《The Deity of War》 Chapter 1: A Jealousy-Fuelled Battle

Chapter 1: A Jealousy-Fuelled Battle

¡°Come and have a look; Qi Ying says he¡¯s going to battle Duan Renshan on the dueling tform!¡± This piece of news spread like wildfire over the grasnds. News passed quickly from mouth to mouth and within a few minutes, the entire Celestial River Academy had heard the news. Thus, many of the disciples within the academy began to focus on that event and discussed spiritedly among themselves. ¡°Qi Ying? Isn¡¯t that the new disciple that just entered the academy a month ago? The guy with the silver glove on his left hand?¡± ¡°What?! He¡¯s got some nerve! He¡¯s only at the Seventh Strength Martial Stage and he¡¯s challenging Duan Renshan, who is already at the Energy Martial Stage?¡± ¡°On top of that, doesn¡¯t Qi Ying hail from an undistinguished family? He even brought a blind woman with him, when he came to the academy. In contrast, Duan Renshan is the young master of the Duan family from the Celestial River County! How did they end up in a duel together?¡± Once people stepped onto the dueling tform, they had to be ready for a potential demise! Even if they were beaten to death, it would just be a case of bad luck! There were often short-tempered and vigorous youths who wanted to fight due to certain disagreements and conflicts. As such, it was far from a rare urrence to see two disciples battling it out on the dueling tform; it was not an event that should have attracted so much attention. However, the difference was that in one corner, there was a Strength Martial Stage disciple who came from an unknown family, while in the other corner was the Young Master of the Duan family, who was already at the Energy Martial Stage. It was quite the eye-opener to all of the disciples in the academy. Duels had to be held between individuals of the same socioeconomic status. If one was brought up by a poor family, it would be difficult to defeat a noble who had ess to better cultivation methods and more resources. Even if they were capable of defeating a noble, they still had no choice but to endure bullying from the nobles, as retaliation would result in the nobles deploying servants to smash the windows on their houses! Thus, everyone waspletely befuddled by this situation, especially when they learned that Qi Ying was the one who had instigated the duel. Since when did undistinguished people like him dare to challenge a noble? ¡°Qi Ying and Duan Renshan have already stepped onto the dueling tform!¡± ¡°Hurry up! We have to go and see it!¡± Several hundred disciples flocked to therge courtyard within which the dueling tform was situated. They looked up to discover that atop the meter-tall ring that was paved neatly with white stones, there were already two youths about fifteen or sixteen years of age. There was Duan Renshan, who was slightly taller and broader than his opponent; his hair was neatlybed and he was wearing a suit of spirit cloth armor with golden stitching on the edges. He was looking at the thin and somewhatnky Qi Ying from the corners of his eyes. Qi Ying was wearing a set of brown cloth garments with a silver glove on his left hand, and he was quite a bit more handsome than Duan Renshan. Duan Renshan harrumphed after making thisparison. ¡°Qi Ying, let me stress the fact that you were the one who challenged me to this duel! I didn¡¯t force you to do this and if I beat you to the point of disability, I¡¯m not going to pay for your medical bill!¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Qi Ying responded nonchntly. ¡°What kind of attitude is that?!¡± Duan Renshan was feeling quite humiliated by the one-syble response to his words and said, ¡°You challenged me to this duel; shouldn¡¯t you be speaking a bit more?¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± Qi Ying gave a two-syble response this time. ¡°Holy sh*t...¡± All of the spectators around the dueling tform erupted into boos. During a conversation, responding with a single syble like ¡®Oh¡¯, or giving a two-syble reply like ¡®Hehe¡¯ was pretty much the biggest insult one could deliver. It was even more scathing than hurling abuse and taunting the opponent. ¡°Does anyone know why this duel is happening?¡± Someone asked. An answer was immediately provided, ¡°It¡¯s all because of An Ruyi! She¡¯s a man-eater!¡± ¡°Oh...¡± Many people were enlightened by the response. An Ruyi was from the upper ss An family of the Celestial River County. She was currently sixteen years of age and was like a budding flower ready to blossom. Furthermore, she was a Goddess in the hearts of countless young men, regardless of whether they were noble or low-born. The event taking ce today within the Celestial River Academy was like something taken straight from a fictional novel. Despite the fact that An Ruyi was of noble birth, she showed particr interest in Qi Ying, who was of low socioeconomic status, but was quite handsome. Many disciples bore witness to An Ruyi cutting off Qi Ying at the gate of the academy before taking the initiative to hold hands with him. That scene had enraged Duan Renshan, who had a crush on her, so he began to verbally provoke the innocent Qi Ying. However, what was different from the stereotypical novel storylines was that Qi Ying was the one to propose a duel, in order to settle their differences! This was something that many lowly disciples dreamed of doing, but when something of the sort actually happened, all of them felt like An Ruyi and Qi Ying had both gone insane. ¡°Look! Over there! It¡¯s An Ruyi!¡± Someone yelled. Everyone turned to discover a slender young woman with inky-ck hair and skin as fair as snow. That young woman was none other than An Ruyi. However, to everyone¡¯s surprise, An Ruyi did not appear to be concerned about Qi Ying in the slightest. She did not wear an expression of anxiety and concern as everyone had expected; it was as if she didn¡¯t even care if Qi Ying lived or died. Instead, she was eagerly looking up at the dueling tform, with the type of expectant smile one wore in anticipation of a thrilling show. ¡°The duel is about to start!¡± A burst ofmotion rang out within the crowd and everyone turned their attention away from An Ruyi before focusing on the fight. On the dueling tform. ¡°Argh!¡± Duan Renshan let loose a loud cry before lunging forward. He clenched his right hand and ayer of light yellow energy enveloped his fist. Many of the Strength Martial Stage disciples looked on with expressions of admiration and envy. This was the signature trait of an Energy Martial Stage warrior; True Energy! Materializing True Energy allowed one to cultivate in the basic cultivation methods, thereby enabling one to truly embark on the path of cultivation. The most direct benefit of possessing True Energy was that one could utilize it to unleash battle techniques in order to wound their enemies from a distance. In a direct confrontation, it was often the case that Strength Martial Stage warriors wouldn¡¯t even be able to get close to an Energy Martial Stage warrior, before being sted flying by their battle techniques. That was an almost insurmountable gulf in strength. Everyone¡¯s attention was focused on Duan Renshan as he unleashed a punch. The light yellow energy around his fist detached itself from his fist and quickly expanded to be a massive fist projection over a meter in diameter. Boom! The fist projection struck Qi Ying, who had just adopted a horse stance and hadn¡¯t even had time to raise his arms as a shield. Bam! Qi Ying was sted flying like a stone that had been thrown into the distance. He flew high into the sky and drew a parabolic curve through the air beforending heavily outside the dueling tform, sending a burst of dust and debris rising around him. Duan Renshan: ¡°...¡± An Ruyi: ¡°...¡± All of the academy disciples: ¡°...¡± What the hell? Duan Renshan was indeed quite powerful, but he was only at the First Energy Martial Stage. He had only attained True Energy not long ago and wasn¡¯t even well-versed in any battle techniques. Qi Ying was at the Seventh Strength Martial Stage, but he couldn¡¯t even take a single attack from Duan Renshan? At this moment, Qi Ying mbered to his feet and dusted himself off before pressing his silver-gloved left hand to his stomach. His brows knitted together in an agonized expression. ¡°Duan Renshan, you¡¯re so powerful! I admit my inferiority and concede to you wholeheartedly. From now on, An Ruyi is yours. I won¡¯t speak to her ever again!¡± ... On a secluded forest path situated on a mountain behind the Celestial River Academy. ¡°Wait!¡± Duan Renshan emerged from behind a tree before quickly cutting Qi Ying off on the narrow path. Qi Ying¡¯s footsteps faltered and he raised his eyebrows. ¡°What do you want? I lost and An Ruyi belongs to you. I¡¯ve already promised to never speak to her again; what more do you want from me?¡± Duan Renshan¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Hmph! You challenged me to a duel but intentionally threw the battle. You must be afraid of coping a beating from me! Not only are you being referred to as a coward after that battle, you¡¯ve even brought shame upon me! There are even rumors going around that I bribed you prior to the duel! You little sh*t, I¡¯m going to beat you to death today!¡± Qi Ying looked around at his surroundings, assessing that there was no one else aside from Duan Renshan and himself. ¡°You want to fight?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Are you too scared to fight me?¡± Duan Renshan raised a fist in provocation and light yellow True Energy began to appear. In that secluded forest, he could do anything he wanted to Qi Ying as long as he didn¡¯t kill him. ¡°Hehe.¡± Qi Ying gave another two-syble reply. However,st time, his face had remainedpletely expressionless. This time, he was smiling. Chapter 2: I’m Going to Penetrate You with a Sh*t-Stirring Stick

Chapter 2: I¡¯m Going to Prate You with a Sh*t-Stirring Stick

A pleasant smile appeared on Qi Ying¡¯s lips and in conjunction with his handsome, angr face, it was a smile that could captivate the vast majority of women of all ages, as well as some men with special interests. However, Duan Renshan¡¯s flesh crawled at the sight of Qi Ying¡¯s smile. That smile was really off somehow! How could such an innocent young man be capable of revealing a smile that belonged on the faces of sinister antagonists from old novels? Duan Renshan was struck by an instinctive, ominous feeling. He felt as if Qi Ying had transformed from a harmless youth into a lethal python! ¡°Die!¡± The more unsettled Duan Renshan felt, the more he wanted topletely crush Qi Ying into the ground, shattering some of his bones in order to teach him a lesson. Boom! Lunge and punch. A fist projection erupted from Duan Renshan¡¯s right fist once again. Yellow Tier Low-Rank battle technique, Gale Monarch Fist! Duan Renshan was only capable of unleashing this battle technique, and even this was something he had only attained after training arduously for a month. He was going to use it from the get-go and afford his opponent no opportunity to brace himself. This battle technique could injure an enemy from a distance and even though it possessed more power than a physical kick or punch, it was not very fast and most Strength Martial Stage warriors would choose to evade. However, Qi Ying remained standing on the spot and didn¡¯t evade. ¡°Hmm?¡± Duan Renshan¡¯s lips twitched at the sight of his stationary opponent. ¡®He¡¯s not going to dodge?¡¯ ¡®Do you think I¡¯ll spare you after defeating you like I did during the dueling tform battle?¡¯ ¡®No! I¡¯m going to crush you into the ground, ravage your face, break your ribs, and amputate that gloved hand!¡¯ At this moment, Qi Ying finally sprang into action. He raised his gloved left hand and pressed it toward the oing fist projection. Bam! The yellow fist projection exploded. Duan Renshan was stunned by the turn of events. Qi Ying had crushed his Gale Monarch Fist with a single hand? However, before he had a chance to ponder this notion further, Qi Ying had already leaped into the air and was upon him in an instant. He unleashed a vicious low kick into the back of Duan Renshan¡¯s left knee, thereby causing it to buckle; Duan Renshan involuntarily fell forward as a result. Bam! Duan Renshan was forced into a half-kneeling position and immediately after that, his breathing was cut off as something icy cold caught his neck in a vice-like grip. ¡°Argh... Qi Ying, you... you...¡± Duan Renshan¡¯s face became flushed from exertion; he was unable to even utter a coherent sentence as his neck was being strangled by Qi Ying¡¯s left hand. Another ball of True Energy materialized around his fist as he attempted to strike Qi Ying with his Gale Monarch Fist from point-nk range, in order to escape his vice-like grip. ¡°Argh!¡± Duan Renshan let loose another cry of anguish. His right wrist had also been caught and twisted into an extremely painful position. For some reason, even though Qi Ying was only at the Seventh Strength Martial Stage, he was even stronger than the Energy Martial Stage Duan Renshan. Furthermore, Duan Renshan was distracted by the pain from his neck and wrist, and before he even had a chance to resist, his entire arm had been forcefully folded behind his back. Qi Ying dug his knee into Duan Renshan¡¯s back and he leaned forward, thereby forcing Duan Renshan onto the ground and immobilizing his limbs. After being forced into submission, Duan Renshan was extremely scared. On one hand, the current Qi Ying seemed to be apletely different personpared to the Qi Ying he had faced on the dueling tform. He had transformed from a vulnerable kitten into a ferocious tiger and managed to subdue him with ease. On the other hand, could it be... that Qi Ying was that kind of man? He had forced him onto the ground in a secluded ce with no one around. Was he nning to... p! A searing pain suddenly shot through Duan Renshan¡¯s cheek. Qi Ying had raised his right hand and given him a vicious p. p! p! Qi Ying raised his hand again and pped him twice more. After receiving these three thunderous ps, Duan Renshan¡¯s entire face had swollen, leaving him in a state ofplete shock. He wanted to burst into tears, but he was unable to even cry out as his neck was still being strangled. ¡°Listen up, Duan Renshan!¡± A cold voice sounded. Duan Renshan actually rxed a little after finally hearing Qi Ying speak. In any case, this showed that Qi Ying was a human capable of speech and was not some wild animal that was going to eat him alive. ¡°Duan Renshan, I¡¯m not interested in An Ruyi. I don¡¯t care if she¡¯s your Goddess or your Queen. In my eyes, she¡¯s just a walking pile of sh*t! No matter how beautiful she is, she¡¯ll be reduced to a pile of excrement after being devoured by a tiger.¡± ¡°Furthermore, I also know that you, Duan Renshan, are only the Young Master of the Duan family in name, but you¡¯re actually just the b*stard son Master Duan had with a sixty-seven-year-old cleaningdy after mistakenly consuming aphrodisiac pills! You can¡¯t evenpare to some of the higher-level servants in your household and you¡¯re just ackey to Young Master Duan Gucheng! Even if I break an arm or a leg of yours, the Duan family won¡¯t be able to do anything to me in the academy! Do you understand now?¡± A bone-chilling sensation ran through Duan Renshan¡¯s heart. Just who was this Qi Ying? No one outside of this family knew about his true situation. For Qi Ying to be aware of all of this indicated that he was definitely not an ordinary disciple. ¡°Ah... ah...¡± The strangled Duan Renshan wanted to say something, but was unable to utter any coherent words. Qi Ying released the pressure he was exerting with his left hand slightly. ¡°Cough cough cough... I understand! I understand!¡± Duan Renshan coughed as tears and snot streamed down his face, ¡°Young Master Qi, I understand! You¡¯re my grandpa from now on, I¡¯ll do whatever you tell me to do!¡± A disdainful expression appeared on Qi Ying¡¯s face. ¡°You were acting like a human just a second ago, but now you¡¯re acting like a dog? I have no grandson like you! Let me make this clear; all I want is to cultivate in this academy and receive my monthly allotment of pills. I¡¯ll do some missions on the side and earn some more pills, then eventually get my graduation certificate and that will be the end of that. I have no interest in starting any trouble with rich boys and pretty girls like you nobles, do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes yes, I understand!¡± Duan Renshan nodded like a woodpecker. ¡°Also, don¡¯t you dare tell any of the academy teachers about what happened here. If you dare tell anyone from the Duan family toe and exact revenge on me, you better make sure that they kill me, because if they don¡¯t, I¡¯m going to kill you! No, I¡¯m going to stick the sh*t-stirring stick from the toilet up your a*s, then find a bunch of thirsty savage ves from the Colosseum to have their way with you!¡± ¡°No no, I wouldn¡¯t dare!¡± ¡°I¡¯m d we¡¯vee to a mutual understanding. You keep living as the Young Master of the Duan family, I¡¯ll keep getting my monthly allotment of pills, and everything will be fine.¡± A satisfied smile appeared on Qi Ying¡¯s face as he inched his right hand toward Duan Renshan¡¯s face. ¡°Ah, don¡¯t hit me... Eh...¡± Duan Renshan thought that Qi Ying was going to p him again and he was frightened to the point of tears. However, to his surprise, Qi Ying only tapped his cheek a few times with his hand. ¡°Good boy. Don¡¯t cry, little boy, I¡¯ll buy you some candy.¡± Duan Renshan: ¡°...¡± Qi Ying got up and dusted himself off. Duan Renshan also crawled up from the ground and wiped away his tears before turning to leave. ¡°Wait!¡± Qi Ying called after Duan Renshan. ¡°Eh!¡± Duan Renshan was rooted to the spot before turning around uneasily. ¡°What are your instructions, Young Master Qi?¡± ¡°What¡¯s this about Young Master Qi? If you dare to call me that again, I¡¯ll find a wild boar to ram you in the face!¡± Qi Ying pursed his lips, ¡°You provoked me today, so it was only right that I taught you a lesson. Furthermore, I failed toplete the mission of raking the leaves in the schoolyard because I had to fight you. As such, I missed out on a ¡®Great Strength Pill¡¯. Shouldn¡¯t you pay for the losses I incurred?¡± Duan Renshan was immediately enlightened and hurriedly pulled out a white jade vial from within his robes before offering the vial to Qi Ying with both hands. ¡°Qi... Qi Ying, these are ¡®Energy Containment Pills¡¯ which are allocated monthly to Energy Martial Stage disciples. I got these yesterday and only consumed one... I¡¯ll give all of these to you; is it enough?¡± Qi Ying grabbed the jade vial and looked at it before opening the vial and taking a whiff, upon which his brows furrowed. ¡°These pills are far more valuable than a single Great Strength Pill... However, I¡¯m in desperate need of pills at the moment so I¡¯ll take this vial of pills for now; I¡¯ll return a vial to you once I progress to the Energy Martial Stage.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that; this is a gift to you, Young Master Qi.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Ah, my mistake, I meant Qi Ying...¡± ¡°Yes.¡± A satisfied smile finally appeared on Qi Ying¡¯s face as Duan Renshan disappeared into the distance. He stowed the jade vial into his robes before looking at the silver glove on his left hand. ¡°For f*ck¡¯s sake, ever since I became a warrior, this thing has been demanding more and more pills. Thank god this idiot came along; otherwise, I would have to make a trip to the Colosseum again... Life sure is hard... All flowers blossom in spring while I¡¯m busy earning pills...¡± Qi Ying hummed an impromptu tune as he walked along the path deep into the mountains. After he was several thousand feet away, a rustling sound suddenly erupted from a nearby bush and a gorgeous figure emerged from within. An Ruyi¡¯s beautiful eyes shed with excitement as she thought back to what she had just witnessed. She had surreptitiously followed Qi Ying and hidden in the bush to see what he was up to. She turned toward the direction Qi Ying had departed in and murmured to herself. ¡°He¡¯s only at the Strength Martial Stage, but his left hand can crush a battle technique. Could he really be the person who saved me that day?¡± Chapter 3: The Left Hand of Darkness

Chapter 3: The Left Hand of Darkness

On the mountain behind the academy, there was a small courtyard, within which a few small houses were found. The courtyard was slightly dpidated, but this was still quite a scenic location with flowing creeks, as well as pleasant flora and fauna. Within the courtyard, there was a white-robed figure with long ck hair. Her head was bowed, and she was watering a small vegetable field with a watering can. As the seeds had been sown more than half a month prior, green seedlings had already emerged. ¡°Mother Yu! I¡¯m back!¡± Qi Ying pushed the courtyard gates open with an ted expression. The white-robed woman raised her head upon hearing this, revealing a set of beautiful yet frail features. She had a pronounced, intricate nose and supple red lips, but her eyes were tightly shut. ¡°Why are you back from the academy so early today? Are you ditching sses?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Qi Ying rushed over, grabbing the watering can from her hand with a wide grin. ¡°I¡¯ll water the vegetables... The academy organized history lessons for us new disciples today, as opposed to cultivation lessons. I learned all of that from you already when I was four years old, so there¡¯s no need for me to attend. By the way, Ipleted a few missions in the academy today and received some pills as a reward.¡± ¡°Oh, not bad!¡± The white-robed woman did not seem concerned in the slightest that Qi Ying was ditching sses. ¡°Let me see the fruits of yourbor from today.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Qi Ying quickly watered thest patch of vegetables before putting the watering can down and pulling out a jade vial. ¡°Here! The teacher at the academy was really pleased with my efforts today and gave me almost an entire vial of pills!¡± ¡°Then, you have to be sure to keep up the good work.¡± The white-robed woman made her way over to Qi Ying, and her expression suddenly changed, ¡°Energy Containment Pills? Where did you get so many of these valuable pills from?¡± ¡°Mother Yu, how did you know...¡± Qi Ying was stunned that she was able to determine that the pills inside the vial were Energy Containment Pills. Even a normal person wouldn¡¯t be able to determine what pills these were just by looking at the vial, let alone a blind woman like her! However, the white-robed woman suddenly red up with rage. ¡°Kneel down, Qi Ying!¡± ¡°Mother Yu!¡± ¡°Kneel down!¡± ¡°All right.¡± Qi Ying sighed and ced the jade vial on the nearby stone table before kneeling down in front of the white-robed woman and lowering his head. This was something that he did every time he made a mistake during the past fifteen years. p! The white-robed woman seemed to be very angry, as her entire body was trembling. She turned and searched for a thin bamboo cane on the stone table before whipping it into the back of Qi Ying¡¯s neck. ¡°I don¡¯t mind if you ditch your sses or are naughty from time to time, but how could you do something like stealing? Don¡¯t you feel ashamed?¡± The white-robed woman¡¯s voice trembled, and her body also began to shudder more violently. ¡°I¡¯ve always taught you to be a kind person and to refrain from benefiting yourself at the expense of others. But what have you done? How did you get these pills?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t steal the pills, I...¡± Qi Ying wanted to refute her, but he swallowed his words in the end. ¡°You didn¡¯t steal these? Then, you must have robbed someone!¡± The white-robed woman was even more enraged, ¡°One Energy Containment Pill is the equivalent of three Great Strength Pills. There are eleven Energy Containment Pills in this vial, which equates to thirty-three Great Strength Pills. One of your fellow students would have to do chores for an entire month in order to get these pills. How much effort would that entail? You... you... I am so disappointed in you!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mother Yu. I was wrong.¡± Qi Ying apologized in a quiet voice. ¡°You were wrong? No way! How could you do anything wrong?¡± ¡°Mother Yu, I really did do something wrong.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°All right, then where did you go wrong?¡± ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have robbed someone of their pills.¡± ¡°Hehe!¡± The white-robed woman raised the bamboo cane again before swinging it viciously into Qi Ying¡¯s forehead. ¡°Is that all? Do you know why I forbade you from cultivating before turning fifteen? I was afraid that you would use your superior power to bully the weak... You weren¡¯t like this back when you were at Nameless City... If I had known that this would happen, I would have never brought you here to the Celestial River County, no matter how much you begged me... Waah... Heavens above, how did my Little Ying be this type of person... Have I failed in my parenting?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that, Mother Yu... This vial of pills belonged to one of the Energy Martial Stage noble disciples from our academy. He¡¯s always bullying other disciples with more humble backgrounds and extorting crystals from them as protection fees. Furthermore, I¡¯m only borrowing these pills from him. I told him that I would give him an entire vial once I reach the Energy Martial Stage...¡± ¡°Nonsense! You¡¯re only at the Seventh Strength Martial Stage, and you expect me to believe that you defeated an Energy Martial Stage disciple?¡± ¡°It¡¯s true! He was way too weak and he didn¡¯t even know how to make use of his Energy Martial Stage power. All he did was throw straight punches and he was even slower than a sloth, so I managed to defeat him with ease. He gave me these pills, and I also thought that they were too valuable for me to take without giving anything in return, so I told him that I was only borrowing these pills and that I would repay him in the future.¡± ¡°Is that the case?¡± The white-robed woman¡¯s expression eased slightly before turning cold again. ¡°That¡¯s still uneptable! You may have subdued him today, but what if he gets other people to start trouble with you tomorrow? People like us have to stay away from the nobles! Their circle is an extremelyplex and sinister one; how will you defend yourself from their malevolent intentions?¡± ¡°I told him that if he dared to seek revenge, I would ram a sh*t-stirring stick up his a*s if I don¡¯t die.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°I said I was going to ram a sh*t-stirring stick up his a*s.¡± ¡°Pffft...¡± The white-robed woman couldn¡¯t help but burst intoughter. To Qi Ying, she looked so beautiful when sheughed, even though she had her eyes closed the entire time. ¡°So be it. Stand up. From what I can gather, I feel that you weren¡¯t the one who instigated these events, so two strikes with my cane is enough. Remember to stay away from those nobles and, ideally, just refrain from speaking to them at all. In particr, the noblewomen are toxic like poison, so don¡¯t even let them get close to you, understood?¡± ¡°Understood!¡± Qi Ying stood up and made his way behind the white-robed woman beforeying his hands on her shoulders to give her a gentle massage. ¡°Please don¡¯t be angry, Mother Yu. How about I take you out for a walk? There are Azure Lotus Fish in the creek outside. Would you like me to roast some fish for you?¡± ¡°Hmm... All right, then.¡± Qi Yingtched onto the white-robed woman¡¯s hand and led her out of the courtyard. However, he was suddenly struck by a sense of unease as soon as he made his way to the gate of the courtyard. A familiar pain spread from his left hand, and it felt as if all of the blood within his entire body were surging into his left arm, thereby emptying his entire body. It was a feeling akin to having ten thousand ants biting viciously into his left arm while the rest of his body had been plunged into a cial pit... Simr scenarios had taken ce countless times throughout his life, but ever since he had begun cultivating about half a month prior, the situation had been exacerbated. That pain was a result of insufficient energy within his body, and as his cultivation base continued to improve, the pain became more and more intense... Under most circumstances in the past, Qi Ying would have been able to hold on momentarily and swallow a pill. The energy within the pill would then ease his pain and settle his left arm. However, the pain was far too severe this time, and Qi Ying¡¯s mind wentpletely nk as he fainted on the spot... ... ¡°Ah...¡± Qi Ying gradually came to his senses. He let loose a light groan and opened his eyes. He was greeted by the sight of a wooden ceiling, and he turned to find a white-robed figure sitting beside him. ¡°You¡¯re finally awake.¡± The white-robed woman heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Thank heavens we had that vial of Energy Containment Pills. They are much more effective than the Great Strength Pills, and I fed you three, so you probably won¡¯t suffer a rpse for a good while.¡± ¡°Remember to take some pills as soon as you feel any difort. Even if you don¡¯t experience any symptoms, make sure to take one Great Strength Pill per day. Your cultivation base is getting higher so it¡¯s requiring more and more from you... That thing really is a bottomless pit...¡± ¡°Mother Yu... what exactly is this thing?¡± Qi Ying pulled his left hand out from under his nket. His clothes had already been stripped away, along with his shiny silver glove, thereby revealing his left hand, which was significantly different from a normal person¡¯s hand. The white-robed woman¡¯s hand was fair and smooth, as was Qi Ying¡¯s right hand. On his right hand, he had long fingers that were a little tender, but his left hand was apletely different story. It waspletely inky-ck in color. Furthermore, that darkness didn¡¯t just epass his left hand. Instead, it extended all the way up to his forearm and only disappeared after reaching his elbow. On the ck portion of his left arm, the skin, muscle, and bone were all as hard as metal. No, they were countless times harder than metal. At the very least, Qi Ying had never encountered anything that hade close to damaging his left hand and forearm. Even the treasures used by warriors were unable to put so much as a scratch on them. Chapter 4: Working at the Colosseum

Chapter 4: Working at the Colosseum

Mother Yu¡¯s full name was Xuan Yu, and Qi Ying wasn¡¯t actually her son. Qi Ying heard from Xuan Yu that she had left home at the age of sixteen and had found Qi Ying during her travels. He had been buried under the debris of a vige, which had been robbed, its people massacred, and burned to the ground. At the time, he seemed to have only been a few hours old. Thus, Xuan Yu¡¯s maternal instincts got the better of her, and she took him to Nameless City, which was a small city within the Celestial River County. She earned money by washing clothes for a few of the rich families in the city and raised him with that ie. Qi Ying¡¯s name had a simr pronunciation to that of ¡®abandoned infant¡¯. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that Xuan Yu had stumbled upon him, he would have been an infant that had been abandoned by this world. As for his left hand, Xuan Yu told him that she had initially thought that it was the result of a burn injury. However, after taking him to a clinic for some tests, they discovered that this was not the case. No one knew exactly why Qi Ying¡¯s left hand was the way it was. It was as hard as dark iron. Some doctors suggested amputating Qi Ying¡¯s arm in fear that if the situation were allowed to develop further, Qi Ying¡¯s entire body would eventually be transformed into a ck rock. Xuan Yu turned down this course of action. Qi Ying¡¯s troubles began when he was four years old. One day, Xuan Yu waste in getting home, as she had too many clothes to wash. Little Qi Ying didn¡¯t have any dinner to eat, and he suddenly fell to the ground and began rolling around in agony. All of the blood within his entire body flowed toward his left hand, and he almost died. Ever since that time, Qi Ying had been blighted by this condition. Every time his bodycked energy, for instance, if he were to go hungry for too long or expended too much energy hunting for wild animals in the mountains, he would suffer a rpse and be struck by excruciating pain. As he grew up, his left hand¡¯s appetite continued to increase. Initially, Qi Ying only had to fill his stomach in order to prevent rpses. However, he was soon required to take pills meant for warriors. Furthermore, ny-five percent of the power within those pills was absorbed by his left hand, leaving a measly five percent for Qi Ying to absorb. Pills were a lot more expensive than food, and even at eleven years old, Qi Ying had to take several ¡°Strength Bolstering Pills¡± per month. After that, he had to take ¡°Strength Enhancement Pills¡± and even ¡°Great Strength Pills¡±. Thus, Qi Ying was forced to join the Nameless City hunting party at the tender age of twelve, in order to hunt for game in the mountains. At that time, Xuan Yu also lost her eyesight due to a mishap in Nameless City, and thus Qi Ying became the sole bread-winner in the family. However, Qi Ying managed to rise to the asion and shouldered the burden with aplomb. Perhaps due to the fact that he had consumed many pills in his life, he was a lot stronger than the average hunter and could fight tigers, boars, and ck bears with his bare hands. In an ironic twist, his left hand became his best weapon, and as long as he had enough strength, he could pulverize a ck bear¡¯s hand with a single punch. Additionally, Qi Ying also joined the Nameless City patrol squad. A few years after that, he was taken under the wing of a retired boxer and became extremely proficient in hand-to-handbat. Even though Qi Ying was just an ordinary human at the time, many Strength Martial Stage warriors were already no match for him. Furthermore, under the teachings of the beautiful and knowledgeable Xuan Yu, Qi Ying became well-versed in many fields, such as astronomy, humanities, geography, and calligraphy, as well as ying woodwind instruments. As he grew up, he became more and more handsome and developed to be a refined, well-mannered young man. There were many prominent families in Nameless City that offered their daughters for future arranged marriages and were willing to give Qi Ying and Xuan Yu all types of riches as dowries. Qi Ying was very touched, but he still refused all of them. ¡°Everyone has their own preferences. You are all beautiful, but none of you suit my tastes. We are indeedcking in wealth, but that is something that can be earned.¡± ¡°Heh!¡± Night had fallen and Qi Ying was lying on his bed while reminiscing about events of the past. He suddenly sat up and for some reason, his thoughts turned to An Ruyi, who had been pestering him during the day. ¡°Hmph! I rejected so many beautiful women that are three hundred times better-looking than her. What makes her think that she would catch my eye? Could it be... that An Ruyi has figured out who I am? That shouldn¡¯t be the case... I was wearing a mask that day...¡± ¡°Ptui, why am I thinking about her? I¡¯ll be able to see the woman of my dreams in a month.¡± Qi Ying picked up the silver glove on his bedside table before slipping it onto his hand. He flexed his left hand to find that it felt no different from normal. ¡°I really don¡¯t know whether I should thank you or curse you!¡± Qi Ying sighed. During his younger days, he had always detested his left hand, but at the same time, his left hand had been very useful in important situations. For example, two months prior, his left hand had helped him aplish something very important in his life. It was exactly due to this that he had insisted oning to the Celestial River County despite Xuan Yu¡¯s objections. Qi Ying then picked up the small jade vial of Energy Containment Pills on the table and looked at the eight pills left inside. After that, Qi Ying closed his eyes and unleashed his internal inspection skill to survey his bodily condition. He could see that among his nine major acupoints, there were already seven that were filled with grey energy. Furthermore, wisps of grey energy had also appeared in his eighth acupoint. In the Strength Martial Stage, one had to refine spiritual energy, and progression took ce when the major acupoints began to nurture spiritual energy. Once all nine major acupoints were filled, the spiritual energy would converge to form an energy vortex within one¡¯s dantian, thereby creating a True Energy cirction system, which would take one to the Energy Martial Stage. ¡°I¡¯m about to reach the Eighth Strength Martial Stage!¡± Qi Ying was not ted in the slightest by this observation. Instead, he was feeling a little concerned. If he were to reach the Energy Martial Stage before turning sixteen, he would be considered one of the elite disciples of the academy. In that case, he would be quite influential even outside of the academy, and would be regarded as a respected figure within the county. ¡°To think that I was just an ordinary human with no cultivation base when I came to the Celestial River County two months ago. I reached the Sixth Strength Martial Stage after cultivating for just six days ording to an elementary cultivation method I bought from some shop. I wonder if the disciples and teachers at the academy would get heart attacks if they were to learn about this!¡± Qi Ying pursed his lips. In reality, he wanted to break through to the Energy Martial Stage, and if he put his mind to it, he would be able to make the breakthrough in about a month. However, he didn¡¯t dare to do that. On one hand, he was afraid that he would attract too much attention if others were to hear about his prodigious cultivation aptitude, as bing too renowned was not always a good thing. For example, if a rare species of mutant beasts were discovered in the mountains, they would inevitably be targeted by hunters. On the other hand, he knew the importance of building a strong foundation in cultivation. If his cultivation base rose too quickly but his foundation was unstable, he could encounter a lengthy teau following this meteoric rise. An analogy to the fruits that ripened too early in the mountains could be drawn here; most of them were quite small and not very sweet. Most importantly, he wouldn¡¯t have enough pills to satisfy his left hand, if he were to make this breakthrough. Back when he had no cultivation base, he could take one Great Strength Pill per week to ensure that his left hand didn¡¯t rpse. However, after reaching the Seventh Strength Martial Stage, he had to take virtually one Great Strength Pill per day and even that was starting to be insufficient. ¡°Looks like I¡¯ll have to go to the Colosseum tomorrow. The missions at the academy aren¡¯t enough to feed this guy!¡± ... In a secluded county such as the Celestial River County, the only tourist attraction worthy of note to the nobles was the Celestial River County¡¯s Colosseum. There were over a thousand beasts there, as well as countless ves from foreign tribes. Additionally, there were even some poverty-stricken local warriors who were willing to take the risk and battle at the Colosseum for financial ie. All spectators at the Colosseum only had to pay a certain fee to be treated to one or many thrilling battles to the death. Some wealthy nobles even paidrge sums in order to choose the beasts and people that were going to be involved in the Colosseum battles. There had been an ident a few days prior in which a beast had escaped from its cage and wounded many bystanders. However, the Colosseum had only closed down for a day as a result, and it had still been packed to the rafters following its reopening. Weren¡¯t the spectators afraid of another ident? No! The chances of another ident taking ce were far too low, and everyone was adamant in the belief that misfortune surely wouldn¡¯t strike them. Within the Colosseum. There was still some time before themencement of the first colosseum battle, but the ce was already filled with people. The stands were packed with several thousand spectators, and all of them were yelling impatiently in anticipation of the first battle. Qi Ying wore a cloak as he passed through the throngs of people. He walked into a dark corridor and past a flickering light before opening a door. ¡°Hello, I would like to participate in a colosseum battle.¡± Chapter 5: Contracted Warrior

Chapter 5: Contracted Warrior

¡°Nameless Warrior, we have twenty colosseum battles lined up for today. You are challenging a Yellow Tier beast this time, so your battle will be the thirteenth or fourteenth one, which will be held at night... This is the mask you requested. You will need to pay the full cost for the mask if damaged during your battle.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Qi Ying epted the sinister ck mask offered to him by the colosseum worker, before putting it onto his face. This was not his first time at the Colosseum. Seven days ago, Qi Ying¡¯s monthly allotment of pills had beenpletely depleted by his left hand¡¯s increasing appetite. He didn¡¯t want to borrow pills from his fellow academy disciples, none of whom he was really familiar with, and he couldn¡¯t earn any pills anyway, so he wouldn¡¯t be able to repay them even if they were willing to lend him their pills. Thus, after hearing about the rich rewards being offered to warriors by the Colosseum, he decided to try and apply. On that asion, he slew an ordinary Wind Wolf beast and received three Great Strength Pills and some crystals as a reward. After that initial sess, Qi Ying visited the Colosseum again four days ago. However, due to an ident that took ce at the Colosseum, his battle was canceled and he wasted an entire day for nothing. One Great Strength Pill per day was no longer enough to satisfy his left hand, but he couldn¡¯t make excessively frequent appearances at the Colosseum. As such, Qi Ying decided to challenge a Yellow Tier beast, which was equivalent to an Energy Martial Stage warrior, as opposed to a normal beast. If he seeded, he would receive three Energy Containment Pills and more crystals. In addition to the crystals he had already saved up, he would be able to buy some spirit herbs and spirit medicine seeds that could be nted in Mother Yu¡¯s field. At that moment, the colosseum worker suddenly said, ¡°Young man, I can see from our records that this is your third time at the Colosseum. Looks like you¡¯re not just entering a colosseum battle as a one-off event. Are you interested in bing a contracted warrior for our Colosseum?¡± ¡°As a contracted warrior, you¡¯ll get an additional ten percent, as well as a Great Strength Pill or Energy Containment Pill more than an uncontracted warrior. Furthermore, the Colosseum will provide you with weapons and armor for your battles.¡± ¡°Are there any requirements that a contracted warrior has to fulfill?¡± Qi Ying was a little interested. As his cultivation base had progressed, his left hand had developed more and more stringent requirements in regards to the quality and quantity of pills that he consumed. He needed pills and money, and colosseum battles were undoubtedly the fastest way to earn ie. Contract warrior? That sounded like a lucrative job. ¡°Bing a contracted warrior entails that you will essentially be half a colosseum employee. You have to spend at least six full days at the Colosseum and engage in twenty colosseum battles per month as a minimum. Furthermore, when special circumstances arise, you have to fight more powerful beasts or savages from foreign realms. Additionally, there are different ranks for contracted warriors. The conditions I just stated apply to Iron rank warriors, but if you can umte more victories at a good win percentage, you can upgrade to be a Bronze rank, Silver rank, or even Gold-rank warrior. In that case, you will receive several times the benefits that an Iron rank warrior would receive.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Qi Ying felt as if his throat were a little dry and he gulped in disbelief. ¡°You¡¯re giving out so many benefits AND you have to expend beasts and ves? Won¡¯t you guys lose money?¡± The colosseum worker burst intoughter. ¡°If you can be a Silver rank warrior, you¡¯ll be a colosseum superstar in the Celestial River County! Each and every colosseum battle generates a massive amount of revenue for our Colosseum, so we can naturally afford to issue bountiful rewards. Young man, I take it that you¡¯re interested in my proposal?¡± ¡°I sure am!¡± ... At the administration office, there was a female worker who appeared to be in her twenties. She had long, wavy curls and wore vibrant, red lipstick; she was the one responsible for taking care of Qi Ying¡¯s contract. ¡°Name?¡± ¡°Nameless Warrior.¡± ¡°Not your warrior name, your real name. Our Colosseum will be sure to keep the personal information of our contracted warriors confidential.¡± ¡°Oh... It¡¯s Qi Ying.¡± ¡°Please show me some ID.¡± Qi Ying pulled out his Celestial River Academy student ID. The female worker epted the student ID and was just about to continue writing in her records when she suddenly faltered. She raised her head and appraised Qi Ying with a hint of sympathy in her eyes. ¡°Little brother, you¡¯re such a handsome young man and you¡¯re a disciple of the Celestial River Academy. The world is your oyster; why do you want to fight in colosseum battles? You¡¯ve got such a nice face, it would be a shame if one of the beasts here were to disfigure you.¡± Qi Ying was amused. ¡°Thanks for your concern, but I¡¯m confident in my abilities, so you don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡± The female worker pursed her lips upon seeing Qi Ying¡¯s reluctance to heed her advice. ¡°So be it. I¡¯ve seen people like you. Regardless of whether you¡¯ve got the skills or not, all of you dream of fame and fortune by bing colosseum superstars... But in the end... Hehe. Being disfigured is not the main concern; there are even some who have lost their lives here! I¡¯m going to leave you with one final piece of advice: one must learn to be happy with what they have and not to be overambitious. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Thank you for your words of wisdom.¡± ... Qi Ying left the administration office with a ck badge in his hand. The badge had an antiquated feel and upon it the words ¡°Nameless Warrior¡± were carved. This badge represented his identity as an Iron rank warrior. ¡°From now on, I¡¯m a contracted warrior of the Colosseum. My monthly ie will rise significantly and not only will I be able to satisfy my left hand, I can even slightly increase my rate of cultivation!¡± Qi Ying wore a ck mask and the ck badge hung from his waist. He strode through the corridor and arrived at the waiting area to await his battle. The waiting area was separated from the iron cage at the center of the Colosseum by a short passageway. From there, one could hear the thunderous cries of the spectators as well as witness the gory colosseum battles taking ce within the iron cage. Within the cage. There were a few broad and muscr savage ves from foreign realms wielding clubs and cudgels, as they engaged in a vicious battle with a ¡®Golden Thread Tiger¡¯ beast. The savage ves had no cultivation base, but they possessed special constitutions. A fully-grown savage had around the same level of strength as a Fifth or Sixth Strength Martial Stage warrior, and their defensive prowess was even more superior. There were even some savages born with prodigious strength and when fully-grown, they would be as powerful as Energy Martial Stage warriors. As such, these ves should be able to y this normal beast with no real issues. ¡°Howl!¡± The Golden Thread Tiger was soon riddled with wounds and its satin-like back was stained with blood. The savages all had injuries of their own with one of them having had an arm torn off during the course of the battle. A fight within the battle cage would only be decided once one or both parties died! The Golden Thread Tiger and the savages were all fighting for their lives and simultaneously satisfying the spectators¡¯ thirst for blood and gore. Outside. The spectators were all yelling at the top of their lungs with flushed faces and hoarse voices. ¡°Finish it! Break its ws! Snap its tail! Kill it!¡± ¡°F*ck! I bet a hundred low-rank crystals on that stupid beast, how could it be brought down so quickly?¡± ¡°Kill! Kill! Kill!¡± The spectators seemed to be filled with even more adrenalin than the beast and the savages in the battle cage. In particr, those who had ced bets were all swinging their fists around with ferocious expressions, as if they wanted to jump into the cage and fight for the side they had betted on. Within the cage. The Golden Thread Tiger had been forced into a corner by the savages and it let loose a deranged roar. ¡°Howl!¡± Its roar seemed to be imbued with a certain type of power and a golden wave of energy erupted around its body, forcing the savages to a standstill. ¡°Howl!¡± The Golden Thread Tiger took that opportunity to pounce on a savage and its sharp teeth instantly sliced through that savage¡¯s neck. St! Blood gushed forth from the savage¡¯s neck; he pressed a hand tightly to his wound before stumbling back in retreat. Chapter 6: This is Actually Just A Commercial Game

Chapter 6: This is Actually Just A Commercial Game

Following the death of one of theirrades, a massive hole abruptly appeared in the ring of savages. ¡°Roar!¡± The Golden Thread Tiger let loose a fierce roar before springing out of the ring of savages like a sharp sword. It then immediately circled around and swung its powerful paw into another savage¡¯s head, thereby pulverizing it like a watermelon. Blood spurted through the air and sttered onto some spectators who were seated closest to the battle cage, immediately drawing screams from some of the female spectators. After losing tworades in rapid session, the savages hadpletely squandered their advantage. Bam! Crack crack! Amid a series of thumps and the sound of bones cracking, the Golden Thread Tiger managed to turn the tables on the savages. All of them were soon reduced to severely disfigured and mangled corpses on the ground, leaving no survivors. ¡°F*ck, how did they lose?!¡± ¡°What a load of bullsh*t!¡± The spectators who had ced bets on the savages swore at the top of their lungs. ¡°Hahaha! You¡¯re right!¡± Those who had ced bets on the Golden Thread Tiger had already lost hope, but they were now ecstatic. All of them received massive amounts of chips and were extremely ted as they carried them away to be exchanged for money. In the waiting area. Qi Ying wore his mask and sighed as the colosseum workers cleared away the bodies of the savages within the battle cage. There was a handsome young warrior in ck robes sitting beside him; he turned to Qi Ying with a curious expression. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen you before. Is this your first time at the Colosseum? If you¡¯re scared, you can still withdraw now.¡± Qi Ying shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m just feeling a bit of regret. The savages were quite powerful, but they didn¡¯t know the importance of always affording some leeway to a cornered beast. They forced the Golden Thread Tiger into a dire situation, which made it unleash all of its power at once in a desperate retaliation, thereby allowing it to make a reversal. If they had intentionally left a small hole in their formation, the Golden Thread Tiger would have tried to exploit that hole in order to escape. The savages would have then been able to attack its vital organs from the side, in order to secure victory while suffering the least amount of casualties possible.¡± The ck-robed warrior smile. ¡°You seem quite experienced in this area.¡± Qi Ying also offered a smile in response. ¡°I¡¯ve done some hunting in the past, so I¡¯m somewhat familiar with the properties of these beasts. That Golden Thread Tiger unleashed all of the power within its body and won¡¯t be able to live for much longer. Those savages have all died in vain.¡± ¡°In vain?¡± The ck-robed warrior chuckled, ¡°The Colosseum intentionally organized the savages to fight in the first battle of the day, as a means to entice more people to ce bets. Those who ced bets will definitely stay, regardless of whether they made a profit or lost. Thus, they¡¯re going to cerger andrger bets in the uing colosseum battles... No matter what happens, the Colosseum is still the biggest winner!¡± ¡°Is that so...¡± Qi Ying felt like he had been enlightened. It looked like the Colosseum was quite aplex organization, and not just a business that relied on drawing attention through gory battles. ¡°You¡¯re a contracted warrior as well?¡± The ck-robed warrior noticed the badge hanging from Qi Ying¡¯s waist, ¡°¡®Nameless Warrior¡¯... I haven¡¯t seen that name before. You must be a newbie Iron rank warrior, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You sound quite young. Let me give you some advice; being a contracted warrior is not fun. If you just want to earn some crystals, then settle for Iron rank, battle some weaker beasts, and be content with earning a little bit of money. Do not strive for more than that.¡± The ck-robed warrior shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s all I can tell you. You¡¯ll understand once you gain more experienceter on. Some people are willing to do anything for profit. Even Silver rank superstar warriors are only tools that they use to make profits with.¡±... A string of colosseum battles ensued. Following the first battle, the seeding battles became more and more thrilling to watch. Initially, the battles consisted of several savages battling one beast, then a group of savages battling several beasts, and finally, the warriors took the stage to battle the beasts. Bam! Within the battle cage, a wolf beast¡¯s head was cracked open and it fell heavily to the ground. There were also several other beast carcasses lying near the wolf beast. The ck-robed youth in the cage pulled out a white handkerchief to wipe away the blood on his hands, before turning to the spectators with a smile and preparing to leave. Many spectators wore expressions of disinterest and began to yawn. ¡°Boring! This Yin Yuesheng is already at the Third Energy Martial Stage, but he¡¯s still challenging these normal beasts. Watching his battle is more like watching a performance. The result is already pre-ordained and it defeats the purpose. No wonder he¡¯s still an Iron rank warrior.¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t have to fight powerful beasts for a living when he¡¯s that handsome. Have a look at the female spectators...¡± The female section of the spectator stands was in uproar. ¡°Warrior Yin is way too handsome!¡± ¡°My God, look at the angle of his fist strikes! It¡¯s like poetry in motion!¡± ¡°Heh, I¡¯ve heard that Warrior Yin has slept with many female nobles!¡± ¡°So what? You want to sleep with him but you can¡¯t! How many women are mbering for the chance to sleep with him?¡± ... ¡°Looks like you¡¯re quite popr.¡± Qi Ying remarked as the ck-robed youth returned to the waiting area. ¡°I¡¯m just doing this to fill my stomach.¡± The ck-robed youth smiled sheepishly and walked toward the corridor before suddenlying to a halt and turning to face Qi Ying. ¡°I just heard from the staff workers that you¡¯re going to challenge a Yellow Tier beast?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Qi Ying nodded. ¡°I advise you to withdraw.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I can tell from your voice that you¡¯ve yet to go through puberty. You¡¯re probably about fifteen or sixteen years of age and at the very most, you¡¯re at the Third Energy Martial Stage... That¡¯s all I¡¯ll say on the matter. If you trust me, then withdraw; but if you don¡¯t, then just forget it.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Qi Ying nodded, but he didn¡¯t really take his words seriously. ... Within the Colosseum, a different type ofmotion erupted within the spectator stands. One section of spectators suddenly parted to open up a path. A gorgeous, captivating woman in a white dress walked along that path. ¡°It¡¯s the Young Mistress of the An family!¡± ¡°Why is she here again? Wasn¡¯t she attacked at this colosseum just a few days ago?¡± ¡°That was just an ident. However, thest time she came to the Colosseum was also her first time attending, and it should be normal to think that she would be too spooked to return after that incident. Could it be that she¡¯s extremely interested in watching colosseum battles?¡± ¡°Hehe, none of the female spectators are here to watch the battles; all of them are here to see the warriors.¡± ... The An family¡¯s entourage arrived at the section of the spectator stands that was closest to the battle cage. ¡°Young Mistress, this ce is far too noisy. Allow me to take you to the booth upstairs.¡± The An family guard beside An Ruyi offered in a respectful voice. ¡°No need,¡± An Ruyi replied indifferently and continued, ¡°I¡¯ll stay here so I can get a better look at the battles. You guys also have to make sure to keep an eye out for the person who saved me that day, in case he appeared in the Colosseum. He might not be a warrior; he could just be a spectator. Look for someone with a glove or something like that on his left hand!¡± ¡°Understood!¡± The guards replied in unison. However, the guard beside her furrowed his brows with concern. ¡°Young Mistress, only a warrior of at least the Seventh or Eighth Energy Martial Stage would be capable of blocking a battle technique unleashed by a Yellow Tier Fourth Rank ¡®Demonic Blood Wolf¡¯ with their bare hands. In that case, he would most definitely be a Silver rank warrior in this colosseum. However, the colosseum staff have told me that there were no Silver rank warriors present on that day. As such, the person who saved you must be one of the spectators. I think it would be a better idea to visit all of the prominent families in the city to ask if any members of their families came to the Colosseum on that day and happened to save you.¡± ¡°Do you think I haven¡¯t done that already? I wasn¡¯t able to find any leads! I said I¡¯m going to wait here at the Colosseum and that is what I will do!¡± ¡°But Young Mistress...¡± ¡°Shush! Am I the Young Mistress or are you the Young Mistress? Just do as you¡¯re told!¡± ¡°Alright...¡± Chapter 7: The Black Shadow’s Smile

Chapter 7: The ck Shadow¡¯s Smile

¡°The next warrior to take the stage is a newly contracted Iron rank warrior, the ¡®Nameless Warrior!¡¯ Please give him a warm wee!¡± Following that short announcement, a masked warrior wearing a set of ck robes emerged from the passageway, before stepping into the battle cage. ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°A new warrior!¡± ¡°I wonder if he¡¯s powerful.¡± ¡°Seeing as he¡¯s a new warrior, his first beast must be an easy one, so it should be an easy win!¡± Outside the battle cage. An Ruyi¡¯s eyes immediately fell upon the Nameless Warrior. ¡°His left hand...¡± An Ruyi had always suspected that the person who had saved her that day was Qi Ying. This was because at that time she had caught sight of a silver gleaming from the left hand of the mysterious warrior, who had crushed the Demonic Blood Wolf¡¯s battle technique. That silver gleam was extremely simr to Qi Ying¡¯s silver glove, and that person¡¯s figure and height also bore an uncanny resemnce to Qi Ying¡¯s. After following Qi Ying and witnessing him crushing Duan Renshan¡¯s Gale Monarch Fist with his bare hand, she was even more convinced that Qi Ying was her savior. However, blocking Duan Renshan¡¯s Gale Monarch Fist waspletely different from blocking a Demonic Blood Wolf¡¯s attack. Furthermore, there was a disparity of an entire major rank between a Seventh Strength Martial Stage and Seventh Energy Martial Stage cultivation base! She hade to the Colosseum again in order to search for that mysterious person; that person¡¯s left hand appeared to be the biggest lead she had. However, she was slightly disappointed after seeing the Nameless Warrior¡¯s left hand as both of his hands were sheathed in ck leather gloves. Furthermore, the Nameless Warrior was only a newly contracted Iron rank warrior. ¡°He will be battling a Yellow Tier First Rank Blood Wolf!¡± ¡°We will begin taking bets now and all bets will close in fifteen minutes. The battle willmence once all bets have been taken!¡± ... Within the Colosseum. A few shadowy figures were gathered in a secluded corner and conversing with one another in quiet voices. ¡°Have you given the medicine to the Blood Wolf?¡± ¡°I have. As soon as the Blood Wolf bes afflicted by pain, it will transform into a Demonic Blood Wolf for a short time. That Nameless Warrior is only at the First or Second Energy Martial Stage at most. He¡¯s not using a weapon, either, so he¡¯ll be easy pickings!¡± ¡°There won¡¯t be mishaps this time, right?¡± ¡°Last time, that Blood Wolf was frightened by a Land Stalking Dragon beside the cage, thereby activating the effect of the medicine in advance. This time, I made sure to feed it the medicine right before the battle, so there won¡¯t be any mishaps.¡± ¡°Haha! We¡¯ll definitely be able to haul in tens of thousands of crystals this time!¡± ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to Administrator Li¡¯s stroke of genius! Newly contracted warriors will generallye out on top in their first battle, so a lot of people would put their money on the warrior, thinking that it would be a safe bet. In that situation, the pay rate for the Blood Wolf would be extremely high, allowing us to make massive profits by cing our bets on the Blood Wolf!¡± ¡°You¡¯re far too kind. Administrator Duan is the main contributor to this n. The pill capable of transforming a Blood Wolf into a Demonic Blood Wolf is restricted medicine that Administrator Duan stole from the Duan mansion. Even the higher-ups of the Colosseum do not know of this medicine¡¯s existence.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pity that this Nameless Warrior is about to die here!¡± ¡°So what? A paltry human life pales in insignificance whenpared to the riches we are about to make!¡± ¡°Hahahaha!¡± The shadowy figures cackled in a sinister manner. ... Qi Ying looked at the Blood Wolf being held captive in a cage several dozens of meters away. He wore a rxed expression as he flexed his gloved hands. His shiny, silver glove, and his cloak had both been stored in a locker outside. The administrator told him that the metal glove would be considered as a weapon and that defeating a beast without a weapon would result in an extra twenty crystals in rewards. Twenty crystals were enough to buy Mother Yu another high-quality bamboo cane. The previous cane was now cracked and unusable after Mother Yu had struck him with it. As such, Qi Ying had refrained from wearing his silver glove in his colosseum battles, both on the current asion and the previous one. A ring girl in a revealing outfit strode past the battle cage in a seductive manner, while holding a sign above her head. ¡°The battle between the Nameless Warrior and the Blood Wolf will nowmence!¡± ¡°Roar!¡± The beast cage was opened and the Blood Wolf howled as it rushed to the center of the battle cage. The Blood Wolf was a wolf, but it was roughly the size of a calf and its crimson fur danced like mes. The Blood Wolf bared its sharp, white fangs and itsrge, red eyes shimmered with bloodlust. All of the spectators were reinvigorated by the sight of the ferocious Blood Wolf. ¡°Kill! Kill! Kill!¡± ¡°Kill the stupid beast!¡± ¡°Kill that thing, Nameless Warrior!¡± ¡°Fight!¡± Amid the thunderousmotion within the Colosseum, Qi Ying stood on the spot and stared intently at the Blood Wolf through the holes on his mask. The Blood Wolf was also ring at Qi Ying; both of them regarded one another as their prey. Bam! The Blood Wolf mmed its front paws into the ground and dust and debris instantly permeated through the air. The Blood Wolf shot forth like a bolt of red lightning and pounced toward Qi Ying at an astonishing speed! The Blood Wolf had covered a distance of over twenty meters within two seconds and a foul, pungent odor wafted from its cavernous mouth as it rushed toward Qi Ying. Qi Ying unleashed a series of powerful punches, all of which struck the Blood Wolf on the head, and stirred up gusts of wind around him. Bam! Bam bam! The Blood Wolf fell to the ground after being struck multiple times on the head before jumping back several meters. It seemed to have been stunned by that onught and it shook its head violently before letting loose an enraged roar, then throwing itself at Qi Ying once again. ¡°Stupid c*nt!¡± ¡°Idiot!¡± A bunch of spectators began to hurl abuse. Even the most uneducated person knew that wolves were known to have extremely hard heads and backs, while their sides were much more vulnerable. As such, the key to fighting a wolf beast was to avoid its head and strike its sides. However, this Nameless Warrior seemed to be unaware of this and was striking the wolf on the head; was he an idiot? In a short few seconds, the Blood Wolf exchanged several blows with Qi Ying, but all of their shes were extremely brief. The Blood Wolf was trying to tear Qi Ying¡¯s throat with all its might, but Qi Ying was always able to swat the Blood Wolf away with punches to the head. A disdainful smile appeared on Qi Ying¡¯s face as he heard the abuse being hurled at him by the spectators. ¡®These people sure are idiots... Wolves aren¡¯t retarded, do you think they¡¯ll just let me attack their vulnerable regions? A Blood Wolf is muchrger than a normal wolf; if you try to strike its side, it would be able to turn its head and bite your head off... It¡¯s not a concern if you¡¯re only uneducated, but if you¡¯re uneducated and think of yourself as a know-it-all, you¡¯re going to be in a lot of trouble!¡¯ Bam bam bam! The Blood Wolf was clearly the one initiating all of the attacks; all of them were aimed at Qi Ying¡¯s vital regions. Initially, it tried to bite Qi Ying¡¯s neck, then his leg, then his waist, and finally his forearm... However, Qi Ying was like an extremely agile beast; he was able to keep the Blood Wolf at bay with his peerless strength. Slowly, some of the spectators began to realize something. ¡°This Nameless Warrior doesn¡¯t appear to be an Energy Martial Stage warrior! He hasn¡¯t used any battle techniques at all!¡± ¡°Eh? You¡¯re right! Several dozen exchanges have already passed and all he has done is punch and kick!¡± ¡°I remember now; the Nameless Warrior appeared seven days ago as well, but he wasn¡¯t a contracted warrior at the time and he killed a Wind Wolf. Thest time I saw him, he slew that Wind Wolf with ease and didn¡¯t use any battle techniques either. Could it be that he really is just a Strength Martial Stage warrior with superior strength?¡± Some of the spectators who had ced bets immediately red up with rage. ¡°What the f*ck?! Why would the Colosseum pair up a rookie Strength Martial Stage warrior with a Yellow Tier beast? Are they trying to scam us? Is this a fixed battle?¡± Just as many people were beginning to protest, a howl of anguish suddenly erupted from within the battle cage. ¡°Howl!¡± Everyone turned their attention back to the battle to discover that Qi Ying had struck the Blood Wolf in the chin with a vicious punch. At the same time, his leg shot forth like a viper and struck the Blood Wolf on the lower abdomen, therebyunching it seven or eight meters through the air! The Blood Wolf rolled several times on the ground and its crimson fur waspletely stained by mud. All of the spectators who were previously in uproar immediately fell silent. They began to patiently await the result of that battle of life and death. The first one to fall to the ground was most likely the one that would be killed. Qi Ying quickly strode over to the Blood Wolf and straddled its back before clenching his fist in preparation to smash that wolf¡¯s skull. All of a sudden. ¡°Howl!¡± The Blood Wolf let loose a howl that waspletely different from its normal howl and immediately afterward, a series of pops and cracks erupted from its fur. Its entire body then began to expand in size. ¡°Is this Blood Wolf going berserk? Is it about to transform into a Demonic Blood Wolf?!¡± A spectator eximed in shock. Chapter 8: Master Thirteen of the Celestial River County

Chapter 8: Master Thirteen of the Celestial River County

The Demonic Blood Wolf was apletely different beast whenpared to a Blood Wolf. The disparity in power was like that of realms between Energy Martial Stage warriors. Following a transformation from Blood Wolf to Demonic Blood Wolf, its power would soar several levels, thereby allowing it to even unleash a ¡°Blood Wolf st¡±, which wasparable to a Yellow Tier High-Rank battle technique. Following this drastic increase in power, the Demonic Blood Wolf would be capable of ughtering a bunch of Strength Martial Stage warriors in seconds. The incident that had taken ce a few days ago was instigated by none other than a Demonic Blood Wolf and it had almost resulted in a huge cmity. But now, this Blood Wolf had also gone berserk? ¡°Howl!¡± The Demonic Blood Wolf rose arching its back; Qi Ying was thrown into the distance by this action. ¡°Crap! He¡¯s going to lose!¡± ¡°F*ck, how is a Strength Martial Stage little brat going to fight a Demonic Blood Wolf? My three hundred crystals are as good as gone!¡± All of the spectators who were cursing their luck were those who had ced bets on the Nameless Warrior. Of course, there were also some who were a little sympathetic toward the Nameless Warrior. ¡°Poor guy. He was about to secure victory, but now, it¡¯s all over for him. There¡¯s only a less than one percent chance of a Blood Wolf going berserk! How unfortunate.¡± In contrast, An Ruyi sat up on the edge of her seat and focused her attention on the battle with even greater intensity. ¡®Show me if you¡¯re that person or not!¡¯ In the corner of the Colosseum, several shadowy figures cackled with glee. Within the cage. Bam! The Demonic Blood Wolf leaped into the air and pounced toward Qi Ying, who was yet to stabilize himself after being hurled off the Blood Wolf¡¯s back. It swept its powerful paw through the air and Qi Ying was knocked flying before crashing into the battle cage with a dull thump. ¡°Roar!¡± A ball of red light suddenly materialized within the Demonic Blood Wolf¡¯s mouth. ¡°It¡¯s the Blood Wolf st!¡± ¡°Sigh, that Nameless Warrior is dead for sure now!¡± All of the spectators had resigned themselves to this inevitable result. A Blood Wolf st was capable of severely wounding even a Fourth Energy Martial Stage warrior. This Nameless Warrior didn¡¯t even appear to have reached the Spirit Martial Stage yet, so he was most likely going to bepletely pulverized! Whoosh! The Blood Wolf st only took a second to materialize before it wasunched. Right at that moment, Qi Ying raised his left hand. Boom! The Blood Wolf st struck his left hand and the ck leather glove was instantly reduced to dust, revealing the unsightly ck hand underneath. The Blood Wolf st also exploded right as it came into contact with his left hand, creating a spectacr fireworks disy. Qi Ying suddenly stood up. He dug his feet into the ground before leaping into the sky like a graceful falcon. His left hand formed a w as he reached for the Blood Wolf, which was rooted to the spot afterunching that Blood Wolf st. His ck left hand fell with unerring uracy upon the Blood Wolf¡¯s throat. Crack! The sound of bones being crushed erupted as blood gushed forth from the Blood Wolf¡¯s throat, instantly drenching Qi Ying in blood. ¡°Gasp...¡± A collective gasp rang out across the spectator stands. Qi Ying hadpleted that series of actions with extreme speed and grace, to the extent that many spectators missed what had happened after taking their eyes off the action for a split second. Thus, they were naturally quite bbergasted by the scene that was presented to them. However, those who had seen what Qi Ying had done were even more astonished. He had just crushed a Blood Wolf st with his bare hand! There was nock of Energy Martial Stage warriors in the spectator stands; they all knew that only a Seventh Spirit Martial Stage warrior or a warrior who had refined his body to an insane degree would be able to aplish this! The Nameless Warrior was definitely a powerful warrior who had hidden his true power. At the very least, he must have been a Fifth or Sixth Energy Martial Stage warrior. ¡°It¡¯s him! The Nameless Warrior is most definitely the person who saved me that day!¡± An Ruyi was extremely animated. The motion with which the Nameless Warrior had crushed the Blood Wolf st with his left hand was identical to that of her mysterious savior. She had to know who this person was! After that, a predictable series of events took ce. Even though a Demonic Blood Wolf was a Yellow Tier Fourth Rank beast, its throat had been severed and it would only be about a dozen seconds before it died. Thus, it soon fell to the ground and spasmed for a while before fallingpletely still. ¡°He won!¡± ¡°Wow! The Nameless Warrior is so powerful!¡± p p p p p p p p p! All of the excited spectators burst into raucous cheers and enthusiastic apuse. Qi Ying brought his palms together and bowed to the Demonic Blood Wolf on the ground. ¡°I have nothing against you, brother. It¡¯s just that we were pitted together in a battle of life and death and I killed you out of necessity. Thank you and farewell. I¡¯ll be sure to light some incense for you tonight!¡± ... Qi Ying strode out from the battle cage before putting on his cloak and silver glove again in the waiting area. He then made his way over to the Colosseum¡¯s administration office, but he felt a few intense gazes scrutinizing him in the corridor. He turned to discover that a few of the administrators were looking at him, but they immediately turned and left after he turned to meet their gaze. At this moment, the female administrator with the long, wavy curls made her way over and appraised Qi Ying with aplex expression. ¡°Little brother, Master Thirteen would like to see you.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Pleasee with me.¡± Qi Ying followed her up a set of stairs and after many twists and turns, they arrived in a room with antiquated decor and over a hundred pieces of calligraphy hanging from the walls. A middle-aged man in white robes stood before a desk and made a series of rapid motions with the calligraphy brush in his hand. After a short few seconds, a series of graceful characters appeared on the paperid out on the desk. Whoosh! The paper was flung into the air andnded in the female administrator¡¯s hands. The middle-aged man picked up a white jade wine gon before taking a sip of wine. ¡°Frame that and offer it to the Celestial River Winery for a gon of eighty-year-old Celestial River Wine.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The female administrator exited the room with the sheet of paper in her hands. Qi Ying knew that this person was Master Thirteen. He was an extremely renowned figure in the Celestial River County and the boss of the Colosseum. Even though he was the head of the Celestial River County¡¯s underworld, he appeared to be a graceful and refined gentleman; at the same time, he was an alcoholic who regarded wine to be as important as his life. The middle-aged man put down the wine gon but didn¡¯t look at Qi Ying. Instead, he began to work on another sheet of paper while speaking in what appeared to be an almost absentminded manner. ¡°Qi Ying, a citizen of the Nameless City. You were born with a deformed left hand and taken to Nameless City by a woman named Xuan Yu. You are one of the best hunters of Nameless City, as well as a student of the Falcon Fist master Feng Tianying. You possess prodigious strength and a left hand that is as hard as steel, thereby enabling you to tear normal beasts apart even when you weren¡¯t a warrior.¡± ¡°Two months ago, a phenomenon took ce on the Nameless Mountain, heralding the appearance of a mutant beast. The three prominent families consisting of the Qin, Chu, and Yan families deployedrge numbers of elite warriors to capture this mutant beast.¡± ¡°However, the hunting party was ambushed by the mutant beast and suffered severe casualties. They disappeared for three days before returning to the Nameless City and no one knew where they went during that time. You arrived at the Celestial River County fifty-four days ago and enrolled in the Celestial River Academy forty-seven days ago as a Sixth Energy Martial Stage warrior.¡± The Master Thirteen threw his calligraphy brush aside and raised his head to appraise Qi Ying with a smile. ¡°Was I mistaken in any of those details?¡± Whoosh! A sheet of paper fluttered onto the ground and a woman seemed to have been drawn onto the paper. Chapter 9: Bloodline Inheritance

Chapter 9: Bloodline Inheritance

¡°You investigated me?¡± Qi Ying¡¯s brows had already furrowed upon hearing Master Thirteen¡¯s words and his expression changed drastically at the sight of the portrait on the sheet of paper. ¡°Hehe, don¡¯t be nervous. It¡¯s the Colosseum¡¯s duty to have a thorough understanding of all of our warriors.¡± Master Thirteen smiled and said, ¡°I am the only person aware of this information, so you can be at ease. I will keep everything a secret, including your identity, origins, and your reason foring to the Celestial River County.¡± Qi Ying picked up the portrait on the ground and took a deep breath before cing the portrait on a nearby candle. Whoosh! The me on the candle soon incinerated the entire portrait. ¡°What do you want from me, Master Thirteen? I¡¯m not a person that likes to waste time. I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯t summon me just to show me this portrait.¡± ¡°Haha! Great!¡± Master Thirteen burst into heartyughter, ¡°I¡¯m also not a fan of wasting time. I prefer to work with people who are honest and straightforward as that won¡¯t result in losses. I summoned you for a very simple reason. I just wanted to notify you that you must appear in your colosseum battles as the mysterious Nameless Warrior and to never expose your true identity. Also, do not let anyone know that you, Qi Ying, are a warrior of the Colosseum. That way, the Colosseum would be able to profit more from you.¡± ¡°Master Thirteen, you¡¯re far too kind. I¡¯m just an insignificant Strength Martial Stage warrior; how can I possibly bring any noteworthy profit to the Colosseum? Please entrust this duty to someone more capable.¡± ¡°An insignificant Strength Martial Stage warrior?¡± Master Thirteen chuckled, ¡°You broke through six cultivation base ranks in six days and slew a Demonic Blood Wolf with your bare hands. You survived that Nameless Mountain expedition when many Spirit Martial Stage powerful beings suffered casualties and won the heart of the Qin family¡¯s Young Mistress in the process. How are you insignificant in any way? In any case, this is something I¡¯ve decided after doing a lot of research. Even though it may feel like I¡¯m forcing this role upon you, but the future superstar of the Colosseum will be you. This is a win-win situation for both of us, so what reason do you have to refuse?¡± Master Thirteen pulled out a shiny ring. ¡°Everything inside this ring is a present from me.¡± ... Qi Ying hurriedly made his way out of the Colosseum in his ck cloak and traveled toward the Celestial River Academy. ... ¡°What? Tianshan is dueling Qi Ying?¡± ¡°What? You couldn¡¯t find out any information? And you lost him as well?¡± Within the Colosseum, An Ruyi was scolding the leader of her guard squad in a cold voice, ¡°The An family feeds you and pays you handsome monthly sries, all for what? You can¡¯t even do something as simple as this?¡± ¡°Young Mistress, we don¡¯t know why, but all of the administrators are extremely tight-lipped in response to any questions regarding the Nameless Warrior. When we tried to follow the Nameless Warrior, we were stopped in our tracks by the colosseum guards and we lost him as a result. The Nameless Warrior seems to be someone of quite a high status and is being looked after by the higher-ups in the Colosseum. All information about him is strictly confidential and it¡¯s basically impossible to find out his identity through normal methods.¡± ¡°Hmph, I don¡¯t care! I must know who he is!¡± A hint of determination shed through An Ruyi¡¯s eyes, ... The next day. At the Celestial River Academy. Qi Ying was the only person inside a self-cultivation room provided to the academy disciples. ¡®Master Thirteen? He is indeed quite a character. He¡¯s bold, knowledgeable, experienced, and has a level head. Working with him shouldn¡¯t be a bad thing. Most importantly, I really need the resources that he can provide...¡¯ Qi Ying sat with his legs folded before him and took off the silver glove on his left hand before pulling the shiny ring off his finger. ¡®Mother Yu hasn¡¯t noticed this ring as my glove had been able to conceal it. I can put all of the resources I receive from my colosseum battles inside.¡¯ Spatial rings were an extremely sought-after item among people like Qi Ying, who hailed from humble backgrounds. Normally, only nobles or warriors in the higher Energy Martial Stages had treasures like this. The spatial ring Master Thirteen had given him only had a storage capacity roughly equivalent to that of a washbasin, but it was still a valuable item that was worth several thousand crystals. Furthermore, inside the spatial ring were several cultivation methods, battle techniques, as well as many vials of pills that were of a higher caliber than Energy Containment Pills. Qi Ying knew that he couldn¡¯t just ept these gifts without any repayment; he would have to pay a price in exchange. However, this was simply far too tempting for him to resist. Qi Ying knew how difficult it was for underprivileged warriors to progress on the path of cultivation, as they didn¡¯t have sufficient cultivation resources, thereby resulting in them being left behind by noble warriors, even if both were of simr aptitude. They had to put in countless times more effort and often had to flirt with death in order to catch up to their noble counterparts. Despite this, Qi Ying had a goal that he was chasing. A goal which was unreachable in the eyes of others and would draw ridicule from anyone who heard this goal! This meant that he had to pay an even heavier price as reaching this goal would be countless times more difficult than facing off against the most ferocious beasts! A captivating set of features began to surface in Qi Ying¡¯s mind. ¡°Susu... I¡¯m going to be stronger for you and make everyone in your family acknowledge me! With my aptitude, I¡¯ll definitely be able to catch up to the prodigies in your family if I am given sufficient resources!¡± ¡°Pills... I need more pills! I need an infinite amount of pills! Only with pills of a sufficient caliber will I be able to improve my cultivation base quickly! Only with a sufficient number of pills will I be able to survive!¡± ... ¡°Dark Wolf Cultivation Method.¡± This was not a very valuable cultivation method and was one that refined one¡¯s body both internally and externally. Through imitating the motions of the Dark Wolf beast, a warrior could cultivate the power within his acupoints. This was a rather prevalent Strength Martial Stage cultivation method, but it was still better than the free cultivation methods provided by the academy and the cheap stuff Qi Ying had bought in the past. Qi Ying opened a jade vial and tipped out two translucent pills into his hand. These pills had a simr effect to Energy Containment Pills and the only notable differenceid in the ingredients and refinement methods used. Gulp! He swallowed the two pills and they immediately melted as they traveled down his throat. Whoosh! Qi Ying activated the energy within his body, in ordance with the internal section of the Dark Wolf Cultivation Method; he also unleashed his internal inspection skill at the same time to survey his internal condition. The solid pills were soon transformed into liquid essence before being guided by Qi Ying¡¯s energy and seeping into his blood vessels. At this moment, a grey light suddenly shed from the blood within his veins. Whoosh! The essence of the pills instantly disappeared! Furthermore, the blood within his veins had changed color from a vibrant red to a dull, greyish red. The blood circted within Qi Ying¡¯s body along his veins and meridians. Each time the blood flowed through the nine major acupoints, there would be a slight increase in the amount of energy within those acupoints; then, the color of his blood would revert slightly toward its original color. Once the blood flowed into his left hand, it wouldpletely revert back to its former vibrant red color. Only oneplete cirction cyclested for about a dozen breaths and the two pills had already beenpletely refined by Qi Ying, despite the fact that these pills could be considered to be quite a luxury, even for First or Second Energy Martial Stage warriors! ¡°Phew...¡± Qi Ying opened his eyes and exhaled. ¡®Even though ny-five percent of the pills¡¯ power has been absorbed by my left hand, the fact that I¡¯m able to refine a hundred percent of the pills¡¯ power somewhat makes up for this problem.¡¯ Ever since Qi Ying began to refine pills through the use of his cultivation method, Qi Ying discovered that his bloodline seemed to differ from everyone else¡¯s. This difference was exemplified by the fact that he could absorb a hundred percent of a pill¡¯s power! It was as if someone gained bodyweight that was directly equivalent to the mass of whatever food that was consumed. For Strength Martial Stage warriors, it was considered to be quite good if one could absorb thirty to forty percent of a pill¡¯s power, even for pills like the Great Strength Pill, which were ideal for refinement. If they were to try and refine pills of a caliber which exceeded their cultivation base, that rate would fall to around ten to twenty percent. However, Qi Ying was able to absorb a hundred percent of the power within all of the pills he consumed, presumably due to the grey light that appeared in his blood whenever he took any pills. Even though his greedy left hand took the vast majority of the pills¡¯ power, the remnant power still contributed greatly to filling his major acupoints! This was the other secret Qi Ying had aside from his left hand of darkness; even Xuan Yu wasn¡¯t aware of this. ¡°My cultivation base has improved extremely quickly ever since I embarked on the path of cultivation. This must have something to do with my peculiar blood.¡± Qi Ying thought to himself, ¡®It was said that some descendants of prominent families had inherited bloodlines that normal people did not have. After reaching the Spirit Martial Stage, these descendants would then be able to tap into their massivetent potential. Could it be that I¡¯ve also inherited one of these bloodlines? Before Qi Ying had a chance to explore this train of thought further, he suddenly sensed the acupoints within his body stirring. ¡°The barrier to the eighth acupoint is about to be broken! I¡¯m going to progress to the Eighth Strength Martial Stage!¡± Whoosh! Qi Ying put on his silver glove and jumped up before rushing out of the self-cultivation room. Chapter 10: Piling Pain upon Oneself

Chapter 10: Piling Pain upon Oneself

On a drill ground in the academy. ¡°Look, it¡¯s Qi Ying! It¡¯s that idiot that challenged Duan Renshan over An Ruyi two days ago, only to be knocked flying!¡± ¡°He was trying to show off in front of An Ruyi, but all he did was shoot himself in the foot!¡± A burst of ridicule erupted from the drill ground. The noble disciples naturally found Qi Ying¡¯s actions to be quite amusing. Among the disciples with more humble upbringings, many of them were also feeling quite bitter and jealous. After all, Qi Ying had at least attracted An Ruyi¡¯s attention, whereas An Ruyi had never even looked at them before. Thus, they also joined in and began to hurl some insults at Qi Ying in order to vent their frustration. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Qi Yingpletely ignored the insults that were being hurled at him and began to unleash a series of ferocious fist techniques on the drill ground. As he did so, he swept up gusts of powerful wind which forced the bystanders to take evasive measures. ¡°What cultivation method is he using?¡± ¡°It appears to be the Dark Wolf Cultivation Method.¡± ¡°Dark Wolf Cultivation Method? I don¡¯t think that¡¯s one of the free cultivation methods provided by the academy. Where did he get the crystals to purchase the cultivation method from?¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t you seen him ditch sses all the time toplete academy missions? He must have sold all of the Great Strength Pills he received as rewards!¡± Many of the disciples present weren¡¯t cultivating and were instead gathering together to insult Qi Ying. ¡°Does he think that he¡¯ll be more powerful just by switching to a slightly better cultivation method? What an idiot.¡± ¡°Exactly. He would be better off consuming some pills to improve his cultivation base.¡± ¡°He must be so infatuated with An Ruyi that he has gone insane!¡± ¡°He¡¯s delusional!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way an idiot like him can ever progress in cultivation. It¡¯s over for him.¡± Many people were degrading Qi Ying in order to show everyone how superior they were. They would then bask in the admiring gazes of the newbie academy disciples, feeling quite good about themselves. Bam! An explosive boom erupted from the drill ground. ¡°What was that?¡± Everyone turned and was shocked to discover that the sound hade from Qi Ying. Qi Ying¡¯s robes were billowing out around him and his hair was in a disheveled state, as if he had been withstanding gale-force winds. He leaped up about ten feet into the air beforending on one foot after another in quick session. Then, he stood as still as a statue, poised like a ferocious Dark Wolf ready to pounce at a moment¡¯s notice. Many of the disciples who were situated rtively close to Qi Ying were given a fright by his aura and they took a step back, as cold sweat poured down their faces. ¡°Did he just make a breakthrough?¡± Everyone could sense that the aura emanating from Qi Ying¡¯s body had be stronger. Furthermore, his footsteps were a little heavier and his motions were a little exaggerated, clearly indicating that he had experienced a sudden increase in strength which he was yet to be ustomed to. The disciples who were showing off their superiority at Qi Ying¡¯s expense just a moment ago now felt like their cheeks were burning, as if they had just been pped in the face. In order to hide their embarrassment, they began to hurl insults once again. ¡°He¡¯s only at the Eighth Strength Martial Stage. Only Energy Martial Stage disciples can be considered to be noteworthy in the academy!¡± ¡°This is just a coincidence. He must have taken a lot of pills in order to forcefully elevate his cultivation base.¡± Someone offered a rebuttal. ¡°But he¡¯s only fifteen years old! He has been attending the academy for less than two months, and has already been able to make two breakthroughs. If he makes two more breakthroughs and reaches the Energy Martial Stage at sixteen or seventeen years of age, he would be treated as a core disciple by the academy.¡± Someone else immediately countered. ¡°Ha! He¡¯s always ditching sses in order to earn more pills, missing out on many sses where teachers have imparted correct cultivation protocols. As such, he¡¯s bound to encounter insurmountable issues in his cultivation sooner orter. He might be progressing quite quickly now, butter on... Hehe! I¡¯m willing to bet that he won¡¯t ever reach the Energy Martial Stage!¡± ¡°Hahaha! You¡¯re right!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way Qi Ying will ever amount to anything. Let¡¯s all wait and see.¡± Everyone recovered from their shock and a joyful atmosphere returned once again. Even after making a breakthrough, Qi Ying remainedpletely expressionless and didn¡¯t refute his detractors. In fact, he didn¡¯t even take notice of them as he exhaled, before making his way toward the mountain behind the academy. Why would he argue with a bunch of retards? There was simply no point. These idiotic hillbillies were merely pitiful fools who were trying to improve their sense of self-worth by insulting others. They were the ones who were destined to not amount to anything. Trash like them had no sense of moralpass and were capable of stooping to unimaginable lows. As such, retaliating against them was potentially akin to ying with fire. Qi Ying had only just made his way out of the schoolyard when someone called out to him from behind. ¡°Qi Ying!¡± Qi Ying came to a halt and turned around to discover a gorgeous figure standing behind him. Under the radiant sunlight, An Ruyi appeared particrly beautiful. She made her way over to Qi Ying and said in an apologetic voice. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry for the trouble I caused you two days ago. I had mistaken you for someone else and put you into a very awkward situation.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± Qi Ying shrugged and continued, ¡°Thanks for your concern, Young Mistress.¡± He didn¡¯t want to establish any ties with her so he immediately turned to leave. ¡°Wait!¡± An Ruyi suddenly grabbed Qi Ying¡¯s left hand. Qi Ying instinctively tugged his hand free and the increased strength he was not yet ustomed to caused his hand to fly upward before flicking something that was quite soft. Oh crap! Qi Ying immediately came to his senses and turned to apologize when he received a vicious p to the face. p! Qi Ying pressed a hand to his cheek while An Ruyi red at him with an enraged blush. ¡°Pervert! B*stard!¡± Qi Ying was just about to offer an exnation when an enraged roar erupted from the side. ¡°Qi Ying, I challenge you to a duel!¡± ... ¡°Come and have a look, everyone! Duan Tianshan has challenged Qi Ying to a duel!¡± ¡°Qi Ying again? Didn¡¯t he just fight Duan Renshan two days ago?¡± ¡°Duan Tianshan? Isn¡¯t that Duan Renshan¡¯s little brother? Why is he fighting Qi Ying?¡± ¡°Holy sh*t! Did you not hear the breaking news? Qi Ying tried to sexually assault An Ruyi in a secluded location but was caught red-handed by Duan Tianshan!¡± ¡°What?! Then I really do have to see that duel.¡± On the dueling tform. Duan Tianshan was ring at Qi Ying like an enraged enforcer of justice while Qi Ying looked back at him with an exasperated expression. ¡°Look, this is all a misunderstanding. I nudged An Ruyi unintentionally and was just about to apologize to her... Surely, there¡¯s no need to cause such a big fuss!¡± Duan Tianshan glowered and retorted. ¡°What a load of nonsense! You¡¯re telling me that you unintentionally nudged her... there? B*stards like you are the scum of the human race! To think that you would even dare to assault a female disciple; I shudder to imagine the heinous crimes you¡¯vemitted in the past! I must teach you a lesson on behalf of the hundreds of female disciples in the academy!¡± An Ruyi¡¯s brows furrowed as she looked on from below the tform. ¡°I also believe that his actions were unintentional. Hurry up and get down from there!¡± Qi Ying turned to Duan Tianshan. ¡°Even An Ruyi has epted my exnation; do you still insist on fighting?¡± Duan Tianshan clenched his fists and cracked his knuckles. ¡°Hmph! An Ruyi is far too kind for her own good. She¡¯s only saying that as you¡¯re such a weakling and she¡¯s afraid that you¡¯ll be injured by me. You have just reached the Eighth Strength Martial Stage and I¡¯m also at the Eighth Strength Martial Stage. ording to academy rules, you are obligated to ept a challenge from a disciple of the same cultivation base!¡± ¡°Heh.¡± An Ruyi chuckled with resignation before murmuring to herself. ¡°You can¡¯t me anyone else seeing as you¡¯re the one piling pain upon yourself...¡± The bystanders who overheard this thought that An Ruyi was referring to Qi Ying and her words began to spread like wildfire. Soon, all of the disciples came under the impression that Qi Ying was a brazen pervert and they all threw their support behind Duan Tianshan. Furthermore, all of them vowed that even if Duan Tianshan couldn¡¯t defeat Qi Ying, they would challenge Qi Ying and teach him a lesson in order to maintain order within the academy. ... ¡°What? Tianshan is dueling Qi Ying?¡± Duan Renshan¡¯s face immediately paled upon receiving this news and he sprang to his feet before rushing into the distance. He passed through several courtyards and finally arrived at the dueling tform. Duan Renshan looked up at his little brother, who was facing off against Qi Ying on the dueling tform, and his face paled even further as he yelled. ¡°Duan Tianshan! Get down here right now!¡± Chapter 11: A Bunch of Idiots

Chapter 11: A Bunch of Idiots

No one else knew how powerful Qi Ying was, but Duan Renshan was well aware of Qi Ying¡¯s terrifying strength. Furthermore, his strength was only a secondary consideration. The most important thing was that the guy appeared to be quite harmless, but on the inside, he was like a starving wolf. He was capable of doing anything and was definitely not someone to be messed with. Duan Renshan had already cursed Duan Tianshan countless times in his heart. Even he was no match for Qi Ying; why was his idiot of a little brother provoking him? Not taking into ount the fact that Qi Ying waspletely disinterested in An Ruyi, even if he was trying to make inappropriate advances toward An Ruyi, he should have just turned a blind eye. If he simply couldn¡¯t bear to turn a blind eye, then he should have at least urged someone else to challenge Qi Ying in his stead! Duan Tianshan joined his hands in a salute. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, big brother. I will undertake the mission of stamping out evil and upholding justice in our academy!¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you to get the f*ck down from there! Why are you spouting so much nonsense?¡± Duan Renshan was practically screaming at this point and he was very close to climbing onto the tform and dragging his little brother down from there. What an idiot! The spectating disciples were all quite curious upon seeing this. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why is Duan Renshan trying to help Qi Ying?¡± ¡°Such a brazen pervert should be regarded as a public enemy! Duan Renshan is a disciple of justice as well; he shouldn¡¯t be acting like this...¡± ¡°Wait, I remember now! Two days ago, I saw Duan Renshan follow Qi Ying up a mountain and when he returned, his clothes were all ragged and disheveled. Could it be that... that he¡¯s g*y and he fancies Qi Ying so he...¡± ¡°What?!¡± A bunch of female disciples felt like their hearts were about to jump out of their chests upon hearing his. They had only read about the legendary g*y men in certain novels, but could it be that there was one standing right beside them? ¡°What the hell...?¡± Duan Renshan was extremely angry and frustrated. At the same time, he was feeling very ufortable at the sight of the peculiar expressions from the surrounding female disciples as they were appraising him; he didn¡¯t even know what to say anymore. Duan Tianshan heaved a faint sigh. ¡°My brother! Look at how animated and enraged all of our fellow disciples are. Even if I can¡¯t defeat Qi Ying, others will challenge him after me! The person standing on this tform isn¡¯t me. Instead, it¡¯s a manifestation of the sense of justice in the hearts of all of the academy disciples.¡± Duan Tianshan turned to Qi Ying. ¡°Let¡¯s fight!¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Qi Ying answered indifferently. At this moment, a bunch of disciples below the tform began to cause amotion again. ¡°Hmph! Qi Ying, don¡¯t even think about throwing the duel by being knocked flying by one attack again! If you intentionally lose like that, all of us will challenge you one by one! Otherwise, we¡¯ll take you to the forest on the mountain behind the academy and beat the crap out of you, you perverted freak!¡± Qi Ying¡¯s eyes narrowed into slits upon hearing this. How troublesome. What a bunch of testosterone-fuelled idiots... Even though they weren¡¯t worth being taken seriously, it would simply be impractical to ignore them and continue to let them harass him like this. This time, he couldn¡¯t try to avoid trouble by throwing the duel as he did with Duan Renshan. Retards were like rabid dogs, they were extremely persistent once they spotted a target. When a group of retards gathered, they would amplify each others¡¯ individual levels of retardation, and if he were to show weakness in a situation like this, they would be more inclined to bully him. Thus, he had to show his dominant side in order to intimidate these nosy retards! If one person challenged him, he would beat him up; if two people challenged him, he would beat them both up; if ten people challenged him, he would beat all of them up; if a hundred people challenged him... then he would run to the teachers for help! ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s fight! I¡¯ll take on anyone that dares to challenge me.¡± Qi Ying warned in a cold voice, ¡°But don¡¯t cry if you cop a beating!¡± ... Duan Renshan actually became less concerned and heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing Qi Ying¡¯s words. He had grown up in a prominent family that was rife with schemes and mind games. As a result, he was naturally well-versed in assessing situations and observing attitudes. He could see that Qi Ying waspletely sick of this situation and wanted to resolve things as quickly and concisely as possible. That was a good thing. At most, all he would do was beat up his little brother in front of everyone and that would be that. He wouldn¡¯t throw this duel likest time before seeking revenge on Duan Tianshan in secret and beating the crap out of him. As for the other retards gathered there... They would just have to learn not to mess with Qi Ying through the hard way. ... Duan Tianshan flexed his wrists and ankles as part of a warm-up routine on the dueling tform and was basking in the enthusiastic cheers he was receiving at the same time. He had a simr background as Duan Renshan in that he was also the b*stard son of the Master of the Duan family. On that asion, the Master of the Duan family was unable to repress his libido and banged one of the old kitchen maids, thereby resulting in the birth of Duan Tianshan nine monthster. Thus, Duan Tianshan was often bullied and repressed by other members of the Duan family; he was ecstatic to finally be able to show off in front of all of those fellow disciples. Even though he definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to attract An Ruyi¡¯s attention, perhaps he would be able to draw interest from some other female disciples! Qi Ying had only just progressed to the Eighth Strength Martial Stage and he hailed from a humble background, so he definitely had an inferior cultivation method. In contrast, he had already reached the Eighth Strength Martial Stage two months ago and the cultivation method he was using was the Immovable Mountain Cultivation Method, which was one of the best among ordinary cultivation methods. With these advantages on his side, he was confident that even a disciple of humble upbringing at the pinnacle of the Ninth Strength Martial Stage would be no match for him. He felt like his victory was assured. In his eyes, Qi Ying was just a pitiful stepping stone that he would trample on en route to fame and renown within the academy. He could already envision himself bing the hot topic on the lips of countless academy disciples. ¡°Ha!¡± Duan Tianshan adopted a horse stance before taking off his shirt to reveal his muscr chest. Even though he was Duan Renshan¡¯s little brother, he was taller and more well-built than Duan Renshan. Cultivating in the Immovable Mountain Cultivation Method had allowed him to develop a muscr physique; bs of muscle hung like armor from his body, drawing screams from countless spectating female disciples as they scrambled to cover their eyes. This gave Duan Tianshan a sense of vain satisfaction. ¡°Come on then!¡± Duan Tianshan extended a hand before sticking his middle finger up at Qi Ying in a taunting gesture. Whoosh! Qi Ying stomped a foot into the ground and he sprang forth like an arrow shot from a bow. He closed in on Duan Tianshan in the blink of an eye before clenching his right hand into a tight fist andunching it directly into Duan Tianshan¡¯s chest. Thump! A dull thump erupted and Duan Tianshan was forced back several steps. ¡°Cough cough cough...¡± Duan Tianshan¡¯s cheeks were flushed and he coughed violently with a shock etched on his face. How was that possible? His Immovable Mountain Cultivation Method should have made it next to impossible for an ordinary warrior of the same cultivation base to make him budge in the slightest. How was Qi Ying able to knock him back with a single punch? That punch was so powerful that he felt as if a raging bull beast had just rammed into his body. How could a disciple that had just reached the Eighth Strength Martial Stage be capable of that? However, before he had a chance to recover from his shock, Qi Ying¡¯s fist arrived again. Bam! A right hook struck Duan Tianshan on the chin and he was immediately seeing stars. Through his blurred vision, he could indistinctly make out a leg kicking out viciously into his side, just below his ribs. The impact knocked the breath out of him and rendered himpletely unable to defend himself. Thump thump bam bam tter tter! All of the spectating disciples were inplete shock. Duan Tianshan should have been an immovable opponent that Qi Ying would be unable to shake, no matter how hard he tried. However, the reality was that he was being kicked around by Qi Ying on the dueling tform like a human sandbag. After being handed several dozen punches and kicks, Qi Ying finally hoisted him up by the waistband of his pants before throwing him outside of the dueling tform, upon which a puff of dust rose into the air. ¡°Gasp...¡± A few of the disciples closest to Duan Tianshan drew sharp intakes of breath. Duan Tianshan¡¯s face was extremely bruised and battered; there was still blood flowing from his nostrils, giving it the appearance of a severely ravaged pig head. He held no resemnce whatsoever to the Duan Tianshan everyone knew. Even if his mother were there, she would probably be unable to recognize him. Many of the disciples present were astonished. Duan Tianshan was a regr on the dueling tform and had defeated many disciples with cultivation bases superior to his. However, he couldn¡¯t even put up a fight against Qi Ying, who was at the same cultivation base as him. This was apletely one-sided battle where he had been beaten to a pulp, before being tossed off the ring! It appeared that Qi Ying wasn¡¯t as weak as they thought he was! ¡°Stop trying to start trouble for no reason!¡± Qi Ying harrumphed coldly before turning to disembark from the dueling tform. ¡°Wait!¡± Whoosh! Another figure leaped onto the dueling tform. ¡°Wang Mazi? What do you want?¡± Qi Ying¡¯s brows furrowed at the sight of the young man who had just rushed onto the dueling tform. That man, who had red pimples all over his face, had reached the Eighth Strength Martial Stage half a year ago. ¡°You were only able to pick up a cheap victory because Duan Tianshan was off his game today.¡± Wang Mazi sneered, ¡°Hmph! I¡¯ll be the one to uphold justice for all of the female disciples of the academy!¡± Chapter 12: Intimidation

Chapter 12: Intimidation

Wang Mazi was not from a noble family. If one insisted on finding a connection between him and a noble family, then they could only trace back to his uncle¡¯s mother-inw, who once washed dishes for a few years at the An family mansion. It could already be considered to be quite fortunate for a family ofmoners to have a disciple with a decent cultivation base, who was selected to attend the Celestial River Academy. At the very least, his Eighth Strength Martial Stage would qualify him for many jobs and his future was definitely assured. He may not be extremely rich, but filling his stomach wouldn¡¯t be an issue. However, Wang Mazi was not content. In the area where he grew up, he was the kid with the most outstanding aptitude. However, he was a nobody at the Celestial River Academy. He was already eighteen years old, but he was only at the Eighth Strength Martial Stage. It would be quite difficult for him to progress to the Energy Martial Stage in the future and as such, none of the teachers regarded him as a bright prospect. As a veteran who had been attending that academy for many years, he wasn¡¯t even as popr as some disciples who were younger than him and had inferior cultivation bases. Wang Mazi became very bitter as a result, and this was onlypounded by the fact that his severe e often had female disciples avoiding him as if he were some sort of freak. Thus, he was desperate for a chance to prove himself and attract the attention of the teachers and fellow disciples of the academy. This was the perfect opportunity! In Wang Mazi¡¯s eyes, Duan Tianshan was just a stupid c*nt who stood on the spot and allowed Qi Ying to use him as a punching bag. Did he really think that Qi Ying was that weak? Wang Mazi had seen Qi Ying¡¯s admission test results and knew that he possessed extraordinary strength. He knew that Qi Ying was able to rip apart beasts with his bare hands and he had a rough gauge on Qi Ying¡¯sbat prowess. As such, he felt like he had a very good chance of securing victory; he leaped onto the dueling tform with the intention of defeating Qi Ying and making a name for himself. ¡°Come on then!¡± Qi Ying turned to Wang Mazi and said in an indifferent voice. If anyone wanted to fight him, then all they had to do was get on the tform. He would beat them up until everyone was beaten into submission! Showing off too much could spell trouble, while keeping a low profile could spare him trouble. However, if trouble came knocking on his door and he still chose to cower and hide, then some of the mentally-twisted disciples there would see him as a target to be bullied. That would be a really troublesome situation! Whoosh! For that fight, Wang Mazi took the initiative. He rushed toward Qi Ying and his hands flew through the air, leaving a trail of afterimages in their wake. He cultivated in the Flying Sparrow Cultivation Method, which made his body as light as a sparrow and granted him extreme agility. At the same time, all of his strikes came from tricky angles and were aimed directly at Qi Ying¡¯s vital regions. Whoosh whoosh! Wang Mazi was exclusively targeting the regions like Qi Ying¡¯s throat, the area beneath his ribs, his armpits, his groin, and the back of his knees. If an attack failed tond, then he would immediately take evasive action to prevent a sessful retaliation from Qi Ying. Then, he would find another opportunity to strike again. He was like an agile beast that was relentlessly harassing another beast with extraordinary strength, but wascking in speed. ¡°Annoying b*stard!¡± Wang Mazi was indeed extremely fast and alert. Even if Qi Ying unleashed his fastest punches, he was still unable to strike his opponent. ¡°Alright, if that¡¯s how you want to y, then...¡± Qi Ying intentionally exposed a weakness to his opponent. He pretended to have exerted too much force into a straight punch and overbnced, thereby exposing his defenseless side to Wang Mazi. ¡°There it is!¡± Wang Mazi thought that this was a result of Qi Ying¡¯s inability to fully control his strength, having just made a breakthrough. His eyes immediately lit up and he aimed a vicious knee into Qi Ying¡¯s side. However, he had only just raised his knee when a shiny, silver handtched onto his calf in a vice-like grip, rendering himpletely unable to struggle free. ¡°What?!¡± Before Wang Mazi even had a chance to react, the world suddenly began to spin around him and everything in his field of vision was tipped upside-down. In the blink of an eye, Qi Ying had hoisted Wang Mazi into the air by his right calf. He raised his hand high into the air and began to swing Wang Mazi in circles above his head like a human windmill... Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! After swinging Wang Mazi around for several dozen circles, Qi Ying finally threw him off the dueling tform. By this point, Wang Mazi was already unconscious and thumped on the ground like a dead dog. ¡°Who else wants a fight?¡± Qi Ying stood on the tform and stomped his foot into the ground as he let loose a loud roar! ¡°Gasp...¡± All of the spectating youths were only fifteen to eighteen years of age and they all took a backward step or two in the face of Qi Ying¡¯s terrifying aura. The fact that Qi Ying had just beaten the crap out of two disciples in quick session sent chills running down their spines. Was this the same Qi Ying that never interacted with anyone and dedicated all of his time topleting missions for pills? Was this the same coward who was defeated by Duan Renshan two days ago with a single blow? ¡°Come on then! Who else wants to have a go?¡± Qi Ying cast his eyes around the dueling tform and let loose another roar. His eyes were wide and menacing and all of the muscles on his entire body were trembling. ¡°Who else wants to duel me?¡± ¡°Gasp...¡± In that instant, all of the disciples were struck by the feeling that a wild beast was standing on the tform as opposed to a human! What kind of wild beast was this? It was a wolf. This was not just any wolf; it was a wolf king who had defeated countless opponents and emerged from a sea of blood! In the face of that ferocious wolf king, all of the other wolves could only tremble and werepletely unable to muster up the courage to challenge him! ¡°This aura...¡± An Ruyi stared at Qi Ying in disbelief. She suddenly felt like Qi Ying was no longer the Qi Ying she knew. She knew that Qi Ying was actually even more powerful than this, but that was the first time she had seen Qi Ying reveal such a dominant and ferocious side to himself. In her eyes, he was a little arrogant, and a little... badass. He was only one man, but he had intimidated several hundred disciples who were provoking him just a moment ago! ... Following Wang Mazi¡¯s defeat, no one else dared to challenge Qi Ying. The more powerful disciples didn¡¯t want to duel Qi Ying as there was no glory in winning, but it would be a huge disgrace if they were to lose. As for the normal Strength Martial Stage disciples, none of them felt like they had much of a chance against Qi Ying. The few disciples who were looking to try their luck all cowered in the face of Qi Ying¡¯s ferocious roars, as they were afraid that they would also end up like Duan Tianshan and Wang Mazi, if they were to challenge him. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here!¡± ¡°An Ruyi has already said that this was a misunderstanding, so why are all of you kicking up a fuss?¡± ¡°Alright, nothing more to see here!¡± Most of the spectators left in quick session, leaving only a few people loitering around. ¡°That should be the end of it!¡± Qi Ying flexed his wrists and stepped down from the dueling tform. Someone suddenly approached him. ¡°Young Mast.. I mean... Qi Ying, Brother Qi Ying.¡± ¡°Oh? What do you want?¡± Qi Ying turned to discover that the person who had approached him was Duan Renshan. Duan Renshan had a smile stered across his face and was dragging along a bruised and battered Duan Tianshan. ¡°Brother Qi Ying, my little brother is an idiot who really likes to show off! We¡¯re really sorry about what happened today and I¡¯ll make sure to teach him a good lesson! ¡± ¡°What are you saying, big brother? Why are you apologizing to this hillbilly?¡± Duan Tianshan was in disbelief. Was this really his brother? Even though they weren¡¯t of a very high status among the nobles, they were still far superior to those underprivileged disciples. Qi Ying may be powerful in one-on-one battles, but there were many ways to exact revenge on him in the future. Why was his brother stooping as low as to apologize to someone like him? p! A loud pnded on Duan Tianshan¡¯s swollen face. Duan Renshan was furious. ¡°Who the f*ck did you just call a hillbilly? Brother Qi Ying is an extraordinary man! Why don¡¯t you try groping An Ruyi¡¯s chest then challenge everyone to duels on the dueling tform? Do you have the guts?¡± ¡°But...¡± Duan Tianshan was still unconvinced. p! Duan Renshan gave him another p. ¡°Shut the f*ck up! All you¡¯re doing is getting Brother Qi Ying mad!¡± ¡°Forget about it.¡± Qi Ying waved his hands with furrowed brows, then said, ¡°I can see that Brother Tianshan is a man of justice. He was simply misguided and arrived at some false conclusions, so let¡¯s just put an end to this matter.¡± Duan Renshan wasn¡¯t pping Duan Tianshan to discipline him. This was just a performance for Qi Ying so he wouldn¡¯t pick on Duan Tianshan in the future. As such, he epted that unspoken truce offer as there really was no need to press the issue any further. ¡°My thoughts exactly!¡± Duan Renshan stered a smile across his face again, as he pulled out a small jade vial, ¡°Brother Qi Ying, you¡¯ve just made a breakthrough to the Eighth Strength Martial Stage, so you must be in need of some pills, right? I have a vial of Energy Containment Pills here as a gift to you...¡± ¡°No need. Hurry up and find some ointment to apply on your little brother¡¯s face. He looks hideous with his face swollen like that.¡± ¡°Thank you, Brother Qi Ying. Let¡¯s go, Tianshan.¡± Duan Renshan forced himself to keep smiling, but he was cursing Qi Ying in his heart. That cocky b*stard was acting like he was forgiving them, when he was the one who beat up Duan Tianshan! He should be d that they weren¡¯t asking him forpensation! From that day forth, Qi Ying began to gain some notoriety among the disciples in the Celestial River Academy. In fact, he had be even more renowned than some of the young masters from noble families, but that was no longer just because of his peculiar silver glove or his confrontation at the dueling tform. Instead, he became widely renowned as a prodigious disciple of humble upbringing, challenging hundreds of disciples on the dueling tform, none of whom dared to ept his challenge. As a result, he was regarded by countless disciples in the Celestial River Academy as someone who could not be messed with at all. Chapter 13: Using One’s Looks as a Source of Income

Chapter 13: Using One¡¯s Looks as a Source of Ie

Seven days had passed since the dueling tform spectacle. Within a self-cultivation room. Bam bam! Bursts of explosions rang out in the air around Qi Ying. He then stood up and stretched his body as a series of cracks and pops erupted from his joints. The muscles on his body were also pulsing and bulging, as if he were a lion who had just awakened from a midday nap. ¡°Phew... I¡¯ve already cultivated the Dark Wolf Cultivation Method to the final stage using just the internal section!¡± Progressing from the Eighth to the Ninth Strength Martial Stage in merely seven days; this was something disciples of the Celestial River Academy didn¡¯t even dare to imagine. However, Qi Ying felt as if it were quite a normal urrence. He had extraordinary aptitude. The only way he could slow down in his progress was if he intentionally held himself back. Furthermore, Qi Ying had seen what true prodigies were like. The so-called prodigious disciples of the Celestial River Academy couldn¡¯t even hold a candle to them! His goal was to catch up to and exceed those prodigies as only then would he be able to do the things that he wanted to do. Qi Ying did some stretches before murmuring to himself. ¡°My cultivation base is progressing quite quickly, but my rate of pill consumption has also be more drastic. Not only have I depleted all of the Energy Containment Pills given to me by Duan Renshan, but I¡¯ve also consumed three of the pill vials I received from the Colosseum. I¡¯m going to roughly need one Energy Containment Pill per day to satisfy my left hand... I¡¯m so poor!¡± ¡°I have to prepare for a breakthrough to the Energy Martial Stage as well. Only after reaching that level will I have the right to participate in that event... I need more pills and I also need a suitable Energy Martial Stage Yellow Tier cultivation method, as well as Yellow Tier battle techniques!¡± ... In the Colosseum. In stark contrast to the raucous spectator stands on the first floor, the booths on the second floor of the Colosseum were all very peaceful. Its decor was quite elegant and refined; there were many pieces of renowned calligraphy and artwork hanging on the walls. The entire ce gave off an artistic air; it was quite difficult to imagine that the ce was so closely connected to the violent and gory Colosseum. Within one of the booths. A tall and slender woman took off her purple cloak, revealing her curvaceous figure. The dim light in the room shone upon the side of her face, lighting up a set of gorgeous, foreign features. The servant beside her hung her cloak on a clothing rack, before setting some aromatic herbs alight and massaging the shoulders of the esteemed guest. ¡°How long has it been since Madam Lust paid us a visit? Little Xiang has missed you.¡± The servant¡¯s voice was very sweet and she said in a wheedling tone, ¡°During your absence, Master Thirteen organized for me to attend to a few male guests... They weren¡¯t very nice to me!¡± Madam Lu closed her eyes and a faint smile appeared on her face. ¡°I made a trip to Yun Xiao City. That is a truly grand and spectacr ce... You think you¡¯re having a rough time here? Back when I was married off to a wealthy man in the Celestial River County, my husband was quite frail and constantly blighted by illness, but he was an extremely twisted man...¡± ¡°Thankfully, he died seven days after the marriage and left me a massive estate. Come to think of it, it¡¯s all thanks to him that I¡¯ve been able to enjoy these thirteen years of my life after my marriage at the age of eighteen.¡± ¡°Sigh, how can Little Xiangpare with Big Sister Lu? Big Sister Lu is so beautiful, like a glorious butterfly. Inparison, I am like an unsightly moth.¡± ¡°Stop trying to tter me. All of those noble Young Masters are constantly trying to suck up to me and I¡¯m really sick of all that. Let¡¯s cut to the chase. Are there any decent warriors that are going to be fighting in the Colosseum today?¡± ¡°Hmm...¡± Little Xiang contemted momentarily before replying, ¡°There¡¯s the ¡®Jade-Faced Gentleman¡¯, Yin Yuesheng, and the ¡®Xiao Xiang Swordsman¡¯, Lin Pingchao.¡± ¡°Yin Yuesheng? I was over him a long time ago. I¡¯ve heard of Lin Pingchao from my sisters before. He¡¯s got decent looks, but he¡¯s a premature ejactor... Are there any new, interesting warriors? Preferably some younger ones.¡± ¡°Speaking of the younger warriors, there actually is a noteworthy newbie.¡± ¡°What¡¯s his name?¡± Madam Lu was intrigued. ¡°I don¡¯t know what his name is, but everyone calls him the Nameless Warrior. Master Thirteen issued strict orders to keep his identity confidential, but everyone knows that he¡¯s no more than twenty years of age. He always wears a mask at the Colosseum, so no one knows what he looks like. Some people say he¡¯s hideous, but others say that he¡¯s too handsome and they¡¯re afraid that the beasts wouldn¡¯t want to attack him if they saw his face.¡± ¡°Interesting... Is he powerful?¡± ¡°No one knows that either. At times, he¡¯ll take a long time to defeat an ordinary beast, but on other asions, he was able to defeat a Yellow Tier beast in the blink of an eye. In any case, what we do know is that he has freakish strength.¡± Madam Lu opened her eyes, revealing a pair of shimmering blue pupils. ¡°Then I really do want to see just what kind of a man this ¡®Nameless Warrior¡¯ is. If he really is a brave warrior and not just a pretty body, I wouldn¡¯t mind sleeping with him for a night.¡± Little Xiang smiled. ¡°Then he truly is a lucky man. It¡¯s the dream of every male in the Celestial River County; no, in the entire world, to sleep with Big Sister Lu!¡± ¡°Whether he¡¯s going to be a lucky man or not will be decided when I see him.¡± ... ¡°Attention, everyone. Tonight, we will be hosting five colosseum battles for the Bronze rank Nameless Warrior to rise to Silver rank! The Nameless Warrior was only an Iron rank warrior when he first became a contracted warrior seven days ago. However, he defeated a Yellow Tier Fourth Rank Demonic Blood Wolf with his bare hands seven days ago, and just three days have passed after he defeated a Yellow Tier Third Rank Fierce me Bull, as well as a Yellow Tier Fourth Rank Lightning Panther. All with his bare hands! ¡°As such, the Colosseum has already elevated the Nameless Warrior to a Bronze rank warrior! But today, the Nameless Warrior has announced that he wants to rise up to Silver rank. We have organized five colosseum battles for him, with his opponents consisting of five beasts from Yellow Tier Third Stage to Yellow Tier Seventh Stage. As long as he secures victory in all five battles, he will advance to Silver rank.¡± ¡°Before we begin this thrilling string of five colosseum battles, we now have the ¡®Xiao Xiang Swordsman¡¯, Lin Pingchao up against a Yellow Tier Third Rank beast...¡± In the waiting area. Yin Yuesheng made his way over to the Nameless Warrior and sat down beside him. ¡°My apologies foring to a premature judgment about you. When I first saw you, I thought you were just a hot-blooded rookie who was going to get himself killed. Looks like I could not have been more wrong.¡± The masked Qi Ying shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s alright. I actually have to thank you for your words of caution. The Colosseum is actually just amercial game and many things have been organized in advance behind the scenes. The fact that I encountered that Demonic Blood Wolf on that day is proof of these shady dealings. I wonder if that was set up as just a publicity stunt, or if someone had ced arge bet on the Demonic Blood Wolf.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pity that I only understood all thister on...¡± A forlorn smile appeared on Yin Yuesheng¡¯s face, ¡°Back then, Master Thirteen saw my looks as a selling point and wanted to promote me as a superstar of the Colosseum. However, I was scared of beasts and didn¡¯t dare to fight Yellow Tier beasts... Gradually, I became known as the Jade-Faced Gentleman who used his looks to earn ie.¡± ¡°I would love to use my looks as a source of ie. It¡¯s a shame that our roles were not reversed...¡± Yin Yuesheng patted Qi Ying on the shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s alright, not everyone in this world judges others based on their looks. If you put up a good performance tonight, not only will you be able to be a Silver rank warrior, there might even be an unexpected surprise waiting for you.¡± ¡°An unexpected surprise? What do you mean?¡± Qi Ying was perplexed. Yin Yuesheng turned toward the booths on the second floor. ¡°You¡¯ll know when the timees.¡± Chapter 14: The Dark Golden Ape and the Ironback Gorilla

Chapter 14: The Dark Golden Ape and the Ironback Gori

¡°Kill it!¡± ¡°Ou Bagang, destroy that thing!¡± Countless spectators were yelling fiercely in the Colosseum, while a musclebound warrior by the name of Ou Bagang let loose an almighty roar inside the battle cage. His solid bs of muscle bulged as he extended a hand and pulled with all his might, throwing an ape with golden fur and red eyes off his back. However, his back was stained with blood, clearly indicating that he had been wounded. Ou Bagang raised his other hand, which was holding a massive saber with powerful energy revolving around it. He shed the saber through the air and an azure saber projection hurtled directly toward the golden ape. Bam! The golden ape swung its tail through the air and it shattered the saber projection amid a resounding boom, as if its tail were an indestructible iron rod. At the same time, the golden ape performed a somersault andnded on Ou Bagang again, before opening its mouth and sinking its sharp teeth viciously into Ou Bagang¡¯s arm. ¡°Argh!¡± Ou Bagang let loose a cry of agony and his hand involuntarily loosened around the hilt of his saber. The golden ape¡¯s hand shot out at an rming speed and it grabbed the saber from Ou Bagang¡¯s hand. Despite the golden ape¡¯s thin and wiry body, it was able to swing the massive saber with ease, inflicting a ghastly wound upon Ou Bagang¡¯s chest. The wound was so deep that bone was visible through the gash and blood sttered beyond the battle cage limits. ¡°I concede!¡± Ou Bagang repressed the urge to ck out from the pain and cried out in a loud voice. Whoosh! Whoosh whoosh! Three ck-robed figures instantly fell from the sky, each of them holding a silver chain in their hands. These were the ck-robed guards of the Colosseum, and all of them possessed cultivation bases at the Fifth Energy Martial Stage or above. They were responsible for ensuring the safety of warriors who conceded during high-end colosseum battles. The lives of savage ves and normal warriors were cheap, but some warriors of a higher status could create a lot of revenue for the Colosseum. As such, it would be bad for colosseum profits to let them die in battle. The three silver chains immediately bound the golden ape¡¯s body. ¡°Argh!¡± The golden ape bared its sharp fangs, screeching as it attempted to struggle free from the chains. ¡°Hold still, filthy beast!¡± One of the ck-robed guards extended a finger and a bolt of purple lightning shot forth from his fingertip, striking the golden ape on the head. The golden ape¡¯s entire body spasmed as a result and the three ck-robed guards took the opportunity to tighten their chains around its body, before locking it away into a beast cage constructed from steel and dark iron. Ou Bagang had fallen to the ground and his unconscious body was taken by the ck-robed guards to the emergency treatment center in the Colosseum. The spectators were in uproar. ¡°Holy sh*t! It managed to even defeat the Fifth Energy Martial Stage Ou Bagang! I¡¯ve heard that he possesses powerparable to a Silver rank warrior!¡± ¡°That Dark Golden Ape is only a Yellow Tier Third Rank beast and it looks quite wiry and weak, but it actually possesses unmatched strength and intelligence. Throughout these past few days, there have already been eight Bronze warriors who have been defeated by it. As expected of an ape beast with the legendary Golden Demonic Holy Ape¡¯s bloodline in its body!¡± ¡°Looks like they¡¯re going to have to pit a Silver rank warrior against this Dark Golden Ape next time! I wonder which Silver rank warrior it¡¯ll be...¡± Within the Colosseum, there were some extremely valuable beasts who were simr to superstar warriors in that both were prized assets of the Colosseum. For example, there was a Yellow Tier Eight Rank Explosive me Liger Beast, a Yellow Tier Ninth Rank Ice Lizard Dragon, as well as a Dark Tier ck Mystical Beast which almost never made an appearance. These were all extremely prized treasures of the Colosseum. The Colosseum was clearly trying to make the Dark Golden Ape their newest superstar beast, and following the Colosseum¡¯s efforts to promote it, there were many Celestial River County nobles who came solely to watch the Dark Golden Ape. Furthermore, there was nock of people who were cing hefty bets on its favor, thereby generating even more revenue for the Colosseum. ... ¡°That ape is only a Yellow Tier Third Rank beast but it can defeat Sixth or Seventh Rank Yellow Tier beasts as well as Fifth or Sixth Energy Martial Stage armed warriors... Why do I feel like it bears some resemnce to me?¡± Qi Ying was quite intrigued as he sat in the waiting area. He had an indestructible left hand as well as a mysterious, grey bloodline that allowed him to absorb a hundred percent of the power in the pills he consumed. Inparison, the Dark Golden Ape had a tail that resembled an iron cudgel as well as a special bloodline of its own. These simrities made Qi Ying feel as if he had some sort of affinity with that ape. ¡°No matter how powerful or precious it is, it¡¯s still just a money-making tool for Master Thirteen, just like me... No, I can still rely on the resources Master Thirteen has bestowed upon me to grow stronger at a rapid rate, but that beast is constantly trapped in a tiny cage and chained up like a prisoner. How pitiful!¡± ... Whoosh! All of the lights within the Colosseum were suddenly snuffed out. Just as everyone was beginning to wonder what was going on, a burst of white light fell upon the battle cage, making it appear especially bright and dazzling within the darkness. Everyone abruptly fell silent. At the same time, the female announcer¡¯s voice rang out from the voice amplification spell formation in the Colosseum. ¡°All of the regr colosseum battles have concluded for today. Now, we are going to witness the plight of the Nameless Warrior to see if he can defeat five beasts back-to-back and be the Colosseum¡¯s newest Silver rank warrior!¡± Whoosh! All of the lights returned, illuminating the entire Colosseum. Within the battle cage, a thin, ck-robed figure appeared with a mask on his face. ¡°Nameless Warrior!¡± Cries of excitement rang out across the entire Colosseum again. Everyone knew that the Nameless Warrior was the new superstar that the Colosseum had been trying to promote for the past few days. He entered all of his battles without any weapons and didn¡¯t use any battle techniques either. He fought in the simplest and most brutal way, tearing his beastly opponents apart with his bare hands, and both his speed and strength were quite extraordinary. His fighting style was very thrilling and entertaining; with some encouragement from the Colosseum, some of the spectators had already organized a Nameless Warrior fan club. These fans had now gathered together and were yelling at the top of their lungs, raising the noise in the Colosseum by an entire octave. ¡°In the first battle, the Nameless Warrior will be facing off against the Yellow Tier Third Rank Beast, the Ironback Gori!¡± ... A massive beast cage was brought to the battle cage by several ck-robed guards. Within the beast cage was a towering ck figure whose thunderous roars made the listeners¡¯ hearts tremble. The battle cage was opened and a figure muchrger than even a savage strode out from the beast cage. The Ironback Gori was differentpared to normal ape-type beasts in that it had a particrly massive frame. Qi Ying was standing directly before it and he had to raise his head in order to see the sharp, white teeth peeking out from itsrge, sinister mouth. Some of the newer spectators who hadn¡¯t seen that many colosseum battles were in shock. Wasn¡¯t there too much of a size difference?! If the Ironback Gori was a fully-grown man, then the Nameless Warrior looked like a vulnerable three-year-old. In other words, if the Ironback Gori was Ou Bagang, then the Nameless Warrior was like the Dark Golden Ape. Within a dark booth on the second floor. Madam Lu raised her thin eyebrows and heaved a slightly disappointed sigh. ¡°The person you were talking about is this thin andnky kid? There doesn¡¯t appear to be anything special about him.¡± Little Xiang was massaging Madam Lu¡¯s fair, long legs and she replied with a confident smile, ¡°Trust me, Madam Lu, you¡¯re in for a good show! During the past few days, the Young Mistress of the Xin family and the Mistress of the Liu family both developed an interest in him... However, Master Thirteen immediately barred them from meeting him. Ordinary nobles don¡¯t even have the right to see him!¡± ¡°You make him sound like quite a sought-after character. I¡¯ll see for myself what kind of man he is...¡± A peculiar yet seductive smile appeared on Madam Lu¡¯s face. Chapter 15: Supreme-Grade Fresh Meat

Chapter 15: Supreme-Grade Fresh Meat

Long ago, Qi Ying had devised a strategy for opponents that far exceeded him in size. The spectators looked on intently as Qi Ying leaped into the air within the battle cage and performed a somersault, bringing him right next to the Ironback Gori. Before hended on the ground, he aimed a vicious punch into the Ironback Gori¡¯s back with his left fist! Boom! The Ironback Gori hadn¡¯t even realized where the tiny Qi Ying had gone when it was struck by a heavy blow to the back. It was knocked forward a few steps as a result and almost fell to the ground. Qi Ying used the force of the punch tounch himself back through the air and performed two consecutive somersaults beforending. The spectators were all shocked upon seeing this. ¡°Why is he attacking the hardest part of the beast¡¯s body? Doesn¡¯t his hand hurt?¡± Some of the spectators who had witnessed Qi Ying¡¯s battles in the past offered an exnation. ¡°This must be your first time seeing the Nameless Warrior in action. This is a signature strategy that the Nameless Warrior employs in battle, where he starts off by attacking the more resolute parts of the beast¡¯s body. That way, he can create the most spectacr visual effect! The Nameless Warrior is really strong so he¡¯s absolutely fine.¡± ¡°Ow...¡± Qi Ying¡¯s brows were slightly furrowed. His left hand waspletely fine after striking the Ironback Gori, but he threw his entire body into that punch and the recoil force traveled upwards along his arm and into his shoulder, making it very numb and sore. After cultivating his Dark Wolf Cultivation Method to the ninth stage, Qi Ying¡¯s strength had improved drastically and it didn¡¯t require much effort at all for him to sh directly with a Yellow Tier Third Rank beast. However, the Ironback Gori was a beast that was renowned for its great strength, being far more powerful than other beasts of the same rank. As such, Qi Ying found this to be a slightly troublesome opponent. ¡®I have to finish this battle quickly. There are five consecutive battles tonight and I must conserve my energy!¡¯ Qi Ying had only just stabilized himself when his body shot forth like an arrow, hurtling directly toward the beast. However, the Ironback Gori had also gotten a chance to catch its breath and it quickly turned around before swatting a massive paw through the air, right at a spot that Qi Ying was rushing toward. Qi Ying immediately tapped his left foot onto the ground to divert himself from his original path and his shoulder virtually skimmed past the Ironback Gori¡¯s fingertip. At the same time, he clenched his right hand into a fist and threw a vicious punch into the area beneath the Ironback Gori¡¯s ribs. Bam! Qi Ying had built up some momentum with his forward charge and he had also put considerable power into his right fist, resulting in a strike that was no less powerful than a full-power punch from another Ironback Gori. Furthermore, the attack had struck the Ironback Gori in the vulnerable area right beneath its ribs, producing a sense of acute pain that ran through its entire body. Its beastly instincts prompted it tosh out again in an attempt to swat away its tiny opponent. At that moment, Qi Ying dodged to the side once again, and the fingers on his left hand curled into a falcon w as he reached for the Ironback Gori¡¯s chest. Falcon w Hand! Even though Qi Ying was wearing a leather glove, his insane strength coupled with his virtually indestructible left hand still proved to be a lethalbination; the fingers on his left hand pierced into an area slightly below the Ironback Gori¡¯s chest. Qi Ying was like a hunting falcon tearing through its prey¡¯s stomach as he brought his left arm down in a violent, powerful motion. A long gash immediately appeared on the Ironback Gori¡¯s stomach andrge amounts of blood and flesh erupted from the wound. Whoosh! Qi Ying retracted his left hand and took timely evasive measures. The Ironback Gori had been severely wounded, so this battle was going to be a lot easier for Qi Ying. All of a sudden. ¡°Howl!¡± The Ironback Gori opened its cavernous mouth and let loose a loud roar of pain and rage. The roar waspletely different from that of a normal beast. As the Ironback Gori roared, a ball of True Energy erupted from its mouth, shortly transforming into a series of ripples that spread through the air. Violent vibrations were created as a result, which in turn, formed a burst of powerful shockwaves. The shockwaves exploded forth and Qi Ying had no way to evade. As Qi Ying was struck by them, all of his internal organs tremored violently and he was struck by a sense of dizziness. His vision almost fell intoplete darkness while his ears rang loudly and he felt like he was about to faint. However, in this dire situation, ayer of grey light suddenly settled over his blood before quickly flowing through his veins and circting his entire body in an instant. The sense of dizziness immediately receded. Qi Ying regained his vision and the first thing he saw was the Ironback Gori¡¯s massive, putrid mouth rushing toward him. ¡°Die, you stupid beast!¡± Qi Ying cursed as he sprang into the air and leaped over the Ironback Gori¡¯s head. His body then twisted in mid-air and his left hand formed a set of ws again, as he struck the Ironback Gori on the top of its head. Crack! Red and white intracranial fluids sttered through the air amid the sound of bone being pulverized. The Ironback Gori didn¡¯t even get a chance to cry out before it fell dead to the ground. All of the spectators were stunned into silence before a burst of raucous cheers erupted. ¡°Wow! That was spectacr!¡± ¡°As expected of the Nameless Warrior. He was struck by the Ironback Gori¡¯s Heaven Shaking Roar battle technique, but it didn¡¯t even affect him!¡± ¡°That soundwave battle technique is the most special trait of the Ironback Gori. Ordinary defensive techniques or battle techniques would be useless against it. To be able to remain unaffected by that attack indicates that the Nameless Warrior has an extremely powerful constitution.¡± ¡°After the Nameless Warrior was struck by the Heaven Shaking Roar, he appeared to have been momentarily stunned, so I thought that he had been affected. Who would have thought that he was simply luring the Ironback Gori into a false sense of security before killing it in one fell swoop? How extraordinary!¡± All of the spectators were cheering and apuding as they offered their analysis toward those around them. Everyone was in awe, having admired the Nameless Warrior¡¯s splendid performance. ¡°Nameless Warrior! Nameless Warrior!¡± ¡°Haha! I¡¯m rich! The Nameless Warrior is my lucky star!¡± At the betting center, one spectator after another began to ce their bets. ¡°I¡¯ll ce one thousand crystals on the Nameless Warrior for the second battle!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll also ce five hundred crystals on the Nameless Warrior!¡± These spectators were extremely confident and splurged their crystals as they bet on the Nameless Warrior. However, there was also a minority who were unconvinced. ¡°I¡¯m not that confident that the Nameless Warrior will win the next battle. I¡¯ll... bet twenty crystals that the Nameless Warrior is going to lose!¡± Near the betting center, there were a few shadowy figures discussing surreptitiously among themselves with unfriendly expressions. ¡°Look at all those bets on the Nameless Warrior... If we can get to the beast for the next battle and feed it some medicine, then get someone to ce a bet on a loss for the Nameless Warrior, we¡¯ll definitely be able to make immense profits,¡± a shady middle-aged man with a mustache said through gritted teeth. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it, Administrator Duan. Do you want to risk irking Master Thirteen? Don¡¯t think that Master Thirteen doesn¡¯t know what we¡¯ve been up to; he¡¯s simply turning a blind eye to what we¡¯re doing, that¡¯s all. This guy is clearly being developed as the new drawcard for the Colosseum, so do not try to fix his battles. By the way, I recently heard from my son that Young Master Tianshan from your Duan family has recently been trying to cause some trouble for a fellow Celestial River Academy disciple called Qi Ying, but hasn¡¯t gotten a chance to do so. Why don¡¯t you take this opportunity and get your two Energy Martial Stage kids to help Young Master Tianshan out and sell him a favor in the process?¡± ¡°Stop suggesting such bad ideas to Administrator Duan... Do you think someone that can knock a Young Master of the Duan family down a notch would be easy to mess with? Besides, other people may not know this, but we¡¯re all aware that Duan Tianshan is not an actual Young Master of the Duan family. Only Duan Gucheng is the true Young Master of the Duan family; even the other Young Masters of lineal descent can¡¯tpare to him, let alone a Young Master with such a lowly mother as Duan Tianshan¡¯s.¡± However, Administrator Duan seemed to have been intrigued by that idea. ¡°From what I¡¯ve observed, Young Master Gucheng seems to be rather close to Young Master Tianshan... Let me think about this... I¡¯ll have to gather more information on that Qi Ying first!¡± In the second-floor booth. ¡°Big Sister Lu, you can see that this man is extremely agile and decisive in his movements. He¡¯s far better than those mediocre warriors that can only rely on their half-assed swordsmanship. Furthermore, his fighting style is extremely precise, so he¡¯s not some foolish brute. He¡¯s definitely a supreme piece of fresh meat!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s keep looking for now.¡± Madam Lu looked on with intrigue as she said, ¡°If he bes a Silver Rank warrior tonight, then I¡¯ll immediately take him from Master Thirteen!¡± Chapter 16: The Unspoken Rules of The Colosseum

Chapter 16: The Unspoken Rules of The Colosseum

Even though there was a slight mishap in Qi Ying¡¯s battle against the Ironback Gori, that didn¡¯t influence the end result. Qi Ying heaved a long sigh of relief and patted his chest as he thanked his lucky stars. If he had recovered from the stunning effect of the Heaven Shaking Roar just a split secondter, then there would have been a very good chance that he would be the one lying dead on the ground as opposed to the Ironback Gori. It looked like the biggest threat Yellow Tier beasts possessed was their battle techniques! However, there was no time to wallow in lingering fear, as the second colosseum battlemenced, right after the Ironback Gori¡¯s body was taken out of the battle cage! ¡°Howl!¡± A petite, purple beast with ferocious, piercing eyes appeared. It was a Yellow Tier Fourth Rank beast, the Lightning Panther. That beast was known for its insane speed and its lightning battle technique which was capable of roasting an opponent on the spot. Even though a Lightning Panther was a beast of a higher rank than the Ironback Gori, it posed much less of a threat to Qi Ying, as he had fought a Lightning Panther once in the past. The beast was extremely agile, but its defensive prowess was nothing short of pitiful. On that asion, he had goaded the Lightning Panther into striking by intentionally exposing a weakness, before snapping its spine with ease. It was a simr story this time, as he used his left hand to ward off the Lightning Panther¡¯s lightning battle technique, before swatting it through the air. He didn¡¯t kill it this time and instead, he picked it by the tail and put it back into its beast cage. ¡°This Nameless Warrior seems to be apassionate man!¡± Some of the female spectators were very much in approval of Qi Ying¡¯s humane method in handling the Lightning Panther. The third colosseum battle was a little difficult for Qi Ying. He was up against the Yellow Tier Fifth Rank Venomous Forest Python, which was capable of releasing a poisonous mist that could instantly kill a warrior. Furthermore, its body could secrete poison that was capable of eroding even treasured tools; Qi Ying was only able to defeat it with much difficulty, after evading the poisonous mist and using his left hand to crush the python¡¯s heart. Within an intricate booth on the second floor. The ce was brightly-lit and one could clearly see what was happening outside, but the special material of the windows meant that those outside could not see into the booth. There was arge, wooden bed inside, upon which a man and a woman had just done the deed. The woman had long, wavy curls and she was helping the man put on his clothes. ¡°Master, is it really a wise decision to let that boy challenge a Yellow Tier Seventh Rank beast?¡± The woman with long, wavy curls had a thin veil draped over her body and she turned with a concerned expression to appraise the scenes outside. ¡°No matter how powerful or special he is, he¡¯s still just a Strength Martial Stage warrior...¡± Master Thirteen had his head resting on the woman¡¯s legs and his eyes were closed as if he werepletely unconcerned about what was happening outside. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve administered medicine to all of the Yellow Tier Third and Fourth Rank beasts, including this Venomous Forest Python, along with all of the Yellow Tier Sixth and Seventh Rank beasts. The medicine has restricted their power; he¡¯ll be able to take care of all of them as long as he puts up a good performance... When that timees, the Colosseum will have a new Silver rank warrior. Look at the audience outside; all of them think that he¡¯s some sort of exceptional warrior, but who could possibly know that he¡¯s just an underprivileged disciple of the Celestial River Academy?¡± The woman massaged Master Thirteen¡¯s shoulders as her brows furrowed. ¡°But Master, he¡¯s still just a Strength Martial Stage warrior and he¡¯s only fifteen years of age. You can restrict these beasts through the use of medicine now, but you can¡¯t keep this up forever. Sooner orter, some powerful warrior is going to figure out that something is amiss.¡± ¡°Heh! With his aptitude, as long as I can supply him with enough pills, I won¡¯t even have to administer medicine to the beasts in about a week or so.¡± ¡°That¡¯s really strange. How could an underprivileged disciple of the Celestial River Academy be so talented? Even the renowned prodigies from the capital cities can¡¯tpare to him...¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you don¡¯t know who he is. You wouldn¡¯t be saying that if you were aware of his true identity.¡± ¡°His true identity?¡± A hint of surprise and curiosity appeared on the woman¡¯s face. ¡°That blind woman and I are probably the only ones in the entire Celestial River County who knows who he is. Even he himself has no clue about his true identity.¡± A self-deprecating smile appeared on Master Thirteen¡¯s face, ¡°Just like how only a small handful of people in the Celestial River County¡¯s noble families know that I, Yan Thirteen, was just an impoverished thief in the capital city all those years ago. Even I didn¡¯t think that I would see them here again after fifteen years. Back then, there was a massive gulf between our social statuses. But now, our roles have beenpletely reversed.¡± ... Qi Ying knew about the unspoken rules of the Colosseum. Every time the Colosseum wanted to create a new superstar warrior, they were willing to sacrifice some assets first in order to do so. As such, Qi Ying did not hesitate in the slightest when he saw the dreary Yellow Tier Sixth Rank Scorpion Tailed Lion emerge from its cage. He immediately unleashed his Falcon w Hand with his left hand to gouge out the lion¡¯s eyes before snapping its throat, thereby insta-killing it! ¡°Wow, that was so awesome!¡± ¡°What kind of powerful being is this Nameless Warrior? That Scorpion Tailed Lion has already defeated more than five Bronze rank warriors, but it still couldn¡¯t even force the Nameless Warrior to unleash his battle techniques!¡± There were some people who thought that the Scorpion Tailed Lion didn¡¯t look quite right today and raised their suspicions with regards to how the Scorpion Tailed Lion was defeated before it had even done anything. However, other audience members immediately offered retorts. ¡°The Nameless Warrior was able to insta-kill it, so no matter how powerful it is, it¡¯s all the same thing to the Nameless Warrior! The only reason you think the Scorpion Tailed Lion is too weak is that the Nameless Warrior is too powerful.¡± The fifth beast to appear was one of the superstar beasts of the Colosseum, the ming Cerberus. That battle was quite an intense one and mes shot forth in all directions. In the end, it was still the Nameless Warrior who came out on top, as he secured victory by smashing the Cerberus¡¯ three heads in quick session. ¡°He won!¡± ¡°The Nameless Warrior has won all five colosseum battles! He¡¯s now a Silver rank warrior!¡± ¡°There are currently less than ten Silver rank warriors in the entire Colosseum and they make extremely rare appearances. Every time they participate in a battle, the price of the tickets doubles at the very least, so today¡¯s tickets were a bargain! We paid the normal price, but we were able to witness the Silver rank Nameless Warrior in action for five consecutive battles!¡± ¡°These unspoken rules are way too cruel!¡± Qi Ying looked at the body of the ming Cerberus and thought to himself, ¡°Amitabha, I don¡¯t know what medicine Master Thirteen fed you, but the mes you sted at me weren¡¯t hot in the slightest. It¡¯s a shame that you sted so much fire at me, all in a futile effort... But then again, you brought this upon yourself. This is what you get for frightening Master Thirteen¡¯s daughter to the point of tears when shest came to visit the Colosseum. It¡¯s really no surprise that Master Thirteen is disposing of you like trash now.¡± Rules were always devised to create profit for the strong! Regardless of whether one was a superstar warrior or a superstar beast, they were all just tools used by Master Thirteen to attract more spectators and revenue. Qi Ying had be a Silver rank warrior and ording to the rules of the Colosseum, he had to go through the Silver rank warrior inauguration ceremony. Qi Ying stood with his head bowed on a temporary podium, while the female colosseum administrator with the long curls hung a floral wreath around his neck. After that, a Silver rank warrior badge was presented to him by the owner of the Colosseum, Master Thirteen. Master Thirteen sped his hands behind his back and appraised Qi Ying with a smile. ¡°Nameless Warrior, congrattions on bing the twenty-fifth Silver rank warrior in the Colosseum¡¯s thirteen-year history. You still have a chance to put on another performance today. Would you like to challenge the Dark Golden Ape?¡± ¡°No.¡± Qi Ying shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m done for the day. Maybe next time!¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Master Thirteen nodded, ¡°You probably don¡¯t think that the Dark Golden Ape is a worthy opponent for you anyway. We¡¯ll raise the Dark Golden Ape to Yellow Tier Seventh Rank, then organize a battle between the two of you! Please don¡¯t refuse when the timees.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ... Qi Ying changed out of the Colosseum¡¯s clothes and put on his cloak as well as his silver glove. He received his reward for bing a Silver rank warrior and defeating the five beasts before setting off to hurry home. He wanted to return home earlier today in order to give Xuan Yu the present that he had prepared for her. At this moment, a lithe and graceful woman stopped Qi Ying in his tracks. ¡°Do you need something from me?¡± Qi Ying¡¯s footsteps faltered at the sight of the female administrator with the long, wavy curls. ¡°I¡¯ve got good news for you.¡± A suggestive smile appeared on her face as she nudged Qi Ying¡¯s arm with her elbow. ¡°Someone wants to sleep with you.¡± Chapter 17: I Don’t Want to (Spoiler ~ Highlight the text to see the title)

Chapter 17: I Don¡¯t Want to (Spoiler ~ Highlight the text to see the title)

