Attack

The martial arts academy boasted training grounds built from specialized materials, meticulously divided into various tiers to accommodate Spirit Wielders of different ranks.

To streamline the process, Qiao Yíng had brought Xǔ Tiānlí directly to a mid-tier training ground.

Even if a Tier-2 Spirit Wielder unleashed their full power here, the facility was designed to withstand it without issue.

Yet, Xǔ Tiānlí’s single slash had not only sent tremors through the entire training ground but had also startled everyone else within the academy.

Consequently, a large group of people, weapons drawn, swiftly stormed into the training grounds, searching for any potential intruders.

“What’s going on?”

The front desk manager pushed his way through the throng.

When his gaze fell upon the deep gully carved into the training ground floor, he was utterly dumbfounded.

“Could it be that some gang thugs snuck in to cause trouble?”

‘Damn it, I’ve caused a mess.’

Seeing the commotion, Xǔ Tiānlí promptly tossed aside the half-shattered wooden blade and meekly stood beside his master.

Glancing at his handiwork, he couldn’t help but inwardly grumble, ‘How many years has it been since this martial arts academy was last maintained?’

‘I just casually swung a single slash, and this shoddy construction crumbled so easily.’

‘No, it shouldn’t be entirely the academy’s fault.’

‘Perhaps the power of this blade technique, once mastered, is simply too immense, allowing even a good-for-nothing like me to achieve such a feat.’

‘As expected of the excellent item Master carefully selected.’

‘No matter what I practiced, it was difficult for someone with such poor talent to achieve anything.’

‘So, she simply bestowed upon me the Return to the Void One-Strike Decapitation, a technique capable of causing immense destruction even for a useless person like me.’

‘If Master were to unleash that slash, would she effortlessly cleave the entire martial arts academy in two?’

Recalling the gully he had witnessed on the mountain back then, Xǔ Tiānlí felt certain it was more than that.

Master could probably split the academy in half even without using the Return to the Void One-Strike Decapitation.

From that point on, the matter was no longer Xǔ Tiānlí’s concern.

His master, a Diamond-tier VIP, could easily resolve this disturbance.

All she had to do was declare that the academy had neglected its training grounds for years, and the front desk manager would willingly accept the explanation.

However, it wasn’t Mù Qīngyǔ who stepped forward first, but Qiao Yíng.

With just a few words, she swiftly dismissed the anxious employees, sending them back to their posts.

“My apologies, I startled you all,” Qiao Yíng said with a slight smile.

“If only you had said so earlier, I would have taken you to the highest-tier training ground…” The front desk manager chuckled, his smile brimming with obsequiousness.

“Don’t worry, I’ll cover the property damage myself.”

“Just calculate the cost and let me know.”

Witnessing Qiao Yíng handle the situation with such practiced ease, Mù Qīngyǔ couldn’t help but blink.

‘This woman is a hidden rich lady too,’ she mused.

‘No, she’s actually older than me.’

‘Should I call her a very rich lady?’

It was peculiar, but among everyone present, Mù Qīngyǔ was the youngest, yet she acted the most mature.

Even if she were to declare herself sixteen years old on the spot, others would likely dismiss it as a humorous jest.

After Xǔ Tiānlí demonstrated his prowess, Mù Qīngyǔ immediately proposed taking him back.

Qiao Yíng offered no resistance.

As they departed, she stood to the side, elegantly bidding farewell to the two esteemed guests.

Having witnessed Xǔ Tiānlí unleash the power of the Return to the Void One-Strike Decapitation, all lingering doubts vanished from her heart, both concerning the reclusive expert known as Qín Yuè and the technique itself.

After the master and disciple left, she didn’t linger.

The academy staff could contact her later, and she would simply transfer the payment then.

Qiao Yíng returned directly to the Heaven’s Will Bureau branch base.

Upon entering, she immediately headed to the front desk to enjoy some free coffee.

A person sitting on a nearby sofa, legs crossed and the upper half of their body obscured by a newspaper, lowered their hands, their gaze immediately locking onto her.

“Having a grand time at the martial arts academy, Miss Qiao?”

“Pfft!” Qiao Yíng promptly spat her coffee onto the floor.

“Uncle Féng?”

She never imagined Féng Yè would be waiting for her in the lobby.

She had originally intended to let the matter settle for a few days before going to apologize to him.

“How did you know?” Qiao Yíng’s lips twitched.

Since she’d been discovered, there was no escaping now.

“Have you forgotten where this is?” Féng Yè neatly folded his newspaper.

“The entire Wufeng City is under the Heaven’s Will Bureau’s surveillance.”

“Any strong spiritual energy fluctuations cannot escape our notice.”

As the branch head and the most formidable combatant in the entire division, he naturally handled such incidents personally.

After calling the Martial Alliance and confirming there was no danger, he suspected it involved Qiao Yíng, given how frequently she had been visiting the academy recently.

Once the girl in the hood sat down, Féng Yè spoke again.

“So, you met Qín Yuè?”

“Yes, I did.”

“She is indeed an unfathomable person.”

“So that commotion was caused by her,” Féng Yè muttered.

“You didn’t provoke her, did you?”

“No, no, Uncle Féng.”

“You know me; I always speak and act with great discretion.”

Qiao Yíng waved a hand.

“It was her student, Xǔ Tiānlí, who caused the commotion.”

