Silver City Ancient Academy.
Li Hao had left not long ago, but he hadn't gone to see Yuan Shuo earlier, heading straight for the academy administration building instead.
Now, however, he made a beeline for Yuan Shuo's courtyard.
Wang Ming hadn't come along; claiming he was tired of running around, he was waiting outside in the car, and Li Hao had simply left him be.
...
Inside the courtyard.
Yuan Shuo was currently locked in a battle of wills with a dog. His interest had recently been piqued, and he spent every day putting Black Panther through its paces, thoroughly enjoying himself. Li Hao had no idea what had gotten into his teacher, but Yuan Shuo had been matching wits and brawn against Black Panther for nearly half a month now.
"Teacher!"
Li Hao had barely called out a greeting when Black Panther let out a howl and shot forward in an instant, its forepaws immediately clutching Li Hao's thigh.
"*Awooo! Woof, woof! Meow, meow!*"
Li Hao froze. What on earth was with that last sound?
"Black Panther, why are you meowing like a cat?"
"*Awooo, awooo...*"
Black Panther was on the verge of a breakdown. It hadn't wanted to! That terrifying old man insisted it might not be a dog at all, but rather some mixed breed that could climb trees like a cat, bite like a wolf, and plow fields like an ox...
In short, Black Panther felt it had been living in pure hell these past few days!
It was simply too miserable.
Now that it had finally caught sight of Li Hao, it was desperate. It wished it could bolt with him right this second, never to spend another moment with that old lunatic.
"You're here?"
Yuan Shuo looked considerably younger these days. Paying Black Panther no mind, he casually wiped his hands. "Don't go running around for no reason. Spend your time training properly. Did you come by earlier with that Wang kid?"
"Yes. Official business, so I didn't come to disturb you, Teacher."
"It's fine."
Yuan Shuo didn't seem to care, nor did he ask why Wang Ming hadn't come in now. It was only natural; the guy was certainly too embarrassed to show his face.
"This dog isn't bad!"
Yuan Shuo chuckled, glancing over at Black Panther. The hound shuddered in sheer terror.
Li Hao felt helpless. "Teacher, did you beat him?"
"Beat him?"
Yuan Shuo smiled. "How could I! As an educator, whether teaching humans or dogs, I rarely resort to corporal punishment. Tell me, have I ever physically punished you?"
"Well, no, you haven't," Li Hao answered, though his expression grew odd. If he hadn't beaten it... what was Black Panther so terrified of?
"*Woof, woof, woof!*"
Black Panther immediately barked in a flurry of agitation. Yuan Shuo chuckled. "Is this mutt filing a complaint? I truly haven't beaten him. Really. I merely stimulated him for a while with saber energy, then stimulated him several times with mysterious energy... Though I must say, this dog's physical constitution is quite impressive!"
In that moment, everything clicked for Li Hao.
He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
This was far worse than a beating!
Li Hao knew all too well the sensation of being stimulated by saber energy and mysterious energy. Without sword energy to neutralize it, the feeling was... absolute agony.
With sword energy to harmonize the process, it was immensely invigorating, but without it... he could easily imagine how utterly miserable Black Panther had been.
Of course, the torment was accompanied by fortune.
Li Hao patted the dog's head. "Teacher is bestowing benefits upon you. Don't be ungrateful! You must understand that these treasures can't be bought for a thousand pieces of gold out there! You're a big dog striving to become a spirit; you ought to understand how precious these things are. Didn't so many people die last time just for items like this?"
Tears welled in Black Panther's eyes. *This dog knows that!*
*But... what you don't know is that this pervert takes turns zapping me with different energies, claiming he wants to test where my limits lie! These past few days have been a fate worse than death!*
Li Hao stopped paying Black Panther any mind. What a wonderful opportunity it was. Teacher wouldn't even deign to pay attention to ordinary people.
This dog simply didn't recognize its own good fortune.
Too lazy to heed Black Panther's desperate pleas for rescue, Li Hao kicked it aside. It had clamped on too tightly, and its claws were remarkably sharp, stinging cold against his flesh.
"Teacher, I have something important."
"You wouldn't come if you didn't."
Yuan Shuo understood Li Hao far too well. Not bothering to waste words, he went about his own tasks, leaving Li Hao to follow along.
Yet Yuan Shuo had no intention of listening first, taking the initiative to speak. "At the end of August, we're heading to the ruins!"
