A Mask of Pain

Li Hao stumbled back to his quarters. Without even stopping to see Liu Long and the others, he collapsed onto his bed and fell fast asleep. He slept exceptionally soundly. He even had a dream—a wonderful dream. He dreamed of the past, of secretly barbecuing in Zhang Yuan's backyard. The savory aroma had smelled so incredible that Li Hao was nearly drooling in his sleep. In the dream, Li Hao took a closer look. Good heavens—what they were grilling were actually red shadows! Fried until crisp and crunchy! He devoured one red shadow in each bite, savoring every mouthful. After gorging himself, fiery light burst from his pores, making him think he had caught fire. Only upon looking closer did he realize his blood qi had grown so dense that it was radiating crimson light. …… Li Hao woke up. He woke up stuffed. In his dream, he and Zhang Yuan had eaten countless red shadows—grilled, stewed, fried... Prepared in whatever way tasted best. By the end, Li Hao was so stuffed he couldn't take another bite, and that was what woke him. Opening his eyes, Li Hao genuinely felt bloated. He stared blankly. *Did eating red shadows in a dream actually do something?* He felt his inner force had grown noticeably. Looking closer at his surroundings, he was struck speechless. The little sword lay dimly beside him. Its sword energy had been drained dry. Li Hao looked up at the ceiling, speechless for a long time. Now he understood. In his sleep, he must have subconsciously circulated the Five Animals Breathing Art. He wasn't stuffed from food; he was bloated from gorging on sword energy! Every bit of sword energy in the little sword had been sucked into him. Because his body had been injured, it demanded an influx of energy to heal. And so, he had absorbed the sword energy. Li Hao wore a look of utter exasperation. *Here I thought I could genuinely kill people and devour red shadows in my dreams. Turns out I was just consuming my own stash, and now the sword energy is gone again.* Still, the injury on his arm had fully healed. Even the internal injuries he had sustained from unleashing that sword strike were completely gone. "Fated to bleed money!" Li Hao shook his head with a sigh. *Forget it, consider it my treat in the dream. Yuan ate half of it anyway. In the past, I never had money to treat him to meals, but today I bought him a feast. He should be quite satisfied.* *See? I really am generous.* With that thought, a smile returned to Li Hao's face. Sensing his physical condition, his inner force was indeed stronger than before, his blood qi more vigorous, his meridians broadened, and his bones sturdier. Much of the gloom in his chest had dissipated. He retrieved three divine energy stones and crushed them. The Fire Phoenix Spear twitched, seemingly eager to absorb the energy. Instead, Li Hao picked up the little sword and circulated the Five Animals Breathing Art. The little sword began absorbing the energy somewhat begrudgingly, which immediately caused the Fire Phoenix Spear beside it to behave. If it didn't, the starving little sword might very well snack on a phoenix leg. The three divine energy stones restored a measure of sword energy to the little sword. Li Hao checked the five remaining divine energy stones in his storage ring and grimaced. Money vanished too quickly. He had possessed so many divine energy stones before, yet how long had it been? If he hadn't seized some in battle, he would have run dry long ago. Were all these ancient civilization weapons gluttons? Sensing his physical body once more, Li Hao's attention soon settled on his lungs. Something strange seemed to have appeared in the region of his lungs. Li Hao examined it closely. Calling it momentum didn't seem entirely accurate, but if it wasn't momentum, what was it? He had unleashed that single sword strike earlier in an ultimate burst. Li Hao believed that by executing that strike, he had successfully grasped momentum—his third momentum, the Metal Sword momentum. Yet right now, the thing in his lungs didn't feel completely like momentum. Manifesting his spirit intent, Li Hao quietly observed it. A moment later, an odd look flickered in his eyes. It ought to count as momentum. However, his earth momentum took the form of a mountain, and his fire momentum took the form of a tiger. He had assumed his Metal Sword momentum would resemble a phoenix or a bird; after all, it had evolved from the Bird Art, so manifesting as a bird would have been entirely natural. Yet that was not the case. Looking closer, it was simply a dot. Yes, a dot about the size of a small sphere. Just like a marble. "A sphere? Or a dot?" Li Hao was utterly baffled. Why had the Metal Sword momentum assumed this form? This didn't make sense. Momentum was tied to secret arts and personal comprehension. Whether viewed through the art or his understanding, the Metal Sword momentum shouldn't just be a dot. Li Hao frowned. Had it failed to condense properly? Or was it merely an embryonic comprehension, too weak, resulting in this state? He pondered for a moment and decided to test it. Inch by inch, he guided the tiny dot into his lungs—to lock the momentum! Li Hao prepared to lock his third momentum. When the Metal Sword momentum entered his lungs, it remained very quiet and seemed quite frail. Li Hao found it strange. He had felt the Metal Sword momentum wouldn't be weak, yet whether it was the great mountain or the fierce tiger, both had thrashed violently when entering the internal organs to be locked. The Metal Sword momentum, however, didn't struggle at all. *Whatever, let's try it.