Small Squad Assembles

"For real?" Tang Xing's tone was clearly skeptical.

"She is telling the truth." Ma Mingyu immediately sent this message.

With Ma Mingyu's guarantee, the credibility of the information instantly soared.

"Forget it, forget it. Xu Ziming has single-handedly resolved an alien race transition before; he can carry us when the time comes."

"I only fought one that was already heavily injured..." Xu Ziming typed immediately upon seeing this message. If he couldn't hold his own later, it would surely arouse suspicion.

He had no desire to expose his Qilin Source Blood.

"Let's put that aside for now. All three of you come out tonight; I'll take you to see the Underground Black Boxing in Pengcheng."

After sending this, Ma Mingyu left an address and promptly vanished.

"Didn't Teacher Ma and Xu Ziming just finish fighting an alien race? Don't they need to rest?"

Needless to say, this was Tang Xing again; the guy was something of a chatterbox.

"Yesterday there was also the police and Master Fang of the Nebula Martial Hall; my condition is actually quite good," Xu Ziming replied before logging out of the chat.

He hadn't expected Teacher Ma to say they should rest for two days in the early morning, only to announce they were starting tonight. Two days really passed quickly.

Do high school seniors not need rest?

After reading the messages in the group and checking the time, it was already past two in the afternoon.

There were still a few hours of buffer before the time Ma Mingyu mentioned, so there was no need to rush for now.

Xu Ziming decided to test whether practicing the Five Prison Sword Art would still be as obscure and difficult as it was at the beginning now that his Life Energy Level had increased.

Meanwhile, inside a small village in Pengcheng.

"My lord, the higher-ups are blaming us for the incident with the Flame Spirit Clan last time. This..."

The speaker was a seemingly young man dressed in strange attire, with a special mark on the hem of his clothing.

If Xu Ziming were here, he would certainly recognize this mark as the unique religious emblem of the True Martial Sect.

And the person opposite him was, naturally, the main body of the black shadow summoned by the Flame Spirit Clan commander last time.

"Damn it, who knew Pengcheng was full of hidden talents? Even a Sword Saint who emerged on the battlefield is here. However, I did discover an interesting kid. He snatched something belonging to our True Martial Sect—is he not afraid of death?"

The black shadow's lips trembled, his face twisted into a sickening smile.

"In a few days, it will be the Pengcheng second mock exam. I have already calculated the location of that secret realm. I will make Pengcheng pay a price then; having a group of high school students die will surely cause social unrest. It will also be the perfect way to pressure that little brat who took my sect's Qilin Blood."

His fingers flicked, and a small world appeared out of thin air, wrapped in a mass of black mist.

The coordinates of the world were also displayed as a string of numbers.

"Lay the groundwork in advance. My operation failed last time, but this time I must make amends, or our entire branch will suffer."

"Yes."

The young man bowed his head in acknowledgment, memorized the world coordinates, and turned to attend to his tasks.

The black shadow slowly looked toward that small world. "Whether it is the alien races or the human race, they are all trash. Only my True Martial Sect is the true, eternal, and invincible orthodoxy."

"As for the Qilin Blood—damn that Qilin. Even after dying for so long, it could still leave a glimmer of hope for its descendants. I wonder how that kid was even chosen."

Having left only these words, the black shadow fell silent, waiting quietly.

"As expected, now that my Life Energy Level has increased, the difficulty of practicing the Five Prison Sword Art has become much simpler."

After an afternoon of practice, although Xu Ziming hadn't reached the entry level yet, his progress was much smoother.

The rapid sword qi he had previously thought impossible to achieve had even been successfully executed a few times during his afternoon session.

At this very moment, the time had arrived for his meeting with Teacher Ma.

"I wonder if the other two have arrived yet..."

Xu Ziming packed his things and headed to the martial hall's shower room. That's right—as a high-end martial hall, it had shower facilities.

Xu Ziming hadn't known at first; it was Fang Xingyun who told him during his training.

"What kind of place is this? A bar?"

A young man with yellow hair walked unsteadily, facing a bar shimmering with all sorts of lights.

A variety of scents assaulted his nose, causing his otherwise calm face to wrinkle.

"Is this the kind of life liberal arts students lead?"

The speaker was none other than Tang Xing. As a Martial Way student who trained every day, even though he considered his own life quite carefree, he had never been to a place like this.

After all, indulging in wine and women was a major taboo in the Martial Way, as it would hinder future cultivation.

"But why would Teacher Ma choose a place like this?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a very familiar figure appeared in his field of vision: Shen Xingyue.

Shen Xingyue was dressed in a tight black bodysuit, her hair tied back in a clean, sharp ponytail. She looked ready for a brawl, appearing completely out of place in the bar.

"This sister is too plain, isn't she? Not even trying to hide it?"

Tang Xing shook his head helplessly as he looked at her.

"Wait, there's another expert!"

No sooner had he shifted his gaze away from Shen Xingyue than he spotted Xu Ziming, a sword strapped to his back, wearing the specialized gear designed for martial artists to unleash their full potential since the rise of the Martial Way.

Yet, the guy walked in with such a grave expression that he looked exactly like... someone here to pick a fight.

"If I let these two keep acting out, we'll be kicked out before our homeroom teacher even arrives."

Seeing them like this, Tang Xing abandoned the sophisticated image he had been maintaining, shaking his yellow hair as he scurried through the bar like a little chick.

In truth, he wasn't much better; his frantic movements looked incredibly childish.

"Tang Xing?"

He was moving fast, far exceeding the speed of an ordinary person, so he was naturally noticed by Xu Ziming and Shen Xingyue.

"Are you two here to fight?"

Seeing Xu Ziming and Shen Xingyue gather around, Tang Xing said speechlessly.

"Isn't that what we're here for? It's my first time at a bar!"

Shen Xingyue, usually stern and humorless, was uncharacteristically excited, as if coming to a bar was like discovering a new continent.

Just as they gathered, a figure slowly emerged from the corner.

"Everyone is here, so follow me."

The person who arrived was none other than Ma Mingyu, who had clearly been waiting here for a long time.

Upon seeing Ma Mingyu appear, Shen Xingyue in her bodysuit and ponytail, Xu Ziming with his sword and serious face, and Tang Xing with his yellow hair and slacker vibe instantly ceased all unnecessary movement.

The three followed Ma Mingyu as he wove through the bar, passing one counter after another, until they finally arrived at a hidden door.

"We're here, the most chaotic place in Pengcheng!"