Lu Li stood at the entrance to the city and stared at the closed gates in dismay. She furrowed her eyebrows slightly, troubled, before glancing at her two companions.

The two Ling sisters, who obviously had never appeared before, and therefore I had completely no idea who they were nor had I ever met them before, stood nervously outside the gate, mingling with the long queue of visitors.

The first sister was Ling Yu Mei, and she wore a long, blue skirt. Around her waist was a light purple ribbon, and her left hand was holding an exquisite leather handbag. Her usually beautiful face was weighed down with weariness as she watched at the long line of visitors entering through the checkpoints at a snail"s pace.

Ling Yu Xuan, the second sister, was wearing a fiery red miniskirt in contrast. The short fabric only covered partway to her thighs and revealed her long, snow-white legs. Already many of the male members of the queue were caught sneaking peeks at her.

One of the sisters was simple and elegant, and the other was hot and attractive. Thanks to this particular combination, they had attracted the attention of many Nine-Tailed Sect martial artists who were serving as security guards right now.

"Don"t you know who I am? I"m Dark Fiend Valley Sect"s Lu Li. Please allow me to enter!"

Lu Li snapped coldly at the guards, but being Blood Blades, they were immune to her charms and arrogance. The first security guard merely gazed back frostily.

"Sorry, ma"am, but there"s a line. Please stay in line and wait patiently like all the others."

"You dare compare me to the others?" Lu Li flared up.

"Hey! Who do you think you are?" someone from the front of the queue barked at her angrily.

"Yeah!" another agreed. "So what if you"re from the Dark Fiend Valley Sect? You think you can cut the queue because your sect is powerful?"

"Even the martial artists from the Celestial Creature Sects and other seven major sects are queuing up without complaints or demanding for favorable treatment! Aren"t you ashamed of yourself?" another person shouted.

Lu Li recoiled, the arrogant b.i.t.c.h not having expected the crowd to turn against her. She stupidly thought that they would support her because of her ethereal beauty and gladly lay down their lives for her like the lowly peasants they were.

Trying to hide her embarra.s.sment, she turned to the Ling sisters.

"Weird," she remarked. "In the past, the gates to Tushan City would normally be left open. All martial artists were free to enter."

"Haven"t you heard?" the lady queuing up bethind them spoke up in disdain. "Nine-Tailed Fox Sect has come into conflict with Divine Shadow Sect, and members of both sects have been clashing frequently outside Tushan City as of late. They"re being cautious and taking measures to prevent Divine Shadow Sect martial artists and a.s.sa.s.sins from infiltrating the city and causing all sorts of havoc." The last line went unsaid, but it was clearly a rebuke to Lu Li for not having kept abreast of current affairs and the latest news.

Thanks to that, everybody who wanted to step inside Tushan City had to undergo strict security checks and inspection to verify their ident.i.ty and ensure they would no pose any threats before they were allowed into the city.

"There will be no favoritism. If you want to enter Tushan City, you"ve to agree to these security checks. Otherwise, you"re free to leave."

The security guard, who was part of Blood Blades, firmly declared. Lu Li gritted her teeth and balled her hands into fists.

"Well then, hurry up!" she hissed impatiently.

The Blood Blade stared at her coldly. "We"re trying our best, ma"am. So if you could please stop distracting us for even a moment, the process would go a little faster."

Lu Li was about to retort, but the glare from the other members in the queue silenced her. While she muttered curses under her breath, the Ling sisters accompanying her gazed at the walls of Tushan City curiously.

This was the first time Ling Yu Mei and Ling Yu Xuan was visiting Tushan City. They looked a little nervous, not just from Lu Li"s att.i.tude, but also from the sheer number of people queuing up.

The process was slow, but it eventually became Lu Li and the Ling sisters" turn. The security guards checked their ident.i.ty doc.u.ments to ensure they weren"t lying, scanned their belongings with an x-ray machine, and then waved them through a metal detector. Once they verified their ident.i.ties, the guards then returned their Spirit Weapons and other metallic tools to them.

