The Frigid Condensation Sword and a Treacherous Foe

With a lift of his hand, Xu Qingzhu drew a longsword from his storage ring.

The blade seemed forged from congealed frost, pristine and gleaming. Even without the sun’s direct light, it radiated a chilling luminescence that struck Su Mo’s eyes.

“Isn’t this mine?” Su Mo mumbled.

‘She mused that while she didn’t often wield a sword, her storage ring held a considerable arsenal, including several fine blades.’

Divided into high, middle, and low grades, a high-grade magical implement was considered a superior weapon among cultivators of lower realms. Above these were spiritual treasures and the like, artifacts beyond the reach of those below the Nascent Soul stage.

Thus, the longsword Xu Qingzhu now held, the Frigid Condensation Sword, was an exceptionally rare treasure.

“Brat! It seems you’ve stumbled upon another stroke of luck. My efforts to kill you won’t be in vain after all!” A ghostly cackle echoed around them.

These words were mere wind to Xu Qingzhu, passing by his ears unnoticed. He idly twirled the sword, a simple flourish, then seemed to lose interest in the Frigid Condensation Sword he held.

Raising his gaze, he asked, “Why are you looking for me?”

“Heheheheheh—”

As if hearing the funniest joke, the unseen figure on the other side cackled uncontrollably for a good while. Both heard him gasp for breath a few times before he mockingly declared, “Does our Su family need to announce themselves before killing you? Even if the Su family has fallen, a scoundrel like you, who preys on others’ misfortune, can still be hunted down and slain!”

“But you, boy, have a poor memory yet surprisingly good fortune. In such a short time, you’ve already abducted a beautiful woman. Once I’ve severed your limbs, I’ll let you witness my ‘second brother’ in action with your woman. We’ll see how ‘effective’ he is, heheheh…”

“Huh?” Su Mo raised an eyebrow. This monstrous entity didn’t even recognize her, the Fourth Young Miss of the Su family, yet dared to flaunt the Su family’s banner.

‘Someone slandering the Su family like this… Su Mo felt a murderous intent rise within her.’

“Young Master Xu, could I get a bow?” Su Mo’s little finger poked his back.

“No need,” Xu Qingzhu replied coolly. “This person intends to commit a transgression before my very eyes. They have already chosen their path to death.”

“Then have you discerned their cultivation level? Why does it feel unlike Qi Condensation?” Su Mo subtly noticed the spiritual energy surging within the white mist, far more potent than that of the Qi Condensation stage.

Stepping forward, Xu Qingzhu loosened his grip, and as the longsword began to slip, it swiftly flew back to hover motionless before him.

He had mastered sword manipulation to such an extent that he found no joy in it; he couldn’t even be bothered to recite the incantations.

Gazing into the white mist, at the subtle, creeping sounds within, he spoke, “A Foundation Establishment cultivator’s movements are like ghosts or specters, touching upon a hint of profound mystery. Their spiritual energy condenses, transforming from gas to liquid, making them far more formidable than those in the Qi Condensation realm. Should a Qi Condensation cultivator face them, defeat is certain; they cannot be resisted by force.”

“Then aren’t we doomed?!” Su Mo, her hands empty, clutched her chest, feeling utterly insecure.

“Let’s try,” Xu Qingzhu said, adding nothing more.

As they spoke, the insidious attack arrived.

The soil beneath their feet suddenly loosened, and in an instant, venomous snakes burst forth, lunging at both of them.

“Sword, come~” Xu Qingzhu murmured softly, and the longsword before him shot forth, piercing through the venomous snakes like an arrow.

In a flash, only severed snake bodies remained, trembling before dissolving back into the earth.

“It seems like an ability to transform earth into objects?” Su Mo, feeling unsafe on the shifting soil, stepped onto a rock and stood on tiptoes.

‘Though it was a futile gesture, akin to burying one’s head in the sand, without her longbow and having no martial arts training, Su Mo found herself in a difficult predicament.’

Even the ‘Su Mo’ who was ignorant and unlearned in the mansion knew about transforming earth into objects. With centuries of experience, Xu Qingzhu naturally understood.

‘A mere trifle, hardly worth mentioning.’

‘In his eyes, swords and poison were the ultimate powers.’

“Unseen for a few days, boy, your swordplay has improved,” the old man scoffed, “but what does that matter? For this old man, killing you is but a single palm strike!”

