Without wasting an instant, Jun Li shot towards Ren Liwei, drawing a half-treasure sword from her Spatial Ring.

  Ren Liwei’s eyes narrowed, and in a series of sharp, jolting steps, he quickly slipped out of the small garden pavilion just in time to avoid Jun Li’s sword, which had sliced through the backrest of the chair he had been sitting in only a fraction of a second after he had left it.

  Glaring contemptuously at Jun Li, Ren Liwei felt a twinge of irritation. “Tsk… forcing me out into the rain… Oh well, this was going to end in violence anyway.”

  Clearing his throat, Ren Liwei looked to the nearest corners of the palace grounds, mouthing words Jun Li could not hear, even as close as she was.

  After a moment, Jun Li recognized that Ren Liwei was using Sound Transmission, a minor technique, possible only for Cultivators of the Crimson Palace stage and above, one that allowed them to transmit their voice from afar, or to speak in private in any circumstance. “What is this…? Calling for help already?”

  “Hah!” Ren Liwei scoffed at Jun Li’s remark. “On the contrary, I’m simply being courteous. If a pest finds its way into a friend’s home, it would be improper not to let them know.”

  Within seconds of Ren Liwei's words, two groups, each numbering at least a dozen, poured out from the tall pagodas at the gateside corners of the palace grounds.

  Dressed in ornate armor and carrying masterwork weaponry of all shapes and sizes, these guards were immediately identified by Jun Li as being proper Cultivators. ‘It figures… the two at the gates were just there for looks.’

  Even at a glance, Jun Li could tell that these men were stronger than the bandits she had faced at the northern edge of the kingdom.

  “Young Master Ren, are you unharmed!?” An older man holding a spear rushed over to Ren Liwei, splitting away from his peers who had now surrounded the garden pavilion that Jun Li stood within. “I am fine, I’ve only been under attack for a few minutes. I fear more for the safety of the palace, if any intruder can run amok for so long without repercussion.”

  The older man’s face changed colors multiple times as he listened to Ren Liwei's words. Under normal circumstances, Jun Li would not have been able to take one step beyond the gates without these royal guards intercepting her.

  Today was no ordinary day, however, and the Third Prince himself had given an order that they diminish their presence for the night. Given his orders, this 'captain of the guard' felt wronged by the words of his esteemed guest, someone from the Third Prince's faction no less, but he quickly snuffed out his excuses before they manifested.

  “I… Right… We’ll take it from here, please don’t worry yourself over this, Young Master Ren…” Gritting his teeth, the man turned towards Jun Li and brandished his spear. “You! Identify yourself and lay down your weapon! It’s not too late for your life to be spared!”

  Impassively watching the scene unfold, Jun Li couldn’t help but scoff. “Is this why you called me here, Ren Liwei? Just so I could watch you push around these weaklings?” Looking over the palace guards surrounding her, Jun Li’s gaze stopped on the older man who had been addressing her.

  It was apparent at a single glance that he was unlike the other guards surrounding her. “You...” Jun Li pointed towards the older man. “You’re at the Crimson Palace stage, so you should be able to understand.”

  With an almost piteous smile on her face, Jun Li spoke without room for tact. “You’re weaker than me.”

  Suddenly pointing to an unassuming man, one of the many that encircled her, Jun Li continued. “You too, don’t assume that we’re on the same level just because you also reached the Crimson Palace stage.”

  In these guards, Jun Li saw a wider issue, manifesting in front of her in painfully obvious fashion. ‘These people aren’t Cultivators… They’re just former Cultivators…’

  Within just these few moments, Jun Li began to see why her Master had frequently recommended she leave this kingdom and walk the Jianghu.

  In a Mortal Kingdom like this, Cultivation was merely a means to an end. There was no dedication to progress and self-improvement, no desire to reach the next level and find new horizons.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  The moment their Cultivation was sufficient enough to give them the power and prestige they wanted… that was the end of their journey.

  As she thought this, Jun Li’s expression filled with pity. ‘They really don’t understand how long the path of Cultivation actually is… There’s no way they could, either… not a single person in this kingdom knows as well as I do…’

  Jun Li felt grateful for her inherited memories, knowing that without those memories, she may have been just as ignorant as anyone else, unknowing of just how far she could have gone.

  A sincere smile spread across Jun Li’s face as she looked down on the guards who surrounded her. “Hey, why so quiet? I didn’t think you’d be smart enough to back down.”

