Tong Xue groaned as he flopped over in his seat, his eyes glazed. I raised an eyebrow as I studied him.

"Why are you acting as if you"re suffering from a hangover? You didn"t drink any alcohol last night."

The reason for that was because we were underaged and not because Tong Xue had any semblance of self-restraint.

"Because it would have made for a more interesting opening for a new chapter," Tong Xue replied as he suddenly sat up straight. I resisted the urge to sock him. Breaking the fourth wall was supposed to be my job and my job alone.

"What the h.e.l.l are you two talking about back there?" Tang Qi Hong turned around from her seat in front to glare at us. "We"re going back to Tushan, so you should start being serious!"

"What makes you think we"re not?" I asked, though I regretted it when Tang Qi Hong"s glare intensified.

"Hangovers and something about interesting openings? What does that have anything to do with martial arts?"

"Nothing," both of us chorused.

"You two…!"

Fortunately, before Tang Qi Hong could lunge at us, Lian Rou caught her around the waist and held her back.

"Relax, Qi Hong," she told her best friend. "That"s their way of dealing with stress. The moment they return to Tushan City, they"ve to report to Elder Zhao immediately and begin the Blood Blades trial. They"re trying to relieve some of the tension."

"Thank you for understanding, Rou"er!" Tong Xue called out. "You really are the best!"

"S…shut up!" Lian Rou blushed and she sank against her seat, refusing to look back at him. "You had better pa.s.s the test!"

"We will," Tong Xue a.s.sured her. He turned to me with a wink. "Right, Wu?"

"I"ll actually be surprised if Elder Zhao doesn"t skip the test and automatically gives Fei Wu a place in the Blood Blades," Lian Rou remarked thoughtfully. "He is the finalist in this year"s tournament, after all, having finished the highest among all Nine-Tailed Fox Sect disciples in the academy rankings. I"m more worried about Tong Xue."

"Aw…have some faith in me, Rou"er!"

"You make it difficult for her to believe you," I muttered. Tong Xue grasped his chest in mock outrage at my supposed betrayal.

"Well, we"ll see," Tang Qi Hong said as the Phoenix Express began to move and take off. "Good luck, the two of you!"

*

Back in Tushan City…

Within one of the private residences belonging to the inner sect disciples, one of them stood out, particularly because it was a small but luxurious and opulent house belonging to one of the core disciples. Ranked above even the inner sect disciples, recognized by the nine Spirit Engraved Pillars, Liang Shao Yang wasn"t just an inner sect disciple.

He was one of the potential successors to the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect, the one most likely to become the next leader, second only to Tang Qi Hong. as such, he was given one of the most lavish houses to live in, one even more extravagant than the mansions that the non-elder masters of the sect stayed in, making him the envy of not just the disciples but also the masters.

Housed within that luxurious residence was an expansive chamber, the room being vast enough to be considered a hall in its own right. At the far end, there was a bed with rich, silky furnishings, the kind of bed only affordable to the rich and n.o.bles. The room was dimly lit, with only a single tablelamp switched on, casting a meager amount of illumination on the long curtains that shrouded all sides of the bed.

"…ah…"

On top of that bed, the form of two silhouettes were visible, the two dark shapes behind the curtains moving restlessly and urgently as they merged into a single silhouette, creating one long shadow across the bed and room.

Zooming into the bed and getting past the curtains, it became clear to whom these silhouettes belonged to. Naked and locked in embrace, their bodies tangled together, Liang Shao Yang and Hu Mei Er moved with extreme pa.s.sion and fervor. Sitting on the bed, Liang Shao Yang cradled Hu Mei Er"s plump bottom and he continued to thrust into her from below, causing her to place one hand on his shoulder and wrap the other around her neck as she pressed her bulging b.r.e.a.s.t.s against his solid chest. Moaning, Hu Mei Er rammed down on him, taking his whole length into her in one stroke, and Liang Shao Yang shuddered with pleasure at the action.

