword Sect has great headhunters who go and recruit more and more experts. It is due to these geniuses that the sect has grown as strong as it is."

    "The strongest faction within the Ruins is the Demon Core Family. They are neers within the Ruins, arrived merely a hundred years ago. However, when they came, they instantly established their strength, managing to take over the position as the top faction."

    "In thest fifty years, there has been peace between the three factions. Nheless, two months ago, the Snow Mountain attacked ground belongings of the Thousand Sword Sect. They have taken over four of their cities so far. The Thousand Sword Sect has tried to retaliate, but it has not gone very well. On the other hand, the Demon Core Family has done nothing either, so the Snow Mountain is allowed to run wild for now."

    "And, this city belongs to?" Xu Min asked curiously. He hoped he was not going to meet the Snow Mountain troops again anytime soon.

    "Don¡¯t worry; no one will attack this city. We are under Demon Core Family¡¯s powerful protection. If the Snow Mountain were to attack this city, the Demon Core Family would not let them escape. It is one thing to attack the Thousand Sword Sect; it¡¯s a whole other thing to fight against the Demon Core Family. There is a whole level difference between the two."

    "As well, one has to remember that although the Demon Core Family might not be visible within the city, they are here, waiting for the time when the city will be in danger. This is possible for the Demon Core family as it is a family and everyone follows the lead of their patriarch. The Thousand Sword Sect is different. Their followers and members are all experts who, although talented, are not interested in something as boring as patrolling a city. They are strong when they gather all their forces, but they are horrible protectors of what they win."

    Being quiet for some time, Bu Huang looked into the sky. "As to your second question, the best ce to train within the Ruins of the Immortal depends on which year it is. Usually, you would be told to go to the Thousand Sword Forest. This forest contains many demonic beasts. The further you go, the stronger the beast you will meet. Humans are also a big challenge in these forests.You are lucky, though."

    "This year the Immortal Valley will be open. It is a long but fairly narrow valley deep within the innermost core of the Ruins. This valley is filled with treasures. There are treasures everywhere, and there is also a lot of demonic beasts. These beasts either protect the treasures or just roam the valley to find opponents."

    "Every ten years, this valley will be opened. However, a person can only enter it if they are below twenty-five years of age. Additionally, there is apetition associated with this family. Many families enter their young. The ones who manage toe out with the most beast cores, or the ones of the highest quality, will be ranked the winner of this Immortal Valley."

    "Every family will acquire a lot of treasures which will be pooled together as a reward for the winner. There is only one winner; the rest are losers. There is no second ce."

    " Only a third of the ones who entere out alive if it is a good year. If it is a bad year, only one in ten will survive."

    "Each family is allowed to send in ten of its young members. Since you are the disciple of my brother Wang Li, I would like to hand you one of the spots." He said with friendliness in his voice. His whole demeanor was gentle and friendly, something which made Xu Mi fairly worried. He was not used to experts giving him something without wanting something in return. On the other hand, joining this Immortal Valleypetition sounded like a great opportunity. Thus, he nodded his head.

    "Fantastic! We will be leaving in three months. Until then, you will be my honored guest here in my mansion. If you need anything make sure to ask Shui Wu, she¡¯ll be there to assist you with whatever you might need."

    "Now, follow me, and we will find a room for you," therge man said as he stood up and gestured for Xu Min to follow behind.

 Chapter 61: Training the Sword

    Chapter 61: Training the Sword

    While Bu Huang was leading Xu Min through the mansion, everyone treated Xu Min with the utmost respect. The maids, servants, and guards all bowed deeply, but not for Xu Mi it was really for Bu Huang in front of him.

    "You there!" Bu Huang suddenly called out for one of the maids by his side. She swiftly stood still, bowed deeply and stayed bowed, awaiting for her master¡¯s orders.

    "This is my honorary guest Xu Min. Prepare a room for him close to Shui Wu¡¯s room, so that she can assist him with any question he has. I will be busy, but if he wishes to see me, lead him towards my study instantly," Bu Huang ordered. He then turned around and looked at Xu Min.

    "You can stay in my mansion for as long as you wish. I will keep a spot open at the Immortal Valley for you. Should you have any more questions or problems you do not understand, speak with Shui Wu. If you have any concerns or apprehensions, find me. I will give you special treatment because of that old fox Wang Li, but even so, you will have to rely on your strength when ites to the Immortal Valley."

    With this said, Bu Huang nodded to Xu Min and left the stunned young man in the hallway with all the attendees staring at him in bewilderment. Xu Min was uncertain of what to do until the maid in front of him cleared her throat.

    "Young master, pleasee with me." the maid requested. The maid led Xu Min through various halls and corridors once more. They finally reached a hallway filled with chambers on both sides. One of these chambers had been quickly prepared for Xu Min while the others belonged to certain members of the Bu family or were disciples taken in by Bu Huang.

    Xu Min was an honorary guest; he was treated equally inparison with the disciples of Bu Huang. The room he had been given was drastically better than the inn he had been staying at. Here, he could at least get all the information he had wanted to know.

    Excitingly, Xu Min epted a key from the maid, a key which only he had a copy of, and stepped into his room. Only the manservant of Bu Huang had a copy of this key, so no one was going to enter his room without permission.

    The room was massive.Xu Min had enough space to train, so, always looking for an opportunity to enhance himself, he instantly started training. So focused on improving his skills, he forgot to close his door. He spent hour after hour on his swordy.

    Unbeknown to Xu Min, at first only one maid noticed his swordsmanship. She only looked into the room to let the young man know his door was opened. However, after looking for some moments, she was mesmerized by the beauty of his training. It was slow and steady, but at the same time, swift and fierce. It resembled a small stream while other times a strong gust of wind. It was as though she saw a beautiful dance appear in front of her.

    As time passed, more and more servants and maids gathered outside Xu Min¡¯s door. His door resembled a ck hole once a person walked by they were sucked in by Xu Min¡¯s intense energy. They becamepletely engrossed in watching this young man train. It is true; they had often watched the guards train or the young generation of the Bu family and the disciples train together, all of them, though, were internal experts. They would never move their body since they relied fully on their internal energy to make various stances and attacks. Xu Min, however, was both an external and internal expert; he needed to train his body. Consequently, the maids saw every move Xu Min, and their jaws dropped down in amazement.

    Shui Wu had been seated in her room for some time. She was thinking about her experience earlier that day when the sword had effortlessly cut through her Qi snake; it cut through it like hot knife slices through butter. Secretly, it had shocked her because she knew exactly how dangerous that Qi snake was. Even more shocking, t her master Bu Huang had taken in this young man to their mansion.

    "Why do I keep wasting my time on this young man," she sighed to herself. Standing up, she left her room. "He might be a friend of the master, but he has nothing to do with me."

    As she left the room, she was stunned when she saw all the maids and servants congregating. All of them were looking into a room with wide open eyes and dumbfounded expressions on their faces.

    Shui Wu came from a humble origin, but hertent talent had managed to make her an outstanding member of the younger generation. Admittedly, she was haughty and hard to approach by most people. However, she would never be rude tomoners, at most she would pretend that they did not exist. But to see them, all standing hypnotized in front of a door, was unnerving. She was already feeling rather dismayed. What could have happened which caused all these maids and servants to forget about their daily chores to look into a room?

    Her curiosity had been sparked. As she came closer, she found that it was not only the maids and servants who were standing and looking into the room, a few guards and disciples were also standing there. Fascinated by this odd urrence, she managed to press her way to the front.

    The people who had been pushed by Shui Wu were all seemingly awoken from their trance. Their eyes focused and their mouths closed up. They looked around seeing if anybody noticed them before slowly returning to their previously jobs.

    By the time Shui Wu had reached the front of the door, her own eyes had widened in shock, and her mouth opened slightly. Xu Min was training his speed at the same time he was training his sword. It appeared as if four Xu Mins were dancing around together within the room. They never collided, but they were constantly moving themselves and the sword: shing, stabbing, cutting and thrusting. It was clear that the training method used by Xu Min was incredibly profound. No matter how Shui Wu looked, she was incapable of understanding his type of cultivating style.

    She had never paid any attention towards external experts. They were known to be slightly weaker than the internal experts because they needed toe into close quarters before they were capable of doing any danger. Whereas, internal experts could stand at a safe distance and release their attacks.

    Shui Wu understood this fact since she was small, and why she had chosen to be an internal expert. However, now looking at Xu Min, she had an epiphany. She had been mistaken; a true external expert was equally dangerous as internal experts, if not even more. Studying him, she feared him. She knew he was dangerous, and all he was just training.

    Suddenly three of the four of Xu Min¡¯s shadow experts had vanished, and Xu Min was standing alone in the middle of the room. Sweat was dripping from his forehead; his eyes were closed, and he was gasping for breath. He had forced himself to his absolute limits and had transcended them. He discovered a speed so swift he had never before experienced anything like it. While at the same time, the sword felt as though it was a part of his arm. Where the sword began, his arm ended. Everything felt as natural to him as if he had no weapon in his hands.

    A smile formed on his lips. Opening his eyes, he finally saw themotion outside his doorway. He was surprised, looking at his door where around twenty maids, guards, and disciples stood. All of them stared at him unabashedly and with admiration; even Shui Wu was filled with reverence. She had not fought him, but she already knew he was stronger than her.

    "Master decided rightly by making him join us for the Immortal Valley," she thought to herself.For her, only the strongest could apany her on this important trip. She would be ready to ept any skilled and strong person as long as they treated Bu Huang with reverence.

    "Everyone go back to your work!" She ordered as she pped her hands. The trance was broken. Every expert left shaking their heads,pletely stunned about what they had seen. The maids and servants felt that they had seen something beautiful.

    "Miss Shui," Xu Min said with a bow of his head as he looked at the woman in front of him, "I apologize for the uproar I caused. I thought I had closed my door."

    Waving her hand, Shui Wu turned around, "Master has already told you to find me if you have any questions. My room is four chambers to the left. Find me if you have questions. You ought to take a bath, you stink,"

    Hearing the sudden friendliness, Xu Min smiled. He entered his room again, closed the door behind him. Going to the jointed bathroom, he heated up some water and stepped into the bath. Rxing under the warm, sooth pressure of the water, Xu Min closed his eyes. He enjoyed how the warm water soothed his tired muscles.

    His training had been sessful. He had managed to make a breakthrough when it came to his speed. The sudden feeling of being one with the sword was also a satisfactory experience. He could not help but smile widely. He needed to be as strong as possible if he wished to dominate the Immortal Valley.

    "Where is he?!" a young man yelled out. His eyes red in fury; his voice filled with hatred. "Shui Wu, he is a foreigner! He is not from this city. How could Master give him my spot at the Immortal Valley?! I am far more suited than some traveler who suddenly peaked master¡¯s interest! We have prepared for this for ten years!"

    "I know it is not what you want but never doubt Master¡¯s decision!" Shui Wu answered. Her eyes darkened with her increasing anger. No one should doubt the orders of her master. If he was doubted, then she was willing to fight to the death for him.

    "So, you like this new young man too? I bet he is good looking, and you were deceived by his appearance, but I will prove to you that he is just a pretty boy, not capable of fighting at all! Let me battle him, and I will prove that I am stronger!" the red-eyed young man continued shouting. With a sigh, Shui Wu shrugged. If that was what he wanted, then she was certain Xu Min would win. After witnessing his training, she venerated this new young man who was the student of her master¡¯s martial brother.

    "If that is what you require," Shui Wu said with a shrug, "he is in the room that is four chambers from mine. Go on an invite him to a battle at the guard¡¯s outdoor space. If he says no, respect it. He is here as the honorable guest of our Master." Shui Wu stated., The red-eyed youngster n gritted his teeth and only acknowledged the information he wanted to hear. His anger was still burning within him. He did not speak back tot Shui Wu, Bu Huang¡¯s favorite disciple.

 Chapter 62: Secret Weapon

    Chapter 62: Secret Weapon

    Xu Min had finished his arduous training and enjoyed his warm bath. He was now sitting on the bed in a lotus position, cultivating his inner energy. He focused fully on everything from his breathing pattern to the streams of energy which entered his body, the golden specks of light that were hanging in the air around him, and the constant swelling of the energy within his dantian.

    Because Xu Min was concentrating so intensely, he jolted up when he heard someone knock on the door. The knocks were hard and fast. Clearly, it was someone who was in a rush.

    Standing up, Xu Min made sure to have his sword on his back before he opened the door. Even though he was an honorary guest in the house, he knew most likely there would be some trouble. He always seemed to attract trouble to him.

    He knew instantly, upon opening the door, which the person in front of him felt hostility towards Xu Min. He also sensed he was not a big threat. He was but a three-star internal expert, and although his demeanor was filled with great arrogance, he was nothing but a stepping stone to Xu Min. Only four-star warriors and above could threaten Xu Min.

    "How can I help you?" Xu Min asked calmly while looking into the arrogant eyes of the man in front of him. Xu Min understand he needed to stand his ground; though he was not in any way impolite, he was not humble either. He knew the entry spot into the Immortal Valley was priceless and to get this spot he had to prove his prowess.

    "I challenge you to a battle at the guards¡¯ outdoor space. If you win, you can have my spot, and I will ept this change. However, if you cannot even defeat me, then I will take my spot back from you!" he said. Although he felt arrogant and great hostility against this foreign upstart, the young man was not impolite either. He knew that as an honorary guest of their patriarch Master Bu Huang he would most definitely be punished if he was impolite to him.

    All Xu Min did, was shrugging his shoulders and said one word: "Sure."

    He perfectlyprehended many felt insulted by the fact that he, an unknown person from God knows where had suddenly appeared and easily given a spot that was meant for the outstanding geniuses of their family.

    He needed to show he was far superior to this person who originally had the spot. He did not wish to be dragged into the internal affairs of the Bu family, but he knew this was necessary for him to keep his position. Many elders would disagree with having some random person taking a spot unless this person was stronger than the other person.

    "Follow me then," the young man said. He led Xu Min towards the training grounds outside. "My name is Bu Wei," His eyes filled with pride while stating his name. He was a true heir of the Bu family. A person who would one day be an elder and pir of support. He was the grandson of the first elder of the Bu family. Most importantly, though, he had always been raised with the belief that he was an outstanding genius.

    Reaching the guards¡¯ training ground, many experts were already standing there; they were patiently awaiting the two experts and their battle.

    Everyone was curious about this new expert from nowhere. Bu Huang had not mentioned why he had chosen him nor had he exined their rtionship. All he had done was tell everyone Xu Min was an honorary guest, and he would take over the tenth spot of the group going to the Immortal Valley Rankings.

    They moved to a small battle arena, each stood opposed from each other. Xu Min looked at the guy in front of him and casually unsheathed his sword. Rolling his shoulders, he cracked his neck. He had no intention of showing him any mercy, but he was not going to kill him either.

    ¡¯I could defeat him instantly,¡¯ Cao Cao snickered, but Xu Min only rolled his eyes. Of course, Cao Cao could easily defeat him since anyone bitten by Cao Cao would die instantly.

    ¡¯If we kill a direct descendant of our host, that would be quite bad for us,¡¯ Xu Min warned Cao Cao even though heughed internally, ¡¯but don¡¯t worry, he is but a three-star Warrior. I am going to rely on my devouring sword to increase my strength and to ensure that no one can say deny me this given position.¡¯

    Cao Cao sighed and rolled his neck once more. He decided just to observe everything around them. If need be, he would be ready to attack anyone was behaving inappropriately.

    "The rules are simple. We are not allowed to kill one another; neither are we allowed to attack with are most sinister attacks. Serious injuries are not eptable either. This is only a sparring match not a real battle." the young man exined as he took a stance. "Now, let us begin!"

    Qi began to float around the young man; it took the shape of arge eagle behind his back, the eagle turned golden before reaching its full height of a four-meter wingspan. With a loud screech, the eagle soared into the sky towards Xu Min.

    Xu Min admitted the eagle was impressive. It emitted arge wave of energy.Xu Min stoodpletely still with his sword in his hands. A wry smile appeared on his face. It was clear; he nned on meeting it head on.

    The young man, when seeing Xu Min did nothing to avoid the soaring eagle, smiled boastfully. He knew the strength of his eagle contained the full power of a three-star Warrior.

    Xu Min kept smiling as well as the eagle reached him. When Xu Min could see the eyes of the eagle, he swiftly sliced the eagle in two.

    After contact with Xu Min¡¯s sword, the eagle turned into an indistinct Qi which the sword greedily absorbed into it and Xu Min. Xu Min could feel the Qi flow into his body; his dantian rapidly being expanded, and all the Qi made his body full of energy.

    While Xu Min¡¯s face energized more and more, his grip on the sword strengthened. The eaglepletely vanished, and the young man who controlled it felt a sucking force. This force devoured all the Qi within him. He tried to cut it off, but it was no longer possible since the force had already entered his body.

    To everyone¡¯s eyes, the battle appearedckluster. The young man had created a Qi eagle, and Xu Min cut it. This was all, but now, it seemed as though the young man was incapable of creating another stance, and then he abruptly copsed to the ground. It seemed every drop of his Qi had been drained, but how? No matter what he tried, he was simply incapable of putting up any resistance. What enraged him more was inability of understanding how Xu Min had managed to drain him of all his energy.

    Everyone went silent; no one said anything while Xu Min sheathed the sword in the scabbard on his back. Looking down at the young man, Xu Min reached out his hand. He offered it to the young man who had been beaten in one attack.

    Xu Min had no idea whether or not his defeated opponent would ept his hand, but he knew he was absolutely no threat to him. Thus, he offered him his hand. He was somewhat shocked when the young man epted it, allowing Xu Min to help him stand. His legs were visibly shaking.

    Everyone was stunned, but no one dared to say anything. Looking at each other, they saw all their stunned expressions. Xu Min was only a two-star Warrior; yet, at the same time, this unknown expert had defeated one of their experts and with only one attack.

    "I admit my defeat," the young man said. Though he was an arrogant expert of the Bu family, he was not foolhardy. He understood that this young man in front of him possessed some hidden strength. Xu Min was absolutely stronger than him. The young man acknowledged this; in turn, the arrogance had vanished from his face.

    "Honestly, I don¡¯t think any of the young experts here in the Bu family home would be able to easily deal with you. My defeat was not a disgrace." he nodded his head, and on shaking legs, he left the guards¡¯ training grounds.

    Everyone expected t he would be unable to ept a loss since he was so affronted and adamant about repairing the wrong he suffered in losing he spot in o the Immortal Valley Rankings. Consequently, when they saw his sudden defeat followed by his humble reply, they felt something waspletely wrong.

    All the audience saw was the Qi dissipating, but what the audience did not know was Xu Min¡¯s sword devoured the Qi. The spectators were unaware this could be possible.

    Even Shui Wu was shocked. She had been present because she wanted to ensure that Bu Wei did not act unjustly, injuring or insulting the honored guest. Who would have imagined that Bu Wei lost in less time t it took an incense stick to burn. Then, humbly ept his defeat!

    "Apparently, the Master knew what he was doing when he invited this young man," Shui Wu thought.

    Before he departed back to his room, Xu Min nodded to the many people present. He had absorbed a massive amount of Qi, and his body was bursting with energy. He knew he needed to train once more, but this he would close his door.

    It did not take long before the rumor of the battle started to spread in the Bu family and into the city. Bu Wei was popr among the city¡¯s younger generation. Thus, to be defeated by a neer, in such short time no less, was quite some news.

    "We should try and see how good he is! If hees back into the city, make sure not to let him return without examining his strength!" one family said to their young generation.

    "He must be a secret weapon t Bu Huang hid somewhere. I wonder if he is stronger than all the other experts.He might even be stronger than Shui Wu as well. Don¡¯t forget! Make sure to test him if you ever get the chance," another familymanded their youngsters. Within no time, every member of the young generation had been told to test his strength while, of course, ensuring that no one got injured.

    In the Bu family, many also started to believe Xu Min was a disciple which Bu Huang had hidden and trained just for the sake of the Immortal Valley Rankings. Nevertheless, no one said anything out loud, and no one else tried to challenge Xu Min to a fight.

 Chapter 63: Younger Generation Geniuses

    Chapter 63: Younger Generation Geniuses

    Pressured by their parents and trainers to watch out and test the foreigner¡¯s skill level, many of the younger experts felt at a loss. They had no idea what his physical features were. The only hint they had was the fact that he often carried with him a massive sword on his back.

    The city swarmed with many of these younger generation experts who were on the lookout for a single expert with arge sword. A week passed by without finding him, no one had seen him. It was like he was only a rumor, not a reality.

    In actuality, Xu Min had not gone to town these days. He had been staying at the Bu familypound and focused on his training. He understood that this ranking was serious. Since experts came from all across the Ruins of the Immortals, he would be in a bad position if he didn¡¯t focus on training. He did have his devouring sword and Cao Cao to assist him, but they could only do so much.

    Xu Min had to focus on his own strength. He knew he needed to train as much as he could. He even went so far as to use some of his medicinal pills and then get rid of the surplus of energy. This energy was getting used by training with the sword time and time again.

    After the first day he trained in his room, Xu Min made sure to close the door whenever he was training. His days in Bu Huang¡¯s mansion were lived in leisurely peace. He could not ask for anything more. Already, he felt the rapid improvement he was undergoing.

    Every time he took a medicinal pill, his dantian would swell up. So much so, it was close to bursting, but Xu Min would use strand after strand of Qi to ensure that his dantian would not explode and cripple him.

    It was a painful and rather a tedious way of training. Nheless, once Xu Min looked at his dantian, he smiled in satisfaction. In just a week his dantian had increased to the point he felt the threshold of the third-star level. His goal was to break into a third-star Warrior rank before thepetition began. To do this, he stayed in his room, working hard to aplish this.

    Shui Wu woulde by once a day, ensuring that he ate some food. After aplishing her assigned task, she would leave. She too was spending all waking hours, apart from the ones taking care of Xu Min, on training. As the best disciple of Bu Huang, her pride had been challenged unintentionally by Xu Min easy defeat of Bu Wei. Asking herself, she was certain that she could not defeat him with just one sh of a sword.

    "Are external experts really that strong?" Shui Wu asked herself for the umpteenth time. Doubt was apparent in her eyes. She had always been taught that external practice was for poor cultivators andmoners who did not have ess to the internal expert¡¯s stances. External experts mainly became guards for major families or perhaps mercenaries hunting down demonic beasts in the wilderness.

    High ranked families would never let their younger generation be external experts. Meeting Xu Min, Shui Wu could not help but wonder if she, and everyone else, had been mistaken.

    Losing her assurance and foundation, Shui Wu found herself often going to her master¡¯s office; she stood in front of the door, hesitating slightly.

    "Come in!" A loud voice boomed out. The girl dared not stay outside any longer and rushed inside.

    "Why have youe to see me, my dear disciple?" Bu Huang asked as he leaned back in his chair behind his desk. His eyes observed his disciple with a fondness one only found in parent¡¯s looking at their children.

    "Master, please excuse this disciple of yours, but I am unable to understand this honorary guest of yours. He is an external expert and only a two-star Warrior, but he was able to defeat Bu Wei who is a three-star Warrior and internal expert. How could this be?"

    "Xu Min is an extraordinary youth. His talent is far stronger than what you guys canprehend." Bu Huangughed, "he is not only limited externally, but he also has ess to internal stances as well.I assume, though, he prefers not to use them."

    "Moreover, he has had some fortunate encounters. His master is my martial brother, and my martial brother always said that he would never take a disciple. Here he is, the disciple of that old man. To change my brother¡¯s mind, he must be incredibly skilled, but also possess something which emotionally moved Wang Li."

    "I don¡¯t mind why he has been taken in by my brother, but the fact that he has makes him important. Because he has a connection with my brother, I will do what I can to protect or assist him. That is why it is important that you look after him and ensure that he has what he needs."

    Shui Wu was shocked listening to her master. She never knew her master had a martial brother until now. She was even more surprised that he would tell her about it now.

    "Don¡¯t worry about it too much. I am certain that you will not tell anyone about him. Even if you did, I doubt that anyone would be able to harm him. He is far stronger than I am, so I pity anyone who targets him."

    "Overall Shui Wu, I need you to understand why Xu Minis important to me; To me, he is like my brother¡¯s son and someone I consider my own son too. You need to make sure that he is ready for the Immortal Valley Ranking. He will not only be a great benefit for our family, but he will also benefit greatly from entering the Valley."

    "When you enter the Valley, you don¡¯t need to follow him around, just make sure that before thepetition no one disturbs him. If we assist him too much in the Valley, then he will never improve on his own."

    "I understand master," she affirmed while bowing deeply in front of the older man.

    The door opened at the wave of Bu Huang¡¯s hand. Shui Wu instantly understood that she was dismissed. With one more bow, she turned and left, thinking about all the information Bu Huang told her.

    "I better check up on the guest," she mumbled to herself. When she reached Xu Min¡¯s room and knowing a few times she suddenly had a bad feeling. The young man was not present.

    "Miss, the young guest, has gone to town," a maid said, seeing Shui Wu standing still in front of the door. Shui Wu¡¯s face color vanished as she heard this news. The usually calm and collected young woman could not help but emit some foul words, words which caused the maid to believe a devil had possessed her.

    ....

    Xu Min was unaware about the information Bu Huang gave Shui Wu. Even more so, he was oblivious to city¡¯s intentions on using every young member to test his strength. None of them dared to cause any damage to this young man since he was under the protection of Bu Huang, the strongest expert in town. If he proved to be far stronger than any of the city¡¯s young expert, now, then they would plot on getting rid of him.

    Xu Min had gone to town because he needed to purchase some things to prepare for the Immortal Valley Rankings. He wanted to buy some medicinal pills which caused injuries to heal faster. Additionally,he needed to obtain an extra set of clothes and food and drink provisions.

    Though it would be hard to find the right shops, since he was new to the area, he would rather spend extra time finding what he needed than to trouble his hosts. He already felt that the Bu family was doing a lot for him, asking them to be his guides would be too disrespectful.

    The moment Xu Min left the Bu mansion the city¡¯s messenger boys who had been guarding the entrance started running towards their masters with the news that a young man with arge sword had appeared.

    Ironically, as soon as they saw Xu Min, the messenger boy ran with all their speed to alert their masters. Nheless, they were butmoners, with no ability to cultivate and thus they were incapable of keeping up with Xu Min¡¯s speed. By the time they reached their master¡¯s locations, Xu Min had already arrived at the first marketce where he had entered calmly and looked around.

    This ce had everything from rich merchants selling expensive, coveted objects to homeless people selling what few items they had left. Walking past the rich merchants, everyone called out to him. "Look at this ne! It will be beautiful on the neck of your beloved!"

    "Ignore that scammer ande look at my wares, the finest silk in the entire world."

    "Who needs to buy presents for women? Look at my armor and weapons. I am sure I have the perfect item for an expert such as yourself!"

    Xu Min looked at the items. While examining the beautiful green ne, he was instantly reminded of Yong Meilin. A sharp pain ached in his chest, but he quickly shook his head. He had not said goodbye to her forever; he just swore he would be immortal and get revenge from the Zhong family. When he achieved his revenge, he would return to Yong Meilin¡¯s side and enjoy life once more.

    Tearing his eyes from the ne, Xu Min knew the price would be extravagant. Even though he had some wealth, he was not willing to waste it especially, since he was on a mission, a mission to prepare himself for the important Immortal Valley Rankings.

    Moving from stall to stall, Hui Yue finally reached a stall which sold dried food. He spent quite some coin here but was satisfied. During the trip to the Valley who knew if there was anything which could be eaten or if it was poisonous; as a result, possessing his own food was important The same went for the water, so purchasing drinks was also a necessity.

    Purchasing drinks was no real issue, and soon all he needed was the medicines to help him heal quickly and some clothes.

    Clothes were easily purchased as well, but the medicinal pills seemed to acquire. It took him an hour before he finally found a shop selling medicinal pills. He did not notice when he entered the shop that behind him was one group after another waiting for him toe out.

    The pill purchase was simple; Xu Min handed over almost all the remainder of his coins while he in return was given twenty lustrous purple pills. These pills were what he sought, and he was excited to have gotten as many as he had. Although he had almost exhausted his jade card, he had obtained all he needed.

    Walking out from the shop, Xu Min came to a stop as he looked in front of him. Three groups were blocking his way. Each group were ten men strong and in front of them were three young men, all around twenty years of age. They looked at Xu Min with curiosity and slight hostility within their eyes.

    "What can I do for you guys?" Xu Min asked with a smile on his face, a smile which did not resemble his hostile, cold eyes.

 Chapter 64: To Test Ones Strength

    Chapter 64: To Test One¡¯s Strength

    During Xu Min¡¯s travels, no matter where he had gone, he had always met with both hostility and hospitality. Only in Honghe City, where he had spent years with his master Wang Li, he had never felt any hostility towards him, but he never knew this was due to the protection of his master.

    When he left on his journey, he met Cao Cao and his family. They were very kind towards him. Although they did force him to travel with Cao Cao, none of them wanted to take his life. They even allowed him to take the herbs of his liking from their beautiful grounds.

    The snakes hospitality counterbnced with the cultivator in the forest he had the life and death encounter with. This was the first time he had been forced to fight to the death, and it had been an immense tempering of both his mind and body.

    Reaching Ri Chu City, he had felt a great hostility from everyone apart from the Yong family who had taken good care of him. he had learned to repay kindness with kindness and enmity with death at Ri Chu.

    Further on in the Ruins of the Immortals, he had encountered both kindness and enmity. Now,once more, he had arrived in arge city, and he had been shown great friendship. Nevertheless, when he was shown friendship, he knew to expect hostility. The two never came without each other..

    The time hade. He had gone to town on his own to buy some items to prepare for the Immortal Valley¡¯s Ranking, but he could not avoid the people who viewed him differently.

    "What can I do for you?" he asked casually. The smile on his face made him seem approachable, but his eyes emitted a warning to stay away.. Those who wished to approach had to be willing to suffer death.

    "We heard about a new participant in the Immortal Valley Rankings," one of the young men said, stepping forward one step and smiling at Xu Min in a friendly manner.

    "We were curious about this new participant, so when we heard that you were in town we rushed over to see with our own eyes what ourpetition is like. Who would have thought that you would turn into an external expert?" he mockinglyughed.

    "Clearly you already knew that," Xu Min retorted casually. He cracked his neck,pletely ignoring the people in front of him who were three-star Warriors and their entourage of one and two-star Warriors behind them.

    "If you had not known how would you have found me?" he question sarcastically. The questionpletely stumped the one who had been talking. His face turned slightly malicious as he understood that Xu Min was making fun of him.

    "I am here to see just how outstanding you are," he said with a shrill voice. "I heard you could defeat that weakling from the Bu family, but that does not mean anything to me. All of us could have defeated him."

    "Well, good for you. If you have nothing more important to say, then stop blocking my way. I need to return to train." Xu Min bluntly stated. The smile on his face had disappeared. He was just annoyed now. The real killing intent was surging throughout his body. He was no longer interested in this conversation and wished to finish it as soon as possible.

    "I am here to test you," the young man continued, "but you are a weak external expert. I won¡¯t even use my own hands as I fear that you will die, and I don¡¯t want to be responsible for your pathetic death As well, that would be bad for me since the Bu family values you so greatly. Song Hu go and y with this young man!" the young man called out. One of the guards behind him stepped forward.

    ¡¯Cao Cao, you¡¯re up!¡¯ Xu Min asserted. Xu Min stood as before.His arms were crossed over his chest, and the sword was on his back. He did not move an inch;yet, two seconds after a bloodcurdling scream resounded throughout the market.,The guard known as Song Hu copsed on the ground. Foaming at the mouth, his eyes stared into oblivion as the pupils shrunk and turned dim.

    "Sorry, I could not control my strength. Why did you think to send out such a weak guard?" Xu Min said sarcastically.He kept standing the way in the same position. The action caused everyone present to gulp, and their faces turned white.

    All of them saw Xu Min had not moved. He had not even unsheathed his sword. However, he had somehow killed one of the strongest guards within the Lin family.

    Because Cao Cao did not cancel his shroud of darkness, no one could see his movements. It had taken him one second to reach the guard, and one second to return to Xu Min¡¯s neck.

    Xu Min looked at the many people in front of him and sighed. "if you really want to test my strength all of you need toe at me at once. If you truly chose to do this, though, then do not me me for being ruthless. I will ughter all who decides to test me." he carelessly exined. .

    After thest city fighting a life and death battle, Xu Min was no longer the same simple cultivator he had been before. His body remembered the fight, and it had heightened his senses. His eyes were sharper; his movements were quicker, and his killing intent had risen dramatically. He no longer spared people who were going against him. Anyone who posed a threat would die. Only then could he seed in moving forward.

    "Now now, let us <i>all</i> rx," a second young man pleaded. He looked at the young master Lin who was fuming with anger and clearly considered giving the sign to attack. "We are not here to insult you young man, but please understand the Immortal Valley¡¯s Ranking is important for all of us. We need to know what our opponents are like. I am sure we all found your techniques outstanding, so I suggest we end the test here. You thoroughly surprised us."

    Taking a step back was currently the most beneficial thing to do. Xu Min had proven his strength,even in a way no one could question. Nheless,the Lin family had just lost an important guard, and they were not likely to ept this loss.

    "Fine Fine. Who would have expected you were capable of such attacks, so swift we couldn¡¯t see anything. How could we question your level of strength?" the Lin young master said through his gritted teeth. Though he was furious, he understood their only had a chance was if all of them charged at Xu Min at once. Hearing the other young masters¡¯ments, it was clear that they had no intention of joining in on such an assault.

    "Xu Min!" a voice suddenly cut through the tense air. Shui Wu came rushing from the side. Her usually pale face contained traces of red tint in her cheeks, and her breathing was hurried. It was clear that she had rushed here as quickly as she could.

    "Xu Min are you okay?" she asked. She was very worried since she remembered her master¡¯s words about Xu Min.. A man who had sworn never to take a disciple had taken this young man as a disciple. The value of this one individual was clear. Even to Bu Huang, Xu Min was as important as his own sons.

    After looking Xu Min all over, Shui Wu finally heaved a heavy sigh of relief. There were no signs of him having been injured. Then her eyes fell on the ground and the dead bodyying next to her.

    Her face instantly turned pale. She felt like hammering her head against a wall. Although she had found Xu Min, it seemed that she was too slow to avoid danger.

    "Miss Shui, Seeing you this frantic, who would have thought that this young man meant so much to the Bu family? Is he a long lost son or is there some other reason as to why he is so important?"

    The question the person asked was one which everyone was now curious about, but Shui Wu just red at him silently. "Although it is our fault that Song Hu has died, we cannot take the entire me. Three young masters intently ganged up one individual, knowing what the consequences might be. l. What righteous young masters they are!" she mocked. Her words struck them all, causing their faces to turn slightly pale.

    The fight had caused many citizens to stop and watch. The entire ground outside the shop was filled to the brim. As soon as Shui Wu had finished talking, her words had caused everyone present to start mumbling to one another. Thirty guards and three young masters had indeed ganged up on one individual. However, this young man had not cowered in fear. Instead, he had stood strong, even killing one of the Lin family¡¯s guards after he warned them of the consequences of confronting him.

    The three young masters¡¯ faces increasingly turned sour as they heard frommoners on how shameless they attacked. They had lost face, not only because Xu Min had not shown them any respect, but also because the people surrounding them truly felt that they were cowardly, ganging up on one expert who was even of a lower rank than them.

    "This is all a misunderstanding!" The young man exined once more with a smile on his face, "I don¡¯t understand why Lin Dong was so eager to test out this young man, but the three of us were having fun in town. Then we saw this new participant, and we were just curious about his strength. We never intended to gang up on him; it was all coincidence," he tried to argue, but the damage had already been done.

    "I will take my leave now. I have what I need." the third young master said. He had been quiet this whole time, and of the three, he was the one Xu Min had been observing the most. He was a four-star Warrior whereas the other two were three-star Warriors. He had an oppressive air around him. He was definitely not an easy target.

    The second young master also decided it was time to go, seeing the third young master leaving. "It was a pleasure to meet you Xu Min. Shui Wu as always a pleasure to see you, but I think it is the time I take my leave. A misunderstanding has already happened, and I do not wish to make it any worse." he nonchntly expressed.

    Even though these two experts had lost some face, it was nothingpared to Lin Dong. He had both lost a guard and his self-respect. He had imed he could kill Xu Min by mistake, only then to suffer a loss of his favorite guard.

    "Take Song Hu with us," he ordered the group of guards behind him and with ast venomous look at Xu Min he spat out the words, "I will see you at the Immortal Valley Rankings." before he too turned to leave.

    Xu Min just stood back; his arms still crossed over his chest.His eyes as alert as ever before.s He stared at all of them until they vanished from his sight.

    "Thank you, Shui Wu, for assisting me with these three young masters," heughed afterwards as his arms went behind his head. He started whistling while walking towards the Bu family mansion once more.

 Chapter 65: Gate of Revelation

    Chapter 65: Gate of Revtion

    Shui Wu stayed at the shop while Xu Min walked ahead. She was looking over the scene, reying the events in her head uncertain on what to do. "At least he only killed a guard," she sighed heavily, shaking her head. She knew exactly what happened. Xu Min had been challenged and used his strength to prove that he was not someone to easily bully. Unfortunately, the guard who was supposed to test him had died.

    Looking around, Shui Wu saw that many of the people involved in the incident had vanished or gone their own way and no longer showed any interest in these noble people.

    Xu Min was not bothered by the expert who had blocked his way earlier. He knew his actions caused enmity between himself and at least one of the families. He would not have been as fierce if it wasn¡¯t for the young master who osted him. However, it was a mere guard. Even if this Jin family were going to be upset over the loss of a guard, they would not dare to go against Xu Min and the Bu family for a minor family guard.

    "If you want revenge,e find me in the Immortal Valley," Xu Min muttered to himself while smirking. He was going to battle the high ranked Zhong family leader; how could he be stopped by insignificant geniuses from this ce?

    Shui Wu was running right behind Xu Min. Upon their return, Xu Min went back to his room to train while Shui Wu rushed to her master¡¯sir, getting ready to tell him about the recent incident.

    "You said he killed a guard of the Jin family?" Bu Huang chuckled as he stroked his beard. "To be honest, it was the Jin family¡¯s fault. They decided to check his strength. Still, killing him that easily, this Xu Min has quite some secrets. If possible travel with him in the Immortal Valley. I am certain that you will benefit greatly from befriending this person. Though, you most likely have to kill quite a few Jin members in the valley."

    Bu Huang apparently did not mind the death of the Jin family. Outwardly all the major families of the city kept a friendly rtionship amongst one another; Inwardly, their interrtionships were drastically different. All of them wished for the others to suffer in one way or another so that they could get the upper hand and gain more power for themselves.

    "Well, even if the Jin familyes here for the sake of justice then I will deal with them. Humph, it was nothing but a guard that he killed. They need to have a thick face toe ask for justice," he said, his eyes darkened and he expressed disdain.

    Nodding her head, Shui Wu had not expected him to say anything else, and instead she bowed deeply and left the private chambers of the Master.

    Xu Min barricaded himself within his room where he fully focused on training. He would practice his sword arts, his stances, and his cultivation base.

    All of these things took most of the day. The few hours he had to himself outside of training he spent rxing, ensuring that his body did not be too exhausted.

    While Xu Min was busy training inside Bu Huang¡¯s mansion, a storm was brewing in the city. The Jin family med the Bu family of mindlessly murdering one of their guards while the Bu family used the Jin family of suddenly attacking their members.

    Everyone knew the entirety of the incident; even so, everyone paid attention closely to both sides.

    The Jin family finally realized they were being made fun of. Every time they tried to act like the victims, the people in town wouldugh at their words. No one would believe their poor acting skills because everyone already knew the truth of the matter.

    "We have to give up on this," the patriarch sighed. He looked at his son in front of him, "although this guard was your friend and one of the strongest guards, he was but a guard. Not only that, we were the ones initiating the battle, as well. If we continue to require redemption for the lost guard all they will give us is some gold. But, even if they go that far, we are lucky."

    "Every day we try to stand our ground and get our hands on this young master the citizens willugh at us and see us as hypocrites."

    "What you can do is attack him while you are in the Immortal Valley. If he goes only a short distance from his group, execute him. If he is dumb enough not to travel with the other Bu family members, hunt him down and let him know what happens when a person upsets our family. Let him die a painful death."

    Nodding his head, the desire to kill shed in the eyes of the young master Jin. He bowed deeply before turning around to leave.

    The days flew by; everyone became busier preparing for the day that they would have to enter the immortal Valley.

    During this period, Xu Min visited the city four times. After the first time, no one tried to stop him or test his strength. He had already been recognized as one of the top experts the Bu family.

    The time passed quickly, and the time for thepetition arrived. Xu Min left his room with the sword on his back and with a small bag tied to his waist. This bag was a gift to him from Bu Huang, and it was a storage treasure. It was simr to the backpack his master Wang Li possessed. It could store an outstanding amount of things. Bu Huang¡¯s gift was truly extravagant.

    The front of the mansion had various carriages waiting for the ten young experts, going to the Immortal Valley¡¯s rankings. Even Bu Huang and a group of the other elders would follow them. This was the most importantpetition for thest ten years; thus, they wanted to see what was happening in the Immortal Valley.

    The Immortal Valley was located in the southwestern part of the Ruins of the Immortals. It was in the middle of a desert. A person had to pass through a teleportation array to get to it. This teleportation array was only active when it was time for the Immortal Valley Rankings. Also, it limited how many people could go through it. This was the reason why each eligible families were only allowed to bring a specific amount of people.

    The trip took a long time. Xu Min would spend half of the time together with Bu Huang, conversing about Wang Li or the immortal Valley, waiting for them to reach their destination.

    "There is a group called the Guardians. They always protect the Immortal Valley and are the only people capable of entering the valley outside of the Immortal Valley Rankings."

    "They can also locate any person within the valley. The ranking will go on for a full year. In that one year, everyone will be staying in ruins, watching the youngsters¡¯ progress and battles. Some years not even a third of the participating experts survive; other years more than half survives. Let us hope you will be one of the survivors."

    Sighing heavily, Bu Huang looked outside and observed the many carriages behind his, the carriages which contained his family members and disciples. He knew that some of them would die. Even realizing this, he knew he had to let them join.

    "Luck can be more important than strength," Bu Huang said asudden as he looked out the carriage. "Some time ago, I also participated in the Immortal Valley Rankings. Back then I was a mediocre fighter within my family. More than half of the participating members could have easily killed me. Some didn¡¯t even have to break a sweat to do it."

    Bu Huang¡¯s eyes misted over while he reminisced about his past.

    "When we entered the valley, alliances were severed. Only the strong, it didn¡¯t matter from which family, traveled together. The weak people such as me did not have any alliance. No one wished to have us in their groups since we could drag them down."

    A look of disdain shown in Bu Huang¡¯s eyes, a sh of coldness passed through them.

    "I left the others and ran away as soon as I could. I spent one day after another fleeing other practitioners or big demonic beasts. Eventually, I reached the very end of the Immortal Valley. There I found a weird formation on the ground. In the middle of this formation was a scroll. I instantly decided this scroll had to be quite useful, so I took the chance and entered the formation."

    "I remembered how the energy entered my body and rebuilt every single cell. The scroll¡¯s power increased the width of my meridians and increased the size of my dantian alongside the energy within."

    "I was stuck in that formation for three months; my body continuously was being refined. When I emerged from the formation, I was no longer the weak one. My power had soared through the sky. I grasped the scroll and learned a specific ability. This ability allowed me to be the top faction of the City of the Thousand Stars."

    "Master, how exactly do the people within the Immortal Valley get ranked?" Xu Min asked curiously. Bu Huang smiled.

    "There are two tasks which determine the winners. First, one can be ranked depending on how many treasures a person has gained during their time within the valley. The second way is to kill or rob other cultivators. A total of a hundred thousand people will be participating in the Immortal Valley, so there will be plenty of people to rob. After you rob them, make sure to take a token you were given by the Guardians. These tokens are worth the same as ten normal treasures and one heavenly treasure."

    "As far as I know there is even divine treasures within the Immortal Valley, but those you should watch out for." he warned the younger man, "Every treasure is guarded by a beast. If you kill the beasts, you will gain a mortal or heavenly treasure. Their bodies are treasures in themselves. However, fighting against a divine beast, you will die instantly."

    "The mortal beasts vary in strength equal from a one-star to a four-star Warrior. Heavenly beasts have the strength of a five- to an eight-star Warrior while divine beasts are nine-star Warriors. Although you have been gifted many treasures and had fortunate encounters, I believe that you will not be able to fight the early heavenly ranked beasts.Remember, the treasure is worth nothing if you are dead. Always value your life more than the treasures you might gain."

    There was a seriousness in Bu Huang¡¯s eyes, and Xu Min instantly nodded his head. He felt this extreme expert truly cared about him. Even though this concern came from his rtionship with Wang Li, Xu Min was still grateful.

    "Master Bu, we have arrived at the Gate of Revtion."

 Chapter 66: Yanluo

    Chapter 66: Yanluo

    The carriages came to a halt. Slowly Bu Huang stood up and exited his carriage, gesturing the others to follow him. Xu Min instantly stood up and respectfully followed behind. As he departed from the carriage, he looked all around him, surveying his new environment. Xu Min¡¯s facial expression appeared dumbfounded.

    This moment was the first time he had been in an actual ruin. Everywhere around him was desert, and in front of him were the ruins of what seemed to have been a massive temple. Xu Min suppressed his bewilderment as fast as could. He did not want others to know he was unaware of the terrain. He kept looking at the decrepit building. Only the pirs were left standing. Some had sunk deep into the sand while others had fallen together with the roof. There were no doors, but in the middle of what used to be the temple grounds, there was arge circr structure. It was made from a ck material and contained silvery inscriptions which kept shining on the surface. This shine of the inscription made the material seem real.

    "That is the gate of Revtion," Bu Huang helpfully exined as he saw Xu Min¡¯s gaze.

    Nodding his head, Xu Min kept observing his surroundings. The other nine participants appeared, moving to stand side by side with Xu Min, all of them walking right behind Bu Huang.

    Examining his fellow teammates, Xu Min was surprised to see Shui Wu acting haughty and arrogant just like the first time they had met. Eightpetitors, two women, and six young men stood by her side.

    Thesepetitors disdainfully looked around at their surroundings. They were confident that they would be able to rank highly in this Immortal Valley Rankings. Xu Min saw at least fifty groups., Some of these other group members possessed an oppressing aura, making even Xu Min slightly hesitant.

    ¡¯Don¡¯t worry!¡¯ Cao Cao¡¯s confidently said, ¡¯You will reach the third-star rank soon. Once this happens, your strength will skyrocket. Your physical body will be remade and be much stronger; your internal energy will make you able to use the Radiant Jade Shower much better than you have done so far. Even one of the shards will be a lethal weapon to most experts.¡¯

    ¡¯Also, don¡¯t forget that I am with you,¡¯ Cao Cao stated smugly.. ¡¯I fear the consequences for whoever dares to cause us trouble when I am by your side.¡¯

    ¡¯This time Cao Cao, I want to depend on myself as much as I can,¡¯ Xu Min apologetically exined, ¡¯ if I am in a dangerous position, then you can help me. Other than then, please let me do it by myself. I need to temper myself and improve my power. Otherwise, I will never be able to gain revenge."

    Xu Min¡¯s thought had made the me of hatred within him burn increasingly strong. The desire to kill surged in him. His face was cold, and his eyes appeared deep.

    Many of the extreme experts of the younger generation all jolted as they looked towards Xu Min; they wanted him dead. All of them were unable to believe that this young man had such a weak cultivation base. If he was capable of hiding his actual strength, then that would be disastrous.

    "Whatever," one of the extreme experts muttered to himself while his eyes gleamed at Xu Min, "having strong opponents makes this adventure much more fun. I cannot wait for the rankings begin!"

    This expert was not the only person to think like this. Everyone seemed to think the same thing, and all of them looked at Xu Min with apprehension.

    Bu Huang and the Bu group were even more shocked than the those around. Xu Min¡¯s desire to kill was stronger than a normal person his age. However, Xu Min had gone through far too much. He had killed numerous times. Most importantly, though, he had seen his sister die in front of him, and he had been betrayed by the Overseer whom he considered as his father. His revenge was personal and deep.

    Because of this, he was no longer the innocent young man who had been training to be a Zhong, family guard. If someone got in the way of his training or way, he would kill them.

    Xu Min withdrew into himself, erasing his killing desire for revenge. However, he had already instilled fear many experts around. These experts were all of the younger generation. They had been trained for the Immortal Valley rankings for years. Their attacks were perfect, their strength overwhelming. Nheless, they had only sparred against others. They had never fought to live.

    Feeling this killing intent from Xu Min, Bu Huang was pleased. This meant that he had a far bigger chance of survival than many of the other youngsters.

    The group of Bu Huang and his elders alongside the group of contestants walked past the ruins towards some stone houses. Reaching these stone houses Bu Huang entered the first empty house, and all the Bu family followers entered with him.

    "Everyone, we will be living in this house for the next year." Bu Huang announced. "When it is time for the young experts to enter the gate of revtion, we will stay in the ruins. The guardians will show the many battles within the immortal ruins. Every day they will inform us who has died as well as an average estimation of who is in the top ten."

    "My cherished warriors, I need to tell you something important. I know everyone knows the Immortal Valley Ranking is crucial. You all need to do your very best, but it is more important to value your life. Valuing your life is essential. If you wish to rank high or to keep the treasures you encounter, it is vital for you to be alive. Even if you end up with a low ranking, it is far better than the dead who did not rank at all ."

    Bu Huang stressed how important it was to stay alive, but when Xu Min looked around at the many contestants, he saw they were not listening wholeheartedly to Bu Huang¡¯s speech.

    ¡¯These people will only be a burden to you,¡¯ Cao Cao¡¯s voice resounded in Xu Mi¡¯s mind. ¡¯They have never seen real fighting before, and they will all end up as cannon fodder. Even though this Bu Huang guy is being kind to warn them, they are not paying any attention.¡¯

    The group quickly left the house after having left the elders there. Bu Huang brought the youngsters with him to look at their opponents.

    Xu Min had a small smile on his face, but he said nothing. Instead, he was observing the surrounding groups of people. Some were timid and walked around, consistently jolting when they got too close to other people. While others were rough and haughty, looking down on everyone else.

    Some experts were capable of being killers. Their eyes were sharp, and their movements were precise and swift. Xu Min was looking at this group instantly decided not to be found by them. They would kill anyone they came across. If they split individually then, Xu Min was not too afraid of them, but a group of ten coldblooded killers was too much for Cao Cao and him.

    Suddenly Xu Min¡¯s eyes widened. He felt a tinge of fear in his heart when he saw a group of guards wearing red uniforms. In the sky was a massive ship with four wings. It was leaving after depositing these warriors.

    These people were no strangers to Xu Min. Although he did not recognize all of them instantly, he remembered the ship and the leader. It was the Snow Mountain faction.

    Noticing the sudden change in Xu Min, Bu Huang¡¯s gaze followed Hui Yue¡¯s direction. He frowned slightly when he saw them.

    "You know the warriors from the Snow Mountain of the Dragon Ruins?" he asked curiously. A sour smile emerged on Xu Min¡¯s lips, "You can say so," he answered and paused for a moment before he continued speaking, "I killed around hundred of their soldiers." He continued after a short pause, but his words had already caused Bu Huang to instantly stop in his tracks. He stared at Xu Min in disbelief.

    Bu Huang was not the only shocked. Everyone behind him, guards, elders and participants alike, were greatly stunned. They knew the Snow Mountain of the Dragon Ruins were not to be insulted; yet, someone in their group had already killed a hundred of their guards. If this was not enmity, then what was?

    At the same moment Xu Min was thinking about his ughter, the leader of the Snow Mountain group coincidentally looked towards him. Their eyes interlocked, and the guard¡¯s face turned white as a sheet of paper. In his mind, the memory of Xu Min and his ughter yed in front of his eyes once more. His entire body was trembling.

    All the guards seeing the change in their leader tried to find the source of difort for him.The contestants followed his gaze, and in front of them was a young man with a small smile on his face. His arms crossed over his chest, and his eyes were as calm, but deadly as the surface of a deep, darkke.

    "It¡¯s him!" a guard shakingly eximed, "he is the one they called Yanluo!"

    Hearing these words, every single contestant also followed his gaze. Their eyesnded upon Xu Min, all of them were aghast. This was the two-star expert capable of producing such fear in the hearts of all the Snow Mountain¡¯s guards.

    A member of the Snow Mountain, straightened his back and moved towards the Bu family group.

    "To think I would run into you here Yanluo!" the man said withughter in his voice. He was around twenty years of age. His eyes were deep and seemed to contain the entire universe¡¯s mysteries. It was clear that he was the extreme expert that the Snow Mountain had sent. He was without a doubt a five-star Warrior, if not higher. This was what true talent looked like.

    "This lowly one feels fortunate to meet such a great cultivator as yourself." Hui Yue bowed respectfully. Contrary to what most believed, he was not scared witless because he felt that he could at least make a fight and then escape. If it came down to it, he believed Bu Huang would support him.

    "To think someone as weak as yourself was capable of gaining the title Yanluo. It is quiteical!" the older boy continued, "well, it is not possible to battle now outside of the Immortal Valley as the Guardians will disqualify all of us if we do. However, watch your back within the Valley. I am eager to see if you live up to the name you have been granted."

    The words were not spoken low. They were so loud that everyone could hear it, causing the majority to be filled with shock. All of them started to discuss what deeds he had done to be given such an outstanding nickname.

    "I will wait for you," Xu Min stated. He had a wry smile on his face, "I killed your guards only because they wanted to kill me. If youe for me, do not me me for being ruthless. Anyone who decides to be in my way, I will personally ensure that they die, so they will never cause me trouble again."

    Xu Min spoke these words with full confidence. When this older expert looked into Xu Min¡¯s eyes, he realized it was no empty threat. His heart shook, and his mouth went dry, fear arose within himself that he could not understand.

 Chapter 67: Desert Wolves

    Chapter 67: Desert Wolves

    Xu Min decided to look at the many factions around him than give Snow Mountain any more attention. A total of one hundred thousand experts were to participate in this Immortal Valley Ranking. Each faction was allowed to bring ten experts with them, and in total ten thousand experts had the permission to partake in the rankings.

    Themotion caused by the Snow Mountainbined with their fame, or infamy, had caused many factions to keep an eye on them. Additionally, after their take over a city, many of the prominent families heard rumors about t an expert who had caused them trouble.

    Who this expert was, no one had known, not before today, that is. Knowing his nickname was Yanluo, everyone memorized him firmly within their minds. It was clear he was not just anybody since he reduced the Snow Mountain¡¯s guards into such a sorry state. It was clear Xu Min had the strength that surpassed the second-star Warrior rank, but no one seemed to be able to determine what his actual strength was. The experts had no idea where to gage him and epted he was stronger than he looked.

    Xu Min paid no attention. Instead, he just sighed deeply. He knew that he was the target of many experts who had heard what Snow Mountain said. Having been gifted the nickname Yanluo, anyone who managed to take him down would be known as the killer of the King of Hell.

    Bu Huang, who heard, smiled slightly as he stroked his beard. He was not against Xu Min experiencing dangers. Wang Li clearly sent him out into the world to be tempered. He guessed if he couldn¡¯t even manage against a group like this, then he was not worthy of being called Wang Li¡¯s disciple.

    "Old man Bu, it seems that the expert you have invited to join your familyes with a whole lot of baggage even Snow Mountain wishes to kill him. Going as far as to call him Yanluo, don¡¯t you fear that he will die? I mean a disciple as talented as him is quite rare, for sure, but...¡±

    Bu Huang just smiled at the man who had appeared out of nowhere. "Old man Xing, this is none of your concern. Although I will grieve if he dies, he can me no one but his inability to stay alive," Bu Huangughed out loud. His words caused many experts close by to frown. It was clear that Bu Huang who was usually protective of his own n¡¯s youngsters showed no signs of wanting to keep Xu Min safe. All he seemed to want was to see how Xu Min would do in the valley.

    Xu Min was standing just behind Bu Huang. His face was as neutral as it could be. No emotions shown even when Bu Huang said he was to me should he die. No expression was revealed in his eyes. He did not doubt that what Bu Huang said was incorrect. If he died, he could only me himself.

    "Hey, brother Xu, what is this all about with you and the Snow Mountain?" Shui Wu quietly asked him. The nine other participants had been very curious, but since Xu Min had been speaking, none of them had dared to interrupt.

    "It¡¯s nothing really," he said with a smile, "just a misunderstanding between the Snow Mountain and myself. It would be best if you do not seem too close to me. I am fairly certain of protecting my life, but I highly doubt that I can protect anyone else¡¯s at the same time," he politely stated. He said this with his best intentions, but the words sounded sour in Shui Wu¡¯s ears. She was instantly insulted. Turning her face up towards the sky, she gave a harrumph before she finally turned to walk back to the other guys, leaving Xu Minpletely perplexed.

    ¡¯Ugh, I miss Meilin,¡¯ he sighed to himself and Cao Cao. ¡¯I don¡¯t understand women at all. But, Meilin, she was so gentlepared to this haughty and rather a cold woman. They are like night and day.¡¯ Heined and his memories returned to the many days they had spent side by side in Ri Chu City.

    ¡¯Get a grip!¡¯ Cao Cao warned him. ¡¯Although I also miss Meilin too, especially all the food she brought with her, we cannot afford to be sentimental now. There is already so many who have been looking to kill you. If they group up, then you and I have absolutely no chance.¡¯

    Xu Min nodded his head. While Xu Min focused on his affairs, everyone else continued to look at him, some with pity, others with reverence, and much more with the desire for his death. Of all these stares, Xu Min noted down the ones who wished for his demise.He had to ensure that he did not run into those individuals. At least not before, he had gained a high ranked treasure to help him increase his strength some.

    Bu Huang went around and greeted various experts, patriarchs and so on. By his side was Xu Min. He kept the same straight expression through the entire ordeal, greeting them and showing respect. Externally, he was with Bu Huang, showing formalities, but internally he was submerged in his emotions. Having to endure every day and not rush back to the Zhong family¡¯s mansion to kill the two Zhong men, he needed more strength.

    During the entire greeting ceremony, Xu Min had his hands clenched hard. This was the only indication of his true emotions, yet no one noticed it.

    As the night descended over the ruins, two ck robed cultivators emerged from the darkness. As soon as they had arrived, everyone silenced themselves. The previous chatting and buzzing sound hpletely stopped. Everyone held their breath, looking at the experts who had appeared.

    "We Guardians wee you all to the ancient Immortal Valley Rankings. These rankings are as old as the Ruins of the Immortals themselves. They are a sacred event. Only the participants are allowed to enter the Immortal Valley. Even though, you patriarchs and elders can see what happens within, none of you can interfere."

    "What happens in the valley stays in the valley. If your disciple gets killed by another person, you are not to take revenge on this person, neither are you to take revenge on the person¡¯s family. Should you do this, then the Guardians will gather together and go against you. Be aware that although we Guardians stay hidden, our strength is not to be trifled with!"

    The voice boomed throughout the grounds. Everyone listened intently to every single word.

    "We are ranking the students as following: the ones who obtain the highest ranked beast core wins. If there are more with the same rank beast core, the one who has the most wins the highest ranking. There are no rules as to how you can get beast cores. You can kill beasts, or you can kill one another, it does not matter. If you get assistance from outside the Valley, then you will instantly die."

    The Guardian who was speaking did nothing to hide his killing intent. It was so strong that all the participant¡¯s faces grew pale.

    Xu Min standing by Bu Huang¡¯s side felt nothing as Bu Huang had spread out his arms, his robe covering all the participants behind him and thus they managed to get through the killing intent while suffering only a little bit.

    "I have said what I had to say. Everyone is to return to their residence, the nights in these ruins are not for cultivators like us to be out in. Tomorrow morning as the sun rises into the sky will we start sending the participants into the Immortal Valley."

    Having finished, the guard and his follower instantly turned around and left. Many of the experts who were left behind looked at each other in confusion. Bu Huang rushed back to the residence they had imed as their own.

    "There are many new factions which have been invited to the Immortal Valley this year," he said. He was moving swiftly, and only the ones from his group could hear what he said since he used amunication ability only a sixth rank Warrior could learn.

    "Every family who possessed an invitation to the Immortal Rankings used to be fairly safe. However after the Snow Mountain started taking over major cities, many families have fallen. When they fell, their invitation was taken on by Snow Mountain, and they traded them to their supportive families. These families are new to this entire Ranking. If you can, you should aim to fight those experts. They might feel that they have prepared enough, but they haven¡¯t been given an invitation till recently, so they could not have fully prepared. You can get rid of them easily." Bu Huang said as they finally reached their residence and entered inside.

    "There is one rule now. Do not leave this house!" he said with a very stern voice, "There are powers out there which I cannot even contest against. To go out is tomit suicide."

    Just as Bu Huang had said this, a bloodcurdling scream could be heard, followed by the sound of howling wolves. The sudden noise caused everyone to feel somewhat frightened and jittery. Wolves were not frightening as they were, but this was in the middle of the desert. There was nothing to live off; even so they were clearly there.

    "This is one of the many problems you will encounter within the Immortal Valley. Each night there will be spirits who wille and attack you. Making a fire or something simr will allow participants or beasts to easily pinpoint your location."

    Bu Huang spent the entire night telling about the dangers and challenges one would find within the Immortal Valley. Many of the other factions were trying to make their participants sleep, but Bu Huang believed that none of them could sleep knowing they were going to enter the Immortal Valley the following day.

    Spending all his time exining what they might experience, he felt better; he felt that he was teaching these sons and daughters of his family a way to survive.

    During the night, the wolves could be heard quite a few times. Every time it was followed by a scream and then an eerie silence.

    As the sun rose in the sky, the hearts of all participants were zing. They held their heads high; their eyes shone with excitement, and their bodies trembled just thinking about what was happening.

    Bu Huang stood up. Everyone followed behind him moving towards the same location. They went to where all the factions had been greeting each other the day before. A hundred thousand participants waited to go into the Immortal Valley. Their eyes gleaming; their bodies trembling and their hearts beating rapidly.

    Together with these many participants were also patriarchs and elders of the families alongside guards. There were people as far as the eye could see.

    Bu Huang had left their residence as soon as the sun had risen. Thus, they had managed to get a ce quite close to the ruins. Everyone¡¯s eyes were looking at the big portal that was swirling in the distance. Everyone focused on the portal, hoping that they could be the first ones to enter.

    "Let me exin what we rank people by" a voice sounded, and two Guardians appeared again. Their words caused everyone to be quiet. They looked on the two ck-robed men with anticipation.

 Chapter 68: Entering the Valley

    Chapter 68: Entering the Valley

    Everyone was silent; no one blinked. Holding their breath, all the people gathered looked at the Guardian, impatient to hear the news about the rankings.

    Even the returned experts stared at the Guardian, wide-eyed and fully focused.

    "We cannot measure the amount of treasures found since most of them will be used to increase the strength of the participant," The Guardianmented.It was only natural for them to try to increase their power to gain more treasures.

    "Consequently, we have decided the ranks will be determined by whoever acquires the most beast cores. The higher ranked beast you kill, the higher you will rank. The participant¡¯s emblems depend on the rank of the holder. If you kill a two-star Warrior, you gain a two-star emblem, which is equal to the core of a two-star beast."

    "Within the Valley, there are beasts leveled at the ninth rank. As to whether or not you will see themes down to your luck. We will not save you while you are in the Immortal Valley. Anything that happens, you will face on your own."

    Hearing this, some of the participant¡¯s eyes were filled with excitement while others had a slight trace of dread.

    "We will begin to send the experts into the Immortal Valley individually. All participants make sure to stand one in a line. Everyone will arrive at various ces within the Immortal Valley. Your alliances mean nothing," The Guardian continued. His words caused everyone to feel regretful. Every family wished for their participants to go together. Now, it seemed as though they had no one to rely on. Only true power would prevail.

    Looking at Bu Huang, Xu Min saw t he had a frown on his face. "Uncle Huang is it not normal for the participants to be split up after entering the Valley?" he asked subtly. All around him, people were mumbling to one another.

    Bu Huang looked surprisedly at Xu Min. He was shocked the younger man had guessed urately. "That is true," he answered. His voice low as well, not wishing to disturb the silence too much. His words, however, caused all the participants to feel stunned in their hearts. The Immortal Valley Ranking was as old as the history of the Immortal Ruins itself, the fact that it suddenly changed, startled Xu Min.

    While Xu Min was shocked, he understood that someone like Bu Huang, who had been here for multiple rankings, was far more surprised than himself.

    "Well, we cannot do anything about this," he tried to reassure his participants. He said this low, so it did not disturb the Guardians. "Remember what I said, survival is the most important aspect, high rankinges second. Do not make fires at night and ensure that you don¡¯t team up with people you do not trust, if possible."

    It was not just Bu Huang who was warning his members. Everyone, patriarchs, sect leaders, and elders, within the square outside the teleportation ruins, warned their members.

    "Stand in line!" The Guardian ordered. He called out many participants who rushed to the front of the line. They were the first to be teleported. Bu Huang, in no rush, waited until thest few spots before he made his members get in line.

    At the front of the line, fighting had already broken out between some participants. They used their brute force to gain a higher position in the queue. Xu Min and the ones at the back were quite satisfied with their current location.

    "One at a time," the Guardian said. He pretended not to see the fighting going on below.One participant after another stepped forward and moved towards the teleportation array.

    The queue got smaller and smaller as one person after another vanished. It had taken roughly three hours before it was time for the Bu family participants to enter the transportation device.Xu Min was filled with anticipation. Where would he arrive? What was this Immortal Valley like? Would he have to kill many participants or would it be enough to just hunt down the beasts? Xu Min did not know, but he could feel excitement deep inside, excitement to finally show off his prowess and to fight beasts and to gain treasures. From what he had understood, the Immortal Valley was one massive treasure trove, but it depended on a person¡¯s strength to acquire these treasures.

    "Look there! A two-star warrior who wants to join this ranking. Is it not a death wish? Although a two-star emblem is not worth much, with this kid being so brazen, he should be taught a final lesson.!" There was a group of the Bu family who finally saw Xu Min¡¯s strength, and all of them startedughing. The Bu family, on the other hand, felt ridiculed and many of them clenched their fists.

    A smile was on Xu Min¡¯s lips as he lifted a finger and pointed towards the speaker Just moments after, a green light shed so quickly no one could see what this blurry sh was, and moments after a bloodcurdling scream could be heard as the speaker copsed on the ground.

    Without saying anything, Xu Min turned his back to the ones who had just insulted him. Their faces were pale; their bodies trembled slightly. The sudden attack had not required of Xu Min to take a specific stance nor was it an external technique as there had been no movement.

    "You killed our martial brother!" someone suddenly shouted out. He was about to rush forward when a Guardian moved between Xu Min and the attacker.

    "Your martial brother is not dead," The Guardian said seriously. This was the first time the Guardian had personally intervened in a fight. Everyone felt the air intensify and be tense.

    "If you wish revenge for the petrified member of your n, make sure that you do so within the Immortal Valley." the Guardian stated again.

    Xu Min could not help but feel that this Guardian was treating him special. There was something he could not understand since he had nothing to do with this Immortal Valley before.

    "Now, It is your turn," the Guardian said to Xu Min. He moved forward, and suddenly a voice spoke into his ear, "beasts are not allowed to join the Immortal Valley rankings. I will look after Cao Cao for you while you are within. I will deliver him back to you when you survive. If you survive. Should you fail, then I will keep Cao Cao as my beast for the rest of his life."

    Hearing those words, Xu Min¡¯s eyes widened. He felt greatly shocked; even more so once he felt thefortable snake t usually around his neck had suddenly vanished. With a firm push, Xu Min vanished into the teleportation array.

    The world turned blurry; it was as though every color merged with one another. Soon the light vanished, apletely ck hole with a strong suction force drew Xu Min into the middle of it.

    He felt as though he had been there for years. However, only a second had gone by.

    The darkness soon broke, and color once more descended upon the world in front of Xu Min. Brown and green trees could be seen everywhere. He was standing in a small clearance. Right in front of him was his first obstacle, a Horned Redscaled Lizard.

    This lizard was clearly of the three-star rank, closing in on the fourth-star rank. Usually, Xu Min would not have felt worried about something as simple as such a beast. However, his safety provided by Cao Cao was gone. He needed to deal with everything on his own now.

    His sword instantly appeared in his hands. With his eyes focused on the Horned Redscaled Lizard, he instantly got ready to attack.

    This lizard was like Xu Min. He was a beast which externally practiced. Absorbing all the Qi from such a beast was only possible if he managed to cut through the tough defense of the red scales, something so strong that every beast would take pride in.

    Xu Min looked at the beast. They were both slowly moving in a circle, neither of them willing to be the first to advance.

    Xu Min took a deep breath. Although he was alone, he was inside a forest. This environment reminded him of the years where he was living in the forest outside the Zhong familypound. A serenity slowly descended upon his mind. A smirk appeared. He moved the sword slightly and finally pounced at the Horned Redscaled Lizard.

    The speed with which Xu Min moved was swift. Although he was not as swift as Cao Cao, he was still outstanding.His speed surprised the Horned Redscaled Lizard. Slithering with its tongue, it retreated a few steps before a determination appeared in its eyes. It too charged forward.

    The boy with therge sword in his hands and the lizard with its sharp ws and shining scales met face to face. The sword was blocked by the sharp ws, the two caught in a deadlock before shooting backward. Observing each other, they both knew that it was not going to be easy to deal with each other.

    "Fine, if I can¡¯t get you in close range, let just see how you will manage this!" Xu Min said with gritted teeth. He took a stance, one shard after another was made from Qi, but each shard looked like jade and was as sharp as knives.

    A hissing sound could be heard from the throat of the lizard. Its eyes turned dark, seeing Xu Min taking a stance. The lizard¡¯s eyes gained a confused expression. It had already seen t Xu Min was capable of standing against him physically, a fact which bruised his self-confidence. Now, the lizard saw he was capable of doing stances also!.

    Realizing he was in a bad situation, the Horned Redscaled Lizard turned to run away. However, the time it took to reach his conclusion allowed for Xu Min to execute his attack. Numerous shards appeared behind Xu Min. Xu Min did not hesitate; there was no time for sympathy in this life and death situation. His arm shot forward, pointing at the Lizard which was fleeing.

    "Think you are faster than my shards? Humph, keep dreaming," he said with a serious face. The shards shot forward; the shards embedded themselves within the beast¡¯s body, legs, feet, and head. Thousands of shards rained down upon the body of the Horned Redscaled Lizard.

    Blood started to flow, the speed of which the beast was escaping turned slow. The beast finally copsed with a wailing cry.

    Xu Min understood the smell of blood alongside the cry would cause other beasts to rush in his direction. In turn, Xu Min quickly cut out the beast core from the beast¡¯s forehead before he returned to the clearing in the forest. On a stone was a beautiful red flower which had a medicinal aroma wafting from it. The smell reminded Xu Min about the flowers he had found in the valley where Cao Cao¡¯s father and mother resided.

    Picking up the flower, he climbed to the tree tops. With steady and familiar steps, he moved farther away from the battle scene, constantly on the lookout for new opponents

 Chapter 69: Beast Cores

    Chapter 69: Beast Cores

    Xu Min was not from a big family; his education wascking, and he knew nothing about medicinal herbs. He understood that some alchemists would pay an incredibly high price to get these herbs, and they would then create medicinal pills which would be beneficial for cultivators.

    These herbs could also be consumed fresh, without any adverse side-effects.They would have a good effect on the body as well as the inner and outer strength. Unfortunately, some of these nts were poisonous before they were refined. Xu Min knew that he had no knowledge about these nts and without Cao Cao by his side to tell him about the herbs, he dared not consume them.

    What he did consume were the beast cores. He had the option of either absorbing them and allowing for his inner energies to rise drastically or keep the cores and use them when it came to the immortal valley ranking.

    "Well, the ranking as such means nothing to me," Xu Min sighed as he was seated at the top of a tree. He had been contemting for long. "I am here for the sake of increasing my strength. The stronger I be the faster I can deal with the Zhong family and return to Meilin¡¯s side," he stated. The beast core then appeared in his hand. Sitting down in a lotus position on a thick branch, Xu Min closed his eyes and breathed in and out. He calmed himself as he started to absorb the energy within the core. A golden mist started to leave the core, and Xu Min breathed it in. The moment it entered his body the body slowly started refining it, making it into Qi which slowly entered his dantian.

    It took him a couple of hours to absorb the entire energy from within the beast core. As thest few grains of golden light had been ingested, Xu Min opened his eyes and looked at the empty core in his hand. He Decided to keep it so that he could store it within his storage treasure.

    Flexing and stretching his body, a great smile appeared on his face. The inner energy was so abundant that Xu Min knew it was almost time for him to break into the third star. His strength had long since reached the bottleneck, but no matter how much he had cultivated he had been stuck there. Absorbing the energy from the beast core, he finally understood that the energy he had absorbed was helping him ovee his teau. He was still not at the third star, but another beast core or two, and he would break through.

    Having noticed how close he was to breaking through, Xu Min instantly strategized a battle n. He was to hunt more beasts and absorb their beast cores. This way he would be able to quickly reach the third star, at which point his strength would greatly increase. He then would be a much stronger opponent. Once a third-star, he would not have to fear the four-star Warriors and would have ways to deal with the five-star Warriors.

    Even though he knew that his strength would increase like this, Xu Min was also aware he was uncertain that he could manage the stronger opponents, especially now that Cao Cao was no longer by his side. He felt slightly intimidated without his dear friend¡¯s help. He knew defeating the stronger opponents would make everything harder.

    "That damned Guardian! Why¡¯d he have to take Cao Cao away from me?" he cursed as he made his way forward, running from one tree to another. However, his bad mood quickly changed, and a smile appeared on his face as he looked down. An Iron-coated Warpig was in front of him. Although Xu Min knew that these creatures were difficult to defeat due to their strong outer-defense, this beast was equal to a three-star Warrior.

    Relying on his strength, Xu Min jumped from his high position up the tree. With the sword in his hand, hended on the ground and swung the sword. A direct slice to the head, Xu Min decapitated the warpig. The execution was swift and painless; the warpig never noticed what had happened before its death.

    Once more, Xu Min was in a hurry. He used his hands and a knife to cut out the beast core before taking to the treetops.

    Leaving the battleground once more, Xu Min kept moving forward until he suddenly came to a stop. In front of him was the sounds ofughter and chatting. Staying in his high tree top, he heard the voicese closer and closer. Looking down, he saw a group of experts making their way through the wilderness together.

    None of them were worried about beasts overhearing them. If anything they wished for beasts toe, so they could battle them and get more beast cores.

    Xu Min did not recognize any of the members, but he still had no intention of showing himself to these people. Xu Min preferred to be on his own; he waited patiently for the group to pass. While waiting, he could not help but listen to what was being said.

    "I met the Snow Mountain group before. Although they are strong, they dared not kill me since Snow Mountain is nothingpared to our Dragon Ruins," one of the people boasted, "but they told me they are giving a great reward for whoever kills that young man from the City of Thousand Stars. He was with the Bu family, but he isn¡¯t a part of their family."

    "Isn¡¯t he called Yanluo by those Snow Mountain people? Seems quite troublesome to me," a girl asked. Her question caused some murmurs to be heard, and everyone nodded their heads. It was clear that this Xu Min was truly troublesome.

    "Well even if he is hard to kill, so is some of the magical beasts," the first speaker spoke again, "We have been battling hard to kill beasts all this time. He just like one of them, except he will bring in even better rewards! Why fear him? Yes, he killed a lot of experts, but he was lucky. All of us would be able to kill lots of experts as well if we wanted to do so. We are just too clever. None of us would volunteer to be enemies of Snow Mountain."

    Xu Min, who was just above them. He was surprised to hear that they were trying to hunt him, but a grim expression appeared on his face. Although Cao Cao was not there, Xu Min was not an easy target. Relying on his sword, he was capable of defeating anyone below the fifth-star warrior. Even if he were to die, he would take quite a few people with him.

    Without moving, the group below were not alert enough to notice Xu Min who was sitting as still as a rock, not moving in the slightest. This group would have noticed him had they been using their inner energy to scan the surrounding areas. However, none of them had considered doing this. They feltpletely safe since they were in great numbers.

    As they had vanished into the distance, Xu Min could not help but snort in contempt of their carelessness. "Well no need to worry about them any longer," he mused to himself as he took the beast core and once more sat down in a lotus position. He started absorbing the energy within.

    As more and more energy entering his body, he could feel his teau slowly dissolving. His internal energy was constantly surging. Suddenly, it was as though a massive ck hole appeared within his body. All the energy in the surrounding area was surging towards him, entering his body.

    Every little bit of energy which entered his body enhanced the durability of the body making it tougher than before. The muscles swelled under the constant surge of energy. Soon his strength was more than double. Xu Min smirked. His body had finally reached the third-star Warrior rank, but this was not all.

    The energy kept pouring into the body. Though it was making the body itself stronger, it also ended up being refining into Qi. Deep within Xu Min¡¯s dantian, there was a thousand specks of light that constantly shone. More and more specks had shone before they turned to a clear liquid, sucking up more and more specks. The internal energy within Xu Min¡¯s body was changing into arge drop of mercury-like liquid.

    This mercury-like liquid kept changing. The liquid constantly hovered in the middle of the dantian and greedily sucked up one speck of light after another. Xu Min felt his internal strength grew tremendously. He was shocked to feel the changes within himself.

    Previously, he was quite worried about how he should survive this Immortal Valley Ranking, but now, he was no longer worried. Without being overly confident, he still assumed that with his sword he should be able to defeat the majority of the experts that came his way.

    He would still be at a disadvantage against groups of experts, but as long as it was defending himself and allowing for him to escape than he should be fine. Even so, Xu Min could not help but swear at the Guardian who took Cao Cao away from him. He was no longer as safe as he used to be.

    Finally, after what seemed to be an entire hour did the rapid absorption of energy stop and Xu Min clenched his hand excitedly. Standing up, he looked around. Without waiting any further, he once more traveled treetop to treetop.

    As he moved around, he found a lot of humans aiming towards the area he had just left. Many of them clearly sensed the strong energy fluctuations and went to see their origins. Such fluctuations usually came from treasures or breakthroughs. Everyone close by were willing to risk running into experts in the case they found a real treasure.

    Moving away from the location, Xu Min was not interested in battling the oing experts. Sometimes he found people battling one another, but he still did not stop; instead, he kept on his way.

    The further away he got the quieter the area became. Using his Qi to scan the area, Xu Min found that there were no humans around him. Nevertheless, a cave was located on the outskirts of his range in which a beast equaled to a five-star Warrior resided.

    Noticing the location of this beast, Xu Min grew very curious. He was eager to see just how well he would match up against a five-star beast. He was deeply curious about what was hidden within the cave. It must contain some treasures.

    Inching closer, Xu Min had his Qi spread wide to make sure no other cultivators had seen this cave and were attempting to attack. A look of ruthlessness shown on Xu Min¡¯s face. Even though he was not interested in attacking humans, he was very interested in this five-star beast. He would fight for the right to battle it if he had to.

    Fortunately, no one was present within Xu Min¡¯s range of the Qi nket he had spread out. As he inched closer, he noticed that the beast was a Golden-furred Blood Lion. A wry smile appeared on Xu Min¡¯s face when he recognized the beast¡¯s race. The Golden-furred Blood Lion was renowned for their outstanding offense, and Xu Min while looking at it, could feel his blood boiling. He was very excited about the battle that was going tomence.

 Chapter 70: Golde-Furred Blood Lion

    Chapter 70: Golden-Furred Blood Lion

    Xu Min felt apprehensive. He knew that defeating this beast would bring great benefits to him. Even so, he still felt that the risk equaled the gain.

    If one of the participants from the rankings arrived, they would likely attack him, and depending on their rank, they would likely seed.

    Xu Min was not even hundred percent sure he could deal with the Golden-furred Blood Lion. However, he was sure that he could at least injure it and wound it enough to grasp the items that were inside the cave behind it.

    "Well, here goes nothing," Xu Min finally uttered as he rushed forward in a all or nothing attitude. The sword in his hand was glistening in the sunshine which managed to shine down through the leaves above; his body was taut, and he moved swiftly. He knew that he had to use the element of surprise to battle this beast. If he could injure it even the slightest, then Xu Min would have a much easier time.

    The closer Xu Min came, the more rapid his heart was beating. He was excited as he finally reached the clearance in which the cave was located. He found a tree which was close to the beast as possible.

    Looking down, he once more contemted whether or not this was a smart choice, but with a smile, he shook his head. Of course, it was not a smart choice to attack such a strong Golden-Furred Blood Lion, especially not on its own territory. Nheless, Xu Min very much wanted the treasures the beast could have umted over time.

    Once more, he spread his awareness all around. When he was satisfied that the only living creatures within range were demon beasts, all of them were rtively weak, did he attack.

    Jumping from the tree, the Golden-Furred Lion¡¯s face instantly turned towards the sudden movement. A savage killing intent surged forward, making Xu Min feel like he was constantly being stabbed by icy cold knives.

    "Who goes here?" he growled in the human¡¯snguage. His eyes were shining with anger and bloodthirst. Knowing that this beast knew human tongue, Xu Min was slightly started and cursed his own luck. The beast was clearly stronger and older than he had assumed since it had even had the time to learn anothernguage.

    Even so, it was now toote to regret his action, so he moved into the clearing. The beast could see him, and he could see the beast. Both of their eyes met, and sparks flew. Neither wanted to step down and both hungeredfor a bloody fight.

    "To think a three-star Warrior could be this dangerous," the Lion mumbled to himself. He dared not take this young man lightly at all. For him to challenge such a strong lion as this one, he was definitely certain about his abilities.

    "If I can make him drop his sword, then I will win," The Lion concluded, and his entire focus faced towards Xu Min¡¯s sword. The Lion was actually wanting to fight; something had happened a few days prior which made battling troublesome for the beast. Nevertheless, if he was forced to battle, then he would do so. Looking at the sword, the lion was preparing for the battle he might not be able to avoid.

    Seeing the reaction of the Golden-Furred Blood Lion, a cold shiver ran down Xu Min¡¯s spine as he knew what the beast was thinking. The Lion was correct. Xu Min needed to be extra careful when attacking. He could not afford to drop his sword if he wished to survive.

    Xu Min, closing his eyes for a mere second, calmed himself down. Inside his body were a me of rage and an unyielding killing intent. This desire to kill, Xu Min now drew forward. It was not only the Golden-Furred Blood Lion who contained a killing intent as frosty as the northern ciers.

    A slight hint of surprise could be seen in the eyes of the Lion once he recognized Xu Min¡¯s fierce desire to destroy. The pressure emitted from the young three-star Warrior was so intense that the Lion could feel his breathing turn raggedy. When it came to the intensity of the killing intent, neither of them were superior to the other. Rather, both of them had turned out equal.

    Noticing that he was not at an advantage, even when he was taking his high rank into consideration, the Lion looked at Xu Min with cold eyes, "Regardless of your intention with entering my clearance, if you get out instantly, I will let you live," The lion growled again. He hoped to intimidate the human in front of him. He was truly not willing to fight, but Xu Min just smiled. He did not even answer the lion in front of him. Instead, he shifted the sword from one hand to another. "Let¡¯s go furball," he said mockingly. The Lion which had tried to make Xu Min leave without a fight could not help but feel mocked as though someone had pped his face with a wet trout.

    Rushing forward a loud growl could be heard, a growl that shook the entire area., The ground trembled, and many animals started to escape the surroundings.

    Xu Min swore as soon as he heard the loud roar. It was clear that this was now a life and death battle. As well, the loud roar reverberated through the forest and human practitioners from all over would start rushing here. Xu Min did not have a lot of time. He sneered at the Lion in front of him; he shed with the sword in the hope of making at least a small cut on the lion¡¯s body.

    The lion, as well as any other demonic beast, were external experts. It was not possible for beasts to do stances, so for Xu Min to ess the Qi which flowed inside the beast he needed to cut through the skin of the beast. Unfortunately, the beast was swift, and it managed to escape the first swipe elegantly.

    Retreating, the lion observed Xu Min. Having seen the sh he understood that he did have a slight advantage. But right now, the Lion was as eager to end the battle as soon as possible. Although it had retreated, it pounced forward a moment after.

    Rushing forward the lion¡¯s ws came down from above, the ws causing the wind sounds to split. Xu Min had to react quickly; he lifted his sword and used it to block the ws. A loud gong sounded out as the two collided against each other.

    The power behind the attack was outstanding. Xu Min was forced into taking a few steps back. His heart leapt from the strength behind the attack. Had it not been for him advancing to the third-star Warrior rank, he would have been dead already.

    "Seems like I have to go all out," Xu Min decided. As he retreated, waves of formidable Qi gushed out from his body,ying itself as a nket within the entire clearing and every single inch of the clearing was filled with shards. Millions of shards were shining as they all aimed at the Golden-Furred Blood Lion.

    The Lion was shocked and filled with despair. The person in front of him turned out to not only be an external but also an internal expert. The attack he just unleashed was so frightening that the lion was stepping back even before Xu Min had unleashed it.

    Even Xu Min was shocked! Previously, when he had used the Thousand Radiant Shower, it had rightfully made thousands of Qi shards; however, now it was in some millions.

    He discovered from this battle that every single part of his body was filled with Qi. This one attack of his had taken up around seventy percentage of the liquid Qi he had within his body. He could only execute this attack once.

    However, the Lion was not aware of this and fear was evident in it¡¯s eyes. However, it was too proud to admit its fear. With a growl it pounced at Xu Min, the sharp ws making the winds howl and the growl making the earth tremble. Xu Min Took a few steps backward;with a swipe of his hands, some of the shards started to descend towards the lion, so swift that they turned into a blur.

    Suddenly a wounded cry sounded out. Xu Min stopped his attack. The beast wasying on the ground, but with a strong determination did the beast stand up once more. "Stop, take me as your demon beast instead," it said through gritted teeth. Xu Min was surprised that the beast already admitted defeat.

    This was a very strong beast within the Immortal Valley. It was famous for its offense, but for one reason it had not been able to go all out against Xu Min. Contemting for some time, Xu Min nodded his head as he went and shared blood with the beast. A link suddenly appeared between the two of them as they became beast and master.

    "Take me to your treasures," Xu Min ordered, and the lion brought Xu Min into the cave where everything vanished into his storage treasure. Looking around, Xu Min spread the remainder of his Qi to see the distance. Unfortunately, at least four humans headed towards their battle ce.

    "Can you walk?" Xu Min asked the Lion. with a nod, the lion agreed that it could. Although it was capable of walking, the speed was incredibly slow. the two had not gotten far before the first person reached the battle ground.

    Knowing that they had already reached the ground where the battle hadmenced, Xu Min was worried whether or not they would be able to escape. with a reluctant sigh did he produce a medicinal pill from his storage treasure.

    "Eat this," he ordered the lion which quickly swallowed it. Moments after the wounds on the body of the lion started closing. Though the medicine was strong, it was far from strong enough to heal all his wounds; still,it was enough for the two of them to speed up their escape.They managed to get quite far in almost no time.

    Following the lion made it easier for them to hide. The Lion knew this area of the Immortal Valley by heart as its territory was located within these areas. After a few hours, they had lost all their followers.

    Sitting underneath arge tree, Xu Min looked at the lion in front of him. "What is your name?" he asked first. The Lion looked at Xu Min curiously. "My mother named me Ye Ling." he said. "I am of the Ye family; the strongest Golden-Furred Blood Lion n within the entire Immortal Valley." he said with pride in his voice.

    "You were easy to defeat today, why was this? I fail to believe I have be much stronger than you," Xu Min continued. The lion shook its head in regret. "Two days prior, I had a battle with a Sabertooth Wolf, the king of a neighbouring territory to mine. I managed to obtain victory but only at a great cost. I am still suffering from internal injuries from this battle," the lion said unhappily.

    It was not before now that Xu Min understood just how lucky he had been. Had the lion been in its peak condition, it would have been near impossible for Xu Min to survive. He understood this now when he was speaking with the lion. Producing another two medicinal pills, Xu Min handed them over to Ye Ling. "Take these," he said smilingly, "when you use these two pills you should bepletely healed," Xu Min was excited. Having a five-star Beast on his side would prove to make everything a lot easier. Especially since there was a bounty on his head. Even more troublesome, many of the participants were traveling in groups.

 Chapter 71: Ye Ling

    Chapter 71: Ye Ling

    At first, Ye Ling was surprised. After consuming the first medicinal pill, he had noticed that the effect was far more potent than what he would have gained from eating a medicinal herb.

    Understandably, this wasmon sense because the pills were created from the refined essence of more than one herb. Nheless, for beasts, the pills were out of their reach. Although their intelligence matched humans, beasts were incapable of bing alchemists.

    Seeing Xu Min was not stingy with his pills and gave two more to him, Xu Min¡¯s newly acquired lion could not help but feel grateful. Due to his injury, he had been forced to submit to a human; however, at least the human was treating him well.

    epting the pills, the beast slowlyid down and took one pill at a time in it¡¯s mouth. He spent this time to use his energy to absorb every single stream of energy from within the pill.

    While Ye Ling was absorbing the medicinal effects of the pills, Xu Min used his Qi to consistently sweep the surroundings to ensure that no human was capable of sneaking in on them.

    Xu Min was slightly worried. Though Ye Ling had submitted to him, Xu Min remembered Ye Ling telling him was from thergest family of Golden-Furred Blood Lions. If his family noticed t Ye Ling had bes a spirit beast, Xu Min knew he would be in a bad spot. It was likely that his family would hunt them down and kill him to release their family member.

    Even so, Xu Min was d to have Ye Ling by his side. This lion reminded him of Cao Cao who would hopefully help him deal with the opponents he would meet.

    Suddenly, while being in deep thought, a frown appeared on Xu Min¡¯s face. He stood up. His Qi, which had been sweeping the area, finally detected a group of humans.

    The group contained six people. Xu Min was incapable of determining who was within this group, but he had understood from the previous conversation that everyone would be against him. It was even possible that the Bu family members would be against him as well.

    "Shit," Xu Min swore as he looked at Ye Ling who wasying down and consuming the pills. "Well, I guess I just got to do my best to protect him," Xu Min muttered as his sword appeared out of nowhere.He started swirling it around, warming his muscles up. One against six? The odds were not in his favor, but he still refused to interrupt his new found friend after knowing he was wounded.

    Had Ye Ling known that Xu Min was willing to risk himself for him, he would have been dumbfounded. Right now, his entire focus was on healing.

    When Xu Min had used his Qi to search the area, he had been noticed by the iing people; moments after he felt multiple nkets of Qi sweep over him, and he gnashed his teeth. His Qi was still spread out. He noticed that now they were moving even faster than they had before. It was clear that they were aiming for him like a pack of wolves. As to what their aim was, Xu Min would not know before they had arrived.

    The time went by slowly; Xu Min kept track of their advance. Even though they had sped up, they could not be so reckless. They were within a dangerous forest and rushing through it would be suicide.

    After an hour, he could hear them approaching. The sword in his hand kept swirling, anticipating fierce contact. Ye Ling was still-stillying down; clearly, the injuries he had suffered had been serious. Serious enough for two medical pills to not be able to heal him quickly. Xu Mi finally understood how lucky he had been. If he had fought the healed Ye Ling, he truly would have died.

    The sound of steps inched closer and closer. They tensed up Xu Min. His eyes focused in the direction of the iing sounds. It did not take long before he heardughter and chatting voices.

    Moments after the group appeared in front of Xu Min, they were stillughing and having fun as they saw Xu Min. A bit of a frown finally appeared on their faces.

    One of the people was Bu Ten, a member of the Bu family. He was clearly perplexed and upset. Xu Min was here as a part of the Bu family, but no one knew who he was. The Snow Moutain had promised a great reward for anyone who killed him. Uncertain of what to do, Bu Ten took a few steps back, his face turned sour.

    <i>Outside the arena...</i>

    "Old man Bu, what do you think this son of your family will do?" a man from Snow Mountain suddenly called out. A frown appeared on Bu Huang¡¯s face.

    Outside the teleportation array were the guards, elders, and patriarchs seated on what seemed to be arge seating area. In front of them were multiplerge water screens, and on these screens, one could see what was happening inside the Immortal Valley.

    One of these had followed Xu Min since he attacked the Golden-Furred Blood Lion and until now. At first, the Snow Mountain fighters had snickered because they were certain that Xu Min was jumping towards his death. However, upon seeing him tame the beast, their faces froze while disying ugly expressions. Bu Huang could not help butugh out loud.

    Now that the beast was healing, Xu Min was alone against six experts and one of them was a part of the Bu family. No one knew what would happen--a truce or battle.

    Outside the Immortal Valley were other water screens which could disy other battles; some showed human against human whereas others showed human against beast, andstly some revealed fighters just following some groups. Nheless, the majority were looking at Xu Min¡¯s water screen; they were curious to see what the group would do.

    Much of the audience felt jealous of the beast which Hui Yue had tamed, but the higher ranked experts such as Snow Mountain and Bu Huang knew exactly of the dangers with having Ye Ling as a spirit beast.

    "Let us just wait and see," Bu Huang finally sighed. He would not me Bu Ten for attacking Xu Min, nor would he me Xu Min for attacking Bu Ten. In the end, they were all enemies within the Immortal Valley.

    ....

    "Bu Ten, this guy is all alone. We are six. If we kill him, we will get quite a lot of treasure from the Snow Mountain experts because he is wanted, and we also might rank up." a woman tried to persuade Bu Ten. She seemed to be around neen years old, and her blue eyes were as cold as a winter day. Looking at this woman, Xu Min could not help but smile. Although they were more than him, he was not too afraid of them. As long as he could kill one or two of them, the rest should feel fear and then it would be easier to kill all of them.

    "Have you guys ever killed anyone before?" Xu Min suddenly asked with a mocking voice, and the face of the cold woman changed suddenly. Her heart shook as she felt how the temperature dropped. The man in front of them no longer seemed as easy to deal with as he was moments before.

    There was still a smile on his face. However, this smile was no longer warm and charming but cold and mocking. His brown eyes which had been gentle and deep were now like two ck holes, sucking up their souls and paralyzing them in fear for a moment.

    The cold felt as though it prated their bodies. It entered all the way to the bones, making them even more apprehensive.

    "I have killed before," Xu Min finally said. His voice grew even colder than the voice of the woman, "and I don¡¯t mind if I have to kill you as well. Be decisive ande at me. If you have hesitation within your hearts, then you better leave so that you can stay alive."

    After having warned the group, Xu Min stomped on the ground and pounced forward. With his sword in hand, he shed down. The sword¡¯s energy then shot towards the group.

    They were taken by surprise and their attempts to avoid it were clumsy. One of them fell to the ground; another jumped to the side. One thought he could take the attack head on and found himself wounded while some ran backward.

    "Come on now," Xu Min called out, "don¡¯t you want to kill me and get the treasure?" he asked mockingly, but the six experts were all quiet.

    The one person who thought he could take the attack head on found out he had a deep cut in his stomach. His face was as pale as a dead person; he constantly popped medicinal pills into his mouth, ensuring that he would survive.

    Suddenly behind him, Xu Min heard some rumbling. Moments after, a red lion with a golden mane appeared by his side. This beast was no other than Ye Ling, and his eyes swept across the wilderness in front of them.

    "Six measly cultivators think that they can cause trouble?" he asked with a growling voice. The words caused the experts¡¯ hearts to tremble in fear.

    "Don¡¯t worry about them," Xu Min exined, "they do not have the courage to attack me. Did you fully heal already?" he asked concerned. The concern was evident in his voice making the heart of the lion warm.

    "Yes, thank you, master," the lion replied. He was sincerely grateful that Xu Min had gifted him the medicinal pills.

    Together human and beast turned around and got ready to leave. The temperature slowly rose again, and the wilderness felt exactly as it had done before the six of them had attacked Xu Min.

    "Screw this!" one of the men called out as he rushed after Xu Min and Ye Ling. With a jump, he tried to kill Xu Min from behind. However, the moment he had jumped, Ye Ling pounced into action.

    He easily intervened the oing human. With a swipe of his paw, the throat of the human was shredded. The foolish fighter¡¯s neck waspletely open, and disbelief was in his deaden eyes. A simple paw strike was enough to kill him. He had never thought the beast was that formidable.

    The rest of the group stood in the back, watching the horrific scene. Their hearts were in their throats, and their eyes were wide open. Only now did they understand why the Snow Mountain had called Xu Min Yanluo. He was without question the God of Death.

    "We must not meet up with him again!" Bu Ten said with a low voice. "Although he is incredibly strong, his biggest asset is his ability to kill mercilessly. Anyone who gets enveloped by this killing intent will be weaker than usually because of the heavy pressure pressing down upon one."

    The others nodded their heads and with ast nce at Xu Min and Ye Ling they moved on, wanting to leave the cave as soon as possible.

    "Master, will we be fighting a lot of humans?" Ye Ling asked as he and Xu Min left the other way. Xu Min could not help butugh.

    "We will be fighting a lot of experts. Actually, there is a bounty on my head, and they will do all they can to kill me." Xu mIn said this without the slightest bit of fear in his voice. "Let theme. If onees, I will kill one. If twoes, I will kill two. I will let their blood flow and make a river of it in the middle of this beautiful Immortal Valley. If they think they can kill me, then they should reconsider."

 Chapter 72: Rivers of Blood

    Chapter 72: Rivers of Blood

    "Phew," Ye Ling slowly exhaled as the two looked around in the clearing. Everywhere they looked broken up corpses were littered on the ground, none of them wereplete no longer.

    The bodies on the ground was a group of five members. They thought Xu Min was an easy target and as soon as they encountered him, they had instantly engaged in battle. These were amateur fighters because they did not bother at all to stalk him for some time so that they could understand his strengths and weaknesses.

    This was not the first time it had happened. During thest half of the month, it had happened to him over and over again. More and more people had attacked him with the intention of killing him and getting the bounty that Snow Mountain had ced on him.

    Had these experts known that roughly one group of experts had been wiped out a day they were likely to have reconsidered their strategy. Nheless, within the Immortal Valley, it was impossible tomunicate with one another unless they ran directly into each other. At that point, the groups would either battle each other or team up to be even stronger.

    At the start, a half a month ago, most of the groups had consisted of individuals or couples, but as time went on the groups increased in size, going up to as many as seven in a group.

    Therger the groups became, the more dangerous they became, and the harder it was for Xu Min and Ye Ling to defeat them. However, neither lion nor human had any intention of giving up.

    While they had cleared out the people who hade for them this time, Xu Min picked up all the treasures, demon cores and participant emblems he could find. By now, he had over a hundred cores and emblems, so many in fact, that he was quite certain his rank in the rankings had to be quite good even without having battled any major beasts.

    After having the luck of teaming up with Ye Ling, Xu Min gave up on his idea of battling beasts. He quickly understood that they were far more difficult to handle than he had at first imagined, and he did not have to look for trouble; rather, trouble constantly came to find him.

    "It is a good thing that the Guardians do not allow for revenge when we exit the valley," Xu Min said to himself as he shuddered. Although the Guardians had made it clear that no one was allowed to gain revenge, Xu Min was going to be incredibly unpopr. As long as he was unpopr, there were many ways for him to die. Musing for some time, Xu Min came to the conclusion that as soon as the rankings were over, he would have to leave the Immortal Ruins as soon as possible. The longer he stayed, the more likely he was to lose his valuable life.

    ....

    "This is a travesty! How can one person be permitted to hunt down people like this?! He is not even attempting to catch beasts and gain treasures like everyone else.He is deliberately stealing his items from other participants!" someone yelled as they all looked at therge water screens in the air.

    "Yes, he should be disqualified!" another yelled out. Soon a lot of people were yelling about how this disy of cruelty should be stopped.

    "You are all sore losers!" A voice boomed through the ground. Everyone turned quiet. "This young man is only killing those whoe to him with the intention of killing him and gaining the bounty on his head! Is it his fault that they are too weak to handle him? Should he just let them kill him without fighting back? You are all hypocrites. He should not kill but be killed instead? Would you say the same was it your participating member?"

    The booming voice belonged to Bu Huang. Everyone who had called out about unfairness and disqualification all quieted down within moments. Their faces were red from shame and anger, but they dared not say any more because everything Bu Huang had said was true.

    "This is the Immortal Valley Ranking, and we are all participating under the rules of the Guardians. Should they feel, he is being unjust then let them punish him. No matter if it is now or if it ister, none of you are allowed to take revenge upon this young man!" Bu Huang continued. The sour expressions turned, even more, sour as they all knew he was correct again. If they were known to take revenge, they would definitely be looked down upon by the entire Immortal Ruins or even hunted down by the Guardians.

    No one knew exactly how strong the Guardians were, but there had been stories about families who had not followed the rules. These unfortunate families hadpletely vanished from the world. No fights had urred, no battles had taken ce, but there were never seen again. No one wished for this to happen to their own family; thus they had no choice but to grit their teeth and curse Xu Min within their hearts.

    Within the Immortal Valley, Xu Min was fully unaware of the fact that people outside were able to see his actions. When he fought, the majority of the kills were caused by Ye Ling who was the strongest of the two of them. Ye Ling did not mind. As a matter of fact, he was quite curious about Xu Min who treated him like a good friend rather than a beast.

