Zhang Xiuer thought she was hallucinating. Had Senior Brother Li actually called her Xiuer?
Wasn't that a bit too direct? Hesitating slightly, she didn't dare answer right away.
"Li... Senior Brother!"
Listening to Zhang Xiuer's voice, trembling with excitement, and looking at her pretty, delicate face, Li Feiyu felt a pang of disappointment.
The system gave no notification whatsoever!
Shouldn't there be some kind of fortune like *Good Fortune: Mutual Affection*, or *Good Fortune: Men Silent, Women Weep*?
Sigh. Young lady, it seems we aren't meant to be!
"It turns out not..."
Li Feiyu uttered half a sentence, then broke into the Smoke-Fading Step, vanishing into thin air in the blink of an eye.
Panic setting in, Zhang Xiuer grabbed her sword and hurried to catch up.
"It's me! I'm Xiuer, Senior Brother Li!"
Yet the Smoke-Fading Step was hardly something one could follow so easily.
Experiencing a roller coaster of emotions that she couldn't quite process just yet, the girl turned around and headed back to her room.
Earlier that day, a group of core disciples had arrived, all dressed in gorgeous silks and satins, with slicked-back hair and powdered faces.
One of them called out, "Junior Sister Xiuer, come practice martial arts with us! The grand tournament is right around the corner!"
Having just laid eyes on Senior Brother Li, looking at these silver-spoon scions now made every feature on their faces seem entirely offensive.
Pampered in luxury since childhood, they possessed not an ounce of vigor or spirit!
Zhang Xiuer ignored him completely.
Rebuffed and empty-handed, Qian Duoduo snapped angrily, "Hmph, that punk Li Feiyu! When he first arrived, he at least bothered to entertain us a little. Now he can't even be bothered to say hello—he hasn't the slightest grasp of social graces. Completely arrogant!"
Beside him, Wu Yan didn't look pleased either. "A mere lay disciple who barely managed to squeeze into the inner sect. Even his master is just an ordinary protector, yet the sect leader made an exception and let him into Qijue Hall! To become a core disciple on equal footing with us—does he really think he's worthy? He always walks around with that aloof, unfathomable look. It drives me up the wall!"
Accustomed to lording over everyone and having every person treat them with utmost reverence, these two found Li Feiyu's standout performance—which completely overshadowed them—not only grating, but intensely arrogant.
Especially since the current Li Feiyu had transmigrated and knew this was a world of immortal cultivation.
A few martial arts scions were simply not worth a second glance.
Watching the distant figure of Li Feiyu, Wu Yan muttered strangely, "That brat is heading toward the main hall. Which sect leader does he think he knows? Such a country bumpkin!"
Qian Duoduo mused thoughtfully, "Wu Yan, did you notice? Li Feiyu's lightness skill just now was strange!"
Putting on a profound air, Wu Yan remarked, "That kid just loves showing off in front of people. His Seven-Step Movement must have improved again..."
Qian Duoduo felt a wave of disappointment. A fool was a fool; the Seven-Step Movement required true qi.
"His lightness skill just now didn't use any true qi! He disappeared for forty or fifty days, and the moment he reappeared, he went straight to Godly Hand Valley. Could it be that his internal cultivation was crippled and he has no true qi left?!"
Wu Yan stared in utter astonishment, followed by wild elation!
Glancing at Guo Laoshi not far away, Qian Duoduo lowered his voice. "Come to my room. Let's discuss this in detail..."
***
Seven days later, the annual sect grand tournament would begin.
For the past few days, he had been diligently practicing the Supple Bone Technique.
Realm: Jianghu Expert (25%)
Age: 15/40
Martial Arts: Blinking Saber and Sword Technique · Minor Accomplishment (50+/400)
Supple Bone Technique · Proficient (20+/30)
Stealth Pilfering Art · Novice (0+/10)
Destiny: Qixuan Sect Master
Fortune: Good Fortune: Childhood Sworn Bond (Total +3 daily)
Qi Fortune: 28 points
The enormous Qijue Hall martial arena, situated in front of the main hall, was a vast circular plaza.
Temporary wooden tiered seating had been erected around its perimeter.
The sect grand tournament was strictly limited to inner sect disciples, while the outer sect primarily focused on commerce and bodyguards.
Among the over four thousand members of the Qixuan Sect, only about a thousand were inner sect disciples, but they formed the core backbone of the sect.
In truth, a strict hierarchy of disdain existed within the Qixuan Sect.
At the top were the core disciples of the inner sect's Qijue Hall.
Second were the ordinary inner sect disciples of the Offering Hall, Blood-Blade Hall, and Hundred-Forging Hall.
Third were the outer sect disciples of the Flying Bird Hall, Treasure Gathering Hall, Four Seas Hall, and Outer Blade Hall.
Zhang Xiuer sat among a group of female disciples in the prime seating area, excitedly cracking sunflower seeds.
"Xiuer, how come you couldn't even block a single move when you crossed swords with Senior Brother Li earlier? You haven't gone and gotten yourself infatuated, have you?"
Zhang Xiuer defended herself. "Last year I could still trade thirty moves with him, and I've practiced diligently all year. I wanted to show Senior Brother Li my progress, but I couldn't even block one strike! Senior Brother Li is just too strong!"
As the two girls chattered away for ages, the surrounding disciples in the audience suddenly erupted into thunderous cheers.
"Senior Brother Li has easily made it into the top two, just as expected!"
"We've sat here half the day just waiting for the fierce tiger to battle the Jiao Dragon!"
"Senior Brother Li started as a lay disciple, rose to the inner sect, and then entered Qijue Hall. He truly is a role model for our generation!"
"Sixteenth place the year before last, third place last year!"
