Supreme Sword Exalt

In front of a campfire, Gu Han watched the demonic beast being cooked with amazement. At least Tier 5, its flesh was as tough as iron and couldn’t be roasted with ordinary flames. The burly man sprinkled a handful of powder, and the flames shifted to a pale blue, their heat increasing dozens of times. The meat sizzled and dripped with oil, its aroma assaulting the nostrils.

The man carefully flipped two pieces of meat, sprinkling them with a handful of unknown powder from his storage ring from time to time. In just a short while, he had already used several dozen different powders, the aroma becoming increasingly rich.

Fatty swallowed saliva, his face full of disdain. “It’s just a piece of roasted meat, isn’t it edible once it’s cooked? Why does he keep messing with these flashy, complicated...”

The man seemed not to hear as he continued fiddling with the two pieces of meat. That large black pot had never been taken off from start to finish.

Gu Han kindly reminded him, “Fatty, wipe your drool.”

His gaze involuntarily shifted to the roasting meat. It smells so good!

Not only that, the demonic beast inherently contained a rich spirit qi essence, which nearly doubled because of those unknown powders.

While his mouth watered, Gu Han also grew deeply curious about this man.

After a long time, the man finally nodded in satisfaction, offering the two golden-brown pieces of roasted meat to the two. “Done. Conditions are harsh, make do with this.”

Looking at the meat, Gu Han’s appetite exploded. The rich meaty aroma also contained a faint, clear fragrance of herbs and spirit fruits. A few of them smelled somewhat similar to what he had eaten before.

Fatty seemed disgusted as he picked up the meat. “The presentation is average, it’s just so-so.”

Subconsciously, his eyes wandered towards Gu Han’s piece.

Fucking fatty! Gu Han cursed inwardly, quickly snatching his piece of meat and taking a fierce bite.

He instantly froze. An indescribably rich aroma melted in his mouth, lingering for a moment, before transforming into a stream of extremely pure spirit qi. It spread to his limbs and bones, then was completely absorbed by his meridians.

A single bite of the meat was more effective than the spirit fruit he had taken before. He was now not far from breaking through to the next realm again.

The man asked as though deliberately, “You two are probably the most outstanding young people I’ve seen in recent years. You must have already been designated as inner disciples by the Yuqing Sect, right?”

Fatty was too busy wolfing down his food to pay any attention.

Gu Han replied between bites, “No.”

The man’s eyes lit up. “No? In that case, why don’t you check out the Fengwu Court?”

Gu Han was stunned. “Fengwu Court? What place is that?”

The man wasn’t surprised. “It’s normal you don’t know. The Ten Nations are vassal states of the Yuqing Sect. It’s enough to know about the Yuqing Sect. The less you know about other matters, the better. Still, the Eastern Wasteland is so big. The Yuqing Sect isn’t the only power in the northern part.”

He explained to Gu Han that the extremely large Eastern Wasteland was divided into north and south by the Wild Forest. The south was occupied by a super powerful dynasty. In the north, there were five other powers beside the Yuqing Sect: two courts and three great families.

The two courts referred to Fengwu Court and Qixia Court. The three great families were the Yang family, Murong family, and Meng family. They were the three top-tier wealthy clans.

Gu Han suddenly understood. “So that’s how it is. May I ask, Brother, are you—”

Fatty interrupted him. “A cook! This brother’s spirit food is passable, he must be a cook!”

Gu Han looked at him with disdain. Passable yet you’re licking your fingers clean?

The man nodded repeatedly with a serious face. “Correct. According to the mortal world’s terms, I am indeed a cook in Fengwu Court.”

Gu Han was filled with deep respect. This man could obviously handle a Tier 5 demonic beast with ease, thus he certainly wasn’t weak. But he’s just a cook? It seems the Fengwu Court really is a place where dragons and tigers hide!

“Moreover, cultivating in the Fengwu Court emphasizes following one’s heart, being free and unconstrained. We don’t have as many complicated rules as the Yuqing Sect. As long as you don’t enrage the heavens and provoke the people, no one will restrain you. You can do whatever you want!” the man continued enticingly, “and the position of chief disciple of Fengwu Court has been vacant for nearly ten years. If you come, this position is undoubtedly yours.”

This made Gu Han’s heart stir with longing.

Fatty was a bit curious. “What about me?”

“Second seat!”

Fatty lost interest.

The man thought for a moment. “Also, the Yuqing Sect is indeed a bit chaotic. I heard someone say when I came that a deputy dean of their Alchemy Institute died, right in your academy...”

