Tianjian City was still relatively peaceful.
After returning to the inn with Su Mu, Qin Chu continued to meditate, but his heart still couldn't calm down, barely managing to heal his injuries.
While healing, Qin Chu studied the Sword Intent Grass in his Dantian. He found that the aura released by the Sword Intent Grass greatly helped the Sword Origin Qi in his Dantian, making the Sword Origin Qi even sharper than before.
After Cultivating for a night, Qin Chu took a bath, then practiced basic sword techniques in the inn's courtyard.
“Basic sword techniques are the foundation of the Dao of the sword and will never be outdated. Unfortunately, many Sword Cultivators don't see this,” Su Mu said as he walked out of his room.
“Good morning, Mr. Su!” Qin Chu greeted Su Mu after sheathing his sword.
Su Mu nodded at Qin Chu. “Was it difficult to calm your mind last night? You need to practice this. As a Cultivator, you must have a heart as still as an ancient well. We Sword Cultivators, while Cultivating the sword, must also Cultivate our hearts. When the heart is strong, one's self becomes strong.”
“This Junior has learned a lot,” Qin Chu said, cupping his fists at Su Mu.
“The forces of some powers in Tianjian City have been wiped out, so your safety is no longer an issue. For me to continue protecting you would just be a formality, there's no need. Therefore, I will depart first. My place of Cultivation is Wuxie Mountain. If you encounter any difficulties, come to Wuxie Mountain to find me!” Su Mu said to Qin Chu.
Qin Chu nodded. He was indeed safe now. Su Mu knew this and only left because of it, not breaking his word.
Su Mu left, and Qin Chu also left the inn.
Walking on the street, Qin Chu received many strange looks. He was under twenty and had already reached fifth on the Azure Cloud Ranking, his future prospects were limitless. Another reason Qin Chu attracted attention was his fiery spirit; no matter who his opponent was, if they provoked him, he would fight, even the White Tiger Sacred Clan and the Blazing Thunder Sacred Clan were no exception. This time, the elites of the White Tiger Sacred Clan and the Blazing Thunder Sacred Clan had fallen at Qin Chu's hands.
Qin Chu arrived at the inn where Qin Lingxi and the others were staying and saw them drinking tea.
“Qin Chu, your aunt has good news for you. Last night, we achieved a great victory. Not a single person from the White Tiger Sacred Clan and the Blazing Thunder Sacred Clan left alive,” Qin Lingxi said to Qin Chu.
“Last night, Senior Su Mu and I went to the scene and watched Aunt and the others fight. Because I was with Senior Su Mu, this nephew did not make a move,” Qin Chu said.
Hearing Qin Chu's words, the expressions of Qin Lingxi, Qin Longxuan, and Qin Longfeng became serious. This situation indicated that last night's battle had been exposed!
“It's alright! Senior Su Mu had already discovered my identity. When I used the Vermilion Bird Sky-Seizing Claw, he recognized it. He also recognized Third Uncle. He said he had an old acquaintance with my parents and shouldn't do anything detrimental to us,” Qin Chu said.
“Third Uncle, Su Mu indeed had Sword Dao exchanges with my brother and sister-in-law. Given his status and position, he wouldn't stoop to certain actions!” Qin Lingxi said.
“Hmm, if he doesn't reveal our identities, then there's no impact,” Qin Longxuan nodded.
“Aunt, what are the Family's plans next?” Qin Chu asked Qin Lingxi.
Qin Lingxi looked at Qin Chu. “This requires asking you. You are the Young Lord of the Vermilion Bird Clan. Do you have any ideas?”
“This nephew doesn't understand the Family, so it's best for Aunt and Uncle to decide on Family matters. This nephew wants to Cultivate for a while longer in Tianjian City,” Qin Chu thought for a moment and said.
