Chapter 22: Medium-grade Spirit Stones

As the sun rose, the golden sunlight shone down. Anya stood right under the sun, her stunning figure even more breathtakingly beautiful under the light filtering through the leaves, like an elf walking out of the forest. This girl has grown up. Titus momentarily lost in thought, then came back to himself. "As long as you don't give up, there's a chance for revenge," said Titus. "Don't give up?" Anya's cold voice replied, "It seems that what I said to you yesterday was in vain. Do you think you have the ability to take revenge? You're just going to your death. Had I known, I wouldn't have come out yesterday and should have let Gavin take you away." "How do you know I don't have the ability to take revenge?" Titus asked earnestly. "Titus, I know your capabilities better than anyone else. Even if you weren't crippled, even if your talent was higher, you wouldn't have a chance at revenge." "I'm not afraid to tell you, Chloe is definitely stronger than you can imagine. She became the chief disciple of Skynet Sect, and she's no simple character." As Anya spoke, she suddenly remembered something and immediately restrained the coldness that had filled her face, "Forget it, why am I even talking to you about this? You'll never have a chance at revenge. You can't even get close to her. Just stay here obediently." With that, Anya turned and left. Watching Anya leave, Titus shook his head slightly. Growing up together from a young age, he was well aware of her temperament. Anya used to have a better temper, but it changed after she turned seven or eight, especially towards him, always cold and distant. Titus had long been accustomed to Anya's temperament. No matter what Anya said, Titus didn't mind. He knew what he wanted to do. He went back to his room, lay down, closed his eyes, and entered the realm of Ancient Wilderness in his mind. After a month of practicing Starfall, he had reached the peak of mastery, just a step away from perfection. Simultaneously, Titus's cultivation had also reached the peak of the Ninth Level of the Qi Refining Stage. A little more effort, and there might be a chance to break into the Element Integration Stage. At that moment, Anya appeared outside the house. Seeing Titus lying on the bed with his eyes closed, her beautiful face turned even colder, filled with deep disappointment. "Was the blade practice just for us? Titus, you really know how to pretend." Initially, Anya thought it wasn't a bad thing to see Titus practicing Blade Cultivation, at least showing that he hadn't given up completely. Although she had mocked him earlier, her intention was to make Titus forget about revenge. After all, Chloe was too powerful, and it was impossible for Titus to succeed in revenge. But just after leaving for a short while and returning to find Titus lying in bed again, in Anya's view, he had completely given up, hence her frustration. Unaware of Anya's return, Titus was now practicing the first move of Starfall, having reached eight shining stars, just one step away from nine. ... Inside the hall. Elsie and Jasper were discussing something. Seeing Anya walking in with a cold face, the father and daughter stopped their conversation. "Anya, who made you angry? Tell dad, and I'll personally teach them a lesson," Jasper said with a smile. "Dad, no need to ask, she's surely annoyed with Titus," Elsie interjected. "Who's angry with him!" Anya retorted. "Later, dad will teach him a lesson for you," Jasper hurriedly said with a smile. "You always say that, but I've never seen you actually do it," Anya said, both angry and annoyed. She couldn't vent her frustration on Jasper, so she had to hold it in. "Let's not talk about this. The reason I called you here is to discuss something." Jasper cleared his throat, putting aside his joking demeanor. "You're going to Xanth City in a month. You'll surely represent Icy Heart Sect in the competition for a spot in South Figaro Martial Hall, and you might encounter Chloe..." "Do you mean to say, let me meet her and kill her to avenge Titus?" Anya asked coldly. "Yes!" Jasper nodded. "Anya, you know I promised your uncle to take good care of Titus. I thought everything was fine after he joined Skynet Sect, but I didn't expect him to be framed. He's your brother, you two grew up together..." "Enough!" Anya interrupted Jasper. "Anya, dad knows this is hard for you. But how can we of the Xenos Family allow others to bully us? If your sister and I had the ability, we would not stand idly by as Titus is treated this way," Jasper said sternly. "Fine, no more words. Why should I help him with the trouble he brought on himself?" Anya said impatiently, leaving the hall without waiting for Jasper to speak. "Anya..." Jasper called out. "Dad, she won't listen to you now. Let me go and persuade her," Elsie said, following her. Soon, Elsie found Anya at the artificial lake in the backyard, standing on the pavilion, quietly looking