* A thick chain manifested within Li Hao's lungs—the supernatural lock. The supernatural lock coiled toward the small sphere. In the past, the tiger and the mountain would resist, but this time, the sphere was so quiet it made Li Hao slightly uneasy, allowing the chain to draw near without resistance. Just as Li Hao felt a twinge of apprehension... All of a sudden, a point of light exploded within his lungs. The burst was so blindingly fast that even Li Hao failed to react in time. The next instant, a crisp, resounding clang echoed through his mind. *Pfft!* His freshly healed body was instantly battered and mangled by the collision. Li Hao repeatedly coughed up blood, his face turning pale. By then, the burst of light had vanished. Yet Li Hao's expression shifted drastically! Within his spirit intent, a tremendous change had occurred in his lungs. The tiny golden speck of light had returned to its original state, completely quiet and motionless. However, a visible crack had appeared upon the massive chain of the supernatural lock. Li Hao's face turned green! In that split second, he hastily reeled in the supernatural lock, hid it away, and shifted the tiny golden dot out of his lungs. His expression was filled with lingering dread and shock. *Holy shit!* *An ultimate burst!* This thing had played dirty! An instantaneous explosion that nearly severed his supernatural lock. If the supernatural lock in his lungs were severed... the consequences would be unimaginable. Li Hao would instantly become a supernatural—a metal-element supernatural at that. Yet... was that the outcome he wanted? He had worked so hard to reach this point, grasping three momentums and opening a smooth path along the martial dao. If his supernatural lock broke, he might swiftly become a powerhouse among supernaturals... But was that what he sought? Fear lingered in Li Hao's heart. Sensing inward, the supernatural lock in his lungs had indeed sustained damage, bearing a visible fracture. Faint traces of energy seemed to be leaking out, beginning to alter his lungs. Li Hao didn't dare be careless. This was not a good thing. At least not right now. The supernatural locks would likely be broken sooner or later, but not today. They existed to seal latent potential; once broken, one would either become a supernatural or fully unleash one's innate potential. Li Hao had not yet reached that stage. He hurriedly infused his inner force into his lungs. Not only that, he quickly crushed another divine energy stone and began absorbing its energy. Although his metal-element stones were gone, divine energy stones still had the effect of strengthening the entire body. He rapidly directed all of this inner force, blood qi, and energy toward his lungs for nourishment. Li Hao was utterly astonished! His lungs, which had absorbed a thousand cubes of metal energy, couldn't even contain the dot formed by this Metal Sword momentum. "Metal Sword momentum... a dot... bursting forth from a single point in an instantaneous, ultimate explosion whose force exceeds even the fiery tiger momentum." At this moment, Li Hao gained a deeper understanding of this newly emerged momentum. This was what he had comprehended. Ultimate explosive power! Harmless on the surface, its momentary burst was the strongest among the three momentums, even though he had only just grasped it. "Devious as hell!" Li Hao clicked his tongue in amazement. If his supernatural lock had been just a little weaker, disaster would have struck. Yet if this continued, his lungs wouldn't be able to contain the thing. He either had to further temper his internal organs and lungs, or allow the Metal Sword momentum to exist separately, temporarily unable to be locked. And being unable to lock it meant it wouldn't obediently merge with the fiery tiger momentum and Earth Sword momentum into the unified sword momentum summary; it could only fight alone. "Even lungs reinforced with a thousand cubes can't hold you?" Li Hao sensed the tiny dot residing in his spirit intent. He had thought the tiger momentum was already domineering and formidable, yet the instantaneous burst of the Metal Sword momentum surpassed even the tiger momentum. "It's powerful, all right... but it practically ruins the user!" Li Hao sighed helplessly, caught between pain and joy. He loved that the momentum was powerful. Yet if it was so strong his lungs couldn't hold it, that created a whole new problem. As things stood, the tempering of his five internal organs had reached a balance. It wasn't that he couldn't strengthen them further; procuring some mysterious energy wasn't out of the question for Li Hao. However, if his internal organs grew too strong, the surging blood qi would require his physical body