Five sturdy horses stood outside the martial arts hall, fully saddled and bridled, with dried-ration bags and waterskins hanging beside their saddles.
Besides Li Xuan, there were four others: Zhao Wuji, Chen Feng, and two inner-courtyard disciples—a man named Sun Wu who wielded a spear, and a woman named Liu Qingqing who used twin swords.
The hall master personally saw them off.
"This journey will take you three thousand li to the Northern Territory. Even at a gallop, it will take half a month." The hall master handed each of them a leather pouch. "Inside are Marching Pills. Take one every three days; they can stave off hunger and thirst. Once you reach Iron Wall City, report to General Wang Meng of the Northern Garrison Army."
Zhao Wuji accepted the pouch and cupped his fists. "Rest assured, Hall Master. This disciple will not fail you."
Chen Feng merely nodded.
Li Xuan silently tied the pouch around his waist, then mounted his horse.
"Set out."
The five horses charged out of the martial arts hall, pounding along the bluestone road as they sped north.
At first, everything went smoothly.
All five kept their heads down and hurried onward. Apart from necessary exchanges, they hardly spoke.
Sun Wu and Liu Qingqing clearly treated Zhao Wuji as their leader. The two guarded him from either side, their eyes alert. Chen Feng followed alone at the rear, while Li Xuan rode in the middle.
At dusk, the five reached Northward Posthouse, a hundred li away.
It was the final posthouse along the official road. Beyond it lay the wilderness.
The posthouse was small, with earthen walls and a wooden roof. Several relay horses were tethered in the courtyard. The postmaster was a one-eyed old man. When he saw the five's attire, he hurried out to greet them.
"Esteemed martial artists, are you looking for lodging?"
"Five rooms." Zhao Wuji tossed over a silver ingot.
"Coming right up!"
The rooms were crude, containing only a bed and a table. Li Xuan tethered his horse and checked his luggage once before entering his room.
He did not sleep.
He sat cross-legged on the bed and circulated his qi and blood.
He had already memorized the insights for Iron Bone Skill. Combined with Body Tempering Powder, they had clearly strengthened his bones over the past few days. But he was still far from mastery.
In the dead of night, a faint noise came from outside the window.
Li Xuan opened his eyes and placed a hand on his saber hilt.
It was extremely faint, but it could not escape the perception granted by his 1.6 Spirit attribute.
At least three people were creeping over from the roof.
He silently slipped from the bed and hid behind the door.
Creak—
The window was pried open a crack.
A bamboo tube was thrust inside, blowing out a cloud of white smoke.
Knockout smoke?
Li Xuan held his breath and stilled his mind.
After waiting ten breaths, the window was pushed open, and a black shadow vaulted inside.
It landed without a sound—a skilled fighter.
The shadow crept to the bedside and raised its saber to slash—
It struck empty air.
"Not good!" the shadow whispered.
But it was too late.
Li Xuan flashed out from behind the door, and the Black Scale Saber swept across the shadow's throat.
Splurt.
Blood sprayed out.
The shadow clutched its neck and collapsed.
The other two heard the commotion and burst through the window.
They were both masked in black and wielded steel sabers.
"Kill!" one of them growled.
The two lunged forward at the same time.
Blade light flashed like snow.
Li Xuan did not retreat but advanced instead. He unleashed Shadow Step, passing between the two like a ghost.
The Black Scale Saber swept upward behind him.
Thud! Thud!
The two were struck in the back and toppled forward.
Three breaths.
Three dealt with.
Li Xuan crouched down and pulled away the black-clad man's mask.
They were all unfamiliar faces, but each had the same tattoo on his wrist—a black eagle with outspread wings.
Just as he was about to rise, someone knocked on the door.
"Junior Brother Li, are you all right?" It was Chen Feng's voice.
Li Xuan opened the door.
Chen Feng stood outside, a sword in hand, blood dripping from its tip. Two black-clad corpses lay behind him.
"You had some come here too?" Chen Feng asked.
"Three," Li Xuan said.
"I had two." Chen Feng glanced into the room. "There was no movement from Zhao Wuji's side."
The two exchanged a look and headed toward Zhao Wuji's room.
The door was open.
Zhao Wuji sat at the table, wiping his sword. Five corpses lay on the floor, all of them black-clad men.
