Journey of True Cultivation

Blade Over City Walls

"Don't you also find that this war is too easy?"

Yuan's eyes widened in shock. The question came so suddenly and unexpectedly that it truly caught him off guard. He stared at Li Yun in disbelief.

"Too easy? What do you mean, Brother Yun?"

Li Yun gave a bitter smile and lowered his gaze to the black dragon-patterned teacup in his hand. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, took a deep breath, and then looked back up at Yuan.

"I know Brother Yuan has been in seclusion for some time, so perhaps you're not fully aware of the greater scope of this war. But to me… something just doesn't make sense. Normally, for us cultivators, wars like this aren't declared and fought so suddenly. Even during the last war the Howling Wind Sect engaged in, although they officially declared war, they didn't immediately send disciples to slaughter and conquer."

He paused, frustration growing visibly in his expression. His voice took on a sharper edge as he continued.

"But now? The sect directly orders us to slaughter everything in our path, to conquer every mountain and river, to paint the land red with blood…"

The more Li Yun spoke, the more disturbed and confused he seemed. His brows furrowed deeper with each word, and his expression darkened, until, suddenly, he stopped.

Then, just as abruptly as the heavy mood had come, he forced a smile and looked up at Yuan again.

"Ah, but enough of that. It's already morning, Brother Yuan. We should meet up with the others now. Hehe… the spiritual tea was good, wasn't it?"

Yuan, still caught in thought, glanced upward and indeed, the sun was rising above the ruined rooftops, casting long shadows across the crumbling village.

"...Yeah," he answered after a pause. "The spiritual tea was indeed a good idea. A calm moment before battle."

But even as he said this, a quiet unease stirred in the back of his mind. Had he really lost track of time? Had the night passed so quickly without him noticing?

Before he could dwell on it, Li Yun was already on his feet, smiling again.

Yuan stood as well and looked around the ruined house.

Was it… more ruined than before?

He blinked, puzzled for a moment. But then he pushed the thought aside and followed Li Yun as they left the building together, stepping out into the rising light of dawn.

They calmly walked back toward the entrance of the ruined village. Along the way, they passed by many fellow disciples and juniors, all heading in the same direction. They even encountered familiar faces like Di Zuo and Roan, who fell in step and walked alongside them.

Eventually, they arrived at the village entrance, where a large crowd of disciples had already gathered. The atmosphere was solemn, the tension palpable. Everyone was

Yuan carved his way through their ranks with ease, killing many and saving several members of Li Yun's team along the way. But not everyone.

He made sure not to save everyone, after all, if no one died under his watch, it would draw unnecessary attention to him.

Many died. Many survived.

To Yuan, this war wasn't truly dangerous. For him, it was nothing more than an extended training session, a live battlefield to hone his sword techniques.

And today, in the midst of battle, he finally succeeded in mastering the last technique in his current arsenal: the Thunder Strike Technique.

With that now fully mastered, alongside his other techniques, Yuan's efficiency in killing soared. His movements became sharper, faster, and more lethal.

When the final defenders of Lake Blue City fell and the city was conquered through sheer slaughter, Yuan stood among the corpses, his blade soaked in blood, calmly searching the bodies for anything of value.