A Timely Gift in the Snow, First-Class Sponsorship!

Qingquan Prefecture, the Gu Family!

Zhang Su knew it all too well.

The Gu Family was once immensely famous.

Ten years ago, the Gu Family had still been the foremost charitable family in Qingquan Prefecture. Su Bancheng had yet to rise to prominence.

Unfortunately, the Gu Family had offended a ruthless man.

That ruthless man was called Zhou Sandao, known as the "Lone Walker of a Thousand Miles." In truth, he was merely a bandit who roamed the rivers and lakes.

Having heard that the Gu Family possessed a priceless treasure, he infiltrated their residence to steal it.

Unexpectedly, he alerted the guards the Gu Family had hired.

After failing the first time, Zhou Sandao came again.

This time, the Gu Family was prepared. Several guards joined forces and wounded Zhou Sandao.

Nursing his grudge, Zhou Sandao secretly invited Jiang Kui, a man known in the martial world as Blood Hand.

Jiang Kui stormed into the Gu Family residence.

He slaughtered a host of guards, then killed Master Gu and several of his sons before taking the treasure and leaving in triumph.

From then on, only the Gu Family's sole daughter, Gu Ying, remained.

Over the past ten years, even after Gu Ying grew up and took over the business, the Gu Family's fortunes continued to plummet.

By now, none of its former glory remained.

"Miss Gu came personally. Does that mean you wish to sponsor Zhang?"

"Yes. Please examine it carefully, Young Master."

After speaking, Gu Ying's maid respectfully presented a sponsorship contract.

Zhang Su accepted it and opened it.

At once, surprise appeared on his face.

"A first-class sponsorship contract?"

Gu Ying nodded. "Yes. My Gu Family offers a first-class sponsorship contract to help Young Master Zhang advance into the Inner Sect!"

Yet Zhang Su did not feel overjoyed.

He knew this very well.

He had indeed cultivated an ultimate divine art and broken through the limits of the human body, so many people would not care that he was overage.

But obtaining a second-class sponsorship would already have been quite good.

A first-class sponsorship would make many people hesitate.

After all, a first-class sponsorship meant five thousand taels of silver each month—sixty thousand taels a year.

That was an enormous sum.

It was more than enough to find geniuses who met the age requirement and had likewise broken through the limits of the human body.

For example, the top three among the Top Ten Outer Sect Disciples had also cultivated ultimate divine arts, and they too received first-class sponsorships.

Pies did not fall from the sky for no reason.

"Miss Gu, tell me your conditions."

Gu Ying fell silent for a while before slowly saying, "Since Young Master Zhang comes from Qingquan Prefecture, you most likely know about what happened to my Gu Family?"

Zhang Su nodded.

"Therefore, I have only one request. Once Young Master Zhang advances into the Inner Sect and possesses sufficient strength, you must kill Jiang Kui and Zhou Sandao."

"As long as Young Master Zhang agrees, this sponsorship contract can be signed immediately."

Realization dawned on Zhang Su.

So that was indeed the reason.

"Then why doesn't Miss Gu use this money to hire an expert to hunt down Jiang Kui and Zhou Sandao? Sixty thousand taels a year should be enough to find a powerful expert, shouldn't it?"

Zhang Su asked.

"Jiang Kui is no ordinary martial artist. His vicious reputation is renowned throughout the martial world. So many Internal Force experts have wanted to kill him, yet none could do anything to him. It is difficult to find a martial artist who can certainly kill Jiang Kui."

"Besides, this first-class sponsorship contract is a timely gift in the snow for you, Young Master. If I can use it to befriend you, it will also greatly benefit my Gu Family. To be honest, the Gu Family's current situation is not very good. Aside from revenge, we also need a powerful expert capable of deterring petty villains to support us."

"So, when Chairman Yan mentioned Young Master Zhang's circumstances, I decided to gamble. I am betting that Young Master Zhang will certainly advance into the Inner Sect in the future, with prospects beyond measure!"

Gu Ying spoke earnestly.

"Miss Gu is certainly frank..."

Zhang Su considered it for a moment.

"Very well."

He agreed.

Once he possessed enough strength, he would simply kill Jiang Kui.

It was no great problem.

And a first-class sponsorship meant five thousand taels of silver every month. That was an enormous sum.

With this sponsorship, Zhang Su would not have to worry at all about cultivation resources before entering the Inner Sect.

Zhang Su immediately took out a brush and wrote down his name.

The contract was established!

"Young Master Zhang, this is five thousand taels of silver. Another payment will be presented at the beginning of every month!"

Gu Ying had her maid offer five thousand taels' worth of silver notes.

Zhang Su accepted them.

"According to the contract, if the Gu Family encounters trouble, you may ask me to act. So long as it is within my power, Zhang will not refuse."

"Then many thanks, Young Master."

Zhang Su put away the contract, rose to his feet, and left at once.

After watching Zhang Su and Du Tian depart, Yan Bo looked toward Gu Ying. "Miss Gu truly has courage, giving him first-class sponsorship right away. Sixty thousand taels a year... You could have first offered a second-class sponsorship, then given more once Zhang Su truly advanced into the Inner Sect..."

