"Head of the Iron Spear Society, Master of the Water-Breaking Gate, Grand Instructor of the Li Family Manor... Vice Gate Master He!"
Looking at the elderly martial arts veterans before him, Li Feiyu recognized every single one of them.
In the original story, the minor factions that joined forces with the Wild Wolf Gang to attack the Qixuan Sect had all defected and sworn allegiance to the Qixuan Sect in this world.
They were merely small factions that swayed with the wind, aligning themselves with whoever happened to be strongest.
Glancing at these once-amiable elders, Li Feiyu shook the fresh blood from his blade tip, his tone dripping with utter disdain.
"To think that Vice Gate Master He would invite all these Qixuan Sect friends here just to help him commit murder!"
It was precisely this Vice Gate Master He Buping who had originally been responsible for recruiting these various martial arts sects into the fold.
With his heavy beard and broad shoulders, Vice Gate Master He sneered, "Li Feiyu, your prominence has simply grown too great. Because of your existence, the entire Qixuan Sect knows no peace!"
"Shut your mouth, He Buping!"
Li Feiyu let out a thunderous roar. "Back when the Qixuan Sect and the Wild Wolf Gang were at a standoff, you beat my father to death in a fit of rage because he refused to yield our ancestral Rejuvenation Hall. The moment Xiuer started getting close to the truth, you couldn't sit still any longer. Originally, I only intended to take your life to avenge him, but since you insist on dragging all these people down with you, don't blame me!"
"Hahaha!"
"Shameless brat!"
"Has this kid lost his mind? I'm five times his age!"
"Too arrogant! Utterly devoid of respect!"
...
Given Li Feiyu's current capabilities, escaping would pose no problem whatsoever; He Buping had severely underestimated the speed of the Smoke-Fading Step.
If he wanted to brute-force his way through, he could certainly slaughter one or two of them, but that was never Li Feiyu's style.
No one becomes arrogant without reason, and even Old Devil Han—cautious as he was in the original text—occasionally enjoyed an overpowered moment in his later years.
With hidden trump cards at one's disposal, who would willingly live in cowardice?
[Blinking Saber and Sword Technique +390 points, this martial art has reached perfection.]
In an instant, the final thousand-plus moves of the Blinking Sword Technique flooded into Li Feiyu's mind.
All the saber and sword techniques finally linked together seamlessly, perfectly complementing his mastery of the Smoke-Fading Step.
The ten surrounding men had no idea that the young man trapped in the center had already transcended into a realm far beyond theirs.
That was the realm of a Grandmaster of the Transformation Realm!
The grandmaster-level figures mentioned in the original story were none of other than Wang Juechu's three martial uncles—the three supreme elders of the Qixuan Sect.
[Destiny Fortune! Becoming a Grandmaster of the Transformation Realm brings you one step closer to your current Destiny, Fortune +200 (Total 465 points).]
Li Feiyu revealed a cold smile, while He Buping remained completely oblivious.
"Li Feiyu! That clever little wife of yours has already been captured by us! Hurry up and stretch out your neck for execution, and for Li Changfeng's sake, we might spare her. But you must die!"
Li Feiyu shook his head and let out a cold laugh.
"Gate Master He, your brain might have been around for quite a few more years, but you're not even half as sharp as Xiuer..."
"He Buping! Stop!"
"Old He, have you lost your mind?!"
"Senior Brother Li!"
Everything was proceeding according to the plan devised by Li Feiyu and Zhang Xiuer. Vice Gate Master Wu Guo and Elder Li Changfeng leaped into the encirclement, bringing Zhang Xiuer with them.
Li Changfeng said frantically, "Old He, back then you were doing it for the sake of the sect! Feiyu's father's death was actually more of an accident; you didn't kill him on purpose. Besides, Feiyu never necessarily intended to take revenge on you..."
He Buping's expression remained dark and steady. "Old Li, the one who has lost his mind is you! A sixteen-year-old Li Feiyu might not seek revenge right away, but what about three or five years from now? Ten years down the road? When this kid sits in your position or mine, or even Wang Juechu's seat—people change. When he holds the power to decide the life and death of thousands, who can guarantee he won't exact revenge? Having walked the martial world for decades, who would ever leave their fate in someone else's hands?! Be ruthless or be destroyed—strike first to gain the upper hand!"
Hiding in the shadows, Han Li let out a sigh of relief upon seeing reinforcements arrive. Yet, he deeply agreed with He Buping's words.
One's destiny must always remain firmly in one's own hands!
"Sigh..."
Another vice gate master, Wu Guo, let out a heavy sigh. "Li Feiyu, take Xiuer and leave. With your martial arts, you can go anywhere you please within the borders of Yue. Originally, I held high hopes for you, but you're simply too young. It wouldn't be too late to settle accounts with Old He in a few years; his current influence is just too vast. Old Li and I will hold these people off—hurry up and leave!"
Once Li Feiyu left, these minor sects would still remain friends of the Qixuan Sect. Harmony would be restored among Wu Guo, Li Changfeng, and He Buping, allowing them to continue their open and covert struggles.
"Swish, swish, swish!!"
Right under the noses of more than a dozen martial arts grandmasters, yet another figure glided into the encirclement.
Li Changfeng spoke up, "It's the young Divine Doctor Han... Very well, the two of you can leave together!"
