Missing

"It seemed Junior Brother Jiang had even greater potential than I expected."

Hearing Sun Wu's words, Zhou Yuqing looked at Jiang Chen practicing his stance, her bright eyes gleaming.

She naturally knew that the year-end Martial Exam would include actual combat.

With battle talent like Jiang Chen's, he would thrive in actual combat.

In other words, as long as he could keep up in cultivation, Jiang Chen had a good chance of reaching the top of the Martial Exam Ranking and joining the City Guard.

The City Guard had been established both to deter unrest and to find promising talent.

If Jiang Chen passed the selection, he would have a strong chance of entering the True Sun Sect.

"I need to tell Father about Junior Brother Jiang as soon as possible."

Without hesitation, Zhou Yuqing hurried out of the martial arts school.

A genius with a chance of entering the True Sun Sect had to be given priority for cultivation.

"With the martial arts school's resources to support him, Junior Brother Jiang shouldn't be short on resources anymore."

Watching Zhou Yuqing leave, Sun Wu smiled.

What he had said just now was meant to raise Jiang Chen's standing in the martial arts school.

If he could befriend a disciple of the Upper Sect, the benefits would be endless.

"Senior Brother Sun, how about another round?"

Jiang Chen, who had been restoring his Blood Qi by holding a stance, eagerly came over.

"I came here today to talk to you about something."

Sun Wu waved his hand. If they kept fighting, he'd really have to go all out.

It wouldn't look good if word got around that he'd had to go all out against a junior brother in the Blood Qi Realm.

"What is it?"

Jiang Chen asked curiously.

"These past few days, people from the Zheng Clan have been secretly asking around about you."

Sun Wu glanced around before speaking seriously.

To be honest, when Zheng Hao and the others were killed, it hadn't even occurred to him that Jiang Chen might be involved.

After all, when Zheng Hao and the others died, Jiang Chen had only just entered the Second Qi and Blood Gate.

But after sparring with him over the past few days, Sun Wu's suspicions had risen sharply.

With Jiang Chen's battle talent, taking care of Zheng Hao and the others would have been a piece of cake.

If Jiang Chen had only stood out in battle, Sun Wu wouldn't have suspected him.

But not long after Jiang Chen fell out with Zheng Hao and the others, someone had ambushed him in a dark alley.

Now the Zheng Clan was secretly investigating Jiang Chen.

How could any of that look like a coincidence?

"The Zheng Clan?"

Jiang Chen's expression shifted slightly.

It seemed the person who'd been watching him at the Thousand Fragrance Pavilion last time really had been from the Zheng Clan.

Sure enough, after his cultivation and status advanced, he'd attracted attention.

He wasn't particularly concerned.

He couldn't hide away just because he feared the Zheng Clan. That would only cost him more than it gained him.

"Looks like I was right."

Seeing his reaction, Sun Wu grew even more certain of his suspicions.

Zheng Hao and the others really might have died at Jiang Chen's hands.

"Junior Brother Jiang, if you don't have anything important to do, try not to go out alone."

Sun Wu didn't voice his suspicions. He only reminded Jiang Chen to be careful.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Sun."

Jiang Chen cupped his hands in gratitude.

He could tell that Sun Wu genuinely cared about him.

"I'm off."

Sun Wu left.

"Time to cultivate."

Jiang Chen didn't dwell on the Zheng Clan. He returned to his room and sat down cross-legged.

As he'd said before, once he was strong enough, every problem would resolve itself.

In the blink of an eye, another three days passed.

Boom!

At noon, as Jiang Chen sat cross-legged in meditation, the martial Blood Qi inside him suddenly surged. A moment later, a powerful aura swept outward.

"Second Aperture, breached!"

Jiang Chen opened his eyes, his gaze bright and his mind refreshed.

[Cultivation: Three Qi and Blood Gates · Second Aperture 1%]

The cultivation entry on the Myriad Dao Chart changed accordingly.

"Hm? The increase in strength has weakened?"

Jiang Chen clenched his fist, felt the change in his martial Blood Qi, and got up to step outside.

Thud!

As his Blood Qi gathered, he punched the Iron Wood Stake.

A clear fist mark appeared.

"Seven hundred and fifty pounds of force."

