Qingzhou Prefecture City, First Display of Sharpness

Chapter 9: Qingzhou Prefecture City, First Taste of the Blade

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

Towering city walls were built from massive green stones, their mottled surfaces etched with the marks of time and scars from sword and blade, silently telling tales of history's vicissitudes. At the city gate, traffic flowed like a river, pedestrians crowded like weaving threads—peddlers, porters, wandering warriors, traveling merchants, and stationary traders—all manner of people bustling back and forth. The air was thick with a mix of smells, noisy and brimming with life.

Li Yifan led his horse, merging into the flow of people and entering the city. The streets were wide enough for several carriages to run side by side. Shops lined both sides, their banners fluttering, selling everything from everyday goods to weapons and armor, medicinal herbs and pills, and even the occasional oddity emitting faint energy fluctuations—a dazzling sight.

What caught Li Yifan's attention even more was the extremely high proportion of martial artists in the city, and their strength was generally not weak. Skin Refining and Body Refining practitioners were everywhere, and even Bone Refining Realm experts were common. Occasionally, he could sense a few obscure, profound auras far beyond the Bone Refining Realm—likely experts of the Meridian Opening Realm or even the Innate Realm.

"As expected of a prefecture city—truly a place where dragons and tigers lie hidden," Li Yifan mused inwardly. He set aside the calm he'd had in Black Mountain City and adopted a more cautious attitude. Here, his early Bone Refining cultivation, paired with a perfected Yellow Grade lower-tier saber technique and a minor-achievement Yellow Grade mid-tier footwork, might make him somewhat notable, but far from top-tier.

Following the official document's instructions, he first went to the Prefecture Office to complete his registration, receiving a temporary token representing his participation in the Xuntian Guard selection and a simple lodging voucher for the courier station. The clerk handling the paperwork was cold and indifferent, clearly used to seeing "geniuses" from the various smaller cities, and paid Li Yifan no special attention.

Leaving the Prefecture Office, Li Yifan didn't head straight for the courier station. Instead, he planned to familiarize himself with the environment, especially places to gather information. He strolled into a rather imposing teahouse called "Listening Wind Pavilion."

Inside, the teahouse was buzzing with noise, a gathering place for people of all walks. Li Yifan chose a quiet seat by the window, ordered a pot of clear tea, and appeared to be leisurely sipping while actually listening in all directions, activating his minor-achievement Detection skill to capture useful information.

Soon, the conversation of a nearby table of martial artists, who carried weapons and had no weak auras, caught his attention.

"Heard the news? This time, the Xuntian Guard selection has brought in some real heavyweights!"

"Oh? Spill it—who are the tough ones?"

"First up is 'Riftwind Saber' Zhao Song! They say he's a collateral descendant of the Zhao Family of Qingzhou. Young as he is, he's already at late Bone Refining. His family's Riftwind Saber Technique is a Yellow Grade upper-tier technique, and word is he's trained it to the Great Completion stage! He's a strong contender for the selection's top spot!"

"The Zhao Family? You mean the one that produced an Innate Realm ancestor? No wonder their foundation is so deep!"

"Then there's 'Jade-faced Rakshasa' Liu Ruyan. Don't let her gentle name fool you—her Ice Palm has inherited the true essence of the Liu Family. Also Yellow Grade upper-tier, at minor achievement, with mid Bone Refining cultivation. Plenty of wanted criminals have died by her hand!"

"Tsk, these clan disciples—they lack neither resources nor techniques. Their starting point is way above ours."

"Not entirely true. I heard there's a rogue cultivator called 'Mad Tiger' Lei Zhen. No sect, no clan, relying entirely on himself fighting and killing. He's also reached mid Bone Refining, practicing some Yellow Grade mid-tier fist technique called Mad Tiger Fist he got from who-knows-where. They say it's already at Great Completion, and he's ferociously brave!"

"Looks like this selection will be something to watch..."

Listening to these discussions, Li Yifan gained a clearer picture of the upcoming selection. His competitors were formidable, especially those from noble families—not only were their cultivation levels high, but the techniques they practiced were generally Yellow Grade mid-tier or even upper-tier, far surpassing his Five Tiger Severing Gate Saber and Spirit Fox Steps.

'My Five Tiger Severing Gate Saber is perfected, but its grade is too low—it's hit its ceiling. The urgent task is to acquire higher-grade techniques, especially internal cultivation methods and attack martial skills,' Li Yifan calculated. The savings from Black Mountain City probably couldn't buy any decent Yellow Grade upper-tier techniques here in the prefecture city. He'd have to find another way.

Just then, a commotion arose at the teahouse entrance. A young master in luxurious clothes, with an arrogant expression, walked in with several attendants. Scanning the hall, his eyes landed on Li Yifan sitting alone by the window. He strode straight over and said in a commanding tone, "Hey, you there. This seat—this young master has taken a liking to it. Know what's good for you and clear off."

Li Yifan frowned slightly, glancing up at the young master—merely a Body Refining perfectionist, relying on his family background. He couldn't be bothered and continued sipping his tea.

