First Kill

After leaving the academy, Liu Xi planned to first visit Black Stone City, the city closest to the school. Once he left the Enforcement Team's patrol range, he had only crossed a stretch of forest when faint sounds of shouting and fighting reached his ears.

"What a coincidence. I just came out and already ran into a battle." Liu Xi gripped his sword hilt, a strange expression appearing on his face as curiosity filled his heart. Since he had come out to gain experience anyway, he decided to take a look.

Before long, he could see a group of people locked in combat. Liu Xi hid behind a huge boulder and watched them fight, guessing at their levels of cultivation.

"None of them have Dou Qi Armor or a Dou Qi Veil. Judging by the strength of their attacks, they're all Dou Zhes. They pose no threat to me at all," Liu Xi thought as he watched the battle.

At that moment, Ge Hu's men were being killed one after another. Including himself, only four of them remained, while the Blood Saber Mercenary Group still had five people. Despair filled their hearts. Ge Hu looked at Zhao Kai, the leader of the Blood Saber Mercenary Group, and roared viciously, "Zhao Kai, are you really going to wipe us out? My Big Brother won't let you off!"

"Hahaha! You should worry about yourself first. Once we finish you off, our chief will deal with your Big Brother. Then Black Stone City will belong to our Blood Saber Mercenary Group. Do you think you can still escape?" Zhao Kai laughed wildly with a ferocious expression. His movements did not stop as he slashed toward Ge Hu's neck.

Ge Hu took a step back and dodged Zhao Kai's lethal strike, then thrust his spear toward Zhao Kai's heart. Though despair filled his heart, he refused to admit defeat.

"Dream on!"

Zhao Kai knocked aside Ge Hu's spear with his saber and continued mocking him. "Do you think you'll still be able to return alive today?"

"Stop dreaming. Just die obediently!" Zhao Kai kept swinging his saber, taking advantage of Ge Hu's carelessness to leave wound after wound on his body.

The casualties continued to mount. Before long, all of Ge Hu's men had died. Zhao Kai was not faring much better either; only two people remained on his side.

Seeing all his men dead, Ge Hu had already given up any hope of returning alive today. Looking at Zhao Kai and Sun Wu across from him, he immediately made up his mind.

"Shattered Leaf Spear!"

Seeing this overwhelmingly powerful thrust, fear surged in Zhao Kai's heart. Unwilling to take it head-on, he immediately dodged.

Watching Zhao Kai evade him, Ge Hu sneered. This thrust had never been aimed at Zhao Kai in the first place. His spear pierced straight through Sun Wu beside him.

When Zhao Kai saw Ge Hu kill Sun Wu with that strike, anger appeared on his face. He roared at Ge Hu, "You deserve to die! Blood Saber Slash!"

Seeing the slash, Ge Hu abandoned his spear and casually snatched up a saber. With a crazed expression, he charged forward, using his shoulder to forcibly take Zhao Kai's Dou Technique while plunging the saber in his hand into Zhao Kai's body. They nearly died together.

Liu Xi watched the two men perish together. It was the first time he had witnessed such cruel reality on this continent. Killing and conflict never ceased!

Liu Xi walked toward the two men who had perished together. Looking at the blood-soaked corpses, he vigorously shook his head and said, "I really can't get used to this."

"Save me... save... me..." Ge Hu, who had taken Zhao Kai's Blood Saber Slash head-on, had half his shoulder cleaved off. By luck, he still had a faint breath left. Without someone to save him, death would be inevitable. At that moment, he vaguely saw a figure walk before him. He did not know who it was, but his instinct to survive made him beg for help.

"Oh, you're still alive." Hearing the plea, Liu Xi looked surprised. A living human life was right before him! Fine, it was only a small effort.

Liu Xi stepped forward, pulled the large saber out of Ge Hu's shoulder, and roughly treated the wound to stop the bleeding. Then he took out a second-grade Blood-Recovery Pill from his Storage Ring and fed it to him.

After Ge Hu swallowed the pill, a warm current spread through his body. The wounds across his body slowly began to scab over. The wound on his shoulder in particular visibly healed as fresh flesh kept wriggling and growing.

By the time his shoulder had mostly healed, Ge Hu woke up. However, after exhausting his Dou Qi and losing so much blood, his body was still extremely weak.

After waking, Ge Hu looked at the handsome Youth standing beside him with a precious sword in hand, his face full of surprise. Which family's Young Master is this? Feeling that the wounds on his body had mostly healed, he was even more astonished. What an incredible pill. A hint of greed arose in his heart.

"Thank you for saving me, benefactor!" Ge Hu respectfully cupped his hands toward Liu Xi.

"No need to be so polite. It was only a small effort." Hearing the man he had saved thank him, Liu Xi replied with a gentle smile.

