Xia Family Elder and Reflection.

Fang Xue raced through the dense forest, kicking leaves and branches aside as she desperately searched for any clue to the bandits' camp. The limited information she had forced her to exert herself in the search.

Meanwhile, Xia Heng, the escaped assassin who had encountered Fang Xue, approached the city gates with a sense of relief. He would no longer have to face that girl, that monstrous being who had left him injured and traumatized. However, his thoughts were interrupted by an unfamiliar voice.

"Xia Heng, where are the others?" The voice rang out, clear and resolute.

Startled, Xia Heng turned to see the Elder of the Xia Family, the one who had assigned him the mission. The Elder's question caused Xia Heng to relive the memories of the bloody battle that had just taken place.

"Elder, everyone else is dead. That girl is a complete monster," Xia Heng replied, his voice trembling and his body still shaking from fear.

The Elder was skeptical upon hearing Xia Heng's response. How could a group of four, with one cultivator at the 9th Level of Body Training and three at the 8th Level, fail to defeat a girl at the 6th Level?

With no time for questioning, the Elder needed to see for himself what had transpired. "Take me to the site of the fight and tell me everything on the way," he ordered, eager to find clues that could explain the truth.

Silently nodding, Xia Heng led the way to the forest, still in a state of shock. As they walked, he recounted the details of the battle, describing Fang Xue's extraordinary skills and supernatural strength.

"She's definitely not at the 6th Level of Body Training. She's likely at the 7th Level, but that's even more terrifying. She has only been with the Hu Family for a short time and has already advanced two levels. And that's not the worst part. With her current cultivation, she could challenge someone at the 9th Level," thought the Elder, his Qi Sense Realm aura leaking slightly, accompanied by his killing intent.

The Xia Family, considered the weakest among the medium-sized families, possessed Elders in the Qi Sense Realm and higher-level cultivators, including a Core Formation ancestor who was nearing the end of his life.

The Elder snapped out of his thoughts as they arrived at the scene of the battle, his expression revealing a certain level of shock. Three lifeless bodies lay on the ground, each bearing signs of violent demise.

What truly surprised him, however, was the condition of the bodies. One had its head exploded, with a blood-stained spear nearby. The second was missing an arm, covered in cuts, and Xia Hong's head, wide-eyed with horror and fear.

"Her threat is greater than we imagined. We knew of her cruelty, but we didn't anticipate her decisiveness in killing. Moreover, her cunning mind is the most dangerous aspect," the Elder murmured. Xia Heng, by his side, agreed with the first statement but was puzzled by the second.

Noticing Xia Heng's confusion, the Elder continued, "Why are you, the weakest one, still alive while the others are dead? Obviously, she wanted you to return and inform us of what occurred."

Although he felt ashamed to be labeled the weakest, Xia Heng knew the truth in those words. However, something still bothered him. "But why did she want me to inform the Xia Family? Wouldn't it be better for her to kill everyone and eliminate the evidence?"

Deeply frowning, the Elder responded, "That's the question. I don't know her motives, but we must exercise caution. Let's wait for her at the border between the city gates and the forest, as Young Master Qiao mentioned, she accepted a mission to exterminate bandits. When she returns to the city, I will attack and kill her swiftly."

Though he desired to pursue Fang Xue while she was still weakened from the backlash of the power boost technique, the Elder realized she left no trace of her whereabouts. Therefore, the best course of action was to wait for her return and strike at that moment.

Even with Fang Xue's strength, the Elder firmly believed she would be unable to kill him in her current state, as she remained in the Body Training Realm. The disparity between the Qi Sense Realm and the Body Training Realm was immense, and only supreme geniuses from the past had managed to bridge that gap. The Elder did not consider Fang Xue to be at that level.

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A girl named Fang Xue, with long black hair containing a few white strands, sat on the roof of a modest house in a remote village. While she analyzed a piece of rabbit fur in her lap, her unfocused gray eyes revealed that her thoughts were elsewhere.

A week had passed since Fang Xue arrived in the small village, located a thousand miles away from the City of Clouds.

She had come to this village because she deduced it would be the bandits' next target. Rumors had spread about a girl with divine beauty being born in the village.

Fang Xue had searched for the bandits' camp for three days but found no trace of it. Consequently, she decided to change her approach and lure the bandits to come after her.

Lost in her own thoughts, Fang Xue sighed, contemplating the fragility of life. Her mind was preoccupied with the recent scene she had witnessed—an old man stumbling and falling on a dark street. Though she rushed to his side, it was too late. The man took his final breath.

As she watched the old man die before her eyes, Fang Xue felt a sense of introspection. She possessed healing pills that could have saved his life, but she chose not to act, allowing death to claim him.

This decision reminded her of the moments before her own death on Earth—a giant finger approaching, a reminder of her powerlessness in the face of that finger.

While she could do nothing but watch as that finger took her life, she was fortunate to reincarnate in a world where she could attain and surpass that level. However, the same could not be said for the old man.

Lost in contemplation, Fang Xue was abruptly startled by a deafening explosion that reverberated through the village. The intense glow of flames followed, indicating the arrival of the bandits.

"The bandits have finally arrived," Fang Xue thought decisively. Without hesitation, she stood up and ran toward the source of the disturbance.

As she ran, Fang Xue pondered whether her previous inaction signified a change within her or if it had always been her true nature, only now revealing itself. The answer was inconsequential at that moment—the most important thing was determining her next course of action.