"They came in seven waves." Zhao Wuji looked up with a cold laugh. "The Black Wind Bandits really think highly of us."
Sun Wu and Liu Qingqing also emerged from their rooms. There was blood on them, but their wounds were only superficial.
"Twelve dead." Chen Feng counted them. "All skilled fighters around the Body Tempering third layer. The Black Wind Bandits really went all out this time."
"And this is only the first day," Li Xuan said.
"That's right." Zhao Wuji rose. "From Northward Posthouse northward, there are three hundred li of wilderness—the perfect place for ambushes. The next few days... will be even more grueling."
He looked at Li Xuan. "What do you think, Junior Brother Li?"
"Kill our way through." Li Xuan spat out three words.
Zhao Wuji laughed. "Good. Then we'll kill our way through."
The next day, the five continued north.
Sure enough, less than ten li after leaving the posthouse, they encountered the first ambush.
Ten black-clad men charged out of the woods beside the road, crossbows in hand.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The arrows flew like a swarm of locusts.
"Scatter!" Zhao Wuji shouted.
All five rolled off their horses at once and hid behind the earthen slope beside the road.
The crossbow bolts buried themselves in the slope with dull thuds.
"Damn it, they're even using repeating crossbows!" Sun Wu cursed. "They're trying to wipe us out!"
Li Xuan poked his head out for a look.
Of the ten black-clad men, three held crossbows to suppress them, while seven advanced with sabers.
It was a standard encirclement formation.
"Leave the crossbowmen to me." Liu Qingqing drew a throwing knife from her robes. "Sun Wu, you take the left and I'll take the right."
"Good!"
The two charged out at the same time.
Liu Qingqing flicked her wrist, sending three throwing knives flying.
Thud, thud, thud!
The three crossbowmen took knives to the throat and fell.
Sun Wu's spear thrust forward like a dragon, stabbing at the black-clad men on the left.
Li Xuan did not remain idle either.
He unleashed Shadow Step and circled around to the rear of the black-clad men.
The Black Scale Saber left its sheath.
Wind Breaking Style!
Blade light spread like a net, enveloping three black-clad men.
The three had no time to react before their throats were slit.
Ten breaths.
All ten black-clad men were wiped out.
"Move!" Zhao Wuji mounted his horse.
The five continued on their way.
But the road ahead grew harder and harder to travel.
On the third day, they encountered three waves of ambushes, killing twenty black-clad men.
On the fourth day, there were five waves of ambushes and thirty black-clad men.
The fifth day...
"Something's wrong." Chen Feng reined in his horse. "The Black Wind Bandits may have numbers, but they shouldn't be fighting this desperately. Nearly a hundred men have died, yet they still won't stop?"
"They're buying time," Li Xuan said.
"Buying time?" Sun Wu asked, puzzled.
"The fighting in the Northern Territory is intense. Arriving one day late could mean missing a crucial opportunity." Li Xuan said, "Someone hired the Black Wind Bandits to delay us."
He looked at Zhao Wuji. "Senior Brother Zhao, what do you think?"
Zhao Wuji's face darkened. "Keep moving."
On the seventh day, the five entered Black Wind Ridge.
This was the unavoidable route north. The mountains on either side were high and densely forested, with a narrow trail winding between them.
"Be careful," Chen Feng said. "This is the perfect place for an ambush."
As soon as he finished speaking, someone appeared on the mountain path ahead.
He was dressed in a black robe, his face covered by a black cloth, and he carried a large saber with a ghostly head.
"This road was opened by me, and these trees were planted by me." The man's voice was hoarse. "If you want to pass through, leave behind a toll."
It was a tired old line.
But no one dared laugh.
Because the aura radiating from that man... belonged to the Body Tempering seventh layer.
"Black Wind Fiend?" Zhao Wuji's pupils contracted.
"That's right." Black Wind Fiend bared his teeth. "You're Zhao Wuji, aren't you? Your father paid five thousand taels for your lives. But... I've changed my mind."
His gaze swept over the five. "You're all elites of the martial arts hall. It would be a shame to kill you. How about this? Kneel and kowtow, then join the Black Wind Bandits. I'll spare your lives."
"Dream on." Liu Qingqing snorted.
