Ascending from the mortal realm to become an immortal begins with taking charge of a grotto-heaven.

Seizing the moment when the two simultaneously made a mistake, Zhang Li suddenly changed the hand seals in his hands.

The Heavenly Sun Sword, which had been restrained in mid-air for a long time, suddenly surged with fire, and the pure Yang flames swept in all directions. Taking advantage of the opponent's distraction and relaxation, it unleashed its full power and with a sudden tremor, directly sent the yellow earth sword and the crimson hairpin magic sword flying, completely freeing itself from the entanglement of the two low-grade magic weapons.

Without pausing, the freed Tianyang Sword turned its blade, carrying raging flames, and slashed straight down at the blue shield in front of the dark-skinned stall owner.

On the other side, the Poison Spirit Sword exerted its power simultaneously, and the eerie green spiritual light intensified. Under the full bombardment of the two mid-grade magic weapons, more and more cracks appeared on the already shaky surface of the blue shield.

The hissing sound of corrosion mixed with the crackling of burning fire was incessant. The fine cracks quickly intertwined into a net, and the entire shield began to tremble slightly.

The dark-skinned, thin stall owner watched as the blue shield blocking his way was about to shatter, and a deep sense of panic filled his heart. He desperately poured spiritual energy into the blue shield, but it was no match for the continuously draining spiritual light.

But all of this was in vain. Under the bombardment of the Heavenly Sun Sword and the Poison Spirit Sword, the blue shield could no longer hold on. A crisp and ear-piercing cracking sound rang out, and the entire blue shield shattered from the middle.

boom!

The dark-skinned, thin stall owner, who was hiding behind the green shield, was also violently blasted away by the backlash of spiritual energy generated by the shattered magic weapon. He spat out a mouthful of turbid blood and crashed heavily to the ground.

Zhang Li naturally wouldn't let this golden opportunity slip by. He pointed, and the Poison Spirit Sword followed closely behind, rushing quickly towards the dark-skinned, thin stall owner.

"Fellow Taoist Rao..."

The dark-skinned, thin stall owner, who had collapsed to the ground, immediately fell to the ground and begged for mercy, but before he could finish speaking, a flash of eerie green sword light disappeared.

"bass!"

After the sound, all that remained in the dark, thin stall owner's eyes was a deep crimson color. Bright red blood flowed continuously from the wound, and the remaining magical power in his body instantly dissipated. His limbs twitched twice, and then he completely lost his breath.

If you walk by the river often enough, you're bound to get your shoes wet.

The dark-skinned, thin stall owner probably never imagined that he would die in a plan he thought was foolproof.

Upon seeing the dark-skinned, thin stall owner dead, Zhang Li did not relax in the slightest, because there was still someone else in the room.

The alluring female cultivator who witnessed the whole thing felt her hair stand on end. All the remaining hope and greed in her heart vanished, leaving only a deep-seated fear. She had absolutely no desire to continue the fight.

She had been thinking of reaping the benefits without lifting a finger, even if she only got half of the harvest, she would still make a fortune. She never expected that the situation would change so drastically in such a short time.

Not daring to linger even for a moment longer, the female cultivator immediately formed a hand seal, and the red silk around her body quickly gathered to wrap around her. With a flash of spiritual light under her feet, she turned to flee, while simultaneously recalling the crimson hairpin magic sword that had been knocked away and using it to block Zhang Li's pursuit.

"Trying to leave?"

The Poison Spirit Sword, which had been hovering beside the dark-skinned, thin stall owner's corpse, suddenly turned back in mid-air, blocking the female cultivator's path to dodge horizontally from the left. Meanwhile, the Heavenly Sun Sword surged with fierce flames, blocking the alluring female cultivator's retreat from the right.

With two mid-grade magic artifacts flanking her from the left and right, the red silk surrounding the alluring female cultivator was no match for them and began to sway precariously in just a few breaths.

The alluring female cultivator, her face deathly pale, stared at the two swords, one green and one red, suspended in mid-air. Her voice trembled uncontrollably as she said, "Fellow Daoist, please have mercy. This was all his idea. I was only deceived by him for a moment, which is why I sold myself to you."

