Chapter 111: Merging the Blood Shadow Saber, Dual Blade Shadows, and Iron Shirt's Next Promotion

Chapter 111: Merging the Blood Shadow Saber, Dual Blade Shadows, and Iron Shirt’s Next Promotion

“Mr. Lu, please don’t!”

He Chong rushed forward hastily, blocking Heyuan and shielding him from Su Chen’s blade.

“What do you have to say for yourself?” Su Chen halted, locking eyes with Heyuan.

Heyuan’s face flushed with shame as he sighed. “I admit my mistake. I’ll bear the consequences, but I beg you, Mr. Lu—spare Chong’er! He’s innocent. Worse, I changed our route against his advice. This is on me alone!”

“No!” He Chong shook his head, voice trembling. He dropped to his knees before Su Chen, pleading, “Master Lu, please spare my father!”

Su Chen gazed at He Chong in silence before shifting his cold stare to Heyuan. “You should thank your lucky stars for having such a loyal son. If he hadn’t stopped you, even if the Blood Severance Sect spared you, I wouldn’t have.”

He Chong froze, then realization dawned. Bowing deeply, he murmured, “Thank you, Master Lu.”

Heyuan also clasped his fists, bowing low. “Thank you for sparing my life, Master Lu.”

Su Chen accepted their gratitude calmly. Truthfully, he’d arrived earlier but stayed hidden. He’d witnessed their argument firsthand. If He Chong hadn’t impressed him with his integrity, Su Chen wouldn’t have intervened when the Blood Severance Sect Grandmaster attacked—he’d have let Heyuan die and saved He Chong later for payment.

But Heyuan hadn’t been wholly consumed by greed. In the end, he’d changed his mind alongside his son. So Su Chen had punished him lightly, saved both, and slain the Blood Severance Sect Grandmaster.

Ignoring the father-son reunion, Su Chen turned to the Grandmaster’s corpse, approached, and patted it down. He retrieved over a hundred taels of silver from the body and found nothing else.

“I’ve noticed a pattern—higher-ups never carry cash.”

He patted the body again just to be thorough, but found nothing. With a sigh, he pocketed the silver.

Though the Grandmaster’s purse was meager, the other Blood Severance Sect disciples had carried several hundred taels combined. All told, this job hadn’t been a loss. Plus, there was still 40% of the Hunyuan Sect’s wealth to collect.

“Master Lu, are you looking for this?”

He Chong’s voice called out from a pile of broken blades. Pointing downward, he revealed a folded scrap of parchment hidden among the shattered steel.

Su Chen’s pupils narrowed slightly as he approached. The parchment had been concealed inside the shattered sword, now exposed after its destruction.

“When did you notice this?” Su Chen asked, surprised. He might’ve missed it entirely without He Chong’s tip.

“Heh, I saw it earlier but didn’t think much of it. Just remembered when I saw you searching,” He Chong said, scratching his head. He picked up the parchment, brushed off the debris, and handed it to Su Chen without a glance.

Su Chen’s approval of the sharp-witted youth grew. Still, he asked, “Aren’t you curious about it?”

“Of course I’m curious, but it’s your spoils, Master Lu. It belongs to you,” He Chong replied earnestly.

Nodding, Su Chen accepted the parchment. He examined it quietly for a while before tossing it to He Chong.

“You’ve got better manners than your father. Keep it.”

Heyuan, standing beside his son, didn’t seem embarrassed. Instead, he smiled warmly.

He Chong, startled, waved his hands. “But—!”

“You’ll find I don’t take back gifts,” Su Chen interrupted.

“Then… thank you, Master Lu!” Relenting, He Chong carefully stored the parchment.

Heyuan stepped forward, presenting a small box with both hands. “Master Lu, this is the remaining payment. Please accept it.”

Su Chen opened the box. Inside lay twenty Vital Energy Pills and a large sum of silver notes.

“Twenty Vital Energy Pills and 30,000 taels? That’s more than we agreed,” Su Chen said.

The original deal had been 90% of the Hunyuan Sect’s wealth. Previously, they’d paid 20 Vital Energy Pills and 20,000 taels—half the sect’s total. Now, with an additional 10,000 taels, this exceeded their prior agreement.

“The extra is my apology. Without you, we’d be dead. Consider it a token of gratitude,” Heyuan explained with a smile.

Su Chen pocketed the items without further ado.

Seeing Su Chen’s acceptance, both father and son beamed.

Su Chen asked, “Since the Blood Severance Sect threat is gone, do you still plan to leave?”

Heyuan nodded. “I’ve grown tired of Big Feng City. This is the perfect chance to leave the chaos behind with Chong’er.”

