Li Xin read the characters floating before his eyes and felt his heart burn fiercely. It felt as though flames were blooming from the deepest part of his heart. It was not mere heat—intense, life-filled fire energy surged violently from his heart, then spread throughout his body along his qi meridians.

  Flames seeped into every blood vessel and every corner of every cell. As his body filled completely with fire energy, Li Xin instinctively realized it—that he had “changed.” The fire energy that had once felt vague now rose before his eyes like real flames. There was no longer any need to strain to sense it. The fire energy felt as natural as a part of his own body.

  As if possessed, Li Xin lifted the cheap sword he had bought at the market. Then he raised the sword toward the sky.

  The Heart of Flame Blaze embedded in his heart reacted violently. The surging fire energy pierced through his entire body and gathered at the sword’s tip.

  Blazing Flash.

  With a short shout, he slashed downward. In that instant, a crimson flash tore through the air and shot forward.

  And then, far away, at the edge of the sky, a gigantic flame bloomed as if exploding.

  The sky roared, and the air trembled. Immediately after, the sword in Li Xin’s hand shattered with a sharp clang, scattering into fragments. Broken shards grazed his palm, and red blood flowed. But Li Xin did not even feel the pain. His gaze was fixed solely on the lingering afterimage of the explosion he had created.

  This is impossible…

  It was true that completing an Extreme Grade Flame Blaze Talisman had greatly increased his affinity with the fire attribute. But that alone could not possibly produce power of this level.

  Li Xin examined his body again, retracing the source of this strength. And then he understood—The Heart of Flame Blaze—its essence was the ability to overlay the power of the Flame Blaze Talisman onto fire-aspect techniques. The power of the Extreme Grade Flame Blaze Talisman was carried upon the sword, and like pouring oil onto a spark, it manifested as destruction beyond imagination.

  In the place where the aftermath of the explosion passed, Li Xin could not hold out for even a moment and collapsed where he stood. Not only had he poured all his strength into completing the Flame Blaze Talisman, but moments ago he had also forced himself to use a technique while intoxicated by enlightenment. His remaining qi, and even his mental strength, had been completely exhausted.

  Inside, he felt hollow like an empty shell, and his head swam, but Li Xin held onto his consciousness until the very end. Squeezing out what little strength remained, he took something from his robes. Then he quietly closed his eyes. Soon, his consciousness sank into deep darkness.

  Faint footsteps seeped into the silent space. Someone was entering Li Xin’s house. The footsteps drew closer, and finally, a shadow fell over him. And just as that shadow reached a hand toward Li Xin—

  Li Xin’s eyes snapped open. At the same time, his hand reflexively moved toward his robes. As he was about to take out the Ice Shadow Talisman and pour qi into it—

  “Hey, hey, calm down!”

  A familiar voice stopped him. The owner of that voice was none other than Xu Yul. Only then did Li Xin relax, lower the talisman back into his robes, and exhale.

  His gaze dropped downward. On the ground where he had been lying, a half-burned stick of Warm Spirit Incense was planted. Faint smoke was still rising.

  Li Xin’s house was located on the outskirts of Qingshan Valley, in an especially secluded area. He had not dared to relax, worried that bandits might come running after the commotion earlier, but fortunately, the first person to arrive was Xu Yul.

  “Hm?”

  Xu Yul paused as he moved to support Li Xin and scanned the surroundings. A faint heat lingered in the air.

  …Traces of a Flame Blaze Talisman?

  And not an ordinary one. Judging by the strength of the residual qi, it was at least a high-grade Flame Blaze Talisman.

  He looked down. Li Xin was still not fully recovered, regulating his breathing. And in his hand, another talisman.

  …An Ice Shadow Talisman?

  Xu Yul’s eyes narrowed. It too was a finely drawn, high-grade Ice Shadow Talisman. A Flame Blaze Talisman followed by an Ice Shadow Talisman—both were among the more difficult three-stroke talismans. Drawing even one properly was hard, yet Li Xin had completed both. And within just a single month.

  This isn’t simple copying.

  Someone who did not grasp the principles of strokes could never create talismans like these. Especially not at the high-grade level.

  To think Qingshan Valley had a mountain cultivator with this kind of talent.

  A spark of interest flickered across Xu Yul’s face. Without a word, he stepped forward and grabbed Li Xin’s arm.

  Li Xin flinched in surprise, but quickly lowered his guard. If Xu Yul had meant him harm, he would have had many chances already.

  When Li Xin relaxed and let his weight go, Xu Yul extended his hand as if he had been waiting for this.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  A gentle current of qi flowed from Xu Yul’s fingertips and seeped into Li Xin’s meridians. In Xu Yul’s hand was a small, smooth stone. At a glance, it looked like nothing more than an ordinary river pebble, but Li Xin knew instinctively—within it slept a vast amount of qi beyond description. Sensing Li Xin’s gaze, Xu Yul smiled slightly and spoke.

  “It’s a Pseudo Spirit Stone.”

  “…Pseudo Spirit Stone?”

  He had heard of it, but this was his first time seeing one.

  “The qi inside is neutral and balanced, so it harmonizes well with any attribute. There’s nothing better for replenishing lost qi.”

  Li Xin nodded.

  Each cultivator’s qi had its own attribute. That was why borrowing another’s qi was normally dangerous, and forcibly injecting it often caused severe damage to the meridians. But the qi from the Pseudo Spirit Stone was different. It was gentle and warm. It flowed in as naturally as if it had always belonged inside Li Xin’s body. His empty meridians slowly filled, and like timely rain falling on parched land, vitality rapidly returned to his body.

