Chapter 147: Reach the Sixth Realm in One Day

In Yun Hua, deep in the dense forest.

“Phew!”

An Jing gently exhaled a turbid breath, with most of his injuries having already recovered.

This duel wasn’t perilous, but it was still an intense competition. If it was not for his perfect Golden Bone, he might very well have been dancing with death.

At that moment, Lou Xiangzhen landed from afar and said, “This time you’ve killed two True Men from the Zhenyi Sect. Given the Zhenyi Sect’s style, they won’t let this slide after taking such a hard hit.”

An Jing replied somberly, “If they insist on making me their enemy, I can only resist.”

If the Zhenyi Sect were willing to trade or offer some benefits, he would not mind handing over the Daluo Heart Method. However, not only were they overbearing and aggressive, but they also wanted to take his Daluo Heart Method for nothing. An Jing could never allow that.

Lou Xiangzhen asked, “Do you know of Yu Ying from the Heavenly Venerate Hall?”

“I do.”

An Jing nodded, “He is the Hall Master of the Zhenyi Sect’s Heavenly Venerate Hall, but he has not left the mountain for decades.”

Decades ago, the Zhenyi Sect had three masters known throughout Jianghu. Besides the Zhenyi Sect Hierarch Ye Ding, there were Yu Ying and Luo Chongyang.

Among them, Luo Chongyang was the most gifted and also the youngest. It was rumored he might surpass Ye Ding and take over as the leader of the Zhenyi Sect, but unexpectedly, Ye Ding’s disciple Xiao Qianqiu rose too quickly and took the position of Sect Hierarch directly from Ye Ding.

Compared to Luo Chongyang and Ye Ding, Yu Ying was indeed somewhat inferior, but even so, he was still renowned as a grandmaster in Jianghu, capable of fighting hundreds of rounds with Demon Sect Heavenly Sect’s Master Duanmu Xinghua without a winner.

His strength was not inferior to Duanmu Xinghua’s; it might even be higher.

Lou Xiangzhen chuckled mischievously, looking at An Jing with a playful expression, “I guess that next time, he might personally make a move against you.”

Upon hearing this, An Jing was shocked, and his expression tensed, “A Grandmaster?”

“Shh!”

Just then, Lou Xiangzhen flicked his finger, and a sword light surged from his fingertip.

The sword light was too fast, and An Jing didn’t react at all. It grazed directly over his palm.

A clear bloodstain appeared on the back of his hand.

Only when the blood began to flow did An Jing feel a twinge of pain and couldn’t help but feel alarmed.

Lou Xiangzhen shook his head and said, “You have perfected your Golden Bone and practiced Buddhist Body Refining Martial Arts; your body seems strong, but this is nothing in front of a Grandmaster.”

“Lin Yiyang’s swordsmanship is superior to yours; though his body isn’t as strong as yours, he wields the Phoenix Sword, making him no less powerful than you are now. Yet he was defeated by the newly ascended Grandmaster Universal Benefit Bodhisattva, who is a Zen monk who shuns killing. Under the same realm conditions, he is far weaker than the Buddhist Vajra, so you must never underestimate a fight with a Grandmaster.”

An Jing knew Lou Xiangzhen was reminding him.

Although he had faced seven masters in Zuanqing Mountain and killed three, he was still far from ready to face a master of the Grandmaster Realm.

Grandmasters have undergone a transformation; their Inner Strength has turned into True Qi, and every action carries the pressure of a Grandmaster.

This is why Grandmasters seldom participate in the affairs of Jianghu. Once a Grandmaster takes action, the battle inevitably spirals out of control.

Back when the Demon Sect was expelled from Great Yan, Grandmasters had fought, but those battles hadn’t been extraordinarily fierce.

“Don’t worry, Senior Lou, my mindset remains the same,” An Jing assured him slowly.

“The truly top-notch swordsmen always maintain a humble heart.”

He was well aware that there were hidden dragons and crouching tigers in Jianghu, with new masters continually emerging; although he was making waves in Jianghu now, he was far from unbeatable.

“That’s the best mindset to have,” Lou Xiangzhen responded after hearing this and nodded, “But you shouldn’t belittle yourself too much; right now, beneath the level of Grandmaster, you should have few rivals.”

“No,”

An Jing shook his head, sighing, “There is one person; she isn’t a Grandmaster yet, but I might not be able to defeat her.”

“Oh?” Lou Xiangzhen heard this and couldn’t help but ask curiously, “Who is this person?”

