Challenging Wei Wuji

Xia Qi'an held the assassin's token in his hand, playing with it like a rare treasure.

This token represented Yuan Fengtai's identity as an assassin within the Blood Robe Tower.

And Xia Qi'an was naturally aware of the Blood Robe Tower organization.

When assassins from the Blood Robe Tower took on missions, they never had to show their true faces anyway.

These people came from all walks of life; as long as you were strong enough, you could accept missions from the Blood Robe Tower to earn money.

Even some people from the Wei Dao Si would become assassins for the money.

In the Blood Robe Tower, as long as you paid the silver and put up your name, there would naturally be assassins with sufficient strength to accept the mission.

Xia Qi'an speculated that it was highly likely someone from a prominent family had posted his name on the Blood Robe Tower.

And Yuan Fengtai had accepted the mission, which led to him ambushing Xia Qi'an halfway.

And Yuan Fengtai mentioned Wei... Wang.

Naturally, this referred to the Wei and Wang families of Jinling Commandery.

Xia Qi'an knew people from both these families.

It was Wei Wuji, whom he had encountered at the training camp, and Wang Xie.

Since becoming a Hound Guard, Xia Qi'an hadn't seen Wang Xie again.

Wang Xie was deliberately avoiding Xia Qi'an, clearly knowing something. However, since Wang Xie hadn't personally plotted against him like Su Changqing, it could be considered quite honorable.

On one hand, the original Hound Guard commander, Wang Yangshuo, had been transferred, and the Wang family wanted Wang Xie to take the position of Hound Guard Steward.

On the other hand, Wang Xie and Xia Qi'an were quite good friends in private.

Caught in a dilemma, Wang Xie decided to keep his distance.

He neither participated in the competition for the Hound Guard Steward position nor maintained contact with Xia Qi'an.

It was a stance of neutrality!

As for Wei Wuji, Xia Qi'an didn't have much of a relationship with him; they could even be considered rivals.

The Wei family wanted to promote Wei Wuji to be the Hound Guard Steward, and Xia Qi'an was determined not to let the Wei family succeed.

Jinling City.

After returning to Jinling, Xia Qi'an met with Liu Qing as soon as possible.

"All the intelligence regarding the Wei... and Wang families is here. You can handle it as you see fit!" Liu Qing took out a secret letter and placed it on the stone table in front of Xia Qi'an.

"Thank you..."

"I still need to ask the Snake Guard for another favor... help me send a challenge to Wei Wuji..."

"Set the time for the night before the Steward Examination. The location will be the City God Temple south of Jinling City!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Qing asked with great interest, "Are you planning to get revenge on the Wei family? Do you intend to make a move on Wei Wuji so he can't participate in the examination?"

Xia Qi'an nodded, "That's right... The Wei family has made moves against me several times. If I don't retaliate, they'll really think I have no temper."

"However... your intentions are too obvious. Will Wei Wuji accept the challenge?" Liu Qing questioned.

"He will definitely come..."

"After all, whoever loses between us won't be able to participate in the examination the next day."

"A fair fight... I'm sure he'll come..."

After Liu Qing left, Xia Qi'an went to Si Nan Manor to report as usual.

Upon entering Si Nan Manor.

He happened to run into Jiang Feng and Lin Beihai, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.

The two of them were currently talking with Si Nanyue.

Jiang Feng and Lin Beihai had been tracking the whereabouts of the Demonic Ancient Path.

Their sudden return to Jinling likely meant their mission had temporarily concluded, and they were back to report.

After reporting, the three of them walked out of Si Nan Manor together.

"I didn't expect you to reach the Bone Forging Realm so quickly... I really didn't misjudge you..." Jiang Feng said, patting Xia Qi'an's shoulder in approval.

"Didn't you used to be interested in the Demonic Ancient Path? How about it? Want to join me in tracking the Demonic Ancient Path?" Lin Beihai added.

Jiang Feng had been his benefactor in teaching him martial arts, and Lin Beihai had helped him choose cultivation methods.

Therefore, Xia Qi'an held both of them in high regard.

"Of course! Tracking the fiends of the Demonic Ancient Path is our duty in the Wei Dao Si! I naturally want to contribute my part..." Xia Qi'an said righteously.

"Didn't you ask me earlier why Su Mu turned into a Blood Corpse? Now I can tell you..."

