chapter 14 Looking for him in the crowd

In both the martial arts world and the cultivation realm, disturbing others' cultivation breakthroughs or secretly learning their unique skills is a major taboo. Being killed on the spot for such actions is of the person’s own fault! However, Andrew Qi didn't intend to kill the person who intruded into his formation. It was merely an instinctive reaction, like a reflex. Knowing the intruder had no hostile intentions, Andrew Qi used the power of the Truthful Charms to forcibly change the trajectory of the Thunderfire talisman, narrowly missing the attack on the intruder. Still, the intruder was swept away by a powerful force, slamming heavily against the column of the pavilion, with blood oozing from his ears and nose, clearly suffering internal injuries. Boom! The peach wood talisman nailed into the rock wall of Ximo Pond, penetrating more than three inches deep and emitting a thunderous explosion. The solid rock wall immediately cracked, as if struck by lightning! The same talisman, in the hands of ordinary people and talisman cultivators, naturally exhibits vastly different powers! With Andrew Qi's increasing level, even an ordinary Thunderfire talisman in his hands can unleash astonishing power! The three onlookers were astounded by the power of the Thunderfire talisman. But the girl with the ponytail's face, initially filled with shock, quickly turned to fanaticism, as if she had finally found the treasure she had been searching for. Just as the three turned to look at the rock wall, Andrew Qi had "disappeared." Impossible! The girl with the ponytail was in a hurry, she couldn't believe that a mere piece of wood could break through solid rock unless she had seen it with her own eyes. Truly, even plants, trees, bamboos and stones can be used as swords in the hands of a master! Such a talented individual must not be disregarded. "Uncle Chu, how did he disappear? Could he be a master of hidden extremities?" the girl with the ponytail asked eagerly. "Such a talent must not be overlooked!" The girl with the ponytail, a mid-stage internal extremities martial artist, and the elder, a master-level internal extremities martial artist, couldn't see how Andrew Qi had disappeared. It seemed as if he just vanished into thin air, which was incredibly unbelievable! "No, I think he's more like a true cultivator!" the elder shook his head. "His move just now didn't seem like the release of internal extremities, it was more like magic! Besides, he disappeared right in front of us, like the ninjutsu of the Japan, but even more sophisticated. This doesn't seem like a martial artist's method." "Humph! Fortunately, he's not a ninja from the Japan. Otherwise, I would have to kill him, even if I had to turn Jin Cheng City upside down!" Upon mentioning Japanese ninjas, the girl exuded a sharp murderous aura, showing that despite her youth, she had already seen bloodshed. "Master, Miss Alisa, my senior was hurt by him, and you're still praising him?" the elder's other disciple said gloomily. "Gavin, go check on your senior," the elder sighed softly. "Disturbing someone's cultivation breakthrough is a major taboo in the martial world. It's my fault for not reminding Chase Liu in time. Fortunately, he showed mercy, otherwise — do you really think his aim was off?" Gavin was slightly startled, then understood what his master meant. Looking at the "mark" left on the rock wall, he was terrified by the power. A piece of wood could release a force more terrifying than bullets. If martial cultivation could reach such a terrifying level, it would be worth it to cultivate even at the cost of one's life! Unknowingly, Gavin's heart became much more determined in martial cultivation. And because of this newfound determination, he soon surpassed his senior in breaking through. Only the girl with the ponytail was very unwilling, grumbling, "Damn it, I've been waiting for three days and he slipped away! I just wanted to talk to him, not to make things difficult for him!" "You wanted to talk to me?" At that moment, Andrew Qi, who had "disappeared," suddenly reappeared, standing with his hands behind his back, as if he had never left. To the other three, he seemed like a ghost, appearing and leaving without a trace! In fact, Andrew Qi never left, he simply used a Blinding Charm to temporarily divert their attention from him. Otherwise, any movement would have made noise, and it would have been impossible to hide from the two keenly perceptive internal extremities martial artists. Once exposed, the mysterious aura Andrew Qi created would vanish. Pretending to be profound was enough, too much would be overdoing it! Hearing the conversation between the girl with the ponytail and the elder, Andrew Qi knew their martial virtues were not bad. Now that he was already involved in the martial world and had reached the qi cultivation stage, meeting them would not be a problem. However, his disappearing and reappearing act, coupled with the previous Thunderfire talisman, had completely shocked the girl with the ponytail. Despite having seen many masters of hidden extremities before, none gave her the profound and inscrutable feeling that Andrew Qi did. "He's the one I'm looking for!" At this moment, the girl with the ponytail made up her mind, determined to recruit him into the Xuanwu Group Nine at all costs. "Because of this young man, the hope in her heart was once rekindled." Within Xuanwu, although there were countless talented youths, only in this young man did she see the potential to surpass that person. However, the girl with the ponytail was not good with words, and at this moment, she didn't know how to persuade him to join Group Nine. "Aren't you the one who wanted to talk to me?" Andrew Qi asked, somewhat surprised. "I ― I want to invite you to join Xuanwu Group Nine!" blurted out the girl with the ponytail, speaking her mind without hesitation. But the elder beside her gently shook his head, thinking that the girl was too blunt. This young man was a highly skilled cultivator, likely from a renowned sect. How could he easily join Xuanwu, and his sect might not even agree. Besides, he didn't even know what Xuanwu was. Andrew Qi was about to refuse her outright, as he had little interest in joining any organization. But when he was close to the girl with the ponytail, he suddenly felt a familiar and long-lost sensation, and another "memory" flashed across his mind. On the night before he planned to return to his old home in Qingtai Mountain, when he had nothing left, in his "memory", his arch-enemy who was still not giving up on him came to mind. The enemy sent a professional assassin into the small inn where he was staying, planning to make Andrew Qi’s death look like an accident. Just as the assassin was about to strike, a girl in a black cloak with a ponytail kicked the assassin out of the window with her legs, her kick powerful and explosive like a hunting leopardess. The lighting was dim, and Andrew Qi didn't see the girl's face clearly, but he would never forget those long, explosive legs. At this moment, Andrew Qi's gaze fell on the girl with the ponytail's legs, tightly wrapped in her sports pants, and he couldn't help but smile bitterly, how can the cycle of karma be broken so easily! What is owed to others must eventually be repaid, especially a life debt. Thus, Andrew Qi said to the girl with the ponytail, "Join what, Group Nine? I'll consider it!" The elder in the wheelchair was dumbfounded, “Really? Just like that?” This young man didn't even know what Xuanwu was and was ready to join. Could it be that he was simple-minded? But, a simple-minded person couldn't possibly be so powerful at such a young age. Then, there was only one possibility — have this young man taken a liking to the girl? Indeed, although she was not good at speaking, dressing up, or had a good temper, she was still a young and beautiful girl. Truly, a young hero cannot resist a beautiful woman. The girl with the ponytail didn't care what the elder was thinking. Hearing Andrew Qi's answer, she was overjoyed, "My name is Alisa Lin! What's your name? I've been looking for you for days... By the way, what technique did you use to become invisible just now?" "Do you want to know? It's just a simple Blinding Charm, using the changes in the natural energy of the world to create a visual discrepancy..." At this time, while Alisa Lin was searching for him, Andrew Qi was also searching for her. No wonder Andrew Qi once heard a great cultivator in the cultivation world look up and sigh to the sky, "Even divine powers cannot defy karma!"