“As long as she’s alright!”
Ling Xiao took a deep breath. He had no intention of searching for Leng Mei. That girl had survived resiliently even after becoming a slave—she didn’t need his excessive concern.
More importantly, like Ling Yixue, Leng Mei had found a better path to improve her strength. Why should he stand in her way?
If fate allowed, they would meet again.
He pondered for a moment, then crushed the note into dust and turned to leave Leng Mei’s room.
At the same time, in Hei Suo’s cave mansion.
The outer sect disciple Tian was receiving instructions.
“Tian, I just received word that Leng Mei has disappeared. You can use this opportunity to cause trouble for Ling Xiao. Accuse him of hiding Leng Mei—a betrayal of the sect. If he doesn’t produce her, you’ll have a chance to deal with him,” Hei Suo said calmly. “Your earlier method of picking a fight was too foolish, just making trouble for no reason. If we’re to cause trouble, we need a legitimate excuse, or it won’t hold up in front of that meddlesome Elder Bai.”
“Senior Brother’s words have cleared the fog for me!” Tian said, flattering him.
“Enough. Go now. Opportunities like this are rare. Due to my special status, it’s inconvenient for me to act against that kid in the sect. I’m entrusting this to you,” Hei Suo said.
“Senior Brother, you’re too polite. Your business is my business!” Tian grinned, took his leave from Hei Suo, and departed.
He hadn’t expected to stumble upon such a windfall. Hei Suo had promised that if he could cripple Ling Xiao, preventing him from cultivating peacefully, he’d receive ten top-grade True Essence Pills and ten mid-grade spirit stones!
These were incredibly valuable. As an outer sect disciple, Tian only had access to mid-grade and low-grade True Essence Pills; top-grade ones were beyond his reach.
As for mid-grade spirit stones, he could earn about ten in a year if he was lucky. To gain a year’s income from this small task—how could he not be thrilled?
Unbeknownst to Tian, his deal with Hei Suo had already been discovered by Ling Xiao.
After leaving Leng Mei’s stone house, Ling Xiao used his soul-entering state to scout around. He didn’t find Leng Mei but unexpectedly overheard Tian and Hei Suo’s transaction.
He sneered inwardly.
If you, Tian, were just a troublemaker, I’d only give you a light beating. But now that you’re colluding with Hei Suo, I’m sorry, but I won’t go easy on you.
He had no interest in continuing to observe the two and instead turned his attention to the valley filled with killing intent.
That was the last place where Leng Mei’s presence had vanished.
He was certain she had gone into the valley.
This surprised him.
The killing intent in that valley had coalesced into non-human entities with some degree of intelligence.
Even Heavenly Human Realm experts would struggle to enter, yet Leng Mei had gone in unharmed?
It was peculiar.
But he didn’t dwell on it.
In this world, everyone had their own opportunities—it was a matter of seizing them.
He had obtained the Mountain and River Martial Soul, and Dai Yuling had been taken as a disciple by a Medicine Mountain expert. These were all opportunities.
He decided to return to cultivation. Though dealing with Tian should be manageable, Tian was only ranked fiftieth in the outer sect. The challenges he faced might be greater than anticipated.
While Demon Flame Heavenly Venerable looked down on him and couldn’t be bothered to suppress him due to his perceived lack of talent, Hei Suo was different. Hei Suo would undoubtedly keep causing trouble.
If Tian failed, he might call upon someone stronger.
If a Half-Step Master came, Ling Xiao truly wouldn’t be a match.
By now, the sky was dim, and the moonlight outside was exceptionally bright.
Zhao Zhi and Zhao Ting hadn’t returned since leaving, and Wu Xiang was out on a task.
Ling Xiao was alone in the room.
He locked the door, sat cross-legged on the bed, and began cultivating.
The fastest way to improve his strength now was to break through to the Ninth Layer Martial Vein.
Before coming, he was already close to a breakthrough, so he swallowed three Qianyuan Bone-Changing Pills, aiming to guide his cultivation to shatter the barrier.
His cultivation was now stronger, and his body more robust, so he no longer needed old man Bai Yun to guard him.
He could even split off two clones to continue cultivating [Martial Art Name] and [Other Martial Art Name].
There was one final move of [Martial Art Name] he hadn’t mastered, but with the benefits gained from the Fengshen Catalogue, he believed he could easily comprehend it.
After all, he had effortlessly mastered two moves of such Gold-Grade martial arts. This was only a Quasi-Gold-Grade martial art, so it should be even easier.
As for [Other Martial Art Name], he hadn’t cultivated it since acquiring it, mainly due to time constraints. He had prioritised improving his cultivation and set it aside.
In the Outer Moon Tower, his understanding of martial arts had become clearer and more detailed.
He used to think [Other Martial Art Name] was a Quasi-Mortal martial art, or Quasi-Gold-Grade, with power comparable to Mortal martial arts, or Gold-Grade.
But now he knew it was indeed a Gold-Grade martial art, and a Gold-Grade Superior one at that.
He had been right not to cultivate it earlier. With his limited knowledge and experience back then, cultivation would have been extremely difficult.
But now, things were different. Through observing Mortal Realm martial artists’ battles and comprehending the Fengshen Catalogue, his understanding of Gold-Grade martial arts mysteries was profound.
This cultivation session wasn’t as painful as his time at Bai Yun Temple. The Qianyuan Bone-Changing Pills only caused a tingling sensation, indicating his body was indeed much stronger than before.
After a night.
Ling Xiao’s cultivation had reached the limit of the Eighth Layer Martial Vein, with one foot already in the Ninth Layer. Yet, something was missing, and he hadn’t broken through.
However, his clones’ cultivation yielded astonishing results.
He had fully mastered the final move of [Martial Art Name], “Ghost King Annihilation.”
When this move was executed, it was a culmination of the previous four moves.
A terrifying ghost king would appear in the opponent’s mind, accompanied by Ox-Head, Horse-Face, Black and White Impermanence, and a horde of ghostly soldiers and generals.
One could imagine that when Ling Xiao unleashed this punch, martial artists with weaker souls might collapse on the spot.
As for [Other Martial Art Name], he had successfully cultivated it to the peak of the Minor Success stage, the third layer.
Being a Gold-Grade Superior martial art, it required time to master fully.
At the Perfect stage, the flying sword could split into thirty-six blades, each with destructive power equal to the original.
Moreover, it allowed comprehension of the “Tiangang Sword Array” and its control.
The Tiangang Sword Array was far more formidable than ordinary flying sword attacks. Not only was it faster, but the array’s special effects significantly amplified its power.