An Jing’s cultivation had already reached the pinnacle of the First Grade, with the incomplete Evil Suppressing Sword in his hand, two to three Heavenly Martial Level martial arts, and his Golden Bone refined to Perfection. Unless he faced someone with similar fortune and whose cultivation had reached the Half-step Master Realm, ordinary Half-step Masters stood no chance against him.

“I don’t know who that person is, either. I encountered a Half-step Master at Liumu Villa in Yu State City.”

An Jing furrowed his brows and then recounted the details of his duel with the expert surrounded by a cloak of black mist.

“Cloaked in black mist, a Demon Sect expert?”

Lou Xiangzhen raised his eyebrows, “You might have encountered a top expert of the Demon Sect. The martial arts practiced by members of the Demon Sect are mostly derived from ‘Nine Nether Purgatory Demon Scripture’, shrouded in mystery and power. These top Demon Sect techniques indeed involve the dispersal of black mist, which obscures all appearances.”

“However, of the top Half-step Master experts of the Demon Sect, I only know of two individuals, one being Li Fuzhou, the head of the Human Sect, and the other is Yi Daoyun, the chief of the White Tiger Sect, but neither of them may currently be able to defeat you,” he continued.

An Jing shook his head, Yi Daoyun was a master of the Sword Dao, and the person he fought did not use Sword Dao. As for Li Fuzhou, that was even less likely.

Lou Xiangzhen remarked with emotion, “This world is truly full of exceptional individuals.”

With such strength as An Jing’s, he was practically unbeatable below the Master Realm, yet there were still those who could surpass him. It was unknown what kind of fortune this person had encountered.

An Jing asked nonchalantly with a smile, “If Yu Ying really came out of seclusion, would senior be a match for him?”

Lou Xiangzhen, who was savvy, saw right through An Jing’s intention upon hearing this remark, “It’s not impossible for me to help you deal with Yu Ying, but you must accompany me to visit an old friend.”

Hearing this, An Jing asked, “Is that true?”

“Indeed,” Lou Xiangzhen nodded.

If Yu Ying had indeed come out of seclusion, he would naturally make a move.

Others might not know, but Lou Xiangzhen was aware that since Xiao Qianqiu went into seclusion, it seemed like Ling Yuanjing was in charge of the Zhenyi Sect, but in reality, it was Yu Ying of the Heavenly Venerate Hall.

The death of Jiang Sanjia had an indescribable connection to him.

“Very well, I shall accompany senior on this journey,” An Jing decided.

An Jing pondered and then asked, “Where might senior’s old friend be?”

“Blue River Sect,” Lou Xiangzhen exhaled slowly and continued, “Actually, heading to the Blue River Sect also benefits you.”

“Blue River Sect?”

An Jing murmured to himself.

The Blue River Sect was one of the Great Yan’s seven major factions. Compared with other sects, this sect had a long history and a profound heritage spanning a thousand years.

However, in recent years, compared to the other seven major factions, the Blue River Sect’s development was somewhat unsatisfactory, falling to the last among them, long losing the prestige it held as one of the top three sects of Great Yan in the past.

But as the saying goes, even a camel that’s dying of hunger is still bigger than a horse.

Even so, the Blue River Sect was not a sect that ordinary factions could compare to.

Lou Xiangzhen said, “That’s right, there is a Sealing within the Blue River Sect, and beneath it lies a piece of the Evil Suppressing Sword’s blade. Could you take it to unite with your Evil Suppressing Sword?”

A Sealing!?

An Jing couldn’t help but recall the Sealing at the Fa Xi Temple. Originally, at the bottom of the Sealing, there had been a strand of Heaven and Earth Spirit Essence and a piece of the Evil Suppressing Sword’s blade.

He remembered Jiang Sanjia mentioning that around the world, there were six other Sealings, including the Dragon Locking Well in Great Yan, making a total of seven places.

At that time, Jiang Sanjia hadn’t told him what exactly lay beneath the Sealings.

An Jing inquired, “Senior, do you know what exactly this Sealing is about?”

Lou Xiangzhen pondered for a moment and then replied, “The thing under this Sealing is the Earth Veins.”

An Jing heard this and was even more puzzled, “Earth Veins? Why seal the Earth Veins?”

He remembered that it was recorded in ancient texts, Earth Veins were the roots of the Earth and the very basis from which nature’s spiritual energy derived. Once the Earth Veins were sealed, the gathering of this spiritual energy would also become extremely difficult.

