In the quiet forest, where a gentle breeze passed through the leaves, Gu Yuan stood surrounded by three outer sect disciples. He calmly considered how to handle the situation when Liu Feng spoke again.
"I heard that Junior Brother has already reached the Fifth Stage of the Qi Refinement Realm. I didn’t believe it at first, but now that I’ve seen you with my own eyes, it seems the rumors were true."
He smiled as though genuinely impressed.
"Would you mind telling your senior brothers how you cultivated so quickly? If there’s some trick to it, don’t keep it all to yourself."
A single Metal Spiritual Root. A Second-Grade Spiritual Root.
With aptitude like his, while also maintaining a solid foundation and not cultivating any evil technique that relied on sacrificing others, Gu Yuan had long since expected his cultivation speed to attract suspicion.
Even so, he wasn’t flustered.
"I simply cultivated diligently. Deacon Zhao can testify to that."
He deliberately mentioned Deacon Zhao, hoping the name alone would make the other party think twice.
Unfortunately, Liu Feng didn’t seem the least bit intimidated.
Gu Yuan had someone standing behind him.
So did he.
"So..." Liu Feng drew out the word with a faint smile. "You’re saying you never received any help from... outside the sect?"
His tone was light, almost teasing, yet every word carried unmistakable malice.
Gu Yuan remained unmoved. He had nothing to fear. His background was spotless, and his life since entering the sect had been simple enough for anyone to verify.
"Alright, I believe you, Junior Brother." Liu Feng seemed to take a step back. Yet the next words that left his mouth proved otherwise.
"But whether I believe you isn’t what matters."
"The rumors have already spread throughout the Outer Sect. If you don’t clear your name soon, who knows what kind of trouble you might run into later."
"So?"
"So..." Liu Feng spread his hands with an expression that almost looked sincere. "To help put these rumors to rest, why don’t you let us inspect your storage bag? If you truly have nothing to hide..."
His smile gradually turned colder.
"...You wouldn’t mind, would you?"
Liu Feng was convinced there had to be a reason behind Gu Yuan’s cultivation speed.
With nothing more than a Second-Grade Metal Spiritual Root, reaching the Fifth Stage of the Qi Refinement Realm in such a short time was impossible... unless, he had stumbled upon some fortuitous encounter.
And if such a thing existed, Liu Feng naturally wanted it for himself.
Should Gu Yuan refuse to hand over his storage bag willingly, he was fully prepared to take it by force.
As if sharing the same thought, the other two disciples quietly stepped forward, subtly cutting off Gu Yuan’s retreat.
Yet, contrary to their expectations, Gu Yuan simply nodded.
"Of course."
He calmly removed the storage bag from his waist. Before handing it over, however, he first took out the saber Deacon Zhao had gifted him.
Only then did he place the storage bag into Liu Feng’s waiting hand.
"I’ll have to trouble you then, Senior Brother."
Though briefly surprised by how cooperative he was, Liu Feng still snatched the bag and carefully inspected it.
His eager expression quickly twisted into something ugly.
Inside were nothing more than a few spare clothes, dried rations, and other daily necessities. Not even a single spirit stone could be found. There was literally nothing worth taking.
Liu Feng slowly raised his head. "You’re being far too dishonest, Junior Brother."
His smile had completely disappeared, and his voice hardened.
"If you have another storage treasure, take it out now."
Gu Yuan calmly shook his head. "I only have this one."
Liu Feng’s expression grew even darker. With his spiritual sense, he could already confirm that Gu Yuan carried no other storage treasure on him. Yet he refused to accept that conclusion.
Did I really come here for nothing?
The thought had barely surfaced before Liu Feng’s eyes landed on the saber resting in Gu Yuan’s hand. A faint spiritual aura lingered around its blade. His pupils narrowed, and a trace of undisguised greed flashed across his eyes.
"That saber... where did you get it?"
Gu Yuan lowered his gaze to the weapon before answering honestly.
"Deacon Zhao rewarded it to me."
"I see."
Liu Feng slowly extended his hand, his smile returning.
"Let me have a look."
This time, Gu Yuan didn’t immediately move. The atmosphere, already tense, seemed to grow even heavier as neither side spoke for several breaths.
"...Senior Brother."
His tone remained as respectful as ever.
"Is it really necessary to go this far? I’m only an ordinary Outer Sect disciple."
His eyes finally met Liu Feng’s.
"Please... leave me a way out."
Liu Feng’s outstretched hand remained exactly where it was. The meaning behind the gesture could not have been clearer.
He wanted the saber.
Gu Yuan looked at that unmoving hand for a long moment before quietly letting out a sigh.
"I understand."
The words had barely left his mouth when his body suddenly moved.
There wasn’t the slightest warning.
