He raised his head slightly. Cold, unreadable eyes stared out from behind the mask.
"You do not need to be so heavy-handed with a mortal," he said quietly, yet his voice carried a subtle but overwhelming force that made the heart tremble.
The elder turned his head in the direction of the head flying through the air, a solemn expression forming on his face. The other new disciples beside him instinctively stepped back in fear and disbelief. Even the second inner sect disciple revealed horror on his face.
He had never imagined that the disciple he had been casually chatting with only moments ago would suddenly become a lifeless corpse.
The elder glanced at the cold, unfeeling eyes beneath the mask and clasped his hands together. "Fellow Daoist, I may have overstepped my boundaries. Please forgive us."
He could not clearly gauge Xu Qingxian's strength, but that sword light...
'Even if it were me, I would not survive such a terrifying attack.'
Xu Qingxian glanced at them, then paused slightly, his mind weighing his next decision. After a brief silence, he replied coldly, "If you can survive this next strike of mine, then you are free to take the disciples and leave. But if not..."
The elder understood exactly what Xu Qingxian was implying. The solemnity in his gaze deepened, and his aura shifted dramatically. This moment would determine his life or death.
Xu Qingxian did not need to use much strength. With a casual wave of his sword, a gleaming arc of sword light flew out.
Once again, it was an extraordinarily beautiful sword light. The elder was nearly entranced by its brilliance, but with his life hanging by a thread, he dared not let down his guard.
The pressure the sword light carried was overwhelming. It shattered the air around it, creating howling winds and swirling dust. The elder instantly raised his hand, releasing all of his power, but quickly realized it was insufficient. With urgency in his movements, he flicked his robes.
From within his spatial ring, a pale blue talisman appeared in his palm, glowing faintly. Without hesitation, he hurled it forward to meet the sword light. The next moment, a soft blue glow surged through the surroundings before the sword light collided violently with the defense.
A thunderous boom echoed through the night sky. The impact shook the ground and sent tremors through the air. Winds howled through the trees, rustling the leaves violently, and startled birds flapped their wings in panic, scattering in every direction.
As the dust gradually settled, the wide-eyed disciples gasped when they saw the elder still standing. His robes were tattered, but he looked unharmed on the surface. Xu Qingxian observed him for a brief moment from behind the mask, then lifted Lin Fan gently. In the next instant, both their figures vanished.
Staring at the now-empty space where Xu Qingxian had stood, the elder's face remained unreadable. His hands stayed hidden within his robes, but had anyone looked closely, they would have seen faint cracks on his skin.
Blood trickled silently down his trembling hands. He fought to maintain composure, acting as if all was calm, as he turned to face the group. With a faint nod and a wave of his sleeves, he spoke.
"We have nothing left here." His voice was low. As he turned to leave, he cast a lingering gaze at Bai Roxue, then departed with the others.
…
Xu Qingxian glanced at the unconscious Lin Fan and exhaled lightly. He then turned his gaze toward the distant sky. The moon hung in silence above, casting a cold, lonely light across the land. Tonight, it felt especially desolate.
The reason Xu Qingxian had not killed the elder, despite knowing he could have done so with a single stroke, was simple. He still was not strong enough.
"Just one elder sent to scout disciples is already in the Nascent Soul realm. The others must be terrifyingly powerful," Xu Qingxian muttered, releasing a slow breath into the cool air.
After checking Lin Fan's condition and confirming that his injuries were minor, Xu Qingxian thought for a moment. Without another word, his figure flickered and disappeared.
After spending time studying Lin Fan, he had discovered that the boy's character was particularly upright. The next step was to take him in as a disciple. His talent may have been poor, but Xu Qingxian did not mind. What mattered was that Lin Fan could grow and provide him with rare beast meat in the future.
"Besides, isn't this basically a protagonist's template? Childhood sweethearts and loyal friends are always part of the story, right?" Xu Qingxian mused slightly as he reappeared at the Cold Palace.
Stepping inside, he gently closed the door behind him. No one had noticed what had taken place during the night. No one realized that Xu Qingxian, who was supposed to be sealed inside the Cold Palace, had already become one of the strongest individuals within the Xu Royal Capital.
Time passed swiftly as Xu Qingxian cultivated, and before long, morning arrived. Xu Qingxian opened his eyes from meditation and calmly examined his cultivation realm.
With just a single night of training, he had firmly broken through to the second stage of the Golden Core realm.
"By the time of the group mission, I should have reached the Nascent Soul realm. According to the Qi Nourishing Technique, that breakthrough might take some time."
With that thought, Xu Qingxian quickly pulled out his phone and scrolled through his messages before signing in.
[Congratulations on signing in on the fifteenth day. You have received an Inheritance Ground Jade Scroll. (Useful for those at the Foundation Establishment realm.)]
Xu Qingxian scratched his nose awkwardly. "It seems the chat group assumed that by the fifteenth day I would be at the Foundation Establishment realm. Pretty useless. But since I am about to take Lin Fan as my disciple, I should at least give him a proper gift."
He placed the scroll to the side, then studied his phone again. "Still no new features or apps?"
With a sigh of disappointment, he set the phone down and looked ahead. He could already sense Lin Fan approaching from outside.
As expected, within a few seconds, the cold steel door slid open with a low groan. Lin Fan stepped in, looking tired and slightly disoriented. He quickly served Xu Qingxian's breakfast, then sat down, his expression downcast.
Xu Qingxian glanced at him from the corner of his eyes and teased lightly, "Not talking today? Or is there no new gossip going around?"
Lin Fan snapped out of his daze and nodded. "Yes, young master. I… uh, didn't hear anything while coming over."
Xu Qingxian exhaled slowly, then quickly finished his meal. After collecting the negligible ten attribute points, he looked up and asked calmly, "Lin Fan, would you be willing to become my disciple?"
Placing his chopsticks down, Xu Qingxian did not waste time. He asked directly.
Lin Fan's eyes widened in disbelief, completely stunned by the question.