Before him stood a one-eyed wolf demon, its massive limbs corded with muscle. A hideous scar tore across its face, weeping fresh blood. It fixed its single, predatory eye on Gu Xiu, drooling as it sized him up as its next meal. Gu Xiu frowned slightly. While encountering beasts was common in the Tianqi Mountain Range, they were still on the periphery. Ordinarily, creatures this far out were weak, yet this wolf radiated the aura of a second-tier demon beast.

In this world, cultivation realms for humans were divided into Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Spirit Transformation, Void Refining, and Great Ascension. While demonic beasts followed a different path, a second-tier beast possessed power comparable to the late stages of Qi Refining. Judging by its dense aura, this beast was equivalent to an eighth-layer Qi Refining cultivator.

Facing the wolf’s ferocity, Gu Xiu felt no fear. He simply shook his head and spoke softly. “Your journey to cultivation was not an easy one, and your life is of no use to me. I have no wish to kill you.”

The wolf’s intelligence was too low to grasp the mercy being offered. With a cold glint in its eye, it lunged.

Gu Xiu sighed and produced a simple wooden stick he had scavenged from the forest floor.

Condense Qi. Steady Spirit!

The blood-drenched intent accumulated from five hundred years of slaughter in the forbidden lands began to bleed into the air. Though his cultivation was only at the third layer of Qi Refining, five centuries of relentless warfare had granted him unmatched combat experience. If a second-tier demon beast blocked his path, then it would simply die.

Just as the wolf was about to reach him, Gu Xiu’s imposing aura vanished, retracting in an instant.

Whist—thud!

A red-tasseled spear whistled through the air, burying itself in the earth directly in front of the wolf. If the beast hadn’t sensed the sudden danger and dug its claws into the dirt to stop, it would have been pinned to the spot.

Gu Xiu turned to look.

A woman clad in crimson battle robes stepped into the clearing. She was stunningly beautiful, with a heroic, sharp air between her brows. Her black hair was tied in a high ponytail that fluttered in the wind, accentuating her valiant demeanor.

She raised a hand in a beckoning gesture. With a resonant hum, the red-tasseled spear leaped from the ground back into her hand. She swung the weapon, leveling it horizontally between Gu Xiu and the wolf. Once the threat was intercepted, she gave Gu Xiu a slight nod. “My apologies. I was pursuing this beast but inadvertently drove it toward the periphery. Are you injured?”

Gu Xiu shook his head. He glanced at the jade plaque at her waist—an ancient, intricate piece inscribed with two archaic characters: Tiance.

While Gu Xiu observed her, Ye Hongling was sizing him up as well. Her attention was drawn primarily to his striking, snow-white hair.

“That wolf demon is about to launch a sneak attack,” Gu Xiu said suddenly.

“Huh?” Ye Hongling blinked. She spun around just as the wolf, which had been feigning wariness, gathered its strength and unleashed a razor-sharp wind blade at her.

She had intended to dodge, but remembering the “mortal” behind her, she gritted her teeth and raised her spear to parry the strike. Once the wind dissipated, she looked back, only to find that Gu Xiu had somehow already stepped into a blind spot where the wind blade could never have reached him.

A coincidence? she wondered.

“It’s going to flee,” Gu Xiu reminded her.

She turned and saw that the wolf, seeing its sneak attack fail, had already turned tail to run.

“Hmph! You escaped me once; you won’t escape a second time!” Ye Hongling snorted. She threw her spear with explosive force and, in a blur of motion, appeared directly in front of the beast.

Three moves.

In just three strikes, the wolf demon crashed to the ground, dead before it could realize it had lost.

Ye Hongling instinctively turned back, expecting to see a look of awe on the white-haired man’s face. Instead, her combat prowess hadn’t attracted even a passing glance. He had already turned to leave and was already several paces away.

What a strange person, she thought. She hesitated, then left her spoils to catch up to him. “My name is Ye Hongling, of the Tiance Mansion. May I ask yours?”

“A rogue cultivator.”

“A rogue?” She was surprised. He hadn’t shown a shred of panic facing the wolf; he seemed completely at ease. He didn’t carry himself like any ordinary rogue she had ever met. Still, the world was full of eccentrics. “That beast disturbed you because of my hunt. As an apology, its corpse is yours.”

Gu Xiu looked surprised, but eventually shook his head. “I appreciate the kindness, but the beast is of no use to me. Since you killed it, it belongs to you. If there is nothing else, let us part ways.”

“Ah… alright.” Ye Hongling stepped back, yielding the path.

She watched as Gu Xiu gave a slight nod and continued forward. She felt a lingering sense of astonishment; he was clearly only at the third layer of Qi Refining, yet his bearing was extraordinary.

Gu Xiu, meanwhile, quickened his pace once he sensed she had withdrawn her gaze. He wove through the forest with practiced ease. After traveling for several hours and confirming he wasn’t being tracked, he finally relaxed. It wasn’t that he distrusted the famous Tiance Mansion, but in the desolate wilderness, the greatest danger wasn’t the beasts.

The greatest danger was people.

As a rogue, vigilance was his only protection. Once he confirmed his direction, he continued his journey toward Cloudsoar City.

While Gu Xiu advanced, Nian Zhaoxi reached the Qingxuan Sacred Land at full speed.

“Master, what was so urgent that you summoned me back with such haste?”

“Zhaoxi! You’ve finally returned!” Guan Xuelan said, her face showing genuine relief. “I feared something had happened to you.”

“Thank you for your concern, Master,” Nian Zhaoxi replied, her voice tight with impatience. She was still desperate to return to the search for Gu Xiu. “What is the matter? Please, speak plainly.”

“I have an important matter that requires your assistance. Your junior brother has just emerged from the Sword Pavilion. After a month of training, his swordsmanship has reached a new height. I intend to gift him a new sword, and I want you to use your Heaven’s Secrets technique to bless it for him.”

Nian Zhaoxi froze. “For… just this?”

“Is there an issue?” Guan Xuelan asked, genuinely puzzled.

An issue? Nian Zhaoxi’s blood began to boil. You used a Sect Leader’s urgent summons—reserved for the most dire crises—just for a sword blessing?

“Master… I recall that an urgent summons is only used for matters of life and death for the sect… You used it for this?”

Guan Xuelan frowned. “What do you mean ‘just’ for this? Your junior brother is the future of this Sacred Land! Now that his swordsmanship has progressed, his weapon requires the utmost care. This is our foremost priority!”

Nian Zhaoxi took a deep breath, forcing her anger down. She wanted to scream: You have another disciple who has been missing for a month! Do you not care if he is dead in a ditch? He built the foundation of this very sect!

But she knew it was pointless. In her master’s eyes, Gu Xiu and Jiang Xun were as different as clouds and mud.

“I accept your command,” she said softly. “Where is the sword?”

“Your second junior sister is still forging it. It should be finished soon. It is being tailored specifically to maximize his potential, matching his every strength…”

Nian Zhaoxi stood in silence as her master spoke of the sword’s perfection. In her mind, she saw only the bluish powder of the spirit stones in the cave and the white-haired man wandering alone in the dangerous mountains.