and bones to be reinforced just to keep pace. Doing that would demand a massive amount of sword energy. Refining mysterious energy also required sword energy. In short, the bottom line was... he was running out of money. He had previously traded with the Night Patrollers for twelve hundred cubes of wind and thunder energy, which he still hadn't absorbed. Right now, having just consumed another divine energy stone, only four remained. Add to that the three stones the little sword had just absorbed... Even if he absorbed them all, it was only the equivalent of seven stones. Converted into sword energy, it really wasn't that much—barely enough to allow Li Hao to refine all the mysterious energy. The little sword ate money, his body ate money... It was draining him so fast that even a wealthy man like Li Hao could hardly bear it. With a sigh, Li Hao temporarily abandoned the thought of reinforcing his internal organs. The Metal Sword momentum couldn't be merged yet. His body simply couldn't take it! Still, he could absorb the wind and thunder energy first to temper his bones and physical frame. Otherwise, as his internal organs and momentum grew stronger, his body would become his weakest link. Though his inner force was continuously nourishing him, that was a slow process. To see immediate results... he still had to rely on sword energy. He glanced out the window; the sky was pitch-black. Checking the clock, it was past three in the morning. It was probably after three-thirty AM. At this hour, it wasn't convenient to look for anyone else. Li Hao put it out of his mind, took out the energy-storage ring, and prepared to absorb the wind and thunder energy first. The three divine energy stones the little sword had absorbed likely wouldn't be enough, but hopefully, he could complete the absorption before running through the remaining stones. Only when his physical body was strong enough could he strengthen his internal organs. Right now, his organs clearly outpaced his physical frame. Having weak organs wouldn't do; they couldn't sustain his power. Having overly strong organs wouldn't work either; the burden on the physical body was too great. It all came down to balance. Otherwise, he would either end up a consumptive invalid coughing all day, or a frail scholar whose body was so brittle that the slightest mishap would cause his surging blood qi to tear him apart. Li Hao resumed his cultivation. The joy of grasping a new momentum was tucked away. Although the emergence of the Metal Sword momentum had increased his strength, the boost wasn't dramatic. The crucial issue was that it hadn't yet been incorporated into the unified sword momentum summary, preventing him from nourishing his spirit. In the end, he was simply too poor. He didn't have enough money. In truth, his gains had been substantial—he possessed plenty of divine energy stones and mysterious energy—yet none of it could withstand his frantic pace of advancement and ravenous absorption. Throughout the night, Li Hao continuously absorbed the wind and thunder energy, beginning to temper his physical frame. Previously, whenever he used his body as a sword, it frequently fractured. That was proof his body wasn't strong enough to bear the momentum. Now that he had grown stronger, if he dared use his body as a sword haphazardly again, the damage would go far beyond torn flesh. Strengthening his body and bones was an absolute necessity. …… Dawn broke. Li Hao was still absorbing thunder energy. His bones cracked and popped as arcing thunder energy enveloped them, quenching the bone structure. Li Hao sat enveloped in lightning. After a long time, the lightning dissipated. Li Hao opened his eyes and took stock of himself. His body and bones were considerably stronger, yet... he let out a heavy sigh, feeling utterly helpless. He had absorbed a full twelve hundred cubes of wind and thunder energy. And the divine energy stones consumed far exceeded three. Three hadn't been enough! During the latter half of the night, he had crushed two more stones. By now, only two divine energy stones remained in his possession, and the little sword's energy was completely spent. Li Hao looked at the two remaining stones: one of darkness and one of light. Originally, he had wanted to absorb them himself to see their effects... Now, he gave up on that idea. Without a sliver of sword energy inside the little sword, he couldn't feel at ease. Sword energy was his greatest safeguard. "Earning money is meant for spending. Spending it to make myself stronger, then earning more—that's a healthy cycle." Li Hao comforted himself. Putting further thoughts aside, he crushed the final two divine energy stones and fed them to the little sword. With that, his divine energy stones were thoroughly exhausted, and the mysterious energy in his hands was completely spent. Yet none of it had gone to waste. At such a heavy cost, Li Hao had gained the comprehension of a third momentum, strengthened his physical frame and bones, and elevated his strength once more. Next, he could perhaps temper his internal organs a bit further. He needed to integrate the Metal Sword momentum into his organs as