An enemy!
Li Qingqiu shot to his feet, grabbed the Skyrainbow Sword from his bedside, and burst out of the room.
In the courtyard, Jiang Zhaoxia had already made it out first, a wooden sword in his hand. He was staring into the distance. Following his gaze, Li Qingqiu saw a figure standing atop the mountain gate, silhouetted against the bright moon. Clad in white robes that fluttered in the wind, a bamboo hat on his head, he held a blade in both arms.
This posture alone screamed "expert"!
Zhang Yuchun and Wu Man'er emerged from their rooms as well. Li Sifeng pressed his face against his windowsill, peeking out.
Li Dongyue and Li Sijin also crouched at their own window, watching the scene outside with tense expressions.
This was the first crisis Li Qingqiu had faced since becoming Sect Master. He was a little nervous, but he also had a certain confidence—after all, every member of the Azure Firmament Sect had entered the Nourishing Origin stage. They all had some combat ability now.
Yang Jueding leaped onto the eaves behind Li Qingqiu, meeting the gaze of the white-robed swordsman from afar.
"Luo Lie, you've chased me a thousand miles. Still not satisfied?"
Yang Jueding's voice rang out, loud and clear, thick with resentment.
The man called Luo Lie stood on the mountain gate, dozens of meters away from Yang Jueding. He remained motionless despite the cold wind, his head lowered, his bamboo hat obscuring his features. Then his voice echoed across the distance:
"Satisfied? You offended the Azure Cult. Did you think you'd get away unscathed? Hand over that manual, and I'll give you a quick death."
Accompanied by the sharp screech of a blade leaving its sheath, Luo Lie drew his sword and leaped, soaring through the air toward Yang Jueding like a startled bird.
Li Qingqiu narrowed his eyes. He could see some kind of energy propelling Luo Lie from behind, making it look almost like he was flying.
Was this lightness skill?
As he passed over the eaves, Luo Lie's toes barely brushed the surface, a fleeting touch. The movement was incredibly fast. If Li Qingqiu hadn't entered the Nourishing Origin stage, he would have missed it entirely.
Good!
It wasn't that supernatural. He still needed to find purchase. That meant Luo Lie's martial arts weren't absurdly powerful.
Standing on the eaves, Yang Jueding faced the onrushing Luo Lie. He immediately dropped into a horse stance. His right palm rose from his waist, then pushed forward, palm facing down before flipping to strike at Luo Lie.
Boom!
A thunderous roar erupted. Li Qingqiu, Jiang Zhaoxia, and Zhang Yuchun watched as Yang Jueding's palm strike unleashed a surging wave of energy, like an ocean tide slamming into Luo Lie mid-flight, halting his advance. Then Luo Lie was blasted backward, twisting in the air before landing steadily in the courtyard.
Luo Lie looked up. The wind caught his bamboo hat, lifting it to reveal a weathered face etched with shock and fear.
"Your cultivation... impossible! You were clearly poisoned. Have you actually mastered that divine technique?"
By the end, his expression had twisted into a snarl.
Yang Jueding jumped down from the eaves and landed on the ground. The corner of his mouth lifted in a sneer. "After all these years roaming the martial world, you think I'd be done in by your cheap tricks? As for that so-called divine technique you're after—it's a fake. Impossible to master!"
Luo Lie snorted coldly and raised his blade, charging at Yang Jueding.
They were barely a dozen paces apart. In an instant, Luo Lie was upon him, his blade a blur of killing intent, his movements faster than a specter. Yang Jueding met him with open palms, showing no fear of the sword.
Their forms interwove as they fought across the courtyard, countering each other's moves, blasts of energy flying in all directions. The snow beneath their feet vaporized into rising mist.
Zhang Yuchun glanced at Li Qingqiu, silently asking for direction.
Li Qingqiu gave a slight shake of his head. Don't act rashly.
This was a perfect opportunity to gauge the strength of true martial arts masters.
He had to admit, Yang Jueding and Luo Lie were formidable. Their reaction speed and physical power far exceeded ordinary mortals. A cultivator at the first layer of the Nourishing Origin stage might not necessarily be able to take them.
Of course, Li Qingqiu was thinking of child cultivators like Li Sifeng and Li Sijin.
If *he* fought them, he was confident he could kill them in an instant.
Their techniques might be flashy, but Li Qingqiu could expel spiritual energy much faster. The moment battle was joined, it would be over.
Moreover, Li Qingqiu could sense the vast gap between internal energy and spiritual energy. Yang Jueding's internal energy might be deep and powerful, enough to send snow flying everywhere, but against spiritual energy, it would be pierced through in a single strike.
As things stood, even if Jiang Zhaoxia hadn't broken through to the second layer of the Nourishing Origin stage, Luo Lie posed no real threat.
The only variable would be if they got careless and hesitated.
Zhang Yuchun watched for a while, his expression relaxing.
As for Jiang Zhaoxia, a contemptuous smile never left his face. He clearly didn't take Luo Lie seriously at all.
After thirty exchanges, Luo Lie threw a palm strike. Rolling internal energy actually made his hand glow red with heat. Yang Jueding didn't dodge; he met it with a palm of his own.
Boom!
The collision of two powerful internal forces shook the eaves around the courtyard, sending roof tiles trembling. Windows creaked and groaned.
Luo Lie's bamboo hat was torn away. His hair disheveled, he gritted his teeth, straining against Yang Jueding's internal energy. Yang Jueding wore a defiant grin, as if he had Luo Lie exactly where he wanted him.
But Li Qingqiu could see the truth: Yang Jueding was pushing himself too hard. His wounds weren't fully healed, and his internal energy hadn't recovered to its peak.
After three breaths of stalemate, Yang Jueding threw out his arm and blasted Luo Lie backward. Luo Lie stumbled back a dozen paces before regaining his footing, then dropped to one knee and spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground.
