Encountering Liu Shuang'er

Su Yun composed his thoughts and turned to head downstairs to register his exchange.

Just as he stepped onto the landing of the third-floor staircase, a soft, melodious female voice suddenly drifted down from the fourth floor.

"Junior Nephew, stay a moment."

Su Yun's footsteps faltered. He looked up.

Above him on the stairs, a graceful figure slowly descended. She wore simple, elegant white robes, her silhouette slender and lithe, her eyes and brows curved in a smile. It was none other than Junior Martial Aunt Liu Shuang'er.

Su Yun's heart skipped a beat. His instinctual reaction was to pretend he hadn't seen her and try to slip past to the side. This Junior Martial Aunt was far too unpredictable. From their first meeting, she had probed him with her words, her gaze always filled with scrutiny. Su Yun did not want to be overly entangled with her; he preferred to avoid her whenever possible.

However, Liu Shuang'er's eyes were sharp, and she had already locked onto him. "Junior Nephew Su Yun, it has been a long time. I didn't expect to run into you here."

There was no escaping it. Su Yun had no choice but to stop, wearing a gentle smile as he offered a slight bow. "Greetings, Junior Martial Aunt."

Liu Shuang'er walked up to him, her beautiful eyes sweeping over him. A flicker of surprise crossed her gaze for a fleeting moment, which then transformed into a faint smile. "Not bad. In just over a month, you have broken through to the fifth level of Qi Refining. Your Heavenly Spirit Root aptitude truly lives up to its reputation. At this rate of progress, you will reach Foundation Establishment in less than a few years. The more I look at you, the more pleasantly surprised I am."

Su Yun kept his expression humble and replied softly, "You flatter me, Martial Aunt. This disciple merely advanced steadily through luck; there is still much I lack."

Liu Shuang'er shook her head, her eyes filled with a mix of appreciation and playfulness. "I have high hopes for you. Cultivate diligently and reach Foundation Establishment soon. Once you succeed, I will take you out to see the world beyond."

Su Yun bowed slightly to express his gratitude. "Thank you for your kindness, Martial Aunt. This disciple will certainly cultivate with diligence."

As soon as he finished speaking, he dared not linger. He gave a slight nod and immediately asked to take his leave. "If Martial Aunt has no further instructions, this disciple will withdraw."

Without waiting for her reply, Su Yun turned on his heel and hurried downstairs. Behind him, Liu Shuang'er watched his hasty retreat, the gentle smile on her face never wavering.

Once Su Yun stepped out of the Technique Pavilion, he finally let out a quiet sigh of relief. Liu Shuang'er was definitely not simple. He would do his best to avoid her in the future.

The scene shifted.

Spirit Province, Northern Wilderness Mountains.

This was the most desolate and frigid wasteland in the entire Spirit Province. The mountains were withered and black, and not a single blade of grass could grow there.

The gale howled year-round, carrying a bone-chilling cold as it scraped across the shattered cliff faces.

A faint black mist drifted through the air, cold, decaying, and permeated with Sha Qi.

There were no lush green hills or clear waters like those in the heart of Spirit Province, nor was there an abundance of spiritual energy.

There were only endless desolate mountains, withered bones and remains, and ghostly winds filled with malevolent energy.

A hundred years ago, the Great War between the righteous and demonic paths came to an end.

The demonic path was routed, collapsing across the entire front.

As one of the main forces of the demonic path in Spirit Province, the Ghost Fire Sect suffered heavy casualties, and the majority of its foundations were shattered.

After the defeat, the Ghost Fire Sect was jointly expelled by the five great righteous sects.

They were forcibly driven from the fertile heart of Spirit Province to this desperate Northern Wilderness.

For a hundred years.

The Ghost Fire Sect had huddled in the Northern Wilderness, neither emerging nor causing trouble, lying low and dormant.

Outwardly, they pretended to be a defeated, remnant force, merely gasping for breath.

In reality, they were nursing their hatred and biding their time, secretly accumulating strength.

Across the entire Northern Wilderness Mountains, the Ghost Fire Sect had forcibly chiseled out hundreds of caves and subterranean palaces.

Layer upon layer, stretching for a hundred miles, they formed a massive underground sect headquarters.

Hidden from the sun year-round, yin energy gathered there, surrounded by flickering ghost fires.

This place was the current core of the Ghost Fire Sect.

In the deepest level lay the main hall.

