Seeing Li Lu take the initiative to attack first, Qin Xiao did not dare to be overconfident. He quickly dodged, knowing that even a scratch would hurt.

However, Qin Xiao lacked combat experience. Although Li Lu was young, he often sparred with other disciples within his family, making his combat experience far superior to Qin Xiao's.

Seeing Qin Xiao attempt to evade, Li Lu instantly shifted from a thrust to a sweep, aiming his sword directly at Qin Xiao's arm.

Their reactions were similar, but Qin Xiao lost out in experience. Failing to dodge in time, his arm was slashed, and his clothes were torn open once more.

After landing the hit, Li Lu did not stop. He accelerated his attacks, forcing Qin Xiao into a frantic evasion as more and more tears appeared on his garments.

The burning pain made Qin Xiao want to curse, but his wild, uncoordinated counter-swings missed Li Lu entirely, grazing past him every time.

As the fight dragged on, Li Lu grew increasingly flustered. Although he connected almost every time and held nothing back, the opponent did not shed a single drop of blood.

"Could this be some sort of hard-body technique from the mortal world?"

Unable to inflict any actual injuries, Li Lu paused and began to wonder if the mortal realm possessed such body-refinement arts.

Even if it did, he was now a cultivator at the Body Refinement stage. No mortal hard-body technique could possibly reach this level.

"Damn it, I'm suffering because I don't know how to fight. It looks like I need to cram some combat experience."

Surveying his tattered clothes, Qin Xiao felt truly helpless. Three years of a mundane life had caused him to abandon himself entirely, leaving him completely untrained in formal combat.

"No matter. Even if he has some sort of hard-body technique, a person's vital points are either the crotch or the eyes. Since he keeps guarding his crotch, that must be his weak spot."

After a brief calculation, Li Lu launched his attack once again.

Seeing the opponent press forward, Qin Xiao hurried to evade. Though he had lacked experience initially, taking so many sword strikes had taught him a lesson, giving him a better grasp of Li Lu's rhythm. This time, he managed to dodge cleanly.

"As expected."

Having successfully avoided the blade through his own prediction, Qin Xiao roughly figured out how to deal with Li Lu.

In truth, Li Lu had used a feint, lying in wait for an opportunity to strike straight at Qin Xiao's crotch.

After trading blows for a while longer, Li Lu finally found his opening. He pretended to lunge upward before thrusting downward toward his target.

Qin Xiao fell for the trap, bringing his High Grade Spirit Weapon up to guard his chest. Li Lu abruptly changed his movement, thrusting his sword toward Qin Xiao's lower body.

Too late to recall his defense, Qin Xiao threw himself backward, barely managing to dodge the strike.

"Good kid, playing dirty with me, aren't you?"

Qin Xiao was genuinely furious now. While the blow would not have left him castrated, the sheer pain was incomparable to ordinary flesh wounds.

"So your vital point really is there!"

Seeing Qin Xiao fly into a rage, Li Lu assumed he had hit the mark and felt a surge of triumph.

Before he could revel in it, however, Qin Xiao's furious counter-strike descended. Holding nothing back this time, Qin Xiao executed a full-speed slash that left Li Lu with no room to evade.

Every time Qin Xiao's body had previously been cut, the injuries healed rapidly. Having consumed vast amounts of Spirit Liquid, his strength continued to grow through the constant cycle of breaking and rebuilding-an inherent part of Body Refinement.

Li Lu never expected Qin Xiao to suddenly erupt with such terrifying speed. Too late to dodge, he could only cross his sword before his chest in a desperate attempt to block the blow.

He had forgotten, however, that his weapon was merely an ordinary steel sword, whereas Qin Xiao wielded a High Grade Spirit Weapon. With a crisp, sharp snap, Qin Xiao's blade sheared straight through the opponent's sword and pierced deep into his abdomen, driving straight into his Dantian.

Feeling his Dantian shatter and his Spiritual Qi drain away in a frantic torrent, Li Lu shrieked in agony and cried out for help.

