Chapter 34

**Clang!**

Sparks flew as a powerful counter-shock forced Luo Xiu to retreat several steps.

The other party’s internal cultivation was at least at the Fifth Rank level, and with the suppression of cultivation, Luo Xiu was completely no match for him.

Moreover, the young man in white’s sword technique was also highly advanced, nearing perfection, leaving Luo Xiu with no chance to injure him.

"Die! Heavenly Wolf Howling at the Moon!"

A piercing cry echoed from the young man in white’s mouth, and a dazzling sword light slashed forward, making Luo Xiu feel as if a heavenly wolf was howling to the sky.

Clearly, the young man in white was using a sword technique of at least Fifth Rank!

"Nine Thunder Swords!"

Luo Xiu resisted with all his might. His sword was so fast that it created ripples in the air.

The two swords collided, and Luo Xiu’s body rapidly retreated, his tiger’s mouth torn open, and blood flowed out.

"Hmm? You can actually withstand my Heavenly Wolf Howling at the Moon?" The young man in white frowned, dissatisfied that his sword only split Luo Xiu’s tiger’s mouth.

He was a Seventh Rank Qi Sea Realm martial artist, with true qi condensed almost to a tangible state, and the Heavenly Wolf Howling at the Moon was a Fifth Rank martial technique. Many martial artists of the same realm were no match for him.

"If you don’t die, you might have a place in the Free and Easy Sect in the future, but it’s a pity that you will ultimately die at my hands. You can only blame yourself for offending someone you shouldn’t have!" The young man in white raised his long sword and attacked again.

**Boom!**

Luo Xiu channeled his true qi to the extreme, the Wheel of Life and Death in his dantian spinning rapidly, and black flames rose on his body.

"Flame power? How is this possible?" The young man in white’s face changed dramatically when he saw the black flames on Luo Xiu’s body.

"Nine Thunder Swords!"

At this moment, Luo Xiu used the death black flames to enhance his sword technique, the sword qi howling, and a sinister and terrifying aura of death spread.

**Clang!**

The two swords collided again. This time, Luo Xiu was not forced back. Relying on the power of the death black flames, he withstood the impact of the other party’s true qi.

The young man in white’s eyes showed shock, "A Qi Sea Realm cultivator actually mastered elemental power..."

However, he quickly calmed down, a cold smile appearing at the corner of his mouth, "Even if you have mastered elemental power, your cultivation is too low. You will still die at my hands."

"Dragon Tiger Fist!"

Luo Xiu clenched his left hand into a fist and struck with the fierce tiger form of the Dragon Tiger Fist, the death black flames condensing and smashing towards the young man in white’s face.

"Mountain Splitting Palm!"

The young man in white sneered and casually used a Fourth Rank palm technique, true qi light condensing to shatter Luo Xiu’s fist.

**Bang!**

The fist and palm collided, and Luo Xiu’s body trembled, retreating several steps, but he inwardly smiled coldly, as the life meridian on the other party’s left hand had been damaged.

"Ah!"

The young man in white let out a painful cry, his face turning pale, his left hand throbbing with intense pain, bones broken, and a scorching sensation continuously burning his flesh, making it unbearable.

"How is this possible? Even if he has mastered elemental power, his true qi is not as strong as mine. I clearly forced him back, so why am I the one injured?" The young man in white couldn’t understand what was happening.

However, Luo Xiu wouldn’t give him any chance to think. The Shadow Sword, like a black lightning bolt, struck towards his opponent.

The young man in white hurriedly swung his sword to block, but with his left hand injured and unable to move, his strength was affected. Although he wasn’t at a disadvantage, it was almost impossible for him to kill Luo Xiu.

"Rising Dragon Form!"

Luo Xiu seized a tiny flaw, his left hand again condensing the death black flames, smashing towards the young man in white.

"Damn you!"

The young man in white was furious. With his left hand injured, he couldn’t block, and his sword was restrained by Luo Xiu, forcing him to retreat and avoid Luo Xiu’s punch.

But this retreat gave Luo Xiu the upper hand.

"It’s over!"

A cold light flashed in Luo Xiu’s eyes. The black Shadow Sword flashed, and with a slicing sound, it cut through the young man in white’s wrist, blood splattering.

"Ah!"

The young man in white cried out again, his long sword falling, a sharp sword light pressing against his forehead.

At this moment, the young man in white felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

He, a Seventh Rank Qi Sea Realm martial artist, had been defeated by a mere First Rank Qi Sea Realm opponent, leaving him both shocked and angry.

However, with the threat of death before him, he dared not make any rash moves.

"Who sent you to kill me?" Luo Xiu asked coldly.

"Will you spare me if I tell you?" The young man in white looked at Luo Xiu, "If you promise not to kill me, I will tell you."

"You don’t have the right to make conditions with me." Luo Xiu coldly shouted, the sword tip moving forward half an inch, piercing the skin on the young man in white’s forehead, blood seeping out.

The pain in his forehead made the young man in white’s face change. If he didn’t speak, he was sure Luo Xiu would kill him.

Thinking this, he took a deep breath and said, "We three brothers were sent by our master to Qingyun City to kill you. My master is the outer sect enforcer of the Free and Easy Sect, Zhang Luliang."

"Zhang Luliang?" Luo Xiu’s eyes flashed with a fierce light, "The patriarch of the Zhang family is Zhang Luliang, the outer sect enforcer of the Free and Easy Sect."

