Chapter 67: Facing the Qi Refining Stage

When Xu Ziyan stepped inside, the man in black showed a slight change in expression, clearly recognizing her. However, after only a brief pause, he curled his lips and stopped paying attention to Xu Ziyan.

Xu Gan, Xu Wen, and Xu Tianxiao saw Xu Ziyan enter and struggled to stand up, clasping their hands toward Xu Ziyan as they said:

“Little Sister Ziyan!”

Xu Ziyan also clasped her hands in return and said:

“Greetings, three Senior Brothers!”

At that moment, Xu Huniu strode over quickly and said urgently to Xu Ziyan:

“Little Sister Ziyan, they came to force our Plum Blossom Gang to disband, and then they want to divide our members among themselves.”

Xu Ziyan turned her gaze toward Xu Gan, Xu Wen, and Xu Tianxiao, automatically ignoring the curled-lipped man in black. When Xu Gan, Xu Wen, and Xu Tianxiao saw Xu Ziyan looking at them, they exchanged glances. Finally, Xu Wen shook his folding fan, stood up, and said calmly:

“Little Sister Ziyan, this matter has nothing to do with you. I think it’s best if you don’t get involved.”

Xu Ziyan’s expression remained calm, but a sharp glint flashed in her eyes. She said coolly:

“What if I disagree?”

“Are you sure you want to meddle in this?” Xu Wen snapped his folding fan shut with a “swish,” and his face darkened.

“I am sure!” Xu Ziyan’s voice was colder than his.

“Then let’s settle this with a fight!” Xu Gan leaped up next to him, clenching his fist as big as a sandbag.

“I couldn’t ask for more!” Xu Ziyan spat out four icy words.

Xu Tianxiao also stood up, but remained silent, merely staring coldly at Xu Ziyan. His gaze was like sharp arrows, flickering with the excitement of battle.

The aura of the four individuals suddenly erupted. The collision of their energies created a sphere of force between them. In an instant, a storm raged inside the Spirit Hall, and the paper money in front of the memorial was blown everywhere.

“Heh heh heh heh…”

A voice like that of a drake suddenly rang out. Xu Gan, Xu Wen, and Xu Tianxiao glared fiercely at Xu Ziyan, then withdrew their auras and stepped back in front of their seats, falling silent.

Xu Ziyan also withdrew her aura at the same time and looked toward the man in black who was sneering. At that moment, the aura emanating from the man in black suddenly felt different. Although he still sat there, the pressure he released was sharp and imposing. Xu Huniu, Xu Hualing, and others standing behind Xu Ziyan couldn’t withstand his aura and unconsciously took a few steps back, their faces filled with shock.

However, Xu Ziyan didn’t feel much. After all, her true cultivation level was the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining. She glanced at the man in black and found that he was only at the First Level of Qi Refining Stage. But this was only for Xu Ziyan; for others with Postnatal Cultivation, the pressure was anything but ordinary.

After all, the Qi Refining Stage was part of the Innate Realm, which was worlds apart compared to the Houtian Realm. Having clearly seen the opponent’s true strength, Xu Ziyan’s heart settled, and a soaring fighting spirit arose in her. She couldn’t help but wonder: with her Spirit Body, could she withstand the cultivation of the Innate Realm while herself suppressing her level to the Houtian Realm?

Sensing the fighting spirit surging from Xu Ziyan, the man in black was visibly startled. Then his eyes showed great displeasure, his mouth curling even more exaggeratedly. He looked arrogantly at Xu Ziyan, his eyes sweeping over her frivolously, and he sneered “heh heh”:

“So you are Xu Ziyan?”

Xu Ziyan detested this person’s behavior. A cultivator at the First Level of Qi Refining Stage was merely at the bottom in the Inner Hall, yet he came to the Outer Hall to throw his weight around—such a mindset was no different from an ant’s. Glancing at the man in black with contempt, she then ignored his presence and said coldly to Xu Gan, Xu Wen, and Xu Tianxiao:

“Our Outer Hall matters should be solved by us, the Outer Hall Disciples. Just lay down your challenge!”

Xu Ziyan’s disregard immediately enraged the man in black. In the Inner Hall, as a cultivator at the First Level of Qi Refining Stage, he was often bullied. Today, Xu Wen, Xu Gan, and Xu Tianxiao from three families pooled resources to offer him tribute, inviting him to help them subdue the Plum Blossom Gang. He had planned to act mightily and vent the frustrations he suffered in the Inner Hall here. Moreover, since he arrived, those with Postnatal Cultivation had all shown great fear and respect toward him, which greatly satisfied his vanity. The curl of his lips was so extreme that, if not for his ears, they would have reached the back of his head.

Normally, Inner Hall Disciples would never bother with Outer Hall Disciples. The competition in the Inner Hall was far more intense than in the Outer Hall. Every step forward in cultivation would earn greater rewards and attention from the clan. Thus, Inner Hall Disciples devoted themselves to cultivation every day.

The man in black sitting before Xu Dongxue’s Spirit Hall was named Xu Tianci. He was already over fifty years old. In the Xu Family Clan, many disciples were orphans sought from various places, raised from childhood and granted the surname Xu. This Xu Tianci was one of the many orphans cultivated by the Xu Clan.

Although he had broken through the Houtian and reached the Innate Realm, now over fifty, he was still at the First Level of Qi Refining Stage. Knowing it was hard for him to make further progress in cultivation, he began planning for his own future.

A disciple at the First Level of Qi Refining Stage was not highly valued in the Xu Clan and usually didn’t receive much of the clan’s stipend. So, while other Inner Hall Disciples were cultivating, he started engaging in business matters. Therefore, when Xu Gan, Xu Wen, and Xu Tianxiao approached him, he agreed immediately, of course also because the tribute he received was quite substantial.

As for why Xu Wen, Xu Gan, and Xu Tianxiao invited Xu Tianci, it wasn’t because they feared Xu Ziyan’s cultivation level. Even knowing Xu Ziyan had broken through to the Eleventh Layer of Houtian and defeated Xu Huniu, who was also at the Eleventh Layer of Houtian, they were never afraid of Xu Ziyan. In their minds, Xu Ziyan, who had just broken through to the Eleventh Layer of Houtian, was far inferior to them, who had reached the peak of the Twelfth Level of Houtian.

The reason they spent a considerable amount of savings to invite Xu Tianci was that they feared Xu Ziyan’s current reputation. Xu Ziyan’s fame in the Xu Clan now shone like the midday sun. They feared that if they beat Xu Ziyan, some Inner Hall Disciples might take offense and teach them a lesson. So they brought Xu Tianci along, intending him to act as a shield.

This intention was not lost on Xu Tianci either. He had thought it over carefully. He believed the reason Xu Ziyan was promoted by the Clan Leader as the clan’s spiritual leader was because the Clan Leader thought Xu Ziyan had died in battle. But now she wasn’t dead, and later the clan hadn’t given Xu Ziyany any special treatment.

Therefore, in Xu Tianci’s view, the clan wouldn’t let someone with Postnatal Cultivation become the clan’s spiritual leader. If the Xiao Family and Wu Family found out, they would laugh at the Xu Clan. Had the Xu Clan run out of people, that they’d let someone with Postnatal Cultivation become the spiritual leader?

Thus, Xu Tianci could say with certainty that the clan had already begun to downplay the matter. Perhaps they even secretly complained why Xu Ziyan hadn’t died in the Cangmang Mountain Range. So even if something happened to Xu Ziyan, the clan would only try to minimize the incident. Thinking he had figured everything out, Xu Tianci accepted this business without hesitation.