The hall was constructed entirely of black rock, its stone walls carved with patterns of dark ghost fires.

Suspended from the dome were faint, greenish ghost fires that flickered on and off, illuminating the entire hall.

It was cold, murderous, and oppressively stifling.

A figure sat high upon the main seat.

He wore a pitch-black robe embroidered with dragon patterns and a matte black ghost mask.

The mask obscured his entire face, revealing only his mouth and a pair of bottomless eyes.

This was none other than the Sect Master of the Ghost Fire Sect—Liao Ze, at the late stage of the Golden Core realm.

On both sides of the hall, six figures stood in neat rows.

The six possessed steady and profound auras, with Golden Core spiritual energy faintly visible around them.

They were the six great elders and protectors of the Ghost Fire Sect.

Every one of them was a Golden Core True Person!

Such a foundation far exceeded the broken state they were in after their defeat a hundred years ago.

In the center of the hall.

Four young disciples stood straight.

The four radiated a youthful yet ferocious aura; each had a rebellious gaze and a body filled with the scent of slaughter.

They were all personal disciples of Sect Master Liao Ze.

With exalted status, each was in charge of a territory, spending their time executing missions of assassination, interception, and reconnaissance.

Young Master Liao Jun stood at the head of the four.

Liao Jun took a step forward and reported in a deep voice.

"Master, Elders."

"This time, we infiltrated the territory of the Azure Cloud Sect, lurking and hunting in batches."

"Over the course of one month, we intercepted and killed a total of thirty-four outer and inner sect disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect."

"The only regret is that one of my hunting squads of twenty-three men was ambushed by an unknown powerhouse during a siege in a valley, and the entire team was wiped out."

As his voice fell.

Among the four, a young disciple in blue on the left suddenly sneered and spoke with mockery.

"Heh."

"A record of thirty-four kills looks impressive."

"But the Young Master led the team himself, only to lose an elite squad."

"Twenty-three sect elites, all buried."

"When it comes down to it, it is still because the Young Master was too careless and acted rashly."

As these words were spoken.

The atmosphere in the great hall turned rigid in an instant.

Liao Jun's gaze turned abruptly cold as he looked at the other man.

This disciple in blue was also a personal disciple of Liao Ze, known as Zhou Heng.

His cultivation was at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, his talent was exceptionally high, and he had always been at odds with him.

Although the four of them were fellow disciples of the same sect, they were also natural competitors.

All were personal disciples of the Sect Master, and all possessed the qualifications to vie for the position of the sect's future successor.

On the surface, they were peaceful, but in private, they competed and suppressed one another.

If they caught even the slightest handle on each other, they would never let it go.

Zhou Heng continued to speak in a calm voice, carrying a hint of provocation.

"The four of us split up to raid the four great righteous sects."

"I ambushed and killed twenty-seven disciples of the Cinnabar Cloud Sect with zero losses."

"The other two junior brothers also achieved fruitful results without a single casualty."

"Only the Young Master suffered losses in both men and equipment."

"If this were to spread, others might think that the Young Master of my Ghost Fire Sect is all reputation and no substance."

Every word was a stab to the heart, pointing directly at Liao Jun's shortcomings.

The other two disciples stood by with their hands lowered, neither interjecting nor taking sides.

Liao Jun's expression turned completely gloomy, ferocity surging in the depths of his eyes.

"Zhou Heng!"

"The ambush in the valley was an unexpected accident! The enemy concealed their cultivation and launched a sneak attack; it was not a fault of my command!"

"Your zero losses were merely because the Cinnabar Cloud Sect's defenses were lax—it was just luck!"

The tempers of the two flared to the limit, and they were on the verge of arguing in public.

The elders on both sides remained expressionless, quietly watching the internal competition between the fellow disciples.

In a Devil Dao Sect, the law of the jungle prevailed.

Only through competition could the strong emerge.

Just as the two were about to erupt into a full-blown argument, Liao Ze, sitting on the main seat, spoke indifferently.

"Enough."

The two fell silent instantly, each restraining their aura and stepping back half a pace.

"Regarding this raid, all four of you have done well."

"Slaughtering the young disciples of the righteous path weakens their foundation for the next generation."

"The goal has already been achieved."

"There is no need to dwell on minor losses."

He did not punish Liao Jun, nor did he show favoritism toward Zhou Heng.

In his view, as long as the overall situation was favorable, local losses were acceptable.