His foot pushed off the ground, his figure blurred forward, and the saber in his hand flashed with a sharp metallic gleam.
A streak of cold light swept across the space between them.
"AAAAAGH!"
Liu Feng’s miserable scream echoed throughout the forest as blood sprayed into the air. His outstretched arm spun through the air before crashing onto the ground several meters away.
He staggered backward, clutching the stump of his shoulder with his remaining hand, his face twisting in agony.
Everything had happened too quickly. None of the three had expected Gu Yuan to attack.
Gu Yuan had hoped to resolve everything peacefully. The other party, however, had insisted on pushing forward. If that was the case, he would no longer hold back.
He preferred to avoid trouble. But once trouble forced itself upon him, he would not shy away from it.
Living in the Black Desolation Sect, timidity invited only more trouble. Taking one step back today would mean taking countless more in the future. That was a path he refused to walk.
Not giving Liu Feng even a moment to recover, Gu Yuan stepped forward once more and drove his foot into his chest with all the strength his Fifth Stage Qi Refinement cultivation could muster.
A muffled crack rang out.
Liu Feng spat out a mouthful of blood as his body flew backward, smashing heavily into the trunk of a tree before collapsing to the ground.
Almost at the same instant, Gu Yuan twisted his waist and swung his saber toward one of the remaining two disciples. His blade cut through the air with frightening precision, aiming to sever an arm or at least leave behind a wound serious enough to take his opponent out of the fight.
"Watch out!"
The two finally snapped out of their daze.
One hurriedly raised his weapon to block the slash, while the other let out a roar and rushed in from the side, his blade whistling toward Gu Yuan’s back.
Clang!
Steel collided, sparks scattering.
Gu Yuan immediately shifted his footing, narrowly avoiding the strike from behind before retaliating with another slash, forcing the two back. The three exchanged blows in quick succession, blades clashing again and again, but neither side managed to gain a decisive advantage.
Eventually, all three leaped backward almost at the same time, instinctively creating distance from one another.
Gu Yuan drew a slow breath. Across from him, the other two disciples looked at each other, their expressions still carrying traces of disbelief.
None of them had expected the quiet, polite Gu Yuan to be the one who struck first... and so mercilessly at that.
"You... you actually dared..."
Liu Feng staggered back to his feet.
His face had twisted beyond recognition. Blood stained the corner of his mouth, while his left sleeve hung empty, fresh blood dripping steadily from the severed shoulder.
"Gu Yuan..."
His voice was hoarse, every word seemingly squeezed through clenched teeth.
"How dare you!"
His furious roar echoed through the forest as he strode back toward the battlefield.
Seeing Liu Feng return, even in such a sorry state, the other two finally relaxed slightly. Their earlier shock faded, replaced by cold killing intent, and before long, three pairs of hostile eyes were locked onto Gu Yuan.
Gu Yuan silently tightened his grip on the saber.
Now... the real battle was about to begin.
Liu Feng was at the Sixth Stage of the Qi Refinement Realm, while the other two were both at the Fifth Stage, the same as him. The situation couldn’t have been any worse.
His cultivation was low. His combat experience was almost nonexistent. The only technique he had ever trained was the basic cultivation method given to every outer disciple.
Even so, he didn’t retreat. The instant Liu Feng rushed forward, Gu Yuan met him head-on.
Clang!
The impact numbed his arm.
"So this is all you’ve got?" Liu Feng sneered despite his miserable appearance. "And you actually thought you could challenge me?"
"You’ll pay for my arm with your life!"
The three attacked one after another, leaving Gu Yuan almost no room to breathe.
His advantage from the surprise attack disappeared almost immediately. A shallow cut opened across his shoulder, while another appeared on his forearm.
Soon, several more wounds had stained his robes red. Even then, Gu Yuan remained unusually calm.
He said nothing. His eyes followed every movement of their blades, quietly searching for openings while adjusting his own rhythm with every exchange.
’His left side has become unstable...’
’That one’s footwork is slower than the other...’
’If they separate even for a moment...’
Rather than growing flustered, his mind became increasingly clear.
Liu Feng, however, mistook that silence for fear.
"What happened to your courage earlier?"
"Fight back!"
"I’ll make sure you beg before I’m done with you!"
Gu Yuan ignored every word.
Killing fellow disciples was forbidden in the Black Desolation Sect. It was one of the few rules that everyone actually took seriously. Earlier, he had deliberately aimed for Liu Feng’s arm instead of his neck because of that.
But as he blocked another heavy strike from Liu Feng and was forced several steps backward, one thought quietly surfaced in his mind.
Maybe, I wasn’t decisive enough.
It was at that very moment, just as that thought crossed his mind, that an unfamiliar voice suddenly rang out from nearby.
"Everyone, please stop."