At that moment, master and disciple were wildly arrogant without limits.
No more worries!
No more fear!
His teacher had crossed into the Thousand-Battler realm and was perhaps the foremost figure in the martial world today. What was there to fear from a mere Red Shadow?
As for his own advancement to the Ten-Slayer realm, Li Hao did not dwell on it much.
Ten-Slayer… was just so-so.
Every member of the Demon Hunting Squad was a Ten-Slayer, and weren't they still struggling bitterly?
At this moment, Li Hao did not truly understand what it meant to reach the Ten-Slayer realm after only three years of training.
Yuan Shuo understood, but he didn't care much either.
A Ten-Slayer was indeed weak.
Besides, this was his student. Even if Li Hao hadn't focused purely on the martial path, with a Thousand-Battler powerhouse like himself guiding him, wasn't reaching Ten-Slayer a given?
Furthermore, Li Hao was already twenty years old.
Reaching Ten-Slayer at twenty was nothing to boast about. Yuan Shuo still remembered a disciple of an old friend who had reached Ten-Slayer at the age of twelve—now that was shocking.
Of course, that old friend's disciple had practiced martial arts since childhood, having his body cleansed with precious medicinal herbs from the age of three. Yuan Shuo couldn't be bothered to mention that detail.
Besides, Li Hao hadn't achieved it entirely on his own either; setting aside the starlight energy, absorbing mysterious energy had also played a key role.
"Teacher!"
Li Hao cast everything else aside, bubbling over with excitement. "Is a Thousand-Battler martial master an invincible existence in the supernatural realm as well?"
A Thousand-Battler!
Yuan Shuo's face beamed with smiles. After a moment, appearing to ponder, he said slowly, "Close enough… Once I step into the supernatural realm, I'll be invincible!"
"And before you step into it?"
Li Hao vaguely sensed something amiss and pressed the question.
Yuan Shuo stroked his beard—only to realize it was gone. Feeling a bit unaccustomed, he considered it once more and replied vaguely, "Then a Thousand-Battler is still at the absolute peak!"
"How peak?"
Li Hao still felt uneasy. Why was his teacher being so evasive?
Yuan Shuo gave a dry cough. On such a joyous day, this kid was asking too many questions.
Reining in his earlier wild abandon just a fraction, Yuan Shuo said with utter composure, "Li Hao, you must understand, supernaturals aren't all monstrously formidable! For instance, when ordinary people first become supernaturals, their strength is roughly equivalent to the Ten-Slayer realm. Only after some time and improvement can they rival a Hundred-Breaker… And even among Hundred-Breakers, there is a world of difference. Defeating nine hundred is a Hundred-Breaker, and defeating one hundred is also a Hundred-Breaker!"
Li Hao couldn't help himself. He was too desperate to know whether his teacher was truly invincible, so he blurted out, "Teacher… were you just bragging a moment ago?"
"Heh!"
Yuan Shuo scoffed, feigning indignation.
He pointed toward the sky, arrogance resurfacing once again. "Let's put it this way: in the entire Silver Moon Province, based on my strength, the number of people who can defeat me is no more than three to five!"
Thirty-two cities in Silver Moon Province, and he ranked in the top five?
Li Hao was genuinely stunned.
How vast was Silver Moon Province?
How massive was its population?
Silver City was a small town, backward and underdeveloped. But the provincial capital, White Moon City, had a population of thirty million!
Silver City had barely a million people.
Compared to White Moon City, it was practically a drop in the ocean.
Other cities were either like Silver City or, while smaller than White Moon City, still enormous; Yaoguang City, the second largest in the province, had a population exceeding ten million.
The entire Silver Moon Province was home to nearly a hundred million people!
With so many people and countless supernaturals, his teacher could rank in the top five?
"Teacher, Thousand-Battler martial masters are so powerful that..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Yuan Shuo's next words nearly made him stumble.
"Only three to five people can defeat me, but I'm talking about those whose tier is higher than mine. If we measure by supernatural tiers, supernaturals around my tier… there are probably several dozen of them!"
Yuan Shuo looked slightly embarrassed.
Of course, if he were to step into the supernatural realm, those who were currently a tier above him or stronger than him might not hold a candle to him then.
