Starry Sky Professional

“A warrior?”

In just a brief moment of distraction, two brothers lay dead.

Big Tiger's heart was filled with alarm as he turned to see who had come.

Standing calmly beside the corpses of Second Tiger and Third Tiger was a young man in a silver robe, holding a sword and smiling gently at Ding Boushan and Ding Hongxiu.

“Friend Hongxiu, long time no see!”

Fang Xing greeted with a wave.

“You... who are you?”

Ding Hongxiu felt the young man looked vaguely familiar, as if she had met him a long time ago.

Had Fang Xing appeared in his true form, she would have recognized him immediately.

However, this time, Fang Xing had chosen to disguise himself before taking action, assuming the appearance he had when he first entered Qinglin Market.

This was, of course, for safety reasons!

After all, the identity he used later on was linked to the death of Chen Yi, and he had been bold enough to kill someone in the market. If he wasn't careful, he would’ve already been wanted by the Qingxuan Sect!

“We used to set up stalls together!”

Fang Xing laughed, reminding her.

“It's you!?” Ding Hongxiu's face lit up with joy.

In the midst of his survival relief, Ding Boushan also felt a twinge of shame.

He had looked down on Fang Xing back then, comparing him unfavorably to a charming gentleman, never expecting it would be this man who came to their aid in a time of peril.

Ding Boushan glanced solemnly toward the bodies of Second Tiger and Third Tiger.

Although Second Tiger was gone, Big Tiger was the most formidable!

“In the market, there's such a powerful warrior?”

Big Tiger stared at Fang Xing, his expression turned extremely grave. "You've killed two of my brothers, now I have to find two more; how do you plan to compensate me?"

Despite Fang Xing's powerful martial arts, Big Tiger didn't seem particularly afraid.

After all, he was a body-refining cultivator, his physique was incredibly strong, already impervious to most low-grade magical weapons!

Body-refining cultivators, a faction within the realm of immortal cultivators, were quite niche indeed.

Entry into this path also requires a spiritual root; daily cultivation primarily tempers the body with spiritual energy rather than using arcane force!

Big Tiger has reached a level where he can rival late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators purely through his physical strength, which is a rarity in the market.

Of course, reaching such a state doesn’t mean his body can ignore high-grade magical artifacts!

If one could withstand high-grade artifacts bare-handed, it would almost mean being invincible at the Qi Refinement stage!

In reality, being able to catch low-grade artifacts with his bare hands is already impressive.

To forge a body that fears not magical artifacts, one must at least be comparable to a second-tier body cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage.

Even so, when facing a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s spiritual weapon, a second-tier body cultivator must still be wary.

Given Big Tiger’s current strength, he can basically ignore low-grade artifacts. However, if a mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivator wields a mid-grade artifact, he needs to be careful not to be struck in a vital spot.

Should a late-stage expert wield a high-grade artifact, he wouldn’t dare to confront it head-on.

Naturally, an ordinary late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator would surely die if attacked by a high-grade artifact without defense, but he could hold out for a few more blows.

Coupling this with some body cultivation techniques, he stands a strong chance of defeating a regular late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator in battle.

Today, he’s only facing a martial artist; although the opponent appears formidable, Big Tiger remains confident in himself.

A late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator is invincible against a martial artist!

Moreover, he's stronger than ordinary late-stage practitioners, being a body cultivator; mere blood-refined artifacts are at most equivalent to low-grade and can be disregarded!

Ding Boushan clearly noticed this and quickly warned, "Friend, be cautious, Big Tiger is the strongest among the Black Tiger Trio, his body fears not low-grade artifacts!"

"Heh, now you say this, isn’t it a bit late?" Big Tiger glanced at Fang Xing: "Your skills are not bad, adept at ambushing cultivators; why not become my second brother? Anyway, those two fools are dead, and I need someone to fill in... If you agree, perhaps I could spare these two today!"

"Be a rogue cultivator? Impossible..."

Fang Xing shook his head in refusal, for he came to gain practical combat experience, not to become a robber.

"Refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit... You think mastering a few mental techniques as a mere martial artist enables you to challenge cultivators..."

Big Tiger sneered, black energy swirling around him.

This was the body refining technique he cultivated—"Five Tiger Body Refinement Art", which required hunting demon tigers, extracting their essence, blood, and souls, and refining them into himself.

When pushed to the limit, it could even form a ‘Tiger Soul’ to protect oneself, dispelling malevolent forces and even guarding against mental attacks!

Roar, roar!

A gathering of black energy gradually took the form of a majestic black tiger, enveloping Big Tiger and causing his body to swell. Upon his brow appeared the ominous 'King' character tattoo in jet black ink.

Not stopping there, Big Tiger produced a 'Calm Mind Talisman' and affixed it directly onto his body.

Despite being a body cultivator, he still possessed mana; thus, he was able to utilize any items that a cultivator might employ without a hitch.

Though he spoke boldly about fearlessness, Big Tiger was, in fact, somewhat wary of Fang Xing, especially since Fang Xing's actions had momentarily distracted him earlier.

So, after exerting the full might of his cultivation technique, he employed a talisman to protect his mind.

By this time, he felt confident that even if a Qi Condensation practitioner at their peak were to use a special artifact against his spiritual awareness, he would remain unfazed!

“Are you ready?”

Fang Xing's silver robe fluttered as the sword and saber in his hands suddenly roared to life!

