Zhou Kai, carrying Fang Lizhe, darted through a few flashes and slipped into a secluded, deserted alley.

With no one around, Zhou Kai finally set him down, leaning him against the wall.

A wisp of Spirit Qi flickered at his fingertip, channeled directly into Fang Lizhe’s body. Moments later, Fang Lizhe’s eyelids fluttered, and he slowly regained consciousness.

The moment he opened his eyes and met Zhou Kai’s half-smiling face, Fang Lizhe jolted and was about to roar, “You…”

“Enough noise!”

Zhou Kai frowned slightly, unleashing the full Aura Pressure of his fourth-level Qi Condensation cultivation without reservation.

Fang Lizhe felt as if a great mountain were pressing down on him. His chest tightened, his legs went weak, and he nearly knelt on the spot.

His unfinished words were choked back abruptly; not a single syllable could escape. He could only gape, staring at Zhou Kai with utter terror.

This… what kind of terrifying presence is this?

Seeing him subdued, Zhou Kai slowly withdrew his aura and said calmly, “Now, can we have a proper conversation?”

Fang Lizhe gasped for breath heavily, his eyes filled with unwillingness, humiliation, and fear.

“The ‘Cicada Raiment Art’—I did take it,” Zhou Kai stated flatly, standing with his hands clasped behind his back.

Upon hearing this, Fang Lizhe’s anger surged again. But remembering the other’s terrifying Aura Pressure, he could only suppress his rage and grit his teeth.

“Why did you steal my cultivation art?”

A meaningful smile curled at the corner of Zhou Kai’s mouth as he slowly walked up to Fang Lizhe. “Young Brother Fang, do you know what that ‘Cicada Raiment Art’ truly is?”

Fang Lizhe felt a chill under that gaze and instinctively took a step back, mumbling, “A peerless… immortal art?”

“Peerless immortal art?” Zhou Kai scoffed softly and shook his head, a trace of pity in his eyes. “Naive! Foolish! That is nothing but a complete and utter demonic cultivation art!”

“Demonic cultivation art?!” Fang Lizhe was shocked as if struck by lightning, crying out involuntarily.

“Exactly.” Zhou Kai’s gaze turned profound and his tone grim. “When first cultivating this art, there are indeed miraculous effects—it can conceal your form and mask your cultivation level, letting you taste the sweetness.”

“But as you delve deeper into its practice, it will stir up your Heart Demon. Your temperament will drastically change, gradually becoming neither human nor insect. In the end, you will transform into a ‘Nether Cicada’ that can only survive by sucking the Essence Blood of living humans! By then, you will fall eternally into the demonic path and be utterly rejected by all righteous cultivators in the world!”

“Suck… the Essence Blood of living humans?”

“How… how could this be?”

A chill shot up from the soles of Fang Lizhe’s feet to the crown of his head; his limbs turned icy cold. If what Zhou Kai said was true… if he had cultivated it… He dared not think further.

Zhou Kai took in Fang Lizhe’s fear completely and continued to add fuel to the fire.

“Think about it: if it weren’t a sinister demonic art, why would it bear the name ‘Cicada Raiment’? The cicada sheds its shell to be reborn, but it also signifies a fleeting life born at dawn and dead by dusk, surviving by sucking tree sap.”

“And this ‘Nether Cicada’ is meant to drain cultivators of their Essence Blood and plunder their souls to turn them into its own nourishment! Once you start cultivating this art, it’s like drinking poison to quench thirst—there’s no turning back!”

“Now think back carefully: when cultivating that ‘Cicada Raiment Art,’ did you ever feel restless? Did you ever vaguely sense an uncontrollable craving?”

Zhou Kai guided him slowly.

Fang Lizhe’s face turned deathly pale; sweat poured down like rain.

He recalled the occasional irritability during cultivation and an inexplicable, burning thirst for “becoming stronger.” Now thinking back… could it truly be as Zhou Kai said?

As a young man fresh out of obscurity, where had he ever heard such horrifying secrets about demonic arts? For a moment, he felt the world spinning; his hands and feet turned cold.

Seeing that the timing was about right, Zhou Kai shifted his tone and spoke earnestly:

“Young Brother Fang, I see that your bone structure is extraordinary; you are upright in character and pure in heart. I truly cannot bear to see you stray onto the wrong path, have your mind corrupted by this demonic art, and end up neither human nor ghost. Nor do I wish for you to be hunted down by righteous cultivators in the future and perish utterly.”

He patted Fang Lizhe’s shoulder—not with great force—but it made the latter tremble.

“That is why I resorted to this last resort and took away that ‘Cicada Raiment Art.’ Rest assured: all copies of the ‘Cicada Raiment Art’ have been completely destroyed by me. They will never circulate in the world again. You will be fine.”

“Des… destroyed? That’s good…” Fang Lizhe murmured with lingering fear.

His gaze toward Zhou Kai also grew complex—shifting from suspicion and anger to fear, confusion… and gratitude.

Zhou Kai took out a booklet from his bosom and handed it over.

“This is the ‘Breath Concealment Technique,’ a common method used by righteous cultivators to conceal their aura. It is safe and orthodox. Diligent practice can also achieve the effect of hiding your cultivation level.”

Fang Lizhe numbly accepted the ‘Breath Concealment Technique.’ The thin booklet now felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.

“Tha… thank you… Brother Zhou.” After a long while, he managed to squeeze out these words through gritted teeth.

Zhou Kai smiled slightly—the boy was teachable.

