’Could it be... because my Stance level is too low?’

Su Xing muttered to himself, a flicker of realization in his eyes.

The Hall Master’s words

made Su Xing immediately aware of his own problem.

His Stance skill was at too low a level. As someone who also studied the sword, Su Xing knew that stance was one of the fundamentals of the Sword Dao.

Right now, Su Xing was like a water bucket made of three wooden planks. Two of the planks were thick and long, but the third was thin and short. A bucket made of such mismatched planks would naturally be full of leaks.

A leaky bucket meant Su Xing couldn’t bring his full strength to bear. He hadn’t noticed it when he killed the Assistant Priest, but that was only because his raw power had been overwhelming.

To make the bucket whole,

he first had to raise the level of his Stance.

Thinking of this,

Su Xing immediately checked his system.

[Stance LV3]

[Sword Dao Points: 3]

Three Sword Dao Points could only raise Stance to a perfect LV6. He was still one point short. Su Xing frowned, but his expression quickly relaxed. It just meant taking another swordsmanship class tomorrow; there was no need to rush.

So, Su Xing revealed a smile and said:

"Thank you for your guidance, Hall Master."

"Mm, I’m going to practice my sword as well. You take your time."

Seeing that Su Xing had taken his words to heart and hadn’t let them go in one ear and out the other just because of his superb Swordsmanship, the Hall Master nodded in satisfaction. He clasped his hands behind his back, turned, and went back upstairs, thinking to himself as he walked:

’This kid... he’s really got a knack for this.’

’It’s a shame. He hasn’t stepped onto the path of the Martial Dao yet. I probably won’t have time to guide him much in the future.’

Su Xing watched the Hall Master’s retreating figure, understanding in his heart. Although the Hall Master had claimed he was coming down to practice, it was obvious he’d seen a problem with Su Xing’s training and had come to guide him.

Su Xing watched quietly until the Hall Master’s figure disappeared. Only then did he tighten his grip on his sword and begin grinding out the Sword Technique "Thrust" over and over again.

「In the blink of an eye, dusk had fallen.」

Su Xing put down the heavy sword and leaned against the sword rack. His arm felt weak and numb, but he couldn’t help the smile that tugged at his lips.

Every time he thrusted, a [Class Skill: Thrust EXP +1] window would pop up before his eyes. The feeling was just too satisfying. Even though he was drenched in sweat, he didn’t feel tired at all.

Su Xing glanced at the twilight sky, about to head back to his room for a bite to eat, when he suddenly heard the PATTER PATTER of two people walking indoors. Soon, they appeared before him.

Seeing Su Xing, Su Yu and Shen Ruyun greeted him one after another:

"Hey, big bro. Good afternoon."

"Brother Su, hello."

Hearing their voices, Su Xing turned to look at them and said with a smile:

"It’s almost dark. Are you two going out now?"

Su Yu was wearing a light black sweatshirt and a pair of denim shorts. Without batting an eye, a lie slipped from his lips:

"Yeah... Shen Tongxue is on her period, so she’s going to the supermarket to get some things. I’m just tagging along to keep her company. It’s not safe for a girl to be out alone."

"Mhm..."

Shen Ruyun’s fair face flushed slightly red. Her whole body tensed when she heard Su Yu’s words. She glanced at the ice cream cone in her hand, took another lick, and then slowly nodded.

Su Xing glanced over, then simply picked up a towel from the sword rack, wiped away the beads of sweat on his body, and said:

"Well, hurry back after you’re done shopping. It’s getting dark."

"Got it, big bro!"

[Another Homicide in Southern Cang City!]

[One victim, limbs broken by brute force, found brutally murdered at home. Body has a large hole in the back with all internal organs missing. The suspect is currently unknown. All citizens are advised to stay indoors at night and ensure their own safety.]

Not long after the two left, a notification suddenly popped up on Su Xing’s phone. He picked it up and gave it a quick look. Confirming that it wasn’t about the factory incident but a brand-new murder case, Su Xing put his phone back in his pocket.

’The Spiritual Sect has struck again?’

’Su Yu and Shen Ruyun probably went out because of this matter, too.’

...

In Southern Cang City, the building housing the special organization was the tallest and largest structure in the entire southern district. From a distance, you could see the towering building shaped like a sharp blade.

This was proof enough

of the high expectations the authorities had for this newly established department.

Although the building was huge,

the security checks at the entrance were extremely strict.

No one could get in except for members of the organization.

Even personnel from other government departments, just under a different system, were denied entry. So, while the building was massive, there weren’t many people inside.

Inside a glass conference room at the very end of the second floor, Su Yu, Shen Ruyun, Wang Yu, Liu Ming, and a few other Sequencers who worked in Southern Cang City were all seated. There were about fifteen people in total.

They were either key figures in the organization, highly renowned geniuses, or people sent from headquarters. In short, they were all very important people.

At this moment, Liu Ming sat at the head of the group, his hands clasped, propping up his head. His brows were tightly furrowed as if he were deep in thought.

Over the past few days, their special department had done its utmost to combat the Spiritual Sect. But the sect was like a pack of rats; they would flee the moment you moved in and creep back the moment you withdrew. This style of engagement had left the entire special department exhausted.

What Liu Ming feared least was the Spiritual Sect stepping out to fight them head-on.

What he feared was them playing this game of "when the enemy advances, we retreat." It put their special department in an extremely passive position, forced to guard the city day and night, trying to minimize civilian casualties. But now, deaths and injuries were happening anyway.

Every time news of an ordinary resident being found with their organs hollowed out appeared on TV, he felt as if he had eaten a pile of brown excrement—disgusted and sick to his stomach. Because it meant he had failed in his duty.

The others looked at Liu Ming, not knowing what to say.

Because they had no effective methods to propose.

After a long while, Liu Ming finally let out a slow, heavy breath. He rubbed his temples with both hands, trying to rouse his weary mind, and then spoke slowly and deliberately:

"Any progress on the matter of the mysterious expert?"

Their special department had already investigated the factory and learned that the mysterious expert had struck again, killing a great many members of the Spiritual Sect. However, because most of the dead were sect members, it wasn’t reported in the news.

This made Liu Ming want to recruit the mysterious expert.

Because his actions had already made it clear that he was an enemy of the Spiritual Sect.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Liu Ming understood this simple principle very well. What’s more... the mysterious expert’s strength far exceeded his imagination.

Liu Ming had already learned from Shen Ruyun that the mysterious expert was most likely a Martial Artist.

A Martial Artist capable of killing a Tier Two Sequencer... In terms of power alone, he would already be considered among the top tier of the fifteen or so people here, to say nothing of his status as a Martial Artist.

If this news were sent back to Cang City headquarters, they would definitely do everything in their power to recruit this mysterious powerhouse.

"Progress... there hasn’t been much progress."

"We’ve investigated all the Sword Halls, martial arts dojos, and a series of other halls related to the Martial Dao in this area, but we haven’t found any connection to the mysterious expert."

"If... I had to say, only this person has the potential to become a Martial Artist. But whether he’s the mysterious expert or not, I can’t really say."

Wang Yu read from the report she had compiled. After finishing the last sentence, she walked over to Liu Ming and handed the report to him.

’This Sword Hall...’

Liu Ming was stunned when he saw the name of the Sword Hall and the portrait of the old man on the report. He glanced at Su Yu, then turned his head back to Wang Yu and asked:

"Are you sure it’s him?"