Daqian Martial Saint

In an underground hall deep within the Canglong Mountain Range.

Flames flickered atop the surrounding stone pillars, casting the hall in shifting light and shadow. An unseen presence enveloped the entire chamber.

”Gu Wu is dead?”

An utterly cold voice echoed through the hall. A dozen people stood respectfully on either side of a high dais, at the top of which sat an old man upon a Jade Chair.

The old man’s cheeks were gaunt and his eye sockets were sunken. His eyes appeared cloudy, yet he emanated an indescribable aura.

This was a Grandmaster! A true, bona fide Grandmaster!

An Elder of the Celestial Net Sect, the Seven Extremes Elder!

”Master, he’s dead! He died at the hands of the Weishui Garrison!” a young man with narrow eyes said, his head lowered. ”And not just Gu Wu. Xing Rongzi is also missing—it’s highly probable he’s dead as well!”

”Who did it?” the cold voice rang out in the hall once more.

”The one who killed Gu Wu was a man from the Weishui Garrison named Chen Ping’an! He’s a prodigy on the Rising Star Chart, though his ranking is low. I never thought he’d be capable of killing Gu Wu! As for Xing Rongzi, we have no leads yet. However, he most likely also died at the hands of the Garrison Commandant’s Office. We just don’t know who was responsible.”

”Find out.”

”Yes, Master.” The young man bowed his head in acceptance. ”I’ll send men to investigate thoroughly at once. I will report back to you the moment we have any news.”

”Gu Wu had inherited the Seven Extremes Soul-Breaking Spear. I intended to take him as my disciple; after observing him several times, I found him quite to my liking. I was just thinking these past few days that I would formally accept him upon his return. I never imagined that instead of welcoming him back, I’d be receiving news of his tragic death.” The Seven Extremes Elder muttered to himself from the Jade Chair, his voice starting low but steadily growing in volume.

”Though I had not yet formally accepted him, in my heart, I already considered him my disciple. That makes him half a junior brother to you all. Now that your junior brother is dead, tell me, should you not avenge him?!”

The Seven Extremes Elder answered his own question, continuing before anyone could reply, ”The bond between disciples is closer than that of blood brothers. Now... who among you will go and avenge your little junior brother?”

The people on either side of the dais listened in silence. When the Seven Extremes Elder finished speaking, seven or eight of them stepped forward.

”Master, I will go.”

”Master, I wish to avenge our junior brother.”

”Master, send me.”

”...”

The voices were a mix of male and female, young and old, but without exception, all belonged to Martial Arts Masters who had entered the Profound Light Realm.

”All of you, such good children!” The Seven Extremes Elder’s gaze swept across them. ”However, I’ve already lost one prospective disciple. I don’t want to hear news of any of you dying as well!”

”Pingjiang, you shall go.”

The Seven Extremes Elder looked to the young man with the narrow eyes standing directly before him.

”Yes, Master,” the young man replied respectfully.

At his words, the other disciples cupped their fists in acknowledgment and returned to their places.

Li Pingjiang was the Seven Extremes Elder’s fifth disciple. He was at Profound Light Middle Realm Perfection, and in terms of combat strength, he ranked among the top three of all his master’s disciples.

In a one-on-one fight, he was powerful enough to contend with an Absolute Master!

With such power, sending him to kill a young prodigy who hadn’t even entered the Profound Light Realm was a guaranteed success.

In his two-hundred-plus years, the Seven Extremes Elder had seen far too many instances of the weak defeating the strong. He had also seen fools handle things indecisively, sending one underling after another to be slaughtered, only to give their opponent opportunities to grow stronger and ultimately cause their own failure.

Even if his target only possessed ordinary Profound Light Battle Power, he wouldn’t just send a slightly stronger Profound Light Initial Realm cultivator to go through the motions. Once he decided on a kill, he would dispatch Li Pingjiang, whose power neared that of an Absolute Master.

He had to ensure it was foolproof.

Once you decide to kill, you must do so with overwhelming force. Crush them with sheer power and resolve the matter cleanly, decisively!