"Then don't blame me for showing no mercy." Black Wind Fiend raised a hand.
More than a hundred black-clad men surged out of the forests on either side.
Every one of them carried a saber or sword, their eyes fierce.
They were surrounded.
"Senior Brother Zhao," Sun Wu asked with a trembling voice, "what do we do?"
Zhao Wuji said nothing.
He looked at Li Xuan. "Junior Brother Li, what do you think?"
Li Xuan tightened his grip on the Black Scale Saber. "Fight our way out."
"Good." Zhao Wuji nodded. "Chen Feng, you take the left and I'll take the right. Sun Wu, Liu Qingqing, cover the rear. Li Xuan... you take the lead."
Take the lead.
Facing Black Wind Fiend, who was at the Body Tempering seventh layer.
He was sending Li Xuan to his death.
But Li Xuan did not refuse.
He dismounted and walked toward Black Wind Fiend.
"Kid, you've got guts." Black Wind Fiend laughed. "Give me your name. I never kill nameless nobodies."
"Li Xuan."
"Li Xuan?" Black Wind Fiend thought for a moment. "Never heard of you. But it doesn't matter. You'll be a dead man soon anyway."
He moved.
The ghost-headed saber came crashing down, its wind howling.
That strike carried at least a thousand jin of force!
Li Xuan did not dare meet it head-on. He unleashed Shadow Step and retreated sharply.
The blade scraped past his clothes and carved a deep ditch into the ground.
So strong!
At the Body Tempering seventh layer, his strength was at least 5.0 or higher.
Li Xuan could not withstand him at all.
They could only keep circling him.
Li Xuan pushed Shadow Step to its limit, weaving through the gleaming blades.
But Black Wind Fiend was a seasoned fighter. His saber technique was steady, leaving Li Xuan no chance to get close.
"Brat, is dodging all you can do?" Black Wind Fiend sneered.
Li Xuan did not answer.
He was waiting.
Waiting for an opening.
But the opening never came.
What came instead was a cold arrow.
The arrow shot in from the side, aimed straight at the back of Li Xuan's heart.
It was the cold arrow fired by the black-clad man!
By the time Li Xuan sensed it, he could no longer dodge.
He could only twist sideways.
Pfft!
The arrow pierced his left shoulder and came out the other side.
A sharp pain tore through him.
Li Xuan grunted, his movements slowing for an instant.
And in that instant, Black Wind Fiend's saber arrived.
The blade hacked straight at his face!
It was over.
Li Xuan closed his eyes.
But the expected agony never came.
The clang of metal colliding rang out.
Li Xuan opened his eyes.
Chen Feng stood in front of him, his long sword braced against the ghost-headed saber.
But Chen Feng's face was deathly pale, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
He was only at Body Tempering Level Five. Taking a blow head-on from someone at Level Seven had already injured his internal organs.
"Senior Brother Chen..." Li Xuan stared blankly.
"Stop wasting your breath!" Chen Feng gritted his teeth. "Go!"
He launched a fierce sword assault, forcing Black Wind Fiend back a step.
Li Xuan clenched his teeth, yanked the arrow from his shoulder, and flung it backward.
The arrow pierced a black-clad man's throat.
"Fight our way out!" Zhao Wuji moved as well.
His long sword flashed like a rainbow, thrusting straight at Black Wind Fiend.
Sun Wu and Liu Qingqing charged forward too, and the four of them surrounded Black Wind Fiend.
But more than a hundred black-clad men had already closed in around them.
A chaotic melee erupted.
Li Xuan endured the pain in his shoulder and swung the Black Scale Saber.
Wind Breaking Style! Stream Breaking Style!
Wherever the blade-light passed, black-clad men fell like wheat beneath a sickle.
But the wound in his shoulder was too severe, and blood poured without stopping.
His movements grew slower and slower.
"Li Xuan!" Chen Feng forced back two black-clad men with a single sword stroke and rushed to his side. "Get on the horse!"
"You—"
"Stop wasting your breath!" Chen Feng shoved him onto the saddle, slapped the horse's rump, and shouted, "Go!"
The horse shrieked and charged forward.
"Stop him!" Black Wind Fiend roared.
A dozen black-clad men pounced toward him.