soon as possible. Once the three momentums merged, Li Hao felt that within the Three Suns realm, he would reach a pinnacle—at the very least, he wouldn't be weaker than that Huang Jie he had faced before. Only by then would he truly surpass the level his teacher had displayed when battling Brow-Height Staff. Back then, his teacher had fused two momentums. As for Li Hao, once he completed the fusion of three momentums, he estimated he might be slightly stronger than his teacher, though only by a slim margin. The true outcome would depend on actual combat, as his teacher possessed far more combat experience. "When Teacher left, it was the twenty-seventh... and today is September thirteenth..." Li Hao felt a momentary daze; it felt like a lifetime ago. Yet in reality, only sixteen days had passed. Sixteen days ago, his teacher was a supreme existence. Sixteen days later, if his teacher hadn't made further progress recently... Li Hao felt he might actually be able to arm-wrestle with him. "In sixteen days, could Teacher have completed the spirit-nourishing for a third momentum? His internal organs weren't that strong, but I heard he killed plenty of Red Moon members to reinforce them. If he had enough Blood God Seeds, maybe... Teacher has already completed the fusion of a third momentum." Yuan Shuo's fusion process wasn't so complicated. Once his internal organs were strong enough, he simply crammed the momentum in directly—no need for deep contemplation or trial and error; he just shoved it in. Therefore, with enough Blood God Seeds, let alone a third momentum, a fourth or fifth was entirely possible. The fleeting thought of challenging his master vanished instantly. Most likely... he still couldn't beat his teacher. Unless he could complete the fusion of all five momentums faster than his teacher. Standing up, he felt slightly unaccustomed to his enhanced body. Before long, however, Li Hao finished adapting. His spirit intent was immense; with three momentums practically manifesting as four, Li Hao's spirit intent grew stronger by the day. Strong spirit intent meant strong mental power, so the lingering disparity with his physical body caused no serious awkwardness. Normal martial masters strengthened the body first, then spirit intent. Li Hao had done the reverse. His spirit intent grew increasingly formidable! At this moment, if he unleashed his full spirit intent without restraint, an ordinary Thousand-Battler might not even be able to withstand it. Stepping out of the building, the morning sun shone brightly. From far outside the quarters, the rhythmic shouts of martial masters drifted over. Drills had begun once more. Li Hao was in high spirits, and the thought that the captain should have arrived made him feel even better. What a wonderful day! Before he could look for Liu Long, before he had even stepped through the gate, a figure flickered and appeared at the doorway. Chief Steward Yu wore a frosty expression. Evidently, she had arrived quite early. "Where is the Fire Phoenix Spear?" Li Hao bared his teeth in a grin. *So stingy. It's not like I wasn't going to return it.* He extended a hand, and a long spear materialized. He casually tossed it toward Chief Steward Yu. He had seen all there was to see; the Fire Phoenix Spear was of no use to him now. Aside from being formidable on its own, it offered no other benefits, so Li Hao couldn't be bothered to keep it. Chief Steward Yu caught it with one hand, her eyes flickering slightly. She looked at Li Hao. "You seem... to have changed again. Did you activate the Fire Phoenix Spear?" Minister Hou had placed a seal upon this weapon. How could he have activated it? "Nope!" Li Hao lied through his teeth. Chief Steward Yu furrowed her brow but said nothing more; it was enough that the Fire Phoenix Spear had returned intact. She looked at Li Hao again and said coldly, "I heard you've been cultivating day and night without pause. The path of cultivation requires a balance of tension and relaxation; bitter cultivation alone is not a virtue." Li Hao nodded in agreement. "The chief steward is quite right. That's why, starting today, I won't cultivate." Chief Steward Yu offered no further lecture, merely eyeing Li Hao a few times. He seemed to be in a good mood. It appeared he had indeed gained a great deal. The lingering gloom between his brows seemed to have melted away. "I'll take my leave then. Also, do not wander around recklessly lately. A large number of Red Moon experts have flooded into Silver Moon to resist the joint encirclement of the Four Great Organizations. Red Moon experts from across the nineteen northern provinces are converging here... Hao Lianchuan was injured last night, and the Night Patrollers suffered some losses. All four organizations took hits. The various factions are currently deliberating whether to abandon the previous plan and call off the encirclement..." "You are a thorn in Red Moon's side... so be careful. Red Moon wouldn't dare enter White Moon City." Li Hao's eyes flickered. "A large number of Red Moon experts have arrived?" "Indeed!" Chief Steward Yu nodded, then frowned slightly. "In truth, the Four Great Organizations