Clearly, Zhang Luliang was harboring resentment over the death of the Zhang family’s head, Zhang Shaoyong, and dared not offend the Qingyun Hall Master, so he sent his disciples to Qingyun City to find an opportunity to eliminate him.

"I’ve told you, you..." The young man in white hoped Luo Xiu would spare his life.

However, before he could finish his plea, the Shadow Sword pierced his forehead, and he fell to the ground, lifeless.

Luo Xiu’s face was cold. The three young men in white had come to kill him, and now, having failed, they hoped he would show mercy. How could such a thing happen in this world?

For Luo Xiu, he had his own principles. He wouldn’t provoke others, nor would he kill innocents randomly, but if someone tried to kill him, he would show no mercy, regardless of their status.

Sheathing the sword, Luo Xiu began to collect the treasures from the three men. Being disciples of the outer sect enforcer Zhang Luliang, they were clearly outer sect disciples of the Free and Easy Sect.

Every year, the major martial halls in Yunlong County would produce a batch of Qi Sea Realm martial artists under the age of eighteen, but only three could gain entry to the outer sect, showing that those absorbed by the Free and Easy Sect were geniuses among geniuses.

However, even among geniuses, there were differences in strength. The two Fifth Rank Qi Sea Realm martial artists Luo Xiu had killed earlier were relatively weak, while the young man in white, if not for the damage to his life meridian and the death black flames, Luo Xiu would have been no match for him.

On the three men, Luo Xiu found three outer sect disciple identity tokens. They also had storage devices, two wristbands, and one ring, containing many essence stones and medicinal pills.

The storage ring was taken from the young man in white, and its space was much larger than Luo Xiu’s own storage wristband, likely a treasure crafted by a Third Rank array master.

Their weapons were also notable. The two Fifth Rank Qi Sea Realm martial artists used low-grade human rank battle weapons, while the young man in white’s sword was a mid-grade human rank, worth at least a thousand essence stones.

**Roar!**

Suddenly, a thunderous roar echoed through the forest, making Luo Xiu’s eardrums ring and his internal qi and blood vibrate.

"A roar with such power must come from at least a Third Rank demon beast!"

Luo Xiu’s face changed. This was the perilous Baqi Mountain, and the scent of blood could easily attract powerful demon beasts nearby.

He dared not linger. Within the range of his life perception, a powerful demon beast aura appeared, and he quickly used his body technique to leave the area.

After a long time, Luo Xiu appeared beside a small stream, cupping his hands to drink some clear water and wash his face.

Thinking of the three men he had killed, Luo Xiu’s face turned cold.

"Zhang Luliang sent three disciples to kill me. If they don’t return, he will surely suspect something. When I join the Free and Easy Sect, there will be no shortage of trouble."

The Qingyun Hall Master had mentioned the patriarch of the Zhang family, a Ninth Rank Innate Realm martial master, who could easily crush a First Rank Qi Sea Realm martial artist like Luo Xiu with a single finger.

Luo Xiu knew that even if he could damage life meridians to challenge higher ranks, if the opponent’s strength far exceeded his, this ability would be useless. The more powerful the martial artist, the stronger their life meridians, making them harder to damage.

Frowning, Luo Xiu considered not participating in the entrance examination. Without the identity of a Free and Easy Sect disciple, he would have no status in Yunlong County, and the patriarch of the Zhang family would be even more brazen in his attempts to harm him.

"Knowing there is a tiger on the mountain, I can only face it head-on." After careful consideration, Luo Xiu decided to participate in the entrance examination.

The Qingyun Hall Master had said that if he became an outer sect disciple, the patriarch of the Zhang family, despite his power, would not dare to harm him easily. If he performed well and was given special attention, his status might even surpass that of the patriarch of the Zhang family.

As for his parents, the Qingyun Hall Master had promised to protect their safety in Qingyun City, allowing Luo Xiu to have no worries.

**Buzz!**

At this moment, Luo Xiu felt a subtle tremor from the Shadow Sword on his back.

"What’s happening?"

Luo Xiu was slightly startled, and with a **Clang!** he drew the Shadow Sword. The ‘Dark’ character engraved at the junction of the hilt and blade emitted a dark black light, and the sword body trembled slightly, as if responding to a distant call.

"A call?"

Luo Xiu frowned, looking in a certain direction. He sensed that the source of the tremor was coming from that direction.

When he bought the Shadow Sword from the weapon shop, the shopkeeper had said it was found in an ancient ruin by a hunter.

Luo Xiu had always thought the shopkeeper was just making up a story to get a good price for the sword.

However, the Shadow Sword was indeed made of special material. Although its power was only equivalent to a low-grade human rank battle weapon, even a high-grade human rank battle weapon could not leave a scratch on it.

"Could this sword really have a history? What is this call about?" Luo Xiu was puzzled and curious.

Sheathing the sword, Luo Xiu leaped up, using the subtle tremor of the Shadow Sword to guide him as he quickly moved through the forest of Baqi Mountain.

At the same time, a young man with dark, shiny skin was walking through the forest, the sheath on his back trembling slightly.

"The light sword is trembling, could it be sensing the dark sword nearby?" The young man’s eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he also leaped up, running in the direction the light sword was sensing.

"The power of the light and dark swords is only equivalent to a low-grade human rank, and innate martial masters at least use mid-grade human rank battle weapons. The person holding the dark sword must not be very strong, I should be able to take it!"

The young man’s skin was dark and shiny, his body strong and agile, moving like a fierce tiger, his aura fierce.