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"Hmm..." Lin Chao glanced at the fallen Zheng Jing, then at Lijun Fen, who had no idea what to do.
This was an unprecedented situation on all accounts. Even if Zheng Jing was holding back significantly, he was still a Fifth Level Spirit Master. He could easily kill any Spirit Warrior cultivator with a flick of his finger.
But clearly, not the two people who had caught Lin Chao's interest. The man not only managed to make a fool out of Zheng Jing, but he also delivered a clean blow to his jaw.
Then there was the woman. Her swordsmanship was unlike anything he had seen before. Even her footwork, timing, and precision were breathtaking. Lin Chao was so immersed that he forgot to introduce himself.
"Maybe next time..." he muttered under his breath and approached Lijun Fen.
"Senior Fen, as the Sect Master of this lower world's Azure Sky Sect branch, I believe it's my duty to test Zheng Jing's son," Lin Chao said plainly, his expression turning hesitant. "But... what should I do if the duo wasn't lying? What if Zheng Shui truly is a demonic cultivator?"
Lijun Fen finally snapped out of it and met Lin Chao's gaze.
"If it's not too late to purify the Demonic Qi from his core, then send a request to the alchemists of the main branch. Tell them to send down a Demonic Qi Purifying Pill," Lijun Fen said slowly.
"However, if you notice a second Dantian slowly forming on Zheng Shui's forehead, then kill him immediately. That means he's already accepted the demonic influence, and if you let that Dantian form, then he's going to get three lives and become a full-fledged demonic cultivator. At that point, killing him would be as troublesome as killing a cockroach."
"I understand, Senior." Lin Chao bowed. "I will do as instructed... and what about Senior Jing?"
"Leave him to me," Lijun Fen replied coldly. "I will take him back to the main branch for punishment... and if those two were right, then call me. I shall reward them myself."
With those words, Lijun Fen crouched down beside the groaning Zheng Jing, then picked him up by the collar and dashed off into the distance, heading toward the place where they could return to the higher realm.
As for Lin Chao, he glanced at the sky and let out a sigh.
"You troublesome kids, I really hope you're wrong about this..."
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(3 days later...)
[Xuan's POV]
Xuan's eyes shot open, but to his surprise, he didn't feel any pain.
I was sure that bastard burned me, but I'm fine? Huh... I guess that's a cultivator's regeneration for you.
Even so, he glanced around and soon realized he was in some cave. There was light at the end of the cave, and he could see a vast forest.
His body still felt stiff, but after taking a few deep breaths, he stood up and walked out of the cave.
The sunlight shone down on him, and when he walked beneath the trees, he spotted a figure in the distance.
It was Yuelan, and she was currently swinging a stick back and forth, practicing vertical slashes.
Xuan was about to step forward and tease her; however, he spotted a faint blue color forming on the tip of her blade with each swing.
The pressure that she emitted from her sheer focus alone made Xuan halt and admire her for a few moments, and then he simply went the other way.
He felt a bit shameful.
I wasn't able to do anything against that old man, Xuan thought. He's not even a good fighter, but the fact that I couldn't even deliver a deciding attack because my Void Qi couldn't pierce his defenses is just... disappointing.
And he had himself to blame. He had focused too much on cultivation and neglected his skills and skill masteries.
Despite Void Fist being the first skill he had gotten, it was still at Mastery Level 2, whereas most of the skills Yuelan had were already at Level 10 Mastery.
So it was about time he actually began training instead of slacking off.
Xuan did a few quick stretches and used Void Step, eventually appearing a few kilometers away from Yuelan.
The forest seemed endless, but it didn't take him long to find a suitable open place to train, right beside a massive oak tree.
Xuan covered his fists in Void Qi and punched, using the casual southpaw stance he had been using ever since his underground boxing days.
Since he had no clue what he was aiming for just yet, Xuan began throwing punch after punch at the oak tree, and to his surprise, it didn't break. In fact, it felt as if his punches were being absorbed, which in turn gave him a solid punching bag.
There's gotta be something else, Xuan thought absentmindedly, when all of a sudden, he recalled the fight against the old man.
His fists were infused with fire, and while that might have been an effect of being a Spirit Master, Xuan knew he could do it too. After all, by covering his fists in Void Qi, he was already halfway there.
But there was something missing, and that was actual effect aside from piercing defenses.
Linhua mentioned Space Qi, Death Qi, and Time Qi. What if I can tap into one of them?
He took another deep breath and focused on his Dantian. There were two sources of Qi: the regular Qi and Void Qi.
Beyond that, Xuan couldn't feel anything, but despite that, he kept looking deeper and deeper. His attention was focused on Void Qi, and before he knew it, several hours had passed and he had made no progress.
But just as he lost all hope and punched the tree, he accidentally pushed the Void Qi from his inner Dantian into the outer part, making it mix with the regular Qi.
The amount that had mixed was incredibly small, but the effect was something he could've never expected.
The tree that had previously not budged at all now had a tiny dent, and Xuan's fist was swollen, almost like he had exerted much more power than should be possible.
He looked at his hands, then tilted his head.
What just happened?