"Uh-"
Chu Xisheng stared blankly at the crowd by the stairs.
Surely these people didn't think he had done it?
This was a mountain of blame to shoulder!
Chu Xisheng instinctively hid the stick behind his back, but then thought better of it. Wasn't that like posting a sign saying, "No silver buried here"?
He didn't want to take the blame and was choosing his words to explain, when another brilliant firework exploded in his vision.
Chu Xisheng focused on it. His reputation remained unchanged at Ninth-Rank Lower (confirmed), but his martial points had inexplicably gone from 5 to 11.
Chu Xisheng blinked.
He couldn't work out why, but taking the blame seemed to have its benefits?
Just then, the crowd pouring out of the stairway erupted into an uproar.
"No wonder they screamed so horribly. All four limbs broken! Who knows if they're still alive?"
"This guy did it? No way. He took down all these people by himself?"
"Who else is here besides him? His name's Chu Xisheng. They say his saber skills have reached Ninth-Rank Lower, but I never imagined he was this formidable."
"He really is ruthless. Come to think of it, he nearly chopped off the Long Household young master's hand yesterday."
Everyone whispered among themselves. Some of the more timid ones didn't even dare meet Chu Xisheng's eyes.
Only one dark-faced martial instructor glared coldly at Chu Xisheng. "Did you injure these people? You were far too vicious."
"May I ask which of your eyes saw me hurt anyone, Instructor? Do you have any solid evidence?"
Chu Xisheng smiled freely, his manner brazen and utterly disrespectful. "I don't know who injured them, but you'd best ask the tower master or a few head instructors to come and see what happened."
Taking the blame might have benefits, but he couldn't become a scapegoat for no reason.
Something was clearly wrong here.
Yet he noticed an odd look on the faces of several instructors opposite him, as though they felt guilty and afraid.
After a moment's thought, Chu Xisheng understood why.
These men really believed he had done it.
They were worried the matter would blow up and implicate them.
Academy Master Lei Yuan was an inner disciple the Formless Divine Sect had sent down to the academy for experience. His sole aim was to cultivate talented students who could help him return to the sect and climb one step higher atop his hundred-foot pole.
If he heard about this, he would be utterly furious.
Not one person who had accepted the Long Household's silver would get off lightly.
As for that so-called Long Household in the inner city, it was merely dust beneath the Formless Divine Sect's feet.
The dark-faced martial instructor's expression shifted uncertainly.
If Chu Xisheng hadn't injured these nine people, who had? The boy was merely making excuses!
Just as the martial instructor was caught between advancing and retreating, unsure what to do, he suddenly felt the ground lurch beneath his feet. The entire floor and tower shook violently in that instant.
Many of those present lost their balance and fell.
Dust and grit rained down from above, and countless fragments of stone broke loose from the ceiling.
Chu Xisheng nearly lost his footing too. He immediately raised his head, looking upward in astonishment.
What was happening? Could it be an earthquake?
As the entire library tower shook, Li Daogui stepped heavily onto the final stair leading to its twelfth floor.
This floor was extraordinarily open, with no walls dividing a space seventy zhang long and wide.
Tall wooden bookshelves lined all four walls, piled with books and scrolls of every kind.
Yet the instant Li Daogui stepped onto this floor, every bookshelf turned to dust, and deep gouges appeared across all four walls.
The fierce, blood-red Sword Qi pouring from Li Daogui's sleeves collided and clashed with a vast, masculine force of astral essence.
Countless scattered strands of Sword Qi sliced in every direction, while shattered astral essence spilled outward, sweeping through everything.
At the center of the floor, an elderly man in white robes, his hair white and face aged, floated up from behind a nanmu desk.
Though decrepit with age, he was exceptionally tall. From above, he looked down at the man by the stairs, dressed in a blue disciple's uniform, with refined features and a blue sword mark between his brows.
"Blood Sea Drifting Sword? You're Bloodwind Sword Li Daogui?"
The white-robed elder's voice held surprise, suspicion, and anger. "You're very bold. Have you considered the consequences?"
"How could I not know?"
