The odds were roughly 40-60.
Ling Xiao had a 40% chance, the opponent 60%.
Of course, that was based on surface strength. In a real fight, he felt his chances of winning were actually higher.
After all, with the Mountain and River Martial Soul, his advantage was simply too great.
“Little punk, no matter how sharp your tongue is, you won’t escape death today! Though your strength is close to peak Martial Vein Fourth Level, and that flying sword attack reaches the power of a peak Martial Vein Fifth Level strike, you’re still dead!”
The burly black-masked bandit spoke confidently, but he didn’t move.
Ling Xiao knew what he was wary of.
The flying sword.
The burly man understood that Ling Xiao’s greatest threat to him was that unpredictable flying sword.
“Since I’m about to die anyway, can you tell me who sent you to kill me?”
Ling Xiao suddenly asked.
The burly man’s eyes flickered, and he chuckled, “Want to know? I can tell you! The one who wants you dead is none other than the Ling Clan’s Ling—”
His voice abruptly dropped low.
Ling Xiao couldn’t hear, so he took a step forward.
“Opportunity!”
The burly man grinned wickedly.
He was telling the truth, but his goal wasn’t to reveal it—it was to lure Ling Xiao into a mistake.
Now the chance had come, and he sprang into action.
Despite his bulky frame, he leapt lightly, closing in on Ling Xiao in an instant.
This wasn’t a movement technique, just raw power.
Terrifying.
“Die!”
Glancing at the fallen stout old man and sinister woman out of the corner of his eye, the burly man’s fury was palpable. With a roar, his hands formed claws midair.
Not only that, those claws turned a steely color, glinting with a chilling light.
But in that moment, a playful smile spread across Ling Xiao’s face.
“Not good!”
A sword beam sliced through the air.
The burly man’s soul nearly fled his body in terror.
He knew full well the power of this strike.
It absolutely carried the force of a peak Martial Vein Fifth Level attack.
While he was peak Martial Vein Fifth Level in cultivation, his defense was only at the early Fifth Level—he couldn’t block it.
Midair, with no way to dodge, he could only parry.
“Good thing this kid’s flying sword goes straight, it’s fast, but I can still block it!”
After the initial panic, the burly man quickly steadied himself.
His claws reached for the flying sword, his attack power also at peak Martial Vein Fifth Level—he wouldn’t lose in a head-on clash.
Yet he didn’t notice the faint smirk of disdain on Ling Xiao’s lips.
“Huh?”
Just as the sword beam and his claws were about to collide, the light vanished.
The burly man shuddered. In a duel, having your opponent’s attack disappear at the last second was the most horrifying thing imaginable.
He was nearly scared out of his wits.
But that fear didn’t last long.
The next moment, he felt his head separate from his body. The sensation was surreal—through his eyes, he could see blood spurting from his neck.
“His sword can change direction?”
That was the burly man’s final thought before death.
“Phew—!”
Seeing the burly man fall, Ling Xiao nearly collapsed to the ground.
The fight had seemed effortless, but it was incredibly perilous.
If the burly man hadn’t arrogantly leapt into the air, even with the ability to alter the flying sword’s path, Ling Xiao wouldn’t have succeeded so easily.
It was a battle of wits and bravery.
One trap after another.
With the immense analytical power granted by the Mountain and River Martial Soul, Ling Xiao had practically led the enemy by the nose.
But using this ability came at a cost.
He could feel that the Mountain and River Martial Soul consumed not just Gang Qi, but soul power too.
Maintaining that flawless calculation state for even a little too long left him utterly exhausted.
Sitting on the ground to rest, Ling Xiao didn’t even bother picking up the burly man’s storage ring.
The weakness of his soul was far more unbearable than physical fatigue.
“Let’s call this state ‘Soul Entry’ from now on. Looks like I’ll need to learn some soul-strengthening techniques, otherwise ‘Soul Entry’ lasts too short to be much help in a fight.”
Ling Xiao mused, naming this flawless calculation state for convenience in the future.
After resting for about half an hour, he finally recovered, his head no longer spinning.
He walked over and picked up the burly man’s storage ring, another ordinary-grade one.
Inside was a decent haul: nearly 50,000 taels of silver, 10,000 taels of gold, three Gang Qi Pills, and a top-tier martial art book, *Snow Lotus Technique*.
Ling Xiao flipped through the *Snow Lotus Technique* in surprise, initially thinking he could cultivate it, but he was dumbfounded upon reading it.
*Snow Lotus Qi Technique*, a peak top-tier martial art, an inner cultivation method that could be paired with the *Snow Lotus Sword Technique*. Nearly a Mortal-grade art, it could only be cultivated by those who had awakened the Snow Lotus Martial Soul or were born with a Snow Lotus Body…
Snow Lotus Martial Soul?
People with martial souls were rare as phoenix feathers, let alone something as peculiar as a Snow Lotus Martial Soul. It seemed useless.
He’d keep it, maybe it’d come in handy later.
With that thought, he shook his head and tossed the *Snow Lotus Qi Technique* into the Mountain and River Diagram.
Huh?
In that instant, something astonishing happened.
In the small village within the diagram, a mountain appeared.
An ice mountain!
Covered with countless snow lotuses.
One, at the peak, was the largest and most beautiful.
“Mountain and River Martial Soul, encompassing all things!”
Eight characters appeared on the Mountain and River Diagram.
Ling Xiao wasn’t dumb, even a fool could grasp what this meant, especially combined with the ice mountain and snow lotuses.
It was clear his Mountain and River Martial Soul could contain and nurture all things, including the Snow Lotus Martial Soul.
He could absolutely cultivate the *Snow Lotus Qi Technique*.
Ling Xiao felt a surge of excitement.
He’d long craved a top-tier inner cultivation method, and now it had come to him effortlessly.
Who knew where the burly man had gotten this, but since he couldn’t use it, he’d kept it in his storage ring, probably unable to sell it and unwilling to destroy it.
Now it had fallen into Ling Xiao’s hands.
He’d planned to start cultivating the *Snow Lotus Qi Technique* right then and there.
But suddenly, he sensed a dangerous aura approaching.
Wherever his eyes looked, three red dots appeared—three demonic beasts, extremely dangerous, at the peak of the Martial Extreme.
One, he’d stay and fight, but three? He didn’t even consider it—that was pure suicide.
Demonic beasts were naturally stronger than martial artists, their innate abilities at the same level far too terrifying.
“Time to head back. With the *Snow Lotus Qi Technique*, I can boost my cultivation first. As for the *Nine Transformations Golden Body Art*, that can wait. Once I break through to Martial Vein Fifth Level, I’m confident I can take second in the grand finals!”
He aimed for second rather than first because he wasn’t sure of Ling Feifan’s strength.
“Rumble!”
Just as he prepared to leave, the ground trembled.
“An earthquake?”
“No, it feels like a massive demonic beast approaching!”
Ling Xiao looked into the distance, where a colossal figure lumbered through the dense forest, nearly the size of a small mountain.