Li Hao felt a flicker of disappointment at first, but on second thought, that was still incredible!
Powerhouses of that caliber were exceedingly rare across the vast Silver Moon Province.
After all, his teacher had never stepped into the supernatural realm; reaching such heights was already awe-inspiring.
"Teacher, is it easy to reach the Thousand-Battler level in the supernatural realm?"
"Easy?"
Yuan Shuo chuckled. "Not particularly easy, but far easier than for a martial master! Put it this way: supernaturals are divided into tiers. Among them, the tier equivalent to a Thousand-Battler is known in the supernatural realm as Solar Radiance! A supernatural at the Solar Radiance realm matches a martial master at the Thousand-Battler realm! And in Silver Moon Province, there are quite a few Solar Radiance experts; almost every major city has one stationed there.
"However, calling it easy is relative. At least in the martial arts realm..."
With a light sigh, he shook his head slightly. "As a martial master at the Thousand-Battler level, I might be the last one in the past twenty years!"
Twenty years ago, there were still others.
Now, he had heard of none. Perhaps there were a few left, but they were either in secluded cultivation, lying low waiting for an opportunity to break through into the supernatural realm, or had already crossed over.
Whether they remained in Silver Moon Province was another question. He hadn't stepped outside the province for many years and didn't know much about the outside world.
Meanwhile, Li Hao firmly committed the term to memory.
The Solar Radiance realm!
A powerhouse among supernaturals, matching a Thousand-Battler. Even Thousand-Battler experts, once hailed as earthbound immortals, were not invincible among supernaturals; there were dozens in Silver Moon Province alone.
What tier was the Red Shadow?
Fearing he might inadvertently lead his teacher to his death, Li Hao asked, "Teacher, now that you've reached Thousand-Battler, can you deal with the supernatural who killed Little Yuan? And what if they belong to an organization with many supernaturals—will we be unable to fight them?"
"Let's talk inside!"
Yuan Shuo glanced outside and lowered his voice. "Head inside to stay out of sight. The change is quite dramatic, so keep a low profile!"
Li Hao understood, and the two walked together toward the courtyard's main house.
...
The grand parlor was spacious and decorated in antique elegance.
Once inside, Yuan Shuo didn't rush to speak with Li Hao. He walked up to a mirror, looked at his reflection, nodded with evident satisfaction, and only then returned to the parlor.
He was rather vain.
Li Hao pretended not to notice.
"In my view, the supernatural who killed Zhang Yuan isn't weak, but… they can't be overly strong either!"
Yuan Shuo analyzed, "If they were truly formidable, Zhang Yuan wouldn't have had the chance to walk out of his dormitory. He would have been incinerated into ash without a sound. But he walked out, which proves the killer, or their supernatural power, has limitations!
"Of course, we cannot simply assume they are weak. Anyone capable of laying plans for over a decade certainly isn't incompetent. Now, what we need to determine is whether they belong to an organization or are acting alone."
Li Hao thought for a moment. "It should be an organization!"
"How do you figure?"
Yuan Shuo looked at Li Hao with a hint of testing in his eyes.
Li Hao explained, "I sensed their presence outside Zhang Yuan's house; that was a lookout! I also discovered that someone tailed me by car from outside the Inspectorate—probably an ordinary person, also keeping watch.
"The mastermind wouldn't have the audacity or patience to follow me constantly. There's no need, considering how weak I am.
"Therefore, there is definitely more than one person, but I cannot judge the exact numbers or how many supernaturals there are."
With that, he looked at Yuan Shuo. "Teacher, how does one gauge the strength of a supernatural?"
"It's hard to tell,"
Yuan Shuo answered bluntly. "Just like martial masters! If you don't display your traits, it's hard to judge exact strength. When it comes to power, actual combat is the only true benchmark.
"As for supernatural detectors, they're complete nonsense!"
Yuan Shuo sneered dismissively. "I even helped develop that gadget. It has some use, but not much! For example, a Solar Radiance Master can easily compress their mysterious energy and dampen its dissipation. What you detect might merely be the fluctuation of the weakest supernatural tier. How could you possibly judge their true strength?"
That was true!
