Translator: Henyee Translations  Editor: Henyee Translations

Mo Tiange focused her gaze, only to see light flas.h.i.+ng at the spot where they originally stood. There was an even cut with a trace of barely noticeable spiritual aura on the bluestone board on the ground.

She was inwardly shaken. She had been using her divine sense to constantly pay attention to her surroundings, but she only sensed the spiritual light during the split second it emerged. If Qin Xi wasn't by her side, she might've still been able to dodge it, but it would've definitely been a narrow escape. Sure enough, Core Formation cultivators mustn't be looked down on.

After Qin Xi spoke, that cultivator's breath was no longer concealed and could now be sensed by their divine senses. It felt extremely restrained, but it hid a kind of ardor deep within.

Mo Tiange secretly grasped the White Silk Handkerchief in one hand, while her other hand grabbed the square seal magic weapon Lord Daoist Jinghe bestowed upon her. Presumably, even if that person attacked, she could still block their attacks with the White Silk Handkerchief in hand and wait for an opportunity to counterattack.

That person finally walked into their field of view. It was actually the person who sat across from them during the trade fair, the late stage Core Formation cultivator whose cultivation was second only to Qin Xi's!

Qin Xi pushed her to the back while transmitting his voice: "Be careful."

Although they were all in the Core Formation realm, the gap in strength between early stage and late stage Core Formation cultivators was enormous. Mo Tiange was well aware that she hadn't even refined her natal magic weapon—she couldn't try to be brave now, so she didn't say much and stealthily moved to the back slightly.

That person spoke. His voice sounded heavy and hoa.r.s.e. "Fellow Daoists really have quite the courage. You took out such treasures at the trade fair, yet you actually dared to walk on the street without any disguise or cover-up—aren't you afraid of being robbed?"

Qin Xi stared at that person, sneering coldly, "Robbed? By just you?"

Mo Tiange wrinkled her brows. She always felt that when he was outside the school, Qin Xi was completely different from the Qin Xi in the school, who was reticent and focused only on performing Closed Door Meditation and cultivating. The latter still had a slight shadow of the old Senior Martial Brother Qin, while the former… indeed had no resemblance in the slightest.

"How confident!" Under the bamboo hat, that person's appearance was hidden in the dark. However, his voice was suffused with interest. "Everyone said… that although Qin Shoujing's innate talents are ordinary, he's much better than geniuses with a single spiritual root while on the path of cultivation… I'm rather unconvinced."

"Whether you're convinced or not Mister, does it have anything to do with me?" Qin Xi's expression didn't change. "Please just go ahead if you want to fight; otherwise, please stop wasting our time!"

That person's head shook as he laughed. "Fight? Here?"

Kunzhong was a city after all; there were many mortals inside the city, and most of the cultivators there were also low level cultivators. The moment two Core Formation cultivators fought, it'd certainly be a catastrophe.

A slightly mocking smile emerged on Qin Xi's face. "Didn't you already make your move just now? Could it be that you've just remembered Kunzhong City's rule about the prohibition of fighting inside the city walls now?"

"Rule?" That person let out m.u.f.fled laughter. "Kunzhong City's managed only by a few individual cultivators; so what if I don't comply?"

These words were extremely conceited. There weren't just one or two individual cultivators in Kunzhong City; there were seven of them. He was ignoring Kunzhong City's rules so blatantly like this—could it be that he really wanted to have a one-against-seven fight? Furthermore, she'd personally experienced Tong Tianyun's divine sense and Daoist k.u.mu's means of doing things. Since they were taken seriously by Qin Xi, they were obviously difficult to deal with. Could this person maybe have an even higher standard than Qin Xi?

Having said that, she and Qin Xi were a cultivator in the early stage of the Core Formation realm and a cultivator in the peak stage of the Core Formation realm; the other side was only in the late stage of the Core Formation realm—could he really fight the two of them by himself?

Mo Tiange had this thought in mind, but in the next second, she suddenly saw a flash of sword light. That black-robed man already made his move!

Qin Xi had long antic.i.p.ated this. He lifted his left hand, and his arm soon emitted a golden light. The Three Yang Real Fire Sword manifested from that golden light. He then extended his hand and flipped it over. The Three Yang Real Fire Sword suddenly sprouted a flame, forming a flame wall that completely blocked the black-robed man's sword aura.

