“Oh?”
Sensing the change taking place within his opponent, Qin Weishu, standing at ease where he was, chuckled in a low murmur:
“Are you trying to say you’re about to fight for your life, or that you weren’t using your full strength just now?”
The blade in Xu Yuan’s hand was shrouded in a mass of black substance. As he waved it lightly, it dyed the air like painter’s ink.
“Which do you think it is?”
Qin Weishu pondered briefly, then grinned.
“I hope it’s the second. If it’s the first, that would be far too boring.”
“Boring, huh? It really would be boring.”
With a chuckle, Xu Yuan looked at Qin Weishu and suddenly remarked, “Looks like you really can’t see it, after all.”
“Hm?”
Qin Weishu’s gaze wavered slightly. Failing to grasp what the other man meant by this sudden comment, he frowned. “See what?”
“Heh.”
Xu Yuan smiled faintly as the black mist surged around him. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
“Bluffing.”
Qin Weishu snorted coldly and said no more. As he channeled his cultivation technique, the scorching blue flames—clinging like maggots to bone—surged once more, sending countless sharp blades hurtling toward the sword-wielding youth!
As the seconds ticked by, the scene he sensed made Qin Weishu’s brow furrow involuntarily.
Dozens of blades swarmed forward, yet the boy simply stood in place, holding his sword.
What was he trying to do?
Clash head-on with a spell or sword technique?
No, there was no trace of him channeling a high-powered spell.
Then did he plan to tough it out with that film of light that corroded spells?
That wasn't right either.
Though the boy’s aura was considerably stronger than before, he should know very well that he couldn't withstand Art Sword Empty Orchid.
His thoughts raced in a flash as the blades reached Xu Yuan’s robe.
And then,
Qin Weishu’s pupils constricted abruptly.
Vanished?!
The brocade-robed youth opposite him had disappeared from his perception without the slightest warning.
Thump, thump.
In the silent black mist, Qin Weishu heard his heart accelerate.
And the next moment,
“Now you should understand.”
A voice rang out behind him with no prior sign.
“...”
A cluster of blue flame ignited in Qin Weishu's hand, and he swung violently behind him!
Buzz!
With a hum, Art Sword Empty Orchid trailed a flash of radiance through the black mist. Its peerless sharpness seemed to slice through space itself, cutting an ancient building into two halves at an angle. The cut was neat and smooth, collapsing in a thunderous roar only several breaths later.
Yet there was no one behind him.
Suspended midair, Xu Yuan looked down at Qin Weishu, whose eyes darted restlessly around. Understanding dawned in his mind.
He had actually been curious all along about how Qin Weishu had been locking onto him in this black mist.
Even ordinary Grandmasters had a detection range of only a dozen or so zhang within it. As someone in Flesh Integration, no matter how ridiculously high Qin Weishu’s base stats were, this was still excessive.
At first, Xu Yuan had assumed Qin Weishu had planted an anchor art on him.
Anchor arts were a category of tracking arts based on qi dynamics. Once planted, they allowed one to perceive every move an enemy made.
Ordinary anchor arts could detect an enemy's position, while profound ones could sense the twitch of muscles, or even the condensation and dispersion of qi dynamics and intent souls.
It was practically like having x-ray vision.
However, such arts had their flaws. Planting an anchor art was not the end of the matter; a Source Qi transmission conduit had to connect the caster's body and the anchor point to maintain the surveillance.
Ordinary people found it difficult to detect this conduit, let alone sever it.
Spiritual vision, however, was capable of picking up even the faintest qi dynamic response with absolute precision.
Yet unfortunately, Xu Yuan had detected no transmission conduit of Source Qi anywhere around him.
With anchor arts ruled out, only one answer remained.
A secret detection art.
And a profound secret detection art on par with Heavenly Yan divine soul.
It was somewhat surprising, but not shocking.
So much time had passed since Qin Mo's execution, yet even with an insider, the Black Scale Guards had failed to fully uncover the Qin family's true depth. It was not surprising for Qin Weishu, a legitimate son of the Qin family, to possess a secret art of that caliber.
However, when Xu Yuan attacked Xu Mengxi just now, Qin Weishu's reaction had flatly overturned this theory.
The fellow did not seem to have noticed that his soul blade had struck Xu Mengxi a dozen zhang away.
