How to Prove This Is Yours

After dispatching the beetle monster, Chen Bing pushed up his black-rimmed glasses.

He opened his palm to reveal a perfectly round yellow orb.

A spirit core—it seemed to be of decent quality.

Chen Bing stepped lightly out of the sand layer.

The various snarling insects around him were instantly sliced into neat chunks of flesh and collapsed to the ground.

Wild lightning danced and raged fiercely.

Between heaven and earth, a canopy of blue-purple electric blossoms spread out.

The rumbling thunder never ceased.

The dark forest stretched endlessly, covered in dense clusters of trees as far as the eye could see.

Bai Xiu hoisted his long spear, his deadpan eyes rarely showing a trace of seriousness—yet now, a rare solemnity flickered in them.

Facing him was none other than Yang Tian, one of the Four Saints of the Enforcement Bureau.

“Hand it over, kid!” Yang Tian said coldly, his greatsword gleaming with a chilling light.

Bai Xiu yawned and curled his lips in disdain. “Are you an enforcer or a bandit? Robbing in broad daylight like this!”

Yang Tian remained unmoved by Bai Xiu’s sarcastic taunts, his face still cold as the massive sword in his hand radiated a fierce aura.

The ground was littered with lightning!

Yet strange, sinister plants seemed almost sentient, ravenously harvesting any living creature that passed by.

Just moments ago, Bai Xiu had stabbed through a giant ancient tree and extracted a blue-purple spirit core, which had brought an eerie silence to this world.

Bai Xiu tossed the spirit core in his hand, his eyes still void but brimming with arrogance. “If you want it, you’ll have to kill me first.”

Sensing Bai Xiu’s intense battle intent, Yang Tian sneered coldly: “You’re asking for it!”

Clang!

The spear met the greatsword with a shower of sparks.

Yang Tian’s eyes grew even more serious.

This seemingly lazy kid was terrifyingly strong!

Their figures clashed fiercely within the pitch-black forest.

A sharp, biting aura filled the air.

High above the dense woods,

A handsome monk balanced on a tree branch, fingers clasping a string of prayer beads as he softly chanted sutras.

His ears twitched at the sounds of the fight below.

Looking down, a sinister smile curled at the corners of his mouth.

The sky was a clear blue, mirrored by the sapphire lake below.

Heaven and water merged into one.

A narrow wooden bridge stretched out, its bottom lost in the depths, leading to where sky and water met.

Xue Ming closed his eyes, savoring the tranquility.

His whole being seemed to calm and settle.

Suddenly, a fish leapt from the water, splashing playfully before baring its sharp, menacing teeth and lunging at Xue Ming.

Ssshh!

Xue Ming’s emerald-green hand shot out, catching the strange fish with precision.

The fish writhed violently, sizzling as it smoked in his grasp.

In the blink of an eye, it was reduced to a puddle of rotten flesh.

Xue Ming smiled faintly. “Naughty.”

He crouched down, and in an instant, countless fish surged from the water, ready to overwhelm him.

Danger loomed in a flash, yet Xue Ming remained unmoved.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The leaping fish exploded one after another, their bellies ripped open as they floated lifeless on the water’s surface.

Farewell, you noisy lot.

Xue Ming gazed at the beautiful sky and lake, his smile growing ever more sinister.

He poured a bottle of pitch-black liquid into the lake.

The ink-like water spread, turning the entire surface a deep, murky green.

Soon, the whole pond boiled and bubbled violently.

Various fish floated belly-up on the water’s surface.

Then, a massive shark, nearly fifty meters long, flipped over and drifted upward—it was clearly poisoned.

“Protecting the environment starts with me,” Xue Ming said with a smile, shaking the bottle in his hand. He pocketed it, then casually drew a dagger and slit open the shark’s skull.

Inside, he retrieved a blue spirit core.

Not bad, not bad—there really was a spirit core.

Xue Ming stowed it away, smiling as he leisurely continued across the wooden bridge.

About a kilometer beyond the bridge.

“Qianqian, are you saying I’m going to marry that sleepyhead in the future?” Tang Qingqing asked brightly, linking arms with Shangguan Qianqian.

Shangguan Qianqian nodded. “According to the horoscope, that’s exactly what it looks like.”

