Chapter 88: Chapter 87: Want to Be the Oriole? Then Take the Fall
With a stretch of his hand, the Treasure Sword Fang Haonan had given him appeared. It too was a sharp sword that could cut through iron as if it were mud, but compared to the Blood-Drinking Sword, it was like a firefly trying to outshine the moon. There was simply no comparison!
If the sword hadn’t been a gift from Fang Haonan, Qin Li would have been tempted to test the Blood-Drinking Sword against it. Shaking his head, he put both swords away. At that moment, a series of loud RUMBLES echoed from afar.
Qin Li’s brow furrowed slightly. ’Other Martial Artists must have entered the ancient city.’ According to his master, every room in the city was layered with an Illusion Skill. The supplement to the Only I am Venerable technique he had seen earlier was surely one such illusion. Still, Prince Wu had been quite considerate to those who cultivated the Only I am Venerable technique. This also served to demonstrate Prince Wu’s incredible power, as the incantations that had appeared on the wall were precisely the ones Qin Li needed most!
Thanks to this, Qin Li broke through the first layer of the Only I am Venerable technique and reached the second. At the second layer, the technique’s cultivation shifted from physical stances to the spiritual plane.
For example, everyone was aware of the Primordial Power fluctuations and pressure emanating from High Level Martial Artists. The higher the level of the Martial Artist, the stronger the pressure they released. But how many people could truly utilize this Mental Suppression to its full potential?
For instance, using one’s Spiritual Power to form an invisible fist and send an opponent flying with a single punch!
Or using one’s Spiritual Power to manifest a sharp, intangible sword to decapitate an opponent with a single, formless strike?
Below the Celestial Level, almost no one could accomplish such feats. Only super-experts who had reached the Celestial Shattering Realm could possibly comprehend these abilities; for anyone beneath the Celestial Level, it was simply impossible!
But the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, Only I am Venerable technique could!
Ordinary combat techniques possessed a wide variety of stances, the most refined of which were known as Ultimate Techniques. But in Qin Li’s eyes, the Only I am Venerable technique was more like the legendary Dugu Nine Swords!
Of course, the Only I am Venerable technique was far more comprehensive, encompassing nearly all knowledge of Martial Arts. Fists, feet, weapons, Hidden Weapons—it covered everything and omitted nothing!
With this foundation, once Qin Li broke through the Profound Level to become an Earth Level Martial Artist, his strength would advance by leaps and bounds. Fighting a Celestial Level expert might not even be that difficult!
’It’s time to leave!’
Qin Li gazed intently at the two spirit tablets for a moment, then turned and left. The hidden door behind him swung shut without a sound.
Once outside, Qin Li glanced at the books on the shelves. He knew anything Prince Wu chose to display here would be far from junk; no matter the subject, they were guaranteed to be exceptionally valuable.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Qin Li swept everything, bookshelves and all, into his Storage Ring, filling more than half of its space. But he wasn’t worried. He had learned from Prince Wu’s journal that the size of a Storage Ring was determined by the strength of its wearer.
In other words, as Qin Li’s strength grew, the space within the ring would expand along with it.
After leaving the building, Qin Li did not retrace his steps. People were already forcing their way in from that direction, the weakest of whom were at the Earth Level. Qin Li had no desire to cross paths with them; he still lacked the strength to challenge a Celestial Level Martial Artist.
He headed south, marveling at the row of exquisite, perfectly preserved buildings. Qin Li couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. ’This master of mine from a past age... he was just too powerful!’
They say that all men have their limits, but that didn’t seem to apply to Prince Wu at all!
He was like an omnipotent expert, filling Qin Li with immense confidence and drive. Qin Li no longer felt lost about the future. His thoughts turned to Watermelon, and his mood soured. ’When I get back, I have to scour that Pill Formula Secret Manual. I need to find an Elixir that can repair the soul and strengthen the body. No matter what, I have to save him.’
Though Watermelon was young and came from the streets, he was fiercely loyal and dared to fight and risk everything. In Watermelon, Qin Li even saw a reflection of his former self.
Lost in thought, Qin Li soon reached the edge of the ancient city. The dark water was bone-chillingly cold. The moment he stepped outside the city’s boundary, an immense pressure instantly crashed down upon him.
He was nearly a hundred meters below the surface!
The moment Qin Li appeared, several powerful auras in the water shot toward him. He cursed inwardly. ’I forgot about these things. Some of them are even harder to deal with than Celestial Level Martial Artists.’
With that, Qin Li abandoned any thought of fighting. His body shot through the water like an arrow loosed from a bow, speeding straight for the surface!
The powerful aquatic monsters pursued him relentlessly. A monstrous fish, two or three meters long, was particularly fast. When Qin Li was just twenty-some meters from the surface, it caught up to him, opened its massive, blood-red maw, and lunged viciously for his legs!
Sensing the danger, Qin Li had already drawn the Blood-Drinking Sword. He spun and slashed. A crimson light flashed through the water as the monstrous fish was cleaved in two by his blade!
The scent of blood instantly drove the other pursuing monsters into a frenzy. They descended upon the unlucky fish, tearing it to shreds and turning the water red!
By then, Qin Li had already burst from the water. Without a moment’s hesitation, he streaked toward the South Shore, his internal Primordial Power flash-drying his clothes as he moved. Reaching the bank, he bent over, gasping for breath. The sky was now bright. He looked out at the ancient city in the heart of the lake. Its highest point was nearly submerged. ’The fifteen days must be almost over!’ he thought.
At the same time, Qin Li felt an incredible sense of satisfaction. Though he hadn’t seen everyone, he knew that Phoenix Lake had attracted a vast number of High Level Martial Artists. The imperial family had even risked offending all the Martial Artists in the land by blocking anyone below the Earth Level from entering!
Yet the one who had truly gained anything—the *only* one—was him!
The feeling made Qin Li want to throw his head back and laugh out loud. However, he knew this was no time to get complacent. Final victory would only be secured once he left this place for good.
He glanced in the direction of Hu and the others, preparing to stick to the treeline along the lake and rendezvous with them, when a sudden, immense wave of danger washed over him out of thin air!
At the same time, a strange laugh reached his ears.
"Second Brother, our luck is incredible! We couldn’t make it to the center of the lake, but we still managed to snag a prize just by hiding here and watching the show!"
"Big Brother, the Qin Family’s luck has always been good. How else could we have prospered to this day? You there, kid, stop running! Heh heh, whatever you found, hand it over to Grandpa nice and easy. If Grandpa’s happy, he might just spare your life. Otherwise, this day next year will be the anniversary of your death!"
If these two had known how Qin Li was about to react, they would have sooner died than spoken aloud. If they could do it all over again, they would have undoubtedly struck with the force of a thunderbolt and annihilated this damned youth in a single blow!
Because the moment he heard their voices, Qin Li reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. He shot into the air and roared, "You old geezers from the Qin Family of Yellow Sand City! You stole the peerless treasure I brought out of the lake, and now you want to kill me to silence me! I won’t forgive you even in death!"
His voice, filled with sorrow and indignation, carried a wave of towering resentment that echoed across the entirety of Phoenix Lake!
’Trying to rob me? Let’s see you take the fall for this first!’
As he shouted, Qin Li’s figure moved like a ghost, plunging into the dense forests of Phoenix Mountain and vanishing from sight!
"Fucking little bastard!"
"You little shit, you’re courting death!"
The two white-haired elders were so enraged they were practically fuming. They shot off like lightning in the direction Qin Li had vanished.
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