Chapter 50: Blade Qi Pierces the Body

Exhaling his last breath, his chest felt utterly empty, yet he clearly sensed a thread of qi rising from within.

It circled his body again and again.

Exactly thirty-six times.

This was the Thirty-Six Heavenly Circuits.

Drawing in new qi, he distinctly felt warmth at the soles of his feet and immediately grasped the long knife beside him.

Boom!

One slash, two slashes—gradually, sweat beaded on Li Rui’s forehead, soaking his clothes, yet his expression remained utterly calm, not the slightest sign of fatigue, not even a breath out of place; he only felt the qi coursing through his body growing hotter, until it burned like fire.

Crash!

At one moment, Li Rui slashed out—and the wooden table ten paces away shattered on the spot.

Blade qi!

Li Rui’s eyes gleamed sharply.

An extremely faint but razor-sharp current of energy flowed through his body, over and over.

This breakthrough to Eighth Rank had unintentionally granted him blade qi—a skill only Seventh Rank and above martial experts could comprehend.

Blade qi piercing the body!

He had awakened it the moment he entered Eighth Rank.

Even a peerless prodigy could not have done better.

Perhaps it was because he had once perceived the true essence of Xuanqing qi, allowing him to master blade qi ahead of schedule.

Soaked in sweat, reeking of body odor, yet Li Rui’s gaze had never been clearer; even though the books had recorded it, it was still someone else’s words—nowhere near as profound as firsthand experience.

Exhilarating!

At this moment, blood and qi flowed through every limb and bone, repeatedly scouring his skeleton, purging impurities; its texture hardened over time until it could reach the terrifying level of catching weapons barehanded.

Not only that, his strength and speed had doubled.

Combat power surged!

“No wonder so many in the world are martial fanatics—this feeling is truly exhilarating!”

His emotions had not stirred so intensely in a long time; Li Rui felt his mindset had grown younger, barely resisting the urge to let out a long, triumphant roar.

Yet he did not become complacent or reckless.

Eighth Rank was merely the entry ticket to Qinghe’s elite.

Warriors like Wu Tu were merely high-level enforcers—mere hired hands in the Heavenly Alliance, even if hired by wealthy families like the Zhu clan to guard their homes, they were still working for others’ profit.

But after breaking through Copper Bone Realm, the situation changed entirely.

Those like the masters of city martial schools, or the bosses of the Firewood Guild and Fishing Guild, all occupied this realm.

Only those above Eighth Rank in the Heavenly Alliance were eligible to compete for Vice-Captain.

Captain Dao Xiong himself was Eighth Rank.

Yet he had deep seniority and an unshakable foundation—ordinary Eighth Rank warriors were no match for him.

Otherwise, he could never have kept his four Vice-Captains under control.

Above Copper Bone lies Willow Sinew Realm.

Most martial masters stall at this step; those who reach higher are exceedingly rare—in Qinghe, no one has ever achieved it.

Thus, Willow Sinew Realm is often called the “Stagnation Realm.”

To advance from Copper Bone to Willow Sinew—hard, hard, hard!

It demands not only extraordinary talent, but also vast resources—otherwise, you could train your whole life and never succeed.

“Looks like I have no choice but to compete.”

Li Rui had originally refused to get entangled in the competition for the examination.

But now, the pitiful ten taels of stipend from Tianyi Hall clearly could not satisfy an Eighth Rank warrior’s appetite.

Still, Li Rui had no intention of fully revealing his true strength.

As long as he secured a lucrative post, he could still earn money—no need to show all his cards just to fight for Vice-Captain; fame and status meant nothing to him anymore.

The Qinghe Branch’s grand examination arrived as scheduled.

Five days earlier, a massive arena capable of holding a hundred people had been erected in the center of the branch’s training ground.

Branch disciples had arrived early at the training ground.

Crowds surged.

On the raised platform, nine chairs were arranged, each occupied by a person.

Li Rui was unquestionably below the platform—though at least he was not mixed among the ordinary disciples.

Wu Tu stood beside him.

“Tsk tsk, didn’t expect the Deputy Alliance Master Tang Sheng himself to come for this examination.”

Li Rui fixed his gaze on the middle-aged man in the center, with a mustache and profound aura.

According to the Heavenly Alliance’s rules, a Deputy Alliance Master must be sent from headquarters to supervise the branch examination—it was standard procedure.

“Deputy Alliance Master Tang is the strongest among the three Deputy Alliance Masters—he’s a Seventh Rank Willow Sinew expert. He hasn’t been seen in public for many years.”

Wu Tu knew the Heavenly Alliance’s inner workings well.

Li Rui’s eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the three seated at the far end.

“Why are they here?”

Besides Captain Dao Xiong and the four Vice-Captains, three members of Huaqing Sect were clearly seated on the raised platform.

On the raised platform.

Zhu Yue sat upright.

The feeling of looking down was truly excellent.

Unlike Han Qin and Jiang Yan, he had grown up in Qinghe and understood the Heavenly Alliance far better than they did.

In Qinghe, even wealthy families like the Zhu clan dared not provoke the Heavenly Alliance or the Blood Tiger Gang.

Since childhood, his father Zhu Ping had warned him:

“Never provoke anyone from the Blood Tiger Gang.”

Yet now, he was not only a guest of the Heavenly Alliance, but sat on equal footing with the Captain and Vice-Captains—something he had never dared dream of as a child.

He glanced at the eight beside him.

Of the nine on the platform, he alone was not Eighth Rank.

He held this seat only because of his Huaqing Sect identity—Huaqing Sect, as the premier sect of Anning Prefecture, was naturally treated with great respect by the Heavenly Alliance.

Zhu Yue was even more grateful he had joined Huaqing Sect back then.

Otherwise, he might now be just another faceless disciple below, looking up at those on the platform.

Seeing everyone assembled,

Captain Dao Xiong cleared his throat and turned to the man seated in the center, Deputy Alliance Master Tang Sheng.

“Deputy Alliance Master, Qinghe still has many promising talents, and”

He cast a sidelong glance at Han Qin and the other two.

“Thanks to Huaqing Sect’s favor, Qinghe has been granted a special quota for one Huaqing disciple, with the age limit extended to thirty-five—this examination’s top two candidates will earn eligibility for the contest.”

“Oh?”

Hearing Dao Xiong’s words, Tang Sheng showed clear interest.

“Huaqing Sect…”

The value of a Huaqing Sect disciple quota was unquestionable—not only was the selection harsh, but the age requirement was strict: only geniuses under fifteen were accepted.

For a major sect like Huaqing, talent was abundant, so they prioritized loyalty.

A disciple raised from childhood naturally had greater loyalty and was more malleable than one who joined later.

Some commoners took shortcuts, burning out their potential prematurely.

Even if their strength was decent, Huaqing would still reject them.

This quota thus became even more precious.

Tang Sheng turned deliberately to smile warmly at Han Qin and the other two, expressing his gratitude.

The Heavenly Alliance’s leadership welcomed any member becoming a Huaqing disciple.

After greeting them, Tang Sheng turned to Dao Xiong and said:

“Alright, begin.”

(End of Chapter)