Corpses littered the snowy ground, and the faint scent of blood filled the air.
Just then, a graceful figure in flowing white robes approached from the distance, a longsword in hand.
The newcomer was tall and slender, with hair as black as ink, eyes that shone like stars, and an exquisitely beautiful face. As she gazed upon the bloody scene, her delicate brows furrowed, a shadow of gloom clouding her features.
'Snow Wolves... and members of the Qin Family...'
Li Peiyi was taken aback. She did a rough count and found no fewer than a hundred wolf carcasses. 'This must have been a pack led by a Wolf King.'
'A Wolf King that could command a pack this size must have been incredibly powerful. But why would it allow a few ordinary Qin Family disciples to slaughter its pack? Could someone have been holding it back?'
'These are all ordinary Snow Wolves, but I don't see the Wolf King's body. Who could have stopped it? Was it these dead Qin Family disciples? Huh, what's that...?'
Li Peiyi let out a soft gasp, having apparently spotted something. She hurried over. It was a headless corpse...
Staring at the Jade Order on the corpse's waist, Li Peiyi drew a sharp breath, shock flashing in her eyes. "That's... the Jade Order of the Qin Family's Young Master! Qin Yuncheng!"
Qin Yuncheng's cultivation was at the Profound Origin Realm. Among the disciples from the three great families participating in the Mang Mountain hunt, his strength was unquestionably among the very best.
Yet he had died here!
'Did the Wolf King kill him? Interesting!'
'These tracks are much larger than those of the other Snow Wolves. They must belong to the Wolf King.'
A sharp glint flashed in Li Peiyi's eyes, and she immediately began following the Wolf King's tracks. 'Even if the Wolf King killed Qin Yuncheng, it must be severely injured,' she thought. 'This is a golden opportunity.'
She passed through the snowy forest and came upon a Cold Pool. The scene before her eyes made her stop in her tracks.
"You?!"
"Oh, it's me. And you are...?"
Qin Ya replied casually, looking at Li Peiyi in confusion. He had no memory of her. 'Why does she recognize me?' he wondered.
"Li Peiyi," she stated coolly.
'Li Peiyi. From the Li Family.'
Qin Ya's brow furrowed as he discreetly went on alert. He knew full well that the three great families were constantly engaged in open and secret conflict. In this Mang Mountain hunt, the people you had to watch out for most, aside from the Fierce Beasts, were the members of the other families.
He could keenly sense that Li Peiyi's cultivation was at least on par with Qin Yuncheng's, if not higher. Having just finished a major battle, getting into another fight right now would be far from ideal.
"Ah, so it's Miss Li. I am Qin Ya."
"I know."
Li Peiyi said indifferently. When they first entered Mang Mountain for the hunt, she had overheard the Qin Family members talking about Qin Ya and had taken note of him.
"You killed... this Wolf King."
"A mere Wolf King is nothing worth mentioning."
Qin Ya spoke with an air of indifference, his hands clasped behind his back. He adopted the posture of a peerless master, hoping to unnerve Li Peiyi and prevent her from making any rash moves.
However...
"Excellent. Fight me!"
A flicker of War Intent flashed in Li Peiyi's eyes as she pointed her sword at Qin Ya.
"What?" The unexpected response left Qin Ya stunned.
"The three great families act cordially on the surface, but in reality, they're always scheming against each other. Since you and I belong to different families and have met here, it's only natural for us to have a match."
In truth, Li Peiyi cared little for family politics. Her sole focus was the pursuit of the Martial Arts. She had come to Mang Mountain to temper her skills, and now that she had encountered an expert like Qin Ya, it was only natural that she would want to challenge him to a battle.
The moment she finished speaking, Li Peiyi slashed her sword at Qin Ya. A crescent of Sword Qi instantly formed in the air and hurtled toward him.
With a strange yelp, Qin Ya executed Carefree Travel, narrowly dodging the attack.
'She's tougher than I thought!'
His expression turned grim as he stared at the two-inch-deep gash the attack had left in the ground.
