Cangyun City, in the Li family, inside a simple and clean room, Li Kai was staring blankly at a portrait.

The portrait depicted a woman, an exceptionally beautiful one. Her eyes were as clear as autumn waters, with a trace of liveliness. What was surprising, though, was that a beast lay on her shoulder. It looked like a snake but not quite, with a faint resemblance to a divine dragon—very peculiar and unforgettable at first glance.

"Monroe, Xiaoyao has finally grown up. He has inherited your martial soul. Perhaps he still doesn't understand what that means, but once his martial soul undergoes its life awakening, he'll realize the incredible talent you passed down to him."

"When a so-called useless martial soul becomes an unrivaled twin martial soul, imagine the shock it will bring."

Li Kai stood in front of the portrait, muttering to himself, with a deep affection in his gaze.

"They may think I've forgotten, but I never have. Once Xiaoyao's martial soul awakens, I will tell him everything. One day, I will see him step into the imperial capital."

Li Kai's eyes were filled with intense determination. He had hesitated before; if Li Xiaoyao had continued to be weak as before, he would have let him live as an ordinary person. But now, he saw hope in Li Xiaoyao, and believed that with the resolve he saw in Xiaoyao's eyes, he would surely awaken his martial soul.

...

Li Xiaoyao naturally knew nothing about his mother. Even in the memories he had inherited, there was no information about her. Li Kai had never told him, so he had no idea what kind of martial soul that small serpent was.

After crippling Lin Heng, Li Xiaoyao felt an unexpected lightness in his heart, as if a knot inside him had been untied. Perhaps it was because a remnant of the former "Li Xiaoyao's" obsession had finally faded away. After all, the previous Li Xiaoyao had been killed by Li Ming.

Instead of leaving immediately, Li Xiaoyao decided to stay and train in Wind Valley. Everyone who entered Wind Valley came for battle. Even if he didn't provoke others, he believed someone would challenge him eventually.

"It's you." As this thought crossed his mind, a cold voice suddenly echoed. Li Xiaoyao looked toward the voice and saw a graceful figure. Although her face was masked, her figure alone was captivating.

Li Xiaoyao was puzzled. The person wore a mask, so he couldn't see her face. He didn't know many people in the Canghai Sect. The only ones he was familiar with were Han Kui, Qing Jiu, and Jingxiang. Clearly, this woman wasn't Han Kui or Qing Jiu, and Jingxiang's figure wasn't as alluring.

"Last time you got away, but this time, let's see where you'll run." The woman sneered, pulling out a bow from behind her, causing Li Xiaoyao's eyes to narrow slightly. He remembered someone—Zhao Xinyi, the woman from the narrow heavens hot spring. He had committed her name to memory because her arrow had nearly taken his life.

Perhaps realizing that Li Xiaoyao wasn't weak, Zhao Xinyi directly activated her martial soul. Immediately, Li Xiaoyao felt locked on by her arrow martial soul.

"Arrows are powerful at long range but hard to use up close. I need to get closer." Li Xiaoyao's mind raced as he lifted his foot, sprinting towards Zhao Xinyi without hesitation.

"Trying to get close?" Zhao Xinyi sneered as she let an arrow fly. The bowstring twanged with a resonating hum.

"Clang!" With a sharp sound, Li Xiaoyao's sword left its sheath.

"Ninth Wave, Thunderclap Sword." With a soft shout, Li Xiaoyao's left hand unleashed the Ninth Wave, weakening the arrow's force. His Thunderclap Sword then struck like lightning, splitting the arrow in two.

"Shimmering Shadow."

Without missing a beat, Li Xiaoyao continued his rapid advance. His movements were seamless, as if he had rehearsed them countless times.

However, Zhao Xinyi was not just a pretty face; her strength was formidable. She ranked eighth among the outer disciples. She knew Li Xiaoyao wanted to get close, so after firing an arrow, she immediately retreated. As an expert archer, she had also trained in high-level movement techniques. As soon as Li Xiaoyao split the first arrow, she had already drawn her bowstring again, this time with three arrows ready to shoot.