Yang Jueding lowered his hands, every inch the martial arts grandmaster. He pointed at Luo Lie. "Get lost. Go back and tell the Azure Cult people: if they come again, I won't be so merciful."
Luo Lie looked up, one hand still gripping his blade, the other wiping blood from his mouth. He laughed coldly. "Let me go? Looks like you're not as strong as you pretend."
Yang Jueding's expression darkened. "Are you forcing me to kill you?"
The words had barely left his mouth when his face drastically changed. He looked down. The palm of his right hand had broken out in red welts, rapidly forming blisters, as if scalded.
"What kind of palm strike do you just accept, Dragon Subduing Hero? Did you forget how famous your palm technique is?" Luo Lie rose to his feet, sneering.
Yang Jueding's heart sank. He'd only wanted to intimidate Luo Lie into retreating quickly, then escape with Li Qingqiu and the others. In the heat of battle, he'd been careless.
He hurriedly used his left hand to seal the acupoints on his right arm, circulating his energy to expel the poison.
Luo Lie, blade in hand, walked toward Yang Jueding. He opened his mouth to speak.
Whoosh!
A piercing sound split the air. Luo Lie's eyes widened instinctively, his expression freezing. Facing him, Yang Jueding felt a sharp gust of energy brush past his cheek, stinging his skin.
Yang Jueding focused his gaze and saw a bloody hole appear in the center of Luo Lie's forehead.
Thud!
Luo Lie toppled straight backward. Yang Jueding then saw Jiang Zhaoxia's figure, his hand still raised in the same position.
"So much useless talk!"
Jiang Zhaoxia snorted coldly.
Zhang Yuchun and the others inside—Li Dongyue, Li Sifeng, Li Sijin—were all startled. They had seen Jiang Zhaoxia's spiritual energy. They hadn't expected him to actually kill someone.
"You..."
Yang Jueding stared at Jiang Zhaoxia, his face a mask of shock. He couldn't even form a proper sentence.
Jiang Zhaoxia glanced at Zhang Yuchun. "Second Senior Brother, bury him."
Zhang Yuchun snapped out of his daze and quickly nodded, moving instinctively toward Luo Lie's corpse.
"Wait. Check his body first. See if he has anything on him."
Li Qingqiu fell into step beside Zhang Yuchun. He wasn't too surprised; in fact, he felt a flicker of approval for Jiang Zhaoxia's ruthlessness.
If Luo Lie went down the mountain alive tonight, the Azure Firmament Sect would be in danger. Killing him here was the best outcome.
Yang Jueding collected himself and looked at Jiang Zhaoxia, unable to stop himself from asking, "Why did you kill him? Aren't you afraid of retaliation from the Azure Cult?"
Jiang Zhaoxia's lip curled in disdain. "If I didn't kill him, would the Azure Cult just leave us alone? And since you're already a disciple of the Azure Firmament Sect, if they come after you, they come after us."
Though he was only fifteen, the words carried an undeniable authority that left Yang Jueding momentarily stunned.
"Who... who exactly are you?" Yang Jueding asked, bewildered.
Jiang Zhaoxia turned and walked toward his room without looking back. "Deputy Sect Master of the Azure Firmament Sect."
Li Qingqiu, who was busy stripping Luo Lie's clothes, couldn't help but look up. "Did I agree to that? You can't just give yourself titles!"
This kid really knew how to act cool!
Jiang Zhaoxia didn't answer, disappearing quickly into his room. The moment he entered, Li Sifeng came out, followed by Li Dongyue and Li Sijin emerging from the girls' quarters.
Li Qingqiu sighed inwardly.
That was clearly Jiang Zhaoxia's first kill. He just played it perfectly cool. When he'd gone inside, Li Qingqiu noticed the hand that had killed Luo Lie was trembling.
After rummaging for a while, Li Qingqiu found only hidden weapons, dried rations, and an identification token on Luo Lie's body. Disappointed, he had his three junior brothers haul the corpse away for burial.
He stood and walked over to Yang Jueding, who was still circulating his energy to expel the poison, lost in a daze.
"That manual he mentioned. Hand it over. Consider it repayment for saving your life tonight." Li Qingqiu stared at Yang Jueding.
Yang Jueding sighed helplessly. "That manual is fake. It's completely unusable."
"Hand it over."
"Hold on."
Yang Jueding stopped his energy circulation, took off his shoe, and pulled a thin membrane from the sole. When unfolded, it was as large as a human face.
Li Qingqiu took it with a look of disgust and tossed it to Li Dongyue. "Wash this."
Li Dongyue shot him a reproachful glance, pulled a cloth from her robe, wrapped the membrane, and headed for the well.
"Does he have any companions?" Li Qingqiu asked Yang Jueding.
Yang Jueding shook his head. "He was hunting me alone. He ambushed me when I was injured after a duel with someone else. Despicable bastard."
Hearing this, Li Qingqiu relaxed.
He told Yang Jueding to tend to his wounds, then walked over to Li Dongyue. Once she'd finished washing it, he took the thin membrane back to his room.
It was as thin as a cicada's wing, cool to the touch, and covered in tiny script. He strongly suspected it was actually human skin.
Back in his room, he left the door open in case of further trouble outside. He sat at his table, lit a candle, and began to examine it carefully.
"Huh?"
Li Qingqiu's eyebrow shot up in surprise.
No wonder Yang Jueding thought this manual was fake. It turned out to be a spell, an actual magical art.
The manual didn't explain how to absorb energy at all. It directly described how to circulate it, mentioning acupuncture points that differed from those used in martial arts. From Yang Jueding's perspective, it must have seemed like complete nonsense.
Only at the very end did Li Qingqiu discover the name of this spell.