Invincible Under Heaven

Integration

Li Xian carried his saber and strode calmly toward the exit of the Dingfeng Marquis Residence.

Everywhere he passed, all the guards, servants, and maids instinctively made way, watching helplessly as he crossed the yard, opened the shut main gate, stepped over the threshold, and left.

There were clearly still thirty or forty people present.

Some of the servants and maids had learned a bit of martial arts, with several even managing to cultivate some strength, yet not a single person dared to step forward and stop him, even in the slightest.

The atmosphere in the courtyard was deathly silent.

It wasn't until Li Xian's figure had completely disappeared from view that everyone present...

Including lady Mo Caiying seemed to finally accept a certain reality.

He left.

Li Xian...

Really left.

He just left like that!?

He came to their marquis residence, carried out a massacre, defeated everyone, took the noble marchioness hostage, demanded eighty taels of silver, and then simply turned and walked away?

What was he really thinking!?

What on earth was he planning!?

Mo Caiying's chest heaved as a storm of thoughts whirled in her mind.

Panic, anger, shame, and humiliation surged through her brain, making her wish she could skin Li Xian alive and grind his bones to dust.

But...

Thinking of that blade pressed coldly against her throat, and the suffocating, deadly pressure of Li Xian's cold indifference...

She ultimately forced herself to calm down quickly.

"Madam..."

Her personal handmaid rushed to her side, wanting to help wipe the blood from her neck with a handkerchief she carried.

"To the inner courtyard."

Mo Caiying's face was icy as she waved at the circle of utterly useless guards around her.

"Disperse."

With that, she strode toward the inner courtyard.

Fang Xin and Tan Zhang watched the lady leave.

They knew that today's events had utterly disappointed her, and after exchanging glances, could only tend to the injured, clear away chief steward Liu Fu's corpse, and leave one by one.

...

"This matter is far from over! No one can insult my Dingfeng Marquis Residence and walk away free!"

Inside the courtyard, after her wounds were tended and reason had returned, Mo Caiying's voice was cold and sharp.

The fact that Li Xian had not killed her proved that he was not truly as fearless as he claimed.

He didn't really want to commit a capital crime and become a fugitive with nowhere to hide, wandering the world.

Of course, his youthful arrogance and reckless actions were real enough.

Hot-blooded youth like this, if momentarily blinded with rage, might really slaughter everyone within five paces in a fit of passion and drag her down with him.

Thus, although the matter wasn't over, the next time a move was made, she had to be absolutely certain of victory.

"Fang Xin!"

Mo Caiying called suddenly.

Soon, having finished with the chores in the outer yard, Fang Xin hurried in, waiting at the door to apologize.

"Where is Martial Master Zhao? When will he return?"

"The Sword Debate often lasts between ten and twenty days—ten at the shortest, a month at the longest..."

"Send word to him. Tell him to return immediately!"

"Yes."

Fang Xin immediately responded.

He hesitated a moment, then added, "Should we... report this to the preferectual office?"

"Report it to the preferectual office?"

Mo Caiying shot him a frosty glare.

"Do you want the whole world to know about our disgrace? And what use would the preferectual office be? All that would do is alert the enemy! If we push that little bastard into a corner and he comes back in the dead of night, who could stop him? Your bunch of guards!?"

Fang Xin immediately bowed his head and dared not speak further.

Even Liu Fu, who had achieved Viscera Refinement, was dead.

Though the guards were many and strong, humans are not mindless beasts. They could not stubbornly fight to the death in a hopeless situation.

Li Xian could pick them off one by one under cover of night, erasing every last one of them in a single evening.

"Investigate! Find out exactly what martial art Li Xian is cultivating! How could a frail scholar transform so drastically in just one month? Was it some demonic art, or did he consume rare treasures? I want a full report!"

"Understood."

Fang Xin agreed.

Even without Mo Caiying's instructions, they would have done so anyway.

Li Xian injuring Zhang Qing could be chalked up to natural talent and an element of surprise, but today, he had killed Chief Steward Liu Fu—a Viscera Refinement master—in open combat against more than twenty guards. That was way beyond mere talent.

"Remember, do it in secret. No word of this must get out."

Mo Caiying's eyes swept over Fang Xin and the maids with steely severity.

"Everyone, be vigilant. Let today's matter rot in your stomachs. If I catch anyone gossiping about this, they will not be spared!"

"Yes."

Everyone hastily replied.

Mo Caiying waved Fang Xin away, then turned her gaze to Zhang Yao, just brought over by a maid.

"Ma—Madam..."

Zhang Yao hurriedly bowed.

Mo Caiying narrowed her eyes, silent.

Only when Zhang Yao seemed unable to stand still did she finally say, "No need to be nervous. Sit."

She continued, "Your name is Zhang Yao? You bravely spoke up today at the critical moment—I commend your courage. I have ordered your status to be promoted by three levels, and your monthly stipend raised to one tael and four coins."

"Ah?"

