Li Xiaobaiâs tone was chillingly cold, as he planned to use the troop before him to forge his way into the Refinement Void Realm.
âDemon head, you dare to spout such arrogant nonsense!â
âYouâre too audacious! Officer He is a superior martial artist of the Imperial Court. When his name is mentioned in the Jianghu, who isnât terror-stricken? And yet, you demon head dare to show Officer He disrespect. You should be killed!â
âExactly, and you even dared to deceive the Imperial Court. Today, youâre as good as dead!â
The group erupted in fury. Li Xiaobaiâs words had struck a nerve. With a superior martial artist from the Imperial Court presiding, they had nothing to worry about. As long as Officer He made a move, they believed this greenhorn brat standing before them would be captured in an instant!
âIâm not targeting anyone in particular; Iâm just saying that everyone present here is trash, destined to become nourishment for me!â
Li Xiaobaiâs eyes were filled with a menacing intent to kill. To him, these were all chives awaiting harvest. By draining the inner strength of these fools, he could officially step into the next realm.
âYouâre young and yet so full of hot air, truly the ignorance of a country bumpkin. Young man, today I shall enlighten you about the fact that there are always those greater than oneself.â
The eunuch spoke in a soft, delicate voice, suggesting that Li Xiaobai was nothing more than a plaything he could easily dispose of.
Having resided in the Imperial Palace for years, his cultivation level was unfathomable. Even Sect Leaders from the outside world would have to respectfully address him as âOfficerâ. How could he possibly take this fledgling lad who had just entered the Jianghu seriously?
If it were not for Prime Minister Zhangâs explicit order, he wouldnât have given this sort of person a second glance.
âJudging by the sound of your voice, you seem to be lacking in Dragon Yang Energy. I must ask, are you a man or a woman?â
Li Xiaobaiâs gaze flickered with mockery, and he laughed heartily.
âYouâre courting death!â
Eunuch Heâs eyes suddenly turned icy cold. As a eunuch, there was nothing he despised more than such a question, and Li Xiaobai had undoubtedly hit a sensitive spot!
With a casual flick of his finger through the air, a visibly vigorous inner strength burst forth like a sharp lance aimed straight at Li Xiaobaiâs chest, intending to pierce him through.
âHeh, bring it on. Today, I shall test the might of a Refinement Void Realm expert and see just what is so mystical about it.â
Li Xiaobai drew his longsword from his waist and unleashed a Basic Sword Technique, the sword Qi, bolstered by formidable inner strength, surged forth, striking at everyone before him.
The longsword danced, the sword Qi slicing through the air. Except for Eunuch He, the other government officers were almost instantly grievously injured.
The sword Qi penetrated their marrow, and the gaping, ferocious wounds tore through their flesh, blood splattering everywhere.
âPfft!â
âHow is this possible?â
âThe reports were wrong. This guy is definitely not in the Essence Refining Realm. The Imperial Court has been fooled; we have all been deceived!â
The line of government officers spat out blood as they tried to regulate their breathing in a desperate attempt to contain their internal injuries. Their eyes were filled with uncontrollable fear. Injuring over a dozen Qi Cultivation masters with a single sword strike was something no ordinary martial artist could achieve.
Upon further reflection, it wasnât difficult to realizeâwith a supernatural cultivation technique like the Spirit Realm Technique at his disposal, how could he possibly still be lingering in the Essence Refining Realm?
It was all a disguise. From the beginning, he had been acting the fool to catch the wise, most likely aiming to lure out more martial artists to feed off their inner strength!
âOfficer He, be careful! This demon head harbors a great secret!â
âThis youngster is far from simple; he has concealed his cultivation level!â
âHumph, a bunch of useless trash!â
âThe Imperial Court has raised you all these years, yet you canât even take a single sword strike, truly the shame of our Imperial Court!â
Eunuch Heâs complexion was ghastly, his eyes mixed with boundless rage. His clothing was also somewhat disheveled. He had never expected this Li Xiaobai to be a hidden master; he had been careless.
The information the Imperial Court had was too outdated. The inner strength contained within that previous sword strike had even posed a threat to him, to say the least, it was from an existence on the same level as himself.
However, his gaze grew increasingly fervent. Being so young and yet possessing such accomplishments only served to highlight the extraordinariness of the Spirit Realm Technique.
The ability to absorb another personâs inner strength, information that was blocked from the martial world, but he knew it crystal clear.
He had thought it was just a minor skirmish, but now it seemed that the cultivation technique was far more brilliant than he had imagined. If he could obtain it, his strength might immediately reach a new level.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âBoy, I didnât expect you to have held back a move. Such profound inner strength is truly noteworthy. But I am not like these worthless ones, this ends here!â
âPrepare to meet your end!â
Eunuch He bellowed, his internal cultivation technique whirring madly. His body swelled, block by block, and the dragon-like green veins on his body bulged, making him grow a size larger, resembling a human-shaped giant ape.
This was the Dragon Elephant Prajna Kung, focused mainly on external exercises. He used venomous creatures, swords, and sledgehammers, among other harsh methods, to continuously temper his Flesh Mountain, alternating between freezing and roasting. After years of practice, his body had reached a Mixed Element jade-like realm.
His muscles were already immune to blades and spears, resistant to all poisons, granting him greater strength than other martial artists of the same realm.
âDie!â
Eunuch Heâs figure flashed as he pounced towards Li Xiaobai, his fists like millstones, furiously bombarding towards Li Xiaobaiâs head.
âOld man, youâre the one who will die!â
Facing the cannonball-like fists hurling towards him, Li Xiaobai neither dodged nor evaded. His eyes flickered with bloodthirsty light. In a flash, he advanced rather than retreated, his palms meeting the attack head-on. The Spirit Realm Technique churned wildly, a powerful suction force absorbing the robust inner strength before him completely.
Eunuch Heâs face was filled with shock. He could only feel the surging waves of inner strength in his hands disappear in an instant. In his panic, he tried to distance himself, but it was already too late.
A tremendous pulling force came from his Dantian, as the inner strength within him gushed out like floodwaters breaching a dike. A massive force harshly pulled it out of his body and injected it into Li Xiaobaiâs.
Li Xiaobai had chosen the path of overwhelming force. The inner strength within his Dantian surged out wildly, as if without any cost, breaking through Eunuch Heâs defenses. He grabbed the otherâs throat, lifting him as if picking up a chick.
âYouâ¦â
âEven I can absorb your Spirit Realm Technique!â
âHow can your inner strength be so profound, what exactly is your cultivation level?â
âWith such strength, why do you still hide and seek shelterâ¦â
Eunuch He stared with wide eyes at Li Xiaobai. In this moment, he fully understood that the otherâs strength far exceeded his expectations. Even without displaying any special moves, the sheer amount of turbulent inner strength informed him of the gap between them.
Without needing any techniques, with inner strength surpassing by tens of times, the pressure was like Mount Tai crushing down, and nobody could withstand it.
âHeh, if I didnât hide and seek, how could the Imperial Court keep sending people to encircle and suppress me? Itâs just that I didnât expect using the Spirit Realm Technique as bait this time would actually draw out such a grand prize as yourself!â
âTo express my gratitude, you can die now!â
Li Xiaobai spoke indifferently, exerting more force in his hand.
Eunuch He felt his inner strength diminishing rapidly, his life force being devoured bit by bit by his opponent. His eyes revealed a mix of unwillingness and regret: âSo, using the Spirit Realm Technique as bait was all part of your plan, from beginning to end your target was the inner strength within us!â