"My name is Ge Hu. I am the second-in-command of the Dragon Tiger Mercenary Group in Black Iron City. May I ask which family you are from, benefactor? Why have you come here alone? If there is ever anything you need from me, Ge Hu, just say the word!" Ge Hu asked Liu Xi cautiously.

"My name is Liu Qing. I came out to gain some experience and broaden my horizons." Liu Xi paused slightly when stating his name before answering.

"In that case, I would like to invite you to be a guest in Black Stone City, benefactor. I will certainly treat you well and repay you for saving my life." Ge Hu suddenly became even more enthusiastic. A simple, honest smile filled his face as he earnestly invited Liu Xi to Black Stone City.

Looking at the enthusiastic Ge Hu before him, Liu Xi felt something strange stirring within him. However, he had wanted to go to Black Stone City anyway, so he agreed.

Ge Hu briefly collected the bodies of his subordinates. Then, led by him, the two headed together toward Black Stone City.

Along the way, Ge Hu enthusiastically introduced Liu Xi to the Dragon Tiger Mercenary Group that he and his Big Brother, Ge Long, had founded. He said they had always uprightly maintained order in Black Stone City.

Then Zhao Hai had brought the Blood Saber Mercenary Group to Black Stone City and begun constantly challenging the Dragon Tiger Mercenary Group's position. Even Ge Hu himself had been ambushed by the Blood Saber Mercenary Group today. If Liu Xi had not saved him, he would likely have died, so he had to properly repay Liu Xi for saving his life.

Liu Xi listened with great interest to Ge Hu's story along the way. He occasionally asked questions as well.

"I never expected you and your Big Brother to have always maintained order in Black Stone City. That's impressive! What is your Big Brother's cultivation level?"

"Of course! I'm only an eight-star Dou Zhe, but my Big Brother is a five-star Dou Master. That hateful chief of the Blood Saber Mercenary Group, Zhao Hai, is only a four-star Dou Master!" Ge Hu looked proud when speaking of his Big Brother, Ge Long. But when mentioning their sworn enemy Zhao Hai, he gritted his teeth, his face full of viciousness.

By the time they reached Black Stone City, the sun was already setting in the west, and the sky had grown increasingly dark.

However, with Ge Hu leading the way, they entered the city without any trouble.

"Little Brother Liu Qing, the Dragon Tiger Mercenary Group's headquarters is just ahead. Since it's already late, why not stay with us tonight? We won't stop until we're drunk!" After returning to Black Stone City, Ge Hu was clearly much more relaxed.

"Then I'll gladly accept your invitation." Hearing Ge Hu's warm invitation again, the strange feeling in Liu Xi's heart grew even stronger. Still, he did not refuse and agreed.

When they arrived before a massive residence, the two burly men guarding the entrance immediately shouted upon seeing Ge Hu, "Greetings, Second Chief!"

"Good. Where is the chief now? Take me to him." Ge Hu asked naturally.

"Please follow me." The subordinate on the left side of the gate replied.

They arrived at a grand hall. Before they entered, a burst of hearty laughter rang out.

"Hahaha! Second Tiger is back."

When he came out and saw Ge Hu's tattered clothes and obvious scars, his brows knitted tightly and anger filled his face.

"Who was it? Second Tiger, who injured you like this?"

"It was Zhao Kai of the Blood Saber Mercenary Group. He ambushed me on my way back today. Other than me, every one of our brothers died. Oh, right, Big Brother, it was thanks to this little brother Liu Qing. He happened to pass by and saved my life. Otherwise, I'm afraid I wouldn't have made it back either." Hearing Ge Long's question, Ge Hu angrily explained the reason before introducing Liu Xi to Ge Long with a grateful expression.

"Is that so? Many thanks, little brother Liu Qing. Second Tiger and I have depended on each other since childhood. Since you saved Second Tiger, you are the benefactor of us two brothers." After hearing this, Ge Long spoke solemnly to Liu Xi.

"Brother Ge Hu was simply tough enough to survive. I only lent a hand." Hearing Ge Long's solemn words, Liu Xi had a fairly good impression of the two brothers. They knew how to repay kindness. Still, his response remained humble.

That night,

Ge Long and Ge Hu prepared a table full of food and wine, saying they wanted to drink heartily with Liu Xi.

"Come, come, come. Little Brother Liu Qing, sit here. Tonight, we won't stop until we're drunk." Ge Long sat in the seat of honor and spoke boldly.

Liu Xi sat down accordingly. Urged on by the Ge Long and Ge Hu brothers, he raised his wine cup, preparing to drink a little.

However, the moment Liu Xi raised the cup, he sensed something wrong. He lightly sniffed it, and a trace of chill flashed secretly across his face as his heart turned cold. There's a drug in the wine. As a Fourth-grade Alchemist, identifying medicinal properties is instinctive.

