Famous, you say?

Two young men stepped forward and volunteered, “Uncle, let us restrain him. Please hurry to the Nether Spring—there might still be hope.”
Xu Yong nodded. “Very well. Yunzhi, Yunyì, I leave him to you. Xue’er, come with me.”
With a sweeping motion of his sleeve, he didn’t even spare Li Miao a glance, leading the yellow-clad maiden, Yan Chengxue, straight into the valley.
Li Miao stroked the stubble on his chin, pondering silently: This old man clearly doesn’t take me seriously. Is it because I look easy to push around, or are those two brats actually that skilled?
He soon got his answer.
No sooner had Xu Yong stepped away than the brothers Guo Yunzhi and Guo Yunyi moved in unison!
Their movements mirrored each other perfectly. Both drew the long swords from their backs and chanted in low voices, “Ten-thousand Forms Sword Art, reveal!”
As the word “reveal” fell, the swords in their hands flickered left and right, instantly splitting into eight sword shadows—one a fiery red, the other an icy blue—hurtling toward Li Miao in a deadly assault!
No time for words, only killing intent from the start!
Li Miao was startled, realizing the opponents’ strength was no joke. Hastily, he activated his Rift-arm Bracer and summoned an energy shield.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Sixteen sword shadows struck in quick succession, rapidly dimming the shield.
Taking advantage of that brief respite, Li Miao quickly set Guo’er aside and drew his Coldsteel warblade to meet the oncoming attack.
As the sword shadows dispersed, the twin brothers struck again, swinging their swords to unleash two sword auras—one blue, one red—each a yard long, cutting through the air with a shrill whistle.
The chill and heat assaulted him at once. Not daring to hesitate, Li Miao poured energy into his blade and slashed diagonally, shattering the twin streams of sword aura.
Still, remnants of the attack struck him, the alternating cold and heat so intense it left his breath in disarray for a moment.
Yan Chengxue, who had not gone far, cheered gleefully as she saw Li Miao falter, pumping her tiny fist. “Well done! Senior brothers, you’re amazing! Keep it up—make sure to teach that scoundrel a painful lesson!”
Li Miao could only sigh inwardly.
Clearly, it was this girl who had seen him naked—he should be the one aggrieved, yet she acted as if she’d been wronged!
He had no time to argue with her, though, focusing instead on the twin brothers before him.
These two were leagues above the villagers he’d clumsily sparred with at Mount Zhongyun. If he wasn’t careful, things could go badly wrong!
The battle resumed, the three of them clashing fiercely.
The brothers’ coordination was seamless, their Ten-thousand Forms Sword Art chaining together without pause. Wave after wave of frost and flame sword aura filled the air, making the world alternately swelter like midsummer or freeze like the dead of winter—a true realm of ice and fire.
Pressed on all sides, Li Miao could barely fend off the relentless barrage. If not for the Rift-arm Bracer’s occasional defense, he would already be wounded.
“So this is the true power of a cultivator. I’d underestimated them before.”
The feeble presence of Wang Lang and Zhao Shujì had left him with the impression that cultivators were weak. Only now, facing the brothers’ techniques, did he truly take things seriously.
“Seems I’ll have to show some real skill.”
A thought flashed through his mind. The energy within him surged, flooding into his very cells, awakening a tremendous force that had long lain dormant!
“Haaah!”
He swept his warblade in a broad arc, forcing back the encroaching sword shadows. Then, with a shudder, lines of bright silver appeared beneath his skin!
Arcane art of Primordial Energy—the Galactic Saint Body!
A low hum filled the air.
The sudden burst of power shattered the incoming waves of frost and flame. At last, Li Miao found himself no longer purely on the defensive.
He spun, cutting down two more sword aura attacks, then brought both arms together, gripping his blade with all his might and cleaving downwards with brute force!
A sound like a dragon’s roar split the air.
A ghostly blue blade light swept out like a hurricane, pulverizing earth and stone to dust.
Sensing the abrupt surge in his power, the brothers Guo Yunzhi and Guo Yunyi tensed, halting their attacks and forming seals one-handed as they chanted, “Ten-thousand Blades Art, activate!”
Their spiritual power flared, instantly condensing into two shields—each comprised of hundreds of minuscule sword auras—that formed before them.
In the next instant, the blade light descended!
Almost without resistance, Yunzhi’s shield shattered at once, and Yunyi’s second barrier only held for a heartbeat before breaking as well.