haven't killed many Red Moon experts. However, certain individuals acted in secret. The earlier matter with the Blood God Seeds drew considerable attention. The ones who truly forced Red Moon to concentrate their forces in Silver Moon weren't us." In reality, the Four Great Organizations had limited strength, and even those with powerhouses mostly kept them concealed. Thus, their impact on Red Moon hadn't been that severe. They had killed some supernaturals below Three Suns, but as for the Three Suns realm... though several from Red Moon had vanished, it had little to do with the Night Patrollers. Hao Lianchuan himself was only at mid Three Suns; killing Three Suns experts was hardly easy. If it were merely the Four Great Organizations conducting an encirclement, Lanyue wouldn't necessarily have made such a decision. Yet this time, who hadn't taken a shot at them? The Silver Moon martial arts world, martial masters from all directions, and even Yama and Feitian had secretly struck from the shadows. That was the primary reason Lanyue had staked everything, furiously mobilizing countless experts to assemble in Silver Moon. "Are there many Red Moon experts across the nineteen northern provinces?" "Many." Chief Steward Yu maintained her cool tone. "Even if only thirty to fifty people come from each province, that's nearly a thousand supernaturals. Red Moon's members start at the Lunar Nether realm, with many in Solar Radiance. Even if each province sends only two or three Three Suns experts, that's still dozens! It's said that a Rising Light might have snuck in as well... The northern three provinces originally had a Rising Light stationed there, but those provinces are in complete chaos right now, so the intelligence department deduces that a Rising Light might also come... Try your best not to leave the city!" "Understood!" Li Hao nodded with a solemn expression. Rising Light! Someone he couldn't afford to provoke! Never mind that his three momentums had yet to fuse; even if they were fused, he couldn't defeat a Rising Light. Li Hao knew his limits. With three momentums fused, he could fight a peak Three Suns and even harbor hopes of killing one... Against a Rising Light, however, he wouldn't stand a chance. When he had fought Huang Jie, a peak Three Suns, he had used two fused momentums combined with the Blood Saber Art, yet they had only fought to a draw—in fact, he had been slightly at a disadvantage. If Hao Lianchuan hadn't appeared, he might not have taken Huang Jie down. So hearing that a Rising Light might have arrived... Li Hao grew tense. He had to be careful! They were beyond his reach! Of course, why fear being unable to provoke them? He wasn't particularly afraid of Red Moon people; if they encountered him, their primary objective was to capture him alive, so their killing intent wasn't absolute. That was why Li Hao wasn't terrified. But if it were a Rising Light from Feitian or Yama... Li Hao would genuinely be scared to death. Chief Steward Yu was merely giving him a reminder. Li Hao was no child and had his own ideas, so she said no more and turned to leave. Li Hao considered for a moment before speaking up: "Chief Steward, if I wanted to lead people to ambush and kill Ziyue... what would you think?" Chief Steward Yu's footsteps halted. She turned back to look at Li Hao, her gaze icy. "Do not test me again and again with such pointless questions. I left Red Moon many years ago; your affairs do not interest me. When I departed, Red Moon was still an organization operating in the shadows. As for the current Ziyue... I am not familiar with her. Black Spider hasn't spoken to me in years either. Are you satisfied?" Li Hao quickly offered a smiling apology. "Satisfied, completely satisfied. Don't misunderstand, Chief Steward, I was just afraid of hurting one of our own." Chief Steward Yu took a few steps, paused, and turned to look at Li Hao once more. "Furthermore, you had best abandon such ideas! The current Ziyue is very likely Ying Hongyue's daughter... Whether that's true, I am not entirely certain, but Black Spider has a peculiar temperament. An ordinary man could hardly convince her to bear his child..." "Ying Hongyue has an appetite for that?" Li Hao was taken aback. Chief Steward Yu suddenly let out a faint chuckle. "Ying Hongyue... is quite an interesting man. Saying he has a hearty appetite isn't entirely wrong. Not long ago, your teacher killed one of his sons, but Ying Hongyue has a house full of children and grandchildren. If he doesn't have a hundred sons and daughters, he has at least eighty... Still, Ziyue might be quite valued, unlike the useless son who was killed." *A breeding stallion!* Li Hao sucked in a breath, only now learning that Ying Hongyue had so many damn descendants. Nearly a hundred sons and daughters? With grandchildren and great-grandchildren added in, hadn't he practically spawned an entire organization of a thousand people all by himself? *Holy hell!