Apollo cut an imposing figure as the winds swirled, his aura unfurling to reveal third level Foundation Establishment cultivation. "Just a mundane martial artist yet you dare be so impudent before me?" His voice rumbled. "Know your place!" Apollo thrust out his palm, emitting a burst of invisible energy. The spectating cultivators nodded in approval, sure this blow would teach the arrogant youth a lesson. But in the next moment, their expressions changed to shock. Somehow, Shuro had redirected the force, borrowing Apollo's own power against him. The deflected strike sent Apollo skidding back three steps, face paling. Taking advantage of his stumble, Shuro struck, fingers extending and coalescing into a glowing spear that lanced toward Apollo's dantian. Seeing mortal peril, Apollo hastily brought up both hands, barely managing to catch the spear though the impact still sent him staggering further. The watching cultivators cried out in dismay. "Impossible! He...he's clearly stronger!" "Shuro...just who is he?" Even the Xu clan descendants observing from afar wore looks of astonishment. The spear dissipated, but Shuro pressed his advantage, not letting Apollo recover. He crossed the distance between them in a blur. Apollo tried to mount a desperate counterattack, but Shuro's moves flowed like water, turning aside his blows with subtle shifts rather than brute force. In the span of two more exchanges, Shuro's palm struck Apollo's chest. With a muffled grunt, Apollo was launched away, bouncing and rolling several yards before coming to a stop, face-down and unmoving. Profound silence engulfed the crossroads. The watching cultivators were stupefied, unable to believe a mundane youth had just trounced a powerful immortal clan disciple. Shuro glanced around impassively before walking back to Lewis and Lee. Behind him, Apollo's fallen form trembled, then pushed himself up, expression twisted in disbelief and fury."You...just you wait..." he spat vehemently. "My clan won't...let you...get away with this!" Dignity forgotten, Apollo scrambled to his feet and limped away, his remaining underlings supporting him. The mob looked on wordlessly, giving them a wide berth. Shuro paid no heed, standing calmly with his companions as all who remained stared at him with newfound wariness and awe. Apollo's eyes burned feverishly. To think such a prodigy had appeared! If news spread, even the Seven Sects would desperately vie to recruit him. Better to nip this threat while still a bud. With murderous intent, Apollo attacked. But his strikes met only empty air as Shuro evaded them with subtle movements, never overextending. Apollo grew increasingly frantic, his earlier composed moves turning chaotic and wild. Yet no matter how he lashed out, Shuro remained untouchable as a phantom. Seeing Apollo's ragged state, the watching cultivators shook their heads. "Has he gone mad?" "That Shuro is clearly toying with him." Even the Xu clan scions watching from afar wore expressions of fascination. The young man rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Finally, Apollo froze amidst his frenzy, chest heaving as his strength depleted. Sensing the opportunity, Shuro stepped forward and tapped Apollo's chest with two fingers. With a wretched cry, Apollo crashed down limply. This time, he did not get back up. The difference in their strength was clear as day. Shuro observed the fallen Apollo impassively before glancing around once more. The gathered cultivators averted their eyes, not daring to meet his gaze. Satisfied, Shuro returned to his companions. "Let's go," he said simply, setting off down the rightward path. Lee quickly moved to follow while supporting the stumbling Lewis, whose strange runic armor had faded away. The remaining crowd parted for them wordlessly. Even the haughty clan disciples kept their heads lowered in deference as Shuro passed. From afar, the Xu clan scions watched them depart, a complicated look in the young man's eyes while the girl smiled brilliantly. "What do you think, sister?" "I think," she replied lightly, "that our trip has become much more interesting!" Laughing musically, she set off towards the misty path. After a pause, her brother followed, shaking his head wryly. The "mud beads" surrounding him seemed to receive some kind of summons, spinning at high speed, leaving only an afterimage in the air. In