Slaying Another Qianjun

June 11th. After a full day of brewing, the news inevitably spread. People from the Great Xia Prefecture were arriving to take part in the higher academy assessments in Nanyuan, and several had already reached the city, awaiting the examinations. Alongside the news came a wave of criticism and suspicion. "The Great Xia Prefecture is stripping Nanyuan students of their higher academy quotas!" "Marquis Xia only cares about money! He doesn't give a damn whether the people of Nanyuan live or die—he even wants to sell Nanyuan City to the Daming Prefecture!" "Nanyuan has been abandoned by the Great Xia Prefecture!" "..." All kinds of rumors spread. Some came from ordinary citizens venting their frustration, while others were deliberately stoked by ill-intentioned agitators looking to muddy the waters. The City Lord Manor responded swiftly. The Wind Arrest Hall was placed on standby around the clock, and Nanyuan Academy began issuing explanations to all its students. The examination slots for the newcomers from the Great Xia Prefecture were special dispensations that had nothing to do with Nanyuan's allocation. They were additional quotas that would not encroach upon the places reserved for Nanyuan students. Public sentiment began to turn. Naturally, not everyone believed it, but the outrage was no longer as fierce as it had been at the start. Most ordinary citizens accepted the explanation soon after hearing it. ... The Wind Arrest Hall. This was not Su Yu's first visit, though on past occasions, he had always come in the company of Liu Wenyan. This time, he had not asked Liu Wenyan along, choosing instead to come alone. Inside the bustling hall, Su Yu stayed out of the way. He squatted in a corner, chatting with an older wind arrester who was smoking a cigarette. "Uncle Li, have you found any traces of the All-Races Sect?" "Still looking." The middle-aged man, whose surname was Li, was a veteran of the Wind Arrest Hall. He was at the Qianjun Sixth Layer, but merely held the rank of a low-grade wind arrester—his cultivation was too modest. Despite his limited strength, he had spent many years in the hall and was quite well informed. Puffing on his cigarette, he grinned and said, "Little Su, among all the intermediate academy students in Nanyuan, you're top tier!" The man gave him a thumbs-up. "Joining a manhunt before you've even graduated—you're the very first!" "Still..." The man paused after his praise, lowering his voice. "Your teacher didn't come with you this time. Tagging along on your own is extremely dangerous! To be blunt, without your teacher around, we might not even be able to save you in time if things go south." Behaving like an obedient child, Su Yu nodded repeatedly and said in a hurry, "Uncle Li, I won't cause any trouble. I'll just wait on the perimeter and leave the heavy lifting to you and the team. If you happen to let one or two heavily injured ones slip by so I can finish my teacher's assessment, I'll be counting my blessings." The man chuckled. "Don't worry. If an opportunity comes up, we'll let one of the battered ones slip out. Even the Hall Master has to give Instructor Liu face! Besides, we've dealt with your old man plenty of times over the years. Back when we were tracking down scum from the All-Races Sect, your dad lent a hand on more than a few occasions. He practically counts as an honorary member of the Wind Arrest Hall." Su Yu smiled and expressed his thanks. His father actually disliked meddling in other people's business, but when it came to killing cultists from the All-Races Sect, any capable fighter in Nanyuan was willing to step in. At the Qianjun Ninth Layer, Su Long was considered quite a formidable hand in Nanyuan. As the two of them chatted, a squad captain's voice barked across the main hall: "North Squad, fall in!" The moment the call came, Old Li hastily flicked his cigarette butt aside and ran toward the hall. Su Yu hurried after him, though he did not join the formation. Instead, he stood silently behind the group. The captain calling the squad together glanced at him, said nothing about his presence, and spoke in a deep voice: "Traces of the All-Races Sect have been discovered in the suburbs! This isn't a large gathering, but rather a small group sent out to stir up the populace. Current intelligence confirms roughly three targets. "Their exact cultivation levels are unknown, but agitators spreading propaganda usually aren't that powerful. "The mission has been assigned to the North Squad. You have three minutes to finish preparations. We move out immediately!" "Yes, sir!" The crowd chorused in response. A thirty-man squad in the Wind Arrest Hall was by no means small. The captain was at the Qianjun Ninth Layer, and several others in the