Chapter 376 - 375: Unlimited Killing
"Peak Master, you’re finally back."
"Haha, let’s see if those brats from the Eight Peaks dare to come over now."
"Hmph, as if we’d be afraid of them even if the Peak Master hadn’t returned."
"Get lost. Stop talking like she wouldn’t come back."
"Peak Master, long time no see! Let me give you a hug!"
Just then, Wang Huang walked up, arms wide open. But just as he was about to embrace Luox Xinyu, Lü Xin, who was standing nearby, raised an eyebrow. She took a step forward, her long leg lashing out like a whip, and instantly kicked Wang Huang more than a hundred feet away.
"You bastard, stay away from the Peak Master."
Amidst the boisterous fun, Luox Xinyu stood quietly, like a serene lily. She watched with a smile, then said warmly, "I’ve kept you all waiting. I’m back."
Qin Ya, holding Jing’er, walked into the pavilion with a slight smile. A moment later, Muh Qing came in, complaining, "Our Peak Master is sure popular. The moment she’s back, no one pays any attention to me. I can’t even find anyone to have a practice fight with."
"How about I join you?" Qin Ya offered with a faint smile.
Hearing this, Muh Qing shuddered and quickly shook his head. A few days ago, wanting to test the gap between himself and Qin Ya, he had challenged him. Good grief, he hadn’t even been able to touch him. He’d been completely crushed.
A while later, Luox Xinyu slowly walked into Qin Ya’s pavilion.
"Some time ago, Luu Kuang came looking for trouble. Thank you, Brother Qin, for stepping in to help. Luox Xinyu is indebted to you," she said with a slight bow and a smile.
Qin Ya replied, "Master Luox, you’re too kind. Luu Kuang was targeting me in the first place. I only acted in self-defense. If anything, I should be the one apologizing."
"Heh, this isn’t the first or second time Luu Kuang has come to cause trouble. Even if you hadn’t offended him, Brother Qin, he still would have come. On the contrary, if you hadn’t intervened that day, my Seven Peaks would have surely suffered considerable damage. So thank you."
"If you don’t mind my asking, what is the grudge between Luu Kuang and the Seven Peaks?"
"The scar on his face... I’m the one who left it there."
HISS... Muh Qing, who was standing on the side, sucked in a sharp breath.
He had seen Luu Kuang’s strength for himself; it was comparable to a Half-Step King. He never would have thought that this gentle, seemingly delicate woman in white possessed such terrifying power!
"I see."
In the following days, Qin Ya not only familiarized himself with the power of his Speed Dharma Aspect but also continuously honed his use of the Mysterious. He had already made considerable progress.
Soon, half a month passed.
And the second trial of the Kunn Mountain Assembly began.
"Jing’er, how about you stay here with Sister Luox, okay?"
"Don’t worry, Big Brother will definitely come back."
Jing’er turned her head to look at the smiling Luox Xinyu, a flicker of conflict in her eyes. Then, her clear voice slowly rang out, "Definitely... come back."
This was the first time she had spoken since meeting Qin Ya.
Hearing this, Qin Ya’s lips curved into a smile. He stroked her head and said in a firm tone, "Jing’er, you wait for me, okay? Big Brother will absolutely come back."
"Jing’er... good." Jing’er nodded.
Qin Ya smiled, then turned to Luox Xinyu. "Master Luox, aside from me, you are the second person Jing’er is willing to be close to. I must now go participate in the second trial. I’ll have to trouble you to look after her."
Luox Xinyu nodded. "Don’t worry, Brother Qin."
"Mm."
With that, Qin Ya comforted Jing’er for a little while longer before turning and leaving with Muh Qing.
Jing’er watched Qin Ya leave, then sat down blankly where she was, perfectly still. She murmured to herself, "Jing’er... good... definitely come back."
Seeing this, Luox Xinyu sighed. She lovingly stroked Jing’er’s hair, then picked her up and placed her on the bed. She took out a Seven-Stringed Guqin and rested it on her lap. Her ten fingers plucked at the strings, and a peaceful Zither Sound slowly began to fill the air.
