Cultivating in Different Professions

Chapter 188: Chapter 133: Su Mu’s Strength

Liu Yang chuckled darkly.

”I’ve been reading the stars at night. Junior Brother Cong, you’re destined for Yi Xian Gorge,” Ding Shiyun said, his face an emotionless mask.

”Bullshit!” Cong Yuanlong spat. ”One of you is a gambler, the other a charlatan! What the hell do you two know? People change! I’ve been training hard in Yi Xian Gorge for the past six months, and my strength is a world away from what it was. This time, I’ll really show you what I’m made of!”

Cong Yuanlong puffed out his chest and said proudly.

”What kind of place is Yi Xian Gorge?”

Su Mu asked curiously as he led the way.

Luo Anning shook her head; she didn’t know either.

”In the area we’re in charge of guarding, there’s a long, narrow canyon,” the gentle, sisterly Zhang Chenchen explained with a smile. ”We call it Yi Xian Gorge. It’s nothing but rubble, and you usually can’t even find a bird’s shadow there.

Our Captain likes to punish people by sending them there on guard duty. He calls it ’purifying the heart and reducing desires,’ perfect for closed-door cultivation.

We’ve all been there, but the one who’s gone most often is Junior Brother Cong.”

Cong Yuanlong looked a little embarrassed. ”That was because I was the youngest before. It’s different now! I’m not the same person I was!

You think I can’t even beat our new junior brother and junior sister?”

”I just cast a divination for you. The signs are quite ominous,”

Ding Shiyun said, pinching his fingers together and muttering incantations.

”Like hell I believe you!” Cong Yuanlong said with contempt. ”Junior Brother, Junior Sister, this isn’t personal, but you two just broke through to the Blood Transformation Realm and don’t have much experience. There’s no shame in losing to me.”

”We’ll just consider it a learning experience from our seniors,” Su Mu said with a chuckle.

Luo Anning’s expression was serious, her eyes filled with eagerness.

She didn’t care about winning or losing, but she wanted to give her all and take everything she did seriously.

Since Master Lin had called for a contest, she would do her very best.

Lin Qi Huan walked at the very front. He looked like he wanted to say something several times but stopped himself. Remembering his status as a senior, he kept his mouth shut.

’Aloof, proud, and powerful—that’s the proper bearing for a senior.’

It was also synonymous with him, Lin Qi Huan.

”Master Lin, there’s a cave through the woods ahead. That’s where we encountered the Corpse Demons.”

After walking a short distance, Su Mu pointed ahead and said, ”The paths inside the cave are complex.

The members of the Hu Family can use bone ocarinas to control those Corpse Demons.

When we escaped, there were at least several dozen Corpse Demons still in the cave, but we couldn’t determine the exact number.”

”It doesn’t matter,”

Lin Qi Huan said coolly. ”Wherever I go, no matter how many Corpse Demons there are, they will all be reduced to dust and ashes.”

Lin Qi Huan’s tone was filled with the confidence of the powerful.

Su Mu thought for a moment. ’Lin Qi Huan isn’t a very competent leader, but his strength is the real deal. It probably won’t be a problem.’

”Boss, it’s been so many days. You don’t think the Corpse Demons have already run off, do you?”

Cong Yuanlong spoke up.

”They won’t have,”

Zhang Chenchen said. ”Communication between Wuling City and here is difficult, so the people here might not even know what happened in the city. Besides, with that many Corpse Demons, if they tried to move, there’s no way it would escape our notice.”

”Enough pointless talk. We’ll know once we take a look,”

Lin Qi Huan said.

A moment later, they arrived outside the cave.

”This is the place?”

Lin Qi Huan asked in a low voice, his hand resting on the hilt of his saber.

”This is it!”

Su Mu and Luo Anning confirmed.

Just as Su Mu thought Lin Qi Huan was about to enter the cave, Lin Qi Huan suddenly spoke. ”All of you, fall back ten zhang.”

Su Mu and Luo Anning were a little confused, but seeing the others quickly retreat, the two of them hurried to do the same.

”Su Mu, you said you once saw one of my slashes, and that it motivated you to press forward.

Today, I will show you another,”

Lin Qi Huan said suddenly.

While Su Mu was still feeling a bit lost, the ground beneath Lin Qi Huan’s feet suddenly exploded, and his entire body shot into the sky.

After reaching the apex of his jump, just as he began to fall, the long saber at his waist was already unsheathed. He gripped it with both hands and brought it down in a fierce chop.

BOOM!

A massive beam of saber light slashed out, crashing against the mountainside.

With a tremendous crash, a huge fissure appeared on the cliff face. Instantly, rocks began to tumble and the earth began to shake.

The fissure began to spread rapidly along the mountainside. It looked as if the entire mountain was about to be split in two by Lin Qi Huan’s single strike.

Su Mu’s mouth went dry as he watched. He knew Lin Qi Huan was probably strong, but he had never imagined he would be *this* strong.

