Who Let Him Cultivate?!
Chapter 1173 - 1172 Unlucky Thief

"Talking about his defeat to the Carefree Guest, Xue Shilou didn't feel the slightest bit ashamed; on the contrary, he seemed somewhat excited.

"My Rake Skill comprehension is nearly complete, and once I've fully grasped the profound mysteries of the swordsmanship within the Rake Skill, the Carefree Guest will no longer be my match."

"Once I've thoroughly comprehended the mysteries within the Shovel Skill, I can become even stronger!"

Ever since Xue Shilou had grasped the swordsmanship contained within the Rake Skill, he felt his long-dormant heart of the Sword Dao stirring to life, his insight into swordsmanship growing day by day.

"All this is thanks to Daoist Lu's guidance."

"Old Lu's guidance?" Meng Jingzhou looked at Lu Yang with a suspicious gaze, feeling that something was off. What did the Rake Skill have to do with swordsmanship?

Lu Yang's expression remained unchanged: "What are you looking at me for? You don't understand matters of swordsmanship."

Then, Lu Yang quickly changed the topic: "Snow Daoist, continue, what is the third trial?"

"The third trial is to create a move unique to oneself, and it can't be some trivial life skill meant to pad the numbers."

"According to the memories of my bloodline, this is to test my creativity; I can't merely inherit from the past, I must surpass my predecessors."

"This third trial is quite difficult," said Lu Yang, counting the moves he knew... weren't they all unique to himself?

Xue Shilou took it easy: "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it; such things can't be forced."

"If I can pass the three trials, I can not only become the Snow Emperor's heir, but I can also have any wish granted by the current Snow Emperor."

"Now that is a good deal."

"Alright, we've about finished eating; it's time to head back." Lu Yang stood up, patted the snow off his backside, and gathered his things to return to the Martial Arts Hall.

...

In the Extreme Northern Lands, the temperature difference between day and night is vast, with daytime so cold that people are reluctant to reach out their hands, and nights even colder.

As a result, Muxue City had no nightlife. When night fell, every household turned off their lights and went to sleep, leaving the whole city eerily quiet.

A roar erupted, and the entire city could hear Vice City Lord Ma's furious shouting.

"Who is the scoundrel who dares to steal into my house? You're courting death!"

A black figure jumped between rooftops, appearing and disappearing, as if he didn't exist in this space, his movements extremely cunning.

Accompanied by Vice City Lord Ma's lion-like roar, a bright Sword Qi slashed down, striking the continuously leaping figure.

How could Vice City Lord Ma not be furious; he had recently gained insight into the Sword Dao and had chosen to seclude himself from the outside world. Little did he expect someone to mistake him for being seriously injured and healing, to have the audacity to steal into his house—an outright provocation.

The thief clutched his right arm, a look of resentment on his face. He thought he could evade the sword and leave gracefully, but it turned out that Vice City Lord Ma was not only uninjured but had also improved his swordsmanship, resulting in the thief taking a hit.

"Ma, you wait for me! I'll not only steal your things, but I'll also take your daughter away!"

Vice City Lord Ma trembled with anger, ordering a citywide manhunt. In no time, Muxue City was as bright as daytime, lit up throughout.

The thief took an elixir to temporarily stop his wound from worsening. With Muxue City on full alert, an escape was currently out of the question. He needed to find a place to rest first; he would find a way to flee Muxue City later.

He jumped into a courtyard and discovered a beautiful stable where a snow-white steed was swishing its tail and munching grass.

"Is this a Dragon Horse?!"

The thief's heart leapt with joy; to think that a Dragon Horse from the East Sea would appear in the Extreme Northern Lands, and by the looks of it, a Pure Blood Dragon Horse at that, invaluable.

"If I'm not mistaken, this is the Tiger Roar Sect?"

"It seems the Tiger Roar Sect has struck it rich; I wonder where they got this Dragon Horse from."

"Looks like the cultivation level of the Dragon Horse isn't too high; otherwise, it would have transformed by now. It's just perfect for me!"

The thief approached the Dragon Horse with a grin on his face, thinking that getting a Pure Blood Dragon Horse in Muxue City made getting stabbed by that sword worth it.

The Dragon Horse glanced at the thief and continued to eat grass.

With his hands forming a spell-sealing position, the thief whispered an unknown magic skill, trying to control the Dragon Horse with the Beast Taming Technique.

The Beast Taming Mark landed on the Dragon Horse, which had not resisted from the beginning to the end.

"Success."

However, just as the Beast Taming Mark touched the Dragon Horse, the thief's face drastically changed; there was something strange about this Dragon Horse!

The thief suffered a backlash from the Beast Taming Technique, and his vitality plummeted. He staggered back two steps with a pale face and depleted Qi and Blood.

The previous sword wound that had stopped bleeding intensified, and under the dual burden, his right hand became completely useless!

"What's that noise?"

Huo Huashen, upon hearing the faint commotion in the backyard, ran over anxiously.

The thief saw that there was no time to leave the Tiger Roar Sect and resorted to using a secret technique to conceal his aura and form.

This was his unique secret technique; whether using the naked eye or Spiritual Sense to search, one couldn't see him.

"Is there no one?"

Huo Huashen was puzzled; as someone at the Divinity Transformation Stage, he shouldn't be experiencing auditory hallucinations.

But even when he used his Spiritual Sense, he couldn't detect anyone—there was only Old Ma grazing in the stables.

"Let's test it." Huo Huashen flicked his sleeve, releasing a Blood Demon Saber and hacking out countless waves of Sword Qi.

The thief widened his eyes in disbelief; the other party was a Sword Cultivator at the Divinity Transformation Stage?!

If he had not been injured, he wouldn't have cared about someone at the Divinity Transformation Stage, but with his serious injuries, setting aside the outcome of a fight, it would certainly draw Vice City Lord Ma's attention.

The Sword Qi slashed into him, and he bit down on his clothes, making no sound, dare not let Huo Huashen discover him.

"So there really is no one."

Huo Huashen let Sword Qi flood the entire backyard and still couldn't find anyone. He could only conclude that he heard things because he was too excited about being on guard duty.

After Huo Huashen left, the thief showed himself, kneeling on the ground with one hand propping up his body, gasping for breath, sweat continuously beading on his forehead, his consciousness blurry and confused.

This won't do; he had to find a place to rest, to leave this place. There was something strange about this place; the Tiger Roar Sect was far from simple...

The thief approached a room in the courtyard, outside of which hung a small wooden sword.

As he approached the room, the small wooden sword emitted Sword Qi and immediately repelled him.

At the spot where he landed, there lay a rake infused day and night with endless Sword Qi by Xue Shilou.

The rake teeth were exceptionally sharp, and as the thief collided headfirst with them, several bloody holes were punctured into his head. He struggled on the ground for a moment and soon lay immovable.

Lu Yang scratched his head as he opened the door: "Eh, why did my small wooden sword get triggered?"

He was currently at the Void Refinement Stage, a dangerous time; should a stranger break into his room, it would be problematic, so he had hung the small wooden sword outside his door to repel any strangers.

Xue Shilou, who lived next door, also came out, even more baffled: "How come my second test was passed?"

Both of them looked simultaneously at the thief on the ground, whose blood kept flowing.

He had lost his right arm, was covered with saber wounds, had a sword injury on his hand, and there were several large holes in his head; it was unclear what he had gone through, but it seemed like he had experienced torturous treatment before death.

Xue Shilou turned the thief's body over, and seeing his face, was even more surprised: "The Carefree Guest?"

"How did he die?"