Li Hao thought of his own eyes. Unlike others, he could see mysterious energy. Could he use that to assess them?
With that in mind, Li Hao asked hurriedly, "Teacher, does the density of mysterious energy within the body differ across tiers?"
"Nonsense, of course it does!"
Yuan Shuo nodded. "The stronger and denser the mysterious energy, the more powerful they are! Of course, that's setting aside practical combat application. If a supernatural specializes in healing, their mysterious energy might be strong, but they might not beat someone weaker in raw energy. It depends on individual ability."
Understood!
"Then what are the differences between mysterious energies of different tiers?"
Li Hao asked curiously, "I saw an ice crystal chamber in the Demon Hunting Squad that could make mysterious energy visible. Does its appearance indicate different states, tiers, and strength?"
"Naturally!"
This was Yuan Shuo's area of expertise. He was the one who had discovered ice crystals, and he had even contributed to the method of dyeing mysterious energy.
He nodded and said, "In the supernatural realm, putting aside those stronger than me, let's draw an analogy with martial masters. When someone first enters the supernatural realm, their mysterious energy looks like starlight when manifested. That is the origin of the name Starlight Master! In reality, Starlight Master doesn't represent the entire supernatural realm, only the first tier, but people have grown accustomed to calling all supernaturals Starlight Masters!"
Starlight Master!
The first tier!
Li Hao quickly asked, "So a Starlight Master is merely equivalent to a Ten-Slayer?"
That felt… quite weak!
He was already a Ten-Slayer!
"More or less! Of course, they belong to different domains. In a real fight, it's hard to say definitively who is stronger.
"In the second tier of the supernatural realm, the mysterious energy shines brighter, like the light of a full moon. This tier is known as Lunar Nether Master!"
Li Hao listened with rapt attention.
This was the first time anyone had explained the supernatural realm to him in detail. The Demon Hunting Squad rarely brought it up before, because none of them had crossed into the supernatural realm.
Though Yuan Shuo hadn't either, he understood supernaturals inside and out.
It was his line of work!
"Starlight, Lunar Nether, Solar Radiance… correspond roughly to Ten-Slayer, Hundred-Breaker, and Thousand-Battler?"
"You can't look at it entirely like that!"
Though Yuan Shuo hated to admit it, he confessed, "At the same tier, unless a martial master reaches Thousand-Battler, under normal circumstances, they are no match for a supernatural of the same level."
"Why?"
Li Hao was surprised. Why wouldn't they be, if they were in the same tier?
Yuan Shuo smiled helplessly. "Let's put it this way: martial masters can only make physical attacks! But supernaturals go beyond physical attacks. Take those two outside just now. The man can fly… He probably entered the Lunar Nether realm not long ago! I'm a Thousand-Battler now, but if he prepared in advance and stayed airborne without coming down… tell me, what could I do?"
"You can fly too, Teacher!"
"..."
Yuan Shuo felt thoroughly helpless. "I can't fly. What I do is vaulting through the air by borrowing leverage; I can't stay aloft indefinitely. As long as his mysterious energy doesn't run dry, he can stay airborne. That's entirely different!"
Then he added proudly, "Of course, if I want to kill him, it's just a matter of a single punch! Flying won't save him. Once reaching Thousand-Battler, martial masters gain unique abilities of their own, which is why a martial master can only match their Solar Radiance once they reach Thousand-Battler! Before that, they are slightly weaker than their supernatural counterparts at the same tier."
Li Hao couldn't tell if that was entirely true, but he could only take his word for it.
Thinking of the two outside, he couldn't help saying, "Does that mean both of them might be stronger than Captain Liu?"
Supernaturals… were terrifying!
From a distance, those two looked quite young.
Yet Liu Long, who had painstakingly practiced martial arts for decades, was actually weaker than two youths.
"Not necessarily!"
Yuan Shuo shook his head. "Liu Long is in his forties and has immersed himself in martial arts for twenty to thirty years. Both his experience and practical instincts far surpass theirs. If those two actually fought Liu Long, they'd be far more likely to end up dead!"
No wonder!
No wonder Liu Long had said that if he couldn't solve the problem, having Night Watchers in Silver City might not help either.
What level of strength did the Red Shadow possess?