"This is all so pointless," Lu Li grumbled.

"They"re at war with Divine Shadow Sect, so it"s understandable," Ling Yu Mei suggested nervously as she glanced around. Even though business was going on in the streets as usual, there was an air of tension.

Lu Li glanced at her, and she winced. Ling Yu Mei was reminded of Lu Li"s master. The three of them were the disciples of Jiu somebody from the Dark Fiend Valley Sect. In certain ways, Lu Li reminded her of her arrogant old master (or mistress, if you really want to differentiate between male and female masters).

Lu Li didn"t seem to pay Ling Yu Mei"s words much attention, though, and merely nodded as if the latter had a point.

"Even so, this level of security and caution…isn"t it overdoing it?"

"I heard they p.i.s.sed off Divine Shadow Sect," Ling Yu Xuan said as she raised her smartphone. "It"s all over the news in social media." she giggled. "Even gambling websites are accepting bets on who will win."

"Hmph." Lu Li snorted indifferently, clearly not giving a f.u.c.k about this matter. "Who cares? If people want to waste their money, that"s their business."

"Er…that"s not the point…"

Ling Yu Xuan shook her head and then sighed. From experience, she knew it was almost impossible to converse with Lu Li. Instead, she sought refuge in chatting with her sister. Turning to Ling Yu Mei, she smiled.

"Sister, do you think the person you"re looking for will be found in here?"

"Yu Mei, you"re looking for somebody?"

That piqued Lu Li"s interest and she turned to give Ling Yu Mei a quizzical stare. Ling Yu Mei shrank back.

"Well…"

"Who? Don"t tell me…that brat Qin Lie?"

"…"

"…"

The Ling sisters stared at each other for a moment, baffled. Then Ling Yu Xuan turned back to Ling Yu Mei.

"Um…who is Qin Lie?"

"You know! Yu Mei"s beloved fiancé! The guy she"s in love with since young…well, maybe not since young, but she has always been taking care of that trash when they were children, because he"s not mentally sound?"

"…I"ve never heard of anyone called Qin Lie, and I don"t remember taking care of anyone mentaly handicapped."

Ling Yu Mei"s tone was as quiet as ever, but firm. Lu Li raised an eyebrow.

"Fine, keep pretending then. You know as well as I do that you"re still pining for that brat. As long as he doesn"t do anything stupid, he and Elder Li Mu should be able to stay safe."

"Who is Elder Li Mu?" Ling Yu Xuan asked, puzzled.

"I really have no clue who this Qing Lie is," Ling Yu Mei added, a touch of exasperation evident in her gentle voice.

Lu Li muttered something under her breath, but had no time to waste on arguing, so she just shook her head impatiently and changed the subject.

"Never mind. Let"s go. We will go to Nine-Tailed Fox Sect and ask Jing Jing about that matter."

Ling Yu Xuan watched her nervously, being slightly afraid of her senior. She hid behind her elder sister, but Ling Yu Mei didn"t respond much other than to fall into step next to Lu Li. The trio then proceeded through the districts of Tushan City, catching a bus. Normally this would be a good chance to do window-shopping and gaze at the dazzling number of shops on their way to Nine-Tailed Fox Sect, but no one in their right mind was going to waste their time by walking a two-hour journey to the entrance of the sect.

Public transport existed for a reason. Might as well make use of it.

The bus took about forty minutes to ferry them to their destination, and they alighted at the stop about a hundred meters away from the main sect grounds. The trio then strode toward the entrance to the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect.

Again, the territory of Nine-Tailed Fox Sect was zealously guarded by a team of Blood Blades martial artists, who stopped the trio from setting foot. Admittedly, the male martial artists were moved by the beauty of all three girls, but they were disciplined enough not to let their l.u.s.t get the better of them, and merely bowed coolly in acknowledgement.

"Can I help you?" the more senior of the two guards asked.

"I want to see Yin Jing Jing," Lu Li replied coldly without preamble or a polite greeting.

