With his Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation, his speed was fast but hadn’t reached the point of coming and going without a trace. If he didn’t deliberately conceal his presence, even Qi Cultivators could sense his existence.

Just now, he had made no effort to conceal his aura, yet Song Qingluo had only noticed him when he was right before her eyes. The disparity in their power was self-evident.

In a fight, this could definitely be used for a devastating surprise attack.

"How long was I in seclusion?" Song Changsheng asked Song Qingluo, fiddling with a small decoration on the counter.

"A full twenty-eight days."

"Almost a month, huh... Twelfth Uncle should have already gone to Liuyun Marketplace to relieve the guard. I just wonder how those two, Qingxi and Qingxing, are doing. I hope they didn’t just let my words go in one ear and out the other." Two slightly immature faces surfaced in Song Changsheng’s mind as he murmured to himself.

—————

Ling Province. Outside Liuyun Marketplace, a group of menacing Loose Cultivators blocked a path frequently used by travelers. Sharpening their blades, they were clearly in the business of robbery and murder.

There were five of them in total. The one with the highest cultivation was a Qi Refining Great Perfection Cultivator, while the others were all at Mid-stage Qi Refining or above. Their collective strength was considerable.

Their targets were none other than two young Cultivators, a man and a woman. The man wore a dark robe and held an antiquated Long Sword to his chest, his expression impassive.

The other, a young woman in a cyan dress, had a charmingly naive face. She blinked her large, innocent eyes as she watched the men.

These two young Cultivators were, in fact, the siblings Song Qingxing and Song Qingxi, out gaining real-world experience. They had descended the mountain for their training not long after Song Changsheng had left.

They first hunted Demon Beasts in the Moon Viewing Mountain Range to hone their combat skills, then traveled on foot all the way to the Liuyun Mountain Range.

For the past month and a half, they had been fighting almost daily, against both Demon Beasts and malicious Loose Cultivators. Without exception, all had fallen to Song Qingxing’s sword.

This was not the first time they had found themselves in such a situation. Song Qingxing had no desire to waste his breath on them. Staring at the pockmarked Cultivator leading the group, he coldly spat out a single word: "Scram!"

The pockmarked Cultivator’s expression instantly darkened, his body radiating killing intent. He glared at Song Qingxing. "Kid, what did you just say? Say that again!"

His four underlings subtly moved to encircle the pair, cutting off all avenues of escape. They watched the two with cruel smirks on their faces.

Song Qingxing remained unmoved, simply holding his sword and meeting the man’s gaze, showing no awareness whatsoever that he was trapped.

The pockmarked Cultivator was growing furious. He brandished his large club and said coldly, "Kid, I see you’re young, so I’m feeling generous enough to spare your pathetic lives. Obediently hand over your Qiankun Bags. Otherwise, your heads might just get smashed open!"

In response to this threat, Song Qingxing simply watched him with indifference, as if looking at a clown.

Song Qingxi still wore an expression of pure innocence, as if she didn’t understand a word they were saying. She even began to idly play with her fingers right in front of them, seemingly out of boredom.

The pockmarked Cultivator’s face grew even darker, yet for some reason, he still hesitated to attack.

One of the scrawny underlings couldn’t watch any longer and yelled, "Boss, stop wasting your breath on these two brats! Let’s just kill the guy and leave the girl for us brothers to... enjoy. Wouldn’t that be perfect—"

He hadn’t even finished his sentence when a brilliant flash of Sword Light appeared. The scrawny Cultivator’s pupils dilated as he froze on the spot, completely still.

A few moments later, a thin red line materialized on his neck, from which only a small amount of blood trickled. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

A faint breeze stirred. The scrawny Cultivator’s head suddenly detached and fell to the ground. A warm geyser of blood erupted from his neck before his body crashed down with a heavy thud.

The remaining four were stunned by this sudden development. They hadn’t even seen who had struck the fatal blow.

The pockmarked Cultivator reacted first. His eyes fell on the Long Sword in Song Qingxing’s arms, its blade now drawn by an inch. He sputtered in a mixture of shock and rage, "You?!"

His words jolted the other three to their senses. They immediately went on high alert, drawing their Magical Artifacts and staring nervously at Song Qingxing. It was as if they were facing not a mere youth, but some terrifying, monstrous beast.

