C8 Chapter 8

After his trials in the Black Wind Mountain Range, Hua Hsing had reached the peak of Qi Refining Stage Level Two. He could now easily defeat a mid-Level 3 Demon Beast. In less than a month, he had transformed from a nobody to this level, which showed just how much the Golden Heart had helped him. "Golden Heart," Hua Hsing murmured to himself as he tried to place the Gale Leopard's corpse into his Space Ring, only to find that it was already packed full of other corpses and could not hold anything else. "I need to get a better Space Ring when I get back," Hua Hsing said.

Just as he was preparing to leave, two sharp sounds suddenly cut through the air. Hua Hsing looked up and saw two Outer Sect disciples from the Azure Edge Sword Sect rushing toward him with fierce expressions. "Ma Shan, Douzhi," Hua Hsing said, recognizing them at once.

Ma Shan and Douzhi quickly arrived in front of Hua Hsing. With a mocking smile, Ma Shan said, "Junior Brother Hua, I didn't expect to run into you here."

Hua Hsing ignored them and turned to leave, but a trace of killing intent flashed in their eyes. Ma Shan immediately called out, "Junior Brother Hua, please wait a moment."

Hua Hsing stopped and asked, "What is it?"

"Senior Brother Re sent the two of us to find you. He wants something from you," the chubby Douzhi said.

Hearing Re Yunzheng's name, Hua Hsing frowned slightly and asked, "What does he want?"

"He wants your life," Ma Shan said with a smile on his face as he stared at Hua Hsing as though he were a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

"Hua Hsing, we have been looking for you for a long time. Senior Brother Re wants you to remain in the Black Wind Mountain Range forever," Douzhi said coldly.

When he heard this, Hua Hsing swept them with an icy gaze and said, "You are nothing more than Re Yunzheng's lackeys."

"Hua Hsing, what did you say? You are about to die, and you still dare to speak so arrogantly?"

"No matter what you say, you cannot stop us. Today will be the day you die," Ma Shan declared.

Both Ma Shan and Douzhi were in the early stage of Qi Refining Stage Level 3, and they believed that dealing with Hua Hsing would be effortless.

Little did they know, Hua Hsing did not regard them as a threat at all. "I need to eliminate them to prevent future troubles," Hua Hsing thought to himself. "If you want my life, then you'll have to die first." As soon as Hua Hsing finished speaking, a long sword appeared in his hand, and without hesitation, he unleashed the first move of the Golden Light Sword Arts.

Seeing Hua Hsing make the first move, Ma Shan sneered, "You are just a Qi Refining Stage Level Two nobody, and you dare to attack us? You are asking for death." "Douzhi, I am giving you a chance to take him down." Ma Shan was a bit stronger than Douzhi, so when he saw Hua Hsing make a move, he let Douzhi handle it.

"Hua Hsing, next time, do not cross people you should not," Douzhi warned, drawing his sword. "Whirlwind Sword Technique." Douzhi unleashed his practiced technique, and a flash of sword light appeared in the sky. The two sword lights clashed, creating a loud noise. The next moment, surprise flickered across Douzhi's face. "How is this possible?" Douzhi could not believe it.

When did Hua Hsing master such a powerful technique that could even withstand his Whirlwind Sword Technique? "I did not expect Hua Hsing to choose the Golden Light Sword Arts. What a shortsighted fool," Ma Shan sneered from the side.

Hearing this, Douzhi narrowed his eyes and unleashed the Whirlwind Sword Technique again. The sword light flashed, and Douzhi quickly retreated, leaving a sword mark where he had just stood. He was shocked.

"Douzhi, can you not even handle him?" Ma Shan asked, somewhat displeased.

"It is a bit tricky to defeat him, but I can manage," Douzhi muttered as he fought.

"Douzhi's Whirlwind Sword Technique has not reached perfection yet, so its power does not match my Golden Light Sword Arts," Hua Hsing thought. "Once he gets close, I will use the Golden Light Sword Arts to catch him off guard and take him down."

Upon realizing his predicament, Hua Hsing decided to switch tactics, opting for the One-qi Sword instead of the Golden Light Sword Arts. Despite its power, the One-qi Sword was quickly overwhelmed by Douzhi's Whirlwind Sword Technique.

"Hua Hsing, it seems you can't use the Golden Light Sword Arts anymore. It's time to finish you off," Douzhi taunted, a grin spreading across his face as he advanced swiftly, his sword poised for attack. Feigning defeat, Hua Hsing retreated, but Douzhi wasn't about to let him escape. He closed in, ready to unleash his sword technique once more.

"The timing is perfect," Hua Hsing murmured as Douzhi drew near. "Let's end this."

"Indeed, it's time for this to end," Douzhi replied confidently, certain of his victory.

In the next instant, Hua Hsing unleashed the second move of the Golden Light Sword Arts. A flash of cold light streaked across, catching Douzhi off guard. He could not react in time and was struck by the piercing glow. Douzhi's sword was raised high, but a trickle of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth. A gaping wound marred his chest, and disbelief filled his eyes as he stared at Hua Hsing.

"How is this possible?" he gasped before collapsing lifelessly to the ground.

By the time Ma Shan realized Douzhi was dead, it was already too late.

"I'll tear you apart!" Ma Shan roared in fury, launching a swift and vicious attack. Ma Shan and Douzhi had been sent by Re Yunzheng to eliminate Hua Hsing. Ma Shan had confidently assured Re Yunzheng that they would succeed. However, not only had they failed, but Hua Hsing had also managed to kill Douzhi. Ma Shan now faced the grim prospect of explaining this to Senior Brother Re.