"Am I going too?" Li Hao asked.
Yuan Shuo considered it for a moment, uncertain. "I don't know, and it's not an easy call to make! Ruins harbor peril as well as opportunity. Furthermore, the ruins I discovered might have some connection to the Eight Great Families... though it's not certain!"
Connected to the Eight Great Families once again!
Li Hao furrowed his brows slightly. "Teacher, the roots of the Eight Great Families lie in Silver City. Are there any ruins belonging to the Eight Great Families right here in Silver City? You're an expert in this field; could it be that you haven't discovered any ruins in Silver City all these years?"
"Silver City..."
Yuan Shuo poured himself a cup of tea, holding it as he walked outside. "I've surveyed Silver City. The feng shui is mediocre, with no indications of grand burial sites. Of course, ruins aren't necessarily tombs; they could be ancient cities that sank and were sealed beneath the earth. However... Silver City has rarely yielded such artifacts. I've conducted investigations in the past and found no signs of ruins."
He was a grandmaster in the field!
Li Hao frowned. Even his teacher hadn't spotted any clues?
"Teacher, Silver City might actually have one!"
"Hm?"
Yuan Shuo's brow knitted slightly. After a moment of thought, he said, "If there is... it would actually make sense! After all, the legend of the Eight Great Families originated from Silver City. I've also deduced over the past few days that if one truly exists, it would lie along the Bagua alignments!"
"Moreover, it wouldn't be an ordinary ruin. It might exist in a sealed state—one where death comes easily!"
At that point, he looked at Li Hao. "Have you found something?"
"Teacher, wait a moment..."
Li Hao stepped into the room and retrieved a piece of paper and a pen. Picking up the pen, he swiftly sketched an outline of Silver City.
It resembled a Bagua!
In the past, he hadn't paid much attention to it. Many cities shared such layouts, and a Bagua diagram wasn't particularly unusual; one could easily view it simply as a circle.
Yet ever since Li Hao had seen that Bagua diagram in the sky... He couldn't see it now, having only witnessed it once when the Red Shadow entered his body and his blood boiled—perhaps requiring that blue rain as well for him to perceive it.
In the subsequent times he had absorbed the Red Shadow's power, he hadn't seen the Bagua again.
Even so, Li Hao had committed every detail to memory.
Now, he swiftly drew the pattern.
It was a map of Silver City, yet also a Bagua diagram. Before long, he marked a red dot in one specific area.
Yuan Shuo glanced at it, his brows arching slightly. "Due north—the Li position of the Bagua. Li corresponds to Fire, situated in the northern outskirts of Silver City. That area... should be a mining mountain, seemingly owned by Qiao's Mining."
The Li position!
Li corresponded to Fire. In an instant, Li Hao recalled the mysterious energy Qiao Feilong had gifted him earlier—it was fire-attributed!
Perhaps it was merely a coincidence, but Li Hao instinctively connected the two.
"There are ruins there?"
Yuan Shuo looked at Li Hao, somewhat surprised.
Before Li Hao could speak, he quickly added, "I've been to that place before and found nothing—no clues pointing to ruins. The reason I went back then was because of a collapse. Qiao's invited me over, hoping I could help them reopen a mine shaft..."
He was a professor in the Department of Ancient Civilizations, a professor of feng shui, and an adept hand in grave-robbing... cough, geological surveying.
It was only natural that they had sought him out to reopen a mine shaft.
Li Hao said in a solemn voice, "It's right there! Whether it's truly ruins, I don't know for certain, but I'm not guessing blindly. Teacher, do you know what kind of background Qiao's Mining really has in our Silver City?"
"Qiao's... Qiao Feilong..."
Yuan Shuo pondered for a moment, dredging up his memories. "Qiao Feilong was originally a Silver City native. He left home in his youth to build a career elsewhere and returned to Silver City when he was around forty, already possessing considerable wealth."
"Afterward, he established Qiao's Mining in Silver City roughly thirty years ago."
It wasn't twenty years ago, but thirty years ago that he had returned to Silver City to start his enterprise.
Thus, under normal circumstances, even if word of the Eight Great Families leaked, people might link it to the layout Red Moon had orchestrated over a decade ago. It would hardly occur to anyone that Qiao's Mining, which had existed for thirty years, was also connected to the Eight Great Families.
In this moment, Li Hao also found himself wondering: had this fellow connected with Yama later on, or had Yama truly begun laying their plans thirty years ago?