Song Qingxing gazed coldly at the pockmarked Cultivator. "His words were insolent," he stated flatly. "He deserved to die."

The pockmarked Cultivator’s face was grim. He was in a bind. The scrawny Cultivator may have only been at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer, but even he, the leader, couldn’t have killed him so effortlessly. Yet this youth had done it without even fully unsheathing his sword.

This proved, without a doubt, that the youth’s strength surpassed his own. This wasn’t some soft target; they had kicked an iron wall.

The pockmarked Cultivator’s heart urged him to retreat. But if he fled in disgrace after one of his men was killed, how could he ever show his face in this territory again?

"Dammit, no matter how strong he is, he’s just one guy! What the hell is there to be scared of!" The pockmarked Cultivator grit his teeth, brandished his club, and roared, "Kill them all!"

With that, he hefted his club and charged at Song Qingxing.

Seeing their leader take the lead, the other three were filled with a sudden surge of courage. Yelling, they too charged forward, causing the Spiritual Qi in the air to roil.

Song Qingxing stood his ground, making no move to dodge. Instead, he inexplicably turned to Song Qingxi and said, "They’re the ones who attacked first."

With that said, his right hand came to rest on the hilt of his sword. The aura around him instantly turned razor-sharp. His startlingly clear eyes now held a bottomless killing intent that was chilling to the bone.

Sensing this transformation, the pockmarked Cultivator’s heart seized with fear, and a flicker of regret ignited within him. But an arrow, once loosed, cannot be recalled. It was kill or be killed!

Their attacks arrived almost simultaneously—the sharpness of Metal, the explosiveness of Fire, the weight of Earth...

SHIIING—

Song Qingxing finally drew his Long Sword. A formidable Sword Qi erupted from him, his presence alone overwhelming that of all four of his opponents.

His expression was impassive as he swung his sword with a casual air. The motion seemed slow, but in the pockmarked Cultivator’s eyes, it was unbelievably fast. He felt a searing pain—his club-wielding hand had been sliced clean off at the wrist.

SHLICK!

The Long Sword, its momentum unchecked, continued on after severing the man’s hand and struck another Cultivator—a round-faced man whose features were twisted in terror. With only a Qi Refining Seventh Layer cultivation, he stood no chance of dodging the blow and was instantly decapitated.

In a single exchange that lasted but a moment, one of the pockmarked Cultivator’s men was dead, and another was grievously wounded.

At this, the pockmarked Cultivator snapped. His eyes turned crimson. Completely ignoring his gushing forearm, he took out a scarlet Pill and swallowed it. The aura around him instantly swelled in power.

"Die!"

The pockmarked Cultivator let out a long howl and charged recklessly toward Song Qingxing once more. The remaining two men grit their teeth and followed suit.

Song Qingxing’s feet, which had seemed rooted to the spot, finally moved. He took half a step forward, positioning himself to shield Song Qingxi completely. The Three-foot Cyan Blade in his hand emitted a high-pitched hum, its Sword Qi becoming suffocatingly intense.

SLASH!

The blade in his hand was as swift as the wind, each swing leaving a trail of afterimages. Despite fighting one against three, he was not at a disadvantage in the slightest. In fact, he seemed to grow stronger as the battle raged on!

"Aargh—"

"No!"

With two final, wretched screams, the other two Loose Cultivators fell, leaving only the pockmarked man. Their bodies were horribly mutilated, as if they had died by a thousand cuts.

"You bastard! Die!"

The pockmarked Cultivator had lost all reason. He swung his club with his left hand, bringing it crashing down toward Song Qingxing’s head in a desperate, all-or-nothing attack.

Fueled by the potential-unleashing Pill, the pockmarked Cultivator’s power was now on the verge of breaking past the limits of the Qi Refining stage. This strike, backed by his full fury, was so powerful that even a Qi Refining Great Perfection Cultivator would have to dodge its brunt!

But Song Qingxing, instead of retreating, advanced. Already known for his speed, he closed the distance in an instant, appearing right before the pockmarked Cultivator. His face was as placid as still water, but his hand was utterly ruthless as he plunged his Long Sword into the man’s heart.

The fierce Sword Qi instantly pulverized the man’s heart.

The pockmarked Cultivator froze in place, the club raised high in his hand, unable to complete its downward arc.

"Pathetic."

...