Sleep with me? Qi Ying initially didn¡¯t understand what she was saying and a cautious expression appeared on his face. ¡°Hey, what are you looking at me like that for?¡± The female administrator tapped him on the forehead, ¡°It really is good news for you. The person interested in you is not some old woman; she is someone that¡¯s renowned for her beauty and is sought after by all men in the entire Celestial River County!¡± ¡°Oh...¡± Qi Ying finally realized what she meant. So she wasn¡¯t referring to sleeping in the traditional sense. Even though he was still quite young and inexperienced, he was somewhat aware of what this entailed. Just as most men lusted for women, some women also lusted for men. In the Colosseum, there were many warriors with powerful bodies and good looks. These warriors often became sought-aftermodities for noblewomen in the city, and a sexual rtionship could be established for a number of reasons. Perhaps the Colosseum exerted pressure on the warrior to reciprocate the interest of the noblewoman who had developed an interest in them, perhaps they really did want to have a taste of a more mature woman, or perhaps they simply wanted to be sugar babies to these wealthy women. However, Qi Ying immediately refused. ¡°No, I won¡¯t do it.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what you say to me. These are Master Thirteen¡¯s instructions.¡± The female administrator flicked her long hair to the side, ¡°Besides, that woman is sought after by countless men, so you really shouldn¡¯t refuse before you see her... If you really don¡¯t want to do it, then go find Master Thirteen and talk to him about it.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Thus, Qi Ying quickly scaled the staircase and tracked down Master Thirteen, who was working on another sheet of paper with his calligraphy brush in hand. ¡°Master Thirteen, I¡¯m only here to earn some pills. I don¡¯t want to...¡± Crack! A rush of wind skimmed past Qi Ying¡¯s cheek, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end! He turned to find that a calligraphy brush had embedded itself deeply into the wall next to his head. Qi Ying gulped nervously upon seeing this. With the astonishing speed of that attack, if Master Thirteen wanted to, he could have easily pierced through his throat and insta-kill him with a calligraphy brush! Master Thirteen raised his head slowly with a hint of a smile on his face. ¡°The one who wants you is a very important client. If it weren¡¯t for her financial support, my colosseum would not have been able to develop to this point.¡± Qi Ying shook his head. ¡°Master Thirteen, you know about my past, so you should know that I don¡¯t want to be sexually involved with any woman. Furthermore, no matter how esteemed and how important to the Colosseum she is, that doesn¡¯t have anything to do with me.¡± Master Thirteen maintained his half-smile. ¡°Then what if I insist that you keep herpany?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like to be threatened.¡± Qi Ying¡¯s expression darkened. He didn¡¯t want to get into an altercation with Master Thirteen, but he had to maintain his bottom line! If that line was bypassed, he would have to do all sorts of things in the future. If a rule were to be broken once, then it would definitely be broken a second and third time. ¡°Sigh.¡± Master Thirteen heaved a resigned sigh and sped his hands behind his back, ¡°I¡¯ll ask nothing more from you than to make a trip to the booth upstairs. I won¡¯t force you to do anything and she most definitely won¡¯t either. Your mission will bepleted once you enter the booth, but what you do there is up to you. I won¡¯t interfere in any way, shape or form!¡± ¡°Well...¡± Qi Ying¡¯s expression stirred slightly. When he thought about it, Master Thirteen had been quite good to him. Even though their cooperation was based on a rtionship of mutual-profit, the fact of the matter was that he had received a lot of resources from Master Thirteen. For example, following his victories today, he received arge amount of Energy Containment Pills, even Energy Explosion Pills, which were of a higher caliber. Furthermore, he had been given a Yellow Tier treasured dagger, a Yellow Tier cultivation method, as well as several Yellow Tier battle techniques. If his mission was only to make a trip upstairs... A frail woman wasn¡¯t going to be able to force him into doing anything anyway. As long as Master Thirteen didn¡¯t enforce his will upon him, nothing would happen. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go.¡± Qi Ying heaved a reluctant sigh. Master Thirteen gave him a meaningful smile and he extended a hand, upon which the calligraphy brush that was nailed to the wall trembled before flying back into his hand. Master Thirteen dipped the brush into some ink and rolled up his sleeves as he said in an indifferent voice, ¡°She¡¯s in the eighth room on the left-hand side on the third floor. Herst name is Lu.¡± ... Madam Lu¡¯s full name was Lu Feifei. She was not really fond of this name as it appeared in a renowned poem detailing a story of loss and emptiness. As such, she always felt that Feifei was a slightly hollow name, and this sense of emptiness had been present in her heart for close to thirty years. She was born in a well-off family and got all the love, attention, and materialistic things that she desired. Slowly, she began to feel like everything was quite boring and pointless. She thought that getting married would provide a change in environment that would bring more joy to her life. However, she only discovered after being married off to a Celestial River County magnate that he was a twisted freak. Following the death of her husband, she became even more hollow deep inside. She tried to fill the void in her heart using her exquisite beauty, which allowed her to bend any man to her will, and the massive estate she had inherited from herte husband. She first invested in the Colosseum, then the Myriad Spring Brothel, both of which were akin to paradise for men, and she made a lot of money from those two investments. She then used that wealth to fund her quest to find a man that would fill the void in her life. Initially, she was able to derive some satisfaction from purely carnal, physical rtionships. However, after a while, the average man was no longer enough to satisfy her. Even Yin Yuesheng, who was widely renowned as one of the most handsome young men in the entire Celestial River County, had be quite boring as ofte. However, she had just visited the capital and the long journey had made her a little thirsty for men. The only problem was that none of the men she had sampled in the past were appealing to her anymore. The Nameless Warrior that appeared today was quite special. He was like a diamond in the rough, natural and unrefined, yet intriguing and full of potential. A man like him had finally caught her interest and she asked Yan Thirteen to bring the Nameless Warrior to her so she could have some fun. What kind of person was that Nameless Warrior? He didn¡¯t ask Yan Thirteen about what his name was or whether he was handsome or not. She wanted to see what kind of man he was with her own eyes. Knock knock! Someone suddenly knocked on her door. She snapped out of her train of thought and stood up before opening the door. ... Qi Ying stood in the doorway, feeling a little nervous. He didn¡¯t want to be here, but he didn¡¯t want to turn down Master Thirteen¡¯s request either, so he was in a rather conflicted state of mind. He was thinking about how he should turn down this woman, who was apparently able to conquer any man in the entire Celestial River County. After hesitating for a long while, Qi Ying decided that he was just going to cut straight to the chase and tell her his intentions. She wouldn¡¯t be able to force him into doing anything anyway; if worse came to worst, he could just risk offending her today then apologizing at ater date. With these thoughts in mind, he knocked on her door. However, Qi Ying discovered that he had beenpletely wrong, from the moment the door opened to reveal the seductive figure inside. That was not a woman standing before him; it was an irresistible seductress! Her gorgeous features made his heart skip a beat and her wless figure was capable of seducing any developed young man. All of the blood within his entire body was boiling and he hadpletely tensed up, rendering him unable to even speak. How could he turn her down if he couldn¡¯t even speak? Qi Ying didn¡¯t even know how he had walked into the room and he waspletely unable to recall how he had sat down on the same bed with this woman. He only came to his senses after she prodded him and asked him why his face was so red as well as whether he would like some tea. A hint of rity returned to his zed over eyes and he jumped up from the bed as if he had been electrocuted. ¡°Um... I don¡¯t want to sleep with you... I¡¯m going now!¡± Chapter 18: Spring Night Intoxication

Chapter 18: Spring Night Intoxication

¡°What are you saying? I only wanted to invite you over for some tea after seeing your performance in the Colosseum today.¡± The woman turned to Qi Ying with an innocent expression. ¡°Er.¡± Qi Ying blushed again. It appeared that she really hadn¡¯t said anything about sex. All she had asked was whether he wanted some tea. In contrast, he was the first one to mention sleeping with one another... How f*cking awkward was that... ¡°Have a seat. I¡¯ll go prepare some tea.¡± She stood up and her slender waist wiggled from side-to-side as she went to prepare some tea. Qi Ying was slightly dazed as he stared at the woman¡¯s seductive figure and he involuntarily stood up from the bed with the intention of seeing her face again. He felt like his lower abdomen was on fire, and he immediately shook his head violently to clear his mind. ¡°Amitabha, Amitabha... Qi Ying, you must exercise self-control. If you don¡¯t even have this amount of self-control, then how are you going to ovee the troubles you encounter in the future... She¡¯s just a woman...¡± The veins on Qi Ying¡¯s forehead bulged. ... ¡°Oh? You¡¯re shy!¡± Lu Feifei was just about to prepare some tea when she turned around and chuckled at the sight of Qi Ying. Many men had also been shy in that situation before, but they always tried to y it off by acting tough and in control. However, Qi Ying¡¯s shyness waspletely pure and unadulterated. His eyes were like clear ponds through which one could easily glean his thoughts. Not bad. He was a little different from what she had imagined, but he actually seemed to be more interesting. His features were fine and delicate and yet topletely mature. He could be considered to be quite handsome at his age, and there were undoubtedly many female disciples in the academy who fancied him. ¡®Even though I¡¯m a bit reluctant to do this, such a superb specimen will be hard to find if I miss out on this opportunity...¡¯ Lu Feifei pulled out a small paper bag from her waistband and pretended to add some tea leaves. In reality, she was actually pouring some strong aphrodisiac into the teapot, before adding the tea leaves and hot water. She carried the teacup over to the bed and ced it on the table as she looked into Qi Ying¡¯s eyes, with seductive eyes of her own. ¡°Nameless Warrior, what is your name?¡± ¡°My name is Qi Ying.¡± Qi Ying tried his best to repress his bodily functions and to appear more natural. However, Lu Feifei had witnessed countless men in her life and Qi Ying¡¯s physical reactions were naturally unable to escape her sharp senses. A faint smile appeared on her face as she replied, ¡°That¡¯s a fine name. My name is Lu Feifei and I¡¯mmonly referred to as Madam Lu.¡± ¡°Greetings, Madam Lu.¡± Qi Ying gave a polite smile, but he was gritting his teeth. He felt like he had already repressed his carnal urges, but for some reason, the faint smile on her face managed to reignite the mes in his lower abdomen. It seemed like the female administrator wasn¡¯t exaggerating when she told him that this woman could conquer any man in the entire Celestial River County. He couldn¡¯t let this go on. He had to leave. Qi Ying was really afraid that something would happen if he were to continue to stay there. He was at an age where his libido was through the roof and it would simply be impossible to resist a seductress like her, if he were to stay for much longer. However, Lu Feifei had other ideas and she ced a slender hand over Qi Ying¡¯s hand in a very natural gesture. ¡°You¡¯re so young. How about I call you little brother? To think that you would risk your life here in the Colosseum at such a young age; that¡¯s very impressive. Does your family know about what you¡¯re doing here?¡± ¡°They don¡¯t.¡± Qi Ying shook his head and gave an honest reply. At the same time, he pulled his hand out from Lu Feifei¡¯s before wiping the sweat off his forehead. However, Lu Feifei¡¯s hand settled on his leg as a result and that made him even more ufortable. Lu Feifei then asked. ¡°Who is in your family?¡± ¡°Myself and Mother Yu.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s Mother Yu?¡± ¡°Mother Yu... is a person who is like a mother to me.¡± Qi Ying didn¡¯t know why, but he was answering every one of Lu Feifei¡¯s questions. He wanted to get out of there immediately, but he was suddenly a little reluctant to leave. Lu Feifei¡¯s voice was extremely enticing and as it traveled into his ears, he felt like there was a little furry paw scratching at his heart, making him feel quite uneasy and itching to do something. ¡°Is Mother Yu beautiful?¡± ¡°She is.¡± ¡°Then... how about whenpared to me?¡± Qi Ying paused momentarily before replying. ¡°In my heart, Mother Yu is the most beautiful woman in this world.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± Lu Feifei chuckled gently before asking Qi Ying a few more inconsequential questions such as his age, what cultivation method he was cultivating in, and his current cultivation base. She then expressed her awe and admiration toward Qi Ying¡¯sbat prowess. ¡°Oh, silly me, I¡¯ve been chatting to you this entire time while the tea has been going cold.¡± Lu Feifei turned and picked up the teapot before filling a teacup and handing it to Qi Ying, ¡°You must be thirsty from all that talking. Have some tea first before we continue.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Qi Ying hadn¡¯t had anything to eat for half a day, so he epted the cup of tea. Lu Feifei stared intently at Qi Ying as he downed all of the tea within the teacup, which was infused with strong aphrodisiac. ¡°This tea is so sweet!¡± Qi Ying put down the teacup before pursing his lips, ¡°The only downside is that I seem to be even more thirsty after drinking it.¡± Lu Feifei was ted to hear that, as it implied that the aphrodisiac was taking effect. The aphrodisiac was known as Spring Night Intoxication and even a man with the most exceptional self-control would be reduced to an animal in heat after taking it. The young man was clearly quite hot and bothered to begin with, so there was no way he would be able to withstand the effects of thatced tea... ¡°Can I have another cup?¡± Qi Ying really did feel quite thirsty, so he poured himself another cup of tea before downing it in one mouthful and smacking his lips. ¡°It¡¯s so sweet... But why am I thirstier yet again?¡± Thus, Qi Ying poured a third cup of tea and drank that as well. Lu Feifei waspletely dumbstruck by the turn of events. She had poured five doses of aphrodisiac into the teapot, which amounted to roughly one dose per cup. Drinking three cups meant that he had taken three doses. Qi Ying was right at the age when he was full of abundant youthful energy. If he were to take this much aphrodisiac, she wouldn¡¯t be able to handle him once the aphrodisiac took effect! After drinking three cups of tea, Qi Ying still wanted to have some more, but he was too embarrassed to drink any more than he already had. ¡°Let¡¯s keep chatting for a while. You were saying that you often hunt in the mountains...¡± Lu Feifei continued the conversation while assessing Qi Ying¡¯s reaction, tion intermingling with concern in her heart. She was looking forward to his eruption of passion, but she was also afraid that he would lose control and hurt her. After a short while, Lu Feifei¡¯s brows gradually began to furrow. Not only was Qi Ying not doing anything out of line, even the physical reactions he initially had were now gone. What was happening? That was three times the normal dosage! Even half a dose of Spring Night Intoxication should have been enough to push him over the edge; why was he growing calmer as he drank instead? Meanwhile, Qi Ying could feel an extremely satisfying sense of warmth flowing through his entire body. He thought to himself. ¡®This really is good tea... There is a very hot energy inside that can be absorbed by my blood after entering my body... It¡¯s just a pity that ny-nine percent of the energy has been absorbed by my left hand, leaving only a tiny sliver left to warm my body... What a waste!¡¯ Chapter 19: The Purple Energy Cultivation Method

Chapter 19: The Purple Energy Cultivation Method

Lu Feifei was still waiting for the Spring Night Intoxication to take effect. Theoretically, it was supposed to be able to take immediate effect on any man. However, fifteen minutes had already passed, and nothing had happened. Slowly, she began to get a little flustered. She was thinking about the Spring Night Intoxication this entire time, so she was unable to concentrate on her conversation with Qi Ying. Qi Ying was quite happy to see this. She was clearly distracted by something, and he could take advantage of this to make his escape! Thus, Qi Ying abruptly stood up. ¡°Madam Lu, it was very nice to meet you today. Thank you for your hospitality, and if we do meet again in the future, I¡¯ll tell you about my adventures on the Nameless Mountain.¡± ¡°Oh... Wait, don¡¯t go...¡± Before Lu Feifei had a chance to stop him, Qi Ying had already put on his cloak, and was making his way outside. ¡°Farewell, Madam Lu!¡± ¡°Wait...¡± Lu Feifei tried totch onto Qi Ying¡¯s arm, but Qi Ying was far too agile for her to catch. He dodged to the side, and immediately hurried downstairs without even so much as a backward nce. Qi Ying quickly exited the Colosseum, and walked at a brisk pace on the moonlit path as he murmured to himself, ¡°Women are far too terrifying! I mustn¡¯t meet any woman in private from now on, aside from Mother Yu! Wait! It¡¯s sote now; what am I going to tell Mother Yu...¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll just tell her that I was helping out Auntie Zhang cut down some firewood! Auntie Zhang¡¯s memory isn¡¯t all that great, so she won¡¯t remember which day I helped her out on anyway.¡± ... Within the booth. Lu Feifei poured some tea into a teacup, and her brows furrowed as she took a whiff of the tea. ¡®There¡¯s no mistaking it; this is definitely Spring Night Intoxication! The medicinal effects of Spring Night Intoxication would not be hampered by normal tea leaves either... so what happened? Could it be that he¡¯s actually not a man? That can¡¯t be; I clearly saw him get hard down there... What could have happened? Has this batch of Spring Night Intoxication expired?¡¯ Lu Feifei ced the teacup onto the table, and was nning on examining the little box in which her Spring Night Intoxication was contained. At that moment, a white-robed figure made his way into the booth. Master Thirteen raised his eyebrows and chuckled at the sight of the dejected Lu Feifei. ¡°What happened? Did things not go as nned? I already told you that he¡¯s no ordinary man. He is a man that is destined to be different from everyone else.¡± ¡°But, I already...¡± Lu Feifei was still unable to figure out how Qi Ying had managed to withstand the Spring Night Intoxication¡¯s effects. Master Thirteen shook his head with a smile as he picked up the teacup on the table. ¡°This tea smells a little differentpared to what you normally drink. Is this some new tea?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Only then did Lu Feifei notice what Master Thirteen was doing, and her expression immediately changed. ¡°Don¡¯t drink that! That¡¯s...¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so stingy! The yearly dividends you get from the Colosseum are far more than enough to pay for some tea leaves!¡± Master Thirteen pursed his lips before downing the tea in one mouthful. His brows then furrowed slightly. ¡°It¡¯s so sweet! Why does it taste like inferior quality tea?¡± Master Thirteen¡¯s expression then changed. ¡°What did you put in here...¡± ¡°An aphrodisiac...¡± Lu Feifei gave a resigned smile right as a pair ofrge powerful hands grabbed her voluptuous breasts. Master Thirteen was like an animal in heat as he pinned Lu Feifei to the bed before stripping off her clothes... Their bodies intertwined with one another, and a rhythmic smacking ensued. ... ¡°What did you do today, Qi Ying? Why are you sote?¡± Xuan Yu asked as Qi Ying arrived home. Qi Ying had already prepared an excuse. ¡°I was helping out Uncle Wang¡¯s wife, Auntie Zhang, cut down some firewood. Uncle Wang has some difficulty with his walking, and he helped us a lot in securing this courtyard when we first came to the academy. I thought it was only right that I helped out Auntie Zhang wherever I could, and I was dyed a little as a result.¡± ¡°Really? How much firewood did you have to cut down?¡± Xuan Yu was still quite suspicious. Qi Ying gave a firm reply. ¡°Of course! Why would I lie to you?¡± Xuan Yu pursed her lips in an amused smile. ¡°Alright, I believe you. You wouldn¡¯t have the guts to be up to no good anyway. Make sure to help out Auntie Zhang on a regr basis. She struggles with her memory sometimes, and Uncle Wang is always busy, so if you have some free time, just give her a hand. You don¡¯t have to cut down firewood for her; aren¡¯t you getting ie frompleting academy missions? You can just spend ten crystals and buy them a small mountain of firewood.¡± ¡°Alright. Oh, by the way, Mother Yu, I brought you a present.¡± ¡°A present?¡± ¡°M-hm, here...¡± Qi Ying pulled out a green cane from his bag, and handed it to Xuan Yu. ¡°Mother Yu, you hit me with your bamboo canest time, and it didn¡¯t do anything to me, but your bamboo cane broke. I figured that if I did something wrong in the future, you would want to hit me with your cane again, so I bought you a sturdy one that won¡¯t break. This cane is constructed from a shoot of Jade Bamboo, and it cost several dozen crystals.¡± Xuan Yu epted the cane, and stroked it gently. ¡°Hmph! This cane is so expensive, so it must be quite painful to be beaten with it! You better watch out!¡± ¡°I will!¡± Qi Ying stuck out his tongue, ¡°Then, I¡¯m off to bed now!¡± ¡°Go! How many sses have you ditched already? Make sure to go to the academy earlier tomorrow morning.¡± ... The next day. Qi Ying left the small courtyard before the sun had even risen, and he arrived at a self-cultivation room in the academy. He took off his silver glove before pulling out two Energy Containment Pills from his spatial ring, and swallowing them like peanuts. He then pulled out a thin book, upon which were inscribed the words, ¡°Energy Concealment Mantra¡±. Master Thirteen had given him this mantra, and cultivating in it wouldn¡¯t actually contribute to enhancing hisbat prowess. However, it could lower the aura of his cultivation base, thereby restricting it to a certain extent. As long as he didn¡¯t fight at his full strength, no one would be able to ascertain his cultivation base from his aura alone. At the moment, everyone thought that the Nameless Warrior was hiding his cultivation base, and that he was most definitely at the Energy Martial Stage already. Furthermore, what made the Nameless Warrior all the more mysterious in their minds was that he didn¡¯t have to use his full strength, not even against a Yellow Tier Seventh Rank beast. What was unbeknownst to them was that Qi Ying¡¯s cultivation base really was only at the Strength Martial Stage. However, in the academy, he had to keep a low profile to hide his insane rate of progression. When would he be able to disy his full power? He had to wait... until that person came to the Celestial River County! The Energy Concealment Mantra wasn¡¯t that difficult to master; it was just that it was simply pointless to most people. Qi Ying managed topletely master it within fifteen minutes, and he restricted his aura to the Eighth Strength Martial Stage, which everyone thought he still was. After that, Qi Ying checked through the other treasures Master Thirteen had given him. There was a Yellow Tier High-Rank cultivation method, the Purple Energy Cultivation Method, a w-type Yellow Tier Intermediate Rank battle technique, the Dark Falcon Illusionary w, and a Yellow Tier Low Rank treasured tool, the Ink Scale Dagger. All of these were very valuable items. Qi Ying stowed these treasures away again, before slipping his glove back on with a faint smile on his face. ¡®I just need to continue cultivating in my Dark Wolf Cultivation Method now. Once I reach the pinnacle of the Ninth Strength Martial Stage, I¡¯ll be able to cultivate in the Purple Energy Cultivation Method, materialize my energy vortex, and reach the Energy Martial Stage!¡¯ ¡®There are still twenty days until shees here... How powerful can I be in twenty days?¡¯ Right at this moment, A burst ofmotion suddenly erupted from outside. ¡°Has anyone seen Qi Ying? Where is that little b*stard? How dare he mess with the Duan family? Does he want to die?!¡± Chapter 20: Lackeys Don’t Have the Right to Talk

Chapter 20: Lackeys Don¡¯t Have the Right to Talk

Someone was looking for Qi Ying! And it was from the Duan family! Upon hearing that, the initial reaction of all the disciples was that it seemed quite a strange situation. Further conflict had not appeared to have arisen between Qi Ying and the Duan brothers in the past few days. His duel with Duan Tianshan had taken ce over a week ago, so what was happening now? The drill grounds, self-cultivation rooms, and the dueling tform were all ces that teachers did not visit. The disciples who went to those ces were usually those who didn¡¯t have sses, who were ditching sses, or were looking for a quiet ce to cultivate. At that moment, there were many disciples who were making their way over to the drill grounds, in order to see how this situation was going to y out. ¡°It¡¯s Duan Yuan and Duan Jin!¡± There were some disciples who immediately identified the two people causing amotion on the drill grounds. Duan Yuan and Duan Jin were both members of the Duan family, as well as disciples of the Celestial River Academy¡¯s Intermediate Division. The Celestial River Academy was split into High, Intermediate, and Low divisions. All of the Strength Martial Stage disciples were in the Low Division, all disciples ranging from the First to the Fourth Energy Martial Stage were in the Intermediate Division, and all of the elite disciples of the academy that were above the Fifth Energy Martial Stage were in the High Division. The majority of disciples were in the Low Division, which consisted of roughly seventy percent of all disciples. Around twenty-five percent of all disciples were in the Intermediate Division, while only around five percent of disciples were in the High Division. All disciples had to graduate from the academy once they reached twenty-one years of age. They would then have toplete a year ofpulsory army service at the kingdom¡¯s border. Duan Yuan and Duan Jin were twenty and neen years of age respectively. As such, they were among the older disciples in the academy, and their cultivation bases were at the Third and Second Energy Martial Stages respectively. They were considered to be above average disciples in the Intermediate Division, and even though they were only part of the Duan family¡¯s side branch, they were still far more esteemed than the normal, undistinguished disciples. As such, they were prominent figures in the Celestial River Academy, and most Intermediate Division and Low Division disciples didn¡¯t dare to mess with them. So why were they looking for Qi Ying? If it was for Duan Tianshan¡¯s sake, then why didn¡¯t they try and track Qi Ying down a few days ago as opposed to now? Duan Renshan had received news of this, and he hurried over to join the crowd before tracking down Duan Tianshan. He pulled Duan Tianshan away to a secluded corner, before interrogating him in a low voice, ¡°Did you ask Duan Yuan and Duan Jin to pick on Qi Ying?¡± ¡°They asked me if Qi Ying had offended me and I told them the truth...¡± Duan Tianshan shrugged. Duan Renshan was a little angry upon hearing this. ¡°Didn¡¯t I warn you? Qi Ying is no ordinary person. We are not that important to the Duan family, so we cannot afford to mess with him! If he doesn¡¯t pick on us, then we should just stay away from him!¡± Duan Renshan recalled the vicious threats Qi Ying had delivered to him, and he shuddered involuntarily. However, Duan Tianshan chuckled coldly upon hearing this. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, brother. Duan Yuan and Duan Jin are trying to suck up to me this time. All we have to do is sit back and watch! Even if the sky copses, it won¡¯t fall on our heads. Besides, even if Duan Yuan and Duan Jin can¡¯t teach that Qi Ying a lesson, we¡¯ve still got Young Master Gucheng on our side! No matter how powerful he is, he¡¯s no match for Young Master Gucheng and the Duan family!¡± Duan Renshan shook his head. ¡°Duan Gucheng? He sees us only as servants... However...¡± A cold light suddenly shed through Duan Renshan¡¯s eyes. ¡°Hmph! We¡¯ll let Qi Ying off the hook if he backs down this time, but if he¡¯s going to act cocky again, then we have many ways to bring him down a notch! To the Duan family, nothing is more important than keeping face.¡± Qi Ying was mysterious and powerful, and Duan Renshan didn¡¯t want to face such a terrifying opponent. However, he was immediately full of confidence when he thought about how the entire Duan family was standing behind him! He could be fearful toward Qi Ying in private, but he couldn¡¯t admit to his cowardice in public! ... Qi Ying really didn¡¯t want to get into any trouble. In particr, he wanted to stay far away from the Celestial River County nobles. He had onlye to the Celestial River County in order to cultivate, grow, and wait for a certain person. He didn¡¯t want to think about anything else. Bing a contracted warrior at the Colosseum piled a lot more onto his te, but it was beneficial to his cultivation. In contrast, getting involved with these Celestial River County nobles would only be a waste of time and energy. He snuck around to the back entrance of the self-cultivation room in an attempt to leave without anyone noticing. However, someone managed to spot him, and they immediately began to yell. ¡°Qi Ying! I heard you were being super cocky a while ago; why are you cowering like a turtle into its shell now? Hehe! If you¡¯re scared, then kneel down and beg for forgiveness. Otherwise... hehe, we already know where you live, and we wouldn¡¯t mind paying a visit to your blind mother!¡± Qi Ying¡¯s expression instantly darkened upon hearing this. Was that a threat? He absolutely detested being threatened. Furthermore, that threat was being made against the most important person in his life. Qi Ying had vowed on the day that Mother Yu had lost her eyesight, that he would give her a good life, and keep her out of harm¡¯s way... Anyone who harbored ill will toward her was unforgivable in his eyes! Bam! Qi Ying kicked the door of the self-cultivation room open before rushing out onto the drill ground. At this point, there were already many academy disciples who had gathered on the drill grounds. Two young men, one short and one tall, emerged from the crowd. The taller young man made his way over to Qi Ying, and appraised him with a disdainful smile. ¡°So you¡¯re the Qi Ying that defeated Young Master Tianshan on the duelling tform through the use of underhanded tactics?¡± Qi Ying replied coldly. ¡°I am Qi Ying, but I didn¡¯t use any underhanded tactics. Speaking of which, who are you?¡± The taller young man: ¡°Duan Yuan.¡± The shorter young man: ¡°Duan Jin.¡± Qi Ying narrowed his eyes. ¡°Duan Yuan, Duan Jin, I¡¯ve heard of you two. You two are the sons of Duan Huangye and you were once Young Master Duan Gucheng¡¯sckeys. What? Young Master Gucheng doesn¡¯t want you two anymore so you¡¯re sucking off Duan Tianshan for a living now?¡± The spectating disciples burst into uproar upon hearing this. Duan Yuan and Duan Jin were indeedckeys to Young Master Gucheng, but wasn¡¯t Qi Ying going a little too far by saying this in public? Furthermore, both of these were quite prominent figures among the academy disciples. Qi Ying was just a rtively renowned disciple of the Low Division; how was he supposed to fight them? Did he not want to live anymore? Duan Yuan and Duan Jin¡¯s expressions instantly darkened. They had thought that Qi Ying would be petrified of them, just like all of the other underprivileged disciples who dared to provoke the Duan family were. However, Qi Ying had struck them right where it hurts them most, and they were so enraged that they were about to go mad. Qi Ying continued to taunt Duan Yuan and Duan Jin, ¡°You two look pretty angry! Where is your master? You think you two have the right to speak with me?¡± Duan Yuan and Duan Jin were the instigators there, so he couldn¡¯t back down! If he showed any weakness right then, those two would only be encouraged, and would try to embarrass him in any way they could... What he had to do now was to put up a strong front, and show them that he was not someone to be messed with... Even if they were to exact revenge on him in the future, it wouldn¡¯t matter. The more time he could stall, the more everything would tilt in his favor. At his current rate of progression in his cultivation, it wouldn¡¯t be long before the Duan family would no longer pose a threat to him! Chapter 21: The Determined Lackeys

Chapter 21: The Determined Lackeys

Everyone knew that the among the most prestigious people in the Celestial River County neither the mayor deployed to the county by the kingdom, nor the General of the county army, were included. Instead, those ces were held by the masters of the four major aristocratic families! These wereprised of the Duan, An, Wang, and Sun families, and the four had an oligopolistic hold over industries in the Celestial River County like weapons crafting, pill refinement, construction, hospitality, and prostitution. These four families owned shops on every street in the county, and their members held many important upations... Very few noble families couldpare with them, and even the aforementioned mayor and General had to treat them with respect. Within the Celestial River Academy, disciples from those four families were also highly esteemed. Very few disciples dared to offend them; even those from the side branches were held in higher regard than the young masters of smaller aristocratic families. However, Qi Ying was denouncing Duan Yuan and Duan Jin in front of all of those people! That was... insane! Even the young masters from other prominent families wouldn¡¯t dare to do that. ¡°You¡¯ve got a pretty sharp tongue for a weakling!¡± Duan Yuan approached Qi Ying as he said in a cold voice, ¡°You¡¯re going to pay for everything you just said!¡± ¡°Pay?¡± Qi Ying nced around at the bystanders, ¡°What? You¡¯re going to assault me in front of all of these people?¡± ¡°Oh, you bet we will!¡± Duan Jin yelled, ¡°Brothers, block the gate; don¡¯t let anyone enter or exit! Make sure to keep an eye out for teachers too. We¡¯re going to teach this brat a lesson today!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Whoosh! About a dozen or so academy disciples immediately positioned themselves in front of the drill ground gates, barring anyone from passing. The disciples on the drill grounds finally realized what was going on. Duan Yuan and Duan Jin had clearly nned everything in advance! They possessed superior cultivation basespared to Qi Ying, so he was not obligated to ept any challenges from them. As such, they were nning to beat Qi Ying up in a ce that no teachers frequented! Everyone¡¯s eyes fell upon Duan Renshan and Duan Tianshan. Those two were most likely the masterminds! Duan Renshan¡¯s heart jolted as he was thrust under the limelight. He hadn¡¯t done anything, so why were all these disciples looking at him as if he hadmitted a heinous crime? What if Qi Ying also thinks that I nned all this, and seeks revenge in the future... Duan Renshan cleared his throat before striding forward. ¡°Duan Yuan, Duan Jin, we¡¯re all disciples of the same academy, so we should treat one another with respect... As for Qi Ying, just let him off if he apologizes. Violence is not the answer!¡± Duan Yuan and Duan Jin were both taken aback upon hearing that. Why did it seem like Young Master Renshan was a little scared of Qi Ying? What on earth happened? However, Duan Tianshan suddenly began to yell. ¡°Duan Yuan, Duan Jin, beat the crap out of him! The academy teachers can¡¯t do anything to the Duan family, so anything goes as long as you don¡¯t kill him!¡± ¡®¡±Holy mother of god...¡± Duan Renshan immediately hurried over to Duan Tianshan before attempting to shut him up. This idiot was going to get himself killed! Before he had a chance to do anything, Duan Yuan and Duan Jin were already charging toward Qi Ying! ¡°You¡¯re dead, brat!¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to drill the word ¡®remorse¡¯ into your head!¡± With Duan Tianshan¡¯s backing, they werepletely fearless. Prior to this, their father, Duan Huangye had revealed a piece of news to them: In the Celestial River County Youth Battle Tournament that was going to be held twenty dayster, the Duan family had only ten spots. Anyone who disyed an outstanding performance in the tournament had the chance to be selected by the Yun Xiao Academy in the capital city. Those recruited would be developed with an eye to bing young Generals in the future, and even if they missed out, they would be chosen as military officials in the Celestial River County Army. That way, they would be exempt from partaking in the perilous military service stint at the kingdom¡¯s border. A set number of spots were given to the four major aristocratic families, a few other smaller prominent families, and some other powers. The Celestial River Academy had thirty spots, but Duan Yuan and Duan Jin wouldn¡¯t be anywhere near eligible for one of those. Thus, Duan Huangye began to set his sights on other alternatives. If they forged a stronger rtionship with Duan Tianshan, and curried Duan Gucheng¡¯s favor through him, they would most likely be able to get two of the ten spots afforded to the Duan family. In order to avoid the arduouspulsory military service and to be young Generals, Duan Yuan and Duan Jin had no choice but to provoke Qi Ying in order to suck up to Duan Tianshan. That was why Qi Ying¡¯s insults were very scathing to them. ¡®Do you think we want to beckeys?¡¯ ¡®People like us from the side branches of noble families have it much harder than members of undistinguished families! We have to constantly be wary of everyone around us, and suck up to those Young Masters who are as dumb as pigs... You dare to denounce us asckeys?¡¯ Duan Yuan and Duan Jin were initially only nning to teach Qi Ying a lesson, but they had since changed their minds. They were going to disable one of his arms! Whoosh! Whoosh! The two of them threw themselves at Qi Ying like speeding arrows. Unbeknownst to them, even Blood Wolves, which were renowned for their speed, were unable tond so much as a w-tip on Qi Ying. In the face of such a fast and agile opponent, Duan Yuan and Duan Jin simply had no chance. Qi Ying decided that it was time to reveal some of his power, so these peskyckeys wouldn¡¯t dare to bother him again. Thus, he quickly retaliated. Whoosh! Qi Ying raised his left leg and unleashed a powerful roundhouse kick. With the strength enhancement effect from his Dark Wolf Cultivation Method, his leg shot forth like a whip, and sent Duan Yuan flying with a dull thump. At the same time, his right hand snuck around Duan Jin¡¯s fist beforetching onto his wrist with unerring uracy. ¡°Hmph!¡± Qi Ying harrumphed coldly, as he unleashed power at the Eight Strength Martial Stage using his right hand, quickly hurling Duan Jin into the air. All of the onlookers were dumbstruck. What just happened? Qi Ying, who was at the Eight Strength Martial Stage, had sent Duan Yuan and Duan Jin flying in a matter of seconds, even though they were at the Second and the Third Energy Martial Stages respectively! This was simply unimaginable. Everyone knew that Qi Ying was freakishly strong, but how could he be even stronger than Energy Martial Stage cultivators? It didn¡¯t make sense! Thump! Thump! Duan Yuan and Duan Jin fell onto the ground one after the other. Their eyes met, and both of them could see the shock on each other¡¯s faces. No wonder this brat was so cocky, he certainly had some skill to back up his words! However, the main advantage Energy Martial Stage cultivators had over Strength Martial Stage cultivators was not in strength, but in battle techniques instead. Ayer of azure True Energy enveloped Duan Yuan¡¯s fists, while yellow True Energy surged upon Duan Jin¡¯s palms. The two of them instantly prepared their battle techniques before unleashing ferocious attacks upon Qi Ying from different angles! Yellow Tier Low-Rank battle technique, Gale Monarch Fist! Yellow Tier Low-Rank battle technique, Dark Golden Palm! Boom! All of a sudden, an azure fist projection over ten feet in diameter and a pair of massive golden palm projections appeared. Both of the attacks were imbued with explosiveness and they hurtled toward Qi Ying with devastating power. Chapter 22: Mass Brawling Is a Skill

Chapter 22: Mass Brawling Is a Skill

All of the onlookers were of the opinion that Qi Ying had bitten off more than he could chew, with the exception of Duan Renshan. No matter how strong Strength Martial Stage warriors were, they could only use their physical bodies during battles. In contrast, Energy Martial Stage cultivators possessed battle techniques that could inflict damage from afar. The two were simply on different levels. Whoosh! Everyone looked on as the fist projection and palm projections hurtled toward Qi Ying, and they all observed a moment of silence. That was the price he had to pay for his cockiness! However, what happened next gave all the onlookers a massive surprise. In the face of the two battle technique attacks, Qi Ying leaped into the air like a spring. His powerful legs propelled him over ten feet high in the blink an eye, and he performed a somersault to evade both of the oing attacks. His body had virtually skimmed the Gale Monarch Fist Projection, and if he had been even half a second off with his timing, he would have been struck. If that hadn¡¯t been sheer luck, then his anticipation had to have been frighteningly urate! But there were more surprises toe. Following his somersault, Qi Ying was somehow able to fly over ten feet through the air, hovering directly over Duan Yuan¡¯s head. His legshed out, and the tip of his foot struck Duan Yuan¡¯s chin! ck! The crisp sound of teeth shing together erupted, and Duan Yuan almost bit off his own tongue as he was sent flying again. At that moment, Qi Ying had alsonded on the ground before immediately springing toward Duan Jin. In contrast with the taller Duan Yuan, Duan Jin was even shorter than Qi Ying, despite the fact that he was already neen years old. Duan Jin had alreadye to his senses following his initial moment of shock. Golden True Energy converged to form a fist projection as a tiger¡¯s roar erupted. Yellow Tier Low-Rank battle technique, Tiger Roar Fist! However, he didn¡¯t even get a chance to unleash his Tiger Roar Fist before Qi Ying stuck out his left hand and grabbed his wrist. The hairs on Duan Jin¡¯s arm stood on end as the cold silver hand closed in. Qi Ying made a violent pulling motion, and Duan Jin was hoisted into the air. He was then swung around like a windmill many times before being hurled into the distance. Bam! Duan Jin¡¯s body struck a wall with a dull thump, almost creating an indentation that matched the shape of his body. ¡°Gasp...¡± Everyone drew sharp breaths upon seeing this. Some of the disciples with longer reflex arcs didn¡¯t even manage to see what had happened before Duan Yuan began to howl with pain as he clutched his chin, while Duan Jin slid and fell from the wall, onto the ground. Holy sh*t! What had just happened? The Second Energy Martial Stage Duan Jin, and the Third Energy Martial Stage Duan Yuan had just been beaten senseless by Qi Ying in less than twenty seconds! Was this a dream?! Meanwhile, some of the disciples with keener eyes hade to a realization: Qi Ying was not only insanely strong, but also a master in martial arts! His cultivation base wasn¡¯t all that impressive, and he hadn¡¯t mastered any battle techniques, but his judgment and decisiveness, as well as the diversity of his attacks, were all far superior to Duan Jin and Duan Yuan¡¯s. The two brothers held an overwhelming cultivation base advantage, but they were defeated before they even had a chance to utilize it. Martial arts were a skill separate from cultivation. In fact, the vast majority of martial arts masters weren¡¯t even at the Energy Martial Stage. Martial arts were extremely profound, and Miracle Working Stage martial arts grandmasters were unfathomably powerful beings. Some had no cultivation base at all, but they could kill with the unlikeliest of weapons, and even Spirit Martial Stage warriors had to be wary of them. The main downside to martial arts was that exceptional aptitude was required for sess. All martial arts masters were one-in-a-hundred rarities, while martial arts grandmasters were like mythical beings. Even the simplest of martial arts techniques required many years of practice to be effective in battle. Furthermore, all martial arts practitioners had to cultivate in internal and external strength from a very young age; how were they supposed to have time to simultaneously study martial arts techniques? It was quite amon urrence for martial arts practitioners, especially the younger ones, to make minimal progress even after many years of training. Thus, none of the onlooking disciples were all that surprised that Duan Jin and Duan Yuan were defeated by Qi Ying. What they were most surprised by, however, was that the fifteen-year-old Qi Ying was a martial arts master! Countless people had dabbled in martial arts for decades without getting to his level. Many disciples were beginning to see Qi Ying through new eyes. Cocky brats who bit off more than they could chew were idiots. But those who could back up their cockiness with skill were badass individuals! ¡°That should teach you a lesson! Don¡¯t mess with me and I won¡¯t mess with you!¡± Qi Ying warned in a cold voice. He had exposed enough for today. The fact that he was able to defeat two Energy Martial Stage disciples would undoubtedly garner much attention. But fortunately, all he had to hide was his rapidly increasing cultivation base. That was why he decided to defeat the Duan brothers through the use of martial arts alone. Even if others were to learn that he was a martial arts master, it wouldn¡¯t really matter. Duan Yuan and Duan Jin were in so much pain that they were incapable of speech. Duan Tianshan was absolutely fuming upon seeing this. How could this Qi Ying be so powerful?! The Duan brothers were the ones who had been beaten, but Duan Tianshan felt like Qi Ying had pped him in the face! ¡°Duan Yuan, Duan Jin... Absolutely useless! Everyone, beat the crap out of this kid! Our Duan family will back you up if anything happens! If you guys can beat Qi Ying to the point of disability, I¡¯ll reward everyone with a vial of Energy Containment Pills... No, Energy Explosion Pills!¡± Duan Tianshan was growing increasingly desperate. His words were mainly directed at those who were affiliated with the Duan family, as normal disciples wouldn¡¯t dare to get involved, even with such an alluring reward as an incentive. After hearing Duan Tianshan¡¯s words, all of the disciples who were guarding the gate immediately deserted their posts before swarming toward Qi Ying. There were about twenty of them, and their cultivation bases ranged from the Eighth Strength Martial Stage to the Second Energy Martial Stage! No matter how powerful Qi Ying was, he was just one person. How would he be able to survive a mass brawl? With the Duan family as their backer, what was there to be scared of? Thus, Qi Ying became the public enemy in the blink of an eye. ¡°Idiots.¡± Qi Ying spat through gritted teeth. The best way to deal with idiots like those... was to beat them into submission! Qi Ying sprang into action. He rushed forward like an agile rabbit before thumping a heavy punch into the body of a Strength Martial Stage disciple. He then threw a vicious roundhouse kick into another Energy Martial Stage disciple¡¯s stomach... A series of dull thumps erupted alongside howls of agony. Disciples fell, one after the other. Against the fast and insanely strong Qi Ying, most of them couldn¡¯t evenst one attack before they fell to the ground... Mere momentster, there were about twenty figures rolling on the ground. At the center of the drill ground, Qi Ying stood expressionlessly as he dusted himself off and wiped the sweat off his forehead. Even mass brawls required skill. Retards like those who rushed forward without any technique or n were like sitting ducks for martial arts warriors. They were all full of openings, and constantly got in one another¡¯s way, making it even easier to face them than to face two or three people at once. Chapter 23: Progression Through Pill Consumption

Chapter 23: Progression Through Pill Consumption

In what seemed like the blink of an eye, Qi Ying had defeated the Duan brothers before knocking down roughly twenty of their affiliatedckeys. The underprivileged disciples who had been bullied by those from the Duan family were quite excited to see this; cheers and apuse began to erupt from the crowd. ¡°Nice!¡± ¡°Qi Ying is so strong!¡± ¡°Those guys were acting all cocky a moment ago, but now, they¡¯re rolling around like dogs!¡± Among those from the Duan family, Duan Renshan could be considered to be one of the more amicable ones. Those like Duan Tianshan, Duan Yuan, and Duan Jin often picked on other disciples, but no one could do anything about them. As such, it was extremely satisfying to many of their victims that Qi Ying had handed Duan Yuan and Duan Jin thorough beatings while also figuratively pping Duan Tianshan in the face. Duan Renshan¡¯s expression darkened, and he didn¡¯t say anything. The words of disdain being directed at the useless Duan Yuan and Duan Jin, as well as the desperate Duan Tianshan, were very disturbing for him to hear. He cursed the Duan brothers in his heart for their ipetence, and began to despise his brother for his foolishness. At the same time, he developed resentment for Qi Ying. ¡®Hadn¡¯t he already beaten up Duan Tianshanst time? Why couldn¡¯t he allow himself to be beaten this time so the Duan family could recover some semnce of dignity?!¡¯ The Duan family was undoubtedly going to be the butt of countless jokes in the academy following the incident. Qi Ying took a nce at Duan Renshan¡¯s thunderous expression, before making his way over to him and delivering a menacing threat, ¡°Feel free to start more trouble. I don¡¯t care how many people you throw at me, as long as they don¡¯t kill me, I¡¯m going to leave all of you in the dust soon!¡± Duan Renshan raised an eyebrow. ¡°Is that a threat?¡± Qi Ying chuckled with amusement. ¡°Threat? No, it¡¯s just a warning. Let me tell you something else while we¡¯re here; the Duan family is nothing in my eyes!¡± Qi Ying turned and left the drill grounds. Duan Renshan stood rooted to the spot as his expression grew darker and darker. ¡°Big brother, what do we do?¡± Duan Tianshantched onto Duan Renshan¡¯s sleeve, as he pointed at the twenty disciples rolling on the ground. ¡°That Qi Ying... he¡¯s gone too far! How dare he embarrass our Duan family like this?¡± Duan Renshan grimaced as he cast his eyes around the drill ground. ¡°What a disgrace! We¡¯re all going to get into trouble for this... This is no longer something we can take care of. We have to ask Young Master Gucheng for help!¡± ... A piece of news spread like wildfire through the Low and Intermediate Divisions, even in the High Division. Following the brutal beating Duan Tianshan suffered at Qi Ying¡¯s hands, the Duan family sought revenge by deploying over twenty people to attack him, all of whom were at or above the Eighth Strength Martial Stage. However, all of them were easily destroyed by Qi Ying, including the Third Energy Martial Stage Duan Yuan and the Second Energy Martial Stage Duan Jin! The disciples who initially heard this news all had the same reaction: ¡®What a joke! Who would believe such an absurd story?!¡¯ But soon, dozens of witnesses began to step forward and gave detailed recounts of what had taken ce on drill grounds. Those who were initially skeptical had no choice but to believe it! As one of the four major families of the Celestial River County, all of its members swaggered around everywhere, as if they owned the entire county. Even the Young Masters and Young Mistresses of other smaller prominent families had to concede to them. However, they had just been pped in the face by an underprivileged disciple! Word of Qi Ying¡¯s mastery in martial arts began to circte within the academy, and at the same time, the Duan family entourage was collectively denounced as a useless bunch who couldn¡¯t even take care of a disciple at the Eighth Strength Martial Stage. Many people took the opportunity to insult the Duan family by fabricating tall tales such as how Duan Renshan was g*y and tried to subdue Qi Ying by force, in order to have his way with him... All of them spread these stories at the top of their lungs, as if they were worried that people wouldn¡¯t be able to hear them. Soon, it became almost a fashionable trend to put down the Duan family. The Young Masters and Young Mistresses of the Duan family that attended the academy were all very disgruntled to hear that. The event had even reached the ears of the Eldest Young Master of the Duan family, Duan Gucheng. Within avish hall. Duan Renshan stood with a respectful expression before a young man who appeared to be about twenty years of age. ¡°That¡¯s the situation we¡¯re dealing with, Young Master. We¡¯ve done some research on Qi Ying, but were unable to find out that much about him. It¡¯s almost like he just appeared in the Celestial River County out of thin air... He has decent aptitude and is a martial arts master. However, I am sure that he has no powerful backers, and he lives only with his blind mother. I specte that he¡¯s most likely a member of a once-prestigious family from another city that has since fallen from grace.¡± The young man¡¯s expression remained unchanged, as if he werepletely unperturbed by the report. He said in a slow voice. ¡°As long as he¡¯s not from some prominent family, none of his cultivation aptitude or martial arts skills really matter. The Duan family is nothing to him? He¡¯s going to pay sorely for saying that!¡± ... There were many rumors going around the academy, but Qi Ying didn¡¯t care about all that. He had found a small cave on the mountain behind the academy, and he cleaned up a patch of space for him to sit down on. He slipped off his glove before taking two vials of pills out of his spatial ring. He opened one of the jade vials, and the pleasant fragrance of medicine wafted from within. He closed his eyes, and inhaled the scent with enjoyment. ¡°Not bad!¡± He had to increase the speed of his cultivation now. Martial arts were useful, but only against lower-level opponents; they could notpare to the power of battle techniques. Furthermore, he was only a half-assed martial arts practitioner who was far from being a true master in the discipline. His skills were only effective against noob warriors who had never engaged in true battles. From that point onward, his n was to perfect his Dark Wolf Cultivation Method before moving onto the Purple Energy Cultivation Method, thereby allowing him to form an energy vortex and reach the Energy Martial Stage! Qi Ying raised his head and murmured to himself as he looked up at the sun. ¡°It¡¯s not even noon yet, so I should be able to cultivate until the sun goes down. I haven¡¯t attended any academy sses for half a month now, so ditching another day isn¡¯t going to make a difference... If possible, I¡¯m going to try and progress to the Energy Martial Stage today!¡± It was often said that cultivation was like climbing a tall mountain. But in Qi Ying¡¯s case, as long as he had enough pills, cultivation was like sprinting on t ground! Qi Ying brought a jade vial to his lips before tipping his head back, and pouring all ten Energy Containment Pills into his mouth. After some chewing, those pills were all swallowed into his stomach like candy. He activated his Dark Wolf Cultivation Method, and the pill elixir that the Energy Containment Pills had transformed into was quickly digested. Pure pill power spread through his meridians, and was absorbed into his body as it circted around his body. A grey light surfaced within his blood again, absorbing the power of the Energy Containment Pills in their entirety... Chapter 24: Even I’m Scared of My Own Aptitude

Chapter 24: Even I¡¯m Scared of My Own Aptitude

Under normal circumstances, pills could aid warriors in their cultivation, but they were also like food, there was only so much one could ingest in one sitting. Most importantly, pills contained not only essence and energy that were beneficial to warriors, but also impurities that could not be absorbed. These would umte within the warriors¡¯ bodies, slowly bing toxic in nature, and hampering their future rate of progression in cultivation. However, Qi Ying didn¡¯t have to worry about that. He had never reached the limit of his pill-consumption capacity, and he didn¡¯t know if there was one. No matter how many pills he took, they always seemed to be insufficient for his insatiable bloodline. As for the aforementioned impurities, they would flow through his bloodstream, into his left arm, where over ny percent of it would be absorbed. The rest that traveled into his body was simply negligible and could be expelled following a good sweat. The ten Energy Containment Pills were soonpletely absorbed. Qi Ying used his internal inspection skill to find that his nine major acupoints were still yet to be filled. In order to cultivate in the Purple Energy Cultivation Method, he had to at least fill all nine major acupoints and reach the pinnacle of the Ninth Strength Martial Stage. ¡°Ten Energy Containment Pills are enough tost a First Energy Martial Stage cultivator for a while, but they¡¯re like peanuts to me...¡± Qi Ying turned to his left hand with a resigned smile. He stood up after that and did not take any more pills. Instead, he arrived at a patch of emptynd outside the cave, then began to cultivate in the external section stipted by the Dark Wolf Cultivation Method. At times, he sprawled to the ground, leaped for the heavens, or swung his fists through the air; while at other times, he would howl into the distance, or transform into a dark wolf. As he cultivated in the external section, the meridians within his body also contracted and expanded along with his muscles. His blood flow became faster and faster, thereby elerating the cirction of energy... One hourter, Qi Ying hadpleted six cycles of the Dark Wolf Cultivation Method¡¯s external section. After unleashing his internal inspection skill again, he discovered that his ninth meridian was about eighty percent filled with energy; a slight improvement. Cultivation for warriors was not as simple as just munching on pills and practicing the internal section over and over again! Those who wanted to ascend to higher levels in their cultivation had to focus simultaneously on both their internal and external strength! Qi Ying was well-versed in martial arts, thereby making it much easier for him to cultivate his external strength than others. As both his internal and external strength improved, his cultivation base also progressed at an rming rate. The reason for his insane rate of progression was not just limited to the fact that he was able to entirely absorb the power within pills. The fact that his aptitude was well above average, and the ease at which he could cultivate his external strength were also vital factors. All of the power contained within the ten Energy Containment Pills had beenpletely absorbed, so Qi Ying opened another vial and consumed the twelve Energy Containment Pills within, before continuing in his cultivation... The sun gradually rose higher in the sky, before setting toward the West after reaching its highest point. Outside the cave, Qi Ying was thoroughly enjoying himself as he performed a series of Eagle w Hand techniques. A powerful aura was emanating from his body, and it only seemed to be growing more formidable with the passage of time. Whoosh! A burst of energy erupted from Qi Ying¡¯s body, before spreading like gusts of wind, making the grass around him rustle in response. An ecstatic look appeared on Qi Ying¡¯s face. He had finally reached the pinnacle of the Ninth Strength Martial Stage! He could attempt to make a breakthrough to the Energy Martial Stage if he wanted. For normal warriors, progressing to a new major rank in their cultivation base was a long and arduous process. They had to reach the pinnacle of their current rank first before expending a considerable amount of time on taking preparatory measures. This was the case, as making breakthroughs ced great strain on a warrior¡¯s body. One could easily suffer a variety of detrimental effects during the process, such as regressing in cultivation base, losing one¡¯s entire cultivation base altogether, or even death in worst-case scenarios. But in Qi Ying¡¯s case, that was not a concern. His constitution was evenparable to Yellow Tier beasts, so his physical body could only be stronger than the average First or Second Energy Martial Stage warrior, which minimized all potential risks. As for the issue that an excessively quick rate of progression could result in an unstable cultivation base... he could just slow down after reaching the Energy Martial Stage in order to consolidate. ¡°Purple Energy Cultivation Method!¡± Qi Ying sat down once again before pulling the Yellow Tier High-Rank cultivation method, the Purple Energy Cultivation Method out from his spatial ring. Yellow Tier High-Rank cultivation methods could be considered to be extremely valuable items. Among the Energy Martial Stage cultivation methods, these were only inferior in rank to their Yellow Tier Perfected Rank counterparts. Even those of lineal descent in the four major families had only cultivated in Yellow Tier High-Rank cultivation methods. Furthermore, the Purple Energy Cultivation Method was held in high regard even among Yellow Tier High-Rank cultivation methods, allowing warriors to form powerful and dense Purple Energy Vortexes. Those who used that cultivation method had more True Energy that was also of a higher concentration than warriors of the same cultivation base. However, cultivating ording to this method required a huge amount of resources, making it an unfeasible option to underprivileged warriors. Qi Ying quickly scanned through the Energy Guidance Mantra section in the Purple Energy Cultivation Method. As the name suggested, the Energy Martial Stage was a stage where warriors cultivated their True Energy. There was one prerequisite to this; one had to be able to guide the vital energy within heaven and earth into one¡¯s body before transforming it into True Energy. Following that process, the True Energy would converge to form an energy vortex within the dantian. Only after materializing an energy vortex would one be able to convert the energy within the major acupoints into True Energy, simultaneously opening up all meridians to create a True Energy cirction system. The energy vortex to the True Energy cirction system was like the heart to the cardiovascr system. Qi Ying memorized the Energy Guidance Mantra within fifteen minutes, and also discovered some short cuts. When he attended sses in the academy, he made sure to skip all of the history and practicalbat lessons. The only ones he went to were those regarding cultivation protocols for cultivators. There, he managed to glean many energy guidance short cuts from the knowledgeable and experienced teachers. Different cultivation methods required different energy guidance methods, but they were all quite simr. The first step was to sense the vital energy of heaven and earth. Only after sensing the vital energy of heaven and earth could one absorb it, thereby kicking off the process of creating True Energy, and an energy vortex within the dantianter on. The Purple Energy Cultivation Method¡¯s Energy Guidance Mantra required one to absorb ¡°Purple Energy¡±. This Purple Energy appeared within the vital energy flowing from the East to the West, close to sunset. That energy would then act as a base to materialize True Energy. Qi Ying slipped on his shiny silver glove again, and left the cave before scaling the mountain. When he reached the summit, the sun had already turned red, and its light was no longer quite as piercing. ¡°Phew...¡± Qi Ying stood on the mountain peak, and closed his eyes as he took a deep breath. He began to search for the Purple Energy within heaven and earth as ording to the Energy Guidance Mantra. The instant he closed his eyes and activated the mantra, countless vibrant spots of light suddenly appeared in his field of vision! ¡®Are these the constituent particles of the vital energy of heaven and earth?¡¯ Qi Ying was quite surprised. During his academy lessons, he had heard from the teachers that most Strength Martial Stage warriors took at least two to four hours, ranging up to several days before they could sense the vital energy of heaven and earth for the first time. Even extremely outstanding prodigies would require an hour or so to aplish that... However, he had only just closed his eyes and activated his mantra, but he could already sense the energy! ¡®My aptitude is way too scary!¡¯ Chapter 25: Energy Martial Stage

Chapter 25: Energy Martial Stage

Qi Ying had always known that he was out of the ordinary. When he cultivated with his very first cultivation method, he was able to immediately materialize energy within his first major acupoint, and he knew from that moment that he had prodigious aptitude. For him, cultivation would be far simpler than it was for others. However, he discovered that he had still underestimated just how talented he was. He was able to instantly sense the countless constituent particles within the vital energy of heaven and earth, just after activating his Energy Guidance Mantra for the first time. It was as if he were already a seasoned veteran who had been cultivating for decades! How scary was that?! ¡®So be it! This can only be beneficial to me, so what am I worried about?¡¯ Qi Ying was feeling quite ted, as if he were hunting on a mountain but stumbled upon a massive nugget of gold instead. After sensing the vital energy of heaven and earth, the next step was to find the Purple Energy before guiding it into his body. Guiding different types of energy into one¡¯s body decided the direction one¡¯s future cultivation would take. Some cultivated with methods like the Fierce me Mantra, in which case they would need to guide explosive and extremely unstable fire-type particles into their bodies, in order to create fire-type True Energy. Those who cultivated in the Extreme Frost Cultivation Method had to guide frost-type particles into their bodies, thereby allowing them to attain frost-type True Energy. Aside from those, there were also water-type, metal-type, and many other types of True Energy... Strictly speaking, Purple Energy was a branch of fire-type True Energy. It contained extremely high levels of power, butpared to fire-type True Energy, it was far more stable, and sacrificed explosiveness for density. umtion before eruption had always been the cultivation path Qi Ying pursued. Soon, Qi Ying identified some purple particles among the smorgasbord of different colorsid out before him. Compared to other vital energy constituent particles, the purple kind possessed higher levels of energy that were also more stable in nature. ¡°Absorb!¡± Qi Ying began to guide the purple particles into his body... Slowly, wisps of Purple Energy began to appear around Qi Ying¡¯s body. That Purple Energy revolved around him, before gradually being absorbed into his pores and seeping into his meridians. ¡°Nice!¡± Qi Ying was very excited. The amount of Purple Energy being guided into his body had gone beyond his expectations, as had the rate of absorption. At the very least, it was much faster than what he had heard from his teachers. After that, he had to circte the Purple Energy into his body for aplete cycle before guiding it into his dantian, where it would form a sea of energy. Activating the mantra at that time would form an energy vortex, thereby taking him to the Energy Martial Stage. However, things did not go as nned. Roughly ny percent of the Purple Energy that went into his body was absorbed by his left hand! ¡®F*ck off!¡¯ Qi Ying almost swore out loud. ¡®What have I done to you to deserve this?¡¯ ¡®I could have formed an energy vortex after absorbing two or three more batches of Purple Energy, but you¡¯ve taken ny percent! My rate of absorption has dropped down to ten percent of what it was as a result! Ny bloody percent!¡¯ Qi Ying was suddenly struck by the urge to chop off his left hand. That thing was more trouble than it was worth! However, Qi Ying managed to repress his impulses and calmed himself down before continuing to patiently guide the Purple Energy. ¡®Amitabha, I am far too violent. Even with my rate of absorption reduced by ny percent, I¡¯m still no slower than anyone else. Besides, nothing is perfect. My left arm greatly benefits me, so it must also present some detrimental effects too.¡¯ Qi Ying tried some self-counseling. The sun set lower and lower before gradually disappearing behind the mountain. The moon emerged alongside a sea of bright stars. The Purple Energy revolving around Qi Ying¡¯s body finallypletely vanished. His dantian, which waspletely empty not long ago, had been filled with rich purple True Energy. That was the True Energy Qi Ying had attained after using his Purple Energy Cultivation Method, to convert the Purple Energy he absorbed. At the center of his dantian, a small patch of purple True Energy began to slowly rotate. Gradually, the surrounding purple True Energy also followed suit... More and more of the energy joined in, and a vortex was taking shape. After an indeterminate amount of time, a dense and powerful energy vortex had taken shape! Wisps of purple True Energy then detached themselves from the energy vortex before flowing into his meridians and into his nine major acupoints. The energy within his acupoints was then also converted into True Energy. Then, something infuriating happened again! Each time the purple True Energy flowed into his left hand through his meridians, a bit of it would be stripped away. It was only a tiny amount, roughly five percent, but it was still nothing to be scoffed at! Five percent was taken after each cycle, which meant that an entire cycle worth of energy would be stripped away every twenty cycles! Energy vortexes were extremely stable once materialized; even without True Energy, it could absorb Purple Energy to be converted into True Energy again. However, his left hand still presented quite a worrying issue. During battle, True Energy circted for one cycle per several dozen seconds, which meant that he would be extremely inefficient in prolonged battles! But there was nothing he could do about that. He could only look on as his hard-earned True Energy was taken from him like ie tax. After a long while. ¡°Phew...¡± Qi Ying exhaled before opening his eyes. A faint purple light appeared shimmering within his pupils. Whoosh! A gust of wind swept up around him. In that instant, Qi Ying¡¯s aura seemed to have been elevated. He extended his right hand, and a ball of purple energy appeared above his palm. Qi Ying smiled with satisfaction. ¡°I did it! I¡¯ve reached the Energy Martial Stage!¡± Qi Ying didn¡¯t bask in excitement for too long. He hadpletely immersed himself in cultivation, and had lost track of time. It was probably already close to midnight. Mother Yu would surely be worried. He was feeling a little anxious. How was he going to exin getting home thatte? Qi Ying repressed the urge to test out his new power as he rushed along the moonlit mountain path. After a while, he caught sight of the light emanating from that small courtyard, and he picked up the pace. After finally arriving at the familiar courtyard, Qi Ying was rooted to the spot. His eyes were wide with shock, and his hands were balled up into tight fists. ¡°What happened?! Who did this?¡± The walls of the courtyard had been toppled, the stone table was smashed, and the budding vegetable field had been stomped into disarray. With the exception of their house, the warm and inviting courtyard that he and Mother Yu had taken many days to set up had been reduced to rubble! A thought suddenly urred to Qi Ying and he yelled as he charged into the room. ¡°Mother Yu!¡± Chapter 26: I Am a Dragon

Chapter 26: I Am a Dragon

Xuan Yu was the only person that Qi Ying was concerned about in the entire Celestial River County. His worst nightmare was for Mother Yu to be hurt because of him. That was why he had been so merciless toward Duan Yuan and Duan Jin, following the threats they had directed toward her. But his worst fear still came to pass. Where was Mother Yu? Qi Ying felt as if his heart had stopped beating, and that all of the blood in his veins had been frozen solid, as he charged into the small house. His breathing and heartbeat only resumed after he caught sight of Xuan Yu, who was sitting on the bed with her eyes closed. She appeared to be a little frail, but waspletely unscathed. Xuan Yu sensed Qi Ying¡¯s arrival and she had only just raised her head when he rushed over before grabbing her hands. ¡°Mother Yu, are you alright? What happened? Who did this?¡± Even Qi Ying himself didn¡¯t notice that he was exerting so much force with his hands, that the fingernails on his right hand were digging into Mother Yu¡¯s skin. He was absolutely furious. What had been done was unforgivable. He had worked very hard to build this house and it was a ce of sanctuary for Mother Yu and himself. No one could wreak havoc there and expect to get away with it. Before Xuan Yu had given a reply, Qi Ying suddenly caught something out of the corner of his eye. He released Mother Yu¡¯s hands and leaned down as his body trembled. There on the ground, the cane he had bought for her just a day prior had been snapped in half. Qi Ying gritted his teeth tightly as he stood up with the two halves of the cane in his hands. ¡°Who? Who did this?!¡± In reality, he already knew the answer. Who else could be responsible aside from the Duan family? It was just that Qi Ying didn¡¯t think that the Duan family would be so persistent! Why were they so intent on causing trouble for him? It was as if they always wanted to be above others and would only be satisfied once they stomped everyone else into the dirt. What was surprising to Qi Ying was Xuan Yu¡¯s reaction. She stood up andid a hand on Qi Ying¡¯s shoulder. Her expression was quite calm and collected, and she did not appear to have suffered any trauma at all. ¡°What have you done to irk the Duan family?¡± ¡°I...¡± Qi Ying was just about to give a reply, but he swallowed his words and fell silent again. What could he say? Mother Yu had always warned him against dabbling with nobles. If he were to tell her about what he had been doing, he was definitely going to be scolded again. However, if he refused to tell her anything, she would only be more concerned. Thus, after some internal conflict, Qi Ying told Xuan Yu about everything that had happened in the past few days. Of course, he refrained from recounting his exploits at the Colosseum. Instead, he only borated on his fight with Duan Tianshan on the dueling tform and the subsequent troubles that followed. ¡°So that¡¯s what happened...¡± Xuan Yu¡¯s expression remained calm and she paused momentarily before continuing, ¡°Those people came in the morning and waited for you for an entire day. They got sick of waiting in the afternoon and started smashing things before leaving. They also said that they were going to wait for you tomorrow, in the forest on the mountain behind the academy.¡± Qi Ying¡¯s hands balled up into fists as he spat through gritted teeth. ¡°Those b*stards... They¡¯re too scared to challenge me one-on-one, so they¡¯re trying to gang up and take revenge on me like this!¡± Xuan Yu asked, ¡°What do you n on doing about this?¡± Qi Ying replied. ¡°I¡¯m going to report them to the academy teachers! They¡¯ve gone too far! Despicable people like them do not deserve to receive the academy¡¯s tutge!¡± ¡°But what if the teachers refuse to help you? Those people are from the Duan family. Even if the teachers want to help you, they¡¯re powerless to do anything. If you report everything to the teachers, they may be able to punish a few of the inconsequentialckeys, but what good will that do? The academy may throw their support behind you and discipline all of the Duan family disciples attending the academy, but how will youbat the entire Duan family?¡± Qi Ying was truly stumped after hearing that. She was right. He currently didn¡¯t have the power tobat the colossus that was the Duan family by himself. The Duan family was not just limited to a bunch of teenage academy disciples; they had countless servants and even a private army within which there was nock of Seventh and Eight Energy Martial Stage powerful beings. Furthermore, the Duan family¡¯s leader, Duan Xi, and Great Elder Duan Hongxue, were both Spirit Martial Stage warriors! That was the reason that the vast majority of people in the Celestial River County were fearful toward them; no underprivileged academy disciples dared to irk them. ¡°Poor child...¡± Xuan Yu stroked Qi Ying¡¯s hair with a sympathetic look on her face, ¡°You¡¯re still too young. In the face of this massive world, we are all far too insignificant. Do you remember the story I told you about the dragon?¡± ¡°I do.¡± Qi Ying nodded, ¡°A dragon can expand or shrink, just as it can rise or conceal itself. At itsrgest, it can epass the entire heavens, while at its smallest, it is next to invisible. When it rises, it can transcend beyond the world; when it hides, it can bury itself at the bottom of the seabed. A dragon knows when to reveal its might and when to exercise humility. There is no shame in disying weakness as it is only biding its time for when it can rise again.¡± ¡°You know what to do now, right?¡± ¡°I...¡± ¡°To a dragon, a temporary rut is nothing. When the wind and lightning wreak havoc in the sky in an attempt to strike it down, it can still hide beneath the ocean. It will then build up its strength and when it rises again, it will make sure to vanquish all the wind and lightning that dared to strike at it!¡± Xuan Yu paused momentarily, beforeying her hand on Qi Ying¡¯s shiny silver left hand and heaving a faint sigh, ¡°I believe that you are a true dragon and that you will make the right choice.¡± ... Qi Ying left the room and stared nkly at the moon up above, as he sat amid a pile of rubble. The Duan family had truly gone too far. However, there was nothing he could do against that overwhelming force. The situation had transpired to the extent that it was no longer just a squabble between him and Duan Renshan. If everything were still just a matter of personal conflict, he could simply threaten and intimidate Duan Renshan. However, things had escted to be a conflict between himself and the entire Duan family; threats would only prove to be ineffective after that. Those arrogant high-born nobles were allowed to pick on others, but no one could disy the slightest hint of disrespect toward them. If things continued in that manner, the conflict would only be exacerbated, to the extent that it could even reach the ears of the higher-ups in the Duan family... If that were to happen, there really was no way he would be able to rectify the situation. Mother Yu¡¯s advice was difficult to ept, but it was full of wisdom. True heroes who were going to do great things had to be like dragons. They had to pick their fights and know when to back down. Only then could one ensure longevity and achieve greatness. Some problems could be resolved using brute force. However, that was not always the case. If he couldn¡¯t stride over the hurdle that the Duan family posed to him, how would he be able to face even bigger threats further down the line? A set of vibrant gorgeous features surfaced in Qi Ying¡¯s mind and he clenched his fists as he made up his mind. ¡®I am a dragon! I am destined for great things and cannot be embroiled in pointless conflict.¡¯ Within the room, a smile suddenly appeared on Xuan Yu¡¯s face and she murmured to herself. ¡°I knew this day woulde for you, Qi Ying. You are destined to be an extraordinary person. The Duan family is nothing but a small pebble in your path. The four major families of the Celestial River County are mere antspared to truly powerful families!¡± Chapter 27: Dark Falcon Illusionary Claw

Chapter 27: Dark Falcon Illusionary w

That night, Qi Ying didn¡¯t retire to his room to sleep as he usually did. After Mother Yu went to bed, he cleared out a patch of empty space in the courtyard, beforeying the shattered bricks on top of one another. After about two hours of effort, a crude wall had reappeared. All of the flowers and vegetable seedlings had been uprooted, while a small pile of soil had been piled up next to the broken stone table and chairs. The courtyard was still broken and dpidated, but it was no longer a pile of rubble. Qi Ying stood in the newly ¡°renovated¡± courtyard and slipped off his silver glove as he basked under the light of the stars. After a few seconds, ayer of purple True Energy appeared around Qi Ying¡¯s right hand. He raised his hand and thought back to the True Energy maniption method that the academy teachers had imparted upon him. Gradually, the purple True Energy began to converge toward his palm before bing more and more concentrated, and finally condensing to form a small purple ball. ¡®Hmm? That was really fast as well!¡¯ The most basic method of manipting True Energy was to force it out of one¡¯s body and change its state. Regardless of whether a warrior wanted to unleash battle techniques or use True Energy to form a defensive barrier, learning to manipte the energy was the first step. Qi Ying discovered that his proficiency in using True Energy was incredible. He had seen other rookie Energy Martial Stage disciples cultivating in their battle techniques; it took most of them over a week just to be able to manipte their True Energy. Take Duan Renshan as an example. Learning to manipte True Energy and mastering the Gale Monarch Fist battle technique took him about a month in total. However, this was the first time attempting to manipte True Energy and he was already able to form a ball! Bam! The purple ball hovering above his palm suddenly dissipated. The spatial ring on his left hand shed and a thin book appeared in his hand. Yellow Tier Intermediate Rank battle technique, Dark Falcon Illusionary w! During the day, he meditated with his cultivation method and reached the first Energy Martial Stage. It was deep into the night right then, but he was too bothered by his thoughts to be able to sleep, so he decided to cultivate in his battle technique instead. After mastering a battle technique, a warrior¡¯s offensive output would multiply by manifold in power. If Qi Ying were to master a battle technique, he would be able to unleash powerful attacks even without relying on his left hand. Furthermore, the process of cultivating a battle technique was quite a good exercise to help improve the usage of True Energy. On some levels, it could even elerate one¡¯s progress in cultivation base. The Dark Falcon Illusionary w satisfied all of Qi Ying¡¯s needs. The power it could unleash wasn¡¯t very explosive, but it could allow him to create ws of True Energy that were quite lethal. That allowed him to strike extremely quickly, making it particrly effective against warriors who were slow in their movements or reflexes. Additionally, Qi Ying had already learned the Falcon w Fist, which was centered around attacking the enemy¡¯s vital regions from ufortable angles, traits which worked toplement the Dark Falcon Illusionary w quite well. Qi Ying quickly scanned through the Dark Falcon Illusionary w and within fifteen minutes, he had attained a rough understanding of the battle technique. Whoosh! Qi Ying thrust his right hand out violently and at the same time, True Energy circted through his meridians, rushing quickly toward his fingertips. Five purple streaks instantly appeared in the air, carving out five curved trajectories. However, they did nothing aside from stirring up gusts of wind. Not even the leaves fluttering down from the overhead tree branches had been severed by his attack. ¡®Huh... I thought I would be able to instantly master this battle technique as well...¡¯ A self-deprecating smile appeared on Qi Ying¡¯s face. It had been an extremely smooth process from sensing the vital energy of heaven and earth, to then guiding the energy into his body, progressing to the Energy Martial Stage, and finally to utilizing his True Energy. This had instilled a false sense of confidence in him, producing the notion that he could do anything instantaneously. Cultivating in a battle technique didn¡¯t seem to be all that simple! Qi Ying continued to circte his True Energy and the energy vortex within his dantian began to elerate in its rotation. Wisps of purple True Energy flowed toward the meridians in his right hand, before being expelled out of his body. ¡°Form!¡± All five fingers on his right hand werepletely covered by purple energy. More and more True Energy converged toward his fingertips, forming hooked ws. Whoosh! Qi Ying leaped into the air and swept his ws toward a drifting leaf! Whoosh!. Five more streaks of silver light shed past. However, the True Energy covering his fingers was far denser thanst time, and possessed offensive power. Thus, the falling leaf was instantly ripped to shreds. Bam! Qi Yingnded on the ground and a satisfied smile appeared on his face. Even though he had only achieved the most basic step, creating an effect that was merely akin to lengthening his fingernails, it was a start nheless! With more practice, he would be able to improve his mastery of the Dark Falcon Illusionary w. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Qi Ying continued to practice his battle technique in the courtyard and streaks of purple light shed through the air. As time passed, the w projections materializing on Qi Ying¡¯s fingers became more and more substantial, and began to bear some resemnce to the ws of a Dark Falcon. Finally, after one final swipe of his hand, purple w projections erupted from his fingers, before quickly expanding in size to form a set of massive falcon ws that were each a foot in length! Whoosh!. The falcon ws screeched as they flew through the air. ¡®I can just barely unleash the Dark Falcon Illusionary ws now.¡¯ Qi Ying didn¡¯t dare becent and he continued to practice in order to consolidate his new skill. After that, each swipe of his ws sent purple w projections hurtling through the air. The projections struck the ground within the courtyard, sending clumps of dirt and debris flying in all directions. After practicing for about a hundred times, Qi Ying was suddenly struck by a sense of dizziness. ¡®This left hand is acting up again!¡¯ Qi Ying¡¯s brows furrowed and he immediately pulled out a jade vial from his spatial ring. He opened the vial and swallowed one of the Energy Containment Pills within. The pill melted into its elixir form upon entering his mouth and its essence was quickly absorbed by his left hand as energy. However, his dizziness was only alleviated marginally as a result and did notpletely disappear. Gulp! Gulp! Qi Ying had to swallow two more Energy Containment Pills to rectify his condition. ¡®After progressing to the Energy Martial Stage, my demand for pills has further increased! Even worse¡ªwhenever I circte my True Energy, my left hand always absorbs a portion. This significantly increases my energy expenditure, so I have to constantly make sure that I have enough pills at the ready.¡¯ One Energy Containment Pill per day was no longer enough to support his left hand. Using his internal inspection skill, Qi Ying discovered that the energy vortex in his dantian had slowed down in its rotation and there was also less True Energy circting through his meridians. Qi Ying sat down and activated his Purple Energy Cultivation Method. Whoosh! His body began to absorb purple energy into his meridians from its surroundings, before converting it into True Energy... Momentster, his energy vortex was rotating at a steady speed once again, and his meridians were filled with purple True Energy. ¡®At the First Energy Martial Stage, I don¡¯t have a lot of True Energy, so I can¡¯t unleash my battle technique too many times.¡¯ Qi Ying shook his head with a sigh. It looked like he had to use his battle technique conservatively, in case he overexerted himself and fell prey to his left hand. All of a sudden, a thought urred to Qi Ying. ¡®I only tried to use the Dark Falcon Illusionary w with my right hand before. What will it be like if I use my left?¡¯ Chapter 28: An Ill Omen

Chapter 28: An Ill Omen

Only after cultivatingte into the night, achieving a preliminary mastery of the Dark Falcon Illusionary w, was Qi Ying struck by a sense of exhaustion. He returned to his room and fell asleep on his bed without even changing his clothes. After waking up, Qi Ying opened his eyes and was met by a ray of piercing sunlight. He sat up and opened his window, to find that the sun was already hanging high in the sky. It looked like he had missed his morning sses already, and with that in mind, he didn¡¯t really feel like going to the academy. He made his way out of his room to find that Mother Yu was standing in the courtyard, sweeping aside some of the remnant rubble and debris with a broom. Qi Ying immediately hurried over and took the broom from her. ¡°Leave that to me, Mother Yu. You can¡¯t see, so you should be more careful.¡± Xuan Yu chuckled as she grabbed the broom back from Qi Ying. ¡°Are you looking down on blind hags like me? It¡¯s just sweeping the floor; I can tell where there are potholes and bumps on the ground with my broom. Hurry up and go to the academy.¡± ¡°But...¡± Qi Ying looked around at the courtyard, which was still in quite a messy state. ¡°I want to do some renovations today.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing for you to renovate here. Everything is broken and all of the flowers and vegetable seedlings are gone. Go to the academy. At least attend thest couple of sses, then go and buy some things to rece the stuff that was damaged.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯m off then.¡± Qi Ying nodded and turned to head off to the academy, but he turned back, speaking with a concerned look after taking only a few steps, ¡°No, I can¡¯t leave you here by yourself, Mother Yu. What if people from the Duan familye here again...¡± Xuan Yu replied in a reassuring voice. ¡°They already came yesterday, so they shouldn¡¯t turn up again today. You don¡¯t have to worry about me. Also, do you remember what I said to you yesterday?¡± ¡°I do. I will be just like a dragon. In any case, do be careful, Mother Yu.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ... ¡°Warriors use cultivation to limatize themselves with heaven and earth. Energy Martial Stage warriors will begin to be able to sense the constituent particles of the vital energy of heaven and earth and also absorb those particles. True Energy will then be created, which will in turn from an energy vortex. ¡°As one¡¯s cultivation base continues to improve, their energy vortex will be denser and their dantian will have arger True Energy capacity. At the same time, the meridians in their bodies would be wider and more supple, allowing more True Energy to pass and circte through at a faster rate...¡± A middle-aged man in a set of green robes stood before a group of disciples and gave a long-winded lecture. This was the first ss Qi Ying had attended in many days and it was still one of those lessons that detailed cultivation protocol for warriors. Purely theoretical sses were not his cup of tea, but he had just progressed to the Energy Martial Stage, so it certainly couldn¡¯t hurt to hear what the teacher had to say. At the very least, it would give him a clearer understanding of his future cultivation path. ¡°The Energy Martial Stage is only the most basic level for warriors. However, it is quite likely that none of you will reach any higher levels... Are you curious about what lies beyond the Energy Martial Stage? Alright, then let me tell you. Ahem! Only after reaching the Spirit Martial Stage can one be considered to be a truly powerful being. There is a massive gulf between the Ninth Energy Martial Stage and the First Spirit Martial Stage. Even though it¡¯s just a single step, that step is an extremely difficult one to take, as Spirit Martial Stage warriors can awaken their Battle Spirit! That is also why our continent is known as the Battle Spirit Continent. Once a warriors awaken their Battle Spirits, they will experience a qualitative increase in power and be capable of using all types of incredible abilities. A First Spirit Martial Stage warrior who has awakened his Battle Spirit can even defeat an army of a thousand Strength Martial Stage and Energy Martial Stage warriors! ¡°I trust that everyone knows of the Celestial River County Colosseum. The only Golden rank warrior there is a Spirit Martial Stage warrior. He is extremely mysterious and powerful, and has even defeated a Dark Tier beast in the past. What¡¯s even more amazing was that he was wounded by the beast, but he still managed to insta-kill a Ninth Energy Martial Stage warrior who had dared to provoke him right after the colosseum battle! All of the most powerful beings in our Celestial River County, such as the leaders and great elders of the four major families, the Mayor, and the General of the county army; all of them are Spirit Martial Stage warriors who have awakened their Battle Spirits!¡± The middle-aged teacher¡¯s lecture continued and all of the disciples were entranced! The Spirit Martial Stage! Battle Spirits! All of the disciples shared amon dream of reaching that level, regardless of whether they were of noble or undistinguished upbringing. If one were to reach the Spirit Martial Stage and attain a Battle Spirit, he would be powerful enough to travel the world. Regardless of whether it was thevish capital, Yun Xiao City, or the mysterious Westernnds, all of these were locations that they could visit! For a warrior, ascending to the Spirit Martial Stage meant that boundless riches woulde rolling in and countless beauties would mber to catch his eye. ¡°The Spirit Martial Stage...¡± Qi Ying clenched his fists as he mused to himself. Two months ago at the Nameless Mountain, he had seen countless Spirit Martial Stage powerful beings and was stunned by their unmatched power... However, in the face of that terrifying disaster, even they were unable to escape death. The trials and tribtions he was going to face in the future were no easier to transcend than the disaster that had taken ce on the Nameless Mountain! He had survived the Nameless Mountain ordeal through miraculous luck. However, those future obstacles had to be ovee through strength... Only by sweeping aside all impeding elements could he be together with the person he loved the most! ... Qi Ying walked out of the ssroom following the conclusion of the lesson, he noticed many disciples pointing at him, while discussing the events that had taken ce on the drill grounds the day prior. There weren¡¯t many peopleplimenting him for his actions, as most of them preferred to insult the Duan family instead. All of them were waiting in anticipation to see what the Duan family was going to do next. Qi Ying obviously despised the Duan family, but he didn¡¯t want to create any further conflict with them, as he couldn¡¯t handle the consequences. He could only keep a low profile and cultivate as if his life depended on it. Once he reached the Spirit Martial Stage and awakened his Battle Spirit, the Duan family would no longer pose a threat to him. Even a dragon could be struck down and forced to seek refuge in the ocean. However, they were down but never out, and they would continue to grow stronger until they could vanquish all those who had wronged it in the past! As these thoughts were running through his mind, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him. ¡°Hmm?¡± Qi Ying¡¯s footsteps faltered and he looked up to discover a gorgeous young woman in a set of snowy white robes standing before him. ¡°An Ruyi, what do you want this time?¡± Qi Ying¡¯s brows furrowed upon seeing her. This woman was like an ill omen to him; whenever he bumped into her, ill fortune would inevitably follow. That day, he had saved her in the Colosseum and missed out on a battle, thereby wasting an entire day without earning any pills. After that, he encountered her at the academy gates, where shetched onto his hand and began asking him a barrage of questions, irking Duan Renshan in the process and starting his bad blood with the Duan family. Even the battle he had with Duan Tianshan was also because of her! It could be said that An Ruyi was almost directly responsible for his conflict with the Duan family. Even though she hadn¡¯t actually done anything wrong, Qi Ying really didn¡¯t want to see her ever again. An Ruyi wore a slightly panicked expression on her face and didn¡¯t seem to notice Qi Ying¡¯s cold demeanor. She grabbed Qi Ying¡¯s left hand and dragged him into a corner before saying. ¡°Duan Gucheng has deployed his four most powerful henchmen to teach you a lesson! They¡¯re already onto you and your location is constantly being monitored. Make sure to stay at the academy where teachers are always nearby and never go to any secluded locations, or they¡¯ll beat you until you¡¯re disabled!¡± Chapter 29: Being Followed

Chapter 29: Being Followed

To Qi Ying¡¯s surprise, An Ruyi wasn¡¯t interrogating him about whether he was the one who had saved her that day. Instead, she was issuing him some words of caution so he didn¡¯t fall prey to the Duan family¡¯s entourage. ¡°Looks like they won¡¯t rest until they take me down a notch...¡± Qi Ying shook his head with a wry smile. Duan Gucheng? He had initially only drawn the ire of two of the lowliest Young Masters of the Duan family, but things had clearly escted. Even though Duan Gucheng wasn¡¯ting after him in person, his four henchmen were extremely renowned throughout the entire Celestial River Academy. Roughly every few years, a group of powerful disciples would appear in the academy and they would be given titles such as the ¡°Three War Gods¡±, the ¡°Six Arhats¡±, the ¡°Seven Sword Sages¡±, or other such titles. These four henchmen were known as the ¡°Four Heavenly Monarchs¡± and they were the most recent group of elite disciples to have emerged in the academy. To be frank, they were just four of Duan Gucheng¡¯s higher-levelpdogs. Among them, there were warriors that hailed from undistinguished as well as noble families and they were all very powerful. All of them were High Division disciples and even the academy teachers treated them as equals. Those four were countless levels above the likes of Duan Yuan and Duan Jin! ¡°Hey, are you even listening to me?!¡± An Ruyi was even more flustered at the sight of Qi Ying¡¯s nk expression. She continued, ¡°Don¡¯t go anywhere that is too far from the teachers, especially to ces like the drill grounds or the mountain behind the academy!¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Qi Ying replied before tugging his hand free from An Ruyi¡¯s grasp. ¡°Thank you for informing me of this, Young Mistress An. Also... please refrain from doing things that will cause misunderstandings. I already have enough on my te and I really don¡¯t want another idiot like Duan Tianshan picking a fight with me. I can¡¯t afford to hang around with nobles like you!¡± Qi Ying walked directly toward the academy gates as he spoke. ¡°Wait!¡± An Ruyi hurried over to him, drawing the attention of many nearby disciples. ¡°Qi Ying, where are you going?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I need to tell you that.¡± An Ruyitched onto Qi Ying¡¯s hand again. ¡°You¡¯re trying to get out of the academy, aren¡¯t you? You can¡¯t do that! You¡¯re going to get pummeled!¡± Qi Ying swatted An Ruyi¡¯s hand aside. ¡°Young Mistress An, if you don¡¯t want me to get pummelled, then please get away from me. What you¡¯re doing is only causing more trouble for me!¡± An Ruyi stomped her foot with rage. ¡®Why didn¡¯t this idiot get it?!¡¯ How powerful were the Four Heavenly Monarchs? Put it this way; even the ordinary Young Masters of the four major families didn¡¯t dare to mess with them as they could easily snap an arm or leg of theirs in retaliation. ¡®You might be a martial arts master who can defeat Duan Yuan and Duan Jin, as well as a bunch of other low-levelckeys, but you¡¯re no match for the Four Heavenly Monarchs!¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m simply taking pity on you out of the kindness of my heart, as I indirectly caused all of this trouble for you. Otherwise, who cares if you get beaten up!¡¯ ¡°Hehe.¡± Qi Ying¡¯s lips twitched as he squeezed those two cold sybles out of his throat before turning to leave. An Ruyi stomped her foot into the ground again. ¡°Qi Ying! Get back here!¡± After Qi Ying made his way out of the academy gates, An Ruyi clenched her fists and ran toward another direction. ¡°Idiot! B*stard! I¡¯m trying to give you a warning, but you¡¯re throwing my kindness into the dirt!¡± Her voice was trembling slightly as she grumbled to herself. Meanwhile, all of the nearby academy disciples werepletely dumbstruck! ¡®What just happened?¡¯ They didn¡¯t hear what was said between An Ruyi and Qi Ying, but they saw An Ruyitch onto Qi Ying¡¯s hand over and over again, only for him to shrug her off with disdain. After that, Qi Ying swaggered away like a heartless boyfriend while An Ruyi ran off in another direction as if she had been dumped... ¡®My god, what has happened to this world?! I would beughing even in my dreams if Goddess An were to look at me! This Qi Ying must be retarded!¡¯ Thus, the academy disciples had a new topic of conversation: ¡®An Ruyi¡¯s unrequited love for Qi Ying!¡¯. Both of them were renowned figures within the academy, so the rumors that were spun became more and more ridiculous. There were even some who proimed that Qi Ying was g*y and only had eyes for Duan Renshan, which was why he irked the Duan family in order to attract Duan Renshan¡¯s attention... ... Qi Ying didn¡¯t have the time nor the energy to take notice of those absurd rumors. He exited the academy and was nning on purchasing some items to renovate the courtyard with, as well as a new cane for Mother Yu. As for the Duan family, he couldn¡¯t avoid them forever, so he would just have to face them if they really did track him down. He would try his best not to get into any further conflict. Sure enough, Qi Ying was soon struck by a feeling that he was being watched. His instincts were quite sharp from the extended period of time he had spent hunting on the Nameless Mountain, so there was a good chance that he really was being followed. He began to walk more quickly in an attempt to shake off his pursuers, but they only seemed to be growing in numbers. He only had to cast a cursory nce behind him and he could already see two or three familiar faces. Thus, Qi Ying walked into a market and squeezed his way through the most densely packed areas. Coincidentally, he stumbled upon two shop owners having an altercation, so there was arge crowd that had gathered to watch. Qi Ying dove headfirst into the throng of people, and only after sensing that he had thrown his pursuers off his trail did he emerge onto the path, to do the things that he had nned. From his recent colosseum battles, he had earned quite a number of crystals. Qi Ying quickly bought a wagon full of bricks from one shop before ordering a set of stone table and chairs to be delivered to the mountain behind the academy within three days. Additionally, he also bought some seeds so the courtyard could be filled with vitality again. On top of that, he managed to find a Golden Jade Bamboo cane for Mother Yu from a high-end shop, which was of even higher quality than the cane he had previously purchased for her. After doing all of that, Qi Ying made his way back toward the academy with the Golden Jade Bamboo cane on his back. However, as he was returning, he passed through a secluded intersection and a sense of unease welled up in his heart; it was as if he had unwittingly walked into a trap. His footsteps faltered and he nced around at his surroundings. All of a sudden, several dozen figures rushed out from the nearby shops. Among them, there was a tall and broad young man; he was none other than Duan Tianshan. Duan Yuan and Duan Jin were also among them. Furthermore, there were a few unfamiliar figures, one of which was even bigger than Duan Tianshan. His muscr physique bulged against his ck shirt and he had a broad face with a curly mustache that covered his lips. He swaggered forward with the demeanor of a delinquent who was used tomanding fear and respect from others. Duan Tianshan strode toward Qi Ying with a disdainful sneer. ¡°Hmph! It sure was difficult to find you after you dove into that throng of people! But if you think you can shake us off that easily, then you couldn¡¯t be more wrong! Don¡¯t forget that our Duan family owns about ten percent of all of the shops in the city. You can¡¯t get away from us! Haha, what are you going to do now? Chapter 30: A Wrath Scale

Chapter 30: A Wrath Scale

¡°What do you want?¡± Qi Ying looked around at everyone with a cautious expression. He paid particr attention to the muscr man in the ck shirt. This man was most likely one of the Four Heavenly Monarchs, Bear Monarch Li Xiongba. Li Xiongba hailed from a family of ruffians, but for some reason, his cultivation aptitude was quite outstanding. It was said that he possessed extraordinary strength and that he had beaten some Energy Martial Stage disciples with brute strength alone, back when he was only at the Strength Martial Stage. Furthermore, due to his upbringing, he fought using extremely underhanded tactics. Two years ago, he caught the attention of Duan Gucheng, who recruited him as one of his Four Heavenly Monarchs. He was neen years of age at present and was already a powerful warrior at the Sixth Energy Martial Stage. Even among the High Division, he was above average in terms ofbat prowess. ¡°What do we want?¡± Duan Tianshan chuckled coldly as his eyes shot daggers at Qi Ying. ¡°You embarrassed me and the Duan family in front of the entire academy! What do you think I want to do? You¡¯re always wearing that silver glove on your left hand, aren¡¯t you? Well today, we¡¯re going to sever that left arm from your body! ¡°Then, you have to go back to the academy and yell out to everyone that ¡®Duan Tianshan is my grandpa, An Ruyi is my grandma¡¯ ten times. After that, you can piss off from the Celestial River Academy! Otherwise... I¡¯m going to dismember both of your arms, disfigure your face, and throw you into a sh*t hole!¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± The dozens ofckeys stepped forward in unison with menacing auras surging from their bodies. Among them, there was nock of warriors who had already attained True Energy. The mountainous Li Xiongba was also looking down upon Qi Ying with chin raised in disdain, as if appraising a wretched wild dog. ¡°...¡± Qi Ying¡¯s eyes narrowed. He had anticipated that Duan Tianshan would take revenge on him, but he thought that he would only be handed a beating and it wouldn¡¯t matter even if they broke a few of his ribs; he could just ask for some medicine from Master Thirteen and he would be fine in a few days. However, he didn¡¯t think that they would be this cruel. Dismembering an arm would make him a disabled man for life. Furthermore, his left arm was very special, and he had to bring extreme humiliation upon himself by yelling about his ¡°grandparents¡± in front of all of the academy disciples. What had he done wrong? Should he not have saved An Ruyi¡¯s life? He intentionally threw the battle with Duan Renshan, but he refused to let him go, and he was forced to retaliate. He had only made unintentional physical contact with An Ruyi, but Duan Tianshan immediately vilified him in front of a huge bunch of disciples, thereby forcing him to retaliate once again. After that, Duan Yuan and Duan Jin had crossed the line by threatening him with Mother Yu and he had pummeled them for it, but he really had held back... In response, what had they done? They destroyed the courtyard he and Mother Yu had worked so hard to build, and they were intent on pushing him even further... Qi Ying couldn¡¯t understand why these people were so intent on picking on him, to the extent that they were almost trying to take his life. Qi Ying was naturally unaware of the mentality these people held. To them, the fact that they were from the Duan family was something that was praiseworthy; it was something that they could boast about for their entire lives. Bringing embarrassment upon the Duan family was the utmost humiliation to them, and for the Duan family to be the butt of jokes, it was more hurtful than being handed a beating. ¡®How dare this Qi Ying insult the Duan family?¡¯ He was just an underprivileged disciple whose life was as cheap as that of a dog! Whoosh! The group of several dozen people abruptly rushed forward andpletely surrounded Qi Ying. Qi Ying clenched his fists and crouched down low, as if he were preparing to run away. Duan Tianshan chuckled coldly once again. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about running! You may be able to get away, but what about your blind mother? Speaking of which, is she really your mum? How is she so young and beautiful? Many of our brothers here are looking to lose their virginities; they don¡¯t mind a bit of an age gap between themselves and their partner! Oh? You¡¯re looking a little angry there, have you already sampled her for yourself? That makes sense, considering you two are living together alone... Mother and son? Ptui! How disgusting! Hahaha!¡± ¡°Kukuku!¡± Bursts ofughter began to erupt around Qi Ying. Back when they were destroying the courtyard on the day prior, many of them had seen Xuan Yu and were tempted to have their way with her. However, Duan Renshan gave strict orders that they weren¡¯t allowed toy a finger on that blind woman, so they could only settle for demolishing the courtyard and didn¡¯t dare to do anything else. As such, many of them were instantly struck by a burning sensation in their lower abdomens upon hearing Duan Tianshan¡¯s words. Qi Ying couldn¡¯t even hear theughter around him anymore. After hearing the threats and insults Duan Tianshan had aimed at Mother Yu, his mind had beenpletely inundated by rage and he no longer had the capacity for logical thought. Xuan Yu was the most important person in his life and no one could insult her! It was said that even a dragon had what was known as a wrath scale beneath their throat. A dragon could indeed pick its fights and bide its time when necessary, but anyone that touched its wrath scale had to die or the dragon would die in an attempt to kill them! Xuan Yu was his wrath scale. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you!¡± Qi Ying let loose a wild roar as he sprang into the air toward Duan Tianshan like a starving wolf pouncing on its prey. In that instant, his aura hadpletely changed. He had transformed from the helpless wild dog into the wolf king that had once made its appearance on the dueling tform. Duan Tianshan felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over at the sight of Qi Ying¡¯s ferocious expression. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as he took an involuntary step backward. ¡°Get him!¡± Duan Yuan was quite alert to the situation and he let loose a loud cry, upon which all of the disciples rushed toward Qi Ying. Whoosh! Everyone aside from Duan Tianshan and Li Xiongba rushed toward Qi Ying in an attempt to crush him with sheer numbers. Qi Ying was en route to attacking Duan Tianshan, but other people stood in his way. However, Qi Ying still swept his left hand through the air! Whoosh!. A bloodcurdling cry erupted amid a fountain of blood as Qi Ying struck a disciple with his left hand! He hadn¡¯t held back in the slightest. Everyone wasughing when Duan Tianshan was talking about Xuan Yu and they were all thinking about having their way with her, so all of them were unforgivable! Thump! That disciple fell to the ground with his eyes rolled into the back of his head. A massive gash had been inflicted on his stomach, from which all of his internal organs were spilling out. Qi Ying could even w open the stomach of a Demonic Blood Wolf with his left hand, let alone a vulnerable warrior. Furthermore, he was wearing his silver glove as well which further enhanced his offensive power, giving that disciple no chance whatsoever! St! Blood sttered all over Qi Ying¡¯s face and his twisted expression of rage became even more terrifying. Everyone was stunned by the scenes unfolding before their eyes. Those who were still charging toward Qi Ying had all stopped cold in their tracks. He killed someone? Qi Ying killed someone! He really did dare to kill people! This was a group of bullies who had beaten many people to the point of disability, but this was the first time they had seen someone being killed, and in such a gruesome manner as well! All of them were absolutely petrified. They liked to bully others with their numbers, but they didn¡¯t want to die! This Qi Ying was clearly insane! ¡°Stay away from me, Qi Ying!¡± Duan Tianshan suddenly let loose a cry of horror. All of the disciples were shaken out of their stupor after hearing this panicked cry. They turned to discover that Qi Ying had immediately pounced toward Duan Tianshan after killing that disciple! Chapter 31: Headless Corpse

Chapter 31: Headless Corpse

Duan Tianshan was scared. In fact, he was petrified. Ever since his battle with Qi Ying on the dueling tform, he had developed a great deal of fear toward him. When Qi Ying sprang into the air before pouncing at him like a ferocious beast, the horror in his heart was exacerbated and he couldn¡¯t help but stumble back in retreat. After witnessing one of the disciples being in by him, Duan Tianshan felt like his soul was about to escape his body. Were they dealing with a human? No! This was a wild beast; and a rabid one at that! Duan Tianshan had no doubt in his heart that if he didn¡¯t run away, the next person to have his guts spilling out onto the ground would be him. Thus, he immediately turned and fled like a madman toward the other end of the street. He had forgotten that the safest ce was actually right next to Li Xiongba, and he exposed his vulnerable back to Qi Ying. ¡°Die!¡± Qi Yingshed out with his left hand directly toward Duan Tianshan¡¯s heart and right when his attack was about tond on its target, his right calf was suddenly caught in a vice-like grip. As a result, his center of gravity waspletely thrown off, but he still managed to materialize five purple True Energy w projections that hurtled through the air. Dark Falcon Illusionary w! Whoosh! His battle technique was sessfully unleashed, but it was off target. The five w projections didn¡¯t strike Duan Tianshan¡¯s back. Instead, they cut viciously into his leg, slicing through his pants and inflicting a deep wound that reached all the way to his bones. Duan Tianshan let loose a howl of agony and tumbled to the ground as his leg bled and spasmed profusely. Meanwhile, Li Xiongba had hoisted Qi Ying into the air and swung him around in a circle before ramming him into the ground with a heavy thump, rocking all of his internal organs in the process. ¡°Energy Martial Stage?! How is that possible?¡± Duan Yuan yelled in astonishment. When Qi Ying had unleashed his battle technique, he thought his eyes were ying tricks on him. However, Qi Ying was no longer concealing his aura and he was clearly already at the First Energy Martial Stage. That wasn¡¯t all that impressive in itself, but the problem was, he was still only at the Eighth Strength Martial Stage just a day ago! How had he progressed to the Energy Martial Stage so quickly? The other disciples were all just as surprised as Duan Yuan. Impossible! However, even though they were all quite astonished, none of them were feeling fearful toward Qi Ying as no matter how powerful he was, he would still be no match for Bear Monarch Li Xiongba of the Four Heavenly Monarchs. If Qi Ying really was at the First Energy Martial Stage, then that would exin how he was able to beat such arge group of people by himself the day prior. In fact, it made him seem less formidable than if he really were only at the Eighth Strength Martial Stage. Li Xiongba stomped a foot heavily onto Qi Ying¡¯s back and appraised him with disdain. ¡°You little sh*t! I didn¡¯t think you would have it in you to kill someone! It¡¯s a pity that you¡¯re picking a fight with the wrong people!¡± Li Xiongba then nced at Duan Tianshan, who was still howling like a wounded pig, and harrumphed coldly. ¡°You could¡¯ve escaped with your life, but I¡¯m going to have to kill you for hurting Young Master Tianshan! I heard you have a beautiful blind mother? Hehe, after you die, my brothers and I will make sure to love and cherish her in your stead! Hahahaha!¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you!¡± Qi Ying gritted his teeth as hey beneath Li Xiongba¡¯s foot. He turned his head and glowered at Li Xiongba with a pair of bloodshot eyes. ¡°You think you have what it takes to kill me?¡± Li Xiongba didn¡¯t even regard Qi Ying as a worthy opponent, but a chill still ran down his spine at the sight of the feral look in Qi Ying¡¯s eyes. A cold look appeared on his face as he let loose a ferocious roar. ¡°I can kill you right now!¡± Ayer of red True Energy appeared on his right hand and he abruptlyshed out. Whoosh! The red True Energy transformed into a substantial de which shot forth directly toward Qi Ying¡¯s neck. However, in that instant, Li Xiongba suddenly felt a hand grab onto his left calf. The hand was able to exert an insane amount of force and his knee was forced to buckle as his entire body fell forward. The de of energy that he had just created with his hand naturally missed its target and flew off into a random direction as a result. Li Xiongba fell face-first onto the ground amid a dull thump. He was just about to get up when a silver gloved hand appeared in front of his face. Crack! A sound akin to a watermelon being smashed open erupted as Li Xiongba¡¯s head was swatted into smithereens, sending intracranial fluid sttering through the air! ¡°Huff... Huff... You brought this upon yourself...¡± Qi Ying panted heavily and the blood on his face made his ferocious expression appear even more horrifying. ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°He, he killed the Bear Monarch!¡± ¡°Qi Ying just killed two people!¡± All of the other disciples had well and truly been scared witless. Qi Ying had just in Bear Monarch Li Xiongba! He was one of the most powerful disciples in the entire Celestial River Academy. The fact that he was able to kill Li Xiongba demonstrated that he was capable of killing anyone of them as well. No one dared to approach Qi Ying anymore. They were petrified of being ripped apart by him, and could only watch as he made his way toward Duan Tianshan. ¡°You, what are you doing?¡± Duan Tianshan was in an extremely panicked state and he began to screech at the top of his lungs at the sight of Qi Ying¡¯s bloodstained silver glove, ¡°You can¡¯t kill me! If you kill me, the Duan family will hunt you down and...¡± p! A puddle of blood sttered onto the ground. Duan Tianshan¡¯s head had also been smacked into countless pieces by Qi Ying¡¯s left hand. ¡°You made me do this.¡± Qi Ying kicked Duan Tianshan¡¯s headless corpse aside before casting a cold nce around at the surrounding bystanders. Everyone shuddered in unison and Duan Yuan was the first toe to break the silence. ¡°Qi Yingmitted murder! He killed Young Master Tianshan! Everybody, run!¡± He immediately led the charge and fled into the distance. Everyone instantly came to their senses and they also fled frantically for their lives. They didn¡¯t even know where they were going; all they were trying to do was to get as far away from Qi Ying as possible. That was no human they were dealing with; it was an insane, man-eating beast! Qi Ying looked on at the fleeing disciples but did not give chase. Go on then! Run away! Even if the Duan family were to hear about all of this, the worst that could happen to him was getting killed. That was better than having himself and Mother Yu being constantly insulted! Death before dishonor. Even to underprivileged disciples, honor was extremely important. That wasn¡¯t to say one had to live a life where they were constantly revered and worshipped; what was truly important was to live with dignity! Right at that moment, bursts of blood curdling cries suddenly erupted from the fleeing group ofckeys. ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°Argh!¡± Qi Ying¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. There were dozens of disciples fleeing for their lives, but all of them had perished! In the blink of an eye, all of their heads had exploded with no exception, reducing them to headless corpses. Regardless of being the fleeing instigators, or simply bystanders who hade out from the nearby shops, all of them had died on the spot! ¡®Who did that?¡¯ Qi Ying¡¯s heart jolted with shock. Who could kill so many people in an instant without even making an appearance? All of a sudden. Whoosh! A white-robed figure descended from the sky! ¡°Come with me!¡± A familiar voice sounded. ... Clip clop clip clop! The sound of pounding horse hooves erupted in the distance, alongside the sound of two people conversing loudly with one another. ¡°Young Mistress, why are we meddling with the Duan family¡¯s affairs? How does an underprivileged disciple deserve such attention from you, to the extent that you¡¯ve even mobilized the guard squad?¡± ¡°Shut up! If Qi Ying is missing even a single hair from his body, I¡¯m going to get our Family Leader to strip you of your post as the leader of the guard squad!¡± ¡°The Celestial River County is massive, who knows where he could¡¯ve gone?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t know, then search street by street!¡± The clip-clop of sound hooves drew closer and closer as a group of about a dozen or so figures on horseback rounded the corner. However, all of them suddenly came to an abrupt halt! The horses whinnied and their riders¡¯ eyes widened in shock and horror. ¡°So many dead bodies! And all of them are wearing Celestial River Academy uniforms! What happened here?¡± ¡°Qi Ying!¡± An Ruyi quickly dismounted from her steed before rushing over to the piles of bodies and checking through them one by one, as if she had be deranged. The guards behind her hurriedly followed along behind her. ¡°Young Mistress, you¡¯ll get blood smeared on yourself!¡± However, An Ruyi wasn¡¯t as frantic as she initially was. Afterpleting a rough check of these bodies, none of them appeared familiar to her. Even though all of them were missing their heads, none of them had that familiar silver glove on the left hand. Chapter 32: Duan Xilai

Chapter 32: Duan Xi

An astonishing piece of news swept through the entire Celestial River County within half a day. Almost everyone in the county was discussing the same topic: thirty-seven Celestial River Academy disciples had been killed on a secluded street, of which thirty-six had had their heads smashed. There were many members of the Duan family among them, including Duan Tianshan¡ªthe son of the Duan Family Leader, Duan Xi. The entire county was in shock. The Celestial River County had always had a high crime rate with robberies and homicides urring quite regrly. However, the victims on that asion were not ordinary people; they were all disciples of the Celestial River Academy! Even the weakest among them were at the Seventh Strength Martial Stage, and the strongest one was at the Sixth Energy Martial Stage. They could have been considered quite powerful even in the entire county; one shuddered to consider just how fearsome the perpetrator was, to be able to kill all of them in one go. Furthermore, all of the bystanders had also been killed, and the crime was only discovered when the Young Mistress of the An family had passed through the area with her entourage. The entire county was in uproar. Everyone was trying to identify the perpetrator and his motive, as well as anticipate what the response from the Celestial River Academy and the Duan family would be. The Mayor immediately joined the Celestial River Academy in issuing warrants, spurring the entire county into action in an attempt to find the killer. On top of that, several hundred troops were deployed to scout the county, capturing anyone that was suspicious and killing all those who dared to resist! Thus, everyone was plunged into a state of panic and distress, fearing that the killer would reemerge and continue the killing spree. In the Duan family mansion. Within the courtyard stood over a hundred people, many of whom wore expressions of grief and rage. The atmosphere was very grave. ¡°The Family Leader is here!¡± Everyone parted to create a path for a well-built man in a set of ck robes and a red cloak. He turned to reveal his broad, heavily bearded face, as well as a pair of sharp piercing eyes. ¡°We pay our respects to the Family Leader!¡± The Duan family entourage bowed in unison. That man was the Duan Family Leader, Duan Xi, who was also one of the ten most powerful warriors in the Celestial River County! Duan Xi wore an extremely thunderous expression. He narrowed his eyes as he let loose a booming cry, ¡°The events that transpired today have brought a severe humiliation upon the Duan family! Members of our family along with dozens of their followers have been in on the streets! News of this has reached the ears of everyone in the county, and our family¡¯s reputation has been heavily dented! We must find the culprit through whatever means necessary and avenge our fallen brethren!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Everyone put their hands together in salute. Duan Xi scanned his eyes across the people gathered before him. ¡°Duan Dakai, Duan Jinhong, Duan Yidao!¡± ¡°Present!¡± Three figures strode forward at the same time, all of whom possessed powerful auras. ¡°You three, go and visit the An, Wang, and Sun families, and tell them our Duan family¡¯s stance on this matter. Request for help from them in our investigation to find the killer. Also, look into all of the members of their families that are at or above the Sixth Energy Martial Stage. Request for detailed information on their whereabouts during the time of the incident. In this entire county, only those three families are powerful enough to kill thirty-seven warriors in one go!¡± ¡°Understood!¡± The three men received their orders and immediately left toplete their respective missions. Many years ago, they were all young prodigies of the Celestial River County, and had since developed to be core members of the Duan family. ¡°Duan Huangye!¡± ¡°Present!¡± A middle-aged man with a mustache stepped forward. ¡°You work at the Colosseum, so I¡¯ll send you there to request a list of all of the contracted colosseum warriors from Yan Thirteen! Aside from the four major families, the Mayor¡¯s patrol squad, and the county army, the Colosseum has the most number of powerful warriors and their identities are all quite mysterious. Perhaps one of them has a vendetta with our Duan family andmitted these crimes as an act of revenge!¡± ¡°Alright.¡± The middle-aged man nodded with a crestfallen expression. Duan Xi heaved a faint sigh. ¡°I know that both of your sons have died, but so has my Tianshan. We are both experiencing the same grief, so we must do all we can to find the culprit! Once we do, we will take immediate action!¡± A ferocious aura abruptly erupted from Duan Xi¡¯s body as he snarled like a feral beast, ¡°All those who oppose the Duan family must be wiped out without any exception!¡± ... Boom! An artificial mountain in the Duan mansion courtyard that was over a hundred feet tall suddenly crumbled and exploded into countless pieces of rubble, sending dust and shrapnel flying through the air. Duan Xi had just crushed the artificial mountain with a single palm and he stood beside it with a twisted expression of rage on his face. The Celestial River County Youth Battle Tournament wasing up in a few days and many lineal branch family members hade to visit him recently in hopes of securing spots for their children. As such, he already had a lot on his te and the shocking murders that had taken ce hadpletely set him off like a lit match to a fuse. He simply had to vent his fury on something. Even though he had never regarded Duan Tianshan as a son of his, and even saw him as a disgrace, his death had still brought extreme humiliation to the Duan family. At the same time, Duan Xi was struck by a sense of unease. He had heard from his sons, Duan Gucheng and Duan Renshan, that Duan Tianshan had been banding together with the likes of Duan Yuan and Duan Jin to pick on a Strength Martial Stage disciple of the academy. So how had they ended up being killed on the streets? The Duan family was not without its enemies. They hade into conflict with all three of the other major families and had also offended many other smaller families and powers. However, the Duan family were arguably the most powerful among the four major families. In any case, they were the wealthiest and most influential family in the Celestial River County, so who would dare to provoke them like this? On top of that, those that had been in included the likes of Duan Tianshan, Duan Yuan, Duan Jin, and a bunch of other peripheral characters as well as academy disciples who were yet toe of age. What was the point in killing them? ¡°So, they were picking on a Strength Martial Stage disciple? That could very well be the root of the problem! I have to pay a visit to the Celestial River Academy first! Duan Xi felt like it was necessary for him to find out more information about that aforementioned Strength Martial Stage disciple. Thus, he sped his hands behind his back and quickly left the courtyard. ... Whoosh! Qi Ying stood up from within a bathtub and streams of red water flowed from his hair and down his body, sending the metallic pungent odor of blood wafting through the air. He grabbed a towel and wiped himself down before putting on a set of clothes that had been ced beside the bathtub in advance. After slipping on his silver glove, Qi Ying passed through the corridor and arrived in a room with many pieces of calligraphy and artwork hanging from the walls. Within the room, Master Thirteen continued to practice his calligraphy as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. He continued to look down at the sheet of paper before him and asked in an indifferent voice. ¡°Was it your first time killing someone today?¡± ¡°No.¡± Qi Ying shook his head. Master Thirteen¡¯s hand faltered as a mysterious smile appeared on his face. ¡°Then, did you kill someone for the first time on the Nameless Mountain over two months ago?¡± Qi Ying paused momentarily before replying. ¡°Yes.¡± Master Thirteen put down his brush and sped his hands behind his back as he raised his head to appraise Qi Ying. ¡°No wonder... Looks like I underestimated you.¡± Qi Ying cut straight to the chase. ¡°Master Thirteen, why did you kill all of those people for me? I presume it¡¯s not just because you¡¯re trying to groom me as the next colosseum superstar.¡± Chapter 33: But You Can Have Me

Chapter 33: But You Can Have Me

If Master Thirteen wanted to groom a superstar warrior, countless warriors at the Seventh or Eighth Energy Martial Stages would mber to his doorstep and beg him for the opportunity. He did notck powerful warriors. At the very least, a mere Nameless Warrior was definitely not worth taking such a massive risk for. One had to realize that in saving Qi Ying, Master Thirteen had killed a bunch of Celestial River Academy disciples and incurred the wrath of the Duan family. Thus, Qi Ying was very curious about why Master Thirteen held him in such high regard. Furthermore, just how powerful was Master Thirteen? Qi Ying felt like he was quite possibly a Spirit Martial Stage warrior. ¡°The Nameless Warrior is not worth it, but Qi Ying is, no?¡± Master Thirteen smiled, ¡°In the Celestial River County, I can easily protect you without any issues. All you need to know is that I see great potential in you and I will make a lot of money if you keep fighting for me at the Colosseum.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t tell me the truth, I will feel very uneasy about receiving your kindness.¡± Qi Ying shook his head. Aside from one¡¯s family, no one would extend kindness toward them for no reason. In particr, Master Thirteen was an extremely sessful businessman. He never made investments unless he could profit from the returns, so how was it possible that he had done all of this just for Qi Ying to continue to fight for him? Master Thirteen contemted for a moment before continuing. ¡°Alright then, let me tell you the truth. I see great potential in you and the Young Mistress of the Qin family. I believe that you will rise to unprecedented heights in the future, and I¡¯m giving you some benefits now in the hope that you can give me far greater benefits in the future. Is that a good enough exnation.¡± ¡°I guess...¡± Qi Ying felt like something was amiss, but he couldn¡¯t put his finger on it. Master Thirteen had provided a valid reason, but why did he have so much faith in him? In terms of social status, he was worlds apart from the Young Mistress of the Qin family, so why would he draw a connection between the two of them? Master Thirteen nced at Qi Ying and said. ¡°You¡¯ve already reached the First Energy Martial Stage from the Eighth Strength Martial Stage since Ist saw you two days ago. If you continue like this, what cultivation base will you reach in twenty days? Even I believe in you, so why don¡¯t you believe in yourself?¡± Qi Ying was rooted to the spot upon hearing those words; he felt a lump in his throat, that was rendering him unable to speak. He was momentarily silent before finally joining his hands in a salute and extending a grateful bow toward Master Thirteen. ¡°Thank you for saving me today. No, you have saved both myself and Mother Yu. I will never forget your kindness. If I really do rise to the heights you anticipate from me, I will be sure to repay you for everything!¡± A faint smile appeared on Master Thirteen¡¯s face. ¡°Just hearing that from you tells me that I was right to save you! Go back to the academy now. The entire county must be in turmoil after such a big event. Remember, even if you punch a hole in the sky, here in the Celestial River County, I¡¯ll be here to clean up the mess for you! Don¡¯t worry about the Duan family; they won¡¯t be able to do anything to you!¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be taking my leave now.¡± Qi Ying picked up his belongings and quickly left the room. Not long after he left, a squeak sounded within the room as a secret door was opened on the wall. A gorgeous figure clothed in a set of purple robes emerged from a hidden chamber therein. ¡°Is he really that special?¡± Lu Feifei wore a surprised expression as she made her way over to Master Thirteen. Master Thirteen murmured in response. ¡°Of course. However, the more outstanding he bes, the more attention he¡¯ll attract, and the more trouble he will cause... Looks like I¡¯m going to be quite busy soon!¡± ¡°Heh.¡± Lu Feifei¡¯s eyes glowed with a hint of desire. ¡°I really want him after hearing you say that.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t get him.¡± Master Thirteen sighed. ¡°Hmph, I¡¯ll just have to try a few more times...¡± Lu Feifei was unwilling to give up. Her brows suddenly furrowed as an arm found its way around her waist and a lustful male voice sounded beside his ear, ¡°But you can have me.¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± Lu Feifei pushed Master Thirteen aside. ¡°What happened that day was just an ident... I must have him no matter the cost! He¡¯s at the Celestial River Academy, right? Heh... just you wait!¡± ... After leaving the Colosseum, Qi Ying immediately returned to the Celestial River Academy. On the way back, all he heard were conversations about how Duan Tianshan and the others had been killed. Even after returning to the academy, he discovered that all of the disciples were also discussing the same thing. Upon seeing Qi Ying, all of them began to point and cast surreptitious nces at him while discussing in hushed tones. Qi Ying was only able to catch a few snippets of their conversations such as ¡°Duan Xi¡±, ¡°came¡±, ¡°looking for the principal¡±, and things of that nature. Qi Ying couldn¡¯t be bothered to pay them any heed. He had to keep as low a profile as possible, since everyone knew that he was on bad terms with Duan Tianshan, so his top priority was to clear himself off all suspicion. Thus, he made his way to the mountain behind the academy and walked toward the courtyard. The sun was beginning to set as Qi Ying quickly traversed through the forest path. When he reached the courtyard, he could already see the sunset on the horizon. His brows immediately furrowed upon reaching the ce. There were people there! Qi Ying¡¯s heart jumped to his throat and he became extremely tense as he thought back to what had happened yesterday. Thus, he immediately began to elerate and hurried his way into the courtyard. ¡°Who are they...?¡± Qi Ying asked with furrowed brows at the sight of the unfamiliar middle-aged men there. Xuan Yu made her way out of the room before giving a reply, ¡°Qi Ying, these are the Principal and the Elders from the academy, and they¡¯re here to see you. Make sure to cooperate with them and tell them everything you know.¡± Among the middle-aged men present, a thin man in grey clothes said to Qi Ying, ¡°So you¡¯re Qi Ying. Quite a handsome young man you are. My surname is Gu, so you can call me Principal Gu.¡± ¡°Feel free to ask me any question, Principal Gu.¡± Qi Ying nodded. This man was the Principal of the academy, Gu Shiwei. He very rarely appeared before the students and was quite a mysterious man. However, it was indeed quite a shocking event that had just taken ce, so it was no surprise that he hade to investigate in person. Principal Gu looked at Xuan Yu before turning to Qi Ying. ¡°This is not a good ce to talk. Let¡¯s go talk in the forest there.¡± ... ¡°Yes, that¡¯s all I know. I went to a few shops today and in order to avoid them, I visited many ces and nned oning back at night. I only heard about their deaths after the event.¡± In the forest, Qi Ying shrugged with an innocent expression and said, ¡°In all honesty, I don¡¯t have that much of a vendetta against Duan Tianshan. I beat him in a few fights and he trashed my courtyard, but it certainly doesn¡¯t warrant a blood feud... Besides, even if I want to kill them, how could I possibly be capable of doing so?¡± Gu Shiwei stroked his beard and replied, ¡°Hmm, alright, thank you for your cooperation. Go home and look after your mother now. She can¡¯t see, so you should take good care of her. Don¡¯t cause any more trouble.¡± ¡°Thank you, Principal; thank you, Elders.¡± Qi Ying joined his hands in a salute to those men before leaving the forest. One of the Elders turned to look at Gu Shiwei with furrowed brows. ¡°Looks like he really wasn¡¯t involved. So who could have done this?¡± Gu Shiwei shook his head as his eyes narrowed. ¡°How could he not be involved? He is embroiled at the very core of the entire event.¡± Chapter 34: Initial Success in Battle Technique

Chapter 34: Initial Sess in Battle Technique

¡°Then why did we let him go...¡± The Elders were all quite surprised upon hearing Gu Shiwei¡¯s words. If Qi Ying really was involved in the matter, then they should have detained him immediately! Gu Shiwei shook his head. ¡°The important thing is not whether he was involved. Instead, you have to realize that we can¡¯t do anything to him as his backers have the power and courage to kill thirty-seven of our academy disciples! Qi Ying definitely wasn¡¯t the person who killed all those people, so detaining him is pointless at best, and could quite possibly be detrimental. Why do you think I didn¡¯t get Elder Duan toe along this time? ¡°The conflict lies between Qi Ying and the Duan family, so Qi Ying¡¯s backer is not targeting our Celestial River Academy. Hence, there is no need for us to provoke them by taking Qi Ying into custody. Also... I feel like we need to investigate Qi Ying... and that woman. She¡¯s even more mysterious than Qi Ying. I can¡¯t see through her...¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± The Elders looked at one another in confusion. That woman was just a blinddy. She was quite beautiful, but no matter how they looked at it, she was just an ordinary person! Could it be that she was some exceptional warrior who had gone into hiding? ¡°Remember this.¡± Gu Shiwei said in a firm voice, ¡°The result of our investigation today is that Qi Ying is unrted to this matter! The ideal scenario would be for this case to be indefinitely suspended. Even if the Duan family refuses to give up, we are not going to involve ourselves any further! The Duan family can¡¯t do anything to the academy, but I can¡¯t say the same thing about others...¡± ¡°But what about all those dead disciples?¡± An Elder asked with wide eyes. All of the dead disciples had families and they weren¡¯t going to give up easily. Gu Shiwei harrumphed coldly. ¡°A bunch of scum ganging up on a single disciple; do you think they were fit to be disciples of our academy? If one good thing hase out of this situation, it¡¯s that all of that trash was cleared out of the academy!¡± ... Qi Ying was still slightly uneasy as he returned to the courtyard. He didn¡¯t know if Mother Yu had heard about what had happened during the day and whether she was concerned for him. However, Xuan Yu didn¡¯t ask or say anything, as if she were unaware that anything had happened. She prepared some of her usual dishes and said. ¡°Have some food, then go and rest. The Principal seems to hold you in very high regard, seeing that he came to see you in person. He even said that he was going to help us renovate our courtyard, so make sure to cooperate if he asks to see you again.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Qi Ying replied absentmindedly. Regardless of whether the academy believed his ount of events, the Duan family definitely wouldn¡¯t be willing to give up. Master Thirteen was certainly ready to offer his support and he was quite a powerful warrior, but he still wouldn¡¯t be able tobat the colossus that was the Duan family by himself. What if he couldn¡¯t protect him... People like Duan Renshan and Duan Gucheng still attended the academy, so what if they continued to pick on him? Just as all of these concerns were running through his mind, Xuan Yu suddenly said without any premonition. ¡°There¡¯s nothing worth worrying about as you won¡¯t be able to resolve any problem just by thinking about it most of the time. As opposed to fretting about things, it¡¯s much better to forget your concerns and do something constructive. Who knows? Maybe things will work themselves out!¡± Qi Ying¡¯s expression stirred upon hearing this. She was right. No matter how much he worried about the Duan familying after him, it woulde to no avail. All he could do was to be more powerful! ¡°Thank you, Mother Yu!¡± Qi Ying turned toward Xuan Yu with a grateful expression, before shoveling a ton of food into his mouth. ¡°Mother Yu, I¡¯m going outside to cultivate. You should go to bed first if you are tired.¡± ... The sun hadn¡¯tpletely set yet and Qi Ying stood beside theke near the courtyard. He listened to the flowing water and closed his eyes, as he began to sense the vital energy of heaven and earth. Gradually, the Purple Energy around Qi Ying was absorbed into his body. At the same time, Qi Ying began to cultivate ording to the external section section of the Purple Energy Cultivation Method, transitioning from one pose to another. As he did that, he also activated his internal strength, in order to synchronize the cultivation of his both internal and external strength. For Yellow Tier cultivation methods, the internal sections consisted of the expiration of vital energy in order to improve one¡¯s cultivation base. In contrast, the external sections consisted of enhancing one¡¯s True Energy cirction to consolidate the cultivation base, thereby making one more proficient in sensing and utilizing True Energy. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Qi Ying was like a vortex emanating suction force to guide all of the Purple Energy contained in the vital energy of heaven and earth into his body. The rate at which he absorbed Purple Energy was far superiorpared to others, and Purple Energy was also being converted into True Energy at a much faster rate, whenpared to a First Energy Martial Stage warrior. If there was anything that was slowing down his rate of cultivation, then it had to be his left arm, which was absorbing most of the Purple Energy that entered his body. After a while, Qi Ying decided to pull out a jade vial and take a few Energy Containment Pills. He refined the pills while cultivating and managed to elerate the umtion of True Energy within his body. The energy vortex in his dantian was slowly expanding and darkening in color... ¡°Phew...¡± After cultivating for four consecutive hours, Qi Ying exhaled deeply and looked up into the sky. It was already deep into the night and countless stars had appeared overhead. Progression in the Purple Energy Cultivation Method was faster during morning and dusk, but the rate slowed quite noticeably at night time. Thus, Qi Ying took the opportunity to cultivate his Dark Falcon Illusionary w instead, to further familiarize himself with the battle technique. Whoosh whoosh whoosh! A series of w projections appeared and faded. Qi Ying was able to unleash the w attacks far quicker than before, and the process during which he materialized his True Energy had also be a lot smoother. Most importantly, the amount of True Energy that he could summon to his fingertips had doubledpared to the day prior, so the w projections he unleashed were farrger than before. Whoosh! A w projection struck the ground. Bam! Arge chunk of earth was shoveled into the air, creating five rifts on the ground that were several feet in both length and depth. Whoosh! Another w projection struck a massive rock. Crack! The rock instantly shattered, sending countless rocky shards flying in all directions. Qi Ying stopped what he was doing and looked down at his hand with a hint of tion. His mastery of the Dark Falcon Illusionary w had improved from elementary level to initial sess level! The same battle technique could unleash different levels of power when used by warriors of different cultivation bases. However, even if it were the same person, the offensive output could be different due to their level of proficiency and mastery in the technique. There were four levels reflecting one¡¯s mastery of battle techniques; these were, in ascending order, the elementary, initial sess, great sess, and perfect levels. Some extraordinary battle techniques could even be cultivated to the phenomenal level by warriors with brilliant aptitude. If reaching the great sess level meant that one could unleash a hundred percent of a battle technique¡¯s power, then initial sess level equated to about sixty or seventy percent, and elementary level would reflect a pitiful thirty to forty percent. At the elementary level, Qi Ying¡¯s Dark Falcon Illusionary w wasn¡¯t very powerful. The only real benefit of using the battle technique was that it allowed him to attack from a distance. However, after reaching the initial sess stage, the power he could unleash through that attack had increased by twofold. Chapter 35: Flowing Shadow Strike

Chapter 35: Flowing Shadow Strike

Under normal circumstances, it was not a difficult task for a warrior to cultivate a battle technique to the elementary level. However, reaching the initial sess level required extensive dedication and effort. Those with mediocre aptitude could even take more than years to develop a battle technique to the great sess and perfected stages. Qi Ying had only been cultivating the Dark Falcon Illusionary w for a few hours in total, and the execution of w-type battle techniques required extremely urate mastery and control over one¡¯s True Energy. Under the same time frame, most people wouldn¡¯t even be able to get to the elementary level, let alone the initial sess level. The rate at which he progressed in that battle technique wasn¡¯t as breathtaking as that of his cultivation base, but it was still extremely rare. ¡®I¡¯ll call it a day here. Just one w-type battle technique isn¡¯t enough; I have to invest time in some others too.¡¯ Qi Ying set his Dark Falcon Illusionary w aside for the moment and brought out another battle technique. It was the Flowing Shadow Strike, which was also a Yellow Tier Intermediate Rank battle technique. The Flowing Shadow Strike was a battle technique that required a short assassination weapon as apaniment. Itbined movement techniques and hand techniques into aplete package; after reaching the initial sess level, it would be possible to move faster than normal people could react to, use afterimages to confound the enemy, and utilize the aforementioned short weapon to unleash brutal strikes. It could be said that this was a battle technique that was made for killing. It was several times more difficult to cultivate, whenpared to the Dark Falcon Illusionary w, but its usefulness in critical moments would undoubtedly be immeasurable. Qi Ying swallowed an Energy Explosion Pill, which helped replenish the energy expended during his cultivation of the Dark Falcon Illusionary w, while contemting the mantra in the Flowing Shadow Strike. He wanted to try and gain at least a general understanding of the technique before going to bed. After a short while, Qi Ying closed the book before cing it back into his spatial ring. ¡°This is way too hard. Just the few movement techniques require dozens of different modules of True Energy cirction, and at the same time, I have to focus on creating afterimages as well aspleting the hand seals... I can¡¯t even understand all of this, let alone strive to reach the elementary stage.¡± It had been a very long and tense day for Qi Ying, and he was fighting to keep his eyes open. He was struggling to focus on the Flowing Shadow Strike, so he returned to his room and soon fell asleep on his bed. The next day. Qi Ying got up and carried some water back from the nearby river. He then cooked noodles for himself and Mother Yu, before bidding her farewell and leaving the courtyard. However, Qi Ying didn¡¯t go that far away. Instead of heading to the academy, he arrived at the nearby forest. He decided to refrain from going to the academy for at least the next few days. It was best for him to try and stay as far away from potential trouble as possible. He took this opportunity to continue cultivating with the Purple Energy Cultivation Method, to improve his cultivation base. At the same time, he was trying to figure out how to grasp the Flowing Shadow Strike. He was determined to enter the Celestial River County Youth Battle Tournament¡ªwhich was going to be held seventeen dayster¡ªputting on an exceptional performance. Only then could he show the Qin family that he had potential and gain their acknowledgment through that effort. Before that, he had to secure one of the tournament¡¯s spots allocated to the academy. The Celestial River Academy had thirty avable spots and an intra-academy tournament was going to be held in ten days. Thirty disciples from the Low, Intermediate, and High Divisions would be chosen, based on their performances, to participate in the Celestial River County Youth Battle Tournament. Whoosh! Whoosh! Qi Ying continued to cultivate with the Purple Energy Cultivation Method, trying to maximize efficiency by utilizing the time window in the morning, when Purple Energy was quite abundant. ... Within a hall in the Celestial River Academy. Principal Gu Shiwei and some of the academy Elders were all present. Aside from that, there were also several members of the Duan family in attendance. Among them, there was the ck-robed Duan Xi, who had his eyebrows raised in inquiry. ¡°Principal Gu! Do you have any information regarding what we talked about yesterday? Is Qi Ying rted to the deaths of my son, Tianshan, and the other thirty-six academy disciples?¡± ¡°Hehe, nothing of the sort, Family Leader Duan,¡± Gu Shiwei replied with a calm expression, ¡°That Qi Ying is just an ordinary academy disciple with a cultivation base at the Eighth Strength Martial Stage. I¡¯ve heard that he knows some martial arts as well, but that would only help him in low-level brawls. Even defeating a mediocre Second or Third Energy Martial Stage disciple would be very difficult for him, so how could he be rted to the deaths of those thirty-seven disciples? ¡°From what I gathered from Qi Ying and recounts from other academy disciples, Qi Ying was pursued by Duan Tianshan along with a group of disciples due to a prior altercation. As a way to avoid them, he wandered aimlessly through a busy market for the entire day, only returning to the academy when it was almost night time. I can deduce from this, that he was not rted to yesterday¡¯s incident. ¡°Furthermore, how demented would one have to be, to kill so many people in broad daylight? No matter how you look at it, a sworn enemy of your Duan family must have been responsible for such a heinous act.¡± ¡°I beg to differ, Principal Gu.¡± Duan Xi chuckled coldly, ¡°I¡¯ve received word that Qi Ying is directly responsible for everything!¡± Gu Shiwei¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°Family Leader Duan, please exercise caution with your words. How can you nder a fifteen-year-old like this without any evidence?¡± ¡°Without any evidence? These are not baseless ims I¡¯m making!¡± Duan Xi stood up abruptly and asked in a cold voice, ¡°Principal Gu, where is Qi Ying right now? I want to meet him and I¡¯ll bring out the evidence when I do.¡± ... On the mountain behind the academy. Dozens of figures walked along the forest path and discussed spiritedly with one another. Duan Renshan and Duan Gucheng were also part of the group and they brought up the rear. The two of them were conversing with one another in low voices. Duan Gucheng wore a cold expression on his face. ¡°Father is making such a big deal out of nothing. He¡¯s just a Low Division disciple, how could he possibly be capable of doing something like this? All of the higher-ups of the family have been deployed now, and if we fail in our attempt to press charges, it would only amount to more humiliation!¡± ¡°Young Master, Qi Ying is most definitely involved in this incident!¡± Duan Renshan¡¯s face was contorted with fury, clearly still wallowing in the pain of losing his little brother. He continued, ¡°His cultivation base isn¡¯t all that impressive, but he is unfathomably powerful. He may well be an old monster in disguise, lurking in our academy! Even if he isn¡¯t the culprit, he must be closely connected to the culprit. In any case, father has discovered evidence that will most definitely be able to condemn Qi Ying!¡± Duan Renshan still recalled the threats Qi Ying had aimed at him in the past. Thinking back, there was no way he could have been so cocky unless he had powerful backers. How would an underprivileged disciple dare to threaten a Young Master of the Duan family, unless they had some sort of special support? How could an ordinary Strength Martial Stage warrior defeat Energy Martial Stage opponents, through the use of martial arts alone? Furthermore, that mysterious silver glove and that left hand that was capable of crushing battle techniques drew even more suspicion. Qi Ying definitely had some massive secrets. He didn¡¯t tell those things to Duan Gucheng, but he had disclosed the information to Duan Xi the night prior. That was the main catalyst for Duan Xi storming the Celestial River Academy in search of Qi Ying, with a bunch of other Duan family higher-ups. The group quickly passed through the forest before traveling further up the mountain. ¡°That courtyard is Qi Ying¡¯s house.¡± Gu Shiwei said, ¡°Seeing as he¡¯s not at the academy, there is a very good chance that¡¯s he¡¯s somewhere on this mountain.¡± Chapter 36: Who Wants to Take Qi Ying

