Supreme Sword Control Technique

An enemy!

Li Qingqiu immediately rose, grabbing the Heavenly Rainbow Sword at his side as he rushed out of the house.

In the courtyard, Jiang Zhaoxia had already stepped out first, a wooden sword in hand, gazing into the distance. Following his line of sight, a figure stood atop the mountain gate, backlit against the moon, white robes fluttering in the wind, a straw hat on his head, and a blade cradled in both arms.

That posture alone marked him as an expert!

Zhang Yuchun and Wu Man'er also emerged from the house, while Li Sifeng leaned on the windowsill, peeking outside.

Li Dongyue and Li Sijin likewise pressed against their own windowsills, nervously watching the scene outside.

This was the first crisis Li Qingqiu had faced since becoming Sect Master, and he was still somewhat tense inside. Still, he had a measure of confidence—after all, the entire Qingxiao Sect had stepped into the Nurturing Origin Realm, and everyone was capable of fighting.

Yang Jueding leaped onto the eaves behind Li Qingqiu, locking eyes from afar with the White-Clad Swordsman.

"Luo Lie, you've chased me for a thousand li, and you still won't let it go?"

Yang Jueding spoke, his voice booming, his tone thick with resentment.

The White-Clad Swordsman called Luo Lie stood on the mountain gate, dozens of meters away from Yang Jueding. Despite the cold wind whipping around him, his stance did not waver. He kept his head lowered, his bamboo hat obscuring his face, as his voice rang out:

"Let it go? Offend the Azure Cult and think you can walk away unscathed? Hand over that secret manual, and I'll grant you a quick death."

With a sharp screech of a blade leaving its sheath, Luo Lie drew his sword, leaped into the air, and shot toward Yang Jueding like a startled swan.

Li Qingqiu narrowed his eyes. He could see some kind of force propelling Luo Lie from behind, making him appear as if he were flying.

Was this light-footed martial arts?

As he passed over the eaves along the way, Luo Lie's toes brushed against them like a dragonfly skimming water, his movements swift. If Li Qingqiu hadn't stepped into the Nurturing Origin Realm, he would have struggled to catch that.

Good!

Not that miraculous—needing to borrow force meant Luo Lie's martial arts weren't so absurd.

On the eaves, Yang Jueding faced the onrushing Luo Lie and immediately planted himself in a horse stance. His right palm pushed upward from his waist, the palm facing downward, then flipped to strike at Luo Lie.

Boom—

With a thunderous roar like a clap of thunder, Li Qingqiu, Jiang Zhaoxia, and Zhang Yuchun saw Yang Jueding's palm unleash a surging wave of force, blocking Luo Lie midair like a tidal wave. Then, Luo Lie was sent flying, twisting midair before landing steadily in the courtyard.

Luo Lie looked up, his bamboo hat lifting to reveal a weathered face etched with shock and fear.

"Your skill... how is this possible? You were clearly poisoned—have you actually mastered that divine art?"

By the end, Luo Lie's expression twisted into a snarl.

Yang Jueding jumped down from the eaves, landing on the ground. The corners of his mouth curled upward in contempt. "I've walked the martial world for so many years—how could I fall for your cheap tricks? As for that so-called divine art, it's fake. Impossible to master!"

Luo Lie snorted coldly, raised his blade, and charged at Yang Jueding.

The two were a dozen paces apart, but in an instant, Luo Lie was upon Yang Jueding, his blade fierce, his movements swift as a ghost. Yang Jueding raised his palm to block, showing no fear of the enemy's sword.

Their forms interwove as they fought in the courtyard, trading moves blow for blow, their force flying wildly, turning the snow on the ground into rising steam.

Zhang Yuchun glanced at Li Qingqiu, asking with his eyes.

Li Qingqiu gave a slight shake of his head, signaling him not to act rashly.

This was a good opportunity to gauge the strength of martial world experts.

Admittedly, Yang Jueding and Luo Lie were formidable. In terms of reaction speed and physical power, they far surpassed ordinary men. A cultivator at Nurturing Origin Realm Layer 1 might not necessarily be able to take them down.

Of course, Li Qingqiu meant cultivators like Li Sifeng and Li Sijin—mere children.

If it were him, he was confident he could kill both of them in an instant.

Flashy as their techniques were, Li Qingqiu could spit out Origin Energy far faster, ending them in a single blow at the start of the fight.

Moreover, Li Qingqiu noticed the vast gap between internal energy and Origin Energy. As thick and sweeping as Yang Jueding's internal energy was, sending snow flying everywhere, it would be pierced through in one hit if faced with Origin Energy.

From the looks of it now, even if Jiang Zhaoxia hadn't broken through to the Yangyuan Realm Second Layer, Luo Lie posed no threat at all.

The only variable was if they got careless and hesitated.

Zhang Yuchun watched for a while, his expression easing as well.

As for Jiang Zhaoxia, a contemptuous smile had hung on his face from start to finish, never once taking Luo Lie seriously.

After thirty rounds of combat, Luo Lie struck out with a palm, his surging internal energy turning his hand scalding red. Yang Jueding didn't dodge, raising his palm to meet the blow.

Boom—

The two powerful forces of internal energy collided, shaking the eaves and tiles around the courtyard, windows creaking and groaning.

Luo Lie's bamboo hat was sent flying. With his hair disheveled, he gritted his teeth, struggling against Yang Jueding's internal energy. Yang Jueding wore a smug grin, as if he had Luo Lie cornered.

But Li Qingqiu could see that Yang Jueding was forcing it. The man's injuries hadn't fully healed, and his internal energy hadn't returned to its peak state.

After three breaths of stalemate, Yang Jueding threw his arms out, forcing Luo Lie back. Luo Lie stumbled a dozen paces before steadying himself, then dropped to one knee, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the ground.

