Supreme Emptiness-Chapter 41: Shadow Guard No. 1

"Wait! I-I wasn’t prepared just now, let’s do it again."

Ye Qingxue said awkwardly.

She felt that she couldn’t have lost so quickly and decisively.

With talent no less than Xu Yining’s, and after three years of training with a master,

could she be defeated in one move by the Xu Family’s little mute?

Who would believe that?

It must have been her own carelessness that let Jiang Fan take advantage.

Jiang Fan immediately nodded.

He also felt that Ye Qingxue lost too quickly.

It seemed she wasn’t even as strong as the Eighth Layer Perfection projection of Liu Qingxian.

It must be that she didn’t go all out.

With the intention of regaining her honor, Ye Qingxue focused entirely, "Watch out!"

"Star-Chasing Swordsmanship!"

She flipped her wrist, and her swordsmanship became dazzling, its power more than doubled compared to before.

Jiang Fan also gave it his all.

"Seven Stars to the North!"

Clash—

The two swords met, and the familiar force returned. Ye Qingxue couldn’t hold onto her sword again, and it flew out of her hand.

Immediately, a wooden sword was placed against her throat.

Ye Qingxue’s cheeks turned red at a visible speed.

One move, another single move!

If she could claim carelessness before, what about this time?

The result was clear, Jiang Fan’s strength was far above hers!

Thinking about how she had boasted to guide him, her face reddened even more.

She wished she could find a hole to crawl into.

To be a novice defeated in one move, yet claiming to guide a master whose swordsmanship was far superior?

Oh gods, how embarrassing.

Jiang Fan gradually understood that this was Ye Qingxue’s true strength.

He also sensed her embarrassment, so he withdrew his sword and wrote, "I’m a man, so I’m stronger, the match doesn’t count."

After saying that, he quietly returned to help the servants with their work.

Hearing the excuse Jiang Fan gave her, Ye Qingxue felt unexpectedly warm inside.

Recalling the scene where Jiang Fan had risked everything to save the Xu Family’s child, she found his image contrasting sharply with Xu Yining’s descriptions.

"He’s clearly a very kind and thoughtful person. Why does Xu Yining always badmouth him?"

Her impression of Jiang Fan did a complete 180.

The real Jiang Fan was a deeply hidden top expert, absolutely one of the top prodigies among his peers in Lonely Boat City.

His character wasn’t bad either.

Suddenly, she remembered the purpose of her visit to Xu Yining.

Her eyes brightened and she said, "Young Master Jiang, the remnants of the Blood Bat Palace are causing trouble. I returned this time to help my father alleviate his worries."

"So, I plan to form a Shadow Guard team to respond to the Blood Bat Palace remnants at any time."

"Do you want to join?"

Hearing this, Jiang Fan was intrigued.

To kill the Sub-Altar Master of the Blood Bat Palace, strength alone wasn’t enough, he also needed to know the movements of the Blood Bat Palace remnants.

Otherwise, if he couldn’t find the Sub-Altar Master, what could he do?

And the City Lord Mansion, of course, could gather more information on the Blood Bat Palace than an individual.

Seeing Jiang Fan’s silence, Ye Qingxue thought he was weighing the pros and cons and said, "Don’t worry, I won’t let you help for nothing."

"As long as you make a contribution, you can visit the Book Collection Pavilion in the City Lord Mansion."

Books?

Jiang Fan was tempted. Although he already had two high-level attack and mental methods, he didn’t have any books on other aspects.

And the City Lord Mansion was definitely the place with the richest collection of books in Lonely Boat City.

He nodded, "Alright."

Ye Qingxue was overjoyed and said, "You are the first Shadow Guard I’ve recruited, so I’ll call you No.1 Shadow Guard!"

"Dealing with the remnants of the Blood Bat Palace is very likely to invite their retaliation, so wear this mask when you act."

She took out a gray mask she had prepared and handed it to Jiang Fan.

The mask only revealed the facial features.

The forehead was engraved with the number "One."

Representing that this was the No.1 Shadow Guard.

"Moreover, your identity as No.1 Shadow Guard will only be known to me, I won’t tell anyone."