"If you spare my life, I will do whatever you want with me."

As she spoke, the alluring female cultivator's eyes welled up with tears. She gently loosened her silk robe, and the robe slipped off her shoulder, revealing a patch of snow-white skin. She deliberately struck a weak and seductive pose, hoping to sway Zhang Li's mind with her beauty.

Seeing that Zhang Li's eyes remained completely unmoved, I could only find it laughable.

This female cultivator had previously joined forces with the dark-skinned, thin stall owner to ambush him, intending to kill him and seize his treasure. However, upon seeing the stall owner dead and herself in dire straits, she immediately changed into a weak and vulnerable appearance, attempting to exchange her beauty for a chance to survive. Her methods were extremely despicable.

On the path of cultivation, the greatest taboo is being too soft-hearted. If you let her go today, she will surely hold a grudge and seek revenge in the future, sowing endless troubles for yourself.

"Put your clothes on first."

Zhang Li's voice remained indifferent, but it seemed to have softened somewhat.

Upon hearing this, the alluring female cultivator breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if she had escaped a calamity.

But before she could make a move, a streak of fiery red sword light flashed by, and the charming female cultivator's smile froze before it could even appear, her watery eyes instantly losing their luster.

Zhang Li looked calmly at the corpse lying on the ground, without the slightest ripple in his heart. His earlier instruction to make her put on clothes was merely because he was too lazy to watch her pretentious posturing and flaunting her beauty, and it did not mean he was showing any mercy.

When dealing with such wicked people who are only interested in making money and killing others, being soft-hearted is tantamount to courting death.

He raised his hand and summoned both the Heavenly Sun Sword and the Poison Spirit Sword into his storage bag. He let out a long sigh of relief, steadied his somewhat weak body, and swallowed a Qi-restoring pill before feeling a little better.

After a short while, Zhang Li immediately searched the two men's belongings to make sure nothing was missing, and then released two balls of azure flames that turned their corpses to ashes.

Looking at the two clumps of ashes, he couldn't help but sigh that no matter what one looked like in life, one looks the same in death.

A sense of heaviness settled over him. After swallowing another Qi-restoring pill, Zhang Li quickly left the scene aboard the Black Shadow Boat.

Once the aura of his flying boat had completely disappeared at the edge of the forest, a gentle breeze blew by, and the two piles of ashes on the ground scattered in the wind, drifting among the grass, trees, and soil.

The life-or-death struggle just now seemed as if it had never happened, with only broken branches and scorch marks remaining in the forest, silently testifying to the perilous battle.

……

Back at Crescent Lake Spiritual Site in one breath, Zhang Li and Cao Cao scanned the spiritual fields and fishing grounds. Finding no major problems, they then entered the small courtyard in the center of the lake, sat down cross-legged, and began to circulate their cultivation techniques to recover their depleted mana.

The battle didn't seem dangerous at first glance, but it was because the dark-skinned, thin stall owner and the alluring female cultivator each had their own ulterior motives. If they had worked together from the beginning and gone all out...

Although the outcome remains the same, Zhang Li will definitely not fare any better; things won't just be like they are now, where he's only wasting too much magical energy.

After this ordeal, Zhang Li couldn't help but ponder why he had been attacked twice for no apparent reason. Was it because he had flaunted his wealth? Or was it because he hadn't been careful enough?

After a moment of contemplation, he already had the answer in his heart.

No.

The most fundamental reason is simply that my current cultivation level is too weak.

If he had already reached the peak of Qi Refining, Wang Hao wouldn't have dared to bother him, and the dark-skinned cultivator and the alluring female cultivator would have been even less likely to target him.

If he were to advance further and reach the Foundation Establishment stage, ordinary Qi Refining cultivators would only detour to avoid him from afar. They would be too afraid to even approach him, let alone set up a trap to seize his treasure.

In the world of cultivation, weakness is a cardinal sin.

Only by becoming strong can one control their own destiny and pursue what they want.

Only when you are strong enough can you have everything you want.