Stepping out of the Treasure Pavilion, Moyuan faced the afternoon sun and stretched luxuriously.
"What a fruitful day, wouldn't you say, Old Man Jiang?"
Thinking of the Treasure Pavilion golden card that Huang Rui had practically forced upon him, Moyuan was in a very cheerful mood.
"You might have had a fruitful day, but couldn't you spare a few Mystical Crystals for an old man?"
"That won't do. I have other uses for these one hundred thousand Mystical Crystals."
Moyuan looked down at the Demon Sword at his waist, a few other plans forming in his mind.
That old man named Huang Rui had not only handed him the golden card for free, but had even thrown in the Demon Sword as well.
He had talked about how a fine sword belonged to a hero, and since such a good thing had come his way, Moyuan had readily accepted it, taking it with a clear conscience.
He didn't mind Huang Rui's friendly gesture, either.
He knew that for those major powers, if they couldn't recruit a genius, making a well-intentioned favor was the next best thing.
This was simply how major powers survived; after all, having an extra friend was always better than having an extra enemy.
"You really are a stingy miser, kid."
With that, Jiang Shang stopped speaking.
"Hmm?"
Moyuan suddenly felt someone watching him, and the gaze carried a hint of murderous intent.
Although it was hidden very stealthily, with Moyuan's divine soul at the Saint Realm, detecting it was not difficult at all.
「Could it be someone from the Treasure Pavilion? That shouldn't be right!」
Moyuan subconsciously thought of Huang Rui, but on second thought, the Treasure Pavilion wouldn't do something like that.
With that in mind, Moyuan walked out of the crowd on his own, heading toward a less populated area.
He wanted to see just who was trying to kill him.
"Old Man Jiang, who do you think wants to kill me?"
Unable to figure out the identity of his stalker, Moyuan simply asked Jiang Shang directly.
"Don't ask me, I have no idea. Figure out what kind of trouble you've gotten yourself into on your own—why are you asking an old man like me?"
Hearing Moyuan call out to him, Jiang Shang was somewhat speechless. The kid didn't want to shell out a single crystal, yet still expected him to help—what a pipe dream.
"Never mind, that person probably isn't all that formidable."
Moyuan's divine soul had sensed earlier that while the person harbored murderous intent, their strength wasn't too high.
They were likely in the Diling Realm, just one realm higher than himself.
It wasn't a big problem. With the Demon Sword at his waist, the List of Gods in his hand, and goods in his pocket, he was afraid of nothing.
"Did that brat notice something?"
The figure in black hiding in the shadows stared intently at Moyuan, unable to suppress his inner doubts.
"Forget it, I'll just follow him first and see. This brat only awakened his talent yesterday; no matter how high his strength has grown, it can't possibly be that impressive."
Just like that, the figure in black tailed Moyuan all the way, twisting and turning until they reached an abandoned building near the edge of the city.
The frame of this building had just been completed when the developer absconded with the money, so people rarely came here.
The trailing figure in black remained cautiously hidden in the shadows, not making the slightest sound.
Right now, he was like a venomous snake, waiting only for the right moment to deliver a fatal strike to his enemy.
"Aren't you going to come out?"
Moyuan stood before the overgrown, weed-choked building, his expression calm, as if this desolate scene stirred not a single ripple in his heart.
As he spoke, his eyes were sharp as a hawk's, scanning every inch of the abandoned building.
His right hand gently rested upon the Demon Sword at his waist, and as his words trailed off, his wrist turned, smoothly drawing the silver sword from its scabbard.
Sunlight struck the blade, reflecting a dazzling glare.
Yet the edge emitted an eerie chill, as if even the sunlight could not warm its freezing sharpness.
However, long after his voice fell, everything remained calm and tranquil.
"Hmph, you've been tailing me this whole way; how much longer do you plan on hiding?"
With his usual calm expression, Moyuan glanced indifferently toward a dilapidated little shack.
The figure in black hiding behind the dilapidated shack was startled, instantly turning vigilant.
How could this brat, who had only just broken through to the Xuanling Realm, possibly have detected him?
Moyuan hadn't expected the person tailing him to have such strong composure; it seemed he was a seasoned repeat offender.
