The Woman in White Wearing a Bronze Mask

"Qiming, Junior... Junior Brother..."

Qin Yu walked over, though he found the title of Junior Brother difficult to utter.

At the Dragon Roar Martial Hall, the tradition of respecting the strong as masters meant that, aside from the Hall Master, the two elders, and the eight true disciples, the seniority of all other registered disciples was determined by their strength.

In terms of pure strength, it would not be an exaggeration for him to call Li Qiming Senior Brother now.

Looking at Li Qiming in his plain gray robes, Qin Yu felt a complex mix of emotions. This kid had been pushed to the brink, unlocked his body's hidden potential, awakened a monstrous strength, and even slaughtered Bone Refining experts as easily as chopping vegetables.

It was enough to make anyone envious.

While such things were irrational, they were not unheard of; in fact, stories of such "sudden power-ups" circulated among the common folk every so often.

It was just the first time it had happened right in front of Qin Yu.

"Senior Brother..." Li Qiming's expression remained as serious as ever, and he nodded, about to say something.

"Li Qiming?"

"Brother Qiming!"

Mo Su, Wang Liang, and the others walked over. When they realized that the mysterious figure in gray who had just turned the tide single-handedly—slaying Bone Refining experts and beheading Ah Jiu—was actually Li Qiming, they were stunned.

Every one of them was left in a state of utter bewilderment and shock.

The scene of him competing against them for a "registered disciple" spot on the high platform was still fresh in their minds, yet in the blink of an eye, Li Qiming had become someone they had to look up to!

"This..."

Mo Su's face turned deathly pale. He had previously thought that because his talent was higher than Li Qiming's, he would surely catch up with enough effort. Just ten days ago at the Scripture Pavilion, he had even proactively challenged him to a contest of blade technique progress.

The terrifying scene of the sky filled with blade feathers and the phantom giant blade flashed through his mind, and the figure of the person wielding the blade with such calm, straight movements gradually overlapped with the Li Qiming standing before him.

Mo Su couldn't help but shudder.

For a moment, he felt like a frost-bitten eggplant, filled with a sense of utter despair.

"Brother Qiming, you're actually this strong!"

After the initial shock, Wang Liang remained his usual familiar self. He felt genuinely happy and even worshipful, his eyes filled with curiosity as he looked at Li Qiming.

Since he and Li Qiming came from the same background, seeing the other man grow stronger made him happy, and he even felt a sense of vicarious pride.

"Mo Su, Wang Liang, why are the other junior brothers and sisters not here?" Li Qiming looked around and noticed a few people were missing.

Everyone fell silent.

Li Qiming understood immediately. He hadn't expected that the busty girl and the silent, square-faced rich young master had both been killed by the Demon Sect disciples during the fierce battle.

Having joined the hall at the same time as both of them, he couldn't help but feel a sense of sorrow for his peers.

Two young people in the prime of their lives, who had just joined the martial hall with infinite dreams for the future, had been laughing and talking only hours ago, and now they were dead.

Life is impermanent.

Especially in this cruel martial arts world, where danger lurks everywhere...

"Senior Brother, it's still dangerous here. I suggest you all return to the martial hall first."

Li Qiming collected his thoughts and spoke to Qin Yu.

Qin Yu nodded. After the battle that had just taken place, everyone present—whether they were martial hall disciples or guards from the escort agency—was essentially injured.

Staying behind would serve no purpose; after all, those fighting in the Ancient Temple were a group of Organ Refining experts, and this was not a level of combat they could participate in.

Rather than being a burden here, it was better to leave quickly.

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

"Yeah, Brother Qiming, come with us," Wang Liang added.

Mo Su also looked up at Li Qiming.

Li Qiming shook his head with a solemn expression. He glanced toward the Ancient Temple on the mountainside and said slowly:

"I intend to go take a look at the Ancient Temple."

This was a decision he had made after careful consideration.

With the support of the Strength of an Elephant and ten years of blood qi, his mastered Swallow Skimming Grass was in no way inferior to an Organ Refining expert in terms of burst speed or endurance.

Furthermore, he possessed the Flood Dragon Bloodline and the One Blade Style. The former granted him astonishing recovery, allowing him to return to a peak state at a critical moment.

Every time he used it, the Flood Dragon Bloodline in his dantian would weaken, and normally, it would take a day to function again.

But fortunately, his blood qi could nourish it, and the Flood Dragon Bloodline was already firming up again.

Additionally, while in the state of the One Blade Style, his speed was incredibly fast. Although he couldn't maintain it for long, it was certainly a life-saving method for both attacking and escaping.

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

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

Qin Yu and the others looked at each other, only now truly realizing that the gap in strength between them and Li Qiming was already on two different levels.

"Junior Brother... then you must be careful!" Qin Yu urged him heavily.

He had previously thought about going to Zhennan Prefecture City to ask a major clan for help, but upon reflection, this was a confrontation at the Organ Refining level. Without significant benefits, which major clan would send their own Organ Refining experts to wade into these muddy waters?

"Brother, we'll be waiting for you at the martial arts hall!" Wang Liang said, clenching his fist.

"Be... be careful..." Mo Su also managed to speak up.

Li Qiming nodded, turned, and headed toward the Ancient Temple on the mountainside, his figure quickly disappearing into the darkness of the jungle.

"Senior brother, let's go too." Wang Liang felt a sinister chill enveloping the mountains, and with the blood-soaked corpses and devastation everywhere, he couldn't help but feel his hair stand on end.

With Brother Qiming gone, there was absolutely no sense of security!

"Right." Qin Yu nodded, then looked at the remaining two Bone Refining martial artists from the Qi Family Escort Agency, as well as the five Blood Refining martial artists.

"We can't be of much help, but the Qi Family Escort Agency has orders: the cargo cannot be abandoned. Those who flee in the face of battle will be executed upon returning!"

The escort martial artists shook their heads; although they were severely injured, they chose to stay behind.

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

Qin Yu was stunned. By comparison, his own ancestor, Long Yingtian, was remarkably enlightened. The ancestral teachings left behind were: "As long as the green hills remain, there's no need to worry about firewood," and "To be alive is to have everything; to be dead is to have nothing."

However, he could understand it. The business model of an escort agency was such that if everyone ran away the moment they encountered an unbeatable foe, there would be no point in running the agency, because over time, who would dare to hire them?

"Then we'll be going..."

After a moment's thought, Qin Yu took out a bottle of Blood Recovery Pill from his person and handed it to the Bone Refining martial artist.

"Thanks, brother."

The escort martial artists nodded in acknowledgment one after another.

"Until we meet again!"

With that, Qin Yu led the group from the martial arts hall and headed down the mountain.

The escort martial artists, suffering from heavy injuries, simply sat down on the spot to meditate and regulate their breathing, circulating the blood energy within their bodies.

About a quarter of an hour later.

A woman in white wearing a Bronze Mask, carrying a blade, slowly walked out from a narrow mountain path.

The mountain rain earlier that night had made the paths muddy, yet this woman was pristine white all over, without a single speck of mud even on the soles of her feet.

She was like a white lotus rising from the mud, unstained.

Arriving in the woods, she looked at the traces of the great battle that had taken place.

"Sniff, sniff." She twitched her nose, smelling the lingering aftermath of the battle in the air.

"A prodigy of the blade... this must be the place..."

She murmured slowly.