Supreme Sword Exalt

In the dense forest, Commander Gu casually swatted a Tier 1 demonic beast away before turning to the guard.

“Are you certain it’s him?”

“Judging from the wounds, they are identical to the previous ones. It must be him!”

“Great!” Commander Gu nodded. “Well done. His strength must have recovered considerably to have slain a Tier 1 demonic beast so cleanly. You were right not to act rashly. From here on, I will personally deal with him.”

“Understood!”

***

Within the Consciousness Space, the shadow had regained its previously composed and confident demeanor, and was now speaking eloquently to Gu Han.

“The so-called Supreme Stage is a special realm hidden beyond the ordinary ones. You have just stepped onto the path of cultivation, how could you possibly know? You’re as weak as an ant. Besides, even those who do know about the Supreme Stage find it as difficult as ascending to the heavens to cultivate all the way there! Back in the day, I—”

“Get to the point!”

The shadow choked on his words before snapping irritably, “In short, it’s extremely difficult! Not every realm has a Supreme Stage, and achieving it requires not only a long time and plenty of effort but also a great deal of luck!”

Just moments ago, he had made a deal with Gu Han. In exchange for being spared, he would teach Gu Han the method to cultivate to the Supreme Stage. Thus, despite his resentment, he had no choice but to reveal the truth.

“Qi Condensation, Acupoint Unsealing, Divine Connection... These realms may seem to end at the ninth stage, but that is not the case. The tenth stage is the true limit. That is what I referred to as the Supreme Stage.

“To surpass the ninth level is to break the shackles of the Great Dao. The difficulty of this should be obvious. Back in the day—”

“What comes next?” Gu Han cut him off without hesitation.

“You—” The shadow seethed with anger. “Did you not just say you’re only in Qi Condensation? Why do you need to know so much? Young people shouldn’t be so ambitious. A steady path is the proper way.”

“Fine. Then tell me, how do I cultivate to the Supreme Stage of Qi Condensation?”

He could easily tell what the shadow was up to. By deliberately withholding information, the shadow hoped to keep him on edge. He was using curiosity and the desire for power to prevent him from acting rashly.

But in truth, Gu Han had every intention to keep his word. With the sword cage restraining him, the shadow could not play any tricks. Besides, keeping him alive made far more sense than killing him given his extraordinary origins.

Seeing Gu Han drop the subject, the shadow secretly sighed in relief.

“The Supreme Stage of Qi Condensation isn’t difficult. Ordinary cultivation involves guiding qi into the body. Once the spirit qi fills the primary meridians, a cultivator reaches the ninth stage. Then they can open their meridians to advance to the next realm. But those who want to reach the Supreme Stage do not open the meridians. Instead, they continue drawing in qi. When the spirit qi within the meridians is compressed to the absolute limit and transforms into spirit liquid, then you’ve succeeded. Think about it.”

His tone was full of temptation.

“When fighting someone in the same realm, your spirit qi is several times more concentrated than theirs. How could they possibly compete? Hehe. Actually, forget the same realm. Your spirit qi reserves might even be several times more than those of an ordinary Meridian Opening cultivator. Without considering divine secret arts, sheer spirit qi alone would allow you to fight them to the death.”

“Several times more?” Gu Han felt a tinge of excitement. If he could truly achieve this, it wouldn’t just solidify the foundation for his future cultivation but also grant him an immense boost in combat power.

He suppressed his emotions and asked again. “And then?”

“That’s it.”

“That’s it? It’s that simple?”

“Hehe, it’s that simple! No need for suspicion. Why would someone of my status deceive an ant like y—Ahem, in any case, just cultivate with confidence. If anything goes wrong, you can always come to me!”

“Okay.” Gu Han nodded. “I’ll trust you this time.”

Since the shadow’s life was in his hands, he had no fear of deception. Now that the matter was settled, he wasted no time lingering. Leaving Ah Sha alone outside made him uneasy.

“Hehe!” As Gu Han departed, the shadow let out a cold chuckle. “As expected of a spring chicken. The method is correct, and it really is the easiest Supreme Stage to achieve. But if you haven’t been using rare spirit herbs to strengthen and expand the meridians, and you don’t have an expert to protect you and ensure your meridians can carry that vast amount of spirit qi... you’d have to be stupid to attempt it. Little kid, just wait to have your body torn apart! When you die, I will finally be free!”

***

Inside the cave, Gu Han slowly opened his eyes.

Ah Sha, who was exhausted beyond measure, had long since fallen into deep sleep. Her delicate eyelashes fluttered slightly, as if she was worried about Gu Han’s safety even in her dreams.

As Gu Han didn’t want to disturb her, he retrieved the storage pouch of the chubby shopkeeper.

Just as he was about to open it, he suddenly sensed that something was off.

“Hmm?”

Someone is nearby!

Before, he would not have been able to detect this so clearly. But after being nourished by the shadow’s soul power, his spirit perception had sharpened considerably.

Now, nothing around the cave could escape his senses. Not even the faint rustling of grass in the wind.

After taking a glance at Ah Sha, who was sleeping soundly, he silently stepped outside.

***

Next to the thick and twisted roots of a one-zhang-thick giant tree, a Gu family guard carefully marked the ground with a secret sign before hiding himself.

The target is confirmed. Gu Han is right ahead! As long as Commander Gu arrives in time, this will be a great merit to claim! But that’s strange. His cultivation was clearly crippled. His meridians were destroyed. How could he possibly... Doubt lingered in his mind.

