Nameless Scripture

It was a book, a very thin book.

"This is what Iron Calculation Immortal had embezzled." Yun Xiang held it in both hands, as though waiting for Xu Bai to come take it.

Xu Bai's eyelids twitched slightly.

For no other reason than that this book also had a golden progress bar.

Tonight's haul was truly substantial.

He felt that this entire night had not been wasted.

First, he had gotten a book from Iron Calculation Immortal, then another from Yun Xiang.

What a killing! "Ten years ago, the Nameless Swordsman roamed the world, and countless souls perished beneath his blade. Five years ago, the Nameless Swordsman authored a saber scripture, divided it into twenty-four parts and scattered them across various places."

"Starting five years ago, the Nameless Swordsman vanished. Some obtained portions of the fragmented scrolls and, after comprehending them, rose straight to the eighth rank. Someone once said that if all twenty-four fragments were gathered, one could enter the first rank."

"This is one of them. Iron Calculation Immortal had originally intended to hand it over to the Bureau of Surveillance, but after I learned of it, I used enormous wealth as bait, laid a trap, and lured him into the pit."

"You are a martial artist. If you obtain this book, it will be an enormous improvement for you. But I placed a special mechanism within the book. If you open it rashly, it will be destroyed."

Yun Xiang spoke at length, laying out her bargaining chip.

Xu Bai rubbed his chin.

That sounded damn impressive.

The Nameless Swordsman—countless souls had died beneath his blade.

Gather all twenty-four volumes, and one could directly enter the first rank.

—Damn domineering.

"Is this mechanism secure?" Xu Bai asked.

Yun Xiang nodded forcefully. "Without the Yun Family's special cultivation method, it cannot be opened. And you cannot take this saber technique to the Yun Family to have it opened either. The Yun Family are all martial artists; it would be hard to guarantee they would not covet it for themselves."

"Alright, I understand." Xu Bai nodded.

When he said this, Yun Xiang visibly let out a breath.

Finally... she had survived.

Yun Xiang understood clearly that this was a gamble.

She had gambled that Xu Bai needed this book, and now she had won.

If Xu Bai did not need this book, she would accept her loss.

Fortunately, no martial artist could refuse it. Xu Bai was no exception.

For now, I'll swallow my pride and submit. Once I find experts from the sect, I can turn the tables.

A pleased smile unconsciously appeared on Yun Xiang's face.

She had never suffered such a loss before. This was the first time.

And she had even been threatened using her own methods.

She knew better than anyone how powerful Maple Leaves Like Rain was. That was why she understood there was no need to resist.

The other party was too powerful. She had only one life, and life was the most important thing.

Just wait, Yun Xiang sneered inwardly.

But her smile did not last long, because she heard the sound of wind tearing through the air.

She raised her head and saw Iron Beads filling the sky.

A sentence flashed through Yun Xiang's mind.

"Why... doesn't he want the saber technique?"

There was only time for that one thought, because the next moment, the Iron Beads had already pierced through her body.

"What a fine thing..." Xu Bai walked over, looked at Yun Xiang, who had breathed her last, then bent down and picked up the Nameless book.

Yun Xiang lay on the ground with her eyes wide open, those eyes filled with shock and disbelief.

"Whether or not I can obtain what is inside, you were going to die." Xu Bai returned the Ghost-Head Saber to his waist and looked at Yun Xiang's corpse as he spoke flatly.

Even if there had been no progress bar today, he could never have cooperated with Yun Xiang, much less spared her life.

Letting an enemy escape was the behavior of a proper villain.

Was he a villain? He was not.

Never mind a secret manual—even if it were one of the greatest treasures under heaven, Yun Xiang still had to die today.

To him, only the dead were truly safe.

At this moment, corpses lay scattered across the dark clearing.

Xu Bai began searching them one by one. To his surprise, this group was poor as beggars. Aside from silver, he found none of what he wanted.

Of course, something was still better than nothing.

Xu Bai tucked the money into his pocket, glanced once more at the wrecked scene around him, then took out the Ghost-Head Saber and began destroying it.

Before long, the place was utterly unrecognizable. After some thought, Xu Bai carved the three words "Extreme Life Sect" into the ground with his left hand. Only then did he leave beneath the cover of night.

Under the night sky, Xu Bai walked quickly and soon returned home.

He casually shut the door, lit the oil lamp on the table, lay on the bed with his back against the wall, and took out the two books he had acquired today.

He first examined the two books one by one without opening them.

"Iron Calculation Immortal's book has a faster progress bar. The Nameless Swordsmanship Manual's progress bar is slower."

By comparing them, Xu Bai discovered the difference in their progress bar speeds.

After thinking it over carefully, he decided to read Iron Calculation Immortal's book first.

Although a faster progress bar meant its quality was not as good as the other book's, obtaining skills faster was what mattered.

Xu Bai's most pressing task was to collect more skills.

"This speed... is about the same as Maple Leaves Like Rain." Xu Bai made a rough estimate and came to a conclusion.

Iron Calculation Immortal's book should also be second-tier. The Nameless Swordsmanship Manual with the mechanism was stronger than second-tier; he did not know whether it could reach third-tier.

"Time to grind!"

Now that he had a direction, Xu Bai no longer wanted to sleep. Holding Iron Calculation Immortal's book, he began reading.

There was no mechanism on this book, so out of boredom, Xu Bai opened it.

The text was still obscure and difficult to understand, describing all kinds of mysteries, most of them related to divination.

"My head hurts."

Xu Bai sighed and forced himself to stare at it.

The oil lamp flickered as time slowly passed...

The next day.

Xu Bai rubbed his dry eyes, looked at the progress bar that had grown by a portion, and smiled.

This felt far better than secretly fleecing wool. The progress bar was climbing rapidly, and the feeling was incredibly satisfying.

Watching the progress bar rise openly could not be compared to doing it in secret.

"Time to eat something." Xu Bai stretched lazily.

He felt that work and rest had to be balanced. Doing things while exhausted made mistakes more likely.

After washing up simply, he left the house.

He did not go to Welcoming Inn today. In his view, the people from the yamen had probably discovered the bodies, so naturally the inn would not be open.

Sure enough, as he walked there, he occasionally heard people by the roadside chatting.

Naturally, they were discussing what had happened last night.

The yamen had discovered the corpses and already taken them to the Mass Burial Grounds. As for the outcome of the matter, there were still no leads.

Xu Bai had used an extremely crude method to destroy the scene. That place had become a complete mess, making it harder than climbing to the heavens to find any clues.

Moreover, he had left information about the Extreme Life Sect at the scene. Based on his understanding of Sheng County's yamen, with all the dead belonging to the Extreme Life Sect, the yamen would shift their attention elsewhere.

Yun Xiang had arrived only three months ago, while Xu Bai had lived in Sheng County all his life, a native-born commoner. It would be difficult to trace anything back to him.

"Eat first."

After passing through two streets, Xu Bai finally found somewhere to eat.

It was a simple roadside stall selling steamed buns and mantou.

Though the stall was small, its aroma was enticing.

Xu Bai still needed to hurry back and grind the progress bar after eating, so he did not intend to keep looking. He found a seat at the stall and sat down.

A little girl of six or seven came over, her beautiful large eyes filled with innocence and timidity.