Inside the abandoned temple, Li Xuan encountered no one.
Even so, he didn't relax.
Each step was measured. Each breath controlled.
Only after reaching the peak did he finally slow down.
"Where is the Spring of Life…" he murmured.
Even in his previous life, he had only *heard* of this place. Details were scarce. Whatever secrets it held—
he would have to uncover them himself.
---
Meanwhile, at Netherpeak—
"Senior Brother Kong, I think what Junior Brother Long said isn't without reason."
A female voice rang out from the entrance.
Kong didn't even turn around immediately.
"Oh," he said lazily, "so it's you."
"What's with that tone?" the woman snapped.
Kong finally glanced at her, utterly unimpressed.
"Mu Qingcheng," he said flatly, "among all inner disciples, you're the only one consistently lacking a brain. So no—it's not surprising you'd say something pointless."
The surrounding disciples chuckled.
Mu Qingcheng's face darkened.
She swept her gaze across the crowd—yet no one avoided her eyes.
To them, she was entertainment.
Her gaze finally landed on a lone figure—
Wang Li.
He sat on a raised rock, completely isolated, holding a book.
Calm.
Unbothered.
Uninvolved.
*…Reading?*
In this era, manuals were rarely seen openly—yet he held one without concern.
And more importantly—
he hadn't reacted at all.
---
Wang Li was fully immersed.
At first, he thought the saber technique would be easy to grasp.
He was wrong.
The deeper he read, the stranger it became.
"This technique…" he murmured inwardly.
It didn't follow conventional grading.
Its power wasn't fixed.
Instead—
it scaled with the user.
The stronger the wielder, the stronger the technique.
No ceiling.
No clear limits.
"…What exactly did Master give me?"
For the first time, even Wang Li felt a trace of awe.
Just as he was about to grasp something—
A chill ran through his spine.
*Danger.*
His eyes snapped open.
A fist-sized stone was already inches from his face.
To an ordinary Martial Genesis cultivator, it would have been enough to injure severely.
But—
A flash of saber light cut through the air.
The stone split into four fragments and scattered harmlessly.
Wang Li lowered his gaze slightly.
Then looked forward.
Mu Qingcheng.
"What is the meaning of this?" he asked calmly.
No anger.
Which made it worse.
Mu Qingcheng raised a brow.
"Junior brother has some skill," she said lightly. "No wonder you dare take this path instead of waiting for the trial."
Wang Li stared at her.
"Right," he said. "And?"
The temperature around them dropped.
Not from the environment—
but from him.
Mu Qingcheng's expression shifted slightly.
It felt like something had locked onto her.
Something wild.
Unpredictable.
"Since Senior Sister is testing me on behalf of the sect," Wang Li said softly, "I shouldn't disappoint."
His saber moved.
There was no warning.
No buildup.
Just—
**impact.**
**Boom!**
Mu Qingcheng was sent flying.
She didn't even manage to defend.
The force slammed into her, forcing her back several meters before she stabilized herself.
Silence fell.
Everyone stared at Wang Li.
Outer disciple?
That strength?
Kong and Long exchanged glances.
Their expressions turned serious—
then slowly relaxed.
*Interesting…*
---
Wang Li closed his eyes again.
As if nothing had happened.
Mu Qingcheng steadied herself, slightly disheveled.
Then—
she cupped her fists.
"Thank you… for showing mercy."
That surprised a few people.
But she understood.
There had been no killing intent in his strike.
Only a warning.
She sighed inwardly.
*I overstepped.*
She had only meant to test him—to stop him from entering the Netherworld recklessly.
But clearly—
he didn't need saving.
If anything, he was more dangerous than most inner disciples present.
---
Wang Li, however, had already returned to the manual.
This time—
more focused.
More cautious.
From time to time, he opened his eyes, reread passages, then closed them again.
His understanding deepened.
Slowly.
Carefully.
The path of the saber began to take shape in his mind.
Just as he felt he was close—
A sound echoed from deep within Netherpeak.
Low.
Ancient.
Cold.
Everyone froze.
Then—
the temperature dropped sharply.
Not just cold—
but soul-piercing.
All eyes turned toward the source.
A massive whirlpool began forming in midair.
Frost spread outward, distorting space itself.
Wang Li narrowed his eyes.
*This… is the Netherworld entrance?*
It wasn't what he expected.
No demonic Qi.
No chaos.
Only—
cold.
Endless, devouring cold.
"The entrance has appeared!" someone shouted.
"We can see that," another snapped.
---
"Junior brother," a voice called out.
Wang Li turned.
It was Long.
"What do you want?" Wang Li asked plainly.
Long smiled.
"Have you formed a team? If not, you can join mine."
Wang Li looked at him.
Then said one word:
"Scram."
Long's smile stiffened.
Wang Li didn't even bother hiding it.
*Cannon fodder,* he thought.
From Wang Lu's warnings, he already knew—
The most dangerous thing in the Netherworld wasn't the creatures.
It was people.
Long's expression darkened as he walked away.
Wang Li didn't care.
*Give me a few years…*
*You won't even qualify to stand in front of me.*
---
As he observed the portal stabilizing, Wang Li noticed something—
Two outer disciples.
Women.
Something about them felt… off.
Not their appearance.
Their presence.
He glanced once—
then looked away.
*Not my problem… unless they make it mine.*
---
"Portal is stable! Inner disciples enter by cultivation order!"
An elder's voice rang out.
Order was maintained.
No one dared act out.
One by one, inner disciples stepped into the whirlpool and vanished.
Wang Li didn't move.
He waited.
Watched.
Calculated.
---
Soon—
only four remained.
Wang Li.
The two strange women.
And a chubby young man.
"Hello!" the chubby one said cheerfully. "I'm Bu Fan. Want to team up?"
The two women nodded silently.
Wang Li looked at him.
"What peak are you from?"
Bu Fan grinned.
"Why? Want me to introduce you?"
Wang Li raised a brow.
"How old are you… calling me junior brother?"
Bu Fan froze.
"…Fair point."
Wang Li glanced at the now-empty portal.
Then stood.
"Let's go."
He stepped forward.
The others followed.
---
As they approached the entrance, Bu Fan spoke again:
"By the way… what's your name?"
Wang Li didn't look back.
"Wang Li."
Bu Fan smiled.