Days of Pursuit, Fourth-level Spirit Body?

The days that followed were nothing short of a nightmare for Bing Tianxiao.

Early in the morning, the first ray of sunlight pierced through the mist.

"Bing Tianxiao."

A clear, icy shout rang out, followed by a sharp streak of black sword light slashing toward him.

Bing Tianxiao sighed helplessly, gripped his dagger in reverse, and turned to block.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

A dense barrage of metallic clashes echoed through the forest.

Their figures crossed as they fought from the riverbank to the treetops, then from the treetops back to the grassland.

Half an hour later.

The two finally separated, both panting heavily.

Bing Tianxiao rubbed his aching wrist and glared irritably at the silver-haired girl across from him. "Come on, do you have to go this hard first thing in the morning? This isn't how warm-ups are supposed to work."

Luo Li sheathed her sword.

Her exquisite little face was flushed from the exertion, yet her expression remained serious and focused. "You blocked it today. Very good."

With that, she naturally walked over to the fire Bing Tianxiao had just lit.

She found a clean stone and sat down, her bright eyes fixed intently on the pot in Bing Tianxiao's hands.

"...That's my breakfast." Bing Tianxiao shielded the pot.

"I know." Luo Li nodded matter-of-factly. "But I'm hungry."

"What does you being hungry have to do with me?! You're here to kill me, not eat my food!" Bing Tianxiao snapped.

Luo Li tilted her head slightly, silver hair sliding over her shoulder.

She looked at Bing Tianxiao with a certain expression.

"..."

Bing Tianxiao opened his mouth, only to find himself completely speechless.

What the hell.

So not only did he have to be her sparring partner, he also had to handle her logistics and feed her so she would have the strength to come kill him?

In the end, Bing Tianxiao still gave in.

He had no choice. He could not truly fight to the death, and he could not shake her if he ran.

Other than feeding her so she would stay quiet for a while, what else could he do?

Thus, an extremely bizarre sight appeared on the Spirit Road.

At noon.

Bing Tianxiao had just hunted down a spirit beast and collected its Essence.

A silver figure drifted down from the treetops, Luoshen Sword pointed straight at him. "Have you rested enough? Fight me again."

"Wait! The meat isn't even roasted yet!"

"...Fine. I'll wait half an incense stick's time."

At dusk.

Bing Tianxiao was searching for a campsite.

"The terrain here is open. It is suitable for a duel."

Luo Li's faint voice drifted from behind him.

"Duel my ass! The wind's too strong here to start a fire. Are we supposed to drink the northwest wind tonight?"

"...Then let's go to that cave ahead."

Late at night.

By the campfire, Bing Tianxiao looked at the last piece of roasted meat in his hand. Just as he was about to bring it to his mouth, he felt a scorching gaze locked firmly onto his hand.

He turned his head stiffly.

Luo Li sat beside him with her knees drawn up, her glass-like eyes gleaming with anticipation in the firelight.

In despair, Bing Tianxiao handed her the meat.

Luo Li accepted the roasted meat and ate it gracefully in small bites.

Her originally icy aura instantly softened considerably in the face of good food.

After she finished, she licked her lips with lingering satisfaction. Then she resumed her aloof goddess-like appearance and nodded seriously at Bing Tianxiao.

"Thank you for the meal. Tomorrow, I will come to take your life on time."

"Go sleep!"

Bing Tianxiao angrily tossed a piece of firewood into the flames.

He looked at Luo Li as she wiped down the Luoshen Sword, grief and indignation filling his heart.

Was this really a pursuit?

She had clearly latched onto a long-term meal ticket while finding herself a free sparring partner!

The worst part was that she ate his food, drank his water, and still did not hold back at all when they fought.

Every move targeted his vital points, keeping Bing Tianxiao tense these past few days and leaving him far less at ease than before.

"What a curse..."

Bing Tianxiao looked up at the stars, on the verge of tears.

"Grandpa, I want to go home. This woman is too terrifying..."

In the blink of an eye, five months passed.

During this time, Bing Tianxiao had already pushed his Third-level Spirit Body to its limit.

As for breaking through to a Fourth-level Spirit Body, he would need to kill at least one Earth Ranking Spirit Beast here that rivaled a Divine Soul Realm expert.

That was his judgment.

If he could use spirit energy, killing an Earth Ranking Spirit Beast would be easy.

But this was the Spirit Road, a place where spirit energy could not be used.

[Great Ruler Realm: Sensing Realm → Spirit Movement Realm → Spirit Wheel Realm → Divine Soul Realm → Three Heaven Realms (Heaven Integration Realm → Heaven Transformation Realm → Heaven Reaching Realm) → Supreme Realm (First to Ninth Rank → Earth Supreme → Heavenly Sovereign)]

Bing Tianxiao sat by the campfire, roasting meat.

"Strange..."

Bing Tianxiao frowned and glanced at the sky.

At this time in the past, Luo Li would have already come charging over with her sword to kill him.

Even if she had not come to kill him, she would have appeared beside the pot on time, waiting for the meal.

Why was she late today?

"Did she suddenly grow a conscience and decide to let me go?"

Bing Tianxiao muttered, but an inexplicable unease rose in his heart.

After living together for five months, he understood Luo Li's personality all too well.

That stubborn girl would never give up halfway once she set her mind on something, not even if nine oxen tried to pull her back.

Unless... something had happened to her.

"Tch, I really owe her!"

Cursing under his breath, Bing Tianxiao threw the half-roasted meat back into the fire. His body flashed as he sped toward the other side of the valley, following the faint footprints in the snow.

Several miles away.

The atmosphere was taut with tension, and the air was filled with a fierce killing intent.

Eight figures stood spread out in a fan formation, blocking a silver figure before the valley.

Luo Li held the Luoshen Sword, its tip pointed diagonally at the ground.

Her breathing was slightly hurried, clearly indicating that she had already fought a battle.

Standing opposite her were two leaders whom Bing Tianxiao would certainly recognize if he saw them.

The man on the left had venomous eyes. He was Yang Hong, whom Bing Tianxiao had suppressed at the Third Guardian Ground.

The man on the right wore gray robes, his eyes carrying a lofty, indifferent chill.

He was Zhao Tiandu, Ji Xuan's right-hand man.

"Luo Li, stop struggling."

Yang Hong looked at the trapped girl, a vicious smile curling across his lips. "I know you're strong. In a one-on-one fight, perhaps no one here could keep you.

But unfortunately, this is the Spirit Road. Here, the strong rule and the weak perish. This is not a place for individual heroics."

Luo Li's expression remained cold. There was not the slightest ripple in her glass-like eyes as she spat out a single word, "Scram."

"Hmph, you refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit!"

Yang Hong's face darkened.

Zhao Tiandu, who had remained silent all this time, suddenly spoke. "Luo Li, I told you that you can't escape. You should come back with us and meet Brother Ji Xuan."

Luo Li looked at them quietly.

Aside from Zhao Tiandu, there was one other Third-level Spirit Body cultivator. The other six were all at the peak Level 2 Spirit Body.

Such a combination was no longer something she could withstand.

The two Third-level Spirit Bodies joining forces were already enough to fight her to a draw.

If the other six launched sneak attacks from the side, the chance of her being captured would be extremely high.

"Luo Li, make your decision!" Zhao Tiandu said in a deep voice.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The instant Zhao Tiandu's words fell.

Four piercing whistles rang out, howling toward them like the whistles of death, carrying a chilling cold that made their scalps tingle.