Silence

A day of indulgence. On the second day, everyone gathered on the coast. Hong Qing and Hong Hao had not returned yet. Sword Gate was somewhat distant, but traveling by vehicle, a round trip would take less than two days. At this moment, everyone else had arrived. Li Hao glanced around, his eyes shifting slightly. In the crowd, quite a few people had faint stirrings of momentum surging within them. This could not be considered fully formed momentum yet; like when Li Hao had first comprehended the momentum of the earth, it was merely an embryo, indicating that truly comprehending momentum was not far off. Soon, these people would be able to step into Hundred-Breaker culmination. On the Sword Gate side, four or five people showed these signs. And on the Inspectorate side, several people showed similar indications; Liu Yan, Wu Chao, Chen Jian, and a few others could also vaguely feel the embryo of momentum. Li Hao exhaled softly. The results were good. Combat truly was the best method of cultivation for a martial master. In a few days, this small team might produce around ten martial masters at Hundred-Breaker culmination. As for advancing to Thousand-Battler, that required strengthening their momentum. Apart from momentum, these people had met all other criteria—be it the physical body, the viscera, qi and blood, or bones... They far surpassed ordinary martial masters, so there were no major obstacles. Out of fifty people, for a fifth of them to achieve Hundred-Breaker culmination was already very impressive. One had to know that although the Martial Guard Army had been established for many years, only a tenth of them had reached Hundred-Breaker culmination, and many of them had only advanced through enlightenment ancient weapons. "Having indulged for a day, it's time to leave." Li Hao looked at the group. "First, we'll return to White Moon City to rest and reorganize for three days. During this period, I'll distribute all the remaining enlightenment ancient weapons kept by the Martial Guard Army to everyone. Whether to comprehend them or not will be your own choice. The momentum within these ancient weapons might not necessarily match what you desire and can only serve as a reference, but it will still be helpful for comprehending momentum." "Three days from now... I'll take everyone to explore a ruin!" After finishing, Li Hao added, "Within ten days, we must set out to sea once more! The White Shark Pirates are likely in a chaotic stage of consolidation right now. Logically, causing trouble for them at this time might give us some advantages, but in my view, that doesn't matter. As long as everyone's strength improves, we won't need to fear them completing their consolidation." At this juncture, he had two choices. First, seek out the White Shark Pirates, proactively hunt them down, and pick a fight. His divine boat was extremely fast, so he might be able to gain some advantages. Second, return and explore the ruin left behind by Golden Spear. Li Hao chose the second. The White Shark Pirates were right there, so there was no rush. In these few days, they wouldn't dare act rashly and would wait for a while at least; otherwise, they would worry that Silver Moon was deliberately setting a trap for them. Therefore, taking advantage of this gap, Li Hao wanted to explore the ruin Golden Spear had left behind. Perhaps there would be some gains. As for the Battle Heaven City ruin, it was not convenient for Li Hao to touch it right now. Leaving aside how powerful the Battle Heaven Army was there, strictly speaking, all Eight Great Cities belonged to him, so there was no need to go digging up his own ancestors' graves. Of course, that was merely his own perspective. Li Hao smiled and said, "Some of you haven't been to a ruin yet. It's good to go take a look and broaden your horizons. If we're lucky, there might be some gains; if luck is bad, there might be some danger. But as martial masters, taking risks is inevitable after all." No one had any objections. There was only excitement! Most of them had never entered a ruin—only a few had. Everyone knew ruins were filled with treasures, but what a ruin was truly like was something they were not really clear about. "Over these three days, strive hard to improve yourselves. Comprehending momentum is a hurdle—a massive hurdle! Only by comprehending momentum can everyone go further. If you fail to comprehend it for too long..." Li Hao looked at them and paused in silence for a moment. "Then sooner or later, you will be eliminated! Hundred-Breaker is too weak. After comprehending momentum and breaking the body's limits, many paths will open before you. For instance, you could learn Southern Fist, learn from Golden Spear, learn from my master... There will still be paths ahead to walk." However, without comprehending momentum, one would be stuck here for life. No matter how strong, one would only be a Hundred-Breaker; without breaking bodily limits, dealing with a Solar Flare was the absolute ceiling. Under the current situation, Hundred-Breakers... had they not