Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Someone who sent Stage Six Qi experts flying in one blow was not an ordinary character.
“Stage Seven Qi!”
Cui Buping stared at Ning Xiaochuan, flabbergasted. This guy had attained Stage Seven Qi at his age – he must be some genius descendant from a major clan. If Cui Buping was not careful, he might cause a huge disaster!
Cui Buping could not afford to offend a genius from a major clan, but it was impossible to back off now. More than anything, he could not give up on the Blood-toad Wood that would soon be his.
This time, things were rather tricky. This young man had attained Stage Seven Qi and was not easy to handle!
Cui Buping had a Cultivation of Stage Eight Qi, but he knew that the descendants from the major clans would cultivate their martial art techniques from youth. Even if they had a Cultivation of Stage Seven Qi, their fighting ability must not be underestimated. If this opponent wanted to escape, Cui Buping had no assurance that he could actually kill this guy.
“Listen up, everyone. Surround the area and don’t let either of them escape. I’ll kill this tyke.” Cui Buping unsheathed the ancient black magnetic sword at his waist. In a single gesture, his Qi enveloped the ancient sword, emitting a dark glow over eight feet long and displaying potent Qi fluctuations.
“Cultivation at Stage Eight Qi.”
Ning Xiaochuan had not fought against a Stage Eight Qi martial artist before and immediately turned serious.
The realm of difference between each Stage indicated a massive disparity in strength.
If it were not for his trump card, the Qi Sword, Ning Xiaochuan would not be confident about winning against a Stage Eight Qi martial artist. This time, he was in for a tough fight.
“Boom!”
Cui Buping stomped heavily on the ground, causing the rocks below to sink. His arm flashed and the sword sped forward, splitting into nine sword images that each aimed at Ning Xiaochuan’s nine main vital parts.
Naturally, Ning Xiaochuan dared not clash directly against Cui Buping. After all, he could only use the Qi Sword once. If he did not successfully kill his opponent, he was sure to be killed by his opponent.
Careful, he must remain careful.
He must look for the best chance.
“Swish!”
A sharp gust of Qi swept past Ning Xiaochuan’s neck and cut loose a strand of Ning Xiaochuan’s hair. It nearly beheaded him.
Of course, Cui Buping would not give up on this opportunity. The Qi within his body circulated even more quickly. He planned to end things quickly by defeating Ning Xiaochuan with a single blow.
Just as Cui Buping’s Qi circulation was reaching its peak, Ning Xiaochuan suddenly stopped running. A deadly glint flashed in his eyes.
Now was the time.
When Cui Buping’s Qi reached its peak, he would slow down for just one moment to draw in a breath!
That one moment was enough time for Ning Xiaochuan to condense his Qi Sword.
In that one moment, who lived or died would be decided.
“Qi Sword!”
Qi condensed above Ning Xiaochuan’s hands, forming into a crimson Qi Sword. The sword slashed forward, leaving behind a large red wave.
Cui Buping’s eyes were filled with alarm. He had never dreamed that a Stage Seven Qi martial artist could actually condense a Qi Sword.
“Clang!”
The black magnetic sword in Cui Buping’s hands was severed into two by the Qi Sword. Common weapons like this stood no chance against the Qi Sword.
“Psshh!”
The Qi Sword neatly sliced through Cui Buping’s thighs. The upper half of his body fell into a pool of blood. Incessant howls burst out from his mouth, and his eyes were filled with potent despair.
His legs had been chopped off. With that, his fate today was sealed.
“I don’t accept this, I don’t accept this…” Cui Buping could not stop muttering.
While Ning Xiaochuan and Cui Buping were fighting, Murong Wushuang had been dispatching the ten or so martial artists from Xuanye Emporium, tossing their bodies over the cliff.
In this world, it was survival of the fittest. The person who faltered for a second was fated to falter forever.
Whether it was Ning Xiaochuan or Murong Wushuang, they both knew that they must kill those from the Xuanye Emporium, leaving no one alive. If even one person escaped, news of the Blood-toad Wood would leak.
Once the martial art practitioners came to Southpearl Mountain, considering their current strength, Ning Xiaochuan and Murong Wushuang would not be able to hold on to the Blood-toad Wood. In the end, they would die because of this Blood-toad Wood.
Therefore, anyone who knew about the Blood-toad Wood must die. There was no other option.
Cui Buping stared at Murong Wushuang with a distressed expression. “So you’re a martial art expert as well, with a Cultivation of Stage Seven Qi too! If I’d known that your Cultivations were so high, I’d have invited even more experts.”
Murong Wushuang raised his machete. “It’s too bad there’s no use crying over spilt milk!”
“Hold on! I’m not the only one who lied to you.”
Cui Buping pointed at Ning Xiaochuan and barked out a cold laugh. “Isn’t he hankering after the Blood-toad Wood as well? If you kill me, he’ll kill you for sure. He’s already cultivated the Qi Sword. You’re no match for him.”
Murong Wushuang’s hand froze and he glanced at Ning Xiaochuan.
Ning Xiaochuan remained unruffled. “I’m different from you. I only bought that leaf after he begged me to.”
Murong Wushuang thought about it and felt himself go red in the face.
Ning Xiaochuan continued, “Plus, I used fifty thousand copper coins to purchase information regarding the Blood-toad Wood. That in itself is a fair price.”
