Two fingers caught the invisible, an assassin from Draped Robe Tower

"Senior brother!"

"Watch out!"

"Daoist!"

Xuan Tong, Xuan Yu, and Chu Yunfei all paled in alarm.

The turn of events came far too suddenly. None of them had imagined that a Qi Refining expert was lurking in the shadows, waiting for his chance to strike.

From three feet away, murderous intent blazed forth, aimed straight at the throat.

The black-clad man's eyes were vicious. He had absolute confidence in this punch—even a True Person of the same rank stood a very good chance of dying to it.

In the time it took a spark to flash, Xuanming calmly extended two fingers. Though he moved second, he arrived first, arresting that powerful force. Two feet from him, something was caught between his fingers and forced into view: an invisible cone concealed within the fist.

Xuan Tong sucked in a cold breath.

Xuan Yu broke into a nervous sweat.

Chu Yunfei's body went taut.

An ambush, an assassination, and a concealed weapon—truly sinister and ruthless.

Yet Xuanming's expression remained unchanged. Before the black-clad man's stunned eyes, he flicked the fly-whisk in his left hand and sent him flying.

Blood surged up and sprayed from his mouth, scattering across the sky. In an instant, the tables had turned, and the black-clad man was gravely wounded.

Before Chu Yunfei could finish letting out a relieved breath, it caught in his chest again. The black-clad man abruptly twisted in midair, forcibly endured his injuries, and charged at him without a care for anything else.

The pressure of Qi Refining bore down.

Ice-cold murderous intent closed in.

Though startled, Chu Yunfei remained fearless in the face of danger. With an angry roar, he summoned all his momentum and threw a punch.

He had never fought a Qi Refining expert before. This was the perfect chance to test the gap between them.

His hot blood ignited in an instant, and his fighting spirit immediately boiled over.

Chu Yunfei's will to fight was fierce. His tremendous aura erupted as he punched, making the air crack like an explosion.

The spiritual energy of Heaven and earth and invisible streams of force converged upon that single punch, which hurtled forward carrying a sky full of wind and rain.

Its momentum was vast, its wind and rain torrential.

Its fist intent was domineering, its fist force ferocious.

One-Punch Invincibility—as the name suggested, Chu Yunfei always fought with everything he had and threw only one punch.

One punch unleashed, life and death were decided.

One punch arrived, superiority was determined.

Who was stronger and who was weaker became clear with a single punch.

Had the black-clad man been uninjured, he would naturally have had no fear of this attack. With his strength now diminished, he should logically have avoided it. Yet he neither dodged nor retreated, letting the gale of the punch batter his face. He intended to take the blow head-on and trade life for life, determined to kill Chu Yunfei even at the cost of his own death.

Xuan Tong and Xuan Yu's expressions changed as they recognized what the black-clad man was. Such an approach clearly marked him as an assassin.

"Senior brother!"

Xuan Tong cried out urgently. Chu Yunfei absolutely could not die on Floating Cloud Mountain, or Truth-Seeking Abbey would be in serious trouble.

Xuanming had naturally recognized this as well. He had already moved the moment the black-clad man charged at Chu Yunfei.

With a light sweep of his fly-whisk, three thousand silver strands coiled around the black-clad man. Primal Chaos Method power flowed along them into his body, forcibly sealing his magic power and leaving him utterly unable to resist.

Before the black-clad man's incredulous eyes, Chu Yunfei's punch crashed down, striking him square in the face.

A crack rang out.

The Qi Refining expert's skull split, and blood streamed from his seven orifices. As he died, he stared fixedly at Xuanming, the light gradually fading from his eyes. He died with his eyes still open.

Retracting his fly-whisk, Xuanming ignored Chu Yunfei's indescribably aggrieved gaze. He stroked his beard and looked up at Heaven, playing innocent.

For a while, silence reigned atop the mountain.

Only when the rain began falling again did Chu Yunfei's lips move. He cupped his hands and bowed. "Thank you for saving my life, True Person."

He was not someone who failed to recognize kindness.