'Li Peiyi really is the number one genius of the Li Family,' he thought. 'Her cultivation has also reached the Profound Origin Realm, and it seems she's even a notch above Qin Yuncheng.'
Realizing that Li Peiyi was the most formidable opponent he'd encountered since entering Mang Mountain, Qin Ya didn't dare to be careless. He retrieved an Earth Spirit Pill from his storage pouch and swallowed it.
The Earth Spirit Pill dissolved in his stomach, and a vast wave of Medicinal Power surged through his body. His True Essence, nearly depleted from his battle with the Wolf King, was instantly restored to its peak condition.
"Very good."
Sensing the change in Qin Ya, Li Peiyi was not alarmed but delighted. With a flick of her longsword, countless rays of Sword Light materialized, as dense as a downpour and as swift as a raging wind.
'This is... the Wind and Rain Sword Technique!'
Qin Ya's eyes lit up. He remembered the Four Seas Pavilion's Steward, Yun Yushan, mentioning that the Wind and Rain Sword Technique had been bought at auction by the Li Family Patriarch, Li Heyu. 'As the Li Family's top genius, it's no wonder she's practicing it,' he mused.
'Li Peiyi's talent for the Sword Dao is impressive. To have mastered a Profound-Level Lower-Class Martial Skill to this degree in just one month is remarkable.'
Qin Ya thought to himself as he executed Carefree Travel, weaving effortlessly through the web of Sword Light.
What he didn't know was that while he was marveling at Li Peiyi's talent, she was utterly astounded by him.
As the wielder of the Wind and Rain Sword Technique, she knew its power better than anyone. A Profound-Level Lower-Class Martial Skill was no trivial matter. Once unleashed, its Sword Light would multiply, raining down like a storm.
But what she was seeing now left her utterly shocked!
The young man before her possessed a Body Technique more exquisite than anything she had ever witnessed. Moving amidst the storm of Sword Light, he seemed as if he were taking a leisurely stroll through a garden—calm, composed, and impossibly graceful.
She had no idea that Qin Ya was secretly counting his blessings. He himself had been the one to transcribe the Wind and Rain Sword Technique for the Four Seas Pavilion's auction. He knew every single move like the back of his hand. Trying to defeat him with it was, quite frankly, a fool's dream.
At this thought, a smile couldn't help but touch the corners of Qin Ya's lips.
'Despicable! Absolutely despicable!'
The longer she fought, the more vexed Li Peiyi became. She naturally took Qin Ya's smile for a taunt. Spurred by this thought, her True Essence surged, and she unleashed the Wind and Rain Sword Technique with all her might!
In her fury, her swordsmanship even showed faint signs of an impending breakthrough!
'Looks like Li Peiyi's talent for the Sword Dao is even greater than I expected.'
Qin Ya smiled faintly, gathering True Essence into his palms as he took a step back.
"Overlapping Waves Palm, Fifth-Layer Wave!"
He thrust out a palm, and the attack carried the faint roar of an ocean tide. Its power was astonishing!
Facing this palm strike, Li Peiyi dared not be careless. She condensed her True Essence into the edge of her blade and slashed outward, as if to part the waves and cleave the sea.
The Sword Qi and Palm Qi collided. A shockwave of Qi Force erupted, instantly riddling the surrounding area with craters.
When the dust settled, Li Peiyi discovered that Qin Ya was gone. Her brow furrowed, and she gritted her teeth in frustration.
"Qin Ya, I will defeat you next time!"
...
"The title of number one among the younger generation of the three great families... it has to be Li Peiyi," Qin Ya murmured, gazing at the crimson sword wound on his palm.
'Li Peiyi's cultivation is at least at the Profound Origin Third Grade. Combined with her talent in the Sword Dao, she could probably rival a Martial Artist at the Profound Origin Fifth Grade.'
With about half a day left until nightfall, Qin Ya continued to train in Mang Mountain. He occasionally ran into some clueless disciples from the three families and dealt with them accordingly.
Soon, the Mang Mountain hunt was drawing to a close.