Chapter 36: Who Wants to Take Qi Ying

Qi Ying could see from a distance that there was a group of people making their way toward the courtyard. He immediately spected that they were most likelying after him, but he couldn¡¯t run away as Mother Yu was still there. As such, he couldn¡¯t allow them to reach their destination. Thus, he mustered up his courage, stopped cultivating, and inly walked in their direction. After approaching them, Qi Ying discovered that the group consisted of Principal Gu and the elders from the day before, as well as a bunch of people that appeared to be quite aggressive, harboring ill intentions. In particr, the man with the broad face¡ªwho was clothed in ck robes and a red cloak¡ª was giving off quite an intimidating aura. ¡°This is...¡± ¡°I am Duan Xi!¡± Before Gu Shiwei had a chance to introduce him, Duan Xi stepped forward. ¡°You¡¯re Qi Ying?¡± ¡°I am indeed Qi Ying.¡± Qi Ying¡¯s brows furrowed as he sensed the hostility in that man¡¯s words. The Duan family definitely harbored ill intentions toward him! He didn¡¯t know what was going to happen next. However... Principal Gu Shiwei appeared to be quite displeased with Duan Xi. With the principal there, if he were to firmly deny his involvement in the deaths of Duan Tianshan and the others, surely the Duan family wouldn¡¯t dare to do anything over the line. Duan Xi¡¯s gaze was fixed on Qi Ying. ¡°Alright. Qi Ying, let me ask you this; where were you when the murders happened yesterday? Did you witness the crimes beingmitted?¡± Qi Ying still remembered his story, and he immediately denied any involvement in the matter. ¡°At the time, I was wandering through a busy market. I only heard about the event after I returned to the academy; it was already close to night time at that point. During the incident, I went to a few shops and purchased some things.¡± Gu Shiwei also chimed in to support him. ¡°All of the witnesses at the crime scene were also killed, so there are no witnesses in the entire Celestial River County, aside from the culprit. Do you think such a demented criminal would leave Qi Ying alive?¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Duan Xi¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Then perhaps, Qi Ying is not a witness, but instead, the main culprit or an aplice?¡± Qi Ying maintained a calm facade. ¡°Your words are surely in jest, Family Leader Duan. How could I be the culprit? I¡¯m nowhere near powerful enough tomit a crime like that. Besides, I wasn¡¯t even on the scene at the time.¡± ¡°Heh! Then what¡¯s this?¡± Whoosh! Duan Xi¡¯s hand whipped out and a streak of golden light shot forth, before embedding itself into the ground! The object that had been stuck into the ground was quivering slightly, and it glowed with a faint golden sheen under the sunlight. On its surface, traces of blood could be seen. ¡°This is...¡± Qi Ying¡¯s eyes abruptly widened. That object was the Golden Jade Bamboo cane he had purchased for Mother Yu the day prior! At the time, he had tied it to his back using a sash. Only after arriving at the Colosseum did he discover that it was gone. It must have been flung through the air when Li Xiongba was spinning him around like a windmill... He didn¡¯t really think much about it, but who would have thought that the Duan family would find it! ¡°Is that a cane? Looks like quite a beautiful one as well.¡± Qi Ying¡¯s surprised look disappeared in a sh, and was reced by an oblivious expression. ¡°You¡¯re trying to pretend that you don¡¯t recognize it?¡± Duan Xi harrumphed, ¡°Boss Chun Lai, did you sell this cane yesterday? If so, who did you sell it to?¡± An elderly man who appeared to be around fifty years of age emerged from the crowd. He came forward and inspected the cane before immediately arriving at a conclusion. ¡°That¡¯s right, this cane was crafted using techniques unique to our Chun Lai Cane Shop. It even has our special seal engraved on it. This particr cane was sold yesterday to that child! I can still clearly remember him purchasing the cane, and the transaction is recorded on my ount book!¡± Qi Ying was struck by an ominous feeling from the moment he saw that old man. Following his usatory words, Qi Ying was a little flustered and was unable to formte a rebuttal. Gu Shiwei and the others, who were initially nning to defend Qi Ying, had also fallen silent. Duan Xi chuckled coldly. ¡°We have both a witness and material evidence! At the very least, this shows that you were there at the crime scene during the time of the event. However, you have denied this over and over again, clearly indicating the fact that you harbor ulterior motives! I¡¯m going to take you into custody and hand you off to the authorities!¡± At that moment, a cold voice sounded from nearby. ¡°Who wants to take Qi Ying?¡± Everyone turned to discover a woman in a white dress who had just appeared outside the courtyard. Many of them were attracted by her beauty, and someone murmured under his breath. ¡°She¡¯s so beautiful! It¡¯s a pity that she¡¯s blind.¡± ¡°Mother Yu!¡± Qi Ying rushed over to Xuan Yu¡¯s side andtched onto her arm to support her. ¡°Why did youe out?¡± ¡°My son is being taken away. If I don¡¯te out now, what am I going to do when there¡¯s no one around to buy rice for me? Starve to death?¡± Xuan Yu smacked Qi Ying on the head before turning toward the group of people nearby, ¡°What¡¯s this about a crime and a culprit? What happened? What gives you the right to take Qi Ying away?¡± ¡°Mother Yu.¡± Xuan Yu normally never raised her voice, but at that moment, she was yelling in an extremely agitated manner. Qi Ying heaved a faint sigh before turning to Duan Xi. ¡°Family Leader Duan, I¡¯ll agree toe with you.¡± ¡°However, I have one condition.¡± Qi Ying¡¯s expression suddenly cooled significantly, ¡°The Duan family and the Celestial River Academy must look after Mother Yu during the time that I am away. Otherwise, I won¡¯t be telling you anything!¡± ... Qi Ying was taken to a dark and damp room. The ce was quite muggy, and there was a foul odor wafting from the corner. He sat in a chair with his hands bound by chains. ¡°What a shy glove...¡± The official responsible for interrogation discovered the shiny silver glove on Qi Ying¡¯s left hand, and reached out toward it. To his surprise, Qi Ying withdrew his left hand and yelled. ¡°Don¡¯t touch that!¡± p! A whipshed viciously onto Qi Ying¡¯s chest. ¡°Gasp...¡± Qi Ying drew a sharp breath from the pain. This was not an ordinary whip; it was a thorn whip with hooked spikes running of its entire length. The official was a Ninth Strength Martial Stage warrior who possessed immense power, and the strike tore through Qi Ying¡¯s clothes before leaving a bloody gash on his body. ¡°Who the f*ck do you think you are? You¡¯re a criminal!¡± The official yelled with spittle flying from his mouth, some of which fell upon Qi Ying¡¯s face. He aimed a vicious re at Qi Ying before reaching for his silver glove again. ¡°I said don¡¯t touch that!¡± Qi Ying roared again and his voice was like that of an enraged snarling beast. The official¡¯s heart jolted with shock and he raised his whip again, preparing to teach the uncouth young man a lesson. However, a hint of fear welled up in his heart at the sight of Qi Ying¡¯s feral eyes. ¡°Take it off yourself then. Everything you carry with you has to be examined in this ce!¡± The official unbound the chain around Qi Ying¡¯s right hand in an indignant manner. ¡°Hmph.¡± Qi Ying proceeded to take off his glove with his right hand. After the glove was removed, not only was the official dumbstruck, even the likes of Duan Xi and Gu Shiwei, who were standing behind him, were also given a surprise! Chapter 37: A Plan

Chapter 37: A n

What was that hand? It could no longer just be described as hideous. The entire hand was pitch-ck with bulging finger joints and fingernails that weren¡¯t very long, but were extremely sharp. The entire thing didn¡¯t even look like a human hand; instead, it looked like the paw of a mountain-dwelling beast. Even though the people from the Duan family and Celestial River Academy were all quite knowledgeable and experienced, they were still stunned by the sight of Qi Ying¡¯s left hand, and their eyes were as wide as saucers. ¡°Gasp...¡± The official felt a chill run down his spine as he stumbled back in fear. A normal person definitely wouldn¡¯t possess a hand like that! Was he a monster? Qi Ying was already ustomed to that reaction and his expression remained calm. ¡°My hand has always been like that. The doctors say it was burned into this state. It doesn¡¯t look great, but it still works.¡± ck! Qi Ying¡¯s hands were bound by chains again. The official didn¡¯t even dare to have his eyes open when locking up his left hand, and it took his trembling hands quite a while to secure the chains in ce. The interrogationmenced. The official asked. ¡°Where did you go after leaving Chun Lai Cane Shop around noon yesterday?¡± Qi Ying replied. ¡°I wandered around the market for the entire day and only returned to the academy when it was close to night time.¡± ¡°Do you have witnesses?¡± ¡°After returning to the academy, I encountered Wang Mazi and some other disciples, they can testify for me. After that, I went to the mountain behind the academy and met Gu Shiwei as well as a few Elders there; they can also act as witnesses.¡± ¡°Do you have any witnesses that can verify your whereabouts between the time you left Chun Lai Cane Shop, and the time you arrived back at the academy? Or is there any material evidence to indicate your location at the time?¡± Qi Ying thought about that for a moment before shaking his head. ¡°No.¡± The official picked up the Golden Jade Bamboo cane. ¡°You purchased this cane from Chun Lai Cane Shop, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°This cane was found at the scene of the crime. How do you exin that?¡± ¡°Perhaps I wasn¡¯t paying attention while I was walking, and it fell there as I was passing through.¡± ¡°Hmph, nonsense! How could there be such an unlikely coincidence?¡± The official chuckled coldly, ¡°You can¡¯t prove that you weren¡¯t at the scene when the crime wasmitted, and there is material evidence in the form of this cane suggesting that you were there. All of this indicates that you were very much involved in this crime! Hurry up and confess!¡± ¡°I have nothing to confess. Everything I said was the truth.¡± Qi Ying was determined to stick by the story that he had not been at the scene, and was not rted in any way to the crimemitted. If he were to tell the truth, he would most likely be executed. However, if he denied all of the allegations, there was still hope! If Master Thirteen hadn¡¯t been lying to him, then he would definitely try to save him after learning of the fact that he had been detained. As things currently stood, there was no other way out! The official¡¯s eyes narrowed into slits as he chuckled. ¡°So you¡¯re not going to confess...¡± He turned to the people from the Duan family and the academy. ¡°Family Leader Duan, Principal Gu, and everyone else. I¡¯m going to begin my interrogation now. There are some things that I cannot allow you to see, so please return to your posts and await further news from me. Trust me, I will deliver the correct verdict!¡± ... Clip clop clip clop! A horse galloped on the streets, towing a carriage behind it. Gu Shiwei and everyone else from the Celestial River Academy were sitting in the carriage, on their way back to the academy. Within the carriage. An elder said. ¡°Principal, this Qi Ying really does appear to be rted to this crime. On top of that, his left hand is very strange! We don¡¯t know much about his past either... I can¡¯t help but feel that this child is far too mysterious and potentially very dangerous. What should we do? A child like him may be dangerous, but he also has great potential. It would be very beneficial to us if we could recruit him to our side.¡± Gu Shiwei shook his head. ¡°No matter what the truth behind this matter is, it no longer has anything to do with us. If we can save Qi Ying without taking any risks, then we should, but it¡¯s not worth offending too many people for his sake. If he really does have powerful backers, then we won¡¯t need to try and rescue him. Whoevermitted the crime will naturallye forward and save him in our stead.¡± ¡°Then, what do we do now?¡± Gu Shiwei¡¯s brows furrowed slightly in contemtion. ¡°Deploy some people in secret to spread news of this event. Make sure it reaches the ears of as many people as possible. All we can do now is to try our best to inform the actual culprit about Qi Ying¡¯s current situation. All that¡¯s left to do after that, is to wait.¡± ... Thus, a piece of news soon began to circte throughout the Celestial River County. It was still rted to the recent harrowing homicides, and apparently, the information had been disclosed by the authorities. ording to the news, a Low Division disciple of the Celestial River Academy had been detained as a suspect. A verdict was going to be arrived at soon, and the inhabitants of the county were told not to worry. Everyone felt that it waspletely absurd. ¡®Are you f*cking kidding me?!¡¯ The thirty-seven victims were not defenseless animals. Those were thirty-seven warriors, even the weakest of which were at the Seventh Strength Martial Stage! They were Celestial River Academy disciples who had infinite potential! There was even a Sixth Energy Martial Stage warrior among them, so the culprit had to have at least been a Ninth Energy Martial Stage powerful being! Why had they detained a Low Division disciple as a scapegoat? That clearly highlighted the ipetence of the authorities. Word of this soon began to spread like wildfire. Within half a day, half of the entire Celestial River County had heard about it, and none of them were convinced. Ironically, the whole farce had developed to be the catalyst for a movement against corrupt and ipetent officials. Of course, no one really cared what would happen to the Low Division disciple involved at the center of the controversy. All they could do, and all they wanted to do, was to vent their frustrations at the authorities. ... Within a booth in the Colosseum. Master Thirteen strode in and the servant, Little Xiang, immediately made her way out and closed the door behind her. Lu Feifei was reclined on a chair and she nced at Master Thirteen. ¡°I¡¯ve heard the news. How is Qi Ying?¡± ¡°I was still too careless!¡± Master Thirteen sighed, ¡°We left some evidence at the scene and the Duan family is using that against Qi Ying. He¡¯s most likely being interrogated right now...¡± A hint of concern appeared in Lu Feifei¡¯s seductive eyes. ¡°Interrogation? Those officials aren¡¯t very good at their jobs, but they¡¯re very cruel in their interrogations! Who knows what they¡¯re going to do to Qi Ying.¡± Master Thirteen spected in a slow voice. ¡°He¡¯s definitely going to suffer a little, but he should be fine as long as he denies all of the allegations. If he folds and admits to everything, then I can only say that I was wrong about him!¡± ¡°So what should we do?¡± Lu Feifei¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°I can¡¯t do anything about this.¡± Master Thirteen sped his hands behind his back, ¡°The Duan family most likely already suspects my involvement in this case. Even though they¡¯re not a cause for concern elsewhere, they are very influential here in the Celestial River County.¡± ¡°So...¡± Master Thirteenid a hand on Lu Feifei¡¯s delicate shoulder, ¡°It¡¯s all up to you.¡± Lu Feifei was slightly taken aback. ¡°Me? What can I do?¡± A faint smile appeared on Master Thirteen¡¯s face as heid his other hand on her shoulder as well and gave her a gentle massage. ¡°You are the esteemed Madam Lu. Surely it wouldn¡¯t be too difficult for you to provide some proof that Qi Ying was not at the scene? As long as you can provide a valid reason, I¡¯ll be able to pull some strings and rescue Qi Ying with ease.¡± Chapter 38: He Was under My Sheets

Chapter 38: He Was under My Sheets

Within a dark and damp chamber, Qi Ying was bound to a wooden cross. His entire body was riddled with wounds, and the thorn whip had been ced in a bucket, within which the water had turned red from his blood. Qi Ying¡¯s chest rose and fell as he panted heavily, but his eyes still shone with a resolute light. A jailor picked up the thorn whip andshed out, adding another ghastly gash to Qi Ying¡¯s body. ¡°Gasp...¡± Even though he was a little numb already, he still couldn¡¯t help but wince as the pepper water the whip had been sitting in seeped into the wound. The official sat behind the desk in front of him. ¡°Do you confess or not?¡± Qi Ying bit down on his lower lip and didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Keeping going!¡± The officialmanded in a cold voice. The two jailors each held a thorn whip dipped in pepper water, and they struck Qi Ying over and over again. ¡°Keep going until he confesses!¡± The official¡¯s lips twitched. He had been working in that role for twenty years and interrogated countless criminals. There was nock of tough nuts to crack among them, but only a handful of people had managed tost an entire night without confessing. Furthermore, the suspect being interrogated was a fifteen-year-old boy. Most boys at his age would be crying for their parents as soon as they caught sight of the thorn whips, so he had thought that Qi Ying would have confessed long ago. However, he was extremely stubborn and refused to confess no matter how many times he was struck! An entire night had already passed, and he had been struck countless times. Two whips had even been broken and reced, but they still didn¡¯t even manage to get a single word out of him. ¡°Stop there.¡± The official issued anothermand to the two jailors. It appeared that thebination of whip in pepper water was ineffective, and it would be futile to continue. ¡°Phew...¡± Qi Ying finally had a chance to catch his breath and at the same time, he activated his Purple Energy Cultivation Method, guiding his True Energy to flow through his wounds. Through doing so, he could nurture the gashes on his body and soothe the burning pain. The official stood up and made his way over to Qi Ying before staring into his eyes. ¡°Stop being stubborn, Qi Ying. Just confess. You¡¯re going to die anyway, so why don¡¯t you point out the true culprit? You¡¯ll be taking them down with you, and you won¡¯t have to suffer any longer.¡± ¡°I already told you that I don¡¯t know anything.¡± Qi Ying replied in a cold voice. ¡°Hmph.¡± The official¡¯s expression instantly darkened, ¡°Do you really think I can¡¯t do anything to you? Regardless of whether you confess or not, your death is sealed! You might as well confess now to save yourself the suffering! It looks like you haven¡¯t had enough; bring on the hand-crusher!¡± The hand-crusher was an extremely cruel torture device consisting of two metal panels, between which the victim¡¯s hand was crushed. Gears could be turned to minimize the space between the panels, thereby exerting more crushing force and inflicting excruciating pain. ng! A jailor quickly brought out a pair of hand-crushers. ¡°Untie his hands... Actually, untie only his left hand!¡± The official red at Qi Ying as hemanded in a vicious voice. Keeping in mind that Qi Ying was a powerful warrior, he was afraid that untying both of his hands would allow him to retaliate and turn on his tormentors. There were cases of simr events that had happened in other jails. Untying one hand could still facilitate the torture method, but also ensure his personal safety. It was the best course of action. Qi Ying¡¯s left hand was soon untied, and his five fingers were mped between the metal panels. The official gave him onest chance. ¡°Qi Ying, you can still confess now and I¡¯ll spare you this torture. Your left hand is already mutated to such an extent; the bones inside must be very brittle. If we mp down with the hand-crushers, that hand will probably shatter like ss... Tsk tsk...¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± Qi Ying couldn¡¯t help but burst intoughter. The official red up with rage upon seeing this. ¡°You find this funny, do you? I¡¯m going to mp you to death, you little b*stard! Crush his hands until all of his fingers are broken!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Two jailors began to turn the gears on their respective sides in unison, and the space between the metal panels quickly shrank. Crack crack crack! The sound of something beingpressed erupted from between the panels. The official turned his attention to Qi Ying, waiting for him to finally break and howl with agony. However, to his surprise, Qi Ying¡¯s expression remainedpletely unchanged even while his hand was being crushed. ¡°You¡¯re still putting on a hard facade? Press harder! Snap all of his fingers!¡± The official¡¯s voice was getting a little hoarse from yelling. The two jailors began to put in more elbow grease. Qi Ying looked on expressionlessly as the veins bulged on their foreheads from exertion, and he was struck by the urge tough. ¡®These f*cking idiots... Even the most powerful weapons can¡¯t even inflict so much as a scratch on my left hand. It can feel neither pain nor temperature; it¡¯s basically a weapon that is literally an extension of my own body... How is this pathetic little toy going to do anything?¡¯ The official was astonished. How much willpower did it take for him to withstand the pain of having his hand crushed? Furthermore, he didn¡¯t even look like he was suffering in any way. In fact, he seemed to be... smiling! ¡®He¡¯s insane!¡¯ The official couldn¡¯t think of anyone that could smile through such torture, aside from a deranged man. A crisp crack sounded as the gears were broken. The two jailors overbnced and both of them fell to the ground. The official waspletely stunned by the sight of the hand-crushers. Not only were the gears broken, even the metal panels had been bent out of shape... What the hell was going on? ¡°Hehe.¡± Qi Ying chuckled again and to the official, that was like the equivalent of ten thousand insults. ¡°Bring on the tiger stool!¡± He was going to try out all of the torture devices on Qi Ying. He was intent on wiping that smirk off his face! The sound of footsteps suddenly resonated from outside, and the official roared with rage. ¡°Bring the tiger stool here!¡± Qi Ying was driving him mad with fury, so he could only vent his frustrations on his subordinates. However, a woman¡¯s voice replied, as opposed to the timid voice of a jailor. ¡°Get Qi Ying down from there.¡± ¡°Who is it?¡± The official turned with a surprised expression and the sight that greeted him took his breath away. Hair like flowing waves, a tall and pronounced nose, seductive eyes, and an explosive figure that couldn¡¯t even be fully obscured by a cloak. She was one of the most renowned beauties of the city, Madam Lu! Everyone was stunned by the sight of her, and they didn¡¯t even have the presence of mind to check if any guards had apanied her in. It was Madam Lu! To people like them, it would be vastly fortunate if they could catch a glimpse of her from afar... But she had appeared in their jail cell? She was talking to them? Was this a dream?! ¡°This... Madam Lu, you...¡± The official was stunned to the point of stuttering. ¡°Shut your mouth if you can¡¯t speak properly! I¡¯m here to take Qi Ying away!¡± Madam Lu nced at Qi Ying and said, ¡°I¡¯m his witness. I can provide testimony that Qi Ying wasn¡¯t at the scene when the crime took ce.¡± ¡°Then where was he? And what was he doing?¡± The official asked instinctively. ¡°Where was he? Of course, he was at my mansion under my sheets!¡± Chapter 39: A Pretty Boy

Chapter 39: A Pretty Boy

¡°What?¡± Everyone was stunned by Madam Lu¡¯s reply. She was the most beautiful woman in the Celestial River County, and a major shareholder in both the Colosseum and the Myriad Spring Brothel. It was unconfirmed, but she was quite possibly the wealthiest woman in the county as well¡ªand to top it all off, she was a young widow. She was sought after by every single man in the entire county. But what had she just said? She could provide testimony that Qi Ying wasn¡¯t at the crime scene the day prior? Furthermore, she was saying that Qi Ying was at her mansion and under her sheets? To be able to get into Madam Lu¡¯s sheets was the dream of countless men. mes of envy were burning in the eyes of the official and all of the jailors. Lu Feifei¡¯s raised a delicate eyebrow. ¡°What? Did you not hear me? Ah Zuo, Ah You, get Qi Ying down from there!¡± Two identical men in ck clothes suddenly emerged from behind her, before making their way directly toward Qi Ying. ¡°Wait!¡± The official immediately said as he tried to stop them, ¡°Qi Ying is a major suspect and...¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Lu Feifei abruptly cut him off. ¡°I already told you that Qi Ying was at my mansion at the time. If you want more witnesses, I can easily find over a hundred for you.¡± The official was beginning to panic. ¡°But...¡± Qi Ying had been detained and taken to jail by Duan Xi in person. Before he left, he had expressed a strong desire to keep Qi Ying detained until the case was solved. Ah Zuo and Ah You strode forward and one of them pushed him to the ground. The two jailors didn¡¯t dare to do anything aside from looking on as the twins severed the chains, and helped Qi Ying down. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Lu Feifei turned to leave. ¡°You can¡¯t...¡± The official still wanted to say something. Lu Feifei¡¯s brows furrowed with impatience. ¡°Can¡¯t what? Even if the mayor were here, the fact of the matter is that Qi Ying wasn¡¯t at the scene. B*stards like you are so eager to solve the case that you¡¯re detaining innocent people! Qi Ying was trying to protect my reputation by refusing to confess where he was at the time, but you¡¯ve forced my hand here! If you dare to try and stop me, my men will break your legs!¡± The official immediately swallowed his words of objection. He couldn¡¯t mess with the Duan family, and nor could he mess with Madam Lu... If he tried to stop them, there was a very solid chance that he would be beaten to the point of disability, and no one would give him anypensation either... It was simply not worth offending the most powerful woman in the Celestial River County, just to appease to the Duan family. The twins tried to carry Qi Ying away, but he pointed toward the silver glove on the desk. ¡°That¡¯s mine...¡± Lu Feifei stepped forward and took the silver glove before turning to leave. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Thus, the four of them left the jail cell, while the official and jailors remained, looking on in fear and lust at Lu Feifei¡¯s departing figure. ... The horse-drawn carriage provided a slightly bumpy ride, and Qi Ying wanted to sit up, but was forced to lie back down by Lu Feifei while reclining on her legs. She caressed the gashes on Qi Ying¡¯s body with a sympathetic expression, then said in a gentle voice, ¡°You must have suffered a lot. I¡¯m going to avenge you today by amputating the limbs of that official and the jailors.¡± After being tortured for an entire night, Qi Ying was utterly exhausted, and severely injured. Thus, he went along with what Madam Lu was doing,ying down on her legs, and thanking her in a feeble voice, ¡°Madam Lu... Don¡¯t cause any trouble for my sake... I really must thank you today.¡± ¡°If you really want to thank me, then focus on recovery. Only after you¡¯re fit and firing again will you have the energy to thank me.¡± Lu Feifei turned to Qi Ying with a suggestive nce as she spoke. Qi Ying knew what she was implying, but he pretended to be oblivious. Lu Feifeiid her slim fingers onto Qi Ying¡¯s left hand, to find that it was cold and hard, much more like a piece of metal than a human hand. Her brows furrowed slightly as she questioned in a hushed voice. ¡°How did your left hand be like this? I was curious when I saw you wearing that glove but... Forget it, if this has to do with past events that you don¡¯t want to mention, then just pretend like I never asked.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Qi Ying was feeling quite faint and he didn¡¯t want to speak anymore. He closed his eyes and prepared to take a quick nap. However, his head suddenly began to throb as a familiar feeling struck him. His body began to spasm and cold sweat poured from his forehead. Lu Feifei was given a fright upon seeing this. ¡°Qi Ying, what¡¯s going on?¡± Pain was dominating Qi Ying¡¯s consciousness, threatening to pull him under. His body convulsed as he said through gritted teeth. ¡°Madam Lu... I have pills in the spatial ring in my glove... I need to take pills...¡± He was then unable to hold on any longer and fell unconscious... ... Qi Ying felt like he was falling from great heights, and after plummeting for what seemed like an eternity, he finally felt like he hadnded on the ground. He abruptly came to his senses and regained control of his body. He opened his eyes and was greeted by the sight of a pink canopy. ¡®What is this ce...¡¯ Qi Ying sat up on the soft bed and scrambled to remember what had happened. He was being interrogated in jail, then Madam Lu suddenly arrived and took him away. He got onto her carriage andid down on her legs, then his left hand began acting up again... Hence, he had to be at Madam Lu¡¯s mansion. Qi Ying leaned on the bedframe and looked around at his surroundings. The ce wasn¡¯t what he had imagined. It was a very simple setting with just a bed and a table, and the faint scent of incense wafted through the air. His wounds were very itchy and numb; there seemed to have been some sort of ointment applied to them. Half of his upper body had been bandaged up in an extremely neat manner. His silver glove had also been slipped onto his left hand. ¡°Phew... I don¡¯t know what happened, but I¡¯vee out of that ursed ce at least...¡± Thinking back to that prison cell, Qi Ying still had a hint of fear lingering in his heart. In that ce, he was like an animal waiting to be ughtered. All types of torture had been inflicted upon him, and both his dignity and body were being trampled. At that moment, the door to the room suddenly opened. Qi Ying turned, thinking that it was Madam Lu, only to find that it was a man instead. ¡°Master Thirteen?¡± ... Only after Master Thirteen arrived did Qi Ying figure out what had happened. The day prior, news of his detainment had somehow spread through the entire Celestial River County. After learning of his situation, Master Thirteen asked Madam Lu to save him from prison. At the same time, he bribed many officials, fabricating a set of circumstances that proved Qi Ying¡¯s innocence. The tale that had been spun was that he was at Madam Lu¡¯s mansion at the time, doing... some things. Qi Ying was at a loss for words after hearing that. It was a good thing that he had been rescued, but his reputation was gone! How was he supposed to face the world like this? He was a pretty boy sugar baby! Chapter 40: Promiscuous Floral Incense

Chapter 40: Promiscuous Floral Incense

Master Thirteen stood up to leave and said to Qi Ying, ¡°Stay at Madam Lu¡¯s mansion for the next couple of days. All of your injuries are just flesh wounds, and medicine has been prepared. You¡¯ll be recovered in no time. Don¡¯t forget that you have to return to fight at the Colosseum in two days!¡± ¡°Of course. Thank you, Master Thirteen! Oh, by the way, Master Thirteen, can I ask you a favor?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Mother Yu is still living by herself near the academy, I fear for her safety...¡± Master Thirteen suddenly burst intoughter upon hearing this. ¡°Hehe... You don¡¯t need to worry about her.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Qi Ying was taken aback by that response. Master Thirteen made it sound like he was very familiar with Mother Yu. However, he didn¡¯t provide any exnation and only offered some words of reassurance before leaving the room. ... The medicine prepared by Master Thirteen was extremely effective and that, in conjunction with Qi Ying¡¯s naturally quick rate of recovery, meant that he was basically fully recovered after just half a day. He removed the bandages and ayer of ck scabs fell with them. His new skin was still a little fairer inplexion than the skin around it. He was just lying down when the door opened again. Qi Ying thought that the servants wereing in to change the bandages again, but he was instead greeted by the sight of a gorgeous woman that made his heart rate spike dramatically. ¡°Madam Lu...¡± Qi Ying hurriedly sat up on the bed. Lu Feifei sat down on the bed and stroked his chest with a smile on her face. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re all better now. You seem a lot more energetic.¡± ¡°Thank you for saving me, Madam Lu.¡± Qi Ying expressed words of gratitude, but he didn¡¯t dare to meet Madam Lu¡¯s gaze. The physical contact that she had just initiated with him had already triggered an involuntary physical reaction; on top of that, she was sitting too close to him. Her words and nces seemed to possess some sort of irresistible quality, evoking within him a carnal response. He was very concerned that he would be unable to repress his urges, and do something that he would regret. However, Lu Feifei was hoping for exactly that. That was fresh meat right on her doorstep, and it was an opportunity she could not miss. If she couldn¡¯t take advantage of the situation, another chance may not arise in the future. As such, it was now or never. ¡°If you really want to thank me, I can show you how.¡± She sidled up to Qi Ying and pressed her body tightly against his. He was feeling quite ufortable and tried to shuffle away, but was backed into the wall adjacent to the bed. A lovely scent wafted into his nostrils and for some reason, Qi Ying felt like his body temperature was rising. However, that sensation onlysted for a split second. He could sense some new energy entering his body, simr to the type of energy attained after drinking that tea in the colosseum booth. Qi Ying heaved an internal sigh. ¡®So even the incense rich people use can assist in cultivation!¡¯ However, Lu Feifei¡¯s brows were slightly furrowed. She had just lit up some Promiscuous Floral Incense in secret. That was an incense able to reveal any man¡¯s animalistic true colors. The Spring Night Intoxication on the previous asion may have been diluted by the tea, thereby preventing it from taking effect on Qi Ying, and resulting in that situation with Yan Thirteen. However, the Promiscuous Floral Incense should have gotten the job done. The problem was she was feeling all hot and bothered from the effects of the incense, but Qi Ying didn¡¯t disy any reactions! Qi Ying soon noticed that something seemed to be amiss about Madam Lu. ¡°Madam Lu, your face is so red... Are you sick? Wait... what are you doing? Why are you taking off your clothes?!¡± Qi Ying was feeling extremely shy and flustered. Madam Lu had taken off half of her clothes, and the mere sight of her set his lower abdomen on fire. A pair of warm and slender hands settled on his waist, and they seemed to be inching lower... ¡°I want you. Just let me have my way with you!¡± Madam Lu¡¯s eyes were zed over as she pressed her body into his. ¡°...¡± Qi Ying¡¯s mind waspletely muddled. ¡®My god, this woman is way too scary! She¡¯s trying to eat me alive! But I¡¯m a good man with a sense of moralpass; I can¡¯t allow things to go on like this!¡¯ He was already determined to give himself entirely to another woman, and had vowed that he would remain faithful for his entire life. How could he fall at such a hurdle? Qi Ying apologized internally to Madam Lu. He then gripped onto Lu Feifei¡¯s waist and dragged her off his body, before pinning her to the bed. ¡°My apologies, Madam Lu!¡± Qi Ying gritted his teeth and pulled down the canopy around the bed. He tore the canopy into strips and tied Lu Feifei up. The immobilized Lu Feifei squirmed as she stared at Qi Ying. ¡°Qi Ying, what are you trying to...? Mmmm...¡± Qi Ying jammed a clump of cloth into her mouth, preventing her from finishing her sentence. As such, she could only make some muffled sounds in protest. ¡°Amitabha!¡± Qi Ying ced his palms together and closed his eyes, ¡°Madam Lu, I thank you for saving me, but I cannot give my body to you. If you¡¯re really struggling with loneliness, then please find someone else to entertain you! There are so many men in this world; I¡¯m just a fifteen-year-old kid who may not even be able tost a minute! What do you see in me?¡± Qi Ying sat on the bed and kept an eye on Lu Feifei for half the night, preventing her from being able to do anything out of line. However, Lu Feifei was in a lot of pain. The Promiscuous Floral Incense was just as effective in women as it was for men. Her libido had risen to the peak, but she could only press her legs together with all her might, in order to satisfy her urges somewhat. Meanwhile, the man beside her was as still as a statue. Lu Feifei pleaded with Qi Ying for release with her eyes, but he merely shook his head and tightened the makeshift rope around her, thereby even preventing her from being able to mp her legs together... The effects of the incense finally wore off, and Lu Feifei was drenched in sweat as she panted heavily. Only then did Qi Ying untie her. ¡°You... you¡¯re a b*stard...¡± Even though she had been untied, Lu Feifei was far too spent to be able to get up. Sheid sprawled out on the bed and glowered at Qi Ying. ¡°...¡± Qi Ying shrugged with an innocent expression. ¡°Oi, kid.¡± Lu Feifei no longer being as amicable with her words, ¡°What¡¯s going on in that head of yours? Countless men in this world lust for my body; why is it that you¡¯re treating it like trash?¡± ¡°Madam Lu, you are indeed very beautiful, and I admit that you are very attractive.¡± Qi Ying sighed, ¡°However, my heart already belongs to someone else. I made a promise to her, so I can¡¯t betray her.¡± Chapter 41: The Kingdom’s Seven Major Families

Chapter 41: The Kingdom¡¯s Seven Major Families

Lu Feifei was intrigued. ¡°Who is she? Is she beautiful?¡± Qi Ying was clearly infatuated, to the extent that he would even turn down her advances. As such, the object of his affection had to be quite an extraordinary woman. Qi Ying raised his head and he seemed to be thinking about something. After a long silence, he finally replied, ¡°She... is someone I can see, but not reach! Is she beautiful? I¡¯ve never even dared to look directly at her face. However, no one is more beautiful in my heart, not even you... In any case, she¡¯s very kind and I owe her my life. I can only dedicate the rest of my life to her as a means to repay that debt.¡± ¡°Oh? What¡¯s her name?¡± Lu Feifei¡¯s interest was further piqued. Qi Ying replied in a slow voice. ¡°Her surname is Qin, and her name is Susu. Qin Susu.¡± ¡°Qin Susu...¡± Lu Feifei murmured to herself, and a look of disbelief appeared on her face, ¡°Qin Susu?! Which Qin Susu is this? Where is she from?¡± ¡°She is from the Qin family of Yun Xiao City.¡± ¡°Hah? Hahaha!¡± Lu Feifei was initially stunned before bursting intoughter, ¡°You... you sure dare to dream! Qin Susu is the young mistress of the Qin family, one of the seven major families of Yun Xiao City! She is an extraordinary prodigy who reached the Spirit Martial Stage at just fifteen years of age! Countless young masters in Yun Xiao City are seeking her hand in marriage... I thought I was already mentally prepared, but I didn¡¯t think she would be the woman of your dreams... What a joke!¡± She felt that Qi Ying was foolish to the point of being adorable. Qin Susu was the crown jewel of the Qin family, one of the seven major families of the entire kingdom! She was sixteen years of age at present and her cultivation base had reached the Third Spirit Martial Stage. She had not yet fully matured, but one could already tell that she was going to be an exquisite beauty further down the track. She was sought after by countless young men in Yun Xiao City, but only an exceptional handful had a realistic chance with her... Meanwhile, who was Qi Ying supposed to be? He was just a no-name kid from a no-name city. Yan Thirteen did state that he had some social status, but how could hepare to the likes of Qin Susu? There could be mutual love between the two, but there was no way that would evolve into anything. The social norm in the kingdom was that men had to preside as heads of their families. The Qin family definitely wouldn¡¯t allow some insignificant brat to approach their young mistress. The seven major families, consisting of the Qin, Qi, Yan, Chu, Han, Zhao, and Wei families were the ones at the tip of the pyramid in the kingdom! Those were colossal powers that had existed for thousands of years; the four major families of the Celestial River County werepletely iparable to them. In fact, the Duan, An, Wang, and Sun families probably weren¡¯t even good enough to be epted as servants to those families. How utterlyughable. Qi Ying nced at Lu Feifei, whose bare, delicate shoulders were still out in the open, and he draped a thin veil robe over her body before saying in a slow voice, ¡°In your eyes, this whole thing may be hrious. Other people will probably think the same. I¡¯m also aware of the gulf between her and myself. However, I also believe that I will be able to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with her someday! Mother Yu has told me that nothing is difficult if I set my mind to it! At the very least, I must fight to achieve my goals.¡± Qi Ying spoke in a very resolute and serious manner, without any hint of pretentiousness. Lu Feifei could tell that he wasn¡¯t trying to put on a serious facade. Instead, those were words that came straight from the bottom of his heart. She was suddenly feeling even more attracted to him. In the past, she was trying to subdue him for the sake of the conquest. However, she was starting to like him as a person. ¡®I must have him! I may have failed this time, but there¡¯s always next time!¡¯ Lu Feifei thought to herself. ... Lu Feifei only put on her clothes and left his room when daylight appeared. As she left, she turned to him with a suggestive look. ¡°Stay here for another day! You can go straight to the Colosseum tomorrow.¡± ¡°...¡± Qi Ying didn¡¯t reply. Lu Feifei gave him a cheeky smile before exiting the room like a spritely young woman. The two guards outside were shocked to see that. ¡®Madam Lu stayed with that kid for an entire night! Among all the men she has brought back with her, she had only two or three hours with them at most... That kid; what a lucky guy!¡¯ At that moment, Qi Ying also made his way out of the room. The two guards immediately stood in his way. ¡°Madam Lu has issued orders that you are not to be allowed to leave the Lu mansion.¡± Qi Ying came to a halt. He recognized those two guards. They were twin brothers who looked almost identical. One of them was Lu Zuo, who was the talkative one with a mole on the left corner of his lips; the other one was Lu You: the quiet one with a mole on the right corner of his lips. Those two were the personal bodyguards Madam Lu had brought with her from home, and both of them were unfathomably powerful. Qi Ying spected that they were most likely among some of the most powerful Energy Martial Stage warriors. Thus, it looked like he wouldn¡¯t be able to escape by force! Qi Ying smiled and said, ¡°I only wanted to cultivate in the courtyard. I have no intention of leaving the mansion.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± Lu Zuo nodded and said, ¡°We¡¯re only following Madam Lu¡¯s orders, so please don¡¯t make our job more difficult than it has to be. If you want to cultivate, we can give you some tips. Madam Lu has told us to satisfy your needs to the best of our abilities.¡± Qi Ying was ted to hear that. ¡°That¡¯s great! I just so happen to have a battle technique that I¡¯m having a little trouble with, please give me some guidance.¡± Lu Zuo¡¯s brows furrowed slightly. He had only said that out of politeness, and he didn¡¯t think that Qi Ying would actually take him up on the offer. ¡®You¡¯re just a kid at the Eighth Strength Martial Stage; of course you can¡¯t use any battle techniques...¡¯ However, he couldn¡¯t go back on his word, so Lu Zuo cleared his throat and responded. ¡°Ahem! Alright, I will do my best to help you.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Qi Ying pulled out his spatial ring from his glove, and brought out the Flowing Shadow Strike battle technique before handing it to Lu Zuo. ¡°This is the one.¡± ¡°Flowing Shadow Strike?¡± Lu Zuo murmured to himself as he looked at the book in his hands, ¡°This is a very practical Yellow Tier Intermediate-Rank battle technique, but it¡¯s very difficult to master! Besides... you¡¯re only at the Strength Martial Stage, why are you asking about this?¡± ¡°Oh...¡± Qi Ying only realized then that he wasn¡¯t at the academy, so there was no need to hide his cultivation base. Thus, he deactivated his Energy Concealment Mantra, and the aura of an Energy Martial Stage warrior instantly emanated from his body. ¡°So you concealed your power...¡± Lu Zuo¡¯s brows furrowed again, ¡°Alright, then let me give you some guidance.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± ... In the courtyard. Lu Zuo had his hands sped behind his back as he delivered a lecture to Qi Ying. ¡°The three majorponents of the Flowing Shadow Strike are all contained in its name. ¡®Flow¡¯ refers to movement techniques; there are thirty-sixbinations of movement techniques involved in the Flowing Shadow Strike. Since approaching the enemy in a full-frontal assault will often result in failure, technique is required. The ¡®shadow¡¯ refers to afterimages and in conjunction with the movement techniques, these can be used to confuse the enemy. In a battle of life and death, just a split second of indecision or misjudgment could prove to be fatal. Finally, the ¡®strike¡¯ naturally refers to the final strike to kill the enemy! ¡°I haven¡¯t ever tried this cultivation method before, but I should be able to get to the elementary level this morning, then instruct you after that... You don¡¯t need to thank me either. Just put in a good word for me when you see Madam Lu. Hopefully, she¡¯ll give me a few days¡¯ break so I can go and have some fun at the Myriad Spring Brothel...¡± Chapter 42: Practice

Chapter 42: Practice

Two hourster. Qi Ying stared intently at Lu Zuo, while thetter moved in a series of peculiar steps following a squiggly trajectory; it was very much like how a snake would, during its movement. At the same time, he continued to lecture Qi Ying, ¡°Moving in a straight line would obviously be the fastest way forward, but that makes it easy for the enemy to predict your approach! ¡°A straight jab is easy to block, but a hook thrown from an ufortable angle is a lot harder to ward off. Likewise, the essence of these movement techniques is to travel in an unpredictable trajectory, in conjunction with mixing up the distance covered by each step, in order to prevent the enemy from being able to discern your movement patterns!¡± Whoosh whoosh! Lu Zuo wasn¡¯t moving all that quickly, and none of his footsteps were aimed directly forward. Instead, he was constantly changing his angle, direction, and range of motion while following an overall trend that carried him forward. After demonstrating that sequence of movements several times, Lu Zuo turned to Qi Ying. ¡°Those were just the movement techniques by themselves. When you actually use them in battle, you can inject your True Energy into your joints and the soles of your feet, and that would greatly enhance your speed! ¡°Next, I¡¯m going to demonstrate to you how tobine the movement techniques of the Flowing Shadow Strike with the creation of afterimages. You can practice the movement techniques, but creating afterimages might be a little beyond your capabilities for now, so just watch my demonstration and think about it in your own time.¡± Lu Zuo had studied simr battle techniques to the Flowing Shadow Strike in the past, thereby making the process of mastering the technique a lot easier for him. Even so, it still took him two hours just to barely reach the elementary level. He knew that the most difficult part of cultivating that battle technique was the materialization of afterimages. That required extremely outstanding maniption of True Energy, which was something that a First Energy Martial Stage warrior would struggle to master in less than a month. Whoosh! Lu Zuo started over, but on that asion, his speed suddenly rose drastically. At the same time, a ck shadow trailed along after him, making it difficult for the onlooker to identify his location. Whoosh whoosh! Lu Zuo elerated even further, and that one ck shadow turned into two. The shadows were both moving extremely quickly, and following peculiar movement patterns, making it almost impossible to figure out which one was the real Lu Zuo. ¡®This technique is amazing! It can drastically enhance speed and confuse the enemy through the use of afterimages!¡¯ Qi Ying wore an ted expression as he watched Lu Zuo¡¯s demonstration. Back when he was trying to master the battle technique from scratch, he was unable to understand many points, and it felt like he had reached a dead end. However, after watching Lu Zuo unleash the technique, he had suddenly attained a hint of enlightenment, and he felt like a path had been opened up before him. All of a sudden, the two ck shadows suddenly pounced toward Lu You, who was situated elsewhere in the courtyard. Whoosh! The shadows reached Lu You in the blink of an eye. However, Lu You remained calm and collected as he suddenly reached out with his hand! Thud! The ck shadows instantly crumbled. Lu Zuo¡¯s physical body was revealed, and one of his arms had been locked tightly in Lu You¡¯s hand. He was trying to show off in front of Qi Ying, but had failed in an embarrassing fashion. An awkward expression appeared on Lu Zuo¡¯s face as he shook off Lu You¡¯s hand, while cursing him internally for not cooperating. He then turned to Qi Ying and cleared his throat to say, ¡°So that¡¯s the Flowing Shadow Strike. This is all I can achieve after two hours of practice.¡±I have reached the elementary level of this Yellow Tier Intermediate-Rank battle technique, and it¡¯s not yet enough for me to unleash the extent of my power. However, to a rookie Energy Martial Stage warrior like you, it will be extremely useful. You can try and practice ording to the movement technique patterns I just showed you.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Qi Ying nodded before reflecting on the key elements of Lu Zuo¡¯s demonstration. Lu Zuo was most likely even more powerful than most of the teachers in the academy. Even though his attack had been nullified by Lu You with ease, the limiting factor there was his mastery of the battle technique rather than ack of power. Furthermore, Lu Zuo had intentionally slowed down during his demonstration, and dissected the Flowing Shadow Strike into portions, thereby allowing Qi Ying to make clear observations, which would undoubtedly hold him in good stead going forward. ¡°The Flowing Shadow Strike mostly relies on movement techniques. Using True Energy to elerate and conjure up afterimages is secondary to that. To a normal warrior, thetter is quite difficult, but it¡¯s very easy for me. As long as you can master the movement techniques, you will have essentially seeded in your cultivation of the Flowing Shadow Strike!¡± Qi Ying nodded before taking his first step and moving ording to the patterns in the Flowing Shadow Strike. He had a certain foundation in martial arts, so he was at least able to judge the range of his steps. However, his regtion of power output was a littlecking, thereby resulting in uneven jerky movements that were very unsightly to behold, and he almost fell over several times. Lu Zuo was very amused as he looked at Qi Ying. He thought that Qi Ying looked exactly like an ungainly duckling learning how to walk. However, Lu You suddenly rained on his parade. ¡°You were even more uncoordinated than him when you first began practicing the technique.¡± Lu Zuo¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°Really?¡± Lu You: ¡°Yes.¡± Lu Zuo: ¡°...¡± After practicing a few times, Qi Ying began to pay particr attention to controlling his power output. At the same time, he thought about the steps described in the Flowing Shadow Strike and thought back to Lu Zuo¡¯s demonstrations. He made sure to pay special heed to some of the more difficult movements, practicing them over and over again, aiming to make his movements more precise and refined. The scorching sun hung high in the sky, and sweat began to pour down Qi Ying¡¯s face. Lu Zuo leaned against a tree, with his entire body under its shadow, and he called out from afar, ¡°Come under the shade and have a rest, buddy. There are going to be some pretty girls delivering some food and wine to us soon. Let¡¯s have a good meal together!¡± ¡°Thank you, but I¡¯m fine for now!¡± Qi Ying continued to practice under the hot sun. He had finally begun to make sense of things, and had achieved basic mastery of twenty-four out of the thirty-six movement techniques. The remaining twelve were more difficult, but he was making good progress on those as well. He had found his groove and wanted to master everything in one go. Otherwise, if he were to stop and rest, he would lose that feeling of rity and be forced to start again from square one. Lu Zuo shook his head with a smile and didn¡¯t insist. The twins brought a little table under the shade of the tree and sat down as two servants brought out some food. They sampled the dishes that had been delivered while sipping cups of wine, enjoying the peace and serenity. All of a sudden. Whoosh! A gust of wind seemed to have been swept up within the courtyard. ¡°Huh?¡± Lu Zuo looked up to discover that there was a ck shadow whizzing around within the courtyard! Chapter 43: Pinnacle of the First Energy Martial Stage

Chapter 43: Pinnacle of the First Energy Martial Stage

Whoosh! Whoosh! The shadow moved like the wind, traversing around extremely quickly in an unpredictable zigzag manner. At the same time, it was sweeping up gusts of wind that were blowing dust and leaves into the air. All of a sudden. The ck shadow seemed to have lost control and crashed into a wall. Thud! A series of cracks appeared on the wall and several bricks fell to the ground, while the entire wall also seemed to be on the verge of copse. ¡°Crap!¡± ¡°Is that kid trying to kill himself?!¡± Lu You and Lu Zuo were extremely rmed as they leaped up and rushed over to the crumbling wall. Boom! Before they had a chance to help the ck shadow to his feet, the wall finally toppled and over a thousand bricks came crashing down. Dust and debris wafted through the air. Lu Zuo and Lu You¡¯s eyes widened. Madam Lu had asked them to look after Qi Ying, but who would have thought that he would crash into a wall while practicing a battle technique? Energy Martial Stage warriors still possessed vulnerable physical bodies. Without True Energy to bolster their frames, even the most ordinary knife could take their lives. That entire wall had been shattered, thereby indicating just how heavy the impact had been. Was he still alive? The Lu twins immediately squatted down and began to clear away the fallen bricks. It was quite clear from the events of the night prior that Madam Lu adored that kid. She had even gone to a jail cell just to testify for him, and if something were to happen to him, Lu You and Lu Zuo were sure that they would be in a lot of trouble. Other people may have been unaware of Madam Lu¡¯s background; they only knew of her as the most powerful and wealthiest woman in the Celestial River County. However, they were aware of the true extent of Madam Lu¡¯s power and influence. At that moment. Whoosh! A hand suddenly emerged from the pile of bricks. Immediately following that, a figure struggled to his feet. ¡°Ow...¡± Qi Ying grasped his right shoulder, which had rammed straight into the wall, and grimaced with pain. He had been a little too hasty while unleashing the Flowing Shadow Strike, resulting in a slightpse in concentration. As a result, he lost control of the True Energy injected into the soles of his feet, and his body had hurtled through the air, crashing straight into that wall. What was worthy of celebration, however, was that he had finally achieved basic mastery of all of the movement techniques, and was able to use his True Energy to enhance his speed! Lu Zuo grabbed Qi Ying and examined his body before heaving a sigh of relief. ¡°You almost gave me a heart attack, you little rascal! Don¡¯t be so hasty during your cultivation; you¡¯re only going to hurt yourself! Thank goodness you only crashed into a wall; if you had crashed into a weapons rack instead, you¡¯d be dead by now!¡± In contrast to Lu Zuo¡¯s distress, Lu You wore a faint smile on his face, creating a stark contrast to his perpetually expressionless face. ¡°That was not bad, buddy.¡± ¡°It was alright.¡± Qi Ying dusted himself off before turning to look at the copsed wall, ¡°About the wall...¡± Lu Zuo waved a dismissive hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, how much can a wall be worth? Actually,e to think of it, that wall was the one with the white jade dragon carved on it... But that¡¯s alright, Madam Lu likes you a lot, so she won¡¯t mind. Everything¡¯s fine as long as you¡¯re alright!¡± Qi Ying nodded. ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll return to my room first and apply some ointment. Thank you for your guidance.¡± Lu Zuo puckered his lips at the sight of Qi Ying¡¯s departing figure. ¡°Sigh, he¡¯s too eager to make progress. How is he going to master a battle technique if he doesn¡¯t take things step by step?¡± Lu You had a different opinion. ¡°He¡¯s already close to mastering the technique.¡± Lu Zuo was unconvinced. ¡°Are you kidding me? Even I had to practice for two hours just to get to the elementary level. He¡¯s only been practicing for fifteen minutes or so... There¡¯s no way he¡¯s made any significant progress.¡± Lu You said, ¡°Heh, you weren¡¯t paying close attention just then. Before he crashed into the wall, he had already gone through all thirty-six sets of movement techniques in shadow form! He only made a mistake when he tried to conjure up afterimages, and the act of multi-tasking hampered his control over his True Energy.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Lu Zuo raised an eyebrow. He and Lu You were twins, but Lu You had superior aptitude and was a master in battle techniques. He was a man who had practiced over a thousand battle techniques, and over ny-nine percent of his judgments were correct. But, if that really were the case... then that kid had terrifying potential! The Flowing Shadow Strike was a Yellow Tier Intermediate-Rank battle technique, and it was one of the most difficult ones out there. Still, that kid was able to master it in fifteen minutes after watching his demonstration? Lu You seemed to know what Lu Zuo was thinking, and he said, ¡°He must be an extraordinary kid to be held in such high regard by Madam Lu and Master Thirteen... A fifteen-year-old First Energy Martial Stage warrior can be considered to be a young prodigy! He probably has exceptional innate True Energy control just like I do, and he has a great future ahead of him. Perhaps he will be a force to be reckoned with in the Celestial River County someday.¡± A taunting sneer appeared on Lu Zuo¡¯s face. ¡°The Celestial River County is just an insignificant ce with no noteworthy prodigies anyway...¡± ... After returning to his room, Qi Ying immediately took an Energy Explosion Pill. Gulp! The power of the pill diffused within his body, and its essence was absorbed by the silver light in his blood. A relieved expression surfaced on Qi Ying¡¯s face. The Flowing Shadow Strike expended True Energy at an rming rate, far more so than the Dark Falcon Illusionary w, and his left hand had almost rpsed. However, there was something Qi Ying was even more frustrated about. He had to take one Energy Explosion Pill per day just to satisfy his requirement for pills! If he were to take Energy Containment Pills instead, he would have to take three or four at least. As for Great Strength Pills, he could probably down an entire vial with almost no effect. Energy Explosion Pills were already considered to be extremely valuable pills, with one pill costing several thousand crystals. Not only could it help Energy Martial Stage warriors improve their cultivation base, it could even assist a Ninth Strength Martial Stage warrior in making a breakthrough to the Energy Martial Stage. Many underprivileged warriors could sell off everything they owned and still be unable to afford even a single Energy Explosion Pill. ¡°I¡¯m going to battle in the Colosseum tomorrow, so I should be able to make some good money there! I wonder what beast I¡¯m going to be fighting this time...¡± Qi Ying sat on his bed and activated his Purple Energy Cultivation Method, using the remnant power of the Energy Explosion Pill to increase his cultivation base. Within his dantian, the purple energy vortex became more and more substantial, and its mass was steadily expanding as well. It appeared to be close to a certain bottleneck. That indicated that he was getting closer to the pinnacle of the First Energy Martial Stage. He had only just progressed to the Energy Martial Stage three days prior, and about two of those days were spent without doing any cultivation. This instilled Qi Ying with confidence in regards to his cultivation base leading up to the intra-academy tournament, and the subsequent Celestial River County Youth Battle Tournament. Qi Ying spent the entire afternoon practicing the Purple Energy Cultivation Method, refining many pills during the process, and taking his energy vortex closer and closer to saturation. ¡°Phew...¡± Qi Ying exhaled and decided to stop there for the moment. If he kept cultivating, there was a good chance that he would progress to the Second Energy Martial Stage. However, his meridians and constitution were slightlygging behind inparison to the rate of progression of his cultivation base. The True Energy within his body was overly abundant, and his meridians were throbbing as a result. Qi Ying made his way out of the room and at that point in time; night was beginning to set in. Lu Zuo and Lu You had already left the courtyard and were nowhere to be seen. Whoosh! Qi Ying¡¯s body transformed into a ck shadow as he rushed out the door. Chapter 44: The Absentminded Duan Huangye

Chapter 44: The Absentminded Duan Huangye

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Gusts of wind were swept up within the courtyard. In the darkness of the night, one could barely make out a blurry ck shadow, constantly whizzing about at an extremely fast speed. All of a sudden, the ck shadow split into two, and both shadows managed to maintain their speed. The wind grew fiercer and even the leaves on the trees were rustling loudly. Whoosh! Qi Ying abruptly came to a standstill, and his feet gouged deep troughs into thewn. ¡®I¡¯ve reached the elementary level in the Flowing Shadow Strike. In conjunction with a short weapon, this will be a lethal killing technique!¡¯ Following the conclusion to his cultivation, Qi Ying returned to his room andid down on the bed before closing his eyes. There were still remnants of Madam Lu¡¯s scent in the sheets, and Qi Ying¡¯s mind began to stray down some dirty avenues as he pondered what could have been had he given in the night prior. Even though he was utterly exhausted, his scrambled thoughts prevented him from getting to sleep, and he began to think about many things. The future was full of uncertainty, and just one ident could spell the end of his life. The world was too cruel, and people were just like the beasts on the Nameless Mountain,peting and jostling with one another for higher spots on the food chain. In order to survive, power alone was not enough. People had to also possess influence and intelligence, or they would inevitably fall prey to others. The first fifteen years of Qi Ying¡¯s life had been quite simple and carefree. He basically had no concerns as long as he had enough to eat and drink. However, his life had be more and more troublesome, ever since he had moved to the Celestial River County. He had to keep working hard in order to ovee and adapt. He didn¡¯t know when life was going to get easier for him. Perhaps from the moment he had left Nameless City in pursuit of Qin Susu, his life was destined to be filled with hardships. At the very least, he had to keep spurring himself on for the foreseeable future! That night, Madam Lu didn¡¯t appear. Qi Ying¡¯s mind gradually drifted until he fell asleep. ... Celestial River County, Duan family mansion. Several higher-ups from the Duan family were gathered in a secret chamber. Among them, there were young prodigies like Duan Jinhong and Duan Kai, the family leader, Duan Xi, and an elderly man with white hair and beard. That man was the Great Elder Duan Hongxue, who, like Duan Xi, was a Spirit Martial Stage warrior, and one of the most powerful beings in the Celestial River County. Within the secret chamber, everyone wore solemn expressions. Duan Jinhong broke the silence first. ¡°Family leader, I think we can deduce that Lu Feifei is at least one of the culprits behind the murders. She took Qi Ying away, which shows that he is under her protection... On top of that, our Duan family had quite a significant conflict with the Myriad Spring Brothel, in which she is a major shareholder. It¡¯s very likely that she¡¯s taking revenge on us. Both of her subordinates, Lu Zuo and Luo You, are renowned powerful beings, and it would not be difficult for them to kill thirty-seven warriors in a short span of time.¡± Duan Kai shook his head. ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense! Even if she doesn¡¯t see eye to eye with our Duan family, there are so many other easier ways to cause trouble for us. Why would she go to the extreme of killing thirty-seven Celestial River Academy disciples? Besides, what does this have to do with Qi Ying? He has only been at the Celestial River County for barely over two months...¡± Duan Jinhong cut him off there. ¡°It¡¯s exactly because of this that we can determine that those two share a special rtionship! Even if this has nothing to do with Lu Feifei, we¡¯ll at least be able to find out some information from her. By the way, have we found out anything about Qi Ying¡¯s background?¡± Duan Huangye replied. ¡°I sent some people to dig up information about Qi Ying and they came back with some findings. Turns out he¡¯s not a member of a fallen once-prominent family. Instead, he really is just an underprivileged disciple! He grew up with that blind woman in Nameless City, and it¡¯s exactly because of this that we believe he¡¯s quite special...¡± ¡°Nameless City?¡± Duan Hongxue had remained silent the entire time, but he suddenly raised his eyebrows. ¡°The Nameless City where the Nameless Mountain is situated? Apparently, a beast at the pinnacle of Earth Tier appeared there two and a half months ago! Many of the major families of the kingdom deployed people to capture it, only to discover that it was actually a Heaven Tier beast! Most of the people sent to that mountain were killed or wounded... Does Qi Ying have something to do with that event?¡± Duan Huangye replied in a respectful voice. ¡°Great elder, our people were able to verify that Qi Ying was on the Nameless Mountain at the time, and he acted as a guide to the people from the Qin family. He was able to survive that ordeal, and something happened between him and the Qin family during that process. We were unable to discover exactly what that was, as the leads ran cold there. Someone seems to be intentionally hiding this information. On top of that, I discovered something even more important.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Qi Ying wasn¡¯t even a warrior at the time.¡± ¡°Hmm?!¡± Everyone¡¯s hearts jolted in shock upon hearing that. They all looked at one another to discover that their own astonishment was mirrored on everyone else¡¯s faces. Qi Ying was at the Eighth Strength Martial Stage at that point in time... That meant that he had climbed eight cultivation base ranks in just over two months? Perhaps, this was not too extraordinary for members of some of the superpower families in the kingdom, but how could someone like him achieve the same rate of progression? Even if he had the aptitude, how had he gotten so many cultivation resources? There was definitely something amiss there! Duan Xi took a deep breath and adopted a serious expression. ¡°From this day forth, make sure to keep constant surveince on Qi Ying! I have to know the people he interacts with and what he does. He is a sworn enemy of our Duan family! With his rate of progression, he is going to be a massive threat in the future, so we must eliminate him as early as possible!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°And that Lu Feifei; investigate her too! She took Qi Ying away without any regard for our Duan family. The backgrounds of both Lu Feifei and Yan Thirteen are a mystery, but they own the two businesses that produce the most profit in the entire Celestial River County... It¡¯s quite possible that these two are behind everything!¡± ... Following the Duan family conference, Duan Huangye arrived at the Colosseum bright and early. There was going to be a big event heldter that day; the Nameless Warrior was facing his first battle following his progression to the Silver Rank. That was a highly anticipated event, and all tickets had been sold out in a sh, resulting in profits of hundreds of thousands of crystals. Even though the Duan family and Master Thirteen weren¡¯t on very good terms, there had been no direct conflict between them. Duan Huangye had even gotten a job at the Colosseum, and had slowly risen up the ranks during the past few years. He had earned a lot of ie from fixing battles, and that was how he was able to nurture both of his sons into Energy Martial Stage warriors at a young age, despite their ordinary aptitude. Following the deaths of his sons, all Duan Huangye wanted to do was to avenge them. As such, he was often very absentminded after arriving at work. ¡°Administrator Duan, the betting center is requesting your presence! Take three times the usual number of chips with you; there are a lot of people hedging bets today!¡± A ck-robed administrator said. ¡°Alright.¡± Duan Huangye made his way over to the betting center, constantly thinking about the situation the Duan family was in. He had his head lowered and was walking quite quickly. Thus, as he rounded a corner, he identally bumped into somebody. Chapter 45: The Fire Kirin Beast

Chapter 45: The Fire Kirin Beast

Thud! The absentminded Duan Huangye walked into someone, and thetter fell onto his backside. ¡°Sorry.¡± Ironically, it was the one who had been bumped into that apologized. ¡°Hmm...¡± Duan Huangye didn¡¯t even register the fact that he had bumped into someone. He gave an instinctive response, and that person quickly hurried away. Only then did Duan Huangye turn to look at him. That man wore a mask and a cloak; he appeared to be the Nameless Warrior. ¡°He¡¯s here pretty early... Why is his voice so familiar?¡± Duan Huangye suddenly realized that for some reason, the Nameless Warrior struck him with a sense of familiarity. His voice, his gait, his height and figure, all of it gave him a sense of deja vu. He was certain that he had seen the Nameless Warrior in some setting outside of the Colosseum. Duan Huangye began to try and guess who he was... Could it be that it was the young master of the An family, who was at the Sixth Energy Martial Stage? No, the An family¡¯s young master was quite thin and slightly taller than the Nameless Warrior. Then, could he be the young master of the Sun family? That couldn¡¯t be the case either. That man was close to thirty and had quite a husky voice,pletely different from the Nameless Warrior¡¯s. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn¡¯t quite ce his finger on who that man was. ¡°Aside from that little s**t, no one knows who the Nameless Warrior is... Yan Thirteen sure ys his cards well, using the mystery surrounding the Nameless Warrior for his personal profit!¡± Duan Huangye grumbled as he walked toward the betting center. ... Qi Ying had arrived at the Colosseum with Lu Feifei, and had taken a shower in one of the rooms upstairs, before making his way to the waiting area. After he was bumped into by Duan Huangye, he had instinctively apologized, and only realized that something was amiss after the event. He had seen that man before on the mountain behind the academy. He was a member of the Duan family, the father of the deceased Duan Yuan and Duan Jin: Duan Huangye! With that in mind, Qi Ying¡¯s heart jolted in fear that he had been identified. However, after thinking about it, he found that he had never revealed his identity at the Colosseum. He was always in a cloak and mask, and never wore his eye-catching silver glove. The only people who were aware of his identity was Master Thirteen and that female administrator with the long wavy curls. As long as he was cautious, his identity was safe. Given how closely rted the Nameless Warrior and Master Thirteen were, if his cover were to be blown, the Duan family would immediately suspect Master Thirteen of foul y. Things would really take a dangerous turn in that case. ¡°Forget about it, I have to focus on my fight!¡± Qi Ying sat down in the waiting area, ¡°My opponent for today seems to be very powerful!¡± ... Following a few gruesome battles, the female announcer¡¯s enticing voice reverberated throughout the Colosseum. ¡°Next up is our main fight for the night! The Silver Rank Nameless Warrior will be taking on a Yellow Tier Sixth Rank beast, the Fire Kirin Beast! The Fire Kirin Beast is simr to the Dark Golden Ape in that they both possess the bloodline of a Holy Beast! However, its bloodline is significantly less concentrated than the Dark Golden Ape¡¯s, but it is stillparable in power to a Seventh or Eight Rank Yellow Tier beast! ¡°The Nameless Warrior was able to defeat the Yellow Tier Seventh Rank ming Cerberusst time; how will he fare this time against the Fire Kirin Beast? The battle will begin in fifteen minutes. All those wishing to ce a bet, please exchange for chips before the battlemences!¡± The atmosphere at the Colosseum was electric. A month could easily go by without a battle between a Silver Rank warrior and a powerful beast. As such, the vast majority of the spectators had been attracted to the Colosseum exactly because of the battle that was about to take ce. Some of them were firm in their conviction that the Nameless Warrior would win and ced their bets on his favor, while others were of the opinion that he couldn¡¯t be allowed to keep winning battles, so the Colosseum was going to throw him a curveball. Thetter group of people bet on the me Kirin Beast in hopes that the Colosseum would fix the battle, in order to profit from those who had bet on the Nameless Warrior. Furthermore, most of the people cing bets had already incurred losses from bets made on previous battles. As such, their emotions hadpletely gotten the better of them, prompting them to ce illogically massive bets in an attempt to earn back what they had lost. Those men were like dry kindling, and the female announcer¡¯s alluring voice provided that spark required to set them alight. An Ruyi sat in a booth on the second floor, surveying the battle cage with intrigue, and waiting for the Nameless Warrior to appear. She had heard on the previous day that the Nameless Warrior was going to fight, and she was determined to find out his identity no matter what. She wasn¡¯t actually infatuated or obsessed with the Nameless Warrior. She was grateful to him for saving her life, but more importantly, he was mysterious and powerful, and thatbination hadpletely piqued her curiosity. ¡°I have to find out who you are today. At the very least, I have to see your face...¡± An Ruyi vowed in her heart before turning to the leader of the An family guard squad, who was standing behind her. ¡°You have to help me achieve my objective today! Understood?¡± The guard leader wore a sour expression. ¡°Alright... I can help you, young mistress, but please don¡¯t spill my secret! Otherwise, my wife is going to kill me!¡± An Ruyi harrumphed coldly. ¡°That¡¯ll depend on your performance today. If you can¡¯t do what¡¯s required of you, my mouth might just slip and I might end up telling everyone about what you did at the Myriad Spring Brothel!¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡± The guard leader looked as if he were on the verge of tears. ... The lights in the Colosseum suddenly dimmed, leaving only the battle cage illuminated. A shadowy figure emerged, in a ck cloak with a sinister mask on his face. All of the spectators burst into apuse and cheers for the Nameless Warrior, anticipating the uing colosseum battle. At that moment, a massive cage was dragged into the battle cage by four colosseum warriors. Within the cage was a huge beast with glowing red scales. Its body resembled that of a deer, while its hooves were those of a horse. It had a disproportionatelyrge head, a pair of bulging eyes, and a sharp crimson golden horn protruding from its forehead. That was the Fire Kirin Beast! It was said that the Fire Kirin Beast possessed a hint of the bloodline of a Heaven Tier ze Kirin Beast. The Fire Kirin Beast owned by the Colosseum was at the Yellow Tier Sixth Rank, and had been traded not long ago from another county. During the process in which it had been captured, it had inflicted casualties upon a dozen or so warriors. The beast was extremely violent, and was capable of spitting out balls of fire. Its offensive prowess was not inferior to the ming Cerberus, while its defensive prowess was far superior inparison. In the past battles for the Nameless Warrior, each and every one of the beasts, aside from the Ironback Gori, hadckluster defenses. Many people spected that the Colosseum had intentionally arranged that, so the Nameless Warrior would have an easier path to reaching the Silver Rank. However, the Fire Kirin Beast possessed a defensive prowess that was far superior to all of the previous beasts. As usual, the Nameless Warrior was fighting without a weapon, so it really was quite difficult to predict who woulde out on top. ¡°Go, Nameless Warrior! You have to win!¡± ¡°Nameless Warrior!¡± Many people began to cheer him on. However, Qi Ying¡¯s attention was not focused on the spectators. He didn¡¯t even take notice of the female spectators who were blowing kisses at him. Instead, his eyes were fixed intently on the Fire Kirin Beast in the cage. All he wanted was victory! Only by securing victory would he be able to earn more pills! Chapter 46: Attack and Defense

Chapter 46: Attack and Defense

Thump! The steel cage was opened, and the four warriors immediately left the battle cage before locking it up. Thud! Thud! The Fire Kirin Beast emerged from the cage, amid the sound of two heavy hoofsteps. Its body was twice the size of a Demonic Blood Wolf, and it was the most massive opponent Qi Ying had faced at the Colosseum to date. It was significantly bigger than even a fully grown bull; its red scales were like scorching mes. It opened its cavernous mouth slightly, and a burst of red smoke erupted from within. The Fire Kirin Beast had its head slightly lowered, and it scratched at the ground with its front hooves. Themotion outside the battle cage was making it extremely agitated; plus, it had been held in confinement for a long time, thereby further fanning the mes of its wrath. However, even with its low-level intelligence, it could tell that escaping from the cage would be next to impossible. It could sense extremely powerful beings positioned around the battle cage, and the only target it could attack was the human standing before it. Bam, bam. The Fire Kirin Beast advanced a few steps toward the human. Themotion in the stands began to die down. All of the spectators were intently focused on the battle, to the extent that they had forgotten to scream and yell. They were eagerly awaiting the fierce brawl that was about to follow. Within a second-floor booth, Lu Zuo and Lu You stood behind Lu Feifei, and both of them were looking at one another. They both knew who that Nameless Warrior was. That was the First Energy Martial Stage kid who had destroyed a wall while practicing the Flowing Shadow Strike. He had limitless potential, but the opponent he was facing was surely far too powerful for him at that point in time! The Fire Kirin Beast possessed a slight trace of a Holy Beast¡¯s bloodline, and had extremely powerful defenses. Even for them, it would not be a simple task to bring it down. Lu Zuo couldn¡¯t help but specte, ¡°Master Thirteen must have fed the Fire Kirin Beast some medicine, right? Isn¡¯t he afraid that someone will notice?¡± Lu You remained expressionless as usual. ¡°Keep watching and we¡¯ll know what¡¯s going on.¡± In another booth, An Ruyi¡¯s hands were balled up into tight fists, and she was biting down on her lower lip as her palms sweated profusely. She wasn¡¯t worried about the Nameless Warrior; in her eyes, he was an omnipotent being who could defeat any contender. Instead, she was very nervous about what she was going to do. The Fire Kirin Beast slowly approached the tiny human. It could sense that the aura emanating from his body was very weak, inferior even to many of its prey in the past. Could it be that the humans were offering him a snack? But that little guy was clearly a human as well! ¡®Hmph, humans are all twisted beings anyway, so they¡¯re probably capable of doing something like this.¡¯ Meanwhile, Qi Ying still stood on the spot, and didn¡¯t move at all. The Fire Kirin Beast thought that he had been immobilized by fear, and a content smile appeared on its face. It approached Qi Ying and opened its mouth to bite off his head. It could still faintly recall the taste of human brains; they were sweet and a little greasy. Excessive consumption would result in digestive problems, but eating one from time to time as a delicacy wasn¡¯t bad. Just as the Fire Kirin Beast opened its mouth, Qi Ying finally sprang into action! Whoosh! He pounced with a rapid motion like a hunting panther. It seemed as if explosives had been lit under the soles of his feet, sting him straight into the air. His ck-gloved left hand swung toward the Fire Kirin Beast¡¯s chin in a vicious hook. Thump! The sound of a dull impact erupted. The Fire Kirin Beast¡¯s head reared back as its entire body shuddered. Meanwhile, Qi Ying backtracked several steps; he could feel a slight pain shooting through his left shoulder, as the bones within ground against one another. The spectator stands erupted. The battle had finally begun, and the Nameless Warrior seemed toe off second-best after that first sh! It was shaping up to be a spectacr battle! ¡°Its body is so heavy and so hard...¡± Qi Ying¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly. Beasts naturally had powerful bodies, and the Fire Kirin Beast was one of thergest and most domineering beings among its rank. As such, simple physical attacks wouldn¡¯t be able to inflict any substantial damage upon it! His left hand was powerful enough, but he didn¡¯t have enough strength within his body to hurt it. If he continued to attack in that manner, his left hand would remain unscathed, but the rest of the bones in his body would most likely be shattered into pieces. The Fire Kirin Beast shook its slightly dazed head. It had just been attacked by its food! Even though the attack wasn¡¯t very powerful and dealt no substantial damage, the Fire Kirin Beast¡¯s urge to attack had beenpletely ignited. ¡°Roar!¡± The Fire Kirin Beast opened its cavernous mouth, and a red ball of fire around the size of a washing basin shot forth toward Qi Ying like a cannonball. Qi Ying tapped a foot into the ground and exerted a slight amount of force, upon which his entire body flew several dozen feet to the side, thereby allowing him to evade the ball of fire. At that moment, the Fire Kirin Beast spat out even more balls of fire, creating a string of mes. Scorching energy roasted the steel battle cage, making the steel structure turn bright red in color. Qi Ying evaded from side to side like a slippery eel. One fireball after another nced past his body as he quickly approached the Fire Kirin Beast. When he was less than ten feet away, he leaped up into the air as heshed out with his right hand! Dark Falcon Illusionary w! Whoosh! Purple w projections instantly shed with the Fire Kirin Beast¡¯s back, sending sparks flying through the air. Even though it didn¡¯t inflict any harm, the atmosphere in the Colosseum was set alight by those sparks. ¡°A battle technique! That was a battle technique!¡± ¡°The Nameless Warrior is finally using a battle technique!¡± All of the Nameless Warrior¡¯s battles were very enthralling to watch. His speed and agility outstripped that of all of the other colosseum warriors, but he had a very clear w; he didn¡¯t use any battle techniques. No matter how spectacr his movements were, they were still, in essence, just kicks and punches. As such, his battles weren¡¯t as visually stimting as one would like. However, all that had changed! The Nameless Warrior had used a battle technique! That indicated that the Nameless Warrior was going to unleash his true power tobat the Fire Kirin Beast. Countless spectators rose to their feet and cheered him on at the top of their lungs. Thud! Thud! Aside from his left hand, Qi Ying didn¡¯t dare to let any part of his bodye into contact with the oing fireballs. Even if he were to conjure up a True Energy barrier, the Fire Kirin Beast¡¯s attacks would still be able to injure him. Furthermore, the True Energy that he could draw upon was far too limited, and wouldn¡¯t be able to supportrge amounts of True Energy expenditure over an extended period of time. ¡®I have to end this quickly!¡¯ Qi Ying stared intently at the Fire Kirin Beast¡¯s furious eyes. Those were its weakest points. The Fire Kirin Beast could also instinctively tell from Qi Ying¡¯s expression that he was about to attack its eyes. Thus, it began to increase the frequency at which itunched balls of fire, while simultaneously charging directly toward him. It was trying to force Qi Ying into a corner before roasting him alive. However, it suddenly discovered that the human standing before it had somehow transformed into a ck shadow, which was quickly approaching its left eye. The Fire Kirin Beast hurriedly raised its front left hoof in an attempt to aim a vicious kick at its assant. However, at the same time, it saw another ck shadow, and that one was pouncing toward its right eye! Chapter 47: Before the First Wave Subsides

Chapter 47: Before the First Wave Subsides

It was suddenly struck by the feeling that it was facing two enemies rather than one. The two ck shadows rushed toward it from both sides at extremely ufortable angles. The abrupt change caught the Fire Kirin Beastpletely off guard, and it didn¡¯t know whether it should tend to one side or the other. The sudden turn of events threw a wrench in its instinctive responses, thereby resulting in a split second of stunned inactivity. However, a split second was often all that was needed to decide a battle. Whoosh! All of a sudden, the shadow on the left elerated in its approach! Whoosh! Purple w projections shed past. ¡°Howl!¡± An intense burst of pain shot through the left side of its face, and the field of vision in the Fire Kirin Beast¡¯s left eye turned entirely red, before descending into inky-ckness. Its massive body spasmed in pain and its front hooves came crashing down heavily, one of which barely missed the shadow on the left. Meanwhile, the shadow on the right was struck by the other hoof, and it dissipated into a cloud of ck smoke. The volume in the spectator stands instantly rose a few octaves following that sh. The Nameless Warrior had never used that attack in the past, but as soon as he unleashed that battle technique, he was able to severely wound the Fire Kirin Beast. Some of the more knowledgeable and experienced spectators could tell that the Nameless Warrior didn¡¯t possess a high level of mastery in either of those battle techniques. However, none of them were of the opinion that that was the extent of his power. In their eyes, even the Fire Kirin Beast wasn¡¯t enough to force the Nameless Warrior to unleash his full power! However, contrary to their beliefs, that was indeed the limit to Qi Ying¡¯s abilities. The Fire Kirin Beast¡¯s defenses were extremely powerful, but its eyes were quite vulnerable. As such, he had unleashed his Flowing Shadow Strike at the expense of a vast amount of True Energy, in order to injure the beast¡¯s left eye and significantly hamper its field of vision. Lu Zuo¡¯s mouth gaped open slightly, as a stunned look appeared on his face. ¡°He really managed to master the Flowing Shadow Strike... He materialized an afterimage as well, which means that he has reached the elementary level.¡± In his eyes, conjuring up afterimages was much more difficult than mastering the movement techniques. Qi Ying was able to master the Flowing Shadow Strike in such a short span of time, and could even use it in battle. His performance had gone well beyond his expectations. Simply being able to use a battle technique, and being able to use it in battle were twopletely different concepts. An analogy could be drawn, like a man climbing adder. Under normal circumstances, that would be a simple task, but if he were being chased by a bear, the simple act of scaling adder would suddenly be countless times more arduous. Furthermore, in a battle against a Fire Kirin Beast, life or death could be decided in a split second. Under such tense circumstances, it was very difficult to perfectly utilize his True Energy. An approving smile appeared on Lu You¡¯s face. ... Qi Ying continued to constantly change locations to evade the oing fireballs, as well as to distract the half-blind Fire Kirin Beast. Following the injury inflicted upon its left eye, the beast had gonepletely off the boil, and its attacks had be extremely violent and powerful, but alsopletely haphazardous. That yed right into Qi Ying¡¯s hands as he could hide in the Fire Kirin Beast¡¯s blind spot to its left. If it wanted to attack him, then it would have to expend several times more energypared to when it had vision on its left side. The more ferocious its attacks became, therger the holes in its defenses would be. To exacerbate the issue even further, the Fire Kirin Beast¡¯s eyes were like those of a horse in that they were located on the sides of its head. Under normal circumstances, that would give it a wider field of vision, but following the loss of vision in its left eye, it had developed a massive blind spot, which made it extremely frustrated. Qi Ying was biding his time and searching for an opportunity to strike. Finally, that opportunity arose. The Fire Kirin Beast reared its head violently in a frantic attack,pletely shifting its center of gravity and exposing the left part of its underside. There was only one patch of the Fire Kirin Beast¡¯s body that wasn¡¯t covered in scales, and that was a triangr section of its underside. That area of its bodyprised of soft skin and flesh in order to better facilitate mating and reproduction. Whoosh! Qi Ying sprang forth like a speeding arrow. Purple w projections materialized on his right hand before being hurled through the air! Dark Falcon Illusionary w! Whoosh! The sound of skin and flesh being torn open erupted alongside a howl of agony. The Fire Kirin Beast¡¯s head reared back as the blood gushed from the left side of its belly. The spectators let loose cries of surprise upon seeing that. However, Qi Ying did not stop to show off; he somersaulted into the air and straddled the beast¡¯s back, locking his arms tightly around its neck. ¡°Howl! Howl!¡± The Fire Kirin Beast had been severely wounded, and was being ridden by its food. It had never been so enraged. However, it was powerless to do anything aside from thrashing about within the battle cage, trying to throw Qi Ying off its back. Qi Ying¡¯s arms were like steel pincers, mping tightly around the Fire Kirin Beast¡¯s neck and refusing to let go. No matter how much it struggled and resisted, Qi Ying continued to sit firmly upon its back with his back arched, creating an unmovable base. A short whileter, the Fire Kirin Beast¡¯s movements gradually became less violent and powerful, thereby indicating that it was running out of energy. Qi Ying unwound his left arm from around its neck. Straddling the beast while it thrashed about was actually even more energy-consuming than dodging its attacks, so he couldn¡¯t stay on its back forever. He clenched his left hand into a fist and began to thump the Fire Kirin Beast¡¯s head. Thud! Thud! The Fire Kirin Beast began to struggle with renewed vigor, and Qi Ying was almost thrown off as a result. ¡®This stupid beast was feigning weakness!¡¯ Qi Ying¡¯s punchnded on thin air, and he gritted his teeth tightly as he held on for dear life with his right arm. After stabilizing his body, he balled up his left hand again and aimed a vicious punch into the back of the Fire Kirin Beast¡¯s head. Thud! A dull thump erupted. The spectators began to erupt into cheers. They had just witnessed the purest type of battle, one in which the two fighterspeted to see whose body was more durable, and who possessed superior strength! It was the most primordial type of battle, but it hadpletely ignited the blood in their veins. Thud!Thud! Qi Ying threw one punch after another, and his left shoulder was throbbing with pain from the recoil force. However, he knew that the Fire Kirin Beast was in even more pain than he was, and if things continued in that manner, it would definitely be the one to fall first. Thud! Finally, long after Qi Ying had lost count of how many punches he had thrown, the Fire Kirin Beast finally began to stumble around as if it were inebriated. Qi Ying sprang up from the beast¡¯s body, and before hended on the ground, he whipped his leg through the air and struck its massive head. That kick was the final straw that crushed the beast¡¯s back, and it finally fell after stumbling around for a moment longer. Qi Ying stepped onto the Fire Kirin Beast¡¯s body amid clouds of dust and debris, before turning toward the spectator stands outside the cage, announcing his victory with his actions. The Fire Kirin Beast was far too precious and was probably worth over a million crystals. They were just like superstar warriors and could only be injured, not killed. Otherwise, it would incur massive losses to the Colosseum. ¡°He won!¡± ¡°That was spectacr! The Nameless Warrior finally used battle techniques today.¡± ¡°Next time, when the Nameless Warrior battles the Dark Golden Ape, he should show us his full power!¡± Waves of cheers and apuse erupted from the spectator stands. All of the people who had bet on Qi Ying flocked to the betting center with their chips, redeeming them for mary prizes. Qi Ying heaved a long sigh of relief. He hadpleted the mission assigned for that day, so Master Thirteen should reward him handsomely. That should be enough to support him in his cultivation for the near future. He withdrew his foot and began to stride toward the waiting area. Right at that moment. ¡°Argh!¡± A scream suddenly erupted from the spectator stands. Whoosh! Two figures suddenly descended from the sky before pouncing onto the battle cage like a pair of massive birds. One of them drew a dazzling silver sword and shed a massive gash in the battle cage. The two of them then descended and went inside. Chapter 48: A New Wave Rises

Chapter 48: A New Wave Rises

The sudden turn of events gave many people a fright, and the Colosseum burst into an uproar. No one had ever seen anything like that happen before. However, there were some with keen eyes who were able to identify the two people who had entered the battle cage. ¡°That woman in white is the young mistress of the An family!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s An Ruyi! The one with her is the leader of the An family guard squad, An Ping!¡± ¡°What are they doing?¡± All of the spectators came to their senses upon hearing that, but none of them could figure out what was going on either. Why were the young mistress and the guardian squad leader of the An family invading the battle cage? What was their motive? Everyone was staring intently at the battle cage, wondering what was going to happen next. An Ruyi smoothed down some stray strands of hair after descending onto the ground, and a sly smile appeared on her face. At the same time, An Ping positioned himself directly in front of the Nameless Warrior, preventing him from leaving the battle cage. An Ping announced, ¡°Brother, our young mistress would like to speak with you.¡± An Ruyi appraised the Nameless Warrior with a smile as he turned to face her. ¡°What do you need from me, young mistress?¡± The Nameless Warrior asked. However, An Ruyi didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, she furrowed her brows slightly and surreptitiously squeezed her eyes at An Ping. That was a secret signal she had devised in advance, and it issued amand to An Ping to take off the Nameless Warrior¡¯s mask when he was distracted. She was determined to see what he looked like under that mask. Even though An Ping was still firmly against the idea, An Ruyi¡¯s curiosity simply wouldn¡¯t die, and she finally dug up some information on An Ping that she could use as leverage to ckmail him with. As such, he was forced to do her bidding. As the worst-case scenario that could arise, it would be to offend the Nameless Warrior with her actions. In any case, nothing serious would happen and no one could do anything to her anyway. Even so, she was still feeling a little nervous. After all, she didn¡¯t know what the Nameless Warrior could look like, and she turned to An Ping, almost for moral support more than anything else. An Ping also seemed to be quite tense, and he had readied himself, but still hadn¡¯t sprung into action. All of a sudden. ¡°Look out!¡± An Ruyi¡¯s heart jolted with shock. At the same time, the Nameless Warrior¡¯s body transformed into a ck shadow and disappeared! Boom! A resounding boom erupted, and before An Ruyi had even reacted to what had happened, a heatwave rushed into her and she was hurled flying by a powerful force. ¡°Young mistress!¡± An Ping sprang up and caught An Ruyi as she was flung into the air. As she fell, An Ruyi nced down out of the corner of her eye to find that the Fire Kirin Beast had stood up, and there was ck smoke wafting from its mouth, indicating that it had just sted a ball of fire. In front of it stood the Nameless Warrior, who had his left arm outstretched. As An Ruyi¡¯s eyes settled on that left arm, she was absolutely aghast! Half of the Nameless Warrior¡¯s sleeve had been burned away along with his ck glove, revealing an inky-ck hand and forearm. An Ruyi¡¯s eyes widened as her heart tremored. Did the Nameless Warrior just block the Fire Kirin Beast¡¯s attack with his left hand to save her? And his entire left arm had been charred ck as a result! The spectator stands also erupted into a frenzy. Everyone was reeling from the scenes unfolding before their eyes. First, the young mistress and guard squad leader of the An family had descended into the battle cage from nowhere; then, the Fire Kirin Beast¡ªwho had been knocked out¡ªsuddenly stood up and attacked An Ruyi! However, in that dire situation, the Nameless Warrior managed to vanquish the beast¡¯s attack with his bare hand to save her! That was an attack from a Yellow Tier Sixth Rank beast with the bloodline of a Holy Beast running in its veins... Just how unfathomably powerful would the Nameless Warrior have to be to block it with his hand? However, after his sleeve was burned away, everyone could see that his entire arm had been charred ck, so he had clearly sustained severe injuries as well. Whoosh whoosh! Several ck-robed figures descended from the sky. They were the ck-robed guards of the Colosseum, and they subdued the Fire Kirin Beast in the blink of an eye, before locking it back in its cage. An Ping ced An Ruyi onto the ground on her two feet, and she covered her mouth as she made her way toward the Nameless Warrior and said in a trembling voice. ¡°Your hand...¡± The Nameless Warrior didn¡¯t say anything. He didn¡¯t even take notice of An Ruyi as he left the battle cage. An Ruyi was rooted to the spot as she stared nkly at his departing figure. The image of that ck hand was etched deep into her mind, and manyplex emotions were running through her heart. She was only trying to satisfy her curiosity, but she had caused the Nameless Warrior to hurt himself as a result. Those burns looked very nasty, and even if they could be treated, they would be sure to leave scars. She had been saved once again by the Nameless Warrior... Meanwhile, there was another pair of eyes that were fixed intently on the scenes unfolding in the battle cage, and those eyes were burning with fury! ¡°The Nameless Warrior... is Qi Ying?!¡± ... Clip clop clip clop! Duan Huangye wore a thunderous expression as he rode on horseback toward the Duan family mansion. He had seen everything that had taken ce in the Colosseum, but he had arrived at a different conclusionpared to everyone else. All of the spectators were of the belief that the Nameless Warrior¡¯s hand had been charred ck, but Duan Huangye knew better than that. Even though the arm was indeed ck and had been scorched by the fireball, no smoke had risen from it. Furthermore, the joints on that hand were very pronounced, and the nails were very sharp... He could clearly remember where he had seen a hand like that before. It was simply too difficult not to make the recollection. That was Qi Ying¡¯s left hand. The Nameless Warrior was none other than Qi Ying. In that instant, everything suddenly made sense. Qi Ying was definitely not just some simple underprivileged disciple. Instead, he was the Nameless Warrior, a man who could defeat a Yellow Tier Seventh Rank beast with his bare hands. Lu Feifei was a shareholder in the Colosseum, while Yan Thirteen was the boss... Even though there were still some matters that still couldn¡¯t be exined; like why Qi Ying hade to the Celestial River Academy, and what his true power level was... He could at least ascertain that the deaths of his son, Duan Tianshan, and all of the other Celestial River Academy disciples were rted to Qi Ying. As such, Qi Ying had to be harboring a shocking secret! He had to inform the family leader of all that, so they could take measures against Yan Thirteen, and investigate Qi Ying. On top of that, he also had to make the mayor aware of those matters; they had to find out the truth! Duan Huangye was full of resentment toward the person who had killed his sons. He could almost be certain that the culprit was Qi Ying after making those connections, but he still repressed his emotions back at the Colosseum, in order to prevent anyone from noticing that something was amiss. Clip clop clip clop! His horse galloped onward, and he was just over a kilometer away from the Duan mansion. He was going to tell the family leader everything. In the distance, he could even make out thenterns hanging from the walls around the mansion. All of a sudden, Duan Huangye felt something cold sh past his neck. He instinctively reached toward his neck and his fingers came into contact with a warm, viscous substance... St! Blood sttered through the air as Duan Huangye¡¯s head detached itself from his body, and rolled onto the ground. His eyes were still wide open, and an expression of indignation and hatred was still etched on his face... The horse continued to gallop along the street. A white-robed figure emerged calmly from a nearby alley. He carried a jade wine gon and there was a peculiar smile on his face. Chapter 49: Qi Yan

Chapter 49: Qi Yan

Duan Huangye was dead. He had been decapitated less than a kilometer away from the Duan mansion. His horse had carried his headless body back to the mansion, much to the horror of the female residents. The severed head was only recoveredte into the night. The entire Duan family erupted into thunderous rage again, and at the same time, many people were struck by a sense of terror. The deaths of Duan Tianshan, Duan Yuan, and Duan Jin only raised the suspicion that someone was targeting their Duan family. However, the death of Duan Huangye in such close proximity to the Duan mansion hadpletely cemented that notion. The killings had been conducted in different manners; the thirty-seven disciples had all had their heads pulverized, while Duan Huangye had been decapitated, seemingly by an extremely thin and sharp de. However, what they could be sure of was that the culprits on both asions were all quite powerful, and were capable of killing from a distance. Many people from the Duan family had already died; were there going to be more to follow? The Duan family had been a force to be reckoned with in the Celestial River County for several generations. During their reign, they had rued more than their fair share of enemies; could it be that someone was exacting revenge upon them? If that were the case, then that person would definitely continue in his killing spree. Who was his next target going to be? Everyone in the Duan family began to fear for their safety. Within a room. Duan Huangye¡¯s head and body had been ced on a white sheet. About a dozen or so men of the Duan family stood by with solemn expressions and their fists clenched, while several women were situated off to the side, sobbing with grief. ¡°Huangye!¡± Duan Hongxue leaned down and his white beard tremored as tears welled up in his eyes. The rest of the Duan family members also wore expressions of sorrow and rage. Duan Xi¡¯s eyes were shooting daggers. ¡°How dare they do this to our Duan family... We must investigate this matter and see who it is that is targeting us! They have gone too far!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Duan Hongxue seemed to have discovered something. Everyone turned to find him rummaging through the front of Duan Huangye¡¯s robes, before producing a handkerchief. Upon the handkerchief, some text had been written. ¡°We have a lead!¡± Everyone gathered around to inspect the handkerchief. Duan Hongxue narrowed his eyes as he tried to make out the smudged characters. ¡°There are two characters... The first one is... Qi... and the second one is, Yan? Qi Yan? Who¡¯s that?¡± No one knew the answer to that. There were many people with the surname Qi in the Celestial River County, but they had never heard of anyone with that particr name! All of a sudden, a thought urred to Duan Xi. ¡°Qi? Yan? It¡¯s not a person named Qi Yan; it¡¯s two different people! One of them has a surname of Qi, while the other has the surname Yan!¡± Everyone in the room looked at one another upon hearing that. The person with a Qi surname that was the most heavily involved with the Duan family was Qi Ying, so he had to be one of the people referred to on the handkerchief. What about Yan? There were very few people with that surname in the Celestial River County, and the first person that sprang to everyone¡¯s minds was Yan Thirteen! Duan Hongxue scrunched up the handkerchief in trembling hands as he stood up. ¡°Huangye must have discovered something and wanted to report it to us. However, he was silenced in the end... But the culprit mustn¡¯t have expected him to have left some evidence behind for us! Qi Ying and Yan Thirteen! They are the culprits!¡± A surprised look appeared on Duan Jinhong¡¯s face upon hearing that. ¡°Yan Thirteen? He is indeed powerful enough tomit those crimes! However, what motive does he have for attacking us? Besides, we can¡¯t find any other evidence! Aside from this handkerchief, nothing else suggests that he was involved in the murders! On top of that, what is his rtionship with Qi Ying?¡± Duan Kai offered his insight on the matter. ¡°Yan Thirteen is not rted to Qi Ying, but he is the Colosseum¡¯s boss. Meanwhile, Lu Feifei is a major shareholder of the Colosseum, and she was the one who bailed out Qi Ying from prison! As such, we can determine that these three are behind the crimes!¡± A cold light shimmered in Duan Xi¡¯s eyes. ¡°We are the Duan family; since when have we needed evidence to do something?! Lu Feifei and Yan Thirteen are going to be troublesome to deal with, but we can start off by eliminating that little b*stard, Qi Ying!¡± ... A slight mishap had urred following Qi Ying¡¯s Colosseum battle with the Fire Kirin Beast. However, saving An Ruyi was a simple matter to him. Besides, he had saved her once already, and was afflicted by a string of troubles as a result. If she were to die on that asion, then he would have gone through all of those troubles for nothing. After that, An Ping and An Ruyi had chased after him with an apology, as well as an offer of remuneration. However, he immediately refused. He had saved her for the sake of keeping a clean conscience, not for any reward from them. Even though he had refused An Ruyi¡¯s reward, he had to receive the Colosseum¡¯s reward. Master Thirteen had gone somewhere, but Qi Ying still received two vials of Energy Explosion Pills from the female administrator with the long wavy curls. Aside from that, there were also some cultivation resources and a bunch of crystals that were given to him. Qi Ying was very satisfied. He had received a small fortune that would be difficult even for the average rich family to cough up. After obtaining those resources, he could focus all of his energy on cultivation for the uing period. He had to prepare for the intra-academy tournament that was going to be held thirteen dayster. Only through putting on a good performance there, would he be able to secure a spot to enter the Celestial River County Youth Battle Tournament, which wouldmence seventeen dayster. That would be the moment to prove himself! Qi Ying hurried back to the mountain behind the academy, to find that the courtyard had been newly renovated. He saw the frail and exhausted Mother Yu, who had suffered from insomnia for several days as she had been worried sick about his safety. Upon ¡°seeing¡± Qi Ying again, she was absolutely ecstatic. Mother Yu went to bed, but Qi Ying went out to the courtyard. It looked like the academy principal had been quite good to Mother Yu; they had even sent some people to do a simple renovation job on the courtyard. It was still just as simple and modest as ever, but it didn¡¯t look so dpidated anymore. Qi Ying took an Energy Explosion Pill before activating his Purple Energy Cultivation Method. Cultivating at night wasn¡¯t as effective as it was during dawn and dusk, but his cultivation base was nearing the bottleneck of the First Energy Martial Stage, and he was quickly able to reach the upper limit by drawing upon the Energy Explosion Pill¡¯s power. Within his dantian, a small swirl gradually began to appear on his purple energy vortex. Whoosh! Qi Ying sprang into the air andnded outside the courtyard. Whoosh! Whoosh! He threw punches and kicks, making his True Energy circte relentlessly within his body, and the small swirl on his energy vortex began to rotate faster and faster. As a result, it was able to stir up more and more purple True Energy. Finally. Crackle pop! After finishing sevenplete cycles of the Purple Energy Cultivation Method¡¯s internal and external sections, a series of cracks and pops erupted from his joints. The True Energy within his body became more abundant, and his meridians were also expanded slightly. However, the most important change took ce in his dantian! A second purple energy vortex had appeared, which was quite a bit smaller than the existing one, but it still indicated that his cultivation base had reached the Second Energy Martial Stage. Whoosh! True Energy erupted from the soles of Qi Ying¡¯s feet, and heunched himself into the air. He was able to jump up to a height of close to twenty feet, which was three feet more than what he had been capable of in the past. He thenunched a punch at the river. Ssh! A ssh that was several dozen feet in height emerged. Qi Ying had a rough gauge on the improvements he had made. His power and speed hadn¡¯t been enhanced by a lot, but his quality of and capacity for True Energy had improved to a certain extent. For Energy Martial Stage warriors, the main improvements came not in the physical aspects, but more so in their True Energy. Chapter 50: Number One Male Idol

Chapter 50: Number One Male Idol

As time progressed, the ways through which people cultivated constantly changed. At the moment, the Strength Martial Stage and the Energy Martial Stage were considered to be foundational cultivation base ranks, for warriors on the entire continent. It was said that a long time ago, the Energy Martial Stage was actually the same cultivation base rank as the Strength Martial Stage. However, taking into ount the fact that most normal people were unable to detect the vital energy of heaven and earth, changes were made. The adjustments lowered the prerequisite to cultivation, and helped the human race to prosper even further. There were mighty figures who invented a new set of cultivation protocol, within which cultivation base ranks became even more specific, thereby resulting in the Strength Martial Stage and the Energy Martial Stage being split up. If one was at the pinnacle of the Ninth Strength Martial Stage, they would be able to progress to the Energy Martial Stage as long as they could sense vital energy. Those who werecking in aptitude could also train ording to some crude cultivation methods, taking them to at least the Third or Fourth Strength Martial Stages. As a minimum, that would significantly enhance their strength, thereby allowing them to be more proficient in manualbor. One¡¯s strength received significant boosts during the Strength Martial Stages, but that tapered off after reaching the Energy Martial Stage. Inparison, the Energy Martial Stages were part of a process during which one improved the quality of and control over their True Energy. ¡°As expected, my utilization of True Energy seems to have gotten better!¡± Qi Ying began to cultivate his Dark Falcon Illusionary w again. After reaching the initial sess level, his Dark Falcon Illusionary w had already be extremely powerful. Progression to the Second Energy Martial Stage had further elevated its offensive output. Even though there was no test subject, Qi Ying could sense that if he were to face the Fire Kirin Beast again, his Dark Falcon Illusionary w would at least be able to inflict some damage upon it. He returned to his room, and closed his eyes as heid onto his bed. The next day. After arriving at the academy, Qi Ying found that many of his fellow disciples were appraising him with strange expressions, and murmuring among themselves. Qi Ying grabbed a disciple that he was familiar with and asked. ¡°Li Gousheng, what are they discussing?¡± ¡°Er...¡± Li Gousheng faltered slightly before stammering in reply, ¡°No, nothing...¡± ¡°Tell me!¡± Qi Ying pinched Li Gousheng¡¯s leg viciously, and thetter howled with pain. ¡°I¡¯ll talk, I¡¯ll talk... Everyone is talking about how you became Madam Lu¡¯s sugar baby!¡± Li Gousheng rubbed his leg and grimaced. ¡°...¡± Qi Ying was speechless. It was already troublesome enough that everyone had heard about his detainment, but there was even a rumor like that going around? Even though Madam Lu had saved him, surely she didn¡¯t need to let everyone know about it! However, Qi Ying quickly discovered that although there were inevitably disdainful nces andments aimed toward him, most of the male disciples were quite envious because of it! There were even people who came to him with questions like: ¡°Qi Ying, can you ask if Madam Lu likes boys like me? I would love to be her sugar baby!¡± ¡°F*ck off! Madam Lu would throw up at the sight of you!¡± Qi Ying pushed Wang Mazi aside with scorn in his eyes. To Qi Ying, Lu Feifei was like untouchable poison; but to other underprivileged disciples, being able to catch Madam Lu¡¯s eye would mean that they were set for life! Furthermore, she was rich, but not some old hag or hideous monster. Instead, she was renowned for her attractiveness and beauty. Just as Qi Ying was about to walk into the ssroom, someched onto him from behind again. ¡°Piss off!¡± Qi Ying threw an elbow behind him, thinking that it was someone like Wang Mazi or Li Gousheng again. ¡°Argh!¡± A scream erupted. Qi Ying was taken aback to hear that. It was a female voice, and quite a familiar one at that. A hint of unease welled up in his heart, and he turned around. Sure enough, it was Miss ¡®Ill Omen¡¯ An Ruyi standing behind him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t know it was you... What do you want from me this time?¡± Qi Ying asked. He didn¡¯t try to soften his tone at all, as she was always causing trouble for him, even though her intentions were good. ¡°Nothing.¡± An Ruyi shrugged, ¡°I just wanted to ask you...¡± ¡°If it¡¯s about how I¡¯ve be a sugar baby, then I refuse toment. Of course, if you want to make me your sugar baby, you can propose a price! I offer full-night packages starting from eight hundred crystals!¡± Qi Ying said in a joking manner. ¡°That¡¯s not what I wanted to ask!¡± An Ruyi pursed her lips, but a faint blush had appeared on her face. ¡°Then WHAT do you want to ask?¡± ¡°Here...¡± An Ruyi produced a small jade vial as if she were performing a magic trick, ¡°I heard you were locked up for an entire night. An Ping told me that the jailors are very cruel in their interrogations, so they must have hurt you... Everything is technically my fault, so please ept this vial of medicine as an apology; it¡¯s very useful for healing scars...¡± ¡°...¡± Qi Ying didn¡¯t really know what to say. An Ruyi was a little sporadic and wilful at times, but she was actually quite kind and not pretentious in the slightest. She had a pure heart, and it wouldn¡¯t be bad to have a friend like her. However, Qi Ying really didn¡¯t want to establish any ties with her, so he furrowed his brows after some deliberation and said, ¡°Thank you for your kindness, but it¡¯s not required.¡± He turned and left after saying that, leaving An Ruyi to stand in the corridor by herself with a nk expression on her face. The disciples who witnessed that scene began to point andment again. ¡°Sigh, Qi Ying is ditching the old in preference for the new! What a scummy man!¡± ¡°Madam Lu is a mature woman; An Ruyi is too soft topete with her!¡± ¡°F*ck, even a piece of trash like him is being sought after by two beauties; why doesn¡¯t anyone like me?¡± An Ruyi held the jade vial, and she was already enraged by Qi Ying¡¯s cold attitude, but the mes of her fury were fanned even further upon hearing the chatter around her. She stomped her foot and gritted her teeth. ¡°Hmph! What a waste of my kindness! I¡¯m never talking to you again! I don¡¯t even care if you die!¡± ... Qi Ying sat down in the ssroom, and the lesson he was attending was still one in which cultivation protocol was being exined. ¡°True Energy to the body is like water to farnd. Even though it won¡¯t drastically improve one¡¯s strength like cultivation during the Strength Martial Stages, it is still able to further enhance the body. Guiding True Energy to a wound can help it recover more quickly; guiding True Energy to the stomach will temporarily soothe hunger; guiding True Energy to the limbs can explosively enhance their strength for a brief period of time. ¡°However, those are all very crude uses of True Energy. The only way to maximize the power of True Energy is through the use of battle techniques! Battle techniques are split up into four major tiers; the Heaven, Earth, Dark, and Yellow Tiers...¡± At that point in the lecture, door-knocking sounds were suddenly heard. The teacher¡¯s words faltered, and he raised a hand, upon which a stream of green True Energy flew forth and opened the door. All of the disciples turned to look out the door with curiosity. Who had interrupted their lesson? What did they want? Qi Ying was also among those disciples, and his pupils contracted at the sight of the person standing outside. It was a handsome young man with a bejeweled sword hanging from his waist. There was also a group of slightly older disciples behind him. Everyone in the ssroom burst intomotion; in particr, all of the female disciples were discussing spiritedly among themselves, with blushes on their faces. Duan Gucheng! That was the number one male idol of the Celestial River Academy, the man sought after by all of the female disciples! Chapter 51: Executive Decision

Chapter 51: Executive Decision

Qi Ying knew that Duan Gucheng harbored ill intentions toward him, as his eyes immediately locked onto him after the door was opened. He could see from the cold light in Duan Gucheng¡¯s eyes that he meant trouble. As expected, hemanded in an indifferent voice, ¡°Qi Ying,e with me.¡± Those were simple words, but they possessed an undefiable quality to them. The disciples behind Duan Gucheng were also exuding menacing auras. The teacher¡¯s brows furrowed, but he didn¡¯t say anything. Even though Duan Gucheng was an academy disciple, he was equal in status to the elders of the academy. Inparison, an old man like him who was only trying to teach for a living was far too insignificant, so he didn¡¯t dare to speak up. The entire ssroom had fallen silent. Half of the disciples turned to Qi Ying in unison, trying to gauge his reaction. Everyone knew about the conflict between Qi Ying and the Duan family. There had been many small scuffles leading up to the shocking mass murders that had taken ce recently, and Qi Ying had been detained as a suspect... The two parties could be said to be sworn enemies, and any confrontation between them felt like it could erupt into a full-blown battle at any moment! Qi Ying didn¡¯t move, as he remained in his seat. All he did was return Duan Gucheng¡¯s gaze with a frosty one of his own. A smile appeared on the young master¡¯s face, and the blush on the female disciples¡¯ faces deepened even further. ¡°Come with me or we¡¯ll be visiting the mountain behind the academy!¡± Qi Ying abruptly stood up from his seat and walked toward Duan Gucheng as countless pairs of eyes followed him. He shouldn¡¯t have said that. Duan Tianshan had made the same threat to him in the past and he was dead. It didn¡¯t matter who it was; anyone who touched the dragon¡¯s wrath scale would die by its hands! Duan Gucheng wore a triumphant smile, as if he had sessfully goaded Qi Ying into his trap. ... Meanwhile, at the Duan mansion. Duan Hongxue had his hands sped behind his back, and he wore a grave expression as Duan Huangye¡¯s body was lowered into a ck coffin. ¡°Is it really alright? Asking Gucheng to pick on Qi Ying? What if... the same thing that happened on that street happens again?¡± Duan Xi replied with a calm and collected expression, ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. Think about it; how many teachers in the academy are on our side? Even one of their elders is from our Duan family. Gucheng himself is also quite a powerful warrior at the Eighth Energy Martial Stage, and the disciples under his wing are no slouches either. Even if Yan Thirteen is Qi Ying¡¯s backer, he wouldn¡¯t dare to do anything out of line in the academy. As for Qi Ying... He¡¯s just a useless kid, so we don¡¯t have to worry about him.¡± Duan Hongxue heaved a long sigh. ¡°For some reason, I¡¯m still feeling a little concerned.¡± ¡°What are you worried about?¡± ¡°Qi and Yan are no ordinary surnames... Perhaps, I¡¯m simply overthinking things...¡± ¡°Hahaha!¡± Duan Xi burst intoughter and said, ¡°You really are being overly cautious, uncle. It¡¯s just a coincidence that their surnames are Qi and Yan. If they really are from those two colossal families, then how did they end up in a ce like this?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right...¡± ¡°So, don¡¯t worry, uncle. It will be a piece of cake for Gucheng to teach that Qi Ying a lesson! Even if we can¡¯t force Yan Thirteen out from the shadows, we¡¯ll at least be able to win back some dignity for our Duan family. After all, the younger members of our family will have to attend the Celestial River Academy in the future.¡± ... Duan Gucheng¡¯s group walked up ahead, while Qi Ying followed along from behind. They slowly approached the small mountain path where he had once pummeled Duan Renshan. At that moment, someone sprang out and grabbed onto Qi Ying. ¡°You can¡¯t go with them! You¡¯ll die!¡± It was An Ruyi again! Qi Ying sighed before shaking her off. ¡°Thank you, but just let me be.¡± He couldn¡¯t cower in such a situation! No matter what Duan Gucheng wanted to do, Qi Ying had confidence in his own power. He had even defeated the Fire Kirin Beast, so it would not be an easy task for Duan Gucheng and his group to threaten his life! An Ruyi wore an extremely urgent and frustrated expression. ¡°Are you stupid? You know you¡¯re walking to your death, but you¡¯re still going with them?¡± ¡°I told you to leave me alone!¡± Qi Ying gritted his teeth and pushed An Ruyi aside, ¡°Go!¡± ¡°Qi...¡± An Ruyi stomped her foot and wanted to say something more, when Duan Gucheng¡¯s group suddenly stopped. Duan Gucheng turned around and asked. ¡°Young mistress of the An family, would it be wise for you to intervene in the matters of our Duan family? Unless, you share some kind of rtionship with Qi Ying?¡± ¡°She has nothing to do with me; she¡¯s just clinging to me like a barnacle to a ship.¡± Qi Ying remarked in a cold voice. ¡°You...¡± An Ruyi stared at Qi Ying with incredulity. She had indeed caused some trouble for him, but did he have to be so cruel with his words? What a horrible man he was! She glowered at Qi Ying with a resentful expression before running into the distance. Duan Gucheng chuckled. ¡°Aren¡¯t you being a little too heartless? I can tell that she¡¯s interested in you. If you sweet-talk her a little, you should be able to take her down. If you put in a little more effort, you might even get her into bed.¡± Qi Ying replied with a cold expression. ¡°I¡¯d rather not stoop to your level. So, what do you want with me?¡± ¡°Heh.¡± A smile appeared on Duan Gucheng¡¯s face again, and that smile could entrance many young women, but Qi Ying was only filled with disgust and contempt at the sight of it. He had seen many people from the Duan family wear that high and mighty expression, and the more he looked at it, the more he wanted to wipe it off his face. ¡°Nothing much, I just wanted to talk about some things. In the past, you had a conflict with Duan Yuan, Duan Jin, and the others, and embarrassed everyone from the Duan family in the academy. The young disciples from the Wang and Sun families are looking down on us, saying that we can¡¯t even take care of a Low Division disciple. I was hoping that Duan Yuan and Duan Jin could redeem themselves, but they¡¯re dead now, so I can only do their job for them. However, I¡¯m not a fan of violence. I don¡¯t want to stir up any trouble, so let¡¯s settle this in a more peaceful manner.¡± ¡°What do you propose?¡± Qi Ying¡¯s brows furrowed. Duan Gucheng appeared to have good intentions, but Qi Ying could sense from his demeanor that he was not being genuine in the slightest! Furthermore, if he really wanted to settle things peacefully, then why did he bring so many people with him? Additionally, they were all disciples from the Intermediate and High Divisions, including the remaining three Heavenly Monarchs! Duan Gucheng sped his hands behind his back and appraised Qi Ying with a disdainful expression. ¡°Here is my idea. You just have to write the words ¡®I am the Duan family¡¯s dog, and I eat sh*t from the Duan family¡¯s toilet every day¡¯ on your face. Then, walk a couple ofps around the academy every day, and recite the words on your face to everyone you encounter. If you do that, our differences will be resolved! Hey, don¡¯t get so mad. It does sound like a bit of an executive decision, but it took me a whole night to think of that! Why do you look so angry? Haha!¡± Chapter 52: The Price of Underestimation

Chapter 52: The Price of Underestimation

¡°Do you really want to force my hand like this?¡± Qi Ying¡¯s expression had darkened significantly. Everyone from the Duan family was all the same; Duan Gucheng, Duan Tianshan, Duan Yuan, Duan Jin; all of them were intent on trampling everyone else¡¯s dignity beneath their feet, as if that would prove their superiority to everyone else. Duan Gucheng stepped forward with his head raised and looked down on Qi Ying. ¡°How am I forcing your hand? I¡¯m clearly giving you a very good option. You have to do as I say, or we¡¯re going to break both of your legs! Which one are you going to pick?¡± Crack crack! Qi Ying lowered his head slightly as the joints in his fists crackled and popped. Duan Tianshan had done the same thing to him once, and Duan Gucheng was now repeating the offense. However, inparison to Duan Tianshan, Duan Gucheng¡¯s group was more like a pack of vicious wolves that wouldn¡¯t rest until their prey died! What should I do? Should I swallow my pride and be reduced to a dog, or risk it all and fight them to the death? He couldn¡¯t ept the first option as that would traumatize him for life. The impact of that would be unimaginably severe and could very likely even hamper his cultivation in the future. Qi Ying was grappling with an intense internal conflict. He tried his best to remain calm, so he could make the most logical decision. A few secondster. ¡°Hmph.¡± Qi Ying raised his head and a peculiar smile appeared on his face. ¡°Have you made up your mind?¡± Duan Gucheng¡¯s brows furrowed slightly. He had never seen that expression on anyone¡¯s face before. He didn¡¯t know what Qi Ying was thinking beneath that fake smile. However, he could instinctively sense a hint of danger, as if he were being confronted by a ferocious beast. Qi Ying¡¯s tightly clenched fists unfurled and he replied. ¡°I¡¯ve made up my mind. I¡¯m going to kill you, you motherf*cker!¡± Whoosh! Qi Ying¡¯s body shot forth like a bolt of lightning. ¡°Look out!¡± ¡°Be careful, young master!¡± The surrounding disciples erupted into a frenzy. Everyone knew that Qi Ying was only a Strength Martial Stage brat, and was no match for Duan Gucheng, but in that instant, the aura emanating from his body evoked within them an instinctive sense of fear. ¡°Hmph.¡± Duan Gucheng remained standing on the spot as he looked at the oing Qi Ying. In his eyes, Qi Ying was just an insolent cornered beast. He was at the Eighth Energy Martial Stage; well above the cultivation base of his assant, so why would he need to dodge? He quickly raised his left hand and extended a finger. Yellow Tier Intermediate-Rank battle technique, Rhinoceros Horn Finger! Whoosh! A golden finger projection shot forth from his fingertip, spearing directly toward Qi Ying¡¯s lower abdomen; it had a fearsome prative power that could puncture a scaled dragon¡¯s body. However, right at that instant, Qi Ying¡¯s body transformed into a ck shadow, and managed to evade the finger projection by traveling in an unimaginable angle. An expression of confoundment appeared on Duan Gucheng¡¯s face. A battle technique? Wasn¡¯t that kid only a Strength Martial Stage warrior? However, he quickly reacted to the situation. He could sense a gust of wind blowing at him from his right, so he instantlyshed out with his longsword. That was a Yellow Tier High Rank treasured tool, and after injecting True Energy into it, it would be able to puncture any Energy Martial Stage warrior¡¯s body, provided they weren¡¯t wearing any special armor. The ck shadow appeared on his right, and Duan Gucheng thrust forward with his sword! At the same time, there was another sh of silver light that was even more dazzling than his sword! ng! Qi Ying caught the sword with his left hand, and his silver glove locked tightly around the de like a steel pincer. Duan Gucheng stared at Qi Ying with incredulity on his face. How was he able to catch the sword with his bare hand? Was that silver glove some sort of treasured tool as well? Duan Gucheng tried to twist his sword with all his might, attempting to shred Qi Ying¡¯s left hand with its de. At the same time, he was injecting as much True Energy as he could into his weapon. However, the sword could only tremor and sway until a crisp crack erupted, and it finally snapped in half. Whoosh! Just as Duan Gucheng was stunned by the sight of his snapped sword, Qi Ying sprang into action again. His body transformed into two ck shadows which pounced toward Duan Gucheng from different directions. Duan Gucheng reacted much like the Fire Kirin Beast had in the battle cage¡ªhe was first startled by the shadow on the left, then confused by the shadow on his right, and before he could react, one of them had already appeared right in front of him. Immediately afterward, a burst of sharp pain speared through his lower abdomen. St! Half of the snapped sword had plunged into his stomach, and the top was protruding out of his back. The other half of the sword slipped from Duan Gucheng¡¯s grasp as he stared up ahead with wide eyes. Qi Ying stood before him with a twisted expression on his face, and a formidable sense of killing intent emanating from his body. ¡°Young master!¡± ¡°Crap! This little b*stard is stronger than he looks!¡± The three Heavenly Monarchs and all of the other disciples werepletely dumbfounded. The frail-looking kid who was at their mercy just a moment ago had since transformed into a vicious beast, and the startling metamorphosis sent chills running down their spines. However, despite their fear and shock, they couldn¡¯t just stand around and do nothing. Duan Gucheng was the pride of the Duan family, and if something were to happen to him, they would all be in deep trouble. If Qi Ying were to kill him, then they would probably suffer simr fates! Whoosh! All of the disciples rushed toward Duan Gucheng and Qi Ying in unison. Whoosh whoosh whoosh! A few streaks of purple True Energy suddenly erupted. The disciples at the forefront of the group didn¡¯t have time to evade, and they were all struck by the Dark Falcon Illusionary ws, sending blood sttering through the air. ¡°Get back!¡± Everyone was just about to continue their charge when they heard Qi Ying¡¯s ferocious snarl. The Tiger Heavenly Monarch, Lion Heavenly Monarch, and Leopard Heavenly Monarch, as well as all of the other disciples all stopped cold in their tracks. No one dared to act carelessly in such a situation. ... Duan Renshan hadn¡¯t received news from the Duan family in advance, and he only realized that something bad was about to happen after hearing recounts from the disciples in the ssroom. There was one thing that he had to tell Duan Gucheng, and that was that Qi Ying¡¯s gloved left hand was seemingly able to block any attack. If he wasn¡¯t aware of that during the battle, then he could easily fall prey to it. He hurriedly rushed over to the mountain behind the academy, and on the way there, he encountered the sobbing An Ruyi. Upon seeing her, he knew that Duan Gucheng and the others couldn¡¯t be far away, so he elerated even further. When he finally caught sight of Duan Gucheng¡¯s group and Qi Ying, he wanted to shout words of caution, but those words got stuck in his throat and his expression darkened at the scenesid out before him. ¡°Qi Ying, what do you want?¡± Duan Renshan roared. Qi Ying had been surrounded by everyone, but his left hand was mped tightly around Duan Gucheng¡¯s throat, and he wore a deranged expression on his face. Meanwhile, Duan Gucheng had a snapped de protruding from his lower abdomen, and blood was flowing from the wound like a small stream. Qi Ying turned to find Duan Renshan, and he suddenly seemed to have calmed down. ¡°Don¡¯t move! If anyone dares toe within a hundred feet distance from me, I¡¯m going to snap your young master¡¯s head off!¡± Chapter 53: Massive News

Chapter 53: Massive News

Whoosh! All of the surrounding disciples immediately retreated before looking on with horrified expressions from over a hundred feet away. Duan Renshan took a couple of steps forward with an urgent expression on his face. ¡°Qi Ying, please don¡¯t do anything rash!¡± He didn¡¯t know how Qi Ying had subdued Duan Gucheng, but he knew that he absolutely could not afford to irk Qi Ying. His life wasn¡¯t worth anything, but Duan Gucheng was the pride and joy of the Duan family. He was a future Spirit Martial Stage warrior, and countless resources had been expended on him. If something were to happen to him, everyone would suffer. ¡°What do you want? Release our young master, and let¡¯s settle things with words!¡± Duan Renshan was starting to panic. At that moment. Duan Gucheng¡¯s face was twisted by pain, and he snarled through gritted teeth. ¡°Release me, you piece of sh*t! Otherwise, when people from the Duan family arrive here, they¡¯re going to chop you up and feed you to the dogs! And your blind mo... Argh!¡± St! A stream of blood poured forth from Duan Gucheng¡¯s lower abdomen. The snapped sword de had been extracted by Qi Ying from behind. The de was then stabbed into Duan Gucheng¡¯s right arm, drawing a howl of agony from him. ¡°Shut the f*ck up if you want to live!¡± Qi Ying tightened his grip around Duan Gucheng¡¯s throat, and thetter¡¯s face was turning purple as he struggled to breathe. ¡°Calm down, Qi Ying!¡± Duan Renshan hurriedly yelled. If Qi Ying really did something rash, then he would also be in trouble as a bystander. Duan Renshan was cursing himself for rushing over to try and offer words of caution to Duan Gucheng! If he had just pretended that he didn¡¯t know anything, he wouldn¡¯t be in that difficult situation! ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m a reasonable person.¡± A gruesome smile appeared on Qi Ying¡¯s face, and everyone shuddered in response. He said, ¡°I can ensure that I won¡¯t strangle your young master to death, but I can¡¯t ensure that he won¡¯t die from blood loss. Before his blood runs dry, find someone from the Duan family to negotiate with me! And make it quick!¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go right now! But please don¡¯t do anything rash in the meantime! All of you, make sure to keep an eye on the young master!¡± Duan Renshan nodded like a woodpecker in response to Qi Ying¡¯s instructions before issuing some orders to the disciples. He then turned and ran down the mountain like a madman. ¡°Young Master Duan,e with me!¡± Qi Ying pulled the de out of Duan Gucheng¡¯s arm and held it in his right hand. His left hand was still locked tightly around his neck as he made his way deeper into the mountain. There was no going back. However, he had to protect Mother Yu. Otherwise, the shameless Duan family could capture Mother Yu and threaten him with her life. Mother Yu had disyed some traits that suggested that she was far from defenseless, and Master Thirteen had also hinted that she was more than capable of taking care of herself. However, in Qi Ying¡¯s heart, Mother Yu was still someone that required his protection! The disciples followed along behind them, but no one dared to do anything. Even if they tried a surprise attack, they might not be able to save Duan Gucheng. If Qi Ying was enraged as a result and killed his hostage, then the one who had initiated the attack would be forced to bear the wrath of the Duan family. It was best to do nothing and wait for people from the Duan family to arrive! ... ¡°Qi Ying kidnapped Young Master Duan on the mountain behind the academy! Everyone, go and save him!¡± Duan Renshan rushed back to the academy and roared at all of the Duan family disciples. Thus, the entire Celestial River Academy was alerted to that shocking news. Word spread like wildfire on dry grasnds. Everyone in the academy, from the janitors to the principal, heard the news. Soon, the entire Celestial River Academy was made aware of it as well... The ones who disyed the most vehement reaction were obviously those from the Duan family. After hearing about how Qi Ying had abducted Duan Gucheng, every member of the family was shocked and enraged. Unfortunate news had been arising quite frequently in the Duan family ofte. First, it was the mysterious deaths of Duan Tianshan, Duan Yuan, and Duan Jin; then, Duan Huangye had been assassinated very close to the Duan mansion; and just then, Duan Gucheng, the future pir of the Duan family, had been taken hostage! Furthermore, all of those events were rted to Qi Ying. ¡°Qi Ying! He¡¯s just asking for us to kill him now!¡± Duan Xi smashed a table into smithereens upon receiving the news, before rushing out of the Duan mansion with a massive entourage behind him. The entire Duan family, consisting of hundreds of people, were deployed in unison. They galloped along the streets on horseback, dispersing countless crowds of people along the way. Duan Xi and Duan Hongxue were at the forefront of the group, but neither of them were riding horses. Instead, they were gliding like eagles, leaving long afterimages in their wake, and their speed outstripped even that of the fastest horses! ... ¡°What? Qi Ying abducted Young Master Duan? He snapped Young Master Duan¡¯s sword with his bare hand, and he¡¯s not a Strength Martial Stage warrior, but an Energy Martial Stage one instead?¡± The entire academy was in uproar and everyone was discussing that same event. The disciples were no longer attending sses, and all of the teachers had also been gathered for a meeting held by the elders and the principal. Everyone felt as if the world had been turned on its head. Due to the recent sequence of events, everyone had heard of Qi Ying. However, they thought that he was merely an idiot who was too brave for his own good. Sooner orter, he was going to be taught a lesson by disciples from the Intermediate and High Divisions. However, their image of him hadpletely changed. Was he really just some insolent fool? If so, how was he able to defeat Duan Gucheng and abduct him? He held control over Young Master Duan¡¯s life! Whoosh! Countless disciples, teachers, elders, and the principal all flocked toward the mountain behind the academy. An Ruyi was just wiping away her tears of indignation when she also heard the news, and her expression was filled with incredulity. When she heard about how Qi Ying had snapped Duan Gucheng¡¯s sword with a single hand, she seemed to have finally realized something; his powerbined with his special left hand, and his familiar voice and figure... She had been right all along! Qi Ying was the one who had saved her from that Demonic Blood Wolf in the Colosseum! Qi Ying was the Nameless Warrior! An Ruyi also began to rush toward the mountain behind the academy, but she suddenly doubled back after taking only a few steps. She then selected a fast horse from the academy stables and leaped onto it before riding it out of the academy. The entire Celestial River County had been made aware of the fact that Duan Gucheng had been taken hostage, and his abduction was the hot topic on everyone¡¯s lips! Who would dare to provoke the Duan family like that? Did they want to die?! At the Myriad Spring Brothel. Amid the bustling crowd, Lu Feifei quickly rushed downstairs in her purple coat beforetching onto Lu Zuo, who was having the time of his life with a few of the girls there. ¡°Grab Lu You; we¡¯re going to the Celestial River Academy!¡± In the Colosseum. Crack! A calligraphy brush was pinned into the wall. ¡°He really is a troublesome kid...¡± A white figure jumped out of the window with several ck figures following along. Chapter 54: Confrontation

Chapter 54: Confrontation

¡°Qi Ying, are you alright?¡± When Qi Ying opened the gate to the courtyard, Xuan Yu heard a burst ofmotion outside, and her brows furrowed with concern. Qi Ying still had one hand locked tightly around Duan Gucheng¡¯s neck, but he wore a carefree smile on his face. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Mother Yu. These are just some friends of mine and there¡¯ll be moreing over soon. Make sure to stay by my side!¡± Qi Ying stabbed the sword de into Duan Gucheng¡¯s left arm, and thetter was struggling to even breathe, let alone cry out in pain. Both of his arms had been disabled, and he waspletely powerless to resist. ¡°Alright.¡± Xuan Yu seemed to trust Qi Ying unconditionally, and she extended her left hand to hold onto Qi Ying¡¯s right. ¡°I¡¯ll be with you no matter what happens.¡± Xuan Yu¡¯s voice was very gentle. ¡°Alright.¡± Qi Ying took a deep breath and replied. Everyone was down to fate from there onward! ... More and more people began to gather in the forest on the mountain behind the academy. Initially, there were a bunch of disciples who were pointing at Qi Ying with shock on their faces from across the river. Then, the academy elders and principal arrived. ¡°Qi Ying, what are you doing?¡± The grey-robed Gu Shiwei¡¯s brows were tightly furrowed as he looked on from across the river, ¡°Release Duan Gucheng at once!¡± ¡°The Duan family forced me to do this.¡± Qi Ying shook his head and he didn¡¯t have any intention of letting his hostage go. He continued, ¡°I¡¯m waiting for members of the Duan family toe and negotiate with me! No one can cross this river, and don¡¯t even think about going around it. Otherwise, I¡¯ll snap Duan Gucheng¡¯s neck right here!¡± Whoosh! Ayer of purple True Energy appeared around Qi Ying¡¯s gloved left hand. ¡°Alright...¡± Gu Shiwei stood on the other side of the river with his eyes narrowed, seemingly in deep thought. Close to a thousand academy disciples were also spectating from afar. Some of them let loose cries of surprise in response to the scenes before their eyes. So Qi Ying was actually an Energy Martial Stage warrior rather than a Strength Martial Stage one? Had he hidden his cultivation base in the past? From his aura, he appeared to be at the Second Energy Martial Stage, but no one dared to believe that anymore. How could a Second Energy Martial Stage warrior capture the Eighth Energy Martial Stage Duan Gucheng among so many disciples? What a joke! His cultivation base had to be no lower than the Eighth Energy Martial Stage! But he was only fifteen years of age! Such a young Eighth Energy Martial Stage warrior would be considered a top-tier prodigy anywhere in the kingdom! The only ones who could exceed him were those supremely talented freaks of the capital city. Many people began to wonder about Qi Ying¡¯s true identity. Qi? That surname was quitemon, but one of the colossal families of the kingdom was the Qi family! At that moment. Rumble! A burst ofmotion erupted from the forest as trees were felled and dust and debris flew through the air. An enraged roar traveled into everyone¡¯s ears from afar. ¡°Who dares to take my Duan Gucheng hostage?!¡± Whoosh! Over a hundred figures rushed out from the forest, toppling all of the cumbersome trees that got in their way. At the forefront of the group was a man in ck robes and a red cloak. His heavily bearded face was twisted by rage and a frosty light was shimmering in his eyes. He was the leader of the Duan family, Duan Xi! Whoosh! Everyone dispersed to open up a path for them. Duan Xi strode over to the riverbank and asked in a cold voice. ¡°Principal Gu, what¡¯s going on here?!¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Gu Shiwei didn¡¯t know whether he should burst intoughter or re up into rage. Everyone knew what had happened. Duan Gucheng had barged into a ssroom with a bunch ofckeys and forced Qi Ying to go with them. It would be absurd to think that the Duan family wouldn¡¯t know what was going on, but Duan Xi was interrogating him? ¡°Ahem, I¡¯m not sure.¡± Gu Shiwei began to y dumb, ¡°These cocky little brats are always getting into altercations. I¡¯m too old to understand the young generation!¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± Duan Xi ignored Gu Shiwei and narrowed his eyes as he stared intently at Qi Ying. ¡°Release Gucheng at once!¡± Duan Gucheng had also been instilled with confidence at the sight of his father, and he negotiated with difficulty. ¡°Qi Ying, listen to my father and release me... If you let me go, we can satisfy any condition you may have... Cough... Cough... Pills, battle techniques, you name it!¡± Duan Gucheng wanted nothing more than to chop Qi Ying into mincemeat and grind his bones to dust, but he had to concede for the moment. He had to convince Qi Ying to release him first, and with the Duan family to back him up, he would be able to do whatever he wanted to him! ¡°Shut up!¡± Qi Ying exerted even more force with his left hand, and Duan Gucheng coughed violently, but was unable to utter another word. ¡°How dare you!¡± Duan Xi roared with rage as he stepped forward, ¡°Let Gucheng go at once!¡± ¡°Get back, Duan Xi!¡± Qi Yingmanded, ¡°I know that you¡¯re a Spirit Martial Stage warrior and possess the ck Winged Tiger battle spirit. You can instantly take one¡¯s life from within a hundred feet away, so if you dare toe any closer, I¡¯m going to kill your son! My life is cheap, but Duan Gucheng is the pride of your Duan family, so I¡¯ll leave the decision to you!¡± ¡°You...¡± Duan Xi¡¯s eyes narrowed as he took a step back. Qi Ying then continued. ¡°That old man over there, you¡¯re Duan Hongxue, right? Don¡¯t even think about skirting around to attack me from behind! If I see you move again, I¡¯m going to snap Duan Gucheng¡¯s neck!¡± Duan Hongxue had just rushed out from the crowd, and his expression instantly darkened upon hearing that. Duan Xi¡¯s demeanor suddenly softened as he said in a calm voice. ¡°State your conditions and we¡¯ll do our best to satisfy you. Just don¡¯t harm Gucheng.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± Qi Ying chuckled, but his expression cooled even further, ¡°Conditions? I don¡¯t have any! I just want to cultivate in the academy in peace and stay out of trouble. But your Duan family is constantly picking fights with me! Duan Renshan, Duan Tianshan, Duan Yuan, Duan Jin, and now Duan Gucheng! And you, Duan Xi! What good will it do even if I were to release Duan Gucheng? Will your Duan family let me off the hook if I do so? Will you leave Mother Yu alone? I am not letting him go until I receive a guarantee.¡± ¡°...¡± Duan Xi¡¯s eyes narrowed even further as a thunderous expression dawned on his face. The Duan family couldn¡¯t lower its head to a brat from an underprivileged family. What was the Duan family? They were a family that stood at the pinnacle of the Celestial River County. If the family leader were to bow to the threats of an undistinguished disciple, then the entire family¡¯s reputation and status would be dealt heavy blows. If the An, Wang, and Sun families took advantage of that opportunity to fan the mes further, the Duan family would suffer unimaginable losses. Qi Ying could not be allowed to live! However, he couldn¡¯t afford to lose Duan Gucheng either. As the sessor to the Duan family, Duan Gucheng¡¯s aptitude wasn¡¯t actually all that outstanding. He had only reached his current heights as countless resources had been expended to nurture him. It would be next to impossible to develop another future Spirit Martial Stage warrior if Duan Gucheng were to die. Thus, an impasse ensued. Chapter 55: Battle Spirit

Chapter 55: Battle Spirit

The silence was broken by the Duan family first. Duan Gucheng¡¯s lower abdomen and arms were still bleeding profusely, so if they dyed any longer, those injuries could be enough to kill him. Even if they didn¡¯t, his future potential would definitely be affected, and he may be unable to progress to the Spirit Martial Stage. ¡°Alright, if you release Gucheng and disappear forever from the Celestial River County, I promise that we won¡¯t trouble you ever again,¡± Duan Xi conceded with narrowed eyes. Qi Ying chuckled with disdain. ¡°Hehe, that¡¯s a nice little scheme you¡¯re nning there. You want me to leave the Celestial River County, then send people to hunt me down right? Besides, your Duan family is at fault, so why do I have to leave the Celestial River County? I want a guarantee that the Duan family will never stir up any trouble again! I want to see if your Duan family is going to concede to someone like me!¡± Gasp... Everyone on the riverbank burst into chatter upon hearing that. It was quite clear that Qi Ying would not be easily fooled. He was much smarter than he looked! The Duan family had two options; they could either kill Qi Ying at the expense of Duan Gucheng, or save Duan Gucheng and leave Qi Ying alive, in which case their reputation would be severely dented. What choice were they going to make? Right at that moment. Another burst ofmotion erupted from outside. ¡°Make way!¡± ¡°We have been deployed by the mayor; make way, everyone!¡± Everyone dispersed once again to allow another group of people through. It was a group of warriors in green armor; the man at the forefront wore a set of short feather robes, with a scimitar in a golden scabbard hanging from his waist, and a pair of ck official boots on his feet. He was the guard leader of the mayor¡¯s official residence, the Ninth Energy Martial Stage warrior, Zhang Wuleng! ¡°Who is onemitting an offense here?¡± Zhang Wuleng sped his hands behind his back. Everyone burst into chatter once again. The mayor¡¯s forces had arrived! Qi Ying was holding a hostage and had vited thews of the kingdom. As a result, he had to be detained! Duan Xi¡¯s expression rxed as he yelled, ¡°Qi Ying, release Gucheng! The Duan family won¡¯t press any charges!¡± He could kill Qi Ying in a thousand different ways after being taken into custody. However, Qi Ying immediately retorted. ¡°The Duan family are the onesmitting an offense here! They all ganged up on me, and I¡¯m just defending myself! The entire academy can act as my witnesses; Duan Gucheng was the one who barged into the ssroom with a bunch of disciples, and forced me toe here with them!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Zhang Wuleng turned to the man beside him and asked, ¡°Is that the case?¡± ¡°Er, I do believe so,¡± Gu Shiwei replied. Everyone suddenly discovered that they had unintentionally viewed Qi Ying as the perpetrator, when it was actually the Duan family that was at fault! The members of the Duan family were also stumped. They were already used to being able to do whatever they wanted in the Celestial River County, and killing an underprivileged brat was like stomping on an ant to them. As such, they didn¡¯t feet like they were doing anything wrong. However, when they thought about it, it did appear that Duan Gucheng was the one who had broken thew, not Qi Ying. All of Qi Ying¡¯s actions had been part of justified self-defense. Zhang Wuleng turned to Qi Ying and said. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll ept the fact that you were acting in self-defense. Now, release Duan Gucheng and let us take care of everything else!¡± ¡°I concur,¡± Duan Xi chimed in. Their top priority was to save Duan Gucheng. As for Qi Ying... they could hunt him down after he released Duan Gucheng! Even if they killed Qi Ying, the officials wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything to the Duan family aside from handing out a fine. Laws were nonexistent to those who were powerful enough. ¡°Release Duan Gucheng at once! If he dies, you will not be exempt from punishment!¡± Zhang Wuleng yelled. ¡°Hmph.¡± Qi Ying knew that if he were to release Duan Gucheng, the Duan family would instantly try to kill him on the spot, no matter the price. Duan Hongxue and Duan Xi were both Spirit Martial Stage warriors, and there were also countless other powerful beings in the Duan family. Even if the academy principal were to try and stop them, it would stille to no avail... As such, he had to wait. He had to wait until his backers arrived! Thus, Qi Ying replied, ¡°Wait for a while longer.¡± Duan Xi: ¡°...¡± Duan Gucheng: ¡°...¡± Zhang Wuleng: ¡°...¡± Everyone else: ¡°...¡± ¡®What the hell?¡¯ ¡®Wait for a while longer... Are you going to release him or not?!¡¯ Why was he bartering as if he were buying vegetables? ¡°I¡¯ll give you eight minutes.¡± Duan Xi assessed Duan Gucheng¡¯s injuries before conceding in a cold voice. If they waited any longer than that, Duan Gucheng¡¯s future cultivation potential would be affected! In that case, they would have to take some risks to try and insta-kill Qi Ying. ¡°Alright.¡± Qi Ying nodded. When that time came, Master Thirteen and Lu Feifei should have already arrived on the scene... With them there, the Duan family wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything to him! All of a sudden, Qi Ying was struck by a sense of dizziness. He had expended quite a bit of True Energy just then, and his left hand was rpsing again. ¡®Dammit, why now of all times...¡¯ Qi Ying cursed internally. They were at a critical juncture, and just the slightestpse in concentration could present an opportunity for Duan Xi to insta-kill him. Thankfully, Xuan Yu was standing right beside him. ¡°Mother Yu, feed me some pills.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Xuan Yu was standing silently beside him the entire time, and she fished out a jade vial, within which were a few Great Strength Pills that could temporarily relieve the symptoms of his left hand. However, right at that moment, Qi Ying suddenly sensed a flow of warm energy making its way into his body through his left hand! Even though the vast majority of that energy had been taken by his left hand, there was still quite a lot surging into his body! In fact, that source of energy was even more effective than consuming Energy Explosion Pills! ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Before Qi Ying had a chance to make sense of the situation, he heard an enraged roar erupting from the other riverbank. ¡°Gucheng!¡± Whoosh! Duan Xi suddenly sprang into the air. Eh? Qi Ying looked down to find that Duan Gucheng was suddenly in critical condition. He was bleeding profusely and struggling to breathe a moment ago, but his cultivation base was keeping him alive and he didn¡¯t appear to be at risk of dying anytime soon. However, all of a sudden, his pallor had turned gray, his body was cold, and it appeared as if he was on the brink of death. Just as he was caught in a slightly stunned stupor. ¡°Roar!¡± An explosive roar erupted, and a vast expanse of ck light suddenly appeared behind Duan Xi. Within the light, a tiger outline that was several dozen feet in size appeared, before instantly materializing into a massive ck tiger with a pair of ck wings. Whoosh! All of the Energy Martial Stage and Strength Martial Stage warriors, including Qi Ying, were struck by a sense of dizziness from that roar. Gu Shiwei¡¯s expression changed slightly as he remarked, ¡°Battle Spirit, ck Winged Tiger!¡± Duan Xi had sprung into action in a sh. As a top-tier warrior who had progressed to the Spirit Martial Stage several decades ago, his ck Winged Tiger Battle Spirit was even capable of insta-killing a Ninth Energy Martial Stage warrior. Thud! Duan Xi was like gliding falcon, appearing instantly above Qi Ying as one of the massive paws of his ck Winged Tiger came crashing down. In that instant, Qi Ying recovered from the sense of dizziness, and his heart jolted with shock as he sensed the peril descending from above. He immediately released Duan Gucheng and raised his left hand! Duan Gucheng¡¯s life was cheaper than that of a dog¡¯s in his eyes; it waspletely iparable to Mother Yu¡¯s safety! Boom! Silver light shed as Qi Ying¡¯s left hand crashed into the paw of the ck Winged Tiger with a resounding boom. Chapter 56: Qi Ying Must Die

