Black Eagle Sect! Li Xian's Talented Senior Brothers and Sisters! The Beloved Daughter of Heaven, An Yanbing!

On a mountain path in Qingshan Town.

Three swift horses galloped along, kicking up dust and dirt as they headed in the direction of Shuanglin Village on Qingliang Mountain.

On one of the fine steeds was a young man of seventeen or eighteen, clad in a white martial robe embroidered with a soaring eagle. He was handsome and possessed an extraordinary aura, though his face was etched with urgency.

This was Li Xian, who was desperately trying to return to his village to wipe out the Black Wind Stockade.

After suffering a crushing defeat at the hands of the Black Wind Stockade, Li Xian reflected deeply and returned directly to Anyuan County Town to enlist the help of his senior brothers and sisters from the Black Eagle Sect, vowing to eliminate this scourge.

His two senior brothers and sisters readily agreed. They would not shirk their duty to rid the world of evil, especially when their junior brother Li Xian asked.

"Junior Brother Li Xian, don't be so anxious. We, along with Senior Sister An Yanbing, will definitely eradicate that den of thieves and bandits, the Black Wind Stockade, and stop them from harming people."

"Indeed, although the Black Wind Stockade has experts in the Meridian Opening Realm, they are nothing but a disorganized rabble!"

A man around twenty years old spoke from atop a swift horse. He wore a black martial robe embroidered with a giant flying eagle, similar to the pattern on Li Xian's clothes. This was the insignia of the Black Eagle Sect in Anyuan County Town, and this man was Li Xian's senior brother, Xiao Yingkai.

It was said that Xiao Yingkai, who also came from a remote mountain village, was accepted as a disciple by the Black Eagle Sect due to his exceptional innate talent. Because of his humble origins, Xiao Yingkai harbored a strong hatred for evil.

Upon hearing that his junior brother Li Xian had been injured by members of the Black Wind Stockade, and learning of the villagers' constant oppression and humiliation by them, Xiao Yingkai was determined to avenge his junior brother.

After all, their relationship as fellow disciples had always been excellent within the sect.

On another swift horse was a woman dressed in white martial attire. She was not old, at most nineteen, but possessed astonishing strength. This woman was a master of the Meridian Opening Realm.

The woman in white was named An Yanbing. She was tall and slender, with a beautiful and delicate face, skin as white as snow, and an inherently cool demeanor. She spoke little, but when Li Xian and Xiao Yingkai looked at her, their eyes were filled with immense respect.

Despite her young age, Senior Sister An Yanbing's strength was terrifying. According to the elders of the sect, Senior Sister An Yanbing's cultivation had already reached the late stage of the Meridian Opening Realm, having opened the twelve major meridians within her body. She would soon reach the peak of the Meridian Opening Realm and was already preparing to break through to the Tendon Changing Realm.

Her strength and talent were truly astonishing.

She was undeniably the most gifted prodigy of the Black Eagle Sect!

The reason she chose to act this time was naturally because An Yanbing could not tolerate the actions of the Black Wind Stockade. She hadn't expected such a den of bandits and thieves to exist in the surrounding mountains. If the authorities wouldn't deal with them, then she, An Yanbing, would take action herself.

At the same time, An Yanbing had another purpose for coming to Qingliang Mountain: to see if there were any suitable martial arts talents. If there were, she would bring them back to the Black Eagle Sect for training.

Currently, Anyuan County Town had many sects and influential minor aristocratic families, and many martial arts talents were absorbed by them early on. In the long run, this would be detrimental to the development of the Black Eagle Sect.

Especially the Huang Family, a minor aristocratic family in Anyuan County Town, now harbored ambitions of annexing all the sects and factions in the county, which put pressure on the Black Eagle Sect.

Although the Huang Family was a minor aristocratic family, perhaps not yet a true aristocratic family, the addition of the word "minor" before "aristocratic family" indicated that their strength had reached a level where they could dominate a region.

After all, aristocratic families were, without exception, top forces in the martial arts world. When an aristocratic family became enraged, mountains and rivers would tremble, and even the government and imperial court would not dare to offend the major aristocratic families of the martial arts world, which showed the weight of the term "aristocratic family."

Therefore, for the development of the Black Eagle Sect, An Yanbing naturally had to recruit martial arts talents with good innate potential for the sect.

As for the Huang Family's ambition to annex all the sects and factions in Anyuan County Town, even if they had the ambition now, they would not be able to achieve it easily. After all, each sect had complex relationships and backgrounds behind them.

Take their Black Eagle Sect, for example. Although it was a sect in Anyuan County Town, it had deep connections with a major power in the prefectural city. If the Huang Family wanted to move against their Black Eagle Sect, they would have to consider whether they could shake that major power in the prefectural city.

