“Those who cultivate must never judge others by appearance.”
The newcomer wore a white robe, hair flowing in the wind, with a deep blue spider mask that emitted a faint glow in the darkness, strikingly conspicuous.
The sight was utterly eerie.
Beneath the mask, eyes as clear as a lake reflected several faces.
The three stood with unwavering gazes, as if fully prepared for what lay ahead.
Xiang Shi’s gaze shifted sideways, settling on the man before him. “I am Xiang Shi, Sect Master of the Kuxing Sect. I greet Young Sect Master Lin.”
The evening breeze carried the lingering echoes of his words.
Lin Wenxiao responded politely, “Sect Master Xiang.”
The two beside Xiang Shi followed in turn, “We greet Young Sect Master Lin.”
The Kuxing Sect held some renown in the immortal realm. Lin Wenxiao had met Xiang Shi before, but the other two were strangers to him. “How shall I address you?”
The woman drifted like a ghost, weightless, soundless, as she moved to Lin Wenxiao’s side, causing one’s hairs to stand on end without warning.
The two appeared somewhat tense, their voices trembling slightly.
“I am Wan Gu of the Wanliu Sect.”
“Ming Yu of the Lingguang Sect.”
“Honored seniors, what urgent matter brings you to visit our Linxian Sect by night?”
Beneath the cold mask, the words were even more frigid.
This sudden interjection signaled the speaker’s extraordinary status.
Her very action made her stance clear, she did not welcome these uninvited nighttime visitors.
Xiang Shi discreetly glanced at Lin Wenxiao. He was perceptive, maintaining a humble demeanor. “Visiting so late at night is indeed presumptuous…”
He hesitated for a long while, still unable to broach the subject.
Xiang Shi was a rising star in the immortal realm, young and accomplished, known for speaking his mind directly.
As the saying goes, youth breeds recklessness.
Yet at this moment, he was behaving most unusually.
Silence enveloped the surroundings.
“I wish to issue a challenge to the Linxian Sect in the name of the Kuxing Sect.” Xiang Shi’s expression was solemn, his gaze utterly earnest.
Lin Wenxiao remained composed, seemingly unsurprised.
The woman interjected, “Sect Master Xiang, perhaps you could be more specific.”
There were but three ways to issue a challenge in the immortal realm.
A simple spar, a wager of cities, or a battle to the death.
Upon reflection, one could guess the gist.
Xiang Shi spoke with implication, “Tianzhou ought to return home for a visit.”
Tianzhou was originally a city of the Kuxing Sect. In a past battle, Xiang Shi had lost, and with it, the administrative rights to Tianzhou. Over the years, the city had ultimately come under the Linxian Sect’s control.
Now, the Linxian Sect’s master was in seclusion, the elders were all in the Penglai Immortal Realm, and the senior disciples had long left the sect for training. The remaining disciples were of modest cultivation.
The only one who could step forward to accept the challenge was the future sect master standing before him.
And that was precisely Xiang Shi’s plan.
Whether they accepted was not his to decide, but even if they refused, he had a contingency.
That was…
Lin Wenxiao glanced sideways. Facing Xiang Shi in battle, he knew full well his chances of victory were slim.
“Please.”
With a mere raise of Xin Xiu’s hand, in the blink of an eye, heaven and earth shifted, and the group was instantly transported to the training grounds.
The three were stunned, having recognized Xin Xiu’s extraordinary skill.
Xiang Shi stared at her without blinking.
The sect’s very survival hinged on this battle. He steeled himself inwardly.
He had to win.
Thinking of his comrades fighting alongside him, Xiang Shi unconsciously clenched his fists as he stepped onto the arena platform, each step heavy with weight.
Xin Xiu leaped into the arena and spoke slowly, “Xin Xiu.”
She pulled the token from her waist and held it up before him as proof of identity.
Her name was carved in the center of the token, with “Sword Cultivator” etched on the left and “Senior Sister” on the right.
Every character was a symbol of strength and status.
Xiang Shi’s pupils trembled violently.
No prefix needed, the mere words “Senior Sister” said it all.
The closed-door disciple of the Linxian Sect’s master.
The legendary Senior Sister of the Linxian Sect, known by name but never seen in person.
It made sense, really. One of the top sects in the immortal realm couldn’t possibly be left unguarded.
Xiang Shi’s mind was thrown into disarray, but the next moment, he sensed her aura.
Foundation Establishment stage?
It seemed he had a chance after all.
