Wang Wei sneakily climbed the Mountain Heart Pavilion, moving carefully so as not to trigger any would-be traps. As he ascended, relief washed over him—the Elder of the pavilion truly wasn't present. Initially, he suspected that Elder Mei might be using him to test the pavilion's strength. After climbing for a while, he had confirmed that the elder wasn't present as he couldn't sense his aura. The only one present at the pavilion was just the useless senior disciple who didn't even have spiritual roots.
As he walked up, he couldn't help but have thoughts about what he would do to Xiang Yu once he reached the top.
Upon reaching the top, Wang Wei's gaze immediately locked onto Xiang Yu's house nearby. He approached it slowly, not making any noise. Observing the house, he couldn't help but think that it was quite ragged for a senior disciple, but what else could one expect from a trash with no spiritual roots? He thought disdainfully.
Wang Wei moved more stealthily as he approached the house. He moved toward the window and peered inside, only to freeze in shock—Xiang Yu sat there, staring directly back at him, eyes focused and aware, as if he'd been expecting him all along.
After the initial surprise and shock subsided, Wang Wei mentally berated himself for his nervousness. "How could this trash with no spiritual roots have anticipated me?" he reassured himself. "He's probably just staring aimlessly through the window." He couldn't help but feel that the boy was really pitiful, even staring out the window all day like an idiot.
Inside, Xiang Yu observed the intruder calmly. After the earlier encounter with his junior sister, he had decided to always have his qi sense extended throughout the surrounding area, creating an invisible detection field around his house, this way, he could avoid any surprises. The moment he sensed someone approaching, he immediately ceased his cultivation. He studied the stranger carefully—from his aura, the man was clearly at the early stage of the Foundation Establishment realm, powerful enough to qualify as an inner or even core disciple in the sect.
As he observed the stranger, he wondered if he was a messenger sent by his master, or an intruder. The latter seemed more likely as he could sense the killing intent radiating from the man. Despite the stranger's attempts to mask it, with Xiang Yu's maxed out Battle Intent, the man's murderous aura was unmistakable, it practically screamed that he wanted Xiang Yu dead.
Xiang Yu remained outwardly calm while his hand secretly reached for his spatial pouch, ready to draw a weapon at the slightest provocation. His muscles tensed in preparation for the inevitable confrontation, while in his mind, he wondered who he had provoked to have such a strong person wanting to kill him.
Wang Wei scratched his head and spoke casually, "I was thinking of killing you quietly, but it seems I've been figured out." In the next breath, the wall separating them crumbled violently, sending debris and dust billowing into the air. Wang Wei strode confidently over the rubble, his boots crunching on shattered wood and stone. "Where are you? Hope you didn't get crushed to death 'coz that would be too boring," he called out, his voice laced with amusement.
In the next instant, Wang Wei whipped around instinctively, lifting his sword just in time to block a lightning-fast attack. The impact sent vibrations through his blade and pushed him back several inches. Shock registered on his face as he stared at his trembling arm, then at Xiang Yu standing before him, sword in hand, looking completely unharmed.
"How?" Wang Wei demanded, his face contorting in disbelief. "How could someone without any cultivation have such strength?" he shouted.
Xiang Yu thought that his opponent's reaction was weird. Couldn't he sense his cultivation level? The same thing had occurred with his junior sister earlier. A thought flickered through his mind—perhaps the system had a cultivation-concealing function? If true, that would be an incredible advantage. But there was no time to ponder such possibilities at the moment. Pushing all distractions aside, Xiang Yu tightened his grip on his sword and charged forward to meet his opponent head-on.
...
As Xiang Yu charged forward. In his mind, the initial clash had revealed much about his opponent's capabilities. He guessed that his opponent's body refining was probably not that high, most likely just at the ninth layer. Since his own body refinement had reached the eleventh layer, he had the physical advantage. However, he remained cautious, aware that the realm difference between them could not be ignored.
Wang Wei's higher cultivation realm meant richer qi enhancement, potentially closing or even surpassing the gap in base physical abilities. Yet Xiang Yu felt no urge to retreat. His confidence stemmed from his perfected Iron Body technique, which had been integrated into his Transcendent Dao Physique, multiplying its effectiveness several times over.
His master had told him earlier that if he perfected the technique and reached the ninth level of body refinement, he would be able to take a hit from a peak Qi Gathering cultivator. Now that the technique's effect had been multiplied and he had reached the eleventh layer of body refining, he didn't believe that he couldn't handle an early stage Foundation Building cultivator.
