Blood Saber Blocks the Road

Leaves rustled in the wind, and sunlight filtered through them, casting patch after patch of light. The light fell upon the youth, and the confident smile on his face could be faintly seen.

The youth was Liu Xi, who had spent the entire night studying the Illusory Heart Technique and was now preparing to return to the academy.

Liu Xi was in a rather good mood, but someone clearly did not want him to stay that way!

"Come out! Stop hiding." Sensing people concealed within the dense forest ahead, Liu Xi chuckled and spoke to those hiding among the trees.

"Kid, you actually noticed us. Should I say you truly deserve to be a genius of Jia Nan Academy?" The speaker emerged with a saber slung over his shoulder. He was Zhao Hai, the leader of the Blood Saber Mercenary Group.

"Oh, you know I'm from Jia Nan Academy, yet you still dare block my path?" Liu Xi was somewhat surprised. This man had some knowledge, at least. He said with interest.

"Hahaha, so what if it's Jia Nan Academy? So what if you're a genius? What I enjoy most is killing geniuses like you before you've had the chance to grow! Once I butcher you and bury your body somewhere, do you think Jia Nan Academy can trace it back to me?" Seeing that the kid before him was not only unafraid but even dared question him, Zhao Hai said with a cruel grin.

"You've got some nerve. But I'm curious—did you come here specifically to wait for me..." As Liu Xi spoke, he more or less understood. The burly man who had sold him the scroll yesterday had also stepped out, his face filled with savage malice.

"Boss, it's this kid. Yesterday, he bought that worthless chunk of iron from me for five hundred Gold Coins without even blinking. He's definitely a fat sheep." The burly man walked over to Zhao Hai and pointed at Liu Xi as he explained.

"That's why I enjoy killing geniuses like this most. Every single one of them thinks they're extraordinary. Before they've even properly learned their skills, they dare swagger through the streets carrying huge sums of money!" After hearing the burly man out, Zhao Hai laughed and addressed the dozen or so mercenaries who had come with him.

"That's right. Our boss came personally, and look at how pale this kid's face is from fear."

"Exactly. What's so great about Jia Nan Academy? It's not like our boss hasn't killed geniuses like you before."

"With a pretty boy like this, we should slash his face dozens of times before killing him."

Liu Xi looked speechlessly at the mercenaries before him, who kept shouting without treating him seriously at all. With a thought, he decided to toy with them.

Liu Xi tried his best to put on a frightened expression and said to the mercenaries, "You insist on killing me. Then do you think I still have any chance of returning alive?"

Hearing Liu Xi use such a weak tone to plead for mercy, the mercenaries laughed even more happily.

"You—hahaha. You still want to go back alive? Go die!" After laughing, Zhao Hai, who stood at the front, stopped wasting words and raised his saber as he charged at Liu Xi.

Watching the leader across from him stop talking and directly slash at him, Liu Xi dropped his frightened expression. With a cold smile, he said, "Then have you ever considered whether you'll be able to return alive?"

He then drew his treasured sword and blocked Zhao Hai's descending saber with a horizontal slash.

As he circulated his Dou Qi, bright yellow flames ignited along the blade. Surging waves of heat rushed toward Zhao Hai, illuminating his suddenly pale and savage face.

"Impossible! You actually blocked my saber! You're just a youth—it's absolutely impossible!" Zhao Hai watched as the youth before him casually blocked several of his heavy slashes. The flames coiling around the sword also continuously scorched his body, leaving him roaring in helpless fury.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. And you wanted to kill me with just this?" Liu Xi casually blocked several more attacks from Zhao Hai and mocked him with a teasing expression.

"Damn it, die!" Zhao Hai roared, nearly losing control after being provoked by Liu Xi. He unleashed the high-level Yellow Tier Dou Technique that had made his name.

Blood Saber Slash

Zhao Hai leaped into the air and swung his saber down at Liu Xi once again. This time, however, a layer of blood-colored radiance coiled around the saber empowered by the Dou Technique.

Seeing Zhao Hai charge at him again in rage and humiliation, Liu Xi could not be bothered to continue tangling with him. He circulated the Blazing Flame Swordplay and unleashed a massive sword aura of flame.

Unable to dodge in midair, Zhao Hai was swallowed by the fiery sword aura.

"Aah—"

The flames took all life from Zhao Hai, and his wail quickly came to an abrupt end!

"Bang!"

The corpse, nearly burned into charcoal, fell to the ground, trailing a wisp of white smoke.

Liu Xi then raised his head and looked at the mercenaries who had come with Zhao Hai. When Liu Xi had blocked every attack from their boss, Zhao Hai, fear had already arisen in their hearts.

They could only be considered elite Dou Zhes, and they could not even withstand a few exchanges against their boss, Zhao Hai. If Liu Xi could block their boss's attacks, then he had to be at least a Dou Master or stronger. He was not someone insignificant Dou Zhes like them could afford to provoke.

