In the basement.
After this round of absorption, Li Hao felt his progress had been immense.
Even so, he still harbored doubts about whether he had reached the Ten-Slayer level. Liu Long and the others had spoken too broadly, likely assuming it was useless to explain when Li Hao wasn't there yet. Even now, Li Hao had no idea what the defining traits of a Ten-Slayer actually were.
Was it purely a matter of having a stronger body?
Noticing that Liu Long was talking more than before—perhaps because Li Hao had put on a decent showing—the aloof captain no longer seemed quite as overbearing.
Seeing this, Li Hao asked again, "Boss, aside from actual combat, is there any other way to judge whether someone has reached the Ten-Slayer realm?"
"There is!"
Liu Long nodded. "Earlier, Liu Yan was probably just too lazy to tell you. To her, you were mere cannon fodder who might die before ever reaching the Ten-Slayer realm. Aside from actual combat, you had no need to care about such things..."
*Well, damn!* Li Hao suddenly felt no regret whatsoever about that kick. In fact, it had been a great kick.
*That woman, Liu Yan, smiling sweetly to my face while writing me off as dead meat inside?*
Women truly were one thing on the outside and another on the inside.
"Then what's different about the Ten-Slayer realm?"
Liu Long considered it for a moment before answering, "Let's start with a prerequisite: setting actual combat aside for the moment... Combat is the foundation. You must remember that!"
Li Hao nodded. That made sense.
"If you look at combat, the names are self-explanatory, but that requires personal experience. Whether it's Hundred-Breaker or Thousand-Battler, charge into a military camp yourself and you'll naturally understand."
Li Hao gave a dry chuckle. *Don't joke around.*
*I don't want to die.*
Besides, even if one really reached Thousand-Battler and charged a barracks, the enemy wouldn't fight bare-handed. With cannons blasting and a thousand rifles firing at once, even a Thousand-Battler would be blown to pieces, wouldn't they?
There were better ways to seek death!
Liu Long continued, "Setting combat aside, purely in terms of cultivation realm, there are clear characteristics. Once you reach the Ten-Slayer realm, you become a genuine martial master. A martial master is one whose inner breath is born from within! It's what folklore calls internal energy... or at least, you can understand it that way! Before the emergence of the supernatural, martial masters already surpassed ordinary humans. Their greatest feature is the bursting of internal breath!"
Li Hao's eyes lit up. "Internal energy?"
"Right!"
Liu Long nodded. "It's actually a kind of force. Internal force gathers and transforms into breath. To put it more plainly, once you reach the level of a martial master, your vitality and blood flourish, your blood surges, and your bones and sinews sing in harmony..."
With that, Liu Long gave his arm a sudden flick.
In that instant, the bones in his arm seemed to chime together in unison.
*Crack, crack, crack!*
It sounded like a long whip lashing through empty space, setting off miniature sonic booms.
Liu Long smiled. "See that? That's a martial master—the most distinct trait of the Ten-Slayer realm! When you strike with fist or foot, your bones and sinews sing in harmony, filled with internal force... That is the final result!"
Li Hao's eyes gleamed as he watched.
Ten-Slayer!
This was the weakest, most basic rank of martial master, yet throwing a punch made their bones sing in unison. Impressive!
He couldn't do that yet.
Which also proved he hadn't reached the Ten-Slayer realm. Even ignoring combat, his realm alone fell short.
"What about Hundred-Breaker?" Li Hao pressed, growing increasingly intrigued.
Liu Long frowned slightly. "Hundred-Breaker... You'd best not think about it. Martial masters have fallen from grace! At the Ten-Slayer realm, you still have a strong chance of stepping directly into the supernatural realm. But once you break through to Hundred-Breaker..."
Letting out a barely audible sigh, Liu Long said calmly, "Don't pursue Hundred-Breaker! Plenty of Ten-Slayer martial masters have advanced to Starlight Masters, but Hundred-Breakers... I've hardly heard of any. Perhaps there were some years ago, but now there's probably not a single one left.
"Li Hao, remember: in the future, it's best not to absorb non-elemental mysterious energy. To a martial master, non-elemental mysterious energy is a treasure, but it's also a curse! Absorb too much, and your constitution grows too strong, your power too great... making transformation all the harder! Once you actually reach Hundred-Breaker, your chances of becoming a supernatural are minuscule."
A hint of self-mockery laced his voice.
Once upon a time, a mighty Hundred-Breaker martial master had been an object of awe; now, it had become a burden.
