Chapter 3: Enemies Meet

"Xu... Ping'an, I don't know why you didn't die, nor why you have the cultivation of the Qi and Blood Realm Sixth Layer, but I advise you to hand over the Xu Family Clan Mark. Even with your cultivation, you are no match for the young lady."

"Currently, the young lady has achieved the Mysterious Yin Body and stepped into the Second Rank of the Sea-Splitting Realm. She has been taken as an Inner Sect Disciple by the elders of the Beichen Sword Sect, and she could kill you as easily as slaughtering a dog."

Zhou Xiaoqing, enduring the intense pain in her arm, looked at Xu Ping'an with a cold expression.

"Kill me as easily as slaughtering a dog? If Zhou Mengyue were to come, I would still kill her without hesitation."

Xu Ping'an snorted coldly, took a step forward, and directly appeared in front of Zhou Xiaoqing.

Before Zhou Xiaoqing could react, Xu Ping'an's palm pressed against her face, and he violently smashed the back of her head into the ground.

Then he threw punch after punch fiercely onto her face.

Each punch was as heavy as a thousand catties.

Zhou Xiaoqing, splattered with blood, had her pretty face rendered completely unrecognizable from the beating.

The Zhou Family servants standing by were stunned, completely terrified by Xu Ping'an's fearsome momentum.

"If you kill me, Miss will never let you get away with it," Zhou Xiaoqing hurriedly threatened.

"Hmph, do you think I'm afraid? Let her come if she dares," Xu Ping'an retorted coldly, and his next punch hit Zhou Xiaoqing's throat.

In an instant, Zhou Xiaoqing could exhale but not inhale.

In the end, Zhou Xiaoqing lost her life completely as despair filled her face.

The three servants by the side, seeing this unfold, immediately tried to flee in terror.

Xu Ping'an didn't give them a chance. In a flash, the dagger in his hand became a streak of cold light, effectively wiping out all three of them.

The young aunt stood by, utterly dumbfounded.

"Ping'an, can you cultivate now?" the young aunt asked, pleasantly surprised.

"Yes, Auntie, not only can I cultivate, but I have also reached the Sixth Layer of the Qi and Blood Realm," Xu Ping'an said gently.

"That's wonderful, your father and my sister would be incredibly relieved to see this," the young aunt said excitedly.

Her real name was Su Chan, and she was the sworn younger sister saved by Xu Ping'an's mother years ago.

Xu Ping'an's mother had left the Xu Family when he was just three years old.

Later, when Xu Ping'an was four, his father also disappeared without a trace in search of Ping'an's mother.

Therefore, since the age of four, it was she who took care of Xu Ping'an, though at that time, she was only seven herself.

"Right, what exactly happened to you in the Zhou Family? Why do they say you're already dead?" Su Chan asked.

"Let me dress your wounds first, then I'll explain everything to you," Xu Ping'an said.

After finding some white cloth to dress his aunt's wounds, Xu Ping'an also recounted his experiences with the Zhou Family to her.

The young aunt's heart clenched several times as she listened, especially when she heard that Xu Ping'an's spine had been forcibly removed while he was still alive, causing her to burst into tears and cry uncontrollably.

Xu Ping'an didn't tell his aunt about the Thunder Sword spine; he just mentioned that he had accidentally consumed some Spiritual Medicine, which regrew his spine.

It wasn't because he didn't trust her, but he felt that the Thunder Devouring Sword was extremely mysterious, and telling his aunt might bring deadly trouble upon her.

"Zhou Mengyue's heart is so cruel. It's in vain that you were so devoted to her, and the Zhou Family even covets the Xu Family's inheritance. They're utterly despicable and shameless. But now that you've killed Zhou Xiaoqing, Zhou Mengyue will definitely not let you off," Su Chan cursed fiercely, her eyes filled with a murderous intent.

"Don't worry. Once my cultivation improves, it should be me who won't let her off. By the way, Auntie, where exactly is the Xu Family Clan Mark? Am I eligible to inherit the legacy now?" Xu Ping'an asked.

Although he possessed the memories of the Immortal Emperor from his past life, what he had were merely experiences, and he still needed to acquire cultivation resources.

If he could receive the legacy, that would be ideal.

"The Clan Mark is with me; however, you're still unable to claim the legacy!" Su Chan shook her head.

"Why not? Isn't it said that I could as soon as I'm married?" Xu Ping'an asked, puzzled.

"You do need to be married, but according to your father, only after you have been with a woman can you claim it... You and Zhou Mengyue have never been together," Su Chan said somewhat shyly.

Although she was four years older than Xu Ping'an, she was a maiden untouched by the affairs of romance, and naturally felt embarrassed discussing such matters.

