Chapter 204 - 203: Li Zixuan Will Enter Arduous Seclusion to Avenge Her Master

「The next day, early morning.」

The library.

It was cold and desolate. The nearby shops remained vacant, and the streets were nearly empty of pedestrians.

Although many days had passed since the end of the Beast Tide...

The city’s great joy had been followed by immense sorrow. News of the Jianghai Sword God’s death had spread, and no one had been able to recover from the shock.

Jianghai City remained subdued.

BEEP—

"Clocked in. Qin Yang. Time: 7:57 AM."

After clocking in,

Qin Yang put his employee card away, glancing at the message on the time clock’s screen.

He mentally sighed in relief.

’Not bad.’

’At least I’m not the first one here anymore.’

Ever since word got out that the Beast Tide was over, employees had started trickling back to work. There were only a few so far, but it was a good start.

Before long,

The library would be lively again.

’Besides, it’s pretty boring to slack off when there are no coworkers around...’

Lost in thought,

Qin Yang carried Xiaobai to the lounge in Area 1. Utterly bored, he let his consciousness sink into the Enlightenment Space.

It was time to create a new martial art!

After his last battle with that Venerable Realm Demon,

He had gained a great deal.

Although his Realm was no match for his opponent’s, he had ultimately gained new insights.

Especially when it came to the Sword Dao. After being tempered on the brink of life and death, his understanding of Sword Intent became far more lucid, reaching a whole new level.

’It’s about time.’

’Time to merge the Sword-Opening Celestial Gate and the Heaven-Slaying Sword Drawing Technique.’

Within the space, Qin Yang condensed two different forms of Sword Qi.

One’s edge was brazenly exposed, while the other’s was utterly concealed.

The Sword-Opening Celestial Gate aimed for a majestic power capable of prying open the Celestial Gate itself, one that could shatter mountains and level rivers with ease.

In comparison,

The Heaven-Slaying Sword Drawing Technique was slightly different.

This was a martial art that completely concealed its edge and concentrated it into a single point. Its preparation time was slightly longer, but the power it unleashed after gathering momentum was a hundred times that of the Sword-Opening Celestial Gate!!

It was precisely because of their differences.

In a way, weren’t they complementary?

Qin Yang mused.

’If I merge the two,’

’And use the Heaven-Slaying Sword Drawing Technique as if it were the Sword-Opening Celestial Gate...’

’Wouldn’t that be like using a basic attack as an ultimate?’

........

Time passed just like that.

As noon approached,

Qin Yang slowly opened his eyes, exiting his meditative state. He sensed Li Qinghe approaching, and soon enough, she was standing before him.

"Qin..."

Li Qinghe held a draft of an Array Map calculation, cheerfully pulling up a chair and sitting down. "I knew I’d find you here slacking off."

"What did you just call me?"

Qin Yang glanced at her and said irritably, "It’s only been a few days, and you’ve already lost all respect for your master. Have I been spoiling you rotten again?"

As his words fell,

"...."

Li Qinghe remained silent, simply sizing up Qin Yang and scrutinizing his expression.

’She hadn’t started with "Qin" just to pick a fight; she just wanted to test his reaction.’

’And now, it seemed...’

’...he hadn’t reacted at all.’

’Still as flippant as ever.’

’For his Grandmaster’s eldest personal disciple to be so calm after his own Master’s death...’

’Doesn’t this just confirm my theory?!’

At this thought,

"Aha! I was right!"

Li Qinghe’s lips curled up, her smugness soaring, and she said eagerly, "Master, you really fooled everyone..."

"?"

Hearing this, Qin Yang frowned slightly and turned to face her. "Fooled everyone? What are you on about? Did the Beast Tide knock you silly?"

"Hmph... I’m not silly! I’m brilliant, you know!"

Hearing this, Li Qinghe’s smile grew even wider. "Tell me one thing honestly, Master..."

With that, she sat down across the table and said smugly, "My Grandmaster isn’t dead. He’s still alive somewhere, right?"

As her words fell,

"Where did you hear that rumor?"

Qin Yang frowned slightly and evasively replied, "Everyone saw it with their own eyes yesterday. He self-destructed with the Demon above the city walls and met an end where not even his bones remained."

"Oh? Is that really so..."

Hearing this, Li Qinghe wore a cunning smile.

"I’m not so sure about that, Master."

"If Grandmaster is really dead, how come you’re not sad at all? Instead, you’re here slacking off, sitting pretty and doing nothing?"

"Tsk. I’m not slacking off, I’m cultivating. Is there a problem with taking it easy? There’s hardly anyone in the library. It’s perfectly normal to be resting."

Qin Yang stroked Xiaobai and looked out at the street. "Besides, I’ve always been heartless. It’s just a master who died. What’s there to be sad about?"

"Since the old man has passed on, I should pull myself together, bring glory to our sect, and carry on my master’s skills!"

As his words fell,

This whole spiel,

Completely flustered Li Qinghe!

’Damn!’

’He’s taking such a high-and-mighty stance!’

’I almost fell for it!’

"Stop pretending, Master. You’re killing me... You, heartless? You clearly care a lot about everyone, yet you pretend not to."

Li Qinghe let out a laugh and looked at Qin Yang, saying softly, "Since you don’t want to talk, I’ll just be blunt.

I gave you a *Heaven and Earth’s Longevity* scroll before. You gave it to Grandmaster, didn’t you? That self-detonation during the Beast Tide... that was actually Grandmaster’s Clone, right? He used it to blow himself up along with that Cult Demon?"

"..."

Hearing this,

Qin Yang was silent for a moment.

