Struggle and Everything Coldly Calculated.

Fang Xue, a young woman standing at a height of 181 cm, wore a white Hanfu with wide sleeves adorned with red 9-petal lotus flower patterns. She had long black hair with strands of white and a small vertical mark between her eyebrows. In the dark forest, she found herself surrounded by four cultivators from the Xia Family.

Tension filled the air as the four Xia Family cultivators mocked Fang Xue, underestimating her completely due to their belief that she was only at the 6th level of Body Tempering.

Despite the provocation, Fang Xue remained calm, her heart pounding with excitement as she stared down her enemies. She carefully observed their stances, patiently waiting for the opportune moment to strike.

The Xia Family cultivators continued their mockery until one of them stepped forward with a spear. Fang Xue swiftly evaded the attack and, with a quick maneuver, grabbed the spear with her hands, twisting it forcefully to break the cultivator's arms. She then used the same spear to pierce through his head.

Drawing her sword and saber, Fang Xue assumed a combat position as the remaining three Xia Family cultivators, though fearful, advanced with their respective weapons. Fang Xue showcased impeccable skill, her movements fluid and precise as she evaded attacks and countered with swift and powerful strikes. She danced with death, always one step ahead of her enemies.

Despite being surrounded, Fang Xue remained composed and focused. Her emotionless facade revealed no sign of weakness as she continued to fight with precision and skill.

Panting, one of the cultivators exclaimed, "How can a girl be so strong? You're a monster!"

Fang Xue disregarded the comment, staying emotionless and determined to win the battle. Her movements were fluid, strikes accurate. She became a relentless killing machine, unstoppable and undeterred.

After a series of strikes, Fang Xue decided to bring the fight to an end. Activating her Asura lineage, a red mark between her eyebrows blossomed into a 9-petal lotus, emanating a bloody aura. Her strength surged dramatically, and her movements became more instinctual and decisive, guided by an innate power.

Harnessing her increased power, Fang Xue moved with skill and awareness, anticipating every move of her opponents and utilizing the environment to her advantage. The forest echoed with the clash of weapons, screams of pain, and the scent of blood.

As a cultivator with a hammer charged at her, Fang Xue carefully observed his movements, studying his posture and weapon handling. Swiftly evading his strike, she spun around him and delivered a horizontal cut with her sword, severing his arm. With blood gushing from the wound, the cultivator fell to the ground, writhing in agony.

Without hesitation, Fang Xue raised her sword and swiftly struck, beheading the fallen cultivator, causing blood to spurt out and stain the forest floor.

Momentarily stunned by Fang Xue's speed and efficiency, Xia Hong and the remaining cultivator quickly recovered and pressed forward with determination. The dark and damp environment, littered with broken trees and holes, intensified the atmosphere of tension and danger.

Brandishing his spear skillfully, Xia Hong advanced towards Fang Xue, determined to eliminate the threat. Seizing the distraction, the other cultivator, wielding a long sword, attacked from behind.

With extraordinary skill, Fang Xue evaded the sword strike and blocked the spear with her saber in a swift and precise motion. She then delivered a powerful kick to Xia Hong, forcing him to stagger backward.

Advancing towards the cultivator with the long sword, Fang Xue swiftly struck with her sword. The man attempted to dodge but was too slow. Fang Xue's precise cut landed on his leg, causing him to collapse to his knees in agonizing pain.

Begging for mercy, the cultivator pleaded with Fang Xue, but she remained undeterred, her expression cold and devoid of emotion. She gazed at him with a chilling intensity and spoke in a low, threatening tone, "Run while you still can."

The man swiftly got up and fled without looking back. Fang Xue then approached Xia Hong, lying on the ground, blood flowing from his mouth. He coughed and groaned in pain, struggling to rise.

"Please, spare me!" Xia Hong whimpered. Fang Xue regarded him with disdain, raising her sword to deliver the final blow.

"You should have considered the consequences of pursuing me," Fang Xue uttered with contempt. Her voice sliced through the air like a blade of ice.

Despite Xia Hong's pleas, it was too late. With a swift and precise strike, Fang Xue severed his head with a single motion, leaving his lifeless body on the ground.

For a moment, Fang Xue surveyed the mutilated bodies of the three Xia Family cultivators before collecting their spatial rings and departing the scene with Li Qiang.

"Why did you spare one of them?" Li Qiang asked curiously, skeptical of Fang Xue's supposed mercy toward her enemy.

"It's simple. I want him to report what transpired here to the Xia Family. They are crucial to my training," Fang Xue replied with a smile, explaining her rationale for allowing the survivor to escape.

Fang Xue understood the importance of training efficiently before the Sect Recruitment. The Xia Family provided her with the ideal challenge, being the strongest among the smaller families. They would constantly press her and seek to kill her at every opportunity. Fang Xue desired a formidable enemy who would constantly push her, preparing her for the day of the Sect Recruitment.

"But aren't you afraid that the Xia Family Patriarch will retaliate?" Li Qiang inquired. While she understood Fang Xue's reasoning, she recognized that Fang Xue was not invincible. Anyone in the Qi Sense Realm could easily overpower her, not to mention the Xia Family Patriarch's potential to defeat her effortlessly.

"They wouldn't dare. They know I have the protection of the Hu Family. The most they can do is send experts slightly stronger than me. Furthermore, they are unaware of my true level of cultivation. They only know that I can kill a cultivator at the 9th level of the Body Training stage."

"But the survivor I allowed to escape will report the increase in my strength after activating my lineage. However, they remain unaware of its nature. They will deduce that I employed a technique to enhance my power, which usually exhibits a strong reaction after use. Consequently, they will assume I am not as formidable as I truly am," Fang Xue explained her reasoning, leaving Li Qiang in admiration of Fang Xue's calculating mind, meticulously considering every detail with a cold precision.