One Sword, Instant Kill—You're the Strongest Sequence, Chapter 34

But killing a third-tier Sequence wielder in a single strike... even Liu Ming, at the peak of the third tier, had no choice but to take such growth speed far more seriously.

They absolutely could not make an enemy of the mysterious expert.

Wang Yu listened to Liu Ming and nodded in full agreement.

After thinking for a moment, Liu Ming continued,

"This time, we launched the Decapitation Plan. After being suppressed so many times, the Spirit Cult's priests may very well begin their final counterattack."

"At the previous meeting, we discussed having Su Yu move out of the sword hall and into the department building once the Decapitation Plan was over. That's our headquarters, so it might be safer."

"But now... I think it would be better for you to stay at the sword hall."

"Though we don't know why, the mysterious expert's willingness to protect you is undeniable. And... it's happened more than once."

"That means staying at the sword hall will let you receive the mysterious expert's protection. The department building is an obvious target, so it may not necessarily be safer than the sword hall. Of course, it still depends on what you want."

Hearing this, Su Yu pretended to hesitate for a moment before saying,

"In that case, I'll stay at the sword hall. Although we agreed not to deliberately investigate the mysterious expert's identity, if I stay there, at least there'll be one more pair of eyes."

Of course, that was not Su Yu's true thought. He simply wanted to stay with his brother. In a few more days, once he went to the capital, he had no idea how long it would be before they saw each other again.

Besides... his brother's strength.

Su Yu felt that it was no weaker than Liu Ming's. Staying at the sword hall might even be safer.

After hearing Su Yu's words, Liu Ming merely nodded.

"Alright. Then continue living at the sword hall. We'll communicate with you by message as before."

"As for your brother, since he's an ordinary person, try to keep matters like our missions from him. Don't drag him into this. If the mysterious expert is willing to tell him, that's none of our business."

"Mm."

When Su Yu heard Liu Ming suddenly mention both his brother and the mysterious expert, he found it a little surreal, but he suppressed the thought.

With everything explained,

there was nothing else to do here.

After cleaning up the aftermath, Su Yu and Shen Ruyun returned to the sword hall.

The next day.

Su Xing slowly woke up.

He pushed himself up from the bed with one hand. After washing up, he casually grabbed a packet of bread and headed toward the training hall.

When Su Xing entered the training hall,

Su Yu was also there doing his morning training. Su Xing glanced at him, and Su Yu returned the look.

Neither of them said anything, yet they had already said everything.

Standing beside Su Yu, Shen Ruyun looked rather puzzled. She pinched the flesh at his waist and whispered,

"Is it just me, or does it feel like you two brothers... have gotten a lot closer?"

Su Yu gasped in pain and said,

"L-Let go! What nonsense are you talking about? The first time you came to the sword hall, you mocked me for being obsessed with my brother. When has my relationship with him ever been bad?"

"Mm... true."

Su Xing pretended not to hear their quiet conversation. He simply walked to the weapon rack, picked up a heavy sword, and began swinging it again and again.

Although he could grow stronger by assigning system points, Su Xing knew well that true strength came from sweat. He needed to become even stronger!

"Phew."

Su Xing exhaled a breath of hot air.

The arm gripping the heavy sword drooped slightly, dotted with beads of sweat. Only after Su Xing had caught his breath did he slide the sword back into its sheath, walk over to the weapon rack, and lean the heavy sword against its base.

This time, Su Xing was still practicing Piercing, not because he believed Piercing was more important than White-Line Slash.

It was simply because White-Line Slash's visual effect was too conspicuous, making it unsuitable for practice in the sword hall. Although Piercing had evolved from Thrust, its visual effect had not changed much, so it would not make anyone suspicious of Su Xing.

Su Yu and Shen Ruyun had returned to their rooms. Su Xing was the only one left practicing in the training hall. He picked up a towel from the weapon rack and casually wiped away his sweat, then checked his phone and murmured to himself,

"It's about time for class."

"I should go back to my room and prepare what I'll need."

Just as Su Xing was thinking this, a kind voice suddenly came from the second floor. The hall master stood quietly in the upstairs corridor, looking down at Su Xing with a gentle smile.

