Scouts

Thirty zhang outside the courtyard wall.

In a narrow alley, a figure was curled up in the corner.

He wore grey-black clothes that blended almost perfectly with the wall, his breathing was extremely faint, and his heartbeat had slowed to the absolute minimum, as if he had entered some kind of dormant state.

If one hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they would never believe a person was hiding there.

He was a scout for the Shadow Hall of the Blood Wolf Gang, and one of the best scouts the Shadow Hall had, Ma Wen.

His cultivation was not high, only at the seventh level of Body Tempering, but he practiced a very special technique.

He could suppress his aura to almost zero, lurking anywhere without being discovered. Relying on this skill, he had gathered countless pieces of intelligence for the Blood Wolf Gang and had never failed.

Tonight, he had been ordered by Qin Sihai to lurk outside the Baishui Town branch and observe every move Chen Xuan made.

Qin Sihai's exact words were: "Do not act, do not get close, just watch. Someone will make a move tonight, and I want to know exactly how strong Chen Xuan is."

Ma Wen had done it. He had been lurking here since dusk, motionless, controlling even his breathing to the extreme. He had stared at every move Chen Xuan made, and the other party had never discovered him.

Until just now.

The moment Chen Xuan killed Lei Hu with a single sword strike.

Ma Wen, who had been hidden perfectly, felt his aura fluctuate for a split second.

It wasn't intentional.

It was instinct.

Forty-five sword shadows bloomed simultaneously, like a golden lotus in full flower. The scene, where beauty and killing intent intertwined, made even an old scout like Ma Wen, who had seen his share of life and death, tremble in his heart.

It was this very tremble that exposed him.

Not good.

Ma Wen thought to himself, immediately suppressing his aura to the limit.

But he knew it was already too late.

He saw Chen Xuan stop in his tracks, saw Chen Xuan turn and dash rapidly toward the southeast, and saw Chen Xuan's gaze cross the courtyard wall, locking onto his position with precision.

"Run!"

Ma Wen did not hesitate for a second; he sprang from the corner and sprinted toward the depths of the alley.

His movement technique was extremely fast, weaving left and right through the narrow alley like a startled hare.

Only one thought occupied his mind.

Escape back.

Tell the gang leader the news.

Chen Xuan's cultivation had not only reached the Zhuqi Realm, but he had also mastered a Zhuqi Realm martial art with no small degree of proficiency.

That sword strike, with forty-five sword shadows, each one a physical entity, had easily killed Lei Hu, who was at the first level of the Zhuqi Realm.

Such strength was something even a third-level Zhuqi Realm martial artist might not be able to achieve.

And then, there was Chen Xuan's physical body.

Lei Hu's full-force blade strike had been caught between his two fingers.

That was a strike containing the true energy of a superior technique, yet it couldn't even break Chen Xuan's skin.

If this boy is not removed, he will become a major disaster.

This thought flashed through Ma Wen's mind, and he quickened his pace.

No, that wasn't right.

Chen Xuan was already a major disaster.

With that invulnerable body and such superb swordsmanship, no one in the entire Blood Wolf Gang was a match for Chen Xuan, unless Qin Sihai took action himself.

However, just as Ma Wen ran out of the alley, he felt a rushing wind behind him.

Ma Wen looked back, his face turning deathly pale in an instant.

Chen Xuan had already caught up.

Although he practiced a movement technique, the gap in cultivation between them was too vast. With Chen Xuan's Zhuqi Realm cultivation, he didn't even need a movement technique; he could cover dozens of meters in a single breath.

This wasn't a matter of movement techniques, but a suppression of cultivation. Zhuqi Realm martial artists had the benefit of true energy, making their speed far superior to those in the Body Tempering Realm.

"You've been peeking at me for so long, do you really want to leave without saying hello?"

Chen Xuan's voice was calm and unhurried, yet it carried a sense of oppression.

Ma Wen did not answer.

He knew he couldn't escape, but he couldn't stop.

Once he stopped, only death awaited him.

Chen Xuan watched the black shadow sprinting ahead. This person's cultivation was low, only at the Body Tempering Realm, but his ability to suppress his aura was truly remarkable.

If not for that slight fluctuation in his aura, he wouldn't have even noticed someone was watching from the shadows until now.

"Interesting."

Chen Xuan exerted force through his feet, his figure shooting forward like an arrow, closing the distance in an instant.

Ten zhang.

Five zhang.

Three zhang.

Hearing the sound of wind being torn apart drawing closer behind him, Ma Wen felt a surge of despair.

He spun around abruptly, throwing his hands up, and a cluster of silver needles as fine as ox hair shot toward Chen Xuan.

This was his life-saving trump card; the needles were coated in a lethal poison that killed upon drawing blood, but it was merely his final struggle.

