Leaving Jia Nan Academy behind, Liu Xi decided to head first toward Blackstone City, the closest urban settlement beyond the Academy's patrol range. He had barely crossed through a stretch of dense forest when the sound of clashing steel and furious shouts reached his ears.
'No way… already a battle so soon after leaving the Academy?'
His hand tightened on the hilt of his sword, a faintly amused expression flickering across his handsome face. Curiosity welled in his chest. He had come here precisely to temper himself in real combat—why not see for himself?
---
Slipping behind a massive boulder, Liu Xi peered out. Not far ahead, two groups of men were engaged in a bloody melee. He studied them carefully, gauging their auras.
'No Dou Qi armor, not even Dou Qi Veils. Judging from the strength of their blows, they're all just Dou Zhe… no real threat to me.'
---
On the battlefield, mercenaries hacked and slashed with reckless abandon. A burly man named Ge Hu was barely holding his ground as his subordinates fell one after another. Only four of his people remained, while the Blood Blade Mercenary Group still had five. Despair was written across Ge Hu's face.
"Zhao Kai!" Ge Hu roared hoarsely at the scar-faced leader across from him. "Do you truly mean to wipe us out completely? My elder brother will never forgive you!"
Zhao Kai bared his teeth in a savage grin. "Hahaha! You'd better worry about yourself first. Once I cut you down, our boss will crush your brother too. Then Blackstone City will belong to the Blood Blade Mercenary Group. Do you think you can escape?"
His blade swung toward Ge Hu's throat. Ge Hu barely twisted aside, thrusting his spear in return. His heart was heavy with despair, but he refused to yield.
"You'll have to kill me first!"
Their weapons clashed again and again, sparks flying, the tide of battle tipping steadily toward its bloody end.
Soon, Ge Hu's companions were all slain. Yet Zhao Kai had not escaped unscathed—his own side had been reduced to only two men. Both sides staggered, drenched in blood.
'So this is the mercenary life… so brutal, so relentless,' Liu Xi thought grimly as he watched.
---
Driven into a corner, Ge Hu suddenly let out a roar, channeling all his remaining strength into one final technique.
"Fragmented Leaf Spear!"
His Dou Qi surged violently. Zhao Kai's face blanched; he had no desire to take that strike head-on and dodged aside.
Ge Hu's lips curled into a cold smile. That thrust had never been meant for Zhao Kai. The spear shot straight through Zhao Kai's comrade, Sun Wu, killing him instantly.
"You bastard!" Zhao Kai's eyes turned red with fury. "Blood Blade Slash!"
His saber cleaved down with deadly force. Ge Hu abandoned his spear, snatching up a fallen blade. With wild desperation, he took the strike on his shoulder and rammed his own weapon into Zhao Kai's chest.
Both men collapsed, grievously wounded, nearly perishing together.
---
From his vantage point, Liu Xi exhaled softly. This was his first time witnessing death so raw and close—blood, screams, and the finality of life snuffed out in moments.
'So this is the reality of this continent. Struggle, betrayal, death… it never ends.'
He stepped out from behind the rock, approaching the two who had fallen. Bodies lay strewn across the ground, the smell of blood thick in the air. Liu Xi shook his head hard, trying to clear the heavy feeling in his chest.
"I'm really not used to this yet," he muttered.
"Help… me…"
Ge Hu, half his shoulder cleaved open, still clung to life. His voice rasped with desperate instinct. His blurry gaze fixed on Liu Xi, not even caring who this stranger was—only grasping at survival.
"Oh? You're still alive?" Liu Xi blinked, genuinely surprised. A living person at death's door—should he just leave him? After a moment's thought, he sighed. "Forget it. It's just a small effort on my part."
He pulled the blade free from Ge Hu's body, staunched the bleeding, then produced a 2nd Tier Healing Pill from his storage ring and pressed it to the man's lips.
Warmth spread through Ge Hu's battered frame, wounds knitting rapidly, even the mangled flesh at his shoulder sprouting new growth. His breathing steadied, color returning faintly to his cheeks.
Soon he opened his eyes, staring in shock at the elegant youth before him. That pill's potency was extraordinary—no ordinary medicine could have saved him so swiftly. A flicker of greed flashed across his eyes, quickly hidden.
"Thank you, benefactor!" Ge Hu cupped his fists solemnly.
"No need to thank me. It was nothing," Liu Xi replied with his usual calm smile.
Ge Hu forced himself to sit straighter. "I am Ge Hu, second-in-command of the Black Iron City Tiger Mercenary Group. May I know which family's young master I have the honor to meet? If ever you need assistance, you need only speak."
"My name is Liu Qing. I'm just traveling to temper myself and broaden my experience," Liu Xi answered smoothly, concealing his real identity.
"Then please, allow me to invite you to Blackstone City. I must repay such a great favor properly."
Liu Xi hesitated. His instincts prickled uneasily, but he had planned to visit Blackstone City anyway. He nodded. "Very well."
---
Ge Hu gathered the corpses of his fallen men, then led Liu Xi toward the city, speaking warmly along the way. He spoke of how he and his elder brother, Ge Long, had formed the Tiger Mercenary Group to defend Blackstone's order—until the Blood Blade Mercenaries had arrived to contest their power.
"My brother is a 5-Star Dou Shi," Ge Hu boasted proudly. "That bastard Zhao Hai is only a 4-Star Dou Shi. He won't surpass us!"
Liu Xi listened politely, occasionally asking questions, though inside he kept his guard sharp.
By dusk, they reached the city. Ge Hu invited him into the Tiger Mercenary Group's headquarters, insisting he stay the night.
"Since you insist, I'll accept," Liu Xi said with an easy smile. But inwardly, he mused, 'Something about this feels wrong. I'll play along for now.'
The great hall was filled with laughter as Ge Long, the elder brother, welcomed them. Yet as the night wore on and wine flowed, Liu Xi's senses caught something others would have missed.
'There's medicine in the wine… a sedative. Do they take me for a fool?'
Feigning dizziness, he slumped forward, letting his hosts relax. The brothers whispered greedily about his sword, his storage ring, the treasures he must carry.
Then Liu Xi's voice, cold as steel, cut through the hall:
"Who said I was asleep?"
Both brothers froze. Ge Hu stammered, "Y-you—how can you still be awake?"
Liu Xi rose calmly, drawing his sword with a hiss. "It seems I'll have to test my blade tonight."
The mercenaries rushed him, but under the blazing arcs of Liu Xi's Blazing Flame Sword Art, weapons shattered and bodies fell.
When only the brothers remained, they fought with desperate fury, their spear techniques vicious and unyielding. But Liu Xi's grin only widened.
'This is exactly the battle I came for!'
Finally, his sword erupted in a storm of fire.
"Burning Sky Slash!"
Flames engulfed Ge Long and Ge Hu, their screams cut short as their bodies turned to ash.
Silence settled over the bloodstained hall. Liu Xi sheathed his blade, exhaling slowly.
"Hu…"
His first true kill. No blood clung to his sword—the flames had burned it all away. Yet the stench of charred flesh churned his stomach. He turned and walked out, vowing to find a proper place to rest.
(End of Chapter)
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