Chapter 56: Qi Ying Must Die

To true warriors, only after reaching the Spirit Martial Stage did one actually embark on the path of cultivation. Awakening a Battle Spirit and cultivating in Battle Spirit mystical techniques could enhance a warrior¡¯s power by several times. Duan Xi didn¡¯t want to use his Battle Spirit to fight an Energy Martial Stage brat; it would be like using the treasured tool to kill a chicken. However, Duan Gucheng was clearly on the brink of death and time was of the essence. ¡°Roar!¡± The ck Winged Tiger Battle Spirit unleashed a thunderous roar; all warriors below the Spirit Martial Stage were rendered senseless momentarily. Whoosh! Duan Xi rushed toward Duan Gucheng and at the same time, he unleashed a devastating w strike toward Qi Ying¡¯s head. Qi Ying had to die! Boom! The front paw of the ck Winged Tiger shed with Qi Ying¡¯s left hand. A powerful shockwave sent gale-force winds sweeping outward in all directions. The left hand managed to stop the massive ck Winged Tiger paw in its tracks! Crack! A crisp crack erupted from Qi Ying¡¯s shoulder, and he was struck by a burst of excruciating pain. His shoulder must have been dislocated from that sh, and there was a very good chance that some bones in his arms had been broken as well. However, hepletely ignored his pain and swept Xuan Yu into his right arm before rolling to the side. Thud! Qi Ying rolled for several dozen feet with Xuan Yu in his arms, and without him there to offer resistance, the ck Winged Tiger fell with a resounding boom, creating a massive crater about ten feet wide into the ground. The violent tremors that resulted once again toppled the courtyard that Qi Ying had just renovated. Dust and debris wafted through the air. Whoosh! Everyone present was astonished. They didn¡¯t dare to believe their eyes! What had they just seen? Qi Ying had just blocked an attack from the ck Winged Tiger with one hand? How was that even possible?! ¡°Gucheng? Gucheng!¡± Duan Gucheng¡¯s breathing had almost cut off, and Duan Xi began to shake him frantically. He pressed a hand over Duan Gucheng¡¯s heart, and from his palm, a burst of ck light lit up. Several secondster, Duan Gucheng¡¯s chest began to heave drastically once again, and he coughed violently. Duan Gucheng heaved a sigh of relief before his expression darkened. He held Duan Gucheng in his arms as he let loose an enraged roar, ¡°Kill Qi Ying!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Whoosh whoosh! Over a hundred warriors from the Duan family sprang up at once and pounced toward the ce where Qi Ying was located. ¡°B*stard!¡± Qi Ying stood up with Xuan Yu in his arm and unleashed his Flowing Shadow Strike. His left arm hung limply beside him, and his body transformed into a ck shadow as he evaded the attacks from the Duan family warriors. The members of the Duan family were all attacking him at once, but that actually only created a detrimental effect, as they were getting in each other¡¯s way. As such, Qi Ying was able to squirm through holes in the crowd, and they were unable to locate their target. The spectating disciples, elders, Principal Gu Shiwei, and Guard Leader Zhang Wuleng were all surprised by Qi Ying¡¯s disy of skill. To be able to take a Spirit Martial Stage Battle Spirit¡¯s attack head-on, then traverse through a crowd while carrying a woman; just how powerful was he? However, none of that was important. Everyone knew that Qi Ying was screwed. At that moment. Another group of people was hurriedly approaching theke. An Ruyi waved her whip as she sat on her horse and pointed to the battle taking ce up ahead. ¡°Everyone, go and save Qi Ying!¡± However, An Ping yelled from beside her. ¡°No one is allowed to go!¡± An Ruyi turned to him with incredulity on her face. ¡°An Ping, what are you doing?¡± An Ping jumped down from his horse and half-knelt to the ground. ¡°Young mistress, I can¡¯t keep allowing you to do this! It¡¯s not worth ruining the rtionship between the An and Duan families just for a kid like him!¡± ¡°He¡¯s not just some kid; he¡¯s the Nameless Warrior!¡± An Ruyi raised her whip and prepared to charge into battle on her own, but An Ping rested his hand firmly on her shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, young mistress.¡± Thud! An Ping chopped his hand into the back of An Ruyi¡¯s neck; her eyes rolled back and she slumped into An Ping¡¯s arms. An Ping sighed as he looked on at the battle. ¡°Nameless Warrior? No matter who he is, incurring the wrath of the entire Duan family will inevitably lead him to his death!¡± Following the An family entourage, a few more people suddenly arrived. ¡°Lu Zuo, Lu You, go!¡± Lu Feifei¡¯s expression darkened at the sight of the battle. ¡°Yes!¡± Whoosh whoosh! Lu Zuo and Lu You shot forth and transformed into two ck shadows as they dove into the crowd. All of a sudden, there were three ck shadows whizzing around at the same time. The difference was that one of them was evading attacks, while the other two were unleashing all types of battle techniques to attack those around them as they moved. Lu Zuo and Lu You were both at the Ninth Energy Martial Stage, so taking down ordinary Energy Martial Stage warriors was as easy as chopping up vegetables to them. In particr, Lu You could even unleash different battle techniques from both hands at the same time. His movements were smooth and coordinated, and his attacks fell in a steady unrelenting stream. It wasn¡¯t long before a bunch of Duan family warriors were rolling on the ground around him, clutching their stomachs as they howled with pain. Only Duan Jinhong, Duan Kai, and Duan Yidao, who were all at the Eighth or Ninth Energy Martial Stage, could put up a fight. Duan Hongxue turned to Lu Feifei with a cold expression. ¡°Widow Lu, what do you think you¡¯re doing? Are you trying to oppose our Duan family?¡± Lu Feifei smiled, but her eyes were devoid of the seductive light that was usually present in them. ¡°I¡¯m going to save Qi Ying.¡± ¡°You think you have what it takes?¡± Duan Hongxue stroked his beard before rising into the air. Whoosh! ... Qi Ying¡¯s heart was thumping wildly while his blood circted frantically, and he felt like he was about to vomit his heart out. There were over a hundred people attacking him, and carrying Xuan Yu with him expended several times the True Energy that would otherwise be used. As such, even though he had only been dodging for about a minute, he was already struggling quite severely. Thankfully, Lu Zuo and Lu You¡¯s arrival bought him some time to catch his breath. Whoosh! Qi Ying stopped with Xuan Yu in his arm and he panted heavily as his left arm hung by his side. He smoothed down Xuan Yu¡¯s disheveled hair with his right hand, and offeredforting words, ¡°Mother Yu... Don¡¯t be scared.¡± However, Xuan Yu wore a calm expression on her face, and she seemed to be more rxed than anyone else. A smile appeared on her face upon hearing Qi Ying¡¯s words. ¡°Alright. When you¡¯re with me, I¡¯m scared of nothing.¡± ¡°...¡± Qi Ying didn¡¯t know where Xuan Yu drew her confidence from. He turned to Lu Zuo and Lu You and he suddenly spotted a ck-robed figure descending from the sky. He immediately yelled, ¡°Look out!¡± ¡°Roar!¡± A vast expanse of ck light also appeared behind Duan Hongxue. Within the ck light, a massive ck tiger emerged, but this one didn¡¯t have wings on its back, and it was quite a bit weaker than Duan Xi¡¯s ck Winged Tiger. Even so, it still possessed immense power! The ck tiger flew through the air, sweeping a bunch of Duan family warriors aside with the gusts of winds it swept up, before descending with unstoppable force. Lu Zuo and Lu You both wore grave expressions, but they still joined forces and positioned themselves in front of Qi Ying. It was clear that Duan Hongxue¡¯s target was none other than Qi Ying. The two of them unleashed dazzling battle techniques as True Energy surged into the air. Bam bam! The ck tiger crashed through their attacks like a flying fortress before pouncing upon them. It swept its ws through the air, and the two of them were swatted aside. St! The Lu brothers both threw up mouthfuls of blood, and they were severely wounded as they flew back through the air. ¡°Die!¡± The enraged Duan Hongxue rushed toward Qi Ying like a ferocious beast. Chapter 57: Anyone Who Touches Qi Ying Will Die

Chapter 57: Anyone Who Touches Qi Ying Will Die

Within a Spirit Martial Stage warrior¡¯s body, True Energy would have already transitioned to be Spiritual Energy. Thetter was purer than the former, and provided them with greater speed. They could use the explosive force of Spiritual Energy alone to fly through the air, and the power of their attacks also became incredibly formidable. After awakening one¡¯s Battle Spirit, a First Spirit Martial Stage warrior could defeat hordes of warriors at the Eighth or Ninth Energy Martial Stages. Even the likes of Lu You¡ªwho was a Ninth Energy Martial Stage warrior¡ªwas unable to fend off even a single attack. Thud! Boom! Lu Zuo and Lu You were sent flying by the ck Tiger Battle Spirit in a sh. Duan Hongxue flew through the air, and his hands transformed into ws as he made a grab for Qi Ying. ¡®F*ck off!¡¯ Qi Ying roared internally. That old fart was a Spirit Martial Stage powerful being! Wasn¡¯t he ashamed to be attacking a kid like him? His left shoulder was dislocated, so he couldn¡¯t use his left arm, thereby giving him no chance against such a fearsome opponent. Thus, he could only pick up Xuan Yu again, before unleashing his Flowing Shadow Strike, and escaping toward the throngs of academy disciples on the other side of the river. ¡°Jinhong, cut him off!¡± Duan Xi was in the process of treating Duan Gucheng¡¯s wounds, and he issued a loudmand. Whoosh! Without Lu Zuo and Lu You getting in his way, the Ninth Energy Martial Stage Duan Jinhong sprang into the air, and green True Energy appeared over his hands as he extended a palm toward the ck shadow that was Qi Ying. Whoosh! About a hundred des of wind erupted from his palms, instantly epassing an area of several dozen feet. The individual des weren¡¯t very powerful, but there were simply too many of them, and Qi Ying was unable to evade in time with Xuan Yu in his arms. A burst of searing pain shot through Qi Ying¡¯s body; he could feel that his left leg had been struck. Blood began to seep out of the wound, and he fell to the ground, tumbling over and over again with Xuan Yu in his arm. ¡°Gasp...¡± Qi Yingid on the ground and he felt like his entire body was about to fall apart at the seams. The left side of his body simply refused to move, and he couldn¡¯t even stand up. In the end, Xuan Yu had to help him up into a half-sitting position. Qi Ying forced a smile onto his face and asked, ¡°Mother Yu, are you alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Xuan Yu¡¯s hair was very disheveled and she replied in a very faint voice. ¡°Hmph!¡± ¡°That little brat is pretty quick!¡± ¡°You¡¯re dead now!¡± Several dozen Duan family warriors surrounded Qi Ying and Xuan Yu, forming a circle with a radius of less than twenty feet. Lu Feifei was starting to panic and she turned to a certain figure on the riverbank before yelling. ¡°Gu Shiwei, a disciple of your academy is about to be killed! Are you just going to stand there and watch?!¡± The academy elders and disciples stirred slightly upon hearing that. No matter what, Qi Ying was still a disciple of the Celestial River Academy, so the academy had a duty to protect him. A conflicted expression appeared on Gu Shiwei¡¯s face. Lu Feifei then turned toward Zhang Wuleng and yelled. ¡°And you¡¯re the guard leader of the mayor¡¯s official residence; are you just going to do nothing as murder is beingmitted in broad daylight?¡± Zhang Wuleng remainedpletely expressionless, as if he had heard nothing. At that moment. Duan Xi ced Duan Gucheng onto the ground and stood up. His cloak pped in the wind around his hulking frame, and his cold eyes scanned the crowd as he let loose an explosive roar, ¡°No one is allowed to intervene! Qi Ying had ruined Gucheng¡¯s cultivation potential, so our Duan family will have his head no matter what! If anyone wants to stand in our way, then prepare to face the wrath of the entire Duan family! Madam Lu, you should stay still there! Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t mind sending three hundred Duan family warriors to pay your mansion a visit!¡± Gu Shiwei had just stepped a foot forward, but he withdrew it and the Spiritual Energy that had gathered on his hands had also dissipated. Zhang Wuleng met Duan Xi¡¯s gaze and a smile appeared on his face. There was clearly a tacit understanding between the two. ¡°You...¡± Lu Feifei¡¯s chest heaved drastically with rage. She was angry at Gu Shiwei for being such a coward, and she was angry at Zhang Wuleng for siding with Duan Xi. She was even more infuriated by the threats that Duan Xi was directing at her. However, she couldn¡¯t do anything as she was no cultivator herself, and Lu Zuo and Lu You were the most powerful warriors under hermand. She had an extremely formidable power behind her, but she wasn¡¯t able to draw upon the warriors there, as they were simply too far away. ¡°Jinhong, kill him!¡± Duan Ximanded. Duan Jinhong emerged from the crowd with a sword in his hand. He wore a cold sneer on his face as he made his way toward the half-sitting Qi Ying. Green True Energy revolved around his sword, making it capable of slicing through iron like a hot knife through butter, so it was a simple task to take an Energy Martial Stage warrior¡¯s life. He was one of the most exceptional young talents of the Duan family, and the fact that Duan Xi had assigned him with the mission to kill Qi Ying showed that he was held in high regard. With Duan Gucheng¡¯s cultivation potential ruined, there was a very good chance that he would be the sessor of the Duan family. ¡°This is what you get for offending the Duan family!¡± Duan Jinhong wore a cruel expression as he stabbed his sword toward Qi Ying. However, right at that moment, Qi Ying transformed into a ck shadow again and sprang up from the ground! Whoosh! The ck shadow split into two, and both of them rushed toward Duan Jinhong from different directions. Duan Jinhong hurriedlyshed out at the shadow on his right, only to strike thin air with his sword. His heart jolted with shock, but before he could formte a defense, a cold objected had been stabbed into his heart from behind. In an instant, all of his vitality faded, and his fantasies for the future disappeared into darkness... St! Qi Ying pulled out the Ink Scale Dagger that he had been hiding on his body the entire time, and a geyser of blood spurted forth as Duan Jinhong fell to the ground. Gasp... All of the members of the Duan family that had surrounded Qi Ying took a step backward. He had just killed Duan Jinhong, who was only below the great elder and the family leader in status! ¡°Jinhong!¡± Duan Hongxue and Duan Xi roared in unison. From what they could tell, Duan Gucheng would be unable to cultivate anymore. As such, Duan Jinhong had be the only person in the entire family with hopes of bing a Spirit Martial Stage warrior, but he had been killed by Qi Ying! None of them could ept that oue. Qi Ying was clearly on the brink of death, but he had just cut down another of the Duan family¡¯s future pirs! Thud! Qi Ying sat heavily onto Duan Jinhong¡¯s body and gasped for air. He really couldn¡¯t move anymore. ¡®Even if I die, I¡¯m going to make your Duan family pay... You have to pay a heavy price to mess with me!¡¯ All of the bystanders, including Gu Shiwei, Lu Feifei, Lu Zuo and Lu You, who were struggling to their feet, Zhang Wuleng, as well as the academy elders and disciples; all of them had been stunned by the bloodstained young man who was down but not out. They were initially all quite confused with regard to how a Second Energy Martial Stage warrior had managed to subdue Duan Gucheng. However, they finally understood how he was able to do so. That was a young man who constantly flirted with death, and to whom fighting was second nature. As such, it was no surprise that capturing Duan Gucheng was an easy task for him. However, he was still destined to fall. ¡°Kill him.¡± Duan Xi¡¯s voice had cooled to the extreme. All of the members of the Duan family drew their weapons and pounced on Qi Ying. All of a sudden. Whoosh! Whoosh! Something seemed to fly through the air, upon which cries of pain escaped the lips of many Duan family warriors. All of their wrists had been slit open, as if an invisible knife had sliced into their arms, and all of them dropped their weapons as a result. A loud cry reverberated through the air as several figures emerged! ¡°Anyone who touches Qi Ying will die!¡± Chapter 58: I’m Going to Kill Everyone from the Duan Family

Chapter 58: I¡¯m Going to Kill Everyone from the Duan Family

Thud! Thud! Thud! A white-robed man and four ck-robed figuresnded in quick session. At the forefront was a handsome middle-aged man with ck hair dressed in a set of white robes. Behind him were four ck-robed warriors who all wore cold and unyielding expressions. The white-robed middle-aged man nced at Qi Ying and Xuan Yu, and a hint of emotion shed through his face. He then narrowed his eyes and turned to the members of the Duan family. ¡°I, Yan Thirteen, will kill anyone who dares to touch Qi Ying!¡± All of the bystanders were in shock upon hearing that. Everyone recognized him. Even if some had never seen him, they had all heard the name Yan Thirteen! His Colosseum had earned him countless wealth and he owned many powerful beasts. He had warriors of unfathomable strength contractually bound to him, and a vastwork of connections. Even the four major families of the Celestial River County had to treat him with respect, and he was the undisputed leader of the underworld, as well as one of the most powerful men in the county! However, during the recent period of time, Master Thirteen had kept a low profile and hadn¡¯t appeared in the public eye for a long time... However, he had suddenly emerged, and was trying to protect a kid who was a sworn enemy of the Duan family! Gu Shiwei and the elders were enlightened. Qi Ying really did have a powerful backer, and he was certainly not someone to be scoffed at. An Ruyi patted her chest with relief. She had already spected that Qi Ying was the Nameless Warrior, and Master Thirteen¡¯s arrival further cemented that notion in her mind. Lu Feifei was still quite tense. In the past, the Duan family would have most definitely backed off in the face of herself and Yan Thirteen. However, everything had changed as Qi Ying had in the Duan family¡¯s two brightest young prodigies. Duan Gucheng and Duan Jinhong were the future Duan Xi and Duan Hongxue twenty years down the track. Or at least, that was the case until one of them was disabled while the other was killed... Who knew what extremes the Duan family would go to in order to avenge them? Duan Xi and Duan Hongxue nced at one another, and both of them saw their own bitter expressions mirrored on each other¡¯s faces. The truth was very clear; Qi Ying and Yan Thirteen were in the same camp. Yan Thirteen was able to slit the wrists of over thirty warriors in the blink of an eye, so he definitely possessed the power to instantly crush the heads of the thirty-seven disciples. Duan Huangye must have also been taken out by him. The Duan family had nned to use Qi Ying as bait to lure out Yan Thirteen, before investigating why he was targeting them. However, Yan Thirteen had finally appeared, but they had paid an extremely heavy price to buy his presence. Duan Gucheng was disabled, and Duan Jinhong was dead. Two future pirs of the Duan family had copsed in one day. However, the Duan family couldn¡¯t just keep taking losses! Qi Ying had to die... and Yan Thirteen also had to die! Thud! Thud! Duan Xi and Duan Hongxue sprang into the air, rising up several dozen feet above the ground. Their ck Winged Tiger and ck Tiger Battle Spirits appeared behind them, and roared like thunder. All of the onlookers were struck by a sense of dizziness, as if there really were two terrifying beasts that had appeared in the sky. Whoosh! Yan Thirteen also rose slowly from the ground, and his ck hair fanned out around him as his white robes pped in the wind. Whoosh whoosh! The four colosseum ck-robed guards behind Master Thirteen flew directly into the group of Duan family warriors. All of them were tossed aside amid a series of dull thumps, and one of the guards strode over Qi Ying before taking a nce at him. He then ced his hand onto his left shoulder and forced it back into its socket in one quick motion. Qi Ying drew a sharp breath as a gruesome crack sounded from his shoulder. His left hand tremored, but a burst of excruciating pain then speared through his body. As expected, the bones in his left arm had been broken during his sh with the ck Winged Tiger Battle Spirit. The ck-robed guard¡¯s brows furrowed slightly. ¡°We came on really short notice, so I didn¡¯t bring any medicine with me. You¡¯ll have to circte your True Energy to facilitate recovery for now.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Qi Ying took a nce at Xuan Yu to find that aside from the fact that her hair was disheveled and her clothes were stained with mud, she appeared to be unscathed. Thus, he heaved a sigh of relief and turned his attention to the three people in the sky. ¡°Roar!¡± ¡°Howl!¡± Both the ck Winged Tiger and the ck Tiger had extremely massive bodies, and the wings of the former appeared as if they were threatening to obscure the entire sky. Inparison, Master Thirteen appeared to be very insignificant and vulnerable! However, he wore a calm expression on his face, as if he werepletely unfazed by his opponents. Duan Xi took a deep breath and interrogated, ¡°Yan Thirteen, how is Qi Ying rted to you?¡± Master Thirteen smiled. ¡°Qi Ying? He is a contracted warrior of the Colosseum, the Silver Rank Nameless Warrior!¡± The entire scene erupted. Aside from the small handful of people who were aware of that in advance, everyone¡¯s expressions were extremely spectacr. Each and every Silver Rank warrior was a legendary figure in the Celestial River County, and as such, the Nameless Warrior was widely renowned in everyone¡¯s eyes. He had defeated all types of powerful beasts, and had even brought down the Yellow Tier Seventh Rank Fire Kirin Beast just a day ago. Everyone spected that he was a Ninth Energy Martial Stage powerful being. So Qi Ying was the Nameless Warrior! Seeing as he could defeat even the Fire Kirin Beast, it made a lot more sense that he could abduct Duan Gucheng, kill Duan Jinhong, and block an attack from Duan Xi¡¯s ck Winged Tiger Battle Spirit. However, just who was Qi Ying? Or who was the Nameless Warrior? How could he be so powerful? He wasn¡¯t even sixteen yet! An Ruyi had a wide smile on her face. She had spected from the very beginning that Qi Ying was the Nameless Warrior, and for Master Thirteen to confirm that notion filled her with tion. Everyone from the Duan family looked at each with shock on their faces! In particr, Duan Hongxue wore a thunderous expression, and he looked as if he wanted to dig Duan Huangye¡¯s corpse out of his coffin beforeshing it with a whip! ¡®If you¡¯re going to expose the connection between Qi Ying and Yan Thirteen, then why did you neglect to reveal the fact that Qi Ying is the Nameless Warrior?¡¯ Was he not aware of that himself? The Duan family had severely underestimated Qi Ying as a result, and they paid the price for that in the form of Duan Gucheng and Duan Jinhong¡¯s lives. Inparison, Duan Gucheng and Duan Jinhong were far more important than a hundred Duan Huangyes, a hundred Duan Tianshan¡¯s, and three hundred Duan Yuans and Duan Jinsbined! Within the crowd, Duan Renshan almost fainted on the spot. He had always known that Qi Ying was very powerful, but he didn¡¯t know that he was the Nameless Warrior! If Qi Ying had revealed that to everyone, he and Duan Tianshan would have stayed far away from him! What a b*stard! Duan Xi and Duan Hongxue looked at one another before nodding in unison. There was no alternative, aside from a battle to the death. Both of them were at the Spirit Martial Stage, and Duan Xi was even at the Second Spirit Martial Stage. In contrast, Yan Thirteen hadn¡¯t even revealed his Battle Spirit, and ording to past data, Yan Thirteen was only at the First Spirit Martial Stage. In a two on one battle, they would have no issues taking Yan Thirteen down. Roar! Roar! The two Battle Spirits roared as their auras continued to grow more powerful. In the face of such fearsome enemies, Master Thirteen smiled. However, his expression then instantly darkened and he turned to Duan Xi and Duan Hongxue with eyes that shot daggers. ¡°Do you want to fight me? Well then, let¡¯s see if your attacks will reach me first, or if I¡¯ll kill everyone in your Duan family first!¡± St! A fountain of blood suddenly gushed from the throat of a Duan family warrior, and he instantly fell dead to the ground! Chapter 59: One Does Not Know What Year It Is in the Heavens This Evening

Chapter 59: One Does Not Know What Year It Is in the Heavens This Evening

¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡± Duan Xi was already regretting his words as soon as he uttered them. A member of the Duan family had been insta-killed before he had even said that, so Master Thirteen had basically forced him to eat his words even before they hade out of his mouth, thereby putting him in a very awkward situation. His threat hadn¡¯t even been delivered before it was thrown back into his face. Many people were astonished by Master Thirteen¡¯s determination. One had to realize that Zhang Wuleng was present, and he represented the mayor¡¯s forces. To a certain extent, he was an ambassador of the kingdom¡¯sws. Killing someone right in front of him was the equivalent to disregarding thew. The Duan family had intended to do the same thing, but no one had been as direct as him; how could he just kill someone in the blink of an eye, without even batting an eyelid? What was even more shocking was that no one could see how Master Thirteen had attacked. He didn¡¯t even appear to have moved at all, but was able to instantly take one¡¯s life. Such unfathomable assassination methods were much more terrifying than the two fearsome tigers in the sky. The only ones who had an inkling toward what was going on were Duan Xi and Duan Hongxue. The two of them stood in the air with solemn expressions, and activated their divine sense at the same time. Through doing so, they were able to use divine sensemunication, which was an ability that only warriors at the Spirit Martial Stage or above could use. It basically allowed them tomunicate with their will, without anyone noticing any conversation going on between them. Duan Xi: ¡°Uncle, did you sense that? The thing that Yan Thirteen used to kill was most likely his Battle Spirit.¡± Duan Hongxue: ¡°I did sense it a little bit, but it was too faint and I could only detect an indistinct killing intent. His Battle Spirit is very rare; it¡¯s virtually invisible to the naked eye, and also very difficult to detect through the use of divine sense. Even though it doesn¡¯t possess massive power like our Beast Battle Spirits, it¡¯s very mysterious and fearsome... He may not be able to insta-kill everyone from the Duan family, but taking out several dozens at once is definitely not beyond him!¡± Duan Xi: ¡°Then, what do we do? If we can¡¯t eliminate Yan Thirteen... then we are in a very bad situation!¡± Duan Hongxue: ¡°What else can we do? We can only concede! From the looks of it, he¡¯s intent on protecting Qi Ying, and that Qi Ying is no ordinary kid either. To top it off, that blind woman feels even more dangerous than Yan Thirteen to me. When Qi Ying was injured, I sensed a power emanating from her body that sent chills down my spine... Perhaps it was an illusion, but I feel like it¡¯s best not to push them any further today. We¡¯ve already lost Gucheng and Jinhong; our Duan family can¡¯t afford to incur any more losses!¡± Duan Xi was unwilling to give up. ¡°So we¡¯re just going to run away?¡± Duan Hongxue: ¡°It¡¯s just a tactical retreat! We can think of ways to take them down in the future. After all, our Duan family has more people and more resources. In contrast, Yan Thirteen¡¯s forces can¡¯t be disyed out in the open, so we hold the advantage here. Let¡¯s retreat for now and devise a course of action first!¡± ... Everyone stared intently at the three people in the sky with bated breath. They didn¡¯t know if an epic battle was about to take ce. Many people had lived their whole lives without witnessing a battle between Spirit Martial Stage warriors; if it really were to eventuate, it would be a spectacr sight to behold! From what they could see, Duan Xi and Duan Hongxue¡¯s expressions became grimmer and grimmer, and all of a sudden, the two massive ck tigers in the sky disappeared. The two of them then descended onto the ground in session. ¡°Members of the Duan family, we¡¯re going home!¡± Duan Xi¡¯s dejected voice sounded. Whoosh! Duan Xi supported Duan Gucheng to his feet before carrying him into the air. Everyone else from the Duan family shared looks before helping each other up. They carried the bodies of Duan Jinhong, and all of their other fallenrades, before departing from the scene. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Zhang Wuleng turned to Qi Ying with an intrigued expression before alsomanding his subordinates to leave. ¡°All disciples, return to the academy!¡± Gu Shiwei issued amand, and all of the elders and teachers ushered the disciples back. An Ruyi hurried over in Qi Ying¡¯s direction, but An Ping stopped her once again. ¡°Let¡¯s go back as well, young mistress! These matters are far too chaotic for us to intervene.¡± Anyone with a brain could tell that the Duan family only conceded as they were fearful of Yan Thirteen¡¯s mysterious assassination methods, and they didn¡¯t want to engage in a battle to the death. However, a grudge had well and truly been established between the Duan family, Qi Ying and Yan Thirteen. A time would definitelye when a victor emerged, while the other party died. If anyone were to get too close to one of those parties, it would be like ying with fire. As such, it was best to stay away from them and assess the situation from afar. Soon, only about a dozen people were left from the massive crowds that had gathered. Those people consisted of Lu Feifei and her entourage, as well as Master Thirteen and the four ck-robed guards. Lu Zuo and Lu You brought out their pills and meditated to facilitate recovery. Lu Feifei¡¯s other servants and the ck-robed guards helped Qi Ying up before carrying him into the courtyard, where they administered treatment to him. Thus, there were only three people left. They were Xuan Yu, Yan Thirteen, and Lu Feifei. Lu Feifei appraised Yan Thirteen and that woman with curiosity in her eyes. She discovered that the woman wasn¡¯t particrly stunning; she could only be said to be very beautiful, and seemed to grow more appealing the more one looked at her. Even though she was in quite a disheveled state at the moment, one could still sense a refreshing disposition emanating from her. She had seen countless men, but even more women, and she had never found anyone on her level, with that refined and elegant air about her. The only ones with simr dispositions were those who were well above her in status, andparing herself to them struck her with a sense of inferiority. Yan Thirteen made his way over to that woman and appraised her carefully, as if he were trying to recall something. Meanwhile, the white-robed woman stood on the spot without moving, and there was a hint of a smile on her face. After a while, Yan Thirteen abruptly broke the silence. ¡°When did the bright moon first appear? One raises their cup and asks the clear sky.¡± The woman replied in a gentle voice. ¡°One does not know what year it is in the heavens this evening.¡± Whoosh! Yan Thirteen suddenly fell to his knees with an animated expression, and even his voice was trembling a little. ¡°Thirteen pays his respects to Mistress Yu Xuan!¡± Lu Feifei looked on in astonishment at the scene unfolding before her eyes. Who could that woman be, to make the mysterious and powerful Yan Thirteen fall to his knees? And he was referring to her as ¡°mistress¡±...At that moment, something suddenly rushed into her mind, and her field of vision darkened. Her consciousness suddenly blurred, and she swayed before falling headfirst onto the grasnds beneath her. ... When Qi Ying was carried away by the ck-robed guards, his body fellpletely limp and he couldn¡¯t muster up so much as a shred of strength. That familiar sense of debilitation returned, and he fainted on the spot. After a long period of murkiness, his consciousness finally returned to him, and he opened his eyes. He discovered that he was back in Lu Feifei¡¯s room, and lying on that same soft bed. There was a thin nket covering his body, which waspletely nude. He raised his left hand and his arm was still a little sore. He pulled his left arm out from under the nket to find that his glove and spatial ring had both been removed. There were two boards tied to his arm as a makeshift cast, and those were wrapped in bandages. At the same time, there was also ayer of bandages strapped to his left leg. ¡°Phew... Is it all over?¡± Thinking back to what had happened on the mountain behind the academy, Qi Ying still felt as if he were in a dream. Chapter 60: We’re Just Going to Get Rich Without Offending Anyone

Chapter 60: We¡¯re Just Going to Get Rich Without Offending Anyone

To all of the warriors of the Celestial River County, it had been a day of surprises. The identity of the Nameless Warrior had been revealed; the answer had shocked everyone, but they were not just shocked by the fact that he was actually a fifteen-year-old boy. Even more so, they were astonished that the young man had managed to face hundreds of Duan family warriors by himself, and still disabled Duan Gucheng before killing Duan Jinhong. Master Thirteen of the Colosseum and Madam Lu of the Myriad Spring Brothel had both emerged as his backers, and they fought off the colossus that was the Duan family together. In the end, the boss of the Celestial River County¡¯s underworld, Master Thirteen, had intimidated both of the Spirit Martial Stage warriors of the Duan family into submission with his mysterious killing methods. He had managed to save Qi Ying in the face of countless enemies! The string of breaking news erupted, and soon spread throughout the entire Celestial River County. There were even some who connected those events and sensationalized them, before telling them as stories to anyone who would listen. The story began with Qi Ying trying to keep a low profile at the academy, only to be forced into beating up a bunch of Duan family disciples. He then saved the damsel in distress from the jaws of the dragon, by shielding An Ruyi from the mes of the Fire Kirin Beast at the Colosseum. After that, he warded off countless Duan family warriors, disabling Duan Gucheng and killing Duan Jinhong in the process, before emerging victorious under the protection of Master Thirteen and Madam Lu... All of that could be summarized into one notion: Qi Ying was famous! He was once only a gimmicky warrior whose fame mostly stemmed from the air of mystery around him, but he had since made a name for himself as a truly fearsome warrior that rocked the entire county! There was a series of popr discussion topics that stemmed from that event; for example, was the Duan family just going to swallow their pride and concede? Were the mayor¡¯s forces going to intervene? What was the Celestial River Academy going to do? Would the Colosseum and the Myriad Spring Brothel continue to operate as usual...? However, what followed was a period of rtive peace, much to the surprise of all of the spectors. The Duan family held a rushed funeral for Duan Jinhong, the mayor released no statements on the matter, and both the Colosseum and the Myriad Spring Brothel were thriving just as they had in the past. It was as if nothing had ever happened! However, there was always a brief window of calm before the storm; during that period of time, everyone felt the anticipation weighing down on their chests. An Ruyi was one of them. ¡°An Ping, tell me what daddy is discussing with them! Let me through!¡± An Ruyi was trying to squeeze around An Ping with all her might in order to rush into the guest hall, but she was plucked back like a little duckling on every asion. An Ping heaved a resigned sigh. ¡°Young mistress, the leader of the Duan family has important matters to discuss with our master, so please settle down!¡± ¡°No! I have to know! I have to know! They¡¯re discussing what to do with Qi Ying, aren¡¯t they?¡± An Ruyi struggled with all her might. At that moment. Creak! The door leading to the guest hall suddenly opened. Duan Xi strode out with a thunderous expression before departing with his group of Duan family warriors. The leader of the An family, An Jiahe followed him out thereafter. There was a hint of exasperation on his round face. ¡°Daddy!¡± An Ruyi shrugged off An Ping before running over to An Jiahe, andtching onto his big hand. ¡°What did Duan Xi just say to you? Did he ask you to take down Qi Ying with him? Did he? Qi Ying has saved my life twice; you can¡¯t agree to help him!¡± An Jiahe patted An Ruyi¡¯s head with a doting smile on his face. ¡°You¡¯re a smart little girl to know that the Duan family is seeking assistance from us. He¡¯s trying to rally us, along with the Wang and Sun families to bring Yan Thirteen and Qi Ying down. Qi Ying isn¡¯t a threat in their eyes; it¡¯s Yan Thirteen that really worries them.¡± ¡°Then did you agree to help them?¡± An Ruyi asked in an urgent voice. ¡°Hmph!¡± An Jiahe pursed his lips, ¡°The Duan family is always trying to stomp everyone into the dirt to show off their superiority. They¡¯re a bunch of cocky idiots who are going to get themselves all killed sooner orter! Our An family is different; let them do whatever they want, our family is just going to get rich without offending anyone!¡± ¡°Yay! That¡¯s great!¡± An Ruyi embraced An Jiahe¡¯srge belly and said in a sweet voice, ¡°Daddy is the best!¡± A resigned expression appeared on An Jiahe¡¯s face. ¡°Looks like I won¡¯t be able to keep you much longer; your soul has already run off with that guy... Don¡¯t get too excited though, not joining them doesn¡¯t mean that the Wang and Sun families will do the same thing... If you ask me... a huge storm is about to strike the Celestial River County!¡± ... Night fell upon the Celestial River County, and everything descended into darkness. Within the Lu mansion, Qi Ying put on his clothes with the assistance of the Lu family servants. He then emerged into the courtyard to discover that Xuan Yu was having a pleasant conversation with someone there. Qi Ying was quite surprised; he had never seen Mother Yu converse so happily with any stranger in the past. Furthermore, the one she was talking to wasn¡¯t Madam Lu, but Master Thirteen instead. Qi Ying had almost never seen Mother Yu talk to any men! ¡°Mother Yu.¡± Qi Ying called in a quiet voice as he approached them. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re up.¡± Xuan Yu stood up and turned to face Qi Ying, ¡°How are you holding up?¡± Qi Ying replied. ¡°The doctor said that I have some broken bones in my left arm, but thankfully, it¡¯s not aminuted fracture. I should be fully recovered after a few days with the Lu family¡¯s medicine. The injury on my leg is only a flesh wound, and it¡¯s already almost fully healed. Aside from that, I overexerted my True Energy supplies, so my meridians were slightly damaged, and I¡¯ll be feeble for a few days, but I should be fine after some rest and recuperation.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± Xuan Yu seemed to bepletely unconcerned, and Qi Ying was used to the nature of her reaction. Ever since he was a toddler, she had never been worried about any physical ailments that he had. However, she was very strict when it came to keeping his integrity and moralpass in line. Master Thirteen stood up with a smile and said, ¡°You two must have some catching up to do. I have some things I have to attend to at the Colosseum, so I¡¯ll be taking my leave now.¡± Xuan Yu nodded with a smile. ¡°Master Thirteen.¡± Qi Ying extended his right hand. ¡°Hmm?¡± Master Thirteen¡¯s footsteps faltered, ¡°Do you need something from me?¡± Qi Ying ced his right hand over his heart before bowing deeply with an earnest expression. ¡°Master Thirteen, you are not a rtive of mine, but you have saved my life twice. I will never forget your kindness for as long as I live... I owe you two lives, and I will never betray you or cross you for the rest of my life!¡± ¡°Haha!¡± In response to Qi Ying¡¯s words, Master Thirteenughed heartily before picking up the jade wine gon on the table and springing into the air. His robes pped in the wind as he disappeared into the night. Qi Ying looked up at the night sky and said, ¡°Mother Yu.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Do you know Master Thirteen?¡± ¡°Why do you ask?¡± ¡°I have a feeling that you know him... and he seems to know some things that I don¡¯t even know myself.¡± ¡°Who knows?¡± Xuan Yu chuckled as a mysterious meaningful smile appeared on her face. Chapter 61: Xuan Yu Yu Xuan

Chapter 61: Xuan Yu Yu Xuan

The conflict between Qi Ying and the Duan family was like a massive rock that had fallen into a pond; at the time, a massive ssh had erupted, but nothing had happened since then. The disciples of the Celestial River Academy were still cultivating as usual, with those at or above the Fifth Energy Martial Stage using whatever resources they could to improve their cultivation base. They were doing so in order to prepare for the intra-academy tournament that was going to be held in twelve days. The Celestial River County Youth Battle Tournament was going to be held in sixteen days, and when that time came, there was going to be a bunch of higher-ups from the capital city that would y the role of selectors. Even if one already knew that they had secured a spot for the tournament already, they weren¡¯t going to ck off, as only the elites were going to be chosen. All of them wanted to grab the opportunity with both hands so that they could impress those important people from the capital. Of course, during that period of time, they didn¡¯t see Duan Gucheng or Qi Ying. ... At the Lu mansion. After four days of rest, Qi Ying was finally fully recovered. His muscles were still aesthetic as before, his bones were still just as hard, and everything moved as freely as before; there appeared to be no aftereffects whatsoever. Whoosh! Thud!Thud! Within the courtyard, Qi Ying repeated the motions of rising into the air, descending back onto the ground, and throwing punches and kicks, as well as doing a series of movements that challenged the limits of his body¡¯s capabilities. Wisps of Purple Energy revolved around him and flowed into his meridians. After the majority of it was absorbed by his left hand, it then flowed into his dantian and transformed into True Energy, which condensed in his energy vortex. During the process, Qi Ying discovered something very interesting; the Purple Energy that remained¡ªafter the left hand absorbed most of it¡ªwas very pure. As such, the True Energy conversion rate was extremely fast, which was why his progression was so quick. Inbination with the consumption of arge amount of Energy Explosion Pills, he was able to sessfully make another breakthrough, taking his cultivation base from the Second to the Third Energy Martial Stage. Along with the improvements in his cultivation base, Qi Ying made sure that other areas didn¡¯tg behind either. In terms of his battle techniques, he had improved by leaps and bounds in his Dark Falcon Illusionary w, and had reached the great sess level of mastery. His Flowing Shadow Strike had also reached the initial sess level, and when he used it, he was then able to create two additional afterimages on top of his own body. There were also improvements made to the continuity and speed of his movement techniques. Furthermore, as Qi Ying had only been at the First Energy Martial Stage in the past, unleashing Yellow Tier Intermediate-Rank battle techniques was very taxing on his True Energy reserves. In addition to that, his left hand was constantly sapping his True Energy during its cirction, and he wasn¡¯t able to use techniques many times before being sucked dry. After reaching the Third Energy Martial Stage, his storage capacity for True Energy had reached in excess of twice what he could when he was at the Second Energy Martial Stage. The level of purity had also seen a significant improvement, thereby allowing him to be able to unleash the Dark Falcon Illusionary w and the Flowing Shadow Strike many times in quick session. As for other battle techniques, even though Lu You was stunned by his aptitude and was willing to teach him a vast array of powerful battle techniques, Qi Ying politely turned down his offer. He had one for attack, and one for movement techniques; that was enough to him. On top of that, his extraordinary control over True Energy allowed him to enhance his physical strength to a satisfactory degree. Whoosh! A shimmering barrier of purple light surfaced on Qi Ying¡¯s body. That was the True Energy Protective Barrier! Under normal circumstances, only warriors who had been at the Energy Martial Stage for a significant amount of time would be capable of such a technique. However, it didn¡¯t take Qi Ying long to master it. He only had to observe how Lu Zuo and Lu You had managed to do it, and he managed to emte that soon after. ¡°Phew...¡± Qi Ying leaped onto the rooftop and began to meditate. At the same time, he swallowed another Energy Explosion Pill and practiced the internal section of the Purple Energy Cultivation Method. In a pavilion not far away. Two white-robed figures stood in front of the window. From there, they had a clear view of the entire Lu mansion. One of them was a handsome and graceful man holding a wine gon in his hand; he was none other than the vastly renowned Yan Thirteen. The other was a woman with hair as ck as ink and slightly furrowed brows; she was Xuan Yu. Even though she had her eyes closed, it was as if she could see Qi Ying as he sat on the rooftop. Master Thirteen sped his hands behind his back and said. ¡°I had heard that after Mistress Yu Xuan took him away, you had no intention of going back. However, he seems to be very eager to return to the capital.¡± Xuan Yu replied in an indifferent voice, ¡°I didn¡¯t guide him onto the path of cultivation. I only raised him as a normal person, but he seems destined for greater things. He is free to pursue whatever he wants. I see him as my son, so I must do my duty as a mother. Of course, barring special circumstances, I¡¯m still his blind Mother Yu.¡± ¡°Destined for great things? Indeed, it¡¯s all about destiny, is it not?¡± A tragic smile appeared on Master Thirteen¡¯s face and he seemed to have recalled something. The conversation took an abrupt turn, ¡°Members of the Qin, Chu, and Yan families all traveled to the Nameless Mountain not long ago. Did any of them recognize the two of you?¡± Xuan Yu shook her head. ¡°No. The people deployed were all fringe characters that are far removed from those people from fifteen years ago. I changed my appearance, hid my cultivation base, and blinded myself, so they wouldn¡¯t be able to recognize me.¡± ¡°Speaking of which, Mistress Yu Xuan, your eyes...¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. Something happened in the Nameless City.¡± ¡°Oh...¡± Master Thirteen didn¡¯t pry any further. He was far too insignificant of a characterpared to Xuan Yu, and speaking with her as he currently did was something he wouldn¡¯t have dared to imagine in the past. However, after seeing Xuan Yu, he felt like he had met an old friend. He really wanted to say something that would help him remember those memories that were buried deep in his heart. Master Thirteen sighed. ¡°The young master of the Qi family really is supremely talented! I have never seen anyone like him in my life. I wonder if the top prodigies of the kingdom are just as or more talented than him.¡± ¡°Perhaps they are. Even I have never encountered such a truly freakish talent before. As for Qi Ying, his left hand is very strange, and even his bloodline is slightly different from that of the Qi family. On top of that, I¡¯ve noticed recently that the rate at which he absorbs the vital energy of heaven and earth is very high.¡± ¡°What do you n on doing?¡± ¡°Let him be. Didn¡¯t you first meet me when you were at his age? Young people should set themselves free. Otherwise, they¡¯ll be filled with regrets in old age. He can pursue whoever he likes; it¡¯ll provide him with motivation to have a target.¡± ¡°I heard that, with the exception of people from the Qin and Yan families, there are also going to be representatives from the Qi familying to the Celestial River County in ten days.¡± ¡°Who ising from the Qi family?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Those were only rumors I had heard. Aside from that, my sources tell me that the Duan, Wang, and Sun families have already joined forces. They¡¯ve prepared a scheme to target Qi Ying and me, and that will also kick off in ten days!¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± Xuan Yu suddenly chuckled as a resolute expression appeared on her face, ¡°They will pay for their actions. Of course, Qi Ying needs to grow as well, so this is not a bad opportunity for him to learn through hardships.¡± Chapter 62: Please Enlighten Me

Chapter 62: Please Enlighten Me

To those who packed their schedules each and every day, time always passed by quickly. It was often the case that they wished for there to be more hours in a day, and before they knew it, a long time had passed them by. Four days of recuperation and eight days of cultivation; twelve days flew by in a sh. When Qi Ying returned to the Celestial River Academy, the schoolyard was deathly silent. However, on the za in the distance, a raucousmotion could be heard, and it was no less bustling and lively than the scenes at the Colosseum! ... The Celestial River za was in an uproar. ¡°As expected of the Eighth Energy Martial Stage Tiger Heavenly Monarch! He just defeated the Sixth Energy Martial Stage Li Ergou in one move!¡± ¡°Looks like he¡¯ll be definitely taking one of the thirty spots.¡± ¡°Look over there! Sun Changyu of the Sun family has also just defeated his opponent with one strike!¡± ¡°There is no chance for any disciple outside of the High Division to stand in the ring at the very end. Even High Division disciples have to rise above a lot ofpetitors.¡± There were thirty rings set up on the Celestial River za, and two disciples were engaged in battle on each of those rings. ording to the rules, if one wanted to secure a spot for the uingpetition, they had to defeat the ring leader to take their ce, then guard their ring until the very end. They would only receive a spot once contenders stopped challenging them. If one were to be eliminated from a ring, then they would lose the opportunity to win a spot for themselves. As such, most people were exercising caution when picking their fights. Some of the more powerful disciples couldn¡¯t even be bothered to fight in the early stages; they were only going to challenge one of the rings veryte into the event, thereby minimizing the number of battles they would have to face. Of course, there were some people who used underhanded tactics, such as getting a bunch of disciples to challenge one ring leader in quick session. Once thetter became worn out, that disciple would then issue the final challenge and secure victory. However, the facy in that n was that more powerful disciples could still kick them off after that, thereby making all of their efforts go to waste! As such, the disciples who were given the spots were guaranteed to be the most powerful ones in the entire Celestial River Academy! In order to conserve energy, most people tried to end their battles as quickly as possible. It was still very early into the afternoon, and thirty disciples stood on the rings, but most of the others had already lost the right to issue further challenges. At that point in time, another group of powerful disciples appeared. None of them had challenged anyone, but they soon managed to rece one of the ring leaders; they stood on the ring, basking in the envious gazes of all of the other disciples. The academy didn¡¯t take any tuition fees, and even gave out subsidies. As such, the disciples naturally had to pay a price. ording to kingdomws, all male academy warriors that were twenty-one years of age had to undertake a minimum of two years of army service. That was a very dangerous task, not to mention the fact that the loneliness and harsh conditions were quite difficult to bear. However, if one were to secure a spot topete in the Celestial River County Youth Battle Tournament, they had the chance to be selected as young generals of the kingdom. As such, they would be able to move to Yun Xiao City. Even if they missed out on that opportunity, they would still be given special attention by the county army, and once they left the academy, they would be able to earn themselves a job there. All of the disciples standing on the rings were neen or twenty-year-old High Division warriors. There was asionally a younger ring leader that emerged, but they were all at least eighteen years of age as well. Furthermore, their cultivation bases were all at the Seventh Energy Martial Stage or above. There were barely any challengers left, and some of them stepped onto the rings in blind hope more than anything else. As expected, they were all soon defeated. All those disciplesmented their ill-fortune. ¡°Looks like that¡¯s about it for this year.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t seen Duan Gucheng yet; where is he?¡± ¡°I heard that he¡¯s still resting at the Duan mansion to recover from his injuries. Besides, he can take one of the ten spots given to the Duan family, so there¡¯s no need for him to enter this tournament.¡± ¡°By the way, where¡¯s Qi Ying? He should be powerful enough to easily secure a spot!¡± ¡°Him? He must have fled the Celestial River County a long time ago! There¡¯s no way he would stick around after incurring the wrath of the entire Duan family. If he dares to appear anywhere in the county, he¡¯s going to be immediately chased down and killed! He must be long gone by now!¡± Wang Mazi was seemingly quite pleased with himself as he showed off his knowledge of the situation. However, a burst ofmotion suddenly erupted. ¡°Qi Ying is here!¡± Er... An awkward expression appeared on Wang Mazi¡¯s face, and offered an unconvincing retort. ¡°No way... are you sure it¡¯s him?¡± ¡°I¡¯m positive! It really is him!¡± Everyone parted to create a path down the middle. A slightly thin young man with an eye-catching silver glove on his left hand emerged. Everyone stared intently at him with bated breath. He had recently be a celebrity in the Celestial River County. He was the number one Low Division disciple of the Celestial River Academy, the notorious Nameless Warrior of the Colosseum, and the man who had severely wounded Duan Gucheng, in Duan Jinhong, and survived a full-force attack from the almighty Duan Xi... He was once just some underprivileged disciple, but had since be one of the most famous people in the entire academy! ¡°Qi Ying?¡± ¡°It really is him!¡± ¡°He still dares to show himself?¡± All of the disciples were stunned. They were thinking that Qi Ying¡¯s appearance would immediately draw countless bloodthirsty members of the Duan family to the scene. However, that didn¡¯t prove to be the case. Qi Ying stood tall and proud as he made his way toward the rings. At the same time, he announced in a clear voice, ¡°I have never broken any kingdomws; all the people that I killed or injured was in justified self-defense. Why do I need to hide and cower in the shadows? I¡¯m here to participate in the intra-academy tournament today!¡± Whoosh! Ayer of purple True Energy appeared on his hands, as a formidable aura erupted from his body. All of the disciples were astonished. ¡°The Fourth Energy Martial Stage? Wasn¡¯t he only at the Second Energy Martial Stage just a few days ago?¡± ¡°No, even the Fourth Energy Martial Stage is definitely not his true cultivation base! Do you really think a Second Energy Martial Stage warrior could kill Duan Jinhong and disable Duan Gucheng?¡± Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! At that moment, officiating elders all rushed to the scene. Principal Gu Shiwei was also among them, and he asked, ¡°Qi Ying, are you sure you want to participate in the intra-academy tournament?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I must inform you that if you receive a spot, you will not be able to relinquish it, and you will be required to enter the Celestial River County Youth Battle Tournament. That tournament is going to consist of a free-for-all battle held in a secluded forest, where killing is not prohibited. Let me ask you again; are you sure you would like to participate?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure!¡± Qi Ying was very determined. He was well aware of what Gu Shiwei was trying to say. Almost half of the people that would secure spots to the Celestial River County Youth Battle Tournament were rted to the Duan, Wang, and Sun families! As such, he was definitely going to be targeted and ganged up on, thereby cing him in great peril. However, to enter the tournament had always been his objective, ever since he decided to go to the Celestial River County! How could he give up in the face of such insignificant hardships? He had been in far more dangerous situations in the past. ¡°Alright, please choose a ring to challenge!¡± Gu Shiwei stood off to the side to allow Qi Ying through. Qi Ying¡¯s eyes scanned across the thirty rings, and quickly settled on one of them. Whoosh! His body transformed into a ck shadow, and he rushed forward before stepping onto a ring and facing the ring leader. ¡°Please enlighten me!¡± Chapter 63: Securing a Spot

Chapter 63: Securing a Spot

The ring leader standing before Qi Ying was none other than one of the Four Heavenly Monarchs, Tiger Heavenly Monarch Liu Meng! Everyone was shocked to see that. They had thought that Qi Ying would at most be challenging a Seventh Energy Martial Stage disciple. After all, he would surely try to find someone that was rtively easier to defeat. However, he had instead chosen one of the most powerful ring leaders. Liu Meng was close to twenty-one years of age, and he was considered to be a brilliant prodigy even when he first came to the Celestial River Academy. He was only the young master of a prominent family from one of the small cities in the county, but his outstanding aptitude had made him a force to be reckoned with. Even after he was recruited by Duan Gucheng, he was considered to be the second-inmand among their group, so he called the shots in the absence of Duan Gucheng! The other three Heavenly Monarchs had all willingly conceded to Duan Gucheng, as they wanted to appease the Duan family. However, Liu Meng was the only one who had caught Duan Gucheng¡¯s eye, and had been forcefully recruited, so he was clearly much more powerful than his other three counterparts. In the face of such a formidable foe, Qi Ying remained quite calm and collected. In reality, he was challenging Liu Meng exactly because he was one of the most powerful ring leaders! He wanted to test his new strength against the best opponent avable! Furthermore, if he were to defeat Liu Meng, it would eliminate a powerful enemy in the uing youth tournament. Even if Liu Meng could still enter the tournament using one of the Duan family¡¯s spots, that would still entail that there would be one less enemy he would have to face from the Duan family. ¡°Hmph!¡± Liu Meng stomped a foot into the ground and narrowed his eyes. The muscles on his body bulged as he bent over like a beast that was about to pounce. True Energy crackled and exploded around him as he prepared himself for battle. Bam! True Energy erupted from beneath Liu Meng¡¯s feet, and his body shot forth like an arrow. At the same time, True Energy materialized on his hand, and heunched a powerful punch! ¡°Roar!¡± The projection of a massive fist roared like a vicious tiger. Yellow Tier High-Rank battle technique, Howling Wind Fist! Powerful beings above the Seventh Energy Martial Stage were capable of not only ejecting their True Energy out of their bodies, and creating energy armor, they could even manipte their True Energy into different shapes and forms, thereby enhancing the power of their battle techniques by thirty percent. Everyone could tell that Liu Meng had already reached the great sess level in his Howling Wind Fist! As expected of one of the top prodigies in the Celestial River Academy; even Duan Gucheng at the height of his powers was probably inferior to him. What about Qi Ying? In a fair and square one on one battle, did he have what it took to defeat an Eighth Energy Martial Stage warrior? The answer was about to be revealed very soon. Whoosh! A ck shadow flew through the air as Qi Ying¡¯s body split into two. He evaded the oing Howling Wind Fist, and the two ck shadows he had manifested rushed toward Liu Meng, one from the right, and the other from the left. ¡°Ha!¡± Liu Meng let loose a loud roar, and the expression on his face suggested that he was already expecting an attack like that from Qi Ying. Bam! The Howling Wind Fist suddenly exploded, sending shockwaves surging through the air. The shockwaves erupted forth, and the ck shadow to Liu Meng¡¯s left suddenly disappeared. ¡°There you are!¡± Liu Meng immediately turned to his right before unleashing a vicious kick, upon which a green leg projection shot forth through the air. Qi Ying¡¯s expression stirred slightly, and a series of purple w projections burst forth from his right hand! Bam! Following a sh of True Energy, Qi Ying was forced back several steps before barely arresting his backward momentum. Meanwhile, Liu Meng felt a sense of pain shoot through his right leg. He didn¡¯t have time to materialize ayer of True Energy armor around that leg beforeshing out with it, thereby resulting in a slightly unfavorable sh for him. However, seeing as he had dispelled Qi Ying¡¯s movement technique, he had to take advantage of the opportunity tond the decisive blow! Following that initial exchange, he discovered that Qi Ying wasn¡¯t as powerful as he had thought. He was many times more powerful than the average Fourth Energy Martial Stage disciple, but there was still quite arge gulf in strength between the two of them. Duan Gucheng and Duan Jinhong must have only fallen prey to him as they were too careless, and were caught off guard! In a direct confrontation, he was nothing to worry about! Boom! Liu Meng immediately unleashed another punch in an attempt to strike Qi Ying before hepletely regained his bnce. Right at that moment. Qi Ying focused his gaze and extended his left hand! Boom! He crushed down with his fingers, and the oing fist projection was immediately shattered. At the same time, Qi Ying unleashed his Flowing Shadow Strike again. However, he had summoned three ck shadows as opposed to two! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! The shadows charged toward Liu Meng in unison. Liu Meng had just unleashed his Howling Wind Fist, and was in the midst of a very brief cooldown window. He had not expected Qi Ying to be able to crush his battle technique with his bare hand, and with the very limited reaction time he had, he could only summon several dozen wind des that rushed toward the three ck shadows. He didn¡¯t know which of the shadows was Qi Ying¡¯s true body, so he could only attack them all at once! That was the tactic he had devised against his opponent¡¯s confusing movement techniques. However, after unleashing the wind des, he waspletely defenseless. Right at that moment, ayer of purple True Energy enveloped one of the ck shadows, creating a suit of armor that remained resilient through the onught of wind des. Bam bam! The wind des exploded, but Qi Ying was not slowed down in the slightest as he reached out with his hand. Dark Falcon Illusionary w! Whoosh! Qi Ying¡¯s w projections sliced through Liu Meng¡¯s right sleeve, and his right hand mped onto Liu Meng¡¯s forearm like a steel mp. He then circted his True Energy around his entire body to enhance his strength, before picking Liu Meng up from the ground in one violent motion. His foot acted as a pivot as his entire body spun like a windmill. Liu Meng was also flung into the air and was spun for about a dozen rotations before being released. His body drew a parabolic curve before thumping to the ground, sending dust and debris flying in all directions. ¡°Gasp...¡± All of the disciples had finally witnessed Qi Ying¡¯s true power. Liu Meng was considered to be quite powerful, even among Eighth Energy Martial Stage warriors; still, he was taken care of in just a few exchanges. It appeared that the legends surrounding Qi Ying were not tall tales! He really was the Nameless Warrior from the Colosseum! The academy elders and Principal Gu Shiwei also looked at one another and nodded in approval. Qi Ying¡¯sbat prowess was definitely sufficient for him to stand out in the uing Celestial River County Youth Battle Tournament. If he were selected by those from the capital, it would be beneficial to the Celestial River Academy as well, as he hailed from their academy. In that case, they would be able to receive more funding from the kingdom. They were even beginning to discuss whether they should organize some disciples to form an alliance with Qi Ying, thereby ensuring his safety in the tournament. Qi Ying had then reced Liu Meng as the ring leader. ording to the rules, Liu Meng had lost his chance to earn a spot from the intra-academy tournament. He aimed a resentful re at Qi Ying before departing. Fewer and fewer challengers remained, and the intra-academy tournament gradually drew to a conclusion. To everyone¡¯s surprise, no one from the Duan, Wang, and Sun families picked on Qi Ying to wear him down. Instead, most of them challenged other disciples and secured spots for themselves. As the sun began to set, the intra-academy tournament finally concluded! Principal Gu Shiwei announced the roster of thirty people before dering, ¡°The Celestial River County Youth Battle Tournament will be held in four days on the hunting grounds outside the Celestial River County. The thirty disciples that were named are required to gather on the academy drill grounds in the morning, four days from now!¡± Everyone dispersed, and Qi Ying also turned to leave. At that moment. A figure suddenly appeared and stood in Qi Ying¡¯s way. Chapter 64: The Longer You Live, the More You See

Chapter 64: The Longer You Live, the More You See

It was An Ruyi again. Qi Ying gave a resigned smile. In the academy, everyone tried to stay away from him in fear of getting into trouble. She was the only one who would approach him without any caution whatsoever. However, on that asion, there was apletely different look in An Ruyi¡¯s eyes. In the past, there had been curiosity and sympathy, as well as humiliation and rage... but she was currently appraising him as if he were her idol! ¡°Should I call you Qi Ying or the Nameless Warrior?¡± ¡°Up to you.¡± ¡°Then... in any case, thank you for saving my life twice.¡± ¡°Hmm... The first time, I simply didn¡¯t want to see an innocent person die. The second time, I wanted to just ignore you, but you insisted on trying to kill yourself and if I didn¡¯t save you, my efforts from the first time would have gone to waste so...¡± An Ruyi was immediately enraged upon hearing that. She insisted on trying to kill herself? ¡®What the hell was that supposed to mean?!¡¯ She glowered at Qi Ying and grumbled, ¡°It¡¯s all because you were so mysterious and constantly hiding your identity... Otherwise, none of these troubles would have arisen!¡± ¡°Oh. Goodbye, then.¡± Qi Ying shrugged before turning to leave. ¡°Wait.¡± An Ruyi stopped him again. ¡°Is there something else you want from me?¡± An Ruyi red at him as she said in a slow voice, ¡°It¡¯s like this... I heard from my father that the Duan, Wang, and Sun families are plotting against you. The family members that will enter the Celestial River County Youth Battle Tournament wille after you on the hunting grounds. At the same time, their families are going to join forces to eradicate the entire Colosseum!¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m aware of that. Master Thirteen¡¯s scouts have already told me that information.¡± Qi Ying was rather disinterested and turned to leave again. ¡°Wait... I have something else I want to tell you! My father says that our An family is willing to help you.¡± ¡°Are there any conditions?¡± An Ruyi faltered slightly before a blush appeared on her face. ¡°The only condition is that you must agree to join our An family... ideally in the form of marriage... If you agree, we will send out our most powerful forces to protect you during the tournament.¡± ¡°Thank you, but I¡¯m going to have to refuse.¡± Qi Ying turned her down. ¡°Hey, wait...¡± Before An Ruyi had evenpleted her sentence, Qi Ying had already transformed into a ck shadow and disappeared. An Ruyi stood rooted to the spot, and her blush deepened further as she thought about the bold advance she had just made. She stomped her foot in frustration and embarrassment. ¡°Stupid Qi Ying! You should go and die!¡± ... After exiting the academy, Qi Ying got onto a horse-drawn carriage with a ck curtain draped over its entrance. A ck-robed guard was driving the carriage, while Master Thirteen was already sitting inside and awaiting him with a smile. ¡°How was it?¡± ¡°Not bad.¡± ¡°Did someone from the An family try to speak to you about cooperation?¡± ¡°They did.¡± ¡°What did you say to them?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t ept their condition. It¡¯s not my style to pretend to agree, then go back on my word afterward.¡± Qi Ying replied. Even an idiot would understand the nature of the condition An Ruyi had proposed... He would essentially be selling himself to the An family in exchange for protection. There weren¡¯t that many male members in the An family. A few of their young male prodigies were quite powerful in their own right, but they were stillcking somewhatpared to the other three major families. However, they were the wealthiest family in the entire Celestial River County, and owned more businesses than any of the Duan, Wang, or Sun families. If they continued to develop in that manner, there would inevitablye a time when the other three families turned on them for their wealth. As such, it made sense that they were trying to join forces with Master Thirteen in order tobat those threats. But asking Qi Ying to join the An family? ¡®Sorry, but please go find someone else.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t that Qi Ying was very cold and unapproachable. It was just that when he thought carefully about it, the whole thing was a trap! In the Celestial River County Youth Battle Tournament, Qi Ying would be on his own, and he would be trying to disy his talents as much as he could, in order to catch the eyes of the selectors from the capital city. But if he were to join forces with the An family, he would have to battle alongside their forces, and engage in battles to the death with the members of the other three families. To the An family, that would be a perfect opportunity to strike down many of their future enemies. They would be using Qi Ying to get rid of all of the bright young prospects from the other major families. As for Qi Ying himself? No one cared if he lived or died! The adorkable An Ruyi didn¡¯t understand the politics involved in the situation, and as such, she was naive enough to believe that her father was trying to recruit Qi Ying purely for her sake. However, Qi Ying had been taught a myriad of military tactics and political strategies by Xuan Yu in the past, so he was able to easily see through the little games the An family was ying. The horse-drawn carriage began to move, and the ride was a little bumpy. ... Night had fallen upon the Lu mansion. Whoosh! Bam bam! Two figures shed through the courtyard, and the asional explosion of True Energy could be heard. Qi Ying moved as fast as lightning, and he was bing more and more proficient in his initial sess level Flowing Shadow Strike, as well as his great sess level Dark Falcon Illusionary w. At the same time, he gripped the Ink Scale Dagger and unleashed attacks toward Lu You¡¯s vital regions. However, Lu You was like an inexhaustible source of diverse battle techniques, and no matter how fast Qi Ying moved, he was unable to get closer to his opponent. Every time he attempted a sudden attack, he would be sent flying by a battle technique that wasn¡¯t very powerful, but always struck extremely quickly. Following about a hundred exchanges, Qi Ying was already panting heavily. He was unable to carry on any longer, and had to stop for a break. During that time, he swallowed an Energy st Pill, which was of an even higher caliber than Energy Explosion Pills, as a means to replenish the True Energy he had expended. Lu Zuo made his way over to them and chortled at the sight of the exhausted Qi Ying. ¡°You little brat, you¡¯re only good for bullying noobs! You can¡¯t do anything in the face of a true master!¡± ¡°...¡± Qi Yingpletely ignored him. Indeed, Lu You was a master in battle techniques, as well as inbat in general. He had been wounded by a single attack from Duan Hongxue, but that was only because he was trying to protect Qi Ying and had been forced to take the attack head-on. In actual battle without any inhibitions, Qi Ying had a feeling that even ten Duan Guchengs, ten Duan Jinhongs, and ten Liu Mengs wouldn¡¯t be able to beat Lu You. He really was a master, and sparring with a warrior of his caliber was an extremely valuable educational experience. Their battles couldn¡¯t help him increase his cultivation base, but his utilization of True Energy, continuity in his battle techniques, and other various aspects were all benefiting greatly as a result. Lu You was appraising Qi Ying with eyes that were filled with approval and gratification. Qi Ying was like an unpolished piece of jade; he had so muchtent potential to be tapped into. He possessed extraordinary True Energy maniption abilities, thereby allowing him to master some techniques in an hour or so, when others would have to spend several months to do the same. With the right training, his battle techniques would be several times more powerful. As an analogy, the Qi Ying from a few days ago was like a prodigious archer who could hit still targets on every asion from a hundred meters away. Theoretically speaking, an archer like him would require at least a year to be able to shoot moving targets with the same level of uracy. However, Qi Ying was able to aplish a simr feat in merely three days! Lu You was far from a talkative man, but even he couldn¡¯t help but turn to Lu Zuo and exim, ¡°He is a true prodigy! His ability to learn and execute is by far the best among anyone I¡¯ve ever seen! The longer you live, the more you see!¡± Chapter 65: The Peerless Staff Strike

Chapter 65: The Peerless Staff Strike

For Qi Ying, it was imperative for him to improve hisbat prowess in any way possible during the uing few days. Even the most powerful warriors struggled when facing arge number of enemies, and he couldn¡¯t even be considered to be a powerful warrior yet. In fact, all of the people that had secured spots to participate in the tournament were more powerful than him. A cultivation base at the Fourth Energy Martial Stage? That was nowhere near enough! His True Energy capacity was still unable to support him during prolonged battles. How was he going to survive a mass brawl in a free-for-all battle? Furthermore, during those past few battles, he had frequently benefited from the fact that his victims weren¡¯t wearing any armor-type treasured tools. In the Celestial River County Youth Battle Tournament, most of the participating warriors would be d in armor, thereby elevating their defensive prowess to beparable to that of beasts at the same level. In that case, he would struggle to kill anyone with his dagger, and then, he would be struck by long-range spears and torrential downpours of arrows... It was a very spectacr scene to envision, but the consequences would be very dire. In melee battles, hand-to-handbat was one thing, but armed battle was apletely different beast altogether! Using his left hand as a weapon was quite effective, as it was capable of producing devastating offensive output and was indestructible, but its range was limited. In a mass brawl against many armed opponents, its effectiveness would be significantly hampered. As such, Qi Ying asked Lu You to help him choose a weapon. He knew a little bit about using bows and arrows, but he waspletely useless when it came to wielding spears and other long-range weapons. He was hoping to be introduced to a weapon that he could easily grasp the basics of, but Lu You suggested a rather neglected weapon to him. It was the stick! Qi Ying recalled that back when he was a little kid, all of the male students at his school would take the legs off chairs and swing them at one another during y fights. That... was probably the most primordial weapon! Lu You gave a perfectly valid reason for his suggestion: sticks were ancient weapons, but they were also the ancestors of all weapons. When humans first developed the idea of using weapons in battle, there were no sabers, swords, or bows and arrows for them to use. They had to take something that was readily avable in the natural environment and use it as a weapon. Rocks were quite heavy, and often couldn¡¯t be recovered after they were thrown. As such, they had to use an alternative like branches, or bamboo stems as weapons, to attack more powerful beasts. When people began to use sticks, their range of attack and offensive output increased. They discovered that one could not only swing a stick, but also stab, jab, sweep, poke... Weapons continued to develop thereafter, but all of the improvements were made in order to enhance three areas: attack range, offensive power, and attack speed. The stick satisfied all three criteria to perfection. In particr, sticks were extremely useful in mass brawls... One couldpletely let loose and fight however they wanted! They could just swing wildly and strike down whoever was unfortunate enough to be within range! One might argue that the spear shared all those traits, but presented an option that gave more offensive output. However, it was simply too difficult to master the spear in a short few days. True mastery of the spear required one to be able to use it as an extension of their body. One had to be very urate and precise to use a spear effectively, but using a stick in battle only required a certain degree of insanity! In any case, following an exnation offered by Lu You, Qi Ying arrived at the understanding that the stick was the ideal weapon for him at that point in time. ¡°Come with me. I¡¯ve got something for you.¡± Lu You instructed. Thus, Qi Ying and Lu You traversed through the Lu mansion one after the other, before arriving at a dimly-lit chamber. It seemed that no one had been there for a long time, and everything was covered under a thick nket of dust. Lu You rummaged around in a corner before quickly pulling out a very long wooden box, which he ced onto a table. Creak! The box was opened, and Qi Ying was forced to narrow his eyes against the burst of bright light that emanated from within. ¡°This is...¡± He focused his gaze to discover a metal staff about eight feet in length, and was slightly thinner than his wrist. Upon the staff some patterns were carved, depicting tigers and dragons, but the lines were very crude and rough. The entire staff was golden in color, and the light emanating from it was what had erupted when the wooden box had been opened. ¡°Here!¡± Lu You hoisted the staff out of the box before tossing it at Qi Ying. ¡°It¡¯s so heavy!¡± Qi Ying caught the staff with his right hand, but he almost dropped it due to its sheer weight. He only had an easier time holding onto it after circting his True Energy around his body. All of a sudden, his eyes lit up and he asked, ¡°Is this a treasured tool?¡± Lu You replied with a smile, ¡°Indeed it is. It¡¯s a Yellow Tier Intermediate-Rank treasured tool, the Dragon Tiger Demon-ying Staff. As your senior, I¡¯ve known you for a while, but I don¡¯t really have anything to give you, so let this be my gift to you!¡± ¡°This... But this is a Yellow Tier Intermediate-Rank treasured tool; it¡¯s far too valuable!¡± ¡°Haha, it¡¯s nothing much. This is something that was given to me by Madam Lu¡¯s family back when she first came to the Celestial River County. Now, she¡¯s earned so much wealth here and rewarded me with far more valuable weapons. The staff was created using very good materials, and we initially intended to craft it into a Yellow Tier Perfected Rank treasured tool. However, the weaponsmith was absolutely useless and ruined it... I don¡¯t have any use for it now, so you can take it if you want.¡± Even though Lu You was handing it off as if it didn¡¯t mean much to him, the reminiscent expression in his eyes suggested otherwise. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll ept this precious gift then.¡± Qi Ying swung the stick around a few times with tion. Even though it was quite heavy, he really liked it. Its weight could contribute to creating more momentum! He would easily be able to smash someone¡¯s head open with such a heavy weapon! ... Whoosh! Whoosh whoosh! Qi Ying began to swing the staff around wildly in the courtyard. There was no rhyme nor reason to his movements, and he looked like a monkey busking on the streets with a martial arts performance. However, Lu You saw perfection in his ungainly disy. His attacks had great continuity and struck without pause! Nothing was more important than that. No matter how exquisite one¡¯s technique was, it would be useless if a cooldown period followed between one attack to the next. If it were a one-on-one battle, the opponent may not be able to exploit that to their advantage, but if there were many assants at once? Only a continuous stream of attacks with no pause or intervals in between would suffice! What Qi Ying was currently cultivating in was not a pure battle technique. Instead, itbined elements from both martial arts and battle techniques, and was known as the Peerless Hero Staff Techniques. Its name sounded very unspecific and exaggerated, but it was full of content. It epassed forty-nine different techniques, as well as one additional offensive battle technique of devastating power: the Peerless Staff Strike! Furthermore, just using the Dragon Tiger Demon-ying Staff was cultivation in itself. Following the rapid series of breakthroughs he had made, Qi Ying¡¯s aura was quite unstable. He had to focus on improving his external strength in order to stabilize his cultivation base. Just using the external section of the Purple Energy Cultivation Method wasn¡¯t enough to aplish that. However, wielding the heavy Dragon Tiger Demon-ying Staff assisted in condensing his aura. To him, studying martial arts was cultivation. In the courtyard. Whoosh! Large clumps of grass and soil were swept up as Qi Ying sprang into the air. He raised his golden staff high above his head, and ayer of purple True Energy appeared on its surface, before he sent it crashing down with formidable force! Peerless Staff Strike! Down below, Lu Zuo drew his sword to block his strike! Bam! The staff struck the sword and sparks flew in all directions. Lu Zuo could feel an immense amount of force traveling through his sword and into his arm. A sense of numbness spread from his wrist to his forearm, then to his shoulder... He immediately mustered up as much True Energy as he could before he was able to parry the oing attack. However, at the same time, his sword slipped out of his hand. Thump! The sword stabbed into the ground. Bam! Qi Ying¡¯s Dragon Tiger Demon-ying Staff also fell onto the ground, and he extended a salute toward Lu Zuo. ¡°Thank you for your instruction.¡± ¡°Hehe... that wasn¡¯t bad...¡± Lu Zuo chuckled in a slightly awkward manner. At that moment, a loud voice sounded from afar. ¡°Qi Ying, don¡¯t forget your Colosseum obligations!¡± Chapter 66: Qi Ying’s Charisma

Chapter 66: Qi Ying¡¯s Charisma

The Colosseum was weing a very rare asion that day! All tickets had been raised to five times the original price, but they were still all sold out in a sh. The spectator stands and all of the booths were packed to the rafters. Everyone was discussing spiritedly among themselves. Furthermore, what contributed further to the prestige of the event that was about to unfold, was that the leaders and great elders of the An, Wang, and Sun families were all in attendance at the Colosseum. Only the Duan family was absent from the scene. In a second-floor corridor. Two people were walking and bumped into one another. ¡°Family Leader An!¡± ¡°Oh, long time no see, Family Leader Sun! Your neighbor, Family Leader Wang, is also here! Eh? This must be the young master of the Sun family. What a handsome boy! Do you know what you should be referring to him as? That¡¯s right, you call him Uncle Wang!¡± ¡°Hehe... Who would have thought that the An Family, the renowned lover of peace, woulde to the most violent ce in the entire Celestial River County!¡± ¡°Sigh, I¡¯m here with my little rascal of a daughter. She heard that the Nameless Warrior was taking on the Dark Golden Ape, and she insisted oning to spectate.¡± ¡°Oh, I see. Family Leader An, would you like toe to our booth for a drink?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to decline on that offer. If I don¡¯t go back to my booth soon, my daughter is probably going to start breaking things. I don¡¯t want to have to paypensation to Yan Thirteen.¡± ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll be taking my leave.¡± ¡°See youter!¡± An Jiahe wore a benevolent smile on his face, and appeared to be just a harmless middle-aged man. Anyone who saw him would be inclined to think that he was just an amiable businessman. Whomever had dealt with him knew that he was a smiling tiger that was not to be messed with. He was a man who hade to the Celestial River County when he was just eighteen years of age, and managed to establish the fourth major family of the county in thirty years, despite the other three established major families bearing down upon him. An Jiahe always made it a habit of his to hide his true thoughts beneath a pleasant facade, just like a kitten with ws concealed within its soft flesh. It was very difficult to defend oneself against someone like him, who hid daggers beneath a warm smile. However, even An Jiahe was starting to grow fearful toward the drastic changes that were about to take ce in the Celestial River County. He was no longer young, and he couldn¡¯t plot against his enemies one after another anymore. He was close to fifty years of age, so he didn¡¯t have many more good years left, and he had to think of some way to keep the An family safe even after he was gone. The other three major families were all well-established forces. The An family could beat them on the business side of things, but in an actual conflict, they were definitely no match. The An family was only able to rise as they had slipped through the cracks during a period in which the three major families were fighting one another. But they seemed to be joining forces at present to crush the Colosseum. Who knew if they would continue after that and bring down the An family as well? An Jiahe had tried to recruit Qi Ying the day before, so he could use Qi Ying to eliminate some of the bright young prospects from the other families. However, he was either blind, retarded, or far too smart, and turned down his irresistible offer without a second thought. An Jiahe decided to carefully observe Qi Ying. He wanted to see if he was just a stupid kid with nothing but aptitude, or if he was truly a well-rounded prodigy that was destined for great things. If he were the former, then it would be quite easy for the An family to lure him in. If he were thetter, then he would adjust his ns, and it would be great if the An family could benefit from his future ascension to greatness. An Jiahe sat down, and his round stomach jutted out as he narrowed his eyes and peered outside. In front of him, An Ruyi had her hand supporting her chin and her elbows resting on the windowsill. Her intricate little nose was pressed tightly against the window, as if she were dying to be on the other side of the window. ¡®Is he going to win today?¡¯ The more she was rejected, the more she wanted to conquer him. As the daughter of one of the most powerful men in the Celestial River County, An Ruyi was not just a pretty girl who would act as an essory to another man. She was filled with curiosity about the world, and wanted to find out the intricacies behind a lot of things. There was even a point in time when she had idolized the wealthiest woman in the county, Madam Lu. That wasn¡¯t because of her power or wealth, but instead, it was due to the fact that she pursued any man who caught her eye. An Ruyi could see through the vast majority of men that were around her age. As those people grew up, their eyes became more and more clouded with ambition and their growing urge to possess and control things. However, she was unable to see through Qi Ying. It was exactly because of that, that he was so attractive and charismatic in her eyes. An Ruyi was not the only one that was drawn to Qi Ying; the entire Celestial River County was curious about him. Who was Qi Ying? Where did hee from? How was he so powerful and courageous at just fifteen years of age? Those who had known about the Nameless Warrior in the past were stunned after finding out that he was only a fifteen-year-old boy, and all of them wanted to see him again. Those who had not heard about the Nameless Warrior also flocked to the Colosseum, as they had heard that he was the one who had fought the entire Duan family and emerged alive. On that day. The Nameless Warrior, Qi Ying was facing the Dark Golden Ape, who had progressed to the Yellow Tier Sixth Rank! Everyone was eagerly awaiting Qi Ying¡¯s arrival! Crackle... A burst of static sounded from the voice amplification spell formation in the Colosseum. The rowdy spectators began to fall silent and soon, not one person was speaking. There was no female announcer as there always was. The lights began to dim. The only thing being illuminated was the battle cage! A thin figure emerged from the passageway before walking into the battle cage. He wore a set of ck tight-fitting robes, but there was no mask on his face, and he was wearing his shiny silver glove. He was the Nameless Warrior, but he was also Qi Ying. Furthermore, on that asion, the Nameless Warrior seemed to have brought a weapon with him. It was a long and thin spear-like object wrapped in cloth, and it was being carried on his back. Another thin figure also sprang into the battle cage at that moment. It had dark golden fur and red eyes, and even though it was quite diminutive in stature, it wore quite an intimidating expression. The Dark Golden Ape¡¯s appearance had changed somewhat inparison to thest time it had appeared. That was partially due to the measures taken by the Colosseum to elerate its growth, and at the same time, it was also a manifestation of the increased power within its body. The Colosseum remained very silent. The betting center was not open that day. Everyone was focused solely on the oue of the battle! ... Qi Ying strode forward slowly and observed the Dark Golden Ape. It was most likely going to be his final Colosseum battle and the result didn¡¯t really matter. Hence, it was quite a good opportunity for him to test the fruits of his cultivation. The Dark Golden Ape was one of the most powerful beasts of its rank. It had virtually the most agile and powerful body, as well as the most ferocious fighting spirit... A Yellow Tier Third Rank Dark Golden Ape could kill a Yellow Tier Seventh Rank beast. A Yellow Tier Sixth Rank Dark Golden Ape was something no Energy Martial Stage warrior wanted to face, even the likes of Lu You. Chapter 67: Staff vs Stick

Chapter 67: Staff vs Stick

Among Yellow Tier beasts, there were none like the Dark Golden Ape that held all of the advantages. Aside from the fact that it was unable to fly or swim, it had no weaknesses. Onnd and in the forests, it was invincible among beings of the same rank. It was very small, and could barely reach a fully-grown man¡¯s knees. However, Dark Golden Apes would increase their size during battle to enhance their strength. ¡°Roar!¡± The Dark Golden Ape let loose a menacing snarl. Immediately afterward, its body began to expand like an inting balloon. It had grown significantly, virtually in the blink of an eye, transforming from a small monkey into a size that was roughly equivalent to that of a human child. Whoosh! The Dark Golden Ape sprang into the air and threw itself at Qi Ying. Its back was covered in dark golden fur, and its eyes were crimson in color. Its muscles weren¡¯t very pronounced, but they were very solid, and its four paws were extremely hard. Its tail also acted as a steel rod and wasparable in hardness to Yellow Tier Intermediate-Rank treasured tools. The Dark Golden Ape¡¯s paws and tail were its main weapons. Qi Ying sprang forward. Flowing Shadow Strike! Whoosh whoosh! His body transformed into three ck shadows. The Dark Golden Ape attack fell upon thin air, but as itnded, its tail swept toward one of the shadows! Bam! Qi Ying jumped explosively into the air to evade the oing attack. ¡®The Dark Golden Ape is extremely sensitive to True Energy, so the Flowing Shadow Strike won¡¯t be able to confuse it¡¯ Bam! Bam bam! Qi Ying then exchanged a few blows with the Dark Golden Ape with his bare hands. Purple w projections flew through the air, and a few gashes appeared on the ape¡¯s body, from which crimson blood flowed. Many tears also appeared in Qi Ying¡¯s ck robes, and he too suffered some flesh wounds. The Dark Golden Ape was more powerful and more ferocious. However, Qi Ying¡¯s speed and continuity of attacks were superior, thereby allowing him to fight his opponent on equal footing. The only problem was that the Dark Golden Ape¡¯s defensive prowess far exceeded Qi Ying¡¯s. It had indeed sustained some injuries, but werepletely inconsequential. Whoosh! The Dark Golden Ape sprang up and swept its tail toward Qi Ying again. Crack! A silver light shed past. Qi Ying¡¯s arm went numb momentarily, but he was able to grasp the tail tightly in his left hand. Whoosh whoosh! Qi Ying began to swing the Dark Golden Ape like a windmill, before smashing it into the ground at an extremely high speed. Bam! A crater about a foot in depth was smashed into the stone surface of the ground in the battle cage, sending shards of stone flying through the air. ¡°Argh!¡± The Dark Golden Ape turned and mbered onto Qi Ying¡¯s body. It then opened its mouth and attempted to bite down on Qi Ying¡¯s arm. ¡°Piss off!¡± Qi Ying immediately released its tail before mming a fist into the ape¡¯s head. Thetter was sent flying before tumbling to the ground. ¡°Gasp...¡± Many of the spectators in the Colosseum drew sharp breaths in shock and awe. Qi Ying had engaged the Dark Golden Ape in meleebat and came out on top! The average warrior would have probably been paralyzed by fear at the mere sight of the Dark Golden Ape¡¯s sinister expression. In a booth on the second floor. An Jiahe¡¯s eyes were narrowed, and he found himself bing more and more interested in Qi Ying. He murmured to himself, ¡°Is he confident in his skills or is he just a cocky brute?¡± All of a sudden. ¡°Roar!¡± The Dark Golden Ape picked itself up before letting loose an infuriated howl. Whoosh! Ayer of golden energy suddenly enveloped its body. Its body then began to expand again, taking it to roughly the size of a shorter fully-grown human. Its muscles also began to bulge, and its hunched back hadpletely straightened. Boom! The Dark Golden Ape¡¯s aura had undergone a drastic transformation. All of the spectators erupted intomotion. ¡°It¡¯s the Demonic Ape Transformation!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the Dark Golden Ape¡¯s beast technique; it¡¯s capable of enhancing its body and increasing its power for a limited period of time!¡± ¡°This Dark Golden Ape appears to possess quite a strong Holy Beast bloodline, so the effects of its transformation are even more drastic!¡± A warrior could learn battle techniques, whereas beast techniques were abilities that beasts were born with. In response to strong stimulus, there was a certain probability that a Blood Wolf would transform into a Demonic Blood Wolf. However, a Dark Golden Ape could transform into a demonic ape at will! ¡°Roar!¡± The Dark Golden Ape¡¯s body type had be very simr to that of a human. Furthermore. Crack! The ape reached behind it with one hand before pulling in one quick sharp motion. Its tail was then detached from its body and transformed into a dark golden stick! Everyone was astonished by that turn of events. They had never seen or heard of such an exotic beast with such a strange ability! Whoosh! The Dark Golden Ape rushed toward Qi Ying before sending its stick crashing down upon him. The attack fell with devastating power! Qi Ying raised his left hand to block the strike. Bam! The stick crashed heavily into his palm. In that instant, Qi Ying felt as if a massive mountain had fallen upon his hand. His entire arm instantly went numb. ¡°Ha!¡± Qi Ying let loose a loud cry as True Energy exploded beneath his feet. Within his dantian, the four energy vortexes rotated at an extremely high speed. He injected all of the energy within his body into his left hand before pressing upward with all his might. Whoosh! His silver glove finally separated from the golden stick. The Dark Golden Ape performed a few somersaults in the air with its stick in its hand, before making a stablending. Qi Ying flexed his left hand as he appraised his opponent with a grave expression. Following its Demonic Ape Transformation, the Dark Golden Ape had be far too powerful! That attack it had just unleashed was definitely not inferior to a full-force strike from an average Ninth Energy Martial Stage warrior. In fact, that stick had fallen upon him with almost half of the power disyed by Duan Hongxue¡¯s ck Tiger Battle Spirit. Thankfully, he had injected arge amount of True Energy into his left arm in advance, and the bone density had improved slightly, following the fractures he had suffered not too long ago. Otherwise, he would have most likely suffered a broken arm again. ¡°You¡¯re not the only one with a stick!¡± Qi Ying reached behind him and a sheet of cloth fluttered to the ground, revealing a golden staff with patterns of dragons and tigers engraved upon it. ¡°It¡¯s a staff!¡± ¡°That appears to be quite a superb treasured tool.¡± ¡°Stick vs staff... Who is going toe out on top?¡± The spectators had thought that Qi Ying was carrying a spear, but to their surprise, it was a staff instead. Both the Dark Golden Ape and Qi Ying were armed, and their fight was beginning to look like a match between warriors rather than a colosseum battle. ¡°Ha!¡± ¡°Howl!¡± Both of them raised their weapons in unison before shing together once again. Bam! Thud! Thud! A string of dull thumps rang out. Following its Demonic Ape Transformation, the Dark Golden Ape¡¯s speed and power had improved drastically. Furthermore, using its tail as a weapon increased its attack range, thereby making it a truly formidable enemy. Its attacks were very heavy and powerful, as if it were wielding a small mountain rather than a stick. However, Qi Ying managed to fight with it on equal footing! The spectators could see two figures colliding over and over again, both of whom were wielding stick-like weapons. When those weapons shed, a sound akin to that of a p of thunder would erupt, sending shivers running down the onlookers¡¯ spines. Chapter 68: A New Secret

Chapter 68: A New Secret

Qi Ying was extremely satisfied by the current battle. He was able to fight to his heart¡¯s content with the Dark Golden Ape as his opponent. He was like a dam that was on the brink of overflowing, when a crack suddenly appeared and the trapped water came surging forth in an unobstructed downpour. With his staff in his hand, hepletely disregarded things like technique and timing... All he was doing was purely attacking! He attacked relentlessly and in a frenzied manner, just as the Dark Golden Ape was in retaliation! He had perfectly captured the element of insanity that characterized the staff! Bam bam bam! Qi Ying shed with the Dark Golden Ape over and over again. Both of them were expending energy at an extremely fast rate. Qi Ying was circting all of the True Energy within his body, and his rate of exertion was further exacerbated by the fact that his left hand was absorbing a portion of his energy. Meanwhile, the Dark Golden Ape¡¯s was also overexerting the power of its Demonic Ape Transformation, and it wouldn¡¯t be able to keep that up for much longer. ¡°No more fun and games; I¡¯m going to get serious now!¡± Whoosh! Qi Ying sprang forward and simultaneously evaded a sweeping strike from the Dark Golden Ape. True Energy then exploded at the tip of his toes, sending his entire body rising into the air. He raised his Dragon Tiger Demon-ying Staff high into the air with both hands! Ayer of purple True Energy appeared over the staff, creating an intermingling purple and golden light. Peerless Staff Strike! The staff fell with overwhelming force! The Dark Golden Ape raised its stick to defend itself. Boom! The Dragon Tiger Demon-ying Staff crashed heavily into its tail stick. The Dark Golden Ape¡¯s muscles bulged even further, and extreme vascrity was beginning to appear on its body beneath its fur, thereby indicating that it was under great strain. Crack crack! The ground beneath its feet began to crack open as it sank into the soil below the stoneyer. At that moment, Qi Ying lifted his Dragon Tiger Demon-ying Staff and descended from up above. During his descent, heshed out with a vicious kick that connected directly with the Dark Golden Ape¡¯s waist. The ape was exerting all of its force in a vertical direction in order tobat Qi Ying¡¯s Peerless Staff Strike, so it was virtually defenseless against any horizontal force. Thus, the kick immediately sent it flying! Bam! The Dark Golden Ape¡¯s rammed into the battle cage. Whoosh! Qi Ying transformed into a ck shadow again and instantly arrived before it. He raised his staff andunched a new barrage of attacks! Bam bam bam bam bam! The Dark Golden Ape was struck several dozens of times in a split second, and even though it possessed great defensive prowess, the attacks were still significantly impeding its True Energy cirction. ¡°Howl...¡± Its voice began to grow more feeble as it reverted back to its original diminutive stature. As for its golden tail stick, that shrank into something that resembled a wilted weed. The Demonic Ape Transformation was actually a beast technique that could only be unleashed after a long period of energy umtion. All of the Dark Golden Ape¡¯s excess energy was stored in its tail. When unleashing its Demonic Ape Transformation, the energy within its tail was released into its body, thereby resulting in the metamorphosis. At the same time, the tail could be used as a weapon. If it wanted to unleash that beast technique again, it would have to wait until it grew another tail, before ruing sufficient energy again. The Dark Golden Apeid sprawled in a corner of the battle cage,pletely unable to move. Only its heaving chest indicated that it was still alive. ¡°That was brilliant!¡± ¡°The Nameless Warrior won again!¡± ¡°Just how powerful is he?¡± The entire Colosseum erupted into a frenzy. As for the Wang, Sun, and An families, as well as all of the other powers from the Celestial River County that hade to observe Qi Ying, many thoughts were running through their minds. A fifteen-year-old boy with such exceptional power was unheard of throughout the history of the entire county. They were all wondering what standpoint they should take when it came to Qi Ying. Should they try to kill him before he became too powerful, support him in his meteoric rise, or just remain neutral... However, Qi Ying didn¡¯t care about all that. There was no need for him to conceal his true power anymore. The Celestial River County Youth Battle Tournament was imminent, and he had to be stronger! Just as he was about to leave the battle cage, Qi Ying was struck by a sense of dizziness, and he could feel his chronic condition arising again. Despite that, he didn¡¯t immediately take any pills as he wanted to confirm something. Thus, he grabbed onto the Dark Golden Ape with his left hand. A scorching surge of warmth immediately flowed through his entire body. He had suddenly received arge burst of power influx! ¡°It worked!¡± Qi Ying could feel that his symptoms had been alleviated slightly, so he immediately withdrew his left hand. Upon doing so, he discovered that the frail Dark Golden Ape had be even more feeble, and the fur on its body had lost a lot of its former luster. ... ¡®What kind of a freak am I?¡¯ Qi Ying sat on the horse-drawn carriage back to the Lu mansion, and he sighed internally as he stared at his left hand. He had finally discovered another one of his left hand¡¯s secrets. It seemed that whenever his left hand rpsed, he could draw upon the power of warriors or beasts with it in order to replenish his own energy. Furthermore, it was even more effective than taking pills! Something simr had urred back when he had abducted Duan Gucheng. On that asion, he had absorbed quite a bit of energy, therebypletely destroying Duan Gucheng¡¯s future cultivation potential. At the time, he hadn¡¯t realized what had happened, but thinking back, he realized that his left hand had quite possibly been the culprit. That suspicion had been confirmed, following his experiment on the Dark Golden Ape! It was another amazing discovery, and it would perhaps be quite a useful one in the future! ... That night. All of the major powers in the county were in an uproar. They had previously been uncertain about Qi Ying¡¯s true power, but they had finally gotten an opportunity to witness that in person. All of them were shocked. From that disy, it appeared that Qi Ying was no weaker than a Ninth Energy Martial Stage warrior! Most importantly, he was only fifteen! There probably weren¡¯t even that many prodigies from the capital city that could match his insane aptitude. As for those freaks who had reached the Spirit Martial Stage at just fifteen or sixteen years of age, they were at the very tip of the pyramid, and too far above the rest for worthwhileparisons to be made. Qi Ying was the number one prodigy in the entire Celestial River County! At the Wang family estate. There were several dozen people gathered in their conference hall. Aside from the higher-ups from the Wang family, there were also representatives from the Sun family present. Everyone wore grave expressions as they looked and nodded at one another. ¡°Have you decided?¡± ¡°I have. I had my doubts in the past about joining forces with the Duan family, but there is no need for any further deliberation now!¡± The leaders and elders from the two families finally came to a unanimous agreement. ¡°We can¡¯t allow any more powerful forces to establish themselves in the Celestial River County! The Colosseum and Qi Ying must be eradicated as soon as possible!¡± At the An family¡¯s territory. The higher-ups were also holding a meeting. An Jiahe stroked his beard and mused with narrowed eyes, ¡°Our An family must stay out of this matter! Tell every family member that there is no need to be too close with Qi Ying, but do not make him an enemy either... The Duan, Wang, and Sun families are going to suffer in the near future!¡± Chapter 69: A Flying Ark

Chapter 69: A Flying Ark

On a dark and windy night, the atmosphere within the Celestial River County was extremely grim. The sound of pounding horse hooves could be heard as a group of riders exited the county. Zhang Wuleng rode atop a particrly tall and gant horse, and he led the way with no expression on his face. Behind him, there were wagons filled with all types of things. There were rocks, wood, and a diverse range of misceneous items and resources, as well as many manualborers at the lower end of the Strength Martial Stages. The Celestial River County Youth Battle Tournament was going to be held on the day after the next. The mayor¡¯s troops had been given the task of setting up all of the required facilities for the tournament. During the process, they would receive assistance from the county army, and everything had to be done in a day and two nights. As the most promising young general of the Celestial River County, Zhang Wuleng was the number one choice for the job to be delegated to. Aside from establishing facilities, he was also responsible for weing the important figures from the capital city, and reporting their arrival to the county as soon as possible. It didn¡¯t take long for the group of horses and wagons to arrive outside the county. All of the rocks, wood, and misceneous materials were offloaded from the wagons. Over a thousand Strength Martial Stageborers began to get to work, ording to the blueprints given. The army troops that were stationed outside the county also participated in the process. Night gradually transitioned to dawn. As the one with the highest cultivation base in the group, Zhang Wuleng suddenly heard a burst of rumbling in the distance. Whoosh! The sound was like relentless ps of thunder. He scaled a small hill and looked into the distance, to find that an indistinct shadow was slowly approaching them. Zhang Wuleng¡¯s expression suddenly changed. A loud roar that was imbued with powerful True Energy erupted from the small hill. ¡°Messenger! Return to the county as quickly as possible. Inform the mayor to make preparations to wee the ambassadors from the capital!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Clip clop clip clop! A white horse carrying the messenger galloped into the distance like an arrow. ... The same rumbling Zhang Wuleng had heard earlier eventually reached the Celestial River County. Many people looked up to discover something that they hadn¡¯t seen in many years. Peering into the sky from below, it appeared that there was a long and thin silver object flying through the air. It was like a massive bird flying at an extremely high altitude, but the stability at which it traveled ruled out any possibility that the flying object was biological in nature. It flew straight ahead, plowing through the clouds, and leaving a shiny silver tail in its wake which could still be seen from a long distance away. It was a flying ark! Countless people ran out onto the streets for a chance to catch a glimpse of the ark. All of them stared with wide eyes, pointing up to the sky as their mouths gaped open. ¡°Is that a flying ark?¡± ¡°It sure is! It can fly high in the sky, and its countless times faster than the best horses!¡± ¡°Tsk tsk... I wonder who¡¯s sitting on the ark...¡± ¡°That¡¯s obvious; they must be the important people from the capital!¡± ¡°Who are they?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that they¡¯re all from the capital¡¯s Qin, Yan, and Qi families!¡± ¡°Woah! Aren¡¯t those three of the seven major families? Why would theye here...¡± ¡°Hehe, they¡¯re traveling to all of the counties to host the tournaments. Our Celestial River County is just one stop on their journey.¡± ¡°The Celestial River County Youth Battle Tournament is taking ce tomorrow. We have to go and watch it! I really want to see what those important people from the capital are like!¡± ... The mayor was the first to receive the news, followed by the four major families of the Celestial River County. All of them began to busy themselves, making preparations to wee those ambassadors. Anyone would want to take that opportunity to establish good rtions with people from the capital. In the Duan family conference hall. Duan Xi, Duan Hongxue, and the other core members of the family had all been gathered. At the head of the table, Duan Xi began to deliver a speech. ¡°The ten-member roster of our family who will be entering the tournament has been decided. Aside from that one spot given to Liu Meng, the other nine have all been awarded to the elites of our Duan family! Aside from that, six of the Celestial River Academy¡¯s thirty spots were given to our family members as well, and an additional four are good friends of Gucheng¡¯s. ¡°On top of that, we have also taken more than ten of the fifty spots allocated to the county army! There is no other power with more participants in the tournament than our Duan family. We have to establish our dominance throughout the course of the tournament!¡± Duan Hongxue chimed in in a serious voice, ¡°This time, we will be joining forces with the Wang and Sun families to eliminate Qi Ying! Before you kill him, do not engage in conflict with any members of other powers.¡± The atmosphere was very tense and serious. None of the Duan family members had gone to witness the colosseum battle in person, but they had sent out scouts to spectate in their stead. The aptitude and power Qi Ying disyed further cemented their determination to get rid of him! They were sworn enemies, and if they were to allow Qi Ying to develop, their Duan family was probably going to be wiped out within ten years! After everyone left, Duan Xi and Duan Hongxue went to another room. Duan Xi poured a cup of tea for himself and mused with narrowed eyes, ¡°Uncle, the arrival of the ambassadors from the major families presents an opportunity to us! Qi Ying is very powerful and has brains to match. Even though we have an overwhelming advantage in numbers, there is no guarantee that we can kill him. How about we consider...¡± Duan Hongxue immediately shook his head and cut him off, ¡°No. ording to the information from the Tong Tian County, the Qi family sent their ninth young master, Qi Shun, and familial general Qi Kaiyang. I met Qi Kaiyang once fifteen years ago, and he is an extremely righteous man. At the time, a powerful family leader from another city tried to bribe him, and he chopped off that family leader¡¯s hand in a public disy! The people sent from the other two families are also simr in nature. If we try to bribe them for our own benefit, it would only bring trouble to our Duan family.¡± ¡°Then...¡± Duan Hongxue picked up his teacup and paused momentarily before continuing, ¡°Speak to Mayor Gu Tai about this. That guy has had his eyes set on the Colosseum for a long time. Our Duan family can give him some benefits in exchange for his assistance. The mayor will definitely be holding a banquet tonight, to wee the ambassadors from the capital. Gu Tai will most certainly be in attendance as well, and we can take the opportunity to negotiate a deal with him.¡± ¡°That sounds good.¡± Duan Xi and Duan Hongxue looked at one another before nodding in unison. Killing intent surfaced on both of their faces. ... Whoosh! In the Lu mansion¡¯s courtyard, Qi Ying suddenly stopped swinging his Dragon Tiger Demon-ying Staff before looking up into the sky. The flying ark just so happened to be whistling past overhead. ¡°Are they here already?¡± Qi Ying suddenly became extremely excited, like a little kid who had caught sight of a candy shop. He then stowed his Dragon Tiger Demon-ying Staff away into a new spatial ring with a capacity of about ten feet. That ring had been awarded to him by Master Thirteen after he had defeated the Dark Golden Ape, and he was wearing it on his right index finger. Whoosh! Qi Ying transformed into a ck shadow and rushed into the Lu mansion¡¯s hall. There, Lu Feifei and Xuan Yu were having a pleasant conversation. ¡°Well well well, if it isn¡¯t the staff-wielding boy; what are you doing here?¡± Lu Feifei¡¯s asked in her soft and seductive voice. Qi Ying took a deep breath before replying, ¡°Madam Lu, I need to discuss something with you!¡± Chapter 70: When Did the Bright Moon First Appear

Chapter 70: When Did the Bright Moon First Appear

The Myriad Spring Brothel was situated in the Southeastern region of the Celestial River County. It was constructed in a scenic location, and the girls there were all extremely attractive and enchanting. It was the ce to be for all men in the county who were looking for a good time. On a small mountain to the South of the Myriad Spring Brothel, there was a mountain vi known as the Mist Willow Mountain Vi, and it was virtually empty most of the time. However, on that day, its poption density suddenly increased by countless times! That was for no reason other than the fact that thoseing from the capital were going to be staying at the Mist Willow Mountain Vi that night. The mountain vi was extremely well-lit, to the point that the courtyard was as bright as day, even though it was alreadyte into the night. Strings of horse-drawn carriages formed queues with no end in sight, on the path leading into the mountain vi. All of the important figures in the Celestial River County were present, and were preparing to enter the vi with precious offerings. The family leaders, elders, young masters and young mistresses from the four major families were all gathered there. They were joined by all of the renowned merchants and officials from the county as well. The Celestial River County Army had even deployed a group of officials as messengers to report the arrival of all those people wishing to offer gifts. The Celestial River County was quite rural, and neighbored the territory of the savages. As such, very rarely did any important peoplee to visit. The arrival of the capital¡¯s ambassadors hadpletely bucked that trend, and everyone wanted toe and take a look at them. Apparently, the ones who had arrived were two young masters and a young mistress from the Qi, Yan, and Qin families respectively, and they were apanied by their entourages. However, none of them appeared even as the banquet was about tomence. Everyone could only take their seats and await the arrival of the important figures, while the elderly Mayor Gu Tai acted as the host. All of a sudden, a burst ofmotion erupted, and a crowd of people dispersed to open up a path. A group of people on horseback emerged. ¡°So beautiful... Is that Madam Lu?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Master Thirteen from the Colosseum!¡± Everyone recognized the two people at the forefront of the group. Lu Feifei was situated at the very center, and all of the wealthy women and young mistresses in attendance paled inparison to her exquisite beauty. Yan Thirteen was beside her, and an air of refined grace emanated from his body. He scanned through the crowd with his proud eyes, and a hint of mockery appeared on his face. The guards that followed them were also exuding powerful auras, and there was a young man among them that was particrly eye-catching. Qi Ying! ¡°That¡¯s Qi Ying! He¡¯s the one who disabled Duan Gucheng and killed Duan Jinhong!¡± ¡°Shh... Be quiet! The people from the Duan family are right over there...¡± ¡°They dare to appear at this event?¡± Everyone in the Celestial River County who wasn¡¯t an idiot was aware of the conflict between Qi Ying, Master Thirteen, and the Duan family. All members of the Duan family were prohibited from visiting the Colosseum and the Myriad Spring Brothel, and those under Master Thirteen¡¯smand avoided all of the Duan family¡¯s shops. It was quite clear that they were sworn enemies. There were about a hundred people from the Duan family present at the banquet, all of whom were elite warriors. Everyone had thought that Yan Thirteen and the others wouldn¡¯t show up, but who would have thought... ¡°Haha, Mayor Gu, long time no see!¡± Yan Thirteen strode toward Mayor Gu Tai and joined his hands in a salute. Gu Tai immediately stood up to return his salute. ¡°You look well, Master Thirteen. Please have a seat.¡± The sight of Gu Tai presented a stark contrast to the tall and handsome Master Thirteen. The former was short and extremely thin, with a short white beard, and a pair of bright scheming eyes. Anyone who had been at the Celestial River County for a substantial period of time knew that Master Thirteen and Gu Tai were not on good terms. Back when the Colosseum was first being constructed, a massive conflict had erupted between the two of them due to taxation issues, and that had almost evolved into a full-blown battle. However, one could be forgiven for thinking that they had settled their differences from their friendly interactions. Despite that, most people¡¯s attention actually wasn¡¯t focused on those two, as they were too busy looking at Madam Lu instead. Many of the men in attendance were staring like starving wolves at her explosive figure and captivating features. Not only was Lu Feifei attracting the attention of horny men, she was also being scrutinized by many jealous women. An Ruyi was among thetter group. ¡®Has he been staying at the Lu mansion this entire time?¡¯ For some reason, a sour feeling welled up in her heart when she saw Qi Ying and Lu Feifei together. She recalled the rumors going around at the academy, and her mood darkened even further. Why was she jealous of that woman when she had nothing to do with Qi Ying? ¡®Hmph! He¡¯s just a sugar baby; I¡¯m not even interested!¡¯ An Ruyi turned away intentionally, but she couldn¡¯t help but nce at Qi Ying again after a short while. ... Qi Ying stood beside Lu Feifei, and no matter how others looked at him, his expression remained calm and collected. Yan Thirteen and Lu Feifei were actually very reluctant to attend the event. The Duan family posed too big of a threat, and no one could predict what would happen on the way back. The Myriad Spring Brothel and Colosseum forces were still iparable to that of the well-established Duan family. The only viable threat they had was Master Thirteen¡¯s mysterious and terrifying assassination methods. However, upon Qi Ying¡¯s insistence, Lu Feifei had finally agreed, and Yan Thirteen didn¡¯t pose any objections. At that moment, Qi Ying was staring at the empty spots up ahead with a pair of expectant eyes! The person that he had been expecting for three months was about to arrive! ... The banquet was a picture of serenity and joy. Everyone from the Celestial River County put on amiable facades, conversing happily with one another in order to pass the time. There was a full moon that was particrly bright that night. Many of the guests in attendance fancied themselves as educated schrs, and began to recite poems with the moon as the subject. Lu Feifei suddenly tapped Qi Ying on the shoulder. ¡°Hey.¡± Qi Ying turned and asked, ¡°What is it, Madam Lu?¡± Lu Feifei stole a nce at Yan Thirteen to find that he was still conversing with Gu Tai, and she lowered her voice before asking, ¡°Did your Mother Yu ever teach you a poem about the moon?¡± ¡°She has; quite a few in fact.¡± ¡°Is there one that begins with ¡®When did the bright moon first appear? One raises their cup and asks the clear sky¡¯?¡± ¡°Let me think...¡± Just as Qi Ying was trying to recall whether Xuan Yu had taught him such a poem, a burst ofmotion erupted in the crowd. Qi Ying¡¯s gaze was drawn in that direction. There, he caught sight of six figures followed by a group of green and purple-robed guards. Among those six, there were three men and two women, of which three were on the elderly side, while the other three were quite young. There were two graceful and elegant young masters, two elderly men with terrifying auras, and a woman who was past her prime, but still retained some of her beauty as well as her voluptuous figure. All of them were particrly eye-catching. However, Qi Ying¡¯s eyes were instantly drawn to the young woman among them, who was so beautiful that she appeared to be a wless celestial maiden! ¡°Susu!¡± Qi Ying murmured to himself. Chapter 71: One Raises Their Cup and Asks the Heavens

Chapter 71: One Raises Their Cup and Asks the Heavens

The arrival of those important figures instantly lifted everyone¡¯s spirits. Mayor Gu Tai rose from his seat and personally led those six people to their seats, before introducing them one by one. ¡°This young master is from the Qi family of the capital city. He is the Qi family¡¯s ninth young master, Qi Shun!¡± A round of apuse rang out. Almost all of the young mistresses present turned their attention toward that young man, who appeared to be about sixteen or seventeen years of age. He wore robes as pristine white as snow, and his features seemed as if they had been carved out of wless jade. He was tall and thin, and extremely handsome. There was a white sword-shaped insignia on his be that gave him a sense of mystery and intrigue. He looked around with a smile, and his entire body was exuding a sense of natural charisma. The blood of countless young women was set alight in their veins, as blushes appeared on their faces. What a peerless prince! Inparison to that Young Master Qi Shun, the number one prince of the Celestial River County, Duan Gucheng, wasn¡¯t actuallycking in the looks department. However, their dispositions werepletely different, and in the face of the graceful and refined Qi Shun, Duan Gucheng was like a sewage-rummaging manualborer. ¡°This is General Qi Kaiyang of the Qi family! Twenty years ago, General Qi Kaiyang was deployed to the border, and the number of enemies he slew could stack an entire city to the brim!¡± Gasp... Everyone turned to the muscr elderly man with expressions of awe and veneration. ¡°This is the seventh young master of the Yan family, Yan Beigui.¡± Once again, many of the young mistresses in attendance turned their attention to him. Yan Beigui even managed to trump the stunningly handsome Qi Shun in the looks department, but was somewhatcking in his disposition. ¡°This is General Yan Nine of the Yan family! General Yan Nine has never fought on the border, but he was once a bodyguard to the former prince, who is our current king!¡± Everyone turned to the thin and elderly Yan Nine, and they were even more astonished by his identity, than that of Qi Kaiyang. A former bodyguard of the king¡¯s? He was most likely that legendary figure who was said to be able to speak to the king as an equal! Yan Nine smiled as he surveyed his surroundings. His expression congealed slightly as his eyes fell upon a certain spot, but he quickly concealed that flicker of emotion and moved on. ¡°This gorgeous Young Mistress is Qin Susu of the Qin family.¡± The banquet was very silent. That was because everyone was simply intoxicated by just looking at her! In contrast with Lu Feifei¡¯s seductive beauty, Qin Susu¡¯s beauty was much more natural and purer, like that of a work of art. She was like a goddess whom men wouldn¡¯t dare to soil, and drew heartfelt admiration and praise from other women. Qin Susu wore a faint smile on her face, and she also cast her eyes around in an obligatory gesture of politeness. All of a sudden, Qin Susu¡¯s expression stiffened as she caught sight of something, and she appeared to have fallen into a slight stupor. The middle-aged woman sitting beside her furrowed her brows and transmitted her voice to her. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Qin Susu only came to her senses then, and withdrew her gaze before replying in a nonchnt manner, ¡°No, nothing. I saw a pretty bird fly past.¡± ¡°A bird? Was there? Try not to focus your attention on anything in particr. You are the jewel of our Qin family, and anything you do or say, no matter how insignificant, represents our Qin family. It¡¯s nothing of consequence in an insignificant setting like this one, but make sure you don¡¯t reveal that kind of expression again one more important asions.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Qin Susu nodded, but she still couldn¡¯t help but steal a nce at the object of her fixation. Was that really him? Three months had already passed, but he really had kept his promise and came to find her... It was just that... A film of tears welled up in Qin Susu¡¯s bright beautiful eyes. ¡°This is Madam Butterfly of the Qin family.¡± Everyone gave an obligatory round of apuse. That Madam Butterfly had maintained herself quite well, and retained some of her former beauty, but the wrinkles at the corner of her eyes, and her slightly rotund belly showed that she was unable topletely escape the effects of time. She wore a haughty expression on her face, which was pissing a lot of people off. ... The banquet officiallymenced, and the atmosphere was quite harmonious. Even though the celestial-maiden-like young mistress and the arrogant Madam Butterfly didn¡¯t really say anything, the young masters, Qi Shun and Yan Beigui, were both quite talkative and extroverted. Qi Kaiyang of the Qi family wore a stern expression the entire time, but Yan Nine of the Yan family was conversing quite freely with the leaders of all of the major families. During the banquet, there was also a group of female dancers that put on an exquisite performance apanied by beautiful zither music, which many of the guests in attendance thoroughly enjoyed. Those self-proimed poets began to recite poems again, and Young Master Qi Shun also joined in. He presented an original poem of his own, drawing much praise and apuse from the audience. ¡®This Qi Shun really is... an exceptional man...¡¯ An Ruyi thought to herself as she looked at him. All of the young mistresses in the Celestial River County viewed him as their new Prince Charming, but they knew that those feelings would be unrequited. In the eyes of a man as prestigious as Qi Shun, the young mistresses of the county were like farming vige girls; none of them would be considered as true romantic interests in his eyes. For some reason, she was struck by a sense of familiarity when she looked at him. An Ruyi then turned to Qi Ying to find that the two of them were somewhat simr in appearance. They shared the same surname as well, so could it be that they were somehow rted? That thought was quickly flushed out of An Ruyi¡¯s mind, as she discovered that Qi Ying was staring directly at the most beautiful woman present, Qin Susu! ¡°That b*stard! Look at him, drooling over her like a pig! He¡¯s never looked at me like that before!¡± She grumbled under her breath. ... The banquet was quite lively, but it drew to a conclusion not long after. Everyone actually wanted to stay a bit longer, but ¡°Mr. Poker Face¡± Qi Kaiyang suggested that everyone should retire for an early night, in anticipation for the tournament that was about tomence the next day. Even though it was supposed to be a friendly suggestion, it was regarded more as an order,ing from a hulking man of unfathomable cultivation base like him. Thus, everyone dispersed and prepared to return to their respective abodes. The woman of Qi Ying¡¯s dreams also disappeared into the night with Madam Butterfly, and he was quite dejected as he got onto the horse-drawn carriage with Lu Feifei. However, Yan Thirteen didn¡¯t go with them. ¡°I have some things I need to take care of, so I won¡¯t return to the county for now. ck One, ck Two, ck Three, ck Four, protect Madam Lu and Qi Ying! If any mishaps arise, use the re immediately to alert me!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The horse-drawn carriage left the mountain vi and quickly headed into the county. Within the carriage, Lu Feifei turned to Qi Ying and said, ¡°By the way, have you remembered that poem?¡± Qi Ying only came to his senses after being nudged a few times, as if he had been roused from a dream, and he replied, ¡°Yes... Mother Yu did teach me a poem like that... It goes... When did the bright moon first appear? One raises his cup and asks the clear sky. One does not know what year it is in the heavens this evening...¡± ... ¡°One does not know what year it is in the heavens this evening! I wish to ride the wind and return to the heavens, but I fear that the heavenly spires are too tall, and that I would be unable to bear the cold. My shadow dances under the moonlight and I think to myself; how can the heavenspare to the mortal realm?¡± There were two people standing atop the tips of two tall trees in the mountains. After a slightly husky voice recited the first part of the poem, another voice sighed before continuing, ¡°The moonlight shines through my window, and sleep continues to evade me. The moon shouldn¡¯t harbor any resentment to anyone, so why is it always round at times of separation? Countless heartbreaking separations take ce, while the moon transitions between whole and iplete. I wish we could always be together, but seeing the same moon as you from afar will suffice... Long time no see, Brother Nine!¡± Chapter 72: Assassination

Chapter 72: Assassination

Within a luxurious horse-drawn carriage sat some of the most powerful men in the entire Celestial River County! The elders and leaders of the Duan, Wang, and Sun families were all present. Alongside them, there was also the county mayor, Gu Tai! After a brief discussion, Duan Xi concluded with a smile, ¡°We have already revealed our intentions to Mayor Gu. Even if those six important figures are going to be overlooking the tournament, Mayor Gu will still have full control over the proceedings. Also, all of the troops within the city are under Mayor Gu¡¯smand, and when the timees, both the Colosseum and the Myriad Spring Brothel will be severelycking in protection...¡± However, Gu Tai waved his hands and refused, ¡°I won¡¯t fix the tournament. This is an extremely important event, and those six people are all quite meticulous, especially that Qi Kaiyang. He is a Half-Step Earth Martial Stage warrior, so nothing will escape his notice... However...¡± Gu Tai stroked his beard as he chuckled, ¡°The Myriad Spring Brothel is full of beautiful women, so we should just let them be, but the Colosseum has gathered a bunch of powerful and potentially vtile warriors, so it does need to be investigated... Of course, I will be requiring your help in those efforts.¡± ¡°Not a problem!¡± All of the family leaders and elders nodded in unison. Qi Kaiyang was a massive headache for everyone. During the tournament, they would only be able to gang up on Qi Ying and target him, but not y any tricks to bring him down. However, it would be great if they could eliminate Yan Thirteen during the tournament period! At that moment. Duan Xi looked outside at the moon and mused to himself, ¡°Xue Yuesha is about to act!¡± ¡°Xue Yuesha?¡± Everyone faltered upon hearing that. They had all heard of that person. He was a top-tier assassin who had been traveling around the Celestial River County ofte. His cultivation base was at the First Spirit Martial Stage, and he even had a bounty of eight hundred thousand crystals on his head, as he had assassinated the mayor of a neighboring county. Duan Xi chuckled, ¡°I hired Xue Yuesha to take care of Yan Thirteen, and he was hiding on the banquet just then! However, we don¡¯t know where Yan Thirteen is after he left the mountain vi, so I deployed him to assassinate Qi Ying. If he seeds today, we¡¯ll be able to focus all of our efforts on eliminating Yan Thirteen tomorrow...¡± Gu Tai¡¯s brows furrowed with concern. ¡°Yan Thirteen and Lu Feifei didn¡¯t bring that many people with them, but they¡¯re all elite warriors at the Ninth Energy Martial Stage. Xue Yuesha may not be able to seed.¡± Duan Xi shook his head. ¡°We¡¯ll see how it goes. Even if he can¡¯t kill Qi Ying, he¡¯ll be able to wound him for sure! If he fails to kill Qi Ying, he will have failed his mission, so he won¡¯t be getting a single crystal. Either way, we won¡¯t incur any losses.¡± ... Qi Ying¡¯s mind was filled entirely by that unforgettable figure. They were finally reunited after three months, but they couldn¡¯t even look directly into each other¡¯s eyes. He knew that a massive gulf stood between him and Qin Susu. Even though there was mutual affection, people from the Qin family, such as that Madam Butterfly, would never allow him to get close to Qin Susu. If there were any indication that a rtionship could blossom between the two, the Qin family would immediately send someone to hunt him down and kill him! That was exactly what had happened back when he left Nameless City. At the time, Qi Ying was very fortunate in that the killer sent out by the Qin family was one of Qin Susu¡¯s loyal guards. He wounded himself to fabricate a story about how one of his past injuries had rpsed, thereby preventing him from being able to hunt Qi Ying down. Otherwise, Qi Ying would have already been long dead. Thankfully, Madam Butterfly hadn¡¯t appeared on the Nameless Mountain back then, so she didn¡¯t know who Qi Ying was. If that had not been the case, he would have most likely been killed on the spot. ¡®It¡¯s alright! My future is filled with infinite possibilities... The Qin family would probably only permit the likes of Qi Shun and Yan Beigui to get close to Qin Susu... I¡¯m not inferior to either of them! I will rise above all of them!¡¯ Qi Ying was extremely confident in himself. Back when he had vowed to be together with Qin Susu, his confidence was nothing but a forced facade. However, he had since gained genuine conviction due to the rapid progression in his cultivation base! Just as he was getting absorbed in his train of thought. Boom! The horse-drawn carriage suddenly tremored violently, as if it had crashed into something. It then came to a sudden stop as the horses whinnied in panic. ¡°Argh!¡± Lu Feifei screamed loudly, and her momentum was about to send her flying out of the carriage. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Qi Ying hurriedly wrapped his arms around Lu Feifei as he focused his gaze. Whoosh whoosh! The four ck-robed guards within the carriage immediately rushed outside. Immediately afterward. ¡°We¡¯ve been ambushed!¡± ¡°Look out!¡± ¡°Protect Madam Lu and Qi Ying!¡± ¡°Use the re!¡± Whoosh... Boom! The voices of Lu Zuo and Lu You, as well as that of the ck-robed guards, erupted outside, followed by the explosion of the re. Immediately afterward. Bam bam! A powerful burst of force suddenly swept forth, destroying the entire carriage. ¡°Be careful!¡± Qi Ying sprang into the air with Lu Feifei in his arms, then retreated to several dozen feet away! Bam! A red streak of light crashed down upon the spot where they had been just a moment ago, sending clouds of dust and debris flying into the air. ¡°Lu Zuo? Lu You!¡± Qi Ying¡¯s heart skipped a beat at the sight of scenes unfolding outside the carriage. Lu Zuo and Lu You were driving the carriage, but both of them were sprawled onto the ground,pletely unconscious. The four ck-robed guards who had rushed out earlier had all drawn their weapons, and were engaging in a fierce battle with a red figure. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Lu Feifei turned pale with fright in Qi Ying¡¯s arms. ¡°Someone is trying to assassinate us!¡± Qi Ying¡¯s brows furrowed tightly as he surveyed the battle. The situation was not very optimistic! The four Ninth Energy Martial Stage ck-robed guards were being forced firmly onto the back foot by that red figure. Lu Zuo and Lu You had also presumably been knocked out by a surprise attack. As such, there was a very good chance that the enemy was a Spirit Martial Stage warrior! ¡°Argh!¡± One of the ck-robed guards let loose a cry of pain, before being kicked flying by the red figure. Whoosh! Qi Ying put down Madam Lu before leaping into the air and catching that ck-robed guard. ¡°Your arm...¡± Qi Ying gasped. That ck-robed guard¡¯s right arm had beenpletely severed at the elbow. If things continued in that fashion, they were all going to be killed before Master Thirteen arrived! Qi Ying pulled out a pill to stanch bleeding from his spatial ring, before feeding it to the ck-robed guard and instructing in a low voice, ¡°Look after Madam Lu!¡± He then rushed into the ongoing battle! ... Boom! A burst of light suddenly appeared over the forest amid a loud explosion. The two people standing on the tips of the trees had many things to say to one another, but one of them noticed the re and his expression immediately changed. ¡°Brother Nine, I have to go!¡± Whoosh! That figure abruptly disappeared. Yan Nine looked on in the direction that Yan Thirteen had departed in as he heaved a faint sigh, ¡°Who would have thought that I would meet you here... Among our thirteen brothers, you have the worst aptitude and cultivation base... But now, there are only two of us left...¡± Chapter 73: Blood Moon

Chapter 73: Blood Moon

Qi Ying had witnessed the might of Spirit Martial Stage warriors in the past. However, he had never dared to imagine battling such a powerful warrior! After drawing closer to the battle, Qi Ying finally caught a glimpse of their assant. He was a man with a demonic set of features, characterized by the peculiar green tattoos all over his face and his fiery red eyebrows. On top of that, he wore a long crimson robe, making him appear particrly eerie and frightening in the night. The crimson-robed man was wielding a red scimitar, and sparks flew as his weapon shed with those of the ck-robed guards. The three ck-robed guards were all warriors at the Ninth Energy Martial Stage, but it was quite clear that they were being dominated in that battle. That red scimitar was clearly no ordinary weapon either. sh! A red light shed past, and the weapons wielded by the ck-robed guards were all sliced in half. ¡°Look out!¡± The crimson-robed man took advantage of that opportunity to sh his scimitar toward the neck of one of the ck-robed guards, and Qi Ying immediately swung his Dragon Tiger Demon-ying Staff toward the enemy upon seeing that. Bam! Qi Ying¡¯s hands wentpletely numb from the force of the sh. However, he was able to knock the crimson scimitar slightly off track, thereby allowing the ck-robed guard to barely escape. Whoosh whoosh whoosh! The three guards retreated a few steps before drawing new weapons. The crimson-robed man stood with a cold smile on his face, and his demonic eyes turned to Qi Ying. ¡°Who are you?¡± Qi Ying yelled. The enemy was a mysterious and powerful warrior. He had never heard of a warrior of his description in the Celestial River County before. At that moment. At that moment, the ck-robed guard with the severed forearm yelled from the distance, ¡°Brother Qi Ying, don¡¯t waste your words with him! That man is the notorious assassin, Xue Yuesha! He must have been hired by someone to attack us!¡± ¡°Hmm?!¡± Qi Ying¡¯s expression darkened. ¡®Assassin? Hired?¡¯ It was quite clear what he hade to do then! ¡°Heh.¡± The cold smile on Xue Yuesha¡¯s face widened. Whoosh! He transformed into a red shadow and shed toward Qi Ying, while raising his scimitar high above his head. ¡°Hold him off!¡± ¡°We have to hold on until Master Thirteen gets here!¡± The three ck-robed guards stood in Xue Yuesha¡¯s way, and True Energy surged as high-level battle techniques were unleashed to strike him. Whoosh! Red light suddenly erupted from behind Xue Yuesha. From that light, the jarring image of a crimson moon emerged. Battle Spirit, Blood Moon! Xue Yuesha¡¯s attack instantly became quicker, and he managed to shake off the three ck-robed guards beforeunching a red de projection toward Qi Ying. Qi Ying swung his Dragon Tiger Demon-ying Staff with all his might. A staff projection swept forth like a hurricane! Bam bam bam! The red de projection struck his staff. The immense force of the sh almost made Qi Ying lose grip on his weapon. ¡°Die!¡± Xue Yuesha shot forward and appeared beside Qi Ying in the blink of an eye, unleashing a vicious sh toward his throat. Qi Ying¡¯s heart jolted as he circted his True Energy and condensed it toward his feet. Flowing Shadow Strike! Whoosh! Qi Ying transformed into a ck shadow and evaded that lethal strike. ¡°Surround him!¡± The three ck-robed guards only arrived then. ¡°Make sure to keep your distance away from him!¡± A loud cry erupted. Qi Ying turned to discover that Lu You had regained consciousness, and he had drawn his sword as he rushed into battle. ¡°Xue Yuesha¡¯s Blood Moon Battle Spirit can drastically increase his speed and power in sharp bursts, so we have to stay far away from him! Beware of his scimitar techniques!¡± Lu You yelled. Different Battle Spirits had different functions. Battle Spirits like Duan Xi¡¯s ck Winged Tiger, and Duan Hongxue¡¯s ck Tiger were among those that could assist them in battle. Those Battle Spirits could be summoned aspanions to fight alongside the warrior. In contrast, Xue Yuesha¡¯s Blood Moon Battle Spirit was one that could enhance the warrior¡¯s abilities, giving him a boost that was equivalent to a sudden spike in one or two stages of his cultivation base. That Battle Spirit could even enhance Xue Yuesha¡¯s speed, to be twice of what he would normally be capable of in instantaneous bursts. As such, his speed of movements and attacks were all far superior to that of warriors at the lower Spirit Martial Stages. If he were within a ten feet distance of someone, he could take their life in a tenth of a second. ¡°Get him!¡± ¡°Use your battle techniques to hold him off!¡± Lu You and the ck-robed guards created a square formation, while disrupting Xue Yuesha¡¯s movements through a constant barrage of battle techniques. Bam bam bam! One battle technique after another exploded around Xue Yuesha. Qi Ying was unable to y a role in that battle. He could only engage an enemy in meleebat, which was the ideal range for Xue Yuesha to use his assassination techniques. It was up to the four of them to hold off Xue Yuesha until Master Thirteen arrived! ... ¡°How bothersome...¡± Xue Yuesha¡¯s brows furrowed as he was attacked by four powerful warriors at once. None of those warriors were the type of useless trash, who had been carried to the Ninth Energy Martial Stage by cultivation methods and pills. Furthermore, all of them possessed extensive battle experience. In particr, there was one of them who seemed to have mastered a myriad of battle techniques, and the diversity in his attacks constantly kept Xue Yuesha on his toes. They were indeed a little bit more difficult to deal with than he had imagined. However, as an assassin who had killed even Spirit Martial Stage warriors, Xue Yuesha wasn¡¯t overly concerned about his opponents. He had a massive advantage in cultivation base, power, and speed. As long as he didn¡¯t getcent and attacked at his full power, it shouldn¡¯t take him long to bring everyone down. They seemed to have sent out a re signal for reinforcements just then. He couldn¡¯t afford to waste any more time! Xue Yuesha hoisted his scimitar and spun in a full circle, instantly pulverizing all of the oing attacks in the process. He then circted his Spiritual Energy and rose quickly into the air. At the same time, brilliant light erupted from the Blood Moon behind him. Battle Spirit Technique, Blood Moon Explosion! Bam! A violent explosion erupted, and the powerful shockwaves sent Lu You and the three ck-robed guards flying. ¡°Hmph!¡± Xue Yuesha turned his attention to his target, Qi Ying. Whoosh! He glided through the air like a predatorial falcon descending upon its prey. ¡°Crap!¡± An ominous feeling had already welled up in Qi Ying¡¯s heart as soon as he saw Xue Yuesha rise into the air. Thus, he was somewhat prepared and immediately unleashed his Flowing Shadow Strike, transforming into three ck shadows that fled in different directions. ¡°What a pitiful party trick!¡± A taunting smile appeared on Xue Yuesha¡¯s face. A Yellow Tier movement technique was only useful for fooling stupid beasts and trashy Energy Martial Stage warriors. Whoosh! Xue Yuesha set his sights on one of the shadows and immediatelyunched himself toward it. His scimitar shed through the air, and a crimson de projection swept forth. ¡°Hmm?!¡± Qi Ying was still paying attention to what was going on behind him even as he fled. When he saw Xue Yuesha rushing in his direction, he realized that the afterimages created by his Flowing Shadow Strike were most likely ineffective against Spirit Martial Stage warriors, as they had powerful divine sense! In the blink of an eye, the lethal de projection was already upon him. Chapter 74: Dark Tier Treasured Tool?

Chapter 74: Dark Tier Treasured Tool?

