When Li Xuan and Chen Feng returned to Iron Wall City, the city gates were already under martial law.
The defenders on the ramparts acted as if facing a formidable enemy, with archers all in position and rolling logs and rocks piled higher than a person.
The air was thick with an anxious tension, and even the wind carried the scent of blood.
"Halt!"
The gate captain intercepted the two men, his gaze vigilant. "State your names and affiliations!"
"Li Xuan, Iron Fist martial arts school of Black Stone City."
"Chen Feng."
The captain scrutinized the two men carefully, lingering particularly long on Li Xuan.
Though Li Xuan had changed into clean clothes, the injuries on his face, the bloodstains on his body, and the killing intent of someone who had just crawled out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood could not be hidden.
"Wait." The captain turned to report.
A moment later, Wang Meng arrived at the ramparts in person.
The general of Zhenbei had a few new wounds on his face, and his armor was stained with congealed blood. Standing behind the battlements, he looked down at the two men below with a complex gaze.
"Open the gate and let them in."
Inside the Discussion Hall of the General's Mansion.
Li Xuan and Chen Feng had just crossed the threshold when they saw Zhao Wuji.
He sat on the lower seat, nursing injuries of his own, though they were much lighter than Li Xuan's. At the moment, he was holding a cup of tea, leisurely blowing away the tea foam.
Seeing the two enter, he raised his eyes and a cold sneer curved the corner of his mouth.
"Junior Brother Li, Senior Brother Chen, you're still alive." He set down the teacup. "You certainly have thick lives."
"You aren't dead either." Li Xuan's voice was calm.
Wang Meng took the principal seat, his gaze sweeping across the three of them.
"At the battle of Wolf Fang Pass, five of you went, and three returned." He paused. "Where are Sun Wu and Liu Qingqing?"
"I don't know." Chen Feng shook his head. "We got separated after splitting up."
"Zhao Wuji," Wang Meng looked at him, "you tell me what happened."
Zhao Wuji stood up and cupped his fists. "Reporting to the General, last night we infiltrated Wolf Fang Pass according to plan. Li Xuan volunteered to sneak into the main tent to assassinate Wanyan Lie, while Senior Brother Chen and I split up to set fires and create chaos."
He paused, a look of grief and indignation appearing on his face. "Yet who would have thought that Li Xuan... he never intended to assassinate Wanyan Lie at all! He went to leak information!"
The Discussion Hall fell instantly silent.
Even the guards outside the hall pricked up their ears.
"Go on." Wang Meng's expression darkened.
"After setting the fire, I grew worried about Li Xuan and went to the main tent to provide backup." Zhao Wuji's acting was exquisite, his eye rims reddening. "Only to see... to see Li Xuan in secret consultation with Wanyan Lie! He even laid out our entire operation plan! Wanyan Lie gave the order to surround and slaughter us on the spot. I fought my way out of the encirclement at the cost of my life, and Senior Brother Chen was also deceived by him—"
"Bullshit!" Chen Feng flew into a rage, drawing his sword as he lunged forward.
Li Xuan held him back.
"Let him finish."
Zhao Wuji wiped away a nonexistent tear from the corner of his eye. "General, I know this is hard to believe. But this man Li Xuan... has always had an obscure background. A mere refugee rising from a handyman to the inner courtyard in a single month, with his combat strength advancing by leaps and bounds—this was never reasonable to begin with. Now that I think about it, he must be a barbarian spy, lurking in the martial arts school with evil intentions!"
He dropped to his knees with a thud. "General, if this fiend is not eliminated, Iron Wall City is in peril!"
Dead silence filled the hall.
Wang Meng stared at Li Xuan. "What do you have to say for yourself?"
Li Xuan laughed.
"Senior Brother Zhao, you've woven quite the story." He took a step forward. "Yet you forgot one thing—is Wanyan Lie dead or alive right now?"
Zhao Wuji's expression shifted slightly.
