Seeing what happened before him, Dai Zhenya realized that fleeing was his only option, inwardly cursing the moment he had decided that his plan of hunting the weaker and unknown Bai Qi would work well for him.

After gathering most of his aura to fuel the [Dai Divine Step], a high-tier Martial Skill of the [Dai Clan], he attempted to escape. His thoughts simple

With a burst of speed from the [Divine Step], he attempted to dart past Bai Qi, banking on his agility and martial skill level to outmaneuver his opponent and flee toward the West gates, where Dongpo Qingqiu presumably awaited news.

However, who would have thought his quick movements were far below Bai Qi's sense limit? Even an average peak Warrior Lord would have noticed every one of his steps, as, no matter the level of the skill, it was the practitioner the one that mattered. In this case, while talented in some things, Dai Zhenya was so far from the actual meaning of the path of the step that Bai Qi even felt somewhat bad for his following actions.

Bai Qi contemplated as he activated the rare movement technique obtained almost by chance in the low-tier plane of [Seven Islands].

*Step*

The difference in their movement skills would become apparent instantly. As Dai Zhenya managed to cover some two dozen feet, Bai Qi had already appeared over fifty away, his arm generating a wisp of fiery qi.

*Whoosh* *Sizzle*

Now, with a strength comparable to an advanced Warrior Lord even when holding back, the [Finger of Fiery Devastation] skill had become far more impressive. Although one could say that it was overkill as Bai Qi used it to pierce through the dantian area of one of the previously weakened opponents, a small addition of his almost primal [Yin Flame] taking short care of the spiritual connection between the physical and spiritual form, leaving one of the two yet-to-raise 2nd level Warrior Lord crippled, with nearly no way to recuperate except for the rarest high-tier pills of this plane. Pills that no sane elder would administer to some initial-stage rogue Warrior Lord.

*Step*

And then, after crippling yet another of the attackers, Bai Qi took another step, appearing right in front of Dai Zhenya's, as he had always been there.

Despite Dai Zhenya's expectation that his initial mastery of the [Dai Divine Step] would ensure an effortless escape, he found himself bewildered by what happened.

He knew he commenced with a speed surpassing that of any cultivator at his level, even comparable to actual 8th level Warrior Lords. Yet, Bai Qi blocked his path with ease, even taking a detour to dispatch one of the others, smiling as though he anticipated every move!

Fueled by pride and desperation, Dai Zhenya made a decision - or perhaps an acknowledgment? After all, he, too, had been lauded as a genius, and while he had never attained such power, he remained prideful. Confronting the genius of the new generation, for how else could one describe someone half his age and nearly his power, Dai Zhenya resolved to fight.

*Swoosh* *Swoosh*

He launched a series of powerful strikes and techniques, each more frantic than the last. Using all of his qi, keeping just a small amount of Soul Power to utilize the [Divine Step] of his clan, but in response, ai Qi remained unruffled, countering each attack with ease, as if all of Dai Zhenya's struggle was for naught!

Seeing this, Dai Zhenya's frustration boiled over into reckless abandon. He unleashed his most potent technique, pouring every ounce of his qi into a final, desperate assault, a full-strength [Bloody Biting] skill, the same one that had started the previous exchange.

*Swoosh* *Clang*

Regretfully, for Dai Zhenya, after seeing it one time, Bai Qi would have no trouble countering it by the second time. And while the former would never know, to say the truth, Bai Qi did unleash his full strength to test his current prowess with the [Counting steps towards Hell and Heaven] evolving skill - as being different from normal techniques and skills it had no distinction nor name between the degrees of mastering it - Bai Qi once again limited his cultivation and aura to the 7th level of the Warrior Realm, the same as Dai Zhenya's, and even so, blocked the attack with ease, using nothing more than the shoved off short sword of the 4th level Warrior Lord in the latter's group.

*Splatter*

Not only the short sword did block the whip, an already impossible matter - when considering that the soft whip had always been the nemesis of the sharp sword - but also released enough sword intent waves as to wound Dai Zhenya's right hand, which was holding the whip!

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Dai Zhenya had been considered a genius within his clan, but he was aware that there were even more talented individuals out there. When presented with an opportunity such as the [Bloodteeth Whip], he had solely focused on the power it could bring him. Dai Zhenya was even willing to kill a fellow clan member to obtain it. However, in the end, his efforts were in vain. Despite his determination, cutting ties with his clan, and resorting to bootlicking to survive, Dai Zhenya realized that it was the true geniuses who stood out from the rest. And facing one of them, there was nothing he could do.

Dai Zhenya was indeed far above the average cultivator on his level. In fact, he could contend with people at the peak of his level while being on the initial stage, and that, with just pure talent.

