Chapter 236: Dark Pearl Cast to Light, Divine Dragon Spits Pearl (Combined, 75k, Extra Chapter)

The next morning.

After Li Rui was instantly slain by Jiang Lin's two swords, having just one-shot Qi Ze, Liu Jiaoniang, and Gao Zhen, he woke up with a satisfied insomnia.

Two swords!

That was a number worth being proud of.

Few in the Anning Guard could withstand two of Jiang Lin's swords.

He knew full well that Jiang Lin was a fourth-rank cultivator.

To survive a single sword from a primordial sword immortal at sixth rank was enough to make him proud.

"Comfortable!"

Li Rui felt refreshingly clear-headed.

He glanced at the last fifth-rank elixir in the cabinet.

He was no longer a young fool—he had to be frugal where needed and spend where necessary.

These elixirs were all bought on credit.

Though he was the Grand Leader of the Heaven and Earth Alliance, there were still three other leaders—he couldn't hoard everything for himself.

A precise breakthrough could save one elixir, which he could return to Ning Zhongtian.

Less debt was better.

He had already successfully condensed his primordial essence; the next step was opening his qi sea and entering the Observing Sea realm.

Gobbling up one more elixir would do little good.

There was no need to foster excessive greed during the Heaven and Earth Alliance's early founding phase.

"I've reached Condensed Primordial?"

Li Rui felt it wasn't real.

At seventy, he began martial training; before eighty, he reached Condensed Primordial. Even the greatest prodigies of major sects, who started at three, took at least eighteen years—half as long as Li Rui.

What truly was a prodigy?

Li Rui felt no trace of pride or complacency from his breakthrough.

He trained as usual.

First, he visited Ning Zhongtian and gave him the remaining fifth-rank elixir.

Then he went to the Trade Office within the Market Trade Bureau.

"Big Brother Li, here's a letter from Dao Mo."

As he passed the Wu Kingdom's embassy, Dao Meng pulled him inside and handed him a letter.

"From Dao Mo?"

Li Rui raised an eyebrow slightly.

Since he and Dao Mo had jointly sabotaged the Qi Clan and Ghost Ming Cult's operations in the Southern Frontier, Dao Mo had returned to Wu Kingdom with Qi Yi and had not come back since.

He pinched the paper between his fingers and unfolded it.

"Big Brother Li, the goods have been received. You truly are a blessing to Wu Kingdom—you've relieved our urgent crisis. If you have more, we'll buy it all, and we can send troops to escort it. Looking forward to seeing you soon."

Li Rui stared at the neat regular script on the letter.

A blessing to Wu Kingdom?

To a Yu Kingdom official, that sounded like no compliment at all.

Dao Mo wrote this letter for one purpose only: to urge Li Rui to sell more weapons to the Wu Kingdom court.

He must have found the weapons useful.

Weapons forged by the master smith of Divine Weapon Manor couldn't possibly be bad.

Yet Li Rui had no intention of increasing shipments.

Not only was Tie Kuang's forging speed fixed, but even if he had leftover stock, he wouldn't disrupt his plan and invite trouble.

Slow and steady was the way.

Besides, the weapons trade was already a roaring river—now the goal was stability, not expansion.

Greed could choke a man to death.

Everyone understood this, but few had the discipline to let go of gold and silver almost within reach.

"Give my regards to Lord Dao. I'll think over the matter in your letter."

Li Rui smiled.

"Good, good."

Dao Meng nodded eagerly, his grin widening.

Li Rui chatted with Dao Meng a while longer—he was a Captain of the Trade Office, and the Heaven and Earth Alliance now traded with Wu Kingdom; learning more about Wu Kingdom was always wise.

Especially the Beast-Raising Art—he was very interested.

And Dao Meng happened to be a Wu tribesman with a bonded beast.

Until noon.

Li Rui finally left the Market Trade Bureau, sated after a meal and drink.

Since becoming Captain of the Trade Office, he no longer had to worry about lunch.

He firmly believed it was shameful for an official in charge of the market to eat alone.

Of course, he almost always ate dinner at home.

Mainly because qi circulation and dream enlightenment couldn't be delayed.

After leaving the Market Trade Bureau, he went straight to the Heaven and Earth Alliance.

As he crossed the threshold, he saw a group of people gathered in a circle nearby.

"Big Brother Liu, what brings you here to see us?"

"Yeah."

