Chapter 59: Chapter 59: Common Sword Lv. 5
Seven P.M. In a room at the Sword Hall.
’System, add the points.’
Su Xing leaned against the edge of his bed, his eyes fixed forward.
On his Sword Saint professional panel, in the [Sword Dao Points] column, twelve of the thirteen points suddenly vanished, leaving only a single, lonely point behind.
A surge of power instantly flowed into the [Mortal Sword] professional skill.
The interface blurred and flickered before sharpening again within a few breaths.
WHOOSH!
Su Xing’s vision swam, and the system panel reappeared before him.
[Your professional skill "Mortal Sword" has gained +600,000 proficiency.]
[Your professional skill "Mortal Sword Lv. 4" has been upgraded to "Mortal Sword Lv. 5".]
His gaze passed over the upgrade notification, settling on the main system panel.
[Sword Saint Professional System]
[Name: Su Xing]
[Age: 22]
[Occupation: Swordsman, Sword Hall Coach]
[Professional Skills: Myriad Swords Return to One Lv. 1 (158/30,000), Pierce Lv. 1 (1,856/2,000), White Blade Stance Lv. 1 (976/30,000), Mortal Sword Lv. 5 (1/70,000)]
[Sword Dao Points: 1]
Mortal Sword had reached Lv. 5. ’Just one more level and I can prepare for advancement.’
Su Xing slowly exhaled. He knew with certainty that he had grown stronger once again. He was now just two steps away from Rank 4.
Su Xing shut his eyes, quietly waiting for the pain to come.
Soon, a massive amount of information flooded his mind, causing him to zone out for a moment. In a flash, Su Xing once again saw the small figure on the island.
The figure now stood atop a giant rock, Black Sword in hand. Its eyes were closed as it slashed forward again and again, adjusting its rhythm bit by bit with each swing. With every slash, white energy gathered in its abdomen.
Several months passed in the blink of an eye. The small figure slowly stopped swinging its sword and suddenly opened its eyes.
The scene of reality returned to Su Xing’s vision.
Fluorescent white motes of light gathered around Su Xing. He suddenly felt as if every pore in his body had opened. An indescribable, cooling aura flowed into his body through his nose and pores, traveling through his veins down to his abdomen and infusing into the nascent "Sparrow Sword" within him.
The "Sparrow Sword" grew slowly, bit by bit, until it reached the central ridge of the blade’s edge. Then, the motes of light began to fade.
WHOOSH. Su Xing opened his eyes.
Su Xing was now confident that if he were to face the Corpse Assistant Priest again, he could kill him cleanly in half a minute at most.
Bracing himself with his right hand on the bed, Su Xing slowly got up from the floor. He casually grabbed his phone, ordered his usual chicken-thigh-over-rice, and walked to the mirror.
His muscles had become denser again, and his strength had grown to an even more exaggerated degree. It even gave Su Xing the illusion that he might have a better future as a boxer.
But he immediately tossed that thought aside. Strength could only be an auxiliary tool for his close-quarters combat; it could never be the main event.
Su Xing knew full well that with every upgrade, only a tiny fraction of the energy went to his strength. The vast majority was used to enhance his Sword Techniques. If he really gave up the sword to fight with his fists, chasing the trivial while abandoning the essential, he would be the biggest idiot of all.
"I wonder how much my Sword Techniques have improved."
Su Xing clenched his fists and muttered, "I need to find some time to test it out."
About half an hour later, his chicken-thigh-over-rice finally arrived.
Su Xing answered the delivery guy’s call, saying, "You can just leave it at the door." Only then did he walk out of his room to retrieve his dinner.
Although the Mortal Sword absorbed white energy during his breakthrough, which helped alleviate his hunger, the lack of hunger didn’t mean Su Xing didn’t want to eat.
Going a day or two without eating was acceptable. But even if his body was fine after three or four days, his mouth would still be craving a bite. Not that Su Xing ever missed a single one of his three daily meals.
Sometimes, Su Xing found himself wondering about the characters in cultivation novels who could start Fasting once they reached the Foundation Establishment Stage.
Did they never feel the urge to eat? Could they really go without food forever, content to cultivate day and night?
Honestly, the thought of going several months without eating anything... Su Xing felt he couldn’t do it. He mulled over these random thoughts as he ate his chicken-thigh-over-rice.
Then, he suddenly caught a whiff of a familiar scent. The smell... it was a bit like the Corpse Assistant Priest, but much fainter. It wasn’t the stench of a corpse, but it was vaguely reminiscent.
This made Su Xing’s brows furrow. Just the thought of the Corpse Assistant Priest was enough to make him lose his appetite. He couldn’t eat anymore. He slammed his plastic chopsticks on the table, pushed back his chair, and headed for the Sword Hall’s exit.
But after a few steps, his right foot paused abruptly before he resumed walking normally, turning toward the restroom instead.
He pushed open the restroom door, turned on the tap, and splashed water on his face, trying to mask the nauseating smell.
’The Spiritual Sect has made their next move,’ Su Xing was sure of it. ’But just now, I also sensed another aura, one no weaker than my own. It must be someone from the special organization, hiding nearby to protect me and Su Yu. I don’t know who it is, but they’re definitely strong. In that case, there’s no need for me to act.’
’Unless the person the Spiritual Sect sent manages to break through the special organization’s defensive line and runs right into me.’
Su Xing lifted his head, watching the water droplets fall from his face. He grabbed a nearby towel and scrubbed his face fiercely, trying to wipe away the smell from his nostrils. Then he walked back to the dining table and resumed eating his chicken-thigh-over-rice, muttering as he ate:
"Interrupting my meal... You’d better hope you don’t fall into my hands."
...
「Outside the Sword Hall.」
Liu Chang, dressed in black, was hidden in a secluded corner, silently observing the Sword Hall.
He had volunteered for this mission to protect Su Xing and Su Yu from Li Yu. Naturally, he had no fondness for Su Yu; his willingness to take the job had nothing to do with the two brothers.
He was willing to take on this thankless task simply because he’d heard that a mysterious expert often appeared to protect Su Yu. He suspected this expert was someone close to Su Yu.
So, he wanted to see if he could lie in wait and catch this mysterious expert.
At first, he had suspected Su Xing. But after observing him for a few days, he found that apart from teaching classes and practicing his sword, Su Xing did nothing. He didn’t cultivate at all. Most importantly, he actually ate three meals a day, every single day. What kind of Extraordinary Being ate every day?!
Once one stepped onto the Extraordinary path, the body’s demand for energy would naturally surpass its need for food. Almost every Sequencer at Rank 3 or above only ate once every few days, or even every month or two.
This led Liu Chang to believe that Su Xing had absolutely nothing to do with being an Extraordinary Being, so he gave up on observing him.
He had been leaning here all day today, hoping to spot some unfamiliar faces near the Sword Hall.
Liu Chang planned to stake the place out for ten days to half a month. If there was still no trace of anyone, he would have to consider other methods. He couldn’t just hang himself from one tree, after all.
He hadn’t managed to catch the mysterious expert, but he had caught wind of an attack from the Spiritual Sect.
Liu Chang was a Rank 4 Sequencer, after all. His sensitivity to sequence energy was even greater than Su Xing’s. The moment the stench appeared, Liu Chang immediately locked onto its source. He said, sounding rather displeased:
"They dare to show up even when I’m here... The Spiritual Sect is getting bolder and bolder!"