The token was illuminated by the night light, and in the next second, it transformed into a longsword. Xin Xiu twisted her wrist, the blade resting against her back, its edge reflecting a biting cold gleam.
Xiang Shi’s expression turned grave. He dared not be careless, after all, in the sects, strength spoke for itself. A Foundation Establishment cultivator bearing the title of Linxian Sect’s Senior Sister must possess extraordinary abilities.
He gripped his token, spiritual energy swirling around it as it transformed into a scepter.
The two squeezed a drop of blood from their fingertips to seal the contract.
The city contract spun three hundred and sixty degrees in the air. The contract took effect, and the spar began.
Xiang Shi’s gaze was sharp. He struck first, raising his scepter high and slamming it heavily against the ground. The earth trembled three times, and a brutal surge of energy radiated outward.
His opponent remained steadfast in place.
Xiang Shi’s brow furrowed slightly. A dazzling barrage of sword energy came flying toward him. He had no time to overthink, swiftly swinging his scepter as spiritual power wrapped around venomous orbs that shot forth.
The attacks collided, the explosion producing smoke that completely obscured visibility.
A flash of white was especially conspicuous in the darkness.
Xin Xiu listened to the footsteps drawing closer. She abruptly spun her sword, carving an arc through the air to block a sudden attack from the left. Scepter met blade, sparks flying.
A faint smile flickered across Xiang Shi’s lips. He rhythmically shook the bell in his left hand.
Ring, ring, ring…
The crisp clattering echoed in his ears.
The beads strung on his scepter emitted a blood-red glow. Xiang Shi’s mouth parted slightly as he silently chanted strange incantations.
This was less the signature technique of the Kuxing Sect and more Xiang Shi’s own signature move.
Sweat trickled down Xiang Shi’s forehead, and he couldn’t hide the panic in his eyes.
Because the person before him was completely unaffected!
Xin Xiu turned her head toward Xiang Shi. She channeled her strength to send him flying back, then retreated, the gathered spiritual energy in her hands already eagerly hurtling toward Xiang Shi.
The orb of spiritual energy detonated two paces away, the smoke dispersing to reveal the clear state of the arena.
The spectators below wore expressions heavier than the last.
The sect master of the Wanliu Sect dropped his smile, furrowing his brow with utter disbelief. “The Heart-Devouring Art failed?”
The sect master of the Lingguang Sect couldn’t help but break a cold sweat for Xiang Shi, yet still offered reassurance: “Don’t worry, Xiao Shi still has a card up his sleeve.”
Xiang Shi was knocked flying. He used his scepter to steady himself, leaving a long gash on the ground as the momentum carried him to a stop just at the edge of the arena.
What should I do? What should I do?
Xiang Shi’s heart raced with panic. Trembling, he raised a hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth.
There was no choice but to go all in.
Xiang Shi gripped his scepter tightly with both hands. A powerful current of air swirled around him as the beads on the scepter shifted from red to black, dark mist gathering around them.
He released his grip and soared into the air, the scepter standing firmly in place.
Suddenly, a plume of black mist erupted from the ground, engulfing Xin Xiu in an instant. The mist spread across the entire arena with lightning speed, seeming to merge with the sky itself.
A foul stench permeated the air.
Soul-Corroding Mist.
His signature ultimate technique.
Xin Xiu dispersed the spiritual energy gathered at her wrist. Beneath her mask, she curled her lips into a smile. She had long wanted to experience the power of the Soul-Corroding Mist firsthand, an opportunity not to be missed.
This was Lin Wenxiao’s second time witnessing the Soul-Corroding Mist. He nearly charged onto the arena, barely held back by the two spectators beside him.
He looked back with every step, watching the black mist seep beyond the arena’s edge. He broke free from the two, and just as he took a step forward, he heard a familiar voice.
“I’m fine.”
Lin Wenxiao didn’t want to distract Xin Xiu because of himself, so he stopped advancing. With his current cultivation, he couldn’t see anything within the black mist anyway.
Completely in the dark, all he could do was silently pray for Xin Xiu in his heart.
The Soul-Corroding Mist was refined from Soul-Stealing Grass. Once a person inhaled the black mist, within ten breaths the toxin would spread throughout the entire body.
After the poison took effect, mild cases showed darkened faces, slowed movements, clouded consciousness, and weakened limbs; severe cases ended in death.
The terror of the Soul-Corroding Mist lay in the fact that mere contact with it allowed the mist to enter the body, even holding one’s breath was futile.
The only person who had ever been able to counteract it was Xiang Shi’s master.
