The Players' Killing Intent

The brand-new Righteous Qi Swordplay had fused the cunning tricks of the Heretical Paths with the essence of Five Peaks Swordplay. It was exquisite to the utmost degree.

Yet the moment it came into being, the sword qi it generated on its own still left Ji Shu somewhat drained of vital energy and blood.

Of course, under the guidance of his Qi Mechanism, he quickly recovered.

"Fortunately, I only created this technique by observing the Righteous Qi Sword in my Dantian. If I had truly created an entirely new technique, the loss of vital energy and blood would probably have been even greater."

Ji Shu stretched lazily.

Then he rose and patted the Old Sophora Tree.

This Old Sophora Tree truly deserved to be called an ancient yin tree preserved from antiquity. It was indeed extraordinary. The Qi Mechanism within it was incredibly abundant. Ji Shu had been greedily absorbing it for over half a month, yet he still had not exhausted it!

I hope it never runs out.

With that thought, Ji Shu went out for a walk with Yue Lingshan.

"You actually came out for a walk with me today?"

Yue Lingshan glanced sideways at him. "Did the sun rise in the west?"

For the past half month, Ji Shu had spent all day lying beneath the Old Sophora Tree, whether he had something to do or not. Let alone taking walks, he would not even return to his own courtyard to sleep. He often lay beneath the Old Sophora Tree for the entire night.

Yue Lingshan had urged Ji Shu several times to sleep in a bed. Ji Shu had said there was Qi Mechanism beneath the Old Sophora Tree and that it was good for his body. She could not sense it anyway! But since Ji Shu said so, she believed him.

"Taking a walk to help digest the food."

Ji Shu was naturally making that up. He had only come out because he had finished all his cultivation and had nothing to do. He was planning to visit Cliff of Reflection later that evening, so he went out first.

Yue Lingshan did not think much of it. She was simply delighted that Ji Shu was willing to take a walk with her.

Of course.

Even during their walk, she did not forget to ask him questions.

After walking for half an hour.

Yue Lingshan returned to her courtyard and began practicing swordsmanship. Ji Shu gave her a few pointers. Once she was tired from training, she went to sleep.

Ji Shu, meanwhile, turned and headed straight for Cliff of Reflection.

His internal energy was now profound, and his Lightness Skill had reached perfection. As he darted and shifted, he was like a phantom. His speed was enough to leave ordinary people far behind.

Very soon.

He arrived at Cliff of Reflection.

He searched carefully but found no trace of Feng Qingyang.

He called out twice, but there was no response.

Feeling puzzled, he thought:

When I came down from Cliff of Reflection earlier, I clearly sensed that someone seemed to be watching me. That person should have been Feng Qingyang. If he was interested in me and thought my talent exceptional, he ought to have appeared and taught me the Nine Swords of Dugu. Why am I here now, yet he still refuses to show himself?

Ji Shu waited for half an hour.

But Feng Qingyang never came.

Left with no choice, he turned back.

He truly longed to obtain swordsmanship like the Nine Swords of Dugu. If he could fuse such swordsmanship into the Righteous Qi Sword, his swordsmanship would surely undergo a complete transformation!

Unfortunately...

"Ji Shu's perception is that sharp?"

Not long after Ji Shu left, Feng Qingyang suddenly appeared atop a stone. His robes fluttered in the wind as he looked in Ji Shu's direction and murmured:

"This boy truly is extraordinary. Unfortunately, I have already resolved to live in seclusion and no longer involve myself in worldly affairs. I passed the Nine Swords of Dugu to Linghu Chong only because I feared that the swordplay would be lost with me. Now that the Nine Swords of Dugu have already been passed on, I will not casually intervene again."

He shook his head, then flashed away and vanished from the spot.

As Ji Shu walked midway down the path, he seemed to sense something. He abruptly turned around and, through the hazy night, thought he saw a drifting figure vanish in a flash.

"Was that Feng Qingyang?"

He was not certain.

But if Feng Qingyang was on Mount Hua and still refused to meet him,

then it meant Feng Qingyang had no intention of becoming entangled with him or forming any karmic ties.