    Xu Min had even gone so far as to share some of the treasures with him and allowed him to keep all the treasures he had gathered before. The Lion which at first had felt dejected from being forced to be someone¡¯s spirit beast was now quite entertained by his novel situation. Moving together with Xu Min was interesting, he battled as much as he dreamed about.

    Xu Min treated the beast as he would a fellow cultivator was because he had been so used to looking at Cao Cao as a younger brother. Even now, he missed the green snake greatly and to make himself feel better he somehow treated the lion as he would the small green snake.

    Looking at his clothes, Xu Min sighed. This group had not been thergest group they had battled, but it had without a doubt been the bloodiest battle he had experienced. The battle was even bloodier than the battle against the guards of the Snow Mountain. These experts had been strong, and their attacks had been swift. Xu Min had dealt with three of them who were internal experts. His body had almost exploded because of the energy he and his sword had absorbed. He had used this energy to make a shockwave which burst from his body. The shockwave was so strong that it reduced the three internal experts who were all higher ranked than him to broken-up corpses.

    The energy was raw, so it was more effective in killing the fighters, but as well the raw energy is more sporadic resulting in more bloodshed. To create all of their energy into one massive shockwave was enough to reduce anyone to dust. Had Xu Min been greedy and kept the energy within his body, he would have exploded.

    The other two from the group were external experts and Ye Long dealt with them. For the lion, dealing with them was simply a cat mouse game to him.

    Ye Ling was shocked when he had seen and felt the pressure from the energy shockwave Xu Min had released. He even felt slightly threatened by it. He could not understand how a three-star Warrior could have such a dangerous attack.

    "Let us move further towards the east," Xu Min said.Ye Ling nodded his head in agreement. He did not care where they went. All he wanted was to experience the blood-curdling battles and travel with his newfound friend.

    "Wait!" Xu Min called out at that same moment he narrowed his eyes. "Arge group ising this way, and the group is not simple. There is a guy from Snow Mountain within it and some experts of various strength. I think that some of them are weaker than me, but the majority should be stronger."

    Contemting, Xu Min roamed through his storage treasure before he found two handfuls of something that looked like frosty grass. Even though it had been plucked long ago, it still looked like fresh frosty grass just picked that moment.

    "Eat some of this," Xu Min said as he gave a handful to Ye Ling. Xu Min ate the other handful himself. Suddenly the aura around his body seemed to vanish. Their aura waspletely gone, and if one was not looking at Xu Min and Ye Ling, they would believe they hadpletely disappeared.

    The grass they had just eaten was an allusive spirit grass; it was something they had taken from a group of people who had attacked them some days prior. "Luckily they had not released their aura to scour the area," Xu Min said smilingly. He would have been surprised if they had done so. The group wasrge, and no beast would attack them unless it had been insulted or angered. Their group was simply too frightening, so there was no reason for them to be on guard.

    "We are going to stalk them. When we have the chance, we will pluck one at a time from their group. They will have guards up at night, and they will have people who will need to leave the group from time to time. When they do we will catch them," a red hint was evident within Xu Min¡¯s eyes. He would usually not hunt down other groups; however, it was a different case concerning the Snow Mountain fighters. Xu Min had a different intention towards them. He and that family had enmity between one another. There was even a bounty on his head. It was only natural that he was going to get his vengeance.

    Hearing Xu Min¡¯s words, Ye Ling was shocked. Although he was cold and ruthless when it came to killing the people who wanted to kill him, he had not actively wanted to attack groups if they did not cause him trouble. Now he was going straight for a group, and even arge group of experts.

    The lion was excited. Feeling the killing intent in Xu Min¡¯s body and the idea of having to hunt down one person after another, and sowing fear in the hearts of their prey, appealed to Ye Ling very much.

    Smiling at one another, the two inched closer and closer to therge group. Although the aura and their presence were hidden, the two dared not speak with one another too much as they advanced in the jungle like forest. Soon they were within hearing range of the group; they slowly adjusted their speed to match with the group in front of them. Xu Min was shocked to see that they were walking around together, chatting loudly andughing.

    "Master Shen Yu, I am sure that you will kill that Xu Min soon. He is very lucky that we have not found him yet. As soon as we find such a weakling like him, he will die right away!" someone said cockily and loudly. The voice filled clearly showed the person was a sycophant. Thisment caused Ye Ling and Xu Min to look at one another; a wry smile was evident on both of their faces and a cold killing intent had started to appear around the two of them. It was about time to y a game of cat and mouse.

 Chapter 73: Guerilla Warfare

    Chapter 73: Gueri Warfare

    Hearing these words, both Xu Min and Ye Ling could not help but smile. If the group would have used their energy to look around them, then they would have been able to locate Xu Min long ago. However, he had found them first, and since he found them, he ate the frosty grass to hide his aura and presence. Xu Min and Ye Ling were only visible if anyone looked straight at them. No one would be able to recognize them otherwise.

    Suddenly, Xu Min noticed one person leaving the group. "Haha, don¡¯t worry about me, I just need to visit the privy. No need to wait. I¡¯ll catch up with you guys soon," This person called out. The moment he left the group, Xu Min vanished from the treetop where he had been observing the group of people.

    Soon after he reemerged, a faint scent of blood wafted in the air, but it was so indistinct that no one noticed it. Though if they had been focused on it, they might have caught some change in the air.

    The group kept moving forward with Xu Min and Ye Ling following behind in the treetops, one tree at a time.

    "Young Master Shen Yu, we have a problem. Junior brother Wang Gu went to the privy around an hour ago, but he has not returned yet. You know junior brother Wang Gu is loyal to you, so he would not escape our group of people. I fear misfortune has befallen him." A young man said with a low voice, trying not to sound too loud to not worry the others. However, most experts heard what he had said..

    Even Xu Min heard the words. A smile appeared on his face as he saw three experts leave the group, clearly going to find this Wang Gu.

    Once more Xu Min vanished from the treetop and reappeared on the ground right behind the three.

    Previously, he had managed to kill instantly Wang Gu who was not on high alert, but these three were different. They knew something had happened, but even so they could not feel Xu Min inching closer and closer.

    His sword was drawn and after a short moment did he manage to be so close to them that he jumped forward. His sword swiped through the air and instantly beheaded the first person. The other fighters noticed too slowly what had happened and by the time they turned around another person had been stabbed through the stomach. His voice sounding out in a loud scream which pierced the silent forest.

    Cursing, Xu Min swiftly turned to thest person. His sword came down, splitting his entire body into two before he jumped to the tree tops and returned to Ye Ling.

    "I heard one of them scream," the lion said with a low voice, "the people in the group below heard it too," the lion continued, "the entire group has run back to the location of your fight. I think they¡¯ll soon know that you are after them," Ye Ling continued.Xu Min nodded his head. The screaming young man who had been stabbed in the stomach was beyond saving, but it was clear that he would tell what he knew to the young master Shen.

    "Let us go have a look," Xu Min said with a low voice. The two of them silently returned to the battleground.

    On the ground, two corpsesy, one beheaded and the other sliced in half. In the middle was a young man on the soft grass; above him was another young man. The one on the ground was the one who had been stabbed in the stomach. The man who was bending above him was the young master Shen Yu.

    "What happened?" the irate voice of Shen Yu roared out. "Ambush," the man on the ground said, his voice faint and weak. This one word clearly took all his energy to say.

    "It was a young man... He was swift like a shadow... Death!" When the man said death, his voice trembled with fear. His eyes widened as he remembered the few moments before. This young man was truly dangerous. He killed two men in just two breaths of air. He did not allow any time to return the attacks or defend.

    While thinking about this, the eyes of the young man turned distant. His body limp,thest breath of air escaped him.

    Shen Yu was furious; his entire body trembled, and his eyes turned red. "So someone thinks he can hunt us down?!" His outburst caused everyone else to be scared, but Shen Yu was too furious to be scared of what had happened.

    His Qi swept across the entire region of the forest. Although he found many experts, none of them were close enough to have been the cause of the fight. Gritting his teeth, he looked around him but saw no one.

    "I fear they have taken illusive spirit grass, but don¡¯t worry. The reason the murderer could easily deal with these three was because they were nothing more than two-star Warriors. In an ambush, all the three-star or four-star Warriors in our group would be capable of killing them this swiftly, especially since it is an external expert. Sneaking in on them while using illusive spirit grass, so they do not sense him and the chopping them down, really is not that amazing,"

    Hearing Shen Yu¡¯s words, everyone heaved a heavy sigh of relief. What he had said was correct. But even so, they kept looking left and right, up and down, in their attempt to see the hidden danger which had killed four of their men.

    Fortunately, Xu Min and Ye Ling were so far up in the treetops that the many leaves were covering them. Also, none of these experts would have considered traveling through the tops of the trees; thus they never expected others would do so. The fighting had happened on the ground. More than anything, these experts expected the murderer to be on the ground.

    "In the future, no one is to move alone. All two-star warriors are to move with a three-star or four-star warrior. Even though this is troublesome, it is the only way for us to survive."

    Although Shen Yu actually only cared about his own rank in this Immortal Ranking, he needed the support of his followers to gather enough materials and demon cores to rank highly. These people had already dedicated their emblems to Shen Yu when the ranking was to end. Although a high rank was beneficial, having the Snow Mountain owing them a favor, or at least looking at their family as their supporters, was even more important for small families.

    The Snow Mountain was currently expanding. If they were to expand to other cities, these families would be allowed to stay within the cities as they allied with the Snow Mountain.

    Shen Yu was a dangerous person, but he was only a four-star warrior. When Xu Min was a two-star Warrior, he had to be careful around four-star warriors. However, he had reached the third-star level and his body had been tempered by the essence of the heavens and the earth.

    He had be incredibly strong. His body many times stronger than it had been before and his inner energy pool had more than tripled of what it was before. Defeating a four-star Warrior was no longer a problem, but there was a limit to how many experts he could take on at once. He did know withYe Ling on his side, they could attack the group and finish them off. Yet Xu Min was here to increase his own personal strength.Thus he prefered waiting and killing them a ew at a time.

    "Let us bury our friends," Shen Yu said with a sigh. Although he really did not feel like wasting any more time here, since these three were nothing more than two-star Warriors, they still had been his followers. To show all the rest that he cared deeply about them all, Shen Yu was willing to waste just a bit more time for a decent burial.

    "Although the murderer rushed with the killings, he managed to take their emblems with him," Shen Yu cursed to himself. Had he at least gotten the three emblems, he would not feel as though he had wasted as much time. Yet now he gained nothing but still paid the time for having to bury his followers?

    "If just a beast hade and dragged them with it," he continued to curse inwardly while keeping his cool on the outside seemingly very upset about the loss of his followers.

    Xu Min had to fight to keep holding hisughter in. Clearly, Ye Ling had the same issue. Both understood clearly what Shen Yu was thinking, but they also understood why he was doing what he did.

    "We need to be more careful in the future," Ye Ling growled with a low voice so that no one could hear them. "even though they are going to move in a group, you should be able to kill them in couples," Ye Ling continued, and Xu Min nodded his head. He had to be more careful but it was still not impossible for him to deal with this group of experts collectively.

    The group stayed at the same location for a good four hours burying the three experts and looking around them. They were constantly on high alert, expecting to see a monster anywhere they looked.

    As the burial had finished, they all rested a short amount of time. Shen Yu then once more called out for the group to start moving. All of them did what they had been told to do, following right behind him. Some of the experts were external experts and had their weapons in hand; others were internal experts and were constantly letting their Qi flow through their bodies, ready to activate it should they find traces of this unknown person who was causing their members to die.

    Shen Yu was walking in the very front. His mood was foul, but even so, he just now used his Qi to scan the surroundings, not allowing for even the slightest person or creature to inch towards them without him knowing. Of course,Xu Min and Ye Ling were the exceptions because they had consumed illusionary spirit grass.

    "What are we going to do now?" Ye Ling asked with a low voice. Xu Min looked at the group, contemting if he should just rush down and attack them all together with Ye Ling. Even if he did so, the two of them would gain heavy injuries. He was not willing to get injured just yet; the truly dangerous people were still out there.

    "Let us wait and see. I fail to believe that they won¡¯t leave in small groups when they need to go to the privy or just need a short break on their own. If they do, then we can always decide if it is worth killing them or if we should leave." Xu Min determined. Ye Ling could not help but snort, "as if you would leave. You are like a demonic beast, not only are you enjoying hunting them down, you will never let go of your target. If they are in your way, and they try to bring trouble, then you¡¯ll get rid of them. It feels familiar to me." Ye Ling said smugly and Xu Min was surprised that the lion was correct.

    He had sworn that he would kill anyone who came between him and his revenge. Those who wished to bring him trouble would definitely die,e one and he would kill one,e two and he would kill two. The more that came the more he would kill.

 Chapter 74: Shen Yus Anger

    Chapter 74: Shen Yu¡¯s Anger

    "This guy, Shen Yu, is quite protective of his followers." Xu Min said with a sigh to Ye Ling as the two of them looked down on the group below. They were consuming illusion spirit grass to keep their auras hidden while they followed the group for a few days. Though despite trailing them for so long, there had been no opportunity for them to attack. She Yu made sure that no one traveled alone. Even groups of two or three would be ok, but, unfortunately, they always moved in groups of at least ten. Even if Xu Min and Ye Ling were to attack together, the two of them would still need at least a few minutes to kill everyone.

    "Oh look." Ye Ling said looking down, catching Xu Min¡¯s attention. Looking down, the young man saw that a group of four experts had split off and were moving on their own. This caused a smile to appear on his face. This was their first real chance since they had started trailing them days ago.

    "Want to join me?" Xu Min asked with a smile on his face. The lion by his side bared his fangs in a silent smile of his own. Together the two slowly made their way down the trees while following behind the small group.

    The group kept moving into the forest where they finally stopped. The four of them were chatting with one another, "I am so annoyed having to constantly be amongst these weaker cultivators, protecting them. I know that the young master will get his hands on their emblemster, but still protecting them is annoying." One of the expertsined. The others nodded their heads in response.

    "Should we leave the group?" Someone asked the person who had spoken first, and the only response was a p which resounded in the silent forest. "Are you aplete idiot?" The young man furiously asked as he looked at the person who was now on the ground. "Snow Mountain is clearly out to expand their territory, and although so far they had been satisfied with just controlling the Dragon Mountains, they are nning on taking over the entire Thousand War Valley."

    "Since they are going to take over the valley, they will also be taking over our cities. Although this is an Immortal Valley Ranking, it means nothingpared to bing allied with the Snow Mountain."

    "No! We cannot leave and lose this chance. Although Shen Yu is just a five-star expert, he is not to be underestimated. He is very strong and backed by his grandfather who is an Elder of Snow Mountain. Bing allied with Shen Yu is our most important task!"

    Having been thoroughly scolded, the young expert turned silent. Secretly he was not willing to spend a full year following Shen Yu and fighting beasts by his side, but in the end, he had to forfeit the ranking by giving his very own emblem to Shen Yu. He had always been told just how important this ranking was, but now he was not allowed to give it his all for his family¡¯s honor. How could he not feel annoyed?

    "Well, young Master Shen shows great care and consideration for us. After losing a few of his allies, he did not allow others to be in a small group. The only reason we were allowed is because our overall strength is sufficient. Four four-star warriors are very tough to kill. Even if the expert is a five-star expert, he will not be able to deal with us so quickly that the main group cannot back us up."

    Right after he had spoken, two shadows appeared. They descended swiftly on the experts. The four warriors were shocked, but they quickly adapted. One person dodged, while the other quickly pulled out a flute, blowing into it.

    Because he had focused on his flute, he did not dodge fast enough. The result was Ye Ling¡¯s paws shredded the chest of the unfortunate young man. They split his entire body into two, only connected by a few, thin strands of flesh.

    The one who dodged looked with cold eyes at the shadows which appeared where he had stood just moments before. Looking at this shadow which slowly straightened, his heart started beating rapidly.

    Currently, it was a two against three situations, but both knew that since the flute had been blown, reinforcements would appear soon.

    "I will deal with this guy; you take the other two." Ye Ling growled as he focused on the man who had previously dodged Xu Min. Without discussing, Xu Min turned his back on the lion and faced the two experts who were looking at him with fear while visibly shaking. These two had clearly never been apart of a life and death battle before, and although they were four-star Warriors, they were not mentally strong enough for this fight. They both hesitated when looking at Xu Min in front of them.

    Seeing this, Xu Min¡¯s killing aura strengthened enveloping the two youngsters making them shiver even more uncontrobly. Seeing their shock, he attacked. His speed could rival that of the five-star Golden-furred Blood Lion by his side, and these poor four-star experts, whocked any mental fortitude whatsoever, were reduced to fearful, trembling experts.

    Two shes and the experts were dead, both beheaded. While they did not have the experience in killing, Xu Min had already killed many times before. Now, he finally had the chance to get rid of some of these experts he had been stalking for quite a while.

    Having killed the two experts, Xu Min turned around to look at Ye Ling. Both he and the expert were fighting it out, and while Ye Ling had the advantage, his opponent was in no way easy to handle. Watching the fight progress, Xu Min waved his hand and swept up the three storage treasures and their emblems before getting ready to leave the clearing. "Ye Ling, retreat." He called out. Although the lion was in no mood to stop fighting, he too understood that their time was limited.

    With an unhappy growl, he turned and together the two ran out of the clearing before they once more took to the treetops. After a bit, the two returned to the area where the battle had just urred. Eating another handful of illusion spirit grass ensured that they could never be found by those below them.

    Just as Xu Min and Ye Ling reached the clearing, the group led by Shen Yu also arrived. Looking around, his face turned dark; his eyes lit with anger as he looked at the three corpses within the group. Despite his group had been big, he had already lost many followers. Even though he did not mind losing his two-star followers, four-star ones were somethingpletely different. Losing three just like this caused his heart to ache.

    Going to each of the corpses his face turned, even more, sour as he realized that although the enemy was in a hurry, he still had the time to steal their emblems. He had lost three four-star Warrior emblems; emblems which were equal to four-star demon cores, something not easy to obtain.

    "We cannot split up into groups anymore to search this area." He said through gritted teeth. "Although I wish for us to find the killer and tear him to shreds, it is highly unlikely we will run into him. Seeing as this b*stard could deal with four four-star Warriors at once, splitting up is just asking to be killed."

    Everyone had been fired up to find the enemy but hearing Shen Yu¡¯s words, they all understood what he said was correct. It was not the time for them to divide their strength.

    "I will no longer allow anyone to leave the group. Someone makestrines nearby because leaving the group means death. As long as our stalker has enough Illusion Spirit Grass, we will be without a way to retaliate." Shen Yu continued, and his words caused everyone to nod their heads.

    "Seems like we won¡¯t be so lucky in the future." Ye Ling sighed, but Xu Min just smiled. "I never expected it to work for long anyway." He grinned sinisterly. "I am sure that what I do next will make them even more ufortable." He continued and exined the n to Ye Ling who listened intently, and a toothy grin quickly appeared as he nodded his head. "Yes, that would definitely be a great idea." He agreed while nodding his head impressed. "I bet we will get ahold of quite a few experts in the night this way." He grinned and the two slowly settled in the treetop, resting for a moment before it was time for them to proceed with the next part of the n.

    ....

    "What did you say? A three-star Warrior?" Shen Yu¡¯s eyes were filled with disbelief as he questioned the sole survivor of the fight.

    "I would not dare lie Master Shen. There was a three-star warrior together with a fifth-star Golden-Furred Blood Lion. The lion was the one who killed Guo Yan as he was alerting you while the human killed both Guo Shin and Guo Long. This person¡¯s aura was terrifying, and even I was affected by it. His swordarts were also quite formidable. I never even saw his sword move. All that appeared was a sh, and the two had been decapitated. They were killed even swifter than if they had been executed." He praised with a sour heart. ¡°After seeing this young man, and his features, I believe this person to be the young man Xu Min, your target." He continued, hesitating slightly, not sure if he was in a position to say so, but after a brief moment he decided to speak his mind.

    "You think it¡¯s Xu Min?" Shen Yu asked while rubbing his chin for some time, thinking quietly. "It would make sense if it was Xu Min..." He thought out loud with a nod of his head. "Xu Min is stronger than the average expert. He used to be a two-star warrior so reaching the third star is definitely not impossible for him. His strength should be quite outstanding, but to subdue a Golden-furred Blood Lion of the fifth-star, now that is quite an astonishing feat."

    Shen Yu was speaking more to himself than anyone else, and the survivor was fully aware of this. Because of this, he stayed kneeled down in front of Shen Yu. He said nothing, just knelt there, awaiting his next order.

    "Well if it really is Xu Min then he has done us a great favor." Shen Yu finally decided. "We want to kill him but finding him within the valley is truly problematic. If he has found us and thinks he can kill us, then he is very naive indeed. Having superior numbers is not our only advantage. Does he really think nothing of a person like me? A person who has an elder of the Snow Mountain as my grandfather?"

    Thinking about this, Shen Yu startedughing out loud. "Well, this little game of chase will be far more interesting from now on." He said with determination in his eyes as he looked into the distance. Not far from there, Xu Min and Ye Ling were quietly waiting for night to descend. Neither of them knew what had been said within Shen Yu¡¯s tent, but had they known it wouldn¡¯t have mattered anyways. Their targets had been selected. They would kill or die trying.

 Chapter 75: Bloody Night

    Chapter 75: Bloody Night

    Night descended upon the two groups, and slowly tents were erected by the bigger group, the food was started to get cooked on arge bonfire. Chatter resounded through the silent forest and although many strong beasts were present close by, none of them wished to attack such arge group. Even the strongest six-star beast in the area knew that if they attacked such arge group, even if he managed to get rid of them all, then he would suffer quite some wounds.

    this knowledge was known to the group and thus they were not too much on guard, the guards were busy chatting with their friends, and their friends were busy boasting about their power.

    It was known to the group that the man stalking them was Xu Min and most of the fear many had felt had vanished. Xu Min was only a three-star Warrior and a warrior who just broke into the third star nheless. He was not truly a danger for them.

    The fact that he had a powerful beast with him, although they knew about it, they could not help but wonder just how strong this beast could be. Beasts were usually stronger than experts of the same rank, and for Xu Min to tame this beast, it could only be a two or three-star beast at most. Although the survivor had sworn that the beast was much stronger, no one actually believed this. It made no sense that a three-star Warrior could tame such a beast.

    The chatting went on for a long time, the half of the night was spent chatting andughing, boasting about their powers and their abilities and people wishing for Xu Min tounch an attack so that they could prove their worth.

    During all of this, Shen Yu said nothing. He was seated in a chair in front of the bonfire, and a smile was ying on his lips. He would converse with a few of the followers from time to time, but mostly he was just silent as he looked at the group around him.

    "It seems that everyone is in high spirits," he mumbled to himself, surprised that no one was worried any longer. "Although he is only a three-star warrior he did manage to get the title Yanluo. He better not disappoints me. I doubt he will have the guts to attack us when we are all together so let us put up a trap for him tomorrow. If he enjoys attacking our small groups, then let us make a group that leaves the main group and use them as bait. I fail to believe that he will not make a move."

    While speaking with himself, Shen Yu quickly nned what he was supposed to do the following day. Now that he was convinced that their stalker was Xu Min, he would do anything in his power to kill him. He could easily understand just how much fame he would gain in the snow mountain if he could prove that he was the one who had gotten rid of Xu Min, the young man who had left a stain on their name.

    "Get some rest; we will be starting the hunt!" Shen Yu finally called out. He was not the least bit worried about Xu Min hearing him as he did not doubt his ability to hunt down and execute this young man. Giving him a warning was due to his pride simply not believing that he could fail.

    While the words were called out, a smile was on Xu Min¡¯s face as he looked down upon the group below with a ruthless gleam in his eyes. He was seated on arge tree branch and looking straight down onto the many experts below, and observing how the majority of them were going to sleep, some were standing as guards, but the majority of the guards had gathered in one area where they were chatting with one another. Only two guards were standing on the eastern side of the camp and seeing this, Xu Min and Ye Ling together slipped down from the tree and snuck close to the experts.

    "I¡¯ll leave the one on the left to you," Xu Min said with a very low voice and the lion nodded its head as it snuck closer. Its body was pressed against the ground, its ears constantly wavered in the air to catch any sound. The nostrils were vibrating as every scent entered the nose and the eyes were gleaming red in the night.

    While the lion was sneaking forward, Xu Min was also advancing towards the second guard, but while the lion was advancing on the ground, Xu Min was advancing in the treetops and got ready to descend on the opponent in front of him.

    A sh appeared in the ck night, and a muffled boom sounded out. However, the sound and the sh were both so weak that no one noticed ad the guards were slowly being dragged into the darkness of the trees outside the camp. Only a faint trail of blood left behind told about their fate.

    It was now possible to sneak into the camp itself and both man and lion split up; one moved south the other north. Both lion and human snuck into one tent after another. While one part of the camp was dying in their sleep, the another part was still busy with chatting experts and light from the bonfire.

    One hour went by; another hour went by and by the time Ye Ling and Xu Min met up again, both of them had the stench of blood attached to their bodies. Looking at one another a toothy grin was shared before they both retreated into the forest, looking for ake where they could get rid of the stench that followed in their wake.

    As they moved through the forest, Ye Ling handed over a total of eight emblems he had managed to snatch from the people he had killed and Xu Min kept them together with the other ones he had gotten from his own killings that night. The majority of the emblems were four-star Warriors, but some of them belonged to three-star Warriors. Having all these emblems, Xu Min was quite excited.

    By now a quarter of the year they were to spend within the valley had passed by, but Xu Min had already managed to get around hundred emblems stored in his storage stone. On top of that, he had a few beast cores as well, but it was clear that the majority of his rank was given on the back of the emblems.

    Finding a pond did not take long, and both lion and man jumped into the cold, dark water and washed before they returned to the group they were stalking.

    At the very start the group had consisted of almost thirty individuals, but by now more than half of them had been victim to Xu Min¡¯s schemes. Tonight alone a total of thirteen experts had lost their lives. None of them had had the ability to fight back, none of them had noticed the silent killers that had appeared. The Illusion Spirit Grass was truly more terrifying than what they had first assumed.

    The night came to an end and slowly the day arrived. The moment Shen Yu awoke he felt that something was amiss. Standing up, he soon realized that the problem was a stench that had spread through his entire group, a stench of blood which was impossible to miss.

    Dressing quickly, he left his tent and looked around only to find that at least half of his men had not left their tents. He then rushed into these tents in question. He found one dead person after another. As he saw this, his heart froze in fear and a vein started popping in his forehead in anger.

    "Guards!" he called out with a voice filled with anger and the ones who had been on guard that night rushed to his side.

    "What have you been doingst night?" he requested to know. Trying his hardest his voice was somewhat level, but a burning anger was smoldering within his eyes and his heart was filled with an unwillingness to ept what had happened.

    "Why has none of you noticed that half of our camp had been butchered while we were sleeping?!" he called out angrily, and the guards suddenly turned pale. They had not noticed the scent of blood, as they had been too busy entertaining themselves, but now that their heads sobered up, they understood that they were, in fact, to me for what had happened this night.

    They instantly felt fear. It was not unlikely that they too had to give up their lives for their big mistake, but Shen Yu, who now had arge headache, could not afford to lose any more men, and thus he did nothing but shake his head.

    "Fine. I never expected you to have the guts to directly attack my camp," he mumbled to himself as he gnawed on his finger, "if you can do this, then you have no limits to what you will do to get rid of us," he continued to mumble. He wondered if there was a way to get rid of Xu Min with the few men he had left.

    In a tree upstairs and looking down, Xu Min knew that now the group only had around ten members left. Ten members sounded like a lot, but he had previously taken care of such sized groups.

    "If you take care of all the small guys, I can deal with the one they call Shen Yu," Xu Min mused out loud to Ye Ling and the lion nodded his head, "I can easily deal with the others. The highest rank is a four-star Warrior, and since you gave me the medicinal pills, my body has been increasingly strong. Even that Shen Yu is no threat to me."

    "That might be so," Xu Min said with a shrug, "but even so, he is mine. His family and I have quite arge enmity between us; it is only fair that I send him to see the true ruler of hell. I cannot wait to see how furious his family will get when that happens. Still, everything that happens in the valley stays in the valley. No one is allowed toe find me for revenge." Xu Min was quite smug as he thought about this fact. Being able to let go of his anger was truly a great feeling, and killing people who wished to kill him helped him bing stronger time and time again.

    "So we are going to have a full on battle with the group below?" Ye Ling asked to ensure that he had understood the thoughts of Xu Min correctly and the young man nodded his head with a smile on his face.

    "We will be attacking them soon, but we need to find the right ce first. I want to decide where we go and when we are there we will stop using our illusion spirit grass. I am sure they cannot wait but to attack us. Being in disarray will be of great assistance to us," he continued, and Ye Ling understood what he meant as he smiled and nodded his head.

    "Well then, let us find the right ce," he said, and the two slowly left the treetops looking for the group which they had been stalking for so long already. Moving through the forest they looked for somewhere where they had enough space to fight.

    After searching for the majority of the day they reached the outskirts of the forest and in front of them as arge and beautiful Savannah. In this Savannah were a few beasts, but all of them rushed away the moment they noticed the five-star Golden-furred Blood Lion.

    "This is the ce," Xu Min said excitedly as he looked around, "this is the ce for our final battle against Shen Yu and his followers!"

 Chapter 76: Cleansing Midnight Mushroom

    Chapter 76: Cleansing Midnight Mushroom

    Having found the perfect location, Xu Min and Ye Ling started to go through every inch of the ce. There were a few beasts left behind, but most of them were killed swiftly by Xu Min and his lion.

    Keeping their beast cores, Xu Min smiled as he scanned the area with his Qi. He noticed that they had traveled quicker than he had expected. He also noticed that Shen Yu¡¯s group which previously had moved slowly but confidently were now spreading out their Qi to coverrge pieces ofnd to scan it for living creatures making their movements slower.

    "If we want them to notice us, then we need to hurry up," Ye Ling sneered. Xu Min nodded his head. Xu Min found two mushroom-like nts. He handed one to Ye Ling and ate the other. The aura, scent and presence of both man and beast returned.

    "We are lucky that there are no other groups close by," Xu Min sighed as he sat down and waited for the Shen Ye¡¯s group to notice them.

    It did not take long before a Qi aura reached Xu Min and his lion. They were scanned by Shen Ye¡¯s Qi, which instantly vanishing moments after encountering them.

    "Master Shen!" someone called at the group of experts, "I found Xu Min and his beast. They are in the savannah just outside of this forest. I think they knew they were running out of Illusion Spirit Grass and started rushing away from us. They were probably hoping that we would not notice them. They are retreating even now as we speak!"

    The speaker was filled with excitement. His eyes gleamed as he thought about the ability to be capable of defeating the infamous Xu Min. Having seen hisrades die, he was blinded by anger and also greed. They could all guess that Xu Min had killed many experts while being in the Immortal Valley. and they all wanted these emblems.

    Shen Yu¡¯s face turned curious when he heard the words spoken by the expert in front of him, but he was not instantly ordering everyone to change their location.

    "Why are you hesitating Shen Yu?" A friend by his side asked. This person was not like the others but Shen Yu¡¯s genuine friend. He often listened to him, and the two together ledthis diminishing group of experts.

    "So far all of his nned have worked out," Shen Yu said slowly as he scratched his chin. "Although he no longer has the illusion spirit grass to hide his aura, who is to say he did not remove it on purpose? Our group has gotten lowered by a lot already, how can we possibly just rush into something which is likely to be an ambush?" Shen Yu asked curiously.

    "We got more people than him, but somehow he has managed to tame a fifth-rank Golden-furred Blood Lion, ording to that one guy who survived the attack. If he was truly correct, then we are in big trouble. While the beast keeps me busy, Xu Min will have enough time to attack every one of my followers."

    "He is only a three-star Warrior," the friendughed, "even if he can kill a few experts, he will soon be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of experts we have. We can easily kill him."

    Hearing these words, Shen Yu shook his head once more, "no we cannot. You know he got the nickname when he was only a level two-star Warrior. He battled a lot of men at once, but even so, he was able to defeat everyone that came into his reach."

    "I don¡¯t fear that we won¡¯t be able to kill him," Shen Yu continued, "but I am not willing to pay the price we need to pay for such a victory. At least another half of my group will vanish, and so far I have not gotten enough beast cores to be able to rank highly." Shen Yu grumbled, but his friend justughed.

    "Do you care if these people die, or are you just interested in their emblems?" he asked for rification. Shen Yu sent him a telling nce. He clearly did not care about their lives.

    "If that is the case, then go and hunt down this Xu Min. Even if your experts die, you will be the survivor who can take all the emblems. You will even be able to take all the emblems that this Xu Min has gotten up until now. With his many kills, he ought to be loaded with emblems."

    "Once you have killed him, though you¡¯ve lost the majority of your force, you can just start again and gain more followers once more. You are a direct descendant of the Snow Mountain of the Dragon Ruins. There are so many people who are willing to find you."

    The more his friend spoke, the more Shen Yu was tempted to do as he was being told. The many emblems he had lost so far was truly a pain to him, getting them all back alongside more emblems was something he definitely wanted.

    "Not to mention, he has already tamed a five-star Golden-Furred Blood Lion. All you need to do is take over his contract. Then you will be even more dangerous than you already are. If he could tame it, then you can definitely help as well," he said with a smile on his face andughter in his voice. This friend truly wanted to kill Xu Min. Not because of the emblems or anything like this, he had already promised his emblem to his good friend Shen Yu. No, he wanted to defeat Xu Min who had gotten such an amazing title and hopefully prove his strength so that he could join the Snow Mountain.

    Although the people who were within the valley were incapable of hearing the words spoken between the two, everyone outside of the valley observing the battles had heard every single word. Many faces turned sour as they understood that their family members were nothing but cannon fodder for Shen Yu. Still, dying for the sake of Snow Mountain was an honor. Thus, these families owed Snow Mountain a favor. No one said anything out loud; even though, they were deeply dissatisfied with seeing the geniuses of their family dying one after another.

    These people outside of the valley were also fully aware that Xu Min and Ye Ling had both eaten a Cleansing Midnight Mushroom.This mushroom removed any negative or positive effect on the consumer, in this case, the illusion spirit grass.

    While many other battles were being shown at the same time, this one battle that was about to ur grasped the attention of most of the experts. Most experts had understood the enmity between Xu Min and Snow Mountain. Many as well had also done what they could to examine the background of Xu Min, but all were shocked. They noticed he was here on behalf of the Bu family, but he was actually not a true member of their family. He had appeared in the ruins just recently. The first ce he appeared was when he battled the Snow Mountain. Before that, no one had been able to see where he came from.

    With Xu Min¡¯s talent, he should have been the pride of many families. His age was definitely amongst the youngest in the Immortal Valley Rankings. Although he was simply a third-star Warrior, the raw strength he showed was simply outstanding.

    Many of the major families considered recruiting him. However, little did they know that Xu Min was only here for the sake of increasing his strength. As soon as he turned into a level eight warrior, he would be returning to the ce he used to call home to gain vengeance.

    "They still haven¡¯t moved towards us," Xu Min said with a sigh as his aura swept towards the major group. "Think they knew it was an ambush?"

    "It does not matter if they know," Ye Ling said with a carefree voice. "They might be hesitating, but you killed so many of their followers now; they probably have so much enmity towards you. Eventually, their greed and hate will win over their rational way of thinking. As long as we wait here in the Savannah, they¡¯lle to us sooner orter."

    Nodding his head, Xu Min agreed with Ye Ling, but he also sighed. The longer it took for therger group to reach them, the higher the possibility there was of running into other groups of experts. If more joined in, then he would be in trouble. Even now, battling the group was going to be troublesome. However, he also knew that there was no way they could sessfully attack at night again. The members would not leave the main group any longer. Their only option was to fight them face on and hope for the best.

    "It¡¯s a shame Cao Cao isn¡¯t here by my side," Xu Min sighed. Ye Ling snorted, "A snake is very good, but don¡¯t forget that I am by your side. I am at least as strong as this snake-friend of yours if not stronger!"

    The words spoken by the haughty lion made Xu Minugh. It was true that he was no longer alone, and for today¡¯s battle he was very grateful for this.

    "Had you not been weakened, then I would have been dead already," Xu Min mused out loud. The lion just snickered. It was happy Xu Min knew about his own ability.

    "So I am going to leave this Shen Yu to you," the Lion said, "while you y with him, I¡¯ll deal with everyone else. Don¡¯t get killed, if you get killed they will definitely kill me or try and tame me; I doubt they are as polite as you."

    Although Ye Ling very rarely expressed anypliments, he did so this time.Xu Min could hear the genuine worry in his voice. "Don¡¯t worry," he promised, "I might get wounded, but I should be able to deal with someone as simple as Shen Yu. If I cannot even deal with Shen Yu, then I am simply too weak to stay within this Valley. Death is the only answer for those who do not have the ability to save themselves."

    "Humph," Ye Ling said no more, but his eyes turned gentler. "Oh, now they are on the move!" Xu Min called out. Just as he did, Ye Ling came to his side. Xu Min held the sword in his hands with a tight grip.

    Both human and Lion had their Qi spread out to see where the enemies arrived from.Even though no one seemed to advance from the back and the sides, both of them kept looking at all directions. After having been using illusion spirit grass for as long as they had, they knew that others could use the same trick and catch them in a pincer attack. This was something they could not afford to let happen.

    "Using the Qi to examine the group, it seemed as though there were no membersing towards the left, but they might have some abilities which can trick us," Xu Min said. His body was trembling with excitement, his eyes shining. The me within his body was burning brighter than any time before. He was so eager to battle that his killing intent oozed out of him. Xu Min had never been this eager to start a battle before; his eagerness divided with Ye Ling who felt his own killing intent surge. His urge to battle and fighting spirit rose.

    "Let us see just how powerful this group of experts is," Xu Min said. Tightening his grip on the sword hilt, his face beaming with a smile that promised pain and suffering to anyone who dared stand in his way. A low grumbling could be heard from Ye Ling as his hair started rising on his body. He too was ready to battle.

 Chapter 77: The Final Collision

    Chapter 77: The Final Collision

    Outside , all the onlookers held their breath. No one had expected that Xu Min, who was alone, would be willing to wage war on such arge faction as the Snow Mountain.

    Every single faction within the Ruins of the Immortal Valley was watching therge scale battle that was about to begin. The smaller factions secretly wished for Snow Mountain to lose as they had been subdued for a long time; none of them dared to go against therger factions.

    Therger factions were also watching with great curiosity. Some watched for the sake of seeing if they should try and recruit the young man. Whereas, others watched because they wished for Snow Mountain to lose their brightest fighters. The fewer survived, the easier it would be to deal with the faction in the future.

    The silence was broken from time to time when people spoke to one another, discussing whom they expected to win and who to lose. A few friends even made bets as to who would win. Even Bu Huang decided to join in the betting, but while most betted on Shen Yu to win, Bu Huang put all his money on Xu Min, a grin appeared on his face.

    "Let¡¯s just see how good you are, being that old man¡¯s disciple," he grinned as he leaned back in his seat and eyes glued to the screen disying Xu Min and Ye Ling waiting for therge group to arrive.

    Inside the Valley, Xu Min waiting patiently. Without even knowing, a smile had crept onto his lips, yet anyone who saw this smile felt a cold chill run down their spines.

    "They are about to break out from the forest," Xu Minmented. His Qi still covered the entire area and noticed every movement made by the group.

    "I will take care of all the small men; you have fun with Shen Yu. He is likely to have some tricks up his sleeve, but I know so do you," Ye Ling snickered. Xu Min nodded his head. When it came to treasures, he did not have a lot, but when it came to secrets he was a master.

    Not only did he have his sword which would make it possible for him to gain an upper hand on an internal expert like Shen Yu but he was also an internal expert rather than just an external one.. Although he only had two stances, the Radiant Jade Shower and the Shattering Hand, his control over the two stances waspletely perfect.

    As the tension started rising, Xu Min¡¯s eyes strained to their limits. They looked at the group which slowly emerged from the treeline, all of them one in line.

    "Counting them, they are all present," Ye Ling growled with a low voice and Xu Min nodded his head. Looking at these experts they were clearly eager to start the battle.

    Even though the experts were eager to battle wiht their faces disying their eagerness, none of them rushed forward. Instead they followed Shen Yu¡¯s orders and kept back. Gripping their weapons, they let their Qi roil around their bodies, so it could burst forth in various stances. The atmosphere was tense, and everyone¡¯s bodies were taut.

    Xu Min was the same. A gleam had appeared in his eyes, and his heart was beating rapidly. His entire body was like a bowstring, ready to be released upon the advancing enemies, but not letting go before they came into range.

    It felt as though everything was in slow motion. The advancing group took forever before they finally reached the man and lion. As soon as they did, chaos emerged.

    "You will die below my de!" Someone called out and rushed towards Xu Min. Before he had the chance to reach him, the lion pounced at the person. The lion¡¯s ws were no longer withdrawn, instead they shed at every person that came into it¡¯s range. Ye Ling held nothing back. His Qi flowed from his body which increased his ws size and made energy shockwaves whenever he swiped with his paws. This sent out five shots of light as sharp as swords which raked through the air, cutting deep into the bodies of the experts who tried to advance.

    "Don¡¯t just run at him like an idiot!" Shen Yu called out. Everyone retreated as soon as his words were said, "This beast is a five star Golden-Furred Blood Lion, not something you can deal with on your own. All of you surround it and start attacking it. You do not need to defeat it. All you need to do is to make it waste its energy and keep it locked down. I wille and deal with it when I finish dealing with this Xu Min. Luo Wei you take control of the lion group!"

    Shen Yu easily called out the orders. He nodded to his friend, the friend who had convinced him of attacking Xu Min. Now this friend, Luo Wei, was in the position of leading the assault on the lion, and his facefilled with excitement again.

    He quickly barked some orders. Though they were many, Xu Min was not too worried about Ye Ling. Ye Ling might be at a disadvantage because of the sheer number of experts around him, but they just wished to keep him locked down not kill him. Ye Ling¡¯s job was the exact same. He was to keep all of them busy so that they could not join Shen Yu against Xu Min.

    "So now it¡¯s just you and me," Shen Yu said as a wisp of Qi arrived on his forefinger.With a flicker of his hand, this small wisp turned into a bullet which headed straight for Xu Min¡¯s head. Without really caring, Xu Min lifted his sword and a loud hong sound resounded out, shockwaves appeared in the air and a stunned expression appeared on Shen Yu¡¯s face.

    "To think you could block my Bullet of Light. Seems like this sword of yours is not as simple as it looks." Greed appeared in Shen Yu¡¯s eyes, and he licked his lips. His gaze did not leave the sword in front of him.

    "That might be so," Xu Min said with a shrug of his shoulders. His hands still firmly gripped the hilt of the sword. He was also secretly astonished about how strong this small bullet of Qi had been.

    Shaking his head, Xu Min shook the worry away from him as he looked at the many experts surrounding Ye Ling. A tinge of worry appeared in his heart, but he quickly killed it. He did not have the time to worry about the lion if he wished to win the battle against this Shen Yu. If he truly wished to defeat them, he needed to first get rid of Shen Yu.

    Stomping on the ground, Xu Min shot forward as an arrow that had just been released. His speed was so swift that it was impossible to see him clearly. The strength in his legs was so forceful that the ce he had stomped had sunk twenty centimeters into the ground.

    The sheer power behind this attack was enough to shock Shen Yu greatly. He hurriedly retreated a few steps back so that he could easily dodge it.

    Seeing his target dodging his attack, Xu Min took his sword and buried it into the ground, making it possible for him to stop his advance and with a new stomp. He once more rushed towards Shen Yu who could not help but swear as he constantly retreated.

    Every time he dodged Xu Min, the young man would use his sword to stop his advance and then afterwards rush after the expert in front of him once more.

    Shen Yu was not too worried about Xu Min, but he had understood that this sword within his hands was a true treasure. He could not allow for this sword to wound him, leaving him with no other option than to run.

    Unfortunately, running also meant that he could not stand still and take a stance. Battling with this kind of berserking external expert was something that Shen Yu had never experienced before. He was getting a serious headache having to try ande up with a way to battle him.

    "How can he have me under his control?!" Shen Yu was starting to get angry, "Who even gave him such an outstanding weapon that even I am threatened by it? Can his background be much more formidable than mine?"

    Shen Yu was truly shocked, but he also knew that now was not the time to worry about something such as the background on a rogue cultivator. This was a battle to the death; even if Shen Yu tried to stop the battle, Xu Min would not trust him. He would kill him at the first possible chance.

    "Since it is like this, it is time for me to get serious," the young man said. While still dodging Xu MIn, he took his hand into the robe and pulled out a small nk te. On top of this te was three runes inscribed. The moment Shen Yu poured Qi into this te the three runes started to light up.

    "I did not think I had to do this, but let us see how you will deal with me now!" Shen Yu called out. The three runes shone with a different light. One was golden andid arge protective barrier around the young expert. Another was blue and underneath his feet a cloud appeared, making it possible for Shen Yu to soar into the sky above, and the final rune shone with red light, mixing with Shen Yu¡¯s Qi.

    The moment the red energy entered Shen Yu¡¯s body, it seemed as though his body increased in size. His muscles swelled, his eyes turned red, and his skin tanned. It was not long before a disruption appeared in the surroundings. It was clear that all of this energy was entering Shen Yu¡¯s body, constantly increasing his strength and shocking Xu Min even more. It was clear that he had entered a berserk mode.

    Although he had reached the rank of a six-star Warrior during his berserking, he stayed on top of the soaring cloud, and took a stance. The red Qi billowed around him and Xu Min finally understood that this was something he needed to avoid.

    Dodging to one side, Xu Min managed to avoid the first attack which was arge sword created from red Qi which rained down upon him. Moving around, Xu Min managed to continuously avoid the attacks. However as the time went by, the attacks were quicker and quicker. It was as though Shen Yu were going more and more berserk. Finally Xu Min could no longer hold out. He was hit by a sword, slicing down his body and leaving arge wound.

    Using Qi to protect himself was no option right now. Rather, he led the Qi towards his wound and closed it while still avoiding the attacks.

    "I need to get closer. As they say, to gain some, I need to risk some," Xu Min mumbled to himself. He tightened the grip on the sword hilt and shed at the red Qi sword which wasing his way.

    Whening into contact with the red Qi sword, Xu Min could not help but scream out as he felt violent energy entering his body. The body was filled with this violent red Qi. Even though it was possible to refine it, the process was incredibly painful. Nevertheless now he had devoured the energy, he had no other option than to fight through it at the same time as he was fighting Shen Yu.

    Seeing that his Qi was being devoured, Shen Yu instantly stopped pouring Qi into the red Qi sword. He looked at Xu Min with hostile eyes. "It won¡¯t end this easily," he sneered with a cold look in his eyes.

 Chapter 78: Violent Qi

    Chapter 78: Violent Qi

    The Qi Shen Yu was pouring into the red Qi Sword was filled with a violent energy. Although Shen Yu could control it, Xu Min was not used to this vtile energy. His body felt as though it would explode from the inside as he devoured more and more of the Qi.

    With all his power Xu Min managed to cut the energy from being absorbed. Taking the sword with him, he separated himself from the red Qi Sword in Shen Yu¡¯s hands. As he escaped, he was still overwhelmed by the energy within his body. Shen Yu did not allow him to catch his breath as he rushed forward, the red Qi Sword in his hands, he continuously shed at the retreating Xu Min.

    While Xu Min was busy with his battle against Shen Yu, Ye Ling was busy battling the many other experts. Although he was at a disadvantage, he was much stronger than the others. He was capable of rushing forward and managed to suppress every other expert, even the good friend of Shen Yu.

    Xu Min did not have time to look at Ye Ling. All he could focus on was the expert in front of him, the expert who was managing to attack him with a ferocity the young man had never experienced before.

    Gritting his teeth, Xu Min constantly rotated the Qi within his body around through his meridians, ensuring that the vtile energy slowly was refined while he continually dodged the red Qi Sword. Unfortunately, it was not possible for him to fully avoid it. Soon blood started to flow from his body as one cut after another appeared.

    "So you can bleed without devouring the energy," Shen Yu said with an ice-cold voice as he continued to attack with the red Qi Sword. His eyes turned red from the energy he was releasing. He resembled a devil, ovee by bloodlust.

    "I guess the devouring ability is from your sword then. Just die so that I can get that sword! Such a treasure should not be in the hands of amoner like you!" Shen Yu spat out every single word filled with enmity.Xu Min, who had been oppressed up until now, finally felt that the vtile energy in his body was ready and refined. The energy was far more potent than what he was used to. How Shen Yu¡¯s Qi had be such an aggressive energy, Xu Min had no idea.

    "So what if you are stronger than me?" Xu Min snorted as the wounds on his body slowly healed. The extra Qi he had absorbed closed all his wounds. Xu Min raised the sword in his hands as he rushed forward towards Shen Yu once more, shing at the expert in front of him.

    Xu Min did nothing else then move the sword. Nheless, as soon as the two swords collided the vtile energy once more entered Xu Min¡¯s body. This time, though, he was prepared for it. He instantly rotated the Qi around his body. As the two were standing in a standstill, attacking one another, Xu Min suddenly retreated once more. This time, he did not stop his sword from devouring the Qi. While he greedily absorbed all this red Qi, he swiftly rotated it through his body to refine it.

    The pain was so intense that Xu Min wished he could pass out, but he knew once he did, he would never wake up again. He paid all his attention to the person in front of him because his life depended on it.

    Taking a stance, thousands of jade-like shards appeared behind him. Moments after, they started to rain down upon the young Shen Yu. The attack did not stop there but continued as Xu Min followed suit shing and stabbing at Shen Yu. Sometimes sessfully wounding the older expert, other times missing him just by a hair¡¯s breath.

    The fight had suddenly reversed from Shen Yu¡¯s offense and Xu Min¡¯s defense to Xu Min suppressing Shen Yu. The devouring sword was absorbing energy as swiftly as it could. Even though, Shen Yu had a lot more Qi than Xu Min had, he had to be careful with using all of this energy as the devour made him feel feeble. He was incapable of stopping this devouring force.

    "Let us see how you will manage this then!" Shen Yu cursed and poured every strand of energy into Xu Min¡¯s sword, forcing Xu Min to absorb more and more energy than he had ever done before. He was now capable of refining this energy, but he could feel his entire body being on fire. The heat and vtile energy started to make his meridians burst, even so, Xu Min did not give up.

    All the energy that was within his body made him burst from the inside out. However, Xu Min decided to pour this energy into his sword. Suddenly a humming sound appeared, the sword in his hands started shining with a golden light. The Qi which exited Xu Min¡¯s body turned golden and with this sword filled with energy, Xu Min once moreunched an offense so overpowering that Shen Yu could do nothing more than grit his teeth to withstand the constant attacks raining down upon him. His energy was constantly being absorbed. Looking at Xu Min, Shen Yu knew he only had to hang on for a short while.

    A stream of blood started streaming out from Xu Min¡¯s mouth, but Xu Min kept on attacking as though nothing was wrong. The attacks that rained down upon Shen Yu became more and more fierce. The young man was drenched in blood from deep stabs to some shallow cuts. He did not have enough Qi to close them, and, although Xu Min was bleeding, it was hard to say which one of the two was the most wounded.

    Xu Min continued his advance. Soon a drop of blood fell from his eye, a stream of blood following behind. It appeared as if he was crying, tears of blood fell from his eyes, showing just how serious stage he was in.

    Screaming, Shen Yu stepped forward, the red Qi Sword in his hand, now much dimmer and smaller than it had been before, got ready to attack Xu Min. Their swords shed time and time again. Every time they connected with one another Xu Min would absorb more and more of the Qi which was rapidly depleting from Shen Yu.

    "I cannot lose to someone as weak as you!" Shen Yu screamed out. With everything he had the Qi erupted from his body, creating a shockwave which billowed outwards and managed to cause Xu Min to back away five steps when he was hit. The second eye started dropping tears of blood. Even though blood was falling in a steady stream from his eyes and his mouth, Xu Min was not willing to give up and with the rest of his energy did he jump forward. Both his hands holding the sword, with hisst energy poured into the golden sword, he shed down and hit the young man in front of him.

    The sword was blocked by Shen Yu. There was so much power within the golden sword, both the energy it had absorbed and the energy that Xu Min had poured into it. The red sword could no longer stand it, and it copsed, turning into Qi which was rapidly absorbed by the golden sword in Xu Min¡¯s hands. Before it continued, it¡¯s downward sh.

    The sounds of bones breaking could be heard as the sword embedded itself in the shoulder of Shen Yu. The force behind the sword was simply too much. It kept going downwards until it split Shen Yu¡¯s body in two.

    On Shen Ye¡¯s face was an expression of both shock and unwillingness. It was clear that he did not believe that Xu Min would kill him. As the facts appeared, he still refused to acknowledge it; his face was filled with disbelief as the final breath of life left him.

    Looking at the dead expert, a smile appeared on Xu Min¡¯s face. Suddenly everything turned ck as he too copsed on the ground.

    While Xu Min had been busy fighting Shen Yu, Ye Ling had been focused on the other experts. All the weaker ones had been killed off easily, but Ye Ling was still battling Shen Yu¡¯s best friend, someone who actually made Ye Ling use all his abilities. Although he was strong, he had used an immense amount of energy fighting one against many. However, the moment he saw Xu Min copse, a roar escaped his throat as it echoed through the entire area. His body grew, and the rest of his energy was utilized to shred the person in front of him into tiny pieces before Ye Ling rushed to Xu Min¡¯s side. Worry filled the lion¡¯s eyes as he turned Xu Min toy on his back.

    Seeing the traces of blood on Xu Min¡¯s face, the traces below his eyes and from his lip clearly told a tale of someone fighting far above his ability, but the blood had already stopped flowing.

    In his hand was the golden sword and the golden hue around it constantly fluctuated. Ye Ling poured a bit of his own Qi into Xu Min¡¯s body to see the state of his body. He was shocked when he saw that every single meridian within had been shattered. He was even more shocked when he felt that the energy that entered Xu Min¡¯s body from the sword slowly mended every single wound on his body. The meridians that were being rebuilt were many times stronger than they had been before. Ye Ling noticed that the Qi roaming around within these new meridians was golden in color.

    Ye Ling had never before heard of someone having golden Qi; even less about someone who managed to survive after having all their meridians broken.

    While Ye Ling sat down by Xu Min¡¯s side and patiently awaited his newpanion to wake up, outside the Immortal Valley, an uproar had appeared.

    The men from the Snow Mountain were filled with anger and hostility as they wished to take their anger out on the faction that hade with Bu Huang. However, they had quickly been stopped by the Guardians.With one threat by these guardians, the Snow Mountain instantly calmed down. Their faces were filled with sour expressions as they kept observing the one screen which kept following Xu Min. Most of the audience was watching this screen to see whether or not it was possible for Xu Min to wake up after such a close battle.

    It took three days for Xu Min¡¯s body to be fully healed and as he was healed, he woke up from hisa. Ye Ling was still by his side. The many corpses still littered the ground; the lion had done absolutely nothing to remove them, only guarding Xu Min all this time.

    As Xu Min awoke, he felt afortable feeling all throughout his body. It was as though he had just awoken from a long sleep. He was stunned to find that the Qi within his body was many times purer than it had been before; it was also much more abundant and richer.

    He felt that his strength had been raised by leaps and bounds.As he stood up, he punched the ground with some Qi embedded within his arm. He looked at the ground his eyes widened. Arge cavity had been created by Xu Min with a single punch; it was clear that he had at least doubled his strength.

    "Amazing!" he said stunned before he went to every corpse and took their items alongside their emblems. By now he had a lot of emblems and beast cores alongside many things and treasures. The battle against Shen Yu¡¯s men had caused him to gain a lot of things.

    "So now you managed to do what we had nned, what do we do now?" Ye Ling asked curiously. Xu Min pondered for a moment before he smiled, "We will keep moving forward. Who knows what we will find. There is still quite some time left before the Immortal Valley Rankings ends!" Xu Min was excited. Together he and Ye Ling left the battlefield and started moving towards the forest once more.

 Chapter 79: Bounty

    Chapter 79: Bounty

    Although Xu Min had managed to get his hands on quite a few emblems and treasures, none of these were from the Immortal Valley itself. All of it had been delivered to him by the many people who had tried to kill him. Xu Min could not help but to chuckle slightly at this.

    One could consider his luck to have been the worst. Had it not been for the sake of him having run into a demonic beast as strong as Ye Ling, his luck would truly have been the worst.

    His luck, although, when it came to finding treasures and demonic beasts was rather bad, Xu Min still managed to be one of the higher ranked members within the Immortal Valley purely because of all the people who had given up their lives to Xu Min and Ye Ling. Together with their lives came all the treasures and beasts they had managed to kill alongside their emblems.

    Others were also on the killing spree, killing human participants instead of beasts, but no one was as lucky as Xu Min when it came to encountering people. This was due to many factors, but mainly his low rank. Looking at Xu Min, it was possible for everyone to underestimate him. They saw him as if he was an easy target. They would only be defeated by him afterward.

    This was not the only reason, though. Almost anyone within the Immortal Valley knew about the enmity between Xu Min and the Snow Mountain. Though no one was permitted to seek vengeance outside the Immortal Valley, they could carry favor with each other and have therge sect such as Snow Mountain owe their families was something everyone wanted.

    ¡°Around hundred kilometers in front of us something strange has happened,¡± Ye Lingmented as the two were moving through the forest. The further they went the more people they found. However, these people, recognizing Xu Min, did not attack him. Instead, they kept moving forward. This indifference made Xu Min curious previously but even more so now that he heard that something was happening a hundred kilometers from them.

    ¡°Do you think they are amassing arge army to go against us?¡± Xu Min frowned. Although the outside world had been able to see and followed the many fights within the Immortal Valley, other participants only knew which people had died and which were ranked highly. Xu Min was ranked high, but he was not in top three. Thus no one knew how many points he had.

    ¡° It is likely that they are going against you. I highly doubt it, though¡± Ye Ling said with a dry voice, ¡°I don¡¯t think that they are that interested in killing you. They will lose a lot from grouping up like this. Let us go and see what is happening. .¡± Ye Ling continued, and Xu Min shrugged. They had nothing else to other t do so going to this ce was as good as anything else.

    ¡°If I knew some way to hide my appearance, that would be for the best,¡± Xu Min mumbled. He found some bamboo shoots which he created a bamboo hat from. It was arge hat which covered his features. From his storage bag, he found arge cloak which he draped over his body, making it hard to guess his features.

    ¡°This should work. No need to hide you, no one knows about the fact that I found apanion within this Immortal Valley,¡± Xu Min said casually. Nheless, his casual words made Ye Ling proud. Most humans would have said something along the lines of having tamed a beast or gotten a contract beast. However, Xu Min referred to him as hispanion, something which made him feel very happy. He even considered leaving the Immortal Valley together with this human when the Immortal Valley Ranking ended. If this was possible, no one knew what the Guardians would do; they had already taken one beast from Xu Min; he would not be surprised if they took another. Not even if they were considered his friends or family, he could do nothing against the guardians.

    Neither Xu Min nor Ye Ling was speaking, both were on high alert as they looked at the surroundings. Many nced at Xu Min, but no one moved towards him nor the lion. Many nced a few extra times at the beast, fear shining in their eyes. Ye Ling had no intention of hiding his aura and the sheer power he controlled.

    Xu Min, on the other hand, had reigned in his cultivation so that no one could see his strength. Even someone stronger than him would find it difficult to see through the cultivation level in him. This was also one of the reasons that people did not even go towards him.

    Traveling a hundred kilometers was not a challenging thing. An hour afterward they reached the outskirts of an area filled with people. As they reached this area, Xu Min, and Ye Ling were both greatly surprised.

    What they were looking at was not a garrison or people gathering in an army; rather, it was arge marketce. Many of the participants of the Immortal Valley had gathered at argeke in the middle of the forest. All around theke were people. Some were walking around others were seated down and selling items they had either brought with them or gathered in the forest.

    Most people sold medicinal pills and protective treasures. Though these items were needed by many of the participants, the participants also realized that if they wanted a chance to rank higher in the rankings they needed to get their hands on some beast cores or emblems.

    Entering thiske area, Xu Min looked around him. He was quite surprised to see how many people had gathered here. He was even more surprised to see some people were selling for the sake of getting a higher ranking, there were also others who had decided to buy these items.

    It was clear that the group of experts was split into two groups. The first group was the people who decided that survival was of the utmost importance. These were the experts who were buying items from the many sellers. The other group was those who valued high ranking, and these were the ones who sold items for the sake of jumping at least a few ranks to hopefully gain some fame for their family or some recognition from the Guardians and their faction.

    Xu Min did not care too much about the rankings. He had joined the Immortal Valley Rankings for the sake of increasing his strength. The stronger he became, the more likely he was to defeat the Zhong family. Strength was all that mattered to him. He had joined this Immortal Valley Rankings for this reason alone., However, now that he had joined and reached a high ranking, he could not help but feel that he should strive for a great position as possible.

    Moving through theke district, Xu Min looked at everything that was happening around him. He looked at the many things for sale but even, so there wasn¡¯t anything that caught his interest. He was not in need of protective treasures nor was he in need of medicinal pills as he still had the ones from Ri Chu City alongside the ones he had been gifted in the Tournament.

    He had been looked after by a master alchemist; this alchemist had created some miracle medicines for Xu Min. He had already used some of them, but he had not used all of them. Having these pills in his possession made it so that he was not willing to purchase other pills either. Nheless, when he reached halfway around theke, he did find something which piqued his interest.

    ¡°This stance,¡± Xu Min said as he leaned forward and looked at a jade slip that was up for sale. ¡°How much do you want for this stance?¡±

    Looking at him, the seller was surprised. He had ced out everything he had which included some martial arts stances he had acquired from his teacher. However, no one seemed to be interested in these things since they could not prolong one¡¯s life. The stance was from his faction of the Sunset Valley¡¯s highest ranked sect the Sect of the Thousand Suns. The stance was one of the hardest to practice, but it was also outstanding in attack power. It was called Stance of the Setting Sun. It created the sun from Qi, the sun which would roast the opponent and if enough Qi was poured into it it could explode itself.

    This attack was outstanding, but if one were to explode it, it was likely that they would also wound themselves in the process. It was a desperate attack but having one was not a bad thing.

    Looking at Xu Min, this seller could not make out his appearance at all. When he looked at the lion by his side, he felt cold sweat pouring from his skin. It was clearly a very strong beast!

    ¡°Oh, uh, good sir, this is a very important stance from my sect. Selling it would obviously require a high price. Either four three-ranked beast cores or one four-ranked beast core!¡±

    This man thought that this was a very high price. A four-ranked beast core was equal to killing a four ranked Warrior, not something that one could easily do. Getting one of these, it was clear that he would be able to rise in the rankings quite a bit.

    Three three-ranked beast cores were of less value than one four-ranked beast core. Nevertheless, the expert did not expect that Xu Min had a four-ranked beast core, thus he came up with this alternative trade.

    To Xu Min, this price was incredibly low. At the rank he was at, three ranked beast cores were worth nothing to him. He picked up four which he quickly tossed to the seller before he took the jade slip and turned away to leave. Four three ranked beast cores were just a little less than one four ranked beast core, but it was a price this seller was satisfied with.

    Leaving the stall, Xu Min wished to leave the entireke district and find somewhere where he could focus on learning this newly acquired stance, but just as he was about to leave he ran into a group from Snow Mountain.

    This group was clearly in a foul mood. As he was about to sneak around them, he suddenly felt curious about what they were about to do. Clearly, they had something important to tell everyone who was present.

    Thinking like this, Xu Min gestured for Ye Ling to have the two of them follow the crowd and soon all of them were standing in front of the Snow Mountain, waiting to hear what he had to say.

    ¡°Everyone here we have an important announcement to share with you all,¡± the expert started as he looked at everyone around them. Many of them were looking different, hiding their true appearances, so Xu Min did not stand out as he was hiding in the crowd.

    ¡°The expert Xu Min, a two star ranked Warrior, has caused chaos and wantonly murdered his way through the Immortal Valley Rankings. Anyone he has found on his way has fallen to his devious tricks, has been in and their emblems were stolen. We have just been informed that this Xu Min has killed a group of experts led by our junior apprentice Shen Yu. He has stolen all their emblems. We wish to make an alliance with everyone here at the Lakeside district. Anyone who kills Xu Min will not only get to keep all the emblems and treasures on him which is enough for him to have reached the top five, but we will also give four five-ranked emblems in trade for his life. The Bounty will only be paid out to someone who will deliver his head to us here within the Immortal Valley. We will have an expert staying here in the Lakeside district ready to take the head and give the reward!¡±

    Hearing these words, murmurs broke out; everyone started chatting with one another. No matter how strong they were, all of them were filled with excitement. The bounty was simply too outstanding!

 Chapter 80: Blood Pagoda

    Chapter 80: Blood Pagoda

    Even Xu Min was stunned. Because there was such a high reward for capturing him, everyone would now be after him. He could not help but smile at this. Though it meant he would be in constant danger, he also knew that risk and reward were two sides of a coin. He slowly slipped out from within the crowd and left the Lakeside district. Retreating into the forest, he reflected on how he was going to deal with all those peopleing for him.

    ¡°How do they know that it was you who killed their Shen Yu?¡± Ye Ling asked.

    Xu Min grinned in reply, ¡°Easy, who else within the entire Immortal Valley would kill him if not me? Even if it was someone else, I would still be given the me due to the enmity between myself and their sect. Saying that I wantonly kill people is a little over the top too. However, I know why they said that. They need to paint me as viinous. However, I don¡¯t kill anyone other than the ones who attack me. It is only right I return their hostility. If they want to kill me, it is obvious I would kill them. They can me their deaths on their greed!¡±

    Xu Min did not feel guilty at all for killing as many as he did. Had he not killed them then, they would have killed him, so he felt that his actions were justified.

    Now the hunt was going to be immensely intensified; more people, especially stronger people, would being for him. Even the top experts within the Immortal Valley would be moved by the bounty of two five-ranked cores. These five-ranked cores were so potent that they could propel someone directly into the top ten. Maybe they could even change the ranking of the top three.

    Had it not been Xu Min himself being the target, then he too would have joined the hunt to attain such a reward.

    ¡°Robbing the Snow Mountain is not bad,¡± Ye Ling said by Xu Min¡¯s side as he looked back towards the Lakeside district. Xu Min chuckled. Robbing them was indeed not bad, but did they have the ability to do so?

    ¡°If we want to do this, we have to do it before more experts reach the Lakeside district. If those extremely strong experts appear, then we really have no option other than to give up,¡± Ye Ling said. Xu Min nodded in agreement. Looking in the direction of the Lakeside district, Xu Min¡¯s heart was suddenly filled with mixed emotions.

    ¡°We cannot go to the middle of the Lakeside district and start battling it out just like that,¡± he sighed. ¡°There are many experts there. Even if we are strong, we cannot fight a whole army. Not just this, but we also just heard how all of them are on high alert from hearing about the bounty ced on my head. They will fight even more fervently than usual. I think we should wait for them to leave the city. As soon as they leave, we will deal with those groups one at a time. Taking on everyone all at once might be too much even for me,¡± Xu Minughed at himself. He was after all only a three-star warrior.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Ye Ling said, a little disappointed. He understood that managing to defeat Shen Yu and his men did not mean that they could take on a city full of experts. There were bound to be so many people that they would lose eventually. Xu Min and Ye Ling would be ground down and would run out of energy in a battle of attrition.

    Suddenly, Ye Ling¡¯s eyes lit up. He looked at Xu Min with a curious look, something which also made thetter very curious. Just what could this lion have thought of? And was it something of use to them?

    ¡°There is this one ce within the Immortal Valley. It is known as a sacred location, and I have only been there once,¡± Ye Ling began hesitantly. Nheless, the more he spoke, the more confident he became. ¡°The only time I was there was because of pure curiosity. I had to experience it at least one time. Although I was not allowed to enter, I could feel the dense energy from inside. If we were to cultivate there, or go through one or two of the trials, we should be able to gain some new strength.¡± Ye Ling exined very eagerly.

    ¡°This ce is usually not allowed to be entered by just anyone. I don¡¯t even know if humans can enter, but it is worth a try. If you manage to pass the first trial, your body will be rebuilt, created from the energy within heaven and earth alone. This should be enough to push you to the four star ranking. If you reach the fourth star, then we should be able to take on the entire Lakeside district!¡±

    Upon hearing this, Xu Min was stunned. A ce like this really exists? He was amazed and also slightly intimidated, but he knew that great dangers brought great advantages. He was indeed in need of a way to gain strength fairly soon, thus he decided to follow Ye Ling. Nodding his head, the face of the lion flushed with excitement; the two of them ran into the forest, deeper and deeper.

    Had it not been for Ye Ling¡¯s protection and keen sight, they would never have reached the location safely. They traveled for a full two days before they reached a small cave.The closer and closer Xu Min came to it, the denser the energy within the air became. It was clear that this ce was special and mystical.

    ¡°Enter the cave.¡± Ye Ling urged Xu Min. With a nod of his head, Xu Min did just that. Entering the cave, he found it as though he had walked through a curtain. On the opposite side, he entered arge cave. Within this cave, in the middle, was arge pagoda.

    This pagoda was built fully from ck stones. The dense energy within this area was so heavy that Xu Min¡¯s body greedily absorbed it, depositing the energy inside every part of his body. Some of it was deposited within the muscles and bones, some went to the dantian and some rushed through the meridians. Soon, his entire body was filled with energy and Xu Min felt a high from the sudden spike in energy. Behind him, his sword was also greedily absorbing energy. It consumed so much energy that the sword itself had turned white.

    Taking one step at a time, Xu Min slowly moved closer and closer to the pagoda, eventually standing right in front of it. Looking at this pagoda, he found a doorway that seemed to be made from some sort of ck wood. This wood was a type of wood that Xu Min had never seen before. When he ced his hand upon the door, he felt how it started sucking up his energy, in which the door slowly opened up for him. The more energy that was poured into the door, the quicker it opened, but Xu Min dared not use too much of his energy. Although it quickly returned to him, he had the feeling that this pagoda was nowhere near as simple as it looked. There had to be something within, something meant to test him.

    The moment Xu Min entered, he found himself standing on arge tform; around him was bubbling magma. Although he had just entered through the door, there was no way for him to retreat any longer. The door waspletely sealed behind him.

    ¡°Wee, mortal, to the Ring of Blood. This is a trial created since many years past. The Ring of Blood is a way to temper yourself. The more stages you manage to defeat, the stronger the rewards you will be gifted.¡± A voice boomed out from the beyond. Xu Min looked around, but nothing was evident within.

    ¡°Here in the Ring of Blood, you shall die if you fail. You can only leave after having cleared one step of the trial. After epting a trial, there is only death or victory.¡±

    ¡°Should you die within the Ring of Blood, then you will forever be kept here in the Blood Pagoda. Your spirit will join the many other spirits in the Ring of Blood.¡±

    ¡°You are only a three-star warrior, so your first opponent will be equal to your level of strength. Prove your talent and rise. However, if you sumb to the trial, death will be your only fate!¡±

    Having finished speaking, the voice faded away, and a red shadow flickered onto the tform. A red, Golden-Furred Blood Lion appeared in front of him. This lion was far smaller than Ye Ling; its mane was less golden, and it was clearly only a juvenile. Xu Min felt no guilt in attacking it, since he knew that it was a previous contestant who had failed the trial. Furthermore, he was not in the mood to risk his life; with a swipe of his sword, the lion was simply sliced into half. Killing it took far less time than what Xu Min had expected. As soon as the spirit died, the red shadow did not vanish and instead entered Xu Min¡¯s body.

    He could feel the foreign energy entering his body. It felt as though the beast that he had in had be increasingly strong as it attacked his soul instead. Fortunately, Xu Min was no ordinary person. His soul defense was outstanding. With sheer willpower, he overpowered the lion in a turn of the tables; the energy that was fuming within his veins slowly rxed as it merged with his body.

    Cracking sounds could be heard as every single bone and cell in his body began merging with the shadow. His bones started breaking only to be mended again. His hair shot into the air and even grew in length.

    His body became many times stronger than it had been before and his skin was now as tough as ck iron. His bones were likewise as imprable as jade. Feeling this new strength, Xu Min was surprised to find that his body had indeed broken through to the fourth star of the Warrior rank, something that had happened so swiftly that even Xu Min was astonished.

    Although Ye Ling had told him that it was likely for him to be a four-star Warrior after passing through the first trial, Xu Min had not believed it, especially not since the fight had been as easy as it was. Now, as Xu Min felt the benefits he had gained, his heart screamed out in joy.

    ¡°You have reached a higher rank. Your next opponent will be a fourth-star ranked beast,¡± the voicemented casually. Without Xu Min saying whether or not he wished to continue on to the second round, another shadow appeared in front of him. It was yet another Golden-Furred Blood Lion. This time, it was closer in appearance to Ye Ling. Xu Min was more focused this time.

    Although there was only one rank in difference between the two ranks, Xu Min did not wish to take any chances. With vignt eyes, he focused on the beast in front of him.

    ....

    ¡°What happened to Xu Min?¡± Someone asked curiously, as they all looked at the many water screens disying all that was happening within the Immortal Valley. So far, at least one of these screens had always followed Xu Min. Just like other screens had always followed the other participants in the top five. However, now, the one that was supposed to follow Xu Min had turned ck. Nothing could be seen on the screen, and the Guardians were doing nothing to fix this problem. Seeing how casually the Guardians acted, everyone was at a loss as to what had happened.

    Inside the Guardian¡¯s residence, a water screen disyed Xu Min¡¯s battles in the Blood Pagoda. However, none of the Guardians would allow for this to be shown on the central stage.

    ¡°Do you think he will be able to make it to the King tier? Perhaps higher?¡± One of the guardians asked curiously while stroking a small, green snake on his neck. The snake, however, just harrumphed before it snorted, ¡°He is my human, so of course he will be a King, if not higher. He will be the very highest rank you can get!¡±

 Chapter 81: Ring of Blood

    Chapter 81: Ring of Blood

    "What¡¯s up with this? I thought I had the choice of not participating after winning the first battle," Xu Min mumbled to himself. He was sure the voice had said it was his own choice whether or not he would want to keep going, but now he had been forced into the second battle.

    "Meager human, what do you know?" The voice boomed out once again. "Although you can choose to stop after the first battle, you just became stronger. Consequently, this is also considered your first trial. Every time you reach a new rank, you have to fight someone at your level before you can leave. Unless you have already defeated someone of the same strength."

    "You already reached the fourth rank, thus you have to fight a four-star beast to leave. Only when you have defeated a four-star beast are you allowed to leave. Should you fight until you reach the rank of a five-star Warrior, then you have to defeat another five-star beast before you can leave. These are the rules you must abide by."

    "Nheless, reaching the rank of a five-star Warrior would require you to at least reach the King tier. For a simple human, this cannot be easily managed." The voice snorted. Xu Min was left with more questions than answers. Was it possible to reach the rank of a five-star Warrior from this pagoda alone? Xu Min was astonished. It seemed that Ye Ling had brought him to a truly treasured location within the Immortal Valley.

    Thinking for some time, Xu Min was sincerely excited, but worry suddenly gripped him. "I have limited time within this Immortal Valley. When my time is up, I will then be teleported out of here. Is it even possible to reach the King tier before I need to leave?" he asked the formless voice and received a snort in response.

    "Of course you have time. The time within this Blood Pagoda flows differently from that of the outside. While you may have been in here for a full year, you will only be gone for a week in the outside world. Do not let these facts confuse you when ites to the Blood Pagoda¡¯s isted world. You will not understand it unless you join the Guardians of the Immortal Valleyter on."

    Xu Min was instantly excited again. A full year was only one week? That meant he would have plenty of time to finish this Ring of Blood. Looking at the sword in his hands, he had full faith in himself in regards to fighting at least four-star and five-star beasts. Some six-star beasts were passable hurdles to him, while others would prove to be troublesome. For now, though, he was certain that he would be able to increase his strength tremendously.

    Xu Min focused fully on the four-star beast after finally finishing speaking with the formless voice. He gripped tightly around the sword hilt in his hands.

    Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes for a brief moment, Xu Min calmed himself. Although he was excited about the endless possibilities within this Ring of Blood, he could not take any of his opponents lightly. If he was too busy with his future fights, rather than the ones in front of him, he would very likely fall before reaching his goal.

    Looking at the beast in front of him, Xu Min cleared his mind. He shed down towards the beast in front of him. However, this Golden-Furred Blood Lion was much swifter than the one before it and, in an instant, dodged the sh, retreating several steps.

    He was surprised at first, but then it dawned upon him. The beasts he was fighting were the ones who were considered talents in the Golden-Furred Blood Lion family n. For it to have died in this Blood Pagoda, it was clear it had not died on the level that Xu Min was currently battling.

    Not only was it capable of dodging Xu Min¡¯s attacks, but it was also alert since its eyes were glued to his every move.

    Xu Min focused fully on the Golden-Furred Blood Lion in front of him, neither even wondering why the difficulty had suddenly risen nor spending any time cursing the disembodied voice. Instead, his full focus was on this beast, each moment spent carefully considering his options.

    His speed was not on par with the lion¡¯s, but his advantagey in the abundance of energy in his cultivation base. He knew he had more internal energy than this beast in front of him. Although he knew this, he was also fully aware that if he were the only oneunching attacks, he would be the only one using up his internal energy. Upon using all of his internal energy, he would be a much easier target for the already dead, but still very conscious, beast in front of him.

    "Come on then," Xu Min said as he, too, observed the lion. He decided to no longer attack it and rather waited to see what sort of move it would make. It could not avoid him forever.

    Just as Xu Min took a defensive stance, the lion pounced forward, its sharp wsing straight down at his chest with frightening speed. Xu Min had been prepared and raised his sword just in time to block this powerful attack, but it made him stumble backwards three steps before he finally managed to bnce himself and stand his ground.

    The lion was not willing to let him rx. As soon as it had attacked, it used the momentum from its first attack tounch a series of attacks. However, this time, the attack was slightly weaker, and Xu Min protected himself perfectly well. He stood his ground, ready tounch an attack.

    Xu Min gritted his teeth and poured his internal energy into his sword. The Qi around his body started rising in heat as his determination spiked.

    The elements within the Blood Pagoda were filled with the essence of the heavens and the earth. Feeling these energies enter his body, he once more entered a state where his entire body was one with the world around him. He had be one with the sword in his hand, one with the world, and one with the Qi that flowed through his meridians.

    The energy in his body had be increasingly agitated and vtile under this process. Soon, it started to turn red, signaling that his body was about to be set ame. Then actual mes burst forth from his body, inadvertently increasing both his perception and his strength.

    He could easily dodge any attack that the lion threw his way with the smallest movement necessary. Having be one with the world surrounding him, it was as though the lion was moving in slow motion. Its every movement was so easy for him to predict that avoiding it required absolutely next to no energy. Looking at these mes, he remembered them from once before when he had been back at the Yong familypound. He had be one with the world then. Even so, it seemed as though the energy was slightly different. It was now much more potent.

    The sword in his hand hummed. The mes on his body also covered the sword, and, at having entered this state, Xu Min chopped the sword downwards with all he had.

    The sword drew an arc as natural as the flow of water in a gentle stream, as nimbly and as elegantly as the winter snowke, and as aloofly as the tall, unyielding mountain.

    This attack seemed as simple as any other attack he had ever performed, but it contained some beauty and profoundness that not many would be able to understand.

    The lion was a rare talent from the Golden-Furred Blood Lion¡¯s family. However, it was still only a four-star ranked magical beast. How could it possibly understand the profound mysteries behind the sword stroke that Xu Min unleashed?

    Although it wished to avoid it, it could not. It was as though the world around it had locked the lion in on the impending attack. It was impossible to move and, with fear in its eyes, it could feel how the sword slowly sunk into its body before its soul itself dispersed. Finally able to leave this god forsaken Blood Pagoda, it could once more enter the circle of reincarnation.

    Although the battle had finished, Xu Min was standing in the middle of the tform. His eyes were closed, and the mes ring up from his body seemed to have no ceiling to their intensity.

    It was clear that the young man was gaining some insight into the aspect of bing one with the world, but even so, there were rules within the Blood Pagoda. The formless voice once more spoke out to Xu Min.

    "You have defeated the trial that has forcefully been ced upon you. Do you wish to continue onwards or leave this Blood Pagoda? If you wish to continue onwards, you have a moment to regain your energy."

    The previous haughtiness in the voice had vanished. Instead, it was rather somber now. Xu Min paid no mind to the change in tone and nodded his head without opening his eyes.

    "I wish to challenge the next step of the trial now!"

    Xu Min was aware that he was in a stage of enlightenment, but he had also noticed that he had gained an understanding and insight during the battle. This insight came to him far swifter than when he was standing alone, trying toprehend the mysteries of this strange domain.

    Saying no more, two shadows appeared on the dueling tform and quickly took the shape of two Golden-Furred Blood Lions. They were both of the fourth rank, but they seemedckingparing to the one before.

    Still, they were not to be looked down upon. Although they might be weaker, individually, they were now two beasts that could team up against Xu Min. Nheless, he was not worried at all.

    His eyes were still closed as he felt in the air around him how the beasts were edging closer and closer. One was walking slowly, while the other was pouncing rapidly. One seemed to be on guard, almost timid, while the other was aggressive and eager to start the battle.

    Having his eyes closed did not deter his ability to dodge. He did not need to see¡ªall he needed was to dodge through feeling alone.

    He gathered all the energy within his meridians. This time, he sent it all into the sword, causing the de to turnpletely white. mes flickered off its edge and he severely injured the aggressive of the two with another one of his bizarre strokes of the sword, causing it to instantly retreat, whimpering as it tried to lick its wounds. Arge gash had appeared on its chest, and death would have been a certainty it could not escape had it been a living creature of flesh and blood... However, for a soul, having the incarnation of its body almost split in two, it seemed, was not enough to ¡¯kill¡¯ it.

    The already timid lion seemed to be even more cautious than before. It paced around at the back of the ring of blood, baring its teeth but not taking the initiative to attack.

    Xu Min finally opened his eyes, a me burning within their depths. A smile spread on his lips as the dense energy of Heaven and Earth seemed to revolve around only him. The dense energy entered his body as though he had be a massive ck hole that sucked up all the energy within the vicinity.

    Xu Min swung his sword as he moved forward. It seemed as though he moved slowly, but every step he took covered a third of the tform. Reaching the wounded soul, it took but one attack for him to sever its head and allow it to return to the circle of reincarnation before he turned his sights on the remaining Blood Lion.

    This was the most cautious one of their kind he had ever seen. He could not help but wonder how this lion had managed to lose its life within the Blood Pagoda, considering its cautious nature. He knew, however, that he would never get an answer. All he could do was focus on defeating this spirit and finishing the challenge he had been given. It took him only one attack, as the lion was too fearful to even fight back. This was of Xu Min¡¯s benefit right now. He understood that the next trial would be even tougher, having yet to experience truly facing two of the lions at once due to the cowardly from prior. Still, a smile was on his face as he sat down on the stone floor and started meditating. The benefits he had gained from this Blood Pagoda were already outstanding.

 Chapter 82: History

    Chapter 82 - History

    Awakening from his meditation, Xu Min once more managed to reach his optimal state. He stood up, rustled his body slightly, and started looking at the empty tform in front of him.

    "I ept the next trial!" He called out. Although he had not heard the formless voice for some time, he was well aware that it was still present despite theck of his response.

    The moment he had spoken, three shadows appeared in front of him. This time two Golden-Furred Blood Lions just like before appeared alongside some creature that seemed strangely human. His ears were pointed and his eyesrge. His features were extraordinarily attractive, and his physique was slim but filled with energy. A tattoo was painted on his body, swirling from one arm to the neck and all the way up the back of his head; it ended right above his left eye. He wore simple dark green clothes. His hand was a bow with the associated arrows bundled together in a pouch by his side.

    Looking at this humanoid specimen, Xu Min was suddenly reminded of an old story his sister had told him many years before. The story was about how this world was once inhabited by not only humans but also demons, elves, and fairies. Once upon a time, these four races, simr to one another, lived side by side, and each race had their territory. However, the elves, fairies, and demons had problems reproducing, and their races were just barely able to sustain themselves. While, on the other hand, the humans constantly expanded. Soon the humans¡¯ territory was notrge enough to hold all the them, and they started overtaking other territories.

    The first territory they took over belonged to the fairies. These fairies were against wars, but they all stood united when they were ced under pressure. Their power, which the humans had looked down upon, was not to be underestimated. These fairies all had an affinity with nature, and their power proved to be outstanding when the battle between the humans and fairies escted.

    The fairies allied themselves with the Elves. However, because of the hatred between Elves and Demons, the demons chose to support the humans.

    The battle was long and bloody, but eventually, the humans and demons prevailed. In the end though, the humans turned on the demons and conquered the entire world.

    This was a fairy tale all children were told by their mothers or fathers when they were small. It was a fairy tale everyone knew about but no one believed in; yet today, Xu Min was standing in front of the very first elf he had ever seen. Looking at this pointy-eared creature, it was clear that it could be nothing else.

    The Golden-Furred Blood Lions stayed put behind this young elf. Both of them stood as though they were his guards, ensuring that anyone who came close would have to deal with the both of them. Whereas, the elf with his bow and arrow clearly was capable of dealing with anyone at a distance.

    Xu Min was currently quite a distance away. Though the elf could shoot his arrows whenever he wanted to he had not.

    "Give up," a pleasant voice suddenly drifted out from the elf that was standing at the opposite side of the tform. "Although I wish it was possible for me to return to the cycle of reincarnation, I have no other option than to use my full strength. I might seem to be only a four-star Warrior, my true strength is not far behind someone at the five-star ranking. Even though this ce ranks us ording to our original ranks, everyone who enters is a peerless genius. Your strength needs to be outstanding to reach even the King rank."

    Hearing the words the elf said, Xu Min smirked. "You are not the only peerless genius around," he replied, feeling slightly silly about calling himself a genius. However, he also knew that now that he had reached the fourth star of a Warrior he would be able to put up quite a fight for anyone ranked at the fifth star. At worst, he and this elf should be about at the the same strength.

    "It seems you have no intention of backing off," the elf said. His voice turned cold, and raised his bow. However, he did not pick up any of his arrows. Instead, he created one from Qi and shot it at Xu Min at high speed.

    Had the elf used real arrows then Xu Min might have been worried. However, in his hands was a sword which devoured energy. The moment he raised it, it absorbed all the energy from the arrow while he was rushing he rushed forward to meet with the enemy.

    This group was like the previous one. One of the members of the group was outstanding while the others were mediocre. Although the two Golden-Furred Blood Lions ranked a four level, they were after all only normal Golden-Furred Blood Lions. As Xu Min opened his mind and became one with the world around him, mes soared from his body. He could easily avoid the attacks of the lions in this state.

    Seeing the mes spewing forth from Xu Min, the elf¡¯s face expressed surprise. He quickly suppressed his surprise with a serious look.. He did not use any more arrows or his bow, but with a flicker of a hand, a long sword appeared in his hands¡ªa sword just slightly smaller than the one in Xu Min¡¯s hands.

    "Well done!" he yelled out as he retreated slightly, "I seriously underestimated you, but you forced me to take out my bone piercer! I will now prove to you just how amazing, we, elves are at fighting with swords!"

    Seeing the elf retreat, Xu Min did not chase after him. Instead, he focused on the two lions before him. Although it was possible for him to avoid them easily, they were making him use some of his energy. Since the elf was not easy to deal with, he decided to instantly get rid of these two lions.

    Xu Min swiftly shed down his sword, eliminating the two lions instantly.. Their souls once more entered the circle of reincarnation, but their energy entered Xu Min¡¯s body, making him feel as though he was about to burst. His strength was increasing by the minute, and his eyes were sparkling with excitement. Before defeating these two lions, fighting the elf might have been difficult, but now he did not fear him at all.

    Although those two Golden-Furred Blood Lions were not outstandingpared to many of the other opponents Xu Min had faced so far, they were in no way weak. Nheless,pared to the elf and Xu Min, they strength was quite insignificant. . They had likely failed their very first trial in their lifetime.

    Seeing Xu Min¡¯s mes grow in both intensity and size, the elf was perfectly well aware of what was happening. This understanding caused his eyes to turn dark. He was not in a great mood any longer; he felt uncertain as to whether or not he would be able to win.

    This Blood Pagoda was filled to the brim with souls. It had existed for eons already, and more than ten experts would enter every single year. Of these experts, only half would survive. This may seem like a bad survival rate, but those who did survive would be so strong that it was almost impossible to beat them. Was it not for this oue, then the Golden-Furred Blood Lion family would long ago have stopped using this Blood Pagoda. However, without the experts that had survived it, they would not be able to be the strongest beasts within the Immortal Valley.

    A bang sounded out as the two swords collided. Sparks flew everywhere as their swords collided together, and then something strange happened.

    The sword in Xu Min¡¯s hands started humming again. This only urred only when it was excited or filled to the brim with energy. Yet right now, it had not been able to absorb much energy, so the only other exnation was that it was excited.

    Having collided with the other sword and started humming, the sword suddenly started devouring everything around it. Soon the sword in the elf¡¯s hands started to vanish. The elf¡¯s face turned pale.

    "You... You have a sword that can devour soul energy?" he asked in horror. Xu Min looked at him with a surprised look, "I don¡¯t know," he said honestly, "so far all that it has devoured is internal energies, but even I don¡¯t know the limits of my sword. My teacher, who gifted this sword to me, never told me anything about it."

    "I concede," the elf rapidly cried. However, the sword in Xu Min¡¯s hands kept absorbing the soul energy from the sword in the elf¡¯s hand, and soon the hand of the elf turned translucent as well.

    "It seems that my fate is to be devoured by you," the elf said with a wry smile on his face, "I guess this is not much worse than being within this Blood Pagoda. By the time you die, my soul will be released. I will then enter the circle of reincarnation once more if I am lucky. God only knows how long I will have to stay within this god forsaken pagoda to be defeated again."

    Without fighting back, the devouring of the soul energy increased in pace. Xu Min sat down on the ground to absorb this new influx of energy pulsing through his veins.

    The energy he was absorbing was strange and different from anything he had ever experienced before. shes of memories of a previous life appeared in his mind together with one martial art ability after another. Everything that belonged to the elf soon belonged to Xu Min. He even found that the bow and the sword which the elf had used during the battle were weapons created from pure energy. These weapons were now in his hands.

    Soon the elf had turnedpletely translucent. With a smile on his face, he vanished into the sword. Xu Min had gained everything that belonged to this soul. Not only did he have the many attacks that this elf possessed in his lifetime, he even had all of his knowledge and every memory from his life.

    The fight had ended, while Xu Min still sat on the ground. He had not used a lot of his energy in this battle; instead, he had managed to get through it by relying solely on the sword in his hands. Now he had gained newfound strength, knowledge, and abilities. Although he had not gained the internal energy of the elf, he soon found that these memories were worth far more than mere energy.

    Standing up and cing the sword on his back, Xu Min flicked out with his hand. The bow suddenly appeared in his palm. It felt so natural as itid there. With a wisp of Qi which took the shape of an arrow Xu Min shot at the distance and found that his aim was as great as the elf¡¯s. He owed this elf a lot.

    "I am ready for the next trial," Xu Min called out, but once more the formless voice no longer spoke. Instead, six shadows appeared in front of him. Six Golden-Furred Blood Lions arrived at the tform, all of them throwing themselves at Xu Min with frenzied expressions on their faces and slight fear in their eyes.

    Fighting against six beasts was in no way a simple fight. However, Xu Min was not worried. Lifting the bow in his hands and summoning one arrow after another, he allowed for these arrows to rain down upon the beasts in front of him. Some hit eyes; others hit throats. Some arrows hit stomachs, other arrows hit backs. Every single one of the arrows hit their target, but these were not simple beasts.a The arrows hit critical spots, but five of the lions still advanced forward with the blood gushing down from their bodies.

 Chapter 83: Swordlight

    Chapter 83: Swordlight

    A paw came swiping down which forced Xu Min to retreat further back while another beast came jumping at him from the back. Holding the sword in his hands, Xu Min was not in a position to wait. He jumped forward, but just at that moment, he felt a beastnd on his back as teeth and ws sunk into his body. Fortunately, he managed to throw off the beast with a burst of his internal energy.

    While one beast attacked, the others were not idly looking on; instead, they tried to get behind Xu Min to attack his back as well. Xu Min had switched out the bow in his hand for hisrge sword. Apparently, these beasts were not dumb. Upon seeing this massive sword, they understood that attacking from the front was most likely going to get them killed.

    Blood was streaming down Xu Min¡¯s back.Even so, he did not feel hopeless as he constantly turned around trying to face the beasts.

    Taking one step forward, Xu Min caught his breath before he lifted the sword in his hands and roared loudly. Jumping forward at his highest speed, he shed down his sword.

    Although his sword was capable of absorbing the energy of beasts and humans, beasts were considered external practitioners. They were incapable of using stances. Thus all their internal energy roamed within their bodies. Xu Min needed to cut through them to absorb their energy.

    His attack was lightning swift. Although the beasts were fast, they were no match for Xu Min¡¯s speed. He managed to sessfully deliver a killing blow to the smallest of the beasts before he once more jumped forward to avoid leaving his back vulnerable to the other beasts who were pouncing at him.

    Sighing, Xu Min was unsure of what to do. No matter where he moved, the remaining four beasts were capable of attacking him. The fight would only get worse as time went on. He had to constantly d his entire body in Qi to protect it from the hard ws and teeth that grabbed onto him time and time again.

    Xu Min stumbled forward as he sensed two beasts jumping at him. A small grunt escaped his lips as he once more steadied himself by taking one step in front of him. Once more, the Qi within his body erupted and burst forward like an energy ripple, forcing the beasts to withdraw as they were hit. He turned around and noticed the red eyes of the beasts pool up with bloodlust; their entire beings were clearly ready to rip Xu Min to pieces. Nevertheless, Xu Min was not willing to let them.

    Xu Min swung his sword around, making a pattern in front of him that looked like the number eight. As his sword moved through the air, it started humming. The de that was originally covered in blood from a beast he cleaved in half started to shine brilliantly.

    "I am not going to be beaten by something as annoying as you guys!" Xu Min growled. Jumping towards the beasts, hepletely disregarded his own safety. He opened his mind, allowing himself to be one with the world once more. He could feel every single movement made by these beasts, now avoiding them was easy. He started pouring the Qi within his body into his sword. With a swipe, a sword light appeared and shot into the head of one of the beasts, causing its head to explode as it slumped to the ground.

    Xu Min no longer held back. Although he could be one with the world around him, he did not wish to fully rely on this ability. He understood that these trials within the Blood Pagoda truly required him to use his every ability in every situation.

    Only now did Xu Min understand his true mishap with this battle. Starting battling with the bow had put him at a disadvantage. Although he had managed to understand and learn the abilities of the elf he had absorbed, he was not used to fighting with the elf¡¯s abilities. If he had started with his sword in his hands, he would have finished the fight already.

    "No use in regretting now," he mumbled to himself. He once more swung out his sword. This time he managed to decapitate one of the beasts. His sword was constantly gaining momentum as he kept swinging it in a specific pattern. He would faint weaknesses when he advanced and wait for the beasts to attack. Then he would dodge and use this opening to behead the beasts.

    Another beast soon sumbed, and after Xu Min switched to his sword and used his ability to be one with the world. The battle became one-sided once more, and when the final beast was killed, Xu Min instantly sat on the ground.

    He did not enter cultivation but instead started to think about the mistakes he hadmitted in the previous fight while also urging his internal energy to heal his wounds.

    "Although I managed to learn every ability from the elf and can use them as were they my own, my body is not used to using these attacks; my attack patterns are not used to fighting like this. By trying to force a style I am not used to, I put myself in an unfavorable position, a position where I even got injured." Xu Min mumbled to himself.

    "Although I can make use of these memories and the abilities they grant me, I need time to work on them. I should not have been in such a rush. I should slowly and fully understand and perfect these attacks. It is not often I have as good a possibility as I do now, being in the Blood Pagoda and all, so I should really use the time wisely."

    "The elf gave me all his memories, and amongst these memories were not only the ability to use bow and arrows but also external martial arts. I have never heard about sword attacks like these before. I only heard about stances, so to be able to practice these, my ability should rise dramatically."

    Nodding his head, Xu Min felt excitement deep within. He had to calm himself before he managed to sit down and enter a meditative trance, allowing for his internal energy to once more reach the peak condition and his wounds to heal.

    He was seated down with his legs crossed with his sword lying on hisp. A few hours went by before he finally opened his eyes once more and stood up. The previously serious wounds on his back had almost vanished, and the internal energy he had used in the battle had all been restored.

    Xu Min flicked his hand, and a bow appeared in his grasp. With another flick of his hand, Qi left his body and took the shape of an arrow, after which Xu Min started training his archery. He would keep shooting at specific targets. Though his aim was urate at the start, he soon found that it was not easy for him to get used to the bow and arrows.

    The bow needed a firm but gentle hand, and it waspletely different from his usual experiments with the sword. Nheless, soon he became more and more proficient in using the bow. His hands became swifter and swifter in their ability to shoot out one arrow after another.

    Although he was bing much better at using bow and arrow, Xu Min was not satisfied until he felt that the bow had be an extension of his hand. He ended up spending a full three days before he was satisfied.

    In these three days, he had not rested unless he had used up all the energy in his body to create Qi arrows and could only continue his training by taking a moment to recuperate.

    After finally feeling perfectly in tune with the bow, Xu Min stood up once more and looked at the sword in his hand. This sword had been with him for a long time, and he was thankful that it had been by his side through all this time. It had saved his life more than once.

    This sword had many secrets that Xu Min could not know. Even so, he felt that it had be apanion of his, and he felt invincible when he wielded it.

    Lifting the sword above his head, Xu Min closed his eyes and allowed for his own Qi to enter the sword. Following the memories from the elf, he used the Qi to create one sword light after another, which shot out from the sword and entered the walls, the ground, and the barrier around the tform Xu Min was standing on. It was clear that these points of impact had been demolished.

    However, as soon as they had been broken, they strangely enough repaired themselves as soon as the chips had been broken off the wall and the floor. Seconds after, it seemed as though none of the destruction had ever taken ce.

    "Humph, a mortal like you managed to break the ground in this Blood Pagoda?" The formless voice once more appeared. This time sounding slightly startled; nheless, Xu Min knew that his performance was not something outstanding. It was just that the voice had severely underestimated him for being a human cultivator.

    "I never expected to break the floor, senior," Xu Min said humbly and honestly. His response caused the formless voice to let go of another snort, but he said nothing more. The Blood Pagoda once more descended into silence. Xu Min then focused on the new martial arts attacks that he had learned from the elf.

    The first attack was the sword light attack he had just used. What it did was infuse the Qi from his body into the sword and thenunch an attack. The Qi would connect both sword and energy and make a beam of light as sharp as his sword at point-nk range that could be used to attack from a distance. The speed with which the sword light shot out was outstandingly swift, and one needed to be very fast to avoid it. Looking at this sword light, Xu Min guessed that at least a five or six-star Warrior would have no way of avoiding itpletely when it wasunched.

    Xu Min worked on this attack for a full week before he could control the sword light a hundred percent. The more he trained, the more his Qi took on a sword-like quality. Soon he could even dispatch a sword light without the needing tobine it with his sword.

    Having perfected this attack, he once more sat down on the ground and started meditating and reconnecting with the memories of the elf he had absorbed. The elf¡¯s memories were filled with many beautiful scenes. The world they had lived in had been so beautiful and fertile; forests were all over, and within these dense forests cities were built into mountainsides, in the depths of valleys, and even a few were situated underground.

    Although Xu Min was amazed by these beautiful scenes and his heart felt a strange tranquility while thinking about it, he forced himself to continue through the memories until he reached the memories concerning the elf¡¯s martial arts. He had to ensure that he became strong enough to manage the next many experts he was to meet within this Blood Pagoda. If he could reach the five-star Warrior rank, then he would be a lot closer to his goal of revenge, enabling him to protect himself in the remainder of the Immortal Valley Ranking.

    Examining the martial art memories, Xu Min found another martial art skill named the ¡®Crescent Moon Cut.¡¯ This was a skill that could only be used at night. It borrowed the power of the moon to generate energy that could enter the sword and enhance its power significantly. Coupled with this Crescent Moon Cut was the Rising Sun sh, an attack which was very simr and borrowed power from the sun. However, these two attacks both required either the sun or the moon, and currently, Xu Min was within the Blood Pagoda, so he could not use either of them. Instead, he kept scouring through the memories until he finally found something useful.

    "This is good," his entire face lit up in excitement, "exactly what I needed; this Devouring World goes perfectly with my sword!"

 Chapter 84: Devouring World

    Chapter 84: Devouring World

    Xu Min was excited. Although he already possessed a lot of attacks, this one was especially amazing. If it were coupled with the devouring ability of his sword, then he would be capable of absorbing much more than just the energy of another person. Even their life force and their soul would be easy prey to Xu Min.