The weaker ones could still advance into the supernatural.
Growing as strong as Hundred-Breaker only caused the difficulty to skyrocket, because the amount of mysterious energy required was astronomical. And even with enough mysterious energy, advancement was far from guaranteed.
Whether it was himself or Yuan Shuo, twenty years ago they had been leading figures along the martial path.
Yet now... one taught archaeology, and the other served on the front lines as an inspector.
Their status looked impressive on paper, but in reality, it was nothing special—inferior even to a green youngster newly stepped into the supernatural realm.
Liu Long seemed to drift off into his thoughts.
Li Hao tactfully held his tongue.
Between Liu Long's explanation and the things his teacher had mentioned, Li Hao grasped the core truth: the stronger your martial arts, the slimmer your chances of advancing into the supernatural.
Non-elemental mysterious energy mostly enhanced a martial master's physical strength.
To become a supernatural, one needed to absorb elemental mysterious energy.
If you found an elemental mysterious energy with high affinity, you might become a supernatural on the spot—assuming you survived, of course. The fatality rate was high. Within the Night Watchers, the survival rate was around ninety percent.
In the Demon Hunting Squad, it might be only ten percent. That was why Liu Long hadn't let Li Hao absorb elemental mysterious energy, choosing instead to temper his constitution first.
*Don't aim too high too fast!* Li Hao reminded himself inwardly. Reaching the Ten-Slayer realm first wasn't a bad plan either.
Internal force bursting forth, bones and sinews singing in unison—that was the hallmark of a Ten-Slayer. As for combat, who cared? So long as the foundation caught up, it didn't matter.
Actual combat was straightforward enough: fight more, kill more. If others fought a hundred battles over ten years, he could fight a hundred battles in one year and catch up just the same. It was no big deal.
"Boss, that's enough cultivation for me today. I'd like to visit Silver City Ancient Academy later."
"The Ancient Academy?" Liu Long snapped out of his reverie, glanced at Li Hao, and knitted his brows. "To see Yuan Shuo?"
"To see my teacher."
Liu Long considered it for a moment before saying in a low voice, "That's up to you. But on one condition: you must leave before nightfall!"
Li Hao looked puzzled.
Seeing his confusion, Liu Long explained, "Right now, we need more clues and traces of whoever is behind this. If you stay at Silver City Ancient Academy, they might not show themselves! Because Yuan Shuo is leaving soon on an expedition, some Night Watchers might arrive ahead of time... Of course, if you're afraid to die, you can stay there and never come out!"
Li Hao shook his head. "I want revenge more."
Then he hesitated. "Boss, if it really can't be resolved, should we inform the Night Watchers?"
Liu Long's expression turned cold. "Remember this: if the Demon Hunting Squad can't handle it, sending ordinary Night Watchers... is just sending them to die! Don't place the Night Watchers on a pedestal. As a Hundred-Breaker martial master, not many among the Night Watchers can truly defeat me, and most of those are tied down by vital missions, stationed in major cities! In a tiny place like Silver City, do you think any Night Watcher who comes could solve a trouble that I can't?"
Confidence, pride!
The pride of a Hundred-Breaker martial master!
Even with the supernatural in ascendance, Liu Long retained his dignity.
Li Hao said no more. He believed Liu Long couldn't be blind to the danger. If Liu Long insisted on this path, it wasn't purely about claiming mysterious energy from the kill; more likely, as he said, if he couldn't handle it, weaker Night Watchers would be just as helpless.
The higher-ups of the Night Watchers wouldn't necessarily dispatch someone to hold down Silver City over an event that hadn't even happened yet.
Having thought this through, Li Hao let it go.
Besides, he had discovered Wang Ming.
Before the rainy weather arrived, Li Hao would definitely have to expose this undercover agent. A supernatural lurking in the shadows might easily cause unexpected complications.
***
Leaving the basement, Li Hao walked out of the Law Enforcement Building. Just as he was about to exit the Inspectorate, his gaze flickered. *What a... coincidence!*
"Brother Hao!"
Ahead of him, Wang Ming wore a sunny smile. "Brother Hao, want to grab lunch together? I just got here and haven't figured out if the Inspectorate cafeteria has anything good."
It was already noon.
Running into each other here wasn't unusual.
Yet Li Hao knew with absolute certainty that this fellow had staged this encounter on purpose.
Li Hao offered a warm, pure smile. "Sorry, Xiao Ming, but I have to make a trip to Silver City Ancient Academy right now..."
"A case?"
