From deep within the valley…
Came the soft crunch of stones shifting under something heavy.
The surrounding Swordtail Scorpions backed away in fear.
A shadow appeared first on the rock wall—three jagged, sword-like tails swaying and clashing against each other, ringing out with a sharp metallic clang.
The sound grew louder, closer.
The shadow on the wall loomed larger and larger, until finally, the beast emerged.
It had a bronze-colored exoskeleton that shimmered with a chilling gleam. From its tail segment extended three narrow, sword-like blades.
As it moved, the blades scraped and struck one another, releasing faint sparks.
A terrifying, cutting pressure spread wildly through the valley.
All the other Swordtail Scorpions immediately prostrated themselves on the ground, their sword-tails pressed flat in a show of absolute submission.
Behind a large boulder—
Zhu Zhuqing's wide eyes were filled with disbelief, her delicate face pale with shock.
"We retreat. We need to come up with another plan,"
Li Zhexian whispered, eyes locked onto the three-tailed scorpion at the mouth of the valley.
The two moved cautiously to withdraw from the area.
Outside the valley, Zhu Zhuqing turned to him anxiously:
"What kind of Spirit Beast is that?"
"A Swordtail Scorpion with three tails?!"
Li Zhexian took a deep swig of wine, wiped his mouth, and calmly replied:
"Just like humans can have Martial Soul mutations, Spirit Beasts can mutate too."
"That one… with the three sword tails… we could call it a Three-Tailed Sword Scorpion King."
He paused, then added thoughtfully:
"Ordinary Swordtail Scorpions are already powerful among same-level Spirit Beasts. That King… is far more terrifying."
Zhu Zhuqing still looked rattled.
She couldn't get the image out of her mind—the Three-Tailed Scorpion King arriving, and the swarm of Swordtail Scorpions groveling at its feet. The visual impact had been overwhelming.
"What a shame…" she said quietly.
"With that thing there, getting a Swordtail Scorpion for your Spirit Ring is basically impossible. We should look for another—"
But before she could finish, Li Zhexian interrupted:
"Zhu Zhuqing, thanks for everything."
"You should go."
"Huh?"
Zhu Zhuqing turned to him—and saw that while he was still gulping down wine, his eyes hadn't once left the valley entrance.
There was a long silence.
Then her cool voice carried a hint of disbelief.
"Li Zhexian… don't tell me you're thinking of going after that Three-Tailed Sword Scorpion King?"
Li Zhexian turned to her, the corners of his mouth lifting into a faint smile.
"Why not?"
"You're insane!"
Zhu Zhuqing said, unable to comprehend.
"Never mind the King—even those normal Swordtail Scorpions would be too much for us to handle!"
"Be reasonable! We will find another Spirit Beast!"
But Li Zhexian remained unmoved.
Zhu Zhuqing clenched her fists, her tone becoming more forceful.
"Li Zhexian—are you seriously willing to die just for a Spirit Ring?!"
He chuckled faintly.
"Zhu Zhuqing…"
"What if you spent six whole years unable to make even the slightest progress in Spirit Power?"
"What if everyone who once believed in you… cared for you… admired you… eventually gave up on you because you were just ordinary?"
"Only then would you understand—how precious it is to grow stronger."
Li Zhexian turned his back to her.
His voice floated in the air, light and distant like clouds in the sky.
"To hear the Way in the morning, and die by evening—that would be enough."
The forest fell silent again.
Only the wind rustled through the leaves.
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes shimmered as she stared at the figure ahead of her.
His back was solitary, but straight as bamboo.
So this was the truth behind the genius who had absorbed a thousand-year Spirit Ring as his first—
A truth no one else had seen.
"To hear the Way in the morning…"
Zhu Zhuqing's heart began to stir with understanding.
Now she saw why Li Zhexian could do what others couldn't.
His fierce determination to become stronger—no matter the cost—was utterly overwhelming.
In that moment…
Even her own mindset felt like it had been elevated.
She took a deep breath and said softly:
"Do you have a plan?"
Li Zhexian turned back, staring at her quiet and elegant face for a long moment.
It made Zhu Zhuqing uncomfortable.
She scowled slightly and snapped,
"What are you staring at!?"
"I said I'd help you get your Spirit Ring, and I meant it!"
Li Zhexian wasn't the type to overthink things.
He gave her a thumbs up immediately.
"You're awesome, Zhuqing-jie. You're the real deal—I can work with you."
Hearing "Zhuqing-jie", her cheeks burned with embarrassment.
"That name is awful! Don't call me that!"
Li Zhexian just chuckled, saying nothing more.
But he genuinely appreciated her.
He'd remember this.
The sky was darkening.
There was no more time to waste.
He outlined his plan:
"The Swordtail Scorpions inside that valley already have a full social structure."
"Think of it like an ant colony—ants have different castes. Same goes for these scorpions."
"Did you notice? There are four especially large thousand-year Swordtail Scorpions. Those are like the worker ants—they leave the nest to hunt."
"Once those four leave to forage, that'll be our chance to move."
Zhu Zhuqing blinked in astonishment as she listened to him explain it so clearly.
It didn't matter that some of it went over her head—she couldn't help but feel respect.
For someone her age to know this much about Spirit Beasts… it was impressive.
"Hey, Zhuqing-jie? Are you even listening to me?"
"Yeah, yeah… I'm listening… go on."
Li Zhexian's expression turned serious again.
"This next part depends on you."
"A Spirit Beast king will never act unless its territory is directly threatened."
"So, I need you to lure the rest of the Swordtail Scorpions out of the valley."
"Even without the four thousand-year ones, the others are still dangerous."
"Can you do it?"
Zhu Zhuqing's face tightened, but she nodded slowly.
"My Martial Soul is speed-oriented. I should be able to."
Li Zhexian nodded.
"One minute. I just need you to keep them busy for one minute."
Zhu Zhuqing frowned.
"Only one minute? That sounds too short."
"It's enough," he said firmly.
Then he turned and slapped a nearby stalk of green bamboo.
CRACK—it broke cleanly in half.
Li Zhexian formed his fingers into a sword-hand and quickly carved a simple bamboo tube.
He uncorked his wine gourd and poured in some of the clear liquor.
Then, he handed it to Zhu Zhuqing.
"Scorpions are fast on flat terrain—stick to the forest when you run."
He stared into her eyes seriously.
"And whatever happens—make sure you drink this while you run."
Zhu Zhuqing accepted the bamboo tube with both hands and nodded hard.
"Got it!"
The sun dipped low on the horizon, staining the sky crimson.
Li Zhexian and Zhu Zhuqing lay hidden in the shrubs about a hundred feet from the valley.
Then—
They saw them.
The four thousand-year Swordtail Scorpions crawled out of the valley.
Li Zhexian's eyes lit up.
"Let's move!"