Ye Qingxue added.

Jiang Fan felt more at ease, took the mask, and tucked it into his chest.

He wrote, "What exactly does the Shadow Guard do?"

Ye Qingxue said, "Nothing, just wait for the information."

"If the Blood Bat Palace remnants are found, there will be a signal smoke in the sky. Just arrive in time."

Even better.

If it was a patrolling duty, it would be too time-consuming.

"Besides, my Shadow Guard team only recruits prodigies, the higher the rank, the stronger the skill, and you are the Shadow Guard I value the most."

"Next is Xu Yining. Since you are the No.1 Shadow Guard, this No.2 Shadow Guard mask is for you to pass to her."

"You two come to the City Lord Mansion tomorrow because I will recruit several other Shadow Guards to gather and provide you with some resource support."

Jiang Fan nodded and accepted the No.2 Shadow Guard mask.

Only then did Ye Qingxue leave, satisfied.

Just as she left, Xu Yining and Xu Youran returned, supporting each other, exhausted.

"Jiang Fan, when did you get back?"

Xu Yining lay on the stone table, gulping several cups of tea, and reproached, "Such a good opportunity at the Dragon-Rising Path, and you didn’t cherish it."

Jiang Fan was taken aback.

How did I not cherish it?

He wrote, "I challenged to the point where I couldn’t challenge any further, so I had to withdraw."

Any higher was the Foundation Establishment Realm.

With his Eighth Layer Perfection in Qi Cultivation at that time, it would have been a struggle to go any higher.

Xu Yining pursed her lips, "Fight against adversity, don’t you understand?"

Xu Youran couldn’t help but join in the reproach, "Yes, haven’t I also been stuck at the Eighth Layer for a long time?"

"But through repeated tempering, I gradually became stronger and finally succeeded in breaking through."

"You went up there for such a short time, and you were already gone."

Jiang Fan touched his nose.

Is it possible that my strength is too high, allowing me to quickly complete the challenges appropriate to my realm?

But these didn’t need to be spoken out loud.

He took out the No.2 Shadow Guard mask and handed it to Xu Yining, writing, "Miss Ye Qingxue came by and asked me to give this to you."

"Shadow Guard? She’s really planning to form it? She talked about it three years ago and said she would definitely invite me to be the No.1 Shadow Guard."

Xu Yining happily accepted it, but when she saw that the forehead was engraved with "Two," she was stunned.

"Why is it No.2 Shadow Guard? Who did she give No.1 to?"

"Is there another prodigy in the city more powerful than me? Impossible!"

She looked at it repeatedly, filled with disbelief.

Upon learning that they would meet all the Shadow Guards tomorrow, her phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, "Alright, I want to see why that No.1 is ranked above me!"

Jiang Fan was speechless.

Is it necessary to be so competitive?

He shrugged and went back to continue his cultivation.

As he was about to leave, Xu Yining’s lips moved as if she wanted to say something.

Finally, encouraged by Xu Youran, she said, "Uh… Jiang Fan, could I borrow some money?"

This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.

"I heard the Chen Family recently came out with a new pill called the Pifu Pill, which is for Foundation Establishment."

"Only one is auctioned each day, and the price will definitely be very high."

"So…"

Without thinking, Jiang Fan directly wrote, "No."

Such a straightforward rejection made Xu Yining’s face burn with embarrassment, her lips tightly bitten together.

Xu Youran couldn’t help but plead, "Fan, sister wants to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm before the Green Cloud Sect elders arrive, so they will look favorably on her."

"Please help her."

Jiang Fan still didn’t hesitate.

He directly took out all his silver notes from his chest, writing, "How much do you need?"

The difference in treatment between the two was oceans apart.

This made Xu Yining, who successfully borrowed money, feel anything but happy.

Could it be that in Jiang Fan’s mind, she was much less important than Xu Youran?

In her stubbornness, she reached into her neckline and took out a thumb-sized jade bead that was still warm.

Xu Yining bit her red lips, handed it to Jiang Fan, and said, "Take it! I won’t borrow your money for nothing!"