been equipped with black armor, they likely would not even have been able to participate in the battle to wipe out the pirates. As soon as these words were spoken, a sudden sense of crisis welled up in everyone's hearts! If they lingered without reaching Hundred-Breaker culmination, going on like this... would there still be a place for them in this team? The team had very few people, only fifty-odd members. That was why Li Hao could be so generous now, willing to share all kinds of elemental energy with them, as well as enlightenment ancient weapons, divine energy stones, black armor... Their progress was rapid. Yet once eliminated... They didn't dare imagine it! In an instant, a wave of pressure pulled everyone straight back to reality from yesterday's indulgence. At this moment, someone hesitated before speaking up: "Regimental Commander, if we comprehend momentum from an enlightenment ancient weapon, will it affect our future? Will our potential become inferior to others?" Li Hao pondered for a moment and said, "Not necessarily! Comprehending momentum is a stepping stone. It doesn't mean you can never grow stronger later, nor does it guarantee you'll be limited in any specific way. In fact, the sword momentum I comprehended can also be considered... a type derived from an enlightenment ancient weapon." "However, the momentum comprehended from a weapon might not necessarily be the best match for you." At this point, Chen Jian spoke up as well, asking honestly, "Regimental Commander, for a defensive-type martial master like me, if I comprehend an offensive momentum, does that mean I'm ruined?" Li Hao chuckled. "Who said that? Momentum exists in one's imagination; it is a manifestation of the mind. Take the earth element, for example—a mountain. Would you say a mountain is offensive or defensive?" Chen Jian thought about it and shook his head. "Hard to say." "Right, hard to say." Li Hao added, "Even with powerful sword momentum, who says sword momentum must be offensive? Aren't there defensive types? All of these have two sides. Don't define your momentum right from the start! For example, when I initially comprehended earth momentum, my thought was that heavy earth governs defense. But later on, I transformed earth sword momentum into an offensive sword momentum... It all depends on how you wield it." Everyone nodded, experiencing a flash of realization. Though they didn't fully grasp it all, they broadly understood Li Hao's meaning: no matter what, one could comprehend momentum first to break through this barrier and knock open the threshold of Thousand-Battler. As for the rest... to put it simply, worry about that later. If you don't cross over now, whether there will even be a future is unknown. Since that was the case, there was no need to overthink questions about potential. Li Hao continued, "Everyone's progress in strength is decent. Now, when ten late Hundred-Breakers join forces, using the Ten-Ring Mountain-Sealing Formation combined with the formidable armor, their combined power can even contend with early Three Suns... To me, it feels no weaker than fighting under the lead of a Thousand-Battler... But that's still not enough!" "You can only contend with Three Suns; you don't yet have the ability to kill them. Because you lack momentum, you aren't strong enough to deter Three Suns!" Everyone nodded; they were well aware of this. Even though their teamwork and coordination had grown stronger, they lacked decisive finishing techniques. Against an early Three Suns, stalling the opponent was their upper limit; slaying a Three Suns was something they simply couldn't achieve at their current stage. In truth, their progress was already remarkably fast! Yet they all knew this was thanks to the formation and the armor. Without the formation and armor, ten late Hundred-Breakers joining hands would be fortunate to fight mid-to-late Solar Flares. That was their true combat strength. Of course, armor and formations were also part of one's strength—after all, other people didn't possess them. "It's good that everyone understands my point. Let everything take its natural course. Some of you don't need to worry excessively that the momentum from enlightenment ancient weapons will restrict your potential..." Li Hao paused for a moment before finally saying, "The so-called impact on potential boils down to the difficulty of surpassing the ancient masters who left the momentum behind. But to tell the truth... the chances of that... are slim!" The blunt truth! Li Hao was very clear about the drawbacks that the momentum left in these enlightenment ancient weapons would bring. Namely, just like Golden Spear, one might become shrouded under the ancients' momentum, unable to break through or surpass it. Yet to put it more bluntly... the ancient civilization was so formidable, with so many supreme powerhouses, that any momentum surviving to this day was unimaginably potent. Let alone them, even Li Hao wouldn't dare daydream that he could reach that level—the level of his ancestor. He too had comprehended his ancestor's momentum, and what of it? Wait until he actually reached that stage before worrying! Right now, they were a hundred and eight thousand li away, yet they were already worrying: *Oh, if I comprehend the ancients' momentum, I won't be able to break through later and will become the next Golden Spear...