Li Daogui laughed at that and raised his head, his gaze defiant. "Everyone in your Formless Divine Sect will treat me as a mortal enemy, won't they? But I'm already here. Why would I be afraid?"
Every piece of clothing on him turned blood-red at that moment.
Countless strands of blood-red Sword Qi instantly converged into a gigantic blood sword that struck straight at the white-robed elder's face.
"Utterly lawless!"
The white-robed elder took a horsetail whisk from his sleeve and shattered the blood sword with a casual sweep. "These past few years, you've willingly entered the evil path and committed every wicked deed. If your master were still alive, he would be ashamed of you."
"If I hadn't entered the sea of blood, I would have become a ghost beneath the court's blades years ago."
Li Daogui smiled disdainfully, a bloody gleam rising in his eyes. "Enough nonsense. I came for the things Qin Muge left in this tower. Hand over every note, annotation, and True Intention diagram she left here, and my subordinates and I will withdraw immediately, without harming a single blade of grass or piece of wood in this tower."
The white-robed elder paused, looking bewildered. "That's why you came? This tower does contain a few True Intention diagrams Qin Muge copied in his youth, but are they worth mobilizing such forces?"
Li Daogui gave a dissatisfied snort, his voice murderous. "Stop playing dumb! Why would I care about his childhood scribbles? What I want is Qin Muge's God-Defying Banner!"
At those words, the white-robed elder looked even more astonished, as though unsure whether to laugh or cry.
Li Daogui continued, "Qin Muge began martial training at ten and reached First-Rank in his essence cultivation at twenty-two. Undefeated throughout his life, he reigned supreme over the northern lands. Such accomplishments were without precedent and would never be matched. Talent alone could no longer explain them.
"Some concluded that the God-Defying Banner, a treasure left from High Antiquity, was in Qin Muge's hands. Only this object could defy heaven, rewrite fate, and gather the creative power of heaven and earth into one person. Yet after Qin Muge died, the Iron Mountain Qin Clan worked with experts from the inner court to search all his belongings, without finding any trace of the God-Defying Banner."
The white-robed elder shook his head. "Leaving aside whether Qin Muge had the God-Defying Banner, even if he did, what would that have to do with our Zhengyang Martial Academy? He was only twelve when he left the academy for the Formless Divine Sect. After that, Qin Muge never set foot here again in his entire life."
"A Sixth Grade martial cultivator at just twelve!" Li Daogui sneered. "He was still young then, making it all the more likely he left clues to the God-Defying Banner here. Half a month ago, the emperor asked the reigning Imperial Preceptor to expend his lifespan divining the God-Defying Banner's whereabouts. The prophecy he received was, 'The mighty pass and long road are truly like iron; now stride forward and cross them anew'-"
His expression suddenly shifted, a vicious gleam appearing in his eyes. "You're stalling, waiting for someone to help you? Keep dreaming!"
Li Daogui abruptly slid forward, thrusting a single finger toward the white-robed elder's brow.
Countless strands of blood-red Sword Qi converged, spiraling like swimming fish, cutting and boring forward like a blood-red storm with terrifying force.
The pure-yang astral essence before the white-robed elder shattered inch by inch. Unhurried, he instantly transformed all his astral power from yang to yin, then struck forward with his palm.
In an instant, Li Daogui and all the blood-red Sword Qi froze three feet before him. Countless wisps of moisture condensed around his body and solidified into ice.
Yet the white-robed elder showed no delight. Instead, he retreated several steps, drew a flexible sword from his sleeve, and gathered his true essence with all his strength.
The ice around Li Daogui cracked inch by inch, and countless strands of blood-red Sword Qi pierced through from within.
He offered a soft word of praise. "That's the Yang-Extreme Reverse-Yin Palm Qin Muge often used before reaching Fourth-Rank, a martial art he created himself. Did you learn it in this library tower? In other words, he could create Fourth-Rank martial arts at just twelve? Truly remarkable."
At the sight, the white-robed elder couldn't help drawing a sharp breath.
This man's sea of blood is so dense, his baleful aura so powerful-