* People were always talking about Ying Hongyue, but only now did Li Hao learn that the man was an old degenerate. "Understood!" Li Hao nodded, secretly delighted. Ying Hongyue's daughter? Even better! Threatening or killing her would feel so much more satisfying. Killing an unappreciated child wouldn't necessarily bother Ying Hongyue—like the early Three Suns son his teacher had slain—but if Ziyue were killed, Ying Hongyue might fly into a murderous rage. Chief Steward Yu frowned slightly, unsure what Li Hao was thinking or what he claimed to have understood. *Whatever!* Soon, Chief Steward Yu vanished from Li Hao's sight. She had only come to retrieve the Fire Phoenix Spear, after all. …… A short while later. Li Hao met Liu Long and the others, his face finally breaking into a cheerful smile. "Boss, Sister Yan, Brother Chao, Brother Jian..." Beaming, Li Hao stepped forward and opened his arms... Liu Long wasn't quite used to such displays and was just about to embrace him when Li Hao sidestepped him entirely and hugged Liu Yan. Liu Long stood frozen in bewilderment. Liu Yan laughed coquettishly. "Why so affectionate all of a sudden?" Li Hao let go after a brief contact and laughed aloud. "It's been so long since I saw you, Sister Yan, and you look even prettier! If I'd known, I would have visited a few days ago. Did seeing the boss put you in such a great mood?" "..." Liu Yan rolled her eyes, too amused to indulge him. Liu Long ignored the banter, looked at Li Hao, and said in a deep voice, "You've been cultivating these past few days. Did you make progress again?" "It's alright!" Li Hao said cheerfully, "Just so-so. I've only made it this far; I might not even be as strong as my teacher..." What kind of talk was that? Liu Long felt a surge of stifled frustration. What did he mean, *not necessarily as strong as your teacher*? When his teacher left, he had slain Brow-Height Staff, a powerhouse comparable to a peak Three Suns! Did Li Hao mean... he had hopes of killing a peak Three Suns now? "It's great that you're here, Boss. I actually need your help with something. Let's go together." "Do what?" "Go see Wang Henggang and have him spare a few men. I want to see if he has any Iron Cloth experts who can join my squad. They can team up with Brother Jian to form a defense unit. Paired with the black armor... hehe, not even a Solar Radiance could breach them, and Three Suns would be left dumbfounded!" "Wang Henggang?" Liu Long frowned. "Are you familiar with him?" "Not at all, but you are, Boss." Liu Long was speechless. He was indeed very familiar with the man; Wang Henggang had stayed in Silver City for many years. However, Liu Long frowned and said, "Though I know him well, we had a falling out years ago. Back then, he insisted on leaving Silver City, whereas I chose to return, which led to some unpleasantness." "No problem! Enmities are better resolved than sustained, Boss. Does he have men under him?" "He certainly does." Liu Long explained, "That fellow is an Iron Cloth expert. Years ago, he reached the Hundred-Breaker culmination and was a well-known martial master in the region. When he left, he took a number of martial powerhouses from the Inspectorate with him, which was precisely why the Inspectorate grew weaker and weaker. That's why I've always held a grudge against him..." "Then let's go meet him. By the way, he's currently a late or even peak Three Suns expert now, Boss. Let's be polite." "Hmm?" Liu Long was startled, then nodded without another word. A peak Three Suns? Wang Henggang? Such advancement could only be called meteoric. But thinking about it, when the man crossed over into supernatural power years ago, he was likely already at Solar Radiance. Reaching Three Suns after several years was only natural, given that a martial master's latent potential was never weak to begin with. Still, a peak Three Suns was somewhat beyond his expectations. "Sister Yan, you guys chat with the folks from the Sword Sect for a bit. The boss and I will be back shortly!" "Alright!" …… Li Hao and Liu Long quickly left the Martial Guard Army compound. This time, they didn't walk; Li Hao had asked Mu Lin for a car to drive. The Martial Guard Army couldn't possibly lack vehicles, and Mu Lin had been generous enough to lend his personal ride to Li Hao. Inside the car. Liu Long drove. Li Hao had wanted to drive, but Liu Long refused to let him. In truth, Li Hao felt the boss was looking down on him. Sure, he had struggled to control the vehicle during his first drive, but with his current formidable strength, combined with the fact that it wasn't his first time behind the wheel, the boss's lack of confidence in him felt a bit unwarranted. Liu Long ignored Li Hao and spoke as he drove: "Wang Henggang is a Silver City native, around my age. During his tenure as chief of the Inspectorate, he actually did a decent job. You know how the public security in Silver City was during those years... After he left, I formed the Demon Hunting Squad. Before that, Wang Henggang and I guarded Silver City together, and ordinary supernaturals didn't dare run wild." "The two of us joined the Night Patrollers at the same time, but he successfully advanced while I failed... After advancing, he was unwilling to leave White Moon City. My grievance with him wasn't that he refused to return to Silver City, but that I