What Realm Are You Really In?

"Holy... you're amazing, Shen Zhou. Two swings of your sword crippled one Transformation Yuan Fifth Realm expert, and one kick sent the other flying... Tell me the truth, have you really only been training for half a month?"

"Also, is the Qin Family Ancestral Divine Weapon really that amazing? Is it what gave you your strength?"

"Shen Zhou, could you let me try the Taixuan Sword too? Maybe I'm actually the chosen one..."

Before they entered the city, there had been three people in the group.

By the time they returned, there was one more—Dongfang Pangpang!

After seeing Shen Zhou unleash his might on Martial Hall Street and overpower the Xu and Yang Families, the guy had insisted on going to White Deer Academy to train in martial arts too.

Pei Dahai couldn't do anything about it. He figured that since the Flying Bird First Martial Hall was run by the academy anyway, there was nothing wrong with Dongfang Pangpang learning martial arts there.

Besides, after what had happened earlier, things at the martial hall were likely to stay unsettled for quite some time, so he planned to close up and take a break.

As for Shen Zhou and the others...

After leaving Flying Bird City, Tan Tong fell into deep thought.

Everything that had happened today was a little beyond his understanding.

And there was one question he couldn't figure out.

Junior Brother Shen Zhou was so powerful, so why had he come to White Deer Academy to learn martial arts?

Even stranger, his swordsmanship was so strong, so why was he so determined to train his body instead of his sword skills?

He decided to go back and ask their teacher.

On the way back, Qin Mingyue didn't say a word. On the surface, she even seemed as if nothing had happened, as calm as she had been on the way there.

But no one knew what kind of waves and madness were hidden within her.

As for Shen Zhou, he ignored Dongfang Pangpang's nonstop chatter beside him and spent the whole journey comparing the difference between using his Entries before training his body and using them after.

"It seems that after training my body, I can bring out the power of the 'Entry' more smoothly and easily."

"And this time, cutting down a 'Transformation Yuan Fifth Realm' expert was easier than when I cut down that whole group of Transformation Realm beginners at the Qin Family."

"Looks like body cultivation really was the right choice!"

After they returned to the academy, Tan Tong gave Shen Zhou a complicated look and reminded him, "Junior Brother, you've had a long day. Go back and get some rest. Starting tomorrow, I'll teach you the 'Golden Body Art.'"

Shen Zhou didn't take anything that had happened today to heart. He nodded and replied, "All right, Senior Brother. See you tomorrow."

Qin Mingyue still didn't say a word. She merely nodded at Shen Zhou, then turned and headed back to her own lodgings.

Shen Zhou watched her retreating figure, his eyes slowly narrowing. That girl acted strangely today. She must have had some reason for getting close to me. Maybe I should find a chance to test her and see what she's really after.

It was a day that was destined to be anything but peaceful.

After Shen Zhou and the others returned to White Deer Academy, one "trending" story after another quickly spread through Flying Bird City.

Why had the Xu and Yang Families been publicly insulted?

A young martial artist had crippled a "Transformation Yuan Fifth Realm" expert with two sword strikes!

The Qin Family Sword Drawer had made his first appearance, displaying his might and challenging the Five Great Families!

As soon as these stories spread, they set all of Flying Bird City ablaze. Countless people began frantically asking around for details and inside information.

Amid all the talk, the name "Shen Zhou, the Qin Family Sword Drawer" quickly reached the ears of the city's residents and was etched firmly into their memories.

Meanwhile.

After learning what had happened on Martial Hall Street that day, many important figures in the Xu Family, one of the Five Great Families of Flying Bird City, flew into a rage.

"Useless! You couldn't even deal with some Qin Family freeloader. How can you call yourself one of my Xu Family's disciples?"

"Shen Zhou? What kind of nobody is he, daring to beard my Xu Family's lion? Is he tired of living?"

"The Sword Drawer? Very well, very well... If I get the chance, I'll see for myself whether that Qin Family Ancestral Divine Weapon is really as powerful as the rumors claim!"

