Hearing the words “old man” in Fang Qing’s tone, Tán Fēngcǎo’s eye twitched.No matter how you put it, he was a late Foundation Establishment cultivator, versed at least a little in methods of preserving youth—how could he look like an old man?But now he had no time to quibble, for he sensed an extremely dangerous aura from Fang Qing ahead. Black气streams swirled around the blade in her hand, exuding a withering chill.Fang Qing’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction as she watched the inky气flow. She was a martial artist, yet had never used a single blade technique—not because she lacked them, but because on Blue Star she could not draw on its inert “qi.” Here in the Xiaoyao Realm, however, the “qi” was spirited, and she could easily mobilize it. After some time adapting, she had finally mastered that technique!Fang Qing moved Wu Qian, condensing the jet-black气into a half-moon blade qi and sent it slicing directly at Tán Fēngcǎo. She called this move the Extinction Slash. It boasted tremendous power and a target-locking function—once locked, even the swiftest footwork could not evade it.The black blade light did not move especially fast, but Tán Fēngcǎo felt inescapably pinned, as if heaven and earth themselves hindered his dodge. Worse, he sensed that if it struck, he would almost certainly die.Spurred by this life-or-death urgency, Tán Fēngcǎo clenched his left hand and unleashed the technique he had kept hidden until now. Dozens of dark-green vines shot up before him, attempting to block the Extinction Slash.Strangely, though, the vines withered the moment they neared the blade qi—vibrant green fading to ashen gray—and collapsed to the ground, utterly failing to stop it.The blade qi cut through unimpeded and struck Tán Fēngcǎo’s chest. At that instant he understood why his vines had withered: the slash was devouring his life force! As his lifeforce drained, his jet-black hair turned streaked with white, his taut skin wrinkled, and in moments he became a dried husk.[Contracted Member killed Tán Fēngcǎo. As he was a faction leader, world progress increased (influence gained).][World Progress: 8%.][Tán Fēngcǎo’s Chestnut Box (Blue).]The Holy Sanctuary’s prompt announced Tán Fēngcǎo’s complete death. Fang Qing sheathed her blade and looked down at the Wúgòu Alliance members around her.After a disdainful sweep of her gaze, she said proudly,“I’m done here—make way!”At her words, the Alliance members all looked to their leader, Píngshēng. He gave no further instructions, but instead spoke politely to Fang Qing,“Honored miss, would you care to join our Wúgòu Alliance?”Fang Qing thought to herself, Just the question I was waiting for! The Sanctuary had a special mechanism for factions: upon joining, a Contracted Member unlocked a faction’s favorability system—complete faction tasks to gain standing and access to its faction store, where one could exchange contribution for items. That was exactly what she wanted.Yet as a noble young lady, she could not accept too readily. So, acting petulant, she replied,“Hm? No thanks!”“Why not? If you join, all our major perks can be opened for you, including—”“Enough chatter!” Fang Qing interrupted Píngshēng’s long spiel.He fell silent, and she struck a thinking pose, then smiled and made her condition:“Well… not impossible. Show me your most handsome man! If I’m satisfied, I’ll consider it.”In truth she would have asked for cultivation resources, but that clashed with her young-lady status—no noble miss would sell herself for resources. Better to request something plausible: handsome men.Píngshēng was momentarily speechless, then considered if the Alliance had anyone suitably handsome. Soon he thought of a youth who had just joined today—likely the best-looking in an alliance mostly filled with rough men.He scanned the crowd to summon that youth, but no command was needed—others had the same thought. From Fang Qing’s perspective, everyone turned toward a young man at the rear, parting to create a clear path.Through that opening, Fang Qing saw the youth: tall as a pine, black hair neatly tied back, a sharply featured face of striking handsomeness. His penetrating gaze fixed on her, lips curved in a faint smile that exuded allure.But the key was that she knew that face. Her tongue almost spoke, but before she could, he spoke first, his magnetic voice filling the air:“Honored miss, greetings. My name is—Gu Yuan.”At Gu Yuan’s introduction, Fang Qing stared at him intently. He looked both like Gu Yuan and not like Gu Yuan. In her memory, he had been a naive World’s Progeny still needing refinement. Now he appeared clean and refined, that faint playful smile more like an aristocratic dandy than the humble, kind hunter boy he once was.That strange feeling made her scrutinize him without restraint, not blinking for an instant, while in her mind she weighed whether he was indeed the Gu Yuan she had parted from. In her own sense, he was—but to the others, matters differed.Píngshēng visibly relaxed; to him, Fang Qing’s behavior meant her joining the Alliance was a foregone conclusion. The other members watched Gu Yuan with envy or admiration—being noticed by a peerless beauty and noble miss was something to covet, even if her temper was ill.Gu Yuan himself felt joy at her gaze. His new attire had paid off: passersby would presume him a scion of a great clan, and even Fang Qing seemed taken in. Though he inwardly chuckled, outwardly he remained earnest, smiling as he said politely,“May I # Nоvеlight # ask the honored miss’s name?”

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