suggested opening a branch in Silver City with him as the minister, where we would serve under him. With him being at Solar Radiance back then, having him around would have kept trouble to a minimum." "Four years ago, Solar Radiance was among the supreme tier of supernaturals in Silver Moon. Across the entire Night Patroller system, there weren't many Solar Radiance experts at the time, yet he refused..." Li Hao nodded and said, "Everyone has their own ambitions. None of that matters now. As long as he has men, he just needs to lend me a few martial masters." Liu Long considered it and nodded. "If his veteran martial masters are still around, I might know them all. Back then, he took over a dozen Ten-Slayers and one Hundred-Breaker with him. I don't know whether they've advanced to supernaturals by now or continued along the path of martial masters." Those people had been the bedrock of the Silver City Inspectorate, only to be swept away in one go. Li Hao thought for a moment and added, "Could it be that he knew something—like Mu Sen being quite strong, and knowing Mu Sen was going to Silver City, so he felt it would be fine...?" Li Hao made excuses for Wang Henggang because he had seen the man once before. That dark egg of a man had given him a fairly good impression. Of course, one couldn't judge a heart by a face. From Liu Long's perspective, the man had taken away the Inspectorate's powerhouses and left Silver City's defenses at their weakest, which was naturally grating. Liu Long wasn't that angry anymore and murmured, "It doesn't matter now. Besides, looking back, him taking those people away... was actually a good thing! Otherwise, if they had stayed in Silver City, what would they have had? After several years, they would have remained the same, making no progress whatsoever. Wu Chao and the others stayed with me, unwilling to leave, and you saw how they were. If not for your support, they would still just be Ten-Slayers!" He sighed and shook his head. "So him taking them away might have granted everyone broader prospects. I can't truly blame him; it's just that a knot remained in my heart, that's all." As they spoke, the car drove straight toward the White Moon City Inspectorate. Not the provincial headquarters. White Moon City had its own separate Inspectorate branch, though its presence was so faint that ordinary people barely even knew White Moon City had a municipal branch of its own. …… White Moon City Inspectorate. Wang Henggang was busy at work. With Red Moon experts pouring into Silver Moon in droves, he, as the chief of the White Moon City Inspectorate, was swamped with duties, having to guard against Red Moon powerhouses assaulting the city. Amidst his work, his communicator rang. He answered, and a subordinate's voice came through: "Chief, there are people downstairs requesting to see you. They are a City Inspecting Commissioner and an Inspecting Commissioner from the Night Patrollers..." *The Night Patrollers?* He was momentarily stunned. He had little involvement with the Night Patrollers, so why would anyone come to see him? A City Inspecting Commissioner was at least at the Solar Radiance level. "What are their names?" "One is surnamed Liu... said he came from Silver City..." In an instant, Wang Henggang fell into a daze, his mind drifting to Liu Long—that stubborn fellow. Over three years ago, he had chosen to come to White Moon City, while that guy had remained in Silver City. Over three years ago, their relationship had been excellent. One was the Inspectorate chief, the other the law enforcement captain. The entirety of Silver City had been under their control; public security had been pristine, and their years of cooperation had been exceptionally pleasant. What a pity... He exhaled gently. "Have them come up... never mind, take them to the reception room. I'll head down." "Chief..." "That will be all!" Wang Henggang stood up, hesitating for a moment before walking downstairs. Liu Long had come to find him? To pick a fight? To curse at him? To find fault? Or to persuade him to return to Silver City? In any case, this fellow hadn't visited in years. Coming to his door today didn't feel like a peaceful visit. …… Inside the reception room. Li Hao appeared entirely calm, while Liu Long sat in silence. "Boss, relax. If it turns out unpleasant, we'll beat him up and leave!" "..." Liu Long glanced at him, utterly speechless. This was the White Moon City Inspectorate! You plan on beating up their chief right here? Besides, you said yourself that he's a peak Three Suns. Aren't you getting a little too cocky?! Just as he was thinking this, footsteps approached. They were rather heavy. Evidently made deliberate. A moment later, the door was pushed open. The dark egg appeared. Wang Henggang saw Li Hao and only then realized the second visitor was him. He said nothing about it, glancing at Liu Long with a smile. "Old Liu... it's been a while." Liu Long shot him a glance and nodded. "A few years." "Drink tonight?" "No, on official duty. Busy." "Then..." Both men ignored Li Hao, though Li Hao didn't mind. Liu Long took the initiative: "No need for pleasantries, and no need to be