Li Xuan gritted his teeth, pulled a Blood Burst Pill from his robe, and swallowed it.
The medicinal power exploded.
His strength surged!
[Strength: 3.0→6.0]
It was only temporary, but it was enough.
The Black Scale Saber swept sideways.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
Three black-clad men were severed at the waist.
Li Xuan urged his horse onward. Blade-light spun like a wheel, and severed limbs flew wherever he passed.
He hacked out a bloody path.
But when he looked back, he saw that the four others had already been swallowed by the black-clad men.
Zhao Wuji was fighting desperately, Sun Wu had taken a saber wound, and Liu Qingqing had used up all her throwing knives.
Chen Feng... was covered in blood, but he was still fighting with everything he had.
Li Xuan pulled on the reins.
Should he go back?
If he left, he could live.
If he went back... they might all die.
But he did not hesitate.
He turned his horse around and charged back into the fray.
"Li Xuan, are you crazy?" Zhao Wuji roared when he saw him return.
Li Xuan ignored him.
He raised the Black Scale Saber high.
Not Wind Breaking Style.
Nor Stream Breaking Style.
It was... Mountain Slaying Style!
This time, he did not burn his qi and blood.
Instead, he poured all the medicinal power of the Blood Burst Pill into this single strike.
"Slay—!"
The blade-light descended like a blood-red moon!
Boom!!!
The ground exploded.
Dust billowed into the air.
More than a dozen black-clad men were slain by a single stroke.
Black Wind Fiend's expression changed drastically, and he retreated in haste.
But the blade-light still swept across his left arm.
Pfft!
His left arm was severed cleanly at the shoulder!
"Argh—!" Black Wind Fiend screamed.
Li Xuan landed and staggered backward.
The backlash from Mountain Slaying Style had arrived.
His meridians throbbed with unbearable pain, and darkness swam before his eyes.
But he did not fall.
"Retreat!" Black Wind Fiend howled, clutching his severed arm.
The black-clad men withdrew like a receding tide.
In the blink of an eye, they vanished into the mountain forest.
Only five people remained at the scene.
And corpses strewn across the ground.
"Cough, cough..." Chen Feng coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed onto the ground.
A saber wound across Sun Wu's chest ran deep enough to expose bone.
Liu Qingqing's left arm was fractured.
Zhao Wuji... had suffered the lightest injuries, but his expression was the ugliest.
Because just now, he had nearly run away.
"Li Xuan," Zhao Wuji walked over, his gaze complicated. "You..."
"Treat the injuries first." Li Xuan cut him off, pulling out the Golden Wound Powder and dividing it among them.
The arrow wound in his own shoulder was still bleeding.
But he did not treat himself first. Instead, he helped Sun Wu stop the bleeding and set Liu Qingqing's broken bone.
Chen Feng watched him, then suddenly smiled.
"What are you smiling at?" Li Xuan asked.
"I'm smiling because I didn't misjudge you," Chen Feng said.
Li Xuan said nothing.
After treating their wounds, the five rested where they were.
"Black Wind Fiend escaped, but he won't let this go," Zhao Wuji said. "There are still three hundred li ahead. He'll definitely ambush us again."
"Then we'll fight our way through," Li Xuan said.
"Do you still have the strength?" Zhao Wuji looked at him.
Li Xuan pulled the last two Blood Burst Pills from his robe.
"I do."
Zhao Wuji fell silent.
The Blood Burst Pill was a drug for staking one's life.
Li Xuan had actually prepared three of them.
"You..." Zhao Wuji finally sighed. "Fine. From now on, we'll listen to you."
Li Xuan nodded.
He looked north.
There were still three hundred li to go.
Three hundred li ahead lay Iron Wall City.
The Northern Territory.
The battlefield.
And... the place where he would grow stronger.
"Rest for one hour," Li Xuan said. "Then we continue."
He sat cross-legged and circulated his qi and blood, repairing his injuries.
The arrow wound in his shoulder was deep, but the recovery of a Constitution of 5.0 was no joke.
An hour later, the wound had already scabbed over.
It had not fully healed, but at least it no longer hindered his movements.
"Move."
The five mounted their horses and continued north.
Behind them lay a field of black-clad corpses.
Ahead lay unknown dangers.
