Chapter 5: I shouldn’t be so unlucky

The air pressure in the testing center seemed to drop, and the surroundings became so quiet that even the sound of insects vanished.

In this moment of extreme oppression, the first thing to break the silence was a crisp, unexpected chime.

Ding-ling~!

The four flying swords that had already reached Li Yunxian froze in midair.

Ding-ling~!

The second chime sounded.

Not far away, the Hunters seemed to suffocate, suddenly clutching their throats as their faces turned bright red.

A woman’s gentle, lilting laugh drifted over, her whisper-like voice carried by the third chime, echoing in everyone’s ears.

“Soul, return to where you belong!”

As her voice fell, several Hunters’ bodies swelled up.

Bang!

A torrent of blood erupted from within them, and what remained of their bodies floated to the ground like scraps of paper.

The sudden turn of events made Li Yunxian pause mid-action. She quickly turned her head to look at the newcomer.

It was a woman wearing a light green gauzy short shirt, her face adorned with a radiant smile, though her eyes betrayed undisguised disgust and anger.

Jindan Stage?

Li Yunxian instantly recognized the woman’s cultivation, but her attention was drawn even more to the person standing behind her.

It was a man.

Though he wore a simple tracksuit, his tall figure and long legs made it seem as if he were striding down a fashion runway.

His long silver-white hair hung loose, and a green flame pattern adorned his brow. Below his slender, phoenix-like eyes were two small moles, giving him an otherworldly and striking appearance.

Yet his gaze was indifferent, as if everything before him had nothing to do with him, making him seem extremely cold and distant.

Li Yunxian couldn’t help but steal a few more glances at him.

Yao Race? Fenshen Stage?

She wasn’t entirely sure of his cultivation.

However, she could sense that these two exuded an upright aura.

They didn’t seem like enemies.

Li Yunxian withdrew her hand, letting go of the sword technique she had begun to unleash, though she wasn’t quite ready to put away her Spirit Sword.

The woman in the green short shirt didn’t mind Li Yunxian’s actions. She raised her hand slightly and softly chanted an incantation.

A wind rose out of nowhere inside the testing center, swirling dust and blood together, mixing the Hunters’ remains.

With a bang, scorching flames ignited, and in the blink of an eye, the remnants were burned clean.

Inside the testing center, apart from the panic-stricken faces of the others and the unlucky fellow who’d lost an arm at the very start, the entire place was so spotless it was as if nothing had ever happened.

***

After finishing, the woman in green flicked the ashes of those people away and turned with a spring in her step to stand before Li Yunxian.

Her eyes sparkled brightly.

“Little sister, what’s your name? How old are you?” The woman in green asked Li Yunxian warmly.

Li Yunxian didn’t expect to be approached so directly. She paused, a bit uncomfortable, before replying, “Li Yunxian, 18.”

She still wasn’t quite used to the people in this world, especially such overt enthusiasm.

But Li Yunxian wasn’t exactly a shy person either, so she promptly asked, “Are you from the Special Administration Bureau?”

The woman in green’s eyes lit up even more at Li Yunxian’s answer.

“No, the Special Administration Bureau should be arriving soon. I’m a teaching assistant at Tiantong Cultivator University, Duan Qiu.”

As she spoke, Duan Qiu reached out and cheerfully put her arm around Li Yunxian in a very familiar manner. “Eighteen, huh? You’re taking the Xiuzhe Exam this year, right? Interested in coming to Tiantong?”

“I’m at the Jindan Stage, and I don’t have any direct students yet. My direct students can enroll without taking the entrance exam. If you come to Tiantong, I can personally mentor you~”

Duan Qiu’s intentions were so obvious that everyone present could hear the calculation in her tone.

Li Yunxian clearly heard that after Duan Qiu finished speaking, the others in the testing center all gasped.

Everyone seemed to have forgotten their earlier fear, their eyes burning as they looked at the two of them. Some enthusiastic and impatient people immediately urged Li Yunxian.

“This is a Golden Core True Person, hurry up and say yes!!”

