"Someone like you cares about this sort of thing?"

Li Hanyan spoke coolly, his gaze averted from Qi Yun.

"Master, you misunderstand." Shaking his head slowly, Qi Yun’s tone was earnest. "This person is my dearest friend, a brother in arms."

At these words, Li Hanyan slowly turned, his eyes narrowing.

’Could it be this kid is actually a man of deep feeling...’

"It’ll cost extra."

"..."

A muscle on Li Hanyan’s eternally cold, stern face twitched almost imperceptibly.

Then, a low chuckle escaped his lips, echoing through the silent courtyard.

"Interesting. Truly interesting." Li Hanyan’s gaze returned to Qi Yun. This time, there was less pure indifference in his eyes and more of a probing curiosity.

"Kid, with your talent for sizing up a situation and hiking the price on the spot, you’re wasting your time following that old... that fellow, Deng Yin."

"Are you willing to come to my Black Death Mountain?"

A personal invitation from a Foundation Establishment Middle Stage Master would have made any other Qi Refining Disciple ecstatic.

But Qi Yun’s expression remained unchanged. He bowed deeply once more in a formal salute, his tone respectful yet firm.

"Thank you for your generous offer and high praise, Master. The Elder Master bestowed upon me the grace of teaching me the Dao, which is a debt as great as being given a new life. Though I am unworthy, I dare not commit such a faithless act and sever that bond of kindness."

"I can only fail to live up to your kind intentions. Please forgive me, Master."

"Heh. Fine. To each his own. Have it your way." Seeing Qi Yun’s direct refusal, Li Hanyan seemed neither surprised nor angry. He simply let it go, as if the offer had been nothing more than a passing whim.

He changed the subject, returning to the matter at hand.

"One Three-Life Glazed Treasure Mirror, plus a jar of Soul-Shaking Potion."

"These two items are enough to pave your way to the Qi Refining Ninth Layer."

"Is that price high enough?"

Hearing the final price Li Hanyan named, a sharp glint flashed in Qi Yun’s downcast eyes, and the corners of his mouth curled up in a nearly imperceptible smile.

Soul-Shaking Potion.

’This is a Divine Soul Treasure Medicine on par with the Three-Life Glazed Treasure Mirror!’

Its effect was to wash away the distracting thoughts, obsessions, and Acquired impurities tainting one’s Three Souls.

It allowed the soul to return to its original, pure state, greatly reducing the risks and interference from Heart Demons during the process of the Three Souls Unite. This would allow for a smoother, more perfect condensation of the Divine Soul.

In terms of direct assistance in breaking through to the Qi Refining Ninth Layer,

this item was even more potent and direct than the Three-Life Glazed Treasure Mirror, which focused on tempering and revealing.

"Enough." Qi Yun looked up, his expression once again calm. He then asked, "I wonder, Master... who exactly do you need this disciple to take care of?"

Li Hanyan snorted. "You’re asking a question you already know the answer to."

Qi Yun took the hint and stopped beating around the bush, simply waiting for him to continue.

"The price is the price. It’s not changing," Li Hanyan said, his tone grim and leaving no room for argument.

"But there are some things I must make clear upfront."

"This affair begins with you, and it will end with you."

"It is a private matter between you, Qi Yun, and that Chang Qing. It has nothing to do with my Black Death Mountain, and nothing to do with me."

His gaze, like two daggers of ice, stabbed at Qi Yun.

"Afterward, I will personally intervene to sever and disrupt any threads of causality that might point toward Black Death Mountain."

"If you succeed, it is you who obtained treasures and committed murder. If you fail, it is because your skills were lacking, and you were slain instead."

"The beginning, the process, and the end of this affair will all rest on your shoulders alone."

"Do you understand?"

Qi Yun’s expression flickered. ’I see,’ he thought.

’He wants to completely sever all public connections, pushing me out as an independent ’killer’.’

’Regardless of success or failure, Black Death Mountain and Li Hanyan can remain uninvolved.’

’Almost all the risk has been shifted onto me.’

Seeing Qi Yun remain silent, seemingly weighing the enormous risk against the generous reward, Li Hanyan didn’t press him. He simply gave him a deadline.

"I will give you time to consider this matter."

"Three days. After three days, give me a clear answer."

"This disciple... accepts," Qi Yun replied, cupping his hands in a salute.

When he raised his head again, the courtyard was already empty.

Only a lingering, heart-stoppingly cold pressure proved that a Master had just personally descended.

A light breeze blew past, stirring the corner of Qi Yun’s robe.

He stood on the spot, his brow slightly furrowed, his eyes glinting with thought.

"A Three-Life Glazed Treasure Mirror and Soul-Shaking Potion... Such precious treasures, all to kill a mere Qi Refining Realm disciple like Chang Qing..." he muttered to himself, his fingertips unconsciously tracing lines on the stone table.

’What on earth did this Chang Qing do to make himself so hated?’

’Or rather, what secret is he hiding that would compel a Foundation Establishment Master to pay such a steep price and even resort to ’outsourcing’ a hit on him?’

’When in doubt, consult a Master. Looks like I’ll have to go bother my old senior again.’ A thought crossed his mind, and Qi Yun immediately stood up and headed for the Cyan Mountain Daoist Temple.

...

"What else could it be?" 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"For a Foundation Establishment Master to act so shamelessly, with no regard for his status, to the point of basically hiring a hitman."