Qin Lingxi shook her head. “No! This time, you have severely offended the White Tiger Sacred Clan and the Blazing Thunder Sacred Clan. If they discover you are still in Tianjian City, they will definitely make a move against you. Don't think that because all their people are dead, this debt is settled. Their people will investigate and find out what happened during this period.”
“But I still need to improve my Sword Intent. Oh, right, these are Spiritual Intent Grass and Sword Intent Grass. Aunt and Uncle, please take them to distribute,” Qin Chu took out five Spiritual Intent Grass and two Sword Intent Grass, pushing them towards Qin Lingxi.
Seeing the seven verdant Spiritual Plants in front of her, Qin Lingxi's eyes were filled with surprise, as were Qin Longxuan and Qin Longfeng. One must know that many Cultivators yearned for even one Spiritual Intent Grass and couldn't get it, yet Qin Chu had taken out so many at once.
“You keep three, and give us four. If you can't use them yourself, you can use them to exchange for other resources you need,” Qin Lingxi said. She knew her nephew's difficulties; having never received help from the Family, a shortage of personal resources was a major weakness.
“Aunt, please take them. I still have some. This nephew gained a lot from Tianjian Mountain this time,” Qin Chu said with a smile.
“You really have more?” Qin Lingxi asked, looking at Qin Chu.
“Truly!” Qin Chu nodded seriously.
Seeing Qin Chu nod, Qin Lingxi felt relieved. She then looked at Qin Longxuan and Qin Longfeng. “Two Uncles, each of you take one. There will be many battles ahead, and everyone needs to improve their strength.”
“Alright, I'll take one,” Qin Longxuan took a Spiritual Intent Grass. As for Qin Longfeng, he shook his head and refused.
“Uncle Longfeng, just take it!” Qin Lingxi pushed a Sword Intent Grass towards Qin Longfeng.
Unable to refuse, Qin Longfeng didn't take the Sword Intent Grass, but instead took a Spiritual Intent Grass. Most of the Vermilion Bird Sacred Clan were Sword Cultivators, and they needed Sword Intent Grass more.
After a moment of thought, Qin Lingxi swapped the Spiritual Intent Grass in front of Qin Longxuan for a Sword Intent Grass. There was still one Sword Intent Grass left, which she would use herself.
“Lingxi, Third Uncle thinks we can temporarily split into two groups. One group will return to the clan territory to gather forces and develop the Family's foundation. The other group will stay in Tianjian City. If the people from the White Tiger Sacred Clan and the Blazing Thunder Sacred Clan come, we'll kill them if we can, and retreat if we can't,” Qin Longxuan said.
“This arrangement also works. Currently, we can't directly contend with the White Tiger Sacred Clan and the Blazing Thunder Sacred Clan, as they have superior numbers. However, in small-scale battles, we are not afraid of them!” Qin Lingxi said.
After some discussion, the group decided that Qin Lingxi would return to the clan territory to develop the Family. As the princess of the Vermilion Bird Sacred Clan, her high status would make it relatively easy to gather forces. Qin Longfeng and Qin Longxuan would stay in Tianjian City with their forces, looking for opportunities to deal with the White Tiger Sacred Clan and the Blazing Thunder Sacred Clan.
“Qin Chu, you stay in Tianjian City and be more careful. If you truly can't hold on, join the Alchemist Guild or the Demon Castle. This won't affect our Vermilion Bird Sacred Clan, as these two powers generally don't participate in the world's power struggles,” Qin Lingxi said to Qin Chu.
“I know. Their sincerity is also great. I haven't joined because I don't want to be constrained. Joining them would inevitably lead to some concerns and ties,” Qin Chu said.
“There's another matter. You killed Shang Jue, who was fifth on the Azure Cloud Ranking, so you have taken his place and become fifth on the Azure Cloud Ranking. This will inevitably lead to some challenges, so pay more attention to your safety.” As she was about to leave, Qin Lingxi couldn't help but feel a little worried.
“Aunt, don't worry. If I can kill Hou Tianjie, will I still be afraid of challenges?” Qin Chu smiled.