"Bang!"
As soon as Pang Long finished speaking, a crisp slap echoed through the restaurant. No one saw when Moyang made his move, and even Pang Long failed to react in time. By the time Pang Long stood up, there was no anger on his face; instead, a faint smile hung at the corner of his mouth. "Are you threatening me?"
Before Moyang even finished speaking, his hand flicked upward, striking Pang Long across the face once more.
Xu Xin was utterly dumbfounded, staring blankly at Moyang.
The entire floor of the restaurant fell into a dead silence. Many patrons witnessed the scene and immediately stood up, hurriedly leaving for fear that the brawl would spill over and involve them.
Only the mysterious woman sitting by the window remained completely unaffected. She sat there quietly, her expression calm, lifting her wine cup with jade-like fingertips to take a gentle sip with effortless elegance.
"Brat, you're courting death!" Pang Long had not expected Moyang to dare strike him. Coming back to his senses, he flew into an instant rage, his eyes wide with fury as he threw a ferocious punch straight at Moyang.
Yet that powerful and tyrannical punch was intercepted and caught mid-air by Moyang with a simple lift of his hand. Moyang smiled faintly, "Is that it?"
With a sudden twist from Moyang, Pang Long let out a roar, erupting with all his strength to wrench himself free. His expression twisted in agony as his hand trembled violently like a spasm; his wrist had almost been snapped in two by Moyang.
Watching this unfold right before her eyes, Xu Xin was overcome with shock. She had known for some time that Moyang's cultivation had reached Earth Mystic Realm - Stage 1, but she had assumed he lacked practical combat experience and that his true combat strength would be severely discounted. Yet this single scene shattered her perception entirely.
This was Pang Long they were talking about—whose raw physical strength was unmatched across all four sects.
And yet, judging by what just happened, Moyang appeared to be even stronger. Had she not witnessed it with her own eyes, she would never have believed it.
Pang Long endured the piercing pain shooting from his wrist, staring fixedly at Moyang. Only now did he try to probe Moyang's cultivation, only to find he couldn't sense it at all. This left him filled with doubt and unease, especially since their brief clash made him feel that Moyang's physical strength was even more terrifying than his own.
"Moyang, the Third Elder instructed us not to cause trouble!" Seeing that Moyang looked ready to continue, Xu Xin hurriedly lowered her voice to persuade him.
Even though Moyang kept a smile on his face, the sight of it sent a chill down her spine.
She then turned her gaze toward Pang Long and the other Xuan Sect disciples, speaking in a cold voice, "If you really want to fight here, we'll gladly accompany you!"
Pang Long wore a grim expression, his eyes fixed on Moyang with undisguised murderous intent, before speaking in a grim, chilling tone, "You'd better burn incense and pray when you go back, and make sure I don't run into you on the arena stage!"
With a heavy, angry cold snort, the group left in fury.
Though Pang Long had a rough temperament, he was extremely cautious deep down. He wasn't afraid of Xu Xin at all, but Moyang was someone he couldn't quite figure out.
Watching the Xuan Sect members leave, Moyang acted as if nothing had happened, cheerfully calling over the waiter to order food.
"Brother Moyang, you're so amazing!" Su Fei'er's eyes sparkled with little stars as she rested her chin on her hands, staring unblinkingly at Moyang.
"Uh... my hands were just itchy, and I wanted to see the strength of the Heavenly Prodigies from the four sects. Tsk tsk, they look all big and tough like they're really formidable, but they turn out to be nothing special!" Moyang said nonchalantly.
Xu Xin gave Moyang a complex look. In this upcoming martial arts gathering, Moyang might actually bring some surprises to the Lingxu Sect after all.
"Senior Sister, don't look at me with such adoring eyes. I've got plenty of amazing traits, and Senior Sister will find out about them in the future!"
Xu Xin was left speechless. No matter how she listened to it, Moyang's words sounded utterly improper. Frowning, she couldn't help but say, "No matter what, Pang Long is not someone easy to deal with. If you run into him on the arena stage, don't go toe-to-toe with him head-on!"
