Trouble Comes Knocking

"Martial Brother, it's this kid—the Foundation Cultivation Pill you wanted was snatched by him!" The menial disciple didn't answer, instead pointing at Su Shi'er and immediately turning to speak to the Sword-Bearing Youth.

"Kid, you've got some nerve! Daring to steal the pill I had my eye on?" The Sword-Bearing Youth glared at Su Shi'er with overbearing arrogance.

In his eyes, this was nothing more than a first-level Qi Refining Stage cultivator, a newcomer who had joined the sect less than half a year ago.

He didn't think this person could be his match at all.

Nor did the menial disciple beside him think otherwise.

"What does your reserved pill have to do with me? I only took what I deserved!" Su Shi'er said coldly, his heart on alert.

The moment these two appeared, he knew today's matter wouldn't end peacefully.

Fortunately, though the Sword-Bearing Youth's spiritual energy wasn't weak, it wasn't so strong as to be insurmountable.

Recalling his recent training gains, he felt he wasn't entirely without a fighting chance.

Besides, this was his turf. If worst came to worst, he had other options.

"Deserved? Kid, don't say I didn't warn you! If you're smart, hand over the pill, kneel down, and call me 'Grandpa' three times, and we'll call it even." The Sword-Bearing Youth snorted coldly, his face full of arrogance.

Before coming, he had already found out that this person was just a nobody with Mixed Spiritual Roots, without any backing in the sect.

Otherwise, if it were any other disciple, he wouldn't have been so cocky even if he planned to fight.

"You're asking for death!"

Hearing this, Su Shi'er's blood rushed to his head, and his anger flared up instantly.

With a furious shout, he charged at the other in a rage.

"Perfect timing, kid—you fell for it!" The Sword-Bearing Youth curled one corner of his mouth, revealing a sinister smile.

"Fire Control Technique! Go!"

The Sword-Bearing Youth raised his hand calmly and launched a Fireball.

It seemed he had intended to provoke Su Shi'er from the very start.

In a direct confrontation, impatience is the greatest taboo.

The Fireball was fast and fierce, flying straight at Su Shi'er's face.

For anyone else, at such close range, dodging would be nearly impossible.

But Su Shi'er had just learned two techniques. Feeling the high temperature radiating from the Fireball, his mind instantly calmed.

He lightly tapped the ground with his toes, and the moment the Fireball flew toward him, he leaped several meters to the side.

Dodging the Fireball, he used the momentum to charge forward, reaching the Sword-Bearing Youth in an instant. His palm, filled with force, struck out fiercely.

"What?!"

"A martial artist?"

The Sword-Bearing Youth and the menial disciple both exclaimed in shock, stunned by Su Shi'er's move.

"Wind Calling Technique! Go!"

Compared to the menial disciple, the Sword-Bearing Youth clearly had more combat experience.

In the critical moment, he quickly retreated while forming hand seals, sending a strong gust of wind straight at Su Shi'er.

This wind was strange and fierce, even more powerful than Su Shi'er's own full-strength Wind Calling Technique.

The gale hit, throwing Su Shi'er off balance, and his attack naturally missed.

"Kid, you've learned a few worthless tricks and still dare to show off in front of me. Today, I'll teach you what it means that each realm is a mountain apart!"

"Fire Control! Wind Calling!"

He formed hand seals again, and this time, three Fireballs appeared in his palm.

As soon as the Fireballs left his hand, the Sword-Bearing Youth cast another Wind Calling Technique.

With the wind's boost, the three Fireballs blazed fiercely and shot toward Su Shi'er with lightning speed.

Su Shi'er didn't dare to be careless. He stepped with illusory footwork, weaving left and right in the air, barely dodging the Fireball attacks.

At the same time, he was secretly alarmed—if he hadn't learned those two techniques beforehand, facing this attack, he would have been severely injured if not killed.

"This guy is only at the second level of Qi Refining and already this strong?"

"But... using so many techniques at once, can his true essence hold up?"

While dodging, Su Shi'er kept an eye on the Sword-Bearing Youth's condition.

As he expected.

Forcing out so many techniques at once, the Sword-Bearing Youth was clearly showing signs of exhaustion.

"How is this possible? You actually dodged an attack like that?!" Panting heavily, the Sword-Bearing Youth's face turned ugly, and he slowly backed away.

