The neighboring province was too far away.
Having grown up traveling at most as far as Cross-Cut Gorge, Li Hao only wanted to go home at this moment.
Though Silver City was small, it still held a touch of warmth.
After his childhood friend had died, his teacher had kept him company. Now that his teacher was gone, Li Hao was not entirely lonely either; at least he had gotten to know the members of the Demon Hunt Squad, and from the captain on down, they were all good people.
The beat-up little car finally entered the boundaries of Silver City.
As always, the small city was peaceful.
Without Li Hao and without Yuan Shuo, very few people would ever disturb this border town; if an ordinary Lunar Nether came, they likely would not be able to leave alive either.
By the time they returned to Silver City, the sky was completely bright, nearly midday.
Silver City had no city walls and was not built of ancient architecture; open on all four sides, it could be entered at will.
Having just returned from the ruins, coming back to Silver City still felt slightly disorienting.
It was as if stepping into the shops along the streets might trap a person inside forever.
The little car drove straight toward the Inspectorate.
When the vehicle pulled up to the Inspectorate, the first person they saw was not a squad member, but Mu Sen.
It was hard to tell whether the Inspectorate Chief had been waiting specifically for them or had just bumped into them by chance.
Seeing Liu Long and the others get out of the car, Mu Sen glanced over them and smiled. "You're back!"
Liu Long nodded slightly.
Toward this fat man, he was neither warm nor cold, treating him like a mere passerby.
Mu Sen, on the other hand, was full of warmth. Looking at Li Hao, he chuckled and said, "Deputy Minister Li, I heard you're heading to White Moon City in a few days? Congratulations!"
His information was truly swift.
It had only happened last night, and when Hou Xiaochen said it, very few people knew about it. Yet this man had obtained the news in advance; he truly had not been Chief of the Inspectorate for nothing.
"I'm just going over to be a bystander. Being Chief is far more comfortable!"
Li Hao chuckled as well, glancing at Mu Sen. Before advancing to Thousand-Combatant, he had not been able to discern much.
Now that he had advanced to Thousand-Combatant and had even begun nourishing his spirit, Li Hao could vaguely perceive something.
This man... possessed momentum!
At the very least, he was at the Hundred-Breaker culmination. As for whether he was a Thousand-Combatant, that remained unclear for now.
Seeing Li Hao looking at him, Mu Sen chuckled. "Minister Li, no need to stare. We'll all be on the same side from now on, so there's not much point scrutinizing back and forth. Allow me to reintroduce myself: I am Mu Sen, a member of the Silver Moon Martial Guard. Pardon my humble station!"
"..."
Li Hao looked utterly bewildered.
The Martial Guard?
He had only heard of the Heavenly Star Martial Guard—the official agency that wiped out the pugilistic world back then—and Hou Xiaochen was said to have been one of its three commanders.
Now, Chief Mu suddenly brought this up, mentioning some Silver Moon Martial Guard... Li Hao was completely baffled.
Liu Long frowned as well, watching him without a word.
Mu Sen chuckled. "Don't ask—there's no need to ask much. Once you reach White Moon City, you'll naturally understand. To be valued by Minister Hou is naturally a good thing. You're both martial masters, and going forward we're all our own people. The strength of the Silver Moon martial world is known throughout the dynasty. Over the past twenty years, could the Silver Moon martial world truly have been wiped out?"
He laughed and added, "Besides, you two went to those ruins as well... You should know the Night Patrollers obtained a batch of battle armors. Once you enter the Martial Guard, you'll naturally learn about this."
Li Hao smiled and nodded, not asking further.
In reality, he had a rough idea.
Within the Night Patrollers, there might be another organization... or rather, a structure left behind from the former Heavenly Star Martial Guard, likely a force comprised of martial masters, and the person in control was almost certainly Hou Xiaochen.
Supers joined the Night Patrollers; martial masters joined the Martial Guard.
Everyone said the Night Patrollers did not recruit martial masters back then, but in reality, perhaps those who did not advance to supers simply stayed in the Martial Guard.
To think that Mu Sen was one of them...
Come to think of it, being at least at the Hundred-Breaker culmination, it was only natural for him to be a member.
Still... for him to speak of it so openly, was he certain that Li Hao and Liu Long would both join?
Yet Wang Ming was still right here!
Wang Ming looked utterly speechless as well: *Do I know too much?*
Mu Sen seemed to notice, but he did not care much, smiling. "The matter of the ruins is already public knowledge, and Minister Hou's background has practically been dug up. With the armors gone, plus the slaying of the Red Moon Rising Light expert... the Martial Guard likely won't stay hidden any longer. In fact, there's no need to hide anymore.