Yang Jueding withdrew his hand, exuding the air of a martial grandmaster. He pointed at Luo Lie and said, "Get lost. Go back and tell the Azure Cult that if they come again, I won't show mercy next time."

Luo Lie looked up, one hand gripping his blade, the other wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. He sneered, "Let me go? It seems you're not as strong as you pretend to be."

Yang Jueding's face turned cold. "Are you forcing me to kill you?"

The moment the words left his mouth, his expression shifted drastically. He looked down—his right palm had broken out in red rashes, rapidly forming blisters, as if scalded by burns.

"What palm strike do you dare to receive, Dragon Subduing Great Hero? Have you forgotten how fearsome your own palm's reputation is?" Luo Lie stood up, sneering mockingly.

Yang Jueding sensed trouble. He had only been thinking of scaring Luo Lie off quickly, then fleeing with Li Qingqiu and the others, and had been careless in the heat of battle.

He hurriedly used his left hand to seal the acupoint on his right arm, channeling his energy to expel the poison.

Luo Lie picked up his blade and walked toward Yang Jueding, about to speak.

Whoosh—

A sharp sound of something cutting through the air rang out. Luo Lie's eyes instinctively widened, his expression freezing. Yang Jueding, facing him, clearly felt a fierce gust of energy brush past his cheek, stinging painfully.

Yang Jueding focused his gaze and saw a bloody hole appear on Luo Lie's forehead.

Thud!

Luo Lie collapsed straight to the ground. Yang Jueding then spotted Jiang Zhaoxia's figure, still holding his hand raised in the same gesture.

"So much useless talk!"

Jiang Zhaoxia snorted coldly.

Zhang Yuchun, along with Li Dongyue, Li Sifeng, and Li Sijin inside the house, were all startled. They had seen Jiang Zhaoxia's Origin Energy, but they never expected him to dare kill someone.

"You..."

Yang Jueding stared at Jiang Zhaoxia, his face full of shock, unable to form a coherent sentence.

Jiang Zhaoxia glanced at Zhang Yuchun and said, "Second Senior Brother, bury him."

Zhang Yuchun snapped back to reality, quickly nodded, and instinctively walked toward Luo Lie's corpse.

"Wait, check if he has anything on him first."

Li Qingqiu followed Zhang Yuchun's steps. He wasn't too surprised; instead, he felt satisfied with Jiang Zhaoxia's ruthlessness.

With tonight's events, as long as Luo Lie went down the mountain, the Qingxiao Sect could face danger. Cutting him off here was the best outcome.

Yang Jueding came to his senses, looked at Jiang Zhaoxia, and couldn't help asking, "Why did you kill him? Aren't you afraid of retaliation from the Azure Cult?"

Jiang Zhaoxia sneered, "If I hadn't killed him, would the Azure Cult have let us go? Besides, since you're already a disciple of the Qingxiao Sect, him coming after you means coming after us."

He was only fifteen years old, yet the way he spoke carried such dominance that it left Yang Jueding momentarily dazed.

"Just who are you, really?" Yang Jueding asked blankly.

Jiang Zhaoxia turned and walked toward the house without looking back, saying, "Deputy Sect Master of the Qingxiao Sect."

Li Qingqiu, who was in the middle of stripping Luo Lie's clothes, heard this and couldn't help looking up. "Did I agree to that? You're just claiming titles on your own?"

This kid sure knows how to put on a show!

Jiang Zhaoxia didn't answer, quickly returning to the house. As soon as he entered, Li Sifeng came out, and even Li Dongyue and Li Sijin emerged from the female disciples' quarters.

Li Qingqiu sighed inwardly.

It was clear Jiang Zhaoxia had killed for the first time, but he was acting flawlessly. When he went inside, Li Qingqiu noticed the hand that had killed Luo Lie was trembling.

After fumbling around for a while, Li Qingqiu only found hidden weapons, rations, and a token on Luo Lie, which left him dissatisfied. He then arranged for three junior brothers to go bury the body.

He stood up and walked toward Yang Jueding, who was still channeling energy to expel the poison, still in a daze and unable to wrap his head around things.

"That manual he mentioned—hand it over. Consider it repayment for saving your life tonight." Li Qingqiu stared at Yang Jueding.

Yang Jueding said helplessly, "That manual is fake. It doesn't work at all."

"Hand it over."

"Wait."

Yang Jueding stopped channeling his energy, took off his shoe, and pulled out a thin sheet from the sole. When unfolded, it was as big as a human face.

Li Qingqiu took it with a look of disgust, then tossed it to Li Dongyue, telling her to wash it.

Li Dongyue shot him a resentful glance, took a cloth from her bosom, wrapped the thin sheet from the ground, and walked to the well.

"Does this man have any companions?" Li Qingqiu asked Yang Jueding.

Yang Jueding shook his head. "He was the only one chasing me. He ambushed me while I was severely injured from a duel with someone else. Utterly despicable."

Hearing this, Li Qingqiu felt relieved.

He told Yang Jueding to tend to his own injuries, then walked over to Li Dongyue. After she finished washing, he took the thin skin back into the house.

The skin was as thin as a cicada's wing, cool to the touch, and covered in tiny writing. He seriously suspected it was human skin.

Back inside, he didn't close the door, in case something unexpected happened outside. He sat at the table, lit a candle, and examined it closely.

"Huh?"

Li Qingqiu raised an eyebrow, letting out a surprised sound.

No wonder Yang Jueding thought the manual was fake—it turned out to be a spell.

This spell didn't record how to absorb energy; it directly explained how to circulate it. Some acupoints differed from martial arts, so to Yang Jueding, it was complete nonsense.

Only at the very end did Li Qingqiu learn the name of this spell.

Supreme Sword Control Technique!