As the Zither Sound flowed, Jing’er’s eyes slowly closed. A moment later, the sound of steady breathing could be heard. She had drifted off into a deep sleep, accompanied by the music of the guqin.
Muh Qing and Qin Ya soon arrived at the Kunn Mountain Golden Summit.
Not long after, streaks of Flowing Light arrived one after another; they were the other holders of the Cyan Cloud Order. Qin Ya noticed that compared to a month ago, most of the young Martial Artists of his generation had much more contained Essence, Qi, and Spirit. They had clearly made significant progress.
’Under the pressure of so many geniuses, it’s hard not to improve.’
Qin Ya chuckled softly, recalling the days when he and Muh Qing had first arrived at the Seven Peaks and were deliberately targeted by Lü Xin, Wang Huang, and the others. Putting himself aside, Muh Qing’s combat strength had at least doubled since his arrival.
Suddenly, Qin Ya felt a venomous and chilling gaze lock onto him.
He turned his head and his eyes met those of the newly arrived Xuer Kong and the old man who was always by his side. Qin Ya’s eyes narrowed, and a cold killing intent flickered within them.
As their gazes met, a trace of fear actually appeared in Xuer Kong’s eyes, and he looked away. But he immediately realized his own loss of composure. His fists clenched, and veins popped out on his forehead. He had flinched. He had actually felt fear toward Qin Ya.
’Damn it, how could I possibly be afraid of him!?’
"Heh, it seems your body has recovered quite well."
At that moment, Qin Ya’s indifferent voice slowly sounded. In the blink of an eye, he had appeared less than two meters from Xuer Kong, his body exuding an icy chill.
Seeing this, the old man behind Xuer Kong was instantly aghast. He took a single step, blocking Xuer Kong, and stared at Qin Ya with an expression of extreme wariness.
"Heh, afraid I’ll strike out and injure him again?" Qin Ya said, the corners of his mouth lifting in a smirk.
"Qin Ya, please show some restraint."
"Relax. It’s not time to deal with you yet."
Qin Ya chuckled softly. Just then, the doors to the great hall slowly opened, and Xu Zhenhong, dressed in a long, golden-yellow robe, walked out. He looked over the crowd, his gaze lingering for an extra moment on Xuer Kong and Qin Ya, before announcing, "A month has passed. The second trial of the Kunn Mountain Assembly will now begin. Everyone, follow me!"
With that, Xu Zhenhong rose into the air using a Sky-Controlling technique and sped toward the heavens.
The others followed, one by one.
Before long, they arrived at a colossal mountain peak. This peak was a hundred times larger than any of the Seven Peaks and was one of the largest mountains in Kunyun Palace, second only to Kunn Mountain itself. What was surprising was that the mountain was riddled with countless holes. Peering through the openings, one could see incredibly deep tunnels.
Waves of sinister cold emanated from the deep tunnels, making everyone’s scalp tingle. While the crowd was still wondering, Xu Zhenhong stated indifferently, "This is the Hundred Acupoints Peak, and it is the site of your trial. Hidden inside are thirty-six Ninth-Grade Sword Artifacts. Your goal is to find a Sword Artifact and let it guide you out."
"Guide us?" someone asked in confusion.
Xu Zhenhong gave the questioning Martial Artist an indifferent glance and explained, "The tunnels inside the Hundred Acupoints Peak are a tangled maze. Furthermore, your Divine Thought will be severely restricted within. Combined with the many dangers lurking inside, if you don’t have the guidance of the Sword Artifacts we placed, finding your own way out would be next to impossible."
"However, to be clear, even if you don’t obtain a Sword Artifact but manage to luckily find your way out, you will still fail this trial."
"Also, you have only seven days."
"After seven days, anyone who has not emerged will be considered to have failed."
"Finally, for this trial, killing is not forbidden!!"
Those four words—killing is not forbidden—struck everyone’s hearts like a hammer. An iron-blooded intent gradually began to radiate from the crowd. The killing intent emanating from Qin Ya and Xuer Kong, in particular, was so intense it was almost tangible, shocking everyone to their core!