On the Road

Azure Wave City Guardian Hall.

Study.

Chen Ruhai and Fan Tiantiao sat facing each other.

Chen Ruhai had taken off both shoes and was rubbing his feet together beneath the table, his face full of contentment.

Especially when he saw the helplessness in Fan Tiantiao's eyes, he grew even more content. He rubbed them more vigorously, one strip after another, until a pile had accumulated on the floor.

Fan Tiantiao wore a deeply troubled expression.

He always felt that his parents must have had extraordinary foresight when they gave him this naturally sorrowful face at birth. They had known he would grow up to work with Chen Ruhai, so they had deliberately made him this way, right? Being with this bastard was simply torture, yet he couldn't get away. His constant worry gave him a headache every day.

Had I really violated the laws of Heaven to deserve such punishment?

"Any intelligence?" Fan Tiantiao sighed bitterly.

"Fang Che has already left Azure Wave City with Night Dream. It seems he really has taken Night Dream for his trusted maidservant," Chen Ruhai said.

"Isn't that just perfect?"

"Mm. It wasn't easy to use this opportunity to make Night Dream successfully infiltrate them, and Fang Che is also talented enough that he'll certainly obtain more intelligence in the future. So nothing can happen to Fang Che's safety along the way," Chen Ruhai said.

The two had already abandoned their original plan of having Night Dream "train beside Fang Che for a while before being put to other use."

They had also withstood the Dark Department's pressure to take her back.

This side is important! We can't leave! That had made the Dark Department's higher-ups curse them out: You were the ones who said she'd return after training for a few months! Now you're changing your minds the moment she leaves. You're simply treating us like dirt!

"Yes, nothing can happen to Fang Che's safety. I'll personally follow him in secret."

Fan Tiantiao immediately rose to his feet.

Facing Chen Ruhai day after day in this hall had nearly driven him to collapse. He quickly found an excuse to leave.

"You're going personally?"

Even Chen Ruhai was startled. "Is that really necessary?"

"It's fine."

"Fang Che is tied to the Su Family's enormous fortune. In Azure Wave City, he can naturally remain safe, but once he travels alone, trouble will surely come one wave after another. After all, the profits are already vast enough to make people risk their lives."

"That's certainly true. Fang Che is setting out alone, and he'll naturally be carrying a great deal of wealth to White Cloud Continent. It's normal for people to set their sights on him. But it still shouldn't require the Vice Hall Master of the Guardian Hall to go personally, should it?"

"Heh..."

Fan Tiantiao said with extreme disdain, "I'll come back once you've cured this ailment of yours."

Chen Ruhai raised a foot that was steaming with foul-smelling heat. "You mean this?"

"...Ugh!"

Caught off guard, Fan Tiantiao inhaled a breath. His expression changed drastically, and he fled through the door.

With a bang, the door slammed shut.

Chen Ruhai burst out laughing. Then his laughter stopped, and he looked at his feet with a sigh.

Elsewhere.

Within the One Heart Sect.

"Night Demon has already set off for White Cloud Continent with his maidservant. He has left Azure Wave City."

"The journey isn't particularly far—less than two thousand li. But it crosses many mountain ranges, and there are numerous perilous places."

"Nothing can happen to Night Demon's safety!"

Yin Shen Gong made his decision at once.

If he dies, where will I find someone to stop those geniuses? "Attendant Qian, how about you make the trip?"

"Fine."

Qian Sanjiang agreed immediately.

He was quite willing to take on this assignment. Ever since his last Initiation Baptism, Qian Sanjiang had realized that Fang Che, this Night Demon, had already been registered with the Sect Master.

Once his cultivation rose, his future prospects would certainly extend far beyond the One Heart Sect!

If he established a good relationship now, then later... heh heh...

"I'll set out immediately."

"Good."

It had been two days.

Fang Che had leisurely traveled three hundred li.

Under Fang Che's tutelage, Night Dream had successfully evolved from "an ordinary person" into a "Martial Apprentice." Moreover, she had already reached the cultivation of the "third level of Martial Apprentice"!

Her progress was tremendous!

It could already be considered a genius's pace.

