Immortal Refiner

In the blink of an eye, a year had passed.

During this year, the entire Jianghu Martial World of Maple Country had been shaken by a major upheaval!

Including Li Qing, five young Inner Strength experts had officially risen to prominence, surpassing the old guard and proclaiming to the entire Jianghu that a new era had begun!

The Maple Guard, the Green Rainbow Heroine, wielding the Qing Hong Sword, had consecutively defeated two foreign Inner Strength Martial Artists causing chaos in Shengtian City.

What truly captivated the world was how Commander Qian Hong, using only the Qing Hong Sword, had cleanly severed both opponents’ weapons, her blade’s sharpness unmatched.

Everyone speculated that the Qing Hong Sword in Qian Hong’s hands might be a newly emerged Magical Weapon!

Of course, the most ruthless among them was Qi Kang, now known throughout the Martial World as the Chaos-Seeking Demon Lord.

Indeed, after cultivating the Life Sapping Art and absorbing countless people’s Inner Strength, Qi Kang had finally reached the Inner Strength realm within a year!

This terrifying rate of advancement sent shivers down the spines of everyone in the Jianghu. He could no longer be described as a Martial Path genius; he was a true prodigy, a freak of nature!

It was clear that Qi Kang’s cultivation speed reminded some of Lin Yi, the Martial Path prodigy from the previous dynasty.

Their experiences were eerily similar: both rose from obscurity, then broke through barriers and advanced at an astonishing rate.

So-called Martial Path bottlenecks seemed to simply not exist for them.

After Qi Kang reached the Inner Strength realm, his first battle was ruthless. He completely annihilated the Hall Master of the Flying Cloud School.

With this act, only two of Shengtian’s Three Great Martial Halls remained.

This move infuriated the Maple Guard. The bounty on Qi Kang’s head was raised repeatedly, and wanted posters were plastered across the empire.

Yet after killing the Flying Cloud School’s Hall Master, Qi Kang vanished without a trace. No one knew where he had gone.

While these events unfolded in Shengtian, the Jianghu extended far beyond the Imperial Capital. In Liang Province, the Immortal Opportunity, once fiercely contested by countless people, resurfaced.

The Immortal Opportunity had fallen into the hands of the Nine Lotus Sect.

But no one could have predicted that before the Nine Lotus Sect could even secure their prize, the Star-Stealing Divine Thief, Ning Yuan, would be audacious enough to steal from them—and succeed.

For a time, the entire world was shaken to its core, marveling at the Star-Stealing Divine Thief’s penchant for grand schemes. Every appearance he made was the most eye-catching event of the moment.

How could the powerful Nine Lotus Sect possibly let him escape so easily?

Three Lotus Protectors emerged from the sect’s various branches, vowing to hunt down the Star-Stealing Divine Thief until he was dead.

But Ning Yuan, confident in his skills and daring in his actions, showed no urgency to flee. Instead, he confronted the three Lotus Protectors head-on within the capital city of Liang Province. Despite being outnumbered, he managed to severely wound the Green Lotus Guardian before gracefully retreating using his Lightness Technique.

His elegant exit left countless hearts yearning to emulate him, wishing they could take his place.

But would the Nine Lotus Sect truly let Ning Yuan go?

The answer was a resounding no. After his departure, a young woman in a purple robe, embroidered with a purple lotus, was frequently spotted in the Jianghu. She carried a crimson, demonic longsword and relentlessly searched for the Star-Stealing Divine Thief.

Some speculated that this young woman was a Lotus Protector of the Nine Lotus Sect, and the sword she carried was none other than the Demon Blade Red Lotus!

A legendary blade like the Demon Blade Red Lotus, renowned throughout the Jianghu, was enough to stir the hearts of countless martial artists.

To obtain the Divine Weapon, some audacious individuals set their sights on the young Purple Lotus Protector.

Unfortunately, Shen Lianyi, though appearing youthful and naive, was far from a novice in the Jianghu.

One night in Liang Province’s capital city, Shen Lianyi, clad in a purple gauze dress, emerged with her blade drawn. Her swift and ruthless strikes swiftly felled two Inner Strength Martial Artists.

The Demon Blade stained crimson, sending shockwaves of terror through the Martial World. Those who had harbored thoughts of seizing the Demon Blade Red Lotus immediately abandoned their schemes.

Compared to the other three young stars who had stirred up a storm, Li Qing remained relatively low-key.

For the past year, he had been traversing Qingzhou’s Jianghu with his tiger companion, challenging various experts. His goal was clear: to advance to the Grandmaster Realm.

Yet even in his understated manner, Li Qing had amassed a formidable record. Having defeated multiple seasoned Inner Strength experts, the Fierce Tiger’s reputation grew increasingly resonant throughout the Jianghu.

”Wu Yang, the First Fist of Qing Province,” Li Qing murmured as he gazed at the city ahead.

Origin Spring City was dominated by a single clan, the Wei Family. Their wealth was considerable, and they had even hired Wu Yang, the First Fist of Qing Province, as a family retainer.

Besides Wu Yang, the Wei Family also had a formidable Inner Strength expert of their own.

With two Inner Strength experts, the Wei Family’s position in Origin Spring City was rock-solid, and few dared to challenge them.

”Almost there. In less than half a year, the Five Poisons Blood-Activating Wine will be ready to dig up and drink.”

”After this match, let’s head back to the Imperial Capital.”

After a year of honing his skills, Li Qing had defeated five more Inner Strength experts.

Including the three Martial Hall Masters from Shengtian, eight people had now fallen before Li Qing.

Such a record was already quite dazzling, but unfortunately, Li Qing never killed his opponents and always fought honorably in one-on-one duels.

This prevented his fame from reaching the thunderous heights of the other four rising stars. They, after all, either ruthlessly slaughtered Inner Strength opponents or fought multiple foes at once, even gaining the upper hand.

Moreover, figures like Ning Yuan were constantly caught in the eye of the storm, their involvement in events that shook the entire Jianghu.

These events often involved magical weapons, suspected inheritances from the martial arts genius Lin Yi of the previous dynasty, or the theft of the Immortal Opportunity that the Nine Lotus Sect had finally obtained.

Compared to this, Li Qing’s experiences seemed rather plain and unremarkable.

”Let’s go. Into the city!” Li Qing said, urging Fan Tong toward Origin Spring City ahead.

Fan Tong roared in response: ”ROAR!”

It was worth noting that Fan Tong had grown even larger, now a full circle bigger than an ordinary tiger, as if it had mutated.

Once unrideable, Fan Tong could now easily carry Li Qing on its back, saving him the expense of buying a horse.

After a year of wandering the Jianghu, Li Qing’s demeanor had undergone another significant transformation.

When he first left Shengtian City, he had been like a drawn sword, his sharpness fully exposed.

Now, he had begun to settle down, gradually sheathing his blade, concealing his edge, and becoming far more composed.

This was no bad thing. His inward focus meant he had gained a deeper understanding of his Martial Path, leading to this change.

Riding a fierce tiger into the city naturally drew considerable attention.

The guards at the city gate grew grim, gripping their spears tightly and staring intently at the massive tiger.

”It’s the Fierce Tiger! I didn’t expect him to come to Origin Spring City.”

”He’s probably here to challenge for the title of First Fist of Qing Province. But doesn’t he already hold the title of First Hammer of Qing Province?”

”The Fierce Tiger has entered the city!”

(End of the Chapter)

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