Chapter 22: Flash Step

These past two days, Qiu Ying had been observing Ye Yuan from a distance, so he had not noticed any change in Ye Yuan at all. Now that he was close to Ye Yuan, he realized that this target he was supposed to assassinate had already reached the third level of Yuan Qi.

Of course, the first level and the third level of Yuan Qi made no difference to Qiu Ying; he could basically kill such an opponent instantly.

The Yuan Qi realm had three steps per level. Although the fourth level and the third level of Yuan Qi were only one minor realm apart, the difference in strength was enormous. A fourth-level Yuan Qi practitioner could easily take on five or six third-level ones.

Qiu Ying was two steps higher than Ye Yuan, so he did not think Ye Yuan could pose any threat to him.

What puzzled Qiu Ying was whether the employer had given wrong information or this young man was simply too monstrous.

Qiu Ying would rather believe the former. After all, only two or three days had passed since the mission was issued. Could one go from the first level to the third level of Yuan Qi in two or three days?

What a joke!

"Brother Ye, this man is very troublesome. I'll hold him off for a while; you and Lü'er ride ahead quickly! The academy is only a dozen li away. Hurry and get reinforcements!" Tang Yu stood in front of Ye Yuan and Lü'er, sword in hand.

He could feel the fierce killing intent emanating from Qiu Ying but could not gauge Qiu Ying's depth, knowing they had encountered a tough opponent. Ye Yuan had saved Tang Zonghuai's life and gifted him top-grade pills, showing him great kindness. Tang Yu was risking his life to repay that debt.

Although Tang Yu was also a genius student at the Danwu Academy, compared to the battle-hardened Qiu Ying, he was far inferior in both strength and experience. Staying behind would surely mean death.

And among the three, Tang Yu was the strongest, so he stepped forward without hesitation.

Seeing Tang Yu's tense demeanor, Lü'er also grew anxious: "Young master, you run first. Brother Tang and I will hold them off!"

Ye Yuan saw Lü'er blocking his way and couldn't help but smile wryly: "Silly girl, what can you do by staying? Get out of my way."

"No! I won't!" Lü'er said stubbornly.

Seeing Tang Yu and Lü'er's actions, Ye Yuan found it amusing but was deeply moved inside.

A friend in need is a friend indeed. Lü'er's actions were within Ye Yuan's expectations, but he had only known Tang Yu for a few days. Even though Ye Yuan had saved Tang Yu's father and given him the Explosive Yuan Pill, if Tang Yu had weak willpower, he would have fled by now.

After all, given Qiu Ying's strength, unless something unexpected happened, the three of them were doomed.

"Hahaha, what a touching scene! Ye Yuan, even if you don't tell me, it's fine. This little girl is quite lovely. In a moment..." Qiu Ying burst into wild laughter.

By now, Qiu Ying was certain that Ye Yuan must have practiced some technique or possessed some treasure that allowed him to detect his location.

Such a technique or treasure would be very useful to him, so he thought he would force it out of Ye Yuan no matter what.

Moreover, Lü'er was indeed very tempting; how could he let this opportunity slip?

"Step aside!" Ye Yuan pushed Lü'er and Tang Yu aside and stood in front, still smiling, but his smile had turned icy cold.

For no reason, a chill surged into Qiu Ying's heart, making him shiver.

What was going on?

Qiu Ying had killed no less than eighty people; he himself carried a cold aura. Even if a Liquid Essence realm martial artist stood before him now, he wouldn't shiver. But this third-level Yuan Qi brat could actually make him feel cold?

Qiu Ying felt that everything he encountered today was too eerie. This was supposed to be an extremely simple mission; why had it become so bizarre?

"You and I have no enmity. I assume you were hired to eliminate a nuisance. I originally only wanted to use you to test my skills, but since you dared to set your sights on Lü'er, don't blame me for taking your life." Ye Yuan's words were filled with bone-chilling coldness.

At that moment, Ye Yuan swallowed a pill he had prepared before leaving.

Since he knew this trip would be dangerous, Ye Yuan naturally wouldn't go unprepared.

This pill was called the Five Elements Spirit Link Pill, refined from five different attribute herbs—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. After taking it, a Yuan Qi realm martial artist could directly increase their strength by one step for a period of time!

"Haha, how amusing! I'd like to see how a third-level Yuan Qi brat like you plans to take my life!"

Qiu Ying's mood was far from as relaxed as he appeared. In fact, he was using such words to bolster his own courage and dispel the shadow hanging over his heart.

Just then, with a "whoosh," Qiu Ying's sword was drawn!

Qiu Ying was an assassin; he would stop at nothing to kill his opponent. No one said you couldn't launch a sneak attack in a face-to-face confrontation. A moment ago, Qiu Ying was laughing and talking, and the next moment, his sword was already at Ye Yuan's throat.

"Brother Ye (Young master), be careful!" Tang Yu and Lü'er shouted in unison.

But their shouts were not as fast as Qiu Ying's sword. By the time they reacted, Qiu Ying's sword had already pierced through Ye Yuan's body.

"Young master!"

"Brother Ye!"

Tang Yu and Lü'er saw this and cried out in anguish.

Qiu Ying felt something was wrong. His sword had clearly pierced Ye Yuan's body, but why did he feel nothing in his hand?

The reason Qiu Ying drew his sword so quickly was not only due to his caution but also because the ominous premonition in his heart was growing stronger.

He had seen Ye Yuan swallow the pill. Although he didn't believe Ye Yuan could threaten him with any pill, his long-standing caution made him draw his sword without hesitation.

Only a dead man could be trusted.

But even though he had clearly killed Ye Yuan, why did that ominous feeling in his heart still linger?

At that moment, the figure of Ye Yuan that Qiu Ying had stabbed gradually dissipated and turned into nothingness.

What Qiu Ying had stabbed was merely an afterimage.

"Hey, it's dangerous to turn your back on an enemy like that." Ye Yuan's voice made Qiu Ying's body stiffen abruptly.

How was that possible? He had clearly stabbed him.

"Flash Step! That's Flash Step!" Tang Yu exclaimed.

"Young master, you're okay! That's great!" Lü'er said joyfully.

"Heh, of course I'm okay. Your young master isn't so easy to kill." Ye Yuan laughed.

"Brother Ye has even mastered such a difficult footwork and uses it so brilliantly. Truly a genius!" Tang Yu marveled.

"Just a minor skill."

For others, Flash Step was a very profound footwork, extremely difficult to comprehend. But for Ye Yuan, this level of footwork was no challenge at all.

Flash Step might seem impressive, but it was actually just a footwork for small-scale maneuvering, a first-rank martial technique, not particularly profound.

However, this footwork was in harmony with the Dao of heaven; easy to learn but hard to master. It was very difficult for ordinary people to perfect. Even at the Danwu Academy, Flash Step was considered a very advanced martial technique, and only a very few could master it.

Yet, for Ye Yuan, who had once possessed an extremely high level of cultivation, this level of Dao was truly insignificant.