Dugu Mingri

"Big brother, we're lucky to run into a little lamb."

Lu Ming was blocked by two men. One was sturdier, at the eighth level of Inner Qi.

The other was the one who spoke. He had a ferocious scar on his face, a vicious expression, and was one level lower, at the seventh level of Inner Qi.

Each of them held a large saber, their blades wide and thick, clearly indicating a style that favored great strength and heavy blows.

"What advice do you two have for me?"

Lu Ming calmly assessed the situation, understanding their circumstances thoroughly. Although there were two of them, and both were at a higher realm than him, one of them was two levels above him.

Yet, he didn't feel panicked at all.

This was the confidence he had gained from his recent battles.

"It's not advice, just that we've taken a liking to the contents of your sack. Be sensible and leave it."

"Oh, right. And your cultivation techniques and martial arts must be left behind as well."

The scarred man spoke again. He saw that Lu Ming looked only thirteen or fourteen years old, yet he had already reached the sixth level of the Nei Qi Realm.

Besides his exceptional talent, his cultivation technique must be excellent.

If they were out in the open, he might not dare to provoke him, but here in the deep mountains, who would know if they were quick and clean about it?

"I regret to decline."

Lu Ming's expression was calm. He dropped the sack from his shoulder and placed his hand on the hilt of his saber. Since a peaceful resolution was impossible, he would have to resort to a real fight.

"Such courage!"

Seeing Lu Ming's composed demeanor, the sturdier man finally spoke. Compared to the leaner, scarred man, he seemed more steady.

"Big brother, let me handle him."

The scarred man, seeing that Lu Ming was about to act, slowly raised his broad saber and took a step forward with some excitement.

The sturdier man nodded. "Be careful. His clothes are covered in blood; he's someone who knows how to fight."

"Don't worry, big brother. Having a lot of blood on him just means his saber skills aren't... clean enough!"

The scarred man was truly cunning. As he was speaking, he suddenly flashed forward, making the first move.

So, by the time he finished the word "clean," he was already in front of Lu Ming and slashed down at him through the air.

Honestly, this maneuver was well-planned, and the speed of the saber strike was indeed fast.

But he had met the wrong person.

Lu Ming had been on guard at all times, coupled with his keen senses. So, as soon as the other party made a move, he already knew their intentions.

However, he didn't make any move. Instead, when the opponent's aerial strike was about to land, he suddenly drew his saber, and with a horizontal sweep, the bright saber light sliced across the opponent's abdomen.

Puchi!

With a spurt of blood, the scarred man's saber strike missed its target. He then looked down at his abdomen in disbelief. When he saw the blood, his eyes filled with terror.

"So fast!"

With difficulty, he uttered two words before immediately collapsing.

"What?"

Although all this has been described at length, it happened in the blink of an eye.

This caused the sturdier man, who was raising his saber to launch a sneak attack, to pause. The two brothers had long established an effective plan for dealing with people: the scarred man would go first alone, making it seem like a one-on-one fight, and then he would follow up with a sneak attack.

But their usually foolproof method had encountered a problem today.

His brother hadn't even lasted a single breath before being instantly killed by Lu Ming.

However, as the sturdier man hesitated, Lu Ming proactively attacked him, unleashing his fastest move, Gale Style.

Swish!

Only a flash of saber light could be seen due to its incredible speed.

The sturdier man's face turned ashen with shock. He hurriedly raised his saber to block. With a "clang," his broad saber managed to narrowly intercept the saber light, but he didn't feel any significant force.

Years of combat experience immediately told him it was a feint and that the opponent would change tactics.

However, it was still too late. The bright saber light had already sliced across his abdomen.

"So fast!"

This time, the sturdier man finally experienced what the scarred man had felt. He collapsed.

"As expected, people are much easier to deal with than Demonic Beasts."

Easily defeating the two of them didn't bring Lu Ming much sense of accomplishment.

Compared to Demonic Beasts, these two had sufficient offense but insufficient defense. Unlike Demonic Beasts, which had tough hides and some even possessed scales harder than steel.

