Nascent Core Might

The blazing sun hung overhead, scorching Silver Moon Bay's jagged rocks beneath its fiery rays.

Three days had passed since that bloody battle.

Deep in Silver Moon Bay, three figures kept their auras in check and slipped silently between the boulders and ancient trees like wildcats. They were Qin Jue, Tang Xiaoman, and Pei Qingyan.

Thanks to the restorative effects of Vitality Blood Dew and several days of recuperation, the trio's injuries had mostly healed. Even Tang Xiaoman's half-ruined body had regained its mobility, though his face remained deathly pale. Clearly, the life-burning secret art had left him with serious hidden injuries.

"Brother Qin, are you sure it's this way?" Tang Xiaoman whispered, warily scanning their surroundings. Feeling the pressure in the air grow heavier by the moment, he grumbled unhappily, "The heaven and earth origin energy in this cursed place is terrifyingly violent. It's pressing on my chest. Are we really going farther in?"

"The Origin Energy Tide is nearing its peak." Qin Jue fixed his sharp gaze on the valley ahead, shrouded in white mist, and spoke with steady conviction. "Whenever Heaven's Materials and Earthly Treasures emerge, they're accompanied by signs from heaven and earth. We don't need to go deep. We may find a decent haul just along the outskirts."

Qin Jue knew full well that Silver Moon Bay's unusual activity was no secret anymore. The longer they delayed, the more martial artists it would attract, including genuine experts. For martial artists, a fortuitous opportunity could vanish in the blink of an eye. They had to snatch it from the tiger's jaws before most people caught on, then withdraw immediately.

"Heh, Brother Qin sure knows his stuff." Tang Xiaoman chuckled and said no more, only moving a little closer behind him.

Pei Qingyan remained silent. Though the long saber Frost Scar in his hand had several chips in its edge, the aura he gave off was even sharper than before, like a drawn blade with its edge fully bared.

The fight to the death had let him brush against a higher threshold of the saber path.

"Old Pei, your saber's cracked. Can you still use it?" Tang Xiaoman asked worriedly.

Pei Qingyan stroked the blade. After a moment of silence, he rasped, "I can. In that battle, I unleashed the true meaning of 'resolve.' The cracks in the saber actually help me feel that determination more clearly."

Hearing this, Qin Jue glanced at Pei Qingyan and nodded.

To comprehend the true meaning of saber technique between life and death—such devotion to the martial path was indeed extraordinary.

The three continued their stealthy advance for the time it took to burn an incense stick, then stopped beneath a cliff.

In the center of the valley, a pool shimmered silver as the dense heaven and earth origin energy washed over it. At its center, a small, emerald-green herb greedily drew in the essence around it. A bright red fruit at its tip gave off a tempting fragrance. One breath of it made every pore on the body open, and even the circulation of one's cultivation technique quickened.

"Hiss..." Tang Xiaoman sucked in a breath, eyes wide. "Is that... the Moon Marrow Vermilion Fruit?!"

"Good heavens, this is a treasure that can cleanse the meridians and marrow, making the body more attuned to the heaven and earth origin energy! Judging by its color, it's had at least a hundred years to mature!"

But Qin Jue's brows drew tightly together. His gaze passed over the Moon Marrow Vermilion Fruit and slowly swept across the surrounding woods. His keen senses had detected a faint killing intent.

"Something's wrong," Qin Jue said, his voice low. "There are quite a few people hiding here."

Tang Xiaoman's heart jumped at his words. He followed Qin Jue's gaze, and cold sweat immediately beaded on his forehead.

On the hill to their front left stood a young man in brocade robes, hands behind his back and expression haughty, as if nothing around him mattered. Behind him stood a burly man like an iron tower—the very "Bone Shatterer," Meng Kuang, who had driven them to the brink of despair that day!

"Meng Kuang!" Qin Jue's pupils contracted, killing intent surging in his heart. If they hadn't fought desperately that day, they would already be three corpses.

"Damn it, this guy's like a ghost—he just won't go away!" Tang Xiaoman gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath. "Once I'm healed, I'll cripple that bastard!"

Qin Jue ignored him, fixing his gaze on the young man in brocade. For someone like Meng Kuang, a Blood Melting Realm expert, to willingly serve as a subordinate, the young man's identity was obvious.

"Ning Wuque of the Ning Family," Qin Jue said slowly. "He's the one in charge."

On the other side of the valley, a graceful figure stood atop the emerald bamboo forest, swaying lightly with the breeze, as ethereal as an immortal.