But why seal these Earth Veins in the first place?

Lou Xiangzhen spoke solemnly, “Because when the Earth Veins break their bounds, a terrible disaster occurs. No ancient text records exactly what this disaster is, but I can tell you how terrible it is; both the Great Zhou Dynasty and the Great Qin Dynasty were destroyed because of this disaster.”

An Jing took a deep breath, his heart shaken.

It was rumored that both the Great Zhou Dynasty and the Great Qin Dynasty had Great Grandmasters in seat, and yet even they couldn’t withstand this disaster?

No wonder Great Yan built the Dragon Locking Well to trap the Earth Veins, and they built it right in the heart of Yujing City.

Lou Xiangzhen continued, “Now that the Dragon Locking Well has been forged, Great Yan has become somewhat negligent in guarding these seals around the world. Moreover, with the Great Yan Emperor’s retreat in progress, uncertain as it is, this is the perfect opportunity for you to break the seal and retrieve the Evil Suppressing Sword.”

“However, you must not touch the Dragon Locking Well. It is Great Yan’s critical vulnerability. If you dare to break into the Dragon Locking Well, you will surely face catastrophic consequences.”

An Jing nodded and said, “All I plan to do is recall the entire blade of the Evil Suppressing Sword, why would I damage the Dragon Locking Well?”

Lou Xiangzhen took a swig from his wine gourd and said, “Many with ulterior motives have tried to exploit this seal, all without exception have died, including Grandmasters. The old ancestor of the Lifeless Sect once tried to break this seal and ultimately had his entire sect annihilated.”

“The Xuanyi Guard in the hands of the Great Yan Emperor is a sharp sword hanging over everyone in Jianghu’s heads, but the Inner Palace still harbors many top-notch experts. Not to mention others, the current Emperor himself is an extremely terrifying entity.”

Lou Xiangzhen rarely praised anyone, but when he said someone was exceptional, their cultivation was at least at the level of a top Grandmaster.”

An Jing pondered for a moment and said, “There definitely must be something incredible about this Earth Vein.”

It came to him then that following the breaking of the seal at Fa Xi Temple, his Life Fate began to show an upward trend.

“Could it be you know something?” Lou Xiangzhen looked at An Jing.

“How could I possibly know if even my senior doesn’t know?” An Jing smiled.

Lou Xiangzhen slapped his wine gourd, then said, “Stop thinking about such trivial matters. Let’s hurry on our way; my wine is almost gone.”

An Jing nodded, “Alright, let’s go.”

This trip to the Blue River Sect might just hold opportunities waiting for him under the seal.

…….

Three days later, Zhenyi Mountain.

“Dong!” “Dong!”

The mourning bell in Zhenyi Mountain tolled incessantly, the whole day long.

The entire Zhenyi Sect, nearly amounting to tens of thousands of disciples, but there were only seven Great True Ones, and now two had been lost.

Experts of the Heavenly Flower Realm, when placed in Jianghu, belonged to the most influential class, with extensive connections and immense authority. Countless people came to offer their condolences.

Inside the Heavenly Venerate Hall.

An old Taoist sat at the front of the hall, his eyes tightly shut, seemingly napping.

“Great-Uncle.”

After a while, a voice came from behind.

The entrant was none other than Ling Yuanjing.

“You’re here.”

Yu Ying slowly opened his eyes, as if waking from a reverie.

He wasn’t asleep after all, but was reminiscing about the memories of Yu Huai and Yu Lin.

These two disciples had also grown up under his watch.

“The affairs of Brother Yu Huai and Brother Yu Lin have been taken care of.”

Ling Yuanjing’s face was filled with guilt. “This time, I failed to assess the strength of the Ghost Swordsman and as a result, two junior brothers died, and senior brother He was severely injured. I can’t shirk the blame. I came here to confess my guilt to my senior uncle.”

Originally, he thought that deploying so many experts to capture the Ghost Swordsman was almost a sure thing, but the result turned out to be the opposite. If it weren’t for the Ghost Swordsman’s hesitation because of his concerns, none of them might have survived.

“You’re not to blame for this.”

Yu Ying waved his hand. “The strength of the Ghost Swordsman is profound and unpredictable. It is normal for you to be no match for him. Moreover, I received news yesterday that there was someone else with the Ghost Swordsman. Even if you had defeated the Ghost Swordsman, you definitely wouldn’t have been able to obtain the Daluo Heart Method from him.”

Upon hearing this, Ling Yuanjing couldn’t help but ask, “Who is it?”

