We're both at the first of the Four Great Passes, the Five Viscera realm. Even if his realm and cultivation are higher than mine, he still can't stop my swordsmanship, which has surpassed grand completion!
Sure enough, the widely circulated saying that "the way of the sword is the foremost of all killing arts" was no exaggeration!
One strike decided life and death. That was true, too.
Yu Xiu had already experienced it for himself!
This Old Ape had a body of steel and iron, and was actually quite powerful. Even Luo Fuyi, a disciple of the Lingyang Sect, was no match for him.
In fact, many cultivators at the peak of the first of the Four Great Passes, the Five Viscera realm, might not have been his match.
Yet in Yu Xiu's hands, he hadn't lasted a single move.
His sword wasn't a fine one, but with sword intent bolstering it, cutting through gold and slicing iron was nothing out of the ordinary.
Sure enough, there's nothing good left. After searching the cave, Yu Xiu understood why the demon monkey had flown into a rage.
There were no spiritual treasures, no precious medicines, no spirit weapons, and not even a trace of gold or silver.
All that remained were some odds and ends of scrap metal, a few basic techniques, and techniques from the first two of the Four Ascending Dragon Passes. All the other good stuff had been cleared out without a trace.
Fortunately, Yu Xiu wasn't picky. He'd take any technique or manual he could get his hands on.
There were seventy-four basic techniques and sixty-three Flawless Realm techniques. He couldn't train in Qi Circulation realm techniques, but he'd still read through them. There were forty-eight of those.
Altogether, there were more than three hundred martial arts manuals covering the basic, Flawless, and Qi Circulation realms.
If I master every one of these, my comprehension might go up by a thousand!
It was a huge haul.
And not just a thousand points of comprehension—he'd gained a thousand years of lifespan, too.
Without taking the techniques and manuals with him, Yu Xiu didn't linger. He drifted away.
At the summit.
The demonic creatures had all been slain. Luo Fuyi sheathed her long saber, while nearby, the burly, middle-aged Zhu Heng kicked away the demon monkey at his feet.
The two exchanged a glance and frowned. "The Old Ape isn't here?"
If it had been, they wouldn't have had such an easy time.
"Search." The group gathered together without a word and began searching the mountain.
Half an hour passed, but they found nothing.
Someone suggested checking the cliff, and that was when they found the narrow opening.
Once inside the cave, Luo Fuyi and Zhu Heng immediately looked toward the Old Ape's corpse, its head severed from its body. Both were shaken.
"One sword, one kill. A master!"
"Sword intent..."
"Hiss, sword intent and Sword Qi lingering together—there's no doubt about it. It must have been a master from the Qingwei Sword Sect!"
The Qingwei Sword Sect... Brother Yu?! Luo Fuyi's heart skipped a beat.
The others might not know, but she knew that Yu Xiu had come with her. He'd disappeared in the blink of an eye, and now that she thought about it, this Old Ape had most likely fallen to Yu Xiu's hand!
So he really is a master of the sword! Luo Fuyi's pupils tightened, and her heart began to race.
The Old Ape was even stronger than she was, yet he hadn't lasted a single sword strike against Yu Xiu!
In other words, she wouldn't last a single sword strike against him, either!
"All the good stuff's been cleared out. Who did it?" The others searched the cave but couldn't find so much as a scrap of anything useful. They began to grumble in frustration.
Zhu Heng frowned, stood up, and kicked the grumbling man to the ground. "The Qingwei Sword Sect can do as it pleases. What gives you the right to complain?"
That person had comprehended sword intent. Even in the Sword Sect, someone like that was a rare sight.
[Tongbei Technique Fifth Chapter: Complete] [Shaoyang Technique Tenth Chapter: Complete] [Midnight Technique Tenth Chapter: Complete] [Silk-Twining Power Tenth Chapter: Complete] [Armor-Breaking Technique Tenth Chapter: Complete]... Comprehension +760 Lifespan +760 [Comprehension: 2189 (1429+760)] [Lifespan: 16/2264 (1504+760)]
"Comprehension has broken two thousand. It's getting faster and faster!"
At the foot of the Qingwei Sword Sect's mountain, Yu Xiu let out a long breath.
After leaving Cloud Mountain Cliff, Yu Xiu had walked for three days before returning to the sect. Along the way, he'd stopped from time to time to practice.
He'd obtained seventy-four basic techniques from Cloud Mountain Cliff, each with five chapters, and had already mastered every one of them.
The sixty-three Flawless Realm techniques had thirteen chapters apiece. He'd mastered all ten chapters of each of the thirteen techniques he'd trained in.
How astonishing was a comprehension score of 1429?
After reading a basic technique once, he'd reach minor mastery, nearly major mastery. Read it a second time, and he'd have mastered it completely. He didn't even need to practice anymore.
That was why he'd mastered all three hundred and seventy chapters of the seventy-four basic techniques so quickly.
