Duel

Shi Xiaotian had just landed in the courtyard when a figure came flying backward out of the main hall of the Daoist temple opposite him with a bang, crashing down right before him. When he saw who it was, he was startled—it was none other than Yue Qianchou. He hurriedly helped him up.

Immediately afterward, Immortal Spirit Stone leaped out from the entrance of the main hall, sword in hand, and pointed at Yue Qianchou as he cursed, "I thought some great expert had come here to cause trouble. Turns out you're just a Level Ten Qi Refining cultivator too. You've got some nerve, trying to throw your weight around in front of me!"

Shi Youtian, who had sneaked in while poking his head around, happened to witness the scene. The thought that the Immortal Master at home could not defeat Immortal Spirit Stone surfaced in his mind.

Yue Qianchou looked at his already-tattered robe, raised a hand to wipe the moisture from the corner of his mouth, and saw scarlet red on the back of his hand. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he could not help letting out a cold laugh.

When he and Spirit Stone had first gone inside, they had remained perfectly polite. When Yue Qianchou asked him questions, the other man had answered sincerely. It turned out that Immortal Spirit Stone's promise to take Shi Youtian as his disciple had been genuine, but it was not because he valued Shi Youtian's aptitude for cultivation. In truth, Shi Youtian had no spirit root either. Spirit Stone had merely taken a liking to his status and wanted to use him to make things easier in the mortal world. But after hearing that there was an immortal hidden in his home, Spirit Stone immediately abandoned the idea of using him. Naturally, he feared drawing fire upon himself and provoking trouble he should not provoke.

Yet what no one had expected was that Spirit Stone's background truly was far from ordinary. He had come from the Huaxia Empire's foremost cultivation sect, Fu Xian Island, and his grandfather had once been an elder of Fu Xian Island. After his grandfather passed away, his family had already declined within Fu Xian Island by his father's generation. Fu Xian Island differed from other sects in that it had a strange rule: if a disciple failed to achieve Foundation Establishment three times in a row, they would be expelled from the sect and forced to seek their own livelihood. Spirit Stone had been driven out of Fu Xian Island for this very reason, leaving him stranded here.

By this point, perhaps fearing that Yue Qianchou would look down on him, he told Yue Qianchou another secret. Though he was currently in dire straits, he still had a chance to return to Fu Xian Island. Since his grandfather had once served as an elder, he possessed a Fu Xian Token, an item exclusive to those who had held the position of elder or higher. Anyone with a spirit root could use the token to join Fu Xian Island. But the token could only be used once before it was confiscated, so he wanted to see whether he could reach the Foundation Establishment Realm outside first, then return. Otherwise, if he rashly went back and failed Foundation Establishment again, he would be expelled once more—and then he would never have another chance to return.

Yue Qianchou had just escaped from the Qingguang Sect and had nowhere to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill. He had come here precisely to inquire about Foundation Establishment Pills. Now that he heard this fellow actually possessed such a thing, how could he not be delighted? He asked whether anyone at all could join Fu Xian Island so long as they held the token.

Spirit Stone suspected nothing. He had long since decided that Yue Qianchou was a disciple of some other sect, and confidently told him that Fu Xian Island recognized the token, not the person.

Yue Qianchou was overjoyed and asked whether Spirit Stone could give the Fu Xian Token to him. Spirit Stone was shocked upon hearing this, secretly cursed himself for talking too much, and feared that Yue Qianchou might seize it by force. He hemmed and hawed before tactfully refusing.

Spirit Stone had not guessed wrong. Yue Qianchou truly had robbery on his mind. Since soft words did not work, he could only demand it by force. But the Fu Xian Token was Spirit Stone's last shred of hope for joining Fu Xian Island, so naturally he refused to hand it over. One insisted on taking it while the other refused to give it, and the two finally came to blows. Since Spirit Stone could not discern Yue Qianchou's cultivation, he had been quite frightened at first and fought desperately. But after several exchanges, he was astonished to discover that Yue Qianchou was also only at Level Ten Qi Refining.

His confidence soaring, Spirit Stone launched a fierce counterattack. Only then did Yue Qianchou discover that while their cultivation levels were similar, his combat experience in the Cultivation World was far inferior to the other man's. Thus came the scene the Shi brothers had witnessed.

"Boss, I'll do it!" Shi Xiaotian glared at Spirit Stone.

"Heh heh! No need. Stand to the side." Yue Qianchou sneered and shoved Shi Xiaotian away.

Deep down, he was still that Black Society boss. Since he was the boss, if he could not win and had to let his underling step in, how was he supposed to keep making a name for himself afterward? Especially when this was a one-on-one duel.

Spirit Stone, his confidence greatly bolstered, snorted. "Young man, I'll give you a chance. Go back and improve your cultivation before coming again!"

Just as Yue Qianchou was about to curse back, he suddenly felt heat in his dantian. He secretly circulated his cultivation to investigate and saw that the golden pearl rotating within his dantian was radiating golden light. His entire body suddenly became warm, and several meridians that had been shattered by a palm strike moments earlier were actually slowly healing.

So the golden pearl had such a marvelous use? It truly was a good thing!

His heart settled, and Yue Qianchou stared at the sword slowly rising in his hand. It was the sword his master Hao Sansi had given him. This was the first time he had used it in a fight. After clashing with the other sword several times just now, it did not even have a nick in it. Its quality truly was excellent, though it still did not feel as natural as the machete from his previous life.

Fuck! What kind of bullshit cultivators were these? He had learned his lesson today. Unless one reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, fighting mortals was no different from fighting cultivators. You could not fly, and casually slashing out sword light like the white fox was even more impossible. At most, if you exhausted all your strength, you could pull off a Void Splitting Palm—but no one would stand there and let you split them. I refuse to believe it. I was no slouch in one-on-one fights or gang brawls in my previous life. Can't I take you down today?

