# Chapter 213: Si Xingkong
"What lousy weather, snow falling just like that—doesn't it know I've been afraid of the cold since I was a kid?" Chang Qiqi gripped his war blade as he walked through the wind and snow, exhaling a breath that instantly formed a long white column of mist.
After shaking off that black-clothed figure, Chang Qiqi immediately followed the traces left by Zhang Ruochen and Huang Yanchen, rushing ahead at full speed.
After chasing for five hundred li without seeing any sign of Zhang Ruochen or Huang Yanchen.
"Junior Brother Chang, if you're really afraid of the cold, how about a sip of 'Burning Knife Drunk'?" A voice drifted into Chang Qiqi's ears.
"Who?"
Startled, Chang Qiqi let out a cry and drew his war blade with a *shua* sound. His mung-bean-sized eyes darted around, searching for the source of the voice.
"Look east. A hundred li away, there's a two-thousand-meter-tall mountain peak. I'm halfway up it right now." The voice sounded again.
Chang Qiqi looked up toward the east. Though the wind and snow obscured his view, he could still make out a mountain peak a hundred li away.
"Voice transmission over a hundred li—could it be..."
Chang Qiqi's eyes lit up. He immediately activated his movement technique, turning into a blur as he rushed toward that mountain peak a hundred li away at top speed.
With Chang Qiqi's level of cultivation, he could easily walk on snow without leaving a trace.
In less than an hour, Chang Qiqi reached the mountain a hundred li away. He climbed up and stood in the snow, looking up. There, a man in his early twenties with loose, flowing hair sat holding a wine gourd, lying on a tree branch, drinking as he looked up at the sky.
The man was tall and handsome, with a perfect face, thick black brows, and a high, straight nose—an image of dashing elegance.
Seeing the man in the tree, Chang Qiqi's face lit up with joy. He immediately cupped his hands in salute: "Greetings, Senior Brother."
The man lying on the tree branch was none other than the top expert of the Martial Market Academy—Si Xingkong.
A smile tugged at the corner of Si Xingkong's mouth. He flicked his wrist and tossed the wine gourd out: "Since I said I'd treat you to a drink, I won't be stingy. Of course, Burning Knife Drunk is expensive, so you're only allowed one sip."
Chang Qiqi caught the wine gourd, overjoyed. How could the wine the senior brother drank be ordinary?
He uncorked the gourd and took a big gulp, afraid of missing even a single drop.
But after drinking, Chang Qiqi immediately regretted it.
Once the Burning Knife Drunk entered his body, it was like fire, making the blood in Chang Qiqi's veins boil completely.
"Senior Brother... what... what did you drink?"
Sweat poured from Chang Qiqi's body, and even his speech seemed to breathe fire.
Though it was freezing cold and snowy, Chang Qiqi immediately stripped off all his clothes, leaving only a bright red pair of shorts.
"Haha! That Burning Knife Drunk is brewed from thirty-nine kinds of potent spiritual medicines. Its potency rivals Half-Saint True Liquid, and its intensity is even stronger. It's frighteningly expensive. Even I only dare to take three small sips a day, and you gulped down that much in one go?" Si Xingkong sat up on the tree branch, stretched lazily, and seeing Chang Qiqi's state, felt both pained and amused.
What pained him was, of course, his wine.
The bright red shorts Chang Qiqi wore also seemed quite amusing.
"Let me give you a hand."
Si Xingkong leaped up, his body drifting lightly through the air. His movements seemed slow, but in just a moment, he stood before Chang Qiqi.
*Hua!*
He pressed a finger to Chang Qiqi's brow, channeling his true qi into Chang Qiqi's qi sea.
In moments, the medicinal power of the Burning Knife Drunk was fully refined, transforming into Chang Qiqi's cultivation.
In an instant, Chang Qiqi's cultivation broke through from the Mid Extreme Realm of Earth Extreme to the Great Extreme Realm of Earth Extreme, a significant leap in martial arts training.
Though the medicinal power was refined, the alcohol's effect couldn't be dispelled. Chang Qiqi remained thoroughly drunk, unaware that he was now wearing only a pair of shorts, or even that he had broken through to the Great Extreme Realm.
It wasn't that the Burning Knife Drunk's power was that miraculous; rather, Chang Qiqi's cultivation had already reached the peak of the Mid Extreme Realm of Earth Extreme. With Si Xingkong's help and the wine's medicinal power, breaking through was only natural.
Chang Qiqi's tongue felt numb as he slurred drunkenly: "Senior Brother, didn't you take the Half-Saint Blood Letter to deal with the evil cultivators of the Poison Spider Merchant Guild?"
Si Xingkong shook his head, his long hair flowing in the wind. He sighed: "Don't mention it. Hua Minggong's cultivation has reached the Heavenly Extreme Realm, and he has the Red Spider Giant Ship. Dealing with him is no easy task. But I don't need to worry about it now—the two martial arts legends of the Thousand Water Commandery have already gone to hunt him down."
Chang Qiqi asked: "Senior Brother, then how did you end up here?"
Si Xingkong slapped his forehead and exclaimed: "Right! I was so busy drinking, I almost forgot the important matter. Come with me—let's go meet the so-called number one genius of the thirty-six commanderies of the Demon Ridge."
"Zhang Tiangui?" Chang Qiqi sobered up by half.
"Yes, him."
Si Xingkong snatched the wine gourd from Chang Qiqi's hand, hung it on his back, and sniffed the air. A smile curled at the corner of his mouth. "I've already caught his scent."
