This Boy Was Born a Hidden Dragon in the Wilds, with the Potential to Become a Sword Grandmaster

Hidden Sword Manor, inner courtyard main hall.

The black body bag was pulled open.

A shriveled corpse was revealed, covered in black-red veins. It looked like an evil, decaying wooden sculpture.

There was a huge bloody hole in its chest and abdomen. The black blood had already dried, making for a gruesome sight.

Six figures had gathered in the hall.

They were none other than the Third Manor Lord and the stewards of the five towers.

Everyone wore grim expressions.

"Sacred Buddha Temple believers..." The Third Manor Lord, Ye Wei, frowned in thought.

"This disciple failed in her duties. I ask the Manor Lord to punish me." Leng Shuangyu immediately knelt.

"You certainly should be punished severely. He was a newly promoted servant who had just passed the assessment, yet this happened almost immediately afterward. Had the Night Watch Tower not discovered it in time and prevented disaster, you, Leng Shuangyu, would not be able to atone even with ten thousand deaths."

Before the Third Manor Lord could speak, another woman in the hall, Ye Wanqing, steward of the Forging Sword Tower, spoke with a cold sneer.

"Wanqing."

The Third Manor Lord, Ye Wei, waved his hand, his tone calm and even. "I already know what happened. The Myriad Swords Tower made a decisive move first, while the Night Watch Tower arrived afterward to assist. This newly promoted servant was not a devout believer either; there had never been any sign of him worshipping before. Only recently did he show suspicious signs, and he was then captured and killed. Shuangyu's merits and faults cancel each other out. Rise."

Hearing this, Ye Wanqing could no longer press the matter. She gave a cold snort and said nothing more.

Leng Shuangyu rose to her feet, her voice cool. "This incident shows that the remnants of the Sacred Buddha Temple have begun operating within Azure River again. It would be best to investigate the entire manor."

"Mhm." Ye Wei nodded. "Jingshi, leave this matter to you. The other towers must lend their full support. I will also write a letter to the Azure River County magistrate."

"Yes!" Ye Jingshi, steward of the Night Watch Tower, clasped his hands and accepted the order.

"You may all leave first. Shuangyu, stay."

The stewards of the four towers bowed and withdrew, leaving only two people in the hall.

"You said the one who captured and killed him was a new servant named Li Mu?"

"That is correct."

"What kind of person is he?"

"He ranked second in the assessment. His swordsmanship is above the proficient level, and he possesses considerable talent. During the arena battle, he used skill to overcome strength, and the one he defeated was Fan Rong, who later underwent that Buddha-worshipping mutation.

"According to Instructor Zhao Meng,

"When Li Mu first entered the manor, his body was weak. After martial training and conditioning, I saw him tonight, and his blood and qi had grown powerful. He is already close to breaking through."

"You did not witness him strike with your own eyes. You only heard him say that, in his urgency, he stabbed three times in succession with Rain Thorn, creating this wound?"

"That is correct."

"Do you think this boy is concealing something?"

Leng Shuangyu immediately frowned slightly. "Third Manor Lord, you mean..."

"Yet he has not even broken through the blood and qi stage. He also does not appear to have previously learned swordsmanship. He truly seems to have only practiced our Hidden Sword Manor's Dripping Water Swordsmanship."

"Of the four sword intents of Dripping Water Swordsmanship, the only one capable of causing such a wound is the first-layer sword intent, Rain Thorn. Three consecutive thrusts would indeed make sense..."

"It does make sense." Ye Wei nodded. "But a more plausible explanation is that he did it with a single sword, and that it was Dripping Water Swordsmanship."

"One sword?!"

Leng Shuangyu could not help her surprise. Even she could not inflict such a wound with a single strike using only Dripping Water Swordsmanship.

How had Li Mu done it?

"I wonder if you have heard that above mastery, all martial arts have another level... called Peak Ascension."

"Peak Ascension? Please enlighten me, Third Manor Lord." Leng Shuangyu truly did not know.

This was likely a secret teaching only core disciples could access.

Ye Wei slowly said:

"When a sword art is cultivated to perfection, and one contemplates its true meaning day after day, year after year, a flash of inspiration may allow one to push beyond the mastery level... This is Peak Ascension, followed by Ultimate Perfection."

"In theory, every martial art possesses a Peak Ascension level."

"Dripping Water Swordsmanship is merely an introductory sword art. No one pays it any mind."

"But by coincidence... I have cultivated Dripping Water Swordsmanship to Peak Ascension."

Clang!

Ye Wei lightly tapped his scabbard. His sword sprang free with a clear cry and landed in his palm.

He suddenly thrust forward.

The air gathered and compressed, then expanded before being pierced through by the sword.

Boom!!!

A thunderous blast erupted, exploding into layers of swirling air. A cone-shaped vortex shot forward over ten feet before dissipating with a crash.

If Li Mu had been here, he would have immediately recognized it.