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!” Someone conjured a fierce wind, and the white mist swirled with it, churning their vision into chaos.

A vast expanse of white, the frosty mist obscured their sight until they couldn’t see their own outstretched hand.

Hastily grabbing Xu Qingzhu’s sleeve, Su Mo inwardly cursed, ‘This monstrous entity talks about killing with one palm, yet they’re such a coward.’

“Hold onto me,” Xu Qingzhu said, turning his head.

“No, I’ll just hold your sleeve,” Su Mo retorted, refusing to obey.

Without explanation, Xu Qingzhu turned back, seized her with one hand, and pulled her into his embrace.

He scanned their surroundings, then uttered, “Troublesome.”

‘It was unclear whom he found troublesome.’

Lifting her small head to look, Su Mo felt his warm body temperature, finding it awkward no matter how she tried to rationalize it.

‘She wanted to escape, but couldn’t; his grip was frighteningly strong.’

“Could you let go… A-ah!” Su Mo’s words were cut short as her vision blurred.

Held in his arms, under that unknown movement technique, the fierce wind rushed into Su Mo’s mouth, silencing any further words.

And it wasn’t over; venomous snakes constantly appeared out of nowhere beside them, only to be instantly severed by the flying sword and dissipate back into the earth.

She couldn’t fathom how Xu Qingzhu detected enemies. Despite being in the Qi Condensation realm, he seemed to possess the ability to perceive his surroundings and locate foes using divine sense, just like a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

‘There are secret arts to detect auras, but such obscure methods are troublesome for Qi Condensation cultivators and useless for Foundation Establishment. Why would anyone cultivate such a thing?’ Su Mo recalled a key point, perplexed.

However, the battle situation changed in an instant. As a novice, Su Mo strained her eyes to observe, trying her best to keep up with the flow of events.

‘Battles between cultivators were far from something one could grasp merely by memory.’

“Why was Su Mo so lazy, and why didn’t her family care?” Su Mo felt a pang of melancholy and confusion.

Logically, a cultivation family like the Su clan should be very concerned about the cultivation of their descendants.

Yet, reviewing the memories she had inherited, everything about them struck her as bizarre.

‘It was as if her arrogant, self-important, and unlearned personality had been meticulously woven into a web by others.’

‘The ‘Su Mo’ of those memories was like a puppet, constantly being drawn into a strange vortex.’

She hadn’t even realized that, while being held by Xu Qingzhu, she dared to think of other matters.

“Boy, take this palm!” With a thunderous explosion, Su Mo, nestled in his arms, hastily looked ahead.

But in that instant, there was nothing in front; instead, a booming sound came from behind them.

“Boom—!” A tremor shook them from behind. Su Mo, clinging to him, glanced back to see the white mist churning and a crack appearing in the ground.

Further away, an old man knelt on one knee, a sword mark on his palm, bleeding.

In the moment she hadn’t seen, Xu Qingzhu had confronted the old man’s strike and emerged unharmed.

‘So treacherous? The sound burst forth in front, yet the person attacked from behind.’ Su Mo shivered with lingering fear, then felt astonished by Xu Qingzhu’s combat awareness.

Looking up, Su Mo exclaimed, “Young Master Xu, you’ve got something!”

“What ‘something’?” He lowered his brow, looking at her in confusion.

“No, I mean, your strength is impressive.”

“Oh,” Xu Qingzhu replied, unconcerned.

‘He even considered replying, “Isn’t this just standard practice? Anyone with hands can do it?”‘

At that moment, the old man, his arm trembling, laughed with lingering fear, “That was a secret art, wasn’t it? How many more times can you use such a blood-bursting technique? What a pity you didn’t kill me just now. In that case… I will have you die!”

“Hiss, hiss—!” Large numbers of venomous snakes burrowed out of the earth, swarming over the old man’s body.

They all bit the old man, injecting venom, and dark poison coursed through his body.

He resembled a certain famous purple sweet potato, his entire body turning purple as his aura surged incessantly.

He casually pressed against a tree trunk, and with a rustling sound, a large section of bark decayed and peeled away.

Extending a purplish-black palm, the old man cackled wildly, “Heheheh! This old man’s palm strike carries twenty years of cultivation! Can you withstand it?!”

With that, he thrust his palm forward, his body sweeping towards them amidst a whirlwind.