’He wasn’t too surprised.’

’She was more or less right.’

’Sure enough.’

’This girl has always been sharp-witted and unpredictable.’

’She’s much harder to fool than Zixuan, who’s all cold on the outside but a big softie on the inside.’

’Besides,’

’He had gotten the *Heaven and Earth’s Longevity* from Li Qinghe in the first place.’

’Once she connected the dots, she could easily figure out the whole story behind the Jianghai Sword God’s self-detonation.’

’So why bother hiding it anymore?’

At this thought, Qin Yang nodded.

"You’re a clever one, aren’t you."

As his words fell,

Li Qinghe, who had been excited just a moment ago, quieted down.

She clasped her hands tightly, trying to suppress her excitement.

’I knew it!’

’I was right! I was absolutely right!’

Li Qinghe patted her chest and looked at Qin Yang, promising:

"Don’t worry, Master, I absolutely won’t tell anyone!"

........

After finally getting the news she wanted, Li Qinghe left, completely satisfied.

The library returned to its peaceful state.

Qin Yang closed his eyes again, trying to fuse the Sword Skill.

The two streams of Sword Qi intertwined, colliding violently.

But not long after she left, a faint ripple suddenly spread through his Spiritual Domain.

It was Xia He.

He walked in through the door, his face full of worry, and came straight to the lounge.

....

"What are you doing here too?"

Qin Yang was a little speechless. Today was just one acquaintance after another.

"I was in the area, mainly came to see you... Don’t be sad."

Xia He placed a hand on Qin Yang’s shoulder, mulling over his words, but in the end, it just turned into a heavy sigh. "My condolences, Old Qin..."

"I’m fine."

Hearing this, Qin Yang used the reflection on his phone screen to look at his face. "Do I look sad right now?"

"Heh, Old Qin, stop putting on a brave face. We’re buddies... I know you."

Xia He continued to console him, "If you need anything these next few days, just tell me. I’m just a phone call away. Don’t try to bear it all alone. This will pass..."

Then,

He sighed. "The night the Sword God self-destructed, I was also at the city garrison. To be honest, he saved my life too. Otherwise, during the Beast Tide, I—"

"You joined the battle too?"

Qin Yang frowned. "You weren’t seriously injured, were you?"

’He was well aware of Xia He’s skill level.’

’His skills were marginal at best—barely useful. But with how ferocious the Beast Tide had been, an injury was almost inevitable.’

"Yeah, I got a little hurt. A Star Beast rammed into me while we were clearing the battlefield."

Xia He said softly, rubbing his chest. "It’s nothing major, but lately when I sleep..."

Before he could finish,

Qin Yang cut in:

"Your breathing is ragged, you wake up startled in the middle of the night, and you have a stuffy, dull pain in your chest... Those are the problems, right?"

"Huh?!"

Hearing this, Xia He froze.

"Old Qin, I haven’t even finished, how did you kno—"

"Your energy flow is unstable."

Qin Yang said in a low voice, reaching out and pressing his right wrist to take his pulse.

’That collision during the Beast Tide wasn’t as simple as it looked. It’s already left some hidden damage. If it’s allowed to fester, it might lead to...’

’Since I’ve noticed it, I might as well take care of it.’

Thinking of this,

Qin Yang pressed down on Xia He’s wrist.

A vast amount of Star Force poured in, like a gentle spring breeze and rain,

Nourishing his body.

In an instant, his injuries were completely healed.

A few seconds later,

"How do you feel?"

Qin Yang let go of his wrist.

"Holy crap, much better!"

Xia He touched his chest, overjoyed, but his expression quickly changed again.

"Wait a minute...."

"Old Qin! I came to comfort you, how did it turn into you comforting me?!"

...

「Late that afternoon.」

The sun sank low, and a pale white filled the sky.

A light rain and gentle wind swept through Jianghai City, and the temperature dropped sharply.

Qin Yang carried groceries, heading back to the villa with Xiaobai. Man and fox shared an umbrella, strolling leisurely down the street.

"Master, you really fooled all of them."

Xiaobai swished its fox tail. "Is it really okay not to tell them the truth?"

"You don’t understand."

Qin Yang said leisurely, "The Jianghai Sword God’s ’departure,’ in a way, is a good thing for them."

"Hey, Master, someone’s waiting for you."

Just then, Xiaobai suddenly pointed towards the door.

As its words fell,

Qin Yang followed its gaze.

He immediately saw Li Zixuan waiting at the door, dressed in funeral black, her face dark and gloomy.

"Senior Brother..."

Upon seeing Qin Yang, Li Zixuan threw herself into his arms, and her choked sobs instantly turned into unrestrained wails.

"It’s okay..."

Qin Yang gently patted her back, comforting her. "It will all pass."

At this point,

He didn’t explain further.

’Right now, too many people across the country have their eyes on the title of "Sword God."’

’A tall tree catches the wind. This was true for the people around him, and for Jianghai City itself.’

’The Sword God being "dead" might actually prevent a lot of trouble.’

’Sometimes, a dead man is more useful than a living one.’

But just then,

"Senior Brother..."

Li Zixuan looked up, wiped her tears with her sleeve, tried to stop her sobs, and said with a trembling voice:

"I’ve decided, Senior Brother. Starting today, I’m going into seclusion."

"Seclusion?"

Qin Yang was taken aback for a moment.

He saw Li Zixuan lift her tear-stained face, her tone resolute.

"From now on, I’ll kill every member of the Beast God Sect I see!"

"One day, I will see the Beast God Sect completely destroyed!"