"Besides, it isn't overly powerful. It's just similar to the imperial family's Black Armor Army—not very numerous, still not exceeding a thousand men to this day. For Silver Moon, it's not weak, but to the dynasty as a whole, it's merely a tiny guard unit!"
Liu Long could not help but say, "Did you wait here just to say this?"
Mu Sen smiled. "Not entirely. Saying hello and giving a brief introduction was part of it. Secondly, Old Liu, you've reached Thousand-Combatant. You never mentioned it before, leaving us in the dark. If we'd known earlier that you stepped into Thousand-Combatant, wouldn't we have shared a few drinks and chatted..."
"I don't drink!"
Liu Long replied coldly, "Spit it out!"
Mu Sen laughed. "You really have a bad temper!"
Mu Sen chuckled, entirely unabashed, and got straight to the point: "Here's the thing. There aren't many people in the Martial Guard, and even fewer Thousand-Combatants. Of course, there are some, just very few... Old Liu, now that you're a Thousand-Combatant, they might not let you stay in Silver City. Your duties might be different from mine, and you might have to take up a post in White Moon City too..."
Liu Long frowned. "I'm not leaving!"
He wanted to guard Silver City!
Mu Sen smiled. "It's not my call. Besides, before you were only worried Silver City would be attacked, but now, everyone's eyes are no longer on Silver City—they're all on White Moon City! What's more, the Night Patrollers here aren't weak, and the members of your squad are all around. If you go to White Moon City, you can fight for more opportunities and resources..."
Having said that, he added, "With your current temperament and habits, you're becoming just like Minister Hou. Minister Hou is about to be branded a rebel... Are you going to follow his example?"
"..."
Liu Long was rendered speechless. Put that way, it really seemed somewhat similar.
The central authorities ordered Hou Xiaochen to transfer out, but Hou Xiaochen refused to go.
If White Moon City transferred him away now and he refused to go... would he declare Silver City's independence?
Mu Sen laughed and continued, "Alright, it's not set in stone yet. I'm just giving you a heads-up. There aren't many people in the Martial Guard and few Thousand-Combatants. If you enter, you might... no, in all likelihood you'll serve as a centurion! If you become a centurion, pay my elder brother a visit. He has something he wants to discuss with you..."
"Your elder brother?"
"Yeah, the deputy of the Martial Guard. He barely managed to step into Thousand-Combatant as well..."
Mu Sen chuckled. "It's not about forming factions, don't worry. With so few people, what's the point of factionalism? Besides, we all eat from the same pot. He probably just has other matters to talk over with you. There are no taboos here—would I really harm you?"
"Heh!"
Liu Long gave a cold sneer. That was hard to say.
Still, he noted it down and brushed it off, "We'll see. Besides, it's not confirmed that I'm leaving. Silver City is my root!"
"Suit yourself!"
Mu Sen did not mind. He had just wanted to give an early heads-up and do a favor by sharing some information.
Li Hao, however, was somewhat curious and smiled faintly. "Chief, what does the Martial Guard primarily do? Is it the same as back then, arresting and executing rogue martial masters?"
With the Night Patrollers already in place, setting up a separate Martial Guard... surely they did not just maintain it without putting it to work?
"You'll know once you're in."
Mu Sen smiled. "Telling you now is pointless anyway. Minister Li, keep it up, work hard. In a couple of years, I believe you'll be a centurion too. If your teacher comes back... I reckon the position of Commander of the Martial Guard will be his!"
Li Hao smiled. "Teacher probably has no interest..."
Be commander?
He would not even deign to be an honored elder!
Of course, because he owed a favor and had not fulfilled what he promised Hou Xiaochen, his teacher would most likely still help out.
But this so-called Martial Guard... his teacher probably detested it.
After all, back then the Heavenly Star Martial Guard had an unsavory reputation, and martial artists despised it.
Li Hao did not care either way; whether it was the Martial Guard or the Night Patrollers, it made no difference.
Hou Xiaochen creating the Martial Guard suggested he might have long harbored intentions of breaking away from the system.
Whatever!
Mu Sen said nothing more. Exchanging a few pleasantries, he strode away.
...
Once he left, Liu Long frowned. "Don't listen to that fat man's nonsense; none of it is reliable! Your going to White Moon City is probably unavoidable, but as for me... I'll refuse as much as possible. I don't want to go there!"
He was still unwilling to go.
Li Hao said nothing. If Liu Long did not go, it was actually quite good.
Silver City... Li Hao could not just abandon it forever.
The Eight Trigrams, stone door, bloodline, Red Moon...
Silver City held far too many secrets waiting for him to unearth!
How could he give up on Silver City? Going to White Moon City was only to lay low for a while; once the storm passed, he would definitely return.
