Supreme Sword Exalt

Outside the capital, at the edge of the Wild Forest.

Elders Wu and Feng bowed slightly towards the weary-looking Commander Zhou. “We’ve put you through so much trouble. Were there any unusual movements found?”

Commander Zhou’s eyes flickered. “None. Apart from discovering a few Tier 6 demonic beasts, there were no other abnormalities. The martial academy trial should proceed without any major issue.”

Elder Wu sighed. “Having such a variable appear within the Wild Forest... it remains a hidden danger.”

Elder Feng also felt a lingering fear. “That person’s cultivation technique is far too bizarre. In all my years, I’ve never seen such a sinister thing.”

That day, he and the other two had ventured deep into the Wild Forest, and found the culprit behind the demonic beast riot. However, that person was extremely formidable. Even with the three of them joining forces, they could barely force him back, suffering significant injuries themselves.

Of course, to avoid unsettling the people in the capital, very few knew about this matter.

Commander Zhou sneered. “Person? He is deranged, his body surging with demonic energy, how can he be called a person? In my opinion, calling him a demon is about right.”

Elder Wu shook his head. “Enough. Whether he’s a demon or not, that’s for the upper sect to handle. Our duty is to maintain the martial academy’s stability and properly oversee this trial.”

Commander Zhou fell silent for a moment, then asked, “How are things now in the martial academy?”

Upon mentioning this, the two were left speechless. Hmm... Saying it is a complete mess is putting it lightly...

***

At the Martial academy.

The crowd wore expressions of indignation, cursing incessantly.

“Did you manage to borrow some?”

“Borrowed eight thousand, you?”

“I borrowed ten thousand... They’re just a bunch of black-hearted scoundrels! Just borrowing for a few days, and they actually charge us fifty percent interest!”

“It’s all Gu Han’s fault! If it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t have fallen to such a state.”

“Let’s hope he dies in the Wild Forest during this trial!”

Although the martial academy trial was far from a life-or-death situation, it still held considerable danger. They absolutely dared not go unprepared. Left with no choice, they had to mortgage and borrow from various shops in the capital, exchanging for a good number of essence crystals.

Of course, the cost was extremely high. They harbored resentment toward the shops that exploited them—and even greater resentment toward Gu Han.

Not far away, the old janitor seemed completely at ease.

“Hehe. Young people, suffering a bit and learning a lesson isn’t a bad thing. What’s to be feared is suffering a loss, but then having no chance to recover from it...” He touched the worn-out broom beside him, which had barely any bristles left after years of use, his tone somewhat hesitant. “Ah... There’s not many days left now.”

***

Time flew, and five days passed in the blink of an eye. The martial academy trial officially began in earnest.

Within the quiet room, Gu Han slowly opened his eyes. Over the five days, he had practiced almost without rest, going all out, and finally pushed his cultivation to the seventh stage of Acupoint Unsealing. Accordingly, his resources were nearly depleted, reducing him to a pauper once more.

He sighed inwardly, his mind unconsciously pondering ways to make money. Of course, selling cultivation techniques and divine abilities, or taking Ah Sha treasure hunting, these were things he temporarily had no plans to do.

It’s too conspicuous.

Doing it occasionally was acceptable, but doing it too often would be a true path to certain death.

Upon seeing Gu Han exit seclusion, Ah Sha excitedly rushed over. “Young Master!”

The fatty was sarcastic as usual. “Oh? Broken through again?”

Gu Han ignored him and carefully instructed Ah Sha, “Ah Sha, I’m going out for a few days. You train properly here. If anything happens, go find Senior Murong.”

Ah Sha nodded firmly. “Got it.”

Gu Han glanced into the distance. “Chief Steward Li, you’ve been freeloading in my Heaven-class room for quite some time now. Take good care of Ah Sha for me, and I won’t charge you rent.”

Chief Steward Li’s face darkened. You really don’t have shame, do you? It’s not even yours!

Gu Han was somewhat speechless. “Alright. You’re still holding a grudge, aren’t you? Is it necessary? How about I let you punch me when I get back from this trial?”

