Zhong Xiu powerlessly flew back into the wall, the light purple sword flying up and stabbing into a beam in the ceiling.

His face was covered in small beads of blood. His blue lips trembled slightly. Looking at the countless wounds blooming on his left arm, his eyes were filled of hopelessness and despair.

It was the hopelessness and despair after being unable to fight against powerful cultivators.

At the same time, Tang Que also flew backwards. His blue sword had been bent and twisted by a terrifying power, and fallen to the ground like a curved rod of iron.

The storm suddenly calmed.

Zhang Nan, completely soaked, was like a fish out of the water. His mouth was open as though he wanted to speak but he could not make a sound.

Tang Mengchen’s hands were still raised. Through the holes in his sleeves, one could clearly see two blue square boxes. At this time, his eyes were focused on the top of that horn like sword. They were full of hopelessness and despair.

Everyone was frozen where they stood.

Some people held swords dripping with blood, others were dripping blood, yet everyone stopped due to this blow.

This one blow, a sword strike from up to down, threw back the enemies and shattered the waves.

Footsteps sounded in the corridors, coming towards this room.

Like a building being torn down, countless holes appeared on the doors, windows, and walls of this room.

Looking at the cold figures crowded outside the holes, and the layers of cold light flashing on the roofs outside the window, Zhang Nan almost cried out, “How is this possible! You clearly said you do not want to have any connection to important people. How can you have a cultivator of White Goat Cave, how could you have managed to invite a cultivator like this!”

Zhang Nan’s cry represented the thoughts of most people in the room.

The tip of the horn-like sword was gradually disappearing. The entire sword was slowly and magically melting into the hand of the white-haired old person as though it was being pulled back into his body.

This represented realm size of cultivation, Lifesource Realm!

Realm one, Profound Understanding. Realm two, Energy Refinement. Realm three, Physical Energy. Realm four, Energy Fusing. Realm five, Spirit Thought. Realm six, Lifesource. Realm seven, Mountain Moving. Ream eight, Heaven Opening. Realm nine, Immortal.

When one cultivated to realm five, the Spirit Thought Realm, vital energy and the primal energies of the universe would cause the cultivator’s body to change. The cultivator’s mental power would grow much stronger. At this level, a cultivator could use mental power to imbue vital energy onto some unique instruments such as flying swords and seals.

The flying swords and seals would move at a thought.

This meant that realm five had completely different speed and power compared to realm four. One would have many unimaginable and variable tactics.

When one reached realm six, Lifesource Realm, it was even more terrifying compared to realm five. The vital energy could be split into yinyang and the five elements. Cultivators could choose the precious treasures suitable for them and make their own lifebond items.

For Zhang Nan and the others, while they knew that there were many cultivators above realm six in Changling, they never saw any cultivators above realm six due to their social class. They had never seen the power of a lifebond item.

They could meet realm five cultivators frequently if they wanted. But they would not be able to see realm six cultivators if they wanted to.

The difference between these two realms was comparable to the one between those with power and ordinary people. It was the dividing line between serpents and prawns.

This was why Zhang Nan could not understand and had fallen into despair.

Weren’t cultivators who could reach realm six were either highly placed officials in court or the elders and sect leaders of the cultivation sects?

How could such a person that would attract the attention of the two prime ministers in court fight in person for Wang Taixu!

How was this possible!

No one paid attention to his shouts.

The old white man, who decided today’s victory with the revelation of his cultivation realm, seemed deaf to Zhang Nan’s sobs.

Wang Taixu ignored Zhang Nan’s sobs.

He turned and looked without any emotion at the three people behind him whose blood drained out of their faces.

These three were good friends who had fought beside him. Yet, just now, these three worked with others to kill him.

The three of them had seriously injured two others in their ambush attack.

At this moment, one person’s snow-white sword was still dripping with blood.

“Why?”

Wang Taixu’s gaze landed on the bloodied sword in this person’s hand.

“Li Xueqing, I bought you from the slavers. I was the one who found this Snowflake Sword for you. Why do you want to kill me? Tell me why, tell me the true reason.”

Seeing this young cultivator remain silent, Wang Taixu continued, calm and earnestly, “Even if it is to satisfy my curiosity, if you tell me the true reason, I can promise to treat your family well. I can even tell them you died protecting me.”