"There's a Corpse-Manipulating Fiend in the Demonic Ancient Path... who specializes in robbing graves and finding places with extremely heavy Yin energy to raise Blood Corpses."

"Su Mu died at the hands of the Blood Corpses raised by that demonic Daoist..."

"He contracted corpse poison internally, which caused him to undergo a corpse transformation and come back to life!"

"I surmise that the Corpse-Manipulating Fiend must have heard about a Corpse Demon appearing in the Burial Ridge Mountains, which is why he came into Jinling County..."

Upon hearing this, Xia Qi'an nodded and said, "So that's how it is...!"

Lin Beihai also immediately added, "You'd best be mentally prepared. The Demonic Ancient Path is more terrifying than you imagine..."

"Our current mission is merely to track their movements."

"If you encounter any experts from the Demonic Ancient Path in the future, just report it to the Wei Dao Si. Headquarters will dispatch experts to handle it!"

"I understand," Xia Qi'an replied solemnly.

It was clear that Lin Beihai and Jiang Feng were extremely wary of the Demonic Ancient Path.

Ever since the Five Turbidities Era descended, the Demonic Ancient Path had quietly emerged into the world.

No one knew who founded this organization.

It comprised Demons and Monsters, spirits, human martial artists, and even cultivators—a chaotic and complex mix.

And the members of the Demonic Ancient Path were all powerful experts capable of overturning the world.

For reasons unknown, these individuals had banded together. Even after centuries of struggle, the Wei Dao Si, a martial artist organization, had failed to completely eradicate them.

Demonic and heretical paths such as the Corpse-Manipulating Daoist, which were not tolerated by the Wei Dao Si, would choose to join the Demonic Ancient Path for protection.

This was the fundamental reason for the Demonic Ancient Path's disruption of the world.

Like the Wei Dao Si, the Demonic Ancient Path was teeming with experts; its strength was only greater than the Wei Dao Si's, not less.

After all, the Demonic Ancient Path operated in the shadows, while the Wei Dao Si was in the open.

After bidding farewell to Jiang and Lin, Xia Qi'an returned home to cultivate.

Xing Yi Quan could certainly be considered a profound martial art, belonging to the Internal martial arts within Earth-grade martial arts.

The strength of a martial art cultivation method primarily depended on the cultivator's own depth of Blood Essence.

Even when cultivating the same cultivation method, two martial artists would differ in strength.

This was determined by factors such as the martial artist's realm, physical talent, Qi and Blood Essence, and combat talent, and could not be judged solely by the grade of the cultivation method.

However, this was only applicable to cultivation methods below the Human-grade and Earth-grade.

But if it were a Heaven-grade cultivation method, the situation would be different. Heaven-grade martial arts, known as Divine Skills, could indeed crush Earth-grade and Human-grade cultivation methods, making it easy to fight across realms.

Xia Manor.

In the backyard, Xia Qi'an's eyes were tightly shut as he pondered the essence of Xing Yi Quan. In his mind, the continuous mountain shapes of the Burial Ridge Mountains flickered in and out of existence.

When different people cultivate Xing Yi Quan, they will develop different martial intents based on the scenery they envision.

And the Burial Ridge Mountains were the most majestic and magnificent mountains Xia Qi'an had ever seen, so he attempted to imitate their imposing aura and cultivate his own unique Mountain Embracing Seal.

Time flew by like a white colt glimpsed through a crack. Xia Qi'an had been cultivating Xing Yi Quan at home for over ten days.

Tonight was the day he had agreed to duel Wei Wuji.

He arrived at the City God Temple punctually at the agreed time. The temple stood tall and majestic, exuding solemnity and grandeur. Moonlight, like water, spilled onto the temple roof, adding a mysterious atmosphere to the entire scene.

However, as he stepped into the City God Temple, he found that Wei Wuji had already arrived and was standing there quietly, waiting for him.

Wei Wuji was tall and upright, with a cold and stern demeanor. His eyes revealed a sense of determination and decisiveness.

He was dressed in a black martial arts uniform, with a red sash tied around his waist, making him appear exceptionally spirited.

Xia Qi'an realized that Wei Wuji had also become stronger.

But he had no intention of backing down.

On the contrary, his fighting spirit was ignited, and he resolved to face this challenge with all his might.