With Liu Long remaining in Silver City, he could also help keep watch over the ruins.
Liu Long knew about that place too.
...
The trio walked into the Law Enforcement Building.
The Law Enforcement Building was eerily quiet.
With Li Hao and the others away, few people were left, and without assignments, almost all of them were currently cultivating in the basement, making the building exceptionally tranquil.
Liu Yan probably had not returned; traveling back alone might not be safe.
She had most likely accompanied the Night Patrollers to White Moon City. They had not seen her earlier probably because she was too weak and had evacuated in advance.
Without going upstairs, the three headed straight for the basement.
...
Sure enough, everyone was here.
Including Li Meng and Hu Hao, both were in the basement at the moment.
When Liu Long pushed open the door and entered, the others were alert at first, then overjoyed!
"Boss is back!"
"Minister is back!"
"..."
Several people hurried forward in excitement, but after looking for a moment and failing to see Liu Yan... their expressions instantly darkened.
Liu Long smiled. "Liu Yan is alive. She went to White Moon City, while we returned first."
At these words, everyone rejoiced once more.
As long as she was alive!
The bonds within the Demon Hunt Squad were strong. Li Hao was the latest addition, whereas the others had worked together through life and death for several years; none of them wanted to see a comrade die.
From the back of the basement, Yun Yao emerged, still wearing her glasses.
Seeing them, she did not look much at Li Hao or Liu Long, but cast a glance at Wang Ming, her expression shifting slightly. *Solar Radiance?*
So fast!
Before leaving, blabbermouth though Wang Ming was, he had not had the chance to boast about reaching Solar Radiance, since they had left directly from Yuan Shuo's house that day; after breaking through to Solar Radiance, he had gone straight into closed-door cultivation at the Yuan residence.
"Captain Liu, Xiao Hao..."
Yun Yao greeted them as well. Hearing that Liu Yan had gone to White Moon City, she said nothing, remaining very quiet.
Liu Long nodded slightly.
Seeing Yun Yao, he smiled and said, "Going to the ruins this time, we gathered plenty of water-element mysterious energy. I'll share some with you later..."
"No need!"
Yun Yao declined, "We didn't go. Distribution should be based on contribution. Without any merit, taking your mysterious energy isn't right."
Liu Long said no more. The squad members were sometimes desperate for mysterious energy, yet at other times they were deeply principled; without putting in the effort, they were reluctant to take others' belongings.
Liu Yan had only taken the Blood God Seed from Li Hao out of her burning desire for revenge; otherwise, she would not have dared accept it.
Just then, Hu Hao suddenly asked, "Minister Wang... Solar Radiance?"
Only now did Wang Ming seem to feel acknowledged, immediately beaming with joy. "That's right, advanced to Solar Radiance!"
"Really?"
Li Meng's face filled with shock and utter disbelief. "So fast?"
Wang Ming laughed loudly. "It's alright, pretty average. Only early Solar Radiance. Middle stage will probably take a few more days—the boost this time wasn't that big."
Was that something a human being would say?
Li Hao glanced at him. The guy had acted so meek before him and the boss, and now he was getting cocky again.
Still... Solar Radiance was indeed worthy of envy for Li Meng and the rest.
Wang Ming had finally found a chance to show off. He had taken quite a beating before—both Li Hao and Liu Long had reached Thousand-Combatant and possessed greater combat strength than him, giving him no opportunity or face to brag. Now, facing two Lunar Nethers, he began boasting with all his might!
Next came this fellow's showtime.
He recounted the events in the ruins with thrilling drama, and everyone listened intently, looks of horror flashing across their faces from time to time.
Black Armors, each with peak Lunar Nether strength, capable even of killing Solar Radiances.
Bronze Armors, Solar Radiance powerhouses.
Silver Armors, capable of slaying Three Suns.
And finally, the Golden Armor...
The fellow at least had some restraint and did not mention killing Zhang Ting, so Li Hao and Liu Long did not bother to intervene.
Unwilling to listen to any more of this, Li Hao stood up and headed straight for the lounge in the back.
He planned to refine the mysterious energy right here.
His teacher was not home, or else going to his teacher's house would have been safer. Still, here was pretty good too. Liu Long and Wang Ming had not seemed particularly strong in the ruins, but in truth, Solar Radiance was still the pinnacle of combat strength in Silver Moon.
Moreover, with a large batch of powerhouses dead this time, a vacuum had even emerged among Silver Moon's supers.
If not for many experts arriving from the Central Region and others rushing over from neighboring provinces upon hearing the wind, Solar Radiances could practically walk unchallenged now.
...
In the lounge.
It was very quiet.
The soundproofing was quite good.
Li Hao considered his options and decided to absorb earth energy and metal energy first, as he had absorbed the least of these two energies.