Xu Yuan had been up to thirty zhang away from Qin Weishu at his furthest, yet across such a great distance, Qin Weishu had still possessed total awareness of his reactions, while failing to sense Xu Mengxi a mere dozen zhang away.
The answer looped right back.
It was an anchor art after all, but fundamentally different from ordinary ones.
The reason Xu Yuan had failed to detect the transmission conduit earlier was entirely because Qin Weishu used his spatial swapping ability to link the anchor's end with his true body, transmitting across space directly.
Unfortunately, Void-Stepping Slash wiped out all such debuffs in an instant.
This unexpected discovery, combined with his probing during the first two clashes, allowed Xu Yuan to grasp the general structure of Qin Weishu's technique repertoire.
The Second Young Master Qin's system was built around spatial swapping.
And an ability involving space was unlikely to be a mere spell effect; it was almost certainly the Dao charm Qin Weishu had comprehended.
This intelligence flashed through Xu Yuan's mind in an instant, bringing with it a measure of doubt.
Judging by their exchange just now, Qin Weishu had clearly mastered this Dao charm of spatial swapping, and his Source Qi and intent soul had long surpassed the threshold of Flesh Integration. Why hadn't he broken through to Grandmaster?
Li Junqing had previously suppressed his cultivation instead of breaking through to Grandmaster out of fear of the Crown Prince's suspicion. Was Qin Weishu also afraid Qin Weijiu would butcher him?
It didn't seem likely.
Given his arrogant, ostentatious nature, he wouldn't care about such things.
A thought suddenly struck him, and an involuntary hint of astonishment entered Xu Yuan's eyes as he looked down at Qin Weishu.
According to the ancient texts he had read, there were only two possibilities in a situation like this.
Either Qin Weishu wanted to break through to Grandmaster with dual Dao charms, or the kid wanted to walk the new path his father had forged:
Fusing with the Dao directly in the Flesh Integration Realm, bypassing Grandmaster, and stepping straight into the Origin Realm.
The Flesh Integration Realm was the first leap of life on the cultivation path. Mortal bodies were sublimated in this realm by Source Qi and intent soul, but aside from those two, there was actually another option.
Dao charm.
To cleanse the body with Dao charm and condense a Dao charm dharma body.
As far as Xu Yuan knew, those in the world who had achieved the former could be counted on two hands, while for the latter, since his father had blazed the trail, only Xu Changge had succeeded.
And Xu Changge's Dao charm dharma body actually had flaws.
He had been unable to complete the bodily cleansing entirely during the Flesh Integration Realm.
That wasn't a matter of talent, but of human calamity.
Having witnessed his mother die before his eyes, Xu Changge had failed to suppress his cultivation and broke through the threshold of Grandmaster right then and there.
Looking down at Qin Weishu, who had drawn his sword and was glancing around in bewildered confusion after losing his anchor art, Xu Yuan tightened his grip on his blade.
Second Young Master Qin's words earlier didn't seem to have been a joke...
If he truly succeeded, whichever path it was, he would become a massive headache in the future.
The Qin family had already proven to be an enemy.
This boy must not be allowed to live.
As the thought flashed by, countless clusters of blue flames suddenly lit up around them, flickering through the black mist like will-o'-the-wisps.
Unable to sit still any longer, Qin Weishu had struck first after all.
The sudden vanishing of his anchor point made the endless darkness of the mist surge toward him like an ocean tide. Everything in the silence turned chilling and fraught with peril.
He had no idea what means the other had used to break free of his Spirit Transformation Anchor Arts, but he knew that if this continued, he was likely to end up dead here.
If he could not pinpoint him precisely, he would use a wide-range spell to determine his location through the reflux of qi dynamics.
Snap.
Yet with a crisp snap of fingers, those countless blue flames vanished instantly.
Seeing this, however, Qin Weishu felt joy rather than alarm.
Found you.
Source Qi traveled at a speed. From the order in which the blue flames were snuffed out, he had already pinpointed the other man's position.
In his current situation, he had to close the distance for close-quarters combat.
Gathering strength underfoot, just as he was about to shoot forward—
“You're closing the distance... looking for a fistfight?”
“...”
The voice came from behind him again. Qin Weishu thought the other was trying the same trick twice to deplete his Source Qi; after all, with the speed of Flesh Integration, it was impossible to traverse over twenty zhang in an instant.