The main reason was that she had eaten a Heaven Vein Vermillion Fruit. She had to improve—and quickly—or she would arouse Fang Che's suspicions.

Thus, Chen Ruhai and Fan Tiantiao had made a decision: she had to advance!

The faster, the better. Since Fang Che wanted to cultivate an assistant, only a higher cultivation would allow her to be of greater use to him.

So Night Dream put on a very diligent performance.

She was making great progress.

But Fang Che was still dissatisfied. "Why are you so slow? What's wrong with that brain of yours? Why are you so stupid?"

"Useless!"

"Get out of the carriage and walk! Practice your cultivation while walking!"

"Your cultivation hasn't improved, yet you still want to ride in the carriage! If you only care about enjoying yourself, when will you ever be useful?"

"Young girls have to suffer if they want to grow into qualified ornaments!"

"In the future, you'll have to warm my bed, guard me, fight for me, handle everything in my daily life, and look pretty... In short, I have great expectations for you!"

"If you still don't work hard, I'll sell you to a brothel!"

"Get out, get out!"

Fang Che drove Night Dream out of the carriage.

Even the man driving the carriage couldn't stand watching anymore.

He was furious inside.

"Rich young masters really are no good! Such a delicate beauty, and he won't even let her ride in the carriage. He's forcing her to walk..."

"Does he have any humanity at all?"

Little did he know that being driven out of the carriage was exactly what Night Dream wanted.

Facing Fang Che inside the carriage made her somewhat uncomfortable. She didn't even dare circulate the Spiritual Power in her body, fearing that he would discover it.

Once she got out, she was free.

Moreover, walking outside allowed her to practice the correct posture. She could recall the proper postures Fang Che had taught her at any time and correct the bad habits she had accumulated over the years.

So she puffed out her cheeks, stared ahead with her large, innocent eyes, and began walking with an indignant, sulky expression that said, "I'm very unhappy about being driven out of the carriage."

At the same time, she diligently cultivated and corrected herself.

Inside the carriage, a faint smile appeared on Fang Che's face.

Night Dream really did have excellent aptitude. As long as he continued training her, she would certainly become an expert in the future.

She didn't even dare practice in the carriage. He would have to take that into consideration as well. I hope she won't disappoint me in the future after all this nurturing, and will kill several more people from the Sole True Sect.

From the perspective he had gained after studying the Limitless True Scripture and sabers, spears, swords, halberds, and the like, his former self's movements when rising, sitting, walking, gripping a sword, striking, throwing punches and kicks, using body techniques, and so on had all been riddled with flaws. The gap was truly far too great.

Night Dream had learned less than a tenth of it, merely some superficial principles, but that was already enough to improve her combat strength. Unlike him, she could only cultivate one type of weapon in this lifetime if she wanted to maximize her combat power, because he could cultivate multiple techniques thanks to the speed at which the Limitless True Scripture absorbed spiritual energy. As for Night Dream, her habitual movements suggested that the sword was her innate talent. He had to let her come into contact with swords and begin cultivating ahead of time, so that no one would see through her in the future.

The Su Family's wealth was in his hands, and quite a few people in the city had designs on it. They had little opportunity in Azure Wave City, but now that he had left, some of them should start showing themselves.

Fang Che's body swayed with the carriage's jolts, while his thoughts surged like the waves of a vast sea, one wave rising after another.

He wasn't in the least anxious about the journey.

White Cloud Continent wasn't very far away.

But there were indeed quite a few barren mountains and treacherous waters along the way.

Fang Che wasn't anxious about the Martial Academy's trial either. Martial Students from all directions were currently fighting desperately to obtain Martial Academy points in every possible way.

The points were simple.

First, a Martial Academy nameplate had to recognize and bind itself to its owner through blood. Then, after killing Demon Beasts and obtaining their cores, one had to drip the Demon Beasts' fresh blood onto the nameplate. The points would automatically appear, and the more Demon Beasts one killed, the more points one received.

No one knew how many academy instructors were secretly following along the route. If anyone cheated, they would not be admitted no matter how talented they were.

Those with fewer than thirty points had no qualifications to enter the Martial Academy.

