Chapter Fifteen: The Winds Rise

Ke Bei glanced at the cold corpse of the youth in white, his brows tightly furrowed. After a brief moment of contemplation, he hastened swiftly toward Lingfeng City.

“I must return as soon as possible!”

Ke Bei ran with all his might, his mind racing to formulate a plan. He had already surmised that the young man in white was no ordinary person, and since a witness remained alive, once that escaped guard reported the incident to the youth’s family, they would surely wait for him at the city gates.

“I must get home before they’re prepared!”

Lingfeng Base City was vast, its population around seven or eight million. Once Ke Bei entered the city, the escaped guard—who had never seen him before—would make it difficult for the youth’s family to track him down. With Ke Bei’s current strength, his full-speed sprint brought him to the city gates in less than half an hour. Upon arrival, he did not rush in but instead observed cautiously from the shadows for several minutes. Only when he was certain no ambush awaited did he quickly slip past the gates, heading south toward his home in Wanpeng Cave.

He ran all the way, and only after securing the door to his house did he finally let out a sigh of relief.

“What’s wrong?” Li Qianqian, who was wiping the table and tidying up the dishes, noticed Ke Bei’s anxious expression as he entered and asked softly.

“It’s nothing,” Ke Bei shook his head distractedly, brushing off her concern.

“Buy some extra food. I won’t leave the house for the next month,” Ke Bei glanced at Li Qianqian’s worried face and handed her a few red crystal coins.

“Alright,” Li Qianqian nodded obediently, wisely refraining from further questions. She took the coins and left.

“I must quickly strengthen myself!”

Feeling somewhat exhausted, Ke Bei lay on the large bed, staring at the pitch-black ceiling, his fists clenched.

“I can’t leave the city for a while. No matter how powerful the youth in white’s background is, it won’t be easy for them to find someone living in Wanpeng Cave within a short time!”

“One month. I only need one month. Once I’ve fully absorbed the upper scroll of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Art, even if a storm rages, I’ll have nothing to fear!”

The might of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Art far surpassed Ke Bei’s expectations. It was his only lifeline now, yet he felt the oppressive weight of an impending storm, an unease that made him uncomfortable.

In this moment, Ke Bei yearned for power more than anything.

“Vitality Cultivation, I’ll be relying on you this time!”

He sat cross-legged in silence, the cultivation method for Vitality Cultivation flashing through his mind.

Ke Bei urgently needed to increase his strength, for he had no idea when the forces behind the youth in white might come for him. The key to his improvement lay in Vitality Cultivation!

“Inhale... exhale... inhale...”

Following the method’s instructions, Ke Bei made his breathing as steady and deep as possible, focusing his mind on his lower abdomen and clearing his thoughts. Soon, he entered a meditative state.

With the unique rhythm of his breathing, Ke Bei suddenly sensed a warm current rising in his lower abdomen. Feeling the warmth wriggle through him like a tiny snake, Ke Bei was overjoyed—he knew this was the true energy spoken of in Vitality Cultivation. Sensing the warm current meant the first step was complete.

Next, he needed to guide this current along his body’s meridians with his mind.

It was the first time Ke Bei had encountered such a miraculous phenomenon. He found it fascinating, yet he was also nervous, so he didn’t rush to move the delicate thread of true energy but instead continued to nourish it. Only when the warm current had grown thicker did he cautiously wrap it in his mind and guide it along his meridians.

“Buzz—”

The moment the true energy began to flow, Ke Bei’s muscles trembled violently, like a starving beggar greedily devouring the warm current.

The sensation was blissfully comfortable; Ke Bei couldn’t help but let out a moan, clearly feeling his body gradually strengthen.

Yet his true energy was still too weak, and the pleasant feeling soon faded. As the true energy was completely absorbed by his muscles, Ke Bei suddenly opened his eyes.

“So hungry—”

His first sensation on waking was hunger, his stomach rumbling, feeling empty.

“You’re awake. You must be hungry. Eat something,” Li Qianqian sat on a stool, her chin resting in her hands. She had watched Ke Bei quietly throughout his cultivation, and seeing him suddenly open his eyes made her inexplicably nervous, her cheeks flushing red.

“Thank you,” Ke Bei said softly, noticing Li Qianqian’s anxious expression and the pile of food on the table. His attention was quickly drawn to the feast.

He was famished, and began to eat ravenously.

Under the moonlight, in the small house, Ke Bei let out a contented belch, feeling utterly at ease.

In stark contrast to Ke Bei’s ease, in the eastern part of Lingfeng City, a luxurious villa was shrouded in a persistent gloom.

“Do you know who he was?”

A figure in blue sat upright on a seat of violet jade, expressionless, staring at the man kneeling before him.

“N-no, I don’t…” The man knelt on the cold floor, trembling slightly. Cold sweat dripped from his brow, soaking the floor beneath him.

“Then why are you still alive?”

The blue figure looked down without emotion, watching the man shiver, and asked carelessly.

“I—I’m the only one who saw his face.” The kneeling man wiped the sweat from his forehead. He didn’t want to die; remembering the man’s appearance was his only reason for survival. Driven by instinct, he summoned all his courage, raised his head, and spoke deliberately to the calm blue figure.

The figure on the violet jade seat said nothing. The vast hall was oppressively silent—apart from the sound of sweat dripping, there was total stillness.

After a long silence, the blue figure slowly rose from his seat.

“There are four hundred thirty-seven thousand six hundred fifty-two enhancers between level two and level three in Lingfeng City. You have ten days to find him.”

“This is your only chance.”

The blue figure walked slowly to the man, tossing a black badge glowing with a sinister light at his feet.

“For ten days, you may command all the manpower of the Blood Sword Alliance.”

“Do not disappoint me.”

He extended his thin, broad hand, gently patting the kneeling man, then walked out of the hall, expressionless.

The man remained kneeling long after the blue figure left. Finally, his trembling hands picked up the black badge symbolizing the Blood Sword Alliance’s authority.

“Spread the word. Find all level-two enhancers skilled with throwing knives!”

Clutching the cold badge, the man suddenly felt a surge of power.

“Yes!”

“Yes!”

Whether level one, two, or even three, all the enhancers in the hall bowed respectfully at the man’s command.

“So this is power?”

Holding the icy black badge, watching even the usually arrogant level-three enhancers bow to him, the man’s back straightened with pride.

A fierce wind swept through Lingfeng City—a storm stirred by the Blood Sword Alliance. As one of the city’s three great free alliances, the Blood Sword Alliance possessed the strength to summon such a storm.

For a time, Lingfeng City was filled with tension, the air thick with unease.