"Big Brother Liu, is Huaqing Sect's floor made of gold?"

"Don't be crude—Big Brother Liu now eats elixirs like candy."

Members of the Heaven and Earth Alliance who knew Liu Tong showered him with flattery.

Liu Tong's rise from a Heaven and Earth Alliance disciple to a top disciple of Huaqing Sect had inspired countless youths, who now saw him as their goal.

【There are indeed Huaqing Sect disciples who eat elixirs like candy—but I'm not one of them.】

Liu Tong felt a pang of bitterness.

Though he was now an eighth-rank martialist and might soon reach seventh rank,

the more he saw, the less satisfied he became with the seventh rank he once dreamed of.

He wanted more.

He wanted to cross the Dragon Gate, open his qi sea, even become a terrestrial immortal.

【But the more you gain, the more you lose.】

Liu Tong smiled brightly: "It's fine. If you ever go to Huaqing Sect, I'll treat you to spiritual wine."

Hearing this,

the Heaven and Earth Alliance disciples instantly perked up, cheering wildly.

Their smiles vanished instantly.

They became utterly meek.

"Grand Leader."

"Grand Leader."

Li Rui had appeared behind them without notice.

Liu Tong looked at Li Rui, suddenly feeling like a thief caught in the act.

"Chief."

Li Rui smiled warmly at Liu Tong: "Little Liu, what brings you to the Alliance these days?"

Liu Tong forced a smile: "I came to visit my sister and brother-in-law."

"Oh, then go ahead."

Li Rui waved his hand casually.

Liu Tong's brother-in-law was Zhang Yang, now a Deputy Chief of the Alliance—no one could forbid a younger brother from visiting his sister.

Liu Tong nervously chatted with Li Rui for a few moments.

Then he dashed off to a large mansion inside the Heaven and Earth Alliance.

"Ah Tong, you're here."

A beautiful woman gazed tenderly at Liu Tong.

She was Liu Tong's sister, Liu Fang.

Both siblings possessed striking good looks—a trait that turned them from neglected siblings in the Liu family into "important figures" the family now relied upon.

"Sister."

Liu Tong stared at his sister's increasingly swollen belly.

This, in fact, was thanks to him.

After becoming a Huaqing Sect disciple and rising in status, Zhang Yang visited Liu Fang more often, and bearing a child was only natural.

Liu Fang hadn't enjoyed such treatment before.

Liu Fang gazed tenderly at her belly.

In this world, the principle that a mother gains status through her son applies even in the imperial family.

With a son, her position in the Zhang household became even more secure, even enough to threaten the main branch.

"I have a good younger brother."

Liu Fang gazed at Liu Tong with satisfaction.

She had submitted to Zhang Yang, and after great effort secured for Liu Tong the chance to train at the Heaven and Earth Alliance; now Liu Tong had not disappointed her—he had even surpassed her expectations by becoming a disciple of the Huaqing Sect.

Even if Zhang Yang were gone, she would now have backing.

"Sister, don't stir up your qi and harm the fetus—just sit."

Liu Tong, seeing his sister rise to her feet, quickly stopped her.

At that moment.

A man's voice rang out from inside the room: "It's Xiao Tong."

Zhang Yang strode out laughing.

Liu Tong greeted him: "Brother-in-law."

But now, compared to before, he no longer showed respect—more accurately, he showed awe.

He was rank eight; Zhang Yang was rank eight too.

If they truly fought, it wasn't clear who would win or lose.

In the future, his potential would utterly dwarf Zhang Yang's; it was only because Zhang Yang treated Liu Fang well now that he hadn't yet forced Zhang Yang to divorce her—that was the backing his strength gave him.

Zhang Yang was utterly unfazed by Liu Tong's changed attitude.

Speak according to your strength.

Once he was a dependent little brother-in-law; now he's the rising tide pushing the old one away.

His mindset adjusted quickly.

If the little brother-in-law thrived, perhaps he himself might benefit too.

Of course, he wouldn't act arrogantly.

"Come, come, let me have someone prepare a few dishes—we haven't drunk together in ages."

"Alright."

Liu Tong grinned broadly and agreed readily.

A moment later.

The two of them drank over a dish of peanuts and a plate of braised beef.

Neither was a nobleman by birth, so they had no pretensions—enjoying their drinks with gusto.

Watching Zhang Yang speak animatedly.

