No Threat? Still Beat Him to Death

"Someone as graceful as Senior Sister Xu could only be worthy of someone like Senior Brother Zhao!"

Yu Xiu looked over and saw that Xu Rou really was beautiful, with an especially striking figure. Her simple, elegant attire made her look even more pure.

She's prettier than those heavily made-up, beauty-filtered bodhisattvas in short videos from my previous life. Yu Xiu gave her a high rating.

Once the two of them had also passed through the crowd and headed to the front, Yu Xiu stopped slowly queuing at the back.

They were all disciples at the third gate of the Qi Circulation Realm. If they didn't have to queue, neither did he.

"Excuse me." Yu Xiu spoke politely, his voice quiet.

Whether it was the lingering stir caused by Zhao Hong and Xu Rou passing through the crowd, or because everyone had lowered their voices, Yu Xiu's words carried clearly.

"He's Yu Xiu." Someone who knew him was surprised and stepped aside.

"So that's Yu Xiu. Just going by appearances, he's even more handsome than Senior Brother Zhao!" A female disciple's eyes lit up.

"Shallow. Our sect's disciples are judged by strength and cultivation, not by who looks better." A male disciple scoffed, though there was a sour note in his voice.

"We made way for Senior Brother Liu Qingchuan and the others because those senior brothers and sisters are strong. What's Yu Xiu doing joining in?" Another disciple didn't budge, too lazy to spare him a glance.

The commotion was loud enough to draw the attention of Liu Qingchuan, Shan Yu, Zhao Hong, and the others. They turned around in surprise, then seemed to understand when they saw Yu Xiu.

They nodded to Yu Xiu in greeting and smiled before turning their attention away.

"Yu Xiu, the one Senior Brother Fang Jiming from the Inner Court remembered. Has he broken through the Flawless Realm? If not, he'll have to head out on a trial!" Someone sounded almost gleeful.

There were plenty of disciples enjoying the spectacle. Several of them even approached with inscrutable smiles and blocked Yu Xiu's way.

"Senior Brother Shan Yu and the others can make people move aside, but what gives you the right to tell them to?" an ordinary-looking man said slowly, his voice faintly sinister.

"People make way when you have the strength to back it up. You've got no strength and no money, yet you want to bask in the attention Senior Brother Zhao and the others get? You'll only make a fool of yourself!" Another youth, who looked somewhat mature for his age, sneered.

"I've heard that even Senior Brother Fang from the Inner Court remembers you. You must be quite the character. Why not cross swords with me, Fang, and let us see what kind of swordsmanship you've got?" The last youth, pale-faced and smiling without a smile, spoke up.

His surname was Fang, but he had no connection whatsoever to Fang Jiming. It was simply his surname.

So why did he call Fang Jiming "Senior Brother" whenever he mentioned him?

Because he was a shameless little bastard!

Yu Xiu couldn't even be bothered to learn his name. "You're not worthy of making me draw my sword."

The pale-faced youth surnamed Fang fell silent for a moment, then said angrily, "I entered the Qi Circulation Realm a full year ago. You've been in it for barely a month. How dare you say such a thing?"

He had clearly only meant to mock Yu Xiu. He hadn't expected Yu Xiu not only to reject his taunt, but to stomp on him, too.

With everyone watching, even the thickest-skinned person couldn't stay calm. He felt everyone was laughing at him, which only made him angrier.

He drew his sword in a fit of rage. "Yu Xiu, draw your sword!"

Yu Xiu calmly stepped closer, patted the pale-faced youth surnamed Fang on the cheek, and said softly, "Before you ask me to draw my sword, ask yourself whether you have the strength to make me."

"You..." The pale-faced youth surnamed Fang flushed with fury. "You're going too far!"

At first, he'd tried to dodge, but for some reason there was nowhere he could go. He waved a hand to knock away the one patting his cheek, but struck only empty air. All he could do was let Yu Xiu pat his face, like a fool too scared to fight back.

He flew into a helpless rage and abruptly struck with his sword.

The sword rang out—a sword's howl. It moved like a spray of cold light, swift as white lightning.