The progenitor of poison cultivators, feared throughout the immortal realm.
The black mist fell silent. Xiang Shi knew his control over the Soul-Corroding Mist was still insufficient, and fearing he might accidentally kill his opponent, he rang his bell to draw the mist back into the beads.
Before him stood no one.
The wind was biting cold.
An icy blade pressed against Xiang Shi’s neck, accompanied by words just as cold: “Forgive me.”
The outcome was clear. Xin Xiu sheathed her sword and stepped down from the arena.
Xiang Shi trembled as he gripped his scepter. With a thud, he dropped to his knees and spat out a mouthful of black blood. His two companions rushed forward to support him.
The greater the power, the greater the backlash.
In an instant, the group returned to the sect’s entrance. Xin Xiu said, “It’s getting late. Do be careful on your way back, all three of you.”
The three left with complicated expressions.
“Senior…” Lin Wenxiao barely got the word out before the figure beside him had vanished. He turned and hurried after her.
“Senior sister, are you still…”
Xin Xiu’s pace quickened.
Lin Wenxiao ran ahead of her and blocked her path. The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn’t bring himself to speak. He stood frozen in place.
When he snapped back to reality, he was alone. Lin Wenxiao walked back inside, distracted.
The doors and windows were tightly shut. The mask that had fallen to the ground was already half corroded, its reflection under the moonlight resembling a crippled spider.
Xin Xiu sat cross-legged on her bed, her face pale, fine beads of sweat forming on her forehead, poison patterns already visible on her limbs.
The toxin couldn’t be forced out, leaving the spiritual energy in Xin Xiu’s body restless. After removing her robes, a massive spider pattern gradually emerged on her back.
Xin Xiu soaked in a spiritual spring all night. The bluish-black bruises covering her fair skin had faded somewhat, and the earlier symptoms of clouded consciousness and shortness of breath had improved.
But the toxin remained in her body. This couldn’t go on.
Time was running out for her.
…
The next day.
In the Elder Hall, Xin Xiu stroked the messenger pigeon and retrieved a letter from the ring on its foot.
She put on a new mask, her brow furrowing slightly beneath it. She spread the letter on the table without a word.
“Senior sister.” Lin Wenxiao’s gaze never left Xin Xiu. More than the letter’s contents, he was worried about the person before him.
He suppressed his emotions and asked, “What did the elders say?”
Xin Xiu handed him the letter and said succinctly, “Third Elder has met with misfortune.”
Lin Wenxiao read the letter with a grave expression, unsure where to begin.
The letter self-ignited, turning to ashes. Xin Xiu released the carrier pigeon and turned to the person beside him, saying, “Notify all disciples to welcome the elder back to the sect.”
“Yes.” Lin Wenxiao suddenly thought of something and casually mentioned, “The sect trial competition is approaching.”
Hearing this, Xin Xiu nearly forgot about that matter. Recalling the last sect trial competition, he felt a pang of heartache. “Proceed as usual.”
“Yes.” Lin Wenxiao slumped over the table.
With the sect’s numerous affairs, he couldn’t help but feel somewhat restless while handling them.
Xin Xiu noticed his unusual state, stepped forward, and patted his shoulder, comforting him, “Everything will be fine. Don’t worry.”
Lin Wenxiao stood up, looking at Xin Xiu as if he wanted to speak but hesitated. “Senior Sister, there’s something…”
“Speak freely.”
The two had grown up together as childhood friends, their bond close.
Lin Wenxiao paused, then continued, “I can cure it.”
He was not a medicine cultivator, yet his eyes were resolute when he said this, and the earlier listlessness vanished in an instant.
The scene from that night was etched in his mind, lingering persistently.
“Were you also affected by the Soul-Corroding Mist?” Xin Xiu raised her hand and pressed the back of it to Lin Wenxiao’s forehead. “Are you having hallucinations?”
“You really are injured.” Lin Wenxiao lowered his brows, his lips pressed into a thin line, his face clearly showing displeasure.
“I’m fine, nothing serious.” Xin Xiu withdrew her hand. “But you can’t afford to be hurt.”
Lin Wenxiao’s gaze burned intensely, as if trying to see through the true face beneath the mask.
Xin Xiu pressed her thumb and middle finger against the sides of the mask and slowly slid it downward, revealing dark, deep eyes, a high nose bridge, and slightly parted red lips. “Do you believe me now, Junior Brother?”