  With a strained expression, the older man who had addressed Jun Li before gripped his weapon. “Be silent! The only thing I was waiting for was a surrender! But it seems you’re too ignorant to realize there’s no escape…”

  A bit disappointed, Jun Li let out a sigh. ‘I don’t really want to kill these people, but they sure are making it hard…’ Turning her attention away from the encirclement, Jun Li called out towards the open palace gates.

  “Little Yun! Go inside and find Senior Sister Xiaoli as fast as you can!” The instant after Jun Li spoke, the pale silhouette of a snake darted out from the shade of the gate and towards the palace.

  Understanding the command Jun Li had uttered, the spear-wielding older man immediately yelled out to one of the guards nearest to the palace entrance. “South Captain, don’t let that beast escape!”

  Immediately responding, the only other Cultivator of the Crimson Palace stage in the crowd shot towards Little Yun.

  Before he could get close to the snake, however, an unnatural shifting of wind and rain from behind made him reflexively turn to defend himself.

  Hurtling through the air towards him was an ornate table, thrown from the garden pavilion. A split second was all it took for the South Captain of the palace guard to draw his heavy saber and cleave the incoming table in half.

  Falling through the cloven gap in the table, Jun Li acted without hesitation. “Sparking Thorn – Single-Point Stab!” Before the South Captain could even begin to raise his saber in defense, Jun Li’s sword had already pierced through his body. In panic, he lashed out with his saber, forcing Jun Li to kick away from him before even retrieving her sword.

  Landing on the rain-sodden stones, Jun Li couldn’t suppress the feeling of delight that welled up within her at the lingering sensation in her sword hand. ‘Ah well… it’s Ren Liwei’s fault anyway…’

  Looking around, Jun Li saw that the palace guards had reacted quickly to her movement and had already surrounded her again. With no obstacles, terrain, or improvised weapons, escaping the encirclement again would prove far more difficult.

  Nearby, the man Jun Li had impaled was being carefully dragged away. ‘Perhaps he’ll survive, given his Cultivation.’ Further away, Little Yun disappeared into the shadows under the palace. ‘It always surprises me how well they understand my commands…’

  “Get in position!” At the eldest guard’s command, dozens shot into motion, gathering around Jun Li in an odd, uneven-looking formation. “Cardinal Sword Formation!” With the utterance of the formation’s name, a nearly imperceptible force swept through the air, causing Jun Li to immediately stand up straight and draw a pair of butterfly swords from her Spatial Ring.

  The closest four guards quickly stepped forward to surround Jun Li, despite the insurmountable difference in Cultivation.

  Under Jun Li’s skeptical gaze, one guard suddenly slashed out towards her, grazing the side of her defensively raised sword.

  “Hm…!” The subtle scrape of the blade crashed violently into Jun Li’s sword, nearly tearing it from her grip, sending her sliding backwards across the slick, paved stones. Unable to stop herself in time, Jun Li was forced towards another guard, positioned at the opposite side of the formation.

  The howl of a blade cutting through the air was all the warning Jun Li had to defend herself. Gritting her teeth and pivoting on the spot, Jun Li met the attack waiting for her with the full force she was capable of outputting with the Sparking Thorn technique, punching out not with the precise tip of her sword, but with the guarding lip that arced over the hilt.

  As the two swords violently collided, a sputtering line of sparks fell across the damp stones, both the finely crafted blade of the palace guard Jun Li’s own sword being chipped and damaged as they clashed.

  Recovering her footing, Jun Li quickly stepped to distance herself evenly from the guards that surrounded her.

  Looking off into the distance of the palace grounds, Jun Li caught sight of Ren Liwei, who had crept under the shade of the garden pavilion once more, seemingly intent on watching Jun Li wear herself down.

  Measuredly putting strength into her arms and hands, Jun Li felt only the slightest fatigue from defending herself. Yet, it was indeed fatigue, and through whatever method this formation employed, these guards were able to put up resistance against Jun Li despite the power gap.

  “Well… the puppets were getting a bit too predictable for training.” Deliberately attempting to enter a state of 'comfort in combat,' Jun Li twirled her swords, gently tossing them from hand to hand, as if to further familiarize herself with the way they felt in her hands.

  ‘If you think a bit of exhaustion will stop me from killing you… I’ve still got a few tricks up my sleeve, not just as a Cultivator, but as an Alchemist…’