Qin Shu gazed toward the extravagant peacock—oh no, wait—her second senior brother, feeling a tinge of worry in her heart.

There were so many demonic beasts outside. Though his cultivation was high and his wealth abundant, his resources would eventually be depleted. At that point, wouldn't he just become a living target?

Just as she was lost in thought, a familiar figure appeared on the distant horizon.

Even if he turned to dust, Qin Shu would recognize him.

"Even Senior Brother Cheng Yan is here!" He Xin exclaimed excitedly.

"This means that the demonic beasts in the Xu Wang Valley must have been taken care of," Qin Shu speculated, stroking her chin.

"Our Alchemy Sect's First and Second Senior Brothers personally took action—mere beasts are nothing to worry about!" He Xin said with enthusiasm, her face glowing with pride.

Hearing this, Qin Shu couldn't help but feel a surge of shared sect pride.

However, unlike the admiration from Qin Shu and He Xin, Wen Chi's expression darkened upon seeing Cheng Yan.

"Why are you here?" Wen Chi asked, his voice carrying evident displeasure.

"She is not just your junior sister—she is mine as well. Do you really need to ask why I came?" Cheng Yan responded calmly, his gaze fixed on Wen Chi.

Though Wen Chi and Cheng Yan had their differences, having an additional strong cultivator present meant more options.

He withdrew his remaining spiritual talismans and turned to Cheng Yan. "Guard me while I set up the formation."

With that, he retrieved Zhuji Liuguang Fan from beneath his feet, allowing it to return to his grasp. Suspended mid-air, his long black hair floated as if caught in an invisible wind, and both hands moved rapidly, forming seals at an astonishing speed.

Cheng Yan, who had trained alongside Wen Chi for over a hundred years, knew his techniques all too well.

Watching the terrifying force coalescing within Wen Chi's hands, Cheng Yan's eyes sharpened.

This is the second form of the "Immaculate Formation Diagram."

It was one of Wen Chi's deadliest techniques.

Moments later, Wen Chi slowly opened his eyes, his pupils shimmering with a faint golden light. His face bore no trace of emotion, resembling a divine figure descending to rescue the mortal realm. The formation he conjured in his hands was released forward.

A blinding golden light erupted, illuminating the battlefield.

Qin Shu, who had been sitting on the rooftop, instinctively slapped her thigh and stood up.

"Holy crap! This—this—this—!" Her eyes widened in shock and excitement.

He Xin, clueless about the deeper meaning behind Qin Shu's reaction, assumed she was simply in awe of their senior brother's strength and grinned foolishly alongside her.

But as Qin Shu observed the golden light, she couldn't help but steal a glance at He Xin.

Good thing she's not the perceptive type.

Otherwise, she might have realized that the technique Wen Chi just performed was the very same type of sealing magic Qin Shu had used to kill the Flying Frost Flame Pelt Mouse.

So I'm not the only one who can form seals after all...

This must have been a technique acquired in the Transmission Hall, and suddenly, Qin Shu felt much less burdened.

Since others knew the technique too, she no longer had to hide her abilities!

She made up her mind: Once she increased her cultivation further, she would no longer rely on stealing the black serpent's energy.

After all, if his enemies ever tracked her down, she would be in serious trouble.

"How's the situation? Senior Brother Wen Chi just unleashed his ultimate move. Is the beast tide retreating?" Qin Shu asked.

As she turned around, she was startled to see tears streaming down He Xin's face.

"Are you so moved that you're crying? Isn't that a bit much?" Qin Shu asked, alarmed.

He Xin wiped her face with her sleeve before responding, "That golden light was just too bright!"

Qin Shu let out a sigh of relief.

By now, the golden radiance had faded, revealing the battlefield outside.

A massive vacuum had formed where the beast horde once stood. The lower-ranked demonic beasts had been completely obliterated.

Qin Shu felt a pang in her chest.

So many beast cores, so much fur...

Money! That was all money!

And thinking about how Wen Chi had recklessly wasted so many talismans, her heart and liver ached even more.

This spendthrift senior brother!

If he had this ultimate move, why didn't he use it sooner? If he had thrown out two of those earlier, he wouldn't have needed to waste all those precious talismans!

Wen Chi opened his eyes, his spiritual energy nearly drained. He almost lost his ability to hover in the air, but just as he faltered, Cheng Yan suddenly appeared at his side and steadied him with a light touch on his arm.

Wen Chi frowned. "Let go."

Cheng Yan wordlessly shoved a top-grade spirit-replenishing pill into Wen Chi's mouth.

"If I weren't worried about you embarrassing our sect, do you think I'd bother helping you?" Cheng Yan scoffed. "Instead of arguing with me, why don't you focus on guarding me while I make my move?"

The pill's effects quickly took hold, and Wen Chi's spiritual energy recovered by half in a short time.

"Guard you?" Wen Chi raised a brow.

Seeing that Wen Chi looked a bit better, Cheng Yan finally released him, drawing his massive sword from his back.

"You already made your move. Do you think I'd just stand by and let you take all the credit?"

With that, he charged into battle.

Qin Shu, clutching her aching heart, had no time to lament her financial losses.

Instead, she became utterly captivated by Cheng Yan's swordplay.

This was her first time witnessing a true swordsman in battle—a lesson more valuable than any training.

Cheng Yan wielded a greatsword, his style aggressive and decisive, relying on brute force over finesse.

Yet it was precisely because of this that his attacks were strikingly direct.

In Qin Shu's eyes, his sword was an extension of his body. His movements weren't particularly fast, but each strike carried the force of wind and thunder.

As his sword descended, the sheer pressure tore open a massive trench two meters wide between the city walls and the beast horde.

Even the floating city lord of Tai Lai City was impressed.

"For one so young to have already grasped the essence of swordsmanship... his potential is truly limitless!"

At the same moment, something inside Qin Shu's mind clicked into place—as if fog had suddenly lifted to reveal the clear sky.

She swiftly sat down cross-legged, closing her eyes as she entered a profound meditative state.

A sword is merely a weapon. Whether a spiritual tool or a divine artifact, if one merely treats it as an extension of oneself, then they fail to grasp its true power.

But if one borrows the force of nature—the wind, the storm, the lightning...

Then even the dullest iron could wield unimaginable strength.

He Xin glanced at Qin Shu suddenly entering meditation and was baffled.

She didn't understand what was happening, but she dared not disturb her. Instead, she stood guard beside her.

Eventually, the beast tide dispersed, and Wen Chi and Cheng Yan returned to the Xuantian Sect's outpost with Senior Brother Shu He.

As soon as Wen Chi entered, he called out loudly:

"Little Daoist! Come out here!"

But after several calls, Qin Shu was nowhere to be seen. Instead, He Xin hurried down from the rooftop.

After greeting the senior brothers, Shu He asked, "Where's Junior Sister Qin Shu?"

He Xin hesitated, then pointed toward the roof with a strange expression.

"She's... still up there. She's entered a deep meditation."