Comprehension 429

No, he couldn't openly reveal that he planned to enter the Qi Sea in a month. Not yet.

He had to kill Fang Jiming first. Otherwise, that guy might not give him the chance!

"Once Brother Yu has thought things through and seen things more clearly, you can come find us again. The doors of the Jade Excellence Society will always be open to you." Luo Heyu and Song Yuan didn't press him any further. They simply exchanged smiles and left.

Yu Xiu didn't care, of course. Other people might have to struggle for years in the Inner Court before they could finally and painstakingly enter the Main Sect, but he didn't.

Three years?

By then, he'd probably be close to invincible in the Main Sect.

His fellow disciples in the Inner Court could call him junior brother or Brother Yu now, but when they saw him again in three or five years, they'd have to call him...

Patriarch!

"So you're Yu Xiu!" Luo Heyu and Song Yuan had barely left when two young men came over, their faces cold, and stood squarely in his way.

They're here to cause trouble. Yu Xiu could see it clearly. These two had a completely different attitude from Han Jing and Xie Jing earlier, as well as Luo Heyu and Song Yuan.

"From now on, you'd better keep your head down and behave in the Inner Court. Otherwise, watch your life." The young man on the left had narrow eyes and a sinister air about him. He spoke in a low, menacing voice.

Fang Jiming's dogs? Yu Xiu remained calm. "Is Fang Jiming only brave enough to send people to make threats and scare others? What a pathetic tactic."

"You should be grateful this is the Inner Court. That's the only reason you can run your mouth here. If we were outside, you'd already be dead." The tall young man on the right, with his bronze skin, snorted.

One's at the fifth level of the Qi Sea. This tall guy should be at the seventh. Yu Xiu silently memorized their faces. Once he broke through to the Life Spring and entered the Four Great Passes, neither of these bastards would live.

Just then, someone else came over from nearby. Before he even arrived, a mocking laugh rang out.

"Zhong Yue, Pang Wei, what a fearsome pair you are. You dare threaten a newly arrived junior brother right here in the Inner Court. If you were outside, would you be killing people too?"

The narrow-eyed Zhong Yue and the tall Pang Wei clearly grew angrier, but they forced themselves to rein it in.

The newcomer was Zhao Zheng, a peak Qi Sea expert who could step into the fourth stage of Ascending Dragon—the Life Spring—at any moment.

"Zhao Zheng, are you going to interfere in Brother Fang's affairs too?" Pang Wei, bronze-skinned and powerfully built, snorted.

Zhao Zheng smiled. "I'm not interfering in Fang Jiming's affairs, but if you're bullying a newly arrived junior brother, then I really will step in."

Zhong Yue's face turned cold. "We were just greeting the new junior brother. How is that bullying him?"

Zhao Zheng walked unhurriedly to Yu Xiu's side. "If you disagree about whether it's bullying, we can ask the senior brothers at the Law Enforcement Hall to weigh in. What do you two think?"

"Hmph!" Zhong Yue and Pang Wei snorted. Without sparing Yu Xiu another glance, they turned and left.

Only after the two were gone did Zhao Zheng turn to Yu Xiu with a smile. "I'm Zhao Zheng. I've long heard of Brother Yu's exceptional talent. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Yu Xiu smiled. "Thank you for stepping in, senior brother."

Zhao Zheng waved a hand. "Fang Jiming's Wind Image Society has never gotten along with our Flying Smoke Society. Getting the chance to needle them is fun in its own right."

He looked at Yu Xiu. "Of course, it'd be even better if I could get you to join our Flying Smoke Society."

"I've only just entered the Inner Court, and I'm still unfamiliar with the cultivation arts and sword techniques. I'll need to spend more time consolidating my cultivation. If I get the chance in the future, I hope Senior Brother Zhao won't turn me down." Yu Xiu politely declined.

Zhao Zheng smiled. "No problem."

After exchanging a few more courtesies, he left as well.

Yu Xiu didn't linger either.

Outside the Internal Affairs Hall, in a secluded spot in the woods.

"Did Yu Xiu agree?" Zhong Yue, his eyes narrow, asked.

Zhao Zheng's face was cold. "No."