"It can only be a struggle over the Great Dao." After listening to the story, the Elder Master’s cloudy eyes showed little surprise as he gently fiddled with the teacup in his hand.

"A struggle over the Great Dao?" Qi Yun was stunned. "What kind of struggle over the Great Dao could there be between a Qi Refining Disciple and a Foundation Establishment Master...?"

Halfway through his sentence, inspiration struck, and he quickly understood.

"You mean... the struggle is with Master Li’s disciple?"

Seeing Qi Yun grasp the point immediately, the Elder Master nodded slowly.

"Mm. That old rascal, Li Hanyan, has a young disciple of exceptional talent whom he dotes on."

"And as it happens, the Dao Foundation this disciple has established is the very same kind that Chang Qing intends to form."

"Can’t two people establish the same Dao Foundation?" Qi Yun asked, confused.

The types of Dao Foundations in the world, while not infinite,

are certainly not few in number. It shouldn’t be strange for two to be the same.

"Of course they can be the same," the Elder Master said calmly, before revealing the cruel heart of the matter.

"However, different paths on the Great Dao can also merge into one."

"If two Cultivators establish the same Dao Foundation, and one manages to find an opportunity to slay the other, they can use a Secret Skill to ’stew’ and refine the deceased’s Dao Foundation, extracting its fundamental Dao Rhyme."

"There is a high probability that they can then refine an additional Divine Technique for themselves, one that complements their Dao Foundation and multiplies its power!"

He looked at Qi Yun. "That Chang Qing cultivates the incredibly slaughter-focused Asura’s Hidden Technique. He walks the Asura Dao, possesses an intense killing intent, and acts without any scruples."

"Once he reaches Foundation Establishment and learns of this, he’ll be like a jackal that’s scented blood. He will undoubtedly set his sights on Li Hanyan’s little disciple."

"At that time, it will be a life-or-death situation."

"To ensure his precious disciple’s path on the Dao remains clear, Li Hanyan naturally wants to nip this problem in the bud and eliminate the potential threat ahead of time."

"But Chang Qing has his own backer."

"Li Hanyan is unwilling to get involved personally and start a direct conflict with that person, afraid of getting entangled in troublesome causality that he can’t easily escape."

"So, he devised this plan to kill with a borrowed knife."

"And you are the ’knife’ he has chosen."

"So that’s how it is..." Qi Yun realized. The entanglement was far more complex than it appeared, involving the future of a True Disciple’s path on the Dao.

No wonder Li Hanyan was willing to pay such a price.

"Then, Master, do you think I should accept this job?" Qi Yun asked, symbolically deferring the final decision to the Elder Master.

The Elder Master didn’t answer directly. Instead, he asked a question of his own.

"Asura Dao Cultivators are extremely powerful in combat. Their bodies are tough, and their Magic is vicious and unpredictable."

"That Chang Qing is one of the best among them. Are you confident you can defeat him?"

Qi Yun’s expression was calm. Without a hint of hesitation, he stated frankly, "At the same Realm, I am completely certain."

This wasn’t arrogance. He possessed multiple powerful magics that had been optimized by his panel: the Soul Refining Banner, the Nether Spring Bone Technique, the Profound Nether One Qi Bottle Prototype, the Wood Element Command Skill, Gathering Form and Scattering Qi... His methods were numerous, his foundation was deep, and he had plenty of trump cards up his sleeve.

With both of them at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer, he was confident that no one was his match.

Hearing this, a faint, unreadable smile appeared on the Elder Master’s face.

"Then what are you hesitating for? These are Dao Resources delivered right to your door, a deal with no upfront cost. Why wouldn’t you take it?"

"That Soul-Shaking Potion is one of Li Hanyan’s exclusive treasures."

"No one else can concoct it, and it will be of immense benefit when you condense your Divine Soul."

He paused, his tone taking on the casual air of someone protecting his own. He offered Qi Yun a final piece of reassurance.

"As for the person behind Chang Qing, you don’t need to worry."

"If he dares to be shameless enough to take his anger out on a junior like you afterward, I’ll personally go have a nice ’chat’ with him."

"Chang Qing has a backer. Do you think you don’t?"

With the Elder Master’s firm and resounding promise as a guarantee, the last trace of hesitation in Qi Yun’s heart vanished into thin air. His mind was clear.

"I understand. Thank you for your guidance, Master!"

After bidding farewell to the Elder Master, Qi Yun no longer hesitated and immediately passed a message to Li Hanyan through Li Chong.

He was taking the job.

Less than half a day later,

a Jade Scroll exuding a chilling aura was delivered to Qi Yun’s immortal cave by an expressionless Steward from Black Death Peak.

Qi Yun took the Jade Scroll, his Divine Sense sinking into it.

It contained more detailed information about Chang Qing.

It detailed the characteristics of his most-used Asura Techniques, his few well-known Magical Artifacts, and a profile of his combat habits.

Most importantly, the end of the Jade Scroll included Chang Qing’s recent movements.

Three days from now, he would be leaving the Sect for Dingyang Cave on Cuimei Mountain, three thousand li to the northwest.

Time, place, and target—everything was provided.

Qi Yun slowly put away the Jade Scroll, his eyes turning cold and clear.

A wisp of pitch-black Profound Nether Erosive Qi swirled silently at his fingertip before abruptly vanishing.

...