Invincible Under Heaven

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Ten days later, one evening.

Li Xian finished his martial arts training at the training hall and returned to his residence.

Ancient city environments could hardly be called beautiful; wherever the eye fell, low houses, shops, and bustling pedestrians intertwined, and aside from a dreary atmosphere, there was little peace or harmony.

However, in contrast to the city's oppressive mood, his own mental state was energetic and full of vigor.

Although his muscles and bones had not yet reached great perfection, he looked upright and imposing, his spirit restrained, and exuded a robust aura from within.

"In another ten days to half a month, my muscles, bones, and internal organs training will all be complete. By then, I can directly proceed to blood replacement and marrow cleansing, stepping onto an entirely new level."

Three bowls of Eight Treasures Broth a day allowed him to temper his body without holding back, so his progress was naturally advancing by leaps and bounds.

Refining the body is always a slow process, advancing step by step.

Advance by ten, fall back by nine, accumulate one.

Yet Li Xian had once achieved perfect muscles and bones, and strengthened internal organs before.

With his innate talent [One Proof, Eternal Proof, Never Regress], every ten parts of training yielded ten parts of progress.

It was like glancing through 3,000 words versus memorizing 3,000 words—the difference in progress was tremendous.

If not for the fact that the physical body needed time to adapt and grow, he could theoretically achieve perfect muscles and bones in half a day, and strengthen his internal organs in a single day.

"In at most half a month, muscles, bones, and viscera will all be achieved. But grasping Ki and Blood, there's not the slightest clue. It looks like, even though I have already Condensed Ki into a Core and comprehended Primordial Unity, I'll still have to undergo blood replacement and marrow cleansing to gather all the essence in my body, seize Ki and Blood, unify spirit and energy, use illusion to seek reality, and finally produce true Ki."

As these thoughts ran through his mind, Qingmo Lane appeared ahead.

However, after he skirted around a puddle left by a neighbor washing up, entered the alley, and arrived at his courtyard gate, his figure suddenly halted.

There were people inside.

Li Xian, his internal organs already partially strengthened, had sharp ears and eyes.

He could faintly hear voices from within the courtyard.

"The person isn't here, but judging from the signs of daily life, he must live here. We just have to wait here, and he'll deliver himself to our door."

"He didn't return to Songfeng Academy, nor did he go back to Qinghe County, but hid in this remote corner—inconveniencing us for a long time!"

"All right, don't make too much commotion. Madam said family scandals should not be made public. We'll handle this privately on behalf of the Dingfeng Marquis Residence, lest people hear and laugh, ruining the young lady's reputation."

The Dingfeng Marquis Residence?

They've come to the door?

It sounded like they'd even been to Qinghe County?

As far as he knew, except for Dingfeng Marquis Liu Zhengfeng, there weren't any true experts in Dingfeng Marquis Residence.

And that marquis had gone to the royal capital—it would take at least a month or two before he returned.

Li Xian had been planning to settle his grievances with the Marquis Residence after the lord returned.

Unexpectedly, a group of guards...

*Creak—*

Li Xian pushed open the slightly ajar courtyard gate.

At once, several eyes in the courtyard turned to look at him.

"Li Xian!?"

One person instantly recognized him.

Perhaps because his demeanor had changed greatly over the past ten days, that shout even carried a trace of surprise and doubt.

Li Xian glanced around the courtyard.

"Twelve people? That's a bit too few to deal with me."

He pushed the gate open a bit wider, "If you leave now, there's still time to—"

Before he finished, he turned and shut the courtyard gate behind him.

"Don't bother leaving."

He saw it.

The whole courtyard had been ransacked.

Especially inside the house—things were scattered everywhere.

He could vaguely see his clothing thrown on the ground, trampled underfoot.

This was no longer a problem that could be resolved by simply letting them leave.

"Li Xian!"

A man inside the courtyard, wearing a saber at his waist, strode forward, flanked by two others.

"You think that by hiding, you can pretend nothing happened? Let me tell you, living or dead, you belong to the Marquis Residence!"

The blade-wearing man barked harshly, "Will you surrender and obediently come back to be punished by the First Madam, or will we beat you half to death and drag you back to the residence for punishment by family law!?"

"Arrogance and pride have made you unwilling to listen to me."

Li Xian said, "But to kill without first teaching is cruelty. Let me teach you: my attack on you isn't due to the Marquis Residence grudge, but because you broke into my home, ransacked my belongings, just like bandits. Killing you is like killing bandits—nothing more."

"Insolent! I am a first-class guard of the Marquis Residence, and you compare us to bandits? Kill bandits, you say!?"

The man drew his gleaming blade with a fierce glare: "Just because you trained for a month, and wounded Zhang Qing and another by sneak attack, now you think you can boast and look down on us!?"

"If he wants to resist, Captain Liu Feng, what are we waiting for? Let's grant him his wish!"

The man beside him couldn't hold back any longer.

"I hope your bones are as hard as your tongues."

Li Xian swept everyone's positions and roughly assessed their strength.

"Pity, you won't..."

"Prepare to die!"

Before Li Xian finished, Liu Feng lost patience. The three guards nearest Li Xian exploded into action at his signal.

With a shout as loud as thunder, the three guards—each with their bones already tempered—struck fiercely, their blades whistling, aiming directly for his arms and lower body.