Liu Tong remarked casually: "Brother-in-law, last month I came to see you several times, but Sister said you were out."

Zhang Yang picked up a chopstick of braised beef and chewed heartily: "That's right—I've been eating dried rations for a month. The insects in Wu Country are truly numerous, each more poisonous than the last."

Just thinking of the poisonous insects in Wu Country's mountains made him shudder involuntarily.

No wonder the Ten Thousand Mountains are feared.

Even the people of Wu Country avoid that place—everywhere teems with poisonous insects and miasma; even he suffered greatly, let alone ordinary folk.

Only the merchant caravans with the wealth to do business in Wu Country were truly extraordinary—otherwise, no one could endure such hardship.

Liu Tong raised his cup: "Brother-in-law, you've worked hard—I toast you."

Seeing this.

Zhang Yang beamed—he had no future left, but his little brother-in-law's path was bright as silk, so he spent every night striving in Liu Fang's room, hoping Liu Tong, out of blood ties, would care for his offspring.

In high spirits, Zhang Yang drank several more cups.

"This wine really gets to you."

Zhang Yang mumbled.

Liu Tong was also half-drunk.

To make others drunk, you must first get drunk yourself—that was his conclusion after years of running taverns.

He forced himself to say: "Brother-in-law, when I came just now, I heard our Alliance made a lot of money from trade—future success will still depend heavily on you."

Flattered by Liu Tong's praise, Zhang Yang grew even more proud:

"Ever since Brother Li became Grand Alliance Leader, our Heaven and Earth Alliance has truly improved—it might even one day challenge the Huaqing Sect. But in the future, it's still me who'll rely on you."

Liu Tong: "Brother-in-law, what kind of business does our Alliance do to make so much money?"

Zhang Yang narrowed his eyes:

"Xiao Tong, it's not that I won't tell you—I simply don't know myself."

"Oh."

A touch of perfectly timed disappointment flickered across Liu Tong's face.

To Zhang Yang, drunk now and eager to draw closer to his little brother-in-law, he added: "I've made two trade runs myself—I've guessed it's contraband."

Huang Chui and Fei Laosan guarded the cargo tightly.

No one was permitted to observe the transactions; he had once accidentally seen that the traders dealing with the Heaven and Earth Alliance were officials from the Wu Kingdom.

Whatever the Wu imperial court valued couldn't possibly be ordinary goods.

Salt, iron, elixirs—that's all.

With Wu Country in chaos, only these strategic materials could draw the imperial court's attention.

Liu Tong blinked.

He didn't press further, instead changing the subject.

The two of them, with just that one dish of peanuts, drank straight through to the middle of the night—wine flasks rolled everywhere; only Liu Fang's intervention stopped them from drinking longer.

Originally, Liu Fang wanted Liu Tong to stay at the Zhang household.

But Liu Tong insisted on returning to his own lodging.

Unable to persuade him, Liu Fang relented—after all, her brother had come into his own and knew his own limits.

Before leaving,

Liu Tong gazed deeply at his sister Liu Fang: "Sister, hasn't Zhang Yang mistreated you?"

Liu Fang paused, then smiled gently:

"I know you care for your sister—don't worry, he treats me well, truly well."

To be fair, whether past or present, Zhang Yang had never seriously wronged her—or rather, he treated all his concubines well.

"I understand."

Liu Tong seemed to have made some firm decision.

Before long, it was time for the next trade run.

Tie Kuang always delivered weapons on time, so the Heaven and Earth Alliance had prepared early.

With the confidence from previous trade runs,

this time,

Huang Chui and Fei Laosan felt much more at ease.

As usual, they carefully concealed the weapons among the cargo—the cargo was already abundant, the weapons were short blades, and checkpoints only gave them token inspections, making discovery impossible.

They checked and rechecked the cargo over a dozen times.

Only after confirming there were no flaws

did they set the departure date.

But the night before departure,

something went wrong.

"What? The officials are coming for a routine inspection?"

Huang Chui was jolted awake from sleep.

Upon opening the door and hearing this explosive news, he didn't even bother putting on his coat—he rushed to the Alliance's warehouse.

When he arrived,

he saw County Registrar Zhou, scowling, leading a squad of soldiers with torches standing before the warehouse.

"Lord Huang, this is routine—random inspection. Please cooperate."

Huang Chui narrowed his eyes.

At that moment, Fei Laosan arrived too.

The two exchanged glances.

These men meant trouble.