Back then, supernaturals hadn't even risen to prominence!
Yuan Shuo continued, "Qiao Feilong practiced martial arts as well, though his achievements weren't high. Once he reached the Ten-Slayer realm, he ceased training; reaching Ten-Slayer was merely for self-preservation. Later, as Qiao's Mining expanded and he had the wealth to hire martial masters as bodyguards, he naturally stopped delving into it."
"However, behind the scenes, that man is ruthless and vicious. For an enterprise to reach its current scale, he certainly engaged in underhanded dealings. The mining industry is naturally prone to clashes, and Silver City had no shortage of illicit mines back then. In the end, he wiped them all out!"
Yuan Shuo pointed at the spot Li Hao had marked. "In this place, there used to be many illicit mine shafts. Later, when Qiao Feilong's Qiao's Mining took over, before long, the owners of those illegal mines ended up dead or crippled... Some willingly transferred their shafts at rock-bottom prices. Silver City authorities turned a blind eye, primarily because none of those illegal mine bosses were good people anyway—it was just dog-eat-dog!"
After giving this brief overview, he added, "Of course, on the surface, Qiao Feilong is a prominent entrepreneur and philanthropist. He has donated extensively across Silver City, including to the Ancient Academy. The Feilong Laboratory Building at the Ancient Academy was his donation."
Li Hao thought about it and nodded; he had even visited that building.
He had forgotten that Qiao Feilong had donated it.
Having finished his explanation, Yuan Shuo looked at Li Hao, waiting for his student to provide information. Bringing up Qiao's so suddenly clearly meant this matter involved them. Had ruins been discovered under Qiao's mine?
Li Hao offered a smile. "Teacher, you've dealt with Qiao Feilong before. Care to guess whether he's a supernatural?"
"He is!"
Yuan Shuo replied with absolute calm. "He's a supernatural."
Li Hao stared blankly.
"You knew?"
"I didn't."
Yuan Shuo remained composed, then let out a scoff a moment later. "With you asking like that, if I said no, would that make me the fool or you?"
The moment his student asked the question, he understood everything.
Li Hao was speechless.
Yuan Shuo's brow furrowed slightly. "He's a supernatural? To tell you the truth, I saw him not long ago. If he's a supernatural... he's either so weak that I couldn't sense him, or so strong that I couldn't sense him either!"
There were only two possibilities!
He then added, "To hide it from me, and have you come running all the way here specifically to mention it... Could it be that this guy is an exceedingly formidable supernatural? Solar Radiance? Three Sols?"
As for Lunar Nether... how could that count as a powerhouse!
Yuan Shuo murmured to himself, "Connected to the ruins... Could it be that he obtained ruins belonging to the Eight Great Families, and there are ruins buried right beneath that mine? So he reaped the benefits, grew into a powerhouse in secret, and has been concealing himself all this time while plotting something?"
"There truly are ruins in Silver City... and to think I failed to find them. What a pity. Had I discovered them, perhaps I would have stepped into Thousand-Battler long ago."
Yuan Shuo sighed with emotion, ignoring Li Hao's urge to speak.
"Three Sols, is it?"
He muttered, "If Qiao Feilong is a Three Sols entity, he couldn't possibly oversee the excavation of the ruins entirely by himself. He must have helpers. Could he have Solar Radiances under his command?"
He rubbed his beardless chin. "With just one person, he'd probably worry about them absconding with the spoils. At least two?"
At least two would be needed for a balance of power!
For someone like Qiao Feilong, trust was strictly limited; it was impossible for him to place boundless trust in a single individual. Moreover, as a prominent entrepreneur, he had ample resources and money to cultivate and pile resources onto supernaturals.
"Silver City... such a tiny place, yet truly devoid of peace!"
Yuan Shuo sighed once more. "Little Hao, if you don't care about the ancestral graves or ancestral lands of the Eight Great Families, I'd say it's best not to provoke them. They won't be easy to mess with!"
Li Hao was at a loss for words; he had barely spoken at all.
Evidently, his teacher had deduced in an instant that the other side possessed more than one powerhouse.
Indeed, the older ginger was spicier!
"Teacher, there's Qiao Feilong, who might be a Three Sols. In addition, there are three definite Solar Radiance realm experts, and one Moon Overflow..."
"*Hiss!*"
Yuan Shuo drew in a sharp breath. "Truly not someone to provoke lightly. Little Hao, your teacher's old bones can't withstand that kind of turmoil!"
