Killing Zhang Xiao, Karma Fulfilled

"Begin cultivation."

Looking at the mid-grade spirit stone in his hand, Ye Lin closed his eyes and began to circulate the Star Art with all his might. Instantly, streams of spiritual energy poured into his body, tempering every inch of his physique.

Time spent in cultivation always passed with incredible speed; in the blink of an eye, a day and a night had slipped away.

On the evening of the second day, Ye Lin suddenly opened his eyes.

"Tonight is the time to claim Niu Bo's fortuitous encounter. If I refine and absorb the demon core of a Foundation Establishment Realm beast, there is a high probability I will break through to the eighth level of Qi Refining."

"By then, my chances of becoming an inner sect disciple will increase significantly."

Currently, he knew very little about the inner sect disciples. Even if he were to issue a challenge, he had to find the weakest one. He needed to find time to properly understand the general situation of the inner sect.

With that thought, Ye Lin rose, pushed open the door, and headed down the mountain. He was already beginning to grow accustomed to traveling at night.

The frequency of his daily trips down the mountain had already been noticed by those with keen eyes.

Arriving at the foot of the mountain, Ye Lin headed straight for Dragon Fall Valley.

Dragon Fall Valley was said to be the place where a True Dragon had fallen a thousand years ago.

At first, a great many cultivators had flocked to Dragon Fall Valley in search of the True Dragon's remains, but in the end, they had found nothing.

One had to understand that anyone capable of being called a True Dragon was a Mahayana Realm powerhouse; if one could obtain even a single dragon bone, it would be enough to last a lifetime.

Dragon Fall Valley was not far from the Azure Cloud Sect. After walking for about an hour, Ye Lin finally arrived.

A faint chill radiated from within the massive canyon. Even with his seventh-level Qi Refining cultivation, Ye Lin couldn't help but shiver.

Hiss, I am at the seventh level of Qi Refining. Even if the temperature were several degrees below zero, I wouldn't feel the slightest cold without clothes. This place is strange.

Ye Lin muttered to himself, then quickened his pace to search for the dead Foundation Establishment beast. He only wanted to grab the demon core and retreat immediately.

This place was not simple.

After searching for the better part of the day, let alone a Foundation Establishment beast, there wasn't even a hair to be found. Instead, the surrounding temperature grew colder and colder. Looking further ahead, the grass and trees on the path were already covered in frost.

One had to remember that, according to his past life, it was currently summer. This place was far too eerie.

Finally, lying on a patch of ice, he found the carcass of a massive wild boar. How big was it? It was even larger than the elephants of his past life.

"I finally found it. But such a huge wild boar—it must have mutated, right?"

Looking at the giant boar before him, Ye Lin wore a strange expression.

Nevertheless, he drew his long sword and slashed at the boar's head. The sword, which had been upgraded to a low-grade Profound rank, sliced the boar's skull in two with ease. Inside, a white demon core lay exposed.

Ye Lin put the demon core away, then suddenly looked at the boar, his eyes widening in shock.

The Foundation Establishment Realm boar before him had actually been frozen to death. This was simply absurd.

At the Foundation Establishment Realm, one's body is protected by spiritual energy; even if one jumped into magma thousands of degrees hot, one could hold out for several minutes. Yet, this boar had been frozen solid.

"This place must hold a great secret, or perhaps a heaven-defying treasure. My strength is insufficient for now. Once I break through to a higher level, I will certainly return to investigate."

Glancing at the mysterious canyon in the distance, Ye Lin hurried back toward the Azure Cloud Sect.

If a Foundation Establishment beast could be frozen to death, wouldn't he be waiting for his own death if he stayed?

It had taken an hour to get there, but only half an hour to return. Indeed, when faced with a life-or-death crisis, a person could unleash tremendous potential.

Upon reaching the sect, Ye Lin first put away the Foundation Establishment demon core.

"Tomorrow is the day Zhang Xiao makes his move, as indicated on the panel. Refining the entire Foundation Establishment demon core will take a full half-month."

"I'll finish off Zhang Xiao first, then seize Wang Yun's fortuitous encounter in half a month. Finally, I will enter closed-door cultivation. Once I break through to the eighth level of Qi Refining, I can challenge an inner sect disciple."

