Exposure

The two of them soon found an inn. The moment they stepped inside, a lively atmosphere hit them.

Liu Yucheng nodded in satisfaction, but Xiao Yuxian beside him was clearly displeased. She furrowed her brows and pursed her lips.

As the Qingcheng Sect's young mistress, Xiao Yuxian had always gone to elegant places. The people she met had all been impeccably dressed and graceful.

But these past few days, Xiao Yuxian felt as though she'd fallen from heaven into hell. Looking at the Jianghu fighters before her, with their filthy mouths and lecherous behavior, she suddenly grew furious.

"Senior Brother, why don't we just leave?"

Liu Yucheng didn't understand at first and dumbly replied, "Why leave? Isn't this place pretty nice?"

Xiao Yuxian's face immediately darkened. "Senior Brother, are you disagreeing with me? Do you think I'm wrong?"

Liu Yucheng felt as if he had two heads, and both were aching. When it came to Xiao Yuxian, even as an Innate Martial Artist, he was at a loss.

So he could only beg for mercy. "Junior Sister, don't be angry. Senior Brother was wrong. We'll leave. Right now—we'll go!"

Liu Yucheng was a seasoned simp through and through.

Seeing him like this, Xiao Yuxian's temper eased a little. If Liu Yucheng dared to contradict her, he would surely face a raging storm of fury.

Xiao Yuxian was about to leave with Liu Yucheng when several men in fitted martial outfits suddenly walked in. Any Martial Artist from Nine Lions City would have recognized them at once: they were members of the Thirteen Protectors.

The man at their head was Ding Zhen, one of the Thirteen Protectors and an Innate Fifth Layer Martial Artist!

Liu Yucheng's pupils contracted. He had clearly sensed the terrifying aura emanating from Ding Zhen.

He was only at the Innate Second Layer. There was no way he could beat Ding Zhen, who was at the Innate Fifth Layer.

So Liu Yucheng lowered his head, trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible.

As the two passed by, Ding Zhen suddenly stopped and said, "Mmm, that smells good!"

He turned around and spotted the graceful Xiao Yuxian. His expression brightened at once. "Hahaha! Who'd have thought I'd find a beauty like this in a godforsaken place? Heaven's really smiling on me!"

"Stop right there, little beauty! Don't rush off—come have some fun with me!" Ding Zhen shouted arrogantly.

In Nine Lions City, the Thirteen Protectors were synonymous with top-tier power. As one of them, Ding Zhen had always been used to throwing his weight around.

Ding Zhen's words reached Xiao Yuxian's ears, and fury instantly blazed within her.

"Are you calling me?"

Liu Yucheng grimaced and thought, This is bad.

Things were clearly heading in the direction he least wanted, and he had no way to stop them.

"Obviously! Who else would I be calling? Don't just stand there—come eat and drink with me!" Ding Zhen said, as if it were only natural.

Xiao Yuxian's chest heaved with anger. She drew her sword, ready to kill Ding Zhen.

"You shameless bastard, die!"

Her sword was fine, and her attack had plenty of force. The problem was that Xiao Yuxian herself was far too weak. She had enjoyed the Qingcheng Sect's finest resources, yet even nearing thirty, she had only reached Viscera Refining!

Could someone at the Viscera Refining level hurt Ding Zhen, an Innate Fifth Layer Martial Artist? Obviously not.

Ding Zhen stopped Xiao Yuxian's sword between just two fingers.

He didn't sound the least bit displeased. "Not bad, not bad. You've got a temper and a fiery spirit. I like it!"

As he spoke, he reached to pull Xiao Yuxian into his arms.

Xiao Yuxian was so shocked that her face went pale, but she had no strength to resist. Her Senior Brother, Liu Yucheng, could only sigh before stepping in to block Ding Zhen.

"Junior Sister, we're in serious trouble this time. Hurry and go! I'll hold these guys off!"

Liu Yucheng planted himself firmly in front of Xiao Yuxian and stared sternly at the grinning Ding Zhen.

"Oho, so you're senior brother and junior sister. But with your Innate Second Layer strength, you dare boast that you can hold me off? You're asking for death!"

With that, an overwhelming aura of mid-Innate power bore down on Liu Yucheng.

Seeing that the situation was turning bad, the people in the inn began slipping away.

Xiao Yuxian glanced at Liu Yucheng, whose face had gone a little pale, and asked flatly, "Senior Brother, can you handle this?"

Her tone had carried a hint of doubt, but in the ears of the lovesick Liu Yucheng, it became a fervent show of concern from his junior sister.

