A group of youths strolled through the wide streets. They wore luxurious silk robes, clearly displaying their status as scions of wealthy clans.
Numerous servants clustered around them like obedient dogs. Even these mere lackeys wore high-grade clothes, far surpassing those of ordinary commoners.
"Young Master Bao Shuo, this new sword looks absolutely priceless! It perfectly matches your status!"
"Brother Bao Shuo already possesses the peerless demeanor of a supreme immortal! With this blade, his aura feels even more terrifying!"
"Young Master will definitely crush the upcoming Xuantian Sect recruitment exam!"
Hearing this relentless flattery, Bao Shuo's face flushed with satisfaction. He gripped a sharp sword in his right hand. The weapon bore a striking resemblance to the Skyfall Azure Sword. However, it lacked the master smith's authentic signature. It clearly was a cheap replica.
Bao Shuo chuckled, raising his chin proudly. "As the supreme heir of the great Bao clan, my sheer effort already outclasses every single so-called talent in Mingyue City! How could the Xuantian Sect possibly reject an existence like me?"
The lackeys surrounding Bao Shuo coldly sneered in their hearts. Sheer effort? What dogshit effort! This bastard entirely relied on his status as the Bao clan's Young Master to suppress everyone! He constantly bullied the weak and feared the strong!
Suddenly, Bao Shuo shifted his gaze. He stared at a young girl, looking around 15–16 years old, standing nearby. She possessed a devastatingly beautiful face that forced people to unconsciously glance twice. Yet, her delicate figure looked extremely pale and painfully thin, as if she hadn't swallowed a single grain of rice for days. Anyone looking at her would feel a surge of deep pity in their hearts.
"Little Xinghe, what do you think your Young Master looks like today?" Bao Shuo asked, with a malicious glint flashing in his eyes.
The girl named Mu Xinghe kept her mouth firmly shut. She completely understood this bastard's temper. Even if she answered, he would simply find a bizarre excuse to fly into a rage and ruthlessly beat her.
"Why do you stubbornly refuse this Young Master's heaven-sent offer?" Bao Shuo stepped closer, his gaze sweeping over her worn-out clothes. "If you obediently become my concubine, a lowly servant like you could instantly soar into the heavens!"
Mu Xinghe still offered no response. She merely lifted her head, her eyes practically spitting hatred.
She entered this world as a lowly servant because her mother slaved away in the Bao Clan's estates. Yet, for some unknown reason, the entire Mingyue City had completely isolated her since birth. She clearly never harmed a single soul! She simply couldn't understand why everyone treated her worse than a stray dog.
Her hellish life only worsened the day Bao Shuo discovered her existence. He coveted her beauty. When she firmly rejected his disgusting advances, he resorted to daily torture. He ruthlessly beat her and rained down vicious verbal abuse. He even threatened to slaughter her innocent mother if she refused to submit!
Despair had completely swallowed her heart until a piece of news arrived. Bao Shuo planned to join the Xuantian Sect!
She instantly saw a sliver of hope. If she could also pass the recruitment exam and join the Xuantian Sect, the sect would protect her and her mother!
She could only endure this humiliation and pray her cultivation talent was sufficient.
Having received no response, Bao Shuo's little patience completely vanished. He furiously stomped forward and ruthlessly kicked her thin stomach!
Bang!
Mu Xinghe heavily crashed into the dirt. She forcefully bit her lip, refusing to let out a single cry of pain. She swallowed the blood pooling in her mouth.
Bao Shuo coldly scoffed, a sinister sneer twisting his face. "Hmph! You will obediently crawl to my bed sooner or later!"
He waved his hand, leading his group of dog-legged servants into a luxurious nearby restaurant. They completely abandoned Mu Xinghe in the dirt, not caring whether she lived or starved to death.
Mu Xinghe clutched her stomach. She could only stare at the steaming, delicious food through the restaurant's window. Her stomach growled violently. She truly felt so hungry...
Meanwhile, inside a secluded courtyard, Xu Xing and Meng Yao had just concluded an intense sparring session.
Xu Xing stood panting heavily. Sweat completely drenched his robes. He looked thoroughly exhausted. For the past few days, Meng Yao had started to go fully on the offensive!
"Junior Brother, you actually managed to withstand my attacks even when I used eighty percent of my Golden Core strength!"
Meng Yao praised, her beautiful eyes flashing with genuine astonishment.
"Truly impressive!"
Several weeks had already passed since Long Wei spread those rumors. Xu Xing completely ignored the outside world, only focusing on how to raise his combat strength. He had exhausted every single trick he had, yet he could only force Meng Yao to use eighty percent of her cultivation base.
"Senior Sister, I feel I have thoroughly hit a bottleneck." Xu Xing wiped the sweat from his forehead, his brows furrowing deeply.
"No matter how many changes I make in the Crossing River Formation, it still shows no signs of improvement. Only after understanding sword intent can I step into minor mastery of this formation."
The Crossing River Formation was a very high-level technique. Its requirements were extremely strict. Only after gaining sword intent could one attain minor mastery and use it properly.
Meng Yao fully understood how madly Xu Xing worked these past few weeks. She naturally wouldn't let her precious Junior Brother suffer disappointment.
"Why don't we select some new techniques for you, Junior Brother?" Meng Yao thoughtfully suggested. "Given your current combat style, a close-quarters palm technique and an illusion technique would suit you perfectly!"
Hearing this, Xu Xing's dark eyes instantly erupted with light! Indeed! If the sword formation hit a wall, he merely needed to master new killing moves!
