A Woman in White Wearing a Bronze Mask

"Qiming, senior... senior brother..."

Qin Yu walked over, but found the words "senior brother" hard to get out.

At Dragon Roar Martial Hall, those who were more accomplished were treated as teachers. Apart from the Pavilion Master, the two elders, and the eight true disciples, the registered disciples were ranked by strength.

Strictly speaking, given his current strength, calling Li Qiming "senior brother" wasn't out of line.

Looking at the ordinary-looking Li Qiming in his gray robe, Qin Yu felt conflicted. When this kid had been pushed to the brink, he'd opened his Human Body Secret Treasury and awakened monstrous strength. He'd even killed Bone Refining experts as easily as chopping vegetables.

It was enough to make anyone envious.

Though such a thing seemed unbelievable, it wasn't unheard of. Stories of this kind of sudden, explosive awakening surfaced in new versions among the common folk every so often.

It was just the first time Qin Yu had seen it happen right before his eyes.

"Senior brother..." Li Qiming's expression was as serious as ever. He nodded, about to say something.

"Li Qiming?"

"Brother Qiming!"

Mo Su, Wang Liang, and the others came over. They recognized the gray-robed stranger who had just turned the tide single-handedly, killing a Bone Refining expert and Ah Jiu, and changing the whole course of the battle.

They were all left utterly bewildered and astonished.

The scene of him competing with them on the platform for a place as a "registered disciple" was still vivid in their minds. Yet in the blink of an eye, Li Qiming had become someone they could only look up to!

"This..."

Mo Su's face turned deathly pale. He'd thought that since his talent was greater than Li Qiming's, he could catch up if he worked hard. Just over ten days ago, he'd even taken the initiative to challenge Li Qiming to a contest of progress in saber techniques at the Scripture Pavilion.

The terrifying scene of blades filling the sky and a phantom great saber flashed through his mind. The figure wielding it with calm, unwavering strokes gradually merged with Li Qiming's figure before him.

Mo Su couldn't help shivering.

For a moment, he was like an eggplant struck by frost, overwhelmed by despair.

"Brother Qiming, you're incredible!"

After his initial shock, Wang Liang was as warm and familiar with Li Qiming as ever. He was genuinely happy for him, even admiring him, and his gaze brimmed with curiosity.

He and Li Qiming came from the same background. Naturally, seeing Li Qiming grow stronger made him happy—and gave him a strong sense of shared triumph.

"Mo Su, Wang Liang, where are the other senior brothers?" Li Qiming glanced around and noticed several people were missing.

Everyone fell silent.

Li Qiming understood at once. He hadn't expected the busty girl and the taciturn, square-faced rich young master to have been killed by the Demon Sect disciples in the battle just now.

They'd all joined the Martial Hall at the same time, and he couldn't help feeling the sorrow of a fox mourning a hare.

They'd been young people in their prime, newly joined the Martial Hall and full of hopes for the future. Just a few hours ago, they'd been laughing and chatting together. In the blink of an eye, they were dead.

Life was fickle.

Especially in this brutal, perilous world of martial arts...

"Senior brother, it's still dangerous here. I suggest you all return to the Martial Hall first."

Li Qiming gathered his thoughts and spoke to Qin Yu.

Qin Yu nodded. After the battle, everyone present—both the Martial Hall disciples and the escort agency's warriors—had been injured.

They wouldn't be of any help by staying. The fighters battling inside the Ancient Temple were all Organ Refining experts, far beyond their ability to face.

Rather than get in the way, they should leave as soon as possible.

"Junior brother, what about you?" Qin Yu asked.

"That's right, Brother Qiming. Come with us," Wang Liang said.

Mo Su also looked up at Li Qiming.

But Li Qiming shook his head, his expression grave. He glanced toward the Ancient Temple halfway up the mountain and said slowly:

"I'm going to take a look at the temple."

It was what he'd decided after careful consideration.

With the added strength of an Elephant and thirty years of Blood Qi Power, his perfected Swallow Skimming Grass was no weaker than an Organ Refining expert's lightness skill, whether in explosive speed or endurance.

Besides, he had the "Flood Dragon Bloodline" and "One Blade Style." The former gave him astonishing recovery, and at a critical moment, could even restore him to peak condition.

After each use, the "Flood Dragon Bloodline" in his dantian would weaken, and under normal circumstances it would take a day to work again.

Fortunately, Blood Qi could nourish it, and now the "Flood Dragon Bloodline" had regained its vigor.

On top of that, his speed was extremely high while using One Blade Style. He couldn't maintain it for long, but whether for attacking or escaping, it was more than enough to save his life.

"Brother Qiming, those are several Organ Refining experts fighting..." Wang Liang said worriedly, though his voice grew quieter and quieter.

Because he realized that... Brother Qiming wasn't weak either?

Qin Yu and the others exchanged glances. Only now did they truly understand that they and Li Qiming belonged to two entirely different levels of strength.

"Junior brother... you must be careful!" Qin Yu urged him earnestly.

He'd previously wanted to go to Zhennan Prefecture City and ask a powerful clan for help. But on second thought, this was a confrontation between Organ Refining experts. Without some substantial benefit, which powerful clan would send one of their experts to wade into this mess?

"Brother, we'll wait for you to come back at the Martial Hall!" Wang Liang said, clenching his fist.

"B-be careful..." Mo Su managed to say.

Li Qiming nodded, then turned and headed toward the Ancient Temple halfway up the mountain. Soon, his figure vanished into the darkness of the forest.

"Senior brother, let's go too," Wang Liang said. A gloomy chill seemed to hang over the surrounding mountains. With bloodied corpses strewn across the ground and ruin everywhere, it made his skin crawl.

Now that Brother Qiming had left, there was no sense of safety at all!

"Mm." Qin Yu nodded, then looked at the two remaining Bone Refining warriors and five Blood Refining warriors from the escort agency.

"We can't help, but the Qi Family Escort Agency has an order: we can't abandon the goods. Anyone who flees in the face of danger will be dead when they get back!"

The escort agency's warriors shook their heads. Though they were badly wounded, they still chose to stay.

Even if they couldn't fight, they would wait here for the outcome.

Qin Yu was taken aback. By comparison, their own ancestor, Long Yingtian, seemed exceptionally open-minded. The ancestral teachings he'd left behind were, "As long as the green hills remain, there'll be no shortage of firewood," and "As long as you're alive, you still have everything; once you're dead, you've got nothing."

But he could understand. The escort agency's business was built this way. If everyone ran whenever they came up against an enemy they couldn't beat, there'd be no point in running the agency at all. Given enough time, who would dare hire them?

"Then we'll be going..."

After thinking it over, Qin Yu took out a bottle of Blood Recovery Pills and handed it to one of the Bone Refining warriors.

"Thanks, brother."

The escort agency's warriors nodded in gratitude.

"Until we meet again!"

With that, Qin Yu led the Martial Hall group down the mountain.

The escort agency's warriors were badly injured, so they sat down where they were to rest and regulate their breathing, circulating the Blood Qi Power within their bodies.

About a quarter of an hour later.

A woman in white wearing a Bronze Mask came slowly along a narrow mountain path, a saber in her hand.

The rain in the first half of the night had left the path muddy, yet the woman was spotless from head to toe—not a speck of mud on her soles.

She was like a white lotus rising pure from the mud.

When she reached the woods, she studied the traces of the battle around her.

"Sniff, sniff." She twitched her nose, catching the lingering traces of battle in the air.

"A saber prodigy... This is the place..."

She murmured softly.