I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, So I’ll Max Out My Defense

Suddenly, his infamy spread far and wide amidst whispers and alarm. Coupled with the Imperial Court manipulating public opinion from behind the scenes, people’s faces would blanch at the mere mention of Li Xiaobai.

Inside the mountain forest, Li Xiaobai practiced the Spirit Realm Technique, completely draining the last person’s inner strength in the cave, then headed deeper into the forest.

His Dantian was already filled and occupied by the inner strength, which even without guidance, would automatically travel through the governor vessels, descend from the conception vessels, and form the Circulation of the Heavens. The whole process was done in one go without the slightest bottleneck—everything came naturally and easily.

Moreover, the circulation of the inner strength became faster and faster, like floodwaters breaking through a dam, continuously scouring the Circulation of the Heavens. Li Xiaobai’s eyes glittered intensely, a sign that his power had climbed to its peak.

Common martial artists in the Spirit Refinining Realm could only circulate their inner strength for a few Circulations of the Heavens before needing to stop to recover. Even the accomplished few could only manage around a dozen in one go. However, at that moment, the boundless inner strength in Li Xiaobai’s body completely crammed the governor and conception vessels, cycling endlessly without any need to consider depletion.

Not only that, Li Xiaobai felt that the inner strength in the governor and conception vessels was faintly expanding outward, a sign of abundant inner strength. The inner strength would naturally develop other channels within the body.

If all the channels within the body were fully opened, one could leap to become a super expert in the Refinement Void Realm. Every master at this level was a founder of their own legacy. Common folk would need decades to reach this step, but for Li Xiaobai, as long as there were enough “chives,” breaking through was just a blink away.

After the breakthrough, his senses became several times sharper instantaneously. He could not miss any rustling of wind or grass within several miles, a capability far surpassing that of ordinary martial artists in the Spirit Refinining Realm.

“Success, next I should go capture some more robust ‘chives,’” he thought, and decided to also inquire about Long Xue’s whereabouts. “With the disappearance of seven government officers, Long Xue should have been transferred directly from that small town to the main city, right?”

A smile curved at the corners of Li Xiaobai’s mouth, as he prepared to descend the mountain to take a look.

But just at that moment, his mind was suddenly engulfed in chaos, and the action plan he had organized instantly became blurry. Many memories that didn’t belong to this world also vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye.

He understood that he had now fully merged with the Illusionary Realm World.

Slumping to the ground, Li Xiaobai’s eyes were empty for a moment, and then slowly regained their clarity.

“Damn officials, you killed my master, destroyed my sect, all for a cultivation technique, using such despicable means—it’s utterly shameful!”

“Evil reigns while the good are labeled as demons—what’s wrong with this world?”

“To think that I would keep dozens of people captive for my own cultivation, I’ve truly turned into a demon. But as long as I can save my junior sister, it’s all worth it!”

“Right, I must hurry to rescue my junior sister!”

Li Xiaobai murmured to himself, stood up from the ground, drew his longsword from his waist, and rushed down the mountain.

At this moment, his heart was filled with nothing but rage. The Imperial Court, in order to take his Spirit Realm Technique, had not hesitated to annihilate his entire sect, framing him with various charges, and now they had even taken the only family he had left to threaten him.

Even though he knew it was a trap, he had to brave this den of dragons and pits of tigers!

However, when he passed by a rock wall, he halted in his tracks.

The rock wall was covered with densely packed inscriptions, all about him and Long Xue.

“I am a quiet handsome man, as long as you listen to me, you will be able to rescue Long Xue successfully…”

“The most effective way to overcome fear is to face it…”

“`

“Build high walls, store up grain, become king slowly…”

“Hold steady, don’t rush…”

As Li Xiaobai looked at the densely inscribed characters on the wall, he slowly calmed down.

The stone wall told the story well, clearly analyzing the current situation, almost as if it were written by himself.

The most critical point was that it outlined how to rescue Long Xue and the method to become stronger in the shortest amount of time, essentially unlocking the door to a new world for him.

“Who on earth wrote this? They’re incredibly smart!”

“Indeed, to save Long Xue, my current strength is not enough; I must become stronger as soon as possible!”

“I never imagined that the true use of the Spirit Realm Technique was like this; the person who wrote this is really a damn genius!”

Li Xiaobai’s eyes glinted with a bloodthirsty light; a new path, untried by predecessors, lay before him. He decided to take a gamble. Although what was stated on the stone wall was somewhat against humanity, he had already been branded a demon by the government, despised by all. What did he care about one more curse?

He steadied his mind and walked slowly down the mountain to capture a few of the Imperial Court’s dogs first!

The government officers had never given up on hunting for Li Xiaobai and had made some progress. Recently, at the foot of the mountain forest, there appeared numerous martial artists with sharp auras, clearly not the benevolent type, all here to search for Li Xiaobai.

But in Li Xiaobai’s eyes, these people were not strong opponents, rather they were bona fide chives ready for harvest.

At a tea shop at the foot of the mountain, a group of people were resting. A few middle-aged men who were obviously not ordinary people, wearing straw cloaks and conical hats, were talking about something.

“Brother Wang, have you found anything lately?”

“Alas, don’t mention it. There isn’t even a demon head like Li Xiaobai to be seen on this mountain, not even a rabbit; I’m about to give up hope!”

“Even if we find Li Xiaobai, it’s got nothing to do with us; it’s all the credit of the Imperial Court’s high-ranking officials. We are just going through the motions; there’s no need to be serious.”

“That’s true, but it’s so dull staying in this godforsaken place for too long. I really miss the days of visiting brothels and listening to songs!”

“Hehe, you two are unaware, aren’t you? As they say, a phoenix can come from a chicken’s nest. These past few days, I’ve found several fine girls in this village. Their looks, their figures, they’re definitely no worse than those in the brothels!”

“The key point is, they’re still chicks, fresh and young ladies. Would you like to join me and taste this worldly delight?”

“Really? That’s great; let’s go tonight. I want to see just how fresh they are!”

“Hehe, I like them young too.”

The men exchanged knowing smiles, clearly understanding each other. Tired of the usual girls in the brothels, they were eager to enjoy the freshness of the fine girls they had found in this remote village.

“Brothers, Brother Wang is treating tonight; let’s go and have a taste. Let’s see just how lovely the girls in this village are!”

“Thank you, sir!”

“Hahaha, we’ve been holding back for ages; thanks a lot!”