Sword Arts Show Their Might, Midnight Encounter

The Golden Rock Sword swept sideways, its edge erupting with a one-inch pale red Sword Qi that struck Lin Miao in an instant.

Lin Miao's eyes nearly split apart, terror filling them. A yellow jade pendant hanging from his neck shattered with a crack, and a sphere of earthy yellow light suddenly expanded, instantly forming a protective aura barrier.

Crack...

As the sword edge met the earthy yellow protective barrier, the barrier shattered into pieces and its light dispersed.

Lin Miao was blasted backward by the shockwave, spitting blood. A shallow sword mark had appeared on his neck.

If that strike had been even slightly stronger.

Or if the protective talisman his family had bought at the cost of their entire fortune had been slightly weaker.

Lin Miao would have died beneath that sword.

"Su Hao, you little bastard, playing the pig to eat the tiger—and you even dared to launch a sneak attack!"

Lin Miao scrambled to his feet in a sorry state, both shocked and furious.

"Ah... so you had a treasure protecting you after all."

Su Hao sighed regretfully and gripped the Golden Rock Sword in reverse.

He had been so close—just that little bit short!

His painstakingly planned strike had failed. From here on, who would win was hard to say.

He had no confidence in killing Lin Miao, who was at Qi Refining Level 4.

"I'll definitely tear you into ten thousand pieces..."

Lin Miao roared, hiding his hands in his sleeves while continuing to spit harsh threats.

Su Hao said nothing, advancing toward Lin Miao with his sword in hand.

Whether for the Origin Blood Pill Lin Miao had taken, or to keep the Golden Rock Sword!

Only one of them could leave alive today!

Spiritual Energy raced through his body as he unleashed fierce sword moves without holding anything back.

Besides its cultivation method, the Crimson Flame Sword Art came with over a hundred sword techniques. Its moves returned to simplicity—plain, brutal, and direct.

Su Hao had practiced day and night these past few days. Though he lacked actual combat experience, he was already using them with some semblance of skill. With Spiritual Energy making up for his weaknesses, his swordsmanship was no worse than that of a swordsman who had trained for decades.

"Wait! Fuck, kid, let me finish talking..."

As Lin Miao dodged, he shouted for him to stop. It was extremely difficult, and he had already fallen into a disadvantage.

The hands hidden in his sleeves could no longer remain concealed. They emerged, forming two different hand seals, one on the left and one on the right.

"Vine Thorn Spell?"

Su Hao recognized those gestures at a glance. It was a wood-element spell—the Vine Thorn Spell!

The Spiritual Energy within Lin Miao resonated with the Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth, gathering a faint amount of it. His spellcasting gestures were nearly complete!

Su Hao spun and retreated, darting back seven or eight steps.

"This idiot actually retreated... Retreated? You think you still have a way out?"

"Vine Thorn Spell, kill!"

Lin Miao grinned viciously. Su Hao really was a rookie. What most Qi Refining cultivators feared most was close-quarters fighting—spells were difficult to control at close range, easily missing their target or injuring the caster himself. Yet his opponent had actually backed away!

His hands snapped together, then bloomed apart like a lotus flower.

A dark green, sharp cone shot forth from between his palms. Its body spun at high speed, carrying astonishing force.

But Su Hao was faster. He spun and hurled his sword, which trailed flames as it flew. The three-foot blade transformed into a roaring fire dragon—Flowing Fire Flying Star!

Lin Miao's soul nearly fled his body. He could only watch as the fire dragon swallowed his face. With a shriek, his head exploded with a thunderous blast. The sword's momentum did not stop, blasting an irregular crater into the courtyard wall and leaving behind blackened scorch marks.

As for Su Hao, he narrowly avoided disaster by ducking behind a tree.

The vine thorn carried a measure of guiding force, curving through the air before striking the trunk, which was as thick as a man's waist. Its pointed tip pierced straight through the trunk, protruding three inches from the other side before finally running out of force.

Su Hao's legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed onto the ground. The Spiritual Energy in his body was utterly drained.

The Spiritual Energy of Qi Refining Level 2 was simply far too little.

Of the Crimson Flame Sword Art's one hundred and eight sword moves, only three were its true essence, capable of perfectly matching and unleashing a cultivator's Spiritual Energy!

Flowing Fire Flying Star, Sword Origin Break, and Thousand Dragon Break!

Su Hao had barely managed to grasp the first move—Flowing Fire Flying Star.

If word of how swiftly he had progressed in the sword path spread, it would surely astonish some of the stewards and elders!

The Golden Rock Sword spun through the air and landed not far away.

If he had sufficient Spiritual Energy, Su Hao could also perform the technique of controlling a sword from afar.

"Good thing Lin Miao was a weakling too."

After resting for a while, Su Hao walked over and picked up the Golden Rock Sword.