* What a joke! Golden Spear today possessed Rising Light strength. In the martial arts world of today, how many people were stronger than him? Only after witnessing a higher world did one feel that Golden Spear was restricted. For the people before him, surpassing the ancients... Li Hao felt it was simply too difficult. The Earth-Overturning Sword had said there was no need to believe the present was inferior to the past, but that was his aspiration, not reality. The reality was that even for Li Hao and the others, had it not been for bloodlines, existences like Southern Fist were merely starting at the black armor rank. As soon as Li Hao said this, the crowd went quiet for a moment, and then a chorus of relieved sighs resounded. "So that's how it is... It only means we can't surpass the ancients... That's totally fine!" *You scared us to death!* They had thought that comprehending momentum from an enlightenment ancient weapon meant that after entering Thousand-Battler, there would be absolutely no way to advance further. Turns out... that wasn't the case at all! "Yeah, the Regimental Commander scared us! We kept thinking we'd get stuck at Hundred-Breaker culmination, or that once we entered Thousand-Battler, all hope would be lost... How strong were the ancients? It's said every move of the ancients could shatter stars..." Everyone chimed in one after another, thoroughly speechless at Li Hao. Because earlier, it was Li Hao who had claimed that enlightenment ancient weapons would impose restrictions and consequences on their future, which had caused everyone to feel somewhat resistant to what was once the Martial Guard Army's greatest perk. They would rather grind slowly on their own than apply for the chance to comprehend. Only now did everyone realize: *Wait, that's all?* *Just that, and you tried to scare us?* Seeing this, Li Hao was also rendered speechless. Before entering Battle Heaven City, Li Hao had actually thought that among the ancients, only those legendary supreme experts were powerful while ordinary people were weak. Naturally, he had also believed he would surely surpass their ordinary people... In the end, upon entering the Battle Heaven Army, when he discovered that even today, after countless ages, a burst of power from a silver armor could batter Li Hao to death... Li Hao knew he had overestimated himself. A million-strong Battle Heaven Army, with one regimental commander for every thousand men, making a thousand commanders... In other words, at this stage, those silver regimental commanders who had been dead for countless years could still blow Li Hao away. So there was no point talking about surpassing them. First imitate, then match, and finally surpass. That was the path for the people of today. Beside him, Liu Long wanted to laugh seeing Li Hao's embarrassment. In truth, everyone had started with this same mindset. *Could we not be stronger than the ancients?* *We won't comprehend the momentum left behind by ancients; we want to surpass it...* Only after taking a thorough beating from reality did everyone realize: you're nowhere close. Right now, you're just a toddler learning to walk. Rather than learning from an adult, you insist on surpassing them? What were you thinking! Below, whispers broke out; some were thinking that upon returning this time, they would also borrow an enlightenment ancient weapon to study. With forty-nine martial masters, all of whom had reached late Hundred-Breaker, one turn per person would already require forty-nine uses. On Li Hao's side, the strongest one was the broken sword Golden Spear had left him back then, which could be comprehended about ten times. As for the rest, before leaving, Golden Spear had left a few weaker ones, which might shatter after only three to five uses. They might not necessarily suffice for forty-nine people. However, Li Hao had also considered that those who comprehended it on their own might not need them, so there might be enough for everyone to comprehend at least once. "Let's go. Board the boat and set off! Hong Qing and the others will head directly to White Moon City; there's no need to wait for them!" The group quickly boarded. The Giant Kun Divine Boat rapidly expanded. Once everyone was aboard, like an arrow released from a bowstring, it swiftly vanished across the sea's surface. On the shore, people were watching, silently observing their departure. The two Solar Flares from the Night Patrollers branch were both watching at this moment, one old and one middle-aged. The older supernatural sighed with emotion. "With Minister Hou gone, everyone lost their backbone. Although Minister Hao is also a Three Suns, as strong experts multiply, he can no longer provide a sense of security... Now, before Minister Hou