Mysterious energy emanated as Li Hao began absorbing it.
Purifying it with sword energy, the sword energy within the small sword was still sufficient for now.
Time slipped by bit by bit.
As Li Hao absorbed earth energy, his spleen began to strengthen.
Pure earth elemental energy continuously reinforced his spleen, and along with it, the Heavy Earth Sword inside was strengthened somewhat. The chains grew more powerful, firmly binding the Heavy Earth Sword!
The more it was like this, the harder it would be for the spirit to break out!
Yet this, in truth, reflected the depth of his foundation.
This time, Li Hao had also made up his mind: all five viscera had to be strengthened to 1,000 cubic meters. If energy was lacking, he would absorb and replenish it with divine energy stones, refusing to leave until his five viscera reached balance.
Three days was tight, but he had promised Hou Xiaochen... so he had to go.
After all, that man was far too terrifying.
Of course, there was another reason: the giant Red Shadow of the Rising Light realm!
Hou Xiaochen had said he would give it to him to consume, but then had not, claiming he was not strong enough and might not be able to digest it... Li Hao was still sorely tempted; a Rising Light giant Red Shadow would surely be immensely nourishing!
In fact, he preferred bringing it back to Silver City to consume.
The previous times he saw the Eight Trigrams had all happened because of eating Red Shadows, which stimulated his bloodline. Red Shadows might have a bloodline-stimulating effect, but that required very powerful Red Shadows.
The first time he saw it was after devouring a peak Solar Radiance Red Shadow... back when Li Hao was still weak.
The second time was after eating a Solar Radiance Blood God Seed, stimulating his bloodline once more.
And that second time had yielded tremendous gains for Li Hao.
He had witnessed that sword strike!
Now that he had comprehended sword momentum, Li Hao felt that if he could see it once more and witness that sword strike again, he might gain different insights, perhaps comprehending even more and potentially grasping other forms of sword momentum.
Pondering these matters, Li Hao did not delay absorbing and converting mysterious energy.
Currently, not only was he strengthening his internal organs, but he was also diligently practicing the Nine Refinements Force. Up to now, he could only stack six layers. Although fast, it was still far behind Liu Long's nine layers.
The Five Animals Art, Nine Refinements Force, and Shadowless Sword—Li Hao did not intend to give up any of these three secret arts.
It was just that at this stage, he had too much to do and too many directions in which to advance, so for the moment he did not have as much leisure to study them slowly as before.
In the lounge, waves of energy were absorbed by him.
Due to his cultivation, mysterious energy leaked out, permeating the entire basement. Seeing this, the others stopped chatting and seized the opportunity, each beginning to cultivate.
Once mysterious energy leaked, if it was not absorbed promptly, it would soon dissipate into the air.
Both Liu Long and Wang Ming had made gains; seeing Li Hao being so diligent, neither wasted time, each going into closed-door cultivation to digest their spoils from the ruins.
...
Meanwhile.
White Moon City.
As a night passed, the news about Hou Xiaochen had completely spread.
South City, Night Patrollers Headquarters.
The Night Patrollers entering and leaving today were somewhat tense, yet beneath the tension lay pride and dignity; clearly, the earlier events had spread among them as well.
Their own boss had slain a legendary top expert with a single spear strike—it was simply unbelievable.
Yet precisely because of this, everyone throughout the Night Patrollers revered him even more.
Of course, this also signified danger.
Because Hou Xiaochen had killed an elder-level figure of Red Moon, and Purple Moon had fled, would Red Moon send more people?
If they came, what strength would they possess?
Among the Seven Moons, Purple Moon was the weakest; the other six were anything but weak, and Ying Hongyue was terrifyingly strong.
Under such circumstances, it was inevitable for everyone to feel nervous. In the headquarters' small building—a modest structure not particularly tall—
Hao Lianchuan was calculating the accounts, tallying the gains and losses of this expedition to the ruins, as well as compiling and distributing the spoils of war, casualties, and military merits.
While he was still writing, the door was pushed open.
Only a few people on the Night Patrollers' side dared to push the door open directly. Hou Xiaochen claimed he was healing in seclusion, so clearly, the only person arriving at this moment was Chief Steward Yu.
Hao Lianchuan knew without looking. Glancing up, he said with a headache, "Something else?"
When Chief Secretary Yu came here, it was rarely good news.
If there were good news, she would have gone straight to Hou Xiaochen.
A faint smile appeared on Chief Steward Yu's face, vanishing almost immediately as she said, "There is. Someone from the General Administration Directorate came, hoping to talk—a four-party summit! Us, the Inspectorate, the garrison, and the General Administration Directorate... The Minister is healing, so only you can go negotiate."
