[Swordsman]

Perhaps Wu Dao's imposing presence had been too overwhelming.

The Fragrant Pavilion served its dishes quickly. Within the time it took to drink a cup of tea, several meat dishes had already been brought to the table.

Wu Dao had been ravenously hungry, so he naturally paid no heed to table manners. He fixed on a plate of poached chicken and grabbed it with his bare hands.

Crack, crack~

He opened his gaping maw and devoured meat and bone together. Two rows of triangular shark teeth clamped and ground incessantly, the chilling sound of bones snapping echoing through the hall.

As if some primeval beast were feeding.

Or a mountain demon in human skin had wandered into the mortal world.

Most unsettling of all were Wu Dao's sharp shark teeth, black with a metallic sheen. They were unmistakably inhuman.

Quite a few diners were terrified. Their faces turned deathly pale as they hurried to pay and leave, afraid Wu Dao might get carried away and tear them apart too.

Hah...

Seeing this, Wu Dao couldn't help sneering inwardly. He felt no shame—if anything, he took pride in it.

A bunch of lowly creatures obsessed with appearances, unable to see beyond their noses. What could they possibly understand of the marvels and might of the body's evolution and transformation?

Crack, crack~

The gruesome chewing of a man-eating evil ghost continued without pause.

Wu Dao was not the least bit affected. He kept feasting, wolfing down the food, his enormous mouth grinding through plate after plate of meat like a machine. The kitchen couldn't keep up with his pace.

Burp~

At last, after finishing more than twenty plates of meat—enough to stuff seven or eight people—

Wu Dao felt warm currents of nourishment spread from his stomach and let out a satisfied belch.

"Waiter, is the room ready?"

His sharp, iron-hook-like fingernails picked at his teeth.

Wu Dao called out casually.

The hole in his right arm was far too inconvenient. Now that his belly was full of nutrients, he had enough to repair it by circulating his energy.

But he needed somewhere quiet. He couldn't expose the Stealing Heavenly Secrets Breathing Technique in full view of everyone.

"It's all cleaned up, sir. I'll show you up right away."

The plump innkeeper was trembling all over as he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He hurried over in person to lead Wu Dao upstairs, not daring to say a word about the bill.

"The food's good. Have another table prepared and sent to my room later."

Wu Dao picked his teeth and praised the meal without reservation, then tossed over a silver ingot about the size of a baby's fist and gave his instructions.

"Oh, sir, I'm glad you're satisfied. I'll tell the kitchen to prepare it right away."

The plump innkeeper hastily caught the ingot, his face breaking into a delighted smile. For a moment, Wu Dao didn't seem so terrifying after all—he was dearer than the innkeeper's own father.

Whether Wu Dao could manage another table wasn't his concern.

As long as he was paid, Wu Dao could throw away every dish in the kitchen and waste it all, and the innkeeper wouldn't so much as furrow his brow.

Creak~

Just as they reached the door of the prepared room, the black-lacquered door beside it happened to open.

Wu Dao glanced over instinctively.

Fair-skinned and clean-shaven, with ink-dark eyes, a refined blue-green robe, and a long sword at his waist—what a handsome, jade-like young swordsman.

But that was only the surface.

Wu Dao could clearly sense that beneath the man's gentle, amiable Vitality and Spirit lay a barely perceptible but razor-sharp killing intent.

Divine Strength Realm!

And an exceptionally unusual one, at least as threatening as Meng Qingshuang—perhaps even more so.

A sword cultivator?

Wu Dao's gaze lowered, discreetly assessing the slender, black-sheathed sword at the young man's waist.

A deadly weapon only added to one's killing power.

All the more so when wielded by a transcendent human who had devoted himself to the Way of the Weapon.

This seemingly frail young man was undoubtedly a martial artist who specialized in the Sword Dao, and his attainments were no shallow matter.

Every movement carried the understated bearing of a Grandmaster. His Sword Dao had clearly reached the Hundred Changes Master realm; within the same cultivation level, he would be hard-pressed to find a rival in a fight to the death.

This was no exaggeration. The reasoning was simple.

When everyone was about equally fit, what chance did a fist-and-foot fighter have against someone who specialized in weapons? It wasn't as if he were invulnerable—he could be carved to pieces in minutes.

Creak~

While Wu Dao was mulling this over, the plump innkeeper had already opened his door.

