Supreme Sword Exalt

Inside a spacious and bright courtyard...

Gu Han was seemingly pleased with what he saw. “Just as I expected. The heaven-class room is expensive for a reason.”

Ah Sha exhaled deeply, her face filled with intoxication. “Young Master, it feels so good!”

The courtyard’s spirit qi concentration was only five to six times higher than outside, far less than when Gu Han used essence crystals. However, the spirit qi here was extremely pure, almost free of impurities.

While it had little effect on him, it was a dream come true for Ah Sha and ordinary cultivators. What was even more remarkable was the faint medicinal fragrance lingering in the air.

The spirit qi flowed into him, making Gu Han feel invigorated. Not only did it wash away the accumulated from days of travel and battles, even his lingering injuries began to heal slowly. The heaven-class room was truly a treasure trove for cultivation, spirit nourishment, and healing.

Ah Sha’s face lit up with excitement. “Young Master, I feel like I’m about to break through again!”

“That was fast!” Gu Han was surprised. He instinctively patted her head and smiled. “You really are a cultivation genius. It looks like I need to work harder too, or you’ll surpass me in no time. Isn’t that just embarrassing?”

Ah Sha smiled in contentment. “Young Master, once my cultivation gets stronger, I’ll protect you.”

Gu Han was unsure. “Alright...”

The Heavenly Dao moved in mysterious ways—unfathomable and elusive. After all, a bloodline as heaven-defying as the Eye of Shattered Illusions, had such a fatal flaw despite being able to grow to near invincibility. It was hard to say whether this was a blessing or a curse for Ah Sha.

With that in mind, he silently resolved to find enough spirit herbs as soon as his injuries healed, and restore her soul power. He absolutely couldn’t let anything happen to her.

***

Half a day later, outside of the inn...

The crowd of onlookers had long dispersed, and the street had returned to its usual quietness.

Just then, a middle-aged man with a broken sword slowly approached the inn. His face was cold and stern. Over the past few days, he’s interrogated several people who had fled into the city. Finally, he’d ascertained that the one who killed his nephew was a young man with a little girl.

“To think they’ve been hiding here all along!”

The combination of a young man and a little girl was quite easy to spot. After some inquiries, he easily tracked them down. Of course, consumed by his quest for vengeance, he was unaware of the commotion Gu Han had caused earlier.

As he entered the inn, a tall, thin steward approached, bowing apologetically. “Esteemed guest, my apologies, but the inn is fully occupied.”

“I’m not—hm?” The middle-aged man paused. “Who are you? Where’s Steward Song?”

Although he wasn’t close to Song Xing, he was at least acquainted with him.

The steward, Qian Liu, had no intention of explaining the situation, so he merely smiled. “Esteemed guest, I am Qian Liu. From today onward, I am in charge of this inn.”

The man had no interest in further details. “I see. Tell me, did a young man with a little girl stay here?”

A flicker of something passed through Qian Liu’s eyes. “Young man? Little girl? I have no clue.”

Not failing to notice the steward’s reaction, the man’s face darkened. “You clearly do! Where is he?”

Qian Liu’s smile was erased without a trace. “Sir, this is an inn. My duty is to welcome and send off guests. As for who stays here, must I inspect everyone’s identity? If you’re here to gather information, you’ve come to the wrong place.”

“You—! I’m going in to look for myself!”

As he stepped forward, someone’s ruthless cry rang out. “Fuck off!”

With a loud noise, the man was sent flying. He spat out a mouthful of blood before even hitting the ground.

Murong Chuan! The man recognized his attacker right away. Only then did he realize the gravity of his action. He had just caused trouble in Murong family’s territory! Fear and regret flooded his heart as he cursed himself for letting hatred blind him.

Paying no heed to his injuries, he quickly bowed. “Manager Murong, I wasn’t thinking straight. I beg for your forgiveness!”

“You won’t be so lucky next time.”

“Yes, of course! Thank you, Manager Murong! I’ll leave at once!”

The man felt as if he’d been granted pardon. Without delay, he vanished from Qian Liu’s sight.