“Lou Xiangzhen!” Yu Ying stated each word distinctly.

“It’s him!”

Ling Yuanjing’s expression turned ugly.

He and Lou Xiangzhen had an unresolved grudge; every encounter with Lou Xiangzhen left him in a sorry state. He hadn’t expected that even without Lou Xiangzhen lifting a finger this time, he would end up the same.

“Lou Xiangzhen has left his seclusion and is now mingling with the Ghost Swordsman. It seems the death of Jiang Sanjia has sparked his ambition.”

Yu Ying sighed lightly, “It’s also my fault. I shouldn’t have ordered the removal of Jiang Sanjia. It would have been better to let him live a bit longer.”

Ling Yuanjing added, “Jiang Sanjia was too dangerous, and knowing Mu Xiaowan’s true identity is detrimental to our Great Zhenyi Sect’s plans…..”

Yu Ying pondered for a moment then said, “We should say no more about this matter. It’s more important to deal with the Ghost Swordsman and Lou Xiangzhen.”

Ling Yuanjing asked, “Senior Uncle, do you plan to take action personally?”

Yu Ying’s eyes were deep like an abyss. “If your third senior uncle were here, there might have been a chance to capture Lou Xiangzhen. As for me dealing with this Ghost Valley Sword Immortal, I’m not certain of victory.”

Ling Yuanjing was shocked, “Senior Uncle, you’re not sure?”

He was very aware of Yu Ying’s strength—a rare expert in today’s world and a Second Qi Grandmaster—yet he didn’t dare claim victory against Lou Xiangzhen.

Yu Ying nodded slightly, “Lou Xiangzhen is also of Second Qi cultivation, and his swordsmanship is superb, almost reaching the Sixth Realm. Once he reaches the Sixth Realm, not even a Third Qi Grandmaster might defeat him.”

Ling Yuanjing was filled with shock. He hadn’t realized that Lou Xiangzhen, who had always been ranked second in the world, could be so formidable.

Thinking carefully, it indeed should be so; as a swordsman who spanned two eras, Lou Xiangzhen was truly deserving of his reputation.

“Grand Uncle Master.”

Just then, a childish voice came from outside the Heavenly Venerate Hall.

Looking in the direction of the voice, there stood a Daoist boy about seven or eight years old, with rosy lips and white teeth.

“A note has arrived from the Sect Leader’s Quiet Room.”

“Bring it here for me to see.”

Yu Ying spoke indifferently.

“Yes.”

The boy respectfully handed over the note.

It had just three words on the pristine note, “twenty days.”

Ling Yuanjing also saw the words on the note, and his heart trembled.

Twenty days, could it be that my senior brother will be leaving seclusion in twenty days?

Seeing this, Yu Ying sighed lightly, “It seems that Lou Xiangzhen and the Ghost Swordsman won’t be able to enjoy their lives for much longer.”

Ling Yuanjing, puzzled, asked, “Why do you sigh at such good news, Senior Uncle?”

Yu Ying replied, “I actually think that both men are talents that could be of great use. If they could serve our Great Zhenyi Sect, it would enhance our sect’s prestige when competing with the Buddhist and Demon Sects.”

Ling Yuanjing hesitated before speaking, “Lou Xiangzhen follows a different path from us and it’s impossible for him to be of use to us. As for the Ghost Swordsman, who killed two of my junior brothers, there is a deep-seated vengeance that cannot be resolved.”

If he had harbored any thoughts about the Ghost Swordsman before, the death of Real People Yu Huai and Yu Lin had completely severed those thoughts.

Yu Ying said indifferently, “Wait until Qian Qiu emerges from seclusion in twenty days, and let him decide.”

“Yes.”

Ling Yuanjing nodded heavily.

When Xiao Qianqiu came out of seclusion, who knew what kind of storms it would stir up in the Great Yan Martial World.

……

Dongluo Pass, Dongluo Tower, as the night deepened.

Zhao Qingmei looked at the paper figure in her hands. She was certain that the one directing the paper figure’s movements was An Jing.

It was because they had agreed on this beforehand, and no one else could possibly know, especially in such detail.

Then, she slowly got up and looked up at the moon in the sky.

Looking at the moon, she saw only him.

On the days they could not meet, she felt her heart grow even hotter.

“Sect Hierarch, important intelligence has arrived from Great Yan.”

At that moment, Yu Qiurong’s voice rang out from outside the door.

“Come in and speak.”