"Little Su, come up here. I have something to tell you."

Su Xing did not know whether it was an illusion, but he felt that the hall master's body had grown considerably more robust, while the wrinkles on his face had also increased.

Hearing that the hall master had something to tell him, Su Xing immediately thought of how the hall master had mentioned leaving the sword hall in a few days. He did not hesitate for long and merely nodded.

"Alright, I'll come up now."

"Mm."

The hall master nodded and returned to his room. Su Xing abandoned the idea of going back to his own room, grasped the wooden stair railing, and climbed toward the second floor step by step.

There was only one room on the second floor of the sword hall. It had always been the hall master's private residence, so this was Su Xing's first time coming here.

The moment he reached the doorway, the scent of wood filled his nose.

At a glance, the room's style looked less like a modern residence and more like an ancient noble household. Folding screens, incense tables, and bookcases were all present.

"Hall Master, are you leaving?"

Su Xing got straight to the point.

The hall master was holding a teacup and blowing on it. Hearing Su Xing's question, he turned toward him with a kind smile.

"Yes, it's about time."

"I called you up because I wanted you to learn about the sword hall's affairs. After all... once I leave this time, I don't know whether I'll have another chance to return."

Hearing the tone in the hall master's voice, Su Xing asked in confusion, "Hall Master, didn't you say it was just that something had happened to a relative? Why are you making it sound so serious?"

"Some things are better left unasked."

The hall master took a sip of tea, gently crushed the tea leaves in his mouth, glanced at Su Xing, and slowly said, "Everyone has their own secrets, don't they?"

Hearing that, Su Xing felt as though his heart had suddenly stopped. Though the sensation was faint, it still left him feeling suffocated. He forced out a smile and calmly said,

"That's true... If it's your secret, Hall Master, then I won't ask any further."

"Why are you suddenly so nervous?"

The hall master gave Su Xing a puzzled look, then continued,

"If you really want to know, it's nothing much. This relative is my daughter. She told me to hurry home this time. Perhaps after I return, I won't get another chance to come back."

"Hall Master, you have a daughter? How come I've never heard you mention her?"

Seeing that the hall master looked composed and did not seem to be lying, Su Xing felt somewhat relieved and asked.

He suddenly found it a little amusing. The hall master lived around him every day, and Su Xing knew exactly how he treated him. There was no need for him to feel afraid.

Besides, Su Xing had never sensed even the slightest trace of extraordinary power from the hall master. At most, he was an old swordsman with some understanding of swordsmanship.

If the hall master truly was an extraordinary being, then there was only one possibility: he was so powerful that it exceeded Su Xing's imagination.

That... was probably impossible.

"Yes, but my daughter didn't really acknowledge me in the past, so I never mentioned her to you... Forget it, let's not talk about it. It's just some unpleasant family matters. If there's a chance in the future, I'll tell you about it."

After chatting for a while, the hall master seemed unwilling to bring up the matter any further. He shook his head and continued,

"Anyway, I called you here this time so you could first understand the basic duties of a sword hall master. If no one takes over after I leave, then I'll give this sword hall to you, Little Su."

"Hall Master... isn't that a little too generous?"

Su Xing murmured in surprise. But the hall master merely waved his hand indifferently, as though he did not care at all. After that, Su Xing learned about the responsibilities of the hall master's position.

In truth, it sounded very simple. Drink tea every day, recruit students, communicate with students' parents about various matters, and handle other miscellaneous affairs.

But just dealing with the students' parents was enough to make Su Xing feel like his head was about to split in two. It seemed that... being the hall master of a sword hall was not as simple as it looked.

However, the hall master would not be leaving for some time yet, so Su Xing temporarily put the matter aside and stopped thinking about it.

After they finished talking,

the hall master let Su Xing leave.

Once Su Xing had left, the hall master sat back down in his wooden chair and brewed another pot of tea. Narrowing his eyes as he looked in the direction Su Xing had gone, he thought faintly,

Ah, I rather like that kid Su Xing. If he were a martial artist too... taking him in as a disciple might not be bad.

What a pity. I probably won't have another chance to see him again.

Five days had passed since the hall master spoke with him.