She wore a pristine moon-white gown and carried a long sword on her back. Her waterfall of blue-black hair was loosely gathered with a wooden hairpin, a few strands falling beside her breathtaking face without concealing her cool elegance.

Yun Qianyue of Qingcang Academy.

"Senior Sister, Ning Wuque is right across from us. Should we..." A disciple from the academy edged forward and asked in a cautious whisper.

"It has nothing to do with me."

Yun Qianyue's voice was cool, without the slightest inflection. She didn't even lift her eyelids, only quietly watching the increasingly dense vortex of origin energy at the center of the valley. "We have only one goal. The rest doesn't concern us."

The disciple shrank his neck and retreated sheepishly. He knew his senior sister's temperament. She was a true martial fanatic; aside from the sword path, nothing in this world seemed to catch her interest.

Yet in the very next instant, Yun Qianyue's cool eyes shifted slightly.

As if sensing something, she turned her head. Her gaze crossed several hundred yards and settled on the pile of boulders where Qin Jue and the others were hiding.

"Hmm?"

Yun Qianyue frowned slightly. Just then, she had faintly sensed an exceptionally familiar sharpness.

"Was it an illusion...?"

She stared for a moment, but when nothing stirred over there, she indifferently turned her gaze away. In her eyes, a true expert would reveal themself sooner or later. As for rats who hid their heads and tails, they weren't worth sparing any thought.

"Such keen senses!" Qin Jue thought, startled, from behind the boulders. "Yun Qianyue... no wonder she's among the top ten in the Outer Prefecture. At this distance, she nearly spotted me. She came for the Moon Marrow Vermilion Fruit too. This place is several times more dangerous than I expected."

"Good heavens... that's Yun Qianyue, right?" Tang Xiaoman lay in a gap between the rocks, eyes round with awe and longing. "Tsk, seeing her in person beats hearing a hundred descriptions. That bearing, that figure... If I could say a single word to her, I'd gladly let a few of my ribs break again!"

"Shut up." Pei Qingyan glanced at him coldly. "If you want to die, don't drag us down with you."

"Old Pei, how can you have no sense of romance?" Tang Xiaoman pursed his lips, then lowered his voice again. "There are people from Zhanfeng Academy over there, and that gang of lunatics from the Mad Sand Society... Good heavens, this little Silver Moon Bay is crawling with hidden dragons and crouching tigers!"

The various factions had claimed their own positions. Though wary of one another, they all kept their eyes fixed on the treasure in the valley, forming a strange balance. The tension had reached its breaking point.

Qin Jue's heart sank. In the end, he had underestimated the allure of the Moon Marrow Vermilion Fruit.

The situation before them was beyond what people of their cultivation could influence!

Just then—

"Boom!"

The earth shuddered violently. The vortex of origin energy in the center of the valley spun madly, unleashing a deep, rumbling roar!

"The Moon Marrow Vermilion Fruit is about to ripen!"

Tang Xiaoman was so excited he nearly jumped to his feet.

But before anyone could react, two suffocating auras erupted with a crash, bearing down like mountains!

"Du Yuan! This place was discovered by Qingcang Academy. How dare Zhanfeng Academy try to claim it too?! Do you really think Qingcang has no one to stand against you?!"

A roar like a thunderclap rang across the sky, making everyone's eardrums ache.

A green figure abruptly descended. The invisible sharpness radiating from him made every Hundred Refinements Realm martial artist's skin prickle and their breathing grow labored!

Lin Xiuyuan, an Outer Prefecture steward of Qingcang Academy and a Nascent Core Realm expert!

Hearing the voice, Qin Jue's heart jolted. "That voice... Steward Lin Xiuyuan! He was the one who presided over the trials during the Outer Prefecture selection. I never expected even a Nascent Core Realm expert like him to be drawn here!"

"Hahahaha! What a joke!"

A wild, domineering laugh rang out.

On the other side, a burly, red-faced old man wielding a thick-backed ring-pommeled saber descended with a blaze of crimson fire!

"Heaven's Materials and Earthly Treasures belong to the worthy! And even more so to the strong! You want them, Qingcang Academy? Then come and trade your lives for them!"

Du Yuan of Zhanfeng Academy, known as the "Mad Lion"!

The arrival of two Nascent Core Realm experts instantly set the standoff ablaze!

Without another word, they crashed into each other!

"Clang!"

Lin Xiuyuan flicked his longsword. With a humming ring, a layer of green light suddenly blazed along its blade!

