Advancement Through Self-Reliance

Buzz!

Right at this moment, Xu Mu unleashed the White Emperor's Holy Sword. Six dark red longswords materialized around his body, all thrusting toward Kong Xiang.

Kong Xiang sneered, "Let's see who dies first!"

He erupted with power once again, his five bony fingers piercing toward Xu Mu's heart.

Crack!

The fingers completely pierced through the Demonic Guardian armor.

"Hahaha!"

Kong Xiang couldn't help but laugh, but his smile came to an abrupt halt.

Because the surrounding longswords didn't stop. Instead, they thrust toward his vital points with even greater ferocity.

Seeing this, Kong Xiang used his Qi to block them.

But suddenly, a sharp pain shot from his heart, breaking his focus.

Xu Mu took the opportunity to pull back his longsword. Coating the black blade with Heaven-Burning Sword Qi, he slashed out with immense force.

Swish!

Kong Xiang's body flew backward, crashing through three thick trees before finally smashing into a distant hillside.

Xu Mu smiled and patted his armor; the five holes that had been pierced through it were gradually repairing themselves.

The onlookers surrounding them couldn't believe their eyes.

Their patriarch had actually been sent flying by this young man.

Buzz!

Just then, a fiery figure appeared in the distance. It was Kong Xiang, who had just been sent flying, now sporting flaming wings on his back.

He hovered in mid-air, staring down at Xu Mu.

Xu Mu wasn't surprised; the Gu Diao tribe could indeed fly.

He looked up and noticed that the clothes on Kong Xiang's chest were torn open, revealing a deep sword wound that was oozing blood.

"I remember now. What you used just now is the Jiuli Tribe's Demonic Guardian."

Kong Xiang slowly descended from the sky. "However, you probably aren't feeling too good right now either, are you? Although Demonic Guardian is a defensive technique, it doesn't stand out much compared to other defensive arts of the same tier. Its true strength lies in damage reflection."

"Are you saying you've heavily injured me?"

Xu Mu asked with a smile.

"Is that not the case?"

Kong Xiang's gaze grew serious. "We are both injured now. I don't think there's any need to continue this fight."

Of course, he could still fight, but he had to hold something back.

Fu Jinyu was definitely waiting outside. If he exhausted himself too much, he could easily be killed by Fu Jinyu.

His remaining Qi was still enough to deal with Fu Jinyu; even if he couldn't win, he could at least escape.

"Sigh, I originally thought you were a master, but it seems you're nothing special."

Xu Mu pointed at Kong Xiang and said, "There isn't even a drop of blood on your hands. How are you so sure that I'm injured?"

Kong Xiang's expression changed. He looked down at his hands—indeed, there wasn't the slightest smell of blood.

"Come on, let's keep moving!"

Xu Mu charged at Kong Xiang again.

Kong Xiang roared, "Brat! You think I'm afraid of you?!"

The two clashed fiercely once more. Even though he was injured, Kong Xiang's Qi was still vastly superior to Xu Mu's.

Xu Mu's body was repeatedly sent flying, smashing through trees, buildings, and boulders...

Yet, every time, he would instantly get back up and re-engage, not pausing for a single breath.

On the contrary, Kong Xiang, who clearly held the upper hand, gradually began to run out of stamina, his breathing growing heavy.

Kong Xiang was dumbfounded. What kind of monster was this guy?

He wasn't dead?

No! He wasn't even injured?!

From the start of the battle until now, Kong Xiang hadn't seen Xu Mu spit out a single drop of blood. Instead, his own body was dyed red with his own blood.

"Phew!"

Xu Mu suddenly took a deep breath. Looking at Kong Xiang panting heavily in the distance, he noticed the old man's Qi was noticeably less sharp than when they started.

He had to admit, the old man's stamina was really lacking.

In that case!

Xu Mu unleashed his Heaven-tier technique, Spirit Vein Armament. Red threads began to float out around his body.