¡°Die!¡± A sinister smile appeared on Xue Yuesha¡¯s face as the crimson de projection hurtled toward Qi Ying. The attack was simply too fast for him to evade. Even if he were to throw himself to the side, he would definitely lose his bnce in the process. In that case, another sh of his saber would get the job done. Bam! A resounding boom erupted. ¡°What?!¡± Xue Yuesha¡¯s eyes widened abruptly in disbelief. Qi Ying had just crushed the de projection with a single hand! ¡®What the hell?¡¯ He was just a kid at the Fourth Energy Martial Stage! Xue Yuesha didn¡¯t know Qi Ying. As a warrior who constantly hid himself from the public eye, he had actually only arrived in the Celestial River County two days prior. The extent of his knowledge on Qi Ying was that he was a very talented young man, with exceptional meleebat abilities, and was capable of defeating warriors at the Seventh and Eighth Energy Martial Stages. So how was he able to crush a Spirit Martial Stage warrior¡¯s attack with his bare hand? That was simply incredible! No one had told him that Qi Ying¡¯s left hand seemed to be capable of blocking any attack. Thus, Xue Yuesha waspletely stunned. It didn¡¯t make any sense! Even a warrior at the Ninth Energy Martial Stage wearing a full suit of treasured armor would be unable to block that attack, unless they were wearing something of truly outstanding quality on their hand. ¡°Hmm?¡± Xue Yuesha¡¯s eyes fell upon Qi Ying¡¯s silver glove. Could it be... That glove was some type of extremely valuable treasured tool? Xue Yuesha was unable to identify what tier the glove was at, but for a Fourth Energy Martial Stage warrior to be able to block his attack using the glove, it was an indication that it was at least a Dark Tier Low Rank treasured tool, or perhaps even a Dark Tier Intermediate-Rank one. It must have been the case that he was simply unable to bring out the true power of that treasured tool, thereby making it difficult to gauge the item¡¯s tier! ¡°What an unexpected surprise!¡± Xue Yuesha licked his lips. He was a wanted fugitive, epting an assassination job. The reason he was taking the risk was because he had spent too many crystals, and was in desperate need for more. Otherwise, a proud assassin like him would never take on a job to kill a Fourth Energy Martial Stage weakling. As such, he was naturally quite excited by the prospect of obtaining a Dark Tier treasured tool if he were toplete his mission. That woulde in addition to the reward that was to be given to him by his employer. Even if he couldn¡¯t use that Dark Tier treasured tool himself, he would still be able to sell it for a good price in the ck market. ¡°Die!¡± Xue Yuesha shot forth in pursuit. Upon sensing his approach, Qi Ying immediately circted all of the True Energy within his body without any reservation. His opponent was insanely powerful, and even the slightest mistake could lead to his downfall! He was able to match some Ninth Energy Martial Stage warriors in battle, but that was only due to abination of his strength, speed, and his ability to urately capture opportunities during battle. But when confronted by an enemy like Xue Yuesha, who was vastly more powerful than him, the aforementioned ability wouldn¡¯t help him in the slightest! Whoosh! Qi Ying unleashed his Flowing Shadow Strike with all his might, and fled for his life. He was running directly toward the ce where the ck-robed guards were situated. If he were to run in another direction, there was no way he would be able to outspeed his assant. As such, he could only rush toward the ck-robed guards, as well as Lu Zuo and Lu You, so he could seek help from them! ¡°Surround him!¡± The three ck-robed guards and Lu You had all recovered from the shockwaves unleashed by Xue Yuesha¡¯s Battle Spirit Technique, and they rushed into battle again. Sword projections and saber projections hurtled through the air! ¡°How annoying!¡± A cold light appeared in Xue Yuesha¡¯s eyes. The more time was wasted, the lower the probability that he would be able to seed in his mission. He had to secure his reward and that glove! All those who stood in his way could go die! Whoosh! Xue Yuesha shed through the air, leaving an afterimage in his wake. In the next instant, he appeared beside one of the ck-robed guards. Whoosh! A head flew into the sky amid the sound of a de tearing through flesh and bone! St! A fountain of blood erupted, and the other ck-robed guards roared in unison, ¡°Brother Three!¡± The ck-robed guards were all top-tier warriors that Master Thirteen had gathered from all over the Celestial River County. They were only guards at the Colosseum, but even if they were to leave Master Thirteen, they would be powerful beings who could easily make a name for themselves. Throughout the years, they had developed a strong rtionship with one another. During the course of the battle, one of them had been in, while the other had had his arm chopped off. As such, the remaining two were naturally extremely furious. ¡°B*stard!¡± One of the ck-robed guards let loose a feral roar as red True Energy enveloped his body. He stomped a foot into the ground and rose into the sky with his sword pointing directly at Xue Yuesha. ¡°Wait!¡± Lu You immediately tried to stop him. Whoosh! ¡°What an insolent fool!¡± Red light erupted from the Blood Moon behind Xue Yuesha again, and a crescent de projection fell from the sky. Crack! The ck-robed guard¡¯s sword was sliced cleanly in half. The de projection continued downward and struck the ck-robed guard¡¯s body. However, after it sliced through his ck robes, a suit of red treasured armor was revealed. Crack! The guard was forced to plummet to the ground by the attack, sending puffs of dust and debris flying in all directions, but he sustained no grievous wounds. ¡°This is bad...¡± Qi Ying¡¯s brows were tightly furrowed. They might not be able tost until Master Thirteen arrived! Xue Yuesha was far too powerful for the remaining two ck-robed guards and Lu You to deal with. They were not going tost very long at all. He had to think of a way to kill Xue Yuesha! All of a sudden, a thought urred to Qi Ying. Even though he didn¡¯t know whether it would work, he could only take a gamble! ¡°Everyone, please restrict him to the best of your abilities!¡± Qi Ying yelled as he raised his Dragon Tiger Demon-ying Staff. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± The ck-robed guards and Lu You didn¡¯t know what Qi Ying was plotting, but restricting Xue Yuesha and awaiting the arrival of Master Thirteen did indeed seem to be the only viable course of action. Otherwise, they were all going to die! Whoosh whoosh! The three of them immediately began to attack Xue Yuesha. They formed a triangr formation, and covered for one another as they engaged Xue Yuesha in gueri warfare. Furthermore, Qi Ying also joined in on the battle. Whoosh! He swung his staff toward Xue Yuesha with tremendous force. Peerless Staff Strike! That devastating attack was powerful enough to bash a Ninth Energy Martial Stage warrior to death, and even a Spirit Martial Stage warrior would not want to take it head-on. Xue Yuesha evaded the attack with ease and chuckled coldly, ¡°You¡¯ve got some power, but you¡¯re as slow as a snail!¡± Whoosh! He swung his scimitar at Qi Ying. Bam! Lu You unleashed a fist projection to cut off Xue Yuesha¡¯s attack. Qi Ying took the opportunity to leap high into the air again! Peerless Staff Strike! Whoosh! He missed once again. At Xue Yuesha¡¯s speed, evading a Peerless Staff Strike was a piece of cake. ¡®What a stupid kid! That battle technique expends arge amount of True Energy, and he¡¯s materializing a suit of True Energy armor while using his movement techniques... He won¡¯t be able tost long at all like that!¡¯ Xue Yuesha wore an expression of mockery on his face. ¡®The kid is digging a hole for himself!¡¯ Xue Yuesha¡¯s assessment was indeed correct. Every staff strike unleashed by Qi Ying expended a vast amount of True Energy. After a few attacks, he was gasping for breath and could barely even move anymore. ¡°Die!¡± Xue Yuesha cackled as he circted his Spiritual Energy to materialize a barrier around him, keeping all of the oing attacks at bay. He then shed his saber toward Qi Ying, who was too exhausted to evade. At that moment. ¡°It¡¯s time!¡± A mysterious smile suddenly appeared on Qi Ying¡¯s face. Chapter 75: Evil Technique

Chapter 75: Evil Technique

In the eyes of Xue Yuesha, Qi Ying was like a panicked rabbit whose defense was filled with holes. He had expended all of his energy by spamming his battle techniques, and it would be a simple task to kill him. Whoosh! Xue Yuesha stepped forward and threw a feint to bypass the ck-robed guards and Lu You. At the same time, he raised his crimson scimitar and brought it down in one violent motion! Qi Ying suddenly raised his left hand and silver light shed past! ng! The scimitar struck his glove, and sparks flew through the air! ¡®Insolent little brat!¡¯ Xue Yuesha chuckled coldly in his heart as he angled his de to slide along the glove, cutting down toward Qi Ying¡¯s forearm. The glove was clearly a powerful treasured tool that could stop his attacks, but the rest of his body was undoubtedly extremely vulnerable! With that in mind, his scimitar sliced into Qi Ying¡¯s forearm. However, the events that unfolded next came as aplete shock to Xue Yuesha. ng! He felt as if his weapon had struck an indestructible piece of dark metal, and it was unable to even cut through Qi Ying¡¯s skin! ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Xue Yuesha was still reeling from shock when a silver gloved hand suddenly mped down upon his wrist! All of a sudden, his body waspletely immobilized. He felt like something had closed around his throat, making it difficult for him to even breathe. Furthermore, the Spiritual Energy within his body rushed toward his wrist like a turbulent flood, before being extracted from his body at an extremely rming rate. It was as if someone had stuck a pipe directly into his meridians, and was sucking away all of his energy! ¡®What the hell?!¡¯ Xue Yuesha was rooted to the spot like a statue. Qi Ying stood before him with tightly gritted teeth. The veins on his forehead bulged, and he was pouring with sweat! Whoosh whoosh! Enormous bursts of power were flowing into Qi Ying¡¯s body in an unstoppable frenzy. All of the energy being extracted from Xue Yuesha¡¯s body was traveling into his meridians! Even though Qi Ying¡¯s meridians were far more powerful than those of the average Fourth Energy Martial Stage warrior, the nature of Spiritual Energy was alsopletely different from that of True Energy! The bodies of Spirit Martial Stage warriors had all been refined by the vital energy of heaven and earth, thereby allowing them to handle Spiritual Energy. Normal Energy Martial Stage warriors simply wouldn¡¯t be able to absorb such vtile energy. However, Qi Ying¡¯s left hand was contributing greatly to his efforts! Over ny percent of the energy he absorbed was taken by his left hand. As such, the energy didn¡¯t linger for too long in his meridians, and therefore didn¡¯t get the chance to overload the energy cirction system in his body. At the same time, that mysterious grey light lit up in his blood again. The turbulent Spiritual Energy was quickly broken down by the grey light, before merging wlessly into Qi Ying¡¯s body. Whoosh! An immense amount of energy transformed into True Energy before rushing into his dantian. Within his dantian, his fourth energy vortex was quicklypletely filled! ¡°Ha!¡± Qi Ying let loose an involuntary cry of excitement. In contrast, Xue Yuesha was feeling extremely shocked and horrified. ¡®What the hell is going on? Could it be that this little brat is somehow absorbing my energy? But I¡¯ve only heard of banned evil techniques with simr effects. On top of that, he¡¯s already absorbed so much Spiritual Energy; how has he not self-detonated from overload yet?!¡¯ ¡°Ha!¡± If things continued like that, Xue Yuesha was going to be sucked dry. Thus, he let loose a loud roar and unleashed all of his power to spur his Battle Spirit into action. Whoosh! Dazzling light erupted from the Blood Moon behind him. The remaining Spiritual Energy within his body immediately erupted forth like an earth-shattering wave. Right at that moment, Xue Yuesha suddenly noticed an almost imperceptible shadow flying through the air, traveling directly toward his throat! He wanted to evade, but he didn¡¯t have any energy left that could support him! Whoosh! An extremely thin de passed through Xue Yuesha¡¯s head. Bam! His head then exploded like a watermelon. Intracranial fluids sttered in all directions while a fountain of blood gushed forth! ¡°Argh!¡± The painful swelling sensation in Qi Ying¡¯s body suddenly disappeared, and he eximed involuntarily with relief. Whoosh! A white-robed figure suddenly fell from the sky under the bright moonlight! Xue Yuesha?!¡± Master Thirteen¡¯s brows furrowed at the sight of the headless body. Someone had hired the most notorious assassin in the surrounding counties! Even if he were the one that had been attacked, it would have been a very perilous situation for him. Master Thirteen looked around at everyone and asked, ¡°What happened? And Qi Ying, are you alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± Qi Ying replied as he panted heavily. The remaining three ck-robed guards, Lu You, and Lu Feifei all gathered around. The ck-robed guard with a severed forearm wore a grief-stricken expression on his face. ¡°We were suddenly attacked by Xue Yuesha... and Brother Three has passed away!¡± ¡°What?!¡± Master Thirteen nced at the ck-robed corpse on the ground, and a hint of sorrow also appeared in his eyes. He strode over to him andid a gentle hand on his body. ¡°Farewell, ck Three.¡± The four ck-robed guards were all powerful beings that he had subdued over the years in the Celestial River County. All of them shared a strong rtionship. As such, the death of one of them must have been a heavy blow to the others. Lu You said in a grim voice, ¡°Xue Yuesha had not appeared for a long time... Who would have thought that we would encounter him today... We were caughtpletely off guard and were no match for him.¡± Master Thirteen mused, ¡°Looking at the entire Celestial River County, there is only one power capable of contacting Xue Yuesha, and are willing to pay the price for him to assassinate us; it must be the Duan family!¡± mes of fury were ignited in everyone¡¯s eyes upon hearing that. The Duan family was essentially handing out a deration of war! The atmosphere suddenly became extremely grave. Yan Thirteen paused momentarily before continuing, ¡°Let¡¯s go back. Tomorrow is a very important day. We must avenge ck Three, but we must do it in a smart way... Qi Ying, what are you doing?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Qi Ying hurriedly stood up from beside Xue Yuesha¡¯s body, and he was holding a red ring in his hand as he replied, ¡°I found a spatial ring on Xue Yuesha¡¯s body. There seems to be quite a lot of treasures inside.¡± ¡°By the way, how did you guys restrict Xue Yuesha just then?¡± Master Thirteen turned to Qi Ying. When he had arrived, he clearly saw that Xue Yuesha was already immobilized, which was why he was able to kill him so easily. ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± Qi Ying shrugged and yed dumb. He refrained from telling everyone about the newly discovered secret of his left arm. ¡°Oh... Alright then... Let¡¯s go back! We¡¯ll discuss everything further when we get back.¡± Master Thirteen didn¡¯t insist on forcing an answer out of Qi Ying. He knew that Qi Ying must have been keeping some secrets. After all, he was raised by such a powerful being... How could he not have some trump cards that would save him in dire situations? Everyone quickly buried the bodies of ck Three and Xue Yuesha. The horse-drawn carriage had been destroyed, and the legs of the horses had been broken. Thus, the two rtively unscathed ck-robed guards carried the unconscious Lu Zuo, while Lu You carried Lu Feifei, and Master Thirteen carried Qi Ying. They quickly traversed through the forest to the nearby Myriad Spring Brothel for some rest and recuperation. Chapter 76: Stolen Ability

Chapter 76: Stolen Ability

At the Myriad Spring Brothel. The ce was normally filled with gorgeous women and intoxicated male guests, but all of that had been cleared away. After Lu Feifei and Master Thirteen had arrived, the Myriad Spring Brothel was immediately closed for business, and the guests were all kicked out. Within a booth. Master Thirteen eyes were closed, and he had one hand resting on Qi Ying¡¯s forehead. Momentster, he opened his eyes and smiled. ¡°Very good. You didn¡¯t sustain any injuries, but your cultivation base has further improved. You are now only a hair¡¯s breadth away from the Fifth Energy Martial Stage.¡± Master Thirteen then pulled out a green jade vial and said, ¡°There are three Energy Breakthrough Pills in here. They are simr to Energy st Pills, but their effect is more vtile, so you can take them and try to reach the Fifth Energy Martial Stage by tomorrow morning!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Qi Ying nodded and didn¡¯t refuse the jade vial. At the same time, he offered the red ring he had found on Xue Yuesha¡¯s body to Master Thirteen. ¡°Master Thirteen, this...¡± However, Master Thirteen waved a nonchnt hand. ¡°You can take all of Xue Yuesha¡¯s belongings. He had already fallen so far that he was willing to ept a job to assassinate you, so he must have been close to broke anyway. In that case, nothing he owned would interest me. Stay up and cultivate tonight. Try to maintain a good condition, and I¡¯ll take you to the academy tomorrow morning!¡± ... Qi Ying didn¡¯t stay in the Myriad Spring Brothel. Instead, he went to the South Lake outside of the building in order to maximize the effects of his cultivation. Under the moonlight, the South Lake shimmered as fish leaped out from time to time, sending ripples running across the surface of the water. Qi Ying took a deep breath, and ayer of purple mist gradually appeared around him. He opened the green jade vial, and poured out threerge red pills from within, each of which was about the size of a pigeon egg. Those were Energy Breakthrough Pills! They were the upgraded version of the Energy Explosion Pills, and the unstable version of the Energy st Pills. Just one Energy Breakthrough Pill was worth tens of thousands of crystals, and very few people had ess to such precious cultivation pills in the entire Celestial River County. Even the likes of Duan Gucheng were only given pills like those frequently after he had reached the Sixth or Seventh Energy Martial Stage. However, Qi Ying was going to take them just then, at the Fourth Energy Martial Stage! He was taking all three at once to try and progress to the Fifth Energy Martial Stage! Gulp! Gulp! Gulp! All three Energy Breakthrough Pills were swallowed in quick session. True Energy enveloped them, and they quickly broke down before transforming into essence that flowed into his meridians. Whoosh! All of a sudden, the energy within Qi Ying¡¯s body began to surge like a violent flood again. If a normal Fourth Energy Martial Stage warrior were to take three Energy Breakthrough Pills at once, their meridians would be severely damaged, and there was a good chance that they would even self-detonate and die. However, after converting the energy he had absorbed from Xue Yuesha, Qi Ying¡¯s meridians were fortified even more, so they could easily handle the power of three Energy Breakthrough Pills! Within his meridians, energy flowed like relentless rivers. Even though his left hand absorbed arge portion of that energy, there was still more than enough for him leftover! Within his dantian, a fifth energy vortex slowly began to appear, but it was not very stable. Qi Ying rose into the air and began to practice both the internal and external sections of his Purple Energy Cultivation Method, thereby urging his newest energy vortex to stabilize itself as quickly as possible. Whoosh whoosh! Qi Ying¡¯s True Energy began to circte more freely and quickly within his body. Finally, in a certain instant, Qi Ying sensed that the cirction of his True Energy reached a brand new state! Bam! An explosive boom erupted as the fifth energy vortexpletely took shape in his dantian. The five energy vortexes rotated relentlessly, improving the quality and quantity of his True Energy as a result. The Purple Energy Cultivation Method had always had a strong focus on energy umtion. As such, those who used it generally had more abundant True Energy than other warriors of the same level. Furthermore, Qi Ying¡¯s meridians had always been quite wide, and his left hand was able to purify True Energy. As such, the quality of his True Energy wasparable to that of normal Seventh Energy Martial Stage warriors. However, the quantity was still slightlycking, and his rate of expenditure was also quite high. ¡°Phew...¡± Qi Ying practiced the Purple Energy Cultivation Method for about a dozen more cycles to stabilize his cultivation base. He clenched his fists and tightened his body, upon which a series of cracks and pops erupted from his joints. ¡°Huh... What¡¯s this thing?¡± Qi Ying used his internal inspection skill and focused his attention on a spot above his energy vortexes. A ball of viscous red substance could be seen there, and it looked a little like blood sma. Qi Ying didn¡¯t know when that thing had appeared in his dantian, but he was certain that it had not been present the night prior. After some careful observation, Qi Ying raised an eyebrow and murmured to himself, ¡°That thing contains Xue Yuesha¡¯s aura!¡± Thinking back, he recalled that some sort of scorching substance had flowed into his body following the death of Xue Yuesha, and that substance wasn¡¯t broken down and absorbed by his blood. Could that be what that was? ¡°What does it do?¡± Qi Ying tried to use his True Energy to make contact with the red blood sma. In the instant his purple True Energy reached the blood sma, a small drop of thetter flowed into Qi Ying¡¯s meridians. His entire body was instantly struck by a scorching sensation. Whoosh! Qi Ying couldn¡¯t help but spring into the air to use up all of the excess energy that had suddenly appeared. Whoosh! To his surprise, his strength seemed to have increased significantly, and he reached heights of thirty to forty feet; twice of what he was capable of in the past! Bam! Qi Yingnded on the ground and almost toppled over. ¡°Flowing Shadow Strike!¡± Qi Ying unleashed his battle technique. Whoosh! He traveled a distance of twenty feet in the blink of an eye. ¡°So fast!¡± Even Qi Ying himself was quite stunned. Was there supposed to be that much of an enhancement from the Fourth to the Fifth Energy Martial Stage? At that moment, the scorching sensation suddenly disappeared. Qi Ying tested his Flowing Shadow Strike and jumping height again, and the results were a little surprising. His physical capabilities had indeed improvedpared to when he was at the Fourth Energy Martial Stage, but to a far lesser extent than the increase he had just exhibited. ¡°I recall that Xue Yuesha was enhanced to a simr extent when using his Blood Moon Battle Spirit. He was able to increase his speed and power drastically for short bursts... Could it be that I stole the ability of his Blood Moon?¡± Qi Ying was taken aback by that notion. Not only could he steal energy, it appeared that he could also steal abilities! He only had to extract a small portion of that red substance in his dantian and the effect was akin to when Xue Yuesha summoned his Blood Moon Battle Spirit. That meant that he was able to massively enhance his speed and power for a short time, but his rate of energy expenditure also spiked immensely. That was another trump card! ¡°As the saying goes, one is bound for good fortune after surviving a great ordeal... Xue Yuesha really has done me a favor here... Let¡¯s see what he has in his spatial ring!¡± Chapter 77: Golden Blood Armor

Chapter 77: Golden Blood Armor

Xue Yuesha¡¯s spatial ring had even greater storage capacity than the new one given to Qi Ying by Master Thirteen. Its capacity was at about twenty cubic feet, which was evenrger than a small storage unit. There were many items ced in there, including a small mountain of crystals, some treasured armor, weapons, pills, battle techniques, cultivation methods, and various other things. It was certainly not a pitiful collection as Master Thirteen had predicted. However... Master Thirteen was not less wealthy than any of the four major families, so Xue Yuesha¡¯s worth really wasn¡¯t all that noteworthy to him. The value of everything in that spatial ringbined probably couldn¡¯t evenpare to any one of the valuable Colosseum beasts. But to Qi Ying, it was a massive treasure trove! There were so many valuable items that Qi Ying didn¡¯t even know where to start. However, his attention was soon attracted to the most valuable few items. ¡°That¡¯s the Yellow Tier High Rank treasured tool, the Blood Drop Zhan Lu Sword, Yellow Tier High Rank treasured armor, Golden Blood Armor, the Yellow Tier High-Rank battle technique, Blood Shadow sh... And that crimson scimitar appeared to be a Dark Tier Low Rank treasured tool? They¡¯re all such valuable items... There¡¯s even arge batch of Yellow Tier High-Rank pills! And is that a Dark Tier Pill?¡± Only then did Qi Ying understand that Master Thirteen had essentially given all of Xue Yuesha¡¯s belongings to him as a present! All of that stuff would be enough to support Qi Ying¡¯s cultivation for quite a while. In particr, the treasured armors and treasured swords inside were all going to be very important for him in the uing tournament. Qi Ying pulled out the Golden Blood Armor first. That was a set ofpact crimson armor that was was mainly designed to protect the wearer¡¯s trunk. Qi Ying took off his robes and put on the Golden Blood Armor. He discovered that after injecting his True Energy into it, a red defensive barrier simr in shape to an egg would automatically appear around his body. That barrier would be quite useful for defending against long-range battle techniques. The defensive properties of the Golden Blood Armor itself were also quite outstanding; it was able to protect Qi Ying¡¯s chest, waist, and back from direct stabs and shes unleashed by Yellow Tier Intermediate-Rank treasured swords. The shoulder caps on the suit of armor also worked to buffer some of the force that traveled to his shoulder joints, which was extremely practical for Qi Ying, as he often used his left hand in battle, in which case his left shoulder was always the weakest link. ¡°This is a fantastic suit of armor!¡± Qi Ying was ted. The Golden Blood Armor wasn¡¯t as cumbersome as suits of heavy armor, which had stunning defensive properties, but impeded the wearer¡¯s movement. Not only did it not obstruct his movements, its slight weight gave him a gentle sense of pressure, which helped to improve his control in his strength output. The Blood Drop Lu Zhan Sword was also something that Qi Ying quickly became quite fond of. He didn¡¯t know how to use swords, but that weapon eliminated the need to study swordsmanship. He would only have to drip a drop of his blood essence onto it, then inject his True Energy into the sword to create a sword projectionparable to that unleashed by Yellow Tier treasured tools. Aside from that, Qi Ying also pulled out a pair of dark grey leather boots. Those were the Yellow Tier Intermediate-Rank treasured tool, Feather Tread Boots. After putting on the boots and injecting his True Energy into them, his speed would be enhanced by ten to thirty percent. Xue Yuesha owned many more things, but those three were the only useful ones to Qi Ying at the moment. They were almost perfect for the uing tournamentmencing the next day. The only downside to them was that immense amounts of True Energy were required to use them all at once! Due to his left hand, Qi Ying¡¯s True Energy expenditure rate was inherently faster than that of other warriors at the same rank. If he were to use those treasures at once, and unleash his battle techniques as well as movement techniques at the same time, he would not be able tost long at all. After all, Qi Ying had exhausted all of his True Energy after unleashing a few Peerless Staff Strikes, while maintaining his Flowing Shadow Strike for less than a minute. Even after progressing to the Fifth Energy Martial Stage, he probably wasn¡¯t going to be able tost much longer. However, as long as he had sufficient pills to replenish his stamina and True Energy, that shouldn¡¯t be a problem. Furthermore... Qi Ying also had his left hand as a secret weapon, and that could also be used in critical moments to facilitate recovery. Xue Yuesha¡¯s battle techniques weren¡¯t all that useful to Qi Ying. There was simply no point in trying to master them with such little time left before the tournament. His priority was to further polish the battle techniques he had already attained. The greater the level of mastery, the more efficient he could be with his True Energy expenditure when using those battle techniques. Thus, in a sense, that would help him to conserve True Energy. Whoosh! Whoosh whoosh! Purple w projections tore through the night. Gradually, Qi Ying¡¯s movements became quicker and more powerful. He could retract his hands immediately after unleashing a burst of w projections, thereby minimizing the cooldown period that arose after using battle techniques. Therefore, he was able to maintain greater continuity and fluency in his attacks. Furthermore, the power of his w projections had also improved. Whoosh! He swept a hand through the air, and purple w projections hurtled toward the river. Bam! Sshes of several dozen feet in height erupted from the surface of the water. Qi Ying was like a predatorial falcon sinking his ws into his prey. He was urate and powerful! Thus, he reached the perfected level of his Dark Falcon Illusionary w. For Yellow Tier battle techniques, the perfected level was the upper limit. After that, Qi Ying practiced his Flowing Shadow Strike and Peerless Hero Staff Techniques for a while. When the sun began to rise in the East, Qi Ying had developed a better grasp on both of those battle techniques. He had reached the great sess level on both the Flowing Shadow Strike and the Peerless Hero Staff Techniques. Not only was he slightly faster when unleashing his Flowing Shadow Strike, he could also create a maximum of four shadows. That meant that he could split himself into five, thereby giving him a far greater chance of evading enemy attacks during mass brawls. As for his staff techniques, he had be more proficient in them, and was able to unleash more power as well. All in all, following that series of improvements, Qi Ying was confident that he would be able to hold his own against any Energy Martial Stage warrior. There was a decent chance that he would even be able to defeat masters like Lu You. The only concern was that his enemies in the tournament were not going to just be limited to the members of the four major families. Additionally, he was also going to have to face disciples of the Celestial River Academy, as well as participants from other powers. Those guys from the county army were the truly terrifying ones! After receiving arduous military training, they were on apletely different level whenpared to academy disciples of the same tank. A normal Eighth Energy Martial Stage army official could probably beat up ten Eighth Energy Martial Stage Duan Guchengs. They were all formidable foes, and there were many of them, thereby giving Qi Ying a severe headache. However, nothing could shake his determination and resolve! Whoosh! He tapped a foot into the ground, and his body rose into the air as he flew toward the Myriad Spring Brothel. ... At the Celestial River Academy. All of the academy disciples got onto horse-drawn carriages one after the other. At the forefront of the group was a massive luxury carriage drawn by eight prized horses! The ones sitting in that carriage were not the principal nor the elders. Instead, they were the thirty disciples chosen to participate in the Celestial River County Youth Battle Tournament! All of them were considered to be powerful beings in the academy. For example, there was Sun Changyu of the Sun family and Wang Shaoping of the Wang family, both of whom were elite warriors of their respective major families, as well as renowned young prodigies below twenty years of age. ¡°Principal, we¡¯re missing someone!¡± ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°Qi Ying!¡± Chapter 78: Move Quick Think Fast

Chapter 78: Move Quick Think Fast

All of the disciples from the academy got onto the horse-drawn carriages, and were about to set off to watch the tournament. However, one of the thirty chosen participants, Qi Ying, wasn¡¯t present! Many of the disciples began to discuss among themselves. Some spected that Qi Ying had already fled for his life, as he was afraid of being ganged up on by members of the Duan family during the tournament. Others spected that Qi Ying had received some sort of threat, and didn¡¯t dare to participate. There were even some who thought that Qi Ying must have been assassinated already! Many rumors began to circte, but no one could ascertain if there was any truth to them. An elder turned to Gu Shiwei and asked, ¡°Principal, should we go and search for Qi Ying?¡± Gu Shiwei waved a hand and replied, ¡°No need. If he cane, then he¡¯lle. Let¡¯s wait for him for a while longer.¡± Clip clop clip clop! Rumble! The sound of horse-drawn carriages erupted in the distance. A long line of horses and carriages appeared on the streets. There were several dozens of powerful horses, upon which rode a group of gant young men and middle-aged men. At the forefront of the group was a heavily bearded man in ck robes and red cloak. He was none other than the leader of the Duan family, Duan Xi. The group he was leading consisted of those from his family that were participating in the Celestial River County Youth Battle Tournament! The line of horses stopped amid the sound of whinnies and clomping hooves. ¡°Principal Gu, why has the academy team still not set off?¡± Duan Xi sat upon his prized steed and asked, ¡°The tournament will officiallymence at noon!¡± Gu Shiwei replied, ¡°There is still a disciple who has yet to arrive, so we have to wait for a little while. Besides, there¡¯s still quite some time before noon.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Duan Xi raised an eyebrow, ¡°There¡¯s still a disciple who hasn¡¯t arrived? Which disciple could be so insolent?¡± ¡°You know him, Family Leader Duan. It¡¯s Qi Ying.¡± ¡°Him!¡± Duan Xi suddenly burst intoughter, ¡°Well then, hopefully he can make it on time, and not dy the academy for much longer. My Duan family will be heading off now.¡± Whinny! The Duan family¡¯s horses set off again. ... Duan Xi was quite ted to hear that Qi Ying hadn¡¯t shown up. That indicated that Xue Yuesha had most likely seeded in his assassination. In that case, it was quite strange that he still hadn¡¯t returned to ept his reward. Perhaps he encountered Yan Thirteen after assassinating Qi Ying, and was killed by the former? Of course, it was also possible that Qi Ying wasn¡¯t dead, but merely was too severely injured to participate in the tournament. Regardless, any of the above scenarios would be fantastic news to the Duan family. Mayor Gu Tai had already agreed to cooperate with them, so the Colosseum would be brought down in the next few days. It didn¡¯t matter if Qi Ying was alive or not, as his death was already sealed! The Celestial River County was still run by the major families! No one could shake their reign. The Duan family was going to crush everyone beneath their feet for generation after generation. They were going to afford no hope to those smaller and underprivileged families, so they would willingly be ruled over by and work for the Duan family. So what if there werews and rules? Those were all created by the upper ss to stamp their authority over the plebeians! ¡®Now then, it¡¯s time for my Duan family to put on a show at the tournament!¡¯ ... The Celestial River Academy disciples were bing more and more impatient. Within a short span of time, the Duan, An, Sun, and Wang family had all passed through, as well as a bunch of other smaller families, all of whom were heading for the hunting grounds outside the county. However, all of the disciples were waiting for Qi Ying, and they didn¡¯t even know if he would show up! ¡°Qi Ying won¡¯t be able to make it. Let¡¯s go already, elder!¡± Some of the disciples were beginning toin. Those who weren¡¯t participating in the tournament were basically tagging along to have some fun, and to broaden their horizons. Apparently, among the important people who hade from the capital city, there was an exquisite beauty, and two outstanding young princes. The disciples who did not get the chance to go to the Mist Willow Mountain Vi the day prior, were all hoping to see them as soon as possible at the tournament. Qi Ying must have fled the county already, so there was no way he could turn up! That was an opinion shared by many people. Wang Maziughed heartily and said, ¡°I know Qi Ying; he¡¯s a crafty guy! He may have taken on the Duan family in a direct confrontation, but he¡¯s actually not stupid at all. He¡¯s simply pissing the Duan family off, then running away at the first avable opportunity... He¡¯s just like a stray dog; he¡¯ll bark at you to pick a fight, but as soon as you pick up a rock, he¡¯ll turn around and run away... Tsk tsk...¡± Right at that moment. Clip clop clip clop! The sound of pounding horse hooves erupted in the distance once again. Everyone turned just in time to discover a galloping horse rounding the corner. On top of the horse sat a handsome young man. It was Qi Ying! Countless people turned to Wang Mazi, who was still running his mouth just a second ago. ¡°...¡± Wang Mazi¡¯s expression froze, before it was reced by an awkward smile. He then pretended as if he hadn¡¯t said anything, and began to whistle tunelessly. Whinny! Qi Ying stopped his horse right in front of the group of carriages. He then disembarked and joined his hands in a salute to the elders. ¡°My apologies for the dy, principal and elders!¡± ¡°Get on the carriage.¡± Gu Shiwei didn¡¯t say much, but he imparted upon Qi Ying some words of wisdom right as he was about to get onto the carriage. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if youete now, just make sure to move quick and think fast during the tournament.¡± ... Thus, everyone finally set off toward the outskirts of the county. The Celestial River County suddenly became a lot quieter than usual with the departure of so many people. Within a tall building, two figures looked on from afar at the group of carriages. Lu Feifei asked in a faint voice, ¡°You¡¯re not going to apany Qi Ying? Don¡¯t you want to see how he¡¯ll perform in the tournament?¡± Yan Thirteen shook his head and replied, ¡°There are more important things for me to do in the county.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll know when the timees... The three major families and Gu Tai have been yearning for my Colosseum for a long time!¡± Lu Feifei eximed, ¡°Are they really going to attack? So soon?¡± Yan Thirteen smiled. ¡°Of course. There is no better opportunity than the present one. All of their young elite warriors have left the county, so the most powerful beings from their three families can wreak havoc without any inhibitions.¡± ¡°What do we do then? The most powerful members of their three families are all at the Spirit Martial Stage; will you be able to take care of them?¡± ¡°Me? Definitely not. I¡¯m not powerful enough to take them on.¡± ¡°But why don¡¯t you seem nervous at all?¡± ¡°Why should I be nervous? It doesn¡¯t matter how many people they send as I¡¯ve got a very important figure on my side. They had better think carefully before they attack.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Lu Feifei nced at Yan Thirteen with curiosity in her eyes. Since when did that alcoholic learn to be so mysterious? Even though she had known Yan Thirteen for many years, she had never seen through him. Especially after meeting Qi Ying, Yan Thirteen¡¯s actions had be more and more peculiar. At times, his disposition didn¡¯t appear to belong to a man who had ruled over the Celestial River County¡¯s underworld for over a decade. Instead, why did he sometimes remind her of Lu Zuo and Lu You... As if he were a bodyguard of some sort? Chapter 79: Future Hopes of the Kingdom

Chapter 79: Future Hopes of the Kingdom

Outside the Celestial River County. A long line of armored warriors had gathered, and they were guarding an area that had been cordoned off by wooden and stone fencing. The entire area had a radius of roughly five kilometers, and it contained a small mountain, a decent-sizedke, t grasnds, and lush forests. After some simple renovations, the hunting grounds for the nobles of the Celestial River County, had since been transformed into the venue for the Celestial River County Youth Battle Tournament. There were tens of thousands of people gathered outside the venue. Anyone in the Celestial River County who was able and willing to go there had arrived at the hunting grounds. All of them were there to spectate the grand event that took ce less than once every two decades. The tournament was held as a means to scout for individuals with talent, butcked the social status to be a part of the kingdom¡¯s upper-ss poption. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that the kingdom was preparing for war, they would not have been willing to expend so much effort and resources to hold such a tournament. One inevitably had to work hard to seed, but at times, circumstances were more decisive in contributing to one¡¯s rise. Even so, the circumstances weren¡¯t entirely fair. For example, major families like the Duan and Wang families received ten spots each, while the Celestial River Academy¡ªwhich was stacked with talent¡ªonly received thirty spots, a portion of which was taken by the major families again. However, most people still supported that unfair system as there was no better way. At the very least, the current state of affairs gave prodigies from underprivileged families a chance, albeit a slim one. Otherwise, there would be no opportunities for them at all. Even though most of the tournament spots had been taken by members of major families, the tournament itself wasparatively fairer. As everyone gradually arrived at the hunting grounds, the Celestial River County armymander and the host for the tournament, Wei Jianshan, immediately began to gather all of the tournament participants. ¡°All participating disciples,e to the front of the pavilion to receive your identification badges!¡± ... Qi Ying arrived in front of the army pavilion, along with all of the other Celestial River Academy disciples. They lined up, and received their badges one by one from the army official. When it was almost Qi Ying¡¯s turn to receive his badge, the army official aimed a curious nce at him before turning to the soldier beside him. ¡°The Celestial River Academy is bing more and more useless. Even a Fifth Energy Martial Stage warrior can enter the tournament? They must have run out of prodigies, if they are using him just to make up the numbers!¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Everyone else from the Celestial River Academy also turned to appraise Qi Ying. However, their eyes were devoid of the disdain and mockery that could be seen on the army official¡¯s face. All of them had seen what Qi Ying was capable of. He may have only been at the Fifth Energy Martial Stage, but back when he had faced the Duan family, he was only at the Second Energy Martial Stage. Thinking back even further, he was only at the Seventh Strength Martial Stage a month ago! Progressing from the Seventh Strength Martial Stage to the Fifth Energy Martial Stage in a month? No one believed that an underprivileged disciple like him could advance so quickly. ¡°He must have hidden his true power, right? He¡¯s only beginning to slowly reveal it now... The Fifth Energy Martial Stage is definitely not his true cultivation base!¡± ¡°We have to be on our guard. Tell the people from the Sun family not to underestimate him!¡± ¡°Alright.¡± A few academy disciples discussed quietly among themselves. However, Qi Ying still managed to overhear their conversation. He epted his badge before strapping it to his right wrist, ignoring the army official as well as those disciples who clearly bore enmity toward him. Qi Ying had already predicted that they were going to gang upon on him. The world was a very cruel ce, and when one shone too brightly, they were inevitably going to draw envy and resentment from others. As such, it was always inevitable that he was going to be targeted. Even if his conflict with the Duan family had never arisen, all of the disciples from the major families would still flock together to bring down a prodigious underprivileged disciple like him. After receiving his badge, Qi Ying returned to his group and began to survey the other participants. There were a total of two hundred and sixty participants from all over the Celestial River County. There were thirty from the Celestial River Academy, forty from the four major families, and thirty from the other prominent families as well as the mayor¡¯s forces, amounting to a hundred in total. In addition to that, there were a hundred from the Celestial River County Army, and sixty from the other cities in the county, thereby ounting for the remaining hundred and sixty participants. Overall, the Celestial River Academy disciples were rtively weak. After all, in other ces, participants were chosen from warriors below twenty-five years of age, while the age limit was below twenty-one for the Celestial River Academy. Qi Ying¡¯s cultivation base at the Fifth Energy Martial Stage was well and truly at the bottom of the pack. At that moment, Commander Wei Jianshan began to yell again, ¡°The rules of the tournament will be announced by Master Qi Shun from the capital!¡± Everyone turned their attention toward the center of the venue. Qi Ying also cast his gaze over to the exceptional prince he had already once seen the night prior. He wore a green military uniform that perfectly entuated his youthful energy, and the sight of him drew screams from women of all ages. ¡°The Qi family of the capital city? Hmph, we both have Qi as a surname, but we sure are worlds apart!¡± Qi Ying pursed his lips. Some people were destined to possess many things as soon as they were born, and they had special rights unavable to the vast majority of the people in the world. If he wanted topete with them, he could only start from the very bottom and work his way to the top! Qi Shun stood calmly with his hands sped behind his back in the face of countless scorching gazes, and announced in a loud voice, ¡°Wee, all future hopes of the kingdom. The tournament today is not only a chance for you to win personal glory, but it is also very much rted to the future of the kingdom! ¡°The fact that all of you can stand here indicates that you are all elites among your peers. However, only prodigies among prodigies, and the elite of the elite can truly be pirs of the kingdom! I hope all of you can work hard tirelessly and reveal the most powerful side of yourselves in the tournament! If you seed, you will be the hope of the kingdom, and infinite glory will await you. Even if you fail, you must disy your courage and strength so you can attract the interest of other potential recruiters. ¡°I won¡¯t waste too much time with words. The rules for the tournament are very simple. All of you have unique badges tied to your right wrists. They cannot be ced into spatial rings, and the army officials can constantly keep track of your location through them. At the same time, your actions will be projected onto the venue by a projection spell formation that was set up in advance! Everyone present will be able to see what you¡¯re doing. ¡°What you have to do is very simple; get as many badges from others as you possibly can! We are now approaching noon, and the tournament will conclude at sunset. The ten people with the most badges will be epted into the Yun Xiao Academy, and be nurtured as the future hopes of the kingdom!¡± Chapter 80: Getting Picked on

Chapter 80: Getting Picked on

After that, Qi Shun delivered a long-winded speech, but the general gist of it could be summarized into a few key points. The time limit was half a day. The aim was to secure as many badges as possible during that time, and if you were among the top then disciples, you would be epted into the number one academy in the kingdom, the Yun Xiao Academy, to be developed as a young general. It didn¡¯t matter if your badge were taken; you could still steal other people¡¯s badges! If you had arge number of badges, then you had to be wary of other people forming teams to steal your badges! In other words, secure badges no matter the cost. Qi Ying¡¯s fists were tightly clenched, and he was raring to go. ... Within the crowd, Duan Xi stared intently at Qi Ying with furrowed brows. ¡°He¡¯s still alive!¡± Qi Ying was not dead, and he appeared to bepletely unscathed. Meanwhile, there was still no news from Xue Yuesha, so there were only three possibilities: number one, Xue Yuesha didn¡¯tplete the mission and fled into hiding again; number two, Xue Yuesha never attempted toplete the mission and simply ran away; number three, Xue Yuesha didn¡¯tplete the mission AND he was killed! The third possibility was the one most usible. But who could be capable of killing Xue Yuesha? Energy Martial Stage warriors definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to do so. As such, it was most likely the case that Yan Thirteen had already noticed Xue Yuesha¡¯s presence during the banquet. He must have then used Qi Ying as bait to lure Xue Yuesha into a trap before killing him! Duan Xi felt like he must not have been far from the truth, and he instantly red up with rage. The Duan family had paid a heavy price to locate Xue Yuesha and convince him to take on the job. He was initially thinking that even if Xue Yuesha failed his mission, he could join in on their efforts to bring down Yan Thirteen. After that, he would detain Xue Yuesha with the help of Gu Tai to recover the price the Duan family had paid. But Xue Yuesha was most likely dead! The deposit they had paid to him was gone! At that moment. Just then, a few people converged around him. They were Great Elder Duan Hongxue along with the leaders and great elders of the Sun and Wang families. Aside from that, there were also two Spirit Martial Stage powerful beings whom they had recruited from outside the Celestial River County. The leader of the Sun family said, ¡°The members of my family are about to enter the hunting grounds. After that, no one will be able to interfere with them, so that little brat, Qi Ying, is dead for sure. All we need to do now is to take care of Yan Thirteen. Family Leader Duan, when do you propose we strike?¡± Duan Xi¡¯s eyes narrowed, as a vicious expression appeared on his face. ¡°After the tournament, we¡¯ll proceed as nned and attack along with Gu Tai!¡± ¡®Hmph, Yan Thirteen! So what if you can kill Xue Yuesha? In the face of the three major families and Mayor Gu, your death is already sealed... This time, you won¡¯t be able to threaten us with the lives of our elite young warriors!¡¯ ... Time passed by slowly. The two hundred and sixty participants were dispersed, and led by different soldiers at random to one of the several hundred entrances leading into the hunting grounds. In order to make the tournament as fair as possible, they were trying to separate everyone to avoid members of the same family forming an invincible juggernaut. In that case, whichever family had the most participants would always end up with thergest number of badges, thereby defeating the purpose of the tournament. The area in which the tournament was being held was quiterge, and the terrain was veryplex. Those factors, in conjunction with the fact that everyone was taken to a different random entrance, made the conditions more favorable for more powerful warriors. Among the two hundred and sixty participants, the ones with the lowest cultivation bases were at the Fifth Energy Martial Stage. On the other end of the spectrum, there was apparently more than one Spirit Martial Stage participant! Qi Ying was a little uneasy and nervous, but also a little excited at the same time. He felt like there was a good chance that she was looking at him from somewhere. She would be really happy, since he was working so hard for her sake, right? He had to enter the Yun Xiao Academy... There would still be a massive gulf between them even then, but he would at least be one step closer to her! A figure was quickly approaching him. Qi Ying knew that a supervisor would being to check him for banned items, and to verify his identity to see if he actually was who he was supposed to be, as well as to ensure he wasn¡¯t over the age limit. However, the person who was making their way toward him wasn¡¯t the one he was expecting. Instead, it was the one he least wanted to see; it was Madam Butterfly! Whoosh! The arrogant Madam Butterfly appeared before Qi Ying, and she raised an eyebrow after sizing him up for several seconds. ¡°Fifth Energy Martial Stage? Piss off!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Qi Ying was in disbelief! Piss off? What was that supposed to mean? ¡°Supervisor... I¡¯m not quite sure what you mean.¡± Qi Ying gritted his teeth. Madam Butter pursed her lips and raised her eyebrow even higher. ¡°Heh, these small ces sure are unregted. They let a Fifth Energy Martial Stage warrior get a spot in the tournament? What a joke! Your badge will just be a free one for the taking anyway, so I might as well confiscate it to ensure there¡¯s bnce in the tournament!¡± ¡°...¡± Before Qi Ying had a chance to issue a rebuttal, the badge on his wrist was suddenly stripped away by a burst of power! ¡°Piss off!¡± Madam Butterfly repeated in a cold voice. Qi Ying didn¡¯t move. Was she chasing him away? If he left now, there would be no opportunities left for him! Traveling to Yun Xiao City would be extremely difficult, and it would be next to impossible for a nobody like him to get closer to Qin Susu... He couldn¡¯t give up! Qi Ying repressed his thunderous rage and leaned down to pick up his badge. ¡°I secured a spot with my own power.¡± ¡°I told you to piss off!¡± Madam Butterfly¡¯s voice was cold to the extreme. ¡°...¡± Qi Ying ignored her and continued to stand on the spot. Bam! All of a sudden, an invisible force rammed into Qi Ying¡¯s chest, sending him flying for several dozens of feet before crashing heavily to the ground. ¡°Piss off.¡± Madam Butterfly repeated again. The surrounding soldiers didn¡¯t dare to say anything. They knew that Madam Butterfly was not someone they could oppose. Qi Ying stood up and dusted himself off. He ignored Madam Butterfly and continued to walk toward the entrance. There was no way he was going to give up! He couldn¡¯t resist either, so he could only use his actions to show his determination. ¡°Hmph!¡± Madam Butterfly harrumphed coldly and sent a burst of that invisible power hurtling toward Qi Ying again. Qi Ying felt a gust of gale-force wind descending upon him. Bam! All of a sudden, that burst of energy was dispelled by something, and it only managed to ruffle Qi Ying¡¯s hair. ¡°Don¡¯t pick on him, auntie. It must have been quite difficult for him to secure a spot, so just let him participate in the tournament.¡± A voice suddenly sounded in the air. ¡°Eh?¡± Qi Shun looked up to discover that the person who was standing up for him was Qi Shun! Why was Qi Shun referring to Madam Butterfly as aunt? In any case, that didn¡¯t matter to him. All he wanted was to be able to participate in the tournament. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll let him off just this once.¡± Madam Butterfly nced at Qi Ying indifferently before rising into the air. Qi Ying patted his chest and heaved a sigh of relief. At the same time, he cast a grateful nce toward Qi Shun, to which thetter smiled and nodded in response. ¡®Even I¡¯m starting to like him...¡¯ Qi Ying thought to himself. As expected of a young master from a truly prestigious family. His demeanor and the way he treated people waspletely different from that of the so-called young masters in the Celestial River County. The expression on Madam Butterfly¡¯s face was reminiscent of how Duan Gucheng had once appraised him, and detested her greatly for it. It was as if she thought of herself as some high and mighty goddess, while everyone else was scum. At that moment. High up in the sky, Madam Butterfly didn¡¯t actually leave. Instead, she continued to stare intently down at Qi Ying. ¡°Is this the brat that Susu was looking atst night?¡± Her eyes then fell upon Qi Ying¡¯s left hand, and she mused to herself, ¡°Heh, there¡¯s no mistaking it. It may have changed slightly in appearance, but it¡¯s still Susu¡¯s silver glove. I gave that to her as a present back in the end... So that brat really is the kid from the Nameless Mountain... How annoying...¡± ...... The sun gradually rose to its highest point, and a voice finally rang out from the voice amplification spell formation, traveling to every corner of the venue. ¡°Let the tournament begin!¡± Chapter 81: The Hunt Begins

Chapter 81: The Hunt Begins

The sun gradually rose to its highest point, and a voice finally rang out from the voice amplification spell formation, traveling to every corner of the venue. ¡°Let the tournament begin!¡± Whoosh! All two hundred and sixty young warriors rushed into the entrance they had been assigned to. Qi Ying also transformed into a ck shadow, and entered the forest before him. The sooner he could get in, the more he would be able to seize the initiative! Upon entry to the hunting grounds, Qi Ying immediately focused his True Energy to the soles of his feet and sprang all the way up to the tip of a tall tree. His horizons were immediately broadened significantly. He could see everything in a radius of one or two kilometers, and even beyond that. From there, he caught sight of a bunch of disciples engaged in battle already, on a nearby patch of tnd. Just as he emerged at the top of the tree, a young man in a Celestial River County Army uniform beat down a young warrior from a smaller city, and took the badge off his wrist. ¡®There should be a few warriors in this forest...¡¯ Qi Ying thought to himself. At that moment. Boom! Bam! A burst of loud sounds erupted. Qi Ying turned to discover the residual smoke from res being set off, wafting through the air in the distance. That was a tactic employed by some families or powers to gather all of their allies in one location. They would have already chosen a core of one or two people in advance, and everyone else would have to fight for that core of select individuals. Thus, they would have an advantage in numbers, thereby making them morepetitive in the scramble for badges! That was perhaps unfair to those of lower socioeconomic status, but it could be argued that one¡¯s status was a part of their power. It was exactly due to those reasons, that some of the weaker rogue warriors had to team up in temporary alliances. Others would instead choose to fight alone as they were confident in their abilities, or had some alternative reason for doing so... In any case, one had no choice but to take initiative if they wanted to do well in the tournament! There was only a limited time afforded to all of the participants. Only about a minute had passed, and there were already over ten instances of badges being stolen. ¡®I have to make my move as well!¡¯ Qi Ying began to hop from tree to tree in search of a target. Everyone was his prey and he was taken back to his days as a hunter at the Nameless Mountain. Thus, the hunt began. ... Outside the hunting grounds. There were a few semi-transparent screens of light, each several hundred feet in size set up for the audience. It was the first time many people had experienced the miracle of a projection spell formation, and they were stunned beyond belief. Within the live view broadcasted on those screens, there were birds flying high in the sky, wild beasts foraging around for food, and warriors battling it out with one another. ¡°Look! The Duan family has already gathered a group of close to twenty people!¡± ¡°There¡¯s Duan Gucheng, the three Heavenly Monarchs, and that one is... Duan Lang! He¡¯s part of the county army, and is twenty-four years of age. His cultivation base is at the Ninth Energy Martial Stage, and he¡¯s already a deputy general!¡± ¡°The Sun family has also gathered many of their members. They¡¯re being led by Sun Changyu and Sun Zhixing!¡± ¡°Both of those young masters of the Sun family are at the Ninth Energy Martial Stage, and below twenty-one years of age. They should be able to secure spots for themselves in the top ten.¡± Everyone was transfixed by the scenes unfolding in the screens of light. They were astonished by the amazing projection spell formation, and filled with anticipation for the spectacr battles that they were surely about to witness. The duration of the tournament was six hours. Those six short hours were bound to be packed with thrilling action... There was definitely going to be bloodshed and deaths, as well as victors who would carve out a path for themselves amid the blood and bodies. The leaders of the Duan, Wang, and Sun families looked at one another with smiles on their faces. Duan Xi remarked in an indifferent voice, ¡°Let¡¯s leave the young people to take care of their own matters... It¡¯s time for us to take care of our own affairs!¡± ... Qi Ying soon found his first target. He was a young man who appeared to be the young master of a major family in one of the Celestial River County¡¯s smaller cities. He wielded a shiny golden sword, and was quickly traversing through the forest. ¡°Idiot.¡± Qi Ying scoffed. What gave him the courage to swagger out in the open like that, when he was on his own? He was like a rabbit strolling along grasnds filled with ferocious predators; it was only a matter of time before he was taken down. Qi Ying stood silently at the top of a tree, and continued to survey the situation. He was most likely not the only one who was interested in such an easy prey! The young man drew closer and closer to the tree Qi Ying was on, and he suddenly stopped as he raised his sword. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Qi Ying narrowed his eyes and remained silent. ¡°Phew...¡± The young man heaved a sigh of relief. That feeling of being watched was just excessive paranoia after all! He continued onward and quickened his pace. He had to make it out of the forest and onto the tnd, where he would be able to unite with some of his friends. They would then be able to form a team to secure badges together. All of a sudden. Whoosh whoosh! A nearby bush rustled, and two figures sprang out from within! One of them immediately unleashed a massive fist projection. Thump! The young man didn¡¯t get a chance to raise his sword before he was sent flying by that punch. Among the two people that had just emerged, one was quite portly, while the other was very thin. The fatso was the one who had just unleashed that punch, and his aplice immediately sprang into the air before aiming a vicious kick into the young man¡¯s stomach, sending him crashing to the ground. ¡°Ow!¡± Even though the young man was wearing a suit of soft armor, he still let loose a howl of agony as he gripped onto his stomach. ¡°Hand it over!¡± The thin assant chortled as he pulled the badge violently off his victim¡¯s wrist. At the same time, he took the young man¡¯s sword and thrust it toward his throat. ¡°Wait!¡± The fatso suddenly stopped him. ¡°What is it? Aren¡¯t we going to kill him?¡± The fatso shook his head and borated, ¡°If we kill him, we will be the most vulnerable targets here. If we let him live, other people will think that he still has his badge, and they would waste time by going after him!¡± The young man immediately chimed in, ¡°You¡¯re right! You¡¯re so wise! Please spare me!¡± ¡°Sure, we can spare you...¡± The skinny man chuckled, ¡°Is that a spatial ring on your left hand? Hand it over and we¡¯ll let you live!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The young man wore a pained expression on his face, but he still slipped off his ring and offered it to his assants. ¡°Piss off now!¡± The skinny man kicked his victim on the head, sending him sprawling onto the ground. The young man mbered to his feet and immediately fled for his life without so much as a single backward nce. The skinny man and the fatso looked at each other and smiled. They were ted to have secured a badge so quickly. There should be more stragglers around that would fall prey to their partnership. Who knows? Perhaps they could get lucky and secure a couple of spots for themselves! The two of them quickly departed and set off in the direction of the small mountain outside of the forest. Just as they were about to emerge from the forest, a gust of wind was suddenly swept up beside them! Chapter 82: Selfish Pursuit for One’s Future

Chapter 82: Selfish Pursuit for One¡¯s Future

The duo was very excited to have reached the outskirts of the forest, but before they even had a chance to react, both of them received heavy blows to the head, and their bodies were flung through the air as they fell unconscious. Bam! Qi Yingnded right beside them. ¡°Three badges? Not bad!¡± Qi Ying took the badges from them with a smile. Striking right when the prey was at their most rxed and careless state was the surest and most efficient course of action. However, a lot of time had already passed. If he wanted to secure more badges, he would then have to take more initiative rather than just hiding in the shadows. ¡°Most people appear to be on the ins.¡± Qi Ying mused to himself as he rushed through the grasnds, leaving the unconscious duo behind him. ... ¡°Is that Qi Ying?¡± Many people outside the hunting grounds began to catch sight of him on the light screens. Qi Ying was a renowned figure in the Celestial River County. Many people wanted to see if he would be able to survive thebined assault from the three major families. It seemed quite imusible, but perhaps he could make it into the top ten and enter Yun Xiao Academy as well? At the same time, a number surfaced on the screen. ¡°Four¡±. Everyone gave cries of surprise. ¡°Damn! He¡¯s already taken three badges!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t even see how he did that!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be able to see him in action soon. It looks like he¡¯s heading for the grasnds to steal more badges.¡± In the air above, there were a few flying supervisors on patrol. Qin Susu was flyingnguidly at an altitude close to a thousand feet, and her eyes had been fixed on Qi Ying the entire time. As such, she had witnessed everything that had happened. However, she managed to repress the urge to show herself even when Madam Butterfly was picking on him. She was well aware of how much resistance there would be between Qi Ying and herself. If anyone were to discover their secret rtionship, Qi Ying would be in severe strife. There was even a point in time not too long ago, when she wished that Qi Ying would live out a safe life as an ordinary man. She was prepared to seal away everything that had happened on the Nameless Mountain, as fond and wistful memories for her to reminisce about in theing years. However, she had been stunned by Qi Ying¡¯s performance just then. He had been just a normal person three months prior. So how had he suddenly be a Fifth Energy Martial Stage warrior? Furthermore, she could tell that his aura was quite stable and condensed, so he hadn¡¯t attained his cultivation base through reckless consumption of pills... If he really could stand out in the tournament and enter Yun Xiao Academy, there would be infinite possibilities opening up to him in the future. After all, disciples of Yun Xiao Academy were all elite young warriors of the kingdom. If he could make the cut, then countless prospects would be opened up for him! Qin Susu began to get carried away by her train of thought. ¡®Just what has Qi Ying experienced in these past three months?¡¯ At that moment. Whoosh! A figure suddenly flew toward her. Qin Susu stopped cold in her tracks. ¡°What is it, Young Master Yan?¡± The man who hade to see her was Yan Beigui. He was quite young, but he was already well known in the capital for being a man of many talents. He was a fine schr as well as a powerful warrior, and was a frequent guest to the imperial pce. Yan Beigui smiled and replied, ¡°I¡¯m on patrol and just happened to be passing through. I noticed that there seems to be something on your mind, so I came over for a chat.¡± Qin Susu knew that she must have seemed a little absentminded just then, so she exined, ¡°Thanks for your concern, but I¡¯m only feeling a little weary as I didn¡¯t sleep very wellst night. By the way, where is Uncle Nine? Why haven¡¯t I seen him around today?¡± She hurriedly changed the subject. Yan Beigui replied, ¡°He said he had something to do today, so he couldn¡¯te. Three supervisors are enough anyway; I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be able to hold down the fort.¡± ¡°Oh, let me go have a look over there...¡± Qin Susu didn¡¯t really want to speak with Yan Beigui, so she turned and flew away. Yan Beigui looked on at her departing figure with aplex expression on his face. ¡°I don¡¯t understand women!¡± ... Not only were there warriors scattered all over the hunting grounds, there were also beasts of various power levels. Some of them had always been native inhabitants, while others were ced there explicitly for the tournament. Furthermore, in order to throw more challenges at the participants, some of the beasts were trained to hunt down warriors with badges. Thus, there were also battles taking ce between warriors and beasts. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Bam bam! Amid a flurry of sword and saber projections, a Yellow Tier High-Rank Demonic Smoke Lion fell dead to the ground, andrge clouds of purple smoke billowed out from its body. ¡°Disperse!¡± A young man in a suit of silver armor yelled, and the twenty or so people around him immediately rushed away from the lion¡¯s carcass. The purple smoke wafted through the air, and all nts that came into contact with it instantly wilted away. The Demonic Smoke Lion wasn¡¯t all that powerful, but its poison was very dangerous, and could pose a significant threat to Energy Martial Stage warriors. ¡°Thank god for Young Master Duan Lang. Otherwise, we would¡¯ve had a lot more trouble dealing with that lion!¡± A member of the Duan family heaved a long sigh of relief. The young man d in silver armor was none other than Duan Lang, who was one of the most exceptional young talents of the Duan family in the past few years! After joining the county army, he continued to grow stronger, and had since developed into quite an important military figure. He was one of the strongest candidates fighting for a berth at the Yun Xiao Academy! Duan Lang remained expressionless and said, ¡°Keep attacking any warriors you encounter, those that are not part of the Duan family!¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Duan Gucheng interjected, ¡°Our main mission is to find and kill Qi Ying! We have to join forces with the Wang and Su families first!¡± Duan Lang nced at him with a cold expression. ¡°I call the shots here! All of the badges must belong to our Duan family! Qi Ying is just a pitiful underprivileged warrior. Only princesses like you would fall prey to someone like him. If I encounter him, I would be able to kill him in the blink of an eye... Our most powerful opponents are those two Spirit Martial Stage guys!¡± ¡°Killing Qi Ying is an order from our family leader!¡± Duan Gucheng retorted with narrowed eyes. ¡°That doesn¡¯t contradict with what I¡¯m doing!¡± Duan Lang turned away and rallied the troops, ¡°Everyone,e with me!¡± Whoosh! All of the Duan family members followed in his footsteps. ¡°B*stard!¡± Duan Gucheng stomped his foot into the ground. Not just the Duan family, but the Wang and An families who had initially nned to join forces, were also diverging from that course of action. That was due to the fact that all three families were led by their most powerful participants in the tournaments, and all of those members were also from the county army. Those who joined the army were constantly away from their families, and gradually, the importance of their family ties would begin to fade in their hearts. As such, they were not as inclined to follow the orders of their family leaders. Instead, what was important to them was their future! In contrast with taking care of some random brat, they would much rather fight for a glorious future for themselves. As for that Qi Ying... If he really was that powerful, then he would definitely plunder quite a few badges for himself. Thus, they could just hunt him downter on; in doing so, they would be killing two birds with one stone bypleting the mission assigned by their family leaders, while simultaneously securing more badges! The three major families were extremely formidable, and could crush anyone they encountered. There was no one who could stop them. ng! A silver light shed past. A Ninth Energy Martial Stage armor-d warrior had been surrounded by close to twenty people, and someone finally managed to slit his throat, upon which he fell dead to the ground. ¡°Hehe... That¡¯s what you get for opposing me in the army! All your badges are mine now!¡± Sun Zhixing of the Sun family wore a sinister smile on his face, as he picked up four badges from the dead body. ¡°Everyone, continue to hunt down warriors who appear to have badges on them! If they have badges, kill them and take their badges! If they don¡¯t, kill them anyway!¡± Chapter 83: The Hunter Becomes the Prey

Chapter 83: The Hunter Bes the Prey

To the people from the three major families, the only ones they had to be wary of on the hunting grounds were the two Spirit Martial Stage warriors. As for other people, they could just kill anyone they encountered, unless they had special identities. The less potential enemies around, the better! Many of the spectators stared at the images being broadcasted on the screens with furrowed brows. The friends and rtives of the young warriors who had perished were hurling torrents of abuse through gritted teeth. However, there was nothing they could do. There were no rules forbidding killing in the tournament, and even if they wanted to take vengeance, the major families would stop them from doing so. The only rtively quiet prominent power was the An family. They had very few participants in the tournament; less than half the number of the Duan family¡¯s, and all of them were hiding in the mountains. They yed it very safe by engaging in guerri warfare, slowly umting badges by ambushing stray warriors. Meanwhile, some of the county army soldiers had also grouped together, and were opposing the juggernauts formed by the three major families. Many of the participants wererades who could trust each other with their lives in battle. However, all of that friendship and camaraderie had be farts in the wind. There were only ten spots, and everyone else was either a helper or an enemy! ... There weren¡¯t many lone wolves like Qi Ying. He actually didn¡¯t want to recruit a group of people to help him collect badges, but he was only rted to the Celestial River Academy disciples, and unfortunately, most of them would rather kill him than help him! As such, he couldn¡¯t rely on anyone other than himself! Qi Ying advanced like a stealthy prowling beast on the grasnds. He only attacked lone warriors or groups of two, and he was usually able to take care of business in a short time. Peerless Staff Strike! Bam! He swept his staff through the air, sending his opponent flying into the distance. He was facing an Eighth Energy Martial Stage warrior from the county army, and he rushed over to him before grabbing his cor, pressing the de of his Ink Scale Dagger against his neck. ¡°Hand over the badges!¡± ¡°I... I don¡¯t have any! All of my badges were taken by the Wang family!¡± ¡°...¡± Qi Ying quickly searched him to find that he was telling the truth. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you f*cking say so earlier? Do you like getting bashed by me?¡± Qi Ying was furious. ¡°I, I wanted to take your badges...¡± The man replied with an indignant expression. ¡°...¡± Qi Ying left him behind to search for other prey. An hour had already passed! He only had five badges. Most of the people he encountered had already had their badges taken away from them. The three major families were like badge-harvesting steamrollers, and the rate at which they collected badges was simply astounding. Qi Ying turned his attention to that small mountain in the distance, which was only about one thousand to two thousand feet tall. There were very few warriors left on the grasnds. Most of them had traveled to that small mountain. The warriors who had secured badges chose to hide there, while those who wanted more badges went there to search for warriors who had badges. Whoosh! Qi Ying wasn¡¯t interested in scouring the grasnds any longer, and he immediately set off for that small mountain. Compared to the gargantuan Nameless Mountain that spanned a radius of several dozens of kilometers, and was tens of thousands of feet tall, that small mountain was downright tiny. However, there was certainly nock of beasts prowling there, and Qi Ying was immediately attacked by a few of them as soon as he arrived. ¡°Piss off!¡± Bam! Bam! Heshed out with his Dragon Tiger Demon-ying Staff and sent all of the beasts flying. Qi Ying went to one potential hiding spot after another, searching for warriors that he could take badges from. At the same time, he was on high alert in anticipation of surprise attacks. Whoosh! The sound of something whistling through the air shed past Qi Ying. Crack! A flying knife pinned itself to a tree. Immediately afterward, more of those flying knives began to appear. Qi Ying raised his Dragon Tiger Demon-ying Staff and spun it like a windmill, swatting aside all of the knives that were hurtling toward him. At that moment. Whoosh! A suddenly fell from the sky and ensnared Qi Ying! Dark Falcon Illusionary w! Qi Ying knew that he had walked into an ambush, and he immediately unleashed his battle technique. Purple w projections shed through the air, but were unable to slice through the, thereby indicating that it was a Yellow Tier Intermediate-Rank treasured tool! Bam! A puff of dust suddenly erupted. ¡°Haha!¡± A burst ofughter rang out. Immediately afterward, a man wielding a steel spear emerged from the dust and debris. Qi Ying focused his gaze to find that his assant had hidden himself underground, and had set up the trap in anticipation for warriors passing by! He appeared to be a county army soldier. They sure were resourceful. ¡°Hand over your badges!¡± The soldier turned his attention to Qi Ying¡¯s wrist and threatened, ¡°Otherwise, my spear will not show you mercy!¡± ¡°Heh.¡± Qi Ying narrowed his eyes and immediately stowed his Dragon Tiger Demon-ying Staff away. He then pulled out his Blood Drop Zhan Lu Sword from his spatial ring. True Energy was instantly injected into the sword! sh! Qi Ying could sense that arge amount of True Energy had been drawn from his body, but it was not in vain. The sword suddenly became extremely sharp-even without blood essence being dripped onto it¡ªand he was able to slice through the Yellow Intermediate-Rank. He then raised his sword, andshed out at the spear-wielding soldier. ng! Crack! The soldier¡¯s expression cooled as he raised his spear in retaliation. The silver spear and the red sword shed, sending sparks flying through the air. The two of them quickly exchanged several strikes. Qi Ying could sense that he was going to be a difficult opponent. He was very well-trained, and extremely well-versed in the way of the spear. Furthermore, his reactions were extremely fast, and he far stronger than the Tiger Heavenly Monarch, Liu Meng, that he had defeated. If he had to draw aparison, he then estimated that the soldier wasparable in power to Lu Zuo. It was exactly due to that observation, that led Qi Ying to believe that his opponent had to have many badges! It was a good opportunity for him, so he decided to fight! After a few experimental exchanges, Qi Ying took advantage of a brief lull in the battle to stow away his Blood Drop Zhan Lu Sword, in exchange for his Dragon Tiger Demon-ying Staff. Following a few more exchanges, he had gained a slight upper hand over his opponent. Flowing Shadow Strike! Qi Ying¡¯s body instantly split into five ck shadows. The five shadows were constantly changing formations in a very disorienting manner, before attacking the soldier from different directions. However, his opponent tightened his grip on his spear, and swept his spear horizontally,shing out at all five shadows at once! Thump! Four of the shadows were instantly destroyed before the spear shed with the Dragon Tiger Demon-ying Staff again. Thump! Thump! Thump! The soldier went on the offensive, thrusting out with his spear relentlessly toward Qi Ying¡¯s vital regions, cing him in a very perilous situation. He was trying to finish Qi Ying off as quickly as possible, as allowing the battle to drag on for too long could attract attention from others. All of a sudden. Bam! The soldier¡¯s spear was suddenly caught by something and refused to budge. His eyes widened in shock. Qi Ying had caught his spear with his bare hand! Bam! After locking the spear in a vice-like grip, Qi Ying swung his Dragon Tiger Demon-ying Staff viciously into his opponent¡¯s shoulder. The fearsome staff strike shattered his barrier of True Energy, and forced him to lose grip of his spear. Chapter 84: Being Hunted

Chapter 84: Being Hunted

Bam! His foot stomped heavily upon the soldier¡¯s stomach. Treasured armor could defend against sword strikes to a great extent! However, it wasn¡¯t very effective against blunt weapons and direct force. A pained expression appeared on the soldier¡¯s face, and he dropped his spear as he fell to his knees while gripping his stomach in pain. Qi Ying quickly picked up the ruined before kicking the spear away. He then tied the soldier up before searching him for badges. Soon, he found three badges in his robes, and an additional one in his boot. Four badges! He had nine badges in total following thattest haul. As expected, the more powerful a warrior was, the more badges they generally had. Qi Ying was quite ted as he stowed the badges away. All of a sudden, a sense of peril suddenly exploded like a thunderp in his mind. Qi Ying could sense an extremely vicious attack hurtling toward him. He didn¡¯t have time to evade, so he immediately injected his True Energy into his Golden Blood Armor, upon which a red defensive barrier appeared around his body. Crack! The defensive barrier was shattered. A golden finger projection crashed into Qi Ying¡¯s body! Bam! The barrier had only blunted the force of the finger projection slightly, before ramming into his body. An immense burst of power sent him flying for several dozens of feet. Qi Ying was only able to barely arrest his momentum, after driving his Dragon Tiger Demon-ying Staff into the ground with all his might. He had fallen prey to a sneak attack! Furthermore, the assant was extremely powerful; most likely a Spirit Martial Stage warrior! Whoosh! Qi Ying didn¡¯t even turn around to try and identify who his assant was. He immediately circted his True Energy to the soles of his feet, before frantically rushing deeper into the forest. He was still not powerful enough to face a Spirit Martial Stage opponent yet. As such, he had to run! Whoosh! Behind him, a well-built figure in a suit of chainmail armor appeared. He aimed his cold gaze directly at Qi Ying. ¡°That kid has nine badges!¡± He was just passing by and coincidentally caught Qi Ying in the act of putting away his badges, an action that abruptly stunned him. One would need to acquire about twenty badges to make it into the top ten among the two hundred and sixty disciples, thus winning them a spot to enter the Yun Xiao Academy. At that point in time, he had secured fifteen! If he could get nine more, then he would almost be guaranteed a spot in the top ten. However, it was simply too difficult to find people with badges. Those that were easy to find were allrge groupsprising of warriors from major families. He didn¡¯t want to fight the four major families yet. Even a Spirit Martial Stage warrior like him had to think twice before challenging so many opponents at once. However, that kid appeared to only be at the Fifth Energy Martial Stage, but he had nine badges! What a brilliant opportunity! Whoosh! The chainmail-d man immediately gave chase. He couldn¡¯t allow such delectable prey to get away! The audience outside the hunting grounds erupted into an uproar. ¡°Feng Hemu is chasing Qi Ying!¡± ¡°He¡¯s a Spirit Martial Stage warrior!¡± Many people knew that chainmail-d man. He was a prodigy who had graduated from the Celestial River Academy four years prior, and was one of the few Spirit Martial Stage warriors in the county. Even though he had yet to awaken his Battle Spirit, he was still far more powerful than Ninth Energy Martial Stage warriors. Within the crowd, An Ruyi immediately became anxious. She had her eyes fixed on Qi Ying the entire time, and for some reason, she was ted when he secured badges, but became extremely anxious when he was in danger. ¡°Qi Ying, please don¡¯t get hurt!¡± In the air above, Qin Susu¡¯s brows were also tightly furrowed. ¡°Susu, what are you looking at?¡± A cold voice sounded. An indifferent expression immediately appeared on Qin Susu¡¯s face. ¡°Nothing.¡± Nearby, aplex expression appeared on Madam Butterfly¡¯s face, as a hint of killing intent shed through her cold eyes. ... ¡®F*ck you!¡¯ Qi Ying fled for his life as he roared in his heart. He could sense that the Spirit Martial Stage warrior was pursuing him relentlessly, like a starving wolf who had caught sight of a fat rabbit. Dammit! There were only two Spirit Martial Stage warriors in the entire tournament! How unlucky did he have to be to bump into one? Logically speaking, two hours had already passed since themencement of the tournament, and everyone who required badges was gathering at the same small mountain. As such, the chances of encountering one of the two Spirit Martial Stage warriors weren¡¯t actually all that low. However, what was even more unlucky was that his pursuer definitely knew that he had many badges! That was the worst part! Qi Ying didn¡¯t want to relinquish his badges. Badges would be very difficult to obtain from that point onward, and just a single badge could prove to be the difference between whether he could go to the Yun Xiao Academy or not. Hence, he had to keep them! Fortunately, the mountain was almost entirely covered in dense forestry. Qi Ying traversed through the forest, and unleashed his Flowing Shadow Strike from time to time as a means to throw off his pursuer. The densely packed trees acted as a constant impediment to Feng Hemu. Slowly, he was beginning to lose patience. ¡°He¡¯s as fast as a rabbit!¡± Whoosh! Feng Hemu glided through the air and unleashed a golden Spiritual Energy de. Boom! Boom! One tree was felled after another, triggering a string of resounding booms in the forest. Many of the warriors in the forest were startled by themotion. ¡°Is that... Feng Hemu?¡± ¡°He seems to be chasing someone!¡± ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s... Qi Ying?!¡± The nearby warriors were all stunned by the scenes unfolding before their eyes. The most powerful participant in the tournament, Feng Hemu, was pursuing the most renowned young warrior in the Celestial River County, Qi Ying! ¡®Could it be... that Qi Ying had a lot of badges?¡¯ Many people began to specte. However, no one dared to intervene. Both Qi Ying and Feng Hemu were not to be messed with! Of course, there were also warriors from the Duan, Wang, and Sun families who had noticed Qi Ying¡¯s situation. ¡°Report to the young master! Tell him Feng Hemu is pursuing Qi Ying!¡± ¡°Young Master Changyu, Qi Ying is suspected to be carrying many badges, and is being chased by Feng Hemu!¡± ¡°Young Master Wang...¡± Soon, the news was heard by the leaders of all of the major families. ¡°Chase him down!¡± All of them issued the samemand! Other people wouldn¡¯t dare to mess with Feng Hemu, but they certainly would! Qi Ying was someone that they had to kill anyway. If he just so happened to have arge number of badges on him, then those couldn¡¯t be allowed to fall into someone else¡¯s hands! Even though each of the three major families already had several dozens of badges, thereby guaranteeing at least one person¡¯s entry into the Yun Xiao Academy, there was no such thing as having too many badges! ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Everyone, chase down Qi Ying!¡± Whoosh! Almost all of the warriors on the entire mountain began to converge toward Qi Ying. ... Qi Ying swallowed an Energy st Pill to quickly recover his True Energy, while injecting his True Energy into his Feather Tread Boots. In doing so, he was able to further elerate in his frantic escape from Feng Hemu. He couldn¡¯t even use the same method to kill him as he did with Xue Yuesha! Even if he could immobilize a Spirit Martial Stage warrior, everyone else was already onto him, so he wouldn¡¯t even have time to absorb energy. Chapter 85: Plunder

Chapter 85: Plunder

Bam bam! The trees behind Qi Ying were being felled relentlessly, and he gritted his teeth as he fled through the forest. His True Energy flowed like floodwaters through a broken dam, resulting in an extremely high rate of expenditure. ¡®F*ck, I¡¯m burning money here!¡¯ Unleashing his movement techniques, while simultaneously using his Feather Tread Boots and Golden Blood Armor, his True Energy was being sapped at a ridiculous rate. In order to maintain the cirction of his True Energy, he had no choice but to prepare a vial of Energy st Pills in advance. Once his energy was depleted to a certain extent, he would have to take one of those pills, each of which was worth tens of thousands of crystals. A trail of destruction was left in his wake. Feng Hemu could see what he was doing quite clearly. ¡®Who the hell is this kid? He¡¯s eating Energy st Pill as if they were lollies!¡¯ Feng Hemu waspletely stunned. He had always been with the army, so he didn¡¯t know who Qi Ying was. However, he knew how valuable Energy st Pills were. If he had had a vial of Energy st Pills a few years back, he would have been able to progress to the Ninth Energy Martial Stage in less than a month. Instead, his inability to afford such expensive pills had hampered his progression quite significantly in the past. ¡®How is this kid so rich?!¡¯ Feng Hemu was starting to get very annoyed by the obstruction the terrain posed to him. He was a Spirit Martial Stage warrior; how could he have so much difficulty chasing down an Energy Martial Stage warrior? There were so many bystanders witnessing his embarrassment too! ¡°Listen up, kid!¡± Feng Hemu¡¯s suddenly yelled, ¡°Stop and hand over your badges, and I won¡¯t hurt you. Otherwise, don¡¯t me me for what I¡¯m about to do!¡± The high-speed chase was sapping his Spiritual Energy quite quickly as well. As such, he wanted to put an end to that farce as soon as possible to prevent excessive exhaustion. However, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to give up either. Qi Ying was not stopping for anyone! He still had several vials of Energy st Pills in his spatial ring! Inparison, those nine badges were far more valuable, and relinquishing them would essentially be the equivalent of giving up on the tournament. ¡®Do you expect me to challenge one of the major families by myself, and steal their badges? What a joke!¡¯ Whoosh! Whoosh! He unleashed his Flowing Shadow Strike again, and he shot through the forest like a lithe and powerful beast. At that moment, he noticed that Feng Hemu was not the only one pursuing him. More and more people were beginning to join in on the chase, and he discovered that they were all members of the Duan, Wang, and Sun families. Thus, there were over a hundred warriors hunting him down, making his situation a lot more perilous. Qi Ying ran like the wind, and he poured forth his True Energy into his movement techniques and his Feather Tread Boots. In terms of absolute speed, he was not much slower than a Spirit Martial Stage warrior. Furthermore, he could take advantage of the terrain to take constant evasive measures, thereby slowing down his pursuers. However, as more and more people began to converge toward him, Qi Ying discovered that he was slowly being surrounded! He ran toward the summit of the mountain. He didn¡¯t try to flee down the mountain as he would be a sitting duck on t ground. He had to reach the summit first, then devise a course of action thereafter! Whoosh! Qi Ying traveled in an unpredictable zigzag trajectory, but at the same time, he was getting closer and closer to the mountain summit. Many people soon discovered that trend. ¡°Young master, Qi Ying seems to be heading for the summit!¡± ¡°Why would he go there? He would just be cornering himself!¡± ¡°But that¡¯s where he¡¯s going...¡± ¡°Hmph... Surround him!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Whoosh! Arge horde of warriors from the three major families converged toward Qi Ying from different directions, while also heading for the mountain peak. They had to kill Qi Ying! In order to provide an incentive, the family leaders had promisedvish rewards for the one who ended up killing Qi Ying. To most of the participants from the major families, they were actually solely in the tournament to help their young masters secure more badges. However, if they were to kill Qi Ying, then they would receive a substantial reward! Everyone was chasing after Qi Ying; if someone wanted to kill him, they would have to get to the front of the pack! Thus, all of them began jostling for the lead in pursuit of Qi Ying, as they frantically rushed toward the mountain peak. ... ¡°Holy sh*t, they¡¯re all chasing Qi Ying!¡± ¡°What has he done to them?¡± ¡°He¡¯s about to get surrounded!¡± Cries of surprise erupted outside the hunting grounds. Everyone heldplex feelings upon seeing that, especially Principal Gu Shiwei and the elders of the Celestial River Academy. In all honesty, Qi Ying hadn¡¯t done anything over the line. He had always cultivated diligently at the academy, and the only real transgression he had made was that he often ditched sses. However, he alwayspleted many academy missions to a high standard, and he was an unprecedented prodigious disciple. But he had to go and irk the Duan family! The scope of his enemies had since expanded to epass three of the major families! Fame was a double-edged sword. Life was a difficult bnce, as constantly keeping a low profile would get one nowhere, but ruing fame and renown could prove to be one¡¯s downfall. An Ruyi¡¯s fists were tightly clenched as she bit down her lower lip. For some reason, her heart was throbbing with agony at the sight of Qi Ying being chased down by such arge group of people. An Jiahe patted her on the shoulder and sighed, ¡°One man cannot fight against the masses... Sigh...¡± ... The five supervisors flying over the hunting grounds had also noticed that situation. Yan Beigui wore an intrigued smile on his face as he said, ¡°How interesting. So many people are chasing a Fifth Energy Martial Stage kid, but they can¡¯t catch him! He seems to possess exceptional aptitude,parable to some of the prodigies in the capital.¡± Qi Shun flew over and chimed in, ¡°He seems to be a little younger than us. In a ce like this, he really could be considered to be quite outstanding. Should we consider giving him some special rights?¡± ¡°No!¡± Qi Kaiyang immediately turned down that notion in a cold voice, ¡°The rules have already been established, and even supervisors like us cannot interfere with the tournament. If that kid can¡¯t even ovee these slight hardships, then we do not need to afford him special protection either.¡± Qin Susu stood high in the sky and looked on with a disconste expression. ¡®I should believe in him.¡¯ ... Qi Ying finally stopped. That wasn¡¯t because he had shaken off his pursuers, and nor was it because he had run out of energy. Instead, it was because he had nowhere left to run! A gust of wind blew past, sending a chill running down Qi Ying¡¯s spine. He was close to the mountain summit, and there were over a hundred warriors surrounding him. All of them were at the Seventh Energy Martial Stage or above, and a third of them had reached the Ninth Energy Martial Stage. There were also familiar faces among them, including the likes of Duan Gucheng and Liu Meng. Whoosh! Feng Hemu also stopped. A peculiar scene unfolded. The three major families, and the Spirit Martial Stage Feng Hemu were all hunting Qi Ying down. Everyone looked at one another. All of them wanted Qi Ying¡¯s badges. Furthermore, everyone also wanted to take Qi Ying¡¯s life, with the exception of Feng Hemu. At that moment. A few figures emerged from the groupsprising the three major families. One of them was Duan Lang, and he looked up at Feng Hemu with narrowed eyes. ¡°Commander Feng, are you trying to steal our prey?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Feng Hemu¡¯s brows furrowed. He recognized a few of the people down below, so he could tell that they were all from the three major families. It appeared that they had teamed up... He didn¡¯t want to give up on Qi Ying¡¯s nine badges; they were his ticket to a bright future! Thus, he made up his mind. So what if he had to oppose the three major families? Once he awakened his Battle Spirit, he wouldn¡¯t have to fear any of their family leaders or elders! Furthermore, if he were to be a student of the Yun Xiao Academy, there would be no need for him to fear any of them! ¡°Hehe!¡± Feng Hemu chuckled as he turned to Duan Lang, ¡°So what if I¡¯m trying to steal your prey?¡± Chapter 86: Bullsh*t

Chapter 86: Bullsh*t

Feng Hemu¡¯s words irked both Duan Lang and Qi Ying. ¡®What am I to you? A f*cking rabbit?¡¯ Gusts of cold wind blew past, sweeping up Qi Ying¡¯s hair. Crack! He brought out his Dragon Tiger Demon-ying Staff, and gripped it tightly in his hands. He knew that she was looking down at him from above. He couldn¡¯t disappoint her! Qi Ying scanned his cold gaze around at the hundred or so warriors surrounding him, then up at Duan Lang and Feng Hemu, who were locked in a confrontation in mid-air. So what if they had more people with higher cultivation bases? It wasn¡¯t like he hadn¡¯t killed more powerful enemies in the past! Feng Hemu red at Duan Lang, hoping to force him to concede, thereby leaving the nine badges to him. What were nine badges to them anyway? The Duan family had to have several dozens of badges already, which was most likely enough for two of their members to secure spots in the top ten. But to Feng Hemu, those nine badges were extremely important! Just as Feng Hemu was about to intimidate Duan Lang with a disy of power, amotion suddenly erupted down below! Whoosh! A ck shadow dove into the crowd at an extremely fast speed. Feng Hemu¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°What?¡± ¡°What?¡± Everyone on the mountain¡¯s summit was also bbergasted. Outside the hunting ground, the spectators¡¯ mouths gaped open as they stared at the screens before them. In the air above, the five supervisors were momentarily stunned. Qi Ying wasunching an attack against a group of warriors that vastly outnumbered him! Wasn¡¯t that suicidal?! ... However, Qi Ying didn¡¯t think that. Instead, his thought process was that taking on a bunch of warriors at once, was at least easier than taking on a Spirit Martial Stage warrior. Perhaps he would be able to take an important figure hostage, and get himself out of the sticky situation he was in. Whoosh! Qi Ying transformed into a ck shadow and pierced into the crowd. ¡°Attack!¡± ¡°Get him!¡± A bunch of warriors roared as they gathered around Qi Ying. Sword projections, saber projections, spear projections... All types of battle techniques fell upon him in a torrential downpour. Qi Ying spun his Dragon Tiger Demon-ying Staff like a windmill, creating a makeshift shield that kept all of the oing attacks at bay. His Golden Blood Armor was alsopletely activated, creating a red defensive barrier around him, providing an additionalyer of protection. At the same time, he also unleashed his movement techniques to their maximum, thereby allowing him to traverse through the throngs of people like an agile fish through water. Boom! Bam bam! Explosions of True Energy erupted. Qi Ying sent a few warriors flying before diving into another group of people! Bam bam bam! A few more collisions ensued. Ironically, a mass brawl was quite favorable for Qi Ying! Regardless of what happened, only a maximum of four or five people could attack him at once. If the rest of warriors wanted to attack, they would only be hitting their allies. Furthermore, with such arge crowd gathered, everyone was getting in one another¡¯s way. None of them were able to unleash their movement techniques, and their speed was also greatly hampered. In contrast, Qi Ying was able to perform to the best of his abilities, unleashing his speed and power to his heart¡¯s content. The advantages of a staff became quite apparent in such a chaotic battle. He swung his staff like an insane warrior, sweeping aside all of the surrounding assants, regardless of how many there were. ¡°Haha!¡± Qi Ying became more and more excited as the battle wore on, and he couldn¡¯t help but burst intoughter. What a satisfying feeling! His rage had been building the entire time as he was being hunted down, and it was finally time for him to retaliate! None of the Seventh or Ninth Energy Martial Stage warriors could handle Qi Ying¡¯s ferocious attacks. He was simply too strong, and even a ncing blow from his staff could result in broken bones. As such, they couldn¡¯t rush at him by force, and nor could they adopt any strategy to outwit him... No one could find a way to bring him down. Just as Qi Ying was having the time of his life. Whoosh! A massive shockwave suddenly erupted. Bam! All of the enemies around Qi Ying were flung into the distance. Qi Ying was also sent flying, but he managed to arrest his momentum by driving his staff in the ground. At that moment. ¡°Die!¡± Feng Hemu flew over and aimed a devastating punch at him. He couldn¡¯t stand idly any longer. He couldn¡¯t allow anyone else to take his prey! He had been oppressed for so many years. At the academy, he was bullied by Duan Jinhong, and after joining the army, he was constantly being pushed around by Duan Lang. Even a bunch of trash like Duan Gucheng and Sun Changyu were trying to steal his prey! He had to act! ¡®He¡¯s mine and no one can steal him from me!¡¯ Feng Hemu had been building up fury and frustration toward the three major families for many years, and he was going to vent those negative emotions on Qi Ying. ¡®I¡¯m taking your badges and your life!¡¯ Whoosh! Ayer of golden Spiritual Energy enveloped Feng Hemu¡¯s fist, which hurtled directly toward Qi Ying¡¯s face. Dark Tier Low-Rank battle technique, Diamond Shattering Fist! Qi Ying had only just raised his head when discovered a golden fist crashing toward him like a shooting star. The attack was so fearsome, that it was almostparable in power to an attack from Duan Hongxue¡¯s ck Tiger Battle Spirit. Furthermore, there was no way for him to evade! Qi Ying immediately raised his left hand and retaliated with a punch of his own. At the same time, he frantically injected a vast amount of True Energy into his left shoulder, while another wisp of True Energy extracted a drop of blood from the Blood Moon in his dantian! Whoosh! The sma from the Blood Moon fused into his body, making him feel as if he were on fire. His power was instantly elevated to an extremely fearsome level! Boom! Qi Ying¡¯s left fist shed violently with Feng Hemu¡¯s right. Enormous power swept forth in the form of shockwaves. Qi Ying felt as if a shooting star really had crashed into his fist, and his entire body was involuntarily forced back, even as the Dragon Tiger Demon-ying Staff in his right hand carved a deep line into the ground. ¡°Argh!¡± Feng Hemu suddenly let loose a cry of pain as he rushed back in retreat. He looked at his right hand and drew a sharp breath. His right hand was stained with blood, and the Yellow Tier High-Rank fingerless metal glove he was wearing had been shattered! The metal shards from the glove had pierced into his right hand, sending waves of pain running through his arm. Whoosh! Everyone was astonished by that turn of events. What the hell? A First Spirit Martial Stage warrior traded a punch with a Fifth Energy Martial Stage warrior, and the former was wounded while thetter was only forced back a little? Gasp... Duan Lang, Sun Changyu, Duan Gucheng, and the others were well and truly stunned. ¡®Just how powerful was Qi Ying?¡¯ ¡®Fifth Energy Martial Stage?¡¯ ¡®Bullsh*t!¡¯ Meanwhile, Qi Ying wasn¡¯t feeling great either. His blood and energy were churning in his body, and his left arm was throbbing with pain. Thankfully, he had be a lot more powerful since his sh with Duan Hongxue. Furthermore, the Golden Blood Armor¡¯s defensive and buffering effects ensured that no bones were broken. Thus, he waspletely fine aside from a bit of overexertion. Additionally, a fantastic opportunity had arisen! Just as everyone was caught in a stunned stupor, Qi Ying activated his Feather Tread Boots and unleashed his Flowing Shadow Strike, as he shot forth like lightning toward Duan Gucheng, who was several dozens of feet away. His staff then swept through the air with unstoppable force, striking Duan Gucheng in the knee. Chapter 87: A Walking Hunk of Delectable Meat

Chapter 87: A Walking Hunk of Delectable Meat

Qi Ying had rushed through the crowd of warriors in the blink of an eye, and swung his staff into the defenseless Duan Gucheng¡¯s knee. Thetter half-knelt on the ground while howling in pain, and a cold hand mped itself around his neck. ¡°Everyone, get back or I¡¯ll crush his neck!¡± Qi Ying roared viciously. He panted heavily as he held his Dragon Tiger Demon-ying Staff, and Duan Gucheng¡¯s neck in the other. His cold eyes scanned across the throngs of warriors, as if he were daring them to advance further. ¡°Young master!¡± ¡°Young Master Gucheng!¡± The Duan family warriors¡¯ hearts jolted with shock. At the same time, all of them were struck by a sense of deja vu. ¡®Hadn¡¯t Duan Gucheng been taken hostage by Qi Ying just a few days ago?¡¯ ¡®Why was history repeating itself so soon?¡¯ ¡°How dare you!¡± Duan Lang roared, ¡°Release him at once!¡± However, Qi Ying only tightened his grip around Duan Gucheng¡¯s neck upon hearing that. He rammed his Dragon Tiger Demon-ying Staff into the ground beside him, and chuckled coldly, ¡°Hehe, all of you piss off! Get over a hundred feet away from me! I¡¯m going to die anyway, so I wouldn¡¯t mind taking him down with me!¡± ¡°...¡± The Duan family warriors all retreated as instructed. The person being held hostage was Young Master Duan Gucheng! If he were to die, all of them would undoubtedly be punished too. Qi Ying really did dare to kill; that much was apparent from thest altercation the Duan family had had with him! The warriors from the Sun and Wang families nced at one another, before also pulling back a little. Meanwhile, Feng Hemu continued to assess the situation from the air above. Duan Gucheng had been abducted, and it was time for the Duan family to respond. Whoosh! A cold gust of wind blew over the mountain summit. Everyone kept their distance from Qi Ying. However, Duan Lang¡¯s eyes slowly narrowed as a thought urred to him. Duan Gucheng was a young master of lineal descent, but his cultivation potential had been damaged, making it almost impossible for him to reach the Spirit Martial Stage in the future. As such, Duan Lang had be the brightest young prospect in the Duan family! As for Duan Gucheng... He was just a washed-up has-been. Duan Lang was a b*stard son of Duan Xi¡¯s, and he had always detested those young masters of direct lineal descent. As such, wasn¡¯t the current situation an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone? ng! Duan Lang drew his sword. ¡°Kill Qi Ying!¡± Duan Lang stepped forward and approached Qi Ying. ¡°Get back!¡± Qi Ying roared with his hand mped around Duan Gucheng¡¯s neck. ¡°Waah... Waah...¡± Duan Gucheng was barely able to breathe, and he could only turn to Duan Lang with a beseeching expression, as if to say: ¡®please don¡¯te any closer! If you do, Qi Ying really will kill me!¡¯ ¡°Young Master Lang!¡± The Duan family warriors faltered upon hearing thatmand, and the three Heavenly Monarchs immediately tried to stop him. ¡°Warriors of the Duan family, follow me and we will kill Qi Ying together!¡± Duan Lang¡¯s voice was filled with indisputable authority. ¡°...¡± The Duan family warriors suddenly understood what was going on. Duan Lang wanted Duan Gucheng dead! Not only did he want to kill Qi Ying, he also wanted to eliminate his biggestpetitor in the Duan family, Duan Gucheng. ¡°Yes!¡± The warriors who were most loyal to Duan Lang immediately stepped forward. ¡°Get him!¡± A few more warriors followed in Duan Lang¡¯s footsteps and approached Qi Ying. It was time to pick a side. Were they going to remain loyal to Duan Gucheng, who essentially had no future ahead of him, or to the brightest prospect of the Duan family, Duan Lang? Many people immediately made their decisions. Whoosh whoosh! Over half of them joined Duan Lang and closed in on Qi Ying from all directions. True Energy began to revolve around their bodies, and all of them were preparing to strike down the desperate Qi Ying. ¡°...¡± Qi Ying narrowed his eyes at the sight of the advancing Duan family warriors. They were just going to sacrifice their young master? How cruel. Following that turn of events, he was once again in a very perilous situation. Even though he possessed powerfulbat prowess, there were simply too many opponents to deal with. He could take down a few people or even a few dozens of people in one go, but a time when he ran out of True Energy would inevitablye. Furthermore, he was not just facing the Duan family. His enemies included the Sun and Wang families, as well as a Spirit Martial Stage warrior! Everyone stared intently at him, waiting for him to show even the slightest sign of weakness. All of them wanted to take his life. Qi Ying took a deep breath. ¡®F*ck this game! I ain¡¯t ying anymore!¡¯ Whoosh! Qi Ying swung his left arm violently upward, and Duan Gucheng was tossed high into the sky like a sack of potatoes. ¡°Young master!¡± ¡°Young master!¡± The three Heavenly Monarchs hurriedly rushed forward to catch him. ¡°Kill him!¡± Duan Lang¡¯s group instantly began their assault. Whoosh! Bam bam! All types of battle techniques shot forth toward Qi Ying. ¡°Piss off!¡± Qi Ying let loose an explosive roar as he shot forth like an arrow. At the same time, the five energy vortexes in his dantian began to rotate at the fastest rate they were capable of, and True Energy flowed like a river through his meridians. Ayer of green light emerged from his Feather Tread Boots, and a red defensive barrier appeared over his Golden Blood Armor, while brilliant golden light burst forth from his Dragon Tiger Demon-ying Staff. Bam bam bam! The oing battle techniques were all shattered by his staff. He swung his golden staff wildly through the air, and the warriors around him were all sent flying! Whoosh! Qi Ying rushed directly toward Duan Lang, upon which thetter thrust his sword toward Qi Ying¡¯s throat. All of a sudden, Qi Ying¡¯s body transformed into five ck shadows. Bam! Duan Lang¡¯s sword struck one of the shadows, instantly reducing it to a puff of ck smoke. His pupils contracted upon seeing that. ¡°An afterimage?!¡± ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°Argh!¡± Two cries of pain suddenly erupted. Two of the three Heavenly Monarchs that had gone to catch Duan Gucheng were suddenly struck, and fell to the ground. Only the Tiger Heavenly Monarch, Liu Meng, managed to catch Duan Gucheng by his robes. All of a sudden. ¡°Piss off!¡± Qi Ying had just sprung into the air, when heshed out with his left hand. Purple w projections instantly tore through Duan Gucheng¡¯s clothes. He thrust his Dragon Tiger Demon-ying Staff forward, and Duan Gucheng was hung from his staff by his belt. Qi Ying then grabbed onto Duan Gucheng¡¯s neck again, and shed past Liu Meng. As soon as hended, True Energy erupted from the soles of his feet, and he dashed away again. It was time to run! Whoosh! Qi Ying carried Duan Gucheng with him, and he rushed down the mountain like a speedy gazelle. ¡°Get him!¡± The Duan family warriors erupted into thunderous rage as they gave chase. ¡°Follow them!¡± Sun Zhixing and Sun Changyu also led the Sun family warriors in hot pursuit. They were followed by the Wang family warriors and Feng Hemu. Qi Ying had many badges on him; that was for sure. More importantly, Duan Gucheng had to have a ton of badges on him as well! As the most important young member of the Duan family, he most definitely had enough badges to guarantee a spot in the top ten. Hence, Qi Ying was essentially a walking hunk of delectable meat that had attracted a pack of wolves! Chapter 88: Keep Dreaming

Chapter 88: Keep Dreaming

Huff, huff... Qi Ying rushed frantically through the forest, unleashing his Flowing Shadow Strike from time to time as a means to confuse his pursuers. The rate at which he was expending True Energy was very fearsome, but he wasn¡¯t concerned. He was carrying a portable energy bank with him! Even though it was a little inconvenient to carry Duan Gucheng around, Qi Ying could draw energy from his body whenever it was required! After replenishing himself to a certain extent, he would let go of his hostage¡¯s neck and save him forter. Thump! Boom boom! Therge hordes of people were still giving chase relentlessly. Qi Ying was extremely fast, but with Duan Gucheng weighing him down, he was unable to shake off all of his pursuers. He could only trust in his instincts and travel toward denser forestry. After a short while, a small clearing suddenly appeared up ahead. Whoosh! Qi Ying suddenly came to an abrupt halt as his feet dug into the ground to arrest his momentum. The path had concluded! He had arrived at the edge of the cliff, and it was as if some omnipotent being had sliced a vertical rock face into the side of the mountain. There was a distance of close to a thousand feet before reaching the ground below, and a fall from such great heights would most definitely spell death for an Energy Martial Stage warrior. Whoosh whoosh whoosh! Dozens of warriors emerged from the forest. The first one to arrive on the scene was Feng Hemu, followed closely by Duan Lang, the three Heavenly Monarchs, Sun Changyu, Sun Zhixing, and everyone else. Not only were there warriors from the three major families present, there were also a few other warriors who wanted to see if they could snag a few badges amid the chaos. Qi Ying turned to the masses of warriors behind him with a cold expression. Duan Gucheng was only hanging on to life by a hair¡¯s breadth, and only a few wisps of True Energy remained in his body. ¡°You have nowhere to run!¡± Duan Lang approached him with sword in hand. Whoosh! Feng Hemu suddenly rose into the air and forced Duan Lang flying with a palm projection. ¡°He¡¯s my prey!¡± Whoosh! ng! A series of swords and sabers were drawn, and the atmosphere became extremely tense. ¡°Hehe.¡± A burst ofughter suddenly rang out. Everyone turned toward the source of that voice with furrowed brows. Qi Ying? He was about to die, so what was heughing about? It was indeed true that none of the Energy Martial Stage warriors present could match him in a one-on-one battle, but there was no way he could take on everyone at once! The path had cut off into a sheer cliff face, so he had been well and truly forced into a corner! Everyone had already turned on Duan Gucheng, so he wasn¡¯t even an effective hostage anymore. Carrying him would only make Qi Ying a more sought-after target to everyone. In such a desperate situation, what could he possibly beughing about? At that moment, Feng Hemu turned to Qi Ying and offered, ¡°Give me all of your badges along with Duan Gucheng¡¯s, and I can help you fight these people!¡± The warriors from the three major families stirred upon hearing that. Qi Ying was already extremely troublesome to deal with; how would anyone be able to bring him down if he were to join forces with Feng Hemu? Thetter was only one person, but he was a Spirit Martial Stage warrior. He could fly, and he possessed Spiritual Energy, which was far more powerful than True Energy... If he wanted to escape, no one in the entire hunting grounds could stop him. Feng Hemu¡¯s arm suddenly shot forth, and a ball of golden light erupted! Bam! The golden light exploded near a few Sun family warriors, flinging them into the air. Sun Zhixing immediately roared with rage, ¡°Commander Feng, are you trying to make us your enemies?!¡± Feng Hemupletely ignored him and turned to Qi Ying again. ¡°You can see that I¡¯m sincerely offering you my help. In any case, you have no other alternative.¡± ¡°...¡± Qi Ying stood silently on the spot and scanned across the surrounding warriors. There was no way he would hand over his badges. Furthermore, everyone in the tournament was fighting for themselves, so no one could be trusted. Feng Hemu¡¯s offer seemed genuine, but he was almost definitely going to ditch him as soon as he handed over his and Duan Gucheng¡¯s badges. At that moment, Sun Zhixing also stepped forward. ¡°If you give the badges to me, my Sun family can protect you! Feng Hemu is just one person; how is he going to be able to protect you?¡± A warrior from the Wang family also chimed in, ¡°Give your badges to the Wang family, and we can protect you!¡± Whoosh whoosh whoosh! Over twenty warriors suddenly emerged near the cliff. At the forefront of their group was a man d in green armor with a saber in his hand, and he yelled in a loud voice, ¡°I am An Shaoping of the An family! Brother Qi, hand over your badges and our An family will protect you! Please trust me!¡± Three of the four major families had offered their protection to Qi Ying in exchange for badges. The Duan family was the only one that had refrained from doing so! Everyone knew that there was no way they would be willing to protect Qi Ying, even if he relinquished the badges to them. ... Outside the hunting grounds. An Ruyi stared intently at the screen with her hand over her mouth. Gu Shiwei and the academy elders were also assessing the situation with rapt attention. Everyone was waiting with bated breath to see how the situation would unfold. What choice was Qi Ying going to make? In the sky above, the five supervisors were gathered together. Yan Beigui smacked his lips with an intrigued expression. ¡°What an interesting guy.¡± Qi Shun shook his head wistfully and sighed, ¡°What a pity... He¡¯s clearly the most talented warrior among all of them, but he¡¯s unfortunately be the public enemy. Even if he hands over the badges, no one would be willing to spare him.¡± ¡°Young master, this world is unfair by nature!¡± Qi Kaiyang sighed and his musclebound body was trembling slightly, but his expression remained resolute, ¡°Rules are rules, and they cannot be changed! Even if it¡¯s a great shame that such a bright young prospect would die there, that was all pre-ordained by fate. Only those who could ovee all obstacles that appeared before they could rise above and beyond, to be truly powerful beings!¡± Madam Butterfly turned and said, ¡°Susu, you don¡¯t look so good.¡± Qin Susu didn¡¯t give a reply. Instead, she was staring nkly down at the scenes unfolding below, and all of her attention was focused on Qi Ying. He was very much like a cornered wild beast. Was he going to retaliate and escape or be killed by the hunters? If things took a turn for the worse, then even if she had to take a risk, she would have to save him. ... On the cliff, everyone was awaiting a response from Qi Ying! If they could obtain Qi Ying and Duan Gucheng¡¯s badges, at least one additional member of their family would be able to enter the Yun Xiao Academy. In fact, it was quite possible that those badges would be enough to secure two spots in the top ten! That was something that could change the fate of an entire family. Gusts of cold wind continued to blow, sweeping up a few tree leaves, which descended slowly down along the vertical rock face. Qi Ying turned to look at the cliff face behind him, before turning to look at the warrior before him, and he suddenly chuckled. ¡°Heh.¡± However, his expression then immediately cooled. ¡°Ptui! Keep dreaming!¡± Chapter 89: A Slide

Chapter 89: A Slide

All of a sudden, Qi Ying tore open Duan Gucheng¡¯s robes right before everyone¡¯s eyes, revealing a bunch of shiny badges within. There were at least twenty badges in that pile, and everyone¡¯s eyes glowed with a scorching light upon seeing them. Some of the warriors couldn¡¯t hold themselves back any longer, and they instantly threw themselves at Qi Ying. However, they were still too slow in the end, as Qi Ying seemed to have been prepared for that response. He kicked Duan Gucheng aside like a dead dog, plucking his spatial ring off his finger before doing so. Duan Gucheng¡¯s body flew through the air, and crashed straight into one of the oing warriors. Qi Ying swept his sleeves through the air, and gathered all of the badges in his arms in the blink of an eye before jumping off the cliff! ¡°What?!¡± ¡°He jumped?!¡± All of the warriors on top of the cliff were stunned. Duan Lang, Sun Changyu and the others began to hurl abuse at Qi Ying. ¡°B*stard!¡± ¡°What the f*ck is he doing?!¡± No one even took a nce at Duan Gucheng. Even Feng Hemu didn¡¯t dare to jump off the cliff after Qi Ying. He was a Spirit Martial Stage warrior, but he was only at the first stage, and if he were to suffer apse in his control over his Spiritual Energy, the fall of over a thousand feet would still very likely kill him! All of the spectators outside of the hunting grounds were dumbfounded. Qi Ying was willing to sacrifice himself rather than concede? What a foolish decision! However, right at that moment, an even more astonishing turn of events unfolded. All of the warriors on the cliff were looking down to search for Qi Ying¡¯s whereabouts. If they could find his body, then therge clump of badges he was carrying would surely be nearby. However. Crack crack crack! The sounds of rocks cracking and shattering rang out. Everyone abruptly discovered that someone was sliding down the near-vertical cliff face. He had his left hand wing at the rock face, and purple True Energy burst forth relentlessly, crushing the rocks between his fingers. As a result, he was able to control his descent at an even yet still lightning-fast pace. ¡®We¡¯ve been had!¡¯ That was the first thought that sprang into everyone¡¯s minds. He wasn¡¯t sacrificing himself; he was trying to get away! The cliff had be a slide for him! ¡°Get him!¡± A bunch of warriors quickly ran down the mountain. At the same time, there were also a few who stabbed their weapons into the sheer rock face, and emted Qi Ying as they slid down the cliff. Meanwhile, Feng Hemu stepped onto the near-vertical cliff face, and golden Spiritual Energy converged toward the soles of his feet, allowing him to sprint down as if he were running on tnd. The spectators outside the hunting grounds could also see what Qi Ying was doing through the screens¡¯ feed, and all of them had erupted into an uproar. What a daring yet effective n! Qi Ying couldn¡¯t care less about everyone¡¯s reactions. The entirety of his attention was focused on keeping himself alive. It wasn¡¯t the first time he had slid down a cliff in that manner. Back when he was on the Nameless Mountain, he had learned that trick from the crafty monkeys there. The only reason why he didn¡¯t immediately employ that tactic after reaching the cliff, was because the situation was too tense, and he hadpletely forgotten about that option. In addition, he wasn¡¯t even a warrior during his time on the Nameless Mountain, so sliding down a cliff was a lot easier and less perilous than it had been for him in the past. It only took him about twenty seconds to travel a distance of close to a thousand feet, before reaching the ground. ¡°Get back here! Hand over your badges!¡± Before he even had a chance to catch his breath, Feng Hemu¡¯s thunderous voice erupted from behind him. ¡®I would be a stupid c*nt if I did that!¡¯ Qi Ying immediately activated his Feather Tread Boots and rushed ahead like a bolt of lightning! Whoosh! He took a split second to find the right direction, before charging into the forest that he hade from. ¡°Hmph.¡± Feng Hemu trailed along in hot pursuit. The entire hunting ground had erupted! ¡°Qi Ying has at least thirty badges on him! Anyone who takes his badges will be guaranteed a spot in the Yun Xiao Academy!¡± ¡°Charge!¡± ¡°Find Qi Ying and take his badges!¡± Not only were the three major families and Feng Hemu giving chase, all of the participants that were still alive had joined in on the pursuit. Over forty warriors had perished throughout the course of the tournament, and the remaining two hundred of them were all frantically searching for Qi Ying. He had thirty badges! Even twenty badges gave one a great chance of securing a spot in the Yun Xiao Academy. The only ones who had that many badges were direct lineal descendants of the three major families, or the Spirit Martial Stage warriors. However, trying to take badges from them would be like trying to pluck a fang from a tiger¡¯s mouth. Inparison, facing Qi Ying was a much more appealing option. Even those who didn¡¯t have any personal grudges against him were trying to hunt him down for his badges! If he didn¡¯t have any badges, then no one aside from the warriors from the three major families would pay any attention to him. However, it became apletely different story when he had thirty badges! Who didn¡¯t want to go to the Yun Xiao Academy? Thepetition was far too fierce for anyone to ignore a rogue Energy Martial Stage warrior carrying thirty badges! ... Qi Ying finally managed to rush into the forest before Feng Hemu caught up to him. The forest wasn¡¯t veryrge in area, but the trees there were very tall and densely-packed. They were a lot more concentrated than the trees on the mountain, so it was a far more ideal location for someone to hide in. After entering the forest, he was like a fish in water as that was the environment he was most familiar with! Whoosh! Feng Hemu¡¯s footsteps faltered as he arrived at the forest. Qi Ying hadpletely disappeared. Even after unleashing his divine sense, he was still unable to ascertain Qi Ying¡¯s location. ¡°Hmph!¡± Feng Hemu decided to find his prey through the use of brute force, and rammed his fist into a massive hundred-feet tall tree. Crack! The tree was instantly felled. ¡°Where are you going to hide if I destroy this entire forest?¡± Feng Hemu raised his golden sword, and unleashed powerful sword projections, toppling one tree after another. At that moment, the other warriors had also reached the forest. All of them followed in Feng Hemu¡¯s example and began felling trees as well. If they were unfamiliar with the forest environment, then they would just have to eradicate the forest and force Qi Ying out from his hiding spot! Boom! Bam bam! Trees were being cut at a terrifying rate as over two hundred warriors searched frantically for Qi Ying. ... Duan Lang felt as if he were about to go insane! Most of the badges secured by the Duan family were being carried by Duan Gucheng. He knew that Qi Ying hadn¡¯t just stolen twenty badges from Duan Gucheng; it was thirty-three instead! Even after Duan Gucheng¡¯s cultivation potential had been severely damaged, the Duan family still held him in higher regard than Duan Lang. The rest of the Duan family only had fourteen badges in total, and even if they gave them all to Duan Lang, it may still have been insufficient to grant him a spot in the top ten! ¡°B*stard!¡± No one wanted to find Qi Ying more than Duan Lang. Just as he was attacking trees with his sword like a madman, a familiar figure suddenly appeared in his field of vision. Upon seeing that man, Duan Lang knew that his opportunity had arrived! Chapter 90: A Man Should Have the Resolve to Kill

Chapter 90: A Man Should Have the Resolve to Kill

¡°Crap!¡± Qi Ying immediately realized that something was wrong. All of a sudden, a massive burst of power came crashing down from above, causing his makeshift underground cave to copse. Thump! Dust and debris flew in all directions, and Qi Ying quickly sprang into the air. Bam bam bam! He was immediately targeted by countless attacks. He activated his Golden Blood Armor, creating a True Energy Protective Barrier, and at the same time, heshed out with his Blood Drop Zhan Lu Sword. Thump! Most of the attacks were nullified, but the powerful resulting shockwaves still sent him flying. Only then did Qi Ying get a good look at his surroundings; there were about thirty warriors, most of whom were from the Duan family. Nearby, within a distance of several hundred feet, there was an armor-d young man with a terrifying aura. He was another Spirit Martial Stage warrior! ¡®Run!¡¯ Qi Ying immediately identified what he had to do. However, no one was going to let him get away. Qi Ying was just about to flee the scene, when a burst of pain suddenly speared through his calf. He looked down to discover that a red Blood Wolf projection had sunk its teeth through his True Energy Protective Barrier, and bitten into his left calf! That thing was a Battle Spirit! ¡°Piss off!¡± Qi Ying knew that he was in a lot of danger, and he immediately aimed a punch into the Blood Wolf projection¡¯s head with his left fist, upon which the Battle Spirit¡¯s fangs loosened. ¡°Get him!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let him get away again!¡± The Duan family warriors converged toward him. ¡°He¡¯s mine!¡± A voice suddenly rang out up above! A streak of golden light streaked through the air like a shooting star; it was Feng Hemu! Duan Lang¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Commander Feng! Let¡¯s take down Qi Ying together! I guarantee that I will give you enough of his badges for you to enter the Yun Xiao Academy!¡± Feng Hemu replied with a mocking smile, ¡°Do I look like an idiot?¡± Thump! A golden fist projection came crashing down, sting many Duan family warriors into the air. ¡°Stupid c*nt!¡± Duan Lang cursed Feng Hemu as he turned to Tian Shou and yelled, ¡°Commander Tian, hold off Feng Hemu! We¡¯ll take care of Qi Ying!¡± Feng Hemu was undoubtedly a very troublesome character to deal with, and he definitely wouldn¡¯t give up until he secured enough badges. Inparison, Qi Ying was at the end of the road! There was nowhere for him to run! Tian Shou rose into the air, and opposed Feng Hemu. ¡°Brother Feng, stop!¡± ¡°Anyone who stands in my way will die!¡± Feng Hemu had been thoroughly infuriated by the scrambling Qi Ying, and his rage was furtherpounded by the sight of his rival in the army rising up to face him. He was unable to repress his anger any longer, and unleashed another golden fist projection. Dark Tier Low-Rank battle technique, Diamond Shattering Fist! ¡°Hmph.¡± Tian Shou¡¯s expression remained unchanged as he unleashed a punch of his own. Thump! Both of them were at the First Spirit Martial Stage, and they were about on par in terms ofbat prowess, so a decisive result would not be reached in their battle anytime soon. ... Meanwhile. ¡°Get him!¡± ¡°Kill him!¡± Duan Lang led the thirty or so Duan family warriors in pursuit of Qi Ying. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to let me live, then don¡¯t me me for not holding back!¡± Qi Ying didn¡¯t want to kill anyone. He always tried to spare the colosseum beasts he had fought in the past, and he was even more averse to killing people. However, in that harsh tournament, it was either kill or be killed. He had no choice! Qi Ying sliced open his finger with his sword, and circted his True Energy to force out a drop of blood essence that was almost closer to purple than red. The blood essence dripped down from his fingertip, and merged into his Blood Drop Zhan Lu Sword. Whoosh! Ayer of red light appeared over its de, and the sword itself was trembling slightly. Flowing Shadow Strike! Whoosh! Qi Ying¡¯s body transformed into five ck shadows, four of which acted as a diversion, while his true body approached a warrior from the Duan family. His Blood Drop Zhan Lu Sword swept through the air, unleashing a red sword projection. St! The sword sliced through his opponent¡¯s forearm with unstoppable force, before cutting his body in half like a hot knife through butter, even though he was wearing a suit of Yellow Tier Intermediate-Rank armor. Blood sttered all over Qi Ying, making him appear even more sinister. ¡°Ha!¡± ¡°Qi Ying just killed someone!¡± It was the first time everyone had seen Qi Ying take someone¡¯s life, and some of them copsed to the ground in horror at the sight of therade who had been sliced into two. ¡°Get him!¡± Duan Lang snarled. There was no going back! They had sacrificed too much and failure wasn¡¯t an option! The warriors from the county army were clearly much more ustomed to death than others, and they remainedpletely unfazed as they continued to rush toward Qi Ying. All of them surrounded him with spears in their hands, and thrust their weapons toward him from all directions! Qi Ying gritted his teeth and fought fire with fire. Even though he preferred to use his Dragon Tiger Demon-ying Staff, a staff was simply not lethal enough in a battle of life and death. Inparison, it was much easier for him to kill his enemies with a sword. He circted his True Energy at the fastest rate he was capable of, and extracted another drop of the Blood Moon sma before merging it with his body. Whoosh! His blood was ignited as his power and speed were enhanced drastically! ¡°Ha!¡± Qi Ying caught one of the spears with his left hand, and swung it with all his might, sending its wielder flying through the air. At the same time, heshed out with his sword in his right hand, and the sword projection that burst forth instantly decapitated one of his assants. Another warrior charged toward him, and he sprang up before sending his left hand crashing down upon that warrior¡¯s head. He tightened his grip, and the head exploded like a watermelon between his fingers. Many of the Duan family warriors were paralyzed with fear upon seeing that. ¡®What violent killing methods!¡¯ Meanwhile, Qi Ying had leaped up high once again! St! Crack! His sword rose and fell. One Duan family warrior after another fell to his sword and left hand before they could even react. Seven Duan family warriors had fallen in the blink of an eye, and their bodiesid on the ground as blood flowed like a river. Duan Lang¡¯s heart jolted in shock and his hand involuntarily loosened around his sword. He had never seen anyone kill with such brutal efficiency, even in the county army! There were no superfluous movements whatsoever, and every single attack was fast and vicious to the extreme. It was as if Qi Ying were not a man, but a killing machine instead! ¡°Waah...¡± A few of the Duan family warriors broke down in horror, and fled for their lives. Qi Ying raised his sword and charged toward his remaining opponents! sh! Heads and arms flew into the air, and a few more bodies fell to the ground. The Duan family warriors were running around like headless chickens. Duan Lang was the only one who managed to keep a cool head, and he engaged Qi Ying in battle as he roared, ¡°Help me, Commander Tian!¡± However, Qi Ying was clearly trying to avoid him, as he rushed toward a group of Duan family warriors in another direction. He truly was like a machine as he swung his Blood Drop Zhan Lu Sword over and over again, severing at least one body part with each and every stroke. Blood gushed forth like geysers, staining Qi Ying¡¯s disheveled hair, tattered robes, and shiny silver glove. At that moment, he recalled a bizarre poem he had once seen. A man should have the resolve to kill, and to kill mercilessly he must! An immortal legacy is built upon mountains of bodies. Lions and tigers reign supreme, but who takes pity on the deer? The weak will always fall to the strong, with whom reason lies is but a moot point. Chapter 91: A Man Should Have the Resolve to Kill

Chapter 91: A Man Should Have the Resolve to Kill

¡°Crap!¡± Qi Ying immediately realized that something was wrong. All of a sudden, a massive burst of power came crashing down from above, causing his makeshift underground cave to copse. Thump! Dust and debris flew in all directions, and Qi Ying quickly sprang into the air. Bam bam bam! He was immediately targeted by countless attacks. He activated his Golden Blood Armor, creating a True Energy Protective Barrier, and at the same time, heshed out with his Blood Drop Zhan Lu Sword. Thump! Most of the attacks were nullified, but the powerful resulting shockwaves still sent him flying. Only then did Qi Ying get a good look at his surroundings; there were about thirty warriors, most of whom were from the Duan family. Nearby, within a distance of several hundred feet, there was an armor-d young man with a terrifying aura. He was another Spirit Martial Stage warrior! ¡®Run!¡¯ Qi Ying immediately identified what he had to do. However, no one was going to let him get away. Qi Ying was just about to flee the scene, when a burst of pain suddenly speared through his calf. He looked down to discover that a red Blood Wolf projection had sunk its teeth through his True Energy Protective Barrier, and bitten into his left calf! That thing was a Battle Spirit! ¡°Piss off!¡± Qi Ying knew that he was in a lot of danger, and he immediately aimed a punch into the Blood Wolf projection¡¯s head with his left fist, upon which the Battle Spirit¡¯s fangs loosened. ¡°Get him!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let him get away again!¡± The Duan family warriors converged toward him. ¡°He¡¯s mine!¡± A voice suddenly rang out up above! A streak of golden light streaked through the air like a shooting star; it was Feng Hemu! Duan Lang¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Commander Feng! Let¡¯s take down Qi Ying together! I guarantee that I will give you enough of his badges for you to enter the Yun Xiao Academy!¡± Feng Hemu replied with a mocking smile, ¡°Do I look like an idiot?¡± Thump! A golden fist projection came crashing down, sting many Duan family warriors into the air. ¡°Stupid c*nt!¡± Duan Lang cursed Feng Hemu as he turned to Tian Shou and yelled, ¡°Commander Tian, hold off Feng Hemu! We¡¯ll take care of Qi Ying!¡± Feng Hemu was undoubtedly a very troublesome character to deal with, and he definitely wouldn¡¯t give up until he secured enough badges. Inparison, Qi Ying was at the end of the road! There was nowhere for him to run! Tian Shou rose into the air, and opposed Feng Hemu. ¡°Brother Feng, stop!¡± ¡°Anyone who stands in my way will die!¡± Feng Hemu had been thoroughly infuriated by the scrambling Qi Ying, and his rage was furtherpounded by the sight of his rival in the army rising up to face him. He was unable to repress his anger any longer, and unleashed another golden fist projection. Dark Tier Low-Rank battle technique, Diamond Shattering Fist! ¡°Hmph.¡± Tian Shou¡¯s expression remained unchanged as he unleashed a punch of his own. Thump! Both of them were at the First Spirit Martial Stage, and they were about on par in terms ofbat prowess, so a decisive result would not be reached in their battle anytime soon. ... Meanwhile. ¡°Get him!¡± ¡°Kill him!¡± Duan Lang led the thirty or so Duan family warriors in pursuit of Qi Ying. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to let me live, then don¡¯t me me for not holding back!¡± Qi Ying didn¡¯t want to kill anyone. He always tried to spare the colosseum beasts he had fought in the past, and he was even more averse to killing people. However, in that harsh tournament, it was either kill or be killed. He had no choice! Qi Ying sliced open his finger with his sword, and circted his True Energy to force out a drop of blood essence that was almost closer to purple than red. The blood essence dripped down from his fingertip, and merged into his Blood Drop Zhan Lu Sword. Whoosh! Ayer of red light appeared over its de, and the sword itself was trembling slightly. Flowing Shadow Strike! Whoosh! Qi Ying¡¯s body transformed into five ck shadows, four of which acted as a diversion, while his true body approached a warrior from the Duan family. His Blood Drop Zhan Lu Sword swept through the air, unleashing a red sword projection. St! The sword sliced through his opponent¡¯s forearm with unstoppable force, before cutting his body in half like a hot knife through butter, even though he was wearing a suit of Yellow Tier Intermediate-Rank armor. Blood sttered all over Qi Ying, making him appear even more sinister. ¡°Ha!¡± ¡°Qi Ying just killed someone!¡± It was the first time everyone had seen Qi Ying take someone¡¯s life, and some of them copsed to the ground in horror at the sight of therade who had been sliced into two. ¡°Get him!¡± Duan Lang snarled. There was no going back! They had sacrificed too much and failure wasn¡¯t an option! The warriors from the county army were clearly much more ustomed to death than others, and they remainedpletely unfazed as they continued to rush toward Qi Ying. All of them surrounded him with spears in their hands, and thrust their weapons toward him from all directions! Qi Ying gritted his teeth and fought fire with fire. Even though he preferred to use his Dragon Tiger Demon-ying Staff, a staff was simply not lethal enough in a battle of life and death. Inparison, it was much easier for him to kill his enemies with a sword. He circted his True Energy at the fastest rate he was capable of, and extracted another drop of the Blood Moon sma before merging it with his body. Whoosh! His blood was ignited as his power and speed were enhanced drastically! ¡°Ha!¡± Qi Ying caught one of the spears with his left hand, and swung it with all his might, sending its wielder flying through the air. At the same time, heshed out with his sword in his right hand, and the sword projection that burst forth instantly decapitated one of his assants. Another warrior charged toward him, and he sprang up before sending his left hand crashing down upon that warrior¡¯s head. He tightened his grip, and the head exploded like a watermelon between his fingers. Many of the Duan family warriors were paralyzed with fear upon seeing that. ¡®What violent killing methods!¡¯ Meanwhile, Qi Ying had leaped up high once again! St! Crack! His sword rose and fell. One Duan family warrior after another fell to his sword and left hand before they could even react. Seven Duan family warriors had fallen in the blink of an eye, and their bodiesid on the ground as blood flowed like a river. Duan Lang¡¯s heart jolted in shock and his hand involuntarily loosened around his sword. He had never seen anyone kill with such brutal efficiency, even in the county army! There were no superfluous movements whatsoever, and every single attack was fast and vicious to the extreme. It was as if Qi Ying were not a man, but a killing machine instead! ¡°Waah...¡± A few of the Duan family warriors broke down in horror, and fled for their lives. Qi Ying raised his sword and charged toward his remaining opponents! sh! Heads and arms flew into the air, and a few more bodies fell to the ground. The Duan family warriors were running around like headless chickens. Duan Lang was the only one who managed to keep a cool head, and he engaged Qi Ying in battle as he roared, ¡°Help me, Commander Tian!¡± However, Qi Ying was clearly trying to avoid him, as he rushed toward a group of Duan family warriors in another direction. He truly was like a machine as he swung his Blood Drop Zhan Lu Sword over and over again, severing at least one body part with each and every stroke. Blood gushed forth like geysers, staining Qi Ying¡¯s disheveled hair, tattered robes, and shiny silver glove. At that moment, he recalled a bizarre poem he had once seen. A man should have the resolve to kill, and to kill mercilessly he must! An immortal legacy is built upon mountains of bodies. Lions and tigers reign supreme, but who takes pity on the deer? The weak will always fall to the strong, with whom reason lies is but a moot point. Chapter 92: Casting Votes

Chapter 92: Casting Votes

Qi Ying¡¯s fear toward his pursuers waspletely wiped away. It was either kill or be killed, so what else could he do? A man should have the resolve to kill, and to kill mercilessly he must! Kill! Qi Ying suddenly became extremely calm and collected. His insanity had drained away, and was reced by eerieposure. He strode forward confidently, and with each swing of his sword, with each strike of his ws, another life was harvested. Qi Ying was killing Duan family warriors as if he were chopping up vegetables. No one stood a chance against the cold-blooded god of ughter he had be. Bodies of Duan family warriors littered the path upon which he walked. All of a sudden, Qi Ying was struck by a sense of dizziness, and he grabbed one of his assants, whose life force was yet topletely fizzle out. His left hand then immediately began to leech energy from that victim. Thump! After having everyst shred of energy sucked away, the warrior was finally dead, and Qi Ying tossed him aside. He appraised the Duan family warriors around him with a cold expression. Barely any of them were still alive, and the dumbfounded Duan Lang, Feng Hemu, and Tian Shou were the only ones left standing. More warriors began to arrive in quick session. Sun Changyu, Sun Zhi Xing, An Shaoping and the others all rushed to the scene. They were also shocked beyond belief by what they saw. ¡®Did Qi Ying kill all of those people?!¡¯ All of the people that had surrounded Qi Ying were the so-called prodigies, who wouldn¡¯t even have taken a second nce at him before the tournament. However, they were all trembling uncontrobly with fear, and Qi Ying found that to be quite amusing. A sense of exhration swelled up in his heart, and he roared, ¡°My head is right here; who wants it?!¡± Everyone instinctively recoiled. Who would dare to engage him in battle? Duan Lang looked around at all of the dead warriors on the ground, and he knew that it waspletely over for the Duan family. ¡®No! So what if the Duan family is screwed? I must secure a spot to the Yun Xiao Academy!¡¯ A burst of killing intent shed through his eyes, and he yelled at all of the surrounding warriors. ¡°Get him, everyone! He¡¯s about to run out of True Energy very soon! If we attack him all at once, he¡¯ll be forced to surrender... He has over forty badges!¡± Duan Lang was trying to spur everyone on so they could act as cannon fodder for him! However, to his surprise, all of the other warriors turned to him as if they were looking at a retard. A Wang family warrior scoffed, ¡°Stupid c*nt! Your Duan family is already screwed, and you¡¯re still trying to drag us down with you? Whoever¡¯s feeling suicidal can have a go, but I ain¡¯t doing anything!¡± ¡°You...¡± Duan Lang¡¯s face was flushed with rage, and he wanted to refute him, but his words got stuck in his throat at the sight of condescending looks everyone was aiming at him. ng! Qi Ying raised his sword and approached Duan Lang as he said in a cold voice, ¡°Isn¡¯t your Duan family constantly trying to kill me? Come on then! I¡¯m right here!¡± Duan Lang took a couple of involuntary steps backward. ¡°St-, stay away from me... Commander Tian, Commander Tian, kill him!¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± Tian Shou aimed a disdainful re at the cowardly Duan Lang, before turning to Feng Hemu and proposing, ¡°Brother Feng, let¡¯s kill this kid! We¡¯ll split his badges fifty-fifty, what do you say? You¡¯ll definitely be able to make it into the top ten if we seed!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Feng Hemu nodded. Neither of them wanted to admit it, but in reality, both of them were shuddering internally at the sight of Qi Ying¡¯s killing spree. His speed and power were simply astonishing, and it looked as if he were born to kill! His killing methods were even more exemry than the techniques taught to them in the army! As such, both of them were quite averse to facing him in a one-on-one battle. Thump! Thump! The two of them drew their weapons and strode toward Qi Ying. ... Outside the hunting grounds. The spectators werepletely silent as they stared at the screens before them. Members of the Duan family who had stayed behind all wore thunderous expressions. All of the elite young warriors of the Duan family had perished with the exception of Duan Lang! That was an extremely heavy blow from which the Duan family may not be able to recover. The prosperity of a family didn¡¯t depend on how wealthy they were. Instead, the keyid in the potential of their younger generation. Only with bright young prospects that could develop into future powerful beings could a family continue to thrive in the future. As such, even though the An family was the wealthiest among the four major families in the Celestial River County, they were still the weakest one. But that had all changed. All of the young elites of the Duan family were gone! Only useless trash like Duan Renshan remained. Thus, the Duan family was destined to fall unless a miracle could fall upon them. Everyone was stunned by Qi Ying¡¯s power. To be able to ughter over thirty warriors at or above the Seventh Energy Martial Stage... That was a feat that could theoretically only be aplished by Spirit Martial Stage warriors, or the most freakishly prodigious Ninth Energy Martial Stage warriors! So what exactly was Qi Ying¡¯s cultivation base? No one knew. Everyone¡¯s impressions of Qi Ying had also changed. Powerful, mysterious, and... gruesome. His face remainedpletely expressionless as he slew one person after another, as if he were a butcher ying livestock. An Ruyi was shocked beyond words, and An Jiahe¡¯s expression had alsopletely stiffened. ... In the air above, Yan Beigui remarked with furrowed brows, ¡°What a gruesome person... He¡¯s a killing maniac!¡± However, Qi Kaiyang voiced a different opinion. ¡°What a brilliant talent!¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Qi Shun waspletely taken aback. Qi Kaiyang was renowned for being extremely strict toward his soldiers, and Qi Shun couldn¡¯t recall any instance where he had ever paid anyone apliment, especially not to a warrior from a small rural county. In the counties they had traveled in the past, there was no one who had managed to catch Qi Kaiyang¡¯s eye. Even those supremely-talented prodigies, who were at the Fifth or Sixth Spirit Martial Stage at just over twenty years of age, were unable to draw so much as a second nce from him. ¡°He has the resolve to kill, which makes him a brilliant prospect!¡± Qi Kaiyang¡¯s eyes were practically glowing as he borated, ¡°Showing kindness to your enemy is no different from being cruel to yourself. In the face of such formidable opposition, he showed no signs of fear or weakness, and ughtered so many of his enemies, that it was them who showed fear instead! That is exactly what¡¯s required of a soldier on the battlefield! ¡°Back in our Family Leader Qi¡¯s prime, he had stood in front of the Jade Gate Pass, and the ten Earth Martial Stage warriors of the opposing nation didn¡¯t even dare to exit the city! He stood against an army of a hundred thousand warriors for half a month, forging a peerless legend that is unmatched to this day! And he did so by intimidating his enemies through piling up countless bodies at his feet!¡± Qi Shun asked, ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is...¡± Qi Kaiyang replied, ¡°I think we should grant him some special rights. Let¡¯s have a vote to decide. I vote in favor.¡± Qi Shun chimed in, ¡°I concur.¡± However, Yan Beigui shook his head. ¡°He¡¯s killing the young prodigies of our kingdom; how can that bepared to killing enemies in battle? I vote against it! Susu, what about you?¡± Qin Susu only came to her senses then, and said, ¡°I...¡± At that moment, Madam Butterfly cut her off, ¡°I vote against it. You¡¯re of the same opinion, right Susu?¡± Chapter 93: You Go

Chapter 93: You Go

To Qi Ying, the battle had progressed to a stage where victory meant life while defeat entailed death. In the face of the two Spirit Martial Stage warriors, he didn¡¯t immediately charge into battle. Instead, he opened a jade vial, and swallowed the eight Energy Explosion Pills inside in one mouthful. ¡°No pills are going to save you here!¡± Feng Hemu hurtled toward Qi Ying, unleashing his First Spirit Martial Stage cultivation base to its maximal extent. The golden Spiritual Energy around his body glowed with a scintiting light, and he thrust his Dark Tier treasured sword directly toward Qi Ying¡¯s chest. He was clearly trying to kill him before he could digest those pills. Qi Ying could sense the sharp aura surging from that golden sword. It was still several dozens of feet away from him, but a few strands of his hair had already been severed. The sword projection was drawing closer and closer! ¡°Die!¡± Feng Hemu¡¯s sword intent whistled through the air, slicing open Qi Ying¡¯s ck robes, and revealing the Golden Blood Armor underneath. Deep gashes were even beginning to appear on the surface of the Golden Blood Armor. ¡°You want to kill me? Keep dreaming!¡± Right at that moment, Qi Ying raised his right hand, and his Blood Drop Zhan Lu Sword swept through the air. ¡°Heh.¡± A mocking smile appeared on Feng Hemu¡¯s face. ¡®He¡¯s trying to fight fire with fire? What a fool!¡¯ ng! Crack! The crimson sword struck the golden sword, and brilliant golden light erupted from thetter. It was clearly far superior in power, and it sliced the Blood Drop Zhan Lu Sword in half. The Blood Drop Zhan Lu Sword¡¯s snapped de continued onward and struck Feng Hemu, but was unable to pierce through the gap in his chainmail armor. ¡°Die!¡± Feng Hemu injected even more Spiritual Energy into his sword, andshed out at Qi Ying. In his eyes, Qi Ying without that sword was like a tiger without his ws; he was no different from a defenseless kitten! However, to his surprise, Qi Ying met his attack by raising his left hand. ¡°Idiot!¡± Feng Hemu thought that Qi Ying had simply gone insane with fear. After all, no sane person would try to block a sword with their hand! He was going to kill Qi Ying with a single strike of his sword! However. Crack! The golden sword struck the silver glove, sending dazzling sparks flying in all directions. At the same time, Qi Ying managed to catch the sword with his hand. Feng Hemu gritted his teeth and twisted his sword in an attempt to extricate it, but for some reason, Qi Ying seemed to have grown drastically more powerful in the blink of an eye, and he waspletely unable to free his sword from Qi Ying¡¯s vice-like grip. Qi Ying felt as if his entire body were filled with explosive energy. He had just merged a third of the Blood Moon sma into his body, and his entire body was on fire! Turbulent power surged forth like a volcanic eruption that was desperately seeking an opening to relieve the pressure! Qi Ying raised his leg, and kicked Feng Hemu in the lower abdomen with all his might. Thump! A dull thump akin to the banging of a drum erupted. Feng Hemu felt as if a mountain had crashed into his stomach. The enormous force passed through his chainmail armor, and traveled directly into his body. His internal organs churned, and it felt like some of them had been ruptured. Salty metallic fluid flowed into the back of his throat, and he couldn¡¯t help but throw up a mouthful of blood. At the same time, he involuntarily loosened his grip on his sword, and it was wrested from his grasp by Qi Ying. ¡°Piss off!¡± Qi Yingshed out with another vicious kick, and Feng Hemu was sent flying for several dozens of feet. Everyone¡¯s hearts skipped a beat. Even Tian Shou was momentarily stunned by what he had just witnessed! ¡®What just happened?¡¯ How was Qi Ying able to enhance his power to such an extent in such a short time? Feng Hemu was renowned for his violent strength, but even he hade off second best in a melee exchange! Additionally, how was he able to catch a Dark Tier treasured sword with his hand? How was that even possible? In contrast with everyone¡¯s state of stunned horror, Qi Ying was feeling extremely pumped up. He had used up a third of the Blood Moon sma at once, and he felt as if he were seeing red; he had to find something to attack! The closest avable target was Tian Shou! Whoosh! Qi Ying¡¯s body shot forth like a bolt of lightning, and he arrived almost instantaneously beside Tian Shou with the golden sword, and half of his Blood Drop Zhan Lu Sword in his hands. Tian Shou only came to his senses then, and he hurtled back in retreat. Qi Ying was just about to give chase, when a burst of excruciating pain shot through his left humerus. Crack! The bone was about to break! ¡°It¡¯s this filthy piece of sh*t again!¡± Qi Ying gritted his teeth and looked down, to discover that the red wolf Battle Spirit had sunk its fangs into his left calf. Its terrifying bite force allowed its fangs to puncture his muscles, and almost his entire calf had been bitten off. ¡°Ha!¡± Qi Ying let loose an explosive roar before plunging the golden sword violently downward! Whoosh! The sword instantly punctured the Blood Demon Wolf Battle Spirit¡¯s body. Thetter howled with anguish before exploding as a ball of Spiritual Energy. Huff, huff... The effects of the Blood Moon sma had expired. Qi Ying¡¯s entire body ached, and he couldn¡¯t even take a single step forward anymore. The power he had just unleashed had exceeded his body¡¯s tolerance threshold. Thump! His injured left leg could no longer support any weight, and his left knee buckled as he half-knelt to the ground. He dropped his snapped Blood Drop Zhan Lu Sword in the process, and drove his golden sword into the ground to support his body. ¡®I¡¯m at my limit...¡¯ Even though his body was still drawing energy from the pills he had taken, he hadpletely overexerted himself during the course of that lengthy battle. His muscles, bones, meridians... None of it could keep up with the strain of the supramaximal power he had been using for so long. He was like an overused machine that was about to copse at any moment. ¡°Cough cough...¡± Feng Hemu stood up with a hand on his stomach. He first nced at the half-kneeling Qi Ying with an astonished expression, before turning to the stunned Tian Shou and roaring through gritted teeth, ¡°Hurry! Finish him!¡± ¡°You go!¡± Tian Shou was in an even worse condition than Feng Hemu. His Battle Spirit had been severely wounded, and as a result, he was afflicted by a splitting headache as well as an overpowering sense of dizziness. Feng Hemu and Tian Shou stared at one another, and neither of them were willing to take any more risks. Who knew if Qi Ying were actually a spent force, or if he were capable of onest attack that would take one of them down with him? They wanted to kill Qi Ying for his badges, but what would be the point of securing badges if they lost their lives in the process? ¡°Duan Lang, you go!¡± Tian Shou turned and roared at Duan Lang. ¡°I...¡± Duan Lang looked at Qi Ying with a pair of petrified eyes, and shook his head vehemently. ¡°No, you...¡± All of a sudden, a burst of heartyughter rang out. ¡°Haha! If you¡¯re all too scared, then I¡¯ll be the one to take his badges!¡± Whoosh! A figure rushed toward Qi Ying from the Sun family camp. Chapter 94: Where Are You at This Moment

