Stepping into Bixue Hall, Qi Yun felt his body begin to plummet, falling into a boundless, vast space.

Below him, a maze so vast it was heart-stopping rapidly grew larger.

Countless massive crystal walls, hundreds of feet tall, smooth as mirrors, and refracting a hazy mirage-like aura, crisscrossed to form a boundless, bizarre world of glittering crystal.

Over a thousand Outer Mansion Disciples fell from the sky like dumplings being dropped into a pot, scattering as they were randomly thrown into every corner of the maze.

The moment he fell into the giant maze, a thick, pale white mist suddenly rose from below, gently cradling Qi Yun, negating the force of his fall and allowing him to land steadily.

"How thoughtful..."

Qi Yun raised an eyebrow. He had already been preparing to form a spell and transform into a Clear Wind to negate the fall.

’Looks like the Holy Sect has some conscience after all.’

The drop from where they started to the maze was at least a thousand meters. At the Qi Refining Stage, even a master of escape skills couldn’t land unharmed from such a height.

Without this mist to break their fall, at least eighty or ninety percent of the disciples would have been dashed to death in this Mirage Thousand Faces Realm before the trial even began.

’But the sheer size of this maze is ridiculous.’

Recalling the view of the endless maze as he fell, Qi Yun formed a sword formula and flung out a blast of Sword Qi with a flick of his hand.

He wanted to test the hardness of these crystal walls and see if he could break through them.

CLANG—

A piercing shriek of metal on metal exploded! A shower of blinding sparks burst from the point of impact between the Sword Qi and the crystal wall!

Not even a single white scratch was left on the mirror-smooth crystal wall.

Its hardness clearly surpassed ordinary steel; it couldn’t be broken by normal means.

’A Spiritual Object?’ A thought struck Qi Yun, and he tentatively placed his palm against the cold crystal wall.

Unfortunately, the Magic Technique Panel in his Sea of Consciousness showed no reaction.

His plan to get something for free had failed. Just as Qi Yun was about to use the Clear Wind Technique to scout out the Mirage Thousand Faces Realm, he heard the roar of rushing wind above his head.

Looking up, he saw a burly figure plummeting straight down, and at an even faster speed.

Just as he was about to hit the ground, the man’s knotted leg muscles tensed, and he kicked off the two crystal walls on either side like a spring!

BOOM!

The crystal walls trembled slightly.

Using the powerful recoil, the figure executed a swift mid-air flip, landing steadily. The movements were clean and efficient, and he was completely unharmed.

"Whew... The Holy Sect really is vicious, trying to kill us right from the start."

The man, who had relied solely on his formidable physique to land, cracked his neck with a sharp KAKA sound and let out a long breath. As he complained about the Holy Sect, his burning gaze fell upon Qi Yun.

’A Martial Cultivator?’

Qi Yun narrowed his eyes, observing the man’s tall and sturdy build, which radiated a scorching aura.

’Of the three thousand paths, all can lead to immortality.’

’Though the Holy Sect is one of the Demon Sects, aside from the Sect Leader’s lineage, the rest are a hundred flowers blooming—people practice all sorts of things.’

’There were Magic Cultivators like himself, Sword Cultivators like the Flower Moon Hall Master, and then there was this aggressive Martial Cultivator before him, his body surging with vigorous qi and blood.’

"Well, what a coincidence. I am Pang Xiao. And how should I address you, brother Daoist?"

Pang Xiao’s face instantly broke into an enthusiastic smile. He cupped his fist in his hand in a salute to Qi Yun, his tone frank and hearty.

"Lu Renjia." Qi Yun’s face was expressionless as the lie came smoothly, but his practiced acting skills made Pang Xiao nod.

"So it’s Brother Lu. A pleasure, a pleasure."

BOOM—

The word "pleasure" had barely faded when Pang Xiao—who was all smiles just a second before—unleashed explosive force from his legs. He became a blur, instantly closing the distance to Qi Yun. His right fist, faintly swirling with a scorching aura, shot forward like a siege hammer fired from a cannon, wrapped in a suffocating gale as it aimed straight for Qi Yun’s face!

He put his all into that punch.

He clearly intended to smash Qi Yun’s head in a single blow!