With that, he looked at Li Hao. "Do you want to reclaim the ruins?"
Li Hao gave a bashful smile. "No, it was just a passing thought..."
"It's only natural. After all, you're the sole descendant of the Eight Great Families. By rights, the ruins of the Eight Great Families belong to you. What's yours is mine, which means Qiao Feilong has usurped our benefits, right?"
Li Hao nodded emphatically!
Yuan Shuo continued, "Furthermore, the ruins of the Eight Great Families likely require your weapons or your bloodline to unlock. Even if he managed to open them, he's opened a crack at best; fully unsealing them would be impossible! Therefore, he must be plotting against you as well. In that case... aren't we already sworn enemies?"
Li Hao nodded once more. Teacher wasn't wrong in the slightest!
Yuan Shuo arched his brows. "He who strikes first gains the upper hand; he who hesitates invites disaster! Either we don't act, or if we do, we eradicate them completely in one go!"
"He might be a pawn of Yama..."
Before Li Hao could even finish his sentence, Yuan Shuo dismissed it casually. "It doesn't matter. He's definitely keeping this hidden from Yama! I know men like Qiao Feilong all too well. If he told Yama about a windfall like this, none of it would be left for him. He'd never say a word!"
"As long as we cut the weeds and pull up the roots—killing Qiao Feilong, wiping out every supernatural under his command, killing his son, and eliminating all the helpers assisting him in excavating the ruins... even if Yama harbors suspicions, they won't specifically deduce that ruins were truly discovered."
Li Hao parted his lips.
He had merely been suspicious, yet his teacher spoke with absolute certainty.
It was as if he knew Qiao Feilong inside and out!
Yuan Shuo suddenly chuckled. "Don't stare like that—it's completely natural! In truth, your teacher is that kind of person as well. If circumstances hadn't forced my hand, do you really think I'd be willing to act as muscle and a tool for the Night Watchers, excavating ruins on their behalf? I had no other choice. Otherwise, I would have swallowed it all for myself!"
He, Yuan Shuo, had never been a benevolent saint.
It was merely that Li Hao perceived him that way.
Had Yuan Shuo stood in Qiao Feilong's shoes, he would have done the exact same thing. It stemmed from the nature of the older generation of martial masters—arrogance, selfishness, and greed; Yuan Shuo possessed them all.
It was only over the years of cultivating his temperament, combined with knowing back then that death was inevitable and his path was severed, that he had accepted Li Hao in his despondency, presenting the image of a benevolent teacher.
The unvarnished truth was that he, Yuan Shuo, was Old Demon Yuan.
Being of the same breed, how could he fail to understand Qiao Feilong?
Furthermore, the moment he opened his mouth, it was about silencing witnesses and slaughtering every last one!
Not only that, but Yuan Shuo narrowed his eyes. "Not only must we silence them, but the commotion cannot be too loud. We cannot let too many people discover that Qiao Feilong was a powerhouse! It's fine if Qiao Feilong was a Lunar Nether, but he absolutely cannot be a Solar Radiance or Three Sols! Otherwise, why would someone like Qiao Feilong have nested in Silver City for so many years?"
"If he was Lunar Nether, that's fine—a money-making tool for Yama, with plenty of wealth, so what's so remarkable about becoming a Lunar Nether? But under no circumstances can he be Solar Radiance or Three Sols. Do you understand?"
Li Hao found it hard to keep pace with his teacher's rapid tempo. "Teacher, you mean... we're going to strike him directly?"
Indeed, that was precisely Yuan Shuo's intention.
Without the slightest hesitation!
The moment Li Hao finished speaking, Yuan Shuo had already begun plotting how to kill them all and silence every witness.
Such efficiency, such decisiveness, such ruthlessness... he truly lived up to the name Old Demon Yuan!
Yuan Shuo let out a cold snort. "Indecision only breeds chaos! Since we know for certain they are enemies, of course we must pull up the weeds by their roots! Back then, your teacher was too soft-hearted and didn't kill Ying Hongyue outright, allowing him to escape. The result was twenty years of hiding and running for my life. Do not follow in my footsteps!"
Either don't do it, or do it thoroughly!
He looked in a certain direction—precisely toward the headquarters of Qiao's Mining.