an instant, the afterimage took on a human form, with horns growing from its head and a snake-like tail. At first glance, it looked like a standing flood dragon, over six meters tall, seemingly substantial and hideously fearsome. Apollo then formed a series of strange hand seals, chanting incantations. His body shook violently as he instantly fused with the illusory flood dragon. A hissing sound pierced the air as Apollo, cloaked in the flood dragon illusion, tore through the atmosphere. In the ten paces between him and Shuro, the air ripped apart in surging waves. The next moment, the flood dragon illusion pierced through Shuro's body! Instead of exploding in a bloody mess as spectators expected, Shuro's body first disintegrated into strips of water shadow before dispersing into countless water droplets. Each droplet was crystal clear and perfectly round, swirling at astonishing speeds. Under the gloomy lights of Yin Chuan, they resembled a meteor shower blanketing the flood dragon illusion. A grain of sand contained a world; a demon's land held a Buddha's kingdom. Sensing his opponent's killing intent, Shuro's own desire to kill rose as his comprehension of the Nameless Mind Art deepened. Under its influence, every water droplet contained the power of ten thousand catties, like miniature fists. Hundreds and thousands of these aquatic fists now rained down with meteoric impact onto the flood dragon illusion! The spectators at Yin Chuan's entrance turned deathly pale, gasping for breath as if the phantom blows landed on them instead. Pitiful wails emitted from the illusion as the myriad water droplets riddled it with holes. Billowing smoke rose from the punctures as the flood dragon mirage collapsed, exposing a drained Apollo. Gone was the contempt in his eyes now as he asked coldly, "Just who are you?" The techniques utilized undoubtedly stemmed from immortal teachings! It was easy to discern if someone belonged to the immortal clans or the mundane world. Prolonged exposure to the immortal realms and treasures would impart a immortal aura. This youth before him contained not a shred of immortal spirit, clearly just an ordinary mortal! Yet he wielded immortal arts, shocking and horrifying Apollo. Even more unbelievable was this boy's mastery - at least eighth-grade mid-level, for he had just effortlessly crushed Apollo's ninth-grade Breaking Sea Art. “I’m your creditor,” Shuro said. “Since you’re reluctant to pay, use your life to compensate.” Apollo was taken aback, then burst out laughing with a face full of incredulity. “You can’t be thinking of killing me? Mortal, no matter how capable you think you are, don’t get too cocky. Offending me will be the end of you!” Shuro smiled silently as he advanced steadily like a snaking dragon, heading straight for Apollo. The previous exchange had clearly exposed Apollo's killing intent. If not for Shuro's encounter in He Jun's cave dwelling and subsequent mastery of the water illusion art, along with obtaining the Nameless Mind Art, he would now be a lifeless corpse. Their paths had crossed with no vendetta between them. This fight ultimately stemmed from vying over a subordinate. Before embarking on the immortal path, Shuro had yearned for it immensely. But upon actually setting foot on the road, he realized everything was different from his imaginations. Perhaps the mortal world was the same everywhere – the law of the jungle, full of injustice. The path of cultivation was no different. Of a hundred cultivators, ninety-nine would perish and one would attain the Dao. Half of the ninety-nine would die at the hands of fellow cultivators. Yet who knew how much injustice I would encounter on my future path to enlightenment, and how many unjust people I would kill? By the winding roadside, the wild grass swayed in the wind. The youth transformed into a watery shadow, an incarnation of the river god with only a glint of humanity in his eyes. It was the radiance of slaughter, dark and bone-chilling. "Stop at once!" "Young Master Chuan, hear me out. This is just a conflict of egos between you two. Loss of life would be most regrettable." The cultivators sensed Shuro's killing intent and rushed to intervene. After all, Apollo was a scion of the Morenos and disciple of the Nine Ranks Abbey Mount Tuo. He was their fellow-cultivator in the Southern Heavens, so they would be implicated