Even with his speed, if he couldn't find a weak spot, it was difficult to kill them in one blow.

These two were different; they didn't have the thick scales and skin of Demonic Beasts.

One hit and he would lose his life.

However, speaking of which, he had the same problem. Fortunately, the second stance of the Heavenly Saber Technique, the Rain-Splashing Style, could be used for defense.

This was a move that could be used for both offense and defense. Offensively, it was continuous and relentless, making opponents tired of parrying. Defensively, when the saber was swung, it was extremely dense, impenetrable by needles or water.

It was incredibly powerful.

Without overthinking, Lu Ming sheathed his saber, giving his enemies respect, and began to clean up the battlefield.

The results were somewhat disappointing. He only found over two hundred taels of silver notes on the two men. Perhaps they had money but didn't bring it with them.

As for martial arts manuals and the like, he found none.

However, the two broad and thick sabers were quite good. Their quality was clearly better than his at first glance, but they weren't suitable for him.

But he wouldn't waste them, so he took them along.

After tidying up, Lu Ming shouldered his cloth bag. Just as he was about to leave, his ears twitched, and he looked towards a large tree in the distance to his side.

He shouted sternly, "Who's there?"

"No ill intentions."

A boy of about fifteen or sixteen, holding a long sword, emerged from behind the large tree. Although his clothes were somewhat tattered, the material indicated he was from a wealthy background.

His realm was also quite high, having actually reached the ninth level of Nei Qi.

And judging by his appearance, he had already reached the peak of the ninth level.

"Ruan Brothers, I didn't expect to die by your hands today, but it seems you got what you deserved."

The boy walked out and glanced at the corpses on the ground.

"What's your name?"

Seeing that the other party had no intention of attacking, Lu Ming felt slightly relieved, but he didn't let his guard down. He placed his cloth bag on the ground again, ready to draw his saber at any moment.

"Dugu Mingri, from the Dugu Family of Shuofeng City."

The boy was very forthright and stated his identity.

Lu Ming was somewhat surprised upon hearing this. He knew of the Dugu Family; they were one of the three major families, just like the Yang Family, to which the young master he met at the blacksmith shop belonged.

"And what's your name?"

Dugu Mingri asked.

"Lu Ming, also from Shuofeng City," Lu Ming reported his name.

"I guessed as much."

Dugu Mingri looked understanding and then said, "Your saber technique is good, and your speed is very fast. The Ruan Brothers, despite their high realm, were no match for you at all."

Lu Ming didn't refute it. Instead, he asked, "How long have you been here?"

"From the moment your saber cut the first person."

Dugu Mingri didn't hide anything. "Don't worry, I was planning to head back. I was just passing by, and you seemed to be heading back too. Why don't we go together?"

Lu Ming looked at the boy; he didn't seem like someone with ulterior motives. After some thought, he didn't refuse, but he also didn't forget to remain vigilant.

Thus, the two set off together.

The journey back was naturally much faster. Even when they encountered Demonic Beasts, Dugu Mingri was the one who swiftly dealt with them.

This also allowed Lu Ming to witness the boy's strength. To be honest, Dugu Mingri was more than just a little bit stronger than the Ruan Brothers.

Just the speed of his sword strikes was comparable to Lu Ming's saber strikes.

It was likely that he practiced a cultivation technique that focused on speed.

However, even though the other party was formidable, Lu Ming was confident in his ability to contend.

"Brother Dugu, at only fifteen years old, you've already reached the peak of the ninth level of the Nei Qi Realm. Your talent is truly exceptional. Why don't you join a sect?"

As they gradually became more familiar, Lu Ming curiously asked.

It was known that although the Dugu Family was a dominant force in Shuofeng City, they were nothing compared to the various sects.

And with Dugu Mingri's talent, it shouldn't have been difficult for him to join a sect.

Facing this question, Dugu Mingri did not answer. Instead, he asked, "Do you think my talent is very good?"