A Pawn's Passage

Xiantian Beings had multiple stages of cultivation: Kunlun, Yuxu, and Guizhen.

The Kunlun stage was also called Glimpsing Kunlun. It meant that seeing Kunlun was the first step toward reaching the Heavens and having a first glimpse of the Path.

Li Sanxin was a Qi Refiner in the Kunlun Qi Refinement Realm.

Qi Refiners of this level could cultivate qi, which traveled through the 24 vertebrae from the Qihai acupoint to the point between the kidneys, breaking through the Fengchi acupoint, and finally reaching a state of enlightenment. After repeating this cycle for days, the body would overflow with qi gathered in the Dantian.

Reaching this level of cultivation, one would be able to control flying swords. This level of cultivation was easy to obtain, but flying swords were hard to find. One would need to nurture the Sword Embryo to develop its spirituality. Even the most common flying swords were rare and expensive. From this, Qi Xuansu could tell that Li Sanxin had an extraordinary background.

Li Sanxin used his right index and middle fingers to control the sword's movement remotely. He pointed at Qi Xuansu and silently recited, “Go.”

The small green sword hovered in the air and moved in response, shooting toward Qi Xuansu again.

Qi Xuansu’s shoulder was wounded without warning. He failed to block the sword, and he was injured by it. The small green sword flew back to its master, circling Li Sanxin non-stop as if asking for credit.

Seeing this, Qi Xuansu was not mad. Instead, he smiled and said, “That’s a flying sword from Donghai, right?”

Li Sanxin was slightly surprised. “Good eye! I guess it wouldn’t be an insult to your skills if I used it to kill you.”

Qi Xuansu raised the intact Slim Tiger Saber in his hand and said, “If you want to kill me, you should first ask if I agree.”

"That’s the spirit!” Li Sanxin praised him without any sincerity. The small green sword that was flying around him shot out in response.

The flying sword stabbed Qi Xuansu in the calf. Blood oozed out, but fortunately, it did not pierce his bones. It was just a superficial wound, which was not a critical problem for a Xiantian Being like him.

Li Sanxin’s eyes were cold as he pressed his index and middle fingers together, controlling the small green sword to keep jumping and turning. It was swift and unpredictable in its movements.

Qi Xuansu’s face was calm. As long as the injury was not fatal, he would not deliberately block it.

Li Sanxin was not in a hurry to kill such an evenly matched opponent, intending to torture Qi Xuansu slowly instead. After all, Li Sanxin was a petty man who held a grudge against Qi Xuansu for almost dying at his hands earlier.

After six consecutive blows, Qi Xuansu had six superficial wounds on his body. Li Sanxin finally felt bored and decided to kill his opponent with one final blow.

The green sword qi surged.

The flying sword flew fast, using the qi that its master poured into it as fuel. It accelerated, aiming for the point between Qi Xuansu’s eyebrows.

At this critical moment, Qi Xuansu blocked the attack with his saber, narrowly dodging death again.

Li Sanxin frowned slightly, feeling a little surprised. However, it was also somewhat expected since Qi Xuansu had blocked his attacks before. Thinking this was probably a stroke of luck on Qi Xuansu’s part, Li Sanxin felt that he would just have to put in a bit more effort to defeat his opponent. He pinched his fingers again.

However, Qi Xuansu repeatedly blocked the flying sword’s attacks.

The small green sword flew back, circling and trembling endlessly around Li Sanxin, like a child crying to their parents after being bullied.

Li Sanxin’s expression changed drastically.

Qi Xuansu said calmly, “A Qi Refiner’s Sword Steering Technique is a study of how to release qi. Such a technique has its own trajectory and rules to follow. It just takes me some time to find out what the rules are. That was why I willingly stood by and allowed you to stab me the past few times. I didn’t take the hits for nothing.”

Li Sanxin, who maintained his composure, was in a state of confusion at this moment. He gritted his teeth and said, “How is that possible? How could you figure out my Sword Steering Technique in such a short duel?”

Qi Xuansu said no more and merely charged forward with his saber.

Li Sanxin tried hard to activate his flying sword, but just as Qi Xuansu mentioned, the flying sword merely flew past Qi Xuansu and would not hurt him.

Just like that, Qi Xuansu used an ordinary saber to counter a spiritual flying sword.