if he was harmed before their eyes. "Shameless!" Lewis spat. "Not knowing each other yet fighting? Ha, more shameless than me," Lee sneered coldly. Faced with the obstruction of several Foundation Establishment cultivators, Shuro let out a long cry as he sped up. "Young Master Chuan, don't be rash. We're doing this for your own good. Enmity is better resolved than harbored. You'll be entering our Southern Heavens' cultivation world sooner or later." One cultivator forced out a smile while keeping vigilant eyes on Shuro's trajectory, fingers grasping a technique. "For my own good? Why didn't you stop him when he tried to kill me?" Shuro smiled coldly. When he looked up again, his gaze was icy but his body morphed from watery shadows into raging flames, melting the Freezing Spell unleashed by a cultivator. The cultivators' expressions changed drastically! None expected this mortal youth to command two mid-grade arts simultaneously. In contrast to the shock of the younger cultivators, the rogue cultivators and elders smiled silently with schadenfreude, withdrawing further while watching approvingly. The fire pillar shot towards the heavens, transforming into a flaming dragon vanishing into the night sky. When it reappeared, Shuro was already before Apollo. His movement art became flowing fire, fists like meteoric flames pummeling Apollo's face! Caught unprepared, Apollo was sent flying by the blow. Shuro hurtled forward, almost sticking to Apollo as fiery locks fluttered in the night. With shattered brow and nose gushing blood, the previously arrogant Apollo was deathly pale. Attempting to scream, he instead spewed out blood. Dazedly lifting his head to the youth in the flames, Apollo's heart pounded wildly in realization – his life now rested in this mortal's hands. The last bit of spirit drained from Apollo. Bereft of all "immortal" grace, he trembled and whimpered, "Don't... don't kill me." Through those beseeching eyes, Shuro saw only malice and hatred. The Nameless Mind Art's melody echoed in his mind, reminding him of Pang Guan and Leonard. If he spared this person today, there would only be hundreds times the retaliation tomorrow. "I gave you a chance." Ignoring the cultivators' shouts, Shuro's arm blurred as he delivered an ordinary-looking palm strike imbued with the weight of Mount Tai. Apollo's skull shattered under the fiery blow, flesh and bone separating like sparks. His neck sank three inches into his chest cavity as the corpse collapsed. The last wisps of immortal spirit that had marked his identity vanished along with his downfall. Silence shrouded the left of Yin Chuan Road. Staring at Shuro's back and the corpse by his feet, the Foundation Establishment cultivators were momentarily dazed. "You... you actually killed him!" "Do you know who he is? He's a Moreno scion! Disciple of the Ninth Rank Mount Tuo Abbey!" "Killing a fellow cultivator over some money. With your demonic mentality, no matter how talented, no immortal sect will take you. Even if you enter the path, you won't escape the Three Disasters and Nine Tribulations!" "Just you wait for the Moreno Family and Mount Tuo's vengeance!" The cultivators pointed and yelled angrily at Shuro's back, hurling insults without restraint. Though some were no weaker than Shuro at the third stage of Foundation Establishment, none stepped forth to avenge Apollo. However vicious their verbal abuse, it could not conceal the apathy in their hearts. "I seem to have misjudged too," the Daoist nun murmured, gaze clouded beneath her feathered cap. "A martial artist killing cultivators, unheard of for decades. When the news spreads, it'll stir up a commotion among the thousands of major and minor sects in the Southern Heavens," the man sighed. The nun shivered in surprise. "Senior brother, are you implying this has happened before...? Impossible!" "The Heavenly South's Sword Diviner, Eastern Exile's Quake Immortal Court." A touch of emotion entered the man's voice. "Due to his rise, our Heavenly South's ranking jumped thousands of places. With just his battle achievements and fame, he entered the top hundred of the Thousand Territories List." "Sword Diviner of the Heavenly South, Eastern Exile's Quake Immortal Court!" Repeating the poetry alias, even the nun felt her heart surge powerfully. "Senior brother, who was he?" "You've only been cultivating for thirty