into the distance, watching the changing clouds. "You don't need to persuade me. I just don't like dad favoring Titus. From childhood, dad has been biased. We are his biological daughters, yet we're treated less than half as well as Titus..." Anya said without turning back. "You know Titus's father saved dad's life. Dad has always valued loyalty. Besides, Titus is not a wastrel; he's been very sensible all these years. Although we're not related by blood, we grew up together; he is our family." Elsie spoke slowly: "Now that he's been crippled, as his family, shouldn't we help him seek revenge? I don't have the ability, or I would have gone to Skynet Sect to seek revenge on Chloe. You're the most talented in our family, the most likely to help Titus." After a moment of silence, Anya suddenly leaped up, stepping lightly on the water's surface, "In the competition for the South Figaro Martial Hall in Xanth City a month later, if I meet Chloe, I will kill her!" ... As night fell, the Xenos Family compound was quiet. After completing his cultivation, Titus stepped out of his room and suddenly felt a chill down his spine, a sense of mortal danger looming. Whoosh! A faint sound of piercing air was heard, and a dagger struck Titus's back, slicing off a piece of flesh. The searing pain spread from his back. Luckily, Titus reacted quickly enough to sidestep in time, or the dagger would have pierced his heart. The force contained in the dagger entered Titus's body, momentarily blocking his Qi flow. Fortunately, his Blade Vein had formed and quickly neutralized that force. Despite this, Titus was still shaken, blood churning within. Element Integration Stage Martial Cultivation... Titus stared at the person in front of him: a thin assassin in black, who remained silent, his body seemingly blending into the darkness. At this moment, the thin assassin in black gradually disappeared, melding into the shadows. Though this assassin had the same cultivation level as Simon, he was more terrifying because Simon fought in the open, while the assassin lurked in the shadows. To prevent Titus from being seen by others, there was no one else in the surrounding two-mile area. Titus's throat moved, and he suddenly dashed towards the house. Whoosh! The sound of the dagger piercing the air came again. Titus quickly dodged backward, his right shoulder scraped, bleeding profusely. The Element Integration Stage power surged throughout his body, all neutralized by the Blade Vein. The reappearing thin assassin in black coldly glanced at Titus, like viewing prey, then vanished again into the darkness, ready to strike at any moment. Titus grabbed the Horse Beheading Blade, having rushed into the house just to retrieve it. The sound of the dagger piercing the air was faster and more powerful than before, a deadly strike, the most terrifying. First Move - Starshine! Titus swung the Horse Beheading Blade, violently splitting the air, releasing a domineering and heavy force. A stronger Blade Gale appeared on the blade. The stronger the martial skill, the stronger the Blade Gale. The first move of Starfall, a Yellow-grade Upper Rank martial skill, had been mastered to its limit by Titus, just a step away from perfection. Eight Starshines exploded, the heavy force ravaging the surroundings. The black-clothed assassin was shaken out, his eyes showing shock. The Blade Gale penetrated the assassin's vital points, while the assassin's dagger stabbed into Titus's right shoulder. The Element Integration Stage power struck down, bones cracking. Boom! The blade hummed and resonated, nullifying the assassin's power, including the blade vein. At that moment, the assassin fell to the ground. Titus also collapsed, feeling completely drained. "If I hadn't broken through to the Ninth Level of Qi Refinement and practiced with the superior Yellow-grade Upper Rank Star Meteor, I wouldn't have been able to defeat someone like that," Titus thought to himself. After all, he had just faced an Elemental Integration Level Assassin. Such individuals were accustomed to a life of bloodshed and danger, unlike Simon, who had never experienced a fight to the death. Titus bent down and began to search the assassin. Soon, he found something in a hidden pouch - a mid-grade spirit stone. "No wonder he had nothing of value with him. He must have exchanged all of his valuables for this medium-grade spirit stone," Titus guessed. Medium-grade spirit stones were extremely valuable, and the highest quality ones could be exchanged for a hundred low-grade spirit stones. Upon closer examination, Titus realized that the quality of this medium spirit stone wasn't exceptionally high, and it could only be considered a low-quality medium spirit stone. It might be worth exchanging for about thirty to forty low-grade spirit stones. "Your commotion was quite loud, but you're just a half-crippled guy. Were you able to handle it?" A hoarse, deep voice suddenly came from the shadows.