With comprehension like this, gaining lifespan was practically the same as picking it up off the ground.
As his comprehension continued to stack up, he could reach minor mastery in a Flawless Realm technique after reading it once, major mastery after two more readings, and complete mastery after practicing it once.
He reckoned that when his comprehension increased further, he wouldn't need to practice Qi Circulation realm techniques, either. A few readings and some mental deductions should be enough to master them outright.
That way, he could avoid practicing Qi Circulation techniques and wouldn't need to worry about different kinds of inner energy clashing, while still gaining comprehension and lifespan.
This trip had been more than worth it.
He'd also discovered that the techniques from Cloud Mountain Cliff didn't grant him special traits like "Sword Sense +1" or "Lightness +1."
Perhaps it was because they were too miscellaneous and lacked a clear focus. The basic techniques were purely for body tempering.
Unlike the Qingwei Sword Sect's techniques, which focused on the sword from beginning to end.
I suppose I'll still have to make a trip to the Law Enforcement Hall.
After returning to the Inner Court of Emerald Bamboo Mountain without incident, Yu Xiu mentally prepared himself.
He'd cut down Fang Jiming and the other eight. There was no way the Law Enforcement Hall wouldn't react. At the very least, they'd want to ask him about it.
But since no one had come yet, Yu Xiu resumed practicing.
More precisely, he was making deductions in his mind.
He'd already read through the martial arts and manuals from Cloud Mountain Cliff, so they were all recorded on his panel.
[Jade-Shattering Technique First Chapter: Complete] Comprehension +3 Lifespan +3 [Jade-Shattering Technique Second Chapter: Complete] Comprehension +3 Lifespan +3 [Jade-Shattering Technique Third Chapter: Complete] Comprehension +3 Lifespan +3
With comprehension above two thousand, there's no need to practice Flawless Realm techniques anymore!
He only had to recall and deduce the techniques once, and he'd master them completely. His progress was astonishingly fast.
Just then, two young disciples in dark red outfits came over with swords in hand, their expressions cold.
"Inner Court disciple Yu Xiu, the Law Enforcement Hall summons you." One of them spoke without the slightest emotion, his face utterly expressionless.
Law Enforcement Hall disciples had always been like this. If they weren't ruthless and cold, they couldn't suppress the evil thoughts in the hearts of so many disciples.
They're here. Yu Xiu had expected this. He didn't ask any questions, and simply followed the two up the mountain. Before long, they entered the main hall of the Law Enforcement Hall.
It was worth mentioning that ordinary disciples who got into trouble weren't qualified to enter this hall.
Yu Xiu had earned this treatment by cutting down nine Inner Court disciples with a single sword.
On the dais, behind a desk, sat a stern middle-aged man with a short beard. He slowly set down the dossier in his hand, raised his eyelids, and looked down at Yu Xiu.
As expected, he's already reached the first of the Four Great Passes, the Five Viscera realm!
Such comprehension and speed of cultivation were rare indeed!
"Do you know why you were summoned?" Su Wenjin asked without expression.
Yu Xiu cupped his fists in salute. "I do."
"Tell me." Su Wenjin sat up straight, one hand braced on his knee, his calm, deep gaze fixed on Yu Xiu.
An intangible pressure swept over him, like a flash flood or a tsunami.
This wasn't an illusion, but real pressure, an assault on the spirit.
A master like Su Wenjin, head of the Law Enforcement Hall, had cultivated his mental will to a profound level. Once he focused his mind, spiritual phenomena would naturally manifest. They were invisible to the naked eye, but anyone facing him—whether they wished it or not—would be swept into them.
Fortunately, Yu Xiu had already cultivated a Sword Heart, which naturally kept the pressure at bay.
Hmm? Surprise flickered through Su Wenjin's eyes, but he didn't show it.
Yu Xiu didn't so much as blink as he launched into a complete fabrication. "Previously, this disciple accompanied Senior Brothers Zhao Zheng and the others to Guiping County in Donghe Prefecture to exterminate demons. Unexpectedly, the Shadow Demon was vicious and wounded Senior Brothers Zhao Zheng, Qin Shu, Ruan Fei, and Senior Sister Zhang Yun. Fortunately, Fang Jiming and the others arrived in time. But the Shadow Demon was simply too powerful, and wiped out all the senior brothers and sisters!
"My seniors saw that I was young and gave their lives to save me. That's how I managed to escape!"
There were things you could do but couldn't say. Everyone understood, and if they all played dumb, that was the end of it.
But if you said it out loud with a straight face, that was another matter entirely!
Fang Jiming, Zhao Zheng, and the others gave their lives to save him, and all died at the hands of the Shadow Demon? Su Wenjin nearly laughed in anger.
Had the Shadow Demon also unleashed that unmistakable Sword Qi of the Qingwei Sword Sect?
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