Chief Steward Li’s eyes lit up. “Really? You said it yourself!”

The fatty waved his hand grandly. “Who are you looking down on?! My Brother Gu is a man of his word! If he says he’ll let us hit him, then he’ll definitely let us hit him...”

Thump!

Before he finished. Gu Han could no longer hold back and punched him, sending him flying.

A moment later, the fatty climbed up as if nothing had happened, glaring fiercely at Gu Han. “Just wait! I’ll remember this grudge!”

Gu Han couldn’t be bothered with him. After giving Ah Sha a few more instructions, he prepared to leave with Jiang Feng.

The fatty’s eyes shifted, suddenly focusing on Ah Sha. “Little Girl, take a closer look, is there still any black qi on me?”

It was the one thing Fatty could never bring himself to let go of. Unfortunately, since that day, Ah Sha had stubbornly refused to say another word about it, leaving him frustrated.

Ah Sha blinked her eyes. “No. I can’t see anything.”

The fatty grew anxious. “Don’t be like that! Take a better look...”

Halfway through his sentence, he was already being forcibly dragged away from the place by Gu Han and Jiang Feng, one on each side.

In the courtyard, only Ah Sha and Chief Steward Li were left, staring at each other.

Ah Sha blinked, taking the initiative to speak. “Chief Steward Li, are you hungry?”

Chief Steward Li’s mouth twitched. “I’m not hungry.”

Ah Sha paid him no more mind, taking out a piece of beast meat from her storage ring and happily munching on it. In an instant, the aroma filled the entire courtyard.

***

Outside, Murong Chuan actually breathed a slight sigh of relief seeing the three figures gradually receding into the distance. Gone! They’re finally gone!

During this period, the consumption for the Heaven-class room had increased significantly, eating up almost one-third of the inn’s annual income. Even he felt a slight pang of heartache.

A black figure suddenly appeared behind him. “Manager, I’ve returned.”

Murong Chuan’s expression turned serious. “How did it go? What were the instructions?”

“The clan didn’t say much, but the founding emperor happened to learn of this matter and instructed you to observe discreetly.”

Murong Chuan sneered inwardly and suddenly smiled again. The founding emperor? Just as I thought! There’s more to Du Teng’s sudden arrival in the capital! What a pity. Man proposes, god disposes. Whatever plans Du Teng has, I’m afraid he won’t be able to accomplish them.

The events at the banquet couldn’t be kept secret for long. Within just a few days, many people in the capital had begun discussing it. The content was of course about that astonishing high-stakes bet, and also the rare incident where Du Teng’s poison pill not only failed to kill anyone, but actually helped someone break through a realm.

Ashamed, Du Teng probably wouldn’t show his face until things quieted down.

***

Traveling along the road, the three quickly left the city and arrived at the trial’s gathering point.

Quite a few people had already arrived here in advance at the outskirts of the Wild Forest. Apart from He Zhong and a few others, the rest of the people glared coldly at Gu Han and the fatty, gnashing their teeth with hatred.

The fatty kept complaining to Gu Han. “Look at this! You bastard, because of you, they’ve come to hate me too!”

Jiang Feng was speechless. Have some shame! Who was all fired up to collect debts that day, huh?

Gu Han rubbed his chin. “Why does it feel like they hate me even more than a few days ago?”

Suddenly, someone abruptly said from behind the three. “Well, of course! They lost their entire fortunes to you, so they had no choice but to borrow from others. The interest starts at a minimum of fifty percent. They don’t just hate you, they probably want to kill you.”

The three gasped sharply not because of the interest, but because the owner of this voice was all too familiar, and sure enough...

The three turned around and saw Mei Yun standing opposite them, brimming with excitement.

The fatty gulped. “Instructor Mei, w-what are you doing here...?”

“Of course I had to come! I’m your instructor. I have to lead you to this trial. The others are here as well. So...” Mei Yun feigned displeasure, before smiling broadly. “Surprised?”

Surprised, my foot! Those words silently floated through the minds of the three.