"Isn't it almost time to renegotiate the division of the Fire Crystal mine with the Qin Family? Since the Qin Family wants trouble, we might as well bring the negotiations forward and settle our accounts with them all at once."

"Tell Baxia to come back. He can put his training on hold for now. At this negotiation, I want him to deal the Qin Family a hard blow. Otherwise, outsiders will really start thinking our Xu Family is a sick cat!"

The Yang Family.

"The Qin Family Sword Drawer? Shen Zhou?"

"Is the Qin Family Divine Weapon really that powerful, able to suddenly boost the wielder's strength?"

"Could the prophecy passed down by the Qin Family for so many years really come true now?"

"Keep an eye on the Xu Family and see how they respond."

"The negotiations over the division of the Fire Crystal mine between the Xu and Qin Families are coming up soon. Perhaps this time, our Yang Family can join in too..."

White Deer Academy.

The next morning, the sun rose as usual. Shen Zhou got up as usual, then went to the yellow-earth Training Ground to practice his punches.

Usually, he was the first to arrive, the others trickled in afterward, Old Man Ji showed up last, and the dean and the rest were nowhere to be seen.

But today, when Shen Zhou arrived at the Training Ground, Dean Wang Fugui, Old Man Ji with his long-stemmed pipe, sword cultivator Li Taohua, saber cultivator Ouyang Zhen, physician Bai Feizhan, and their disciples Tan Tong, A Dai, Xi Mei, and San Mazi were already there, along with Qin Mingyue... Even Dongfang Hongyu, who had only just joined the academy, was there.

They stood in neat rows on the yellow earth, all watching Shen Zhou arrive.

"Brother Zhou!"

"Boss Zhou!"

The Three Little Ones hadn't seen Shen Zhou in quite some time. As soon as they met, they greeted him.

After being away for a while, A Dai had grown much sturdier, and his bearing was steadier and more composed. They said that the first thing Ouyang Zhen taught him about saber cultivation wasn't how to circulate his qi to condense blood, but how to forge metal.

As Ouyang Zhen put it, a skilled saber cultivator first needed a saber he had forged with his own hands. Only then could he achieve unity between man and saber.

So even now, A Dai was still forging metal every day.

Xi Mei had also entered the realm, and she was already at the second Blood Coagulation Realm. Her progress was quite fast.

According to Li Taohua, Xi Mei had a natural gift for cultivation and was a fine prospect for sword cultivation. Her future was bound to be limitless.

That put Shen Zhou's mind at ease about Xi Mei.

Then there was San Mazi. The guy had put on quite a bit of weight in the half-month or so since Shen Zhou had last seen him, and he looked much jollier than before.

By his own account, he was also a rare talent with outstanding gifts in the art of medicine, and he declared that one day he would surely become a renowned medical immortal.

Shen Zhou nodded approvingly when he heard this and urged San Mazi to keep working hard and achieve his dream as soon as possible. But inwardly, he sighed. Sigh, San Mazi's probably a lost cause. It's only been half a month, and he hasn't even learned medicine yet, but he's already learned to brag. What's going to become of him?

As they chatted, Old Man Ji interrupted them. "All right, all right... You can catch up another time. Shen, come here first. We have something to ask you."

Shen Zhou looked at Old Man Ji and the others. Wang Fugui, Li Taohua, and Ouyang Zhen were all watching him with appraising eyes.

Beside them, Tan Tong scratched his head awkwardly and seemed reluctant to meet Shen Zhou's gaze.

A glimpse of the whole from a single detail.

Shen Zhou immediately understood what was going on. He walked over and pretended to be confused. "What's up, old man? What do you want to ask?"

Old Man Ji and Wang Fugui exchanged glances with the others. After a brief wordless discussion, they settled on having Old Man Ji ask.

Old Man Ji pretended to cough, then got straight to the point. "We've heard what happened yesterday. We called you over to confirm something. You were the one who drew the Qin Family Iron Sword, right?"

