A month later.
"Qingyang, I'm back!" Mu Zi exclaimed, a hint of nostalgia in her voice as she surveyed the bustling market.
Returning to the Mu estate after her previous trip, she had reached the eighth level of Body Tempering in a single night with the help of the Yang Yuan stones.
In the following days, Mu Zi devoted herself to training. Each time she fully absorbed the remnants of the medicinal power, she immediately used several Yang Yuan stones.
The effect was astonishing: in a month, her cultivation had soared, and now she stood at the threshold of the ninth level of Body Tempering.
Mu Zi touched her abdomen with her palm, feeling the barrier of the dantian. One breakthrough—and she would reach the ninth level.
However, the hundred-odd Yang Yuan stones she had obtained last time had run out. So, she had come to Qingyang again to earn more.
This time, Mu Zi didn't waste time on strolling but went straight to the underground exchange.
"The Rebirth Seal is still silent," she murmured.
Her graceful figure glided elegantly between the market stalls. Some shops offered unique spiritual concoctions, but strangely, the searching ability of the Rebirth Seal showed no reaction whatsoever.
"Could it be that it can only detect treasures that belong to no one?" Mu Zi wondered.
After several experiments, she began to understand how this amazing Seal worked. It turned out that only treasures found in the wild triggered its response. Items that were stored by people remained invisible to it.
The conclusion was simple: the Seal does not react to what belongs to others.
Why was this happening? Mu Zi couldn't say for sure but guessed that it was related to the energy of the earth veins. Treasures that belonged to someone else lost this connection and didn't elicit a reaction from the Seal.
"Who would have thought that the Rebirth Seal would be so principled!" she chuckled to herself.
In principle, this was quite logical. If the Rebirth Seal reacted to any treasures, then approaching a passerby's Qiankun bag or the treasury of any power, it would probably tremble non-stop.
With these thoughts, Mu Zi entered the underground exchange. This time, she deliberately avoided the old man she had traded with before. Repeating the previous procedure, she successfully exchanged another third-rank martial art scroll for more than a hundred Yang Yuan stones.
Hiding the stones in her bosom, Mu Zi turned into a deserted alley and discarded her wide-brimmed hat. But just as she was about to leave, a dark figure appeared at the beginning of the alley.
"Heh-heh, what luck! I was following some rich prey, and here's such a bonus!" the man chuckled.
His eyes, gleaming with an unkind light, greedily scanned Mu Zi's body, and a look of astonishment flickered across his face. Who would have thought that such a charming girl was hidden under the hat and black cloak?
Mu Zi slightly furrowed her delicate brows. She sensed that the man in front of her was at the initial stage of the Earth Yuan realm.
"Could you explain how you found me?" she asked calmly.
"Ha! Your body reeks of Yang energy from a mile away! I could sense it from afar!" the man replied with a smirk, surprising her with his unexpected admission.
Mu Zi realized that the reason was the Yang Yuan stones she was carrying. Apparently, their energy had attracted his attention.
"I urgently need to get a Qiankun bag," she thought.
"Aren't you afraid of making a mistake? What if I'm already at the Heavenly Yuan stage?" Mu Zi asked with a slight sneer, looking at him intently.
The man burst into laughter as if he had heard a funny joke.
"In this hole, at an underground exchange, would a Heavenly Yuan master hide under a hat? Who would even think of wasting their time like that!" he sneered with disdain.
Lin Dong: "..."
The man squinted and cast an unkind glance over her figure.
"And you, little girl, want to reach the Heavenly Yuan? How ridiculous! You probably don't even have any Yuan Li yet!" he said, slowly approaching her.
His massive figure almost completely blocked the narrow passage, cutting off Mu Zi's escape route.
Mu Zi, retreating step by step, felt her back press against the wall. The alley was a dead end.
The man looked mockingly at the girl cornered.
"Ha-ha-ha! And where do you think you're going now?" he said with ridicule.
Mu Zi tried to remain calm, but her body was already tense, and energy slowly gathered at her fingertips.
When the man approached within a zhang, Mu Zi sharply raised her hand. A beam of energy, compressed to the limit, shot forward, aiming directly at the opponent's head.
The sudden burst of power sent a chill down the man's spine. Feeling the breath of death, he instinctively jerked his head to the side.
Years of survival on the edge saved his life, but the beam still pierced his right ear, leaving a bleeding wound.