The small green sword wavered. Every time it came into contact with Qi Xuansu’s saber, the green sword qi around the sword weakened. After about ten strikes, the flying sword dropped to the ground with a clang. There was no more sword qi left in it.

At this moment, Qi Xuansu stepped forward. A thunderous roar followed a slash of his saber, and bright sparks rained down in the courtyard.

The sparks were as bright as the moonlight, but they quickly disappeared.

The Bull Dragon Armor on Li Sanxin was torn open, and a thick mist of blood exploded in front of his chest.

At the same time, the Slim Tiger Saber in Qi Xuansu’s hand could not withstand the pressure and finally shattered.

Li Sanxin lost his prior confidence and no longer thought of killing or capturing Qi Xuansu. He quickly broke through the wall of the county government office and fled. The remaining Green Phoenix Guards also ran for their lives.

At this time, all that was left were the dead bodies that littered the county government office. Some were the bodies of Green Phoenix Guards, while others were Li Hongwen’s family members.

Qi Xuansu stood under the eaves, silently circulating his qi to stop the bleeding from his wounds. He turned to look at the hole in the wall that Li Sanxin had used to escape and felt regretful.

If Qi Xuansu had disregarded his injuries to hunt Li Sanxin down, he could have killed that man, but there would have been some hidden dangers. The journey to Fengtai County felt short because it was all smooth sailing. However, the journey back would be more challenging because he had provoked the Green Phoenix Guards. Therefore, Qi Xuansu decided to play it safe and did not go after Li Sanxin.

Qi Xuansu did not expect Li Sanxin to be responsible for arresting Li Hongwen this time. Li Sanxin’s Sword Steering Technique from Donghai was not unusual. However, it was bizarre that Li Sanxin possessed a spiritual flying sword.

The first thing one would need when casting a flying sword was to choose the proper material. Ordinary gold, silver, copper, and iron would not work. Only adamant, meteorite iron, cold jade, and other rare materials could be used.

The next important thing would be the sword-making technique and process, which involved a myriad of things. Just like refining an elixir, the heat and type of fire used would affect the outcome.

After casting the sword, it was necessary to carve textures on the body of the sword, which was just as difficult as drawing a talisman. There could not be any distraction in the whole process, and every stroke had to be precise. The amount of qi and physical strength, as well as the kind of tools used, were equally important.

Creating a deathly flying sword took so much effort, so naturally, it was expensive. It was not something that a lower-sixth-rank assistant major in the Green Phoenix Guard could afford.

Qi Xuansu picked up the flying sword that Li Sanxin left behind and studied it momentarily.

The foundation of this flying sword was still intact and not damaged at all. The sword could be cultivated with the appropriate techniques to recover its functionality. If one did not know how to maintain such a spiritual object, there were other channels through which one could sell it on the black market.

Qi Xuansu put away the flying sword and began to check every room in the residence of the county government office.

He first went to the bedroom and found a well-dressed, middle-aged woman lying on the bed. Her clothes were neat, and there was a thin slit on her throat. At a glance, one would think it was merely a red thread.

She was probably Li Hongwen’s wife, who died from a slit in the throat. There was no blood spattered anywhere, proving just how precise and skilled the murderer was.

Since the Green Phoenix Guards had searched this place inside out, Qi Xuansu did not touch anything and retreated.

The following rooms all looked the same.

Besides dead bodies, there was a mess everywhere after the Green Phoenix Guards conducted their search.

Finally, he arrived at Li Hongwen’s study.

After the Green Phoenix Guard captured Li Hongwen, they immediately searched Li Hongwen’s study and found nothing. Later, they imprisoned Li Hongwen in his study. Li Hongwen probably organized the study by himself because the study was quite tidy.

Qi Xuansu found the Fengtai County magistrate still sitting on the chair behind his desk. However, it was evident that he had been dead for a long time. The sole wound on his chest showed just how experienced the murderer was in ending his life with one swift jab.

Seeing this, Qi Xuansu could not help but sigh.

In fact, the late Emperor Gaozu of the existing dynasty had deposed the Green Phoenix Guard. However, after Emperor Taizong succeeded the throne, he restored the Green Phoenix Guard and relied heavily on them. This emboldened the Green Phoenix Guard to commit all kinds of illegal acts. To this day, their power remains. Thus, the wealthy merchants and officials of the imperial court were afraid of them.

Having killed so many Green Phoenix Guards earlier, Qi Xuansu would be labeled a wanted criminal.