“Then I won’t stop you. Travel safely.”

“Thank you, Master Lu!” They bowed deeply once more.

Moments later, when they lifted their heads, Su Chen had already vanished.

“Dad, where do we go now?” He Chong asked, glancing away from the empty road.

“The path to Yunzhou Province. Let’s head to Qinghe City,” Heyuan mused, then added, “By the way, what was that thing Master Lu gave you?”

He Chong unfolded the parchment, reading aloud, “The Blood Shadow Crescent Blade Art!”

…

After parting with Heyuan and his son, Su Chen hurried back to the city, arriving just before curfew.

Back home, exhausted but triumphant, he laid his spoils on the table.

The haul was impressive—20 Vital Energy Pills, over 50,000 taels, and most importantly, the coveted Blood Shadow Crescent Blade Art.

The parchment detailed not only the full set of techniques but also the Momentum Attunement methods—making it a martial art system compatible with his Progress Panel.

“Speed-wise, the Draw Cut Art only surpasses the Blood Shadow Crescent Blade Art at the moment of unsheathing. All other techniques pale in comparison. The Blood Shadow Crescent Blade Art isn’t just fast—it’s ruthless. Combined with Vital Force, even I struggled to block it,” Su Chen mused.

Though his Vital Force utterly dwarfed the Blood Severance Sect Grandmaster’s, the latter had held his own using the Blood Shadow Crescent Blade Art’s vicious techniques. Clever as it was, the technique’s effectiveness was undeniable. Now, it was Su Chen’s to master.

“Five hundred taels? Pocket change. Progress Panel—Recharge! Activate Easy Mode!”

As if a nouveau riche aristocrat, Su Chen mentally shouted. Promptly, the Progress Panel responded:

[Easy Mode Activated: Swing the blade fifty times to achieve Minor Mastery of the Blood Shadow Crescent Blade Art.]

Grabbing a steel saber taken from a Blood Severance Sect disciple, Su Chen began swinging. Fifty strikes took less than five minutes.

Without pausing, he recharged and activated Easy Mode again, repeating the process.

By the fourth activation, the Progress Panel announced:

[Easy Mode Activated: Swing the blade five hundred times to reach Limit of the Blood Shadow Crescent Blade Art.]

After five hundred swings, the techniques of the Blood Shadow Crescent Blade Art etched themselves into his instincts, becoming reflexive—no conscious effort needed to unleash them.

“Next, merge the Blood Shadow Saber with my Draw Cut Art. I wonder what changes this will bring. Exciting!” Su Chen muttered eagerly.

Without hesitation, he recharged again and awaited the prompt:

[Easy Mode Activated: Swing the blade two hundred times to advance Draw Cut Art to Level Two.]

Fewer swings than reaching Limit for the Blood Shadow Crescent Blade Art. Ten minutes later, Su Chen completed the task.

The Progress Panel updated instantly:

[Martial Arts: …Draw Cut Art (Level Two, 1%)]

[Easy Mode: …Draw Cut Art (300 taels + any Limit-level Momentum Attunement Crescent Blade Art/attempt)]

Level Two!

Su Chen’s face lit up. Gripping the steel saber, he felt a faint resonance between himself and the blade.

He stepped into the courtyard, the night deep but his spirit unyielding.

Drawing the saber, he struck—a fluid motion from unsheathing to sheathing.

As the blade’s user, he perceived something extraordinary—a visceral sensation unlike before.

“A single strike produces two blade shadows, as if I’ve swung twice! Both speed and power have doubled,” Su Chen said, staring at the steel saber, his eyes wide with surprise.

The Draw Cut Art’s power at Level Two astounded him, particularly the dual blade shadows.

The first strike would create a shadow, and the second, overlapping it, would double the damage. An opponent might block the first, but the second would strike while they lowered their guard—a one-hit-kill weapon.

“This technique? Not even the Blood Severance Sect Grandmaster could handle it. Even my pre-Cultivation self wielding the Blood Shadow Crescent Blade Art might’ve struggled to survive. Fortunately, it’s mine now. My enemies will suffer the headaches, not me. Haha!”

Laughing, Su Chen continued testing, tireless. Eventually, he channeled Vital Force into the blade to gauge its enhanced power.

…

In a secluded courtyard, wind rustled leaves, blending with a woman’s piercing scream.

A ghostly figure approached in a few swift steps, halting at the gate. Hearing the frantic cries inside, he waited silently.

Moments later, screams turned to choked gasps, then to agonized wails. Finally, a hoarse voice called, “Come in.”

The shadow entered, ignoring the dead woman beside him, and knelt.

