A Pawn's Passage

Time gradually passed, and it was already midnight.

Qi Xuansu, who had been sitting cross-legged in a meditative posture, let out a turbid breath and put away the flying sword.

The Sword Steering Technique was unique to Qi Refiners and could not be used by Diviners. In the same way, Qi Refiners did not have the magical powers of Earth Qi Recall and Dream Entering that Diviners did.

Daoist priests from the same sect had different paths to pursue immortality. Besides Qi Refiners and Diviners, there were also Martial Arts Practitioners, Shamans, and other types of cultivators. Qi Xuansu did not identify with any of these categories. He was a Rogue Cultivator.

To put it nicely, Rogue Cultivators were knowledgeable about everything. In other words, they were neither fish nor fowl. They were jacks of all trades, but masters of none. Thus, their final achievements were not too high. Among the 36 Sages, there were only two Rogue Cultivators.

There were a lot of Rogue Cultivators. After all, most people had no hope of ascending to the Heavens and would rather learn more skills within a limited realm. Thus, Rogue Cultivators were the only people besides Qi Refiners who could learn the Sword Steering Technique.

With this mentality, Qi Xuansu chose to be a Rogue Cultivator. His master was also a Rogue Cultivator—a fourth-rank Daoist master who often drank too much. Three years ago, his master died.

Qi Xuansu glanced at the deep night outside, feeling dismal.

This time, he had provoked the Li Clan of the Taiping Sect. There was no doubt that Li Sanxin’s biggest backer was his family.

The Li family of Donghai had a mindset of superiority over the rest of the world. They did not care about what the world thought of them and remained aloof. To outsiders, the Li family was quite mysterious. A few individuals in the Li family joined the Daoist Order and became influential figures. One of them was the incumbent leader of the Taiping Sect.

At this moment, Qi Xuansu heard some footsteps coming from outside the temple, so he stood up and looked out the door.

In the night, a tall man wearing a Daoist robe walked under the rain.

Qi Xuansu went over to the entrance of the dilapidated temple and stared down at the passerby. His intention was obvious—to prevent the man from entering.

The passerby stopped at the steps in front of the dilapidated temple and met Qi Xuansu’s gaze. “I am a wandering Daoist disciple who has been traveling all night. I would like to rest in the temple and dry my clothes by a fire. May I enter?”

"No.” Qi Xuansu flatly refused. “You were walking deep in the mountains at night. You don’t seem like an ordinary wandering Daoist disciple.”

The man asked, “Why can’t Daoist disciples walk in the mountains at night?”

Qi Xuansu’s voice turned slightly deeper. “If you truly were a seasoned traveler, you should have sought shelter before it started pouring instead of continuing with your journey through the mountains at night.

"If you had an emergency, you should have rushed to Fengtai County, which was about two hours away from here. Even if there would be a curfew at this hour, there were plenty of places to stay right outside the city walls. Then you could have entered the city immediately at dawn instead of resting in this old temple.”

The man laughed.

Qi Xuansu looked at the man and warned. “If you are merely passing by, I suggest you leave this place immediately. If you are a thief, please just state your intentions.”

When the man heard this, he laughed. “I’m afraid it’s still too early to conclude who the real thief is, don’t you think?”

Qi Xuansu’s face was stern.

The man took out the insignia from his sleeve to prove his identity and declared, “I am a sixth-rank Daoist priest from the Quanzhen Sect, Zhuge Yongming.”

Qi Xuansu immediately understood. Ever since the Holy Xuan revived the Daoist Order, the Quanzhen Sect has followed a naming convention to easily tell a disciple’s generation. Zhuge Yongming was an eighth-generation disciple who had a common name with the disciples from his batch—Yong.

Qi Xuansu’s expression remained unchanged. “So, you’re a Quanzhen Daoist priest. What proof do you have to accuse me of being a thief? You shouldn’t slander an innocent person.”

"Innocent person?” Zhuge Yongming’s smile gradually faded. “What are you doing in this disused temple, then?”

Qi Xuansu responded, “It started pouring just as I was passing by, so I took shelter here for the time being.”

"Were you really just taking shelter from the rain? Then why were you so guarded?” Zhuge Yongming pressed on. “Why didn’t you let me enter?”

Qi Xuansu replied, “That was because you looked fierce. You were just as secretive about your whereabouts, and I had a feeling that you weren’t a good person.”

Zhuge Yongming sneered. “That’s your reason?”

Qi Xuansu said, “One mustn’t have the intention to harm others, but one must still stay guarded against others. If you continue to pester me regarding this, I must say that you are merely pretending to be a Daoist disciple.”

Zhuge Yongming narrowed his eyes and spat out, word by word, “You don’t call the shots around here.”

Qi Xuansu countered. “You don’t call the shots here either.”

Zhuge Yongming smirked. “But my fists will. Let’s fight until one of us admits defeat. Whoever wins gets the final say.”

Qi Xuansu scoffed. “So, what you really want is a fight, huh?”

Zhuge Yongming threatened. “First things first. If you are willing to surrender, I won’t fight you. But if you want to fight to the end, then don’t blame me for being ruthless. I will crush your spirit and Dantian. That way, all of your cultivation so far will be completely destroyed.”