Moreover, now that their boss had already been killed, did that not mean Liu Xi could slaughter them as easily as turning his hand over?

When Liu Xi's gaze fell upon them, every one of them revealed a terrified expression.

"Run, run! He's a monster! We'll all be killed!"

Watching the mercenaries flee in every direction, Liu Xi could not be bothered to make another move. He sheathed his sword and thought, Hmph, they're all just bullies who fear the strong and prey on the weak!

He casually lowered his head to look at Zhao Hai's corpse. Thinking of his experiences over the past three months, he sighed. "Sigh, there isn't a single decent person in this Black Corner Region."

"I can let the others go, but that guy... he's perfect for testing the Illusory Heart Technique!" Having composed himself, Liu Xi searched among the fleeing mercenaries for the burly man from yesterday.

When he spotted the burly man, he sneered and gave chase.

"Hmph, do you think you can escape!"

Seeing Liu Xi chase after them, the others fled with even greater desperation. Once they discovered that Liu Xi was mainly pursuing Wu Liang, they silently ran for their lives in directions far away from Wu Liang. Wu Liang was the burly man's name.

"Damn it!" Wu Liang glanced at Liu Xi, who was chasing after him with a cold sneer, then at his companions who had abandoned him. He could not help but curse in grief and anger.

Liu Xi quickly caught up and kicked Wu Liang in the back. Wu Liang cried out in pain and tumbled several times.

Lying on his back, Wu Liang saw Liu Xi standing before him with an icy expression. Without another thought, he rolled over and knelt, repeatedly kowtowing to Liu Xi. He cried bitterly, "Young Master, I was wrong! I really was wrong! Please spare my life. Just treat me like a fart and let me go!"

"Spare you? Sure. Look at me." Naturally, Liu Xi had no intention of letting him go. As he spoke, he had already activated the Illusory Heart Technique.

The core of the Illusory Heart Technique was to transform soul power into a unique special fluctuation, then blend it into the five senses. It could be released through sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell, acting upon the opponent's soul. It could directly scramble the opponent's five senses, and the illusions it produced were incomparably real. Therefore, no one whose soul was not resilient and powerful could break free.

Then Liu Xi watched Wu Liang continue begging on his knees before him and thought, It failed.

He continuously reflected on the issue that had arisen. When he activated it just now, he had mainly blended the soul fluctuations into sight and hearing. There had been no major problem with that step. Could the problem be with the transformed soul fluctuations?

After thinking it over, Liu Xi began continuously adjusting the degree of transformation. Wu Liang was the perfect subject for testing the most suitable fluctuation bit by bit.

Half an hour later, Liu Xi closed his eyes and rubbed his brow, his face full of exhaustion. The repeated experiments just now had consumed quite a bit of soul power.

When he opened his eyes and looked at Wu Liang rolling all over the ground before him, his gaze was still filled with excitement. After countless adjustments, Liu Xi had finally dragged Wu Liang into Flame Purgatory.

For Wu Liang, ever since he had been kicked down, his instinct to survive had made him kneel before Liu Xi and continuously beg for mercy.

When he heard Liu Xi say that he could spare him, he was beside himself with joy. But then images suddenly appeared before his eyes, so real that his body reacted involuntarily.

It was like an endless nightmare. During the next half hour, he seemed to experience being hacked by sabers and axes, burned by fire, drowned in water, and subjected to all manner of torture and siege.

Until, at last, he entered a sea of fire. Flames stretched as far as the eye could see, while the roaring and howling of burning flames filled his ears. More importantly, the constant burning pain coursing through every part of his body made him wish he were dead.

The pain had driven Wu Liang mad. He could only roll around on the ground and scream endlessly, hoping to find even the slightest relief.

Outside the illusion, Wu Liang was indeed rolling all over the ground and screaming without pause. He remained trapped in the illusion until he finally lay on the grass without a trace of life left. Liu Xi stepped forward to take a look.

"He's dead? The Illusory Heart Technique never said that death in an illusion would be reflected in reality!" Liu Xi thought with a frown.

"Besides, although Flame Purgatory feels real, it can't actually burn someone to death! Could he have died from pain?"

Liu Xi stood up and casually flicked a flame onto Wu Liang's corpse, completely destroying the evidence.

After cleaning everything up, Liu Xi no longer dwelled on it. In any case, he had basically mastered the Illusory Heart Technique. He found the direction of the academy and began walking.

This time, he encountered no further accidents. He did run into several groups from the Enforcement Team, though, and even exchanged greetings with them.

By the time he arrived at the gates of Jia Nan Academy, evening was approaching. Feeling the peaceful atmosphere within the academy, so completely different from the Black Corner Region, Liu Xi could not help but relax. The exhaustion of the journey washed over him, and he returned directly to his room.