Clang!
With Jiang Li's strength behind the strike, the longsword blocking him was knocked back in an instant.
Instructor Li Shanjun was stunned, but Jiang Li's saber came at him like a raging storm.
Li Shanjun dared not take it lightly. He drove his cultivation technique at full force and used the Seventh Grade Green Light Swordplay to defend himself.
Even so, when Jiang Li's second strike came crashing down, Li Shanjun felt as though he were fighting a Seventh Grade martial artist, not an Eighth-grade Martial Artist.
Pain shot through the web of his hand, and his body staggered backward against his will.
Li Shanjun looked up in shock, only to catch a glimpse of Jiang Li's shadow.
Jiang Li's saber arrived before the wind did. Li Shanjun raised his sword to block again while retreating.
He was a Seventh Grade martial artist, after all, and he managed to block the strike. But it drove him back several steps and left him drenched in cold sweat.
What Li Shanjun did not realize was that this was only the beginning.
The Black Horizontal Saber slashed again and again in Jiang Li's hand. Its cold edge flashed like lightning, and sparks lit up the wilderness amid the sharp clang of colliding weapons.
The woman from the Hua Tian Martial Arts Hall stared, dumbfounded. Instructor Li was a Seventh Grade martial artist, yet an Eighth-grade Martial Artist was beating him back?
"That's impossible, isn't it?"
She murmured despite herself, unable to believe what she was seeing.
Only Li Shanjun understood. Jiang Li's strength was astonishing, and both his martial art and movement technique had undoubtedly reached mastery at the Eighth Grade.
Li Shanjun might be Seventh Grade, but he had only reached proficiency in his Seventh Grade martial art and movement technique.
On top of that, Jiang Li's qi and blood were startlingly strong. His rating could not be 1.09. He had to be at least Eighth Grade Peak.
Clang, clang, clang, clang—
The Black Horizontal Saber and longsword clashed repeatedly. Then a pale gold hue appeared in Li Shanjun's eyes.
Jiang Li instinctively sensed danger. In the next instant, Li Shanjun seemed to anticipate his move and sent a chilling sword flash straight at him.
Fortunately, Jiang Li reacted quickly. Drawing on his powerful qi and blood, he forced his move onto a new course and intercepted the sword with the Black Horizontal Saber.
Li Shanjun seized the chance to retreat.
"Slow Sight!"
The woman cried out in surprise, delight appearing on her face.
Li Shanjun stared at Jiang Li. Slow Sight was his C-Class innate ability.
Through his eyes, everything before him slowed down.
"An innate ability?"
Jiang Li stood with his saber in his right hand. Wind swept past him, whipping his clothes.
A smile tugged at his lips. "I have one too!"
Behind him, the Command Flag that had rested on the ground suddenly grew.
Now two meters tall, the Command Flag stood in the wilderness, its power reaching a hundred meters in every direction.
Jiang Li charged at Li Shanjun again. This time, his speed had nearly doubled.
"What?"
Li Shanjun cried out in shock. Even with his ability active, Jiang Li now looked as fast as he had before.
His speed had actually doubled.
Before Li Shanjun could think further, Jiang Li's saber was upon him.
To his eyes, Jiang Li's movements had slowed, but that did not mean his body could react quickly enough.
He barely caught the Black Horizontal Saber with his sword. In the next instant, the sword was driven downward, its edge digging into his own chest.
Agony and the warm rush of blood tore a shrill scream from Li Shanjun's throat.
Then the world spun, and he landed on the ground.
From there, he saw a young man standing proudly with a saber in one hand, behind a headless corpse.
The corpse swayed, then collapsed to its knees.
Thud!
The Seventh Grade martial artist was dead!
Jiang Li flicked the blood from the Black Horizontal Saber. "So that was a Seventh Grade martial artist? Not much to him."
He almost thought Li Shanjun had lied. That was Seventh Grade? He was far too weak.
Whoosh!
The last woman from the Hua Tian Martial Arts Hall turned and fled across the wilderness, terror written all over her face.
In the next instant, a saber pierced her back.
Once the third person was dead, Jiang Li slowly sheathed the Black Horizontal Saber.
[Enemy killed. Cultivatable Lifespan gained: 17] [Enemy killed. Cultivatable Lifespan gained: 29] [Enemy killed. Cultivatable Lifespan gained: 16] [Cultivatable Lifespan]: 1541
Jiang Li took all three weapons and searched the bodies, finding twelve Eighth Grade Qi and Blood Pills.
The most valuable item was Li Shanjun's longsword. Like the Black Horizontal Saber, it was Seventh Grade.
"The Heavenly River Martial Arts Hall probably can't take these off my hands, but Lin Yuanliang should be able to handle them."
Jiang Li put the items in the nest with the rest of his spoils. Looking at the growing pile, he fell into thought.
If Luo Wenhao learns these killers are dead, he'll probably go after my family.
I can barely carry all this as it is. I'll head back to the city and deal with Luo Wenhao, then hire a transport vehicle for my next trip.
He had only been out for a day, but Jiang Li felt it was time to return.
With that decided, he gathered his spoils from the Mutant Beasts, wrapped everything in the Armored Boar's hide, and headed toward Nanyang Town.
Nanyang Town was quiet. Not wasting any time, Jiang Li crossed the ruins on his way back.
Suddenly, an angry shout rang out in the distance.
Jiang Li's brows lifted. He found a vantage point and looked over.
When he saw where the shout had come from, he frowned slightly.
Twelve martial artists with vicious auras had surrounded Chu Dongyang and his three companions.
All four were visibly injured.
The strong preyed on the weak. Out here, Mutant Beasts weren't the only prey. People could become prey too.
Jiang Li watched them, with no intention of stepping in.
Chu Dongyang and the others had shown no concern for whether he lived or died since they left the city. He had no reason to care whether they lived or died now.
He turned to leave the vantage point.
But in the next instant, a bespectacled middle-aged man among the twelve turned and pointed toward Jiang Li.
They spotted me?
Jiang Li looked up calmly and noticed glints of reflected light in the distance.
Clearly, the twelve had scouts with them.
Three of the martial artists quickly rushed toward Jiang Li.
Before long, they had surrounded him in a triangular formation.
"Young people these days really don't know their limits. You're only Ninth Grade, and you came out to hunt Mutant Beasts? Aren't you afraid of getting killed?"
"With a haul that big, someone must have hired him!"
"Kid, put down your things and your weapon. Do that, and you might live."
The three spoke over one another, paying Jiang Li no respect.
Jiang Li casually set the bundle from his back on the ground and glanced at them. "I'll give you one chance. Get lost, and I'll let you live."
His words enraged the three Eighth-grade Martial Artists.
"You little bastard! Got a death wish?"
"I'll—"
Before the man could finish, a figure flashed before his eyes. Only then did he hear the swish of a saber leaving its sheath.
Jiang Li stood behind the Eighth-grade Martial Artist who had spoken, saber in hand, and looked at the other two.
"Your chance is gone."
As his words fell, his saber flashed like lightning.
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