Cui Buping knew that he would not live through the day, but he still wanted to drag someone down with him. Thus, he intentionally stoked the conflict between Ning Xiaochuan and Murong Wushuang. With a mocking laugh, he said, “Fifty thousand copper coins for a whole Blood-toad Tree – that’s considered a fair price? The value of a Blood-toad Tree definitely surpasses a hundred million copper coins.”
Ning Xiaochuan shook his head. “I can only pay fifty thousand copper coins, no more than that. If one gives an ordinary person too much money, it might not be a good thing for them. Who knows if it would bring deadly misfortune upon him.”
Cui Buping said placidly, “But he’s not an ordinary person.”
Ning Xiaochuan replied just as calmly, “Before entering Southpearl Mountain, I didn’t know that he cultivated his Qi.”
Cui Buping fell silent. It was true! Before entering Southpearl Mountain, even an experienced Stage Eight Qi practitioner like him could not tell that Murong Wushuang had cultivated Qi. This meant that Murong Wushuang surely used some method or Mystical Equipment that concealed his Cultivation.
Ning Xiaochuan, treating him as an ordinary person, had given him fifty thousand copper coins for information about the Blood-toad Wood. This was already a considerate gesture.
This was not a small sum of money, it was enough to last an ordinary family for three years. Of course, it was also not enough to attract unwanted attention from murderous parties.
This was the rare, remarkable thing about Ning Xiaochuan. He did not try to take advantage of others and considered their safety at the same time.
Cui Buping was deeply unhappy as he could not believe that there was someone untainted by greed in this world. “Lies, it’s all lies… Uh…”
“Pshh!”
Murong Wushuang brought down his arms, slicing off Cui Buping’s head in one move. Following that, he tossed the body over the cliff. “This fellow speaks too much nonsense. Brother Chuan, you’re a good person.”
Ning Xiaochuan asked, “How can you tell that I’m a good person?”
Murong Wushuang said, “I, Murong Wushuang, am a rogue who lives on the streets. I’ve done my fair share of stealing and swindling. Although I’m not as clever as you, I can differentiate clearly between good and bad people. I could certainly use a friend like you. Of course, if you look down upon those who come from a poor family like me, just pretend I haven’t said all that.”
Ning Xiaochuan clasped his hands on Murong Wushuang’s shoulders and smiled. “I’m ashamed to say that, compared to a Blood-toad Tree, fifty thousand copper coins truly isn’t much. The Blood-toad Wood would be very helpful to me, as it’s able to help me quickly advance my Cultivation. I must have it, and I must attain the Divine Body Realm within three months. How about this! I have a square of gold-grained rosewood, which is stored with Earthly Martial Qi from a Martial Supreme. Its value would not be much lower than a Blood-toad Tree. I’ll give it to you in exchange. How’s that?”
Murong Wushuang shook his head. “I’ve said that I want to be friends. The Blood-toad Wood shall be my greeting gift to you. As for the gold-grained rosewood, keep it for yourself! I’m a guy from a poor family. If others know that I have a treasure like that, I’ll be found dead on the street the next day.”
“Very well. Then I’ll give you a cultivation manual in return!” Ning Xiaochuan said.
Murong Wushuang’s eyes lit up and he gripped Ning Xiaochuan’s shoulders, shaking him in excitement. “Brother Chuan, don’t fool around. The cultivation manual of a major clan can’t be passed around. It’s the foundation of the clan. If you pass your cultivation manual to an outsider and the elders of your clan learn about it, they’ll send someone to kill us for sure.”
Ning Xiaochuan shook his head. “My clan is very big, exceptionally big. We have many cultivation manuals. Other than the most valuable volume on the cultivation of Divine Techniques, I should be able to pass to you the other cultivation manuals.”
Marquis Jiange’s Residence had been immensely active. Over the centuries, they had raided quite a number of altars and sects and even slaughtered an Evil Dragon. Naturally, they had collected many cultivation manuals. Ning Xiaochuan had noticed a few manuals that were rather decent in the book chamber.
His memory was excellent. Even now, he should still be able to recall eighty to ninety percent of the contents in those manuals.
Since they had reached the place where the Blood-toad Wood was, Ning Xiaochuan was not in a hurry to harvest it. Instead, he found a slab and rapidly wrote on it, transcribing a manual from memory.
“Swoosh swoosh!”
He used his finger for a pen. His fingertip scratched the surface swiftly and stone dust drifted to the ground unceasingly.
In less than an hour, he had engraved a whole cultivation manual onto the slab.
“Tortoise-breath Still Technique.” Murong Wushuang stared at the contents on the slab and rubbed his palms. He was extraordinarily moved as he did not expect Ning Xiaochuan would actually give him a cultivation manual.
This was a cultivation manual!
Many of the major clans had a cultivation manual, which was the foundation of a clan. It was a treasured heirloom that could not possibly be passed around. If it was leaked, all those who saw it would be wiped out.
As an example, the biggest clan of the Southern Mountain Cluster was the Ye Clan, who owned one cultivation manual, the Green-leaf Divine Technique.
Only the direct descendants of the Ye Clan or those who sold themselves to the Ye Clan were able to learn from the Green-leaf Divine Technique.
However, Ning Xiaochuan had written out a cultivation manual from memory without batting an eyelid. Based on the cultivation methods inscribed in this manual, it was not an ordinary cultivation manual. It was certainly superior to the Green-leaf Divine Technique.