"Rest then."

Qin An said no more, looking at the somewhat gloomy weather ahead, he planned to ignore everything tomorrow and continue to improve his skills as a blacksmith and butcher.

There are naturally blacksmith shops and butcher shops in Xuanjing City, and he doesn’t intend to just sit around for half a month.

Thinking of this, Qin An returned to his room for an early rest.

Seeing that Qin An had no more to say, Yu Feng didn’t say much either, and strolled leisurely around the Evil Extermination Bureau.

...

Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, the next day arrived.

When the first rays of sunlight shone into the courtyard, a young man holding a long staff was already standing outside the gate.

The staff was made entirely of metal, reflecting a faint cold light in the sunlight.

Although the young man was dressed in the uniform of the Evil Extermination Bureau, his face was full of arrogance, like a proud rooster, always holding its head high.

He stood before Qin An’s courtyard and loudly proclaimed, "Mr. Qin, I am Li Changlin, I’ve heard of the various actions taken by Mr. Qin in this Xuanjing City, and I greatly admire them."

"I am here today to spar with Mr. Qin. If Mr. Qin is ready, please come out and test my depth."

The voice was loud, and driven by True Essence, it spread throughout the entire courtyard, and even the people of the Evil Extermination Bureau next door heard it clearly.

At this time, many young talents from other Tao-level cities had already gathered outside the courtyard.

They watched the courtyard with eyes full of curiosity.

Nobody acted rashly; they were all watching the show.

Everyone knew the saying that the bird that sticks its head out gets shot, but since this bird was willing to stick its head out, they naturally wanted to play the fisherman waiting for clams.

At this moment, the door of the room was tightly closed.

Inside the room, Yu Feng poured a cup of tea, took a sip, and shook his head: "You’re not in a hurry at all."

Opposite him, Qin An was slowly wiping the long knife at his waist.

As Qin An wiped, the blade of Cold Star became increasingly bright.

"Do you know who this person is?"

Yu Feng nodded: "In his Tao-level city, he was the first among the younger generation to break into the Unity Realm, and can be considered the strongest in the same rank."

"He uses the Tianyun Staff Technique, which emphasizes great force. He once challenged two demon pseudo-gods of the same level with a long staff, ultimately taking them down in just two moves, turning them both into piles of flesh."

"You must be careful, his strength is enormous."

"Strength is it?" Qin An nodded slightly, said no more, and sheathed the long knife, then looked up and said: "Since he is the first, I’ll use him as an appetizer."

With that, Qin An pushed open the door and walked out into the courtyard.

As he opened the door, all eyes once again focused on him.

Qin An could feel that among these gazes, some carried curiosity, while others held a tinge of provocation.

Most were filled with eager anticipation.

He understood clearly that these people wanted to see the result of his battle with Li Changlin, and to discern his skills through this fight.

If that was the case, then he would oblige them.

Qin An strolled slowly into the courtyard, placing his hand on the hilt of Cold Star at his waist, and said flatly: "Since it’s a challenge, there ought to be some stakes. If there are no stakes, wouldn’t I just be becoming a stepping stone for you all to fame? Don’t you agree?"

Although these words seemed directed at Li Changlin, they were meant for all the onlookers.

Li Changlin gripped his staff tightly, his eyes slightly cautious, and nodded: "What Mr. Qin says is reasonable, no one wants to do something for nothing. But I would like to know what stakes Mr. Qin has in mind."

Though his tone was calm, it was filled with an air of arrogance.

Yesterday, he was also among those who faced the emperor.

In his view, Qin An’s actions yesterday were quite opportunistic.

Such actions are unbecoming of a gentleman.

If that’s the case, then he would teach Qin An a lesson today.

In his Tao-level city, he was the most outstanding among the younger generation, shining brightly.

Even if it were him, faced with those three at the city gates back then, he was confident he could fight his way out.

As he saw it, Qin An back then relied on the replica jade to escape, which is why he believed Qin An might not have been able to break out of that situation with his strength alone.

Qin An thought for a moment, his gaze fell on the long staff in Li Changlin’s hands, and he smiled slightly: "If you lose, leave the staff. It’s just a pile of scrap metal, but I could sell it for some money."

"What did you say?" Li Changlin’s eyes flared with anger upon hearing this, clenching his teeth tightly, "This staff of mine is forged from several precious metals, how dare you speak of it this way, it’s truly detestable!"

Those who roamed the martial world knew that a weapon was a person’s livelihood.

If your livelihood is belittled by others, it is like belittling yourself, which is why Li Changlin was so furious.

"Are you going to do it or not?"

Qin An wasted no words, and only said flatly: "If not, then get out of here quickly. If you are, then receive my strike."

Li Changlin shouted angrily: "Why wouldn’t I? If you dare to strike, I’ll take it. If I lose, the staff is yours, and I will never challenge you again!"

Qin An smiled slightly: "If that’s the case, then make your move. I’ll let you go first."

Li Changlin, his mind clouded with rage, sneered: "You make the first move, I won’t!"

He thought that if he made the first move, it would make him seem less capable.

He wanted to let Qin An make the first move and then defeat him.

In this way, even if Qin An had the advantage of striking first, being defeated by him would greatly boost his own reputation.

Qin An nodded slightly, and drew his blade: "If so, then take my strike!"

As he spoke, Cold Star slashed down at Li Changlin from top to bottom.

Li Changlin sneered: "I’ve seen your blade skill, are you planning to use the secret technique of Three Blades Unite? But I came prepared!"

He raised the iron staff and swung it directly to clash with Qin An’s long knife.

The next moment, Qin An felt a tremendous force surge through Cold Star and spread throughout his body.

This staff indeed had the force of ten thousand pounds.

If it were a demon pseudo-god of the same realm, it might have been smashed into meat paste immediately.

Qin An nodded slightly, thinking to himself: "Truly worthy of being a young talent from a Tao-level city, standing at the pinnacle of the younger generation, indeed has some talent."

At this moment, Li Changlin, unaware of Qin An’s thoughts, was still increasing his force.

He wanted to defeat Qin An in one go, and then shame him heavily.

But before he could exert his full strength, he suddenly felt a blur in front of his eyes.

Immediately, Qin An’s figure disappeared from his sight.

A cold long knife was already against his neck.

The icy touch of the blade on his skin made him break out in goosebumps.

Qin An’s voice slowly emanated.

"Since you knew my methods, why act so impulsively?"

"You who specialize in staff techniques can indeed defeat an enemy with one strike, but if one strike doesn’t do it, all that’s left is death."

Qin An had, in an instant, used a body technique he hadn’t employed in a long time.

Li Changlin, already overwhelmed with rage, only wanted to defeat Qin An in one strike, thus his attack had been full force.

But going all out had significant drawbacks.

He had no room to retreat. If the opponent evaded or blocked it, he would fall into a passive situation.

And when Qin An used his long blade to block part of the force of the long staff, he immediately deployed a body technique to evade.

At this moment, Li Changlin could no longer retract his staff, and his weakness was exposed.

Li Changlin’s face showed astonishment, then he clenched the long staff, teeth gritted, ready to move forward.

But at that moment, Qin An’s voice, as cold as ice, reached his ears.

"You’ve lost. If you move even a fraction more, I will really cut off your head, believe it or not, try it."