    Xu Min sat down and started thinking about this new attack, Devouring World. What it did was to make the Qi of one¡¯s body spin so fast that it would create a whirlwind. This whirlwind was so strong that experts at the same level as Xu Min would be incapable of resisting it. Even if they tried, they would slowly be drawn towards the person in the middle, the person who had started it.

    This whirlwind would not only draw in humans, but it would also draw in all the energy of the heavens and the earth around him, making it rush to his body and get absorbed at a rapid speed. This was the true meaning of the words Devouring World.

    The attack was made to control opponents, making them unable to control their own bodies and at the same time making them incapable of casting attacks while the person whounched the attack could restore their own energy. For Xu Min, the purpose of the attack was different. He needed to be able to make the opponentse towards him so that he could attack them. Forcing internal experts toe to his side was the same as instantly defeating them. An internal expert needed the distance to cast their attacks while remaining safe.

    Xu Min was in no rush for the next trial to begin. Instead, he started practicing the attack Devouring World. It was not difficult for him to perfect since the attack was very simr to the devouring sword in his hand.

    Quickly, a week had gone by. Although Xu Min¡¯s overall strength had not increased, hisbat ability was far more frightening than it had been before.

    Standing up and stretching his body, Xu Min had a small smile on his lips as he said with a distinct, clear voice, "Start the next trial!"

    The moment he uttered his decision, a blurry figure appeared in front of him. This blurry figure soon took the shape of a beautiful woman with transparent wings on her back. She was a peerless beauty with an alluring body. Her body was only hidden behind a small dress which was tightly wrapping around her waist and butt, making even the usually casual Xu Min look on with astonishment.

    "What are you looking at, you filthy human?" A haughty voice eximed. The beautiful woman in front of him turned out to be incredibly arrogant and not very friendly at all.

    "It¡¯s not my fault you are wearing clothes like that," Xu Min said, frowning, "even if I don¡¯t want to look, how can I avoid it?"

    "You little!" The fairy called out in anger. Her hands instantly created wind des made from her understanding of the nature elements alongside her internal Qi. The wind des were incredibly swift and sharp, and if they touched him, Xu Min would be cut in half. However, he was casually looking at the advancing des before he avoided them with the least movements necessary.

    "You dare avoid my attack?!" the fairy was angry. She stomped the ground hard. Her petite and beautiful face was flushed red from anger; her hands kept summoning one wind de after another as she moved forward towards Xu Min.

    "No one in thousands of years has avoided my attack. Nheless, you will die by my hand!" the fairy kept yelling. Even so, the only attack she used was the wind des. Though they were dangerous, as long as Xu Min could avoid them, he was in no danger.

    "Grandma, tell me, are the Wind des all you know how to do?" he asked with another frown on his face. He felt that by attacking this beautiful woman, he was taking advantage of her if she truly knew no other attacks. On the other hand, though, he had no intention of allowing the woman to defeat him as that meant death.

    "Who is your grandma?!" The woman said, feeling insulted. However, it was already impossible for her to be angrier than she already was, thus Xu Min did not mind riling her up.

    "I will start attacking," Xu Min warned. Moments after, he unleashed his newly perfected ability the Devouring World, making it impossible for the fairy to stand still and throw her wind des at Xu Min; instead, she was constantly propelled towards the younger man who was waiting for her, sword in hand.

    "Don¡¯t hate me for this," Xu Min said with a wry smile on his face. His sword shed downwards, but just as he was about to cut the woman, she too managed to avoid the sh.

    "Don¡¯t be too excited yet, brat," the fairyughed as she used all of her power to retreat while under the effect of Devouring World. It was impossible for her to cast her abilities as she could not stand still, but she could use it to avoid the attacks Xu Min threw at her by using her internal energy.

    "I fail to believe a kid like you who has to hold up both this suction force while fighting me will be able to sustain it for long!" She said. Looking at this beautiful fairy, it was clear that she was no longer filled with anger but instead excitement.

    "Brat, I have not fought seriously for thousands of years! Who knows why only weak lions have entered here. However, now that you are here, it is about time for me to be entertained!" the fairy said. Suddenly, her wings pped on her back, and she ascended into the air.

    The suction force was not much weaker in the air than it was on the ground, but the wings on the back of this fairy were incredibly strong. She finally managed to steady herself, generating more wind des to shoot at Xu Min.

    Seeing that his Devouring World had absolutely no effect, Xu Min did not keep it up. Instead, he smiled as he retreated to the corner of the tform. With a flicker of his hand, a bow appeared in his palm.

    This bow was the one he had used before, but there was a great change in how he used the bow nowpared to how he did it before. Although he was somewhat proficient at using it previously, he had been unable to proficiently draw out the bow¡¯s fullest potential. Nheless, he had taken a few days this time to familiarize himself with the bow, evidently bing much better at using it.

    Condensing his Qi into a Qi arrow, he notched it onto the bowstring before shooting it at the fairy, who looked at him with shock in her eyes.

    "You, you, you, you..." she stuttered, "You are a human! How can you use an elf¡¯s Spirit Bow?!" She was outraged. This was an ability only elves could do simr to the fairies¡¯ ability tobine the natural elements with internal energy. To see a human who was suddenly using this ability, how could she not be shocked?

    "It¡¯s nothing," Xu Min said with a smallughter, "I was just lucky enough to encounter an elf who taught it to me."

    "No elf can teach it to a human!" The fairy continued. Shended on the ground and once more stomped her feet in anger. "I cannot fight elves because they were the ones who came to our rescue in the great war against humanity and demons. Tell me, you little brat, are you an elf or a human? Are you perhaps a mixture of the two?"

    Looking at this fairy, Xu Min was surprised. He had not expected that this haughty and beautiful woman would say such a thing. He understood that if he lied now and said that he was an elf, she would forfeit the match. This thought only crossed his mind for a moment before he shook his head, "I really am a human," he said honestly. "I am a human who happens to have had some good luck. Please don¡¯t look at me as the race of your saviors but as one of the creatures that caused you trouble. I wish to fight grandma at her best."

    This time, the fairy was not insulted about hearing the word grandma. Instead, sheughed. "Silly human, you were honest when you could have passed the trial. Fine, I will show you the might of a fairy! Be ready to experience the pain of nature!"

    As she spoke, a wind started appearing behind her, making her beautiful long hair flutter. The wind kept picking up in strength before it became more and more threatening. "You asked me if I can only do Wind des," the fairy suddenlymented, "and the truth is that I can do more than wind des. I have only one other attack, and this attack will require all of my energy."

    "If you can survive this attack, then you will be able to win this trial. If you win this trial, you will be much stronger. My soul looks forward to seeing whether or not you are the one who will let me enter the cycle of reincarnation or if you will be my new younger brother here in the Blood Pagoda!"

    Xu Min understood now that it was serious. With vignce, he looked at the strong wind which was right in front of him. Soon, the wind took the shape of arge and astonishing wind de. Xu Min could not help but smirk; the grandma fairy had said that she only knew two attacks, but was this not also a wind de? Just an oversized one at that.

    Seeing Xu Min¡¯s expression, the fairy¡¯s face turned slightly sour. She did not focus on Xu Min any longer; instead, her entire being focused on the massive wind de.

    This de was as wide as the entire tform. It was clear that the moment it was unleashed, the attack would sweep down and wound anyone in its path.

    "I put all my faith in my sword," Xu Min mumbled to himself as he held his sword in both hands. His legs slightly spread apart, and his eyes serious. This was a question about whether or not he would survive. Even though he ced all his hopes on his sword, he could not help but feel that it was risky. Still, he had no other option. As the wind de was released, he raised the sword, took a deep breath, and got ready to absorb the elemental Qi released by the fairy.

    The sword started humming. The Qi released through the air was absorbed cleanly. Suddenly, the sword and the wind de collided and a massive boom sounded out, the entire room trembling. Xu Min felt blood rising in his throat, but he forced it down again before he grit his teeth and put all of his weight behind the sword, facing the onught of energy barreling against him. He felt as though his entire body was being pounded. At the same time, he also felt the strength of the energy entering his body through the sword. It was clearly a different kind of energy than the one he was used to absorbing. Even so, his body did not resist it as it swallowed it all whole.

 Chapter 85: Body Transformation

    Chapter 85: Body Transformation

    His arms convulsed, and his body was pushed backwards. The white sword in his hands hummed louder and louder as all the wind energy was being absorbed into it. The energy flowed into the body of the young man. His body felt as if it was being shattered; the energy was so violent that Xu Min was wracked with severe pain in his entire being. Even so, he gritted his teeth and kept his wits about him. All the energy that entered his body poured out into the sword so that he could stand a chance against the wind de currently crushing down upon him.

    The wind de was bing less and less powerful as its energies were absorbed by Xu Min¡¯s de.

    Xu Min was no longer pushed backward as more and more energy was being absorbed. His face turned a more natural color. He was able to swallow the blood that had risen to his throat earlier.

    Looking at the young man almost vomiting blood, one could see that the initial sh had been the hardest. Nheless, by the time it took an incense stick to burn down, Xu Min had managed to be capable ofpletely turning the situation around. Although he was still pressured by this massive wind de, it was no longer a significant threat to him.

    Standing behind the wind de was the fairy. Her face was pale as she had used all of her energy reserves to create this de. Shock shown in her eyes as she saw how the massive wind de she had created with all of her efforts had shrunk in size and was continuing to shrink with each passing moment. The young man who had been close to being crushed was looking even more powerful now than he had been before. His entire body burst with energy, and the sword in his hand shone white from all the Qi that had been poured into it.

    "Impossible!" The fairy called out. Her eyes were bulging. Her previously pretty face had contorted hideously as disbelief washed over her. How could a mere human withstand her attack? How could such a weak being look more invigorated after the attack than he did before?

    Her eyes trailed toward the sword in Xu Min¡¯s hands. A grimace appeared on her face. "Is that a heavenly weapon?" She murmured to herself, "if not for this sword, how would it be possible for him to withstand me?"

    Although the fairy was shocked, she could do nothing. She was but a soul, a fragment left behind within this Blood Pagoda. Even if she truly found an incredible treasure, she could no longer use it. Coveting the possessions of others was not something she could afford to do any longer.

    "I lost," she mumbled to herself, filled with disbelief. Everyone who lost in the Blood Pagoda would have their souls released and return to the cycle of reincarnation. This was something they all dreamed about. However, they also knew that they could not lose on purpose or act weak. If they did, their souls would be shattered.

    Standing there, the fairy was filled with mixed emotions. She was relieved that her living hell within the blood pagoda wasing to an end; her eyes simply could not believe that this was true, but, at the same time, she was filled with unwillingness. She could not ept that she had lost, even more in such an outstanding way. She had not lost to the young man; she had lost to his sword!

    "Having found a treasure is also a kind of strength," Xu Min said while shrugging his shoulders. He could understand the fairy. However, for him, this was not just a sword; this sword had be a part of who he was. Without his sword, he would no longer be whole.

    Any expert who used a weapon would always be at a disadvantage. Xu Min was no exception. That the fairy felt that it was unfair, Xu Min could do nothing about the feelings of unfairness the fairy felt.

    The fairy knew that he was correct, and she fell to her knees. "End me," she said with faint excitement in her voice. This moment was the end of her old life, the end to her eternal suffering. It was about time for her to finally move on and be someone else.

    Xu Min understood this as well and moved towards her without a shred of hesitation. He lifted his sword, and allowed for it to fall,nding on her slim and frail neck cleaving it off.

    The moment her neck and head was severed from one another, her body dissolved spontaneously into a red mist which slowly entered Xu Min¡¯s body. He had previously absorbed the energy of some Golden-Furred Blood Lions, but now he was absorbing the energy of the fairy that was ranked equal to a five-star Warrior. This energy was simply outstanding; it was so empowering and overwhelming that Xu Min copsed on the ground when it entered his body. His entire body was convulsing and spasming as it filled every cell with the essence of the heavens and the earth.

    Xu Min slowly rose to his knees with strong determination and sat down in meditation. This act would make it easier to refine the essence which had entered his body. It was as if a flood hade crashing through his meridians, bringing with it a surge of power.

    While Xu Min was meditating, not only was the energy he had gained from ending the fairy¡¯s life floating around, the energy he had absorbed through the sword was undergoing refinement. The wind energy slowly became tame and joined in with his other energies, making it impossible to tell which energy was which.

    Xu Min was cultivating for an astonishing eleven hours before he managed to have all the energy under his control. When he opened his mouth, he coughed out a ck clot. Xu Min slowly opened his eyes; his entire face filled with excitement.

    The ck clot he had just spat out was the collective impurities in his meridians that had been purified and forcibly expunged from his body.

    This ck clot indicated that Xu Min had reached the fifth-star level. He was already a five-star Warrior! The speed at which he was progressing was simply impossible toprehend for average people. When he had just entered the Immortal Valley, he was nothing but a three-star Warrior. Now, less than a yearter, he had already reached the five-star level.

    His strength was already amazing by the time he had reached the third-star rank. Now that he was a five-star Warrior, his strength was phenomenal. If he had the sword by his side alongside Ye Ling and Cao Cao, it was possible for him to get revenge against the Zhong family. Even so, Xu Min was not willing to immediately risk his life when he already advanced as swiftly as he did. He still had to return to Meilin when he was done. He would bide his time some more.

    Thinking about Meilin, Xu Min¡¯s heart surged with warmth; a gentle smile appeared on t his lips. While he was lost in the thoughts of his long-lost love, the voice of the Blood Pagoda interrupted his thoughts.

    "Congrattions on reaching the King rank!" The voice boomed through the entire room. Suddenly a set of stairs appeared in front of Xu Min, stairs that had not been there before but clearly led to a new level of the pagoda.

    "If you choose to enter the next level, you will be given a reward for reaching the King rank. Not only this, but you will also be able to contend against the next tier of challengers. Just because you have the strength to kill others does not mean that you are strong. Kid, do you dare enter the Saint level of the Blood Pagoda?"

    The voice might have seemed overbearing and haughty, but there was a subtle truth in what it had said. If the King-ranked trials were as dangerous as what he had already gone through, it was clear that this Saint level trials were a whole different league, which made him consider the matter seriously.

    A smile spread on Xu Min¡¯s lips; he resolutely moved towards the stairs, grabbed onto the railing, and slowly moved towards the second floor. As to how many floors there were in total, Xu Min did not know, but knowing that he had reached the second floor, he was filled with pride. He was excited to reach the rank of a five-star Warrior.

    ....

    "I told you he would be a King-ranked contender!" a smug voice sounded within the room of the guardians. Although time flowed differently within the Blood Pagoda, it was possible for the guardians to see everything which happened within. All of them were speechless. Xu Min had indeed defeated the King-ranked difficulties!

    "He absorbed the soul of an elf!" one of the guardians said hesitantly, "his memories and his abilities. Even his appearance has changed slightly. He is no longer a simple human. He is also partly an elf; one could even go as far as to say that he is a half-elf," The guardian¡¯s words were spoken while everyone waspletely quiet. No one dared toment on what he had said. Everyone turned to look at a guardian who was sitting on a big chair in front of the water screen while also examining the events that had transpired.

    After a bit of awkward silence, someone else said with a tentative voice, "he is a great talent, and he does have something to do with the elves. He is not aplete outsider."

    Soon after, another Guardian spoke up, and it did not take long before a buzz was ongoing within the chamber. This was the chamber where everyone was discussing whether or not Xu Min was now a human or half an elf.

    "Silence," the man seated in the high chair suddenly said. His voice was not very loud, but it was loud enough to silence everyone who heard him. No one dared to continue speaking.

    "As to whether or not we will recruit him depends on a great many things," the man continued, "Firstly, he needs to survive this Immortal Valley Rankings. After the rankings finish, I will make my final decision."

    Havinge to this decision, no one questioned the words of the man. Instead, they all at once focused on the screen and observed attentively Xu Min moving towards the next floor. All of their eyes were filled with excitement to see exactly what could be on this second floor. None of them had ever seen it before.

    ....

    Inside the Blood Pagoda, Xu Min moved towards the second floor. His every step was cautious, and his senses were fully alert. He clearly assumed that anything could happen. He could not help but be prepared for the worst.

    As he reached the second floor, he found that there were torches lit with flickering mes all around the walls. He had arrived on a tform simr to the one he had just left, except this one was smaller than the previous tform. Right in front of him were three items hovering in the air.

    "These three items are the three rewards you can acquire from finishing the three floors of the Blood Pagoda," the voice suddenly boomed out as Xu Min looked at the items. "The first item, the one you have already gained ess to, is a medicinal pill created by the Alchemist God. It was hard to obtain, so treat it with great care! As for the second and third items, I will exin to you when you gain the rights to possess them."

    "Now, go forth towards this pill and take it. It is a Pill of Bodily Transformation. As the name implies, it will awaken your body and detoxify it, allowing for you to cleanse your meridians, your veins, and even the cells in your body. This pill will heighten all parts of your body as if you were a healthy newborn baby. You will be reborn with a body so perfect that cultivating will be much simpler in the future."

    Just hearing about this pill was enough to make Xu Min stare with eyes wide open in shock!

 Chapter 86: Returning

    Chapter 86: Returning

    "The creator of this pill is truly worth his salt as the Alchemist God," Xu Min mused. He reached out his hand and took the pill into his palm. The pill had a faint chill to it as it touched his skin; the more he looked at it, the more mysterious Xu Min felt that it was.

    There was no scent of medicinal properties wafting off this pill, which shocked Xu Min significantly. As to why this was, Xu Min was easily able to guess. "So a pill where none of the medicinal properties are being wasted is truly magnificent," hemented as he looked at the pill in his hand. Nodding his head, he sat down on the cold floor and popped the pill into his mouth.

    Xu Min had guessed the next trial would not begin before he requested it. As time in here flowed differently to that of the outside, it made this Blood Pagoda the most beneficial ce to cultivate, which he was going to use to the fullest.

    As soon as the pillnded in his mouth, the seemingly odorless pill turned into streams of energy that entered his entire body, seeping into and reconstructing every cell.

    Xu Min felt as though he was on fire. The pain was unbelievably severe as he felt his bones disintegrate and slowly reforming. The cells were shattered and rebuilt. Xu Min started bleeding. Blood seeped out through his skin. The blood fell like tears from his eyes, dripping from his ears and nose, and soon sliding down the corners of his lips.

    His face turned pale having never experienced such iparably excruciating pain before. A scream escaped his lips, and his eyes rolled back to the top of his head. Soon, he copsed on the ground, his consciousness turning ck as he could no longer withstand the pain.

    Thest thought Xu Min had before the darkness consumed him was how he wished he could die. The pain was many times worse than what he had thought humanly possible to endure. Fortunately, he lost consciousness soon after and was incapable of killing himself.

    The Blood Pagoda fell as silent as a graveyard while Xu Min¡¯s body was lying on the tform. The blood seeped from his pores dying the floor red and making the entire room contain a metallic scent befitting of the name Blood Pagoda.

    Xu Min did not know how long time had passed. It could have been minutes, it could have been days, but when he awoke once more, the pain had subsided. In the pain¡¯s ce, he instead felt an extremefort.

    His body was messy; grime and dried blood stuck to his skin. A grimace appeared on his face as he felt his hair had gone stiff from the blood that had seeped out from his skull.

    "I guess all the blood in my body was renewed as well. I feel no after effects of blood loss. However, by looking at the amount of blood I¡¯ve lost, I should have died already." Xu Min nevertheless had a smile on his face. He felt refreshed; his body was light as a feather, and he felt how the Qi in his body was flowing through the meridians much more freely than ever before. He no longer needed to wait for the Qi to activate. The moment he thought about it, it had already activated.

    Xu Min moved his hand and lifting his sword., He started moving in strange patterns. He was shocked to notice that he could feel the flow of the wind when he moved. The wind energy he had absorbed from the fairy was enough to make it so that he too could feel the wind. This ability to sense the wind would help his fighting ability as well as allow him to move swifter. While it was impossible for him to use the wind the way the fairy had done, he had understood the concept of the wind and was able to use it to his own benefit. This understanding increased his speed to unprecedented heights, in turn, making his attacks much swifter.

    This was a pleasant surprise to Xu Min. He moved even swifter, twisted and turned, shed and stabbed. He was moving so quickly that only a blur was visible atop the tform in the Blood Pagoda. When he finally stopped, sweat soaked his body, but his eyes were lit with excitement and a great smile yed on his lips despite being short of breath.

    Without dy, he sat down on the ground and started meditating. He was meditating with the insight he had attained. The sudden understanding of the wind and the power of his entire recreated body.

    He was in meditation for a full ten hours before he finally opened his eyes again. Looking at himself, he could only wrinkle his nose. He wished to wash and to change his clothes, but this was not an option right now. Thus he looked into the air, "I am ready for the next trial," he called out. Without dy a screen of light surrounded him, making him sleepy. Although he was a cultivator, this kind of sleepiness was impossible to withstand. At first, he sat down in meditation in an attempt to suppress it, but it became more and more overpowering until he eventually could fight it no longer. His head dropped to the side, a low snoring sound escaping his lips.

    ....

    "Do you think he will awaken and finish the Emperor Tier Trial?" A guardian asked curiously as he was standing in front of the water screen. It was not only him, but everyone present was feeling the same kind of uncertainty.

    "The kid is rash to go through this trial! He should know his limits and give up before it bes too hard. Although danger and opportunity walk hand in hand, it is a great risk to undertake this trial. Strength alone is not enough; one needs an unwavering determination. I know that in the past other experts have gone through this trial before, but I have never seen anyone seed in it. Although I wish for us to recruit him, I fear it is toote," a Guardianmented. His words caused many of the other guardians to nod their heads. Suddenly a clear voice sounded throughout the room, "You are all idiots!"

    "Xu Min is not as dumb as you guys. So what if you have never seen anyone go through this trial, does that mean that it is impossible?!"

    "Xu Min is smart and determined. He is strong and handsome. It is only natural that he, as my master, will pass this trial. Don¡¯t you all try to jinx him!"

    The speaker was obviously Cao Cao, and his small cheeks were all puffed at the guardian¡¯s insult. His eyes brimmed with anger.

    He was already upset with the fact that his human had taken in a lion. He felt slighted as though he had been reced, so he had not said much previously when the Guardians had been insulting Xu Min. However, now they were talking about Xu Min¡¯s death! There was no way Cao Cao could idly sit back and say nothing. Xu Min was his friend! He had treated him so well and had always given him lots of food and yed with him. Although Xu Min had been forced by Cao Cao¡¯s family to take him along, he had never seemed as though he had been unhappy with this. Instead, he had treated Cao Cao as an equal.

    "Xu Min is different" he finally said with a sigh, "although you guys are not capable of doing something, does not mean that he cannot do it either."

    The many Guardians looked at one another. Their eyes were filled with mixed emotions. Some of them felt sorry for Cao Cao as they simply did not believe that Xu Min could manage to ovee the second floor of the Blood Pagoda. Others looked astonished at hearing Cao Cao¡¯s words and felt that perhaps this Xu Min was capable of creating a miracle. However, some others were uncertain as to what to think; instead, they nced at the head elder, who was sitting on the throne at the end of the room, his eyes closed and arms crossed in front of him.

    Everyone here treated Cao Cao as an honored guest. All of them knew who he was, and they knew of his background. Some hoped that Xu Min died so that Cao Cao and Xu Min¡¯s contract could be terminated. Others hoped that he would seed, so then they could recruit him and get both him and the snake on their side.

    "We do not know this young man¡¯s nature." The elder finally started speaking; his voice was calm as though he was talking to students instead of equals. The moment his voice rang out, everyone quieted down and looked at him. Their eyes were filled with worship and reverence for this older man.

    "This young man might be able to survive, or he might not. We cannot know. This young man might be recruited by us, yet he might not. We do not know. Does he have aspirations in life? Does he have goals he needs toplete? Is there someone waiting for him somewhere? We are unaware of all these things, and we are too polite to ask young Cao Cao about it."

    "What happens will happen. If he dies, he will die. If he survives, we will try to recruit him, but we know nothing of what will happen in the future. Keep watching the screen and observe. Even if he is not able to survive, even if we cannot recruit him, we can still learn from him."

    "He has already finished the King tier trial. Thus we have learned about his fighting methods. Seeing such outstanding performance, don¡¯t tell me you have not gained enlightenment." The elder¡¯s voice suddenly became severe as he spoke, "seeing this battle in the Blood Pagoda, it is clear that he is a great asset to us."

    "Elder!" someone called out in shock. Everyone looked at him with astonishment. To interrupt while the Elder was speaking was not epted. It was a great insult to everyone who was listening, but seeing the man¡¯s shocked face, they all looked at what he was pointing at.

    There, amongst the many other water screens, was a picture of Xu Min leaving the Blood Pagoda. His face had a secretive smile upon it as he reunited with Ye Ling.

    While looking at that, they all moved their heads back to the Blood Pagoda screen. Xu Min was still present on this screen; he was sleeping while seated down.

    "How is this possible?!" someone asked in shock, but the Elder just chuckled.

    "The flow of time is different within the Blood Pagoda and the rest of the world. Although we watch what is happening within, he has already finished the trials. As to how high a rank he has achieved, we can only find out if we keep observing the screen." A smile was on his lips; Cao Cao looked relieved albeit a little smug as well.

    "I told you all that my human is not as simple as you might expect!" he eximed happily. His statement caused mixed emotions all over. Some were excited, and some were dejected, but no one dared to speak.

    Outside the room in which the Guardians were hiding everyone was shocked to see Xu Min once more returned to the screen after his long absence. To see him return, everyone had an unexinable fear in their heart.

    It was impossible to see his rank through the water screen, but they could all feel that he had undergone a transformation. He was no longer the same person he had been before he vanished from the screens. Even the Snow Mountain felt a shiver run down their spines with fear as they saw Xu Min¡¯s calm eyes and yful smile.

 Chapter 87: Xu Wu

    Chapter 87: Xu Wu

    Xu Min opened his eyes. He was filled with disbelief. What he was looking at was a sight he could never forget. Right above him was a shabby ceiling which he could instantly remember. It was a ceiling that he had seen for many years of his life. He turned to his side with a trembling body; he saw t his beloved sister, resting in sweet, deep sleep. The sun was about to rise in the sky, and it was already painted purple. The moment he opened his eyes a tranquility flooded over him.

    It was all just a dream! Xu Min thought to himself, relieved. Big sis is still alive! What is there to fear?

    Deep within, he knew that this was a lie. However, seeing the most important person in his life still alive was enough for him to be ted. Jumping up from the bed, he went to the smoldering firece, which he knew his sister had woken up multiple times during the night to keep alive. He threw some branches into it before he found a few cups of rice and started making congee.

    It did not take long before the scent of food was filling the entire shed. This aroma spurred his sister awake; her eyes bewildered, and her hair messy as she looked on in surprise. Her younger brother was not sound asleep as he would usually be by now. Instead, he was standing at the firece cooking congee, a job which usually belonged to her.

    "Little Min, why are you awake this early today?" she asked as she rubbed her eyes and slowly folded the wrinkles on her clothes. It was in the middle of winter. They needed to sleep in their clothes if they wished not to freeze to death. They only had two sets of clothes, but to Xu Min, his sister who was standing right in front of him was the most beautiful woman in the entire world. She was kind and loving; she made Xu Min experience the feeling of having a family again.

    "I couldn¡¯t sleep," Xu Min said. He shrugged his shoulders and enjoyed every moment with his sister. His wounded heart slowly was being healed, and his consciousness more and more was forgetting the truth about what had happened before. The longer he was in this world, the more real it seemed and the happier he became.

    "The sun is up. It¡¯s time for you to go to the training, and I need to go to work," the older sister tenderly said as she caressed Xu Min¡¯s hair. "Mhm, I¡¯ll make sure to be a guard so that I can take care of us," Xu Min said. He had swallowed thest bit of congee before he rushed out the door towards the training grounds.

    "Little Min!" a voice called out. Xu Min surprised, turned around only to see the Young Master rushing towards him with a smile on his face and his hand waving to him. Xu Min was shocked seeing this Young Master act so friendly towards him.

    He was at aplete loss for words. When the Young Master reached him, he slung his arm around Xu Min¡¯s shoulder and startedughing, "Even the genius Little Min is a littlete today!" He said with a heartyughter, "it does not happen often, but it does at times. I am quite amazed by you!"

    "Good morning, Young Master," Xu Min said tentatively. He was not sure how to act, but his words made the young master seem somewhat apprehensive, "I told you to use my name so many times, but you always refuse! Aren¡¯t we good brothers? You are my best friend! One day, you will be the overseer of all the Zhong familypound and travel with me when we leave this small valley to do business! If you are not my brother, then what are you?!"

    The emotional outburst shocked Xu Min even more than when he had seen his sistere back to life. Although that was a shock, it was something he had wished for every single day of his life. However, seeing the Young Master treating him like a brother was something he had never experienced before. He never thought this was possible!

    Although things were different, the feeling offort spread through Xu Min¡¯s entire body. Heughed and joked with the Young Master as the two of them rushed to the training grounds together.

    Every one of the younger generation of the Zhong family or other noteworthy families within the city were incredibly polite to both Xu Min and the Young Master. They treated the two as one. The ones who usually bullied him and beat him up were now polite and gentle towards him. Xu Min was on cloud nine. This was the childhood he had always wanted.

    "Showing upte! Threeps around the training ground with weights!" A voice suddenly boomed through the childish chatter. Every child heaved a heavy sigh since they forgot they werete. Now Overseer Tian had reminded them about it, and they knew that they had no other option than toply.

    Picking up the weights, the children were all chatting together as they started running around the training ground. This was by no means a hard feat; Xu Min had done the same thing thousands of times on his own. In this alternative reality, his body was as sturdy as it had been when he was young.

    If things are this good, I cannot help but wonder why my sister and I still live within that shabby shed. We are well-liked and have friends. I cannot imagine my sister not being liked by someone, so why such a bad ce?

    The moment Xu Min thought this, the Young Master moved up by his side. His breathing was a little more ragged than Xu Min¡¯s but not by a lot. He looked at him with really friendly eyes, eyes which seemed never to have held any malice.

    "How can you be this fierce in the mornings?" heined under his breath as they ran, "I get to sleep under soft pillows and nkets while you live in your run-down shed. Even then, still I cannot keep up with you. Imagine if you epted my offer to move to a better location! If you did, you would be even more monstrous and leave us all in the dust!"

    Xu Min instantly got an answer to his questions. Deep inside, his soul shuddered. Although he was enjoying this world, it was simply far too different. The young master was a menacing and calcting young man who was overwhelmed by jealousy. He would do anything to be the strongest rather than someone who easily sumbed to others.

    While this world was enjoyable andfortable, small changes like these made it hard for Xu Min to fully devote himself to the fantasy world. This person who tried to be his friend had once killed his dear sister! Was this a feud easily forgotten?

    Seeing the mixed expressions in Xu Min¡¯s eyes, the Young Master smiled meekly, "Don¡¯t worry," he said, "I won¡¯t force you to leave that shed. You can keep living there for as long as you wish."

    It was clear that he had misunderstood these emotions, but Xu Min did not mind. He would do his best to stay within this world since it meant that he could once more be together with his sister. To do this, it also included bing a friend of the Young Master.

    ¡°Even if this is all entirely fake, I am happy,¡± Xu Min thought to himself. Suddenly a calm enveloped his entire body. A smile appeared on his face. He looked at the Young Master, "Are you sure that you want to help a mere ve like me?" He asked, testing this Young Master in front of him. However, the words clearly hurt the young boy; his face turned indignant. Quickly Xu Minughed and said, "Sorry, I could not resist. Fine. Since you want to help me as much as you do, I will not be impolite and keep rejecting it. Please prepare a better ce for my sister and me. I will make sure always to be behind your back and protect you from the dangers of this world! We will walk the earth as brothers!"

    Every word was spoken while the two were running around the training ground. Both Xu Min and the Young Master were young children. However, Xu Min had already given up his previous life in his mind. He was willing to live in this dream world of the Blood Pagoda for the rest of his life. To spend time with his sister, he was willing to be the bodyguard of his mortal enemy.

    The words caused genuine happiness to appear on the face of the Young Master. He almost started jumping in excitement.

    "To see such excitement just runningps! It seems you have a lot of energy today, so run another twops!" A voice came booming down. Overseer Tian had been observing them. He was an overwhelming expert; his senses were sharpened, so, of course, he had heard the words exchanged between these two children. A smile appeared on his face as he administered the extra twops.

    "Good for you, kid. Finally, you ept help," he mumbled to himself, clearly happy with Xu Min¡¯s decision.

    The Young Master was not just worded. As soon as the training had finished, he went directly to his father, taking Xu Min in tow.

    "Father!" He called out. His voice was unable to hide the excitement within. The moment Xu Min was face to face with his most hated enemy, Lord Zhong, he was at a loss for what to do. This person was, much like the Young Master, incredibly friendly and caring towards him. Xu Min had no other option than to swallow his hate and desire to kill.

    "My dear son," Lord Zhong was surprised to see his son appear with Xu Min in tow, "what can I do for you? Did I raise you to be so rash?"

    "Father, Xu Min has epted my brotherhood. I wish to bestow upon him a better house than the shed he and his sister are living in right now." The Young Master was not masking his words and said everything straightforwardly. At first, Xu Min was worried. Who would want their noble sons to be sworn brothers with a ve? The moment the words left the Young Master¡¯s mouth, Lord Zhong¡¯s face turned excited; he was clearly pleased.

    "To have such a talented martial brother, who would not be excited!" Lord Zhong eximed. His words were countering Xu Min¡¯s doubt once more.

    "Well, this surely calls for a celebration! My son has found himself a martial brother; I need to give you a gift as well!"

    Calling out loudly, the Zhong Family Leader summoned a few servants and issued a few orders.

    "Let Xu Min and his sister move into the Magnolia Garden. Let his sister Xu Wu and Xu Min be given freedom. Xu Min will in the future be the most trusted aide of my son, so how can he possibly be a ve any further?"

    The order was passed down. The present that Lord Zhong gave him was a small piece ofnd so that he would have his ie in the future alongside two sets of clothes, one set for him and one set for his sister.

    The two of them moved into the Magnolia Garden, a small ce within the Zhong familypound close to the Jadefire Mansion, belonging to the Young Master.

    The Magnolia Garden was not arge building, but it was luxurious. Compared to the shed Xu Min and Xu Wu came from, it was as different as the heavens and earth.

    Sighing and closing his eyes for a moment, Xu Min saw the pictures of Cao Cao, Ye Ling, and Meilin sh before eyes. Pain enveloped his heart. He was torn. When he opened his eyes, he saw his older sister standing in front of him, and it was once more impossible for him to leave this tempting, surreal world.

 Chapter 88: Magnolia Garden

    Chapter 88: Magnolia Garden

    It did not take long to get used to living in Magnolia Garden. Xu Min had gotten used to a much higher standard of living after leaving the Zhong familypound in his previous life. He had also be a leading figure.

    The Zhong family leader¡¯s gift ofnd to Xu Min had a total of three thousand peasants and farmers living on it. They all paid a percentage of their yearly ie in tax, which would be Xu Min¡¯s sry. Of this sry, the young man chose to pay a part to the Zhong family in exchange for protection of the Zhong familypound.

    Xu Min suddenly had enough money to buy food to ensure Xu Wu could eat any delicacy that she liked. He hired servants to take care of all the everyday chores at home. This way Xu Wu no longer had to work. However, bing quickly bored doing nothing, she shooed the hired servants away to deal with their home herself. After giving up on embroidery and sewing clothes, she started also looking after the house and the garden.

    Previously, when Xu Wu had been a ve, many of the male ves had tried to gain her favor. However, now that she was free and was the older sister of Xu Min, the martial brother of the Young Master, manymoners and even some nobles started to pursue her. This courting was something she was anything but used to. It confused her so much that she hidden herself up in the Magnolia Garden. She only left when her previous master, the Zhong family mistress, called for her so that they could have a cup of tea and a game of chess.

    Life passed by in a blur. Xu Min grew up and became more and more outstanding. Because his talents were on full disy, he advanced rapidly in the ranks.

    While the Young Master had been capable of following Xu Min when they were young, he could no longer do so as they grew older. The gap in their strength grewrger andrger. However, the stronger Xu Min became, the happier the entire Zhong family was. Every time he reached another star, he would be gifted with a higher rank in the Guard or arger area of real estate to add to hisnd with more farmers and peasants. Even a few small viges had been added to his list of subjects.

    This life was a lot more casual than what Xu Min was used to. He spent all of his days training, chatting with the Young Master, and ying with his sister. Though life was simple, a part of him felt as though something was missing. Deep within his heart was a small voice telling him that things were not as great as they seemed.

    Pushing away this emotion, Xu Min went through his days at a leisurely pace. His speed at progressing was far slower than it had been in his life outside the Blood Pagoda. Still, that speed was enough to consider him a frightening talent. In fact, within the Zhong familypound, no one was even half as terrifying as him.

    Years went by in peace as Xu Min kept training himself. Until, finally, it was time for the Young Master to experience the world. Xu Min, as his martial brother, naturally decided to go with this young master to the outside world and experience hardships of life-and-death struggles. Deep inside, though, he carried the faint hope of reuniting with Yong Meilin.

    Their first destination was Honghe City. Xu Min found Wang Li, the teacher in his previous life, as soon as they entered. Although they had never spoken much to each other, he had been the one to mold Xu Min into the expert he became outside the Blood Pagoda. He was the one who gifted Xu Min his devouring sword.

    In this dreamworld of the Blood Pagoda, Xu Min became friendly with Wang Li once more. As they became familiar, Xu Min managed to somehow get his hands on Wang Li¡¯s sword. Although he could not help but wonder why he has suddenly gifted this important and fantastic item with only a shallow friendship, he never questioned it.

    After Honghe City, the two friends moved towards Ri Chu City where Xu Min went to the Yong familypound. Both of them entered the Hall of Champions to battle. They also sold the items they had managed to find along the way in the auction house.

    Although Xu Min had been tempted to go and meet up with Cao Cao, he had chosen not to do so. If the two of them went to that sacred valley in the magical forest, it was highly likely that neither of them would survive the attacks of Cao Cao¡¯s father.

    The first auction Xu Min and the Young Master witnessed was controlled by Yong Meilin. Although this was an older version of the woman he knew, Xu Min could recognize her from anywhere.

    The moment their eyes met, a spark appeared between them. Everyone noticed it. Some were dismayed, others happy. The Young Master was ted when he found out that Xu Min had fallen for a woman. As well, this woman was an earthshaking beauty.

    "I will wait for you to finish your training," Yong Meilin said to Xu Min as he and the young master left Ri Chu City. This Meilin had none of the real woman¡¯s haughtiness and arrogance nor did she have any of her stubbornness. Her whole personality had mellowed. Her eyes were filled with a gentle, loving light, causing Xu Min to frown. This person was not the woman he had loved.

    Still, on they went. Xu Min and the Young Master went as far as the Immortal Ruins. Everywhere they went, Xu Min met the friends of his previous life with the exception of Cao Cao and Ye Ling. However, the more friends he met, the more out of ce everything seemed.

    This world was perfect. Everyone treated Xu Min as though he was a god. He never truly experienced any life-and-deathbat. He battled a few bandits here and there, but everywhere he went, everyone was treating him like a returned hero.

    Soon Young Master and he had been gone for close to five years. As they returned, they brought with them riches; both, as well, had found a woman they loved. Although this Meilin was different, she was still Meilin. Xu Min forced himself to look at her to always remind himself of what price he had paid to be able to be with his sister for a second lifetime. He had given up not only his friends but also his loved ones. This was a sacrifice he would never allow himself to forget.

    Returning to the Zhong familypound with their newfound wealth and treasures, they were treated like royalty. Arge banquet was held. The partysted a full month with beasts being ughtered every day to feed the many guests. During this time, the wealth of the Zhong familypound had not diminished. Instead, it had increased thanks to the money that the Young Master had brought home with him.

    Xu Min was also rich. He was by now a five-star Warrior who had anything he could ever dream of. Nevertheless, the more he gained, the less he feltfortable.

    He had expected when he returned home to his older sister things would change for the better. He would once more be happy with his decision, but he did not.

    Anywhere he went he was followed by women of all kinds. Some were noble women who wished to marry him to be one of his concubines; others were ves who hoped for a better future.

    Meilin and Xu Min got married, but Xu Min was never happy. Xu Wu had gotten married while Xu Min was away. She had fallen in love with a rich merchant within the small city. They had a child. Xu Wu seemed happy, but while looking at her, she also seemed empty. It was as though it was a shell with Xu Wu¡¯s appearance, which in fact had not changed much from the time they were children up until now. Her personality was not as Xu Min remembered it.

    Realizing that things were not as he expected, Xu Min closed his eyes. Once more, the real Meilin appeared in front of him. Cao Cao and Ye Ling were also there, so was his Master.

    "I made my decision, but it seems that what is lost is lost," Xu Min mumbled to himself, "No matter how much I wish for her to return to me, I cannot make her return. What returns is but my memory. Even the memories I have are iplete. She is no longer a whole person, but an empty shell, existing solely for the purpose of making me feel better."

    "I need to stop feeling sorry for myself. Yes, I did lose someone whom I truly loved, but in return, I was gifted many things. A woman to love, a caring master and two very good brothers. I have friends, and I experienced a vibrant and exciting life."

    "Revenge is important to me. I need my revenge, but this should no longer be the only reason for me to live. I should understand that by now I have other reasons to be alive, other people whom I care for. Is it truly fair to let Meilin wait a whole lifetime so that I can live a fake life within this Blood Pagoda?"

    "Is it fair that Ye Ling waits for me outside of this Pagoda until he grows old?"

    "Should I let Cao Cao be the contracted beast of these Guardians which I know nothing about just because I want to stay in this dream world?"

    "No!" Xu Min felt his fighting spirit rise. He felt his blood boil and felt more alive than he had been for a very long time. "This world makes my mortal enemies into friends! It destroys the memories of the loved ones I hold dear! I would rather keep traversing the world without Xu Wu than to keep living in this world where she is present, yet not!"

    The more Xu Min spoke, the more he felt a puzzle within him was being solved. The more he realized that this fake world could never rece his real memories. He felt lighter. Suddenly the entire world turned blurry. The light was everywhere, and the world slowly disappeared beneath Xu Min.

    "No!" he called out as he tried to look at his sister onest time, but it was already toote. There was no longer anything to see; the world had turned white. Xu Min called out, and at the same moment, he returned to the Blood Pagoda, tears running down his cheeks.

    Xu Min was disgusted with himself. The past could not be changed, and the fact that he was willing to ept an illusion world was simply uneptable. It made him into someone he was not; his eyes were zing with anger as he once more straightened his back.

    "Zhong family, I will make you pay for this!" he hissed through gritted teeth. His hatred for the Zhong family had not diminished in the duration of this fake world; on the contrary, it had increased. Had it not been for them, he would have never have felt the way he was right now!

    "Well done in seeding the Saint tier trial." the formless voice spoke once more. This was the first time it congratted him.

    "To continue to thest floor, you need a strength higher than your own," the voice continued. "Those who clear the Saint tier are allowed to enter this Blood Pagoda once more at ater date. You will need to be a seven-star Warrior to enter the final level, but now it is time for you to get your reward for finishing the second floor. You have done well, much better than what I would expect for a human to do. Although you were almost swallowed by the Dream of the Heart, you managed to get through it."

    "Come with me. This is your reward. You will have to leave the Blood Pagoda now until the day where you be strong enough to return."

 Chapter 89: Going Back

    Chapter 89: Going Back

    Once the voice said ¡¯this is your reward,¡¯ a small item appeared out of nowhere. This object seemed harmless.

    Looking at this piece, Xu Min could not help but feel rather disappointed. It was the size of his fist. The object was made from a stone-like material with a smooth surface. It looked like fist-sized polished stone.

    "What does it do?" Xu Min could not help but ask. However, the voice did not respond back. No matter how long he waited within the Blood Pagoda, there was simply no more words from the formless voice.

    Xu Min gritted his teeth and picked up the round stone ced before him. He pocketed it casually. Though deep down, he knew this object was not as simple as it seemed on the surface. The first reward was an excellent and earth-shattering pill, which had changed his entire body and energy. That gift¡¯s task was the easiest of the two task¡¯s difficulty; it did not make sense that the harder trials possessed treasures less astonishing. Xu Min promised himself to take note of this item and examine it when he had the time. Being in the Immortal Valley was not the most suitable ce to start various examinations of his questionable treasure right then and there.

    Xu Min stayed in the Blood Pagoda for an extra three days to cultivate and steady his cultivation level. He sighed deeply, stood up, and went down to the first floor of the Blood Pagoda.

    The moment he reached the first floor, he spotted arge tear in the middle of the tform where he had fought multiple battles. He found that he could see Ye Ling on the other side. Without worrying too much or waiting any longer, Xu Min rushed towards this tear. He jumped through, only to find himself suddenly standing right next to Ye Ling once more.

    Xu Min hadpletely lost track of how much time he had spent within the Blood Pagoda. He nced around at the forest. He suddenly felt as though all the time spent within that grim and dark ce had been a dream. Were it not for the powerful surges of energy roaming through his body, he would not have believed that it was real.

    "You are a five-star Warrior already?!" Ye Ling eximed the moment he saw Xu Min. Although they were at the same level, Ye Ling understood Xu Min had had more than one fortuitous encounter within this Blood Pagoda. His battle strength was likely to have increased even more than his rank.

    Ye Ling suddenly felt that he had missed a great opportunity. He had been within the Blood Pagoda once before. However, he had given up after oveing two battles. Still, he was excited for Xu Min. Xu Min was after all his new master and to have a strong master was a great benefit.

    "So before you entered the Blood Pagoda, you said that you did not have enough strength to battle the entireke area marketce and steal the rewards from the Snow Mountain people." Ye Ling said with a cheeky grin on his face, and Xu Min could not help butugh as well.

    It was indeed true that when he entered the Blood Pagoda, even with Ye Ling on his side, Xu Min did not feel confident in challenging the Snow Mountain people, but now it was different. He had broken through two ranks, and he was also much better at fighting. His Qi had attained the quality of a sword and assimted the element of wind, enhancing the damage done by this Qi and reducing the amount of Qi needed to execute certain attacks.

    "I am going to give up on stances," Xu Min sighed to Ye Ling, "Although I have been able to do a few stances at the same time when I fight with my external strength, I am going to focus fully on my sword arts." Ye Ling was at first surprised. The stances had provided much-needed relief in many situations before. To hear that Xu Min was not going to use them any more showed he had gained something that could enhance his swords arts to a greater degree.

    There was an air of confidence around Xu Min. He had afortable smile on his lips, and he rolled his shoulders, "I need to buy some things," Xu Min said, "Let us go to thekeside marketce."

    The sentence was simple, but Ye Ling understood the meaning. He felt his heart speed up with excitement. His eyes gleamed, and his teeth disyed a toothy grin. "No reason to linger around here any longer then," he said. Together, human and beast started making their way towards thekeside marketce.

    The Blood Pagoda was located rather far into the Immortal Valley, and one would never find it were they not familiar with the area. Consequently, Xu Min and Ye Ling met no humans on the majority of their return trip. They met a few beasts here and there, but these beasts quickly dashed away when they felt the aura of either one.

    "We are getting closer to the areas where the participants of the Immortal Valley will start appearing," Ye Lingmented while they went through a small and unnoticeable crevice in a steep mountain side.

    Xu Min nodded his head and gestured for Ye Ling not to say anything. The sounds of humans appeared in front of them. It was clearly humans who were fighting some demonic beast.

    Sneaking forward, Xu Min looked at how the battle was unfolding. His eyes focused as he looked at the ones participating in the battle. One of the fighters were Shui Wu. He recognized her instantly. He also saw that amongst her group were two other members of Bu Huang¡¯s faction. However, the rest was a mixture of random experts from various families and sects, the majority of which were supportive of Snow Mountain. Xu Min knew that helping them by joining the battle would be the same as helping them kill him afterward.

    "Ye Ling, restrain your aura like me. We are going to seem like we are three- or four-star Warriors. If they are to attack us, just kill them ruthlessly." Xu Min gave the order easily before he joined in the battle. He owed Bu Huang and Shui Wu quite a bit. This is why he decided to assist her now that she was in trouble.

    The beast they were fighting was a Silver scaled Ice-Lizard. It was a five-star Warrior ranked beast. Although the human cultivators were an astonishing ten people, all on the third or fourth star Warrior rank, they were all being pushed back. Some even received serious injuries.

    Seeing that someone was rushing to their aid made everyone excited. Nevertheless, once seeing who it was, they became tentative. This man was a young boy of the three-star Warrior level. Did he think that he was capable of doing any difference in this battle?

    No one wished to owe this man anything as they already knew of the feud between Snow Mountain and Xu Min, yet no one said anything. If they were lucky, Xu Min would die. When he died, they could use his head to trade for some resources from the Snow Mountain. If he did not die, it meant he had been assisting them in getting rid of this beast. Since they never asked for his help, they would refuse to owe him anything.

    Xu Min was fully aware of what these people thought of him and his help, but he snorted in contempt at them. He was here to show his gratitude to Bu Huang and no one else.

    Xu Min jumped into the battle and instantly blocked an attack from the lizard that was aimed at Shui Wu. Although he had suppressed his aura, so he seemed as though he was a three-star Warrior, his strength was still that of a five-star Warrior. As soon as he withdrew his sword from its sheath, a powerful energy ripple appeared, forcing the silver-scaled Ice-Lizard to retreat; the previously fearless eyes turned fearful, and it retreated some more, shivering as it felt Xu Min¡¯s power, which far overwhelmed it.

    The other experts were shocked. All of them stood there gaping at Xu Min as if he was some monster. He unsheathed his sword, blocked one attack. The beast noticed such fluid motion with an energy ripple emerging from Xu Min¡¯s attack that even the beast was fearful of him.

    They had all looked down upon him before, but now they quickly changed their minds. They felt that there was something hidden within him. Maybe some hidden strength Xu Min had not shown anyone else before.

    "Perhaps he had experienced a lucky encounter during the Immortal Valley Rankings," someone guessed. This assumption caused the majority of the people to nod their heads. That was the most usible exnation.

    "I bet he has eaten some amazing treasure, which is why Snow Mountain is so adamant on getting him. They are going to make medicinal pills from his blood and use it to cultivate!" another theorized. The words caused Xu Min to feel a shiver run down his spine. Not even Snow Mountain was that ferocious, he thought to himself.

    Xu Min did not follow up with any attack; he simply turned to look at the cultivators with a mocking look in his eyes, "Miss Shui, are you okay?" He asked. His words were not too friendly, nor were they hostile. Truthfully, although he asked the question, it sounded as though he did not care about the answer.

    Shui Wu, hearing the tone with which Xu Min spoke understood why he had spoken like this. Xu Min was a hunted person. Anyone he showed interest in was likely to be used as bait to capture him. Therefore, he decided that there was no rtionship between the two, except the fact that they were officially from the same faction.

    Everyone present was uncertain of whether or not their rtionship were friendly, but no one wished to insult Shui Wu who was a great talent and incredibly beautiful. Everyone decided to let go of the notion of using her as bait to make Xu Min turn himself in.

    "What about the lizard?" Shui Wu asked with a sigh. Her tone incredibly polite and following all rules, but also containing some arrogance. "We have been fighting this silver-scaled Ice-lizard for a long time, but now that you arrived, who is going to get the core?"

    Xu Min grinned. With a snap of his fingers, a light shed followed by a bloodcurdling scream. After which the stench of blood filled the air, causing everyone to go pale in the face.

    Behind Xu Min, where the lizard had been backing away, now stood a Golden-Furred Blood Lion, arge one with zing eyes. Although it was only a four-star Warrior level, it was far more intimidating than the lizard. The bloodlines of the Golden-Furred Blood Lions were frightening, their fighting abilities even more so. Xu Min had truly been lucky to find Ye Ling wounded back then. Xu Min¡¯s lion had gained even more strength after eating the medicinal pills Xu Min had offered him.

    "Ye Ling, we¡¯re keeping the core," Xu Min said casually. The lion nodded its head, dug into the corpse of the lizard, and picked up the beast core before it moved towards Xu Min¡¯s side and dropped the core into Xu Min¡¯s hand.

    Looking at the many questioning faces, Xu Minughed in his heart. He owed these people nothing. Thus he had no intention of telling them anything either.

    Shui Wu, on the other hand, was incredibly curious and could not refrain from asking, "this beast is...?"

    Looking at her, Xu Min was not sure if he should answer or not. After a short while, he decided it was better to answer. He looked at her with a gentle smile on his face, "This is Ye Ling, my newpanion. We found each other during this Immortal Valley Rankings and decided to do some traveling together."

    This statement was a polite way of saying that he had tamed a Golden-Furred Blood Lion!

 Chapter 90: Weakness

    Chapter 90: Weakness

    An uproar exploded amongst the people present, for who did not know about the Golden-Furred Blood Lions? They were terrifying creatures. This one especially since he was so high-ranked a beast. How could someone as weak as Xu Min sessfully tame this lion? None of them knew. However, many of them started guessing that perhaps this Xu Min came from a super-sect and had been gifted thousands of items that had helped him.

    It only made sense that he had many treasures on his body. Otherwise, why would the Snow Mountain want him so badly? Furthermore, why was it that they were satisfied with only his dead body? Had he perhaps eaten a treasure that made them want to use his body for medicine? The guesses were many, but none of them knew the truth, just as none of them knew how powerful Xu Min truly was.

    "Brother Xu Min," someone suddenly said. He was the oldest and most experienced in the group. He was also the only one who had not participated in the discussions before, the discussions about how he was as strong as he was and why the Snow Mountain wanted to procure his body. He was one of the individuals Xu Min knew to watch out for. Although he was only a four-star Warrior and below Xu Min in rank, there was something about him which made Xu Min alert.

    It was clear that it was not only Xu Min who was alert, but Ye Ling was sticking close to Xu Min as well. While he was not too threatened by this young man, he also knew that the young man was hiding his real strength. As to what this young man¡¯s true cultivation level was, Xu Min could only guess.

    Fortunately, this also went the other way. Although this young man was capable of sensing that Xu Min was hiding his strength, he could not fully determine just how strong Xu Min was, and the same went for Ye Ling. He had a disadvantage because his opponents were two against one and their individual strength was likely to be simr to his own if not greater.

    "You are?" Xu Min asked tentatively. The young man bowed slightly as he introduced himself, "I am Ji Tian," he said with a small smile on his lips, "I am from the Ji family of the Descending Dragon Mountain," he continued his introduction.

    "Our family is not as prominent as the Snow Mountain, but we have had good rtionships with them since many years back. Tell me, what did you do to insult them so much that they spare no effort to kill you?"

    This Ji Tian was curious. He had not taken Xu Min seriously before, as the man was only a weak two-star Warrior, but the expert who had appeared in front of him was nothing like the person he had been described as. Had it been his Ji family who had noticed him, then they would have done all they could to recruit him ¨C not try to kill him.

    "I killed their guards," Xu Min said as he shrugged his shoulders, "I might have killed quite a few of their guards actually, but they were the ones who started it. If they had not tried to kill me, I would have left them alone."

    Xu Min felt enmity towards the Snow Mountain faction. Now he no longer felt that there was a way of reconciliation between the two sides. For him, he was willing to kill anyone who stepped in his path.

    Even though he was alert around this Ji Tian, he did not fear him. If push came to shove, he would prove just how serious he was about anyone supporting the Snow Mountain.

    Wrinkling his brows, Ji Tian could easily guess what Xu Min was thinking. He took a step back and raised his arms. "Don¡¯t worry, I will gain nothing from killing you," he said with his smile on his face, "but do understand. Although I will not act against you, I will not act against the Snow Mountain either. I cannot be an enemy, but neither can I be an ally."

    Xu Min did not care about allies. He already felt he had enough help with Ye Ling by his side; he was rather uncaring for what Ji Tian said.

    "I came to help because I owe Lord Bu Huang for allowing me to enter this Immortal Valley Ranking. Miss Shui Wu is part of his faction. Thus it was only natural that I came to support you," he said as he stood to leave. "I have no more reason to stay here. Good luck in the future."

    Xu Min turned around and started leaving. He did not notice that Ji Tian¡¯s eyes shed coldly and that a sinister smile crept onto his lips. Suddenly he reached out his arm and captured Shui Wu within a steel-like grasp. He pointed a sword at her throat.

    "Xu Min!" He called out with a loud yell. Xu Min stopped, turned around, and narrowed his eyes as he saw the scene in front of him.

    "You should not have told me your weakness. You owe the Bu Huang house a lot, and you cannot afford to let this woman be injured! Nowe here and let me take you prisoner. If you let me do so without a struggle, I promise to let her go."

    Hearing this Shui Wu paled, but she also started cursing. None of them had expected what happened next, so she could not avoid or prepare for this situation. Xu Min and Ye Ling had looked at one another before they both startedughing out loud. Theirughter was so sudden and shocking that no one actually understood what was happening.

    "Did you know that the first day I met Shui Wu she was incredibly arrogant, as if I was nothing? She insulted me and did not give me face. Now tell me, what do I owe her? Yes, I owe Lord Bu Huang, and yes I need to help him when I can, but I am not a part of his faction, nor am I willing to risk my life for the sake of his faction."

    "You are bound right now," Xu Min continued. "As long as you hold her in your arms, you will be able to stay alive. Nevertheless, the moment you let her go, Ye Ling and I will attack you. The moment you kill her, Ye Ling and I will attack you."

    "Now decide, do you want to have only me as your enemy, or do you wish to make the Bu Huang faction into your enemy as well?"

    Suddenly, Ji Tian understood just how pointless his action had been. For a moment, he had thought he held Xu Min¡¯s weakness in his hand. He had been blinded by the treasure promised by the Snow Mountain, yet now he understood just how naive he truly was.

    "You say that the Bu Huang family might not be my enemy, but considering that I already took Miss Shui Wu hostage, I fear that they do not see it the same way as you do. I fear they already see me as an enemy."

    Xu Min pondered for a bit before he carelessly shrugged his shoulders. He smiled at Ji Tian, "I don¡¯t know, and to be frank, I don¡¯t care," he said while he grinned, "now decide. Do you want to kill Shui Wu or let her live? To me, either works."

    Ji Tian became more and more panicked as he thought about it. Xu Min just crossed his arms and started tapping his fingers, waiting for the decision to be made. He was rushing Ji Tian in his silent way.

    "Come on!" he called out, "I don¡¯t have all day. This is the Immortal Valley Rankings, and I need to deal with the Snow Mountain. Make your decision, or I¡¯ll make it for you." He sneered. His words caused everyone present to step back a few steps.

    "He is seriously going up against the Snow Mountain?" someone whispered to a friend. Soon everyone was discussing this news amongst themselves. It was clear that these experts had no chance of defeating Xu Min since their leader Ji Tian was this cautious. Thus they all just stood aside, enjoying the show.

    Ji Tian cursed at himself over and over again. Why did he have to act on impulse like this? It was not his usual way of behaving. Today, however, he had been tempted by the treasures of the Snow Mountain. He had been tempted by all the materials and resources that they promised. Although the Ji family was big and he was one of their geniuses, it was hard to get his hands on that many resources all by himself. Thus, his usually rational thought had been shadowed by greed. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to kick himself. Who was stupid enough to show his weakness in the Immortal Valley Rankings?

    "Time¡¯s up," Xu Min said. Without restraining his aura anymore, energy burst out from his body. The attack, devouring world, erupted, causing Ji Tian to lose control of his body. Shui Wu was wrested from Ji Tian¡¯s grasp; the two began revolving around Xu Min akin to limp ragdolls, incapable of controlling their movements.

    Xu Min did not need to unsheathe his sword. Instead, he made a flick with his hand. The spirit bow of the elf appeared in his hand, and an arrow of Qi took shape moments after in his other hand. After taking aim, this Qi arrow shot through the air and buried itself in Ji Tian¡¯s neck.

    Blood started flowing. Both Xu Min and Ji Tian were shocked. Xu Min had never expected that someone like Ji Tian would die so easily. He would not even be able to put up a fight against the attacks that he controlled, but he was not the only one. Although Ji Tian had felt worried and threatened by Xu Min, he had never expected that their fight would end that quickly ¨C that he would lose that badly.

    Outside the Immortal Valley, the many observers all had grim expressions on their faces. No one could me Xu Min for killing Ji Tian. As a matter of fact, many families felt that it was only proper that he got killed after taking a woman hostage.

    However, none of the people outside the Valley knew what had been said between Xu Min and Ji Tian. Thus thetter seemed like the viin. Even the Ji Family who were present were not making a big fuss about the fact that one of their geniuses had died. Though it was clear they were furious, they dared not voice this anger. They knew that if they did, they would be ridiculed by the other families.

    It was not only the Ji family with ugly expressions on their faces; the people of Snow Mountain were equally hideous. They knew Ji Tian¡¯s strength. He was a genius. He was one of the few experts who had reached the rank of a five-star Warrior. This was a caliber of strength only a few youths from within their own Snow Mountain had attained. To know that even this expert had died at Xu Min¡¯s hands forewarned them. They had made a major mistake in making an enemy of Xu Min.

    The name Yanluo surely fits this young man perfectly. He was like a death god sweeping by; anywhere he went, death would follow. Sometimes he would kill a few people; at other times, he would kill anyone in sight. Anyone who stepped in front of him with the intention of insulting him or stood in his path to his advancements towards his goals would be killed. Now Snow Mountain started to fear him truly.

    "Don¡¯t worry too much," an elder suddenly mumbled. His words did not allude to anything specific, but it was clear that he had something special in mind. "Although this Xu Min had been hiding his strength, he is not the only one. Think about the little monster from our n. He is as talented as this Xu Min, but he is older. With the advantage of having spent more time cultivating, I believe that our monster can handle this unimportant little fly."

 Chapter 91: Brother

    Chapter 91: Brother

    As the battle ended, everyone went silent. Xu Min had saved Shui Wu and killed Ji Tian before the other fighter even had the chance to show off his abilities. He had died in seconds. He did not even offer one attack!

    Xu Min was as shocked as the others. He felt as though he had been struck by lightning. However, this quickly changed as he felt a hard hand hit his cheek squarely on the face, making his lip crack and blood flow.

    Everyone gasped. Shui Wu, who had just been saved, had been filled with resentment towards Xu Min after he had shown his indifference in whether or not she lived and died. Consequently, to let go of the anger that was burning inside her, she had no other option than only to p him as hard as she could.

    Closing her eyes, Shui Wu was sure that she had just signed her death certificate, but Xu Min just chuckled.

    "You know, your name is the same as myte sister¡¯s," Xu Min said with a chuckle as he gently touched his cheek. His cheek had arge red mark of a hand imprinted upon it. "What should I have told him? That I didn¡¯t want him to kill you?" He continued to ask. His mood was not bad; hepletely understood why Shui Wu had done as she did. Nheless, he still wanted to defend himself.

    "Had I acted differently, then you would already have been dead, but you¡¯re alive now." Xu Min argued; Shui Wu had no way of disagreeing with him.

    Shaking his head, Xu Min turned to leave. Ye Ling was still by his side but paid no attention to either Shui Wu or the others. He just left them behind.

    Shui Wu nced one more time at the many people she had been apanying. Without a second thought, she decided to follow after Xu Min.

    "What are you doing?" Xu Min asked, shocked when he saw her following him, but she said nothing in return. Instead, she just stopped right behind him. Her face was determined, and her teeth clenched tight. It was clear she had nothing to say, but she was not going to change her decision either.

    Feeling exhausted, Xu Min knew that he had no other option than to allow this woman to follow him. She obviously had no malicious intention towards him. He could not very well just kill her. Furthermore, leaving her alone would also bring her trouble now that he had saved her once already. However, bringing her with him would put her in danger time and time again. There was still some time left in the Immortal Valley Ranking, and it was only natural that the stronger experts woulde and try to kill Xu Min. His head was worth a lot. The rewards offered by the Snow Mountain was enough to make anyone eager to kill him so that they could gain the cores and step into the top rankings quicker than normal.

    Xu Min was obviously aware of this. Had it been someone else than himself, then he too would have joined the hunt. The promised rewards were outstanding, but since Xu Min could not go hand in his head, he had other ns in mind.

    "Say, Ye Ling, do you remember how, before we went to the Blood Pagoda, we were discussing what to do with that Lakeside Marketce?" Xu Min asked smilingly. His words caused the Golden-Furred Blood Lion to ponder for a moment before a smile slipped onto its face.

    "Are you saying we are going to do that?" he asked curiously. Xu Min nodded his head. A killing intent billowed outwards from the two warriors. Shui Wu was caught unguarded; she felt her entire body grow cold. She started having trouble breathing as she unconsciously stumbled backward and even fell hard on her behind.

    Hearing the soft bumping sound, Xu Min turned to look behind him. Almost instantly, the killing intent vanished. "Sorry," he said with a sheepish grin on his face. "I understand you want to be safe, but being with me will ce you in danger," hemented. "I am going to do something incredibly dangerous.So dangerous in fact even I don¡¯t know if I will survive it. I can¡¯t have you hanging around as well. I¡¯ll just have to worry about you too."

    Xu Min was honest about it. Shui Wu could hear from his voice that it was not something that could be argued about. The only thing she could do was ept that the two of them could not travel together anymore and turned to leave with a sigh.

    She did not go back the way they hade, but she turned to move another way, towards a new and unknown future and towards treasures that could belong to her. If Xu Min did not want her there, then she would not impose herself on him either.

    Seeing the woman leave, Xu Min suddenly felt much morefortable. He heaved a heavy sigh of relief before he straightened his back and ced all his attention on Ye Ling.

    "You were a bit rough with her weren¡¯t you?" the lion asked curiously as he looked at the departing figure in the forest. Xu Min shrugged his shoulders, "I had to be," he said as he too turned to look at Shui Wu. There was no hostility in his eyes, but he sighed slightly.

    "If she joined us and took part in the mess we are about to create, then Snow Mountain would have a reason to go against Bu Huang and his family. If that happens, they will be eradicated most likely. Everyone knows that I am but a guest of the Bu family. They cannot be med for my actions, but if their students start cooperating with me, it will end up badly."

    Xu Min had already thought it through. For the sake of keeping Bu Huang out of danger, he decided to shoo Shui Wu away.

    "Then why did you act up like this?" Ye Ling asked. "We already nned to go to the Lakeside Marketce to get our hands on the rewards. Why did you have to make it sound as if you just came up with the idea only now when she was present?"

    Xu Min smiled as he moved towards the location of the Lakeside Marketce, "She will spread the word. She is most likely insulted by the fact that I troubled her. Thus she will spread the fact that I am moving towards the marketce. Anyone of some rank and with enough ability will rush towards the marketce. Then we can deal with them one after another. Having everyone gathered in one ce makes it much more fun, don¡¯t you think?"

    Hearing Xu Min¡¯s words, Ye Ling was stunned. "But you can¡¯t fight everyone at once!" He said, shocked. Xu Min startedughing out loud, "Do you think everyone hates me?" He asked curiously.

    Thinking about the question, Ye Ling was devoid of an answer. Didn¡¯t everyone they had met so far hate him to the core?

    "The ones we have met have been searching for us or been blinded by greed," Xu Min exined while noticing the strange expression on Ye Ling¡¯s face. "If everyone shared the opinion of Snow Mountain, would they not already be the hegemons of the entire Immortal Ruins?"

    "Clearly, a faction as powerful as Snow Mountain has enemies, and these enemies will also react to the news of how I am on the move for Snow Mountain. Some will try to reel me in. While others just want to add fuel to the enmity between our two sides and have more people die at our hands."

    "I don¡¯t care why theye, but I will have them join me in my attempt to destroy the Snow Mountain within this Immortal Valley Ranking. If I can get a rtionship with some of these high-ranked sects or families, I might be able to stay alive for long enough to leave these Immortal Ruins afterward."

    Xu Min wasughing. However, his words were quite somber. As soon as the Immortal Valley Rankings ended, it was more than likely that the Snow Mountain would do anything in their power to get their hands on Xu Min in order to make him suffer for all eternity.

    "Don¡¯t worry," he grinned as he saw the worried expression on Ye Ling¡¯s face, "I won¡¯t die that easily. We¡¯ll sneak away from the Immortal Ruins when we leave this ranking thing. Or would you rather have your freedom returned and stay within these borders of the Immortal Valley, the ce you have lived your whole life?"

    Ye Ling was silent for a long time before he looked at Xu Min with big eyes, "you are saying that I can leave this forest and experience the world outside?" He was not able to fully understand what Xu Min was saying. "I won¡¯t be left behind in here?"

    Xu Min startedughing again and patted his friend¡¯s head, "you are my good friend. We have already been together for this long, and you even took me to the Blood Pagoda. How can I just leave you behind?"

    Bing serious, Xu Min looked into the distance, "well, if we survive this whole ordeal, then I will take you with me if you want to apany me."

    Ye Ling nodded his head. He was from the Ye family. Although the Ye family was very influential in the Immortal Valley, every lion would have to leave this family at some point and depend on their personal strength to live. He had nothing more left in the Immortal Valley to hold him back; he never found a mate, and he was now finally together with someone who treated him like a brother. Ye Ling feltfortable around Xu Min, but most importantly, he felt epted!

    "Let us go and show them what we brothers can do when we go all out!" Ye Ling growled. His eyes turned blood red and dangerous. His imposing aura was stirring, "If anyone wants to kill you, they will have to step over my dead body first!"

    Hearing this, Xu Min felt warm in his heart, but he also felt his killing intent. He, who had lost everything once before, had learned how to value what he had. Those whom he held dear were people whom he would never allow to be hurt. Cao Cao was one of these dear ones; Meilin was another; and now Ye Ling had be the newest addition to Xu Min¡¯s dear ones, someone he would not hesitate to give his life for.

    "None of us will die," he said decisively, "we will get ready to kill anyone standing in our way; we will make sure that no one dares ever to look down on us again. Although I just reached the five-star Warrior rank, I am not as easy to bully as people might think. I learned a lot of things within the Blood Pagoda, and these new techniques will be disyed in all their splendor. In this battle, I don¡¯t think we will be able to hide anything. Therefore, I will go all out from the start."

    "Anyone who tries to attack me will get killed. Anyone who gets in our way will get butchered. They will team up and think they can defeat us, but we too will team up and prove just how strong we are!"

    Hearing Xu Min¡¯s certainty, Ye Ling was filled with excitement. This human was correct; they would not die. They would kill the enemies and shock the world. They would steal treasures and rank the highest in the Immortal Valley Rankings. Ye Ling was not certain as to what the winner of this ranking would get, but the glory and honor were enough for him. For him to stand by Xu Min¡¯s side and prove that they were no pushovers was all he could ask for. Even strong families like the Snow Mountain were nothingpared to them! He sighed in praise as he thought of all these glorified thoughts. Xu Min, who was standing on the side and looking at him, was grinning at the aloof expression on his friend¡¯s face.

 Chapter 92: Ouyang Xiu

    Chapter 92: Ouyang Xiu

    Donning a ck cloak and a bamboo hat, Xu Min started moving towards the dense poption that was gathered around thekeside marketce. Although he looked odd, he was not the only one who was dressed like this; and actually, quite a few people had masked their appearance. Some used bamboo hats while others had cloaks that hid their faces.

    Looking around, Xu Min was surprised to see posters with a hand-drawn portrait of himself. This portrait resembled him very urately; beneath it was written his name, Xu Min.

    A group of young experts was walking around with a copy of this portrait. They were looking at every person they came across, clearly trying to single out Xu Min. It appeared many still believed Xu Min was as weak as he had been at the start of the Immortal Valley Rankings. Thus they imagined that he would be easy to ovee, easy to kill and get the treasures from.

    More people, especially those who had managed to reach a higher cultivation, were aware that Xu Min was not such an easy target. If he was truly easy to deal with, then the Snow Mountain would already have done so. Nevertheless, from his long absence and other facts made it seem as though Xu Min was dead. So far, no matter how many people Snow Mountain came across, they were not Xu Min. ,

    No one fully knew what Xu Min¡¯s power was like. Only a select few could im to know. However, this group of people also imed that he had tamed a Golden-Furred Blood Lion, and he was able to kill Ji Tian as simply as one would kill a fly. No one wished to believe either of these rumors. Nheless, when a cloaked person with a Golden-Furred Blood Lion appeared in the crowded areas of the Immortal Valley, many still chose to stay clear of him.

    "Are you Xu Min?!" Someone suddenly yelled out. Without hesitation, a group of around twenty cultivators surrounded Xu Min and Ye Ling. Their weapons were drawn, and their attitude was hostile. Looking at the Xu Min in front of them, they could not help butugh silently. The strongest was a four-star Warrior, while the majority were three-star Warriors.

    Xu Min was not hiding his aura anymore, but due to it being as high as it was, the four-star and three-star Warriors could not possibly grasp his true strength. All they could guess was that it was a little higher than theirs. However, they had numbers on their side, how could they possibly lose?

    "Why do you suspect I am Xu Min?" Xu Min asked curiously. He looked at the leader of the group, but the person just snorted and spat on the ground. "Everyone knows that Xu Min tamed a Golden-Furred Blood Lion, and, well, as you can see, there are no other of those beasts present. So obviously you are Xu Min. Nowe with me, and I will spare your life,"

    The arrogance in his voice made Xu Min burst intoughter. This act caused many of the experts surrounding him to be stunned but also agitated. Did someone dareugh at them? Especially when they were in such dire straits?

    The suddenmotion had caused many people to appear around the area, but none of them interfered. Some looked at Xu Min with pity, while others looked at the four-star Warrior with pity. Others were just curious, and some had greed in their eyes.

    "Okay. So, what if I am Xu Min?" he asked as he removed the bamboo hat on his head. A loud gasp could be heard from everyone present. "I am Xu Min, and I dare anyone here toe and take my head. If you try, do not me me for being ruthless. Anyone who tries to take my head can kindly leave their head behind."

    Xu Min¡¯s words were domineering and challenging. Many experts were instantly grasping their weapons and getting ready to attack. However, all those who were interested in attacking Xu Min were four-star Warriors and below. The five-star Warriors and above hesitated. Some hesitated because they could feel an utmost danger being emitted from the young man and his beast¡¯s bodies; others because they felt that they were supportive of this young man and his crusade against the Snow Mountain.

    "You are too arrogant!" The four-star Warrior had not noticed that many of the high-ranked experts stayed behind. He charged forward, yet a shadow appeared behind him and, with a swipe of the w, before he could even reach Xu Min, Ye Ling ended the his life. He had not used internal energy; he had only exerted a tiny fraction of his strength and had appeared behind this expert moments after, but he was gone again before they could react only to reappear behind another expert.

    Although Ye Ling was fast, he had only managed to kill five of the experts by the time they reached Xu Min. However, before any of the warriors could touch him, a whirlwind started spinning around him. The whirlwind tossed every one of them into the air and whirled around Xu Min until it vanished. When it dispersed, they all heavily fell to the ground, sustaining some injuries in their fall.

    "Oh, you guys are truly fragile," Xu Min said, but another wave of experts had rushed forward. This time, the strange whirlwind did not appear, but Xu Min did nothing to defend himself either.

    A loud boom sounded out as the many weapons collided with Xu Min¡¯s body, and everyone who had participated in the sh cheered in joy only to bepletely stumped moments after.

    Many weapons hadnded directly on Xu Min¡¯s body, but out of the seven weapons, only one had managed to break through his skin. Even though the cut was so shallow, it hardly bled.

    "That itches," Xu Min said. With a stomp on the ground, a strong shockwave erupted from his body, sending the seven experts tumbling back. All of themnded in the group that was now rushing forward.

    "Boring!" Xu Min called out, "this is too boring. All of you attack together and use your strongest attacks, or you will just die one after another!"

    It was not until now that these experts turned around to look at the ground behind them. They noticed that many of the experts had died, their bodies strewn across the floor. All of them had terrible endings in which they had been swiped to death by strong ws.

    Only now did the participating survivors understand just how stupid they had been. The majority stopped their advance and pulled out their storage treasures, "Here!" They called out as they threw it to Xu Min, "We regret our naive decision. Take our things, and we promise never to cross des with you again. Please forgive us!"

    The ones speaking were mainly the twenty experts who had surrounded him at the start. Xu Min just shrugged his shoulders. Killing these people or not killing them did not matter to him as they could never pose a threat to him. Consequently, he epted their things and allowed for them to leave.

    Complete silence descended upon the area. No one dared to say anything as Xu Min slowly went by each and every corpse and picked up their storage items and their Immortal Valley Ranking emblems. Without any hurry, he ced them all within his robe before he beamed a smile at the surrounding people.

    "Sorry for the mess," he said happily, "I didn¡¯t intend to cause such drama, but some people just never learn."

    The way Xu Min spoke clearly made the skulls of many grow numb. Only a few peopleughed and pped their hands as they approached him.

    Among these few people were five groups. The first group obviously had malicious intents towards him. Although a smile was on their faces, their smiles did not reach their eyes and it was slightly stiff. Their pping was more sarcastic than anything else.

    This group, Xu Minpletely ignored as he nced at the other groups. The second group he looked at was a lot more friendly. Smiles were ying on their lips as theyughed together. Their eyes shone with excitement. Xu Min instantly understood that these people were not ordinary.

    The rest of the groups were all a mixture of sarcastic people who wanted to test his strength or learn some of his weaknesses. They were people who wished to get closer to him just to kill him. Xu Min had already revealed himself. This show of strength was something he had not nned on doing this early, but his disy earlier was enough to force the many factions out into the open. This made him feel that the change in ns was worth it.

    "Brother Xu," the second group was led by a young man who had an imposing aura. He was clearly at the five-star Warrior rank much like Xu Min, but unlike the young Xu Min, this man was quite a few years older than him.

    Looking at this older man, Xu Min acquired a good impression. He sped his hands and slightly bowed. Xu Min did not know the name of this person. Thus he was incapable of knowing what to call him.

    "I am Ouyang Xiu. From the Ouyang family of the Broken Peaks of Sword Mountain." He carried with him a noble air; Xu Min instantly understood that this Ouyang family was not as simple as it might seem. Still, he was new to the Immortal Ruins, and he had no clue just how powerful these families were.

    Seeing the carefree expression on Xu Min¡¯s face, Ouyang Xiu was at first rather shocked, but then heughed to himself.

    "Why don¡¯t you introduce yourself?" He asked. Xu Min shrugged his shoulders and replied casually, "I am Xu Min. I am not part of any family, nor do Ie from some sect. I grew up in Honghe City where my teacher took care of me. After leaving Honghe City, I have been traveling around while seeing the world and experiencing its dangers."

    The introduction was brief. Xu Min was well aware that none of these people knew what Honghe City was, but even so, he decided to mention the name. This Ouyang Xiu had been polite towards him; it was only fair that Xu Min treated him with the same sort of respect.

    Hearing Xu Min¡¯s introduction of himself, everyone felt shocked to their core. He was not a part of a sect or family, yet he had still managed to gain such outstanding strength. Just what kind of monster had taught this kid how to cultivate?

    Although some felt fear upon thinking like this, Ouyang Xiu felt excited. If Xu Min was not part of a family or sect already, it meant that it was possible to get him to join their family, as such an addition would surely benefit them tremendously, but he had to go around and do it the right way. He did not wish to scare Xu Min away.

    "Why don¡¯t youe with us to the Lakeside Marketce?" he offered, "I am in a mood to drink some fine wine and have a great time. Don¡¯t you worry about those Snow Mountain people, as long as you are by my side, no one will try to assassinate you." he assured Xu Min. Whereas, Xu Min, who was wanting to build a rtionship with a hegemon of the Immortal Ruins, just smiled and agreed happily. This proposal was of great benefit to him as well as Ouyang Xiu.

    While Xu Min left with this group of people, the ones left behind were standing still for quite some time. They were uncertain of what to do. Some considered if they had made the wrong move in trying to hunt down Xu Min, while others were scheming on how to bring him down. The group of people who had been trying to approach Xu Min with ill intent pondered for some time on what course of action to take. They decided to look for the Snow Mountain warriors before they rushed recklessly towards the Lakeside Marketce. They had a lot of information to deliver

 Chapter 93: Young Master

    Chapter 93: Young Master

    The rumor of Xu Min¡¯s achievements spread faster than he walked. Everyone was looking at him with astonishment. Moreover, some looks contained fear while others were mixed with curiosity.

    People also stared at Ye Ling, who was by Xu Min¡¯s side. Even Ouyang Xiu, who was from a renowned family, was not getting even half the attention that Xu Min was getting.

    Surprisingly, Ouyang Xiu was not jealous of thisck of attention; he was also very interested in this young man. During their casual conversation, he realized that Xu Min truly knew nothing about the Immortal Ruins. Hisck of knowledge shocked Ouyang Xiu.

    "So tell me, why did youe to the Immortal Ruins in the first ce?" Ouyang Xiu asked curiously. If he had note for the sake of the Immortal Valley Rankings, what was his point in being here?

    Xu Min just shrugged his shoulders, "I heard about this ce and thought it¡¯d be interesting toe visit. Who knew I¡¯d stumble across such an amazing thing like the Immortal Valley Rankings."

    Ouyang Xiu was stunned. You stumbled across such a thing? Even if people were to know about thispetition, to participate would not be easy. What exactly had Xu Min promised Bu Huang in return for his admission?

    Ouyang Xiu was burning with curiosity, but he also knew that it was incredibly rude to ask such a question. Thus he stayed quiet, smiled, and casually conversed with Xu Min about anything from the most recent gossip spreading in the Immortal Ruin to the Immortal Valley Rankings.

    Xu Min did not speak much, but he nodded his head and listened to Ouyang Xiu. Although he was not speaking much, Xu Min felt grateful for all the information he gleaned. This strange and unknown Immortal Ruins became much clearer to him.

    "The Immortal Ruins used to be the location of the elves many thousands of years ago," Ouyang Xiu exined. "Back when the elves lived here, they had arge and developed civilization. All the ruins were parts of their cities. When they lost, this entire area was left in ruins. The humans who were the victors took over because we needed space. Slowly, everything was remade."

    "There is only one faction which remains from the time of the Great War, and that family is the Guardians of the Immortal Valley. Every other family is at least a few thousand years younger. This is also why we all listen to what the Guardians have to say and follow their rules. They are thergest faction within the Immortal Ruins, and they are also the ones with the deepest history. They never take in anyone from the outside. No matter how astonishing they are. In the same vein, they never participate in any worldly struggles. No one wishes to go against them."

    "After the Guardians are the four great families and sects. The Snow Mountain is one of them; my Ouyang family is another. These four great families usually don¡¯t enter each other¡¯s territories, but recently Snow Mountain has been very aggressive. As of now, they have gone for the smaller cities; therefore, we are not too interested. However, if they enter our territories, a great war will erupt. No one wants this to ur."

    Just as they entered the Lakeside Marketce, Xu Min noticed arge group of experts rushing towards them. The leader of this group was clearly led by the Snow Mountain. Xu Min recognized them from the time he was here previously; it was clearly the one who had yelled about Xu Min being a coldblooded killer.

    "Ouyang Xiu! Don¡¯t get mixed up in our family¡¯s affair. Just because you show yourself does not mean that we will give you face! He has killed so many people, and this is the Immortal Valley! You know what happens within the Immortal Valley cannot be pursued by the sects outside of the Valley. If I were to kill you now, no one would be able to me me!"

    Hearing this words, Ouyang Xiu did not shy away. Instead, he chuckled. "And how do you n on killing me? If you possessed the young master here, things would be different. However, he is not here to threaten me, so why should I feel fear? I happen to have a lot inmon with brother Xu, and I enjoy chatting with him. If you wish to stop our friendship from growing, I will patiently await your attack at any time!"

    "Don¡¯t get too arrogant, Ouyang!" A voice suddenly rang out. The expression on Ouyang Xiu¡¯s face turned slightly sour. Xu Min was not dumb. He instantly guessed that this young master that Ouyang Xiu had mentioned previously had made an appearance.

    "Hand over Xu Min to me or don¡¯t me me for being ruthless!" This voice was filled with boundless arrogance and a hint of hate. Xu Min slowly turned towards the voice which had spoken. He noticed the young man he had seen at the very start of the Immortal Valley Rankings. The young man who had introduced himself to Xu Min and said that he would kill himter on.

    I might have been afraid of you back then, Xu Min thought to himself, but now things are different!

    A smile appeared on Xu Min¡¯s face, but Ouyang Xiu felt slightly ufortable. Should he keep supporting Xu Min, whom he had just met, and risk his life, or should he back away and thereby lose his chance in reeling in Xu Min? The choice was difficult.

    "Brother Ouyang, please step back," Xu Min suddenly said, cutting in through hisplicated train of thoughts and taking him by surprise.

    "I am not a part of the Immortal Ruins, and I have no grievances with your family. To have you suffer because of me is not something I want to see. Also, someone like him does not have the qualifications to kill me."

    Thest sentence spoken shocked the entire area. Ouyang Xiu¡¯s jaw dropped at the amount of surprise he felt. The young master of Snow Mountain turnedpletely red from anger. His eyes zed with killing intent, and his hand already gripped his weapon so hard that it would have shattered had it not been a magical treasure.

    "I cannot kill you?" The young master spat out the words, "well you sure are confident in yourself. Let us see where this confidencees from. Everyone attack, I will gift the bounty to whoever kills him!"

    Xu Min had expected this. Out of nowhere, the elf spirit bow appeared in his hand. Qi arrows appeared one after another and were shot out with lightning speed. Every single arrow pierced the advancing cultivators right between their eyes, creating a small bloody hole, resulting in their deaths. Within the brief exchange of blows, Xu Min had shot out a total of twenty-three arrows, and all twenty-three arrows had pierced the head of an advancing cultivator.

    Silence descended upon the area. It was not only Snow Mountain experts who had attacked. Some of the audience had been tempted by the bounty and had joined in on the attack as well, but the entire first wave had been killed in less time than it takes an incense stick to burn.

    No one spoke, but the more time that went by, the more experts were observing the battle that was happening right in front of them. Right now, the battle was at a standstill; no one sought to move closer. As long as Xu Min held his strange bow in his hands, no one was willing to advance.

    Even the young master of the Snow Mountain family was stunned speechless; his head was numb, and his back was soaked in cold sweat. Who would have thought that this young man who seemed to be quite a few years younger than him was so frightening?

    Ouyang Xiu also felt slightly annoyed with his decision to not assist Xu Min. After seeing his first disy of power, he fully understood that this man was not weak; it was highly likely that he had other secrets up his sleeve. Xu Min¡¯s arrogant words seemed to be correct. This was something which Ouyang Xiu had never believed possible before.

    "Ye Ling, deal with the ones around this young master. I¡¯ll take care of the Young Master himself," Xu Min asserted as he looked at the individuals from Snow Mountain in front of him. They were the only enemies left. Although the bounty was tempting, none among audience wished to throw their lives away. Instead, they decided just to stay back and witness who the winner would be.

    These experts were all the geniuses of their families. Although at times they could be incredibly arrogant when it came to their strength, they were still intelligent. Seeing Xu Min¡¯s sudden disy of powers made all of them begin to wonder just what kind of power he contained. Who had taught him to cultivate, and who was it that had gifted him all these different treasures? Perhaps it was arge sect or a very powerful roaming expert?

    Only Ouyang knew that Xu Min did note from a massive sect, and this knowledge made him even more worried. He had been told that Xu Min was the only disciple of his master. If this master was as strong as Ouyang expected, he feared that this expert would turn the Immortal Ruins upside down if his student were to die here.

    Xu Min, the one everyone had started gossiping about, knew nothing of his master¡¯s true strength, nor did he originate from arge sect. Nevertheless, he knew that the treasure he had been given by his master was so outstanding that he could be much stronger than his peers. However, there was no time to think because now it was time for him to start moving.

    Xu Min unsheathed his sword from the back. The moment itnded in his hand, he inserted his Qi into it. A humming sound appeared and filled the entire area; the sword was vibrating in Xu Min¡¯s arms; and Xu Min himself was filled with killing intent.

    He had joined this Immortal Valley Ranking to train. Everywhere he went, the Snow Mountain people had been in his way. Although all these life-and-death battles had tempered him, he was filled with annoyance towards them as well. Now they had even gone as far as to put a bounty on his head. He was going to im this bounty and eradicate the Snow Mountain forces within the Immortal Valley!

    Seeing how Xu Min¡¯s eyes turned cold and a killing intent billowed outwards from his body, everyone took a few steps backward. His killing intent was so imposing that it felt as though thousands of knives were being pierced through one¡¯s skin wherever it touched. Even the young master of the Snow Mountain was not exempted. He too felt this killing intent, his rage subsided, and his face paled.

    There was a big difference between Xu Min and these other experts of the Immortal Ruins. Many of these experts had never killed before and had never experienced true life-and-death battles. Whenever they went out to train, there would be experts of their families watching over them. Just in case they encountered true danger, they would be saved.

    Xu Min was not the same. The only safety he had had with him was Cao Cao. Although the two of them fought together, they had experienced countless challenging situations where they had been forced to break through their limits.

    Killing this many people and fighting life-and-death battles as often as he had done, Xu Min¡¯s killing intent was truly ferocious, whereas his opponents were incapable of utilizing their power to the fullest. They had been suppressed by the fear that was creeping up on them.

 Chapter 94: Demise

    Chapter 94: Demise

    Xu Min¡¯s eyes were as cold as ice while he looked at the young master of the Snow Mountain family. By his side was Ye Ling whose eyes were just as cold. Xu Min took the sword in his hand and pointed it at the man in front of him.

    "Come on!" he called out, making it clear who his target was. Even the usually confident Young Master felt his heart shiver when he felt Xu Min¡¯s aura gradually bing more and more imposing. Qi billowed from his body to create a clear barrier around his body. While the sword in his hands absorbed so much Qi, its humming became louder and louder.

    Gritting his teeth, the young master started cursing himself and his family for having made such a powerful enemy. If Xu Min remained just a two-star Warrior as he seemed at the start, then there would be no reason for his family to be forced into such dire straits. However, now that they knew he was a five-star Warrior they felt as though they had kicked a ho¡¯s nest.

    Xu Min saw this young master was not advancing. All he did was grip his weapon tighter, and he could not help but snort. It was about time to start the battle!

    The first time the young master had met Xu Min his strength had been low. So low, in fact, that he could kill him with a flicker of his hand, but today the powerful energy which exploded from Xu Min¡¯s body caught him by surprise. It had even surpassed his energy levels!

    As a result, this young master could not help but be inwardly startled. The imposing power surged as Xu Min stomped on the ground and shot forward like an arrow released from the bow. The sword was in his hands; the entire air was crackling with energy as he shot past. A majestic power surged from his body as though he had an unending amount of Qi.

    The young master was shocked, but he had been trained well. As he saw Xu Min move towards him, his reactions were swift. A loud bang sounded out as wild, and violent Qi exploded from Xu Min¡¯s body causing even the leaves on the ground to explode into dust. Every spectator was pushed backward by the violent force caused by the collision.

    The young master¡¯s body was jolted backward by this berserk force of Xu Min. After a good ten steps, he finally came to a halt. A small streak of blood was trickling down the corner of his lips.

    Xu Min was also forced a step back from the collision. Nevertheless, he had the upper hand, and only one step was taken backwards. From the oue, everyone could see who had the upper hand in this exchange, but some started to argue whether or not Xu Min had the energy to continue such attacks. It had to drain his Qi pool immensely.

    Everyone¡¯s eyes swiftly looked towards the extremely miserable young master, and they felt startled in their hearts. It was simply unexpected that one of the top geniuses of the younger generations had been forced into such a state after only one exchange from a fairly unknown figure.

    Moving forward, the young master¡¯s face was grim. His hands gripped harder on the handle of his weapon. He casually wiped the blood away from the corner of his lips. Although it seemed as though he was not too injured, only he knew exactly just how terrible the situation was for him. He had already be severely wounded, and he only had enough energy to make one all out attack.

    "Let¡¯s quickly settle this!" he roared into the sky. Qi appeared all over him. Xu Min grinned. This man was clearly an external expert like himself. Thus he used the energy to enhance his strength and the strength of his weapon.

    Xu Min was both an internal and external expert, but he had no time to focus on the internal aspects. All he knew was the Shattering Palm stance and the Radiant Jade Shower. He could consider the spirit bow a way to use internal energy as well as his Devouring World. However, these were not true stances. They were just ways to use the Qi and fell in a third category between internal and external practice.

    Suddenly Xu Min smiled and closed his eyes for the moment. He felt the entire world merge with him. Slowly a small red hue appeared around his body before the sword lit ame. Not only this but the wind around him started to pick up. The light breeze turned into a storm, yet Xu Min stood in the middle of it, and nothing happened to him. It was as though the storm was incapable of touching him.

    Seeing how the sword had be lit ame and the wind was picking up, all the experts were getting worried. It was clear Xu Min made the storm, but how? They had never before heard of an expert who could affect the weather nor had they heard about a sword that turned red like a me.

    Although Xu Min had mes ring from his sword, his eyes were as cold as before. He sent a beam of swordlight towards the young master, instantly slicing off one of his legs.

    "Aaaah!" the scream resounded in the wind and was carried far. The blood started gushing out, and everyone could smell the stench.

    Xu Min lifted his head and shot another swordlight at the young master¡¯sst leg. This was removed just as swiftly as the first. His opponent instantly crashed into the ground because he could not stand any longer.

    These beams of swordlight were incredibly sharp and swift. Even when the young man did his very best to protect himself, he failed. He could not help but scream out in miserable pain.

    "We will kill you!" he yelled with a hate filled voice that was on the verge of insanity. "If you kill me, we will never let you off the hook. You will die a painful death; we will make you wish you were..."

    No more words were spoken as one more swordlight shone. The head of the young master rolled away from his body and moved no more.

    "As if you would ever let me go," Xu Min sneered at the corpse. He had released the wind energy that his Qi had absorbed while fighting the fairy in the Blood Pagoda. It was as though he had connected with the wind. When he entered the stage of being one with the world, the wind came to his beck and call.

    Xu Min was aware of how strong the young master had been and to defeat him he needed his strength at its peak. Consequently, to reach the peak, he released all his Qi and became one with the world. He relied on the fire energy and used the wind to make a favorable environment.

    "I still need to improve on my usage of wind Qi and the Wind," he mumbled to himself, but for now he was satisfied with his performance.

    Although Xu Min had used almost all of the cards avable to him, he did not mind. He had proven that his strength was simply outstanding. He smiled happily as he went towards the other Snow Mountain people.

    "Give me the bounty you ced on my head," he said casually. He took all items on the young master and ced them within his robe. The members of Snow Mountain dared not dy. Although Ye Ling was supposed to deal with them, the fight between him and the young master had been so swift that no one else had the time to attack. Therefore, they were still all alive.

    No one dared to waste any time. They rushed to hand over the materials that they would have traded for Xu Min¡¯s head. The young man took them unceremoniously. He ced them all within his storage treasure and packed it away within the robe. By now he was the highest ranked expert in the entire Immortal Valley Ranking, and no one dared to rob him.

    Had he fought a serious fight against the young master, a fight where he had to put his life with on the line then, of course, many warriors would be like wolves, waiting to throw themselves at him when he was trying to heal himself. However, this was not the case. Although Xu Min had used most of his trump cards, no one knew that. Everyone feared that there was still more powerful attacks he possessed.

    Xu Min was aware of this, but he felt rather carefree at the moment. No one was willing to attack him unless they had a major force; Xu Min was certain that no one was able to make such a force or faction out of nowhere.

    Chuckling Xu Min did not care about the rest of the Snow Mountains, experts, none of them could pose any threat to him. He turned his back to them as he walked back to where Ouyang Xiu was standing.

    Although Ouyang Xiu had expected Xu Min had hidden strengths, he never expected it to be that outstanding. He was deeply shocked and shaken. Still, he quickly collected himself. He broke intoughter as he pped Xu Min on the shoulder.

    "Brother Xu is not simple as he appeared! I feel fortunate to have be your friend rather than an enemy!" Ouyang Xiu eximed, and he meant these words with all his heart.

    Even if it was impossible for the Ouyang family to recruit Xu Min, it was a good idea to be friends with him. He was a young man, a very young man, and still, he had such outstanding strength! The future aspirations for this expert were unlimited.

    Ouyang Xiu was excited. To have noticed Xu Min was a great benefit for him. Even if he could not win the highest ranking in the Immortal Valley rankings then so be it. He felt that friendship with Xu Min was much more important.

    Outside the Immortal Valley Ranking, everyone was silent as they looked at the Snow Mountain people. Some had pity in their eyes, others satisfaction at Snow Mountain¡¯s genius demise schadenfreude. The allies of Snow Mountains¡¯ eyes were filled with hate as they looked at Xu Min while their enemies were gloating and were incapable of hiding their smiles.

    This young master who just died by Xu Min was the absolute strongest person in the younger generation of Snow Mountain. To have lost him was the same as losing a future asset and their respectability. They needed experts like him to lead their sect to higher grounds, but now it seemed as though their hope of bing a stronger would have to wait until another peerless genius appeared in their family.

    This was obviously of great excitement to the other families and sects, but it also sealed Xu Min¡¯s fate. Snow Mountain would do anything to kill Xu Min. Even if the rule of the Guardians was to ensure that no one took revenge for what happened in the Immortal Valley Ranking, who was to enforce such rule? If Snow Mountain assassinated Xu Min, who could me them?

    Everyone was aware of this but to be honest; no one truly cared about it. Xu Min was indeed a genius unlike any they had seen before, but he was not a part of their sects and families. Even though they wished to befriend him, it meant nothing to them if he died. He had already been incredibly useful to them for killing some of Snow Mountain¡¯s main fighters.

 Chapter 95: Solar Crow and Lunar Rabbit

    Chapter 95: Sr Crow and Lunar Rabbit

    "Brother Xu, why don¡¯t youe with me to my family¡¯s encampment. We will ensure that no one will be able to touch you," Ouyang Xiu promised while disregarding the risk involved. Now that the young master of Snow Mountain was dead, many of those who previously allied themselves with Snow Mountain were now trying to distance themselves.

    Looking at Ouyang Xiu, these families could easily see that he was building a rtionship together with this dynamic enigma that had appeared within their Immortal Valley Ranking. He was seemingly weak at first, but when he exploded with all of his power, his might was simply extraordinary.

    The fire that he had disyed stunned everyone. They had never before seen anyone of the fifth-rank disy such mes before. They did not know that Xu Min had mastered bing one with the world.

    "Do you think he is a six-star Warrior? Or can he use the Worldly me from being one with the world." Someone questioned. Xu Min, who stood a bit behind, was suddenly enlightened.

    Before, he had thought that the mes that appeared came from the sword ¨C that the sword in his hands was simply an otherworldly treasure. However, now he understood why the mes had appeared at the same time he had first be one with the world and every time afterward.

    Ouyang Xiu also understood that this was the Worldly me, but he was unaware of whether or not Xu Min was truly a six-star Warrior. To be a six-star Warrior at this age was simply unheard of.

    Xu Min knew that some of these young masters had reached the fifth-rank only because they had trained five years longer than he had. Moreover, they were given limitless resources from their families and sects. Their talents were also likely to be simr to Xu Min¡¯s.

    Xu Min had grown up in a world where he had never been gifted resources to increase his cultivation as a child. His master, who gave him his sword, had never imparted resources to him as an example. The first time he came into contact with medicinal pills was when he was in Ri Chu City.

    Thisck of resources was the reason for Xu Min not to have reached a higher rank earlier, but he had finally caught up to his peers because of the Blood Pagoda, maybe even slightly above them.

    When it came toprehending the world around them and the energies within them, Xu Min was more skilled than his peers. Because he was an exception, he had been able toprehend bing one with the world.

    Xu Min was fully engrossed in his thoughts as he automatically moved after Ouyang Xiu. This new friend of his did not interrupt him; instead, he just silently led them to a corner of thekeside marketce.

    At this corner was a group of experts. Most of them were a few years older than Xu Min. There were both women and men. Some were peerless beauties, while others were built like giants with muscles swelling all over their bodies.

    When Xu Min and Ouyang Xiu entered this encampment, everyone looked towards the two who came walking in leisurely.

    Xu Min had managed to rouse himself from his thoughts and was looking curiously at the people around him; at the same time, they were looking curiously at him.

    Even though the fight between Xu Min and the young master had just transpired, these experts already knew of the result. They were all aware that Xu Min had won; now he was there as a guest of their own young master.

    No one said anything; the atmosphere was quite tense. Xu Min felt a little embarrassed being stared at by so many people, but he was also uncertain on how to deal with it, so he just stood there at Ouyang Xiu¡¯s side and said nothing.

    None of these people had dared talk before they were allowed to do so. Therefore, all they just looked at Xu Min with curiosity.

    Sighing, Ouyang Xiu instantly guessed the emotions of everyone present. With a sp of his hands, everyone turned their attention towards him.

    "This is brother Xu," he introduced Xu Min quickly, "I am sure you have all heard about his feats of strength and the assistance he has given us. Snow Mountain will stay as one of the hegemons of the Immortal Ruins for some years. When their older generation dies, they will have no one to take over. At that time we will be able to seed in reducing the overlords by one."

    Everyone cheered excitedly as they heard these words. It was indeed true that although it did not matter right now for Snow Mountain, it would mean a lot for them when it came to their next generation. They would be at a disadvantage. Even if they found another peerless genius in their next generation, then they had wasted all the resources to produce a genius who had fallen way before his time.