  At the First Tier, Third Layer, his total qi was small, so his recovery was quick. In just a few minutes, his breathing steadied, and strength returned to his limbs. Li Xin turned his head and looked again at the Pseudo Spirit Stone in Xu Yul’s hand. Despite having just shared so much qi with him, the stone looked completely unchanged.

  Just how much qi is stored inside this thing?

  Li Xin finally understood why it was treated as such a precious item.

  “Thank you for helping me.”

  Li Xin bowed his head to Xu Yul in gratitude. Along with his thanks, intense curiosity toward the Pseudo Spirit Stone—and a subtle greed—rose together within him. As if reading Li Xin’s thoughts, Xu Yul chuckled and slipped the stone back into his robes.

  “Pretty tempting, isn’t it?”

  Li Xin felt inexplicably embarrassed and turned his gaze away. At that moment, Xu Yul’s eyes shifted toward the courtyard, where shattered sword fragments lay scattered.

  “Was that yours?”

  “I was testing a sword technique with a blade I bought at the market.”

  Xu Yul picked up one of the fragments and examined it carefully, then let out a short sigh.

  “With scrap metal like this, you couldn’t even scratch a demonic beast. Their scales and hides won’t be pierced by ordinary weapons.”

  Li Xin recalled the Blazing Flash he had just used. The power had been undeniable, but the sword had shattered after a single strike. A weapon that broke that easily could not be used in real combat.

  “Wait a moment.”

  Xu Yul reached into his robes and, unexpectedly, pulled out a long sword. Li Xin’s gaze naturally drifted to the inside of Xu Yul’s coat. Just where had he been carrying a sword of that length? Seeing Li Xin’s expression, Xu Yul snorted with laughter and took out a small leather pouch.

  “You didn’t think my clothes were stretching, did you? Haha.”

  He tapped the pouch lightly as he spoke.

  “This is a magical implement called a Dusk Pouch. It has an array that expands space—small on the outside, but it can hold most items without trouble.”

  Surprise spread across Li Xin’s eyes. A Dusk Pouch—it was a treasure he had never heard of, let alone seen, in Qingshan Valley. Apparently pleased with Li Xin’s reaction, Xu Yul smiled and held out the sword he was carrying.

  “Here. This is a gift.”

  Li Xin accepted the sword with a dazed expression. Instead of cold metal, the hilt felt strangely warm, and faint spiritual energy emanated from the blade. That alone told him this was no ordinary weapon.

  “Well then, it’s time for you to use that sword.”

  Li Xin looked puzzled. Use the sword—what did he mean by that?

  Just then—movement was sensed outside the house. Soon after, a cold gaze, as if searching for something, brushed across his skin.

  Killing intent.

  Having often been exposed to killing intent while processing demonic beast materials, Li Xin was very familiar with this sensation. He narrowed his eyes.

  …Did the bandits gather after seeing the commotion earlier?

  They were not just petty thieves. They were professionals who made a living from plunder and murder. Xu Yul stood with his arms crossed, watching Li Xin with an interested look. He made no move to step in. He wanted to see how Li Xin would overcome this crisis.

  Li Xin took a deep breath inward. His heart pounded rapidly, yet his mind grew clear.

  They didn’t come with good intentions.

  If he claimed nothing had happened, would they withdraw peacefully? Impossible. If anything, this was the perfect opportunity. With the Xu family backing him, there was no reason to worry about the aftermath of killing a few bandits.

  Li Xin tightly gripped the hilt of the sword Xu Yul had given him. A cold resolve settled at the tip of the blade.

  An ambush is the answer.

  When outnumbered, there was no reason to give up the advantage of striking first.

  Li Xin took out a two-stroke Lightness Talisman he had drawn himself and activated it. Because the talisman was fully integrated into his body, its effect manifested at twice the usual strength. At the same time, he executed the Azure Smoke Step—a footwork technique specialized in light movement and silencing sound.

  As the Lightness Talisman and Azure Smoke Step overlapped, Li Xin’s movements became like a wisp of smoke. He lightly vaulted over the wall and moved stealthily, like a shadow in the darkness.

  Xu Yul watched Li Xin closely.

  That footwork is no ordinary thing

  Though still rough and lacking smoothness in places, the level of the technique itself was excellent. Surprise and interest flashed through Xu Yul’s eyes at once. The young boy was like a deep spring whose depths could not be measured, hiding something within.

  After hiding himself in the bushes, Li Xin took a short breath, then pulled out a Resonance Talisman. The talisman glowed as if igniting, and his senses expanded sharply. He immediately activated the Seeking Eye. Three faint strands of qi flickered indistinctly around the area. He could not determine their exact realms, but the fact that Xu Yul was not intervening meant he had judged there was no need to.

  Li Xin did not hesitate. He took out an Upper-Lower Grade three-stroke Strength Talisman and activated it. In an instant, his muscles surged with power, his entire body tightening as if drawn taut.

  Next, he took out a Diffusion Talisman and carefully affixed it to the ground. Then he picked up a small pebble nearby and tossed it lightly into the air. With all preparations complete, Li Xin lowered his body and hid behind a nearby wall.

  One, two, three…

  He began counting silently. The pebble fell to the ground, and that faint sound was amplified through the Diffusion Talisman.

  At the moment the bandits’ gazes all snapped toward the opposite direction.

  Li Xin kicked off the ground and burst forth. Explosive power amplified by the Strength Talisman surged from his feet. Closing the distance in an instant with overwhelming strength, Li Xin reached the enemy and immediately unleashed the Shattering Mountain Fist. From heart to shoulder, shoulder to elbow, elbow to fist—compressed power condensed into a single point.

  The nearest enemy, before his eyes could even widen in surprise and fear, the weighted fist slammed straight into his chest.