Sun Man looked at the young man sprawled in his own chair and then at the body of his second-in-command collapsed in the center of the hall, feeling a surge of hatred rush to his head.
"Greenhorn, not even fully fledged, and you're trying to play the hero, dispensing justice? Go to hell," he clearly mistook Qing Yu for some knight seeking to eradicate evil and gain fame.
Sun Man raised his broadsword with both hands and leaped into the air, bringing down a Powerful Slash of Huashan directly towards Qing Yu. The blade came down in front of the Taishi Chair, but with a flicker of a shadow, it hit nothing but air.
Screams came from the doorway as Qing Yu weaved through the crowd with his Mystic Iron dagger in hand. Divine Transformation was inherently adept at agile movements and unpredictable changes, and with the dagger being shorter by an inch, more dangerous by an inch, in the blink of an eye, several men fell.
"He's only one person, everyone side by side, trap him."
There were still some smart ones around. Hearing the shout, the bandits squeezed towards Qing Yu, attempting to compress the space to capture him.
Unfortunately for them, the Mystic Iron dagger cut through iron like mud. Wherever Qing Yu went, flesh and blood flew, occasionally throwing an arm out. Sun Man, on the outskirts of the crowd, watched as one after another fell, with no opportunity to strike.
"Everyone get out of my way," Sun Man readied his sword, waiting for the crowd to disperse for his chance to strike.
The bandits, hearing the Grand Master's command, scrambled to spread out, only to find that only five were still able to move. As the crowd dispersed, those squeezed in the middle lost their support and finally fell. Qing Yu dashed forward, his right hand with the long sword sweeping across, slashing the throats of three of them.
Seeing this, Sun Man couldn't care if some of his brothers were still breathing; he lowered his broadsword and thrust it towards Qing Yu.
Qing Yu was covered in blood, though most of it belonged to others—some of it sprayed from the wounds that ruptured amidst the collision.
"Divine Transformation," his figure shifted, darting out the door, and then he flew backwards with the Golden Wild Goose Skill, leaping onto the open ground outside the hall within a few movements.
"Boy, who the hell are you?" Sun Man now dared not treat Qing Yu as a green youngster any longer. The opponent's ruthless moves were nothing like those of a fifteen or sixteen-year-old baby.
Qing Yu just smiled lightly, "Golden Wild Goose Skill," moving forward lightly, his right hand with the long sword thrusting straight forward. His eyes filled with a murderous intent, what was the point in wasting words with a dead man?
"You..." Sun Man saw that his opponent was silent, clearly disdainful of speaking with him. Before he could curse, he was embroiled in a fight with Qing Yu.
Although Sun Man had been sent spinning by Qing Yu's use of "Divine Transformation" earlier, and fifteen of his men were reduced to two, his martial arts abilities were actually not lacking—otherwise, he wouldn't have attained the position of Grand Master.
His broadsword moved in large swings; although the moves were rough, they were particularly suited for a broadsword, leaving Qing Yu momentarily at a loss.
"What are you waiting for? Come here and help me," Sun Man pushed Qing Yu back with a swing and turned to the two bandits who had been unable to join the fray, shouting at them.
Upon hearing the Grand Master's command, the two bandits ran over in haste.
'Coming to die, are you?' Qing Yu thought to himself with contempt. Originally, Sun Man's swinging broadsword, combined with tremendous strength, left Qing Yu, with his insufficient experience in combat, at a slight disadvantage, somewhat outmatched. Now with two more joining, Sun Man, wielding such a large weapon, couldn't move freely—he was muddled, simply seeking his own death.
The four of them clashed once again. Qing Yu deliberately avoided the two new recruits, focusing solely on Sun Man with "Divine Transformation," moving and dodging, attacking only Sun Man.
Sure enough, Sun Man struggled to use his sword technique, restrained and clumsy, and in a blink, he accumulated two more wounds on his left shoulder and body.
Seeing this tactic yielding great results, Qing Yu redoubled his efforts, aiming directly at the enemy chieftain.
"You've got an opening." Qing Yu's long sword stabbed towards Sun Man's chest.
In panic, and as the long sword neared him, Sun Man's mouth twisted into a sly grin, reached out, and pulled one of his men to his left to block the sword.
The long sword pierced into the chest of the bandit pulled in front of him, and for a moment, it was difficult to withdraw. Seeing the opportunity, the bandit on the right raised his sword and hacked towards Qing Yu.
"I can block it!" Qing Yu's left hand, clutching the Mystic Iron dagger, met the broadsword head-on, the dagger's edge, sharp enough to slice through iron like mud, even cut the broadsword in half.
"Ha!" Sun Man bellowed, gripping his great sword in both hands and cleaved diagonally, the sword chopped off the neck of the bandit whose own sword had been severed, its momentum unrelenting, aiming to decapitate Qing Yu in one fell swoop.
