"Yes, Commander Su defeated Ye Tian, which shows just how formidable he is! If you want to climb the ranks and make friends, then don't come looking for us!"
The two flicked their sleeves and left at the same time. They did not even want to look for cultivation manuals anymore, planning to return another day.
They were merely at the True Qi Third Layer. Today, Su Changqing's single glance had nearly scared them to death.
For a commander to kill a centurion, all it took was a small pretext.
Iron Claw Flying Eagle had been missing for half a month. Who in the Suppression Bureau did not know in their hearts that grass had probably already grown over his grave?
Su Changqing was astonishingly talented, and his Azure Dragon Crescent Blade was unrivaled. Within the Suppression Bureau, he was revered as Little Guan Gong.
The martial world was bloody. One careless step could bring about a catastrophic disaster!
Only now did the two realize it. Why would they still dare associate with Chen Mo?
The two of them left, leaving Chen Mo standing alone where he was, speechless. Cold sweat had soaked through his collar.
"Truly... I should never have done it..."
Chen Mo snapped back to his senses in a daze, his feelings indescribably complicated. He had always considered himself quite gifted, proud and ambitious, and skilled at winning people over.
Who could have known that he would offend someone like this?
Within the Suppression Bureau Commander's Courtyard, Su Changqing possessed little to begin with, so he moved in directly.
As a Deputy Thousand Household, he was theoretically qualified to grant command plaques to centurions and command three centurions and three hundred Imperial Guards.
Unfortunately, he had none of them, nor did he have any intention of seeking them out.
He had needed subordinates before.
Now, he did not.
Even his position was sufficient. Deputy Thousand Household was a third-rank post, officially registered.
Only Jin Yichuan and the Suppression Commissioner could order him around.
The Imperial Guard was divided into twelve divisions, and the Suppression Bureau was one of them. There were also the Xuanjing Division, Intelligence Division, Heavenly Mandate Division, Earthly Mandate Division, and so on...
"There are three great commanders in the Suppression Bureau: Jin Yichuan, Tai Long, and Zuo Qianhu..."
Su Changqing sat cross-legged beneath a lush willow tree, his eyes narrowing slightly as willow branches swayed in the breeze, fresh and verdant.
The Iron Claw Flying Eagle he had killed had been one of Zuo Qianhu's men.
Su Changqing could not be certain whether this Zuo Qianhu was the same one he knew from A Chinese Ghost Story.
If they were the same person, then there was a problem.
He had never met the man, but he had heard many times that he wielded six long blades, his saber technique peerless, with a black cloak hanging from his back.
His blade techniques were incomparably swift and capable of splitting a thousand jun. He concealed thousands of flying knives, and none ever missed their mark.
He was fast enough that even Jin Yichuan would be unable to react.
Zuo Qianhu seemed to be widely acknowledged as the strongest among the three commanders under the Suppression Commissioner.
Su Changqing took a deep breath. If it truly was that man...
Forget Jin Yichuan. Even among all the commanders of the Imperial Guard's Twelve Divisions, he would absolutely be the foremost martial artist...
His fighting spirit was unrivaled. At his peak, he was Number One Under Heaven—Zuo Qianhu.
"Whether he is or not, I'll know when I see him in ten days. First, I'll cultivate the Lotus Finger Technique and the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Skill."
Su Changqing stopped dwelling on it and began cultivating.
Time flowed like water, rushing past.
Seven days later, within the Commander's Courtyard, a handsome figure dressed in ink-black robes stood with his hair drifting in the wind.
The aura within his body surged wildly, profound as dark water.
An enormous phantom of the Black Tortoise emerged behind Su Changqing, nearly solidifying into substance.
Its head was massive, its eyes like two golden lamps, dazzling and radiant. It proudly raised its head as golden lightning intertwined within its gaze.
The Black Tortoise Phenomenon shook heaven and earth.
Su Changqing stood on the tip of a willow leaf, his bearing peerless as he soared upward. His hands moved with incredible speed.