ranks were at the Seventh Layer or above. The rest were at least Qianjun Fourth Layer. As the squad members dispersed to prepare, the captain stepped up to Su Yu and said sternly, "The Hall Master has other duties and won't be coming. Your teacher hasn't accompanied you either. Su Yu, you've taken part in manhunts before, so you know the risks! "I know your teacher is in the Tengkong Realm, and your father and I get along well, but... during a mission, no one is going out of their way to look after you! This is an operation, not child's play! "A single slip means death. The Wind Arrest Hall suffers casualties every year. You may participate, but you must not interfere with our actions. If you encounter danger, you can flee or call for help, but we might not be in a position to save you! "Your life is a life, and everyone else's lives are lives too. We will not disrupt the operational plan just for your sake!" The captain was dead serious. "You can choose to back out right now. Otherwise... you bear all the consequences yourself!" In the Kaiyuan Realm, Su Yu was far too frail. Even though he had joined operations before, Liu Wenyan had been present, and even Hall Master Zeng Hua had accompanied them, which left no room for real danger. Today was different. Today, Su Yu had come alone. "Captain Liu, don't worry. My father is a soldier, and I consider myself a reservist. I won't cause trouble for anyone!" Su Yu replied hastily. Captain Liu gave a slight nod, his demeanor softening a fraction as he cautioned, "Then look out for yourself. I've heard people say you're a Civilization Master and have special methods, but don't act recklessly!" "Understood!" Su Yu answered while smiling wryly on the inside. What Civilization Master? I'm nowhere near that. The people of Nanyuan still had only a superficial understanding of Civilization Masters; below the Tengkong Realm, no true Civilization Master existed. ... Three minutes later, the squad assembled once more, fully armed. Outside the hall, two transport trucks were already idling. The group boarded the vehicles, and Su Yu followed behind them. Inside the truck, no one spoke much, everyone quietly checking their gear and inspecting their supplies. Su Yu inspected his own equipment: a mid-rank Yellow-tier saber and four drops of Ironwing Bird blood essence—three of which he had traded for at the academy early this morning, costing him three merit points and leaving him with only ten. Preparedness averted peril; he could not afford to run out if a single drop proved insufficient in a crisis. Moreover, the four drops were stored separately so that he would not lose all of them in battle. One drop had been sealed inside a small capsule that he kept directly in his mouth, ready to swallow at a moment's notice. After practicing the Thunder Yuan Saber for several days, Su Yu had barely achieved initial mastery. He could unleash that single slash now, though not with great speed. The Thunder Yuan Saber consumed a massive amount of origin qi. Because Su Yu could not channel ambient origin qi from the environment, he had also brought along a single drop of yuanqi liquid. He had left another drop at home; there was no need to carry too much on him. One drop was enough for his needs. *Three drops of blood essence and one drop of yuanqi liquid—that's roughly two hundred thousand dollars' worth,* Su Yu sighed softly to himself. Factoring in the saber, his pre-battle preparations amounted to hundreds of thousands of dollars. If he gained nothing from this, he would take a dreadful loss. Ideally, he wouldn't need to use anything, kill a Qianjun cultivator, and earn a few merit points. If he did end up using supplies, consuming a drop of blood essence meant he would have to kill at least one Qianjun opponent to break even. This was his first time participating in such an operation entirely on his own. Alongside his excitement, Su Yu could not help feeling a trace of nervousness. If he botched his strike this time, there would be no one around to finish off the enemy for him. Beside him sat Old Li. Having finished checking his gear, the older man noticed Su Yu's tense posture and chuckled. "Relax a bit, don't be nervous. Once we reach the site and get off the trucks, we'll be moving fast—you might not even keep up, kid." Su Yu nodded and said earnestly, "I know. I'll wait on the perimeter." "Be careful no matter what. If an enemy is completely unharmed, even if you spot him, you'd better pretend you didn't. Letting him get away is fine; he can always be killed later. Don't go throwing your life away right now!" "Thank you, Uncle Li." Others in the truck overheard their exchange. A young squad member who looked only a few years older than Su Yu smiled and remarked, "Five years ago, during