The nickname *Xiao Ming* caused Wang Ming's brow to twitch for a fraction of a second, but he smoothed it over instantly, putting on an interested look as though eager to take part.
"No," Li Hao said, shaking his head. "Just visiting my teacher."
"Brother Hao was a student at Silver City Ancient Academy?"
"Used to be." Li Hao smiled and gave an apologetic look. "I really need to get going, Xiao Ming. Why don't you grab lunch on your own, or ask Sister Na to show you around? We can eat together tonight."
"All right then!"
Wang Ming didn't press the matter.
Li Hao strode out, fetched his bicycle from the roadside, swung his leg over, and pedaled toward Silver City Ancient Academy.
Watching Li Hao's receding figure, Wang Ming's eyes took on a subtle, peculiar glint.
*Liu Long really spared no expense!*
Silver City's Demon Hunting Squad couldn't have much mysterious energy in stock, yet they had even let Li Hao absorb some.
Did they genuinely intend to recruit him?
*A bit of a waste,* Wang Ming thought to himself. The next spontaneous combustion case could happen at any time. For Li Hao to absorb mysterious energy now served little purpose; even if he managed to reach the Ten-Slayer realm swiftly, it wouldn't change much.
Why squander mysterious energy like that?
"Silver City's Liu Long..."
Wang Ming cast a glance back toward the distant Law Enforcement Building. That man possessed quite a reputation, even in White Moon City.
What a pity!
The stronger one's martial path, the harder it was to take that step and shatter the supernatural lock.
*Martial arts strengthen the supernatural lock!*
He recalled the warnings of his elders. When ordinary people advanced into the supernatural, they started off weak.
For a Hundred-Breaker martial master, advancing was as difficult as ascending the heavens.
According to research in the supernatural realm, advancing at the Ten-Slayer realm was optimal. Breaking the supernatural lock wasn't overly difficult, yet one's starting point remained high. That was why many supernatural organizations prioritized nurturing Ten-Slayer martial masters.
Hundred-Breakers, by contrast, were unwanted by all.
Thinking of Liu Long, Wang Ming felt a twinge of wariness. He averted his gaze and looked once more in the direction Li Hao had gone.
"Li Hao, and his teacher, Yuan Shuo... Yuan Shuo, huh..."
He sighed inwardly. That man's fame far exceeded Liu Long's.
Though both were Hundred-Breaker martial masters, Yuan Shuo had achieved that rank twenty years ago. In other words, before the supernatural had even emerged, he was already among the pinnacle of mortal martial power.
Liu Long, on the other hand, had relied somewhat on the power of mysterious energy to reach Hundred-Breaker. He was simply not on the same level as someone who had achieved it through pure mortal capability.
Furthermore, Yuan Shuo was a renowned authority on ancient civilizations across the entire Silver Moon Province, enjoying immense prestige.
*The Five Animals Art, breathing techniques... Rumor has it there might even be a hidden, stronger version of the breathing art... Unfortunately, the old man has an eccentric temper and is notoriously unapproachable. How on earth did Li Hao manage to become his student?*
Yuan Shuo had taken on many disciples in the past.
Yet in recent years, he had kept only one: Li Hao.
His earlier students had either graduated or died. Now in his seventies, Yuan Shuo hadn't taken any new students for years. Taking in Li Hao had puzzled many.
***
Li Hao paid no heed to Wang Ming's suspicions.
Silver City Ancient Academy.
A familiar place.
Quiet and tranquil—the academy's usual atmosphere.
The academy's most famous department was the Ancient Civilization Exploration Department, the grand division overseen by Yuan Shuo himself. It was precisely because of Yuan Shuo that Silver City Ancient Academy enjoyed its current prestige. Across the province, graduates from this academy were eagerly sought after by countless factions.
Yuan Shuo was skilled in far too many domains. Even though he no longer took personal disciples, the students trained by his department were renowned, actively exploring ancient civilization ruins across major cities.
Ancient civilization was a realm all of humanity was striving to uncover.
According to remnant ancient texts, a magnificent ancient civilization had existed prior to the current era, only to shatter and vanish completely into the river of history, leaving behind barely any written records.
Today, the exploration of that ancient civilization had spurred leapfrog advancements across many fields.
Communications, transportation, firearms, and even the supernatural were all tied to the excavation of ancient civilization.
It was said that many key technologies had been retrieved directly from ancient ruins, propelling human society from an agrarian era into an industrialized civilization within a matter of decades.
Of course, because so much had been unearthed at once, certain technologies had been shelved, resulting in uneven development.
