A Great Matter Approaches

Su Xin and Li Huai carried the severed heads back to Happy Forest, where Li Qing and the others had long been waiting in eager anticipation.

Su Xin had originally arranged for them to cover the rear, but he and Li Huai had been so swift that they returned with the heads of Dai Chong and Zhang Hong before the Green Bamboo Gang's forces could even arrive, leaving no opportunity for a pursuit.

"Boss, are you both alright?" Li Qing asked hurriedly.

"Do we look like we're in trouble? These are the heads of Dai Chong and Zhang Hong. Hold them well." Su Xin tossed the bundle containing the heads to Li Qing.

The kid was sensible enough to ask about his boss's safety the moment they met, rather than asking if the assassination had succeeded; that kind of situational awareness was not bad at all.

Li Qing took the bundle with trembling hands, his shock beyond measure.

In truth, he hadn't believed that Su Xin could actually succeed in assassinating Dai Chong.

When he had stepped forward earlier, it was merely because the resentment in his heart was hard to quell; he was unwilling to accept that his brother's life had been bought for a mere ten taels of silver.

But when Su Xin said he would avenge Chen San, Li Qing had sworn in his heart that regardless of whether this mission succeeded or failed, his life would belong to Su Xin from then on!

He never expected that Su Xin would actually bring back the heads of Dai Chong and Zhang Hong.

"San'er, you can finally rest in peace. We've found a good boss!" Li Qing followed behind Su Xin, carrying the heads in silence, his eyes turning red.

Back at Happy Forest, Huang Bingcheng was pacing back and forth in the main hall, his movements enough to make one's eyes dizzy.

Following a boss like Su Xin was certainly prestigious—there was money to be had and power to wield.

But at the same time, this boss's audacity was far from ordinary.

Huang Bingcheng had grown accustomed to living in constant fear, especially this time; if any accident occurred, their small Happy Forest would immediately fall apart.

Ji Gang, meanwhile, watched the anxious crowd in the hall with cold eyes. Regardless of whether this assassination succeeded or not, Su Xin would never escape death. He would just wait to see how they all ended up!

"The boss and the others are back!" a gang member shouted as he ran in to report.

Huang Bingcheng stopped pacing and trotted over to welcome them in.

"Boss, how did it go?" Huang Bingcheng asked quickly.

Li Qing placed the bundle containing the heads on the table and opened it, causing everyone present to gasp in shock.

Dai Chong, a high-ranking leader of the Green Bamboo Gang, was a figure on the same level as Third Master Hu. Most of them had seen him before, usually traveling with great pomp and prestige.

Yet now, this man had truly been decapitated by Su Xin and laid out before them.

"He actually succeeded! He really killed Dai Chong! Doesn't that mean his strength is already comparable to Third Master Hu?" Ji Gang was so shocked he couldn't speak.

He had guessed that Su Xin might die on the spot or perhaps escape by sheer luck, but he never imagined that Su Xin would actually succeed!

Ji Gang slumped into a chair, speechless.

The situation had developed to a point beyond his ability to predict.

He only hoped that when the Flying Eagle Gang's higher-ups investigated, they wouldn't implicate him.

Thinking of this, Ji Gang glared viciously at Li Huai—it was all that madman's fault!

Back when they were under Third Master Hu, Ji Gang had known that Li Huai was mentally unstable, bloodthirsty, and combative, often disregarding the bigger picture.

But who would have thought he could be crazy enough to ignore Third Master Hu's secret orders and go with Su Xin to assassinate Dai Chong?

"Find some lime to treat these heads and pack them up. Everyone else, disperse."

Huang Bingcheng whispered, "What about Ji Gang? Should we keep someone to watch him?"

Su Xin shook his head, a faint, mocking smile appearing on his face: "No need. If he wants to talk, let him talk. Besides, even if he doesn't, the higher-ups of the Flying Eagle Gang will surely find out."

When assassinating Dai Chong, Su Xin and Li Huai had made no effort to conceal their faces.

Although they were both nobodies within the Flying Eagle Gang, a little investigation would reveal the truth immediately. He estimated that within half an hour, the news would spread throughout the entire Changning Prefecture.

"Then what should we do now?" Huang Bingcheng asked.

"Sleep."

"Sleep?" Huang Bingcheng was stunned.

Su Xin replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world: "Killing is hard labor, so of course we need a good rest. It also gives the Flying Eagle Gang's higher-ups some time to consider how to deal with us. By tomorrow, I expect someone will come looking for us."

Hearing Su Xin's words, Huang Bingcheng had no mood to sleep; instead, he grew even more worried.

Just as Master Li had told them before, the current Flying Eagle Gang was in no position to engage in another full-scale war with the Green Bamboo Gang.

The two gangs were evenly matched; even if they went to war, it would only waste resources and manpower without gaining any advantage.

But now, Su Xin's assassination of Dai Chong had shattered the balance between the two factions. Huang Bingcheng could only imagine how furious the Green Bamboo Gang must be.