Had True Person Xuanming not intervened just now, he could certainly have fought the Qi Refining expert, but the outcome would only have been mutual injury—or even mutual destruction.

Though he did not fear death, he did not wish to die either. What he had done was merely an instinctive response to a sudden threat, a bid to survive and defend himself: offense was the best defense.

The True Person's intervention had made it feel as though he had fought a fake Qi Refining expert, leaving him without the slightest sense of accomplishment. Still, the fact remained that he had been saved.

Turning toward Chu Yunfei, Xuanming stepped aside to avoid accepting his bow and explained, "Though you came uninvited, young friend, your conduct has been open and honorable. That makes you a guest. Protecting you was therefore Truth-Seeking Abbey's responsibility to begin with. Besides, this man committed violence within our abbey. All the more reason this old Daoist could not stand by."

"Whether you acknowledge it or not, True Person, I, Chu Yunfei, will remember this debt for saving my life."

Chu Yunfei spoke frankly.

Xuanming did not decline again.

I have already explained myself, and I will not say it twice. If you wish to acknowledge the debt, so be it. Refusing again would only make this old Daoist seem affected.

If a direct-line son of the Chu clan wishes to offer his gratitude, I will accept it.

Studying the foot-long pointed cone in his hand, Xuanming mused, "Could this be the legendary Invisible Cone?"

Xuan Tong and Xuan Yu approached. The quick-witted Xuan Tong recalled the black-clad man's ruthless determination to burn jade and stone alike and agreed, "You should be right, senior brother."

"They say Draped Robe Tower's rule is death without survival: once a blade leaves its sheath, it must draw blood. Once an assassin is dispatched, there is no rest until death."

"Either the target dies, or the assassin does."

"This black-clad man fits all too well."

"And the Invisible Cone is one of Draped Robe Tower's Seven Killing Weapons."

Xuan Tong and Xuan Yu both turned their gazes toward Chu Yunfei. No assassin from Draped Robe Tower had ever appeared at Truth-Seeking Abbey before. This black-clad man could only have come because of this aristocratic clan's son.

The fact that he had risked death to kill Chu Yunfei just now was proof.

He had attacked Senior Brother Xuanming so brazenly only because Xuanming posed the greatest threat and had discovered his hiding place.

Chu Yunfei thought of this as well, and his expression abruptly darkened. Draped Robe Tower was not to be trifled with. Once it set its sights on someone, it clung like sticky oxhide candy.

Putting away the Invisible Cone, Xuanming said, "Perhaps he did not come solely for Layman Chu. The person behind this may have intended to shoot two eagles with one arrow."

Seeing Chu Yunfei sink into thought, Xuan Tong caught Xuanming's signaling glance and understood at once. He began explaining the various disputes surrounding Truth-Seeking Abbey's request for an Execution Warrant, along with the ties between the Chen Family and the Wang Family of Boat Mountain.

"True Person, you suspect the Wang Family set this trap to lure me here, and that they also hired the assassin?"

Chu Yunfei asked in a grave voice.

Xuanming analyzed the matter rationally. "The Wang Family is merely a suspect. It may not have been them. Perhaps someone else is meddling behind the scenes."

Though he suspected the Wang Family, he did not rule out other possibilities.

This was a serious matter. He would not let emotion dictate his actions.

Seeing Chu Yunfei nod, Xuanming continued, "Moreover, it may involve more than shooting two eagles with one arrow."

"If this old Daoist had not become a True Person, young friend Chu, think about how our fight would have turned out."

Though Chu Yunfei was obsessed with martial arts, he was not single-minded. Having received an orthodox aristocratic upbringing, he possessed a fine eye beneath his rough exterior. Otherwise, he would not have suspected that someone had deliberately laid a trap to lure him here.

Chu Yunfei had chosen to come to Floating Cloud Mountain anyway. Besides the thrill of encountering worthy prey and his genuine desire to fight Xuanming, he had also intended to turn the scheme against its maker, using himself as bait to lure the snake from its hole and see who was plotting behind his back.