While Bai Qi had limited his cultivation and aura to a single full level of heaven-defying prowess, which already meant an actual 3 level one, with the Earth-realm minor realms' levels being divided into three stages each, he had still reached a level far above the present opponents, not to mention his experience and prowess stemming from the previous life, he still would have been a fair match for a going-all-out Dai Zhenya if not for a single fact. Bai Qi wasn't just a talented cultivator, his cultivation method also granted him an awesome level of understanding of the weapon paths and while the short sword wasn't a weapon he usually used, it was still a sword, and his newly gained insights, which had allowed him to reach the 4th step of the Sword path, broke his restraints with ease, releasing enough power not to only block but also to attack, even if the latter went against Bai Qi's wishes.

_______

Bai Qi thought as he saw the result of him simply willing the sword to block his attacks, never thinking about an offensive. In his previous life as the [White Scroll Immortal], Bai Qi had breached the Saint-level of his weapon path, but he never encountered a situation when the weapon had overpowered the user's will.

Until now, he had only used his latest achievements on the sword path to clash with actual sword masters, so this unexpected result, when he couldn't even control his force, showed that while he had indeed advanced on the path, his foundations were shaky. After all, wasn't a true sword master one that could cut anything and nothing on a whim? And this fact could relate to any of Bai Qi's weapon masteries if one went deeper.

But while Bai Qi's observations were worrying, for him at least, they didn't stop him from continuing on the intended path. Even if his intention from the previous clash, to intimidate and crush Dai Zhenya, went wrong, his actual goal was to kill him, and so, Bai Qi ignored his own thoughts, releasing a blade of sword aura at his current mid-tier 4th step of the Sword Path.

*Swoosh**Clang* *Crack*

As Bai Qi released his true sword intent and sent a blade formed by it, the former took after the image of a somewhat demonic-looking, clawed [Swordarm] that held an exact copy of the sword in his own arm and imitated the same movement, showing that Bai Qi's 4th step of the Sword Path had solidified well, with his sword intent already forming a partial image of the [Intent Swordsman], the completion of which was the principal and hardest requisite to ascend on the 5th step. But, while the sword aura formed slash cut in half Dai Zhenya's spirit-tier [Bloodteeth Whip], the simple spirit-tier [Spiritblade Shortsword], the shortsword that Bai Qi had commandeered for this attack, cracked as well, unable to resist the power between the attack.

*Vomit*

As Bai Qi hadn't actually cleared the owner's aura from the [Spiritblade Shortsword], Wang Li, as the 5th level Warrior Lord was called, hadn't been affected as the owner of the twin throwing daggers. At some point, he had even felt lucky as he had worshipped the [Spiritblade] as his cultivation weapon, following the [Spirit of Blades] manual he was cultivating upon. But now, as the shortsword cracked, all while his connection was still alive, it was Wang Li the one to suffer the backslash from Bai Qi's power, even vomiting blood and gore from the internal injuries caused by the backslash as it aggravated the lighter damages suffered from Bai Qi's roar.

*Split*

Bai Qi paid no attention to Wang Li's suffering, never having considered either of the present as an opponent for him. His eyes glued to the slash he released, one that showed signs of being a true intent one, as it slowly slashed apart Dai Zhenya's aura cover and landed on the latter's body, cleanly splitting it in two and then dissipating just some inches away, showing that Bai Qi's control was still masterful, avoiding any damage but the intended one. Even in the middle of a battle, Bai Qi would have contemplated on his findings, but he repressed the thoughts now, not planning to lose concentration until solving the situation at hand.

***

With Dai Zhenya's death, the other two deaths, and the surviving four Warrior Lods injured to different grades, it was clear that Bai Qi had won this fight. After all, even if the four survivors were at their absolute peak, with their cultivation, they couldn't even survive for a single breath against the strength shown by Bai Qi if they were crazy enough to continue.

One would have expected the situation to die there, as neither Bai Qi nor Dai Zhenya's original plan had been to escalate the situation on the streets, no matter the results. But, as Bai Qi's senses flared up after sensing approaching cultivators, it became that someone had decided for them.

*Clang* *Clang* *Clang*

A dozen heavily armored warriors flying the [Dongpo] clan's crest appeared on each side of the streets, closing any possible land route escape.

*Swoosh* *Swoosh* *Swoosh*

Another ten or so warriors of the clan appeared on the rooftops of the surrounding buildings, effectively closing the path for an aerial escape as well.

While neither of the warriors could pose trouble for Bai Qi, their cultivations, ranging from the higher Sage realm to the beginning stages of the Warrior Lord one, it was when one considered them individually or as normal jianghu cultivators, which the latter weren't. Thus, Bai Qi analyzed them in a different light.