Upon seeing Qin Xi blocking his sword aura so effortlessly, the black-robed man tilted his head to the side as if he was surprised. He was about to say something, but Qin Xi didn't give him the chance. Qin Xi gathered a pure fire-colored spiritual aura on his right hand then pushed it forward lightly. The Three Yang Real Fire Sword suddenly burst with a bright light then shot forward towards that person.

Hurriedly, the black-robed man joined his palms together. The sword on his back unsheathed on its own, glittering with sword lights and carrying an incomparably sharp sword aura.

That person was evidently a sword cultivator. This momentum… If he wasn't a sword cultivator, he wouldn't have had such a sharp sword aura.

"Tiange!" Qin Xi suddenly turned around and shouted.

Sword auras had no eyes; Mo Tiange knew that was what Qin Xi meant. In a split second, she flung her White Silk Handkerchief which instantly turned into fog and shrouded her completely. The fog was obscure, and people couldn't see any spiritual aura in it. The sword aura was extremely sharp, but the moment it came into contact with the fog, it vanished without a trace.

The fact that even she could easily block his sword aura shocked the black-robed cultivator greatly. Before he could withdraw his sword, Qin Xi's sword already reached him. He hastily recalled his sword to block it. With a m.u.f.fled bang, the two swords met; sword auras and spiritual auras struck against each other and exploded.

How frightening were the spiritual aura pressures created from a fight between two Core Formation cultivators who were both experts in destructive methods? In a flash, the street already became a mess. The bluestone boards were broken into pieces and were beyond recognition. If it wasn't because the street was wide, the shops on both sides might not have escaped this calamity!

Once the spiritual auras exploded, several flight lights zoomed in toward them from the highest tower in Kunzhong City.

Qin Xi and Mo Tiange remained still, and so did that black-robed cultivator.

Kunzhong City wasn't large. In the blink of an eye, the flight lights already reached them. They were actually three Core Formation cultivators, and the leader happened to be Tong Tianyun.

"Fellow Daoists, you…" Tong Tianyun was shocked to see this scene.

Qin Xi took a glance at Tong Tianyun then lifted his hand to retrieve the Three Yang Real Fire Sword and said, "Fellow Daoist Tong, you came just in time. This person has been following us ever since we left the trade fair. He even mounted a sneak attack on us; I really don't know what he means by this."

Tong Tianyun looked even more surprised. He directed his eyes towards that person. "You…"

Although he only said that one word, Mo Tiange had a bad feeling about it. Judging from Tong Tianyun's expression, he seemed to recognize that person.

When the black-robed cultivator saw Tong Tianyun, he laughed mischievously and took his bamboo hat off.

A very young face appeared in view. He looked like a young man about twenty four or twenty five years old. He was fresh and elegant, not at all losing out to Qin Xi. However, the corners of his eyes looked enchanting, and his face made him look like a romantic person—when he looked around, it seemed as if he was only looking around affectionately.

A frown emerged on Qin Xi's brows the instant he saw that face. He said gloomily: "It's you!"

The young man chuckled. "It's me."

Seeing him laughing made Qin Xi feel even more unhappy. "Since you came, why didn't you immediately meet us? What were you ambus.h.i.+ng us for?"

The young man waved, putting his sword back into its scabbard. He then fanned himself using his bamboo hat and said frivolously, " It's because of you guys!" A light seemed to flash for an instant in his gaze, and he stared fixedly at Mo Tiange with a pair of eyes that looked as if they were full of spring water. With a small smile, he said, "This Miss is Lord Daoist Jinghe's last disciple, Master Daoist Qingwei? I'm Jing Xingzhi, a cultivator from Gujian Sect. I've been looking forward to meeting you."

Jing Xingzhi? Gujian Sect cultivator? Qin Xi said they still had to wait for a Gujian Sect cultivator—could it be that he was the one they were waiting for?

She saluted him back and said faintly, "I'm indeed Mo Qingwei. Greetings to Fellow Daoist Jing."

Jing Xingzhi stared blankly for a split second after seeing how polite and calm her att.i.tude was towards him, but he soon smiled even more brightly than before. "So you're Miss Mo. When I first heard that Miss Mo formed her Gold Core at such a young age and was known as a genius among geniuses, I still thought people were exaggerating. But now that we've met, Miss—"

"Jing Xingzhi!" Qin Xi bluntly addressed him by his name. His annoyance was apparent on his face. "Fellow Daoist Tong and the others are still here. Instead of giving them an explanation, what are you trying to familiarize yourself with my junior martial sister for?!"