"See you later." Li Xiaoyao suddenly changed direction and dashed towards the forest on the left. Zhao Xinyi's movement technique was impressive, almost on par with his own. While he could close the distance, it would take time, and in that time, Zhao Xinyi could shoot several volleys of arrows. Each volley with three arrows posed a significant threat.

Thus, upon seeing Zhao Xinyi prepare to shoot three arrows, Li Xiaoyao changed his plan, darting into the forest. There, her abilities would be greatly hindered, while in the open field, her arrow martial soul would allow her to fight at full strength from a distance.

"It seems I underestimated the difficulty of dealing with a ninth-level Qi Martial Realm cultivator." Li Xiaoyao thought to himself. However, he hadn't realized that Zhao Xinyi's strength was exceptional, even among ninth-level cultivators. With her ability to lock onto targets using her arrow martial soul, combined with her archery skills, her long-range power was terrifying.

But Li Xiaoyao wasn't discouraged. He believed that if Zhao Xinyi dared to follow him into the forest, victory would surely be his.

"Hmph." Zhao Xinyi snorted coldly behind him. With a low shout, she drew her bow to full tension, the hum of the bowstring growing stronger.

A sense of intense danger washed over Li Xiaoyao. He knew Zhao Xinyi was about to fire, and gripped his sword tightly. He was only two breaths away from reaching the forest.

"Stay!" A domineering voice rang out, and sword energy filled the air. An overwhelming sense of danger forced Li Xiaoyao to stop in his tracks and leap backward.

Boom! Dust flew everywhere, and a deep sword mark appeared on the ground in front of Li Xiaoyao. Had he continued forward, that sword would have struck him.

Looking up, Li Xiaoyao saw a man dressed in white, standing on a tree, holding a long sword. It was him who had just unleashed that strike.

"Junior Sister Zhao Xinyi, has this person offended you? Do you need me to take care of him?" The man in white stood high above, casting a disdainful glance at Li Xiaoyao. To him, Li Xiaoyao was no more than an ant—one he could crush at will. If Zhao Xinyi nodded, he would kill Li Xiaoyao without hesitation, despite the sect's rules, for their status difference was far too great.

"An inner disciple." Li Xiaoyao saw the emblem on the man's robe and felt a chill in his heart. This inner disciple had attacked without hesitation, and if Li Xiaoyao had been slower, he would have been killed on the spot.

"Yuzhen Dong, I don't need you to meddle in my affairs." Zhao Xinyi didn't release her arrow. It wasn't out of mercy but because she knew Yuzhen Dong was pursuing her, though she had no interest in him. She didn't want to owe him anything, so she refrained from acting.

Putting away her martial soul, Zhao Xinyi slung her bow over her shoulder and said to Li Xiaoyao, "Consider yourself lucky. Next time, you won't be so fortunate."

With that, Zhao Xinyi turned and left without a moment's pause.

"Why are you like this, Zhao Xinyi?" Yuzhen Dong shook his head and leaped away without even sparing a glance at Li Xiaoyao.

Boom! Another explosion echoed, and another deep sword mark appeared in front of Li Xiaoyao.

"You're lucky this time. Next time I see you angering Zhao Xinyi, I will kill you." Yuzhen Dong's voice came from the distance.

Li Xiaoyao stood still, not moving an inch. Even as the powerful sword energy exploded in front of him, he didn't flinch.

Zhao Xinyi believed she was superior and wanted to kill him just because he lingered in the hot spring for a moment. Yuzhen Dong, an inner disciple, almost killed him without any reason at all. In the short time he had been in this world, Li Xiaoyao had fully realized the meaning of "might makes right."

"Yu Zhendong, right? I'll remember you. The day I step into the Spirit Martial Realm will be the day of your demise." Li Xiaoyao glanced deeply at the two sword marks on the ground, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. Then, without hesitation, he turned and left. He was confident that with his talent, that day would not be far off.