    "Treat brother Xu the way you treat me; he is my brother; he is stronger than any of us here, and he deserves your respect!"

    Xu Min was rather shocked to hear those words being spoken so directly. Although he was strong, he was also aware of his powers. He knew that if the entire Ouyang camp were to gang up on him, he would likely lose. Even if he used all his energy and Ye Ling by his side, they would both die.

    Ouyang was also aware of this, but he would gain nothing from killing Xu Min. Although he would rank as number one in the Immortal Valley Ranking, he felt that bing a friend with Xu Min was worth more. With the astonishing and frightening talent he had shown so far, one day he was bound to be a true immortal. By then their rtionship would be able to help the Ouyang family be the number one family in the entire Immortal Ruins.

    "He¡¯s so young," someone muttered, while others agreed, "they say he is stronger than us, but he looks so weak. Could it be that he is not an external expert but an internal one? We did not see his battles ourselves, so I guess that it makes sense that it has been exaggerated."

    "Why is Brother Xiu so kind towards this foreigner? If we group up, we could kill him instantly and steal his items."

    There were many people talking together. Although they were filled with excitement for the fact that Xu Min had defeated the young master of the Snow Mountain, they were not happy with the fact that Ouyang Xiu had said that he was the strongest amongst them. Did that not also include their young master? This they could not ept. Many were filled with an urge to challenge him to a sparring match.

    They felt like challenging him to a match, but no one did so. They understood that he was currently a guest in their camp, and they were to treat him with respect. Otherwise, it was likely that their young master would get mad at them.

    "We have a spare tent you can borrow," Ouyang Xiu said politely. He led Xu Min to a big tent that was ced right next to the biggest tent in the camp, "You just battled the young master of the Snow Mountain," Ouyang said with a smile. "You must be exhausted. Go rest up, and then we will have a banquet tonight! I am sure that many of my brothers and sisters have plenty of questions for you and would like to know more about your cultivation. It is simply hard to fathom that you are capable of reaching such a high rank at such a young age. Your master must be quite outstanding."

    Xu Min just smiled and shook his head, "I was just lucky," he said in a low voice. "The battle could have been my loss had I not gone all out."

    Although Xu Min spoke like this, Ouyang Xiu did not believe him. Ouyang questioned him no further. Instead, he smiled knowingly and shook his head. "In any case, please rest a little and restore your energy so that you are ready for the banquet tonight."

    Xu Min thanked him before he turned and entered the tent. As he sat down on the ground, he took out a lot of storage treasures and started cing items all over the ground.

    One item after another appeared. Xu Min started to pile it in stacks. All the beast cores went into one stack, and the scrolls with abilities went to another. Magical treasures went to a third stack. Food and drink went to a stack of their own. Clothes were ced at a side together with medicinal pills and herbs. Gold was ced directly into an empty storage treasure, and misceneous items were at thest pile.

    It took Xu Min a full two hours to sort every single item into their respective pile. As he finished, Xu Min understood that he had truly struck it rich!

    The gold alone was enough to fill up an entire storage treasure. It was not only gold but also precious metals and gems. These treasures were enough to pay for a life of luxury. Xu Min felt happy. Now he was not impoverished and could give Meilin anything she wanted.

    The next, most interesting thing that he had was the beast cores. Beast cores contained the energy of a beast, and they could be used to increase one¡¯s cultivation rank. They were weaker than medicinal pills, but they were also easier to procure. Beast cores could also be used as a currency for cultivators. Xu Min currently had almost a thousand beast cores of various ranks. Killing cultivators had increased his wealth tremendously.

    Although Xu Min felt excited about the sudden rise in wealth, he also understood that this was only money. He could easily earn it other ways, but there was something he knew he could not easily get his hands on.

    Xu Min was not from arge sect or family, so finding abilities and stances was almost impossible for him. After killing all these experts, he had managed to find quite a few stances of various rank and external abilities.

    Currently, his internal strength was not very strong. He controlled the spirit bow and the Qi arrows. He understood he could control the wind in the air around him, but as to how he could utilize this, he still did not know. It was something he needed to meditate upon and gain enlightenment in. Right now, in the middle of this violent ranking tournament, Xu Min did not have the time to fully devote himself to cultivate.

    Therefore, Xu Min¡¯s eyesnded on the stack of abilities and stances. He genuinely wished to increase his internal strength. Before anything else, he started reading through one scroll after another.

    "Berserking, an ability used for external cultivators to allow for their Qi to burn at a rapid speed but increases the strength of the cultivator with a whole star. Overdrafts energy and causes one to be feeble for a few days afterward." Xu Min was astonished as he saw this ability. Although the price was great and the consequences of using it were quite severe, if he were up against an overwhelmingly strong foe, then Berserking would be quite a useful ability.

    Putting it aside, Xu Min turned to look at the other abilities and stances. A smile appeared on his face as he picked up a stance called ws of the Sr Crow and Lunar Rabbit.

    This stance he had acquired from killing the young master of Snow Mountain. He had never been given the time to disy the might of this ability. He needed to be a six-star Warrior before it was possible to begin even training in it.

 Chapter 96: Elements

    Chapter 96: Elements

    The w of the Sr Crow and Lunar Rabbit was the strongest stance Xu Min had ever seen before. It allowed for two ws to be created from Qi. One w would be infused with the energy of the Sr Star, and the other would be infused with energy from the Lunar Star.

    The stronger the cultivator, the more energy of the two stars these ws would contain. Upon reaching the ninth-star, a warrior would possess ws which disyed the full might of the two stars. A Golden Crow and a Silver Rabbit would appear on the ws. These two symbols would make the ws explode with energy and increase their power tremendously.

    Seeing this stance, Xu Min was truly excited. His eyes brightly shone; his hands quickly wrapped up the scroll once more before he ced it in his storage treasure. This was one stance he was not going to let go of.

    "Why on earth would the Young Master have our scroll with the w of the Sr Crow and Lunar Rabbit with him in the Immortal Valley Rankings?!" an elder eximed quietly but angrily. His voice trembled with rage as he looked at the leader of their group.

    "The Young Master was almost a six-star Warrior. It was likely for him to meet some stroke of good fortune within the Immortal Valley. The Patriarch wanted him to learn the ability as soon as he reached the sixth-star Warrior rank."

    "We only had this one scroll with the full stance!" another elder whispered angrily. Although the other elders shared his emotions, they could do nothing but profusely regret ever insulting this one figure. Their faction had lost almost all the geniuses from the younger generation and a valuable, rare stance.

    "We can always hope that this child will be incapable ofprehending the w of the Sr Crow and Lunar Rabbit," the head elder of the group sighed. Their words were spoken so low that no one outside of the group could hear them. They did all in their power to ensure that no one else knew they had lost the number one technique of their family.

    "To ensure that no outsiders got their hands on this scroll, we only had one original copy. Only very outstanding members were allowed to use during training. However, thest four hundred years no one has been able to sessfullyprehend it. The Young Master was our best chance of getting a new wielder of the w of the Sr Crow and Lunar Rabbit."

    While the Snow Mountain were filled with regret and boundless hate towards Xu Min, they knew that for now, they could do nothing against him.

    Inside the Immortal Valley, Xu Min was unaware of the fact that he had found Snow Mountain¡¯s best kept secret and strongest ability. He was just filled with excitement as he thought about the stance.

    Xu Min kept looking through the scrolls in the hope of finding even more useful stances or abilities.

    He came across quite a few which he could use. One was Iron Talons, an ability made for external practitioners to use Qi to fortify the fingers and make the as sharp as an eagle¡¯s talons.

    This attack was of great use to Xu Min who was not too used to battling with his bare hands; he quickly ced it in the storage treasure of things to keep.

    In the end, he found a whole lot of practical stances he could utilize. Some were more ordinary while a few were quite extraordinary, yet none of them came close to the ws of the Sr Crow and Lunar Rabbit.

    Of the ordinary ones, Xu Min saw no reason to keep them. He was going to gift them to Ouyang Xiu for helping him earlier. Although they were useless to Xu Min, they would be useful to arge family.

    Of the abilities Xu Min had found, he kept a total of sixteen stances; seven of those sixteen stances were external abilities.

    These external abilities enhanced a specific part of one¡¯s body with Qi and allowed for it to be much stronger, increasing his closebat prowess by a considerable amount. Amongst these abilities was the red Qi that Shen Yu had practiced. It was a malicious ability, but Xu Min decided to keep it for further examination when he had some time.

    The stances were all ranged attacks. They were not very simr to one another. One was arge sun which exploded into thousands of small fire balls simr to his Thousand Jade Shower but weaker. It also required less internal Qi, so if he were to fight weaker opponents, then this would be the best choice.

    Some of the stances created single attacks such as a ball of fire, a ball of water, lightning bolts or a wind de all created from Qi, imitating the elements around them. Fairies were the only ones who were capable of using the elements in their attacks. However, human cultivators had often examined fairies they captured, experimenting upon them and observed them with the purpose of learning how to use the elemental energies and drawing it in, merging it with their Qi.

    Humans had never managed to fullyprehend the elemental energies. Nevertheless, after much work, they had managed to create stances which imitated the different elements. These kinds of attacks, although weaker than the fairie¡¯s true elemental attacks, were quite formidable. These attacks which imitated the elements seemed simple, but they were not.

    The major difference between being an external and an internal expert was more obvious the stronger the two sides became. The external practitioners had the ability to be one with the world, thus increase their strength. At the start of reaching one with the world, one would be able to summon a Worldly me. This me would keep changing until the day it reached the rank of a Sr Truefire.

    In contrast to the Worldly me, there was also a Worldly Waterdrop. However, this was much harder toprehend. Usually one would not gain insight into it before they became an Immortal. Much like the Worldly me evolved into a Sr Truefire the Worldly Waterdrop turned into a Lunar Truewater. These two elements, water, and fire, were the only two elements that the External Expert was capable ofprehending and use with their attacks.

    The internal experts were quite different. They could alsoprehend a level of understanding with the elements, but they were not limited to specific two elements. As soon as they could sense an element, they would be able to imitate that element in their stances. Although they were able to sense the elements, they could not fully merge the two concepts. Nheless, being able toprehend an element allowed for them to imitate those elements and thereby increase their strength.

    There were also internal attacks that did not depend on imitating the elements, but these attacks were not as strong as the others, and many Warriors did not use them.

    One would normally begin to feel the elements when they were at the third or fourth -tar of the Warrior rank. This was the reason that not many of these experts had the elemental stances with them. They simply had not managed to make contact with the elements just yet.

    Additionally, many elemental stances were not found because of the sects and families. Although Snow Mountain was certain that their Young Master would survive, other families and sects were not as certain. Consequently, they did not allow them to carry important scrolls that could have an impact on their families prospects.

    Xu Min just recently reached the level of strength he had now. Although he had felt specific elements such as the wind and fire, other elements were beyond his grasp at the moment. Of the many stances he had picked up, he was able to use three of them by now. One was a Stance of the ming Inferno, a stance which caused everything else to be surrounded by me and to cause crowd control. The stance damaged the many people who touched the mes. The second stance was Stance of the Fireball. One of the most basic attacks one could control when they had to do with elemental Qi attacks. The final one was a wind de. It would create a de out of the wind which would be solidified by using Qi. It was as sharp as a sword and swift as the wind. It would attack ruthlessly and sh the opponent.

    Xu Min was fully focused on these many stances and abilities. He knew that he was going to train with them sooner orter, but upon hearing the ruckus that was being made outside his tent, he decided that now was not the right time to train.

    Instead, he packed everything away in two different storage treasures. One for himself and another for Ouyang Xiu.

    Having reached this decision, Xu Min did not tarry. He quickly stood up and left the tent only to see that there was a huge group of experts right outside his tent.

    Staring at one another, an awkward silence descended on the two sides. No one said anything. Xu Min just silently looked at everyone dumbfounded. Were they here to see him?

    "He looks so ordinary," someone muttered. Another rebuked the voice with a whisper, "he is quite handsome, though."

    "How can he be so strong when he looks like such a weakling?" a third voice whispered. Soon everyone was whispering amongst each other. Xu Min felt like banging his head against a wall. Were these people unaware of the fact that he was right there? That he could hear every single sentence, they said?

    Shaking his head, Xu Min decided not to think about it anymore and moved towards thergest tent in the camp. Certainly, this tent belonged to Ouyang Xiu; as he reached it, he noticed he was correct.

    Inside the tent was Ouyang Xiu seated with a group of other experts around him. They were talking quietly to one another. Xu Min did not wish to interrupt. Without trying to hear what was being said, he turned around to leave.

    "Brother Xu, please enter," Ouyang Xiu¡¯s voice drifted through the tent doors. It was clear that he had noticed Xu Min. While he was talking about important matters with his peers, he also decided that Xu Min was an important subject. Thus he decided to suspend their important meeting untilter.

    One of the people present in the tent frowned slightly but no one said anything to go against what Ouyang Xiu had decided. He was without question the leader of their group. All he decided was how things would be.

    Entering into the tent, Xu Min was once more met with curious stares from the other people present. By now, he was growing somewhat used to this. Instead, he just smiled as he reached out his hand and grasped Ouyang Xiu¡¯s hand.

    The sudden contact surprised everyone present. When they saw that he was pressing something into Ouyang¡¯s hand, they all understood why he had chosen to act the way he did.

    He just offered a gift to Ouyang Xiu. If Ouyang Xiu had known before that was what Xu Min was doing, he would have declined it, yet now it was already in his hands, what could he do to give it back?

    Seeing the forceful act of Xu Min, the others smiled and smirked. Although they were uncertain of what to think of this Xu Min, they knew that now that he had gifted something to Ouyang Xiu, it would not be of little importance. Thus they were all very curious to see just what this gift was. Calling out and demanding to know what it was, however, was a taboo and no one spoke. They just all looked at the small storage treasure within Ouyang Xiu¡¯s hands with curiosity and slight greed.

    While everyone was excited about Ouyang Xiu getting this gift, the man, himself, was feeling terrible. He looked at the item with a sour heart. He had not wanted anything in return for teaming up with Xu Min. In fact, he had hoped that the two of them could stay as brothers, and their friendship could grow. Was this treasure perhaps a sign that Xu Min was not willing to build a rtionship but wanted to pay back what he owed?

 Chapter 97: Declined Challenge

    Chapter 97: Declined Challenge

    Xu Min was not very skilled when it came to knowing how to act amongst other people. He did not see anything wrong with giving away this gift. When he saw Ouyang Xiu¡¯s face, he was quite surprised. The older man did not seem excited about the present. In fact, he looked as though he had been doomed.

    "It is just a gift," Xu Min blurted out, "I have no use for these things. I am an individual cultivator, and these items are more suitable for arge sect. Since I have no use for these things, I decided to give them to you as a show of my gratitude for your care and consideration."

    Ouyang Xiu was surprised. He had expected that Xu Min was like all the other young masters he had met. Someone who would think of benefits and be calcting and scheming.

    Xu Min was neither. He was straightforward and easy to understand. He would use his abilities to protect those he cared for and would be a loyal friend through and through. He would not think about benefits or rewards. That was not the kind of person he was.

    Only now did Ouyang Xiu understand this. His face was filled with a great smile as he understood that he made an erroneous judgment earlier.

    "I am sorry; I must have offended you," Ouyang Xiu said as he shook his head. It was hard for him to hide the smile on his face. Although Xu Min was unaware of what had happened, he understood that this strange man in front of him now believed he had no hidden agenda with gifting these items to him.

    Xu Min shook his head. I¡¯ll never understand these young masters, he thought to himself. He said no more and just smiled too. He moved forward, passing on the storage item to Ouyang Xiu.

    Though Ouyang Xiu was very curious about what could be within this storage treasure, he did not instantly start roaming through it in front of everybody. He was curious, but he cared more about his reputation. He gently ced the storage treasure on the table and sat down gesturing for Xu Min to take a seat as well.

    "Brother Xu, I imagine that you will win this Immortal Valley Rankings," Ouyang Xiu said with respect and a jovial tone in his voice. "I have never before heard of a single person winning. Then again, this is the first time an individual such as you has entered the Immortal Valley Rankings. Just how on earth did you manage to convince Bu Huang to let you enter?"

    Ouyang realized what he had just asked. He smiled politely, and he shook his head, "Nevermind, please don¡¯t answer that," he said, "I know you must have your secrets, and I don¡¯t need to know about them."

    "Well, it is quite simple actually and not something to hide," Xu Min said with a shrug of his shoulders, "My teacher and Bu Huang know each other. He recognized me and decided to help me out."

    "Winning or losing does not matter much to me," Xu Min continued. "As far as I know, I won¡¯t benefit from winning this Immortal Valley Rankings, but Bu Huang¡¯s family will benefit. After the kindness they showed me, it is only natural that I will do what I can to repay him." Xu Min smiled. The answer made Ouyang Xiu feel impressed. To repay the kindness and to value rtionships, this was without a doubt the best kind of friend one could have.

    While Ouyang Xiu asked plenty of questions about what Xu Min had been doing during the Immortal Valley Ranking, the other friends and followers of Ouyang Xiu were quiet as they listened to every word Xu Min spoke.

    "The Snow Mountain considered you the bringer of death. They even gave you the nickname Yanluo. You know, I am quite curious, how many people have you killed?"

    Ouyang Xiu was a young master, and his family would never allow him to be in danger. This time, within the Immortal Valley Ranking, was the first time he was experiencing life without being protected by a high-ranked expert. Even so, no one truly felt as though the Young Masters would die. Who would be willing, or have the power, to go against these major families? An abnormality like Xu Min was never expected.

    Before meeting Xu Min, Ouyang Xiu had fancied himself an expert with a great deal of experience. He was swift in reacting to danger and believed that he was well-versed in real life and death battles. However, when he saw the battle between Xu Min and the young master of Snow Mountain, he understood just how wrong he had been.

    Although he was skilled in battle and had killed before, he had never been in real life and death battles. His family would never allow that. Thus he had not been tempered the same way as Xu Min.

    For the first time, Ouyang Xiu finally understood. His overprotective family had caused him to be behind some of his peers when it came to worldly experiences. Still, it also meant that he was still alive, so he was uncertain whether he was fortunate or not.

    Being born into a great n, family or sect meant that Ouyang Xiu had grown up with plentiful resources, careful teaching from extreme experts, and treatment equal to a future king. These peerless geniuses within their ns were often treated much better than other young members of their generation. However, instead of being viewed with jealousy and contempt, they were viewed with reverence and admiration.

    "Please excuse me," one of the people who had been speaking with Ouyang Xiu before Xu Min appeared called out, "I would like to ask for a sparring match with you. I know my skills areckingpared to the young master of Snow Mountain, but I wish to test myself against an overwhelming power. Would you be willing to ept such a challenge?"

    Although this person was extremely courteous, the only reason he was this courteous was due to Ouyang Xiu¡¯s behavior towards Xu Min. He knew that this man was strong, having not personally seen him disy his strength, but how could he believe that he was this strong?

    Xu Min looked at this young man and then shook his head, "Sorry," he said apologetic. "I would love to ept the challenge, but I am afraid I have to decline. Mypanion Ye Ling would love to ept in my ce, though. I am sure you can have a great battle. He is also a fifth-ranked beast, so he is not much weaker than me."

    Upon hearing this, Ye Ling snorted. Although he was the same rank as Xu Min, he had long since understood that his strength was far from parity with this human youth, but he said nothing. It was clear that he was more than satisfied with the praise he had been given.

    The person who had issued the challenge was not satisfied. His face turned from red to white to purple as multiple levels of anger rose within him. He did everything in his power to suppress this anger. Unfortunately, he was not very sessful. Everyone could see he was about to explode.

    "Younger brother Xu, please, just a single duel," a woman urged him. She too wished to see his power on full disy. Even more so, though, she wanted to ensure that the older man did not explode from anger, but Xu Min shook his head regretfully.

    "It is not that I don¡¯t want to participate in a sparring match," he said with a sigh, "the problem is that I fear that if I participate, I will not be able to hold back and will by ident either cripple or kill someone."

    His words sounded arrogant, but everyone seemed to feel a certainty within his words. It was as if there was no other option.

    "I am so unfortunate that I have not been part of many sparring matches," Xu Min exined. "In the pastst year here, I have increased my strength tremendously. Almost every person has tried to kill me, giving me no other choice than to sharpen my attacks, which has made my attacks aimed to kill and not to spare. I am not so brazen as to kill my new friends, so I have to politely decline your invitation. My best solution is for you to try and duel mypanion. He is not bad."

    "I am capable of withstanding your attacks!" the person who had challenged him shouted. He could no longer hold back his anger. Just as Xu Min was about to respond, a loud, crisp p resounded in the tent. The person who had spoken out was sent flying out of the tent andnded on the ground. He waspletely incapable of understanding what had happened.

    Only then did he look at Ouyang Xiu who had an unsightly expression on his face. "You think you can withstand his attacks when not even the young master of Snow Mountain could do so? Not even I dare go against him. What gives you the confidence that you can survive his attacks?"

    Hearing Ouyang Xiu¡¯s words, everyone seemed to cool down. It was true. They could not even hold a candle to Ouyang Xiu¡¯s talent and performance when it came to battling. However, none of them had personally witnessed Xu Min battling. Thus they wished to see just how strong he was.

    Just as they were about to open their mouths, a loud voice sounded from outside the camp. "Xu Min!"

    The voice was enforced by Qi and traveled thousands of kilometers, making the ground tremble, which made Xu Min lift his head. A snicker appeared on his face. Trouble hade to find him, but he was not unhappy. If anything, he was excited. This was the chance for him to prove just how strong he was. The stronger he was, the more likely he was to be recruited by a major power. By being recruited by a major power, he would gain ess to more and better resources, stances, and abilities, enabling him to get his revenge quicker. Xu Min¡¯s ns were simple. Everything he did was for the sake of getting revenge as soon as possible while ensuring that he would survive so that he could return to Meilin¡¯s side and live life to the fullest.

    Rising to his feet, Xu Min rolled his neck and moved out of the tent only to raise an eyebrow in surprise. Behind him, all the others from the tent followed suit. He heard them all gasp.

    Right in front of Xu Min was a group of around a hundred experts. All of them were filled with boundless killing intent. They were wielding their weapons, staring at the young man who had just left the tent. No one dared to block them as they all rushed towards Xu Min who was justughing out loud.

    With a voice that was filled with Qi, Xu Min roared to the sky, "Come one, and I will kill one. Come two, and I will kill two. Anyone who steps in my way will forfeit their lives!"

    These arrogant words boomed through the entire Immortal Valley. Everyone felt the force that was hidden beneath. It was not empty words. As soon as they were spoken, Xu Min increased his pace. He unsheathed the sword on his back and rushed to meet his opponents.

    By his side, Ye Ling had a toothy grin on his face. His internal energies were starting to surround him, and his ws were shining. Both, Xu Min and Ye Ling, were ready to kill the ones opposing them, and both human and beast felt extremely excited.

    Ouyang Xiu, who was left behind, did not seem worried. Instead, a smile was on his lips as he looked at the young man and beast rushing to meet the horde of cultivators.

    "You wanted to see his real strength. Now keep your eyes open. I am sure that it is time for you to see just what he has kept hidden."

 Chapter 98: Two Against Hundred

    Chapter 98: Two Against Hundred

    "Are we not going to assist him?" one of Ouyang Xiu¡¯s followers asked confused. Clearly, they were currently allies. If they did not aid him when he faced an entire army of experts, what kind of allies were they?

    "We will assist him," Ouyang Xiu said casually, but his actions said otherwise. He showed no signs of wanting to move. All he did was to stand still, his arms crossed over his chest. A smile yed on his lips as his eyes shone with excitement.

    Since Ouyang Xiu was not moving, no one else moved. They did not move even when he said that they were going to. Words were one thing, actions were another.

    Sensing the doubt and confusion amongst his peers, Ouyang Xiu sighed and exined himself. "Xu Min is going to burst with power soon. If we are in the way, we will likely be butchered as well. Nevertheless, by the time he runs out of energy, we will step in and assist him. We will not allow these people to defeat him; especially since they are our enemies. For now, just watch and enjoy the show, but as soon as he shows signs of fatigue, join the fray and y as you wish!"

    Ouyang Xiu¡¯s words made everyone excited. To fight their enemies and kill geniuses of their opposing families made their future more secure. Killing all of the hundred experts who had appeared would truly be a great benefit to the Ouyang family. However, it would not be as easy as they expected it would be. All these experts were true geniuses, and there were so many of them! Even if the Ouyang Camp went against them, it was not possible to get rid of them all just like that. The Ouyang Family would have casualties as well.

    It was Xu Min these experts were here for. Though they had enmity with the Ouyang Family, they brazenly were attacking them now to get revenge on Xu Min. If they could seed in killing Xu Min, then would that not be enough to render tremendous merits for their n or family?

    Xu Min understood their thoughts; he was partly grateful to these experts for throwing away their lives in front of him. He had gained so many new attacks and ways of using his Qi that Xu Min was eager to test it out in arge scale battle.

    By his side was the forever faithful Ye Ling, who was just as eager for the battle to start as Xu Min, and the two, man and beast, together rushed into the midsts of the many experts that surrounded him.

    Qi filled the air. One stance after another was being disyed causing Qi to rise into the air and take on the shape of various things. Some were fireballs; others were wind des. Some were zing suns; others were weapons. All these attacks had only one target but being the target of so many attacks, Xu Min was not worried.

    Instead, he lifted his sword and met them head on, feeling how the sword greedily started sucking up all the Qi of the internal experts who had cast the first wave of stances.

    Feeling his body trembling with energy, he noticed that so much energy had entered it that he was likely to explode if he did not do something about it soon. With a loud roar, Qi exploded around his body.

    Every single strand of Qi was as swift as the wind and as sharp as the sword carrying it. The element of the wind was an inconceivable swordlight. This was not an imitation of the element but the element itself.

    Xu Min was a human; it was not possible for him to merge elements and Qi since he was not a fairy. Nheless, he had previously fought a fairy and had absorbed her many attacks, even her all out attack which had contained all her knowledge and elemental affinity.

    Absorbing all of the fairy¡¯s Qi had caused Xu Min¡¯s Qi to change. Although Xu Min himself was incapable of merging Qi and elemental affinities, his Qi had still taken on the element of the wind. When Xu Min¡¯s Qi was being used, it would be much more deadly than before, and his attacks would be both swifter and fiercer.

    It was not only his internal fighting capabilities that had changed, but his physical body had also benefitted greatly from the fight with the fairy. He understood that he could if given the time, be able to use this control over the Wind element in many various ways.

    Now, though, was not the time. He was more than satisfied with how swift his strands of Qi traveled. What he relied on right now was the sharpness of his swordlight, and every single strand of Qi contained within it.

    Each single Qi was as sharp as a sword; the Qi easily cut through limbs as though they were butter. Screams soon started to ring out as Xu Min began using his Qi without much concern for how much he used.

    The sword in hand kept on defending him against the stances. The experts that were in close range were battling Xu Min himself while the Qi wind des with the swordlight ingrained took care of the ones at a distance.

    Although Xu Min was capable of attacking and defending, he was using his Qi with wild abandonment. He soon found that although his body was being filled with the Qi that the sword had absorbed, it became harder and harder to control it. The energy was running wild, and every single attack he used became more and more berserk.

    "How are we going to join in?" One of Ouyang¡¯s previously silent followers asked amazed while she looked at the onught uring in front of her. Xu Min had started out as a dazzling and amazing cultivator. His every move had contained beauty and power. The way every single sh of his sword would block both stances and the external experts in one go was simply beautiful to behold. The Qi which left his body had such a lofty air to it as it had soared through the air and chopped people apart. Each move of Xu Min had at least wounded and killed three experts.

    But as the fight went on, he seemed to lose some of the sophisticated air and turned savage. The more he killed, the more menacing his attacks became, causing him to go more berserk as he used more Qi.

    These spectators were unaware of the fact that Xu Min was trying to use as much Qi as possible in the attempt to not explode. Nor did they know the actual dangerous predicament he was in. His own Qi was drawing dangerously low, making it hard for him to continue the battle.

    By his side, Ye Ling was in a simr situation. Although both of them were strong, they had a limit to how much Qi they could control. The majority of their opponents were four-star Warriors. They were no easy opponents. Xu Min had to use some of his real abilities to deal with them. He understood that he and Ye Ling were being pushed into a corner, and he was uncertain of what to do.

    "I can ask Ouyang Xiu to help," Xu Min mused, but then shook his head. "He will just be in the way," he mumbled harshly to himself. Another frenzied wave of Wind Qi fused with Swordlight struck out spontaneously. He used his sword to block as more chaotic Qi entered his body.

    "Master truly gifted me a wonderful item!" Xu Min sighed to himself in praise. He felt how easily he could block others. "I only have a little bit of Qi left," he mused, "Will I have to die here? There is only around thirty experts left, but can I truly have to give up by now? Master did me a great favor; I want to return to him and prove my strength!"

    Suddenly Xu Min¡¯s mind, which had started to consider the fact that he might be losing stumbled upon something he had not thought about in a long time. "Master gifted me with two great treasures," he said. This time his voice was rather loud, and everyone heard him. Their hearts were starting to shake in worry but also greed.

    "These two treasures have already saved my life more times than I can count and once more it will be the treasures gifted to me by the master which saves me!"

    Having said this Xu Min took a stance, something which shocked everyone present.

    Although Xu Min had previously used Qi in the way an internal expert would do, no one had ever before seen him make a stance and everyone became extra careful.

    "Ye Linge here!" Xu Min called out. The lion did not need to wait a moment. Instantly, he was standing by Xu Min¡¯s side. His breathing was hard, and he had small cuts and wounds all over his body. Blood was flowing from the fur and from the look of it he had broken a few ribs.

    Xu Min was not without wounds either. Even though he had been able to have an almost perfect defense, he could not defend against two sides at the same time and had been forced to take a few attacks head on. He had wounds all over his body too, but the frenzied Qi that was roaming his body was stopping it from bleeding almost instantly, making his clothes look tattered, but it was hard to see any blood.

    "Guard me for two minutes," Xu Min ordered before he closed his eyes. He steadied himself and stretched an arm up.

    The rest of his own Qi together with all the chaotic Qi that he had absorbed was instantly roaring through his body in a specific pattern before it started seeping out.

    The sun in the sky turned dark; a manifestation of stars seemed to appear instead. Everywhere small shards of jade as sharp as razors appeared one after another at an astonishing speed.

    These shards were so many and all over the area. When Ouyang Xiu saw this spectacle, his eyes widened. He instantly gave a single order, "Retreat. NOW!" before he turned to leave.

    No one dallied, even the ones who had attacked Xu Min were shocked and turned to leave, but it was all toote. Xu Min opened his eyes; a cold gleam appeared within them as he clenched his fist. Thousands upon thousands of shards started to whistle through the air at a speed even his wind de could not achieve.

    These jade shards embedded themselves within the bodies of everyone present. Some shot right through the bodies while others were directly cut through.

    The thirtysomething remaining cultivators all had tried to flee, but not one of them were able to survive. They copsed on the ground one after another. Blood flowed from all their wounds. Their eyes were filled with despair. Even such an overpowering group was incapable of doing anything to Xu Min!

    Outside the Immortal Valley, everyone had been watching the battle. At first, the Snow Mountain people had been excited and gloated as they looked at the ce where Ouyang¡¯s family was seated, but their expression quickly turned sour.

    When they saw the Radiant Jade Shower their faces were incredibly pale, but not only them. Everyone present had pale faces. Suddenly someone mumbled just loud enough for all to hear, "you don¡¯t think that his master is him, do you?"

    Within this voice was disbelief but also fear, an unfathomable fear.

 Chapter 99: The End of the Rankings

    Chapter 99: The End of the Rankings

    "No...it can¡¯t be," the elder of Snow Mountain shook his head, but his words were hesitating;fear was evident in his eyes. This world was vast. This continent alone contained many experts, experts who were so strong their names had long remained known throughout the entire world, experts that brought peace, glory, and stability to the continent. However, they were also some experts known for their insanity, their madness and illogical spontaneity of their actions.

    The man they were all thinking about was one of these deranged experts. He was someone who imed to be one of the strongest in the entire world, but also worked without logic.

    "He vanished years ago; there is no way he would suddenly emerge," the Snow Mountain Elder tried to exin to himself. Nheless,looking at Xu Min¡¯s recent attack , his heart screamed the truth. Who knew if this man was truly his master, and if he was, wasn¡¯t that tantamount to having made an enemy out of the world¡¯s number one lunatic?

    This, he could not ept. Thus he refused to believe that there was a connection between the two. In spite of this conclusion, no matter how much he thought about it he had no other solution to as to why Xu Min was capable of using this attack. He started to feel real fear the enemy that his Snow Mountain had created.

    It was not only him. Anyone allied with Snow Mountain felt the same fear; this new discovery caused many to re at Snow Mountain with displeasure. If their sects and families fell because of them and their decisions they could never face their ancestors in the afterlife.

    "Perhaps he stumbled across a heritage left behind by him," the Snow Mountain Elder said lowly but just high enough for all to hear it. Nany agreed. Still, none of them wished to insult Xu Min further. If there was even the slightest chance that his master was the famous lunatic they were thinking of, they just signed their own death certificate.

    Inside the Immortal Valley, Xu Min was standing still. His body was shaking as he had overdrawn his energy, and he was deadly pale. Still, he had killed all the hundred experts that came against him; he was incredibly excited because of this.

    "I need to meditate now," he said seriously. He abruptly sat down in the middle of the bloodstained battlefield, not caring for the many corpses which littered the ground around him.

    He quickly started to absorb the essence of the heavens and the earth into his dantian and refined it into Qi, ensuring that he soon could at least move again.

    While cultivating, he once more became one with the world. He entered this ethereal state where his mind was everywhere, and he was able to enter into enlightenment.

    While he was thinking, the wind around him was gently blowing around his body. He could feel everything everywhere around him. He felt that without using his Qi, he could control the wind in the surrounding area. Xu Min realized all he needed was his thoughts. Consequently, with just one thought, he created a wind de made from only the wind, no Qi, and he used it to slice at one of the corpses on the ground.

    This wind de was not as strong as the de that he had made with the Qi, but it was much times swifter. It was as though a whole world opened up in Xu Min¡¯s mind, and he finally understood how he could use the wind around him exactly as he wished to. If he merged with it, either his swordlight or his Qi he could make the most dangerous attacks while being concealed by the wind.

    Xu Min was not very knowledgeable when it came to cultivation. He knew that there were nine stars of the Warrior rank. Thus, he wished to be a nine-star Warrior. However, he was unaware of the fact that humans could not control the elements. Seeing all those elemental imitated attacks he saw earlier, he thought they were real, much like how he was controlling the wind right now.

    While Xu Min was busy cultivating, no one dared toe near him. No one was attempting to kill him now, and even Ouyang Xiu ordered his men to stay back and not interrupt him. Ouyang Xiu remembered being taught about the enlightened experience one has after a life and death battle. It was very important, and if he interrupted Xu Min, it was likely that he would lose his spark of enlightenment.

    Instead, Ouyang Xiu and his followers stayed just outside of Xu Min¡¯s reach, observing him, guarding him and chatting amongst one another.

    "Who was it that wanted to have a sparring match with him before?" A woman asked teasingly as she looked at the man in question. As soon as the words escaped her lips, his face turned dark from anger first and then red in embarrassment of his own actions previously. It was clear that Xu Min had been telling the truth. He truly did not know how to hold back, and if they had sparred, it was likely to have ended with the death of the other person.

    Ouyang Xiu chuckled as he heard them joke behind him, yet his eyes did not leave Xu Min. Having befriended this young man was a good decision, but he feared that he was going to misunderstand why they had not assisted him in the battle. It was not because they did not want to, truly, but because Xu Min had simply been too frenzied in his attacks. He was so frenzied in fact that no one was capable of staying alive.

    As Ouyang Xiu was thinking this, his eyes twitched slightly. However, he also felt that Xu Min would understand this. He did not know if he wished for the younger man to wake up as soon as possible so that he could exin their reasoning, or if he wished that he did not wake up anytime soon, so he did not have to exin. His emotions were mixed.

    No matter what Ouyang Xiu wished, he had no control over Xu Min. The young man waspletely unaware of the fact that he was being observed. In his mind, the only thing which he was trying toprehend was the fact that he needed to fullyprehend and understand the marvelous power of the Wind.

    Xu Min was seated in meditation for a full seven hours before he finally opened his eyes. Once he did, the wind in the surrounding areas all rose into a gale. The tattered clothes on his body fluttered in the wind together with his hair, and he smiled happily as he felt his body be one with the wind.

    The sudden gale instantly died down. Xu Min stood up, a great smile was on his lips. "Brother Ouyang!" Xu Min called out as he saw the Ouyang camp standing by his side. He was surprised. Every corpse had been removed from the battleground, but the blood and stench of death were still heavy in the air.

    "What is this?" he asked surprised. "Did you clean after me?" He had not wished to trouble the Ouyang family with such a messy job of cleaning up after his killing, but Ouyang Xiu shook his head, "these people who died were teleported out of the Immortal Valley. Their corpses can be picked up by their families, or they will be cremated and their ashes spread over the Immortal Valley."

    Hearing this exnation, Xu Min was enlightened once more. He had not guessed that the Immortal Valley Guardians actually took care of the killed experts, but thinking about it, every person was a genius of the younger generation. It was only natural that their families wished to bring back their remains.

    "To be honest, though there are deaths every time an Immortal Valley Ranking, this is the first time it has been this bloody," Ouyang Xiu continued. "In recent years a hundred experts have died on average in each ranking, but this year you killed a hundred experts in an hour, just like that!! It is simply hard to understand how it is possible."

    Xu Min justughed, "I would not have killed that many, had they not tried to kill me," he said. Ouyang Xiu nodded his head. Although this had been a bloody Immortal Valley Ranking, it did not affect him. As a matter of fact, it was beneficial to him as it was all his opponents that were being killed one after another. Almost the entire younger generation of Snow Mountain had been killed. This was a cause for celebration.

    Xu Min returned to the Ouyang camp and one day slowly took another. Often the experts from the camp would group up and enter the deep forests on search for treasures to gain or beasts to kill.

    While everyone was busy with their treasure hunts ,Xu Min was focused on learning the stances that he had stolen from the many people he had killed. While focused on this, he came to realized that control over elements was not something humans were capable of doing. Every time he encountered a problem with cultivation he would go to Ouyang Xiu to chat with him. He soon understood that elemental energies could not be merged with Qi unless one was a fairy.

    Realizing that it had to do with fairies, Xu Min quickly understood that it had to do with the fairy he had encountered within the Blood Pagoda. Absorbing that energy was enough to give him some control over her element.

    Xu Min made sure not to tell anyone about this control over Wind as he kept it as a secret weapon but while training he would often merge Qi and swordlight with the wind.

    One day after another went by and soon the year hade to pass. The entire Ouyang faction was standing together with Xu Min on the side and a ripple descended down upon every member present as they were teleported out of the Immortal Valley.

    As they arrived at the tform where they had entered into the Immortal Valley in the first ce, they found that all the seats were filled with the elders and experts from the various families, ns and sects and all of them were staring at one person, Xu Min.

    Although Xu Min had performed amazingly during his time within the Immortal Valley Ranking, he had made many enemies by killing the younger generation experts. Thus, what they saw in the eyes of these elders was disbelief, worry and lingering fear. All these families had experts far stronger than Xu Min in their midsts, a single elder would be able to kill Xu Min instantly. However, they still showed their fear causing everyone else to be worried about what exactly the audience had seen from the water screens. Could Xu Min have gained some incredible legacy during the Immortal Valley Rankings or was there some other thing that caused this fear?

    Everyone present made sure to ask the families about itter but for now they did not have the time. A delegation of Guardians appeared behind the teleportation array leading into the Immortal Valley. With a few ancient words no one understood, the formation dimmed and no one would be able to activate it until the Guardians chose to do so next time.

    ¡°The winner of this year¡¯s Immortal Valley Ranking is the unaffiliated Xu Min,¡± a loud voice boomed through the silence. No one cheered, no one booed, everyone werepletely quiet. With an approving nod, the Guardian continued his announcements.

    ¡°The second ce goes to Ouyang Xiu from the Ouyang Family.¡±

    ¡°Third ce goes to Dong Qi from the Swordsplitter Sect.¡±

    ¡°We, the Guardians of The Immortal Valley, have decided to reward the first ce with a chance to join our sect and study in our Immortal Valley Academy.¡±

    ¡°The second ce will be rewarded with five thousand spirit pills.¡±

    ¡°The third ce will be rewarded with two heavenly treasures.¡±

 Chapter 100: Student

    Chapter 100: Student

    The voice reverberated through the entire audience. Everyone was stunned speechless by these words, yet their silence did notst long. Soon after, a murmur erupted as everyone began discussing the rewards.

    The first ce reward was simply inconceivable. To think that the famous and secretive Immortal Valley Guardians were going to allow an outsider to enter among them was something they had never thought possible. Had they known that this was the prize, then they would have told their geniuses to win at any cost. However, in hindsight, they could only sigh, knowing that it was highly unlikely for them to defeat Xu Min and take his ranking as number one.

    "Perhaps the prize was chosen based on the fact that this guy was unaffiliated with the major powers within the Immortal Ruins. It could be that they refuse to take in someone who is part of a sect or a family, which would cause someone to have split loyalties." Somebody mused. His voice was just audible enough for others to hear, and many felt that this was logical.

    Getting past their surprise over the reward for the first rank, the congregation was also surprised by the items that the second and third ce were granted. "The prizes this year were simply outstanding. Considering all the wealth they had most likely umted through their travels in the Immortal Valley alongside these pills or heavenly treasures, they will turn into true peerless geniuses that can fight even those above their rank."

    Many sighed in despair. Dong Qi and his Swordsplitter Sect were allied with the Ouyang Family, and both of these geniuses would traverse the world unlike any had before them.

    "To have gained a hundred spirit pills, it would not be impossible for Ouyang Xiu easily to break into the sixth star. It might even be possible for him to be a seven-star Warrior," an Ouyang member said excitedly. His words sent waves through the audience, causing some to feel pressure and others to feel excitement depending on their rtionship with the Ouyang Family.

    "Spirit pills raised a cultivator¡¯s base level of strength, but a heavenly treasure can burst out with strength and increase their offensive or defensive power. Some heavenly treasures can even protect the user against an immortal¡¯s attacks for ten breaths of time!" Someone from the Swordsplitter sect eximed.

    "It is a shame that younger brother Dong was unable to acquire the spirit pills. Nevertheless, acquiring two heavenly treasures will be able to help him survive when he goes out traveling."

    While everyone in the audience was either discussing the prizes and what effect it would have on the future for the Immortal Ruins, Xu Min was quiet and contemtive. He was thinking about what to do. He had hoped to ally himself with some major force and seek tutge from them, but now it seemed he had been offered a position in one of the most prestigious schools in the entire Immortal Ruins.

    However, Xu Min was rather cautious when it came to his future. He could not understand why he had been offered such a high position when he had done nothing to deserve. If it had been standard practice for them to ept students, then he would not have hesitated. Nheless, hearing that they never before had allowed for outsiders to enter made him worried about what exactly could be the cause of this sudden interest in him.

    By his side, Ye Ling was standing still. He looked at the cloaked Guardians, and a pondering look appeared in his eyes. Seeing this expression, Xu Min was curious as to what hispanion was thinking, but he did not ask. This ce was not the best location for conversation.

    To gain something, I need to give something, Xu Min thought to himself and sighed. Let us try and see what these Guardians of Immortal Valley can do for me. Then I will decide if we are going to stay in this school or not. "If it can benefit me and help me improve, then I am more than willing to be part of their school. If they limit my future progress and try to keep me from getting revenge, then I will leave this school!" He pondered the pros and cons.

    Having reached a decision, Xu Min no longer lingered on the thought of what to do. Instead he focused fully on what was happening around him. He saw many joyful faces, some troubled, and others that were filled with grief and hate.

    A Guardian appeared with three storage treasures within his hands. One was a bottle that he gifted to Ouyang Xiu, with the number of spirit pills promised inside.

    The second item was a bracelet of some kind; Dong Qi epted it humbly.

    The final item was a ring, and this ring was gifted to Xu Min. It was a slim ring with a ck stone embedded on the top. epting the ring, Xu Min did not know if he was supposed to look through it or not, but he refrained from expecting it after seeing how the two others also refrained from searching through their storage treasures.

    "I dere this Immortal Valley Ranking as ended. You cane and collect the corpses of your participants if they are in a decent condition. Those who are dismembered or have in other way been impossible for us to identify will be burned and have their ashes scattered over the Immortal Valley."

    He turned around. The unceremonious ending was apparently the same every time. The audience started to stand up. Everyone was extra slow as they watched the guardian move to Xu Min¡¯s side and gesture for the younger man to follow him.

    Xu Min, who had made his decision to follow the Guardians and see what this school was like, respectfully tagged along. He nodded a goodbye to Ouyang Xiu, who gave him a thumbs up and a pearlescent smile.

    "This is great," Ouyang mumbled, "To think that I will have a good rtionship with someone from the Guardians of the Immortal Valley. This will prove to be even more beneficial in the future than when he was a wandering cultivator." Pondering for a little and looking around, Ouyang Xiu still saw reverence and slight fear in the eyes of people as they looked at Xu Min. Ouyang Xiu could not help but wonder what exactly was the reason for this look. He made a note to ask the elders of his familyter on when they were on their way back home to the Ouyang Family.

    Xu Min and Ye Ling were both following behind this cloaked man, keeping a slight distance and saying absolutely nothing. It was not that Xu Min had no questions, but he was uncertain of how and when to ask them.

    What Xu Min had most in mind was thoughts of Cao Cao. They had been separated for a whole year, and he was worried how this snake friend of his was doing. Had he been mistreated while the Immortal Valley Ranking had been underway? Had he been given enough food? Where was he? There were many questions. But no matter how much he thought about it, there was no polite way to ask these questions. As a result, Xu Min kept quiet.

    ncing behind him, the Guardian had an approving smile on his face, hidden beneath the cloak; he led Xu Min to a few old buildings. These old buildings were tightly protected by Guardians, and their auras were so overwhelming that Xu Min had never experienced anything like it before.

    The style of these buildings was simr to that of the Blood Pagoda. All of them were multiple stories tall, and a powerful aura was permanently emitting out from each one. Xu Min was amazed at the sight of this. However, he keenly understood even though it was grand and beautiful, it was far from big enough to house a whole sect. This was likely just the entrance into the real school.

    In tow behind the Guardian, they easily entered the middle mansion, thergest of them all. Many Guardians were stationed outside this mansion, and all of them were looking at Xu Min. It was impossible for him to decipher their expressions since everyone of them hid beneath a cloak,pletely covering their faces. Nheless, he felt no hostility only curiosity.

    They went through one corridor after another, past door after door. Finally, they reached arge room where the Guardian in front stopped, causing both Xu Min and Ye Ling to stop in their tracks as well.

    "Please enter," the Guardian said as he stepped aside. His voice was yful and contained some excitement. From the voice, it was clear he had a favorable opinion of Xu Min.

    Xu Min instantly felt much more at ease hearing the friendly voice. Without dy, he and Ye Ling entered through the massive set of double doors.

    His mouth opened upon entering. He was standing in a chamber where the ceiling was aplete manifestation of the sky above; the sun shone, and the clouds gently flowed. Even the heat this sun radiated was as real as the one outside the mansion.

    The floor was filled with rows of meditation mats on either side of him. As he walked forward, he saw that the prayer mats were upied by Guardians here and there, meditating silently.

    The end of the chamber was raised by fifteen steps, elongating up towards a tform housing a conve of Guardians. Six guardians were standing on either side. In the middle was a throne-like chair where a final guardian was seated.

    While most of these guardians, except the masked ones, had ck hair, this one person had hair that was as silver as the most beautiful rays of moonlight.

    From this, Xu Min could guess that the man was older than the others. The imposing aura that he possessed was so overwhelming even Xu Min felt it impossible to breathe.

    Reaching the foot of the stairs, Xu Min did not ascend them. Instead, he knelt down. These were his elders; all of them had the power to kill him with but a thought. Showing respect to such astonishing figures was no disgrace.

    "Arise, Child," the seated figure spoke out. His voice did not contain any Qi, but it still felt as sharp as a knife that cut deep into Xu Min¡¯s body, filling him with a boundless strength.

    Xu Min did not ask any questions but quickly followed the order. He stood upright and looked on at these experts, uncertain as to what was expected of him.

    "We have invited you to join our faction. Although we have never done so before, you have something that we are searching for. Furthermore, you will be able to truly flourish in our school."

    "We will not force you to join us. It will be hard for you, both mentally and physically. However, I believe you have what it takes to be an unmatched expert soaring in the skies." The elder kept talking. Every word of his caused Xu Min¡¯s blood to boil.

    A ce where he could flourish? A ce with not only benefits but also challenges. Was this not what he had been looking for all this time?

    "Honorable Elders, please allow for this lowly one to be a disciple of the Guardians of the Immortal Valley," he said as he bowed three times towards the ground.

    Seeing this reaction, they were all initially stunned, yet they soon smiled in approval beneath their cloaks. Even a few of the elders physical showed their approval by nodding.

    "Follow Master Mu Zi. He will take you to the academy and teach you all you need to know." The seated elder beckoned Xu Min toe with his hand. One of the twelve elders by his side stepped forward. This elder bowed to the others and turned to leave. Around this man¡¯s neck was a small green snake with an indescribably excited expression on its face.

    This is it, Xu Min thought to himself. This is my new beginning to life; a new chance to be strong enough to get revenge!

    As Xu Min thought so to himself, his fists clenched. With a bow to the elders, he turned around and followed obediently behind the elder named Mu Zi.

 Chapter 101: Guardian Tree

    Chapter 101: Guardian Tree

    Walking through a transportation portal, Xu Min and Ye Lin arrived within the deepest and darkest part of a forest. Xu Min was starting to feel worried about what he had just stepped into.

    "We are back in the Immortal Valley," Ye Ling mumbled in a very low voice, so low in fact Xu Min could only hear it because he was on high alert. Although it made no sense for these Guardians to take him to a remote area and just kill him, he could not help but feel this would be what happened to him.

    "Have you been here before?" Xu Min mumbled in return. Ye Ling just shook his head without exining anything further. Whether or not he had something to say, he did not say it since the elder turned to look at them.

    Because he was wearing a cloak, it was hard to see whether or not he was looking at them with a stern expression or not. Thus the three, two men and the beast, said no more.

    The group was walking on a small trail. At first sight, the trail seemed to belong to a group of beasts, but upon further inspection, it was a rather busy road. The ground was covered by leaves. It seemed as though it was barely stepped upon, but the path was wide, and there were no signs of any animals close by.

    When Xu Min, Ye Ling, and the elder were moving on the path none of them stepped hard and not a leaf was turned. Since Xu Min and Ye Ling had stopped talking no sound could be heard, not even the normal sounds of animals that would inhabit such a grand forest.

    They walked for what seemed like an eternity, In reality, though, it only took them around one hour before the elder stopped in his tracks and looked to the side. There was a massive tree at least five hundred meters tall with a tree trunk so thick even ten people together could not reach all the way around it.

    The elder, looking at this tree and nodded his head. He bowed deeply in front of him. These actions caused Xu Min to be stunned at first, but upon remembering the scene he had seen in Cao Cao¡¯s home, he realized trees were conscious beings too. He followed suit and bowed towards the tree. Even Ye Ling copied his action.

    "This is our Guardian Tree; it is the entrance to our Academy," the elder exined for the first time since they had exited the buildings in the Immortal Ruins. "The Guardian Tree is as old as the Immortal Valley itself and has seen countless conflicts and times of peace. It has grown in harsh weathers and experienced torrential rains and forest fires. Now it is the sovereign of all nts."

    "This Guardian tree is the root and foundation of our sect. Treat it with the respect it deserves."

    As the elder finished speaking, the tree lowered its branches. Soon it was possible for it to touch the elder and Xu Min. It paid absolutely no attention to Ye Ling.

    At this point, Xu Min was extremely nervous. To be scrutinized by a tree was not something he had expected. He had no idea what this tree was looking for, so his heart was beating rapidly while he stood still like a twig, not daring to utter any sound nor make any movements.

    It was not only Xu Min who was worried. The elder felt his heart beat rapidly as well. Just like Xu Min, he feared the verdict of the tree. This particr elder had been very supportive of Xu Min during the Immortal Valley Rankings. He had been one of the speakers that suggested they take him in. Nevertheless, it was not him who ultimately decided if Xu Min was good enough for their sect. Only someone approved by the Guardian Tree could enter into the academy.

    The leaves were nowpletely covering Xu Min, making him seem as if he had been a part of the tree from the very start. He had trouble breathing, but he did notin.

    An ancient power rushed through his body. The power entered him into the deepest core of his dantian and examined every single cell of his being.

    This ancient power clearly did not belong to him, nor did it merge with his Qi to be his power. Instead, it was as if it was roaming through his body to investigate his level of his power and the abilities he possessed.

    Slowly the ancient power started to seep out of his body. This time it entered the leaves that covered him until there was nothing left. By then the leaves let go of him. The tree once more stood tall and straight; the branches no longer bending down.

    Xu Min was unaware of what had happened. He did not know the type of energy that had been used nor did he understand what kind of power this ancient tree had. He was unable to fully understand the purpose either. Thus he waited patiently for the tree to make its verdict. He had no power to go against this tree, so all he could do was to wait.

    The Elder was even more impatient. He understood what was going on much better than Xu Min, and he also knew how important this was for them. Although Xu Min had not been given any specific information about the school just yet, if he did not gain approval now, he needed to be killed. They could not afford to let anyone who knew even the slightest information about their sect go free.

    Since this elder was greatly interested in Xu Min and his potential, he was not willing to see such a talented individual die a meaningless death. As a result, he astutely and impatiently observed the tree with great expectations.

    Xu Min unaware of his possibly grim fate was not so nervous. If he did not manage to be a student of this academy, then he would just choose to go elsewhere to increase his strength. He was incapable of knowing he would die if he failed.

    The tree, seemingly not reacting to the tension that was building beneath it, spent a lot of time considering. Xu Min was not a true member of the Guardians of the Immortal Valley, but after his visit to the Blood Pagoda, he could be considered almost one.

    A rustling noise sounded through the leaves and branches, and a gentle breeze swept past the elder and Xu Min. Suddenly a portal appeared out of nowhere; right in front of the tree trunk and the elder heaved a heavy sigh of relief.

    "We heed your decision," he said with veneration in his voice and bowed deeply once more after which he led Xu Min to the portal.

    "Enter," he ordered. Xu Min, who dared not dally around, instantly entered the portal followed closely by Ye Ling.

    The two left the quietness of the forest. The moment they stepped through the portal, they were assaulted by noise. It sounded as if they were standing in the middle of a busy square filled with people who were discussing one thing after another.

    Once Xu Min stepped through this portal and heard the noise, though, it only took a short while before it turned silent, hushing sounds could be heard.

    It took Xu Min¡¯s eyes a moment to get used to the new location. As he opened them, he found that he was within a small chamber. Behind him was a portal which led straight to the Guardian Tree. Then the Elder appeared.

    "We are in the middle of the central pce of the Immortal Valley Academy. Outside is thousands of students our academy teaches. Since they heard that we were going to take in a new student , all of them have been waiting to see you."

    "This is the first time in our history that a new student has been introduced to our academy. It is a great event. I am sure they had been taking bets as to whether or not you sessfully managed to get past the Guardian Tree."

    "Some people will be supporting you while others will not be. Many will be hostile towards you and try to make life hard for you. However, if you can prove your strength, you will be able to continue where not many will be able to put up a fight against you."

    "I have to warn you, though," the elder continued, "the geniuses of the rest of these Immortal Ruins are nothingpared to the geniuses of our academy. You, although fairly strong, can only be considered average when ites to true battles."

    "Do your best and make the elders, who supported you to join, us proud. If you need anything, don¡¯t hesitate toe looking for me. I, Mu Zi, will do anything in my power to assist you. I will always be on your side."

    Xu Min, hearing these words, felt grateful. He was not sure why people would be hostile towards him unless it were because he was different from them. However, did being different mean that one should be treated with enmity?

    Xu Min did not understand this, but truthfully he did not care. Even if the world turned against him, he would just go against the world. If an Immortal blocked his way, he would find a way to kill an Immortal, let alone these students. They might be geniuses but how many geniuses had Xu Min already killed? He did not fear the geniuses of this academy even though he understood they were the real deal.

    Mu Zi would not lie to him about the fact that his strength was only considered mediocre. He also knew that all he needed was to gain further control of his abilities. All the things he had gained from the Blood Pagoda were just waiting for him to gain a better understanding of. Once he had time to control his abilities and understand his items, his power would soar to the sky. Hisbat ability would be frightening, and his rank would jump once more.

    All this, Xu Min understood. This was why he was not frightened by these geniuses. He doubted that they wouldmit fratricide, kill members of their school.

    Although Xu Min was done with his old life, the childhood he had gone through had taught him how to endure. He knew how to hold a grudge, but most importantly he knew how to bide time. He knew how to hold back when he was insulted. This was another reason why he felt confident in his ability to survive. Some might call him cowardly, but Xu Min would remember every single insult that had been ced upon him and paid it back tenfold. Though, this was until he was certain that he could return this insult tenfold. He had to have confidence he could win.

    Because of these certainties of his ability, Xu Min was not too worried about the possibility of creating numerous enemies. So far in his life, he already had so many that he could hardly count. Everywhere he went he would end up killingrge groups of experts, causing more and more factions to view him unfavorably. To have some enemies within this academy was not the worst thing he had to think about.

    "Are you ready?" Elder Mu Zi asked. His voice revealed the excitement he had for Xu Min. Xu Min steeled himself up before he nodded his head. He was ready.

    Together the four of them, the elder, Xu Min and the two beasts, stepped forward and got ready to meet the masses which were waiting for him outside. Even though Xu Min was not too worried about his future here, he could not help but have a rapid beating heart and feel the excitement to see his new home.

 Chapter 102: Around the Academy

    Chapter 102: Around the Academy

    "He doesn¡¯t look that different."

    "Look at his ears."

    "What do you think his clothes are made from?"

    "Why do you think they took in a human?"

    "Humanspletelycks any majestic aura. Look at him he seems so in."

    The voices resounded all over the ces. Many whispered, but some were louder than others; their voices could easily be heard. The words spoken made Xu Min¡¯s ears twitch. Human? Were these students not humans?

    He started inspecting all of them, and it was true. They seemed very different from any other human he had seen. There were two kinds of experts in front of him. The way the experts stood made it seem like they were split into two groups.

    Neither of these groups was wearing the cloaks that the Guardians wore themselves. Thus it was easier for Xu Min to examine them. The first group had pointy ears. Their eyes were of various colors, and so was their hair. Many had white hair or light blond with blue eyes.One could only describe them as incredibly beautiful and handsome. The women all looked regal; their aura was so majestic that one felt like prostrating themselves in front of them. Men would go to war over this kind of beauty.

    The men all resembled heroes. Their aura was also majestic but so imposing that one would think twice before getting in their way. This group of experts was all earthly beauties. It seemed they were connected to the earth in some way as if they were the sovereigns of the earth.

    The other group contained only women. These women were not as regal as the others. However, if it was possible, they were even more, beautiful than the other women. Their faces were so pure, so innocent that just speaking to them would soil their innocence. Xu Min had seen someone with a simr aura once before. A soul which seemed to have the same haughtiness, the same beauty, and the same purity. It was the fairy from within the Blood Pagoda.

    It was clear these groups of people were split between being an elf and being a fairy.

    These fairies and elves were both very curious about Xu Min, but Xu Min was more curious about them. It was not everyday that one meet and saw both elves and fairies, creatures that supposedly only lived in legends.

    The elves and fairies were aware that the outside world was filled with humans, but they had never before been allowed to leave the safety of the academy. Because of this, they were extra curious about Xu Min. Xu Min was now the personification of all humans in front of these fairy tale beings.

    Xu Min stood still in front of everyone. He was unsure of what was going to happen, where he was going to go and how he was going to be introduced to this academy. Elder Mu Zi was just standing to the side with his hood covering his head. He was not disying what he thought about this situation at all.

    Xu Min sighed and straightened his back. If he was going to be here for entertainment, then he might as well get a good look at everyone else as well. His eyes made contact with quite a few of the elves. Many of them were filled with excitement and curiosity, but a few were filled with animosity and hate. This hate was directed at all of humanity since Xu Min had appeared, though, it was him that all this hate was thrown on.

    Mu Zi was taking a long time before he finally stepped in front and raised his hands, "Students, students, my dear students. I am d to see that you all havee to wee our new student, Xu Min The Guardian Tree has already approved of him. He will be attending both the sses for elves and the sses for the fairies. He controls the Wind element and who knows which other elements he might turn out to gain enlightenment into. He also has a spirit bow and ess to the elves spirit power, not to mention, he is both an internal and external cultivator."

    "Since he will be participating in both morning and evening sses, it is only natural that he will get to know all of you. I assume that you will all look after him and behave like proper ssmates. Although humans are our enemies, this person is neither human nor elf nor fairy; if anything he is a little bit of everything, so treat him like you would treat your friends."

    The words spoken by Mu Zi made everyone murmur amongst themselves. He was neither human, elf or fairy? How could one be a mixture of all three races? This waspletely inconceivable for them.

    Without waiting to say anything else, Mu Zi started leaving the tform where they had been standing. Xu Min quickly followed suit. Behind him Ye Ling, who had not uttered a single sound since they reached the Guardian Tree. He also quickly scurried after Xu Min. His tail was between his legs, and his eyes were alert and filled with worry.

    Seeing Ye Ling like this, Xu Min was curious as for the reason, but he did not ask. Instead, he just gently rested his hand on therge lion¡¯s shoulder and gave it a reaffirming squeeze. As long as Xu Min was around, no one was allowed to touch Ye Ling.

    Mu Zi kept moving further and further into the academy. One building after another was introduced to Xu Min. Some were the residents of the students; others were residents for the teachers. Each student had their residence. They were split into male and female houses; fairies were in one part of the academy while there were elves in another.

    "This is the academy¡¯s library. Anyone is wee toe here and study the history of our races or the current affairs of the world. It is also possible to study cultivation methods and techniques the library. It is free for all students; you can visit it anytime and all the time. It is open every day and night, and we have a librarian looking after it. He is an immortal, so you must always treat him with respect."

    "This is the Pill Pce. Here you can trade contribution points for various medicinal pills, or once a year you will be given your pill allowance. There are so many different kinds of pills that it is hard to determine which ones will help you the most. Nevertheless, after a bit of time, you will know what you need the most. We have pills which raise your cultivation base, pills which purify your Qi, and pills which help you control your element better. We even have healing pills for if you are the kind of person who gets into fights all the time. As well, two immortals who looks after the Pill Pce so treat them with the respect they deserve."

    "This is our Ability Hall. In here we have various abilities which can be taught to you for the price of contribution points. Some of the abilities can¡¯t be made even from contribution points but need specific contributions or reasons to allow one to enter. The Ability hall¡¯s master is also an immortal. Trying to sneak into the parts where the higher ranked abilities are located will be a bad decision, you will regret itter."

    "This is the Sparring Field. As you can see, there are multiple arenas, stages, and cages ced all over this field. All of them are for the single purpose of allowing the students within our academy to engage in matches against one another. Some bet their contribution points for these matches, so it is a good way of gaining resources. As a new student, I can imagine that they will be rather harsh against you, trying to skin you alive or take your contribution points away from you."

    "This is the Mission Tower. Here you can take on various missions for contribution points. The missions contain anything from sweeping the floor to entering the Immortal Valley to y beasts or pick up treasures."

    "This Academy is located in the heart of the Immortal Valley. It is filled with formations to keep unwanted people and animals away from our location. It ispletely impossible to enter unless you have been granted ess to the Guardian Tree."

    "This academy is educating new guardians for the Immortal Valley. As long as they are students, they are not allowed to leave the academy. Upon graduation, though, they are allowed to be Guardians and can roam our territories here within the Immortal Ruins."

    "You are a special case as you look like a human," Mu Zi continued, talking as they kept walking forward, "you might be given specific tasks outside of our territories as you can mingle in with the humans easily. We will see what the Mission Tower will have in store for you."

    "Thest ce I wish to tell you about is the outlet. This ce is rather important," Elder Mu Zi walked to a barn-like building. Unlike the others, this building did not have the prehistoric majestic air to it. It was simply as a small barn, but from elder Mu Zi¡¯s words, Xu Min understood that this building was perhaps the most important out of all he had seen so far.

    "The outlet is the ce where you get your monthly resources. You will be given hundred contribution points a month. The rest you will have to get from the mission tower. You will also be given a small portion of medicinal pills. Some that heal you, others that make it so that you feel no hunger and some to improve your cultivation. Apart from contribution points and medicinal pills, this is also the ce where you will acquire your clothes, utensils and other important things. If you are to go on arge mission, provisions will alsoe from this outlet."

    "Come with me," Mu Zi ordered. His arms were crossed on his back. He went into the outlet, closely followed by Xu Min.

    Inside the outlet, everything was in the dim light. Not much light shone through the windows, but a small counter could be seen.Behind this counter, an elderly woman was seated. She was in a reclining chair, and her eyes were closed. She looked as if she was asleep. Xu Min prefered not to wake her, but Mu Zi seemed to be of another opinion. He tapped the counter rather forcefully causing the woman to open an eye in dismay.

    "Mu Zi you beansprout! I was sleeping so soundly. Don¡¯t tell me that I need to be woken up at this godforsaken hour?! It is still another half a month before I need to deliver the monthly provisions!"

    The voice was filled with displeasure and unhappiness while a great smile was spreading on Mu Zi¡¯s lips.

    "Don¡¯t be so grumpy, old hag," he saidughingly, "I brought you our newest student. You should be excited about seeing him!"

    "Oh the Guardian Tree approved of him; did it now?" Suddenly the old woman showed some slight interest. She slowly stood up and went to the counter, looking at Xu Min with an interested gaze. "hum, he is truly not bad for a human. To have be one with an elf and a fairy is remarkable. His potential seems not bad. Okay, I will forgive you for waking me up this time. Let me find his items."

 Chapter 103: Cottage

    Chapter 103: Cottage

    "First I will give you four pills of Refrain. These pills are to be consumed once a week, and they will ensure that your body does not feel hungry. It also provides all the nutrition needed for a young body in a period of growth so do not worry about that."

    "The second thing I will give to you is your student uniform and a spare set. You will be granted a new uniform every half year. Though this might sound like a lot, but you will be destroying your uniforms on a regr basis while doing missions. Let me give you a piece of advice; when epting a duel always wear your own clothes and when you go on a mission, always wear your own clothes. If you need more uniforms than this, you have to purchase them using your contribution points."

    "Right. Then we have shoes," she continued and pped a pair of ck, very average, shoes on the counter, "You are allowed one pair of shoes a year, if you ruin before that time allotment simrly with the clothes, you¡¯ll need contribution points."

    "Here is a bag of random pills. We have ten pills of Qi gathering which improves your cultivation speed; we have five tablets of coagtion. Use them if you get wounded either during missions or in duels. Finally, we have three pills created from Beast Bone Powder. You only get the beast bone powder pills once every year; these pills will strengthen your body. They are refined from some rare beasts found in the Immortal Valley. Preferably Golden-Furred Blood Lions or simr creatures. The pills will enhance your body so much so you will be able to feel a noticeable difference when using brute strength."

    "I know you have a Golden-Furred Blood Lion as a pet, and he will most likely hate this academy. Many of the students as well will envy your ability to tame one, but don¡¯t feel too about eating these pills. All the beasts we kill are those who go to kill us It is a matter of life and death. We don¡¯t hunt down particr beasts for the sake of our pills."

    "There are the pills and the uniforms. Now you will also need some contribution points." the woman continued. She seemed to follow a checklist in her mind. It was incredibly rare that new students appeared a part from once a year when the elves and fairies reached the right age would be allowed to enter. However, a transfer student in the middle of the year? Unheard of!

    "You are a new student and a human to boot. You have done very well in the Blood Pagoda. Let me tell you a secret, not even our students dare enter the Blood Pagoda. As a reward, you have been granted extra contribution points for allowing our elders to see what is awaiting the students inside that madhouse."

    "You have been approved of by the Guardian Tree and allowed the basic amount of contribution points from that.

    "You have two beastpanions. Both are of high rank, especially that little green snake of yours, so you will also be granted contribution points for this."

    "You were the winner of the Immortal Valley Ranking and killed rather many geniuses, weeding out some of the experts whoter might cause problems for us. That aplishment also warrants you to some contribution points."

    "Let¡¯s see, in total; you have five thousand and seven hundred contribution points. That is unheard of for a new student!" the woman eximed amused.

    "Once a month you will gain contribution points, but the amount you get is one hundred each month. The rest you will gain bypleting missions."

    "If you find treasures while roaming the Immortal Valley that you cannot use you can also choose to exchange it for contribution points or even sell it on your own at the sparring field. Many students set up stalls there the first weekend of the month to sell pills or other items that they don¡¯t need for contribution points or other more needed items."

    "Now you have the choice of picking up a weapon if you are interested in doing so," thedy said. She already knew Xu Min¡¯s answer. The way he carried the sword on his back instead of storing it in a storage treasure showed that he already had found the weapon he preferred using.

    Rightly so, Xu Min shook his head, "Thank you madam, but no thank you. I already have a weapon which I can entrust my life to; I am not willing to rece it, not even with such incredible craftsmanship as the one made of by the elves."

    The olderdy nodded her head. Her sharp gaze looked at the sword in the sheath until her eyes widened and she trembled slightly.

    "You know someone called Wang Li?" she asked with a hoarse voice. Xu Min, who had not expected this question to be asked, was as shocked as the woman. He narrowed his eyes and looked at the woman in front of him, but he felt no hostility.

    "You know master Wang Li?" he asked confused. The woman nodded her head. "Long ago, in another time we all knew him. Who would have guessed that old man Li was your master. No wonder, no wonder," she said twice and nodded her head again. A new softness was within her eyes as she looked at Xu Min.

    "Be careful," she warned him, "you just got your contribution points. Never let anyone know how many points you have. Neither bet all of them at once in a duel. Also take care with the duels. Although fratricide is forbidden, there are still many who would love to bully the neers, especially if they can get some points at the same time."

    "Not to mention the ones who are against you because you are human. Being a human is enough reason for them to cripple you, so if you feel animosity towards you don¡¯t hesitate to decline the challenge."

    "Don¡¯t worry," Mu Zi said from within the hooded cloak, "I am going to make an announcement saying that the Sparring Field will be closed for the next seven days. Within these seven days, you will be able to rx and get used to this new ce. As well to mention you will have some more time toprehend the abilities you acquired in the Immortal Valley. You can also use some of your contribution points and purchase various items to increase either your rank or yourbat ability."

    Hesitating for some time, Mu Zi¡¯s hand stroked his cheek, "Actually do not rush to be a six-star Warrior just yet," he said. "you just reached the fifth-star not long ago, and you jumped from a two-star to a five-star Warrior in a year. This jump is already incredible; now you need to stabilize your foundation."

    Xu Min, feeling that both the elderly woman and Mu Zi cared for him, was grateful for their consideration. "Thank you," Xu Min said as he cupped his hands and bowed slightly. When someone treated him with kindness and respect, he was going to return the respect and friendship tenfold.

    "We have given you everything you are entitled to," Mu Zi said with a smile. However, with a wave of his hand a small medallion with an engraved dragon appeared in his hand. "Take this," he said and pushed it into Xu Min¡¯s hands, "this is a medallion which is bound to me. If you encounter problems here in the academy shatter the emblem, and I¡¯lle to your aid. It is not much, but I owe it to your master to take good care of you."

    Xu Min frowned. He looked up to his master a lot but why were these elves so respectful of him? Was this the reason that they had epted him within their academy? Xu Min could only guess as he knew that asking these questions would not yield any answers. Still, whenever he thought about his master who was working hard at the docks every single day, he found it weird that others spoke of him with such reverence.

    Hearing that this medallion was because of his master, Xu Min dared not say no, but he quickly stored it within one of his storage treasures to hid it away.

    "This way," Mu Zi led Xu Min out of the Outlet. As soon as, they exited out of the cabin. They were face to face with a group of elves and fairies which were looking at Xu Min with great curiosity.

    "Hear mymands, the next seven days the Sparring Field will be closed!" Mu Zi called out; his voice was filled with Qi. Everyone within the entire academy could hear him whether they were immortals or mortals.

    Some were filled with delight as they heard this announcement while others were filled with disappointment. some even resented Xu Min for this inconvenient urrence..

    Those resentful experts were the ones who had looked forward to battling Xu Min. Nevertheless, a sinister expression appeared on a few faces in the crowd. It was clear that they were all thinking how could seven days change anything. In seven days your filthy human face will be on this floor. .

    Their thoughts were so clear on their faces that Xu Min could easily read their expressions. Nevertheless, he paid them no heed. Instead he followed behind Mu Zi as they left the square outside the outlet and returned to the residential area of the academy.

    Here many big buildings were towering side by side and each student had their own room within these buildings. Mu Zi walked right past them and stopped in front of a small cottage. It was not much bigger than the one he had lived in together with his sister, but it was of much better quality. It had a roof made from new straw, walls made from y and a wooden door. In the roof was a hole where smoke could escape. It appeared like any other ordinary cottage.

    "You are different. Thus you have been given your own home," Mu Zi said apologetic. "We usually have our students split into the housing of elves together and fairies together, but you control the elements like a fairy and the spirit power like an elf. You also possess the body of a human. We can not determine where to ce you. In the end, we decided to house you separately. I hope you will like it." Mu Zi said apologetically but Xu Min truly liked it. He nodded his head in satisfaction. "Thank you so much, elder Mu Zi," he said with a deep bow towards the elder and looked at what was to be his new home for who knew how long.

    "In that case, I will take my leave," Mu Zi said with a nod of his head. He left, leaving behind Xu Min who instantly entered his new house. The inside was as neat as the outside. There was a bed to the side and a firece in the middle. To the other side was a desk and a chair and the ground was swept clear of anything which one might find on most floors.

    Seeing the house being so clean and neat, Xu Min picked up some wooden blocks and instantly lit a fire in the firece before he sat down in meditation. He had understood that there were many mysteries about the elemental control that he still needed to understand. Now that he had seven days of peace he would be able to gain a vast amount of understanding of his new acquired skill.

 Chapter 104: Domain

    Chapter 104: Domain

    Wind. The wind was everywhere around him. It was an element which Xu Min had acquired by absorbing the fairie¡¯s powers within the Blood Pagoda, and this control over the wind had benefitted him previously in other battles.

    He was now capable ofmanding the wind, shaping it into anything from wind des to an assistant for his attacks. The wind allowed for him to move much quicker than he had been able to before. He felt the wind close to his body, and he was capable ofprehending that within this element was a deep secret, the secret of the power of the wind and the truth behind this element.

    The more Xu Min thought about the wind, the more he understood about it. The wind was present everywhere, even right next to him now. As he emerged himself in the feeling of this element, he came to understand that it could be controlled in so many different ways.

    A gentle breeze yed with Xu Min¡¯s hair while he was pondering the secrets of the wind. Slowly and gradually, he felt himself slip into a stage very simr to bing one with the world.

    Xu Min, amidst the gentle breeze, was fully focused on his meditation; his mind was slowly leaving his body when it merged with the wind. It was sofortable, Xu Min himself had be a breeze of wind, traveling vast distance with a single breeze, epassing everything as the wind was everywhere, never to be seen but always to be felt.

    Xu Min could feel himself leaving his body within the small house and traveling through the Academy as a gust of wind. He experienced the sights he had seen once before. He gently yed with the hair of some fairies, brushed against the clothes of some elves and even flew past some immortals. No one, however, raised an eyebrow at this sudden gust of wind. No one seemed to sense that it was not just a single gust of the wind but Xu Min¡¯s mind hidden within.

    Xu Min felt free like a bird, free as a spirit as he soared in the sky. He flew where he wished to fly, and he was not restrained by anything.

    Xu Min was enjoying himself so much that he did not notice the darkness that quickly descended on the Academy. He had taken to the sky and was wafting back and forth at the top of the clouds. Suddenly he noticed that the world had turned dark. He was startled as he had fully emerged himself in the feeling of unlimited freedom.

    Taking to the ground, Xu Min returned to his body. With an emotional sigh, he finally seemed to understand something incredible. The wind was everywhere, and one could merge with the wind. He could control any wisp of the wind, any gust, and any storm. He could brew typhoons andmand hurricanes, but what¡¯s more, he could merge with the wind with things such as his swordlight, his soul, and his attacks. Every gust of wind could contain the attacks he had learned. Merging his sword with the wind, he would even be able to attack anywhere at any time. Where the wind was, he would also be.

    It was not only his sword which was able to merge with the wind and travel at astonishing speeds; Xu Min was also able to do the same act with his entire body, blending with the wind and traveling at a speed simr to a strong wind gust. It would be so swift that his attacks had now increased tremendously.

    "Turns out that I might be able to manage in a duel like this," Xu Min mused to himself. He dared not becent, though. He had just gained ess to the element of wind, and suddenly he understood the hidden secrets hidden within it. Would not other opponents to also have understood andprehended this before?

    What Xu Min had understood was a domain. The Wind domain gave him full control over his specific element and was the highest level ofprehension that one could have towards an element.

    Smiling, Xu Min understood others were likely to also havingprehended it since he was able to gain ess to it. Thus he still needed to focus on increasing his strength for these few days of peace. It was clear that many experts were going to challenge him. Even more would being to witness this downfall of Xu Min, the representative of humanity. Xu Min could a little understand their sentiment and their grudges, but he still felt it was rather ufortable to be the target of all this hate and curiosity. All he wanted was to be a normal student, increase his strength and then kill the Zhong family. After that, he wanted to live a casual life together with Meilin, have children and be an expert that reached Immortality.

    Xu Min had already nned out his life, and he was satisfied with it. There was nothing more he wanted. This is why he wanted to solely on increasing his strength as soon as possible so that he could get his revengepleted. Then he could live a peaceful life.

    Spending the rest of the night contemting and thinking about the benefits he had gained, Xu Min also considered which pursuit he should focus on to be stronger.

    "Spirit. It seems that the elves are using spirit bows and other kinds of spiritually influenced attacks. I have not gained any insight into this aspect. I need to practice instead of continuing to ponder and meditate," Xu Min mused to himself.

    "Since I cannot focus on my spirit attacks right now, and I alreadyprehended the Wind domain, I better focus on stances. I am not strong enough for the Lunar Crow and Sr Rabbit stance just yet. Nevertheless, I can still try all the stances that imitate the elements. Hopefully, if I don¡¯t go up against a fairy, I should be fine as their elemental control is superior to these cheap imitations as well as though elves cannot control elements either. Being up against them, I should have a chance."

    Xu Min was mumbling to himself. Upon reaching a decision, he spent the rest of the evening focusing on stances. He did not have time to perfect all stance, so he did not know whether or not he wished to learn an entry level in all stances or if he wished to go into details with a few of them. Both ideas could prove to be beneficial, but it all depended on which kind of experts he would be up against.

    Xu Min did not have time to sleep. The next couple of days were spent in his cottage where he was cultivating, pondering, meditating and experimenting with stances. Sometimes he would y with the wind, other times he would train with his sword. Before he knew it the seven days had gone past and the sparring field was open once more.

    That morning that the sparring field opened, Xu Min noticed that the outside of his cottage, which usually had beenpletely silent, was bustling with life. Many students hade to hear who would be the first one to challenge him to a duel. So far none of them had seen much from Xu Min.

    Xu Min had just joined the academy. Because seven days of peace were given to him, he had not needed to participate in the sses before the eighth day; now it was time.

    Waking up, he was aware that he had two sses: one in the morning and one in the evening. The morning ss was with the fairies while the evening he would be with the elves.Usually, the students would only participate in one of the sses, but Xu Min was a special case. Thus he had no other option than to participate in both. This also meant that he had a few hours before the lessons started to spar at the sparring field.

    Xu Min was painfully aware of this fact. He packed down the medicinal pills he had been given and sighed deeply as he rose from the bed where he sat and meditated all night.

    "Human boy you have nothing to do here!" A voice finally boomed through the air. "Come show us your strength, so we know what is so special about you!"

    The voice was very hostile, and it did not try to give Xu Min any face to the voice. All it intended was to insult him, to make him feel unfairly treated and be furious. The more furious he became, the better it was the one who called him out, but Xu Min had experienced too much through his life, a few words were not going to upset him.

    Sighing, the young man opened the door to his cottage and went outside; the entire area turned silent. Previously many had been whispering to one another. They were gossiping about Xu Min¡¯s ability or reactions. Nevertheless, when he went outside in such a casual and collected way, everyone was stunned. He was simply too calm considering the words spoken before.

    Even the speaker felt that something was amiss. He was slightly embarrassed by the words he said, but he knew that there was no turning back now. He snorted as he took a step forward. "Good to see that you at least have the guts to show up! Don¡¯t dally around; hurry to the sparring field."

    Xu Min just sighed as he looked at this aggressive person. He shook his head, disying a maturity which clearly looked down on the aggressiveness of this young man.

    Without waiting for the entourage which had arrived to see his battle, Xu Min started moving towards the sparring field. He did not move with the help of the wind but walked casually. The control he had over the wind could not be disyed casually. He had to depend on the element of surprise to defeat many of these elves and fairies.

    If he could defeat the majority of the challengers, he would already have done enough. He could not kill anyone. However, considering the words were spoken by Mu Zi, Xu Min did not have the ability to kill these experts. Thus he had no reason to hold back either. On his back was the sword which could feel his fighting spirit and started to vibrate in response to the battles that were toe.

    Seeing that Xu Min, who was one against many, was able to have a small smile on his face these elves and fairies were filled with mixed emotions. Some were perplexed; others were indignant. Most thought that he was too certain of his abilities and was overestimating his strength. While a few were worried that Xu Min truly had some strength that no other expert had been able to see through.

    Even immortals had shown up at the sparring field to see the battles that were to unfold; all of them came to see Xu Min purely because of curiosity. He was a human, but he had been epted by the Guardian Tree. He had traits from both humans, elves, and fairies. He was an enigma that no one could understand. These immortals were all curious about what kind of person he was what hisbat ability was like and how he could manage against their experts.

    Not just this, these immortals were guardians of different parts of the academy. They did not often see entertainment such as this. For them, this was a wee change, and all of them were excited about how the battles would go. They even went as far as to bet amongst themselves.

    Some of them had heard rumors from the Immortal Valley Ranking and were positive towards Xu Min. While others med Xu Min for humanity¡¯s mistakes just like a few of the students. After noticing that the immortals were there, Xu Min still was carefully smiling as he observed what was happening around him.

 Chapter 105: Sparring Field

    Chapter 105: Sparring Field

    "Good, Good!" The person who challenged Xu Min was excited to see so many people showed up to watch the duel. Even Xu Min was surprised by the shocking amount of Immortals who were standing around the sparring field. It was suddenly clear to Xu Min why the Guardians of the Immortal Valley had always been the strongest faction within the entire Immortal Ruins. Having this many immortals in one single sect, obviously, they had the upper handpared to other younger sects.

    Yetto thinks that these lofty creatures were so bored that they would want to watch the younger generation duel; this was something that caused much more surprise with Xu Min.

    What he was not aware of however was the immortals usually would not pay attention to the sparring matches. Since Xu Min, a human, had appeared out of nowhere in the middle of theirnds, they all wished to see what kind of fighter he was.

    Xu Min, although not aware of the immortal¡¯s real purpose for watching the duels, was clearly aware of the thoughts of all the other experts from his generation. It was clear that they intended to tear him down. They intended to battle him one after another. If he somehow managed to seed in his first duel, another and stronger expert would be ready to challenge him again. It would be a fight of attrition, and Xu Min would eventually lose.

    Knowing that he would lose at some point, Xu Min was not feeling dejected. Instead, he was filled with excitement. He was going to prove to them just how strong he was. With the help of the devour of his sword, he wouldst for a lot longer than what they would expect. He had to be careful with his energy. He should not wantonly absorb too much energy. Then he might go berserk.

    Xu Min, having decided tost as long as possible was already at one with the world stage. As he stepped onto the stage, a red me appeared on the part of his body. This red me did not require him to use any Qi. It was clearly the Worldly me from being One with the World. As everyone saw this, they started mumbling with each other. Xu Min did not mind showing this little bit of his strength. Instead of allowing for the me to cover his entire body, he concentrated all mes on the sword he unsheathed.

    This sword was now a big ming sword. The mes were so intense that ripples could be seen in the air surrounding it.

    "So you have a little bit of ability," the elf sneered as he too jumped onto the stage. Blue energy swirled around his arm, and a longsword was created from this blue energy.

    "I know you have spiritual energy somewhere. Otherwise, they would not make you take the elven sses, but your control over spiritual energy is likely to be many times weaker than mine. I am an elf, and I have controlled spiritual energy for my entire life!"

    "Although your sword isbined with the Worldly me, it is but a simple materialistic sword. It cannot hold a candle to my spirit sword when ites to sharpness, speed or force, but let me get a taste of a human sword!"

    Xu Min looked at this person with a cold expression in his eyes. He knew that elves could make various weapons from spiritual energy. The one he had merged with had made the spirit bow and was focused on ranged attacks. Nevertheless, it would also make sense that other elves specialized in other weapons.

    Still, Xu Min hadplete faith in his sword. It was a marvelous treasure. Although it was not as sharp as other swords, the devouring ability inside it, mixed with the sheer force that the sword possessed from devouring plentiful amounts of energy made this sword many times stronger than the swords of any other expert. Even for someone who understood spiritual energy a little like Xu Min, he still hadplete faith in his sword.

    Seeing that Xu Min was in no rush to answer the opponent some of the Immortals nodded their heads in approval. His heart was steady; his entire being had been prepared for battle. Trashing his opponents with words was not a thing Xu Min did. This secure confidence in himself gained approval from quite some experts.

    Seeing this, the expert who had challenged Xu Min to the duel was feeling indignant. He grits his teeth hard as he looked at Xu Min the way a venomous snake looks at its prey. He was supposed to be the hero of all elves. The vignt star in front of the beautiful fairies and a perfect student in front of the Immortals. Now he seemed rather silly, and this he could not ept.

    "If you have nothing to say, then let us start this sparring match! Oh, right, I forgot. You are new so let me exin the rules to you." he sneered in a mocking voice, "You cannot kill anyone but fists have no eyes and strength knows no limits. If I identally cripple you, then I am not to be med!"

    Thest sentence shocked everyone. Although it was true that one could not be med for identally crippling their opponent, it was clear that this man was aiming for that oue. Such a malicious thought was disliked by the majority of the students. Although they might dislike the human, they did not wish to cripple a fellow student. Now it was toote. They could only watch as their hearts were beating rapidly, and their eyes were staring wide open.

    "Let us begin!" he roared while rushing towards Xu Min with the sword raised over his head and used some profound movement technique.

    Seeing the speed, Xu Min frowned slightly. He decided it was not necessary for him to use his domain to deal with this man. If possible, he wished to keep this for aste as possible. Instead, he made hundreds of wind des.

    Anyone below the Immortal rank seeing this attack would assume that Xu Min was only imitating the elements; no one took it seriously since it was clearly imitation. A sneaky smile slowly emerged on Xu Min¡¯s face alongside the faces of most Immortals whose faces changed drastically upon seeing that the opponent was casually charging through the wind des.

    The first ten wind des were as easy to break through like a gentle breeze. The expert against Xu Min started to feelpletely confident in himself as he charged forward.

    . So far Xu Min had done nothing else than creating those hundreds of wind des. He was casually standing behind them, watching the elf who was rushing towards him with a calm look in his eyes. Suddenly the advance of the elf halted. Multiple wounds appeared on his body. He stood still as his white clothes dyed red from his blood. He had trembled for a few moments before he copsed on the ground; his consciousness was gone.

    Xu Min had not killed his opponent but waited for the moment when he had gained enough confidence in himself to charge forward; Xu Min merged some of the wind with swordlight, and these had prated the elf¡¯s body deeply. At first, it had been so sharp that he had not noticed any pain, only a slight difort as he ran into the wind des until his body had reached a point where it could no longer stay standing. His consciousness vanished as blood kept flowing.

    Silence enveloped the entire area. "Were imitated attacks supposed to be this strong?" "Why was senior brother cut by the wind des? They seemed so weak?" "I told you he has some hidden strength!"

    Many whispers erupted as Xu Min had won the sparring match, swiftly and effortlessly. The majority of these students were all between the third star and the sixth star, but a few of the seventh and eight stars were also there.

    Of the many experts, only a few of the eight-star warriors and the immortals were capable of guessing that Xu Min hadprehended the Wind domain. Those who guessed also figured out he had some inborn talent for sword fighting. To create the swordlight revealedhe was no normal sword user.

    To haveprehended a wind domain, everyone who had understood Xu Min¡¯s true power was able to determine that he truly had the power of a fairy at least. The power to control an element. To see this, and the fact that he hadprehended a domain without the help of their school, they already felt that he was a genius which they did not see often. To let him be a student was no shame to their academy.

    There were, however, many students who had not understood his real strength.They felt indignant and puzzled. How had he won the way he had? Was he cheating? Was there some secret beneath it?

    "I, Lu Xiaopeng, challenge you to a sparring match!" another person called out as a group of students were removing the first challenger from the field. "I fail to believe you did not use a lot of power to execute that attack from before," he murmured to himself while looking at Xu Min. His face revealed some uncertainty. This was aplete gamble from his side. If Xu Min had not used all his energy, he would be able to defeat him quickly, but if he was weak now, then defeating him would bring great merits.

    Thinking like this, Lu Xiaopeng decided to try it and took the gamble while Xu Min did not mind and nodded in agreement.

    Once more, Xu Min created hundreds of wind des and once more infused a few of them with swordlight. It went the same way as it had done previously, defeating Lu Xiaopeng was as simple as defeating the first opponent. Silence enveloped the entire area. No one discussed what could be the cause of Xu Min¡¯s victory.

    "He can keep going on like this forever until he meets a person who can go against his swordlight," one of the immortals whispered to the guy near him. The guy nodded his head, "Right," he said, "being able to control the wind in a wind domain means that he is using no energy at all when attacking. The swordlight is like the wind domain; it does not depend on his Qi but hisprehension, thus it is hard to guard against. He will be one of the top ranks on our heavenly ranking soon," the other immortalughed.

    A third person appeared then a fourth and a fifth and all of them were defeated in the same manner; Xu Min kept creating hundreds of wind des, but no matter how many he created he did not seem tired. He still had yet to use the ming sword in his hand nor had he disyed any of his spiritual energy.

    By now a few people had been observing him for quite some time. All of them were gradually understanding that this attack which seemed simple was not as simple as it seemed.

    Although not many realized he hadprehended a domain, many started to understand Xu Min had infused this seemingly simple attack with swordlight. One of these observers stepped forward with a smile on his face, a sinister smile.

 Chapter 106: Lunatic

    Chapter 106: Lunatic

    Looking at this young man, Xu Min started to be a little alert. He could feel great hostility emitting from this person, and a vague feeling of danger resided in the back of his head.

    Still, he stood as he had been standing so far. He closed his eyes for a brief moment. By his side, Ye Ling was seated, and around his neck, Cao Cao was hanging. The snake was not talking; the lion was equally not making a sound.

    Before the duels had started, Xu Min had ordered them only to interfere if he was on the verge of being crippled. He needed to prove his strength, and he could only do so by relying on his personal power. If he did not, others would question whether or not he was worthy of respect or if it was solely his contracted beasts which they should acknowledge.

    Xu Min opened his eyes once more and took a deep breath. He waspletely bnced. He was in the state of being one with the world, and the sword in his hands hummed as though it was screaming out to battle. Xu Min felt how this lust for battle permeated from the sword into him; it sparked his killing intent as it spread through his body.

    These elves had lived in the academy since they were six years old; although they had been out on missions in the Immortal Valley before, where they had to kill specific beasts, they were not used to true life and death battles. In many ways, they were simr to the geniuses of the high-ranked sects and families that belonged to the Immortal Ruins. Their hearts started to quiver as they felt the cold killing intent spreading from Xu Min. Xu Min, who was standing in front of them, turned from being an innocent-looking young man into an asura, a devil.

    The Immortals all nodded their heads in approval. The higher-ranked experts, who had been allowed to leave the Immortal Valley and enter the world outside knew as well what it meant to have such an outstanding killing intent; they too nodded their heads in approval. This young man might not have been born as an elf or a fairy, but he had some amazing abilities that made him stand as equals to the elves and the fairies. The fact that he could control the wind and understood its domain, alongside the fact that Elder Mu Zi had said he also controlled spiritual energy, these immortals had already approved of Xu Min.

    The ones below the seven-star Warrior rank were unaware of these thoughts from the upper echelon. Instead, they exhibited indignation at these turns of events. They were the exalted races of elves and fairies. They were born gifted by the world; their training talent was better than the humans and theirprehension even more so. They could do anything humans could do and even more. Nheless, here was a human who was said to have everything they possessed and, maybe, even more. It was hard for them to acknowledge this fact. If anything, they felt jealousy.

    "Are you ready?" The man who had jumped onto the stage asked. Xu Min casually nodded his head. Hundreds of wind des appeared. However, while they were appearing, the elf did not allow for Xu Min to infuse them with his swordlight. He created a spear from his spiritual energy and with a sweep of his spear, he managed to clear more than half of the des in one move, catching Xu Min off guard.

    Xu Min was surprised, but he was not shocked to the point of flinching. He had expected this elf to be different from the others. The moment he had summoned forth the many wind des, he had already started the next part of his offense, merging swordlight into the wind.

    This time, Xu Min was not only merging the light into the wind des but also he merged swordlight into a few of the normal gusts of wind that were gently flowing about the stage. This was to catch the opponent off guard. It was clear that he would defend against the many wind des and avoid the swordlight in them, but could he guard against the wind? The wind was everywhere at once, guarding against it would require a tremendous amount of effort even for a six-star Warrior. This guy was only a mere five-star Warrior, and Xu Min knew the fighter was incapable of doing so.

    Being aware of this, Xu Min¡¯s eyes turned cold as he lifted the sword in his hand and swung it out. A massive, visible line of swordlight shot forward at the speed of the wind, almost impossible to dodge.

    This elf was no normal elf, however. The moment the elf sensed the iing swordlight, he lifted his spear, enveloping himself in spearlight.

    Xu Min smiled while watching how the spearlight, which, although not as strong as the swordlight, carried with it an immense force and strength and was used to defend against his attack. He felt enlightened as he had only thought that swordlight could be used to attack. The thought of using it for defense never really crossed his mind. Now, looking at this spearlight, he understood that he had been wrong.

    These duels, although easy so far, had been of great help to Xu Min. He had seen spiritual energy used in other shapes than just the bow that he knew how to use. As well, he had seen spearlight used defensively. His mind was filled with new knowledge, and he could not wait to rush back to his small cottage and start contemting on these two subjects.

    Still, he pushed these thoughts to the back of his mind. He did not entertain his newfound excitement. He was currently in the middle of a battle, and he needed to continue, so he could preferably win.

    A loud boom resounded through the sparring field as the swordlight collided with the defensive spearlight. The energy forced the elf a few steps backward. The elf felt as if a sledgehammer had struck him straight in the chest. The spearlight around his body faltered and vanished. The remaining fifty wind des swished in the air as they descended upon him.

    Gritting his teeth, the young elf refused to give up and gathered all the spearlight he could in front of him to block the assault of the iing wind des. However,t a gentle wind came from the back while he was preparing for the attack in front of him. The surprise attack from behind carried with it the most fearsome of all the swordlights.

    A soft sound could be heard before the elf on the stage copsed on the ground. Blood spurted from his mouth as he had been stabbed in the side.

    Xu Min had made sure to avoid vital areas and important organs, but the stab was so deep that it went straight through his body. It hade so suddenly and so unexpectedly that no one understood what had happened for a brief moment.

    The eyes of the elf were filled with unwillingness and also hate as he looked at Xu Min. Nevertheless, the young man did not attack. The elf knew he had lost.

    No more of the five-star Warriors stood up to challenge Xu Min as they helped the wounded elf off the stage. Silence descended on the stage. How had he won? Everyone was certain that there had been no wind des behind theirpatriot¡¯s back, but he still had been stabbed right through the body.

    "He is a freak," a beautiful fairy whispered to the other fairies, who followed behind her in single file. All of them listened intently to her whisper. It was clear that the followers had no idea how Xu Min had done it. This woman, nevertheless, the young six-star Warrior ranked Fairy, smiled as she gently caressed her cheek, "to think that a human has gained insight into the wind domain," she said in a low voice audible only to her followers. All of them gasped at the mere thought of this.

    They were fairies. Their dream was to gain insight into a domain one day. The reason that this six-star Warrior fairy who whispered this news was their leader was not only because of her beauty or high rank as a six-star Warrior but because she had gained insight into two domains. ] She was a well-known figure in the academy and a very popr woman as well.

    Xu Min was aware that his movement caused a few people to have seen through his secret. Nheless, he also knew that those who had seen through it were all exalted experts who would not lower themselves to fight an expert weaker than themselves by a whole rank. They would gain nothing if they won, and losing would only make them a fool. Almost no one was willing to take on such a task.

    "To think that senior brother would lose!" A girl said.She was shocked as she looked at the elf who was being ferried off from the stage. The battle had been too swift. No one had seen what had wounded him. Everything had been too mysterious. Suddenly someone started calling out in protest, "he cheated!" One of the elves had yelled this petty assumption.

    His words resounded in the silence; soon an uproar began. Everyone felt that he must have cheated to have won the way he had. Everyone was yelling out that Xu Min must have cheated somehow.

    "Better pacify them," a tired voice sounded next to the ears of all Immortals. An old man appeared next to Xu Min moments after. Xu Min had never seen this man before, but every elf and fairy becamepletely quiet as he appeared.

    The old man looked at Xu Min curiously before he winked his eye and said in a voice that was not hidden at all, "your master might be a lunatic, but he did produce quite a talented student!"

    Hearing this, Xu Min¡¯s face turned slightly sour. He understood that Wang Li was clearly not just an old man who worked at the docks in Honghe City. Xu Min was reminded once again of just how much he owed this old man and to hear him being called a lunatic was something that did not sit well with Xu Min. However, Xu Min was not suicidal; he just passively looked at the Immortal instead without saying anything.

    The many students once more started gossiping amongst each other. The Immortals knew of Xu Min¡¯s master? Could it be that he was the student of some elven Immortal from their sect who had left the academy to travel the world? Or perhaps it was a beautiful fairy who wished to see the world of man? In their minds, it made sense that his master was an elf or a fairy for him to be able to control the two energies exclusive to these races.

    "Xu Min has not used any form of cheating during these sparring matches; he has relied solely on his personal ability and will continue to do so. I will stand as the judge to ensure that this battle will go out of hand."

    The man paused for a moment. Xu Min secretly hoped no more experts would step up. He was fairly certain in his ability to deal with every single five-star Warrior, but anything above that would turn into a desperate battle.

    Just as Xu Min thought this, the old man looked around before a cacklingughter escaped his lips. He said with his high-pitched voice, "It seems there is no five-star Warrior who canpete against him. Thus why don¡¯t you six-star Warriors give it a try?"

    An explosion of voices swept through the Sparring Field as the words made it to all ears, but Xu Min¡¯s face turned rather stern as a result. Was it in this Immortal¡¯s ce to decide which opponents Xu Min could battle against? Sighing, he knew he could do nothing about it now, but looking at Ye Ling and Cao Cao brought him a sliver offort. At least he would be able to keep his life if he was going to lose badly.

 Chapter 107: Sword

    Chapter 107: Sword

    Before Xu Min had time toin, the ttering voices filled the air. Although the Immortal had suggested to the six-star warriors to step up and duel Xu Min, no one wished to be the first. Xu Min had fought so well against the five-star Warriors no one knew what strength he was hiding.

    Additionally, winning against Xu Min would not bring any fame to a six-star Warrior. They were supposed to win since they were both older and stronger than Xu Min. If they, on the other hand, lost, then they would be the joke of the academy. Though losing to a younger and weaker expert happened from time to time it was still very embarrassing when it happened. No one wished to be the first person to be tested.

    "Are they scared of this human?" someone mumbled. The words embarrassed the seniors. All of them were certain that they could defeat Xu Min, they were just not sure of how much the defeat would cost them. As well, revealing their secrets was enough to make it harder for them to be higher ranked on the heavenly ranking.

    "It¡¯s not that they are worried about the human; they are worried about disying their strength so close to the heavenly rankings. It is only half a year left before they are going to go through the rank once more. By then they need to explode with power unseen by any if they wished to rank highly.¡±

    Seeing that these six-star Warriors were not willing to step up, Xu Min heaved a heavy sigh of relief. He had feared that he would have to continue the battle for a longer period. It seemed, though, that this heavenly ranking that everyone was talking about was enough to keep them from challenging him.

    The Immortal seemed to have noticed the same thing, but all he could do was sigh and shake his head in disappointment. He had hoped to see Xu Min disy his full grasp of the Domain so he could understand how deep this youngster¡¯s understanding was.

