Chapter 829: You Xu Shao, I'm Looking for Him

Seven greedy gazes fell upon him.

Xiao Wanfeng didn't find love around the corner; instead, he was so startled his face went pale with fright.

“This…”

By the spiritual light, a group of seven stood before him. They seemed subtly united, and their eyes, gleaming with a predatory green, fixed on him, an inexperienced lamb.

“Someone’s here, alright,” one of the seven chuckled.

“What’s his cultivation level? I can’t seem to discern it…” another wondered.

“This guy looks familiar… isn’t he Xiao Wanfeng, the tea server from the First Heaven Pavilion? Is he alone?”

“Oh, right, random teleportation. This guy just stumbled right into us.”

“Hahaha, there was a path to heaven, but you chose not to take it. Pathetic!”

Evidently, someone from the Eastern Heavenly King City was among the seven, recognizing Xiao Wanfeng.

After all, Young Master Xu was far too ostentatious.

And Xiao Wanfeng, who constantly followed Young Master Xu and coincidentally won the Heavenly Net Battle, was considered a somewhat “comical” but well-known figure.

Some members of the group were from the Five Domains and didn't know Xiao Wanfeng’s identity. Unable to sense his cultivation level, they initially looked serious.

But once their comrade explained, everyone immediately relaxed.

“A mere mortal?”

“He unleashed innate sword intent in the Heavenly Net Battle, but has no cultivation and can’t even fight? Just a servant, a mere ornament?”

“How did someone like that even get into the Cloud-Grasping Mountains? What a waste of a trial slot!”

Among the seven, the subtle leader was Tong Zhong, a young man from the Southern Domain who had first proposed their alliance. He hadn't known Xiao Wanfeng initially, but after his companions' explanation, he understood the situation.

“Little fellow, come here and let me see your trial jade pendant,” Tong Zhong said with a sneer, beckoning him forward.

Xiao Wanfeng’s steps stiffened. He stammered, “I… I don’t have any points…”

“I told you to come here!” Tong Zhong roared, his eyes blazing. The oppressive aura of a Half-Grandmaster descended, subtly adding a heated intensity to the surroundings.

He had long since touched the threshold of the Grandmaster Heavenly Phenomenon Realm, choosing not to break through specifically for the King City Trial.

Among his Innate peers, he rarely met an opponent.

This tea server before him had no cultivation whatsoever, only an innate sword intent that couldn’t be used in combat. What did Tong Zhong have to fear?

Xiao Wanfeng, however, wasn't intimidated by the aura; at least, his heart remained perfectly calm.

He had experienced much greater pressure before, and this guy couldn't even compare to Young Master Xu. Naturally, it was impossible for him to lose his composure.

Yet, even though he was calm, he could only appear timid and speak hesitantly.

“I truly have no points, sirs. You know I’m just a mortal. I only followed Young Master Xu in to try and muddle through. Now I’ve been randomly teleported away, and I don’t even dare to move. How could I possibly have any points?” Feigning foolishness was Xiao Wanfeng's specialty.

“Come here!” Tong Zhong barked, ready to act.

Xiao Wanfeng quickly got his legs moving, walked over trembling, and meekly handed over his jade pendant. “Have a look, sirs,” he said politely. “If you really want to earn points, you don’t need to bother me. But if you crush my jade pendant and send me out… I… I have nothing to say!”

His attitude was sincere, and the trial jade pendant was quickly passed to Tong Zhong.

Tong Zhong took it and saw that it indeed showed zero points. His expression immediately soured.

He had expected to find a small lamb, a quick way to get some initial spoils.

He never imagined the lamb would be so small, not even enough meat to get stuck in his teeth!

“What do you say?” Tong Zhong turned to his companions.

“Just crush it,” someone said, shrugging indifferently. “What’s the point of keeping someone like that?”

However, one of the King City members offered a different opinion: “What you don’t know, sirs, is that Young Master Xu, the one this guy follows, is a Half-Saint’s disciple.”

