"Ah!"

The sensation of pain was definitely there, but because the Dragon Taming Sword was too sharp, it wasn't until a moment later that Qing Yang felt the unbearable agony in his right wrist, and couldn't help but let out a miserable howl. His right hand had already fallen to the ground, no longer belonging to him.

"If you're lucky, you might be able to reattach this severed hand. Just remember, before figuring out your enemy's background, don't act rashly; otherwise, you'll only end up suffering yourself!"

Yun Xiao, who had cut off Qing Yang's hand with one sword strike, had no intention of killing. The words he spoke made Qing Yang endure the excruciating pain in his right wrist, not daring to make a sound, because he wasn't sure if the other would come back for another sword strike.

Now Qing Yang realized the gap between himself and the coarse-clothed young man. The opponent who cut off his wrist didn't rely solely on that sharp and strange Wooden Sword.

Because even if that Wooden Sword was sharp, when it severed the Earth Rank Middle Level Short Sword, Qing Yang could have reacted. Given his years of refining assassination skills from the Killing Heart Sect, pulling back to avoid a sword under those circumstances shouldn't have been too difficult.

But Qing Yang still ended up losing a hand, which indicated that the opponent had taken all his potential reactions into account, thus achieving this effective strike.

In fact, Qing Yang's sneak attack earlier had only targeted Yun Xiao's right wrist. If it had aimed for his neck, what would have fallen to the ground wouldn't be a hand but his round head.

After saying those words, Yun Xiao stored the Jade Bottle into his Waist Storage, turned around, and walked away. Watching his retreating figure, a faint courage suddenly rose within Qing Yang.

"Who are you really?"

This was Qing Yang's biggest doubt because he had insight into the young talents from super or first-class forces. However, he had no impression of the coarse-clothed young man before him.

The young man's age was not high, yet his strength was overwhelming. Qing Yang's question was not out of a desire for revenge. He knew that given the opponent's ability, it was unlikely he could ever exact vengeance in his lifetime. He merely wanted to clear up his confusion.

"My name is Yun Xiao. If you wish for revenge, you're welcome to seek me out, but next time, I won't hold back!"

Yun Xiao misunderstood the other's inquiry into his background as a precursor to seeking revenge in the future. However, a half-step Origin Seeking Realm figure was not worth his time. As he said, if the guy dared to come, he wouldn't mind taking his life.

"Yun Xiao? Yun Xiao? Ah, so he's Yun Xiao?!"

Until Yun Xiao's figure vanished into the distant forest, Qing Yang muttered the name several times before finally recalling intelligence he'd gathered from certain channels.

Since Qing Yang's sworn enemy was an assassin from the Killing Heart Sect, he naturally paid close attention to this sect. But the sect conducted its affairs in shadow, making it hard to gather information.

Recently, people from the Southern Domain of the Dragon Continent frequently mentioned a "Yun Xiao," whose name was connected to some individuals from the Killing Heart Sect.

Yun Xiao had killed the Purple Robed Fiend Tong Baisha before Thunder King Valley and made Ye Suxin, known as Su Shou Yanluo, flee in defeat.

Later, on the banks of Jiantian Lake north of Bianlei City, Yun Xiao had killed the Seven Killings Guardian Zheng Qiming of the Killing Heart Sect, at the Peak of Seeking Origin Realm. Although only Ye Suxin survived, news of the event inevitably spread over time.

Having tracked Killing Heart Sect news, Qing Yang inadvertently heard about this, secretly rejoicing that the person called Yun Xiao had avenged part of his grievances. He thought he should forge a connection, for an enemy's enemy is a friend.

Who would have thought that today he would meet Yun Xiao in such a way? Feeling regretful while finding it somewhat amusing, Qing Yang picked up his severed right hand, momentarily lost in thought.

If he had known it was Yun Xiao beforehand, given Yun Xiao's feats against the Killing Heart Sect and the rumored strength, Qing Yang wouldn't have dared to act.

To mess with someone capable of killing Zheng Qiming, a Peak Finder Realm expert, is absurd. For Qing Yang, half a step in the Origin Seeking Realm, standing here was nothing short of a miracle.

...

The already distant Yun Xiao naturally wouldn't know Qing Yang's thoughts. In his eyes, this was merely an inconsequential episode, not even a stumbling block for his path.

In just half a day, he found one of the ten herbs, the Green Thorn Wood Saliva. Clearly, his mood was quite good, suggesting a good start might mean smooth sailing in the future herb search.

