As Yuan continued down the passage, his footsteps echoed through the narrow stone corridor.
He walked for about ten minutes straight, his breathing steady, his mind alert.
Then, at the end of the passage, he saw it.
A door.
There was nothing remarkable about it. No intricate carvings. No glowing symbols. No inscriptions.
Just a plain wooden door.
Yet, Yuan did not hastily push it open.
He was no fool.
What if there's a runic formation behind this door?
If there was even one hidden rune formation, opening the door recklessly could trigger a deadly explosion.
And that would an instant death.
Yuan narrowed his eyes, stepping closer with cautious precision.
He examined the door.
Nothing.
He inspected the surrounding walls.
Still nothing.
There were no traps, no hidden formations, no concealed chanisms to activate anything.
Yet…
Sothing felt off.
For ten minutes, he had walked through an eerily empty passage, and no one had appeared to stop him.
That alone was highly suspicious.
He had to stay cautious.
Yuan took a slow, deep breath. His pupils shrunk, and his body tensed as his fingers reached for the door handle.
With deliberate slowness, he pressed down on the lever.
CREAK…
The door groaned softly as it swung open.
But Yuan did not step in.
Instead
He threw the door wide open and jumped back, his muscles coiled, ready to flee at a mont's notice.
Silence.
Nothing happened.
Yuan's gaze darted toward the open doorway.
Beyond it, there was only darkness.
A deep, consuming darkness.
His eyes widened in shock.
"I… can't see what's inside?"
Even with his awakened senses, his vision could not pierce the veil of shadows.
That was impossible.
Still, nothing moved. No traps activated. No sudden attacks.
Only the silent abyss beyond the door.
"Haa…" Yuan sighed.
But his fingers tightened.
"Nothing happening is usually the biggest warning that sothing will happen."
His nerves were on high alert now.
With no other choice, Yuan drew his sword from his bag of holding, the cold steel reflecting dim light from the passage.
Then
He stepped forward.
The mont his foot crossed the threshold, the darkness shifted.
It was not instant.
Instead, the black haze slowly faded, as if it had been waiting for sothing.
Bit by bit, the room beyond beca visible.
The more Yuan saw, the faster his eyes scanned the surroundings.
And then
He froze.
The room was spacious, filled with decorations that hinted at long term residence.
A ditation bed rested near the far corner. Shelves lined the walls, stacked with countless books. A few bottles, possibly filled with spiritual elixirs, were neatly arranged on a nearby table.
At first glance, it looked like the cultivation cave of an cultivator soone who had lived here for a quite soti.
But as Yuan's eyes darted around, scanning the area, a strange sound interrupted his thoughts.
The wind.
A cold gust brushed past him, making his skin tingle.
Instantly, his body tensed. His grip tightened on his sword, and his stance shifted into one of caution.
Sothing or soone was here.
Yuan's gaze sharpened, scanning every shadow, every flicker of movent. His breath slowed. His muscles coiled, ready to spring into action at any mont.
And then, he saw her.
A woman.
She stood near the far side of the room, her figure partially shrouded by the dim lighting.
Long, dark blue hair cascaded down her back, its strands shimring faintly under the flickering lanterns. Her piercing blue eyes glowed with an unnatural light, sharp and unwavering.
She wore a flowing blue daoist robe, which hugged her fra yet allowed for effortless movent. The fabric was slightly loose around her chest, revealing just enough of her ample curves to draw the eye,but that was not what stunned Yuan the most.
No.
What truly unsettled him… were her eyes.
They were not round like a normal human's.
Instead, they were straight, narrow,serpentine.
Yuan's breath hitched for a mont.
His instincts scread danger.
Yet, after a second of careful observation, he relaxed slightly.
If she could kill him instantly, she could have already done so.
That ant either
She was testing him. She underestimated him. She did not see him as a threat at all.
Yuan could only hope for the second option.
A confident smile spread across his lips.
He lowered his sword just slightly,just enough to show ease, but not enough to drop his guard.