Gu Han and Fatty exchanged glances, their expressions changing slightly. “Du Teng! It’s him!”

“I think that was his name. You know him?”

Gu Han’s heart sank. This is bad. Something unexpected must have happened inside the capital!

Thinking of this, he instantly stood up. “Brother, I have matters to attend to, I must take my leave now! If I have time, I will go take a look at Fengwu Court!”

Having said that, he didn’t dare stay any longer. Calling out to Fatty, they set off again.

The man watched the figures of the two leaving, silently calculating. “Adding these two makes seventeen already. It’s still not quite enough. No, this time, I must select one no matter what!”

He strode forward and instantly disappeared. When he reappeared, he was already in another area.

As if by coincidence, two young people happened to be walking toward him. “Our meeting is fated.”

Once again, he pulled two bloody pieces of beast meat from his storage ring. “Why don’t we have a chat while we eat?”

***

At this time, in the Great Qi capital.

Although it appeared calm and peaceful as usual on the surface; underneath, it was turbulent and treacherous, with looming killing intent. Du Teng had died, leaving them without the slightest hint of what had happened.

Inside the martial academy, Elder Wu and Elder Feng sat facing each other, full of worry.

Elder Wu sighed. “Ah, troubled times... To think Du Teng would die here. If the upper sect investigates, we—”

However, Elder Feng shook his head. “Not necessarily. Du Teng’s body was discovered two days ago. Logically, the upper sect should have sent someone to investigate as soon as they got the news, but there’s been no movement. Don’t you think that’s strange?”

Elder Wu nodded. “It is a bit odd. Do you think this matter is related to the upper sect opening its gates early?”

Elder Feng shook his head. “That remains a mystery. What we should be concerned about now is tomorrow’s great competition. What are we going to do?!”

Two days ago, the two returned from the Wild Forest and informed everyone about the competition being moved up. The result was a cloud of gloom and doom. Having suffered heavy losses, the Great Qi Martial Academy’s strength was already at the bottom. One could only imagine what the scene would be like tomorrow.

Regarding this matter, Elder Wu was quite philosophical. “Enough. What’s done is done. Whether it’s a beating or a punishment, we’ll accept it. However, Hmph! Commander Zhou definitely won’t escape responsibility either.”

Elder Feng frowned slightly. “Him? I saw him earlier. He looked rushed, heading towards the palace, carrying what seemed to be a corpse. Could it be?”

Elder Wu sneered. “It must be Jiang Hong. He failed to kill someone and got killed instead. He got what he deserved.”

The two felt no regret whatsoever regarding Jiang Hong’s death. On the contrary, they found it quite satisfying. Of course, not all shared their sentiment; some were shocked and furious.

***

Inside the imperial palace.

The ruler of Great Qi, Jiang Ping, stared expressionlessly at the desiccated corpse in Commander Zhou’s hands. Still, judging by his slightly trembling hands, his heart was not as calm as his appearance suggested.

Beside him stood a young man with a cold and stern expression. He was a disciple who had rushed over from the Yuqing Sect after learning of Jiang Hong’s death.

He stared at Commander Zhou. “Speak. How did my junior brother die?”

Even though the young man before him was only at the fifth stage of the Spirit Profound realm, Commander Zhou didn’t dare show the slightest disrespect. “I-I don’t know.”

The young man sneered. “You don’t know? Should I have my master come personally to investigate?”

Commander Zhou broke out in a cold sweat instantly. “No! Please...”

Jiang Ping took a deep breath. “Explain everything. Tell me everything from the beginning.”

Commander Zhou hesitated for a moment, then explained the plan of Jiang Hong and the others in detail, leaving nothing out.

The killing intent in Jiang Ping’s eyes intensified. “That kid, Gu Han, didn’t return?”

“No. He mysteriously disappeared.”

Beside him, the young man’s gaze was profound. “Lord Jiang, my junior brother died so tragically, yet we can’t even find the culprit. How do you expect me to explain this to my master?”

Jiang Ping was silent for a moment, before saying again, “Where is the seventh prince?”

“When I returned, I saw him outside the city.”

“Good. He really is a scourge. Let’s go.” Jiang Ping’s expression was unreadable. He walked outside. “I want to see just how bold he is, to actually dare collude with outsiders to harm his own elder brother. Death really isn’t enough to atone.”

The young man nodded. “You’re right. Someone must be held responsible for this matter.”

***

At this moment, outside the city gate.

A small, thin figure stood quietly beneath the city wall. She watched the people coming and going, entering and leaving. Her two eyes were dull, her face full of loss and confusion.

No, that’s not him... Still no... Where did Young Master go?