6 Chapter 5: Man in Black

The Everlasting Observance appeared to be extremely quiet at night. Under flickering candlelight, the spacious main hall exuded traces of serenity.

Pei Xuanjing was sitting cross-legged on a meditation cushion in front of the Old Master statue, his eyes slightly closed. The Pine Pattern Ancient Sword lay on the ground before him.

Just then, a black figure fell silently from the wall outside the hall.

The figure dressed in black confirmed the direction and came to the main hall. He gently pushed the door open, only to see Pei Xuanjing sitting with his back towards the entrance.

"You came."

Pei Xuanjing suddenly spoke out, his back still facing the door.

A flicker of surprise passed through the eyes of the masked man in black. "You know who I am?"

Pei Xuanjing picked up the Pine Pattern Ancient Sword and got up from the cushion. Turning around, he smiled and said, "May I ask why the lord of the Zhang Family pays a late-night visit?"

The visitor was Zhang Zhiyi, the lord of the Zhang family, and another eighth-grade martial artist in this border county town apart from Pei Xuanjing.

Zhang Zhiyi, dressed in black and with his face covered, was not bothered when his identity was revealed. "Don't you already know what I've come for?"

His purpose this night was to kill Pei Xuanjing.

Zhang Zhiyi, although he had broken through to eighth grade with resources bestowed by the Tie Sect, acknowledged that he was getting old. He understood that he was already at his limit, with no chances of advancing further.

However, Pei Xuanjing, a martial artist who broke through in ninth grade at the age of sixteen, was almost as gifted as his own son, who had joined the Tie Sect. If the Zhang family gave Pei enough time, he could potentially pose a threat to the future benefits of the Zhang family.

Moreover, the Everlasting Observance held a substantial stake in the city's resources, and it was a significant obstacle for the rise of the Zhang family.

Whether considered from any angle, eliminating Pei Xuanjing was beneficial and harmless to the Zhang family.

"It seems that there's not much to discuss." Pei Xuanjing understood well that the conflict between the two parties was virtually impossible to resolve.

He remembered that during the last simulation of life, even if he chose to make peace, the other party would not willingly give up their interests.

As soon as these words ended, the Pine Pattern Ancient Sword in Pei Xuanjing's hand was unsheathed with a clang. He stomped abruptly. Like lightning, he aimed a slash towards Zhang Zhiyi.

"Hm!"

Zhang Zhiyi did not expect Pei Xuanjing to attack so decisively. His complexion drastically changed. He pulled out a long knife from his waist and hurriedly went to meet the attack.

With only one exchange, Zhang Zhiyi realized something was wrong.

He discovered that his opponent was not a ninth-grade martial artist as rumored, but an eighth-grade martial artist just like him. Moreover, it appeared that the opponent had mastered a sword skill capable of Soul Fusion Through Boundary.

This man cannot be fought against.

Zhang Zhiyi immediately changed his mind about eliminating the root of the problem. While resisting, he spoke, "Why insist on this, Master Pei? Since you are also an eighth-grade martial artist, why not join hands with our Zhang family to share this city?"

Pei Xuanjing remained silent, but his sword moves only grew fiercer, full of murderous intent at every moment.

Feeling Pei Xuanjing's strong killing intent, Zhang Zhiyi could only force a smile while half pleading and half threatening.

"Why should a talented person like you stay in a place like this? Not long ago, my son acknowledged a Tie Sect elder as his master. If you are interested, I am willing to recommend you to a Tie Sect elder..."

Hearing him mentioning his son joining the Tie Sect, and remembering his past experiences in the game of life, Pei Xuanjing's killing intent grew even stronger.

A few moves later, Pei Xuanjing's sword swept across Zhang Zhiyi's throat, and he breathed his last.

Before Zhang Zhiyi died, he stared at Pei Xuanjing with reluctance and despair in his eyes.

He did not expect that he would die before he had a chance to enjoy his life, having just broken through to become an eighth-grade martial artist.