Si Xingkong walked ahead, his steps seemingly casual, but even when Chang Qiqi ran at full speed, he couldn't keep up.
Breathing heavily, Chang Qiqi panted: "Senior Brother, what do you want with Zhang Tiangui?"
Si Xingkong laughed: "Someone asked me to stop him tonight, no matter what."
"Stop him from what?" Chang Qiqi asked.
"I don't know," Si Xingkong said.
"Then who asked you to stop him?"
"Guess."
"I can't guess."
"Can't guess? Then forget it." Si Xingkong smiled. "Actually, I've wanted to spar with him for a while. He's called the number one genius of the thirty-six commanderies of the Demon Ridge, and I'm called the number one expert of the younger generation of the thirty-six commanderies of the Demon Ridge. Who's stronger?"
"It's definitely you, Senior Brother," Chang Qiqi said.
"That's not certain. There's always a sky beyond the sky, and people beyond people."
Si Xingkong glanced at Chang Qiqi and shook his head. "Why are you so slow? Let me carry you."
Grabbing Chang Qiqi's shoulder, Si Xingkong shot forward with a *shua* sound, like a ghostly shadow flashing through the snow, with Chang Qiqi's screams echoing in the air.
...
Zhang Tiangui sat inside a strange carriage, flying three feet above the ground at high speed.
That carriage was called the "Flying Shaft," an eighth-rank True Martial Treasure that Zhang Tiangui had found in a primary-level ruin. By embedding spirit crystals into the bottom of the Flying Shaft, the formation could be activated, allowing it to fly above the ground.
"Following the marks left by Shen Feng, I'm about to catch up to Princess Yanchen and that mysterious young man." Luo Cheng sat outside the Flying Shaft, controlling its direction. He snorted coldly: "If Chang Qiqi hadn't stopped me, I would have dealt with them long ago. Why would you need to act personally, Senior Brother?"
Zhang Tiangui sat cross-legged inside the Flying Shaft. "Is that mysterious young man really Zhang Ruochen?"
Luo Cheng shook his head slightly. "He claims to be the secret disciple of the Silver Robe Elder Council Head of the Martial Market Academy, and he wears a mask. I can't determine his identity."
"Secret disciple of the Silver Robe Elder Council Head?" Zhang Tiangui's eyes snapped open, two sharp beams of killing intent shooting from his pupils. "It seems I must confirm his identity myself."
The Flying Shaft came to a sudden halt beside a lake.
"What's wrong?" Zhang Tiangui asked, displeased.
Luo Cheng's voice was heavy. "Someone has stopped the Flying Shaft."
"Who dares to stop my carriage?" Zhang Tiangui's voice deepened.
"It's... it's the head of the Ten Demons of the Demon Ridge, Si Xingkong," Luo Cheng said.
"Si Xingkong."
Zhang Tiangui's brow furrowed slightly. He lifted the carriage curtain and looked ahead. Sure enough, two figures stood in the wind and snow. One held a wine gourd, and the other wore bright red shorts.
The handsome man holding the wine gourd glanced at the Flying Shaft and smiled: "Brother Zhang, with the wind and snow so heavy and the ground frozen, where are you rushing off to in such a hurry?"
Zhang Tiangui couldn't gauge Si Xingkong's intentions. He wrapped a snow mink cloak around himself, stepped down from the carriage, and cupped his hands in a bow to Si Xingkong. "Brother Si, is there something you need from me?"
"Of course. I've been waiting here for quite a while." Si Xingkong said cheerfully. "I've long heard that Brother Zhang is the personal disciple of the Cloud Terrace Sect Master, having cultivated the *Six Profound Sacred Art* to the fifth layer. I admire you greatly, so I thought I'd spar with you."
Zhang Tiangui's eyes narrowed. "I have important matters today, so I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you, Brother Si. If you truly wish to fight, how about we settle it in the royal capital half a month from now?"
After his recent breakthrough, Zhang Tiangui was very confident in his strength and had long wanted to defeat Si Xingkong. Only by defeating Si Xingkong could he truly be called the number one genius of the thirty-six commanderies of the Demon Ridge.
But tonight wouldn't do. He had to go after Huang Yanchen and that mysterious young man who was likely Zhang Ruochen. He couldn't let Si Xingkong's appearance delay him.
Chang Qiqi, still drunk, shouted: "Zhang Tiangui, the senior brother is the head of the Ten Demons of the Demon Ridge. He waited specially in this wind and snow just to fight you. You want to dismiss us with a single sentence? That's too disrespectful to the senior brother!"
Si Xingkong said: "Zhang Tiangui, fleeing without a fight isn't your style."
Zhang Tiangui looked at Si Xingkong again, pondered for a moment, and said: "Fine. Since Brother Si wants a fight, I'll oblige. But I do have very important business today. This battle will have to be quick—how about we settle it within ten moves?"
Si Xingkong squinted and smiled, raising a finger and shaking it gently. "No need for ten moves. I think we can settle it by the seventh."
Zhang Tiangui said: "Brother Si is too confident, isn't he? Do you think the *Six Profound Sacred Art* I cultivate only has six mysteries, and I'll lose by the seventh move?"
"Haha! The *Six Profound Sacred Art* is profound and vast, fusing six energies into one. Any martial technique you use can change in countless ways. But I believe that no matter how the techniques change, there are still only six mysteries at their core. As long as I can withstand those six mysteries, when your changes are exhausted, the seventh move will naturally decide the outcome."