Ji Shu inwardly sighed in regret. Since he could not learn the Nine Swords of Dugu, he would not force the matter. With his two Supreme Talents, becoming a supreme expert was only a matter of time.

"I hope I can learn the Purple Cloud Divine Skill soon."

Mount Hua Sect's swordsmanship, fist techniques, Lightness Skills, claw techniques, grappling techniques, and the like had basically all been learned by him!

Ning Zhongze had taught him swordsmanship.

Yue Lingshan had gone to the Library Pavilion and brought him various techniques such as Lightness Skills. He had learned all of those as well.

It could be said that

among the superior techniques Mount Hua still possessed, only the Purple Cloud Divine Skill remained for him to learn.

"We'll see as things unfold."

Ji Shu knew that Yue Buqun was surely testing him now, but he was not in a hurry. Once this Five Peaks Alliance Assembly was over, perhaps he could visit the Lin Family Old Residence in Fuzhou and search for the Evil Warding Sword Manual.

Anyone else who cultivated that sword manual would most likely have to castrate themselves.

But with his two Supreme Talents, perhaps he would not need to. Thus, if that sword manual fell into his hands, it might help him make a great leap forward and reach the level of a supreme expert in the martial world!

Time passed quickly.

On this day.

Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze led the group, with Ji Shu, Yue Lingshan, Lu Dayou, Lao De Nuo, and the others accompanying them. Liang Fa and the others remained behind to guard Mount Hua Sect.

More than a thousand players of the Outer Sect saw that Ji Shu, a new player, could actually accompany the group to Mount Song to broaden his horizons. They could not help feeling envious, jealous, and resentful.

They still had no idea how formidable Ji Shu's swordsmanship was. They assumed he had only received such treatment because he had latched onto Yue Lingshan.

"Hmph."

Watching Yue Buqun and the others depart, the player Hong Chen folded his arms and snorted. "Ji Shu doesn't know what's good for him. Now that he has left Mount Hua Sect, he has stepped out of his safe, comfortable zone. We have plenty of ways to kill him. Send the order out: Ji Shu, an Inner Sect disciple of Mount Hua, refuses to unite with us and is causing division! He intends to undermine the very foundation upon which us players survive. His crimes are unforgivable. Kill him!"

When he spoke the word "kill,"

he radiated killing intent, his edge fully exposed!

"Yes, Boss."

Several players respectfully acknowledged the order, then swiftly darted into the mountain forest. Before long, several carrier pigeons flapped into the air and flew into the distance.

The Mount Hua players knew nothing about Ji Shu's situation.

Aside from the fact that it had happened in the rear courtyard and Yue Buqun and the others had kept it well concealed,

the people of Mount Song Sect and the others also considered the matter deeply humiliating and damaging to Mount Song's reputation. They had desperately covered it up, terrified that anyone would learn of it. How could they possibly take the initiative to publicize it?

It was precisely because of this

that such a huge misunderstanding arose through a series of coincidences.

However, Hong Chen and the others had long harbored murderous intentions toward Ji Shu. Even if they had learned some details, without knowing the full truth, they might still have chosen to persist in their mistake.

Reckless, impulsive people filled with resentment could do anything.

Ordinary people simply could not understand the way their minds worked.

Mount Hua was wealthy.

Thus, each person was assigned a horse.

Ten people, ten horses.

Ji Shu initially did not know how to ride, but after Yue Lingshan took the initiative to teach him, his two Supreme Talents allowed him to quickly grasp the essentials. He even drew inferences from one example to another, easily performing all sorts of difficult maneuvers on horseback. Yue Lingshan was left dumbfounded, while Lu Dayou and the others clicked their tongues in amazement.

"Ji Shu, your talent is simply incredible. I feel like you learn everything so quickly! You don't have any bottlenecks at all. It's far too enviable!"

While traveling outside,

both to keep a low profile and to protect Ji Shu from being targeted,

Yue Buqun required everyone to address Ji Shu by his name.

Ji Shu wholeheartedly agreed.

When traveling outside, what kind of sense did it make to keep calling him "Vice Sect Leader"?