I Am Immortal in Great Yu

Chapter 171: Chapter 72: Spirit Master, Part 2

”Huh?!”

Seeing this, Fang Rui, who had been in rapid retreat, suddenly froze. Two words popped into his head: ’Just this?!’

It had looked so flashy, so dazzling, so unbelievably badass. Zuo Boyang had been outrageously arrogant, spouting nonsense about ”offering your head to commemorate my son Risheng.” But it just... shattered?!

And now, the braggart Zuo Boyang was deader than dead.

’Was Zuo Boyang just bluffing? Trying to psych me out?!’

Fang Rui seriously suspected that the incredibly cool-looking Golden Bell Shield would have probably broken after just a few more Flying Nails.

’These supernatural abilities don’t seem all that impressive!’ he thought to himself.

The entire fight between Fang Rui and Zuo Boyang had lasted no more than a dozen breaths. Yet, it involved a fireball appearing from thin air, flying knives streaking like bolts of white silk, and now, a sky full of exploding, bloody rain...

It was dusk, and there were still quite a few people on the street. Witnessing this scene, they cried out in alarm and scattered, fleeing for their lives.

”Murder! Someone’s been murdered!”

”Don’t get involved!”

”Let’s go, quick!”

...

’I should get going, too.’

Fang Rui retrieved his flying knives, then searched Zuo Boyang’s body. He found a crystal-clear Jade Talisman that seemed identical to the one Zuo Boyang had used earlier.

His eyes lit up. With no time for a closer look, he wrapped it in his Ge Cloth and put it away.

Then, POOF!

A cloud of lime powder billowed up, obscuring everyone’s vision. By the time the powder settled and sight was restored, the figure was already gone.

...

「County Magistrate’s Office.」

”Master Zhen Yi, terrible news! General Zuo was attacked and killed in the street!” an advisor reported, rushing in.

”What?!”

Zhen Yi was reviewing official documents. When he heard the news, his composure broke. The tip of his brush hit the desk, and the shaft snapped with a sharp CRACK.

This showed just how deeply he was shaken!

But he was no ordinary person. He quickly composed himself, looked up with a grave expression, and asked, ”Don’t panic. Tell me everything in detail.”

”Yes, Master Zhen Yi! Today, General Zuo went out to amuse himself, starting from...” The advisor recounted the events truthfully.

”Sigh!”

Zhen Yi closed his eyes and sighed. ”I told Bo Yang... but he just wouldn’t listen.”

At that moment, besides regret, sorrow, and frustration that Bo Yang hadn’t lived up to his potential, his heart ached with the pain of a great loss.

After all, the three protective Jade Talismans he had given Zuo Boyang were extremely precious.

The special jade material capable of holding a Spirit Pattern was incredibly rare on its own. Afterward, it needed to be nourished and steeped in Spiritual Power daily for three months to be ready. The final carving of the Spirit Pattern was fraught with risk—one small mistake and everything would be for naught, all previous efforts wasted.

A Spirit Master like him might not even succeed in making one in half a year, or even a full year.

The actual value of a single Jade Talisman was comparable to the resources needed to train a Sixth Grade Martial Artist, not to mention the rarity of the channels to acquire one.

Both Li Xuantong and Zuo Boyang, two Fourth Grade Martial Artists, had always remained respectful to Zhen Yi. Aside from him being their teacher, the fact that he was a Spirit Master was another major reason.

’The enemy is in the shadows while I am in the light. And Bo Yang himself had his flaws, making him impossible to defend completely. This disaster was unexpected, yet it makes sense in hindsight.’

’But that person managed to shatter my Vajra Jade Talisman with a single strike. Could he be in the Upper Three Grades? Or perhaps his swordsmanship has reached the Grandmaster Realm?!’

Either possibility was incredible, but the latter was even more outrageous.

Before this incident, Zhen Yi had been confident, believing that with his preparations and special methods, he had an eighty to ninety percent chance of capturing the man.

Now, however, even if the opponent fell into his trap, he only had a sixty to seventy percent chance of taking him down with him.

”Master Zhen Yi, should we order a city-wide search?” the advisor suggested.

”No, it’s useless.”

Zhen Yi sighed and gave his orders. ”Withdraw our forces and consolidate them to defend the County Magistrate’s Office. Also, with Bo Yang’s death, things below will likely be chaotic for a while. Summon the others for a meeting...”

This wasn’t cowardice. It was simply that ’knowingly attempting the impossible is not the action of a wise man,’ and he was long past the age of caring more about face than substance.

’If I had reached the realm of One Thought Becomes Technique, dealing with that person would be no problem at all. But right now, it’s basically impossible!’

’Martial Artists and Spirit Masters... sigh, each has its own strengths and weaknesses!’

Compared to Martial Artists, who are more focused on combat strength, Spirit Masters are geared more toward support and production.

After all, if Spirit Masters truly held a crushing advantage over Martial Artists, why would he have bothered to practice martial arts himself? And to the level of a Sixth Grade Martial Artist, no less?!

...

As chaos erupted in the County Magistrate’s Office—

Fang Rui, who had drifted away after the kill, didn’t immediately return to Willow Alley. Instead, he made his way to a remote alleyway.

He carefully examined the Jade Talisman he had looted from Zuo Boyang.

This Jade Talisman, unlike the fiery red Attack Jade Talisman Zuo Boyang had used before, was a pale cyan. It gave off a feeling of lightness and had complex, cloud-like patterns within it.

What was even more amazing was that it faintly emitted a soft glow, sometimes dazzlingly bright, sometimes slightly dim, just like a firefly’s light.

’How did Zuo Boyang use it? I think... he activated it with Power?!’

Fang Rui thought for a moment, then tentatively infused a bit of Power into it. The Jade Talisman immediately trembled slightly and flashed.

At the same time, he felt a strange energy envelop his entire body, and he suddenly seemed to become... as light as a swallow.

No, it wasn’t just a feeling—it was real!

’This feeling...’

Fang Rui savored the sensation, then took a tentative step forward. In a single stride, he covered a distance of more than five feet.

And that was without using any Power to enhance his movement—it was purely his physical body.