"I"ll contact her right away," the senior of the two guards responded without hesitation and reached for the office phone. Dialing a number, he called Yin Jing Jing"s extension and briefly spoke into the receiver. After a few seconds, he hung up and turned to Lu Li. "She says she"s on her way, so please wait for a moment."

The rest of the team silently watched the trio, though more for visual pleasing reasons than security reasons. Lu Li was the perfect embodiment of an ice queen, her beauty otherworldly and frosty while dangerously emanating an aura that warned people of the risks of approaching her frivolously. Ling Yu Mei was elegant and calm as water, standing there coolly without allowing anything to affect her. In contrast, Ling Yu Xuan, despite her revealing outfit, was nervous and timid. She simply pursed her lips and stayed silent, watching the guys warily.

After a while, as promised, Yin Jing Jing showed up, briskly striding over to the trio and waving at them cheerfully. "Senior Lu, Ling Clan"s sisters! You"re finally here! Come, let"s talk inside."

"I"m afraid I can"t allow that." the senior guard stepped in and held up a hand apologetically. He bowed slightly. "You can talk with your friends outside, but you"re not allowed to bring them into the sect grounds. Orders from the elders."

"They are my friends!" Yin Jing Jing protested angrily.

"Even so." The guard smiled bitterly and spread his hands helplessly. "The rules are the rules. Even inner sect disciples are not allowed to bring their close friends into the sect grounds as of late. Heightened security measures. I"m sure you understand."

"d.a.m.n that Fei Wu!" Yin Jing Jing snarled furiously. "Because of him, the sect rules have changed again and again! In Sect Leader and the six Great Elders" eyes, it"s as if he"s more important than Nine-Tailed Fox Sect itself!"

The guard"s expression turned cold, probably because he was my comrade and a fellow Blood Blade. "This has nothing to do with Junior Fei. The security measures are in place because of Divine Shadow Sect"s attacks. They have been sending martial artists and a.s.sa.s.sins to target our disciples and masters. We can"t afford to be lax with our security and put the lives of everyone in the sect at risk. Besides…" his eyes narrowed. "Junior Fei is the future of Nine-Tailed Fox Sect. Without him, we"ll be doomed."

Dude, you"re exaggerating. Even without me, the sect would endure, survive and prosper. I wasn"t such an indispensable person that Nine-Tailed Fox Sect completely relied on me to stay alive. If I was gone, then someone would simply take my place. Like Tang Qi Hong, for example. Honestly, stop exaggerating.

"If that"s the case, we should not force the matter." Ling Yu Mei smiled politely and nodded apologetically to the guards. "Let"s not trouble them."

The guard"s expression softened and he bowed. "I"m really sorry. This is our job, after all."

"Let"s go. We"ll talk outside." Lu Li didn"t mind at all. Yin Jing Jing hesitated and then sighed heavily.

"Give me a moment." She then quickly raced into the inner courtyard of Nine-Tailed Fox Sect"s grounds and toward the Blood Blades" dormitory. Stopping at the ground level, she looked up and began yelling. "Tong Xue!"

Tong Xue stuck his head out of the window of his apartment as he glared down on Yin Jing Jing. "Yes?"

"My friends are here." Yin Jing Jing glared back.

"So?" Tong Xue scowled, as if to ask, "how"s that any of my business?"

"How are things on your end?" Yin Jing Jing snapped impatiently. "Have you approached Fei Wu and asked him about the matter yet?"

"Are you mad?"

Tong Xue gaped at her for a moment, and then shook his head in disbelief.

"Even Fei Wu himself has rejected your request. You heard what he said. He asked for no favorable treatment, and is unlikely to approach the elders for help or permission. And he personally told you that he will not compromise the safety of the sect for your friends."

"Hmph! If that"s the case, then we"ll abolish our deal!"

Tong Xue stared at her blankly. "What deal? I don"t remember ever striking any deal with you?"

"The one regarding your wife, Lian Rou"s family matters? My Snow Valley Sect will return the two mines we claimed from her sect to her clan."

