Shrinking the Earth to an Inch, Shocks All of Douluo!

At the sight of the old man, Qian Renxue was slightly taken aback.

She had thought she would encounter some ferocious immortal cultivator, or perhaps a terrifying demon beast of enormous size.

She had never expected the one who emerged to be an utterly unremarkable, shabby old man.

"Stop."

Qian Renxue snorted coldly, the wings behind her fluttering lightly.

Her entire body became a streak of golden light, and in an instant she appeared before the old man, blocking his path.

The Angel Holy Sword radiated scorching heat as it was unceremoniously held across the old man's throat.

"Who are you? What are you doing sneaking around here?"

Qian Renxue looked down at him from above, her tone carrying an authority that brooked no disobedience.

Under normal circumstances, a low-ranking mortal with no background, faced with such a sacred being possessing six wings, wielding a flaming sword, and exuding terrifying pressure, should have long since been scared out of his wits.

Yet this yellow-robed old man did not kneel and beg for mercy as Qian Renxue had expected.

He stopped and lowered his head to glance at the massive golden sword, whose edge was only half an inch from his throat.

The sacred flames burning along its blade roasted the surrounding air until it faintly warped.

Even the weeds on the ground instantly withered and yellowed.

Yet not a trace of panic could be seen on the old man's round face, which bore the marks of time.

He did not even put down the small medicinal hoe in his hand.

"Young people these days really do have quite the temper."

The old man slowly raised his head and stroked the few sparse strands of goatee on his chin.

His gaze was clear, carrying the composed calm of one who had seen through worldly affairs.

"I was merely gathering a few worthless herbs in these mountains."

"You'd best move that sword of yours back a little."

"If it burns this robe of mine, I'll have to spend my own spirit stones to mend it when I return to the sect. That would be rather painful."

The old man's tone was exceedingly calm.

He was like an old farmer working in the fields who had encountered a naughty child blocking his way, patiently trying to reason with them.

Seeing how unruffled he was, Qian Renxue's delicate brows knit slightly.

Meanwhile, the viewers on Douluo Continent were equally baffled.

On the training grounds of Shrek Academy.

Dai Mubai stroked his chin, a trace of confusion appearing in his evil eyes.

"There's something strange about this old man."

"Qian Renxue is a Soul Sage above level seventy. When she releases the pressure of that Angel Domain, even standing here behind the light screen makes my chest feel tight."

"How is it that an old man like him isn't even sweating?"

Yu Xiaogang stood beside him with his hands clasped behind his back, wisdom glinting in his eyes as he slowly shook his head.

He felt that Dai Mubai was still too young to see through the intricacies of the matter.

"Mubai, you cannot judge things by appearances alone."

Yu Xiaogang pointed at the light screen in midair and began his analysis with sound reasoning.

"This old man's aura is extremely muddled. His energy intensity is at most equivalent to that of a Soul Master in their teens on our Douluo Continent."

"That is merely the lowest-level Qi Refinement stage in their immortal cultivation world."

"Faced with a flying Soul Sage, he knows he cannot escape. If he acted too frightened, he would instead be treated as an ant that could be crushed at any moment."

Yu Xiaogang turned to Tang San, his tone certain.

"Little San, what do you think this old man is doing?"

Tang San pondered for a moment, recalling the charlatans he had seen in the martial world during his previous life in the Tang Sect.

"Teacher, do you mean he's putting on an act?"

"Exactly."

Yu Xiaogang nodded in satisfaction, a smile of someone who had seen through everything appearing on his face.

"This is the Empty Fort Strategy from the art of war."

"He is deliberately putting on an unfathomable, calm appearance to make Qian Renxue wary, so that she will think he is some hidden expert."

"Unfortunately, this sort of martial-world trick may fool ordinary people."

"Before true strength, such a disguise is simply too fragile to withstand a single blow."

After hearing Master's analysis, everyone at Shrek Academy suddenly understood.

So the old man had merely been putting on a show of composure.

Inside Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.

Ning Fengzhi watched the yellow-robed old man on the light screen and smiled faintly.

"The low-level rogue cultivators of the cultivation world do have some wit about them."

"They know how to save their lives by putting on an act."

"But Qian Renxue is meticulous by nature. She definitely won't be fooled by such a petty trick."

On the screen, Qian Renxue indeed had not been fooled.

Not only did she not withdraw the Angel Holy Sword, she instead pressed its blade forward slightly.

The golden flames were now less than a hair's breadth from the old man's skin.

"Stop playing games with me."

Qian Renxue's gaze turned even colder, her voice carrying a trace of killing intent.

"I can sense the pitifully weak energy inside your body."