Han Li stood back-to-back with Li Feiyu. "Senior Brother Li, I practice medicine wherever I go anyway. Since this place has no room for you, I won't stay either. The world is vast, and with our abilities, is there anywhere we cannot go?"
Zhang Xiuer cast a complicated look at Han Li; this fellow was trying to poach people again.
She turned to Li Feiyu and said, "Senior Brother Li, presumably this place has no room for me either. Wherever you go, Xiuer goes with you!"
Li Feiyu smiled and said, "Xiao Li, we still need to stay in the Qixuan Sect for a while. Xiuer, you have deep feelings for the Qixuan Sect; if this place has no room for you, then Senior Brother Li will make sure it has no choice but to accommodate you!"
Zhang Xiuer likely lacked Spiritual Roots, making the Qixuan Sect the best place for her to stay.
With those words, Han Li and Zhang Xiuer saw only a blur of afterimages before their eyes!
Han Li's heart pounded with shock. Has Senior Brother Li's Blinking Sword Technique reached perfection? This speed is simply too terrifying.
Although he hadn't fully mastered his Wind-Control Technique yet, his eyes and ears were exceptionally sharp.
Through the eyes of a mortal, Li Feiyu had already pushed himself to the absolute limit!
"Puff!"
"Puff!"
Two crisp snaps rang out as two streaks of cyan blade Qi soared through the air!
To project blade Qi through the air without true Qi—this was the power of a Transformation Realm Grandmaster!
The blade Qi was faster and sharper than any physical weapon. The heads of two martial arts grandmaster-level elders instantly flew into the air, arterial blood spraying several meters high.
The two friendly forces, Elder Li and Vice Gate Master Wu, practically dropped their jaws in disbelief—it was utterly terrifying!
Weren't these ten old fellows all renowned experts of several decades, each of them on par with themselves?
Yet before they could even raise their weapons, their heads had been cleanly severed and sent rolling to the ground.
"Back to back! Defend!"
He Buping's face turned as pale as paper, as if he had just laid eyes on a ghost!
The eight remaining martial arts grandmaster-level elders stared at the crooked, collapsing corpses, their weapon-wielding hands trembling uncontrollably.
"A grandmaster!"
"A Grandmaster of the Transformation Realm!"
"A sixteen-year-old grandmaster!"
"Old He, you've ruined us..."
...
Zhang Xiuer's eyes widened in sheer disbelief.
Li Feiyu was notoriously lazy; she was the one who cleaned his room, and his three daily meals were always delivered by servants.
She knew better than anyone what Li Feiyu did every day—he merely practiced some messy, miscellaneous martial arts.
Aside from going out on missions to wipe out branch factions, he only ever practiced Qi cultivation.
She had never once seen him practice sabers or swords, so how on earth could he have progressed this fast?
"Clang! Puff! Shriek..."
Without even blinking, Li Feiyu left five afterimages dancing across the ground.
Simultaneously, five bolts of blade Qi shot forth in an instant!
Five elders collapsed in response, leaving only two standing, drenched in cold sweat.
Streaming tears and snot, they dropped to their knees before Li Feiyu, kowtowing and begging incessantly for mercy.
Meanwhile, He Buping's gaze grew dim, his face utterly bloodless.
"History is written by the victors! Though you are mere child, I never dared to take you lightly. To kill you, I invited ten martial arts grandmasters—surely enough caution on my part. To think that there are heavens beyond our heavens, and people beyond our people. Having walked on thin ice my entire life, I, He Buping, have actually fallen into the hands of a little brat like you. If I were given another chance, I would still do the same; it's simply that Destiny is not on my side."
With those final words, he drew his blade and slit his own throat.
As for the two kowtowing men, Li Feiyu found their noise annoying and finished them off directly.
Begging for mercy? What were they doing earlier?
Stunned into a daze and swallowing hard several times, Elder Li finally recovered his wits.
"Feiyu, look at this... as for the affairs of the sect..."
Li Feiyu flicked the blood from his blade, slid it back into its scabbard, and resumed his cool, collected demeanor.
Zhang Xiuer looked at him with sheer adoration, wishing she could throw herself right into his arms.
Han Li gagged slightly, circulated his Smoke-Fading Step, and hurried back to Godly Hand Valley.
That bastard Li Feiyu—looking at him for even a second longer felt like a chore.
Li Feiyu's response was sharp and concise, "Xiuer, speak your mind!"
Zhang Xiuer had already thought it through. "Vice Gate Master He was ruthless, but he had no selfish motives. He was entirely devoted to the Qixuan Sect, and his subordinates can all be won over. Vice Gate Master Wu is muddle-headed and sits idly in his position while drawing a salary. Lacking competence yet full of ambition, we must find an opportunity to replace him. As for these small rabble from the Iron Spear Society, their leader is dead, making them all the easier to control..."
When Zhang Xiuer finished speaking, Li Feiyu replied without the slightest hesitation, "Then let's do it! Within a year, we wipe out the Wild Wolf Gang!"
He was bound for immortality cultivation; the Qixuan Sect would belong to Elder Li and Zhang Xiuer from now on.
Cultivating immortality didn't mean living without freedom, and this little girl wasn't clingy anyway—she'd be satisfied if he just dropped by to check on her every once in a while.
As for martial arts, he had already reached the absolute pinnacle; it was time to step into the path of immortality!