Yet trapped in the dead end of this black mist, he had no choice but to guard himself. His palm, coated in blue flame, swung backward like a blade.
Yet the moment his arm turned, Qin Weishu caught sight of a figure out of the corner of his eye, and the hairs on his body stood on end.
Eh?
Why was this kid really behind him?
Why was his speed so fast?
Did he have spatial spells too?
No... if it were a spatial spell, with his mastery over Dao charm, there was no way he wouldn’t sense it.
Why?
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, converging into a blaring alarm.
There was no time to think. An elegant ink-like blade was already cleaving downward toward the back of his head.
Danger.
The blue flame on his palm surged rapidly up his arm, and a blade’s hum rang out with a blast of wind!
Drip... drip...
The blood blade in Xu Yuan’s hand lodged in Qin Weishu’s blue-flame-coated arm.
It sank an inch deep, severing half of his arm bone.
The blood blade shed ink-like vapors into the air as tendrils of blood trickled down the edge, dripping crisply onto the ground.
Looking at the blade stuck in his arm, the excitement in Qin Weishu’s eyes was already beyond words:
“Not bad... this strike is quite good. Come, try to kill me—”
Bang!
Before he could finish speaking, a whip kick slammed into Qin Weishu’s flank, sending his entire body flying backward like a cannonball.
Two broken ribs...?
Sensing the damage to his body, Qin Weishu smiled faintly as he flew through the air.
He had taken that strike on purpose just now, because he needed to plant a stronger Nine Azure Mind-Fixing Anchor on the man. Only then could he sense his presence in this bizarre black mist.
Though he had lost an arm, the two of them were back on equal—
How did he vanish again?!
Before astonishment could surface in his eyes, a gale swept toward the back of his head once more.
Spatial swap—blue flame instantly materialized behind his head, and within it, Art Sword Empty Orchid unsheathed in a flash!
Clang—
The screech of metal clashing rang out.
The moment the blood blade collided with the flame sword, a notch curled along the blood blade's edge.
Seeing this, a flicker of contemplation crossed Xu Yuan’s eyes.
This blue-flame art sword really was dangerous.
To even curl the edge of his blood blade... On his person, probably only the willow ghost blade could contend with it.
Qin Weishu had already used the recoil to forcefully steady his posture.
Yet before he could make another move, the figure that had been behind him just a moment ago appeared right in front of him, thrusting a blade straight at his heart.
The sharp radiance trailing from the ink-splashed edge scored several bloody gashes across Qin Weishu’s feminine, handsome face.
Seeing this,
Qin Weishu finally became completely certain that the brocade-robed young master opposite him also possessed a spatial spell—one capable of concealing spatial fluctuations flawlessly.
Without hesitation, his Dao charm revolved, and blue flame manifested before him once more.
This time, however, Xu Yuan gave the blue-flame art sword no chance to unsheathe.
The moment the blue flame appeared, the blood blade was already upon it!
Buzz—
Accompanied by the hum of the blade, the tip plunged into the blue flame!
Yet this intangible flame felt like a sandbag of ten thousand jin; every inch the blade penetrated was grueling.
Seeing this scene, Xu Yuan did not hesitate. His hand shifted on the hilt, pressing against the pommel and thrusting violently forward.
The drifting ink and scorching blue flames intertwined, emitting a tooth-grinding sizzle.
The two streams of Source Qi fused and canceled each other out for a brief instant before the sharp blade broke through the blue flame, stabbing slowly yet steadily toward Qin Weishu’s chest.
“...”
The relentless, wave-like assault pushed Qin Weishu’s heart to its limit. Staring intently at the nearing blade tip, he realized he could not keep grappling in a contest of strength.
This blood blade was also a conjured weapon. It could be snapped.
With a flick of his mind, the cluster of blue flame wavered and began compressing like two misaligned palms. The ink-stained blood blade groaned under the pressure.
Just an instant before the blade shattered, Xu Yuan switched to driving it forward with his intent soul while flashing a foot forward himself, his left hand lunging out to seize Qin Weishu’s throat.
Facing this ghostly spatial technique once again, Qin Weishu tried to lean back to dodge, but suspended midair, he could find no leverage.
It was too late.
Watching the nearing hand, Qin Weishu wanted to block it with the blue flame of Empty Orchid, but the blood blade pressing forward gave him no room to withdraw it.
Crunch...
