37: Chapter 37 As long as my strength increases fast enough

In the distant mountains, where no one noticed.

Yuan Tiankuo's handsome Phoenix eyes narrowed as he gazed out at the distant lake.

"Sword Heart, Hidden Edge!"

As expected!

Yu Xiu had indeed cultivated a Sword Heart.

The reason the Water Demon at the bottom of the lake was lured out by Yu Xiu was that Yu Xiu had concealed all his Sword Intent, making the Water Demon of the second stage of the Great Four Passes believe that he had stopped, that he had not detected its presence, prompting it to strike suddenly to ambush him.

Yet, that Water Demon could never have known about the Sword Heart Concealing Edge—great skill often appears clumsy. By hiding the edge within, he did not leak a single trace of Qi.

Yu Xiu had long since spread his Sword Intent across the lake, waiting for the Water Demon at the bottom to take the bait.

This was why that Water Demon had said Yu Xiu was fishing for it.

"But, water turning into a sword—what is the logic behind that?"

Furthermore, Yu Xiu, with the strength of the Five Viscera Realm—the first stage of the Great Four Passes—was actually able to cross a major Realm and slay the Water Demon with a single sword strike. Such strength...

"It makes no sense!"

And then, the way Yu Xiu drew his sword...

"Even I... cannot see it clearly?"

Was it truly a single strike, or were there dozens of sword techniques and sword formulas unleashed simultaneously, or perhaps...

Yuan Tiankuo stood rooted to the spot, unable to snap out of his deep contemplation for a long time!

Why?

He had clearly been prepared to strike, to slay that Water Demon of the second stage of the Great Four Passes at the critical moment!

But, there was simply no need!

"Could you have..."

Yuan Tiankuo thought of a possibility, but he was unwilling to believe it!

This was too insane!

That was a Realm that even freaks like the Ten True Seeds might not have reached!

"Just how high is his Comprehension Ability?"

In the end, Yuan Tiankuo stopped thinking about it and turned to leave.

...

On the lake surface, Yu Shang dove into the water, and before long, he jumped back out, clutching three items as he arrived in front of Yu Xiu.

"Brother Yu, you have good fortune; you've found some good things."

He handed the three spirit objects to Yu Xiu.

The first was a piece of ice crystal the size of a bowl, irregular in shape, called 'Cold Yin Crystal Ice'. It could be used for forging weapons or for cultivating Yin-cold type Cultivation Techniques.

The second was a fist-sized piece of metal, dark blue in color, known as 'Cold Iron Essence', used for forging weapons.

The third was an object resembling seaweed, the 'Moonlight Spirit Branch', which was the best of the three spirit objects.

The three Water Demons had been slain and transformed into these three spirit objects. In Yu Shang's words, combined, they should be worth over three thousand contribution points.

Yu Xiu thanked him, took them, and returned to Guiping County with Yu Shang. After reporting the mission to Guo Boyan, he boarded the flying boat and returned to the Sect.

"Is that the ruthless person who slew Fang Jiming and the other nine Inner Courtyard Disciples?"

The middle-aged Guo Boyan watched Yu Xiu leave, his gaze still lingering where Yu Xiu had been.

"It is him."

Yu Shang exclaimed in admiration: "Within the Sect, another remarkable Sword Cultivator is about to emerge. He is very strong!"

Guo Boyan smiled: "I knew he was strong before I even saw him, and aren't you the same?"

Yu Shang shook his head: "No, he is even stronger than the sword marks we saw on Fang Jiming and the others earlier!"

He looked at Guo Boyan: "If there are no surprises, he should have cultivated a Sword Heart. I saw Hidden Edge in his Sword Intent!"

"A Hidden Edge that even a Water Demon of the second stage of the Great Four Passes could not detect!"

Guo Boyan's heart gave a violent jolt: "A freak comparable to the True Seeds of each peak?"

Yu Shang met Guo Boyan's incredulous gaze and nodded heavily.

"Sixteen years old, remarkable!"

Guo Boyan exclaimed!

...Qingwei Sword Sect. Cuizhu Mountain, Inner Courtyard, Law Enforcement Hall.

"You are saying that the Water Demon comparable to the second stage of the Great Four Passes was slain by Yu Xiu himself?"