After briefly planning his future, Ye Lin began to adjust his physical state, bringing his body to its peak.

Zhang Xiao was at the eighth level of Qi Refining. Although he had talismans as his trump cards, he could not be careless. One must remember: even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit.

At sunset the next day.

"It is time."

Suddenly, Ye Lin opened his eyes, which were filled with killing intent.

A debt of karma—it was time to settle it.

After preparing everything, Ye Lin stepped out of his residence and deliberately headed down the mountain. He wanted to give Zhang Xiao the opportunity.

When he reached the foot of the mountain, the moon was already hanging high. A dark, windy night, perfect for murder.

Arriving at a deserted spot, Ye Lin slowly crouched down, as if searching for something. He had already spotted Zhang Xiao the moment he left the sect.

Zhang Xiao's tracking skills were far inferior to Wang Yun's.

Just then, a tiger's roar erupted from the shadows. Ye Lin suddenly turned, blood-red mist manifesting over his right arm.

"Seven Kill Fist, Kill."

Boom! The two fists collided, and a thunderous sound rang out.

Tap, tap, tap.

Under the force of that single punch, Ye Lin stumbled back violently. Looking at his numb fist, his heart sank.

The eighth level of Qi Refining and the seventh level were truly not in the same league. He had originally wanted to see the gap, and under this punch, the disparity was fully revealed.

He had put his full strength into that punch, yet looking at Zhang Xiao, who had only retreated half a step, the outcome was already decided by that single blow.

This punch is only half a notch stronger than mine. If we were in a direct confrontation, even if I couldn't defeat him, I could still retreat unscathed, Ye Lin thought to himself.

"Qi Refining seventh layer—you've hidden your strength quite deeply."

Zhang Xiao's expression darkened. From that last exchange, he had already gauged Ye Lin's cultivation level: Qi Refining seventh layer, and a top-tier one at that.

Otherwise, any ordinary seventh-layer cultivator would have been crushed to death by his punch.

"What kind of treasures do you have on you? It doesn't matter, though; once I kill you, they will all be mine."

"Tiger Roar Fist!"

Zhang Xiao roared, and the sound of a tiger's howl erupted from behind him, deafening to the ears. A phantom image of a tiger manifested over his right arm as he smashed his fist toward Ye Lin.

Seeing this, Ye Lin immediately pulled out a talisman and poured his entire reserve of spiritual energy into it. Instantly, the talisman flared with a brilliant, violent light that surged toward Zhang Xiao.

"What is that?"

Zhang Xiao was struck with terror, but he pushed more spiritual energy into his strike and lunged forward.

A thunderous boom echoed out; the veins in Zhang Xiao's entire arm burst, and he was left drenched in blood.

"Sword Controlling Technique!"

The next moment, before Zhang Xiao could even catch his breath, a flash of sword light pierced straight through his body. Zhang Xiao clutched his chest in disbelief, staring at the longsword hovering in the air behind him.

"Hea... Heavenly Sword Sect's Sword Controlling Technique?"

Zhang Xiao's eyes widened as he collapsed to his knees, now completely devoid of the strength to fight back.

"Spare... spare me."

Watching Ye Lin approach step by step, Zhang Xiao pleaded in a weak, breathless voice.

He was currently a master at the eighth layer of Qi Refining and had just stepped into the inner sect to become an inner disciple, marking the most glorious moment of his life.

He did not want to die.

"Your existence is the greatest threat to me."

As soon as Ye Lin finished speaking, he slashed his sword across Zhang Xiao's throat, and Zhang Xiao's head slumped heavily onto the ground.

Once everything was settled, Ye Lin crouched before Zhang Xiao's body and began to search him.

Sure enough, he found ten Low-Tier Spirit Stones.

Only ten Low-Tier Spirit Stones? He must have used all his resources to break through to the eighth layer of Qi Refining, Ye Lin thought to himself; otherwise, he wouldn't believe that Zhang Xiao, who had been the head of the outer sect for eight years, would only have ten Low-Tier Spirit Stones on him.