"More," Hu Mei Her groaned, her hips moving restlessly as she straddled Liang Shao Yang and continued moving up and down along his thick length. Their lovemaking juices mingled together, and they clasped each other in a heated embrace.

The qi around them swirled and thickened, their yin and yang essences merging together and solidifying.

This was the so-called dual cultivation (Shuang Xiu). While the main goal was obviously to enjoy intimate pleasure and deepen their bond, it also helped them both cultivate and reach new heights in their strengths. If I cared what realms and levels they were in, I could certainly tell you where they were previously, and where they were now, but all I knew was they were much stronger than before. Maybe they rose three levels?

Honestly, I didn"t know, and I didn"t care. All I knew was that I would be envious of them if I saw this scene. While I was stuck being a virgin (and I was a virgin for all thirty years of my life during my previous timeline), this b.a.s.t.a.r.d got to enjoy himself and have s.e.x with a girl. It was enough to make any guy insane with rage and jealousy.

Fortunately, being an adult, I wasn"t that petty, and I had gotten used to the idea that whatever happened would happen. If it was not meant to be, then it was not meant to be. I wasn"t a h.o.r.n.y, hormonal teenager desperate for s.e.x and trying to throw away my virginity. Right now I had goals in my life that I wanted to focus on, whether it was this timeline or the previous one.

Anyway…

"Ah…"

Hu Mei Er convulsed as a new wave of pleasure struck her, reaching her climax. She tightened her grip on Liang Shao Yang"s shoulders, clinging as close to him as possible. Liang Shao Yang grunted as he buried his face into her neck and rammed his p.e.n.i.s upward, thrusting it as deep into Hu Mei Er"s v.a.g.i.n.a as he could before he too surrendered to his climax and e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed. Around their bodies, which were tightly locked in embrace, the qi coalesced and shimmered more violently before as the two different types of qi merged and circulated through their joint bodies. Particularly at the place where their two nether regions were joined, the flow of qi was the most potent, swirling and raging violently to fill both man and woman with immeasurable power.

"That was amazing."

Hu Mei Er purred as she leaned against Liang Shao Yang. The latter remained silent, but he lay down instead, bringing his lover with him. The two of them lay on the bed, their naked bodies still tangled and Hu Mei Er"s leg rising to rub against Liang Shao Yang"s hip. They were still connected at that place, with Liang Shao Yang"s p.e.n.i.s throbbing inside Hu Mei Er"s v.a.g.i.n.a.

Even though the climax had been reached, the both of them needed to remain merged in order to allow the qi to flow and circulate around both bodies evenly, in order for them to maximize the effects of their dual cultivation.

"I hear that Tang Qi Hong and Fei Wu are returning to Tushan City…it seems that their school"s tournament has just ended?"

Liang Shao Yang stirred at Hu Mei Er"s provocative statement and slowly raised his head to gaze into her hypnotic jade eyes.

"…yes, I"ve heard about that too."

"What do you plan to do?" Hu Mei Er prodded him. Liang Shao Yang scowled.

"What do you mean, what do I plan to do? Is there anything I can do?"

"Do you think I"m stupid?" Hu Mei Er snorted as she curled against Liang Shao Yang"s body. She peered into his eyes, her smile curling sinisterly across her beautiful face. "I know what you"re planning. And I know what you"ve already done. Everyone knows you tried to kill Fei Wu."

"Hmph…" Liang Shao Yang closed his eyes and lay his head back on the pillow. "There is no longer any need to kill him. He"s no longer a threat to me."

"…threat?"

Hu Mei Er turned to look at him quizzically.

"That"s right," Liang Shao Yang nodded. "I originally targeted him because he was getting too close to Tang Qi Hong, and I needed to get close to her in order to have a higher chance of becoming the next sect leader."

"I"m glad you didn"t," Hu Mei Er nuzzled her face against his neck, humming happily. "And now you have a higher chance than Junior Qi Hong to be the next sect leader. Everyone has high expectations of you now, my dear."

