But the excruciating pain of death she expected never came. Instead, she heard the sound of air being torn apart.
PSHH—!
Su Ling'er cautiously opened her eyes a crack.
She saw her Eldest Brother's figure flash past the Giant Rock Scorpion. Then, the massive creature was neatly sliced in two, from head to tail.
The cut was as smooth as a mirror, without a single drop of blood. Only a scorched, blackened mark smoldered with green smoke as the two halves of the corpse crashed to the ground.
'Too fast!'
She couldn't even clearly see what her Eldest Brother, Lin Qingfeng, had done before the giant scorpion was in this state.
But for some reason, her Eldest Brother stopped and studied the scorpion's corpse, seemingly lost in thought.
Then, with a flicker, he quickly positioned himself between Su Ling'er and the corpse, adjusting his stance to the perfect spot.
Then, he drew his sword and raised it once more.
This time, Su Ling'er saw it clearly.
A sword light erupted with dazzling brilliance, and an endless radiance manifested around him. His black robes remained spotless.
The flying sword was imbued with a hazy halo as countless motes of light descended from the cavern ceiling, as if a thousand rivers of stars were swirling around him.
The Giant Rock Scorpion's corpse seemed to exist only to embellish her Eldest Brother's presence at this moment.
If she had to describe it, her Eldest Brother right now was like a celestial being descending from the heavens.
It's just... the fact that he was putting on such a spectacle *after* the scorpion was already dead left Su Ling'er a little speechless.
'Wait a second... Isn't this scorpion... completely dead already? It's been split in two, even its guts are cooked through.'
'Eldest Brother, what... are you doing?'
'Desecrating the corpse? Or just striking a pose?'
'If you wanted to pose, you shouldn't have killed it so quickly!'
'That was close. As expected, my judgment was right. Eldest Brother did come to save me in the end!'
'But this demonic sect... not only are their Cultivation Techniques evil, but even their way of saving people is so obsessed with theatrics?!'
'If I hadn't peeked through my half-closed eyes just now, I really would have been fooled by his immortal-like demeanor!'
'Can't you people of the demonic path be a little more sincere!'
'Well, you're not from the righteous path, so I guess this is normal.'
Meanwhile, her Eldest Brother stood before her and said in a deep voice, "Junior Sister, you can open your eyes. The beast has been slain."
Lin Qingfeng also broke out in a cold sweat.
'I accidentally one-shotted it. I killed it way too fast!'
'This was supposed to be the perfect opportunity to inspire my Junior Sister's desire for the Dao, to show her how reliable her Eldest Brother is, and to strengthen her sense of belonging to the Guixi Sect!'
'Sigh, I wasn't paying attention and just used the 'Stop Sword' to instakill it.'
'Good thing I reacted quickly and turned on all the light and shadow effects. Regardless, just looking at the special effects, it should be flashy enough, right?'
After cranking the special effects to the max, he finally turned to Su Ling'er and asked, "Junior Sister, are you all right?"
Su Ling'er instantly wiped the twitch from her lips. The moment her Eldest Brother turned around, she put on a dazed, adoring, and shocked expression.
Seeing her completely stunned and amazed look, Lin Qingfeng nodded in satisfaction.
'Mm, Junior Sister's facial feedback is on point.'
Cold sweat was also streaming down Su Ling'er's back.
'Eldest Brother's strength is truly not to be underestimated. No wonder he's the Eldest Brother of this demonic sect! I didn't even see how he drew his sword before that Giant Rock Scorpion was cut down!'
'Good, my gamble paid off.'
At this moment, Lin Qingfeng had the air of a Grandmaster. With a wave of his hand, the flying sword let out a clear chime before transforming into a streak of light and disappearing into his palm.
But the elation of surviving the ordeal didn't have a chance to swell in Su Ling'er's heart before it was extinguished by a new thought.
She still didn't understand why her Eldest Brother had to shout "Stop!" before he attacked.
'What was the point? Was it to announce his own entrance? That demon beast can't understand human speech.'
'And his purpose for coming back to do all this after he'd already instakilled the demon beast...'
Su Ling'er's mind raced, trying to guess her Eldest Brother's intentions...
And then... she understood!
'Eldest Brother had been enjoying a play that he personally directed, one with my life as the wager!'
'He watched my struggle, watched my despair, watched me make a choice on the brink of life and death.'
'Only at my most desperate moment did he descend in a blaze of glory, appearing like a savior to put a perfect end to his show.'
'It's a good thing I figured out that he actually one-shotted the monster first and then came back to pose.'
'Otherwise, I really would have been completely awestruck!'
'He truly is a demonic Evil Cultivator who toys with human nature!'
'Since he wants to play the role of a righteous savior, how should I react?'
'What kind of expression should a woman who has just entered a sect and walked the line between life and death show right now?'