has even completely left, this young man has displayed immense strength and resolute ruthlessness in slaying enemies... I believe the entire Silver Moon Night Patrollers will settle down instantly, free from the fear of chaos." Previously, everyone had been worried and anxious. Yet very quickly, Li Hao emerged, slaying two Rising Light experts in battle and killing over five hundred supernaturals, instantly giving everyone confidence that the Silver Moon Night Patrollers remained as formidable as ever. At a time like this, that was exceedingly important. And this was something Hao Lianchuan could not provide them; a mid-Three Suns minister... people were beginning to look down on that now. Beside him, the middle-aged man chuckled. "Who can deny it? It must be said, Minister Hou's eye was truly sharp. Before leaving, he appointed this one as vice minister. In my view... he's the one who should be minister..." "Ahem!" The elder gave a soft cough. "Minister Hao is actually pretty good too. His strength is just a bit lacking, but he's a very decent person." "Right, right, right!" The middle-aged man hastily nodded. That was true enough. Hao Lianchuan serving as minister was acceptable; he was a nice person, so keeping things as they were was fine. But this vice minister also needed to step up, or else everyone would remain uneasy. ... At the same time. White Moon City. The Night Patrollers station. Hao Lianchuan fumed in frustration, "Ask, ask, ask—ask my ass! How the hell do I know when Li Hao is coming back? What are you all doing! I'm still right here, so what are you bothering me for? There aren't even any major incidents right now, so what the hell are you asking about over and over again!" He blew up at the several Solar Flares before him! It was infuriating! These fellows had come several times a day to ask when Minister Li would return. And when asked why they were looking for him? One claimed that a stronghold of the Three Great Organizations might still exist somewhere and needed Minister Li's help. Another asked if the Martial Guard Army was recruiting and wanted to recommend a friend. Or else they said Minister Li couldn't just stay in the Martial Guard Army all the time; he was a vice minister of the Night Patrollers after all, so he should come over to get acquainted with everyone... Hao Lianchuan was nearly dying of rage! *Do you take me for a corpse?* To the side, Minister Zhou of the metal element, who had also recently stepped into Three Suns, chuckled upon seeing his fury. "Minister Hao, everyone's just concerned about the stability of the Night Patrollers. With Minister Hou gone, to be honest, people were feeling uneasy... Now that Minister Li has slain Rising Light experts with his sword, everyone feels much more relieved. Having a powerhouse capable of killing Rising Lights around feels pretty much the same as when Minister Hou was here; people have backbone now. Otherwise, folks wouldn't even dare go clear out the remnants of the Three Great Organizations..." This was also the truth. A very helpless reality! Hao Lianchuan snapped irritably, "Aren't I at mid-Three Suns? Can't I handle a few remnants? Who are you looking down on?" "..." Nobody spoke. Don't say it, don't ask—if you ask, the answer is: *we really kind of do look down on you.* "Get lost, all of you! Beat it!" Hao Lianchuan cursed at them for a while. "When he's back, I'll naturally tell you. Now get lost, stop annoying me!" "..." The crowd left sheepishly. Once everyone was gone, Hao Lianchuan leaned back in his chair with a face full of helplessness. *That bastard Li Hao, ptui!* When he first arrived, he was so polite, calling me Uncle Hao with every breath. Good grief, once his strength rose, he let it go to his head! We agreed that if he did something big, he'd take me along, yet he ran off without a peep. Now Demon Sword Li Hao's fame was at its zenith. Meanwhile, poor Hao Lianchuan was practically a background prop—no, a foil, or actually, not even good enough to be a foil. Was that infuriating or what? As he cursed inwardly, his eyes suddenly twitched. Hurriedly looking toward the door, he was instantly overjoyed. "Li Hao, you're back! Quick, have a seat! Come, come, sit and chat. Tired? Hungry? Want a bite to eat? My treat..." "..." Li Hao stared at him blankly. What was going on? Why so enthusiastic? Having just settled the others, he had come straight here. After all, he held the title of vice minister, and Hao Lianchuan had previously said he wanted to tag along. Li Hao had left him behind; he had originally intended to bring him, but thought they might not encounter pirates on their first voyage... He had expected Hao Lianchuan to have a belly full of fury to vent on him. Now, it seemed he was doing just fine! "Minister Hao..." "Call me Brother!" *What the hell!