"Hmm…" Liang Shao Yang didn"t reply to that. He knew that Hu Mei Er was only clinging to him because of his current favored position. If he failed and was sent crashing out of the race, he wondered if she would still stay by his side.

Most likely not. If there were no benefits to allying with him, why would she? With her beauty, she could find another man to smooch off on. Not that she necessarily needed to. Given her own intellect and talent, she could more than stand on her own.

"Even so, Junior Qi Hong remains a great threat to you, Shao Yang." Hu Mei Er"s whisper had grown conspiratorial now. "If she is not eliminated, she might continue to pose a challenge to your position as the next sect leader."

"…you are right. But currently she"s now protected by her master, Sect Lady Da Ji." Liang Shao Yang sighed. "Sect Lady Da Ji won"t let me out of her sight. Even though she abides by what her husband says, she is still cautious of me." His eyes narrowed dangerously. "I believe Senior Qi Hong must have convinced her that I"m a threat."

"Well, your own actions haven"t ingratiated yourself with the sect." Hu Mei Er pointed out. "Even Sect Leader isn"t convinced by you, especially after your a.s.sa.s.sination attempts and murder of Hao Ying. Only the elders have stayed his hand from punishing you."

"Sect Leader listens too much to his wife," Liang Shao Yang replied with a snort. "Sect Lady Da Ji is too powerful…frighteningly so. If I can sway the elders to act against her…"

"But that will take a lot of preparations." Hu Mei Er nodded in understanding, as if she had read his mind. "I see. That"s why you"ve decided not to strike yet."

"That"s right." For the first time, Liang Shao Yang smiled, and it was a frightening expression that made even Hu Mei Er – who had an intimiate relationship with him – shudder. "To ensure that I achieve the optimal results, I must be patient."

"I see."

"And about Fei Wu…it"s not that I"ve given up on killing him. He"s just not worth the trouble now. Sect Lady Da Ji and Elder Zhao have their eyes on him, especially after his achievements in the tournament. They will want to recruit him into the Blood Blades."

Hu Mei Er gasped, and her hand, which had been lazily stroking Liang Shao Yang"s chest, stopped.

"Isn"t that bad? Given the relationship between Fei Wu and Junior Qi Hong…if Fei Wu gets into the Blood Blades, the two of them might become just like the current Sect Leader and Sect Lady! The most talented spirit engraver and strongest warrior! They might not individually seem like a threat, but when combined together…Sect Leader and Sect Lady might be more convinced of what they can achieve together rather than what you achieve by yourself!"

Liang Shao Yang clenched his fists and his eyes darkened.

"I"m aware of that," he hissed through gritted teeth. "But I"m also aware that Sect Lady is watching over them…and keeping track of my movements. It"ll be difficult right now…"

Then he smiled.

"That"s why I said you should have patience, my dear," he said soothingly as he ran his fingers through Hu Mei Er"s pink hair. "There is more than one way to a.s.sa.s.sinate someone. I can"t do it now, but that doesn"t mean I won"t have a chance to do so in future. After all, when Fei Wu becomes one of the Blood Blades…"

"You mean…" Hu Mei Er"s eyes widened. Liang Shao Yang nodded with a grin.

"That"s right. As one of the Blood Blades, he"ll be sent out on missions…far from the watchful eyes of Sect Lady…beyond even Elder Zhao"s protection. That will be the time when he"s most vulnerable and most exposed to danger…in fact, it would be far easier to cover that up…"

"Yeah…no one can trace it back to you if Fei Wu dies in an accident or is killed by a monster or criminal outside of Tushan City…"

Hu Mei Er nodded fervently, her eyes glowing hungrily.

"Perfect."

"I"ve to execute the plan first," Liang Shao Yang replied dryly. "Fei Wu has proven to be a much more formidable foe than I had antic.i.p.ated. The people telling me that he was trash are complete morons. Even if he has a One Star Const.i.tution, he has something that helped him compensate for his complete lack of talent."

