The Might of the Yuan Dan

The blazing sun hung high in the sky, scorching like fire, baking the jagged rocks of Silver Moon Bay.

Three days had passed since that bloody battle.

Deep within Silver Moon Bay, three figures suppressed their auras, moving like stealthy cats through the tangled rocks and ancient trees. They were Qin Jue, Tang Xiaoman, and Pei Qingyan.

Relying on the recuperative effects of the Vitality Blood Dew and several days of rest, the trio's injuries had recovered by seventy or eighty percent. Tang Xiaoman's half-crippled body had regained mobility, though his face remained deathly pale—clearly, the life-burning secret technique had left behind no light internal damage.

"Brother Qin, are you sure it's this way?" Tang Xiaoman lowered his voice, his eyes darting warily around as he felt the growing oppressive weight in the air. He grumbled discontentedly, "This damn place has Origin Energy so violent it's suffocating. It's pressing down on my chest. Do we really have to go deeper?"

"The Origin Energy Tide is nearing its peak." Qin Jue's gaze was sharp, locked onto the mist-shrouded valley ahead. His voice was steady and forceful. "Whenever a Heavenly Material or Earthly Treasure emerges, it's always accompanied by celestial anomalies. We don't need to go deep—just skirting the edge might yield a considerable harvest."

Qin Jue knew full well that the disturbances in Silver Moon Bay were no longer a secret. The longer they delayed, the more martial artists would be drawn here, including genuine experts. For a martial artist, opportunity was fleeting. They had to snatch the prize from the tiger's mouth before most people reacted, then withdraw immediately.

"Heh, Brother Qin, you really know your stuff." Tang Xiaoman chuckled, saying no more, but sticking closer than before.

Pei Qingyan remained silent. His long blade, Frost Scar, had chipped in several places, but the aura he exuded was even sharper than before—like a drawn sword, its edge fully bared.

The life-and-death struggle had allowed him to touch a higher threshold of the blade's path.

"Old Pei, your sword's cracked. Can it still be used?" Tang Xiaoman asked, a hint of concern in his voice.

Pei Qingyan stroked the blade, silent for a moment, then rasped, "It can be used. In that battle, I cut out the true meaning of 'resolve.' The cracks in the blade actually let me feel that decisiveness more keenly."

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

To comprehend the true intent of the blade amidst life-and-death struggle—this heart devoted to martial arts was indeed extraordinary.

The three advanced stealthily for another incense stick's time before stopping beneath a cliff.

In the center of the valley, a pool of water shimmered with silver light under the wash of dense Origin Energy. At the pool's center, a verdant green plant greedily devoured the essence, its tip bearing a crimson fruit that exuded an alluring, exotic fragrance. Just one whiff made every pore in the body open wide, and the flow of internal techniques quickened.

"Hiss..." Tang Xiaoman sucked in a breath of cold air, his eyes wide as saucers. "Is that... a Moon Marrow Vermilion Fruit!?"

"My god, this is a treasure that can wash the marrow and refine the sinews, making the body more attuned to Heaven and Earth Origin Energy! Look at its quality—it's at least a hundred years old!"

But Qin Jue's brow was tightly furrowed. His gaze swept past the Moon Marrow Vermilion Fruit, slowly scanning the surrounding forest. His keen perception had detected a faint trace of killing intent.

"Something's wrong." Qin Jue's voice dropped low. "There are quite a few people hidden here."

Tang Xiaoman's heart jolted. Following Qin Jue's gaze, cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

On the hilltop to their left front, a young man in brocade robes stood with his hands behind his back, his expression aloof, as if nothing around him mattered. And behind him, the iron-tower-like giant was none other than "Bone Shatterer" Meng Kuang, the one who had driven them into a corner that day!

"Meng Kuang!" Qin Jue's pupils contracted, a surge of killing intent rising in his heart. If they hadn't fought to the death that day, they would have been three corpses by now!

"Damn it, he's like a ghost that won't leave!" Tang Xiaoman ground his teeth, cursing under his breath. "Once this young master's injuries heal, I'll cripple that son of a bitch!"

Qin Jue ignored him, his gaze fixed on the brocade-clad youth. For someone like Meng Kuang, a Blood Melting Realm expert, to willingly serve as a subordinate, this person's identity was obvious.

"Ning Family, Ning Wuque." Qin Jue said slowly. "He's the real mastermind."