The combination of his perfect-level techniques absorbed into the Transcendent Dao Physique created a formidable foundation. Xiang Yu mentally assessed his position—he didn't lose out in strength, speed, or skill. But what made him even more confident was a new effect he had discovered in his battle intent, he could sense that the battle was winnable. He hadn't expected the battle intent stat to have such a feature, this was really useful, he could finally know when to fight and when to run.
Wang Wei's eyes widened in panic as he witnessed Xiang Yu's approaching speed. He barely managed to raise his sword in time to block another devastating attack, the impact reverberating through his arms.
"You...you're not trash at all," he stuttered, fear creeping into his voice. "You've been hiding your power all along!"
Xiang Yu remained silent, pressing his advantage with relentless pursuit. The situation had become more complicated—his opponent now knew his secret. Allowing Wang Wei to escape was not an option. Though Xiang Yu's combat power had reached the Foundation Establishment stage, he hadn't actually broken through to that realm. This meant that he couldn't fly, it would be really bad if Wang Wei discovered this limitation and decided to exploit it. He needed to maintain enough pressure to prevent Wang Wei from even considering aerial escape.
Xiang Yu delivered another sword strike. Wang Wei managed to block it, metal scraping against metal in a shower of sparks. But this was exactly what Xiang Yu had anticipated. Using the momentary proximity, he threw a powerful punch directly at Wang Wei's lower abdomen. The impact knocked the air from his lungs, sending him flying backward until he crashed into the remaining walls of Xiang Yu's partially destroyed house.
Moving with lightning speed, Xiang Yu appeared before his opponent could regain his footing. He placed his foot firmly on Wang Wei's chest, exerting pressure that pinned him firmly to the ground. The cracked wooden planks creaked beneath them.
"Wait! Don't kill me!" Wang Wei began to beg, his voice thick with desperation. Yet behind his pleading eyes, he was scheming. He hadn't expected Xiang Yu to be hiding such power, but he still had one last resort—a trump card. As he continued his theatrical pleas for mercy, his hand slowly inched toward his pocket.
Though it pained him to use such a valuable life-saving treasure, Wang Wei calculated that the benefits would far outweigh the cost. When he delivered information about Xiang Yu's true power—after supposedly killing him—the rewards would be substantial. The mere thought of the benefits he would receive was exhilarating.
As Wang Wei slowly pulled something from his pocket, a triumphant anticipation filled him. Just one more second was all he needed. When his fingers finally grasped the object, his pleading expression transformed completely, morphing into a malicious grin. He stretched his hand toward Xiang Yu.
"Hahaha, you really thought I was serious, die!" he screamed out.
But something was terribly wrong. A strange sensation made him pause. His eyes darted to his outstretched arm, only to discover with horror that it only ended at the elbow. Turning his head, he spotted the severed half of his limb several meters away, the cut was so clean and precise he didn't even realize when it happened.
When he realized what had happened, his face contorted in excruciating pain as he started to scream. Before the sound could fully escape, Xiang Yu swiftly pressed his sword against Wang Wei's lips, then forced the blade into his mouth.
"Quiet! Are you trying to announce to everyone?" Xiang Yu hissed in a low but threatening voice.
With the cold steel pressing against his tongue, Wang Wei could only swallow his cries, tears welling in his eyes as the pain continued to pulse through him. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺
Xiang Yu had been watching his opponent's every move carefully. He had already noticed him trying to retrieve something from his pocket—there was no way he would allow him to turn the situation around. When he noticed that he had calmed down, he removed the sword from Wang Wei's mouth and flipped him over, pressing his face against the ground.
Taking Wang Wei's remaining arm, Xiang Yu twisted it behind his back and pinned it in place with his knee. The position was excruciating, ensuring Wang Wei couldn't attempt any further tricks. Face down in the dirt, each breath Wang Wei took kicked up small clouds of dust. The tears streaming from his eyes mixed with the earth, creating muddy tracks down his cheeks.
Xiang Yu placed his sword next to Wang Wei's head, the proximity causing him to instantly stop squirming.
"I'm going to ask a few questions," Xiang Yu stated matter-of-factly. He moved his sword closer to Wang Wei's exposed throat, the edge just grazing the skin. "The questions are optional, so you don't have to answer."
Wang Wei cursed inwardly at the transparent threat. "Who would believe that?" he thought bitterly, but he dared not voice his thoughts aloud, fearing he might indeed lose his head.
"First question, who sent you?" Xiang Yu asked directly.
Despite his precarious position, Wang Wei managed a defiant smirk. "Hmph, do you think that just a few threats will make me speak?"
