C14 So You Don't like Women

Lin Xi had barely walked a few dozen miles outside the city gates when she abruptly halted in her tracks. She turned her gaze toward the depths of a dense forest beside her and called out, "Elder, since you've come, why hide in the shadows?"

No sooner had she spoken than a figure emerged slowly from the forest. An elderly man with streaks of white in his hair stood before her, clad in a black robe, leaning on a black cane, his body hunched, and his expression grave as he fixed his eyes on Lin Xi.

Lin Xi studied the old man, noting the small, gold-embossed character 'Su' on his left chest—a mark of the Su family. She realized then that someone was not ready to let bygones be bygones. The man's presence was formidable, likely at the Black Tortoise Stage, but Lin Xi, being at the late Spirit Martial Stage, was undaunted.

"Are you Lin Xi?" the old man inquired with a stoic face.

Lin Xi responded with a serious tone, "Yes, that's me. And you are?"

"Su family," he replied flatly, before suddenly lunging forward, declaring, "The one who has come to claim your life!"

His eyes gleamed with a sharp intensity, his movements swift. In an instant, he was upon Lin Xi, his cane aimed at her side. But Lin Xi just smiled faintly, her body a blur as she swiftly retreated several miles away.

"This youngster..."

Though the old man couldn't quite catch Lin Xi's movements, he could sense her Spiritual Force, causing him to hesitate momentarily.

"The Su family, truly laughable. Your heir couldn't match his opponent, and now you send an elder to reclaim your honor," Lin Xi taunted.

"It was your young master who threatened me first. I acted only in self-defense when I killed him."

The old man ignored Lin Xi's words, intent only on fulfilling his mission to take her life. Lin Xi, preferring action to words, watched the old man charge at her once more. A brilliant idea struck her.

Activating the Myriad Dao Sword Intent within her, a white-golden sword materialized in her right hand. Transforming into a streak of white lightning, Lin Xi closed the distance in a heartbeat. The old man, who had been barreling toward her, now lay on the ground, lifeless, in the blink of an eye.

Lin Xi reappeared in the same spot, her right hand still clutching a long sword. However, the sword in her grasp suddenly shattered into dust and vanished into the air.

"Ah, it's broken again!"

Lin Xi stared at the remains of her sword, feeling a sense of despair.

Inside Lin Xi's mind, Loong Yuv grumbled, "Bad boy, aren't you worried about revealing yourself? And yet you dare to test your sword on others."

The technique Lin Xi had employed was the Myriad Dao Sword. Though the sword body appeared no different from a regular sword, it was fundamentally composed of Lin Xi's Spiritual Force.

It was impure.

This impurity meant that the Myriad Dao Sword would typically disintegrate into powder after Lin Xi executed the Shocking Cloud technique.

During her time in the Holy Prison Tower, Lin Xi had only managed to complete the initial step of forging the Myriad Dao Sword. Due to a lack of materials, she had to abandon further progress. Nevertheless, she had perfected the first form of the Myriad Dao Sword Skill, Shocking Cloud.

Lin Xi mentally retorted, "With the sword broken, who wouldn't realize I'm a Sword Cultivator?"

She removed the Storage Bag from the elder's body. It contained various items—small though they were, they still held value.

Just as Lin Xi was about to depart, dozens of presences bore down on her, including four at the Black Tortoise Stage.

Lin Xi darted into the dense forest, evading the crowd. The road was too open for a confrontation; she needed to draw them into the woods.

"Follow them!" commanded the leader of the men in black. His group quickly pursued Lin Xi into the depths of the forest.

To their surprise, Lin Xi awaited them in a clearing. The leader's eyes glinted with malice as he ordered the charge, and dozens of men surged toward Lin Xi.

Wielding the Radiant Moon and employing the Ghost Shadow Perplexing technique, Lin Xi moved with such agility that not even her shadow could be caught by the assailants.

With swift precision, Lin Xi struck, and within moments, the clearing was strewn with bodies, the earth soaked in a river of blood.

The assailants who charged forward were all masters of the Spirit Martial Stage, but in front of Lin Xi, they were as easy to dispatch as cutting chives, utterly at her mercy.

The leader, clad in black, watched the unfolding scene, his face contorting with horror. As he turned to flee, a dagger flew through the air with the speed of lightning, piercing his throat.

Having dealt with the threat, Lin Xi set about cleaning up the scene and gathering the Storage Bags from each of the fallen.

While Lin Xi was quietly reveling in her spoils, a familiar voice called out from a nearby tree: "Bad boy, what took you so long?" It was Sima Shangqing.

Upon seeing her, Lin Xi bowed respectfully and greeted, "Master."

Sima Shangqing gestured dismissively, signaling that such formalities were unnecessary. Lin Xi straightened up and followed her, explaining, "I'm not to blame. They intended to kill me; I merely defended myself instinctively."

Sima Shangqing surveyed the area and declared, "Let's move on. Regardless of your reasons, once you're at Celestial Azure Academy, I expect you to behave and not bring any trouble my way!"

With that, Sima Shangqing playfully punched Lin Xi on the shoulder.

The pair then proceeded in silence to their agreed meeting place, the Cloud Boat Jade Forest.

Upon arrival, Lin Xi noted the crowd that had already gathered. Sima Shangqing led her to one side, where an elderly man caught sight of them, his face momentarily darkening before he adopted a friendly demeanor.

He warmly addressed Sima Shangqing, "Mentor Sima, it's good to see you well."

Sima Shangqing, recognizing the voice, paused and faced the old man, saying, "Su Munan, I bet you're surprised to see Lin Xi here."

"You old coot, take note: Lin Xi is now my disciple. If you dare to harm him or target the Lin family of Celestial Azure City's General Mansion again, I, Sima Shangqing, would be more than willing to give you a run for your money," she threatened.

Hearing this, Lin Xi couldn't hide her astonishment; the elderly man before her was none other than the Su family's patriarch, Su Munan.

Sima Shangqing's statement immediately captured the attention of everyone in the room, leaving them all momentarily stunned.

Su Munan's face also seized up in shock, his expression petrified.

Yet, he quickly mustered a smile and said, "Mentor Sima, this has all been a big misunderstanding. Had I known Lin Xi was your student, I never would have sought to cause him trouble."

Sima Shangqing paid no mind to the old man's words and walked away.

Lin Xi, observing Su Munan, wore a grave look.

This old man, he could endure so much.

Such people were the most difficult to handle.

All smiles on the outside, but scheming in the shadows.

Sima Shangqing noticed Lin Xi's focus was still on the old man and felt a twinge of displeasure. "Bad boy, there's a beautiful woman right in front of you and you're fixated on an old man? Are you out of your mind?"

Lin Xi, taken aback and feeling the headache of Sima Shangqing's deliberate provocation, was just about to respond.

Suddenly, Ye Yuen came rushing over, "Lin Xi."

Caught off guard, Lin Xi watched as Ye Yuen barreled into his arms.

Startled, Lin Xi quickly stepped back to avoid her.

Seeing this, Sima Shangqing's expression turned sour. "Wow, bad boy, so you're not into my Yuen. Could it be you're not into women at all..."

Struck as if by lightning, Lin Xi was mortified, deeply regretting ever having followed such a mentor.