Who would conduct inspections at dawn? What official is that diligent?

Clearly, they were prepared.

And the warehouse did contain things that couldn't be seen.

Huang Chui was about to speak—

but Registrar Zhou cut him off: "Huang, don't push your luck. This is official business. Will you open it yourself, or will my men do it?"

"You—"

Huang Chui, enraged, was about to lash out—

when a man's voice came:

"If the official wishes to see, then let him see."

"Liang He?" Huang Chui turned his head and saw a young man standing not far behind him.

Liang He stepped forward.

He first nodded to Huang Chui and Fei Laosan, then turned to Zhou Jail Warden: "Since you're here to investigate, then investigate. My Heaven's Alliance has nothing to hide."

Zhou Jail Warden stared at the confident young man and hesitated, suspicion creeping in.

'Could it really be clean?'

'Or is he bluffing me?'

Zhou Jail Warden couldn't decide, his eyes flickering with doubt.

He thought of how he'd already burned all bridges with the Heaven's Alliance today—might as well go all in.

He gritted his teeth: "Search the place!"

The order was given.

His men smashed open the wooden door and surged into the warehouse like a flood.

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The warehouse was crammed full of goods.

Zhou Jail Warden stood at the entrance, his expression shifting between anger and confusion.

Huang Chui and Fei Laosan exchanged glances—both were genuinely uneasy. They'd inspected the place just two hours ago; the weapons were hidden among the goods, and no matter how well concealed, they couldn't survive such a thorough search.

If Zhou caught them with proof, trouble would be inevitable.

Half an hour passed.

Huang Chui and Fei Laosan felt as if they'd waited ten years.

Finally.

One of Zhou Jail Warden's squad leaders stepped out, his eyes darting, stammering: "My lord… there's… nothing unusual."

"What?!"

Zhou Jail Warden's hope died completely.

"Impossible!"

Enraged, Zhou Jail Warden shoved the squad leader aside and stormed into the warehouse himself.

Huang Chui and Fei Laosan had heard the words too—though puzzled, they quietly exhaled in relief.

They followed Zhou Jail Warden into the warehouse.

Huang Chui glanced silently at the large sack that had held the Xuanjin Ore—now torn open.

"I clearly hid it right here… how did it vanish?"

Yet he showed no sign of disturbance.

Zhou Jail Warden rummaged through the warehouse for a long time, finding nothing out of place—his face turned black with fury.

Huang Chui's lips curled into a cold smile.

Time to strike back.

"Officer Zhou, my Heaven's Alliance may be small, but my elder brother and fourth brother serve in the Anning Guard. I will inform them of this—the county office owes the Heaven's Alliance an explanation."

Zhou Jail Warden stared at the smug Fei Laosan and Huang Chui.

He forcibly suppressed his rage.

He waved to his men: "Let's go."

He'd already ruined all ties with the Heaven's Alliance—no point in pretending anymore. Besides, he, Li Rui, and Ning Zhongtian were all sixth-rank officials—he couldn't overturn the situation.

Watching Zhou Jail Warden and his men retreat in disgrace,

Huang Chui and Fei Laosan finally let out a long breath.

They hurriedly turned to Liang He:

"What the hell just happened?!"

Elsewhere.

A seven-court mansion—this was the Huaqing Sect's branch in Qinghe County.

"They found nothing?"

Jiang Haitao's eyes narrowed slightly, a flicker of fury burning within.

"I checked myself. There's truly nothing."

A Huaqing Sect disciple spoke quietly.

An hour earlier,

He'd disguised himself as a constable and followed Zhou Jail Warden to the Heaven's Alliance—he'd personally searched every item.

"Liu Tong."

Jiang Haitao spat the two names through clenched teeth.

He was beyond rage.

"That useless Liu Tong dared swear an oath to me that the Heaven's Alliance warehouse definitely hid something."

If not for Liu Tong's repeated assurances—even offering himself as hostage—

he would never have launched such a massive operation.

Now? Nothing found. He'd insulted Zhou Jail Warden for nothing, and to appease that old fox, he'd have to pay dearly.

"Bring Liu Tong to me!"

Jiang Haitao roared like an enraged lion.

His fury had reached its peak.

All he wanted now was to tear apart that useless Huaqing Sect disciple.

"Yes!"

The young disciple bowed and left the room.

Moments later,

he returned.