Xiang Yu regarded him silently for a moment before nodding. "I guess that's true." Without hesitation, he swung his sword, ready to end the man's life in one clean strike.
Only when the blade was mere inches from his neck did Wang Wei's resolve crumble. "Wait, stop! I'll answer!" he shouted, panic evident in his voice.
"You should've just said that sooner," Xiang Yu replied calmly, halting his attack.
Wang Wei thought to himself that this guy was really a mad man. He didn't even attempted to extract information through other means; he had simply decided to kill him outright.
"I was sent by Mei Zhiyuan," he confessed, his voice trembling.
Xiang Yu processed this information, searching through his memories. The name belonged to the Elder of the Scripture Pavilion. He wondered what he could have possibly done to offend such a powerful figure.
"Why does he want to kill me?" he asked.
"Because you and your junior sister killed one of his pawns," Wang Wei responded, his voice weak from pain and fear.
Xiang Yu frowned, trying to recall. "You mean Gu Hanming?" he asked, putting the pieces together.
"Yes, yes," Wang Wei confirmed hastily.
"What do you mean by pawn?" Xiang Yu pushed further, sensing there was more to this story.
Wang Wei hesitated, clearly weighing his options. Only when Xiang Yu pressed his sword closer to his throat, breaking the skin just enough to draw a thin line of blood, did he begin to speak.
"Wu-Wuming—" But before he could finish the name, dark veins suddenly appeared on his forehead, spreading rapidly across his face like a sinister web. His eyes widened in terror as he realized what was happening.
"No! Noooo!" he screamed, a sound filled with genuine horror.
Recognizing what was happening, Xiang Yu instantly backed away, putting several meters between them in a blur of movement. In the next second, Wang Wei's body exploded violently, the force tearing him apart and leaving nothing but scattered remains and a dark stain on the ground where he had been.
...
Xiang Yu cautiously approached the explosion site, scanning for any remains. Nothing was left—not flesh, not bone, not even a scrap of fabric. He recognized that this was likely a curse designed to prevent information leakage.
Though Wang Wei's final message was cut short, Xiang Yu had heard enough. "Wuming." The name echoed in his mind as he searched his memories. The Wuming Cult was one of the greatest demonic sects in the eastern region, infamous for their ruthless methods. What business did such a powerful organization have in their small sect? And if Wang Wei was working for Elder Mei Zhiyuan, did that mean the elder himself was a demonic sect spy?
How many more spies had infiltrated their sect? What should he do with this information? Reporting it presented its own problems—he would need to explain how he discovered this information, which meant revealing his true strength. He wasn't ready to expose himself just yet.
He let out a deep sigh as he sheathed his sword and placed it back in his spatial pouch. He decided that he would let the matter be for now. There wasn't much he could do anyway.
Something caught his eye amidst the debris—Wang Wei's severed hand remained intact, having been cut off before the curse activated. Xiang Yu walked over and picked it up, noting that the lifeless fingers still clutched a small paper. He could tell that it was a talisman, though he didn't know the specific effect of the talisman.
More importantly, he noticed a spatial ring on one of the fingers. His eyes widened slightly at the discovery. Spatial rings were significantly more expensive than spatial pouches and offered greater storage capacity. Since the owner was already dead, Xiang Yu could easily access its contents.
Slipping the ring onto his own finger, he mentally connected with it, immediately sensing the storage within—ten cubic meters of space, far larger than his mere two-cubic-meter spatial pouch.
Probing the contents, he found a qi refining scripture, which he promptly set aside. His physique already granted him those abilities naturally. Several other scrolls and books caught his attention, but upon closer inspection, he realized they were mostly demonic techniques.
The only truly useful technique he found was a [High-grade Fire Palm] manual. As he examined the details of the manual, he couldn't help but feel that the manual was really impressive. Wang Wei must not have mastered it yet; otherwise, he wouldn't have defeated him that easily.
Xiang Yu decided to keep the Fire Palm technique and the talisman. As for the demonic texts, he summoned his void flame and burned them along with the severed hand. Though not particularly righteous himself, he had no desire to be labeled a devil and hunted for cultivating forbidden techniques.
The talisman from Wang Wei's hand remained a mystery. Examining it, Xiang Yu reflected on the importance of secondary professions. His fifth-grade cooking skill, seemingly mundane, was probably a thousand times more valuable than his qi gathering cultivation—even when considering his foundation establishment combat prowess.
He resolved to study more secondary professions in the future. Such skills might prove invaluable in unexpected situations. Carefully, he placed the talisman in his new spatial ring for later examination.
"But first, I need a new house..."
...