my first mission, I was terrified too. Later, I got used to it. Su Yu, just adjust your mindset and don't panic." "Thank you, Brother Chen." Brother Chen was quite young, not yet thirty. At least in the Wind Arrest Hall, he was considered part of the younger generation. Now that the topic was broached, his interest was piqued, and he grinned. "Su Yu, your talent as a warrior is exceptional. Haven't you ever thought about applying to a War Academy?" "My teacher is a Civilization Master..." Su Yu grinned, baring his teeth. "He wants me to attend a Civilization Academy, so that's the only place I can go." "That makes sense. Instructor Liu is actually a Civilization Master—I only found out recently myself." Saying this, Brother Chen sighed with emotion. "In the Great Xia Prefecture, warriors are a dime a dozen, but Civilization Masters are treasures. Five years ago, I graduated from the Wind Arrest Academy. Graduates from our academy struggle to find a job in the Great Xia Prefecture unless they're top-tier geniuses. People like us... can only go back home and find work in smaller cities. "But for those at the Civilization Academy, once they graduate... they are true Civilization Masters, sought after by every major power." He felt a twinge of wistfulness. One could graduate from the Wind Arrest Academy at the mid-stage of the Qianjun Realm, whereas graduating from the Civilization Academy required reaching the Tengkong Realm. That fact alone illustrated the immense chasm between the two. Of course, Brother Chen soon chuckled and added, "Su Yu, once you get to the Civilization Academy, you'll see just how hard it is to graduate. Fewer than fifty students graduate each year, yet the annual intake is nearly two thousand. That's a graduation rate of barely two and a half percent. There are plenty of senior students who can't even manage to graduate within a decade." "That few?" Su Yu was startled at first, but then nodded thoughtfully. It made sense; graduation required reaching the Tengkong Realm. Roughly fifty graduates a year meant adding fifty Tengkong Realm experts annually, which was actually quite a substantial number. Cultivating over fifty Tengkong Realm experts each year—individuals on par with the city lord of a minor city like Nanyuan—was no small feat. The others were unfamiliar with these specifics. One of them, having finished inspecting his gear, chimed in, "Is graduating really that difficult?" The older generation in the Wind Arrest Hall mostly comprised retired or transferred military personnel. The Wind Arrest Academy had not been established long, so only the younger members were alumni; some of the veteran wind arresters had never even visited the Great Xia Prefecture. Brother Chen nodded. "It really is that difficult! Of course, their graduation standards are completely different. Someone like Instructor Liu... ahem, by the Civilization Academy's standards, he's basically a fresh graduate. It's not unheard of for people to graduate at seventy." At these words, everyone's expressions turned peculiar. A fresh graduate? Well, the world of the Great Xia Prefecture was beyond their comprehension. In their eyes, Instructor Liu currently stood on equal footing with the City Lord, yet at the Great Xia Civilization Academy, he had only just graduated. Amid their idle chatter, they arrived at their destination. Instead of driving straight to the reported location, the vehicles pulled over approximately one kilometer away. Disembarking swiftly, the captain gave no verbal orders. With a wave of his hand, the squad split into two groups, advancing separately to execute a pincer movement. ... Su Yu did not attach himself to either group. He trailed about three hundred meters behind both squads, advancing with extreme caution. He had no intention of acting as a vanguard; his goal was merely to hang back and see if he could pick off an opportunity. No one truly knew how many cultists were hiding there. The report stated three people, but as veteran wind arresters, everyone understood that intelligence was not always accurate. Three people were merely what had been spotted. There might be more lurking inside! Every year, wind arresters lost their lives due to faulty intelligence; it was an unavoidable hazard of the job. Even if there were only three, if a Wanshi or Tengkong Realm combatant suddenly appeared, it would spell catastrophic trouble. A Wanshi Realm foe might still offer a slim chance of being brought down, but facing a Tengkong Realm opponent left no hope at all—one could only curse their rotten luck. ... In the distance, an ordinary courtyard came into view. It looked no different from any typical suburban dwelling, surrounded by several vegetable plots where patches of green were still visible. The