Chapter 36: Effortless Grace Against a Formidable Foe

Qin Anyu’s posture and tone caused the nine men to freeze for a moment before they all burst into raucous laughter.

"Don't provoke him, or we'll die? Do they think we’re some lowly gang of mountain bandits? There were rumors that he wasn't a fool, but I think the people spreading those rumors are the real idiots."

"Between Qin Zhuo and his brother, there are only two at the initial stage of Qi Refining. We’ve only sent a dozen or so Qi Refining cultivators, yet he—a Fifth Realm practitioner with a Ninth Realm companion—thinks we’ll die? Ha! The ignorant are truly fearless."

Watching them laugh until they were doubled over, Qin Anyu turned to Qin Lingxue. "Are you afraid?"

Qin Lingxue, sword already in hand, had a slightly pale face, but she answered firmly, "I am not!"

Qin Anyu nodded slightly. "Then watch closely as your big brother shows you how slaughtering Qi Refining cultivators is no different from killing chickens."

His voice was loud enough for everyone to hear. They all gaped, struck dumb by his audacity.

Silence descended.

The Qi Refining mid-stage cultivator was the first to react. He snapped his jaw shut, then opened it again. "Cai Yifan, go and test him. See if he truly has the ability to back up those words."

Cai Yifan immediately shouted back, "Yes!"

He leaped from his horse, raising his heavy broadsword high, and brought it crashing down toward Qin Anyu. The sheer force of the blow caused the mountainside to tremble.

Seeing this, Qin Lingxue’s face turned even paler; she wanted to scream, "Big Brother, dodge!"

Qin Anyu did not dodge. He switched from a two-handed grip to one.

He swung his sword.

*Clang... snap!*

The descending broadsword was deflected to the right before shattering into pieces. Qin Anyu raised his left leg and delivered a soaring kick.

*Thud!*

Cai Yifan’s chest collided with his foot. He flew backward through the air, spraying blood, his mouth emitting a sickening crunching sound. Mid-flight, he crashed into his horse, knocking the beast several steps sideways before both man and horse collapsed.

*Hiss...*

While it takes seconds to describe this process, it actually occurred in a mere heartbeat. This was the embodiment of "too fast to react."

The thought of Qin Lingxue’s warning had barely crossed her mind before Cai Yifan was already sprawled against his horse, only his legs visible over the animal's back. Looking back, she saw her brother had already returned to his original stance: crouching in a lunge, sword tip pointed to the lower left, elbows tucked, both hands firmly gripping the hilt.

After a brief moment of shock, the mid-stage cultivator barked, "Yang Liqi, you go next!"

The Qi Refining initial-stage cultivator standing roughly level with Qin Anyu shouted back, "Yes!"

He leaped from his horse, legs bent, fingers curled into eagle claws, assuming a pouncing stance.

Was this even a cultivation technique? It was pure, raw martial arts!

A look of disdain crossed Qin Anyu’s face. He planted his dull sword into the ground and launched himself into an inverted somersault. He kicked one foot into the man’s bent legs and the other into his chin. In martial arts, any technique that connects is a good one.

Once Qin Anyu landed, he resumed his previous posture. Meanwhile, the initial-stage cultivator performed a backward flip in the air, spitting out teeth and blood, before crashing face-first into the dirt, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Qin Anyu had triumphed again!

Qin Lingxue unconsciously let out a sigh of relief. "I really didn't understand my brother; he is so capable in a fight."

Having lost two men in quick succession, the remaining seven looked grim. This Qin Anyu was clearly not to be underestimated.

The mid-stage cultivator clenched his fists tightly, then slowly relaxed them. "Lai Yiyuan, Yang Guli, the two of you must take him down!"

The two initial-stage cultivators moved. Wielding their long blades, they charged at Qin Anyu on horseback.

Seeing this, Qin Lingxue’s face went white again.

Qin Anyu, however, seemed unfazed. As they reached him and swung their blades, he stepped forward with his left foot and swung his sword. A flash of black light erupted; the broadsword on the left shattered, and a spray of blood mist erupted from the waist of the man holding it.

Qin Anyu stepped onto the thigh of the horse, perfectly dodging the blade swinging from the right. He turned, slashed, and withdrew.

He returned to his original spot, striking the same pose, though he was breathing slightly harder now. To his front left, the horse galloped away, carrying only the lower half of its rider; to his front right, the horse collapsed, carrying both a headless horse and a headless rider.

The sequence happened so fast that it left everyone breathless, unable to process the carnage. The wind died down, the birds stopped singing, and the entire canyon fell into a deathly silence.

Qin Anyu stared coldly at the remaining five, who looked back at him in terror.

"Big Brother is mighty!"

In the eerie quiet, Qin Lingxue’s clear, ringing voice cut through the air.

The mid-stage cultivator immediately shouted, "Zhou Jiqi, you and I will kill Qin Anyu! The others, go deal with the girl!"

The repeated losses were more than he could bear. Of the original nine, only five remained intact; of the four initial-stage cultivators, only one was left. If they hadn't taken him seriously before, thinking Cai Yifan and Yang Liqi were just testing the waters, the deaths of Lai Yiyuan and Yang Guli—who had attacked with the intent to at least maim—proved that Qin Anyu had been hiding his strength to lure them into splitting their forces.

They had fallen right into his trap! They could not afford to fall for it again!

Seeing them charge, Qin Anyu asked loudly, "Little Sister, are you afraid?"

Qin Lingxue shouted back, "Big Brother, I am not!"

She felt a surge of strength. "Big Brother can kill cultivators of a higher realm. With the flesh and bone tempering from last night and the control over my heartbeat, breath, and movement today, I can surely defeat those of my own level with ease."

Though Qin Anyu wanted to let his sister fight, he knew weapons had no eyes and didn't want any regrets. As the two Ninth Realm and one Eighth Realm cultivators charged, he stepped forward and swung his sword.

A Ninth Realm cultivator flew off his horse, his head severed from his body. Qin Anyu stepped onto the horse’s back and leaped toward the incoming initial-stage cultivator. In mid-air, he swept his blade and delivered a kick. The cultivator flew back the way he came, though his arms did not go with him.

Qin Anyu used the momentum to retreat, returning to his original position and resuming his stance.

The mid-stage cultivator had been about to leap forward, but seeing the others rush in—followed by Zhou Jiqi—he forced himself to hold back and walked forward on foot. Yet, he had only taken one step when one Ninth Realm cultivator was dismembered; by his second step, the Eighth Realm cultivator was skewered; and as his foot touched the ground, Zhou Jiqi was sent flying back, critically wounded.

Qin Anyu had returned to his spot, guarding the path.

Suddenly, an idea struck the mid-stage cultivator: "Is he afraid I’ll capture Qin Lingxue to threaten him? If so, I’ll just do exactly that! He is two zhang away from me and one and a half from his sister. I can cover four zhang in a single step and reach behind her. He won't be fast enough!"

Delighted by this decision, he leaped into the air, aiming for the space behind Qin Lingxue.

While they called it "flying," Qi Refining cultivators could not truly fly; they could only take massive, supernatural strides—anywhere from one to five zhang—but rarely more than ten. With the right technique, they could ride their swords, but limited by the spiritual energy within their bodies, they couldn't travel far.

Just as the mid-stage cultivator was reveling in his plan, he noticed the sword in Qin Anyu’s hand disappear, replaced by a bow and arrow.

*Swish!*

*Swish!*