Qin Yu Descends the Mountain to Experience the Mortal World

After the artifact refining with the Life-Bound True Fire, the small courtyard at Cloud Mist Villa returned to its former tranquility. Qin Yu continued his diligent training without pause, tempering his body and External Martial Arts by day, and circulating his cultivation technique to absorb spiritual energy by night. Under the guidance of Yun Ce, his cultivation at the late Xiantian Stage became increasingly stable, leaving him only one step away from touching the threshold of the peak of External Martial Arts.

One day, Yun Ce summoned Qin Yu to the Artifact Refining Platform. A pale purple Life-Bound True Fire flickered at his fingertips, yet he did not touch any refining materials, merely gazing calmly at the youth before him. Sensing that his master's expression was unusual, Qin Yu quickly composed his mind, bowed, and asked, "Master has summoned me; I wonder what instructions you have?"

Yun Ce gestured for him to rise, his tone gentle yet carrying an unquestionable gravity: "You are now at the late Xiantian Stage, your physical strength far exceeding that of ordinary cultivators, and with High-Grade Spirit Artifacts at your side, both your cultivation and combat power have begun to take shape. However, you have grown up in the Eastern Suppressing Prince Mansion and Cloud Mist Villa since childhood, never having experienced the slaughter of the mortal world or the malice of human hearts. Training in such a greenhouse will ultimately make it difficult to break through your shackles, let alone handle the dangers of the future Conquest of Chu."

Qin Yu felt a jolt in his heart and quickly said, "This disciple understands, but I do not know how I should go about this training?" He had known since he was young that he carried a deep blood feud, and he understood that the comfort of a greenhouse would erode his fighting spirit, yet he had never had the opportunity to step out of Cloud Mist Mountain and encounter the outside world.

"You may descend the mountain and head into the territory of the Chu Dynasty to train." Yun Ce spoke slowly, a wisp of spiritual energy condensing at his fingertip to sketch the rough map of the Chu Dynasty in the air. "The Chu Dynasty is home to many cultivators, a place where dragons and snakes mingle. There are the power struggles of great clans, the disputes and killings of martial sects, and even forces lurking in the shadows. After you descend, do not deliberately flaunt your identity. Hide your tracks, and while you cultivate, observe the customs and power distribution of the Chu Dynasty. Sharpen your temperament and hone your combat skills. When you have gained enough insight, return on your own."

After a pause, Yun Ce added, "Remember, do everything according to your ability; do not be reckless or overly competitive. If you encounter danger you cannot handle, crush this jade talisman, and I will come to find you." With that, he took a pale green jade talisman from his sleeve and handed it to Qin Yu. The talisman felt warm and smooth to the touch, containing rich spiritual energy; it was clearly a magical tool used for communication.

Qin Yu received the talisman with both hands, clutching it tightly, his eyes filled with determination: "This disciple will obey Master's instructions! I will certainly not fail Master's expectations. After descending the mountain, I will train diligently, break through to the peak of External Martial Arts as soon as possible, avenge my mother, and serve the Qin Family!" He had long yearned for the outside world and was even more eager to prove himself through training. Now that he had his master's permission and entrustment, he was filled with excitement.

Watching the sharpness in his eyes, Yun Ce nodded slightly, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth: "Go, pack your things and head down. Remember, the path of cultivation lies not only in the improvement of power but also in the settling of one's temperament. Only by being baptized by the mortal world can one truly grow." He knew clearly that this journey of Qin Yu's, while appearing to be ordinary training, was actually a step into the chessboard laid out by Qin De—the Heavenly Net hidden within the Chu Dynasty would eventually cross paths with Qin Yu.

That afternoon, Qin Yu packed his bags and stored his High-Grade Spirit Artifacts within his body. This set of equipment was forged from Stone-Embedded Yan Chi Iron. Qin Yu named the gauntlets the Yan Chi Gauntlets, the dagger the Yan Chi Dagger, and the longsword the Yan Chi Longsword. He tucked the jade talisman given by Yun Ce inside his robe, bowed deeply to Yun Ce, and then turned to leave Cloud Mist Villa. Xiao Hei wanted to accompany him, but was held back by Yun Ce, who said only that it should stay in the mountains to cultivate and wait for Qin Yu's return to be with him again. Although reluctant, Qin Yu understood his master's intentions, so he urged Xiao Hei to cultivate well before resolutely descending the mountain.