Mu Zi cursed inwardly. She had deliberately pretended to be weak to lull the opponent's vigilance. At this distance, her Guiding Spirit Sword could pierce a skull, and if she had hit accurately, the man would have been dead.
"You little brat! I'll make you beg for mercy until you die!" he roared.
His eyes, full of fury, were fixed on Mu Zi as if he was ready to tear her to pieces.
A little more, and he could have died in this alley. Besides anger, he was filled with fear and belated horror.
What was that attack? Where did such incredible power come from?
Mu Zi realized that she hadn't managed to kill the enemy, only angered him. The Earth Yuan realm was indeed much more difficult than the ninth level of Body Tempering.
Glancing around the narrow alley, she understood that the confined space restricted her Gliding Steps. Moreover, after such an attack, the man would probably guard the exit, leaving her no chance of escape.
The situation instantly became clear in Mu Zi's mind, and she made a decision without hesitation.
Her hands, like lightning, formed complex seals. Three translucent glowing marks appeared on her palms, merging together like streams of water. After a slight fluctuation of energy in her hand, a pale white seal, resembling a blossoming white lotus, bloomed.
"Heavy Yuan Seal!" Mu Zi exhaled.
Her gaze pierced the man standing a step away from her. Without a trace of doubt, she thrust her hand forward, and the glowing seal rushed towards his chest.
The man, although on guard, felt the power of the seal and froze in terror. A premonition flashed in his mind: if he couldn't withstand it, he wouldn't survive today!
With a furious cry, he gathered all his Yuan Li into his fists and, putting all his strength into the blow, unleashed his strongest attack ever.
"Raging Wind Fist!"
Boom!
A loud rumble shook the air. The man's fist, enveloped in a dark green glow, collided with Mu Zi's pale white seal.
Thump-thump-thump!
The man flew backward, his steps disordered, stumbling until he stopped in the middle of the alley, barely managing to keep his balance. In confusion, he raised his head and looked at the girl with horror.
In this fierce confrontation, he had barely been able to withstand her attack. His chest churned, his blood boiled, causing pain.
Moreover, after the clash, he realized that Mu Zi was only at the eighth level of Body Tempering. This discovery shook him like a storm.
He, who had broken through to the Earth Yuan realm many years ago, had always easily defeated those at the Body Tempering stage.
But this charming girl standing before him had managed to overcome a huge difference in cultivation levels and deflect his strongest blow!
What incredible power?!
"Pfft!" Mu Zi exclaimed, feeling a sweet taste in her mouth and spitting out scarlet blood. Although she had thrown the enemy back, the impact still injured her. Fortunately, the wound wasn't too serious and wouldn't prevent her from continuing the fight.
The gap between the eighth level of Body Tempering and Earth Yuan was too great, especially considering that the man had used a powerful third-rank martial art.
But Mu Zi had achieved her goal—she had thrown him back.
With a light movement of her leg, she pushed off the ground and soared up the wall, activating the Wave Steps. Amazingly, she glided up the vertical surface like an avalanche.
The man tried to follow her, but it was too late. Her attack had thrown him off balance, giving her enough space to maneuver.
The alley walls rose several zhang high, and at such a height, the man was powerless to reach her.
Mu Zi, gracefully gliding along the ledges, turned around. Her gaze, cold and detached, stared intently at the man below, as if etching his image into her memory.
"I will remember this debt. In the future, I will repay it in full!" she said with confidence.
Then, pushing off the ledge, she soared up and, like a bird, dissolved into the sky, disappearing beyond the alley.
At the very moment Mu Zi was on her way to freedom, a mocking smirk appeared on the man's face.
"Something's not right!" her pupils constricted.
Suddenly, a shadow darted from the roof above the wall, rapidly approaching her.
Airborne and without support, Mu Zi didn't have time to dodge.
The figure grabbed her thick hair and forcefully threw her to the ground.
Bam!
With a dull thud, Mu Zi crashed to the ground. The Yang Yuan stones she had hidden in her bosom scattered across the pavement.
Her once neat clothes now hung in tatters, revealing snow-white skin through the rips.
A figure landed in front of Mu Zi, from which a powerful wave of Yuan Li emanated.
Late stage Earth Yuan!
Mu Zi struggled to get up, feeling this overwhelming aura. Her gaze turned serious.
"Now this is trouble," she whispered.