Even after all that, seventy percent of the blade’s force remained. Were it to strike them directly, it could easily cost them their lives.
Shock flashed in both brothers’ eyes. They knew sword cultivators weren’t famed for defense, but had not expected Li Miao’s strength to be so overwhelming. Pressed for time, they could only hastily activate defensive talismans and raise their swords in desperate defense.
Bang!
Their talismanic armor was blown apart like butterflies in a storm. The blade, now at forty percent of its original power, struck them both—Yunzhi, taking the brunt, was hurled a dozen yards, his sword flying from his hand as he crashed into a tree at the valley’s mouth, blood gushing from his lips.
Yunyi fared a little better, staggering back seven or eight steps before regaining his footing, his sword hand trembling uncontrollably as blood trickled from his mouth.
“Impossible!”
Guo Yunyi could scarcely believe it. “Since when did Mount Pang harbor such a prodigious young swordsman? That power... he must be at the very peak of the Condensed Essence realm!”
Having bested them in a single blow, Li Miao did not appear unscathed.
The Galactic Saint Body was indeed powerful, doubling his physical strength, but the energy it consumed was monstrous. At his current cultivation, he could only maintain it for a minute before exhaustion set in.
This secret art, created by the Grand Master of the Milky Way Transcendent Alliance, had five tiers—each doubling the effect of the last. He had only mastered the first, manifesting as silver star-patterned runes spreading from his heart to his limbs. At the next level, the runes would turn gold and the power would double again.
As he let the power fade, Li Miao’s complexion paled noticeably.
Guo Yunyi, still wary, asked, “Who exactly are you? I’ve heard of nearly every notable Condensed Essence cultivator in Mount Pang, yet never of a young blade master such as yourself!”
With their fighting spirit gone, Li Miao saw no need to press an advantage. “Just think of me as an outsider... I have no sect or affiliation, merely a wanderer.”
Xu Yong and Yan Chengxue had already vanished into the valley. Li Miao knew nothing of the squat old man’s true strength, and to avoid further trouble—or risk to Guo’er—he intended to leave at once.
But Guo Yunyi wasn’t ready to let him go. “If you’re a wanderer, have you considered joining a sect? On this tumultuous path, having a powerful patron is crucial. Our Crimson Sky Sword Sect may not be an ancient house, but we are among the most prominent in Mount Pang.”
Li Miao couldn’t help but laugh.
They’d just tried to kill him, and now—after one taste of his strength—they wanted to recruit him?
He shook his head. “I’m not interested. Also, didn’t that old man just say this place was called the Hundred Herbs Sect? Where did Crimson Sky Sword Sect come from?”
He had no intention of joining any sect—a foundational rule for transcendent warriors, and one he would keep even after leaving the Expeditionary Force.
“Uh, you’ve never heard of the Crimson Sky Sword Sect?” Guo Yunyi looked momentarily stunned.
Was this Crimson Sky Sword Sect really that famous?
Li Miao shook his head again.
Guo Yunzhi, more seriously wounded, had picked himself up and retrieved his sword, making his way back with a wry smile. “Brother, it’s not surprising. He’s clearly not from Mount Pang. Our sect has only risen in the last five centuries. If we were famous throughout Longquan Prefecture, that would be the real surprise.”
He cupped his hands to Li Miao. “I am Guo Yunzhi, thirteenth generation disciple of the Crimson Sky Sword Sect. This is my younger brother, Yunyi. Well met, Fellow Daoist Li.”
Now they were being polite.
Seeing their change in attitude, Li Miao returned the courtesy.
Guo Yunzhi continued, “We are not Hundred Herbs Sect disciples. However, Master Xu is an old friend of our father’s, so he allows us to visit from time to time. Meeting you today, Fellow Li, is a stroke of fate.”
“As the saying goes, ‘No friendship without a fight.’ You don’t seem a villain. If the Nether Spring matter isn’t too grave, we’ll put in a good word with Uncle Xu. Perhaps things can be smoothed over.” Guo Yunyi added.
It was clear they hoped to win him over, and the conflict still had room for resolution.

Yet Li Miao disliked owing favors, so he declined gently. “Thank you both. But the Nether Spring was tainted by my blood and won’t recover any time soon. If Master Xu holds me responsible, I have nothing to say.”
Though he said so, he actually had no intention of running from the trouble he caused. If things could be resolved through discussion, he’d be quite willing to stay and make amends.
After all, he had nowhere else to go. As long as Xu Yong didn’t demand his life, he could accept compensating them or doing some tasks as restitution.
