The sun slanted west over the place outside Yuyang Village where Sheng Fuwu had died.
By now, nothing remained of Sheng Fuwu but scraps. His clothes, identity token, some silver, and a few other belongings had been found scattered by a small pond.
Ren Yuan clutched Sheng Fuwu's identity token, his face calm. A sense of sorrow for a fellow sufferer rose in his heart.
They had both been in the Body Refining Realm, and now Sheng Fuwu's bones were nowhere to be found.
He drew a deep breath, dispelling the strange feeling.
"Chief." Tang Long stepped forward, carrying some of the things Sheng Fuwu had left behind. He had found and gathered them nearby.
Tang Long handed them to Ren Yuan, his face betraying neither joy nor sorrow. In the end, Sheng Fuwu had schemed against all three of them that day.
If the strange creature hadn't advanced at just the right moment, Jiang Yan's strength wouldn't have been enough to keep him alive for more than a few breaths. Given the creature's speed, there was a good chance neither Tang Long nor Fei Shan would have escaped.
Turning the identity token over in his hand, Ren Yuan took Sheng Fuwu's belongings and gave them a cursory look. There was nothing valuable among them, but they were the sort of odds and ends one should bring into the wilderness—miscellaneous, yet clearly prepared with experience.
That suggested Sheng Fuwu hadn't been killed by him. Otherwise, the possessions of a Body Refining Realm martial artist would surely have tempted someone.
In fact, finding Sheng Fuwu's belongings was proof enough. In Yuyang Village, who could kill a Body Refining Realm martial artist?
The strange creatures, and no one else.
The man sent by the authorities was certainly powerful enough, but he had no motive.
"Whew..."
Ren Yuan exhaled and glanced at the sun. It was about to set, and the distant woods were shadowy, dense, and cold.
"Let's go." Unless they had no choice, no matter how powerful a martial artist was, they wouldn't linger in the wilderness after dark.
Evening.
Jiang Yan finally met up with Ren Yuan and Tang Long.
"I've confirmed that Sheng Fuwu is missing. I'll send a message to the hall shortly."
Ren Yuan had ultimately concluded that Sheng Fuwu was dead, but the message he planned to send the hall would say that Sheng Fuwu was missing.
After all, they hadn't found his body.
But once the message arrived, the hall would be able to reach its own conclusion.
"Also..." Ren Yuan looked at Jiang Yan, Tang Long, and Fei Shan. There was something he needed Jiang Yan to agree to.
Sheng Fuwu had used three martial artists as bait to hold off a strange creature, but hadn't managed to escape himself.
Whatever the circumstances, he had framed his fellow disciples.
"Sheng Fuwu framed the three of you and violated the sect's rules. But he's missing now, so there's no point discussing punishment."
"Among Sheng Fuwu's belongings is a cultivation manual. I can authorize a handwritten copy for each of you."
His expression turned grave. "But if anyone asks about this later, I hope you'll say only that Sheng Fuwu and his nephew went into the wilderness and then went missing. Can you do that?"
Ren Yuan wasn't trying to clear Sheng Fuwu's name. He was trying to save the Patrol Mountain Hall's reputation. There was no getting around it: a Body Refining Realm martial artist had set three Martial Apprentices against a strange creature, and the apprentices had come through largely unharmed.
Yet he himself hadn't returned.
If word of this got back to the Dahe Gang, their Patrol Mountain Hall would become a laughingstock.
He understood the hall master's temperament all too well.
If the Patrol Mountain Hall became a joke, so would the hall master. And then no one in the hall would have an easy time of it.
If he sent back word that Sheng Fuwu had framed his fellow disciples, he wouldn't just offend the hall master; he'd also earn the resentment of everyone else involved.
The hall master would be in a foul mood, and no one else would have a good time either.
In the end, though, all that resentment would be directed at him.
So he quickly decided that he would have to tell the story his way.
He also trusted that since the three of them hadn't suffered any real harm, they wouldn't refuse an offer of a cultivation manual in exchange for their silence.
As expected, the three agreed at once without hesitation.
Half an hour later, Jiang Yan returned to his quarters with a copy of the External Cultivation technique called Vajra Body.
He had stood night watch yesterday, and that afternoon he had stood day watch again while Tang Long and Ren Yuan were away. So he could rest tonight and didn't need to patrol.
As for his original squad, it still had three members. After the Immortal Flower's curse had struck last time, the Patrol Team had lost ten people at once, and the vacancies still hadn't been filled.
There was no way to maintain four people per squad.
Only now was he beginning to understand why the Dahe Gang had tested their aptitude for martial arts with such a simple, rough process. The Patrol Team suffered so many mishaps that it was constantly losing people.
So as long as someone had the aptitude for martial arts, they were recruited first and questions came later.
In the end, those with good aptitude who also survived would naturally advance to Martial Apprentice and be absorbed into the Dahe Gang's elite, where they could enjoy better treatment.
It was a way for the sect to sift for talent, letting the Patrol Team separate the gold from the sand.
If someone with good aptitude fell to a strange creature, well, that was just bad luck.
The Dahe Gang cared only about the result. If you made it to Martial Apprentice, you got better treatment.
Lying in bed, Jiang Yan opened the modifier and checked the three techniques he hadn't yet cultivated.
Secret Technique: Sword Finger
Level: ?
Status: Not initiated
Upgrade (No) Deduce (No)
Martial Skill: Fast Sword
Level: Four
Status: Not initiated
Upgrade (Available) Deduce (No)
Cultivation Method: Vajra Body
Level: Four
Status: Not initiated
Upgrade (Available) Deduce (No)
Weird Value: 2
He first looked at the Sword Finger Secret Technique, unable to hide his longing. But even when he had plenty of Weird Value, he still couldn't upgrade or deduce it. That could only mean one thing: he didn't have enough Weird Value to improve the technique!
That also indirectly showed just how powerful this Secret Technique was likely to be.
He shook his head. If he wanted to improve Sword Finger, he'd have to save up enough Weird Value first.
Then he looked at Vajra Body and Fast Sword.
It was a choice between offense and defense.
For him, the choice was simple. He had already cultivated the Golden Cloak External Cultivation technique, which had improved both his strength and defense to some extent.
But he still didn't have a sword-based martial skill. When fighting strange creatures, he usually relied on basic sword forms.
Now that he had Fast Sword, of course he would learn it.
Besides, he felt this martial skill suited his combat philosophy: strike first, and wound or kill the enemy with the greatest efficiency in the shortest possible time.
"Hmm..."
Jiang Yan considered it carefully.
"When I encounter strange creatures, I still have to rely on the power of talismans. But some of them are fast, and even if I have talisman power, I might not be able to hit them."
So I need to move faster and help those strange creatures find release sooner.
Offense and defense were a debate no one could ever settle. Once Jiang Yan decided to cultivate Fast Sword, he didn't hesitate any longer.
Fast Sword entered the beginner stage at once. Countless techniques for applying force and circulating energy flooded his mind, etching themselves into his body's instincts.
Jiang Yan stood up and gripped his sword.
A clearer sense of the sword filled his heart. At that moment, he felt like a martial artist who had cultivated Fast Sword for years.
He could no longer restrain his urge to draw his sword.
The sword flashed, and silver light burst forth. Even the air was pierced, releasing a shrill cry.
Jiang Yan lowered his head and looked at his hand. A callus had rubbed into his palm. "My draw is thirty percent faster than before, and this is only the beginner stage."
Thinking of this, he smiled.
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