Martial Saint Beguiler

On the other side of the bustling marketplace.

Two female cultivators in Daoning Gate attire were idly browsing at a few cosmetic stalls.

"Senior Sister, look at this..."

One of the round-faced female cultivators was about to pick up a box of eyebrow pencil when her gaze inadvertently swept across the crowd not far away.

The next moment, her movements paused, and her eyes fixed firmly on a certain spot.

"What is it?"

The tall Senior Sister beside her followed her gaze.

They saw a young man in a blue shirt hurrying through the crowd.

The young man had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and a tall, upright posture. Although his expression was solemn, it couldn't hide the natural handsomeness radiating from him.

With a Charm value as high as twenty-five, it was hard to ignore him.

"Isn't that... Gu Chengming?"

The round-faced female cultivator whispered in surprise, with a hint of inexplicable complexity in her tone.

Hearing the name, the tall Senior Sister's expression instantly darkened, and her previously admiring gaze sharpened.

"You mean that lunatic who was rejected by the Dao Seed Junior Sister right after confessing, and then rumors spread that he defeated Senior Sister You Yuyao?"

Gu Chengming.

That name had been circulating widely within Daoning Gate recently.

Of course, regarding the latter rumor of "challenging You Yuyao to a duel," neither of them believed it one bit; they even scoffed at it.

What a joke!

Who was Senior Sister You? A genius Dao cultivator with First Realm Level Nine cultivation, only half a step away from the Second Realm!

And this Gu Chengming?

A good-for-nothing who had been stuck in the outer sect for three years, with a cultivation of only First Realm Level Three.

Given such a massive gap in strength, let alone a sword fight, even if Senior Sister You stood still and let him attack, she could probably shatter the sword in his hand.

"Hmph, I wonder where such absurd rumors came from."

Logically speaking, the person who benefited the most from a rumor was often its originator.

In her opinion, Gu Chengming must have failed in his pursuit of love and then tried to use the tactic of stepping on Senior Sister You to elevate himself, all to attract attention and save his pathetic face.

"Exactly!" the round-faced female cultivator chimed in indignantly. "Senior Sister You usually takes good care of us Junior Sisters; how can she tolerate such a shameless person tarnishing her reputation?"

The two exchanged glances and immediately reached a consensus.

Since they had run into him here, there was no better time than the present.

They had to find this brat and demand an explanation, making him realize that while one could eat whatever they pleased, they couldn't say whatever they pleased!

Meanwhile.

Gu Chengming was leading Jiang Lu, hurrying towards the market exit under the "death-defying, incessant nagging" of Hundred Bones.

Gu Chengming was placating Hundred Bones in his mind while maintaining a highly vigilant expression, his feet moving swiftly.

However, just as they were about to turn a corner and leave the core area of the market.

Two elegant figures suddenly darted out from the side, one on the left and one on the right, blocking their path like two guardian deities.

"Stop!"

A sharp cry rang out.

Gu Chengming's steps halted, and Jiang Lu almost bumped into his back.

The two female cultivators in front of them had frosty expressions, their hands resting on their sword hilts, staring at Gu Chengming with ill intentions, exuding an aura of seeking an explanation.

Upon seeing their attire, Jiang Lu recognized them as Senior Sisters from Daoning Gate. He quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said with a fawning smile:

"Two Senior Sisters, may I ask why you've stopped us? I am Jiang Lu, and this is Senior Brother Gu. We were just heading back..."

"This doesn't concern you. Move aside."

The tall Senior Sister didn't even glance at Jiang Lu, her gaze fixed solely on Gu Chengming, and said coldly:

"Gu Chengming, you've done such a fine job, and you think you can just walk away?"

Jiang Lu froze, his heart filled with anxiety.

This was bad! Could it be that Senior Brother Gu's previous rumor had caused trouble? Had people from Daoning Gate come looking for him?

He was about to speak up to explain a few things for Gu Chengming and ease the atmosphere.

However, before he could open his mouth.

Gu Chengming, who had been silent all along, saw the two aggressively approaching female cultivators with their hands on their sword hilts. Instead of showing any panic or guilt.

On the contrary, his eyes instantly lit up!

What kind of gaze was that?

It was like a wolf that hadn't eaten in three days seeing a fat sheep, or like a screenwriter finally finding the perfect actor.

That genuine, irrepressible spark of excitement made the two female cultivators opposite them instinctively shiver.

The next moment.

Gu Chengming took a sudden step back, one hand protecting the storage bag in his arms, the other pressing on his sword hilt, and shouted sternly:

"Audacious rogue cultivator! You dare to kill for treasure?!"

Huge question marks appeared on both their faces simultaneously.

"???"

Rogue cultivator? Kill for treasure?

This is the Wenjian Sect! We're wearing Sect robes! Are you blind?