Jiang Haitao saw the disciple alone—his eyes narrowed: "Where is he?"

The young disciple's face showed fear, his mouth trembling, unwilling to speak.

Jiang Haitao's voice grew sharper:

"I asked you—where is he?!"

At that moment, a commanding male voice spoke: "I took him. Uncle, do you have a complaint?"

Jiang Haitao's pupils contracted sharply as he saw the noble-looking man walking in from the doorway—he forced a smile:

"Ah, Linxian."

Jiang Linxian regarded his cousin with indifference, saying nothing.

The atmosphere turned tense.

Jiang Haitao stared at Liu Tong standing behind Jiang Linxian—he didn't understand why Jiang Linxian was here, or why he'd saved a traitor.

"This is…"

He wanted to voice his confusion.

But Jiang Linxian spoke in a cold tone:

"The Heaven's Alliance's business was ordered by me."

Moments later,

Jiang Linxian walked out of the Huaqing Sect branch with Liu Tong.

He entered a narrow alley.

Liu Tong saw Li Rui standing at the alley's mouth—and finally smiled.

"I've delivered the man and the message. I'm leaving."

Jiang Linxian said to Li Rui in a detached tone, then vanished into the alley's depths, as if a celestial being fading into mist.

Liu Tong took a deep breath.

He bowed deeply to Li Rui: "Thank you, Hall Master, for pulling me back from the brink."

Li Rui smiled slightly: "It was your own insight."

Indeed.

Everything today had been Li Rui's plan—but he wasn't a god; he couldn't foresee Jiang Haitao's thoughts. He knew Zhou Jail Warden would come tonight only because Liu Tong had tipped him off.

So he turned the tables, orchestrating today's scheme.

Liu Tong stared at the direction Jiang Linxian had vanished—deeply grateful for his decision.

Two days ago,

he'd gone to Li Rui.

He revealed everything—and became a double agent.

It was thrilling.

While locked in the Huaqing Sect branch, he'd been terrified—but he had no choice but to trust Li Rui.

The proof? Li Rui never let anyone down.

Li Rui: "With Jiang's protection, you can still remain a Huaqing Sect disciple; no one will dare trouble you."

Had it not been for Liu Tong's help, he would have suffered a major loss.

This involved the government—others didn't know, but he knew well: County Magistrate Zhuang Renhe was a member of the Ghost Ming Sect. Once drawn in, escape would be nearly impossible.

Just as Li Rui thought Liu Tong would return to become a disciple of Huaqing Sect,

Liu Tong gazed at Li Rui with firm resolve: "No, Boss, I want to follow you."

Li Rui's eyebrows lifted slightly.

Abandon the prestigious status of a Huaqing Sect disciple to follow a nobody like him, the leader of a ragtag gang?

This didn't look wise at all.

Li Rui narrowed his eyes slightly: "Have you thought this through?"

Liu Tong: "Boss, my mind is made up. Please let me rejoin the Heaven and Earth Alliance."

Li Rui's lips curled slightly.

"Fine. From now on, you'll be my second-in-command, helping me manage the Alliance's affairs."

"Thank you, Boss!"

Liu Tong's expression was resolute.

There's an old saying: better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix.

In Huaqing Sect, the best he could hope for was a seventh-rank ordinary Elder—only with a miraculous stroke of fortune might he reach sixth rank.

His reason for staying with the Heaven and Earth Alliance

wasn't the Alliance itself, but Li Rui.

He felt that following Li Rui might bring him a great opportunity.

Joining Li Rui now meant he'd be among the first to claim credit if they succeeded; if they failed, he'd simply have lost a gamble.

When has anything in this world ever been guaranteed to succeed?

Still, Liu Tong felt his luck was decent.

He could win.

Besides, he'd already angered the Jiang family. Even with Jiang Lin as his patron, Jiang Lin couldn't protect him constantly—within Huaqing Sect, he'd be constantly restrained. Better to sever ties with the past and start anew.

Of course, anyone seeing Liu Tong's decision would think him insane.

To outsiders, even the worst Huaqing Sect disciple was superior to the Heaven and Earth Alliance.

Liu Tong's own reason told him the same.

That's why he was gambling.

A high-stakes gamble!

"If you're going to do it, become the top dog!"

For some reason, Liu Tong always felt Li Rui could take him to a height beyond his own.

Small bets win small.

True gamblers always go all-in.

Liu Tong had already decided to stake his entire future the moment he confessed to Li Rui.

