A Pawn's Passage

Upon arriving at the Chongyang Palace of Immortality, Qi Xuansu and Yao Pei paid a visit to Pei Xiaolou.

Pei Xiaolou was not just Yao Pei’s Martial Uncle, but also her mother’s cousin. Though they had this close connection, Pei Xiaolou had no idea that Yao Pei had been training at the Wanxiang Daoist Palace, so he was surprised by their visit. It was only now that he learned that Qi Xuansu and Yao Pei had been classmates.

Qi Xuansu suddenly realized something. He and Pei Xiaolou were both Yao Pei’s uncles, which would technically make him the same generation as Pei Xiaolou. Unfortunately, the Daoist Order did not follow these kinship customs. Instead, it adhered to its own ranking system, where even someone as prestigious as Li Changge, despite his illustrious lineage, was still ranked as a junior to Sage Qingwei within the Daoist hierarchy. Thus, Qi Xuansu could not casually address Pei Xiaolou as Second Brother Pei and Sage Donghua as Big Brother Pei.

Understanding Qi Xuansu’s purpose, Pei Xiaolou led them to Yuzhen Temple to visit Xu Xiaoying.

Both Xu Xiaoying and Pei Xiaolou knew why Qi Xuansu had come, yet once they met, they did not mention Yue Liuli’s case. Instead, they chatted casually about Qi Xuansu’s experiences at the Wanxiang Daoist Palace.

Since Qi Xuansu and Yao Pei had witnessed Zhang Wuhen’s resurrection firsthand, their accounts were far more detailed than what had been recorded in the bulletins.

By convention, Qi Xuansu should have brought a small gift—not as a bribe, but as part of the age-old tradition of social courtesy. However, his current financial situation was best left unmentioned.

Fortunately, Pei Xiaolou and Xu Xiaoying were aware of his circumstances and did not press the issue.

Qi Xuansu did not linger at the Chongyang Palace of Immortality. After visiting the two Sages, he left on his own.

However, upon reaching the halfway mark down the mountain, he was surrounded by a group of Daoists led by none other than Zhang Yongyan himself.

Qi Xuansu showed no fear. He simply smirked. “You certainly don’t hold grudges overnight.”

Zhang Yongyan drew a short sword from his sleeve, its blade gleaming coldly. He held the sword steadily as he sized up Qi Xuansu from head to toe, stating, “You’re a Qi.”

Qi Xuansu did not reach for a weapon. Instead, he gently ran his fingers over the Novice License hanging from his waist and said, “Yes, but I have nothing to do with the Qi family of Shuzhou.”

Another young scion beside Zhang Yongyan was dressed in an even more ridiculous fashion, with half of his chest exposed due to his wide-open robe. He took an iron ruyi[1] from one of his followers and asked nonchalantly, “How should I address you?”

Qi Xuansu replied, “My name is Qi Xuansu. Since I’m not part of your little circle, you might as well introduce yourself too.”

The young nobleman chuckled and said, “My name is Shangguan Chao.”

Qi Xuansu sighed. “I had great respect for the late Deputy Hall Master Shangguan. It’s a shame he died in battle...”

Shangguan Chao sneered coldly, “What are you rambling on about? I heard you’re Miss Yao’s plaything. It looks like her taste isn’t that great. How about this? Let us carve a few marks on your face, and we’ll call it even.”

Qi Xuansu paused for a moment before speaking, “To be honest, I used to think you noble scions were either refined yet hypocritical gentlemen or carefree and untamed scholars. But now that I see you in person, I’m truly disappointed. You’re not all that different from us commoners, with no elaborate schemes, deep cunning, and certainly no exceptional manners. I must’ve overestimated you all.”

This was truly what Qi Xuansu felt. There was a saying that commoners were unable to envision the life of royalty. Likewise, Qi Xuansu had always assumed the unknown to be grander than it was. To some extent, figures like Zhang Yuelu and Yao Pei had confirmed that belief.

But now, he realized something. Zhang Yuelu and Yao Pei were the outliers among the nobles. Disregarding their family status, most of these scions were not extraordinary in any way.

Qi Xuansu had expected Zhang Yongyan to find trouble with him. However, he thought the latter would come up with a more elaborate scheme to disgrace him publicly or perhaps plan a seduction ploy to ruin his reputation. At the very least, he figured Zhang Yongyan would hire assassins rather than dirty his own hands.

Instead, Zhang Yongyan had simply gathered a bunch of followers to encircle him, like a street thug.

Of course, it was also possible that Zhang Yongyan simply did not think that Qi Xuansu was worth so much effort. Why bother with a scheme when one slap could settle all things?

To these noble disciples, a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master was nothing special. Qi Xuansu’s master, Qi Haoran, had been a fourth-rank Daoist, and yet he had been killed by the noble-born Shen Yuzu.

That said, even a lion must use its full strength when hunting a rabbit.

At such a young age, Qi Xuansu was already at the fourth rank, which meant he was clearly a rising star. Even Ning Yuqing had recognized his boundless potential, yet Zhang Yongyan dismissed him outright. To put it bluntly, Zhang Yongyan was blind to talent.

Qi Xuansu had clearly overestimated him.

Zhang Yongyan’s expression darkened. “I gave you a way out, but you spat in my face. Boys, take him down!”

