Cultivation is just so scientific!

"This is the third mission, it seems I'll be able to return to the sect soon!" Li Yuanba held a jade scroll in his hands and observed the map inside as he murmured softly.

For the previous two missions, he didn't hesitate at all and struck as soon as he arrived.

With his current strength, within the Foundation Establishment Stage, unless it was a true disciple from a major sect, none could stand against him in a fight.

Even for true disciples of major sects, it depended on the type of inheritance received; ordinary inheritances couldn't withstand his continuous full-strength attacks.

Being a Sword Cultivator, already deemed the foremost offensive force in the Cultivation World, let alone one who had inherited the top-tier "Sky-Surging Sword Intent Technique".

Li Yuanba's divine thought swept ahead, where a formation concealed a cave dwelling, which was the target of his mission.

Just like before, without a moment's hesitation, his flying sword shot out toward the formation.

The flying sword penetrated a gap in the formation, disrupting the spiritual power transfer within, causing the formation to collapse instantly.

As the flying sword continued its assault inward, it suddenly changed direction and dodged to the side.

At the same time, a white lotus appeared under Li Yuanba's feet; he vanished from the lotus, reappearing on another lotus one hundred and fifty meters away.

A mallet-shaped magical treasure emitting black mist flew out from the cave dwelling, striking where he had vanished.

This attack, accumulated with full power by a Golden Core cultivator, though hitting nothing, sent an energy wave sweeping outwards, creating a pit at the center and blowing away the soil several meters deep within a radius of dozens of meters, demonstrating the formidable power of the strike.

Li Yuanba was both shocked and furious; he hadn't expected a Golden Core cultivator to ambush him here.

Golden Core cultivators are also prideful; even if they intend to attack a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, they would normally do it face to face. This sort of sneak attack meant there was no intention of leaving him alive.

If it weren't for his practice of "Step by Step Lotus" and his constant cautious readiness, this Golden Core cultivator's strike could have taken his life.

Even though he managed to dodge, the sheer danger of it sent chills down his spine.

The moment the formation was breached, the Golden Core cultivator locked onto him with divine thought, and the subsequent strike was almost lethal, as the full oppressive force of a Golden Core was brought to bear on him.

This technique of full realm suppression is extremely effective against significantly weaker opponents.

Thankfully, "Step by Step Lotus" enabled him to disregard these effects, allowing Li Yuanba to narrowly escape this calamity.

Li Yuanba was filled with both shock and rage, but Niu Ziru, who had been waiting for him for a long time, was equally astonished.

Niu Ziru, an Independent Practitioner Golden Core from the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, had wisely aligned himself with Elder Yue during Senluo Sect's major expansion a few years ago.

A few days ago, Elder Yue assigned him the task of killing Li Yuanba.

Li Yuanba's name might not be well-known elsewhere, but in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, his notoriety was at its peak.

Ever since Li Yuanba had killed several true disciples of the Senluo Sect previously, making the ambushing Foundation Establishment disciples of Senluo Sect too scared to move against him, his fearsome reputation as a Sword Cultivator was well established.

Though Niu Ziru was a Golden Core cultivator, being from an Independent Practitioner background, he couldn't compare to the Golden Cores from major sects, whether in terms of cultivation techniques or magical treasures.

He was self-aware, so upon receiving the task from Elder Yue, he chose the most secure method of assassination — a sneak attack.

Other Golden Core cultivators might care about their dignity, but Niu Ziru, who had done all sorts of things coming from an Independent Practitioner background, had used countless strategies, deception, and tricks in his quest for the Golden Core.

With information provided by Elder Yue, Niu Ziru had arrived at the mission's target location before Li Yuanba and had killed the target.

Knowing Li Yuanba's method of operation, he stayed inside the cave dwelling of the mission target, waiting for Li Yuanba to walk right in.

As expected, Li Yuanba appeared and attacked at full strength without scouting first.

Niu Ziru used a secret technique to build up what he believed to be a lethal strike, but in reality, it harshly backfired.

His strike mysteriously missed, with Li Yuanba vanishing right under his magical treasure.

If he had been from a major sect, or even a medium-sized sect, he would have probably known about Divine Skills; unfortunately, coming from a humble background, Divine Skills were too advanced for him, and he was unaware of the "Step by Step Lotus".

After the strike missed, he quickly maneuvered his mallet-shaped magical treasure to attack Li Yuanba again.

Li Yuanba had stabilized from the initial shock of the ambush and used "Step by Step Lotus" again to dodge the attack from the mallet-shaped magical treasure while also taking the time to assess Niu Ziru.

Niu Ziru's aura, after attacking with full force and with no attempt to conceal it, clearly showed the strength of an early stage Golden Core practitioner, significantly weaker than those from major sects, indicative of either a smaller sect or an Independent Practitioner background.

Li Yuanba was unaware that Niu Ziru couldn't recognize "Step by Step Lotus"; after using "Step by Step Lotus" once within the territory of the Righteous Path and being chased by Qianye Temple afterward, he had deemed "Step by Step Lotus" a forbidden technique that necessitated silencing those who witnessed it.

If Niu Ziru had been a Golden Core Early Stage cultivator from a major sect, he would have had no recourse, but upon sensing Niu Ziru's true combat strength, he considered fighting him.