Liu Xi held up his wine cup and looked at Ge Long laughing heartily at the head of the table, as well as the enthusiastic Ge Hu beside him. A gentle smile naturally appeared on Liu Xi's face, but he sneered inwardly. You can know a person's face, but not their heart.

"Second Tiger, come and join me in toasting Brother Liu Qing. Brother Liu Qing, no words can express our gratitude for your great kindness. If you ever have use for us brothers, just say the word. Cheers!" Ge Hu stood and said.

Liu Xi drank without hesitation. Ge Long and Ge Hu exchanged a smile and drank the wine in their cups as well.

After three rounds of wine and five flavors of dishes, Liu Xi felt the time was right. He gently shook his head and said in a slur, "Why do I feel a little dizzy?"

"Hahaha, the wine is just too strong. It's nothing." Ge Hu laughed loudly. Then he watched Liu Xi collapse onto the table.

Ge Long, who saw the same scene, could not help shaking his head. He drank the wine in his cup and said, "He really is a greenhorn. He went down so quickly."

"Big Brother, this kid is a fat sheep. Look at that precious sword of his, and the Storage Ring on his hand. He must have plenty of good things. The pill I took today had an extraordinary effect!" Ge Hu said with a sinister grin.

"He's probably some Young Master from some faction. He heard too many stories and ran around outside in the heat of youth. But now that he's reached my Black Stone City, he can forget about leaving." Ge Long said coldly after hearing this.

"Who can forget about leaving?" A calm voice came from beside them. Liu Xi was now sitting perfectly straight in his chair, looking at the two with a cold expression.

"Y-you... How can you still be awake?" Ge Hu was the first to show his shock.

"I never expected you to avoid the drug! But it doesn't matter. Do you think you can still leave? Men!" Ge Long stared closely at Liu Xi and spoke calmly.

Yet neither of them was worried. It was because of Liu Xi's young and handsome face. Even with that cold expression, he had no intimidating presence at all.

"Is that so? Looks like we'll have to fight, then." Liu Xi replied with a cold laugh, taking out his precious sword from the Storage Ring and drawing it inch by inch.

At that moment, the men Ge Long and Ge Hu had arranged outside rushed in as well. They were only a group of Dou Zhes, nothing to fear!

Liu Xi stood up and charged at the group of Dou Zhes using Soaring Swan Steps. A large amount of Dou Qi flowed through his Meridians into his precious sword, and bright yellow flames seemed to ignite across its blade.

"Blazing Flame Swordplay!"

Like a hot knife through tofu, the sabers and spears in those Dou Zhes' hands offered no resistance at all. After cutting apart their weapons, Liu Xi's sword continued onward, leaving fatal wounds across their bodies.

Before long, not a single person could remain standing. The sight left the two men sitting at the table utterly dumbfounded.

"How is this possible? You're actually this strong! But now that it has come to this, you must die!" Ge Long was the first to recover. Seeing the scene before him, he knew there could be no peaceful end today. He swiftly made his decision, drew out a long spear, and leaped toward Liu Xi.

Ge Hu followed close behind. He also recovered, and seeing Ge Long already charging forward, a fierce light flashed in his eyes as he gripped his spear and rushed in as well.

Though these two brothers were weaker than Liu Xi, their ruthlessness was truly vicious. Every strike was cruel, all of them fighting by trading injuries for lives. They genuinely surprised Liu Xi.

Yet Liu Xi only grew more excited. Wasn't this exactly why he had come out—to experience battles where people fought with the resolve to die? He did not use power beyond the Dou Master realm, relying purely on swordsmanship to fight the brothers and gain practical combat experience.

However, as the Ge Long and Ge Hu brothers fought, they became increasingly alarmed. What is going on with this kid? We've fought for so long, yet his Dou Qi hasn't decreased at all. His moves are becoming more and more skillful instead.

The two brothers exchanged a glance and immediately decided to use their final move to kill Liu Xi.

"Shattered Leaf Spear!"

"Shattered Leaf Spear!"

Watching the surging momentum erupt between the two brothers, Liu Xi sneered.

"Blazing Flames Burn the Heavens!"

Flames surged across Liu Xi's precious sword. With a swing of his blade, the fire formed a flaming sword aura that instantly engulfed Ge Long and Ge Hu. After two screams, the hypocritical brothers completely lost all signs of life, turning into two blackened lumps of charcoal that fell to the ground.

Liu Xi flicked his sword in a flourish and sheathed it. Looking at the corpses filling the room, he let out a light breath.

"Phew."

This was Liu Xi's first time killing someone. There was no blood everywhere, because the flames had evaporated their blood as his precious sword tore through their bodies. Instead, the room was filled with the smell of scorched flesh and blood, making Liu Xi feel a little nauseous.

Liu Xi no longer looked at the scene inside. He turned and pushed open the door. This time, he truly needed to find somewhere to stay.