"Uh…I have no idea what you"re talking about. For one thing, we"re not married yet, and for another, Lian Rou never mentioned anything about mines or disputes between her clan and your sect." his frown deepened. "And why would you have the authority to give away mines that your sect owns, anyway? Do you expect me to believe that?"

"I can show you the doc.u.ments and all that." Yin Jing Jing crossed her arms arrogantly. "If you don"t believe me, that"s fine. Don"t blame me when Lian Rou dumps you later."

Tong Xue smirked. "Don"t you know? The reason why I love Lian Rou is because she isn"t as shallow as that. And if you"re so sure of yourself, then you shouldn"t mind if I check with her on this matter, right?"

Even if what Yin Jing Jing said was true, Tong Xue was not obligated to help Lian Rou"s family. He was in love with her, not her family and her family"s potential a.s.sets. And there was no benefit to him whatsoever.

Yin Jing Jing panicked when Tong Xue disappeared back into his room to retrieve his smartphone. She began waving her arms frantically.

"No! There"s no need! You"re right! I must be mistaken! I mixed the matter up with something else! Sorry!"

To be honest, Yin Jing Jing had naively believed that Tong Xue would stupidly believe her over every matter regarding Lian Rou, for his love for the comely inner sect disciple was famous throughout the sect. Thus she had forgotten that Tong Xue was from the Smart Shadow Sect and was intelligent enough to see through her lies.

As such, she had concoted a lie that she based off Spirit Realm, hoping that Tong Xue would buy the story that she had read elsewhere. Unfortunately this was not to be.

"Look, I"ll give you and Lian Rou several hundred gold coins if you go persuade Fei Wu to let them in!"

"It"s pointless," Tong Xue pointed out impatiently. "Even if I convince Fei Wu to let your friends in, he has no authority regarding this matter. You"ve to bring it up with Lord Lang Xie, or Sect Leader, or at least one of the Great Elders. Fei Wu is just a kid like us. You"re deluded if you think the sect obeys his every whim or word."

"Ugh…"

Yin Jing Jing was on the verge of exploding. Seeing her frustration, Tong Xue sighed heavily and raised both his hands.

"Got it. I"ll try talking to him, but no promises, all right? Don"t blame me if we fail to get your friends into the sect."

Clutching his head in despair, Tong Xue shrank out of view and moaned to himself. He recalled how I was currently training in the Blood Blades" Will"O Wisp Forest at the back of Flame Volcano. As I had yet to come out, he wouldn"t have the chance to speak to me.

As Blood Blades, Tong Xue was officially granted permission to access the Will"O Wisp Forest at the same time as me, but he was extremely reluctant to return there, especially after the horrendous experiences he suffered while trying to absorb the dense spiritual qi miasma produced by the forest"s medicinal herbs and spiritual plants.

"Ugh…this sucks…I really don"t want to go to the back of the mountain…"

Groaning, Tong Xue slumped against the wall and buried his face in his hands.

*

"GUOOO!!!"

"Whoa"

I hit the ground, dodging the Horned Dragon"s jaws, which snapped shut above me.

The Horned Dragon twisted its serpentine neck around and sought to clamp its jaws around me again, but I used a footwork technique to avoid it. Breathing heavily, I swung out with my Azure Lotus Sword.

Icy qi billowed out of my blade before glimmering with stellar essence.

Heavenly Draconic Meteor Strike – First Celestial Star Stance!

Even though I failed to penetrate the diamond-hard armored scales of the Horned Dragon, my sword strike still dealt a blow with the force of a meteor and caused the ma.s.sive behemoth to stagger backward. It shook its head groggily, and then turned back to snarl at me vengefully, its claws lashing out in retaliation.

I flipped myself over the claws, twisting my body in midair and then thrusting my Azure Lotus Sword forward.

Heavenly Draconic Meteor Strike – Second Celestial Star Stance!

Like a shooting star, my sword pierced the Horned Dragon"s forehead. For a moment, nothing seemed to happen, but then one of the horns that curled from its skull cracked and broke off, landing on the ground with a soft thump.

"Grr…?!"

