Reversal

“Restricting perception... Quite an intimidating display.” Under the shroud of black mist, a sinister wind seemed to stir, brushing across the hem of his robe and carrying a chill. Raising his palm and waving it slightly before him, Qin Weishu watched the black fog ripple softly with his movement. He sent a smiling voice transmission: “Fei Qing, can you tell what sort of technique this is?” Circulating her cultivation to heal her scorched skin, Fei Qing swept her aloof gaze vigilantly around as she replied via secret transmission: “I do not know, Master, but with my cultivation, my detection range is no more than a dozen or so zhang.” Qin Weishu withdrew his palm with a beaming smile and murmured softly: “Looks like we’ve run into a soul cultivator today. This fog is condensed from that boy’s intent soul. Still, being able to restrict a Grandmaster across realms over such a vast area is quite an impressive trick.” “...” Hearing this, Fei Qing did not reply. Her qi dynamic erupted in an instant, and she threw a ferocious punch toward the direction of the two across from them. Qi dynamic rampaged and fist winds swept forth; the surrounding black mist instantly churned and boiled like bubbling water. In the very next instant, a metallic boom echoed from deep within the dense fog, followed by the gale whipped up by the clash. It seemed that punch had been blocked by the woman, though Fei Qing’s goal had never been to harm the two of them. She wanted to shatter this intent soul. Unfortunately, the black fog merely churned for a moment, and once the fist wind died down, it settled back into an abyss-like, pitch-black silence. Seeing this bizarre scene, a flicker of surprise finally crossed Fei Qing’s aloof expression, while Qin Weishu narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. Intent souls had no physical substance, just as ordinary mortals could not threaten yin ghosts, and common physical attacks were unable to harm an intent soul. However, that punch of hers had been an execution of a martial art. Though Source Qi and intent souls were two entirely distinct things, when they intersected, a clash was possible. This was also the standard method used by ordinary qi dao cultivators and even martial apprentices to counter intent soul arts. After all, if one contested intent soul against a soul cultivator, it would be playing to their strengths and abandoning one’s own; even someone a full major realm higher could be slain across realms. Fei Qing’s expression grew solemn, and she offered a suggestion: “This art is bizarre. Would it not be better for the young master to leave first?” “...” Qin Weishu stared deep into the black mist, not answering immediately. Reason told him that things should indeed end here. Between him and that brocade-robed youth, it was merely an impulsive clash of tempers. Wrecking a luxury carriage worth twenty to thirty thousand taels was hardly a deep feud between him and that fellow dandy; it truly was not worth fighting to the death here. But... At this thought, Qin Weishu suddenly chuckled. Reason? The elders back home and his elder brother schemed this and plotted that every single day, their petty machinations obnoxious to even hear about. In this life, all that mattered was clarity of mind and living unhindered—why should he give a damn about bullshit reason? Paying no heed to Fei Qing’s sword intent, Qin Weishu strode toward the depths of the black mist ahead, laughing aloud as he said: “Fei Qing, get out. This young master keeps his word; I will tear that boy’s mouth apart with my own hands.” Fei Qing hurried after him, urgency surfacing in her eyes: “Young Master, if I step outside, that Dao protector on the other side might not...” “Fei Qing.” Qin Weishu shot her a cold glance. “Do you want me to give an order twice?” “...” Fei Qing fell silent. Gritting her teeth, she clenched her fists, cast a deep look into the depths of the black fog, then lowered her head and retreated silently, eventually vanishing into the mist. Seeing this, Qin Weishu spread his hands as if completely unguarded and laughed loudly: “Now my guard has left. What do you plan to do? Have that woman beside you strike, or handle it yourself?” “...” The black fog drifted. After several breaths of silence, a gentle voice drifted leisurely from deep within: “I thought you would flee.” “Flee?” As if hearing the greatest joke in the world, a smile spread across Qin Weishu’s handsome, effeminate face. “Your Excellency has extended such a gracious invitation. Wouldn’t it be far too discourteous of this young master to flee?” Saying this, Qin Weishu seemed to think of something. He inhaled softly, the smile vanishing from his face as his voice dropped slightly: “You made such a grand commotion, yet you waited this long without making a move. Could it be that you were waiting for me to run away?” Talking did not pause time. Though his conversation with Fei Qing was short, it had been long enough for the two across from them to unleash a round of spells. Having spoken, Qin Weishu waited for Xu Yuan’s response. Yet the only answer to his question was