Several people in the group were surprised by this.

A Half-Saint’s disciple?

That’s not a good identity to offend.

Hesitation flickered across Tong Zhong’s face, but he quickly made up his mind, smiling sinisterly. “Aren’t all of you here for opportunities?”

“If you enter this trial space and still worry about a Half-Saint’s disciple, if you’re hesitant and look over your shoulder even in a conflict among peers, how will you ever brave the winds and waves and cut through thorns in the future?” he retorted. Everyone was silenced by his question.

Indeed.

Once inside the trial space, social standing and affiliations were irrelevant.

It was a competition among peers; it was impossible to provoke powerful figures from Half-Saint factions.

Those old monsters wouldn’t stoop to interfering simply because of a trial conflict among the younger generation.

Furthermore, the one they intended to eliminate wasn't Young Master Xu, the Half-Saint’s disciple, but Xiao Wanfeng, a negligible servant behind him.

“So?” Tong Zhong asked again.

“We can kill him!”

“Exactly. Why should cultivators like us be hesitant? We should be like the Eighth Sword Immortal, looking down on the world!”

“Finish him off. This trash won’t even pick up any points staying in the Cloud-Grasping Mountains. Rather than letting him live to be insulted by others, we might as well send him out early now. It’s even giving him some face.”

“Agreed.”

“I concur.”

“Me too!”

The seven quickly reached a consensus.

Xiao Wanfeng could no longer smile.

He hadn’t expected these trial participants to be so ruthless, completely disregarding Young Master Xu’s identity. They were going to send him out just because he couldn't contribute a few points?

“This jade pendant…” Tong Zhong raised Xiao Wanfeng’s trial jade pendant high, a sinister grin on his face. “Destroy it… Ah!”

Mid-sentence, a torrent of sword intent suddenly erupted in the void.

Before the fierce flames in Tong Zhong’s hand could even ignite, a thick white sword qi pierced him straight through from below.

The trial jade pendant was also sent flying high into the air.

“Sword intent?”

The expressions of the other six in the group stiffened.

This sudden sword intent had actually reached the Grandmaster level?

“Xiao Wanfeng, is he a Sword Master?”

Everyone looked at Xiao Wanfeng, who was holding a wooden sword, in astonishment, only to find that he, too, had a bewildered expression, as if asking, “What just happened?”

“Grandmaster sword intent, it’s not his…” someone shrieked, turning to point into the distance. “Look!”

Everyone simultaneously looked back.

On a distant rock, a small girl in white combat attire strolled forward. She held a massive snow-white greatsword aloft, her face filled with coldness.

The girl was too young; she was even shorter than Xiao Wanfeng and appeared to be younger than him.

So young, yet Grandmaster sword intent?

The group of seven was collectively terrified.

Even the Boundless Void Family would struggle to cultivate a genius with such outstanding sword dao, right?

Among ancient sword cultivators, achieving Grandmaster sword intent at such a young age should be extremely rare, right?

“Who are you?!” Tong Zhong, enduring immense pain, forcibly twisted his head within the sword qi, his powerful will allowing him to gasp the question.

The white-clad girl simply flicked the snow-white greatsword in her hand.

“Swoosh!”

Blood splattered.

An arm flew directly away.

“Ah!!!” Tong Zhong shrieked tragically. It was his hand.

This method, dismembering an arm without a word, truly terrified everyone present, including Xiao Wanfeng.

This delicate-looking girl was, in essence, a psychopathic killer?

“Let him go!”

Finally, someone in the group of seven couldn’t withstand the pressure.

They were all smart enough to know that if Tong Zhong died, they would be next. So, one person stepped forward, and the remaining few also came out in unison, blocking Tong Zhong.

“Don’t push us! Even if you are a Sword Master, at worst, we’ll all break through to the Grandmaster Heavenly Phenomenon Realm right here. I believe with seven of us, seven Innate Peaks breaking through together, even you won’t be able to withstand…”

“Monumental Weight!” The white-clad girl said nothing more. Her snow-white greatsword sank heavily downwards.

