Mei Lan moved like a ghost stripped of emotion. Her escape from the Azure Water Sect had been successful, but the constant, ravenous hunger of the Innate Sword Soul was a brutal master. The paltry spiritual energy from the Cloud-Heart Berries in Chapter 11 had been consumed in hours. Now, her energy reserves were critically low.
She was tracking a distinct, powerful spiritual signature-not a cultivator, but a cluster of rich, earthbound Qi. It led her deep into a desolate mountain range known for sheltering lawless elements.
She perched atop a granite ridge, her cold eyes narrowed. Below lay a fortified canyon entrance, draped in crude camouflages and guarded by two burly men whose cultivation was rough and focused only on physical strength, the hallmarks of banditry. The entire valley pulsed with the rich, stable Qi of a massive Spiritual Herb Cache.
[Observer's Eye Activated. Target: Crimson Lotus Bandit Lair.]
[Resource Analysis: Cache contains high-grade Iron-Wood Grass and one cluster of Flowing Spirit Jade. Required Purity: 75.]
The bandits were a well-known scourge of the borderlands, infamous for their brutality and their habit of hoarding spiritual materials meant for legitimate cultivation clinics. Their leader, a monstrous man known as 'Iron Fist' Zhang, was rumored to be at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage-a formidable opponent for any young cultivator. Mei Lan did not hesitate. The concept of "banditry" was irrelevant; they were simply resource hoarders who blocked her path to strength.
She dropped from the ridge, a silent blur, ignoring the main entrance. She focused her Sword Intent on the sheer cliff face to the side of the camp, perceiving the microscopic fissures and weaknesses in the stone's structure. The two guards barely registered the sound before Mei Lan was upon them.
They instinctively raised their heavy axes, but the movements were too slow, too broad. Mei Lan did not draw a sword. She used the Sword of Nothingness technique, channeling her remaining reserves of pure Sword Qi directly into her right fist, focusing it into an invisible, hyper-dense needle. Strike Point: The first guard's outer wrist, precisely where the Qi vein surfaces to power the forearm.
The punch seemed weak, glancing off the guard's thick wrist. The guard laughed, a crude sound, but the laugh choked and died instantly. The precise, overwhelming purity of the Sword Qi pierced the Qi vein, causing a catastrophic, localized energy surge. The guard's hand swelled violently, his nerves fried, and the axe clattered uselessly to the dirt. He fell, screaming in silent agony.
The second guard roared, bringing his heavy axe down in a crushing sweep. Mei Lan met the attack with her empty left hand, intercepting the axe head at the precise point of its fastest deceleration-a point where its kinetic energy was momentarily unbalanced. She didn't block; she deflected. The force of the strike was redirected down and into the ground. She followed up instantly. Strike Point: The second guard's Dantian. Her fingers, moving like divine needles, pierced his abdomen. The concentrated Sword Qi sliced the central Qi Vortex like a fragile membrane. The guard's entire cultivation base dissolved into nothingness, leaving him a hollow, gasping mortal.
The silence returned, broken only by the whimpering of the first bandit and the wind. Mei Lan stepped over the neutralized bodies, her expression unchanged. She entered the fortified canyon. Iron Fist Zhang met her ten paces inside, flanked by six core disciples, all armed and ready.
Zhang sneered, recognizing the scent of the Azure Water Sect on her robes. "A kitchen servant? Did Luo send a girl to avenge his shame? Your life force is exquisite, little one. I'll make you my prize."
Mei Lan raised her hand. Her Innate Sword Soul pulsed, ready to unleash its terrifying hunger on the foolish man before her. She had no words for bandits, only the language of the Sword.
[Cultivation Status: Foundation Establishment Stage 5. Qi Saturation: 18%]
The fight for the Flowing Spirit Jade was about to begin.