Let's see if we can talk first.
With a light chuckle, he greeted her.
"Hello, fellow Daoist. How is it that I find you here?"
The mont the words left his lips, silence filled the room.
The air grew thick with tension.
Yuan did not move. His body was prepared to react at the slightest sign of hostility.
Then, after three long monts, the blue haired woman finally spoke.
Her voice was cold as ice.
"Brat… who are you?"
Her piercing blue eyes narrowed as she took a step forward, arms folded, posture confident.
"A lost rogue cultivator? So rat sent by a minor clan to steal from my cave? Or just another idiot who wandered into the wrong place?"
Her lips curled slightly,not in amusent, but in disdain.
"Well? Speak. Or would you rather I just kill you now?"
Yuan's smile did not waver.
But inwardly, he smiled.
Good. She wants to talk first.
That ant negotiation was still on the table.
He bowed slightly, keeping his tone polite yet steady.
"Fellow Daoist, I must naturally apologize for intruding upon your cultivation cave. However, as you know, this land, the Thirty Plants Forest, is under the jurisdiction of the Howling Wind Sect."
Her expression shifted slightly, just for a second.
Yuan continued.
"I ca here under my sect's orders to investigate the unusual events occurring in the forest. As I searched, I noticed that the outer regions of the forest had beco eerily void of demonic beasts. That raised my suspicions, so I ventured further. Eventually, my search led here, to this cave. Naturally, I did not know this was your dwelling, nor did I expect to find soone cultivating here."
He let his words linger for a mont.
Observing her reaction.
Her blue eyes flickered slightly at the ntion of the Howling Wind Sect.
Then, instead of softening, her expression grew even colder.
"Brat… why should I trust a single word you say?"
Her voice was sharp, filled with undisguised suspicion.
Then, she raised her chin slightly, a smirk playing on her lips.
"If you're really from the Howling Wind Sect, then prove it."
Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Oh? And how exactly do you want to prove it?"
The woman scoffed.
"Simple. Show your identification slate."
Yuan's mind sharpened instantly.
Ah. So that's what she wants.
If he even tried to retrieve his identification slate, it would an opening his bag of holding,a perfect opening for an ambush.
Did she think he was so naive three year old?
Yuan sneered internally at the obvious trap.
But on the surface, he laughed lightly.
"Hahaha, Fellow Daoist, please… Who in the entire Seven Peak Mist Mountains would dare to impersonate a disciple of one of the Seven Sects?"
His voice was lighthearted, but his muscles remained tense, ready to strike or flee at any mont.
"If soone were foolish enough to do so and got caught, they would be hunted down by the sects themselves. I doubt anyone would dare attempt sothing so suicidal."
The mont he finished speaking, Yuan had already begun moving his spiritual blood.
Silently, he activated Howling Gale Steps, preparing to retreat if necessary.
At the sa ti, he channeled spiritual energy into his fingers, preparing to use Wind Cutter Slash at the first sign of an attack.
His eyes never left hers.
If she so much as twitched, he would react instantly.
The tension in the room rose sharply.
The battle of wits and patience had begun.
The woman's smirk widened.
"Hmpf. If you refuse to show your identification slate… then why should I tell you why I'm here, brat?"
Her eyes flashed dangerously.
"Now, you can die."
With a sneer, the woman's cold, piercing gaze turned sharp as a blade. Without another word, she lunged forward, closing the distance between them in an instant.
Realizing that talk was over and a fight was inevitable, Yuan's smile vanished.
His expression turned indifferent,cold, emotionless.
His azure black eyes reflected nothing but calm calculation.
Spiritual blood surged through his body.
He channeled the flow toward his toes, fingertips, and wrists, preparing his Wind Cutter Slash technique. His stance shifted subtly, every muscle coiling like a drawn bow, ready to react at the perfect mont.
Yet, his gaze never left his opponent.
As the woman charged, her sleeve fluttered, and in a single, fluid motion, she unsheathed a sword.
