Reencounter with Li Zhi

Before deciding on a place to settle, Ye Qiang had already made up his mind to contribute a little to the Blood Sword Sect. Whether they would win or not would depend on the fate of the sect.

If they lost…

Then he would plan accordingly at that time.

While doing push-ups, Ye Qiang felt the spiritual energy inside his body constantly strengthening every inch of his skin, every cell, and every drop of blood.

Finally, at noon, with the explosion of his Qi Dan, Ye Qiang clearly sensed a powerful aura covering his whole body in an instant. It felt very similar to the sensation when he advanced from the first stage to the second stage of the Bronze Realm, incredibly comfortable.

After his Qi Dan visibly expanded, Ye Qiang knew he had successfully advanced.

He hadn't expected cultivation to be such a simple thing. Without the inheritance from the Fire Martial Sword senior, he didn't know how long it would take for him to reach this third stage.

Thinking about the numerous Spirit Crystal Stones in his spatial ring, Ye Qiang suddenly felt that Heaven was really taking care of him.

Although he was just an inconspicuous outer disciple of the Blood Sword Sect, without an enchanting appearance, no unbeatable divine skills, and without the favor of the elders, having this spatial ring left by the Fire Martial Sword senior was enough to make up for these shortcomings. The rest was up to his effort.

Sometimes, one just needs to be content.

After successfully entering the third stage of the Bronze Realm, Ye Qiang continued cultivating. At this speed, he believed that within ten days, he would reach the Silver Realm.

Unknowingly, Ye Qiang had become addicted to this cultivation feeling. Though there was occasional fatigue, the comfort of absorbing spiritual energy was no less, making it easy for him to keep cultivating.

Cultivation is often seen as a tedious and monotonous process, something every practitioner agrees on, and Ye Qiang also thought the same.

Even though Ye Qiang had an endless supply of Spirit Crystal Stones in his spatial ring to fuel his cultivation, and a unique cultivation method that allowed him to advance quickly, he still felt something was missing. He couldn't focus entirely on his training. What was the reason?

It turned out that deep within Ye Qiang's heart, there was a figure he couldn't shake off. This figure had a seductive body, flowing blue hair, and a watery smile.

It was the young woman from the Wuji Sword Sect, Meng Er, who had been lingering in Ye Qiang's mind, making it hard for him to concentrate on cultivation. Could it be that he had developed feelings for her? This question kept echoing in his mind, but he couldn't find an answer.

Ye Qiang tried to push her out of his thoughts, but the more he tried, the more counterproductive it became. Maybe it was because he felt indebted to her?

Since he couldn't concentrate on cultivation, why not go out and clear his mind?

The Blood Sword Sect's outer sect had ten large mountain regions, each of which could accommodate over a hundred disciples. However, due to the increased requirements for new disciples in recent months, not just anyone could join the sect!

Starting from the beginning of this month, anyone who had not reached the Bronze Realm would be expelled from the sect. This was due to security concerns, as the scheduled battle between the sects was to begin in fifteen days. The inner sect elders and their disciples would serve as the main force for the offense.

The outer sect elders and all the outer disciples would stay behind to defend the sect. This battle would determine the honor and fate of the sect.

While outsiders labeled the Blood Sword Sect as evil, Ye Qiang didn't see it that way. Instead, he was most repulsed by the Wuji Sword Sect. They had issued a bounty on Blood Sword Sect disciples even before the declaration of war. They encouraged their disciples to kill or capture enemy disciples, and their sect leader was clearly up to no good!

The sect leader even wore a mask of "saving the world from evil cults," which was truly disgusting.

Ye Qiang changed into his new Blood Sword Sect disciple's red robe, tidied himself up, and then walked out of his cave. He headed toward the entrance of the Sixth Mountain Region.

Ahead, there was a straight cobblestone path that led directly to the Blood Sword Sect's outer sect's political hall. Ye Qiang had nothing to do, so he decided to walk toward the hall to see if any new activities or announcements had been posted by the sect.

As he walked, he noticed many outer sect disciples passing by. From his observation, most of them were at the second to third stage of the Bronze Realm.

When Ye Qiang was nearing the entrance of the outer sect's political hall, a familiar figure appeared before him.

Upon a closer look, it was a petite girl with fair skin and long hair—Lei Qingqing, the girl whom Li Zhi and others had been desperately pursuing.