After descending, Qin Yu concealed his identity, changing into ordinary blue cloth robes. He wore the Yan Chi Longsword at his waist, covered by a coarse cloth belt, looking no different from an ordinary martial arts youth. Following Yun Ce's instructions, he headed south toward the heart of the Chu Dynasty. Along the way, he witnessed the bustle of the mortal world, saw the disputes of martial artists, and even encountered petty thieves blocking his path—most of these thieves were only at the early Houtian Stage and were no match for Qin Yu, being subdued in a few moves. Qin Yu took this opportunity to hone his combat techniques and familiarize himself with the use of his spirit artifacts.

After traveling for more than half a month, Qin Yu arrived at a small town called "Luoxia Town" outside the capital of the Chu Dynasty. This town was located at the border between the Chu Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty, a place where dragons and snakes mingled. There were traveling merchants, hidden cultivators, and many desperate outlaws taking refuge there. Qin Yu intended to rest in the town for a night before continuing, but unexpectedly, he was drawn into a skirmish.

That evening, as Qin Yu was dining in an inn, he suddenly heard intense fighting outside, accompanied by screams and the crisp clashing of weapons. His heart stirred; he stood up, walked to the window, and lifted the curtain. He saw that in the open space outside the inn, several people dressed in black with their faces covered were besieging a middle-aged man. Although the man fought desperately, he was outnumbered and had already suffered multiple wounds, his long saber wavering.

Qin Yu originally did not want to meddle in other people's business; after all, his master had warned him to hide his tracks and not easily expose his strength while training. But seeing the ruthless and lethal strikes of the men in black, clearly intent on killing the man, his sense of chivalry could not be suppressed—he had been taught by Yun Ce since childhood that while he carried a deep blood feud, he still knew the difference between good and evil.

Just as the middle-aged man was stabbed in the shoulder by a man in black and was about to fall, Qin Yu moved like a ghost, rushing out of the inn. With a slight movement of spiritual energy at his fingertips, the longsword at his waist instantly unsheathed. A flash of crimson spiritual light passed by, precisely parrying the black-clad man's saber. "Your strikes are too ruthless; this lacks all sense of righteousness!" Qin Yu's voice was cold, carrying the sharpness of a youth, and the spiritual energy fluctuations of the Xiantian Stage radiated faintly from his body.

The men in black stopped their attack and turned to look at Qin Yu, their eyes filled with vigilance and surprise. They were all Silver-Rank Assassins of the Heavenly Net organization, all at the peak of the late Houtian Stage. They had thought taking down a late Houtian Stage middle-aged man would be easy, but they had not expected a youth to suddenly intervene, one whose aura was steady and clearly not an ordinary cultivator.

"Where did this brat come from, daring to meddle in the affairs of the Heavenly Net?" The voice of the leader from behind his mask was cold. He raised his long saber slightly, a chilling murderous intent radiating from his body. "If you know what's good for you, get lost immediately, or don't blame us for being impolite!"

"Heavenly Net?" Qin Yu's heart stirred. He had never heard this name, but he could feel the murderous intent and organization of these men in black; they were clearly some secret assassin group. He did not retreat, but instead gripped his longsword tighter and said coldly, "Those who do much evil will surely bring about their own destruction. Today, I am going to meddle in this!"

A flash of ruthlessness crossed the eyes of the leader, and without further words, he signaled his subordinates: "Attack together, kill him!" Hearing this, the men in black immediately brandished their sabers and surrounded Qin Yu. Their saber techniques were sharp and lethal, clearly the ruthless moves honed through years of killing.

Qin Yu's expression was calm, his footwork agile as he avoided their encirclement. At the same time, his longsword danced, crimson spiritual light wrapping around the blade. Every strike contained rich fire-attribute spiritual energy, making it both incredibly sharp and searingly hot. His External Martial Arts were already solid, and with the addition of a High-Grade Spirit Artifact, combined with his late Xiantian Stage cultivation, dealing with a few peak Houtian Stage Silver-Rank Assassins was effortless.