"With strength like yours, I could crush you into ashes with a flick of my finger."

"Now, answer my questions honestly."

"Where is this place? And who are you?"

Faced with Qian Renxue's threat, the yellow-robed old man merely let out a soft sigh.

He seemed long accustomed to having low-level cultivators point weapons at his throat.

He switched the medicinal hoe in his hand to the other, then brushed the grass clippings from his clothes.

"My name is Xiang Zhili. I am a Qi Refinement disciple of Yellow Maple Valley nearby."

"This mountain range is called the Great Yue Mountain Range. It is where our Yellow Maple Valley's sect grounds are located."

Upon hearing these unfamiliar place names, Qian Renxue swiftly committed them to memory.

She continued questioning him.

"Yellow Maple Valley? What level of force is it considered in this region?"

"How many people like you are there in the sect?"

Hearing this question, Xiang Zhili could not help but chuckle, the wrinkles on his face bunching together.

"That question happens to be right up my alley."

"Yellow Maple Valley is one of the Yue Kingdom's seven great cultivation sects, with a legacy spanning over a thousand years."

"There are no fewer than ten thousand Qi Refinement disciples like me, who handle miscellaneous duties, within the sect."

"As for the senior experts at the Foundation Establishment stage and above, there are probably several hundred."

Over ten thousand!

Qian Renxue's heart tightened slightly.

A single sect had over ten thousand disciples possessing extraordinary power. Such a foundation far surpassed Spirit Hall's number of ordinary Soul Masters.

She drew a deep breath and asked the question she cared about most.

"Then who is the strongest person in your sect?"

"What realm can they reach?"

This was the key metric for assessing how dangerous this world was.

Hearing this, Xiang Zhili raised his head slightly before speaking at an unhurried pace. "The pillar of our Yellow Maple Valley is naturally that Nascent Soul cultivator, Linghu Patriarch."

"Nascent Soul Patriarchs possess the might to move mountains and overturn seas, and their lifespans extend for a thousand years."

"In the Yue Kingdom's cultivation world, any sect with a Nascent Soul Patriarch overseeing it is an unshakable behemoth."

Nascent Soul stage.

That term again.

Qian Renxue recalled the scene of Zhao Wuji being swallowed whole by that Poison Jiao, and a shadow immediately fell over her heart.

It seemed Yellow Maple Valley also concealed terrifying old monsters capable of easily erasing her.

She had to leave this troublesome place as soon as possible.

Qian Renxue withdrew the Angel Holy Sword. The six wings on her back fluttered lightly as she prepared to soar into the air.

"Old man, you got lucky today."

"Remember, you have never seen me."

With that, Qian Renxue prepared to turn into a streak of light and fly away.

But just as she turned around, Xiang Zhili suddenly spoke.

"Hold it."

The old man's voice remained calm, yet it reached Qian Renxue's ears with perfect clarity.

"The area surrounding the Great Yue Mountain Range is protected by Yellow Maple Valley's sect-guarding formation."

"There's an unusual fluctuation about you, unlike the spiritual energy of our world. If you fly into the air like this—"

"You'll likely trigger the formation's restrictions at once and draw the pursuit of the sect's law enforcement team."

Qian Renxue's movement abruptly froze in midair.

She turned around, her phoenix eyes fixed tightly on the shabby old man who still stood where he was.

"Are you threatening me?"

Qian Renxue tightened her grip around her sword hilt as golden soul power surged wildly through her body.

She had only spared the old man earlier because he had shown some sense.

If he dared to stop her, she would not hesitate to kill him.

Xiang Zhili hurriedly waved his hands, his expression still composed.

"You misunderstand. I was merely offering a kind reminder."

With that, he picked up the bamboo basket from the ground and slung it over his shoulder again, then casually took up the small medicinal hoe.

"Meeting is fate."

"I've finished gathering herbs for the day and was just about to return to the sect to report in."

"If you trust me, you may as well put away that glow and follow behind me."

"There's a hidden mountain path over there. It can avoid the formation's detection and see you safely out of this mountain range."

After hearing Xiang Zhili's suggestion, Qian Renxue fell into thought.

She had only just arrived here and truly had no idea how formidable the formations were.

If she really drew those so-called Foundation Establishment or Core Formation experts, she alone would be outnumbered.

Besides, this old man was only at the Qi Refining stage. She could kill him at any time, so surely he could not pull any tricks.

"Fine."

Qian Renxue made her decision without hesitation.

She withdrew the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul behind her back, while the Angel Holy Sword in her hand dissolved into specks of golden light.

She descended from the air, returning to the appearance of an ordinary young woman.

Yet her peerless beauty and noble bearing still made it impossible to look away.

"You lead."