    Still, he also understood the six-star Warriors worries. When he was about to give up and move away from the sparring match a fairy finally stepped forward. When Xu Min looked at her, he was astonished by her beauty. Although someone like Yong Meilin was considered beautiful, she paled inparison to this young woman. This woman showed no signs of hostility that the others he had dueled so far had shown. If anything, she expressed a bit of curiosity.

    Behind her was a group of other fairies. These fairies were not as beautiful even though they would be considered peerless beauties in the outside world. Each and every one of them red at Xu Min without hiding their hostility in their eyes. The immortal who was observing the sparring matches grinned widely.

    "If it isn¡¯t the fiery fairy. Tell me little miss fairy, are you going to battle against youngster Xu Min? Even though he is around ten years younger than you and a whole star weaker, will you still challenge him?" The Immortal did not hide the rank and age of Xu Min. As soon as he spoke, everyone once more broke out in loud chatter. They were all stunned to hear that Xu Min was that young. To have reached the five-star Warrior rank at such an age was an aplishment even for the elves and the fairies!

    They were, of course, unaware that only a year ago, Xu Min had just broken into the third-star of the Warrior rank due to the assistance of the Blood Pagoda. His strength had soared into the heavens.

    Xu Min, looking at the fairy known as the fiery fairy, was a little ufortable. He understood that against a fairy his chances for sess were not very high. Although he had understood the domain, he was not likely to be the only one who had understood it. In fact, Xu Min was certain that all fairies understood at least one domain if not more.

    Xu Min pondered for a short while on how to do this. However, when he looked at the sword in his hands, he felt afortable feeling of reliability. He had still not used his sword yet. Considering that he previously, in the blood pagoda, had managed to rely fully on his sword to defeat a fairy, he felt a lot calmer than he was before.

    Suddenly, reminded of the previous battle, a smile slowly spread on Xu Min¡¯s face. Yes, there were great risks with what he intended to do, but there were also possibilities.

    Previously Xu Min had absorbed the energy of the wind fairy and had gained control over her element as the energy had entered his body. If he was able to battle another fairy, which had gained insight into another element, would that mean that Xu Min could gain control over yet another element?

    Xu Min was unsure, but the chance was there. Thus, since the chance was there, he was going to give it his all.

    From the name, Xu Min quickly guessed that this woman had to do with the element of fire. Fire was not somethingpletely foreign for Xu Min as he had gained control over the worldly me from being one with the world. In his mind, he was already excited about the possibility which had offered itself to him.

    The Immortal was shocked as he looked at Xu Min. When he had mentioned that the six-star experts could step forward, he had felt the unwillingness in the young man. But now, this reluctance waspletely gone and reced by excitement.

    Can he be infatuated by the fairie¡¯s beauty? The immortal mused to himself. Looking at Xu Min, though, he felt this reaction was different. It did not feel like infatuation but instead a genuine desire to do battle.

    The sudden change in Xu Min was not noticed not only by the Immortal who was standing on the stage, anyone with a certain strength could sense the change of energy from being resigned to bing filled with an urge to fight. As to the sudden change in his attitude, no matter how they looked at him, no one was able to sense the cause.

    Even the fairy was surprised. Behind her was the beautiful fairy who earlier had grasped two domains was stunned by the change in attitude. Looking at Xu Min with a pondering expression, her eyes turned serious. Although she was considered one of the higher ranked experts in the academy due to her understanding of two domains, she felt some danger being emitted from this young man on the stage.

    As the fairy went on stage, a sea of mes appeared everywhere. It was clear that she had understood the domain of fire.These mes were scorching hot, even hotter than the worldly mes around Xu Min¡¯s sword.

    Where the audience expected to see despair in Xu Min¡¯s eyes as he was enveloped by mes, they instead saw a small smile on his lips and excitement in his eyes. Was this the expression of someone who was about to be burned to death?

    Closing his eyes for a moment, Xu Min was ecstatic. As long as the fairy kept throwing me after me at him, he would manage. With the sword in his hand he could drain the fairy, but if they came to direct confrontations, then Xu Min would likely lose out. He still had not understood how to use the domain to enhance his close quarter¡¯sbat other than the fact it could make his movements much swifter.

    Opening his eyes, Xu Min pushed all of this behind him. His eyes focused on the mes all around him, and the sword in his hands started swinging it in a circle in front of him like a fan. This fan was also covered by mes, but as soon as the worldly me came into contact with the me of the domain, it would burn and vanished. Strangely enough, the red mes also seemed to vanish as soon as they reached Xu Min. They were swallowed up whole by this young man, and as to how he did it, even the Immortals were incapable of knowing.

    Xu Min knew that he could not continue to hide just how much of a treasure the sword in his hands was. He also knew that these elves and fairies seemed to know of his master and somewhat feared him. Due to this, he did not hesitate to use what had been granted him and with a greedy heart did he start to absorb the fire energy that was being thrown at him.

    The fire was hot as it entered his body. It felt as if he had been in a warm bath for too long. His body was going numb, and small prickling sensations appeared on his skin. Still, this me kept traveling through his body and slowly merged with his inner energy much like the wind energy had done before.

    At the start, the fire energy in his body was limited. Although he greedily absorbed one me after another, not much change could be found in his inner energies. It was clear that the wind fairy from the Blood Pagoda had a deeper understanding of her energy. Thus more elemental energy was within the attack causing it to be more potent when absorbed.

    Still, Xu Min relentlessly continued his absorption of the mes. He went out of his way to meet the mes head on. He even absorbed the ones in the perimeter around him. Everyone present was stunned, but no one was as shocked as the fiery fairy. To see her pride and joy, the fire domain being absorbed as easily as it was, she felt powerless and even more intrigued as to how it was even possible for a human being to absorb her mes.

    The battle held no suspense. The Fiery Fairy was not going to engage in close quarter¡¯sbat as it was not her specialty. All she did was try and squeeze out every single ounce of energy in her body to scorch Xu Min to death. Unfortunately, he just kept absorbing the energies.Soon he started to feel a small change in his inner energies. Entwined with the wind energy, the and fire energy started to rush through the Qi, and soon his internal energies had the traits of both Wind and Fire. The fire was weaker than the wind, but closing his eyes and sensing the world around him, Xu Min could feel how the elements of the world around him was pouring itself into him. The wind and the me elements within himself were constantly strengthened.

    Seeing the end of the battle, no one spoke. The Immortals all looked at Xu Min as if he was some monster.

    Looking at Xu Min, the Immortal who had said he would look after the battles slowly turned to Xu Min. His face had be serious, but the eyes were not on the young man himself but rather his sword.

    "Lend me your sword," he said with a voice which did not even offer the slightest chance to decline. Knowing that his sword would get noticed at some point, Xu Min was unsure of what to do. Being able to sense his hesitation the immortal once more looked at Xu Min, "I won¡¯t steal it from you," he guaranteed, "I just need to check something."

    Aware that he could not fully trust these immortals, Xu Min also knew he could be killed with just a wave of the hand from one of the Immortals. He had no other option than to hand over his sword. His eyes were zing with unwillingness, but even so, he did as he was told.

 Chapter 108: Devouring

    Chapter 108: Devouring

    It was clear Xu Min was not willing to let go of his sword. Some gloated because of this; they felt that this sword was a secret treasure, and once the Immortals would get their hands on it, they would never let it go. Once Xu Min would lose it; then this young man would no longer be of any danger to them.

    Others felt it was a little out of line. Finding treasures were not an easy task, and no one wished for their things to be stolen by an Immortal. If an Immortal took notice of their treasures, would that not mean that they too had to hand it over? Usually, Immortals were very lofty and would never stoop to steal an item from other experts, but this time it was different. This time the Immortals had started to act and who knew who would be next?

    The Immortal, having taken the sword into his hand raised an eyebrow in surprise. He swung it slightly, but nothing happened. There were no signs of a connection between either him nor the sword. The more he swung it, the more it felt like a dead object in his hands.

    "You there!" he called at Xu Min. He raised the sword once more, "Wind des. Send me the hundreds of wind des attack you made before," he ordered. Although Xu Min would prefer not to do it, he had no excuse and did as he was told.

    Hundreds of wind des appeared around him; all of them came chopping down on the expert in front of him.

    Wind des of this level would never be able to harm an Immortal, but Xu Min¡¯s aim was not to harm but to do exactly as he was told. There would be no reason for the Immortal to punish him and take his sword away.

    Gritting his teeth, Xu Min looked at the wind des appearing in front of the Immortal. He waited to see if his sword would absorb these energies, but nothing happened.

    The sword collided with the attacks as a normal sword would and the wind des sent ripples down the sword¡¯s handle, causing it to tremble slightly in the hands of the Immortal.

    Seeing this, the Immortal was surprised. It was clear that he had not expected this oue, but neither had Xu Min. Even though the young man was surprised, he refused to show any feelings on his face. Instead, a small smile appeared across his face.

    "Immortal, Sir, have you examined my sword enough?" Xu Min asked curiously, but the immortalpletely ignored him, "Again!" he called out. Xu Min did the same thing, yet it was clear that the Immortal was infusing the sword with Qi.

    Seeing the sword being infused with Qi, Xu Min became worried. He was worried that the sword would either absorb this Qi or that the Qi would release the stored energies within the sword. However, his worries were useless.

    The sword was as dead in the hands of the Immortal just as it was alive in the hands of Xu Min. It showed no will, no humming sounds, no devouring abilities no matter what the Immortal did.

    Sweeping the sword with his consciousness, he tried to find some secrets from the sword, but nothing could be found. It was as if the sword was an ordinary sword.

    While the Immortal was searching the sword, everyone had expected it to be a treasure but seeing that this was not happening everyone knew that there were only two possibilities.

    The first possibility was that the sword had already recognized Xu Min as its master and only he could unlock its secrets. The second possibility was that this devouring ability was not a part of the sword but instead of Xu Min¡¯s inborn ability.

    The first possibility was frightening. For a treasure to be able to pick its master was simply outstanding. Such a treasure could only be found once in a lifetime.

    If it was Xu Min¡¯s inborn ability, then it made Xu Min into a frightening specimen. He could not be considered human, nor elf or fairy. Instead, he would be apletely new sort of creature that they had never heard about before.

    The Immortal was tentative as he looked at Xu Min. He was curious as to whether or not the abnormality was the sword or the young man in front of him. Nheless, he also knew that even if it was the young man, this young man was a student of the academy. Killing him to seize his treasure was not going to happen, so in the end, knowing the truth could only make his heart ache with greed and jealousy.

    "Tell me, where did you get this sword?" The Immortal asked Xu Min. He was unsure whether or not to check if it was Xu Min who was abnormal or if it was the sword. All he could do was stall for time, asking questions while making up his mind.

    "It was gifted to me by my master when I was about to leave his tutge," Xu Min said honestly. He considered whether or not he should try to wrest the sword back from the hands of the Immortal, but he quickly decided against it and chose just to wait and see what would happen.

    Nodding his head, the Immortal looked at Xu Min with curious eyes. With a flick of his fingers, a small fireball appeared in front of him. The fireball in front of the Immortal had the strength of a four-star Warrior. When he flicked it towards Xu Min, he was going to test whether or not Xu Min would absorb it or if he would get hit by it.

    Xu Min was at his wit¡¯s end. He did not have his sword by his side to assist him, so absorbing the me could prove problematic. Still, Xu Min did not give up. He closed his eyes and searched deep within himself until he found his dantian where his Qi was pooled.

    The Qi was now entwined in two different colors.One was red the other was gray. The red color radiated heat while the gray let free some wind.

    Ignoring the gray strands of energy, Xu Min pulled forth all the red energy he could. He had noticed how the elemental affinities constantly drew in the elements from the outside world. This in a way was a bit like the devour stance he was used to.

    "Had he taken anything else than fire then I would be really in trouble," Xu Min mumbled as his eyes locked onto the fireball. He started rotating all the red energy within his body; the quicker he rotated it through his body, the more of the fire element in the world around him was absorbed into his body.

    The small fireball started disintegrating, turning into the fragments of the element he could consume. Fortunately, the fireball was not made to injure Xu Min. Thus the fireball was of a lower rank than him making it possible for him to absorb it just like one would with the elements of the world around him. Had the fireball been of the fifth-star or above, then Xu Min would have no chance of devouring it and would instead be wounded. However, the Immortal wanted to make sure that Xu Min would not be injured.

    These experts, the Immortals, and the students, only saw that the elements were devoured previously. None of them were aware that Xu Min, by devouring the energies, had changed his own Qi to match the elements devoured.

    It wasmon knowledge that anyone who controlled an element could consume the same elements on a weaker basis, but Xu Min had shown no talent of having any control over fire before which was the reason this expert had chosen to throw a fireball instead of a wind de.

    When they saw that this fireball was being broken up into small fragments of elemental energy and then devoured by Xu Min, they all stopped in their tracks. No one dared to speak; rather, everyone stared at him in a daze.

    Even the majority of the Immortals were the same. They were filled with shock and stunned as they saw the fireball being devoured. Although it looked slightly different from how he had devoured the energies before there was no question that this fire had been absorbed by him in some way; he had devoured the fireball without any sword. Therefore almost everyone came to the conclusion that it was not the sword that was the true treasure but the young man on the sparring field.

    "Here, take back your sword," the Immortal from the sparring field said. He handed back the sword to Xu Min who heaved a heavy sigh of relief. He had been granted by incredible luck to get out of it the way he had. As he looked around, he noticed that everyone was looking at him with different expressions. Some expressed fear while others showed worry and even some were curious. Of course, there were some who were jealous, and some had not hidden even the slightest bit of resentment and hostility in their faces.

    While the majority were of the impression that Xu Min had absorbed and devoured the energies on his own, there was a small group of three Immortals who knew the truth. These three immortals all knew about Xu Min¡¯s master. The moment they had seen the sword they knew which sword it was.

    All of them had been curious to see how Xu Min would manage the fireball. They were amazed when they saw him absorb it as the element of the world. Only now did they fully understand just how wonderful this sword truly was. To give Xu Min the control over the fire from just devouring it earlier was simply too powerful, but none of these three were in a rush to fight each other for the sword, much less touch a hair on the head of this young man. They all felt that their lives were more important than owning the treasure for a short amount of time.

    Xu Min, who had been given his sword back felt relief deeply. He had been so scared that it would be taken away from him, but he also knew that he could not have acted differently from what he did; he needed to stay alive so that he could get revenge.

    By his side Ye Ling was growling slightly, disying his displeasure with the actions of the Immortal. Just like Xu Min, the lion dared not do much more than a casual growl. The snake around his neck was even more silent. After having been with the Guardians for as long as he had, he fully understood just how strong these Immortals were and how weak he was. Currently, Cao Cao was a bit weaker than Xu Min. He knew that it was not his ce to interrupt the Immortal. Although he would not kill him out of respect for Cao Cao¡¯s father, he would likely still cause trouble for Xu Min in the future.

    Therefore all of them just stayed silent as they received the sword back. Without waiting to see whether or not there were more who wanted to duel, Xu Min jumped off from the stage and moved through the crowd of people to leave.

    He had lost all his will to do battle. He went straight back to the cottage where he sat down and collected his mind. He began calming his emotions before it was time for him to attend his first ss.

 Chapter 109: Class

    Chapter 109: ss

    Xu Min sighed as he looked into the sky. He was on his way to his first ss. As he reached it, he saw a whole colosseum filled with students sitting on stone chairs with stone desks in front of them. They were all looking down at the Immortal who was standing on the stage, waiting for the rest of the students to arrive.

    Xu Min was one of thest students to arrive. He found a seat right in the very back where not many sat. Although he was trying his very best not to attract attention, everyone looked at him with curiosity.

    While Xu Min entered the ssroom, his eyes swept across the many elves. He quickly found that the majority of them were foreigners to him. He had never seen them before, and many of them gave him a sense of pressure. Only now did he understand that the Immortal Mu Zi had been correct when he had said that Xu Min was only average at this academy. Although he hadprehended a domain, he could only be considered ordinary here at the academy.

    It was only the weakest experts who hade to the sparring field previously that day. None of the real experts hade to see the battles. It was clear that none of them had taken Xu Min seriously. However, now that he had defeated even the Fiery Fairy they watched him with curiosity. He was not on their level, but he was not weak either.

    "Find your seats, everyone," the Immortal said with a hoarse voice. He sounded quite old. Although Immortals did not age, they would remain the way they looked when they became Immortals. They all looked differently. Some were young when they became Immortals while others were older. This man was clearly older when he had be an Immortal. Nevertheless, the man¡¯s age did not decrease the level of respect afforded to him. The older one became, the harder it was to advance. Thus, to see an old immortal, was quite rare but also a show of someone having great discipline and determination.

    Such a person, Xu Min felt quite a bit of respect towards. He was silent as he looked at the Immortal at the tform.

    As he looked down, he noticed that his eyes locked with the Immortal¡¯s eyes. A small smile was on his face as he looked at Xu Min with curiosity. The moment he saw that Xu Min looked at him he nodded politely before he turned his gaze away.

    "It seems that many of these Immortals know about my master," Xu Min mused to himself. There was no reason that an esteemed Immortal such as this one needed to be polite to him. It was clear that it was because of something else and the only thing that Xu Min could think about was his master. "I do wonder what kind of person master Wang Li is?" he sighed.

    "Wee to ss," the Immortal spoke up, his voice rang through the entire colosseum as he spoke. Every single student could hear his voice, and no one spoke. Everyone politely waited to hear what was being said.

    "Today we have a new student in our ss; this student is Xu Min, the first human to enter our academy," the expert calmly exined. Every set of eyes within the colosseum turned to look at Xu Min who was seated in the back.

    Many eyes showed hostility, but some showed indifference or even curiosity. It was clear that the stronger ones paid no real attention to Xu Min. He was but a lovely human, someone who had appeared in their academy, but he could not hold a candle to them and their powers. Thus they did not bother with him.

    "It seems that I was only up against the weaker ones," Xu Min mocked himself. He understood perfectly well what it meant to be average. He was not of the weaker experts within the academy, but he was not amongst the strongest ones either. He was just neatly ced in the middle, or so he had been before he hadprehended his domain.

    Even Mu Zi was unaware of the fact that Xu Min hadprehended a domain; therefore his strength had risen drastically, but he still had a very long way to go before he could be considered one of the stronger individuals within the academy.

    "I need to be stronger, I need to get my strength under control and to understand the spiritual energy within me." he mumbled to himself, "the sooner I understand this, the sooner I can return to the Blood Pagoda. When I enter the Blood Pagoda once more, I will be able to gain enough strength to face the Zhong family."

    Xu Min¡¯s heart was still filled with the need for revenge. Years had gone by after his sister¡¯s death, but the mes of rage within his body had not changed. He needed to ensure that his sister was avenged. He would make sure t the ones who had caused her to die would tortuously pay tribute to her memory.

    Just thinking about it, Xu Min felt his body heat up in anger. Nevertheless, he closed his eyes for a moment and calmed himself, ensuring that his killing intent did not run wild.

    In the ssroom, three people looked at Xu Min at that moment. One was the Immortal while the others were two high ranked students. All three of them had confused expressions on their faces and traces of keen interest.

    The killing intent hadsted for but a second and had not fully enveloped anyone. However, during these brief moments, it had been so sharp and dreadful that the two students who had noticed it felt a chill run down their spine. This feeling was only felt when they were out on missions and encountered dangerous opponents.

    For such a young man to have killing intent like this, just how many people had he murdered? Just how much hostility burned within his body? It was not before now that these two students started to feel that something was not right with this human who had joined them.

    The Immortal was the same. Although all of the Immortals within the academy knew who Xu Min¡¯s master was, they knew nothing of the life he had led before joining the Immortal Valley Rankings. Many of these Immortals were also unaware of his massacres within the Immortal Valley. They were teachers or guardians of the academy and their campus; they were not able to leave to view the recordings from the Immortal Valley Rankings, nor did they have much interest in it. It was a humanpetition after all.

    Xu Min had his eyes closed, so he was unaware of the fact that three experts had looked at him with interest. When he opened them again, everyone had turned to look at the Immortal on the stage who was slowly pacing forth and back.

    "As I said just before, we have a new student in our ss. Because of this, we are going to go through the fundamentals of what Spiritual Energy is and how to use it." the Immortal stated. Unhappiness could be heard in the voices of the students as they started to mumble.

    The Immortal was not deaf; he heard every single word spoken within his ssroom, even the words mumbled by Xu Min earlier. As he heard the words, his eyes grew cold.

    "When we get new elves into the ss we also go through the basics of the Spiritual Energy. When that happens no oneints, but now you all want toin about the fact that a new student needs to know about spiritual energy? How lowly of you!"

    "But he is a human!" someone could not help but call out, "it is already very nice of us to allow him to attend our sses. Why do we need to go out of our way to also take care of him?"

    "He is a student of this academy! Not just any human." the immortal said impatiently. However, he calmed down and let out a sigh as he looked at the student who had spoken.

    Xu Min, who was seated at the far back, also heard the unhappy voices. He was considering if he should tell the Immortal that he, as a matter of fact, knew about the basics of the Spiritual Energy.

    He had previously consumed the soul of an elf. Not just his strength and spiritual energy, but also his every memory. If he had not learned about spiritual energy this way, then how would he be able to use the spirit bow the way he could?

    "Spiritual energy is not like Qi. Where Qi is located in the dantian; spiritual energy is located in a small orb ced on my forehead. Spiritual Energy is what humans consider magic. It is another kind of energy which allows for another kind of attacks. It is like Qi, but it does not require stances to be activated, nor is it able to merge with the body and increase my physical strength.

    "What Spiritual Energy can do is either take the shape of a spirit weapon, each person has their favored spirit weapon, or it can take on any shape or form. Personally, I know of the Devouring World where the Spiritual Energy enters the entire world and starts rotating, forcing the people around me to be dragged into a whirlwind.

    "I also know that Spiritual Energy can work as the internal energy of a Qi cultivator, only stronger and more dangerous than what Qi can do, which is why elves are considered the strongest in offense from all the races.

    "You know the Devouring World?" The Immortal asked with bated breath. Not just him; everyone present looked at him as if he was a lunatic. There were disbelief and shock in their eyes.

    "I know the Devouring World," Xu Min affirmed with a nod of his head. The words caused, even more, disturbance within the ssroom. As to why it was such a big deal that he knew the Devouring World, Xu Min did not know.

    "I see. Well, you seem to understand Spiritual Energy," the Immortal nodded his head with a surprised expression on his face. "In that case, we will start discussing the two ways of using spiritual energy, as in offense and defense.

    "Spiritual Energy is mainly used in offense. We each have a spirit weapon which suits us. It is usually a weapon which allows us to unleash our potential. The majority has swords, but there is alsonces, staves, sabers, daggers and so on.

    "Apart from weapons, Spiritual Energy can take on any shape or form depending on the wishes of the user. As Xu Min said, humans are fearful of elves because they need to make stances topete while elves do not need to waste time on a stance but can instantly send out their Spiritual Energy. On the other hand, the external experts of humans can turn out to be our true doom. The weakness of an elf is closebat. We can use our spiritual energy as we please, but if they cane through our attack, ourcking defense will be our downfall.

    "This is why we focus on how to use Spiritual Energy as a defense!" the Immortal kept speaking. The more he spoke, the more a smile appeared on Xu Min¡¯s face. Was this not teaching Xu Min how to defeat elves? If he knew how the elves would go against external practitioners, then it would be easy for him to take this into ount in his future battles.

    Xu Min was thinking about this so called heavens ranking that would take ce soon. If he could learn how to deal with elves before then, then he would be able to rank higher than otherwise. With a keen expression on his face, he listened to every single word the expert said.

 Chapter 110: Senior Apprentice Brother

    Chapter 110: Senior Apprentice Brother

    The rest of the ss was solely on how to use spiritual energy for defensive measures. Everyone listened carefully; even Xu Min found it interesting; as the ss ended, he stayed in his seat for some time. His eyes narrowed, and his hand gently stroked his chin as he was in deep thought.

    What he had learned today could help him improve his defenses, but it was also the same as teaching him how to fight against elves. It seemed his teacher was especially helping Xu Min out, but he had no reason to do so. The teacher was clearly an immortal elf himself. Thus, for his teacher to tell him the weaknesses of elves was this not too strange?

    Shaking his head, Xu Min decided not to think about it anymore. He stood up to leave. As he did, he noticed that a few elves were still present. All of the elves were looking at him curiously. If he had his eyes opened earlier when the killing intent spilled out for a brief moment, he would know that the ones looking at him were the same ones who noticed something, but he did not realize this.

    "I don¡¯t have time for duels right now," Xu Min mumbled to himself with a slight annoyance before he turned to leave. He was constantly waiting to be stopped even though no one tried to stop him; he heaved a heavy sigh of relief as he left the ssroom with no more trouble.

    Just as he left, however, he noticed that it was not going to be as simple as he has thought. Outside a whole group of elves were waiting for him., An elf who was clearly stronger than the ones he had battled at the sparring fields led all of them. Nheless, this guy was not as strong as the ones he had caught his attention in the ssroom.

    Although these experts were weaker, Xu Min was not that overconfident in his power. There was a lot of elves. After the battle in the Immortal Valley, he understood if he fought many enemies at once, he needed to be wary of the possibility of berserking. If he truly went berserk again, he could not help but fear for these elves¡¯ lives, not to mention his life if he was to kill many of his fellow students.

    Berserking was something only he could allow to use against opponents stronger than him or against crowds that he needed to kill quickly. He felt pressured by the group of experts in front of him. Dealing with these elves would not be simple.

    "Senior apprentice brother, what are you doing here?" An amused voice suddenly sounded out from behind Xu Min. This voice belonged to one of the men who had been seated in the ssroom just moments before. Looking behind him, Xu Min found that everyone had left at the same time as he had. These experts were all smiling as they stood behind Xu Min, making him feel even more ufortable.

    Xu Min was not paranoid, but he was new to this academy. Only the immortals had shown him politeness. So far, all students had been hostile. Therefore, he was on alert as soon as he associated with the students.

    "This human beat up my younger brother!" The one they referred to as senior apprentice brother said, "If I do not avenge him, how can I continue being his older brother?!"

    His eyes were filled with hate; his teeth were gnashing hard against each other, and his entire entourage was nodding their heads. They all agreed with this older martial brother of theirs. Quite a few experts had been beaten up by Xu Min this morning, and they all wished to see him get beat up instead.

    "If you are going to battle, why don¡¯t you let me join in for fun then?" A sweet and alluring voice came from behind the group of elves. Everyone turned around to see who dared to interrupt. It was a fairy who was seated on a small stone. Her clothes were blue as deep as the sea, her hair shone like gold, and her blue eyes were so sharp that it felt as if they could see the very soul of the one they looked upon.

    "Why would you defend a mere human?" the senior apprentice brother questioned the woman. It was impossible for him to have any real hostility towards her. Instead, he was more confused than angry.

    "He is a student at our academy," the fairy said with a shrug of her shoulders, "he is a ssmate of mine. If I don¡¯t even protect my ssmates, then what kind of person am I?"

    Hearing this the three elves behind Xu Minughed out loud. Their voices werepletely unhindered, and not even the slightest bit of worry could be heard. It waspletely unrestrained, and the face of the senior apprentice brother turnedpletely red.

    "I admire you. You are without a doubt a light fairy, but this is a matter between men!" the senior apprentice man hissed at the woman. He was clearly insulted by the young woman and the three elves behind Xu Min. Even so, he dared not talk back to them. Instead, he tried to find a way to fight Xu Min.

    "Is it a matter for you to interfere with?" one of the elves behind Xu Min also stepped forward. His aura was so domineering that even Xu Min narrowed his eyes.

    "This matter is about a duel which took ce in the sparring field. We have a rule saying that no one can seek vengeance for a battle lost in the sparring field. However, here you are, trying to take revenge for a brother who lost."

    "He was tricked by a human!" the senior apprentice brother stayed adamant. "It was not a fair match of the sparring field! He tricked everyone into believing that he was weak, and then he used his maleficent powers to defeat his opponents!"

    "Maleficent powers?" the light fairy sounded genuinely insulted for a moment, "you consider elemental powers to be evil? Thus, you are iming that, us, fairies are evil? Instead of being so mean to him, is it not much more admirable that he can control both spiritual power and elemental energies?"

    The more she spoke, the more ashamed the group of elves that hade to pressure Xu Min became. Every word was like a sharp knife that kept turning inside his pride, chopping it to bits and eventually he was just shaking from embarrassment and anger. Instead of pursuing his original goal of challenging Xu Min, he just turned to leave.

    "No need to rush away like that," Xu Min suddenly spoke up. His words confused everyone present. The whole reason the light fairy and the three elves stood up for him was that they found him interesting. He had so many secrets, and they wished to understand this human who had done what was impossible.

    "We can choose to battle now, or we can meet at the heavenly ranking. Either is fine for me, a mere elf like you, I do not fear you." Xu Min snorted. His words caused everyone to look at Xu Min in a new light.

    Some thought he was insane. It must be that the victories from the earlier sparring matches had gone to his head and made him arrogant so that he did not ce anyone else in his eyes, while four people were of a different understanding.

    The three elves and the light fairy all stared at Xu Min surprised. They had understood that Xu Min contained plenty of secrets and hidden strengths. If he were so certain of his victory against this senior apprentice brother, then he probably would win.

    The sses were split up into the age of the students rather than their talent, and this senior apprentice brother was not stronger than any of the three experts behind Xu Min. Nor was he stronger than the light fairy, but even if they were to battle him, they would face some difficulties. He had been at the academy for a long time and hadpleted plenty of missions. This experience rewarded him with a lot of resources. As well, even though his rank was only of the sixth star of the Warrior rank, hisbat ability was quite high.

    "Are you ready to fight me right now?" The senior apprentice brother was silent for some time after asking the question. He had been in life and death situations against some beasts in the Immortal Valley and right now he was feeling a chill going down his spine. This chill was simr to what he felt when he stood in front of the most awe-inspiring beasts he had met before.

    Feeling like this, the senior apprentice brother became apprehensive. He understood now that this human expert had some secrets, but he was riding on a tiger¡¯s back and was unable to get off. Even though he wished to retract his challenge, it was toote now.

    "You want to wait until the Heavenly Rankings? Keep dreaming. My younger brother is not even able to attend this year¡¯s heavenly ranking because of you! I need to get my vengeance now. Let us go to the sparring fields right now since sses have ended for the day!"

    Just as the senior apprentice brother had finally gained the courage to speak up while standing straight and looking all righteous, the light fairy sighed and spoke up once more, "sses are over for you elves, but they are still ongoing for ssmate Xu Min," she said with her sweet voice, "he has to attend the fairy lessons soon. Since it is like this, he cannot go to the sparring field before tomorrow morning."

    Hearing the light fairie¡¯s words the senior apprentice brother¡¯s face turned at first sour but then slightly relieved.

    "If that is the case, then we might as well wait for the Heavenly Ranking," he said and shook his head, "I will let you train until the time for the the heavenly ranking. Then we will see who is the strongest!"

    Without waiting for an answer the senior apprentice brother turned around and started walking away from the office. Just as he walked away, the Immortal teacher appeared out of nowhere and looked at him.

    "You need to be more careful. Although you feel that you can deal with this man, you cannot deal with everyone. A little bit of humbleness goes a long way." he smiled. Xu Min bowed deeply out of gratitude. It was clear that this teacher wished Xu Min the best and the warning was out of his best interest.

    Turning around, Xu Min also bowed to the three elves and the light fairy. "Thank you all for your help to block this senior apprentice brother," Xu Min said the heartfelt words. A smile appeared on his face,pletely stunning the four other experts.

    They had indeed tried to help him. In the end, they had also seeded in making the duel get dyed, but they also understood that for Xu Min, this was not necessary. Seeing Xu Min disying such respectful greeting, they were all stunned. It did notst long, they quickly all smiled before the light fairy stepped forward.

    "ss will start soon,e with me. I¡¯ll take you to the ssroom."

    Xu Min nodded his head. With a respectful distance, he followed behind the fairy, not too close nor too far away. He looked at the scenes rather than the beautiful fairy in front of him.The woman was surprised by his ability topletely ignore her beauty since not even the elves were capable of doing that.

 Chapter 111: Mu Jianyao

    Chapter 111: Mu Jianyao

    As Xu Min reached the ssroom, he was shocked to see that there were not only female fairies but also male fairies. Albeit fewer in numbers, that is.

    The moment he arrived in the ssroom together with the light fairy, everyone turned silent. No one moved, and everyone just stared at the two experts who had appeared together.

    "That¡¯s the human."

    "Why is he with the light fairy?"

    "He doesn¡¯t look that different."

    Murmurs erupted in the ssroom from the astonished fairies. The female fairies unabashedly stared at Xu Min with curiosity while the few male fairies had hostility written in their eyes.

    To think the fact that he apanied the light fairy was enough to cause some of them to like him and others to dislike him as a result. It was evident to Xu Min that this light fairy was special. Clearly, all the fairies admired and held her in their hearts, at least the ones from this ss.

    The lecture itself was rtively simple. The topic focused on the energy of wind. Nevertheless, the contents of what was expounded on were something Xu Min had already known from his own understanding and experience.

    The fairy teacher was a man; he was less friendly than the teacher of the elves¡¯ sses. Seeing that Xu Min had not paid much attention to the ss, he had often asked him questions only to be answered straightforwardly with the correct answers.

    As the ss ended, the sun was starting to decline on the beautiful summer sky. Everyone was filled with excitement as they left the ssroom.

    While the majority were going to spend some time together, Xu Min slipped away easily. Although he was rather popr and quite sought after right now, no one seemed to see him sneak away. Everyone was too busy chatting with their friends.

    As Xu Min left the ssroom, he noticed that a group of elves was waiting for someone, most likely him, at the entrance to the fairy ssroom.

    Xu Min pondered for a moment after noticing this group. Should he confront them or not? He eventually decided against it. Xu Min went to the opposite side of the ssroom to avoid them; he found a tall wall, which he quickly scaled with the help of the wind.

    Jumping down on the other side, Xu Min was unsure of whether or not this was legal, but he would rather run away than being ganged up upon.

    When hended on the ground, he found himself in a ce that resembled a garden. There were no students around him, only many medicinal herbs. They seemed to be simr to the ones he had seen in the magical forest where he had first met Cao Cao.

    "This ought to be the academy¡¯s medicinal garden," Cao Cao, who was hanging on Xu Min¡¯s neck, said slowly as he looked around. He had grown up with medicines, so he knew what exactly each and every one of these herbs were. Xu Min was not interested in them.

    He could not take even one medicinal herb, so why care?. These nts belonged to the academy, not him, and if he took them, he was likely to suffer some severe punishments. To obtain these nts, one needed to use contribution points.

    Thinking like this, Xu Min quickly wanted to find a way to leave the garden. Suddenly, he saw a figure shing towards him and felt a hand on his throat.

    "Who dares to barge into my medicinal garden?" the voice asked in a low and dangerous growl.

    Xu Min wanted to answer, he truly did, but he could not. The hand on his throat was gripping so hard he had problems breathing. The figure even hoisted him up from the ground, making his legs dangle in the air. This was clearly an Immortal, a simple move of his hand had already rendered Xu Minpletely incapable of acting, and this was before any force was emitted from the man¡¯s bony fingers.

    "Oh right," The figure seemed to understand that Xu Min could not answer. He released the young man, who proceeded to stumble to the ground, gasping for air and holding his neck. He felt indents on his neck from where the fingers had held him.

    "I¡¯m Xu Min," he introduced himself with a very low and hoarse voice, "I am a new student. I did not know this area was forbidden. I deeply apologize. All I wanted was to find my way out."

    Every word he said was the truth. He truly had never expected that jumping past the wall would cause such drama, nor had he expected that an Immortal would be waiting for him at the other side who was ready to kill him if he said something wrong. Right now, all he wanted was to escape alive.

    "I see," the figure said. Some of the hostility in the voice disappeared. Even now, Xu Min was unaware of whether or not the figure in front of him was a fairy or an elf, or even a male or a female.

    As Xu Min caught his breath, he slowly rose to his feet once more and dusted off the soil from his clothes. He was standing on a small path made from soil that framed the different patches where the nts were situated. He could only imagine the disaster that might have urred if he hadnded in a patch ofnd that was filled with these nts. The Immortal would have likely killed him on the spot.

    As he thought of this, a shiver ran down his spine. By now, he truly regretted that he did not meet those silly elves that had ganged up on him. As he was thinking this, he felt a hand under his chin lift his head up and move it side to side.

    The Immortal in front of him wore a massive cloak much like the Guardians of the Immortal Valley, making it hard to see his or her features. However, the hand out from the cloak, which was lifting his head, appeared youthful with skin as beautiful and white as porcin, and long fingers that were graceful to look at.

    "You look odd," The Immortal said as it cocked its head, looking rather confused at Xu Min.

    "You are not an elf, neither are you a fairy. Could you be a human? A human was allowed to join our academy?"

    The Immortal was ecstatic and seemed excited. It was as if it was really happy that a human had joined them, but what made Xu Min confused was the fact that this Immortal had not heard about him before.

    "I¡¯m a human who can control both spiritual energy and elemental affinities," he exined, "The Guardian Tree approved of me, and I became a student of this academy. Currently, I am living in the small cabin and attending both sses."

    Xu Min was not sure why he divulged so much about himself, but this Immortal no longer seemed to have any hostility towards him. Instead, the Immortal released his face and started pacing around him, looking at him from every single angle.

    "Interesting," the figure said, "amazing." It was not sarcastic. This was genuine interest. As the Immortal saw the confusion on Xu Min¡¯s face, the Immortal stopped. The two porcin white hands moved to the cloak¡¯s hood and took it off, revealed the most stunning beauty Xu Min had ever seen before.

    At first, he was blinded by her beauty. He was stunned witless. He was unable to say anything and just stood there jaws agape, staring at the woman in front of him. She seemed to be at most twenty years of age. Looking at her, it was impossible to say if she was a fairy or an elf.

    Her ears were pointed like an elf¡¯s, but her appearance was that of fairy. Around her was a frosty air as though she was an ice queen, a woman with no emotions. Even so, she took an unusual interest in Xu Min.

    She lifted her hand, and a set of daggers appeared. These daggers were clearly created from spiritual energy. As she lifted these two daggers, the surrounding area suddenly turned gray and rain started to fall. It was rain that fell from a previously cloudless sky. She was clearly in control of this new raincloud.

    "I¡¯m not a human," she said with a smile on her face, "But I am half elf and half fairy. It is not normal for fairies and elves to find partners amongst each other. However, when they do, they are usually incapable of producing offspring, but I was born from such a couple. I am the only expert of my kind."

    "The cabin you live in now used to be my cabin. When I was a student, they also made me live there since I was neither fairy nor elf. I had to attend both sses, but no one wanted to befriend me since I belonged to neither the elves nor the fairies."

    One could sense a small grudge from this immortal as she sighed deeply, "the Academy¡¯s teachers did everything they could to make me feel wee. To them, I was a wondrous genius, almost the future of their joint races, but in the end, I ended up as the teacher in charge of the Medicinal Garden."

    She hesitated slightly as she looked at Xu Min. Then a smile appeared on her lips, "Why don¡¯t you take me as your master?" She asked. Her smile grew increasingly brilliant.

    "If you be a personal disciple of one of the Immortals within the academy, you won¡¯t have to attend sses, but you will have to show up whenever I call for you. I can teach you how to use Spiritual Energy and Elemental Affinity alongside a kind of energy I created when I merged the two."

    Everything the woman said made Xu Min more and more interested. Nevertheless, to take a master was no simple matter. Considering the offer he was given, he was thinking about how he wished to improve his strength quickly, and to do so required for him to rely on someone specific. After having considered the merits and demerits for some time, he nodded his head and said, "I already have one master whom I owe my life, but if you are fine with me sharing two masters, then allow me to bow to you," Xu Min exined seriously.

    Upon hearing his response, the Immortal hesitated for a moment. A few momentster, her eyes shone with interest in this young man in front of her, and she nodded her head. "I am fine with sharing you with another master. I am sure he has taught you the human ways of fighting, but he cannot teach you about the ways of an elf or a fairy; for that you will need me."

    Hearing this, Xu Min did not hesitate and fell to his knees where he bowed three times in front of this beautiful woman. His sincerity shocked her, but soon a warm smile appeared on her handsome face.

    "This is not only a chance for you, but also a chance for me," she murmured so low that Xu Min could not hear it.

    "Follow me," She said as Xu Min rose to his feet. Slowly, they moved through the mist-filled medicinal garden. The medicinal garden was veryrge, and it astonishingly took an entire hour to reach the outer perimeter.

    "My name is Mu Jianyao." the woman suddenly said with her back turned to Xu Min, "you can call me by my name or call me master, but that is up to you."

    Together, the two left the medicinal garden. As they did, everyone in the vicinity stared at them. One was a celestial beauty, while the other was a young man who, although handsome, was far from the otherworldly beauty of the fairies or possessing the strong aura of an elf.

    "It¡¯s the human! What is he doing together with Miss Mu?"

    "Miss Mu is as beautiful as always. How can she walk together with someone as ugly as that human boy?"

    "They are both strange; it was only a matter of time before they met each other."

    "Jealous! I¡¯m so jealous of how that human waste can walk next to Miss Mu!"

    A lot of voices sounded out as Xu Min walked behind Mu Jianyao. Although he did not have therger ears of an elf, he heard everything as clear as day. A wry smile appeared on his lips, but Xu Min did not act on it. He simply just shook his head. The fairies and elves were going to learn that, although he was a human, he was far from weak. It was soon time for the heavenly rankings to begin!

 Chapter 112: Brothers

    Chapter 112: Brothers

    As Mu Jianyao and Xu Min walked through the area, she was not bothered by the whispers. Everyone had long since agreed that she was the most beautiful woman at the academy. She even had an unofficial fan club since she was the youngest of all the Immortals at the academy; her beauty would remain breathtaking.

    Unfortunately, Mu Jianyao was not often out of the Medicinal Garden. Many went to the garden to purchase herbs just to see her, but she had always been an ice queen. No one had managed to make her smile. No one had even managed to make her speak more than one or two words to them. Now here she was, walking with Xu Min right behind her.

    "What do you think he has done to get such attention from Miss Mu?"

    "Do you think he tried to steal her herbs?"

    "Maybe he said something inappropriate towards Immortal Miss Mu; He is just a human after all."

    While everyone was theorizing why Xu Min was being treated special, they walked past as if no one was talking about them. Mu Jianyao was used to always being stared at and talked about. She grew up with people looking down upon her.

    During her childhood and youth, she had been an ugly duckling. She was often made fun of but as her power grew her beauty increased. Finally, she became the celestial being that everyone loved, but within her heart, she always remembered how the others had treated her. They treated her differently, shunning her from their friendship.

    Back then she had cried alone in her cabin a lot. Now that the same ugly things were being said about Xu Min, she could not help but wonder just how he was dealing with these words. However, when she sneaked a nce at Xu Min, she was shocked. Xu Min was walking with a smirk on his face, looking as if he owned the entire world. He did not seem even the slightest bit worried about the words were spoken about him.

    "He¡¯s pretty tough, not bad," Mu Jianyao murmured to herself with a smile on her face, a smile which none apart from herself understood. Some assumed that it was a smile of anger; others thought it was a smile of curiosity, but no matter what, where Mu Jianyao and Xu Min walked, a whole group of experts followed.

    Xu Min nor Mu Jianyao did nothing to stop these followers behind them. Both of them, unbeknownst to each other, shared the same thought. If these elves or fairies wished to know what their purpose was, then let them know. In the end, the ones who would be suffering would be all the elves and fairies as they would learn that Mu Jianyao had chosen a human as a disciple over them.

    The walk through the academy was long, a little too long Xu Min could not help but wonder if Mu Jianyao was intentionally making the walk longer than usual. In the end, he said nothing, though. Even if she wished to make it longer than usual and attract attention to their movements, he would support her. She was his new master, and he would follow all of hermands as long as she did not order him to throw away his life.

    Finally, after walking through the academy for what seemed like ages, they finally arrive at the Mission Tower.

    "Xu Min," Mu Jianyao called out, and Xu Min instantly stepped up next to his master. She flicked her hand and a big leaf appeared out of nowhere. The woman stepped onto it before she reached out her hand, gestured for Xu Min to take it. As he did, she pulled him on top of the leaf.

    Qi gushed out of her body; it entered the leaf beneath them, making the leaf move up into the air. It first hovered a few centimeters above ground before it rose further and further into the air until it reached the top of the tower.

    At the top of the tower, there was a doorway with no door. The leaf went straight for this door. As they reached it, Mu Jianyao entered into the doorway and Xu Min, who was not toofortable staying on the floating leaf, quickly followed behind.

    "This is the office of our headmaster," Mu Jianyao said with a smile on her face. "He already knows everything happening at the academy, but we still need toe and inform him about our rtionship. He needs to give us his blessings."

    Hearing this, Xu Min could not help but fear that for some reason this headmaster would go against them. Maybe he disliked humans? Maybe he was a fan of Mu Jianyao. There were so many possibilities. However, to Xu Min who had already acknowledged Mu Jianyao as his master, he was very worried.

    "Wee human and mixed blood bastard" a voice called out casually. The words were not very friendly; in fact, they were down right rude. Even though Xu Min did not mind being called a human, he was seething with anger when he heard how his master being called a mixed blood bastard.

    Sensing the rising anger in her apprentice¡¯s temper, Mu Jianyao quickly ced a hand on his head. Suddenly Xu Min lost all power over his body. Even his mouth no longer worked. His entire body became that of a puppet. A mere touch of an Immortal had already rendered himpletely useless.

    "Mu Jianyao greets father," the woman called out. She did not care at all about what she had been called the moment before. On her face was no anger or hostility. When he saw thepleteck of response, a sigh could be heard from within the shadows.

    "I saw you smile earlier today. A smile from you is as rare as a crimson moon," the voice from before said. "I thought that perhaps I could see more of your emotions today, but you are truly like your mother. She never let any of your emotions show. She disyed the same expression till the day she died. Will you not give in and allow for emotions to once more be part of your life? Will you not try to live again?"

    Although Xu Min had been filled with anger before he was now filled with curiosity about the life of his Master. However just as he thought he¡¯d hear more, Mu Jianyao¡¯s voice cut through the office.

    "Father, I came to inform you that I have taken an apprentice. I wish to teach him the arts of spiritual energy and the control of elemental affinities."

    There was truly no emotion within her voice. The excitement Xu Min had sensed in her voice when they had been in the medicinal garden hadpletely vanished. Even so, Xu Min did not mind. He felt that although this woman was an ice queen but deep within her were raging emotions. One day he would help her say what she truly felt.

    "I have no reason to refuse you, and considering the killing intent your student disyed when I called you a mixed blood bastard, I can tell he already appreciates you. I can ept him as your student. Who knows, one day you might be a gentle soul once more."

    Mu Jianyao did not wait for any longer. She touched Xu Min again. His body returned to his control, but he did not speak. He followed behind his master as the two of them once more stepped on board the floating leaf before theynded on the ground. By now the square where the mission tower was located was filled with elves and fairies. The word about Xu Min and Mu Jianyao had long since reached them all, and many were curious as to what was happening.

    As theynded on the ground, Mu Jianyao turned around and looked at Xu Min.

    "Now that you are my disciple let¡¯s begin. Your first task as my apprentice is simple. I wish for you to take a mission to kill twenty five-star beasts within the Immortal Valley. Bring me all the beast cores. Do not use your snake or your lion. They can tag along, but they are not allowed to attack. Oh, and you are only allowed to use your elemental affinities when you attack them."

    Having said that Mu Jianyao started moving away. However, before she got far away, she turned around once more and looked at Xu Min before she threw a vial towards him.

    "This is the present you get from taking me as your master. Spend today and tomorrow to consume this pill and leave the day after, as soon as you return, see me. Also, don¡¯t die out there. I have never had an apprentice before, and I would prefer not losing you already."

    Hearing the words, Xu Min bowed deeply to Mu Jianyao before he turned around and left. The crowd in front of him made way for him to walk through. Although they were filled with jealousy and hate, now no one dared to attack him now. He was the direct apprentice of an Immortal. Only a handful of students at the academy could brag of such results. Those who could were already at the top of the heavenly rankings.

    Not to mention that this was no ordinary immortal; this was immortal Mu Jianyao! She was a goddess amongst the students, but she had always been an ice queen. How had Xu Min managed to be someone that she deemed eptable?

    Many were filled with a belly full of anger, but what could they do apart from returning to their mansions? Ganging up on Xu Min would cause Mu Jianyao to take revenge. She had already said that she did not want him to die and he was her first apprentice. It was clear that she cared about him to some extent. No one wished to be enemies with an Immortal.

    Seeing everyone bewildered about what just had passed, Xu Min could not help but snicker. He said nothing, though, as he returned to his room. In his hands was the present he had received from Mu Jianyao. On his neck was Cao Cao who was looking around, constantly ensuring that no one sneaked up on them. When they reached the cabin, they found that Ye Ling was awaiting them.

    Ye Ling was free to move as he wished. Everyone knew he belonged to Xu Min, and no one wished to fight with such a fierce beast. For some reason, though, Ye Ling decided to stay in the cabin, acting more like a guard dog rather than t walk around unless necessary.

    "What happened today?" He asked curiously as he saw Xu Min¡¯s excited face. Xu Min¡¯s lips split into a great smile, "I gained a new master," he said seriously as he sat down on his bed, "A new Immortal master who is capable of using both elemental affinities and spiritual energy. She is also very pretty, but of course, she does notpare to my Meilin," Xu Minughed out loud.

    "I am in a hurry. I need to consume this pill and refine the medicinal properties of it, but I also need to sit down and meditate andprehend the element of fire which I absorbed today. I need to gain some basic understanding of it so that I can use it on the mission I need to undertake."

    Looking at Ye Ling, Xu Min smiled, "Wanna go out with me to the Immortal Valley once more?" He asked excitedly. Ye Ling showed a toothy grin, "Wherever you go, I will follow you. We are brothers andpanions, and we will forever experience hardships and joyous asions together!"

    Hearing Ye Ling¡¯s words, Xu Min felt warmth in his heart. He gave both Cao Cao and Ye Ling a big hug, "With brothers like the two of you, who needs other friends?" he said emotionally.

 Chapter 113: Human Magic

    Chapter 113: Human Magic

    The news about Mu Jianyao bing Xu Min¡¯s master spread like wildfire in the academy.Every elf and fairy were discussing this amazing news.

    Both elves and fairies felt jealous. They all admired Mu Jianyao and looked up to her. Many would visit the medicinal garden for the sake of just seeing her even though she usually wore a cloak that hid her face. Her hands would be seen trading the herbs for contribution points, and her frosty voice could be heard.

    Many of these experts had dreamt about bing her apprentice. Some had even dreamt of bing her lover due to her beauty. Nevertheless, no one felt they had the talent to step forward and raise the question of her taking them as apprentices.

    Now Xu Min was her apprentice. This fact alone filled the elves and fairies were filled with depression since they wished they had spoken up earlier. Now it was toote. An immortal could teach and train one student at a time. They were to devote all of their attention to this one student. As long as Xu Min was at the academy, no one would be able to take over his spot.

    Therefore when the students heard that Xu Min had already been given his first mission, all of them hoped he would die. If he died, all of the elves would battle for the chance of bing Mu Jianyao¡¯s new apprentice.

    Although they all hoped for Xu Min to die, none of them would be the bringer of his death. Killing him was even less of a possibility.

    Although they disliked Xu Min, he was a student of their academy and killing a fellow student was simply uneptable. Not only that, he now had the protection of an Immortal. No one knew whether or not this ice queen was willing to take revenge on her student. There was a slight chance. With this chance existing who in the world would be stupid enough to anger an Immortal?

    Xu Min, who was at home in the cabin, waspletely unaware of what exactly was happening in the rest of the academy. Xu Min was instead looking at the medicinal pill in his hand and smiled. "I will eat this pill first. Then I will focus on the fire elemental affinity afterward," Xu Min said to himself while sitting down on his bed in a lotus position. Ye Ling ced himself in front of the door while Cao Cao wrapped himself around the neck of Xu Min as always.

    cing the pill within his mouth, Xu Min felt a foreign energy starting to rush into his body from the world outside. It was as if a whirlwind appeared in the middle of his dantian and with a strong suction force drew every ounce of energy from the surrounding world into his body where it quickly was refined and turned into Qi.

    He felt his dantian constantly expanding. The Qi pool within was flooding; more and more energy filled up the space and cracks which appeared on the dantian. Every time it seemed as though it would burst, the whirlwind would send out golden beams of light which would once more heal the cracks in the dantian. Nheless, it allowed the dantian to increase in size which took much time.

    Xu Min¡¯s forehead was filled with beads of sweat; his teeth grit hard, and his hands tightened into fists. He was in severe pain. Every time the dantian started cracking he would feel some intense pain. He could not describe this pain; it was so painful, and it woulde time and time again. Nevertheless, he endured. Xu Min had long since noticed just how much his rank advanced. When he could see the direct improvements in his strength, Xu Min could do nothing else than to continue with the suction of energy. The pain made him stronger.

    The medicinal pill was indeed potent, so potent that Xu Min hadpletely lost all senses. He only focused on one thing, and that was to get through the painful cultivation as soon as possible with as many benefits as absolutely possible.

    The whirlwind had started out with just absorbing the energy within the cabin, but soon all of it had been consumed. It started spinning swifter, dragging in more and more energy from the surrounding areas. It became powerful even the students noticed the suction force which came from within his room.

    Many were filled with jealousy. They knew that this sudden disy of suction force was due to Mu Jianyao. The fact that Xu Min could benefit from such treatment was only because of the amazing Immortaldy.

    While some experts were busy feeling upset about Xu Min¡¯s ability to be Mu Jianyao¡¯s student, others found it interesting and were more curious as to what kind of person Xu Min truly was.

    A few of the students who had Immortals as their masters were curious as to whether or not Xu Min would turn into a threat when it came to the Heavenly Ranking. Others were curious as to how he had convinced Mu Jianyao to take him in. Whereas, some were just curious about how much strength he was hiding.

    Everyone knew that Mu Jianyao was the daughter of the headmaster of the academy. She was an elf and a fairy. Being the only child who had been born with the ability to control both spiritual energy and elemental affinities gave her a special ce in the hearts of all elves and fairies. She was revered as a goddess, and her beauty made her even more loved by all.

    Xu Min sat in the room the entire day and night. The whirlwind in his dantian slowly diminished in size and absorbed less and less Qi until itpletely vanished. By this time, Xu Min could feel that his rank had risen a full level. He had managed to break into a six-star warrior; however, he was at the very beginning of a six-star warrior, having much less Qi than other experts at that level.

    "Congrattions on your breakthrough!" Ye Ling and Cao Cao said simultaneously to Xu Min who was smiling from ear to ear. Although the night had been incredibly painful, he had gone through it, and the rewards he had harvested were amazing.

    Xu Min had wanted to sit down and meditate more on the fire elemental energy he had recently absorbed and made it part of his energy. However, considering the sun was rising in the sky, Xu Min did not have the time to ponder upon the fire element. He had been told to go to the Immortal Valley this day and finish off a mission when he finished consuming the medicinal pill, and thus He stood up, washed, changed his clothes to his personal ck robes and moved towards the mission tower.

    As he reached the mission tower, he saw that it was filled with people. Some were here to take their missions while others were gathered to see Xu Min. They pointed at him as if he was some celebrity that they wished to get a slight nce of. Xu Min felt rather ufortable, but he pretended he did not see any of them. Instead, he strode into the mission tower and went straight to the counter.

    There were many kinds of missions at the mission tower, and they were ranked depending on their difficulty.

    Some of these missions were always avable, such as the one Xu Min needed. These were killing beasts for their beast cores. Then there were the easy missions which were missions which had to be done at the academy. This could be cleaning the stairs or cleaning the sidewalks or painting the houses. These missions had no danger, but considering theck of participation, their pay in contribution points was not low.

    Killing monsters were one of the lower paid missions, but Xu Min understood that he was not here for the sake of gaining contribution points but for the sake of learning how to use his power in battle.

    Nothing enhanced one¡¯s performance as much as life and death battles.

    Xu Min quickly obtained his mission. With all eyes upon him, he straightened his back, called for Ye Ling and slowly move towards the academy¡¯s exit. It was time for him to enter Immortal Valley once more and kill beasts. This time he was not allowed to use the sword in his hand; he had to rely solely on his elemental affinity. This was not an easy task.

    "Xu Min!" Someone suddenly called out. Looking behind him, Xu Min saw the light fairying his way. A sweet smile was on her beautiful face as she looked at him.

    "I need to take a mission as well. Why don¡¯t the two of us go together?" she asked with the sweetest smile on her face. Hearing the question, Xu Min was quite stunned. "Together?" he asked to ensure that he had heard her correctly, but the light fairy just nodded her head, "I am going to the Immortal Valley as well to do a mission simr to yours. Why don¡¯t we travel together? If we are two, killing more beasts will be easy," her reply was tempting, but Xu Min was not certain.

    "My master told me that I have to kill my beasts," he said hesitantly, "I am not even allowed to have mypanions attacking. How can I go with you and let you attack them for me?" Xu Min was unsure of what to do. He was not aware of how to deal with this light fairy. Although she was attractive, Xu Min¡¯s heart had already been given to Meilin. No other woman could sway him. He would prefer not being part of any drama. Thus he wished to stay away from the beautiful women around him.

    Seeing that she had been rejected, tears welled up in her eyes. She looked at Xu Min and asked, "Why are you so mean to me?" with a trembling voice.

    Although the voice was trembling, it was not low. Everyone could hear what she said. They instantly assumed Xu Min was bullying her and a group of experts stepped forward.

    "Hey you, human, what do you think you are doing making our most beautiful fairy cry?" one of the men asked. His body filled with muscles and his eyes zed with killing intent.

    It as not only him, a whole group of people were the same, but Xu Min just sneered as he shrugged his shoulders, "what I do to her has nothing to do with you," he said with a domineering voice that left no room for argument. The answer was incredibly rude but enough for everyone present; the light fairy did not go against his words. If anything, she just looked down at the ground and mumbled something indistinct.

    "Well let us be good friends in the future," Xu Min said to the woman with a smile on his face. He started to move away from therge group of people who had observed the impossible. Had Xu Min done something to all the beautiful women of the academy to make theme up to him? No one knew, but many rumors started to spread. The rumors said he was using some human magic to take over the mind of all beautiful women.

    All this was happening while Xu Min finally reached the Guardian Tree and left the academy grounds.

    "I would never have believed I could leave the academy this soon," he mumbled to himself. He gestured for Ye Ling to follow him. Instead of moving towards the outskirts of the Immortal Valley, Xu Min moved into the depths of the forest on the hunt for five and six-star beasts that he could defeat with his elemental affinity alone.

 Chapter 114: Pack of Wolves

    Chapter 114: Pack of Wolves

    Agonizing howls reverberated through the entire forest; thick scents of blood permeated the forest¡¯s air. On the ground, one could see the corpse of a Sabertooth Blood Wolf scattered into pieces. Upon closer inspection, the body was still dripping blood; it must have recently died.

    Following a small animal trail, there were more and more Sabertooth Blood Wolves¡¯ lying on the ground, one after another. Some were lying in stacks while others were lying with space between them.

    Every corpsecked its beast core, and all of them seemed to have been cut straight through by something sharp and in multiple times at the same time.

    The further down the animal trail the more corpses one could find. Eventually, some of them even had their beast cores left within the corpses. The further down the trail, the heavier the air was with the stench of blood; it was even flowing on the ground, making small puddles.

    One howl after another cried out. Some in agony, others with fighting spirit. One thing was certain, though, there was a whole group of beasts in front, and these beasts were battling something fierce.

    This something was Xu Min. Currently, he was cursing under his breath. He had seen one Sabertooth Blood Wolf and decided it would be the first enemy he would ughter for his mission. Then he realized toote he was on their territory. As soon as he had in one, another two would appear.

    Xu Min was not one to give up. By the time he realized that there was simply too many wolves around him, he was already surrounded with no way to retreat.

    Killing the first twenty was done by only using his wind domain after which he took the beast cores. As the group of wolves reached the hundreds, he no longer had the freedom to do whatever he pleased. Instead, he unsheathed his sword and relied on both Ye Ling and Cao Cao to assist him in battling against all the wolves.

    One hundred wolves turned into two hundred wolves, and two hundred wolves turned to three hundred wolves. The pack of wolves was so massive that Xu Min felt his skull go numb.Nevertheless, he had no other option than to keep battling.

    Demonic beasts also use a kind of energy. This energy was swallowed whole by Xu Min¡¯s sword equally to how it devoured the energy of elves and fairies.

    In spite of this, Xu Min was careful with how much energy he would absorb. He remembered how he had entered a frenzied berserker stance before when he needed to battle all those human cultivators within the Immortal Valley Rankings. However, now he wished to avoid that urrence for as long as possible.

    He did not know how long he could handle the berserker stance. He knew it took a hard toll on his body and that at some point he would be incapable of holding on. The longer he held off, the better it would be.

    Xu Min swung his sword in rapid session. Countless piercing shrieks could be heard as the sword cut open the wind and shed through the bodies of the beasts.

    Not only this, the wind within the forest had consistently increased in strength from a soft and gentle breeze to a wild and ferocious gale.

    One wind de after another descended on the wolves. Their bodies, although strong, could not handle the sharpness of the wind des and were chopped into pieces. Xu Min¡¯s sword was constantly dancing in the air, shing and chopping wolves into pieces.

    It was not only Xu Min who was going all out, but Cao Cao as well was soaring through the sky,nding on one wolf after another. He would bite them through their skin and allow for his poison to enter their bodies, instantly killing them.

    Cao Cao was currently the weakest of them all, but his killing was the cleanest. One bite and the five-star Warrior beasts would die instantly. While it could not kill the sixth-star warrior ranked wolves, it did petrify them, paralyze them and ensure that they could no longer move. This then allowed for the wind de to chop them into small bits without any problems.

    Ye Ling was also still a five-star beast, and he was equal to the Sabertooth Blood Wolves, meaning he could only fight one at a time. Nheless, Ye Ling was ruthless too; he had benefitted greatly from following Xu Min. He had been gifted medicinal pills and treasured herbs. His strength could rival that of the sixth-star beasts, even so, he could only take one at a time.

    As he killed his enemies, he would instantly swallow their beast cores.

    Beast cores worked somewhat the same way for beasts as it did for Xu Min to absorb the energy of other experts.

    He would be able to replenish the energy he had in his body while at the same time he would be stronger and stronger. Unfortunately, it required some time to refine this energy.

    Seeing that no more beasts appeared, Xu Min was ecstatic. He finally gave up on his hesitation. The sword in his hand started humming, and mes appeared all over his body.

    So far Xu Min had done all in his power to preserve his energy and rely on the wind domain. This reliance on the energy from nature did not drain his Qi reserve. Now that he decided to give up on being calm, Xu Min let go of all his energy and started absorbing energy greedily.

    Before he had mainly focused on defense and killed those who jumped at him, but now Xu Min focused on offense. His entire body was bared in front of these beasts. Many of them attacked him in groups. Someunched themselves on his back of him, and others bit his arms and legs, trying to slow him down, destroy his body or injure him.

    Although Xu Min managed to kick them off his legs, throw those on his back off, and smash the ones on his arms into trees, he was still injured. He had small wounds all over his body. His robe was torn into pieces, and blood soaked his cloak.

    Nevertheless, these injuries were nothingpared to the injuries that the Wolves were taking. His offense had be frightening. Wolves died one after another under his relentless attacks. No one had the power to truly go against him.

    The more wolves that Xu Min killed, the more baleful his aura became, and the swifter his killings became.

    The wolves started to hesitate on whether or not they should attack. Some even turned around and tried to escape. The pack of wolves which had been around a thousand at the start was now only a few remaining. Even the leader of the pack had lost its life in Xu Min¡¯s hands.

    Standing back, panting hard, Xu Min looked at himself only to find his body littered with wounds all over. His clothes were only rags, and they were soaked in blood. As well, there were wounds of various degrees of damage spread across his entire body.

    Not only him, Cao Cao and Ye Ling were also filled with wounds all over, but Xu Min was extremely happy when he saw that both of them were fine.

    He quickly got three pills from the storage treasure and put one in his mouth while tossing the other two to hispanions. These pills did wonder. They stopped the wounds from bleeding and slowly started healing the wounds.

    While the pill could not fully heal the more severe wounds, it made the ones decent enough for the bloody crew to regain theirbat ability.

    "Let us get all the beast cores before we leave," Xu Min decided, "You can take as many as you can eat, but leave the rest for me. I want to exchange them for contribution points," he dered. The two beasts nodded their heads before they greedily started slicing open the heads of the wolves to extract their beast cores.

    The two, Ye Ling and Cao Cao, were greedily absorbing one core after another until the point they no longer could consume even one more core. Their bodies burst with energy. They needed to sit down and refine this energy they had consumed and merge it with their energy so that it was no longer just a foreign energy that had prated their bodies but an energy which belonged to them. Once they refined and merged the energy, they couldmand it without problems.

    Xu Min had also absorbed a high amount of energy during the battle, but most of it had already been used during his berserk offense against the wolves. The energy left over was possible to be refined while he was still moving around and picking up one core after another.

    In the end, Xu Min ended up with four hundred and twenty-seven beast cores of either the fifth or sixth ranking. This was a handsome reward which would be able to make it possible for him to gain quite a lot of contribution points.

    Having finished what they came for, the small group of three quickly left the battleground and entered the forest. They were on the lookout for a ce to bathe and clear their skin or fur of the coagted blood. Xu Min also wished to change his clothes as the rags he was wearing could not be considered to act as any covering.

    It did not take long before Xu Min found a small stream. Together with hispanions, they jumped into the chilled water and washed all the blood off their body. The few gaping wounds that were left behind stung as the cold water touched them, but the pill had truly changed quite a bit, and the wounds did not bleed any longer.

    "Who goes here?" A voice suddenly sounded out as Xu Min had dressed. He turned around and saw behind him a whole group of elves standing irately staring at him.

    "A mere human dares to enter the Immortal Valley when the Immortal Valley Rankings are over?!" the leader asked with disgust in his voice. "Don¡¯t me us for being impolite, but breaking the rulesid down by the guardians can only lead to death!"

    Having spoken, the young elf rushed forward as spiritual energy condensed in his hand to a beautiful sword. Upon seeing this, Xu Min just sneered as he opened up the force of the wind domain.

    The soft wind turned fierce, the wind des that appeared were sharper than any sword, and the attack that Xu Min unleashed could rival any of the fairies he had met so far.

    "Is this a way to treat your fellow student?" he yelled at them. While the other elves instantly stopped, the one at the frontpletely disregarded Xu Min¡¯s words and continued his advance.

    Xu Min had only had one lesson in spiritual energy, but that lesson had focused on the defensive use of spiritual energy. The energy erupted from his body andid itself like a massive shield in front of Xu Min.

    Seeing spiritual energy being controlled by a human shocked everyone. They were stunned;, even the advancing man was silent as he stared at Xu Min.

    "Who are you?" he asked dumbfounded. Xu Min, who finally made them retract some of their hostility, just shrugged his shoulders.

    "I am a new student at the academy, and I happen to be the personal student to Miss Mu Jianyao."

    Xu Min could have avoided mentioning his master¡¯s name, but he wished to make these kids understand just how stupid their actions were. Thus, to do so, he needed to borrow her name to pressure them.

 Chapter 115: A Week Off

    Chapter 115: A Week Off

    When they heard the name Mu Jianyao mentioned, the one who was about to attack, grew pale and then turned green.

    As to whether or not Xu Min was the student of Mu Jianyao was not something he believed, but the fact that he knew the name meant he did have some connection with the academy. Attacking fellow students was frowned upon, and he felt rather unhappy about this fact. However, he also felt he could not be med for this attack since the person in front of him was apparently human. How could a human possibly be invited to the academy for elves and fairies? It was simply inconceivable and never heard of before.

    Furthermore, this supposed human he had used spiritual energy! This was something none of them could deny. As to how a human could use this kind of power, he simply did not know.

    The atmosphere was both tense and awkward at the same time. The elf who had attacked did not wish to back down. His face twisted with anger and disgust while he thought about how this human would be his junior apprentice brother.

    Without saying anything else, the older elf turned to leave. His mood clearly soured. His followers were hesitating as to what they should do, but seeing that Xu Min did not bother with them, they started to make their way towards the Guardian Tree at the same time as Xu Min.

    This group of elves had been out on a long mission deep in the Immortal Valley. They were all exhausted and had been away from home for a longer period than they expected, so they were unaware of what had happened in the academy while they were gone.

    Seeing that Xu Min was going the same way, they felt rather awkward,; they were unsure of whether or not they should talk to him. In the end, they decided from refraining from doing so. Since the leader of their group ignored Xu Min, they followed suit andpletely ignored him as well. Still, they felt rather awkward. Thus no one spoke at all. All of them were silent as they reached the Guardian tree; they bowed deeply towards it before they were transferred into the academy grounds.

    As soon as they arrived, they paused. The leader of their group stopped. He was incredibly curious as to whether or not Xu Min would be able to enter through the Guardian Tree or if Xu Min had used some other kind of entrance. He highly doubted that a human could be approved of by the Guardian Tree.

    Moments after he was proven wrong. Xu Min appeared just as they had done through the portal created by the Guardian Tree. Without even ncing at the group of elves that were waiting for him, he moved towards the mission tower.

    This group of elves was also on their way to the mission tower to hand in their mission. All of them were curious as to what kind of mission he had undergone. Looking at Ye Ling, they assumed it had to do with capturing him.

    Once again they were surprised when they reached the mission tower, and Xu Min pulled out all the beast cores from within his storage treasure. So many cores appeared from Xu Min¡¯s storage that the woman behind the counter was bbergasted, even the group of elves were stunned.

    They were even more stunned when they heard the woman behind the counter open her mouth, "Young man, didn¡¯t you just leave the academy two days ago?"

    Her eyes shone in disbelief. She knew to kill these many beasts in such a short time was just impossible. Unless it was a siege of beasts against one person, and if that happened it was highly unlikely for the person who was besieged to survive.

    Xu Min only survived because of his ability to absorb energy from the wolves, use it as his own, and go berserk mixed with his acute control over the wind element and his wind domain.

    Without one or the other, he would have lost his life, but he managed to get through it. He had sustained severe injuries, but fortunately enough he possessed powerful medicinal pills which almost healed his body.

    Handing in the beast cores, he gained an astonishing three thousand contribution points. A smile spread on his lips as he rushed back to the herb garden where he knew his master would be awaiting him.

    Knocking on the door, he waited to hear the frosty voice sound out from within. "Enter," she said, and he quickly entered the room.

    "You came back rather soon," she said with her dry and cold voice. There was no emotion in her voice making it hard for Xu Min to determine her thoughts.

    "I encountered a pack of Sabertooth Blood Wolves," Xu Min exined. "At the start, it was not too challenging. I managed toplete my mission relying solely on my wind domain. Unfortunately more and more wolves appeared. In the end, I had to go all out and use all my abilities to survive. Even my beastpanions had to assist me in my survival."

    Xu Min hid nothing. He knew he had been told to only rely on his wind domain, but in the situation, he faced he had needed more than just a wind domain. He felt that he needed to inform his master about this matter truthfully.

    Mu Jianyao¡¯s one eyebrow raised in surprise when she heard what Xu Min said, but she nodded her head in approval. "I know about the pack of Sabertooth Blood Wolves we have in the forest. They are ferocious and bloodthirsty. They have been the bane of many of our students. To hear that you managed to get rid of many of them is admirable."

    Although Mu Jianyao¡¯s words were praising Xu Min, there was no emotion behind it. Thus the young man was quite uncertain about whether or not it was true praise or just empty words.

    The young man and the Immortal woman stood there, face to face for some time. Neither of them spoke, and neither of them made any attempts to move away. It was in one way awkward but at the same timefortable, as if they had found someone who understood each other.

    The magical atmosphere was suddenly interrupted as someone knocked on the door to the medicinal garden. With a sigh, Mu Jianyao and Xu Min looked towards the doorway.

    "Enter," she said with her frosty voice. Moments after the elf who had attacked Xu Min within the Immortal Valley entered. Seeing that Xu Min was together with Mu Jianyao his face turned sour. He quickly controlled his emotions and a smile spread on his lips.

    "Miss Mu, I am here to purchase some medicinal nts. If you could be so kind and assist me, then I would be very grateful."

    His words were incredibly polite. He even bowed slightly to the beautiful woman in front of him. Hearing the words, Mu Jianyao gave him a slight nod before she turned to Xu Min once more.

    "You must have gained some significant benefits considering what you went through within the Immortal Valley this time. I will give you a week off to stabilize your cultivation and to ponder upon the benefits you have gained. After a week, find me at sunrise here in the Medicinal Garden. That is when your lessons will start."

    Xu Min quickly approved of this idea. He had still not had the time toprehend the fire energy that his body had absorbed during the sparring matches nor did he have full control over his berserk ability. He needed to gain better control over himself so that he could stand a chance in the Heavenly Rankinging soon.

    As Xu Min was about to leave, he cupped his hands to the older elf and gave him a nod, "Senior Apprentice Brother," he said politely with a tinge of slight mockery. Xu Min remembered a grudge, and this man had not given him any positive vibes. It was clear that he preferred Xu Min to be gone, and this made Xu Min know that he inevitably had to step upon this man. He would unmercifully show him that he was worthy of being Mu Jianyao¡¯s student.

    Leaving the medicinal garden, Xu Min was happy that he had a full week to himself. During this week he had toprehend some introduction of the fire element. He had absorbed so much, and he needed to learn how to consume the fire elements from the world around him. He also needed to merge this elemental affinity with him so that he could use it inbat.

    Ideally, he would be able toprehend this element as quickly as he hadprehended the wind element. He hoped to acquire a second domain, so he could merge these two domains into one, making it possible for him to reach a whole new level of strength.

    It was not only Xu Min who was going to benefit from this one week of meditation. Cao Cao and Ye Ling had eaten so many beast cores that their bodies were filled with vtile energy which needed to be refined and merged with their own.

    On their way through the academy, many students looked at him, but no one attacked or challenged him to a duel. He was no longer a mere student but a direct disciple to an Immortal, and not just any immortal but Miss Mu Jianyao.

    Entering the cabin that now belonged to him, he instantly moved to the bed while Ye Ling and Cao Cao moved next to the firece. Noticing that both were shivering with cold and that a cold sweat was soaking their bodies, Xu Min instantly waited with his cultivation and started the fire as he worriedly looked at the two beastpanions of his.

    Xu Min had no more family. To him, these two were as much of a family as he ever could get. He would never allow anything to happen to them.

    Both beasts had entered meditation, but ck smoke was permeating from their bodies while energy ripples kept appearing just above their skin. It was clear that they had been very greedy while eating the beast cores and had overestimated their abilities to refine the energy. Even so, Xu Min stayed by their side and used towels to wipe down the sweat and ensure that the firece never died down.

    While Xu Min was busy dealing with the me, he noticed a few things that he had not noticed before. The me was mesmerizing him. He noticed how the mes were dancing and luring him in. Their profound way of moving, flickering here and there, vanishing from one location to appear in another, always reaching for the sky above.

    Without noticing what he was doing, Xu Min¡¯s hand reached into the me. He felt how it wrapped his hand. A gentle heat could be felt, but the me was not burning him as he had expected.

    Grasping a me within his hand, Xu Min withdrew it from the firece. The me within his hand stayed there, dancing and flickering within his hand. Instead of feeding it more wood, Xu Min allowed for a stream of Qi to exit his hand and enter the me. After injecting the mes with his Qi, they soared much higher than before.

    "I think I get it," Xu Min mumbled to himself as he was staring hypnotized at the me in his hand. ying with the me, it gently went past his fingers, and moved to his shoulder, dding his entire body in mes but even, so his clothes did not catch on fire, neither did the ground. The me waspletely controlled by Xu Min.

    "This must be the first step, gaining affinity with the me." he mused to himself. He then released the me which jumped back to the firece.

 Chapter 116: Fire Affinity

    Chapter 116: Fire Affinity

    Xu Min was astonished he could touch and control the me; nevertheless,t he was still not capable of creating his me so far. If he wished to control or have ess to fire, he needed a firece or some me which he could feed with his Qi.

    Quickly releasing the me back into the firece, he once more focused on his two friends. They were no longer sweating as profusely, and their bodies no longer trembled. Theyid down as if they were asleep but ripples of energy still left their bodies.

    Seeing this, he quickly rxed. Originally he had nned on sitting by the bed and merging with the fire element all around him in the surroundings, but now that he had felt the fire he knew that cultivating by the me¡¯s side was the best solution.

    Closing his eyes, he felt small specks of red lights surrounding him. Xu Min breathed these specks of light in. When they entered his body, these specks of light all traveled throughout the meridians before they ended up within the dantian where the Qi pool was. They greedily sucked up every single speck of light.

    The Qi pool within the dantian cave already had some colors to it. Green specks of light were visible within the Qi pool, but as the red ones were absorbed they too appeared within the Qi pool and mixed with the green specks.

    Although there were both red and green specks of light within the Qi pool, only a fraction of these specks were red. The majority was green, but this did not frighten Xu Min. In fact, it made sense for him.

    He had alreadyprehended the wind domain and could control the wind as he pleased, so it was natural he had absorbed a major amount of the wind specks of light. Whereas, he was aplete beginner when it came to the fire element. He was still unable to create even the simplest of mes.

    Xu Min was not unhappy with this. The fact that he was capable of controlling an already created me was already a great step. Now to control it further, he needed two things.

    One of these things was time. He needed time to absorb as many of these red specks of light as he could. Secondly, he needed toprehend what the me was.

    There were some profound secrets within the me, much like they had been within the wind. He had been reasonably quick at absorbing and understanding the wind element because he had absorbed all of the fairy¡¯s energy within the Blood Pagoda. Consequently, he had reached the number of green specks of light needed to reach the Wind domain quickly.

    Furthermore, he needed toprehend the me. He needed to understand what fire was and what profound secrets were hidden within it. Fortunately, Xu Min¡¯s ability toprehend was rather good.

    Xu Min was certain that he would be capable of controlling the fire soon, and while the twopanions were busy refining the beast cores that they had consumed, Xu Min was busy greedily absorbing every single red speck of light in his surroundings.

    Day after day went past in a blur. Within the cabin nothing happened, the beasts and Xu Min did not move from their respective seats. The firece which at first had been burning wood was now being sustained solely by Xu Min¡¯s Qi. He was trying to improve his control over mes alongside his absorption of red specks of light.

    He hoped to understand some of the fire¡¯s profound mysteries. The more he couldprehend, the sooner his fire domain would reach the level of his wind domain.

    While Xu Min and his twopanions were busy cultivating and stabilizing the energy gains they had gotten from their first mission, the grounds outside were filled with shocking talks.

    No one was questioning whether or not Xu Min was the student of Mu Jianyao any longer and instead; their interest changed to the soon uing Heavenly Rankings. The ones who ranked the highest on the Heavenly Rankings were all direct disciples of the Immortals at the academy.

    The Heavenly Rankings top five had been the same for thest three years. All of them being personally been taught by outstanding Immortals. Amongst all the immortals, Mu Jianyao was considered the strongest since she controlled both the Spiritual Energy and Elemental Affinity.

    Everyone would at some point in their life dream about bing her student. It was an impossible dream since Mu Jianyao never took in a student

    Now that Xu Min had been taken as her personal disciple, it proved he had something the others did not. All of them felt increasingly resentful at this unacknowledged fact.

    "He might have be the student of Miss Mu, but he is still a human. He will be trashed during the Heavenly Ranking. When he does, Mu Jianyao will realize just how bad a decision she made. Of course, then she will find another student to make her personal disciple and trash this lowly human."

    "I look forward to when he gets knocked off his high horse. This human is nothing more than a cultivator who has had some lucky encounters in his life. Someone relying solely on luck is not worthy of Miss Mu¡¯s time!"

    "I agree! That disgusting human must have eaten some miraculous herb which made his strength soar in a moment. Now that he no longer has this herb to rely on in the future, his strength will not soar any longer. Bing stronger will be impossible for him!"

    Many different theories were everywhere in the academy. Although some of the students believed in Xu Min¡¯s ability and thought he would do good, now he became Miss Mu¡¯s disciple, the majority of the students believed he would fail miserably.

    "He might turn into a dark horse in this tournament. Do you remember back when Mu Jianyao entered the Heavenly Ranking for the first time? She reached top five in one go; it was simply outstanding. Now she has taken a student, I can¡¯t help but expect something outstanding from him as well," one of the Immortals said to another Immortal as they were discussing the Heavenly Rankings.

    The Heavenly Rankings was very important to the academy for more than one reason. The amount of resources that the students would gain was based upon one¡¯s rank the received in the Heavenly Rankings, not to mention the ability to be noticed by an Immortal and thus be a direct disciple.

    It was also important for the sake of hierarchy amongst the students. The higher one¡¯s rank was, the more respect one would be met with. Also, special missions were only avable when one had gained a specific ranking in the Heavenly Rankings.

    "I would be surprised if he doesn¡¯t do good," Another Immortal joined in the conversation, "We all know that he is the student of that lunatic, and now he is bing the student of Mu Jianyao. It is only natural that he has some outstanding talents. Copying Mu Jianyao¡¯s performance should not be impossible for him."

    The immortals were all of the same belief that Xu Min had some power that was hidden beneath his calm exterior that he was not as simple as he seemed. He was a human who had joined the ranks of fairies and elves; he had to be mysterious.

    The week went by swiftly. Even though Xu Min was not present, the gossip continued to flourish. By the time Xu Min left the cabin, he had found that the nces that were thrown his way had changed.

    Everyone was looking at Xu Min no matter where he went; they would group together to start talking about him. Some looked gloating when they imagined how he would be defeated time and time again within the tournament, proving he was nothing special.

    Others would look at him with jealousy. Jealousy for the amazing materials he had gotten his hands on before and being a disciple of Mu Jianyao.

    Xu Minpletely ignored everyone as he focused on the things that Mu Jianyao had told him to. He had spent seven days to get his foundation stabilized and even better; he was very close to being able to create a me. He had absorbed plenty of red sparks of light, but he was still a long way from the fire domain.

    This week of training not only benefitted Xu Min, Cao Cao and Ye Ling had benefitted as well. Ye Ling had reached the peak of the sixth rank while Cao Cao had reached the early stages of the sixth rank. Both of them had changed, not just in their levels of strength but also in size and intelligence.

    Cao Cao which used to be able toy around Xu Min¡¯s neck was now unable to do so. He was no longer a small snake but a four-meter long snake as thick as a tree.

    Ye Ling¡¯s size had also grown but nowhere near as much. The two beasts had sparred against each other. Although Ye Ling was the highest ranked of the two, he was just incapable of defeating Cao Cao in directbat and even more so when they used their ultimate attacks.

    Both beasts were so massive that when Xu Min walked the academy grounds, they took up the entire road. The elves and fairies had to step out of their way.

    Seeing the two formidable beasts, many felt jealousy. No one knew exactly which kind of snake Cao Cao was, but even immortals treated it politely. It was clear that he was no ordinary beast.

    Reaching the medicinal garden, Xu Min saw that there were multiple students standing in a queue. Xu Min, feeling slightly confused, decided to also stand in a queue. Everyone here was there for the sake of seeing Mu Jianyao. Xu Min was already very disliked and moving in front of everyone would be considered incredibly arrogant.

    The queue moved slowly as the people who were queued spent every single moment possible together with Mu Jianyao.

    While waiting, Xu Min had closed his eyes and sensed all the red specks of light around him as he absorbed them one by one.

    He looked rather silly as he was standing there, eyes closed and swaying slightly from side to side, but the energy ripples which left his body made everyone understand that he was not sleeping but practicing. The fact that he could practice while standing in line was utterly unexpected.

    The time went by slowly, but finally, the queue in front of Xu Min had vanished. He walked into the garden and looked around. He found his master, Mu Jianyao standing cloaked in her robes, hiding her entire figure and head. The only thing which could be seen was her pearl white and elegant hands which were gently touching nts.

    Hearing the door open, she turned around only to see not a customer but her student instead.

    Underneath the cloak, a wry smile could be seen on her face. However, it was covered by the cloak no one would ever know.

    "Took you long enough!" she said with her cold voice. Xu Min bowed deeply, "Your student apologizes, but I was unaware of whether or not I should skip the queue. I am already rather disliked, showing such arrogance would make me seem even more disliked." he said honestly. His words only caused Mu Jianyao to snort.

 Chapter 117: Merge

    Chapter 117: Merge

    "You are my student. As my student, you cane and go as you please. Don¡¯t waste my time or your time in the queue again."

    Although Mu Jianyao was stern and sounded annoyed, she did not physically punish him for having wasted her time only verbally reprimanded. She then finished dealing with the one student that hade in after Xu Min.

    "Sit down and meditate," Mu Jianyao told Xu Min. He immediately sat down and started to sense the fire in the surrounding area and greedily absorbed the energy.

    Mu Jianyao stood at the counter and gave herbs to the students that appeared. It appeared as if she was ignoring Xu Min, but the young man was not discouraged. He continued to absorb the energy at the back of the room.

    Every student who came into the room stared at the young man who was sitting in the corner. Some of them had jealousy in their eyes as they saw this human was allowed in Miss Mu¡¯s private space. Others had curiosity in their eyes as they could not help but wonder just how strong this young man was.

    Soon it turned to night, Xu Min had done nothing but cultivate all day. Xu Min did not mind; cultivating was what he needed to do to increase his strength and focus. Although these extra things such as Spiritual Energy and Elemental Affinity was things he appreciated, he was still a human. He knew that his Qi was what he should focus on. The more Qi he had, the higher his rank would be and the stronger he would be.

    He needed to be very strong. The Zhong family leader was a seven-star Warrior by the time that Xu Min left. Now he was most likely an eight-star warrior or possibly even an Immortal!

    Xu Min had to be an Immortal to defeat him and to do so he needed strength. He needed the Qi within his body to be increasingly rich. Thus he cultivated day and night.

    Mu Jianyao had made him cultivate to see his patience. As day turned to night, she noticed not even the slightest bit of impatience within this student of hers. Thisck of impatience she noticed no impatience or no defiance she was rather pleased.

    "You can stop now," she said as she closed the door, not allowing any more experts to enter and buy herbs.

    "Spiritual Energy is a force which needs imagination. First, though, show me the weapon you have, the spiritual energy weapon which was fated to be with you," she ordered.Xu Min did not even waste the slightest bit of time. He instantly summoned the spirit bow that he had learned from the elf within the Blood Pagoda.

    "A bow?" Mu Jianyao was rather surprised when she saw this. "Most elves have swords, a few have spears, and some have sabers. It is quite rare to find someone who possesses a bow."

    Contemting for a bit, Mu Jianyao looked at Xu Min. She was considering what she should teach him next.

    "Spiritual Energy can be used as an invisible force. It is somewhat simr to an internal expert¡¯s use of Qi except you don¡¯t need stances. The Spiritual Energy runs through your body and reacts on the impulses you get. Try summoning the Spiritual Energy and throw a ball on it at the stone over there. I want you to try to break it," Mu Jianyao said while pointing at a big boulder.

    Hearing the order, Xu Min was unaware of how exactly he should use this spiritual energy. Closing his eyes, he felt the spiritual energy within his body. Finding this energy, he led it through his meridians and felt how it left his palm as a gas-like consistency.

    As this gas left his hand, it gathered itself in his palm. The more gas that left, the more clear this gas turned into a me-like orb in his hand.

    As the orb stopped being transparent, Xu Min pointed it at the big boulder. The wisp of energy shot forward so swiftly that a beam of light was left behind.

    An explosion boomed out as the spiritual energynded on the boulder and thousands of small pebbles flew through the air. A few of them grazed Xu Min¡¯s cheek. Small streams of blood started to trickle down where the pebbles grazed his skin.

    Xu Min was shocked when he looked at what previously was arge boulder but now was nothing but rubble. It was many times more powerful than what he had expected.

    "Spiritual Energy can be used to defend you as well. You can use the energy to form a shield on your arm or to make an invisible armor around your body. Even though the spiritual energy is capable of creating defenses, it is primarily for offense, making the defense quite weak."

    "This also means that the body armor is not the strongest; it is quite easy to break through. The body armor should only be used against minor attacks. If you try to use it for something bigger you will suffer."

    "The shield is better to use when ites to strong defenses. It is not very strong, but it is capable of slowing down the speed of the attacks, protecting you just fine against most attacks. However killing moves and finishing attacks, those it cannot stop."

    Xu Min, listening to the words nodded his head solemnly. The one and only lesson he had attended had indeed focused on defense of elves; by now he had a decent understanding of this.

    "While it is not very easy to protect yourself when ites to Spiritual Energy, fairies are much luckier. Depending on the element, some of the fairies are impossible to injury especially fire, earth and water fairies. They are great at defense."

    "Tell me, which elements do you possess?" Mu Jianyao finally asked as she looked at the young man in front of her.

    Scratching his hair a little embarrassed, Xu Min answered seriously, "I have reached the domain level of the wind element, but I also control fire. My control over fire though is much less refined."

    "Oh, Fire and Wind, I see." Thinking for a bit Mu Jianyao was quiet. She tapped her finger against her chin, clearly in deep thought.

    "Fire is the strongest of all the elements since it is good at both defense and offense."

    "Although it cannotpare to the wind when ites to offense, it is almost at the same level with its explosive and violent nature. While it is great at offense like this, it is also great at defending. If you are covering your entire body in a me armor, it would be very hard for attacks to truly touch you as the me will evaporate any energy that ising straight towards you."

    "While Elemental attacks are seemingly much more powerful than spiritual energy, fairies have a harder time reproducing than elves. Consequently, there are fewer fairies that exist than elves."

    "To even it out, fairies are the most talented, but they are also the minority of all the races. After fairies there are demons, but I have, to be honest, and say that I am unaware of whether or not any demons survived the extermination the humans carried out all those years ago."

    "The demons were also a minority, but there were more of them than fairies. Then we have the elves. Although they are the least talentedpared to fairies and demons, elves have the benefit of having an easier time reproducing, making them more numerous. I am sure that you have noticed this when you¡¯ve looked at the students here at the academy. There are quite a lot of elves, but not that many fairies."

    "Then, of course, there are humans. Their talent is the lowest amongst all races, but they breed and reproduce like rabbits! There are humans everywhere. They keep increasing in this area. Eventually, there won¡¯t be enough space, and they will be forced to move across the sea."

    "Power and ability to reproduce might not seem as if it is connected, but it is. It is something which mother nature has ensured for the sake of bncing out the incredibly strong races."

    "And then there is the rarest of all the races. A mixture of the different races which is capable of controlling both energies. So far only one has been born, and that one is me. Although you are capable of using both Elemental Affinity and Spiritual Energy, you can do so because of some unorthodox reason that I don¡¯t understand. What is extraordinary is that even though you are a human, you can use both Qi, Spiritual Energy, and Elemental Affinity. It is simply outstanding!"

    Mu Jianyao was indeed amazed by Xu Min¡¯s ability to control more than one kind of energy. She always secretly hoped for someone like her to be born. Thus, she was simply too happy to havee across Xu Min. Even if he used unorthodox means to be able to use these energies, she did not care at all.

    "The Heavenly Ranking will begin shortly. Since it is about to begin soon, you will have to fight many experts of this academy. I will do my best to assist you in this tournament. To do so, I will teach you an ultimate secret, a secret which only my father knows about."

    "When you control both spiritual energy and elemental affinity, it is possible to merge the two. Although they, alone, have weaknesses, when you merge them, they be many times more powerful than they were before. You will be able to deal with the true experts of this academy!"

    Hearing this Xu Min¡¯s heart started racing. This was exactly what he needed. He needed to be stronger; he needed to gain power that allowed for him to fight those who were stronger than him.

    Deep inside of Xu Min¡¯s body was a me of hatred and vengeance burning. When he heard that Mu Jianyao could help him be even stronger, he knew that this was something which would help him gain the vengeance that he had been searching for since forever.

    Mu Jianyao was an Immortal. Seeing the change in Xu Min¡¯s face brought on by his killing intent surge in his eyes shocked Mu Jianyao.

    She was an Immortal, not a saint. She had killed many many people in the world outside. She knew what it was like to hold a grudge. However, this was no longer a mere grudge. Looking at Xu Min, she could feel that whatever it was that he was hiding within his heart, it was simply too intense for her to understand.

    I will be able to use this Heavenly Ranking to hone my skills! There will be experts of the seventh rank, and I can test how my ability ispared to these other experts. If I can deal with the experts of this academy that are of the seventh rank, then I am well on the way to deal with the Zhong Family leader, Xu Min thought to himself.

    "After this tournament, I will undertake a period of closed-door training to reach the seventh star. I will head straight for the blood pagoda. Then I should be able to deal with the Zhong family leader. I can do this!" Xu Min was mumbling to himself. Although his voice was very low; Mu Jianyao heard every single word of her student. Hearing this upset her, it seemed that this student of hers had quite a bit of secret hidden deep within his usually smiling self.

 Chapter 118: Divine Flower

    Chapter 118: Divine Flower

    "Hurry back and train some more," Mu Jianyao ordered Xu Min. She looked at the man who seemed innocent and simple on the outside, but who had some deep scars deep within his soul.

    She pretended she had heard nothing, but deep inside she was very curious as to why such a young man would possess such a killing intent and such a determination to gain vengeance. Something terrible must have happened earlier, but he was only a young man. His life had just started, how and what could have happened?

    "I better not ask him," Mu Jianyao said with a shake of her head, "Some things are better not remembered, but I will do what I can to make him a strong expert, an expert who can clean up the mess that he has from his past."

    Mu Jianyao concluded Xu Min was her student no matter what past he had. He was fueled by anger and vengeance, but she was in no position to scold him for this. She was no saint, and she knew that those who had a goal in life were the ones who gained the most astonishing achievements.

    Her student was no ordinary fellow. He had to do well on the Heavenly Ranking for the sake of her pride thus Mu Jianyao took the teaching of Xu Min seriously.

    She made sure to teach him properly. During the day whenshe had to give the medicinal herbs to the students, she would take small breaks in between of their visits to correct Xu Min¡¯s cultivation, to give him small pointers or to make small exnations of Spiritual Energy, Elemental Affinity and the way the two were merged.

    Every day, Xu Min would be in the same room as his master, and he would be training hard. Sometimes he would sit down and ponder on the two new energies and their merging. Other times he would be attackingrge boulders with either his bare hands or with his sword in his hands.

    Sometimes he would look like a living torch; other times his hair would flutter slightly in the wind and wind des would appear all around him.

    Xu Min would do his best to control his elements and to merge them with the spiritual energy. At first, he did not have much sess in this aspect. Nevertheless as time went on, he became more and more proficient in the skill. Unfortunately, he was far from as good as Mu Jianyao.

    Soon Xu Min¡¯s life followed a specific schedule. In the morning he would wake up and go straight to Mu Jianyao¡¯s rooms at the medicinal garden. Here he would cultivate, practice and merge the energies during the entire day. As the students vanished from the Medicinal Garden a few hours would be spent on fighting against massive boulders after which Xu Min had to live through one hour of torturous sparring with Mu Jianyao.

    Although she had lowered her strength to be as strong as Xu Min, her understanding of her elements and her attacks was many times more outstanding than Xu Min¡¯s, resulting in him being beaten up day after day.

    As soon as he was finished with the beating or sparring as Mu Jianyao called it, Xu Min would return to his cabin where he would eat some food and talk a little with Cao Cao and Ye Ling before passing out all night. He was not even cultivating during the night. Instead, he was just sleeping to allow for his mind to get some rest.

    During these days though Xu Min¡¯s rank did not rise itself very much due to theck of absorption of the heavens and the earth, he could feel how his body was bing stronger and stronger; hisbat ability was just soaring to the sky. By now his ability to stay alive was better than it had ever been before.

    One day Mu Jianyao looked at Xu Min as he appeared in front of her and a smile spread on her usually cold face. She had be very fond of this young man who was following every order she gave him and who was growing immensely under her care.

    "There is only one more week until the Heavenly Rankings begins," she said quietly as she looked at Xu Min. Her face disyed some uncertainty as she looked at him. He had be much stronger than he was before; even Mu Jianyao, his teacher, was unaware of just how strong he had be.

    "Do your best!" she said as she reached out her hand and gave him a very beautiful silver colored orchid with a golden stem..

    "This is a divine flower. Divine flowers are incredibly rare; they grow on trees very rarely, so when we find one, we make sure to never take their roots. Although the majority of their magical properties are within these roots, the flower itself and the stem contains amazing energy which will allow for you to increase your Qi."

    "I know that you have not managed to raise your strength very much recently because of your intense focus on the elemental affinity and the spiritual energy. Therefore I wish to make up for it by giving you this medicinal nt. It might not be enough to make you break into the seventh star, but it should be able to help you get close to that threshold."

    Hearing this, Xu Min felt very grateful. Mu Jianyao was doing everything in her power to help Xu Min raise his strength and be capable of living up to the expectations she had ced on him.

    "Thank you," he replied heartfelt. "I don¡¯t know how to repay all the kindness that you show me, but I will bring you honor!"

    "As long as you reach the top ten, then I am satisfied," Mu Jianyaoughed. Just as Xu Min was about to open his mouth, Mu Jianyao shook her head, "Don¡¯t. Go back to your cabin and refine this medicinal nt. Spend the next week increasing your strength. Show me the difference when we meet again at the tournament!"

    Xu Min bowed deeply to his teacher before he turned around and left. In his hands was the flower he had been given. He could not help but hold it tightly to his body while he rushed back to the cabin. Now was not the time to be interrupted.

    Reaching the cabin, Xu Min saw that both Cao Cao and Ye Ling were cultivating, and their strength was being raised rapidly. Looking at these two, Xu Min¡¯s heart went warm. These were his brothers; he knew that they would go through hell and back with him.

    Sitting down on his bed, he opened his hand and looked at the flower. The flower truly lived up to being called a divine flower, just as he was holding it he could feel the energy pulsating from it. His heart throbbed in excitement. An unconceble smile was on his lips as he gently licked them. He waspletely stunned by the power of this flower. Just holding it in his hand was enough for him to feel how all the essence of the heavens and the earth flowed into his body.

    Clenching his teeth and straightening his determination, Xu Min closed his eyes for a moment where he was mentally preparing himself.

    When the eyes opened again, a certain determination within was shining brightly as he looked at the herb once more. He gave a slight nod and opened his mouth. He ced the herb within his mouth.

    The flower, as soon as it came into contact with the tongue, melted to drops of golden and silver liquid which gently slid down his throat.

    The moment it entered his body, Xu Min¡¯s eyes opened wide.He felt the temperature of his body rapidly rising. The body was no longer as normal as it was before, it started shaking as the temperature was making Xu Min feel acute pain.

    As the heat rose, the pain followed right behind. Soon Xu Min¡¯s focus was solely on trying to withstand this vtile pain.

    The heat started at Xu Min¡¯s mouth as the herb turned to liquid. Afterward, it spread down to his throat, and from the throat, it spread to the stomach, and from the stomach it spread out, entering every single vein and cell in his body.

    This zing heat that had enveloped him was agonizingly painful. As the time went on, he was capable of feeling that his body had be a giant ck hole which was absorbing the essence of the heavens and the earth at a speed he had never experienced before. Every pore in his body was absorbing the energy. This divine energy was mingling with every single cell and organs in his body, strengthening not only his Qi pool and expanding this, but also increasing the strength of the flesh, the muscles, and the bones.

    Everything was bing stronger and stronger, more and more energy entered the body, and soon his Qi pool was overflowing; the Qi roamed meaninglessly in all the meridians within the body.

    Sensing that he was bing like a balloon with too much air about to explode, Xu Min focused all his attention on the dantian where the Qi pool was constantly expanding.

    "This is going to hurt," he said as he grit his teeth, but he had no other option. He used his consciousness to make all the rampant Qi enter the dantian once more andpressed it within the Qi pool.

    Cracks started to appear on the dantian as it was being filled with energy. However, as soon as a crack appeared, Qi would repair the crack again. This procedure repeated thousands of times.

    With each of the cracks, Xu Min would turn pale and be filled with pain. t As soon as it was healed, a rxed expression would appear on his face.

    Having this repeated action, the dantian constantly expanded together with the Qi pool until it finally was big enough to amodate all of the energy.

    Opening his eyes, Xu Min noticed that ck steam was leaving his body. Once he opened his eyes though, this steam stopped erupting from his body.

    Standing up, he felt how every bone in his body was creaking. His entire body was reborn, and he could feel a strength so outstanding he could not describe it. This divine flower had changed so much for him; his new strength was nowhere near the old one. He had truly be a force to be reckoned with.

    Thinking like this a smile appeared on his lips. He had his long time goal of getting revenge on the Zhong Family, but right now he had another goal. Mu Jianyao had done so much for him, and with her help, it was now much easier to settle his score with the Zhong family. For her, he would prove that although he was a human, he should not be underestimated. He was indeed worthy of being her student, and Mu Jianyao had done it the right way. He would win the Heavenly Ranking and prove to everyone just how outstanding he was!