compound offered an open field of view—an environment favored by All-Races Sect cultists. If pursuers arrived in large numbers, the cultists could spot them quickly and make a swift escape. The Wind Arrest Hall had tangled with these foes many times and possessed ample experience. Had Su Yu not been watching them closely, he would scarcely have been able to spot where the squad members were. All thirty men were camouflaged, crawling forward on their bellies. Su Yu dared not expose himself either, crouching inside a shallow depression to wait. Crawling ahead, the captain carefully glanced back over his shoulder. Seeing no sign of Su Yu, he breathed a faint sigh of relief. He had worried that Su Yu might carelessly expose himself and blow the entire squad's cover. After his stern warnings earlier, he had feared the boy might prove headstrong. Now it appeared the youth was reasonably obedient. As expected of Su Long's son—raised by a soldier, Su Yu lacked the haughtiness of those youths from the Great Xia Prefecture. ... Gripping his saber tightly, Su Yu took slow, measured breaths, steadying his breathing amid a mild flutter of excitement. He soon calmed down. This wasn't his first time; he had already killed several Qianjun Realm enemies. Just then, when they were about a hundred meters from the courtyard, the wind arresters could no longer conceal their advance. The captain raised his hand, and the others leapt to their feet in an instant! Without a single shout, the thirty men surged forward, charging toward the courtyard with blistering speed. "Wind Arrest Hall!" A sharp shout rang out. A cultist keeping watch inside the courtyard had finally spotted the approaching forces, immediately recognizing them as wind arresters. "Retreat!" A yell echoed, and in the next moment, five or six figures vaulted out of the courtyard—definitely not three! These people were experienced as well, breaking out in all directions. Whoever was unlucky would be the one caught by the Wind Arrest Hall. This was their survival doctrine: when outmatched, flee instantly without the slightest hesitation. Every escapee was a gain, and whoever fell simply had bad luck. The Wind Arrest Hall rarely dared to scatter its forces too thinly. If dispersed, their individual combat strength was not overwhelming and could easily be overrun by the cultists. Thus, a thirty-man unit could at most form three encirclement groups. That meant the others had a real chance to escape! Sure enough, the squad captain did not commit all his men to the pursuit. Instead, they rapidly split into ten-man units. Two units sprinted off to chase fleeing cultists in other directions, while the captain personally led the third unit, kicking open the courtyard gate and storming inside. Watching from several hundred meters back, Su Yu could see clearly thanks to his opened eye apertures. Observing the Wind Arrest Hall's tactical execution, he gained valuable insight. Had it been him, he might have led everyone to chase down the fleeing targets immediately, likely overlooking the possibility that more enemies remained concealed inside the compound. *It comes down to experience...* Su Yu did not belittle himself; with a few more operations under his belt, he would master such instincts in no time. The two outer squads quickly intercepted their targets and commenced their coordinated assault. The clash of weapons rang out instantly. Although the individual wind arresters were not exceptionally strong, their coordination was superb. Su Yu judged the encircled cultist to be at least at the Qianjun Fifth or Sixth Layer, yet virtually the moment they clashed, the target was slain! And that ten-man squad didn't even appear to have any Seventh Layer combatants among them. After a quick glance, Su Yu paid them no further mind, scanning the surroundings with vigilance. Of the five or six who had leapt out earlier, two had been killed in the blink of an eye. The two squads continued their pursuit, though a few stragglers had slipped through the net. Those cultists ran exceptionally fast; figures visible a moment ago were already lost from view. *The All-Races Sect chose a poor location this time. An open field of view makes it easy to spot approaching enemies, but it also makes fleeing difficult. They should have picked terrain better suited for an escape...* Su Yu absorbed these tactical lessons, knowing they might prove useful in the future. *My chosen spot isn't ideal either. Positioned behind the Wind Arrest Hall, enemies are unlikely to flee this way, and they might not make it past the line anyway. Then again, I'm only here to scavenge stragglers—safety comes first.