The moon was obscured, and the wind howled—it was the perfect night for murder!
Qi Lianfeng changed into nighttime attire, covered his face with black cloth, and, holding his well-sharpened dagger, he climbed out of the inn’s window.
He had used a fake identity to check into the inn so that after the assassination, he could flee at the first opportunity, avoiding the wrath of the local tyrants, the Nine Elements Sect.
According to his recon over the past few days, he easily found his way through the alley behind Shanyao Hall. With a light tap on the wall with the tip of his foot, he vaulted over the wall, feeling a trace of pride swell in his heart.
To survive in Jianghu, one could have a blunt knife, be poor in hand-to-hand combat, or lack inner strength but must always be able to run fast and possess excellent Qinggong!
This was a lesson Qi Lianfeng had learned from many years of escaping death.
Back in the day, there were a few martial artists in the underworld whose names were better known and who were more skilled than he was.
But now, they were all victims of bad luck, cornered and trapped; with their inadequate Qinggong, they couldn’t escape and were hacked to death, their bodies eventually picked apart by stray dogs.
And the speed of a fast blade lay not only in the swordsmanship but also in Qinggong!
His Qinggong had reached the level of leaving no tracks in the snow, and he was confident that he would not alert a single soul.
The next moment, Qi Lianfeng’s sense of pride was frozen in place.
Within the courtyard of Shanyao Hall, torches suddenly flared to life.
Amidst the brilliant illumination, Zhong Shenxiu and the others stood nonchalantly to one side as if they had been waiting for a long time.
Even the two young apprentices, Shi Yu and Lu Yang, were called over to gain some experience.
"Do you see? This is Jianghu! This man has decent martial arts, and as a lone blade-wielding assassin, he is most likely a hired killer..." Wei Baizhu stroked his beard, basking in the admiring gazes of his disciples.
Yet, he knew in his heart that if Zhong Shenxiu had not warned them, his own head might have been severed in his sleep.
He took a step forward, his voice booming: "Friend, why do you trouble my Shanyao Hall?"
"Taking one’s money to eliminate their disasters. Further words are useless, let us battle instead!"
After the initial shock, Qi Lianfeng realized that there were no outsiders lying in ambush in Shanyao Hall, only the usual crowd. His courage swelled.
If it was just these people, he truly wasn’t afraid!
In his heart, he still carried a smug sense of triumph. Were they treating Lord Qi as if he were just an ordinary thief?
Zhong Shenxiu knew that this was not the time to let Wei Hongyao and the others take action; it would be tantamount to sending sheep to the slaughter.
He cleared his throat and stepped forward two paces: "Do you know? You’ve cost me a great deal..."
Originally, he was peacefully undergoing the natural process of blood exchange, and in another month, it would have been fully accomplished, significantly improving his martial arts.
But now, he was forced to act.
Caught between a rock and a hard place, he had no choice but to use the Heavenly Show Points to expedite the process.
With a mere thought, his already single-digit Heavenly Show Points decreased by two.
Within his body, the slowly growing peculiar life force, like swallowing a potent tonic, expanded rapidly, filling every limb and bone...
Zhong Shenxiu was filled with an odd sense of power, letting him know that after the blood exchange, he could easily defeat three or four of his former selves.
And one must know, his former self was no pushover either!
From a practical point of view, Yan Wushuang ranked tenth on the human list; the Green-faced Disciple who managed to escape from her clutches practiced martial arts that were far from ordinary.
Back then, he himself could defeat a disciple of the Five Poison Sect. Even if he had been challenging for a spot on the human list, aiming for the last few ranks, he would have had a certain level of confidence.
With his strength doubled after the blood exchange, he could now comfortably claim a spot on the human list!
With such power, even if the Nine Elements Sect Master were to come in person, he would be pinned to the ground and soundly beaten!
Qi Lianfeng suddenly felt a wave of panic.
He felt that he might have overlooked something.
Across from him, Xun Liuyi somehow gave him the impression of being inscrutable, just like those prideful figures of the Human Rankings he had secretly observed in the past.
"How is that possible?"
He scoffed inwardly as the Flying Sand Blade Technique flowed unceasingly, first protecting himself before, in an instant, a flash of the blade cut towards Zhong Shenxiu.
Zhong Shenxiu’s eyes narrowed slightly.
After the blood exchange, he had gained control of that peculiar Five Elements sense, able to actively choose when to open or close it.
Now, deliberately opening his vision, Qi Lianfeng’s Five Qi became even more distinct.
Black, white, red, yellow, green... Streams of aura flowed smoothly and sinuously, converging and separating continuously.
Within such a flow of the Five Qi, faint flaws became apparent.
Zhong Shenxiu followed his senses to a location where the qi was disrupted.
Qi Lianfeng’s strike cleaved the air, and he was shocked.
How could the other person, walking as if in a trance, have perfectly calculated and evaded his blade path? Could it be that his unique technique had been deciphered?
He let out a roar and executed three slashes in quick succession.
These three continuous strikes were nearly as if they had been made simultaneously.
He felt a sense of dread in his heart, sensing that nothing was going his way this evening. If this move, the ’Triple Slash,’ also failed, his only choice would be to flee!
Zhong Shenxiu saw many flaws in his opponent’s vigorously swirling Five Qi.
He had understood that these were the weak points in the opponent’s qi, and a single palm strike from himself would bring Qi Lianfeng to his knees.
Moreover, the Five Elements Thief Palm, with the rotation of the Five Elements, could amplify its force up to five times!
If he struck at the opponent’s weak points, wasn’t this using weakness to overcome strength?
"This Five Elements Grand Thief Palm technique is truly miraculous. If a mere Human Rankings blood exchange technique is so powerful, what would the Earth and Heaven Rankings martial arts be like?"
A thought flashed through Zhong Shenxiu’s mind as he casually swung a palm.
The lone blade soared into the sky, and Qi Lianfeng felt his internal organs burning, with pain in his heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys. He fell to the ground, unable to move.
Wei Baizhu stepped forward and pulled down his veil,– what a shock: "Quick Blade Qi the Sixth?!"
This was an expert whom he, during his time with the Shanyao Gang, had to look up to.
Zhong Shenxiu spared a glance at Qi Lianfeng, silently regretful. If this had been outside, away from prying eyes, he would have ensured the man turned into a dried corpse.
However, at this moment, he could only snort coldly, "Most likely a hired assassin from the San Shan Sect. Uncle Master, I’m afraid we need you to visit the Nine Elements Sect and make a good plea..."
Wei Baizhu lifted his head in astonishment.
"This man is the evidence of San Shan Sect’s provocation against the Nine Elements Sect. Although it’s not substantial, it’s sufficient as a pretext..."
Zhong Shenxiu said leisurely, "If Uncle Master can persuade the Nine Elements Sect to support Shanyao Hall, though Liuyi is modest, the experts of the San Shan Sect can all be taken care of. Then, the revenge for Little Mountain City can be fulfilled now!"
His martial arts were already fully developed, and there was no point in staying in Anshan City. He needed to travel the world.
And before that, resolving the matter with the San Shan Sect would also be good.
Most importantly, there were so few Heavenly Show Points available; it was the perfect time to make a small splash and harvest a wave.
"In this world, the Heavenly, Earthly, and Human Rankings are still the most convenient ways to gather Heavenly Show Points..."
"In ancient times, with inconvenient transport, only the Heavenly, Earthly, and Human Rankings spread throughout the world, the focus of tens of thousands. They are my best stage..."