Xu Yuan’s fingertips dug into his neck, preparing to snap it with force.
Qin Weishu reacted just as swiftly, circulating Source Qi to reinforce his neck while whipping his uninjured left arm into a palm-blade aimed at Xu Yuan’s forearm.
If it landed, he would ruin his opponent's arm as well.
However, Xu Yuan gave him no such chance. Gripping Qin Weishu's throat, he spun a hundred and eighty degrees in midair and plummeted violently toward the ground with a sonic crack.
A breath later,
Boom!
Amid a thunderous roar, gravel sprayed, the earth trembled, and a crater several zhang deep materialized on the flat lane.
Within the crater, smoke, dust, and black mist mingled, shrouding two figures—one standing, one lying—in hazy silhouettes.
The tremendous impact to the back of his head left Qin Weishu dazed for an instant. In that split second, the blood blade that had been hindered by the blue flame cut open his fur robe, sliced through the skin of his chest, and came within half an inch of his heart!
“Your mother's a whore.”
Even in desperate straits, Qin Weishu grinned, cursed under his breath, and reached to grab the blade.
Yet a gale smashed straight toward his face.
Xu Mengxi's lesson was still fresh in his mind; Xu Yuan had no intention of slipping up because he showed mercy.
Before the fist's wind could land, Xu Yuan sensed the resistance on the blue flame beside him suddenly slacken.
Propelled by his intent soul with crushing force, the blade plunged down, its tip and body sinking straight into Qin Weishu's chest!
And at that very moment,
a blood blade trailing ink materialized before Xu Yuan's face without warning.
Pfft!
“...”
“...”
Everything seemed to freeze.
Blood trickled down Xu Yuan's cheek, and several severed strands of hair fluttered softly to the ground.
Glancing calmly at the ink-stained blood blade that had grazed his cheek, Xu Yuan lowered his gaze to Qin Weishu beneath him.
“If I hadn't figured out the structure of your arts, that sudden trick really might have killed me.
“Your spatial swapping Dao charm... can indeed be applied to others.”
As he spoke,
accompanied by the wet squelch of flesh, Xu Yuan pulled out the hand that had pierced through Qin Weishu's chest, then gripped the hilt of the blood blade completely buried inside him.
As he slowly drew the blade out, the blood blade beside Xu Yuan's cheek also began to withdraw.
Straightening up,
Xu Yuan looked down at the Second Young Master Qin, blood bubbling continuously between his teeth, and chuckled.
“It should be about time for you to break through in battle, shouldn't it? If you keep suppressing your cultivation instead of breaking through, you're about to be—”
Before he finished speaking,
the air suddenly fell dead silent. A white line swept across Xu Yuan's waist.
His upper torso slid off quietly, hitting the ground and kicking up a puff of dust.
After lying flat for a moment, Qin Weishu clutched his pierced right chest and slowly sat up from the crater. Spitting up a mouthful of blood, he grinned through stained lips and chuckled:
“Cough, cough... Hehehe... Looks like you're not worthy of making me break through in battle after all. Still... cough, among those of the same realm who can hurt me like this, you're the first—”
“So this is your second Dao charm?”
“...” Qin Weishu froze.
Turning his eyes little by little, he saw the brocade-robed youth squatting on the edge of the crater, smiling at him. In his hand was a Secret Investigation Bureau saber he had picked up from who-knew-where.
Qin Weishu whipped his head back toward the bisected corpse, only to see it dissolve into the void as a shower of black cherry blossoms.
“You’re not the only one who has a Dao charm.”
Xu Yuan chuckled softly and stood back up. Right then, another white line slashed across.
Yet before it arrived, Xu Yuan had already vanished from the spot.
Tap.
Standing behind Qin Weishu, Xu Yuan wiped the blood oozing from his cheek. Looking down at the back of his head, he chuckled:
“What a dangerous Dao charm. If one isn't careful, even a Grandmaster—no, an Origin Realm expert would probably get killed in a second, wouldn't they?”
“...”
Qin Weishu’s body trembled slightly. He licked his lips and was just about to speak when—
Pfft.
Xu Mengxi’s saber pierced straight through his dantian.
Xu Yuan gripped the hilt, sending Source Qi surging along the blade. He shook his head with a light chuckle.
“Honestly, one after another wanting to break through mid-battle... Do you really take me for a boss to grind?”
Chapter 557