More importantly, he was fearful that he had provoked a monster for the Zhang Family.

Pei Xuanjing was indifferent to what Zhang Zhiyi thought.

He wiped the blood off the Pine Pattern Ancient Sword, then called for Mr. Xu.

Mr. Xu of course knew the lord of the Zhang family, and even more, he knew that the latter had just broken through to being an eighth-grade martial artist.

Although he was curious about why the other party would appear here and was killed by Master Guan, under Master Guan's stern expression, Mr. Xu just silently obeyed his instructions. He dragged the body of the Zhang family's lord to the back of the Everlasting Observance and casually buried him in a dug pit.

"Ah, I suppose this is the most wronged eighth-grade martial artist who has ever died in the history of the city!"

Looking at the Zhang family's lord that he had just buried, Mr. Xu heaved a sigh and lamented.

In the days that followed,

Disregarding Mr. Xu's lament, it was well-known in the dark that the lord of the Zhang family, who had received the Tie Sect's resources and was about to break through as an eighth-grade martial artist, knew about it.

When Zhang Zhiyi silently died at the Everlasting Observance, it caused a lot of waves, and the most shocked was the Zhang family.

The day Zhang Zhiyi broke through as an eighth-grade martial artist and came to assassinate Pei Xuanjing, many of the Zhang family's elders knew about the matter.

However, when their lord vanished without a trace, and Master Guan Pei Xuanjing continued to read and practice martial arts as usual in the observance, this undoubtedly terrified the Zhang family's elders. They immediately changed their strategy and, in order to prevent retaliation, dispatched many elite young members to leave to temporarily avoid the crisis.

Although Pei Xuanjing had killed Zhang Zhiyi, he knew he couldn't be too aggressive now as the Tie Sect, who dominated the Northwest Dao, was backing Zhang Zhiyi.

In the following days, Pei Xuanjing continued to refine his handwritings for Taoyun as usual and chose not to reveal himself.

Nearly half a year passed in a flash. Today, Pei Xuanjing has once again accumulated enough Taoyun.

[Taoyun: 532 points.]

[Do you want to use the life simulator? Using it once will cost 500 Taoyun points.]

Pei Xuanjing didn't hesitate at all and chose 'yes'.

[Great Tao is fifty, Forty-Nine Heavenly Paths, one escapes! Therefore, all beings in the world have a thread of life!]

At seventeen: The lord of the Zhang family, who had broken through as an eighth-grade martial artist, wanted to assassinate you at night, but you killed him instead.

A few months later, you realized that hard cultivation was useless, and this small city didn't provide any help to your cultivation, so you decided to leave.

At twenty: After leaving the small city, with the strength of an eighth-grade martial artist and more than two years of experience, you have made a name for yourself with a masterful understanding of the sword. You were praised as a genius.

At this time, there were rumors that mysterious blessed lands had emerged, encouraged by some friends, you went there with them.

Three months later, you walked out from the mysterious blessed land. Although you survived, you were still terrified.

You didn't expect such fierce fights in this mysterious blessed land. Various strong geniuses were incessant, fighting each other to seize that peculiar object.

Although you didn't get the peculiar object, you luckily survived and obtained a Human Yuan Pill and a lot of valuables from the body of a dead martial artist.

At twenty-four: With the help of that Human Yuan Pill and those valuables, you finally ascended to the third level of the "Yi Wood Skill," advancing to a seventh-grade martial artist.

At twenty-five: During an adventure with friends, as a seventh-grade martial artist, you offended a young genius. The opponent easily defeated you. You were seriously injured and your foundation was damaged.

At twenty-eight: Unable to find a way to heal your injuries, you were stuck in your martial arts and, feeling disheartened, you decided to leave and return to the Everlasting Observance.

But on your way back, you encountered robbers. Despite your best efforts to avoid them, a conflict arose and you were ultimately killed by the robbers.

[End of this life.]