Yeah. I had plot armor, deus ex machina and protagonist-level cheats…wait, I only had plot armor, now that I thought about it. Where were my golden amulet, ghostly master, essence flames, alternate dimension/s.p.a.ce, fated encounter and other forms of cheats?!

Well, I did meet and train under Master for two weeks, so maybe that was my protagonist-level encounter? But two weeks weren"t enough to learn anything. That said, I couldn"t deny that I had plot armor, having survived so many ridiculous situations that it had reached the level of BS.

"Don"t worry…I"m sure you"ll succeed."

Hu Mei Er rose up and straddled Liang Shao Yang again. Placing both her palms against his chest, she began moving her hips and swaying gently. Riding Liang Shao Yang, Hu Mei Er moaned as her pace quickened, feeling his thick length move in and out of her. Liang Shao Yang reached out and cupped her bottom, thrusting powerfully from below.

Once again, the two moved in tandem as the thick aura of qi swirled around them, their male and female esscences flowing and melding together for the umpteenth time…

*

The Phoenix Express touched down in the interior of Tushan City, and the pa.s.sengers filed out. Tong Xue and I followed Lian Rou and Tang Qi Hong, making our way toward the inner districts of the city where only the inner sect disciples were allowed entry.

"Elder Zhao! We"re here…eh?"

Tang Qi Hong suddenly stopped, and the rest of us had to come to a stop to prevent ourselves from colliding with her.

"What"s the matter, Qi Hong…ah?!"

Lian Rou froze when she saw the reason her best friend halted. In front of us was not just the familiar figure of Elder Zhao Shi, but someone was accompanying him as well.

"M…Master."

Tang Qi Hong lowered her head. Sect Lady Su Da Ji…or rather, Sect Lady Zi Da Ji raised her hand and dismissed the formalties.

"How many times has it been now? I told you to address me as Mother."

"Yes, Mother."

Tong Xue gulped audibly and I stood rock-still, unable to figure out what was going on. My mind was in a frozen blank, unable to process what had just transpired.

"W…what…what"s going on?" Tong Xue spluttered, his voice a whisper. I shook my head and shrugged.

"I don"t know."

"I"ve heard about your exploits in the tournament. Making it to the final and finishing second-place, huh?" Lady Zi Da Ji observed me for a moment before nodding in approval. She then turned to Tong Xue. "And you…top fifty, making it to thirty-eighth rank eventually. Not bad at all."

For a moment I actually thought Tong Xue made it to thirty-sixth, but he didn"t quite make it there. A pity, otherwise I could start calling him Tong Thirty-six.

"Um…thank you!" Tong Xue tried to conceal his joy at being praised and bowed. Similarly, I bowed my head gratefully.

"Thank you for the praise."

"No, you both deserve it." she turned to look at Elder Zhao. "I believe they"ll be accepted into the Blood Blades, no problem?"

"Yeah…no objections."

"Eh, Master…Mother, you"re just going to let them into the Blood Blades?" Tang Qi Hong asked in surprise. Lady Zi Da Ji smiled.

"I thought you would be happy."

"I…I mean, I am, but…!"

"Then it is fine, isn"t it?" Lady Zi Da Ji turned to Elder Zhao. "I suppose you"ll be responsible for their training?"

"That"s right, Lady Da Ji." Elder Zhao cupped his hands and bowed respectfully. "This old man will do his utmost best to raise them."

"I don"t doubt that. But I"m here today because I hope to reward them for their achievements." Lady Zi Da Ji glanced to look at the two of us proudly. "They ranked highly in their school tournament and did our sect proud. I"m sure they deserve a little something for that."

"You mean…?" Elder Zhao"s eyes widened.

"Yes. I"m sure you intend to teach them a bit of the Blood Spirit Arts. But I believe they deserve a bit more than that." Lady Zi Da Ji retrieved a key from her robes. "I"m going to give each of them a martial art manual that our sect possesses."

"Ah…" Elder Zhao nodded. "I understand." He turned back to the both of us. "Both of you, when learning those martial arts, feel free to approach me for help. Concerning the martial arts of the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect, I might be able to impart some knowledge and advice."