"I can only claim it after being with a woman?" Xu Ping'an looked stunned, then showed a speechless expression.

What kind of rule was that?

What exactly was this legacy, and why must he be with a woman to inherit it?

Could it be some kind of Dual Cultivation Technique?

"You... If you urgently need the inheritance, I... I can..." Su Chan lowered her head, extremely bashful, her face flushed to the extreme.

"No hurry. Even without the inheritance, I have other methods," Xu Ping'an shook his head and said.

He could probably guess what his aunt was about to say next.

Only he did not know what kind of feelings his aunt had for him.

If it was just to help him, then he certainly wouldn't do it.

Su Chan sighed in relief upon hearing this, secretly glad that she did not voice those words.

"Ping'an, now that I have no hair, do you think I look ugly?" Su Chan suddenly lowered her head and asked, her eyes dim.

Xu Ping'an was startled, then looked at Su Chan.

Even though she had lost her hair, Su Chan's face was still exquisitely beautiful.

In terms of beauty, Su Chan was in no way inferior to Zhou Mengyue; she was even superior.

Only, his aunt was not well-known and was not famous.

"Aunt, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in the entire world, and even the way you look now has a kind of indescribable beauty," Xu Ping'an said earnestly.

Upon hearing this, Su Chan immediately blushed and lowered her head, but the corners of her mouth were tinged with a sweet smile.

"Without the inheritance, what will you do about your cultivation?" Su Chan asked anxiously.

"I plan to join the Beichen Sword Sect for cultivation. The Beichen Sword Sect has a Sword Transformation Pool, which will be of great help to me," Xu Ping'an replied.

The Sword Qi from this Sword Transformation Pool would aid him in breaking through to the rumored hidden level of the Qi and Blood Realm — the Third Layer Extreme Realm.

Normally the Qi and Blood Realm only has nine layers, while the Third Layer Extreme Realm is three realms above the nine layers.

Legend has it that breaking through to the Third Layer Extreme Realm can lead to an invincible blood body, unmatched by any, and future cultivation will be twice as effective with half the effort.

Therefore, Xu Ping'an planned to break through to this legendary Third Layer Extreme Realm, achieve the invincible blood body, otherwise, he wouldn't be able to deal with Zhou Mengyue or protect his aunt.

"The Beichen Sword Sect? Alright... okay," Su Chan said, her face showing a hint of disappointment.

"Aunt, come to the Beichen Sword Sect with me," Xu Ping'an said.

"Can I go too? Won't I hinder you?" Su Chan asked eagerly.

"Of course not. Having a beauty like you by my side, which is pleasing to the eyes every day, will make my cultivation twice as effective with half the effort," Xu Ping'an said with a teasing smile.

"Smooth talker," Su Chan, with a shy face, ran away, her heart incredibly happy.

Xu Ping'an smiled wryly, his aunt really was innocent and cute.

After that, Xu Ping'an continued his cultivation.

In the blink of an eye, five hours passed.

"The speed of cultivation has indeed slowed down, especially after the breakthrough to the seventh layer of the Qi and Blood Realm, the speed of improvement has become much slower. Without utilizing resources, it would take at least a month to break through again," Xu Ping'an said, furrowing his brows as he finished his cultivation.

A month to break through would already be considered extremely fast for others, but Xu Ping'an couldn't wait that long.

"I must enter the Sword Transformation Pool as soon as possible and break through to the Extreme Realm. Now that Zhou Mengyue has already broken through to the Sea-Splitting Realm, her determination to kill me is undying. Only by breaking through to the Extreme Realm can I contend against her," Xu Ping'an said with determination in his eyes.

...

The next day, Xu Ping'an left the Xu Family with Su Chan and came to the Beichen Sword Sect.

The Beichen Sword Sect is one of the two great cultivation sects in the Tianlong River region, with an incredibly lofty status.

It is said that its Sect Master is a Fifth Rank master, extremely powerful.

To be accepted into the Beichen Sword Sect, even as an outer sect disciple, is an exceedingly honorable status.

Today is the day the cultivation sect recruits new members, attracting many hopefuls.

Among these people, most are descendants of cultivating families and wealthy families from the Tianlong River region, all hoping to become disciples of the Beichen Sword Sect.

Xu Ping'an was not worried about the assessment; with his past life experience as a Twelfth Rank Immortal Emperor, getting through a sect's entry-level assessment was going to be a piece of cake.

However, at this moment, Xu Ping'an spotted two familiar figures in the crowd, his eyes instantly turning cold.

"Zhou Mengyue, Wang Tianyu, I didn't expect us to meet so soon," Xu Ping'an said, his eyes flashing with a cold light as he looked at the couple who were being affectionate with each other.