Both were girls.

They had met naturally on this lonely wooden bridge, quickly becoming acquainted and deciding to travel together.

“No way. How could I agree to be pursued by a guy like that?” Tang Qingqing said shyly, snorting. “Sister Xiaoya is already being chased by some glasses-wearing loser. If I married someone like that, the Tang family would be the laughingstock of the other clans.”

Shangguan Qianqian said calmly, “You’re the one chasing him.”

Tang Qingqing:

“What’s going on? Why is the water turning this color?”

Shangguan Qianqian noticed the lake’s surface turning green and frowned thoughtfully.

“Could it be...?”

“This lake has been poisoned?”

Tang Qingqing quickly covered her mouth and nose, her expression tense. “Be careful, this water is toxic.”

Shangguan Qianqian held her breath, eyes sharp with caution.

“The Five Poison Sect—this has to be Xue Ming’s doing!” Tang Qingqing’s eyes turned cold as she swallowed a detox pill. Gritting her teeth, she said, “Qianqian, take the detox pill first.”

Meanwhile,

At the front end of the wooden bridge path,

Wang Dahai, one of the Four Saints of the Enforcement Bureau, lay sprawled on the wooden planks, convulsing and frothing at the mouth, his face twisted and eyes crooked.

“No wonder this Hongtian Secret Realm is so deadly—every step is poisoned!”

“Red umbrellas, white rods, eat them all and lie flat!”

An Yi hummed a catchy tune in a professional singer’s voice, tossing one fiery red spirit core after another as he walked step by step down the stone stairs, heading underground.

Explosive magma blanketed this world.

The scorching waves of flame grew ever more intense.

Above, four-legged lizards with fleshy wings screeched noisily, filling the air with raucous cries.

“Phew, the spiritual energy is getting stronger!” An Yi grinned, his eyes flashing with excitement.

“I wonder what’s hidden down there! It’s got to be something good!”

Suddenly, the sounds of clashing weapons echoed through the air.

An Yi’s expression shifted to one of curiosity.

“Is someone fighting?”

Beneath the earth’s surface, magma boiled fiercely, the heat intensifying the deeper one went.

Two figures stood face to face.

A blood-red dagger was plunged into the ground.

Beside it lay some remnants that had yet to fully dissipate—clearly relics from a long, long time ago.

Xiao Yike took the lead, striding forward arrogantly, and pulled the dagger from the earth.

The crimson blade radiated a scorching heat, low-key yet luxurious—it was obviously no ordinary weapon.

“Ugh! Trash! You actually think you can snatch it from me?”

Xiao Yike looked arrogantly at the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man, face full of anger, stared at Xiao Yike and shouted, “Th-this sword—I saw it first!”

Xiao Yike’s eyes were still bloodshot as he arrogantly retorted, “Nonsense! This sword belongs to no one. Why should it be yours? Even if it were, I’m taking it anyway. What are you gonna do about it?!”

“You—”

The middle-aged man’s face twisted with rage, shouting, “Is there no law anymore?!”

“Law? Are you kidding me?”

Xiao Yike laughed at the man’s words.

“What a joke!”

“In a place like this, talking about law? You must be dreaming!”

The bloodshot in Xiao Yike’s eyes faded, replaced by a hint of clarity. He timidly grabbed the dagger and said, “Th-then how do you prove this sword is yours? It’s clearly unclaimed!”

He switched to another personality but still refused to let go.

“I clearly saw it first.”

The middle-aged man looked equally unwilling to yield.

He wanted to seize the sword by force. Although Xiao Yike was timid, this guy was a Realm-level warrior. A direct fight might not guarantee victory!

“Enough arguing. The dagger is mine.”

An Yi strode down the stone steps, his aura imposing.

“Night Emperor An Yi!”

The middle-aged man’s expression shifted slightly but he still stood his ground. “How do you prove it’s yours?”

An Yi replied calmly, “Because my name is on it.”

Hearing this, Xiao Yike hurriedly flipped it over and said, “No, there’s nothing here. It only says ‘No Soul’.”

An Yi explained, “My surname is An, my given name Yi, and my courtesy name is ‘No Soul’.”

The middle-aged man cursed, “Damn it! You’re shameless!”