Those with thirty or more but fewer than one hundred points could pay the fees and undergo a simple cultivation test before entering the Martial Academy to study. Those with over one hundred points did not need to have their cultivation tested. In other words, if someone wanted to break the rule that "only Warriors may enroll," they could obtain over one hundred points, and even a Martial Apprentice could pay the fees and enroll. That was because they possessed combat talent and the talent of the six senses.

Those with over two hundred points could enroll for free without an examination and participate in martial combat.

From the Martial Champion down to the top one hundred, everyone received corresponding rewards.

And those rewards were the common goal of all the new students. They were not merely benefits, but also honor and qualifications.

As a top-tier Martial Academy, White Cloud Martial Academy offered graduates prospects vastly different from those of ordinary Martial Academies.

However, the scope of their employment after graduation was also determined according to their Martial Academy credits, honors, and qualifications.

Thus, the Martial Academy's honors and qualifications were extremely important.

Generally speaking, Martial Academy students had three destinations after graduation. The first was to enter government offices at various levels and become state officials, punishing evil and eliminating corruption while governing a region—becoming constables, chief constables, or working in criminal-law departments, for example. They could also take up official positions at various levels, depending on their abilities.

The second choice was to join the army, entering the nation's military departments, local armies, or frontier forces. From there, they could rise step by step through military merit.

But after choosing either of the first two paths, one would basically spend the rest of one's life struggling within that framework.

The third path was to enter the Guardian Army, starting from a low-level position and seeking promotion. This was the ranks of the Guardians, such as the various Guardian Halls.

This was different from ordinary government and military offices. It belonged to a special system. Those who didn't understand could refer to the national security bureau, or an anomalous affairs processing bureau, and the like.

From then on, they would fight endlessly against the various demonic cults.

Within the ranks of the Guardians, those who made outstanding contributions and whose cultivation reached a certain level could apply to join the ranks of the Guardians if they themselves were willing.

Once they became Guardians, their responsibilities and pressure, as well as the enemies and dangers they faced, would rise to an entirely different level.

The title "Guardian" generally represented the strongest combat power on the continent.

In his previous life, Fang Che had been a Guardian, though only at the lower end of the Guardian ranks.

There was no right or wrong in how one chose. But the path of the Guardians could continue toward the supreme peak of martial cultivation.

Although it was many times more dangerous than the other paths.

Fang Che's goal in this life was to become a Guardian—a peak Guardian who could completely erase the Sole True Sect from the world.

The starting points of the three choices were closely tied to one's performance, honors, and qualifications at the Martial Academy.

Everyone had to fight with all their might for every opportunity.

Thus, many of the new students had been searching for Demon Beasts nonstop ever since they set out.

They searched the land inch by inch, their eyes bloodshot.

Fang Che had his own plans.

Starting to hunt Demon Beasts now would be unwise, because he had only just left home and was still near densely populated areas.

Even if there were mountains and forests in such places, how many Demon Beasts could actually exist there?

It was a typical case of exhausting twice the effort for half the result.

After fifteen hundred li, the endless Ten Thousand Spirits Mountain Range stretched ahead, spanning thirty thousand li. Only seven or eight hundred li had to be crossed, and that should be where the opportunity to obtain points lay.

Fang Che took out the Martial Academy nameplate and calmly cut his finger open with a small knife, smearing the blood onto it.

The nameplate glowed faintly.

A line of text appeared: Azure Wave City, Fang Che.

A tiny hole appeared in the formerly intact nameplate. Beneath it was a blank frame.

"The Demon Beast's blood and crystal core are placed here, and then the points will be revealed."

Fang Che was filled with awe.

Six hundred years later, things really had developed considerably. This kind of method would have been almost unimaginable six hundred years ago.

He truly had no idea how they had made it.

Night Dream's humming and whining came from outside.

Clearly, the little girl was deliberately acting exhausted and showing that she was practicing, using her actions to tell Fang Che: My cultivation really is low.

Fang Che stuck his head out of the carriage window. "What are you whining about? How many levels have you broken through as a Martial Apprentice?"

"I'm... I'm still at the third level." Night Dream jumped in fright and stammered.