His fingertips were ghostlike, his bearing elegant, graceful as a startled swan and majestic as a roaming dragon.
The Lotus Finger Technique valued intent over form.
A Shaolin Temple master once said that when a practitioner of the Lotus Finger Technique could catch an invisible Blade Aura with two fingers, they would have reached the pinnacle.
A tangible finger catching an intangible blade.
This technique was exceptionally formidable, worthy indeed of being one of Shaolin Temple's Seventy-two Absolute Skills.
A thousand years ago, it had once been hailed as the finest finger technique under heaven.
Unfortunately, every generation produced new talents, and new techniques surpassed old ones.
The Formless Tribulation Finger, One Yang Finger, Telekinetic Finger... Their records in battle and exquisite intricacy utterly eclipsed it in every respect.
Not to mention the Six Meridians Divine Sword... It directly transformed finger techniques into sword qi. The creator of that technique must have been extraordinarily gifted.
It took Su Changqing a full seven days to gain a small measure of mastery over this finger technique. He had only just entered the Minor Accomplishment stage.
Su Changqing leaped down from beneath the willow tree, preparing to cultivate the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Skill.
It was not that he favored a Tiangang-grade cultivation art over a first-rate manual.
Rather, this technique progressed too slowly and could not rapidly increase his strength.
"Dragon-Elephant Prajna, the gateway to strength and Dharma, profound beyond measure..."
Profound Heaven True Qi circulated through his eight extraordinary meridians according to the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Skill.
The golden sea of qi within Su Changqing churned like rolling waves, raising wild tides. He nearly transformed into a golden man in an instant, but forcibly suppressed it.
"The first layer... I broke through just like that? My strength increased by roughly one-tenth."
Even Su Changqing was startled, standing there in a daze.
"Could Profound Heaven True Qi actually be immortal cultivation?"
He repeatedly confirmed that what was within him was true qi rather than spiritual power... He drew a deep breath, his heart filled with shock.
"There are still three days left. I wonder if I can double my strength."
"Rumors in the Suppression Bureau say that I inherited Guan Gong's legacy, wielded an Azure Dragon Crescent Blade, and chased Ye Tian around like a rat."
A faint smile appeared in Su Changqing's eyes as he sat down cross-legged.
Relying on Profound Heaven True Qi, he truly had a chance to cultivate the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Skill to completion before his lifespan ran out, master the power of thirteen Dragon-Elephant transformations, and reach an inconceivable realm.
With one fist, he could shatter mountains; with one slash, he could split rivers and seas!
Then, with his tyrannical blade techniques and the Indestructible Vajra Divine Art protecting his body—
Even if ten thousand people surrounded him, none would be able to harm him. He could go anywhere under heaven.
Su Changqing narrowed his eyes. When that time came, he could cling to Ji Xingyue's thigh again, use his incomparably powerful body to withstand the void rifts, and shatter the void alongside her...
This was a bright road.
A road for an unprecedented great villain.
Su Changqing's thoughts stirred, and he checked his own panel.
Name: Su Changqing Realm: Xiantian Realm, First Layer Fate: Profound Heaven True Martial Phenomenon (Purple, can grow), Destined Villain (Green), Unusual Aptitude (Green), Clouded Face (Green) Life Script: ("Evil God Descends") A mid-level villainous commander of the Imperial Guard, who creates minor obstacles for the protagonist. Villains are destined to die!
Su Changqing watched it for a moment before no longer paying attention to it.
He had already decided on his future path. Although his Life Script remained unchanged and he was still a Minor Villain, it was nothing.
If the system followed my will, it was a system. If it did not, I simply would not look at it.
When plans were mature, matters were settled. Every move would bring success!
Without a master plan, schemes would falter; without preparation, undertakings would fail!
How many Martial Dao Grand Saints were there in this world?
There would be Su Changqing, with frost and snow at his waist!
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