Traveling through time to cultivate immortality: a life and death test

Liu Xing never expected to be targeted right after his visit. The target was the notorious Ba brothers, the eldest brother at the tenth level of cultivation, the younger brother at the eighth. They preyed on lone, low-level cultivators, seeking their lives and property. They were also extremely cautious, never targeting established disciples of their sects, instead targeting independent cultivators. Independent cultivators without backing would die without cause, and disciples of larger sects wouldn't bother them out of boredom. Therefore, thanks to this cautious approach, they remained at large.

"Brother, I've been keeping an eye on this guy for over ten days. He's always been acting alone, so he definitely doesn't have any help."

"Well, Qi training level seven, we set up an ambush ahead and try to kill him with one strike. This kid must have bought some powerful magical instruments in Wanbao Tower, so he rented a Qi training room specifically for this purpose. Better be careful, don't let anything go wrong."

Liu Xing was carrying a treasure and had to be very careful along the way. When he passed by a canyon, a net suddenly fell from the sky and was about to cover him head on. It turned out to be a top-grade magic weapon. Liu Xing was shocked and felt that he was ambushed. He sensed that there was an eighth-level Qi training person in front of him and a tenth-level Qi training person behind him. With the two people blocking him from both sides, it seemed that there would be no peace. Liu Xing was not afraid. He had experienced many life-and-death battles in his life, and staying calm in the face of danger was a basic quality. His strategy was to kill one first and then concentrate on dealing with the other. He was at the peak of the seventh-level Qi training and his actual spiritual power was close to that of the ninth-level Qi training. This was something the enemy had not expected, so he could take advantage of the situation and deal with the eighth-level Qi training person first.

He quickly raised his Cloud Umbrella to block the net overhead, then used the Plum Blossom Step to rapidly close in on the enemy ahead. Seeing him charging towards him, the second brother of the Ba family curled his lips in a bloodthirsty grin. "You're looking for death, Grandpa will send you on your way!" He prepared to chant his incantation and cast a spell. But Liu Xing didn't give him time to cast his spell. Instead, he waved his hand and unleashed dozens, nearly a hundred, of ice cone talismans, showering the enemy with them. The advantage of talisman attacks is that they're faster than spellcasting. While each talisman has limited damage, it's no match for nearly a hundred talismans simultaneously attacking. A single round of attacks would cost over a hundred spirit stones—a truly extravagant and wasteful strategy. The second brother of the Ba family was stunned. Although he hurriedly summoned protective magic tools to block his vitals, he was still riddled with wounds from the swarm of talismans, barely surviving. But before he could catch his breath, a second wave of attacks followed. Because Liu Xing was charging towards him, this time the distance was even closer. After he scattered the first handful of talismans, he didn't care about the outcome. He immediately unleashed a second wave of nearly a hundred ice cone talismans. These two rounds of attacks instantly reduced his younger brother to a pulp, making him deader than dead. Besides the careless distribution of talismans, Liu Xing's spiritual power, comparable to the ninth level, was also superior to his own. Finally, he took them by surprise. With so many tricks, his death was inevitable.

The eldest of the Ba clan was horrified. He was in the middle of training his high-grade flying sword, barely completing an attack when his second brother was already dead. He gnashed his teeth at Liu Xing, and covetously eyed the Yunluo Umbrella, a supreme magical weapon, with an immediate desire to claim it for himself. He and his brothers had diligently robbed for so many years, only to earn a few high-grade magical weapons. He hadn't expected to stumble upon such a rich young man today. He possessed a supreme magical weapon at only the seventh level of Qi Refining. This was his fortune-bringing boy. He had to seize this opportunity. He would risk his life to save him from this very moment.

Liu Xing knew the real hard fight was about to begin. His opponent's mana was far greater than his own, so he had to deplete it first to have a chance of survival. He also possessed a top-grade flying sword, and the opponent would certainly not expect him to possess two top-grade magical weapons, which could serve as a surprise attack. How could he deplete his opponent's mana? It seemed the key was to use talismans.

Liu Xing had already escaped the attack range of the magic net, so he put away his Cloud Umbrella to reduce his spiritual energy consumption. Every bit of spiritual energy was precious now. He continued to use the talisman-scattering method, instantly launching a hundred or so Water Arrow Talismans at the enemy, interrupting their flying swords and forcing them into a passive defense. After all, he was a tenth-level master, his defenses were much stronger. Although he was a little flustered, he didn't suffer much damage. Next, Liu Xing began to use the Water Shield Talisman. This defensive talisman usually covers oneself to block enemy attacks. Liu Xing did the opposite, casting a water shield over the enemy, one shield within another. If the enemy shattered one with his sword, another would appear. Ten more would remain. He exploited the enemy's panic, fearing that they might attack with more powerful means if trapped, and they would struggle to break through the water shield. In reality, the water shield had no offensive power. If ignored, it would naturally collapse due to the depletion of spiritual energy. By the time Brother Ba discovered this secret, half of his spiritual power had been consumed without him noticing, and he suddenly felt a little panicked.

Seeing his spiritual power surpassed his opponent's, Liu Xing immediately launched his top-grade flying sword at him. The Ba family's eldest brother was so shocked that his eyes almost dropped to the ground. Another top-grade magical weapon! What kind of freak is this kid? Is he so rich? "My life is over," the Ba family's eldest brother lamented, but he would not sit still and wait for death. He launched his top-grade flying sword and fought back desperately.

Entering a strategic stalemate, Liu Xing patiently depleted his opponent's spiritual energy, avoiding any reckless advances and maintaining a steady and cautious approach. The Ba family elder brother deliberately exposed his weaknesses several times, but Liu Xing remained unmoved, always adhering to his established strategy. The Ba family elder brother attempted to escape several times, but Liu Xing's icicle talisman forced him back. Furthermore, his flying sword was inferior in quality, and any moment of distraction would lead to suppression and exploitation. Several times, Liu Xing's flying sword nearly pierced his head, terrifying him to the point of utter panic. He immediately focused his attention on the enemy.

After an hour of attrition, the eldest brother of the Ba family finally exhausted his spiritual energy, and Liu Xing decapitated him with a single blow. Liu Xing finally breathed a sigh of relief, but his own spiritual energy had also been reduced to nine-tenths. The fight had been quite noisy, and now, at the end of his strength, he needed to leave immediately and find a place to recover his spiritual energy. He removed the two men's storage bags, gathered his net-shaped magical instruments and flying sword, and used his spiritual energy to create a large pit to bury the two bodies together. He then erased all traces of the fight and quickly departed on a cloud.

After a day of flying, he felt safe and found a cave to hide in. Clutching a spirit stone in each hand, he began to meditate to restore his spiritual power. He had consumed spirit stones one after another, not cherishing them. Recovering his spiritual energy was paramount. Spirit stones could be earned, but if his life was gone, everything was gone. He had been fleeing all that time, with not a drop of spiritual power left, and felt truly insecure. Three days later, Liu Xing's spiritual power had returned to normal. Without stopping, he immediately headed for the Wang family, not wanting to delay even a moment on the road. It was too insecure out there.