As the faces overlapped, the heavy stone hanging over Lin Wenxiao’s heart finally fell. He let out a sigh of relief. “Perhaps it was the influence of the Soul-Corroding Mist.”
A disciple hurried over, bowed to the two, and reported, “Senior Sister, Young Sect Master, Xiang Shi, the sect master of the Kuxing Sect, requests an audience. He is waiting in the main hall.”
Xin Xiu tucked the mask at her waist, leaving behind only a gust of wind and a single sentence: “Assemble all disciples.”
Lin Wenxiao didn’t even catch a glimpse of her retreating figure.
A flash of light darted back and forth across the sect, finally stopping before the main hall doors.
As soon as Xin Xiu entered, Xiang Shi immediately rose, nodding in greeting. “Miss Xin.”
Xin Xiu responded politely, and the two exchanged pleasantries.
Xiang Shi took his seat, staring intently at Xin Xiu, trying to find any flaw in her.
He still couldn’t sense even a trace of the Soul-Corroding Mist, and panic crept back into his heart.
Xin Xiu took a sip of tea. “Why is Sect Master Xiang so surprised?”
On the day of the battle, Xiang Shi had never seen Xin Xiu’s true face. Now that he saw it, he couldn’t look away, not because of her appearance, but because of those eyes.
Seeing Xiang Shi unresponsive, Xin Xiu called, “Sect Master Xiang?”
Realizing his lapse, Xiang Shi hastily averted his gaze and made up an excuse: “I’m just surprised that Miss Xin is so young.”
He knew that the rumor about the Soul-Corroding Mist entering a person’s body upon contact was false.
The only way to resist the Heart-Devouring Art was to be blind, as the art affected the mind through vision. Since Xin Xiu had worn a mask that day, Xiang Shi had formed a suspicion.
Since that wasn’t the case, how had she managed it?
Xin Xiu kindly reminded him, “Cultivators should never judge by appearances.”
Xiang Shi’s expression changed as fast as a shooting star. A smile curled at the corners of his mouth, and amusement spread to his eyes. “Miss Xin speaks wisely.”
Xin Xiu waved her hand, and the doors closed on their own.
She no longer concealed anything and directly addressed what he was worried about. “Sect Master Xiang, why test me again and again? If you don’t believe me, feel free to use the Soul-Corroding Mist once more. One try will tell.”
Ever since she entered the hall, Xiang Shi had been probing her constantly.
Xin Xiu’s gaze was cold and clear, without a ripple of emotion.
Xiang Shi lowered his head and stiffly responded, “My Kuxing Sect has no cities left to fight you with, Miss Xin.”
He took out a map of the Kuxing Sect’s sphere of influence and spread it on the table.
The red crosses on the map were glaringly conspicuous. The forces scattered across the land had been carved up by various sects, leaving only resource-poor regions behind.
Not long ago, several powerful cultivators from other sects had visited the Kuxing Sect. Through threats and inducements, they had forced Xiang Shi to wager his cities in sparring matches with them.
The outcome was predictable.
Xiang Shi’s heart was filled with unspeakable bitterness. He pointed to one place. “This is the only place my Kuxing Sect can still be proud of.”
Xin Xiu said, “I don’t want the city.”
The joy that followed in Xiang Shi’s heart vanished in an instant with her next words.
Xin Xiu continued, “I want the antidote formula for the Soul-Corroding Mist.”
Xiang Shi refused without hesitation. “No.”
With the antidote, his signature technique would inevitably be cracked sooner or later, and establishing a foothold in the cultivation world would become infinitely harder.
Xiang Shi seemed to catch onto something. “Since Miss Xin is unaffected by the Soul-Corroding Mist, why do you want my antidote?”
Xin Xiu explained, “Unfortunately, the Young Sect Master was affected by the Soul-Corroding Mist during the battle and urgently needs the antidote.”
Xiang Shi said, “I am willing to treat the Young Sect Master myself.”
Xin Xiu stared at him. “But I only want the antidote.”
Seeing her pressing against his bottom line, Xiang Shi frowned in displeasure. “Is Miss Xin forcing my hand?”
“All the painstaking efforts built up over the years, buried like this, does Sect Master Xiang truly not feel the loss?” Xin Xiu deliberately brought it up. “The only card left in your hand now is the antidote.”
Xiang Shi clenched his fist, veins bulging on the back of his hand, his gaze resolute. “Miss Xin is so persistent, I see no need for further negotiation.”
A voice in his heart kept telling him that as long as he didn’t reveal his final hand, he would surely turn things around and return to the pinnacle.
Whatever the cost.