"..."
Hao Lianchuan was speechless. *Me?*
*What use is my going!*
*Could I possibly make decisions?*
Then, Chief Steward Yu continued, "Furthermore, many outsiders have arrived recently, and Silver Moon has become turbulent again. Although large-scale attacks are few, some supers and martial masters are frequently striking, often causing casualties... There are certain experts who require your intervention.
"Additionally, a group of martial masters has gathered in White Moon City, hoping to see Yuan Shuo. If they can't see Yuan Shuo, then they want to see Li Hao!
"Including several Central Region organizations and aristocratic families—even the Nine Departments—people have arrived from all sides, wishing to see Li Hao to discuss the Blood God Seeds and the secret of Spirit Nourishing."
Hao Lianchuan felt his head ready to explode!
"Is there more?"
"Yes!"
Chief Steward Yu smiled faintly again, though it faded quickly. "On the garrison's side, the Tiger Wing Army wants to transfer Li Hao over..."
"Bullshit!"
He could not make decisions on other things, but on this he could. He refused outright, "Tell Hu Dingfang to go wash up and sleep!"
Having said that, he chuckled and added, "Does that fellow Hu Dingfang want to ask about Spirit Nourishing too?"
"He didn't mention it; hard to say."
Chief Steward Yu said calmly, "Besides, is Li Hao guaranteed to know? Also, Chen Yuhua went to Cross-Cut Gorge earlier... She might not be ignorant of the Spirit Nourishing secret, so in all likelihood, it isn't for that."
Chen Yuhua went to Cross-Cut Gorge?
Hao Lianchuan pondered for a moment and did not pursue it. Yuan Shuo might really have met this disciple. Still, who cared? Whether they met or not, he could not be bothered to care.
Having refused directly, he did not mention it further, grumbling with a headache, "There are so many matters, yet Minister Hou hasn't given any specific guidelines. This is really tough for me to handle."
"When Minister Hou entered seclusion, he said... you may do as you please!"
As I please?
What did that mean?
Chief Steward Yu put it bluntly: "Whether you agree or refuse, it doesn't really matter. If it turns out well, the Minister will take credit! If it turns out badly, you take the blame. At worst, you get stripped of your post—could they kill a Three Suns expert like you? Therefore... do as you please!"
*Fuck!*
Hao Lianchuan really wanted to curse. He understood.
Old Hou actually had this in mind—he was truly... shameless.
Either way, when the time came, it would all be what Hao Lianchuan had agreed to; what would it have to do with Hou Xiaochen?
With a dark expression, he said no more on the matter, then paused and added, "Right, I forgot to mention: Li Hao said earlier that we need to fulfill the conditions we promised him as soon as possible! Five thousand cubic meters of mysterious energy."
"Oh, the Minister mentioned this. The mysterious energy is gone, so these past few days he has been compressing that Blood God Seed to settle the account. A Rising Light Blood God Seed is worth far more than a mere five thousand cubic meters of mysterious energy... Right now, countless experts are trying to buy Blood God Seeds. Li Hao shouldn't have any objections."
Fine then!
Hao Lianchuan could only say that Old Hou was indeed crafty and scheming. He had probably intended to give the item to Li Hao originally, but using it now to offset the debt... Li Hao would not have anything to say.
As for how Li Hao would choose...
Putting himself in Li Hao's shoes, he would most likely choose the Rising Light Blood God Seed. This thing was genuinely not cheap; in fact, it could not even be bought.
Across all of Red Moon, there might not be many Blood God Seeds at the Rising Light level.
Mysterious energy was relatively easy to obtain if one knew how, but for a Blood God Seed, missing it this time meant there might not be another chance.
Having finished with this topic, Hao Lianchuan asked, "Has no one come from headquarters?"
A faint hint of mockery crossed Chief Steward Yu's expression before vanishing. "Whether they've come or not, wouldn't you know? However, they might not show up today. Tomorrow, or by tomorrow at the latest, they should come over. Just receive them!"
*Me again?*
Hao Lianchuan felt like weeping. He really did not want to take on this wretched chore.
Having finished most of what she had to say, Chief Steward Yu was about to leave when she remembered something, turning back to add, "The Minister said: a slap followed by a sweet date. The Three Great Organizations, including other large organizations, the Nine Departments, and even the imperial family... may all participate in exploring the ruins from now on!
"However, numbers will be limited; not just anyone can enter. One divine energy stone per person entering... Just release this news!"
Holy crap, truly ruthless!
Hao Lianchuan grumbled inwardly: *The Minister plans to turn the ruins into a business?*
One stone per person—if two hundred people went, like before... wouldn't that be two hundred stones?
The ruins were hardly safe.