polite... You know of the Martial Guard Army?" "..." Wang Henggang was at a loss for words, but still nodded. "I do." "The Martial Guard Army has formed a new hundred-man unit and is short on hands. Do you have suitable people on your end?" "I do." Wang Henggang nodded. "The old brothers from back then—you know them all. Aside from a few who advanced to supernaturals, the rest are still martial masters. Seven Hundred-Breakers and nine Ten-Slayers. Is that enough? If you ask, they'll gladly go with you... Over the years, they actually wanted to go back and find you, but I held them back. I told them that when there was a genuine need, we would return. It wasn't the right time before; back in Silver City, progress was simply too hard for us." Sixteen martial masters. Seven Hundred-Breakers was by no means a small number. Clearly, he assumed Liu Long had joined the Martial Guard Army as a Thousand-Battler martial master looking to assemble a squad. Liu Long frowned slightly. "It's not me. It's Li Hao!" "Hmm?" Wang Henggang froze and turned to look at Li Hao. *Li Hao is the centurion?* "Li Hao... reached Thousand-Battler?" "Yes!" Liu Long took over the conversation, and Li Hao smiled. "Just sheer luck... Knowing that Big Brother Wang is from Silver City, I specially brought the boss along to seek some support. Being new to this place and unfamiliar with everyone, I can only turn to Big Brother Wang for aid." "Then you..." Wang Henggang looked at Liu Long. Liu Long said calmly, "I'm serving under Li Hao. Don't look at me like that—he's stronger than you! I worked under you for so many years, so what's wrong with working under Li Hao? Ask those old brothers if they're willing to go. Make it clear to them: it's far more dangerous than staying here. If they want to go, they can; if not, there's no need to force them. This is risking our lives, not going for a stroll." "You think they'd refuse?" Wang Henggang smiled, though he still frowned slightly. "Li Hao is right here, and it's not that I look down on him, but isn't he a bit too young...?" Liu Long didn't mince words, looking at Li Hao. "Give him a punch. Let's see how much skill he has left in that Iron Cloth Armor of his!" Li Hao's eyes lit up with eagerness. *Can I?* Wang Henggang chuckled and nodded. "A test is good too! Li Hao, give it your all. To be honest, entrusting my men to Liu Long puts my mind at ease, but handing them to you... I really am a bit uneasy. Give it everything you've got..." "Big Brother Wang, then you... make sure to defend with full strength!" "Of course!" Wang Henggang laughed. He knew Li Hao wasn't weak, but... *I'm a peak Three Suns, do you know that?* Li Hao reminded him again, "Seriously, Big Brother Wang, you must defend with everything you have. I'm very strong. I've beaten a Three Suns to death before!" "..." Wang Henggang was taken aback, his eyes flickering as he nodded. *Beaten a Three Suns to death?* *Yu Xiao?* "Then I'm hitting you?" "Go ahead!" The next instant, Li Hao truly held nothing back. He didn't use the Fire Sword momentum, nor the Earth Sword momentum, but unleashed the instantaneous burst of the Metal Sword momentum, throwing a single punch! *Boom!* A deafening roar erupted. The punch felt as though it had slammed into solid steel. Yet the instantaneous explosive force of the Metal Sword momentum was ferocious to the extreme! With a thunderous crash, Wang Henggang went flying, blasting a massive hole clean through the wall. Li Hao shrugged. *I told you to defend with full strength.* *This punch was on behalf of the boss.* Sure enough, a smile finally surfaced on Liu Long's face, his mood evidently lifted. The entire Inspectorate instantly fell into an uproar, but the next moment, Wang Henggang's shout rang out: "It's nothing! Just friends sparring. Go back to what you were doing!" A moment later, Wang Henggang walked back in. He looked at Li Hao and nodded. "Not bad. You can take the men. You have a bright future!" With that, he patted his chest as if dusting off his clothes. "I'm going to change clothes; seems my outfit tore, which is rather unpresentable. I'll be right back, wait for me a moment..." Having said that, he turned and walked away. After taking a few steps around the corner, his face instantly twisted into a savage scowl. Gritting his teeth and baring his fangs, he sucked in cold air so hard his lungs ached. Across his dark face, pure agony contorted his features into a mask of pain! *Fuck!* *This bastard... that punch was way too fucking vicious!* He felt as though his bones had actually cracked. And seeing how casually the kid had pulled it off... *damn it, that might not even have been his full power.* *There's no way it was his full power.* If he had truly gone all out, it wouldn't have looked like that. Wang Henggang's face was twisted in sheer torment. Just then, an employee caught sight of him and gave him a bewildered look. *What happened to the chief?* Wang Henggang instantly restored his composure. "Get back to your duties..." With that, he vanished like a streak of smoke. *It hurts!* *Liu Long, you bastard! No wonder you were so agreeable today—you were setting me up on purpose!*