Ye Xuan almost laughed.

To think there were people this shameless in the world.

The Spirit Medicines in this Floating Light Secret Realm were ownerless. Whoever picked them, owned them.

And their claim of having seen it first was utter nonsense. Ye Xuan was always keenly aware of his surroundings. When he was picking the herb, these two weren’t around. They only appeared nearby after he had finished.

Clearly, they had seen his actions and just wanted to steal his Spirit Medicine.

"This Spirit Medicine is yours? Oh, my apologies. I’ve taken it now. You two will just have to forgive me."

Ye Xuan turned around and said with a faint smile.

He just wanted to mess with them a little.

But unexpectedly, upon seeing his face, they both cried out in delighted surprise, "It’s you?!"

Ye Xuan faltered, thinking they knew him.

But in the next moment, an ecstatic glint appeared in both of their eyes. They couldn’t help but exchange a look, a silent understanding passing between them.

The next instant, with a SWISH SWISH, the two of them moved to surround Ye Xuan, one in front and one behind.

"Heh heh, to think we’d find him here without even trying. Talk about a lucky break."

"Senior Brother, our luck is incredible. We just got here and we’ve already run into Ye Xuan. It seems even the heavens are on our side."

The two of them chuckled coldly, slowly approaching Ye Xuan with greedy, excited looks in their eyes.

Ye Xuan frowned. "And who are you two?"

"You don’t need to know who we are. You may not know us, but we know you—the champion of the Floating Light Assembly. Hand over the method for creating the Blue Star Grass Martial Soul, and we brothers might consider leaving you a way out. Otherwise, don’t blame us for what happens next."

"Senior Brother, why waste words on this brat? Once we capture him, I refuse to believe he won’t hand over the method for the Blue Star Grass Martial Soul."

The words had barely fallen when the pointy-chinned, monkey-faced disciple attacked. CLANG! A green battle blade suddenly appeared in his hand. The blade transformed into a gust of clear wind, instantly slashing toward Ye Xuan.

SWISH!

The blade fell!

The wind rose!

An invisible gale enveloped every inch of space around Ye Xuan. The clear wind drifted, the blade’s light flickered, and it felt utterly inescapable.

"Junior Brother, don’t kill him," the older disciple reminded from the side.

"Don’t worry, Senior Brother. This strike will only cripple him."

The pointy-chinned disciple gave a savage grin and mocked, "Brat, feeling a sense of powerlessness washing over you? Heh heh, this Clear Wind Blade Skill of mine is an Earth Grade martial technique. One slash is like a silent breeze in the night—impossible to dodge. Surrender now and you might live. Otherwise, you die."

As his voice fell, the disciple’s blade was already within a few feet of Ye Xuan. The arc of the blade was aimed squarely at Ye Xuan’s arms and legs. If this strike landed, Ye Xuan’s four limbs would be severed, and he would be turned into a cripple.

’So they’re after the Blue Star Grass Martial Soul.’

Ye Xuan’s gaze sharpened, a trace of killing intent appearing in his eyes.

He had only intended to toy with them, but they had attacked without a second thought, aiming to kill.

This had already stirred the killing intent in Ye Xuan’s heart.

Without the slightest hesitation, the Dragon Pattern Sword at his waist was suddenly unsheathed. A resounding dragon’s cry echoed through the valley. With a flick of his right hand, a blur of sword light instantly shattered the opponent’s blade light and, like a bolt of lightning, pierced his body.

PFFT! Blood splattered. The triumphant look hadn’t even faded from the pointy-chinned disciple’s face as he watched in disbelief as Ye Xuan’s longsword impaled him.

A shrill scream rang out. A gaping hole appeared in the disciple’s chest. With a slight twist from Ye Xuan, he was sent flying backward, spewing blood. He hit the ground with a THUD, as dead as could be.

With just a single sword strike, the pointy-chinned youth—who moments ago had been gloating about his good luck and plotting to capture Ye Xuan for the Blue Star Grass Martial Soul—was now breathless, having gone to see King Yama.

"Junior Brother?"

The other black-clothed disciple hadn’t had time to react. Only when his pointy-chinned junior brother lay dead on the ground did he let out a cry of shock and rage.

"Die!"

The black-clothed disciple’s eyes were filled with fury. A sharp longsword appeared in his hand, glowing brilliantly. An invisible wave of Soul Power radiated from it, surging toward Ye Xuan.

RUSTLE!

As the sword light surged, the dead leaves all around were pulled in by the energy, swirling into the center before exploding outward with a BOOM.

Hmph!

Ye Xuan snorted coldly. Without pausing after killing the first man, he slashed back with his sword. CLANG! The two swords collided. The turbulent Profound Qi erupted into an invisible barrier between them.

Under the terrifying impact, Ye Xuan’s figure remained as steady as a mountain. The black-clothed disciple, in contrast, was sent flying dozens of meters, spitting out a mouthful of blood. He looked down and saw a huge chip in his own longsword, its luster dimmed.

"Impossible."

The black-clothed disciple’s heart was a mix of shock and rage. His longsword was a Tier Three Profound Soldier, astonishingly powerful and incomparable to ordinary Profound Soldiers. He never imagined it would be nearly destroyed after just one clash with Ye Xuan’s sword.

