Suddenly, the sky became densely shrouded in dark clouds, and an oppressive atmosphere permeated the air.

BOOM—

The sound of thunder gradually began to rise, deafeningly loud.

Streaks of lightning crisscrossed the sky, casting the entire forest in a reddish hue.

The thunder grew louder and louder, as if a colossal conflict had erupted between Heaven and Earth.

The thunderous sound shaking the entire valley was as mighty and forceful as war drums.

Its voice echoed through the valley, spreading continuously, awakening a vast sense of righteousness and endless reverence in the stillness.

"AH!"

Hearing this thunderous roar, two Water-Patrolling Yakshas suddenly screamed and fell to the ground.

They clutched their heads, their eyes full of terror.

That oppressive and majestic thunderous sound was incredibly vast.

The horrifying intimidation shattered the courage of these two aquatic demons of the Dao-Entering Realm!

This was no ordinary thunder.

Shenxiao Sect...

Qi Xiu remembered!

He had bought a piece of information from the Listening Wind Teahouse that mentioned this.

The Shenxiao Sect would open its doors for its entrance assessment on the fifteenth of June this year, and anyone capable of reaching the assessment site could participate.

Watching the thunder rumble across the Sky Dome above, and seeing the two Water-Patrolling Yakshas, scared witless and severely injured, Qi Xiu calculated the days with his fingers.

Today just happened to be the fifteenth of June!

In their rush to escape, these Water-Patrolling Yakshas had, in their panic, led him all the way to the Shenxiao Sect's assessment site.

They too were fated to encounter this calamity.

They had inadvertently entered the sphere of influence of a major sect of the Righteous Path.

A bolt of lightning had scared them witless.

Their three souls and seven spirits were nearly shattered by the thunder sound, and the two Water-Patrolling Yakshas convulsed on the ground like rotten flesh, foaming at the mouth.

Feeling a moment's pity, Qi Xiu waved his hand and collected them into his Spirit Pill bag.

The Shenxiao Sect, the second most powerful sect of the Righteous Path in Dianchuan Province, second only to the Dachan Temple, which is known as the Martial Dao Sacred Ground.

Similar to the Lingguang Treasure Sect, which specializes in Talisman Scripts.

The Shenxiao Sect produces many cultivators of the Thunder Path.

Its disciples are brave and skilled in combat, wielding their mastery of Thunder Magic to dominate wherever they go, and they take pleasure in hunting down Demonic Evil Cultivators.

It is also one of the few sects in Dianchuan Province that strongly supports the Gao Family's Demon Subduing and Monster Vanquishing Edict.

It is said that in the Middle Ancient Era, due to their excessive bloodlust, they were once classified as a Demon Sect.

However, they later reverted for certain reasons.

And it is precisely because the entire sect possesses a warlike spirit that when the Shenxiao Sect recruits disciples, they prioritize Temperament, followed by conduct and innate talent.

Therefore, when this sect recruits disciples, they organize a grand assessment to select the best from the masses, and they do not reject those who already possess skills and seek to join a master.

Recalling the information he had once read about the Shenxiao Sect, Qi Xiu, who had been about to leave, slowed his steps.

Since I'm already here... why not give it a try?

This Shenxiao Sect is the second greatest sect of the Righteous Path, its foundations tracing back to the Middle Ancient Era.

It predates the establishment of the Great Xuan Dynasty by countless years.

As the saying goes, it's good to enjoy the shade under a large tree.

If I could enter the Shenxiao Sect, I would no longer need to constantly be on the move, seeking fortune and avoiding misfortune.

I could earnestly focus on improving my skills.

As he thought about this, Qi Xiu gradually felt tempted.

He had come this far, step by step, relying entirely on himself.

He was acutely aware of the hardships of being a Loose Cultivator.

If he could rely on a sect and the guidance of its elders, his cultivation progress would surely be much faster.

Moreover, Thunder Magic, in which the Shenxiao Sect specialized, was a Dharma Gate he had always yearned for.

Compared to other sects, the Thunder Path is notoriously difficult to learn and master, and its resource consumption is terrifying.

But its power is extraordinary, one strike capable of devastating the soul!

Thunder Cultivators and Sword Cultivators of the same Realm are known as the twin titans of slaughter!