Seeing Li Yifan ignore him, the young master felt humiliated and snapped, "Kid, are you deaf? Do you know who I am? I'm Liu Kun of the Qingzhou Liu Family! Get lost now!"

The Liu Family? Li Yifan seemed to recall hearing about them in the earlier chatter—a sizable clan in Qingzhou, with a Meridian Opening Realm expert backing them. But he wasn't one to be cowed, especially by such rudeness.

"This seat was taken by me first, and I've already paid for the tea. If you want to drink, find another spot," Li Yifan said flatly, with an unmistakable finality.

"Bold words!" Liu Kun laughed in anger. "A country bumpkin from some backwater dares to fight me for a seat? Throw him out!"

The two early Bone Refining attendants behind him immediately bared their fangs, stepping forward and reaching for Li Yifan. A gust of wind swept toward him—they weren't holding back.

The teahouse crowd turned to watch, some gleeful, some sympathetic, but no one dared to intervene. The Liu Family was no pushover in Qingzhou Prefecture City.

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

Without even rising from his chair, he twisted his body as if boneless, displaying the minor achievement of Spirit Fox Steps to perfection, narrowly evading both grabs. At the same time, he pressed his index and middle fingers together on both hands, striking like lightning, precisely hitting the acupoints on the attendants' wrists!

"Ah!" "Ugh!"

The two early Bone Refining attendants recoiled as if electrocuted, their wrists going numb and their entire arms suddenly limp and powerless. In shock, they stumbled back, staring at Li Yifan in disbelief. A casual flick of his fingers had broken their grab? What kind of technique was that?

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

Li Yifan remained seated, coldly staring at Liu Kun. "Now, can you get lost?"

His voice was low, but it carried an icy killing intent—the aura forged through life-and-death battles. Liu Kun, caught by that gaze, felt a chill shoot from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, as if stared down by a primordial beast. His face paled, and he instinctively stepped back.

"You... just wait!" Liu Kun blustered weakly, then fled the teahouse with his terrified attendants, not daring to look back.

The teahouse fell silent. Everyone stared at Li Yifan in surprise. This seemingly ordinary young man had such skill, dared to offend a Liu Family scion, and even came out on top?

Li Yifan acted as if nothing significant had happened, continuing to sip his tea. He hadn't even used a weapon—just the precise finger strength honed from his perfected Five Tiger Severing Gate Saber, combined with the evasion of Spirit Fox Steps, to easily defuse the crisis. This also gave him a clearer gauge of his own strength.

After this incident, he lost his interest in tea, paid the bill, and left. No sooner had he stepped out of the teahouse than a figure caught up to him.

"Brother, please hold!"

Li Yifan turned to see a young man in ordinary fitted clothes, with a sharp, capable face and bright eyes. His cultivation was around mid Bone Refining, his aura steady—unlike the hollow show of Liu Kun.

"Something?" Li Yifan asked.

The young man cupped his fists and smiled. "I'm Lei Zhen. I saw your impressive skills just now, how you dealt with that mad dog Liu Kun in a few moves. I admire that and wanted to make your acquaintance."

Lei Zhen? Li Yifan's mind stirred—this was the rogue cultivator "Mad Tiger" mentioned in the teahouse.

"Li Yifan," he replied, returning the fist salute with neither arrogance nor humility.

Seeing that Li Yifan wasn't pushing him away, Lei Zhen's smile grew more genuine. "Brother Li is also here for the Xuntian Guard selection, right? You look unfamiliar, so you must have just arrived from a lower county. This Qingzhou Prefecture City is deep water—noble families have tangled roots. For rogue cultivators like us, if we're not careful, we'll suffer for it."

Li Yifan nodded. "Thanks for the reminder, Brother Lei."

Lei Zhen lowered his voice. "Brother Li, I see you've got real skill. Interested in cooperating? During the selection, we can look out for each other. I know a place in the city where you can buy information not easily found elsewhere—including some inside details on this selection and detailed profiles of potential rivals. Might be useful to you."

Li Yifan's interest was piqued. As a newcomer, he did need intelligence. Lei Zhen seemed straightforward, and as a fellow rogue cultivator, temporary cooperation wouldn't hurt.

"Oh? What place is that?"

"South of the city, the Ghost Market." A glint of sharp light flashed in Lei Zhen's eyes. "It's a den of all sorts, but as long as you have money—or something of equal value—you can buy almost any information you want, even... some shady techniques and martial skills."

The Ghost Market? Li Yifan grew interested. This could be one of his shortcuts to acquiring high-level techniques.

"Good, then I'll trouble Brother Lei to lead the way."

The two agreed to meet at a certain intersection south of the city that night, then parted ways.

Li Yifan watched Lei Zhen's retreating figure, his gaze deep. This Qingzhou Prefecture City was indeed far more complicated than Black Mountain City. The selection, the noble clans, the rogue cultivators, the Ghost Market... all kinds of forces intertwined. Still, the more complex the environment, the more opportunities there might be for him.

That night, under the cover of deep darkness, Li Yifan rendezvoused with Lei Zhen, and together they set off for the mysterious Ghost Market. And the prelude to the Xuntian Guard selection was about to officially begin.