“Tiantong! It’s Tiantong, one of the Four Great Academies!! Ahhh, if I’d known, I would’ve fought those beasts just now!!”

Seeing everyone’s envious reaction, Li Yunxian realized that this invitation was probably a tremendous opportunity.

But Li Yunxian didn’t think long before shaking her head, refusing decisively, “Sorry, I want to cultivate the sword.”

Duan Qiu pouted, a bit disappointed, but didn’t press. “Makes sense, your sword is indeed beautiful.”

She’d come over because she sensed the clash of cultivator auras here and felt something was wrong.

As soon as she arrived, she saw Li Yunxian and her Spirit Sword perfectly in sync, moving as one.

She couldn’t help but appreciate such talent.

But she was a sound cultivator, and sword cultivation was a different path. Being refused didn’t bother her much. Instead, Duan Qiu reached into her Storage Bracelet and took out a small sword.

“That sword in your hand isn’t good enough, take this instead.” Duan Qiu introduced it casually, “It’s only a Yellow Grade, lower rank, but at least it’s a graded sword.”

To a Jindan Stage cultivator, this kind of thing was useless. Even the juniors she knew didn’t lack such items; this sword had been gathering dust in her bracelet for a long time.

“Consider it a reward for killing that Qi Refinement Fifth Layer guy.” Duan Qiu made up a casual excuse, then quickly revealed her real purpose, “After the exam, remember to give Tiantong priority!”

This time, Li Yunxian didn’t refuse her kindness, accepting readily, “Alright.”

She quite liked Duan Qiu’s straightforward personality.

With someone like this, it was hard for Li Yunxian not to develop a fondness for Tiantong Cultivator University by association.

After replying, Li Yunxian tossed the borrowed Spirit Sword in her hand, sending it precisely back into its scabbard.

Returned to its owner.

Seeing this, Duan Qiu realized that the ungraded Spirit Sword in Li Yunxian’s hand wasn’t even her own, and couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

For some reason, Duan Qiu found Li Yunxian very interesting, quite to her taste.

A cultivator who had just entered Qi Refining, daring to snatch a stranger’s weapon and face the enemy bare-handed.

With that kind of spirit, she was definitely no ordinary person.

On the path of cultivation, temperament was extremely important.

So, as Li Yunxian reached out for the small sword, Duan Qiu produced a Jade Token as well.

“It’s the Yuelu Period now, and Hunters are very active. This Jade Token can withstand a full-strength attack from someone at Foundation Establishment. Wear it.” Duan Qiu said.

In the cultivation world, Li Yunxian had long developed the habit of accepting whatever others gave her with peace of mind.

She took everything without the slightest hesitation, and without hiding anything, asked Duan Qiu directly, “What is the Yuelu Period? And what are Hunters?”

Upon hearing these two questions, not only Duan Qiu, but everyone else in the testing center stared at Li Yunxian in shock.

As if it was extremely strange for her not to know these things.

Li Yunxian showed no guilt on her face. Taking advantage of her “newbie” status, she asked these “dumb” questions at the most opportune time.

She pointed at Liu Chen, who was still pale outside, “He said it himself, I just entered Qi Refining these past couple of days, my family are all ordinary people, so I don’t know about any of this.”

At these words, the survivors in the testing center finally remembered Liu Chen, that bastard.

Originally, after Li Yunxian killed the Qi Refinement Fifth Layer, the remaining Hunters should have been scared off.

“Master Duan! That guy just tipped off the Hunters!!”

“He betrayed the human race!”

Everyone shouted angrily, their eyes red with hatred, wishing they could tear Liu Chen apart.

The people in the testing center even pulled up the surveillance footage, replaying the scene for Duan Qiu on the big screen.

Only now did Duan Qiu see the scene where Li Yunxian killed the Qi Refinement Fifth Layer with a small knife, and she felt her decision to give the Jade Token was absolutely right.

Such a genius dying in Qi Refining would be a true tragedy.

While she was still sighing inwardly, she heard Liu Chen’s venomous scream.