As for that Golden Warrior, if its memories revived at a critical moment just like the Silver Warrior's... Rising Light?
That was far from certain!
Of course, many had witnessed the Silver Warrior's revival, and the Three Great Organizations likely knew, but others did not. When the time came, if they were not prepared, they might suffer devastating losses.
"Understood!"
Hao Lianchuan sighed. So much damned trouble.
The pressing priority was still the four-party summit. That was the key: only by resolving internal matters first could they deal with the outside world; otherwise, things would be difficult to handle.
The military and the Inspectorate posed little problem.
Old Zhao over at the General Administration Directorate was an obstinate fellow, somewhat hard to deal with. What's more, if he had ties with higher-ups this time, it would be even more troublesome.
Tapping lightly on the desk, Hao Lianchuan pondered for a moment before suddenly chuckling at an unknown thought.
A moment later, he picked up the communicator and dialed a number.
"Patch through to Silver City. Tell Li Hao to set off for White Moon City as soon as possible."
Li Hao!
At this moment, he thought of Li Hao.
Of course, Li Hao's own strength was modest, his status ordinary, and his renown negligible. But he had a powerful teacher who was a Spirit Nourishing martial master. If Li Hao came to White Moon City quickly, Hao Lianchuan had a matter he could use the boy's help with.
Had he known earlier, he would not have let the kid go back, but brought him straight along instead.
...
Silver City.
Li Hao was still devouring mysterious energy when he suddenly felt vaguely uneasy.
A mishap in his cultivation?
Surely not!
Paying it little heed—it was only a slight anomaly—he continued absorbing.
By now, twenty-four hours had passed since he entered closed-door cultivation.
Continuous absorption gave him a bursting sensation.
All five viscera were rapidly strengthening.
By now, the five viscera had finally reached a balance, each having absorbed roughly eight hundred cubic meters.
However, his sword momentum had not strengthened much.
Momentum was difficult to strengthen purely through absorbing energy. It depended primarily on combat and the strength of the enemies encountered. Slaying the weak brought virtually no improvement; only by dueling strong foes could one hope to advance further.
Within the small sword, the sword energy was heavily depleted and had grown somewhat faint.
Li Hao sighed and crushed another divine energy stone. What a waste! The sword had already absorbed three divine energy stones; if this continued, he truly would not be able to afford keeping it fed. But right now, he needed to convert far too much mysterious energy, leaving him no choice but to use them so wastefully.
Picking and choosing, the small sword absorbed some energy and converted it into sword energy, while Li Hao did not waste the remainder, absorbing it himself to cultivate.
With the spleen strengthened and the five viscera balanced,
Li Hao observed carefully: inside his spleen, the Earth Sword had stabilized significantly. Even if some turmoil occurred, his spleen would no longer tear. This showed that his five viscera were now sufficient to support an eruption of the Earth Sword.
Before this, erupting once would damage Li Hao's five viscera; if that continued, he would end up like Hou Xiaochen—coughing up blood and wheezing for a while after every exertion.
Thinking of this, Li Hao fell into deep thought.
Exertion, coughing, vomiting blood...
Damage to the five viscera often manifested like that.
Hou Xiaochen... suffered internal organ damage?
If he was not faking it, that was genuinely possible. Internal visceral damage was the most troublesome. Without sword energy, such damage would be an exceptionally difficult injury for Li Hao to heal as well.
"White Moon City... is the center of the storm right now!"
"Once I go there, I must keep a low profile."
Thinking this over, Li Hao still felt his strength was insufficient.
Even if all reached the 1,000-cubic-meter level and the Earth Sword manifested, he would at best reach early Three Suns standard. Of course, if he could unleash his momentum, he might be stronger, and if the Blood Saber Art could erupt... he might be a bit stronger still.
Yet it still was not enough!
Spirit Nourishing!
Nourishing just one spirit was still too weak.
The urgent priority, after strengthening the five viscera, was to consider nourishing a second spirit. With sword momentum as the overarching foundation, nourishing the Five Elements Swords would be best.
"The Earth Sword has manifested, so that leaves the four swords of metal, wood, water, and fire!"
No matter what momentum was nourished, as long as it generally carried an attribute, it could ultimately be tempered slowly and merged into sword momentum.
Yet Li Hao had only mastered earth momentum by chance; he did not know much about comprehending other momentums.
As of now, one could say he had fused two momentums, though Li Hao viewed them as a single momentum.
Furthermore, after stepping into Thousand-Combatant, comprehending momentum was theoretically even harder because spirit intent had formed; at that stage, one's existing momentum would hinder the comprehension of other momentums.