In other words, breaking through the Second Aperture had only added fifty pounds of force.

It seemed that the transformation of his martial Blood Qi was nearing its limit.

Any further increase in combat strength would have to come gradually through practice.

Of course, even so, once all seven apertures were fully opened, his force would reach a thousand pounds.

A casual punch carrying a thousand pounds of force—he'd be a human beast.

And this was only the entry-level stage of martial cultivation.

From this alone, one could see how astonishing martial cultivation became at the highest levels.

"Time to eat."

Jiang Chen headed to the dining hall.

"Do you think the rumors about the Outer Courtyard disciples going missing are true?"

"They must be. The families of several junior brothers have already come to the martial arts school."

"What could it be? Whoever would dare attack the school's disciples is far too brazen."

"Several people have vanished without a trace in a row. Could they have run into an evil spirit?!"

"An evil spirit? Weren't those just rumors? Are there really evil spirits in the city?"

In the dining hall, the Inner Courtyard disciples had gathered in groups, talking excitedly.

"Senior Brother Zhou, has something happened at the martial arts school?"

Jiang Chen, his tray piled high with food, found Zhou Yu and the other three.

"This morning, someone came to the martial arts school to report a disappearance..."

Zhou Yu and the others explained what the Inner Courtyard disciples had been discussing.

Simply put, several Outer Courtyard disciples had mysteriously gone missing.

The martial arts school had assumed those disciples had gone home.

Their families, meanwhile, had thought they were still training at the school.

Only when the families came to the school and the two sides compared notes did they realize something had happened.

Once the news spread, it caused an uproar.

"Vanished without a trace?"

Jiang Chen immediately thought of the Soul Demon.

Back when the gangs had fought, that Soul Demon had taken the opportunity to kill quite a few people.

Could this incident be connected to an evil spirit too?

So there were other evil spirits lurking in the Prefecture City?

That was no good.

Evil spirits and demons appearing often meant a great calamity was on the horizon.

If he got caught up in one, he would be in trouble.

"Master Zhou is personally leading people to investigate. They should have results soon."

This disappearance case was different from the murders of Zheng Hao and the others.

One involved robbery, the other people vanishing without a trace. The martial arts school naturally took the latter seriously.

"It's a turbulent time."

Jiang Chen wasn't as optimistic.

If it was a person behind this, finding them wouldn't be difficult. After all, anyone who acted would leave traces.

But if it was an evil spirit, like that Soul Demon, there'd be nowhere to look. Anyone who encountered one would pretty much be dead.

"I have to reach the True Martial Realm as soon as possible."

The turmoil made Jiang Chen feel even more pressed for time.

In times like these, only strength could give him a firm foothold.

The True Martial Realm might not make him a true powerhouse, but at least he'd have some ability to protect himself.

After lunch, he didn't linger. He returned to his room and began cultivating.

Just like that, another five days passed.

That evening, both the Inner Courtyard and Outer Courtyard disciples were packing their belongings.

Starting tomorrow, the martial arts school would have three days off, and all the disciples would be going home.

"Young master."

As Jiang Chen walked out of the martial arts school with his belongings on his back, Head Guard Li was already waiting with a group of men.

Clearly, his father had arranged this to prevent anyone from harming him.

"Let's go home."

At once, the group set off.

"Hm?"

Along the way, Jiang Chen, whose perception had spread outward, suddenly sensed something.

"Soul Force Perception?"

Jiang Chen kept his expression unchanged, but secretly gathered his soul force and stayed on high alert.

In that instant, he had caught a trace of an unusual fluctuation.

It felt very much like the perception he experienced when he activated his Soul Seal.

So there really was more than one Soul Demon in the Prefecture City?

"Soul Demon..."

The thought came to him, and his mind stirred with possibility.

If it were some other kind of demon or evil spirit, he naturally wouldn't act rashly.

But Soul Demons were different.

The Myriad Dao Chart could perfectly counter soul-type demons.

If he could suppress another Soul Demon, his Soul Seal would advance to the second stage.

Even the first stage of the Soul Seal had greatly enhanced his combat strength.

Once it reached the second stage, the boost would surely be even greater.

"I'll give it a try."

With that thought, Jiang Chen quietly activated his soul force, letting it spread out around him...