28: Octopus #27, it's taken the bait!

[Name]: Ye Lingyun

[Fate]: Luck-Blessed (Deep Blue)

[Cultivation]: Foundation Establishment Realm, Eighth Level

[Recent Opportunity]: Tomorrow afternoon, at the official road tea stall eighty li outside Qiankun City, he will intercept and kill the Loose Cultivator, Thousand-Mile Smoke-Extinguisher Zhou Han, who is being pursued by multiple parties. After a fierce battle, he will successfully kill him and obtain a Low Grade Earth-Grade Cultivation Technique, the Great Tablet-Shattering Formula, from his Storage Pouch.

Chu Xiao's gaze slowly swept over the pale blue light screen before him.

His expression was calm, but his heart was already stirred with slight ripples.

Luck-Blessed, a deep blue fate... This Ye Lingyun from the Yunhai Sect could indeed be considered a minor child of fortune.

No wonder he had reached the eighth level of Foundation Establishment at such a young age.

His words and actions exuded an innate confidence and arrogance.

Of course, Chu Xiao's interest did not lie with Ye Lingyun.

It fell upon that Cultivation Technique named the Great Tablet-Shattering Formula.

Though only Low Grade Earth-Grade, its power was comparable to a Medium Grade Earth-Grade technique.

A technique of this caliber would be enough to serve as a core Legacy for Inner Sect Disciples in any Sect.

That Zhou Han, relying on just a fragmented version,

managed to kill his way from the Qi Refining Realm to the Peak of Foundation Establishment within ten years, which spoke volumes about the sheer dominance of this technique.

If it were merely an ordinary Earth-Grade technique, Chu Xiao might not have paid it much mind.

He now possessed the Earth-Grade Golden Cauldron Jade Art, and for sword techniques, he had the formidable killer move, the Wind and Cloud Xun Thunder Sword Technique. Ordinary Earth-Grade techniques offered limited improvement to his combat power.

But what truly concerned him was the System's 'Opportunity Return' with its boundless possibilities after intercepting an Opportunity!

If the Opportunity return was triggered for a Low Grade Earth-Grade technique like the Great Tablet-Shattering Formula,

what supreme Divine Ability of what grade would it become?

Earth-Grade?

Or even the legendary Heaven-Grade?

At the thought of this, even with his now-solid Dao Heart, Chu Xiao's heartbeat couldn't help but quicken a few beats.

His current offensive methods relied too heavily on sword techniques.

Although his Demon-Subduing Fist had reached Perfection, its Yellow-Grade rank was already inadequate when facing Golden Core Stage powerhouses. If not for the overwhelmingly dominant power granted by his Primordial Dao Body, it wouldn't even be worth mentioning.

He urgently needed a sufficiently powerful fist or palm technique to compensate for his weakness in close-quarters combat.

More importantly, there was the upcoming journey to the Feixiao Secret Realm in one month.

That would be a true battle of titans, gathering the core heirs of all the top Sects and millennium-old families within a hundred-thousand-li radius. Those people were the true heaven's favorites of this region.

Someone like Second Elder Li Qingcang, at the Early Stage of Golden Core, could lord it over in a remote place like Linyun Town, but placed before those Sect Prodigies, he probably wouldn't even be worthy of carrying their shoes.

Chu Xiao was well aware that while his ability to kill Second Elder Li Qingcang with one sword strike was due to the strength of his Primordial Dao Body and sword technique,

it also took advantage of the other's unstable Dao Heart and the fact that his strength was not top-tier even within the Golden Core Stage.

However, those Core Disciples in the Feixiao Secret Realm were almost all at the Golden Core Stage in cultivation. The Cultivation Techniques they practiced and the Divine Abilities they mastered were far beyond the likes of Second Elder Li Qingcang.

Each one was battle-hardened with a resilient Heart-Nature. Who among them didn't have a few terrifying trump cards capable of turning the tide?

With his current strength, facing them, he might be able to protect himself, but it was far from enough to crush them overwhelmingly like before, let alone snatch opportunities from their hands.

He must become stronger!

Before entering the Feixiao Secret Realm, he must use every means possible to raise his strength to another level!

And the Great Tablet-Shattering Formula, delivered right to his doorstep, was undoubtedly a pillow sent just as he was getting sleepy.

Chu Xiao slowly retracted the System's light screen.

He glanced out the window; it was still early.

Ye Lingyun's Opportunity was tomorrow afternoon.

