Chapter 67: A Display of Power

Rainy night.

Mountain forest.

Pitch black as ink, heavy rain poured down without stopping.

Zhao Wei leapt forward and slashed through the falling raindrops, his blade striking the black bear beast’s stone-like skull.

“Monster, die!”

He roared aloud.

After a fierce battle, all four of them had been scattered by the beast.

Zhao Wei’s eyes blazed with murderous intent; he drew back his blade, tapped his feet lightly, and retreated several steps, instantly putting distance between himself and the black bear beast.

The next instant.

He turned without looking back and vanished into the forest.

The mission belonged to Huaqing Sect; his life belonged to himself.

Zhao Wei would not sacrifice his life for Huaqing Sect.

The black bear beast had thick hide and immense strength; ordinary martial artists stood no chance against it.

Though he could hold his ground, slaying the black bear beast before him would demand a terrible cost.

This mission—

All he needed to do was appear sufficiently diligent. Now that he was separated from Huaqing Sect’s three others and unseen, continuing to fight was meaningless.

“As long as the green mountains remain, firewood will never run out.”

Zhao Wei’s running speed increased rapidly.

Within a few breaths, the massive black bear beast behind him was lost from sight.

Splash!

His right foot landed in a puddle, water spraying high, merging with the falling rain.

But just as Zhao Wei’s left foot was about to land—

Whizz!

A hidden arrow shot from the dark, rainy night toward his right ankle.

“Who?!”

Zhao Wei’s eyes burned red as he scanned the surroundings like a furious lion; the torn pant leg dripped blood.

“So vile.”

The hidden assailant had fired a sneak arrow—fine.

But he deliberately avoided Zhao Wei’s vital points.

Martial artists, through years of training, are highly sensitive to protecting vital areas; a shot to the heart might be dodged.

Yet this man did the opposite—only wounded his ankle.

Power originates from the feet.

The ankle wound robbed him of full strength.

“Child’s play!”

Zhao Wei sneered.

His strength had surged; his blood qi was terrifyingly abundant—this injury was negligible.

“Here it comes!”

Zhao Wei’s eyelid flickered; he dashed forward in three strides.

Through the torrential rain, a dark figure leapt from the trees, wielding a massive long blade.

It slashed down at him with full force.

Clang!

Blood qi surged; terrifying power surged from his soles up his right arm. The force of the blow whipped up a gale that blew away the surrounding raindrops.

First strike—full power.

Baiyuan’s brutal, slashing aura was unleashed to its fullest, striking Zhao Wei with a force of a thousand jin, his arm swelling as he slammed down.

Yes.

It was a slam—not a slash.

Like an old ape stretching its arms, the power shifted seamlessly, faintly tearing the air.

This was Li Rui’s most stunning blade strike since he began training.

“Who?!”

The strike came too fast; Zhao Wei could only raise his blade to block. His arm muscles bulged violently, bursting his clothes.

Boom!

The violent force drove Zhao Wei down several inches; his feet sank deep into the mud.

“Immense strength!”

Zhao Wei stared at his blade.

The previous strike had numbed his palm; he barely held on. Beyond the man’s raw power, the blade itself was heavy.

“Li Rui.”

That name flashed in Zhao Wei’s mind.

If he remembered correctly, just days ago, Li Rui had purchased a blade weighing seventy jin from the Civil-Martial Hall.

As deputy leader of the Civil-Martial Hall, he knew.

Li Rui, his identity exposed, showed no panic.

From tonight onward, Zhao Wei would cease to exist in this world.

Another slash!

He never believed Zhao Wei’s earlier feigned weakness meant they could coexist peacefully.

A deputy leader bowing to a seventy-year-old man.

Able to yield, able to stretch.

But even more—must be killed.

So after hearing the news from Wu Tu, he had prepared ever since.

“You, an old man, think you can kill me?!”

Zhao Wei let out a long, defiant roar. Though he suspected Li Rui had concealed his true strength, facing a seventy-year-old, he felt no fear.

But just as he raised his blade, searing pain surged through his body.

“Cowardly, vile—did you poison me?!”

Blood trickled from Zhao Wei’s lips as he glared fiercely at Li Rui.

He had not expected Li Rui’s sneak arrow to be poisoned.

“Aaaah!!”

Zhao Wei felt his internal organs splitting apart.

The poison was too potent; he had been momentarily dazed, and his blade strike had been rushed—weak and flawed.

Zhao Wei had immense battle experience.

He rolled left in a fish leap, tumbling several times through the mud, instantly putting distance between himself and Li Rui.

As he rolled—

He pulled a detoxifying pill from his sleeve and swallowed it, all movements fluid and seamless.

A man of the martial world, he had long habituated himself to carrying detox pills; this minor poison wouldn’t kill him.

“You think these tricks can kill me?”

Zhao Wei rose, coldly staring at Li Rui.

Li Rui said nothing, only slowly raised his blade and slashed through the air toward Zhao Wei.

Invisible blade qi cut through the air, severing falling raindrops mid-fall.

“Ugh!”

Zhao Wei groaned, staring at Li Rui in disbelief, gasping with his failing breath:

“Blade qi?!”

How could he have imagined Li Rui could summon blade qi?

Killing from afar—unpredictable, unstoppable.

“He could’ve killed me with blade qi alone—why use so many tricks?”

A bitter smile touched Zhao Wei’s lips.

“Not a death unworthy.”

Thud—he collapsed face-first into the mud, splashing water.

In the night rain,

Li Rui’s chest heaved violently; that single blade qi strike had drained nearly all his strength.

Blood filled his mouth and nose.

Half came from Zhao Wei; half from himself.

Fully unleashing blade qi still drained him too much—especially his head, throbbing as if struck by a sledgehammer.

But all of it paled beside killing Zhao Wei.

To ensure Zhao Wei’s death, he had lain hidden in the mountains and forests, even launching a poisoned dart in a surprise attack.

In the end, he even unleashed his secret technique: blade qi.

Li Rui glanced at Zhao Wei’s corpse on the ground.

“You should die without regret.”

Just then—

A line of small characters appeared before his eyes.

【Congratulations, host! Achievement completed: “Famous in the Jianghu — Retribution by Force.”】

【Outlaws and bandits, who call themselves heroes, are in truth dens of thieves; all in the Jianghu are entitled to kill them. You walked the Jianghu at age seven, encountered bandits and villains on the road, and drew your blade to uphold justice.】

【Task “Retribution by Force” completed. Reward calculation in progress.】

【Task rating: C.】

【Obtained 30 achievement points!】

【Achievement points reached 100. Reward acquisition in progress.】

【Walking the Jianghu, fortune or misfortune, depends entirely on your vision. With keen eyes, your Jianghu path will be smooth.】

【Obtained Spirit Eye!】

【Young hero, begin your perfect Jianghu journey!】

(End of Chapter)