* Li Hao was thoroughly speechless. After a good pause, he said, "Don't... I... I'll just call you Minister Hao, or Minister, or maybe... Uncle Hao?" "No need, whatever suits you!" Hao Lianchuan wore a beaming smile. "Are you injured?" "No, I'm fine." "That's good, that's good." Hao Lianchuan fussed over him with warm inquiries. "Just got back?" "Yes, just got back." "About that..." Li Hao felt helpless. Raising a hand, he interrupted, "Minister Hao, please don't be so enthusiastic; I can hardly take it. We've known each other for quite a while now. The very first Three Suns I ever laid eyes on was you, Minister Hao..." "Nonsense, Duantian was!" "..." Li Hao coughed, unable to retort, but chuckled; Hao Lianchuan's words weren't wrong either. Too lazy to argue about it, Li Hao explained, "I came here this time to explain why I didn't bring you along earlier..." "Completely understood!" Hao Lianchuan wore a smile of utter understanding. "I'm a supernatural, so I'm prone to exposure. Besides, you were just going out for a casual look and didn't expect to fight a huge battle with pirates on your very first voyage, right?" "..." *You've said everything I was going to say, so what's left for me?* Hao Lianchuan didn't mind and chuckled. "Li Hao, before the minister left, he said the Night Patrollers would depend on you in the future. I gave it some thought, and he's right! Even as acting minister, I don't feel at ease in this position—I'm too weak." As he was about to keep talking, Li Hao cut in, "Understood! That's why I came looking for you with something in mind. Supernaturals are actually somewhat easier to advance. Thinking that the Night Patrollers have too few supernatural powerhouses, I wanted to invite you to the Martial Guard Army base. I'll be cultivating over the next few days, and Minister Hao might be able to seize the chance to locate your fifth supernatural lock." "Really?" Hao Lianchuan was overjoyed. Truly? Li Hao nodded. If a supernatural lock was too weak to manifest, it wasn't an insurmountable problem; if it was weak, one just needed to strengthen it. Blood God Seeds could accomplish it, as could five-elements energy. Mysterious energy wouldn't do! It had to be five-elements elemental power. Of course, with enough divine energy stones, it might work, as divine energy stones contained far purer energy. But evidently, Hao Lianchuan didn't possess that many divine energy stones. This time, Li Hao planned to raise both his viscera and physical body to the level of ten thousand fang. For the martial masters, there was no need to absorb any more for now. They had all been tempered to their current limit; unless they comprehended momentum, the effect wouldn't be significant. This time, Li Hao figured he would mainly strengthen a few supernaturals. Advancement for supernaturals was simpler. Otherwise, so many powerhouses wouldn't have emerged in a mere twenty years. And that was even with people pausing to explore and seek the next stage; if they followed an established path, those fellows in the Central Region had stepped into Rising Light in just a few years, showing how fast the progression was. Hao Lianchuan was ecstatic—there was hope! Because he had been unable to discover his fifth supernatural lock for so long, he had previously been on the verge of despair. Now that there was hope, he grew even more enthusiastic. "Li Hao, Minister Hou is gone. His office on the sixth floor—I rarely bother going there anyway, so I'll assign it to you. You can work from there in the future..." "..." Li Hao was speechless. "Don't, I don't want it!" "You fool, that's an entire floor! Don't be fooled by how the outside of the office looks; inside is a whole different world. Minister Hou used to live there, and there's a huge terrace on top—it's enormous..." Li Hao stared at him for a moment. "Minister Hao, do you think Minister Hou isn't coming back?" "..." Hao Lianchuan instantly fell silent, thoroughly embarrassed. He gave an awkward laugh. "How could that be!" "Then why are you giving it to me?" Li Hao rolled his eyes. If Hou Xiaochen returned and saw that, holy hell, the moment he left, the home he had lived in for decades was gone, it would be a wonder if he didn't beat them to death! "Hahaha... well... we'll talk about that later!" Hao Lianchuan laughed dryly, thinking to himself: *Old Hou ran off, so why care so much?* *Who told Old Hou to be so underhanded when leaving?* "Then it's settled. I'll head back first. When you finish up your business, Minister Hao, just come find me at the base. Over the next three days, I should be cultivating the whole time. If you can manifest your fifth supernatural lock within these three days, that would be the best outcome." Hao Lianchuan hastily nodded, eager and expectant. The fifth supernatural lock! Not being able to see it meant there was no hope of entering Rising Light; only seeing it meant Rising Light was within reach. At this moment, he wished he could leave with Li Hao right away. However, leaving for a few days still required arranging administrative affairs, so he could only say reluctantly, "All right, head back first. Once I wrap things up, I'll head over immediately." Hao Lianchuan was so overenthusiastic that he insisted on escorting Li Hao downstairs. Li Hao felt helpless. Under the respectful