Qian Liu was puzzled. “Manager, that man seemed to be here to cause trouble for the young brother. Why did you let him go?”

Murong Chuan said, “Simple. This is the Murong family’s territory. If someone causes trouble for our guests, I will intervene. It’s a different matter if it happens outside. I’m not his guard. I can’t act on his behalf in every matter, nor can I kill every one of his enemies. Do you understand?”

“I understand.”

“Later, when you see him, explain this matter clearly. The decision on how to handle it is his.”

“Okay.”

***

At the outer city of the imperial capital, in a secluded corner...

The fatty stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes gleaming darkly. Before him, a young man and his servant stood blankly, as if their souls had been stolen.

The fatty’s face was full of haughtiness. “Remember. From today onward, I am called He Zheng. Got it?”

The young man’s expression twisted. “If you’re He Zheng, then what’s my name?”

The fatty was impatient. “Who cares what your name is! Cat, Dog, Big Fool, Second Fool—there are so many good names to choose from. Hurry up, don’t waste my time! Hand over the Martial Academy pass.”

The young man’s struggle intensified. However, he never fully regained his senses. After a moment’s hesitation, he took out a jade token from his storage bag.

The fat man accepted it gleefully. “This is it! Now scram!”

“Go... where?”

The fatty’s eyes darted around. “Wherever you want! Although the Great Qi is a backwater, it’s big enough for you to wander around for a year or two. Remember, don’t come back until you’ve set foot on every inch of this land. Understood?”

“Yes.”

The master and servant nodded stiffly and stumbled away like zombies.

As the fatty watched them leave, he wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Whew... That was exhausting! Pfft. What lousy human tribulation! I’ve become so weak that even using a simple Soul-Snatching Technique is a struggle!”

He glanced at the jade token in his hand, unimpressed. “Martial Academy? The name sounds grand, but it’s full of small fries. Ah, well... With me here, you mediocre ants better prepare to tremble, wail, and grovel at my feet! Hahaha...”

***

Time flew, and five days passed in a flash. Inside the heaven-class room, Gu Han slowly opened his eyes.

After being nourished by the peculiar spirit qi, not only had his injuries fully healed, he had also broken through the barriers of four more acupoints. Adding on to the previous twenty seven, he now had a total of thirty one, officially entering the second stage of Acupoint Unsealing.

He shook his head. “It’s too slow. It was only four.”

In reality, his cultivation speed far surpassed that of ordinary people. However, compared to his initial breakthroughs, it was indeed much slower.

“The concentration of spirit qi here still isn’t enough.”

For him, the higher the spirit qi concentration, the better. Purity didn’t matter because no matter how impure the spirit qi was, his meridians would purify it completely.

He suppressed his impatience. “Forget it. Haste makes waste. As my father said, cultivation requires patience. Let things take their natural course.”

As he glanced at Ah Sha, he saw that she was still immersed in cultivation. Her aura had grown stronger again, and she was about to reach the fourth stage of Qi Condensation.

He sighed softly and stood up. “That’s so fast.”

With less than two days left before the Martial Academy opened, he had to exchange his large quantity of materials and beast cores for essence crystals. He also wanted to buy some spirit herbs to replenish soul power.

Only one of the Ghost Physician’s pills remained. He didn’t dare gamble on how long it’d last for Ah Sha. Everything had to be prepared in advance.

With this in mind, he quietly lifted the courtyard’s restrictions and left without disturbing her. This time, Murong Chuan didn’t appear, and Qian Liu greeted him instead.

Hearing that Gu Han wanted to sell materials, Qian Liu seemed regretful.

“The Treasure Pavilion is one of the top-tier shops in the imperial capital. The forces behind it are not to be underestimated. It’s a pity the Murong family’s shops for pills and materials are located in other nations. Otherwise, with your status, you could enjoy the greatest discounts.”

Gu Han’s eyes lit up. “Discounts? Are they free too?”

Qian Liu choked and forced a dry laugh. “It’s half price... ahem, half price!”

“I don’t understand! Why not do this profitable business?” Gu Han’s heart ached.

It was the pain of watching countless essence crystals slip through his fingers, powerless to stop it.