Following Xuanming's line of thought, Chu Yunfei's expression grew darker still.

If True Person Xuanming had not broken through, and they had fought with all their strength, they might have been evenly matched and injured each other. Or he might have wounded Daoist Xuanming, damaging his foundation and leaving him without hope of reaching Qi Refining. Or, if he himself had lost, they could have smothered True Person Xuanming with praise. There was no first place in literature, but no second place in martial arts; challengers would inevitably come one after another.

An earthen jar carried to the well would eventually break; a general could hardly avoid dying on the battlefield. However strong Xuanming was, the day could still come when he died.

And if Chu Yunfei died on the road down the mountain after challenging Xuanming, it would not only grieve the Chu clan by robbing them of an heir with boundless prospects, but also make them vent their anger on Truth-Seeking Abbey. This Daoist lineage would then be buried alongside him.

Viewed from another angle, if the assassin from Draped Robe Tower had been ordered to kill both him and Xuanming, it would likewise kill two birds with one stone, severing the hopes of both Truth-Seeking Abbey and the Chu clan.

What a cunning scheme. What venomous malice!

Having understood, Chu Yunfei felt wary of the mastermind and spoke solemnly. "Thank you for your guidance, True Person. Once I return, I will report this to my elders and ensure it is thoroughly investigated. We will drag out whoever is behind this and make them give both me and Truth-Seeking Abbey an accounting."

Xuanming said gratefully, "Thank you, Layman Chu."

"Everyone at Truth-Seeking Abbey focuses on cultivating the Dao and nurturing the heart. We seldom involve ourselves in worldly affairs and are indeed unskilled at investigation. I am sorry to trouble you with this, young friend."

Cupping his hands in salute, Chu Yunfei said solemnly, "You are too kind, True Person. This is not only for Truth-Seeking Abbey, but also for our Chu clan."

"A spear in the open is easy to dodge; an arrow from the shadows is hard to guard against. It would be best to drag this lurking rat into the light."

Xuan Tong and Xuan Yu were delighted.

Xuanming's brows relaxed into a smile as well. Looking at Chu Yunfei, he asked, "Do you still wish to challenge me, young friend?"

Chu Yunfei asked, "You gravely wounded the black-clad man with such effortless ease just now. May this junior venture a guess—have you established a superior Dao foundation?"

Raising a hand to stop Xuan Tong, who was about to speak, Xuanming admitted openly, "Your guess is correct."

With his guess confirmed, Chu Yunfei's expression became resolute. "Then this junior wishes to challenge you all the more. Our Chu clan's Conquering Fist grows stronger against stronger opponents. My ambition is Spirit Refining, and I challenge experts everywhere to deepen my own reserves. Whether I win or lose, this battle will temper me."

"Good! Since you have thought it through, young friend, this old Daoist will certainly oblige. But I have one condition."

"Please speak, True Person."

"If this humble Daoist happens to win, please keep news of my breakthrough secret for the time being. With age, I have become more cautious and prone to thinking things over. One must never harbor the intent to harm others, but one must never lack vigilance against them. With one fewer person knowing of my breakthrough, should a crisis truly arise, the element of surprise would give Truth-Seeking Abbey a better chance of victory."

"Rest assured, True Person. I am not loose-tongued. But I am afraid I cannot lie to my father."

"That is fine. To have raised someone like you, young friend Chu, I believe the head of the Chu clan must also be an open and honorable man."

With that, Xuanming raised a hand in invitation and, with a thought, suppressed his cultivation to the same realm.

Chu Yunfei likewise gathered his momentum.

Thanks to Qingfeng Zhiyu, Shizhong Xianren, Zai Bu Nuli Jiu Lao Le, 2022...8552, and Sushi liujm for one monthly ticket each; thanks to Jianxue Piaomiao, Tianxian Shiye Fen, and 2023...75_Eb for two monthly tickets each; thanks to Kongju for five monthly tickets; thanks to Cheng C Meishi Bu Jia Bing for six monthly tickets; and thanks to Taoyin Yijiu for seven monthly tickets.