At that moment, the mysterious woman at the table behind them quietly stood up and walked straight toward the lower floor of the restaurant.
The waiter, who had been standing nearby, smiled and hurried over. "Esteemed guest, you haven't paid your bill yet!"
The mysterious woman turned her head, actually raised a hand to point at Moyang, and said, "He'll pay."
Moyang had been keeping an eye on the mysterious woman all along, so when he saw her turn around and point right at him, a blank look washed over his face.
He felt utterly baffled. What was going on here?
Xu Xin and Su Fei'er couldn't help but look at Moyang as well. This mysterious woman actually wanted Moyang to pay her bill?
Could it be that she knew him?
Yet Moyang clearly didn't know her; this was the first time he had laid eyes on her on the way to Xuantian City.
Before Moyang could say anything, however, the mysterious woman had already walked down and out of the restaurant.
"Confess, do you know her or not?" Xu Xin asked, frowning as she looked at Moyang.
Even as she asked, she couldn't make sense of it in her heart. The woman's cultivation was terrifyingly high and beyond estimation—clearly a Heavenly Prodigy from some major power. How could she possibly know Moyang?
"Uh... maybe she was just overwhelmed by my martial prowess from earlier!" Moyang wore a bewildered expression, completely at a loss.
Xu Xin was utterly speechless and couldn't be bothered to question him further.
After eating and drinking their fill, Moyang could only sigh in resignation and pay for two sets of bills. What he cared about wasn't the silver notes, but rather the puzzle of why the mysterious woman had pulled such a stunt.
After leaving the restaurant, night had already fallen. Yet not long after stepping outside, Moyang suddenly stopped in his tracks. A voice had unexpectedly rung out directly in his ears.
"Leave the city. I have something to discuss with you!"
Moyang felt a chill run down his spine, because he had heard that voice before—it unmistakably belonged to the mysterious woman.
"Brother Moyang, what are you looking at?" Su Fei'er asked, noticing Moyang suddenly halt and stare blankly ahead.
"You guys go on ahead. I want to walk around by myself for a bit!" Moyang said.
He simply couldn't understand why someone of that caliber would target him. An existence on that level surely wouldn't be interested in the small amount of silver notes he carried—though pills were a possibility. Still, he wanted to go and clear things up; deep down, he knew that when facing such an entity, there was no running away.
"Hmph, you probably just want to use this chance to go trysting with that person!" Xu Xin scoffed coldly.
Moyang was taken aback and hurriedly said, "Senior Sister, my brain is fine, and I haven't lived long enough yet! I'd run as far as I can from a powerhouse like that!"
"As long as you understand," Xu Xin dropped those words before grabbing Su Fei'er and walking off on her own.
Watching Xu Xin and Su Fei'er walk into the distance, Moyang quietly headed toward the direction of the city gates. He kept his eyes peeled and observed his surroundings, but caught no sign of the mysterious woman's figure.
***
It wasn't until he stepped outside the city gates that Moyang spotted the mysterious woman standing quietly in the distance.
At that moment, a wave of apprehension fluttered in Moyang's chest. He had even prepared himself: if the other party intended to kill him and take his belongings, he would hide inside the Star Emperor Pagoda at the very first instant, even if it meant exposing his secrets.
Because other than that, he had no other means of preserving his life in front of this mysterious woman.
Step by step, Moyang walked over with his nerves strung taut.
The mysterious woman slowly turned around, her gaze lingering on Moyang for a brief moment before she spoke: "You cultivate a technique that conceals your cultivation?"
Moyang frowned. Instead of answering, he asked, "Elder Sister, we are complete strangers. May I ask why you are looking for me?"
"I know you," the mysterious woman said.
With that, she raised her hand and tossed a scroll toward him. Moyang unrolled it, freezing in place upon seeing it—it was a portrait, and the person drawn in it was none other than himself.
Most crucially, the dried ink clearly showed it had been painted some time ago, rather than recently.