Yun Xiao's luck was undeniably good; within the first two days, he surprisingly found two types of medicinal herbs listed on the scroll. Although he was obstructed by two Eighth Rank Low Level Vein Demons, the outcome was undoubtedly favorable.

In two days, finding three types of medicinal herbs, Yun Xiao thought that at this pace, he might not even need ten days to gather all ten types of herbs, making the first round of examination quite easy, wouldn't it?

However, Yun Xiao's luck seemed to have run out in those first two days. For the next half month, he didn't find a single herb listed on the scroll; instead, he fought several inexplicable battles with formidable Vein Demons.

Although he discovered numerous Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures after defeating those Vein Demons, none were the items listed on the scroll. This provided no help for Yun Xiao to pass the first round of examination, leaving him quite frustrated.

Luck, as they say, is elusive. Compared to most Meridian Refining Masters participating in the first round, finding three types of herbs in half a month is already quite impressive for Yun Xiao, but that was clearly not his goal.

If he didn't gather all ten types of herbs or exceed a month's time limit, he would be automatically eliminated, which would be quite a blow to Yun Xiao's reputation.

After all, he was the genius personally spotted by Vice President Qian Sanyuan back then. If he couldn't even pass the first round, that person might also feel embarrassed, wouldn't they?

Of course, the reputation issue was just a small part of the reason. Yun Xiao's main goal was to gain the support of the Meridian Refining Master Association, as he had offended too many people over time, many of whom he couldn't contend with yet.

Think about it. The Spirit Fighting Commerce, Killing Heart Sect, and Xiao Family of Sky Thunder Valley — these top or first-class forces would unlikely have only a few Cultivators in the Seeking Origin Realm holding the fort. Once they send out Earth Concealing Realm experts, Yun Xiao, despite all his means, would likely end up in a tough spot.

Therefore, Yun Xiao would never allow himself to fail. Since he came to participate in the Refining Cloud Mountain disciple selection, he aimed to do his best. Until the last moment, he would absolutely not give up.

......

While Yun Xiao was vexed over not finding the herbs, elsewhere in Lianyun Mountain, other battles, large and small, were taking place. Their goals were all to compete for the herbs belonging to the scroll, as it determined whether they could advance to the next round.

Bam!

In a certain area of Lianyun Mountain, a figure spewed blood, flying backward, with fragments of internal organs mixed in, clearly impossible to survive. Not far away, a young man in brocade stood arrogantly, with a faint cold smile on his face.

"Really overestimating yourself, daring to compete with me, Li Gongnian, for something!"

The young man in brocade didn't even glance at the figure that flew backward and harshly hit the ground. Seeing him toss the Vermilion Fruit in his hand, his words revealed extreme confidence and arrogance.

This was evidently the super genius of the Spirit Fighting Commerce, Li Gongnian, who had clashed with Yun Xiao and Yu Shu at the trade assembly.

In fact, the Vermilion Fruit in Li Gongnian's hand was first discovered by the person he had just killed. Strictly speaking, Li Gongnian seized it by killing the owner. But how could a lofty demon-like genius like him ever find fault with himself?

In Li Gongnian's mind, as long as that person didn't obediently hand over what they got, their current fate of dying deservedly was a deserved consequence.

"Yun Xiao, you better pray you don't run into me in Lianyun Mountain, or else I, Li Gongnian, will definitely make you see the consequences of offending me!"

After storing the Vermilion Fruit in his Waist Storage, Li Gongnian's gaze turned to the depths of Lianyun Mountain. His words indicated he still hadn't forgotten the disgrace from the trade assembly incident.

At that time, Li Gongnian lost a formidable Eighth Rank Middle Level Meridian Spirit but held no apprehension towards the youth named Yun Xiao, believing the boy merely relied on the surprise sharpness of that Wooden Sword to defeat his Meridian Spirit.

If not for Xue Ningxiang, the young lady of Xuanyin Hall, appearing in time, Li Gongnian believed he would have avenged that grievance on the spot. But as it stood, he could only hope to encounter Yun Xiao in the first round of the Refining Cloud Mountain disciple selection.

After all, Qian Sanyuan previously didn't mention any prohibition against private duels in this first round, even vaguely hinting at encouragement. Li Gongnian knew this was a form of alternative training. Since it was so, if he encountered Yun Xiao, he certainly wouldn't let him go easily.

But with Lianyun Mountain stretching for thousands of miles, finding one person in such a vast mountain range, even if Li Gongnian gathered everyone from the Spirit Fighting Commerce, might not be easily accomplished.

So, it was merely a matter of probability. Whether such a low-probability event would occur sometimes had its randomness, yet also some inevitability. Everything was up to fate.