It looked like he was losing the fight and planning to flee.

Beside him, the menial disciple's legs were trembling in fear, and he silently cursed his bad luck.

No way—Martial Brother Zhao Yu was at the second level of the Qi Refining Stage. How could he possibly be no match for this kid?

"Eight Extremes Mountain Collapse!"

Su Shi'er seized the opportunity, barking out the name in a low voice as he pushed Shadowless Illusionary Steps to their absolute limit.

Every vein on his body bulged as he shot forward like a cannonball, charging straight at the Sword-Bearing Youth.

His fists clenched tight, the strike he unleashed was the killing move of the Eight Trigrams Eight Extremes Fist!

In that hair-trigger moment, the Sword-Bearing Youth suddenly curled his lips into a smile, looking like someone whose scheme had just paid off.

"Heh! You dare close in on me? You're dead!"

The words had barely fallen when the Sword-Bearing Youth abruptly gripped the longsword at his back. He hadn't spent years training just to be reckless.

Seeming to waste his true essence without thought—that was all a ploy to make his opponent let down their guard.

"Clang!"

A sharp ring split the air. Su Shi'er saw a blinding flash of light before his eyes, and in that instant, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as a fierce sense of danger surged from the depths of his heart.

Fortunately, he had been prepared. The moment the white light flared, he had already cast the Wind Calling Technique on himself.

With a light tap of his toes against the ground, a swift breeze caught him, carrying his body diagonally upward like a rising kite.

In the span of a rabbit's leap and a hawk's swoop, he landed atop a nearby wall. The moment his feet touched down, he saw a sword-light streak past, carving a long, narrow gash into the earth below.

Su Shi'er's pupils contracted. He silently thanked his own caution.

If he hadn't dodged in time, that strike would have left him either dead or crippled.

After unleashing that sword stroke, the Sword-Bearing Youth's face paled noticeably.

Gripping a two-foot-long sword, he fixed his gaze on Su Shi'er. On the surface, he showed nothing, but inside, shock and dread churned wildly.

How is this possible? What kind of technique is that? He actually dodged my fatal blow?

Damn it! Is this kid really just a newcomer?

He had used those same tricks to defeat plenty of other opponents—even some at the third level of the Qi Refining Stage had failed to gain the upper hand against him.

But today, he had actually been humiliated by a brat.

Perched on the wall, Su Shi'er could tell at a glance that the sword in his opponent's hand was no ordinary weapon, and that made him wary.

But he knew full well that his cultivation was inferior. His true essence could only sustain three more techniques at most. If he tried to fight with spells, he had no chance of winning.

Gritting his teeth, he leaped down and closed in on his opponent again.

"You're asking for death!"

Relying on his Precious Sword, the Sword-Bearing Youth showed no fear. He channeled his true essence, and another sword-qi surged forth.

But the next second, a gust of wind swept in. Su Shi'er rode the wind, accelerating abruptly, and landed behind him.

"Boom!"

A Fireball was slammed into the Sword-Bearing Youth's back by Su Shi'er's palm.

The searing heat directly burned his back, while the terrifying force sent him flying.

"Pfft!"

The moment he hit the ground, the Sword-Bearing Youth spat blood, looking heavily wounded. His sword fell to the side.

Su Shi'er was quick-eyed and quick-handed. He snatched up the Precious Sword in one motion. The moment it touched his hand, he felt even more keenly that this blade was something special.

But right now, he had no time to dwell on it. A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he raised the sword and thrust it toward his opponent.

He had never killed a man before, but over the past half year, fighting all kinds of fierce beasts and demonic creatures had honed a savage edge into his nature.

Since his opponent showed no mercy, he didn't need to hold back either.

As the sword-light bore down, the Sword-Bearing Youth's pupils shrank to pinpricks, his eyes nearly splitting at the corners.

"Kid, I'll settle this debt with you sooner or later!"

With that, the Sword-Bearing Youth gritted his teeth and produced a earthen-yellow talisman from his hand—a Level One Escape Light Talisman.

He poured true essence into it, and a earthen-yellow glow enveloped him.

Before Su Shi'er could react, the earthen-yellow light flashed, and the Sword-Bearing Youth had vanished without a trace.