Qingzhou Prefecture City, First Display of Edge

Chapter 9: Qingzhou Prefecture City, First Display of Edge

As the seat of government for Qingzhou in the Great Xia Dynasty, Qingzhou Prefecture City was far more prosperous than a remote border town like Black Mountain City.

Its towering walls, built from massive blocks of bluestone, bore the mottled marks of time and the scars of countless blades. They silently told the story of history's vicissitudes. At the city gates, carriages and horses streamed by, and pedestrians flowed like a woven tapestry. Merchants, laborers, wandering martial artists, and traveling traders came and went without pause. Every kind of smell hung in the air; the city was noisy and bursting with life.

Leading his horse, Li Yifan entered the city with the crowds. The streets were broad enough for several carriages to travel abreast, and shops lined both sides beneath fluttering banners. Their wares ranged from everyday goods to weapons and armor, medicinal herbs and pills, and even, now and then, strange objects that gave off faint ripples of energy. The dazzling array was enough to make anyone's eyes swim.

What drew Li Yifan's attention even more was the high proportion of martial artists in the city, most of them far from weak. Skin Refining and Body Refining practitioners were everywhere, while Bone Refining experts were a common sight too. Every so often, he sensed several obscure, profound auras far beyond the Bone Refining Realm. They were most likely Meridian Opening Realm or even innate experts.

"No wonder this is the prefectural capital. It really is a place where dragons and crouching tigers hide." Li Yifan reflected, putting aside the composure he had shown in Black Mountain City and growing more cautious. Here, his early Bone Refining cultivation, together with a perfected Yellow Grade saber technique and a Minor Accomplishment Yellow Grade movement technique, might make him a person of some standing, but he was certainly no top expert.

Following the instructions in his official documents, he first went to the Prefecture Office to register. He received a temporary token representing his participation in the Xuntian Guard selection, along with a simple lodging pass for the post house. The clerk handling registration was indifferent, clearly accustomed to seeing "talents" arrive from the cities below. He paid Li Yifan little attention.

After leaving the Prefecture Office, Li Yifan did not head straight to the post house. Instead, he planned to familiarize himself with the area, especially the places where he could gather information. He strolled into a rather impressive-looking teahouse called the Listening Wind Pavilion.

The teahouse was bustling, crowded with people from every walk of life. Li Yifan chose a quiet seat by the window and ordered a pot of plain tea. He appeared to be leisurely sipping it, but in truth, he listened in every direction, activating his Minor Accomplishment Investigation skill to pick up useful information.

Before long, a conversation at the next table caught his attention. Several armed martial artists sat there, their auras far from weak.

"Have you heard? A few formidable characters have come for this Xuntian Guard selection!"

"Oh? Come on, tell us. Who are these tough guys?"

"The first to mention is the 'Riftwind Saber,' Zhao Song! They say he's a collateral-line descendant of the Zhao Family of Qingzhou. He's young, yet already at the late Bone Refining stage. His family's Riftwind Saber Technique is a Yellow Grade Upper technique, and apparently he's trained it to Great Accomplishment! He's a strong contender for the top spot in this selection!"

"The Zhao Family? The one that produced an innate ancestor? Their foundation really is deep!"

"Then there's the 'Jade-faced Rakshasa,' Liu Ruyan. Don't let her gentle name fool you; her Ice Palm has inherited the true teachings of the Liu Family. It's also Yellow Grade Upper, and she's reached Minor Accomplishment. Her cultivation is at the middle Bone Refining stage, and quite a few wanted criminals have died by her hand!"

"Tsk, these scions of great families have no shortage of resources or cultivation techniques. They start out a whole stride ahead of us."

"Not necessarily. I heard there's also a rogue cultivator called 'Mad Tiger' Lei Zhen. He has no sect or faction and made his way entirely through fighting. He's reached the middle Bone Refining stage too, and he practices a Yellow Grade Mid fist technique called Mad Tiger Fist, which he supposedly learned from who knows where. They say he's also trained it to Great Accomplishment, and he's ferocious in battle!"

"Looks like this selection will be quite a spectacle..."

Listening to their discussion gave Li Yifan a clearer picture of the coming selection. His competitors were formidable, especially the scions of great families. Not only was their cultivation higher, but the techniques they practiced were generally Yellow Grade Mid or even Upper—far superior to his Five Tiger Severing Gate Saber and Spirit Fox Steps.

My Five Tiger Severing Gate Saber may be perfected, but its grade is too low. I've already reached its limit. The most urgent thing is to get my hands on higher-grade techniques, especially an internal cultivation method and an offensive martial skill. Li Yifan considered his options. The resources he had accumulated in Black Mountain City would probably not be enough to buy any decent Yellow Grade Upper techniques here in the prefectural capital. He would have to find another way.

Just then, a commotion broke out at the teahouse entrance. A haughty young master in luxurious clothes walked in, followed by several attendants. His gaze swept across the hall. When he spotted Li Yifan alone at the window, he walked straight over and spoke in a commanding tone. "Hey, you there. I've taken a liking to your seat. If you know what's good for you, move along."

Li Yifan furrowed his brow and glanced up at the young master. The man was only at Body Refining Perfection and was relying on his family's status. Li Yifan couldn't be bothered with him, so he lowered his head and continued drinking his tea.

When the young master saw that Li Yifan was ignoring him, he felt humiliated and snapped, "Are you deaf, boy? Do you know who I am? I'm Liu Kun of the Liu Family of Qingzhou! Get out of here!"