Zhao Qingmei took a deep breath, and her gentle eyes turned somewhat cold.

“Yes.”

Yu Qiurong walked in slowly, and then said to Zhao Qingmei, “The Zhenyi Sect dispatched four great real people and two peak masters to Xuanqing Mountain to encircle the Ghost Swordsman. In the end, the Ghost Swordsman killed two great real people and then disappeared without a trace.”

Zhao Qingmei nodded slightly, a hint of surprise appearing in her eyes, “That Ghost Swordsman is quite capable. Without an exotic beast, his strength is merely at the Heavenly Flower Realm. It seems he has gained quite a fortune either in Jiangnan Dao or atop Nanhua Mountain.”

She remembered their first encounter at Liumu Villa; she was very clear about the Ghost Swordsman’s strength, and she had not even used her full power at the time.

Yu Qiurong said gleefully, “Sect Hierarch, this time the Zhenyi Sect has truly lost both their troops and their generals. I heard that He Chen was seriously injured as well.”

Something seemed to occur to Zhao Qingmei, “Let Mu Xiaoyun come in. I have questions for her.”

“Yes.”

Yu Qiurong nodded and then turned to walk out.

Before long, Yu Qiurong came back with a woman.

The woman was dressed in a long black dress that fit snugly around her body, accentuating her curves perfectly, complemented by a delicate, fair face and a pair of slender, watery, peach-blossom eyes.

This was none other than Mu Xiaoyun.

“Sect Hierarch!”

Mu Xiaoyun approached Zhao Qingmei and quickly bowed.

She had been at Dongluo Pass for several months now. Relying on her abilities and strength, she had been given a position of authority and was currently the nominal head of the Vermilion Bird Seat. However, she knew well that she was merely a puppet, the true head was still Yu Qiurong, and she was just holding the title, not a true core member of the Demon Sect.

But the person in front of her was different. She was the current Hierarch of the Demon Sect, with unfathomably profound cultivation. Recently, she had even defeated the Sect Master of the Heavenly Sect, Duanmu Xinghua. Although the Demon Sect had sealed this news, she was naturally aware of it.

Zhao Qingmei spoke softly, “You have interacted with that Ghost Swordsman. What do you think of him?”

“That person….”

Mu Xiaoyun pondered for a while and then said with a wry smile, “Subordinate also can’t see through him. His heart is quite complex.”

“Tell me, how complex it is,” Zhao Qingmei said.

Thereafter, Mu Xiaoyun clarified everything about how she met the Ghost Swordsman and how he helped her retrieve Xue Chen’s body.

Zhao Qingmei raised her eyebrows slightly when she heard this, “You mean, the Ghost Swordsman was only at the Human Flower Realm when you first met him?”

Mu Xiaoyun nodded and said, “It should be, his swordsmanship is very advanced, and the swordsmanship he uses is famously odd. No one knows his origin, and his strength might be somewhat exaggerated.”

Why is it that in Jianghu some swordsmen, when they first appear, seem exceptional? Because their swordsmanship is very special, masters of the same realm don’t fully comprehend it. Once the swordsmanship becomes familiar and its patterns are understood, it’s no longer as sharp and frightening as before.

Mu Xiaoyun’s statement wasn’t intended to suppress the Ghost Swordsman; she didn’t know why Zhao Qingmei had summoned her, so it seemed better to adopt a lower profile in front of this female demon sect leader.

Zhao Qingmei pondered and asked, “Do you think you can recruit this person into the Demon Sect?”

Even if they couldn’t recruit him, forming a collaboration would still be beneficial.

Although Zhenyi Sect would definitely move against him, the Demon Sect could secretly assist the Ghost Swordsman and disrupt Zhenyi Sect’s plans.

“That would certainly be good…”

Mu Xiaoyun was slightly taken aback by Zhao Qingmei’s words, then replied, “However, I am not well acquainted with this person.”

Although she had joined the Demon Sect and seemed to hold a high position as one of the Four Leaders, she was still alone within the sect, which had many factions.

The most evident were the Youth Faction and the Conservative Faction. There were also masters trained by the Demon Sect Main Hall, such as Yu Qiurong and Yi Daoyun, who were utterly loyal to the sect. Then there was the Azure Dragon Sect Leader and the Xuanwu Sect Leader like her, who had joined midway.

However, the Xuanwu Sect Leader was genuinely valued by the female demon sect leader. He had real talent in military strategy and command. The Azure Dragon Sect Leader had been with the Demon Sect for thirty years and was already a core member.