“Report, Dharma King. Guardian Lawkeeper Chang sent word—the Blood Severance Sect failed. The Hunyuan Sect escaped, and all disciples, including the sect leader, are dead.”

The tall man, just finishing his attire, furrowed his brows. “Do they know who intervened?”

“Guardian Lawkeeper Chang is investigating.”

“If he fails, tell him to bring his head to me.”

The tall man said coldly, then turned away without glancing at the shadow.

Outside the city walls, a dove fluttered its wings and landed on the shoulder of a gray-clad man.

Chang Yuan pulled the message tube from the bird’s leg, unfurled the paper, and snorted. His gaze shifted to a blood-soaked corpse—Blood Severance Sect Grandmaster’s body.

“Black blood at the wound site? The blade was poisoned! Hmm… This slash pattern differs from the sect disciples’ injuries. Was it two attackers, or does the opponent wield twin blades?” He examined the corpse, voice analytical. “I don’t recall any blade matching this wound. It must be custom-made.”

After a pause, he sighed. “Too few clues. Can’t identify the culprit—only that they’re a swordsman. Whether one or two, I’ll need to investigate the Hunyuan Sect.”

He sprinkled medicinal powder over the corpse. The flesh hissed and dissolved into blood, leaving only white bones. Then he vanished into the night.

---

The next day, Su Chen slept late, rising past noon. Exhausted from last night’s cultivation and battles with the Blood Severance Sect, he’d needed rest.

After breakfast at a nearby stall, he returned home midday. Sitting quietly, he took out his Vital Energy Pills and pondered.

“Twenty-eight pills left. Not enough to advance either Iron Shirt or Hunyuan Gong—they both require thirty. But quantity isn’t the main issue. I can supplement with Boiling Blood Powder. The real question is which to prioritize.”

“Iron Shirt boosts my Vital Force directly, while Hunyuan Gong resolves my internal conflicts. One more Hunyuan Gong advancement will fuse all my Vital Force, indirectly strengthening me—but not as much as Iron Shirt.”

He decided. “I’ll advance Iron Shirt first. My Vital Force conflict is stable now. Let’s strengthen my combat power first.”

He channeled his will, adding pills to Iron Shirt. The progress bar inched forward—three pills daily.

For days, he secluded himself, consuming potions and researching. While refining Boiling Blood Powder, he immersed himself in Ancient Medical Manual, improving Dreamweaver Powder.

The previous version only slowed Vital Force Cultivators. Last night’s battle proved its weakness—Blood Severance Sect Grandmaster had shaken off its effects instantly.

He recalled the Grandmaster’s poison attack, which inspired him. Using this insight, he revised the formula, accidentally creating a third-generation Dreamweaver Powder. Testing it on a stray dog, the animal slept for three days, nearly starving.

After developing an antidote, Su Chen tested it himself. The powder dulled his senses, induced drowsiness, and left him hiccuping for half an hour.

“Effective against Visceral Reformation Cultivators—five minutes with a small dose. Side effects: fatigue and prolonged hiccups.”

---

Meanwhile, at Xuan Shui Sect’s Xuanfu Academy, a rotting corpse lay in a courtyard, swarmed by flies.

“Yu Xian died two weeks ago,” a disciple reported. “Killed by a swordsman en route to the Black Market.”

Pengyu, the academy head, scowled. “Summon Xuansha’s He Qiu. This is an insult to our sect.”

He Qiu arrived shortly. “Pengyu Head, this requires investigation. Yu Xian’s trail is cold—half the clues are gone.”

“Find the killer. I’ll reward you with three bottles of Mystic Essence Pills.”

He Qiu accepted the mission. Yu Xian’s last movements led him to Qingxi Town, but records revealed little. Even the Black Market held no answers.

Then he discovered a lead—Yu Xian’s subordinate had vanished days before the murder.

Following this clue, He Qiu’s investigation gained momentum.

---

Eleven days later, Su Chen completed Iron Shirt’s advancement.

“Mastery achieved: Iron Shirt Level 4.”

He soaked in warm water, feeling his Vital Force surge. His breathing deepened, each breath purifying his lungs.

“Visceral Reformation—this is internal refinement!” He marveled, then frowned. “Only my lungs feel stronger. Other organs improved slightly, but the effect’s weakest elsewhere.”

He noted a drawback—his Vital Force moved slower, though its increased volume compensated.

“If I recall, Xuan Yuan Qu enhances Vital Force speed. I’ll pursue that later.”

Su Chen stepped out of the bath, got dressed, and headed to the courtyard, ready to begin familiarizing himself with Vital Force cultivation. Unlike traditional martial techniques, Vital Force required time to adapt to each enhancement after a breakthrough.