At the same Cultivation Realm, it is extremely rare to find anyone who can defeat them.

But precisely because of this, the Dharma Gates of Sword Cultivators and Thunder Cultivators are very scarce on the market. Most are incomplete scrolls or flawed methods with significant hidden drawbacks.

Like the Body-Breaking Formless Sword Qi that Qi Xiu cultivated.

Is this Sword Cultivator's Dharma Gate powerful?

Very powerful.

Insidious and unpredictable, formless and traceless.

It specializes in breaking through Body-Protecting True Gang, making it extremely difficult to defend against.

But this Taoist Method only displays such power in Qi Xiu's hands.

If an ordinary cultivator were to practice this Dharma Gate, they would likely only manage to produce three or four strands of Body-Breaking Formless Sword Qi before exhausting themselves to death, a thankless effort for little gain.

It is far less practical or effective than cultivating other Dharma Gates.

It's just that I stumbled into this assessment area purely by accident.

I know nothing about the specific content of the assessment.

Qi Xiu pondered silently, his thumb stroking the Flood Dragon Pool Ring.

The Shenxiao Sect, such a behemoth of the Righteous Path... its entrance assessment would surely not be simple; it must be extremely difficult.

After all, they accept disciples who already possess skills, so the minimum standard must be the Dao-Entering Realm or higher.

The thought of a group of Dao-Entering Realm cultivators battling each other is thrilling.

As Qi Xiu was contemplating how to obtain information about the assessment, a faint rumbling sound reached his ears.

His earlobes twitched slightly, and Qi Xiu turned slightly to look behind him to his right.

This sound... is it coming towards me?

Sure enough, before Qi Xiu's thought had fully formed, a figure appeared at the edge of his vision. Trailing long plumes of black smoke, mounted on a Treading Flame Black-Scaled Warhorse and clad in dark armor, it tore through the sky.

CLANG, CLANG, CLANG—

Dragging a zhang-long saber, its blade scraped against the air, throwing off dazzling sparks.

One man, one horse!

Hoofbeats like thunder!

The terrifying pressure they emitted felt like an army of thousands charging towards Qi Xiu, threatening to crush him.

"Hand over the Earthly Seal, and I'll spare your life!"

A hoarse voice issued from behind a thick faceplate. The black-clad rider raised his long saber, pointing it directly at Qi Xiu.

"Are you talking to me?"

Qi Xiu glanced around at the empty space, a smile on his face as he slowly rolled up his sleeves.

"Who else do you think!"

The slits in the faceplate revealed a pair of blood-red, savage eyes. The black-clad rider slowly rotated his long saber; its strident whine resonated, making the very air tremble as if it were about to be torn apart.

His smile unwavering, Qi Xiu took a step forward.

Within his body, nine Mixed Primordial Beads erupted with a terrifying aura.

The aura billowed out, distorting the surrounding air.

Surging Gang Qi shot towards the heavens, threatening to throw the Sky Dome into turmoil.

"I'll ask again, are you talking to me?"

Struck by this overwhelmingly powerful aura, the black-clad rider and the Treading Flame Warhorse beneath him suddenly blurred and distorted for an instant.

"Hmm?"

Keenly sensing this anomaly, Qi Xiu narrowed his eyes and suddenly lunged forward, his aura crashing down like a tsunami.

POP—

It sounded like a bubble bursting.

The imposing black-clad rider, his Treading Flame Warhorse, and the dark armor he wore suddenly dissipated like sand in the wind.

Only a bare-chested man, skinny as a monkey, remained, smiling awkwardly at Qi Xiu.

"Well now, you almost had me fooled."

Instantly realizing this monkey-like man was a master of illusion techniques, Qi Xiu's fingertips flashed with golden light. A Talisman Script transformed into suppressing chains, binding him on the spot.

"Great hero, have mercy! Spare my life!"

Feeling the powerful suppression force within the golden chains, Li Lingzi hastily begged for mercy while silently channeling his Dharma Gate, attempting to break free.

"Don't bother struggling. The more you struggle, the tighter these golden chains will become."

Just as Qi Xiu had said, the chains formed from the Suppression Talisman reacted to the struggle. Their suppressive force immediately intensified, causing Li Lingzi's body to creak and groan, his bones nearly crushed.

