As the tip of the icy blade was about to pierce through his eye, Shen Yuan suddenly pushed both feet against the ground.

Boom!

Instead of retreating with a step, he launched his entire body backwards.

The blade missed him by less than an inch.

Unfortunately...

He had used too much force.

Bang!

His back slammed against the cave floor before he rolled once...

Twice...

Stone scraped against his already wounded body as fresh blood stained the ground behind him.

Yet before anyone could capitalise on the opening...

Shen Yuan planted one hand against the ground.

His body sprang back into a half-crouch.

"..."

Shi Lui stared at him.

A flicker of surprise flashed across her face.

She had expected him to panic or hesitate, but he was like a god of war, recovering from everything that was thrown at him and adapting to surprise attacks at an alarming rate.

Shen Yuan had escaped with nothing more than a few bruises.

That surprise disappeared almost instantly.

In its place came an icy killing intent.

"I will kill you." Her voice echoed throughout the cave. "And before I do..."

"I’ll make you spit out every battle art you know."

Shen Yuan wiped the blood from the corner of his lips. "You’ll have to catch me first."

The moment the words left his mouth...

He was already moving again.

A sword swept across where his neck had been.

A spear stabbed into empty air.

Shen Yuan slipped between both attacks as though flowing through water. By the time the servants realised what had happened—

Shi Lui had already vanished.

She melted into the crowd without leaving behind the slightest opening. Like an assassin waiting for the perfect opportunity.

Shen Yuan glanced across the battlefield.

"...Playing hide-and-seek before me?" He chuckled. "You’ve got guts."

A Body Tempering servant suddenly rushed towards him from the side, raising a heavy axe above his head.

"I’ve got you—"

Bang!

Shen Yuan didn’t even look.

The side of his fist slammed into the man’s temple, and the servant’s skull exploded like an overripe orange.

Blood, bones, brain matter...

Everything burst outward.

The headless corpse remained standing for half a second before collapsing lifelessly onto the cave floor.

Thud!

Without sparing it another glance...

Shen Yuan continued walking forward.

Crack.

He tilted his neck.

Crack.

Then he clasped both hands behind his back and stretched his arms upward.

Pop!

The shoulder Shi Jin had stabbed only moments ago let out a satisfying pop as the muscles continued healing.

"...That’s better."

Another notification quietly appeared.

[Strength (STR): 98 → 99]

Then...

[Ding!]

[Agility (AGI): 99 → 100]

For the briefest moment...

The entire battlefield seemed to slow down. Not because the servants had become slower.

But because Shen Yuan had become faster.

His breathing was calmer, and his heart had slowed down to the point he could hear it beating faintly in the distance.

Even the countless strands of qi flowing through every cultivator’s body became clearer within his perception.

A faint smile appeared on Shen Yuan’s face.

"...Now."

"Let me get serious."

Vanishing Step!

Boom!

Remembering the sensation he had felt while fighting Peng Ho, Shen Yuan pushed external qi inside his body. When the technique activated his figure...

Just vanished.

"What...?" A Qi Condensation servant instinctively stepped backwards. His eyes frantically searched every corner of the cave.

"I can’t see him! Where did he go?!"

Splash!

A wet sound echoed behind them.

Everyone spun around at once.

Only a pair of legs remained standing.

The servant’s upper body had already slid off his waist before crashing onto the ground with a sickening thud.

His intestines spilled across the stone floor.

Blood spread beneath the corpse like a crimson pond.

"..."

For a brief second...

The entire cave fell silent.

"Look around! He has to be here! Cover the entrance!"

The servants immediately scattered.

Some rushed towards the cave entrance.

Others formed small groups, standing back-to-back as they searched the darkness between the torchlights.

While acting like a commander, Shi Lui could not play the assassin the moment she gave the orders. She had exposed herself.

Shi Lui kept moving.

She never remained in one place for more than a second.

Her footsteps were light as she weaved between the servants, her eyes sweeping across every corner of the cave.

But no matter where she looked, she saw no traces of Shen Yuan.

’Where...?’ A cold chill suddenly crawled up her spine.

The air behind her felt different. It had been for a while, but only now had she realised this change.

It was only the faintest disturbance, almost impossible to notice.

Shi Lui’s instincts screamed, and without thinking, she spun around.

"...!"

There he was.

Shen Yuan was grinning at her while running at the same speed as her. He had been running behind her the entire time. He matched every single one of her steps, like a shadow following her.

"Found you." Shen Yuan whispered with a wink. "I may not be proud to admit it, but I am the best stalker you can ever find. No one can come up to me and say... surprise motherfucker-"

Splash!

She tried to move her arms, but it was already too late.

Killer Move!

Mountain Cleaving Axe

Shen Yuan used two moves at the same time, and his arms almost turned into a blur in her eyes. The Axe looked so big, like a weapon of judgement coming down at her neck to judge her for all the crimes she had committed.

Slurp!

The axe went through her neck and came out from the other side. The sickening sound echoed throughout the cave, followed by a silence where only the sound of her rolling head could be heard.

The headless body started to fall when Shen Yuan whipped his arm again.

This time he chopped off the index finger of her right hand. He caught it midair right before the horrified eyes of the servants who had frozen in their spot and gave the bloody end a lick.

"Every winner should claim a prize don’t you think?" From the corner of his eyes, he looked at the rest of them and grinned, making their souls leave their bodies. "I will finish it later; better deal with you guys first."

[Strength (STR): 99 → 100]

[Ding!]

[Peak Mortal Body has been achieved.]

[Would you like to break through?]

Shen Yuan took their moment of distraction to power up once more. ’Yes, please.’