"Die!" Ma Shan shouted, unleashing his Gale Sword technique, which was clearly more powerful than Douzhi's.

Despite Ma Shan's skill, Hua Hsing felt no pressure. He drove the power of his Golden Light Sword Arts to its limit. The two clashed fiercely, their battle ringing loudly enough to frighten away nearby creatures.

In a matter of moments, they exchanged more than 20 blows. It was then that Ma Shan noticed something unusual.

"He's a monster," Ma Shan muttered in frustration. "His strength never wanes. He doesn't tire at all."

In the Qi Refining Stage, the most basic realm for martial artists, practitioners absorb spiritual energy from the world to strengthen their bodies. However, at this stage, they cannot store that energy, which leads to severe fatigue when high-intensity techniques are used continuously.

In the next instant, Hua Hsing unleashed the second move of the Golden Light Sword Arts. A flash of cold light streaked through the air, and Douzhi had no time to dodge before it pierced him directly. His sword was still raised high overhead, but a trace of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth. A gaping hole had opened in his chest, and he stared at Hua Hsing in utter disbelief. "How is this possible?" As soon as he spoke, his body collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

By the time Ma Shan realized Douzhi was dead, it was already too late to save him. "I'll tear you to pieces," Ma Shan roared in fury as he attacked with fierce speed. This time, Re Yunzheng had sent the two of them to kill Hua Hsing, and Ma Shan had confidently vowed that they would succeed. He had never imagined that not only would they fail to kill Hua Hsing, but Hua Hsing would kill Douzhi instead. There was no way he could return and explain this to Senior Brother Re.

"Die!" Ma Shan also used the Gale Sword Art, but his technique was clearly far stronger than Douzhi's. Even so, facing Ma Shan alone, Hua Hsing felt no pressure at all. He pushed the power of the Golden Light Sword Arts to its limit, and the two instantly clashed in fierce combat. Their swords rang out like thunder, and even the Demon Beasts in the distance did not dare approach.

In the blink of an eye, they had exchanged more than 20 moves. At first, the two were evenly matched, but after a few minutes, Ma Shan started to feel his energy draining rapidly. In contrast, Hua Hsing showed no signs of fatigue and seemed to grow more exhilarated as the fight went on. Finally, at the five-minute mark, Hua Hsing managed to land a blow on Ma Shan with his sword. Though it was not a critical hit, Ma Shan was still injured.

"Hua Hsing, you killed Douzhi. Senior Brother Re will never let you get away with this," Ma Shan shouted. Swinging his sword, he retreated in anger and tried to escape. "Before that happens, I'll finish you off," Hua Hsing replied calmly as he pursued him with his sword.

Ma Shan's strength surged as he sprinted toward the edge of the Black Wind Mountain Range. He knew that once he was out of the range, Hua Hsing would not dare kill him. However, Hua Hsing's speed was astonishing. In a flash, Hua Hsing was already closing in. "I can't keep going like this. He'll catch me," Ma Shan thought, feeling the threat rapidly approaching from behind.

Suddenly, an idea struck him. "There is a Demon Beast at Qi Refining Stage Level Three ahead of us," he muttered to himself. With that thought, Ma Shan changed direction and headed straight for the beast. Hua Hsing also sensed the Demon Beast's presence and immediately understood that Ma Shan was planning to use it to get rid of him.

"You can't escape!" Hua Hsing shouted as he gave relentless chase. Just as he was about to catch up to Ma Shan, he once again unleashed the second move of the Golden Light Sword Arts. A cold flash of sword light struck Ma Shan squarely in the back. Ma Shan spat out blood, his face turning pale as his body was hurled forward. The moment he slammed into the ground, a deafening roar echoed out, and the earth began to tremble.

"How is this possible?" Ma Shan felt the shaking beneath him, and a sense of doom surged through his heart. Looking up, he saw a massive Demon Beast advancing step by step. With a furious roar, the beast extended its enormous paw toward the badly wounded Ma Shan.

The Qi Refining Stage is the first realm of a martial artist and also the most common one. At this stage, martial artists mainly absorb cosmic spiritual energy from heaven and earth to temper their bodies. Their bodies are still unable to store cosmic spiritual energy, so if they wish to unleash sword techniques continuously at high intensity, their physical stamina is drained tremendously. Only after reaching the Qi Transforming Stage does a True Core form within the body, allowing them to store cosmic spiritual energy. At that point, a martial artist can merge cosmic spiritual energy into the body and use it to attack others.

At first, the two were evenly matched, but after a few minutes, Ma Shan gradually felt his stamina draining away. Hua Hsing, however, showed no signs of fatigue. Instead, the longer he fought, the more excited he became. Finally, after five minutes, Hua Hsing's sword struck Ma Shan. Although it did not hit a vital point, Ma Shan was still injured.

"Hua Hsing, you killed Douzhi. Senior Brother Re will never let you go," Ma Shan roared. He slashed out with his sword, then retreated rapidly, trying to escape.

"Before that happens, I will kill you first," Hua Hsing said calmly as he gave chase with his sword in hand.

Ma Shan's power erupted instantly, and he sped toward the outer region of the Black Wind Mountain Range. As long as he could leave the Black Wind Mountain Range, Hua Hsing would not dare kill him. However, Hua Hsing was just as fast. In the span of a lightning flash, he had already caught up.

"I can't keep this up. He'll catch me for sure," Ma Shan thought as he sensed the threat closing in from behind and desperately searched for a way out.