The enemy was weakening, while he was growing stronger. In this state, the tide of the battle would instantly turn.

Swish!

Xu Mu used Cloud Step and flew into the sky. In the night sky, as his speed increased, the fine red threads trailing behind him stretched out long.

He wrapped the Heaven-Burning Sword Qi around his longsword and launched a relentless assault.

Kong Xiang retreated again and again, realizing that even the power of his Qi was now inferior to Xu Mu's.

Boom!

His body was smashed from the sky into the ground, creating a deep crater in the earth.

Kong Xiang immediately raised his hand. "Stop fighting! Didn't you want my treasures? I can give them to you right now!"

"Too late! I can get them just the same by killing you."

Xu Mu continued his strike toward Kong Xiang.

"I'll even give you a few beauties from our tribe! Just stop!"

"I'm afraid your people might eat me while I sleep!"

Xu Mu didn't pause for a second. Asking for heavenly treasures earlier was just an excuse.

His true goal was to eliminate these people.

"Fuck! I'll take you down with me!"

No matter what, Kong Xiang was a tribe patriarch. Being beaten to such a state by someone at the Grandmaster realm...

How could he face his ancestors in the afterlife?

Xu Mu was surprised to find that Kong Xiang's strength had increased a bit; he had clearly tapped into his latent potential.

However, even so, it couldn't change his fate.

Boom!

Their powers clashed once more, locking them in a stalemate where neither could gain the upper hand.

Right at that moment, Xu Mu's eyes suddenly widened as the power within his body surged explosively.

His own Qi instantly overwhelmed Kong Xiang, completely engulfing him.

Boom!

Kong Xiang's body smashed against a distant boulder. His chest was reduced to a bloody mess, and blood continuously spilled from his mouth.

"You brat! You! You..."

Kong Xiang's raised arm fell limp, and he stopped breathing.

Seeing this, the distant Gu Diao tribe members were scared out of their wits.

Their patriarch was actually dead?

He had just broken through to the mid-stage of the Mortal Shedding realm and was ready to achieve great things, but now he was gone!

They were all filled with regret. Why did they ever leave the Sky Demon Tribe? If they were still members of the Sky Demon Tribe, this would never have happened.

Xu Mu stood frozen in place. This feeling was all too familiar—it seemed like the sensation of leveling up.

But he hadn't done a lottery draw, and no black text notification had appeared before his eyes.

So, he quickly checked his current status panel.

Name: Xu Mu

Identity: Villainous Holy Body, HR Manager of the Xu Group

Realm: Mid-stage Grandmaster

Physique: 1550

Spirit: 1550

Cultivation Points: -300 (Max 1600)

Destiny Power: 3012

"Holy shit?"

Seeing these stats, Xu Mu was dumbfounded. His Cultivation Points were in the negatives.

However, he roughly understood what had happened.

He had two ways of cultivating.

One was relying on the system, and the other was like ordinary people—relying on combat and tempering oneself.

Having fought Kong Xiang with all his might for so long just now, he had successfully leveled up relying entirely on his own abilities.

However, his original system Cultivation Points were still 300 points short of a level-up.

That was why the panel displayed negative 300. He had to make up for the missing 300 points, as they were two different cultivation systems after all.

"It seems my talent for cultivation isn't too bad."

Xu Mu remembered that to advance from the early-stage Grandmaster's Body Tempering realm to the mid-stage Bone Forging realm, most people needed heavenly treasures that enhanced calcium to break through.

Only a rare few with extraordinary talent didn't need such things.

To his surprise, Xu Mu hadn't needed them either; he had leveled up directly through combat.

Now, Xu Mu faced a choice. Since his talent was quite good, should he rely on himself to raise his realm, or should he rely on the system?

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Xu Mu knew the answer.

"Xu Mu, you..."

Meanwhile, Fu Jinyu appeared in the distance once again. Her mouth hung wide open in shock, her face filled with absolute disbelief.