    Concluding this oue, a smile appeared on his lips. He had spent six days refining the divine flower. Now there were only a few hours before the Heavenly Ranking begun. Stretching and changing his clothes, he gestured for Ye Ling and Cao Cao to follow him. Together these three brothers left the small cabin and entered the academy. It was time for the Heavenly Ranking to begin, so every single part of the academy was filled with people. They were all going to participate and everyone would be hoping for easy first opponents. Xu Min, on the other hand, did not care about who he was against. Many of the experts were of equal strength to him;he needed to go all out in every battle if he wanted to win.

 Chapter 119: Heavenly Rankings Begin

    Chater 119: Heavenly Rankings Begins

    Xu Min was excited as he was walking around the academy, but it wasn¡¯t just him. All around him the atmosphere pulsed with excitement. Even amongst all the students, they were thrilled. Laughter rang throughout the open grounds. Everyone seemed to be moving towards the sparring field.

    Usually, half the students within the academy would be out on missions in the Immortal Valley to earn contribution points. However, this time everyone had returned to the academy. No one wanted to miss out on the heavenly rankings. Even the students who had not finished had rushed back to partake in this event.

    Xu Min was unaware of which kind of rewards the heavenly rankings offered, but he could sense an allure and importance in the air. This moment was different from the beginning of his time at the academy.

    This was also the first time he met the stronger experts at the academy. All the private disciples of the immortals were here.They looked down on the rest of the students. They all stood together in a group, discussing something Xu Min did not know.

    This group was considered the elite amongst the academy. They were rarely on campus and were most of the time out on missions in the constant pursuit of contribution points to trade for cultivation resources.

    When they saw Xu Min, two of the women frowned. They could not help but feel that this human had nothing to do with their academy and needed to be kicked out as soon as possible. He had been picked up by Mu Jianyao, and although they were personal disciples, the experts that they were following were weaker than this woman.

    So far the rankings always worked where the strongest expert was the disciple of the strongest immortal, but now the strongest immortal was Mu Jianyao, and no one would even guess Xu Min could be the strongest expert. It just couldn¡¯t be true that her student, a mere human, was going to be the next champion, could it?

    These experts all felt indignant. They were the cream of the crop, and everyone was supposed to look up to them, revere them, and praise them. For some unknown reason, all of them were looking at the human, some with jealousy and hate, others with curiosity and interest.

    "So he is the famous human," a fairy from the group of elites said with a smile on her face. Her emotions were simply impossible to guess. While she was looking curiously at the human, the face of three of the male experts were turning increasingly sour.

    This woman was an expert amongst experts. She had ranked second amongst the experts at thest heavenly ranking. Many men were wooing her, including three of the experts who also were personal disciples of the immortals. Amongst them was the number one ranked student, a young elf who was around twenty years of age. He wore a very frosty expression on his face.

    "He is only famous because he is a human," the elf said disdainly. "We cannot forget that he is a new student and has only been at the academy for a very short period. As well, out of his time here he has been Mu Jianyao¡¯s disciple only ten percent. Although we would take him seriously, had he been here for longer, I don¡¯t feel like we need to lower ourselves to his level as it is now. He is far from being able to threaten our position."

    Xu Min, who was walking past this group of experts, clearly heard every word they were saying, but he said nothing. He just looked at the elf and smiled. It was a smile which did not reach his eyes; rather, it was filled with coldness, intended to warn rather than wee.

    The elf was startled slightly when he noticed the nce and smile from Xu Min, but he quickly shook his head. In his mind Xu Min was not worthy of anything, Xu Min was not even worthy of him getting annoyed with.

    Xu Min continued walking towards the sparring field; as he reached the area, the light fairy came floating towards him.

    The fairy who ranked second at thest heavenly ranking was shocked when she saw that Xu Min and the light fairy greeted each other like friends. Contrary to what the heavenly ranked fairy expected, the light fairy did not leave Xu Min¡¯s side. Instead, she stayed and chatted with him. Her pearl-likeughter resounded through the silent area, but neither Xu Min nor the Light Fairy seemed to care about the fact that the two of them were the center of all attention.

    While the faces of some of the immortal disciples felt a bit better after seeing Xu Min¡¯s rtionship with the light fairy was good, others became more upset since they had been wooing the light fairy previously. She was a woman who had never before ced an elf within her mind was now merrily chatting with a human. It was shocking for everyone!

    Soon the entire area was filled with people. Every student from the academy had appeared. Sounds of voices could be heard chatting to one another as they all waited for the tournament to begin.

    "Students!" A voice called out; everyone quieted down. Hovering in the air everyone was the headmaster. As he pped his hands, beams of light from everywhere over the academy came towards the headmaster.

    Soon twenty immortals were moving next to him all of them bowing in unison. "Greetings headmaster," they all called out. When Xu Min looked closer at Mu Jianyao, he noticed while she bowed and called out it she seemed as if she was swallowing a toad. It was clear that she in no way wished to respect her father.

    Seeing this, Xu Min had to hide his smile behind a hand. Nevertheless, the moment he smiled, he felt the eyes of his masternd on him, and these eyes promised a world of pain. The smile on his face quickly vanished and instead a sigh escaped his lips.

    Seeing the change in Xu Min¡¯s appearance, the Light Fairy could not help butugh herself. Once Mu Jianyao saw Xu Min beingughed at, she felt much better.

    "Everyone, this is the beginning of the Heavenly Rankings! We will split the students into four groups.The winner of these groups will move on to the semi-final."

    Lifting his hand, a strong wind suddenly appeared and divided the group into four smaller groups. Then the immortals split into four groups of five and flew down to the students.

    In their hands was a jar. Each jar contained numbers and colors. Each color had some one to two hundred and fifty hundred, and these students as soon as their opponent had been found started the battles.

    Xu Min had withdrawn the red tag number seven, but the blue number seven had not appeared yet, so Xu Min was waiting for his battle to begin.

    While he was waiting, one battle after another ended before his number seven opponent appeared.

    Xu Min was excited. He stood on the stage. He was smiling at his opponent who moved towards him. However, as quickly as the smiled appeared, it disappeared. The student bowed at him and quickly jumped off the stage, "I forfeit!" he called as he ran as fast as he could.

    Seeing this, Xu Min was shocked. He could do nothing but ept it withoutining and step off the stage. He had no reason to stay on the stage with no one to battle. As he left the light fairy stepped up. Her opponent equally gave up quickly, and she could only shrug her shoulders as she too jumped down from the stage.

    Although the day had to go through a total of two hundred and fifty battles on each of the stages, this process did not take as long as one would expect. Every student had an inkling of how strong their opponents were. Around half the students chose to give up right away. The ones who did battle were quickly finishing their fights. Soon the first day of the heavenly rankings hade to a close.

    The next day Xu Min once more was matched with a weak opponent who gave up instantly. The two hundred and fifty students had now dropped down to sixty-three students. Since it was an uneven number the following day, a student who had been chosen randomly was allowed to advance to the fourth day without battle Xu Min also advanced with no problem as all his opponents gave up without a hint of resistance.

    He had been incredibly lucky so far. All his opponents had given up at the mere sight of him, but this was not going tost for long. He knew that sooner orter he would run into a dead stop. As to whether or not he could ovee this challenge depended on how well he fought.

    Looking at the elf who ranked first, he noticed that this expert had not battled yet either, but this expert was not in the same group as Xu Min.

    "Let us hope he fails before I have to battle him," Xu Min mumbled to himself as he shook his head. Looking over the remaining experts of the same group that he was in, he found that some of the first-ranked elf¡¯s friends were in his group. All of them were looking at Xu Min with hostility as they cracked their knuckles.

    Seeing this, Xu Min just smiled at them. He wished to prove that he was just as good as these experts; he knew that if he failed his master would y him alive.

    The following day Xu Min¡¯s luck finally ended.

    His group had a total of six experts who had immortal teachers. Every single one of them had reached this stage with no problems whatsoever.

    Now Xu Min finally understood why all of his opponents so far had forfeited instead of fighting him. The reason was not just because that they had seen Xu Min disy his prowess before at the sparring field, but because he was the student of an immortal. It was clearly the habit that no one would fight the immortal students apart from other disciples of immortals.

    Although this Heavenly Ranking was made for every single student to participate the truth was that no one cared for the ordinary students. It was a way to rank the immortal¡¯s students and see how strong they werepared to one another.

    The only reason that every student would participate was that that they would be given contribution points. The further they reached, the more rounds they finished, the more contribution points they would gain.

    This time Xu Min was up against one of the previous rankers of the heavenly ranking. Usually, the rankers on the heavenly ranking would not be up against each other this early. Nheless, for some reason, Xu Min was already up against one of the heavenly rankers. This meant that one of the rankers would be kicked out of top twenty, and one of the previous rankers would now rank below some of the ordinary students!

    Everyone was looking at the stage with bated breath, some of the students within the group were filled with excitement as they realized that they would be ranked higher than their current rank if Xu Min were to win.

    Standing on the stage, a casual smile adorned Xu Min¡¯s face as he looked at the other expert who was moving towards the sparring arena where Xu Min stood. Xu Min patiently waited for his opponent to approach.

    The other expert had a hideous expression on his face. His teeth were bared in a sneer, and his eyes shone with anger. Although he did not think that he would lose to such a mere human as Xu Min, he was still feeling threatened by the fact that he had to fight a proper fight as early as this.

    As hended on the stage, one of the immortals flew to the stage and stood there perfectly still. "I am the judge for this battle. Although fists have no eyes and kicks know no fear, hold back on killing moves. Killing your opponent is not allowed. Should we see that you use true killing techniques with killing intent, I will interfere and stop you. The perpetrator will be punished severely!" Looking at the two experts, the immortal nodded his head, "Let the battle begin!"

 Chapter 120: Rankers

    Chapter 120: Rankers

    The fight began, but neither Xu Min nor his opponent was eager to open up with the first attack. Both knew that once one attacked that person would also disy their weaknesses. Neither of them wanted to let this ur.

    Xu Min knew that this person was a student of an Immortal, making him a person Xu Min should not underestimate. He needed to use his full strength if he wanted to win this fight. Nevertheless, since the opponent did not take the initiative to attack, Xu Min went on the defensive. He lifted his finger and summoned a small red me which flickered lively on his hand.

    Much like how Xu Min had used the wind des before, Xu Min now created one me after another hovering in the air around him; these fire orbs all flickered with an amazing light.

    Seeing the mes, many students turned sour with jealousy and bitterness. Everyone knew Xu Min could control the wind to some degree, but they had never before heard about him controlling fire. His sudden disy showed that not only was he able to feel the elemental energy around him but he had an elemental affinity with more than one of the elements.

    Some fairies were astonished instead of being jealous. It was not unnatural for fairies to connect with more than one element but it was the elements that Xu Min had managed to connect to.

    The Air was powerful. Not only was it incredibly sharp and destructive, but it was also incredibly swift, able to increase the speed of the cultivator.

    Fire was even more destructive than air. Where air was sharp, fire was vtile and explosive; it could cause incredible amounts of damage. The speed of the wind alongside the sharp wind des and the destructive sharpness coupled with the fire¡¯s explosive nature, Xu Min could produce a lot of damage in a very short amount of time.

    Unfortunately, he was still not at the domain level in the fire element so that he could create some fire orbs, but none of them were as powerful as they could be. Furthermore, he could control a little me, but he could not turn the surrounding area into a ming inferno.

    Fortunately, he was up against an elf. Elves were not capable of controlling elements, so he could not control fire and overwhelm Xu Min¡¯s small fireballs. Thinking like this, a sinister grin appeared on Xu Min¡¯s face as he flicked his fingers and one fireball after another was shot at the ranker in front of him.

    The ranker had summoned his spirit weapon, a longsword. Although these fireballs were incredibly easy to defeat, they required the ranker to use his sword to deflect them. It¡¯s true Xu Min did not have great control over fire. However, these small fire orbs contained the element of fire; they were filled to the brim with a vtile inferno which would explode the moment it touched something. If it touched the skin of the elf, injuries would ur.

    But this ranker was not dumb, he knew about the different levels of understanding the elements. Feeling the heat from Xu Min¡¯s fire orb, he could feel that this young man was not well versed in the element of fire. He could not help but sneer in disdain. Did this human think that some weak fire orbs were enough to attack him?

    Lifting his longsword, he blocked every single one of the fire orbs; the smile on his face increased. He felt more and morefortable in the fight. He was certain that he would be able to defeat this human quite easily, making himcent.

    The observers of the match felt like hitting their heads on the walls. Although the fire orbs were easy to deal with, these were clearly not the most dangerous attacks that Xu Min possessed. Everyone had heard about his outstanding wind element control, but his opponent against himpletely forgot about Xu Min¡¯s other abilities and now was underestimating him badly. Even Xu Min was shocked about how lightly he was being taken.

    Shrugging his shoulders, Xu Mi lifted his arm and summoned forth three wind des. However, these wind des were currently invisible. He had not merged them together but just summoned them to be ready to attack the opponent at any moment.

    Xu Min did not stop here; he waved his hand and even more red fiery orbs appeared out of nowhere. They all shot towards his opponent in front of Xu Min.

    Seeing the onught of fire orbs the ranker sneered at Xu Min, lifted hisrge sword, he blocked one after another. His full focus was on these fire orbs. While he focused on them, Xu Min leisurely moved his hand. The three wind des solidified, shot forward at the speed of the wind, and paused just as they had bypassed the longsword andnded as a triangle around the rankers neck. Had Xu Min not stopped these wind des, the fighter¡¯s head would have been cut off cleanly from the neck.

    The elf was standing still. He dared not move even in the slightest since he feared that the wind des would cut his throat. He was filled with unhappiness and mad at himself.

    Now that the battle was over he was reminded of the wind control. Seeing how Xu Min had managed to mask the wind des in the wind itself, it was clear that Xu Min had reached the domain level of the wind element. Every one of the elves felt ufortable about this. Every gust of wind could be turned into a wind de; his performance had made them all worried.

    Even the fairies felt diforted. Xu Min had not shown many of his hidden cards; however, showing his ability to deal with this ranker as simply as he did, they all felt a chill run down their spine. The majority were feeling lucky that Xu Min was not in the same group as them. The ones who were in the same group felt less relieved. Though Xu Min had disyed his domain ability, as long as he did not have any more hidden secrets, then they could battle him.

    A domain ability was frightening, but he was not the only student who hadprehended a domain; thus the other fighters felt that they could handle him. Nheless, thinking about the sword in Xu Min¡¯s hand and the ability to devour energy, they began to feel less secure.

    None of these rankers had seen Xu Min battle before. All they knew was from what they had heard their followers say. They focused on describing his wind control and even more so on the absorption ability he had.

    The fighters clearly understood and respected Xu Min¡¯s wind domain, but the ability to devour was something they did not understand thus they were slightly nervous. They had hoped that the ranker he was up against at the first match would have forced him to reveal more of his abilities. Nevertheless, in the end, the battle had ended far too simply. Even though they had been able to know for certain that the control was at the domain level, they had already guessed this; in turn, they felt that the battle was a wasted opportunity. All of them looked rather sourly at the ranker who had been defeated.

    "The battle is finished," The Immortal yelled out. The ranker had not given up or forfeited, but it was clear that his life was currently at risk. If Xu Min were to attack with the poor student, then he would be a head shorter.

    Not only the student fighters felt ufortable with the easy win that Xu Min got, the Immortal which taught this student was severely disappointed as well. His student had lost his rank and was now going to be ovee by ordinary students on the heavenly ranking in the future year.

    While the rankers were unhappy and some of the Immortals felt worried in their heart, a small group were filled with excitement for Xu Min. One of these was the light fairy which instantly went to Xu Min¡¯s side to congratte him.

    Even Mu Jianyao was smiling happily as she saw Xu Min¡¯s victory of the previous student. Her student had still not embarrassed her.

    "You did well! You have hidden so many of your secrets well," the light fairy said excitedly as she looked at Xu Min, "you will be able to defeat at least a few other rankers, and soon you will shoot up the rankers chart and be a true leading power within the academy."

    Seeing the excitement in the light fairy¡¯s face, Xu Min could not help butugh a little. He was not willing to be a leader at this academy. All he wanted was to increase his strength and preferably be strong enough to battle the Zhong Family as soon as possible.

    Thinking about this uing battle, killing intent billowed up within his body. Even though Xu Min tried to suppress it, he was incapable of fully killing it. The killing intent was seeping out from every single pore of his body.

    The light fairy at the side was feeling ufortable when she felt this cold killing intent. She felt as if her body was being thrown into a frozenke; her senses were assaulted by the cold atmosphere.

    Everyone present realized this killing intent, but no one acted on it. They could feel that Xu Min was trying to suppressing it on his own. Every Immortal started asking themselves just what could have happened to this young man for him to release such a ferocious killing intent. A young man should not have such a heavy grudge, but here it was stunning everyone present.

    "He needs to be careful," Mu Jianyao whispered to herself as she looked at Xu Min down on the ground. "Xu Min is still young, but he has such an urge to kill. If he is not careful, he will end up battling his inner demons, and fighting inner demons can be frightening, especially in his age. He might be trapped within his heart demon and unable to leave again."

    Although Mu Jianyao was mumbling the words, every one of the Immortals could hear what she said. All of them felt that she was correct. They were Immortals, and all of them had gone through a battle with their heart demon at some point, but they had never before heard of such a young man having such a strong killing intent.

    While the immortals were busy discussing and contemting about heart demons and Xu Min, the young man had managed to control his killing intent without many of the students noticing it.

    Seeing the light fairy¡¯s expression which was frightened, Xu Min smiled at her and patted her hair gently, "Sorry," he said with a wry smile, "Sometimes when I think about my past, I am unable to contain my killing intent. There is this family which I have to kill no matter what; whenever I think about it, I am unable to control myself. I¡¯ll try and keep the killing intent within me in the future, and no longer trouble you."

    Feeling the hand which gently patted her hair, the light fairy¡¯s face turned red. She could not help but giggle a little bit. Many of the elves looked at this scene and felt their heart breaking in two or filled with jealousy. The light fairy was a very famous fairy within the academy. She was wooed by both rankers and normal students alike. Seeing her blush by the hand of a human, everyone was filled with indignation and wished to rip him to shreds on their own.

 Chapter 121: Next Battle

    Chapter 121: Next Battle

    Sensing the many hostile eyes, Xu Min could do nothing but shake his head. He did not care about how others viewed him. The Light Fairy was someone whom he had considered a friend. Thus he would treat her as one, even if this caused others to be displeased.

    "Well done fighting. It seems that ranker underestimated you," the light fairy said with a smile on her lips. She could not hide the fact that she was proud of Xu Min.

    The light fairy was not much older than Xu Min. It was expected that when the next Immortal allowed for their student to graduate, they would take her in. As such, she was a half ranker already.

    After this fight, all the others somewhat lost their luster. The battles were simple and straightforward; none of them held any excitement.

    Seeing that the end of the night was over, the next few days went on in a blur. Before it was finally time for the exciting parts of the tournament, it was time for the final two matches of each of the groups to find the semifinalists and then the finalists. At this point, now only rankers remained.

    Everyone arrived early in the morning. A bustling atmosphere filled the academy. Every student was talking to one another, discussing who they thought would end up being up winning the group fights, as well who they expected to be the tournament champion.

    Although no one expected Xu Min to rank highly, everyone was excited to see what tricks he had up his sleeves. Logically thinking, Xu Min was the one who had been a student of an Immortal for the shortest amount of time. Consequently, people did not expect him to be able to put up much resistance, but no one knew exactly how he fought. No one had seen him go all out. For some reason, some of the students who had seen him at the sparring field had the impression that he might be able to put up a brave fight. The ones who had been beaten by him were split into two groups. The first group was people who med everything else for their loss and truly believed that Xu Min was nothing more than cannon fodder, an easy person to defeat.

    The other group was certain that Xu Min, who had defeated them, was truly an expert in disguise; he would be able to dominate the battles. The previous fight against the ranker had especially made them feel like this. Seeing Xu Min easily manage him, they had unexpectedly high expectations now.

    Xu Min was unaware of the two groups of students¡¯ reflections of him. When it came to him and his fighting ability, he did not care either way. When Xu Min reached the sparring field, his eyes roamed across a lot of students before theynded on the petite figure of the light fairy and with a smile on his mouth, he moved towards her.

    He felt a feeling of friendship with this light fairy. She was a little bit like his deceased sister, and he could not help but want to be her friend, but there were no romantic feelings in the gaze thatnded on her. In his heart, there was only one woman whom he would ever love, and that was Yong Meilin, the young auctioneer from Ri Chu City who was waiting patiently for his return.

    Thinking about Yong Meilin, Xu Min¡¯s heart became warm, and the gentlest smile appeared on his lips, a smile which stunned everyone who looked at him. The fairies¡¯ hearts started throbbing in surprise. Even the light fairy, who had noticed Xu Min, could not maintain her indifferent attitude, and a look of surprise appeared on her face before she was startled as she noticed that her heart had skipped a beat.

    "Come and draw your lots so that we know who will be fighting who today," the Immortal said. The four remaining experts from the group politely moved as they were told and drew their lots. Xu Min was not the first to battle but the second. Now he could watch the others fight. In his mind, he had already decided that he was going to fight the winner of this battle tomorrow, so knowing what the fight was like could be of great assistance to him.

    Seeing Xu Min¡¯¡¯s focused eyes, the light fairy smiled a little since she felt very special for being beside this young man who had turned the academy upside down.

    Although he was a little extreme and had shocked her time and time again, the light fairy felt that there was something special about him. He had scared her with his killing intent and had surprised her with the ability to control both spiritual energy and elemental affinity and not to mention his devouring ability that no one knew anything concrete about yet.

    The battle began. An elf and a fairy were fighting against each other. The fairy was higher ranked than the elf the previous year, but they had been ranked rather close to one another. The elf was certain that with a bit of luck he could win this time.

    Scorching hot mes instantlybusted out of nowhere as the fairy had gained the domain level of the fire element. The elf was using a spirit sword to continually cleave the mes into small embers; spiritual energy was floating everywhere.

    This spiritual energy was covering the elf like a shield protecting him from the wayward embers that shot towards him. The sword was not only protecting him against the mes, but it was also attacking at the same time, stabbing and shing towards the fairy which used shields made of mes to protect herself.

    The strength of the two fighting parties was clearly equal as neither managed to get the upper hand. Both were spending their energy, one on fire shields and constant fire attacks, the other with his spirit sword and spiritual energy attacks and shields.

    Looking at the fight, Xu Min was rather bored. Although he had to be alert against both of the rankers, he was also sure that if they did not disy more strength than this, then he would be able to beat them.

    The one he was up against today, however, was not as simple to manage as these two fighting experts. Last year he was ranked as the fourth on the heavenly rankings. This time it was likely that he was even stronger. No expert who had the guidance of an Immortal was bound to improve over the span of a year.

    Xu Min, although interested in the battle in front of him, was many times more interested in the fight that he was going to fightter; he was almost shaking with excitement.

    Thest time he had gone all out was during the Immortal Valley Rankings where he had fought a hundred experts at once. He had been forced to use his berserker stance, and everyst strand of energy had been used to kill his opponents.

    The fights that Xu Min had been in previously were all life and death battles. It was fought where one would lose their life with just the slightest bit of mistake. If one lost, one was lucky if they ended up as cripples.

    Xu Min was used to fights like that. When he looked at this tournament, he could not help but feel that it was slightly wasteful. Still, he wished to win and to win he would give it his all. Although the tournament did not have life and death battles, he was likely to go all out if he wished to win.

    While in deep thought about his battles, Xu Min realized that the fight that had been ongoing was finishing. The fairy had a greater advantagepared to the elf. Although he could control his spiritual energy and use it as the fairy used her fire, she used less of her energy controlling the fire as this fire was created by the energy in the world surrounding her.

    The elf was running out of spiritual energy, and he could no longer hold on. The loss was so simr as to how it had been the previous year. Although he felt bitter, he could only clench his teeth and ept it. Their level was simply too simr, and the fairy had the benefit of her race. Fairies were simply the hardest to deal with since they did not have much internal energy but relied on the elements that surrounded them. As soon as she saw that her opponent was running out of energy, an exhausted smile appeared on her lips. She spent her energy to control the fire that was floating in the air,press it into an explosive fireball which finally managed to remove even the smallest bit of spiritual energy that was left.

    "Winner is the Fairy of the Inferno," the judge said carelessly. The surrounding area turned into a loud and noisy crowd. Although the fight had been a dogfight between two evenly ranked experts, these were the rankers of the academy, the pride of all students and their disy of power had fully astonished them.

    Fairies did not use inner energy as much as they used elemental affinity to attack. They used elemental affinity, and the elements in the surrounding world answered their call it took a toll on the fairy¡¯s body. She was only able to channel the elemental energy through her body for a specific amount of time before she would also need to give up. By pushing her limits, she should be able to control it for a longer period, but it would injure her body in return.

    Although one could only control the energy for a specific amount of time, this was a rather long amount of timepared to how other experts were capable of controlling their energy.

    Thinking like this, Xu Min smiled slightly. He controlled both internal energy such as Qi and spiritual energy, but he also possessed the ability to control elemental affinity and his sword allowed for him to devour even more energy and make it his own. Xu Min had so many tricks up his sleeves that he fully believed in himself. He would be able to be the highest ranked in the heavenly rankings before it was possible for him to advance and visit the Blood Pagoda once more.

    After visiting the Blood Pagoda a second time, Xu Min fully believed that he would be able to deal with the Zhong family. He was soon within his reach of his goal.

    Blood was boiling within Xu Min¡¯s body as he thought about the Zhong family. His eyes shone with a desire to battle. He heard the Immortal at the stage call out, "The next battle is to begin, the second battle in this group is tomence!"

    Clenching his hand, Xu Min took a deep breath and forced the bloodlust within him to go down a bit. He chuckled as he moved towards the stage and stood on top of it.

    The person he was up against was an elf which had ranked fourthst year. His eyes were filled with hostility. Looking at this person, Xu Min could instantly see that his eyes were not those of a person willing to do a friendly battle. These eyes showed a bloodlust that Xu Min was all too familiar with. The fighter¡¯s eyes showed a hate he had seen so many times before. With a snort, he had instantly understood that this expert in front of him was not going to go easy on him. He was not going to underestimate him. He was going to do his very best to humiliate and hopefully cripple him. After seeing this expression on his opponent¡¯s face, Xu Min¡¯s lips curled upwards, and he no longer suppressed the killing intent in his body.

 Chapter 122: Fighting the Fourth Ranked

    Chapter 122: Fighting the Fourth Ranked

    The killing intent that rose from Xu Min was so thick that the temperature around him started plummeting. A few experts in the audience started shivering while others got goosebumps. A chill ran down their spines, and their eyes were filled with uncertainty and difort.

    How could a young man like this possibly send out such a killing intent? How could such a young man be as if he was a beast? The ferociousness he disyed was one they only knew from the demonic beasts that one encountered within the Immortal Valley. However, it was one thing to see this ferociousness with beasts, but another thing to see it with a human being.

    The Immortal who was judging the battle was able to see the hostility in the eyes of the elf.He could also feel the immense killing intent that was bursting out from Xu Min¡¯s body, but he said nothing. All he did was look at the two with a thinking expression on his face. Looking at Xu Min, his eyes wereplex, but he did nothing more than call out, "Let the battle begin!"

    However, prior to the yell, the battle had already begun. The energy of the two experts had already intersected. Every time the two energies came into contact with one small explosion could be heard. One energy was the spiritual energy of the elf; the other was the cold and ruthless killing intent of Xu Min. Although killing intent was not something which could be used directly in battle, it still had a great influence on a fight.

    The purpose of killing is toy itself like a nket over anyone present. Unless they were strong enough to shake this energy off them, it would make them unable to use their full potential in a fight. It would, whether the opponent wanted to or not, influence their bodies and make them incapable of fully controlling their strength.

    Although the killing intent had been released a few times at the academy so far, Xu Min had never used it like this before. Everyone felt shocked and scared since they were being affected by this killing intent. It was not before now that they understood just how important realbat ability was when it came to fighting. Had Xu Min not battled through multiple life and death situations he would not have such a strong killing intent. Without this strong killing intent, how could he not possibly be a dangerous opponent?

    Everyone held their breaths. The moment that the Immortal judge called out, both Xu Min and the elf shot forward like two bolts of lightning. A screech could be heard in the air as Xu Min unsheathed his sword, and a swoosh could be heard from the elf¡¯s spirit weapon.

    The swoosh and the screech collided with a massive explosion. The swift advance was halted as they faced off against one another. Their swordsnded against each other; both were forced backward, and both took three steps backward before they stopped. Clearly, they were evenly matched.

    Everyone watching gasped in shock upon seeing this. Xu Min, who was new to the academy was already able to fight equally with the guy who had ranked fourth the previous year! Although none of them had used their inner energy, still the fight was already intense. Right now they were relying fully on their respective strength in the previous sh.

    "You¡¯re not bad," Xu Min praised the elf. Instead of getting told anything in return, the elf that was standing in front of him roared out loud before he lifted his sword above his head. He charged towards Xu Min once more.

    The hostility in the eyes of this opponent was so dense that even the audience felt rather ufortable about it. Although Xu Min was different from them and they did not like him that much, none of them felt such a strong hostility towards him as this elf did. What was behind this hostility, Xu Min had no idea. However, he did not care as to why his opponent hated him to this degree. The fact was the elf did hate Xu Min, and he was not one to let the tiger back into the mountain. He was going to use this opportunity to get rid of this elf. Killing was not epted, so crippling him was the only thing Xu Min could do.

    His gaze turned cold, the hands clenched on the handle of his sword; he observed the expert in front of him with his frosty nce.

    The elf was moving towards him at speed close to lightning, but to Xu Min, who had be one with the world, it was rather slow. Relying on his connection with the wind, every single movement from this elf was visible to Xu Min. He gracefully turned to the side, dodging the sword which came crashing down from above. The sword cut a deep cut into the stone beneath them.

    Xu Min narrowed his eyes. It was clear that this elf was using finishing moves which would instantly kill Xu Min if itnded on him, but the judge was pretending not to notice. Realizing this Xu Min¡¯s entire body started heating up with anger. The anger which always burned inside him started erupting, and a strength he had never felt before filled his entire being. It was as if he was going berserk again.

    "Let us see who can handle all of this energy the most," Xu Min sneered at the elf. He allowed his sword to start devouring the spiritual energy which was present in the air where the sword strike had just appeared.

    The devouring ability followed the spiritual energy in the air to the expert that was standing beside Xu Min. It greedily started to absorb the energy that belonged to this expert.

    The more energy which entered Xu Min, the more energy he needed to use. Xu Min¡¯s action was truly a berserker stance as he poured all the energy from the spiritual energy he absorbed into the sword in his hand. A silvery shine appeared on top of it.

    No longer waiting, Xu Min attacked the elf. He pulled out the sword and at the same time created a hundred wind des, all of which containing his swordlight.

    The more he created, the better he felt. He was currently like a balloon which was filled with energy and the more he used, the less likely he was to explode.

    The elf, on the other hand, had noticed that something was wrong. Xu Min¡¯s opponent was feeling depleted. His spiritual energy within his body was being dragged out of him, and he saw Xu Min¡¯s wanton use of his spiritual energy that Xu Min. Consequently,d he could guess that this was the so-called devouring ability Xu Min possessed. How to stop this devouring was, however, not something he knew how to do.

    "Seems like I need to rush and kill you off instantly," The elf said with viciousness in his voice. Even though he said he was going to kill Xu Min, the judge still did not act. Even the other Immortals were watching this match with doubt on their faces. Furthermore, the headmaster was also watching it. Nevertheless, he said nothing to the strange venomous person Xu Min was up against, so no one else dared say anything either.

    Xu Min¡¯s anger rose instantly. He had been told that killing moves were not permitted in this battle; he had been told it was a friendly spar, and he had to remember that the opponent was a fellow disciple.

    Right now, this fellow disciple was breaking every rule that he had been told to follow; even though he was fighting like this, no one said anything. They could all see it, but they all collectively did nothing. The only one who was seemingly ufortable about it was his master Mu Jianyao. Even she did nothing as she looked at her father who was not breaking in to stop the fight.

    "So that¡¯s how it will be?" Xu Min sneered to himself. "Right, just because I joined this academy doesn¡¯t mean they would like me. I am a human, who did I think would step up to assist me when an elf is my opponent? In that case, let us see how they react when I pay back with the same hostility that I am being shown!"

    Suddenly an enormous amount of spiritual energy erupted from Xu Min¡¯s body. Thousands of swordlights appeared around him, all of which were going straight for the elf.

    Just as the swordlights shot forward, Xu Min took a stance. The stance he made was a stance he had not made for a long time; it was a stance he had learned from his master a long time ago. It was the Radiant Jade Shower that his master had taught him. Thousands upon thousands of small jade arrowheads appeared. They all glittered in the light. Their appearance was filled with beauty. Many of the students sighed in praise as they saw this attack while the Immortals all jolted with fear and confusion.

    Pointing at the elf, these many thousands of jade arrowheads all headed for the elf who was already struggling to try and block the swordlights that had been hidden within the wind des.

    The elf was good at offense, but rather bad at defense. He could use his sword to cut down the swordlights. Nheless, when thousands of them were being shot at him at the same time, he was only capable of protecting himself against the most crucial attacks. He was able to deflect the swordlights aiming at his vital areas, but he allowed others to cut his arms and legs.

    When he saw the many thousands of jade arrowheads heading to his head, he went numb. He was ufortable as he looked at all these arrowheads. What kind of attack was this? Were humans able to use their internal energy to create such a scary attack while being as weak as this young man? If he was so deadly now already then how would he be when he became an Immortal?

    The elf¡¯s heart filled with jealousy as he thought this; he refused to give up and continued to use his sword to try and stand against the many attacks. The more he swung his sword, the less spiritual energy he had left. Whereas Xu Min was constantly absorbing more and more of his spiritual energy, causing him to be drained quickly, yet also allowing Xu Min to push out a lot of attacks in one go. The more of his energy he used, the more he could absorb.

    The fight had not gone on for long. The two opponents had exchanged blows a few times, but now Xu Min was fully dominating the elf. He was bombarding him with attacks; he continued to use his wind des with swordlight.

    Soon the elf which was filled with hate was running low on energy. Xu Min, on the other hand, was so radiant his body was almost bursting with energy. The change between the two was so outstanding that the students had problems believing what they were seeing.

    Even the Immortals were shocked. Seeing Xu Min dominate the fight the way he did shock them all. Even more so when they saw Xu Min was seemingly still bursting with energy even though he was using so much that energy fluctuations could be seening from his body.

    Xu Min¡¯s clothes were a little disorderly after the first sh, but the elf was in a terrible shape.

    His clothes had all been cut to shreds; his skin filled with small wounds; blood was flowing from all over. Even his handsome face had cuts on the cheeks, forehead and just above one eye.

    "Don¡¯t think I will give up this easily!" The elf spat out with some blood before he waved his hand and a red pill appeared in his hand. "I never thought I needed to use this on you, but here we go! I will rip you to shreds. I will make you suffer a fate far worse than death! Prepare to beg for forgiveness!" he growled as he threw the pill into his mouth. All the energy in the area rushed into his body.

 Chapter 123: Hate

    Chapter 123: Hate

    "He is using an Energy Gathering Pill!" One of the fairies in the audience eximed. She was shocked to her core when she looked at the pill in the elf¡¯s hands.

    When everyone heard and understood the fairies words, a collective gasp was uttered as every elf and fairy were in disbelief. Even the immortals had an ugly expression on their faces as they realized that this elf expert on the stage had taken a pill.

    "I will shred you to bits, maul your skin and throw you to the beasts in the Immortal Valley to gnaw upon your bones! You are a mere human, a disgusting human! How can you think that you can defeat me?! How can you be the one chosen by Mu Jianyao?!"

    Hearing these statements, everyone was shocked, but the expression on Mu Jianyao¡¯s face turned sour. She sent a nce towards the Immortal teacher of this elf. The face of his Immortal teacher also had a shocked expression on his face which quickly turned away. To have a student that cheated was throwing away the face of both himself and his teacher, one could guess just how furious this immortal was.

    "We should stop this," Mu Jianyao said anxiously but no one paid her any attention. The Energy Gathering Pill was a pill which allowed for the consumer to devour all energy in the surroundings and use it as his own. It was simr to how Xu Min was devouring the energy of his opponent.

    The elf was bursting with energy. His body was releasing ripples of energy, and every move he made was filled with so much power that even Xu Min had problems staying on the stage.

    The elf took a step and beneath his feet cracks appeared on the stone as the energy was pressuring down. Another step and even more ripples of energy were pushing out, the ripples alone were enough to make Xu Min back away slightly.

    "I guess I have no other option than to go all out," Xu Min mumbled and took a deep breath with eyes closed. He reached out for the sword in his hand and willed it to start devouring the energy that was being released as ripples from the elf and soon all this excess energy was like a steady stream of mist that floated across the stage and entered Xu Min¡¯s sword and from the sword into the body.

    The white mist was even visible for the immortals and the audience, but no matter how they looked at this, no one was capable of telling exactly how it was done.

    "You previously tested whether or not it was the sword or he who was capable of absorbing the energies right?" The headmaster asked an immortal who was standing by his side.

    This immortal was no stranger to Xu Min, he was the one who had imed to be the judge of the sparring field matches and also the immortal who had examined his sword previously.

    Hearing the question from his master the immortal nodded his head, "Yes," he said affirmatively, "I checked it before, and it is not the sword which is the reason for him absorbing energy. He is capable of absorbing energy on his own as well."

    Although Xu Min had used some tricks to absorb the attack back then, this immortal had no way of knowing this, and he waspletely certain that the absorption was an ability Xu Min had in his body. A strange ability yes, but none the less an ability his body contained.

    The certainty in his voice was enough to make every single member of the group of immortals certain that he was correct. It made sense that this expert who could control both Qi, spiritual energy and elemental affinity also had other secrets in his body and no one questioned whether it was the sword or his body who consumed the energy any longer.

    While Xu Min had been pressured before his body now was capable of contesting against the aura that was rushing against him as he was consuming it all, it was a fight against who was able to consume the most energy, Xu Min from the elf, and the elf from the surrounding world.

    Xu Min could feel that the energy he was consuming was many times more powerful than when he had battled a hundred experts alone in the Immortal Valley. He was now stronger than he was then, but so was his opponent and now he was able to feel that his body was not as strong as the opponents body. He could not contain as much energy as his opponent could, but Xu Min refused to give up.

    Cursing at the immortals who were still not stopping the battle Xu Min closed his eyes and started to let go of all the binds that he had in his body. He released his hate that was usually hidden beneath one after anotheryer of defenses, the hate which had burned within his body for so many years, a hate which had fueled him through life for so long, but this was the first time he fully released it.

    Together with the hate he also created thousands of wind des, every single one of them with a swordlight merged into the wind des, as they shot towards the elf in front of him.

    Xu Min¡¯s hate was so strong that the moment it arrived, it was like a massive tsunami of energy which was released, a dark energy which started to seep out of Xu Min¡¯s body.

    The moment this energy arrived, and eerie atmosphere appeared everywhere around him. The dark energy which seeped out from Xu Min¡¯s bodyid an oppressive aura on everything present, and suddenly blood started to fall like a stream of tears from Xu Min¡¯s right eye.

    As the blood fell, the dark energy intensified and every student felt terrible. It was worse than when Xu Min released his killing intent; this energy did not just make them chill and make them feel like they had entered an area with cold weather. Instead, the ck mist-like energy entered their bodies and sucked away all their happiness. All of them felt as if they were thrown into a world of despair; their bodies became weaker and weaker.

    It was not only the audience which was being affected by this sudden despair that erupted from Xu Min¡¯s body, but the elf in front of him was even more unfortunate than them.

    All the hate in Xu Min¡¯s body was being aimed straight at this elf; the others were just hit by the remnant energy that roamed around.

    The elf started screaming. The hate was so powerful that he felt his entire world be dark, there was no hope, no light, no joy left, all that was there was endless despair, even the color vanished from his eyes as he was corroded by the hate.

    Even the immortals were stunned for a moment by the sudden outburst, but the headmaster suddenly waved his arms andnded on the tform between Xu Min and the elf, his arms spread and he soaked in all the darkness that kept seeping out from Xu Min¡¯s body.

    "Get a hold of yourself!" The headmaster called out as Xu Min¡¯s eyes turnedpletely ck, the hate was not only corroding the enemies, it was also corroding Xu Min¡¯s own body and mind.

    Hearing the voice, Xu Min¡¯s mind which was hibernating far back within the consciousness seemed to hear these words and slowly woke up.

    The hate receded, and Xu Min returned. The blood stopped flowing from his eye, and his pupils returned to the eyes instead of theplete darkness which had filled it earlier.

    The hate, which had run rampant and filled Xu Min¡¯s entire body was slowly overpowered and locked away deep within his body once more.

    As the hate was being locked down, Xu Min regained his consciousness and realized that the entire area was filled with a ck mist, but although he understood that it was him who had affected every single student, he did not feel guilty.

    The first one to break the rules had been the elf who was now copsed on the ground, had he not consumed the Energy Gathering Pill, then Xu Min would not have been forced into such dire straits.

    The Immortals had clearly been very curious about how Xu Min would handle this expert, and since they had been curious, it was only fair that Xu Min showed them some of his hidden strength. Had they stopped the elf, then Xu Min would not have been pushed that far and wounded every single member of the academy as a result.

    But Xu Min got his hate under control, and the other immortals started flying around, annihting the ck mist which had covered the students and slowly their minds were relieved from the darkness they had descended into.

    While the students awoke, all of them felt terror in their hearts as they looked at Xu Min. This young human seemed to have so many unfathomable secrets hidden within his body. To think he could make all of them that fearful after only a few moments, that was something no one before him had ever managed.

    While the students who had been hit by the excess energy were fine, the elf in front of them was not. Although there were three immortals next to him, all three using their abilities to suck out the ck energy, it seemed as though it was neverending.

    The elf had copsed on the ground and no matter how much they attempted, it seemed as if it was an impossible task they were doing.

    "Xu Min," The headmaster called out and Xu Min, who knew that they would me him if something happened to this expert, even if it was their mistake for not interrupting when the elf took the pill, he sighed deeply and went towards the headmaster.

    "The hate you contain is far more powerful than any of us could ever imagine. You have hidden it all too well. Now, although we are shocked, it is too severe an attack."

    "As it is now we are incapable of fully removing all the hate and darkness from this student, his body might be fine but his mind is being corroded by your hate. Do you think that it is possible for you to withdraw this hate that you use to attack him with?"

    "You tell me that my attack is too severe, but you saw it yourself, my opponent used an Energy Gathering Pill. I am a lower rank than him and I do not have as good a grasp on spiritual energy as he does. My only option was to use some of my hidden power which ended in this way. Had you stopped him when he ate the pill then I would not have to use my innermost emotions." Hui Yue responded with a frown on his face.

    The headmaster was shocked when he heard that Xu Min was talking back to him but Mu Jianyao, who was standing behind the headmaster, gave Xu Min an approving nod. She thought that it was for the best that he defended himself.

    "I admit we made a mistake," the headmaster said as he spread out his arms and sighed, "Although we made a mistake, it would be too much to waste this young student. Please step forward and try to use your own emotions to draw out the hate from within his body."

    Xu Min contemted for a short while as to what he should do. The headmaster was waiting patiently although he knew they did not have a lot of time to deal with the hate. Xu Min did not care for the expert but since the headmaster was speaking so politely to him, he decided that he would help out.

 Chapter 124: Leaving

    Chapter 124: Leaving

    Truth be told, Xu Min was rather indignant and upset. The Immortals had not stepped in when he was in a bad situation. They had not stopped his opponent when he consumed the Energy Gathering Pill and instead waited to see how Xu Min would handle it. However the moment he had released a bit of his hate and killing intent they had acted immediately. Now they even had the guts to ask him to save the person who wanted him dead.

    In the beginning, Xu Min respected these elders.As things were now, he no longer respected them. If anything, he was disappointed in their obvious favoritism of the elf in front of him.

    Even though Xu Min felt as such, he still understood what things were appropriate to say and what things should be kept to himself. He walked towards his opponent.

    Sighing, he wondered if it was the right decision to save him. Although he was unwilling, he had to respect the headmaster. Thus Xu Min closed his eyes and projecting himself into the elf¡¯s inner soul. Everywhere he went he encountered remnant energies of his hate. His mind picked up every single ounce of energy before he gathered it all in onerge ball just outside the stomach of the expert.

    Having gathered all the hate in one ce, Xu Min forced it out of his body. A small ck mist started to evaporate from his skin. The energy that evaporated into the air was being sucked back into Xu Min¡¯s body where he poured it into the hate that was within his core. Although this dark energy was poison to others, it was fuel for Xu Min. This hate drove him to move forward.

    "This heavenly ranking means nothing," Xu Min mumbled to himself as he narrowed his eyes. Why would anyone care about being the strongest at the Academy; Xu Min was not even the slightest bit interested in continuing after the present events. All he wanted was to reach the seventh-star rank, so he could enter the Blood Pagoda once more, finish the final trial and then visit the Zhong family to gain his revenge.

    Looking at the Immortals of the Academy, Xu Min snorted. All respect was gone. He turned to leave without even caring about anything around him. He was sure that the experts present would be looked after by the Immortals. They were the real students of the academy after all.

    Looking at Xu Min¡¯s departing back the headmaster shook his head regretfully. He understood the young man¡¯s thoughts, and he felt guilty. He understood their reactions and bias between students was not eptable. He had shown too much favoritism. However, in his defense, Xu Min had so many secrets that the only one way see them was if he was pushed like he had been pushed this time.

    Sighing the headmaster stopped looking after Xu Min. Instead he turned to the many students that were all looking at Xu Min with fear in their eyes. Even the light fairy, who had been chatting merrily with him earlier, was hesitating whether to follow him or not.She too was scared.

    The feeling of hopelessness which had descended upon them, the sudden clenching of their heart and the headaches that had left thempletely vulnerable to their opponent had shocked them all, especially when they understood that this was just the remnant energy. Thinking about how the main body of this energy had invaded the elf on the stage, everyone shivered in fear. Was it truly possible to survive?

    The mist that had left Xu Min had not only permeated the ones on stage where he had been fighting, but it had also spread to the entire area. Even the other tforms where rankers had been fought had been affected.

    "We will stop the heavenly ranking for today. The fights from today will be restarted tomorrow with exception of the one against Xu Min and Li Feng. Li Feng consumed a pill and was disqualified; Xu Min goes on to the next battle." the headmaster announced.

    His words surprised everyone. They were sure that Xu Min had used some demonic martial arts. After seeing the headmaster announcing him as the winner, they realized Xu Min¡¯s attack was not a demonic spell or curse, but still, it was so deadly, so powerful.

    The audience was in an uproar. If this was not a demonic art, then what else was it? What could it possibly be that would leave such an effect on everyone? Even the elf whom he had fought was still unconscious on the stage, surrounded by Immortals which kept checking his pulse and his vitals.

    "Everyone return to your dwellings and spend the rest of the day cultivating," another immortal called out. Although these elves and fairies had a lot of theories that they were discussing with one another, they dared not go directly against the orders, and slowly they all moved towards their rooms in the dorms.

    Xu Min arrived in the cabin that he had been given and saw that both Cao Cao and Ye Ling were present. They were looking at him with excitement and expectations, clearly waiting to hear how he had done today. When he saw them though he justughed a little at how ridiculous the day had been; he quickly told them what had happened.

    Hearing about what had happened, both Cao Cao and Ye Ling were as indignant as Xu Min. Both startedining about favoritism and how elves and fairies could not be trusted.

    These two beasts and their outbursts made Xu Minugh a little; the sourness within his heart started to subside.

    Although Xu Min was feeling better, deep within him he felt how the hate was rolling and constantly moving around. Fighting the constraints that he had ced upon it, he needed to use some of his energy to keep it pushed down.

    "This child has so much hate within his body," one of the Immortals sighed. He was carrying the unconscious elf towards the hospital wing of the academy, "with all that hate I fear that he will not be able to survive when he encounters his heart demon."

    Many of the other immortals nodded their heads, all of them seemed to agree with this man, and they all sighed.

    "Perhaps he will bring us great things in the future," the headmaster finally said, wanting to not agree nor disagree with the other experts.

    "There is no reason to stay here any longer," Xu Min finally decided. "I don¡¯t care about winning or losing the heavenly rankings," Xu Min told the beasts with a certainty, "I need to break into the seventh star. Once this happens, then I can move to the Blood Pagoda. I can feel that I am very close to breaking through because of my hate erupting in my body and forcing my potential out."

    "Since it is like this, let us go to the Blood Pagoda tomorrow morning," Xu Min decided. "It is quite deep into the Immortal Valley, so I need to travel for quite some time. During this travel, I will battle beast after beast.I am sure that I will reach the seventh star by the time we arrive at the Blood Pagoda. If we don¡¯t then we can camp outside of the pagoda for a short while until I break through."

    Xu Min had already made up his mind. Since he had decided, he stood up and left the cabin, heading straight for the herb location where Mu Jianyao was living. He had already expected that the day¡¯s battles would have been canceled and he was correct. The whole academy ground was empty, no elves or fairies could be seen anywhere.

    Xu Min entered the herb garden and walked around for some time, surprised that he could not see Mu Jianyao anywhere. After some time he shook his head and went to the desk where she usually would hand medicines to the students.

    Finding pen and paper, Xu Min wrote a message to her, exining that he was sorry that he could no longer participate in the heavenly rankings. He had a very important ce he needed to go, somewhere where he would be able to increase his strength once again.

    He wrote down what had happened to him and his sister to exin the hate within him and said that he needed to get revenge before he could let go of the hate within him.

    He also made sure to point out that the one who was to take this revenge was him or he would never be satisfied. Thus he had to work harder than ever before. He needed to take this opportunity to be able to increase his strength faster rather than stay and y games with other students who were fighting for nothing more than a rank as the best in an academy. Xu Min needed real experience rather than just sparring matches.

    Finally, Xu Min thanked Mu Jianyao for everything she had done for him. Although they had not known each other for long, he had learned better control over his Spiritual Energy, and he had acquired better control over his elemental affinity.

    The fire which he had absorbed earlier was now much easier to control. Even though it was still not at the point where he had a domain level of control, he was bing much better.

    Xu Min ended the letter with a promise. He promised that as soon as he had taken care of his revenge, he would return to the academy and spend some more time with them. For now, though, the most important thing in his life was to get revenge.

    Finishing the letter, Xu Min returned to his cabin and looked at Cao Cao and Ye Ling. Both wereying down, cultivating. Xu Min quickly packed everything from the cabin into his storage treasure before he looked at the two beasts.

    "Although I said we would leave tomorrow, I think it might be better to leave now," he said decisively, "there is something going on, and I wish to avoid being caught."

    The two beasts did not care where they were. For them, the most important thing was to be together with Xu Min. Wherever that would be, it doesn¡¯t matter.

    Leaving the academy, Xu Min sent a nce back at them. Had it not been for the way he was treated, then he would have stayed for a longer time. Nevertheless, now that the hate had erupted, Xu Min understood how big an influence it had on his life. He did not have the time to leisurely live at the Academy. He had to increase his strength as fast as possible so that he could gain his vengeance.

    Once he finished his vengeance, then it would be time for him to live. It would finally be time for him to enjoy life. Then he would return to Mu Jianyao and the few friends he had made at the academy.

    Thinking like this, Xu Min smiled. He also missed one specific person whom he had left for some time before. He truly missed Yong Meilin, his Meilin, who was working hard as an auctioneer.

    Making his way through the Guardian Tree, Xu Min cleared his mind. Now was not the time to think about all the great things waiting for him when he had finished his revenge. Right now all he could focus about was gaining strength for his revenge. The face of his sister kept floating in front of him; he gritted his teeth. The Zhong Family was going to pay for what they had done.

 Chapter 125: Returning to the Blood Pagoda

    Cha?ter 125: Returning to the Blood Pagoda

    After leaving the academy, Xu Min finally felt he was on the right way again. He had remembered what was important to him, and he knew that he would never find happiness and peace again if he did not exact revenge.

    While Xu Min was walking through the forest, he was no longer the smiling and docile person he had been in the academy. The aura around him was sharp as a drawn de; his eyes were clear and filled with boundless hate and killing intent.

    Making their way through the forest, Xu Min, Cao Cao, and Ye Ling came across many magical beasts. However, the majority left as soon as they felt Xu Min and his group appear, disappearing as fast as they could.Only a few had the guts to stay after feeling the killing intent erupting from the three friends. Those who did stay were in with no second thought.

    Soon the killing intent which permeated the air around Xu Min also contained the scent of blood. Fewer and fewer beasts appeared in front of the small group of three.

    Even seventh-ranked beasts would shy away from these three. Not only was the killing intent so intense, but also these three experts moved together. Even though they were of a lower rank, the fierceness they disyed was truly frightening.

    The path leading to the Blood Pagoda was not well traveled. All the beasts that lived in this area were at most the seventh rank as it was not too deep into the Immortal Valley. Ye Ling knew his way around the Immortal Valley as he had lived there his entire life and made sure that they avoided every family of beast along the way. Although Ye Ling, Cao Cao, and Xu Min were fierce, they might have trouble to fight a full family on their own.

    The travel through the Immortal Valley did not take too long. Knowing his way around it only took them nine days to reach the Blood Pagoda. During that time Xu Min had broken through to the seventh star. Defeating one beast after another had solidified his foundations but also boosted his potential.

    Reaching the Blood Pagoda, Xu Min was filled with expectations. Last time he had entered the Blood Pagoda he had be much stronger. Bing one more rank higher, he he he would be ready to face off against the Zhong, family leader.

    Xu Min had many tricks up his sleeve. He possessed all the stances that he had stolen from the internal experts in the Immortal Valley Rankings, all of which were of high quality and allowed for him to be a real internal expert with many attacks that others could notpete against.

    He also had his external strength where he could be one with the world. He had his sword which could absorb energies and help him go berserk.

    Finally,t he also had the spiritual energy from the elf he had consumed and the elemental affinities of wind and fire.

    All these thingsbined made him incredibly strong. So strong in fact that he should be able topete with anyone below the rank of an Immortal. Though Xu Min assumed that the Zhong family leader had be an eight-star Warrior, he was certain that he did not have the talent to be an Immortal, at least not with the time he had been given.

    Reaching the Blood Pagoda, Cao Cao was deeply disturbed while looking at it. It was filled with an eerie atmosphere and heavy air. One could see that it was not a ce where one would venture in without knowing about it beforehand.

    Seeing this tower again, Xu Min was not filled with dread but intense excitement. He understood that many geniuses had died in the Blood Pagoda, but he also knew that great threats came with great benefits and the more dangerous it was, the stronger he would be.

    "I am going to enter. I don¡¯t know how long I will be inside for," Xu Min said to Cao Cao and Ye Ling. His voice was honest as he looked at the tall Blood Pagoda with anticipation. "I don¡¯t even know if I wille back out again. We have the beast contract between us, so if I am to die, you will know. If I die, I hope you will help me gain revenge in my stead."

    Xu Min could not let go of the revenge he had to take. Even if he died, he needed to know that someone else would take his revenge. The two beasts, who had been with him for years already, both nodded their heads. If Xu Min truly died, they would gain strength until they were so strong that they could ughter the Zhong family, its young master, and its leader.

    Seeing that these two agreed, Xu Min felt much calmer. He was going to do anything in his power to stay alive, but if he failed he knew that his revenge would not bepletely forgotten.

    Still, he wished to take revenge himself. If he wanted others to take the revenge for him, then he would have asked Mu Jianyao or Wang Li. He wanted to kill these people on his own, to make them suffer and to make them be buried with his sister! It was him who had to take this revenge for the peace of his mind!

    Sighing deeply and steadying himself, Xu Min looked at the Blood Pagoda. He understood that he could not let his emotions get the better of him before he entered this building.He needed a moment to calm himself.

    "I¡¯m going," he said determined to Cao Cao and Ye Ling, who both looked at Xu Min with eyes zing with excitement. They had seen Xu Min produce one miracle after another, and both of them expected him to produce yet another miracle. Expected of him to return many times stronger than he had been before!

    Xu Min opened his closed eyes and breathed out. With determination, he stepped forward and moved to the door of the Blood Pagoda. Entering the tower, a shiver ran through his body, and he appeared on the same tform where he had fought so many experts in the past.

    In front of him was the set of stairs that led to the second floor and Xu Min stepped up on top of it, reaching the floor above.

    "Wee back mortal soul!" the familiar voice sounded out once more. The force behind the voice made even Xu Min¡¯s decisive soul shudder beneath the immense pressure.

    Xu Min said nothing; he just cupped his hands and bowed deeply towards the Blood Pagoda itself. He knew that the voice he heard was the soul of the pagoda.

    As to what this soul was, Xu Min was rather curious. It was clearly not a mortal soul, considering how it spoke to Xu Min, referring his soul as mortal. However, was it the soul of an immortal that had died, or what is it a new type of soul?.

    Xu Min was curious, but he said nothing, asked nothing and did not even hint at his curiosity. He had his priorities straight, what mattered was not what kind of soul this master of the Blood Pagoda was, but to be stronger and capable of gaining revenge upon the Zhong family.

    "Well done, most would ask questions, but you did not. Even though you are curious, your curiosity does not control you. I give you credit for this," the voice suddenly boomed out again, shocking Xu Min.

    "I do not care about what you use your strength for." the voice of the pagoda spoke out once more. No matter whether Xu Min spoke or not, his deepest thoughts wereid bare to this pagoda.

    "For some reason, I am very talkative today," the pagoda said casually, " I will tell you about myself, and why I don¡¯t care what you use your power for."

    "I guess you could say that I am the soul of this blood pagoda. More correctly, I think you should say that I am a martial soul."

    "A martial soul is an amalgamation of all the souls which have died within this tower."

    "Originally this tower had no soul. This was a ce where elves and fairies would have their death battles. As more and more people died, more and more souls started to gather within this tower."

    "These souls slowly merged with one another, and became the soul of the tower."

    "However, We became bored. Not many experts came to fight us any longer, and we were just stuck here. Hearing that every year a specific amount of experts woulde and fight we were swayed and said yes."

    "Fighters no longer had to battle each other; they came to fight the souls of the deceased. The elves and fairies decided to make it into a training ground. They came to converse with us; they would send a group of experts every year. In return for us training them they would give us endless treasures in return and vice versa. We used them to train us as well."

    "We were showered in treasures. Many experts came to fight every single year. Of these experts at least a few would leave their little lives with us and merge with our soul, strengthening us. One day it all stopped. One day the elves and fairies no longer came to participate in the fights, and we lost our entertainment."

    "Years went by before magical beasts appeared. The lions appeared, and they decided to use our trials to temper their young ones. Not many of their offspring survived entering the Blood Pagoda. Nheless, they were beasts; they had many children. Losing half of them was nothing much."

    "Fortunately these lions were quite intelligent, and they too became part of our strength."

    "Who would have expected that a human boy would appear, a human boy who would absorb the energy of our soul. You consumed the soul of an elf. This absorption was very simr to how we absorb. It feels familiar. Your sword feels familiar to us."

    "But now you understand. The reason we told you is on ount of the hate within your heart. It is because of the hate that urges to get revenge that we needed to tell you because the chance of you leaving this tower is incredibly slim. The more hate you have, the harder thest trial will be. You have way more hate than any other being we have ever encountered."

    "But before this, you need to get the reward for the trial which you justpleted."

    "We gave you a task of returning to us after bing a seven-star warrior. To think you did it as swiftly as you did, we are quite amazed. The reward will be even bigger now that you did it as swiftly as you did. However, if you take this reward, you have to attempt the final trial. As to whether or not you survive, it is up to your ability."

    "You can of course also choose to give up now, turn away and not be given another chance at the rewards as well as the chance to be a peerless genius."

 Chapter 126: Heart Demon

    Chapter 126: Heart Demon

    Xu Min narrowed his eyes as he heard the words spoken by the soul of the Blood Pagoda. He hade all this way for the sake of the trial. He was not going to give up practical the moment he just stepped in not even if this trial would be near impossible for him.

    This trial dealt with everything about hate, and Xu Min was filled with hate. It was a type of hate that consumed him and other people. Nheless, he would try. Deep within his heart, he also heaved a heavy sigh of relief. He knew that even if he failed Cao Cao and Ye Ling taking over his revenge.

    "I wish to take the test," Xu Min said determinedly. His eyes shone, and his back was straight.

    "Kudos to you kid for going all the way." the voice said slightly surprised.

    "I have, to be honest with you. I do not think you will be able to survive this trial. Then using your reward for reaching the seventh star will be wasted."

    "Because of this, I won¡¯t give you the treasure before you finish thest trial. I swear it will not have any effect on your performance if you consume it or not."

    Xu Min pouted slightly. He had hoped to feel stronger already; he could not help but mumble "stingy," but he said nothing else and quickly came to terms with the soul¡¯s conditions.

    "There is no use to waste more time. Let us start the final trial!" Xu Min ordered. He sat down on the floor refusing to move before it started.

    "Do not me meter when you join me; I hate internal strife," the amalgamationughed with a voice that slowly vanished in the distance. Xu Min became engulfed in sweat as he felt intense pain wreck his body.

    The pain felt as if someone was cutting out his heart in his chest. He felt that knives were being stabbed into his body and leaving gaping wounds as if he was being smashed by massive stones.

    All this pain was intense; so intense in fact Xu Min could hardly breathe, but he persevered through the pain. He tried clearing his mind and grit his teeth. His body trembled, sweat started to stream down his face, soaking his clothes and revealing just how difficult his current condition was.

    Suddenly the pain changed in nature. It was no longer physical but going into the emotional pain of his soul. His soul was corroding, chipped away at small bits and the pain he experienced was many times more painful than what he had experienced before when his body was undergoing torture. Nevertheless, Xu Min did not panic.

    He felt that it was impossible to fight this power which was eating up his soul. He also concluded that even though the pain he felt was so intense, it was, nheless, not real. It was a test of some sort to see how he would react when he was put in a situation he could not fight.

    On the contrary to the soul¡¯s response, if his soul was truly eaten up, he could not be a part of the amalgamation. Thus Xu Min reached the conclusion that it was but a trick of some kind and kept calm.

    The moment this conclusion appeared in Xu Min¡¯s mind the pain of his soul being ripped apart stopped. He descended into an ethereal state where he was neither awake nor asleep.

    His mind was sucking in energy from the surrounding areas at the most rapid speed possible, solidifying the foundation of his seventh-star rank.

    Energy poured into the body of Xu Min. As soon as he had managed to acquire the foundations of the seventh star solidified he thought he had already gained quite a lot, but his body just kept absorbing more and more energy as his rank kept climbing. Soon he had reached the middle rank of the seventh star, but even still his body kept absorbing energy at a rapid rate.

    Xu Min was very well aware that this insane speed of energy absorption was only possible because he had the assistance of the Blood Pagoda.

    "Don¡¯t becent," the voice of the amalgamation spoke out once more, "You might have passed through the first part of the trial, but the first part is the easy part. I have yet to see anyone fail it. Everyone who has reached this stage has managed to pass the first part of the trial. Whereas only a handful have seeded the second part of the trial."

    Although the amalgamation said these words to make him less confident in himself, the words caused apletely different feeling within Xu Min.

    He was feelingpetitive but also relieved. So far a handful of all the geniuses who had reached this step had managed to seed in the final trial meaning that it was not impossible. If Xu Min gave it his all, he might stand a chance too.

    Laughter rung through the walls in the Blood Pavilion as the amalgamation saw the change in Xu Min¡¯s personality. The spirit¡¯s voice sounded out, "since you are so set on bing the next champion of the Blood Pagoda, please do not hesitate to let me tell you about the trial you will experience once your body stops absorbing this energy of the heavens and the earth!"

    "The trial is quite simple. Every single expert of a certain level will have to go through it. Though most experts do not have to experience it before they be Immortals!"

    "This trial is to face your heart demon!"

    "Every person has a demon in their heart. The more anger and hate they carry the stronger this demon is. Facing this heart demon is deadly. One mistake and your path of cultivation will be shattered; one mistake and even your soul will not be left unscathed."

    "A heart demon is the final way to temper your soul and allow for your body to take the final transformation. As soon as you have faced your heart demon, your soul will be the same level as the souls of an Immortal. You will face no bottlenecks in your future cultivation. All you will need to be an Immortal is to gather enough energy of the essence of the heavens and the earth, and you will seed."

    "Unfortunately nothing is ever that simple." the blood pagoda snickered while it continued to speak, "You have a heart filled with darkness, a heart filled with the stench of blood. You have killed more people than I can count; everything has been done in the name of vengeance. Your heart demon is strong! So strong that even I cannot imagine just how terrible this trial will be for you."

    Xu Min considered all that was told to him. However, he held his head held high, and his brows calm and confident. "I will face this heart demon with my strength! If it is not enough, then I can only me myself for being weak!" Xu Min said decisively with a voice filled with determination. He knew that in this world strength was absolute. Although he was not the biggest genius around when he did not have his sword to depend on. Moreover, he was not the strongest expert in the trials of the Blood Pagoda¡¯s history; he was without a doubt the calmest and most collected one.

    Xu Min had an ability that the others did not have. Because of his urge to win the fight against the Zhong family, he was very calm and decisive. As long as he saw a slim chance of sess, he would rush towards this ray of light and not let anything stop him.

    Although the Amalgamation was certain that Xu Min would not seed this endeavor, Xu Min still did not give up. He did not be filled with fear even after hearing he would soon face his heart demon.

    To be honest, when one looked at Xu Min¡¯s face, all they saw was anticipation. One had to fight the heart demon at some point in life. Even though most fought it at the same time as they were about to reach the Immortal rank, some would face their heart demon earlier, and this was of great benefit to them.

    The sooner one faced their heart demon the more time for improvement one had; the stronger one would be.

    Even Immortals had different ranks amongst themselves. The ones who had undergone the heart demon trial before they became Immortals had a longer time for their souls to mature. In the long run, this was easier for them to reach the peak of the Immortal rank.

    Taking a deep breath, Xu Min steeled himself. A space around him twisted and churned as he was moved to a specific ce in the Blood Pagoda, a ce where everything was dark at first. Slowly his eyes got used to the darkness. He found that a small red hue appeared as time went by.

    As time went by Xu Min waited for his heart, which had been clenched tight in worry, to slowly settle down. He could observe the surrounding areas with a calm heart and mind.

    The red hue turned to a red light. Soon Xu Min saw a small red gem appearing in front of him. This red gem was at first the shape of a small gem. As time went on Xu Min noticed that it was not that the room became brighter because of the red gem, but the red gem was absorbing all the darkness from within the room.

    This darkness started to be molded into the figure of a small child. In front of Xu Min was the child of the young master looking the same as the day when Xu Min had escaped the Zhong familypound.

    Xu Min¡¯s eyes zed with killing intent. His energy erupted from his body. One with the world, wind domain, radiant jade shower, the sword. All the tricks that Xu Min had up his sleeve were being disyed. The power he released was so outstanding that even an eight-star warrior would feel his heart clench and his life sh in front of his eyes.

    Although this much power appeared, the face of the young man, who had killed his sister remained unfazed throughout the entire process. Moving a single hand,he managed to defend against the swordlight. He easily dispelled the wind des, and even the thousands of jade shards from the radiant jade shower were nothing.

    Smiling wickedly, the child just stood there, ready to face any onught that Xu Min brought down upon him, but anything he did was useless.

    The more Xu Min tried, the more exhausted he became, both physically and mentally. Even so, there was no way for him to even wound the clothes of this young man.

    After having rained down attack after attack on top of this young child, Xu Min finally regained consciousness. So far he had acted solely on the anger which had exploded the moment he had seen the child, but after getting thoroughly defeated, Xu Min understood that something was not right.

    Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes he noticed that the child started frowning. Something was not right, but as to what it was, Xu Min did not know.

    "This is my heart demon," he said to himself, "The demon within my heart is the young master of the Zhong family. He caused me to feel this agony. However, at the same time, this situation shaped me into who I am today."

    "I need to find a way to defeat this heart demon; it cannot be impossible!" Xu Min was filled with determination. His body started zing with a golden sheen.

 Chapter 127: Emotions

    Chapter 127: Emotions

    The golden hue on Xu Min¡¯s body caused the young master to flinch and retreat. The figure who had previously beenpletely calm against all of Xu Min¡¯s attacks was now retreating rapidly. He had a dark sneer on his face, and his eyes were filled with fear and hesitation.

    Pondering, Xu Min wondered what to do in the middle of this heart demon trial. Was the young master setting up a trap or was he genuinely afraid of this golden hue? Xu Min did not know, but he quickly concluded that it was worth a try. If it proved to be a trick, then he would get beaten. However, if it were not a trick, then he would end up regretting it the rest of his life, which most likely would be a rather short amount of time.

    Xu Min¡¯s eyes turned serious; he grit his teeth and took one step forward, one after another. He held the sword in his hands and noticed that the sword was also shining with the same golden hue as before.

    The closer he came to the young master, the more panicked he seemed. He even went as far as to send out attacks.

    The real young master could not be as high leveled as this figure was. The attacks he sent out were all around the eight-star warrior rank; all of them were a mixture of spiritual energy, elemental affinity, stances and physical attacks.

    All of them were filled with a force that was no weaker than Xu Min¡¯s power. If it were not for the sake of Xu Min being surrounded by the golden light, then he would have had a hard time protecting himself. However, the moment the attacks came into contact with Xu Min¡¯s golden shine, they would diminish in power, and Xu Min could block it with no problems at all.

    At this point, Xu Min sneered again, and a cold gleam appeared in his eyes. The golden sheen seemed to help him survive. Thus he could also use it to destroy the heart demon in front of him.

    Stepping forward one step after another, the heart demon in shape of the young master could no longer move further away. His face was filled with unwillingness. His appearance was simr to how Xu Min expected the real young master to look when he was cornered and ughtered by himself.

    The more anger rose within Xu Min, the dimmer the golden light became and slowly a smile appeared on the young master¡¯s face.

    "Don¡¯t think you can trick me!" Xu Min eximed as he closed his eyes once more and calmed his heart. He imagined ake in front of him, ake with no ripples just a calm surface. That was how his heart should be.

    Xu Min quickly realized the heart demon was doing anything in it¡¯s power to cause Xu Min to sumb to his emotions. Not just the emotions of anger, but also pain or agony. Allowing for any emotion to take over his body was enough to make the heart demon seed.

    Realizing this Xu Min became even more attentive to what happened around him, his mind was steeled towards finishing this as soon as possible. Just as he pressed closer and closer to the young master, the face suddenly changed. It now looked like the old overseer Tian, the man whom Xu Min had treated as his father back in the sect.

    Seeing this man, Xu Min¡¯s emotions went into a turmoil. He had looked up to him for such a long time, but at thest moment, he was betrayed. Even now he still remembered the words spoken by this man; even now he still remembered how Overseer Tian had rushed after him for a very long time within the forest surrounding the Zhong familypound.

    When Xu Min was a child, Overseer Tian was the most important man in his life. Xu Min felt the golden sheen bing dull. His emotions were filled with hate and anger and a slight bit of nostalgia. As he thought about it, Xu Min closed his eyes once more.

    "It won¡¯t be that easy," he mumbled as he took a deep breath and slowly started to remind himself that what was in front of him was not real. He needed to remind himself that everything around him was created by his heart demon, and it was not real.

    Unfortunately, the emotions were not there because of the heart demon; they were just triggered because of it. The emotions were true and had been in his heart ever since he was a small child running away from the Zhong familypound. These emotions had grown a root in his heart long ago, but it was impossible for Xu Min to get rid of them.

    This was the reason that the amalgamation was certain that Xu Min would sumb to this heart demon. If it had just been about hate and revenge, then it would be possible to survive it. However, when there was such hate as revenge, there is usually someone who had been loved deeply, someone who cared for much more than one¡¯s self. As long as this emotion prevailed or came out of control, the heart demon would win.

    The heart demon was currently trying to do exactly this. It was trying to involve the love and care that Xu Min had experienced to make him lose himself in the care he once received.

    Fortunately for Xu Min, this heart demon had chosen to take Overseer Tian and show him this man¡¯s appearance. Although he had long since considered him his father, he had also been betrayed by this person and thus the man was dead in his heart.

    For Xu Min, there were two kinds of people in the world. One of them was the ones who had been the cause of his sister¡¯s death and those who had hunted him and wanted him dead. The other group of people was those who did not wish to kill him.

    In Xu Min¡¯s world, there were two groups of people. If you were a part of the first group, Xu Min would kill you. The second group consisted of people Xu Min would not kill.

    Seeing that the golden hue on his body was returning even faster than it had vanished, the face of Overseer Tian was turning grim. He looked at Xu Min with an angry face. It was clear that he only had one possibility left to try, though, he had wished not to do so.

    Xu Min, who was looking at the heart demon, was at first surprised. He could guess what this demon was nning, but he hoped that it would not.

    Xu Min¡¯s eyes narrowed at the same time while the eyes of Overseer Tian narrowed. Two seconds after, the heart demon looked exactly like his older sister as she had looked the day on her death.

    "I already saw her in a previous challenge. Is this the best you can do?" Xu Min asked with bated breath. Although he had seen her before, he was feeling ufortable seeing her again. Although he loved her, he had long since understood she was dead. When she came back to life something was wrong.

    Xu Min had expected that his sister would look at him and ask for pity; he steeled his heart, but when he looked at his sister something was wrong.

    Her face was not filled with teary eyes and a pitiful expression. Rather, her eyes were hostile, and her teeth bared in a hateful grin with manic eyes.

    "I died because of you!" she suddenly screeched with her familiar voice. The wordspletely stunned Xu Min so much that he could barely move. Let alone speak.

    "Had you been a good boy who yed with the other children and knew your position as a servant boy then I would never have died!"

    "If you had not disyed your superiority and made the young master jealous then I would still be alive!"

    "Everything is your fault! It was not the young master who killed me but you! You are the bane of my existence. If you wish to punish someone, punish yourself!"

    The more she spoke, the paler Xu Min became. He was aware that this was the heart demon; nheless, he was realized that every single word his pseudo sister said was correct. He was indeed the one who had caused his sister to die. The thought had crossed his mind many times during the many years he had trained solely for the purpose of getting the revenge.

    The golden hue on his body and sword vanished slowly; it was being removed as Xu Min fell deeper and deeper into his despair.

    The sister whom he loved, the sister whom he adored and the sister whom he had given his whole life to revenge was enough to make him sink into despair. The heart demon was powerful. It¡¯s most effective and powerful appearance was the one of his sister and his guilt. He was overwhelmed with the emotions.

    Xu Min was all alone. He usually had either Cao Cao or Ye Ling by his side. Now he had no one to rely upon, and his heart was aching. His mind went ck as he thought about how his sister had died because of him. Perhaps it was best that he died. Perhaps he was truly the reason for her death.

    Slumping to the ground, Xu Min looked at the hateful expression on his sister¡¯s face and sighed deeply. It was clearly the truth. He had known it all along, but it was the emotion he had hidden the deepest within himself and never before allowed it to emerge.

    Now he saw how the hideous expression of his sister, his heart was heavy and his eyes did not even want to do anything else than looking at his sister and wait for his end.

    As he had reached this point, no golden hue remained, no sheen or luster. Instead, a darkness started to permeate his body and made the surrounding areas harder to see.

    With a final look at his sister, Xu Min noticed that she no longer had a malicious expression on her face but instead smiled. A gentle, happy smile, the smile that Xu Min was used to see every single day; the smile he knew his sister used every time she would speak with him.

    "Something is not right," Xu Min said to himself in the middle of the darkness that was descending upon him in at a rapid pace.

    "My sister loved me as much as I love her. She would never me me for her death even if I were the one who caused her to die. She would do nothing but ept it. She would never harbor a grudge against me, much like I never would against her."

    "This is the heart demon! The guilt might be mine, but my sister would never approve of it! She would never me me! My sister loved me, and this love is all that I need!"

    Xu Min suddenly became stronger and stronger. His mental fortitude got stronger and stronger., His eyes started to focus once more, and the darkness started to withdraw again. The gentle smile on his sister¡¯s face turned sour. The eyes widened, and a screech erupted from her mouth as she charged forward, raising her nails like ws and her teeth turned to fangs. The sister he loved turned into looking like a demon, a true heart demon!

 Chapter 128: Pill of Transcendence

    Chapter 128: Pill of Transcendence

    Xu Min was satisfied that he had done the right thing while he looked upon the demon who turned into his sister. The heart demon was bing weaker by the minute, and the golden hue around his body was expanding.

    As long as the golden hue was there, the heart demon could do nothing to Xu Min. He instantly took his sword into his hands and saw how the golden sheen appeared on the sword¡¯s de as well.

    Lifting the sword high above his head, Xu Min swiped it down. Once it came into contact with the heart demon, the demon started screaming and twisting its body. The ces the golden light came into contact with charred and the body started crumbling.

    Slowly, very slowly, every single part of the heart demon turned to ash.Xu Min was stunned by the sudden change.

    He felt a change within his body. It had always been heavy. Heavy because all he could think about was revenge, heavy because of the guilt he felt when he thought about her death. Everything had made him tired and exhausted, but now he understood that it did not have to be like this.

    Yes, he needed his revenge, but he hade to terms with the fact that his sister had died. He needed to take revenge and bury those who had killed her, and that would be all. When he had managed to get revenge, he would still miss his sister from time to time and would think about her often. Nheless, he would also move on with his life. He would find Meilin and together the two of them would start a new life. A life without much bloodshed; a life filled with happiness and peace.

    Xu Min¡¯s heart grew warm, and a smile appeared on his face as he thought of his resolution. Even now he was not alone. Right as he spoke two brothers were waiting for him outside the Blood Pagoda. Both of these brothers were willing to give their lives for him, and he the same.

    Everything started to make sense to Xu Min. His emotions which had been frozen for a long time opened up. He smiled a warm smile expressing the will to live, the happiness found by the living.

    Slowly Xu Min opened his eyes. As he did, he noticed that he was still within the Blood Pagoda. His body was stiff. There were no signs of anything having happened to it.As well, there was no golden sheen either. Everything which had happened seemed like a dream, but Xu Min knew that it was real.

    "To think you actually seeded!" The Amalgamation shockingly eximed while Xu Min opened his eyes. It had been certain that Xu Min would fail. Here he was, alive and kicking, having defeated his inner heart demon.

    "I thank you for all your guidance, elder!" Xu Min said seriously to the Blood Pagoda¡¯s soul. He stood up and bowed deeply with cupped hands. Although Xu Min possessed outstanding talents, it would be impossible for him to reach his current achievements was it not for the help of the Blood Pagoda.

    "Do not thank me too soon," the Blood Pagodaughed, "I still need to grant you two treasures, and the treasures I am going to grant you the most outstanding treasures I have at my disposal. I had not nned on using them for anyone, but you have changed my mind. To help a genius take shape is something I wish to be part of!"

    "Although I should hand you the reward from reaching the seventh-star Warrior rank first, I am going to change the reward and give you the reward for defeating your heart demon first."

    "The reason I do this is because I am going to give you the Pill of Transcendence. This pill allows you to jump a rank instantly from one rank to another. Consume this pill, and you will be an eight-star Warrior immediately."

    "These kind of pills are increasingly rare. As a matter of fact, it should have already vanished from the world outside and be a pill of legends."

    "Even I, as an amalgamation which has robbed the life of countless of geniuses and stolen their items, have never before seen more than one of this pill. With the memory of all these people that I have absorbed, I have never before heard of such a wonderous pill. Only for the one time, I was granted this as the main reward for bing the soul of the Blood Pagoda."

    "I have little information about the pill. However, I do know it is impossible to be an Immortal relying on this strength. Yourst chance is to use the pill to be an eight-star Warrior."

    "If one took the pill at a lower rank, it would possibly explode the person¡¯s body with the sheer amount of energy that is hidden within this little pill. However, since you are such a high rank anyways, there is a chance that it will not be enough to allow you to jump a full rank. Furthermore, you are new to the seventh star. Thus it is likely the pill will not be enough. Nevertheless, it is still worth a try."

    "Stay here within the Blood Pagoda and consume the pill. I will ensure that nothing wille and threaten you while you are cultivating."

    "Thank you, Elder," Xu Min replied politely to the amalgamation. Right in front of him, a beam of light descended from the ceiling. Hovering within this beam of light was a small red pill which was releasing ripple after ripple of energy, such a strong radiation shocked even Xu Min.

    Reaching out his hand, he took the pill. Just touching the pill, he felt his heart tighten, and his mouth go dry. This was going to be dangerous. Although he was of a high rank, the pill was still a pill of legends. It was a pill which contained so much energy that it would allow a cultivator to jump a rank instantly.

    "I can¡¯t back down now," Xu Min mumbled to himself. "If I manage to consume this pill then I will be able to contend with the Zhong, family leader! I will be able to gain my revenge!"

    Determination shone in Xu Min¡¯s eyes as he sat down on the ground and instantly ced the pill within his mouth.

    The moment it touched his tongue it started melting. The pill becameyers uponyers of energy. This energy erupted like a volcano and released powerful energy in the body of Xu Min, flooding his meridians, filling every organ and cell in his body. He felt a pressure he had never felt before.

    It was as if his body, which was at the seventh-star ranking, was not enough to hold in all the energy that was being released from the pill. Xu Min hurriedly started to rotate the energy through his body and ce it in his dantian.

    The dantian had a small core of pure energy. This core was not very big but as the energy from the pill of transcendence appeared it started to show visible changes. Not only was the white color of the core turning even lighter it almost started shining, but it also grew at a rapid speed.

    Although his body was greedily absorbing the energy of the pill, Xu Min understood that there was so much energy on this pill that it was impossible for him to absorb it all. Some of it would naturally dissipate into thin air. However, Xu Min was determined to let as little energy as possible leave his body. He grit his teeth before he picked up his sword.

    Xu Min was using absorption from the sword to absorb the energy which left his body. At the same time, he rotated the energy from the pill through his body so that he could merge the waves of energy with his core.

    This was the most intense experience that Xu Min had ever before experienced. Because he was absorbing such enormous amount of energy, his entire body was in excruciating pain.

    The pain urring in his body was so intense that Xu Min could not help but gasp out loud, but he quickly contained himself and focused solely on absorbing the energy. He had never before had such an opportunity. From what he understood with the rarity of this pill, he would never again get such an opportunity. This was his only chance, and he would ept the pain and absorb the energy as well as he could.

    While he was cultivating, Xu Min did not think about anything else than consuming the energy of the pill. He did not think about the heart demon nor did he think about the fact that his brothers were waiting for him. He did not even consider how long it would take him to consume everyst ounce of energy from within the pill.

    It was not that these matters were now useless to him, but his body and mind understood that the smallest bit of preupation would cause him to fail. For Xu Min, failure was not an option.

    As he absorbed the energy of the medicinal pill, the energy waves sent out from the pill was slowly bing smaller and smaller. The pain was bing less and less; the pill in his mouth was also turning smaller and smaller, every time a wave of energy has released ayer was peeled off the pill.

    Xu Min could feel an abundant amount of energy within his core. He had still not reached the eight star, and he was not willing to give up. He pushed forward, absorbing both from the pill and the surrounding air.

    He was slowlying closer and closer to the borders of the eight-star ranking. He could feel how more and more energy was gathering up, bingpressed and making it harder to enter the core. It was as if the core could not amodate more of the energy that was poured into it, but Xu Min did not hesitate to continue to force the energy to enter the core. As he did, cracks appeared on the surface.

    The pain was even more intense than when he had forcefully withstood the pain of the pill pouring into his body. Now he was turning pale as he felt that his core was going to explode.

    "This is a gamble. Either I force it to expand and be an eight-star warrior, or I break it, and my cultivation will be crippled. It;s either everything or nothing!"

    Sweat appeared on Xu Min¡¯s forehead as he kept pouring the weakened waves of energy into his core. He felt how he was breaking it apart.

    Although it was breaking apart, he would not leave it broken.Instead, he was constantly mending it by using the energy which was within the core. He was healing more and more of the core and slowly watching as it was growing. Every time a crack appeared he would mend it, allowing the core to grow slightly.

    Suddenly the core shook within the dantian. As it shook, it started to rapidly absorb all the essence of the heavens and the earth in the surroundings. It devoured everything around him. He became like a big ck hole, sucking in all the energy that he could.

    The core, which had been on the verge of breaking, was no longer cracking. Instead, it shone with a pearl-like luster as it grew with every single ounce of energy that it was absorbing. Clearly, Xu Min excitedly knew he had managed to break through into the ranks of an eight-star warrior.

    "I did it!" He eximed filled with excitement, "I did it! I am now an eight-star warrior. Now I will take my revenge on the Zhong family!"

 Chapter 129: Battleground

    Chapter 129: Battleground

    "Congrattions," the amalgamation bestowed upon Xu Min. He could even hear the surprise in the voice as it spoke.

    "To think that you can achieve one miracle after another. First, you manage to break into the seventh-star Warrior rank that swiftly. Then you manage to ovee your heart demon, and now you even managed to consume the pill of transcendence."

    "I guess it really was the right decision to give you this pill." the amalgamation continued before another light beam shone; onest pill appeared in the light.

    "This pill is not as great as the pill of transcendence. As a matter of fact, it is not even the strongest pill I have at my disposal, but it is the most suitable one for you right now."

    "It is a pill of foundation, a pill which builds your foundation of your cultivation base."

    "You just reached the eight-star Warrior rank. Now your cultivation is unstable. It needs to be solidified. To do so, you need to either spend some time cultivating or consume this pill."

    "The pill is made for the middle ranks, not so much the high-ranked stars.Thus how much it can benefit you, I do not know. Nevertheless, try consuming it, and we will see what will happen."

    The amalgamation exined more than usual. Xu Min was surprised to hear that such a medicinal pearl existed. He quickly and eagerly epted the amalgamation¡¯s offer.

    He instantly popped the pill into his mouth and sat down to cultivate. Energy floated through his body, but it was far from as powerful as it had been before when he consumed the pill of transcendence.

    The energy he felt was different It was less wild, but a lot denser than it had been before. It slowly built up the foundation of Xu Min¡¯s new rank. However just as the amalgamation had said, it was not enough to fully build his foundations.

    A few days passed where Xu Min was just sitting down and cultivating. He was, absorbing the essence of the heavens and the earth while he was seated in meditation.

    Soon he was not doing anything else but cultivating. His foundations became solidified under the constant cultivation.

    "You are done now. I cannot do anymore for you. You already consumed the rewards, and you have passed all of my trials," The amalgamation stated. Xu Min opened his eyes; a newfound sharpness was evident within.

    "If you wish to leave the Immortal Valley without going through the portal, you will need to walk through the entire valley until you reach the outside." the amalgamation continued to exin. "You have that lion with you; he will be able to tell you the way and ensure that you avoid all the dangerous areas." Soon the entrance to the Bood Pagoda opened, and Xu Min stood up. He bowed deeply to the empty chamber and turned to leave.

    As he left, Xu Min was shocked when he exited the Blood Pagoda. The outside was a battlefield!

    It was impossible to say exactly how long it had been since Xu Min entered the Blood Pagoda, but outside there were countless corpses of Golden-Furred Blood Lions littered on the ground. Most importantly, though, there were no signs of neither Ye Ling nor Cao Cao.

    Xu Min felt his entire body go numb. He had left his two brothers alone, and now they were at some unknown ce. His eyes hardened, and his teeth clenched. He scoured the entire battleground to see if there were any survivors. Nheless, no matter where he looked all he saw was beasts that had been torn to bits.

    Just as his mind was descending into hopelessness, he heard someone call his name, "Xu Min! We are okay!"

    The voice was familiar. The knot that had tightened within Xu Min¡¯s heart was slowly untying itself. He felt a deep sensation of relief wash his body.

    Turning around, he saw Cao Cao and Ye Ling. Both were much bigger than they had been before, but their bodies contained many scars and gaping wounds.

    "What happened?!" Xu Min asked shocked and angry at the same time. He was not angry at Cao Cao and Ye Ling, but furious at whoever had caused them this pain.

    "Don¡¯t worry about us," Ye Ling said with a toothy grin. "I was an outcast from the Golden-furred Blood Lion sect. When they came to visit the Blood Pagoda and saw Cao Cao and me, they instantly attacked. Since then we have killed anyone who hase for us, yet I fear that stronger experts will being soon."

    "As well, we have consumed quite a few beast cores. These beast cores have helped us increase our strength tremendously. Even though it is like this, we are not strong enough to stand against the ones of the seventh or eight ranks, so we feared that we could not wait for you here any much longer."

    "However, you appeared at just the right time. Let us hesitate no longer and leave instantly," Cao Cao said nervously. Xu Min nodded his head in agreement. There was no reason to stay on this battlefield.

    "We need to leave the valley by traveling through it. We cannot use the formations or portals since they are controlled by the elves and fairies. Since I left the academy, I am certain that if they find me, then I will be put into forced seclusion for quite a long time. I do not have time for that right now, so let us return to the outside world!"

    Ye Ling and Cao Cao nodded their heads. Just by looking at Xu Min they had sensed that he had reached the eight star of the Warrior rank and to have reached this rank meant he had seeded in the Blood Pagoda.

    Now they needed to force their way through the Immortal Valley. Xu Min had no idea howrge the valley was, but he assumed it was long.

    Even worse, they had to be cautious during their trip. Xu Min was a fugitive of the fairy and elf academy while Cao Cao and Ye Ling had killed numerous beasts of the Golden-Furred Blood Lion n. Of course, both of these groups were not going to let them go easily.

    Sighing Xu Min understood that this trip was not going to be easy, but he also knew they had no other choice. He was so close to getting his revenge, so close to leaving behind the past and moving on to the future, and so close to the things that truly mattered to him. He could not give up now.Thus he could not help but smile slightly as he followed behind Ye Ling and Cao Cao through the forest.

    It was clear that these two beasts knew the area around the Blood Pagoda so well they could navigate it in their sleep. They were avoiding every single beast and walking only on small beast trails.

    "We need to hurry," Xu Min said anxiously. Now that he was so close to his goal he finally started to feel worried. What if something stopped him? What if someone blocked him now? Xu Min had no idea how long it would take him to reach the stage where he could seek out revenge if he got stopped now.

    The group moved through the forest at a decent pace, but they did not rush. All three of them understood that if they rushed through the valley, they would be much easier targets, They would be easier targets not just for their pursuers but also for any strong beast that might be hiding within the valley.

    Fortunately, Ye Ling knew which area belonged to which beast sects. He also knew where the majestic beasts of the high rank had their territories. Consequently, they clearly knew which areas to avoid.

    Their advance was not straight through the valley since many of the areas were simply too dangerous, and their already long route was even longer.

    The fortunate part of this twisted route was that it was easier to lose their followers because no one knew exactly which way they were traveling.

    Although they could track them, it made it much harder to find their tracks when they were traveling in seemingly many directions through the valley.

    The first couple of days, Xu Min and the two beasts were traveling at a fairly slow pace, but they encountered nothing threatening. They saw no beasts other than the normal inhabitants of the forest and most of those beasts made sure to hide far away from the trio.

    After a week of constant travel, they ran into their first patrol of Golden-Furred Blood Lions. This patrol was not veryrge. Xu Min ughtered them all before they even had the time to yelp out in surprise.

    After killing these lions, Xu Min and his friends understood they needed to pick up their pace a little more than before. They sped up their advance.

    After two weeks of travel, they ran into two people from the academy. They were not here for the sake of finding Xu Min. However, once they saw him, they were eager to disy their ability and capture him. Apparently, Mu Jianyao created a mission where anybody who captured Xu Min would win a significant portion of contribution points.

    Unfortunately, neither of the two elves were strong enough to pose any threat to Xu Min.He gently knocked them out before clearing the entire area so that they would not be attacked while being out cold.

    Continuing through the forest, not many were capable of stopping the trio. Every time they came across lions they would ughter them. Cao Cao and Ye Ling would then consume their beast cores and grow more powerful. Every time they came across students, they would knock them out, making sure that there were no beasts around.

    Although Xu Min did not feel like he belonged to the academy any longer, he still did not wish to make enemies with them. He ensured that no one died. One day he even wished to visit there again, but not before he had be an Immortal himself. He felt as if he owed Mu Jianyao an exnation.

    Ye Ling and Cao Cao had no qualms about killing the students. Nevertheless, because of Xu Min¡¯s decision, neither of them said anything and kept the students alive. To them, Xu Min¡¯s decision was more important thanws. These decisions were something that they could not, and would not, go against.

    The closer they came to the edge of the Immortal Valley the fewer beasts and experts they ran into.

    Xu Min had expected to run into mercenaries or another sort of humans who would venture into the valley to train or gain materials. However, no matter how close to the outskirts they came to, they never saw even the slightest sign of a human havinge by.

    Only then did he understand that the Immortal Valley was fully under the control of the elves.

    "Although you are a refugee from the academy, it seems that they are not that keen on catching you," Cao Cao finally said as they could see the outside of the valley in front of them. They were bing excited, though, but none of them dared to believe that they had truly made it out before they had crossed thest line of trees.

    "What do you mean?" asked Xu Min curiously as he continued to run forward. Cao Cao just shook his head, "you are strong, yes, and we have traveled aplicated route, but do you truly believe that an Immortal would not have caught up with us already if they wished to bring you back?"

    "Not only would they have caught up with us, but they would also have been able to finish us in less than a minute. You are an eight-star warrior, but even though there is only one star between you and the Immortal rank, that difference isparable to the heavens and the earth! The academy has let you go. One day you owe them a great exnation."

 Chapter 130: Barren Land

    Chapter 130: Barren Land

    Xu Min, Cao Cao, and Ye Ling made their way out of the Immortal Valley only to find themselves in unfamiliar territory.

    Everywhere they looked the ground was filled with cracked dry earth. No nts grew in this destend; no shade could be found from the scorching hot sun which burned down from above. No signs of life at all were to be seen. This ce was theplete opposite of the Immortal Valley which had been filled with prosperity.

    "We need to pass this," Xu Min said. Determined he looked ahead and the other two just nodded their heads soundlessly. Although they were all determined, they also felt that this barrennd was far more dangerous than their previous trip trough the Immortal Valley.

    "There are mountains not far away from us," Xu Min said as he pointed straight ahead, looking at a chain of mountains which were covered in snow. Their peaks were so high up that they were covered in the clouds.

    "If we can make it to those mountains then we should be free of this barrennd," Xu Min continued and with a resolute step forward did he move towards the mountains.

    Cao Cao and Ye Ling quickly followed suit. However, as they moved closer to the mountains, it seemed the closer they moved to the mountain, the further away they seemed to be. It seemed as if they were staying right at the edge of the Immortal Valley. To be honest, their feet did not move even the slightest as they moved towards the mountains.

    "It might be tricking us. It takes a long time for it to reach the mountain. Perhaps a thousand steps are just one step. ¡°No matter, let us continue forward!" Xu Min sighed. He had gotten so far that he was not willing to give up now. Thus he continued step after step forward. However, no matter how many steps they took, nothing happened.

    They had already walked for a full day when Xu Min finally stopped. His body was soaked in sweat his breathing ragged. He had walked under the sun for a full day without a break. The barrennd had been unweing, and a strong wind had consistently blown sand and dust into his face, making breathing difficult.

    Almost as if copsing, Xu Min sat down on the ground and heaved a heavy breath of air as he contemted his possibilities.

    "Tonight we should return to the Immortal Valley. It is easier to rx in there, and we will be able to hunt for food." Xu Min finally decided with a sigh and stood up with much trouble. Turning around and taking one step towards the Immortal Valley, his eyes erged at the sight he saw and instantly frowned.

    At first, he was stunned by what he saw, but soon after, this stunned expression turned to one of gratitude.

    "I get it!" He eximed, "I finally get it!"

    The one step he had taken towards the Immortal Valley had turned him one step further away from the Immortal Valley and one step closer to the mountain range.

    Every step he took forward, every single step towards the Immortal Valley brought him further and further away. Even though the travel was filled with difort, violent gales and scraping sand, it was not something that Xu Min could not withstand. Slowly he had managed to reach halfway through the barrennd in a single night.

    By the time the sun was starting to break through the sky, Ye Ling and Cao Cao were already exhausted. They did not have a rank as high as Xu Min had. Thus they could not continue the travels for as long as he could, and they decided to pause and rx for some time.

    Xu Min found some provisions which he shared with his friends after which he ate his portion. No one spoke since as soon as they opened their mouth sand and dust would fill it. Thankfully, they did not need to speak to understand one another anyways.

    Although they were going through an ufortable situation, they understood that it was needed to be able to seed in fully escaping thend of the elves and fairies.

    Everyone was filled with excitement as they sat down under the scorching hot sun. They were just rxing and waiting for the calm and cold night to return. Although the nights were freezing, they were easier to move through than the scorching hot day.

    While the heat made Ye Ling sweat and pant because of his thick fur, Cao Cao wasying sprawled out on the ground absorbing all the heat in his body. He was changing it to energy which he then would store within every single inch of his body.

    Cao Cao was a snake. Though his body was filled with Qi, it required more energy to move through the night than it did to move through the day. The cold frustrated him as much as the heat frustrated Ye Ling.

    Having rested the entire day, they continued onwards as soon as the sun started to set. Just like before, they took one step after another towards the Immortal Valley, in turn, causing them to be farther away from the valley and closer to the mountains.

    In the beginning, Xu Min was dizzy due to paradoxical space. Nevertheless, the more he walked within it, the more his body got used to it. Soon he could walk naturally without bing stomach sick. The two beasts did not seem troubled with the twisting space; as the sun rose in the sky, they finally managed to almost reaching the mountains.

    As they were almost there, Xu Min continued forward through the day, but their speed was slowed drastically due to Ye Ling¡¯s difficulty in handling the heat.

    The wind was bing less troublesome, and the heat slowly subsided as well. A new wind came, bringing with it chilled air. The group of three had made their way out of the barrennd, and their feetnded on a snow-covered mountainside.

    The difference between the barrennd and the snow covered mountain was so obvious that one knew there was some kind of formation keeping the two ces apart. Even so, Xu Min did not have the time truly to care because he was rejoicing. Grateful they had finally gotten away from the scorching heat and paradoxical reality, they all rested for a little bit.

    Xu Min quickly grabbed some of the white snow and used it to clear his face with, allowing a freshness to fill his body. Although they were standing in a snow covered area, it was not freezing. The sun was still shining high up in the sky, and Cao Cao was seemingly not touched by the cold snow.

    "Let us continue!" Xu Min said. He finally turned around and walked normally again. He almost sighed in praise for howfortable this felt when he noticed signs of humans around him.

    "They aren¡¯t here right now," he mumbled, looking at the footsteps in the snow, "but they were here. Let us get out of this ce as soon as possible." he continued. Both Ye Ling and Cao Cao agreed. Neither of the three wished to be found so close to the border of the elves and fairies territory by humans. Although no one knew that they were elves or fairies, everyone was extra cautious when it came to the Immortal Valley and their inhabitants.

    Just as Xu Min thought he could sneak past the mountain, he heard a terrible low voice growl at him, "move, and you will die."

    Behind the voice, there were powerful ripples of Qi, Qi which was no weaker than Xu Min¡¯s own but was not much stronger either.

    "If we really are to fight, I am not sure who of us will be at a disadvantage," Xu Min mumbled beneath his breath. Even though he was new to being an eight-star warrior, he had many tricks up his sleeve which could help him in a real battle and make up for hisck of Qipared to a more seasoned eight-star Warrior.

    Not only this, Xu Min was not alone. By his side was Cao Cao and Ye Ling, both of them currently baring their teeth. Their entire demeanor was one willing to fight.

    "Don¡¯t think that you are the one who has the advantage of numbers," the low, dangerous voice growled. With a wave of the man¡¯s hand, a dozen men appeared on the white snow covered mountain side.

    Although these men are not as strong as the man speaking, they were all at least the sixth or seventh rank. Nevertheless, Xu Min did not panic. Instead, an ice-cold smile spread on his lips, a smile filled with killing intent.

    To Xu Min, it was not a difficult task to deal with a dozen of men at a time. If anything they would be a great assistance to him since he could absorb their energy and boost his own attacks.

    The man who had been speaking furrowed his brows as he saw Xu Min¡¯s expression change. He did not seem to despair; instead, he seemed like some king of hell who had appeared out of nowhere, ready to punish them for ambushing him.

    "Wait a minute. We might not have to fight," he suddenly said, lessening the threat in his voice, "We cannot allow anyone to sneak into the grounds belonging to the Immortal Valley since they will punish us if we do. However, you seem to be going another way," he stated sighfully.

    Had he not felt the sudden sense of danger from Xu Min, or he would already have killed both him and the two beasts instantly. Nheless, right now he feared for his and his men¡¯s safety, and thus he chose to try and negotiate with the intruders.

    The men who had surrounded Xu Min all looked at one another with surprise and shock. Xu Min¡¯s face was not hidden; his youth clearly visible for all to see. Although he was stronger than them, they could not believe he was stronger than their leader.

    Xu Min was uncertain of what to do. He wanted just to leave as soon as he could. He was in a hurry, and the best n was to avoid injury. However, he also knew that these people did not have any qualms about killing them right away.

    "We got lost. We have no intention of entering the Immortal Valley. All we want is to leave this ce as soon as possible. We are not even sure of where we are," Xu Min said more or less honestly. He did not say that they came from the Immortal Valley as he knew that that would cause them to doubt his real reason to be there.

