Mo Xingkong

The Tongtian River ran wild here, its waters surging through a broad channel strewn with countless boulders. They formed a Boulder Beach stretching for more than ten miles.

Leading his Black Scale Horse, Qin Jue walked across the pebble-strewn riverbank. Unlike the other warriors, who hurried along, he stopped now and then to study the terrain around him.

"Quite a place."

Qin Jue marveled inwardly. The worldly energy here was several times denser than it was outside.

He greedily drew in a deep breath. The Nine Revolutions Viscera Refining Secret Record began circulating on its own, the pores all over his body opening as they greedily absorbed the free-floating energy in the air. Such a cultivation environment was a rare opportunity for any warrior.

"This Boulder Beach looks perilous, but it's actually a treasure ground where the wind gathers and energy pools. Cultivating here is bound to make twice the progress with half the effort."

Muttering to himself, Qin Jue took a piece of dried meat from his pack and chewed as he continued to observe his surroundings.

By now, a bustling crowd had gathered around the outskirts of Boulder Beach.

Aside from people from Qingcang and disciples from Zhanfeng Academy, most were lone warriors and warriors from prominent families. They gathered in groups of three or five, claimed the higher ground, and warily eyed everyone around them.

"Eh, isn't that Brother Qin?"

A teasing voice came from behind a boulder nearby. Qin Jue paused and turned to look.

A lean young man stepped out from behind the boulder, a shrewd smile on his face. It was Mo Xingkong, the information broker Qin Jue had met outside Myriad Scrolls Pavilion.

Qin Jue swallowed his dried meat and glanced at him. "Senior Brother Mo, you're always well informed. Naturally, you wouldn't miss a place like this."

"Of course. People in my line of work would starve to death if we didn't have sharp noses."

Mo Xingkong chuckled and came closer, looking Qin Jue up and down in amazement. "Brother Qin, you've got some nerve. You crippled Ning Zhiyuan just a few days ago, and now you dare to venture into Silver Moon Bay? Aren't you afraid that the Ning Family's big shot will tear you to pieces?"

"The Ning Family's big shot?" Qin Jue casually patted his Black Scale Horse's neck and looked blank. "Which one? There are so many people in the Ning Family. How would I know them all?"

"Ning Wuque!"

Mo Xingkong's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. He stared at Qin Jue as if he were some kind of monster. "Ning Wuque, the 'Cold-faced Cold Spear' ranked ninth in the Outer Prefecture! You... you really don't know?"

"Is he famous?" Qin Jue asked in return, his expression utterly unchanged.

"I give up. I really do." Mo Xingkong looked helpless and pointed east. "See that road? The big shot went that way with his people half an hour ago. He didn't even lift a finger. His bloodlust alone knocked out seven or eight unlucky fools who got too close. As for those stalls, they were crushed to pieces by the pressure from his mount."

Qin Jue looked in the direction he pointed.

At the eastern entrance, a line of deep hoofprints marked the ground. The rocks around them had all cracked into powder, showing just how terrifying the mount's power was as it galloped by. Along both sides of the road, several warriors sat slumped on the ground, faces ashen as they gasped for breath, their eyes full of lingering fear.

"Good. He's gone." Qin Jue looked away, his expression calm. "Since you're here, Senior Brother Mo, I assume you have some news about Silver Moon Bay to sell?"

"Heh, talking to a smart man really saves time!"

Mo Xingkong rubbed his hands together and lowered his voice. "The situation in Silver Moon Bay changes by the moment. I have the latest map here, marked with the positions of the various factions and several possible sites where the strange phenomenon originated. For old times' sake, I'll give it to you at a friendly price: twenty Gold Coins."

Without a word, Qin Jue took out twenty Gold Coins and tossed them over.

For a warrior, accurate information could save a life at a crucial moment. These few coins were nothing.

Mo Xingkong caught the coins, beaming, then took out a sheet of parchment and handed it to Qin Jue. He explained:

"The Withered Wood Forest to the east is the busiest place right now. Ning Wuque took his people straight there. Word is, someone found an Origin Spirit Stone there."

Qin Jue's gaze shifted slightly at that.

Reading his expression, Mo Xingkong chuckled and added, "Origin Spirit Stones are valuable. They're the essence formed from the condensation of worldly energy. Just one can save a Jade Bone warrior in the Hundred Refinements Realm months of hard cultivation. If you're lucky, it might even help you break through a bottleneck."