Shen Zhou replied casually, "Yes."

Old Man Ji asked again, "You used the Qin Family Iron Sword to cut down two 'Transformation Yuan Fifth Realm' experts in one go?"

Shen Zhou said, "Not two. One. I kicked the other one away!"

"What kind of strength are you really at, boy?"

"Third Blood Coagulation Realm!"

"You're at the 'Third Blood Coagulation Realm,' and you can cut down two 'Transformation Yuan Fifth Realm' experts?"

"Let me repeat myself. I cut down one. I kicked the other one away!"

"I don't care how many you cut down. That's not the point! The point is, how can you, at the 'Third Blood Coagulation Realm,' beat someone in the 'Transformation Yuan Fifth Realm'? Or is the Qin Family Iron Sword really as the rumors say, able to boost the wielder's strength in an instant?"

At that moment, Wang Fugui, Li Taohua, Ouyang Zhen, and Qin Mingyue all pricked up their ears.

So all the earlier questions hadn't been the point. This was what they were most curious about.

Shen Zhou thought it over. Using the "Taixuan Sword" to cover up the existence of his "Entries" seemed just right. It would be easier for people to believe, and it could better mislead outsiders. So he nodded. "More or less."

"Hiss... It really is that heaven-defying?"

Old Man Ji's eyes immediately widened. Wang Fugui and the others also found it hard to believe.

Wang Fugui followed up with a question. "Then what's the strongest realm it can raise you to?"

Shen Zhou said, "I'm not sure exactly, but I think I could take on a 'Celestial Firmament Realm' expert without much trouble!"

"..."

Wang Fugui and the others froze again.

It could raise someone at the "Third Blood Coagulation Realm" to the point where he could take on a "Celestial Firmament Realm" expert?

That was utterly ridiculous!

Could something like that really exist?

Tan Tong, Dongfang Hongyu, and the other young disciples wore identical looks of shock when they heard this.

Qin Mingyue had already seen it for herself, so she wasn't surprised.

Only the Three Little Ones exchanged glances, then stayed silent in perfect understanding.

Because only they knew that Boss Zhou wasn't so absurd because he had gotten the Taixuan Sword. He'd already been absurd before he picked up the sword!

After the shock wore off, Wang Fugui let out a long breath and said, "Ridiculous as it is, this is good. At least we won't have to fear retaliation from the Xu and Yang Families. Otherwise, just the few old codgers here wouldn't be able to hold off two great families."

Old Man Ji, Li Taohua, and Ouyang Zhen also looked much more relaxed when they heard that.

At those words, Shen Zhou's body jolted.

Wha... what?

Old Man Ji and the others had asked about the Qin Family Iron Sword not because they were curious about how amazing it was, but because they were worried whether White Deer Academy as a whole could withstand retaliation from the Xu and Yang Families?

"They're willing to face it with me?"

Whether or not Shen Zhou cared about retaliation from the Xu and Yang Families, the fact that White Deer Academy hadn't abandoned him moved him.

It meant that White Deer Academy really considered him one of their own.

After asking about the iron sword, Old Man Ji and the others all seemed to have set down a great weight in their hearts, and their expressions returned to normal.

Old Man Ji then walked over with an eager look. "Come on, come on... Shen, since the Qin Family Iron Sword is so powerful, let's spar and see whether you're just bragging. 'I could take on a Celestial Firmament Realm expert without much trouble'? Sounds like you're getting a little cocky!"

Seeing how eager Old Man Ji was to fight, Shen Zhou raised an eyebrow and grew interested too. He wanted to see just how capable the old man was.

He deliberately teased him. "Hey, old man, once we start, I won't be able to hold back. Don't go getting yourself killed by my sword."

Old Man Ji snorted. "Kid, who do you think you're looking down on? I taught you every last bit of that third-rate skill of yours. You think you can hurt me? I'll even let you strike first three times!"

"Fine, you said it. Take this!"

"Hey... that Sword Qi's awfully thick! Wait a minute... hold on... Aaaah~~~~"