Leaning against the rock wall, she shakily stood up. Looking at her Eldest Brother's back, she said with a trembling voice:
"Thank you for saving my life, Eldest Brother!"
"Ling'er has no way to repay this debt today. I can only swear that in the future, I will go through fire and water for the Guixi Sect to repay the kindness you've shown me!"
"Junior Sister, there is no need for thanks."
Lin Qingfeng spoke again, using the grand principles of Cultivation he had just crammed:
"On the path of the Great Dao, life and death are separated by a razor's edge. To face a powerful enemy, knowing you are outmatched, yet still having the courage to draw your sword—that spirit is commendable."
"But you must remember, courage is not strength. Today's danger was not your calamity, nor was it my achievement. It was a test for you from the 'Dao'."
"Today, I was here to protect you for a moment. But the path of Cultivation is long, and no one can be your guardian forever. To place your hope in others is to be a candle in the wind, extinguished with a single puff."
"The 'True Understanding of Ten Thousand Transformations Returning to the Origin' that you practice teaches one to follow the Dao and move with the heavens. For those with exceptional talent, this technique is a path to the heavens; but for someone with your ordinary aptitude, it is nothing more than a self-imposed prison. You will spend your entire life as a frog in a well, ignorant of the vastness of the sky and sea."
"The 'Sword Refining Skill' cultivates using the body as a boat to cross the endless sea of suffering; it uses the sword as a ladder to ascend to the nine celestial palaces! It is a Sword Intent that refuses mediocrity and dares to contend with the heavens!"
"Junior Sister, do you want to be a mortal ant that anyone can crush, or do you want to be an ascendant who can sunder the clouds?"
Lin Qingfeng clasped his hands behind his back and shook his head. "Think it over. It's time for us to leave the tower."
Su Ling'er lowered her head. "Mhm~, this Junior Sister is still too foolish. Thank you for your guidance, Eldest Brother."
'Once I complete my mission and return to Qingxu Temple, the Sect Leader will perform a Washing Marrow for me. Why would I need your 'Sword Refining Skill'?'
'I'm not going to cultivate an evil technique that requires the lives of others as a blood sacrifice!'
Her Eldest Brother flicked his sleeve and turned, and the dream-like river of stars vanished with his movement. Su Ling'er hurried to follow, staying close behind and playing the part of a frightened Junior Sister who now worshipped her Eldest Brother to perfection.
Outside the Demon-Locking Tower, two figures emerged.
Behind the stone table, Qian Buyu's gaze shifted toward them once more.
He raised a hand and pointed through the air at the Token in Su Ling'er's hand. The Token flashed faintly, and immediately after, a small cloth pouch appeared out of thin air on the stone table.
Qian Buyu pushed the pouch in Su Ling'er's direction.
Su Ling'er walked forward and picked up the pouch. She opened it, and her breath caught in her throat.
Inside were ten low-grade Spirit Stones!
'As an outer disciple of Qingxu Temple, my monthly stipend is only three low-grade Spirit Stones. Even if I risked my life on those near-suicidal missions, scraping together seven or eight in a month would be a huge blessing.'
'But here, just by being forced by that fiend to kill a few unremarkable demon beasts, I can get ten?'
Su Ling'er almost burst into tears of joy right there in this demonic den.
'Even though I know this is just a sugar-coated bullet meant to corrupt my Dao heart, and they use these generous rewards to get their disciples accustomed to killing and putting themselves in danger...'
'...when my fingertips touched the warm, smooth texture of the Spirit Stones, an irrepressible desire still welled up in my heart.'
'This demonic sect... is actually pretty sweet!'
'Sect Leader, do you have any idea what kind of immense temptation your disciple is enduring to stay on the righteous path and for the sake of our Qingxu Temple?'
"Junior Sister."
Lin Qingfeng's voice came from above. Su Ling'er flinched, quickly put away the pouch, and broke into a genuine smile. "Eldest Brother, I'm here!"
'This is ten low-grade Spirit Stones!'
'This is an amount of Spirit Stones I might not earn even after a whole month of hard work! Although this amount is insignificant for the 'True Understanding of Ten Thousand Transformations Returning to the Origin', I earned this by killing those demon beasts myself!'
'This sect is so damn rich!'
He turned and walked deeper into the mist.
"Let's go. The next place is called the 'Asking Dao Ladder', and you have enough Spirit Stones now. A greater opportunity might be waiting for you there."
'Enough Spirit Stones? What does he mean?'
Unaware of the truth, Su Ling'er immediately lowered her head and followed.
In her heart, even as she cursed the corruption and evil of the demonic path... she couldn't help but feel a secret sense of anticipation.
'The Asking Dao Ladder... What kind of "surprise" will be waiting for me there?'