They weren't trying to behead him with one blow, but every slash was meant to cripple him, rendering him powerless.

And almost as soon as they moved, Li Xian, the master of the battlefield, launched into action as well.

He took a big forward step, shifted sideways, and stabbed out with his right hand—a lightning-fast strike that raced alongside a slashing blade from the left, reached straight in, and clamped the guard's wrist.

Barehanded against steel!

With a burst of strength and a twist of the five fingers, the guard's wrist was twisted 180 degrees, as if directly snapped.

*Crack!*

*Ah!*

The sound of snapping bones and the guard's painful scream echoed simultaneously!

The sabre flew from his grasp instantly.

Li Xian's hand darted to catch the saber, while his body slammed sideways, dodging a slash aimed at his lower body and, using his shoulder as a pivot, crashed brutally into the chest of the now-unarmed guard.

*Bang!*

As the guard was sent flying by the iron-mountain strike, Li Xian used the momentum, spinning the saber and meeting another descending blade head-on.

*Clang!*

Sparks flew as the oncoming saber was dashed aside.

But Li Xian's saber, in the split second of blade contact, spun again. Before the guard he'd struck had a chance to respond, the tip flashed across his throat.

*Shhk!*

A line of blood instantly appeared across the guard's neck.

His eyes opened wide, filled with terror, horror, and disbelief.

He...had killed?

Li Xian had actually killed him!?

Yet before fear and bloody flowers could bloom, the saber that had cut his throat spun again, slashing diagonally towards the guard who had crouched to attack Li Xian's lower half.

*Clang!*

The guard managed to block with his blade just in time.

Sparks burst everywhere!

But before that guard could straighten, Li Xian's right foot, moving with unknown suddenness, blasted upwards in a powerful kick that smashed into the guard's chin.

The violent force kicked him completely off his feet.

Teeth and blood sprayed from his mouth.

What shocked Liu Feng, the captain, even more was that Li Xian's high kick, which sent the guard flying, suddenly shifted angle at its zenith!

His foot drove down like a battle axe, stomping onto the guard's chest with crushing force.

The guard's chest caved in instantly.

If the blow to the chin left him with a sliver of life, this axe stomp was entirely fatal.

*Crack!*

"Ah Quan!"

The mingled sounds of flesh receiving a fierce blow, bones shattering, and guards' cries erupted.

In a flash, Li Xian, faced with a three-guard assault, counterattacked with explosive speed.

In that instant, two lives were taken!

Such abrupt violence and slaughter left the remaining guards shocked and furious!

But the fight did not stop because of their cries.

The eighty-kilogram corpse of Guard Ah Quan was kicked back like a battle-axe by Li Xian, smashing into the guard whose saber Li Xian had deflected earlier.

That guard, caught unprepared, caught Ah Quan's corpse with difficulty—his vision completely obscured!

"Li Xian! How dare you!"

"Fang Rui, be careful!"

Amid Liu Feng and other guards' terrified shouts, Li Xian pressed off his right leg, body like a drawn bow, shooting forward—and blade light chased Ah Quan's corpse as it crashed into the third guard, fang Rui, piercing his chest.

*Shhk!*

The blade sank in.

That guard didn't even get half a word out before Ah Quan's corpse crashed into him, both rolling onto the ground in a tangled heap.

Blade risen, blade fallen—instant kill, three lives!

"No!"

Liu Feng led the team—his angry howls filled the air, eyes almost splitting open in fury!

Not only did Li Xian dare kill, he'd slain three of the Marquis Residence's guards in quick succession!

"Li Xian! I'll kill you!"

"They kill me, I kill them. Since you came, you should be prepared to be counter-killed. Now these deaths bring such sorrow and outrage—does it have any meaning besides making others laugh?"

Li Xian calmly shook the blood from his blade, holding it steady as he faced the onrushing, enraged Liu Feng.

As the leader, Liu Feng's muscles and bones were perfected, and he had already started Internal Viscera Refinement.

His cultivation was on par with Hongyu.

Having long handled difficult tasks for the Marquis Residence, he was rich in battle experience.

Now, attacking in anger, his saber swept with a whistling sound, as if tearing the air asunder, sealing off all space before Li Xian.

No matter where Li Xian dodged, he'd be struck by that thunderous slash.

But...

Li Xian made no attempt to evade.

As the full force of the saber covered him, his eyes lowered slightly.

In his mind, all the trajectories of the sabers seemed to weave into a single arc.

Listening to the blade!

In the next moment, he suddenly drew his weapon, lifting his saber high to block Liu Feng's strike with pinpoint accuracy.

As blade met blade, dazzling sparks showered between them.

In that instant of metal grinding and sparks flying, Li Xian yanked his saber upward, reversed his grip, and slashed down in a single fluid motion!

*Clang!*

Steel rang against steel!

The attack Liu Feng had launched with all his might was shattered in an instant.

Li Xian's strike cut right through, shattering Liu Feng's saber blade entirely!

Shards flew far and wide.

Liu Feng's eyes froze!

*Shhk!*

As the blade tip that severed his weapon spun, it flashed across Liu Feng's throat like lightning.

"No..."

The guard captain had no time to cry out before Li Xian's blade swept over his throat.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

As befitting a martial master in his previous life...

He's merciless...

It's quite refreshing...

【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】