"Then let us go immediately!"
Meng Yao smiled radiantly. "Normally, disciples visit the Martial Hall to select techniques. But since the Sect Master and the various Elders recently vanished from the sect, the Martial Hall is unusable. We can only go to the market."
Meng Yao suddenly had a brilliant idea. Didn't this junior brother constantly act arrogant? What if she brought a bunch of history books while they went to the market and lectured her junior brother? Wouldn't he become humble more quickly?
Xu Xing nodded vigorously, oblivious to Meng Yao's thoughts. He only felt excited. He could already imagine himself bitterly grinding for countless hours to push those new techniques to Perfection!
Watching his burning gaze, Meng Yao felt a trace of familiarity. Her Junior Brother's fanatical eyes looked exactly like a certain someone she knew... both were absolute cultivation madmen!
The duo quickly departed the bamboo house and arrived at the bustling Sect Market.
Walking down the street, Meng Yao suddenly spotted the stall selling sweet candied haws.
She unconsciously licked her red lips, a strong craving welling up in her heart. But glancing at Xu Xing's incredibly eager and impatient face, she forcefully suppressed her desires.
She made a decision between her beloved Junior Brother and the candied haws!
"Naturally, Junior Brother's cultivation comes first!" She reluctantly parted with the candied haws.
They soon stepped into the Sect's grand Treasure Pavilion. The familiar, blindingly luxurious decor instantly greeted their eyes.
An attendant rapidly hurried over to welcome them. It was the exact same shopkeeper who had previously sold them the Skyfall Azure Sword!
Recognizing these two fat sheep, the attendant's eyes glowed with greed. He deeply bowed, fully expecting another big commission today.
"Esteemed guests! What supreme treasures can this lowly one procure for you today?" the attendant flatteringly smiled.
Xu Xing didn't hesitate for a single second. "I need a palm technique and an illusion technique."He briefly pondered before adding, "Bring out a movement footwork technique as well."
As for the spirit stones? Xu Xing had already thoroughly mastered the supreme Dao of shamelessly relying on his wealthy Senior Sister!
The shopkeeper respectfully led them up to the Pavilion's second floor, which stored martial manuals.
After briefly questioning Xu Xing's specific requirements, the attendant carefully presented four ancient jade slips.
"Guests, please observe!"
The attendant pointed to the first slip. "This is the Nine-Fold Thunderclap Palm! It requires the practitioner to violently guide spiritual Qi from their dantian directly into their palm nine consecutive times! Each brutal cycle exponentially increases the strike's destructive power! However, unlocking all nine thunderclaps requires reaching the Great Perfection stage. The entry level merely allows for one cycle!"
Xu Xing's eyes lit up. He instantly fancied this overbearing palm technique. It sounded incredibly convenient and explosive! The destructive output at Great Perfection clearly reached a terrifying level!
"Next is the Petal-Blade Illusion Technique," the shopkeeper introduced the second slip. "Sword cultivators manifest countless phantom blades to completely deceive their opponent's divine sense, flawlessly masking the true killing strike! It lacks extreme complexity, meaning the benefits are significantly lower at higher cultivation realms."
The shopkeeper then gestured toward the final two jade slips.
"I've actually selected two distinct footwork techniques perfectly suited for the guest. The first is the Drifting Cloud Step. It explosively boosts raw speed, and its early-stage benefits are extremely generous. Reaching Minor Mastery allows the cultivator to take massive leaps, as if literally stepping on the clouds!"
"The alternative is the Ink Phantom Step. Achieving Major Success allows the practitioner to leave behind a thick, ink-like spiritual mist that corrodes and slows the enemy's movements. However, the initial training stages offer extremely meager benefits."
Xu Xing heavily weighed the two movement arts. Desperately needing an immediate boost to his combat prowess, he instantly made a firm decision.
"I will take the Drifting Cloud Step!"
The shopkeeper nodded flatteringly and swiftly packed the three jade slips.
Xu Xing shamelessly watched Meng Yao casually toss out a bag of spirit stones. They turned to leave, but Meng Yao stood in place.
"Junior Brother, you go and wait outside. I need some items."
Xu Xing didn't mind and only thought she needed items for her cultivation, so he left directly.
Meng Yao had a mischievous smile and an expression that clearly showed she was going to do something profound for her junior brother.
"Get me all the history books you have!"
The shopkeeper's eyes lit up! Even if this did not provide as much commission, he never hated free money!
Xu Xing waited outside and felt incredibly impatient to rush back to the bamboo house and cultivate these new techniques. Meng Yao did not keep him waiting for long. They walked far away from the Treasure Pavilion and slowed down.
However, he suddenly noticed Meng Yao constantly glancing backward. A pained and conflicted expression was on her beautiful face.
Xu Xing followed her gaze. Wasn't that the exact location of the candied haw stall?
He suddenly realized... she wanted that treat earlier but held back just to avoid delaying his technique selection!
Xu Xing felt guilty, so he quickly suggested,
"Senior Sister! Why don't we head to a restaurant to eat? I heard the Qingfeng Tower is exceptionally good, and it is nearby!"
During his previous visit, he overheard several inner disciples bragging that Qingfeng Tower possessed the best delicacies.
Hearing this, Meng Yao's eyes instantly sparkled like glittering stars. She vigorously nodded her head in agreement.
The duo quickly arrived outside the grand Qingfeng Tower. However, their footsteps suddenly halted. They noticed a painfully thin, tattered girl silently huddled in the dirt right near the restaurant's entrance...