"If you don't want to run into Ning Wuque and his people, you'd better avoid that direction."

He pointed to a black mark at the southern end of the map, his expression turning more serious.

"As for Broken Cliff Gorge to the south, that's a dead end. Not only are the currents fierce, but a Mysterious Water Flood Dragon has made its lair there. That Fierce Beast is already a high-rank Savage Species, with skin like copper and bones like iron. An ordinary warrior in the Hundred Refinements Realm wouldn't even make a decent snack for it."

As he listened, Qin Jue matched the information on the map to the terrain around him.

At that moment, a commotion suddenly broke out on the riverbank not far away.

"Dare to steal my Snake Saliva Grass? You're asking to die!"

After a furious shout came the clashing of weapons.

Two warriors who had been traveling together suddenly turned on each other. One of them erupted with a burst of force, and a layer of blade-light sprang up around the long saber in his hand.

"Shing!"

Catching his companion off guard, he slashed viciously, his blade wrapped in force and shrieking through the air. His opponent's protective skin split like thin paper, and half his body was cut open in an instant, blood mist bursting into the air!

"Pah! Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures belong to the strong! Now that you're dead, this thing is mine!"

His face twisted with savagery as he snatched the Snake Saliva Grass. Ignoring the horrified stares around him, he turned and darted into the boulders.

Some of the warriors around them looked indifferent; others had greed in their eyes. Not one of them felt any sympathy.

"Tsk, people die for wealth, just as birds die for food." Mo Xingkong shook his head, looking as though he'd seen it all before. "On Boulder Beach, whoever has the biggest fist makes the rules."

Qin Jue glanced at the corpse, his gaze calm.

The martial path was a great wave that washed away the weak. Anyone hoping to reach the summit knew full well they would have to trample over heaps of bones.

"Thanks." Qin Jue put away the map and swung into the saddle.

He didn't head east or south. Instead, he pulled on the reins and rode straight northwest.

The map marked that direction as the Boulder Maze—a dead end.

"Brother Qin, are you crazy?!" Mo Xingkong called after him, stunned. "That way's a death trap. How could there be any opportunities there?"

Without looking back, Qin Jue simply waved a hand. "Fewer people. More peace and quiet."

Mo Xingkong watched Qin Jue's retreating figure and rubbed his chin, a glint flashing in his eyes.

That kid... was interesting.

Knowing Ning Wuque was over there, he'd gone not to avoid him but straight into that deadly place. Either he was a reckless fool, or... he'd seen something Mo Xingkong himself hadn't.

"Heh." Mo Xingkong chuckled. With a flicker, he vanished into the crowd.

Once he left the crowd behind, the surrounding clamor gradually faded.

This area was packed with boulders, each one towering into the clouds and stabbing at the sky. The sky was gloomy, and an oppressive air hung over everything.

Riding his horse, Qin Jue seemed to wander aimlessly. In truth, his eyes were half-closed and his consciousness drawn inward.

"Hum—"

In his mind, the phantom of the mysterious Broken Sword suddenly blazed with light!

Void Clarity Sword Heart, activate!

In an instant, the world before Qin Jue changed completely.

Where the wind came from and where it went, the direction of the current, the dance of every speck of dust in the air—all became crystal clear, as though everything had slowed down countless times.

The worldly energy that seemed chaotic and disordered to others now revealed an arcane pattern to Qin Jue's senses!

Qin Jue narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Mo Xingkong may be well informed, and there may be no shortage of experts here, but what they see is only the surface. This violent energy is just a smokescreen. Unless a Nascent Core Realm expert comes in person, who could see through to its source?"

Qin Jue raised a hand and lightly traced the air with his slender fingertips, carefully feeling the flow of energy.

He could clearly sense that while the energy here wasn't as violent or conspicuous as the energy to the east, it had a unique rhythm, as though... as though a sleeping Fierce Beast were breathing!

The energy to the east was gushing outward, while here it was constantly gathering!

At that thought, Qin Jue's lips curved slightly.

Interesting.

There was likely something extraordinary hidden in this Chaos Stone Forest.

Without hesitation, Qin Jue squeezed his horse's flanks. As though sensing its master's intent, the Black Scale Horse's four hooves flew, carrying him silently into the depths of the stone forest.