After a brief silence, Yuan Shuo spoke. "Even if I deploy my killer move once more, I can kill Qiao Feilong. But three Solar Radiances... won't be easy to handle! I cannot match all of them alone, and we must act swiftly. Are those three at the mine?"
"Yes!"
"Then we must split our forces!"
Yuan Shuo said solemnly, "I will go deal with Qiao Feilong. We must find people to handle the three Solar Radiances. Aside from them, there are other supernaturals and his son—all of them must be dealt with simultaneously! This isn't something one or two people can accomplish. Either we don't move, or when we do, everyone must strike together to wrap up the battle swiftly, letting not a single soul escape."
"Silver City may appear calm on the surface right now, but behind the scenes, countless pairs of eyes are watching us." At this point, he added, "It's best if not a whisper leaks out. Otherwise, once Qiao Feilong dies, someone might suspect the mine... Or perhaps we find an excuse—claim they're affiliated with Red Moon, and execute them on that pretext! Then use the Night Watchers' authority to seal off all of Qiao's Mining!"
Li Hao scratched his head, calculating. "If our entire branch charges together, do we have hope against a single Solar Radiance?"
"More or less!"
That was the extent of it.
Indeed, Liu Long's squad, combined with Wang Ming and the rest—charging shoulder-to-shoulder—could perhaps match a single Solar Radiance. That alone showed how terrifying a Solar Radiance was.
Yet the enemy had three Solar Radiance realm experts!
Not to mention that Qiao's Mining harbored other supernaturals and martial masters. At the mining site itself, there was also the mine security force they had recruited. While mostly ordinary people, they were ruthless figures who carried firearms.
That was legally permitted, as Qiao's Mining possessed gun permits and operated a security company under its banner.
Now, Li Hao felt a headache coming on. "Then let's just pretend we don't know anything. In the short term, we have no way to deal with them! Acting would only invite mishaps—letting them escape and blowing up a huge storm, or wiping them out and causing an uproar anyway, or even being completely wiped out by them... None of those are outcomes I want to see."
Li Hao much preferred resolving his foes and reaping the rewards silently, rather than causing a scene known to the entire world.
If everyone found out, what good would any number of treasures be?
He had no desire to be hunted across the realm!
Just look at the Central Region: for the sake of a single supreme treasure, combatants above Three Sols were already tearing into each other. Li Hao had no wish to become the next target.
"We cannot wait!"
Yuan Shuo said with utter gravity, "You might be able to wait, but they won't! Qiao Feilong isn't stupid. He knows that with the death of Red Moon's Three Sols, Silver City has become a focal point. The only reason powerhouses haven't rushed here is because the Central Region is holding them down!"
"The moment the fighting in the Central Region eases even slightly, powerhouses will arrive in no time. Thus, Qiao Feilong is also racing against time. He must be waiting for an opportunity—waiting to fully unseal the ruins, or simply to kill you and seize your sword or your bloodline..."
"He doesn't know the sword is still on me."
"Then he'll need your blood!"
Yuan Shuo dismissed the point casually. "You think all he wants is the sword? His objective might not align with Red Moon's. Red Moon's goal might be tied to that Bagua in the sky, but Qiao Feilong cares about the present. Therefore, he is far more likely to hope your blood can unlock the ruins."
Li Hao nodded.
That was indeed true.
Qiao Feilong might not care about any Bagua diagram. Even if he knew of it, he might not bother. Moreover, with Red Moon keeping watch, he likely preferred to scoop up a fortune and flee.
Li Hao felt somewhat helpless. "So you're saying that even if I'm willing to wait, he won't be?"
Pausing, he added, "I met with him today. The old man was exceptionally warm and polite. It seems... he felt he was practically sending me off?"
"Pretty much."
Yuan Shuo laughed as well. "You did well, though. You didn't reveal any flaws during the meeting, did you? You sensed his strength—did you piss yourself?"
"How could I!"
Li Hao chuckled too. "Could I embarrass you like that, Teacher? Who does Qiao Feilong think he is? My teacher has slain a Three Sols. Even if he's a Three Sols, Teacher can cut him down all the same!"
Pissing himself hadn't happened, though he truly had been frightened half to death at the time.
"All right, drop the flattery, it's meaningless."
Frowning, Yuan Shuo said, "We need to think of a way to resolve this trouble. Keeping the commotion minimal while eradicating them completely is truly a tall order."
Li Hao whispered, "What about the Night Watchers?"
"Forget it!"