"Last night, I fought him and heavily damaged his chest and abdomen. If you hadn't suddenly turned on me and stabbed me with a sword, he would be a corpse by now." Li Xuan pulled open his collar, exposing the wound on his left shoulder—a sword gash overlapping an arrow wound, the flesh turned outward and deep to the bone.
"This sword stroke is your sword technique."
He pointed to his chest next. "Wanyan Lie's fist broke four of my ribs. But your sword was more merciless than his fist."
Everyone in the hall looked toward Zhao Wuji.
Zhao Wuji gritted his teeth. "That was you staging a play with Wanyan Lie! A bitter flesh ruse!"
"A bitter flesh ruse?" Li Xuan turned to Wang Meng. "General, please summon a military physician to examine the wounds. Wanyan Lie's fist force is fierce and tyrannical, leaving wounds torn in a spiral shape. Zhao Wuji's sword technique is soft and yielding, leaving smooth and neat cuts. One look is all it takes to know."
Wang Meng waved a hand. "Fetch the military physician."
The military physician arrived swiftly.
He was an old man with white hair, rough fingers, and extraordinary dexterity. He carefully inspected Li Xuan's wounds before examining Zhao Wuji's sword.
"Reporting to the General," the military physician said respectfully, "this man's shoulder wound was indeed inflicted by a longsword. The blade width is one inch and two fen, matching Young Master Zhao's side sword. The wound on the chest and abdomen... was caused by the barbarians' Blood Wolf Fist. The fist force is fierce and tyrannical, belonging to at least the eighth layer of Body Tempering."
Wang Meng looked at Zhao Wuji.
Cold sweat beaded on Zhao Wuji's forehead as he forced himself to remain calm. "This... this still proves nothing! Perhaps he conspired with Wanyan Lie and did this on purpose!"
"Enough."
Wang Meng stood up.
He walked to the center of the hall, looking at the three of them. "Each of you tells a different story, and I cannot judge. But one thing is certain—"
He paused. "Wanyan Lie is severely injured, and the barbarians are furious. Scouts report that the Blood Wolf Tribe's thirty thousand troops have poured out in full force, and at the latest by noon tomorrow, they will be at our gates."
The expressions of everyone in the hall shifted drastically.
Thirty thousand barbarian soldiers!
Iron Wall City had only eight thousand defenders, and even with the various reinforcements, it barely totaled twelve thousand at most.
The disparity in troop strength was overwhelming.
"General," Chen Feng cupped his fists, "the most pressing matter is defending the city. Whether Li Xuan is guilty of treason can be investigated after the battle!"
"No." Zhao Wuji said anxiously, "If he is kept in the city, in case he coordinates from within—"
"Then lock them up." Wang Meng cut him off. "Li Xuan, Chen Feng, Zhao Wuji, the three of you will be temporarily detained in the military camp and are not permitted to go out. Once the city defenses are stabilized, we will interrogate you further."
"General!" Chen Feng still wanted to argue.
Wang Meng raised a hand. "Say no more. Take them away."
Personal guards stepped forward.
Li Xuan did not resist.
He glanced at Zhao Wuji, his gaze akin to looking at a dead man.
Zhao Wuji shivered.
The military prison.
Calling it a prison was generous; it was actually just several individual cells separated by wooden palisades. The ground was strewn with hay, and a nightstool sat in the corner, emitting an unpleasant odor.
Li Xuan and Chen Feng were locked together, while Zhao Wuji occupied a cell alone.
Outside the palisade, four guards stood with sabers, their eyes vigilant.
"Dammit." Chen Feng struck the wall with his fist. "That scoundrel Zhao Wuji!"
Li Xuan sat cross-legged on the hay, closing his eyes to regulate his breathing.
"You're still in the mood to cultivate?" Chen Feng glared at him.
"If I don't cultivate, do I wait to die?" Li Xuan opened his eyes. "The barbarians arrive tomorrow, and Iron Wall City cannot be held."
"Then why did you—"
"That's why I need to recover as quickly as possible." Li Xuan said, "Wang Meng is not a fool; he knows Zhao Wuji is lying. But he doesn't dare gamble—in case I truly am problematic, letting me out would be a catastrophe. That's why he locked us up."