"Last year's top two only beat him because of their deeper internal cultivation!"
"Senior Brother Li!"
"Senior Brother Li!"
"Senior Brother Li!"
...
Li Feiyu executed an elegant flip in mid-air, landing gracefully in the center of the arena.
The Yazi Saber in his hand spun in a flashy circle before he quietly closed his eyes, awaiting his opponent.
"Look, Xiuer, Senior Brother Li is showing off and acting cool again!"
At that moment, Zhang Xiuer stared fixedly at the cool and collected Li Feiyu in the arena.
Her mind was filled entirely with those words: "Xiuer, is that you?"
That's right, of course it was her!
Her little face flushed red once more...
The three sect leaders seated high at the entrance of the main hall were genuinely somewhat shocked.
Wang Juechu observed, "You two, this blade technique of Li Feiyu's is definitely not his usual Wind and Thunder Blade Technique!"
Deputy Sect Leader Ma chimed in, "It's all-encompassing and varied, yet most of the time it achieves victory with a single strike."
Aside from the three reclusive elder grandmasters, Wang Juechu held the highest martial prowess in the Qixuan Sect.
Deputy Sect Leader Wu Guo, ranked second, remarked, "The distance is too great to sense his true qi; I can't tell what internal cultivation he's using. This saber technique is simply astounding. Even this old man would like to experience it firsthand."
With his arrogant personality and inspirational legend, Li Feiyu had already become the idol of the younger generation of disciples.
Han Li was right: only mediocrity goes unenvied. Far too many people envied Li Feiyu.
Most could only keep it bottled up inside, and such sentiments faded with time.
Yet human hearts are complex. There are always those with narrow minds, spoiled by their parents since childhood, who would resort to harming others simply out of envy.
Elder Qian's grandson, Qian Duoduo, and Deputy Sect Leader Ma's maternal cousin, Wu Yan, sat with dark expressions, their faces twisted with a malice and bitterness entirely unbefitting youths of seventeen or eighteen.
With a rustle of wind through garments, a disciple of about thirty descended before Li Feiyu.
Jiao Long, the most formidable young disciple, went by the nickname Jiao Dragon.
"Junior Brother Li, nice saber!"
"Jiao Long, this saber is called Yazi. As for me, I'm not a very forgiving person!"
"Whether you're forgiving or not, I don't know, but your breath certainly isn't small!"
Li Feiyu said in a deep voice, "Discovering that I had no true qi, you took orders from others and tried to assassinate me in secret. You failed all three times..."
Jiao Long replied, "You are strong, and I envy you, but I do not hate you. You've offended someone in the Qixuan Sect who must not be offended. If I don't kill you, someone else will."
Li Feiyu said with pity, "Your aptitude is not bad, and your martial arts are strong. Yet at thirty years old, you still haven't secured the position of protector—that isn't your fault. Now, having done what you ought not to have done, you must die today!"
"Hahaha!"
Jiao Long was astounded by Li Feiyu's arrogance and ignorance. "Li Feiyu! You're too wild! If you had that ability, why did you keep running away before? Even if you could kill me, do you dare commit murder at the sect grand tournament?"
*Clang!*
The Yazi Saber flashed out of its scabbard, the Smoke-Fading Step activated, and in the blink of an eye, the blade swept across Jiao Long's arm!
*Rip!*
With his long sword in hand, Jiao Long broke out in a cold sweat. Had his lightness skill not been slightly better just now, that blade would have taken his arm.
Li Feiyu felt a hint of regret. If he could open his spiritual awareness and sharpen his five senses, that single strike would have been fatal.
Wang Juechu exclaimed in surprise, "So fast! This must be the boy's true strength!"
Wu Guo added, "The Seven-Step Movement couldn't possibly be this fast, and the Fierce Python Force couldn't strike with such tricky angles! What martial art is Li Feiyu actually using... Could it be a supreme art from Qijue Hall?"
In the arena, seeing Li Feiyu actually present his back to him, Jiao Long felt utterly disregarded!
With a flick of his wrist, his long sword thrust straight toward Li Feiyu's back!
*Swoosh!*
Sliding away in an extremely bizarre posture, Li Feiyu whipped his saber outward despite his deeply uncoordinated body!
*Thud!*
Jiao Long's armpit was sliced open by the blade, exposing his ribs as blood instantly gushed forth!
Jiao Long's hands and feet went cold, shock gripping his heart.
*How did he manage that? There was only that single flaw in my attack. Moreover, after countless refinements, that flaw lasts for only half a move!*
Not daring to lower his guard, he roared, "Jiao Dragon Leaving Water!"
It was his own self-created ultimate technique. Channeling the robust internal energy of the Fierce Python Force through his long sword, his entire body surged toward Li Feiyu like a dragon.
At that moment, Li Feiyu was still pressed against the ground. He struck the earth with his left hand.
Planting his left foot, his entire body spun like a giant windmill without the slightest warning.
*Clang! Thud!*
His blade grazed Jiao Long's sword edge and swept across Jiao Long's neck. Arterial blood erupted like a geyser!
As Jiao Long crashed to the ground, only a thin layer of skin remained on his neck, his head nearly severed, while scarlet blood stained the earth.
Li Feiyu had killed a man, yet felt virtually no adjustment—likely because the original owner had killed plenty.
"Murder!"
"Li Feiyu killed Jiao Long in three moves!"
"Murder! Li Feiyu, you are utterly lawless! How dare you commit murder right before the eyes of the sect leaders and elders!"
Li Feiyu pointed the tip of his saber directly at Qian Duoduo, who had jumped out first. "You ignorant, death-seeking dog! Utter one more nonsense word, and I'll pair you up with Jiao Long!"