Chapter 94: Where Are You at This Moment

It was the Ninth Energy Martial Stage Sun Zhixing! Simr to Duan Lang, Sun Zhixing had also graduated from the Celestial River Academy a few years back, joining the county army thereafter, and had since be a deputy general. If he didn¡¯t encounter any special circumstances, then his aptitude dictated that the Ninth Energy Martial Stage would be the ceiling on his cultivation base. However, getting into the Yun Xiao Academy would undoubtedly be a massive turning point in his life. The kingdom bestowed a vast amount of cultivation resources to the Yun Xiao Academy disciples each year, and with those resources, the Spirit Martial Stage would be within his reach. In fact, he could possibly progress even further to the Fourth or Fifth Spirit Martial Stage! Furthermore, the Sun family warriors were being led by Sun Changyu, who had superior aptitude and was also a direct lineal descendant of the Sun family. As such, he took first priority in the distribution of badges, leaving Sun Zhixing with only twelve badges in his possession. Twelve badges weren¡¯t enough to secure him a ce in the top ten! Hence, he had to take the opportunity that was being presented to him! He was also extremely fearful toward Qi Ying, but his hopes and dreams for the future quickly quelled those fears. Qi Ying was just a spent Energy Martial Stage warrior! Killing him would be an easy task! Whoosh! Sun Zhixing raised his massive saber, and True Energy revolved around its de as he sent it crashing down toward Qi Ying¡¯s head. An arm rose just as the saber fell! ng! ¡°Hmm?¡± Sun Zhixing raised an eyebrow as his saber-wielding arm went momentarily numb from the impact. He focused his gaze to discover that Qi Ying was shielding himself with his left arm. The saber had struck his arm, but it was as if it had collided with a massive steel pir, and waspletely unable to advance any further! Thump! The earth beneath Qi Ying caved in for about six feet! ¡°Huh?!¡± Sun Zhixing lifted his saber and stared down at Qi Ying with incredulity in his eyes. ¡®What the hell is his body made of?¡¯ ¡°You must be wearing some sort of armor... This time, I¡¯m going to end your life!¡± A ferocious expression appeared on Sun Zhixing¡¯s face as he raised his saber again. Right at that moment, Qi Ying suddenly sprang into action. He was unable to muster up any strength, so he could only forcefully extract some Blood Moon sma and fuse it with his body. Explosive True Energy surged through his entire body again, and the sudden spike in power allowed him to summon a shred of strength. He dodged to the side, missing the falling saber by millimeters. The de skimmed past his shoulder, slicing off half of the shoulder guard on his Golden Blood Armor. At the same time, Qi Ying sprang forward with all his might, and drove the golden sword into Sun Zhixing¡¯s body. The sword entered through his chest and emerged from his back. Sun Zhixing couldn¡¯t evade in time, and his vital organs were punctured. He glowered at Qi Ying with indignant fury burning in his eyes. He was only one step away... He raised his arm with difficulty, trying to lift his saber, but the weapon that he had wielded with ease in the past was suddenly as heavy as a mountain in his hand, making himpletely unable to lift it. Sun Zhixing only came to the realization then, that Qi Ying¡¯s sword had punctured his dantian. His nine energy vortexes had been broken, so he was unable to use any True Energy. He was also losing blood at an rming rate, and his life was about toe to an end. ¡®Dammit...¡¯ Sun Zhixing red at Qi Ying as if he were trying to kill him with his eyes, but he soon fell heavily to the ground,pletely devoid of any vitality. Thump! Dust and debris wafted through the air. ¡°Another one down...¡± Qi Ying looked up to find that half of the sun had set below the horizon. It wouldn¡¯t be long until dusk arrived, thereby drawing the tournament to a conclusion. Qi Ying had lost count of how many people he had killed a long time ago. He had struck down so many people that were trying to take his badges... However, there were still over a hundred warriors scrutinizing him like predatorial beasts! Time had never passed so slowly for him. ... The sky was already very dim, and the atmosphere outside the hunting grounds was graver than ever. The spectators stared at the screens withplex expressions on their faces. The people from the Duan, Sun, and Wang families were about to be driven insane by fury! Warriors from all of their families had fallen by Qi Ying¡¯s hands. The Sun family had lost an extremely important Sun Zhixing, while everyone from the Duan family had been annihted with the exception of Duan Lang. They looked on with gritted teeth and clenched fists, wanting nothing more than to rip Qi Ying apart with their bare hands. Everyone else harbored mixed emotions. The circumstances were so cruel for that young man who was half-kneeling under the light of the setting sun. He was so young, but he had aplished something no one in the Celestial River County was capable of. However, it was the end for him. There wasn¡¯t much time left, but he had to face over a hundred fearsome opponents. ¡°Waah... I can¡¯t watch...¡± An Ruyi buried her head into An Jiahe¡¯s chest. ... ¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere, Qi Kaiyang!¡± Madam Butterfly yelled as sheunched a palm projection to swat aside the descending Qi Kaiyang. She narrowed her eyes and interrogated in a cold voice, ¡°You set up these rules yourself; do you want to revoke them now?¡± ¡°Rules can be changed!¡± Qi Kaiyang argued with furrowed brows, ¡°That boy deserves special consideration!¡± ¡°He¡¯s just a Fifth Energy Martial Stage brat! I can find countless warriors like him with ease!¡± Qi Kaiyang retorted, ¡°His cultivation base is moot; the other qualities he possesses are far more important...¡± Madam Butterfly narrowed her eyes and threatened, ¡°Qi Kaiyang, you are not going anywhere, and that is an order! If you get down there before the sun sets, I will dismiss you from your post with immediate effect!¡± Qi Shun tried to weigh in on the argument, ¡°Auntie...¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Madam Butterfly cut him off in a cold voice. She appeared to be speaking to Qi Kaiyang and Qi Shun, but her eyes fell upon Qin Susu as she said, ¡°I will kill anyone who dares to try and save him!¡± Qin Susu pursed her lips and didn¡¯t say anything. However, an ambiguous light suddenly shed through her eyes. ... ¡°Qi Ying must have mastered some sort of evil technique! Everyone, stay away from him, and throw things at him to crush him to death!¡± Duan Lang suddenly yelled as he stared intently at Qi Ying. No one dared to approach him anymore. Qi Ying had just shown that he was capable of killing Sun Zhixing, and he may well have beenpletely spent after that, but who would be willing to take a gamble with their lives? However, that idea suddenly enlightened everyone. ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s crush him to death!¡± Feng Hemu and Tian Shou didn¡¯t want to approach Qi Ying either. Everyone came to their senses after hearing Duan Lang¡¯s words, and they began to pull out all sorts of misceneous items from their spatial rings, including inferior quality treasured tools and weapons. Some had even picked up massive rocks from the ground, and were preparing to hurl them at Qi Ying. Whoosh whoosh! One object after another flew through the air. ¡®I¡¯m going to die here...¡¯ Qi Ying looked up into the air, but the sky was too dark and the clouds were too dense, rendering him unable to capture that figure. Tears welled up in his eyes and he began to feel a little remorseful. If he had known this would happen, he would have talked to her onest time at the Mist Willow Mountain Vi. Qi Ying closed his eyes and awaited the embrace of death. He didn¡¯t want to give up, but he simply had nothing left. Amid the darkness, Qi Ying wondered if she woulde to save him. He knew that if his identity were exposed, he would be killed by Madam Butterfly anyway... But if she could show him how much he meant to her through her actions, then he would be able to die with a smile on his face. At that moment. Thump! Thump! Thump! All types of objects fell upon Qi Ying, but a series of resounding booms erupted. Chapter 95: Smashed Head

Chapter 95: Smashed Head

Qi Ying opened his eyes upon hearing those sounds of impact. He thought that it was Qin Susu descending from above to save him, but to his surprise, that was not the case. Instead, it was ayer of silvery-white light that had appeared, creating a barrier around him. All of the weapons, rocks, and other misceneous objects that were hurled at him, all crumbled into dust upon making contact with that light barrier. ¡°This is...¡± Qi Ying murmured to himself as he looked down at his left hand. Sure enough, the light was indeed emanating from his silver glove. He had received the glove from Qin Susu three months ago, and he had always been using it as an essory to conceal his hideous left hand ever since. But who would have thought that it would be capable of summoning light that would save his life? ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡± ¡°What¡¯s that light?!¡± ¡°My god, just who is this Qi Ying?!¡± No one couldprehend what had just happened. How did that barrier of light appear out of thin air to shield Qi Ying? Could it be that he really had cultivated some evil technique, thereby allowing him to create such peculiar effects? The spectators staring at the light screens outside the hunting grounds were just as perplexed. ¡°And Earth Tier treasured tool?¡± Only Feng Hemu and Tian Shou managed to make sense of the situation. They could sense that the power emanating from Qi Ying¡¯s glove was of a higher caliber than Spiritual Energy. The tiers in descending order were ranked as Heaven, Earth, Dark, and Yellow. Spiritual Energy corresponded with the Dark Tier, so for power beyond that, the glove had to be an Earth Tier treasured tool. In the sky above, Yan Beigui was slightly taken aback as he eximed, ¡°Hmm? How does he have an Earth Tier treasured tool? He¡¯s just an Energy Martial Stage warrior from such a rural county. Isn¡¯t that glove far too valuable to be in his possession?¡± Qi Shun¡¯s expression mirrored Yan Beigui¡¯s as he mused, ¡°Even if he managed to obtain the glove by chance, how was he able to unleash its power?¡± Qi Kaiyang heaved a sigh of relief, while Madam Butterfly suddenly eximed without any context, ¡°So it really is him!¡± ¡°Hmm? Who is he?¡± Qi Shun asked. ¡°Heh.¡± Madam Butterfly didn¡¯t give a reply. Qin Susu was also facing another direction, as if she were disinterested in the conversation. ... ¡°Heh, I knew you¡¯d save me.¡± Qi Ying looked up into the sky, and even though he couldn¡¯t see her, he could sense her presence. She was right beside him, just like theyer of gentle silver light around his body. The power imbued within that barrier seemed to be very special. Not only did it ward off all of the projectiles that had been thrown at Qi Ying; a part of it was also flowing into his body. The power didn¡¯t flow into Qi Ying¡¯s meridians. Instead, it seeped into his skin, nurturing his tendons, muscles, and bones... It was like a flow of miraculous healing energy, greatly alleviating his pain, and repairing the effects of overexertion on his body. Furthermore, that silver light lit up in his bloodstream again, quickly delivering that energy to all parts of his body. On his left calf, the bite wound inflicted by the Blood Demon Wolf Battle Spirit was regenerating at a rate perceptible to the naked eye. Soon. ¡°Phew!¡± Qi Ying stood up once again after the silver light dissipated. His body had been filled to the brim with explosive power! Whoosh! Qi Ying tore off his tattered ck robes, and brilliant red light erupted from his Golden Blood Armor. It was nearing dusk, which was the ideal time to use his Purple Energy Cultivation Method. As he did so, wisps of Purple Energy began to revolve around him, enveloping his entire body in a thin purple mist. Thump! He pulled out his Dragon Tiger Demon-ying Staff and drove it into the ground. It was as if he had been given a second life, and his eyes scanned through the crowd like daggers. He gripped his staff tightly in his hands, and let loose a thunderous roar, ¡°Qi Ying is right here; who want to fight me!¡± All of the surrounding warriors flinched involuntarily, and none of them knew what to do! They had witnessed too many things that were far beyond their realms ofprehension. Just a few moments ago, the demonic Qi Ying had finally been ground down, and appeared to be on the brink of death. But since then, he had stood up once again as if he had never been injured; and if anything, he appeared to be even more powerful than he was before! ¡®This is no human! This is a monster!¡¯ Just as everyone was in a state of shock, Qi Ying focused his gaze on one person. Duan Lang! He was most likely the only Duan family survivor in the entire hunting grounds. Duan Lang was the one who had led the chase against him, and he was the main reason why Qi Ying had almost been forced to his death! Duan Lang shivered as the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He felt as if he were being scrutinized by a wild predatorial beast. He could see that Qi Ying was looking at him, and that his eyes were filled with killing intent. Whoosh! Qi Ying hoisted his staff and strode toward him. ¡°The Duan family has pushed me too far! Duan Lang, I¡¯m going to kill you!¡± Thud! Duan Lang suddenly fell to his knees before the advancing Qi Ying! He rammed his head repeatedly into the ground, as if he were trying to dig a hole with his forehead. ¡°Qi Ying! I sincerely apologize on behalf of the Duan family! We shouldn¡¯t have provoked you and disrupted your life in the Celestial River County... Please... please don¡¯t kill me! I¡¯m the only promising young warrior left in the Duan family, and they will most definitely hold me in extremely high regard! If you let me go, I can convince the Duan family to never bother you again... Our Duan family will give you whatever you want...¡± Qi Ying didn¡¯t say anything. He continued to make his way forward, closing down the distance between Duan Lang and himself from a hundred feet to ny feet, then to thirty feet and subsequently to twenty feet. When he was only ten feet away from Duan Lang, a cold light suddenly shed through thetter¡¯s eyes! ¡°Die!¡± Duan Lang roared as his True Energy surged, and he lifted up arge patch of turf. Dust and debris erupted, falling upon Qi Ying and obscuring his line of sight. ng! Duan Lang thrust forward with his silver sword, and it shed through the air like a silver shooting star. Yellow Tier Supreme Rank battle technique, Unmatched Sword Strike! That was an extremely fast and powerful attack. Duan Lang had trained arduously for many years before finally honing it to the perfected level. Within a short distance of ten feet, even a Spirit Martial Stage warrior wouldn¡¯t be able to evade it. It would be sure to prate its target¡¯s body unless they possessed an insane defensive prowess. ¡°Die!¡± Duan Langshed out with all his might, and his face was twisted with single-minded ferocity. If he could take down a monster like Qi Ying, he would earn more badges than anyone! He would enter the Yun Xiao Academy, and gain wealth, women, power... Everything would be his! However, just as those thoughts sprang into his mind, a golden staff projection suddenly appeared right in front of his eyes! Duan Lang¡¯s sword was hurtling through the air at a blinding speed, but Qi Ying was somehow able to evade it, disying speed that was simply incredible for an Energy Martial Stage warrior. At the same time, Qi Ying sent his Dragon Tiger Demon-ying Staff crashing down with unstoppable force! Thump! The staff struck Duan Lang right in the face. His head was instantly pulverized like a watermelon... Blood and intracranial fluid sttered in all directions, giving the air a pungent metallic tang... Chapter 96: Seventy-Two Badges

Chapter 96: Seventy-Two Badges

Thump! Duan Lang¡¯s headless body fell heavily to the ground. Thump! The Dragon Tiger Demon-ying Staff also continued to crash down with its original momentum, making the ground tremor with the heavy impact. Qi Ying didn¡¯t even bat an eyelid as blood and brains sttered onto him. He turned and yelled once again, ¡°Qi Ying is here; who wants to fight me?¡± No one gave a reply. Qi Ying¡¯s gaze suddenly settled on a warrior, and he pointed his staff at him before roaring, ¡°Fight me! I have forty-two badges and they¡¯ll all be yours if you beat me!¡± The warrior being challenged by Qi Ying almost sh*t himself. He stumbled back in panic, and unwittingly backed into a tree. He thought the tree was Qi Ying skirting around behind him to deal him a lethal blow, and he instantly wrapped his arms around his head, fleeing into the distance as he howled for mercy. Qi Ying pointed his staff at someone else. ¡°Do you dare to fight me?¡± ¡°Argh! No! I wouldn¡¯t dare!¡± That person also scurried away like a rat, in fear that Qi Ying would smash his head into oblivion! None of the warriors present dared to engage Qi Ying in battle anymore. The Duan family was an example of what happened to those who messed with Qi Ying. Even though he had in Sun Zhixing, no one from the Sun family dared to attack him. ¡®Fight Qi Ying? Are you sick of living?! Haven¡¯t you seen how many he¡¯s killed?!¡¯ Tian Shou harrumphed coldly and departed with a furious expression on his face. Duan Lang was dead, so there was no way he would be getting the Spirit Soul Pill that was promised to him. As such, there was no need for him to hang around any longer. After Tian Shou¡¯s departure, all of the other warriors also fled the scene. Feng Hemu was thest one left, and he scrutinized Qi Ying with a look of indignant rage. Qi Ying pointed his staff at him and challenged, ¡°What? You want to fight me?¡± He then looked up into the sky and mused, ¡°The sun is about to set; if you don¡¯t make your move now, there won¡¯t be enough time to get more badges!¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Feng Hemu didn¡¯t ept the challenge. Instead, he turned to rush out of the forest. He had already been injured in the past battle, and he really didn¡¯t want to face Qi Ying anymore. There was barely any time left, and he had to steal badges from other people... Qi Ying stood with his staff in his hand, and he tilted his head back as he chortled to the skies. He had done it! ... The sun soonpletely set below the horizon, and night fell upon the hunting grounds. The voice of Commander Wei Jianshan rang out from the voice amplification spell formation. ¡°That will be the end of the tournament!¡± All of the warriors with badges in the hunting grounds abruptly discovered that white light was shining glowing from their bodies. Those who had only one or two badges exuded very faint light, while those who were carrying close to twenty badges shone like miniature suns! In the forest, there was a particrly bright pir of light that outshone everyone else by a significant margin. The light emanating from Qi Ying¡¯s body illuminated an area with a radius of several hundred feet, making it appear as if it were bright as day! ¡®Haha! Surely no one has more badges than my seventy-two!¡¯ Qi Ying raised his Dragon Tiger Demon-ying Staff and chortled with glee! He really wanted to thank the Duan family for gifting him so many badges. His nine badges in addition to Duan Gucheng¡¯s thirty-three, and the fifteen each that he scavenged from the bodies of Duan Lang and Sun Zhixing totaled seventy-two; more than a quarter of the total number of badges! Whoosh! A figure descended beside Qi Ying. Qi Ying turned to him and immediately stowed away his staff before joining his hands in a salute. ¡°Master Qi Shun.¡± Qi Shun responded with an amiable smile, ¡°No need to be so respectful... Congrattions on securing the number one spot in the entire Celestial River County. You have won yourself the right to enter the Yun Xiao Academy.¡± ... The participants that were still alive made their way out of the hunting grounds. The top ten had finally been ascertained! Qi Kaiyang announced in a loud voice, ¡°The ten people who have been epted into the Yun Xiao Academy are: Qi Ying of the Celestial River Academy, Sun Changyu of the Celestial River County¡¯s Sun family, Tian Shou of the Celestial River County Army, An Shaoping of the Celestial River County¡¯s An family... and Feng Hemu of the Celestial River County Army! Please travel to Yun Xiao City within a month, and enrolment willmence on the day of the autumnal equinox!¡± Outside the hunting grounds, there were people congratting one another, but also nock of people who were absolutely furious. Many powers were seeking revenge for the deaths of their warriors! However, the county army and supervisors from the capital were all present, so no one dared to engage in conflict. ... ¡°Yes yes, alright, I understand, principal... I¡¯ll go to the academy tomorrow... My sess isrgely owing to the guidance from the elders and teachers... Piss off, Wang Mazi! Shoo, Li Gousheng, don¡¯t get in my way...¡± Qi Ying forced his way out of the massive crowd of people that were offering congrattions to him, and he heaved a sigh of relief. His gaze immediately fell upon a lonesome figure, and he quickly strode over to her. ¡°When did you get here, Mother Yu? Who apanied you here?¡± Xuan Yu¡¯s white dress was extremely eye-catching in the night. She didn¡¯t provide a direct answer to his question. Instead, she replied, ¡°I arrived quite a while ago. It must have been very difficult to get so many badges, right?¡± ¡°Not at all! It was easy!¡± Qi Ying chuckled as he scratched his head. At that moment, a burst ofmotion erupted from outside. ¡°Capture everyone from the Duan family!¡± Bam bam bam! The sound of physical altercations rang out. Many people were given a fright, and fled in all directions. Qi Ying hurriedly wrapped his arms around Xuan Yu, and led her away from the scene. ¡®What happened?¡¯ ¡®That was voice was quite familiar; was it Zhang Wuleng¡¯s voice?¡¯ ¡®Didn¡¯t he side with the Duan familyst time? Why is he trying to detain them now?¡¯ Just as those thoughts were running through his mind. Whoosh! Two figures descended from the sky! It was Master Thirteen and Lu Feifei, and they stood directly before Qi Ying and Xuan Yu. ¡°Master Thirteen... What¡¯s going on with the Duan family?¡± Qi Ying asked. Master Thirteen chuckled in response, ¡°Here¡¯s a present for you!¡± Thud! Master Thirteen threw a round object onto the ground. Qi Ying focused his gaze upon the object, and his eyes widened in shock. It was a human head! That heavily bearded face... It was Duan Xi¡¯s head! There was still a horrified expression etched onto his colorless face. ¡°Master Thirteen... How?¡± Qi Ying had too many questions in his heart. ¡°Haha!¡± Master Thirteen pulled out a jade gon and downed a hearty mouthful of wine before replying, ¡°Anything is possible when you¡¯re Yan Thirteen!¡± Chapter 97: I’m Not the Owner

Chapter 97: I¡¯m Not the Owner

Sun Changyu led the Sun family warriors out of the hunting grounds, and even though he had been granted entry into the Yun Xiao Academy, he still wore a dark expression on his face. He looked around and discovered the leader of the Sun family along with his entourage, upon which he immediately rushed over. ¡°Father!¡± Sun Changyu arrived before the leader of the Sun family. Thetter also wore a glum expression and nodded. ¡°I heard about what happened. Well done. At least someone from our family made it... Where¡¯s your brother Zhixing?¡± ¡°He was killed!¡± ¡°Who was it?!¡± Family Leader Sun roared, ¡°Who did it? I¡¯ll kill them!¡± Sun Zhixing was another future pir of the Sun family. Even though he was unable to make it into the Yun Xiao Academy, he was still a very important member of the Sun family. Who in the Celestial River County would dare to kill a young master of the Sun family? Sun Changyu replied with a venomous expression, ¡°It was Qi Ying! He killed my brother and everyone from the Duan family!¡± ¡°That ursed Qi... Wait, Qi Ying?¡± Family Leader Sun¡¯s expression suddenly changed upon hearing Qi Ying¡¯s name. ¡°Father, you have to avenge my brother!¡± ¡°Be quiet!¡± Family Leader Sun scolded, ¡°Do not ever speak about this matter again... If he died by Qi Ying¡¯s hands, then he deserved to die!¡± ¡°What...? But he killed my brother...¡± Sun Changyu was a little dazed. The Sun Family Leader heaved a bitter sigh. ¡°Let me tell you something; the Duan family is gone... Completely gone... Qi Ying is with Master Thirteen, and Master Thirteen is not someone we can mess with... Do not ever talk about Qi Ying again! Understood?¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± Sun Changyu waspletely stunned. ... Three hours prior. Clip clop clip clop! Over a hundred prized steeds galloped along the streets of the Celestial River County. The group wasprised of the higher-ups from the Duan, Wang, and Sun families, as well as Mayor Gu Tai¡¯s forces. All of them were elite warriors at the Fifth Energy Martial Stage or above; they were approaching the most grandiose building in the entire county, the Colosseum. ¡°Go!¡± Gu Tai issued amand, and his forces smashed open the doors of the Colosseum, which was closed for business that day. Thump! The warriors forced their way into the corridor. However, there was not a single person to be seen in the entire building, and the atmosphere was a little eerie. Gu Tai¡¯s brows furrowed as he turned to Duan Xi and said, ¡°Why is there no one here? Could it be that Yan Thirteen received news of our operation in advance and ran away?¡± Duan Xiughed heartily, ¡°That would be great! There are all types of precious beasts in this Colosseum; all of them can be confiscated!¡± The leaders and elders from the Wang and Sun families were also quite excited to hear that. All of them were there to get a share of the Colosseum¡¯s massive wealth! The three major families had set their sights on the Colosseum since a long time ago, and had always been jealous of how profitable the business was. However, Yan Thirteen was the owner, while Lu Feifei was a major shareholder, and neither of them made easy targets. But with thebined power of the three major families and Mayor Gu Tai, an opportunity had finally arisen. Thump! Thump! Thump! The warriors began to bash open the doors, only toe across one empty room after another. However, they werepletely unfazed by that and began to loot the ce. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s an entire white tiger skin! And the eyes are made from white jade!¡± ¡°An inkbrush made from the hand of a Dark Tier beast!¡± ¡°What a massive jug of Celestial River Wine!¡± The three family leaders were quite amused by what they were witnessing. The treasures in the building weren¡¯t all that noteworthy. The most valuable thing was the Colosseum itself! ¡°Let¡¯s go to the second floor!¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Gu Tai scaled the stairs along with the elders and leaders of the three families. There were pieces of calligraphy and artworks created personally by Yan Thirteen hanging on every wall. Duan Xi chuckled coldly, ¡°The idiot thinks he¡¯s an artist! We¡¯ll invite calligraphy masters from the capital to create decorative pieces for the building. Burn all of this trash!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± A ball of fire appeared on the tip of Family Leader Wang¡¯s finger, and he pointed forward, upon which the mes flew toward the nearest piece of calligraphy. Whoosh! All of a sudden, a mysterious object shed past, snuffing out the ball of fire before it could fall upon the piece of calligraphy. ¡°Hmm?!¡± Everyone immediately went on high alert. Two people rounded the corner and appeared in the corridor. Yan Thirteen stood beside Lu Feifei with a dark expression on his face. ¡°May I ask what all of you are doing here uninvited in my Colosseum? And you¡¯re trying to burn my calligraphy... Who do you think you are?!¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Duan Xi stepped forward as his eyes narrowed, ¡°We¡¯re cooperating with Mayor Gu in an investigation on your Colosseum!¡± ¡°Mayor Gu?¡± Yan Thirteen turned to Gu Tai and asked, ¡°During the thirteen years that my Colosseum has been in operation in the Celestial River County, Mayor Gu hase here countless times. What else is there for you to investigate?¡± Gu Tai stroked his beard and replied, ¡°I received reports alleging that the Colosseum is a secret base for foreign tribes. Most of the savages here are not ves, but spies instead!¡± ¡°What a joke! Do you have any evidence? And what would I stand to gain from cooperating with savages?¡± Mayor Gu narrowed his eyes. ¡°Those whoe from foreignnds cannot be trusted; who knows what kind of savages you have here? And you, Master Thirteen, also have a very strange history. None of the eight surrounding counties have records of your birth, which indicates that you could be a spy from an enemy kingdom.¡± Yan Thirteen burst intoughter, ¡°Spy? Who told you that?¡± Gu Tai continued, ¡°At the very least, no one can identify where you came from. I suspect even the major shareholder in the Colosseum, Madam Lu, doesn¡¯t know anything about your background, right?¡± Lu Feifei shook her head. ¡°Indeed I do not.¡± Family Leader Sun stepped forward and said in an indisputable voice, ¡°Come with us, Master Thirteen! The Mayor must take you into custody to conduct an investigation... In the meantime, we¡¯ll run the Colosseum in your stead!¡± ¡°And what if I refuse?¡± A mocking smile appeared on Yan Thirteen¡¯s face. ¡°Refuse? Then don¡¯t me us for taking you by force!¡± Howl! Roar! Spiritual Energy erupted from the warriors on the second floor. All of them were Spirit Martial Stage warriors, and they immediately unleashed their Battle Spirits. Duan Xi and Duan Hongxue had summoned their two ck Tigers, which had broken the roof with their massive statures. Family Leader Sun wielded a crimson sword, and Family Leader Wang was holding a green spear with mes dancing on its sharp tip... There were beast-type and weapon-type Battle Spirits present! Gu Tai was the only one who hadn¡¯t summoned his Battle Spirit. He still wore his usual amiable smile, but his eyes were shimmering with irrepressible greed and cruelty. ¡°Master Thirteen, Madam Lu, pleasee with me!¡± Whoosh! The oppressive auras of the Spirit Martial Stage warriors came crashing down upon Yan Thirteen and Lu Feifei. Thetter had no cultivation base, and waspletely unable to withstand theirbined aura. Bam! Yan Thirteen unleashed a palm to dispel the overwhelming pressure descending upon them. Gu Tai¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°You¡¯ll be sorry if you insist on resisting!¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Yan Thirteen suddenly interjected. ¡°Hmm?¡± Yan Thirteen smiled and said, ¡°What if I told you that I¡¯m not the true owner of the Colosseum?¡± Gu Tai raised an eyebrow. ¡°Who is the owner then?¡± ¡°Me!¡± A male voice was suddenly heard. Immediately afterward, an aura that was far more powerful than those of the Spirit Martial Stage warriors burst forth! Chapter 98: The Fall of the Duan Family

Chapter 98: The Fall of the Duan Family

Gu Tai, Duan Xi, Duan Hongxue, and the others were all struck by the feeling that a massive mountain had crashed down upon them. The two massive Battle Spirits shrank slightly in stature, and the weapon-type Battle Spirits wielded by Family Leaders Sun and Wang also dimmed significantly. ¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡± Everyone¡¯s expressions changed drastically. There was no one who possessed such immense power in the surrounding counties! ¡®Just who was the true owner of the Colosseum?¡¯ ¡®Could it be... that they were unfortunate enough to have actually stumbled upon a spy from an enemy kingdom?¡¯ All of them were rooted to the spot as chills ran down their spines. Finally, an extremely thin and slightly hunched-over figure appeared before everyone. Everyone¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief! Gu Tai shuddered as he eximed, ¡°Master Nine?!¡± The man who had just appeared was none other than one of the important figures, that they had seen at the Mist Willow Mountain Vi the day prior; he was Yan Nine from the Yan family of Yun Xiao City! Duan Xi, Duan Hongxue, and the other two family leaders were also astonished. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ ¡®Why is Master Yan Nine here? How is he rted to the Colosseum? And how is he rted to Yan Thirteen? Wait... Yan NINE? Yan THIRTEEN?¡¯ The simrities in the names finally led them to an abrupt realization! Yan Nine and Yan Thirteen were definitely closely rted to one another! Yan Nine strode slowly over to where everyone was. He appeared to be quite thin and frail, but his mountainous aura struck them with a sense of asphyxiation. ¡°Hehe, my little brother here may not have done many great things in his lifetime, but I can assure you that he is no foreign spy.¡± Yan Nine wore a smile on his face, but that smile somehow only made him even more menacing! ¡®Little brother?¡¯ Even if they weren¡¯t blood brothers, for him to refer to Yan Thirteen as his little brother was telling everyone all they needed to know... Gu Tai and the others were on the verge of tears. They hadpletely and utterly screwed up! Gu Tai trembled uncontrobly as he said in a panicked voice, ¡°Master Nine... I wasn¡¯t aware of your rtionship with Master Thirteen... This is all just a misunderstanding!¡± Duan Xi and the others hurriedly chimed in, ¡°That¡¯s right, it was a misunderstanding!¡± ng! A red scimitar fell to the ground. Yan Thirteen chuckled coldly, ¡°So that assassin you sent yesterday was also a misunderstanding?¡± Gasp... Cold sweat began to pour down Duan Xi¡¯s face. That was Xue Yuesha¡¯s scimitar... There was no mistaking it; he had most definitely been killed by Yan Thirteen the night before! Just as he was scrambling for an exnation. Thud thud! Two more people scaled the steps and arrived at the second floor. They were the two Spirit Martial Stage warriors that Duan Xi had invited from a neighboring county. ¡°Family Leader Duan!¡± ¡°Has the battle already begun?¡± ¡°Die, Yan Thirteen!¡± Boom! The two people were greeted by the sight of everyone with their Battle Spirits summoned, and they immediately entered the fray, sting powerful battle techniques at Yan Thirteen. ¡°Piss off!¡± Yan Nine suddenly raised a hand. All of a sudden, an invisible wall of energy appeared in mid-air. A vast burst of power kept both of the Spirit Martial Stage warriors¡¯ attacks at bay, before sending them flying! Thump! The two of them made two deep human-shaped indentations in the wall. Yan Thirteen red intently at Duan Xi as a cold smile appeared on his face. ¡°Family Leader Duan, you sure are keen to kill me!¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that! Let me exin...¡± Duan Xi wanted to invent an excuse, but Yan Thirteen cut him off, ¡°What is there to exin, after the events that unfolded at the Celestial River Academy a few days ago?¡± ¡°...¡± Duan Xi¡¯s expression darkened. He knew that there was no way he could talk himself out of that hole! At that moment, Yan Thirteen suddenly said, ¡°Brother Nine, I want to kill someone.¡± Yan Nine replied indifferently, ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡± Duan Xi let loose an explosive roar. He wasn¡¯t just going to sit around and allow himself to be killed! He activated his ck Winged Tiger Battle Spirit with all his might, and yelled in a loud voice as he charged toward Yan Nine, ¡°Everyone, attack! Those two won¡¯t be able to take on all of us!¡± However, before anyone had time to react, Yan Nine had raised his hand, and what seemed to be a length of rope appeared from thin air. The ck Winged Tiger was then instantly bound, andpletely immobilized. Whoosh! The other end of the rope also tied up Duan Xi! No matter how much he struggled, he couldn¡¯t break free. ¡°Save your energy. My Brother Nine¡¯s God Binding Rope Battle Spirit has managed to immobilize even Earth Martial Stage powerful beings...¡± Yan Thirteen sighed as he strode over to Duan Xi, ¡°Your Duan family has been far too arrogant for far too long. You¡¯re always trying to stomp everyone beneath your feet, and now, you reap what you sow; you¡¯ve finally stepped onto a nail...¡± Duan Xi finally began to beg for mercy, ¡°Master Thirteen, I was blinded by my greed! You can have any treasure you like from our Duan family!¡± ¡°Treasures? I¡¯m not interested in those... However, I really do need something from you to give to my friend.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Your head!¡± Before Duan Xi even had a chance to react, his head had already been detached from his body and was rolling around on the ground. Throughout the entire process, he didn¡¯t even know how he had been decapitated. After that. St! Duan Hongxue¡¯s head also fell to the ground. Gasp... Family Leader Sun drew a sharp breath. At the same time, he noticed that there was a barely noticeable object sitting on Yan Thirteen¡¯s palm. It was a de as thin as a cicada wing, and it most definitely wasn¡¯t a weapon; it was a Battle Spirit! He came to a sudden realization. ¡°God Binding Rope? Life Harvesting de? I remember now; you two were the prince¡¯s...¡± ¡°Keep it to yourself!¡± Yan Thirteen cut him off. Family Leader Sun immediately shut his mouth. ¡°As for the rest of you...¡± Yan Thirteen appraised Gu Tai and the two family leaders as if they were his ythings, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to end up like them, then you¡¯ll have to do something for me.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Destroy the Duan family!¡± ... ¡°Gasp...¡± Sun Changyu¡¯s eyes widened with shock upon hearing his father¡¯s recount of events. ¡°That¡¯s way too cruel! So the Duan family was destroyed just like that? And the mayor was involved as well?¡± In his eyes, the Duan family was an almighty colossus! How could they have been destroyed that easily? Furthermore, the Duan family had several hundred members; killing all of them was a heinous crime! Family Leader Sun heaved a faint sigh, ¡°In their eyes, our supposed major families are no different to underprivileged warriors... How do you think the seven major families were able to dominate the capital for over a millennium? They¡¯ve done it through being decisive and heartless. Anyone who offends them will suffer devastating consequences... Their reputation is one that is forged upon countless dead bodies!¡± Chapter 99: Surname

Chapter 99: Surname

Qi Ying had a rough grasp of what had happened after seeing Duan Xi¡¯s head. It seemed that the Duan family hadpletely fallen. Even Duan Xi was dead, so there was no way they would be able to make a resurgence. Master Thirteen appeared to be even more powerful than he had imagined! With the Duan family eliminated, there was no one he had to be wary of in the Celestial River County. At that moment, Lu Feifei strode over to them with a smile. ¡°Let¡¯s go back! I¡¯m going to bring out a jug of eighty-year-old Celestial River Wine to celebrate tonight!¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Qi Ying nodded beforetching onto Xuan Yu¡¯s hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Mother Yu!¡± It was indeed a day that was worthy of celebration. Prior to getting onto the horse-drawn carriage, Qi Ying looked around with a hopeful expression, but was quite dejected when he was unable to find the person he was looking for. However, his eyes were filled with renewed hope and happiness, when he looked down at the shiny silver glove on his left hand. ¡°I can¡¯t see you, but you¡¯re constantly protecting me... There will definitelye a day when I will be able to stand beside you!¡± ... In a quiet corner away from everyone else, Madam Butterfly and Qin Susu were standing across from one another. Thetter had her head bowed with a concerned look on her face; she clearly didn¡¯t want to look into Madam Butterfly¡¯s eyes. However, Madam Butterfly cut straight to the chase. ¡°That Qi Ying is the kid from the Nameless Mountain three months ago, right?¡± Qin Susu nodded reluctantly. She knew that Madam Butterfly had found out from the moment the barrier had erupted from that silver glove, as she was the only one who could activate the glove¡¯s ability. As such, lying would be pointless. ¡°It¡¯s just as I expected...¡± Madam Butterfly¡¯s expression abruptly cooled. Qin Susu knew how cruel and merciless Madam Butterfly was, and her heart skipped a beat upon seeing her reaction. ¡°Teacher... There¡¯s nothing between me and him. He saved my life once and I was only returning the favor... Please don¡¯t go after him...¡± Madam Butterfly contemted momentarily before replying, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll make a special exception just this once... But don¡¯t ever interact with him again... You know how your father and everyone else is. Remember that you are different from everyone else.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Qin Susu nodded as she heaved a sigh of relief. Madam Butterfly¡¯s willingness to let things slide was the best possible oue... As for anything else, she didn¡¯t dare to get her hopes up. A rtionship between them would only be possible if Qi Ying managed to get to an extremely high status in a short time... But was that really possible? At that moment, Madam Butterfly heaved a faint sigh. ¡°Every woman in the world is young at some point. I know what you¡¯re feeling. But you have to realize that all men are filthy animals! Those handsome men who are always trying to woo women through sweet-talk are unreliable... If you get too close to him, you will only hurt him and yourself!¡± ... ¡°Where did you go today, Yan Nine?¡± Qi Kaiyang saw Yan Nine at the county army base, and thetter mmed a massive jug of wine onto the table with a smile on his face. ¡°You know me; I¡¯m not into money or women, but I do love myself a good drink... I went to visit a friend of mine in the Celestial River County, and he gave me this jug of Celestial River Wine... Here, let¡¯s drink to our hearts¡¯ content...¡± However, Qi Kaiyangid a hand on Yan NIne¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Setting aside the fact that drinking is prohibited in the army base, since when did you have friends in the Celestial River County? The massive event that happened today must have had something to do with you, right?¡± ¡°Well... It¡¯s a bit of a long story.¡± Yan Nine sighed and said, ¡°The name Yan Nine is actually just a nickname. I am not actually from the Yan family, but the Yan surname was bestowed upon me as I was serving the prince. To be honest, all we did was apany the prince during his travels, and didn¡¯t really do much else... Coincidentally, I encountered one of those friends from back then in the Celestial River County.¡± ¡°He was also given the Yan surname?¡± A reminiscent light appeared in Yan Nine¡¯s eyes as he replied, ¡°Yes. Among us thirteen brothers, his cultivation base was the worst, so he was ranked number thirteen. When the prince rose to power, the capital was plunged into turmoil. The thirteen of us either died or fled during that time... Who would have thought that I would still encounter one of them after all this time!¡± ¡°That is indeed quite extraordinary.¡± Qi Kaiyang¡¯s expression softened slightly, ¡°So what happened?¡± ¡°Hmph, the Celestial River County isn¡¯t a big ce, but there sure are some ambitious hillbillies here! Some of them banded together and tried to rob my brother, so I took care of them for him. Aside from that... I also discovered something else.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°The Qi Ying that secured seventy-two badges today is the young man who saved Qin Susu on the Nameless Mountain! He is the one who killed the sixth young master of the Chu family!¡± Qi Kaiyang was slightly taken aback before pping his leg in a moment of enlightenment. ¡°No wonder! Qin Susu was looking at him with a weird expression all day long! But isn¡¯t he supposed to have no cultivation base? Only three months have passed since then... Is his cultivation aptitude that insane?! Could it be that he inherited some sort of special bloodline?¡± Qi Kaiyang saw a lot of potential in Qi Ying, and his only concern was his low cultivation base, which indicated that he had limited cultivation potential... However, progressing to the Fifth Energy Martial Stage from scratch in three months was no joke! Furthermore, hisbat prowess wasparable to that of a Spirit Martial Stage warrior; his aptitude was extraordinary! Perhaps only the best disciples in the Yun Xiao Academy could match his talent. However, Qi Kaiyang¡¯s brows then furrowed as he mused, ¡°He¡¯s going to face a lot of difficulties in the future! Setting aside whether the Qin family does anything to him, wouldn¡¯t the Chu family seek revenge on him after he arrives in Yun Xiao City?¡± ¡°That is indeed a concern... However, Thirteen told me that Qi Ying¡¯s identity is not as simple as it looks.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°He won¡¯t tell me, so how am I supposed to know?¡± Yan Nine shrugged as he poured a bowl of Celestial River Wine for himself and gulped down arge mouthful, ¡°But think about his surname...¡± ¡°Qi?¡± Qi Kaiyang¡¯s eyelid twitched, ¡°You¡¯re saying he has something to do with our Qi family?¡± Yan Nine shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not saying anything! I¡¯m only specting... Think about it; he¡¯s fifteen years of age... I trust you still remember what happened to the Qi family fifteen years ago!¡± Qi Kaiyang¡¯s expression changed as he urged in a serious voice, ¡°Please don¡¯t reveal this information to anyone else! The Qi family has only just recovered from that event, and we can¡¯t afford to have more trouble striking us now... Thank you for the reminder; I will investigate this matter in secret. If it really is as you specte, then I¡¯m not sure whether this is a good thing or a bad thing for the Qi family!¡± ¡°Haha! Looks like this trip to the Celestial River County has been a fruitful one for both of us!¡± Yan Nine raised his bowl and downed the rest of the wine within in one go. Chapter 100: Departure

Chapter 100: Departure

A piece of astonishing news circted throughout the entire Celestial River County within one night! The Duan family was no more! They were the most powerful of the four major families, and the premier power in the county. However, within half a day, all of their Energy Martial Stage warriors above thirty years of age had been killed, and their young warriors were allid off from their duties and upations. Then, they had been detained to be exiled, while all of the female family members were returned to their original families. Furthermore, all of the Duan family¡¯s shops were confiscated by the authorities. No one couldprehend how those events had transpired. The official statement issued by the mayor centered around an extensive list of thirty-seven crimesmitted by the Duan family, including tax evasion, arms trafficking, establishment of monopolies in certain industries... Each and every one of the offenses was quite serious, so the punishment handed down was justified. However... Even an idiot knew that the Duan family was above thew! The Duan family had beenmitting those crimes for many years, so why they were being addressed after such a long time? Additionally, how was the Duan family prosecuted without any trial or investigation? There were definitely some hidden circumstances involved. Leaked pieces of insider information suggested that the Colosseum was closely rted to the fall of the Duan family! As a result, everyone in the Celestial River County suddenly held Master Thirteen in much higher regard. ¡®To be able to bring down the Duan family... Just how powerful is Master Thirteen?¡¯ At the same time, another piece of news spread throughout the entire county. The vastly renowned Qi Ying slew all of the Duan family¡¯s participants during the recently-concluded youth tournament, and secured first ce with a staggering total of seventy-two badges! On top of that, there was a new legend on everyone¡¯s lips, one that detailed the events during which Qi Ying had challenged over a hundred warriors to a battle; a challenge that none of the warriors dared to ept. Master Thirteen was an extraordinary man, and Qi Ying was also an incredible young warrior! Of course, rumors inevitably began to pop up, and people spected about whether Qi Ying was actually a b*stard son Master Thirteen had birthed, prior to his arrival at the Celestial River County, as well as other conspiracy theories of that nature... There were even some who proimed that Qi Ying came from Madam Lu¡¯s family, and he had onlye to the Celestial River County to secure entry into the Yun Xiao Academy, with the least amount ofpetition possible. In any case, from that day onward, both Master Thirteen and Qi Ying had risen head and shoulders above the four major families. No, it was the three major families! The powers in the county all responded differently to that turn of events. The Sun and Wang families, as well as all of the smaller aristocratic families, all kept a low profile, trying their best not to attract any attention during such tumultuous times. As for the mayor, the only response he gave on the matter was the aforementioned statement that was issued. The only active ones were those from the An family. They were the wealthiest of the four major families, and they were busy unting that wealth by purchasing all of the Duan family-owned shops, that were being auctioned off by the mayor. An Jiahe was feeling very fortunate. He was ecstatic that he hadn¡¯t made the same decision as the Sun and Wang families. His instincts had always served him well, and on that asion, he intuitively knew that Yan Thirteen had to have some powerful backers, ones that the four so-called major families couldn¡¯t afford to mess with. At the same time, he was feeling a little disappointed. If he had trusted his gut and unconditionally pledged his allegiance to Qi Ying and the Colosseum from the beginning, the An family would have reaped far greater rewards! However, there was no use crying over spilled milk. An Jiahe put on his usual amiable smile, and purchased one shop after another, all for very low prices. All in all, he was quite happy with how things had panned out. In contrast, An Ruyi had been quite dejected and absentminded. She really wanted to see Qi Ying again. Thest time she had seen him, was when she had caught a glimpse of him from afar at the hunting grounds. She had sent people to the Colosseum and the Lu mansion to look for him, all to no avail. Master Thirteen was no longer at the Colosseum, and Madam Lu had also left the Lu mansion. Only a bunch of servants had been left behind to look after the two ces. Yan Thirteen, Lu Feifei, Qi Ying, and Xuan Yu seemed to have disappeared. ... ¡®I sure am fortunate to be able to travel with Master Thirteen and Madam Lu. If I had to travel to the capital on my own, I¡¯d have to scavenge for food or sleep on the streets on the way there...¡¯ Qi Ying sat in a horse-drawn carriage; its interior was asrge as a luxury booth, and he sighed with contentment. The supervisors from the capital were only responsible for overlooking the tournament, so they left the Celestial River County just a day following its conclusion. Those who had earned themselves spots in the Yun Xiao Academy had to find a way to get to Yun Xiao City. Qi Ying was initially quite concerned about that. He didn¡¯t know how he was going to make such a long journey with Mother Yu in apaniment. However, Master Thirteen provided a solution to him. Coincidentally, Master Thirteen¡¯s family was at Yun Xiao City, and Madam Lu also had some rtives there. Thus, the three of them decided to travel to the capital together, and visit some tourist locations along the way, so the journey wouldn¡¯t be too boring. Of course, Master Thirteen and Madam Lu handled all of the expenses for the trip; Qi Ying and Xuan Yu thus became freeloaders. Xuan Yu traveled in one carriage with Madam Lu, while Master Thirteen and Qi Ying upied another carriage. That was an ideal arrangement for Qi Ying, as it prevented Madam Lu from trying to coerce him into the same carriage as her. Chills ran down Qi Ying¡¯s spine whenever he recalled the lustful nces Madam Lu aimed at him! The horse-drawn carriages traveled quite quickly, and soon, the walls of the Celestial River County had faded into the distance. He turned to Master Thirteen and asked, ¡°Seeing as Master Thirteen¡¯s family is located in the capital, you must be quite knowledgeable about Yun Xiao City... Master Thirteen, do you know anything about the Yun Xiao Academy?¡± Qi Ying knew that the Yun Xiao Academy was a ce of education for all of the top prodigies in the kingdom, but he didn¡¯t know exactly what kind of concept that was. In other words, how was the academy different from the Celestial River Academy? Master Thirteen contemted momentarily before replying, ¡°Yun Xiao City is farrger than you can imagine! The Yun Xiao Academy is alsopletely different from the Celestial River Academy... In that academy, there are underprivileged prodigies from small cities, but also members of the seven major families, and even direct lineal descendants of the imperial family!¡± ¡°Wha... Even people from the imperial family? Doesn¡¯t that create a massive disparity in the social status of the disciples?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Your social status is very important in the Yun Xiao Academy!¡± Master Thirteen turned to Qi Ying with aplex smile on his face, ¡°Inparison, the Celestial River Academy is like a kindergarten. Thepetition there is far more fierce than in the Celestial River Academy... However, it¡¯s exactly because of this that the Yun Xiao Academy is the top academy in the kingdom... Countless alumni from the academy have gone on to aplish extraordinary things...¡± ¡°Oh...¡± Qi Ying fell into deep thought. He still couldn¡¯t imagine what kind of a colossus the Yun Xiao Academy was, but at the very least, he knew that it was a major stepping stone for him that led to greater heights. ¡®I wonder what kind of level I¡¯ll have to ascend to in order to gain acknowledgment from the Qin family...¡¯ Chapter 101: Young Master Qi Ying

Chapter 101: Young Master Qi Ying

On the vast Tian Luo Continent, there were six major kingdoms and nine major tribes. The Yun Xiao Kingdom was situated to the North of the Southern Alps, and to the West of the East Sea. Its territory stretched for a radius of tens of thousands of kilometers, and was split up into eighty-one counties. Even a Spirit Martial Stage warrior riding the fastest horse would require a few years to explore the entire kingdom. At the core of the kingdom was Yun Xiao City, the most prosperous city on the entire continent! The most powerful warriors could be found there, as well as the Yun Xiao Academy, which was home to the top young prodigies of the kingdom. It had to be said that the ancestors had left behind a massive inheritance to the current generation. The current king was a very mediocre andcent one, with no ambitions nor any urge to better the state of the country. Even so, the Yun Xiao Kingdom was still no weaker than any of the other kingdoms and tribes on the Tian Luo Continent, and that could be directly attributed to the prodigious talent that came out of the Yun Xiao Academy on a yearly basis! All of the most dazzling prodigies in the kingdom were gathered there. At the same time, prodigies were what the Yun Xiao Academycked the least of! ... Many new faces had turned up at Yun Xiao City during recent times, and the entire ce seemed to be a lot busier than usual. Even though Yun Xiao City had always been the city with the highest poption density in the entire continent, the many curious faces on the streets were quite apparent to see. Most of them were quite young, and many of them were staring at the tall andvish buildings in the city with awe and veneration. They would even stop and stare at the massive wolf steeds being ridden by people on the streets. The autumnal equinox was to arrive in three days, and it was also the day when enrolment into the Yun Xiao Academy would begin! Two horse-drawn carriages traveled along a wide street in a single-file formation ¡°Wow! The buildings here are all massive!¡± Qi Ying was uttering the same words that hade out of the mouths of countless first-time visitors to the capital. They passed by a restaurant, and it was over three hundred feet tall! There was even a thousand-feet-tall building in the distance that extended all the way up into the clouds! ¡®That¡¯s no building; it¡¯s like a mountain!¡¯ ¡°Hehe.¡± Master Thirteen was a lot moreposed and he chuckled nonchntly, ¡°The poption of Yun Xiao City had reached the tens of millions, and only such tall buildings can house so many people.¡± ¡°Such tall buildings would be difficult to climb, even for Energy Martial Stage warriors; wouldn¡¯t normal people exhaust themselves to death before reaching the top?¡± ¡°Hehe... Yun Xiao City is not some rural ce like the Celestial River County. There are spell formations everywhere, and they can all be essed using crystals. For example, if you want to get to the top floor of that restaurant we just passed by, you¡¯ll only need to get onto their Cloud Scaling Steps on the first floor, and you¡¯ll be at the top floor in less than twenty seconds.¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing!¡± Qi Ying¡¯s gaze was soon attracted by something on the street, and his eyes widened with incredulity. ¡°Holy sh*t! Is that guy riding a ck bear?¡± Out on the street, there was a brawny man riding on a ck bear that was about twice or thrice the size of a normal ck bear! The bear exuded a vast aura, and was clearly not a normal beast. At the very least, it had to be a Yellow Tier beast. Using a bear as a steed was very strange in Qi Ying¡¯s eyes, but what was even more peculiar to him, was that no one else seemed to find that to be a noteworthy spectacle... Master Thirteen was also quite unperturbed. ¡°He¡¯s only riding a Yellow Tier beast; it¡¯s nothing to be surprised about.¡± ¡°So that bear really is a Yellow Tier beast!¡± Qi Ying was taken aback by Master Thirteen¡¯s response, ¡°Won¡¯t it hurt people?¡± ¡°Beasts can be tamed to be spirit beasts that follow human instructions. It would be just like if you were to keep a pet dog. You can train a dog to not bark at people, just as how you can train a beast to be docile and obedient. However, it¡¯s much more difficult to raise a beast into a spirit beast... I was only able to set up the Colosseum at the Celestial River County, as I had experience with taming beasts from back when I was in the capital. There are also colosseums here, but they only pit beasts against one another.¡± Qi Ying nodded with a thoughtful expression. He was thinking that it would be really awesome to have a spirit beast of his own. It would preferably be something that wasn¡¯t as dumb as a bear, and much cooler to look at... Right at that moment. Whoosh! A massive shadow suddenly appeared overhead. Qi Ying looked up, and his jaw almost dropped to the ground. ¡°Whoa! That carriage is being drawn by a massive dragon...¡± In the air above, there was a huge golden winged dragon flying just below cloud level. From Qi Ying¡¯s perspective, he could only see the dragon¡¯s underbelly, wings, eyes, and a pair of ws sorge that they could pick up horse-drawn carriages with ease. That golden dragon was drawing a carriage! On the carriage was a g, upon which one could faintly make out the character ¡°Chu¡±. Master Thirteen also peered up at the dragon-drawn carriage and said, ¡°That¡¯s the Chu family¡¯s Golden Dragon Carriage. The one sitting in the carriage must be quite an important figure from the Chu family. It looks like they¡¯re on their way back to the Chu mansion from the imperial pce.¡± ¡°Master Thirteen, you know so many things!¡± ¡°Er, it¡¯s prettymon knowledge.¡± Master Thirteen chuckled with a meaningful smile, ¡°Did you hear what I said? That is a carriage that belongs to the Chu family!¡± Qi Ying was stirred upon hearing that and asked, ¡°The Chu family... Which Chu family is this?¡± ¡°Which other Chu family in the capital could I be referring to?¡± ¡°...¡± Qi Ying felt like he was going to encounter many hardships in the near future. Back when he had saved Qin Susu on the Nameless Mountain, he had killed someone! It was the first time he had ever taken a person¡¯s life! The one he had killed was Chu Kaolie, the sixth young master of the Chu family! At the time, the Qin and Yan families decided that Chu Kaolie was up to no good, and deserved to die. However, the most powerful warriors from the Chu family had already been in by the Heaven Tier at that point, so they were forced to ept the judgment delivered by the Qin and Yan families, which was why they didn¡¯t do anything to Qi Ying... However, it was almost unavoidable that he woulde into contact with members of the Chu family in the Yun Xiao Academy... ¡®Let¡¯s just take things one step at a time!¡¯ Qi Ying consoled himself. Beside him, Yan Thirteen looked out into the distance with a meaningful smile on his face. ¡®Mistress Yu Xuan... How long are you going to keep Young Master Qi Ying¡¯s identity a secret from the Qi family? I look forward to seeing the big reveal!¡¯ A sense of nostalgia welled up in Yan Thirteen¡¯s heart. He had been away for fifteen years, and upon his return, he discovered that he had really missed the ce. ... Thud! The two horse-drawn carriages made their way to arge courtyard, and Qi Ying had only just gotten out of the carriage, when he was greeted by the sight of a group of men in ck uniforms falling to their knees. ¡°Wee Master Thirteen, Young Master Qi Ying!¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Qi Ying had never received such a wee before, and he was at aplete loss for what to do. ¡®Did they just say young master?¡¯ Never did he think that a time woulde when he would be referred to as such. Chapter 102: The Cloud Steps

Chapter 102: The Cloud Steps

During the tournament, when he was being hunted down by hundreds of warriors, Qi Ying didn¡¯t hesitate in the slightest; it was either kill or be killed. However, in the face of a few servants referring to him as young master, Qi Ying was at aplete loss for what to do. Thankfully, Master Thirteen came to the rescue and waved a hand through the air as he said, ¡°Alright, go do what you need to you. And make sure to look after the two women in that carriage.¡± The servants left, and a few maids led Madam Lu and Xuan Yu to the Western courtyard, while Master Thirteen led Qi Ying to the Eastern courtyard. ¡°My old ce is in really bad condition, so I asked some people to set me up with a new one in advance... I¡¯ve umted quite a bit of wealth in the Celestial River County during the past few years; I¡¯m still nowhere near the richest ss of people here, but I can at least live afortable life... I¡¯ve set up a drill ground at the Eastern courtyard, which is where you¡¯ll be staying. I¡¯ll take you to the Yun Xiao Academy in three days.¡± Qi Ying followed Master Thirteen, and looked around in awe at the scenes around him. The courtyard had elegant pavilions, clear ponds and lush willow trees, as well as many types of beautiful small birds. It was definitely morevish than anything the four major families of the Celestial River County had... The area wasn¡¯t asrge as the mansions belonging to the four major families, but thend in the capital was worth its weight in gold! Master Thirteenid down a few more instructions, before departing after telling Qi Ying that he had a few errands to run. Thus, Qi Ying was left alone in the courtyard. He immediately stripped off his clothes and slipped off his glove, before jumping into the pond for a bath... Ssh! Ssh! Qi Ying waddled through the water, feeling as if he were back in the ponds on the Nameless Mountain. ¡®I¡¯m going to the Yun Xiao Academy in three days. I¡¯ll only have these few days left to enjoy myself!¡¯ ... Even though Qi Ying really wanted to enjoy the life of a young master, by doing something like summoning a few servants and maids over to give him a massage, he couldn¡¯t muster up the courage to do so. ¡®I¡¯m just an underprivileged kid; how did I end up bing a young master?¡¯ Even though it was an executive decision made by Master Thirteen, he was still finding it difficult to settle into his new role. However, if there was one thing that he was used to doing, then it was cultivation. Qi Ying put on a new set of clothes that he found from a cupboard in one of the rooms. It was still a simple set of ck clothes, but they were clearly of much better quality than what he was wearing before. He tested their structural integrity by exerting a bit of force to try and rip them apart, and was very satisfied to see that they still remainedpletely intact. After that, Qi Ying went to the drill grounds and began to practice his Purple Energy Cultivation Method. He had been fortifying his cultivation base for the past month, as well as recovering from the damage done to his body during the tournament. As such, he was still at the Fifth Energy Martial Stage, but he finally had a chance to try and advance further! Everyone who could enter the Yun Xiao Academy was considered to be a prodigy from their respective counties. Even the weakest among them were at the Seventh or Eighth Energy Martial Stages, and there was most likely nock of Spirit Martial Stage warriors among them as well. Those who had been attending the academy for a while had to be even more powerful, so he would be facing many Spirit Martial Stagepetitors... Inparison, his Fifth Energy Martial Stage cultivation base was a little too pitiful. From his experience at the Celestial River Academy, Qi Ying had learned that making himself appear very weak did nothing to ward off trouble! Keeping a low profile didn¡¯t necessary entail being weak. It was simply the case that the weak had no choice but to keep a low profile. What he was aiming for was for everyone to acknowledge and respect his power, without him having to constantly disy his might for all to see! Whoosh! Purple Energy began to revolve around his body. ... Yan Thirteen left the courtyard and headed to a nearby restaurant. After scaling the stairs, he pushed open the door of a booth to find Yan Nine waiting for him inside. Yan Thirteen extended a hand. ¡°Have a seat, Thirteen.¡± Yan Thirteen sat down, and Yan Nine handed him a cup of wine. ¡°This is the Dusk Cloud Wine I know you like. I requested specifically for this two-hundred-year-old jug. It¡¯s very expensive, so don¡¯t down it in one mouthful like it¡¯s water!¡± ¡°Hehe, when have I drunk wine in small sips?¡± Yan Thirteen took the cup and tilted his head back to empty it. ¡°Everything is progressing as nned. I¡¯ve already gotten Qi Ying settled in, and I¡¯m taking him to the Yun Xiao Academy in three days.¡± Yan Nine¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly. ¡°Is Qi Ying really...¡± Yan Thirteen shook his head and cut him off, ¡°You can guess, but I can¡¯t tell you anything. However, I can tell you the identity of his adopted mother...¡± Yan Thirteen suddenly fell silent before using his divine intent tomunicate. Yan Nine¡¯s eyes widened upon ¡°hearing¡± his message. ¡°She¡¯s... THAT mistress?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Yan Thirteen nodded and replied, ¡°She has changed dramatically, and I didn¡¯t even recognize her when I first saw her! I wouldn¡¯t have made the connection if it weren¡¯t for her name. She doesn¡¯t want to reveal Qi Ying¡¯s identity for now. The Qi family is still in a bit of turmoil... Don¡¯t tell anyone about this. You can reveal a little bit to the Qi family, but do not disclose too much... You know how the mistress is like if you go against her.¡± ¡°...¡± Yan Nine fell into deep thought. ¡®That mistress was no ordinary woman, and even though times had changed, she most likely still possessed immense power.¡¯ ¡®If she wants to keep things confidential, then I¡¯ll keep her secret!¡¯ ¡°Qi Ying is going to need our help... He¡¯s embroiled right at the center of the event from fifteen years ago, and if we¡¯re not careful, the entire capital could be cast into disarray because of him! As the only ones who are aware of his identity, we have to ensure Qi Ying¡¯s safety.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Yan Nine nodded with a solemn expression. ... ¡®Phew... I¡¯m close to a breakthrough. I should be able to progress to the Sixth Energy Martial Stage before enrolment day!¡¯ Qi Ying sprang into the air, and a series of pops and cracks erupted from his body. Having taken a month to consolidate his cultivation base, he could advance to his heart¡¯s content and not have to be concerned about instability in his foundation. Whoosh! Master Thirteen descended nearby. ¡°Not bad.¡± ¡°Er, you¡¯re far too kind, Master Thirteen.¡± Qi Ying scratched his head. He truly felt like he was miles behind hispetitors. The Yun Xiao Academy was filled with supremely-talented prodigies! There were many sixteen or seventeen-year-old Spirit Martial Stage warriors, and all disciples that were fifteen years of age had to be at least at the Eighth or Ninth Energy Martial Stages. He was far too weak inparison! Master Thirteen smiled and offered words of encouragement. ¡°You have great potential, and the more your cultivation base progresses, the more that potential will manifest itself. The Yun Xiao Academy will be a stage for you to shine. There are countless cultivation methods, battle techniques, and resources there. As long as you have sufficient aptitude and power, you¡¯ll be able to secure a vast amount of resources for yourself... But before that, let¡¯s prepare for the Cloud Steps Trial!¡± ¡°The Cloud Steps Trial?¡± Qi Ying faltered upon hearing that. ¡®What¡¯s that?¡¯ Chapter 103: The Black Mystical Beast

Chapter 103: The ck Mystical Beast

The Yun Xiao Academy chose several thousand disciples each year from the eighty-one counties. Even a rural county like the Celestial River County had ten entrants, and some of thergest counties were afforded as many as over a hundred spots. Furthermore, there were even more disciples selected from Yun Xiao City itself. The enormous number of disciples entailed that the Yun Xiao Academy couldn¡¯t just unconditionally grant resources to everyone. They had to establish a ranking system for their disciples! Even the Celestial River Academy did the same thing by splitting everyone into the Low, Intermediate, and High Divisions. In contrast, the Yun Xiao Academy ranked their disciples ording to theirtent potential, and split them into five sectors respectively. In ascending order, those were the Jade, Crimson, Green, Purple, and ck sses! One¡¯stent potential wasn¡¯t as clear cut as their cultivation base. It was difficult to gauge just by taking into ount a warrior¡¯s age and cultivation base. Thus, the Cloud Steps Trial was invented. Qi Ying learned many things about the trial from Master Thirteen. One¡¯stent potential was a manifestation of one¡¯s basal properties, constitution, learning ability, bloodline, and affinity with the vital energy of heaven and earth... One had to excel in many areas to be considered to be a disciple with outstanding potential. Thus, there were five segments to the Cloud Steps Trial. Each of the segments assessed one of the five aforementioned areas. In the end, one would receive an overall score that determined which sector they were assigned to. Of course, the content of the five segments was changed every year, in order to prevent disciples from being able to prepare for them in advance. Master Thirteen clearly had great confidence in Qi Ying. ¡°With your cultivation aptitude, you should be able to get into the Qing Xiao Sector at the very least. In fact, it¡¯s quite possible that you¡¯ll be able to make it into the Zi Xiao Sector... If you can enter the Ling Xiao Sector, then you will be regarded as an important prospect to the kingdom... Qi Shun, Qin Susu, Yan Beigui; all three of them are prodigies of the Ling Xiao Sector!¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll do my best!¡± Qi Ying clenched his fists. He had to disy his potential as much as possible during the Cloud Steps Trial, both for the sake of his own future development, and to inch ever closer to Qin Susu! It was time for him to show everyone what he was made of! ... Qi Ying only saw Xuan Yu again at night, following the conclusion of his cultivation for the day. Madam Lu seemed to have already departed to visit her rtives. Thus, Xuan Yu was sitting alone on the bench in the courtyard. She was still in her usual white dress, and she wore a carefree expression as she listened to the pleasant cries of the nearbyrks. She appeared to be in high spirits. ¡°Mother Yu, how are you finding the ce?¡± Qi Yingtched onto Xuan Yu¡¯s hand, which was a little cool to the touch. Xuan Yu replied with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s not bad.¡± ¡°Sigh... It¡¯s all thanks to Master Thirteen that we¡¯re able to live here...¡± Qi Ying sighed before vowing in a determined voice, ¡°Mother Yu, I¡¯m going to buy a courtyard just like this, no, even bigger than this one; one so big that it can hold everything you could ever want! I¡¯ll employ an opera troupe just for you, and you can tell them to sing whatever you want to hear! I¡¯m also going to fix your eyes and...¡± ¡°Shhh.¡± Xuan Yu ced a finger over Qi Ying¡¯s lips to cut him off. ¡°Do you think I looked after you for fifteen years just so you could buy a big house for me? That¡¯s not important to me. Besides, it¡¯s important to be content with what you have, and not constantly looking at what you don¡¯t have. You have to stay grounded, do you understand?¡± Qi Ying nodded and replied, ¡°I do. I¡¯m going to cultivate hard, and achieve a good result in the trial three days from now!¡± ... After progressing to the Fifth Energy Martial Stage, Qi Ying had reached thetter half of his Purple Energy Cultivation Method. That one month of consolidation had given him an extremely resolute cultivation foundation! The integrity of his physical body, the density of his True Energy, and the suppleness of his meridians was not inferior to many Ninth Energy Martial Stage warriors. As such, his cultivation began to progress very smoothly. However, cultivation was a journey that became more difficult the more he advanced. The higher his cultivation base became, the more difficult future breakthroughs would be. Even though Qi Ying had been cultivating conscientiously in the past few days, and had taken many Energy st Pills as well as Energy Breakthrough Pills, he was still unable to progress to the Sixth Energy Martial Stage on the day of the trial. He only managed to barely make it to the pinnacle of the Fifth Energy Martial Stage. ¡°Let¡¯s go; I¡¯m taking you to the Yun Xiao Academy!¡± That morning, Master Thirteen led a peculiar-looking beast to Qi Ying. It looked like a ck falcon, but it had the body of a dragon, and it was evenrger than a rhinoceros. Every breath it took seemed to be able to stir up gusts of wind. ¡°What beast is this? It¡¯s got such a powerful aura!¡± Qi Ying could sense that the beast standing before him was at least at the Yellow Tier Seventh Rank. Master Thirteen patted beast and replies, ¡°This is the ck Mystical Beast, Little ck.¡± ¡°This is the Colosseum¡¯s ck Mystical Beast?¡± Qi Ying¡¯s eyes widened in shock. The Celestial River Colosseum had a Dark Tier beast that was also its most precious beast. Who would have thought that Master Thirteen would have brought it to the capital? ¡°That¡¯s right. Little ck is known as a colosseum beast, but it¡¯s actually my spirit beast.¡± The Dark Tier rubbed its head against Master Thirteen¡¯s shoulder, and a soft expression appeared on its ghastly face. It suddenly didn¡¯t look like a Dark Tier beast; instead, it resembled a docile little kitten. ¡°Climb on! We can get to the trial grounds early if we ride Little ck!¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Qi Ying climbed onto the ck Mystical Beast¡¯s back. The beast spread open its wings, disying its wingspan of several dozens of feet, and it rose into the air before flying away from the courtyard. Qi Ying yelled down at Xuan Yu, ¡°I¡¯m going now, Mother Yu! I¡¯ll be sure to bring back good news!¡± Xuan Yu waved at him from down below. Xuan Yu¡¯s expression suddenly turned into one of concern following Qi Ying¡¯s departure, and she heaved a faint sigh, ¡°I wonder what your potential will be gauged as ording to the Yun Xiao Academy¡¯s trial... You have to stay grounded no matter what the result turns out to be...¡± ... The Yun Xiao Academy was situated in a special location in Yun Xiao City. It was close to the imperial pce, and was constructed next to five mountains. The five mountains were named Yu Xiao, Chi Xiao, Qing Xiao, Zi Xiao, and Ling Xiao. Each and every one of them was extremely tall, and extended all the way up into the clouds. There were also many buildings along the mountains, which were used as ssrooms for academy disciples and elders. In front of the five mountains was a massive za with a radius of several kilometers. The za had a capacity of over a hundred thousand people, and there was an importantndmark constructed upon it; the Cloud Stairs! Chapter 104: Five Colors

Chapter 104: Five Colors

The Cloud Stairs were like the half of a huge overpass. The staircase was over a thousand feet wide, and it was said that there were a total of eighteen thousand steps on it. The Cloud Steps began at the center of the za, and its highest point was connected to a vast tform, which hovered in the sky through the effects of a spell formation. It was known as the Cloud Scaling tform, and it was linked to the peaks of the five mountains via floating passageways, creating a truly spectacr sight to behold. There were many people flying around in the air atop beasts, as well as some Spirit Martial Stage warriors who took to the skies before descending onto the za, one after the other. There were a lot of people on the za; some of them were just there to spectate, but there was a group of young people who were waiting in a special area. ¡®The queue looks quite long...¡¯ Feng Hemu stood within the crowd in his chainmail armor, and looked up with a slightly dazed expression into the clouds. He had finally made it to the capital after much difficulty, and had since reunited with a few acquaintances. ¡°Brother Tian, it looks like pretty much everyone from the Celestial River County is here.¡± Feng Hemu turned to Tian Shou and said. ¡°Indeed. I was staying at the same inn as Sun Changyu of the Sun family on the way here, so he should arrive soon as well... In addition to the eight people we have here, that makes nine.¡± ¡°Which means we¡¯re only missing...¡± The eight people present looked at one another, and nothing more needed to be said. The only one missing was Qi Ying. No one had heard any information about Qi Ying for an entire month. They were all from the same county with no one to rely on in the capital, so it was always nice to have morepanions. Furthermore, even though all of them hadpeted with one another during the youth tournament, they didn¡¯t actually hold any personal grudge toward Qi Ying. In the Yun Xiao Academy, aptitude was paramount, and cultivation base came second. All of them knew that Qi Ying was going to ascend to far greater heights than them in the future. After seeing some of the other Yun Xiao Academy disciples, they felt like it would be difficult for them to even make it into the Crimson ss. The upper limit of their cultivation base would probably cap off at around the Third Spirit Martial Stage, which ced them in the dead-bottom Jade ss. If they could establish closer rtions with a prodigy like Qi Ying, it would be greatly beneficial to them in the future! They were thinking that with Qi Ying¡¯s aptitude, he would at least be able to make it into the Crimson ss. If he could get into the Green ss, then that would give them even more reason to try and get closer to him! Even though banding together for strength in numbers wasn¡¯t as morous as running solo, it was necessary for survival in harsh environments! Inparison to the other prodigies, they were simply far too pitiful! At that moment, An Shaoping suddenly said, ¡°Look, Sun Changyu is here!¡± Their group immediately strode over to Sun Changyu¡¯s horse-drawn carriage, and they gathered to make some small talk. All of a sudden, one of them noticed something in the sky and eximed, ¡°Isn¡¯t that the the ck Mystical Beast from our Celestial River County Colosseum? I¡¯ve seen it once before!¡± Everyone looked up to find a griffin-like beast descending from the sky,nding not too far away from them. Two people jumped down from the ck Mystical Beast, and one of them immediately drew their attention. tion appeared in their eyes upon seeing him. It was Qi Ying! ... ¡°Go on, I¡¯ll wait for you at the za.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Qi Ying bade farewell to Master Thirteen, and made his way over to the waiting area designated for disciples. However, he only took a few steps before suddenly being surrounded by a bunch of people. ¡°Young Master Qi, you¡¯re finally here!¡± ¡°Young Master Qi, we¡¯ve been waiting for you for a long time... You rode the ck Mystical Beast here, right? That¡¯s so badass!¡± ¡°Of course! Young Master Qi is not inferior to any of the prodigies in the capital, so he naturally deserves the best steed!¡± ¡°Er...¡± Qi Ying looked at the people around him with a dumbstruck expression. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Those were all people who were trying to kill him a month ago, but they had all suddenly be very enthusiastic toward him, as if they were old friends who had finally been reunited. Thest time that he saw them, they were still trying to hunt him down for his badges... So what could have resulted in their drastic change in attitude toward him? Little did Qi Ying know that among all of the rumors about him circting in the Celestial River County, the mostmonly-epted one was that he was Master Thirteen¡¯s b*stard child, while Master Thirteen hailed from one of the seven major families, the Yan family! In the Yun Xiao Kingdom, anyone who could draw any connection between themselves and one of the seven major families¡ªeven if they were merely servants there¡ªwould be different from normal people. Thus, everyone saw Qi Ying in a different light. Even Sun Changyu seemed to have forgotten that Qi Ying was the one who had killed Sun Zhixing. In fact, he was disying more enthusiasm toward Qi Ying than anyone else, as if he were afraid that thetter would hold a grudge against him. ¡°Come with us, Young Master Qi, the Cloud Steps Trial is going tomence in half an hour! We¡¯ll take you to register first!¡± Qi Ying was feeling extremely ufortable from the special treatment he was receiving, but he still allowed himself to be led to the registration venue. After filling out some simple forms, he received a green jade badge, upon which one side was inscribed with his name, while the other was divided into five even segments. One of the people from the Celestial River County¡ªwhom Qi Ying didn¡¯t even know the name ofunched into an eager exnation, ¡°Young Master Qi, the five segments on the badge represents the five sections of the trial. After passing through each section, the corresponding segment on the badge will change color. There are five colors; white represented the lowest aptitude, and after that in ascending orderes red, green, purple, and ck! After the trial, we¡¯ll be split up into different sses based on the colors on our badges!¡± Qi Ying nodded and asked, ¡°Oh... so what do the colors have to do with the sses?¡± ¡°Ahem...¡± Feng Hemu cut off the person who had made the initial introduction, and continued in his stead, ¡°Young Master Qi, white, red, green, purple, and ck are all representative colors! If all three or more of the segments end up being white, then that person would definitely be assigned to the Jade ss. If it¡¯s two whites and three reds, then it¡¯s possible to get into the Crimson ss, while two whites, two reds, and a green will guarantee a spot in the Crimson ss... Simrly, two greens and three reds gives one a very high chance of entering the Green ss... In any case, the darker the color of the segments, the better!¡± ¡°I get it now.¡± ¡®As expected of the academy where all of the top prodigies in the kingdom gather. The five trials can determine one¡¯s aptitude in different areas, thereby determining the upper limit on their future progression. On top of that, the academy can also then tailor curriculums to fit different disciples based on their talents, thus resulting in a more efficient distribution of cultivation resources.¡¯ ¡®In terms of aptitude, I have a special bloodline, and Master Thirteen says my basal properties are quite exceptional. I also have outstanding affinity toward vital energy of heaven and earth... so I should be able to get into the Green ss at least!¡¯ No matter how he thought about it, he was well set to enter a very high-level ss! Qi Ying gripped his jade badge tightly in his hand, and his eyes shimmered with excitement as he said to everyone, ¡°Let¡¯s all go together! I can already see some people on the Cloud Steps!¡± Chapter 105: Basal Properties

Chapter 105: Basal Properties

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Several dozens of unfathomably powerful warriors rose atop flying beasts, patrolling the Cloud Steps from up above. They were instructors of the Yun Xiao Academy, who were responsible for supervising the progression of the trial, as well as for running further tests on more controversial disciples. After all, some disciples had extremely skewed talents; if an extreme situation urred where a disciple had both ck and white segments on their badge, then further testing would be required to ascertain which ss they should be assigned to. Qi Ying saw a familiar figure among those instructors. ¡®Madam Butterfly? So she¡¯s a Yun Xiao Academy instructor...¡¯ Qi Ying was certainly not a fan of Madam Butterfly. Coincidentally, she was looking down just as he was looking up, and their eyes met, upon which he immediately turned to face another direction. He didn¡¯t want to look at her any longer. The sight of the haughty expression that seemed to be perpetually etched onto her face, always managed to set his blood boiling. Among the nearby spectators, a considerable proportion of them were Yun Xiao Academy disciples. They were all quite interested to see their underssmen taking on the Cloud Steps Trial. Qi Ying cast his gaze around, but couldn¡¯t find the person that he was looking for. Instead, he discovered that Qi Shun and Yan Beigui were in the crowd, amid a group of Yun Xiao Academy disciples. Both of them wore eye-catching ck and golden robes, separating them from everyone around them. All of the academy disciples wore five primary colors. Even though the styles were all different, the discrepancy between white, red, green, purple, and ck was quite apparent. ¡®So, disciples from different sses have to wear different clothes.¡¯ Qi Ying¡¯s brows furrowed slightly as he thought to himself. That was like writing your aptitude on your face; wasn¡¯t it a little too clear-cut? He could see that all of the disciples in white clothes wore dejected expressions, and some of them were walking briskly with their backs hunched, as if they didn¡¯t even dare to look at anyone else. Overall, among the Yun Xiao Academy disciples present¡ªof which there were over a thousand¡ªthe majority of them wore red and white. There were significantly less of them in green, and barely any in purple or ck. At that moment, a voice sounded from the spell formations on the za, ¡°The Cloud Steps Trialmences now!¡± All of the disciples who were waiting in front of the Cloud Steps immediately rushed forward! ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Qi Ying led his group of ten, and all of them quickly rushed toward the massive staircase. Qi Ying could sense that the environment on the Cloud Steps was different from that on the za. The trial had begun as soon as he had set foot on the first step. ¡°Our cultivation bases have been sealed!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t use any True Energy!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t use my Spiritual Energy either!¡± The people on the Cloud Steps quickly came to the realization, that their True Energy and Spiritual Energy seemed to have been restricted. Aside from that, everyone could also sense that another type of special forcefield was acting upon them. A falcon-riding instructor flew through the air overhead and announced, ¡°The first section isprised of the first three thousand steps. It is designed to test your basal properties. In other words, it will test your performance after you are stripped of your cultivation base! The level of ease at which you scale those steps will be determined by your basal properties. After scaling the first three thousand steps, a color will appear in the first segment of your jade badges.¡± ¡®I see...¡¯ Qi Ying quickly scaled the steps one after another. It was only climbing stairs, so theoretically, it should not have been a difficult task for Energy Martial Stage and Spirit Martial Stage warriors, even with their cultivation bases sealed away. However, it was an extremely difficult task for those with mediocre aptitude! Qi Ying strode alongside the other nine people from the Celestial River County. Among such arge group of disciples, the ten of them were but a mere drop in the ocean. Whoosh whoosh! Just as the ten of them were ascending up the steps, a figure suddenly shed past them, and was practically flying up the staircase. Tian Shou eximed with wide eyes, ¡°That guy is so fast! Even walking at this pace is not easy for me, how can he run like that?¡± At that moment, a disciple who was jogging up the steps aimed a disdainful nce at Tian Shou. ¡°Heh, don¡¯t you recognize our young master?¡± ¡°Who is he?¡± ¡°He is the young master of our Zhao family!¡± The disciple seemed to be very proud as he made that promation, before picking up more speed and leaving them behind. ¡°F*ck! Even a servant is looking down on me!¡± Tian Shou clenched his fists with a furious expression. He was a young army official back in the Celestial River County, and no one dared to treat him with such disdain, especially not some family servant! An Shaoping sighed, ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, Brother Tian. Even the servants from the seven major families areparable in status to the leaders of our four major families. Hence, it¡¯s inevitable that our base properties are inferior to his. That Young Master Zhao most likely has purple or even ck aptitude, and even that servant is probably at the red or green level. We can¡¯tpete with them.¡± Sun Changyu was panting a little as he chimed in, ¡°That¡¯s true. My footsteps feel really heavy, and I can barely walk, let alone run...¡± However, Feng Hemu was not in the same boat. ¡°I feel like I can still run.¡± He quickened his pace as he spoke, and began to takerge strides as he scaled the steps. After taking about a dozen or so of thoserge experimental steps, he began to jog. Everyone else was a little stunned, and one of them said, ¡°Phew... It looks like Brother Feng has at least red level aptitude in his basal properties! Those of us who can¡¯t even jog are probably only at the white level...¡± Everyone wore dejected expressions, but it was only to be expected. The more exceptional one¡¯s basal properties were, the less they would be affected by the forcefield, which would allow them to progress up the steps more quickly. ¡°...¡± In contrast with everyone¡¯s resigned eptance, Qi Ying¡¯s expression was a little indignant. He could clearly sense that his entire body was basically unaffected by the forcefield, thus indicating that his aptitude was at the purple or even ck level. However, there was one part of his body that was weighing him down like a lead ball. It was his left hand! The bottom half of his left arm felt so heavy from the effects of the forcefield, that Qi Ying¡¯s left shoulder was starting to ache. If he wanted to elerate and run up the steps, then he would most likely sustain a shoulder injury. It was as if he were carrying a bucket of water while climbing a mountain. ¡®I wonder if this will affect the result of my trial...¡¯ An ominous feeling was already emerging in Qi Ying¡¯s heart. However, he couldn¡¯t do anything aside from continuing to scale the steps in a slow and steady manner. Three thousand steps weren¡¯t all that many, and it took him less than half an hour toplete the quota. After Qi Ying¡¯s group of nine finished climbing the three thousand steps, they arrived at a rtivelyrge tform. ¡°Haha! You¡¯re finally here!¡± Feng Hemu seemed to have been waiting for quite a while, and he showed everyone the badge in his hand, ¡°Looks like my basal properties ain¡¯t bad! I got red!¡± Chapter 106: Han Xue

Chapter 106: Han Xue

Feng Hemu chortled with glee, clearly very happy with that result. After all, almost half of the disciples only had a white basal aptitude. People from small counties like them wouldn¡¯t have had ess to good pills, nor appropriate cultivation methods, thereby resulting in their basal properties being damaged, thus lowering their aptitude. ¡°Aw, mine is white.¡± ¡°Me too.¡± Only Feng Hemu and a young man from the Wang family achieved the red level. Aside from them, everyone else from the Celestial River County got white. ¡°What about you, Young Master Qi?¡± Everyone turned their attention to Qi Ying. ¡°White.¡± Qi Ying showed everyone his badge with a numb expression. ¡°Er...¡± Everyone faltered upon seeing that. White was a very normal result for them, but Qi Ying had put on such an exceptional performance at the hunting grounds, why did he also get the same result? How could someone with mediocre basal properties cultivate his battle techniques to such a high level of mastery? A white was a major roadblock. If he ended up with two greens, two reds, and a white, then he would only be able to get into the Crimson ss. However, no one was overly concerned. Perhaps Qi Ying¡¯s talentsid in other areas! Even if Qi Ying could only make it into the Crimson ss, he would still be someone for all of them to look up to! ¡°Let¡¯s climb the next three thousand steps!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Whoosh! Whoosh! The ten of them quickly resumed their journey up the staircase. Qi Ying was in a very sour mood. With one white on his resume, even if he secured ck in all of the other four segments, he most likely wouldn¡¯t make it into the ck ss. However, he still had to forge ahead! At the very least, Qi Ying knew that the result he received wasn¡¯t actually due to ack of aptitude. Instead, it was due to a w in the marking criteria, which allowed his left hand to drag down his overall score. For example, Qi Ying saw a disciple easily jog up the three thousand steps earlier, but he only received a white result as well. That was due to the fact that two of his fingers had been severed earlier in life, resulting in an iplete body, therefore lowering his score. Even though he clearly possessed well above average basal properties, the facies in the trial itself hampered his results. The second set of three thousand steps tested one¡¯s ability to manipte True Energy or Spiritual Energy. In that section, all disciples had full ess to their cultivation base, but there were manyplex forcefields. For every step one scaled, the obstructive forces changed, thereby necessitating maniption of True Energy or Spiritual Energy to help one maintain bnce. ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°Gasp...¡± ¡°Ow!¡± Many people were caught off guard by those changes, and fell over onto the steps. Feng Hemu was used to running after the first section, and he tried to replicate that speed, only to fall face-first after scaling only ten steps. ¡°Slow down! Control your Spiritual Energy to bnce yourself!¡± Tian Shou urged with furrowed brows. ¡°Sigh, I¡¯ve already tried that... Looks like my aptitude in Spiritual Energy maniption iscking...¡± Feng Hemu heaved a forlorn sigh. At that moment, Sun Changyu suddenly eximed, ¡°Look at Qi Ying!¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Everyone looked up and their mouths instantly gaped open. They were greeted by the sight of Qi Ying sprinting like the wind, scaling five or six steps with every stride he took! Gasp... All of them drew a sharp breath in unison. What insane True Energy maniption ability did it require to maintain such astonishing speed? Not only were the nine people from the Celestial River County astonished, all of the disciples in the second section were staring nkly at the figure racing up the steps. He was definitely disying ck aptitude! At that moment, a peal ofughter escaped from the lips of a female disciple, ¡°What an interesting guy! Let¡¯s see who will get to the top first!¡± Whoosh! Everyone felt a fiery red blur sh before their eyes, as that female disciple also began to pick up speed. A bunch of disciples began to discuss among themselves. ¡°That¡¯s the young mistress of the Han family; she¡¯s only fourteen this year!¡± ¡°Among the new disciples, there are members of direct lineal descent from the Han, Zhao, AND Wei families. Looks like the Purple and ck sses are going to have some new entrants!¡± Whoosh whoosh! A few more figures began to make their charge. They weren¡¯t as fast as the two in the lead, but their speed was still quite extraordinary. Feng Hemu and everyone else exchanged resigned nces. However, at the same time, they became even more convinced that appeasing Qi Ying was the right way to go! He clearly had ck aptitude in True Energy maniption, so his affinity with the vital energy of heaven and earth had to be quite outstanding too. If the aptitude of his bloodline and his learning ability could also match those areas, then he should be able to make it into the Green ss even with a white basal properties aptitude! ... After arriving at the second tform, Qi Ying quickly pulled out his jade badge, and his eyes immediately lit up! Sure enough, the second segment was indeed ck! p! Someone suddenly pped him on the shoulder. Qi Ying turned to discover a young woman in a vibrant red dress. She appeared to be about thirteen or fourteen years of age, with soft and fair skin. She had a slightly chubby babyface, but she was quite pleasant to look at. ¡°You are...¡± Qi Ying didn¡¯t recognize her. ¡°Eh? I don¡¯t know you...¡± The young woman was also quite surprised, ¡°I saw you running really quickly up the steps, so I thought you had to be a big brother from the Wei or the Zhao families... What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Me...? I¡¯m Qi Ying. And you are?¡± Qi Ying was quite curious about her identity. She was very young, but her cultivation base was already at the Ninth Energy Martial Stage. She was sure to be an extremely powerful warrior in the future. ¡°Huh? You don¡¯t know me? My name is Han Xue.¡± ¡°Xue as in snow?1¡° The young woman stuck out her tongue. ¡°It¡¯s Xue as in blood. You¡¯re so dumb! Which branch of the Qi family are you from?¡± ¡°Qi family? I¡¯m not part of the Qi family¡± ¡°If you¡¯re not part of the Qi family, why is your surname Qi?¡± ¡°...¡± Qi Ying was at a loss for words. ¡°I can¡¯t have Qi as a surname unless I¡¯m part of the Qi family? Wait, are you the young mistress of the Han family?¡± Qi Ying¡¯s expression suddenly changed, and he subconsciously took a couple of steps backward, thereby opening up some distance between the two of them. The Han family was also one of the seven major families. If she was a young mistress from that family, then it was best for him to stay away from her! ¡°That¡¯s right. So you¡¯re not from the Qi family... Oh well, let¡¯s go to the third section!¡± Han Xue was quite amused by Qi Ying¡¯s disy of caution. She had been forced to stay at home for a long time in preparation for the Cloud Steps Trial. As such, she was quite ted to be able to meet such an interesting and handsome guy. Thus, she grabbed onto his hand, just like she normally did with the family guards she often yed around with at home, and led him toward the third set of three thousand steps. ¡°What are you do....¡± Qi Ying didn¡¯t get a chance to voice his objections before he set foot upon the six thousand and first step. Whoosh! He only made it up to three steps before his footsteps faltered, and he half-knelt to the ground. In Chinese, both snow and blood are pronounced as ¡°Xue¡±. ? Chapter 107: Bloodline Aptitude

Chapter 107: Bloodline Aptitude

The third section tested one¡¯s affinity with the vital energy of heaven and earth! The forcefields in that section affected warriors differently, ording to the permeability of their bodies. The greater affinity one had with the vital energy of heaven and earth, the closer their body was to the essence of heaven and earth. Greater permeability allowed the absorption of vital energy of heaven and earth, while exerting as little influence on their environment as possible, which in turn made them less affected by the force fields. Whoosh! Qi Ying was dragged onto the steps by Han Xue, but he only progressed a few steps before toppling over. ¡°Ah! What happened to you?¡± Han Xue had clearly been given a fright. ¡°Nothing... I can¡¯t match your speed... You should go on without me!¡± Qi Ying struggled to his feet as he said through gritted teeth. ¡°No, you must have fallen over because I pulled you off-bnce. Let¡¯s go up together.¡± Han Xue insisted on towing Qi Ying up with her, ¡°Huh? You¡¯re so heavy...¡± ¡°It¡¯s because my aptitude is mediocre, so I¡¯m being more severely affected by the forcefields. You should go on ahead by yourself.¡± Han Xue red at him and pouted. ¡°I¡¯ve read a lot of books, so don¡¯t try to fool me! Warriors with exceptional True Energy maniption skills, must also have great affinity with the vital energy of heaven and earth! Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t make sense... Eh? You¡¯re only at the Fifth Energy Martial Stage? What...¡± ¡°I¡¯m not from a major family like you; I only have decent aptitude in one section, so of course I¡¯m struggling now that we¡¯re at the third section.¡± Qi Ying took a deep breath and repeated, ¡°I can¡¯t match your speed. You should go ahead.¡± ¡°So what if you can¡¯t match my speed? We can still go together! Speed doesn¡¯t affect the final result.¡± Han Xue pursed her lips and stubbornly walked alongside Qi Ying. ¡°Hey, Qi... Qi Ying, right? Qi Ying, where are you from?¡± ¡°The Celestial River County?¡± ¡°Where¡¯s that?¡± ¡°In the Northwestern region of the kingdom.¡± ¡°Is it a fun ce?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Are there Cloud Scaling Steps? I love those things!¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Is there anything good to eat there? Our family chef cooks a really good fried dragon liver!¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Hmm? Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡± Han Xue turned to discover that Qi Ying was drenched in sweat, and taking each step seemed to require a lot of effort. It wasn¡¯t that he was ignoring Han Xue; it was simply the case that speaking was too difficult for him! His affinity with heaven and earth was actually quite outstanding, as highlighted by his ability to guide vital energy into his body on his first try. Thus, he possessed at least ck aptitude in that aspect, and it should have been a stronger area for him than his basal properties and True Energy maniption. However, his left hand was holding him back again! Qi Ying was seriously contemting cutting the damn thing off! Even when he wasn¡¯t using his cultivation method, his left hand absorbed a lot of the vital energy of heaven and earth that his body absorbed. As a result, the effect of the forcefields was weighing down particrly heavily upon him. He took a longer time toplete the third section than the first! Halfway through the third section, Feng Hemu, Sun Changyu, and the others caught up to Qi Ying and Han Xue. All of them were initially quite surprised by the difficulty that Qi Ying was having, before their attention was drawn to Han Xue. ¡°I just met her not long ago.¡± Qi Ying replied indifferently to everyone¡¯s questions. He had to muster up almost all of his strength to utter that sentence. The third section was extremely arduous, and he was almost unable toplete it, but he finally made it to the end! Some of the disciples with mediocre aptitude in all areas, wouldn¡¯t even be able toplete all five sections within the allotted time limit. Never would Qi Ying have thought that his left hand would weigh so heavily upon him. ¡°White again!¡± The result was exactly what Qi Ying had expected, and he had two whites and a ck on his jade badge. Among the nine people from the Celestial River County, eight of them had at least one red on their badges. In particr, both the second and third segments of Sun Changyu¡¯s badge were red. ¡°Your colors are all so light!¡± Han Xue showed them her badge, which had three ck segments! ¡°F*ck!¡± ¡°Holy sh*t!¡± Feng Hemu and the others were bbergasted. Qi Ying only had one ck segment and they were already mbering to earn his favor... Who would have thought that the adorable little girl standing before them would have three? And she had onlypleted three sections! At that moment, Han Xue suddenly caught sight of someone. ¡°Oh! It¡¯s the big sister from the Wei family... It was nice meeting you, Qi Ying, I¡¯m off now!¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Qi Ying nodded nonchntly. He was more than happy to be rid of noble young mistresses like Han Xue. An Shaoping asked, ¡°Who is she, Young Master Qi?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. She suddenly came up and started talking to me.¡± Qi Ying replied. ... The fourth section came next! That section tested one¡¯s learning ability. In contrast to the previous sections, the fourth section gave everyone a choice. There was a battle technique recorded every five hundred steps, and warriors had to reach the elementary level on one of them as quickly as possible, before they could ascend the steps. In order to ensure fairness and to save time, those battle techniques were brand new ones created by the masters of the academy the day prior. All of them were at the Yellow Tier Low Rank, and they epassed all areas. At the first stone que. ¡°Eighteen Cloud Palms...¡± Qi Ying quickly scanned through the battle technique, before circting his True Energy ording to the information provided. Several minutester. Whoosh! Qi Ying charged onto the nine thousand second step. ¡°Holy sh*t, that was fast!¡± Feng Hemu and the others were astonished. Even though it was only a Yellow Tier Low-Rank battle technique, there were still several dozens of True Energy cirction modules that had to be mastered! How had he done it so quickly? However, there were even faster disciples before him. Some only looked at the first stone que for ten seconds before striding away. Qi Ying was pretty satisfied with his performance during that section. After all, his talent had been praised by the battle techniques master, Lu You, and without his left hand weighing him down, it was only expected that he would do quite well. After reaching the fourth tform, Qi Ying looked down at his jade badge. ¡°Green?¡± Qi Ying¡¯s brows furrowed slightly before he came to terms with that result. His learning ability was only considered to be quite good whenpared to normal warriors. His insane rate of progression in battle techniques could mainly be attributed to his talent in True Energy maniption, but his learning ability was quite ordinary inparison. ¡°Phew... Next is the fifth section... The bloodline aptitude section...¡± Qi Ying¡¯s eyes fell upon the final set of three thousand steps. It was the final section. The results he had achieved thus far weren¡¯t all that great. One ck, one green, and two whites; ck ss was definitely out of reach. If his bloodline aptitude wasn¡¯t ck, then he probably wouldn¡¯t even be able to make it into the Purple ss. ¡®Just focus on the task at hand!¡¯ Qi Ying reminded himself internally before striding onto the twelve thousand and first step. Merry Christmas Eve everyone!!!???????? Chapter 108: Grey Aptitude

Chapter 108: Grey Aptitude

Qi Ying knew that his bloodline was definitely quite special, but he didn¡¯t know what caliber it was. Everyone had a set bloodline aptitude, and only after awakening one¡¯s Battle Spirit would that aptitude begin to manifest itself. As such, it was quite difficult for warriors of the Energy Martial Stages to gauge their bloodline potential. To Spirit Martial Stage warriors, bloodline aptitude was very important, as it would affect their rate of progression in cultivation and decide the quality of their Battle Spirit. ording to Master Thirteen, bloodline aptitude was the most important of the five areas tested! The other areas could all be enhanced through various methods, but one¡¯s bloodline aptitude was set in stone. Compared to the previous sections, the fifth one was a lot easier for everyone. No matter how terrible their aptitude was, no forcefields would act upon them. They only had to slice open a finger, and shed a drop of blood onto their badge. After that, they would be allowed to scale the final three thousand steps. There were already many people standing on the fifth tform, all of whom had finished their trials and were awaiting further instructions. There were a few elderly warriors in long flowing robes standing in mid-air. They were clearly some of the veteran elders of the academy. ¡°In the past, our academy had always enrolled new disciples by taking in young warriors with nomination letters. This is the first time in several decades that we¡¯ve held tournaments across the entire kingdom in order to pick disciples. Looks like there are quite a few bright prospects among them!¡± ¡°Indeed. Most of them had only gotten to this point after enduring many trials and tribtions. There are almost no disciples with five whites, and even the worst ones have at least one or two reds.¡± The elders were all quite pleased. The vast majority of disciples with five whites were destined to never be able to reach the Spirit Martial Stage, and even in the Jade ss, they were the lowest-level disciples that were mostly relegated to doing caretaking duties around the academy. Most of them couldn¡¯t evenplete all five sections of the trial, and thus lost their hard-earned qualification spots. ¡°There are already a few disciples with five cks, and quite a few with four ck and one purple, as well as five purples... Looks like there will be many new entrances to the Purple and ck sses!¡± ¡°There may be more people who qualify for the Crimson ss than the Jade ss this year, so I think it¡¯s necessary for us to raise the bar on the qualification criteria for the Crimson ss.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, we have to ensure a bnce between the number of students in the five sses. Some of the ones who can enter the ck ss in prior years will have to be dropped down to the Purple ss, and some Purple ss ones will have to be relegated to the Green ss!¡± As they were exchanging ideas with one another, the instructors below were attending to the disciples who had alreadypleted all of their trials. One of the elders stroked his beard and sighed, ¡°I wonder if we¡¯ll have a few special disciplesing through this year... I¡¯ve been teaching the same old types of prodigies year after year, and it¡¯s getting very boring!¡± ... When Qi Ying finally reached the fifth tform, he waspletely rooted to the spot. He stared at the badge in his hand and was at a loss for what to do. ¡®What the hell?¡¯ The color of the fifth segment hadpletely stumped him. It was neither ck, white, red, green or purple; instead, it was grey! ¡®Grey?¡¯ ¡®Is this a joke?¡¯ That color didn¡¯t even exist as far as the trials were concerned! ¡®What is grey supposed to count for?¡¯ Just as he was lost in deep thought, an ted voice suddenly erupted, ¡°Hey, you¡¯re here! Come on over and the instructors will assign you to a ss!¡± ¡°Er.¡± Qi Ying raised his head to find Han Xue waving at him with a cheery expression. ¡°Come on! What are you standing there for?¡± Qi Ying noticed that there were a few young men and women standing beside Han Xue. All of them turned to him in unison, and different expressions appeared on their faces. Some were surprised, some were disdainful, and some were rather ambiguous. Qi Ying only nodded to Han Xue with a smile. Xuan Yu had told him to stay far away from nobles, especially noblewomen. He had already learned that lesson in the Celestial River Academy, and he was not about to repeat his mistake in the Yun Xiao Academy. Han Xue appeared to be very innocent and harmless... But An Ruyi gave off the exact same vibes! Qi Ying made his way over to the instructors, of which there was about a dozen. All of them were assessing the disciples¡¯ badges, and assigning them to different sses ordingly. The process was generally quite simple; most of the instructors only had to take a quick nce at a badge before making a decision. ¡°Three reds and two whites, Jade ss.¡± ¡°Three reds and two whites, with red bloodline aptitude, Crimson ss.¡± ¡°Three greens and two reds, Green ss...¡± Qi Ying was standing in the queue behind a few disciples. Many of the disciples were quite excited to have been assigned to a ss of their wishes, while others wore expressions of disappointment. Many people were already satisfied with entering the Jade ss. Meanwhile, some people were still quite upset, even after being assigned to the Crimson or Green sses. There were even people grumbling under their breaths, saying things along the lines of ¡°with my results, I¡¯d be able to enter the Purple ss in past years, so why are the criteria so harsh this year?¡± ¡°Piss off if you want toin! Our academy doesn¡¯t need whiny brats!¡± A cold female voice sounded. The grumbling disciples immediately fell silent upon seeing the woman who had spoken! All of them knew that irking a normal instructor was perhaps not a big deal, but raising the ire of that woman would be akin to a figurative death sentence! That woman was none other than Madam Butterfly! If she wanted to kick someone out of the academy, then no one would be able to stop her. Qi Ying took a nce at Madam Butterfly before immediately turning away. Soon, he reached the front of the queue. ¡°Show me your badge.¡± A chubby male instructor said with a smile. ¡°Yes.¡± Qi Ying ced his badge uneasily on the table, and awaited further instructions. ¡°White... er, ck? White again? Green... What the hell?¡± The instructor tallied the colors, and he already faltered upon seeing the first white and the second ck. However, the true surprise came after that. At that moment, the other instructors gathered around, and they were also quite surprised by what they saw. Madam Butterfly looked at Qi Ying¡¯s badge, and her eyes immediately narrowed. ¡°Er, so which ss am I going to?¡± Qi Ying waited for a long while, but the instructors didn¡¯t give him a reply. After an extended silence, the fat instructor finally said, ¡°You¡¯re... Qi Ying, right? Stand off to the side for a bit. Your situation is a little special, so we¡¯ll need to report this to the elders and let them make a decision!¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Qi Ying had thought that the instructor would give him a disappointing result, but his mood was lifted by that answer. Special? That meant that he was rtively important, and judgment from the elders was required... That was surely special treatment that was afforded to no one else! If they were paying such close attention to him, then surely he would at least be allocated to the Purple ss! Qi Ying was feeling quite optimistic about his prospects. Chapter 109: I’ll Kill You

Chapter 109: I¡¯ll Kill You

¡°Elders, please inspect this strange badge!¡± One of the instructors flew into the sky, and handed Qi Ying¡¯s badge over to the elders in the sky. All of them gathered around with intrigued expressions, before drawing sharp breaths in unison. The elders passed the badge around, and each of them inspected it for a long time. ¡°How strange! His True Energy maniption is ck, so how could his affinity with the vital energy of heaven and earth be white? At most, I¡¯ve only ever seen someone with a disparity of two levels between those two aspects, but he¡¯s teetering off both extremes!¡± ¡°His basal properties aptitude is also white? But he¡¯s a fifteen-year-old Fifth Energy Martial Stage warrior... That¡¯s not a low cultivation base by any means, so he should at least have red aptitude there; how did he end up with white?¡± ¡°Could it be that the spell formation malfunctioned?¡± ¡°That can¡¯t be; no one else has received any strange results... You guys have to notice as well, that his bloodline aptitude is grey!¡± All of the elders¡¯ brows furrowed at the mention of that. Grey aptitude! That was only a color that could appear during the assessment of one¡¯s bloodline aptitude. The Yun Xiao Academy took in over a thousand disciples each year, and among those batches, there were always over ten that had ck bloodline aptitude. However, grey aptitude was something that they had not seen for many years! Grey didn¡¯t represent outstanding aptitude; instead, it indicated a special case. The case was so special that the spell formation on the Cloud Steps was unable to gauge the nature of the bloodline. There were a few disciples in the history of the academy that had grey bloodline aptitude, and almost all of them awakened mutated Battle Spirits after reaching the Spirit Martial Stage. However, the mutations could be good or bad. Some mutated Battle Spirits only received special traits, some mutated into useless trash, and some transformed into extraordinarily powerful Battle Spirits! One of the elders stroked his long beard and contemted with narrowed eyes. ¡°We have to have an in-depth discussion about this boy!¡± ... Qi Ying was feeling very nervous. He didn¡¯t know which ss he was going to be assigned to. If he were allocated to the ck ss, then he would be taking a significant stride toward her! But if he were put in the Purple ss or below, then it could entail many difficulties for him in the future! Gradually, more and more people reached the fifth tform, and were allocated to different sses. One could tell from a quick nce that over eighty percent of the disciples were put in the Jade and Crimson sses, leaving less than a twenty percent split between the remaining three sses. All of the sses had estimated potential caps. The cap for the Jade ss was projected to be at the Third Spirit Martial Stage, while for the Crimson and Green sses, those caps were at the Sixth and Ninth Spirit Martial Stages respectively. As for the Purple and ck ss disciples, they were projected to reach the Earth Martial Stages! The disparity in power between warriors of different ranks in the Spirit Martial Stages, was significantlyrger than that of Energy Martial Stage warriors. In the Energy Martial Stages, it was rtivelymon to see warriors defeat opponents of higher cultivation bases. However, that became a lot rarer in the Spirit Martial Stages. It was said that Earth Martial Stage warriors possessed extremely terrifying power, and that they were capable of extraordinary feats; the magnitude of which only belonged in fictional stories to the average person. Generally speaking, the warriors¡¯ final cultivation base limit was not far away from the projected cap of their respective sses. As such, the academy could ensure the most precise allocation of resources possible, reserving more resources for those of higher sses with greater potential, and vice versa. That often made a significant impact in a warrior¡¯s future, as resources were a vital part of cultivation. For example, if there were two warriors with the same potential, and one of them was put in the Green ss, while the other was in the Purple ss, that could result in a future disparity of one reaching the Sixth Spirit Martial Stage, while the other would reach the Eighth Spirit Martial Stage. Soon, Feng Hemu and the others also arrived at the fifth tform. Among the nine of them, seven were allocated to the Jade ss. Feng Hemu received three reds and two whites, with red bloodline aptitude, thereby cing him in the Crimson ss, while Sun Changyu received four red and one white, thus putting him in the same ss. The two of them had both performed above their expectations, and were very excited. They all gathered around Qi Ying and asked, ¡°Young Master Qi, which ss did you get assigned to?¡± Qi Ying shrugged and replied, ¡°My case seems to be a little special, so the instructors are still working on delivering a verdict. Who knows which ss I¡¯ll get put in?¡± Even though Qi Ying was quite optimistic, he didn¡¯t dare to brag. If he told everyone that he could get into the ck ss, only to end up in the Jade or Crimson ss, then he would die of embarrassment! In uncertain times like those, it was best to say as little as possible! ... In the air above. ¡°I think this is the best verdict for that disciple.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± After a round of discussion, the elders finally made a decision on Qi Ying, and informed the instructors ordingly. The fat instructor flew over and took Qi Ying¡¯s badge, beforending in front of him with a smile on his face. ¡°Qi Ying, after consulting the elders, we¡¯ve arrived at a conclusion.¡± ¡°Which ss am I going to?¡± Qi Ying¡¯s heart thumped with anticipation and nerves. The nine people around him were also waiting with bated breath. They were praying with all their might that Qi Ying would get into the ck ss, thereby giving them an unfathomably powerful ally in the academy! ¡°Your situation is very special; as you know, you have two very mediocre results, an exceptional one, one that is well above average, and one that is ambiguous... As such, it would be unreasonable to ce you in the Purple or ck sses, but sending you to the Jade or Crimson sses would clearly be a waste of your talents. So...¡± ¡°Green ss?¡± ¡°Green ss.¡± The instructor nodded with a smile. ¡°Wow! As expected, Young Master Qi really is the most talented among us Celestial River County disciples! Getting into the Green ss is a really good result!¡± ¡°Congrattions, Young Master Qi!¡± Feng Hemu, Sun Changyu, and the others immediately offered congrattory words. At the very least, the Green ss ced Qi Ying above over eighty percent of the disciples, which was certainly nothing to be scoffed at! However, Qi Ying himself was feeling slightly disappointed. After all, he was hoping to make an impact as soon as he entered the academy. The Green ss was in an awkward position where it was not good, but not bad either, and it made him a little disappointed. The Green ss disciples were still very far away from the true core disciples! Light shed from the fat instructor¡¯s hand, and Qi Ying¡¯s jade badge slowly changed color and shape. Soon, it transformed into a green jade pendant with golden characters inscribed upon it. He handed the jade pendant over to Qi Ying and said, ¡°From this day forth, you will be an official disciple of the Green ss! Oh, by the way, I just so happen to be an instructor from the Green ss; my name is Liancheng Ying. Would you look at that? I¡¯m going to be instructing you AND we both have the same Ying in our names!¡± Qi Ying hung the jade pendant from his waist, and bowed to the fat instructor. ¡°Qi Ying pays his respects to Instructor Liancheng Ying!¡± ¡°Haha!¡± Liancheng Yingughed heartily as he patted Qi Ying on the shoulder. ¡°Go join the other Green ss disciples!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Qi Ying strode toward the designated Green ss area, and as he was passing by Madam Butterfly, he heard a faint voice. ¡°I know how you are. Don¡¯t try to cause any trouble in the academy, and don¡¯t even dream about trying to get closer to Qin Susu, or I¡¯m going to kill you!¡± Chapter 110: A Perilous Place

Chapter 110: A Perilous ce

Qi Ying¡¯s footsteps faltered slightly, but he didn¡¯t reply as he continued to make his way toward the Green ss¡¯ designated area. Madam Butterfly had found out after all. However, that didn¡¯t really matter to Qi Ying anyway. He wasn¡¯t going to pursue Qin Susu until he was powerful enough and had reached a high enough status. Otherwise, he would only be hurting her and himself. Furthermore, the warning issued by Madam Butterfly actually instilled him with a sense of security. At the very least, she wasn¡¯t just dragging him to a secluded ce and killing him. That indicated that as a disciple of the Yun Xiao Academy, he was not someone who could be killed without consequences! Each and every disciple of the academy was a future elite warrior of the kingdom. Even though thepetition was of a cutthroat intensity between fellow disciples, they were protected from external forces by thews of the kingdom. As such, he was no longer just some random hillbilly from a small county that could be killed without a second thought. ... The Cloud Steps Trial officially concludedte in the afternoon. All of the disciples on the fifth tform received their identification badges, and officially became Yun Xiao Academy disciples. A massive group of over a thousand young men and women stood on the tform, and all of them were filled with excitement. Within the academy, male disciples vastly outnumbered their female counterparts. However, in the Purple and ck sses, the proportion of female disciples was significantly higher. That was due to the fact that only extremely powerful families would spend significant amounts of time, energy, and resources to develop their female members. As such, there weren¡¯t many female disciples in the academy, but more of them were of an extremely high status, and also very fearsomely powerful. Feng Hemu, Tian Shou, and the others were already discussing which ones among the pitifully few female disciples were worth pursuing as romantic interests. Of course, Qi Ying didn¡¯t join in on that conversation. After an orientation ceremony, the academy distributed rewards to all of its disciples. Everyone received a spatial ring, within which were contained various pills, treasured tools, and other resources. ¡®What generosity!¡¯ Qi Ying epted his spatial ring, and he couldn¡¯t help but exim internally as he inspected its contents. As expected of the highest-ranked academy on the entire continent; just the cultivation resources they were giving to their new disciples amounted to an immeasurable wealth! The reward for Green ss disciples consisted of a Dark Tier treasured tool, as well as many pills suitable for consumption for warriors below the Third Spirit Martial Stage... Qi Ying was initially of the opinion that those items were too valuable, and that the disciples wouldn¡¯t be at a level where they could make use of them. However, he soon realized that most of the Green ss disciples were Spirit Martial Stage warriors, and there were not very many Energy Martial Stage warriors like him. The Fifth Energy Martial Stage was virtually the lowest cultivation base among the new disciples, but they were of course also the youngest batch. Qi Ying heaved a resigned sigh. It looked like he was starting at the bottom of the pack! ... The autumnal equinox weing ceremony had finallye to a conclusion. However, there were still seven days until the first day of the academy, and that time was reserved for new disciples, as they had to organize lodging and familiarize themselves with the academy. The disciples left the Cloud Steps one after the other. All of the spell formations had been deactivated, so the descent was a lot easier of a process than scaling the steps. Qi Ying bade farewell to the extremely warm and enthusiastic nine people from the Celestial River County, before seeking out Master Thirteen, who had been waiting on the za for a long time. ¡°Which ss did you get assigned to?¡± Master Thirteen asked. ¡°Green ss.¡± ¡°Not bad.¡± A hint of disappointment also appeared on Master Thirteen¡¯s face, ¡°But I thought you would at least be able to make it into the Purple ss.¡± ¡°Oh well, I can only make do with what I have.¡± Qi Ying forced a smile onto his face. It wasn¡¯t a bad result, and in any case, he couldn¡¯t afford to sit around and feel sorry for himself! Furthermore, he had to tell Mother Yu the news as well. Whoosh! The ck Mystical Beast rose into the sky, carrying Qi Ying and Master Thirteen back to the courtyard... ... That night, Master Thirteen sat across from Xuan Yu on a stone table in the courtyard. ¡°Mistress Yu Xuan, Qi Ying seems to have more harboring more secrets than we imagined.¡± Master Thirteen sighed, ¡°I was able to get his results through my connection with Brother Nine, and he received white, ck, white, green, and grey... The two whites clearly don¡¯t make sense, but there¡¯s no way that the academy¡¯s spell formations would malfunction for him alone... And that grey bloodline aptitude; I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s a blessing or a curse!¡± Xuan Yu wore a calm and collected expression, as if she had already predicted all that in advance. ¡°That¡¯s not surprising. If it weren¡¯t for all those secrets surrounding him, there wouldn¡¯t have been such a major catastrophe in the capital all those years ago. There is no point in discussing this matter now. Everything can only be left down to fate from here on out.¡± Master Thirteen paused momentarily before asking, ¡°Mistress Yu Xuan, are you still not nning on telling the Qi family about Qi Ying? I can¡¯t help but feel that the Qin and Chu families are going to pose great threats to him.¡± ¡°The internal conflict within the Qi family is too fierce. If I tell them about Qi Ying now, it will only put him in even more danger. I¡¯ll tell them eventually, but now¡¯s not the time. As for the Qin and Chu families, as long as they don¡¯t stoop to deploying those old monsters, Qi Ying can take care of any enemies by himself.¡± ¡°Then, Mistress Yu Xuan, when are you preparing to...¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to ask about me.¡± ¡°Er. My apologies.¡± Xuan Yu shook her head with a faint smile. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I must thank you; if it weren¡¯t for you, Qi Ying¡¯s journey to the capital would have been quite a difficult one.¡± ¡°I am merely doing my duty.¡± Master Thirteen turned his gaze toward the distant night sky, as if he were reminiscing something from the distant past, ¡°The capital really has changed in the years I¡¯ve been away.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s changed all that much. It¡¯s still just as perilous as ever.¡± ... Seven days was enough for Qi Ying to prepare for his first day at the academy. On the first day, he barely managed to progress to the Sixth Energy Martial Stage. On the second day, he fortified his cultivation base, and Master Thirteen brought him many sets of clothes, all of which conformed to the academy guidelines. During the next few days, Qi Ying continued to immerse himself in cultivation. Aside from chatting with Master Thirteen and Xuan Yu from time to time, he did virtually nothing but consolidate and progress in his cultivation base. Qi Ying couldn¡¯t wait for his new life at the academy. Seven days finally passed and Qi Ying climbed onto Master Thirteen¡¯s ck Mystical Beast in a set of green robes. ¡°Take care of yourself, Mother Yu! I¡¯lle back to visit you often!¡± Xuan Yu waved and said, ¡°Concentrate on cultivation; don¡¯t always think about me!¡± ¡°Heh, that¡¯s impossible!¡± Qi Ying couldn¡¯t help but burst intoughter. He could forget anyone aside from the most important woman in his life. If Qin Susu was the person he loved and cherished the most, the Xuan Yu was the person that he had to protect even at the cost of his life. In the future, he was going to return her sight to her, and take her to see all of the most beautiful sceneries around the world! Whoosh! The ck Mystical Beast rose into the air, and flew toward the Yun Xiao Academy once again. Chapter 111: Rules of the Green Class

Chapter 111: Rules of the Green ss

It was the first day, and almost all of the disciples in the entire Yun Xiao Academy were gathered at the summit of the Cloud Staircase. There were over ten thousand of them, and Qi Ying felt like he was a little dizzy just from the sheer number of people around him. If everyone had been gathered on the za down below, then he most likely wouldn¡¯t have really noticed how many people there were. However, all of them were above the clouds, at such high altitudes that normal people would find it difficult to breathe... Never did he think that he would witness such a grand spectacle in his life! At the same time, there were countless gs and banners waving in the breeze, as well as a myriad of unrecognizable beasts flying in the sky. There were too many people! Trying to find a specific person within such arge crowd would be like searching for a needle in a haystack! As one of the four hundred new Green ss disciples, Qi Ying joined his fellow ssmates in swearing an oath of loyalty to the kingdom, before following the instructors of the Green ss to one of the five peaks; the Qing Xiao Peak. The five mountains formed a near semi-circle formation, and the Qing Xiao Peak was situated right at the apex of the semi-circle. Qi Ying finally reached the mountain with all of his fellow ssmates after walking for half an hour. The Qing Xiao Peak was quite a tall mountain, but it wasn¡¯t difficult to navigate. The instructors had introduced all of the buildings and facilities on the mountain to the disciples before afternoon had arrived, and they had alsoid down some ground rules. Furthermore, the new and current disciples of the Green ss also had an opportunity to familiarize themselves with one another. Soon, the instructors led the disciples to their living quarters. The Green ssprised the entirety of the mountain peak, and most of it was farnd for medicinal herbs, stables for spirit beasts, and lush forestry. There were only a few dozens of courtyards avable as lodging for the four hundred new disciples, and more than ten of them had to live in each courtyard. ¡°We have to live with other people?¡± Some of the disciples immediately began toin. Instructor Liancheng Ying pursed his lips and scolded, ¡°Stopining! The conditions for the Green ss are already very good. At the very least, everyone gets a room of their own. If you go to the Jade ss, many people have to share a single room! If you don¡¯t want to live here, then why don¡¯t you go to the Jade ss?¡± ¡°...¡± All of the disciples fell silent, but there were still a few whiny ones who were grumbling under their breaths. Liancheng Ying harrumphed, ¡°I¡¯m a lenient guy, so I¡¯m letting all of you off with just a scolding. If you dare toin in front of Instructor Qi Hudie 1, she would have you facing the cliff for several days as a punishment! Back when she was teaching the Green ss, there were several dozens of disciples facing the cliff every single day! She stilles back to teach at our Green ss from time to time, so all of you better watch yourselves!¡± In response to his warning, some disciples took it to heart, while others brushed it off and paid it no heed. Qi Ying faltered upon hearing that. ¡®Qi Hudie? Is that Madam Butterfly?¡¯ No wonder Qi Shun was referring to her as auntie; so she really was a member of the Qi family. Furthermore, she seemed to be of a higher status in the Yun Xiao Academy than most instructors. Liancheng Ying waved a hand toward the disciples and said, ¡°Go to your rooms! Starting from tomorrow, you¡¯ll be attending sses and doing missions! The academy has tests and trials every month. If you fail in too many subjects, you would be expelled; if your overall score is too low, you would be expelled; if you don¡¯t do enough missions, you would also be expelled!¡± Liancheng Ying¡¯s expression suddenly became quite strict, in stark contrast to his usual amiable smile. ¡°Everyone has to follow the academy¡¯s rules, no matter who you are!¡± ... Qi Ying arrived at his designated room. All of the furniture there was brand new, and the decor wasn¡¯t bad either. It could be seen that disciples of the Green ss were still treated quite well. The conditions at the Jade and Crimson sses were far worse, and apparently, servants and maids were assigned to everyone in the Purple and ck sses... ¡®However, back in the Celestial River Academy, disciples didn¡¯t have to do many things for the academy, but the new disciples of the Yun Xiao Academy have toplete a lot of missions!¡¯ From the earlier introduction, Qi Ying learned that ordinary new disciples like them had toplete missions in ordance with academy requirements, and that it would be the only way for them to obtain resources. Only core disciples were exempt from having toplete an obligatory quota of missions, but if they wanted to secure more resources, they would still have to do more missions. Resources weren¡¯t given out for free; the more one worked, the more resources they would earn! Of course, the system wasn¡¯tpletely fair. Underprivileged disciples obviously received different treatmentpared to high-born disciples. As such, disciples like Qi Ying had to give more for the same rewards. Those rewards included things like gaining ess to the Vital Energy Tower, which sped up one¡¯s rate of cultivation, the Astral Wind Tower, which helped to refine one¡¯s body. On top of that, there were also pills, battle techniques, cultivation methods, treasured tools, and many other types of resources that were avable... In order to get them, one would either have to use crystals, or spend Yun Xiao Points, which they received frompleting missions. Missions of different levels of difficulty and contribution gave out different numbers of Yun Xiao Points. In any case, if one didn¡¯t have enough money, many many Yun Xiao Points would be required to be able to cultivate in the Green ss! The tests and trials that were held each month were also very important. Those who failed would receive warnings, be required to take remedial lessons, or be forced down to a lower ss, to even be expelled in worst-case scenarios. ... That night, Qi Ying had a quick meal at the cafeteria before returning to his room, to practice his Purple Energy Cultivation Method. The environment on the Qing Xiao Peak was beneficial to cultivation, as vital energy of heaven and earth was more abundant there than in other ces. Of course, there were some special ces in the Green ss that one could only ess using Yun Xiao Points; those were the truly sought-after cultivation spots! After cultivating until around midnight, Qi Ying went to sleep and got up in the morning before heading to the Qing Xiao Hall, where he would be attending his first lesson in the Green ss. Different disciples had different timetables. Most of the Green ss disciples were already Spirit Martial Stage warriors, and there were less than a hundred Energy Martial Stage warriors like Qi Ying. Furthermore, his cultivation base at the Sixth Energy Martial Stage was at the bottom of the pack! The content being taught to Energy Martial Stage disciples was naturally a bit simpler. After arriving at the Qing Xiao Hall, Qi Ying and the disciples were greeted by the sight of a thin man with dark skin, wearing a set of beast-skin robes. ¡°I will be one of the instructors for you Energy Martial Stage disciples; my name is Li Yang. Today, I¡¯ll be taking all of you to the Wind Treading Valley to cultivate!¡± Whoosh! Li Yang shed out of the hall like a lightning-fast wraith. ¡°Keep up as much as you can. Thest ten disciples to get to the valley will be punished!¡± Li Yang disappeared as soon as his voice fell. ¡°Go!¡± ¡°Run!¡± Whoosh! All of the disciples immediately gave chase. In order to not be punished, all of them unleashed their eleration battle techniques, and galloped like a pack of wild horses toward the Wind Treading Valley. ¡®I can¡¯t allow myself to be left behind!¡¯ Qi Ying was close to the rear of the pack, and purple True Energy erupted from the soles of his feet as he picked up speed. Hudie means butterfly in Chinese, so this is referring to Madam Butterfly. ? Chapter 112: Li Yanlang’s Rules

Chapter 112: Li Yang¡¯s Rules

Half an hourter, all of the disciples had made it to a valley. Within the valley, there were many tall stone pirs, each of which was twenty to thirty feet tall, and thick enough that three to five people had to link arms in order to encircle the whole thing. Qi Ying wondered if they were natural constructs or artificially created. When he arrived, there were already many disciples who had gotten there before him. On a patch of higher ground between the stone pirs stood Li Yang. Whoosh! There were still a few more disciples who were rushing to the scene. Thest few disciples were clearly a little uneasy at the prospect of the punishment they were about to receive. ¡°Thosest ten to arrive, get over here!¡± Li Yang instructed with narrowed eyes, ¡°I can sense all of your identification badges, so don¡¯t try to fool me!¡± ¡°Sigh.¡± A burst of resigned sighs were heard, as ten disciples made their way over to Li Yang. Among them, there were nine men and one woman. ¡°There is a pile of rocks over there, each of which is one thousand five hundred kilograms in weight. Bring them over here; one rock per person!¡± Everyone turned to discover that there really was a pile of extremely massive rocks several hundred feet away. ¡°Gasp...¡± The ten disciples drew sharp breaths upon seeing that. Energy Martial Stage warriors had refined their bodies through the Strength Martial Stages, having attained powerful True Energy as a result, thereby giving them strength that was not inferior to Yellow Tier beasts. However, one thousand five hundred kilogram rocks were still very difficult for them to move at all, let alone carry for several hundred feet. That task was especially difficult for the female disciple among them. ¡°Hurry up!¡± Li Yang yelled with a stern light in his eyes, ¡°If you don¡¯t bring them over to me within ten minutes, I¡¯ll be handing out new punishments!¡± ¡°Understood!¡± The ten disciples hurried over to the massive rocks, and picked out one each. All of them then proceeded to strain with all their might, pushing or towing the rocks toward the forest of stone pirs. As expected, moving such heavy rocks was a very arduous task for the ten of them, and the female disciple was progressing at the slowest rate. Ten minutester, eight of the rocks were sessfully carried to their destination. Li Yang rose into the air, andnded beside the two remaining disciples. Thump! He thrust his palms forward, and the two giant rocks were sent flying like rubber balls, before thumping heavily beside the other eight rocks. Boom! The ground tremored as dust and debris flew in all directions. Li Yang nced at the two tardy disciples with a cold expression. ¡°Song Yunabi, Lin Yin. After our morning lessons, go to Instructor Liancheng¡¯s Spirit Medicine Pavilion in the afternoon, and help him with general duties there!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The remaining two disciples appeared quite unwilling, but they could only ept their punishment. The other disciples were appraising Li Yang in a different light. Many of them were unconsciously standing up straighter, and had adopted more serious expressions. It looked like Li Yang was not as mild-tempered as the chubby Instructor Liancheng! Qi Ying also gulped nervously. He had heard from his upperssmen the day prior that Instructor Li Yang was a retired army general, and was quite strict with his disciples, handing out punishments on a regr basis. It looked like the rumors were indeed correct! At that moment, Instructor Li Yang sped his hands behind his back, and turned his attention to everyone else. ¡°I will be organizing simr punishments in future lessons! The objective is not to dish out punishment for the sake of it, but instead to spur and motivate you. In this world where the strong survive and the weak perish, the first thing you have to do is to be stronger than your ssmates!¡± Qi Ying nodded upon hearing that. Li Yang was right... Back when he was hunting on the Nameless Mountain, the prey that was targeted by the hunters were always the ones who were weaker than theirpanions. Competition existed everywhere, and was not just limited to Li Yang¡¯s lessons... ... The disciples were split randomly into six groups, each of which contained seventeen or eighteen members. ¡°Disciples in the first group, get onto the stone pirs!¡± Whoosh whoosh! The disciples did as they were told, and some of them leaped into the air after a run-up, while others materialized their True Energy at the soles of their feet, thereby allowing them to walk up the vertical surface of the pirs. In any case, all of them managed to climb onto one of the pirs. ¡°I trust that all of you have learned movement techniques. You all made it into the Green ss, which tells me that you¡¯re all capable of mastering a movement technique to the initial sess level in a short time. Movement techniques are not just useful in single battles, but they¡¯re actually even more useful in melees! ¡°On the battlefield, there is a type of weapon known as the Crystal Cannon. It gathers an extreme amount of energy, and its cannon sts can essentially insta-kill Energy Martial Stage and warriors of the lower Spirit Martial Stages! As such...¡± Li Yang suddenly raised a hand, and the five massive rocks were enveloped by green light, before being lifted into the air. ¡°The first lesson I¡¯m going to teach you is how to survive on a battlefield! Those ten rocks will be the equivalent of Crystal Cannonballs, and I will use them to attack you while you stand on the stone pirs. Whoever canst the longest in each group, or canst over ny seconds, will be rewarded a hundred Yun Xiao Points, while the first three to fall to the ground will have thirty Yun Xiao Points deducted!¡± As soon as his voice fell. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! The ten massive rocks hurtled toward the disciples on the stone pirs like shooting stars. Under Li Yang¡¯s control, they whizzed through the air at an extremely fast speed, disying agility andpletely belied their weight and size, leaving a series of afterimages in their wake. In order to evade the rocks, the disciples had to make snap judgments and leap onto other stone pirs in an extremely short time. After the first round of attacks, two disciples had already been struck, and they plummeted to the ground. In the second round of attacks, a disciple had just leaped onto a stone pir, but he had made a misjudgment and jumped into the path of another rock, thereby resulting in him being sted flying as well. Thump! Thump! Thump! The rocks began to fly more and more quickly. Less than fifty seconds had passed before all of the disciples were knocked down. Li Yang dered the punishment for the disciples with the worst results, while giving a reward to the final disciple to be knocked down. All of them had their Yun Xiao Points recorded in their jade badges. Instructors like Li Yang could deduct or add to those points at will. ¡°Second group!¡± Whoosh whoosh! Another group of disciples undertook Li Yang¡¯s test. In that group, the disciple thatsted the longest was a Ninth Energy Martial Stage warrior, with great sess level movement techniques, and he persevered for eighty-three seconds. ¡°Third group!¡± ¡®It¡¯s my turn!¡¯ Qi Ying leaped onto the stone pirs with the other disciples in his group. Chapter 113: The Unspoken Rules of the Green Class

Chapter 113: The Unspoken Rules of the Green ss

The ten massive rocks were like predatorial beasts as they flew toward the disciples on the stone pirs! Qi Ying sprang into the air and quicklynded on another stone pir. He then immediately shot forth again, just as a rock nced over the stone pir he had been standing on before. Whoosh! Whoosh whoosh! The other disciples also unleashed their movement techniques to evade the oing attacks. However, most of the disciples were either struck down just as theynded on a stone pir, or crashed into other disciples in mid-air, leading to both falling to the ground below. ¡°Hmph.¡± Qi Ying¡¯s body transformed into a ck shadow as he evaded one rock after another. The level of mastery in one¡¯s movement techniques wasn¡¯t actually the key to the exercise. Inparison, prediction and judgment were far more important. Only thirty seconds had passed, and half of the eighteen disciples had already been struck down. ¡°Phew...¡± Qi Ying didn¡¯t have time to look at anyone else. He had to concentrate entirely on evasion, and even the slightestpse in concentration could make him fall prey to one of the hurtling rocks. At the same time, he had to make sure not to crash into any other disciples. Compared to everyone else, Qi Ying¡¯s main weakness was his absolute speed. The Green ss disciples were far more powerful than the Energy Martial Stage of the Celestial River County. All of them had mastered their movement techniques to the initial sess and great sess levels, and their cultivation bases were also higher than Qi Ying¡¯s. As such, his speed could only be ranked about average in his group. After about sixty seconds had passed. Bam! Qi Ying had justnded on a pir, when someone suddenly rushed over and crashed into him. Warriors built up a lot of momentum during flight, and both of them were knocked down. ¡®Dammit...¡¯ Qi Ying looked up at the figures that were still springing from one pir to another in the air, andmented his rotten luck. If that disciple hadn¡¯t crashed into him, there was a very good chance that he would have been thest one remaining in the group... Qi Ying turned to that disciple with a dirty look, only for his expression to abruptly stiffen. The one who had bumped into him was the female disciple that Li Yang had just punished; her name seemed to be Lin Yin. ¡®So be it... Girls are alwayscking a bit in their spatial awareness...¡¯ Qi Ying shrugged. It was just a hundred Yun Xiao Points; he would have many more opportunities to earn them in the future! ... After a while, all six groupspleted the trial, and many had had their Yun Xiao Points deducted amid dejected sighs. All of the Green ss disciples were only given five hundred Yun Xiao Points, so thirty was quite a bit to be deducted! ¡°Hmph!¡± Li Yang¡¯s voice erupted like a p of thunder, ¡°Thirty Yun Xiao Points is nothing! On the battlefield, there will be hundreds, even thousands of Crystal Cannons firing at you at the same time! If you can¡¯t evade, then you will die! Cultivation is not just about training whatever battle technique or movement technique to the great sess level, or perfect level; without the ability to make good judgments, you¡¯ll only be cannon fodder in battle! ¡°Continue! Same thing this time; thirty deducted for the first three to fall off, and a hundred given for thest one standing or if you endure more than ny seconds!¡± ... The groups began to undertake the same trial again. All of the Green ss disciples had great learning abilities; most of them received a green aptitude in that area. Thus, they gradually learned how to predict and make sound judgments, as well as how to evade other disciples. Even Qi Ying felt like he was learning quite a lot during the process. Just predicting the trajectory of the rocks wasn¡¯t enough. He had to think about what the disciples around him were going to do, and how to stay out of their way. All of a sudden. The rocks became stationary in the air. Qi Ying¡¯s expression lit up with glee as he stood on a stone pir. He hadsted ny seconds! ... After the morning lessons, the five hundred Yun Xiao Points in his identification badge had risen to a thousand! ¡®With a thousand Yun Xiao Points, I can go and exchange for a Yellow Tier battle technique!¡¯ A thousand Yun Xiao Points really wasn¡¯t much. Yellow Tier battle techniques weren¡¯t very valuable either. After all, most of the academy disciples were at the Spirit Martial Stage, so Yellow Tier battle technique tomes were like toilet paper to them. Qi Ying estimated that if he wanted to maintain a stable foundation, it would still be quite a while before he progressed to the Spirit Martial Stage. At the same time, the Dark Falcon Illusionary w and the Flowing Shadow Strike simply weren¡¯t enough for him anymore. Cultivating in suitable battle techniques could improve the rate of cultivation base progression, as well as control over True Energy. As such, selecting higher level battle techniques was a must for him. Qi Ying strode into the Green ss Cultivation Methods Library. ... In the Green ss Cultivation Methods Library, there wererge amounts of Yellow Tier cultivation methods and battle techniques, but most of them weren¡¯t very useful to Qi Ying. In reality, the Dark Falcon Illusionary w and the Flowing Shadow Strike he was using weren¡¯t actually very suitable for him, either. Cultivation methods and battle techniques had to be suitable for one another, in order to form a synergistic rtionship, thereby providing the warrior with the greatest cultivation benefits. There were five levels of the Cultivation Methods Library, and many disciples were in the building. Qi Ying strode over to an elderly instructor who was a guardian of the Cultivation Methods Library, and said, ¡°Instructor, I want to pick a Yellow Tier battle technique that is suitable for me.¡± ¡°Show me your True Energy.¡± The instructor could sense that Qi Ying was only at the Sixth Energy Martial Stage, and as such, he didn¡¯t have much patience. ¡®A new disciple trading for a battle technique on the first day; and a Yellow Tier one at that... This must be some hillbilly from some tiny county.¡¯ Qi Ying could sense the instructor¡¯s displeasure, and he didn¡¯t know why the elderly man was in such a sour mood, but he still did as he was told and showed him his True Energy. A ball of purple True Energy appeared on Qi Ying¡¯s right palm. ¡°Purple Yang-type True Energy... Yellow Tier battle techniques suitable for you include the Scorching Sun Fist, the Purple Sun Eye, and the Purple Sun Astral Finger...¡± The instructor was clearly very familiar with all of the battle techniques in the library, and he rattled off a long list for Qi Ying. Qi Ying nodded with a thoughtful expression before asking, ¡°Instructor, may I please ask which of those battle techniques is best for me?¡± ¡°How would I know?!¡± The instructor snapped with furrowed brows as he waved a dismissive hand at Qi Ying, ¡°Go in the library and look for yourself! You¡¯re holding up all of the other disciples who want to ask questions!¡± ¡°Er.¡± Qi Ying backed off sheepishly, but he was internally furious. ¡®Other disciples? I¡¯m the only f*cking disciple here! What a crabby old b*stard!¡¯ Qi Ying grumbled internally. His rage was onlypounded when he saw the very same instructor put on a fawning smile, when greeting another disciple who had made his way out of the Cultivation Methods Library. ¡°Young Master Bixue, which battle techniques have you chosen this time? Let me have a look for you!¡± Chapter 114: Special Treatment

