Among the elders of the inner court, one stood out: Li Su, known as the "Indifferent Killer." Despite the rather peculiar nickname, it perfectly captured his essence.


    In his youth, he hadmitted numerous murders. The people he killed could form a small mountain if gathered in one ce. Because of this, despite his rtively low influence, this elder stood out, and few wanted to have problems with him.


    And today, to his surprise, during his meditation, he sensed a pressing aura. If one were to think about it, the pressure was as if from a cultivator at the fifth stage of Soul Integration at the very least.


    Considering that this burst was so short, it was impossible to gather more information. However, Elder Li Su, sensitive to changes, felt something deeper in this Qi.


    It was a faint sense of danger, as if he had encountered his natural enemy. This was the reason he left his cave after two hundred years of secluded cultivation.


    Scr-r-r…


    The boulder blocking the entrance to his cave trembled and moved to the left on its own, revealing a circr entrance six meters in diameter.


    And then… soft footsteps could be heard, so soft that without keen hearing, one could not detect them. Therefore, the disciples guarding the ce did not immediately notice the changes.


    They began to chat idly.


    "Hey, have you heard about the recent incident? They say more and more people are gathering around a neer."


    "Tsk, don''t remind me. I''m so envious. That guy has captured the attention of the girls, pff… But my Qing''er remains faithful, how I love her!"


    "Qing''er? You mean the girl with two pigtails and short stature?" the disciple asked, and seeing his friend nod, he suddenly burst outughing loudly: "Hahahahaha!"


    "W-what?! Wait..."


    "Dude, I saw her yesterday at that guy''s house. She looked like a lovesick maiden when that guy came out and beat his opponent!"


    "W-what… h-how is that possible? L-liar!"


    Elder Li Su, who had emerged from the cave, watched these two disciples with an indifferent face and listened to their words.


    "Hm? Someone brilliant has appeared? It''s been a long time. It seems the inner court will be lively."


    Li Su shook his head and, taking two steps forward, disappeared. The disciples suddenly looked at each other, appearing puzzled.


    "Eh? I swear I felt a faint breeze…"


    "Oh? Maybe your horns have be sensitive to the wind? HAHAHAHA!"


    "Shut the fuck up!"


    ***


    Xie Qing narrowed his eyes. He distinctly felt a cultivator at the first stage of Spiritual Ascension approaching him.


    Getting out of bed, he waved his hand, and food appeared on the table. It was what he hadn''t finished the day before, and since he was toozy to clean up, he decided to put it in his spatial ring.


    Then, sitting down at the table, he began to finish his meal. Thanks to the special properties of the spatial ring, the warmth was preserved, and the food hadn''t spoiled at all.


    Suddenly, the entire house was under someone''s curious gaze. It was quite an ufortable feeling, as if someone was trying to investigate him, but Xie Qing pretended not to notice anything—as befitted someone of his level.


    And, as expected, the curious gaze soon disappeared. Xie Qing finished his lunch, gathered the dishes, and simply tossed them onto the table.


    "I''ll wash themter," he assured himself, although he knew he definitely wouldn''t.


    Then, leaving the house, he decided to take a stroll in his courtyard. One way or another, going outside right now was extremely troublesome. For some unknown reason, there was intense attention focused on him.


    And just as he sat down on the couch to enjoy his garden, a man''s irritated shout suddenly rang out.


    "Hey, you bastard, get out here!"


    "…"


    Xie Qing raised an eyebrow. Would he never be able to enjoy some peace? Seriously. People were alwaysing to him with problems.


    Having no other choice but to go out to these guys, the young man opened the gate and looked at them with an indifferent expression.


    It turned out to be a group of four people—all men. In terms of appearance, they looked quite decent, tall, but not as tall as Xie Qing.


    Seeing him in person, these four looked angry. One of them, with ck hair and green eyes, snarled viciously.


    "Bastard! Who are you to try to win the attention of my Juan''er?! Don''t you know she is the woman of me, young master Wang Xue!"


