Cultivation: I can see the proficiency level

Taixi Lake.

Many cultivators stopped in the market and looked toward Lüzhou Island. Two beams of spiritual light shot into the sky from the island, their auras clearly those of cultivators at the ninth level of Qi Refining, and they headed straight into the distance.

Many cultivators at the mid-stage and late-stage of Qi Refining whispered among themselves upon witnessing this scene.

"They left in such a hurry, could it be that something happened again?" A cultivator whispered to his fellow Daoist beside him, "This Lu family has had more funerals than weddings this year."

As a monk who had lived in the neighborhood for a long time, he had personally witnessed several funerals.

Time and time again, one after another.

The other cultivators were also secretly pondering this.

"The four members of the Lu family, who have been prosperous for generations, are all at the ninth level of Qi Refining. They rarely leave Luzhou Island. Their hasty departure must mean something has happened," a cultivator whispered.

It is common knowledge that those at the ninth level of Qi Refining rarely go out, especially those from the Immortal Clan.

Only rogue cultivators at the ninth level of Qi Refining would leap around like grasshoppers, seeking the possibility of Foundation Establishment everywhere, resorting to any means necessary, and capable of all sorts of deeds.

"Those Qi Refining Level 6 cultivators from the Lü family last time, weren't they killed by someone else?" another cultivator asked.

The others remained silent.

They had also heard the rumors, which were quite detailed: the Lü family had offered a reward for the rogue cultivator and sent people to capture him, but the rogue cultivator turned the tables and killed the cultivator at the sixth level of Qi Refining.

He was still killed twice by the rogue cultivators.

How shameful!

The fact that a dignified immortal clan cannot even defeat a rogue cultivator makes one doubt their true strength and foundation, suggesting they may be all show and no substance.

"Are those rogue cultivators really that fierce?" Some cultivators were puzzled. Rogue cultivators couldn't even produce many magical artifacts, so how could they possibly kill immortal cultivators? "It's probably because of the suppression by those kings and nobles..."

There are some things that cultivators are aware of, but they simply dare not speak of.

There are some things that cultivators understand, but they simply cannot talk about.

A sharp blade hangs over his head.

It is held by Foundation Establishment cultivators.

"Fellow Daoist, shut up. Don't let your foul mouth implicate us." Before he could finish speaking, someone covered his mouth to stop him from talking nonsense.

The cultivators remained tight-lipped, and the atmosphere grew cold.

They dispersed immediately.

The two beams of light that flew out from Luzhou Island flew straight towards Luopo Mountain. When they passed Fenglei Fortress, eight or nine cultivators flew out and joined them, bowing to them.

The group boarded the flying boat.

Lü Xingdai and Lü Xingwan stood on the flying boat, silent.

The eighth level of Qi Refining is gone, the seventh level is gone, the sixth level is gone by half, and the fifth level is gone by half. The people in front of us are either injured or crippled, looking like a defeated army.

The cultivator at the sixth level of Qi Refining in the Lü family recounted the events in detail, noticing the increasingly dark complexions of Lü Xingdai and Lü Xingwan. He lowered his head in shame, not daring to meet their gazes.

This time, the Lü Clan has truly lost all face.

"Talisman treasures... sword intent... no wonder you were in such a sorry state." Lu Xingdai did not blame them. After listening to what had happened, he told them to rest.

Even a ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator would find it difficult to withstand the power of a talisman treasure. Furthermore, having cultivated sword intent, it is reasonable that one could defeat a sixth-level Qi Refining cultivator.

A mere fifth-level Qi Refining expert was more difficult to deal with than a seventh or eighth-level Qi Refining expert. Even the Lü family only had one or two talismans left, yet the opponent was able to produce one.

The group felt as if they had been granted a pardon and readily agreed.

About fifteen minutes later, the flying boat landed in Wanxiang Valley.

The destruction caused by talismans, magical artifacts, and spells uprooted the flowers on the ground, turned up fresh soil, split large rocks, created pits everywhere, burned all over the place, and left numerous sword marks—all traces of a battle.

The cultivator's corpse was nowhere to be found, only ashes of calamity remained.

A gentle breeze blew it into the flowerbeds, where it scattered a speck of dust.

In the deep crater created by the talisman, large patches of blood remained, burned dark but still clearly visible, covered by grayish-white ashes.

The shattered magical artifact scattered in fragments, revealing how the people had desperately tried to resist the power of the talisman, but only in a death struggle, ultimately perishing under its power.