    Anyone who entered and left the Immortal Valley did so through the portals that the Elders controlled. Exiting the other way would imply that they were running from something. This was not his intention to have these men deliver him straight back to the academy.

    "I see. We will lead you to a town where there we will part ways," the man with the dangerous and low voice said, but Xu Min shook his head.

    "I do not trust just yet. I know you would have killed me already was it not for the sake of me being just a bit stronger than you expected. What am I to do if you lead me straight towards a stronghold filled with cultivators? How am I to survive that?"

    Every word Xu Min said was true, and it made the expressions on the others turn serious and rather grim. Even if they did not n on actually killing him now, because it would cost them a lot of manpower themselves, they might want to overwhelm him in another situation.

    "We will not tie you up, nor will we ask you to walk with our group. Stay behind us so that you can always escape if you get the feeling we are tricking you," the man continued. This time his voice held a bit of annoyance with it. He had no other options. Yes, he believed in his power to defeat Xu Min, but he also believed in Xu Min¡¯s ability to kill anyone else here.

 Chapter 131: Beautiful Beast

    Chapter 131: Beautiful Beast

    Asking no more questions, Xu Min just casually nodded his head. He followed behind the group of experts as they went towards the city where they originated from.

    The leader of the group was uncertain about what to do. Inside he was fuming over the fact that he had been forced into such a situation due to this youthful looking man.

    Even more, he was also confused as to why this young man was so close to the Immortal Valley. Even though he was curious, he was incapable of asking questions as he knew that Xu Min would not answer.

    ncing back at the three friends behind him, his eyes slightly widened, and he felt his throat go dry. He noticed that the lion was a Golden-Furred Blood Lion, a creature which lived within the Immortal Valley.

    Had these threee from the Immortal Valley? But didn¡¯t they just say they were lost? If they came from the Immortal Valley, they needed the approval of the Guardians to be able to enter and leave. Suddenly he felt weak at his knees. He had almost fought someone from the Guardians of the Immortal Valley! This was the same as certain death!

    The other creature by the side of this carefree young man was a long and beautiful snake. It was a snake which seemed as if it was carved from the purest jade. Its eyes were so clear and filled with intelligence that the man in charge of the group felt a shiver run down his spine.

    In the end, he was satisfied with the way things had yed out. These two beasts seemed fearsome. Xu Min was also an extreme expert. Fighting him, especially if he had the backing of the Guardians would have caused a cmity for his entire city.

    The more he thought about it, the more fearful he became. Nevertheless, as time went on, he began to calm down. They became closer and closer to the city where they lived.

    They had left the snow covered mountain peaks and were descending the mountain through animal trails. Everything was covered with pine trees and leaves on the ground. Even still no sound could be heard from this group of people.

    Now and then they would meet demonic beasts, but all of them would be killed by the leader of the group with only a wave of his hand; every time he killed a beast his group¡¯s morale would increase. Some of them even started to look at Xu Min¡¯s group with greed and hostility again. Every time this would ur, the leader would notice it and would tell them to stop. He feared this young man all throughout the journey.

    As they made their way down the mountain, they soon came to the bottom of the mountain where a long valley spread before their eyes. In the very middle of this valley was a city.

    This city was not arge city, but it was not small either. Looking at it, Xu Minpared it to Ri Chu City size.

    The moment he thought about Ri Chu City he also thought about Meilin and his heart softened. His carefree gaze grew warm; he was clearly eager to reunite with her. However, he knew that he could not do so before he had managed to get rid of the Zhong family.

    Shaking his head, he removed all these thoughts from his mind. Although he had managed to threaten the leader of this group he was not certain of their sess. If he truly went to battle, he needed to focus on the situation present instead of dreaming about what would happen in the future. If he kept dreaming, it was likely that he would not even have a future!

    As they reached the city, the leader of the group that leads them turned around and faced Xu Min, who looked at him curiously. There was a change in his demeanor and attitude that Xu Min could sense instantly. However, as to what had caused this change, he did not know.

    "We have arrived at our home," he said while spreading his arms wide and pointing at the city beneath him. "This city is one of the minor cities within the Immortal Ruins. Even so, we are very bustling with life. Many peoplee visiting us because of our proximity to the Immortal Valley."

    "Here you should be able to find anything you need, so feel at home. There are also roads to the other major cities of the Immortal Ruins. I am sure that you will find your way soon. If anyone dares to bully you while you are in the city, please feel free to find me, and I will instantly sort it out. I am not the strongest expert within this city, but I am within the top three."

    Hearing this, Xu Min was quite surprised. This man was already rather strong, but to think that he was not the strongest implied that there were people within this city that maybe even Xu Min would have a hard time dealing with. This was a problem considering that it was already such a small citypared to many of the other cities.

    If every city within the Immortal Ruins contained such strong warriors, then they truly were at a disadvantage. Thinking like this, Xu Min changed the flow with which the energy within his body rotated. Now, anyone who looked at him felt as if they were looking at a five-star warrior rather than an eight-star warrior.

    This made much more sense. No one would pay attention to a five-star warrior as they would to an eight-star warrior. Hiding his real strength would keep him a lot safer than otherwise, and he could easily mingle within the crowd.

    Nodding his head approvingly, the leader looked at Xu Min. He understood that this young man was not only a talented individual when it came to his cultivation, he was also rather smart as well. He had said a few more words before he headed to the city, leaving Xu Min and the two beasts behind.

    "Why are we not following?" Ye Ling asked curiously. However, Xu Min just looked at the group which vanished in the distance before answering, "Although we could follow them, it will draw attention to us. That group of experts is protecting the borders of the Immortal Valley. To find us there would make them curious about us; right now we are not interested in others being curious about us."

    After thinking about what Xu Min had said both Cao Cao and Ye Ling nodded their heads. It made sense.

    Waiting around for roughly an hour or two the group of three finally made their way down to the city and entered through the city gates.

    The leader from before had not lied. This was truly a bustling city. There were experts everywhere. All of them, though, were moving out of the way whenever Xu Min walked past. Not because of his strength, but because by his side were two beasts, and both beasts had quite a cultivation base.

    Although they had suppressed their cultivation to the fifth rank simrly to Xu Min, they were still amazing beasts. One was a Golden-Furred Blood Lion, and the other was an unknown but beautiful snake with a massive body that made all of them feel fear in their hearts.

    Xu Min had been aware that it was going to be impossible for him not to stand out since he had two beasts by his side. However,t he was not the only one with beasts on his side within the city. Quite a few of the mercenaries and young masters had mounts and other beasts that they brought around with them. Nheless, neither of those beasts could hold a candle to the ones that Xu Min had with him.

    The trio¡¯s next step after arriving in the city was finding a ce to reside for the night. This was not difficult. Xu Min quickly located an inn that looked to be in decent shape, and he entered. He still had quite a lot of wealth since the Immortal Valley Rankings that he won by killing expert after expert and taking their storage treasures, so paying for a room was not a problem.

    "Wh-what c-c-can I d-d-do for y-y-you?" The clerk behind the counter stuttered in fear as he saw the beasts on Xu Min¡¯s side. However, he gained great courage and greed when he saw Xu Min withdrawing a few gold coins and tossing them on the table.

    "I want your best room and a meal for me and mypanions," he said straight forward. Xu Min was aware that he was overpaying, but at that moment he did not care. The clerk, of course, did not tell him he was overpaying because he nned to keep one of the gold coins for himself; the rest was simply a great business.

    "Okay, please follow me!" he eximed and picked a set of keys from a board behind him after which he almost flew up the stairs to the top floor of the inn where arge room was revealed.

    This room was not overly adorned with beautiful things, but it was practical. There was a lot of space on the floor where Cao Cao and Ye Ling couldy down.

    "I will bring food for you soon," he said before he bowed deeply. He turned around to leave and rushed down to the kitchens to have some food prepared.

    While Xu Min was in the room eating his food, rumors about a new expert and his outstanding beasts appearing in the city started spreading as quickly as the inn owner to took Xu Min¡¯s money, quickly.

    This rumor reached the city Lord¡¯s mansion and his son, which was a twenty-year-old six-star Warrior. He furrowed his brows when he heard about the beasts.

    The Beasts were so frightening that just looking at them was enough to frighten the public, one was beautiful as if it was carved from jade, and another so frighteningly powerful that it could scare a mortal to death excited this wealthy and privileged expert himself.

    "Their rank is only five-star which is quite eptable," he mumbled to himself after sending people out to gather information, "their owner is also a weakling of the fifth-star rank. I should easily be able to get them from him if I threaten to kill him."

    Although he had reached this conclusion, there was a bit of difort in his heart. Could it be that this youngster who had reached the fifth-star Warrior rank had some background? He did not know, but his greed overcame his reason. He truly wished to possess those two wonderful beasts.

    While he was busy thinking about the beasts, the leader of the group which had led Xu Min here was in the presence of the ruler of the city.

    "My Lord I am certain!" he eximed with fear in his voice, "It was a young man, very young, maybe seventeen years old, but he was already an eight-star Warrior. He possesses a Golden-Furred Blood Lion."

    "You know as well as me that it is impossible to get your hands on one of those beasts from outside of the Immortal Valley. He must havee from within."

    The ruler of the city was thinking for quite some time, stroking his beard and looking at the fearful expression on his subject¡¯s face before he sighed, "He has been in the Immortal Valley that is true. As to whether or not he has the backing of the Immortal Valley, we do not know. Right now, troubling him would be a bad idea. If we can make him ally with us, that would be a good idea. Then he won¡¯t leave the city as soon. I will do what I can to make sure that he does not cause trouble within our precious city."

 Chapter 132: Esteemed Expert

    Chapter 132: Esteemed Expert

    While all the important city officials and warriors within the City started acted, Xu Min was doing nothing else but eating a hearty meal together with his brother beasts, Cao Cao and Ye Ling.

    All three of them were filled with happiness after getting their hands on some delicious home cooked food. Leaving nothing left, they devoured it quickly.

    "I guess we have enough coins tost us for the entire trip. Those idiots from the Immortal Valley were all easy to deal with, and we took all of their property when they died. We have a lot of things we have no use for as well. Maybe we should sell some here in this city." Xu Min mused. Although he had enough gold and silver, he could still use more, especially considering how much Cao Cao and Ye Ling ate every day.

    "Selling items in the major cities is a bad idea. I am quite sure that they will make people aware of who we are since some of the items I will be putting up for sale are family treasures. The families will probably l ce a bounty on my head because of this. I am certain. I have killed so many experts. Although the guardians said that what happens in the Immortal Valley stays in the Immortal Valley, no one is likely to do anything to punish the many families if I am to be dead already."

    Thinking like this, Xu Min picked up a robe. However, when he looked at Cao Cao and Ye Ling, he quickly packed it away again. "With the two of you with me, disguising myself seems pointless," he finally sighed with a wry smile on his face. He then shook his head before he went down the stairs and out the inn.

    What he confronted outside of the innpletely startled him.. Outside was a whole entourage of thirty experts of the sixth ranking. They were all led by another sixth-ranked expert who was patiently standing at the front. His arms on his back and his ck hair tied on top of his head in an borate fashion.

    He was wearing some clothes of high quality. It was clear that all the soldiers were here because of him. When Xu Min observed their leader, he noticed an unexinable arrogance in his eyes; he also saw greed shing by whenever he looked at Cao Cao and Ye Ling.

    Guessing what was going on, Xu Min became hostile in an instant. There was no way that Xu Min was going to sell either Cao Cao nor Ye Ling to this expert, nor would he let go of his twopanions. He could only sigh to himself at having to deal with this inconvenience.

    "Seems like we have to leave right now," he mumbled to himself so lowly that only Ye Ling and Cao Cao could hear him. He did not want too much trouble, so escaping the city was the most suitable solution.

    "Good day traveler. I am the young master of this city, and I have taken a liking to your two beasts. Sell them to me, and you will have a great future ahead of you!" he said arrogantly, but Xu Min¡¯s eyes only narrowed. He shook his head, "They are not for sale," he said as he started to move towards the side. Nevertheless, the thirty experts that had gathered quickly spread out and surrounded Xu Min, Cao Cao, and Ye Ling.

    "Is this how visitors treated d in this city?" Xu Min asked with a low and dangerous voice. His voice was dripping with hostility, and his words made everyone slightly ufortable. They were using numbers to bully the weak.

    "We are normally very friendly towards strangers and visitors," the young master said nonchntly, "but it is different when they do not take our rules seriously."

    "And our rules are quite simple; listen to the young master and do as he says," one of the henchmen said arrogantly. He said it so arrogantly that Xu Min almost felt like vomiting blood. It was simply too outrageous.

    "So it seems the young master is just a thief who steals what he wants from the visitors and strangers that dare to venture into your city? No wonder it is so remote; your rules are as primitive as the monkeys living in the forests around here. One would almost believe you shared the same heritage."

    Xu Min disrespected them and all the lowliness they represented. The fact that he had not started killing them yet was already considering their luck quite good.

    The young master was turning livid, but Xu Min just shrugged his shoulderspletely carefree.

    When he started cracking his fingers, the audience started understanding that Xu Min was not going to listen to the young master. Nevertheless, all of them were surprised as to why he would have the confidence in confronting so many experts in one go.

    These subservient warriors all assumed that Xu Min was a five-star warrior, not the eight-star warrior that he truly was. They were almost all gloating at his misfortune for losing the beasts.

    Every time Xu Min opened his mouth, he made the young master even more furious. The young master was not aplete idiot. He felt slightly apprehensive. Why would a five-star Warrior even dare to resist him and his gang? How could he dare go against this young master and his massive group of experts! Something was not right.

    Was he perhaps a young expert who was out training in the wide world and had the protection of a supreme expert? If there were some supreme expert backing him, then this young master would have truly kicked a metal board.

    Although the young master was arrogant beyond belief and had pressured many experts into giving him what exactly he wanted, he was notpletely dumb. He was aware that this young expert in front of him needed to have some backing to be able to sneer at him the way he did, but what could he do about it?

    He who rides a tiger is afraid to dismount, and this young master was incapable of stopping and turning back now.

    Bracing himself, he took a step forward, "don¡¯t think that I have these men here just for show," he growled, "charge!" he ordered. Everyone rushed forward. However, before they had the time to take more than a few steps a loud booming "Stop!" resounded through the entire city. The ones who had been advancing all staggered, fell to their knees, and vomited blood.

    The one calling out was not the unknown expert behind Xu Min, but instead the City Lord himself, the father of the young master.

    Seeing his father and the fearsome expression on his face, the young master instantly understood that he had made a big mistake by targeting this young man. He had never before seen his father this mad.

    The City Lord quickly stepped in front of the young master and gave a slight bow to Xu Min who was frowning slightly.

    "Please excuse this useless son of mine, esteemed guest," he said politely while observing every change in Xu Min¡¯s expression. Seeing this City Lord intervene, Xu Min was aware that this City Lord was an eight-star warrior. The leader of the group that led Xu Min, Cao Cao, and Ye Ling to this city was also an eight-star warrior. Suddenly, having two eight-star Warriors close by Xu Min could feel the pressure.

    Although he believed in their ability to flee, he did not wish to leave with a hostile rtionship. He quickly shed a smile at the City Lord and returned a slight bow.

    "How could I take it seriously? I am sure he was just joking," Xu Minughingly said He knew while speaking that this expert knew the real strength of him and hispanions. Therefore, he did not care to hide it any longer.

    The moment he released his real cultivation base energy erupted from his body; a heavy pressure was emitted onto everyone present. It was an aura which impressed the City Lord and terrified the Young Master. He instantly swallowed hard as he realized that this young man did not need an esteemed expert to safeguard him. He was simply monstrously strong as he was.

    "What is such an esteemed guest such as yourself doing in our humble town?" the City Lord continued. He looked at Xu Min curiously, but Xu Min just shrugged his shoulders, "We are on our way through the Ruins of the Immortals," he stated bluntly. "We are out training, and it is only natural for us to wish to see as much of the world that we can before we return home."

    "Home being where?" the City Lord but Xu Min just smiled and said nothing. He did not tell anyone anything about where he came from.

    City Lord gently tried to move the three guests towards the City Lord¡¯s Mansion, but Xu Min stood still, not moving even the slightest.

    "I am going to leave this city," Xu Min sighed. Although he had nned differently, things had changed. He had been confronted by the City Lord, and even the City Lord¡¯s son had tried to rob him in broad daylight.

    Everything within this city made Xu Min feel ufortable; he just wanted to leave it as soon as possible.

    Hearing the words spoken by Xu Min, the City Lord also heaved a sigh of relief internally. This youngster had to have a significant background to have reached the eight-star Warrior rank so young. Xu Min was like a bomb that could go off at any point in time, and the City Lord did not want that to happen within his city

    The two experts, the City Lord and Xu Min, both grinned at one another. Even though their expressions were filled with friendliness neither trusted the other even the slightest. As a result, the two of them were on edge, ready to attack at any moment.

    "Well, since this is the case, I will not dy any further," Xu Min finally said and turned to leave. No one stopped him, and everyone slowly parted from each other, making room for him to move through. No one dared to stop him. Nheless, every time Xu Min took a step he could feel the eyes of the City Lord on his back. He was on high alert, ready to ensure that he was not being attacked when his back was turned. They managed to get further and further away and soon the city walls were within sight.

    Slowly they moved out of the city and looked around them. A busy street was moving through the entire valley, and many experts were traveling upon it.

    "Let us return home," Xu Min said. He looked back at the city behind him. "It is time for me to get my vengeance on the ones who killed my sister. To make this as easy as possible, we will avoid as many cities as possible. If we have to enter one, we¡¯ll disguise ourselves. I can¡¯t be bothered with running into trouble because of the actions we took within the Immortal Valley Rankings."

    Cao Cao and Ye Ling nodded their heads. They too knew that he had indeed gone a little too far when he was in the Immortal Valley Rankings. However, what else could he have done? It was a question about being killed or kill. Anyone would rather kill the other than let themselves be killed.

    Sighing, the three knew that their trip through the Ruins of the Immortals would be anything but simple. It would be filled with danger and old foes. Even so, they had no other choice than to travel through it for the sake of returning as soon as possible for Xu Min and his revenge.

 Chapter 133: Massacre

    Chapter 133: Massacre

    Beginning their trip, Cao Cao shrunk back to his original size so he could once more attach himself to Xu Min¡¯s neck just like old times.

    This way it seemed as if Xu Min only had one beast with him, and Ye Ling also shrunk his size slightly, making himself seem less massive and frightening.

    Xu Min wore an oversized ck cloak which hid his face. Even though the weather was hot, he decided that his safety was more important than having issues with the heat. He could not be careful enough considering what he had done. He could not rx until he had left the Ruins of the Immortals behind.

    Everywhere he went on the main roads he would find caravans traveling back and forth, getting ready to sell their items in various cities.

    Apart from caravans, there were also mercenaries and rogue cultivators moving from city to city.

    At first, Xu Min did all he could to avoid these people. As time went on, however, he soon found that they did not bother with him. Yes, they would look at him curiously. Nevertheless, upon feeling the powerful power ripples that emanated from his body, no one wished to get closer. If he hid his face, he was perhaps just a very entric person.

    As time went by, Xu Min did everything he could to avoid the major cities. He knew it was possible to be on the roads without being noticed, however, it would be hard to hide the fact that he had a Golden-Furred Blood Lion as hispanion.

    Everyone with a bit of knowledge about beasts understood that these beasts only existed within the Immortal Valley. As well, anybody who paid attention to recent events, knew also that Xu Min had tamed one during the Immortal Valley Rankings. If a ck cloaked person suddenly appeared with a Golden-Furred Blood Lion by his side, one could slightly conclude that the person present was Xu Min. He was public enemy number one of all the noble families within the Ruins of the Immortals.

    There were some families from the Ruins of the Immortals that had not lost people within the Immortal Valley, but Xu Min knew these people owed him nothing and they were unlikely to stand up for him. If anything, they would hand him over to his enemies for the sake of the rewards that had been promised upon his capture.

    On the trip, Xu Min had seen bodies lying on the ground due to broken out fights; he even saw destroyed caravans.

    As to whether or not these were done by bandits, Xu Min did not know. He understood though the Ruins of the Immortals was far from as safe as he had first assumed. Cultivators, mercenaries, and petty bandits did not attack or rob only because he did not hide his strength.

    As Xu Min avoided all the major cities, he still entered the smaller ones to purchase food for himself and hispanions and hear the recent gossip. He was curious to hear if anyone had noticed him yet or if there were any rumors about Xu Min¡¯s bounty. As it was now, he knew nothing. However, he dared not ask questions either. So far he had not overheard anything specific.

    Xu Min was almost towards the end of the Ruins of the Immortals. He hade half way already, but Xu Min would still not let up on his vignce. He was worried sick about the possibilities of being noticed. Unfortunately, just as he entered a small city, he found that it was filled with mercenaries.

    All of them looked at him strangely, and their eyes followed Xu Min¡¯s every movement. He knew he was a little paranoid, butt something was wrong.

    Walking to a small inn, Xu Min entered. As soon as he did, the voices he had heard from outside all stilled and they all stared at him, no one said anything.

    Xu Min understood that something was very wrong. He instantly turned to leave, only to find that the entire city¡¯s mercenaries had appeared in front of him, standing around in a circle.

    "What is the meaning of this?" Xu Min asked as his eyes narrowed and turned dark. He had not masked his cultivation base. Even the strongest expert in front of him was only at the sixth-star rank.

    They all felt the pressure bearing down on them. The closest experts stepped backward a few steps, and most of them were unable to breathe for a bit.

    "We heard about the esteemed expert traveling through the Ruins of the Immortals and were all wondering what exactly this esteemed expert looks like."

    "You see, not long ago there was a youth in the Immortal Valley Rankings who made enemies with almost everyone in the Ruins of the Immortal Valley."

    "He happened to have a Golden-Furred Blood Lion by his side. Now an expert of unknown origin with a Golden-Furred Blood Lion has appeared within the borders of the Ruins of the Immortal Valleys."

    "You see, his enemies offered arge bounty to capture him. Well, we would just like to ensure that it is not you,"

    The one who spoke was a sixth-star Warrior. He had been nervous at first. After seeing that he was supported by close to two hundred experts, he gathered courage. Although Xu Min was an eight-star Warrior, he was after all alone. Was he that much stronger than them?

    These experts were all mercenaries. They had not seen Xu Min battle a hundred experts in the Immortal Valley by himself when he was the same strength as them. Unfortunately for them, fighting two hundred experts that were below him in strength was no problem. Nheless, having killed so many this time, Xu Min knew that more would juste the next time, and then more and more. They would be stronger and stronger, and eventually, he would be at a loss on what to do.

    Ye Ling was hispanion, and as long as this Golden-Furred Blood Lion was by his side, it would be possible to track him down just by finding this beast as it was simply too rare in the outside world.

    "I guess we need to speed up our travels," Xu Min sighed. He turned to leave,pletely ignoring the many experts that had gathered around him.

    At first, they all felt insulted by hisplete disregard for them. However as Xu Min¡¯s pressure appeared it was so great they could not even walk close to Xu Min. They finally understood that perhaps this young master was merciful. Something they had never expected this mass murderer from the Immortal Valley.

    Although they were all filled with mixed emotions, when Xu Min turned to leave, no one stepped forward to stop him. All of them felt as if they had been kissed by death and just barely escaped. Even if they had all thrown themselves at him, they would not be able to reach him.

    They realized now that an eight-star Warrior was more outstanding than they had ever expected! They were even more powerful than a full army of six-star warriors.

    Since none of them were capable of capturing Xu Min, everyone thought simrly. If they could not get the bounty for handing over his head, they could at least get some of it by telling about his whereabouts and his strength, The group of mercenaries then rushed out from the small city towards the major ones to send information to the major families, informing them what they knew.

    Just as they left the city, they saw Xu Min sitting on a stone. His face was hidden beneath the cloak; the lion by his side was suddenly many times more ferocious looking than it had been before.

    "I had hoped that you would all just ignore the fact that you saw me," he sighed, "but seeing that you all want to sell out my information, I have no other choice than to exterminate you all. That can give me just a little bit more time." he coldly exined. Suddenly a massive jade-like snake appeared out of nowhere.

    While Xu Min stayed at this entrance to the city, the snake slithered to the other end. Whereas, Ye Ling slowly moved to the third and final gate to the small city. Now every entrance was guarded. Anyone who wished to exit had to go through either Xu Min or the beasts.

    Xu Min¡¯s eyes shed with coldness. He had killed before, and he would kill again. He would kill anyone who stood in the way of him gaining revenge. Thus he felt no pity for these mercenaries who had not epted the offer of survival that he had given them.

    Moving like the wind, Xu Min did not wait for them to move. He lifted his arm, and raw Qi poured out. This was no fancy stance, nor was it through the use of spiritual energy or elemental energy, it was just pure Qi that moved like a wave. Everywhere it moved, it caused devastation. Bodies were crushed, and the ground ruptured. Everyone attacked by the Qi instantly perished.

    It took him a mere few minutes to kill everyone at his gate. He slowly moved into the city again.

    Xu Min did not touch any of the citizens of the city, but he killed every single mercenary he saw. Soon the city was painted red with blood. Corpses littered the streets, the inn was filled to the brim with the dead. He moved towards the other two entrances to aid Cao Cao and Ye Ling, and many of the mercenaries started begging for forgiveness, but it was already toote. Xu Min had already made his decision! Anyone in front of him would die. Anyone who knew of him or about his current level of strength would be ughtered mercilessly!

    The massacrested half an hour. In that time, around three hundred experts were killed. The two hundred who had cornered him earlier and another hundred he found hiding within the city.

    Xu Min was never careless. He quickly left the city, leaving behind a vige filled with petrified citizens. Even if someone had nned to give information about Xu Min, after seeing how ruthless he was no one dared to do so anymore. All of them feared that he would return and wipe out the entire city if it was found out.

    Vanishing into the distance, Xu Min no longer walked on the main roads but stuck to the wilderness. He no longer went anywhere where other humans were living and found all his food within the forests.

    During the battle, he had understood he was able to deal with the majority of the experts which mighte after him. Notwithstanding, the major families were a different story. They were major families for a reason.

    They too had eight-star Warriors and even Immortals. If any of them came after Xu Min, it would prove to be troublesome. Thus he had no other option than to be extra careful.

    They sped up and walked almost every day, only taking two breaks during the day to eat. Any other time they would be making their way through the wilderness.

    Because of this new route, it took them longer to reach the end of the Ruins of the Immortals. They managed to avoid running into another group of experts that were on the lookout for him.

 Chapter 134: Running Into Problems

    Chapter 134: Running Into Problems

    As they reached the edge of the Ruins of the Immortals, Xu Min was stunned. In front of him was a sea of cultivators. Everywhere he looked he found cultivators. As well, all of them were rather high ranked.

    Some of these cultivators were five-star Warriors; others were six-star and even seven-star Warriors. There were even one or two eight-star Warriors in the middle of the group.

    Seeing this many expert, Xu Min instantly stopped in his tracks. He had not followed a road, but there was one close by. As he spread his senses, he could see how this sea of cultivators was examining every single person who entered and exited the Ruins of the Immortals.

    On the other side of the border to the Ruins of the Immortals were other cultivators. The two sides were ring at one another, but neither of the sides stepped past the border. All of them just red at one another.

    "Why are the Immortal Ruins amassing such strengths?" One of the experts on the other side of the border asked.The answer was simple, "There was this youth who ughtered the entire young generation of the majority of the major families. They have hired every mercenary they could find above the fifth-star rank and sent their troops out to catch him. He has said to posses some amazing strength. Even his body is riddled with secrets that they want to have. As well, he has a treasure so outstanding that it allowed him to fight alone against a hundred experts!"

    Hearing the words spoken by these men, Xu Min shuddered. It sounded as if they wanted to scour his soul to take out every secret he knew. However, if they did, then they would know about the elves and fairies. Not to mention, Xu Min¡¯s entire n on getting vengeance.

    As Xu Min noticed he had no way of exiting the Immortal Ruins where he was, he started walking parallel with the borders. No matter how far he walked, however, he kept seeing experts.

    Were they only normal experts without the eight-star warrior, then he could easily break through their ranks and enter the outside world. Nheless, both the outside world and the Ruins of the Immortals had deployed all their troops. Every part had an eight-star warrior. Furthermore, if Xu Min were to start battling, at least three or four eight-star Warriors would gather at the location. By then it would be difficult to escape easily, especially since Cao Cao and Ye Ling were not as strong as him.

    What Xu Min truly worried about was that although he had not seen anyone yet when there were so many eight-star Warriors. Who were to say that there was no Immortals hiding around somewhere?

    If there were an Immortal, then the battle would prove to be the most dangerous situation he could imagine. He might be strong, and he might be able to fight four or five eight-star Warriors at the same time, but against an Immortal he was truly powerless.

    Since this was his dilemma, he kept walking until he reached a major town. He was still wearing his cloak. As he was about to enter, he made Ye Ling and Cao Cao stay in a nearby forest. It was a forest which had long since been emptied of magical beasts. No one used it for anything else than lumber. Asking Ye Ling and Cao Cao to hide within this forest, they should remain safe.

    Xu Min moved into the major city; his face hidden beneath the cloak and all alone. Although many people sent nces towards him, no one went out of their way to trouble him. Neither were there anyone who thought of him as being Xu Min since he did not have the Golden-Furred Blood Lion by his side.

    Xu Min was quite paranoid walking through town. The town was filled with mercenaries who were on break from their guarding duties. The eating and drinking houses were stocked full of people who were drinking and cheering at one another.

    "I heard that he killed a whole vige recently to hide his face!" someone called out, and Xu Min frowned. Were they talking about him? He had not touched any vigers, though, so perhaps they were speaking about someone else?

    "I heard that he ughtered the old and the young, the defenseless and the strong in one move. He caused the wrath even of the ones who did not have any hostility towards him, and now everyone is going against him."

    Hearing these rumors, Xu Min pondered for a while. If they were speaking about him, it made sense why so many people had suddenly been gathered, but he had not killed all those vigers, so who had?

    The more he thought about it, the more the hate from within him started to roil in his body. Nevertheless, he quickly got it all under control and after only halting his step for a moment did he move towards the auction house.

    The auction house within the Ruins of the Immortals was controlled by the Yong family. Xu Min knew that he had helped the auction house back in Ri Chu City, but that was but a mere branch family. Just for helping a branch, he was not likely to gain any help from the main family or the other branches.

    Because of this, he stayed quiet. He entered and allowed for the cloak to fall even further down, covering his whole face as he walked towards a counter.

    "What can I do for you, sir?" the clerk behind the counter asked with a calm and casual voice. Even though Xu Min tried to hide his identity, no one seemed to care about it. It seemed he was far from the only one who did so within these auction houses.

    "I want to buy a face-altering mask," Xu Min replied, "and I also wish to purchase a jade satchel. If I don¡¯t have enough gold to pay it, I have some items I am sure you will love to have your hands on," Xu Min said with a hoarse voice.

    "A face-altering mask and a jade satchel? Face-altering masks are not very expensive, but Jade Satchels are. They allow you to carry living creatures for a short period. We happen to have a Jade Satchel. Nevertheless, you will have to pay a total of thousand seven hundred and fifty gold coins."

    The price was truly steep, but Xu Min had killed so many members of the younger generation to acquire such a some. He had enough gold to pay this amount; he also had quite a lot of treasures, but he would prefer not using them if he had a choice.

    Paying the gold coins, he epted the goods and left the city instantly. Although the Auction House had guessed who he was due to the items he requested, none of them asked for anything, nor did they sent someone to follow him. Insulting him was not worth it. Though they had business rtionships with the other families of the Immortal Ruins, none of these had enough incentive to make the auction house break their neutrality.

    Xu Min continued to the forest where he quickly met up with Cao Cao and Ye Ling. "You did not buy any food?" Cao Cao asked dejectedly. Xu Min who could not help but roll his eyes andugh.

    Even in a situation like this where they were in a rough spot the snake only thought about food.

    Xu Min removed his cloak and took the face-altering mask from his storage treasure. He looked at it in his hands; it was a transparent mask seemingly made from some jelly. When he ced it on his face, the features started changing. His hair grew longer; his eyes grew lighter. His chin grew more distinct, and his face grew nonproportional. A scar spread from his temple down his chin. He looked like a savage mercenary rather than the handsome young man he had been before.

    It was impossible to see through a face-altering mask. However, Xu Min was still uncertain that he would be safe if he traveled on his own. They were checking every single person, and the moment they would find his jade satchel with Ye Ling he would be done for.

    "Since it is like this, I only have one other option," Xu Min mumbled to himself. He decided to return to the city. Ye Ling and Cao Cao should be able to stay within the jade satchel until they were dying from hunger. Thus spending a few days to cross the border was not impossible.

    Xu Min readied himself and went towards the city once more. This time he was not wearing a ck cloak covering his face, but a simple ck outfit which was neither too fine quality, nor was it cheap. He seemed like the average mercenary.

    Entering the city he blended into the crowd. A few people would nce at him an extra time because of the scar on his face. However, on the whole, no one paid him any attention.

    Xu Min had also suppressed his cultivation base so that he was a mere six-star Warrior. To Xu Min this base level was low, but for the average mercenary, it was quite high. It was the peak of what most rogue cultivators would be able to reach!

    Contemting for a moment, Xu Min moved to the mercenary guild. He had never before entered one of these ces. He knew, though, that if his n was to seed, then that was the best option to take.

    "Hello Hero," a flirtatious young woman behind the counter said as soon as she saw Xu Min enter into the guild. A wry smile crept up on Xu Min¡¯s lips.

    "I am looking for caravans that are going to the city of Honghe or Ri Chu." He said with a hoarse and very deep voice, a voice which was usually not heard from young men.

    "There are a few caravans going that way," the woman said after looking through a book for some time, pping from one side to another, "but their pay is far less than the United families of the Immortal Ruins are paying now. If I were you, I would consider working for them instead. They are really paying a high price to get their hands on this young man known as Xu Min."

    Xu Min felt his scalp tingle, but he smiled, nheless. "I have some personal affairs that I need to deal with within these two cities; I cannot afford to be moved by money."

    His reply was straightforward and honest. Although he came from outside of the Immortal Ruins, no one knew exactly where he came from so telling them his destination could not harm him.

    The woman behind the desk nodded her head after a short moment of thoughts. It made sense if he truly had something he needed to get done, then he could not afford to ept this time-consuming task. No one knew when Xu Min would show up, nor did they know if it would be worth all this hard work and risk after all.

    "There is a caravan here that requires a six-star Warrior. The pay is two hundred gold coins with twenty-five of those paid out in advance; the rest when the caravan safely arrives."

    "It does not go straight to either Honghe or Ri Chu city but towards Lingyun City as this city is a bit bigger than the other two. However, I am sure you can find other caravans to travel with from there on after."

    Xu Min nodded his head. It made perfect sense what she said, and he signed up for the job. This would allow him to travel through the barrier at the border without too much hassle. At least he hoped so.

 Chapter 135: At the Border

    Chapter 135: At the Border

    The caravan met up after three days. During this time, Xu Min had found a room in an inn where he stayed all the days they waited for the caravan with Cao Cao and Ye Ling.

    Xu Min ensured that Ye Ling and Cao Cao could eat anything they wanted to. He felt bad that they had to stay within the jade satchel for as long as they did, so offering unlimited food choices, he felt, made up for it. Nheless, this jade satchel was the only way he could think about a way for them to exit the Immortal Ruins without waiting for a very long time.

    The three days went by fast. Soon the time to meet up at the caravan arrived. Xu Min ced his twopanions in the satchel before he left the inn. He used his face-altering mask, but even so, he was vignt as he walked around. He constantly observed everything around him, only to realize that no one paid special attention to him.

    The caravan he met up with was arge one. It had employed a hundred mercenaries at the same time even though they had another two hundred guards. More interestingly, the caravan belonged to the Alluring Treasure Pavilion.

    Realizing this, Xu Min was even more excited. Although these major families of the Immortal Ruins wished to cause trouble, the Alluring Treasure Pavilion was arge faction on the entire continent. Causing problems for them was not an option. Thus it was possible that he would be able to get through without too many problems.

    Even though he thought like this, Xu Min did not ck on his vignce even the slightest. He understood if he wished to survive this, then he truly needed to be either incredibly lucky or able to cheat the people at the border. He could not drop his guard.

    Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself as he reached the caravan. "I¡¯m here to sign up. I epted the task to be a guard for your caravan previously," Xu Min¡¯s voice was hoarse and rough. It sounded nothing like his usual voice, but a voice which suited his current appearance.

    "Name," the person asked. Xu Min gave him the name he had used earlier at the mercenary guild when signing up for the task, "Xiao Ping."

    The man scanned the list in his hand and found the name, Xiao Ping, alongside all his information. He nodded his head in satisfaction before he hoisted up a back filled with coins.

    "This is your advance pay. The rest you will get when we arrive safely at our destination. If you run away during the task, we will put out a warrant for your arrest." he continued, stating the rules of their caravan. Xu Min listened with only one ear. The other ear focused on what was going on around him.

    "Usually our caravan is quite safe," the man continued as he looked at Xu Min seriously, "but if anything should happen, then we will depend on you."

    Xu Min nodded his head and spoke as little as possible. The man then led him towards the other mercenaries.

    The outer guards were made from mercenaries while the inner guards were the personal guards of the Alluring Treasure Pavilion. The caravan had ten carriages. Though the majority of their wares were stored in storage treasures, there was a lot of people who needed to be following these goods. Consequently, the caravan counted a total of four hundred people. A hundred mercenaries, two hundred guards and a hundred people who did not cultivate or fight, mainly merchants and their families.

    There were ten people in each carriage, and every carriage was surrounded by thirty people. As soon as everyone had fallen into formation, the group started moving out.

    Because the group was asrge as it was, it was impossible to move at a very fast pace. The only beasts there were Nightmare Horses, a kind of horses with spikes on their backs and up their mane. They were ck with red mes on their hooves and looked very ferocious.

    These had been bred in captivity. They were not as strong as those that could be found in the wild; even so, they were strong and could walk days on end without a break.

    These horses were used to pulling the caravan forward. None of the guards had a steed though. All of them had to rely on their legs. Although the speed was slow, it was a steady pace. Everyone walking were cultivators. As such it was not impossible for them to walk a few days without stopping and their advancement could be considered significant.

    The caravan had only walked for three hours when they reached the border. As they did Xu Min felt more and more nervous. Nevertheless, looking at his face, no one would notice. He was as cold and cynical looking as ever.

    While most of the mercenaries were having fun chatting with the ones by their side, no one approached Xu Min; everyone could feel the atmosphere around him saying that he needed to be left alone; they did not wish to get too close to cause any trouble. This Xiao Ping felt dangerous to even these men who had risked their lives time and time again and gained a keen sense of danger. All their instincts told them to stay away from him.

    The guards, however, did not have as keen senses, so they could not sense a threatening airing from Xu Min. Even still, none of them would dare consider mingling with a simple mercenary.

    Many guards looked down on the mercenaries. They had to risk their lives time and time again to earn their living while guards had the protection of a sect or family. Having the protection of others was enough to allow them to live afortable life. Moreover, they also had a steady ie without having to risk their lives often. As such their conditions were many times better than those of mercenaries, giving them a sense of arrogance.

    Xu Min could not be bothered with anyone. His heart was beating fast as he kept a watchful eye on his surroundings. The closer they got to the border the more nervous he became.

    He had hidden the jade satchel in one of his storage devices and then hidden the storage device in an inner pocket of his robe. He hoped that these guards were not going to be too forceful in their search. As long they were not, then it was possible for him to easily escape the Ruins of the Immortals.

    The closer they came to the border the tenser the atmosphere of the entire caravan became. Although the caravan was not the one which this border control was after, everyone felt pressured by so many experts; especially when all these experts were gathered on one line, and even eight-star warriors were present.

    The closer they came, the more uneasy Xu Min became. He sensed something was wrong, but he was incapable of putting his finger on exactly what it was. As a result, he had no other option than to continue forward. If he turned around now, it would be clear that he had something to hide, and then his situation would be even worse.

    Step by step they closed in on the border. While Xu Min prepared himself, the front of the caravan reached the checkpoint.

    "Halt!" one of the men from the checkpoint called out. Everyone stopped in their tracks, uneasy with what was going to happen.

    The leader of the caravan emerged from the first carriage. He moved towards the soldier who had spoken. He wanted to know what needed to be done for them to leave the Ruins of the Immortals.

    "It is very simple," the soldier said with a sneer as he looked at the weak merchant, "all you need to do is to allow us to look at everyone in your entourage. If we find nothing amiss, then you can continue forward, but Xu Min must stay behind!"

    "We did not hire anyone known as Xu Min," the leader of the caravan eximed, "we do not have anyone looking remotely like him either, nor do we have mercenaries which possess beasts. I cannot imagine that Xu Min, who is an eight-star warrior ording to the rumors, would be in my caravan!" The leader took great pride in his caravan. He was not in the mood to spend a full day having all of his men checked.

    He was from an influential family from all across the continent, but, it seemed, it was impossible for him to go against the words of the United families as long as he was within the Ruins of the Immortals. In the end, these people were thew here. Of course, as long as the guardians of the Immortal Valley did not interfere.

    "Although you say he is not there, how do you know for sure?" the soldier retorted angrily. "He stole a lot of money from the innocent youths he killed in the Immortal Valley; it is possible for him to have purchased a face-altering mask and a jade satchel. Because of this, we need to be extremely cautious with everyone who wishes to travel through the border, especially in arge group like yours where it is easy to blend in."

    "But we don¡¯t have anyone who is at the eight-star level!" the owner of the caravan continued, but he then realized that a cultivator could suppress their cultivation base. Although it happened very rarely, it had indeed happened before when one needed to put on a disguise.

    Xu Min was ufortable listening to the conversation between the soldier and the leader of the group. It was clear that they had reached an agreement. Every member of the caravan was to be examined, but only if they found Xu Min could they take any action. No matter what else they found, they had to back off.

    While the discussions were ongoing, a figure came moving towards them, a figure that made Xu Min¡¯s hair stand on end. This person was clearly an eight-star warrior, and he was going to watch over the entire process. He wanted to ensure that if Xu Min was present, they had someone who could counter him.

    "Well as long as it is just one eight-star Warrior, then I should seed in fleeing," Xu Min mumbled to himself as he looked around. No more experts seemed to being closer.

    Xu Min observed the people who were being searched. The more he observed, the more he felt discouraged. They were incredibly thorough, and they did not seem to be letting down as time went on.

    "I seem to have no chance of getting through this peacefully," Xu Min sighed to himself and raised his arm. Spiritual Energy had swirled around him before it consolidated into a bow and arrows in his hands.

    Without wasting any time, he armed the bow with all his strength inside an arrow, took aim at the eight-star warrior and released his cultivation base.

    A whistling sound could be heard as the arrow flew through the air at the speed of light before it collided head-on with the eight-star Warrior. He was filled with shock; blood started bobbling from his mouth since he had sustained heavy internal injuries.

    Xu Min no longer had his cultivation base suppressed. He stood like a shining star on the ground. He did not waste any more time and darted forward like one of his arrows, heading straight for the people who were blocking his escape.

    His eyes shone ferociously. He was willing to do his best, so he could escape, even if that meant carving a road paved with corpses. He would escape this ce, so he could finally gain his revenge.

 Chapter 136: Immortals

    Chapter 136: Immortals

    "It¡¯s him! It is Xu Min!" someone yelled out. Everyone felt their scalps grow numb. Xu Min, on the other hand, could care less about being noticed; his only goal was to force his way through the army in front of him.

    Xu Min shot arrow after arrow in front of him, killing one expert after another. Although Xu Min did not personally know these experts, he already knew what he needed to know. They had epted money to stop him from escaping the Ruins of the Immortals, so they were his enemies.

    Anyone standing in his way had to die, and anyone who went against him had to be removed. Xu Min was not in a position where he could afford to be friendly with the enemy, nor was he in a position where he could afford to worry about killing too many.

    By this time, Xu Min had already killed quite a few. He felt nothing as he killed expert after expert, forcing a path in front of him where people died one after another.

    Although people kept dying like flies, other experts appeared. Everywhere Xu Min moved, new people would rece the dead, and more corpses would fall to the ground.

    The eight-star Warrior who was injured hesitated to join the battle. Instead, he took out a whistle. He blew the whistle and instantly Xu Min could feel that other powerful auras were rushing towards his location.

    "So they are going to gang up on me, huh. They n to use these weak idiots as cannon fodder and try to slow me down. Let us see who is fastest then! Them or me!" Xu Min growled as a gust of wind suddenly started blowing.

    The gust turned to a gale. Then the gale turned into a type of wind one experienced during hurricanes, a wind so strong that no one could stand against it. This wind collided straight into the body of experts; instantly the bodies were torn apart and dismembered.

    Xu Min had hidden a thousand wind des within his hurricane, and those who came in contact with these des were sliced up instantly.

    The wind roared, and the experts who had poured towards Xu Min looked at him as if he was a monster.

    These experts were humans; They did not even believe in fairies and elves, and they certainly never considered or heard about the elemental affinity or spiritual energy.

    Since they had never heard about elemental affinity, they were convinced Xu Min was using a stance. They could notprehend how his stance could be conducted so instantaneously. For them, this was impossible to aplish; not even Immortals could aplish such a feat with such a dangerous stance like this.

    Xu Min cared nothing for a time wasting exnation, nor did he feel obligated to warn anyone. Thus his wind des shot forth once more, massacring many.

    Together with the wind des, there was also sword light which merged with the wind. Every expert the sword light touched was brutally murdered, leaving not even a singleplete corpse behind.

    At the start, they had all rushed towards him. However, after seeing theirrades killed in such a simple fashion, they all started to retreat instead. Soon a path in front of him opened. Xu Min almost made it past the border when he felt an even more terrifying auraing his way. This was an aura which did not belong to the other eight-star Warriors.

    Sensing this aura, Xu Min¡¯s expression turned foul. Although the eight-star warriors were rushing towards him, they could not hold a candle to the speed of this new aura which shot out like lightning heading towards its next victim.

    From the moment he had felt it, and up until now, Xu Min had only breathed once. Yet the aura was already right where he was! When he looked up, he saw in the sky was an expert hanging. His face shed a manic smile, and his hands lifted to get ready to attack Xu Min. Nheless, he wished to do it properly; consequently, he took a stance.

    This was an Immortal! No matter how much Xu Min wished to step into this rank, he was far from being capable of doing so, and even worse, he had no chance of fighting him.

    To conduct a stance the energy needs to be poured around a body in the right way. It only takes a moment, but, it was this moment which was all Xu Min needed to dodge out of the way.

    "You little piece of shit!" the Immortal yelled, "You killed my son. Now see how I get rid of you!"

    The hate in his voice was evident. Xu Min shook his head in annoyance. Of course! It just so happened that one of the people he killed was the son of an Immortal.

    Gnashing his teeth, Xu Min kept on dodging one attack after another, but they came closer and closer to him. He could feel how just one attack would be enough to kill him.

    After avoiding another three attacks, Xu Min could no longer dodge. His eyes filled with despair the moment he saw his end appear in front of him. This was not how he had wanted to end his life. He had not even managed to get revenge for his sister yet. And he had still to meet up with Yong Meilin. He had to let Cao Cao and Ye Ling out before they would die with him as well!

    So many unresolved things continued to bother him; he was unwilling to ept that this was his end.

    "Humph," a harrumph sounded out. The end that Xu Min had expected never happened. No pain, no darkness. Not even a light at the end of a tunnel.

    "Open your eyes, you stupid disciple!" A familiar voice called out; Xu Min opened his eyes, dumbfounded.

    Right in front of him were five cloaked men. These five men were all floating in the air. Their bodies were releasing an aura that was even more frightful than the one given by the Immortal of the United Families.

    "You... Are all of you are from the Guardians of the Immortal Valley?" The Immortal asked hesitantly. The five Immortals nodded their heads.

    "I thought we all agreed that what happens in the Immortal Valley stays in the Immortal Valley," one of the other immortals casually remarked. His voice was frosty, but he had not taken action as of yet. The Immortal from the United Families was instantly taken aback.

    "This has nothing to do with the Immortal valley! He ughtered a whole vige! He killed youth and old alike!" The Immortal continued to exin. The longer he spoke, the more powerful auras appeared out of nowhere. However, his words just caused Xu Min¡¯s master to snort.

    "We already have investigated the massacre that happened to the vige. All the mercenaries were indeed killed by Xu Min. However, every member of the vige was killed by the Shen family to frame Xu Min. They wanted to put the me on this massacre to cover up and gain revenge for what happened in the Immortal Valley."

    "If you do not trust me, then just make old man Shen Wang here swear an oath on his cultivation base that it was not done by the Shen family. If it truly was not done by them, then he will lose nothing, but if it was, then he will be forever crippled. If he refuses to swear the oath, then all I can say is that you already have your answer."

    The Immortal who was the first to arrive started sweating profusely. Many of the other experts that had arrivedter to hear the words started to look at him questioningly.

    "What is it?" Once again Xu Min¡¯s master spoke, " I guess you don¡¯t want to cripple yourself, but your only other option is to admit to your crime

    Xu Min was standing at the sidepletely silent. He was happy that he was not dead, but he had never expected to be given assistance by the Immortals from the academy. He had assumed that they would have just left him for dead. Instead, they had shown up at the most crucial time to save his him.

    Because the Immortals saved him from the clutches of death, Xu Min began to feel slightly guilty for the way he had left the academy. On the other hand, he also imagined the anger his master would show him when she was done dealing with the other experts. As a result, Xu Min slowly tried to step away. He hoped he could escape the situation, but the moment he moved a voice resounded in the air.

    "Xu Min, you little rascal! Stay where you are, or I will hunt you down to the end of this world and drag you back home with me!"

    As to whom this voice belonged to, Xu Min had no doubts. He could do nothing but stand still like an obedient little boy, his head hanging down and his mood dejected.

    Every other expert on the field was stunned silly. They had seen Xu Min act like a monster. He had seriously injured an eight-star Warrior with a single attack, and he had killed countless people, leaving no corpse whole. Right now he was obediently listening to someone else and even showing slight fear on his face.

    Just how strong were these Immortals? Were they able to subdue such a monster with words alone? They could not understand it. There was only one rank in between eight-star and nine-star Warriors, but only those at the eight star could understand just how much of a difference that rank meant.

    Xu Min was not stupid. He knew the personality of his master. If he actually tried to escape now, she would definitelyunch an attack at him. Although he would not die, he would suffer some injuries which would leave him in a worse position than before.

    "So, does your Shen family dare to make an oath or not?" This time it was not a member of the Guardians of the Immortal Valley that spoke but an Immortal from the Ouyang family. They had nothing against Xu Min from within the Immortal Valley and had only joined the battle because he had in a vige.

    "So what if it was us who killed them?! This brat Xu Min has killed far more people throughout his life! Killing him will be a benefit to society!!" the Immortal, named Shen, roared, but the words were not what many of the other Immortals wished to hear.

    Currently, a total of thirteen Immortals had gathered in the sky. Two of them were from the other side of the border. Hearing the admission from the Immortal surnamed Shen everyone¡¯s faces turned grim.

    "This is over. We will be looking to the Shen family to repay us the money we have spent on chasing Xu Min!" One Immortal after another roared, and they flew away in the distance. Soon the mercenaries were uncertain as to what was happening. Would they still get paid? Was this task forgotten? Was it all for nothing?

    They did not know, but no one was silly enough to ask an enraged Immortal. Instead, they all just stayed in ce. No one was silly enough to try and attack Xu Min as they remembered what had happened thest time they did.

    All the eight-star warriors flew after their respective Immortals, and soon only a handful of Immortals were left. Those left were the Immortals that wished Xu Min to die more than anything else. Alongside them were the two Immortals from the opposing side and the Immortals from the Immortal Valley.

    "If you wish to kill Xu Min then you have to go through us first," Xu Min¡¯s master said. Her eyes were hidden beneath the cloak, but Xu Min could swear he could see them gleam with an urge to fight. He stood back, like a good boy, waiting for the scolding he knew wasing his way once the Immortals will have eliminated the danger that was threatening his life.

 Chapter 137: Crossing the Border

    Chapter 137: Crossing the Border

    "I will not let this rest!" The Immortal Shen muttered through his gritted teeth. His eyes were bloodshot, and he red at Xu Min with such hostility that if looks could kill, then Xu Min would have died multiple times over.

    But looks could not kill, and between this Shen figure and Xu Min stood quite a few Immortals. After staring at Xu Min for a short while, the Immortal Shen turned into a beam of light and vanished into the distance.

    "Now that has been sorted out, we can deal with this wayward student of ours," Mu Jianyao stated. Her words caused a strained, guilty smile to appear on Xu Min¡¯s face.

    "Not yet," another of the cloaked men interjected. He looked at the two Immortals from the opposite side of the border. They were standing still, looking at each other, knowing full well that if they made the wrong decision now, their fates would be sealed.

    "We were just here because of the uncertainty of what the united families were doing," one of them said nonchntly shrugging his shoulders.

    "We never believed that it could have something to do with such a young man as him. Whatever he chooses to do, we will not interfere. Now that the united families have withdrawn so will we."

    The two Immortals bowed quickly and turned to leave. Their voices spread over the entire border as they yelled out, "Retreat! There is nothing left here."

    The hooded Immortals then all turned to the sheepish looking Xu Min who scratched his head awkwardly, "long time no see guys," he greeted them casually. Mu Jianyao suddenly flew down and hit Xu Min hardon his head, sending him flying hundreds of meters before he finally came to a stop.

    "Did you have to hit me this hard!?" Xu Min mumbled to himself. However, when he saw Mu Jianyao slowly walk towards him, he was secretly happy. Although the hit seemed to have been hard, he had not sustained serious injuries. Most importantly, though, thanks to these Immortals he was still alive.

    "Student greets master," Xu Min said with a bow. He struggled to his feet and saw Mu Jianyao was moving towards him. Though he could not see her face, he could guess that she was wearing a murderous expression.

    "Running away like that, did you have fun?" his master asked with a dangerous sweetness in her voice. The sound was as calm as the clearestke, but it left a feeling of fear and disaster within Xu Min as he gently backed away.

    "Dear master, you would not kill your student because of such a minor mistake would you?" He asked tentatively, wondering if he hade out of the frying pan and into the fire.

    Just as Mu Jianyao lifted her hand again, another cloaked person stepped in between them.

    "We are here because it is partly our fault that you left the academy," he said; though, he did not sound very apologetic at all. "We understand that we pushed you too far and because of this you felt alienated."

    "We also remember our statement. Everything that happens in the Immortal Valley cannot be med on anyone. Yet they still dared to question our authority. Consequently, it was their fault."

    "Considering all these things, we decided to let you leave. It was clear to us that you had something unresolved you needed to finish. Nevertheless, since they framed you and even put up such a big disy as this, it was time for us to prove, that we, as the strongest faction within the Immortal Ruins, does not only exist in name."

    "We are going to let you go to deal with what you have to do," Mu Jianyao finally said, trying to control the rage in her from being abandoned by her student.

    "Although we are letting you deal with your unfinished business, you are not allowed to forget that you belong to our academy. You are one of us. No matter what happens and what you do, you can alwayse back and live with us."

    "As a matter of fact, you still haven¡¯t graduated! We hope that you will return to us when you finish whatever it is that cannot wait for you to take care of."

    Listening to Mu Jianyao, Xu Min¡¯s heart went warm. He had never before felt that he had a ce to call home since he had left the Zhong Family all those years ago. Yet now he felt that there was a ce where he could return to. A ce where someone would wait for him.

    Xu Min felt so giddy and happy; he could not control a big smile from forming on his face as he nodded his head, "I will definitely return!" He swore out loud with excitement. Mu Jianyao just nodded her head and muttered, "you better," emotionally.

    "We will not trouble you any further," another of the hooded guards eximed. "We will not follow you and protect you nor will we save your life again. If you run into other Immortals, do your best not to be noticed and pray for survival. We will be busy dealing with the united families."

    Xu Min nodded his head gratefully, but Mu Jianyao was silent for some time, "I will follow him for a bit longer," she said inadvertently, "I don¡¯t trust those people from the other side of the border. They might try something, so I will protect him. Although I am alone, they will not dare attack me knowing I have friends close by who cane and take vengeance for me."

    "Do what you must," a hooded immortal said. Moments after Xu Min felt how he was being picked up from the ground. The world flew past him so swiftly that he could barely make up what he was seeing.

    "I will deliver you to a safe location. Where you go from there is your problem," she said, but her voice was no longer gruff but filled with care and consideration.

    "Did you really have to leave like that? You really made me worried," she continued. Xu Min could not help but feel guilty as he shook his head, "I felt that I was no longer weed in the sect." he said truthfully. "I felt that the sect leader and the elders were being biased against me. Their treatment made me think that I would never get the same rank as the other members of the sect. Only now do I understand just how mistaken I was."

    "So you understood that you were mistaken?" Mu Jianyao sounded joyed, "You see, you are special, and they only wanted to see what would happen if you were pushed to the limits. No one expected what would happen, but I think it has made us understand you more."

    "And although I haven¡¯t seen you for some time, you are already an eight-star Warrior! Your speed of advancing is simply frightening. Not even I would be able to do such a thing!"

    "Well, I did eat a pill of transcendence," Xu Min said, scratching his head. He felt that Mu Jianyao almost fell down in shock.

    "Where did you get such a legendary pill?! They are basically impossible to get your hands on. Even if you have the money, they are simply extinct."

    Xu Min hid nothing as he told Mu Jianyao what had happened in the Blood Pagoda. Upon hearing everything, his master hit him once more on the top of his head, "you reckless fool!" she eximed. However, she was not as angry as before. "Don¡¯t you understand how risky it was to meet your heart demon with such a terrible hate you carried around with you? To think that you actually seeded, I am simply astonished!"

    Xu Min said nothing, but he could not but smile. Soon Mu Jianyao flew lower and lower, so low that she eventually just let go of Xu Min and the young man fell from the skies down to the ground.

    "Don¡¯t forget toe back to us," were herst words before she turned around and flew back the way she hade from.

    Xu Min, who hadnded in the middle of a forest, did not waste any time. Although he had just fallen from the sky, he knew that the two Immortals might be following behind. If he stayed in the same position, then it was likely he would be their target. Consequently, he started rushing away from the ce where he had fallen.

    Xu Min had run for three days straight, and now both Cao Cao and Ye Ling were by his side. No longer were they hiding in the jade satchel but freed. The three friends felt euphoric that they had left the Ruins of the Immortals.

    Cao Cao was excited to be going home soon while Ye Ling was just super excited about leaving the Immortal Ruins and helping Xu Min gain his revenge.

    "Help!" someone¡¯s voice suddenly sounded out through the forest, and the closer Xu Min got, the clearer he could hear the sound of fighting. Just before reaching the fighting ground he jumped into a tree to have a good overview.

    As he looked, he saw that in front of him was a group of seven younger people who were fighting against two pr silver cored bears.

    These bears were incredibly strong. Even though there were seven of the humans, they were clearly at a disadvantage.

    The humans were around the six-star warrior rank with the leader being a seven-star warrior.

    The leader was tangling with one of the bears alone, but he was incapable of controlling both of them at the same time. The second was running wild, its paw swinging down, bringing injury after injury to the cultivators.

    There was still no fatalities, but there were plenty of broken bones and serious injuries as they were being attacked.

    "I better help them out. Then they can help me with visiting a close by city. After I will be able to figure out where I am and which way to go to reach the Zhong family again." Xu Min mumbled to himself, and he lifted his hand.

    Wind des and sword light shed on his hand. Upon moving his hand, a wind de faster than the eye could see shed through the clearing. Moments after the head of the bear separated from its neck and fell to the ground.

    "Who¡¯s there?!" the humans called out in fear.Xu Min slowly revealed himself. "Sorry I am here," he said politely. "I saw a few people busy fighting and could not help but assist. Don¡¯t worry I am not after the beast or its best core. You can keep it all as you wish." He said with a smile. The mercenaries quickly started to like him.

    "Please help our leader!" someone called out. Xu Min shrugged his shoulders and sent another wind de towards the remaining bear. These bears were equal to seven-star warriors; they were simply powerless against his strength.

 Chapter 138: Wilderness Forest

    Chapter 138: Wilderness Forest

    The battle ended smoothly. As soon as Xu Min used his wind des, the beast fell to the ground; his entire body was neatly cut into two halves.

    The mercenaries were shocked at the ease, skill, and preciseness of Xu Min¡¯s attack. Seeing how easily Xu Min had gotten rid of these beasts, which caused theirrge group to suffer severe injuries and almost fatalities, stunned everybody.

    "Brother expert, thank you for your support!" a man stepped forward. His body was sturdy, and he seemed to be around forty years old. His voice was rough and low; his entire body was covered all over with either some shallow or deeper cuts and wounds.

    His clothes were in tatters, but he did not seem to mind. "Everyone tend to the injured!" the man called out before he once more turned to look at Xu Min.

    "Brother expert, may I ask for your name? To know the name of our benefactor would be a great honor," the man continued courteously. Looking at Xu Min, he was confused at Xu Min¡¯s age. He looked so young but fought so fierce.

    His age, ording to his appearance could not be that old, but he clearly did not even seem to be twenty years of age. Nheless, his strength seemed beyond him. Was he perhaps an ancient Immortal who had somehow managed to retain his youthful appearance?

    "My name is Xu Min," Xu Min introduced himself while smiling. "Do not feel too gratified because I intervened with your affairs," he continued, "I had my reasons to save you all. You see, I am lost in this wilderness. I have absolutely no idea where I am, nor do I know how to leave this ce. I was hoping I could follow your group until you leave this area and return to a city of some kind."

    The leader of the group was stunned to hear Xu Min speaking so honestly. To think that such an esteemed expert had gotten lost. How was this possible? Although he knew there were more reasons than just what Xu Min said, he also knew there was no way he could question their benefactor.

    "Thank you for your benevolence!" the leader thanked him and quickly disregarded Xu Min¡¯s reason as to why he was lost. Instead, he focused on the positive of this new situation. Having such a strong expert on their side was enough to ensure that none of their brothers would die.

    When they heard that this brother expert who introduced himself as Xu Min would be traveling with them, they excitedly weed him. With him, they could kill tons of beasts and get their hands on many resources, consequently, allowing them to earn a fortune.

    Though these men did not consciously think it, they all seemed to wish for Xu Min to be their working ve who would chop up beast after beast for them.

    "I have two contracted beasts, give me a moment while I release them," Xu Min casually exined. Nheless, his words shocked everyone present. He had beasts? But they were not walking around with him. Did this mean that he possessed a jade satchel? This is simply too outstanding. The price of a jade satchel was so high that they would never be able even to see one.

    Although the mercenary brothers thought as such, all of them stared at Xu Min while he found a satchel and opened it. Two beasts suddenly appeared by his side, both of them were looking incredibly ferocious.

    These mercenary brothers lived a life where they provided for their living from hunting beasts, but when they saw these two magnificent beasts by Xu Min¡¯s side, they were stumped for words. Which kind of beasts were they?

    They had never seen either of these types of beasts before. It was unfathomable toprehend even though these beasts stood in front of them. The lion was so massive, so powerful and so frightening that the brothers felt their hearts palpitate looking at him. Whereas the snake, although equally dangerous, possessed an alluring and beautiful danger. It was like a siren just before one was being lured into the water, so beautiful that one could not resist.

    Who was this young-looking man who had both beasts on his side? Was he a young master from a massive family? Was he some lord from a far away country? Or did he perhapse from the elusive Ruins of the Immortals?

    Xu Min said nothing to answer the brother¡¯s silent questions; instead, he gave both the snake and the lion a hug. It was clear that the rtionship between these three was extraordinary.

    Clearing his throat, the leader stopped staring at the three friends and sorted his men into lines. "Let us advance! We will leave this wilderness right away. Brother expert will help us with the beasts we meet along the way, but we will not becent and let him do all the work!"

    Xu Min had finished telling Ye Ling and Cao Cao about what had happened in his escape. The two beasts were livid when they heard about the thorough search the men had conducted, but their anger resided when they heard how the Guardians of the Immortal Valley had shown up to protect him.

    They felt gratified to know that these experts still valued Xu Min, and they were willing to stand up for him, even lowering themselves to apologize for their behavior.

    Ye Ling and Cao Cao were both filled with pent up anger and energy that as soon as the group set out, both beasts vanished into the thick forest.

    "Brother expert, what happened?" The leader asked surprisedly while watching the beasts leave on their own ord, but Xu Min justughed. "They have been in the jade satchel for so long," he exined, avoiding to exin about their pent up anger. "It is time for them to go out and stretch their legs. Who knows what they will be doing?" Xu Min stated casually as he shrugged his shoulders. Clearly, he was not worried for these beasts.

    The leader of the party understood that these beasts were rather vigorous if they followed this master, but how strong these beasts exactly were, he could not tell. It was far above his strength. This inability to know their skill level was enough to make him respect the youngster and his beasts.

    The trip through the wilderness was the swiftest that these mercenary brothers had ever experienced before. Any time a beast came close to them, it would be killed by a wind de, and its body would be cut in two. Xu Min never went back on his word when he said that these beast cores or bodies held no interest to him. All of it was collected by the mercenaries.

    It was not that Xu Min had no use for beast cores. It was just that he had no use for beast cores of this level. The beast cores could help his friends reach a higher rank. For Xu Min and his beasts, anything beneath six-star beasts was simply useless for him and his beasts. The energy they gave was but a drop in a sea. The time needed to digest such a core was longer than it would take to directly absorb this energy from the surrounding air.

    This forest they were in was not as massive as the Immortal Valley or the forests surrounding Ri Chu City. There were not many beasts of high rank, and it did not take long before the two beasts returned to Xu Min¡¯s side. Their entire bodies heavily smelled of blood.

    "You reek," Xu Minughed, "How many did you kill this time to smell so badly?"

    Neither Ye Ling nor Cao Cao answered. They knew Xu Min did not mind if they smelled of blood and death since Xu Min had killed far more people than they would ever do. Furthermore, Xu Min was used to the scent, but for the rest of the group the scent of blood made the feel uneasy and a tad ufortable.

    It did not take long before they managed to reach the outskirts of the forest. Fertilend could be seen as far as the eye could reach. Fields with grain and other crops swayed in the wind. Farmers could be seen tending these crops, and some fields were filled with cattle.

    "We all live in a small vige," the leader said apologetically, "but we have a bigger city not too far away. We will take you there as we have a lot of goods that we need to sell today."

    They had filled up all their storage treasures with corpses of beasts, and these corpses needed to be sold. Selling them in the vige was not possible since no one would be able to afford to buy the corpse of a beast. Thus they had to go to bigger cities to exchange these corpses for money.

    "In that case, thank you for letting me tag along," Xu Min smiled. The group then stepped out of the wilderness and onto a road which went straight to the city.

    The brothers were filled with freedom and ease. They had been hesitant in the wilderness because they never knew when a beast would jump out in front of them. However, now they were safe. They had their storage treasures filled to the brim with treasures, and their group was protected not only by an esteemed expert but also by his two ferocious beasts.

    Everyone in the group was chatting with one another;ughter rang through the fields, and everyone truly felt luck was on their side. They understood that with their line of work, death coulde at any time. This time, though, no one had died; they had earned enough money to live for at least a year without having to worry about hunting and they had met a valuable ally. It was a prosperous mission.

    That being said, they would most likely spend their earned money on resources or weapons to improve their performance to ensure that more would survive the next time they were to enter the forest. They realized that meeting an expert like Xu Min was a once a lifetime chance, so they could not rely on his tremendous strength.

    Xu Min did not participate in the talks. He was constantly on high alert. Although he was no longer in the Ruins of the Immortals, he had a hard timepletely letting go of the feeling of being hunted. When he thought about how an Immortal was chasing after him, desiring his death, a chill ran down his spine.

    Ye Ling and Cao Cao were on high alert as well. Both of them kept observing their surroundings, but no matter nothing happened. No one appeared from the blue sky and the further away they left behind the Ruins of the Immortals the more calm Xu Min became.

    They walked the entire day. A small smile appeared on Xu Min¡¯s face. He was reminded of how he had walked from city to city when he was setting out and everything that had happened to him during this long travels.

    He had started out as a refugee. He had found his master and stepped into the world of a warrior. He had met Cao Cao and his family, and then he went to Ri Chu City where he met Yong Meilin.

    His trip to the Ruins of the Immortal was exciting. He had met so many experts there who weed him. This made him feel he had even found a ce he could call home. However, he needed to aplish hisst task, to gain his revenge.

    Everything hade to a nice circle. Everything he had experienced and everywhere he had gone had ended up letting hime back to where it all began.

    Xu Min felt the need for vengeance burning like never before deep within him. It had been years since he was the naive young eight-year-old boy who had fled from the Zhong family. Now he was a young man, but this time he would flee no longer. This time he would return and show them all what a terror he really was!

 Chapter 139: Overrun

    Chapter 139: Overrun

    The group reached the city just as the sun was setting in the distance. They hurried to ensure that they would make it into the city before the gates closed for the night.

    The city was bustling with energy. Everyone was out and about, some looking for food, others selling wares. As soon as they reached the other side of the gate, Xu Min turned to look at the group of mercenaries. He bowed slightly to them, signaling his departure. They too bowed in return.

    "Thank you for leading me out of the wilderness forest. Thank you for showing me the way to this city. Now I will be taking my leave since I have some things that I need to deal with," Xu Min said politely. He straightened his back after which he, Cao Cao and Ye Ling turned to leave.

    The mercenaries did not try to stop him. All of them were aware of just how strong he was, and they had already benefitted from him. They could not expect to gain any more from him than they already had. .

    "We pray for your safety," the leader of the mercenaries murmured before the group also started walking briskly towards the shops that would buy beast corpses and cores.

    Whereas Xu Min was not in a rush to speed through the town. He felt a newfound rxation he had not experienced in a long time, and he could not help but smile.

    Every time they came across shops that sold food, he would buy a little and share with hispanions which caused their advance to be rather slow.

    The group of travelers greatly disturbed any passersby who looked at them.. Everyone was shocked when they saw Xu Min and his two magnificent beasts walking through the crowded streets. Whispers started spreading through the entire city within less than a quarter of an hour.

    An unknown expert had appeared in the city. His strength was unknown because no one had been able to measure it just yet. By his side walked two outstanding beasts that anyone would covet.

    This news soon reached the ears of the higher-ups of the city. All of them started thinking, questioning, worrying. Who was this expert that had appeared? To not have been able to see through his cultivation base he needed to be at least the sixth or seventh star. Although the five-starmoners were incredibly rare, they did exist in the city. If they could not see through his strength, then he had to be stronger than these rankings.

    Recruiting such a person could determine whether or not one would be the top family within the city. Everyone started to send out their young masters anddies to entertain and entice this expert.

    "What do you want to eat tonight?" Xu Min asked Cao Cao and Ye Ling. The three of them found arge inn that seemed to have rooms big enough for all of them.

    Xu Min was unaware of what was happening amongst the upper ss within this city, but frankly, even if he knew, he would not have cared. This city was but a stop on his journey towards the Zhong family and his revenge. This was not a ce where he was going to stay for long.

    "I want a roast sheep." Ye Ling said with longing in his voice. While Cao Cao seemed to think about the question for a bit longer time, "I don¡¯t know," he finally answered disappointed with himself. "I cannot decide! I mean chickens are so tasty, but they are very small. Beef is great but roasting a whole cow takes forever. I could go with pork, but I don¡¯t feel like eating a pig just now. So, in the end, I think I will go with a sheep like Ye Ling. They are not too small, and they don¡¯t require as much time to cook."

    Cao Cao obviously was thinking about food because his mouth started salivating when he spoke.Xu Min and Ye Ling both chuckled at the sight before the three of them all strode through the open gates to the inn.

    The ground floor was a restaurant, and it was currently crowded with people. Xu Min and his friends had arrived in the city during dinner time. Consequently, most of the city was bustling with life, but no ce was more lively than the restaurants.

    This was an upper-ss inn, and the restaurant inside of it was also for the richer portion of the city. When all of them saw the young man and his two beasts entering the inn, everyone became silent.

    Many of the young women, even those who had arrived with other men, were looking at Xu Min with curiosity. His clothes were travel-worn, and he looked a little unkempt. However, there was an attractive aura around him which oozed of strength and power. seeing such a strong man, all these women swooned over him.

    Xu Min did not even nce at the people inside the restaurant; instead, he went straight to the counter where he looked at the inn keeper.

    "I would like your biggest room avable." Xu Min requested while he ced some gold on the counter. "I also need you to roast two sheeps for mypanions and bring some dishes and wine for me to eat."

    The gold that Xu Min had ced on the table might not seem like much to a cultivator like Xu Min. However, the wealth was more than enough to pay for a full half year living in the inn with meals three times a day. In other terms, the wealth could feed a whole family for a full year and the inn keeper¡¯s eyes shone greedily as he epted it.

    Xu Min was not usually too wasteful with his money; nheless, he understood that when he came with two massive beasts, it was clear that there would be some inconvenience for the inn. The beasts ate quite a lot. Furthermore, they also needed their rooms to be cleared from excess furniture as there was only space for the bed if they wanted to fit into it.

    All in all, Xu Min wanted to stay in peace andfort. He did not want to make the innkeeper work extra for no benefits because he knew the innkeeper would not really work. Thus he decided to do what he could to make him satisfied, and these gold pieces definitely satisfied him.

    Just as Xu Min was about to go up the stairs to his, room a youngdy entered into the inn. Her eyes scanned across the floor. When theynded on Xu Min first a brief shock appeared which was quickly reced by pleasure.

    It looked as if she had just seen an old friend again, but Xu Min was certain that he had never met her before.

    "Esteemed expert!" she called out with a melodious voice that flowed like a gentle river which soothed the minds of those who heard it. "I am surely lucky to meet with the esteemed expert this soon," she continued as she moved closer to Xu Min who had stood up and was frowning.

    "Do I know you?" Xu Min asked while Cao Cao and Ye Ling took a closer look at the woman

    "Hey she is pretty good looking," Ye Ling said with a toothy smile as he stared at the woman with interest.

    Being stared at by such a ferocious looking beast, the woman could not help but shiver slightly. Nheless, she quickly got a hold of herself and cleared her throat.

    "We have not had the pleasure of meeting before," She said while shaking her head apologetically.

    In ordance with the lion, she was indeed good looking. Known as the fairy of the city, every young master would jump at her very call. This was the very reason that her father had sent her to deal with this young man; however, when she arrived in front of him, he did not even give her a proper nce. It was clear that he did not her attractive.

    "And what do you want from me?" Xu Min asked impatiently. He was clearly eager to leave and go to the room that was being prepared for him.

    "Can I have a talk with you, just the two of us?" she asked politely. She was not at all fazed by his rude behavior. Xu Min looked around them and noticed that the entire restaurant was silent;everyone was looking at them. When his eyes nced across the entire room, no one dared to meet his eyes.

    Sighing heavily, Xu Min could guess what the woman was here for. He was not willing to waste any time, so he just looked her straight in the eyes, not even bothering to check out her body, "I am only in this city temporarily," he said straight forwardly, "I will be here for a few days. Then I will leave to some other ce. I have no interest in staying here longer than what is necessary; I have things which I must attend to."

    Having said this, Xu Min turned back to the staircase and started walking up. He did not care at all for this girl he left behind at the bottom.

    "How domineering!" This was the sentence mostly said afterward by everyone within the entire restaurant. The young man who did not even seem to be twenty years of age was so strong that even this girl who was famed for her talent in the city was incapable of seeing through it. She could not even see through the strength of his beastpanions!

    Feeling wronged and embarrassed, the young girl¡¯s face alternated between red and pale until she finally came to her senses again. Humbly she turned to leave. She was not going to stay in this inn and cause even more to chat about her; instead, she moved straight back to her father¡¯s mansion to hand over the message she had been given.

    "Will I be as strong and imposing one day?" the girl asked herself as she reached the mansion, but she could only shake her head. She was incapable of even telling how strong he was, how would she be able to tell if she could reach his rank?

    Xu Min gave not even a second thought about the girl. When he started moving up the stairs, but just as he reached the room, he was stopped once more.

    "Young expert, I am Feng Ling, the young master of the Feng Family, I have heard that an expert unlike any had reached the city and was wondering..."

    This time the man didn¡¯t even get to finish his sentence before Xu Min red at him with a sharp nce. The young master stepped backward in fear. The sharp gaze was so prating that he felt as if Xu Min saw his innermost thoughts.

    "I am only stopping by for a moment," Xu Min said with a t and annoyed voice, "I will not be here for long, so do not bother with trying to curry favor with me."

    Without saying any more, Xu Min entered the room and shut the door behind him, right in the face of this Feng Ling.

    Feng Ling was renowned within the city as an arrogant young master who would do anything in his power to get what he wanted. He was someone who wanted respect more than anything else.

    This young master was not insulted by Xu Min¡¯s actions if anything he felt relieved. Whenever Xu Min was looking at him, he had a feeling that he was speaking to a wild beast which could kill him at any moment.

    Feeling as if he had just escaped death, Feng Ling left the inn with shaking legs. Nevertheless, he was not the only person who arrived. One after another showed up at the inn and went to the room in which Xu Min was located. There were so many that Xu Min eventually was forced to talk to the innkeeper and have him leave the message that he would be here only for a few days.

 Chapter 140: Followed

    Chapter 140: Followed

    As Feng Ling left the inn with his legs shaking, Xu Min went to the innkeeper and told him that he did not want to be interrupted unless it was something of the utmost importance or for food.

    "Those people who want to recruit me to exin I am only in town for a short period. I will be leaving very soon," Xu Min sighed in exasperation. He left the innkeeper and once more vanished up the stairs and entered the room where Cao Cao and Ye Ling were waiting for him.

    Heaving a heavy sigh, Xu Min finally sat down and rxed. He instantly fell into a deep sleep on the bed.

    He had been haunted for so long, traveled through danger zones, and finally reached a ce where he could be considered safe.

    While Xu Min slept, Cao Cao and Ye Ling positioned themselves right next to his bed their entire being was on alert and guard, so they could protect him.

    The night passed, and dawn broke. Xu Min rose together with the sun. He felt much more rxed now than he had since a very long time.

    His body was no longer tense, his muscles no longer taut. His mind was clear, and his eyes shone brightly. He had slept well for a whole night, and nothing had happened. He was in no more danger than the average person right now or even less since his strength was way above themon cultivator.

    As he awoke, he ordered a warm bath from the servants; soon the servants brought a wooden tub and warm water to him together with food for both him, Cao Cao and Ye Ling.

    Xu Min went to take a bath while the two beasts started feasting on the roast sheep and other delicacies that had been ced on the tables. Both Cao Cao and Ye Ling were rather big beasts, thus they ate quite a lot of meat. However, for Xu Min, it did not matter how much of his gold he had to spend if he had to spend it all, then he would. The most important thing was for his friends to be happy.

    He had no more family, all he had were these two beasts, and he doted on them like an older brother would with his younger siblings.

    The bath allowed for the weatherbeaten and dusty Xu Min to finally be clean and refreshed. He felt much better afterward. Pleased, he went out to get some food. Life was good, but his eyes shone with determination.

    "We are going to leave this city in a few days," he announced to the two beasts which had finished eating. They were now lying still, trying to digest the overwhelming amounts of food.

    "We need to find a way to get to Ri Chu City. From there I can get to Honghe City and back to the valley where the Zhong family is located."

    "You want to go to Ri Chu City first?" Cao Cao asked confused, "Is it because you miss that girl Meilin? If you miss her then there is nothing much to say about it, but would it make it harder for you to leave again. Instead, I say we should go straight to Honghe City and from there to the Zhong family."

    Xu Min was silent for some time as he contemted what Cao Cao was saying. In the end, though, he could only shake his head and sigh.

    "This will be a life and death battle with the Zhong family. There is a chance that I will not return after going. I want to see Meilin just onest time before then," he sighed. Cao Cao, who at first had been against it, held his tongue and nodded his head.

    "On the way, I want to visit my parents as well," he said with a sigh, "I owe them a good bye," Cao Cao sighed, and Xu Min nodded his head in agreement.

    "In Honghe City, I will have to say goodbye to my master. Clearly, we should say goodbye to everyone we care about. It has been so many years since I wasst at the Zhong family, I don¡¯t know how strong the head of the family has be, and I don¡¯t know how strong their young master has be as well."

    "Although he wasn¡¯t exceptionally talented, he still was able to raise his rank rather rapidly by relying on medicinal pills. He might even be a problem for you guys to deal with."

    Cao Cao and Ye Ling were silent. After a bit of time, the lion sighed and shook his head, "I left my home to follow you. Even if I end up going to the grave with you, then so be it. We are brothers and brothers stick together! We will go and say our goodbyes, and then we will have no regrets left as we fight against the Zhong family."

    "We will be a zing light that cannot be extinguished!" Cao Cao said. Xu Min could not help but smile. He truly had found his brothers. He felt much better after hearing what his two friends had said.

    "Well let us find a map and figure out how exactly we need to get to Ri Chu City," Xu Min dered. He stood up and left the inn followed closely by therge Cao Cao and Ye Ling.

    As soon as he entered the city, he was surrounded by a group of experts. These experts were all the seventh star of the Warrior rank. It was rather astonishing that anyone was able to gather that many experts of such a high rank.

    Fortunately, Xu Min had fought many experts before, and he was not worried about having to face them all. Especially not now since he had Cao Cao and Ye Ling by his side, but his mood was getting sour. Could they not leave him alone?

    The group of experts continued to follow him around him. No one took action, so Xu Min just ignored them, but Xu Min was bing more annoyed as the time passed with them.

    "Let us go to the mercenary guild," Xu Min decided. Together the three went for the mercenary guild where they could get any information they needed to.

    Xu Min purchased a map and spent a long time looking at it before he sighed and rubbed his temples. "Dear teacher, I appreciate that you helped me to escape, but did you have to send me to the middle of nowhere?"

    Xu Min was indeed far away from the border of the Ruins of the Immortals, but he was also very far away from everything else. He was in the middle of a mountain range thousands of miles away from Ri Chu City.

    Sighing deeply, he had no other choice than to travel through the mountain range first, then travel through various regions and then finally reach Ri Chu City.

    From there on the trip would be simple, but until then he would have to travel through danger zones that had been marked on the map. These danger zones were not dangerous to him, but they were dangerous to caravans because they were a no man¡¯snd where bandits reigned andws constantly broken.

    Sighing again, Xu Min lifted his head and nodded to the person in the mercenary guild before he left the guild and started returning to the inn. "We could also just buy provisions now and leave the city instantly," he finally said, irritatedly.

    He still felt he was being surrounded no matter where he went, and it started to truly annoy him, but he also knew better than start to wage war with this city¡¯s lords.

    Cao Cao and Ye Ling just shrugged their shoulders, allowing for Xu Min to decide on his own what he wished to do. He was the leader of their group, so he made the decisions of what was going to happen.

    "Sorry guys, I know you enjoyed life at the inn, but being constantly observed like this makes me unable to rx," Xu Min exined. Instantly, Cao Cao and Ye Ling both spoke up at the same time, eximing, "It is not your fault!"

    "Because those puny humans are interested in you they dare to break our rxation!" Cao Cao was annoyed with these humans, but he did not take any action. All he did was hiss andin.

    "Well then, let us change our direction," Xu Min decided. He went to buy all the provisions they would need. Even though it would be possible to hunt beasts in the wild, the beast meat tasted the best with seasoning, and he also needed other necessities.

    As he finished buying all the items, he returned to the inn once more to see if he owed them anything. He had, after all, caused them to ughter quite a few animals to feed his two beast brothers, and he also had requested a lot of hard work from them. However, the innkeeper refused to ept more gold. Xu Min had no other option than to simply ept it and go away once more.

    As he stood outside of the inn, he unfolded the map once more and started to look at it. He memorized the path he was to take and after neatly folding it once more ced it in a storage treasure. After all this, Xu Min and his beast brothers left the city.

    The moment he left the city, the ones who were following him stopped. They did not instantly disperse but stayed at the gate until Xu Min had long since vanished from their sight. They then returned to the mansions from which they came from to inform their masters that the unknown expert had left their city.

    Leaving the city, Xu Min found himself on a mountain trail. It could not be considered a real road as it was not paved, but it was never the less rather trafficked. Caravans moved to and from the city.

    Groups of mercenaries could be seen everywhere as they went out to hunt for magical beasts, and random travelers also made their path towards the city.

    Xu Min blended in with the crowd. He had once more suppressed his cultivation level to appear as a six-star Warrior, and the two beasts by his side had been ced in the satchel so that they would not gather too much attention. Xu Min never knew who might be following him from the Ruins of the Immortals. Consequently, he wanted to conceal his true identity as much as possible.

    Traveling through the mountain range was in no way a difficult feat. During the day, Xu Min would walk on the roads; when it started to be dark, he would enter the forest, release Cao Cao and Ye Ling, hunt for food and rx. The following day he would once again ce the beasts in the jade satchel and traverse the road filled with people.

    The further away from the city, he became, the fewer people he saw. They had crossed many small viges. Many of the travelers and mercenaries never traveled further away than they had to. The only travelingpany that Xu Min found now wererge caravans that moved through thendscape.

    Xu Min had found it weird that so many caravans would brave all sorts of danger to reach such a remote city. Even more astonishing he thought was how rich the removed city was. However, after a bit of research and conversation with some of the caravan guards, he found that the city was famous for its weapons. Weapons from that city were used all across the entire kingdom; they were revered as being the best quality. The iron the swords were made from came straight from the mountains below them.

 Chapter 141: Danger Zone

    Chapter 141: Danger Zone

    "Young man, why don¡¯t you travel with us?" A rough voice asked Xu Min. Xu Min had once more approached the same caravan to gather information. "If you travel with us, we will provide you with food and shelter, alongside some money as a reward. The only thing we request is for you to help us if we should meet some bandits on the way. However, with your strength, it should be no problem to deal with any petty bandit along the way."

    Xu Min considered the offer, but in the end, he shook his head. "thank you," he said politely, "but I am in a bit of a hurry. I am afraid that traveling together with the caravan will only slow me down."

    In reality, he was not willing to let Cao Cao and Ye Ling stay in the jade satchel for too long or letting them join the caravan. Theter option would just bring attention to himself.

    Hearing the answer, the burly man who offered the position surprisingly did not be insulted. Instead, he just shrugged his shoulders. "In that case, I wish you good luck in your future endeavors. If you need something, do not hesitate to join us at the Blood Ridge Dojo. We usually make a living by guarding caravans so that you can find members of our dojo in many different cities."

    "I will keep this in mind," Xu Min said with a smile. He waved at the older man before he started moving towards the vastnd in front of them.

    Thendscape was t as far as the eye could see. There were no trees, and the only vegetation was a few species of grass and bushes here and there.

    Ambushes were impossible to seed in thesends, but the bandits did not need to ambush. Rather, they would ride on their magical beasts and rush straight for the caravans, fighting to their heart¡¯s content and stealing all the treasure they could get their hands on.

    Some of them would request a percentage of the loot and in return not fight for a way to ensure that they did not lose members. Cultivators could choose to be a bandit, and since the bandit groups were fighting between one another, they needed all the manpower they could acquire.

    Caravans would meet bandits along the way, even though, they posed little threat to Xu Min, he was not willing to reveal his strength unless he had to.

    If he did have to reveal his strength, he would prefer not to leave any witnesses behind. However, if he were traveling with a caravan, many would notice his extraordinary strength.

    Another reason not to join the caravan was exactly what he said before. He was impatient to see Meilin again, and he was impatient to get his revenge. He did not have the time to travel at the speed of a caravan. The only reason he had been slow these couple of days was to gain information from the caravan he had been following behind recently. Now, though, he had all the information he needed. It was about time he sped up his movements.

    As a cultivator, moving at high speed was possible. Consider the Xu Min¡¯s master¡¯s speed and how fast she took him across the entire country in a mere moment. This act showed the insane speed of Immortals.

    Although Xu Min was still not an Immortal, he was able to move at a speed that was in no way inferior to other eight-star Warriors. After leaving the caravan, he stopped suppressing his cultivation base; thus, increasing his speed which was like the wind.

    Now that he could move as fast as the wind, Xu Min allowed for Cao Cao and Ye Ling to travel together with him. Although he would be faster if he traveled on his own since his strength was greater than the two beasts, he knew that neither of them enjoyed staying within the jade satchel. Even though he was eager to get revenge, he was not so impatient that he would sacrifice his friend¡¯s well-being.

    Now with Xu Min¡¯s speed increased, the vastndscape was traversed swiftly. They saw signs of caravans here and there. They also saw signs of battlefields. Broken caravans were spread on the area, and skeletons sprawled on the ground.

    Xu Min did not even bat an eye at these things. The only thing he cared for was to get to Ri Chu City. He traveled through the very core of the danger zone, the core where the strongest bandit groups resided.

    Traveling through this core was the fastest way to reach the other side of the danger zone. Nheless, to do that, one needed to have a very strong group of protectors.

    "I fail to believe that the bandit groups have Immortals allying with them," Xu Min said with a chuckle as he continued to advance. As long as there were no Immortals, then Xu Min felt that he would be safe. Even if they were a whole group of people attacking, then he could depend on his sword to absorb energy and constantly replenish the Qi he spent.

    On top of that, he had the elemental affinities and the spiritual energy. All these three powers mixed together was enough to make him unbeatable under the Immortal rank. The Immortals, on the other hand, were not so easy to deal with. However, Xu Min highly doubted that an esteemed Immortal would lower themselves to be bandits since they could get anything they wanted.

    If a bandit leader did be an Immortal, it was possible for him to bring his bandit group from the danger zone and enter into one of the major cities to create a hegemon that others would not dare to look down upon. Such a faction would be many times more secure and prosperous than being a bandit.

    "Well, we will have problems if you are dealing with a whole bandit group," Ye Ling remarked. "Although you can restore energy while fighting, you will receive wounds if a thousand experts throw themselves at you at the same time."

    "And though you won¡¯t run out of energy, you will still sustain injuries, and these injuries will increase the longer the fight continues. Eventually, they might be possible to defeat us," Cao Cao said with a sigh. "Not to forget that neither Ye Ling nor I am capable of restoring our energy. We might end up dead sooner than you. Even if we were able to contend with the bandit groups, it would be strongly appreciated if we do not have any dealings with them."

    Xu Min chuckled and nodded his head. It was true that it would require extra time to deal with bandits, but right now he was not willing to waste extra time if he could avoid it in any way possible.

    Sensing that Xu Min was not going to look for trouble, both Cao Cao and Ye Ling felt relieved. Neither of them had a miraculous sword like Xu Min, nor did they have any other kind of energy than their own beast core energy. Furthermore, they were not as highly ranked as Xu Min either.

    In a confrontation, both beasts would be the weakest link and would likely be the first killed on Xu Min¡¯s side.

    Since Xu Min considered the beasts his brothers and knowing that they did not feel secure in the face of an army of bandits, he was even more focused on avoiding them at all costs. They had braved all manners of dangers together. Additionally, they had not hesitated to join him in his endeavor to gain revenge.

    "We will try to avoid the bandits," Xu Min said with a smile as he took out the map, "but to do so, we have to leave the roads. The bandits are not able to lie in ambush anywhere but what I assume the areas they patrol. If they find us, they will consider us easy pickings since we are as few as we are," Xu Min exined while he observed the map and his surroundings.

    Contemting a short while, he ran away from the dusty road they had traversed on so far and entered into the endless wilderness.

    Soon it became impossible to see them from the road as they had traveled deeper and deeper into the regions of the danger zone. Xu Min kept clear of the roads to ensure that the patrolling groups of bandits had no way of finding him.

    He no longer saw any signs of humans, only some sparse vegetation. Together man and two beasts moved through the banditirs.

    "Watch out!" Xu Min suddenly warned in a low voice and stopped in his tracks. "Hurry, hide in the jade satchel!" he ordered to Cao Cao and Ye Ling. They did exactly what Xu Min told them to.

    Xu Min should be able to flee from any bandit that he encountered, and the two beasts were aware that they would drag him down. Their only option was to be out of sight and not cause problems.

    "You there, halt!" a voice reverberated through the t wilderness. Xu Min came to a halt. His cultivation base was not suppressed this time, and he had been moving at his fastest speed. Nevertheless, he was wondering who exactly was so brazen enough to try and stop him.

    In the jade satchel, both Cao Cao and Ye Ling sighed. They had warned him earlier about not fighting the bandits and instead flee, but now he had stopped.

    Although they sighed, they also smiled. They knew what Xu Min was like, and they did not want him any other way. "Let us see if he will fight his way through the bandits, or if they will be able to be dissuaded with words," Cao Cao said to Ye Ling who nodded his head. Together the two beasts just settled in the satchel and waited for Xu Min to once more take them out. They did not doubt that he would be fine.

    Though they had warned him earlier, they truly did not think that Xu Min would lose. They had aplete and unshakeable trust in him.

    "Who is it?" Xu Min asked. He was neither friendly nor hostile. He did not know the aim of whoever had approached him, and he was not willing to make enemies of anyone who he encountered.

    Also, it did not sound like it was a whole group of bandits. If there had been a whole group of bandits appearing, then there was no way that Xu Min would not have noticed them. Nheless, somehow this individual had been capable of getting close to Xu Min without thetter noticing. That was in itself a rather miraculous feat.

    "I am Lei Shen," the voice spoke, appearing in the distance. Although he was a far way off, Xu Min could still hear the voice clearly and understood that this Lei Shen was in no way an easy opponent.

    Frowning, he was unsure of what to do. Should he fight this individual if he proved to be hostile, or should he preserve his strength and run away?

    Looking at the figure, Xu Min¡¯s eyes widened. He was not dressed in shabby clothes like bandits. In fact, he was wearing armor. Though this armor was dirty from running through this wastnd, it was of fine quality.

    "You don¡¯t look like a bandit," he unabashedlymented. Stunned as he looked at Xu Min, who frowned again. "That is because I am not," he said straightforwardly.

    The man scratched his chin and seemed to be in deep thought. "I see," he said hesitantly. "I have been tasked with clearing up this area for bandits. But who would have thought that the first person I meet would not be a bandit. Can I trust your word though? Maybe you are trying to trick me? Have you ever stolen before?"

    Xu Min was taken aback by the question. Suddenly he remembered his time in the Immortal Valley. Scratching his head, he was at a loss for how to answer the question.

 Chapter 142: Bandit Hunter

    Chapter 142: Bandit Hunter

    "I have never before stolen things," Xu Min said while looking uncertain, "but there have been events where others have sought to kill me, and I, wanting to live, have killed them. Only then I have taken some items. I don¡¯t consider myself a bandit though since I would never kill innocent people for their possessions."

    The armored man looked at Xu Min with a deep nce and scratched his chin. All of a sudden he startedughing out loud. His ced his hand on Xu Min¡¯s shoulder and patted him with a friendly expression on his face.

    "Kid, I believe you!" he eximed with a strong voice. "now tell me, what is a strong warrior like yourself doing in the middle of this danger zone all alone if you are not going to rob someone?"

    "I am on my way to Ri Chu City," Xu Min said truthfully. "I have to meet up with someone dear to me, and the fastest way would be to travel through this danger zone. However, I am somewhat in a rush, and I can¡¯t afford to take the long way around."

    "I see." The man was silent for some time. His arms were crossed over his chest; his eyes were closed. It was clear that he was deep in thought, but as to what he might be thinking about, Xu Min had no idea.

    Just as Xu Min was about to beat a retreat, he sensed someoneing his way. This time it was not just one person but a group of experts. His eyes hardened. He had nned on avoiding the bandits, but it seemed as if they had already noticed him.

    "Excuse me," Xu Min said with a nod to the armored, pondering man, "I need to go now," he continued. Nheless, before he could start fleeing, the man opened his eyes; his hand shot out and grasped Xu Min¡¯s arm.

    "No need to rush!" the armored man said with a grin on his face. "This is going to be fun. I am here to hunt bandits, and now a group of bandits have appeared. Technically, I should be able to deal with them myself, but it will be easier if you are by my side." he exined. His words displeased Xu Min. He had promised Cao Cao and Ye Ling not to fight if he could avoid it. On the other hand, this man was strong. He would like to see his strength as he had not often seen eight-star Warriors fight.

    "Haha, look at this!" a third voice drifted over the t ne as a group of bandits came into view in front of them. At first, Xu Min was stunned. Was this all?

    In front of him was an eight-star Warrior; behind him was around three hundred bandits. Although the eight-star warrior might prove to be troublesome to deal with, the three hundred warriors would be as simple as killing chickens. The strongest out of them was just two seven-star Warriors. The rest were six stars and below.

    "Do you want the leader or the cannon fodder?" The armored man asked. Xu Min, who was itching for a real fight with an opponent that was his strength, did not even have to think before answering, "I¡¯ll take the leader."

    The armored man gave a long nce at Xu Min, but he said nothing. He just nodded his head. Usually, the easiest task would be to kill therge group of followers. Even so, Xu Min had chosen to take the more challenging part. This decision said a lot about Xu Min¡¯s character. The armored man respected this young warrior more for his bravery.

    Right now, though, Xu Min could not be bothered about how much respect he had gained. All he wanted was to try and use his abilities and to see if he had a chance to defeat eight-star Warriors as easily as he thought he could.

    The likelihood the Zhong family leader bing an eight-star warrior was rather high. Since this was the case, this battle would be a great way to gauge whether or not his revenge was foolish or if he truly held the upper hand.

    Brandishing his sword, Xu Min took one step after another towards the leader. At first, the steps were slow and steady, but the more steps he took, the faster his speed became.

    The sword howled through the air as it shed down. The bandit leader was surprised by the speed disyed by this youngster, and, concurrently, he was deeply shocked by the force which was behind this sword attack.

    "Physical strength? How primitive!" the leader snorted. Even though secretly, he was surprised, he did not feel that he was going to lose. He was used to internal use of Qi and backed away after which he took a stance.

    Qi gathered in the surrounding air. Fireballs appeared which hovered around him. They were ready to be shot towards Xu Min.

    Seeing the fireballs, Xu Min grinned and the sword was sheathed on his back. As Xu Min lifted his hand and an evenrger fireball appeared.

    "ying with fire, I see?" Xu Min asked with a sinister expression on his face, "I can do that too!"

    The fire in Xu Min¡¯s hand was real fire. It was made from the element of fire; whereas, the Qi stance the leader had made was imitating the real elements.

    The moment the real fire appeared in Xu Min¡¯s hand, the temperature increased in the area. Many of the bandits stopped what they were doing to nce at Xu Min.

    In their hearts, they became increasingly ufortable. Many who had tried to get rid of the armored man, roared as they rushed towards Xu Min.

    "Don¡¯t throw your lives away," Xu Min mumbled, but he still lifted his hand to attack. The ball of fire grew to an unimaginable size before it spread out as a ring of fire.

    Then this ring exploded forth from Xu Min¡¯s body and spread throughout the battleground.

    The experts closed to Xu Min burnt to ashes. The experts farther away only suffered minor burns and injuries.

    The eight-star leader of the bandits had also been hit by the fire. Xu Min¡¯s firepletely absorbed his fire orbs. They had not been able to leave any damage, and the disdain he had felt towards this youngster instantly turned to fear.

    "Everyone go against that young man! If we kill him, we will be fine!" the leader yelled out. All the bandits raised their weapons and charged at Xu Min. However, when they charged at him, the leader did not follow. Instead, he turned around and started running away as fast as he could.

    "You think can escape me, huh?" Xu Min growled and set after him. Both were eight-star Warriors, but Xu Min had the aid of the wind element.Consequently, his speed was faster than most other eight-star Warriors.

    He pushed his speed to their limits, and within a brief moment he caught up to the bandit leader.

    In a sweeping motion, he drew his sword and shed it through the air, sending out a horizontal sh which cut through the neck of the leader as easily as cutting through butter.

    Even though the leader had a defensiveyer of Qi around his body, this defensiveyer was being greedily absorbed by the sword and was incapable of producing any resistance to Xu Min¡¯s sword.

    Moments after the head fell from the body and the bandits who saw this all felt listless and fearful. They tried to flee, but how could they flee from two eight-star Warriors?

    Xu Min and the armored man¡¯s speed were many times faster than the others. Within a short time, the armored man and Xu Min had caught everyone and executed them without any hesitation.

    Although Xu Min did not like killing for no reason, he did not approve of bandits that killed innocent travelers. In turn, he felt no qualms about helping this armored man in clearing out a bandit group.

    "Thank you for your assistance, everything went much smoother than I had expected," the armored man said. His face filled with a great smile as he looked at Xu Min, but deep within his eyes shown some fear. He had seen Xu Min¡¯s prowess, and he was worried that Xu Min would attack him as well.

    Nevertheless, Xu Min had other ns. He wished to reach Ri Chu City as soon as possible and to do so he had to move on. He had already tested his strength against an ordinary eight-star Warrior. Fighting another was not a great idea, especially since he could feel that this armored man was stronger than the man he had just killed.

    "Let us split the loot, and then I will be off," Xu Min smiled. The armored man nodded his head in agreement. Although Xu Min was a great helper to him, he couldn¡¯t trust someone he had just met. Thus splitting up was the best idea for them for now.