But Li Xuan tightened his grip on the saber hilt, his gaze unwavering.
The Black Wind Bandits?
Black Wind Fiend?
Come on.
Let's see who dies first.
Three days later, the five arrived at Iron Wall City.
The city walls towered thirty meters high, their blue-black bricks covered in saber cuts and arrow scars. Banners snapped atop the walls, soldiers patrolled back and forth, and a faint scent of blood hung in the air.
This was the Northern Territory.
This was the battlefield.
"Who goes there?" the soldiers atop the walls demanded.
"Iron Fist martial arts school of Black Stone City, reporting here under orders from our school master!" Zhao Wuji produced his token.
The city gates slowly opened.
The five rode into the city.
The sight within left them all silent.
Dense rows of tents lined both sides of the streets. Wounded soldiers lay everywhere—some missing arms or legs, others wrapped from head to toe in bandages. Medical officers were so busy their feet barely touched the ground, yet wounded soldiers still died amid their anguished cries.
Besides the smell of blood, the air was thick with the stench of decay.
"Is this... the Northern Territory?" Liu Qingqing's voice trembled.
The five of them turned their heads.
A middle-aged general stood there, clad in iron armor. His face was weathered by wind and frost, but his eyes were as sharp as knives.
"General Zhenbei, Wang Meng." The general clasped his fists.
"Greetings, General!" The five hurriedly dismounted and saluted.
"No need for such formalities." Wang Meng sized them up. "The martial academy only sent you five?"
"Yes," Zhao Wuji said.
"Three at the fifth level of Body Tempering, and two at the fourth." Wang Meng nodded. "Barely enough. But..."
He paused. "Wolf Fang Pass fell yesterday."
The five men's faces changed drastically.
Wolf Fang Pass was the place they were supposed to defend.
"Wanyan Lie of the barbarian Blood Wolf Tribe led them personally—thirty thousand barbarian soldiers and five hundred barbarian martial artists," Wang Meng said. "Of the three thousand soldiers defending the pass, only eight hundred made it back alive."
He looked at the five of them. "Are you still going?"
Silence fell.
After a long while, Li Xuan spoke. "We're going."
"Good. You've got some blood in you." He turned around. "Follow me."
The five followed him.
Inside the general's residence, Wang Meng spread out a map.
"Although Wolf Fang Pass has fallen, the barbarians haven't secured their foothold yet. I'm not sending you to retake the pass, but to harass them." Wang Meng pointed at the map. "Ambush their supply routes, assassinate their officers, and sow chaos. Hold Wanyan Lie back and buy me time to move in reinforcements."
He looked at the five of them. "This mission is nine deaths to one life. Whether you go or not is up to you."
"I'm going." Li Xuan was the first to speak.
"I'm going too," Chen Feng said.
Zhao Wuji hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "I'm going."
Sun Wu and Liu Qingqing exchanged a glance and gritted their teeth. "We're going."
"Good." Wang Meng took five leather pouches from beneath the table. "Inside are Marching Pills, Stanching Powder, and... one Blood Burning Pill."
The Blood Burning Pill.
A forbidden drug even more vicious than the Blood Burst Pill.
After taking it, one's strength would soar threefold and last for half an incense stick.
But once the drug wore off, death was certain.
"This is your last resort," Wang Meng said. "Don't use it unless you're driven into a desperate situation."
The five accepted the leather pouches.
"When do we leave?" Li Xuan asked.
"Tonight," Wang Meng said. "Under cover of darkness, infiltrate the rear of Wolf Fang Pass."
He paused. "One last warning—on the battlefield, the most terrifying thing isn't the enemy. It's betrayal. Watch the people beside you."
With that, he turned and left.
The five stood before the map in silence.
"Li Xuan," Zhao Wuji suddenly said, "we might not come back from this."
"I know," Li Xuan said.
"Aren't you afraid?"
"I am," Li Xuan said. "But fear won't help."
Zhao Wuji stared at him, then suddenly smiled.
"I used to think you were a madman," he said. "Now I think... you're a friend worth making."
Li Xuan said nothing.
A friend?
On the battlefield, there were no friends.
Only the living and the dead.
"Get ready," Chen Feng said. "We leave at nightfall."
Before you continue