silence within the black fog. Twenty-odd zhang away, Xu Yuan leaned against the side of his carriage, his narrow eyes gleaming with crimson light as he watched the figure not far off. Let Qin Weishu go? He had indeed entertained that thought. After all, with his current identity, it was hardly convenient to engage in such wanton dandy behavior. If he truly killed Qin Weishu here, blowing the matter completely out of proportion, there would be a chance he might come face-to-face with a powerhouse of the Saint tier. And although his human-skin mask had undergone iterative improvements, it still could not withstand the probing of a Saint. More importantly, he wanted to glean some of the Qin family’s secrets through this Second Young Master Qin. For example, why he had chosen to come to Di’an at such a critical juncture. The Heavenly Yan divine soul was truly useful. Just now, the secret transmission between the two had been entirely useless before this closely guarded secret of the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion. Unfortunately, even under such immense pressure, neither of them had said anything useful. Sighing softly, Xu Yuan slowly straightened up and calmly glanced at Xiao Bai beside him. With a single exchange of glances, Bai Muxi understood instantly. She leapt up and departed directly. Ever since emerging from the underground palace, she had witnessed her young master’s strength with her own eyes. Within the same realm, it was impossible for anyone to be his match. “...” “...” Seeing no sound coming from the black mist for so long, a visible trace of disappointment surfaced in Qin Weishu’s pitch-black eyes: “Just as expected. Every single one of them talks a big game, but when it comes down to business, they’re all cowards...” Murmuring with a sigh, he turned around and waved a hand: “Let this matter end here—” *Weng—!* Before he could finish, the hairs on the back of Qin Weishu’s neck bristled, and the aura of death descended upon him. Yet he felt no fear whatsoever. Instead, a flash of ecstatic surprise appeared in his eyes. He snapped his head sideways, and in the next instant, an invisible blade formed from an intent soul sheared past his neck! Feeling that adrenaline surge of brushing with death, an indescribable thrill welled up inside him. Had his reaction been even slightly slower just now, he would likely have been decapitated. This kid... he genuinely dared to kill him. Qin Weishu turned back, facing Xu Yuan’s direction: “Decided to make your move?” “You said earlier that my elder brother had his Dao heart broken by Xu Changge in three sword strikes, right?” “That is a fact. Do you wish to deny it?” Xu Yuan said with a smile. “Deny it? No, no, no.” The corners of Qin Weishu’s mouth stretched wide, an ecstatic grin turning his handsome, effeminate face somewhat savage: “I am only telling you that my elder brother’s talent was actually quite mediocre. If I had belonged to the same generation as that eldest son of the Xu family, the Qin family would never have suffered such an embarrassing disgrace.” “...” Well, here it came again. Once Lü Bu was dead, everyone claimed the courage of Lü Bu. Since they weren’t of the same generation anyway, what harm was there in spouting arrogant nonsense? Xu Yuan didn’t care about the empty boast. Before their pride was forcibly broken, these prodigies were almost always oblivious to the heights of heaven and earth. Qin Weijiu was like that, Mu Hongli was like that, and Qin Weishu was naturally no different. Shaking his head with a faint smile, Xu Yuan decided not to waste any more words with him. Yet just as the thought arose, he noticed a clump of blue flame quietly materialize in the deep black mist behind his head! Just when Xu Yuan assumed the flame was about to explode, a sword blade thrust straight out from the blue fire with a sharp *swoosh*! Where the edge pointed, the sword sang like a dragon. Tilting his head to dodge by a hair’s breadth, Xu Yuan glanced at the blade gleaming with chill light, feeling the fluctuations upon it, and narrowed his eyes unconsciously. This spell was rather interesting. It carried a distinct trace of spatial fluctuations. What intrigued Xu Yuan even more was that their surroundings were enveloped in black mist; with Qin Weishu’s cultivation, he shouldn’t have been able to locate him. How had he pinpointed his position so accurately? He had a few doubts, but not many. The black mist was condensed from his intent soul, possessing inherent masking and probing capabilities. Meanwhile, the Soul-Devouring secret art of the Blood Yuan Heart Calamity Art could transform the intent soul into slashing attacks. Adding the two together, rounding up, it was practically a budget Dao domain. A Flesh Integration with a Dao domain fighting one without—how could a dragon riding a face lose? “Dodged it, did you?” A dozen or so zhang away, a deep blue flame danced and swayed in Qin Weishu’s palm. His tone was laced with laughter: “Looks like you might actually let me enjoy myself a bit...” “There is only a fine line between overconfidence and pride.” Xu Yuan glanced at the