years and are often immersed in training. It's normal you don't know his background. But you must have heard his name before." The man suddenly smiled. "He is Bruno, once Imperial Diviner of the Tera Dynasty." "Heavenly South's number one, Bruno, was actually once the court diviner of a secular kingdom!" the nun exclaimed in surprise. "Based on population, land area, frequency of ancient cave discoveries every hundred years, production of spiritual herbs and rogue cultivators - the Tera Dynasty was only a medium-small kingdom. A single Money God Clan like the Morenos controls three minor nations. The Xia and Zhou Dynasties, Heavenly South's Seven Sects - each dominates dozens of countries' resources. If not for Bruno, how could a tiny kingdom like Tera evade control by immortal sects and retain access to the Ruins of Yin Chuan?" The man laughed. The nun immediately pulled the man towards Yin Chuan's entrance. "What are we waiting for? We can't let the Six Sects snatch up this sapling!" "Hong Yin, have you forgotten our purpose?" The man smiled wryly and shook his head. "His talents are outstanding. My Void Spirit Sect has not seen someone like this for many years! Take this inscription-reading convention for example. We were only given ten slots while the other Six Sects each got fourteen! At this rate, my Void Spirits will be suppressed to decline even if we don't drop rank. We'll never rise again!" Urgency filled the nun's voice. "Fine, let's get acquainted with him first. We'll consult Elder Martial Aunt on recruiting him after entering Warden City. I'm curious too - which secular family birthed someone so remarkable?" The man finally conceded. Shuro paid no heed to the cultivators' threats. "Let's go, to Warden City," Shuro waved his hand. After quite a while without response from Lee and Lewis, he turned to see them rummaging through Apollo's party, as if looking for something. Before long, Lee emerged hugging a wooden chest and laughing loudly. "Found it! So many Yin coins, jackpot!" Shuro shook his head. "Lee, take ten thousand Yin coins and let's go." "Just ten thousand? There's way more here!" Lee was reluctant, but soon wilted under Shuro's meaningful look and started counting the money grudgingly. "As expected, tempted by riches to commit murder and theft!" "This Young Master Chuan's conduct is despicable, no different from a demon!" The immortal disciples hurled abuse contemptuously, though the six Foundation Establishment cultivators made no move against Shuro, only glaring fiercely. Shuro ignored them and took brush, ink and cinnabar from a dazed attendant to scrawl on Apollo's corpse, "Owe money and not repay, pay with your life." After some thought, he added crookedly, "Ten thousand Yin coins taken. Debt cleared." Silence descended as the cultivators sweated at Shuro's relentless shaming of the dead. For the extravagantly wealthy Morenos, ten thousand Yin probably didn't cover a clan disciple's half-year expenses. That the young master of the Money Gods was beaten to death over owing half a year's pocket change... the Moreno branch families would go mad when they found out! "Why take only ten thousand?" The mild voice came from behind. Shuro turned to see the Daoist man and woman, whose bearing differed vastly from the others. He had noticed the transcendent couple earlier. "As I said, he only owed me ten thousand," Shuro replied, sizing them up. The man exuded an immortal grace. More precious was his genial smile and amicable sincerity, unlike the other disciples. The woman had a refined elegance, detached from the mundane world. Perhaps due to the contrast with the surrounding disciples, Shuro immediately took a liking to them. "You killed him just for these ten thousand coins?" the man asked. "Of course not, but because he tried to kill me," Shuro said matter-of-factly with a shrug. The man only smiled at the reply, neither affirming nor denying it. "You must know he has powerful background and origins. Aren't you afraid of retaliation?" "Haha, I'm not worried yet and you're already concerned for me. May I ask for your names?" Shuro returned. By now, Lee and Lewis had lugged over half a chest of coins. Lee grinned smugly, devoid of a martial artist's bearing. Lewis seemed obedient but the sheer quantity of money, worth over a hundred thousand gold ingots, left him panting heavily in a daze.