Qi Refining Level 2 against Qi Refining Level 4—there was a gap of two entire realms.

However, Lin Miao had originally been kept by Lin Zhi Shan as a backup Medicine Slave.

The cultivation technique he primarily practiced was not the Hundred Profound Medicine Veins, but the Spirit Wood Scripture.

Even his Qi Refining Level 4 had a great deal of padding.

"This little brat must be practicing the Spirit Wood Scripture—the lowest-grade method within it, the Twelve Spirit Apertures Method. His technique is of an even lower tier.

He can use the Vine Thorn Spell at most twice!

What a pity the circumstances were wrong.

If I'd tangled with him and fought a war of attrition, that would have been the wiser choice.

Once both our spiritual power ran dry, I had a sharp weapon in hand and some knowledge of the sword. As one ebbed and the other flowed, he would surely die!"

Su Hao looked at Lin Miao, whose head had been blown apart by more than half, and briefly reviewed the battle.

"Talent Power Medicine Slave detected. Absorb?"

"Absorb!"

Name: Su Hao

Realm: Qi Refining Level 1

Talents: Fire Elemental Sword Physique (Blue), Medicine Spirit (Blue), Martial Artist (White), Medicine Person (Gray, invalid), Medicine Slave (White, invalid).

Footsteps sounded outside.

"Senior Brother Lin and I are sparring. Get lost. Don't disturb us."

Su Hao walked out and directly drove off the servants who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion.

"Yes, Young Master Su..." The servants looked at one another, not daring to defy him.

After hesitating for a while, they left.

Several Medicine Slaves who had entered alongside Su Hao wanted to come over and exchange a few pleasantries.

Su Hao fixed them with a cold stare. One by one, they found themselves rebuffed; though they grumbled inwardly, they obediently left.

Heavenly Medicine Mountain was different.

Lin Zhi Shan held the highest status.

Below him were the nominal registered disciples and two or three loyal servants.

Only beneath them came the twenty or thirty Medicine Slaves and over a hundred servants.

"Wait until the dead of night, then secretly dump Lin Miao at the mass grave."

Only after making sure no one would come snooping around did Su Hao return to the courtyard.

He searched Lin Miao and found two medicine bottles. The familiar porcelain bottles and patterns left no doubt: they contained Origin Blood Pills.

"Damn it, he ate three Origin Blood Pills..."

Su Hao checked the medicine remaining in the bottles. One was tightly sealed, its five pills untouched. The other held only a pitiful two.

The only fortunate thing was that although this fellow had consumed three Origin Blood Pills, he had not fully absorbed their medicinal potency and could not yet break through to Qi Refining Level 5. Otherwise, the outcome would have been hard to say.

After searching further and finding nothing else, Su Hao decided to later visit Lin Miao's residence and see whether there were any other treasures.

He found a wool carpet, wrapped Lin Miao's corpse in it, and cleaned away the bloodstains.

Lin Miao was different from Xiong San Yan.

Lin Miao was, after all, a genuine Qi Refining cultivator and far more important to Lin Zhi Shan.

There was no guarantee Heavenly Medicine Mountain did not have other spies planted by Lin Zhi Shan.

Xiong San Yan's death was not enough to alarm Lin Zhi Shan and make him emerge from seclusion early.

But Lin Miao was different.

While it was still early, Su Hao headed straight for a residence near the mountaintop. This was Lin Miao's dwelling.

In the bedroom, after much effort, he finally found a hidden compartment beneath a wooden board by the bed. Inside was a small sandalwood box.

A diamond-shaped piece of emerald-green jade and a book.

"This jade must be a spirit stone... a low-grade Wood Spirit Stone."

It was Su Hao's first time coming into contact with a spirit stone. He could clearly sense the pure, dense wood spiritual energy contained within it.

The other item was a tattered old book, the "Pill Dao Scripture." It was a true secret tome of alchemy, far more precious than the introductory alchemy book Lin Zhi Shan had given him!

But how could Su Hao have the leisure to study such a skill now? Lin Zhi Shan could emerge from seclusion at any moment. Lin Miao was dead, and Su Hao would absolutely be next. After all, those three bottles of Origin Blood Pills had not been given to him for nothing!

In the dead of night, Su Hao furtively carried Lin Miao's blanket-wrapped corpse toward the foot of the mountain.

The path wound and twisted, and firelight flickered in the bamboo grove ahead.

Su Hao chose to take a detour without hesitation. How could he dare stir up trouble? If it was a cultivator like Zhao Bai Jiang, the trouble would be enormous!

"Hm? It's you?"

Within the bamboo grove, a woman's graceful figure drifted through the air toward him, her jade-like bare feet stepping over the weeds.

Before she arrived, a strange fragrance like the warm scent of a woman's body had already reached him.

"..." Su Hao's expression changed sharply. The sexy woman with the willow-slender waist was already standing three zhang away.