...

Sheng Manor.

"Hong Tangzhu, I’ve come today to inquire about someone", He Qiu said after exchanging polite greetings with Hong Risheng.

Hong Risheng nodded. "Speak."

He Qiu continued, "Might I ask if you know a man named Su Chen?"

Hong Risheng fell silent, as if recalling the name’s significance. Beside him, Hong Chen interjected, "Father, this Su Chen is the one who delivered that letter to Mother."

At his son’s reminder, Hong Risheng’s memory clicked into place. "He visited my wife briefly but disappeared afterward. Why are you searching for him?"

"He Qiu, I’ll be straightforward—Su Chen is a suspect in a missing disciple case within the Xuan Shui Sect. We need him for questioning", He Qiu replied, abandoning circumlocution now that the connection was clear.

"You might be looking in the wrong place", Hong Chen chimed in with a smirk. "The man hasn’t been seen since that day."

He Qiu’s brow furrowed. His suspicions deepened, but the trail had gone cold. Rising, he said, "In that case, I’ll take my leave. Should he resurface, please inform me immediately."

Hong Chen escorted He Qiu out before returning to his father. "What could this Su Chen have done to draw the Xuan Shui Sect’s attention?"

Hong Risheng revealed, "A sect steward was assassinated recently. He Qiu was dispatched to investigate."

"Su Chen? A country bumpkin apprenticed to Hong Ming? The sect steward was at least at the Visceral Reformation realm. Hong Ming never achieved Momentum Attunement—his disciple couldn’t be stronger than a Vital Force cultivator. He Qiu must’ve made a mistake."

Hong Risheng changed the subject. "Send men to track Su Chen’s movements. And watch your mother closely."

"You suspect Mother?" Hong Chen blurted, finally understanding the unspoken implication. Qin Xue had always treated Su Chen like family. If he’d sought her help, she might protect him.

Outside, He Qiu lingered in thought. "Su Chen arrived in Big Feng City recently. Except for attending the sect’s trials, he rarely left the city. The only person he visited was Hong Risheng before vanishing. Even if he’s not the killer, he knows something." His gaze flicked back to Sheng Manor. "And making someone disappear? That takes power."

Though the Hong family denied ties to Su Chen, He Qiu saw their evasion as guilt. The young man’s disappearance likely involved Hong Risheng’s hand. But without evidence, he could only report to his superiors first.

...

Three days remained until the Black Market’s monthly opening. With his Vital Energy Pills and Mystic Essence Pills depleted, Su Chen planned to study the Medical Secret Manual to expand his knowledge. But the next afternoon, Zhu Yan arrived with news.

"Found a lead?" Su Chen asked, ushering him in.

Zhu Yan poured himself tea, sipped it, and nodded. "The Benefactor can go now if he’s ready."

They arrived at a grand estate marked by a vermilion plaque with golden characters: Cai Manor.

"Your place?" Su Chen asked.

Zhu Yan grinned. "One of the Hex Union leader’s residences."

Inside, servants greeted Zhu Yan respectfully as they passed. In a side courtyard, a white-robed woman approached—Cai Xiaoyue, elegant and tall. Her eyes narrowed at Su Chen.

"This is Zhu Yan’s friend?" she asked.

"He’s the one interested in Vital Energy Pills", Zhu Yan confirmed. "Go ahead, Xiaoyue. I’ll wait outside."

Once Zhu Yan left, Cai Xiaoyue’s tone turned frosty. "Zhu Yan’s been in Big Feng City barely a month. He has no friends here. Who are you, and what do you want?"

"I’m his friend", Su Chen shrugged. "Ask him."

"Impossible. Zhu Yan’s mentioned no friends in the city", she pressed. "Tell me the truth."

After clarifying their acquaintance, she softened. "Then how many pills do you want?"

"As many as possible."

"Only ten available now. Two hundred taels each." She produced two celadon vials. "Five per bottle."

Su Chen handed over two thousand taels without hesitation. Their transaction complete, Zhu Yan returned.

"Benefactor, all set?" Zhu Yan asked.

Cai Xiaoyue’s demeanor shifted suddenly. "Honored to meet Zhu Yan’s benefactor! Please, take tea."

As servants brought refreshments, Su Chen felt increasingly superfluous beside their lively banter. When a messenger summoned Zhu Yan for an emergency, Cai Xiaoyue offered to show Su Chen around.

Walking the manor, she recounted Zhu Yan’s story—how he’d saved her from bandits, earning his Hex Union position. Finally, she proposed, "Benefactor, consider joining the Hex Union with Zhu Yan. You’d be valuable assets."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end