He could hardly believe it. Before coming to Xuantian City, he had never laid eyes on this person before.
"Your name is Moyang," the mysterious woman stated calmly. Her face betrayed no emotion, though her tone carried a hint of inquiry.
Moyang was utterly baffled. The way she came at him made it seem like she was investigating his background. What on earth was she trying to do? She didn't look like she was here to rob him of his pills.
"Just who on earth are you?" Moyang countered instead of answering.
Until he figured out her identity, he wouldn't admit to anything, even if she already possessed his information.
"You are the disciple chosen by Master, and I have specifically come here to inform you!" The mysterious woman's single sentence left Moyang utterly dumbfounded.
"What?" Moyang froze on the spot.
What kind of situation was this?
Good grief, in all his years alive, this was the first time he had ever encountered such a maneuver.
He had never met the master she spoke of, had never agreed to take them as a master, and had never performed any master-apprentice greeting rituals.
He hadn't even met the person yet, and he was inexplicably taken in as a disciple by someone else? Was there anything more absurd than this?
"You are Master's ninth chosen disciple, and also the last. I am your Sixth Senior Sister," the mysterious woman said calmly.
As she spoke, she slowly walked up to him, scrutinizing him closely before continuing, "Aside from the Senior Brother, Master has never personally met any of the other senior brothers, senior sisters, junior brothers, or junior sisters. But starting today, regardless of whatever sect you belonged to previously, you are henceforth Master's ninth disciple."
"What if I refuse?" Moyang was still somewhat dazed.
Are you kidding me? Taking a master was a matter of utmost solemnity; how could it be treated as such a child's play?
Although the mysterious woman before him possessed peerless beauty and profound cultivation—making it seem like having such a senior sister wouldn't be a bad thing—the whole affair was simply too outrageous.
"This is not up for you to decide. Master selects disciples through divination; since Master has chosen you, you cannot escape it."
Moyang was speechless. To think there was such a thing as forced discipleship! Yet inwardly, he was also startled—this was actually derived through divination? What kind of terrifying powerhouse possessed such means?
And then there was this mysterious woman before him. Ranked sixth, she was already this formidable. If this was all true, just how terrifying must the so-called Senior Brother be?
He frowned in thought for a moment before asking, "Then that old man... is he a man or a woman? What is his cultivation? What sect is this?"
Moyang fired off a series of questions. He knew absolutely nothing about the sect this mysterious woman belonged to.
"I have never met Master either. As for Master's cultivation, you can ask for yourself when you meet them in the future." After a brief pause, she added, "Our sect is called the Qian Sect."
Moyang stared blankly at the mysterious woman, nearly thinking he had misheard. What kind of sacred entity was this mysterious master, to have a sixth-ranked disciple who hadn't even laid eyes on them...
"What about the other senior brothers and senior sisters?" Moyang asked after a brief daze.
"They are scattered all over the continent. I haven't met the Senior Brother and Second Senior Brother yet either." The mysterious woman's words almost made Moyang cough up a mouthful of blood.
At that moment, he didn't even know what to say. Did this so-called Qian Sect even have a physical headquarters?
The mysterious woman seemed to see right through Moyang's thoughts and spoke up, "The sect is a pure land among mortals. When the time comes in the future, you will naturally see it. It's just that Master has sent all the disciples to various places across the continent to hone themselves and find their own paths of cultivation!"
Moyang felt completely bewildered. If that was the case, what was the point of taking a master?
Joining this Qian Sect seemed truly pointless; you couldn't see a single hair of the sect, and you wouldn't learn a thing.
The reason every cultivator joined a sect was to cultivate powerful techniques, receive guidance from powerhouses, and thereby accelerate their cultivation speed to become increasingly strong.
"This is what Master told me to give to you!" The mysterious woman's words interrupted Moyang's train of thought. When he snapped back to reality, an ancient booklet had been shoved into his hands.