gazes of many Night Patrollers, they walked all the way out the main entrance. Hao Lianchuan was even straightforward enough to have his own driver drive Li Hao back, incidentally instructing the driver that as long as Li Hao was around, he would serve Li Hao from now on. Li Hao didn't know whether to laugh or cry. How had he never realized before that Hao Lianchuan was such a shameless flatterer? He didn't even care about his dignity anymore. This guy was cut from the exact same mold as Wang Ming—could they be long-lost father and son? ... Upon returning to the base, Li Hao arranged some affairs. In truth, he didn't manage much; he simply tossed several enlightenment ancient weapons to Liu Long, instructing him to distribute the opportunities for enlightenment according to military merit. At the moment, they were still following the Martial Guard Army's system. However, Li Hao was actually preparing to introduce the Battle Heaven Army's system. With the black armor, tallying military merit was actually very simple; it was just that these suits of black armor, perhaps because they had left Battle Heaven City, seemed to have had their military merit systems blocked. Li Hao queried his silver armor. As a regimental commander, if disconnected from Battle Heaven City, he could actually establish a merit system similar to the Battle Heaven Army's himself, requiring only a few adjustments. Because Li Hao was absent for most of the fighting, he couldn't know who had contributed more or less; currently, they were just sharing from a common pot, distributing everything evenly. With few people, that was fine, but with more, it wouldn't do. Did the Demon Hunt Corps need to expand? Previously, Li Hao had felt it unnecessary, but now, after witnessing the Battle Heaven Army and seeing how numerous the pirates were, he vaguely entertained some thoughts. Still, for now, he was somewhat reluctant to expand—nurturing people from scratch was too much trouble! If ready-made candidates were available, that would be another story. If the Martial Guard Army hadn't left, Li Hao would have liked to poach some people at this time. Unfortunately, they had already departed, so it was too late. With these thoughts in mind, on the night of October 6th, Li Hao entered closed-door cultivation once again. His goal this time was to push both his physical body and five viscera to the ten-thousand-fang level. On the periphery, several supernaturals waited with a mix of apprehension and excitement. Among them, Hao Lianchuan was the most excited. In truth, he vaguely knew about certain things, such as the Li family sword. Prior to this, however, Li Hao had never admitted that the one he had handed over was fake, so Hao Lianchuan hadn't been able to say anything. Now that Li Hao had invited him over, he generally understood that the true Li family sword was likely the one on Li Hao's person. All day, Li Hao had worn his sword at his waist. Whether he was showing off, felt there was no longer any need to hide it, or was simply fishing for enemies deliberately, who knew? ... The Martial Guard Army base grew quiet once more. The martial masters either comprehended the ancient weapons or worked on perceiving momentum on their own. The few supernaturals remained gathered around Li Hao, absorbing the energy spilling out from him—be it five-elements elemental energy or non-attribute energy, and occasionally even some escaping sword energy. To the side, Black Panther lay lazily as always, opening its jaws every now and then to gobble food until its muzzle dripped with grease. Here, it was exceedingly comfortable and didn't want to leave in the slightest. Although the ancient city could make it powerful, life there had been too miserable. Black Panther didn't want to recall its tragic days in the ancient city. It only knew that it had almost starved to death, and that big turtle seemed to have drawn its blood under the guise of stimulating its bloodline. But Black Panther had no desire whatsoever to experience that again. It had nearly died of agonizing pain. The life it had now was what it truly sought: eating and drinking its fill, occasionally helping kill someone to practice its claws—a very cozy little life. ... And as Li Hao fell into quiet seclusion once more, time slipped away little by little. The Central Region. Yuan Shuo had vanished completely. Yet the Central Region did not quiet down. With Hou Xiaochen leading his Martial Guard Army into the Central Region, an impending storm seemed to loom. Across the plains of the Central Region, a train sped forward. The Martial Guard Army was no longer driving vehicles; instead, they had commandeered an entire train to escort Hou Xiaochen to his new post. Right at this moment, Chief Steward Yu and several others frowned, peering up past the train's iron roof. Someone was in the airspace above! Hovering in a blatantly unrestrained manner! Hou Xiaochen, however, remained utterly calm, gazing at the scenery outside the window and eating his breakfast, paying no mind to the figures outside. He knew