Upon hearing what Qin Xi said, the smile on Jing Xingzhi's face became even brighter. He blinked his flirtatious eyes and said with a smile, "Qin Shoujing, what are you so anxious about? Fellow Daoist Tong himself isn't objecting…"

"You're wasting our time!" Qin Xi threw him a cold glare then turned towards Tong Tianyun and the other two cultivators. "Fellow Daoist Tong, I've explained the matter to you; whether you want to kill or punish, you should ask this Fellow Daoist Jing. My junior martial sister and I will be taking our leave first." Right after he finished speaking, he directly turned around and walked away, looking like he didn't want to stay there even a second longer.

Mo Tiange had no time to say anything. She nodded towards Tong Tianyun then hurriedly followed after Qin Xi.

Tong Tianyun didn't stop them. Although they fought inside Kunzhong City and damaged many things, there seemed to be no casualties for now, so this couldn't really be considered a very grave offense. However, when he turned around and saw Jing Xingzhi staring in the direction of the two people leaving with a faint smile, Tong Tianyun couldn't help but smile and remind him: "Fellow Daoist Jing, this old man has to give you some advice—Fellow Daoist Shoujing's mood isn't that good this time, so it'd be better if you don't provoke him."

"Oh?" Once Qin Xi's and Mo Tiange's silhouettes disappeared, Jing Xingzhi finally s.h.i.+fted his line of sight. Still smiling, he asked, "Why is that? Isn't he, Qin Shoujing, indifferent and unmoved no matter what happens? How could his mood be bad?"

Tong Tianyun said, "No matter who it is, their mood wouldn't be good if they failed their soul-formation three times, right?"

Jing Xingzhi nodded, but he also blinked his eyes innocently. "You're technically right, but… I think his mood's bad because of another reason, no?"

"Hehe." Tong Tianyun pretended to not understand the gaze Jing Xingzhi shot at him. "I don't know about this. If Fellow Daoist Jing wants to know, why doesn't Fellow Daoist Jing directly ask Fellow Daoist Shoujing?"

Jing Xingzhi shook his head. "I'm not stupid. Will I get an answer if I ask him? If I ask with a few more words, that Three Yang Real Fire Sword of his will come and chop me apart!"

"Is Fellow Daoist Jing afraid?"

Tong Tianyun obviously wanted to pit the two of them together, but Jing Xingzhi was an honest person. He shrugged and said, "Fellow Daoist Tong, you don't have to incite me. I admit—regarding fights of magical power, I'm not as good as him even though I'm a sword cultivator. But, regarding soul-formation, I might be able to really surpa.s.s him."

Something flashed in Tong Tianyun's gaze. "Fellow Daoist Jing's very confident. Could it be that big odds of success are already in your grasp?"

"No way." Jing Xingzhi wasn't stupid. Once he saw Tong Tianyun's expression, he denied it at once. "Hasn't Qin Shoujing failed three times? Presumably, he still won't be able to form his Nascent Soul for some time. If I worked harder and succeeded in my soul-formation in one try, won't that mean I surpa.s.sed him?"

"Hehe!" Tong Tianyun let out short chuckles then said, "It seems Fellow Daoist Jing has quite a lot of confidence for this trip onto Demonic Mountain this time!"

"I'm not confident—I just prepared more." Jing Xingzhi looked at Tong Tianyun. His gaze seemed to contain another hidden meaning. "Isn't Fellow Daoist Tong the same? Presumably, for this trip onto Demonic Mountain this time, Fellow Daoist Tong has a card up his sleeve."

Tong Tianyun pretended to not hear him and changed the topic. "Fellow Daoist Jing, since you've already come, let's meet up tomorrow. We've been delayed for quite a while. In case the restrictions on Demonic Mountain disappear prematurely, we'll certainly lose out."

"True, true." Jing Xingzhi grinned. "That being the case, I'll go back and rest first. See you tomorrow, Fellow Daoist Tong!"

"Hey!" Tong Tianyun stopped him then equally showed a grin. "Fellow Daoist Jing, you've ignored the rules of Kunzhong City, fought and caused trouble inside the city, breaking many things… Don't you think you should compensate us for our losses?"