spell sword gleaming with eerie blue light by his cheek, his tone indifferent. “Still, being able to pinpoint my position within this black mist does give you some right to be arrogant.” Qin Weishu stepped back as elegantly as a dancer, evading a dozen soul blades that swept toward him. Unperturbed, he maneuvered while asking with a chuckle: “Oh? And what comes next?” As his words fell, the blue flame in his hand flared brightly. The blade hovering beside Xu Yuan’s face suddenly shifted into a horizontal slash. If he failed to evade in time, his head would be cleaved in two. In other words, if the boy opposite wanted to dodge this strike, his next move would have to be ducking. A dozen clumps of blue flame sprang to life before Xu Yuan, swelling in size as chilly glints stirred within them. Qin Weishu intended to cut off his retreat. Yet the scene before him caught him somewhat off guard. The boy across from him did not move as anticipated. Instead, after merely glancing at the blue flames flaring around him, he took a step forward and strode toward Qin Weishu. Neither dodging nor evading, he seemed intent on taking the spells head-on. Courting death. Qin Weishu felt a twinge of regret. Even the Grandmasters in his clan did not dare face his Secret Sword Empty Orchid head-on like this. A mere Flesh Integration cultivator dared to be so reckless without even testing the waters. Amid the silence, the glow of the deep blue flames lit up Xu Yuan’s cheeks within the black fog. *Tap.* With the soft sound of a footstep, the first spell sword Empty Orchid struck Xu Yuan’s temple. *Tap.* Stepping forward a second time, the blades thrusting from the dozen clumps of blue flame struck his body simultaneously—thighs, arms, chest, skull. *He actually blocked them completely...* The moment the edges touched Xu Yuan’s body, the excitement in Qin Weishu’s eyes began to surge. This young master from some unknown noble house was truly powerful—powerful enough to instantly kill peers of the same realm. The instant his spell swords touched the boy’s body, they were immediately deconstructed and dissolved by a thin membrane surrounding him; even ramping up his Source Qi output had no effect whatsoever. *Tap.* A third step, and the first clump of blue flame quietly sputtered out. *Tap.* A fourth step. The spell swords dissolved, the blue flames vanished, and everything returned to the dead silence of the black mist, the footsteps still echoing faintly. And that voice drifted quietly out from the dark: “Are you finished? Then I’ll begin.” The detached tone irritated Qin Weishu. He parted his lips to speak, but a sword blade was already slashing in from behind him. *Isn’t this guy a soul cultivator?* *Why is his physical speed so fast?* Puzzled, but not panicking, Qin Weishu whipped around and grabbed out, his palm clad in blue flame seizing the incoming blade directly. Seeing this, a flicker of amusement crossed Xu Yuan’s eyes. This second young master of the Qin family ought to be thankful that Xu Yuan hadn’t used the willow ghost blade. Had he drawn that divine artifact, this single move alone might have left Qin Weishu mortally wounded. Then again, there were no ‘what-ifs’. If the willow ghost blade was drawn, the aura of a Saint-tier yin ghost would be exposed within Di’an City, which would very likely draw the attention of a Saint. *Crack!* Palm met blade without any contest of strength; the spirit blade Xu Yuan had taken from the Prime Minister’s Manor’s armory was snapped clean by Qin Weishu. The spirit sword he held was a minor treasure in its own right—a lower-tier Grade-A spirit blade, equivalent to blue gear in *Cangyuan*—yet it had shattered so easily. His gaze toward that blue flame grew slightly warier. That flame was exceptionally dangerous. In the flash of an eye, the shattered fragments of the blade were seized by Xu Yuan’s intent soul, hurtling like meteors toward Qin Weishu at point-blank range. Qin Weishu attempted to use an object-manipulation art to wrest control of the shards, but Xu Yuan gave him no opening. Splitting his mind, he manipulated the flying fragments with his intent soul on one side while condensing dozens of invisible soul blades from the black mist to slash at Qin Weishu’s reaching intent soul on the other! If Qin Weishu did not want to suffer a momentary stun from intent soul damage, his only choice was to retreat. And once he retreated and the fragments descended, the initiative of the entire battle would fall completely into Xu Yuan’s hands. From that point on, Qin Weishu could only be on the receiving end of a one-sided beating. It was somewhat regrettable that Xu Mengxi had seen many of his techniques before, such as the Blood Yuan Heart Calamity Art and the Void-Treading Slash; using them here might expose his identity. Otherwise, he could have let Qin Weishu experience what it felt like to be instantly eliminated. Still, even without going all out, having played in so many high-level matches, bullying someone in the same tier was effortlessly casual. Musing on these trivialities and noticing Qin Weishu’s continued