"Thank you, Elder Zhao." I raised my cupped hands and thanked him. Tong Xue followed suit quickly.

"Why can"t you teach them the Nine-Tailed Fire Fox and Nine Heavenly Armaments techniques?" Tang Qi Hong inquired, puzzled.

"I"ll be teaching them a little of the Nine Heavenly Armaments technique," Elder Zhao a.s.sured her.

"Not everything. Just the weapons they"re most compatible with." Lady Zi Da Ji swept her eyes from me to Tong Xue. "And they"re not compatible with the Fire Fox Formula." Her eyes rested on me. "You seem to be using ice technniques, correct?"

"Uh, yeah." I was disturbed at how she could tell with just a single glance. Then again, she was most definitely a martial arts master. There was no mistaking it. Even though I didn"t believe in all those bulls.h.i.t levels and realms, I could definitely believe that she was much stronger than me.

Compared to her, I was just an ant standing in front of a G.o.ddess.

"For you, the Frost Fox technique might be a better fit." She glanced at Elder Zhao and nodded. "We should have a copy in the library."

"We do," he agreed. "And I"ll get a new copy made tomorrow."

"Very good. And you…" Lady Zi Da Ji turned to a surprised Tong Xue. "I believe you"ll benefit from the Shadow Fox technique."

"I…I see…thank you for the advice!"

Both of us bowed profusely. Then remembering something, I glanced at Tang Qi Hong.

"Wait, what abut Qi Hong? Is she going to get a technique too?"

"Eh?" Tang Qi Hong looked taken aback. Lady Zi Da Ji turned to her with a warm smile and nodded delightful.

"Of course I haven"t forgotten about you, my dear daughter. You"ve also performed extremely well in your school tournament, achieving ninth place. We already have your reward prepared." Lady Zi Da Ji"s smile grew wider. "And thank you for proving that our faith in you isn"t misplaced. This way, we can continue to convince those patriarchal elders that you"re more suitable to succeed the position of sect leader over Liang Shao Yang."

I had heard that Lady Zi Da Ji didn"t like Liang Shao Yang very much, and it seemed that the rumor was true after all.

"Thanks, Mother, but I don"t need a new martial arts manual." Tang Qi Hong was sulking despite the praise. Lady Zi Da Ji laughed at her reaction.

"Don"t worry. We already antic.i.p.ated that. Your reward is a new Spirit Engraving, which your father will personally pa.s.s down to you."

"Eh? Sect Leader will teach me a new Spirit Engraving?" Tang Qi Hong"s eyes widened in delight as she was unable to conceal her excitement.

"Your father will teach you a new Spirit Engraving," Lady Zi Da Ji corrected. She then gestured in the direction of the main temple built into the side of the Flame Volcano. "Don"t keep him waiting. He"s pretty happy about your achievements and wants to congratulate you personally. Your sister too, but I"m not sure if she"s around."

Right. Zi Xiao Ji should be pleased with her adopted sister"s achievements and knowing her, would want to throw a celebration party for Tang Qi Hong.

"I"ll go see Sect Leader…Father now!" Tang Qi Hong could barely contain her joy. She bowed politely and excused herself, Lian Rou following her closely. The two girls left in the direction of the main temple.

"Well then," Lady Zi Da Ji said as she watched the two girls disappear into the distance, then turned to look at both of us guys. "Shall we go then?"

Tong Xue and I followed Lady Zi Da Ji and Elder Zhao to the library at the foot of the Flame Volcano. When they saw her, the two Blood Blades guards immediately lowered their spears and allowed her to access. She spoke to the armored sentries, and they made way for both me and Tong Xue to enter the vast chamber.

"T…this is…"

"The library of the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect," Lady Zi Da Ji replied with a smile. Tong Xue turned pale as he glanced around. I was also awestruck by what I saw, but I didn"t see any shelves with books. Instead, there was nothing but a huge metallic door in front of us. A vast vault, completely shielded from the outside world and guarded zealously.