He paused. "When the barbarians attack the city and it is on the verge of falling, he won't have the leisure to mind us. By then... that will be our opportunity."
Chen Feng was stunned. "What opportunity?"
"The opportunity to kill Zhao Wuji." Li Xuan's voice was ice cold. "And... the opportunity to perform a meritorious service."
He closed his eyes again, circulating his vital energy and blood.
Within his body, Potential Points remained.
[Potential: 3.7 → 1.2]
He had just added 2.5 to physique, leaving 1.2.
He poured all of it into strength.
[Strength: 3.0 → 4.2]
A wave of heat surged through him.
His broken bones healed at an accelerated rate, and his meridians were nourished and repaired.
Though he was still far from peak condition, he at least... had the strength for a fight.
Late at night.
Footsteps echoed from outside the prison.
They were not the routine patrols of the guards, but the footsteps of two people—one light, one heavy.
Li Xuan opened his eyes.
Outside the palisade, Wang Meng stood there with a personal guard trailing behind him.
"Open the door." Wang Meng said.
The guard unlocked the cell door.
Wang Meng walked in, his gaze falling upon Li Xuan. "You managed to survive under Wanyan Lie and even heavily injured him. Your strength is not low."
Li Xuan stood up. "You flatter me, General."
"I am not praising you." Wang Meng stared at him. "I am wondering who on earth you are."
"Li Xuan, a disciple of the Iron Fist martial arts school of Black Stone City."
"Of refugee origin, reaching the fifth layer of Body Tempering in a single month, with combat strength rivaling the sixth." Wang Meng shook his head. "This is not normal."
Li Xuan fell silent.
He knew what Wang Meng suspected.
"General," Chen Feng interjected, "if Li Xuan were truly a spy, Wanyan Lie would not have been heavily injured last night at Wolf Fang Pass. He could easily have cooperated with the barbarians to coordinate an inside and outside attack and take Iron Wall City."
"I know." Wang Meng said. "That is why I came."
He drew a letter from his bosom and handed it to Li Xuan.
The letter was written by the headmaster.
"Headmaster Lin's letter states that although your origins are unknown, your willpower is tenacious and you are not a wicked person." Wang Meng said. "He asked me to give you a chance."
"What chance?"
"Defending the city tomorrow." Wang Meng said. "The barbarians' first wave of assault—you will lead a troop out of the city to charge their formation. Slay a hundred enemies, or kill one barbarian commander, and I will believe your innocence."
Chen Feng's expression changed drastically. "General! Li Xuan's severe injuries have not healed; charging out of the city to assault formations is absolute suicide!"
"Then he dies." Wang Meng's voice was cruel. "If you are innocent, you die a heroic death. If you are a spy, you die a well-deserved death."
He looked at Li Xuan. "Do you dare?"
Li Xuan took the letter, finished reading it, and burned it.
"I dare."
Just two words.
Wang Meng stared at him for three seconds, then nodded. "Good. Tomorrow at the hour of Chen, gather at the North Gate. I will give you fifty men, all death-defying soldiers from the army. If you survive, I will personally petition for merit on your behalf."
With those words, he turned and left.
The palisade was locked once more.
"Are you out of your mind?" Chen Feng grabbed Li Xuan's shoulder. "In your current state, going out of the city is marching to your death!"
"If I don't go, I die anyway." Li Xuan said. "Wang Meng will not let a suspect stay in the city. Charging out to assault the formation is a stepping stone he is giving to me, and to himself."
He paused. "Besides... I need military merit."
"Military merit?"
"Killing barbarians yields Potential Points." Li Xuan said in a low voice. "The more I kill, the faster I recover. This is the only chance."
Chen Feng was struck dumb.
He did not understand what "Potential Points" were, but he understood Li Xuan's intent.
"I'm going with you."
"No." Li Xuan shook his head. "You must stay in the city. In case I die... you must stay alive and tell Headmaster Lin about Zhao Wuji."