Firearms were remarkably advanced, yet the field of telecommunications lagged far behind. Today, leaving Silver City made it difficult to contact someone in another city. Yet according to Yuan Shuo, during the ancient civilization era, people could communicate effortlessly across tens of thousands of li.
A communications network had spanned the entire continent!
Nowadays, communication devices were only useful within the same city—another symptom of this unbalanced development.
Li Hao pedaled along without anyone stopping him.
Though no longer a student of the academy, wearing the uniform of the Inspectorate granted him smooth passage.
Moments later, after passing through a shaded path, several detached courtyards came into view.
This was the residential area for senior professors of the academy, rarely visited by outsiders.
Just as Li Hao rode up, a figure leaped out from the trees, blocking his path, and barked coldly, "Restricted academy grounds. Unauthorized personnel are forbidden!"
"I'm here to see Professor Yuan!"
Li Hao looked up, appraised the man, and smiled. "New here? I'm Professor Yuan's student, Li Hao, Third-Class Inspector with the Inspectorate. I've been here before; Brother Zhang used to be on duty. Are you with the Inspectorate or the academy's security team?"
"Elder Yuan is not receiving guests for the time being!"
Ignoring Li Hao's introduction, the man said in a heavy voice, "Elder Yuan requires quiet cultivation for the foreseeable future!"
Li Hao raised an eyebrow. "My teacher said that?"
He smiled again. "Then I'll just make a call. I won't make things difficult for you, but..."
Looking the man over, Li Hao chuckled. "I suspect this was decided by your security team or some other organization. My teacher doesn't have a habit of 'quiet cultivation.' Don't make decisions on his behalf, even if you belong to some so-called supernatural organization!"
The man's expression shifted slightly. He glared at Li Hao with cold eyes.
"Just making conversation."
In the past, Li Hao had been deeply wary of the Night Watchers, but now he didn't care as much.
What was wrong with bringing them up?
He had joined the Demon Hunting Squad; if the Night Watchers paid any attention, they would surely know.
In that case, knowing about their organization was only natural.
The man before him carried a faint trace of mysterious energy. Of course, it wasn't strong—weaker than Liu Long's, and strictly speaking, inferior even to Liu Yan's. Li Hao guessed he was probably sent by the Night Watchers to protect his teacher.
A true supernatural had either not arrived or was watching from the shadows. In any case, this fellow wasn't one.
He was most likely a martial master who had absorbed mysterious energy, just like Liu Long and the others.
The middle-aged man frowned slightly and said in a low voice, "Wait here. I'll report inside!"
Li Hao said no more.
There was no need to antagonize the Night Watchers. He was only irritated because turning guests away certainly hadn't been his teacher's idea. Were the Night Watchers even going to restrict who his teacher could receive?
The man disappeared for a moment.
Shortly after, he reappeared and said gruffly, "Go on in!"
"Thanks!"
Li Hao chuckled and pedaled onward.
The man watched his back, frowning as he tapped the black earpiece by his ear and murmured, "He wasn't searched. Could that cause problems?"
"It's fine. Let him in!"
"Understood!"
The man said nothing more, merely surprised. Everyone else had been turned away, yet the higher-ups hadn't stopped this young man.
Yuan Shuo was soon to take part in the next exploration of ancient ruins, an expedition rumored to be of immense importance.
To prevent leaks and ensure Yuan Shuo's safety, he had indeed stopped seeing visitors lately.
***
The Yuan family courtyard.
Li Hao parked his bicycle outside by the wall and knocked on the door.
"Open it yourself!"
A voice full of vigor drifted out from within.
In the courtyard paved with green bricks, Yuan Shuo was practicing his fist forms. There was none of the ferocity of the Tiger Combat Art; instead, he moved sluggishly, like a turtle basking lazily in the sun.
Li Hao pushed the door open with a creak.
The moment he saw his teacher, a smile unlike his usual facade spread across Li Hao's face.
"Teacher!"
"Find a spot to sit!"
Yuan Shuo continued his routine without pausing to entertain him.
Though well past seventy, Yuan Shuo remained robust. He wasn't particularly tall, standing around one point seven meters, but for an old man, that was by no means short; he had likely been taller in his youth.
His hair was streaked with gray, and he wore a pair of plain cloth shoes, giving him an unassuming appearance.
Accustomed to this, Li Hao sat on a chair to the side and watched his teacher practice.
It truly was slow!