BANG!

A dull thud vibrated through the air.

A White Bone Skeleton, wreathed in roiling, cold Corpse Qi, suddenly flew out from behind Qi Yun, solidly blocking Pang Xiao’s head-bursting punch.

Qi Yun stood his ground, the hem of his robes whipping in the wind from the punch. Not a trace of panic showed on his face. Instead, he let out a soft chuckle.

"As expected of a Holy Sect Disciple. A fine example of a smile hiding a dagger. You change face faster than flipping through a book."

"Heh heh, right back at you." Pang Xiao’s attack had failed, but the smile on his face only grew wider, though the ferocity in his eyes intensified severalfold.

With a low shout, the qi and blood in his body erupted like magma!

A scorching shockwave of heat spread out from him, violently knocking the blocking White Bone Skeleton back several feet.

Without the slightest pause, Pang Xiao threw a flurry of punches. The afterimages of his fists multiplied, each blow carrying the monumental force to shatter stone tablets and the scorching power of his qi and blood, instantly enveloping all of Qi Yun’s vital points! 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"I gave you an inch, and you took a mile!" Qi Yun’s eyes turned cold, killing intent flaring. He formed a sword formula with his right hand as quick as lightning, True Qi gathering at his fingertips!

HISS! HISS!

Two streams of pale green Sword Qi, so condensed they seemed solid and sharp enough to pierce the heavens, suddenly erupted from his fingertips!

The Sword Qi didn’t fly straight. Instead, it carved two cunning and bizarre arcs through the air as if they were alive, shrieking as they closed in on Pang Xiao’s temples from the left and right.

The angle was vicious, the speed astonishing!

"Light-Splitting Sword Qi?"

Seeing the two streams of Sword Qi closing in from both sides, Pang Xiao’s expression was one of utter shock.

Among the Outer Mansion’s killing techniques, the Light-Splitting Sword Qi was infamous!

It was rumored to be a lesser version of the Foundation Establishment Technique, the Taiyi Splitting Light Sword. Although its power was far from the original, its unique ability to launch multiple swords at once firmly placed it among the top ten offensive techniques of the Outer Mansion!

When mastered, it could unleash six swords at once, making it nearly impossible for those at the same cultivation level to block!

’To think there’s a Sword Cultivator like this among the current Outer Mansion Disciples. Is he a descendant of some Master from the Inner Mansion?’

Pang Xiao wondered to himself, but his expression soon turned strange.

’That’s not right. He’s a Sword Cultivator, so why would he also practice the Skull Curse? That’s the sort of thing those Magic Cultivators do.’

’Don’t orthodox Sword Cultivators all cultivate the Circular Light Sword Array for protection?’

"Gasp! It’s a Magical Artifact!"

Recalling how Qi Yun had summoned the White Bone Skeleton to block his punch without casting a spell, Pang Xiao suddenly realized!

’That must be the power of a Magical Artifact!’

’To have a protective Magical Artifact right after entering the sect, and to have mastered the incredibly difficult Light-Splitting Sword Qi... with such talent, his bloodline must be extraordinary.’

’He’s definitely got someone backing him!’

’And not just anyone, either.’

’Most likely... a Master!’

At this thought, beads of cold sweat instantly formed on Pang Xiao’s forehead. A chill ran down his spine. He had just kicked a steel plate.

He was a Martial Cultivator, but he hadn’t trained his muscles at the expense of his brain.

If he offended the descendant of a suspected Foundation Establishment Master, could he still hope to survive in the Holy Sect? Could he still hope to advance?

Even if he wasn’t one hundred percent certain, he couldn’t risk it.

After hastily circulating his qi and blood to dodge the two incoming streams of Sword Qi, Pang Xiao quickly cupped his fist toward Qi Yun and said:

"Brother Daoist, wait! This little brother didn’t know your esteemed status and rashly offended you. Please forgive me.

"Please accept these few Golden Light Sword Talismans as an apology, Brother Daoist."

Staring in confusion at the Talismans on the ground and at Pang Xiao, whose attitude had done a complete one-eighty, Qi Yun scratched his cheek and slowly broke into a wicked grin.

’Tsk... This kid seems to have misunderstood something.’

...