As Long as I Improve My Strength Fast Enough

Distant Mountain, somewhere no one could see.

Yuan Tiankuo's handsome phoenix eyes narrowed as he gazed toward the lake in the distance.

"Sword Heart, Hidden Edge!"

Just as he'd thought!

Yu Xiu really had cultivated a Sword Heart.

The reason Yu Xiu had lured out the Water Demon at the bottom of the lake was that he had hidden all his sword intent. The Water Demon, at the second stage of the Four Great Passes, had thought Yu Xiu had given up and hadn't noticed its presence, so it had suddenly struck, hoping to kill him in a surprise attack.

But the Water Demon could never have known that a Sword Heart hid its edge. The greatest skill seemed like clumsiness: its edge was concealed within, not leaking the slightest trace of its presence.

Yu Xiu had long since spread his sword intent throughout the lake, waiting for the Water Demon at the bottom to take the bait.

That was why the Water Demon had said Yu Xiu was fishing for it.

"But how can water become a sword?"

And Yu Xiu, with the strength of the first stage of the Four Great Passes—the Five Viscera Realm—had actually crossed an entire major realm and slain the Water Demon with a single sword strike. That kind of strength...

"It makes no sense!"

And then there was Yu Xiu's sword strike...

"Even I... couldn't see it clearly?"

Had it been one sword strike, or dozens of sword techniques and sword arts unleashed at once, or...?

Yuan Tiankuo stood rooted to the spot, lost in thought and unable to come back to himself for a long, long time!

Why?

He had clearly been ready to act, to slay the Water Demon at the second stage of the Four Great Passes at the critical moment!

But there had been no need!

"Could he have..."

Yuan Tiankuo thought of a possibility, but he was unwilling to believe it!

It was far too absurd!

That was a realm even freaks like the Ten True Seeds might never have set foot in!

"Just how high is his aptitude for comprehension?"

In the end, Yuan Tiankuo stopped thinking about it and turned to leave.

On the lake, Yu Shang plunged into the water. Before long, he leaped back out, holding three things, and went over to Yu Xiu.

"Brother Yu, fortune's smiling on you. We got some good stuff." He handed Yu Xiu three spiritual treasures.

The first was an irregularly shaped chunk of ice crystal as large as a sea bowl, called Cold Yin Crystal Ice. It could be used to forge weapons or cultivate yin-and-cold-type techniques.

The second was a fist-sized piece of metal, a deep blue in color: Essence of Cold Iron, used in weapon forging.

The third was something resembling waterweed: a Moonlight Spirit Branch, the best of the three spiritual treasures.

Once the three Water Demons were slain, they had turned into these three spiritual treasures. According to Yu Shang, together they should fetch more than three thousand contribution points.

Yu Xiu thanked him and accepted the treasures. Then he returned to Guiping County with Yu Shang. After reporting the completion of the mission to Guo Boyan, he boarded a Flying Boat back to the sect.

"That's the man who slew Fang Jiming and the other eight Inner Court disciples?" The middle-aged Guo Boyan watched Yu Xiu depart, his gaze still fixed on the spot where Yu Xiu had stood.

"That's him." Yu Shang showered him with praise. "The Sword Sect is about to produce another remarkable swordsman. He's strong!"

Guo Boyan smiled. "I knew he was strong before I ever met him. Didn't you?"

Yu Shang shook his head. "No. He's even stronger than the sword marks we saw on Fang Jiming and the others!"

He looked at Guo Boyan. "If nothing unexpected happened, he should have cultivated a Sword Heart. I saw Hidden Edge in his sword intent!

"Hidden Edge that even a Water Demon at the second stage of the Four Great Passes couldn't detect!"

Guo Boyan's heart gave a hard thump. "A freak on par with the True Seeds of the various peaks?"

Meeting Guo Boyan's disbelieving gaze, Yu Shang nodded firmly.

"Sixteen years old. Remarkable!" Guo Boyan exclaimed!

If you can't find it by searching the book title, try searching for the author. Maybe it was just renamed!

Qingwei Sword Sect.