Yuan Shuo shook his head. "Unless a Three Sols from the Night Watchers arrives! Only if Hao Lianchuan or Hou Xiaochen comes—or even both—could we pull this off without making a sound. But Hou Xiaochen will not leave White Moon City. As for Hao Lianchuan..."
At this, Yuan Shuo's frown deepened. "Don't place too much trust in them. Who knows what other motives they might harbor? I don't know Hao Lianchuan very well. Although we're acquainted, once confidential matters are involved, friction easily arises. Standing behind him is a massive backer: the Night Watchers!"
Collaborating with someone backed by such a colossus was never easy.
If Hao Lianchuan truly turned hostile, the master-disciple duo couldn't afford to provoke the Night Watchers.
"*Sigh!*"
"*Sigh!*"
Master and disciple sighed in unison.
Yuan Shuo looked at Li Hao, and Li Hao looked at Yuan Shuo, both wearing deeply troubled expressions.
This was truly difficult!
"Teacher, you roamed the martial world for so many years—don't you have three to five bosom friends?"
Li Hao wore an expression of disappointed exasperation, making Yuan Shuo's brow twitch.
"Teacher, if the Hundred-Breaker martial masters of your era had advanced to supernatural from the start, they'd be at least Solar Radiance by now. After all these years, even Three Sols would be possible. Are all your old friends dead?"
"No. Isn't Ying Hongyue still alive?"
Yuan Shuo tossed out the remark, instantly leaving Li Hao at a loss. *Pretend I said nothing.*
Ying Hongyue!
He was likely beyond Three Sols... almost certainly beyond it—one of the leaders of the Three Great Organizations. Teacher truly knew how to pick friends.
"Of course I still have a few old friends..."
Yuan Shuo gave a self-mocking laugh, but soon shook his head. "Precisely because they're old friends, I don't want to use something like profit to test and measure them. Brothers turning against each other over an unequal division of spoils is common enough, let alone friends. To put it bluntly, with old friends, sharing adversity is feasible; sharing wealth is far too rare!"
He had friends, and some among them were quite formidable today.
However, he refused to test them with something like this.
If it were merely an ordinary ruin, there would be no issue.
Yet this time, it involved the Eight Great Families, and it involved Li Hao. Li Hao was the central figure. Crucially, unlocking the ruins might require slaughtering Li Hao... so turning to those people was out of the question.
What if unsealing the ruins required Li Hao's blood?
And not just drawing blood, but taking Li Hao's life? Yuan Shuo could hold back his hand, but what about his old friends?
In the eyes of certain people, what did the death of a single Li Hao matter!
There was no need to speak of such things to Li Hao.
Those old friends might not necessarily act that way, but Yuan Shuo had to remain vigilant.
Master and disciple sighed once more!
After a long pause, Yuan Shuo suddenly said, "If there truly is no other way, we'll turn to Hao Lianchuan!"
Li Hao was taken aback. Hadn't he just said not to seek them out?
"It's the last resort. The Night Watchers are, after all, an official, orthodox faction. Even if they harbor greed, they'll at least go through official procedures rather than striking you dead outright... They'll at least negotiate with you to see if they can pay a price to take it... It's somewhat pedantic!"
Though he called it pedantic, Yuan Shuo smiled self-deprecatingly in the next breath. "Yet precisely because of that pedantry, if you truly encounter an insurmountable problem, you can still turn to the Night Watchers first. Picking the best of a bad bunch, the Night Watchers are at least slightly more reliable than the rest."
That was the crux.
They had no other choice!
Yuan Shuo said solemnly, "Rather than blowing this up and drawing in Yama and the other great organizations, it's better to pay a price and enlist the Night Watchers! Even if the ruins are seized by them in the end, the Night Watchers won't kill you outright just to open them. They'll at least try to find a workaround..."
Li Hao scratched his head again. "Does someone really have to kill me?"
"Hard to say," Yuan Shuo said with a chuckle. "If killing you isn't necessary, that's for the best. Even if the Night Watchers claim the ruins, they probably won't do anything to you. Kid, consider it yourself: do we seek the Night Watchers' aid, or do we take the risk on our own?"
A dangerous glint flashed in his eyes. "I can try launching a surprise attack on Qiao Feilong. If I can slay him smoothly and still have strength left to fight, I'll head to the mine to kill those Solar Radiances and silence the rest..."
The risk was colossal!