Done wasting words, Ye Xuan lunged forward after his slash. His expression was calm as his sword drew invisible arcs of light. Though the sword light didn’t seem particularly sharp, in the black-clothed disciple’s eyes, it was profoundly mysterious. He felt an inexplicable urge to fall to his knees and worship it.

"This kind of Sword Intent... how is this possible?"

The black-clothed disciple also practiced the sword and had a deep understanding of Sword Intent. Seeing Ye Xuan’s thrust, he was utterly dumbfounded.

Every one of Ye Xuan’s sword strikes was swung with effortless ease, light and seemingly unremarkable. Yet in his eyes, they carried the weight of Mount Tai crashing down—an irresistible force that oppressed him so much he felt he could vomit blood.

"Not good!"

In his haste, the black-clothed disciple bit down hard, spat out a mouthful of blood, and his eyes suddenly glazed over. An invisible wave of Soul Power surged from him and crashed into Ye Xuan’s mind.

At the same time, a black goshawk appeared above his head. Three multicolored halos of light swirled around it as the power of his Martial Soul billowed out like a vast ocean.

Faced with Ye Xuan’s ferocious attack, the man no longer dared to show the slightest contempt. He instantly unleashed all of his strongest trump cards, praying only to escape with his life.

But then, a shocking scene unfolded.

His Soul Power attack had absolutely no effect after entering Ye Xuan’s body. At the same time, his powerful Three-Stars Martial Soul also failed to affect Ye Xuan in the slightest.

PFFT! The Dragon Pattern Sword pierced straight into the black-clothed disciple’s body, running through his heart.

"Ah! I can’t accept this!"

The black-clothed disciple screamed, his eyes bloodshot. In a final, desperate counterattack before death, he slammed a fist into Ye Xuan’s chest, but he couldn’t even break through Ye Xuan’s protective Profound Qi.

’They were asking for it.’

Ye Xuan gave a cold smile, retracting his sword and standing tall.

The Devouring Martial Soul appeared above his head, lunged forward, and instantly consumed the opponent’s Three-Stars goshawk Martial Soul.

After taking their Storage Rings, Ye Xuan turned and left.

’These two were only at the Earth Martial Artist Second Layer, not even as strong as me, and they thought they could rob me? How laughable.’

He had not gone a hundred meters before he suddenly stopped and looked up at a large tree in the distance.

"My friend, you’ve been watching for a long time. Shouldn’t you come out now?"

"Hahaha, as expected of the Floating Light Assembly’s champion. Your perception is truly sharp."

A burst of laughter suddenly rang out as a figure shot out from a nearby tree, landing in the clearing before Ye Xuan.

This man appeared to be in his early forties. He wore a dark blue robe, had a fair, clean-shaven face, and gave off a shrewd and powerful aura.

He held a golden fan in his hand and said with a faint smile, "I am Wu Xu of the Earth Stone Kingdom. The two you just killed were disciples of the Dongsheng Kingdom. If word of this gets out, I’m afraid it will cause conflict between your Liuyun Kingdom and the Dongsheng Kingdom!"

Hearing this, Ye Xuan smiled faintly. "Then I must thank you for the reminder, Senior. If not for your warning, I truly wouldn’t have known those two robbers were disciples of the Dongsheng Kingdom. The Dongsheng Kingdom calls itself one of the five great kingdoms, yet to think they raise such petty thugs. When we leave the Floating Light Secret Realm, I’ll have to ask you to bear witness for me, Senior, to just how heinous these Dongsheng Kingdom disciples were."

Wu Xu was taken aback, clearly not expecting Ye Xuan to say something like that.

He gave Ye Xuan another long, hard look.

Although the Earth Stone Kingdom was not one of the five great powers, it was still a mid-tier force in the Thirteen Nations Alliance. Ye Xuan’s performance at the Floating Light Assembly had left a deep impression on him.

However, the Blue Star Grass Martial Soul that Ye Xuan had developed also made him incredibly covetous.

The earlier exchange between Ye Xuan and the Dongsheng Kingdom disciples had attracted his attention. By the time he arrived, he immediately saw the scene of Ye Xuan killing the two disciples.

Despite his amazement, the allure of the Blue Star Grass Martial Soul had convinced him to make his move. He had set up an ambush in the nearby trees, but he never expected to be sensed by Ye Xuan, which shocked him once again.

And now, Ye Xuan’s completely fearless attitude made him hesitate.

The Earth Stone Kingdom was not weak, but there was still a gap compared to a major power like the Liuyun Kingdom. If he failed to kill Ye Xuan and word got out, his Earth Stone Kingdom would inevitably face immense pressure from the Liuyun Kingdom.

But with Ye Xuan right in front of him, he was unwilling to just give up on the Blue Star Grass Martial Soul.

As a Soul Refiner, he clearly understood the value of the Blue Star Grass Martial Soul. If the Blue Star Grass Martial Soul that Ye Xuan had developed at the Floating Light Assembly could be spread throughout the Earth Stone Kingdom...

...in just a few decades, the Earth Stone Kingdom would surely become a sixth great power, no weaker than the original five.

For Wu Xu, this was an almost irresistible temptation.

For a moment, Wu Xu’s mind was in turmoil.

"If there’s nothing else, Sir, then I’ll be on my way."

Seeing Wu Xu remain silent, Ye Xuan turned as if to leave.