Zhang Yao was both surprised and delighted, hurriedly responding, "Thank you for your grace, madam."

"You deserve it."

Mo Caiying said.

She was not sure if Li Xian had spared her at the crucial moment due to Zhang Yao's plea.

But her own life was incomparably precious.

Even the slightest possibility was enough for her to show kindness.

Moreover...

During this time, Zhang Yao had been closest to Li Xian and knew him best.

So she began asking, "When did Li Xian start practicing martial arts?"

"Practicing martial arts?"

Zhang Yao paused, then quickly said, "A month ago."

After a moment's thought, she added, "But he did mention that he had studied martial arts texts before, carefully pondering them till he fully understood the theories, but since he disliked martial arts, he never acted on them. It wasn't until he recovered from a serious illness a month ago that he suddenly started training and practicing forms..."

"A month ago..."

Mo Caiying's expression remained still, but her mind was turbulent, flickering between hope and doubt.

A month ago...

Li Xian seemed to have fallen into the river?

He was brought home and ill for several days?

And that day was when Young Lord Yan sent a carriage to pick up Yanran for a banquet?

Did he witness something and suffer a blow, so he gave up the pen for the sword?

But unexpectedly, the boy had shocking talent—not only was he gifted in academics, but also was a martial prodigy unparalleled in a century?

Within a month, already achieved Internal Viscera Refinement?

"Impossible, unless he was born with an Immortal Seed! Who could achieve this in just one month? He must have had some fortuitous encounter or be cultivating a demonic art!"

Immortal Seed!?

The students of Songfeng Academy had all been tested.

If Li Xian had been an Immortal Seed, he would have been discovered long ago and soared to prominence, not waited until now.

As for a lucky encounter...

He hadn't even left the marquis residence for a month, so it didn't seem likely.

Then he must be cultivating some demonic art?

"Tell me in detail—over this past month, exactly how did Li Xian train, and what technique was he practicing?"

Mo Caiying asked patiently, "Don't omit a single detail."

"Yes."

Zhang Yao knew, from the madam's tone, that she obviously was not letting this go.

The more details she shared about Li Xian, the more it would harm him.

For a moment, she even thought of hiding something for Li Xian—if he should rise to greatness, would he remember her kindness?

But...

She was, after all, a servant of the marquis residence.

From childhood, she was taught to be unfailingly loyal to the marquis.

A young master of less than two months might win her sympathy, but could hardly overturn that belief.

In the end, when faced with the lady's questioning, she answered truthfully, leaving out no detail.

...

"All settled."

Li Xian's expression was calm as he exited Dingfeng Marquis Residence.

As for what he meant by "all settled," no one knew.

Perhaps even the other party involved did not truly understand.

But it didn't matter.

Li Xian...

Only needed a clear conscience.

He looked down at his right hand.

The back of his hand was bright red.

His fingers were swollen.

He was injured.

Even though at the critical moment he had devoured the limitless, let his core force explode, since his tendons and bones were not fully formed, clashing head-on with a Viscera Refinement expert's grappling technique brought waves of stabbing pain through his clenched right fist.

Yet this pain did not make him uncomfortable but rather...

It felt astonishingly novel.

"It's been so long."

Since he achieved Condensing Ki into a Core and tested his fists against the world, he hadn't felt—in such a long time—the clash of fist against fist, force against force, pain so fierce it made his muscles strain and his bones break.

They...

Were all simply too weak.

Ninety percent of martial artists would not even rise again with one blow.

But now...

A mere fourth-realm Viscera Refinement practitioner could actually wound and pain him!

This sensation...

Li Xian raised his hand, admiring the blood between his fingers, his eyes somewhat intoxicated.

"What a wonderful feeling."

No steel saber, no firearms.

Just fist against claw, being wounded by someone's grappling technique...

"So strong—if I didn't have Primordial Unity and Condensing Ki into a Core, I wouldn't have beaten him. Impressive."

Li Xian was filled with joy.

He knew there were nine stages of martial cultivation in this world.

Each step, a higher heaven.

Now, someone of the fourth rank—Internal Viscera Refinement—could actually hurt him...

Though his own strength was not yet fully recovered, this kind of injury, this needle-like pain, told him clearly: this was real.

He really had come to a world where martial artists flourished and the strong were as numerous as clouds!

So it was with Internal Viscera Refinement!

What about Marrow Cleansing and Washing?

And those masters known as Leakless; the grandmasters who had reached Refining Void into Reality and used True Ki to open their own martial sects; those of All Meridians Connected, whose ki coursed through their entire bodies...

And the Reversing Innate, the Innate Grandmasters who lived for more than a century!

"What an amazing world!"

Li Xian curled his fingers.

He let the pain shooting from his fingertips stimulate his mind wantonly.

So he could sense this world even more vividly.

To feel the reality of this entire world!

So he could fully integrate into this world—a world as truly real as could be.

At this moment, he wanted to open his arms and sing out.

"World, here I come!"