[Cang City Division South Sword Hall]

[Hall Master: Li Xianyi]

[Instructors: Su Xing, Song Xiufeng, Pang Yuanji...]

[Personal Honors: Two-time National Sword Dao Player Champion, Four-time National Swordsman Champion, World Sword Dao Champion...]

Liu Ming looked at the file Wang Yu had compiled and thought for a moment.

Sword Dao was a relatively niche competitive sport in the Xia Country, so he’d had no idea Li Xianyi was so formidable in his youth. The man had rows upon rows of championships to his name; he was undoubtedly a titan in his field.

It wouldn’t be surprising if someone like that had become a Martial Artist after the revival of Spiritual Qi.

But Liu Ming felt he couldn’t jump to that conclusion so easily. After a moment of silence, he spoke to Wang Yu.

"Investigate more thoroughly."

"Yes, sir."

Wang Yu took back the report, tucked it under his arm, and responded.

Seeing Wang Yu agree, he thought for a moment then turned to Su Yu.

"Yu, I want you to keep a close eye on this old sportsman. See if there’s anything unusual about him."

Then he quickly added another instruction, "The goal of this investigation is to find this mysterious master and cooperate with him. We must be polite. Don’t let him think we have hostile intentions."

To be honest,

Liu Ming had been in this line of work for several years.

He knew some old-timers or masters of concealment would rather die than let you discover their true identities.

If the value of this mysterious master weren’t so high, he wouldn’t want to send his people to investigate him at all.

This kind of investigation... could easily be seen as an offense. One misstep could severely strain the relationship, which was why Liu Ming had to remind them again of the primary objective.

Everyone nodded, indicating they understood.

Liu Ming then waved his hand, dismissing them. Soon, the conference hall fell silent once more, leaving only Liu Ming sitting in his chair, staring blankly at the bright moon outside as he pondered the recent events.

...

Time passed slowly. In the blink of an eye, it was the afternoon of the next day.

The scorching sun hung high in the sky, its blistering rays beating down on the ground. A sliver of amber light occasionally slanted into the Sword Hall, making Su Xing, who was teaching an online class, feel a slight itch.

He scratched at it with his hand, then smiled and said,

"Alright students, class is dismissed."

"Goodbye, Coach Su!"

As the goodbyes faded, the student avatars in the online classroom began to disappear rapidly. Soon, only Su Xing and one girl remained.

The girl looked a little like Liu Shiyu, though she was slightly taller at around five-and-a-half feet. In Su Xing’s memory, the two of them were very close. Last class, when Su Xing had asked where Liu Shiyu was, this girl was the first to answer.

Her name was Lu Anning. He’d heard she was a Sword Dao student athlete at her school, which was why she’d signed up for his class for extra practice. She was one of his more diligent students.

"Coach Su... um, I wanted to ask, where did Student Liu go?"

"Ever since last class, I’ve been trying to message her, but she hasn’t replied."

The girl’s voice was tinged with anxiety, clearly worried about her friend from sword class.

Hearing her question, Su Xing replied in a calm tone,

"Student Liu? She’s withdrawn from the class. I asked her parents after our last session, and it seems she’s planning to study abroad. Did you need her for something?"

"Study abroad? How come she never told me?"

...

Her voice was agitated at first, but she quickly fell silent. A moment later, a DING signaled her exit from the online classroom.

Finding himself alone in the virtual classroom again, Su Xing’s impression of the Spiritual Sect as a truly harmful organization deepened.

’If it weren’t for the Spiritual Sect,’ he thought, ’Liu Shiyu would have just been a normal girl. The two of them could have kept happily attending class together, maintaining a simple and beautiful friendship.’

But there were no ’if onlys’ in this world. Su Xing had personally smashed the head of a Liu Shiyu who had been lost in the Spiritual Church’s fantasy of bestowing her with Extraordinary power.

Su Xing quickly pushed the matter to the back of his mind. To him, it was just a minor incident. His attention returned to his system panel.

[Sword Dao Points: 6]

’The points are sufficient now,’ he thought. ’Once I advance my skill stances, it will surely bring a significant boost.’

At this thought, a genuine smile appeared on Su Xing’s face. His Sword Dao was progressing one step at a time, steady and sure. The exhilarating feeling of this kind of improvement was unparalleled.

"What are you smiling about? You look happy."

A somewhat aged voice suddenly sounded by Su Xing’s ear, making him jump. He quickly turned to see the suddenly-appeared Sword Hall Master and asked in confusion,

"Hall Master, why are you down here with your sword again?"

Li Xianyi had come down carrying that sword of his, the one with white patterns on its scabbard, just like yesterday. ’But I wasn’t practicing my sword today,’ Su Xing thought, ’so there shouldn’t be anything for him to coach me on, right?’

"What’s wrong? Can’t I, the Hall Master of a Sword Hall, practice my sword?"

Li Xianyi shot Su Xing a look before actually drawing the slender, silver-gleaming sword. He began to swing it through the air, again and again. Su Xing could tell the Hall Master’s sword technique was extremely rusty; he must not have touched a sword for a very, very long time.

"Of course you can. It’s just... I don’t think I’ve ever seen you practice before, Hall Master."

"Heh, just some last-minute cramming."

The wrinkles on Li Xianyi’s face suddenly smoothed out into a kindly smile. His gaze fell upon Su Xing’s face as he asked,

"Su, in about two months, I might have to go away for a trip. It’ll be for a month or so. When the time comes, I’ll need to ask you to look after the Sword Hall."

"Me? Look after the Sword Hall?"

Su Xing glanced at the Hall Master, surprised.

The Hall Master was an old man who was even more of a homebody than Su Xing. He had almost never seen the man leave the Sword Hall.

Sometimes when he needed something, he would just order delivery or ask Su Xing to buy it for him. The fact that he was now planning to leave the Sword Hall for a month made Su Xing curious.

"Hall Master, what are you doing for a month away?"

Su Xing was on very familiar terms with the Hall Master, so the old man didn’t mind his casual question. He just shook his head and said,

"A relative of mine ran into some trouble and might need my help. Don’t ask any more about it."

Su Xing could tell the Hall Master didn’t want to elaborate, so he didn’t press the issue. He prepared to pack up and head back to his room to allocate his points.

Just then, the wooden door at the entryway was suddenly pulled open. A cacophony of noise flooded in from outside, and Su Yu entered along with it. The hodgepodge of sounds was only cut off when he shut the door behind him.

Su Xing glanced at the bag he was carrying—which contained snacks and sanitary pads—and asked,

"Yu, what’s happening outside?"

"It seems like someone was murdered around here again, pretty much the same as the cases in the news. You need to be careful, big bro."

Su Yu replied to Su Xing’s question, then hurried toward his own room, seeming to be in a great rush.

Su Xing already knew about his little brother’s secret schemes, so he didn’t pay it much mind. He just gazed at the wooden door as another thought popped into his head.

’The Spiritual Sect is back at it again, goddammit.’