    Xu Min and this armored person also had different goals with their trip. Xu Min wanted to cross the danger zone as soon as possible while the armored person wished to find as many bandit groups as he could and attack them.

    "Thank you for your help," the armored man said. Xu Min cupped his fists and bowed slightly before he turned around and started leaving.

    Lingering around would waste time, and time was the only thing he did not have.

    Having fought the eight-star thief leader, Xu Min had gobbled up some of his Qi. Now as he started traveling forward once more, his speed was a bit slower. He was refining the Qi and making it into his own energy, causing him to slow down.

    Although the fight had been brief, he had managed to obtain quite a bit of energy. He could feel that he was at his peak strength after a few minutes, even surpassing it. As every minute past, Xu Min was bing stronger.

    Although Xu Min enjoyed the feeling of getting stronger, he was not negligent at all. He continued to observe everything which happened around him. His senses were on high alert, and he observed the surroundings around him as he shot forward like the wind, traversing the wilderness swiftly.

    From time to time he would take out the map and see where he was and what way to continue moving. Nheless, he would continue to avoid the roads where he knew that even more bandits would be patrolling. Moreover, he would also avoid the caravans this way.

    This way, Xu Min managed to move even further and further into the danger zone. He spread his soul out to the max. Whenever he sensed bandit groups, he would take a detour to avoid detection.

    This was only possible because the groups he was sensing possessed no eight-star Warriors in them. The further into the core of the danger zone he came, the more bandits he had to avoid.

    "Well, let us just keep moving forward," Xu Min said with gritted teeth. He had not gone to the very center of the danger zone, but he was still in the core, and many bandits were still around. Xu Min believed he would still be able to avoid them. If he could not avoid them, then he could always run away. Although his strength was strong enough to contend with these bandits, he was not in the mood to fight anymore. Rather he wanted to just continue forward to Ri Chu City and ran from everyone who would try to stop him.

 Chapter 143: Returning to Ri Chu City

    Chapter 143: Returning to Ri Chu City

    Xu Min continued onward. From time to time bandits would notice him, but by relying on his speed, he was able to escape without entering any fights.

    After a few more days of traveling, he made his way through the danger zone without encountering any more bandits or dangerous situations, though, some of the experts he was up against were also eight-star Warriors. However, as soon as they saw Xu Min running away from them so swiftly, they all decided that it was not worth it and led their bandits another way.

    Once he was out of the danger zone, Xu Min took Cao Cao and Ye Ling out of the jade satchel and allowed them to move as they pleased.

    "We are halfway to Ri Chu City now," Xu Min exined cheerfully. Together the three of them continued forward at their fastest speed.

    Many noticed them on their way. Seeing Xu Min, everyone was shocked by how young he looked and how fierce hispanions were. No one dared to stand in his way. Even though Xu Min wished to keep a low profile, at this point in his journey, this was impossible for him.

    Fortunately, his teacher had not been joking when she said that she would get vengeance on the allied families of the Ruins of the Immortals.

    Everyone who had partaken in the hunt for Xu Min was punished severely. No one dared to say a word when they saw how the Guardians of the Immortal Valley exploded forth with their strength and discipline.

    The allied families each possessed one Immortal, but this was nothingpared to the many Immortals that were present in the Guardians of the Immortal Valley. Those who still held resentment towards Xu Min buried it deep in their hearts, never allowing for anyone to ever discover it.

    If Xu Min had been aware of this, then he would have been less worried. Nheless, for now, he figured that the best idea was to move as swiftly as he could, so no one would catch up to him.

    Moving as swiftly as Xu Min and his beast brothers were, one day turned into two and two days turned into three. After seven days he finally arrived at Ri Chu City. His previously cold and callous face broke into a smile as he remembered everything which had happened between himself and Meilin within this city.

    He entered into the city. Everyone around him stared at both him and his beasts with reverence. Even the guards dared not stop and question him about his purpose within their city.

    The moment Xu Min entered he felt a strange peace overwhelm him. He remembered all the memories he had within this city, and he could not help but smile a little as he was reminded of Meilin and their first encounter.

    At first, he had disliked her, but this was only because he had misunderstood her. She had been haughty and arrogant, which also turned Xu Min off. However, only after getting to know her did he understand that she was a gentle and loveable youngdy, not someone who judged others based on their heritage.

    He remembered how he had fought the other families in the tournament in an attempt to assist Meilin and her family, and he could not help but chuckle. Now that he was back, he would be able to deal with their families much more easily if it was needed.

    Xu Min had been gone for quite some time. Because of this, those who had seen him before were unable to recognize him. The two fierce beasts by his side drew most of the attention, detracting most of the attention from Xu Min. Although he was the owner of these beasts, his appearance was just that of a human and thus he was easily forgotten.

    Xu Min did not mind that no one seemed to recognize him. In fact, he was rather relieved. He returned to Ri Chu City to reunite with Yong Meilin, not to have his old enemies know that he was back. Then these enemies of his would perhaps plot something against him, causing him more dys.

    Xu Min felt his heart beating rapidly. The closer he got to the Alluring Treasure Pavilion, the more excited he became.

    Cao Cao and Ye Ling could not help but joke amongst themselves. "Look at him; he¡¯s so lovesick!" Cao Caomented, making Ye Lingughed, "I wonder what kind of woman can make him this excited," he answered curiously.

    Ye Ling had joined them in the Immortal Valley. Thus he had never before met Meilin. He was filled with curiosity towards this mysterious woman who could make his otherwise cold and cynical friend filled with warm feelings.

    "You¡¯ll see her soon enough," Cao Cao snickered. "She is beautiful like no other woman; she is his moon. She shines light into his darkest moments, and if it was not for her, I fear he would have be a monster long ago."

    Cao Cao spoke rather seriously. Ye Ling nodded his head, still fascinated by this woman. It was clear that Xu Min would have be a true monster if he had lived solely for revenge. Fortunately, he had two good brothers in these two beasts and a woman whom his heart longed to be with. Because of these three loved ones, Xu Min was incapable of turning into a mass-murder who cared little about innocent lives.

    Xu Min continued. A smile edged onto his lips, and his eyes shone. "Meilin, I hope you have lived well," he mumbled to himself. When he reached the location where the Alluring Treasure Pavilion had been locatedst time he was in Ri Chu City, he felt something was not right.

    Xu Min¡¯s face turned dark; his brows furrowed and a killing intent so strong emerged that anyone close to him instantly retreated.

    The location where the Alluring Treasure Pavilion had stood strong and towered over Ri Chu City was now in rubble. Everything showed signs that a massive fight had taken ce. Courtyards and other buildings had holes through the walls where experts had flown through. Dried blood painted some of the white walls in a ck color, and the beautiful gardens had been uprooted.

    The tower itself which had been the Alluring Treasure Pavilion had been leveled t. Nothing of it remained.

    "What happened here?" Cao Cao could not help but ask in a shocked voice. He looked at everything around him with eyes that failed to believe what he was seeing.

    "Meilin!" Xu Min called out, but no one answered. Without waiting for any reply, Xu Min entered what was left of the Alluring Treasure Pavilion and started walking through the devastated area.

    He soon noticed the many poorer families who had moved into the courtyards and houses which had not been fully destroyed. Beggars and other citizens lived in the rubble.

    "My lord, can I help you?" A small girl asked and tugged Xu Min¡¯s clothes as she looked at him with big eyes. "I am hungry," she continued, "I will show you around town for a copper coin. Please let me help you."

    Xu Min bent his knees and looked her in the eyes. "I will help you buy a lot of food if you can tell me what happened here. And if you can tell me what happened to auctioneer Yong Meilin, then I will give you two silver coins."

    Xu Min dared not promise the little girl more than two silver coins as wealth could lead to greediness and then cmity. However, he would help her and her family eat well for a few days. That was the best he could do for now.

    "Around a year ago Auctioneer Yong Meilin went back to the capital," the girl with the big eyes started exining in a bright voice right away. She was afraid that the offer would vanish, and then have no more opportunity for food. "We don¡¯t know why she left Ri Chu City, but she was fetched by a magnificent entourage. I have never seen so many horses and warriors before! They rode through the entire Ri Chu City, even the slums. That is how I got to see them." she exined.

    "When they left, the other families in Ri Chu City, lead by the Tang family, pounced at the Alluring Treasure Pavilion. They killed everyone who worked here and divided the spoils. They didn¡¯t dare do anything to the grounds though. They wished to use Alluring Treasure Pavilion¡¯s destruction to show other neers what happens if one tries to overreach the major families within Ri Chu City."

    Xu Min¡¯s eyes turned hard. Wasn¡¯t Meilin¡¯s grandfather the man in charge of Ri Chu City?

    "Howe the Alluring Treasure Pavilion allowed this to happen?" He asked with a silent voice, but the girl just shrugged her shoulders, "I don¡¯t know," she said honestly. She was only a little girl. How was it possible for her to know the answer to such a serious question?

    "Tell me about the Tang family," Xu Min changed the subject. "How strong is their strongest member, and how many high ranked Warriors do they have?"

    Although the Alluring Treasure Pavilion had no intention of gaining revenge, Xu Min was different. He felt that he owed the Alluring Treasure Pavilion of Ri Chu City a debt, and this debt was going to be repaid by him. Unfortunately, it seemed that the only thing he was able to do was to gain vengeance for the dead spirits. It was unfortunate he was always toote to save the ones that mattered to him.

    "The Tang family is the most prominent family within Ri Chu City now. Especially after the Alluring Treasure Pavilion was crushed. They have multiple businesses within Ri Chu City, and their businesses can be recognized by the sign of two crossed war hammers that is shown outside on the doorframe of all their shops."

    "They have two eight-star Warriors and many seven-star warriors. They also have hired most of the six-star warriors within Ri Chu City as guards, and they patrol the entire area as if they are the kings."

    The little girl pouted as if she was used to being mistreated by these guards. Xu Min gently petted her hair. "Don¡¯t worry about them for now," he said with a smile. "Why don¡¯t you go and fetch your family? I will take you to eat as much as you can."

    The little girl stared at him with big eyes and nodded her head. Without doubting that he would vanish if she left. She instantly turned around and ran to a house which was in terrible shape. After which she returned to Xu Min with around ten other kids.

    All of these kids were in terrible shape. Their clothes were filled with patches, none of them wore shoes. Their faces were sunken in, and they were incredibly skinny. Seeing them, Xu Min felt bad and shook his head in regret. He wished he could do more for them than what he was about to do.

    "Come with me," he said. He then led all the kids towards the center of town where there were many inns.

    Xu Min picked the nicest of all the inns. He turned to enter, but when he tried to go in, the inn keeper looked upon the kids and instantly frowned.

    "Esteemed expert, these kids are not able to enter," he said snobbishly while wrinkling his nose.

    By now both Ye Ling and Cao Cao were within the jade satchel, but Xu Min¡¯s eyes shed dangerously. With a flicker of his hand, he retrieved ten gold coins.

    "I will give these to you if you feed me and the children," he said with a dangerously low voice. He prefered avoiding any violence if possible.

    The innkeeper looked at the ten gold coins, and his eyes started shining with greed. When he looked at the children, he was unsure of what to do.

    "Why don¡¯t we do like this," Xu Min offered, "you don¡¯t want them in the restaurant. Then just give us a room instead. This way we will not insult any of your other customers, and you can still ensure that we get treated well."

 Chapter 144: Children

    Chapter 144: Children

    The innkeeper looked at Xu Min and the gold coins whichid in the expert¡¯s hands for quite some time. Although he did not want beggar children in his inn, he did want those gold coins. After considering for some time, he acquiescently agreed.

    "We will do as the young master says," he stated and called for a servant.

    "Lead them to a room that is empty and big enough to have them all inside," he ordered curtly. The servant, who nced at the kids with disdain, frowned but agreed when he noticed the gold coins in the hands of his boss.

    "Come this way customer," he said, and he led the children and Xu Min upstairs.

    "I wonder what he is nning to do with those children," someone murmured discreetly to the person sitting next to him. Others also started discussing the subject. Most were thinking he was nning something evil, but Xu Min justpletely ignored them and their insidious gossip. He went into the room and sat down on the floor.

    "Don¡¯t be scared of me," Xu Min told the children when he noticed that especially the girls had gotten worried after hearing what the people were saying.

    "If I wanted you dead, you would already be dead," he said with a brilliant smile on his face. Though the smile was quite contradictory to what Xu Min said, it caused the children to rx somewhat.

    Soon after knocking sounds could be heard from the door and a line of servants appeared with all kinds of delicacies.

    "I also want you to bring me three roasted sheep," Xu Min requested. He tossed another three gold coins to the servants who scrambled to catch them.

    "Yes sir!" they called out and hurried to leave the room. Roasting sheep would take quite a long time, but if he wished to have roasted sheep, then roasted sheep, he would have. A gold coin for one sheep was an incredible pay that they would never say no too.

    The servants went straight for the innkeeper and respectfully handed the gold coins to him alongside Xu Min¡¯s request.

    "Roast the sheep right away!" he ordered, but deep inside he could not help but wonder what exactly Xu Min was doing. Why feed so much food to beggar children?

    "Don¡¯t be shy, dig in!" Xu Min said with a smile as he pointed at the many dishes that were spread all over the room. There was one table in the room, but the majority of the food had been ced on the floor since there was not enough space on the table.

    The children were all salivating; their eyes were wide open, and their stomachs growled, but even so, they were hesitant. They had never before tasted anything this good. They feared the time when it would gone, and they would return to starvation.

    Xu Min looked at them and understood exactly what they were feeling, and his heart ached for them. He could not stay in Ri Chu City and look after them. Neither could he give themrge sums of money because he knew it would just get robbed from them. Most likely all the recent wealth would bring them trouble, and he knew no faction which would look after them now after the Alluring Treasure Pavilion was gone.

    "I wille up with somethingter," he mumbled to himself and smiled at the children. "Eat, eat while it is still hot!" he urged them. Soon the scent became simply too tempting, and the youngest of the children reached out for the tes closest to them and started slowly tasting the food.

    At the start, they only nibbled at it gently, as if afraid that it would vanish or that they would be scolded. However, after tasting the delicious food, they started shoveling the food into their mouths.

    The older kids no longer hesitated. They also started eating all that they could. Soon all the dishes had been finished off. The children were still hungry, but none of them said anything. They just looked at the tes with a longing expression. They were sad because they wished they had savored the food more.

    "Don¡¯t worry," Xu Minughed, "This was only the first portion," he promised. Xu Min opened the door, and he went down to the restaurant.

    More gold was exchanged for more food, and the process started again. Soon the servers brought the food into the room. When the children saw, even more, food this time than the first time, their eyes shone with happiness. Now they did not hesitate to eat before digging into the food.

    "Don¡¯t rush," Xu Minughed. "I promise to stay here with you all day, so you can eat as much as you can," he promised them. The children looked at him with eyes filled with gratitude. This was the greatest kindness they had ever experienced and all because one of them had given him a little bit of information.

    They did not realize that Xu Min also came from a poor upbringing. He came from a ce where, he too, had been beaten on a daily basis and often had been hungry when going to sleep.

    After the first two portions of food, the children¡¯s stomachs were filled with food, but their eyes were still eying the food greedily. Xu Minughed again, "don¡¯t rush, eat slowly," he said with a smile.

    "Sit down and cross your legs. Close your arms and ce your hands in yourps." he guided the children. They all did as he told them to. "Now sense your own body, focus on your breathing. Can you feel that there is an energy which enters your body with each breath, and when you breathe out this energy stays within your body?" he asked gently.

    Most of the children frowned and tilted their heads as if they did not understand what he was saying. Nheless, they still spent their entire focus on trying to grasp what it was that was so special about their breathing. Surprisingly, three of the children opened their eyes in surprise.

    "I can feel it!" one of them said shocked. "What is it?"

    "It is the essence of the heavens and earth. When it enters your body, it will slowly be part of your strength and turn into Qi. If you sit as I instructed and focus on your breathing, you will be able to gain even more than if you just normally walk around. If you acquire enough Qi, you will one day be a Student Warrior and then a one-star Warrior." he exined with a smile on his face.

    Hearing what Xu Min had exined, a fanatic expression appeared on the faces of the children and all of them returned to sit as Xu Min had told them to do and started cultivating.

    This was their very first encounter with cultivation. Some of them had natural talent while others had no talent at all. Still, they all worked hard, and soon they felt that their bodies which had been aching from overeating became normal againfort. Their bloated bellies started to shrink, and all the nutrients they had eaten started to enter their body to strengthen them.

    Xu Min was smiling as he looked at all of them. Suddenly, someone knocked on the door, and a servant appeared with the roasted sheep.

    "My lord, here are the sheep," he said politely and ced them on the floor. His eyes curiouslynded on the children. He was shocked when he felt how the air in the entire room was distorted from so many young children cultivating.

    "Boss, you will not believe what I just saw!" the servant went straight for the innkeeper¡¯s ce in the inn to tell him what he had seen.

    "I just went to deliver the sheep to the rich expert, and when I entered all those children who had been eating like pigs were all cultivating!"

    "Could it be the lord expert is here to find a disciple?" he asked excitedly. The innkeeper frowned. Even he had thought that this young expert had some indecent in mind when he suggested to give them a room alone. However, now, upon hearing that the children were just cultivating, he was stunned.

    "We cannot afford to insult this expert." he said with a sigh. "he is rich, and he has a deep cultivation base that even I cannot be sure of just how high it is."

    In the room, Xu Min did not care at all about whatever the servant thought of him. He was helping these children cultivate because he hoped that they would gain a little bit of strength, so they could look after themselves.

    He took Cao Cao and Ye Ling out of the jade satchel when the servant left.

    "Time to eat," he said in a low voice, "but don¡¯t disturb the kids. They need a few more hours before they can eat more," he said seriously, and the two beasts nodded their heads.

    They were a little confused as to what was going on, but none of them asked. Instead, they started eating the roast sheep that they had in front of them.

    The day went by quietly. When the children opened their eyes and felt all the food they had eaten had been digested, they were deeply shocked.

    But this shock was nothingpared to when they saw the two massive, fierce beasts that were suddenly present within the room.

    The older children were scared out of their minds seeing these two beasts/ Yet when one of the youngest girls went towards Ye Ling and started petting him, their fear vanished almost instantly and was reced by excitement. They all went towards the beasts and started admiring them with sparkling eyes.

    Cao Cao loved the attention. He immediately started boasting about how amazing he was. He began telling tales about him, and Xu Min¡¯s adventures; soon the children sat on his back, listening to his words with great interest. To these children, this was without a doubt one magical day.

    "I have some things I need to do tonight," Xu Min said with a smile as he looked at the children.

    "I will rent this room for three days. During these three days, food will be brought here three times a day. Throughout these three days, you are to cultivate as much as you can, and we will see how strong you be," he smiled. The children who were sure that the fairy tale would end this night were ecstatic. They were promised another three days of luxury. In their hearts, they swore that they would do all in their power to cultivate hard so that brother expert who was treating them so well would be proud when he came back three days from then.

    "Cao Cao, Ye Ling, it¡¯s time for us to go visit some old friends," Xu Min said smilingly. The children, however, noticed nothing wrong; whereas, the two beasts could sense the cold and prating killing intent that was present behind the gentle smile and the friendly words.

    Xu Min appeared at the foot of the stairs and went to talk with the innkeeper. He paid him an entire hundred gold coins to ensure that the room was well looked after the next three days. After that, he vanished into the night.

    "Being able to throw money around like this, he must be a great figure," the innkeeper mumbled to himself but said nothing out loud. In his heart, he was just happy that he had allowed the children inside. This man alone had paid him more than what he would earn in five years normally.

    "Where are we going?" Cao Cao asked curiously as they entered the dark and cold night. Xu Min, who looked into the sky with a cold and callous expression on his face, slowly uttered one sentence "We are going to bath the Tang family in their own blood."

 Chapter 145: Monster

    Chapter 145: Monster

    Cao Cao and Ye Ling could not help but gasp loudly when they heard what Xu Min had said. They could feel the smoldering anger in his voice and knew that this was a decision not up for discussion.

    Since Xu Min had made up his mind, neither Cao Cao nor Ye Ling could say anything against it. Together the three disappeared into the night, traveling through the empty streets towards the Tang family¡¯spound.

    Strangely, no one was out and about this night. It was as if the city intuitively felt something soon was going to happen. Everyone was in their homes. Not even the drinking ces and brothels were filled with their normallyrge amount of customers; they were all strangely quiet.

    Xu Min and Cao Cao were filled with hate. Both of them had experienced the hospitality of the Alluring Treasure Pavilion before. Most importantly, though, Xu Min¡¯s beloved was from this family. Seeing Alluring Treasure Pavilion utterly destroyed was merely too shocking for them; emotions surged within him, especially anger.

    "I am sure the Alluring Treasure Pavilion has their ns," Xu Min suddenly said to Cao Cao and Ye Ling. "They are a major family in the entire kingdom. even so, I cannot let the Tang family get away with what they have done."

    "Their punishment will be the same as their treatment they gave to the Alluring Treasure Pavilion. We will tear down their entire familypound. We will bathe the floor with their blood. There is a chance that Meilin¡¯s grandfather is still alive and kept captive somewhere, so we will rescue him."

    Cao Cao and Ye Ling nodded their heads solemnly. They could feel the hatred in Xu Min¡¯s voice. It was a hatred that made even their blood turn cold whenever it came out and bared its fangs.

    They quickly arrived at the Tang family within a short amount of time. It was a bigpound, even bigger than the one which had belonged to the Alluring Treasure Pavilion. It had massive gates and guards standing at the entrance. A big wall framed the many buildings inside. Guards were stationed on top of the walls to ensure that no unwanted visitors broke in.

    "Wreck havoc!" Xu Min ordered and dashed straight into the guard. He created his spiritual energy bow and started shooting at the guards that came in his way. One guard after another fell to the ground without as much as making a sound.

    Cao Cao and Ye Ling followed straight behind Xu Min. They went for the wall itself. While Xu Min was sniping the guards, they were a lot less silent about their attack. They rammed directly into the wall, causing the ground to tremble. The part they rammed into copsed four meters to both sides from the impact.

    "What a weak wall," Cao Cao murmured after which he retreated and collided with the wall, again and again, leaving it in shambles.

    By now, everyone in the city could feel the ground shaking, and the sounds of screams as guards were being buried alive under the rubble.

    Some of the stronger experts left their quarters toe and observe, but everyone below the fifth star wisely decided to stay away. They knew this was a massacre where they could easily end up dead like all those others.

    The entire city was shocked. What was happening to the Tang family? Was it the Alluring Treasure Pavilion which hade for revenge? However, if it was the Alluring Treasure Pavilion, why did they attack in the middle of the night and not in broad daylight to show that they were in the right?

    Everyone was confused, but no one was more confused than the Tang familypound themselves.

    "Didn¡¯t we contact the Alluring Treasure Pavilion and was trying to reach an agreement? It is a waste for them to bring a whole army here to a backwater city like Ri Chu City to deal with us. If we could promise them some rewards and the life of the old man, then they would let us go?!" shouted the shocked head-member of the Tang family. Right now, his mind was in shambles.

    He had nned out long ago how to deal with the Alluring Treasure Pavilion. He believed that as long as he had the old leader of Ri Chu City¡¯s Alluring Treasure Pavilion was held hostage, then they would not dare to make a move on him.

    But now someone hade to his doorstep asking for trouble.

    "My lord, it is not the Alluring Treasure Pavilion," a guard finally said with trembling voice. "After examining them closer, we discovered, it is a youngster with two fierce beasts. The youngster is tremendously strong and able to kill all the guards that appear in front of him. We don¡¯t know his rank just yet, but even six-star Warriors are no match for neither him nor those beasts."

    "One of those fierce beasts is a snake. It keeps swallowing any human that ites across. The other one is a type of lion which I have never seen before. I don¡¯t think it exists within our kingdom; I am quite sure."

    "While the young man is set on killing as many as possible, the two beasts seem to be causing as much havoc as they can. They are leveling any building theye across, even the protective wall around our home has beenpletely shattered."

    The more the guard spoke, the uglier the face of the Tang family leader became. A youngster who could kill all the warriors of his family? Two beasts that wrecked havoc? What in the world was going on?

    When had he and his family gained such ferocious enemies? When had they insulted someone with such a strong backing other than the Alluring Treasure Pavilion? Was this youngster perhaps a member of the pavilion which hade for personal vengeance? It seemed unlikely.

    "We have to hurry if we want to save anyone," the guard urged. His voice was trembling with fear he tried to hide. He had seen the damage that these two beasts were causing and knew that many family members and servants had been buried already in the rubble, sustaining deep injuries and some even losing their lives.

    But that was nothingpared to the massacre that the young man had unleashed. Every guard who hade into reach of his bow had died. Even six-ranked Warriors were unable to survive even one arrow.

    "Let us go," the leader said with a dignified yet afraid voice. He had wrapped a robe around his body and took a sword that stood by the side of the bed.

    "I fail to believe that this young man will be able to deal with us all, especially the elders of my Tang family. The elders were all seven-star Warriors. This is not a level that some child can reach."

    "Yes leader, you know more," the guard said out loud and nodded his head, but in his heart, he had his doubts. Killing six-star Warriors like mere chickens showed that he was at least a seven-star Warrior himself.

    Still, he was not too worried. There were quite a few elders, and all of them added together should be able to stop this child and his beasts, even if he was a seven-star Warrior.

    Unfortunately, the reality was not as they had expected. The further they went looking for Xu Min the louder the screams became. People were fleeing for their lives as they rushed further and further into the familypound.

    Meeting these people who were running infuriated the family leader of the Tang family. Some of them were guards, they were supposed to be out there facing the enemy, but instead, they were fleeing for their lives!

    At first, he was furious. He even tried to stop the guards, but he soon found that it was useless. None of the guards stopped even for a moment. All of them were in panic and shock and only thought of saving themselves.

    Seeing that this was the case, the leader increased his speed.Soon he was out of the main mansion. He stood there, gaping at what used to be his family¡¯s pride.

    The many courtyards were utterly destroyed. Nothing was left except a pile of rubble. The intimidating wall that had surrounded thepound was leveled t, and the ground was filled with pools of blood. Corpses were scattered all over the ground. While he looked at these corpses, his face turned pale. The many guards he had painstakingly trained and paid a fortune for in resources and money had died so quickly.

    All of them were members of his family, seeing them die just like this was simply heart wrenching.

    It was impossible for him to do anything to save them. His eyes turned red as he stared down the young man who hade to a halt not far from him.

    "Long time no see," Xu Min said with a wry smile on his face. The family leader was stumped. Did he know this young man?

    He narrowed his eyes as he tried to remember where he had seen this young man before. This young man did seem familiar but from where?.

    "It¡¯s that youth!" someone finally remembered. "He represented the Alluring Treasure Pavilion in the tournament years back. He was the one always together with Yong Meilin!"

    "God what a transformation. Back then he was not that strong, and look at him now! He is a monster who can cause such rampage and carnage!" someone eximed.

    "So you are here for the sake of the Alluring Treasure Pavilion?" The family leader asked with hostility in his voice. "Don¡¯t you think that your actions are too merciless? The old man who treated you so well is doomed to die now as a result of your actions. I will kill him in front of you!"

    "How funny!" Xu Minughed. "Do you think that I will allow you to leave here and go get him? Do you believe that I have not already found him, and I am rescuing him right at this moment?"

    "He is guarded by a seven-star Warrior!" the family leader sneered with malice, but his words only caused Xu Min to snort andugh out loud.

    "A mere seven-star Warrior, if you want to put up a fight with, you have to at least be a peak eight-star warrior!"

    The words thundered in the ears of everyone present. There were no eight-star Warriors present within the entire Tang family. To ask for one toe forward was simply an impossibility.

    "Well, you caused this situation, so learn how to deal with it!" Xu Min sneered, and once more the bow appeared in his hand. Spiritual energy arrows shot forward killing two more guards. The guards copsed on the ground as their eyes dimmed and thest breath of life left their bodies.

    He moved like the wind, shooting constantly and killing one man after another. However, all this time, the family leader could not act. He was struck dumb with shock and fear.

    "I fail to believe that a kid like you is an eight-star Warrior!" he finally yelled out breaking his trance. He then started chasing Xu Min, but no matter how much he tried to chase he was constantly behind.

    Following behind Xu Min, he tried his very best to capture Xu Min, but he could only follow his trail of death. The leader could only watch as more and more guards died.

    Now no one was fighting back anymore; rather, everyone was trying to flee. However, the majority was caught by the arrows and died on the spot.

    The more that died, the redder the eyes of the Tang family leader became. His heart cried out, and his intestines turned green with regret.

    He knew he could have dealt with the Alluring Treasure Pavilion through enough treasure and persuasion, but who would have thought that this extreme monster would turn up out of nowhere demanding revenge?

    If he had known that this would happen, then no matter how much they would have been suppressed by the Alluring Treasure Pavilion, the Tang family would never have had the guts to fight them.

 Chapter 146: Ending the Tang Family

    Chapter 146: Ending the Tang Family

    Unfortunately, it was not possible to change what had happened. The family leader of the Tang family within Ri Chu City had no power to stop what was happening around him.

    Both cultivators and civilians alike were fleeing for their lives. Xu Min released spiritual energy arrows from his bow so quickly that each expert would die with each arrow being released.

    The Tang family leader realized he had to step up and fight. He knew he had to see if he could stop this expert that was wantonly killing everyone in his home, but just a nce at Xu Min made him shrink away in fear.

    Everyone who looked at the family leader felt their hearts explode with indignation. He was the strongest expert present, yet he just stood there staring at the guards dying one after another! Even the ones who tried to flee cursed him in their hearts.

    "Finished." the Tang family leader was listless as he looked at the mayhem that had erupted in what used to be a peaceful family home. "My family is finished! How could this little monster transform so much in such a short time! I cannot believe it!"

    Although the Tang family leader had a hard time epting it, he had to acknowledge the facts that were in front of him. He was now stuck in a problematic situation. Should he flee and stay alive, or should he stay and fight, which would allow others to flee in his stead?

    The guard who had followed him before looked at the leader. His face contorted in disgust as he understood the thoughts of his leader. Without wasting any more time, the young guard turned his tail and ran. He was not willing to stay even a moment longer if it meant he would sacrifice his life for a family where even the leader was considering running away.

    The Tang family leader finally reached a decision. He turned around and got ready to run. However, the moment he turned he felt an indescribable pain in his chest. When he looked down, he saw a white arrow made from energy sticking through his chest. It had went through his entire chest, from the back to the front, and made a perfect round gaping hole.

    As the arrow dissipated into thin air, the lifeforce from the Tang family leader also vanished. His eyes turned dim, and his body copsed on the ground.

    After the family leader died, the battle slowly died out. Cao Cao and Ye Ling were both appearing with the old grandfather from the Alluring Treasure Pavilion. He was wearing fine clothes and seemed to have been treated well. Nevertheless, when he saw the devastation of the Tang family a glint of schadenfreude appeared in his eyes.

    "To think that Nephew Min has managed to be such an outstanding character in such a short amount of time. It leaves me speechless." the grandfather smiled gently as he looked at Xu Min. Although he had been treated well by the Tang family, he had after all been a hostage; he could not forget how the Tang family and their allies had killed his guards and friends in the Alluring Treasure Pavilion.

    Still, he was a practical man. He understood that it was inconvenient for the Alluring Treasure Pavilion to send an army here to deal with the Tang family. Thus he had expected that they would get away with it, as long as they delivered all the goods they had stolen alongside some wealth and his life to the main capital of the Alluring Treasure Pavilion safely.

    Now he saw that the Tang family had been eradicated. The remnant guards and survivors were running around like headless chickens. Their eyes filled with fear and none of them even dared looking at Xu Min.

    Seeing that Xu Min had returned and gotten revenge for him, Meilin¡¯s Grandfather was thrilled. He felt that justice had been served, and he was finally at peace with what had happened.

    The hunter had be the hunted. Everything had ended this night. The Tang family had ended and the resentment between the Alluring Treasure Pavilion and Ri Chu City had alsoe to an end.

    "Here," Xu Min epted multiple storage treasures from Cao Cao and Ye Ling. He searched through all of them. They contained all the wealth that the Tang family had umted throughout the years as well as the loot they had taken from the Alluring Treasure Pavilion.

    "I have no use for these things," Xu Min sighed. He handed it all over to the Alluring Treasure Pavilion¡¯s elder. "This originally belonged to you so take it back. Use the silver and gold to hire some guards and rush back to the capital. I think that having this much wealth is dangerous."

    "Don¡¯t let anyone know you possess the treasures. Just let them think that I have it. If theye to rob me, then don¡¯t mind if I rob them instead." Xu Min grinned. The grandfather looked rather confused, but he nodded his head in agreement. He understood that Xu Min was adamant about this.

    "There is no reason to linger here in Ri Chu City any longer," Xu Min said with a sigh as he looked at all the dead cultivators. He was going to leave the clean up to the allied families who had attacked the Alluring Treasure Pavilion together with the Tang family.

    The grandfather did nothing to dy Xu Min. He had long since understood that this young man had some important matters that could not be dyed and thus he did not ask him to go to the capital with him, even though he knew that his grandchild would be waiting impatiently to see him.

    "I have a favor to ask you," Xu Muin finally sighed. "There is a group of children who have been a great help. They told me what happened to the Alluring Treasure Pavilion without them I would not have known where to go or what to do.. Can you bring them with you to the capital and look after them? Give them small jobs as errand boys, so they can earn enough money to sustain themselves."

    Xu Min knew that there was a chance that he would say no. Looking after a group of children was a real pain. Furthermore,it was not profitable for him in any way. However, he still felt the need to ask. These children reminded him too much of himself, and he wanted to see them have a better life.

    "Sure, I will take them with me," agreed the grandfather. He did not even hesitate a moment. He nodded his head; a serious expression appeared in his eyes. "Let me look after these children and then we will have them running errands for us in the capital."

    Usually the grandfather was not a charitable man. However, Xu Min had just gained vengeance for him, and his request had been incredibly fair. He had even given him all the treasures and loot that the Tang family had,which was a show of absolute sincerity. Looking after these children would not be a problem.

    Feeling relieved, Xu Min led the elder man towards the inn where the children were sleeping. All of them stayed the night there until the children woke up the following morning.

    "I need to leave now," Xu Min informed these children. When he said this, he could see the sadness in their eyes.

    "Don¡¯t worry. It does not mean that I am saying goodbye forever," he smiled. "Over there is a grandpa. He will be going to the capital. He has offered to take you all with him and give you a job so that you can earn money and live a respectable life."

    "I have some things I need to do, but when I finish, then I too, will be going to the capital. Then we can meet again. That being said I do not want to force anyone to leave, if you do not want to leave you do not have to. You can continue living as usual here in Ri Chu City if you wish."

    The children looked at one another. The older children gathered and started discussing their options. After a few minutes the oldest boy straightened his back, tidied his clothes to the best of his ability and clenched his fists. "We would like to go to the capital. Although it is a risk, it is also a possibility for us. This opportunity is something we cannot let go."

    The older man was astonished to hear a small child speak like this. Instantly,he started to approve of these children. Even though he would have looked after them because Xu Min asked him to, he would just have them run errands only, strictly as he had promised. Nevertheless, now he was wondering if they were worth investing in. He was always on the hunt for talented youths.

    Xu Min felt relieved. He was aware that he could not save the entire world¡¯s poor unfortunate children, but he felt better knowing that he had helped these children to a better life.

    "I need to get going now," Xu Min sighed, "I will return to the Alluring Treasure Pavilion in the capital when Iplete with my business."

    Xu Min did not mention Meilin. He longed to see her, but he understood that he had to survive the fight with the Zhong family first. Although he had faith in his strength he had a feeling that something was amiss.

    Still, he came this far, and he was not going to give up. He was going to ughter the Zhong family, and anyone who blocked his path would be his enemies.

    Xu Min said his farewells. Together with Cao Cao and Ye Ling he vanished from Ri Chu City. He had been in the city for a short time, but during the time, he had caused true havoc. He had ughtered the biggest family within the city, and he knew that this would cause internal strife amongst the other families.

    The ground belonging to the Alluring Treasure Pavilion and the rubbles that had used to be the Tang familypound was likely to be purchased by the remaining major families. This would allow them to attempt to take over the new position as the leader of the city. Nheless, it was impossible to say who would actuallye out on top.

    Xu Min had decided not to worry about Ri Chu City anymore. Meilin was no longer there, neither was the Alluring Treasure Pavilion. Thus this city became a part of his past. He had many memories there, and he might return sometime in the future, but for now, he had more important things to worry about.

    Leaving Ri Chu City, Xu Min knew his next stop was the forest where he had met Cao Cao. Cao Cao had wished to meet his parents again to show them how strong he had be. He had been away from home for a long time, and the way he had left was rather hectic and informal.

    Now he could return to say hello but also good bye once more,. He was aware that the fight they were going to would not be simple or quick.With just the slightest mistake they could die. Since there was a chance of de,ath he wished to see his family onest time to strengthen his resolve.

    As this was the case, no one said anything while they made their way towards the forest in which the dangerous, emerald snake and beautiful tree resided.

 Chapter 147: A Home

    Chapter 147: A Home

    Visiting Cao Cao¡¯s family was a simple arrangement. Cao Cao¡¯s father was known as the king of the forest. No one dared to enter hisir apart from those who had been given permission.

    Everyone knew where hisir resided, but no one was dumb enough to barge in. Only now did Xu Min realize that therge snake was an Immortal and that the tree was just on the verge to breaking through into bing an Immortal herself.

    The tree, Cao Cao¡¯s mother, was able to take on a human shape for some time. Nheless, every time she did, it would exhaust her energy and cause her to drop in cultivation. Only when she became an Immortal would she be able to shred herself entirely of her roots and be a full-fledged human.

    Cao Cao¡¯s father could do the same. He was an Immortal, so it was possible for him to take on a human shape, but he was not willing to do so. He felt morefortable as a snake. Nheless, he knew that when his wife took on the shape of a human, he too would change his shape. They would then would walk out of the forest together.

    Unfortunately, Cao Cao¡¯s mother had still not be an Immortal. She had used the majority of her energy when she was pregnant with Cao Cao. Thus, she had to cultivate from scratch. This was something which had taken her a long time, even though she was in an ideal cultivation environment for a nt like herself.

    Visiting them, Xu Min understood many things about Cao Cao¡¯s heritage. He was a special beast. He was a beast that no one had ever seen before. Moreover, his talent was in no way inferior to his father. It was only a question of time before he would be an Immortal as well.

    Cao Cao was excited to see his parents. Xu Min and the group stayed in the depths of the forest for full three days. Cao Cao animatedly told his parents everything that had happened ever since the day they threw him towards Xu Min. His voice was filled with pride whenever he told them about their exploits.

    "You have done well for yourself," Cao Cao¡¯s father said with a smile on his face, "if you wish to return home now, we will allow you to do so. However, I fear you do not want toe back now?"

    "Sorry, father, unfortunately," Cao Cao shook his head, "when I decided to follow Xu Min, I became his brother. He needs me now. Soon we are going to get our vengeance on the Zhong family, and I cannot let my brother down."

    Cao Cao¡¯s father nodded his head; an approving gleam could be seen in his eyes. His son had finally grown up. Cao Cao had be a great beast, all thanks to this random human who had dared to enter his sanctuary such a long time ago.

    Cao Cao¡¯s father had never expected that his son would change as much as he did. Nevertheless, he was thrilled to see what had happened to him. He was proud of his son, and he wished for him to continue on his path. He did not want to tie down his son anymore.

    Moreover, this was also the reason that he did not offer his help to deal with the Zhong family. This was his son and Xu Min¡¯s battle. He was in no ce to intercede.

    The time had gone past. Soon the day arrived where they had to leave the forest. Cao Cao¡¯s father gave them a whole storage treasure filled with various herbs he had picked from his herb garden as a parting gift. Finally, it was time to say the final goodbye.

    Setting out once more, Xu Min and his two friends went towards Honghe City. For Xu Min, this was a trip down memoryne. With every step he took, he remembered how he had been here before and how different the situation had been back then.

    Traveling down this route of memoryne, Xu Min could not help but feel eager to once more see his teacher. The time they had spent together was not short, and, more importantly, it was the foundation of his entire cultivation journey.

    If Wang Li had not taken him in back then and apprenticed him, Xu Min had no idea where or what he would have been doing this very day. It was certain that his trip would have been different. His advancement would have been slower, and it was even possible that he would not be alive.

    On his back was the sword which had saved his life many times. It was this sword which had been by his side in thick and thin and was a gift from his old teacher.

    Back then Xu Min had never understood just how amazing his teacher was. However, now after being in the Immortal Valley and seeing how he was revered and feared by others, he understood that the man he considered his teacher was no simple, ordinary individual.

    Multiple questions appeared in Xu Min¡¯s mind. Why had such a prominent figure taken him in? Was it because of pity or did he see the potential within him?

    Many thoughts filled Xu Min¡¯s mind, yet it was impossible to keep them all under control. A smile broke out on his face. He remembered how he had been forced to work harder than anyone else. Nheless, because of these hard times, he was now a supreme expert, only below the legendary Immortals.

    "Look it is the young Xu Min!" Xu Min had finally made it to Honghe City. Upon arrival, he went straight to the harbor where his teacher had been an overseer back in the days.

    Many of the men working at the harbor were the same people who had been there when he worked there; they recognized him instantly.

    Smiles appeared on many faces. All the older experts that worked at the harbor stopped working and gathered around Xu Min.

    "It has been so long, little Min! Wow, look at you! You have grown up." Arge burly manughed in a rowdy way; his words were almost shaking the entire ground.

    Many of the new experts at the harbor also came over to hear who this young man was that all the seniors seemed to know. Nevertheless, they dared not get too close out of fear of interrupting.

    Just as Xu Min was about to ask about Wang Li, someone grabbed his shoulders and looked him in his eyes. "You used to live with old Li," he said with a serious voice which made Xu Min instantly focus and nod his head.

    "I heard old Li went across the sea to start a new life. Have you heard anything from him? Did he seek you out and tell you anything or did he just vanish from you as well?"

    Xu Min was stunned. This teacher of his had gone across the sea?

    After thinking about it for some time, though, it made sense. Wang Li was an Immortal who had been an Immortal for numerous years. He had stayed on their continent for a long time already. He participated in wars and saved lives, but at some point, he would be bored of that type of life.

    "Little Min, Overseer Wang left this letter for you, just in case you came back," the burly man who hadughed earlier interposed., He reached into his pocket and picked up a very worn out letter. It was clear that it had been in his pocket for a very long time.

    "Thank you," Xu Min said politely and bowed to therge man, who awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

    "Old Li was a part of our team for many years. We were all sad to see him leave. Simr to how you had earned our respect all those years ago, and then you suddenly left."

    "I think it was impossible for old man Li to ept living alone after you vanished. I think that this was why he decided to leave. He needed something new."

    "Anyway, don¡¯t waste your time here at the harbor. If you came back to look for old man Li, it means you are going to do something important. Don¡¯t worry! We old uncles will always have your back. If you ever get tired of the world outside, you can alwayse back here to Honghe City and be a worker at the harbor."

    Xu Min felt warmth in his heart when he heard these words. He was a man without a home, without anywhere to belong, yet these old men who had seen him grow up were ready to give him the home he had longed for, for so long.

    "Now hurry away and read that letter," therge man said with a gentle gleam in his eyes, "remember you can alwayse back, but right now is not the time. We know. We will wait for our next meeting!"

    Hearing this, Xu Min bowed deeply to them and sped his hands before he straightened his back and brought Ye Ling and Cao Cao with him towards an inn.

    Xu Min chose the most luxurious inn in the city. As usual, he ordered plenty of dishes just as he had done before. He did everything he could for Cao Cao and Ye Ling to befortable. While they were busy eating their food, Xu Min took the crumpled letter and straightened it out.

    On the front, his name was written. He could see that it had been sealed with Qi.

    Allowing for his own Qi to enter the seal, he felt the seal slowly bing loose, and soon the letter opened itself up. Xu Min began to read it.

    "Little brat," Xu Min read out loud, tears appearing in his eyes. "I am an old man. I have lived for many eons already and experienced many things. For me, a year is as short as a day for anyone else. Thus I do not value time as others do."

    "When I saw you, I saw a person who reminded me of myself. Although I did not want to have anything to do with a young child, I took you in in spite of my wishes."

    "You were a little brat. You were hard working, but your sharp tongue often caused me to feel helpless. I will let you know that was the first time I have ever felt helpless!"

    "But seeing you also reminded me that life was worth living. I have given you my heritage, the sword, and I have taught you my legacy technique, the stance."

    "I am going to leave now. Do not follow me. My life will take me to new ces. I will experience what it is like to live life again. Do not follow my path. Find your own to ensure your happiness."

    "I know about the scars you carry. For you, the world of the cultivators is a way to get vengeance. However, what will you do when you have seeded? Will you slowly die out or will you find your own meaning in life?"

    "Meeting you made me remember the meaning of my own life. For that, I am forever grateful to you. Now go! Avenge your sister. Get those Zhong families eradicated and be free. When you are free, I hope you will find happiness because you deserve happiness."

    The letter ended there, and Xu Min¡¯s heart leaped. It was a letter that was all over the ce. It was clear that Wang Li had just written whatever came to his mind. Nheless, it was honest. The letter made Xu Min feel that he, who was all alone in the whole world, was not so alone after all.

    Xu Min picked up the sword which he always had with him, and he started polishing it. This sword was thest gift he had from his teacher. He would cherish it for the rest of his life.

 Chapter 148: Returning

    Chapter 148: Returning

    Neither Cao Cao nor Ye Ling disturbed Xu Min while he was polishing his sword and reminiscing about Overseer Wang and the old days.

    They understood this reminiscing about the past was something that he had to go through on his own. He had to ovee his emotional troubles. Xu Min would never have thought Overseer Wang would leave the city on his own adventure. He had felt that whenever he returned to this city, he would see his teacher.

    This unexpected reality was harsh. He would not be able to meet his teacher whenever he wanted to, and he could not feel too sad about it either.

    The letter that had been left behind for Xu Min stated his master had found something to live for. He had discovered a purpose in living. Because of this new-found purpose, his master moved on with his life.

    Consequently, since his master had decided to move on, who was Xu Min to stop him and hold him back?

    "If fate decrees it, then we will meet someday again," Xu Min sighed to himself. He nodded his head in eptance as he put his sword away again.

    "Let us head out," Xu Min decisively ordered. He was going back to his origins, to the beginning, yet, most importantly, he was going back to gain vengeance.

    Cao Cao and Ye Ling nodded their heads. They said nothing but they understood how important this was to Xu Min. Thisst trip was a trip which had taken him years to get through and here he was so close to finishing it.

    Back then he had fled for his life, but now he was returning with style. He was not fleeing anymore. Anyone who blocked his path would be in, and anyone who tried to stop him would be ughtered.

    They left Honghe City together as the first rays of sunshine shone through the soft clouds.

    The city was already bursting with life; many wereing into or leaving the city through the gates. Xu Min, Cao Cao, and Ye Ling were amongst the ones who were departing the city. Everywhere move they made, others moved to the side to leave space for them to move through.

    The snake and lion were merely too stunning to look at. Although Xu Min caused trepidation amongst the many who looked at him, he was not as awe-inspiring as these two beasts. The children especially stared with their eyes wide open, and their mouths ajar.

    The roads outside of the city were dusty and filled with caravans who came to sell their wares in the city. However as soon as they had left Honghe city, they would increase their speed and rush towards the Zhong familypound.

    Xu Min¡¯s speed had exponentially increased since he was fleeing from the Zhongpound. Back then, running away had taken him years, now it only took him a few days now. They soon made it into the forest that surrounded the small valley where the city that the Zhong family controlled was located.

    It had been many years since Xu Min had left the forest surrounding the Zhong vige. Nheless, as soon as he stepped into the forest, he was like a fish in water. He recognized every path ofnd and every single trail that led through the forest.

    Cao Cao and Ye Ling were silent. They could feel that the closer Xu Min came to the Zhong familypound the more murderous his aura became.

    During their trip in the forest, every beast would avoid them. As well, once Xu Min noticed the presence of another cultivator, he would change their route, ensuring that they would not be seen.

    "I need some information before I can deal with the Zhong family," Xu Min said with a sinister smile on his face. "I need to know what the trashy young master is up to and how his father is doing too."

    "These two were the main reason for my sister¡¯s untimely death, and they will pay the price for their actions. One has to understand that every action has consequences with it, and some consequences will be just too heavy to bear. In those cases, the people can only pay with their lives."

    Xu Min¡¯s voice was cold and callous. There were no emotions behind it. Both Cao Cao and Ye Ling shuddered when they heard it. Nevertheless, they hardened their resolve, nodded their heads and stared at the city that was spread out in front of them.

    "Let us enter the city, ask around and acquire some information. Let us arrive in glory, and let them see our might. When they see our might, there could be a chance we would be invited to the Zhong family¡¯s courtyard for a meal. This area is a backwater ce, where many strong warriors rarelye through, Having warriors like us is a rare event." Cao Cao said after thinking over it for a long time.

    Ye Ling nodded his head, "It makes sense for us to gather information at the city¡¯s inns. I am sure that allmon knowledge will be easily obtainable."

    "The big question is what do you wish to do with the Zhong family?" The question was a thorny one. Both Cao Cao and Ye Ling were looking intently at Xu Min to see what he would say.

    "Family eradication," Xu Min replied with a cold gleam in his eyes. ¡°Leave neither chickens nor dogs, women nor old men. Their family line is toe to an end."

    It was correct that the culprits behind Xu Min¡¯s sister¡¯s death were the young master and the patriarch of the family. However, he had not forgotten the other young members of the family. All of them had eagerly bullied him, and all of them had been filled with joy whenever he had been beaten up, insulted or humiliated.

    This was a family where everyone was worse than trash. Xu Min had not met even one decent person within the Zhong family. Now he wished to eradicate them all.

    Cao Cao and Ye Ling had already heard much about Xu Min¡¯s past. They knew what his past was like, and they concurred with his intention. Killing the entire family might sound harsh, but it was best to get rid of every root that might sprout and cause problems in the future.

    Letting a tiger return to the mountain was not Xu Min¡¯s style.

    "Well, now that we decided, we will not rest before the entire Zhong family has been eradicated!" Cao Cao said with a sinister smile on his face and nodded his head.

    "Let us move to the inn and gather some information," Ye Ling added. and Xu Min concurred.

    He was filled with emotions. This was the first time he had returned after fleeing all those years back, and now that he had finally returned he was filled with mixed feelings.

    "What will we do about the ones who work for the Zhong family? The guards, the servants?" Cao Cao asked as they were on the way towards the city. Xu Min paused for a moment before he said in a cold voice; "anyone who puts up a fight gets ughtered. The only one who should be able to put up a fight against you should be the family head. Everyone else can be killed as easily as chickens."

    "I will personally deal with the family leader and the young family master. Leave them to me but take care of everyone else."

    The two nodded their heads; together in silence, the three moved towards the small town. On the road towards the city, they ran into many different experts, but no one dared to move close to Xu Min. His fierce beasts were simply too terrifying to look at. No one within the entire forest that surrounded their city was as fierce as these beasts.

    Rumors quickly made their way around the town that a supreme expert has made it to their city, visiting from the outside world.

    Many children who had been doing chores all came to see these beasts as well as the curious grown ups.

    Xu Min, Cao Cao, and Ye Ling all moved around them as if they did not notice any of the many people staring at them.

    "There should be an inn somewhere close by," Xu Min sighed as he looked around until his eyesnded on a smaller inn. The inn was not significant. It was not a ce where many people came by, and the inn mainly survived because of the restaurant where people came to dine or drink every evening.

    Xu Min entered the small inn together with Cao Cao and Ye Ling. Their entrance caused everyone to stand still and feelpletely stunned. Even the innkeeper was frightened hysterical by one look from Cao Cao. The innkeeper was not a cultivator. Thus the heavy air around Xu Min and his twopanions were enough to strangte everyone present.

    "My lordships, please enter," the innkeeper finally gathered his wits together and instantly weed them in. "What can this humble one do for you?"

    "We are travelers from afar," Xu Min said with a smile on his face. The killing intent he felt was hidden deep within, and anyone who looked at him would think that he was truly a gentle and friendly person.

    "We havee from the Immortal Ruins and have traveled a long way. We came by this city randomly and would like to settle down for a bit. Can you please tell me a little about this ce?"

    "Sure thing," the innkeeper was already feeling much better. He nodded his head, as he gestured for Xu Min to sit down in the restaurant.

    Heeding the innkeeper, Xu Min sat down, and Cao Cao changed his size so that he was small and coiled around Xu Min¡¯s neck. Ye Lingid down on the ground next to Xu Min, but also made his body smaller than it was before.

    "What exactly would you like to know about this ce?" the innkeeper asked curiously. He knew that he could trade information for information, and he was more than willing to do so.

    "I would like to know about who the hegemony of this ce is, as much information as possible about the leading families, and preferably some random information about the city."

    "Easily enough, sir," the innkeeper said merrily as he nodded his head like a doll. "The leading family in this area is the Zhong family. The Zhong family earns their money on selling herbs. They have many herb fields around the city and are constantly expanding their fields."

    "The Zhong family patriarch is very fierce. He is recruiting many experts to be the guards of his family."

    "Let me tell you a story. Long ago, there was an exceptionally talented servant boy in the Zhong family. He had a sister who was beautiful as a fairy, but she was murdered by the Zhong family¡¯s young master."

    "They wanted to kill the young boy, but he managed to escape. Ever since this incident, he has be a heart demon for the Zhong family patriarch and young master, constantly instilling fear that he will return one day and kill them."

 Chapter 149: Invitation to a Banquet

    Chapter 149: Invitation to a Banquet

    Xu Min lifted an eyebrow; other than that, there was no reaction at all from him to show he had been greatly shocked by the innkeeper¡¯s answer.

    "Why would the Zhong family¡¯s young master just murder a young woman?" Xu Min asked as if he was confused. He was not going to let anyone know that he was the young man the Zhong family feared.

    "Honestly, it is all a little confusing," the innkeeper stated with a shake of his head. "The Zhong family has never told anyone exactly what was the reason. However, considering the actions of the young master, I guess she had declined his advances."

    "Declined his advances?" This time Xu Min was actually surprised. That was not the reason that she had died, but it seemed that rumors had changed throughout the years.

    "The young master of the Zhong family has a keen eye for beauties," the innkeeper said with a sigh. "He has taken the innocence from many a girl here. Thus, many families have chosen to send their daughters away instead."

    "It seems that the young master is not very popr here in the city?" Xu Min asked with a smile. The innkeeper looked around nervously, checking to see if anyone was listening.

    "He is not very popr because he keeps using his power to force all the beautiful daughters into servitude to him. He then abuses them and throws them away afterward. He is very infamous around here, but the patriarch lets him do whatever he wishes to do."

    The innkeeper sighed deeply as he said this, and Xu Min shook his head. He had always known that the young master was disgusting, but to think he was such a brute was shocking.

    Xu Min pondered for some time. He then smiled at the innkeeper, "can you tell me about the strength of the experts that reside within the Zhong family? I could use someone to spar with, but I need to know their strength," Xu Min instantly found an excuse to ask about the strength of the Zhong family and their guards. Fortunately, the innkeeper seemed to believe him as he nodded his head.

    "Most of the experts are of the fifth-star, a few are the sixth-star, and I think there are one or two seventh-star experts."

    "The Zhong family patriarch is of the eight-star level. He broke through not long ago. They held a great celebration," the innkeeper held nothing back and told Xu Min everything he wanted to know.

    Xu Min smiled as he felt that he knew exactly what kind of strength the Zhong family controlled. After having constantly been recruiting guards from the surrounding areas, the strength of the Zhong family could almost rival that of the Tang family in Ri Chu City. Except they had fewer eight-star warriors.

    Knowing they had easily managed to get rid of the Tang family, Xu Min felt no danger from the Zhong family. He was certain that he would be able to deal with them easily.

    "Please give me your best room, and send some dishes upstairs," Xu Min requested with a smile. He then ced a few gold coins on the table. The innkeeper was shocked at first when he saw that there were more than a few gold coins; he had a hard time believing that this was for him.

    But there was no one else present, and his greed quickly took over. He nodded his head and quickly stood up. "I will get a roast sheep ready for each of yourpanions and some of the regional delicacies to be brought up to your room as soon as possible, along with some of our finest wines."

    Although Xu Min had not asked for the best dishes, the innkeeper was not dumb. He understood that if he wished to earn more, he had to invest something into this. Even if he ughtered quite a few of his sheeps for this, it would still be profitable for him. He had never before had a customer who would give him more than one gold coin.

    Xu Min nodded his head in approval when he heard what the innkeeper told him. He followed a maid who led him upstairs to a room on the highest floor.

    The entire top floor had been made into onerge room. It was a room where there were both a sitting area and a bedroom area. In the sitting area, there were padded chairs and arge table.

    The room was sorge that Cao Cao and Ye Ling could move around with no problems at all.

    They quickly found some nkets on the floor andid down on them. Both of them looked upwards towards Xu Min.

    "We will wait a bit," Xu Min said smilingly. "I don¡¯t believe that they will prove to be problematic for us, but it would be good to see the Zhong familypound from the inside. Being invited would be the best n of action."

    Like so, Xu Min, Cao Cao, and Ye Ling spent their days in the city moving around behaving like general tourists that hade out from their home to see another part of the world.

    They made friends with the citizens, and from time to time they would stay in the inn to cultivate. Everything was going ording to their n. One day when Xu Min was at the inn, Zhong family¡¯s guards came looking for him.

    "Sir Wang," one of the guards called out. It was Xu Min¡¯s alias, Wang Min. Xu Min looked at him with a smile on his face, "what can I do for you?" he asked gently as if he was talking to a good friend, favorable impressing the guards.

    The guards could feel that ¡®Wang Min¡¯s¡¯ strength soared above their own, but they did not know exactly how much stronger he was.

    Xu Min had not masked his strength; nheless, these guards were merely five stars. They could not fully ce Xu Min¡¯s strength with their own, making them feel in awe by his achievements at such a young age.

    Xu Min was happy. He was not acting right now; his smile was genuine. He was getting closer and closer to his revenge.

    "We are here on behalf of our patriarch. He desires your presence at his mansion where they are hosting a banquet tonight. The patriarch has heard about you and your aplishments and would love to meet with you in person."

    "Yourpanions are more than wee to join you. The patriarch admires fierce beasts such as them," the guard continued. Cao Cao and Ye Ling nodded their heads in approval.

    They had been worried whether or not they would be invited. Although they were consideredpanions, they were still beasts. Not many epted beasts in their mansions. Even if they had human-like intelligence, they still had the beast-like instincts.

    Xu Min was sure that they had invited the beasts because of wanting to curry favor with him. This also made Xu Minugh. To think that those who hated him so much would want to curry favor with him; it was simplyughable.

    "I would love to meet the local hegemon as well," Xu Min said smilingly. "We will join you for this banquet."

    Xu Min prepared himself to leave, Ye Ling shrunk his size simr to a big dog, and Cao Cao condensed himself so much that he had coiled himself around Xu Min¡¯s neck.

    Although the banquet did not start before the evening, Xu Min decided to follow the guards back that moment with the intention of looking at the surrounding areas.

    Both guards were eager to show him around. "This is the road that leads directly to the Zhong familypound," one of them said excitedly.

    "The Zhong familypound is located just outside of the city. Theirnd has many fields where medicinal herbs are harvested year round." The other guard continued where the first stopped. Obviously, both of them were eager to talk about the ce to this powerful warrior Wang Min.

    "Once a year the Zhong family will head towards a major city called Honghe city where they will purchase new servants. They usually buy younger children that will be trained to be guards or workers in the fields. I was purchased many years ago. Because of my ability to cultivate, the Zhong family told me to be a family guard."

    Everyone noticed the pride in the guard¡¯s voice. Xu Min remembered when he also thought the best future he could get would be bing a family guard.

    Sighing, he shook his head. However, the guard misunderstood his sigh. He became silent since he had assumed this grand warrior was pitying his low talent.

    "Just in front of you is the Zhong familypound!" the other guard sensed awkwardness, and he changed the subject. He pointed in front of him to show them the familiar buildings to Xu Min.

    These buildings had not changed much since Xu Min had left. The only difference was that arge number of experts were patrolling around the wall which surrounded the buildings.

    Xu Min was surprised. Many young men were patrolling, men Xu Min¡¯s age, but all of them were nothing more than four-star warriors and even below.

    "Halt!" one of them called out when they saw some figures approaching the wall. However, when they recognized the guards, they bowed their heads. It was clear that the guards sent to pick up Xu Min were of higher rank than these patrolling guards.

    "We are here to bring young master Wang Min to the banquet tonight," one of the guards dered with pride in his voice. His words caused all the young experts to look over at Xu Min.

    They had all heard about this young-looking expert that had appeared from the outside world. He had traveled far and wide, and his cultivation base was incredibly high.

    Seeing this rumored expert face-to-face filled them with curiosity and excitement. They could see that this ¡®Wang Min¡¯ was indeed a powerful expert, and he seemed so young! Many of the experts sighed in their hearts, feeling either jealousy or admiration.

    "We cannot tarry here," one of the guards said, feeling important. He led Xu Min through the gate leading into thepound, allowing for him to see a familiar scene appear in front of him.

    Servant boys and girls were running back and forth; servants were walking towards the fields after having finished their breaks. Members of the Zhong family, which was massive, were either on the training fields or moving around in groups.

    Some were doing chores, others were busy training, and some were on their way to go to town. Many young members, Xu Min, could only guess which had been in the group to humiliate and beat him when he was a child, now all nodded to him in a friendly manner. Although they did not know exactly who he was, they knew he was special since he was escorted by guards.

    "Are you Wang Min, the famed expert that we have heard so much about?" a young woman asked coquettishly as she looked at Xu Min, her long eyshes fluttering.

    Xu Min instantly recognized her. Her name was Zhong Mei. She was a young woman who had followed and approved of the young master in everything he had done, which including enjoying in watching Xu Min be beaten.

    The killing intent within him was ignited, but he kept it suppressed. Rather, he smiled politely and nodded his head, "yes, that is me, and who might you be young miss?"

 Chapter 150: Li Fang

    Chapter 150: Li Fang

    The young miss, Zhong Mei, giggled as she heard Xu Min¡¯s voice. She then looked at him with eyes filled with adoration. The sudden lovestruck expression on her face made Xu Min feel nauseous.

    "A young woman can¡¯t easily give out her name," Zhong Mei replied. She was attempting to be mysterious and even giggled before opening her mouth to say more.

    Unfortunately, she never got the chance. Just as she was about to speak, someone called out, "Little Mei!"

    Her face twisted slightly in an annoyed and irritated expression., However, within a moment it disappeared again since youngdies were not to reveal any emotional disturbances or ugliness within. She smiled at Xu Min andpletely ignored the voice that was calling out to her.

    "I am a young miss of the Zhong family," Zhong Mei continued when she realized that Xu Min was not going to ask anything else about hers. Although she was secretly slightly annoyed, her annoyance did not show on her face.

    Zhong Mei was a beauty, but she was far from having a fairy-like appearance like Yong Meilin. Meilin was the only woman within Xu Min¡¯s heart. Thus he was not swayed at all by Zhong Mei¡¯s beauty or charm.

    "Young miss Zhong, please excuse me," Xu Min said smilingly. Even though his mood was destroyed by running into this woman, he did not show his displeasure at all on the outside. Ye Ling, on the other hand, felt grumpy and showed it Yet as to why he was so displeased, no one knew.

    "What is so important that you do not have the time to apany me?" Zhong Mei asked sweetly while leaning towards Xu Min. Instantly, Xu Min¡¯s smile stiffened slightly as her scent reached him.

    "Little Mei, get away from that man instantly!" the voice which had called out to Zhong Mei earlier sounded again, and this time Xu Min looked towards the speaker.

    The speaker was a young man. When Xu Min looked at him, he frowned upsettingly. He had absolutely no impression of this young man; he had no memories of him, and could not recognize him.

    "Li Fang, stop getting involved in my business!" Zhong Mei, who had been as meek as a kitten and as gentle as the spring breeze towards Xu Min changedpletely. She became as fierce as a tiger and quite unwomanly as she hissed at the young man.

    "I am your fiance!" the man retorted with a snort. "I agreed to marry you only because I was lured in by your beauty but to think you are trying to find a recement for me while I am not around. That is simply not eptable!"

    Xu Min had no recollection of a family called Li in the surrounding areas. When his eyes met the eyes of the other man, he felt a slight pressure. Although he was weaker than Xu Min, there was a faint sense of danger emitting from the young man. He was either a seven or an eight-star warrior, and to reach that level at his age was simply outstanding.

    "You there, Wang Min or whatever your name is, don¡¯t get any ideas about Zhong Mei. She is my fiance, and even if shecks in many areas, I already agreed to marry her. Thus I will not be feeling as if I was wearing a green hat."

    "Don¡¯t worry fellow cultivator," Xu Min said. He cupped his hands and bowed slightly with a smile on his face, hoping to defuse the situation. He genuinely pitied this Li Fang for having gotten engaged with Zhong Mei.

    "I already have a woman in my heart, and there is no space for anyone other than her."

    The expressions of everyone present changed when they heard these words uttered. Many people had gathered around Xu Min and his group. Some were pretending that they had errands to run there, others were just shamelessly staring.

    Many of the girls observing him had expressions of shame on their faces, Zhong Mei had an expression as if she had eaten a fly. She was anything but happy. She had tried to seduce him, only to find that it was impossible as his heart was already taken by another woman.

    Li Fang looked relieved and nodded his head. The guards also nodded their heads in approval because they felt that such a genius deserved to have a lover.

    Zhong Mei did not have face to stay any longer, and she quickly left. Li Fang followed behind, but he sent a long nce at Xu Min. It was clear that he had sensed something, but he said nothing, he just smiled knowingly.

    The rest of the day Xu Min traveled across the entire Zhong familypound. He saw the homes belonging to the servants and the herb fields and training grounds. He met many young experts of the younger generation.The guards, in particr, respected him.

    It was not before the sun started to set that they returned to the main buildings.

    Xu Min had never before been allowed inside the main pce. He had been a poor servant boy who had never amounted to anything else before. He had been a person who was valued for his talent, but nothing more than that.

    Xu Min felt himself trembling as he looked at the building. It took his whole being to calm himself down. Once he stilled himself inwardly and outwardly, he then took a step into the building.

    Many local experts hade to this banquet. All of the invited experts who had been invited by the Zhong family had shown up too.

    The banquet was in a great hall; tables had been ced all over the hall. There were three tables that each held twenty people. One table was horizontal, and the other two were vertical.

    The Zhong family patriarch was seated in the middle of the horizontal table. By his right side was the young master of the Zhong family while on the left side was Li Feng.

    Next to them were several invited experts of the seventh-star level. A seat had been kept for Xu Min next to the young master.

    "Wang Min, it is an honor to see you at our humble abode. I have heard that youe from the Ruins of the Immortals, a ce so incredibly far away that we have a hard time imagining it." The patriarch was smiling. While he spoke, he leaned towards Li Fang.

    "The Ruins of the Immortals is a region outside of our kingdom," he exined causing Xu Min to frown. Everyone with as high a cultivation base would know about the Ruins of the Immortals unless they came from somewhere far away.

    Suddenly, Xu Min realized that this young man might havee from across the sea.

    Only from across the sea would make it possible for a young man to appear with such a stunning cultivation base unless he was an elf or a fairy.

    It was no secret that the country across the sea was a haven for cultivators, but those that went over there were the cultivators to weak to make it on this continent. They were the ones who fled the dangers and constant life-threatening situations.

    Li Fang was most likely one of the experts from across the sea. Nheless, Xu Min himself was originally from across the sea as well. His talent dwarfed anyone else on this continent presently.

    As Xu Min reached this conclusion, he understood that Li Fang was more dangerous than he had expected. Although he was only an eight-star warrior, Xu Min was also only an eight-star warrior, and both of them had been through a world of carnage to reach the level they were at today.

    "It is my honor to be invited," Xu Min said. Ye Ling and Cao Cao stirred hearing their master¡¯s words.

    Xu Min noticed that everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and looked at him. His senses instantly sharpened as he felt killing intent all around. A smile shed on his lips when he looked at the young master.

    It was clear that this young master was incapable of hiding his true emotions, incapable of acting, and incapable of seeming happy to see him.

    "You want me to sit there so it would be easy to kill me?" Xu Min asked. His face was still smiling, and his voice was utterly calm. His eyes shown like crimson moons, making him seem friendly and inviting.

    "To think you could see through our guise," the patriarch sneered. He leered at Xu Min. His demeanor changed from the friendly appearance he had before to a hostile and fierce beast that wished to rip him apart as soon as possible.

    "So many years ago you left us, and now youe back. However, you are only an eight-star warrior," he continued with a sneer, believing he had everything under control. The ones who had been seated at the vertical tables had all stood up and moved between Xu Min and the doorway. If he wanted to escape, he would have to pave his way through a sea of bodies.

    Hearing the patriarch speak, Xu Min suddenlyughed. Hisughter sounded innocent, but there was an edge to it which sent a chill down the spine of everyone present. The carefree eyes of Li Fang suddenly turned serious at the sound of thisughter.

    "Oh, how you haven¡¯t changed," Xu Min chuckled, "I have walked through hell and back. I have experienced things you cannot even begin to fathom. I have traveled the world and seen wonders and miseries. I have fought an army all on my own and ughtered more men than you have even seen in your entire life,"

    Xu Min still spoke with a light voice. He spoke as if he was taking a stroll through a flower garden; nheless, the words he said made the many experts that had been invited by the Zhong family to feel their backs dripping in sweat. No one thought Xu Min was joking.

    "I am Xu Min, brother of Xu Wu, and I havee to avenge her!" His voice suddenly turned cold. Everyone felt as if they had been submerged in a sea of ice. Even the patriarch could not help but feel his heart clench.

    "I have gained two brothers on my trips," Xu Min continued, "Together with these two brothers, I will decimate the Zhong family. Those who do not insult me I will treat with respect, but those who step between me and my vengeance, I will ughter without exception!"

    Xu Min was warning Li Fang. The young man who had seemed as if everything was beneath his interest suddenly had a premonition. Perhaps he had made a mistake by siding with the Zhong family for the sake of a woman who cheated on him the moment a new and more handsome genius appeared.

    Although Li Fang had seemed to be a seven-star Warrior the first time Xu Min had met him, he was now clearly an eight-star warrior. It was clear that he had kept his cultivation base under disguise before. As to why, Xu Min did not know, but he could not be bothered to try and guess. What mattered to him now was to ughter the Zhong family and gain his revenge. They had seen through his act; now he would fight with everything in him. He would leave a bloody trail of death and dead bodies in his wake.

 Chapter 151: Fighting the Patriarch

    Chapter 151: Fighting the Patriarch

    Cao Cao and Ye Ling had reverted back to their original size. They were staring at the many experts that were looking to protect the entrance to the hall to ensure that Xu Min did not flee.

    A shiver ran through the entire group of experts. Cao Cao and Ye Ling were seventh-star level, fierce beasts. They were not at the eight-star level like Xu Min, but their strength was not much below an average eight-star Warrior.

    Furthermore, beasts had the benefit of a much stronger body and a fierceness that humans did not have. In turn, they were stronger than the average person of the same rank.

    Cao Cao and Ye Ling as well knew each other well, allowing them to be able to fight back to back without risking their safety. They could easily fight a handful of seven-star Warriors without any problems.

    However, if they dide into trouble, they just had to call out. Xu Min woulde rushing to their side and kill any experts that were causing problems. No one here, apart from Li Fang, proved any threat though. Though Li Fang could pose a danger to him, it was not like he could instantly kill him. Running away to help the two beasts would be possible.

    "You are going to die today!" A shrill voice sounded through the tense air. No one had started the assault yet, but one person was eager to see it start.

    "My brother-inw Li Fang came from across the sea, and his talents are far better than yours since his strength is only inferior to an immortal!"

    "You escaped back then, but how will you escape now? How will you be able to survive this time? You will not! You will die a terrible death, even worse than the one your sister suffered!"

    The more the young master spoke, the darker Xu Min¡¯s face became. Killing intent started to seep out of his body. He was thoroughly angered; he was filled with hate, anger and a thirst for vengeance.

    Deep within him was a me of hatred. This hatred had brewed and gained strength thest many years. The day his sister died this me had been born, and it had lived within him ever since.

    It had almost caused him to lose to his heart demon, but he had persevered in the face of danger. Now this me had be part of his strength.

    Usually, Xu Min kept it under control, but right now things were different. The more the young master spoke, the more this me grew in size. Soon the me became uncontroble. It filled Xu Min¡¯s entire body, making his killing intent soar to the heavens.

    "Will you shut up?!" Li Fang¡¯s voice suddenly resounded throughout the room. The moment he spoke the smug expression on the young master¡¯s face turned into a hurt, scolded child.

    "I don¡¯t know who you are looking at, even though, this guy in front of you might have been your peer when you were children, but right now you are not in the same league as this young man."

    "But brother inw, he has nothing on you! You are an illustrious figure from across the sea. You can defeat any person from the same generation, and you can easily crush anyone below the Immortal rank!"

    The young master continued to grovel.. although Though Li Fang was unhappy at the reckless, idiotic act of the young master, his face eased up slightly when he heard the praises that continued to rain down upon him.

    "I have never met a person in the same generation as me that I needed to respect," he agreed with a nod of his head. Nevertheless, his eyes, although pleased by the praises, were still very serious as they looked at Xu Min.

    "However, I must admit, this has changed now. This young man has had quite some amazing encounters. He also seems to have some aces hidden up his sleeve that can cause problems even for me."

    Li Fang sounded as if he was the height of the level of strength that could be reached before bing an Immortal, and Xu Min could not help but snort in contempt at his vanity.

    Although Li Fang had some strengths and his own hidden tricks, Xu Min had many of his tricks as well. He had the sword he had inherited from his teacher; he had the spiritual energy from the elves, the elemental affinities from the fairies, andstly the Qi from the humans.

    "No more talking. Let us see who is the strongest!" Xu Min yelled out. Cao Cao and Ye Ling who had waited for this order instantly threw themselves into the mass of experts.

    In the mass of experts surrounding the door some of them were seven-star Warriors. They could handle the pressure from the two beasts. Unfortunately, for the Zhong family, the majority of the experts were six-star Warriors or below.

    These warriors were easy to kill for the beast duo. They ughtered their way through the guards as easily as killing chickens. The expression of the patriarch turned foul as he rushed towards the beasts with the intention of stopping them.

    "Your opponent is me," Xu Min sneered as he intercepted the patriarch on his path towards the beasts. The patriarch was an eight-star Warrior. He was able to quickly stop his advance and retreat for a moment once he felt the pressure of Xu Min rushing towards him.

    His heart trembled. The killing intent and the momentum that Xu Min carried with him was so intense that even the patriarch felt ufortable and suppressed.

    Li Fang still had not moved. He sat at the table together with the young master looking at the fight severely, watching Xu Min¡¯s every move.

    Xu Min unsheathed the sword on his back and pointed it towards the patriarch with a sinister smile on his lips. Right now he looked exactly like Yanluo, the king of hell, ready toe for a person who needed to die.

    As Xu Min unsheathed his sword, a sound of the sword touching the scabbard could be heard by the patriarch. The movement was slow, but even so, Xu Min¡¯s eyes, all the while grinning, never left the patriarch.

    Xu Min was not going to use his spiritual energy or his elemental affinity against someone as simple to kill the patriarch.

    He was positive that Li Fang would intervene when the patriarch was about to die. Then, once this man appeared to save the day, and when this man appeared, that was when he would use his abilities to their limits, proving that he was the one beneath the Immortal rank with the most power.

    He had to be careful though. He was unsure of the strength the people from across the sea had. Nevertheless, he knew they had ess to things that no one else had. Thus he dared not underestimate his opponent.

    The patriarch had rushed backward when Xu Min unsheathed his sword. He quickly took a stance, summoning a fireorb, but this was only a stance, a copy of the elemental affinity attacks. A simple illusionary fireorb was simply not enough for Xu Min to take seriously.

    Xu Min slowly stepped towards the patriarch. Suddenly he lifted his sword and started sprinting, chopping down his sword, and a bloodcurdling scream sounded out as the patriarch lost an arm. The fire orb instantly vanished.

    Xu Min had moved with speed so fast that everyone present was shocked.

    Li Fang had assumed that although Xu Min was an eight-star Warrior, he would not be able to fully dominate the patriarch since he too was an eight-star Warrior. Now his face turned ugly as he realized that he had underestimated him.

    "So you specialize in external energy?" Li Fang rhetorically questioned. He casually stood up from his ce and started strolling towards them, but Xu Min ignored himpletely, lifted his sword again and brought it down, cutting off another arm of the Zhong patriarch.

    "Ahh! Ahh! Ahh!" the patriarch screamed out. He was incapable of saying any coherent words. He was in such intense pain. Blood was spraying from his shoulders where the arms had been cleanly cut off.

    "Stop it at once!" Li Fang said with a dangerously low voice. "I was speaking to you, but you ignored me and continued to attack. That is not eptable! Hold your attacks at once and face me instead!"

    Xu Min shot a nce at the expert who was rushing towards him, but he only snorted in contempt and lifted his sword once more.

    Xu Min and the patriarch were right next to one another. Even though Li Fang was rushing towards them, he was far too slow to be able to stop Xu Min. Xu Min¡¯s sword came crashing down once more and cleanly separated the patriarch¡¯s head from his neck.

    The guards who had been invited to join the Zhong family had also died. Cao Cao and Ye Ling had quickly destroyed them.By now only three people and two beasts stood alive within the hall.

    "Cao Cao, Ye Ling, go out and start massacring the Zhong family!" Xu Min ordered, "Leave no one alive!"

    The words were spoken with such ferociousness, hate, and coldness that even Li Fang felt a shiver run down his spine. Just what kind of enmity had this Zhong family made with this Xu Min? If he only he had known about this feared enemy, he would never have aligned himself with this weak family. Hemented to himself about his error.

    "I told you to stop," he said fuming with anger, "why would you continue when I, a being far above you, tell you to stop?!"

    Xu Min looked at Li Fang and grinned. "We are not so different you and I," he said smirking, His appearance looked more sinister than the gates of hell.

    "You see, I too came from across the sea," he nonchntly exined. His words shocked the young man who thought he was better than anyone else.

    "But unlike you, I was forced to leave." he continued. "I was sold with my sister as children. We were nothing more than servants to the Zhong family. Yet you, you grew up over there. But I know the truth. The truth is that it was too hard for you, too dangerous. You im to be invincible below the Immortal rank. However, if I am correct, then you are just mediocre or even below average across the sea for our generation."

    Xu Min held nothing back. He noticed how his word caused the young man¡¯s face to turn ugly. He guessed that he had been correct with his assumptions and a coldughter erupted from his throat.

    "Why should I listen to someone who is so cowardly that they flee from the other side of the sea just because they think that it is too dangerous? Can you call yourself a cultivator? Because in my book, a person who flees is just a coward!"

    Xu Min had previously experienced the heart demon in the blood pagoda; he knew what it was like to face the one seed of fear that had grown to take ce in one¡¯s heart, and he used it against his opponent to shake his mind.

    It seemed to have worked. Li Fang¡¯s face went pale; his eyes shed with anger and his fists tightly clenched together.

    But after a moment, he took a deep breath and eased himself again. "You are good," he praised, but his voice contained a smoldering anger that had not been there before.

    "To think you even know about heart demons, to realize you can use my weakness against me. You are truly no simple person."

    "I assume you went across the sea when you fled this Zhong family? It is the only way for you to have be such a strong expert as you are now. Howe I cannot help but wonder why I have never heard about you before? Which sect did you join? Which family were you from?"

    Xu Min just shook his head, "There are so many things on this continent that I did not need to leave the continent to find what I was looking for," he stated. He clenched his hands around his sword. Without waiting, heunched straight at Li Fang.

 Chapter 152: Fighting Li Fang

    Chapter 152: Fighting Li Fang

    Pouncing at Li Fang with the most outstanding speed that he could muster, Xu Min was ready if possible to end the fight in one strike.

    Unfortunately, Li Fang was unwilling to ept such an oue. His speed was not swifter than Xu Mi. However, he moved in a such a strange way that it was like he floated away like a feather.

    "This continent has everything you need?" Li Fang snorted contemptuously. "This continent is a mere backwater ce that has long since been forgotten by the rest of the world! There is not even anyone here who has a movement technique, all you have is speed!"

    Xu Min did not be enraged by the fact that Li Fang was looking down upon him and his continent. Nheless, he just shook his head and decided not to speak anymore with him.

    He had, however, listened to Li Feng¡¯s response as to why he was able to avoid him seemingly easily; clearly, it was because of his unknown movement technique.

    Even though Xu Min did not speak more, Li Fang continued his speech while he floated back and forth. At the same time, he was continually avoiding Xu Min¡¯s sword that never paused but always looked for a way to cut down his opponent.

    "You are all primitive. The only way to fight is by imitating the ve races such as elves and fairies, and creating stances!"

    "That is all you do, imitation! Did you know this? What you people think is a supreme attack is actually but a simple imitation of a ve race in my world?!"

    Li Fang was getting flustered as he spoke, trying to avoid Xu Min¡¯s sword all the while. However, secretly, he was bing worried.

    Xu Min was not using any Qi to attack him. He was using his power as a strong warrior with excess energy tounch one attack after another. The force behind each chop came not from Qi but his brute strength.

    Li Fang, on the other hand, was forced to use Qi to keep his movement technique up. If he wished to avoid this powerful sword, he had to continue using his Qi to continue to avoid. Yet he was limited in the amount of Qi he had. He was, after all, not an Immortal just yet.

    "Don¡¯t push me too far," Li Fang said through gritted teeth. He finally realized that he had to take this seriously, "I am not someone whom you can afford to attack!"

    A palm was shot out.This palm attack carried with it a loud crackling sound alongside internal energy which caused chaos in the air as it shot towards Xu Min.

    The speed was almost too fast for Xu Min to evade, yet Xu Min had no intention of invading it. Instead, he lifted his sword and prepared to absorb the energy that wasing his way.

    His sword was a marvelous treasure that could absorb any energy of the same rank, sometimes some of the ones above and of course everything from below. When he tried to absorb the energy from the attack that Li Fang threw out, he noticed that only a fifth of the energy had been absorbed by the sword. The rest hit him in the chest, forcing him to stagger a few steps backward.

    His blood roiled in his body. Nheless, Xu Min did not let himself be too shocked or scared when he realized that he had still underestimated the power of the techniques that came from across the sea.

    Still, he was not going to give up. With a wave of his hand, he sheathed the sword on his back and raised his arms. Spiritual energy from all around him gathered around his hands and materialized into a bow.

    Arrow after arrow appeared by his side as he shot one after another at Li Fang. Once more he was forced to use his abilities to either protect himself by sending out palm attacks to meet the arrows in mid-air or to use his movement technique to avoid Xu Min¡¯s arrows.

    "Preposterous!" Li Fang suddenly yelled as one arrow grazed his shoulder. It did not leave any wound, but his clothes were ruined.

    "How can a human use spiritual energy?!" He eximed deeply shocked. He was unable toprehend what it was he was seeing. Xu Min, though, had already decided not to answer him. Instead, he just smiled as he continued to shoot arrow after arrow at Li Fang.

    They were inside, but suddenly a gentle wind started picking up. The arrows became even trickier to avoid. Some of them suddenly started appearing where the wind was, some of them came from the blind angles, and some of them kepting from the front, bombarding Li Fang with arrows he just could not avoid.

    "Not only spiritual energy but also elemental affinity?!" Li Fang felt like he wanted to pull out his hair. Although elves and fairies were ves in the oversea worlds, their innate abilities were what made them lucrative. Everyone wanted to possess elves and fairies as ves since their power was simply outstanding. Their ability to mold and use the energy surrounding them was divine, and exactly why humans had turned against them.

    But now a human was standing in front of Li Fang. A human who could use Qi, Spiritual energy, and Elemental affinity. This was unheard of, and if it had been possible, then it was certain that others would have already done so. They would have captured elves and fairies to steal their powers and allow for their line of descendants to do the same.

    Palm after palm was shot out and arrow after the arrow was broken. Xu Min was starting to feel exhausted. Although he was an eight-star Warrior, he had limited amounts of Spiritual Energy, and at some point, he was going to use it all up.

    By sending volley after volley of arrows at the opponent, he was likely to spend his energy sooner rather thanter.

    The Elemental Affinity was different. As long as there was any of the element around him, then he would not run out of it.Though there was no wind inside of the building, there was a lot of wind outside.

    This was close enough for Xu Min to guide it inside the hall and attack Li Fang with it.

    Suddenly a shrill scream sounded out. Li Fang, who had been busy defending himself, paled as he looked behind him.

    A wind de dissipated slowly after having embedded itself secretly in the chest of the young master.

    "You are lucky to die this quickly," Xu Min said with a sinister smile on his face; his eyes emitted a bit of madness.

    He had finally gained his revenge. He had killed the two men who were behind the murder of his sister. It suddenly felt as if he had been liberated by the sudden redemption he felt.

    But he did not have long to celebrate his excitement. He had decreased the arrows that were attacking Li Fang, allowing the young man to catch a breath and grow his momentum.

    He was using different palm attacks, some of them caused chaos in the air, others caused echoes, and some even caused illusions of massive palms that was bearing down upon their target.

    All of these attacks were aimed at Xu Min. Li Fang was no ordinary cultivator. He had been in many life and death fights. The moment he felt the pressure ease up, he threw out all his attacks in one go, hoping to overwhelm and kill Xu Min.

    "I don¡¯t care about this Zhong family," he said through gritted teeth. However, he already knew that Xu Min had seen him as being one of the leading members of the Zhong family, and if he wanted any chance of survival, he needed to be able to get rid of Xu Min and his beasts.

    The beasts were not as troublesome creatures. If he could not kill them, then he could easily flee from them. However, Xu Min was someone who would let him go easily.

    Xu Min did not answer the fact that Li Fang did not care about the Zhong family. For him, the moment he had sided with them was when he decided that Li Fang had to die.

    Xu Min had also concluded that he did not have to fear the experts across the sea. No one woulde all the way over here for someone who had fled to a backwater area like this.

    If he truly had someone to rely on, then he would not have fled in the first ce.

    Xu Min braced himself. It was impossible to avoid the many palm attacks that came rushing down towards him, each one more magnificent than the other.

    He knew, by now, that it was impossible to absorb all the energy of the attacks with his sword, so the only option left was to take it head-on.

    He raisedyer afteryer of fire around his body, lifted the sword and absorbed some of the energy. The rest of the attacksnded on his body, knocking him back as if he was a kite with a broken string.

    Blood surged into his mouth; some escaped through the corner of his lip. This was the most frightful fight he had ever been in because this was the first time he had met a person with equal strength as him.

    Xu Min did not give up though. He had been thrown back to the point of spewing blood, but he quickly got back to his feet. Another round of palm attacks was heading for him, Li Fang bombarding him with attacks, not giving him even the slightest moment to catch his breath.

    As he got to his feet, Xu Min began his counterattack. The hall had had candlelights and torches on the walls. This time Xu Min reached out for this fire and brewed it to berger than before.

    He threw orbs of fire at Li Fang, who was forced to move to avoid them, and soon a sea of mes shot up from within the hall.

    Whereas Xu Min could ignore the mes and walk through the fire, Li Fang was crippled by it. It was impossible for him easily to avoid the raging fire. He had to find a way to flee the hall, but Xu Min was between him and the entrance. He was blocking it while grinning. It was an extremely eerie grin with the thin trail of blood that had stained the side of his lip.

    Xu Min knew what Li Fang was thinking, but how was he going to let him go? He was not willing to do so. If Li Fang escaped, then no one would know what would happen in the future. He would never be able to take it easy and be calm; especially if he knew, an enemy had escaped his grasp and would be returning for himter, just like Xu Min had with the Zhong family.

    Li Fang was also aware of Xu Min¡¯s thoughts. He did tell Xu Min that if he let him lived, he would nevere back. Because it was a lie, and Xu Min knew it.

    If Li Fang survived, he would return with a vengeance whenever he had the chance to do so. He had fled to this continent to live a life of a spoiled genius, but the first ce he had found had caused him to be in dire straits.

    Thus their eyes locked together, someone would die tonight. Xu Min and Li Fang looked at one another. They were aware that there was just one more attack to use, just one more attack that could kill the other guy. They had decided to use their ace attacks!

 Chapter 153: True Happiness

    Chapter 153: True Happiness

    Xu Min found all his energy within his body. He reached out for all the mes within the room and steered them towards Li Fang.

    Alongwith the fire, he used the wind to form countless wind des, he unsheathed the sword once more and rotated all the Qi within him into the sword. Then he leaped upwards towards his opponent.

    An energy which hade forth ever since he began this fight and which was hidden within him for many years covered Xu Min all over. The me of hatred, indignation and a thirst for vengeance bursted forth this energy as a mee to burn everything in sight. It grew in size every time he had killed someone. However only when the patriarch and the young master had perished under his vengeance did the energy burst upwards, making Xu Min feel energized once more.

    Nevertheless, Li Fang had not been sitting by idly while waiting for Xu Min to use his ace attack. Unlike Xu Min who put all his faith in the elemental affinity alongside the Qi within his body, Li Fang could only use one attack.

    This was his massive golden palm which manifested behind him much like a stance. Yet,unlike a stance, the entire palm was filled with an energy Xu Min had never seen before. It was bearing down on him; nheless, Xu Min did not give up. He pushed his Qi to its limits, lifted the sword in his hand and grit his teeth as he swung out the sword and collided with the palm.

    While he was focusing on blocking the palm attack and at the same time finishing the fight, the mes kept eating away at the hall and the wind des also roused up in the mes making the surrounding environment into a zing hell.

    Li Fang began to have a hard time breathing. Every breath he took caused him to feel pain in his throat; he was no longer ignorant and lofty. Instead, he was panting heavily; his clothes were showing signs of bing burnt, his hair was constantly being eaten by the mes.

    He had used the majority of his energy to use the movement technique earlier to avoid the attacks. Moreover, he had used quite a few palm attacks to deflect the many attacks that Xu Min had thrown at him. Now he was in his reserves; he understood that if he wished to survive, he had to throw his entire Qi reserve into the attack.

    This was what he did, and he had a trace of hope in his eyes as he sent down the golden palm stance.

    At first, Xu Min was struggling against the palm. He could not fully absorb the energy that was within this palm, and he could feel his bones crying out under the about the pressure.

    Still, he did not give up. He yelled out and found thest Qi he had within himself. He merged with the me that had surrounded his body, and he suddenly found a strength he had never had before.

    Suddenly the palm strike became as simple as swatting away a fly. The entire world suddenly became one with him;energy rushed into his body like water through a broken dam. His body was glowing with light, and he felt better than he had ever felt before.

    The sword in his hand started glowing as well, and it cut through the palm as easily as one cuts through butter with a hot knife.

    The frail hope that had lit Li Fang¡¯s eyes dimmed. He hung his head in disappointment and desperation. He knew he had lost. Xu Min had suddenly gained a strength unlike anything he had ever seen before. He had be one with the world, and he had reached the pinnacle of martial arts. He had be an Immortal!

    No matter how strong Li Fang was, he had prided himself with being the strongest below the Immortal realm, but now Xu Min was no longer in the same league as him, Xu Min was no longer a simple mortal anymore, he was now a cultivator standing at the apex.

    Li Fang bit his lip and sighed to himself. "I didn¡¯t even really know the Zhong family," hemented to himself in despair, but he knew, in the end, there was nothing to say. Nostment or plea to be made. The loser dies while the winner is king. No one could say anything about it.Even though, Li Fang had fled for his life from the oversea world, he had strangely epted his death.

    He was not going to beg for his life, he knew it was pointless, so he would not lose face trying. He also knew that if he had been the winner then he would definitely not have let Xu Min go, so if he was willing to kill, then he had to ept that he too could be killed.

    Sighing deeply once more, he shook his head. Instead of waiting for Xu Min to lift his sword and separate his head from his neck, Li Fang ignited his dantian, exploded it, causing him to die instantly.

    A trail of blood ran from his eyes, his nose, his ears and his lips as he fell to the ground with his eyes still wide open. Although there was a bit of unwillingness in the eyes, there was also a quite calm and steadiness in them.

    "I have to thank you," Xu Min said with deep emotions as he bowed to the corpse. "Without you, I would not have been able topletely merge with the energy of vengeance which has been within me all these years."

    "When I merged with this potent energy, my potential was stimted.I was finally able to take the final step between the mortal and Immortal realm."

    Xu Min meant it when he said that he was grateful to Li Fang, but this did not mean that he regretted the other¡¯s death.

    After Li Fang¡¯s death, Xu Min slowly walked out of the burning hall. His appearance resembled a demon walking through hell while he looked at all the burning corpses, the scent of burning meat smelling all around him.

    When he left the hall, he saw that the sky had been dyed red by all the blood that had been spilled that night. Cao Cao and Ye Ling were still out hunting all the Zhong family members that they could find, and Xu Min quickly joined the chase.

    Many tried to flee, but the majority were caught and killed on sight. The servants were allowed to keep their lives. However, anyone who belonged to the Zhong family lost their lives that night.

    As the sun broke through the sky and dawn came, everyone from the city had already heard what had happened to the Zhong family. Everyone sucked in a breath of cold air. The hegemon which had controlled the city for so many years, the family which had caused it to grow from a vige to a city with it¡¯s wealth from selling flowers, had been eradicated in a single night.

    The one who had done it was Xu Min, the young man who had fled all those years back.He had killed any Zhong family member, not even allowing life for the elderly nor the women.

    Everyone was shocked and scared; they were worried that he would return once more and take revenge on the entire city, but Xu Min never again appeared in the city.

    With the Zhong family eradicated their prized fields were now open to everyone. Families grew tempted to monopolize these fields to gain their own wealth. Civil strife arose, and families began fighting one another to determine who would take over the fields of herbs.

    Some acquired many of the fields while others only gained a few. Nheless, the city was once more became thriving. after a few decades everyone had gotten past the incident with the Zhong family. Even still, the trauma of this incident remained and so did its lesson. No one treated their servants badly, equality and fairness became the rule, and the ce became prosperous and harmonious.

    As soon as Xu Min had finished his vengeance he, Cao Cao and Ye Ling retreated into the forest.

    Although Xu Min had be an Immortal he was not used to the strength in his body just yet, and both of hispanions had suffered quite a few wounds during the assault on the Zhong family. Although they were strong, they were after all only seven star beasts.

    Pills were consumed and a few days went by in peace and tranquility for rest and recovery. Xu Min was experiencing apletely new state of mind. He finally found inner peace and could not understand how everything seemedso calm around him. He was no longer driven by a hunger for vengeance. Rather, he was satisfied with what he had. Nevertheless, there was just one more thing he longed for and that was to reunite with Yong Meilin.

    Cao Cao and Ye Ling were also satisfied. They had never before dreamt about bing the world¡¯s most powerful cultivators.

    Cao Cao just dreamt about a life in luxury where he could eat all the meat he wished to eat and only once in awhile experience the outside world.

    Ye Ling had dreamt about leaving the Immortal Valley, and now he had experienced more excitement than he ever had expected.

    "I want to settle down," Xu Min said with a sigh of longing while he thought about the one woman he could never forget.

    Cao Cao and Ye Ling nodded their heads, "We will follow you forever," they said with emotions thick in their voices. They had been together for a long time now. Although one was human and the other two beasts, they considered each other brothers. They did not wish to be seperate now.

    Xu Min nodded his head in gratitude but said nothing. They stayed in the forest for a few days to recuperate and after this they set out.

    Xu Min was impatient. He knew that if he was traveling solo he could fly straight to the capital to meet Yong Meilin within only a day or two. Whereas, traveling with Ye Ling and Cao Cao, it would take them up to a month.

    Having reached this conclusion, he ced the two beasts in his jade satchel and flew towards the capital.

    He had never flown before, and it was hard for him to control his energy. Nheless, after a bit of time he finally mastered the technique. He could advance at a speed not as inferior to his master¡¯s.

    Flying towards the capital he was filled with worries. What if Yong Meilin would not meet him? What if she had found another sweetheart while he was gone? Had something happened to her in the time they had been apart? Would her family approve of him?

    Xu Min had many questions and was unaware of what to say to her. He practiced the entire flight, but he felt that no matter what he came up with it sounded stupid.

    Finally, he reached the capital. This was the most bustling city he had ever seen before; it was filled with all sorts of humans and beasts. The streets were packed full of cultivators and average people alike.

    Some were selling their wares; others were buying. Some were prancing around with their beasts, showing off their might; while, others were trying to attract as little attention as possible.

    Xu Min flew straight into the city. As hended on the street, he caught the attention of everyone present. Everyone knew what it meant for someone to fly, this young man was an Immortal!

    Rumors spread instantly. The informationwork in the capital was so outstanding that within a few moments everyone had heard about the young Immortal who had just entered the city.

    Xu Min was impressed when he noticed that everyone was gossiping about him, but as always, he said nothing. Instead, he just smiled and looked around, determining where to go.

    No matter where he looked there was no signs or anything telling him how to get to the Alluring Treasure Pavilion. After thinking for a moment with a frown on his face, Xu Min went towards the first and best salesman he could find.

    This man was very worried when he saw Xu Min heading towards him, but at the same time he was also honored to know that he had been picked out of all the people present. He just prayed that he knew the answer to whatever this Immortal wished to ask of him, so he might be in trouble.

    "Excuse me, sir," Xu Min was as polite as always. This unusual politeness for an Immortal caused everyone to look at him with a different set of eyes, "I am looking for the headquarters of the Alluring Treasure Pavilion. Do you know where it is?"

    The merchant who had been worried about not knowing the answer blinked a few times and nodded his head like a chicken.

    "I know, I know," he said twice, "If you go towards the inner city you will find arge pagoda made solely out of marble. It has guards with red uniforms embroidered with a white pagoda on their chests. That is their headquarters."

    He spoke as fast as he could, and Xu Min nodded in approval. He found a few gold coins and tossed them to the seller before he stomped his foot on the ground and once more took to the skies.

    Although Xu Min was fast, he was not used to navigating around the capital and rumors about him looking for the Alluring Treasure Pavilion were spreading through the city faster than he could have imagined. When he finally noticed the pagoda which fit the description, they were already prepared to receive him.

    Xu Minnded on the ground right outside of the pagoda. His brows furrowed when he saw that four men were standing in front of it, looking at him and bowing deeply.

    "Immortal, why have you sought our pavilion?" one of the men asked. Xu Min awkwardly scratched his head, notpletely sure if he could say that he was Yong Meilin¡¯s sweetheart.

    After sighing for a bit and looking troubled, one of the men rolled his eyes, "excuse us for our poor hospitality. Please enter the pavilion with us and have a cup of tea."

    He seemed to have noticed that the matter was not as simple as it might seem, and he quickly invited Xu Min inside.

    Xu Min gratefully followed. Soon he was seated in a chair in the middle of avishly decorated office with the four men opposite of him.

    He cleared his throat. He knew he had to speak with them in one way or another.

    "I am a friend of Yong Meilin," he said with a smile on his face, "She and I were good friends when she was in Ri Chu City," he continued to exin. "We were forced to part. I had a mission to aplish, but as soon as I aplished it, I could not help but wonder how she was doing and came straight to the capital to look for her."

    Xu Min was not sure what else to say. Nevertheless, his words caused the four men to have lights shining in their eyes, and their mouths curled into smiles as they looked at one another.

    "Excuse me," one of the men said as he rose to his feet so fast that the chair behind him fell down, "I will instantly go and get little Meilin. I am sure she will be thrilled to see you again."

    The men had been conversing with their eyes. They had known each other for a long time, and they did not need to speak to know what the others thought.

    Immortals were rare. They were the cultivators of legends. They were at the apex of the world. It was clear that this Immortal had some feelings towards Yong Meilin, and if she could marry him, then it would be for the best of the Yong family. To acquire an Immortal on their side would be the best possible oue for them.

    Hence, one of the men rushed to find Meilin and tell her about this young Immortal who hade to see her. He hoped that there was a chance for them to end up together, but he dared not use force. Yong Meilin was after all the only daughter and child of the patriarch of the Yong family.

    While the man was fetching Meilin, Xu Min was pleasantly talking with the men in the room. They asked him questions about cultivation, questions about his travels, but they turned silent when they asked about his age. Never had they imagined that it would be possible to be an Immortal at such a young age.

    The silence did notst long before the door opened, and Meilin stepped inside together with the man who had gone to fetch her. She wore a casual expression on her face, yet in her eyes were a gleam of hope.

    When sheid eyes on Xu Min and saw his smiling face, tears started rolling from her eyes. She threw herself into his embrace.

    Xu Min waspletely startled as well as the men. However, Xu Min quickly embraced the crying woman in his arms and gently soothed her by stroking her back.

    No one said anything for a long time, but Xu Min felt at peace. He felt that he had achieved everything he had ever wanted. He had gained his vengeance, and now he had a ce to call his home. He had found someone whom he valued more than his own life, and he would spend the next years of his life by her side, supporting her in everything she wished to do.

    Xu Min had finally found true happiness.

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