At the Qi Circulation Realm, with a minor attainment in swordsmanship, an ordinary tiger or lion would be pierced through and chopped into a bloody pulp by that single strike.

The surrounding disciples watched in alarm. The sword's cold gleam seemed to pierce their bones, and they didn't dare look directly at its edge.

But although the pale-faced youth surnamed Fang struck fast, Yu Xiu's other hand was faster. It seemed to dart like a swimming dragon, moving at some unknown moment. In the blink of an eye, the long sword was already out of the youth's hand.

Only when he realized what had happened did he break into a cold sweat.

His sword was held against his own throat, but the person wielding it was now Yu Xiu.

"Get lost." Yu Xiu turned the sword and seemed to tap him lightly.

But when it landed, it crashed like thunder. The pale-faced youth surnamed Fang went white as a sheet and spat out a mouthful of blood, his body flying away until he rolled across the ground like a gourd.

The disciples who'd been watching the spectacle fell abruptly silent.

"Is that Yu Xiu?"

"Gasp! I thought he'd only entered the Qi Circulation Realm recently?"

"Senior Brother Yu Xiu was hiding his strength so well!"

The disciples who'd been unconcerned and unwilling to make way instantly shut their mouths, ducked their heads, and retreated behind the crowd, afraid Yu Xiu might remember them.

The disciples who'd stepped forward alongside the pale-faced youth surnamed Fang were especially at a loss. They didn't dare retreat, but they certainly didn't dare fight. They stood rooted to the spot like wooden dummies.

Yu Xiu's eyes shifted to them. "Step aside."

The disciples, who'd been frightened and at a loss, felt as if they'd been pardoned. They hurriedly thanked him. "Thank you for your generosity, Senior Brother Yu."

Then they slipped into the crowd like wisps of smoke, not daring to make another sound.

This time, the crowd scattered in an instant, opening a path even wider than the one they'd made when Zhao Hong, Liu Qingchuan, and the others had appeared.

Yu Xiu walked through the crowd, calm and composed, and reached the front, where he stood alongside Shan Yu, Liu Qingchuan, and the other three.

"Everyone says you spent three years getting nowhere and only barely entered the Qi Circulation Realm, Brother Yu. Seeing you now, it seems you've simply been hiding your true abilities," Zhao Hong said first, his tone friendly.

"I imagine you wanted to keep that Fang Jiming from the Inner Court in the dark," Xu Rou said with a smile. "Once you enter the Inner Court, Fang Jiming will no longer be a threat to you."

Even if he isn't a threat, I'll still beat him to death, Yu Xiu replied inwardly.

Besides, once he entered the Inner Court, he'd be closer to Fang Jiming. In reality, that would make the threat even greater.

On the surface, the Inner Court had many disciples, along with senior brothers in charge of law enforcement, stewards, and elders. Fang Jiming wouldn't dare make a move.

But in practice, Yu Xiu's every move would be even easier for Fang Jiming to learn about. The moment he found an opportunity, Fang Jiming could attack him.

A thief could keep stealing for a thousand days, but nobody could stay on guard against a thief for a thousand days.

So he might as well just beat him to death!

"Brother Fang, you're good at hiding your cultivation." Liu Qingchuan rarely spoke. He offered that praise, then fell silent again.

They all assumed Yu Xiu had broken through the Flawless Realm long ago, entered the Qi Circulation Realm, and reached the third gate, the Qi Sea.

They didn't know that Yu Xiu had broken through several realms in succession in the space of just one month.

He didn't bother correcting them, only smiled faintly without saying a word.

As for Shan Yu, the tall one, he'd only nodded in greeting from beginning to end and hadn't said a word.

"We'll soon be heading to the Inner Court to cultivate. We won't know our way around there, so we should get closer to one another," Zhao Hong said. "The road ahead is long, and we'll need more resources. If we take on sect missions to earn contribution, it'll be good to have one another's help."

"Agreed," Liu Qingchuan said succinctly.

Shan Yu nodded.

Xu Rou only smiled at Zhao Hong, clearly on the same side as her.

"Before I reach the fourth gate, I'm in no hurry to go out," Yu Xiu said tactfully.

At that, the others smiled but said nothing.