Who do you think you are?

Jiang Tian's gaze flickered, and system panels immediately appeared above the two individuals.

[Name: Liu Xuantong]

[Realm: Qi Gathering Realm]

[Traits: Innate Martial Bone (Purple), Innate Wisdom Root (Purple)]

[Name: Mu Sining]

[Realm: Qi Gathering Realm]

[Traits: Extreme Cold Body (Red), Superb Comprehension (Purple)]

Jiang Tian raised an eyebrow, his gaze lingering on the woman for a moment.

Another red trait!

This was the second red trait he had encountered.

"Extract!"

The panels above their heads transformed into two streaks of light, flying into the center of Jiang Tian's brow.

Judging by their attire, they must be disciples of the Heavenly Fire Sect.

To run into two random people and find one with a red trait—if he were to join the Heavenly Fire Sect in the future, wouldn't upgrading this red trait to gold be just around the corner?

Thinking of this, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, and he couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

Seeing Jiang Tian's vacant expression, Liu Xuantong's face darkened instantly, and his volume rose sharply: "Hey! Kid! I'm talking to you, did you hear me?"

This mission was one he and his junior sister had snatched from the hands of other fellow disciples.

They were merely mortal martial artists, easy to deal with, and they could rake in a handsome sum of silver—at least tens of thousands of taels.

Tens of thousands of taels of silver was a fortune not to be underestimated, even for "immortals" and "seekers of the path" like them.

The various resources on the path of cultivation... which one didn't require silver? Which one didn't require sect contribution points?

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Yuan Long coughed violently several times, desperately signaling Jiang Tian with his eyes.

Originally, after Jiang Tian killed the Black and White Elders, the situation had basically been settled.

But he hadn't expected people from the Heavenly Fire Sect to arrive.

Upon asking, he learned that the Prefecture City magistrate, Fang Ping, had sought help from a friend in the Prefecture City in advance.

That friend had used his connections to send two disciples from the Heavenly Fire Sect.

These two were truly "masters" to be reckoned with.

The woman hadn't made a move yet, but the man was temperamental and extremely ruthless, often burning people to charcoal at the slightest provocation.

The armored soldiers at the city gate earlier had been his handiwork.

Seeing that Jiang Tian remained unmoved, Yuan Long's anxiety grew even more intense.

He sidled up to Liu Xuantong, forced a smile onto his face, and said obsequiously: "Young Master Liu, this is my unruly disciple. He just went through a major battle and probably hasn't recovered his senses yet. I'll go persuade him right now..."

However, before he could finish his sentence, Jiang Tian spoke up.

He was addressing Liu Xuantong.

"And you—what kind of thing are you?"

Both were in the Qi Gathering Realm, yet he dared to demand silver from him? He was thinking far too highly of himself.

As soon as these words were spoken, the air instantly froze.

The sound of breathing in the courtyard became clearly audible, and even the rustling of the wind through the leaves sounded jarringly loud.

Yuan Long's face changed immediately, turning deathly pale, devoid of any color.

"You wicked disciple! These are immortals from the Heavenly Fire Sect! How dare you be so insolent?"

Before the words had even faded, he was shoved aside by Liu Xuantong, whose face was dark as a thundercloud.

Yuan Long stumbled and fell to the ground.

"What kind of thing am I?"

Liu Xuantong twisted his neck, a savage arc slowly forming at the corners of his mouth.

A mere mortal actually dared to speak to him like that.

"Then today, I'll let you know exactly how my name, Liu Xuantong, is written!"

The moment his words fell, Liu Xuantong moved.

Crimson radiance surged from his body, as if someone had lit a fire inside him.

He spread his fingers wide, his palm enveloped in flames that spat out tongues of fire, hissing as they licked the air.

The temperature in the air climbed sharply with his strike, and a wave of heat rushed toward them, as if they were standing next to a furnace.

He lunged forward, arriving in front of Jiang Tian with a speed so fast it left a crimson afterimage in the air.

A palm wreathed in flowing fire reached toward Jiang Tian's face, five fingers hooked like claws, aiming straight for his skull.

Yuan Long's face instantly drained of all color, his lips trembling.

At this moment, only one thought occupied his mind.

It's over, it's over, everything is over.

Yet the next instant, his pupils constricted sharply, his eyes filled with shock.

It wasn't just him; the county magistrate and his entourage wore the exact same expression.

Their eyes were wide open, filled with utter disbelief.

In their line of sight, the scene of Jiang Tian being ignited by the flowing fire did not occur.

Instead, the moment the two made contact, Liu Xuantong stumbled back several steps, the flowing fire on his hand vanished completely, and that same hand was dripping blood incessantly.

The blood hit the bluestone floor with a rhythmic "patter, patter."

Liu Xuantong's gaze grew dazed for a moment as he looked down at the wound on his hand.

The wound was not deep, but wisps of golden threads lingered within it, moving slowly through the flesh like tiny snakes, preventing the wound from healing.

He slowly shifted his gaze to Jiang Tian.

He saw that Jiang Tian's hand was wreathed in streams of golden light.

Behind him, Mu Sining's beautiful peach-blossom eyes flickered slightly, though it was unclear what she was thinking.

"You are also in the Qi Gathering Realm?"

Liu Xuantong chuckled, his smile carrying a hint of surprise and a touch of irritation.

Immediately, the smile on his face turned even more ferocious.

"Though I don't know how you obtained a Qi Gathering Method, nor how you managed to master it without a teacher... but, this ends here!"

"Boom--!"

Flowing fire erupted from his body, crimson flames soaring into the sky and enveloping him entirely.

His eyes glowed terrifyingly bright within the firelight, his pupils seemingly emitting flames.

A fist made of flowing fire appeared before him, the size of a human head; the flames were so dense they were almost solid, radiating a terrifying heat.

The surrounding air distorted from the high temperature, blurring the line of sight.

Jiang Tian raised his palm, and streams of golden light gathered in his hand.

He compressed the golden qi continuously, compressing it from the size of a fist to a palm, from a palm to an egg, and from an egg to a walnut.

A small golden sword slowly took shape in his palm.

Liu Xuantong roared, his voice laced with killing intent: "Scum, watch your tongue in your next life!"

The fist before him carried a scorching heat, like a miniature sun, as it flew toward Jiang Tian.

Wherever it passed, the air was ignited, leaving behind a charred trail.

"Swish--!"

The small golden sword in Jiang Tian's hand was flicked out, accompanied by a piercing whistle, like a bolt of golden lightning meeting the mass of flowing fire.

The moment the small golden sword touched the fist, it paused for a fraction of a second as if encountering resistance, and then, it pierced straight through the crimson fist!

"Boom--!"

The red fist exploded, sending flowing fire scattering like fireworks blooming in mid-air.

Sparks landed on the withered tree in the courtyard, instantly igniting it and burning it into a charred stump.

The small golden sword, its power undiminished, flew straight toward the center of Liu Xuantong's brow, moving as fast as a streak of light.

Liu Xuantong's face turned white as a sheet, his pupils reflecting the golden light drawing ever closer.

He had not expected that his strongest strike would be broken so easily by the person before him.

"Senior Sister... save me!"