The group behind Zhang Yongyan lunged at Qi Xuansu.

One advantage of Martial Arts Practitioners was their extremely durable physique. Their limbs were their best weapon, and their recovery abilities were astonishing. More importantly, they possessed an unparalleled awareness of their own bodies, allowing for precise control over their strength. Thus, they could release and retract power at will.

That was why Qi Xuansu relied on his limbs and did not even bother to draw a weapon. As the group of scions swarmed him, he threw a few punches that were not grand or flashy. Yet within these simple strikes, there was a force powerful enough to shatter mountains and break boulders.

Regardless of how his opponents reacted, Qi Xuansu continued throwing punches in a steady rhythm. At first, his movements were agonizingly slow, resembling an old man practicing forms that appeared weak and powerless. Even when he exerted brief bursts of force, they seemed unsustainable. But soon, his speed rapidly increased. The air around him began to whistle, and his punches left trailing afterimages.

Suddenly, Qi Xuansu stopped and stomped his left foot. Though the ground beneath him remained unchanged, the entire area trembled as if struck by an earthquake. His opponents—all merely Xiantian Beings—immediately felt their innate qi stagnate, disrupting their circulation.

Taking advantage of their momentary stiffness, Qi Xuansu launched a rapid barrage of punches.

His entire body radiated a nearly tangible aura of blood qi. Each movement tore through the air with a howling wind. Each punch drew in the surrounding elemental energy, creating swirling eddies in the air that became an inescapable vortex. Those with inferior cultivation were inevitably pulled toward Qi Xuansu, drawn within one meter of him.

Within this one-meter radius, all Qi Xuansu had to do was throw punches. Every strike shattered bones and tendons, crippling his enemies.

At that moment, Shangguan Chao, who had been watching the battle, suddenly struck with his iron ruyi, smashing it down onto Qi Xuansu’s back with all his might. Yet, Qi Xuansu’s body merely wavered slightly.

Shangguan Chao’s iron ruyi was actually a treasure, imbued with the Ghost Curse. Once infected with this insidious curse, the body would gradually rot away. The curse clung to the victim like a malignant tumor, making it incredibly difficult to remove. As the curse spread through the body, the victim would lose all mobility, becoming no different from a corpse. Even after death, the afflicted would turn into a living corpse.

However, the Ghost Curse had a fatal flaw. It preyed on the weak but feared the strong. Against someone far superior in cultivation, it was utterly ineffective. Even against someone of equal strength, it struggled to take effect.

Qi Xuansu took a deep breath. His entire body erupted with a symphony of thunder-like cracks as his joints, bones, and spine reverberated with an unceasing series of sharp snaps.

The blood qi surrounding him was as dense as solid matter, but now it surged into the sky like an unrelenting tide. Among all things, nothing suppressed magic more effectively than a Martial Arts Practitioner’s raw blood qi.

Qi Xuansu was a Xiaoyao-stage Heavenly Being, his cultivation far surpassing Shangguan Chao’s. His blood qi was also unbearably intense, rendering this Ghost Curse as futile as smashing an egg against a rock.

One of the absolute taboos of the Ghost Curse was that if the caster failed to harm their target, they would suffer a backlash. As soon as Shangguan Chao failed to land his curse, he was immediately afflicted instead.

Noticing this, his face contorted in horror, for he knew better than anyone the horrifying effects of the Ghost Curse. Once infected, one would neither be able to live nor die in peace.

Panic overwhelmed Shangguan Chao. He let out a startled shriek, hurriedly discarded his iron ruyi, and glanced at his right hand, which was already tainted with creeping black tendrils of smoke.

He no longer paid any attention to Qi Xuansu or Zhang Yongyan and bolted straight toward the Chongyang Palace of Immortality without a second thought.

Fortunately, the Chongyang Palace of Immortality was close, with many powerful Sages stationed there. Moreover, since the Ghost Curse had not penetrated too deeply into his body, purging it would not be too difficult.

With Shangguan Chao gone, the remaining group was no longer a true threat to Qi Xuansu though they still outnumbered him.

Qi Xuansu continued fighting with his fists, holding back just enough to avoid killing anyone.

Before long, only seven with the highest cultivation among the group remained standing.

At that moment, Zhang Yongyan roared, “Get into formation, now!”

The seven people hesitated briefly before swiftly getting into a coordinated battle stance—the Seven Star Net Formation.

In an instant, the tables turned. For the first time, Qi Xuansu felt actual pressure. This was far different from when his enemies had attacked him individually.

Without hesitation, Qi Xuansu activated the Tantai Fist Intention at full power. His feet remained firmly planted on the ground. Behind him, his spine coiled and twisted like a dragon, sending a rolling wave of energy rippling through his body—from his spine to his chest, shoulders, elbows, wrists, and finally, his fingertips. A chain of explosive cracks resounded like a roaring tempest.

Then, he threw a single punch out.

The moment this punch was unleashed, the air in front of him violently twisted and shook. What seemed like a simple, straightforward punch carried with it a terrifying gale. The sheer force of it tore through the battlefield, causing the ground within 30 meters to crack at various points.

The first person directly in the path of his strike collapsed, even with all seven of them combining their strength to support him. His bones fractured in an instant, and his body crumpled to the ground, unmoving.

1. Chinese ceremonial scepter that has an S-shaped handle. ☜