"Of course I can! Junior Sister, go on ahead. I'm afraid I won't be able to protect you once the fight starts!" Liu Yucheng's face flushed with excitement, and the True Qi throughout his body surged into motion.

"All right, Senior Brother. I'll wait for you up ahead!" Xiao Yuxian didn't hesitate. She took off immediately.

Liu Yucheng, meanwhile, charged toward Ding Zhen and his men as if he'd been injected with chicken blood.

"You fool. Since you insist, I'll send you on your way!" Ding Zhen grinned viciously.

True Qi surged wildly from his body, and he displayed the full might of an Innate Fifth Layer Martial Artist.

Liu Yucheng was a True Disciple of the Qingcheng Sect. Though his cultivation was only at the Innate Second Layer, the Beast King Art he practiced was a martial art capable of reaching the Innate Peak.

Moreover, the Beast King Art was known for its ferocious combat power, unrivaled among those of the same rank.

Liu Yucheng seemed to transform into the king of beasts, every move brimming with savage, desperate intent.

Relying on the Beast King Art, Liu Yucheng actually managed to hold Ding Zhen off for a short while. There was no denying that this martial art was truly impressive.

"Not bad, kid. You're quite a catch! That cultivation technique—there's no mistaking it. You're one of the Qingcheng Sect's remnants!"

"I heard long ago that the Qingcheng Sect had a Dragon and a Tiger. Looks like you're the Tiger! Hahaha!"

As one of the Thirteen Protectors, Ding Zhen was well-informed. He immediately recognized Liu Yucheng's origins.

Once Ding Zhen changed tactics, Liu Yucheng was thrown into a difficult position. His lower cultivation meant that the quantity and quality of his True Qi were far inferior to Ding Zhen's.

If they dragged the fight out, he was bound to lose.

So Liu Yucheng decided to make one last desperate gamble.

"Villain, take this!" Liu Yucheng appeared to launch an all-out attack, but in truth, he had secretly picked out an escape route.

He waited for the right moment. When Ding Zhen retreated as expected, Liu Yucheng immediately changed moves, used a Light Body Cultivation Method, and escaped with a few leaps!

Only then did Ding Zhen realize what had happened. He hurried after him.

But as a True Disciple of the Qingcheng Sect, Liu Yucheng's Light Body Cultivation Method was far from ordinary. He easily left Ding Zhen behind.

In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Liu Yucheng had completely escaped!

However, news of him and Xiao Yuxian made its way back to Nine Lions City. The city's countless major factions sent out large numbers of people to hunt the two of them down.

Liu Yucheng and Xiao Yuxian suddenly became rats crossing the street, despised by all. With no other choice, they could only hide outside the city.

In a secluded wooden house in the Black Wind Bandits' territory, a figure was practicing a cultivation technique with all his might. Waves of thick True Qi surged from him, seemingly taking shape as a fierce tiger!

After a while, the nearly solid True Qi seemed to finally break through the last barrier. The Qi, which had been somewhat sluggish, suddenly grew much more fluid. Streams of black air kept gathering, eventually taking the form of a small tiger.

Faintly, the little tiger's roar could even be heard!

Shen Fan let out a breath of stale air and finally opened his eyes, a smile on his face.

"I've finally broken through. The Black Tiger Fiend really isn't bad—it's even stronger than the Cold Shadow Art!"

Just now, Shen Fan had cultivated the Black Tiger Fiend to the Great Accomplishment stage and broken through to the Innate Eighth Layer in one go. With just a little more tempering, he would reach the Innate Ninth Layer!

At that moment, he opened the Attribute Panel, and a hint of delight appeared on Shen Fan's face.

Host: Shen Fan

Aptitude: 34 (Rarely Seen in a Century)

Physique: Ice Spirit Body

Lifespan: 480

Martial Path: Black Tiger Fiend (Great Accomplishment), Spirit Ape Transformation (Great Accomplishment), Cold Shadow Art (Great Accomplishment), Savage Bull Fist (Great Accomplishment), True Combined Strength (Great Accomplishment), Three Yuan Art (Great Accomplishment), Ape Strike Technique (Great Accomplishment), Thousand Mechanisms Hand (Great Accomplishment), Iron Shirt (Great Accomplishment), Startling Swan Art (Great Accomplishment), Great River True Scripture (Great Accomplishment), Sea Wave Fist (Great Accomplishment), Evergreen Cultivation Method (Beginner)...

Realm: Innate Eighth Layer