He had ample time to lay his plans carefully.

He did not set off immediately but sat quietly in the inn for a full day.

During this day, while seemingly resting with his eyes closed, he had actually silently spread his Divine Sense, taking in all the conversations of the Cultivators in the inn's main hall and even on the surrounding streets.

Information about 'Thousand-Mile Smoke-Extinguisher' Zhou Han was pieced together bit by bit.

This man had a fierce reputation, was ruthless and vicious, and was especially skilled in a movement technique called 'Smoke-Extinguishing Step,' making him first-rate at escaping.

This was also the reason he could survive until today despite being pursued simultaneously by three forces: the Yunhai Sect, the Jiuyou Sect, and the Divine Arms Sect.

Having gathered sufficient intelligence, Chu Xiao already had a foolproof plan in mind.

Early the next morning, he silently left the Youjian Inn.

With a flicker of his figure, he transformed into a faint cyan shadow, speeding towards the city outskirts.

A distance of eighty li was merely the time it takes half an incense stick to burn for him.

On the official road, a structure far more imposing than an ordinary tea stall

came into Chu Xiao's view.

This tea stall was actually a two-story wooden pavilion with upturned eaves and bracketing, carved beams and painted rafters. A plaque inscribed with 'Rest and Scent the Fragrance' hung at the entrance, looking quite elegant.

In front of the building, a spacious courtyard was enclosed by a bamboo fence, furnished with over a dozen clean tables and stools. At this moment, it was already occupied by many traveling merchants and Jianghu patrons.

This was the only route to another major city, Lianyun City, with a huge flow of traffic, so business was naturally booming.

Chu Xiao strolled into the courtyard and casually found a seat in a corner.

Today, he had changed into ordinary hemp clothes, concealed all his aura, and looked like an ordinary traveler, utterly inconspicuous.

'Honored guest, what would you like to drink?'

A waiter with a white towel over his shoulder trotted over, his face beaming with a smile.

His eyes were sharp; he could tell at a glance that although Chu Xiao was dressed plainly, his composed and indifferent bearing was far from ordinary. Nine times out of ten, he was a Cultivator.

'A pot of clear tea, two plates of snacks.'

Chu Xiao said indifferently.

'Right away! Please wait a moment!'

The waiter responded eagerly, turned, and ran towards the kitchen, actually leaving several tables of ordinary customers who had been calling him for a while unattended.

'Hey! What's with this kid! We were here first!'

A burly caravan guard with a fierce face immediately slapped the table and shouted in dissatisfaction.

'Enough, Third Brother, say no more.'

An older man beside him quickly pulled him back, lowered his voice, and gestured with his chin towards Chu Xiao's direction, 'That one is probably an Immortal Master. We can't afford to offend him.'

Hearing this, the guard shrank his neck, sat back down resentfully, and dared not say another word.

Chu Xiao took in all these minor disturbances but paid them no mind.

He simply sipped his tea quietly. His gaze seemed to casually sweep over both ends of the official road, but in reality, his Divine Sense had already spread out, monitoring every movement within several li.

He was waiting, waiting for the fish about to be caught in the net.

Time passed bit by bit, the sun gradually tilting westward.

Patrons at the tea stall came and went in waves, and the tea before Chu Xiao had been refilled three times.

He remained unhurried and unperturbed, his heart as still as water, like the most patient hunter.

Finally, after another hour.

A series of heavy, powerful footsteps sounded from the end of the official road.

An exceptionally burly man, over two meters tall, came into everyone's view.

His hair was disheveled, his square face etched with the marks of hardship. His eyes scanned the surroundings, filled with vigilance.

He wore a tattered animal hide vest. The arms exposed outside were knotted with muscles and coiled with blue veins, radiating an explosive sense of power.

A faint, lingering bloody Evil Qi emanated from him, making the surrounding air feel somewhat oppressive.

This was precisely the target of this trip—Thousand-Mile Smoke-Extinguisher, Zhou Han!

He was clearly exhausted from his journey. He walked straight to the tea stall, found a table farthest from Chu Xiao, sat down, and slammed a broad-backed heavy saber onto the table with a dull 'thud.' In a voice like a great bell, he roared, 'Shopkeeper! Ten catties of cooked beef, and two jars of good wine!'

The atmosphere inside the tea stall instantly became somewhat tense with his arrival.

In the corner, Chu Xiao, who had been resting with his eyes closed, slowly opened them.

The fish is on the hook.