"Water momentum—I have some thoughts on that. Practicing the Nine Refinements Force to the peak and contemplating it in the manner of ocean waves would yield water momentum... Honing the Shadowless Sword to the peak might also allow me to comprehend a form of sword momentum..."
He thought of secret arts; comprehending momentum was often tied to secret arts.
Without mastery of secret arts, comprehension was exceedingly difficult.
"The Five Animals Art is what I cultivate most, and my very foundation... What I practiced longest is the Ape Art. The Heart Fire Ape is also a form of fire momentum..."
Of course, if he cultivated it, that Heart Fire Ape would not be an ape, but a sword!
Cultivating while thinking,
Li Hao considered many things and continually refined his ideas. The path beyond Thousand-Combatant had to be forged by martial masters themselves.
Furthermore, Southern Fist had mentioned exchanging blood three times to strengthen bones and sinews... That was also a method to bolster oneself.
Perhaps he could ask for guidance this time.
Every veteran Thousand-Combatant martial master, even if unable to find the path to the next stage, shared commonalities at the Thousand-Combatant realm: strengthening blood and qi, strengthening the body, strengthening the five viscera... In fact, everyone worked on strengthening the five viscera.
It was just that when it came to fusing momentum, locking momentum, and nourishing momentum, those people lacked experience and dared not attempt it rashly.
...
The evening of September 2nd.
On the second day after returning to Silver City, Li Hao shattered six divine energy stones, converting them into sword energy and continuously absorbing them until late at night, when he accomplished his set goal!
The mysterious energy absorbed by each of his five viscera reached around 1,000 cubic meters this time, consuming a total of 5,000 cubic meters of mysterious energy!
It was an astronomical figure... yet Li Hao did not feel it was wasted.
Counting the one consumed previously, seven divine energy stones had been used.
Li Hao had only eighteen left—in truth, only twelve physical stones, as a few were larger and had been counted as multiples.
His gains from the ruins were largely spent.
As for how much his strength had grown, he himself was not certain.
Without fighting in battle, who could say how much stronger he had become?
...
The morning of September 3rd.
Li Hao walked out of the lounge.
Having taken a bath and changed into clean clothes, he felt refreshed.
Around his neck hung a new pendant: the chain that once held the Starry Sky Sword now held a bronze mirror. Not very large, it was obtained from Qiao Feilong and possessed the effect of concealing one's aura.
Martial masters generally did not reveal themselves easily.
Yet once a martial master entered Thousand-Combatant, while ordinary people could not sense it, fellow Thousand-Combatant martial masters could easily detect each other's momentum!
No one had detected Li Hao's momentum precisely because he wore this object.
At first, Li Hao had not paid it much mind.
Now that he was encountering more Thousand-Combatant martial masters, Li Hao dared not go without it. Otherwise, strong martial masters like Southern Fist could easily sense changes in him; in fact, veteran martial masters like Hong Yitang, even after becoming supers, had vaguely sensed something earlier.
Li Hao suspected this bronze mirror had been obtained from the stone door. Seemingly simple, it was likely extraordinary, providing exceptional aura-concealing effects. Moreover... this bronze mirror might not even have awakened yet; perhaps it was an Origin God Armament that was merely sealed.
He thought this because Zhang Ting's Shadow Snake Sword also possessed aura-concealing effects similar to the mirror, yet the bronze mirror did not require blood-binding or recognition to effortlessly veil his aura.
In Li Hao's view, it might be even more remarkable than that Shadow Snake Sword.
Wearing the bronze mirror pendant and with the Earth-Overturning Sword at his waist, Li Hao used special straps to secure the Starry Sky Sword against the inside of his boot.
On his hand, he wore the energy storage ring gifted by Feitian.
Only right now, it was completely empty.
Not wanting to flaunt his wealth, Li Hao swallowed the remaining divine energy stones into his stomach. At the Thousand-Combatant stage, a martial master's stomach could serve as a storage ring, though it could not hold much.
Twelve marble-sized stones were not too large.
It was just that regurgitating them whenever he needed them was somewhat disgusting. Li Hao longed to obtain a proper storage treasure; as his treasures multiplied, he was running out of places to stash them.
"Li Hao!"
Just as Li Hao finished tidying up and stepped out, Liu Long, having donned his trench coat once more, walked over swiftly and said in a low voice, "Come upstairs for a moment. Southern Fist has been lingering at the entrance refusing to leave—it's quite troublesome! Also, are you setting off for White Moon City today or tomorrow? You've never been there. I thought it over: I won't escort you, but I'll have Wang Ming drive you over.
"He's familiar with the place, and the Wang family holds some influence there. With him by your side, he can help out so you won't be completely in the dark. In addition, Liu Yan is there... let's have her stay there for now and not return."