With that thought, he pointed his sword at Spirit Stone and said coldly, "I'll ask one last time. Are you giving me the item or not?"

Spirit Stone froze. Unable to win, yet he still dared to talk tough? He could not help smiling sinisterly. "You truly don't know life from death. You refused the chance I gave you, so stay here and don't think about leaving!" With that, he pounced fiercely, thrusting his sword forward.

When narrow paths met, the brave won! A phrase flashed through Yue Qianchou's mind. He gave a shout, swung his sword aside to deflect the incoming thrust, then immediately gripped his sword with both hands and hacked down with all his strength. The longsword howled through the air as it cleaved forward.

Spirit Stone was slightly startled. He raised his sword to block and twisted his body aside. Clang! His palm went numb from the impact, and his sword nearly flew from his grip. He hurriedly retreated several steps. Yet his opponent charged after him as though he did not value his life, wielding the sword like a blade with both hands and hacking wildly at him.

Yue Qianchou pursued Spirit Stone as he dodged in every direction, every slash desperate to cleave him in two.

Clang, clang, clang... The swords collided without pause. Shi Xiaotian, who had secretly been worried for Yue Qianchou, stared in utter amazement. Today, he finally understood one thing: a sword could actually be used like this. The boss's swordsmanship carried a startling force, unforgettable at a glance—a reckless, life-risking barrage of slashes like a raging storm.

Shi Youtian, hiding to one side, was also somewhat dumbfounded. So this was how immortals fought. They seemed no different from the street thugs and hooligans, without even a trace of the grace described in legends. He could not help asking himself, "Even if I can cultivate immortality in the future, could I do this?" His heart darkened in an instant, and his desire to cultivate immortality cooled by several degrees.

Spirit Stone, who had been brimming with confidence moments ago, found himself suffering unspeakably after only a few exchanges. Where had he ever seen anyone fight with a sword like this? The hand gripping his sword could barely hold on any longer. Unfortunately, he had never practiced left-handed swordsmanship. Otherwise, he could have switched hands and held out a little longer.

Spirit Stone fled all around the courtyard. Only when he truly could not dodge did he raise his sword to block once, but then something that terrified him happened. Without realizing it, he had backed himself into a dead corner between two side rooms. The hand gripping his sword trembled from the impacts, and he was so frightened that his soul nearly fled his body. My life is over!

"Don't hurt my master!" A young boy shouted from behind Yue Qianchou. The boy raised a large iron bell-striker and smashed it fiercely toward Yue Qianchou's head.

Yue Qianchou spared him a glance, turned, and swung his sword. The iron striker, made of ordinary metal, was immediately cleaved into two pieces. How could the boy have had the strength to hold on? The webbing between his thumbs and forefingers split from the shock, and he stared blankly at the pieces on the ground. Yue Qianchou shouted, "Get lost!" Then he lashed out with a kick, striking the boy squarely in the abdomen.

"Ah!" The boy screamed as his body flew through the air. Before he had even landed, he spat out a mist of blood. He crashed to the ground, vomited another mouthful of blood, and fainted on the spot.

The muscles on the Shi brothers' faces twitched. They had not expected Yue Qianchou to show no mercy even to a child. That was far too ruthless. Shi Xiaotian's gaze flashed, and he suddenly shouted, "Boss, watch out!"

Though the boy had failed to ambush him, he had bought time for his master. Seeing Yue Qianchou kick his disciple away and expose his back, Spirit Stone instantly realized that an opportunity must not be missed. His face twisted viciously as he thrust his sword forward.

Hearing Shi Xiaotian's warning, Yue Qianchou did not see what was happening behind him, but he could guess what Spirit Stone intended even with his ass. He roared, "Fuck your mother!" and spun around with a savage slash. He immediately saw his opponent's sword stabbing toward his abdomen. A fierce glint flashed through his eyes. Ignoring the sword aimed at himself, he gripped his own sword with both hands and hacked viciously at his opponent's head.

"No!" Seeing that his boss was willing to risk death and suffer grievous injury just to take his opponent's life, Shi Xiaotian could not help crying out.

But he did not know that Spirit Stone was even more frightened. He had thought that even if he could not kill his opponent, he could force him back and create an opportunity to flee. But this man was simply insane, completely unconcerned with life or death.

Do I have a blood feud for killing your father? Is this worth going so far for? As the thought flashed through his mind, Spirit Stone hurriedly ducked his head, withdrew his sword, and leaped backward.

Bang! Yue Qianchou's ferocity had erupted, and he could not rein in his sword momentum. He directly cleaved down the corner of a wall beside the side room, nearly burying Spirit Stone beneath it. The latter looked behind him in terror and saw that there was no path of retreat left. Before him, Yue Qianchou stepped over the collapsed brick wall, passed through the rising dust, and advanced one step at a time with sword in hand and killing intent boiling around him.

I'll risk it all! Spirit Stone suddenly thrust his sword forward. A flash of cold light passed before his eyes. With a clang, the sword in his hand jolted and vanished, while an icy blade rested against his neck.

"Stop! I'll give it to you!" Immortal Spirit Stone cried out in panic. Yue Qianchou gave a sinister chuckle. "If I kill you, the item will still be mine."

Spirit Stone smiled bitterly. "Kill me, and I guarantee you'll never find it. I hid it away."

Yue Qianchou frowned and stared into Spirit Stone's eyes for a while. Then he suddenly withdrew the sword from his neck and said coldly, "Stop talking nonsense. Take out the item, and I won't kill you!"