Duan Qiu’s expression turned cold as she waved her hand.

A formless wind buzzed and struck Liu Chen heavily in the abdomen.

Liu Chen coughed up a mouthful of blood, collapsing to his knees, his eyes wide as his trembling hands clutched his wounded abdomen.

“My cultivation! My Spiritual Root!!” Liu Chen’s voice was filled with despair.

Duan Qiu’s voice was icy, “You betrayed the righteous path. You’re not qualified to cultivate immortality.”

With that single sentence, Duan Qiu sealed Liu Chen’s fate.

At this moment, Duan Qiu could sense that the Special Administration Bureau personnel were approaching.

With them taking over, she no longer needed to stay. But just before leaving, Duan Qiu hesitated, then turned to Li Yunxian.

“I’ll be in Yuehai Province all this month. If the Jade Token shatters, I’ll sense it. Hold out for ten minutes.”

Duan Qiu hadn’t planned on mentioning this before.

After all, with Li Yunxian’s cultivation, if the Jade Token broke, lasting ten minutes would be impossible.

Duan Qiu didn’t want to give someone false hope for no reason.

But Li Yunxian had truly surprised her.

Even though the video had faded from the screen, Li Yunxian’s stunning blade was still vivid in Duan Qiu’s mind.

It gave her the illusion that maybe, just maybe, Li Yunxian could really do it.

Li Yunxian was silent for a moment, then remarked, “I shouldn’t be that unlucky.”

More than half the month had already passed, and in less than ten days, surely a mere Qi Refining novice like her wouldn’t encounter anything more dangerous than today, right?

Duan Qiu looked at Li Yunxian’s youthful, innocent face and explained, “The Yuelu Period is when the moonlight is at its peak in Shenzhou, the best time for monsters to cultivate.”

She paused.

“Monsters are born of heaven and earth—some have strong bodies, some have innate abilities, but they lack intelligence and cultivate very slowly.”

“But the blood and souls of human cultivators can enhance their spirituality. Many monsters choose to use humans to assist their cultivation.”

Li Yunxian’s expression didn’t change upon hearing this.

This was the same situation in the cultivation world, something she was already aware of. It’s just that in the cultivation world, it’s called the Shenghua Period, not the Moonlight Period.

Duan Qiu continued, “But in our human cities, we have cultivators stationed, technological detection, and a hail of bullets. Ordinary monsters can’t sneak in, so…”

“That’s why we have Hunters.”

“They hunt other human cultivators, refine Blood Souls, and trade with monsters for cultivation resources.”

“The more talented you are, the higher the spirituality of your Blood Soul.” As she spoke, Duan Qiu’s tone grew pointed. “Someone who slays a Fifth Layer upon entry—Hunters love the blood of people like that.”

Li Yunxian blinked, taking in this information.

There was no such situation in the cultivation world.

Monsters killed humans to cultivate, humans killed monsters for materials—most of the time, it was simply kill or be killed. There was none of this world’s effort to protect everyone.

FELY……

In the cultivation world, the combined population of several empires was maybe a hundred or two hundred million.

But here, there were eight billion.

How wonderful.

Li Yunxian couldn’t help but sigh inwardly—her own world was just so much more comfortable. She twirled her new little sword, spinning it into a beautiful sword flower.

“I’ll kill them all.” Li Yunxian lifted her chin slightly, her brows full of youthful spirit.

Duan Qiu looked at Li Yunxian’s expression and burst out laughing.

She didn’t say anything more to Li Yunxian, just waved casually in farewell and walked back in a few steps to the man who’d remained aloof throughout.

“Su Professor, we’re done here, let’s go.” Duan Qiu called out.

He didn’t respond to Duan Qiu, but his gaze fell, almost imperceptibly, on Li Yunxian.

Li Yunxian felt the scrutiny in that look.

She stared back unflinchingly.

Suddenly, she heard this Su Professor let out a soft, mocking chuckle.

“Let’s go.”

The man’s voice was lazy.

In a flash, the two of them disappeared from everyone’s sight.