"This technique possesses extraordinary might, but the difficulty of cultivation is also extremely high. How much you can comprehend depends entirely on your own comprehension!" The mysterious woman looked at Moyang after speaking, her pretty eyebrows slightly furrowed as she added, "Is there anything else you want to ask?"
Moyang looked at the ancient booklet in his hand. It was a sword manual titled *God-Slaying Record*. The name certainly sounded arrogant and imposing, but the handwriting on it was extremely messy—at first glance, it looked just like the kind of trash street scam artists used to fool people.
"That's it?" Moyang looked up at the mysterious woman.
"What else could you possibly want?" The mysterious woman furrowed her brows slightly.
"Since you're taking me in as a disciple, his old man should at least give me a weapon! Some life-saving secret arts or supreme treasures should also be a gesture, not to mention some world-shaking divine skill..."
The mysterious woman quietly watched Moyang. After listening in silence, she calmly replied, "None."
"Sixth Senior Sister, is it? By your account, we're essentially in the same boat now. Since this is our first time meeting, aren't you going to... you know, give me a welcome gift or something?" Moyang tucked the ancient booklet into his Spatial Ring. Since he couldn't refuse, he figured he might as well fleece her for whatever he could get.
The mysterious woman looked at Moyang, a faint, elusive smile touching the corner of her lips for the very first time. Her peerless face took on an indescribable charm, leaving Moyang momentarily dazed.
She said, "Didn't I already give you your welcome gift back at the restaurant?"
Moyang: "..."
Before Moyang could even reply, a smile curved across the Sixth Senior Sister's lips. With a casual wave of her hand, the Spatial Ring inside Moyang's tunic was instantly yanked away. Then, Moyang watched in utter jaw-dropping astonishment as this Sixth Senior Sister fished out two thick stacks of silver notes from his ring before tossing the ring back to him.
"Coming to find you required traveling a long distance, and all the silver I had on me ran out!" With that, the mysterious woman's figure flashed, vanishing instantly from Moyang's sight.
Before Moyang could even utter a word, a light chuckle drifted down from the night sky: "Junior Brother, cultivate properly. Perhaps it won't be long before we meet again!"
***
Moyang stood frozen in place for a long while, an overwhelming urge to curse welling up inside him. What kind of damned nonsense was this?
He got inexplicably taken in as a disciple by someone else. Not only did he fail to see the person, and not only did he fail to score a single weapon, but the crucial point was that he had just been robbed of at least two million silver notes.
That Sixth Senior Sister usually looked like she kept people a thousand miles away—cold, aloof, and proud. Moyang would never have dreamed that she would end up directly robbing his silver notes, and so ruthlessly at that.
Yet Moyang could only swallow his anger, not daring to curse out loud.
This senior sister was clearly not someone to be trifled with; he simply couldn't afford to provoke her.
"Damn it, I, Moyang, am probably doomed in this lifetime. Some old bastard doing divinations in the dark—just you wait, the moment little old man gets his hands on you, I'm going to strip your trousers right off!" Moyang muttered bitterly.
No sooner had Moyang finished speaking than a slender hand—originating from who knows where—reached out, directly grabbed his ear, and hoisted his entire body into the air. He could even catch a faint, delicate fragrance before an angelic yet devilish chuckle sounded by his ear: "Junior Brother, you must show respect to Master. Also, don't harbor any bad thoughts about your Senior Sister, okay?"
Moyang winced in pain, cold sweat drenching his spine as he nodded frantically.
"Good Junior Brother!" A light chuckle followed, and only then did the hand release him.
Moyang felt like crying without tears. Daring not to linger any longer, he rushed back toward the direction of Xuantian City.
Once Moyang entered Xuantian City and returned to his spot, the mysterious woman's figure reappeared at the exact same location. She looked toward the direction of the city and murmured to herself, "Heaven Mystic Realm - Stage 1... No wonder Master told me not to give him profound techniques; there seems to be a hidden power within him..."
A smile then curved across her lips as she opened her palm to look at two bottles of pills resting there, muttering, "Rejuvenation Pills... The brat has no manners at all, not even knowing how to share good things with his Senior Sister..."