From above, a black light suddenly struck, interrupting the speaker and blasting him into the ground.

“Pfft…”

The speaker’s figure vanished from the ground, but in the deep pit, a splatter of blood blossomed.

Now, the remaining five members of the group finally realized the situation was dire.

A formidable opponent had arrived!

This person came with the intention of taking on all seven of them, and she had the power to do it!

“Apologies, lady hero, I’m not very familiar with Tong Zhong. This team was just formed,” someone immediately retreated several steps with a whoosh.

The others, seeing this, quickly caught on.

“Right! The team was just formed, and it’s now disbanded. If you have a grudge against Tong Zhong and them, lady hero, you can just find them. I only know them by nodding acquaintance.”

“We met by chance, farewell!” Another person simply floated away.

“You…” Tong Zhong, pinned by the sword qi, was so enraged he almost spat blood. His head spun, and it took him a long time to recover.

The white-clad girl coldly declared, “Thinking of leaving?”

The remaining five retreated, then collectively stopped, frozen in place behind her.

“Heh heh, not at all!”

“We’ll just step back a bit. We definitely won’t leave. We’ll watch you resolve things and serve as witnesses.”

“Yes, this Cloud Pearl is yours. We won’t contend for it. I’m pulling out, anyway.”

“I’m out too!”

“Me too…”

Everyone raised their hands high in a gesture of surrender.

Are you kidding?!

A cold-blooded Sword Master. If all seven of them broke through together, it was hard to say if they could defeat her.

But breaking through to become a Grandmaster, if they ultimately didn’t make it into the top thirty-six on the points leaderboard, or if they were deliberately targeted in subsequent trials, they could easily be eliminated early.

In that case, even the Holy Palace Trial would remain a distant dream, unattainable.

Their earlier talk of breaking through was merely a threat.

The group of seven was instantly defeated by the suddenly appearing white-clad Sword Master.

Xiao Wanfeng watched, bewildered, not even noticing his own trial jade pendant had fallen to the ground.

He didn’t dare to retreat either.

He was now just waiting for this cold-blooded Sword Master to declare his fate.

To his surprise, after stopping everyone, the white-clad girl approached Xiao Wanfeng with her snow-white greatsword, then suddenly smiled and softly asked, “Are you… Young Master Xu’s person?”

“Do we know each other?” Xiao Wanfeng was stunned, vaguely feeling that the small girl, half a head shorter than him, looked somewhat familiar.

“My name is Su Qianqian,” Su Qianqian smiled faintly. “I saw you during the Spirit Gate Trade Fair. I’m a friend of Zhou Tianshen.”

Zhou Tianshen?

Xiao Wanfeng certainly knew that name.

That guy had made several strange cries at the Spirit Gate Trade Fair and even acted as a mediator between Young Master Xu and Miss Hua Ying during their dispute. Xiao Wanfeng remembered him.

He recalled for a moment and remembered that this "Su Qianqian" had indeed followed Zhou Tianshen and Hua Ying to Young Master Xu’s private room that day.

But she had remained silent, not uttering a single word.

He never imagined she was a Sword Master of the ancient sword cultivation!

Younger than him, and capable of using her sword, without any restrictions!

A genius!

Well-hidden!

Xiao Wanfeng blinked, realizing he might be saved.

Just then, Su Qianqian bent down, picked up his trial jade pendant, and handed it to him with a smile. “You don’t know me, but I know you. During the Heavenly Net Battle, I heard you broke through to Innate Sword Intent, but some also said it was Grandmaster Sword Intent?”

“I know you now,” Xiao Wanfeng quickly added.

Su Qianqian chuckled softly.

This was Little Beast Brother’s friend, which meant, to her, he was her own friend.

And clearly, this group of seven before them was bullying her friend who couldn’t use his sword.

To draw a sword and help when witnessing injustice—this was something Little Beast Brother had taught her, and Su Qianqian hadn’t forgotten it.