It was only natural. Inside here were the secret and most highly prized techniques of the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect. of course they would guard it as securely as they could.

Lady Zi Da Ji opened up a pad next to the door and began punching a code inward. Tong Xue craned his neck to stare at her.

"The pa.s.scode is…jc192209." He frowned. "Why such a weird pa.s.scode?"

"I don"t know," I replied, and then it hit me. "Because one of the existences beyond the fourth wall requested for it."

"Huh? What are you talking about?!"

"It"s useless to memorize the pa.s.scode."

Lady Zi Da Ji turned around with a bright smile. Tong Xue turned extremely pale and raised both his hands in panic.

"Uh, I didn"t mean to…"

"That"s fine. I know your Smart Shadow Sect expects you to collect information and intelligence on other sects." Her smiled turned predatory. "You would be remiss in your mission to gather information for them. It"s just that…"

She giggled, and Tong Xue gulped again.

"…we change the pa.s.scode every time we a.s.sess the vault, and we have other countermeasures in place. So it"s useless to memorize it."

"I…will keep that in mind," Tong Xue managed, visibly perspiring.

Lady Zi Da Ji merely chuckled before stepping back. She lowered her head and allowed a red laser to sweep over her eye for a retinal scan, and then the light above the pad turned green. With a thunderous click, the vault door swung open.

"In you go, the both of you. Take whatever martial arts manual you want…but you are only ent.i.tled to one each." She then placed a snow-white finger on her delicate-looking chin. "But if you"ve no idea what to choose, you can remember my suggestions."

To be honest, the Nine-Tailed Frost Fox Formula that Lady Zi Da Ji mentioned sounded extremely appealing to me. I doubted I would be able to find any other martial arts more suitable than me. Right now, the only traditional martial arts I had learned were Shadow Steps and Heavenly Draconic Meteor Swordsmanship, with Heaven and Earth Formula being more of a mystical cultivation technique than an actual combat technique. My ice techniques were all self-taught and unrefined. If I could find a proper ice technique and merge that with my experiences and other techniques – especially Heaven and Earth Formula, I could come up with a much better Yuan Yin Frost technique than the one I haphazardly created by merging my raw ice techniques with Heaven and Earth Formula.

Even so, now that I had the opportunity to enter the secret vault of the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect, I couldn"t help but look around. There were so many manuals, and I even caught sight of the Nine-Tailed Fire Fox Formula that Tang Qi Hong learned directly from her master, Lady Zi Da Ji.

That wasn"t all.

There were so many fox techniques. Like the Nine-Tailed Shadow Fox technique that Lady Zi Da Ji recommended Tong Xue. Like me, Tong Xue was also curious about the various techniques in the vault, and he was peering at them keenly.

Mystical Heavenly Fox Formula. The Tailed Sacred Beasts Formula, which seemed more suited for ninjas, especially those housing Tailed Beasts within their bodies. Gumiho"s Terran Mech Stratagem. Nine Tailed Inferno Technique. Nine Heavenly Armaments technique. Nine Blades Swordsmanship. And more.

In the end, I guess this is the most suitable…

Eventually I picked the Nine-Tailed Frost Fox Formula. As appealing as the others were, they weren"t really suitable for me, and I really wanted a proper ice technique that I could merge my current raw frost skills with. Furthermore, I would be learning a bit of the Nine Heavenly Armaments technique from Elder Zhao, so…

Strange… I realized something was amiss. Where"s the Blood Spirit Arts that Lady Zi Da Ji was talking about?

She said that Elder Zhao would be teaching us that, and it sounded just like the sort of techniques the infamous Blood Blades would be known for, but its manual was conspicuously absent from the vault. I wondered why that was.

"Have you made your decision yet?" Elder Zhao called out from the entrance. I realized that we didn"t have unlimited time in here, so I hastily reached out for the Nine-Tailed Frost Fox Formula manual.