At this thought, Moyuan suddenly had an inkling about the stalker's identity.
Had he really been a bit too conspicuous? He remembered that in his past life, on the second day after awakening his talent, he had holed up at home to cultivate with all his might.
He hadn't gone out at all, let alone visited the Treasure Pavilion to buy a sword, much less had anyone tail him.
In this life, because his divine soul had reached the Saint Realm, his cultivation had been completely unobstructed.
Combined with his reservoir of knowledge from the past, he had broken through to the Xuanling Realm in a single night, much faster than in his previous life.
"Since that's how it is, I won't stand on ceremony."
"Mystical Art, Entanglement!"
Moyuan's voice was firm and powerful, and as his words fell, the surrounding air seemed to vibrate in response.
He extended his palm, his fingers rapidly tracing a few mysterious symbols in the air as a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
Suddenly, the ground cracked open beneath the feet of the figure in black hiding in the shadows, and two thick vines rapidly sprouted.
Wriggling like intelligent serpents, they swiftly and accurately wrapped around the black-robed figure's legs.
The surface of the vines was covered in sharp thorns, which bit deeply into the black-robed man's flesh, preventing him from easily breaking free.
"Damn it, how is this possible? This brat actually discovered me and even cast a Mystical Art."
The black-robed man had originally thought Moyuan was just bluffing, but he hadn't expected to be genuinely found out.
He had only awakened yesterday, broken through to the Xuanling Realm today, and even mastered a Mystical Art—this kind of talent and comprehension was truly terrifying.
"Hahaha, it looks like I've caught a big fish. As long as I kill him and report back to Elder Li, I'm bound to get a massive amount of cultivation resources. If I'm lucky, I might even win the favor of a deacon, and then my career in the cult will soar to the skies!"
The black-robed man's body shook, and the vines at his feet burst into smokeless flames, reducing to ashes in mere seconds.
"Kid, it seems you have some strength, but your fatal mistake is being too arrogant. If you had gone straight home obediently, killing you might have required some effort on my part, and you could have lived a bit longer. But you just had to lead me to this desolate place—you're an absolute fool."
The black-robed man stepped out from behind the small shack, his eyes locked onto Moyuan.
In his eyes, Moyuan was nothing less than walking performance review.
"Arrogant? Only the powerless are called arrogant. Since I dared to lead you here, doesn't that prove something?"
Moyuan calmly sized up the black-robed man before him, and when he caught sight of the cross-shaped mark on the inside of the man's garment, the corners of his mouth curved up slightly.
His guess had been right; the one tailing him the entire way was indeed a member of the Demon God Cult.
Judging by the look of it, however, this person was merely a rank-and-file cultist—a complete nobody.
As for why he knew about the Demon God Cult, it was naturally because in his past life, when he was in university, he had also been targeted by them. He simply hadn't expected them to show up so early in this life.
Though the timing of their target was different, the reason remained the same: his astonishing talent in both his past and present lives.
He had once investigated the Demon God Cult, and the Human Sovereign had spoken to him about it as well.
The Demon God Cult specialized in hunting down human geniuses and frequently collaborated with the Demon race.
"You're not very old, but you sure talk big. Is your confidence relying on that Demon Sword? What a joke—how much of the Demon Sword's power can a mere Xuanling Realm cultivator unleash?"
The black-robed man drew his own weapon, which was a broadsword of ordinary design.
Moyuan saw at a glance that the broadsword was nothing more than a middle-grade Mortal Weapon, far inferior to his own Demon Sword.
"Although I haven't used this sword in a very long time, its power should still be decent, I suppose."
Moyuan glanced at the Demon Sword in his hand, recalling the various past battles he had fought with it in his previous life as a myriad of thoughts churned in his heart.
"Haven't used it in a long time? You brats sure know how to brag without even biting your tongues!"
Believing that Moyuan was just spouting nonsense to stall for time, the black-robed man decided to stop exchanging idle chatter.
A layer of flames suddenly appeared on his broadsword, tightly adhering to the blade.
It radiated intense heat, causing the surrounding air to distort and warp from the temperature.
"Mystical Art, Flame Kindle."
Grasping the burning broadsword, the black-robed man charged straight at the crown of Moyuan's head with swift and decisive movements.