Without a second thought, Li Hao immediately shook his head. "We'd be better off asking the Night Watchers for help... Right, Teacher, can... can I provide Captain Liu with some sword energy? Perhaps he could step into Thousand-Battler?"
What if Liu Long also advanced to Thousand-Battler?
A Thousand-Battler was by no means inferior to a Solar Radiance—in fact, they were often stronger.
Below Thousand-Battler, it was truly difficult for martial masters to defeat supernaturals. But once one reached Thousand-Battler and awakened spirit intent, Solar Radiances were frequently no match for a Thousand-Battler martial master.
"He hasn't grasped momentum!"
Yuan Shuo frowned. "If he had grasped momentum, giving him sword energy would offer hope of advancing before it was exhausted. The crux is that this fellow has insufficient mastery over momentum!"
Liu Long, comparatively speaking, was even more reliable than Hao Lianchuan.
Unfortunately, he was a bit too weak.
Li Hao's expression turned troubled as well. "Momentum... I wonder if the captain had any epiphanies after our last conversation. If he could comprehend momentum and combine it with sword energy to advance to Thousand-Battler, things would be much easier!"
At that, Li Hao exhaled. "Teacher, I'll sound out the captain first. Even if he advances to Thousand-Battler... it might not be entirely foolproof! If all else fails, we'll call in that Director Hao... In short, as long as we can eliminate Qiao's, exposing a little bit of information is fine. Worst case, we just forfeit the ruins!"
He was quite open-minded about it.
Prize money over his own life? That was not his style.
Qiao's had very likely set their sights on him.
After that rainy night, Li Hao's identity as a descendant of the Eight Great Families had been exposed. Before that, perhaps only Red Moon had locked onto him through secret methods, while Qiao's likely hadn't known.
Yuan Shuo nodded, concluding, "Little Hao, outsiders are outsiders in the end. Do not neglect your own cultivation! I'm currently trading for five-element mysterious energy. Once I have it, train diligently and advance as soon as possible!"
Li Hao's current progress wasn't slow, having swiftly stepped into Hundred-Breaker.
Yet in this era, Li Hao had developed years behind the others; the early supernaturals had already been cultivating for twenty years.
Catching up was exceedingly difficult.
He had to use every possible means to advance quickly to gain a firm foothold in an increasingly chaotic world.
Li Hao smiled. "Don't worry, Teacher. These past few days, I've been absorbing the Red Shadow's power and made progress. Without needing Double Layered Force, I can project inner force externally! Projecting inner force through the limbs—I can now do it with both hands. I'm still advancing rapidly."
He hadn't slacked off or neglected his training.
The early stage of Hundred-Breaker entailed projecting inner force through the four limbs. He had already achieved external projection through both arms—with the Red Shadow, of course, deserving tremendous credit.
Now, however, the Red Shadow's power was nearly depleted.
Next, if Li Hao wished to advance swiftly, he needed to secure more benefits as quickly as possible. There was no telling how long Teacher would need to trade for the mysterious energy.
"Both arms already?"
Yuan Shuo clicked his tongue; that was truly fast.
Although he still appeared to be in early Hundred-Breaker—not even at the peak of the early stage, which required projecting through all four limbs—the sheer speed was astounding.
The crux was: how many days had it been?
At this rate, with sufficient Red Shadow power, the boy might reach the level of projecting through all four limbs within half a month.
"Good, as long as you haven't slacked off!"
Yuan Shuo nodded, adding, "Before making any other major breakthroughs, you can practice the *Nine Refinements Force* more. You're only at Triple Layered Force right now, yes?"
"Yes."
"Useless!"
Yuan Shuo scolded, "From what I saw earlier, even your dog can manage Triple Layered Force! Hundred-Breaker generally starts at Quadruple Layered Force!"
Li Hao was speechless.
*Teacher, that sounds an awful lot like an insult.*
*"Even your dog" sounds practically like you're cursing at me.*
Nearby, hearing Yuan Shuo speak of it, Black Panther seemed eager to show off or prove its usefulness. It suddenly swiped a paw toward Li Hao, unleashing three overlapping ghostly paw shadows in a single strike!
Not only that, but a fourth shadow was faintly visible.
Li Hao froze. *Damn!*
*It's close to Quadruple Layered Force?*
"Teacher, is Black Panther at the peak of the Ten-Slayer realm?"
The Ten-Slayer realm could sustain three strikes at most; only Hundred-Breaker could sustain more than three. This dog... had grown stronger again?