Hall Master Su Wenjin seemed to have lost his usual dignity, beginning to suspect he had misheard.

In reality, a cultivator of his Realm could hear the buzzing of flies from miles away, so how could he not hear the person in front of him clearly? He simply could not believe it!

Yuan Tiankuo held his sword across his chest with both arms, his Phoenix eyes quietly watching Hall Master Su Wenjin lose his composure, yet he did not say a single word more.

"Fine!"

Hall Master Su Wenjin suppressed the surging tide of doubt and disbelief in his heart: "Can you tell me, on what grounds?"

Yuan Tiankuo pondered for a moment and countered with a question: "On what grounds?"

I f***ing want to know on what grounds too!

He, the dignified Eighth of the Ten Heroes of Zhanlong Peak, why couldn't he understand Yu Xiu's sword techniques, why couldn't he understand Yu Xiu's Sword Intent, and why was there even more that he couldn't understand!

Is this reasonable?

So, on what grounds?

Hall Master Su Wenjin asked him, so who should he ask?

"Just assume he has cultivated a Sword Heart!"

Yuan Tiankuo did not want to listen to Hall Master Su Wenjin's one hundred thousand whys anymore, turned into a streak of Sword Qi, and vanished.

"Sword Heart?!"

Hall Master Su Wenjin's eyes widened sharply.

Sword Heart!

Can Sword Heart Concealing Edge bridge the gap of a major Realm?

He didn't know!

Because neither Hall Master Su Wenjin nor Yuan Tiankuo had ever cultivated a Sword Heart, so how could they know these things!

They only knew that the Sword Heart was unfathomably profound, and all Sword Cultivators of the Qingwei Sword Sect, and indeed throughout the world, were seeking to cultivate a Sword Heart!

Therefore, there was no need to know whether Sword Heart Concealing Edge could bridge the gap of a major Realm.

Either way, the Sword Heart is just awesome, and that's that!

"Good, very good, great!"

Hall Master Su Wenjin struck his fist into his palm, too excited to sit still, pacing back and forth in the Law Enforcement Hall.

He had snatched a freakish talent comparable to a True Seed for Zhanlong Peak in advance; how could the Peak Master not reward him?

Inner Courtyard Law Enforcement Hall Master?

Screw that, I'm going to the Main Sect to be a Hall Master, and even if the Ten Heroes commit a crime, they will be under my jurisdiction!

He turned quickly, took out a Flying Sword for messaging, thought about it, and put it back down.

No, for such an important matter, he had to go to Zhanlong Peak himself, otherwise he feared the Peak Master wouldn't acknowledge it!

'No, it's too early to ask for rewards now!'

'Wait!'

'Wait longer!'

When Yu Xiu arrived at the Inner Courtyard Law Enforcement Hall again, Hall Master Su Wenjin had already recovered his usual composure and seriousness.

But the moment he saw Yu Xiu, his serious expression instantly melted away: "You, are very good."

'I already knew that?'

Yu Xiu was a bit confused, but he still cupped his hands in a salute: "I am glad I did not fail the Hall Master's commission."

Hall Master Su Wenjin smiled as he completed the handover with Yu Xiu, and with a wave of his hand, the deaths of Fang Jiming and the other nine Inner Courtyard Disciples were set in stone: they died at the hands of a Yin Demon.

What, you say Fang Jiming and the other nine clearly died at the hands of a Sword Cultivator?

Can't a Yin Demon be a Sword Cultivator?

If the Law Enforcement Hall says so, then it is so.

"Take this and go to the Internal Affairs Hall to find Deacon Tang to coordinate the mission for promotion to the Main Sect."

Hall Master Su Wenjin took out a letter, was about to hand it to Yu Xiu, but pulled it back halfway: "Never mind, I will accompany you myself."

Yu Xiu, of course, had no objections.

People might not believe his words, but could the words of the Law Enforcement Hall Master be false?

'As expected, as long as one displays enough potential and enough value, everyone one sees is a good person!'

This was why he had not hidden his strength in front of Hall Master Su Wenjin and the others.

Besides, with his Comprehension Ability, there was no need to hide his strength.

Today he was at the first stage of the Great Four Passes; in half a month, he might not be at the first stage anymore!

As long as my strength improves fast enough, no one can fathom my bottom line!