Come to think of it, he still had a stash of “Cosmic Crystals” in his microcosmos ring. Those were condensed pure cosmic energy, beneficial to any material, useful for cultivation or even as energy bombs.
He’d meant to reserve them as power sources for his ship, but his main craft had crashed, and the backup barely needed any energy. Giving some away would be no loss.
With the potency of a Cosmic Crystal, just dropping a tiny shard into a well would transform all its water into something far more potent than that Nether Spring!
The Guo brothers exchanged glances, then, seeing Xu Yong was still absent, lowered their voices. “To be honest, Brother Li, we all know that spring at the valley bottom is nothing special—just a bit richer in spirit energy than the average well. But Uncle Xu is very concerned with appearances. The Hundred Herbs Sect has nothing else to boast of, so he’s always talked up the Nether Spring as some miraculous treasure. Today’s incident really isn’t such a big deal, but for the sake of his pride, you’ll probably have to endure some trouble.”
Li Miao was taken aback, then suddenly understood.
No wonder he hadn’t sensed anything special about the Nether Spring’s water—it really was just ordinary water. That girl’s anger was partly due to Xu Yong’s years of exaggeration, and partly because she’d run into a naked stranger and struck out in embarrassment.
Having realized this, Li Miao burst out laughing. “So that’s all it is? I thought I’d caused a disaster. Well, I’ll just go along with the old man’s pride and take the blame.”
So after all that, it was a trivial matter—he’d thought he was guilty of some heinous crime.
Without hesitation, Li Miao reversed his energy flow, forced up a mouthful of old blood, tore his new clothes in a few places to look more battered, and lay down by the path in a show of exhaustion.
“Ah…”
He gave a long sigh, his face turning pale under his energy’s control. Anyone who didn’t know better would think he’d just been beaten by dozens of men.
The Guo brothers watched his performance and couldn’t help but chuckle.
Guo Yunzhi said, “You have a sense of humor, Brother Li. But knowing Uncle Xu, just a few injuries won’t fool him—you’ll likely have to offer some compensation as well.”
Li Miao was unconcerned. “Easily done. I have just the thing to make up for the spring’s spirit energy.”
People in this world had probably never seen a Cosmic Crystal. He could casually chip off a piece and, copying Xu Yong’s bluster, present it as a priceless treasure.
The three of them sat idly at the valley entrance, waiting for Xu Yong and Yan Chengxue to return.
Guo Yunzhi took a restorative pill and began to meditate, while Guo Yunyi struck up a conversation with Li Miao.
“I sense you’re at the Condensed Essence stage, but you didn’t use any incantations or spell arts in our duel. Instead, your blade technique and brute strength were overwhelming. Do you specialize in physical cultivation?”
Li Miao didn’t know much about cultivators here, only that most people cultivated their Purple Mansion energy, with only a few focusing on physical training.
He replied, “That’s right. I prefer a straightforward style. I never cared much for complicated spellwork, so I’ve devoted myself to honing my body.”
It was the truth.
Energy warriors based their power on their bodies. Even at the peak—seventh-rank Immortals—their greatest strength lay in their physique. Of course, at that level, the body was more than flesh and bone; it embodied their insights into cosmic laws and even the mysteries of space-time. One punch could shatter galaxies or reverse the flow of time!
Guo Yunyi was intrigued. “From what I know, the path of physical cultivation is exceptionally arduous, demanding suffering few can endure—most give up halfway. You not only chose that path, but have achieved such results; truly, you are a hero!”
Li Miao laughed and shook his head. “Don’t flatter me. We all progress step by step—some faster, some slower. There’s no such thing as a ‘real’ hero.”
“There is a difference, though. Physical cultivation is so difficult that, across Mount Pang, only a handful pursue it, and every renowned expert follows the Purple Mansion path.”
Their conversation remained cordial, and from Guo Yunyi, Li Miao learned much about Mount Pang’s world of cultivation.
Within Mount Pang, there were countless sects. The Hundred Herbs Sect was a third-rate house, with barely more than a dozen disciples. The Crimson Sky Sword Sect was much stronger, with thousands of members and several experts of the Profound Arts realm, making it a truly major sect.
There were also others—Thousand Cloud Peak, Thunderclap Gate, Six Desires Demon Palace—each boasting numerous disciples and formidable influence.
Cultivators like the Guo brothers, at the early Condensed Essence stage, were only of middling strength in Mount Pang, certainly not among the elite.