The last of the wealthy merchants filed out, and a terrifying smile twisted the eerie youth's lips.
His neck swiveled with an unnatural, serpentine twist, and his dark, sinister eyes locked onto Jiang Dao.
"You're from the Jiang family?"
A jolt of pure ice shot through Jiang Dao. It was an instinctual reaction, the kind you have when a predator you never saw coming suddenly has you in its sights. Every muscle in his body went rigid. His hand clamped down on the hilt of his saber, his knuckles white.
"I am," he said, his voice a low growl. "Who are you?"
"The Jiang family… heheh," the youth chuckled, the sound as dry as bone. "Nobody leaves without my say-so."
A stone dropped in Jiang Dao's stomach. "Did my family do something to offend you?"
"You did," the youth said, his voice flat. "Last night, you killed one of my evil spirits."
Jiang Dao's pupils contracted. That rotten thing… he was controlling it?
Without a second thought, he turned and walked away, his stride quick and purposeful. His mind was a raging storm. His grip on the steel saber was so tight he was surprised it didn't shatter.
Trouble. The worst-case scenario had just become reality. The spirit he'd destroyed wasn't a lone monster; it was a pawn. And he'd just met its master.
The eerie youth watched him go, his neck swaying as if it were boneless. The grotesque movement, combined with the faint, foul stench of decay that clung to him, was utterly bizarre. He watched Jiang Dao's retreat with a chilling, cryptic smile.
"M-My lord," General Gongsun stammered beside him, "he offended you. Why just let him go?"
The youth's pitch-black eyes drifted to the general. "Don't you think it's more fun," he said, his voice a mesmerizing whisper, "to let a man drown in despair before you finally snuff him out?"
A cold shiver traced its way down Gongsun's spine.
A cat playing with a mouse. It was a classic, cruel game. But the biggest shock was the mouse itself. Jiang Dao, the eldest son of the Jiang family, was strong enough to kill an evil spirit? Had he become one of those… strange things himself?
Jiang Dao didn't stop until he was back inside his family's home, his face a mask of grim determination. His father, Jiang Dalong, rushed to meet him, his own face falling as he saw his son's expression.
"Dao, what is it? Did something else happen?"
"It's nothing, Dad. Don't worry about it," Jiang Dao said, his voice heavy as he shook his head. "We shouldn't rush to leave. Let's wait in the city for another two days and see how things play out."
He couldn't bring himself to tell them the truth. Not yet. It would only cause another wave of panic. He had become the family's anchor, and any sign of fear from him would send them all into chaos. He had to bear this burden alone.
But Jiang Dalong was no fool. He could see the storm raging behind his son's eyes, and his own anxiety returned.
"Son," he said after a moment's hesitation, "I'm planning to summon all the wealthy merchants, the gentry, and the city's elders to our home tomorrow. We'll figure this out together. If the officials still refuse to lift the lockdown, we'll break it ourselves. Let them call it a rebellion. They can't stop all of us."
He was ready to risk it all. Whatever the cost, they had to get out of Hengzhou.
Jiang Dao's heart was a lead weight in his chest, but he nodded. "You handle the arrangements, Dad."
He knew it was a futile gesture. The youth on the city wall was no mere mortal. With beings like that backing the officials, no amount of mortal men would make a difference. Still, doing something was better than doing nothing.
He left his father and went to find Pang Lin.
"Master Pang, I need to find more secret manuals. Are there any auctions still running in the city? Could you look into it for me?"
"More manuals, Young Master?" Pang Lin replied. "Of course. But with the city in such chaos, I doubt any auction houses are still open for business. I'll go check myself this afternoon."
"Thank you, Master Pang."
With that settled, Jiang Dao returned to his room and brought up the system panel again. Four of his martial arts were at the 120-year mastery level. Only one, the Wind-Chasing Saber, remained at the 60-year mark.
He stared at it, an idea beginning to form. Can I fuse the Wind-Chasing Saber with the Blood Shadow Saber Art?
On the surface, the two styles were completely unrelated. But he had poured the equivalent of a lifetime of practice into both. He knew them inside and out, down to their very soul. A fusion wasn't just possible—it felt inevitable.
The Wind-Chasing Saber was pure, unadulterated speed. Its entire philosophy could be boiled down to a single word: fast.
The Blood Shadow Saber was its dark reflection—an art of pure slaughter. All forty-nine of its forms were designed for one purpose: to kill.
Jiang Dao sat cross-legged on his bed, his mind a whirlwind. The two saber arts became streams of pure information, twisting, merging, and reforming in his consciousness. He stripped away the redundant movements, keeping only the deadliest, most efficient parts of each. Then, drawing on his own profound understanding, he began adding new concepts—actions and flows that the original creators could never have dreamed of, because no one had ever pushed their arts this far.
Two hours later, he opened his eyes, feeling a deep mental exhaustion. But in his mind, a completely new blade art had been forged.
He glanced at the panel. The text was already changing. The lines for the two separate saber arts blurred, faded, and then reformed into a single, new entry.
[Blood Shadow Soul-Chasing Saber (Novice) - Modifiable]
A slow smile spread across his face. He focused his will and pressed the modifier.
The proficiency behind the new art skyrocketed.
Ten Years!
Twenty Years!
Thirty Years!
…
Sixty Years!
BOOM.
A tidal wave of power erupted from the core of his being, flooding every muscle, every fiber, until he felt he would burst. His insight into the art of the saber leaped forward, shattering old limits. As the skill settled at its new sixty-year benchmark, his stats on the panel updated.
Strength: 2.8
Speed: 2.4
Spirit: 1.3
My Spirit increased? He blinked, noticing the small but significant change. It had been stuck at 1.2. Now, it was 0.1 higher. Does fusing skills also raise my Spirit?
Whatever the reason, the results were undeniable. His power had multiplied. He lifted his hand, fingers held together like a blade, and slashed through the air.
SHREEEIK!
The sound wasn't a swish, but a violent shriek as the air itself was torn apart. A blood-red afterimage lingered for a split second where his hand had been. The killing intent was palpable.
This new, fused art was exponentially deadlier. Its speed and killing power were on a whole other level.
This technique is easily as strong as the Frenzied Demon Staff Art, he thought, a thrill running through him. If I can find and fuse other saber arts… I could create something the world has never seen before.
He saw a new path stretching out before him in his mind. Master the arts of a hundred schools, absorb them, fuse them, and forge a style all his own. He could become a true Saber Saint.
Pang Lin burst into the room later that evening, his face flushed with an excitement that bordered on disbelief. The news he brought was so unexpected that it stunned even Jiang Dao.
"Young Master! I went to every auction house! At the Dragon City Auction House, they have a manual… an internal energy cultivation method!"
Jiang Dao's head snapped up. "What? An internal energy manual?"