บท 15: Bu Hanyi - I'll Ensure You Pass

Jiang Heng finally looked at her properly, grinned, and said, "That sounds about right. One Qi-Blood Pill for half of it."

After Bu Hanyi handed Jiang Heng a Qi-Blood Pill, she found a rock to sit on and started eating the meat, imitating Jiang Heng by taking big bites.

"Not bad! Your barbecue skills are on point!" she exclaimed between mouthfuls of food.

"For the next week, you help me barbecue, and I'll give you one Qi-Blood Pill each time. I'll also make sure you pass. How does that sound?" Bu Hanyi asked, looking satisfied with her proposition, despite her greasy mouth.

"You, protect me?" Jiang Heng was surprised.

"Let's do this instead: I'll test your strength first. If you can really protect me, then I'll agree to your terms. If your strength isn't enough, we'll change the deal to two Qi-Blood Pills, and I'll still guarantee your passage. How about that?" she proposed.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Heng chuckled. "Alright, junior sister, it seems like you haven't heard of my name. So, let's go!"

Bu Hanyi wiped her mouth and walked to an empty area on the other side, challenging Jiang Heng with her gaze.

Jiang Heng couldn't help but smile and walked casually to face her.

"By the way, what's your name, junior sister?" he asked.

"I'm Bu Hanyi."

"Bu Hanyi? Sounds familiar. Oh, right, the rising star? One of the favorites for the championship?"

"That should be me," Jiang Heng replied.

"In that case, you're worth my full effort. Get ready to face my attacks!" Bu Hanyi declared, her expression turning serious.

Jiang Heng, on the other hand, remained relaxed, strolling towards her.

Clang!

In the void, it seemed like a silver lightning flashed and disappeared.

What others didn't know was that Bu Hanyi was so confident because her Chasing Light Sword Art had already reached the mastery level, granting her three times the burst power, along with incredible speed, combined with her tenfold cultivation.

She was undoubtedly an absolute powerhouse at the limit of the Body Refining Realm! Moreover, besides her swordsmanship, her body technique had also reached the mastery level.

Her father had once said that before reaching the True Qi Realm, she would be invincible.

In the blink of an eye as the sword was drawn, Jiang Heng could only barely see a trace of cold light coming towards his arm.

He was astonished inwardly. "Such incredible speed!"

However, as he saw the direction of the attack, he decided not to dodge or evade at all.

Bang!

A muffled sound echoed as the blade pierced through his sleeve and made contact with Jiang Heng's arm.

"Such formidable defense!" Bu Hanyi's pupils suddenly contracted, feeling shocked.

"This can't be Bronze Statue Art!"

"Even at the mastery level, Bronze Statue Art couldn't completely ignore my mastery-level Chasing Light Sword Art!"

"Moreover, the sword in my hand is a treasure! How could it not even break the skin!"

Bu Hanyi moved her body, her mastery-level body technique turning her nearly into an illusion, circling around to Jiang Heng's other side. Her longsword thrust forth once more.

Jiang Heng grinned, activated his mastery-level Swift Wind Steps, and disappeared like a gentle breeze, reappearing behind Bu Hanyi.

His right hand reached out, aiming for the back of her head, like the claw of a heavenly dragon extending rapidly, fierce and aggressive, with overwhelming momentum.

This terrifying speed completely exceeded Bu Hanyi's expectations. Her heart chilled, feeling an overwhelming sense of impending doom.

"He's serious! He wants to kill me!"

At that moment, her blood boiled, and her mind buzzed. Her potential erupted completely, her body technique accelerating even further. Transforming into a phantom, she dashed forward, attempting to escape the imminent danger.

Unfortunately, it was still too late!

Jiang Heng's large hand landed on the back of her neck, easily grabbing hold. His palm was warm and broad, but it sent shivers down Bu Hanyi's spine and filled her with immense shock.

"This level of terrifying speed!"

"This level of monstrous physical strength!"

"This is what a true Body Refining Realm invincible looks like!"

Jiang Heng grasped her neck and forced her to stop before quickly releasing his grip.

"It seems you're not qualified to protect me," Jiang Heng said casually, then turned and walked toward the campfire.

Bu Hanyi, who had just recovered from her shock, turned to face Jiang Heng's back. Taking a deep breath, she said solemnly, "Senior Brother Jiang, I lost the fight. According to our agreement, I'll give you two Qi-Blood Pills, and you must protect me until the trial is over."

Bu Hanyi handed one Qi-Blood Pill to Jiang Heng and then returned to the open space, swallowing one herself and resuming her cultivation of the Primordial Genesis Art.

The life-and-death crisis she had experienced just now had stimulated her greatly, and she felt her bottleneck loosening, as if she had a chance to break through. Once she did, her cultivation would advance into the True Qi Realm.

Jiang Heng, sitting on a small rock, leisurely enjoyed his barbecue while observing Bu Hanyi's cultivation.

In the path of martial cultivation, the first realm was the Body Refining Realm, where one refined their physical body, strengthened their blood and energy, and underwent physical evolution. The second realm was the True Qi Realm, where one refined essence into Qi. Essence referred to the energy within one's blood and energy, while Qi represented true energy.

When the Body Refining Realm reached its limit, and the blood and energy were extremely abundant, they could be refined to produce the first strand of true Qi. At this point, the blood and energy would be inwardly restrained.

Jiang Heng knew that this meant Bu Hanyi's cultivation was about to break through. He was curious about just how strong the True Qi Realm was. A freshly-broken-through True Qi Realm practitioner would be a perfect test for his strength.

Sure enough, after a short while, Bu Hanyi's overflowing blood and energy completely converged, making her seem like an ordinary person. But in the next moment, a strange fluctuation emanated from her body, growing increasingly intense.

Bu Hanyi showed no intention of stopping, instead consuming three more Qi-Blood Pills and continuing her cultivation.