Yuan Shuo chuckled, nodding. "Just about! It looks to me like this mutt will be stepping into Hundred-Breaker soon. Still, once it hits Hundred-Breaker, its pace should slow down. You idiot, it got to drink the first broth! The jade sword's energy had been sealed for years; that first broth was bound to be extraordinarily potent, perhaps even carrying special traits. Yet you let a dog take the advantage!"
He couldn't resist cursing again.
The jade sword's energy, when first diluted, must have been exceptionally potent. Alas, Black Panther had drunk it all, leaving Li Hao to drink merely the second round of sword-infused water.
Li Hao, however, remained in high spirits and quite optimistic. "Teacher, it's not the same! If Black Panther hadn't discovered it, I wouldn't have noticed at all. I might never have unlocked the jade sword's special properties. Back then, you were still a Hundred-Breaker and I was just an ordinary person; we might both have died last time."
Without Black Panther's discovery, Li Hao would never have learned of the sword energy.
And without that knowledge, Yuan Shuo wouldn't have passed on the *Five Animals Breathing Art*, because teaching it before reaching Ten-Slayer would have been useless!
Had that been the case, Yuan Shuo wouldn't have been able to step into Thousand-Battler either...
Every cause bore its fruit; who could truly say who had taken advantage of whom?
Nearby, Black Panther quickly raised its snout high, looking as though it were bragging that it was the one who had uncovered the jade sword's special traits—*praise this dog already!*
Li Hao laughed and nudged it with his foot. "You'd better enter Hundred-Breaker soon; Ten-Slayer isn't enough! I was counting on you to help me, but you're utterly useless."
"*Awooo!*"
Black Panther looked somewhat dejected. It was already quite formidable, but the people Li Hao encountered were growing increasingly monstrous; there was nothing it could do about that.
After chatting with Yuan Shuo a bit longer and confirming the plan to strike first, Li Hao hurried off.
Time to find the captain!
Taking advantage of this opportunity, under the pretext that the other side was colluding with Yama, he hoped to quietly wipe out the Qiao family without alarming anyone else.
As for whether the Qiao family was truly planning to move against him... who cared!
Li Hao didn't overthink it. Hidden supernaturals who hadn't registered—even if Qiao Feilong were genuinely a good person, killing him was no crime... And realistically, there was no way he was a good person.
...
Once Li Hao left, the smile faded from Yuan Shuo's face.
He let out a sigh.
*Damn it all!*
*I've already stepped into Thousand-Battler and can even battle a Three Sols, yet the trouble this brat stirs up just keeps getting bigger! Silver City can hardly offer me any further improvement. It looks like I must head to the Central Region after all.*
If a martial master did not sublimate through combat, they would eventually fade into mediocrity.
His ability to advance to Thousand-Battler stemmed from his days as a Hundred-Breaker, when he had swept across the region and fought countless battles.
Now, however, that foundation had been depleted.
"Silver City is no place to linger... Even if battles follow, they will likely only be at the Three Sols level..."
Beyond Three Sols!
Yuan Shuo yearned even more to witness that level. Not only that, he longed to head to the Central Region to see other martial masters.
He was the foremost figure in the realm of martial masters across Silver Moon Province, but that didn't mean there were no other formidable martial masters in this world.
During his time as a Hundred-Breaker, he had merely dominated Silver Moon Province.
Beyond Silver Moon Province, there had been Thousand-Battler martial masters active even back then. After all these years, he didn't know whether those people were still alive, or whether they still roamed the world unchecked.
The probability of their survival was high!
After all, Thousand-Battler martial masters had rivaled Solar Radiances even back then. When supernaturals first arose, they posed a tremendous threat to Hundred-Breakers, but not much of one to Thousand-Battlers. On the contrary, martial masters could absorb mysterious energy too; someone might well have forged an even stronger path.
"Once the matters here are settled smoothly, I should leave!"
Yuan Shuo sighed, feeling a touch of concern for Li Hao. But if he didn't leave, staying cooped up here would only make him weaker by comparison—supernaturals were advancing too rapidly.
In the next moment, Yuan Shuo's fighting spirit flared!
Then he would use the Qiao family to test the waters first!
"Qiao Feilong... it seems I underestimated you!"
The image of Qiao Feilong's smiling-tiger countenance surfaced in his mind. In the past, he truly hadn't seen through it.
Chapter 55