If even those in the Zhuqi Realm couldn't break Chen Xuan's defense, these mere hidden weapons stood no chance.

Chen Xuan simply raised his hand and flicked it.

The silver needles flew back, all of them embedding themselves into Ma Wen's body.

"Oh no!"

Ma Wen's face turned deathly pale as he immediately pulled an antidote from his robes and swallowed it.

Following that, a burst of true qi struck his waist, causing his body to go limp instantly. He crashed heavily to the ground, the excruciating pain from his lower back causing beads of sweat the size of beans to erupt on his forehead.

He tried to struggle to his feet, but his lower body refused to obey; his legs dragged on the ground, limp as if the bones had been pulled out.

Chen Xuan's true qi had struck his lumbar spine, shattering it completely; even if he survived, he would be permanently paralyzed for the rest of his life.

"You..."

Ma Wen looked up at the slowly approaching Chen Xuan, his eyes filled with terror.

He wanted to say something, but found his throat blocked as if by an obstruction, unable to utter a single word.

He was one of the best scouts in the Shadow Hall of the Blood Wolf Gang; infiltration, reconnaissance, and escape were his specialties.

But head-on combat had never been his strong suit.

His cultivation was only at the seventh level of Body Tempering, and the Breath Concealment Technique he practiced was not a combat art. Those silver needles were his only means of self-defense, but in Chen Xuan's hands, they were nothing more than child's play.

"Are you with the Blood Wolf Gang?" Chen Xuan walked up to him, looking down from above. "Did Qin Sihai send you?"

Ma Wen gritted his teeth and remained silent.

"Not talking?"

Chen Xuan raised his foot and stepped onto his right wrist.

"Crack—"

A crisp sound of breaking bone echoed through the night air.

"Ah—"

Ma Wen let out a shrill scream as the bones in his right hand were crushed to powder.

"I ask you a question, you answer." Chen Xuan's voice remained calm, but the invisible pressure made Ma Wen tremble all over. "If you don't answer, or try to play games, I will crush your other hand, then your shoulders, your ribs... I will crush every single bone in your body until you are willing to speak."

Ma Wen's face was deathly pale, and the large beads of sweat on his forehead streamed down his cheeks.

He knew Chen Xuan wasn't just trying to scare him.

He really would do it.

"I'll talk... I'll talk." Ma Wen's voice trembled. "The gang leader sent me. He said someone would make a move tonight and told me to hide here to observe your strength, to see clearly how you won, and then report back."

"The person making a move tonight is Lei Hu of the Tyrant Blade Sect?"

Chen Xuan asked.

"Ye... yes..." Ma Wen nodded frantically. "The gang leader sent a letter to Lei Hu saying you practiced the Vajra Technique and had reached the ninth level of Body Tempering. Lei Hu is naturally suspicious, so..."

Chen Xuan nodded.

Qin Sihai was certainly skilled at using others to do his dirty work.

He didn't act himself, letting Lei Hu of the Tyrant Blade Sect take the lead instead. If Lei Hu won, he would reap the rewards.

If Lei Hu died, he would still be able to gauge Chen Xuan's strength through his scout to prepare for his next move.

Regardless of the outcome, he didn't lose anything.

"What about Liu Feng?" Chen Xuan asked. "Did Qin Sihai contact the inner sect disciple of the Blood Fiend Devil Sect, Liu Feng?"

"Yes..." Ma Wen said. "The gang leader sent someone to deliver a letter to the Blood Fiend Devil Sect. Liu Feng is an inner sect disciple of the Blood Fiend Devil Sect, at the peak of the second level of the Zhuqi Realm. Originally, Liu Feng should have been the one to act when his younger brother Liu Lie died at your hands, but Liu Feng was in seclusion attempting to break through to the third level, so he sent another outer sect disciple at the ninth level of Body Tempering to act instead... counting the time, he should have finished his seclusion by now."

"Third level of the Zhuqi Realm..."

Chen Xuan muttered to himself.

He was currently at the second level of the Zhuqi Realm.

From Lianshan City to the Blood Fiend Devil Sect and back, it would take at least ten days for Liu Feng to receive the news and travel here.

Ten days later.

Liu Feng, at the third level of Qi Casting, no longer posed any threat to him.

"Who else?" Chen Xuan asked. "What else did Qin Sihai arrange?"

"N-nothing else..." Ma Wen shook his head and said, "The gang leader only arranged for Lei Hu of the Tyrant Blade Sect and the inner sect disciple Liu Feng."

"Thanks for your cooperation; I will ensure you die without pain."

Chen Xuan drew the long sword from his hand.

Seeing Chen Xuan draw his sword, Ma Wen immediately said, "Wait... hold on, I have something that can trade for my life!"

"What thing?"

Chen Xuan paused his movement, then asked.