Chapter 25: A Tempestuous Creation of New Techniques

Qin Anyu moved with such overwhelming speed that his opponents could not withstand a single blow. Unable to track him, they were forced to hold their ground within the courtyard. Three practitioners at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, seven at the early stage, and over a dozen at the Qi Cultivation stage gathered by the pond, beneath the willow trees.

Are these the same people who ambushed the prefectural army? Not that it matters to me; I only want information.

As he approached slowly, carrying his sword on his back and a jar of wine in his hand, sipping as he walked, the men felt a surge of murderous rage. When he drew closer, one practitioner at the eighth level of Qi Cultivation shouted in surprise, "It's Qin Anyu!"

Qin Anyu shifted his gaze toward the voice. Seeing the man, he sighed inwardly, "Another face that looks so honest and plain."

This was Qi Zan, the man who had intercepted him on the way to Death-End Cliff. Later, after finding his home address through bandits in Mangshan, Qin had spared him upon seeing his elderly parents and young children, as well as his sincere demeanor. To think he would meet him here again; it seems the words of "honest men" cannot be fully trusted.

"Are you still with the Tiger Mark Escort Agency?" Even though he was an insignificant nobody and Qin held no personal grudge, he had already decided that this man was marked for death today.

Qi Zan looked bitter. "Yes."

Qin Anyu asked again, "Did you participate in the ambush on the prefectural army?"

Before he could respond, an early-stage Qi Refining practitioner barked, "Qin Anyu, I didn't think you were such a killer. Have you considered what will happen to your parents if you continue to oppose us like this?"

Qin Anyu asked, "Who are you people, and why have you kidnapped my parents?"

The early-stage practitioner immediately replied, "That is none of your concern. I only want to tell you this: if you surrender, Qin Zhuo and Dai Linglong will be treated a bit better."

Qin Anyu took a sip of wine, stored the jar in his storage ring, and said indifferently, "Listen to me: if my parents lose even a single hair, I will exterminate the entire families of every one of you."

The eighth-level practitioner’s face turned ashen. The early-stage practitioner, however, laughed in fury. "I thought you had become clever, but you are still a fool. If you have any guts, come and fight us!"

A mid-stage practitioner sneered, "Qin Zhuo and Dai Linglong are both Qi Refining practitioners, yet we captured them easily. You, a mere Qi Cultivation amateur, dare to boast? Who gave you the nerve?"

"My stupidity gave me the nerve," came a sharp retort.

Qin Anyu took note of who spoke and continued walking forward, saying coldly, "Those who can escape, pass this warning back—that is the right thing to do. I have no desire to see rivers of blood. If none of you survive, then so be it."

He suddenly realized he should let one or two escape to deliver the message, or this warning would be in vain. As he cleared the woods, standing only ten paces from the edge of the pond, a mid-stage practitioner roared, "Seize him!"

The man’s ambition was high and his skin was thick to say such things. After the shout, he leaped into the air, wings spread like a giant roc. It was a flashy, arrogant, and purely ornamental display. Seeing his momentum, the others joined in. The Qi Refining practitioners soared into the sky, while the Qi Cultivation ones charged forward, their shouts filling the air.

Qin Anyu stopped and looked on with disdain. "Is that all?"

He drew his dull, featureless sword, stepped forward, and swung it toward the mid-stage practitioner who had rushed to his death first. The man had tried to block his retreat, flying behind him. The moment Qin turned, the man saw a blade of light sweeping toward him—cold and lethal—and scrambled to draw his long spear.

The dull sword struck the spear. *Snap.* The spear was severed in two. The momentum of the blade did not falter, slicing into the man’s right arm. "Aaaah!" The man’s right hand, still clutching the broken shaft, flew off.

Qin Anyu surged forward and kicked. The mid-stage practitioner flew into the woods, crashing through several saplings before being stopped by a thick trunk.

The sudden carnage left the other Qi Refining practitioners incensed. *Damn him, he succeeded with a sneak attack!* They had to kill him; that strange sword had to be theirs. When they landed, they all had their weapons drawn, though their initial plans had failed.

Qin Anyu launched a storm of attacks, leaving his opponents with no room to counter, and used the momentum to break through the encirclement. Yet, instead of fleeing, he turned and charged at a nearby early-stage practitioner. He brought his sword down, deflecting the man’s twin maces and shattering his right shoulder.

With a follow-up kick, he sent the man flying toward another early-stage practitioner who was lunging with a spear. Seeing his comrade flying at him, the man panicked and sidestepped, moving directly into Qin Anyu’s path. Qin kicked out.

*Boom...*

The man tumbled to the ground, sliding several meters before coming to a stop, blood pooling around him. The Qi Cultivation practitioners behind him jumped back in terror, fearing they might step on him.

In five breaths, one mid-stage and two early-stage practitioners were incapacitated, their lives hanging in the balance. The frenzy in the others’ hearts cooled into ice. This Qin Anyu was no simple foe; his combat strength needed to be re-evaluated.

Hu Lin and the other mid-stage practitioner exchanged a glance, moved close together, and shouted, "Don't separate! Attack together!" The failure of the previous three was due to fighting one-on-one. They hadn't suffered such heavy losses even when ambushing the three hundred soldiers of the prefectural army, yet now, facing one man, they were being decimated. They were unwilling to accept this and wanted to try again.

They could never have guessed that Qin Anyu was holding back, afraid that if he killed them all, there would be no one left to interrogate.

Seeing them charge side-by-side, Qin Anyu sighed to himself, "Though they are full of openings, they are mid-stage practitioners after all. I cannot rely on their mistakes... I must force myself to use my old footwork."

Until now, he had used only the thirteen basic movements of swordsmanship—pointing, stabbing, chopping, sweeping, and so on. He had used no formal footwork, merely moving as his instincts and the terrain dictated.

Formal footwork was something others had summarized; while learning existing techniques could increase agility, it could never push one to their absolute limit. This was the origin of the saying, "Those who study the masters live, those who imitate them die."

The Immortal Emperor Wu-Wo of his past life was a prodigy with unique bone structures, but the current Qin Anyu possessed a "Dull Body." His cultivation path was vastly different, and most of his past techniques were no longer suitable. He had to re-summarize and derive new methods. He had been trying to forget his past techniques, searching in every battle for the most comfortable, efficient, and least wasteful way to move, all to adapt to this new body.

Now, as they charged him together and he refused to retreat or dodge, he had no choice but to use his old techniques.

Just as he lifted his right leg to sidestep, a voice thundered in his mind: *No, hold your ground!*

His eyes shone with intense light. He planted his right leg firmly, his body sinking into a bow stance. The tip of his dull sword pointed to the lower left, his elbows tucked, both hands gripping the hilt. As they lunged and their weapons crashed down, he pulled his sword upward and to the right.

In an instant, light burst forth, as brilliant as the sun.