On the other side of the valley, atop a patch of emerald bamboo, a graceful figure stood still on a bamboo tip, swaying gently with the wind, ethereal as an immortal.

She wore a moon-white long dress, immaculate and dust-free, with a long sword strapped to her back. Her waterfall of black hair was casually tied up with a single wooden hairpin, a few strands falling beside her exquisitely beautiful face, yet unable to conceal her cold, aloof temperament.

Qingcang Academy, Yun Qianyue.

"Senior Sister, Ning Wuque is across from us. Should we..." A disciple from the academy cautiously approached and whispered.

"None of my concern."

Yun Qianyue's voice was cold, devoid of any fluctuation. She didn't even lift her eyelids, simply staring quietly at the increasingly dense Origin Energy vortex in the valley's center. "We have only one target. Ignore everything else."

The disciple shrank his neck and backed away sheepishly. He knew this senior sister's temperament—she was a true martial fanatic. Apart from the sword path, it seemed nothing else in this world could catch her eye.

Yet, in the next instant, Yun Qianyue's cold, clear eyes suddenly flickered.

As if sensing something, she turned her head, her gaze piercing through several hundred zhang to land on the pile of rocks where Qin Jue and his companions were hiding.

"Hm?"

Yun Qianyue frowned slightly. In that brief moment, she had faintly sensed a very familiar sharpness.

"An illusion..."

She stared for a moment, saw no movement from that direction, and indifferently looked away. To her, if there was a true expert, they would reveal themselves. If it was someone skulking in the shadows, they weren't worth her attention.

"What keen perception!" Qin Jue thought in alarm behind the rocks. "Yun Qianyue... as expected of someone in the Outer Prefecture's top ten. Even from this distance, she almost spotted me. If even she has come for the Moon Marrow Vermilion Fruit, this place is far more dangerous than I anticipated—several times more complicated."

"Damn... is that Yun Qianyue?" Tang Xiaoman lay in the crevice of the rocks, his eyes wide with awe and longing. "Tsk tsk tsk, seeing is believing. That aura, that figure... if I could just exchange a word with her, this young master would consider these few broken ribs worth it, even if they broke again!"

"Shut up." Pei Qingyan shot him a cold glare. "If you want to die, don't drag us with you."

"Hey, Old Pei, where's your sense of romance?" Tang Xiaoman pouted, then lowered his voice again. "And over there are those lunatics from Zhanfeng Academy and the Mad Sand Society... Good grief, this little Silver Moon Bay is a den of hidden dragons and crouching tigers!"

Each faction occupied a position, wary of one another, yet all stared fixedly at the treasure in the valley, forming a precarious balance. The tension was at its peak.

Qin Jue's heart sank. He had ultimately underestimated the allure of the Moon Marrow Vermilion Fruit.

The situation before him was no longer something someone of their cultivation level could meddle in!

Just then—

"Boom!"

The earth shook violently. The Origin Energy vortex at the valley's center spun wildly, emitting a dull, thunderous roar!

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

Tang Xiaoman was so excited he nearly jumped up.

But before anyone could react, two suffocating auras erupted violently, pressing down like mountains!

"Du Yuan! This place was scouted by our Qingcang Academy, and you, Zhanfeng Academy, dare to covet it?! Do you truly think Qingcang has no one?!"

A thunderous roar split the sky, shaking the clouds and stinging eardrums.

Immediately after, a figure in azure descended abruptly, its invisible sharp aura making every Hundred Refinements Realm martial artist's skin prickle and their breathing labored!

Qingcang Academy Outer Prefecture steward, Nascent Core Realm powerhouse, Lin Xiuyuan!

Qin Jue's heart jolted at the sound: "That voice... it's Steward Lin Xiuyuan! Back during the Outer Prefecture selection, he presided over the trials. I never expected even a Nascent Core Realm expert like him to be drawn here!"

"Hahahaha! Ridiculous!"

A wild and domineering laugh rang out.

On the other side, a burly, red-faced elder wielding a thick-backed ring-bladed broadsword descended with a crash, wrapped in blazing crimson flames!

"Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures belong to the virtuous! And even more so to the capable! You want it, Qingcang Academy? Then trade your lives for it!"

Zhanfeng Academy's so-called "Mad Lion," Du Yuan!

The appearance of two Nascent Core Realm experts instantly ignited the standoff!

Without a word of nonsense, the two collided directly!

