Chapter 18
In a forest of thick and lush greenery where sunlight seldom touched the ground, a young man sat atop a tree, his sharp gaze leisurely observing the scene below. He watched a beautiful young woman in a white dress, who was facing three large mastiffs with green stripes on their bodies. The woman's face was filled with distress; she wanted to use her spiritual Qi to fight, but her meridians were blocked.
"Shin Jiao! A little help, please! I can't face all three of them while my meridians are sealed," she shouted, staying vigilant against the beasts.
"I already thinned out the pack. Are you telling me you can't handle just three?" he said with a challenging tone. "Tsk, tsk."
"You... fine, you win. I'll show you I'm stronger than you are... mortal," she retorted grumpily.
Shin Jiao just laughed, continuing to watch from his perch. Left with no choice, she tried to recall everything he had taught her that week, especially the movements he used while fighting multiple opponents. Shin Jiao's techniques were an almost-perfect combination of offense and defense, a simple but practical martial art that used minimal movement and energy, thus putting less stress on the body.
As she focused on the battle, she felt a newfound confidence. Suddenly, the smallest mastiff with a gray mane dashed toward her, baring its fangs and aiming for her neck. But when the mastiff closed its mouth, it bit only thin air. It didn't give up, following up with its claws while still in mid-air. Still, it hit nothing, as if the woman was like water, flowing with its movements. Then, a thin line appeared on its throat and ran down to its stomach. As the mastiff landed, the thin line burst open, and its internal organs spilled out as it slumped to the ground, dead.
Upon seeing this, Shin Jiao had a wide smile. He was reminded of a woman he once knew on Earth, clad in black leather, whom his enemies called the Whistling Death. Her foes would hear a faint whistle from her sword right before they died. She would kill her opponents brutally, cutting from their throat to their stomach. Once, on an assignment, he had faced her in battle and almost lost his life. Luckily, his reflexes were good, and after a couple of exchanges, he managed to sever her hand, which ended her career as an assassin. Cherry Lao's current movements were eerily similar to the Whistling Death's, right down to the sound her sword made cutting through the air. The difference was that due to her speed, the cut came before the sound.
After getting the hang of the skill Shin Jiao taught her, Cherry Lao became proficient and refined in her movements. This led her to a sudden enlightenment in her Dao of Swords, comprehending something almost impossible for someone her age. This newfound comprehension began to slowly form its own Qi, and the fluctuation of that Qi was within her sword. With an astonished and confused look, she took out another sword from her storage ring, and the same thing happened. It was as if every sword she held came to life with a flow of Qi.
"This... I think this is my Sword Heart. I finally found my Sword Heart!" she exclaimed.
A Sword Heart is the beginning stage for a sword-wielding cultivator, allowing them to emit and control their swords more proficiently. A person who has discovered their Sword Heart is many times more powerful than an enemy in the same realm, or even one realm higher.
Now that Cherry Lao had discovered her Sword Heart, she was truly happy and pleased with herself. The two remaining mastiffs became sacrifices to the birth of her Sword Heart. Even without using spiritual Qi, she was able to emit a powerful aura from her sword.
Shin Jiao's jaw almost dropped in disbelief. He hadn't expected her to suddenly comprehend her own Sword Heart. The two mastiffs trembled in fear, realizing they stood no chance. They shared a tacit understanding and tried to escape. Seeing her two targets about to flee, Cherry Lao smiled. With a blur, she sheathed her sword and walked toward Shin Jiao, who was still speechless as the two mastiffs fell to the ground, their heads rolling.
"This is her Sword Heart?" Shin Jiao murmured to himself. "So when someone gains a deeper understanding of the sword on their own, their sword becomes like them. The man becomes the sword, and the sword becomes a living man."
When she stopped below the tree where he sat, she closed her eyes and began to digest what she had gained, engraving it into her mind. After a while, she opened her eyes, and they were filled with happiness. She couldn't believe she had comprehended her own Sword Heart at such a young age. She then jumped up the tree and into Shin Jiao's arms.
Meanwhile...
In the town of Dis, a meeting was being held by the five leaders along with other high officials. The town hall was silent as everyone listened attentively to a middle-aged man standing in the middle. It was the Fourth Elder of the town council, who had first investigated the beast wave.
"From the first report I sent earlier, I've gathered a lot of information about the area where the Rock Ants' swarm changed their rule. The reports are true; the whole area was turned into ice. A fourth of the colony was frozen solid, along with other types of beasts, totaling over 20,000."
"What! Who could do that? Did a Saint Nascent Realm cultivator descend?"
"This is truly terrifying... with that kind of power, it could wipe out our town in one go. Who would be able to stop this monster?"
A clamor of discussion erupted after the Fourth Elder's report.
"Everyone, calm down... Let Elder Ping continue his report," one of the five town heads, wearing a dark blue robe, said, raising his voice.
This made everyone quiet down. Upon seeing that everyone was silent, Ren Ping, the Fourth Elder, took out a couple of storage rings and placed them on the table. "This is all the beast cores and usable materials we have collected. Since most of the beasts' outer layers were frozen solid and brittle, we could only harvest the internal organs. We also discovered... the carcass and core of a Level 6 beast."
"What!" Almost everyone in the hall stood up in shock.
A Level 6 beast carcass signifies power equivalent to a Nascent Realm cultivator, the peak existence in the land of Xi. While it's unknown how many Nascent cultivators exist across the vast land of Xi, it's known that the ancestor of the Xi Empire is one of them. Having a Level 6 beast would be a great help, possibly allowing one of the five town heads to advance to the Nascent Realm, which would significantly boost the town's power.