Every punch crawled like a snail, enough to make an onlooker drowsy. Yet Yuan Shuo practiced with untiring enthusiasm. He had been drilling this turtle routine for years.
Li Hao had seen it long ago and figured his teacher intended to add a sixth form to the Five Animals Art—the Turtle Art!
Yuan Shuo never looked at Li Hao, yet he seemed to sense the boy watching him, and could even guess his thoughts.
The next instant, just as Li Hao reached for a teacup to take a sip, the sluggish Yuan Shuo vanished from the spot.
When he reappeared, a fist was already right before Li Hao's eyes!
It moved agonizingly slow!
Like slow-motion playback, Li Hao wanted to dodge, yet he felt completely locked down, unable to move a muscle!
Sweat instantly burst from Li Hao's forehead!
In that moment, he felt as though the Red Shadow had fixed its gaze upon him—that terror, that crisis, that brush with death!
*Roar!*
*Tiger Roars in the Forest!*
A sonic wave attack!
*Smack!*
A heavy slap landed on the back of his head. Yuan Shuo pulled back his fist; Li Hao hadn't even seen him retract it.
"What are you howling for?" Yuan Shuo scolded in annoyance. "A tiger's roar in the forest, and you make it sound like a dying cat! What the hell did you learn from the Tiger Combat Art? You learned the Cat Art!"
Li Hao looked sheepish.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, he stood up. "Teacher, you were too fast, and I felt like I couldn't move..."
"That's because you're too weak!" Yuan Shuo said, his face full of disdain. "Third-rate martial masters rely on their fists and feet; second-rate martial masters rely on their momentum; first-rate martial masters lock down the spirit! You're not even third-rate!"
"..."
Li Hao rubbed his head, unbothered. He truly wasn't a third-rate martial master anyway.
A third-rate in his teacher's eyes was still a martial master.
He wasn't even a martial master yet!
Only at the Ten-Slayer realm did that begin!
Yuan Shuo had only scolded him out of habit. Having vented, he nodded. "Not bad, though! Better than before. In the past, you couldn't even manage a squawk, so at least you've made progress... Even if it's not quite what I'd hoped to see."
He shook his head with a sigh. "The martial path has fallen. Treating it as physical exercise is enough! You should still treat ancient civilization exploration as your main profession—at least it keeps food on the table. I thought you had decent talent and could live as an ordinary person, focusing on archaeology to secure a place for yourself. Once I retired, I could arrange an assistant lectureship for you, and in a few decades, you could take over my mantle... What a pity!"
Li Hao gave an awkward smile.
Without arguing, he poured a cup of tea for his teacher, then studied Yuan Shuo with curiosity.
Whether it was Liu Long or Liu Yan, faint starlight clung to them, even if it wasn't pure.
And a Starlight Master like Wang Ming had clear, pure starlight.
Yet his teacher... had none at all!
Otherwise, Li Hao would have noticed it long ago.
Had his teacher never absorbed mysterious energy?
"What are you staring at?"
Yuan Shuo sat down, nudged Li Hao aside with a kick, took the teacup, and drank.
After a pause, Li Hao asked, "Teacher, why are you so different from Captain Liu? Whenever I get close to him, I feel a chilly, sinister sensation..."
"Just leaking mysterious energy!"
Yuan Shuo dismissed it carelessly. "He's trash. A useless piece of garbage. He absorbed too much mysterious energy from too many mixed sources without digesting it completely. Of course it leaks out, giving you that chilly feeling! I'm not a piece of trash like him."
"..."
Li Hao was utterly struck dumb. He knew his teacher was arrogant.
Yet this was the first time he had seen him this arrogant. Liu Long was a Hundred-Breaker martial master and the head of the Law Enforcement Team.
Was it really appropriate to curse him like that?
Yet beneath the shock, Li Hao was stunned. Did his teacher mean he had absorbed mysterious energy and digested it completely?
Yuan Shuo added, "Stop staring. You won't figure anything out anyway. The things I taught you before—study them properly, apply them well, and no matter how badly you do, you'll still turn out better than Liu Long. Understand?"
Li Hao understood!
The *Five Animals Breathing Art*!
Did that mean the breathing art was truly so formidable that it could thoroughly absorb mysterious energy?
Li Hao hadn't felt its full depth yet, but now he vaguely sensed that this secret technique might truly be extraordinary.
Of course, that wasn't why he had come today. He had come for the starlight energy within the jade sword.
He longed for his teacher to become a supernatural. Only then would they have greater confidence to face the looming crisis.
Chapter 21