In just a moment, the men in black were defeated by Qin Yu. Some were cut by his sword, others were repelled by his spiritual energy, all of them in a sorry state and filled with fear. The leader looked at Qin Yu, already harboring thoughts of retreat but not daring to leave easily, so he had to bite the bullet and say, "Your strength is formidable; the Heavenly Net does not wish to be your enemy. Let us call it a day, and I ask that you do not interfere with the Heavenly Net's business in the future!"

Qin Yu glanced at him coldly without pursuing, merely saying, "If I see you slaughtering the innocent again, I will not spare you!" With that, he turned to the middle-aged man, checked his wounds, and handed him a healing pill—this was one given to him by Yun Ce before he left for emergencies.

The middle-aged man took the pill and thanked him profusely, his eyes full of gratitude: "Thank you, young master, for saving my life. I will never forget this great kindness!" He looked at Qin Yu with admiration: "For you to have such formidable strength at such a young age is truly impressive. However, the Heavenly Net organization is vast and spreads throughout the Chu Dynasty. By offending them today, I fear you will have trouble in the future."

Qin Yu frowned slightly, his curiosity about the Heavenly Net organization growing: "I wonder, what kind of force is this Heavenly Net?"

The middle-aged man sighed and lowered his voice: "The Heavenly Net is the most secretive assassin organization in the Chu Dynasty. They act ruthlessly, taking contracts to kill without ever asking for the reason. It is said that Heavenly Net assassins are divided into three ranks: Gold-Rank, Silver-Rank, and Bronze-Rank. Bronze-Rank assassins are those capable of killing mid-Houtian experts, Silver-Rank assassins must possess the strength to kill peak Houtian experts, and Gold-Rank assassins are experts of the Xiantian Stage. However, Gold-Rank assassins are extremely rare; there are only a few in the entire Heavenly Net."

Just then, the men in black had not gone far but stood at a distance. The leader bowed to Qin Yu and said, "Your strength is superior, far beyond ours; you must be an expert of the Xiantian Stage. The Heavenly Net has always respected the strong. Would you be willing to join our Heavenly Net and become a Gold-Rank Assassin? After joining, not only will you have generous rewards, but there will also be cultivation resources available for you to use. Walking through the Chu Dynasty in the future, no one will dare to provoke you easily!"

Hearing this, Qin Yu's heart stirred. He had descended the mountain to train, to hone his combat power and accumulate resources. If he could join the Heavenly Net, he could hide his identity, use the influence of the Heavenly Net to travel through the Chu Dynasty, and hone his combat skills by taking assassination contracts—why not? Moreover, he wanted to take this opportunity to understand the secrets of the Heavenly Net and see what kind of hidden force this really was.

After a moment of thought, Qin Yu nodded and said calmly, "Fine, I can join the Heavenly Net. But I have one condition: I will only take the contracts I am willing to take, and I will not slaughter the innocent. If you force me to kill good people, I will quit immediately and show no mercy."

The leader was overjoyed and nodded quickly: "No problem! Rest assured, although the Heavenly Net acts ruthlessly, we will not force our assassins to slaughter the innocent. If you are truly a Xiantian Stage expert, joining our Heavenly Net will make you a Gold-Rank Assassin directly, and you will be a core member of our Heavenly Net!" With that, he took a black token from his chest, engraved with the character "Heaven" (Tian), which glowed with a faint spiritual light. "This is the token of a Heavenly Net assassin. Holding this, you can receive contracts and exchange for resources at any Heavenly Net branch in the Chu Dynasty."

Qin Yu took the token; it felt cold, and the character "Heaven" on it faintly exuded an aura of slaughter. He put the token away and said calmly, "Take me to see your person in charge; I want to know the specific rules."

The leader replied quickly: "Yes! Please follow me!" Afterward, Qin Yu instructed the middle-aged man to recover well and followed the men in black away from Luoxia Town. Although the men in black had failed this contract, being able to invite a Xiantian expert was not a loss. The group headed toward the Heavenly Net branch near Luoxia Town.

At this time, in the small courtyard of Cloud Mist Villa, Yun Ce sat cross-legged, the Life-Bound True Fire at his fingertips slowly dissipating. He opened his eyes, looked in the direction of the Chu Dynasty, and a knowing smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He had long known that the Heavenly Net organization was not some secret assassin group, but a force secretly cultivated by Qin De—for the sake of the Conquest of Chu, Qin De had secretly recruited outlaws and cultivators to form the Heavenly Net. On one hand, it was used to assassinate important officials and cultivators of the Chu Dynasty, and on the other, it was used to collect intelligence on the Chu Dynasty to prepare for the future war.