who those fellows were. Chief Steward Yu was on the verge of losing her temper several times, but seeing Hou Xiaochen remain silent, she held back and did not strike. Above, three figures hovered in midair. Two men and one woman. All very young! One of them carried a long saber on his back, grinning broadly as he glanced down a few times. "Old Hou is keeping quite a low profile. We've been flying up here for half the day, yet he doesn't even acknowledge us. To be honest, I'm quite curious how strong he really is—could he beat Old Huang?" The other young man gripped a long spear, fiery energy radiating from him, long hair fluttering, his gaze cold. "If he ignores us, so be it. But I can sense Golden Spear's spear intent. I wonder how much strength this spear expert, once hailed as the Number One Spear, still possesses. I'd love to have a spar!" The petite, cute young woman widened her round eyes and giggled, "How about... Old Spear, you go down and try?" The spear-wielding man glanced at her and ignored her. The petite girl giggled again, "Don't dare?" "Shut up!" the spearman barked. Who did she think she was fooling? In any case, the people below were not weak. They were only here to watch the spectacle; since the other party hadn't come out, they had no interest in proactively picking a fight. The saber-bearing young man smiled radiantly. "Big Eyes, why don't you go down and try Jade Rakshasa? I heard she's very formidable, ranked among the top martial masters in Silver Moon. Go down and take her on!" "..." Big Eyes ignored him; she wasn't falling for that. She glanced downward and said regretfully, "Forget it, you two are cowards. No fighting then! I'm just curious whether Hou Xiaochen will get into a brawl with Old Huang once he arrives. Old Huang is pretty formidable; if the three of us teamed up, could we take him?" "Roughly!" The saber-bearer rubbed his chin. "There's hope! Old Huang is in the Metamorphosis stage, while the three of us are all in the late stage. Although there's still the peak stage between us... Old Huang might not necessarily beat the three of us combined!" Big Eyes blinked. "How about we ambush him to test it out? We can say Hou Xiaochen ordered us to, that we've defected to Hou Xiaochen..." "..." The two stared at her speechlessly. *Are you even human?* Big Eyes giggled, then quickly added, "Fine, fine, they're too formidable. But I heard some news: that disciple of the Five Animals Devil King, Li Hao, displayed great divine might in Silver Moon and killed a late Rising Light expert with a single sword strike... Supposedly he's overwhelmingly powerful. Why don't we go find him to play?" "Not interested. Silver Moon isn't a good place; we can't go there right now!" The saber-bearer shook his head, then quickly continued, "Watching Old Hou and his lot engage in internal strife isn't much fun either... How about we find some excitement for them?" "Excitement?" The other two looked at the saber-bearing man, both itching to try. What kind of excitement? The saber-bearer chuckled slyly. "Supposedly, of Ying Hongyue's harem, only Cyan Moon is left in the Central Region now. If we find a chance to off Cyan Moon, will Ying Hongyue fly into a rage and declare war on the Night Patrollers?" "..." The other two stared at him, dumbstruck. The saber-bearer grumbled, "Why are you looking at me like that? What's there to be afraid of! Didn't the Little Daoist kill Yama's grandson earlier, and nothing came of it? Feitian is too damn mysterious, but I know a bit about Red Moon... If we off Cyan Moon, we can follow Li Hao's example and hang her corpse at the entrance of the Night Patrollers Headquarters. If Ying Hongyue doesn't go berserk, he'd be letting himself down... Now that would be fun—watching Red Moon battle the Night Patrollers! We might even wipe out Red Moon in the process!" The other two gasped. This guy's thoughts were truly audacious! Was he insane! In the next moment, Big Eyes pondered for a moment and nodded. "Let's go find her!" "..." The spearman couldn't help saying, "Don't mess around. We've offended too many people as it is. If the Night Patrollers abandon us then, we won't even have a place to run..." "What's there to fear!" The saber-bearer said nonchalantly again, "If the Night Patrollers really abandon us, we'll just go seek refuge with someone else. If that fails, we'll go join some local overlord. If that still fails, we'll set up our own faction and vie for supremacy over the world. And if even that fails, then... we'll just run! If we can't beat them, can't we outrun them?" "..." The spearman was quite helpless. These two... Ah, whatever, who told the three of them to end up together? "Fine, but Cyan Moon might not necessarily show herself." "Isn't there still Orange Moon?" "Orange Moon seems to have gone north..." "Forget that then. If nothing else works, we can also wait near the North Sea. She'll return sooner or later. One slash of a saber, one thrust of a spear to kill her, and then hang her at the Night Patrollers Headquarters..." Bickering and bantering, the