However, he didn't give them any time to react.

The next moment.

Words fell, and the sword struck!

PS: A total of seven thousand characters updated.

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Chapter 30: Chapter Twenty-Nine - The So-Called Killing Enemies Across Realms...

When someone righteously shouts, "Audacious thief!" and charges at you with a sharp blade, a normal person's brain will experience a brief system shutdown.

Especially when you are in a Sect's sacred ground, wearing the disciple attire that represents your identity, and you only intended to find trouble and start an argument.

Su He's feeling right now was – absurd.

The moment before, she was still contemplating how to seek justice for Senior Sister You. The next moment, her vision was filled with a rapidly enlarging sword hilt.

"Thief? Me?"

The thought had barely flashed through Su He's mind before Gu Chengming's attack arrived, without even time to translate into a physical defensive reaction.

This was by no means a fair spar; it was a premeditated "sneak attack."

Su He was at First Realm Level Five, and Li Miao beside her was at First Realm Level Six.

In terms of raw strength, Gu Chengming was only at First Realm Level Four.

In the cultivation world, the suppression of realms is often absolute.

Being two minor realms higher means a significant increase in the thickness of Spiritual Power, reaction speed, and physical strength.

But Gu Chengming knew one thing: dead people have no realms, and neither do unconscious ones.

He was gambling on the other party's momentary hesitation and the explosive power of his body, which had been preliminarily strengthened by Hundred Bones Resonance.

[Hundred Bones thought: Good! What a decisive and ruthless individual!]

[Facing enemies surrounding him, no nonsense, no hesitation, strike first to gain the upper hand!]

[This is the quality its Golden Finger should possess! What about kindness, courtesy, frugality, and deference? They're all crap in the face of life-and-death combat!]

The instant he let out the roar, his right hand had already reached his waist, and the wooden sword was drawn.

"Zing--"

Gu Chengming shot out like an arrow loosed from a bow.

There were no flashy opening moves.

But this basic Sword Art, in Gu Chengming's hands, displayed a completely different kind of power.

Spiritual Power surged through his meridians, not outwardly manifesting as sword light, but entirely contained within the muscle fibers of his legs and arms.

Close combat!

Su He only saw a blur before her eyes. The man who had been dozens of feet away moments ago was now right in front of her.

The gust of wind that hit her face even ruffled her bangs, freezing her expression into one of comical astonishment.

She instinctively wanted to reach for the sword on her back.

Too late.

The wooden sword in Gu Chengming's hand heavily struck the Quchi acupoint on her sword-wielding right arm.

"Crack!"

A crisp sound.

Su He felt her right arm go numb, the Spiritual Power in half her body instantly dispersed, and her recently raised protective Spiritual Energy was directly interrupted.

Immediately after, Gu Chengming flipped his wrist, and the wooden sword swept upwards, its spine with a clever force, striking Su He's side neck fiercely.

This strike was fast, accurate, and ruthless.

Su He didn't even let out a groan. Her eyes rolled back, and her whole body went limp as if her bones had been removed, slumping backward.

One down.

It took less than a breath.

It wasn't until the dull thud of Su He hitting the ground that Li Miao beside her finally snapped out of her disbelief.

"Senior Sister Su?!"

"Villain! You're seeking death!"

Li Miao, after all, had the cultivation of First Realm Level Six and reacted with incredible speed.

She didn't choose to draw her sword, as the distance was too close, and drawing it would instead expose a weakness.

Her hands moved rapidly, forming seals, Spiritual Power flickering at her fingertips. A pale green wind blade rapidly took shape in her palm.

The so-called "protagonist points" definitely required scenes of defeating opponents of a higher realm, so Hundred Bones, who was screaming in excitement, was incredibly thrilled at this moment.

[Hundred Bones thought: What's First Realm Level Six to me!]

[Gu Chengming! Use your physical body to tank it! Let this ignorant woman see what a true body cultivator is!]

Gu Chengming's eyes twitched slightly.

Tank it with his physical body? His brain wasn't waterlogged.

Facing Li Miao's attack, Gu Chengming didn't retreat. Instead, his steps shifted, his body like a willow catkin in the wind. He moved forward instead of back, using his front foot as an axis, his body executing an extremely strange sideways spin.

Using the centrifugal force of this spin, the wooden sword in Gu Chengming's hand traced a smooth arc through the air.

This wasn't any profound sword move, just the most basic "Redirect" technique from the Huiyuan Sword Art.

The wooden sword precisely landed on Li Miao's wrist, which had just pushed forward.

Gu Chengming flicked his wrist, and a subtle force transmitted through the wooden sword, instantly deflecting Li Miao's subsequent Spiritual Power output.

Li Miao felt a surge of power, her body involuntarily tilting to one side. The wind blade, not yet fully released, struck empty air.