That wasn't Sword Qi—it was Sword Aura!

The hallmark of the Nascent Core Realm! Once the dantian became a sea, one's refined origin energy could be infused into a weapon, forming an unmatched, razor-sharp aura that could cut through anything!

"Slash!"

Lin Xiuyuan swung his sword. Green light flared along the blade as the Sword Aura-coated weapon carved a sharp arc through the air, shrieking as it hurtled toward Du Yuan!

"Good! Just what I wanted!"

Du Yuan neither dodged nor retreated. He brought his ring-pommeled saber crashing down, crimson Sword Aura surging along its blade as it collided fiercely with the green Sword Aura!

"Boom!"

Sword Aura and saber aura crashed together in midair!

A terrifying explosion erupted. A violent storm of energy swept across the whole area, shattering boulders and grinding ancient trees into dust in its wake!

"Not good! Get back!"

"Pfft!"

"Ah!"

The martial artists nearest the clash didn't even have time to scream before the terrifying shockwave flung them away, smashing them against the cliff walls. They spat blood, their fate unknown!

"So this is... the might of the Nascent Core Realm?!"

Qin Jue clutched the boulder in front of him as the wind battered his face. He watched a thousand-pound boulder split apart under the scattered shockwaves.

Too powerful!

This wasn't a gap that numbers could make up for! Before such strength, even those at the peak of the Hundred Refinements Realm—or even the Blood Melting Realm—seemed tiny, no more than ants!

Up on the rise, Ning Wuque's face turned pale too. His blood and qi surged madly through his body before he managed to hold his ground without taking a single step back. But the Ning Family guards behind him were blown away like fallen leaves!

Watching the terrifying scene unfold, Ning Wuque's eyes lost their usual arrogance for the first time. Only deep wariness and shock remained. So this was... the power of the Nascent Core Realm? Just the shockwaves from a battle carried such force!

On the other side, the instant the shockwave swept toward Yun Qianyue, a jade pendant at her waist suddenly glowed. A gentle Light Screen opened before her, shielding her and the academy disciples behind her. A rare hint of solemnity appeared on her usually cool face. She considered herself supremely talented, with few equals among her peers, yet faced with power of this caliber, she still felt how small she was.

"Th-this is terrifying..."

Tang Xiaoman cautiously poked his head out, looking at the devastation outside as he stammered, "Th-this is the Nascent Core Realm?"

His face was deathly pale, his eyes full of fear. If they hadn't been far enough away, the three of them would probably already be corpses.

Pei Qingyan gripped his saber tightly, his eyes filled with shock. He had always thought his saber was fast enough, fierce enough. But seeing the saber aura rampage, he realized how immature the technique he'd been so proud of was before true power.

"This isn't a fight we can get involved in."

"Agreed."

Qin Jue let out a breath, still shaken. The strength of the Nascent Core Realm far exceeded his expectations. Saber aura, Sword Aura... These were killing moves formed by refining origin energy to its utmost, powerful enough to split mountains and sever rivers with a single strike!

He looked at the Moon Marrow Vermilion Fruit, nearly ripe at the center of the valley. By now, the area had become a battlefield between two Nascent Core Realm experts. Any living thing that dared approach would be mercilessly crushed.

And who could guarantee there weren't other Nascent Core Realm experts lurking in the shadows?

"Go!"

Qin Jue said decisively, without the slightest hesitation.

"This place is a death trap now. With two Nascent Core Realm experts fighting, the moment the treasure ripens, it'll surely draw out even more hidden experts. This place is about to become a meat grinder. If we stay, we'll only die."

Tang Xiaoman and Pei Qingyan didn't object in the slightest.

Just as the three of them were about to move, Qin Jue seemed to sense something. He jerked his head up and glanced toward the top of the bamboo forest.

A cool gaze came through the chaos of the battlefield and met his for an instant!

Yun Qianyue!

Qin Jue raised an eyebrow, countless thoughts flashing through his mind.

Without the slightest hesitation, he barked, "Stay close!"

The three didn't hesitate again. They didn't look back at the tempting Moon Marrow Vermilion Fruit. Crouching low, they took advantage of everyone's attention being drawn to the Nascent Core Realm battle and vanished swiftly into the chaotic forest like fish slipping through water.

Atop the bamboo forest, Yun Qianyue slowly withdrew her gaze. As she watched the direction in which Qin Jue had disappeared, a glimmer flashed through her cool eyes.

"So it really is you... Qin Jue."