Li Hao recalled that the Red Shadow didn't seem to possess any mysterious energy. Did that mean… the Red Shadow had no tier?
Only the person behind the Red Shadow had a tier?
Yet he hadn't seen anyone behind it!
He thought of another person he had met—Wang Ming!
He had seen Wang Ming's mysterious energy as well; it was brilliant, brighter than the energy on Liu Long. Could Wang Ming be at the Lunar Nether tier too?
As for Solar Radiance, probably not.
According to his teacher, Solar Radiance supernaturals were rare, perhaps only one per major city, excluding minor towns like Silver City. Furthermore, Solar Radiance matched Thousand-Battler, and Li Hao had vaguely sensed his teacher's terrifying power earlier.
Wang Ming was clearly far below that.
*That Wang Ming might be a Lunar Nether Master, similar to the two outside...*
Three Lunar Nether-tier Night Watchers had come to Silver City—two guarding his teacher, one lurking undercover. The Night Watchers seemed to attach great importance to this.
With that in mind, Li Hao spoke up quickly, "Teacher, a supernatural arrived at the Inspectorate's Confidential Records Office. He might be a Lunar Nether Master!"
"Oh?"
Yuan Shuo was slightly startled. Without asking how Li Hao knew, he considered it and laughed. "Interesting. It seems the person who killed Zhang Yuan is no simple foe! The Night Watchers must know something, perhaps even guessing the culprit's identity, which is why they are acting with such caution..."
"Teacher, I'm not entirely certain whether that person could be the mastermind behind Zhang Yuan's death?"
"Unlikely!"
Yuan Shuo shook his head outright. "Do you think the Inspectorate is that easy to infiltrate? The Inspectorate has ways of detecting whether someone is a supernatural. That means whoever entered the Inspectorate is known to your Chief, without a doubt! One hundred percent known! Unless your Chief has become an accomplice, that fellow is one hundred percent a Night Watcher!"
Li Hao breathed a slight sigh of relief. That was good; he had genuinely feared the person belonged to the Red Shadow's organization.
Master and disciple chatted a while longer.
At this point, Yuan Shuo grew solemn. "Leaving everything else aside… keep that sword of yours safe!"
He had already returned the jade sword to Li Hao.
Even after absorbing so much energy to break through to Thousand-Battler, he could still draw energy from it. That was truly incredible.
There was simply too much!
"Understood."
Li Hao nodded. He now understood the preciousness of the jade sword.
In fact, he had realized it earlier when absorbing the Demon Hunting Squad's mysterious energy.
Yuan Shuo pondered for a moment and added, "Furthermore, though I've reached Thousand-Battler, advancing further into the supernatural realm will still be exceedingly difficult, mainly due to a lack of mysterious energy! Not the kind you possess—yours isn't for boosting raw combat prowess, but for reinforcing foundations, making it a hundred times more precious!
"Given my Thousand-Battler strength, breaking into the supernatural realm would likely require hundreds or even a thousand cubic meters of mysterious energy!"
Li Hao quickly calculated.
On the black market, one cubic meter cost one million.
If his teacher needed a thousand cubic meters to advance, how much would that cost?
One billion?
Li Hao swallowed hard. *No way, that's insane!*
His teacher probably didn't have that much money, even though he seemed fairly well-off.
Of course, to Yuan Shuo, if money alone could buy it, things would be simple. But a transaction of that scale couldn't escape the notice of the Night Watchers or other major organizations.
It wasn't a viable option!
He looked at Li Hao, paused in thought, and said, "For now, it's best I don't show my face. The main issue is that I have some old enemies. Though they aren't in Silver Moon Province, their strength is nothing to scoff at! We still need to keep a low profile..."
Li Hao gave a wry smile. Just moments ago, his teacher had claimed he could run rampant without fear!
Truly, only three parts of his words could be trusted.
Yuan Shuo added, "Of course, once I advance, I'll truly dominate unchallenged. You'll be able to swagger around without any trouble!
"For now, let's lie low for a few days. No rush!"
Yuan Shuo laughed. "As for the impending danger, I'll observe first… If the enemy is too weak, we'll wipe them out directly! If they're formidable..."
He grinned. "We'll let the Night Watchers take the blame!"