"Clang!"

Lin Xiuyuan flicked his longsword, and with a clear hum, a layer of azure light blazed to life on the blade!

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

A hallmark unique to the Nascent Core Realm! After the dantian transformed into a sea, pure Yuan force could adhere to weapons, forming an unmatched, razor-sharp Qi Manifest that could shatter anything!

"Slash!"

Lin Xiuyuan swung his sword, the azure light flaring. The blade, coated in Sword Qi Manifest, carved a fierce arc through the air, trailing a shrill whistle as it hacked viciously at Du Yuan!

"Well met!"

Du Yuan neither dodged nor evaded. His ring-bladed broadsword chopped down fiercely, a layer of crimson Qi Manifest surging over its surface, colliding head-on with the azure Sword Qi Manifest!

"Boom!"

Sword Qi Manifest and Blade Qi Manifest clashed in midair!

A violent explosion erupted, unleashing a terrifying energy storm that swept across heaven and earth. Where it passed, rocks shattered and ancient trees turned to dust!

"No good! Fall back!"

"Pfft!"

"Ah!"

The nearest martial artists couldn't even scream before they were blasted away by the horrific shockwave, slammed into the cliff face, spitting blood, their lives hanging in the balance!

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

Qin Jue clung tightly to the rock before him, the oncoming gale scraping his cheeks raw. He watched with his own eyes as a boulder weighing a thousand jin was directly cracked apart by the stray energy!

Too strong!

This was a gap no numbers could bridge! Before such power, so-called Hundred Refinements Realm peaks, or even Blood Melting Realm experts, seemed utterly insignificant, like ants!

And Ning Wuque, standing on the high ground, paled as well. His inner Qi and blood churned wildly as he barely held his ground without retreating a step. But the few Ning Family guards behind him were blown away like fallen leaves!

Facing this terrifying scene, Ning Wuque's eyes, for the first time, lacked their usual arrogance, replaced only by deep fear and shock. So this was... the power of the Nascent Core Realm? Even just the aftershocks of battle carried such might!

On the other side, Yun Qianyue, the moment the shockwave struck, a jade pendant at her waist suddenly glowed. A soft light screen spread before her, shielding her and the academy disciples behind her. Her usually cold face now bore a hint of gravity. She considered herself supremely talented, rarely matched among her peers, but facing power at this level, she still felt her own insignificance.

"So... so terrifying..."

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

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

Pei Qingyan gripped his blade tightly, his eyes filled with shock. He had always thought his saber was fast enough, fierce enough, but seeing the rampaging Blade Qi, he realized how immature his proud sword techniques were before true power.

"This isn't a fight we can interfere with."

"Right."

Qin Jue exhaled a turbid breath, his eyes also brimming with awe. The strength of the Nascent Core Realm far exceeded his imagination. Blade Qi, Sword Qi Manifest... those were killing moves formed by condensing Yuan force to its extreme, capable of splitting mountains and severing rivers in a single strike!

He looked at the Moon Marrow Vermilion Fruit in the valley center, nearly ripe. Now, that place had become the battlefield of two Nascent Core Realm experts. Any creature daring to approach would be mercilessly crushed.

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

"Let's go!"

Qin Jue said decisively, without any hesitation.

"This place is already a death ground. Two Nascent Core Realm experts are fighting, and the moment the treasure ripens, it will inevitably draw more hidden powerhouses. This will soon turn into a meat grinder. Staying here means only death."

Tang Xiaoman and Pei Qingyan nodded without a word of dissent.

Just as the three were about to move, Qin Jue seemed to sense something. He abruptly looked up, casting a glance toward the top of the bamboo grove.

A cold gaze pierced through the chaotic battlefield, locking eyes with him for a single moment!

Yun Qianyue!

Qin Jue's brow twitched, countless thoughts flashing through his mind in an instant.

Without a moment's hesitation, he immediately barked in a low voice: "Stay close to me!"

The three of them wasted no time, not even glancing back at the tempting "Moon Marrow Vermilion Fruit." Crouching low, they seized the window when everyone's attention was consumed by the Nascent Core Realm battle, slipping through the chaos like fish and vanishing swiftly into the tangled forest.

Atop the bamboo grove, Yun Qianyue slowly withdrew her gaze, watching the direction Qin Jue had disappeared. A flicker of unusual light passed through her cold, clear eyes.

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