Chapter 26: Just Say If You Want It or Not!

"What a coincidence," Li Xun said with a warm smile, looking at Liu Sandao. "Liu Sandao!"

"How is this possible? How did you get here so fast?"

Unlike Li Xun's calm demeanor, Liu Sandao felt as if he had plunged into an ice-cold abyss, his face filled with disbelief. 

How long had it been since he killed those two Profound Sun Sect disciples? 

How could the Profound Sun Sect respond so quickly?

Canglang Mountain was over six thousand miles from Profound Sun Sect—had Li Xun teleported?

"In this world, nothing is impossible. If something seems that way... it's only because your perspective is too narrow," Li Xun said as he advanced, moving toward Liu Sandao with leisurely steps.

"You think you alone can defeat me?"

Liu Sandao's expression turned ruthless. 

He leaped into the air, drawing a long sword and thrusting it toward Li Xun at lightning speed. 

The sword strike was as swift as a comet, producing a sharp, ear-piercing whistle.

"A man named Liu Sandao who uses a sword instead of a saber? You disappoint me."

Li Xun shook his head. Without making any discernible move, a bright silver light shot out from behind him with a sharp "whoosh." 

He grasped the tail of the spear in mid-air and swept it horizontally.

Boom! 

The force exploded through the cave!

A fierce and domineering blast of energy surged outward like a tidal wave, shaking the surroundings and making both the body and soul tremble uncontrollably.

Li Xun's spear, swift as a dragon, met Liu Sandao's sword with unstoppable force. 

With a crisp "crack," the sword shattered inch by inch, and the spear continued its momentum, slamming into Liu Sandao's chest.

"Pfft!"

Liu Sandao coughed up blood, his body flying backward like a cannonball and crashing into the stone wall behind him. 

The impact shook the entire cave violently.

"Cough, cough!"

Liu Sandao coughed up blood, slumped against the wall, unable to move. Li Xun's spear strike had shattered all the bones in his body, nearly crippling his cultivation. 

Fortunately, Li Xun had pulled back at the last moment; otherwise, Liu Sandao would have died instantly.

"You... you're not... at the Qi Condensation stage!"

Liu Sandao struggled to speak, his eyes filled with unwillingness.

"Who said I was at the Qi Condensation stage?"

Li Xun stepped forward, looking down at Liu Sandao with a gentle smile. 

Holding his spear in his right hand, he flipped his left, revealing a jade box, which he then tossed to Liu Sandao.

"A gift."

"Huh?"

Liu Sandao's eyes widened in disbelief. 

He painfully raised his hand, caught the jade box, and slowly opened it. 

Instantly, a rich medicinal fragrance filled the cave.

"A… Spirit Opening Pill!! Cough, cough!"

Upon seeing the Spirit Opening Pill, Liu Sandao's eyes gleamed with excitement, but his sudden movement pulled at his wounds, causing him to cough violently. 

Despite the pain, his gaze remained fixated on the elixir.

This was the pill he had always dreamed of! With the Spirit Opening Pill, he could instantly break through to the Spirit Meridian stage!

Was his luck finally turning around?

Never would he have imagined that the Spirit Opening Pill would be handed to him by the very person sent to kill him.

"Are you really giving this to me?"

Liu Sandao looked up at Li Xun, his eyes filled with hesitation.

"Just say if you want it or not."

Li Xun replied bluntly.

"Yes! I want it!"

Liu Sandao exclaimed excitedly, stretching out his hand to grab the Spirit Opening Pill. But just as his fingers were about to touch the pill—

Pfft!

A silver-white spear shot through the air, piercing Liu Sandao's throat and pinning him to the stone wall behind.

As Liu Sandao's life ended, a system notification echoed in Li Xun's mind.

[Ding! Congratulations, Master, your investment was successful. You have received ten years of cultivation. Would you like to claim it?]

"Claim!"

Li Xun responded without hesitation.

As soon as he spoke, Li Xun's hair fluttered, and his robes swirled without wind. 

A radiant divine light enveloped his body, emanating an overwhelming aura like the blazing sun.

At this moment, endless waves surged within Li Xun's dantian. 

His true essence poured out like an unstoppable tide, flooding his limbs and bones. Every second, his body underwent a profound transformation.

Boom!

In the depths of his being, a thunderous sound echoed.

Spirit Meridian middle-stage—breakthrough!

Li Xun's true essence showed no signs of slowing after breaking through to the middle-stage, and it continued to surge until he reached the late Spirit Meridian stage before finally dissipating.

Buzz!

Li Xun slowly opened his eyes, two cold beams of light flashing from his gaze, piercing the void.

He clenched his fist, feeling a surge of joy. 

The ten years of cultivation had instantly pushed him to the late Spirit Meridian stage, leaving him just a step away from the peak!

With a little more effort, he would be within reach of becoming a core disciple!

"After breaking through to the late Spirit Meridian stage, my spiritual sense has expanded several times over..."

Li Xun focused and tested his senses. 

Originally, his spiritual sense only covered a range of about a thousand meters, but now it could extend six to seven thousand meters—nearly the size of a small town from his previous life.

Within this range, nothing could escape his notice.

"This trip has been fruitful," Li Xun mused as he glanced at Liu Sandao's lifeless body. 

He retrieved his spear and the Spirit Opening Pill.

"No matter what's given to you, you'll take it. What am I supposed to say about that?"

With a faint sigh, Li Xun stripped the storage ring from Liu Sandao's finger and examined its contents with his spiritual sense.

Aside from some personal items, the ring contained a dozen mid-grade spirit stones, a few low-grade pills, and two Huang-level martial techniques.

The spirit stones and pills were decent, but the martial techniques held little value for Li Xun; Huang-level techniques were usually practiced by outer disciples of the Profound Sun Sect, and for an inner disciple like him, they were of little worth.

"What's this?"

Li Xun's eyes landed on a crimson orb in the corner of the ring, glistening like fresh blood.

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