Chen Feng gritted his teeth and finally nodded.
The next day, the hour of Chen.
Outside the North Gate, the atmosphere was stern as iron.
Fifty death-defying soldiers had already formed up. They wore tattered leather armor, wielded worn sabers and swords, and wore expressions devoid of fear, marked only by numbness. These were veteran soldiers who had lost everything on the battlefield, living life one day at a time.
Li Xuan stood at the head of the formation, holding a newly issued standard battle saber. The blade was mere common iron, but it was better than nothing.
He wore leather armor stripped from a barbarian corpse, the bloodstains unwashed, exuding a foul, fishy stench. The wound on his left shoulder was tightly bound with cloth strips, yet pain flared whenever he moved.
On the ramparts, Wang Meng stood tall, overlooking the scene below.
Zhao Wuji was also present, standing by Wang Meng's side with a cold sneer hanging from his mouth.
"Li Xuan," Wang Meng spoke, "do you see them?"
He pointed toward the north.
On the horizon, the dark mass of the barbarian army surged forward like a tidal wave. Their banners were like a forest, their saber light like snow, and at the very front were three hundred wolf cavalry—the elite of the barbarians, each riding a robust snow wolf with ghostly green eyes and exposed fangs.
"Your task is to scatter the vanguard of the wolf cavalry." Wang Meng said. "You need not fight to the death, merely disrupt their formation. I will order the archers to provide cover."
"Understood." Li Xuan cupped his fists.
He swung up onto his horse.
The fifty death-defying soldiers mounted up behind him.
"Open the gates!"
The heavy city gates slowly swung open.
Outside the gates lay thirty thousand barbarian troops.
Inside the gates stood fifty men ready to die.
"Charge—!"
Li Xuan took the lead, spurring his horse forward.
Fifty elite soldiers followed closely behind, silent as iron.
Atop the battlements, Zhao Wuji sneered. "Seeking death."
Wang Meng said nothing, only tightening his grip on his sword hilt.
Three hundred paces.
Two hundred paces.
One hundred paces!
Awooo!
The barbarian wolf cavalry spotted this small squad, letting out excited howls.
The three hundred wolf riders changed direction, charging forward like sharp arrows!
Snow wolves galloped, the ground trembling.
Li Xuan's gaze was ice-cold.
He raised his battle saber.
"Spread out! Wedge formation!"
The fifty elite soldiers swiftly shifted formations, taking Li Xuan as the arrowhead and advancing in a wedge.
The distance between both sides closed rapidly.
Fifty paces!
"Shoot!" A roar came from Wang Meng atop the city wall.
Swish, swish, swish!
A rain of arrows poured down from the ramparts, shooting toward the rear of the wolf cavalry.
Yet the wolf cavalry were too fast; the arrow rain only brought down a dozen or so riders.
Thirty paces!
Li Xuan could already clearly see the ferocious expressions on the faces of the foremost barbarians.
That was a one-eyed barbarian, wielding a scimitar, his wolf's eyes scarlet.
Body Tempering Layer Six.
"Die!"
The one-eyed barbarian brought his scimitar down in a slash!
Li Xuan neither dodged nor evaded, thrusting his battle saber upward!
The two blades collided.
Li Xuan's tiger's mouth split open, his battle saber nearly slipping from his grip.
Yet he did not retreat.
Shadow Step erupted instantly, his body leaping from the horse's back and circling around to the one-eyed barbarian's flank like a ghost.
His battle saber slashed horizontally!
A head flew into the air!
Fresh blood sprayed!
He landed, rolling to dodge another wolf rider's pouncing strike, and thrust his saber backhand into a wolf's belly.
The snow wolf wailed and collapsed to the ground.
That barbarian tumbled down, and before he could even get up, Li Xuan severed his neck with a single blade stroke.
Keep killing!
Li Xuan was like a tiger entering a flock of sheep; wherever his battle saber passed, severed limbs and broken arms flew.
The fifty elite soldiers also had their eyes stained red with slaughter.