"From now on, you two will work together—unite as one."

Li Rui said to Cui He.

Cui He looked at Liu Tong and blinked.

'Has he lost his mind? Giving up a good Huaqing Sect disciple status to come back to the Heaven and Earth Alliance?'

He'd once envied Liu Tong's admission to Huaqing Sect to the point of despair.

Yet now Liu Tong had voluntarily abandoned his Huaqing Sect status and returned to the Heaven and Earth Alliance.

Unexpected.

He'd thought he and Liu Tong were now on separate paths—yet here they were, back at the same starting point.

Liu Tong bowed humbly: "Brother Cui, I'll be relying on you in the days ahead."

"No, no, Brother Liu, you're too kind."

Cui He returned the bow.

Li Rui watched the two, his lips curling slightly.

Pretending.

Keep pretending.

These two boys acted humble and polite on the surface, but inside, they were already locked in silent competition.

He felt the same satisfaction a teacher had watching students cheat.

Youth is full of fire.

Competition isn't good.

Detachment from all things—that's for someone his age. Not now.

"Alright, chat among yourselves. I'm leaving."

Li Rui clasped his hands behind his back and strolled casually to the Gathering Hall.

Before he even entered,

he saw his second, third, and fourth brothers stepping out to greet him.

"Big Brother, what exactly happened last night?"

Especially Huang Chui and Fei Laosan—they'd been pacing and scratching their heads all night, desperate to know the full story.

Li Rui smiled slightly:

"It was the Jiang family of Huaqing Sect. My fourth brother and I had offended them before, so they sought revenge."

"But Liu Tong warned me in advance, which allowed Cui He to move the weapons out ahead of time."

He said nothing about Liu Tong having been a spy sent by the Jiang family—only to defect.

No need to mention it.

"So that's how it was."

The three instantly understood.

Especially Ning Zhongtian—he'd been the one who brought Li Rui to Huaqing Sect that time.

"These Jiangs really hold grudges."

Ning Zhongtian was speechless.

He and Li Rui had taken the full brunt of Jiang Lin's wrath—no wonder Jiang Lin had intervened personally.

"Enough. It's all over now. Second brother, third brother, prepare well—don't delay the trade journey."

"Yes, Big Brother."

The night passed with danger averted.

Huang Chui and Fei Laosan became even more spirited and immediately set to work on the trade plans.

After last night's events,

Ning Zhongtian admired Li Rui's foresight even more.

The Heaven and Earth Alliance's sudden wealth couldn't be hidden—soon, countless enemies and envious rivals would be watching from the shadows.

Events like last night wouldn't be rare.

One Jiang family leaves, tomorrow it'll be the Wang or Zhao families.

If they refused to sacrifice the bulk of their profits, the two of them couldn't possibly protect this operation.

They'd only choke themselves to death.

Li Rui didn't just find a backer—he also needed to rein in his own men early to minimize risk.

At a certain stage of development, speed isn't the most important thing—stability is.

How many forces blazed like meteors, brilliant for an instant, then vanished forever?

"My big brother? One word: stability!"

Ning Zhongtian felt his oath of brotherhood had been supremely wise.

The storm had passed.

Everything returned to its former state.

In the Dream Cloud Terrace,

Li Rui sat cross-legged atop a cloud cluster.

His eyes gently closed, his expression serene.

"Condense Qi into Origin, Heaven and Earth open wide; Qi follows intent, divine power first revealed."

Now that he'd crossed the Condense-Origin threshold, his next step was to open his Qi Sea.

That process would be extremely long.

Once the Qi Sea was opened, he'd almost certainly reach the Sea-Observing Realm—only one in a hundred warriors in Dragon Gate Realm could achieve it.

That's why fifth rank was called "Minor Master."

A Master—even a "Minor" one—was still exceedingly rare in this world.

In truth, even reaching Condense-Origin already placed him far beyond ordinary martial artists.

Condensing Qi into Origin meant his true qi had surpassed its former form entirely—a crushing, dimensional-level advantage.

Li Rui's thoughts raced swiftly.

"Gather Qi at the fingertip—a single flash of cold light!"

Suddenly,

he opened his eyes, and a streak of purple-gold light flashed through them.

He pinched his fingers, and a speck of golden light bloomed between them.

Li Rui softly chanted:

"Flicking Finger Divine Art!"

(End of Chapter)