"I'll stop struggling! I won't struggle anymore..."

His face turning a deathly pale, feeling as if his internal organs were about to be crushed into pulp, Li Lingzi quickly gave up resisting.

"A mere mortal who hasn't even entered the Initiate Realm, yet you dare to participate in the Shenxiao Sect's entrance assessment."

"Your illusion techniques are quite good; you almost fooled even me. What's your name? Where did you learn them?"

Having captured Li Lingzi, Qi Xiu sized up the skinny, monkey-like man.

He had no Body-Protecting True Gang.

Clearly, he was an ordinary person who had yet to enter the Initiate Realm.

And yet, such an ordinary person dared to take part in the Shenxiao Sect's assessment.

Furthermore, this fellow had strong mental fortitude.

An ordinary person, relying solely on illusion techniques to try and blackmail a Dao-Entering Realm cultivator.

Such audacity was truly extraordinary.

"This junior is Zhao Wuya, a direct disciple of Mantian Zong. Please let me go, Senior. Killing a mere mortal like me would only dirty your hands," Zhao Wuya said with an obsequious smile, quickly continuing to plead with Qi Xiu after stating his affiliation.

"Mantian Zong? Is there such a sect?"

Qi Xiu gave Zhao Wuya a skeptical look and closed his eyes, searching his memory of the books and records he had read.

There seemed to be no record of this so-called Mantian Zong.

"You may not know, Senior. My master's lineage is a small, obscure one, with only three to five members per generation. It's so small it might as well not exist. It's quite normal that you haven't heard of it," Zhao Wuya hurriedly explained.

Hmm?

Why does that sound so familiar?

Qi Xiu's expression darkened as he remembered having said something very similar himself.

Almost word for word.

"It seems I'll have to use some other methods to make you talk honestly."

Grabbing Zhao Wuya by the scruff of his neck, Qi Xiu leaped up, transforming into an Escape Light and whisking him away to a hidden location.

Water Evasion Escape Light, a hundred li in a single thought.

In an instant, Qi Xiu found a narrow cave hidden behind a waterfall.

PLOP.

He threw Zhao Wuya onto the ground. The hard surface made the skinny monkey grimace. Though he wanted to cry out in pain, he bit his tongue and didn't dare make a sound when he saw Qi Xiu's unfriendly gaze.

"Let me think, how was that medicinal talisman concocted again..."

Rubbing his palms together, rays of light—some deathly green, some eerie blue, some dull yellow, and some dark red—emanated from Qi Xiu's hands.

These were all medicinal talismans formed from potent poisons.

Watching Qi Xiu, who had his back to him, his hands intermittently flashing with eerie lights, Zhao Wuya gulped, his throat moving.

「Half a quarter of an hour later.」

Holding a medicinal talisman that glowed with a grayish-green light, Qi Xiu nodded in satisfaction.

"It's been a while since I last tortured someone. I wonder if my skills have gotten rusty.

Come, let's first try this Heart Piercing, Bone Digging, Five Organs Intense Itching Talisman.

This talisman combines sixteen types of potent poisons.

Once afflicted by this talisman, your five viscera will itch unbearably, yet you won't be able to scratch them. Meanwhile, your bones will ache with excruciating pain, as if being torn apart by chariots.

This combination of agonizing pain and intense itching is something that even Dao-Entering Realm Demons can't endure for long.

Let's see how long you can withstand it."

Having once tortured the Dao-Entering Realm Demon King Jincai to the point of collapse, Qi Xiu now resumed his old craft with a gentle expression.

Indeed, sometimes one must review the old to learn the new.

Staring in terror as Qi Xiu approached with the talisman, Zhao Wuya shrieked:

"I'll talk! I'll talk! I'm not a disciple of any Mantian Zong!

My name is Li Lingzi! I used to be an opera singer in a troupe.

Later, business for the troupe declined, and the old troupe master fell gravely ill. Before he died, he bequeathed his ancestral set of opera masks to me.

All my illusion techniques come from one of those opera masks."

"Opera masks? What kind of opera masks?" Qi Xiu pressed, frowning reflexively.

"It said its name is... the Thousand Faces Opera Mask."

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