* Just as the thought crossed his mind, shouts erupted from inside the courtyard! A moment later, several more figures leapt out. As expected, people had been hiding inside! By now, the two squads outside the courtyard had pursued their targets far into the distance, leaving the area unguarded. Su Yu saw a figure sprinting frantically in his direction. Su Yu's focus sharpened instantly! Here it comes! *That speed... feels similar to the guy who chased me last time. Qianjun Sixth Layer?* Behind the cultist, the Wind Arrest Hall captain broke away from his squad, giving chase at full speed while shouting, "Drop your weapons and surrender! The higher-ups have revised the policy—cultists whose crimes are not heinous can be sent to the All-Heavens Battlefield to fight in the war! Execution is no longer mandatory!" Su Yu felt a flash of suspicion before quickly realizing the truth: this was a ploy to erode the enemy's fighting spirit. There had been no such order from above! The Great Xia Prefecture's policy remained execution on sight! All members of the All-Races Sect knew that capture by the Great Xia Prefecture meant certain death, which usually drove them to fight to the bitter end, increasing the difficulty of the battle. It remained to be seen whether this fellow would fall for it. Evidently, the cultist did not believe it, or perhaps clung to the hope of escaping, as he continued fleeing with all his might. Two hundred meters, one hundred meters... He was drawing closer to Su Yu, though his trajectory was slightly off-angle. Staying low, Su Yu quietly crept toward the intercept point. Soon, the cultist closed in, only several dozen meters away from Su Yu. Su Yu rose to his feet, drew his saber, and gathered his origin qi. A faint glow emanated from the blade as the origin qi throughout his entire body concentrated into the weapon. He bellowed, "Halt!" An ambush was out of the question now. He had to take him down by force! "Kaiyuan?" The fleeing cultist registered shock on his face! A Kaiyuan Realm cultivator! He wasn't wearing a wind arrester uniform—was he just a passerby? A Kaiyuan practitioner dared to bar his path? Had the boy lost his mind? "Don't think about running!" Su Yu shouted fiercely. "If I stop you, I'll get merit points and bonus marks on my assessment!" "Courting death!" The cultist wasted no breath on words. To avoid being caught by the pursuing captain, he raised his blade and slashed straight at Su Yu. The two closed the distance in an instant. Right at that moment, Su Yu's eyes widened, and he cried out, "Hall Master!" A sharp gasp echoed. The cultist froze in shock—a second figure had materialized out of thin air beside the Kaiyuan youth, a middle-aged man who was none other than Zeng Hua, Hall Master of the Wind Arrest Hall. "I'm dead!" The cultist's face drained of color. Zeng Hua, a Wanshi Realm expert, had actually arrived! He wheeled around to flee, but in that very split second, Su Yu unleashed the Thunder Yuan Saber he had been preparing all along! He poured every ounce of strength into the blow! The cultist had charged toward Su Yu before abruptly spinning around to run. Caught mid-turn, his body was still pivoting when the roar of the blade sounded behind him! At that moment, with Su Yu committing his full power to the physical strike, the illusion shattered, and the cultist snapped back to his senses. Unfortunately, it was too late! *A fake...* The thought flashed through his mind for only an instant before the origin qi blazing across the saber flashed like a thunderbolt, cleaving down with a wet tear! *Thud!* The severed head slammed into the earth. Only a moment later did the headless body collapse, crimson blood staining the soil. Pale-faced, Su Yu retrieved his blade and scanned his surroundings with high vigilance. He dared not let his guard down for a second, terrified that another enemy might suddenly appear. His teeth were clamped tightly around the capsule of blood essence in his mouth, ready to swallow and erupt with power at any moment. A breath later, the captain caught up. He glanced at Su Yu, nodded slightly, and remarked with mild surprise, "Well done. Decisive strike!" Without lingering, the captain praised him and hurried off; the engagement was far from over. Su Yu let out a long breath. It was done! Faster and simpler than he had imagined. He had slain the man in a single strike! However, his body felt completely drained right now, his origin qi entirely depleted. Su Yu dared not delay, immediately swallowing a drop of yuanqi liquid to begin restoring his energy. *A hundred thousand dollars gone... I wonder if I took a loss or came out ahead,* Su Yu smiled wryly to himself. Killing a mid-tier Qianjun gave two merit points—had he lost out or turned a profit? Still, absorbing the yuanqi liquid also aided his own cultivation, so it couldn't truly be considered a loss.