The forest leaves rustled under the gentle breeze, casting scattered patterns of sunlight upon the path ahead. Golden rays broke through the canopy, illuminating the confident smile on the face of a young man walking calmly beneath the dappled light.
That youth was Liu Xi. Having spent the entire night studying the newly obtained Illusionary Heart Technique, he was finally on his way back to Jia Nan Academy. His mood was relaxed, his steps steady—yet it seemed fate had no intention of letting him keep his peace for long.
"Come out. There's no need to hide."
Sensing the presence of concealed figures in the dense forest ahead, Liu Xi smiled faintly, his voice calm as he called them out.
A coarse laugh responded. A burly man carrying a heavy blade stepped from the shadows, his scarred face twisted into a cruel grin. "Hah. To think you could sense us. As expected of Jia Nan Academy's so-called genius."
"Oh? You even recognize that I'm from Jia Nan Academy." Liu Xi's brows rose slightly in mild surprise. "And yet, you still dare to block my path?"
The man burst into loud, harsh laughter. "Jia Nan Academy? Genius? What of it? Hahaha! My favorite pastime is butchering brats like you before they've had time to grow their wings. Once I cut you down and bury the body, what can your academy do? Chase me through the Black-Corner Region? Who would dare?"
His words dripped with bloodlust, his tone filled with contempt.
Liu Xi's gaze cooled. "You're rather bold. But now I'm curious—did you come here specifically for me…?" His voice trailed off as he noticed a familiar face emerge from the trees.
It was the same brawny stall-keeper who had sold him the black iron scroll yesterday. That vicious, greedy expression left no doubt.
"Boss, that's the one!" the stall-keeper snarled, pointing at Liu Xi. "He spent five hundred gold coins yesterday on that useless scrap I fobbed off on him. He's definitely fat prey!"
The scarred man—the leader of the Blood Blade Mercenary Group—threw back his head and laughed. "Hahaha! Just as I thought. These so-called geniuses always think themselves above the world. They strut about flashing coin like fattened sheep, and I, Zhao Hai, delight in slaughtering them!"
The mercenaries behind him joined the chorus of jeers.
"Hah, look at him—he's already pale as death!"
"Jia Nan Academy? What's so great about that? Our boss has cut down more than one so-called prodigy."
"This pretty boy's face… we should carve it up before killing him!"
Their derision filled the forest.
Liu Xi shook his head slightly, lips twitching with silent amusement. What a noisy bunch. 'Perhaps I'll play along for a moment…'
He deliberately forced a hint of fear into his expression, lowering his voice. "You… you really mean to kill me? Then… do I have any chance of leaving here alive?"
The mercenaries roared with laughter, slapping their thighs as though it were the funniest thing they'd ever heard.
"Hahaha! Begging for your life already?"
"You want to live? Too late!" Zhao Hai sneered, raising his massive blade high. "Go die!"
His weapon whistled down with murderous force.
In that instant, Liu Xi's false fear vanished. His eyes hardened, his lips curved into a cold smile. "Did none of you ever consider… whether you can still leave here alive?"
With a hiss of steel, he drew his longsword. Dou Qi surged, and golden flames flared along the blade's edge. Meeting Zhao Hai's descending strike head-on, Liu Xi's slash rang out like thunder.
The impact rattled the forest. Heat rolled off Liu Xi's sword, searing the air itself, and Zhao Hai's cruel face twisted as the flames licked at his skin.
"No… impossible!" Zhao Hai's eyes bulged in disbelief. "A mere boy—blocking my Blood Blade?!"
Liu Xi deflected another slash with casual ease, then smirked. "Tsk, tsk. With strength like this, you thought you could kill me?"
Rage consumed Zhao Hai. "You little bastard—DIE!" he roared, igniting his famed Dou Technique.
"Blood Blade Slash!"
A crimson light enveloped his weapon as he leapt high into the air, blade descending like a scarlet executioner's guillotine.
Liu Xi's gaze turned icy. He had no patience left for games. Dou Qi surged violently, and his sword erupted in blazing fire.
"Blazing Flame Sword Technique!"
He swung in a wide arc, unleashing a wave of scorching flame shaped like a sword slash.
The fiery arc consumed Zhao Hai mid-air. His scream was cut short as his body was engulfed, turning to a smoldering husk before crashing lifelessly to the ground. Smoke rose from the charred remains, the smell of burnt flesh filling the glade.
The mercenaries stared in stunned horror.
"He… he killed the boss…"
"This kid's… he's a monster!"
Panic overtook them. If Zhao Hai—Rank 5 Dou Shi—could not withstand even a few exchanges, then none of them had the slightest chance.
"Run! Run for your lives!"
They scattered like frightened rabbits.
Liu Xi sheathed his sword slowly, watching them flee. 'Hmph. A pack of cowards who only bully the weak. Not worth chasing.'
His gaze lowered briefly to Zhao Hai's scorched corpse. A sigh escaped his lips. 'This Black-Corner Region truly breeds nothing but filth.'
But one figure did not escape his attention—the stall-keeper, Wu Liang, who had lured Zhao Hai to him.
Liu Xi's eyes narrowed coldly. 'Perfect. Time to test the Illusionary Heart Technique.'
He pursued swiftly, his figure blurring with Soaring Swan Step. Wu Liang stumbled, terror plain on his face, and when Liu Xi's boot slammed into his back, he rolled across the dirt with a strangled cry.
The burly man scrambled up and fell to his knees, forehead knocking the ground in frantic kowtows. "Mercy, young master! I was wrong! Please, forgive me—spare my worthless life!"
Liu Xi's expression remained calm. "Spare you? Very well. Look into my eyes."
Even as he spoke, he triggered the Illusionary Heart Technique.
Spiritual Power surged, twisting into a subtle wave that slipped into Wu Liang's five senses. Sight, sound, touch—all bent to Liu Xi's will, ensnaring the man's fragile mind.
At first, nothing happened. Wu Liang kept groveling, sobbing pitifully. Liu Xi frowned inwardly. 'Failed? No… my wave conversion isn't stable yet. Again.'
He adjusted the frequency of his Spiritual Power, experimenting relentlessly, using Wu Liang as a living test subject.
Minutes dragged on. Sweat beaded Liu Xi's brow from the intense mental exertion.
Finally—success.
Wu Liang let out an ear-splitting shriek as his reality shattered. To him, the world became an inferno. Flames roared across every horizon, searing his flesh with unbearable agony. His senses screamed with the illusion of being burned alive, though his body remained intact.
In reality, he writhed helplessly on the ground, clawing at his skin, rolling in the dirt as if consumed by invisible fire. His screams echoed until they abruptly ceased. His body fell limp, lifeless.
Liu Xi exhaled softly, exhaustion mingling with satisfaction. 'So it can kill after all. Not from fire, but from pain so real it broke his mind. A cruel technique indeed.'
With a flick of his wrist, he conjured a flame, burning Wu Liang's corpse to ash. The forest fell silent once more.
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By dusk, the gates of Jia Nan Academy loomed ahead. The tranquil air of the campus contrasted sharply with the carnage of the Black-Corner Region.
As Liu Xi stepped through the threshold, he felt the tension drain from his body. His weariness finally settled in, and without another thought, he returned straight to his dormitory to rest.
(End of Chapter)
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