Green Bamboo Mountain, Inner Court, Law Enforcement Hall.

"You're saying that Yu Xiu himself slew the Water Demon, whose strength rivaled the second stage of the Four Great Passes?" Hall Master Su Wenjin seemed to have lost his usual dignity. He began to wonder if his hearing was failing him.

In truth, cultivators at his level could hear a mosquito buzzing several miles away with perfect clarity. How could he possibly have misheard the man before him? He simply couldn't believe it!

Yuan Tiankuo held his sword across his chest with both arms and quietly watched Su Wenjin lose his composure, without saying a word.

"Fine!" Su Wenjin suppressed the doubts surging in his heart. "Could you tell me what he did it with?"

Yuan Tiankuo pondered for a moment, then asked in return, "What did he do it with?"

I want to know that myself!

He was the eighth-ranked Ten Hero of Dragon-Slaying Peak. What made him unable to understand Yu Xiu's swordsmanship? What made him unable to understand Yu Xiu's sword intent? And there was even more he couldn't make sense of!

Did that make any sense?

So what made it possible?

Su Wenjin had asked him, but who could he ask?

"Just assume he cultivated a Sword Heart." Yuan Tiankuo didn't want to listen to Su Wenjin's endless questions. He turned into a streak of sword qi and disappeared.

"Sword Heart?!" Su Wenjin's eyes widened.

A Sword Heart!

Could a Sword Heart's Hidden Edge erase the gap of an entire major realm?

He didn't know!

Neither Su Wenjin nor Yuan Tiankuo had ever cultivated a Sword Heart. How could they know?

All they knew was that the Sword Heart was wondrous beyond measure, and that every swordsman in the Qingwei Sword Sect—and indeed, every swordsman in the world—pursued it!

So there was no need to know whether a Sword Heart's Hidden Edge could erase the gap of an entire major realm.

It was enough to know that the Sword Heart was incredible!

"Good! Excellent! Wonderful!" Su Wenjin slapped his fist into his palm, so excited he couldn't sit still. He paced back and forth across the Law Enforcement Hall.

He had secured a freak comparable to a True Seed for Dragon-Slaying Peak ahead of time. Surely the Peak Master would reward him!

Inner Court Law Enforcement Hall Master?

To hell with that! He wanted to become a hall master on the Main Peak. Even the Ten Heroes would answer to him if they broke the rules!

He quickly turned and took out a flying message sword. After a moment's thought, he put it down again.

No, this was too important. He had to go to Dragon-Slaying Peak in person, or he was afraid the Peak Master wouldn't honor the deal!

No, it's too soon to ask for a reward!

Wait!

Wait a little longer!

When Yu Xiu returned to the Inner Court Law Enforcement Hall, Su Wenjin had already regained his usual composure and sternness.

But the moment he saw Yu Xiu, the stern look on his face melted away. "You're quite good."

I already knew that. Yu Xiu was a little confused, but he still cupped his fists and bowed. "I hope I haven't let you down, Hall Master."

Su Wenjin smiled as he completed the handover with Yu Xiu. With a wave of his hand, he also officially established that Fang Jiming and the other eight Inner Court disciples had died at the hands of a Shadow Demon.

What? You're saying Fang Jiming and the other eight had clearly died at the hands of a swordsman?

Couldn't a Shadow Demon be a swordsman?

If the Law Enforcement Hall said so, then that was what happened.

"Take this to the Internal Affairs Hall and report to Deacon Tang about the mission to advance to the Main Sect." Su Wenjin took out a document and was about to hand it to Yu Xiu, but pulled it back halfway. "Never mind. I'll go with you myself."

Yu Xiu had no objections. Others might not believe what he said, but surely they couldn't doubt the head of the Law Enforcement Hall?

As expected, as long as you show enough potential and enough value, everyone you meet becomes a good person!

That was why he hadn't hidden his strength from Su Wenjin and the others.

Besides, with his aptitude for comprehension, there was no need to hide his strength.

Today, he was at the first stage of the Four Great Passes. Half a month from now, he might not still be at the first stage!

As long as I improve my strength fast enough, no one can figure out how strong I am!