Pang Wei, tall and powerfully built, looked displeased. "You need Brother Fang's help, yet you're giving him that sour face for what?"

Zhong Yue patted Pang Wei on the shoulder. "We're all on the same side. There's no need to make things so unpleasant. If we can get Yu Xiu to leave the Inner Court, Zhao can get what he needs, and Brother Fang can let go of his obsession. Everyone wins. Why wouldn't we?"

Zhao Zheng was silent for a moment. "I'll do my best to earn Yu Xiu's trust, but he's just entered the Inner Court. He definitely won't venture out anytime soon."

Zhong Yue smiled. "His talent may be decent, but the Qi Sea and Life Spring are difficult to cultivate. Without anyone to guide him and with insufficient resources, his progress is bound to be so slow he can't accept it. He won't last long before he takes a mission and goes out.

"Zhao helped him today. If he wants to join a faction later, he won't be able to ignore the Flying Smoke Society, where Zhao belongs."

Zhao Zheng nodded glumly, then left before long.

Zhong Yue and Pang Wei exchanged smiles. "Yu Xiu's as good as dead.

"Even if something goes wrong with Zhao, there's still Fang's plan for Zhao Hong, Xu Rou, and Liu Qingchuan—the ones who entered the Inner Court alongside Yu Xiu.

"Yu Xiu can't escape Brother Fang's grasp."

Meanwhile.

After returning to Bamboo Cottage, Yu Xiu pondered, Was that a coincidence, or did someone arrange it?

It was a little strange that Zhong Yue and Pang Wei, Fang Jiming's men, had come to threaten him. They were in the Inner Court, and all they could do was run their mouths. It served no real purpose.

But Zhao Zheng's arrival right afterward was certainly worth thinking about.

Still, there was no reason to doubt that the Flying Smoke Society, which Zhao Zheng belonged to, was at odds with Fang Jiming's Wind Image Society. He could confirm that just by asking any Inner Court disciple.

Zhao Zheng!

Fang Jiming!

Was it a coincidence, or a scheme?

Yu Xiu thought it over, then dismissed the matter. Whatever it was, it didn't matter.

He wasn't leaving the Inner Court. And when he did, he'd have already broken through the fourth stage of Ascending Dragon, the Life Spring.

With his strength in the Four Great Passes, no one in the Inner Court would be able to stop him.

If they wanted to scheme against him, they'd better see whether their necks could withstand a single strike of his sword.

He swallowed a drop of Hundred Herb Jade Liquid and began practicing his sword again.

In the blink of an eye, half a month passed.

The past half month had been calm. Fang Jiming's people hadn't shown up, though Inner Court disciples had stopped by now and then to recruit Yu Xiu.

They hoped he'd join one of their various circles, but Yu Xiu had politely turned them all down.

[Crimson Walk Sword Art, Seventeenth Chapter: Perfection (Sword Sense +10)]

[Crimson Walk Sword Art, Eighteenth Chapter: Perfection (Sword Sense +10)]

[Crimson Walk Sword Art, Nineteenth Chapter: Perfection (Sword Sense +10)]

[Crimson Walk Sword Art, Twentieth Chapter: Perfection (Sword Sense +10)]

[Seventeen Instant Change Swords: Perfection (Sword Sense +10)]

[Cultivation: Ascending Dragon, Third Stage, Qi Sea, Ninth Level: Perfection (Breakthrough Available)]

[Comprehension: 429]

[Lifespan: 16/504]

[Sword Heart: Hidden Edge (4/500)]

429 comprehension! Yu Xiu was very satisfied.

He'd originally expected to need around twenty days to master the remaining fifteen chapters of the sword art.

But as his comprehension continued to rise, he'd mastered all twenty chapters of the Crimson Walk Sword Art in just fifteen days. He'd even brought the Qi Sea sword technique, Seventeen Instant Change Swords, to perfection.

It had only been twenty-five days since he entered the Inner Court—not even a month.

And now, Yu Xiu was ready to break through the third stage of Ascending Dragon, the Qi Sea, and enter the fourth stage, the Life Spring.

Then today, I'll enter the fourth stage of Ascending Dragon and open my Life Spring!