Liu Long said quickly, "Every brave hero needs help. Liu Yan isn't extraordinarily strong, but as a late Hundred-Breaker, she can handle things. Certain tasks always require manpower, and only trusted people can do them. White Moon City isn't Silver City; it's full of perils and traps... She can run errands for you, which will be useful."
Li Hao did not know whether to laugh or cry at his words. "Boss, I'm just going there to take up an assignment, and maybe I'll be back in a few days. Why does it sound like I'm braving a mountain of blades and a sea of flames?"
Liu Long sneered, "You think White Moon City will be peaceful right now? Besides, that ruin can open again next month. Once these people arrive, they won't leave easily. Right now, White Moon City must be bustling like mad!
"Are you... someone with a temperament that gives people peace of mind?"
Li Hao was speechless. "Boss, I never stir up trouble! I even have commemorative banners! Who doesn't know my reputation in Silver City? Helpful, hardworking, diligent—go ask in the Confidential Records Office. Who doesn't say that I, Li Hao, am an honest, upright man?"
What did he mean, not having a temperament that gives people peace of mind?
What an injustice!
At the mention of banners, Liu Long was also at a loss for words. After a pause, he said, "Since you know, then keep being honest! I know your wings have grown strong and your strength has grown, but think about it: can you withstand that spear strike from Minister Hou? If you can't, keep a low profile!
"As for Silver City, I'm here, so don't worry. Unless a Three Suns arrives—and even if one does, it's not as though we're completely helpless."
At this point, he lowered his voice: "Over at the mine, do we need to take precautions?"
Li Hao shook his head. "No need. Just let nature take its course."
Even if someone discovered it, it would be impossible to open.
Having said that, Li Hao smiled. "Then I'll go home, pack a few clothes, and check on Teacher's place to see if there's anything I should take. If nothing comes up, I'll set out tonight and arrive in White Moon City tomorrow morning."
Then he added with a grin, "With Southern Fist around to travel with me, I gain an extra bodyguard, which isn't bad. I'll take him with me!"
Liu Long nodded and warned in a low voice, "Be careful. Southern Fist... might not be a simple brute! Also, once in White Moon City, don't trust others too readily. A big figure like Hou Xiaochen doesn't have the leisure to look after you out of pure goodwill; it's mostly mutual exploitation and mutual benefit. Your teacher, yourself, and your bloodline as one of the Eight Great Families are the prerequisites for him protecting and grooming you!
"Don't take it the wrong way..."
Li Hao smiled. "Boss, I understand this! Others aren't my father, so why should they care for me? Teacher cares for me because I'm his student, his final disciple, with a bond like father and son. You care for me because I'm your teammate; we guard Silver City together and fight side by side, like brothers. As for White Moon City, I don't know anyone and am unfamiliar with everyone—who would care for me for no reason?"
Liu Long smiled and patted his shoulder.
Li Hao had this great virtue: he saw things with crystal clarity.
It was good that he understood; otherwise, Liu Long worried he might rely too much on Hou Xiaochen, which would inevitably spell disaster sooner or later.
"Boss, I'll head out first. By the way, while I'm away, I won't be able to extract that energy for you... Just absorb whatever you like and push forward recklessly—as long as you don't get yourselves killed. Once I'm back, I'll help heal your injuries!"
With him gone, these people could only absorb mysterious energy or divine energy stones to strengthen themselves, both of which caused harm.
Still, that did not matter; once Li Hao returned, his sword energy could patch them up.
He added, "Don't be stingy with the divine energy stones... Raising your strength is what matters most. Hoarding them might just turn them into someone else's spoils of war in the end!"
"You think I don't understand that better than you?"
Liu Long chuckled and nodded. "Don't worry!"
"Boss, I'm heading out then. When I leave... I won't come back to say goodbye!"
Li Hao waved his hand and let out a breath. He would return, and he did not want to bid farewell to everyone else; he'd treat it as a routine business trip.
Waving to Liu Long once more, Li Hao strode out of the basement.
Only after he left did Yun Yao and the others emerge from the back.
Chen Jian said somewhat disheartenedly, "Li Hao is leaving, Captain Liu Yan is gone, and Minister Wang has to go along too... Boss, our squad is having fewer and fewer people."
Liu Long was completely calm. "What's the rush? They'll be back sooner or later! Silver City is the true core of Silver Moon. The right path for you all is to cultivate diligently. Nowadays, without reaching Thousand-Combatant... no, without reaching Spirit Nourishing or Three Suns, it's hard to even get by!"
He did not look at Li Hao's retreating back; he was certain Li Hao would return.
Yuan Shuo too!
Silver City held far too many buried secrets.
Even just for the ruins in the mine, neither master nor disciple would ever give it up.
Chapter 106