"Useless! The only thing you're good at is making manure! If you can't break through to the fifth level of Martial Apprentice before reaching White Cloud Continent, I'll sell you to a brothel!"

Fang Che roared furiously.

"Boo-hoo..."

Night Dream began to sob. "Young Master, spare me... This servant... this servant will do her best..."

Fang Che snorted. "Doing your best isn't enough. You must reach it!"

Even the carriage driver couldn't bear to listen anymore. "Young Master, aren't you being too harsh with your servant?"

"What do you know?"

Fang Che said, "She's my bodyguard. Have you ever seen a bodyguard weaker than her employer?"

The carriage driver was dumbstruck. "I really haven't."

A bodyguard? This delicate, breathtaking beauty is actually a bodyguard?

Damn, she sure doesn't look like one...

This rich young master really isn't a good person. He doesn't have a single honest word in his mouth.

"Did you hear that? The fifth level! The fifth level of Martial Apprentice! Otherwise, I'll sell you to a brothel!"

"Yes..."

Night Dream's tears were almost falling.

With joy.

The more urgently you pushed me, the faster—and the more fully—I recovered my strength! But I still felt it was a pity.

Fang Che was such a peerless genius, yet he had actually joined the One Heart Sect. What a terrible waste.

As they continued forward, Martial Students constantly sped past them along the road—some in groups of three or five, some in pairs, and some traveling alone.

At most, they were shocked by Night Dream's beauty and took a couple of extra glances before hurrying on.

Yet no one came over to strike up a conversation or tease her or anything.

This left Fang Che rather puzzled.

Were people's moral standards really that good nowadays?

After several people had passed, Fang Che stuck his head out and said, "You're so ugly, yet you can walk along the road without anyone teasing you. You probably wouldn't fetch a good price even if you were sold to a brothel. Tell me, if you don't hurry up and train to improve yourself, what else can you possibly hope for?"

Night Dream's chest swelled with anger.

She pouted and puffed out her cheeks, refusing to speak in a fit of pique. She stomped along, quickening her pace.

It's my fault that no one teases me? If I weren't gathering intelligence and working undercover, do you believe I wouldn't slap you all the way back to Azure Wave City?

Just then, two people suddenly burst out of the woods ahead. The one in front rolled his eyes and shouted, "Stop!"

He had a saber in his hand, its blade flashing brightly.

The tip of the saber pointed at the carriage. With a half-smile, he said, "Righteous Fang Gongzi, come down, will you?"

Since the book hasn't gone on sale yet, I've added these things that need explaining to the regular chapters so I can clarify them all at once as much as possible. That's why this chapter is a little longer.

There's one more thing. In this novel, the struggle between the Guardians' continental faction and the Sole True Sect isn't a battle between good and evil. In reality, it's a struggle for survival—or, more precisely, a struggle between star systems. Whether the Flying Bear Star System is completely devoured after being replaced by the Heavenly Centipede, or the people of the Flying Bear Star System manage to save themselves, the final outcome will inevitably be a process in which both sides slaughter each other to the last.

It's a war of survival and extinction: the victor lives forever, while the loser is wiped out completely. No one can escape. It's just that each side has borrowed the hands of the original natives to complete this process. The difference is that one god is still alive and can provide divine power, while the other is dead and can only rely on the natives themselves. So it's basically obvious.

But what I don't understand is why so many people commented in the chapter reviews that the protagonist was disgusting—that he had taken resources from the Sole Sect, acknowledged their master as his teacher, yet was constantly thinking about killing them, making him ungrateful and so on...

I'm basically unable to understand that. Did I really not make it clear enough? It's like a modern person arriving during the War of Resistance and joining the Japanese side. Could he change sides just because the Japanese treated him well? Right?

If I added these things to the book every time they came up, it would really be too padded. So I decided to explain it directly to everyone during the early stages. That way, there shouldn't be any confusion later, right?

Seven days since publication, and ninety thousand words updated.

That's a bit much.

I'm also revising the upcoming plot. Starting tomorrow, updates will be posted in the morning and afternoon.

At eleven-thirty in the morning.

Around five-thirty in the afternoon.