three quickly soared away. Hou Xiaochen below had ignored them the whole time, and they had their pride too. Since you ignore us, we'll ignore you—let's go! ... Inside the train compartment. Hou Xiaochen finished the last piece of pastry, glanced up, chuckled, and shook his head. "Ah, young people truly are interesting!" Jade Rakshasa snorted coldly. "If not for the minister forbidding it... I would have taught them a lesson!" Hovering above their heads for half the day was an outright provocation. "No need to get angry. Once we reach the Central Region, keep your temper in check." Hou Xiaochen laughed. "A very interesting bunch. Heaven-Blessed Godly Masters are truly fascinating. I've always wanted to study them: with supernatural locks broken from birth, are they garbage, or geniuses? In truth, even now, I haven't figured it out." "Does it mean they don't need their strength shackled at all, or that their potential is limited and their future ends right there?" "All of this is worthy of in-depth study. Unfortunately, Silver Moon's Heaven-Blessed Godly Masters were too arrogant in the early days and were slaughtered to the last within a few years... Yuan Shuo and his lot were absolute spendthrifts!" He shook his head with some regret. Because of them, Heaven-Blessed Godly Masters were practically unseen in Silver Moon now. Even if there were any, they were very weak—some had only broken one lock, born merely as Starlight Masters. Could that even count as a Heaven-Blessed Godly Master? The few people above them just now had broken at least three, or even four locks from birth. Born Solar Flares and Three Suns. Only those were true Heaven-Blessed Godly Masters. Jade Rakshasa didn't say anything further, while Golden Spear spoke up somewhat somberly, "From what I saw, they seemed... seemed to possess something like momentum. Minister, what is that...?" Hou Xiaochen thought for a moment and said, "They likely learned some ancient arts—not the path of Silver Moon's martial masters, not ancient martial arts, but the path of ancient energy. Supernaturals aren't actually useless; don't underestimate them. It's just that supernaturals belong to a different system from ours. The ancient energy path was exceptionally formidable. According to ancient records, during the great war between both sides back then, the energy path nearly overturned the entire ancient civilization!" "Only when the ancient Human King rose in the end was the other side suppressed, which shows how powerful they were. It's just that today's supernaturals..." He pondered for a moment and shook his head. "They still suffer from many flaws, and there remains a difference between them and the true energy path. The energy of the energy path was actually born from within oneself, but with supernaturals, energy can never merge into the body to truly become one's own. As for this issue, coming to the Central Region this time, I actually want to see whether it has been resolved over these years." "If unresolved, the path of supernaturals is nothing much. But if it has been resolved... that means an existence above Rising Light has appeared!" For if energy could be internalized as one's own, there would be hope of breaking the next supernatural lock. His journey to the Central Region also carried the intent of observing the progress of supernaturals. Martial masters he already understood. Supernaturals were too scarce in Silver Moon, and powerful ones were few. Here, he might find the answer. "Above Rising Light?" Chief Steward Yu pondered and said, "Above Rising Light would require breaking two visceral supernatural locks. There should be some, similar to a martial master's seal. But Minister, are you referring to the kind of full-power existence above Rising Light who has completely broken them, incorporated energy for their own use, and suffers no backlash?" "Yes!" Hou Xiaochen nodded. "Furthermore, for special-type supernaturals—such as wind, flight, and lightning—breaking four limb supernatural locks makes them Rising Lights. What if they break one visceral supernatural lock? So, I also want to see and witness a true, full-power supernatural beyond Rising Light." At these words, both Golden Spear and Chief Steward Yu furrowed their brows slightly. If such beings existed, they would be troublesome indeed. If Hou Xiaochen and his people broke their seals, they would possess that kind of strength, but that required unsealing; without breaking their seals, they merely had Metamorphosis-stage strength. As for supernaturals, if they could unleash their full combat strength without worrying about damaging their viscera—having supernatural locks break was something they dreamed of... At that time, even Hou Xiaochen would likely face some trouble. Hou Xiaochen said nothing more, his thoughts returning to those youths earlier. Those people were the true geniuses of the Central Region. He wondered if there were also geniuses of the martial arts path in the Central Region. This time, he would be able to witness them all. Heaven Star City was drawing near.