Chapter 43

This strike left no room for error; Nalan Ruyue was determined to die.

Bai Chen's heart ached; he hadn't expected things to escalate to this point.

Although he had some minor conflicts with Nalan Ruyue and Qixiu, Bai Chen never intended to cause a death.

After all, Nalan Ruyue didn't leave a bad impression on him. Although their few interactions were a bit intense, she was by no means a malicious person.

Mei Jiangxue turned around and glared at Bai Chen with eyes full of murderous intent.

At this moment, Mei Jiangxue's gaze was far more intense than before. Although she was previously furious, she had never shown such a murderous aura, indicating that Mei Jiangxue truly harbored the intent to kill.

"If you don't leave now, don't blame me for being ruthless!" Mei Jiangxue coldly snorted and then carried the blood-soaked Nalan Ruyue out of the wine cellar.

Bai Chen, feeling embarrassed, touched his nose and said resentfully, "If you need any help, just let me know. I might be able to assist."

Mei Jiangxue paused for a moment but quickly resumed her angry expression. "I don't need it!"

If Gongsun Chenxing were to focus on him now, he would probably tear him to pieces.

Although it was already dark, Bai Chen didn't dare to linger, fearing he would be chopped up by these crazy women.

Exiting the inn, he saw Long Xing pacing in the darkness. Seeing Bai Chen come out, Long Xing seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and approached with a smile. "Young Master Bai, it's really good to see you unharmed."

Bai Chen glanced at Long Xing and said unhappily, "What could have happened to me?"

"Being in that woman's hands, who knows what could have happened." Long Xing shook his head with a bitter smile.

"Do you know Senior Mei Jiangxue well?" Bai Chen couldn't help but feel curious, as he still harbored a bit of fantasy.

Although he knew the chances were slim, this was the first time Bai Chen had felt such a strong attraction, different from the fantasies he had about beautiful women in college.

Although Mei Jiangxue was a few years older, age wasn't an issue for Bai Chen.

"Her name is a nightmare for people in the martial world. The name 'Heartless Flower' comes from this. You saw the city guards this morning, right?" Long Xing's expression was somewhat fearful as he whispered, "This woman is a ruthless killer, and to her, people are like grass. Whether to kill or not is just a matter of her mood."

"Have you heard that her husband died?"

Long Xing's eyes flashed with surprise. "Very few people in the martial world know about this, and no one dares to comment. How did you find out?"

"She told me herself."

Bai Chen recalled the sorrow and loneliness in Mei Jiangxue's eyes when she mentioned her loved one.

Long Xing looked at Bai Chen but saw no admiration in his eyes. He sighed, "This woman is also a tragic figure. On her wedding night, she discovered that her husband had married her only to steal the Qixiu secret treasure. In a fit of rage, she killed him in the bridal chamber. Since then, her killing intent has grown, and the name 'Heartless Flower' has spread throughout the martial world."

Bai Chen couldn't help but stop in his tracks. He hadn't expected that the person he had been thinking about day and night had actually killed her own husband.

But when he recalled Mei Jiangxue's expression when she mentioned that person, it was clear that her feelings hadn't completely faded.

Thinking about this, Bai Chen felt a headache. Chasing a girl was indeed a mental challenge.

"By the way, did the women of Qixiu give you any trouble?" Although Long Xing's tone was uncertain, his glance at Bai Chen's appearance confirmed his suspicions.

Looking at Bai Chen, who was dressed in tattered clothes and covered in blood, it was clear he had been through a rough time.

"It's nothing, they were quite hospitable."

In Long Xing's view, Bai Chen was putting on a brave face, but he didn't point it out, just pulled Bai Chen back to the sect.

"How is the situation in Xizhou?"

"Since we took a shortcut, the journey wasn't too dangerous. The brothers on the island gave us face, so everything went smoothly. We arrived in Xizhou at noon, and my senior disciple is handling the matters you entrusted to me. You can rest assured."

Bai Chen nodded. A few hours earlier, his Merit Points had increased, from a few dozen points per jump to over a hundred points per jump, and now exceeded 100,000 Merit Points.

However, after nightfall, the increase in Merit Points slowed down, indicating that the progress in Xizhou was going well.

In fact, the main effort in Xizhou was still relying on the Dragon Tiger Sect, as Guandong Tian's status as a bandit made it inconvenient for him to appear.

The Dragon Tiger Sect's reputation could control the corrupt officials, and as a martial sect, the government officials had no authority over them.

After returning to the Dragon Tiger Sect, Bai Chen spent half the night organizing and then began to meditate and heal his injuries.

By the next morning, Bai Chen's injuries had healed, leaving only a few scars from the sword wounds inflicted by Gongsun Chenxing.

However, the negative energy from these injuries was meaningless to Bai Chen now.

Resolving the lingering injuries from the Hundred Flowers Burial even slightly improved Bai Chen's cultivation, but he was still far from the Ninth Rank.

The Ninth Rank required 100,000 True Qi points, and Bai Chen currently had only 45,000, less than half of what was needed.

Although he hadn't slept, Bai Chen was energetic and radiant.

The morning was the time when the earth's qi was most abundant, and the Dragon Tiger Sect's morning exercises were mandatory for all senior disciples. Dozens of senior disciples gathered on the training ground, sitting in meditation to cultivate their internal energy.

These senior disciples had all received the Dragon Tiger Sect's internal energy techniques, with varying levels of cultivation, but none stood out to Bai Chen.

