[Three days later, Gu Xinyue took you onto the road to Central Prefecture.]
[You were only at the Nascent Soul Middle Stage, so Gu Xinyue hadn't wanted to take you to Central Prefecture so soon.]
[But after seeing you obtain Sword Mountain's immortal sword, she changed her mind. She figured bringing you to Central Prefecture would help you grow faster.]
[So, egged on by Gu Xinyue, you resolutely decided to head for Central Prefecture.]
[Half a year later, you crossed the Endless Sea from Green Prefecture and finally arrived in Central Prefecture.]
[You knew nothing about Central Prefecture, so you had no choice but to ask Gu Xinyue where you were.]
["Senior Sister Gu, where in Central Prefecture are we?"]
[Faced with your question, Gu Xinyue gave an awkward smile.]
["Little junior brother, this is my first time in Central Prefecture too. I only know it's divided into four regions: East, West, South, and North."]
["What? You've never been to Central Prefecture, and you brought me straight here?"]
[You felt as though you'd boarded a pirate ship. Two green recruits had come charging into Central Prefecture, and although she had already broken through to the Void Refinement Stage, you were still only at the Nascent Soul Middle Stage.]
[In Green Prefecture, the Nascent Soul Middle Stage might count as high-level combat strength, but in Central Prefecture, Nascent Soul cultivators were everywhere, and Spirit Transformation cultivators were as common as dogs.]
["Don't worry, little junior brother. I'm here, so I promise nothing will happen to you!"]
[Gu Xinyue patted her chest and assured you, but you remained skeptical.]
["Senior Sister Gu! Is it still in time for me to go back to You Prefecture?"]
[Hearing that, Gu Xinyue immediately took offense and smacked the back of your head.]
["Why go back to You Prefecture? Don't forget, our eldest senior sister is in Central Prefecture too. It's not like we have absolutely no backing!"]
["Eldest senior sister?"]
[At the mention of her, you suddenly remembered asking about her whereabouts in an earlier simulation. You'd learned then that she was indeed in Central Prefecture.]
[Thinking of how the Great Void Technique was her family's hereditary cultivation art, you decided you should stay. You had a feeling your Great Void Technique wasn't complete.]
[Seeing you agree to stay, Gu Xinyue happily took you toward the nearest city.]
[Three days later, you left the Desolate Mountain region and entered a city called Qingshan City.]
[After entering the city, you found a teahouse, ordered a pot of tea, and began gathering information.]
[By the end of the morning, you'd learned what you wanted to know.]
[Qingshan City lay at the very edge of Central Prefecture's Southern Region. Its strongest cultivator was the city lord, Yang Zhentian, whose cultivation was at the Void Refinement Stage.]
[Even though he was only at the Void Refinement Stage, you were still deeply shaken.]
[Qingshan City was merely one of the most remote cities in the Southern Region, yet its city lord would have been the strongest person in Green Prefecture.]
[But what interested you most was that Qingshan City had recently been in a state of partial lockdown: people could enter, but no one could leave.]
[As for the reason, you learned that the city lord's eldest son had been murdered at midnight two days earlier, and the city lord had ordered the city sealed that very night.]
[You'd planned to stay in Qingshan City for a day, but now you had no choice but to remain for a few more days.]
[That night, you and Gu Xinyue found an inn and settled in.]
[You'd originally wanted to book two rooms, but at Gu Xinyue's insistence, you ended up sharing one.]
[In the middle of the night, while you were cultivating, you heard a commotion outside the inn.]
[Just as you were about to get up and investigate, the window of your room shattered. A figure spat blood and collapsed inside.]
[You immediately used True Sight to examine him.]
[Wei Qing: Human Race]
[Cultivation: Spirit Transformation Stage, Early Stage]
[Spiritual Root: High-Grade Fire Spiritual Root]
[Seeing that he was Human Race, you withdrew the Great Void Sword Intent in your hand, then turned to Gu Xinyue.]
["Senior Sister, kill everyone chasing him!"]
[Gu Xinyue opened her eyes and frowned at Wei Qing, who lay on the floor, repeatedly spitting blood.]
[She didn't understand why you wanted to save this person. They still couldn't even tell whether he was human or a Sinister Worm, so rashly intervening seemed unwise.]
[But when she saw your resolute gaze, Gu Xinyue immediately understood what you meant and raised a hand, sending out a streak of Sword Qi.]
[The three Spirit Transformation Middle Stage cultivators who had just rushed into the room were instantly cut down.]
[Seeing Gu Xinyue kill three Spirit Transformation cultivators with one move, Wei Qing struggled to his feet and looked at you both.]
["You two are Awakened Ones as well, aren't you?"]
["Oh? How can you tell?"]
[You studied Wei Qing curiously. He was more clever than you'd expected.]
["The City Lord Mansion has put out a warrant for me. If you two weren't human, there's no way you could have saved me from the Sinister Worms!"]
["You're clever. Tell us what happened. We only arrived in Qingshan City today."]
[You casually tossed him a bottle of pills, signaling him to take his time.]
["I knew it. I've lived in Qingshan City for years and never seen you two before."]
[Wei Qing then told you what had happened.]
[He'd had a falling-out with the city lord's eldest son. During their fight, he'd instinctively attacked the other man's dantian, and that was how his human identity was discovered.]
[With his identity exposed, he had no choice but to kill the other man to keep the truth that he was human from getting out.]
[Hunted by the Sinister Worms throughout the city and by the City Lord Mansion, he'd chosen the latter.]
[After hearing the whole story, you hadn't expected him to expose himself by attacking the other man's dantian.]
[The incident served as a warning: in the future, unless you were sure you could kill a Sinister Worm, you shouldn't keep targeting its dantian.]
["Not good! Someone's coming, little junior brother—and judging by the aura, it's probably the lord of Qingshan City."]
[Gu Xinyue stood and stared gravely toward the City Lord Mansion outside.]
["Run! Straight out of the city!"]
[As soon as you spoke, you used the Great Void Technique to carry Wei Qing toward the city gates.]
["We can't get out. An array surrounds all of Qingshan City, and the only exit is guarded by a Sinister Worm at the Spirit Transmutation Great Perfection."]
["Spirit Transmutation Great Perfection is nothing to worry about. He won't be able to stop us, right, Senior Sister?"]
[You looked at Gu Xinyue, asking whether she was confident.]
[Gu Xinyue gave a cold laugh.]
["Little junior brother, you really underestimate me. You think a mere Spirit Transmutation Great Perfection can stop us?"]
[Before long, you reached the city gate, where an old man suddenly appeared and blocked your way.]
["I've been waiting for you for a long time. You won't be able to esc—"]
[Before he could finish, Gu Xinyue unleashed her Void Refinement cultivation. A Startling Swan sword strike slashed toward the old man.]