This strike was exactly the same as the Peak Ascension sword intent he had used—Dripping Water Pierces Stone!

Leng Shuangyu's eyes were filled with shock.

"There is actually such a sword move beyond mastery in Dripping Water Swordsmanship?"

"If it was this move... then one sword really would be enough!"

"But Li Mu?"

The Third Manor Lord was one of the few sword experts in all of Azure River County. He possessed extraordinary talent, had begun practicing the sword from childhood, and had spent a full twenty-five years tempering and honing his skills. Though it was astonishing that he could wield such a sword intent, it was not strange.

But how long had Li Mu been in the manor? By all logic, he had probably not even reached the minor accomplishment level yet.

However, if this boy was deeply scheming and had deliberately concealed his talent...

"If this boy truly can do it, then it can only mean..." A rare smile appeared on the Third Manor Lord's face. "He is exceptionally gifted! He was born a hidden dragon in the wilds, with the potential to become a sword grandmaster!"

For the first time, Leng Shuangyu had heard the Third Manor Lord evaluate someone so highly.

The appreciation and anticipation in his eyes were impossible to conceal.

"Third Manor Lord, I will go invite him here." Leng Shuangyu immediately moved to leave.

"There is no need."

Ye Wei shook his head. "Even if you call him here, you will learn nothing. Simply keep an eye on him in daily life. Do not disturb him, and do not spread the word.

A golden-scaled creature cannot remain in a pond; once it meets wind and cloud, it transforms into a dragon. Even with talent, one still needs arduous training, tempering, and opportunities...

Besides, the world does not lack geniuses. If he cannot be used by us, why waste the effort?

Have you not already given him a copied manual of the Water-Questioning Sword Manual? Let us see how far he can go."

Fan Rong's sudden mutation pushed me too hard, and I accidentally used all my strength.

It should be enough to bluff my way through, right?

Li Mu returned to his room with his reward. Recalling everything that had happened today and his conversation with Leng Shuangyu, he felt that there should not have been any flaws.

Leng Shuangyu had not questioned him much at the time. She had probably believed him.

As for whether the matter would reach the Third Manor Lord, and whether that man would see through him...

Even if he did notice something was wrong, there was nothing Li Mu could do.

If there was no benefit in it, he would simply deny it to the end.

Revealing his strength, gaining the title of genius, and becoming the target of everyone's attention were things he absolutely could not bear at this stage.

Without someone to protect his path and without an opportunity to soar into the heavens... geniuses generally died young and suffered countless calamities.

Lying low and building himself up was the long-term plan.

However, the battle with Fan Rong had also made Li Mu understand one thing.

Swordsmanship and blood and qi alone are not enough. My body is still too weak right now... I need weapons, armor, movement techniques, and other enhancements. Poison powder and hidden weapons would be even better...

The battle against the Buddha-worshipping, mutated Fan Rong had truly frightened Li Mu.

He was afraid of being injured again.

This time, he had been lucky. The person he killed had been deemed a heretic by Hidden Sword Manor, and Steward Leng Shuangyu had generously credited him for the deed and awarded him a reward. That was why he had been able to disinfect his wounds and treat them so quickly.

But sooner or later, he would have to venture out into the world.

This world was so dangerous. The vicious criminals he encountered would only grow more numerous, stronger, and more ruthless.

And there were strange Buddha statues like that... perhaps this world even had demons!

Demons were an even more unknown terror.

I lack silver, sword manuals, powerful medicines, equipment... I lack so much. I lack everything...

Li Mu felt a deep sense of insecurity.

Fortunately, Leng Shuangyu had been generous. This reward eased some of his anxiety.

"Black Frost..."

The sword was three feet and seven inches long, forged from dark-patterned steel. Its entire body was pitch-black, with frost patterns engraved along its blade. With the slightest swing, it gave a soft hum.

"A fine sword! At the very least, high grade."

He had thoroughly studied the Hidden Sword Illustrated Catalog and wiped down over a thousand swords. At a glance, he could tell that this Black Frost was more than one level better than the ordinary azure-edged sword he had received before.

"It would sell for more than twenty or thirty taels..."

Thinking about it that way, he ought to thank Fan Rong for contributing this merit...

Otherwise, what kind of opportunity would he need to obtain such a reward?

However, the most precious thing was still the copied sword manual before him.

"Water-Questioning Sword Manual."

[Water-Questioning Sword Manual, entry talent requirement: 50.0 (Green)]

[Talent requirement met. Reading it will reveal the essentials of entry]

Li Mu opened it.

His gaze flickered as specks of crystalline green light surged from the pages. They continuously flew out as he turned them, vanishing when they touched his forehead.

The originally obscure and incomprehensible parts were instantly illuminated.

Before long.

The foundational forms of the complete Water-Questioning Sword Manual were deeply imprinted in Li Mu's mind.

[Water-Questioning Sword Manual: 0/100 (Not Yet Initiated)]

Li Mu smiled. The familiar feeling had returned.