A crystal blue sword.
Yuan's pupils shrank slightly.
"A quasi spiritual artifact?"
The mont the sword erged, a faint but oppressive spiritual pressure spread through the room. Though weaker than a full fledged spiritual artifact, its presence was undeniable.
"Tsk." Yuan clicked his tongue.
This fight had just beco twenty tis harder.
A quasi spiritual sword was not sothing a re Blood Purification cultivator should be able to wield so freely,only soone above that stage could wield it. Normally, such spiritual artifacts required at least a Marrow Essence stage cultivator to control.
"This woman… she has a background."
But annoyance was all Yuan felt. Not fear.
Even as she approached at blinding speed, he remained calm.
The woman's blade glead, prepared to behead him in a single strike.
Yet, Yuan did not retreat.
Instead, he lowered his head slightly, his sharp gaze never leaving hers.
And then
He burned his spiritual blood.
Imdiately, his hands beca lighter,more flexible.
The flow of spiritual blood in his toes thinned and dispersed, spreading throughout his entire lower body. His legs beca weightless, his movent sharper, faster, more fluid.
A re instant before her blade reached him
The crystal blue sword sliced through empty air, failing to claim Yuan's head.
In that sa mont, his own sword thrust forward, aiming directly for the woman's heart.
But she had already anticipated this.
Her quasi spiritual sword clashed against his blade, their weapons grinding against each other with a sharp tallic screech.
Their eyes t cold, ruthless, unyielding.
Neither spoke, neither blinked.
Then
Yuan moved first.
With a sharp pivot, he swung his leg low, aiming a precise kick at her calves.
The woman reacted instantly, stepping back hastily, narrowly avoiding the strike.
She retreated several steps, creating distance between them.
Yuan didn't lower his guard.
His expression remained indifferent, his voice as cold as winter.
"Fellow Daoist, what is the aning of this?"
His tone was calm, but he already knew the answer.
The woman sneered, her gaze filled with mockery and disdain.
"What aning?" she scoffed, tightening her grip on her sword. "Just die."
Without another word, she lunged forward again.
Yuan sneered in return.
Instead of retreating, he charged at her head-on.
Their swords clashed once more.
Blades danced, steel glead, and the sound of tal echoed through the cave.
They exchanged a dozen strikes,each swift, precise, and deadly.
Yet, neither could land a decisive blow.
Yuan, however, wasn't frustrated.
He wasn't fighting to kill her.
He was thinking at how to gather information from her.
But the woman? She was growing impatient.
Her once icy expression twisted with frustration, veins popping on her forehead.
Yuan noticed.
A cold smirk crept onto his lips.
Still dodging and parrying, he continued to observe her carefully, searching for weaknesses.
The woman's rage only grew.
Finally, unable to endure the battle of attrition any longer, she jumped back to create space.
But Yuan wouldn't allow it.
He pressed forward imdiately, his sword cutting toward her exposed hand.
The woman moved to evade, but
Slash!
A thin red line appeared on the back of her hand, blood seeping from the shallow wound.
For a brief mont, there was only silence.
Then
"YOU DARE TO WOUND ?!"
The woman's voice erupted in fury, her rage finally reaching its peak.
At that instant, her full cultivation was revealed
Bone Forging Stage.
Yuan's eyes flickered with calm realization.
Bone Forging, huh?
He had expected worse. If she had been at the Marrow Essence Stage, he would have already turned and fled.
But Bone Forging?
He could handle this.
Still, he kept his expression neutral, not revealing even a hint of his relief.
Instead, he smiled coldly.
"Why should I not dare?"
His words only fueled her anger further.
Her crystal blue sword began to pulse with cold spiritual essence, the temperature in the cave plumting instantly.
A layer of frost spread across her wound, freezing the blood solid.
With a ferocious roar, she lifted her sword, her eyes burning with murderous intent.
"DIE!"
And then
She attacked once more.
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