"Damn, this kid is actually using me to hone his sword techniques." By this point, the experienced Mu She had realized that he was being used as a whetstone by his opponent. The unpredictable sword moves, though not overwhelmingly powerful in themselves, were hard to block and gave him the upper hand at times.
However, their exquisite complexity was something Mu She had never seen before. Combined with each other, they left him, despite his stronger base strength, feeling mentally and physically exhausted.
The two fought from inside the courtyard to the outside, and back again.
Glaring coldly at the high-spirited Xiao Se, Mu She abandoned his pride in close combat. He raised his large blade high, and the boundless fighting energy of a Battle Master surged from within him, forming a thin layer of battle energy around his body.
"Dou Qi armor?" Xiao Se's expression turned serious as he watched Mu She reveal his true strength, knowing that the man was ready to go all out.
Silently, Xiao Se slipped a Qi Restoration Pill from his waist into his mouth, gripping his sword tightly.
"Kid, you're indeed strong. Give yourself one or two more years, and I might not be able to handle you. But unfortunately for you, you're too impatient. Today, I'll show you the price of standing out too soon."
"Wind Blade Dance."
Mu She exhaled deeply, his large blade began to spin wildly. Multiple blade shadows appeared before him, rapidly forming a dense web of blades.
Wind Blade Dance, a low-level Xuan-class battle technique, had solidified Mu She's reputation as the strongest in Qingshan Town.
"You think you're the only one with advanced techniques? I have one too."
Seeing the dense web of blades coming at him, Xiao Se sneered. The Qi Restoration Pill quietly dissolved, and a cold blue-white flame flickered in his hand.
"Roaring Lion Strike."
As Xiao Se shouted in his mind, a massive energy lion appeared at the tip of his sword, enveloped in a blue-white flame. The lion roared violently as it charged forward. The roar was so deafening that the eardrums of nearby mercenaries, already paralyzed from poison, burst, and blood trickled from their ears.
The space around the fiery lion distorted due to the intense heat. Wherever the lion passed, the ground burned, leaving charred footprints behind.
This was the result of months of Xiao Se's training—combining beast flame with battle techniques to unleash even greater power. But it came at a cost: the energy consumption increased dramatically. If not for the Qi Restoration Pill, Xiao Se would have only been able to use it once with his current energy reserves.
The heat and oppressive aura in the air caused Mu She's pupils to contract sharply. He had never expected this mysterious boy to have such a hidden depth.
Biting his lip, Mu She knew that whoever flinched first would die. The contest now was to see who could unleash more power from their techniques and who could last longer. Pouring every bit of his energy into his blade, Mu She charged at the flaming lion.
"Boom!!!"
The fiery lion collided with the web of blades, which managed to hold it off momentarily. However, the lion's violent power and intense heat soon tore through the blade web, shattering it completely. The flaming lion broke through and slammed into Mu She's chest.
The lion's head carried Mu She's body with it, smashing through the courtyard wall before crashing into a tall, thick dirt mound several meters outside. The lion then exploded, shattering the mound in a deafening explosion and sending dust flying everywhere.
In the courtyard, a light breeze revealed Xiao Se's figure, standing with his sword in hand, a faint smile on his lips.
In the sky, the stunned Xiao Yixian covered her mouth with her delicate hand, her eyes full of shock and disbelief as she looked at the boy who had just overpowered Battle Master Mu She.
It took a while before Xiao Yixian recovered, lightly stroking the feathers of her blue eagle as she gently descended into the courtyard.
Leaping down from the eagle's back, she walked over to Xiao Se, whose face was pale despite his smile. She gently patted his back and asked worriedly, "Are you alright?"
Xiao Se smiled and shook his head, "I'm fine, just low on energy."
"Good to hear." Seeing that Xiao Se was safe, Xiao Yixian finally relaxed. She then glanced at the mound where Mu She had crashed and asked, "What about Mu She?"
Xiao Se extended his spiritual sense to check, shook his head, and said, "I can't sense any life signs, but better make sure."
Glancing over at Mu Li, who lay unconscious nearby, Xiao Se smirked and pulled out five steel needles coated with neurotoxins, expertly throwing them to pin down Mu Li's limbs.
"Ahh!" A blood-curdling scream echoed as Mu Li awoke from his unconsciousness, only to find himself unable to move as he screamed in pain.
"Leave Mu Li to you. Settle both new and old scores. I'll finish off Mu She." Xiao Se pointed toward Mu Li and walked in Mu She's direction.
Xiao Yixian nodded, her face darkening as she slowly approached Mu Li.
Not long after, Xiao Se finished off Mu She, recovering a jade card worth 100,000 gold coins from his body. Mu Li also stopped screaming.
Walking over to Xiao Yixian, Xiao Se looked at the lifeless Mu Li and asked curiously, "What did you do to him?"
"He's crippled, so I gave him a poison that will keep him asleep forever," Xiao Yixian sighed with a faint smile.
"You're too kind. He gave you quite a bit of trouble," Xiao Se remarked with a smile.
"Kind?" Xiao Yixian gently touched her stomach, turned around, and repeated the word softly as she fell into thought.
Noticing her gesture, Xiao Se frowned and thought, "Could Xiao Yixian have already activated the Woeful Poison Body?"
Patting her gently on the shoulder, Xiao Se smiled and said, "Don't overthink it. If someone doesn't harm us, we won't harm them. But for those who do, there's no need to feel guilty."
"Mm, thank you, Xiao Se." Xiao Yixian smiled warmly as she looked at his hand resting on her shoulder.
"Alright, let's go." Xiao Se smiled, wrapped his arm around Xiao Yixian's slender waist, and leapt onto the eagle's back.
Xiao Yixian stroked the blue eagle's feathers, and with a wave of her hand, the eagle let out a cry and circled in the air before flying toward the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
After Xiao Se and Xiao Yixian left, news of Mu She and his son's defeat quickly spread throughout Qingshan Town, leaving everyone in shock. No one could have imagined that the usually gentle and aloof Xiao Yixian had such a powerful friend.
Yao, the head of Wan Yao Pharmacy(Zhai), awoke from his coma and, upon learning of Mu She's death, decided to give up on any thoughts of revenge, resigning himself to his fate.
But none of this mattered to Xiao Se anymore. If everything went as expected, even if he returned to the eastern part of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, he wouldn't come back to Qingshan Town again. He would only wait near the Amethyst Winged Lion King's lair.
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