Hearing Wang Taixu’s words, this young cultivator holding the white sword smiled sadly and said, “A girl I am close with from another tower is in their hands. Therefore I betrayed Big Brother.”

Then he knelt towards Wang Taixu.

With a soft sound, the sword in his hand reversed as he knelt. The sword tip came out of his back and blood covered his entire back immediately.

“Thank you.”

A bearded middle-aged man sighed. He first raised his folded hands to Wang Taixu and said “Thank you. ” Then he said, “I want to kill you because I did some things to other brothers in the gang. A few years ago, Liu San’s wife was … I committed a grave mistake when I was drunk. I do not know how they discovered this, and I made an even greater mistake with a muddled head.”

After saying this, this bearded middle-aged man poked at his heart meridian using his hand. His entire hand entered his chest, and then he fell backwards with a face full of guilt.

Another white-faced man, about the same age as Wang Taixu, looked at the blood-covered ground and sighed softly. He said, “I feel I would be a better leader of Two Level Tower, and I had no confidence in you. Now, I know I underestimated you.”

After saying this, he bowed deeply to Wang Taixu. The long sword in his hand stabbed into his own body.

The streets had their own rules.

Knowing that they would not be spared, Tang Que and Tang Mengchen exchanged a look and then swiped towards their own necks.

This was a worse way to die. The blood, still warm, sprayed into the air.

The blood even splashed over half of Zhang Nan’s body.

“You do not have to die,” Wang Taixu looked at him and said.

Zhang Nan’s fat flesh rippled. He looked in disbelief at Wang Taixu, afraid that Wang Taixu was only deliberately giving him hope before cruelly crushing it so he would be in more pain before death.

“Enough people have died today. I do not want my brothers outside having to fight with your hidden subordinates.”

Wang Taixu seemed to be slightly tired. He closed his eyes and was silent for many breaths. Then said, “But since Zhong Xiu has attacked me, he must die … … if Thunder Rain Hall cannot hold business in the south of the city without him, Two Level Tower will protect it. We will only take two tenths of your business. After this, we are on the same ship. I hope that you will remember what I said today and my attitude.”

Hearing this, Zhang Nan finally stopped trembling. His eyes finally showed life.

Yet Zhong Xiu, lying in the corner like a butterfly with broken wings, gave off a resentful scream. His back hit the wall behind him heavily and then he shot out backwards, surrounded by pieces of wood.

Wang Taixu’s brow did not even move.

He did not look at Zhong Xiu at all.

In the night, the sound of air screaming rose, followed by metal entering flesh, and then hitting the ground.

He waved at Zhang Nan, who was collapsed on the ground, and said in an even low voice. “Now, you can go out and tell all of your people you are still alive. Leave with them and remember what you have to do next.”

“I only know that it is a certain important person in the military, I do not know anything else.” Zhang Nan fled out the door as he called.

He had originally wanted to get a few factions of Two Level Tower’s business but he lost two-tenths of his business instead. He lost a powerful cultivation guard. Fatty Zhang, this important person of the streets who could cause the streets to shake with a stomp of his foot, was so weak-kneed he almost rolled down the stairs.

What frightened him was the blow from the white-haired old person’s lifebond sword.

“Thank you, Mister Du.”

Wang Taixu, who would have an even greater status in the streets of Changling in the future, bowed deeply to the seated white-haired old man.

“This person you chose is good. I may have allowed him to join the sect if this was a normal time.” The white-haired man coolly responded. After glancing at Ding Ning, he stood and left.

“I am alive.”

Wang Taixu watched as the old person left. Then he looked serious at Ding Ning and said with great emotion, “So starting today, you are a student of White Goat Cave.”

Ding Ning shook his head and seemed to say to himself, “So simple?”

Was this simple?

If White Goat Cave had not coincidentally angered the family of the empress and was forced to join Green Vine Sword School soon, if this Mister Du had not received the grace of His Majesty and been allowed to retire, if cultivators did not desire to live more comfortably in the remainder of their life, if not for the lack of needing to care about what people in court thought … … how could one of the strongest people in White Goat Cave come and help him resolve this problem?

This was a complicated matter with a great price.

Wang Taixu did not know what Ding Ning thought. The floor covered in blood made him tired. He smiled tiredly and did not explain. Inside, he thought, sometimes, life was very tiring.