"..."
Li Hao's eyes lit up with intrigue.
Yuan Shuo lowered his voice. "If the mastermind is weak and I can wipe them out in one fell swoop, then there's nothing more to say—just one word: kill! But if they have someone beyond the Solar Radiance realm, that will be troublesome. Even if I can put up some resistance, you'd be in deep trouble!
"So, if such a powerhouse exists, they definitely aren't in Silver City right now! We'll slaughter anyone below the Solar Radiance realm. Even if a Solar Radiance expert shows up, we'll kill them first and claim the Night Watchers did it!
"The Night Watchers do have top powerhouses. Of the three to five people who can defeat me, half belong to the Night Watchers!"
Li Hao nodded.
His teacher was tailoring his approach to the opponent.
Caution was wise!
Moreover, though neither had spoken of it, both understood implicitly.
Someone who had laid plans for so many years—considering the sheer potency of the jade sword's starlight energy—if they had claimed several other treasures, wouldn't they have grown far stronger as well?
If Yuan Shuo could reach Thousand-Battler, why couldn't the enemy use their treasures to reach an even higher realm?
Neither brought it up to avoid crushing their confidence.
Yuan Shuo judged that anyone stronger than him was definitely not in Silver City, nor even in Silver Moon Province, which made things much easier to manage.
With that in mind, he added, "Also, your jade pendant is merely a jade pendant! Before you leave, I'll prepare a sword for you!"
"An extraordinary item!"
Yuan Shuo grinned sinisterly. "No one has seen your sword; no one knows what it looks like! What the Li family sword looks like is entirely up to you to declare. If an ordinary person like you carries an extraordinary item, wouldn't that be the Li family sword?
"Of course, it has to be decent; it can't be junk!"
At this thought, Yuan Shuo felt a pang of heartache. "With the Night Watchers watching me all these years, it's been hard to collect treasures. Ah, forget it. A few years ago, I acquired a good sword, an absolute treasure!"
His eyes flickered as he spoke. "Come to think of it, it's remarkably fitting! That sword is sealed as well; no mysterious energy manifests on its surface, yet radiance is contained within. I suspect it's also a heirloom treasure tied to a bloodline, discovered in a major ruin."
Li Hao couldn't help saying, "Teacher, what if your sword is even more valuable than mine? Wouldn't you be losing out?"
He understood Yuan Shuo's plan: substituting a fake for the real thing!
But if his own sword wasn't as valuable as the replacement, wouldn't they take a loss?
"Impossible!"
Yuan Shuo shook his head. Li Hao's treasure was extraordinarily precious beyond doubt.
Without further explanation, he said immediately, "Take it with you when you leave! I don't need to tell you how to use it. If the enemy is too strong and even I can't handle them, toss the sword to see if you can buy your life. If the enemy is killed by me or the Night Watchers… you'd best toss the sword to the Night Watchers anyway. Otherwise, it will be hard to pin the blame on them!"
Master and disciple quickly finalized their plan.
If weak, eradicate them.
If strong, chop off their claws and let the Night Watchers take the blame. Of course, that hinged on the Night Watchers taking the sword; if they refused, the blame might still fall on Li Hao.
Would the Night Watchers want it?
Since Yuan Shuo said so, it was practically guaranteed.
As for whether their conscience would prick them, Yuan Shuo felt no guilt whatsoever, and neither did Li Hao. If the Night Watchers took the sword, they deserved to take the blame; they had only themselves to blame.
...
They talked for nearly an hour.
By now, Yuan Shuo had retrieved the sword.
Not only that, but he had also dyed his hair white; the old man clearly didn't intend to reveal his true state anytime soon.
The sword Yuan Shuo provided was not large.
It was slightly bigger than the jade pendant, recognizable as a sword at a glance, yet about the size of a dagger—easily concealed in a pocket.
Li Hao took a look and could faintly perceive a potent layer of mysterious energy sealed within.
He felt somewhat reluctant to take it. This might be the only treasure of this tier his teacher possessed, yet he had gifted it to him just to deflect trouble.
"Head back early!"
Yuan Shuo wrapped up the arrangements and warned, "Don't worry too much. I won't tail you constantly, but if anything happens, I'll arrive quickly! All you need to do is avoid getting killed instantly!"