“Well...” Qian Liu hesitated. “Due to certain agreements with the upper sect, we can’t interfere in this line of business since the Treasure Pavilion is already here.”

Gu Han’s heart stirred. Could it be that the Treasure Pavilion also has ties to the Yuqing Sect?

It seemed that the Murong family wasn’t the sole dominant force in the Yuqing Sect. They had competitors. He resolved to visit every Murong family shop if he had the chance. Given how poor he was, such a golden opportunity couldn’t be wasted.

As Gu Han prepared to leave, Qian Liu suddenly remembered something and quickly recounted the incident with the middle-aged man.

He warned. “Young Brother, that man... seems hostile. Although Manager Murong injured him, I doubt he’ll let this go. Be extremely careful when you’re outside.”

“Thank you. I’ll be careful.” Gu Han’s heart tightened.

Still, caution aside, he wouldn’t hide in the inn forever. If the man went too far, he wouldn’t hesitate to call on Murong Chuan to teach him a bloody lesson.

***

As Qian Liu watched Gu Han leave, he frowned slightly, as if puzzled.

Murong Chuan’s voice came from behind. “Well? What do you think of that young man?”

Qian Liu quickly bowed. “Manager.”

Glancing at Murong Chuan’s expression, he chose his words carefully. “This young brother seems... ahem, rather ordinary. Why does the young lady hold him in such high regard?”

Murong Chuan neither agreed nor disagreed. “Ordinary? At first, I thought so too. That’s why the young lady’s judgment is better than ours!”

***

The Treasure Pavilion was located on the opposite side of the inner city, as if deliberately keeping its distance from the Murong family’s inn.

Along the way, Gu Han overheard many conversations, and the main topic was none other than him and Liu Tong. Of course, the focus was mostly on Liu Tong. The imperial capital’s residents had long suffered under his tyranny. If not for fear of his background, they would’ve cheered and applauded after learning that he had suffered such a humiliation.

Gu Han grew even more wary. Could it be that the man earlier was sent by Liu Tong?

As he pondered, a middle-aged man blocked his path, dragging a half-dead cultivator. “Stop!”

Damn it! At first glance, Gu Han’s hair stood on end. This man had some resemblance to the young man he had killed days ago. Moreover, despite his sharp senses, he hadn’t noticed the man’s approach. This could only mean that the man’s cultivation far surpassed his own.

At that moment, the dead young man’s words flashed through his mind. His uncle was a Martial Academy instructor! Could it be this man?

Gu Han kept his composure without lowering his guard. “Who are you? Why are you blocking me?”

The middle-aged man glanced at the cultivator in his grip. “Take a closer look! Is it him?”

Earlier, after Murong Chuan’s warning, he hadn’t dared to cause trouble at the inn again. However, he was unwilling to let his nephew’s death go unavenged, so he captured a rogue cultivator and stationed him near the inn to identify Gu Han the moment he left.

The rogue cultivator gasped. “Yes... It’s him...”

Tossing the cultivator aside, the man grinned ferociously, eyes trained on Gu Han. “Good, this is great. You killed my nephew. You’ve got guts!”

Gu Han’s sense of danger grew stronger. “What nephew? I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

Having found his target, the man cut the conversation short. “You’re still playing dumb? Pay with your life!”

He struck out his palm, his aura surging violently. He had far exceeded the Essence Gathering realm.

***

At the same time, in the outer city...

The fatty wandered the streets, grumbling. “What a lousy Martial Academy! Opening on a specific date? Making me wait for days? The sheer audacity! Just wait. Once I overcome this human tribulation and restore my cultivation, the first thing I’ll do is tear this place down!”

As he walked, a commotion erupted in the distance.

“Something’s happened!”

“What is it?”

“Instructor Yu of the Martial Academy is chasing a young man up ahead!”

“Huh... Instructor Yu?! That’s a Spirit Profound realm expert! Who dared to offend him?”

“Let’s go see!”

“Right, hurry!”

The fatty, who had nothing better to do, perked up. “Oh? A spectacle? Perfect! I love a good show.”

With speed belying his size, he dashed toward the source of the excitement, leaving the crowd far behind.