Qi Xuansu did not take the risk to cross the river, successfully avoiding Jiang Bieyun, who was on the boat. He also did not risk staying put in Fengtai County, so he managed to avoid the Diviner from the Zhengyi Sect. In the end, he still could not avoid Zhuge Yongming, who had been waiting for him on Maoxian Mountain.

Zhuge Yongming looked at Qi Xuansu. “There are two kinds of people who can stand out in the world. One type is blessed by the Heavens—born with an excellent physique and talents. The other type isn’t born with the best traits but is still blessed by the ancestors with grit and determination. Although those people may not become famous at a young age, they are often late bloomers.

"You look less than 30 years old, but you are already a Xiantian Being, so you must be somewhat blessed by the Heavens. But I’m different. I’m not gifted, nor do I have a great physique. When I was your age, I was merely a Houtian Being in the Baodan cultivation stage. Over the years, I have been putting in the hard work, practicing day in and day out, rain or shine, and finally progressing to the Yuxu stage.

"I know I can’t compare to gifted people, but I’m certainly qualified enough to kill a Kunlun stage cultivator like you.”

Qi Xuansu’s face was solemn.

Zhuge Yongming was a Yuxu-stage Martial Arts Practitioner in the Flesh and Blood Realm.

The next moment, Zhuge Yongming threw a punch at Qi Xuansu.

Qi Xuansu avoided the attack by dodging to the side.

In the funeral home, Qi Xuansu once dodged a crossbow bolt. In the county government office, he also blocked Li Sanxin’s flying sword. This proved how fast his reflexes were.

However, at this moment, he could not dodge Zhuge Yongming’s punch completely and got hit on his left shoulder, falling to his side. He deliberately adjusted his position and twisted his body in mid-air. Thus, instead of retreating backward into the temple, Qi Xuansu landed in the open space outside. He did not make a sound when his feet touched the ground.

Zhuge Yongming threw his second punch after Qi Xuansu stood firm.

Martial Arts Practitioners were different from Diviners and Qi Refiners. They were the best at close combat, so Qi Xuansu’s life was in serious danger.

Zhuge Yongming aimed at Qi Xuansu’s forehead, between the eyebrows. The draft from the punch blew Qi Xuansu’s hair back. However, when his fist was only a couple centimeters away from Qi Xuansu’s forehead, Qi Xuansu leaned backward, barely escaping the aftermath of the punch.

The Martial Arts Practitioner was aggressive and showed no mercy, keeping his opponent close at hand.

Eighty percent of a Martial Arts Practitioner’s killing power lay in their arms. At this time, the veins on Zhuge Yongming’s arms bulged, like tiny dragons hidden beneath his skin. At the same time, the blood in his body circulated like the river’s currents. Qi Xuansu could vaguely hear Zhuge Yongming’s pulse and feel his arrogant and domineering aura.

Zhuge Yongming randomly took a step forward, creating a pit in the ground under his feet. He relied on the energy accumulated under his feet and lunged forward like an arrow shot from a bow. In an instant, he was right in front of Qi Xuansu.

Even though Qi Xuansu was skilled in fighting, he did not have a counterattack planned. Thus, he had no choice but to try his best to retreat and avoid being hit.

One person charged forward while the other slid backward, splashing mud everywhere.

Every time Zhuge Yongming took a step, he left a deep footprint in the ground, which shook from the impact. He stared at the young man and took a deep breath. Every joint and bone in his body cracked, starting from his chest, abdomen, shoulders, elbows, wrists, and fists. There was a pop each time he flexed.

When his punch broke through the air, there was a thunderous sound. Qi Xuansu could not dodge this strike.

The punch shot out like an arrow and was as powerful as a bomb.

Qi Xuansu was blown away by the punch. He fell into the dense forest next to the disused temple and snapped several old tree trunks.

Zhuge Yongming approached him slowly with a faint smile. “I thought this punch would break you into two. I didn’t expect you to be so resilient. This is beyond my expectations.”

Lying on the ground, Qi Xuansu propped himself up and stood up on his own. He spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

Zhuge Yongming could easily crack boulders and split rocks with a single punch. Even a Kunlun-stage Martial Arts Practitioner would be hard-pressed to withstand his full punch, not to mention a Kunlun-stage Rogue Cultivator like Qi Xuansu.

Even if his opponent was a Qi Refiner or Diviner at the Yuxu stage, Zhuge Yongming would be able to severely injure his opponent within ten steps and deliver a fatal blow within three steps. Of course, if the Diviner or Qi Refiner had kept their distance from him, Zhuge Yongming would have ended up dead. Thus, it was hard to predict who would win in a fight like that.

In any case, a Rogue Cultivator in the Kunlun stage could not compare to a Xiantian Being in the Yuxu stage. Someone of Qi Xuansu’s level was not qualified enough to compete with Zhuge Yongming.

Zhuge Yongming looked at Qi Xuansu, who had just regained his footing, and laughed. “Look at you. You can still stand up!”

Qi Xuansu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and scoffed. “Not only can I stand up, but I can also beat you to a pulp until your mother won’t be able to recognize you.”

Zhuge Yongming said nonchalantly, “My mother is no longer alive. I remember that I was only three years old when she passed away. Decades have passed in the blink of an eye, so she won’t be able to recognize me anyway.”

Qi Xuansu reached out to hold the hilt of the short sword at his waist. “Sorry for being presumptuous.”

Zhuge Yongming narrowed his eyes. “Don’t worry, I won’t hold a grudge against a dying person.”