"This person's cultivation has increased extremely rapidly. Only someone at the fifth level of Qi Refining can unleash such powerful sword energy." Lu Xingwan examined the battlefield thoroughly and found many clues. "We cannot let this go unchecked; it may turn into a disaster."

This person was only at the third level of Qi Refining at the beginning, but now he is at the fifth level. If this cannot be stopped, it is possible that a ninth-level Qi Refining enemy will emerge in the future.

The enmity runs deep, and the opponent's cultivation level is gradually increasing, which is not a good thing. I'm afraid that this incident might alert the opponent, causing them to become wary and flee, leaving me with no chance to capture them again.

"I will no longer let things go unchecked. I will obtain the sword intent, capture the person, and avenge the blood feud." Lü Xingdai said resolutely, taking out his magic weapon to search for the aura, but unfortunately it was burned clean by Bai Jiuniang.

Even the aura on the short sword was burned away by the demonic fire, leaving nothing behind, not to mention any other residual auras, which had long been cleaned up.

Wang Mian was also afraid that the other party would find him by following his aura, so this time he dealt with the tail first and did not flee in a hurry.

Unable to detect his presence, he ordered the Diao family cultivators to release birds, using them as eyes and ears to search for Wang Mian's whereabouts, but they still found nothing in the vicinity.

Such an embarrassing situation, where he lost both his wife and his army, left him looking ashen-faced.

"What's done is done, and the dead cannot be brought back to life. Fourth Brother, don't let the fait accompli cloud your judgment. Since we can't find that rogue cultivator, let's return to the clan and discuss countermeasures." Lu Xingwan had expected this.

Putting himself in his shoes, even if he were seriously injured, he would find a safe place to hide and heal, instead of swaggering out after killing the Lü clan cultivators.

If that were the case, Lü Xingwan would turn around and flee for his life.

To find someone and track them down, we still need to rely on other methods. There are many ways to find people in the cultivation world, and we can always find another way to find them. Leaving them in the same place is useless.

"It's really hard to accept going home empty-handed," Lu Xingdai said.

Having suffered repeated losses of his clansmen, the Lu family had paid a heavy price. Now that Wang Mian had vanished without a trace, he found it difficult to suppress his resentment.

They were determined to catch the thief, but powerless to reverse the situation.

Lu Xingwan rode his flying boat and said, "Since you are still not satisfied, then next time you should personally capture him. However, Wang Mian has many tricks up his sleeve, so you should not follow in Xingyan's footsteps."

"Absolutely impossible," Lü Xing declared emphatically. "If that were the case, then remove me from the family genealogy and exclude me from the ancestral grave."

The flying boat soared over the mountains, and he continued his search downwards, determined to find Wang Mian.

Unfortunately.

Wang Mian was not in Luopo Mountain at the moment. After the battle ended and the battlefield was cleaned up, he followed the direction in which Hua Gu disappeared, but he could not find any trace of Wang Mian.

Even now, he still doesn't know whether Hua Gu is alive or dead.

Unable to find Hua Gu, he dared not linger and quickly descended the mountain from the eastern foothills. He then fled far away before finding a safe and secluded place.

The surrounding area is full of deep mountains and forests, with no trace of cultivators or immortals. At the foot of the mountain is a spacious stone cave, which can be used as a place to heal and stay temporarily.

With a heavy heart, Wang Mian removed his clothes and looked at the gaping wound. He took out a strip of cloth and wrapped it around the wound: "If you didn't want to capture me alive, this sword would have taken my life."

He never became arrogant because he had cultivated sword energy, nor was he complacent because his sword intent could kill enemies beyond his level. This was because Wang Mian understood with deep pain that he only had one life.

That sword strike, refined to the eighth level of Qi, made him feel once again that life and death were separated by the slightest distance.

That sword strike even severed magical artifacts.

If his opponent hadn't held back, he, with his mortal body, would have been cleaved in two by the flying sword.

"This is getting increasingly strange. Why exactly did the Lü family want to capture me?" Wang Mian was truly puzzled. He was only a Qi Refining Level 5 cultivator.

What reason could the Lü family have to capture him?

Bai Jiuniang shook her head. She couldn't understand why the Lü family could send someone at the eighth level of Qi Refining to capture Wang Mian. With such a siege, even someone at the seventh level of Qi Refining wouldn't be able to escape.

If it weren't for that Panshan Seal Talisman, we would have been doomed today.