    "…"


    Xie Qing felt tired. Why were these guys trying to reach him instead of their own girls? All he did was lie on his bed and meditate. It wasn''t his fault that they tried to get into his bed.


    So he didn''t even know what to say. And this, in turn, was taken as a sign of weakness.


    "Haha, what''s the matter, didn''t think there would be consequences? Thank young master Wang Xue! He said to break your arms, but we''ll leave your legs alone so you can still walk!" said one of his henchmen, adding angrily, "And what the hell were you trying to seduce my girl for!"


    "Hmph, my Yue''er…"


    "My Wei''er…"


    "…"


    "…"


    Xie Qing looked at these four with an indifferent face, but the corners of his eyes and shoulders were trembling. He... was trying to hold backughter!


    "How did I manage to give them horns if I didn''t do anything? But damn, they look so funny!


    However,ughter aside, Xie Qing''s face gradually darkened as these guys, without regard for honor, tried to insult him. He snorted and released his aura.


    "Y-you…"


    Of course, this did not leave the young men indifferent. They immediately became rmed and released their own auras. They were all cultivators at the Soul Nascent stage, ranging from the third to the fifth level!


    It seemed their main confidence came from the fact that Xie Qing was alone, while there were four of them. So the guys looked confident, despite the hint of fear in their eyes.


    "What funny guys," the young man finally said, looking at them with an indifferent face. "Do you know what they say about people like you in such situations? A big pig''s hoof."


    "…"


    "…"


    There was a brief silence. The four exchanged nces, and then… their faces simultaneously turned red with anger!


    "You bastard!"


    "Brothers, attack him!"


    Xie Qing sighed. He had insulted them out of habit, but… hmm… he even enjoyed it.


    Standing in a fighting stance, Xie Qing didn''t even bother to draw his sword—this was his way of showing that the opponent was not strong enough.


    Soon, he met the strike from Wang Xue, who was using a short sword. The de was instantly destroyed by Xie Qing''s fist.


    "I-impossible!"


    The disciple was stunned. How could this be? His de was an item that...


    However, Wang Xue was not given time to think—a single punch to his jaw sent the disciple flying through the air. After traveling ten meters, hended on the cold, hard ground with a loud thud.


    A cracking sound could be heard—several ribs were definitely broken. However, Xie Qing still controlled his strength to avoid identally killing someone.


    The other disciples abruptly stopped and then began to turn around—it looked so ridiculous that it was almost funny. But to their great regret…


    "Hey, didn''t you want to teach me a lesson? Hmm? It seems your enthusiasm has vanished… that won''t do. What kind of men are you if you can''t defend your honor?"


    Xie Qing smirked. He knew that someone powerful was watching him, but he didn''t care. After all, what was the problem if he was just beating up those who disturbed his peace?


    Getting used to such a daily routine… well, it was something terrifying. But he couldn''t help it! Most devilish cultivators were people with a chip on their shoulder—they wouldn''t rest until someone gave them a good beating.


    So, Xie Qing, as a righteous disciple, helped his peerse to their senses. Turning around, the young man closed the gate and entered the courtyard. Either way, he didn''t care.


    ***


    Li Su fell silent, watching as a single, seemingly thin young man beat up those four disciples. He pondered.


    "His strength is no joke, and his control is perfect. He made sure not to leave them with too serious injuries, which is already a good sign. Interesting. It''s been a long time since I''ve encountered such talent… hmmm."


    As an elder, Li Su should be concerned with the affairs of the disciples, but he...


    He didn''t care. He had earned his status after demonstrating high talent. Despite his Master''s hopes that his disciple would help him consolidate his power, Li Su didn''t concern himself with such matters. His only goal was cultivation and achieving Immortality. Among the devilish cultivators, he was probably the calmest, but...


    That was just an appearance. Li Su narrowed his eyes.


    "This... If I can obtain such talent…"