"How about the core? Is it still intact?" the white-robed old man, who looked like the oldest of the five heads, asked.
"Yes, Town Head," Ren Ping replied with a bow.
"Good! Good! With the beast core, at least two of our members could advance a step toward the Nascent Realm," the white-robed old man exclaimed, excitement in his eyes.
The Next Day
Shin Jiao and Cherry Lao resumed their journey to the town. When they reached the main road, they noticed that something was wrong. In the middle of the road, a man in his thirties, wearing a black beast skin garment, sat in a lotus position, cultivating. What amazed them was that this man, only in the late-stage Core Formation Realm, had the audacity to block the road. On each side, they could see at least two or three broken carriages, and the smell of blood was thick in the air.
"Ha, ha! I guess you two finally showed up! I've been waiting here for many days. My patience is running out. If you want a quick death, come here obediently," the man said with a grin. When he opened his eyes, he was suddenly dumbfounded, his mouth beginning to water. His gaze was fixed on Cherry Lao, looking at her like a hungry wolf eyeing its prey.
"Truly a beauty. I will have you no matter what! Heh, heh, heh," the man said, his expression turning lecherous.
Shin Jiao wanted to laugh at the situation but held himself back. He was still unable to fight against the man, but this would be good practice for Cherry Lao. She didn't even bat an eye at the man, who quickly stood up and approached them. Knowing there was no other way around, they decided to face him.
"Sir, we would just like to pass. We mean you no harm," Shin Jiao said politely.
"Ha, ha! I, Wolf, have always gotten what I wanted, and no one can stop me," the man arrogantly declared.
"Shin, I don't like this person. Although I don't want to kill anyone for no reason, this guy is an exception," she said, her voice filled with annoyance.
"Sigh... okay. But be careful, his aura is different," Shin Jiao warned her.
"Ha, ha! A man is going to let his woman fight me? Truly mortal trash. I will teach you a lesson first." Wolf said, dashing toward Shin Jiao with his fist covered in red Qi.
"Hmm... a condensed Qi fist," Shin Jiao said as he suddenly appeared behind Wolf.
"What? How?" Wolf was confused as his punch hit only air, and the voice was behind him.
"While you are truly strong in terms of brute force, your ability is far too weak," Shin Jiao taunted. Although Shin Jiao couldn't use his natural energy, his boots and fighting experience made him faster than Wolf, who only knew how to use brute force.
"Roar! A mere mortal wants to show off in front of me? Die!" Wolf roared, attacking in a rampage. Every time his attack missed, he would howl and continue. No matter what he did, the young man was still able to evade.
"This is how you use Phantom Steps evasion... now you try it," Shin Jiao said, suddenly appearing beside Cherry Lao, who was too focused on absorbing and combining the forms he had taught her.
With a nod, she stepped forward.
"Wait! Don't kill him yet," Shin Jiao added.
She simply nodded and walked toward Wolf, who was now truly enraged. He couldn't accept the fact that he was being played by a mere mortal. And now that he realized he was being used as a sparring partner, he almost vomited blood in anger. Without caring whether he killed the beautiful young woman or not, all he wanted to do was kill the two annoying pests. But then, all of a sudden, he was stunned as the woman almost copied what the mortal man did. As he scanned her cultivation, he could see that she was only at the late-stage Body Refining Realm, yet he was still unable to hit her.
"I think he's getting weaker. Let's stop here for now. Let's ask him why he's looking for us," Shin Jiao said after noticing the man was weakening after a couple of hours.
Shin Jiao walked near Cherry Lao and unsealed her meridians. A sudden, strong aura burst forth from her body, which frightened the man.
"A... A... Gold Core Realm... this... how could this be?" he stammered, shaking with fear. He shakily took out a paper from his sleeve, and his face turned even paler. He noticed a small reminder at the bottom of the paper, which said the target was a Gold Core Realm cultivator. He looked back and forth between Cherry Lao and the paper, helplessness filling his eyes. He knew that because of his greed and stupidity, his life was over. Without a second thought, he dropped to the ground and began to kowtow.
"Master! Please forgive this plebeian. I had eyes but could not see your greatness. I promise to serve you, young goddess. Please spare me just this once," Wolf pleaded.
Shin Jiao and Cherry Lao were stunned by the man's reaction. They couldn't believe that the fierce, raging man from moments ago had been turned into a submissive and cowardly lamb.
"Hey, that's enough. Answer my question, and you might live," Shin Jiao said in annoyance.
"You..." Wolf was about to lash out again but remembered that a Gold Core cultivator was present. He just nodded, gritting his teeth. Seeing this, Shin Jiao sneered, thinking that having someone with great power was truly beneficial.
"Anyway, how did you know about us?" Shin Jiao asked.
"There's a bounty on her head. It's known throughout the outer layers and mercenary camps of the town of Dis."
"A bounty? How much?" Shin Jiao asked with curiosity.
"Around 1,000 low-grade spiritual stones for the right information, and an additional 1,000 if brought back dead or alive," Wolf replied, not looking at Shin Jiao but at Cherry Lao.
"Wow! You're famous... I guess if I turn you in, I'd be able to live a comfortable life in town for a while. Heh, heh," Shin Jiao said with a grin.
"You... see if I don't kick you to death before you can do that," Cherry Lao said, chasing after him.
The two casually joked around as if no one else were there. Wolf, on the other hand, was dumbfounded. Deep inside, he was jealous of the mortal man who had captured the goddess's heart. He was jealous that his luck was not as good.