"Senior Sister An Yanbing, I have a friend in Shuanglin Village. He only started practicing martial arts after he turned eighteen. His start was very late, but he managed to cultivate to the early stage of the Body Tempering Realm without any Body Tempering or Body Forging cultivation techniques. Do you think he has a chance to become a disciple of our Black Eagle Sect?"

As they galloped along, Li Xian thought of something and spoke.

He thought of Su Mo from his village. He hoped he had misjudged him before and informed Senior Sister An Yanbing about Su Mo's situation, asking her to assess whether Su Mo had a chance to join their Black Eagle Sect.

"No! Your friend started cultivating too late. Even if he was lucky enough to break through to the Body Tempering Realm, he would have already surpassed eighteen years old when he started cultivating. His innate potential is likely solidified, and his martial arts path is capped. It would be good if he could break through to the Meridian Opening Realm in his lifetime, but he is far from meeting the qualifications to join our Black Eagle Sect."

An Yanbing shook her head and said calmly.

It wasn't that she was deliberately targeting Junior Brother Li Xian's friend, but rather that her junior brother's friend had started cultivating too late. His innate potential was likely solidified, which resulted in a very low ceiling for his martial arts talent. As a major sect in Anyuan County Town, their Black Eagle Sect sought disciples with superior innate potential, not seedlings without talent.

An Yanbing began cultivating at the age of fifteen and naturally knew the severe consequences of starting to cultivate at eighteen when one's innate potential was solidified. Therefore, she directly rejected Junior Brother Li Xian's proposal.

Li Xian felt regret for Su Mo upon hearing this but could do nothing.

Xiao Yingkai, standing nearby, found it normal. Their Black Eagle Sect recruited geniuses, not mediocre individuals. Junior Brother Li Xian was clearly being overly sentimental.

Their Black Eagle Sect didn't accept just anyone!

Although geniuses could emerge from these remote mountain villages, it depended on the circumstances. A genius who was already older was actually no longer a genius. Their innate potential was blocked and solidified. Even if Junior Brother Li Xian's friend could forcefully break through to the Body Tempering Realm without any Body Tempering cultivation techniques, it showed his talent.

However, his age was too great, and his start in cultivation was too late. The issue of his innate potential was an absolute fatal flaw, and the Black Eagle Sect would not accept him.

"By the way, I heard that Qingliang Mountain has been a bit restless lately. The government of Anyuan County Town apprehended a cultist from the Fire Worship Cult a while ago, but for some reason, he managed to escape and is rumored to have fled into Qingliang Mountain."

"This wanted cultist from the Fire Worship Cult is not weak. He is a martial artist in the Meridian Opening Realm and possesses some kind of miraculous body-tempering technique, making his defense astonishing."

Xiao Yingkai's mind flashed with recent news from the county town as he saw the boundary stone monument of Qingliang Mountain in the distance.

It was said that the Fire Worship Cult was one of the major devilish cults in the martial arts world, skilled in misleading the masses and converting ordinary people into their cultists and believers. This time, the authorities in Anyuan County had apprehended such a cultist from the Fire Worship Cult. It was heard that this person possessed some kind of miraculous body-tempering technique, with formidable physical defense, capable of withstanding attacks from multiple experts of the same realm without dying.

Furthermore, relying on this body-tempering technique, he had escaped the government's pursuit and encirclement and fled to Qingliang Mountain.

An Yanbing's expression remained calm; she did not take the wanted cultist from the Fire Worship Cult to heart.

Li Xian, however, felt a pang of panic. The Black Wind Stockade hadn't been dealt with yet, and now a cultist from the Fire Worship Cult had entered the mountain?

But looking at the composed Senior Brother Xiao Yingkai and the cool and detached Senior Sister An Yanbing, Li Xian calmed down slightly. He felt that if they encountered this cultist from the Fire Worship Cult, his senior brothers and sister would surely have a way to handle it.

Deep within Qingliang Mountain, in a hidden mountain hollow.

An Azure Leopard, whose cultivation had reached the Meridian Opening Realm, was patrolling its territory, exuding a ferocious and tyrannical aura. But in the next moment, it was discovered and attacked by a disheveled figure.

The Azure Leopard roared. As a Demon Beast of the Meridian Opening Realm, it was the overlord of this mountain hollow. When had any creature dared to attack it? However, what the Azure Leopard didn't expect was that in an instant, its head was seized by this figure, and its neck was immediately snapped.

The Meridian Opening Realm Azure Leopard died on the spot.

Throughout the entire process, the Azure Leopard couldn't even resist before being killed by this suddenly appearing figure.

"Only the Fire Worship Cult can save all suffering and disaster, the Fire Worship Cult will endure forever..."

This figure was disheveled, its face obscured by its hair, revealing only a pair of cold, icy pupils. It wore peculiar clothing, on which was carved a strange, blood-red flame that seemed to draw one in, making them feel lost.

It exuded an extremely dangerous aura, muttering to itself.

After killing the Azure Leopard, this person began to eat it raw. After finishing, it disappeared into Qingliang Mountain...

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