The moment my fingers touched the scroll, however, everything vanished. I staggered back as a h.e.l.lishly cold blast of wind whipped against my face. Despite believing myself used to the cold after creating my own frost techniques, I found myself shivering violently. In just a few seconds, my fingers and toes went numb and I fell to my knees, my teeth chattering.

"C…cold…"

It was freezing. Furthermore, despite pulling my qi around myself to protect myself from the cold, I wasn"t able to prevent the glacial temperatures from piercing my aura and stabbing into my body. My skin was already turning blue from the extreme temperatures.

"Ugh…!"

Even though I wasn"t wearing the proper cold gear, with my current level of cultivation (and no, I wasn"t referring to the quantification or exact numbers), I should be able to at least resist the cold. Yet I found myself at the mercy of the relentless elements, which threatened to consume me. At this rate, I would suffer from frostbite, and eventually die from hypothermia!

"d.a.m.n it…!"

The cold was sapping my qi at an alarming rate. Never mind that, I was still unable to prevent the ice from freezing over my body. As my qi was depleted, I could only watch in horror as the ice began spreading over my body, encasing me in a frozen tomb.

You"ve got to be kidding me!

Gritting my teeth, I closed my eyes and struggled to weather the cold. This reminded me of the time I first borrowed my first ever martial arts technique from the library. Back then, Uncle Du Shu Guan had warned me to beware of the shadows or they would consumed me. All martial arts manuals had a "spirit" or "soul" of their own, the techniques inscribed within them a form of Spirit Engraving that gifted them a kind of life. They were not just inert texts describing the martial arts techniques. They were actual living things akin to spirits, with desires and appet.i.tes of their own. They were powerful enough to consume martial artists who weren"t strong enough to resist the spiritual power imbued within the mystical texts.

I had almost forgotten it since those three and a half years or so. The Heavenly Draconic Meteor Swordsmanship, while powerful, didn"t have the same effect because I was already strong enough to resist it with my current level of cultivation.

A cold shudder that had nothing to do with the extremely low temperatures ran through me. If that was the case, then this Nine-Tailed Frost Fox Formula must be an even higher level of martial arts than the Heavenly Draconic Meteor Swordsmanship!

Lady Zi Da Ji must have known this, yet she recommended this technique to me?! Is she doing this on purpose?!

Yeah, she definitely was. There was no reason why she didn"t intend for this to happen. She must either be testing me or she had faith that I would be able to resist this top-level technique after my supposedly impressive performance during the academy tournament.

If that was the case, then I couldn"t afford to disappoint her!

"Uwaaah!"

KRACK!

With a roar, I allowed my qi to surge upward and broke out of the ice. Staggering to my feet, I waded through the deep snow, gritting my teeth and trying to find the source of all this cold.

I didn"t have to look for long. After just a few steps, I found myself completely covered by a ma.s.sive shadow that could only be cast by something the size of a skysc.r.a.per. Swallowing, I forced myself to lift my head and glanced up.

A gigantic nine-tailed fox towered over me, its azure shape still and seemingly frozen, but its glowing eyes alive and full of malice. Its claws stirred and left ma.s.sive rents in the snowy ground, creating ravines with just a single lazy swipe.

"W…what the h.e.l.l is that…?"

Yeah, a nine-tailed fox. But that wasn"t what I meant.

No, I did understand. In this h.e.l.lish landscape of terrifying blizzards and merciless ice, this place was the metaphorical of Cocytus, the lowest and deepest level of h.e.l.l itself. And the nine-tailed fox looming over me, several hundred meters tall, was its guardian, the last and final t.i.tan that devoured all others in order to survive in Cocytus.

"Hu…"

My breath turned into a fog, clouding my gla.s.ses as I stared up at the awesome figure. The enormous nine-tailed fox sect stared at me, as if I was nothing more than an ant, and then raised a building-sized paw to crush me.

Gulping, I gathered whatever qi I had. Even though I knew this was nothing more than an illusion, the effects were real. I couldn"t afford to die here, or I would also die in reality. No, I had to conquer and dominate this nine-tailed fox. Only then would it submit to me and allow me to learn the techniques inscribed within it pages…!