Chapter 114: Special Treatment

¡®F*ck, what a slimy old suck-up!¡¯ The instructor had appraised him as if he were a piece of trash, but he was giving that Young Master Bi Xue the VIP treatment instead. The sheer injustice of the situation filled Qi Ying with rage, but he could only repress it as he strode into the Cultivation Methods Library. ¡®So be it, it looks like all of the instructors are different. There are benevolent ones like Liancheng Ying, strict ones like Li Yang, venomous ones like Madam Butterfly, and also suck-ups like this one.¡¯ In a ce asrge as the Yun Xiao Academy, there was sure to be a diverse range of people. ... The Cultivation Methods Library had no windows, but its interior was very bright. There were small crystalmps positioned at ten-feet intervals, and the light spilling out from them gave one the sense that the library was very spacious. Furthermore, there was barely anyone on the first level aside from Qi Ying. There were many cultivation methods and battle techniques stacked onto the rows of wooden shelves. All of the battle techniques and cultivation methods Qi Ying had seen in the past had been recorded on paper, but the ones in the library were carved onto jade tablets. All of them had special restrictions ced upon them in the academy, and disciples had to redeem them with their Yun Xiao Points before the instructors lifted those restrictions, thereby allowing them to ess the content within. There were several dozens of shelves that were stacked with battle techniques, and each shelf held several hundred jade tablets. Thankfully, the battle techniques in the library were ordered ording to their rank and properties, and Qi Ying quickly found the battle techniques the instructor had earlier rmended. The Scorching Sun Fist, the Purple Sun Eye, and the Purple Sun Astral Finger... ¡®Hmm, let¡¯s make aparison.¡¯ On the jade tablets, the main portions of the battle techniques were sealed, but one could still ess the introductory section. Scorching Sun Fist, Yellow Tier Supreme Rank battle technique, can be exchanged for six hundred Yun Xiao Points. After unleashing the technique, it will create True Energy fist projections with explosive power, and can also inflict burns upon the opponent. Purple Sun Eye, Yellow Tier Supreme Rank battle technique, can be exchanged for a thousand Yun Xiao Points. After cultivating the technique, one¡¯s eyes would slowly change, allowing them to gather True Energy in their eyes, enabling the user to unleash purple beams of light imbued with devastating power. Purple Sun Astral Finger, Yellow Tier Supreme Rank battle technique, eight hundred Yun Xiao Points. A peerlessly powerful battle technique with extreme prative power. After training it to the great sess level, Ninth Energy Martial Stage warriors would be able to unleash a finger projection, that could even puncture Yellow Tier Supreme Rank treasured armor. All three battle techniques had pros and cons. The Scorching Sun Fist was the easiest to cultivate, the Purple Sun Astral Finger was the most powerful, while the Purple Sun Eye was the most expensive of the lot, and was quite difficult to cultivate. After some contemtion. ¡°I¡¯ll go with the Purple Sun Eye!¡± Qi Ying decided as he picked up the Purple Sun Eye jade tablet. He didn¡¯t require battle techniques that were powerful and easy to cultivate. In contrast, the Purple Sun Eye was rather difficult to cultivate, but it could enhance his Purple Energy Cultivation Method. Furthermore, the difficult aspect of the Purple Sun Eye was its requirement for highly urate True Energy maniption. However, that was not a significant hurdle for Qi Ying to ovee. After all, he had a ck aptitude in True Energy maniption! Thus, he carried the jade tablet and strode out of the Cultivation Methods Library. There, he discovered that the elderly instructor was still sucking up to that Young Master Bixue, churning out relentless praise, ¡°As expected of Young Master Bixue, you¡¯re at the Fifth Spirit Martial Stage already AND you¡¯ve cultivated several Dark Tier battle techniques to the perfected level; there aren¡¯t many disciples like you in the Green ss at all! In fact, you would be considered to be remarkably outstanding even in the Purple ss!¡± The elderly instructor rambled on and on, answering one question after another from that disciple, and he didn¡¯t look like he was nning on stopping anytime soon. ¡°Er, instructor, I want to exchange my points for the Purple Sun Eye.¡± Qi Ying interjected. If he continued to wait, the old suck-up looked as if he could talkte into the night! Qi Ying couldn¡¯t afford to wait that long. However, the instructor pretended not to hear him, and continued to converse with the ¡®Young Master Bixue¡¯ with a fawning smile on his face. ¡°Instructor...¡± Qi Ying urged again. The instructor finally turned and snapped, ¡°Can¡¯t you see I¡¯m talking? Wait your turn! Go stand over there!¡± ¡®F*ck off!¡¯ Qi Ying was about to explode with rage. The instructor¡¯s job was to attend to disciples who were exchanging points for cultivation methods and battle techniques, so what was this man doing, sucking up to that Young Master Bixue the entire time? ¡°Who are you ring at?¡± The instructor chuckled coldly at the sight of Qi Ying¡¯s furious expression, ¡°Piss off!¡± ¡®Does this kid think he canpare to Young Master Bixue? What a stupid hillbilly; looks like he needs to be taught a lesson!¡¯ Qi Ying did his best to suppress his rage, and said in as calm a voice as he was capable of mustering, ¡°Instructor, I won¡¯t take much of your time at all. I still have other things I need to do, so can you please do your job before fawning over your young master?¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± The instructor¡¯s eyes immediately narrowed. Thest part of Qi Ying¡¯s words were clearly an insult directed toward him. He swept a palm through the air, and a wall of energy crashed into Qi Ying¡¯s body. Qi Ying didn¡¯t expect an instructor to be ill-tempered, and he was caughtpletely off guard. He was sent flying into the air, and his internal organs churned from the impact. The academy instructors were all at least at the Seventh or Eighth Spirit Martial Stages, so just a casual palm from them was not something an Energy Martial Stage disciple could handle. Whoosh! Qi Ying flew through the air for over thirty feet before plummeting to the ground. At that moment, a burst of gentle yet firm power suddenly caught Qi Ying from behind, and allowed him to make a stablending. A portly figure emerged with a smile on his face. ¡°What¡¯s going on here, Instructor Jiang? What has he done to irk you? To think that an instructor like you is attacking our new disciples now... Hehe...¡± ¡°Cocky brats like him need to be taught a stern lesson!¡± Instructor Jiang was clearly not on very good terms with Liancheng Ying. ¡°Alright then...¡± Liancheng Ying had caught sight of that Young Master Bixue whom Instructor Jiang was speaking with, and he immediately figured out what must have happened. He pursed his lips and turned to Qi Ying as he said, ¡°You¡¯re Qi Ying, right? You¡¯re here to exchange for battle techniques?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Qi Ying replied, ¡°But this instructor seems to be too busy talking, and is unwilling to do his job.¡± Liancheng Ying chuckled and his eyes narrowed into slits. ¡°Chu Bixue is a young master of the Chu family, so it¡¯s only natural that Instructor Jiang will give him some more attention... Instructor Jiang, please do me a favor and allow Qi Ying to exchange his battle technique. He is a disciple that was allocated to the Green ss by the academy elders, and he¡¯s on probation at the moment, so please afford him some special treatment.¡± Chapter 115: Chu Kaolie

Chapter 115: Chu Kaolie

Seeing as Liancheng Ying was standing up for Qi Ying, the elderly instructor was no longer interested in making a scene, and he red at Qi Ying with a disdainful expression. ¡°On probation, huh? So he might get kicked out of the Green ss soon! Give me your badge!¡± Qi Ying handed over his badge, and the instructor quickly deducted a thousand Yun Xiao Points, before undoing the seal on the Purple Sun Eye jade tablet. ¡°Here!¡± The instructor tossed the badge to Qi Ying in a dismissive manner. Liancheng Ying smiled and said, ¡°Thanks for your help, Instructor Jiang.¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± Instructor Jiang harrumphed coldly. After Liancheng Ying and Qi Ying left, a thought suddenly urred to Young Master Bixue. ¡®Did Instructor Liancheng just call him Qi Ying... Could he be Qi Ying from the Celestial River County?¡¯ A cold light shed in his eyes and he said to the elderly instructor, ¡°Jiang Yuanping, investigate that Qi Ying for me!¡± ... ¡°Chu Bixue? A young master of the Chu family?¡± Qi Ying also recalled what Liancheng Ying had just said, and he asked to confirm. Liancheng Ying nodded with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s right. On top of that, he¡¯s of direct lineal descent! However, the Chu family has many young masters of direct lineal descent, and he¡¯s one of the more peripheral ones... That Instructor Jiang was once a servant of the Chu family, and he was only able toe and work at the academy as an instructor due to that connection. He doesn¡¯t really have any substantial jurisdictive power, so you don¡¯t have to worry about him getting back at you!¡± Qi Ying asked, ¡°Instructor Liancheng, why did you help me? And what were you saying about special treatment and probation?¡± ¡°As a man of justice, it is my duty to help out disciples who are being treated unfairly!¡± Liancheng Ying chuckled, ¡°As for what I meant about probation, that¡¯s referring to your ambiguous aptitude. The academy decided to put you into the Green ss, and observe your potential. Your performance during this probation period will determine whether you drop down, or ascend to a higher ss. As for the special treatment part, I made that up, hahaha!¡± ¡°So that¡¯s how it is...¡± ... After receiving the Purple Sun Eye, Qi Ying didn¡¯t immediately return to his living quarters to cultivate. Instead, he went to the Spirit Medicine Pavilion with Liancheng Ying. In the Green ss, there were many rare pills that couldn¡¯t be found in the Celestial River County. Pills like Energy st Pills and Energy Explosion Pills were verymonce, and were suitable for consumption to all warriors. However, a truly exceptional pill refinement master would be able to create different pills that catered to different warriors, in ordance with their unique properties, thereby creating a far greater effect. The pills in the Spirit Medicine Pavilion naturally had to be exchanged with Yun Xiao Points, but they could also be purchased with crystals. Under Liancheng Ying¡¯s guidance, Qi Ying purchased some pills that were suitable for him, and used three hundred thousand crystals to exchange for three thousand Yun Xiao Points. Back when he was at the Celestial River County, Qi Ying had obtained close to a million crystals from Master Thirteen, as well as people like Xue Yuesha and Duan Lang. He was trading quite arge proportion of those crystals for Yun Xiao Points, as they were far more convenient to use in the Green ss. ¡°Thank you.¡± Qi Ying epted the pills he had purchased from the female disciple, Lin Yin. Li Yang smiled and said, ¡°You look really familiar. Did you also attend Instructor Li Yang¡¯s insane lesson this morning?¡± ¡°Er, I did. My name is Qi Ying.¡± Qi Ying nodded and asked, ¡°How many Yun Xiao Points do you get for working at the Spirit Medicine Pavilion per afternoon?¡± Lin Yin shrugged and stuck out her tongue in a spritely manner. ¡°I should be getting a hundred Yun Xiao Points, but because I¡¯m here as a punishment, I¡¯m forced to do freebor.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Lin Yin suddenly asked, ¡°By the way, Qi Ying, you bought so many pills, so you can¡¯t have that many Yun Xiao Points left, right? We don¡¯t have sses tomorrow nor the day after tomorrow, so how about we put together a team to do some missions in the Beast Valley?¡± Qi Ying contemted her offer for a moment before replying. ¡°Alright.¡± Compared to others, Qi Ying had a greater requirement for Yun Xiao Points. His left hand was burning through tens of thousands of crystals a day, which was the equivalent of several hundred Yun Xiao Points. It was simply too expensive for him to maintain! Furthermore, Liancheng Ying had told him that he was on probation in the Green ss, and his future would depend on his performance during that period of time. If he improved very little, then there was a good chance that he would be relegated to the Crimson or even Jade ss. However, if he progressed at a remarkable rate, then there was hope of him advancing to the Purple or ck ss! ¡°I¡¯lle to find you tomorrow; where do you live?¡± ¡°C row, third courtyard.¡± ¡°Alright. My name is Lin Yin. Make sure you¡¯re well prepared on the day! There are all types of vicious beasts in the Beast Valley, so be on your guard at all times, and make ample preparations.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ... That night, Qi Ying sat on his rooftop, and swallowed a Scorching Purple Sun Pill before activating his Purple Energy Cultivation Method. Whoosh! Arge expanse of purple mist appeared around him. Scorching Purple Sun Pills contained around the same amount of energy as Energy Explosion Pills, but that energy was imbued with powerful Purple Yang type properties. After consuming the pill, it could speed up the rate at which Purple Energy was drawn into his body. The greater the affinity he had with heaven and earth, the more apparent the effects of the Scorching Purple Sun Pill would be. Sure enough, Qi Ying¡¯s cultivation was more than thirty percent faster than usual! For normal warriors, an increase of ten percent was quite good, and twenty percent was outstanding. ¡°My aptitude trial results really were incorrect...¡± Qi Ying sighed with a wry smile on his face. At his current rate of progression, his performance should allow him to be elevated to the Purple or ck ss. Qi Ying was quite confident in his own aptitude. However, there was one thing that was rather concerning to him. Chu Bixue! He was from the Chu family and he was in the Green ss. Even if Chu Bixue hadn¡¯t taken notice of him, other people from the Chu family definitely would have been alerted to his presence in the Yun Xiao Academy. He could still recall the sixth young master of the Chu family, Chu Kaolie, whom he had met on the Nameless Mountain. On the day when the Heaven Tier beast had appeared, all of the Earth Martial Stage powerful beings from the three major families were severely wounded, and the Spirit Martial Stage warriors had also suffered heavy casualties. The Nameless Mountain had be an infernal hell, and beasts were wreaking havoc everywhere. Coincidentally, Qi Ying bumped into a young master of one of the major families as he was fleeing for his life. That young master was forcing himself upon Qin Susu, and both of them were injured at the time. Qi Ying didn¡¯t know what came over him just then, but he picked up a sword from the ground, and somehow managed to take the young master by surprise before killing him. It was exactly because of that event, that his story with Qin Susu began, and the two of them spent two arduous days together deep in the Nameless Mountain, before finally escaping with their lives. After the event, the Chu familyunched an investigation and determined that Qi Ying was the one who had killed Chu Kaolie. Qi Ying then left with Xuan Yu for the Celestial River County as he wanted to find an opportunity to see Qin Susu again, and he was also trying to avoid being hunted down by the Chu and Qin families. Chapter 116: Scorching Sun Fist

Chapter 116: Scorching Sun Fist

¡®Sigh, I need to stop thinking about useless stuff like this.¡¯ Qi Ying shook his head to rid himself of that train of thought, and began to focus on cultivation. He was a Green ss disciple and as such, he was eligible for protection from the academy. Under those circumstances, no one would dare to try and kill him, and even if altercations were to arise, only between disciples would they be allowed. As opposed to burdening himself with a bunch of pointless concerns, it was much better to concentrate on improving himself. If he were powerful enough, then he wouldn¡¯t have to be scared of anything! ¡®Phew... I should try and cultivate in the Purple Sun Eye!¡¯ After a while, Qi Ying couldn¡¯t help but rub his eyes in exhaustion. The Purple Sun Eye was indeed quite aplex battle technique. He could only direct his True Energy along the cultivation paths stipted by the Purple Sun Eye, but he couldn¡¯t find the most suitable state for himself, and could only experiment through trial and error. Even though his superb True Energy maniption skills helped during the process, his eyes were still feeling quite sore and exhausted. Qi Ying¡¯s learning ability wasn¡¯t bad, but it wasn¡¯t fantastic either. The vast majority of disciples in the Green ss had green or higher aptitude in their learning ability, but it happened to be Qi Ying¡¯s weakest point. After cultivating the Purple Sun Eye for two hours, he still hadn¡¯t reached the elementary level. ¡®Sigh... On the bright side, this really has helped enhance my Purple Energy Cultivation Method...¡¯ He still had to do missions in the Beast Valley the next day, so he retired to his room and went to sleep. ... The Beast Valley was one of the valleys at the foot of the five mountains, and it extended for close to ten kilometers. Beasts could be kept in pens and stables, but that was too expensive, and it would be very time-consuming to hunt down, capture, and transport those beasts back to the academy. Thus, the Yun Xiao Academy chased all of the surrounding beasts in the Beast Valley, thereby creating a natural stable. Disciples could y those beasts and exchange the materials obtained for points. Thus, they could hone theirbat abilities and gather beast-based materials for the academy, resulting in a win-win situation for both the academy and the disciples. Aside from Lin Yin, there were also several other disciples who had teamed up with Qi Ying. They were all also new Green ss Energy Martial Stage disciples, who were aiming to hunt down some beasts in order to earn Yun Xiao Points. In reality, the high-born disciples of the academy were the only ones who had inexhaustible cultivation resources, even without having to do missions. Aside from them, everyone in the academy had to earn their keep. The so-called four major families of the Celestial River County were not much different from plebeians in the capital, and it was far too expensive for them to financially support a disciple, one that had the potential to reach the Eighth or Ninth Spirit Martial Stages. Thus, the group traveled to the Northwestern region of the Beast Valley, and began to hunt for beasts. The Beast Valley was essible to all disciples. The materials they obtained from ying beasts there wasn¡¯t useful to them anyway, so there was no reason why they wouldn¡¯t exchange them for Yun Xiao Points. Thus, the academy didn¡¯t have to worry about disciples keeping those materials for themselves. Green ss disciples like them were unable to ess areas with Dark Tier beasts. They could only prowl areas with normal and Yellow Tier beasts, so there was almost no danger for them, and they could kill whatever beasts they came across. Aside from Qi Ying, the ones in the group with the lowest cultivation bases were already at the Eighth Energy Martial Stage, so they could even kill Yellow Tier Ninth Rank beasts. Throughout the day, they killed close to twenty beasts, obtaining a lot of bones, flesh, horns, scales, and things of that nature, which they split among themselves. The flesh and blood of the beasts could be used for pill refinement, and for dishes cooked by the academy cafeteria, while the bones and scales could be used for refining treasured tools... In any case, all of the body parts served a purpose, and the academy paid the disciples reasonable prices for them. Qi Ying had the lowest cultivation base, so he received the smallest split. However, he didn¡¯t really mind as he wasn¡¯t required to put in much effort either. He was basically carried throughout the entire hunting trip, and he used the opportunity to practice his movement techniques, as well as to shake off some of the rust that had umted fromck of practicalbat in recent times. In contrast, the other members of the group seemed to becking in battle experience, and encountered some difficulties during the battles. On one asion, they were hunting an Earth Armored Beast, with hard scales all over its body, and many of them were injured in the process. ¡®Not bad.¡¯ Qi Ying assessed his spoils of war, to find that he could exchange them for roughly five to six hundred Yun Xiao Points, which was the equivalent of fifty to sixty thousand crystals. As they departed from the Beast Valley, Qi Ying asked everyone, ¡°Do you guys want toe to the Beast Valley again tomorrow?¡± Lin Yin was exhausted, and immediately shook her head. ¡°No way! I¡¯m going to lie in bed all day tomorrow...¡± The other few disciples were also very tired, and preferred to do some easier administrative missions in the academy. If they were in need of more Yun Xiao Points, they could organize another hunting trip at ater date. ¡°Alright, I¡¯lle by myself tomorrow then.¡± Qi Ying shrugged. ¡°Hey, that¡¯s very dangerous!¡± Lin Yin¡¯s brows furrowed upon hearing that, ¡°You¡¯re only at the Sixth Energy Martial Stage, so you could struggle even against Yellow Tier Seventh or Eighth Rank beasts.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, I¡¯ll just avoid the ones I can¡¯t kill, and pick out the weaker beasts.¡± ¡°Alright then.¡± ... In the end, Qi Ying received a higher reward than he had expected. There seemed to be a few items that the academy was in desperate need of, which raised their selling price, and he received a total of eight hundred and sixty Yun Xiao Points as a result. The instructor exined with a smile, ¡°There aren¡¯t that many Energy Martial Stage disciples in the academy, and not many people want to go around killing these beasts, so demand constantly exceeds supply, and that drives up the prices. However, the Jade and Crimson ss disciples are going to the Beast Valley for arge scale hunting expedition soon, so the prices will fall drastically in the near future.¡± ¡°I see!¡± After receiving the eight hundred Yun Xiao Points, Qi Ying went to the Cultivation Methods Library again. Thankfully, there was another instructor there alongside Instructor Jiang Yuanping, and he exchanged for the Scorching Sun Fist with that instructor. He wasn¡¯t going to get the hang of the Purple Sun Eye anytime soon, but the Scorching Sun Fist would be easier to cultivate, thereby resulting in a more immediate boost to hisbat prowess. As he left the library, Instructor Jiang Yuanping suddenly called out to him, ¡°Qi Ying, what are you nning on doing tomorrow?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to cultivate.¡± Qi Ying didn¡¯t want to speak with that old suck-up, so he left an ambiguous response before quickly departing. Who knew what he was plotting by asking that question? He was a former servant of the Chu family, so Qi Ying had to be quite wary of him in the future! That night, Qi Ying cultivated the Scorching Sun Fist in the courtyard. Boom! Thump! Thump! He was able to master the battle technique to the elementary level after just fifteen minutes; purple and golden light surged from his fists with every punch. The explosive force unleashed was also more than fifty percent superior to that of the Dark Falcon Illusionary w. ¡®As expected of a Yellow Tier Supreme Rank battle technique! I¡¯ve only reached the elementary level and it¡¯s already this powerful!¡¯ Chapter 117: Assailants From the Jade Class

Chapter 117: Assants From the Jade ss

Qi Ying woke up quite early the next day, and traveled to the entrance of the Beast Valley, while practicing his movement techniques along the way. The instructor at the Beast Valley smiled upon seeing Qi Ying. ¡°Are you in need of Yun Xiao Points? I¡¯ve seen you two days in a row already, and very rarely will disciplese to the Beast Valley two days in session.¡± Qi Ying replied with a smile. ¡°Not particrly. I¡¯m mainly doing this to train myself. I¡¯m surprised you could recognize me.¡± The instructor indicated to Qi Ying¡¯s left hand and said, ¡°Your glove is very special, so it¡¯s easy to identify you.¡± ¡°Er, haha!¡± Qi Ying chuckled as he scratched his head before entering the Beast Valley. The instructor looked on at Qi Ying¡¯s departing figure as he murmured to himself. ¡°More and more disciples are beginning to enter the Beast Valley. There was a small group of Jade ss disciples that went in not long ago; it¡¯s going to be hard to remember faces from now on!¡± ... Without Lin Yin and the others with him, Qi Ying¡¯s performance waspletely different from that of the day prior. He used the experience he had gained from hunting in the Nameless Mountain, searching, hiding, and ambushing prey, before striking them down as fast as lightning. His techniques were extremely clean and concise, and he was killing beasts faster than the entire group had the day before. Boom! A purple and golden fist projection about the size of a washbasin hurtled forth, striking a Yellow Tier Eighth Rank Five-Colored Cloud Cow on the waist. A charred ck wound was immediately struck into thetter¡¯s body, and it let loose an anguished moo before falling to the ground. Qi Ying pulled out a Yellow Tier Intermediate-Rank treasured dagger, which was a lot sharper than the Ink Scale Dagger, and quickly slit the cow¡¯s throat. He then skinned it, cut off its horns, and extracted a fewrge bones from its body, before putting all of that into his spatial ring. As for its flesh, it was worth too little Yun Xiao Points, so Qi Ying just left it. His hunting trips had progressed extremely smoothly up to that point, and even Yellow Tier Ninth Rank beasts were quickly dismantled by him. Just as noon drew close. ¡®A Divine Wind Falcon!¡¯ Qi Ying raised his head and suddenly discovered arge flying beast with green feathers. The Divine Wind Falcon was a Yellow Tier Seventh Rank beast, and its feathers could be used as fletchings for armor-piercing arrows. Furthermore, its beak and ws could be used to create small weapons, or to create arrow tips for armor-piercing rounds. Those body parts were quite valuable but it was also very difficult to hunt down. Under normal circumstances, Qi Ying wouldn¡¯t have considered that beast as prey. He was a skilled archer, but he didn¡¯t have any bow or arrows that could shoot down a flying beast. However, the Divine Wind Falcon had something that Qi Ying really wanted; a pair of falcon eyes. Those eyes could be ground down into liquid, which could then be refined into his own eyes, thereby assisting in his cultivation of the Purple Sun Eye, as well as working to enhance his eyesight. Thus, Qi Ying was quite tempted. Even without a bow and arrows, he could still hunt down that falcon! There was more than one way to skin a cat. Just as Qi Ying turned to leave in order to make preparations to hunt down the falcon, a group of a dozen or so white-robed warriors suddenly made their way toward him. ¡®Jade ss disciples?¡¯ Qi Ying took a nce at them, but didn¡¯t think much of it. It was quitemon for Jade ss disciples to appear in the Beast Valley. However, after taking a second nce at them, Qi Ying discovered that something wasn¡¯t quite right. All of those people had killing intent radiating from their bodies! The feeling they gave him was akin to that of the Duan family warriors back in the hunting grounds! The white-robed warriors quickly approached Qi Ying. ¡°Is that him?¡± The one walking at the forefront of the group asked with narrowed eyes. One of hispanions confirmed, ¡°There¡¯s no mistaking it! See that silver glove on his left hand? He¡¯s definitely the one the young master was referring to!¡± ¡°Kill him!¡± The man at the forefront immediatelymanded, ¡°The young master has promised a reward to all of us if we kill that kid! There are no instructors in the Beast Valley, so no one will know anything!¡± Whoosh! Whoosh whoosh! The fifteen warriors immediately charged forward! ... ¡°F*ck!¡± Qi Ying figured out what was going on as soon as he saw the white-robed warriors converging toward him. They were trying to kill him! He didn¡¯t know what their motive was, but he knew that they were quite powerful, and definitely harbored ill will toward him. There were at least five Spirit Martial Stage warriors among them, and the rest were all Ninth Energy Martial Stage warriors. Furthermore, their auras were far more fearsome than the warriors he had encountered in the hunting grounds. It was time to run! There was no way he would be able to beat them in a direct confrontation. With five Spirit Martial Stage warriors among them, there was a good chance that at least one of them had awakened their Battle Spirits, so he would definitely be no match. Thinking back, he only managed to survive that ordeal at the hunting grounds as all of his enemies were weak and cowardly, and they pissed themselves just by the sight of Qi Ying killing a few of theirpanions. However, that group of warriors was clearly different. Qi Ying could tell that they were all seasoned warriors that had undergone rigorous training! Whoosh! Qi Ying quickly rushed toward one of the dense forests in the valley, attempting to make use of the advantageous terrain there to shake off his pursuers. ¡°Follow him!¡± Whoosh! The fifteen warriors gave chase with rxed expressions. They had heard reports that Qi Ying had defeated Spirit Martial Stage warriors in the past, and had once killed several dozens of warriors on his own. However, all of them were disciples who had been trained by the Yun Xiao Academy; any one of them could easily replicate the same feats in a rural county like the Celestial River County! Furthermore, they had a crushing advantage in numbers. All of the warriors used advanced movement techniques, and were constantly closing in on Qi Ying. ¡°F*ck!¡± Qi Ying cursed himself for not wearing his Feather Tread Boots when he came out. Without the speed enhancement those boots provided, there was no way he could outrun his assants. A direct confrontation would most definitely spell death for him. He wasn¡¯t even wearing his treasured armor, so a bombardment of battle techniques would immediately put an end to his life. However, if he continued to flee, his inferior speed would result in him being caught sooner orter. All of them had clearlye prepared, and if he wanted to survive, he would have to find an academy instructor. The problemid in the fact that the Beast Valley instructor was at the entrance, and if he wanted to reach him, he would have to go in the opposite direction, which was where his pursuers wereing from. As such, he had to get out through another exit. After consulting his mental image of the Beast Valley¡¯s map, Qi Ying decided to go to one of the more obscure entrances thatid over five kilometers away from the forest. That was an entrance prepared for Purple and ck ss disciples, and very few people used it, but there was still an instructor stationed there. ¡®Hopefully the forest will hold them off!¡¯ Whoosh! When the white-robed warriors were less than three hundred feet away from him, Qi Ying charged into the forest, sending countless startled birds flying into the air. ¡°He¡¯s going to the third entrance!¡± One of the pursuers immediately caught onto what he was trying to do. The warrior at the forefrontmanded, ¡°Keep chasing! Li San, take a few people and cut him off from another direction! Disciples like us from the Jade ss are far more familiar with the Beast Valley than he is!¡± Whoosh! One of the white-robed warriors led a few of hispanions and rushed toward another direction. There was a shortcut that they had found, which was not recorded on the map. Chapter 118: Counterattack in the Forest

Chapter 118: Counterattack in the Forest

After running into the forest, Qi Ying began to dive headfirst into the densest bushes he could find. At the same time, he was intentionally startling a few beasts, making the forest an extremely hectic ce. Thump! Qi Ying picked up a rock and threw it right into a Yellow Tier Ninth Rank Iron Arrow Boar¡¯s head. Thetter was taking a nap, and it was furious after being awoken from its slumber. Its eyelids abruptly sprung open, while its iron fur stood up on end. It was then immediately greeted by the sight of a bunch of humans rushing toward it, and it immediately attacked. Whoosh whoosh whoosh! Iron fur short forth like arrows from the Iron Arrow Boar¡¯s body. The fur was extremely hard, and every strand was enveloped by ayer of condensed True Energy, allowing them to puncture even the bodies of Spirit Martial Stage warriors, provided they weren¡¯t taking any defensive measures! ¡°Look out!¡± The Second Spirit Martial Stage at the forefront roared and at the same time, heunched a fiery dragon from his palm. Dark Tier Low- Rank battle technique, Fire Dragon sh! Boom! The oing arrow-like strands of fur were instantly incinerated by the scorching mes. All of the other warriors had also unleashed their spell techniques, creating a torrential downpour of terrifying attacks, and before the Iron Arrow Boar had even figured out what had happened, it had been cooked into a roasted pig. ¡°Get him!¡± The Second Spirit Martial Stage warrior waved a hand, and the warriors behind him immediately continued in their hunt following that false rm. Scuffles of a simr nature were constantly taking ce, and Qi Ying had also discovered that the number of pursuers behind him had suddenly decreased significantly. However, he didn¡¯t have the time to ponder the reason for that, as he continued to flee through the forest. He couldn¡¯t afford to slow down even in the slightest. Otherwise, he would be instantly caught and killed. The Second Spirit Martial Stage warrior didn¡¯t get too far ahead of the pack either. Instead, he stayed close to the rest of hispanions and cleared up all of the obstacles in their way. Having everyone together in a tight group was the safest way to progress; if one or two people charged ahead, they could easily fall prey to the traps Qi Ying was setting up. The first lesson they had ever learned in the Jade ss was to never underestimate any opponent! Thus, their group continued to give chase, closing in to a distance of just over a hundred feet away from Qi Ying. Just as a massive tree began to loom up ahead, they saw Qi Ying transform into five ck shadows, each of them running off in different directions. ¡°The middle one!¡± After a brief hesitation, everyone heard the judgment delivered by the Second Spirit Martial Stage warrior, and they immediately continued straight ahead. Just as they were approaching the massive tree, a figure suddenly emerged from behind it! Dark Falcon Illusionary w! Two bursts of fearsome w projections hurtled forth, aimed directly at the Second Spirit Martial Stage warrior. ¡°Ha!¡± The warrior chuckled coldly. A surprise attack from a Fifth Energy Martial Stage warrior was nothing to him. His hand immediately shot through the air. Fire Dragon sh! His Spiritual Energy transformed into a fiery dragon, which engulfed the w projections before rushing toward Qi Ying. Qi Ying gritted his teeth and clenched his left fist, before throwing a punch. Scorching Sun Fist! However, he wasshing out at the massive tree beside him as opposed to the fire dragon! He managed to reflexively evade the lethal fire dragon, and at the same time, his fist struck the tree, causing it to crack before toppling over, sending dust and debris flying through the air. Everyone was engulfed by the resulting shrapnel. A sharp light shed through the smokescreen, and the Second Spirit Martial Stage warrior raised his hand to pluck the oing dagger out of the air, before snapping it in half. ¡°Get him!¡± Following the fall of the tree, a brief period of turmoil ensued, but no casualties were suffered. As long as they didn¡¯t lose track of Qi Ying, the other six warriors would soon converge upon him from the other direction, leaving him with nowhere to run! Whoosh whoosh! They could just barely make out the silhouette of a figure up ahead, and they persisted in their chase. ... ¡°Dammit!¡± Qi Ying sped through the forest while pulling out a vial of Energy Breakthrough Pills from his spatial ring. He poured the entire vial of pills into his mouth; some of which he swallowed, while others were kept in his mouth, awaitingter consumption. He didn¡¯t have that many pills left, so he had to be more sparing with how many he took. After a brief analysis of the situation, Qi Ying realized that the missing six people had most likely diverged from the group to cut him off from another direction. That was why the nine warriors behind him were content to just keep him in their sights, but not overreach with their pursuit. However, nine people weren¡¯t as dangerous as fifteen. He may as well use the terrain advantage of the dense forest to strike down some of them, thereby lifting some pressure off his shoulders. Whoosh! A red scimitar appeared in Qi Ying¡¯s hand. It was Xue Yuesha¡¯s Blood Moon Scimitar! Master Thirteen had allowed him to keep it, and it was the most powerful weapon he had. Even though he hadn¡¯t attained Spiritual Energy yet, he could still inject his True Energy into the weapon and it would pose a threat to even Spirit Martial Stage warriors. After reaching another tall tree, Qi Ying stomped a foot violently into the ground, and he ran vertically up the tree, as if he had suddenly been exempt from the effects of gravity. The group of pursuers quickly also reached that tree. ¡°He¡¯s on the tree!¡± ¡°Cut it down!¡± Whoosh! A powerful sword projection was unleashed by one of the warriors, and the tree was felled. At that moment, Qi Ying sprang into the air, drawing a parabolic arc, before descending right in the midst of the warriors behind him. ¡°What a fool!¡± ¡°Cut him down!¡± Several battle techniques flew directly toward Qi Ying. ¡°Hmph.¡± Qi Ying gripped his scimitar tightly in his hand, and at the same time, a wisp of his True Energytched onto a portion of what little remained of his Blood Moon sma. Whoosh! The blood in his entire body was set alight. A True Energy Protective Barrier materialized around his body, and it was twice as resolute as his usual barrier. Bam bam! The True Energy Protective Barrier was inundated by battle techniques, but Qi Ying soon emerged from the explosion of energy. He used his drastically enhanced strength to throw himself at a warrior, and his Blood Moon Scimitar swung through the air, before slicing into that Ninth Energy Martial Stage warrior¡¯s neck with unerring uracy. St! His head was detached from his body. ¡°Tian Qi!¡± The Second Spirit Martial Stage warrior roared with rage and the other warriors were also given a fright. They were not expecting Qi Ying to be able to break through theirbined attack, and take down one of them with such ease! ¡°Die!¡± The Second Spirit Martial Stage warrior produced a thin and long saber, which he abruptly swung toward Qi Ying. Its de was enveloped by red Spiritual Energy, which shimmered like spritely mes. ¡°Hmph.¡± Qi Ying immediately directed his True Energy toward the soles of his feet, upon which his body sprang into the air while contorting at an incredible angle. He was able to evade the saber strike through what appeared to be nothing short of a miracle, and he sprang forth as his saber struck another warrior in the waist. St! The crimson de pierced through that warrior¡¯s body, and blood intermingled with fragments of internal organs sttered through the air. The warrior let loose a blood-curdling cry as he fell to the ground. He didn¡¯t die immediately, but he was clearly not going to live for much longer! Chapter 119: Ant’s Nest

Chapter 119: Ant¡¯s Nest

The Jade ss disciples had endured arduous training, and had been hunting in the Beast Valley for one or two years, so they were just as proficient in hunting as Qi Ying was. However,pared to Qi Ying, they were stillcking something. They werecking a killer¡¯s instinct! Following the events that took ce at the hunting grounds, during which Qi Ying had in several dozens of warriors, he could take human lives without even the slightest hint of his hesitation. He attacked solely to kill, as if he were some sort of cold-blooded killing machine. He had be exactly like Xue Yuesha; he didn¡¯t have a diverse range of techniques, but he struck venomously with extreme speed! The four ck-robed guards and the Lu brothers were all considered to be quite powerful among those of the same rank, so theirbined efforts should have allowed them to hold off a Spirit Martial Stage warrior. However, they were almostpletely wiped out by Xue Yuesha, and the reason for that was theirck of killer instinct, which their opponent possessed. That instinct was very abstract, and was more so rted to one¡¯s psychology rather than their actualbat prowess. If a normal person were to take a life, there would inevitably be a hint of hesitation as they prepared tond the killing blow. In a battle between powerful warriors, a fraction of a second could make the difference between life and death! In the blink of an eye, Qi Ying had already harvested the lives of two Ninth Energy Martial Stage warriors, before rushing away like a madman. The remaining three Spirit Martial Stage and four Energy Martial Stage warriors didn¡¯t have time to bury theirpanions, and continued to give chase. Two members of their group had already been killed, so they were even more determined to hunt Qi Ying down! ¡°Kill him!¡± The Second Spirit Martial Stage warrior roared with bloodshot eyes. ... ¡®There¡¯s only a tiny bit of that Blood Moon sma left.¡¯ Qi Ying internally inspected his dantian, and his brows furrowed slightly. He had killed two of his assants, but he was forced to make some sacrifices in the process. Not only had he further whittled down his pitiful remaining supply of Blood Moon sma, he had also swallowed all of his remaining Energy Breakthrough Pills to replenish his True Energy. As such, he only had some Energy st Pills, a few Energy st Pills, and some other pills left. He was getting closer and closer to the exit, but his pursuers were also slowly gaining on him. Qi Ying knew that if he were to continue on his current trajectory, he would most likely get cut off by the other group of six warriors before reaching the third exit. ¡®What can I do?¡¯ Countless thoughts shed through Qi Ying¡¯s mind in an instant. Engaging in a direct confrontation or continuing to flee were both unfeasible options. ¡®I¡¯ll keep runningps in the forest! Maybe I¡¯ll be able to take down a few more of them!¡¯ With that in mind, Qi Ying suddenly changed directions. His pursuers immediately followed suit. ¡°Is he trying to oust us?¡± ¡°Hmph! He thinks he can oust all of us when he¡¯s just a Sixth Energy Martial Stage warrior? What a stupid kid!¡± ¡°Send a signal to Li San and the others; tell them to stay outside the forest, and cut Qi Ying if he emerges!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ... Qi Ying was not just rushing aimlessly through the forest. Instead, he was devising a n for a counterattack. With that Second Spirit Martial Stage warrior among his assants, he wouldn¡¯t be able to escape no matter what he did. He had to take care of him first! Qi Ying quickly consulted his mental image of the Beast Valley map again, and scrambled for an idea that would get him out of his perilous situation. ¡®Next to this forest is a mountain, and there seems to be an Ice Fire Ant nest in one of the caves there... I¡¯ll go there!¡¯ Ice Fire Ants were massive ants that were evenrger than rats. The soldier ants among them were even bigger than husky dogs, and were Yellow Tier beasts, the most powerful of which were at the Seventh or Eighth Rank. Apparently, the ant queen was asrge as a cow, and was a Dark Tier beast. An Ice Fire Ant nest was very dangerous, even for Third or Fourth Spirit Martial Stage warriors. The ants could release a dual ice-and-fire type of toxin, and if one were to be surrounded by arge group of them, the toxins they emitted would result in paralysis, leaving the target vulnerable to attacks from the soldier ants. Only on very rare asions were there people that were willing to take the risk to secure the pincers of the soldier ants, which could be redeemed as materials for missions. Otherwise, no one would want to go to an Ice Fire Ant nest. However, to Qi Ying, the most dangerous ce was the safest one! Qi Ying drew upon another shred of the Blood Moon sma, thereby drastically elerating his speed as he rushed in the direction of the Ice Fire Ant¡¯s nest. ... All of his pursuers quickly noticed that he seemed to be progressing toward a certain location. ¡°Where is he going?¡± One of them asked. The Second Spirit Martial Stage warrior¡¯s expression changed slightly. ¡°It has to be the Ice Fire Ants¡¯ nest!¡± Everyone else¡¯s expressions had also stiffened upon hearing that, and someone eximed, ¡°Does he want to die? Entering an Ice Fire Ant nest is pretty much a death sentence for Energy Martial Stage warriors! They may be weak individually, but they form an extremely powerful whole, and even many of the Dark Tier beasts in the Beast Valley wouldn¡¯t dare to mess with them! A Sixth Energy Martial Stage brat like him is going to get poisoned to death there!¡± ¡°Keep up with him!¡± The Second Spirit Martial Stage warrior¡¯s expression darkened, ¡°Even if he dies in the nest, we have to bring something back with us to report to the young master with!¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Whoosh! The chase continued. All of them knew what terrifying consequences would await them if they were unable toplete their mission. Furthermore, the young master was not the only one who had assigned the mission to them on that asion. ... ¡®This is it!¡¯ Qi Ying finally caught sight of the cave he was looking for, and there were a bunch of red and blue creatures scurrying in and out of the cave, as if they were transporting something. He approached the cave and immediately figured out what those red and blue creatures were; they were a bunch of massive ants transporting pieces of red and ck meat into the cave. Qi Ying immediately rushed into the cave without any hesitation. Whoosh whoosh! Whoosh! His pursuers stopped outside the cave. The Second Spirit Martial Stage warrior at the forefront wore a thunderous expression. ¡°He really went in!¡± ¡°What a suicidal b*stard!¡± Everyone spat through gritted teeth. The Second Spirit Martial Stage warrior contemted momentarily, before deciding, ¡°Let¡¯s wait here for him! The Ice Fire Ant nest is very dark and congested, and there¡¯s only one opening. If he doesn¡¯te out in fifteen minutes, then he must be dead. We have Panacea Powder that can repress the ants¡¯ poison, so we¡¯ll be able to go in and search for his bodyter.¡± One of the warriors was a bit more hesitant. ¡°If he dies in the cave, then the ants will probably eat him until there¡¯s nothing left!¡± The Second Spirit Martial Stage warrior harrumphed coldly, ¡°If we can¡¯t find his body, then his silver glove will suffice as proof that wepleted the mission. Even if we can¡¯t find that, we¡¯ll know if he¡¯s dead or alive depending on whether he appears at the academy again in the next few days...¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Thus, everyone began to wait outside the cave. After fifteen minutes, the Second Spirit Martial Stage warrior broke the silence. ¡°Let¡¯s go in!¡± Chapter 120: Poison

Chapter 120: Poison

After entering the ant¡¯s nest, Qi Ying felt as if he had walked into a vast expanse of darkness. He pulled out a green fluorescent stone from his spatial ring to illuminate the path ahead of him. The dark interior was filled with countless paths, and as Qi Ying strode along, he left some marks on the walls to ensure he wasn¡¯t going around in circles. Of course, as soon as he entered the nest, the Ice Fire Ants immediately identified him as an intruder. The worker ants were only normal beasts, so they posed virtually no threat to Qi Ying. The only thing he had to be wary of was their toxic mist. Thus, Qi Ying hurried through the cave in order to avoid confrontation between himself and the ants. He could hide in the cave, and if those people rushed in to pursue him, he would be able to use the terrain of the cave to his advantage, allowing him to bring them down one by one. If they didn¡¯te in after him, then they would eventually leave, and he would be able to escape after that. The rat-sized worker Ice Fire Ants weren¡¯t all that dangerous; he could kick them aside with ease, and his True Energy Protective Barrier prevented their poison mist from entering his body. The ants also possessed very low levels of intelligence, so if there weren¡¯t any immediate threats, they wouldn¡¯t attack. To put it simply, as long as he didn¡¯t bring an ant swarm upon himself by killing the Ice Fire Ants around him, their nest was actually quite a safe hiding ce. Soon, Qi Ying had made his way deep into the nest. There weren¡¯t even that many Ice Fire Ants around in that area, and Qi Ying was hiding in a corner, recovering his True Energy. ¡®Who could have sent those people toe after me?¡¯ Qi Ying¡¯s brows were tightly furrowed. He had only just arrived at the Green ss and hadn¡¯t gotten into any altercations, aside from the one with that Instructor Jiang. If anyone had a motive to hunt him down, it would be Sun Changyu, whose brother he had killed, as well as the Qin and Chu families. After contemting the situation, he saw thest option as the one most likely! He had already sensed that something was amiss when Jiang Yuanping had taken the initiative to speak to him the day prior, and it appeared that his suspicions were not unwarranted. Jiang Yuanping was a former servant to the Chu family, and Chu Bixue just so happened to be in the Green ss... The warriors who wereing after him were Jade ss disciples, so they were most likely members of the Chu family¡¯s youth army! ¡®F*ck, trouble follows me wherever I go...¡¯ Qi Ying knew that there was no way for him to alleviate the tension between himself and the Chu family. The situation was even worse than his blood feud with the Duan family, back when he was at the Celestial River Academy. Furthermore, it was obvious that the Duan family couldn¡¯t even hold a candle to a colossus like the Chu family! Even the imperial family had to treat the seven major families with respect. The imperial family was on the wane; thus, the core power of the entire kingdom consisted of the seven major families, and the Chu family just so happened to be one of the higher-ranked ones among the seven. Qi, Qin, Chu, Yan, Zhao, Wei, Han. That was roughly the order the families were ranked in. The patriarch of the Qi family was Qi Xun, the number one pioneer when the Yun Xiao Kingdom was first founded. He had an extremely important position as a high-ranking official in the kingdom for a decade thereafter, and even all the way to the present day, the Qi family was still the leader of the seven major families. The Qin family was once a rtively insignificant familypared to their six counterparts, but a generation of insanely-talented prodigies suddenly emerged among the ranks, and they gradually imed a berth as the newest addition to the seven major families. The Chu family¡¯s patriarch had also contributed greatly to the founding of the kingdom, but the family was responsible for guarding its borders, and only moved into the capital over a centuryter. The Yan family consisted of the guardians of the imperial family. They were connected very closely to the imperial family, but they were also the weakest among the seven major families. The only reason they were ranked alongside their six counterparts was due to their special identities. The Zhao, Wei, and Han families made consistent appearances in the history of the kingdom. Their power wasparable to any of the four families that were ranked above them, but they were of a slightly lower status, due to ack of contribution to the kingdompared to the Qi, Qin, Chu, and Wei families. In any case, they formed the foundation of the kingdom¡¯s power. The Chu family would definitely not be willing to let things slide, even if someone from one of the other major families had killed Chu Kaolie, let alone an underprivileged warrior like Qi Ying. Qi Ying was just thinking about the seven major families, when a sharp pain shot through his back, and he reflexively swept a palm behind him. p! Something was pulverized by his hand. Qi Ying looked down and his expression instantly changed. There was an Ice Fire Ant carcass on his right hand, and pus was still flowing from its body while a dark purple mist wafted through the air. ¡®Ant poison!¡¯ Qi Ying immediately unleashed his True Energy Protective Barrier, but a portion of the ant poison had already entered his body. Thankfully, the toxins within one Ice Fire Ant were quite limited, and an Energy Martial Stage like him would be able to repress it with his True Energy. As long as he didn¡¯t absorb the toxins from more than ten ants at once, he wouldn¡¯t be in too much danger. Thus, he immediately circted his True Energy to target the toxins that had already entered his bloodstream. However. ¡®This feeling...¡¯ Qi Ying was slightly stumped as he found that even after the ant poison had entered his body, he didn¡¯t experience any sense of paralysis as he had expected. On the contrary, a scorching flow of energy seemed to have appeared in his body. Following some internal inspection, Qi Ying discovered that after the purple ant poison entered his bloodstream, it was broken down by the grey light in his bloodline, and thus converted to pure energy! ¡®I¡¯m immune to ant poison?!¡¯ Qi Ying was stunned. However, thinking back, he realized that he seemed to have never been poisoned throughout his life. Even back when he was stung by wasps as a child, the swelling on his body would always disappear in a short time. He was also bitten by a snake on one asion, but that didn¡¯t do anything to him either. At that moment. Rustle rustle rustle! All of a sudden, over ten Ice Fire Ants appeared before him. ¡®Crap!¡¯ He had just unintentionally killed an Ice Fire Ant, and the scent of its internal fluids was permeating through the nest, thereby attracting the attention of arge number of ants. Qi Ying unleashed a palm projection to send all of the Ice Fire Ants before him flying. At the same time, he turned and quickly fled the scene to avoid more ants converging upon and surrounding him. However, he had only taken just one step. Crack! A sticky sensation welled up underfoot. ¡°F*ck! Why did you have to throw yourself under my shoe?¡± Qi Ying swore at the Ice Fire Ant he had just trodden on. At that moment, more and more ants were swarming toward him from all directions. The entire nest was filled with the eerie rustling of countless ants scurrying over sandstone. Qi Ying quickly departed, treading upon and killing several more Ice Fire Ants in the process. The scent of their internal fluids was drawing more and more of theirpanions to Qi Ying. All of the ants converged toward the invader, exuding their most lethal purple toxic mist in the process. Qi Ying strengthened his True Energy Protective Barrier, but the toxic mist was able to erode through it. Soon, arge amount of it passed through his barrier, and was absorbed into his body. Qi Ying was then able to confirm that the ant poison truly had no effect on him! Not only was itpletely harmless, it was transformed into energy that replenished his own energy reserves. Of course, most of that energy was taken by his left hand. Large amounts of toxic mist were breathed in, but he experienced no symptoms of paralysis, dizziness, or hallucinations. Instead, it was only working to benefit him. Chapter 121: Collapse

Chapter 121: Copse

The Ice Fire Ants were a fearsome force due to two factors: their massive numbers, and their lethal poison. Even if a warrior was far stronger than all of the individual ants, they could still get swamped by sheer numbers, before sumbing to the toxic mist they emitted. However, after discovering his immunity to ant poison, Qi Ying did not need to fear the ants at all! ¡°You want to eat me? I¡¯ll f*cking crush you all to death!¡± Qi Ying stomped around like a furious giant and soon, a massive number of Ice Fire Ants had been reduced to pulps beneath his feet. The toxic mist emanating from their carcasses was then absorbed by Qi Ying. ¡®The energy contained within the toxic mist of each ant isparable to that of an Energy Explosion Pill!¡¯ Qi Ying was ecstatic. He had certainly made the right decision to seek refuge in the Ice Fire Ant nest! A thought suddenly urred to Qi Ying, and he slipped off his silver glove, before pulling out the Dark Tier Low Rank treasured armor awarded to him by the Green ss from his spatial ring. The items hemonly used were ced in a spatial ring that he wore on his right hand, whereas the more precious and rarely used ones were put into the spatial ring on his left hand, so it could be protected by his silver glove. The Dark Tier Low Rank treasured armor he received was apparently the same model worn by Yun Xiao Kingdom army officials. It was light yet sturdy, and could produce quite a powerful defensive barrier. The only drawback to Qi Ying was that he still couldn¡¯t generate Spiritual Energy, and using True Energy to forcibly activate the armor was going to result in massive energy expenditure. Aside from that, Qi Ying also put on his Feather Tread Boots, and pulled out his Dragon Tiger Demon-ying Staff. He also hung his Blood Moon Scimitar from his waist, so he could use it at any moment. More and more Ice Fire Ants converged toward him, and there were some husky-sized soldier ants among them. Whoosh! He swept his staff through the air, and arge horde of Ice Fire Ants was reduced to pus and toxic mist. ¡°Phew...¡± Qi Ying inhaled as much of the ¡°lethal¡± toxic mist as he could, and his blood automatically converted it into pure energy. Crack! His Dragon Tiger Demon-ying Staff struck a soldier ant, and purple fluids sttered onto Qi Ying¡¯s body. Sizzle! Arge patch of his green robes was eroded away, creating a hole that was roughly the size of a te. ¡®Looks like the soldier ants still pose some threat to me.¡¯ After making that observation, Qi Ying was more careful when dealing with soldier ants, and materialized his True Energy Protective Barrier again. Rustle rustle rustle! Waves upon waves of Ice Fire Ants emerged. However, simply piling on more numbers was ineffective. Killing those Ice Fire Ants was an extremely easy task for Qi Ying. He could kill countless ants with a swipe of his staff, and even soldier ants perished to a single strike with no exceptions. Ironically, the toxic mist that those ants were most feared for only worked to replenish Qi Ying¡¯s energy. The Ice Fire Ants were basically bringing food to Qi Yings doorstep! ¡®Amitabha, you are the ones who wanted to eat me first, so don¡¯t me me for eating your toxic mist... I didn¡¯t ask you for this; you¡¯re forcing yourselves upon me...¡¯ At that moment. Qi Ying heard a burst of human voices erupting from nearby. ¡°The Ice Fire Ants are all rushing in that direction!¡± ¡°That kid must be fighting all of the Ice Fire Ants!¡± ¡°Is he still not dead yet?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter; we can just put him out of his misery if he¡¯s not dead yet!¡± ¡°I reckon he¡¯ll be dead for sure before we even get to him!¡± The sound of footsteps drew closer and closer. Qi Ying¡¯s eyes narrowed, as a cold expression appeared on his face. ¡®I have nothing against any of you, but you¡¯re all trying to kill me, so don¡¯t me me for killing you... I¡¯m such a kind and generous person, so why is there always a bunch of stupid c*nts trying to kill me? Why can¡¯t all of you be like Young Master Qi Shun? He¡¯s a man of such supreme pedigree and prestige, but he still smiled at me!¡¯ ... Qi Ying¡¯s seven pursuers had already been searching within the ant¡¯s nest for a while, and had killed a few Ice Fire Ants in the process. However, they were able to use the Panacea Powder to repress the effects of the poison, and to obscure the scent of the deceased ants¡¯ internal fluids, so they weren¡¯t being attacked by ant swarms like Qi Ying was. When they saw all of the Ice Fire Ants erupt into a frenzy and collectively rush toward one ce, they realized that someone must have triggered an ant swarm! Aside from their target, there was no one else in the nest with them. The Second Spirit Martial Stage warrior led the group, followed by two First Spirit Martial Stage warriors, and four Ninth Energy Martial Stage warriors; they soon found the location that the ants were converging toward. ¡°Haha, I¡¯ve found him!¡± They rounded a corner, and saw countless Ice Fire Ant carcasses littered all over the ground. At the same time, hordes of ants were jumping onto a humanoid figure, tearing his robes into shreds. Someone wanted to charge forward andnd the killing blow, but the Second Spirit Martial Stage warrior held him back. ¡°Wait until he¡¯s dead for sure. We can then take his body back as proof that we sessfullypleted our mission!¡± ¡°Alright.¡± The passageways in the nest were extremely narrow, and it was difficult for even two people to walk side by side. At that moment, they suddenly saw Qi Ying on the ground, crawling toward them. ¡°What a poor kid; but you deserve to die!¡± The Second Spirit Martial Stage warrior¡¯s face lit up with a twisted sense of satisfaction, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have had to suffer like this if you had just surrendered and allowed us to kill you! But you had to kill Tian Qi and Jiang Lin, so dying a painful death like this is exactly what you deserve!¡± Just as he was delivering a spiteful eulogy to Qi Ying. Bam! Qi Ying suddenly sprang up from the ground! ¡°What?!¡± The Second Spirit Martial Stage warrior waspletely caught off guard. In such a narrow passageway, there was nowhere for him to evade or hide! Qi Ying clenched his left fist, and unleashed an almighty punch. Scorching Sun Fist! Boom! A purple and golden fist projection crashed into the Second Spirit Martial Stage warrior¡¯s body, sending him flying back and knocking over his sixpanions in the process. ¡°Stupid c*nts!¡± Qi Ying wasn¡¯t going to actually engage them in a direct battle, as he would be no match for the three Spirit Martial Stage warriors. However, he could cause some trouble for them in such a congested ant¡¯s nest. Thump! Thud thud! Qi Ying raised his Dragon Tiger Demon-ying Staff and thrust it toward the ceiling. Large clumps of shattered rocks immediately fell from above. Dust and debris flew in all directions, burying the seven people who had yet to climb back onto their feet. Qi Ying didn¡¯t engage in any more demolition after that. If he did so, he would be in danger of burying himself as well. He immediately rushed deeper into the nest. The path from which he hade had already copsed from his staff strike, so he could only advance further into the nest and search for another way out. Chapter 122: Get Back Down

Chapter 122: Get Back Down

Boom! Shards of sandstone flew in all directions as a few figures emerged from the dust and debris. The pursuers¡¯ white robes had been stained with soil and sand, and from the expression on the Second Spirit Martial Stage warrior¡¯s face, it was quite apparent that he was at the height of his rage. ¡°Get him!¡± There was a trail of footsteps leading away from them, and they followed that trail as they set off in hot pursuit. All of them were thoroughly humiliated and infuriated. Never did they think that they would be embarrassed to such an extent by a Sixth Energy Martial Stage brat! ¡°What a slimy little b*stard!¡± ¡°He must be carrying some Panacea Powder with him as well, and he must have quite a bit of it. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have dared to enter the ant¡¯s nest so recklessly.¡± ¡°We have to hurry up and find him; we don¡¯t have much Panacea Powder left!¡± They followed the trail of footsteps deeper into the nest, and a mocking expression appeared on their faces. The ant queen was located at the deepest part of the nest, so Qi Ying was heading straight toward his death! All they had to do was to exert pressure on him from behind, then recover his body before their Panacea Powder ran out. ... Thump! Thump! Qi Ying continued to destroy the sandstone passageways in his wake, causing them to copse, thereby creating obstacles for his pursuers. It wouldn¡¯t be able topletely stop them in their tracks, but it would at least stall them for a while. Qi Ying had lost his green fluorescent stone at some point during the earlier scuffle, so he could only materialize a ball of True Energy around his hand, and use its purple light to guide him. His entire body was stained by the internal fluids of countless Ice Fire Ants, and the scent attracted countless more ants to attack him. Of course, their attempts to kill Qi Ying werepletely futile. Their toxins were ineffective, so no matter how many of them there were, a few sweeps of his staff would get the job done. Furthermore, as he killed the oing Ice Fire Ants, the toxic mist they emitted replenished his expended True Energy, to the extent that not only had all of his energy reserves been restored, even his cultivation base was beginning to inch forward a little! Even though the rate was very slow, and was greatly inferiorpared to when he used his cultivation method, he certainly couldn¡¯tin as any improvement at all was an unexpected bonus in his current situation. Qi Ying continued deeper and deeper into the nest, leaving a trail of Ice Fire Ant carcasses in his wake. He couldn¡¯t even be bothered to make the passageways copse anymore, as the sound of footstepsing from behind him indicated that his seven pursuers were gradually closing in. Even if he stopped to create an obstacle for them, they would be able to break through it very quickly anyway, so it would just be a waste of time and energy. His top priority was to find another way out. All of a sudden, he heard a peculiar sounding from below him. ... ¡°Qi Ying¡¯s just up ahead!¡± ¡°We need to pick up the pace!¡± ¡°Be careful; we¡¯re deep in the ant¡¯s nest now, and it¡¯s very dangerous here...¡± Fortunately, their pursuit had been quite smooth thus far, as they hadn¡¯t been attacked by that many Ice Fire Ants. It made sense as almost all of the ants they came across were already dead. At the same time, they were getting quite curious. Could it be that Qi Ying wasn¡¯t carrying Panacea Powder, but some type of specialized antidote instead? Otherwise, how could he have remained immune to the poison even after killing so many Ice Fire Ants? Soon, the Second Spirit Martial Stage warrior at the forefront of the group caught sight of Qi Ying. ¡°Battle Spirit, Sinister Fire Python!¡± He couldn¡¯t allow Qi Ying to keep running. It would be very dangerous for them if they were led any further into the nest. Whoosh! A fiery red python that was several dozens of feet in length, with a circumferenceparable to that of a bowl shot forth. Its entire body was burning with Spiritual Energy mes, and it opened its cavernous mouth as it pounced viciously toward Qi Ying. ¡°Piss off!¡± Qi Ying could sense the burning heat hurtling toward him, and he immediately threw a punch! Scorching Sun Fist! Boom! A powerful explosive force permeated throughout the nest, and chunks and shards of sandstone rained down from above. Qi Ying¡¯s body fell to the ground, while a cloud of dust and debris was swept up around him. ¡°You¡¯re not getting away now!¡± The Second Spirit Martial Stage warrior chuckled coldly, and he manipted his Battle Spirit to attack Qi Ying again. ¡°Ha!¡± Qi Ying activated his Dark Tier treasured armor in an instant, and a vast amount of his True Energy surged forth, creating a shimmering green barrier that encapsted his body. The Sinister Fire Python Battle Spirit exploded after striking the green barrier, and the shockwaves resulting from the explosion pressed Qi Ying even more firmly into the ground. At that moment, Qi Ying suddenlyunched a powerful punch into the ground below him. Condensed purple True Energy enveloped his silver glove, and he shattered the sandstone beneath him with his fist, sending him plummeting into a cavernous area down below. Thump! Qi Ying¡¯s body fell onto anotheryer of sandstone. ¡°Don¡¯t let him get away!¡± ¡°Get him!¡± Within such a massive ant¡¯s nest, it was inevitable there were some more vulnerable areas. Qi Ying had taken advantage of one of those areas, and punched straight through the ground, allowing him to escape from his pursuers again. The Second Spirit Martial Stage warrior continued leading the group, and the seven warriors jumped down after Qi Ying in quick session! Bam! The warriorsnded one after the other, but when they raised their heads to survey their surroundings, all of them were stunned by what they saw! In contrast to the narrow passageways outside, the ce they had found themselves in was very spacious, with a radius of around two hundred feet, and there were over ten thousand red and blue eggs lining the walls. However, the most eye-catching thing was a massive creature that was the size of an elephant! Scree scree... At the center of the cave was a gargantuan monster that appeared to be a massively erged Ice Fire Ant. It had a pair of semi-transparent wings on its back, its stomach was enormous, as if it had been stuffed full of something. Bright blue mes seemed to be burning on the giant ant¡¯s six feet, and those mes created a particrly harrowing sight in the dark cave. Everyone¡¯s eyes widened in shock and horror. It was the ant queen! The queens of the Ice Fire Ants were all at least Dark Tier beasts, and judging from the aura exuded by the colossal ant in front of them, it appeared that it was already a Dark Tier Third Rank beast! ¡®Run!¡¯ The exact same thought welled up in everyone¡¯s minds, as they scurried toward the opening up above, from which they had just fallen through. The ant queen wasn¡¯t actually very powerful in battle. It was very heavy and mdroit, and its defenses weren¡¯t very powerful either. However, its poison was insanely lethal. Spiritual Energy and True Energy Protective Barriers werepletely ineffective against it, as was Panacea Powder. Spiritual Energy mes were already burning on the ant queen¡¯s limbs, which indicated that it was about to release its toxic mist. If they couldn¡¯t escape in time, then they were as good as dead! Thus, all of them frantically rushed toward the opening in the ceiling. A First Spirit Martial Stage warrior unintentionally blocked the Second Spirit Martial Stage warrior¡¯s path, and thetter immediately unleashed a fire dragon, sending the former crashing down below again. At that moment. Whoosh... A vast expanse of purple mist was already permeating within the cave. The Second Spirit Martial Stage warrior instantly arrived at the overhead opening, but just as he was about to escape, a powerful hand suddenlytched onto his ankle with a vice-like grip. ¡°Get back down!¡± Qi Ying roared as he tugged violently with his left hand, dragging the Second Spirit Martial Stage warrior right into the purple mist. Chapter 123: Completely Wiped Out

Chapter 123: Completely Wiped Out

A n had already hatched in Qi Ying¡¯s mind back when he noticed the peculiar soundsing from beneath him. There was no way he would be able to defeat a Second Spirit Martial Stage warrior in a direct battle, and to top it all off, he had six powerfulpanions with him as well, so he had no chance whatsoever. However, there was the powerful ant queen in the nest, which was something he could use to his advantage! The hollow sound that he heard while running indicated that there was a vast cave beneath him. The most spacious location in the ant¡¯s nest... it had to be the ant queen¡¯s den! Thus, Qi Ying immediately devised a n to use the ant queen against his pursuers. ... Bam! Bam bam! A series of figures fell back into the purple mist. ¡°None of you are going anywhere!¡± After dragging the Second Spirit Martial Stage warrior back down, Qi Ying swung his Dragon Tiger Demon-ying Staff at any warrior who was approaching the opening, swatting all of them down into the toxic mist once again. ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°B*stard!¡± Howls of anguish erupted down below. The four Energy Martial Stage warriors onlysted a few seconds before falling dead to the ground, with blood flowing from all of their orifices, presenting a very harrowing sight... Even in the instant before they died, they were still unable toprehend how the Sixth Energy Martial Stage Qi Ying could thrive amid such lethal poison. In contrast, the Spirit Martial Stage warriors were able to use their Spiritual Energy to repress the poison. Spiritual Light erupted from a First Spirit Martial Stage warrior¡¯s body, keeping the poison mist at bay as he charged toward a passageway behind the ant queen. He was mere meters away from an escape, when all of a sudden... ¡°Dark Falcon Illusionary w!¡± A ck shadow suddenly shed past, and several w projections instantly struck him on the back. As a result, he momentarily lost control of the Spiritual Energy he was using to keep the poison mist at bay, thereby allowing the mist to envelop his entire body. Bam! The First Spirit Martial Stage warrior fell to the ground, and began to spasm uncontrobly. ¡°Die!¡± Qi Ying swung his staff to bash his skull, and intracranial fluids sttered through the air. Thus, there were only two warriors left in the purple mist, one of which was the Second Spirit Martial Stage warrior, while the other was his First Spirit Martial Stagepanion, whom he had just knocked down with his fire dragon not long ago. Thetter had almost reached the opening before his escape attempt was foiled by a sneak attack, so he was naturally very angry. ¡°Huo Da! How could you do that to me?¡± The Second Spirit Martial Stage warrior by the name of Huo Da didn¡¯t have time to quarrel with hispanion. Some of the ant queen¡¯s toxins had already made their way into his body, and he was in quite a dire situation. There was only one way he could survive: he had to kill the ant queen! His scorching fire-type Spiritual Energy was the natural bane of poison. If he could kill the ant queen, the toxins in his system wouldn¡¯t be enough to kill him. ¡°Battle Spirit, Sinister Fire Python!¡± Whoosh! The long fiery python shot through the air and chomped down viciously upon the ant queen¡¯s stomach. At the same time, it wound its body around the ant queen, therebypletely immobilizing it. ¡°Scree, scree...¡± The ant queen struggled with all its might. However, even though it was a Dark Tier Third Rank beast, only its lethal toxins posed an actual threat. It had led apletely sedentary life in the nest, making itpletely unfit for battle, to the extent that it was barely able to move. At the same time, it was in an incubation period, and was weakened further by it. As such, it was no match for the Sinister Fire Python Battle Spirit, and it couldn¡¯t break free no matter how much it tried. ¡°Battle Spirit Technique, ming Waterfall!¡± Huo Da spread open his right hand with a twisted expression, before abruptly clenching it to form a fist! Whoosh! A vast expanse of mes cascaded down from the Sinister Fire Python¡¯s body,pletely engulfing the ant queen. Large plumes of ck smoke rose into the air amid the sound of sizzling flesh. The ant queen struggled and screeched, but Huo Da was not extending so much as a single shred of sympathy toward it. Either the ant queen died or he would perish; it was an easy choice for him to make. The massive ant queen was soon reduced to a pile of ashes, and a gentle breeze blew past dispersing the ashes into the distance. ¡°Huff... Huff...¡± Huo Da was panting heavily as he half-knelt on the ground. He had done it! He turned to his final remainingrade to find that he had also fallen to the final plume of toxic mist the ant queen had unleashed. Thus, he was the only one who had survived. However, a figure suddenly appeared beside him, and his heart jolted with shock! ¡°Qi Ying?!¡± Huo Da was in utter disbelief as he looked at the young man standing before him. His clothes were in tatters, his hair was in disarray, but his treasured armor and golden staff were shimmering with radiant light. Qi Ying was still alive. ¡®How is that possible?!¡¯ Even with the best antidote, there was no way that a Sixth Energy Martial Stage warrior would be able to survive the ant queen¡¯s poison. Huo Da soon recovered from his shock as a vicious expression appeared on his face. ¡°I don¡¯t care how you managed to survive, but it¡¯s time for you to die now!¡± Whoosh! His Sinister Fire Python Battle Spirit shot through the air toward Qi Ying. Right at that moment, Qi Ying drew upon his final drop of Blood Moon sma, and his True Energy was ignited as he sprang forth like an arrow. He disyed incredible speed for an Energy Martial Stage warrior as he evaded the Sinister Fire Python. At the same time, he raised his golden Dragon Tiger Demon-ying Staff high into the air, before bringing it down with devastating force. Peerless Staff Strike! Crack! The staff struck Huo Dao right on the head. His body was still virtually paralyzed from the toxins he had absorbed, so he was unable to evade. His eyes widened with indignant rage before zing over as he fell dead to the ground. The Sinister Fire Python Battle Spirit that was hurtling toward Qi Ying was also abruptly snuffed out. ¡°Phew...¡± Qi Ying supported himself using his Dragon Tiger Demon-ying Staff as he panted heavily. He looked around and counted seven bodies, so all of his pursuers had beenpletely wiped out, with the exception of the six that had diverged from the group. Qi Ying went through the bodies to confirm that they were all Jade ss disciples. ¡®I have to find out who is trying to kill me!¡¯ Even though the Chu family seemed to be the likeliest candidate, he couldn¡¯t bepletely sure. After all, there was nock of Qin family members in the Jade ss as well, and Madam Butterfly had revealed to him that she knew who he was. As such, there was a chance that the Qin family was behind all this. However, he was not going to find the answer just by thinking about it. There were still six Jade ss disciples in the Beast Valley, and he had to find them. Qi Ying didn¡¯t take anything from the deceased disciples. Such arge number of disciples disappearing at once would definitely lead to an investigation from the academy. If he were caught carrying any of their belongings with him, he would definitely be in a lot of trouble. However, when he reached the body of that Second Spirit Martial Stage warrior; the one named Huo Da, a familiar feeling suddenly welled up in his body. It was the same feeling he had when he came into contact with Xue Yuesha¡¯s dead body. He ced his left hand on Huo Da¡¯s shattered head. Whoosh! Something abruptly flowed into Qi Ying¡¯s body. ¡°This is...¡± Qi Ying internally inspected his dantian, to discover that the depleted Blood Moon sma had been reced by a ball of fiery red substance. It looked a little like blood, but it contained extremely abundant and powerful energy. Chapter 124: Fire Python Energy

Chapter 124: Fire Python Energy

On the previous asion, Qi Ying had obtained the Blood Moon sma from Xue Yuesha, which allowed him to gain an ability simr to that of thetter¡¯s Battle Spirit. On that asion, Qi Ying obtained something of a simr nature from Huo Da¡¯s body. Furthermore, the energy imbued within it was even more powerful than that of the Blood Moon sma! ¡®Let¡¯s see what it does.¡¯ Qi Ying extracted a small drop of that fiery red substance, before fusing it into his bloodstream. Whoosh! Qi Ying could instantly sense that an extremely turbulent energy had appeared in his body. ¡°Roar!¡± A fire python several dozens of feet in length erupted from Qi Ying¡¯s right hand amid the sound of a thunderous roar. It crashed into the wall of the cave,ying waste to countless eggs, and sting a hole into the wall that was ten feet in diameter and several dozens of feet deep. tter! Shard of rocks rained down as shrapnel flew in all directions. ¡®That¡¯s really powerful!¡¯ Qi Ying¡¯s breathing faltered upon seeing the effects of his attack. He had only drawn upon a tiny portion of that liquid, and the power he unleashed was still more than twice as potent as that of the Scorching Sun Fist. ¡®What if I use this with a battle technique?¡¯ Qi Ying extracted a wisp of that fiery red substance again before merging it with his blood. When that burst of burning energy appeared in his body again, he unleashed it in conjunction with his Scorching Sun Fist. ¡°Roar!¡± A python projection short forth again, but on that asion, dazzling purple and golden energy was revolving around its body. Furthermore, its size and power had both been drastically enhanced. Boom! The purple and golden fire python crashed into the wall of the cave. Crack! A burst of violent tremors rocked the entire cave, while a massive hole appeared in the wall that had just been struck, and the roof began to fall piece by piece. ¡®Crap! The entire cave is about to copse!¡¯ Qi Ying didn¡¯t have time to celebrate the attainment of his new power; he had to get out of the ant¡¯s nest as quickly as possible! He had only just made it out of the cave, when a particrly loud rumble erupted behind him before everything fell silent. ¡®That ant queen is dead, and the new Ice Fire Ants had not even hatched yet. Looks like their nest ispletely uninhabitable now.¡¯ Qi Ying heaved an internal sigh. On his way out, he had encountered many Ice Fire Ants, but none of them attacked. Instead, they began to scurry around the copsing cave in a blind panic. Without their queen, they didn¡¯t even possess the most basic level of intelligence, so they could only await their death in their destroyed nest. ... ¡®There should still be six people left!¡¯ Qi Ying quickly arrived at the forest again and began to search for the six remaining Jade ss disciples. Soon, he found the bodies of the two pursuers he had killed earlier, but both of them had already been severely ravaged by the nearby beasts, and werepletely unrecognizable. As expected, the Beast Valley really was a good ce to kill someone. The bodies would be consumed by the carnivorous beasts, so there was no need to even dispose of the evidence. Even if people from the academy came across those bodies, they would only be able to determine that the victims had been killed by beasts. That was most likely why those Jade ss disciples were able to hunt him with such reckless abandon in the Beast Valley. ¡®I have to find those six people, and make them tell me who¡¯s trying to kill me!¡¯ Qi Ying climbed onto a tree that was over a hundred feet tall, and he cast his gaze far and wide to search for his pursuers. It didn¡¯t take him long to catch sight of six indistinct white-robed figures gathered in the distance. ¡°They¡¯re still outside the forest so they must be waiting for the other nine people.¡± Qi Ying spected as his eyes narrowed, ¡°Unfortunately for them, theirpanions are nevering back!¡± ... Li San¡¯s true name wasn¡¯t actually Li San. Instead, it was Li Rulong, and Li San was only his nickname in the group. As a warrior who hade from a small rural city, his aptitude was mediocre in all five aspects. However, he was able to stay in the Jade ss and earn himself a spot in a group filled with local disciples from the capital, and the reason for that was his utmost obedience to the leader of the group. Hepleted any tasks delegated to him unconditionally, and that was his only redeeming trait. No one disliked an obedient subordinate. After being told to hunt down that Green ss disciple, Li Rulong didn¡¯t ask why. When Huo Damanded him to diverge from the group to cut off their prey, he did so without any hesitation. He was told to wait outside the forest, and even though he hadn¡¯t received any further instructions for close to an hour, he still persevered with his fivepanions. He would rather miss an opportunity than go against his orders. That was his mantra. Hispanions were already beginning toin, ¡°Let¡¯s go in and have a look, Brother San. Huo Da is a pretty dodgy guy; who knows if he¡¯ll try and steal our rewards? Maybe he¡¯s already taken advantage of this opportunity, and left with Qi Ying¡¯s head!¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go and search in the forest. Maybe some sort of mishap urred...¡± All of hispanions were getting very impatient and didn¡¯t want to wait any longer. ¡°No!¡± Li Rulong turned them down in a firm voice, ¡°We¡¯ll keep waiting. If we follow instructions, we don¡¯t stand to lose anything, but if we act of our own ord, we could get punished.¡± He followed his own set of rules for many years, and he was unwilling to change. Further, how could any mishaps possibly strike Huo Da and the others? If they wanted to steal their rewards, then he would just have to concede. If he were to get into an altercation with them over such a small matter, there was a good chance that Huo Da would pick on him in the future. Li Rulong was well aware of his ce in the pecking order. He was an outsider so he waspletely dispensable. In his situation, it was always better to be safe than sorry. ¡°Sigh...¡± The other five people heaved a collective sigh in dejection, but they clearly weren¡¯t going to be able to convince Li Rulong, so they could only wait with him. At that moment. ¡°Argh...¡± A howl of pain erupted from within the forest. Excitement abruptly appeared on the faces of the five warriors. One of them sprang to his feet and was about to rush into the forest. ¡°Wait!¡± Li Rulongid a hand on that disciple¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Our instructions were to stay here! We¡¯re not going anywhere unless Qi Yinges out!¡± ¡°But if they kill Qi Ying without us, then all of the rewards really will go to them!¡± ¡°So what? Our objective is to put on a faultless performance, not an exceptional one!¡± Li Rulong¡¯s said in a cold voice, ¡°Do you really think there¡¯s any point in going in now? You¡¯ll only irk Huo Da and the others! If Qi Ying can escape, we¡¯ll be able to cut him off and kill him. In that case, Huo Da and the others can¡¯t say anything, and all of the benefits will be ours! So stand down and wait!¡± ¡°Alright then...¡± Thus, they began to wait outside the forest again. However, as opposed to their boredckadaisical demeanor from earlier, they werepletely focused and switched on, as they waited to see if Qi Ying would emerge. All of a sudden. ¡°Argh!¡± Another bloodcurdling cry erupted from much closer to them on that asion. Immediately afterward, a bloodstained figure with extremely disheveled hair rushed out from the forest. Li Rulong¡¯s face finally lit up with excitement. ¡°Go!¡± Chapter 125: I’ll Thrust You to Death

Chapter 125: I¡¯ll Thrust You to Death

¡°Haha! Now¡¯s our chance!¡± ¡°Come here, little kitty!¡± The group of six were extremely excited at the sight of Qi Ying rushing out from the forest. He had clearly been severely wounded, and somehow managed to escape from Huo Da and the others. However, that only made him the perfect prey for them! Whoosh! All of them charged toward Qi Ying as quickly as they could. Li Rulong hung back at the rear of the group as he discovered that something was amiss. Qi Ying appeared to be running in a frantic and wobbly manner, but his speed was extremely fast. ¡®How could a severely wounded person run that quickly?¡¯ He then caught sight of the purple light that had enveloped Qi Ying¡¯s fist, and he knew that something was definitely not right. He hurriedly yelled, ¡°Look out!¡± However, it was already toote. Just as the five warriors were about to close in on Qi Ying, thetter abruptly raised his hand; a purple and golden fire python erupted through the air. Scorching Sun Fire Python Fist! Boom! The fire python instantly engulfed the five pursuers, reducing them to five balls of fire. ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°Argh!¡± Howls of agony erupted. Afterbining the Fire Python Energy with his Scorching Sun Fist, Qi Ying created the Scorching Sun Fire Python Fist, which was virtually just as powerful as a fire python attack unleashed by Huo Dao himself. Energy Martial Stage warriors without their True Energy Protective Barrier set up in advance, had absolutely no chance of survival. Thus, the three Ninth Energy Martial Stage warriors were all incinerated into charcoal! There was still a First Spirit Martial Stage warrior left, and he managed to activate his Spiritual Energy just as the fire python reached him, thereby allowing him to barely keep the mes at bay. ¡°How could this be...¡± Just as he was caught in a stunned stupor, a ck shadow abruptly appeared before him. Qi Ying drew his Blood Moon Scimitar, upon which purple mes burned. Whoosh! A saber projection shed through the air. St! The First Spirit Martial Stage warrior was decapitated, and a vertical geyser of blood erupted from the cross-section of the wound on his neck. ¡°Looks like there¡¯s still one left. How convenient...¡± Qi Ying turned his gaze toward Li Rulong. Thetter¡¯s face was immediately drained of all color. ¡®This is no Sixth Energy Martial Stage warrior! In the Jade ss, only Second Spirit Martial Stage warriors would be capable of unleashing such a powerful attack!¡¯ He had seen prodigies from the Purple ss before, but none of them were as fearsome at just the Energy Martial Stages. When he saw the feral animalistic killing intent shimmering in Qi Ying¡¯s eyes, Li Rulong immediately relinquished all thoughts of resistance. He finally understood why Huo Da and the others had been dyed for so long. They weren¡¯t trying to steal the rewards... They had most likely all been killed by Qi Ying! ¡®Run!¡¯ That was the only thought in Li Rulong¡¯s mind as his Spiritual Energy erupted forth, carrying him straight into the air. He was a Spirit Martial Stage warrior so he had the ability to fly. As long as he could rise to a high enough altitude, Qi Ying wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything to him, no matter how powerful he was. Whoosh! Li Rulong rose into the air like a massive bird. ¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere!¡± Qi Ying sprang up from the ground, reaching a height of over twenty feet, and at the same time, he began to draw upon his Fire Python Energy again. Scorching Sun Fire Python Fist! Boom! The purple and golden fire python covered a distance of over a hundred feet in the blink of an eye, before striking Li Rulong with unerring uracy. However, thetter was prepared and had already unleashed his Spiritual Energy Protective Barrier. Even though the barrier was shattered by Qi Ying¡¯s attack, thereby causing his body to sway unsteadily in the air, he was able to stabilize himself in the end and continue to hover in the sky. ¡°Hmph!¡± Qi Ying raised his other hand, and flung his Blood Moon Scimitar out like a boomerang, in an attack reminiscent of how he would strike down prey with flying knives back in the Nameless Mountain. Thump! The red scimitar struck Li Rulong on the calf, and blood sttered through the air. Spirit Martial Stage warriors were only able to fly as long as they could guide their Spiritual Energy to the soles of their feet, essentially allowing them to tread on air. After being struck in the calf, the meridians there were severed, so Li Rulong was unable to continue circting his Spiritual Energy to his feet. As such, he immediately fell like a dead weight and plummeted to the ground. ¡°Argh...¡± A painful expression appeared on Li Rulong¡¯s face. He knew that he would be unable to escape, so he raised his hands above his head before Qi Ying could attack him again. ¡°Please don¡¯t kill me! I can give you anything you want from me, I can tell you anything that I know!¡± Li Rulong begged for his life. Whoosh! Qi Ying¡¯s halted in his advance upon hearing that. He wasn¡¯t intending to kill Li Rulong anyway, as he still had to interrogate him for information. Qi Ying picked up his Blood Moon Scimitar and approached Li Rulong. ¡°Who sent you toe after me?¡± ¡°It was...¡± Just as Qi Ying drew closer to him, Li Rulong abruptly adopted a vicious expression, and he brought his hands down violently, summoning a series of wind des that rushed toward Qi Ying. ¡°Die!¡± ¡°B*stard!¡± Qi Ying immediately hurtled back in a retreat, and at the same time, his Blood Moon Scimitar flew instinctively out of his hands toward Li Rulong. He used his left arm to protect his head and simultaneously injected his True Energy into his Dark Tier treasured armor. One wind de after another fell upon Qi Ying¡¯s protective barrier, quickly slicing through it so the remaining wind des struck Qi Ying¡¯s body. Gasp... A dozen or so wounds were inflicted upon Qi Ying, and his clothes werepletely ruined. His entire body was stained with blood, but thankfully, none of his vital regions had been ruptured. He circted what little remained of his True Energy to regenerate from his injuries, while quickly pulling out and swallowing a healing pill from his spatial ring. After doing all that, he turned his attention to Li Rulong again. ¡®Phew, he¡¯s still alive.¡¯ Qi Ying heaved an internal sigh of relief. He was instantly struck by a sense of remorse after instinctively throwing his Blood Moon Scimitar at Li Rulong, but thankfully, it had only chopped off one of his arms and didn¡¯t take his life. ¡°Argh!¡± Li Rulong howled and his body spasmed as blood gushed from his severed arm. Qi Ying strode forward and locked Li Rulong¡¯s neck in a vice-like grip. ¡°Tell me who sent you after me! Otherwise, I¡¯ll make you die!¡± ¡°Heh, I¡¯m not telling you anything.¡± Li Rulong knew that if he told Qi Ying what he wanted to know, then he would most definitely die. If he refused to disclose the information, there was a chance that he could still survive. Qi Ying chuckled with a sinister expression, ¡°Listen carefully. I¡¯m not saying I¡¯ll kill you; I¡¯m saying I¡¯ll make you die. Do you know the difference there? Killing you would be decapitating you with this de here, while making you die is a little bit different. I¡¯ll be stripping off your clothes, then I¡¯ll have a wolf or a dog in heat to vent its sexual frustration on you, and then I¡¯ll find a bear... They¡¯ll keep thrusting you in the as* until you die!¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Li Rulong harrumphed and still refused to talk ¡°You don¡¯t believe me?¡± Qi Ying¡¯s eyes narrowed as he brought out his Dragon Tiger Demon-ying Staff, before proceeding to take off Li Rulong¡¯s pants. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Li Rulong yelled in panic. Qi Ying chuckled, ¡°I was going to find some animals in heat, but that¡¯s going to take a lot of time and effort, so I¡¯ll have to shove this staff into you instead... I wonder how many thrusts it¡¯ll take for you to die...¡± Chapter 126: Death Injunction

Chapter 126: Death Injunction

Li Rulong¡¯s pants had been pulled down to his knees, and he almost pissed himself at the sight of the thick staff in Qi Ying¡¯s hands. ¡®What a freak!¡¯ ¡°I¡¯ll talk! I¡¯ll talk!¡± Li Rulong finally folded. In the face of Qi Ying¡¯s nightmarish threats, the loyalty to his masters was tossed straight out the window. Even if he were decapitated, it would be a quick death, but being thrust to death by a staff had to be one of the most painful and tragic ways to die! ¡°Hurry up! Otherwise, I¡¯ll stick this in you right now!¡± Qi Ying had his left hand locked around Li Rulong¡¯s neck as the threatened with narrowed eyes, ¡°And don¡¯t try to y any little tricks either. If I sense even the slightest hint of Spiritual Energy cirction in your body, I¡¯ll snap your spine!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Li Rulong¡¯s face was turning purple as said with difficulty, ¡°The ones who sent me are... are...¡± All of a sudden, Li Rulong began to cough violently. Even though his neck had been mped by Qi Ying in a vice-like grip, he was still coughing irrepressibly, and his back and chest spasmed simultaneously, as if he were going to cough up all of his internal organs. ¡®What¡¯s going on?!¡¯ Qi Ying¡¯s brows furrowed. He could sense that Li Rulong¡¯s aura had suddenly be extremely chaotic. Qi Ying immediately let go of his neck, but he thumped to the ground, and his body was racked with even more violent spasms. Blood began to gush from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth; he only struggled for a few moments longer before fallingpletely still. Qi Ying ced a finger under Li Rulong¡¯s nostrils, and a confused look appeared on his face. ¡°He¡¯s dead...¡± He hadn¡¯t done anything, but Li Rulong was dead... It didn¡¯t look as if he hadmitted suicide either. After further investigation, Qi Ying could confirm that Li Rulong was truly dead, and could not have possibly been faking his death. Furthermore, there were signs in his body to suggest that his meridians had been scorched. It was as if they had been incinerated by his own Spiritual Energy, thereby resulting in bloodline reflux, which had eventually killed him. It was simr to energy deviation, which often resulted when warriors attempted to practice overly powerful cultivation methods. Qi Ying suddenly recalled that some powerful beings could set up injunctions within another warrior¡¯s body, and if thetter were to breach some sort of condition¡ªlike betraying the former¡ªthe injunction would bring death by blood reflux upon that warrior. It was most likely the case that Li Rulong had had one of those injunctions ced upon him. As such, he was immediately killed as soon as he tried to reveal the identities of his masters. ¡®No ordinary Spirit Martial Stage warrior would be able to set up such an injunction! Only a warrior with an extremely powerful divine sense would be capable of this!¡¯ Qi Ying shuddered to imagine the enemies that were pulling the strings behind the scenes. To think that they would deploy fifteen Jade ss disciples at once, AND ce such powerful injunctions upon them... Even Qi Ying was beginning to feel like he was being overestimated. ¡®Looks like I¡¯ll have to keep searching for leads another time. I have to clean up this mess first.¡¯ He was a Green ss disciple, and killing those fifteen Jade ss warriors was a justified action, but if word of his feats were to spread, it would still bring him a lot of trouble. It was just like back when he was at the Celestial River Academy; the situation had begun to spiral out of control, right after Duan Tianshan and his group ofckeys were killed. Qi Ying looked at the pile of bodies on the ground, and heaved a faint sigh. ¡°Even though all of you tried to kill me, you were only doing someone else¡¯s bidding, so I¡¯ll burn some paper money 1 for you to spend on the other side...¡± ... The way he dealt with their bodies was quite simple; he simply tossed them onto the grasnds, which were frequented by many carnivorous beasts. Qi Ying didn¡¯t have the heart to see them being eaten, so he departed soon after depositing their bodies. He had already secured arge haul of beast-based materials, and the only disappointing thing to him was that he was no longer able to find that Divine Wind Falcon. While depositing the bodies of his pursuers onto the grasnds, Qi Ying tried to make physical contact with the Spirit Martial Stage warriors¡¯ bodies using his left hand. However, no further energy was absorbed from them. ¡®I¡¯ve already got the Fire Python Energy in my body, so perhaps I can¡¯t absorb anything else until after I¡¯ve expended that?¡¯ Qi Ying could only specte. From those findings, Qi Ying could roughly guess the abilities of his left hand in conjunction with his bloodline. Engulfment and plunder. Uponing into contact with deceased Spirit Martial Stage warriors with Battle Spirits, his left hand would absorb the power of their Battle Spirit, and reciprocate it to him. He wasn¡¯t able to use those Battle Spirits as a result, but he could use abilities that were simr in nature. There were two main ws with that ability. Firstly, it appeared that he could only house the power of one Battle Spirit in his body at a time; secondly, that power was an exhaustible resource that dwindled with usage. Even so, it was still an insane ability! ¡®I have to work harder in my cultivation! I wonder what kind of Battle Spirit I will awaken with my special bloodline, once I reach the Spirit Martial Stage...¡¯ ... ¡°Hoho, you sure got a lot of stuff today! Did you take some other disciples¡¯ materials back with you?¡± The disciple at the Missions Pavilion tallied the materials Qi Ying was submitting, and a surprised look appeared on his face. ¡°Ahaha, I was pretty lucky.¡± Qi Ying gave an ambiguous response. There was no way a normal Sixth Energy Martial Stage disciple would be able to secure so many materials from one trip, especially when there was nock of materials from Yellow Tier Eighth and Ninth Rank beasts. Qi Ying decided that it was important to show off from time to time, so the academy would view him as a worthwhile prospect, and therefore extend more resources and protection toward him. ¡°One thousand two hundred and fifty Yun Xiao Points have been deposited into your badge.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± After leaving the Missions Pavilion, Qi Ying quickly arrived at the Spirit Medicine Pavilion. It was quite unfortunate that he wasn¡¯t able to secure the eyes of the Divine Wind Falcon, but with his Yun Xiao Points, he would be able to purchase some pills that would have a simr effect. Instructor Liancheng Ying wasn¡¯t on duty in the Spirit Medicine Pavilion that day. Instead, it was a benevolent-looking middle-aged female instructor. Qi Ying inquired about which pills would be beneficial to his cultivation of the Purple Sun Eye, and she provided him with some information. In the end, Qi Ying spent three hundred Yun Xiao Points for two Eagle Eye Pills, and a packet of Fire Eye Powder. The Eagle Eye Pills contained the ocr essence of many types of falcon beasts, and when used in conjunction with the Fire Eye Powder, it would greatly benefit his cultivation in the Purple Sun Eye. At the same time, thatbination of medicine would also work to enhance his vision. After that, Qi Ying went to the Cultivation Methods Library. ¡°Instructor Jiang, I want this Purple Sun Astral Finger!¡± Qi Ying handed the Purple Sun Astral Finger jade tablet over to Jiang Yuanping in a nonchnt manner. ¡°Eight hundred Yun Xiao Points.¡± Thetter took Qi Ying¡¯s Yun Xiao Points expressionlessly, before undoing the seal on the Purple Sun Astral Finger tablet. Qi Ying took the battle technique and left. ¡®He didn¡¯t exhibit any abnormal reaction when he saw me, so could it be that the Chu family isn¡¯t behind all this? No, the fact that he was so willing to help me is abnormal in itself! I have to find another way to confirm this!¡¯ Burning paper money for the deceased is a Chinese tradition. The idea is that the burned money will manifest itself as wealth for the deceased to spend in the afterlife. ? Chapter 127: Engulfment Monarch Constitution

Chapter 127: Engulfment Monarch Constitution

That night, Qi Ying took the Eagle Eye Pills and Fire Eye Powder. The two types of medicine couldn¡¯t be refined straight into the bloodstream like normal pills. Instead, they had to be converted into a special type of substance using True Energy as a catalyst, then sent into the meridians, where they would then flow into the eyes to be absorbed. Whoosh! A ball of green substance appeared in Qi Ying¡¯s meridians before splitting itself into two equal parts, which flowed into both of his eyes. His eyes were then immediately struck by a painful burning sensation. ¡°Argh...¡± He began to circte his True Energy in ordance with the Purple Sun Eye, thereby speeding up his absorption of that green substance. Gradually, the scorching effect began to recede, and was reced by a smooth and cool sensation. Qi Ying opened his eyes, and his pupils exuded a burst of purple and golden light in the night, as if there were two balls of purple mes burning in his eyes sockets. ¡®Night vision?!¡¯ Qi Ying was both shocked and ted to discover that even though it waste into the night, his vision was almost the same as it was during the daytime, when looking at things within a two hundred feet radius. Whoosh! Two beams of purple light erupted from his eyes. Bam! A charred ck hole was sted into a tree in the courtyard. ¡®I haven¡¯t reached the elementary level yet, so the power output is limited. However, I should be able to reach the elementary level with a bit of practice!¡¯ Qi Ying was very pleased. Ocr battle techniques were among the most special battle techniques, and produced rtively significant changes in one¡¯s body. They had very stringent requirements on one¡¯s True Energy maniption skills and learning ability, so they were very difficult to cultivate. As such, Qi Ying was extremely excited by his rate of progression. Furthermore, when cultivating his Purple Sun Eye, his Purple Energy Cultivation Method was also greatly enhanced. Thus, Qi Ying began to progress even more quickly toward the Seventh Energy Martial Stage. ¡®I¡¯ll cultivate the Purple Sun Astral Finger next!¡¯ The Purple Sun Astral Finger was far more powerful than the Scorching Sun Fist, when it came to damage output in a small focused area. After the events that had transpired earlier in the day, Qi Ying felt that it was necessary to master many battle techniques. Even though they did expend a lot of his Yun Xiao Points to purchase, he had to ensure his personal safety, so it was a necessary sacrifice. After some cultivation. Whoosh! Qi Ying extended a finger, and a purple finger projection shot forth. Knock knock! An extremely deep hole with the same circumference as his finger was drilled into the hard ground. That battle technique was a lot faster to cultivate than the Purple Sun Eye! ... The next day, Qi Ying woke up and headed to the Qing Xiao Hall for his lessons. Simr tost time, all of his ssmates were all new Energy Martial Stage disciples. However, the lesson was being taught by Liancheng Ying rather than Li Yang. His amicable and benevolent personality presented a stark contrast to Li Yang¡¯s strict demeanor. His lesson was also a lot less strenuous, as it was a theoretical lesson teaching disciples how to identify different spirit medicine, as well as some basic knowledge on pill refinement. During the course of the lesson, the disciples also learned that Instructor Liancheng Ying was married into the Shui family, which was a vastly renowned pill refinement family in the kingdom. As such, he was a master in the field of spirit medicine identification. Following the conclusion of the lesson, all of the disciples left with a lot of new knowledge with regard to spirit medicines and pills. For example, which pills had to be consumed in tandem to achieve the best effect, or which medicine had to be taken in advance before a certain spirit medicine, in order to prevent one from being struck by the paralysis side-effect. The information was all quite new to the disciples, and it was sure to be very useful in their future cultivation! After all, as their cultivation bases progressed, they woulde into contact with more and more types of pills, particrly after reaching the Spirit Martial Stage. As such, warriors had to learn to identify medicines and their uses. Qi Ying was naturally greatly enlightened as well, and he sought out Liancheng Ying after the lesson, to inquire about which pills were best for his future cultivation. However, Liancheng Ying replied, ¡°I don¡¯t rmend taking pills as a shortcut to quickly improve your cultivation base! Everyone has great potential, and pills are used during cultivation to stimte that potential. Taking pills from time to time can help warriors tap into the potential they would otherwise be unable to, thus improving their cultivation base. However, unless you possess the Engulfment Monarch Constitution that is unique to the Qi family, excessive consumption of pills will only overexert your potential, and you would very likely end up two or three stages short of where you would be had you cultivated patiently!¡± ¡°Er.¡± Qi Ying didn¡¯t press the issue any further. His situation waspletely different from everyone else! Progressing too quickly in cultivation would indeed result in an unstable foundation, but he could take as many pills as he wanted without any fear nor inhibition! If he ingested too much energy for his body to bear, then his left hand would clean up everything for him. Furthermore, Qi Ying had read some information regarding the seven major families, and was familiar with the Engulfment Monarch Constitution. Apparently, that was an exceptional constitution that the Qi family inherited from their patriarch. During their thousand-year-long history, there would asionally be a Qi family member who exhibited that constitution, and all of them went on to be Heaven Martial Stage warriors. Those with the Engulfment Monarch Constitution could progress at an extraordinary rate in their cultivation, and most of them had reached the Heaven Martial Stage before twenty years of age! Furthermore, as long as they didn¡¯t have untimely deaths, all of them would go on to stand at the pinnacle of the Heaven Martial Stage. It was said that they even had the chance to ascend to a higher cultivation base than the Heaven Martial Stage. Every time the Engulfment Monarch Constitution appeared, the entire Yun Xiao Kingdom would be stirred into a frenzy, as it foreshadowed that a new Heaven Martial Stage powehouse was going to appear in twenty years! ¡®The Engulfment Monarch Constitution is a bit simr to my bloodline, but it actually appears to be a little inferior. The constitution only increases the upper limit on the energy one can absorb to an extremely high benchmark, but it can¡¯t absorb a hundred percent of the pill power ingested like my bloodline does, nor does it have the ability to steal the energy from someone¡¯s Battle Spirit!¡¯ With those thoughts in mind, Qi Ying began to develop a keen interest in his bloodline. He had a unique left hand and a peculiar bloodline... Just who was he? Was he really just an abandoned infant who had been found in some destroyed vige? ... That afternoon, Qi Ying traveled to the Jade ss. For Green ss disciples, only when essing the ck ss did they require special permission from the academy elders. If they wished to travel to any of the other four peaks, they would be granted entry after disying their identification badges. Disciples from different sses had different rights. For example, Jade ss disciples had to receive special permission from the elders if they wanted to ess the Qing Xiao Peak. A green-robed disciple arriving at the Jade ss would inevitably create quite a stir. After all, they were the lowliest disciples in the academy, and Green ss disciples were almost pre-destined to be superior to them in the future. Chapter 128: He Must Be Here to Recruit Underlings

Chapter 128: He Must Be Here to Recruit Underlings

Thus, Qi Ying received a lot of attention, and even some of the younger instructors took a few extra nces at him. The younger disciples of the Green ss mostly hailed from either wealthy or noble backgrounds. Furthermore, Qi Ying was quite handsome and that in itself created the illusion of nobility. As such, a few disciples soon began to approach him with fawning smiles, asking him why he had graced their Jade ss with his presence, and if he required any assistance. ¡°Er.¡± Qi Ying was feeling quite ufortable from the scrutiny he received, and he mumbled a few awkward responses before quickly departing, leaving a bunch of envious white-robed disciples in his wake. No one in the Jade ss knew who he was, and that was quite convenient for him. He had arrived at the Jade ss to investigate the identities of the disciples who hade after him. Just knowing their names wasn¡¯t enough. He had to find out more about them in order to make sound judgments. Of course, he couldn¡¯t just directly ask for information regarding a few recently-deceased disciples! He had to do things in a more indirect way. ... After a while, a Jade ss disciple strode over to Qi Ying with a wide smile on his face. ¡°Hello there, who are you looking for?¡± ¡°Tian Shou is in this ss, right?¡± ¡°He is, I can get him for...¡± ¡°Which dorm room?¡± ¡°I think it was fifty-seven. May I ask...¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Qi Ying cut him off and immediately set off to find the dorm number fifty-seven. As a Green ss disciple, finding someone in the Jade ss was very easy as everyone was mbering to help him. Soon. Knock knock! Qi Ying knocked on the door to the dorm fifty-seven and a slightly chubby disciple poked his head out. His eyes immediately widened at the sight of the green-robed disciple, and he asked, ¡°Er, who are you looking for?¡± ¡°Tian Shou lives here, right?¡± ¡°Yes, he does.¡± ¡°Is he here?¡± ¡°He¡¯s doing a mission right now, so he probably won¡¯t be back for a little while... You are...¡± ¡°I¡¯m a friend of his.¡± A shocked look appeared on his face. He had known Tian Shou for a few days, but he hadn¡¯t heard him mention any friends from the Green ss... ¡°Then I¡¯ll wait for him for a while.¡± Qi Ying strode into the room and sat down on a chair. He looked around at the interior of the dorm, and his brows furrowed slightly. Everything was old and dpidated, and there were four beds in one room... The difference was night and day whenpared to the Green ss dorms. The chubby disciple made his way over to him with a fawning smile. ¡°Would you like some tea?¡± ¡°No, thanks.¡± Qi Ying waved a hand before asking, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°My name is Li Lin!¡± ¡°Are you also a new disciple?¡± ¡°No, no.¡± Li Lin replied, ¡°You probably don¡¯t know this, but Jade ss Spirit Martial Stage disciples are split into dorms ording to their Battle Spirits. Both Tian Shou and I have wolf-type Battle Spirits, and one of the disciples in this dorm graduated recently, so Tian Shou was allocated here. May I ask your name?¡± ¡°Qi Ying.¡± ¡°Oh... Hah? Qi Ying?! You... you¡¯re...¡± The shock on Li Lin¡¯s face grew even more pronounced. Qi Ying knew that Li Lin must have misunderstood something about him, but he didn¡¯t try to clear up the issue. Instead, he asked. ¡°So you¡¯re split up ording to your Battle Spirits? How interesting... Can I ask you some questions about that?¡± Li Lin was more than happy to answer his questions. After all, not only was Qi Ying a Green ss disciple, there was a very good chance that he was also a member of the Qi family! It was a fantastic opportunity for him to make a good first impression! ¡°Sure, go ahead.¡± ¡°How many types of Battle Spirits are there?¡± ¡°In terms of broad categories, there are beast-type, weapon-type, nt-type, natural-type, and special-type Battle Spirits. Most Spirit Martial Stage warriors¡ªabout eighty percent, in fact¡ªpossess beast-type Battle Spirits. Of course, there is also the most number of sub-categories among beast-type Battle Spirits; those include mammal types, bird types, fighter types, reptilian types, et cetera...¡± Qi Ying cut him off there, ¡°Oh? What are some of the representative Battle Spirits among the reptilian types?¡± Li Lin didn¡¯t mind being cut off by Qi Ying at all, and he immediately replied, ¡°The most renowned ones are obviously dragon type Battle Spirits! Battle Spirits are split into nine grades, and almost all dragon-type Battle Spirits are at the sixth grade or above. Of course, there are no disciples in the entire Jade ss with dragon-type Battle Spirits... asionally, one will appear in the Green ss, but most of them are in the Purple and ck sses. Aside from dragon-type Battle Spirits, there are python-types, snake-types, lizard-types, bug-types...¡± ¡°Oh... Are you familiar with the disciples in your Jade ss? Or do you know someone who¡¯s really familiar with a lot of disciples in the Jade ss?¡± ¡°Haha!¡± Li Linughed triumphantly as he patted his chest, ¡°You¡¯vee to the right person, Young Master Qi! I¡¯ve been at the Jade ss for three years, and aside from the new disciples, I know the majority of the Jade ss disciples!¡± ¡°You can remember several thousand people?¡± ¡°My memory is really good!¡± Qi Ying was ted to hear that. ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Li Lin was also ecstatic. ¡°Who would you like to know about? You can feel free to ask me!¡± He felt like he knew Qi Ying¡¯s objective. He was a new Green ss disciple, and a member of the Qi family; he was clearly trying to recruit underlings from the Jade ss! The most powerful and core young members of the seven major families were naturally all in the Purple and ck sses. However, their true backbone was in the Green ss! The power struggle among disciples from the seven major families was veryplex. Not only did they have to establish factions in the Purple and ck sses, they also had to gather forces in the Crimson and Jade sses through the help of their Green ss family members. In doing so, they would be able to take the majority of the missions offered by the academy, and take over all of the cultivation venues for themselves. Furthermore, that also worked to recruit members into their families¡¯ personal armies. Thus, it was quite clear that the Qi family had sent Qi Ying to the Jade ss to recruit underlings. He had to grab that opportunity! ¡°Alright then, I want to hear about all of the disciples with fire reptilian type Battle Spirits. I¡¯m using a fire-type cultivation method, so I want to exchange some ideas with them...¡± Qi Ying contemted momentarily before making up a reason for his inquiry. Even though Qi Ying hadn¡¯t admitted to it, Li Lin was already convinced that he was looking for new underlings! He was obviously looking for disciples that used simr cultivation methods to his own, so they could dominate all of the fire-type cultivation venues in the academy! Li Lin pped his hands together. ¡°Alright! I can name over thirty disciples with reptilian-type Battle Spirits! Let me introduce them to you one by one!¡± Chapter 129: I Want to Join a Faction

Chapter 129: I Want to Join a Faction

Qi Ying chatted with Li Lin until noon before Tian Shou returned to the dorm. Tian Shou was very surprised to see Qi Ying, and also very ttered that he woulde to find him. After making some small talk with the two of them, Qi Ying got up to leave. ¡°Goodbye, Tian Shou, and thanks for your help, Li Lin!¡± Qi Ying waved before departing from the dorm room. Inside, Li Lin turned to Tian Shou with an envious expression. ¡°How did you get to know the young master of the Qi family?¡± ¡°Huh? Young master of the Qi?¡± Tian Shou was clearly taken aback. Li Lin¡¯s brows furrowed with confusion. ¡°Isn¡¯t that Qi Ying a young master of the Qi family?¡± ¡°No... We came from the same ce, and participated in the same county youth tournament. His aptitude is far superior to mine, so he got selected into the Green ss...¡± ¡°Then... why did he ask me so many questions?¡± ¡°Did he?¡± ¡°He sure did...¡± Li Lin was quite angry; he felt as if he had been swindled! However, thinking back... Qi Ying never told him that he was a young master of the Qi family... He seemed to have thought up that concept on his own. ¡®So why was he asking all of those questions?¡¯ Li Lin was confused. Tian Shou¡¯s eyes narrowed as he thought to himself, ¡®Something must have happened!¡¯ ... ¡°Heh, I was right!¡± Qi Ying murmured to himself as he departed from the Jade ss. He was initially intending to get some information from Tian Shou, but who would have thought that his roommate would be such a wealth of knowledge? He had received answers to everything he wanted to know. Qi Ying could finally confirm that it was indeed the Chu family that had tried to kill him! He had heard a lot of information about Huo Da from Li Lin. ording to him, Li Lin was quite a renowned figure of the Jade ss, and he had pledged his allegiance to the Chu family. He would often pick on other disciples with hispanions, and they took over all of the best cultivation venues in the Jade ss. The likes of Li Rulong and Tian Qi were also disciples under the Chu family faction... Among them, Jiang Lin was Jiang Yuanping¡¯s grandnephew! ¡®There¡¯s surely going to be more trouble toe!¡¯ News of the disappearance of the fifteen Jade ss disciples in the Beast Valley hadn¡¯t spread yet, but it was only a matter of time before an investigation wasunched. However, that wasn¡¯t the important point. Part of the group had perished on grasnds frequented by Dark Tier beasts, while the rest of them had died in the lethal Ice Fire Ants¡¯ nest, so there weren¡¯t any abnormal circumstances that would arouse suspicion from the higher-ups in the academy. However, the Chu family would surely be unwilling to give up. There were sure to be more assassination attempts toe! In particr, that Jiang Yuanping was going to be a constant thorn in his side. ¡®If the Chu family is behind all this, then it must have something to do with Chu Bixue... I wonder if there are people like Li Lin in the Green ss, who I can gather some information from... I have to find a faction to join so I won¡¯t be in constant danger...¡¯ ... After returning to the Qing Xiao Peak, Qi Ying sought out Lin Yin. She was the Green ss disciple that he was the most familiar with. Lin Yin tucked a few stray strands of hair behind her ear as she pursed her lips in deep thought. ¡°I do know of someone in the Green ss who¡¯s really knowledgeable... But it¡¯ll be difficult for you to approach him.¡± ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°Han Qianlong. He¡¯s a disciple that entered the Green ss four years ago, and he¡¯s a know-it-all like Li Lin. However, he¡¯s from a side branch of the Han family and already a Sixth Spirit Martial Stage disciple; normal people won¡¯t be able to approach him!¡± ¡°Han Qianlong of the Han family... Got it! Thanks! Then, do you know of anyone like him among us new disciples?¡± ¡°That would be Han Shenglong! He¡¯s Han Qianlong¡¯s little brother.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Qi Ying hurriedly left. Lin Yin yelled after him, ¡°Hey, let¡¯s hunt some beasts together next time...¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Qi Ying responded. ... Qi Ying soon found out which dorm room Han Shenglong was in, and he went to find him. When he got there, he discovered that Han Shenglong was a short and chubby little fatso, just like Li Lin. ¡®Do all of these know-it-alls look the same?¡¯ Qi Ying brought out the present he had prepared in advance, and offered it to Han Shenglong. ¡°This is a small gift for you, I hope you¡¯ll ept it.¡± Han Shenglong grabbed the vial of pills offered up by Qi Ying nonchntly, before putting it into his spatial ring without so much as a second nce. He then turned to Qi Ying with an indifferent expression and said in a slow voice, ¡°Qi Ying! A citizen of the Celestial River County, withbat prowess far above other warriors of the same rank. Green learning ability, ck energy maniption, white basal properties, white affinity with heaven and earth, grey bloodline; currently on probation in the Green ss!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Qi Ying nodded. He had only been in the Green ss for a few days, so there was no way that Han Shenglong could have gathered all that information, unless he specifically went looking for it. Come to think of it, it was quite possible that he had already gotten data on all of the disciples in the Green ss. ¡°So, what do you want to know? I¡¯m obligated to answer your questions, but the pills you gave me aren¡¯t all that valuable, so I can¡¯t tell you any important or obscure information.¡± Han Shenlong suddenly transformed into a shrewd businessman. Qi Ying was slightly taken aback by his sudden change in demeanor. ¡®So he¡¯s selling information in exchange for cultivation resources?¡¯ However, that didn¡¯t really affect Qi Ying. Seeing as their interaction was nothing more than a transaction, that actually made it more simple for him. ¡°Bother Han, may I ask which factions are currently recruiting members? I want to join one so I can have a more secure future...¡± Qi Ying feigned a cowardly expression as he asked. ¡°Hehe, there are seven major factions belonging to each of the seven major families, and under those major factions, there are countless smaller factions! The ones that are most popr in the Green ss include Chu Bixue¡¯s Bixue Sword Alliance, the Qi family¡¯s Heavenly Qi Sect, the Yan family¡¯s North Pass Sect, the Qin family¡¯s Feather Dragon Alliance... On top of that, there are many disciples frommon families who have banded together to create small groups. However, you¡¯re most likely going to have a hard time trying to join any of those factions. You¡¯re not of noble descent, you¡¯re a probationary disciple with indeterminate potential, and your Sixth Energy Martial Stage cultivation base is very low. With those conditions, almost no factions will want you.¡± ¡°But there are still some factions that I can join, right?¡± ¡°Well... That may be true... However...¡± Han Shenglong turned to Qi Ying with a meaningful expression. Qi Ying immediately understood his intentions, and handed over another vial of pills that was worth two hundred Yun Xiao Points. After that, he waspletely broke aside from some pills that would support his daily cultivation needs. However, he was not concerned. There were many more opportunities to earn Yun Xiao points in the future, and the information he was requesting was more valuable to him than the price he was paying. ¡°I like dealing with smart people, so I¡¯ll direct you onto the right path,¡± Han Shenglong continued, ¡°I suggest you join the new rising faction in the academy, the Blood God Alliance!¡± Chapter 130: The Alliance Goddess

Chapter 130: The Alliance Goddess

Blood God Alliance? Han Shenglong thenunched into an introduction about the said alliance, thereby allowing Qi Ying to develop a rough understanding toward it. The Blood God Alliance was founded very recently, and he actually knew one of the founders; it was Han Xue, whom he had met during the Cloud Steps Trial! As expected of a young mistress of direct lineal descent from the Han family; she had only been attending the academy for a few days, and she already had her own faction! Blood God Alliance. It was quite an impactful name. However, Qi Ying almost coughed up a mouthful of blood after hearing the name of the other founder. Her name appeared to be... Wei N¨¹shen 1. Qi Ying initially thought that he had misheard. After all, how could someone possibly have a name like that? However, Han Shenglong then exined with a serious expression, ¡°In the Golden Kingdom of the North, the Empress and one of the concubines are named Yin Huanghou 2 and Yang N¨¹wang 3 respectively. As such, it¡¯s not abnormal for the young mistress of the Wei family to be named Wei N¨¹shen!¡± ¡°Er... Haha.¡± The names of the founders were inconsequential anyway, so Qi Ying didn¡¯t speak any more on the issue. He recalled that he had also seen that Wei N¨¹shen; she appeared to be one of the people hanging out with Han Xue on the fifth tform of the Cloud Steps. What was important to him was whether the Blood God Alliance was reliable! If it were just a faction that was set up by two little girls for fun, then it would only be detrimental for him to join. Han Shenglong seemed to have gleaned Qi Ying¡¯s thoughts, and his eyes narrowed as he patted his plump stomach. ¡°Let me tell you this, Brother Qi; the Blood God Alliance is indeed a faction created by two young mistresses, but it¡¯s certainly not just some group that was founded for recreational purposes! In the academy, the Feather Dragon Alliance is the most powerful of all of the factions, followed by the Heavenly Qi Sect. However, if those established factions want to continue to develop, then they¡¯ll have to branch out through new sects. ¡°The Blood God Alliance is actually a joint endeavor founded by the Han, Zhao, and Wei families, and they¡¯re currently recruiting members with potential, rather than just looking at cultivation bases. If you join the Blood God Alliance, it will only be of benefit to you! I¡¯ll be honest here; I am the deputy branch leader of the Blood God Alliance¡¯s Green ss Branch. If you join now, I can make you the third g leader of our Green ss Branch!¡± Er... Qi Ying finally understood what was happening. All the fat b*stard was doing was promoting his own faction! If even a Sixth Energy Martial Stage disciple like him could be a g leader, then the so-called Green ss Branch of the Blood God Alliance probably didn¡¯t even have ten members! However, Qi Ying really was a little tempted after hearing Han Shenglong¡¯s exnation. Joining the Blood God Alliance may not reap him immediate benefits, but the alliance was in need of members! It was only a new faction, so they most likely hadn¡¯t secured any good cultivation venues, but Qi Ying had never been concerned about his rate of cultivation progression. As long as he had sufficient pills and good cultivation methods, he didn¡¯t need those specialized venues to make fast improvements. The Spirit Martial Stage was not far away, and after progressing to that stage, he was confident that he would be able to maintain an extremely fast rate of cultivation, provided that he had enough resources. Alright... Can you tell me about the Green ss Branch of the Blood God Alliance? For example, who is the branch leader? And how many g leaders are there?¡± ¡°About that... I can only disclose that information to you after you join.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯m willing to join the Green ss Branch of the Blood God Alliance!¡± Qi Ying nodded with a serious expression. ¡°Nice!¡± Han Shenglong patted Qi Ying on the shoulder, ¡°Now then, I¡¯ll get you to sign the registration form here!¡± Whoosh! Han Shenglong brought out a scroll andid it out in front of Qi Ying. A bunch of terms and conditions were written upon the scroll, and a nk space was left for registration names. Qi Ying rolled up his sleeves, dipped his brush in some ink, and signed his name on the scroll. ¡°That¡¯s a fantastic signature!¡± Han Shenglong apuded. Qi Ying put down the brush and his brows furrowed slightly as he asked, ¡°Why is my name the only one on the scroll?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because I haven¡¯t had time to write mine yet.¡± ¡°Er, wait a minute, how many members are there in our Green ss Branch?¡± ¡°Two.¡± ¡°But... aren¡¯t I the third g leader?¡± ¡°The first and second g leaders spots are still vacant...¡± ¡°Can you do that? And who¡¯s the branch leader?¡± ¡°Branch leader? I am currently the stand-in branch leader, as well as the deputy branch leader.¡± ¡°What the f*ck?! So who¡¯s the other member in the branch?¡± ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± Han Shenglong pointed at Qi Ying before pointing at himself, ¡°The Green ss Branch currently has a deputy branch leader, which is me, and a third g leader, which is you! In theing days, both of us have to work hard to recruit other disciples! Our mission is going to be an arduous one, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be up to the task!¡± ¡°...¡± Qi Ying was suddenly struck by the urge to bash Han Shenglong, especially when he saw thetter¡¯s smug expression. ¡®What the f*ck?! I¡¯m here to JOIN a faction, not build one!¡¯ Han Shenglong put away his gloating expression, and adopted a heartfelt and meaningful look. ¡°Work hard, third g leader, and the future will be ours! Someone from the main branch will being to visit us the day after tomorrow, so we have to at least recruit ten people before then!¡± ¡®F*ck off...¡¯ Qi Ying really wanted to withdraw from the alliance, but he had already signed the registration scroll, so it was toote! ... Qi Ying was beginning to feel more and more like he had been scammed. That feeling arose from the fact that he had been dragged away by Han Shenglong to recruit new members! It turned out that the Blood God Alliance had only been founded two days prior, and Han Xue had only notified Han Shenglong the day before that he was the deputy branch leader. Qi Ying felt extremely awkward, as Han Shenglong shamelessly promoted the glorious future of the Blood God Alliance to any disciples that would listen. However, having thick skin had its benefits, especially in the case of Han Shenglong, as he had exemry swindling techniques in conjunction with his thick skin! After a while, there were a few more disciples who were scammed just like Qi Ying was, and signed their names on the registration form without really knowing what was going on. Qi Ying was beginning to develop a newfound admiration for Han Shenglong. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anyone with promotional skills like yours!¡± Han Shenglong smiled. ¡°Hehe, you have much to learn, third g leader! Our Han family doesn¡¯t have any exceptionally powerful warriors, but we¡¯ve held a secure berth among the seven major families for many many years, and that can be attributed almost entirely to our promotional skills! We¡¯ve managed to recruit countless members all around the kingdom by promising them a bright future. By the way, we currently have six members, so you can help me recruit four more tomorrow, right?¡± N¨¹shen means goddess, so her name is literally Goddess Wei. ? Huanghou means Empress ? N¨¹wang means Queen ? Chapter 131: Building a Faction

Chapter 131: Building a Faction

The next day. It was another rest day with no sses, and Qi Ying didn¡¯t go hunting in the Beast Valley. Instead, he recruited the final four disciples required with Han Shenglong to hit their quota of ten. One of those four disciples was Lin Yin. She had looked into joining the Blood God Alliance in the past, but she was quite hesitant to do so as she felt like the alliance didn¡¯t have many people. However, she immediately decided to join after seeing others do so. ¡®This... What is going on in that brain of hers? What¡¯s the difference between joining now and joining yesterday?¡¯ Qi Ying heaved a resigned sigh. In any case, it was always a good thing that she did decide to join. Besides, she was a young mistress from a smaller aristocratic family in the kingdom, and she had good social skills as well as arge social circle. Furthermore, she also had great speaking ability, and contributed quite nicely to recruiting more members after her. Han Shenglong was Han Qianlong¡¯s little brother, but he didn¡¯t grow up in the capital, and hadn¡¯t had a chance to establish arge social circle yet. He was only able to gather so much information about other disciples, as he had received a lot of help from his older brother. Thus, Han Shenlong and Lin Yin became the main recruiters for the alliance. Qi Ying and others merely tagged along to boost the numbers. Not only was the Green ss Branch of the Blood God Alliance recruiting members, some of the other established factions in the Green ss Branch were also doing the same. Compared to the new Blood God Alliance of the Green ss Branch, factions like the Bixue Sword Alliance and the Fierce Tiger Sect were a lot more appealing, and many of the Second and Third Spirit Martial Stage warriors were recruited by them. Thus, almost all of the disciples that were recruited into the Blood God Alliance Green ss Branch were Energy Martial Stage one. ... ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯ve already joined the Bixue Sword Alliance!¡± A tall and thin green-robed young man turned down the enthusiastic Lin Yin. A suggestive expression then appeared on his face as he continued, ¡°What are you doing in this Blood God Alliance? If you want, I could perhaps help you join the Bixue Sword Alliance!¡± ¡°No way! You think I haven¡¯t heard about the Bixue Sword Alliance¡¯s terrible reputation?¡± Lin Yin harrumphed coldly before turning to leave with Qi Ying. Qi Ying asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the Bixue Sword Alliance?¡± Lin Yin replied with a disdainful expression, ¡°The Bixue Sword Alliance is the most powerful faction in the Green ss, and they abuse that power to do horrible things. Many new female Green ss disciples were lured into the alliance by them, and really bad things have happened to them. I heard about this from some of my friends... It¡¯s absolutely disgusting! Isn¡¯t that right?¡± ¡°Yes, it really is.¡± Qi Ying hurriedly nodded in response. ... The recruitment process wasn¡¯t very smooth. The disciples that Han Shenglong wanted often refused to join them, while the ones who were willing to join generally had mediocre potential. Han Shenglong sighed and said, ¡°Some people simply want benefits without having to take on any responsibilities! You can tell who those people are when you talk to them. They¡¯re always really self-centered and are constantly saying things like ¡®I want to¡¯, ¡®I think¡¯ and things like that. Look at Brother Qi Ying; I could immediately tell when I met him that he was going to contribute to the Blood God Alliance! Our recruitment may not be going that well, but we can¡¯t stoop to recruiting those selfish people that will only weigh down the alliance. Isn¡¯t that right, Brother Qi Ying?¡± ¡°Ah, yes yes yes.¡± Qi Ying could onlyment his ill-fortune. He was trying to join a faction, but he had somehow ended up building a faction instead! Qi Ying spent the entire day trying to recruit disciples. In the end, the Blood God Alliance Green ss Branch recruited a total of seventeen warriors, three of which were at the Spirit Martial Stages. That was quite a good result. A lot of the disciples were actually still undecided, especially the more powerful ones. They were simply biding their time and would immediately jump ship if there was a better faction that they could join. When night finally fell, Qi Ying was utterly exhausted. An entire day of talking and recruitment was far more tiring to him than a grueling battle. Just as he was about to bid farewell to Han Shenglong, thetter stuck a warm object into his hand. ¡°Thanks for your help, brother! Without you here, the recruitment process would¡¯ve been a lot more tedious for me, so please don¡¯t refuse this. Taking your pills was just a part of business, but now that you¡¯re a g leader, we¡¯re both on the same boat and I¡¯ll be sure to look after you!¡± ¡°Er.¡± After Han Shenglong left, Qi Ying looked down into his hand to discover a red jade badge with me patterns engraved upon it. ¡®A time badge for the Fire Gorge?¡¯ Qi Ying was ted by what he saw. The Fire Gorge was a ce on the Qing Xiao Peak where a vast amount of mes burned. Those mes weren¡¯t just made of normal fire from burning wood. Instead, they consisted of burning vital energy, and the power exuding from the energy¡¯sbustion was greatly beneficial for cultivation, especially to warriors using fire-type cultivation methods! Han Shenglong had really given him something that was quite useful. ¡®It looks like I was right to join the Blood God Alliance! This is a twelve-hour time badge for the Fire Gorge, so it¡¯s worth at least a thousand Yun Xiao Points!¡¯ Qi Ying immediately headed toward the Fire Gorge. The three battle techniques that he had recently mastered were only at the elementary level. A session in the Fire Gorge would be perfect for him to further hone those techniques. ... After about half an hour, Qi Ying arrived at the Fire Gorge. The entire ce was enshrouded by ayer of red light, and through the light, he could see the fierce mes burning within. There was a group of green-armored guards standing in front of the gorge, and their auras struck Qi Ying with a crushing sense of pressure, thereby indicating that they were all at least at the Fifth or Sixth Spirit Martial Stage. ¡°Disy your Fire Gorge Badge!¡± One of the guardsmanded. Qi Ying pulled out the badge that had been given to him by Han Shenglong. The guard extended a finger, and a beam of red light shone upon the badge. ¡°The Fire Gorge Badge has been activated;e out within twelve hours. For every extra fifteen minutes you stay in the gorge, you will be penalized five hundred Yun Xiao Points!¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Qi Ying quickly entered the Fire Gorge. After reaching the barrier of red light, a burst of light exuded from the Fire Gorge Badge, which enveloped Qi Ying¡¯s body. ... ¡°Hehe, looks like it¡¯s his first time here at the Fire Gorge.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you have cautioned him about what¡¯s in there? Those who don¡¯t know the rules are going to suffer a lot of setbacks.¡± ¡°Heh, who cares! He¡¯s clearly a new disciple, but he already has a Fire Gorge Badge; did we get the same treatment back when we were in the Crimson ss? He needs to learn those lessons the hard way! There seem to be many Bixue Sword Alliance members in the gorge, so he might be forced toe out within fifteen minutes!¡± Chapter 132: A Bluff

Chapter 132: A Bluff

As soon as Qi Ying entered the Fire Gorge, he felt an intense heat wave surging. He immediately unleashed his True Energy Protective Barrier to prevent himself from getting burned. There were red mes everywhere, and their scorching temperatures made it difficult to breathe, but it also elerated the cirction of blood and energy in his body. Faster energy cirction was beneficial for practicing both cultivation methods and battle techniques. In particr, the cultivation method Qi Ying was using was technically a fire-type one, so the effect would be enhanced in the Fire Gorge. The gorge itself wasn¡¯t very massive; it was only less than two hundred feet wide, and about a thousand feet in length. Through the mes that obstructed his vision, Qi Ying could indistinctly make out a few human silhouettes. The deeper he went, the more powerful the mes became. After walking for over two hundred feet, Qi Ying decided that he had reached the ideal cultivation environment for himself. As such, he stopped and activated his Purple Energy Cultivation Method. Whoosh! A huge cloud of Purple Energy immediately appeared around him, before flowing relentlessly into his body. The rate of cultivation was more than twice his normal rate! Qi Ying was quite excited by that discovery, and just as he prepared to cultivate his battle technique. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± A loud yell suddenly erupted and Qi Ying saw two figures approaching him. After they reached about a hundred feet away from him, he finally managed to catch a clear glimpse of their faces. Those were two disciples who appeared to be over twenty years of age, and the vast auras emanating from their bodies indicated that they were above the Third Spirit Martial Stage. Furthermore, they did not harbor good intentions. Qi Ying had heard that arge section of the Fire Gorge had been taken over by variousrge factions. Within those factions, members would offer up their Yun Xiao Points to the higher-ups, in exchange for time to cultivate in the Fire Gorge. It appeared as if those two disciples were part of one of thoserge factions. ¡°May I ask who...¡± Before Qi Ying had a chance to finish his sentence, one of the disciples aimed a disdainful nce at him and sneered, ¡°You must be a newbie! You¡¯re only at the Sixth Energy Martial Stage, and you¡¯re cultivating in the Fire Gorge? Rudder Master Liu is cultivating less than a hundred feet away from you; you¡¯ll disrupt him if you cultivate here as well! So piss off!¡± The disciple clearly didn¡¯t regard Qi Ying as anyone important. He recognized everyone in the Green ss that had a high status. Seeing as he didn¡¯t recognize Qi Ying, then he had to be just some ordinary kid! Qi Ying nced at them to discover that there was a sword-shaped jade pendant hanging from each of their waists. ¡°You two are from the Bixue Sword Alliance?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± One of them replied in a loud voice, seemingly very proud of his faction, ¡°You know we¡¯re from the Bixue Sword Alliance now, so you better piss off! Rudder Leader Liu is going to attempt a breakthrough to the Seventh Spirit Martial Stage in three days, and he¡¯s currently umting energy in preparation. You¡¯re only at the Energy Martial Stage, so you don¡¯t deserve such a great cultivation environment!¡± ¡°...¡± Qi Ying narrowed his eyes and remained standing on the spot. ¡°I said piss off!¡± ¡°Hurry up!¡± Both of the disciples were getting a little annoyed. ¡®Why wasn¡¯t the kid disying any reaction to the fact that they were from the Bixue Sword Alliance?¡¯ Normal disciples would have immediately scrammed after hearing that! Qi Ying chuckled internally. If it were any other action that had taken over the Fire Gorge, then he would have conceded. It wouldn¡¯t be wise to make too many enemies, and cultivating in the outer ring of the gorge yielded decent effects anyway. However, he was facing the Bixue Sword Alliance! That was Chu Bixue¡¯s Bixue Sword Alliance, the very same one that had sent Jade ss disciples to assassinate him. They were already sworn enemies, so there was no need for him to concede. ¡°Can¡¯t you just tell your Rudder Leader Liu to go somewhere else?¡± Qi Ying said in a faint, yet clear voice. ¡°What?¡± The two Bixue Sword Alliance disciples could hardly believe their ears. Was that Energy Martial Stage disciple retarded? He was telling Rudder Leader Liu to make way for him? One had to realize that that area in the Fire Gorge belonged to the Bixue Sword Alliance; that was an undisputed fact. Even the members of the Fierce Tiger Sect didn¡¯t dare to encroach upon that territory. Whoosh! Qi Ying began to practice his fist techniques in a slow and leisurely manner. ¡°What? I have the free right to cultivate in the Fire Gorge, and it¡¯s not like I¡¯m pressed right up against your Rudder Leader Liu. If he feels like I¡¯m too close to him, then tell him to go elsewhere! I have to cultivate now, so stop disturbing me!¡± Gasp... The two disciples nced at one another. ¡®How can this brat be so calm and collected? Could it be that he really was some important figure that they didn¡¯t recognize?¡¯ At that moment, a figure emerged from the mes. It was a thin man with a long face and a pair of narrow eyes. ¡°Rudder Leader Liu!¡± ¡°Rudder Leader Liu, this kid doesn¡¯t want to leave. Physical altercations are prohibited in the Fire Gorge as well, so...¡± Rudder Leader Liu narrowed his already very narrow eyes as he turned to Qi Ying. ¡°Allow me to introduce myself; I am Liu Chunlei. May I ask your name? Apologies for my ignorance, but I didn¡¯t realize there was an important figure like you among the new disciples this year.¡± ¡°Blood God Alliance, Qi Ying.¡± Qi Ying replied indifferently. ¡°Blood God Alliance?¡± Liu Chunlei and the two Bixue Sword Alliance disciples were all confused. ¡®What the hell is that?!¡¯ They had been cultivating in the Fire Gorge for five consecutive days, so they were naturally unaware of the Blood God Alliance¡¯s existence, as it had only been founded three days prior. Qi Ying could see the befuddlement on their faces, and he exined with a serious expression, ¡°The Blood God Alliance is a joint faction founded by the Han and Wei families. It has branches in all five sses, and I am the third g leader of the Blood God Alliance Green ss Branch, Qi Ying. What? I just wanted to cultivate here for a little; do you insist on kicking me out?¡± Qi Ying feigned an enraged expression as he said, ¡°Setting aside the Blood God Alliance, my surname is Qi, so I advise you to learn your ce!¡± ¡°...¡± Liu Chunlei and the two disciples were rooted to the spot. ¡®Holy sh*t!¡¯ The Blood God Alliance was a joint faction created by the Han and Wei families? That meant that just the Green ss Branch of the Blood God Alliance wasparable in status to the Bixue Sword Alliance! And that kid was the third g leader of the branch? He was on the same level as Rudder Leader Liu! They were initially quite skeptical that a Sixth Energy Martial Stage disciple would be given such an important position, but Qi Ying¡¯s final sentence hadpletely stumped them. His surname was Qi... Could it be that he was a member of the Qi family? That had to be the case! If he were just some ordinary kid with the surname of Qi, then he wouldn¡¯t dare to be so arrogant! They went to extensive efforts to gather information on all of the important figures in the academy, but there was no guarantee that no one would slip through the holes. As such, all three of them were beginning to panic. A member of the Qi family and a branch g leader of the Blood God Alliance... He was of an even higher status than Liu Chunlei! Liu Chunlei immediately turned to his twopanions and roared with rage, ¡°Are you two retarded? How could you be so disrespectful to g Leader Qi? Give yourselves a p each!¡± Chapter 133: You Can Have Lin Yin

Chapter 133: You Can Have Lin Yin

p! p! The two of them only hesitated momentarily before pping themselves in the face. They didn¡¯t dare to go against Rudder Leader¡¯s Liu¡¯s orders. Besides, if Qi Ying really was a member of the Qi family, then he was someone that they absolutely could not mess with. If pping themselves would soothe his anger, then they would dly do so. Lin Chunlei turned to Qi Ying with a fawning smile and put his hands together in a salute. ¡°g Leader Qi, please just ignore these two idiots, and if they¡¯ve offended you in any way, then I apologize on their behalf. I hope your cultivation goes well, and we¡¯ll move somewhere else!¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Qi Ying replied with a cold expression. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Liu Chunlei left with his two subordinates, and as they walked away, he transmitted his voice to them, ¡°Be more careful next time! I can tell that that Qi Ying is no ordinary person. My Battle Spirit can sense that his glove is very likely an Earth Tier treasured tool! For a Sixth Energy Martial Stage warrior like him to possess an Earth Tier treasured tool; he must be a side branch young master of the Qi family! Keep your eyes peeled next time, or I¡¯ll gouge them out and feed them to dogs!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The two subordinates immediately nodded, but they were both grumbling internally. ¡®You were the one who told us to chase away whoever we saw! Besides, who would have thought that such a mundane-looking guy would be such an important figure?¡¯ ¡°Piss off! Don¡¯t let anyone aside from Qi Ying near here!¡± The more Liu Chunlei looked at his two subordinates, the more enraged he became. After dismissing them, he sat down in preparation to umte energy for his breakthrough to the Seventh Spirit Martial Stage. He had just gotten into the zone when Qi Ying¡¯s arrivalpletely ruined his concentration. It would take him four to six more hours to reach that state again! ... ¡°They believed me...¡± Even Qi Ying himself was quite surprised that his bluff had worked. It was quite a satisfying feeling! Watching those two high and mighty disciples pping themselves was quite an enjoyable sight. To think that just the mention of his surname would have such a powerful effect. Qi Ying was really envious of all of the Qi family¡¯s young masters. They almost didn¡¯t have to work at all and they would still enjoy riches and power, which was far beyond what the vast majority of the poption could ever dream of attaining. As such, he had to work harder in his cultivation. His starting point was already very low, and if he didn¡¯t work extra hard, how could hepete with those young masters from the major families? There were still some other people in the Fire Gorge, but they were all situated quite far away from Qi Ying, so their cultivation didn¡¯t disrupt one another. Qi Ying circted his True Energy toward his eyes. Purple Sun Eye! Whoosh! Two beams of purple light pierced through a vast expanse of mes, before shooting into the air, and exploding upon reaching the light barrier overhead. After some practice, Qi Ying was able to significantly improve the speed at which he fired his Purple Sun Eye, to the extent that it was almost instantaneous. Its power also became more consistent, and even though it wasn¡¯t as powerful as his Purple Sun Astral Finger, it still packed a highly concentrated destructive force. More importantly, Qi Ying had made considerable improvements in his True Energy maniption skills. During his cultivation, he was able to make fine adjustments in the way his True Energy flowed through his meridians, thereby improving his cultivation speed by about ten percent. He also saw a slight improvement in the rate at which he converted Purple Energy into True Energy. In fact, the conversion rate had actually improved significantly, but it was made less apparent by his left hand, which was constantly absorbing his energy. Gulp! Qi Ying swallowed a pill and quickly refined it to recover his True Energy. The vital energy of heaven and earth was very abundant in the Fire Gorge, and his True Energy absorption rate had doubled, but he didn¡¯t n on practicing his cultivation method there. It would simply be a waste. He only had twelve hours avable, so it would be best that he honed his battle techniques instead! Bam! Thump! Thump! His Purple Sun Astral Finger and Scorching Sun Fist were quickly improving. ... Nearby, the attention of many cultivating disciples was drawn to themotion Qi Ying was making. ¡°Such a pure Purple Yang type aura.¡± ¡°I wonder which Energy Martial Stage disciple is cultivating their battle techniques in here...?¡± Most of the disciples cultivating in the Fire Gorge were making preparations for breakthroughs, so it was very rare to see someone practicing their battle techniques in there. One couldn¡¯t progress that far in their battle techniques in a short period of time, so it would only be a massive waste of Yun Xiao Points. ¡®As expected of the Qi family¡¯s young master; he¡¯s got more than enough money to burn!¡¯ Liu Chunlei thought to himself. At the same time, he heaved a massive sigh of relief. Thankfully, he was able to react quickly to the situation. Otherwise, he would be in a lot of trouble if he were to get on the bad side of a young master from the Qi family! ... Qi Ying waspletely immersed in the process of honing his battle techniques. Twelve hours was not a long time for a warrior, but it was the lengthiest cultivation session Qi Ying had ever had. ¡°Phew...¡± Qi Ying emerged from the Fire Gorge, and inhaled a breath of fresh air with an excited expression on his face. After that session of cultivation, his Scorching Sun Fist, Purple Sun Eye, and Purple Sun Astral Finger had all reached the initial sess level, and the Scorching Sun Fist was already close to the great sess level. Qi Ying¡¯s learning ability could only be considered to be average among Green ss disciples, so his fast rate of progression could mostly be attributed to other areas that he had greater proficiency in. However, the Fire Gorge Badge had also be a piece of scrap waste. He didn¡¯t know when he would be able to ess the venue again. ¡®Oh, right, the main branch of the Blood God Alliance is going to be sending people to the Green ss today!¡¯ Qi Ying recalled what Han Shenglong had told him the day prior. The main branch of the Blood God Alliance would most likely consist of Han Xue, Wei N¨¹shen, and some other ck ss disciples. The Green ss disciples treated them just like how the Jade ss disciples had treated him. Soon, Qi Ying left the Fire Gorge and headed back to his dorm room. The headquarters of the Blood God Alliance Green ss Branch were set in Han Shenglong¡¯s dorm room. It was dawn at present, and Qi Ying continued to practice the external section of his Purple Energy Cultivation Method on the way back. In reality, even though Qi Ying consumed arge number of pills, his progression mainly hinged on the foundation that he hadid down through daily cultivation. Taking pills was only something he did when required. After reaching the headquarters of the Green ss Branch, he found that Lin Yin and the disciples they had recruited during the past few days were already there. Han Shenglong was talking to them about something with a smile on his face. He immediately waved upon seeing Qi Ying. ¡°Hey there, third g leader, nice of you to join us! You are the only g leader at the moment, so there might be too much on your teter on. Coincidentally, Lin Yin has no interest in bing the fourth g leader, so I¡¯ll get her to help you out!¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Qi Ying nodded. He was was happy to work with Lin Yin. Even though her logic was a little inexplicable at times, she was a hard worker and had good rtions with all of the other disciples. In contrast, he was a lot more introverted, so the talkative Lin Yin wouldplement him perfectly. Chapter 134: Carrying vs Getting Carried

Chapter 134: Carrying vs Getting Carried

Not long after that, all of the Blood God Alliance Green ss Branch members had gathered, and together, they awaited the arrival of the people from the main branch. There weren¡¯t that many of them; only about seven or eight, but all of them were extremely revered figures to the Green ss disciples. Gasps of admiration and praise rang out wherever they went. Unless they died at an early age, the vast majority of ck ss disciples would go on to be Earth Martial Stage powerful beings. Even if they didn¡¯te from a prominent family, they would enjoy a noble status in the kingdom. Any Earth Martial Stage warrior-even at the lowest First Earth Martial Stage-would be powerful enough to establish a minor aristocratic family in the capital! Advertisement In particr, most of the ck ss disciples hailed from prominent families in the first ce, so they were extremely influential figures in the academy. Furthermore, the disciples who hade from the Blood God Alliance¡¯s main branch were all female, so they naturally attracted more attention. The proportion of female disciples in the Green ss, was already significantly higher than that of the Crimson and Jade sses. However, they were still quite rare, making up less than ten percent of the total number of disciples. As such, how could the Green ss disciples not be excited by the sight of a group of ck-robed beauties? ¡®Sigh, what a bunch of thirsty blokes...¡¯ There were many disciples who were staring nkly at the girls from the Blood God Alliance¡¯s main branch, and Qi Ying found them to be quite amusing. Even if they were desperate for femalepany, shouldn¡¯t they disguise it a little in such a public setting? Advertisement However, Qi Ying was also quite surprised when he turned his attention to the group of ck-robed girls, as he discovered that Han Xue was already at the First Spirit Martial Stage. A fourteen-year-old First Spirit Martial Stage warrior. That was nothing short of terrifying. If a warrior couldn¡¯t progress to the Earth Martial Stage, then their cultivation progression would stall after reaching about twenty-two or twenty-three years of age. However, there were some outliers who reached their limits at just twenty-one years of age, while others could still force their cultivation base to progress by a stage or two even after twenty-five. Sixteen to neen were the years during which warriors¡¯ cultivation base progressed the most quickly. Furthermore, warriors who had only just progressed to the Spirit Martial Stage also experienced a period of rapid improvement, due to the physiological changes that resulted in their bodies. Fourteen-year-old First Spirit Martial Stage warriors were quite rare, even in the ck ss. It was far moremon for ck ss disciples to reach the Spirit Martial Stage at fifteen or sixteen, which meant that their two periods of rapid growth would ovep. However, Han Xue had progressed to the Spirit Martial Stage earlier than that, which meant that she would go through her first period of rapid growth one or two years earlier than most of her ssmates! Advertisement With her insane aptitude, Han Xue presumably held a very high position in the Han family! ¡°Hey, Qi Ying! We meet again!¡± Han Xue was very ted to see Qi Ying, ¡°Did you join my Blood God Alliance? Hahaha! You¡¯ve made the right choice! You¡¯ll definitely live the good life if you follow me!¡± Er... Qi Ying gave a wry smile. Even though Han Xue¡¯s cultivation base progressed quicker than most, it appeared her level of maturity was stillgging far behind. He didn¡¯t know whether joining her faction would be a blessing or a curse. ¡°So you already knew our alliance leader?¡± Han Shenglong was a little surprised. He wasn¡¯t aware that Qi Ying and Han Xue were already acquainted with one another. Advertisement The other disciples in the Green ss Branch also turned their attention to Qi Ying. ¡®That Sixth Energy Martial Stage disciple appears to be on good terms with the alliance leader; looks like he¡¯s someone that could potentially carry us!¡¯ ¡°...¡± Qi Ying was even more dejected upon seeing those admiring gazes. ¡®I¡¯m here to get carried! Don¡¯t expect me to carry you!¡¯ The people from the Blood God Alliance main branch had no particr reason for visiting the Green ss Branch. Alliance Leader Han Xue had never been to the Qing Xiao Peak before, so she was basically using the visit as an opportunity for her and her friends to have a day out together. At the same time, it was also a promotional stunt for the Blood God Alliance. After all, the Green ss Branch had always been taken care of by Han Shenglong, so no one knew if the alliance really did have powerful backers as they imed. Advertisement After Han Xue and the others went to visit the Green ss Branch, a bunch of disciples were instantly convinced and were mbering to join the alliance. During the process, Qi Ying also familiarized himself with some of the main branch¡¯s members. There were about a dozen people in the Blood God Alliance main branch, some of which were deployed by the Han and Wei families, while the rest were recruited following the founding of the faction. There weren¡¯t that many people, but it was a decent foundation. Due to the fact that both of the founders were female, many male ck ss disciples were willing to join. Han Xue was pretty much the alliance leader and mascot of the Blood God Alliance. After all, her high status and her insane five cks aptitude were the best advertising tools one could possibly ask for. Thus, Wei N¨¹shen was left to handle the logistics of running the faction. Wei N¨¹shen was also a new disciple of the academy, but she was already seventeen years of age. Her cultivation base was at the Fourth Spirit Martial Stage, and she held the highest position in the Blood God Alliance. Contrary to her name, Wei N¨¹shen¡¯s looks weren¡¯t very dazzling. She was a in-looking girl, but she was very kind and benevolent, and her voice had a gentle soothing quality to it. She was among the disciples Qi Ying had seen on the fifth tform of the Cloud Steps, and she was one of the only ones who hadn¡¯t aimed a disdainful expression toward him. ¡°This is my first time establishing a faction, and I¡¯m not very good at what I do yet, so I hope everyone can lend me your assistance, so we can work together to make the Blood God Alliance one of the most powerful factions in the academy! Everyone here will be the core members of the alliance, and enjoy the best benefits we have to offer.¡± After a gentle yet rousing speech, all of the Green ss Branch were very motivated, and expressed a collective willingness to serve their ¡°goddess¡±. In reality, most of the disciples present wanted to join a powerful established faction. Joining a new faction meant that they would inevitably be pushed around by the older and more powerful factions, and that they would have to endure hardships before reaping any actual benefits. However, joining one of the older factions wasn¡¯t that appealing either. All of the higher-ups in those factions were very arrogant, and their new members often suffered horrendous treatment at their hands. No matter how hard they worked, they would only be used as tools. In contrast, joining the newly founded Blood God Alliance meant that they would all be core members, and if the Blood God Alliance rose to power in the future, they would have made a wise investment. However, Wei N¨¹shen¡¯s words cast Qi Ying into an even more sour mood. ¡®Why are you asking for help from me? I¡¯m here to get carried, not to do the carrying!¡¯ ... Just as the members of the main branch were touring the Qing Xiao Peak, a group of over a hundred people gathered nearby. Azy voice sounded, ¡°I heard that a new Blood God Alliance had been founded in the academy, and I thought it would be a significant faction, but who would have thought that it was just a bunch of useless disciples sucking up to a few little girls!¡± Chapter 135: Have You Sucked Someone Off Before?