They were all veterans, rich in experience and tacitly coordinated.
Operating in groups of three to cover one another, they focused their attacks on the vulnerable spots of the wolf cavalry.
However, the numerical disparity was far too great.
Fifty against three hundred, and cavalry against cavalry at that.
Soon, the elite soldiers began to suffer casualties.
A veteran was cleaved across the shoulder by a scimitar, half of his torso laid open, but before dying he clamped his arms tightly around a barbarian's leg, creating an opening for his comrade.
Another veteran had his throat locked in the jaws of a snow wolf, yet the blade in his hand also drove deep into a barbarian's heart.
Perishing together.
Utterly tragic.
Three more wounds were added to Li Xuan's body.
His left leg was sliced open by a wolf claw, exposing the bone deep within. His back took a slash, shattering his leather armor. His right arm was grazed by a scimitar, leaving a bloody trough.
Yet he was still killing.
Every person killed increased his Potential Points by a fraction.
Every wound sustained was mended using Potential Points.
[Physique: 8.7 → 9.5] [Strength: 4.2 → 5.8]
Growing stronger through battle!
The barbarians finally realized something was amiss.
How could this Southern general grow more ferocious the longer they fought?
"Surround him!" roared a barbarian chieftain.
Twenty wolf riders converged on Li Xuan simultaneously.
Li Xuan's gaze sharpened.
He could not fight them head-on.
He whipped his horse's head around, charging toward the flank.
However, the barbarians pursued relentlessly.
Just as he was about to be surrounded—
A bugle horn suddenly sounded from the city walls.
It was the charge signal!
The North Gate opened once more.
This time, five hundred cavalrymen surged out!
The elite garrison of Iron Wall City, led by Chen Feng!
"Li Xuan! Hold on!" Chen Feng roared from horseback.
Li Xuan's spirit surged.
Waving his battle saber once more, he cut down a barbarian.
The two forces of cavalry crashed together.
A chaotic melee erupted.
Li Xuan's pressure lessened dramatically, and he began specifically hunting down barbarian chieftains.
One at Body Tempering Layer Five, Potential +0.15.
One at Body Tempering Layer Six, Potential +0.3.
Kill! Kill! Kill!
He knew not how long had passed.
The barbarian horn sounded, signaling the command to retreat.
The wolf cavalry began to fall back.
Li Xuan still wanted to pursue, but Chen Feng pulled him back.
"Enough! Back to the city!"
The five hundred cavalrymen covered the remaining elite soldiers, retreating back into the city.
The city gates closed.
Li Xuan slid down from his horse's back, collapsing to sit on the ground.
Caked entirely in blood, it was impossible to tell whether it belonged to him or the enemy.
Yet he smiled.
On his panel, his Potential Points had already risen to 8.6.
This battle had claimed the lives of at least thirty barbarian martial artists.
A massive profit.
"Li Xuan!"
Wang Meng descended from the battlements, walking with long strides up to stand before him with a complex gaze.
"How many enemies did you slay?"
"Didn't count." Li Xuan panted. "The wolf cavalry vanguard... should be broken."
Wang Meng looked outside the city.
Of the three hundred wolf riders, fewer than a hundred escaped back. Corpses littered the ground, the vast majority of them barbarians.
"Good!" Wang Meng heavily patted Li Xuan's shoulder. "For this battle, you take first merit!"
He paused slightly. "As for Zhao Wuji's affair, I shall investigate it thoroughly. If he truly dared to collude with the enemy... I will execute him with my own hands!"
Li Xuan nodded.
He looked toward the ramparts.
Zhao Wuji was already gone.
Had he fled?
Or perhaps...
Li Xuan's gaze was ice-cold.
No matter where he ran to, he had to die.
The General's Estate, side courtyard.
Zhao Wuji hurriedly packed his luggage.
He had not expected Li Xuan to return alive, let alone achieve great merit.
This was the end of him.
Wang Meng already harbored suspicions; if he stayed any longer, death was certain.