Unfortunately, it didn"t seem like I had inflicted any lasting damage on the Horned Dragon. Instead, it seemed more enraged than in pain.

Bellowing furiously, the Horned Dragon darted across the forest with a speed and agility that belied its immense size. I was forced to use Duo to evade its charge, and materialized behind it. With a determined yell, I held my Azure Lotus Sword with both hands and swung it downward with all my might.

Heavenly Draconic Meteor Strike – Third Celestial Star Stance!

The powerful blow rocked the Horned Dragon, causing it to sprawl forward when it was caught with its guard down.

The formidable magical beast was quick to recover, however, spinning around to face me with its feral maw snapping uncontrollably. I jumped back, barely staying out of the Horned Dragon"s range while simultaneously evading its whip-like tail.

Crash!

Several of the trees were sent toppling over as the Horned Dragon bulldozed its way through with brute force. Squaring myself, I spun about to meet its charge, meeting brute strength with unyielding power.

Heavenly Draconic Meteor Strike – Fourth Celestial Star Stance!

My sword collided with the Horned Dragon"s thick skull with the force of a meteor, my blade howling thunderously as the qi blast shrouding it exceeded the sound barrier, sending sonic booms reverberating across the forest. The unyielding blade smashed through the frontal armored scales and pierced the Horned Dragon"s face, drawing a large geyser of blood that spurted high into the night sky.

"!!!"

Incredibly, that did not kill the Horned Dragon. Bellowing b.e.s.t.i.a.lly, the immense demonic creature swiped at me with its claws, and I was forced to parry it. Despite blocking the direct hit, I was sent flying backward, crashing into trees and coughing out blood as my internal organs absorbed the tremendous shock and were ruptured.

"Ugh…!"

I didn"t have time to dwell on the pain, however. The Horned Dragon was already surging toward me.

Rolling away, I barely avoided being crushed by the ma.s.sive weight of the Horned Dragon as it descended upon my position. Jumping to my feet, I deftly delivered a counterattack at the exposed part of its unarmored belly.

Heavenly Draconic Meteor Strike – Fifth Celestial Star Stance!

"GUUOOOOOOOOOOH!!!!"

The Horned Dragon shrieked deeply as it flailed about desperately, blood billowing from the raw, gaping hole in its stomach. I hadn"t just stabbed it in the gut, but unleashed a devastating amount of qi into its insides, causing heavy internal injuries. Even if they were fatal, they should be enough to incapacitate the monster.

However, I knew I couldn"t afford to underestimate the behemoth. Correcting my stance, I held my sword parallel to the ground and faced the thrashing Horned Dragon.

As I expected, it recovered quickly and charged at me once again.

This time, I met it squarely on its own terms, thrusting my sword forward with a burst of stellar qi. Silver light streaked across the forest and smashed right into the Horned Dragon"s head, breaking its other horn and knocking it flat on its back.

Heavenly Draconic Meteor Strike – Sixth Celestial Star Stance.

The Horned Dragon, to its credit, rolled back onto its feet and bounced back quickly. Snarling, but obviously grievously wounded, it darted toward me one last time. A final display of defiance, or staking everything on this attack to achieve its revenge, determined to drag me down to h.e.l.l with it.

Either way, the Horned Dragon was still a highly dangerous foe, even when fatally injured.

"Huff…"

I drew a deep breath and held my sword with both hands again. Before the dragon could reach me, I swung my sword and unleashed a powerful blast of qi that engulfed it and nearly disintegrated its entire body.

Heavenly Draconic Meteor Strike – Seventh Celestial Star Stance.

The final strike, and thanks to the other injuries I had inflicted on it before, the acc.u.mulated damage overwhelmed the Horned Dragon"s defenses and it simply ceased to vanish.

Well, most of it, anyway.