The Dragon Tiger Sect's internal energy techniques seemed to progress slowly in the early stages, just like Long Tuxiao. As the top disciple of the largest sect in Qingzhou, his cultivation didn't even rank in the top five among the younger generation, indicating the low efficiency of the Dragon Tiger Sect's internal energy techniques.

Of course, the Dragon Tiger Sect's strength didn't lie in this. Bai Chen had seen the sect's disciples use Wu Tu formations multiple times but hadn't understood their intricacies.

Bai Chen had always wanted to learn Wu Tu formations, which were more fantastical than martial arts.

However, Jie Sha had said that to learn Wu Tu formations, one needed the "Wu Zhen Jing."

The "Wu Zhen Jing" existed in only one place in the martial world: the sacred Dajialan Mountain. Even within the Dragon Tiger Sect, there was only a handwritten copy.

Only with the recognition of Dajialan Mountain could one copy the "Wu Zhen Jing," and the copied version was not allowed to be disseminated.

So even if Bai Chen wanted to learn Wu Tu formations, he would need to obtain the "Wu Zhen Jing" first, which wasn't possible just by befriending the Dragon Tiger Sect. He would have to join the sect, or the Dragon Tiger Sect wouldn't dare to show him the "Wu Zhen Jing."

At this moment, a sharp gaze shot at Bai Chen, and he couldn't help but look back.

He saw a handsome man approaching, with a face like a jade crown, snow-white clothes, and eyebrows like swords, his eyes revealing a hint of arrogance, hands behind his back.

Seeing this man approach, Long Xing's face lit up with enthusiasm. "Young Master Bai, let me introduce you. This is Gao Feng, a disciple of Dajialan Mountain. His master is the famous Wu Shifu Yulun."

When Gao Feng glanced at Bai Chen, his eyes were full of disdain, and a mocking smile hung on his lips.

"You two are both geniuses in Wu Tu formations. You can exchange ideas and discuss them together." Long Xing introduced them with a smile, seemingly oblivious to the tension between them.

Since Gao Feng looked down on him, Bai Chen wasn't about to be the one to make the first move. He only responded with a light hum to Long Xing's introduction.

"Headmaster Long, as a disciple of Dajialan Mountain, you want me to discuss Wu Tu formations with a mere outsider. Do you think Dajialan Mountain has fallen to such a low point?"

"This..." Long Xing was taken aback, not expecting Gao Feng to be so hostile upon first meeting Bai Chen.

Long Xing hadn't realized that he had previously mentioned Bai Chen to Gao Feng, saying that Bai Chen's Wu Tu formation skills were on par with his.

This had made the already arrogant Gao Feng even more resentful. Dajialan Mountain was the birthplace of Wu Tu formations, a sacred place in the hearts of all Wu Tu formation sects.

Almost all Wu Tu formation schools in the Nine Provinces originated from Dajialan Mountain.

As a core disciple of Dajialan Mountain, Gao Feng was often praised by his peers and elders, making him feel superior to his peers.

Naturally, he was disdainful of the unknown outsider whom Long Xing had described as his equal.

Of course, Gao Feng had the right to be proud. He was the most outstanding disciple of Dajialan Mountain in a thousand years, excelling in both internal energy cultivation and Wu Tu formation talent.

Long Xing's ability to invite Gao Feng wasn't due to his own influence but because Gao Feng's master intended to use this as a training opportunity for him.

However, Long Xing was particularly troubled by Gao Feng's arrogance, which extended to the Dragon Tiger Sect's disciples and even to Long Xing himself.

If it were anyone else, Long Xing would have already lost his temper, but Gao Feng was a disciple of Dajialan Mountain, and he couldn't afford to offend him. He could only suppress his anger, hoping to send this "great deity" away as soon as possible.

Long Xing hadn't expected Gao Feng to be so disrespectful to Bai Chen, an outsider.

Bai Chen smiled coldly, returning the same look, and glanced at Gao Feng with disdain.

The best way to deal with someone who looked down on others was to ignore them.

Bai Chen had mastered this skill in college, surrounded by top students.

However, this look was clearly a provocation to Gao Feng.

He could look down on others because he felt superior, but being treated with such a look was a challenge to his authority.

"Rat, are you不服 (unconvinced)?" Gao Feng pulled out a brocade book from his waist, with the title "Yan Wu Tu" written in gold thread.

This "Yan Wu Tu" wasn't a secret manual but a collection of formations that Gao Feng had recorded and studied, including many advanced formations given to him by his elders.

In simpler terms, this book was Gao Feng's arsenal, and with it, he was confident in facing any expert below the innate stage.

Almost every Wu Tu formation master had a similar book, used to record the formations they had learned or studied.

Wu Tu formation masters were divided into three levels: Shi, Zhu, and Po.

Shi referred to the ability to use Wu Tu formations, the most basic level. As long as the difference in level between the master and the formation wasn't too great, they could use it.

Of course, some formations could be used even by those unfamiliar with them.

These formations were either very high or very low in level.

Zhu referred to the ability to create Wu Tu formations. Any small error could cause the formation to fail, making this the hallmark of a Wu Tu formation master.

Po referred to the ability to break Wu Tu formations. This required a deep understanding of individual formations and the principles of derivation and mental techniques. Missing any of these would make it impossible to break a formation.

Some sects specialized in breaking formations, known as Po Tu masters.

At this moment, many Dragon Tiger Sect disciples had gathered, watching the two with great interest.

Many of them were hostile towards Gao Feng, indicating that Bai Chen wasn't the first person he had provoked, but he was the first to dare to retaliate.