The frail young man frowned slightly in displeasure. Wu Dao grinned, withdrew his gaze, and entered his room, already having formed a strong impression of him.

The Hundred Changes Master realm.

Ordinary people needed to immerse themselves in and hone a single skill for fifty or sixty years before they might reach it.

But that young man looked no older than twenty-something, yet had already attained it. His talent and aptitude were plain to see. In this remote little place, he deserved to be called a genius.

People like him were rarely fools, and they never acted without reason.

He must have already learned what the anomaly in Canyun Mountain was, and confirmed that it would greatly benefit him. That was why he had stayed instead of leaving.

Inside the room, decorated in a classic and elegant style,

Even the Divine Strength Realm finds it highly alluring...

Wu Dao sat at the table, tapping its surface with his claw-like fingertips. His thoughts churned. He licked his lips, his appetite for the anomaly in Canyun Mountain growing another notch.

Still,

now that a formidable rival had appeared, he couldn't simply ignore him.

"Do you know anything about the swordsman in the room next door?"

Wu Dao didn't beat around the bush. He looked up and asked the plump innkeeper, who was about to leave.

Know yourself and know your enemy, and you'll never be defeated.

Though he now stood at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm, Wu Dao was not arrogant enough to underestimate any opponent—especially not a genius who had reached Hundred Changes in the Sword Dao at such a young age.

"Uh... sir, you don't know?"

The plump innkeeper looked surprised. The blue-green-robed swordsman seemed to be quite famous in the area. He explained in a lowered voice:

"That young master's name is Yun Tianliu. He's a disciple of Yang Wufeng, widely recognized as the foremost swordsman in the prefecture.

"He's not even twenty, yet he's already reached the peak of the Divine Strength Realm. His swordsmanship is consummate, on par with that of a renowned master. He often acts chivalrously and rescues people from dire straits. In both character and martial prowess, he's one of the leading figures among the younger generation at Fangcun Sword Hall.

"What's more, he possesses the Huangting Sword Embryo. He has a chance of reaching the Rebirth Realm before he turns twenty-five, and truly stepping onto the transcendent path.

"But I heard that he encountered Demon Evil a few years ago and injured his bones. He's been sickly ever since. Even so, he's still not to be underestimated; there are practically no rivals for him in the Divine Strength Realm."

"Demon Evil?"

Wu Dao's expression shifted slightly. He asked about a question that had long been on his mind: "Are there many strange occurrences in Guangqing Prefecture like the one in Canyun Mountain? Or things like these demons and anomalies?"

Ever since he had first encountered the strange and activated the Attribute Panel, he had tasted the benefits.

He had been keenly interested in anomalies ever since, but the information gap had kept his knowledge of the strange beings in this world extremely limited.

As for how strong or numerous they were, he knew practically nothing.

"I'm afraid I don't know, sir."

The plump innkeeper spoke warily. "But before Da Li fell into turmoil, I'd never heard of such eerie things. Maybe that old saying really is true: in troubled times, demons and evils abound."

"I see. All right, go on about your business."

Wu Dao felt a little disappointed and waved for the plump innkeeper to leave.

Creak~

The door shut, and silence settled over the room.

"Looks like I'll have to spend more time around people on the transcendent path from now on."

Wu Dao stared at the closed door, his eyes flickering as he absorbed the information he had just learned.

Demons, evil spirits, and other uncanny beings—

most were shadowy, ghostly fiends that devoured human flesh, bones, and souls.

Ordinary people died the moment they came into contact with them. It was only natural that they knew little about such things. Only transcendent cultivators could confront them directly, resist and contain them, and leave behind information and records for future generations.

If he wanted to quickly increase his strength by consuming anomalous creatures, he would have to deal with transcendent factions sooner or later.

Alone and groping around blindly—

there were too many limitations!

But that was for the future. For now, the anomaly in Canyun Mountain was the highest priority.

Yun Tianliu wouldn't be the only one.

By now, quite a few experts seeking their fortune must already be lying low in Panshui Town.

They were all potential rivals!

He had to recover to his peak as quickly as possible and stay fully alert.

Without absolute certainty, Wu Dao never underestimated or looked down on anyone.

A ship sailing a thousand years could still sink in a ditch through carelessness!

He had only one life. If he overturned in a gutter, he couldn't guarantee he'd get another chance to start over!