In an instant, Ding Boushan and Ding Hongxiu were spellbound once more.

Yet, Big Tiger's daze lasted but the briefest moment before his eyes refocused.

“Roar!”

Two enormous black hands made of mana closed in on Fang Xing from the front and back.

“The spiritual influence of the passionate sword and ghostly blade is failing to impact him significantly?”

Still calm, Fang Xing skillfully intertwined his sword and saber, perfectly blending the indomitable edge of 'Nothing is Unbreakable' and 'Sword of Law-Breaking' to sever the giant mana hands into shreds.

“As expected… A-grade martial techniques that primarily protect one's spirit, combined with my insufficient mastery… naturally find it challenging to affect a cultivator of this caliber?”

“The roar from this cultivator should also possess a sort of mind-shaking effect. For it to be ineffective against me is clear proof!”

After dismantling the two enormous mana hands, his figure flickered, and like a cloud dragon weaving through the heavens, he wreaked havoc within Big Tiger's seven-foot perimeter!

For a martial artist, within three steps, a foe could be considered a nation unto themselves!

For Fang Xing, seven feet was a distance he could breach in the blink of an eye!

In the next moment, sword and saber rang out together!

The flash of sword and saber created an unstoppable force, devastating the tiger-shaped black aura.

The tiger's phantom let out a final whimper before dissipating into the ether.

Swish, swish!

Sword and saber crossed over Big Tiger, leaving behind white scars on his muscular arms.

With a sinister grin, Big Tiger spread open his large hand, gripping the sword tip.

Fang Xing frowned as the ink-patterned sword touched Big Tiger's throat, drawing a trace of blood.

Crack!

He retreated gracefully like a drifting white cloud, gazing at his hands.

The ink-patterned sword remained intact, its tip still stained with a hint of blood.

Yet, the steel saber he had casually bought from the bazaar was now broken in two!

"To wound me with a low-grade magical weapon, you should be proud!" Big Tiger wiped the blood from his neck and tossed the sword tip into his mouth, chewing it like beans.

Chewing metal and iron alive!

Such an act would make any conventional martial artist question their eyes, believing they had witnessed a martial legend!

After trying out Fang Xing's swordsmanship, Big Tiger's malicious grin grew wider.

He was now certain that although Fang Xing's martial prowess was commendable, it posed little threat to his life.

Especially for a body cultivator like him, where the defensive barrier was hardly breached, proving his superiority!

"I gave you a chance before, but you refused. Now you must die!"

Big Tiger donned a pair of magical-grade gauntlets designed for body cultivators, which were also sold at a steep price in the bazaar.

With a roar, his form resembled a massive black tiger, pouncing towards Fang Xing!

Fang Xing sighed, discarding the steel saber in hand. The ink-patterned sword seemed to transform into a torrential downpour, cascading down.

The intricately complex moves of the Ultimate Passion Sword were executed with incredible finesse in Fang Xing's hands.

The two figures crossed paths multiple times, yet the sword and gauntlets never collided, frustrating Big Tiger to the point of almost spewing blood.

"You brute, do you only know how to dodge?"

He roared again, pulling a small black banner from his chest.

The banner was pitch-black throughout, adorned with a vividly embroidered white skull.

Its hollow eyes seemed to emit ghostly flames… "A demonic artifact?"

Ding Boushan, observing from the side, felt an urge to grab Ding Hongxiu and flee for their lives.

“You really can't handle losing, huh? Never mind…”

Fang Xing glanced at his attribute panel:

【Intense Swordplay Mastery: 96/100】

“I was practicing my sword skills against you anyway. Raising my proficiency a bit is a bonus…”

He produced a silver firearm, pointing it at Big Tiger's head.

Swoosh!

A silver-white laser sliced through the air, and Big Tiger's headless body collapsed to the ground.

“No matter how high your cultivation, a single shot takes you down just the same!”

Fang Xing blew over the muzzle of his gun, safely stowing the laser weapon, then turned to face Ding Boushan and his granddaughter.

“What an impressive artifact!”

Ding Boushan's pupils contracted: ‘Its power rivals that of heavenly thunder, yet there is no hint of mana disturbance… Big Tiger's death was well deserved!’

Typically, any magical artifact would emit energy during battle. Cultivators, with their sharp senses, might not dodge a laser, but they can evade the gun's aim!

After all, the best laser gun still requires human operation.

If one were a Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage, they could easily detect Fang Xing with their spiritual sense, avoiding the gun before it fired!

However, the leader of the Black Absolute Three Tigers was obviously overconfident, trusting too much in his physique, resulting in his instant, irreversible death.

Ding Boushan felt uneasy, leading his granddaughter as they deeply bowed: “We owe our lives to you, dear friend!”

“Ah, it was just a passing act…”

Fang Xing had ventured out this time seeking information from a fellow cultivator about the local market, and to practice real combat.

Since he encountered familiar faces, he naturally didn’t mind lending a helping hand.

“By the way, I've been cultivating outside for a while. How are things at the Qinglin Market now?”

He gazed intently at Ding Boushan.

“Qinglin Market, huh… It's chaotic lately. Since the secret realm appeared, the strength of the Qingxuan Sect's enforcement team has weakened, and there are more rogue cultivators causing trouble… Alas…”

Ding Boushan wore a bitter expression, as a legitimate Spirit Farmer, he detested those lawless brigands without any discipline or technique.

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(End of Chapter)