“Remember: do not mention the ‘Cicada Raiment Art’ to anyone. Understand? This concerns your life.”

After Fang Lizhe agreed, Zhou Kai changed the subject again. “Young Brother Fang, since you wish to join an immortal sect… have you heard of the Dragon Gate Assembly?”

“Dragon Gate Assembly?” A flicker of confusion passed through Fang Lizhe’s eyes.

After Zhou Kai briefly explained about the Dragon Gate Assembly—especially regarding the Spirit Stone fees—Fang Lizhe’s face visibly fell.

He wholeheartedly wanted to join an immortal sect. But hearing Brother Zhou say this… he didn’t even have the qualifications to participate in the assembly!

He opened his mouth several times, wanting to ask Zhou Kai for help, but swallowed his words each time they reached his lips.

Brother Zhou had just helped him destroy the ‘Cicada Raiment Art’—that was a life-saving favor!

If he had truly cultivated that damned demonic art and been hunted as a demon by righteous cultivators… the consequences would be unthinkable.

This debt was greater than heaven; how could he have the nerve to ask for Spirit Stones now? He was just an unconnected youth; even if he asked… why would anyone help him?

Seeing his expression, Zhou Kai thought inwardly but wore an understanding yet regretful look on his face. He sighed.

“Young Brother Fang… you are only fifteen years old. Yet in the mortal world, you managed to draw Qi into your body on your own. Such aptitude is considered superior even in the cultivation world. It would truly be a pity if you missed the Dragon Gate Assembly because of Spirit Stones.”

His tone was firm. “I believe that at that Dragon Gate Assembly… you will definitely be selected.”

Hearing Zhou Kai’s affirmation rekindled a sliver of hope in Fang Lizhe’s heart. Finally… he abruptly looked up, his face flushed red.

“Brother… Brother Zhou… I… I want to participate in the Dragon Gate Assembly… but… but I don’t have Spirit Stones… Could you… could you…”

A smile played at Zhou Kai’s lips—this was exactly what he had been waiting for.

“Haha! Such a small matter! Mere Spirit Stones are hardly worth mentioning.” Zhou Kai waved his hand magnanimously with an airy lightness. “Our meeting is fate. Since you have such aspirations… I naturally should lend you a hand.”

Fang Lizhe stared at him incredulously; tears instantly welled up in his eyes.

“Brother Zhou! Your great kindness! Li Zhe will never forget it for all eternity! In days to come, if there is any task… Li Zhe will brave ten thousand deaths without refusal!” He took a deep breath and bowed deeply.

“Alright now—that’s too serious.” Zhou Kai helped him up. “From now on, just follow me; call me big brother. With big brother here, no one dares bully you.”

Fang Lizhe’s eyes reddened; he nodded heavily.

“Big Brother!” This “Big Brother” was called sincerely with youthful earnestness.

Zhou Kai nodded satisfactorily—the boy was teachable indeed. This little fellow had simple thoughts yet good aptitude; with some nurturing, he would surely become great assistance in the future.

“Let’s go find somewhere for you to stay first.”

Zhou Kai led Fang Lizhe to the Welcoming Immortals Inn.

Zhou Kai directly requested one upper room, then under Fang Lizhe’s tearfully grateful gaze, pulled out ten Low-grade Spirit Stones and pressed them into his hand.

“Take these Spirit Stones first; your delayed breakthrough is entirely due to insufficient Spirit Qi in the mortal realm. Now cultivate the ‘Qi Drawing Art’; strive to break through soon.”

Having acknowledged Zhou Kai as big brother, Fang Lizhe no longer stood on ceremony. He sat cross-legged on the bed and grasped the Spirit Stones. Mere moments later, faint Spirit Qi fluctuations rippled around him.

This succeeded already? Zhou Kai wondered inwardly whether the kid might possess a top-grade Spirit Root.

Fang Lizhe felt surging Mana within his body, overwhelmed with excitement. “Big brother! I succeeded! I’ve become a cultivator!”

Suddenly, his eyes turned resolute, yearning as he declared:

“Big Brother, in the future, I want to be like you—uphold justice, vanquish demons, protect the common people, and become a generation’s upright Sword Immortal renowned throughout the world!”

“Pfft—” Tea nearly sprayed from Zhou Kai’s mouth.

He glanced at the ordinary iron sword at Fang Lizhe’s waist, then looked at his naive face brimming with “I want to save the world,” and felt a toothache.

No, no… sword practitioners were all crazy minds. True combat power was explosive, but their troublemaking ability was also top-notch.

Always spouting stuff like “one sword breaks ten thousand methods,” “sword heart clear and bright,” “man and sword unite”… like stones in a latrine pit—smelly and hard, constantly thinking nonsense about the sword path, seeing nothing in their eyes except the sword.

He didn’t want his hard-earned little brother to also turn into a stubborn, single-minded sword maniac who might rush to stab people anytime.

Thinking this, he decided to cut the Gordian knot. Waste no words—he must shatter the Sword Immortal dream!

“You want to become a Sword Immortal?” he asked, smiling but not reaching his eyes.

“Yes! Big Brother!” he replied matter-of-factly, even puffing out his chest slightly.

“Hmph.” He flicked a single finger.

Fang Lizhe felt a lightness at his waist. He looked down and saw his treasured long sword somehow broken into several pieces, fallen to the ground.

“Ah! My sword!” he cried out. “Big Brother? You?”

Expressionless, Zhou Kai stepped forward.