Li Zhi and his group were closely following her, but Lei Qingqing didn't even acknowledge them. Upon seeing Ye Qiang, the girl seemed to notice that his cultivation had reached the third stage of the Bronze Realm. She smiled and jogged over to him, lightly wrapping her jade-like hands around his strong arm, blinking and saying, "Brother Mo Xian, it's been so long. I've missed you!"

Ye Qiang immediately understood what Lei Qingqing meant. She wanted his help to shake off Li Zhi and the others, and her gaze, full of affection, caused a flood of memories to surface in his mind. However, these memories weren't his own…

In Lei Qingqing's heart, she found Li Zhi extremely annoying. She had no feelings for him, but he kept following her around and even openly declared his love in front of others. This left her feeling helpless.

Seeing Li Zhi and his group, who were glaring at him with displeasure, the tension in the air was palpable. Eventually, Li Zhi stepped forward to escalate the confrontation.

"Mo Xian, stay away from Lei Qingqing!" he shouted.

"Are you out of your mind? She's my junior sister, from our Sixth Mountain Region. If anyone should stay away, it should be you!" Ye Qiang retorted.

"Hmph, don't think that just because you've reached the third stage of the Bronze Realm, you can look down on me, Li Zhi! If you piss me off, you won't get away unscathed. Move aside!" Li Zhi sneered.

"Then today, I'll make you angry and see if there's really no consequence!" Ye Qiang said with unwavering determination, staring back at Li Zhi, who was seething with hatred.

Ye Qiang knew that Li Zhi's feelings for Lei Qingqing were genuine, but he wasn't afraid of Li Zhi's potential retaliation. He wasn't afraid before, and he wasn't afraid now. In the future, he would only grow bolder.

Lei Qingqing was a kind and pure girl, which made Ye Qiang remember the time when his strength was still weak. Back then, Lei Qingqing had been afraid that getting involved with him would bring her trouble, and as a result, she had been subjected to cruel treatment by Li Zhi and his group. She had kept her distance from him to protect herself.

In truth, Lei Qingqing and the original owner of this body, Mo Xian, had both entered the sect at the same time. Ye Qiang found memories in Mo Xian's mind of a romantic relationship between the two, where they trained together, completed missions together, and watched the sun rise and set. Mo Xian had even promised to take care of her for life…

Ye Qiang didn't know how to handle these memories, but as he looked at Lei Qingqing still holding onto his arm, he shouted for everyone to hear, "She is my Mo Xian's most beloved junior sister. I won't allow anyone to bully her!"

As the tension in the air grew more intense, disciples gathered around to watch the spectacle.

"Here comes Li Zhi again. This guy is completely out of control. Just a few days ago, he was reprimanded for severely injuring another disciple. Now he's causing trouble again…"

"You didn't know? They're arguing over a woman, and that woman is Lei Qingqing, the one Li Zhi is so obsessed with."

"Who's the guy confronting Li Zhi? From his cultivation, it looks like he's a whole stage higher than Li Zhi. This is going to be interesting!"

Li Zhi saw the disciples around him whispering and pointing, and his pride took a hit. He felt that if he didn't teach Mo Xian a lesson now, it would be hard for him to hold his ground in the sect in the future.

After a moment's thought, Li Zhi looked at Ye Qiang and said, "Mo Xian, if you're a man, meet me tomorrow in the bamboo forest behind the mountain!"

The bamboo forest Li Zhi referred to was the very one Ye Qiang had unintentionally unlocked that seal not long ago, which had unleashed destructive energy.

The forest wasn't very big or small, but it was located between the Fifth and Sixth Mountain Regions. Because the Blood Sword Sect elders had ordered disciples not to fight privately, those who had conflicts but didn't want to break the sect rules often chose this place for duels.

"Sorry, I don't have time to play with you!" Ye Qiang rolled his eyes in response.

"You… Hmph! You have the guts to offend me here, but no courage to meet me tomorrow in the forest? Mo Xian, you're just a coward!" Li Zhi snapped, enraged.

"Are you suggesting a duel in the forest?" Ye Qiang asked.

"Yes, what's the matter? Are you afraid?" Li Zhi taunted.

"Then why not make it public and duel right here in front of everyone?" Ye Qiang replied calmly.

"You mean to fight in the Death Duel Arena?" Li Zhi asked, surprised.

"Yes. If you're afraid, then don't ever show up in front of me again. And don't you dare keep bothering my junior sister, got it?" Ye Qiang said firmly.

Li Zhi didn't respond immediately. He thought about his current cultivation, which was still at the second stage of the Bronze Realm, while Mo Xian had already reached the third stage.