Alright, Maybe I Was Wrong

Li Ziniu warned Su Luo and the others out of first impressions.

In his eyes:

Su Luo was a frail, injured young master.

Little Yu, a young cultivator.

Yun, unremarkable, with some skill but still seeming weak.

Jiang Ningshu, an ordinary person—though this was because Jiang Ningshu had concealed her cultivation, making herself appear as she had when she’d lost her powers.

"Don’t worry, old man, we’re quite strong," Yun replied.

"Heh, you just don’t realize—it’s not just demonic beasts out there, but also cultivators who control them. Just a few days ago, they robbed Jinglin City of its treasures."

Li Ziniu lazily explained. He’d just left Jinglin City himself and, hearing of the situation, had been in high spirits volunteering to eliminate the pests.

Unexpectedly, he’d run into Su Luo’s group.

"But we really are strong," Little Yu insisted.

Only then did Li Ziniu take a proper look at them.

Wait… something felt off.

A sharp inhale escaped him. While the others seemed unremarkable, why was this girl so powerful?!

He meant Little Yu. Earlier, he’d only glanced at her casually, but now that he looked properly—at least Golden Core, no, possibly even Nascent Soul.

Wasn’t this too outrageous? She couldn’t be more than twenty.

"Hey, you—who trained you?" Li Ziniu demanded.

Little Yu was about to answer when they were interrupted.

"Boss, look—beauties!"

Three cultivators emerged, their cultivation at Golden Core or above.

Li Ziniu glanced at them. They matched the wanted posters in the city—the same ones who’d robbed Jinglin City.

One of them grinned. "Beauties! This trip was worth it."

The boss promptly punched him in the head. "Stop with the nonsense. Our only targets are spirit stones and treasures. Everything else is pointless."

"But… that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy ourselves too, right?"

"We stay focused. If we’re here to rob, we rob." The boss was dead serious.

Su Luo nearly laughed. "Oh, so even bandits these days specialize in vertical markets now, huh?"

How principled. Not that it mattered—the moment they targeted his group, their fates were sealed.

"What vertical markets? Hand over everything you’ve got, or you’re all dead!"

Li Ziniu didn’t like that tone. He was about to act, but someone was faster.

"I’ll handle this."

Little Yu drew her sword and stepped forward, no longer interested in their chatter.

"Be careful. He’s no pushover," Li Ziniu warned, thinking Little Yu might be too inexperienced to win.

But in an instant, Little Yu’s blade flashed—one bandit fell. A reverse stroke, and the second lackey followed.

The boss roared. "You little brat—hope you’re born into a better life next time!"

His Golden Core aura erupted.

At the same time, a savage demonic beast appeared, its neck fitted with a specialized collar, drool dripping from its maw, eyes filled with malice.

Its cultivation was at least early-stage Nascent Soul.

"What do you think? This is my treasure. You’ll make fine meals for it."

The beast snarled ferociously—yet the longer it roared, the more it realized something was wrong.

Not a single person showed fear.

Instead, slowly, it began to feel dread.

Little Yu dropped all pretenses. The crushing pressure of a late-stage Nascent Soul burst forth.

One leap, and she was above the beast. A single slash cleaved it in two.

She’d fought entire armies of demonic beasts—this thing was no threat.

The boss gaped. His beast, stronger than him, was just… gone?

But he didn’t have long to process it. Those who hesitated ended up on the ground.

"P-please spare me! I had no choice—!"

He dropped to his knees, begging seamlessly, his expression perfectly pitiful.

Little Yu ignored it. A clean strike ended him.

No choice? With power like his, he could’ve done anything.

Yet here he was, robbing again days later—clearly a repeat offender.

Little Yu had no sympathy for such people.

Once done, she returned to Su Luo’s side.

Su Luo nodded, recalling his own naive days when he’d softened at pleas for mercy—only to suffer for it later.

It was good that Little Yu could act decisively.

"Well done."

"Do you still see me as a kid? I’ve grown up." Little Yu puffed out her chest slightly.

Su Luo considered it. Time moved fast in cultivation. Little Yu wasn’t the scrawny girl she’d once been.

She’d filled out some, standing tall and graceful now.

"Alright, alright. But you’ve still got a lot to learn."

"I’ll learn whatever you teach."

Constant battles had honed her understanding of many things.

Meanwhile, Li Ziniu was electrified. Little Yu’s flawless techniques left him in awe.

"Who taught you?!" he blurted.

"Many have. But the most important… was Su Luo."

"Su Luo? Who’s that?"

Li Ziniu had never heard of him.

"Him."

That frail young master?!

"Doesn’t look like it. More like a scholar," Li Ziniu muttered, scrutinizing Su Luo again. He could tell—there was power there.

But why was it weaker than Little Yu’s?

Su Luo always displayed the cultivation level he’d had at that point in his journey—currently only mid-stage Nascent Soul.

"I’m no scholar," Su Luo said. He had no interest in such things. Playing the villain suited him just fine.

With that, Su Luo’s group departed.

Li Ziniu suddenly lunged in a sneak attack, wanting to see if Su Luo had any real skill.

But the moment he moved, the Demon Lord’s sword sent him face-first into the dirt.

Who… am I? Where…? What…?

Li Ziniu couldn’t comprehend it. That supposed "ordinary" man had struck with such power?

He wanted to demand answers, but one glare from the Demon Lord made him reconsider.

That was… terrifying.

Few at his cultivation level could frighten him. Now he’d met several at once. Best not provoke them further.

Only when Su Luo’s group was far gone did Li Ziniu finally exhale. It’d been ages since he’d felt such a heart-pounding moment.

Meanwhile, after putting distance between them, Su Luo studied the Demon Lord for a long moment.

"What?" Jiang Ningshu asked.

"Have you gotten stronger?"

Logically, Jiang Ningshu was still in her first phase—only at Nascent Soul perfection. Could she really have defeated Li Ziniu so effortlessly?

"No." Jiang Ningshu wasn’t about to reveal the truth yet. At least not until she fully recovered in the second phase.

"Fine. Maybe I imagined it."

Li Ziniu hadn’t gone all out, and Jiang Ningshu’s original cultivation had reached incredible heights. Her comprehension of the Dao was profound—defeating a Soul Formation expert with Nascent Soul power was no issue.

Nangong Xiyun had considered mocking Jiang Ningshu here, serving her some poetic justice.

But in the end, she held back. No need to escalate tensions and risk everyone losing control. That wouldn’t end well for anyone.