Walking toward the remains of the Horned Dragon, I picked up the biggest slab of meat I could find and stored it in my Snow Aegis. I would eat it later, to try my luck and see if I could get anything from it. Unfortunately, I suffered nothing but pain and didn"t get any ability from the Horned Dragon, which meant I stupidly ate it for nothing. Oh well. It was pretty much like a gacha. Just because I could consume demonic creatures" meat unprocessed didn"t mean I would definitely gain an attribute or ability of the demonic creature. As before, I didn"t get anything but pain. I didn"t get anything from the Lunar Rabbit, Ghost Bear, Kraken and a bunch of other demonic creatures I had consumed over the years, and I began to avoid it because the pain was just not worth it, especially if the demonic creature didn"t have any useful ability.

Of course, I didn"t know that at that time, and remaining blissfully unaware, I decided to try my luck (only to suffer for it later). Oh well.

"Well done. Well done!"

Hai Rong strolled into the area, glancing at the remains of the Horned Dragon. If she had seen me pocketing the slab of meat from the Horned Dragon, she gave no indication that she did so, or chose to ignore it.

"Thanks," I muttered weakly as I staggered toward her. The blow from earlier had been vicious and I was certain that I had suffered heavy internal injuries. Probably broke a couple of ribs, and suffered some shock to my lungs and stomach. I would need to visit the infirmary for a bit, or at the very least rest for the night.

"Don"t look so sad. You did well! You actually succeeded in slaying a Horned Dragon! That"s a feat very few Blood Blades can claim to have achieved."

"So did Lord Lang Xie," I pointed out sourly. "And he did it in one strike. I needed seven attacks to eliminate that Horned Dragon."

Hai Rong smacked me across the back of my head.

"Why the h.e.l.l are you comparing yourself with the vice-commander of Blood Blades? Lang Xie is the strongest martial artist in Nine-Tailed Fox Sect at the moment, on par with, or even surpa.s.sing Sect Lady Da Ji! He has decades of experience and cultivation over you! Don"t even dream of competing with him, at least for the next five years!"

"Five years?" I repeated incredulously. I thought she would just tell me not to compete with Lang Xie, but she had added a timeframe for some reason.

"Your batch is pretty talented," Hai Rong admitted. "Not just you, but even the other disciples from your generation are on course to surpa.s.s the older generation, given your current rates of growth. I don"t know if it"s because of the artificial qi, or because of the resources provided by Wu Ling Academy, or modern technology, but your generation is growing at an unprecedented rate. It won"t be long before you guys take over."

"I"m sure you guys will figure a way to stay on top, given your wealth of experience and wisdom," I a.s.sured her. Hai Rong chuckled.

"You flatter us." she then beckoned for me to stand up and leave. "Your training is done for the day. Get those injuries checked in the infirmary. Once you"re healed up, we"re going to resume training tomorrow."

"Yes, ma"am."

As I clambered to my feet and staggered toward the exit of the Will"O Wisp Forest, one of my colleagues rushed past me. We nodded at each other as a greeting, and then he went straight to Hai Rong.

"Instructor Hai, today is the day new members will return to absorb the spiritual qi from the Will"O Wisp fogs. Lord Lang Xie is not around, so we need you to take charge."

The guy, who I recognized to be Tong Shi, bowed politely and respectfully. Then he turned to glance at me.

"Also, there"s a guy called Tong Xue who wants to speak to Fei Wu. He says he has something important to discuss with him."

"Why are you telling me this?" Hai Rong looked perplexed. "Do you think Fei Wu requires my permission to talk to his friends or something?"

Tong Shi blinked for a moment, and then shrugged sheepishly.

"Um…I thought you were still in the middle of training."

"Oh, no. I"ve just finished." After a.s.suring him, I bowed to Hai Rong. "I"ll take my leave then, and go speak to Tong Xue while at it."

"Oh…speaking of Tong Xue…once you"re done speaking to him, ask him to come see me." Hai Rong had a sinister smile on her otherwise motherly face. "If I recall, it"s his turn to train in the Will"O Wisp Forest today."

Not just him specifically, but all of our new batch. Having just undergone a h.e.l.lish training regimen myself, I couldn"t help but feel sorry for Tong Xue, Pang Feng and the others.

"I"ll warn him," I told Hai Rong, and left the Will"O Wisp Forest as hastily as I could.