The Liu Family? Li Yifan thought he had heard them mentioned in the earlier discussion. They were a sizable family in Qingzhou, with a Meridian Opening Realm expert to protect them. But why would he be afraid of trouble? Especially when the other man was being so rude.

"I sat here first, and I've already paid for my tea. If you want a drink, find another seat," Li Yifan replied evenly, though his tone left no room for argument.

"Got some nerve!" Liu Kun laughed furiously. "You country bumpkin from some backwater town dare to fight me for a seat? Throw him out!"

At his words, the two Bone Refining Initial attendants behind him glared fiercely and stepped forward, reaching for Li Yifan. Their hands came with a gust of wind; they were clearly holding nothing back.

Everyone in the teahouse turned to look. Some wore mocking smiles, others looked sympathetic, but no one dared to intervene. The Liu Family was not someone to trifle with in Qingzhou Prefecture City.

Just as the two large hands were about to seize him, Li Yifan moved!

He didn't even stand up. Still seated in his chair, he twisted lightly, his body bending as if boneless. He displayed the Minor Accomplishment of Spirit Fox Steps to the fullest, slipping past the two grabs by the narrowest margin. At the same time, he pressed the index and middle fingers of both hands together and jabbed out like lightning, striking the acupoints on the attendants' wrists with pinpoint accuracy!

"Ah!" "Ugh!"

The two Bone Refining Initial attendants jolted as if struck by electricity. Their wrists went numb, and their arms instantly turned limp and powerless. They stumbled back in shock, staring at Li Yifan in disbelief. He had broken their holds with nothing more than a casual tap? What kind of technique was that?

Liu Kun was stunned too. He hadn't expected his two Bone Refining guards to suffer a loss in a single exchange.

Li Yifan remained seated and looked coldly at Liu Kun. "Now, are you going to leave?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a chilling killing intent—the kind of presence forged through life-and-death battles. Under that gaze, Liu Kun felt a chill surge from the soles of his feet straight to his crown, as if a prehistoric beast had fixed its eyes on him. His face paled, and he instinctively took two steps back.

"You... just you wait!" Liu Kun blustered, then hurriedly left the teahouse with his attendants, their faces full of fear. He didn't even dare look back.

The teahouse fell silent. Everyone stared at Li Yifan in amazement. Who would have thought that this ordinary-looking young man had such skill? He had even dared to offend the Liu Family's young master, and seemed to have come out on top.

Li Yifan acted as if nothing important had happened and continued sipping his tea. He hadn't used a weapon just now, only the precise finger strength he had developed by perfecting the Five Tiger Severing Gate Saber, combined with the evasive movements of Spirit Fox Steps. He had dealt with the crisis with ease. The encounter also gave him a clearer sense of his own strength.

After this, he no longer felt like drinking tea. He paid the bill and left. He hadn't gone far from the teahouse when someone hurried after him.

"Brother, please wait!"

Li Yifan turned around and saw a young man in plain martial attire. He had a shrewd face and bright eyes, and his cultivation was around the middle Bone Refining stage. His aura was steady, unlike Liu Kun's hollow one.

"What is it?" Li Yifan asked.

The young man clasped his hands with a smile. "I'm Lei Zhen. I just saw your impressive skills, brother. You dealt with Liu Kun, that mad dog, in just a few moves. I admired it, so I came to make your acquaintance."

Lei Zhen? Li Yifan's thoughts stirred. He was the rogue cultivator known as "Mad Tiger," the one he had just heard about in the teahouse.

"Li Yifan." Li Yifan returned the salute, neither obsequious nor arrogant.

Seeing that Li Yifan wasn't keeping him at arm's length, Lei Zhen smiled more sincerely. "Brother Li, you're here for the Xuntian Guard selection too, aren't you? You look unfamiliar, so I'm guessing you've just arrived from one of the lower counties. Qingzhou Prefecture City is deep waters, with the great families rooted everywhere. Rogue cultivators like us can easily suffer if we're not careful."

Li Yifan nodded. "Thank you for the warning, Brother Lei."

Lei Zhen lowered his voice. "Brother Li, you seem quite capable. Would you be interested in working together? We could watch each other's backs during the selection. I know a place in the city where you can buy information that's hard to find elsewhere, including inside details about this selection and detailed profiles of potential rivals. It might be useful to you."

Li Yifan was intrigued. As a newcomer, he did need information. Lei Zhen seemed straightforward, and since they were both rogue cultivators, working together for now should be fine.

"Oh? What place is that?"

"The Ghost Market, in the south of the city." A glint flashed in Lei Zhen's eyes. "It's a mixed bag, but as long as you have money or something of equal value, you can buy almost any information you want there—even... cultivation techniques and martial skills that shouldn't see the light of day."

The Ghost Market? Li Yifan was interested. This might be one of his shortcuts to obtaining a higher-grade technique.

"Very well. I'll trouble you to lead the way, Brother Lei."

The two agreed to meet at an intersection in the south of the city that evening, then went their separate ways.

Li Yifan watched Lei Zhen's departing figure, his gaze deep. Qingzhou Prefecture City was indeed far more complicated than Black Mountain City. The selection, the great families, the rogue cultivators, the Ghost Market... all kinds of forces were intertwined. But the more complicated the environment, the more opportunities it might hold for him.

That night, under the deep darkness, Li Yifan met up with Lei Zhen, and together they headed for the mysterious Ghost Market. The Xuntian Guard selection was also about to officially begin.