“…Huh?”

After she recounted the entire incident, Féng Yè was utterly bewildered.

‘Didn’t they say Xǔ Tiānlí was a good-for-nothing?’

‘How could he erupt with such intense spiritual power?’

“I suppose this is what they mean by ‘the older, the wiser,'” Qiao Yíng mused with a sigh.

“To ordinary people like us, he’s a good-for-nothing, but perhaps to someone with her discerning eye, Xǔ Tiānlí is a gem that merely needs polishing to shine.”

“Is that so? I can’t quite see it.”

Féng Yè had indeed investigated Xǔ Tiānlí, even knowing that he had failed his past five awakenings.

“That’s precisely where Qín Yuè’s brilliance lies,” Qiao Yíng continued.

“Transforming trash into treasure – that is something only a true expert can accomplish.”

Not only did she enable a good-for-nothing to rapidly awaken to the First-tier, but she also taught him the Return to the Void One-Strike Decapitation, a technique Qiao Yíng herself couldn’t comprehend.

While an ordinary person couldn’t achieve this, the thought of Qín Yuè being an ancient monster who had lived for countless years made it seem perfectly logical.

“So, what tier is she, exactly?” Qiao Yíng stroked her chin.

“Tier-4? Tier-5?”

“Or is the Sacred Dynasty Nation about to gain another Tier-6 expert?”

From the Third Era until now, spanning over a thousand years, the Sacred Dynasty Nation had only ever boasted two Tier-6 individuals.

This alone demonstrated the immense difficulty of ascending to the Dominator realm.

“Who knows?”

“In any case, it’s not something a mere Tier-3 like myself can contend with,” Féng Yè chuckled self-deprecatingly.

To have an old monster appear in the city under his jurisdiction — to say he wasn’t worried would be a lie.

Féng Yè even feared that if Qín Yuè suddenly went berserk and attacked the city, she might tear the Heavenly Thunder System apart with her bare hands.

“So, what are your plans now?”

“You’ve met the expert; are you going home?”

“What are you talking about, Uncle Féng?” Qiao Yíng huffed.

“That’s not enough; this is just the beginning.”

“I’ve been wandering through so many cities precisely to connect with more aspiring individuals.”

“A young lady like you, why be so rough around the edges?”

“Mind your own business.”

Their conversation drifted to everyday trivialities, topics Qiao Yíng preferred not to dwell on, especially work.

She now considered herself to be enjoying the life she desired; discussing work only soured the mood.

To escape Féng Yè’s nagging, Qiao Yíng quickly finished her free coffee, stood up, and left the Heaven’s Will Bureau building.

Féng Yè had offered her a room in the Heaven’s Will Bureau’s dormitory, but she had refused, citing a lack of privacy, and found a hotel elsewhere.

On her way home, Qiao Yíng was walking along the main road when she suddenly turned into a nearby alley.

The alley was deep and narrow; simply stepping inside, one could feel a noticeable drop in the surrounding temperature.

It was profoundly quiet, with only the sound of Qiao Yíng’s shoes striking the ground.

She abruptly stopped, hands in her pockets, and looked up at the sky.

“How long do you intend to follow me?”

The words hung in the air, and after a long wait, no one responded.

Yet, multiple figures appeared on the rooftops of the surrounding buildings.

Qiao Yíng removed her sunglasses and squinted slightly.

Before she could clearly discern these uninvited guests, they voluntarily leaped down, blocking both her path forward and her retreat.

Initially, she suspected they were a local gang, but these individuals were impeccably dressed.

“Hello there, little girl.”

“Which agency are you Spirit Wielders from?” Qiao Yíng asked testily.

“Don’t tell me the company sent you to drag me back?”

‘No, if they were from the company, there wouldn’t be so many people.’

Although these individuals approached aggressively, most were ordinary people.

The leader, like her, was a Tier-2 Spirit Wielder.

If the company had sent people, there would only be two or three, but each would be at least Tier-3, with a Tier-4 Grandmaster among them.

“Who we are isn’t important.”

“However, we are indeed here to apprehend you.”

“Robbery, or something worse?”

“That, we don’t know.”

“Our orders are simply to take you away.”

The leading bandit snapped his fingers, and the others promptly drew their weapons.

Though most were ordinary people, the weapons they wielded were far beyond what typical thugs could afford.

‘If this trouble has arisen because my identity was discovered, then things could get complicated.’

Qiao Yíng sighed.

She had just met an interesting master and disciple pair and had hoped to interact with them longer, perhaps even finding a way to help her advance to the Tier-3.

‘Never mind.’

‘I’ll just take down these troublesome individuals first, then slowly interrogate them.’

Qiao Yíng extended her hand, and a whoosh of flames ignited from her slender palm.

This action sent a chill through the less powerful bandits, but at their leader’s command, they charged forward en masse.

Qiao Yíng’s expression turned solemn.

Her strikes were like the burning flames themselves—fierce and scorching.

Even with their specially crafted weapons, they would melt upon contact with her fire.

Qiao Yíng had no intention of getting entangled with the subordinates.

Her gaze remained fixed on the leader, who still stood motionless.

‘To catch the bandits, first catch their king!’

She burst through the encirclement, heading straight for him.

However, this move, far from instilling fear in the leader, seemed to align perfectly with his expectations, as a cunning smile spread across his face.