excitement, Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow: “It seems you still have strength to spare. But if you don’t use it now, you might not get the chance.” “Heh, likewise.” Facing the dozens of invisible soul blades, Qin Weishu did not retreat. In an instant, the two soul forces collided atop the shower of flying shards, causing Xu Yuan’s brows to furrow involuntarily. Bolstered by his Innate Soul Body and Heavenly Yan divine soul, both the strength and capacity of his intent soul far exceeded his peers, yet this clash still shook his mind slightly. However, Qin Weishu looked far more battered; a trickle of blood quietly tracked down from the corner of his eye, yet the smile on his lips did not diminish in the slightest, growing even wider. Dancing on the edge of death was exhilarating. He loved this feeling. Back in Jiangnan, those capable of killing him dared not do so, while the rough outlaws who dared lacked the ability. This was the first time he had ever tasted such a thrill. This trip to Di’an had truly been worth it... Before the soul blade slashes landed, dozens of blue flames quietly materialized around Xu Yuan, the spell swords within them gleaming with a chilling light. Xu Yuan swept his gaze over them, remaining silent. Preparing to trade life for life on the very first exchange? Qin Weishu seemed to know that retreating would forfeit any chance of turning the tables, but didn’t he already know these flame swords were useless against him? The passing thought made Xu Yuan slightly wary. He had no desire to capsize in a shallow ditch. His spiritual vision swept over the dozens of blue flames, and his brow furrowed immediately. *This... doesn’t seem blockable.* His black Source Qi had a limit when deconstructing others’ arts, and the power contained within these dozens of blue flames exceeded that limit. A Flesh Integration Realm cultivator shouldn’t possess such an output of Source Qi, yet under his spiritual vision, Qin Weishu was genuinely at the Flesh Integration Realm. For this fellow to boast so arrogantly, he truly had the strength to back it up. As Xu Yuan’s thoughts shifted, the black death fungal carpet given to him by Luo Xiran began seeping into his body thread by thread, reinforcing his meridians. If he wanted to contest Source Qi, Xu Yuan would gladly oblige. Yet the moment this vessel-rupturing secret art took shape, a wave of lethal peril washed over him. He sensed a minute alteration in the blue flame clinging to Qin Weishu’s hand. At the exact same time, a change occurred in the flame dancing right in front of his face. The two blue flames had swapped places. And this flame was one he could not take head-on. Xu Yuan’s vigilance spiked, and a solemn look finally entered his eyes as he looked at Qin Weishu. Yet his solemnity was not due to the terrifying blue flame, but because when the two flames swapped places, they had not used Source Qi as a conduit—they had swapped out of thin air. Space. Qin Weishu was able to execute a spatial secret art with a Flesh Integration body. No sooner had the thought arisen than the lethal blue flame swapped places once again. *This damn thing is actually his basic attack?!* Sensing this, Xu Yuan immediately dispersed his soul blades and hurled his body backward. Any spell involving space demanded one’s undivided attention. Faster than words could tell, sword light erupted from the dozens of blue flames surrounding him. *Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle—* The sound of Source Qi dissolving rang through the silent black mist. Most of the spell swords were dissolved by the qi membrane coating Xu Yuan’s body; the only one that required caution was the blade thrusting from that lethal blue flame. Yet that spatial secret art allowing it to shift at will still proved troublesome for Xu Yuan to handle. The situation reversed in an instant. Blue flames continually spawned around Xu Yuan, the lethal flame concealed within them. With cold eyes, as Xu Yuan darted and dodged, he suddenly heard Qin Weishu’s mocking chuckle: “Didn’t you ask how many strikes I could take from you? You’ve only made two moves, and you can’t even produce a third?” “...” Narrowing his eyes, Xu Yuan waved a hand while maneuvering at high speed, sending out several soul blades. Qin Weishu frowned slightly and leaned aside to dodge effortlessly, letting the soul blades fly past him into the distance behind. “...?” Xu Mengxi. “...!” Xu Mengxi. Lightly straightening his fur-trimmed robe, Qin Weishu chuckled: “Looks like you still have the strength to counterattack... Hm?” Mid-sentence, Qin Weishu suddenly realized the fleeing boy had stopped in his tracks, and quipped: “Not running anymore? Ready to risk your life?” Glancing at the female constable who was now completely unconscious, Xu Yuan let out a breath, closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, crimson light flared intensely within: “Risk my life, you say...” As he spoke, Xu Yuan stretched out a hand, and countless crimson substances instantly coalesced into a slender blood blade. He smiled and asked: “Why don’t you try taking my fourth strike first?”