If Master Wan’s strike that killed the Hu Family expert was so profound and unadorned that it was incomprehensible, then Lin Qi Huan’s slash laid everything bare for all to see.

Su Mu could see with perfect clarity how he had drawn his saber.

Su Mu even felt that he could replicate the motion, but he lacked the power to split a mountain with one blow.

Luo Anning, at his side, was also dumbfounded and utterly shocked.

Zhang Chenchen giggled.

”Are you two impressed? Think our Captain is pretty strong?”

Zhang Chenchen said with a smile, ”Our Captain *is* strong, but not even the Governor could split a mountain in one blow.”

”Then what’s going on?”

Luo Anning asked, her expression serious as if to say, *’We’re not blind, we saw what happened.’*

”He cultivates the martial arts of the Thunder Shock Lineage and has comprehended the Thunder Shock Realm.”

Zhong Guizheng, who hadn’t spoken until now, spoke up, his tone calm and without a ripple. ”His strikes are fierce and swift. He uses minimal force to vibrate the fissures in the rock, causing a landslide. It looks incredibly powerful, but I think he’s on the wrong path. Thunder Shock is about the *thunder*, not the *shock*.”

”Senior Brother Zhong, if the Captain hears you say that, you’re going to get another beating,”

Zhang Chenchen said.

”Even if he beats me, I’ll still say it,”

Zhong Guizheng stated, his face impassive.

Su Mu listened, lost in thought. ’Is he using the principle of resonance?’

’Even so, to achieve such an effect with a single slash is still incredible.’

”They’re coming out. Prepare to engage!”

Just then, Lin Qi Huan landed back on the ground and said in a low voice.

Of course, his strike couldn’t actually cause the mountain to collapse.

But the effect created by the mountain’s vibrations could easily make someone feel as if it were about to crumble.

If they felt that way on the outside, what would the people inside the cave, who didn’t know the truth, think?

Su Mu immediately understood Lin Qi Huan’s plan.

He was using this method to force the Corpse Demons and their keepers out of the cave.

In an instant, the situation had flipped from the enemy being hidden while they were exposed, to the enemy being exposed while they lay in wait. All they had to do was wait for their exhausted prey.

SHING!

Joking was one thing, but now everyone’s expression turned serious as they drew their sabers.

”Junior Brother Su, Junior Sister Luo, you have less experience. Don’t stray too far from me later. I’ll look out for you,”

Zhang Chenchen said considerately.

”Thank you, Senior Sister,”

Luo Anning said politely.

As they spoke, the sound of heavy footsteps already echoed from the cave.

The footsteps blended together, making it impossible to tell how many there were.

Along with the footsteps, the somewhat hurried sound of an ocarina rang out.

Sure enough, there were still people inside the cave raising Corpse Demons.

SWISH!

A flash of saber light flickered, and seven or eight heads instantly tumbled to the ground.

Lin Qi Huan charged into the horde of Corpse Demons, saber in hand.

”Kill!”

The seven Taiping Captains also surged forward, meeting the tide of Corpse Demons that poured out.

Cong Yuanlong swung his long saber, and with two slashes, he lopped off the head of a Black-haired Corpse Demon.

A smug look appeared on his face. This time, he absolutely wouldn’t be the one at the bottom.

He was now a master who had completed forty percent of the Blood Transformation and grasped three types of saber force.

’Are the two rookie juniors ready to tremble in fear?’

He spun his body and unleashed a powerful slash, achieving his second kill!

He smugly turned his head, wanting to see the awkwardness and panic of Su Mu and Luo Anning on their first mission.

As he turned, he saw Luo Anning not far away, her sword piercing through a Corpse Demon’s neck and severing its spine.

Then, with light steps, her form flowed like a wisp of watery mist. With a soft SQUELCH, her sword easily dispatched another Black-haired Corpse Demon.

’Kan Water Realm?’

’Am I seeing things? Is this really a rookie?’

Cong Yuanlong’s gaze wandered dazedly as he searched for Su Mu. A Black-haired Corpse Demon howled as it lunged at him.

He panicked, his footwork becoming messy as he dodged.

Just then, a flash of white light streaked past. The Black-haired Corpse Demon froze in place. A thin line of blood appeared on its forehead and spread rapidly downward. Then, with a wet SPLAT, it split into two halves.

”Senior Brother Cong, don’t get distracted on the battlefield,”

Su Mu said as he flashed past, instantly plunging into the horde of Corpse Demons. Wherever he went, not a single Black-haired Corpse Demon could withstand the might of his saber.

Cong Yuanlong’s mouth fell open. ’A Realm... another Realm!’

’Are these really rookies?’

’Did you two come here just to mess with me?’

’Are all the new recruits this intense nowadays? Is it embarrassing to join the Taiping Bureau without comprehending a Realm?’

’Then... what does that make me?’