Gu Ying shook her head. "Once Zhang Su truly enters the Inner Sect, no matter how much I give, it will only be adding flowers to brocade. Adding flowers to brocade is easy; sending charcoal in the snow is hard. If I wish to avenge my family, I can only send charcoal in the snow."

Yan Bo nodded.

In truth, this sponsorship carried great risk.

What if Zhang Su failed to advance into the Inner Sect?

Or what if he wasted many years before producing Internal Force? Then Gu Ying's sponsorship would be completely thrown into the water.

But how could sponsorship possibly come without risk?

Gu Ying bore a blood-deep vendetta and supported the vast Gu Family all by herself.

She desperately hoped for a powerful ally!

Those genuine geniuses in the past had countless sponsors.

Under equal conditions, even if she offered more silver than others, they might not choose her.

After all, sponsorship was a two-way choice.

"This time, I must also thank Chairman Yan for notifying me at once..."

With a wave of Gu Ying's hand, her maid presented an exquisite wooden box.

A smile appeared on Yan Bo's face.

He had notified no one else and gone straight to Gu Ying, naturally because Gu Ying had promised him all sorts of benefits.

Now that the benefits were in hand, he was very satisfied as well.

"Du Tian, go back first. I'm going to the Scripture Pavilion."

"Alright."

Zhang Su parted ways with Du Tian.

Zhang Su first deposited all five thousand taels of silver into his Identity Token.

The silver became five thousand contribution points.

Then he headed straight for the Scripture Pavilion.

Upon entering the Scripture Pavilion, Zhang Su made his way with practiced ease to the bookshelf where sword arts were stored.

He had long since decided that his compatibility with basic sword arts was the highest.

That meant he was naturally suited to sword arts.

If he was choosing an ultimate martial skill, his first choice would naturally be a sword art.

There were indeed many sword arts in the Scripture Pavilion, and correspondingly, there were many more ultimate sword arts as well.

Zhang Su examined the various ultimate sword arts one by one.

"Spring Breeze and Rain Sword Art, compatibility 15%."

"Startling Thunder Sword Art, compatibility 23%."

"Supporting Wind Sword Art, compatibility 11%."

"Wave Breaking Sword Art, compatibility 25%."

Zhang Su reviewed all kinds of ultimate sword arts.

Their compatibility was actually quite decent.

Many of them had reached over 20%.

However, Zhang Su was in no hurry to choose.

He had to examine every ultimate sword art one by one.

He wanted to choose the ultimate sword art with the highest compatibility.

After the time it took an incense stick to burn, Zhang Su had examined every ultimate sword art.

He had already made his decision.

"Light Shadow Killing Sword, compatibility 35%."

This sword art had the highest compatibility.

However, this sword art was also very unusual.

In theory, it was a fast sword art.

It emphasized killing with a single strike.

But it was too difficult to cultivate.

One needed to adapt to the surrounding environment and make good use of conditions such as light and shadows.

That was why it was called the Light Shadow Killing Sword.

"This is the one!"

Zhang Su was not worried that the Light Shadow Killing Sword would be too difficult.

After all, he had eight compatibility points.

He only needed seven compatibility points to raise the Light Shadow Killing Sword's compatibility to 100%. At that point, the Light Shadow Killing Sword would certainly reach perfection.

Difficulty was no problem at all for Zhang Su.

Thus, Zhang Su immediately went to find the Scripture Elder and exchange for this ultimate sword art.

"Elder, this disciple wishes to exchange for a martial skill."

"Hand it over."

Zhang Su took out his Identity Token.

"This disciple wishes to exchange for the Light Shadow Killing Sword."

"Hm?"

The elder slightly raised his head, his gaze settling on Zhang Su.

"You wish to exchange for the Light Shadow Killing Sword?"

"Yes."

The elder fell silent.

"This ultimate sword art is the most difficult sword art at the Blood Qi Realm level. Are you certain you wish to exchange for it?"

"I am certain."

The elder did not try to persuade him further.

The Light Shadow Killing Sword was an "ultimate" martial skill and required one thousand contribution points to exchange for it.

After exchanging for it, Zhang Su headed directly to the Cultivation Room.

Watching Zhang Su's departing back, the elder shook his head and sighed softly. "Another one... Over all these years, there have been no fewer than eight hundred, if not a thousand, Outer Sect disciples who exchanged for the Light Shadow Killing Sword, but not a single one cultivated it to major mastery..."

If an ultimate martial skill was not cultivated to major mastery, it would be better to cultivate a top-tier martial skill instead.

He had some impression of Zhang Su.

He had once cultivated the Great River Divine Art but failed to cultivate Blood Qi.

He had wasted an entire year for nothing.

He had thought Zhang Su had learned his lesson and changed, but unexpectedly, he was still so "hardheaded." He truly would not turn back until he hit the southern wall.

This time, Zhang Su had exchanged for the Light Shadow Killing Sword again. Who knew how much more time he would waste...