"Young Master Zhao, in such a hurry to leave?"
A voice traveled from the doorway.
Zhao Wuji stiffened all over.
He turned his head.
Li Xuan stood right there, leaning against the doorframe. Blood was still dripping from his body, but his gaze was clear.
"You... how did you get in here?" Zhao Wuji drew his sword.
"I walked in." Li Xuan said. "The guards were knocked out by me."
"What do you want?" Zhao Wuji retreated. "This is the General's Estate!"
"To kill you." Li Xuan spat out two words.
"You dare! General Wang will not let you off!"
"General Wang is currently investigating the evidence of your collusion with the enemy." Li Xuan walked slowly into the room. "By the time he finishes investigating, you'll die an even more wretched death. Rather than that, I might as well kill you now and claim you fled in fear of crime and were intercepted and slain by me."
Zhao Wuji's face turned pale as paper.
He knew that Li Xuan spoke the truth.
"Li Xuan... Junior Brother Li!" He squeezed out a smile. "We are fellow disciples from the same sect, why must you push things to a desperate end? I... I can give you money! Gold! My father has plenty of money!"
"Money?" Li Xuan laughed. "What would I want with money?"
"Then what do you want? Cultivation techniques? Medicinal pills? My father can get all of them!"
"I want you to die."
Li Xuan moved.
Shadow Step erupted, closing the distance instantly.
Zhao Wuji gritted his teeth and thrust out with his sword.
He knew today it was either him or Li Xuan who would die.
The two swords collided.
Zhao Wuji retreated three steps in a row, his arm going numb.
He was at Body Tempering Layer Six; logically speaking, he ought not to be this weak.
Yet right now, Li Xuan's... combat prowess was already approaching Layer Seven!
"Die!"
Li Xuan pressed the attack again.
His battle saber swept like a raging storm, forcing Zhao Wuji into a purely defensive stance.
Ten moves.
Twenty moves.
The thirtieth move—
Slash!
The battle saber pierced into Zhao Wuji's chest.
Zhao Wuji's movements froze.
He lowered his head and looked at the blade in his chest, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"You... you actually dared..."
"What is there not to dare?" Li Xuan pulled out the blade.
Blood sprayed out.
Zhao Wuji collapsed to the ground, twitched twice, and stopped moving.
Li Xuan crouched down and searched a letter from his bosom.
It was a secret letter written to Wanyan Lie by Elder Zhao.
It detailed the information of the five people sent out by the Iron Fist martial arts school, their marching route, and... the promise to act as an inside agent within Iron Wall City.
The evidence was conclusive.
Li Xuan burned the letter.
Then, he carried Zhao Wuji's corpse and walked out of the room.
Outside the door, Wang Meng stood there.
He had been there for a long time.
"General." Li Xuan threw the corpse on the ground. "Zhao Wuji tried to flee from justice, and I intercepted and killed him."
Wang Meng glanced at the corpse and then looked at Li Xuan.
"Where is the secret letter?"
"Burned."
"Why?"
"Elder Zhao has great influence in the martial arts school." Li Xuan said. "Keeping it makes it difficult for the master. Burning it means we treat Zhao Wuji as having died in battle. It is good for the martial arts school, and good for the General."
Wang Meng stared at him for a long time.
In the end, he nodded.
"You are smarter than I thought."
He turned around. "Clean up and come to the Discussion Hall. The barbarian main force has arrived, and the real hard battle... has only just begun."
Li Xuan looked at Wang Meng's back, then looked at the corpse on the ground.
He bent down and groped a small cloth pouch from Zhao Wuji's bosom.
Inside were five pills and a thin booklet.
The pills were Body Tempering Pills, middle-grade mortal tier.
The booklet...
A fragment of the Blood Fiend Bone Forging Technique.
Li Xuan's pupils constricted.
Zhao Wuji actually had this thing?
He opened the booklet.
There were only three pages, recording the mental cultivation method for the first layer of the bone forging technique.
But it was enough.
As long as he had a way in, he could deduce the rest.
Before you continue