Suddenly, a blade’s edge gently pressed against his back.

“Who’s there?!” He spun around in alarm, only to be met with Gu Han’s cold and murderous gaze.

“Gu... Gu Han!”

“As expected. I knew you guys wouldn’t give up.” Gu Han pushed his sword an inch deeper. “How long have you been here?”

“Gu Han, I advise you to surrender. Commander Gu is on his way and—AHH!!”

The blade flashed, and an arm fell to the ground.

“I asked, how long?”

“Not... not long...”

“How many of you?”

“T-ten or so...”

Gu Han nodded. “Great! Go wait for them down there.”

The sword flashed again. This time, the head and body separated. This guard was only at the fifth stage of Qi Condensation; killing him was effortless.

Commander Gu!

Gu Han exhaled, feeling a trace of fear. Had his spirit perception not improved, he would never have detected this guard. And Commander Gu was an expert at the eighth stage of Meridian Opening. If he arrived, there would be no chance of victory with Gu Han’s level of cultivation. At that point, all would be lost.

Time! With time, there will be cultivation!

Realizing this, he wasted no time. He quickly packed up and returned to the cave. After getting Ah Sha on his back, he surged forward, heading deeper into the Wild Forest.

In that region, there were Tier 2 demonic beasts roaming around. At the same time, it was also where many rogue cultivators lingered.

***

Not long after Gu Han left, Commander Gu arrived by following the marks left by the guard.

“He just died. It was definitely Gu Han!”

After inspecting the guard’s corpse, Commander Gu left a hidden mark and carefully examined any traces Gu Han had left before swiftly pursuing him.

***

As Gu Han ventured deeper, the forest grew denser. Its canopy was blocking out most of the sunlight. The already dim woods became even more eerie and oppressive.

Along the way, he encountered many people. Some traveled alone, whereas others were in groups of three to five. Most of them were at the Meridian Opening realm or higher. They were rogue cultivators from around Tianwu City.

With his heightened spirit perception, Gu Han naturally sensed the dangerous glints in their eyes.

However, none of them acted recklessly. To kill and plunder, one had to gauge the target’s strength first. Someone like Gu Han, who dared to carry around a young girl while roaming the Wild Forest, was certainly not easy to deal with.

He didn’t know how much time had passed, but soon, there were no other people in sight. The deep green foliage on the ground gradually changed, with streaks of fiery red mixed within.

The further he went, the darker the red became. At the same time, a faint yet intoxicating fragrance drifted from ahead.

“Young master!” Ah Sha stirred groggily. “It’s so warm and it smells so nice...”

Gu Han had already noticed it. Although he had come to the Wild Forest in the past, this situation was something he had never encountered before.

Even an idiot could tell that there was a spirit herb ahead. And judging from the signs, it was extremely rare.

Right now, he desperately needed to increase his cultivation. Aside from a dozen or so essence crystals looted from the chubby shopkeeper and the guards, he had nothing else. There was no way he would let such a treasure slip away after stumbling upon it.

As he slowed his pace, he cautiously made his way toward the source of the fragrance. This place was not hidden. He refused to believe that those rogue cultivators were blind enough to miss these strange changes. The only possible explanation was that it was dangerous. Dangerous enough that no one dared to approach.

As if confirming his suspicions, after walking a bit further, a chill ran down his spine. His heightened perception flared with an urgent warning.

Danger! Run! Or you’ll die!

“Young master, what’s wrong?” Sensing Gu Han’s tension, Ah Sha also grew nervous.

“It’s nothing.”

Gu Han scanned his surroundings and saw no signs of demonic beasts. He gently set her down.

“Rest here for a bit. I will go take a look ahead.”

He understood clearly that to survive, he had to take risks. With Commander Gu hot on his heels, he had no time to gather ordinary spirit herbs. Besides, with so many cultivators lurking nearby, any common herbs had likely been picked clean. There would be nothing left for him.

“Young master...” Seeing the grave look on Gu Han’s face, Ah Sha’s heart clenched with worry.

Gu Han continued forward cautiously. The fragrance grew stronger, and the sense of impending danger within his spirit perception intensified.

Suddenly, Gu Han stopped in his tracks.

A hundred zhang away, there was a strange, pitch-black tree that stood two chi tall with its branches completely bare. At its center, there was a crimson fruit the size of a baby’s fist swaying gently in the breeze, radiating heat and releasing its rich aroma into the air.

Just by inhaling its scent, Gu Han felt a surge of heat rush through his body. Even his spirit qi became more active.

A treasure!

This was undoubtedly an extremely rare treasure. However, he did not act rashly. In fact, he even slowed his breathing.

Because on the tree’s branches, there was a tiny snake only as thick as a thumb and a chi long. Its entire body was fiery red.

The ominous warning of his spirit perception was coming from it. Although this snake looked insignificant, its presence was more terrifying than any Tier 3 demonic beast he had ever encountered.

Tier 4!

This snake was undoubtedly a Tier 4 demonic beast, perhaps even stronger. Gu Han immediately came to a conclusion.

No wonder nobody dares to come here. In fact, there aren’t even demonic beasts around. It’s because this snake’s aura is too oppressive!

At that moment, the tiny snake on the branch suddenly opened its eyes as if sensing his gaze. A pair of icy vertical pupils locked onto him.