"If I find out you're trying anything, I guarantee you won't even have the chance to scream."

Yet in the face of her vigilance and threat, Xiang Zhili offered no reply. He merely shook his head helplessly.

Then he turned around and headed deeper into the forest with slow, unhurried steps.

Qian Renxue kept roughly ten paces behind him, following closely.

Her spiritual power remained highly focused as she stayed on guard against any unexpected danger.

The two moved one before the other through the dense forest.

The surroundings were quiet, with only the soft rustling of footsteps crushing fallen leaves.

After walking for some time, Qian Renxue discovered that the old man's route was indeed extremely secluded.

They had not encountered a single Yellow Maple Valley disciple along the way, nor had they even seen one low-level demonic beast.

This eased her tightly strung nerves somewhat.

It seems the old man wasn't lying.

Qian Renxue silently calculated to herself.

Just then, Xiang Zhili, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped before a thick ancient tree.

He set down the bamboo basket on his back and stretched, his bones letting out several crisp cracks.

"Ah, getting old. A few steps, and I'm already tired."

Xiang Zhili turned around and looked at the halted Qian Renxue, his harmless smile still hanging on his face.

"All right. Follow this little path straight ahead. Once you pass through that gorge, you'll have left Yellow Maple Valley's territory."

"I still need to return to the herb garden to report in, so I won't be seeing you off."

Qian Renxue looked in the direction the old man pointed and indeed saw a concealed passage through a gorge.

She nodded, fairly satisfied with the old man's conduct.

"Good. You know what's best for you."

Qian Renxue took out a gold soul coin from her storage soul tool and casually tossed it to Xiang Zhili.

"Consider it payment for showing me the way."

Xiang Zhili caught the gold soul coin and held it up before his eyes for a look.

He did not disdain it, merely stuffing the coin casually into his wide sleeve.

"Hehe, many thanks."

Xiang Zhili cupped his hands in salute.

Then, he slung the shabby bamboo basket onto his back again, picked up his medicinal hoe, and prepared to turn and leave.

But at the instant he turned around, Qian Renxue's pupils suddenly contracted to pinpoints.

She sensed something strange.

An eerie sensation beyond description.

Because within the web of her spiritual perception, the old man standing less than ten paces ahead of her had vanished.

Her naked eyes could clearly see him bending over to shoulder the bamboo basket, could see his patch-covered yellow Daoist robe fluttering faintly in the wind.

Yet in the spiritual detection that soul masters relied on most, there was nothing but emptiness.

No breathing, no heartbeat—not even the slightest fluctuation of energy.

It was as if what stood there was merely a patch of nonexistent air.

How was that possible?!

Every hair on Qian Renxue's body stood on end.

She abruptly drew a spare shortsword from her waist, her aura instantly rising to its peak.

"Who exactly are you?!"

Qian Renxue's voice sharpened as she stared fixedly at the figure ahead.

Xiang Zhili stopped walking.

He did not turn around.

He merely tilted his face slightly to the side. In those once-plain eyes, it now seemed as though countless stars were being born and extinguished.

That gaze was tranquil and unfathomably deep.

It carried the weathered detachment of one who had seen through the ages.

"I already told you."

Xiang Zhili's voice was no longer as simple and honest as before. It became incomparably ethereal.

It seemed to drift down from the highest heavens, resounding directly within the depths of Qian Renxue's mind.

"I am merely a Qi Refining disciple of Yellow Maple Valley."

"Xiang Zhili."

The instant his words fell, Xiang Zhili casually took a step forward.

There were no dazzling effects, nor any earthshaking energy fluctuations.

It was just an ordinary step.

Yet as that step landed, the space beneath his feet seemed to fold in on itself out of thin air.

Shrinking the Earth to an Inch!

One moment, he had been ten paces away. The next, his figure had appeared at the end of the mountain path several hundred zhang away.

With another step, the back of the figure in the yellow Daoist robe merged directly into the clouds and mist ahead, vanishing completely.

Qian Renxue was left alone, shortsword in hand, staring blankly where she stood.

Cold sweat slowly slid down her fair forehead.

Douluo Continent fell silent.

On Shrek Academy's training ground, Yu Xiaogang, who had been speaking so confidently just moments ago, now looked like a duck with its throat seized.

His mouth hung open, but he could not force out a single word.

His stiff face felt as though it were burning.

An Empty Fort Strategy? Putting on an act? A con artist?

Dai Mubai swallowed, his throat dry.

"Master... was that an Empty Fort Strategy too?"

Yu Xiaogang's face turned livid. He staggered back two steps and nearly collapsed onto the ground.

Shrinking the Earth to an Inch—crossing space.