Li Hao nodded.
Yuan Shuo thought for a moment and added, "Improving yourself is also essential! You've entered the Ten-Slayer realm, but that doesn't mean you're formidable. The difference in strength within the Ten-Slayer realm is stark; slaying ninety-nine is still considered Ten-Slayer. While that's a slight exaggeration, the disparity is real."
Realizing Li Hao would find it hard to improve further in the short term, Yuan Shuo had intended to let him go, but suddenly stopped him. "Forget it. You haven't experienced real combat. What I taught you before were methods for nurturing health; they aren't very practical in actual fights. Once this matter is over, I'll definitely give you proper training!"
There wasn't enough time now.
He weighed his options and finally made a decision. "I'll teach you a somewhat sinister offensive technique right now! It isn't part of the Five Animals Art, and it isn't too hard to learn, but it's useful for saving your life!"
Li Hao's eyes lit up!
Sinister?
He didn't care about that!
He just wanted to survive.
Yuan Shuo didn't step outside; he stood in the parlor and struck a stance that appeared perfectly upright and dignified.
"When dealing with opponents, martial masters need to get close, especially third-rate martial masters like you!
"You don't need to learn frontal assault techniques, because you probably won't be able to use them. If you could overpower them directly, you wouldn't need tricks...
"Today, I'll teach you a move called 'Miraculous Hands Bring Spring.' This is also a technique I unearthed from ancient records."
*Miraculous Hands Bring Spring!*
The name sounded exceptionally righteous, almost like a physician's professional skill.
Yet the moment Yuan Shuo demonstrated it, Li Hao understood what "Miraculous Hands Bring Spring" truly meant.
Yuan Shuo's hands fluttered as though waving erratically. He clearly had only two hands, yet in the next instant, a third hand suddenly appeared!
Yes, three hands!
The very moment the third hand emerged, it snatched straight toward Li Hao's groin!
There was no time to react!
The Ape Art also had a move called "Monkey Steals the Peaches," but it wasn't this deceptive. Once unleashed, an opponent would instantly know it targeted the lower regions.
Yet this "Miraculous Hands Bring Spring" actually manifested a third hand!
Li Hao turned pale with fright!
Yuan Shuo withdrew his hand with a broad smile. "The essence of Miraculous Hands Bring Spring lies in the 'miraculous hand' catching the enemy completely off guard! It is actually a thieving technique recorded in ancient texts, used by the underbelly of ancient civilization for pickpocketing! I adapted it slightly into a technique suited for sneak attacks—a sneak attack right from the front!"
In the middle of a clash, an extra hand suddenly appeared; who could possibly defend against that?
"Teacher, how did an extra hand appear?"
Li Hao was still bewildered. The technique didn't seem complicated, but where did the extra hand come from?
He looked closely; Yuan Shuo still had only two hands.
"That's the core of it. It's actually simple: a person has only two hands, so the third is naturally fake!"
Yuan Shuo began explaining it to Li Hao. Among the three hands, one was a decoy, but it had to seem indistinguishable from real flesh, and concealment in hand was required—that was where the difficulty lay.
Master and disciple drilled for a while until Li Hao grasped the general mechanics and understood the core essence, only then bringing the session to a close.
...
Soon, Li Hao left the courtyard.
Outside, the man who had blocked his path earlier was nowhere to be seen.
Only after putting some distance between himself and the courtyard did Li Hao sense someone tailing him. He could sense it because he faintly spotted starlight flickering in the distance—a supernatural!
It was likely the man from earlier; the woman had been gravely injured by his teacher's kick and probably wouldn't recover anytime soon.
Li Hao kept his expression neutral, pretending not to notice at all, and sped away on his small scooter.
...
Only after Li Hao had departed did Hu Hao show himself.
He glanced in Li Hao's direction, then looked back at the courtyard, deeply puzzled. What had Yuan Shuo taught Li Hao to keep the two of them holed up for hours?
"I wonder how Elder Yuan's injuries are..."
He sighed softly, feeling helpless. The old man better not die; otherwise, both he and Li Meng would be in deep trouble.
Chapter 24