Chapter 135: Have You Sucked Someone Off Before?

A bunch of Bixue Sword Alliance disciples strode over to the Blood God Alliance members, with mocking smiles on their faces. A stir immediately ran through the Blood God Alliance members. Many of them wore thunderous expressions. The girls from the Blood God Alliance main branch were enraged beyond belief, and the Green ss Branch disciples could no longer maintain their smiles either. They were only joining a faction, but they were being denounced as a bunch of useless disciples sucking up to some little girls... Most importantly, there was nothing they could say to refute those words. After all, they really were joining a faction that was founded by two little girls. That was the objective truth! In the crowd, Qi Ying narrowed his eyes at the sight of Chu Bixue, and thought to himself, ¡®What a sharp tongue...¡¯ Chu Bixue was his main enemy in the Green ss. He had already tried to assassinate Qi Ying, and there would surely be more attempts to follow. In the future, he was definitely going to be cast into even more perilous situations. However, he wasn¡¯t sure what kind of person Chu Bixue was. Was he truly a cruel and decisive man? or just a spoiled rich brat who only knew how to run his mouth? At that moment. ¡°Who the hell do you think you are?¡± Han Xue was naturally unable to remain silent in the face of Chu Bixue¡¯s provocation, and she stepped forward with her hands on her hips. Chu Bixue chuckled, ¡°Young Mistress Han, you¡¯re the leader of the Blood God Alliance; you shouldn¡¯t be getting angry over every little thing.¡± ¡°Hahaha!¡± ¡°Exactly! She¡¯s only a little girl, but she looks like a bitter widow!¡± The Bixue Sword Alliance disciples burst intoughter. ¡°You...¡± Han Xue wanted to retaliate, but she was no match for Chu Bixue and the others in a war of words. Her lips quivered with indignation, but she couldn¡¯t do anything. ¡°Heh.¡± Chu Bixue aimed a disdainful nce at Han Xue. ¡®She¡¯s just a little girl after all. Bringing her down a notch is way too easy!¡¯ As a new faction, the Blood God Alliance was full of ambition and enthusiasm, so he had to stomp them into the ground before they got too full of themselves! ¡®You think you¡¯re establishing a future superpower? Hmph! In my eyes, you¡¯re just a bunch of immature little girls and useless suck-ups!¡¯ The Bixue Sword Alliance was already at the pinnacle of the academy factions, and had a few Ninth Spirit Martial Stage members. As such, they were not fearful of the Blood God Alliance. Inparison, most of the Blood God Alliance Green ss Branch members were only at the Energy Martial Stages. It was a pitiful sight to behold! Furthermore, Chu Bixue himself wasn¡¯t scared of trouble, either. The Chu family was initially a major military family that was stationed at the border of the kingdom, and onlyter moved into the capital. As such, they had never seen eye-to-eye with the other six major families, who were natives of the capital. ¡°Let¡¯s go! I thought the Blood God Alliance was quite a powerful faction, but it¡¯s nothing much! Look at them; they¡¯re just a bunch of t-chested chicks and some thirsty men, tsk tsk... They¡¯re not going to amount to anything!¡± Chu Bixue jeered, ¡°Let¡¯s go back; there¡¯s nothing to see here!¡± He had already achieved his objective. He could see that the Blood God Alliance¡¯s morale had beenpletely crushed, and many of its members were already starting to have second thoughts. The alliance leader and the disciples all looked utterly defeated. Morale was of paramount importance to a new faction, and without it, there was no way to establish cohesion and develop confidence. As such, the entire faction would fall apart before too long. ¡°Hahaha!¡± The Bixue Sword Alliance members burst intoughter once again. Their attitude was quite clear. In the eyes of the Bixue Sword Alliance, the Blood God Alliance waspletely worthless! Not only were they looking down on them, they were going to get everyone else to also look down on the faction! ¡®If you continue to stay in the Blood God Alliance, you would only be looked down on by everyone, so just hurry up and withdraw!¡¯ The fact that no one from the Blood God Alliance dared to stand up for them was very crushing to all of the disciples. Qi Ying glowered at Chu Bixue as rage surged in his heart. He knew that most of the disciples who had joined the Blood God Alliance simply wanted a better future. They wanted to establish a powerful faction through their own hard work. They were not just sucking up to a bunch of female disciples; instead, they were looking to build something substantial with their own two hands. However, their efforts and ambitions were nothing but trash in Chu Bixue¡¯s eyes... His cockiness had Qi Ying seeing red! He hated that type of people the most. They rested on theirurels and constantly unted their high cultivation base and noble status upon others. Everyone else had to be stomped into the ground in order to establish their own superiority. With those thoughts in mind, he stepped forward and yelled, ¡°Alliance leader, who¡¯s that cocky little sh*t? You can tell that he¡¯s a f*ggot just by looking at him! He says we¡¯re all suck-ups just for joining a faction; well, he¡¯s the leader of a faction, so he must have sucked off a lot of people to get to that point! Our Blood God Alliance doesn¡¯t need to take chirpy little b*stards like him seriously!¡± ¡°Gasp...¡± Everyone was rooted to the spot. Many people couldn¡¯t believe their ears. ¡®What? A Sixth Energy Martial Stage disciple is insulting one of the most powerful prodigies of the Green ss? He¡¯s using the leader of the Bixue Sword Alliance of... of sucking people off?!¡¯ It was Chu Bixue that he was talking about! He had been at the academy for two years, and had be a Fifth Spirit Martial Stage powerful being at just eighteen years of age! His learning ability aptitude wasparable to that of disciples in the Purple ss, and even some from the ck ss! He had a great chance of progressing to the Earth Martial Stage in the future, and he had singlehandedly founded the most powerful sect in the academy, the Bixue Sword Alliance! His aptitude and power were all at the pinnacle of the Green ss, and he was a young master of direct lineal descent from the Chu family. But he was being insulted by a Sixth Energy Martial Stage disciple, who most people didn¡¯t even recognize! And he was doing it in front of over a hundred people! The Bixue Sword Alliance members all thought that the kid was retarded. He was clearly trying to show off to the girls from their main branch, and was oblivious to Young Master Bixue¡¯s identity, thereby prompting him to hurl those brainless insults. All of them turned to Qi Ying with sympathetic looks. He wasn¡¯t going to be alive for much longer! The spirits of the Blood God Alliance members were naturally lifted, but they were also quite concerned. Chu Bixue was not someone to be messed with! Even after being thrust under the limelight, Qi Ying¡¯s expression remained calm and collected. Everyone else was scared of offending Chu Bixue, but he wasn¡¯t! He and Chu Bixue were sworn enemies in the first ce, so it didn¡¯t matter if their rtionship worsened even further. Qi Ying red at Chu Bixue, and sparks flew as their eyes met. Chapter 136: Finally Getting Carried

Chapter 136: Finally Getting Carried

The two of them only nced at one another for an instant before turning away. Chu Bixue chuckled with narrowed eyes, ¡°Hehe... How interesting.¡± Everyone else remainedpletely silent. In particr, all of the Bixue Sword Alliance disciples were staring at Chu Bixue with bated breath. He didn¡¯t fly into a violent rage; he wasughing instead! Everyone knew that he wasn¡¯tughing because he was stupid. In their eyes, the kid who had insulted him was as good as dead! All of the Blood God Alliance members were alsopletely dumbfounded as they stared at Qi Ying. A hint of surprise appeared in Han Xue¡¯s eyes. Just because she was young and immature didn¡¯t mean that she was ignorant and oblivious. She knew what consequences would befall a normal disciple like Qi Ying after irking Chu Bixue. On the other side, Wei N¨¹shen was looking at Qi Ying with a look of approval, even though she didn¡¯t even know who he was. Qi Ying was not being an idiot and insulting Chu Bixue for the sake of it. Instead, he was trying to inte the morale of the Blood God Alliance! He was motivating everyone around him, and his retaliation was a calcted act of bravery, rather than a rash move made by a fool. The implications behind his words were quite clear. The Bixue Sword Alliance had also started from the bottom. In the past, Chu Bixue was no different from them. The fact that Chu Bixue was going out of his way to insult them only betrayed his inner fear. He was afraid that the Blood God Alliance would rise to power, and be a threat to his Bixue Sword Alliance. Qi Ying appeared to be a fool for engaging in a war of words with someone that was far more powerful than him, but his rude words were able to instill renewed confidence and conviction in the hearts of the Blood God Alliance members! As such, Wei N¨¹shen was beginning to develop a newfound appreciation for him. Most importantly, he had to rely on the Blood God Alliance for protection after insulting Chu Bixue, so there was no possibility of him betraying the alliance in the future. ... After that peal of eerieughter, Chu Bixue had reverted back to his usual calm and collected expression, as if nothing had ever happened. He put on a smile that had wooed countless girls in the past, and turned to appraise Qi Ying again. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Green ss Branch third g leader, Qi Ying. What? Alliance Leader Bixue wants to remember my name, so you can find an opportunity to deploy people to kill me while I¡¯m hunting in the Beast Valley?¡± Qi Ying¡¯s expression remained very calm, but there was a hint of mockery in his voice. ¡°Heh. Of course not! I like brave people like you. I hope we meet again someday.¡± Chu Bixue turned andmanded, ¡°What are you all standing here for? Let¡¯s go!¡± Whoosh! All of the Bixue Sword Alliance members departed behind him. The several dozens of Blood God Alliance members were left in their wake. Han Xue rushed over to Qi Ying and punched him in the chest with her little fist. ¡°Oi, are you an idiot? Why did you insult him? You¡¯re in a world of trouble now!¡± ¡°Er... Alliance leader, I was standing up for you, so you have to protect me!¡± Qi Ying immediately put on a pitiable expression. Er... All of the Blood God Alliance members¡¯ mouths gaped open. Was that still the same brave man who had hurled abuse at Chu Bixue? ¡®What a hypocrite!¡¯ ¡°Hmph...¡± Han Xue stomped her foot with displeasure, ¡°Alright! As long as I¡¯m still around, I¡¯ll make sure no harmes to you!¡± At that moment. Wei N¨¹shen turned to Qi Ying and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to be overly concerned. Everyone will learn about your conflict with Chu Bixue soon enough, so if something were to happen to you, the first person the academy would investigate would be Chu Bixue. They may be quite powerful, but they wouldn¡¯t dare to go too far. No one is allowed to murder disciples in the academy!¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, Alliance Leader Goddess!¡± Qi Ying nodded with an earnest and grateful facade. He had already taken into ount what Wei N¨¹shen had told him. He was not stupid enough to risk his life for the Blood God Alliance. Ironically, after that minor altercation, he was much safer in the academy! Just as Wei N¨¹shen had said, if something were to happen to him, Chu Bixue would be the first suspect! As such, they wouldn¡¯t dare to do things like sending people after him in the Beast Valley again. ¡®I can finally get carried...¡¯ Qi Ying was quite ted by the sight of Wei N¨¹shen¡¯s approving nce. ... ¡°Heh, he really is a special character.¡± Chu Bixue murmured to himself with a dark expression. He had realized that something was amiss when Jiang Yuanping told him that Qi Ying was still alive. He had also already heard about the disappearance of the fifteen Jade ss disciples. Following an investigation, it was discovered that some of them were killed by powerful beasts during a hunting expedition, while the others entered an Ice Fire Ant¡¯s nest, and perished after taking down the ant queen. Even though so many academy disciples dying at once was rather umon, their deaths made logical sense. However, Chu Bixue had just learned the truth. After Qi Ying mentioned an assassination attempt in the Beast Valley, he knew what had happened. The fifteen Jade ss disciples hadn¡¯t died idental deaths; they had been killed by Qi Ying! Initially, he had thought that Qi Ying was just some lucky kid with a few secrets. However, Chu Bixue had since realized that his enemy was far more difficult to deal with than he had imagined! The information he had gathered on Qi Ying stated that he was just a hillbilly who often made brainless and emotional decisions, and those tendencies had plunged him into a blood feud with the local noble families in his county. However, that information waspletely wrong! Qi Ying was a sly and vicious enemy. Not only was he able to survive against fifteen pursuers who were far more powerful than him, he was able to kill all of them as well. Furthermore, after finding out that he was the mastermind behind the assassination attempt, Qi Ying provoked him in what appeared to the most idiotic manner, but it was actually the smartest move he could have made. ¡®I may not be able to do anything to you now, but I¡¯ll have opportunities to kill youter down the track!¡¯ Chu Bixue was confident that Qi Ying wouldn¡¯t be able to escape his fate of dying by his hands. After all, there was simply too much of a disparity between their status and power. He was like an ordinary starving wolf; no matter how sly and vicious he was, he would inevitably fall as prey in the face of a powerful beast. ... The days after that incident were quite peaceful for Qi Ying. He took pills to cultivate, andpleted missions for Yun Xiao Points. With those points, he bought more pills for cultivation, and he attended lessons from time to time. Those repetitive and even boring days gave the illusion that he was no longer in any danger. The Blood God Alliance was also developing nicely, and there were already around sixty members in the Green ss Branch, some of which were even at the Fourth and FIfth Spirit Martial Stages. Qi Ying also benefited from the alliance¡¯s growth. He couldn¡¯t scare away Rudder Leader Liu with a bluff, after entering the Fire Gorge like he did on the previous asion, but the Blood God Alliance had taken over some territory in the gorge, and he was able to cultivate there. However, all of it ended up only being the calm before the storm. Chapter 137: The Dragon Metamorphosis Trial

Chapter 137: The Dragon Metamorphosis Trial

An entire month had passed since Qi Ying first arrived in the Green ss. As his cultivation base was progressing quite rapidly, he was focusing more on fortifying his foundation rather than hastily making breakthroughs. Even so, he was already at the pinnacle of the Seventh Energy Martial Stage, and was very close to the Eighth Energy Martial Stage. In order to avoid danger, Qi Ying didn¡¯t appear in any areas where other disciples weren¡¯t present, and even when he went on hunting trips in the Beast Valley, he always formed groups with Spirit Martial Stage disciples. As the third g leader of the Blood God Alliance Green ss Branch, he could always call upon a few Fourth and Fifth Spirit Martial Stage warriors to carry him. As such, he didn¡¯t have to be concerned about resources nor time. He really wanted things to continue in that peaceful fashion. He would turn sixteen in three months, and would enter a period of rapid growth from there. Furthermore, he possessed a bloodline that was superior even to the Engulfment Monarch Constitution, so his advantagepared to warriors of the same rank would only continue to grow. If he maintained his rate of progression, even if he were to stay in the Green ss, he was confident that he would be able to progress to the Earth Martial Stage before he turned twenty. However, if everyone could live their lives how they wanted, then the world would be a much more peaceful ce. One day, Qi Ying saw someone that he really didn¡¯t want to see, and she gave him some news that he really didn¡¯t want to hear. Madam Butterfly appeared in the Green ss, and she went directly to find Qi Ying after delivering a lesson for the disciples that were above the Sixth Spirit Martial Stage. ¡°The yearly Dragon Metamorphosis Trial is about to begin in five days. You are obligated to participate! If you forfeit your spot, you will be banished to the Jade ss!¡± ¡°...¡± Before Qi Ying even had a chance to respond, Madam Butterfly continued in a cold voice, ¡°You can collect your Dragon Metamorphosis Badge from Liancheng Ying, and ask him any questions you have about the trial.¡± Whoosh! Madam Butterfly rose into the air and flew away, leaving a dumbstruck Qi Ying in her wake. ¡°Are you f*cking serious?¡± Qi Ying was absolutely furious as he sought out Liancheng Ying and asked, ¡°Instructor Liancheng, what¡¯s this about the Dragon Metamorphosis Trial? Does Madam Butterfly want me to die that badly?¡± For many disciples, the Dragon Metamorphosis Trial was a life-changing opportunity! However, in contrast with the Cloud Steps Trial, it was one that was fraught with peril. Qi Ying didn¡¯t know much about it, but what little information he knew did indicate that on average, a third of the trial¡¯s participants would lose their lives there per year! Furthermore, the lower one¡¯s cultivation base was, the greater the death rate. Qi Ying had progressed to the Seventh Energy Martial Stage, but that was still almost the lowest in the entire academy. As such, the trial would be exceedingly perilous for him. He was one of the weakest disciples in the entire academy in terms of cultivation base, but he was being forced to participate in an extremely dangerous trial. Even an idiot would know that someone was pulling some strings behind the scenes! Liancheng Ying shook his head upon hearing that and exined, ¡°You¡¯ve falsely used Madam Butterfly there. She has a lot of jurisdictive power, but not enough to decide who has to participate in the Dragon Metamorphosis Trial. It was someone else that nominated you.¡± ¡°Who was it?¡± Qi Ying was slightly taken aback. Liancheng Ying sighed, ¡°I heard you offended Chu Bixue, right? The deputy principal of the Green ss, Chu You, joined forces with Jian Yuanping and a few other instructors to exert pressure on the higher-ups of the academy. The excuse they used was that it would take you too long to reach the Spirit Martial Stage, and it would be a waste of resources to keep you on probation in the Green ss. As such, they¡¯re forcing you to enter the Dragon Metamorphosis Trial so you can forfeit and drop down to the Jade ss, or create some sort of miracle and speed up your rate of progression... Sigh, why did you have to offend Chu Bixue of all people? Do you think he could have established the Bixue Sword Alliance in just three years, without support from the academy officials?¡± ¡°F*ck!¡± Qi Ying was abruptly enlightened, and he couldn¡¯t help but swear out loud. No wonder Chu Bixue hadn¡¯t been trying to cause trouble for him in the recent period of time; it was because he was hatching a nasty plot! However, that was most likely unrted to the incident where he had insulted Chu Bixue. The Chu family wanted him dead from the very beginning, and as long as he was still alive, they would devise all types of schemes to kill him. At that moment, Liancheng Ying pulled out a yellow dragon-shaped jade pendant and said, ¡°This is your participation badge for the Dragon Metamorphosis Trial. Take it if you want to participate. However, I would advise against it. As long as you can reach the Spirit Martial Stage and awaken a Battle Spirit of a high enough caliber, you can still request to change sses.¡± ¡°Instructor Liancheng, please tell me about the Dragon Metamorphosis Trial. I know nothing about it aside from the fact that it¡¯s very dangerous.¡± ¡°Alright then...¡± Thus, Liancheng Ying began to disclose information about the trial. ... It was said that when the world was first created, there were two types of energy¡ªdark and yellow¡ªand the lighter of the two rose, while the heavier fell, thereby creating heaven and earth. The vital energy of heaven and earth was also known as dark energy, and it was the basis for cultivation. Inparison, yellow energy was something far rarer than the vital energy of heaven and earth, but was also of vital importance. It was also known as True Dragon Energy! It was said that there were dragon veins between heaven and earth, and they influenced one¡¯s fate. In reality, it was just a matter of True Dragon Energy distribution. Where True Dragon Energy was rich and abundant, thend was lush, and the people were strong. It was a lot easier for prodigies to be born there, and warriors generally had higher cultivation bases. In contrast, ces with less True Dragon Energy had a lower average cultivation base, and most people would have a mediocre bloodline aptitude. A ce like Yun Xiao City had a massive dragon vein hidden beneath it; within it, powerful True Dragon Energy was imbued. As such, generations upon generations of powerful beings had been born there. In smaller ces where there was next to no True Dragon Energy, even a hundred years could go by without an Earth Martial Stage being born. The Yun Xiao Academy had a Dragon Metamorphosis Mystic Realm. The Dragon Metamorphosis Mystic Realm only granted entry to warriors of less than twenty-three years of age, and with cultivation bases lower than the Seventh Spirit Martial Stage. It was said that there were all types of perils that existed alongside brilliant opportunities in there. Some people went in and came out empty-handed, while others obtained precious inheritances, cultivation methods, and even martial dao true intent. Most importantly, there was a dragon vein in there! It was said that anyone who came into contact with that dragon vein would rise to be a soaring dragon! Some warriors absorbed True Dragon Energy directly from the dragon vein, thereby enhancing their bloodline, and giving them insane aptitude, which granted them a ce directly in the ck ss. Many ambitious disciples with mediocre aptitude wanted to take that opportunity, and forge a path to the ck ss for themselves. However, the dragon vein was extremely difficult to find. In the past millennium, less than a hundred people had been able to find the dragon vein, culminating in an average of one person per dozen or so years. The most recent asion during which a disciple had discovered the dragon vein was seventeen years ago, and that disciple was a supremely-talented prodigy even before that. ... ¡°If you participate in the Dragon Metamorphosis Trial ande out alive, it will prove that you are very powerful and have brilliant luck, so you¡¯ll be able to stay at the Green ss until you reach the Spirit Martial Stage, and awaken your Battle Spirit. However, you¡¯ll be forced to drop down to the Jade ss if you refuse to go... I¡¯m giving you the information; the final decision is up to you! Like I said, I advise you to not enter as nothing is more important than your own life,¡± Liancheng Ying said in a meaningful and heartfelt voice. Chapter 138: There’s No Place for You Here

Chapter 138: There¡¯s No ce for You Here

On the Qing Xiao Peak. Within a guest hall, there was a spell formation that cut off all sound and divine sense. There were two people seated in the hall, one of which was a middle-aged man in a set ofvish robes. A green cape trailed behind him, and his eyes were as sharp as those of a falcon. That man was a renowned powerful being in the Yun Xiao Kingdom. He was even more of a terrifying being in the Green ss. He was the deputy principal, Chu You! There was a graceful young man sitting beside him with a sword strapped to his waist. He was the leader of thergest faction in the Green ss, Chu Bixue of the Bixue Sword Alliance. Chu Bixue joined his hands in a salute and said, ¡°Uncle You, the disciples of our Bixue Sword Alliance have gathered extensive information on Qi Ying. He was born as an ordinary person, but underwent a drastic transformation following the events that took ce on the Nameless Mountain four months ago. During that span of four months, he progressed to the Seventh Energy Martial Stage from scratch. I feel that it has something to do with that Heaven Tier beast that appeared on the Nameless Mountain; perhaps it gave him an inheritance of some sort.¡± Chu You replied with a calm expression, ¡°I was thinking the same thing. It would exin why his bloodline aptitude is grey.¡± ¡°He also seems to be rted to the Yan family. There¡¯s a man in the Celestial River County by the name of Yan Thirteen, and he seems to be very close to Yan Nine of the Yan family. Yan Thirteen holds Qi Ying in extremely high regard, and helped him in every step of his growth. There was a major family that Qi Ying had a blood feud with, back in the Celestial River County, and Yan Thirteen wiped out the entire family for his sake. Following our investigation, we found that both Yan Thirteen and Yan Nine were once bodyguards of the former prince, and are part of the Yan family.¡± ¡°Hmm? That actually makes more sense then!¡± Chu You narrowed his eyes, ¡°Even though three families deployed warriors to hunt down the Heaven Tier beast, it fell into the hands of the Yan family in the end. A Heaven Tier beast must hold many secrets; perhaps Qi Ying really did receive an inheritance from it! Could that be why the Yan family is willing to support him?¡± Chu You paused momentarily before continuing, ¡°Let¡¯s set all that aside for now. Bixue, the Dragon Metamorphosis Trial this year is an important opportunity for you. Ever since the fall of those prodigies from our branch all those years ago, we¡¯ve been on a constant decline. Your aptitude is limited, and you may not even make it to the Earth Martial Stage in the future. However, if you can find the dragon vein and enhance your aptitude, you¡¯ll rise to far greater heights! Chu Kaolie is already dead, so you must take this opportunity and strive to take his ce!¡± ¡°Then, what are we doing about Qi Ying? The family leader has ordered us to kill him.¡± Chu You replied in a sinister voice, ¡°If he refuses to go to the Dragon Metamorphosis Mystic Realm, then he¡¯ll be banished to the Jade ss. The Jade ss is iparable to the Green ss; the death of a Jade ss disciple is amonce event. Our Chu family¡¯s forces are no slouches! However, if he chooses to participate in the trial, then it¡¯ll be up to your subordinates to take him out. But remember this; Qi Ying is just a minor character, so you don¡¯t need to hunt him down yourself. Your top priority is to search for the dragon vein!¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Chu You stood up and ced a hand on Chu Bixue¡¯s shoulder. He then handed a warm object to thetter and said, ¡°This is a piece of Dragon Guidance Jade; it is a treasure I purchased at a very steep price, and it can detect the location of the dragon vein! The dragon vein in the academy hasin dormant for too long, so there¡¯s a very good chance that it¡¯ll appear this year. You have to grab that opportunity!¡± ¡°Uncle You, you¡¯re so good to me.¡± ¡°Hehe...¡± A resigned smile appeared on Chu You¡¯s face, ¡°Your father saved my life all those years ago, but he¡¯s gone now, so I can only repay him by doing all I can for you... Kill Qi Ying, and reinvent yourself; those are the two missions for you!¡± ... ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll participate!¡± Qi Ying barely hesitated at all before taking the badge from Liancheng Ying. He knew what fate would await him in the Jade ss. Fifteen Jade ss disciples had died just recently, and the academy¡¯s higher-ups had barely batted an eyelid. There was a severeck of resources, so disciples had to take on all sorts of dangerous missions to fund their cultivation paths. As such, deaths weremonce, and if he were to end up there, he would most likely disappear someday with barely anyone noticing. In contrast, the Dragon Metamorphosis Trial was also quite perilous, but it also was an opportunity. Taking a gamble was surely superior to epting a sure defeat. Qi Ying learned from Liancheng Ying that the Dragon Metamorphosis Mystic Realm was a separate space. Its terrain was quiteplex, and there were many spell formations, seals, and powerful beasts within its boundaries. Furthermore, it covered a massivend area that was almost asrge as Yun Xiao City. Some people obtained precious treasures there, and some attained powerful inheritances... In summary, it was a ce that hadpletely transformed the lives of many. It was a ce that was fraught with peril, but also teeming with opportunities! Countless disciples dreamed of reinventing themselves there, so they could secure a one-way ticket to the ck ss! Qi Ying didn¡¯t really care about the supposed inheritances and opportunities there. After all, it was most likely the case that none of them would be able to match his constitution anyway. However, he had to make a ssh in the Dragon Metamorphosis Mystic Realm, in order to disy his potential! Risk and reward came hand in hand. Qi Ying was well aware of that, and he knew that he would have to take some massive risks in the uing trial. However, risks weren¡¯t something to be feared for those with ambition. Qi Ying would be the first to admit that he was a very ambitious person. Deep down, he wanted to be someone like Qi Shun and Yan Beigui. He wanted to be revered and respected by everyone, and have everything he wanted be offered to him. In particr, he had to ascend to great heights in order to be with the one that he loved. ... At the Fire Gorge. The two guards stared at Qi Ying with surprise etched on their faces. One of the guards was holding the badge that Qi Ying had just handed to him, and he asked, ¡°Sixty hours! Are you going to be able to handle that? You have to realize that the Fire Gorge is not a ce that reaps you more benefits the longer you stay in there. Disciples below the Spirit Martial Stage would be prone to be infected by fire poison if they stay in there for too long, and that could hurt your cultivation foundation.¡± ¡°I know my limits.¡± Qi Ying replied in a calm voice, ¡°If I can¡¯t handle it, then I¡¯lle out.¡± He had spent over five thousand Yun Xiao Points for sixty hours in the Fire Gorge, exhausting all of his ie from the past month. However, it was worth it as his top priority was to be stronger before the Dragon Metamorphosis Trial! Whoosh! Qi Ying set foot into the Fire Gorge, and made his way further in. ¡°You again!¡± An unfriendly disciple suddenly positioned himself in Qi Ying¡¯s way, ¡°You little lying brat! You disrupted my cultivationst time and made me fail in my breakthrough! Third g leader of the Blood God Alliance? What a joke! You¡¯re no young master from the Qi family; you¡¯re just a stupid hillbilly!¡± Qi Ying recognized who he was being confronted by. It was the same Rudder Leader Liu of the Bixue Sword Alliance that he had metst time. Liu Chunlei continued in a loud voice, ¡°Get out! There¡¯s no ce for you here! Piss off!¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± Chapter 139: Holy Flame Monarch Constitution?

Chapter 139: Holy me Monarch Constitution?

Fighting was strictly prohibited in the Fire Gorge, and the consequence would be an eternal ban from the gorge, so Qi Ying didn¡¯t have to be concerned about his safety. In particr, he didn¡¯t have to worry about irking anyone from the Bixue Sword Alliance, as they were all sworn enemies anyway. Thus, he continued onward after giving a disdainful chuckle. A burst of furious yelling erupted from behind him. ¡°You little b*stard! I¡¯ll make sure to have some fun with you in the Dragon Metamorphosis Mystic Realm!¡± ¡°Heh.¡± Qi Ying ignored him and continued onward for about four hundred feet before stopping. The deeper one strode into Fire Gorge, the more powerful the energy that was present. The mes there were no longer red; they had turned into a shade of purple, and the scorching energy emanating from them threatened to roast Qi Ying alive. Every single pore on his body opened up to absorb Purple Energy to the brim. Within his dantian, there were already seven energy vortexes constructed from pure True Energy, and they stacked on top of one another like a rotating tower. Furthermore, an eighth energy vortex was slowly taking shape! Qi Ying pulled out a vial of pills and sat down. ¡®I bought about two and a half days to stay in here. During this time, I have to progress to the Eighth Energy Martial Stage and fortify my cultivation base!¡¯ Cultivating with pills had be far too expensive for Qi Ying. Energy Explosion Pills no longer did anything, and even Energy st Pills didn¡¯t have much of an effect anymore. Inparison, it was much faster to cultivate in the Fire Gorge. At the spot where Qi Ying was situated, the fire poison emitted from thebustion of vital energy was quite abundant. Fire poison wasn¡¯t lethal to warriors, but after entering their bodies, it would cause almost irreversible damage to their basal properties and meridians. However, Qi Ying wasn¡¯t concerned. He could sense that after the surrounding fire poison entered his body, it was converted by his bloodline into the purest form of energy, before flowing toward his left hand and dantian. That was what gave him the confidence to cultivate in the Fire Gorge for over two days straight! To Qi Ying, not sleeping and not eating for over two days was not an issue. As long as there was energy flowing relentlessly into his body, he would be more than fine. In fact, Spirit Martial Stage warriors could almost live without any food, as absorbing energy from heaven and earth provided them with sufficient sustenance. Thus, the fire poison in the Fire Gorge became an ideal source of ¡°food¡± for Qi Ying. ... A dayter, Liu Chunlei paused his cultivation and grumbled to himself in frustration. ¡°Dammit... I¡¯m so close to the Seventh Spirit Martial Stage, but it¡¯s just a tiny bit out of reach... Screw it, I need a break! Hopefully I can make a breakthrough in the Dragon Metamorphosis Mystic Realm...¡± Liu Chunlei turned his attention deeper into the Fire Gorge, and a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes. ¡°That brat is still in there! Hmph, the alliance leader has given strict orders to kill you, so the Dragon Metamorphosis Mystic Realm is sure to be your final resting ce!¡± Out of curiosity, Liu Chunlei approached Qi Ying to see what condition he was in. There was no way that a normal Energy Martial Stage warrior could stay in the Fire Gorge for that long. As he drew closer, he saw a figure sitting within a purple True Energy Protective Barrier. ¡°So he¡¯s meditating...¡± A sinister smile appeared on Liu Chunlei¡¯s face. Whoosh! He unleashed a red finger projection which struck the protective barrier. Boom! The projection exploded upon crashing into the barrier, sending tremors running through the ground. The mes in the surrounding area were cast into disarray as a result. ¡®Haha, let¡¯s see if you can make a breakthrough now!¡¯ On the previous asion, his meditation had been interrupted by Qi Ying, and he had been unable to progress to the Seventh Spirit Martial Stage ever since. Thus, he was going to retaliate in kind by disrupting Qi Ying¡¯s cultivation. Boom! Bam bam! Liu Chunlei continued to create tremors and loud bangs in an attempt to break Qi Ying¡¯s concentration. He was in a meditative state, which meant that he was about to make a breakthrough. If that process were to be interrupted, failure to break through would be the oue if they were lucky; if not, even energy deviation could happen. Within the True Energy Protective Barrier, Qi Ying¡¯s brows furrowed slightly, clearly indicating that his distraction tactics were working. All of a sudden. ¡°Who¡¯s causing amotion there?!¡± A thunderous roar of rage erupted from even deeper in the Fire Gorge. Liu Chunlei¡¯s eyes widened as he immediately stopped what he was doing. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± He could hear that the voice had originated from about eight hundred feet deep into the Fire Gorge. That was the deepest part of the gorge, and the mes there had already undergone a qualitative change. If a normal Spirit Martial Stage warrior were to stumble into those depths, they would die within fifteen minutes. He had been in the Fire Gorge for three consecutive days, and during that time, he saw no one other than Qi Ying go beyond the four-hundred-feet mark. Just how fearsome of a powerful being was he dealing with? ¡°Gasp...¡± Liu Chunlei realized that he was in a lot of trouble and immediately bowed as he responded in a loud voice, ¡°I¡¯m sorry! Please forgive me!¡± Ninth Spirit Martial Stage? Half-Step Earth Martial Stage? Or perhaps... an Earth Martial Stage warrior? In any case, it was clearly not someone he could mess with. Even Alliance Leader Chu Bixue would treat such a powerful being with respect, regardless of whether they were a disciple or a higher-up of the academy. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything unrted to cultivation in the Fire Gorge! Piss off!¡± ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯ll be taking my leave now...¡± Liu Chunlei aimed a vicious re at Qi Ying before rushing out of the Fire Gorge. A short whileter, a figure emerged from the depths of the Fire Gorge and stopped beside Qi Ying. He stared at Qi Ying for a while before murmuring to himself, ¡°What a powerful constitution! Not only is he not exhibiting negative symptoms from the fire poison, he¡¯s instead using it to enhance his rate of cultivation. Could this be the Holy me Monarch Constitution that can absorb all me-type energy? Since when did the Green ss have such a disciple? Eh? Why is he even in the Green ss in the first ce?¡± ... Whoosh! Arge cloud of purple mist arose from Qi Ying¡¯s body. Qi Ying exhaled as he opened his eyes. His pupils seemed to be shimmering with purple and golden light, and his aura had be significantly more powerful. Following that period of meditation, his cultivation base had finally reached the Eighth Energy Martial Stage. Qi Ying was quite relieved, but also a little confused at the same time. ¡®Was someone trying to distract me a while ago? Looks like I¡¯ll have to try and avoid meditating in the Fire Gorge in the future. Meditation is helpful for making breakthroughs, but dire consequences could result from being disrupted.¡¯ ¡®Only sixteen hours left. I¡¯ll fortify my cultivation base in preparation for the Dragon Metamorphosis Trial!¡¯ Qi Ying was quite confident about the uing trial. Chapter 140: Commencement of the Trial

Chapter 140: Commencement of the Trial

On the day prior to the opening of the Dragon Metamorphosis Mystic Realm, the academy announced the roster for participating disciples. To Qi Ying¡¯s surprise, there were almost two thousand registered participants! For many disciples with mediocre aptitudes, or those who had reached the limits of their potential, the Dragon Metamorphosis Trial was their final hope for further ascension. Qi Ying didn¡¯t really understand. They were risking a death rate of over thirty percent, for essentially an empty promise of power and glory! However, he soon understood the motive behind such a decision. Many people were like him; they were unwilling to settle for what they had, and didn¡¯t want to miss any opportunity that could take them to greater heights. Just the Green ss participants alone numbered in excess of a hundred. There were even more from the Jade and Crimson sses; the two thousand participating disciples were pretty much split evenly between those two sses. In contrast, there were almost no participants from the Purple and ck sses. The younger ones among them had great potential, so there was no need for them to take that risk. As for the older ones, the vast majority of them had exceeded the Sixth Spirit Martial Stage, so they wouldn¡¯t be able to enter the Dragon Metamorphosis Mystic Realm anyway. There weren¡¯t any familiar Green ss friends of Qi Ying¡¯s on the roster. Most of the disciples in the Blood God Alliance possessed rather low cultivation bases. They didn¡¯t want to participate in the trial as it was especially dangerous for weaker disciples, and even if they were to participate, they would wait until a year or twoter, when they had the ability to keep themselves safe. It was a yearly event anyway, so there was always next time! Young people like them certainly didn¡¯tck time. In contrast, there were many Bixue Sword Alliance participants. A considerable number of them were Sixth Spirit Martial Stage warriors, who were twenty-one or twenty-two years of age, treading right on the upper limit of the cultivation base restriction. After seeing the roster, Han Shenglong immediately extended words of concern toward Qi Ying, ¡°You should withdraw, third g leader! I know you made a breakthrough recently, but there are a lot of Bixue Sword Alliance participants, and it¡¯s going to be very dangerous for you. They wouldn¡¯t dare to do anything to you in the academy, but in the Dragon Metamorphosis Mystic Realm, they can hunt you down without any inhibitions!¡± ¡°Heh, I¡¯ve already made my decision!¡± Qi Ying shrugged with a smile, ¡°Thank you for your concern, branch leader.¡± He then lowered his voice and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to look after myself... I¡¯m assuming you¡¯ve already investigated me, so you should be aware of my self-preservation skills, right?¡± ¡°Sigh... Be safe!¡± Han Shenglong really wanted to say his piece; thepetition in the Dragon Metamorphosis Trial was far more fierce than in a county youth tournament! However, Qi Ying was brimming with confidence, and he didn¡¯t really know how to try and dissuade him anymore. As such, he could only say, ¡°There will be two Fifth Spirit Martial Stage warriors from our Blood God Alliance participating in the trial. Stay with them and the Bixue Sword Alliance shouldn¡¯t be able to do anything to you. Even with their numbers, they would have to be wary of being surrounded and attacked by their enemies, so they won¡¯t invest too many members into hunting you down.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Qi Ying nodded, but he wasn¡¯t very confident in Han Shenglong¡¯s words. The Chu family was determined to kill him than Han Shenlong could imagine! However, he then caught sight of a few names on the roster that captured his interest. ¡®Qi Shun, Yan Beigui, Zhao Danyang, Qin Mu? Those four are all ck ss disciples...¡¯ As ck ss participants, their objective was quite obvious; they were going after the dragon vein! All of them already had superb aptitude, and if they could reinvent themselves through the use of the dragon vein, they would almost be certain to reach the Heaven Martial Stage in the future. Qi Ying had quite a good impression of Qi Shun. However, he was a little disappointed that Qin Susu¡¯s name wasn¡¯t on the roster, which meant that he wouldn¡¯t get an opportunity to see her during the trial. Thinking back, thest time they had spoken with one another was over four months ago. At the time, they were only together for three short days... ... One day passed by in a sh! The next morning, Qi Ying and the other Green ss trial participants arrived on the top tform of the Cloud Steps, led by Liancheng Ying, Jiang Yuanping, and a few other instructors. There was already a huge number of disciples gathered there, and Qi Ying estimated that the two thousand people from the Jade and Crimson sses were already there. He scanned his eyes through the crowd, and discovered two familiar figures in the Crimson ss group. ¡®Tian Shou? Feng Hemu?¡¯ Those two had both been hispetitors during the Celestial River County Youth Tournament. Who would have thought that they were going to bepeting with one another again, just a monthter? Both of them were at twenty-one years of age, and Tian Shou, in particr, had very mediocre aptitude in all five aspects. As such, future progression would be very difficult for him, and it was no surprise to see him taking a risk and entering the Dragon Metamorphosis Trial. Seeing as they were all acquaintances, they could help each other out a bit in the Dragon Metamorphosis Mystic Realm. At that moment, a loud thunderp erupted. The white cloud and mist overhead turned ck, then purple light shimmered amid the ps of thunder. All of the instructors present immediately put on respectful expressions, and joined their hands in a salute or bowed as they said in a unified voice, ¡°We wee Principal Ji!¡± Crackle crackle! A figure emerged from the ck wind and clouds in the sky, sweeping up gale-force winds that made it difficult for many people to even keep their eyes open. ¡°Purple Sun Eye!¡± Qi Ying directed his True Energy toward his eyes to observe the powerful being in the sky. He was greeted by the sight of a graceful middle-aged man in a set of grey robes. He appeared to be around forty to fifty years of age, and he gave off an unfathomable aura. All of the disciples immediately knew who he was. He was the principal of the Yun Xiao Academy, Ji Yunxuan! At the same time, he was also one of the most powerful beings in the Yun Xiao Kingdom, one of the extremely rare Heaven Martial Stage warriors! Furthermore, he was also from the imperial family himself. He was the emperor¡¯s cousin, and even the emperor treated him with respect and reverence. ¡®Just his arrival was enough to trigger heaven and earth phenomena... The Heaven Martial Stage is truly a terrifying stage...¡¯ Qi Ying was certain that if Principal Ji wished to do so, he could kill all of the disciples that were gathered without lifting so much as a single finger. Principal Ji began to speak in a faint voice, but it was audible to everyone that was gathered. ¡°Today, all of you shall set foot into the Dragon Metamorphosis Mystic Realm, and fight for opportunities amid countless perils. If you seed in your metamorphosis, you will rise to be a dragon. But if you fail, you¡¯ll emerge empty-handed or perhaps you won¡¯t return at all. There is no need for me to say anything further. I wish all of you good luck! Dragon Metamorphosis Mystic Realm, open!¡± Whoosh! He waved a hand, and lightning shed in the dark clouds above. A terrifying burst of suction force appeared in the air, stirring up the wind and clouds to create a huge ck vortex. Chapter 141: Have Some Candy Little Doggie

Chapter 141: Have Some Candy Little Doggie

Crackle crackle! In the instant that the vortex appeared in the sky, all of the disciples rose into the air under the guidance of a peculiar force. ¡°Wow!¡± Even though Spirit Martial Stage warriors were capable of treading on air, the feeling of flying at such a high altitude with no control over their bodies still drew cries of surprise from many disciples. Qi Ying felt very exhrated, and his eyes were filled with admiration as he turned to Ji Yunxuan. When would he also be able to rise to such dizzying heights? Whoosh! Qi Ying was sucked deep into the clouds along with the other two thousand disciples... ... After a rush of dizziness, Qi Ying reopened his eyes to find that he was situated in a very strange ce. It was clearly daytime just a second ago, but it appeared that night had descended all of a sudden. A bright moon hung in the sky, illuminating an area with a radius of about two hundred feet. He surveyed his surroundings to find that he seemed to be on a patch of barrennd with no one around. ¡®So all of the disciples were teleported into the Dragon Metamorphosis Mystic Realm together, but everyone has been dropped into random locations!¡¯ There was no map of the Dragon Metamorphosis Mystic Realm that he could consult. The reason for that was because the mystic realm underwent drastic changes from year to year. ins could be forests, a mountain could emerge right in the middle of ake; in any case, it would bepletely unrecognizable after the span of just a year. It was said that those changes resulted from the dragon vein within the mystic realm. However, in its essence, the Dragon Metamorphosis Mystic Realm was just like the outside world, in that all of thews of nature were the same. There were all types of beasts present, and its vast area was not inferior to that of the entire Yun Xiao City. It really would be quite difficult for two thousand people to bump into one another there! All of the disciples were going to stay in the Dragon Metamorphosis Mystic Realm for half a month. After that, the power within the mystic realm would automatically reject them. ¡®I won¡¯t be needing this!¡¯ Qi Ying pulled out a re from his sleeve, and threw it onto the ground before crushing it beneath his feet. That was a special re that Han Shenglong had given him. After beingunched, all Blood God Alliance disciples within a radius of five kilometers woulde to his aid. However, he had far more enemies than friends there, so using that re would only be disclosing his location to those enemies! Qi Ying began to travel toward a massive indistinct silhouette in the distance. It appeared to be a mountain. A mountain would be the perfect environment for him. There would be many hiding ces for him to evade his enemies, and there was a far greater chance that there were treasures hidden on a mountain, aspared to treasures lying around on t empty ground. Qi Ying quickly rushed toward the mountain like a leopard. Gradually, he began to hear the sound of footsteps other than his own. He used his Purple Sun Eye, and turned toward the direction where the sound wasing from. There, he discovered a pack of about a dozen or so prowling wolves. They were slightlyrger than normal wolves, and all of them had a crescent moon insignia on their foreheads, thereby indicating that they were a breed of beasts known as Moon Howling Wolves. They were only Yellow Tier First, Second or Third Rank beasts. Qi Ying could easily take care of them even back when he was only at the Strength Martial Stage. Qi Ying¡¯s eyes soon settled on thergest of the wolves, which was about the size of a cow, and its eyes shimmered with silver light. ¡°Hah? You want to eat me?¡± Qi Ying pointed a nonchnt finger behind him. Whoosh! A purple finger projection pierced through the night. Thump! A massive hole was sted into the ground in front of the Moon Howling Wolves. ¡°Howl!¡± The closest wolf almost pissed itself upon seeing that. They had thought that they had stumbled upon some prey, but who would have thought that the ¡°prey¡± would be so powerful! Right at that moment. Whoosh! Qi Ying rose into the air like a massive bird, before falling directly among the wolf pack. He kicked and punched the Moon Howling Wolves aside in the blink of an eye, leaving thergest wolf behind. ¡°She¡¯s a beauty!¡± The Moon Howling Wolf¡¯s fur was a very pure greyish-blue, and the crescent moon insignia on its head was almost identical to the moon hanging in the sky. Furthermore, it was a Yellow Tier Sixth Rank beast! ¡°Grrr...¡± The wolf snarled as it bared its fangs, and its body was tightly coiled with apprehension. The prey they were hunting was far more powerful than they had imagined. A smile appeared on Qi Ying¡¯s face. ¡°Little doggies, do you want some candy?¡± He spread open his hand to reveal a round pill. ... Bam bam! Heavy paw-steps reverberated throughout the wilderness as Qi Ying rode on the Moon Howling Wolf¡¯s back. He held onto the soft fur around its neck with his left hand; there was a pack of Moon Howling Wolves following along behind them. The mercury-like moonlight reflected off the Moon Howling Wolves¡¯ fur, making it appear as if it were silk. That pill he had just fed his new wolf steed was a Beast Taming Pill. It could give beasts hallucinations, and could make a Yellow Tier beast set aside its animosity for a short time, and listen to a human¡¯smands. The Moon Howling Wolves weren¡¯t very powerful, but they were extremely fast. Qi Ying didn¡¯t want to waste too much energy just from traveling, and he wanted to try out the Beast Taming Pill anyway, so he temporarily tamed the wolf so it could carry him to the mountain. ¡®Looks like I¡¯ve been teleported to a really secluded ce!¡¯ Even after reaching the foot of the mountain, Qi Ying didn¡¯t catch sight of any other academy disciples. He didn¡¯t see any strange or valuable items either. Perhaps that was because he was on the border of the Dragon Metamorphosis Mystic Realm. Thud! Qi Ying jumped down from the Moon Howling Wolf¡¯s back, and pulled out an Energy Explosion Pill. They were delicacies in the eyes of the wolves, but they weren¡¯t really useful to him anymore, so he fed it to the wolf and patted itsrge head. ¡°Off you go, little doggie!¡± ¡°Howl...¡± The Moon Howling Wolf let loose a long howl before leading itspanions back into the wilderness. ¡®It¡¯s a pity I don¡¯t know how to tame beasts. It would be awesome to have a massive wolf steed as my spirit beast!¡¯ Qi Ying strode up the mountain to discover arge forest. He scanned through it with his Purple Sun Eye, trying to see if there were any special ces like caves or crevices. Such ces could contain things like precious ore, exotic beasts, or spirit herbs. All of a sudden. Bam bam! Boom! The sound of fighting erupted in the distance. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Qi Ying identified the direction that the sound wasing from, before quickly rushing toward that location. Chapter 142: Both of Them Have to Die

Chapter 142: Both of Them Have to Die

As a disciple who had been in the Jade ss for many years, participating in the Dragon Metamorphosis Trial was pretty much Li Lin¡¯s final roll of the dice. He didn¡¯t want to graduate in the Jade ss and be forced intopulsory army service at the border. There was nothing on the barren border. When loneliness struck, there was no wine to drink, nor any beautiful women to see. As such, Li Lin registered for the Dragon Metamorphosis Trial as hisst possible opportunity. He had only just arrived at the Dragon Metamorphosis Mystic Realm, when he fell down a cave and broke several bones in the process. ¡°Ow! Why am I so unlucky!¡± Just as Li Lin pped his leg and howled to vent his frustration and rage, he discovered a rotten corpse, deeper in the cave that was illuminated by the moonlight. The body seemed to belong to a powerful warrior, and it had a ck ss identification badge hanging from its waist. It appeared that his misfortune was a blessing in disguise. Most of the treasures in the Dragon Metamorphosis Mystic Realm were produced by the mystic realm itself, but there were also many treasures left behind by deceased disciples. Li Lin could see that the spatial ring on the finger of the body was still intact. He plucked off the ring with excitement and discovered that there was a huge amount of crystals in there, alongside several valuable cultivation methods, and some priceless pills... If he used all of those resources for himself, he would have the potential to reach the Fifth or even the Sixth Spirit Martial Stage! Every cloud really did have a silver lining. Just as Li Lin was marveling at the wonders of life, others had arrived at the scene! He was not the only one who had been teleported onto that mountain, and everyone was searching for treasures. He emerged from the cave to find a bunch of red-robed disciples converging around him. ¡°Heh, looks like that guy¡¯s found some treasures!¡± ¡°Is he from the Jade ss?¡± Hand over what you found! The three Crimson ss disciples presented a menacing disy. They could tell that the Jade ss disciple before them had already been injured, and even though his cultivation base was slightly superior to theirs, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem for the three of them to bring him down. ¡°Look, it wasn¡¯t easy for me to get these treasures, so please do me a favor and... piss off!¡± Li Lin narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth before fleeing with all his might! He wasn¡¯t about to hand over his treasures to those brats! Whoosh! Li Lin sprang into the distance like a rabbit, instantly opening up a distance of over a hundred feet between himself and the three Crimson ss disciples. His learning ability aptitude was white, and the most monumental feat he had ever achieved, was cultivating a Dark Tier Low-Rank movement technique to the great sess level. After unleashing that battle technique, other Third Spirit Martial Stage disciples were no match for his speed! ¡°He¡¯s getting away!¡± ¡°Go after him! He¡¯s on his own, so he¡¯s an easy target!¡± The three Crimson ss disciples quickly give chase. They were all Crimson ss disciples from the same faction, and all of them carried res, so they were able to gather together very quickly afternding on the mountain. They were going to hunt down Li Lin before he had a chance to gather any reinforcements. Li Lin was already running away as quickly as he could, but he had clearly underestimated the effect his injuries would have on his speed. He had to constantly expend a portion of his Spiritual Energy to contain his injuries, and prevent them from being exacerbated. As such, he was unable to flee at his full speed, thereby allowing the three Crimson ss disciples to slowly gain on him. Finally, after entering a forest, Li Lin was obstructed by some vines, and his three pursuers managed to catch up. ¡°Hand over the treasures!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s beat him up first!¡± Boom bam bam! A few battle techniques went hurtling toward Li Lin. Li Lin had almost gone insane for the spatial ring in his hands. If he could secure it for himself, his future would be filled with beautiful women, obedient underlings, as well as inexhaustible fame and fortune. However, if he were to hand it over to someone else, then he would end up on the deste border as part of hispulsory army service. Dark Tier battle technique, Heavenly Frost Wind Fist! A series of green fist projections crashed toward the three disciples. The battle techniques shed and exploded, rustling the surrounding trees with the ensuing shockwaves. Li Lin was a Third Spirit Martial Stage warrior, so he was able to dominate the three weaker Crimson ss disciples, but he didn¡¯t dare to kill any of them. Powerful faction leaders could kill anyone they wanted in the Dragon Metamorphosis Mystic Realm. However, if he were to kill someone and leave behind even the slightest bit of evidence, he would be hunted down and killed after exiting the Dragon Metamorphosis Mystic Realm! His hesitation in conjunction with his worsening injuries gradually forced him onto the back foot. Eventually, his defenses were breached, and one of the Crimson ss disciples drew his sword before thrusting it toward his throat. Li Lin was petrified and he wanted to offer up the ring to beg for his life, but it was already toote! Boom! A burst of ck light suddenly struck the sword, Upon which the ck projectile was sliced in half in half. Moreso, the sword itself was also knocked off target, and Li Lin took advantage of that opportunity to escape. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Never would Li Lin have thought that someone woulde to save him. Could it be a friend of his? Following a burst of rustling, a figure emerged from the forest. Li Lin faltered initially upon seeing him, before an ted look appeared on his face, and he intentionally raised his voice as he eximed, ¡°Haha! You¡¯re here, Young Master Qi! Please help me! Those three brats are trying to steal the treasures that I was going to offer to you!¡± ¡°Er.¡± Qi Ying was very confused. ¡®What the hell¡¯s going on?¡¯ Li Lin had helped him out in the past, which was why he decided to save him in his time of need. Just as Qi Ying was trying to make sense of the situation, Li Lin rushed over to him, and handed over the ring he had found in the cave. ¡°Young Master Qi, this is it. I just found it not too long ago!¡± Li Lin¡¯s thought process was very simple. Qi Ying wasn¡¯t actually a young master of the Qi family, but he was a Green ss disciple at the very least, and he was surely a very intimidating character to Crimson ss disciples. He was hoping that Qi Ying would be able to scare off his pursuers. Qi Ying took the ring, and he was beginning to understand what Li Lin was plotting. At that moment, Li Lin turned to the Crimson ss disciples and yelled, ¡°What are you all looking at? This is Young Master Qi! Do you think he¡¯s someone you can mess with?¡± ¡°Hehe!¡± ¡°Pffft!¡± The Crimson ss disciples all burst intoughter upon hearing that. A tall and thin disciple stepped forward with a cruel expression. ¡°You¡¯re still trying to bluff? Don¡¯t you know who he is? He is an enemy of Alliance Leader Chu Bixue from the Bixue Sword Alliance! He has been listed as a must-kill target for the Bixue Sword Alliance, the Crimson Metal Sword Faction, and the White Jade Sword Sect! If you want to side with him, then both of you have to die!¡± Chapter 143: Former Young Master

Chapter 143: Former Young Master

The Crimson Metal Sword Faction and the White Jade Sword Sect were all essentially divisions of the Bixue Sword Alliance. There were several hundred trial participants from those three factions, and all of them received news that Qi Ying had to be killed in the mystic realm. Furthermore, the one who killed him would receive avish reward from the Chu family. He was just an Energy Martial Stage warrior, so everyone was mbering for the chance to hunt him down! Of course, they didn¡¯t disclose the information regarding Qi Ying¡¯s reverse assassination of Huo Da and the others, and nor did they tell everyone the true reason behind Chu Bixue¡¯s insistence on killing Qi Ying. Thus, all of them thought that Qi Ying had brought it upon himself by insulting Chu Bixue on that day. As such, finding Qi Ying was the equivalent to finding treasures in everyone¡¯s eyes! In fact, the reward for killing Qi Ying was more alluring than some of the treasures that they could encounter in the mystic realm. ¡°Kill him!¡± The tall and thin disciple wore a cold expression as he waved an arm. All three warriors immediately drew their weapons, and Spiritual Light shimmered on their swords as they closed in on Qi Ying and Li Lin. ¡°F*ck!¡± Li Lin couldn¡¯t help but swear out loud. He was hoping that Qi Ying was going to carry him, but he was only being dragged down by him! As a witness to their assassination of Qi Ying, there was no way that he could be allowed to live, so even begging for his life wouldn¡¯t work. ¡®F*ck it! The worst thing that can happen to me is death anyway!¡¯ ¡°Howl!¡± Li Lin roared as a Blood Wolf projection emerged from behind him. It shimmered with brilliant red light as it charged toward the three warriors. ¡°Kill that fatso first!¡± The tall and thin disciplemanded. Thus, all three swords were directed toward Li Lin. All three of them were at the Second Spirit Martial Stage, and they had to take care of the most troublesome enemy first. As for Qi Ying, all of them simply ignored him. He was just an Energy Martial Stage disciple, so even the most powerful attack he could unleash would be unable to break their Spiritual Energy Protective Barriers. Boom! Battle techniques from the three Crimson ss disciples inundated Li Lin, and his Spiritual Energy Protective Barrier was on the brink of copse. ¡°Ha! This is what you get for not handing over the treasures to us from the beginning!¡± A cruel expression appeared on the tall and thin disciple¡¯s face. Right at that moment, he was suddenly struck by a sense of peril, and he felt as if something of an extremely high temperature was approaching him. He immediately turned toward that direction, and just as he did so. Whoosh! A burst of purple light surged through the air; it was a python burning with purple mes. The attackpletely annihted his protective barrier in the blink of an eye. ¡°Die!¡± Qi Ying let loose a loud roar as the Purple Sun Fire Python struck the disciple in the head. A loud crack erupted and half of his head was sted into oblivion, as intracranial fluids sttered through the air. Thud! The tall and thin disciple¡¯s lifeless body fell heavily to the ground. ¡°What?!¡± The other two Crimson ss disciples were all rooted to the spot upon seeing that! Chills began to run down their spines. Qi Ying had just killed the most powerful one among them with a single attack! Li Lin¡¯s mouth was also gaped wide open, clearly unable toprehend what he had just witnessed. ¡°What are you spacing out for? Hurry up and kill them!¡± Qi Ying roared. ¡°Alright!¡± Li Lin immediately came to his senses, and unleashed his Battle Spirit. The Blood Wolf chomped down upon a Crimson ss disciple¡¯s calf, almost snapping his leg in two. Heavenly Frost Wind Fist! Thud! A fist projection that was about the size of a washbasin crashed into the disciple at the same time,pletely shattering his Spiritual Energy Protective Barrier. Li Lin raised his left hand, and a knife flew from his sleeve, piercing into that disciple¡¯s neck, right as his Spiritual Energy Protective Barrier was destroyed. Thetter fell to the ground and spasmed violently for a short while before fallingpletely still. Thus, there was only one left. The final disciple came to the abrupt realization that Qi Ying was the one who had turned the tables on them! They regarded him as a harmless vulnerable prey, but they had been reduced to prey instead! ¡°Stay away from me! I¡¯m going to call for reinforcements!¡± The disciple pulled out a re and threatened, ¡°If Iunch this, all Crimson Metal Sword Faction members in a radius of several dozens of kilometers wille to my aid! Both of you will die by their hands!¡± Li Lin immediately hesitated upon hearing that. The Crimson Metal Sword Faction was one of the most powerful factions in the Crimson ss! There were many Fifth and Sixth Spirit Martial Stage Crimson Metal Sword Faction warriors participating in the trial, and there could be quite a few of them nearby. ¡°Heh.¡± The final disciple heaved a long sigh of relief upon seeing Li Lin¡¯s hesitation. But right at that moment, the figure beside him shot forth like an arrow. The final disciple was stunned for a split second, but he quickly reacted and his sword pierced through the air toward Qi Ying¡¯s vital regions from a difficult angle. However. Crack! His sword was suddenly caught in a vice-like grip, and no matter how much he tried to pry it loose, it refused to move so much as a single inch. Qi Ying gripped onto the de of the sword with his left hand, andshed out with his right. Scorching Sun Fire Python Fist! Normal battle techniques wouldn¡¯t be able to threaten the lives of Spirit Martial Stage warriors; he had to use the Fire Python Energy within his body as a catalyst. The purple fire python immediately broke through the Spiritual Energy Protective Barrier, and engulfed the Crimson ss disciple¡¯s body. Whoosh! The final disciple injected his Spiritual Energy into his re, and a dazzling burst of light was sted into the sky. Boom! Brilliant fireworks exploded up above. ¡®He¡¯s still not dead!¡¯ Two beams of purple light erupted from Qi Ying¡¯s eyes, puncturing that disciple¡¯s head, and finallynding the killing blow upon him. Li Lin rushed over and his face was deathly pale as he looked up at the fireworks in the sky. ¡°Why did you kill him?! You¡¯ve done it now! All of the nearby Crimson Metal Sword Faction disciples are going to hunt us down!¡± Qi Ying threw away the sword he was grasping in his left hand, and took the spatial rings from the three Crimson ss disciples as he said in a nonchnt voice, ¡°Heh, so you¡¯re telling me that if we don¡¯t kill them, then they won¡¯t set off their res? Is there any ce to hide here? Take me there right now!¡± ... The two of them arrived back in the cave where Li Lin had first discovered the corpse of the ck ss disciple. He was currently staring at the young man beside him with shock and fear in his eyes. His cultivation base was only at the Eighth Energy Martial Stage, but he had just insta-killed two Second Spirit Martial Stage warriors! Furthermore, he was only at the Sixth Energy Martial Stage when they hadst met a month ago. Progressing two ranks in a month? Even if those were Energy Martial Stage ranks, it was still a very drastic increase. Qi Ying didn¡¯t really take notice of Li Lin¡¯s expression. He scanned his eyes around the cave they were in, before tossing out three spatial rings. ¡°I¡¯m not a heartless person, but you already gave that ring to me, so I won¡¯t return it to you. I¡¯ll give you everything those three guys had, aside from their pills aspensation.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Li Lin immediately nodded. He didn¡¯t dare to offer any objections. He was still injured, and who knew if Young Master Qi was going to kill him with a fire snake as well? Qi Ying strode over to the corpse and he seemed to be inspecting it. ¡°Er...¡± A peculiar expression appeared on Li Lin¡¯s face. What was there to look at on a dposing corpse? However, Qi Ying rummaged around for a little bit before pulling out a ck jade pendant from the body, upon which his expression changed slightly. ¡°ck ss, Chu Tian? Was he a former young master of the Chu family?¡± Chapter 144: Heavenly Black Feather Falcon

Chapter 144: Heavenly ck Feather Falcon

In contrast with Qi Ying¡¯s surprised reaction, Li Lin was a lot calmer. He said, ¡°Hundreds of people die in the Dragon Metamorphosis Mystic Realm every year. Some of their bodiespletely disappear, while others appear very far into the future... ck ss disciples may be powerful, but that doesn¡¯t mean they can¡¯t die! I¡¯m very lucky to have stumbled upon him as soon as I arrived in the mystic realm... Young Master Qi, what kind of treasures are inside that ring? I didn¡¯t get a chance to look through it yet!¡± ¡°Just a few precious cultivation methods and pills.¡± Qi Ying replied in a nonchnt manner. Li Lin harrumphed in a low voice. What a tant lie! He hadn¡¯t had a chance to thoroughly check the items in there, but he knew just from a nce that there were many precious treasures within. However, he couldn¡¯t really say anything about that. After all, everything in that ring belonged to Qi Ying, and so it had nothing to do with him. ¡°Er, what are you doing?¡± Li Lin was confused. Qi Ying was in the process of digging a hole. Qi Ying ignored Li Lin and quickly dug a hole in the cave, before cing the dposing corpse inside. He then buried and put his hands together in prayer. ¡°Senior Chu Tian, I don¡¯t exactly see eye to eye with your descendants, but I took your things, so I musty you to rest. Now that you have been buried, I can take your things with a clear conscience!¡± Li Lin found that to be hrious. ¡°You¡¯re looting a corpse! Why are you trying to sound like a saint?¡± Qi Ying strode toward the opening of the cave. ¡°Where are you going, Young Master Qi?¡± Li Lin hurriedly stood up. Qi Ying continued onward without turning back as he replied, ¡°More and more people from the Crimson Metal Sword Faction are going to gather on the mountain. Are we going to wait for them to find us? Besides, don¡¯t you want to see what other treasures lie in this Dragon Metamorphosis Mystic Realm?¡± ... Morning arrived in the Dragon Metamorphosis Mystic Realm, and the light of the rising sun illuminated every corner of the mystic realm. Arge group of Crimson Metal Sword Faction disciples was gathered in a mountain forest. Their leader was a young man who appeared to be around twenty-one or twenty-two years of age. His aura was very powerful, reflecting his Sixth Spirit Martial Stage cultivation base, and he was the leader of the Crimson Metal Sword Faction, Chu Huayi. He was also one of the most powerful participants in the Dragon Metamorphosis Trial. Chu Huayi was actually not a biological member of the Chu family. Instead, the Chu surname was bestowed upon him. After taking over from thest leader of the Crimson Metal Sword Faction two years prior, he had be the Chu family¡¯s spokesperson in the Crimson ss. At that moment, everyone was staring at the three bodies on the ground with grim expressions. One of the Crimson Metal Sword Faction disciples did a bit of investigating, before turning to Chu Huayi with his findings. ¡°Chen Rani, Li Xuebing, Zhang Qilong; the three of them were killed by two different people! One of them fought with the trio through the forest up to that point, and he is roughly at the Third Spirit Martial Stage, using ice and wind dual-type cultivation methods. The other person... I believe is an Energy Martial Stage warrior. He appears to be using a Purple Yang type cultivation method, and his aura is scorching hot!¡± Chu Huayi¡¯s eyes narrowed upon hearing that. ¡°Energy Martial Stage with a Purple Yang type cultivation method? There aren¡¯t that many Energy Martial Stage warriors in the Dragon Metamorphosis Mystic Realm in the first ce, so this is most likely the Qi Ying that Alliance Leader Bixue wants dead!¡± He suddenly raised his voice an octave and said, ¡°All Crimson Metal Sword Faction disciples heed my call!¡± ¡°Present!¡± ¡°Search for Qi Ying in this area, and if you encounter him, do not engage him in battle. There could be many powerful beings apanying him, so you must set off your res to gather enough disciples. Also, inform the White Jade Sword Sect and the Bixue Sword Alliance disciples of this event!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Whoosh! Over a hundred Crimson Metal Sword Faction disciples dispersed at once. ... On a set of ins. ¡°Scree!¡± A ck eagle with steel-like feathers descended with a loud cry, settling among a group of people riding Fire Cloud Horses. A short whileter, a young man with a ck eagle perched on his shoulder made his way over to Chu Bixue. ¡°Alliance Leader, Faction Leader Huayi has discovered Qi Ying¡¯s whereabouts, and would like our Bixue Sword Alliance to send help so they can speed up their search.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± A sh of excitement shimmered in Chu Bixue¡¯s eyes, but he quickly repressed it. He thought back to what Chu You had told him, and he forced himself to calm down. Finding the dragon vein was more important than killing Qi Ying. He didn¡¯t have time to deal with Qi Ying as Qi Shun of the Qi family, Yan Beigui of the Yan family, Zhao Danyang of the Zhao family, and Qin Mu of the Qin family were also searching for the dragon vein. If they found the dragon vein before him, then his trip to the Dragon Metamorphosis Mystic Realm would be aplete waste of time! Chu Bixue said in a calm voice, ¡°Just the Crimson Metal Sword Faction and White Jade Sword Sect will suffice in the search efforts. Also, you can take the Heavenly ck Feather Falcon and also join in on the search for Qi Ying. After some nurturing, the falcon has be a lot more intelligent, so it will definitely be of assistance to you.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± The young man¡¯s name was Chu Ying, and he left the Chu family¡¯s group with the ck falcon on his shoulder. Chu Bixue took a deep breath as he mused to himself, ¡°Qi Ying is nothing but trash to me! The only worthy adversaries for me are the likes of Qi Shun and Qin Mu...¡± Thus, the Bixue Sword Alliance disciples rode on their Fire Cloud Horses and quickly continued onward. Chu Bixue held the yellow piece of jade in his hand, and his eyes shimmered. ¡°The Dragon Guidance Jade will indicate when I am close to the dragon vein. Even though the Dragon Metamorphosis Mystic Realm is a massive ce, it has be a lot faster to traverse through it after taming these Fire Cloud Horses!¡± He was determined to be the first one to reach the dragon vein! ... Qi Ying and Li Lin had been on the mountain for two days. They had to constantly avoid the Crimson Metal Sword Faction disciples, so they didn¡¯t reap many rewards. They picked up some abandoned treasured tools, but most of them were damaged and worthless. There were only some spirit herbs that were rather rare outside of the mystic realm, and could probably be exchanged for about a thousand Yun Xiao Points. Those herbs were split evenly between the two of them. Of course, they had also encountered some beasts, but most of the beasts found in the Dragon Metamorphosis Mystic Realm weren¡¯t very powerful, and could be easily dealt with. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of this ce.¡± Qi Ying said to Li Lin. The two of them traveling together was a lot safer than traveling independently. Furthermore, Qi Ying was very fond of one of Li Lin¡¯s abilities. His Blood Moon Wolf Battle Spirit wasn¡¯t very useful in a battle, but it had fantastic detection and tracking abilities. It was able to sense approaching enemies in advance on many asions, thereby preventing the two of them from being surrounded. After reaching a set of grassy ins, Qi Ying said, ¡°We have to be more careful here. This is a very open space, so it¡¯ll be easier for enemies to notice us. ¡° Li Lin patted his chest in a disy of confidence as he responded, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Young Master Qi. My Battle Spirit¡¯s detection abilities are also enhanced significantly on the grasnds, so there¡¯s no way that any enemies on the ground will be able to approach us!¡± Chapter 145: Danger From All Directions

Chapter 145: Danger From All Directions

¡°That¡¯s right, the enemies on the ground won¡¯t be able to approach us...¡± Qi Ying looked up into the sky with a hint of concern. He felt as if he were able to make out an indistinct ck shadow circling overhead. Li Lin also looked up into the sky, but he chuckled nonchntly, ¡°They can indeed see us from the sky, but capturing a beast in the Dragon Metamorphosis Mystic Realm that can carry someone in the air is far too difficult. Spirit Martial Stage warriors can tread on air, but there are speed, altitude, and distance restrictions, so they won¡¯t be able to close in on us either.¡± ¡°I hope you¡¯re right...¡± Qi Ying sighed. Thus, the two of them rushed deeper into the grasnds. Qi Ying couldn¡¯t state a reason for why he wanted to cross the ins. His instincts simply told him that there was perhaps a pleasant surprise waiting for him on the other side. ... Atop a cliff. ¡°Scree!¡± The Heavenly ck Feather Falconnded on Chu Ying¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Did you find them?¡± A glimmer of light shed through Chu Ying¡¯s eyes. ¡°Scree!¡± The ck falcon let loose a loud cry of confirmation. Chu Ying leaped up and glided down the cliff like a massive bird, soonnding among a group of white and red-robed disciples. ¡°We¡¯ve tracked down Qi Ying! Everyone,e with me!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ... Qi Ying and Li Lin were both quickly traversing across the ins, and the Blood Moon Wolf Battle Spirit was also apanying them. All of a sudden, Li Lin came to an abrupt halt. ¡°Howl...¡± The Blood Moon Wolf Blood Moon Wolf let loose a guttural roar. ¡°What is it?¡± Qi Ying asked. ¡°There seem to be a few groups of people converging on us from different directions! The closest group is just over a kilometer away,¡± Li Lin¡¯s replied, ¡°We have to change direction a little to shake them off.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± The two of them immediately began to set off on a zigzagging route. After traveling for roughly another fifteen minutes, Li Lin¡¯s stopped once again. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Something¡¯s not right... They seem to be able to detect our location, and all of the groups are constantly switching directions to match the route we¡¯re taking.¡± Qi Ying¡¯s brows furrowed upon hearing that. ¡°So you¡¯re saying they also have someone like you in their groups?¡± ¡°No. The ones observing are most likely in the sky!¡± Li Lin raised his head to look up into the sky, ¡°They must be able to observe from an extremely high altitude, and determine our location through that... It won¡¯t take them long before they surround us!¡± Qi Ying¡¯s expression abruptly became graver. ¡°How many of them are there?¡± Li Lin shook his head and replied, ¡°I can¡¯t tell the exact number, but there are at least a hundred of them! All of them are Spirit Martial Stage warriors as well...¡± A torn expression then appeared on Li Lin¡¯s face as he heaved a forlorn sigh, ¡°Young Master Qi, you saved my life, so I won¡¯t ever betray you, but I can¡¯t throw away my life for you. I still have parents who depend on me... Thus, we must part ways here, Young Master Qi!¡± He pulled out three spatial rings which he handed to Qi Ying. ¡°These are from the Crimson Metal Sword Faction members. I haven¡¯t touched anything inside them, and they should all be yours anyway...¡± ¡°Forget about it.¡± Qi Ying pushed Li Lin¡¯s hand aside, ¡°Go! You don¡¯t owe me anything!¡± There was no need for Li Lin to endure a trial of life and death with him, so it made sense that he wanted to leave. ¡°Alright then...¡± Li Lin hesitated momentarily, before turning and rushing away from Qi Ying with his Blood Moon Wolf. ¡°All the best, Young Master Qi!¡± Whoosh! Li Lin quickly disappeared from Qi Ying¡¯s line of sight. Qi Ying looked up into the sky, and he saw that ck falcon again. A hint of a smile appeared on his face as he mused to himself, ¡°No matter how many of you there are, no one can take me down!¡± ... Whoosh! Qi Ying continued to rush along the ins. He didn¡¯t require Li Lin¡¯s sensory abilities anymore, as he could literally hear the rustling of feet on grass, asrge masses of people converged toward him. There really were at least a hundred of them! However, Qi Ying was quite confident in his own speed. After reaching the Eighth Energy Martial Stage, he was a lot more powerful than he was before. Furthermore, his Feather Tread Boots further enhanced his speed, and it was proving to be quite difficult to catch him. There was a small mountain that was about a thousand feet tall not too far away, and Qi Ying was setting that as his target. If he could make it to the mountain, then his chances of survival would increase significantly! Additionally, there were most likely going to be some other people on the mountain. If there were members from another powerful faction there, then the Crimson Metal Sword Faction disciples wouldn¡¯t dare to pursue him recklessly. He was less than ten kilometers away from that mountain, so he would get there in a short time. However. Thud thud! Thud! Violent tremors erupted from the front, as well as to his left and right sides, creating amotion that was no less daunting than that of the people pursuing him from behind. Qi Ying didn¡¯t slow down, so he quickly caught sight of his new enemies. They consisted of two groups, each of which contained several dozens of people. One group wore white robes, while the other wore crimson robes, and all of them wielded sharp swords. It was quite clear that they were disciples from the Crimson Metal Sword Faction and the White Jade Sword Sect. Qi Ying turned to look behind him, to find that the person leading the group of pursuers was a green-robed man riding a red horse. Qi Ying had some recollection of him; he was one of Chu Bixue¡¯s trusty subordinates, Chu Ying. There was arge group of white and red-robed disciples apanying Chu Ying, who were evidently also from the two aforementioned factions. There was dangering from all sides! No matter which direction he fled to, there were enemies awaiting him. Chu Ying was drawing closer and closer behind him, and he raised an arm, upon which the Heavenly ck Feather Falcon descended from the sky and settled on his shoulder. Chu Ying appraised Qi Ying with a pair of sharp eyes, and he raised his arm once again as he issued amand to the people behind him, ¡°Use the armor-piercing arrows to kill him!¡± Whoosh! Over a hundred warriors pulled out steel bows before nocking arrows with green fletchings, and drawing their bows to full stretch. ¡°Fire!¡± Whoosh! Whoosh whoosh! Following Chu Ying¡¯smand, over a hundred arrows fell toward Qi Ying like a swarm of locusts, and all of them were capable of piercing Dark Tier Low Rank treasured tools. Chapter 146: I’ve Been Waiting for You for a Long Time

Chapter 146: I¡¯ve Been Waiting for You for a Long Time

The armor-piercing arrows wereunched pretty much haphazardly, with no aiming process preceding theirunch. Furthermore, there were only about a hundred of them, and Qi Ying was still quite far away from his pursuers, so there wasn¡¯t any threat posed to him. However, the storm of arrows forced Qi Ying to charge straight into the enemies up ahead! ¡°Kill him!¡± The disciple at the forefront of the groupmanded with a swing of his sword. Whoosh! Close to a hundred Spirit Martial Stage warriors rushed toward Qi Ying in unison. At the same time, all of them were wondering the same thing: ¡®why hasn¡¯t that Energy Martial Stage warrior pissed his pants yet?¡¯ If any of them were in his shoes, they wouldn¡¯t even have the mental fortitude to stay on their feet. Not taking into ount any other matters, that man¡¯s courage was trulymendable. However, that wouldn¡¯t stop them from hunting him down. After all, everyone wanted the reward offered by the Chu family! If one of them could kill him, then he would earn himself crystals, cultivation methods, and most importantly, a bright future! All of them converged to form a semi-circle, creating a pocket that trapped Qi Ying from the front and sides, while the armor-piercing arrows prevented him from retreating. Whoosh! Bam bam! One attack after another hurtled toward Qi Ying. ¡®Just because you have a lot of people doesn¡¯t mean it will be easier to kill me!¡¯ Qi Ying rushed fearlessly into the pocket created for him, and his body split into nine! The Flowing Shadow Strike was only a Yellow Tier Intermediate-Rank battle technique, but after cultivating it to the perfected level, it could still produce some extraordinary effects. Many of the battle techniques that were unleashed merely struck Qi Ying¡¯s projections. Meanwhile, Qi Ying¡¯s true body unleashed a punch with his left hand. All of the battle techniques crashing toward him were pulverized by his left hand, and the shockwaves from the explosion flung Qi Ying high into the air. ¡°Scorching Sun Fire Python Fist!¡± Purple True Energy swirled around his left and right hands, and he thrust both of them forward at the same time. He also drew upon the Fire Python Energy in his dantian, which surged forth in a frenzy. Boom! Boom! Two purple fire pythons erupted from Qi Ying¡¯s fists, and from a destructive power standpoint alone, each of them was not inferior to a normal Third Spirit Martial Stage warrior¡¯s attack. The purple fire pythons crashed into the throngs of people before him and exploded, sending mes shooting in all directions. However, all of his assants were Spirit Martial Stage warriors, and the explosions barely even resulted in any injuries. ¡°Sword Formation, sh!¡± A gargantuan sword projection suddenly erupted from the group of white-robed disciples, which hurtled toward Qi Ying. Bam! His left hand came into contact with the sword projection, and thetter was also pulverized. Cries of surprise erupted upon seeing that. Someone suddenly yelled, ¡°That glove on his hand is an Earth Tier treasured tool! Kill him and take his glove!¡± Whoosh! Whoosh! Many disciples sprang into the air to attack Qi Ying, who had been flung about twenty feet into the air by the shockwaves from the previous burst of explosions. ¡°Scorching Sun Fire Python Fist!¡± Qi Ying unleashed one violent attack after another, and his fists were moving so quickly that they left afterimages in their wake. A series of fire pythons threw themselves at the disciples in the air. As most of them were Jade ss disciples, their cultivation bases were generally below the Third Spirit Martial Stage, so all of them were sent flying by the purple fire pythons. At the same time, Qi Ying set foot on the head of one of the pythons, and he used it as a means to fly! In doing so, he managed to replicate the air-treading technique used by Spirit Martial Stage warriors, and quickly rushed forward for over a hundred feet. The people who were positioned in front of him just a moment ago were suddenly left behind. However, there were still many people in hot pursuit. A Crimson Metal Sword Faction flew through the air, and shed his sword toward Qi Ying. ¡°Die!¡± However, Qi Ying merely pointed a finger at him. Purple Sun Fire Python Finger! Whoosh! A thin purple fire snake instantly punctured the Crimson Metal Sword Faction¡¯s disciple¡¯s heart. Thetter fell from the sky with his lifeless eyes still wide open, and an incredulous expression permanently frozen on his face. Bam! Qi Ying alsonded on the ground, and True Energy exploded from the soles of his feet, catapulting his body through the air like a cannonball. Everyone was momentarily stunned by Qi Ying¡¯s retaliation. What a powerful attack! If they were to get too close to him, they really could die! Chu Huayi immediately yelled upon seeing everyone¡¯s hesitation, ¡°That¡¯s a mystic technique of his, so he won¡¯t be able to unleash it too many times! If we kill him, we¡¯ll all be able to learn it!¡± Everyone was spurred on again by that notion. They had to capitalize on every opportunity to be more powerful! Furthermore, they would only be taking a minor risk anyway. There were several hundred disciples hunting him down at once, so surely they wouldn¡¯t be the ones to be killed. ¡°Kill him!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let him get away!¡± In total, there were over two hundred people pursuing Qi Ying at once. There was no way he would be able to escape! ¡®He is indeed quite powerful!¡¯ Chu Ying¡¯s brows furrowed slightly as he straddled his Fire Cloud Horse. He was beginning to understand how he had managed to kill Huo Da and everyone else from the White Jade Sword Sect. With the power Qi Ying was disying, killing a few mediocre First and Second Spirit Martial Stage warriors was far too easy! That was the price they had paid for underestimating him. However, they weren¡¯t going to make that mistake again. A lion never underestimated its prey, even when hunting down a mere rabbit. They were a pride of two hundred lions, and all of them were hunting down that one prized rabbit with all their might! ¡°Huff huff...¡± Qi Ying was panting heavily and he felt as if most of his energy had been expended during those few short exchanges. His True Energy circted quickly within his body, but he didn¡¯t unleash a battle technique. Instead, he let loose an almighty cry, ¡°Help!¡± His yell was infused with powerful True Energy, and Qi Ying felt as if his throat had almost been torn apart. The soundwaves spread through the air, and was audible in a radius of several kilometers. ¡°What a waste of energy.¡± A mocking sneer appeared on Chu Ying¡¯s face. He had sent his Heavenly ck Feather Falcon to scout the surrounding area, and discovered that there were people on the mountain up ahead. However, they just so happened to be Bixue Sword Alliance members! Chu Bixue and all of the Bixue Sword Alliance disciples were all gathered on that mountain! No matter how much Qi Ying yelled, no one woulde to save him. However, things would be quite interesting if he were to escape to that mountain. With that in mind, Chu Ying waved a hand andmanded, ¡°Slow down a little! Let him run off to that mountain!¡± As opposed to letting a bunch of people fight over the reward for killing Qi Ying, Chu Ying felt like it was a much better idea to herd Qi Ying right to Young Master Bixue, so he could kill him in person. That would be the most satisfying result for Chu Bixue. As such, he would receive the biggest reward, and would be held in even higher regard by Young Master Bixue. ¡°Go and inform Young Master Bixue!¡± Chu Ying raised his arm, and the Heavenly ck Feather Falcon shot forth like an arrow, flying toward the mountain at a speed that far outstripped that of the surrounding warriors. Everyone slowed down a little after hearing Chu Ying¡¯smand. ¡°Heh...¡± Qi Ying gritted his teeth and elerated even further! About a minuteter, he was very close to the foot of the mountain, and at that moment, a group of green-robed people emerged. The one at the forefront appraised him with a cold expression. ¡°Qi Ying, I¡¯ve been waiting for you for a long time!¡± Chapter 147: An Insecure Kid

Chapter 147: An Insecure Kid

Chu Bixue red at Qi Ying with a sinister smile on his face. He had arrived to that mountain with the other Bixue Sword Alliance members not long ago, in search of the dragon vein. But who would have thought that Qi Ying would turn up at the same ce? It was a perfect opportunity for him to finish Qi Ying himself! Chu Bixue was quite a narrow-minded and spiteful person. Initially, he was only trying to kill Qi Ying as it was a mission assigned to him by the family leader, but ever since Qi Ying had verbally insulted him on that day, a personal feud had been established. He had to kill Qi Ying with his own two hands for the most satisfaction! Whoosh! Chu Bixue stepped forward, and all of the other Bixue Sword Alliance members followed suit. One of them was Rudder Leader Liu Chunlei, and he wore a cruel smile on his face. ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve got nowhere left to run, Qi Ying!¡± Whoosh whoosh! Everyone drew their swords, presenting a very menacing disy. The reason why the Bixue Sword Alliance was named as such, was as everyone used a sword, regardless of what weapon they were actually proficient at using. The Chu family represented the sword! The patriarch of the Chu family was the number one swordsman in the world a thousand years ago. He was a man who was said to have reached the pinnacle of cultivation, the Divine Martial Stage warrior, Chu Xiangyun. It was also said that the hundred-thousand-feet tall mountain between the Yun Xiao Kingdom and the savages, had been sliced in half by a single sword strike from him, thereby creating a massive gorge that was over a hundred thousand feet tall, and over a thousand kilometers in length. Thus, the sword was the inherited symbol of the Chu family. As such, all Chu family warriors used swords, and they forced that protocol upon all of the external members as well. There were several dozens of swords pointed directly at Qi Ying. Whoosh! Qi Ying came to an abrupt halt at over a hundred feet away from Chu Bixue and the others. At that moment, the two hundred people behind him had also converged, surrounding Qi Ying in an airtight circle. There really was nowhere for him to run! ng! Chu Bixue drew his sword and slowly made his way toward Qi Ying. ¡°Qi Ying, you are indeed very impressive. You have great aptitude andbat prowess, and your rate of progression is quite extraordinary. You have the inheritance of a Heaven Tier beast, and there¡¯s a very good chance that you¡¯ll reach the Heaven Martial Stage in the future. However, you shouldn¡¯t have made the Chu family your enemy! You killed Brother Kaolie, and even the Qin family is against you despite the fact that you saved Qin Susu! Now, your luck has finally run out! It¡¯s said that in a battle between prodigies, the one who perishes will have their luck transferred to the one left standing... Hopefully, killing you can bring me good luck!¡± Chu Bixue was only twenty feet away from Qi Ying by that point. He looked at Qi Ying with a disdainful expression, but there was still fury burning in his heart, as thetter did not appear to be fearful of him in the slightest. Instead, there was a mocking look in his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to say something before you die?¡± Chu Bixue spoke with a high and mighty demeanor. He wanted to make Qi Ying realize that he could decide whether he lived or died. He wanted Qi Ying to beg on his knees and grovel at his feet! Perhaps he would grant him a quick and painless death then! However, Qi Ying¡¯s expression only became more deriding as he looked at the people around him. He turned toward Chu Bixue with a smile that thetter found to be very peculiar. ¡°Chu Bixue, you may very likely be the most powerful disciple in the Green ss one day, and I always thought that you would be a brave character with great mental fortitude. However, I discovered today that I was wrong. You¡¯re just an insecure kid, and in order to prove your importance to the Chu family, you¡¯re constantly unting your status as the leader of the Bixue Sword Alliance. All you¡¯re doing is trying to hide the fact that you¡¯re just a Green ss disciple! You¡¯re the exact same type of trash as your brother, Chu Kaolie! Actually... He was a bit more handsome than you!¡± ¡°B*stard!¡± ¡°What insolence!¡± ¡°You¡¯re about to die yet you¡¯re still barking like a dog!¡± A barrage of insults was hurled at Qi Ying by the enraged crowd around him. If Chu Bixue were an insecure kid, then what were his subordinates? Chu Bixue didn¡¯t get goaded into striking Qi Ying down on the spot. Instead, he smiled, but that smile was very forced. ¡°Hehe... You sure have a sharp tongue... Does that mean that if I kill you now, it will be a sign that you goaded me into giving in to my insecurities, and killed you to shut you up?¡± Chu Bixue repressed his emotions with all his might, forcing himself not to thrust his sword forward! Qi Ying was goading him right in front of the Bixue Sword Alliance, and the other two major factions of the Chu family. He had to prove to everyone that he was not some insecure kid. Right at that moment, Qi Ying suddenly raised a hand! Boom! A purple fire python engulfed Chu Bixue almost instantaneously. ¡°Alliance leader!¡± ¡°Young master!¡± Cries of surprise rang out among the onlookers. However, the purple mes soon dissipated like smoke, revealing Chu Bixue with a green protective barrier around his body. He had easily blocked Qi Ying¡¯s Scorching Sun Fire Python Fist. ¡°Don¡¯t waste your energy. You¡¯re just a pitiful piece of scum!¡± Chu Bixue sheathed his sword and turned around before issuing a nonchntmand, ¡°Chu Qingshuang, Chu Zidian, kill him!¡± Chu Bixue couldn¡¯t be bothered to bicker with Qi Ying any further. When thetter attacked him with that punch, he finally came to the realization that he was just a pitiful underprivileged disciple. In the eyes of other people, Qi Ying was perhaps a prodigy with immeasurable potential, but in his eyes, Qi Ying was just a defenseless pig waiting to be ughtered. The more time they wasted on Qi Ying, the less time they had to find the dragon vein. ¡°Yes!¡± Two green-robed disciples strode forward from the Bixue Sword Alliance, and both of them were at the Fifth Spirit Martial Stage. Just like Chu Huayi and Chu Ying, they had only been given the surname of Chu, and were servants to Chu Bixue. As such, it was naturally a good thing that they were given the opportunity to kill Qi Ying, and secure the young master¡¯s approval, as well as a reward from the Chu family. Within the crowd, Liu Chunlei also stepped forward. ¡°Alliance leader, let me join in on this as well!¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Chu Bixue replied indifferently. It didn¡¯t matter. As long as Qi Ying was dead, he would be satisfied. He had to adopt a high and mighty demeanor, as if he couldn¡¯t even be bothered to strike down Qi Ying with his own hands. Only then could he reaffirm his status to everyone else. He was a young master of the Chu family; there was no need for him to kill an underprivileged disciple on his own! Whoosh whoosh! Liu Chunlei, Chu Zidian, and Chu Qingshuang surrounded Qi Ying in a triangr formation! Chapter 148: Tell Her to Pleasure Me for a Night

Chapter 148: Tell Her to Pleasure Me for a Night

¡°Wait!¡± ¡°Please have mercy!¡± Two voices suddenly erupted in the distance. The three warriors faltered in their movements. Everyone looked up to discover two streaks of light hurtling through the air. Afternding on the ground, they revealed themselves to be two green-robed Sixth Spirit Martial Stage warriors. One of them stepped forward, and joined his hands in a respectful salute to Chu Bixue. ¡°Alliance Leader Bixue, I am Xie Dong, a guardian of the Blood God Alliance Green ss Branch. Brother Qi Ying is the third g leader of our branch, and someone that is held in high regard by Alliance Leaders Han Xue and Wei N¨¹shen. I hope that Alliance Leader Bixue can let Qi Ying go, and let bygones be bygones. Of course, if he has offended you in any way, our Blood God Alliance is willing to issuepensation to you.¡± The other warrior also chimed in, ¡°Alliance Leader Bixue, if you can let Qi Ying go, then our Blood God Alliance is willing to give a part of our territory in the Fire Gorge and Breeze Valley, to the Bixue Sword Alliance.¡± They had arrived just in the nick of time. The three Chu family factions had stirred up quite amotion while hunting down Qi Ying, which had caught the attention of many people. Prior to entering the mystic realm, Han Shenglong and the two alliance leaders had told them to keep an eye out for Qi Ying, so they immediately figured out that something had most likely happened to him. Thus, they rushed to the scene, and thankfully, they had managed to make it in time. Wei N¨¹shen and Han Xue did indeed hold Qi Ying in high regard, and Han Shenglong had told them that if the Bixue Sword Alliance were unwilling to let Qi Ying go, then the Blood God Alliance would be willing to offer somepensation in exchange for his life, as long as the conditions they proposed weren¡¯t too out of line. However, Chu Bixue was not interested. ¡°Kill him.¡± He ignored the two Blood God Alliance disciples, and issued amand to the three warriors surrounding Qi Ying. The disciple named Xie Dong was a little annoyed by that. He was a Sixth Spirit Martial Stage warrior, and was considered to be a bright prodigy in the Green ss, but he had beenpletely ignored by Chu Bixue! With that in mind, he raised his voice a little. ¡°Alliance Leader Bixue, you aremitting murder in broad daylight! Are you not afraid that we¡¯ll report you to the higher-ups in the academy?¡± ¡°Are you trying to threaten me?¡± Chu Bixue finally turned to the two Blood God Alliance disciples with a cold smile on his face, ¡°How about I kill you two as well so you can¡¯t report me then?¡± ng! Over two hundred warriors drew their swords, and unleashed their auras in unison, striking the two Sixth Spirit Martial Stage warriors with an extreme sense of pressure. Chu Bixue chuckled coldly. He was not afraid of their threats. ¡®So what if the academy learned of the fact that he had killed a disciple?¡¯ ¡®How could trash like Qi Yingpare to him, the future number one prodigy of the Green ss?¡¯ Furthermore, if he received an inheritance from the dragon vein, he would be one of the most supremely talented disciples in the academy. In that case, even if he were to kill ten Qi Yings, the academy wouldn¡¯t hand down any substantial punishment to him. ¡°Wait!¡± The other Blood God Alliance disciple yelled, ¡°Alliance Leader Bixue, state your conditions! As long as you can let Qi Ying go, our Blood God Alliance will satisfy you to the best of our abilities!¡± The two alliance leaders had given them a duty to protect Qi Ying, so they had to do their best. Chu Bixue narrowed his eyes and smirked. ¡°Hehe... How about this then... Your Alliance Leader N¨¹shen isn¡¯t all that pretty, but she sure does have a nice figure. Tell her to pleasure me for a night, and I¡¯ll let Qi Ying live! Can you agree to my condition in her stead?¡± ¡°...¡± The two Blood God Alliance disciples¡¯ expressions immediately stiffened upon hearing that. There was obviously no way that they could agree! ¡°Kill him!¡± Chu Bixue repeated hismand again, and Liu Chunlei, Chu Zidian, and Chu Qingshuang immediately sprang forward without any hesitation. The two Blood God Alliance members wanted to try and protect him, but they were immediately surrounded by the rest of the Chu family disciples. Chu Yingid a hand on the hilt of his sword and yelled, ¡°If you two want to step in, then you¡¯ll have to go through all of us first!¡± ... ng! Thump! Three swords were drawn in unison; one of which was burning with scorching mes, while another one was umting frost, and the final one was enveloped in purple electricity. All three of them were thrust toward Qi Ying almost at the exact same time. Three terrifying sword projections hurtled forth from three different angles, affording Qi Ying no avenue for evasion. Even a Fourth or Fifth Spirit Martial Stage warrior wouldn¡¯t be able to handle such a ferocious joint attack, let alone an Energy Martial Stage disciple. Qi Ying didn¡¯t evade as he couldn¡¯t evade anyway. Even if he were to retreat, he would be struck by the ming sword projection piercing through the air from behind him. On the contrary, he sprang forward like a leopard and put himself directly in the path of all three sword projections. Whoosh! His left hand shot forth at an incredible speed, while he unleashed a fire python fist projection with his right hand. In that instant, his left hand shed with the ming sword projection, which was the most powerful among the three, while the fire python fist projection unleashed by his right hand collided with the other two sword projections. A resounding boom erupted as he crushed the ming sword projection with his left hand, and the shockwaves from the explosion almost dislocated his left shoulder. Immediately afterward, the two other sword projections tore through his fire python fist projection, and struck his body. Whoosh! Qi Ying unleashed the True Energy that he had been gathering in his body, and injected it along with a portion of his Fire Python Energy into the suit of Dark Tier treasured armor, that he wore under his green robes. A purple protective barrier with fire python veined patterns on its surface immediately appeared around him. Another explosive bang erupted as his protective barrier was shattered. Dust and debris wafted through the air. ¡°He¡¯s not dead yet!¡± Liu Chunlei cautioned his twopanions. At that moment, nine figures shot forth from amid the dust and debris resulting from the explosion. ¡°Chu Zidian, the middle one on your side is the actual body!¡± Liu Chunlei immediately saw through the Flowing Shadow Strike. ¡°Yes!¡± A sinister smile appeared on Chu Zidian¡¯s face as he thrust his sword forward. ¡°Die!¡± All of a sudden. Whoosh! A burst of purple light suddenly lit up in the air, from within which arge expanse of vines emerged and enveloped Qi Ying¡¯s body. He struggled with all his might, but was unable to break free. Furthermore, there was an astonishing electrical power running through those vines. Battle Spirit, Falling Lightning Vines! ¡°Electrocute!¡± Chu Zidian roared. Arcs of purple lightning immediately began to rush along the vines. ¡°Argh!¡± Qi Ying was instantly struck by a numbing sense of pain as his body spasmed from the powerful electrical currents. He was already starting to suffer burns on his skin, and he couldn¡¯t muster up any strength in his entire body, aside from his left arm. Scorching Sun Fire Python Fist! Whoosh! A purple fire python short forth from his left hand, but it was immediately scorched into a puff of ck smoke by the electricity surging from the purple vines around it. ¡°What a waste of energy.¡± Chu Zidian chuckled to himself. However, his expression then immediately changed. ¡°What have you done?¡± He could suddenly feel that the energy within his body was receding relentlessly, like water through a broken dam. Furthermore, the point from which his energy was leaking wasn¡¯t any part of his body, but his Battle Spirit instead! Chapter 149: Shameless B*stard

Chapter 149: Shameless B*stard

Qi Ying¡¯s left hand was mped tightly around a purple vine, and he could feel the energy flowing relentlessly into his body. At the same time, the numbing sensation the vines inflicted upon him had abruptly disappeared, transforming into something that provided him with energy instead. A Fifth Spirit Martial Stage warrior had very pure energy in the first ce, and the energy used to construct their Battle Spirit was even further purified, so it was of a far superior caliber than True Energy! Only a few seconds had passed, and Qi Ying could already sense that his energy reserves had beenpletely replenished. Bam! Chu Zidian waved a hand and forced his purple vines to disappear, but he wore a thunderous expression on his face. ¡°Who are you? Why are you able to absorb energy from my Battle Spirit?!¡± Whoosh! A burst ofmotion immediately erupted. ¡®What just happened?¡¯ No one knew what was going on. However, Qi Ying sprang into action again in that instant. His body shot forth like lightning; Liu Chunlei and Chu Qingshuang didn¡¯t have a chance to stop him before he reached Chu Zidian. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you!¡± Chu Zidianshed out with his sword. Crack! Qi Ying caught the de of his sword with his left hand, before pointing a finger at Chu Zidian¡¯s head! Purple Sun Fire Python Finger! Whoosh! A purple fire snake finger projection was instantly unleashed. Furthermore, Qi Ying had unleashed all of his remaining Fire Python Energy, so it was the most powerful finger projection he had ever released. Additionally, Chu Zidian had just had arge amount of energy absorbed from him, and he was in his most vulnerable state as a result. Thus, the finger projection struck him on the forehead, before puncturing his brain, and re-emerging from the back of his head. St! Chu Zidian¡¯s eyes widened as he fell dead to the ground. He had been insta-killed! Everyone looked on with dumbfounded expressions. No one could make sense of what had just happened. They only heard Chu Zidian say something about having his energy absorbed through his Battle Spirit, before Qi Yingpletely turned the tables on him and killed him on the spot. ¡°Phew...¡± Qi Ying grabbed Chu Zidian¡¯s Dark Tier Intermediate-Rank treasured sword, before quicklyying his left hand on what remained of his head. A burst of powerful purple lightning energy flowed from Chu Zidian¡¯s body, and into Qi Ying¡¯s meridians. After that, it entered his dantian, and formed a ball of purple liquid that was enveloped in arcs of electricity. Afterpletely depleting his Fire Python Energy, Qi Ying immediately reced it with something else. That energy was far more powerful than the Fire Python Energy that he had! ¡°Everyone, attack him together!¡± Chu Bixue roared with rage. How was an Eighth Energy Martial Stage warrior able to kill a Fifth Spirit Martial Stage opponent in a direct confrontation? It was simply unheard of! Qi Ying did have that Earth Tier treasured glove, but the power he had unleashed to kill Chu Zidian was beyond the realm of the Energy Martial Stage! Chu Bixue was struck by a sense of true urgency. It appeared that the inheritance Qi Ying had received was even more terrifying than what he had imagined! He had to get rid of him! Whoosh! The surrounding warriors swarmed Qi Ying all at once, and the people closest to him attacked first. The two disciples from the Blood God Alliance wanted to stop them, but there was no way for two people to stop two hundred enemies all at once. ¡°Come!¡± Qi Ying was brimming with battle intent. The newly-obtained purple lightning energy in his body was already raring to go. If someone wanted to kill him, then they had better be prepared to pay the ultimate price! He had already taken down Chu Zidian, so even if he were to die, it would be worth it. Crackle! Purple mes and lightning began to revolve around his hand. ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°Kill him!¡± The warriors around him roared as they converged toward him. However, right at that moment, a violent thunderous roar erupted from the sky, ¡°If anyone dares toy a finger on him, I, Qin Mu, will kill all of you!¡± Invisible shockwaves swept into the crowd with devastating power. Whoosh! The people closest to Qi Ying were flung into the air. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± ¡°Qin Mu?!¡± Amid themotion and chaos, a musclebound ck-robed figure crashed down heavily from the sky, before yelling in a powerful domineering voice, ¡°Chu Bixue! Your brother was a piece of sh*t, but you¡¯re even worse! You gathered two hundred Spirit Martial Stage disciples to kill an Energy Martial Stage warrior? What a shameless b*stard!¡± Whoosh whoosh! Two more people descended behind Qin Mu, both of whom were wearing purple robes. Everyone was rooted to the spot. All those who recognized Qin Mu were horrified, while those who didn¡¯t recognize him were also quite wary at the sight of his ck robes. In particr, not only was Chu Bixue not enraged by the insults directed at him, a hint of fear shed through his eyes instead! ¡°Qin Mu?!¡± Qi Ying was just about to make a final stand, when he too was stunned into inactivity. He didn¡¯t know all that much about Qin Mu. The extent of his knowledge was that Qin Mu was a ck ss prodigy, and one of the young masters of direct lineal descent from the Qin family. It was said that he had a supremely exceptional aptitude of five cks when he entered the Yun Xiao Academy, and was only at eighteen years of age, but he was already close to the Seventh Spirit Martial Stage. In fact, he had repressed himself from making a breakthrough, so he could still satisfy the cultivation base restriction of the Dragon Metamorphosis Mystic Realm. Most importantly, he was a member of the Qin family! Everyone from the Qin family that Qi Ying had encountered-with the exception of Qin Susu-harbored animosity toward him. But Qin Mu had saved him! Chu Bixue¡¯s expression had be extremely dark. Both Qin Mu and himself were young masters of direct lineal descent from their respective families, but the former was being nurtured as a potential heir to the Qin family, so there was still arge disparity between their status. Furthermore, Qin Mu was renowned for being a brash warrior who acted without any inhibitions. In the year prior, a Qi family young master with outstanding aptitude had offended his sister, Qin Susu, and he immediately had both legs broken by Qin Mu. Thetter was suspended for three months by the academy as a result, but that Qi family young master had been avoiding him like the gue since then. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn¡¯t even have the courage to look Qin Mu in the eye. However, he was being surrounded by members of the three Chu family factions, so he couldn¡¯t afford to show fear or weakness! Qin Mu¡¯s group only consisted of three people, and all of them were merely at the Sixth Spirit Martial Stage. There was no way they would be able to stand against his two hundred subordinates! A conflicted expression shed through Chu Bixue¡¯s face before he finally made up his mind. ¡°Qin Mu, you know about our Chu family¡¯s bad blood with Qi Ying! I am going to kill him no matter what! If you insist on opposing me, then you¡¯ll be opposing our entire Chu family. I trust that your Qin family wouldn¡¯t want to engage in a conflict with our Chu family!¡± However, Qin Mu burst into raucousughter upon hearing that. ¡°Why would our Qin family need to fear your Chu family, when your family¡¯s younger generation consists of trash like you and your dead dog of a brother, Chu Kaolie? If you want a war, thene! Our Qin family will crush your Chu family into the dirt!¡± Chapter 150: Dark Green Dragon Battle Spirit

Chapter 150: Dark Green Dragon Battle Spirit

Chu Bixue¡¯s face was turning purple with rage. Qin Mu¡¯s words were extremely arrogant, but he couldn¡¯t do anything about them. In terms of status, he ranked far above ordinary Green ss disciples, but Qin Mu was still far superior to him on the hierarchy! However, Qi Ying had to die! ¡°Liu Chunlei, Chu Qingshuang, hurry up and kill Qi Ying! Everyone else, surround Qin Mu and his two underlings, and make sure they can¡¯t interfere!¡± Chu Bixue¡¯s eyes narrowed in a menacing disy, ¡°I¡¯m not going to let you poke your nose into our family¡¯s business, Qin Mu!¡± Whoosh! Two hundred warriors converged toward Qin Mu¡¯s trio,pletely cutting them off. ¡°Die!¡± ¡°Kill him!¡± Liu Chunlei and Chu Qingshuang continued to hunt down Qi Ying. Both of them had unleashed their Spiritual Energy Protective Barrier to prevent suffering the same fate as Chu Zidian. The two disciples from the Blood God Alliance wanted to reinforce Qi Ying. ¡°Scree!¡± A ck falcon swooped down from the sky, while Chu Ying and Chu Huayi positioned themselves in front of them. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it!¡± A series of fierce battles erupted. Chu Bixue stood in mid-air, andughed like a deranged man. ¡°Haha! Qin Mu, what are you going to do against my two hundred elite subordinates? How are you going to save Qi Ying?¡± In contrast, Qin Mu was very calm and collected. He raised an arm andmanded, ¡°Qin Wen, Qin Wu, get into formation!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The two purple-robed warriors immediately heeded his call. After that. ¡°Roar!¡± ¡°Roar!¡± ¡°Roar!¡± Three projections emerged amid the roars of three ferocious beasts. The one at the forefront was a green divine dragon that was bathed in green light, while a pair of horned wyrms were situated behind it. One of them was white, while the other was ck, and both of them had slightly inferior auraspared to the green divine dragon. Whoosh! Just the auras erupting from the three Battle Spirits stopped many people cold in their tracks. ¡°Dark Dragon Triangr Formation, charge!¡± Qin Mu roared as he rushed forward, leading from the front. Qin Wen and Qin Wu immediately followed along in hot pursuit, and the formation created by the three terrifying Battle Spirits encapsted them, as they charged directly into the masses of warriors standing before them. All of a sudden. Boom bam bam! One warrior after another was sent flying by the three Battle Spirits. Even Sixth Spirit Martial Stage warriors couldn¡¯t get close to them! Cries of surprise erupted from the crowd. ¡°That¡¯s the sixth grade Battle Spirit, the Dark Green Dragon!¡± ¡°Those two wyrms are also fifth grade Battle Spirits!¡± The higher the grade of the Battle Spirit, the more powerful the warrior was. A warrior with a sixth grade Battle Spirit could even challenge an opponent that was two or three ranks above them, if thetter only had a first grade Battle Spirit. The formation created by all three Battle Spirits created power that could crash through an entire mountain, and even though there were two hundred disciples standing in their way, none of them could stop them as they steamrolled straight ahead. Thump! Gusts of fierce winds were swept up, sending dust and debris flying in all directions, as they emerged from the circle of two hundred disciples. They then rushed over to Liu Chunlei and Chu Qingshuang, who were engaged in battle with Qi Ying. ¡°Dark Dragon Fist!¡± Qin Mu roared as he unleashed an almighty punch! Whoosh! A fist projection hurtled forth like a dragon, before instantly crashing into Liu Chunlei. His robes werepletely shredded as a result, and countless cracks appeared on his suit of armor, as he was flung into the air for over a hundred feet before falling to the ground. ¡°Die!¡± Chu Qingshuang knew that it was hisst chance to kill Qi Ying, and he immediately unleashed a ferocious attack before Qin Mu¡¯s trio could reach him. Heshed out with his sword, creating a massive wall of ice which enveloped Qi Ying from all sides. Countless ice spears emerged from the wall, all of which were aimed at Qi Ying. However, Qi Ying was not fearful in the slightest as he unleashed another protective barrier using his Dark Tier armor. At the same time, he drew upon the newly-obtained purple lightning energy from his dantian, before throwing powerful punches with both fists. Scorching Purple Lightning Fist! A vast expanse of purple light erupted around Qi Ying, and it was filled with an explosive aura. Lightning and Purple Yang were both extremely explosive elements, and the Scorching Sun Fist was an extremely explosive technique in itself. When used in conjunction, the power that was unleashed was far superior to the Scorching Sun Fire Python Fist he had used in the past. Boom! The ice walls were shattered by the devastating purple fist projections, and all of the countless ice spears were also snapped and pulverized. ¡°What?!¡± Chu Qingshuang was shocked that his attack had been dispelled by Qi Ying, and before he had another chance to attack, the Qin Mu trio was already upon him. ¡°Piss off!¡± Qin Wu let loose a loud roar and the Dark Green Dragon Battle Spirit overhead also roared in unison. ¡°Roar!¡± A burst of sound waves crashed into Chu Qingshuang¡¯s body like a physical attack, and he suffered the same fate as Liu Chunlei, as his robes were tattered and he was catapulted far into the distance. ¡°Use the armor-piercing arrows! Kill them all!¡± Chu Bixue was bing more and more deranged. He couldn¡¯t allow things to continue in that manner. Not only would he be unable to kill Qi Ying, he would also suffer even more humiliation at the hands of Qin Mu. If Qin Mu wanted to stop him, then he would just have to kill him as well! He was apetitor for the inheritance of the dragon vein anyway, so he may as well get rid of him there. The Qi family had declined in recent years, and the Qin and Chu families were gearing up topete for the premier spot among the seven major families. Chu Bixue was very angry. He pulled out a steel bow himself before nocking an armor-piercing arrow. ¡°Who cares who we¡¯re dealing with? Once we kill them, they¡¯ll all just be dead people! Even if the sky falls on our heads, the Chu family will protect all of you, so don¡¯t hesitate!¡± Whoosh! After hearing Chu Bixue¡¯s words, no one dared to dy any longer as they nocked arrows of their own and drew their bows. All of them were enveloped by Spiritual Energy and enhanced by special inscriptions, thereby granting them the power to pierce through Spiritual Energy Protective Barriers. ¡°He¡¯s insane!¡± Qi Ying didn¡¯t think that Chu Bixue would be so deranged, that he even dared to kill Qin Mu! He reminded Qi Ying of his own resolve back when he was facing the Duan family. However, it was very dangerous for an enemy to be so determined to kill him! In the face of the oing threat, Qin Mu waved a nonchnt hand and yelled in a booming voice, ¡°Stand behind me, Brother Qi Ying! Those are just armor-piercing arrows; we can block them with ease!¡± Qi Ying heaved a sigh of relief. However, Qin Wen suddenly interjected, ¡°Not necessarily. Half of those arrows are second grade armor-piercing arrows, which can prate the Spiritual Energy Protective Barriers set up by Fourth to Sixth Spirit Martial Stage warriors.¡± Qin Mu harrumphed upon hearing that. ¡°Only one way to find out if they¡¯re actually as powerful as proimed!¡± Qi Ying: ¡°...¡± ¡®Only one way to find out?!¡¯ At that moment. Whoosh! ¡°Wait!¡± A ck streak of light shed through the air from behind them. ¡°Hmm?¡± Chu Bixue¡¯s eyes narrowed even further. Bam! The ck streak of light descended, and a ck-robed young man appeared beside Qin Mu. He had a set of handsome features, and there was a sword-shaped insignia on his forehead, which lent him a sense of mystery and intrigue. He turned to Chu Bixue with furrowed brows and said, ¡°Young Master Bixue, do you really insist on going further than this? At the core of the matter, the Chu family is the one at fault, so I hope you can reconsider!¡± Chu Bixue¡¯s expression became even more ferocious upon seeing who the ck-robed figure was. ¡°Qi Shun? Haha! How interesting... To think that pitiful trash like Qi Ying can draw so many important characters to the scene. If you insist on protecting him, then you can all go to hell together! Fire!¡± Whoosh! Two hundred armor-piercing arrows fell like shooting stars! Chapter 151: Heaven Engulfing Beast Battle Spirit

Chapter 151: Heaven Engulfing Beast Battle Spirit

Two hundred armor-piercing arrows hurtled through the air, forcing Qin Mu and Qi Shun into immediate action. ¡°Dark Green Dragon, Dark Dragon Armor!¡± ¡°Heaven Engulfing Beast, engulf the heavens!¡± Whoosh! The Dark Green Dragon above Qin Mu¡¯s head suddenly coiled to form a massive shield above all four of them. Dazzling light erupted from the shield, and at its very center, a burst of ripples emanated from the dragon¡¯s head. The two wyrms beside it also transformed into shields, and they positioned themselves in front of the Dark Green Dragon. Behind Qi Shun, a projection that was even more massive than the Dark Green Dragon emerged. It was a little like a white tiger, but its body was over a hundred feet in length, and its mouth could open up to swallow a grown man whole. Within the white tiger¡¯s cavernous mouth, there was what appeared to be a bottomless ck hole. ¡°Roar!¡± A powerful burst of suction force suddenly appeared, and almost half of the oing arrows were drawn away from their original trajectories as a result. The remaining half were further away from the white tiger projection, so they weren¡¯t affected as severely, and continued to fly through the air. Whoosh! Bam bam! One hundred armor-piercing arrows fell upon the two smaller wyrm shields. After taking roughly fifty arrows, the two shields disappeared and both Qin Wen and Qin Wu coughed up mouthfuls of blood. The remaining fifty arrows struck the Dark Green Dragon shield, upon which thetter dimmed significantly. Qin Mu gritted his teeth and continued to inject his Spiritual Energy into his Battle Spirit, One armor-piercing arrow after another fell upon the shield, before then being shattered and pulverized. ¡°Dammit! His Battle Spirit is too powerful!¡± Chu Bixue¡¯s expression changed abruptly. Armor-piercing arrows were very expensive, and they only carried limited quantities. In particr, all of his subordinates only had two second grade armor-piercing arrows each, and if they were to use them on that asion, they wouldn¡¯t have any left! Furthermore, even if they did use them, it was quite likely that they still wouldn¡¯t be able to take out Qin Mu and Qi Shun. ¡°Roar!¡± The Dark Green Dragon reverted back to its original form before letting loose a thunderous roar. Powerful soundwaves swept through the air, sending a bunch of First and Second Spirit Martial Stage warriors flying, and knocking the bows out of their hands. ¡°He¡¯s too strong!¡± ¡°That¡¯s only to be expected! Both of them are destined to be Earth Martial Stage warriors in the future...¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way we can win!¡± Morale was at an all-time low. ¡°B*stard!¡± Chu Bixue gritted his teeth with rage. They had expended two hundred armor-piercing arrows, but they weren¡¯t even able to put so much as a graze on their enemies! Furthermore, Qi Shun¡¯s Battle Spirit was able to reverse the hundred armor-piercing arrows it had engulfed, killing Chu Qingshuang and Liu Chunlei in the process... All of a sudden. Roar! Qin Wu and his Dark Green Dragon Battle Spirit rose into the air before hurtling forth with unstoppable force. The warriors around him immediately unleashed their Battle Spirits to try and stop him, but they were all swept aside with ease. In the blink of an eye, Qin Mu had appeared right in front of Chu Bixue. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Only then did Chu Bixue manage to react, and he hurriedly summoned his own Battle Spirit. However, before his Battle Spirit had a chance to materialize, a hand closed itself around his neck and lifted him off his feet. Chu Bixue¡¯s two legs iled desperately in the air, while his eyes bulged with fear. Qin Mu was too powerful! He had brilliant aptitude, with a sixth grade Dark Green Dragon Battle Spirit, and had been educated in the ck ss. Just one of him could easily defeat ten Chu Bixues. Bam! Qin Mu threw Chu Bixue aside, and thetter fell to the ground, coughing incessantly as his body curled up into a ball. Qin Mu took a disainful nce at him. ¡°Cowardly b*stard! If you¡¯ve got what it takes, then fight me one-on-one! You¡¯re just a pitiful little boy hiding behind a bunch of archers! Even someone as inept as you want to get you hands on the dragon vein inheritance? Hehe...¡± He turned and strode away as he left behind a parting remark. ¡°Trash will always be trash!¡± ... The three Chu family factions departed with the soulless Chu Bixue, leaving a group of seven people behind. Qi Ying was truly in admiration of Qin Mu, and he praised, ¡°You were so badass just then, Brother Qin!¡± Qin Mu threw his head back andughed heartily. ¡°Haha! Trash like Chu Bixue is nothing in my eyes! Not only is he a piece of trash, he¡¯s a conceited piece of trash! Speaking of which, you¡¯re far more badass than I am! You took out that b*stard, Chu Kaolie, even when you had no cultivation base! I recall that he was close to the Half-Step Earth Martial Stage at the time, right?¡± ¡°I was only lucky.¡± Qi Ying offered a slightly embarrassed smile. Qin Mu patted Qi Ying on the shoulder and nodded with an approving expression. ¡°I¡¯ve only heard about you recently. I don¡¯t care what your aptitude is like; no other Energy Martial Stage warrior would have been able to survive for so long, against over two hundred Spirit Martial Stage enemies. Looks like my little sis isn¡¯t blind after all!¡± ¡°Er.¡± Qi Ying¡¯s expression stirred slightly. The majority of the Qin family held animosity toward him, and it was the first time he had seen someone with an attitude like Qin Mu¡¯s! Qin Mu seemed to have gleaned Qi Ying¡¯s thoughts, and he exined with a smile, ¡°People from my Qin family are far too dogmatic! In particr, my aunt; oh, you¡¯ll know her as Madam Butterfly, she is the one who¡¯s most adamant against your rtionship with Susu. However, some of them aren¡¯t opposed to it, as long as you have sufficient aptitude. As for myself, I¡¯m only interested in seeing if you¡¯re a real man or not! I¡¯ve seen everything I needed to see today! You have limitless potential, and you¡¯re a good courageous man. Susu will live a good life in your care! Hey, Qi Shun, have a look at Qi Ying, then look at your b*stard of a brother, Qi Feng. Both of them have the Qi surname, so why is there such a massive disparity?¡± ¡°Er...¡± Qi Ying turned to look at Qi Shun with a peculiar expression. ¡®What kind of rtionship do they share? Qin Mu has just insulted Qi Shun¡¯s brother, but they don¡¯t appear to be enemies.¡¯ Qi Shun replied in an indifferent voice, ¡°Qi Feng was spoiled as a child, and he¡¯s wasting his potential.¡± Qi Ying was even more confused by that response. Qin Mu could sense his confusion, and he exined with a smile, ¡°Heh, there are tworge factions in the Qi family! Qi Feng¡¯s faction is a sworn enemy to Qi Shun¡¯s faction, and they hold more enmity toward one another than toward other major families. I¡¯m on good terms with Qi Shun, but I can¡¯t stand that b*stard, Qi Feng!¡± ¡°I see.¡± Qi Ying finally understood. The situation in noble circles really was quiteplex! However, it appeared that Qin Mu was an open and direct man. Qi Ying turned to the two disciples from the Blood God Alliance, and extended a grateful salute. ¡°Thank you foring to my aid. I am truly grateful.¡± Xie Dong replied with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. We were acting ording to the alliance leaders¡¯ orders, and we didn¡¯t end up helping anyway. Young Master Qin and Young Master Qi are the ones who saved you. We¡¯re just d that you¡¯re fine.¡± At that moment, Qin Mu suddenly patted Qi Ying on the back. ¡°Hey, are you interested in looking for the dragon vein with us?¡± Chapter 152: B*stard Son

Chapter 152: B*stard Son

Clip clop clip clop! Five Fire Cloud Horses galloped along the grasnds, and Qi Ying sat upon one of them. The two Blood God Alliance members had gone off on their own, while Qi Ying stayed with Qin Mu and Qi Shun¡¯s group. Qi Ying wasn¡¯t really interested in obtaining any inheritances. All he wanted was to get some useful treasures. He was mainly looking for pills, but most of the pills that could be found in the mystic realm had already gone bad long ago, so there wasn¡¯t much point in searching for them. As such, it was better to travel with Qin Mu and Qi Shun. Both of them were among the most powerful beings in the Dragon Metamorphosis Mystic Realm, and with them by his side, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about his own safety. Furthermore, they were searching for the dragon vein, which was also what Qi Ying wanted to find. Perhaps if they were lucky, they would all be able to find and obtain inheritances from the dragon vein. Aside from that, Qi Ying also wanted tomunicate with Qin Mu and Qi Shun, so he could get to know them better. Mother Yu had told him to stay away from nobles as much as possible, but in reality, there were instances where interaction with such people was simply unavoidable. Furthermore, Qi Ying wanted to ask Qin Mu about Qin Susu. ¡°Susu has been in a pretty bad mood recently, but she¡¯spletely fine otherwise. She would be really happy to learn about how fast your cultivation base is progressing!¡± Qin Mu continued in his brutally honest fashion, ¡°To be honest, in the beginning, I was also one of the people that thought you were trash, and didn¡¯t deserve Susu. But then, I thought deeper about it, and realized that even though you¡¯re only at the Eighth Energy Martial Stage, you had no cultivation base at all just a few months ago! At your rate of progression, I believe that you¡¯ll be able to catch up to the ck ss prodigies very soon. Trust me, if you can tap into your potential and continue to be more powerful, many members from our Qin family will be swayed onto your side, so you better cultivate hard!¡± Qi Shun chuckled upon hearing that, ¡°Are you that eager to give your little sister away?¡± Qin Mu harrumphed in response, ¡°What give away? There¡¯s mutual love between the two of them! Remember those fairy tales that we read as children? Many of them were about an underdog falling in love with a noble young mistress, and together, they overcame countless hardships to be together. Even though fairy tales are not to be taken seriously, I still believe that hard work will always pay dividends.¡± Qin Mu paused there, and a forlorn expression appeared on his face before he continued, ¡°I wonder when I¡¯ll have a woman to love me...¡± ¡°Pffft.¡± Qi Ying almost burst intoughter upon hearing that. ¡°Young Master Qin, I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t be a difficult task for you to find a woman to love you! Countless women in the kingdom want to marry themselves into the Qin family! Truth be told, back when I was at the Celestial River County, a lot of the female disciples were constantly saying things like ¡®I really want to go and live in the capital; even if I have to marry an old doorkeeper from the Qin family to achieve that goal, it would be worth it!¡¯.¡± Qin Mu suddenly put on a serious expression and responded in a solemn voice, ¡°That won¡¯t do! Our old doorkeeper already has twelve wives; if anotheres along, they¡¯re going to have serious lodging problems!¡± ¡°Hahahahahahaha!¡± Everyone else burst intoughter. Qi Shun then continued, ¡°Don¡¯t change the subject. Qi Ying, let me fill you in... Last year, the savage tribes sent someone to our Yun Xiao Academy for a tournament, and Young Master Qin Mu represented the Fifth Spirit Martial Stage disciples... He was thenpletely destroyed by the princess of the savages! After that, he fell in love with her, but she¡¯s been giving him the cold shoulder this entire time! Haha!¡± ¡°Shut up, you b*stard!¡± Qin Mu was enraged and immediately unleashed a dragon-shaped fist projection. However, Qi Shun opened his mouth and swallowed the fist projection before patting his stomach. ¡°Tastes a little like sashimi! But it¡¯s not very fresh!¡± Qi Ying was dumbfounded. On one hand, he was shocked by Qi Shun¡¯s ability. ¡®Are all Qi family members this insane?¡¯ On the other hand, he was taken aback by the fact that Qin Mu was infatuated with a savage princess... Back when Qi Ying was fighting at the Colosseum, he had seen many savages, and all of them reminded him of grizzly bears. They were burly and hirsute beings that had legs as thick as a normal person¡¯s waist! Qin Mu sure had unique tastes! ... Thus, they continued on their journey, and time passed by quickly amid chatter andughter. Qi Ying asked them how they nned on finding the dragon vein, to which both of them replied that they didn¡¯t know. They were simply going to run around in the Dragon Metamorphosis Mystic Realm, hoping that luck would be on their side. In any case, there was a time limit of half a month, and they would do their best to find the dragon vein during that period. Even if they failed to do so, it wouldn¡¯t be too much of a concern. After all, both of them had supreme aptitudes already, and an inheritance from the dragon vein would only be the icing on top of the cake. With Qin Mu and Qi Shun by his side, Qi Ying could finally open up his heart. He talked about his past, from his experiences on the Nameless Mountain, to the Colosseum and the Celestial River County; everyone was stunned by his recount. All of them had gathered information on Qi Ying, but they didn¡¯t think much of it. Their only impression was that his rate of progression was quite extraordinary. However, it was apletely different experience when listening to Qi Ying revealing specific details about his past. They heard about how he had protected Qin Susu from a pack of ferocious wolves, back when all of the beasts were rioting on the Nameless Mountain, and how Master Thirteen had saved him right before he was about to be killed by the Duan family... Just hearing about those stories was quite a thrilling experience! All of them had lived in the capital for all their lives, and they had undergone extremely strict training and trials. However, they couldn¡¯t understand what it was like for an underprivileged warrior to fight his way from the bottom. They had never experienced the hardships of not having a powerful family to rely on, and having to risk their lives just to earn cultivation resources... Qin Mu immediately offered his opinion, ¡°F*ck that! I would never fight in the Colosseum! It would be like performing for the audience as a circus freak! Having said that though, I really do admire you for your courage!¡± ¡°Ehehe...¡± Qi Ying told them everything aside from his rather unsightly experiences with Lu Feifei. Who knew what Qin Mu would think if he were to reveal those details? Qi Shun was also clicking his tongue in wonder. ¡°What a difficult past you¡¯ve led. I¡¯m d that I never had to suffer those ordeals, but at the same time, I¡¯m a little envious that you were able to experience so much more than us. Just your upbringing alone is a lot more treacherous than ours... Abandoned baby... I¡¯m beginning to think you¡¯re a b*stard son of someone from our Qi family!¡± Qi Ying heaved a forlorn sigh. ¡°It would be great if that really were the case. If I were a member of the Qi family, people like Chu Bixue wouldn¡¯t dare to mess with me!¡± ... Time flew and several days passed by in the blink of an eye. Before they knew it, they had already been in the Dragon Metamorphosis Mystic Realm for nine days. On that day, Qi Ying¡¯s group arrived beside a long river. The river flowed down from a ten-thousand-feet tall mountain. The summit was enshrouded under ayer of cloud and mist, giving it a sense of mystery and intrigue. Chapter 153: The Frost Cave

Chapter 153: The Frost Cave

Qin Wen looked up toward the mountain¡¯s obscured summit and said, ¡°It¡¯s often said that dragons reside within the clouds! This mountain should be the tallest one in the Dragon Metamorphosis Mystic Realm; perhaps the dragon vein is on this very mountain!¡± Qin Wu offered a conflicting opinion, ¡°The stories about dragons residing within clouds are merely legends. The dragon vein is embedded in the earth, so logically speaking, there¡¯s a very small chance that it would be found on a tall mountain.¡± ¡°Who told you that? Let me get this straight...¡± The two of them began to argue. ... ¡°Stop! How about we save the chit-chat, and have a look for ourselves?¡± Qin Mu pursed his lips as he pulled on his reins and yelled, ¡°Giddy-up, horsie!¡± Qin Wen and Qin Wu immediately followed along, and Qi Shun and Qi Ying also did the same after sharing a brief nce. Fire Cloud Horses were Yellow Tier beasts, but they didn¡¯t have any offensive prowess. However, they were extremely fast, and had astonishing stamina. Thus, all of them soon arrived at the foot of the mountain. Most of the mountains in the Dragon Metamorphosis Mystic Realm had rarely been explored. There were obviously no paths cleared out, and the particr mountain they were facing was very steep and jagged. After arriving at a sheer cliff face, everyone disembarked from their horses and began to set off for the summit on foot. ¡°Haha! Let¡¯s have apetition to see who can reach the summit first! No flying allowed!¡± Qin Mu immediately sprang forward to secure a head start, and he had opened up a significant distance between himself and everyone else in the blink of an eye. A confident smile appeared on Qi Shun¡¯s face. ¡°Heh, I¡¯m no match for you in a contest of strength, but there¡¯s no way you can outspeed me!¡± Whoosh! Qi Shun also stepped onto the cliff face, leaving a deep indentation on its surface with each and every step. ¡°Slow down, young master!¡± Qin Wen urged. Qin Wu turned to look back at Qi Ying. ¡°Are you going to be alright?¡± Qi Ying replied with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯m just going to have to take it at my own pace.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll be waiting for you at the summit!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Qin Wu elerated up the cliff face, leaving Qi Ying behind. Qi Ying shrugged and sighed, ¡°I¡¯ll just take it easy and look at the scenery along the way.¡± He circted his True Energy to the soles of his feet, and ran vertically up the cliff face. At the same time, he took the opportunity to look into the distance around him, and from his vantage point, he could see almost the entire Dragon Metamorphosis Mystic Realm. The mystic realm was far more vast than he had imagined. It was at least several hundred kilometers in radius, and boundless lethal winds blew on its borders. Anyone who came into contact with those gusts of wind would instantly be shredded into mincemeat... Qi Ying thought to himself as he moved. ¡®Where could the dragon vein be?¡¯ Qi Ying knew that luck was imperative if one were to find the dragon vein, but it had to be somewhere. Regardless of whether it was hidden on a mountain, or beneath a river, or buried under a desert... They had passed by all of those ces, but Qin Mu and Qi Shun didn¡¯t show any sign of interest, thereby indicating that they knew that the dragon vein wasn¡¯t situated in those locations. The two of them had to have some way of determining whether the dragon vein was nearby, but they simply didn¡¯t want to disclose it. Qin Mu and Qi Shun had both quickly disappeared out of his line of sight, which meant that... A sh of realization appeared in Qi Ying¡¯s eyes. It was very likely that the dragon vein was located in that mountain! Qin Mu and Qi Shun were only using apetition of speed as an excuse. They were actually only trying to ditch a certain someone, and search for the dragon vein on the mountain by themselves. Even though they were friends, they were alsopetitors! ¡®Damn, Qin Mu looks like a really honest straightforward guy, but who would have thought that he would pull something like this on me? Looks like he¡¯s certainly not just an unintelligent ruffian.¡¯ Qi Ying soon gave up on heading to the mountain summit. If the dragon vein was indeed on the mountain, then it definitely wouldn¡¯t be at the summit, where it would be too far away from the earth. ¡®I don¡¯t have any way of knowing whether the dragon vein is nearby, so it looks like I can only try my luck! The dragon vein isn¡¯t in any obvious location, so it must be inside the mountain.¡¯ Qi Ying changed directions, and climbed onto the mountain away from the sheer cliff face. The forestry on the mountain wasn¡¯t very dense, but there were some dark caves that led to indeterminate ces. Qi Ying used his experience to guide him, and he finally discovered a cave that looked as if it would lead deep into the mountain. ¡°That seems to be the Lava Armored Beasts¡¯ nest!¡± Lava Armored Beasts were ordinary beasts that he had once seen on the Nameless Mountain. Their armor scales were very resistant to heat, and were sought after as materials by many of the Nameless City¡¯s cksmiths. Those types of beasts had a habit of making their nests in the deepest and darkest parts of mountains. Furthermore, the environment that they inhabited was very special. Back on the Nameless Mountain, that Heaven Tier beast had been discovered in a cave that wasn¡¯t far away from the Lava Armored Beasts¡¯ nest. Perhaps the dragon vein was also nearby? With that in mind, Qi Ying immediately entered the nest. He unleashed his Purple Sun Eye, thereby giving him a night vision ability. The cave was quite dark, but also very spacious. Lava Armored Beasts were about the same size as wolves, and generally, several dozens of them inhabited a single nest, so it was a lot easier to traverse than an Ice Fire Ants¡¯ nest. Furthermore, it was also a lot less dangerous. Qi Ying soon encountered three Lava Armored Beasts, and they tried to attack Qi Ying like idiots. They were soon knocked out, and thrown into the secluded part of the nest. The deeper Qi Ying progressed into the cave, the more he was struck by the feeling that something was amiss. ¡®Lava Armored Beasts normally live in a hot environment, so why is this ce so cold? Something¡¯s definitely off here...¡¯ At that moment, a crossroads appeared before Qi Ying. Warmer air flowed from one of the passageways, which he spected was where the Lava Armored Beasts had actually set up their nest. However, gusts of cold wind were sweeping toward him from the other passageway, and the source of the cold air seemed toy deeper within. Qi Ying put on a warm set of clothes and drew the sword that he had taken from Chu Zidian, before entering the cooler passageway. As he continued onward, icy stgmites began to appear overhead, and the temperature had dropped to below the freezing point. After advancing for several hundred more feet, the chill exacerbated even further, and it was no longer an environment that a normal person could live in. Even Qi Ying had to circte his True Energy in his meridians to warm himself up. All of a sudden, a shadow suddenly shed past in front of him. ¡°What was that?¡± Qi Ying¡¯s instincts told him that it was a living creature. ¡®To think that it can live in such a cold ce... It must be no ordinary creature! Even if the dragon vein isn¡¯t here, there should be some valuable treasures!¡¯ Qi Ying quickened his pace as he continued onward. To his surprise, the cave was a lot deeper than he had expected. He estimated that he had been walking for several thousand feet, and was already underground. At that moment, a cavernous area suddenly appeared before him. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!