"Kid, if you hadn't resorted to underhanded tricks, I would have at most taught you a lesson. But since you chose to fight dirty, destroying your Dantian is letting you off easy."

With those words, Qin Xiao withdrew his blade and stepped back to his original position.

"Qin Xiao, you dare! You're courting death!"

Li Cheng rushed forward to inspect Li Lu's injuries, cursing bitterly all the while.

A quick examination only darkened Li Cheng's expression further. Li Lu's Dantian was thoroughly shattered beyond recovery; from this day on, he was nothing more than a cripple.

"Qin Xiao, you destroyed my cousin's Dantian. I will definitely repay this blood debt! I am no longer speaking as an Immortal Sword Peak disciple, but as Li Lu's cousin seeking vengeance."

Though he felt a twinge of regret over his cousin's ruin, Li Cheng realized he had just secured a flawless pretext. Even if he killed Qin Xiao here, he would face no repercussions, and it would render a favor to Yao Kaidong, ensuring he would never lack resources on Immortal Sword Peak.

With that, Li Cheng walked slowly toward Qin Xiao. With every step he took, his Spiritual Qi surged higher, until he stood ten steps away, fully revealing his cultivation realm: early Golden Core stage.

"This kid Li Cheng is quite clever. He'd make a fine confidant."

Watching the display, Yao Kaidong was thoroughly satisfied. There was no longer any need to manufacture an excuse.

"Disciple, what cultivation level is this?"

Although Qin Xiao could sense the terrifying pressure rolling off the man, he had no frame of reference for his exact realm, prompting him to turn to Yun Man.

"Master, this is the early Golden Core stage, far beyond what the Qi Condensation realm can compare to. Step back, Master-this battle is mine."

With a speechless expression, Yun Man stepped forward and placed herself in front of Qin Xiao.

"Junior Sister Yun, what is the meaning of this? This is a personal grievance between Qin Xiao and me. Once Qin Xiao is dead, you can freely transfer to Immortal Sword Peak, and we will be fellow senior and junior brother and sister. Defending him now brings you no benefits. Furthermore, as you can see, I am already at the early Golden Core stage. Even if you wanted to help him, you simply cannot."

Not expecting Yun Man to stand up for Qin Xiao, Li Cheng quickly tried to reason with her.

In his calculations, Qin Xiao was bound to die today, and Yun Man would inevitably join Immortal Sword Peak, making them fellow disciples. He truly wished to avoid offending her, especially since her innate talent meant she would likely surpass him in the future.

"Qin Xiao is my Master. Defending my Master is my personal affair. Cut the nonsense-do you really think you are the only one in the Golden Core stage?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Yun Man's spiritual power erupted furiously, climbing steadily until it leveled off at the early Golden Core stage.

The reason she had emerged slightly later was precisely because she was undergoing a breakthrough. Armed with seven consecutive days of Spirit Liquid and countless Spirit Stones, she had already pushed her foundation to the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage that very night. Subsequent days of uninterrupted cultivation had allowed her directly to break through into the Golden Core stage.

"What? That's impossible! You only entered the sect seven days ago-how could you possibly reach the Golden Core stage? This is absurd!"

Li Cheng could hardly accept the reality before him.

"Possible or not, a fight will tell. Make your move."

Having just broken through, Yun Man was eager to test her strength. Moreover, as a member of the Central Province Yun Family, she lacked neither techniques nor combat experience, and she was confident in her peerless strength within the same realm in the Tianyuan Sect.

"Even if you truly reached the Golden Core stage, your aura shows you only just broke through. I have spent half a year consolidating my foundation in the early Golden Core stage. Does Junior Sister Yun really intend to ruin things for his sake?"

Driven into a corner with no retreat, Li Cheng issued one final warning, prepared to cross the line if necessary.

"Less talk, make your move."

Looking impatient, Yun Man urged him forward, despising the lingering hesitation.

Realizing persuasion was useless, Li Cheng had no choice but to fight.

"In that case... offense is taken."