Chapter Thirty-One: One Move

The reason they acted this way was because, just as the envoy was about to touch Chen Jingrou, he suddenly noticed a young man standing behind the large tree behind her. Although this young man appeared rather ordinary in looks, except for being tall and upright, there was no sense of true energy emanating from him. Yet, this envoy was clearly no ordinary person, and since the other could appear here without him noticing, he must not be ordinary either. As for his inability to sense the man's cultivation, there was only one explanation: he was likely a master who had already entered the Innate Realm.

This instant judgment made him quickly retreat to what he considered a relatively safe distance and gather with his companions. Qin Xiaotian, unable to see behind him, stopped struggling when he saw the envoy suddenly withdraw and, together with the other two, nervously guard themselves, their eyes fixed behind them. He instantly understood that someone else had appeared behind them. Could it be someone from his sect? Someone come to save them? After some time passed and Chen Jingrou remained unharmed, she opened her eyes. Seeing the same situation, she clearly thought of what Qin Xiaotian was thinking, and once again, her eyes revealed relief and hope.

The person was Li Xingyu, who had been following them all along. At this moment, he was in no hurry to act, for he knew clearly that in the face of absolute strength, all experience, tricks, and ambushes were utterly useless. He did not release his aura, but simply walked out from behind the tree, slowly approaching the three men in black, and asked, “Tell me your identities and purpose, and explain what you intend to exchange for her with the Xiaoyao Sect. Also, you mentioned your master has already succeeded; then explain how and who your master is. If you tell me yourselves, I might even consider sparing your lives.”

The three men in black understood from Li Xingyu’s questioning that he must have been here for some time and had overheard their earlier conversation. But they wondered how he knew they had kidnapped Chen Jingrou.

Qin Xiaotian and Chen Jingrou were equally shocked by Li Xingyu's words. By now, they could sense that this might be a huge conspiracy, and they had been swept into it. Chen Jingrou was even more shaken; she wondered if they intended to use her to exchange something with her father—could it be the martial arts manuals, inner cultivation techniques, or some treasured swords? Suddenly, she thought of something her father had recently acquired. Could it be that they were after that?

Li Xingyu actually had no intention of meddling in martial affairs, but he asked out of curiosity about what the Xiaoyao Sect had obtained that caused such a stir. He knew the Xiaoyao Sect ranked among the top five great sects in the martial world. For these people to dare target Xiaoyao, besides their own strength, it must be that what Xiaoyao had acquired was extremely precious. Moreover, if the matter posed little threat to himself, he wished to understand and perhaps participate, for the best and quickest way to understand the martial world was to engage with it. The martial world was not as complex as court politics; it was far simpler, and respected strength above all. There were also many lone masters and reclusive cultivators, so his appearance and identity were less likely to attract attention.

When Li Xingyu passed by Qin Xiaotian and the others, he did not pause, merely glanced at them, then proceeded forward. Though he believed that with his strength, even if he freed them first there wouldn’t be much problem, he was cautious at heart; even in times of absolute advantage, he preferred prudence. From Earth’s history and countless stories, he had seen too many instances of people becoming careless in their moment of advantage, only to be overturned by their opponents.

“Who are you, sir? If you are not one of their sect or an acquaintance, I advise you not to meddle in these waters. I will not tell you my master’s circumstances or what he seeks, and his identity is not something you are qualified to know, nor someone you can afford to provoke.” The envoy, feeling increasing pressure as Li Xingyu drew closer, tried to relieve it by speaking, hoping to make Li Xingyu back off or hesitate.

“Is that so? You’re so confident I’ll be afraid of your master, and yet you haven’t even told me who he is. Isn’t that rather underestimating me? You can refuse now, but I believe you’ll speak soon enough.” Li Xingyu could tell from his tone that he spoke the truth; his master was indeed someone of great status, but Li Xingyu could not let himself be defeated in spirit.

Seeing that the other was unfazed and still calmly approaching, and knowing that they were on the territory of the Myriad Laws Sect without backup, growing more dangerous the longer they delayed, the envoy struck first, hoping to seize the initiative. Li Xingyu had refrained from attacking for two reasons: first, to dominate the opponent in momentum; second, though he had learned advanced fighting techniques on Earth as well as the martial arts of this world, his practice time was short and he lacked actual combat experience. He feared that if he attacked first, he might expose a flaw. The martial artists here had trained for decades, and this envoy seemed particularly experienced, so Li Xingyu wanted the other to attack first, then use his profound cultivation to spot a flaw and strike decisively. After all, attacking exposes more weaknesses than defending.

His strategy proved effective; the envoy could not withstand the pressure and made the first move. The man in black went all out from the start: his sword thrust was swift, unpredictable, and hard to pinpoint the real target. Pouring all his internal energy into the blade, it hummed lightly as it was thrust forward. This was clearly his trump card—a strike of immense power, with no visible flaws to the average martial artist, or if there were, they were impossible to exploit due to its speed.

To Li Xingyu, the strike was formidable, but it still had a flaw, and if he wanted to exploit it, it wasn’t difficult. As the sword was thrust, Li Xingyu moved. He didn’t bother guessing where the attack was aimed; instead, he focused on the flaw he had spotted, channeling thirty percent of his true energy into his right hand, brushing the sword aside slightly to widen the flaw, then pressed his palm to the envoy’s chest. The strike didn’t seem fast, nor did it produce a loud sound upon impact, but the man in black was sent flying, landing several steps away and finally steadying himself against a tree. He felt his blood surge, spat out a mouthful of blood, and realized all his internal energy had been scattered, unable to be gathered again for some time.

“You are an Innate master. No, ordinary Innate masters aren’t this strong. Have you reached the pinnacle of the Innate Realm? Impossible.” He said it was impossible out of shock, but in his heart he already accepted the truth.

“People are always willing to believe what benefits them, and instinctively reject what harms them. Since you already know, why deceive yourself? Just answer the question I asked at the start. I told you you would speak, didn’t I?” Li Xingyu replied calmly, once again advancing on him without so much as a glance at the other two men in black, who stood dumbstruck by his prowess.

“Haha, indeed, with your cultivation, you are qualified to know my master’s identity, and perhaps you wouldn’t fear him. But to learn it from me is impossible.” With that, he raised his sword again—not to attack, but to lay it across his own throat.

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