”Remember. You must never be careless! Even if your opponent’s Cultivation is far inferior to your own, you must treat the situation with the utmost caution. Find the opportune moment and kill in a single, decisive strike!” The Seven Extremes Elder’s gaze fell upon Li Pingjiang.

Sensing the gravity in his master’s gaze, Li Pingjiang straightened his posture, cupped his fist, and declared,

”I will heed your teachings, Master. I will not be careless, and I will ensure a flawless execution!”

”Good. Go now.”

”Yes, Master.”

...

At the Five Peaks Mountain Residence, Chen Ping’an remained immersed in the Cultivation of his two Divine Skills.

More than half a month had passed since his deeds were reported to the Weishui Garrison, but the official commendation had yet to arrive.

The Weishui Garrison had replied, stating that they were reporting the matter to the Canglong Province Garrison Command and awaiting a final decision.

Furthermore, the Weishui Garrison had sent a Special Envoy a few days prior to verify Chen Ping’an’s report.

With the facts to back it up, plus corroboration from the Qiankun Bureau, their investigation naturally turned up no issues.

Interestingly, while Chen Ping’an hadn’t received his commendation from the Weishui Garrison, he did receive a recruitment offer from the Qiankun Bureau.

Zhao Zhiteng had paid a personal visit to the Five Peaks Mountain Residence to try and recruit him.

He presented the Qiankun Bureau’s terms with an air of sincerity, offering to induct Chen Ping’an into the Qiankun Bureau with the rank of a One-Seal Qiankun Guard.

’A One-Seal Qiankun Guard?’

Chen Ping’an was both surprised and amused when he heard the offer.

’In the Garrison Commandant’s Office hierarchy, the equivalent rank of a One-Seal Qiankun Guard in the Qiankun Bureau is somewhere between a Commander-in-Chief and a Deputy Commander!’

’Using the rank of One-Seal Qiankun Guard to entice me into the Qiankun Bureau... Are they serious!?’

’My current rank in the Garrison Commandant’s Office is already at the Deputy Commander level. On top of that, I’ve just performed a great service, so the Weishui Garrison is bound to reward me. This offer from the Qiankun Bureau feels like a joke.’

Seeing Chen Ping’an’s surprise, Zhao Zhiteng seemed a little embarrassed. He quickly added that after joining the Qiankun Bureau, they would prioritize fast-tracking him to the rank of a Two-Seal Qiankun Guard.

Furthermore, as a prodigy on the Rising Star Chart, he would be highly valued within the Qiankun Bureau and receive abundant opportunities for advancement! He might even have the chance to be transferred to the Canglong State Qiankun Bureau in the future!

Zhao Zhiteng went on like this, listing many similar benefits.

But Chen Ping’an just listened politely. ’Making empty promises... anyone can do that,’ he thought.

’Putting aside the fact that I have no interest in joining the Qiankun Bureau right now, even if I did, why would I join for nothing but empty words?’

Chen Ping’an politely declined Zhao Zhiteng’s offer. Zhao Zhiteng expressed his regret but respected Chen Ping’an’s decision.

Finally, he stated that the doors of the Qiankun Bureau would always be open to Chen Ping’an, should he change his mind.

Chen Ping’an thanked Zhao Zhiteng for his kind intentions.

The two exchanged some pleasantries and got along quite well. They shared a meal, and after Chen Ping’an saw him off, Zhao Zhiteng departed from the Five Peaks Mountain Residence.

What Chen Ping’an didn’t know was that when Zhao Zhiteng reported his refusal to Cao Yingxiong, it was met with a cold sneer.

”Chen Ping’an? What a short-sighted fool! Turning down the Qiankun Bureau just because the immediate offer isn’t good enough, fixated on such trivial gains? Hmph! Ridiculous! He’ll regret this one day!”

After seeing Zhao Zhiteng off, Chen Ping’an spent another three quiet days at the Five Peaks Mountain Residence. He continued to devote most of his time to the Cultivation of his Divine Skills, and each time he saw his Cultivation Experience increase, he felt a unique sense of satisfaction.

THUD! THUD!...

Amidst the thudding of hooves, the long-overdue commendation and appointment from the Weishui Garrison was finally delivered to the Five Peaks Mountain Residence!