“So, you’re a Sword Master?” Su Qianqian asked.

“I…” Xiao Wanfeng hesitated for a long while, recalling Young Master Xu and Mr. Si Ren’s affirmations, then answered uncertainly, “Perhaps… probably… yes?”

“Hiss!”

The onlookers around them gasped.

Even the young man who had just crawled out of the deep pit, his leg broken, almost stumbled and fell back in, his hand unable to support him.

Another Sword Master?

What the heck? Others start by picking up Cloud Pearls, and we start by running into two young Sword Masters?

Su Qianqian scrutinized Xiao Wanfeng, seemingly discerning something about his sword techniques, but she didn’t ask further.

She turned, surveyed the group of seven, and her expression returned to cold indifference.

“I’ll count to three. If you don’t hand over your trial jade pendants before I finish, I’ll give each of you a sword strike.”

“Understand this: your physical bodies were transported into the Cloud Realm. While it’s true that if you die here, your trial jade pendant’s protective mechanism will activate and send you out…”

“...if your spirit cannot withstand the shock of death, then even if you’re sent out, you’ll still be a dead person. Do you understand?”

Everyone’s face darkened at her words.

Of course, they knew this.

If a single sword strike was too powerful, even if their physical bodies were protected by the trial jade pendant…

…spiritual death meant the demise of their souls, with no possibility of resurrection.

In short, Su Qianqian’s sword might not be able to kill their physical bodies, but it could kill their souls.

“Don’t push your luck!” Tong Zhong bellowed from within the sword qi.

Su Qianqian’s gaze shifted, and she glanced at him sideways, then made a small flick with her sword.

“Swoosh!”

Another arm flew off.

“Ah!!!” Tong Zhong screamed.

“A demon.”

“This is a demon.”

The few of them were terrified. This girl was too horrifying; they had never seen anyone so cold-blooded. She dismembered an arm without a word… No! She didn’t even say anything beforehand!

“Three,” Su Qianqian began to count down.

Xiao Wanfeng was startled by the killing intent emanating from the girl.

What had she gone through to make a girl her age so cold-blooded that even he felt a chill?

The expressions of the seven-person group flickered between fear and uncertainty.

“Two,” Su Qianqian held her snow-white greatsword inverted.

The seven clenched their jaws, their fists tightening.

“One,” Su Qianqian’s eyes narrowed, and boundless sword intent spread out.

Instantly, every grain of dust in the world rose into the air, transforming into a flying sword.

The dense, dusty sword domain was truly hair-raising.

This move represented an end, and it represented that no one could resist.

“I’ll hand it over, I’ll hand it over! Mercy, spare my life!”

“I don’t have points!”

“I do! I have a hundred points. Take them. I give up, I accept my defeat this time.”

At the very moment Su Qianqian was about to strike, the group of seven finally surrendered. They couldn’t withstand the pressure.

Ancient sword cultivators were too terrifying.

Within these Cloud-Grasping Mountains, Sword Masters of ancient sword cultivation were among the last people one should provoke.

Losing to Su Qianqian was no disgrace!

“Three hundred points.”

Su Qianqian smilingly accepted half the points from six of the seven people.

Then, she turned to look at the Cloud Pearl within the spiritual light.

“There’s also this thing,” she murmured.

With a low murmur, she raised and then swung her snow-white greatsword.

The spiritual light of the Cloud Pearl, which even Grandmasters found difficult to break, shattered. The onlookers’ eyebrows twitched wildly.

That destructive power…

Su Qianqian stepped forward, cradled the Cloud Pearl, and closed her eyes. The pearl transformed into pure energy and merged into her small body.

“Burp.”

With a tiny burp, Su Qianqian’s delicate face flushed slightly, but she quickly returned to normal.

After all this, she turned around, waved her sword to dismiss the onlookers, then landed in front of Xiao Wanfeng and offered another faint smile.

“Where’s your Young Master Xu? I have something to discuss with him.”