When the two sides went to war, Su Xin would be the primary culprit, and he could well imagine their fate.

Ignoring the worried Huang Bingcheng, Su Xin returned leisurely to his small courtyard.

In the yard, Su Xin'er was practicing her swordplay.

The small wooden sword Su Xin had made for her was being wielded with surprising form, and the moves she used were none other than the Great Sumeru Sword Style.

When Su Xin'er first said she wanted to practice, Su Xin thought she was just playing around and had taught her the Great Sumeru Sword Style casually. He hadn't expected that while he was busy cultivating, she would have actually practiced it to such a decent standard.

"Tsk, my little sister is a genius at the sword."

The corner of Su Xin's mouth twitched. He couldn't deny it: Su Xin'er's talent for swordsmanship was even greater than his own.

If he hadn't received that 5% proficiency bonus from the Great Villain System, he probably wouldn't even be as skilled as Xin'er right now.

"Brother, you're back!" Seeing Su Xin return, Xin'er immediately pounced on him.

However, Xin'er pushed Su Xin away a moment later, pinching her nose with a look of utter disgust: "Brother, what is that smell on you? It stinks! Go take a bath, quick!"

"You and that sharp little nose of yours." Su Xin tapped Xin'er on her small head.

Having just killed someone, it was inevitable that he would be stained with the scent of blood, and under the midday sun, it had turned into a faint, sour stench.

"Alright, stop playing around. Go eat after you finish your bath." Su Xin pinched her little nose.

Xin'er swatted Su Xin's hand away in dissatisfaction: "I'm not playing! Once I've mastered my sword technique, I'll be able to protect you, Brother."

After bathing and eating, Su Xin didn't rest immediately, but instead began to reflect on today's battle.

In truth, this was the first real move he had made since he began practicing martial arts. When he killed Liu Sandao, both Chen Dao and Liu Sandao were far too weak; he couldn't gauge his own strength at all.

But this time, he and Dai Chong were evenly matched. In terms of combat experience, he was actually inferior to Dai Chong. If not for the power of his sword technique, the outcome between him and Dai Chong might not have been certain.

Moreover, this battle had revealed his own shortcomings.

Whether in his past life or this one, Su Xin was someone who had seen blood and killed, though in his past life, he had been the one killed.

He wouldn't be like those green youths who trembled the moment they saw blood on their hands.

But at the same time, as someone who had started halfway through and had only been exposed to the martial path for a month, he couldn't compare to those martial artists who had been training since childhood under the guidance of masters, allowing them to integrate their skills seamlessly.

Right now, Su Xin's combat style appeared very rigid. On one hand, his foundation was unstable; on the other, he lacked experience.

Jing Wuming's Fast Sword focused on offense, while the Great Sumeru Sword Style focused on defense.

Currently, Su Xin only knew these two techniques, yet he still couldn't transition between them naturally. In fact, he couldn't even execute the Great Sumeru Sword Style without using a heavy sword.

All of this was due to the proficiency level of his sword technique. With only 5% proficiency, he could barely manage to execute the technique; achieving mastery was simply impossible.

To increase proficiency, one had to undergo arduous training. Of course, combat was the best form of training; after this one fight, the proficiency of Su Xin's Great Sumeru Sword Style had already risen to 10%.

But that was also the problem. If he relied solely on arduous training to increase proficiency, it would consume a massive amount of time.

The Great Sumeru Sword Style itself was only a one-and-a-half-star technique, destined to be phased out in the future. Therefore, spending time on it clearly wasn't cost-effective.

Thinking of this, Su Xin hurriedly entered the system, preparing to ask a question.

"Host 01, hello. Welcome to the Great Villain System." A cold, indifferent voice rang out.

"I have a question: can the proficiency of a martial technique only be increased through arduous training and combat?

The Great Sumeru Sword Style is still useful to me now, but if I spend all my time training this technique, won't it be useless once my strength improves? The time I spent training would essentially be wasted."

The system replied: "Martial technique proficiency can also be attained through epiphanies. In fact, some high-level martial techniques cannot be improved through arduous training once they reach a certain level of proficiency; they must rely on epiphanies.

As for your second point, the host has fallen into a misconception. Martial technique proficiency is not just derived from the host's learning of a new technique, but also from the host's understanding of the martial path.

If the host were a Sword God like Ximen Chuixue, he would only need to glance at the Great Sumeru Sword Style to push its proficiency to the limit. With a little contemplation, he could even increase the star rating of a one-and-a-half-star technique.

Therefore, the host need not worry that training the Great Sumeru Sword Style will be a waste of time, because what you are training is not just the Great Sumeru Sword Style, but the way of the sword."

As soon as the system finished speaking, Su Xin understood; he had indeed fallen into a misconception.

A martial technique is merely a tool, while one's own martial path is the foundation.

What he needed to do was not bury his head in the arduous training of the Great Sumeru Sword Style, but rather contemplate the way of the sword within it.