***
After returning to the inn and securely bolting his door, Moyang stepped straight into the Star Emperor Pagoda.
He took out the ancient booklet to examine it. Given her profound cultivation, she surely wouldn't bother scampering to trick him with garbage.
Yet as he looked at the messy handwriting, Moyang found it grating to the eye no matter how he looked. Still, as he opened it and silently perused the contents, his expression gradually shifted.
Although the writing appeared sloppy and chaotic, resembling a ghost's talismans, upon closer inspection, Moyang discovered that those messy strokes actually contained a biting sword intent.
"Such strong sword intent..."
Studying it closely for a moment, Moyang felt a stinging sensation in his eyes. Especially when he focused his senses, it felt as though a supreme Battle Sword was thrusting directly at him, allowing him to clearly perceive that razor-sharp, piercing edge carrying a bone-chilling coldness.
The booklet was very thin, its pages already yellowed, having existed for God knows how long. Moyang roughly flipped through it: the sword manual was divided into five tiers containing a total of five stances, but the core essence was the cultivation of that supreme, invincible sword intent.
Closing the pages, Moyang looked at the three characters *God-Slaying Art* and felt a silent sigh in his heart. No wonder they dared give it such an arrogant name; judging from the sword intent he had just experienced, this technique was truly terrifying.
"Qian Sect... I wonder what kind of sacred entity that unseen old man is..."
Moyang muttered to himself before settling his mind to comprehend the art. The techniques he currently cultivated were still too few. While it was fine for now, if he encountered powerful opponents in the future without some trump cards, it would be extremely difficult to put up a fight.
In the blink of an eye, the night passed.
Early the next morning, the entire Xuantian City was exceptionally lively. The martial arts gathering of the four sects officially began, and cultivators from the surrounding areas swarmed in to watch the battles.
At the central plaza of the city, the arena stages had already been prepared, with areas partitioned for the four sects and numerous spectator stands erected.
The gathering featured three rounds of matches, with the first round being a literal gauntlet of continuous battles where each victory earned a single point.
As rolls of dull, rumbling war drums echoed through the air, the arena battles officially kicked off.
"Moyang, Fei'er, both of you are participating for the first time. Pay attention, observe closely, and keep an eye on your opponents' moves..." the Third Elder reminded them.
Moyang nodded. In truth, he didn't care about this gathering at all. Once the arena matches began, he silently closed his eyes, bringing the mental cultivation method of the *God-Slaying Art* to mind before focusing on comprehending it.
As match after match concluded on the arena, several disciples of the Lingxu Sect took the stage, only to suffer consecutive defeats. The disciples of the other three sects had grown significantly in strength, causing the Third Elder's expression to grow increasingly grave.
Qi Heng and Xu Xin also felt a tightening in their chests. Long Wu of the Dragon Pool Pavilion had actually reached Earth Mystic Realm - Stage 3; her movements during combat had stirred gasps from the crowd. In particular, Long Wu secured six consecutive wins before voluntarily stepping down.
Next came Qian Wushuang, whose cultivation had likewise reached Earth Mystic Realm - Stage 3. Everyone remembered these two talented disciples of the Dragon Pool Pavilion—last year they were merely at Earth Mystic Realm - Stage 1, but now they had grown terrifyingly strong.
Although Su Fei'er was only at Spirit Awakening Realm - Stage 3, she had incredible luck, running into opponents whose cultivation levels were comparable to her own. After taking the stage, she actually won three matches in a row.
The morning flashed by in the blink of an eye. Upon returning to the inn, the Third Elder let out a soft sigh and said, "This year's opponents are much stronger than anticipated. But don't put too much pressure on yourselves—just do your best!"
"Long Wu and Qian Wushuang of the Dragon Pool Pavilion must have obtained some fortuitous encounters to reach Earth Mystic Realm - Stage 3. Mu Qiu of the Jade Clear Gate hasn't even taken the stage yet; I shudder to think what level he has reached," Xu Xin said, her face filled with anxiety.