The reason Yun Ce did not tell Qin Yu about the Heavenly Net was that he wanted Qin Yu to train in the Heavenly Net on his own, without relying on the identity of the Eastern Suppressing Prince Mansion, to stand firm with his own strength and hone his temperament and combat power. And with Qin Yu's late Xiantian Stage cultivation, joining the Heavenly Net would naturally make him a Gold-Rank Assassin. "This Qin Yu really has a destiny with the Heavenly Net," Yun Ce thought with a chuckle.

"Qin Yu, this training in the Chu Dynasty is both a sharpening and a test." Yun Ce whispered to himself, a glimmer of expectation in his eyes. "The Heavenly Net is a place where dragons and snakes mingle, and human hearts are unpredictable. Only by holding onto your original heart can you grow through the slaughter and truly shoulder the heavy responsibility of the Qin Family and complete your path of revenge." He was not worried about Qin Yu's safety; firstly, Qin Yu was strong and had High-Grade Spirit Artifacts and a communication jade talisman; secondly, the Heavenly Net was Qin De's force, so even if Qin Yu encountered danger, Yun Ce would secretly intervene to help.

By now, Qin Yu had arrived at the Heavenly Net branch in Luoxia Town. The branch was hidden in a deep mountain, the buildings were simple and ancient, and the security was tight. Assassins in black could be seen everywhere, their auras chilling. The branch leader of the Heavenly Net in Luoxia Town was a mid-Xiantian cultivator. Hearing that Qin Yu was at the late Xiantian Stage, he personally came out to receive him, his attitude respectful as he informed Qin Yu of the rules of the Heavenly Net one by one.

Gold-Rank Assassins of the Heavenly Net did not need to obey the orders of the branch leader; they could receive contracts on their own and receive corresponding rewards upon completion, which could be exchanged for cultivation resources, pills, weapons, and so on. Moreover, Gold-Rank Assassins had the right to choose, and could refuse any contract they did not wish to take; even when facing orders from the main headquarters, they had a certain degree of autonomy.

After hearing the rules, Qin Yu already had a plan in mind. He decided to stay in the Heavenly Net for the time being, taking suitable contracts to hone his combat skills while collecting intelligence on the Chu Dynasty, understanding the distribution of cultivator forces, and continuing his cultivation, striving to break through to the peak of External Martial Arts as soon as possible.

The next day, Qin Yu received his first contract—to assassinate a corrupt official of the Chu Dynasty. This person preyed on the people and committed all kinds of evil, and had long been targeted by the Heavenly Net. Qin Yu concealed his tracks, wore a mask, and infiltrated a county town of the Chu Dynasty. Relying on his late Xiantian Stage cultivation and the support of his High-Grade Spirit Artifact, he easily slipped into the corrupt official's mansion and killed him with one sword strike. The whole process was silent, alerting no one.

After completing the contract, Qin Yu received his reward, exchanged it for a batch of cultivation resources, and found a hidden cave to begin closed-door cultivation. He integrated the combat techniques he had gained during his training into his practice, while using the resources to continuously temper his body and improve his spiritual energy. His late Xiantian Stage cultivation became increasingly stable, and he was getting closer and closer to the threshold of the peak of External Martial Arts.

From then on, Qin Yu trained quietly within the Chu Dynasty under the identity of a Heavenly Net Gold-Rank Assassin. He traveled between various towns, taking contracts, killing evildoers, and honing his combat power, all while secretly observing the forces of the Chu Dynasty and collecting intelligence. His figure was hidden in the darkness, his crimson dagger cutting through the night sky, becoming a nightmare for the evildoers of the Chu Dynasty. And he himself, through repeated slaughter and training, grew quietly, gradually shedding the greenness of youth and gaining a bit more steadiness and ruthlessness—this was what Yun Ce had hoped for: only after being baptized by the mortal world could one become a true expert.

As for Yun Ce, he often used his spiritual sense to monitor Qin Yu's movements. Watching Qin Yu grow step by step within the Heavenly Net, a faint smile always remained on his lips. He knew that Qin Yu's path of training had only just begun, and the Heavenly Net assassin organization was merely a stepping stone on Qin Yu's path to growth.