Whoosh~

Wu Dao sat cross-legged on the bed, exhaled softly, and adjusted his condition. His body quickly flushed red and hot as he entered the God-Ghost Heaven state.

The God-Ghost Heaven Secret Technique

could greatly increase his combat strength for a short time. With proper control, it was also a miraculous art for healing injuries.

During the years in his previous life when he had yet to grow strong, the God-Ghost Heaven Secret Technique had helped Wu Dao survive countless brutal assassinations by the Old Humanity.

As long as he hadn't lost an arm or a leg—

or suffered an injury that directly took away one of his organs—he could heal quickly with the God-Ghost Heaven Secret Technique.

Of course,

that was only because Wu Dao's Potential Liberation progress was not yet high enough.

At 85% Potential Liberation, in the Overlord Realm, every tiny tissue possessed complete intelligence and boundless vitality. Even regrowing severed limbs would be easy.

Buzz~

After a few breaths,

the bones, muscles, internal organs, and every other part of Wu Dao's body began to tremble. The food in his stomach rapidly broke down and turned into streams of Myriad Healing Fluid that spread through his body.

Wu Dao focused and directed the Myriad Healing Fluid toward the hole in his right arm. Before his eyes, blood surged and buds of flesh sprouted; sinews formed, and skin grew.

In just over ten seconds,

the hole in his right arm had been completely filled. Flesh and sinew had grown back, and the skin was as smooth as jade, with no sign of injury.

At the same time,

the nutrients from the meat dishes he had eaten—enough to fill seven or eight people—had been fully digested. His stomach was empty once more.

"The energy in ordinary food is just too low."

Wu Dao returned to normal and opened his eyes, a flash of brilliance in them. Feeling hunger rise in his stomach, he couldn't help shaking his head.

The Beast King Limit Realm—

the best food for it was medicinal cuisine cooked with herbs.

Only that could provide sufficient nourishment to turn into Myriad Healing Fluid, maintain his physical strength, break through his shackles, and enter the next realm.

But his options were limited for now.

He didn't insist on having the best. Ordinary food might be inferior, but if he ate enough of it, the nutrition would just about suffice.

Knock, knock~

A little over ten minutes later, someone knocked on the door. The faint aroma of meat drifted into the room.

"Come in."

Wu Dao, who had been sitting on the bed and restoring his energy, let out a soft breath and opened his eyes. Saliva began to well in his mouth.

Crack, crack~

Before long, the bone-and-flesh-crunching sounds that made one's skin crawl rang through the room, savage and violent, as if a demon's lair had opened.

Another nuisance...

In the room next door, Yun Tianliu sat on the bed with his long sword across his knees, meditating in silence. At the grating chewing sounds coming through the wall, he opened his eyes and frowned.

Wu Dao could tell that he was no ordinary man.

How could Yun Tianliu lack the same discernment?

Their brief encounter had left Wu Dao with a stronger impression than any other Divine Strength Realm martial artist he had met.

Hot as a furnace, fierce as a tyrannosaur!

That unusual, nine-foot-tall frame of brutal strength—once unleashed—would turn him into a primeval beast in an instant.

But if Wu Dao had only brute strength, Yun Tianliu wouldn't be particularly wary. If it came to a fight to the death, he was seventy percent confident he could decide it quickly.

What truly made him wary

were Wu Dao's two arms and fists, massive and calloused, shaped like the body and head of a giant whale.

As for fist and foot techniques—

anyone who could train until their physique changed shape had to be a Grandmaster who had ingrained a technique into their very bones and mastered it completely!

A Fist Dao Grandmaster?

But where did that inexplicable sense of familiarity come from?

Yun Tianliu narrowed his eyes. His thoughts surged and memories roared, bringing the faces of a group of imposing fist masters to mind.

The same Fist Dao Vitality and Spirit.

The same whale-body arms, whale-head fists.

"The Giant Whale Sect..."

He murmured the three words.

Yun Tianliu had formed a theory about Wu Dao's origins, but he would need to verify whether it was true.

After all,

the once-mighty Giant Whale Sect of Guangqing Prefecture had fallen apart decades ago. It was only natural for its teachings to have scattered far and wide.

"Still, no matter who it is, if they stand in the way of my path to Cocoon Breaking, then I can only apologize..."

Clang!

A blade flashed from its sheath.

A touch of coldness crept onto Yun Tianliu's gentle, jade-like face.

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