"It's too late..." Qing Yu's left hand was at its limit, the broadsword was practically coming straight at him.
Crisis descended; the blade's edge rushing towards him was reflected in his pupils, as if splitting them in two.
In the urgent moment, Qing Yu's figure blurred, a ghostly shadow flickered, the elusive presence he usually exhibited when using "Divine Transformation" took on a hint of eeriness. In an instant, Qing Yu appeared behind Sun Man, his dagger penetrating Sun Man's neck from behind, the tip just barely visible poking out from the throat.
Sun Man's mouth opened and closed, but in the end, he fell unwillingly to the ground.
"I really was careless this time..." Qing Yu, having narrowly escaped death, revealed a relieved smile, only to scream in agony and collapse to the ground. Despite his loud screams, his arms and legs were rigid, unable to move.
"Calm... Stay calm..." Qing Yu murmured, circulating the Quanzhen Heart Method, forcing himself to enter the tranquil state he achieved during normal training.
The pain wracking his body interrupted the flow of his mental method time and again. Qing Yu tried repeatedly, and at last, he managed to complete a full cycle of the Quanzhen Heart Method. The fire that seemed to burn through his entire body diminished, and Qing Yu, pushing on determinedly, finally managed to suppress the chaotic energy rampaging inside him.
Sweat trickled out, soaking his clothes and forming a human shape on the ground. Still suffering from the aftereffects, Qing Yu lay prostrate, unable to rise for a long while.
"Heh..." Qing Yu gasped for air, "Exorcism Swordsmanship... is truly... terrifying. I only ran it for an instant, and I almost deviated. A bit more, and I would have had to spend the rest of my life bedridden."
Indeed, it was in that brief moment that Qing Yu used the mnemonic from the Exorcism Sword Manual to instantly accelerate "Divine Transformation," allowing him to appear behind Sun Man like a teleport, and instantly kill him.
As for where this "Exorcism Swordsmanship" came from, of course, it was from defeating Lin Pingzhi's Character Card on Beicang Mountain and acquiring the inheritance. How was he defeated? Please, defeating Lin Pingzhi in his prime was like taking candy from a baby, let alone a blind man. From the first time Qing Yu saw the Lin Pingzhi Character Card with the picture of the man with closed eyes, he guessed that this might be Lin Pingzhi later in life after he went blind—thanks to Mu Tuozi.
Then, he took a bunch of bells and his homemade Strong Smoke (the same type of seductive smoke used by Lord Wei). The person who bought the bells was also a kind-hearted sponsor. Entering the Inheritance Space, he first released the smoke, scattering bells amidst a torrential downpour. After waiting for a while, he finished them off with a coup de grâce, and obtained the inheritance—a One-star "Hua Mountain Swordsmanship" and "Hua Mountain Heart Method," as well as a Two-star "Exorcism Swordsmanship."
Lianduan Mountain Range.
Nestled on a mountainside was a delicate pavilion, with only a narrow path clinging to the mountain face; on the other side of the path lay a cliff.
Black-faced Brother, wearing a black faceless mask, ascended the stairs of this small building, arriving in a room on the second floor with a balcony. A figure clad in purple garments and wearing a golden crown stood at the balcony railing, gazing into the distance at the tiny Yang City.
"My lord," Black-Faced Brother bent his knee in a half-kneel, offering his respects. Judging by the scene, this gazer must be Mr. Mo.
"Xiao Gao, any news?" Mr. Mo, with his back to Xiao Gao, continued to look into the distance.
"Yes. Yesterday, Qing Yu unblocked one of the Extraordinary Meridians and advanced to the Postnatal Fifth Realm. After that, due to lack of funds, he was kicked out by the innkeeper. Subsequently, he robbed all the riffraff and gang members he came across and even stole a sword. With the stolen money, he bought a heap of bells, checked back into the inn, and left the bells there today without a clue for what purpose. He headed to Wohu Village three miles outside the city and slaughtered all the bandits in the village."
"Robbing for money? This Qing Yu, he's amusing," said Mr. Mo with a chuckle. "If I recall correctly, all the bandit strongholds within a five-mile radius of Yang City are under the control of the Sun Family, aren't they? So why, he's decided to act so soon? He hasn't even passed the test I gave him."
"Yes, the chief of Wohu Village was Sun Man, a distant relative of the Sun Family."
"I think Qing Yu killed them not in a rush to prove himself, but for sword training."
"Sword training?" Mr. Mo seemed puzzled.
"Sword training," Xiao Gao confirmed. "He has lived on Beicang Mountain all this time without even a suitable sword, presumably with no experience in combat. In preparation for an enemy he will face in two days, he needs ample experience. So he's training with a sword, killing to train."
"Killing for sword training. Interesting, I'm looking forward to his performance in two days."