Reaching to my belt, I found my remaining sword sheathed there. So my weapon also came with me to this illusory environment. Fine with me. I was going to need every advantage I could get. Taking a deep breath, I drew my sword and infused it with every ounce of qi in my body. Black qi swirled around me, vaporizing the snow and disintegrating the ground upon which I stood on.

The nine-tailed fox"s gargantuan paw neared. With a defiant yell, I swung my sword and unleashed my most powerful attack ever.

Shadow Dragon Meteor Strike.

A sort of variant of the Heaven and Earth Strike that I still had yet to fully master, it combined the concept of Heaven and Earth Strike with Heavenly Draconic Meteor Strike. It was the only attack I had that could potentially wound this gigantic nine-tailed fox.

Boom!

Clouds of fog misted across the h.e.l.lish environment and Cocytus shook. I blinked, half-expecting the nine-tailed fox"s paw to descend through the blizzard and crush me to a pulp, but it never came. Taking another breath, I surged forward and saw the nine-tailed fox actually staggering back, its impa.s.sive expression now replaced with a surprised snarl.

That wasn"t all.

Swinging my sword, I unleashed what I believed was finally Heaven and Earth Strike. Even though I wasn"t completely confident of pulling it off, I had relied on the clashing clouds of qi left behind by my Shadow Dragon Meteor Strike and the sheer potent aura that the t.i.tanic nine-tailed fox emanated. The collision between the two giant clouds of qi produced a golden spark that was almost blinding, and I instinctively swung my sword at that stormy vortex.

A golden blast of destructive qi surged out of my sword and slammed into the nine-tailed fox, which finally shrieked for the first time. Its screech was almost like thunder, slamming into my eardrums and almost breaking them, while the violent vibrations triggred countless avalanches. Even as large sloughs of snow swept down on me like a tsunami, I firmly held my ground.

The nine-tailed fox, while flailing desperately as the golden blast of qi continued to obliterate it, finally turned to look at me, recognition amidst all that pain and fury.

Then everything vanished.

"Guh?"

I found myself sprawled on the ground, my knees and palms pressing against the cool, metallic ground. Right next to me lay the martial arts manual for the Nine-Tailed Frost Fox Formula, but the menacing aura it exuded was less hostile than before.

"Congratulations."

"??"

I glanced up and blinked in confusion as Lady Zi Da Ji approached me, her hands clasped. She smiled warmly.

"You did well. I knew I had not misjudged you. You succeeded in subduing the demonic spirit dwelling within the manual of the Nine-Tailed Frost Fox Formula. You"ve become its new master."

"T…thanks…"

I gasped, still shivering. My fingers and hands were still pale, and I could still feel the h.e.l.lish cold that permeated Cocytus. Picking up the martial arts manual and slowly rising to my feet, I glanced around for Tong Xue.

"Tong Xue?"

He was lying on the ground, motionless. For a moment, my heart skipped and I rushed forward, but then I realized he was still breathing and clutching the Nine-Tailed Shadow Fox Formula manual. The shadows that were writhing out of the scroll were slowly being withdrawn, and a few seconds later, Tong Xue moaned and opened his eyes.

"Ugh…I sure as h.e.l.l don"t want to go through that again."

I sighed in relief when I saw that he was all right. Tong Xue shook his head to clear it and sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"Not bad. You also survived the process and subdued the demonic spirit in that manual. No wonder Rou"er is so taken with you."

Lady Zi Da Ji nodded in approval. She then turned to Elder Zhao, who was looking pretty anxious. He quickly stepped forward and smiled, his expression filled with both relief and joy.

"I"m delighted to have two new talented discples enter the Blood Blades this year," he gushed as he held out a hand to help Tong Xue to his feet. He stared at the both of us, grinning from ear to ear. "Welcome to the Blood Blades, you two. From today onward, I"ll be responsible for your combat and martial arts training."