If the Ghost Swordsman could join the Demon Sect, she would no longer be alone.

Zhao Qingmei waved her hand and said, “Don’t worry, in a few dozen days, you will return to Great Yan with me. Then, you just need to invite the Ghost Swordsman.”

“Your subordinate obeys.”

Mu Xiaoyun quickly complied upon hearing this.

Just then, her eyes suddenly caught sight of a paper figure in Zhao Qingmei’s hand, and her heart stirred, “Eh, isn’t that Jiang Sanjia’s paper figure? Why does the Sect Hierarch have one too?”

Mu Xiaoyun naturally knew about the paper figures specially made by Jiang Sanjia.

“You may leave now.”

Zhao Qingmei waved her hand.

“Yes.”

Mu Xiaoyun, not daring to ask more, bowed and withdrew.

After Mu Xiaoyun had left, Zhao Qingmei fiddled with the paper figure in her hand, a soft light in her eyes, “I wonder what brother is doing now?”

……@@novelbin@@

Yun Hua Road, Wangjiang City.

As the largest city on Yun Hua Road, that would definitely be Wangjiang City.

This place is the capital of Yun Hua Road, and with its well-connected roads, it serves as Great Yan’s major north-south transportation hub. It has well-developed land and water routes.

Once trade becomes convenient, it injects a lot of vitality, and with a large influx of people, Wangjiang City is even more prosperous than Yu State City by three folds.

In a bookstore, the flow of people was incessant.

An elder stood by, his eyes calmly observing the distance.

At that moment, peach blossoms fell, fragrant and pleasing.

This person was Lou Xiangzhen.

At this moment, he seemed lost in thought, “I wonder how A Zhi is doing?”

“Senior Lou, let’s go.”

Just then, An Jing came out from the bookstore, holding an exquisitely bound book in his hand.

Lou Xiangzhen looked at the book in An Jing’s hands and asked with confusion, “Did you enter the bookstore just to buy this book?”

“Yes, this book isn’t available in Jiangnan Dao.”

A meaningful smile played on An Jing’s lips.

Seeing such an expression on An Jing, Lou Xiangzhen also grew interested and said, “Oh? Let me see what treasure this is.”

An Jing hastily tucked the book into his bosom before pulling out an old, well-thumbed tome, “Such a treasure should be enjoyed alone. I have this one that I’ve read already; you can take it.”

Lou Xiangzhen accepted the book and began flipping through it immediately, “Flower Camp Array, this name is…”

But then, as he saw its contents, his face turned red with embarrassment, and he threw the book back at An Jing, “Shameless, utterly shameless.”

“What’s so shameless about it?”

An Jing caught the book and retorted irritably, “Amusements of the boudoir, who doesn’t check out this stuff?”

Lou Xiangzhen puffed out his beard and glared, “Well, I certainly don’t.”

An Jing glanced around and then whispered, “Could it be that you’re really that old virgin rooster?”

Lou Xiangzhen snorted lightly, seeming somewhat displeased, “My peers and I possess Primordial Yang for cultivation which is why our martial arts progress so swiftly. What’s this about being a virgin or not?”

An Jing immediately asked, “Who said that?”

Lou Xiangzhen paused, then said, “My master has always said so since I was young.”

“Nonsense, utter nonsense.”

An Jing shook his head, “I saw a martial arts book before, guess what was written on the first page?”

“What?”

“‘To practice this technique, one must castrate oneself first.'”

“Do people really practice such techniques?”

“Do you know what was written on the last page?”

“No need to castrate to practice the technique.”

Lou Xiangzhen opened his mouth, then was speechless.

An Jing patted Lou Xiangzhen’s shoulder in a very sympathetic manner, “So you see, you’ve been fooled, understand? Doing that which is done between a man and a woman is like walking in the clouds, visiting a fairyland, achieving clarity and indescribable wonder.”

Lou Xiangzhen gave An Jing a deeper look, filled with even more doubt.

“Alas.”

An Jing shook his head, “Such experiences, they can’t really be related to outsiders, one must experience it themselves; perhaps you could reach the Sixth Realm in a day.”

At that moment, two figures dashed past them on the street, moving incredibly fast.

Ordinary people hadn’t noticed them, but what were An Jing and Lou Xiangzhen’s levels of cultivation? Naturally, they saw everything clearly.

One was an old man and the other a young girl; the man was of the Second Grade and the girl was of the Fourth Grade.

“What is this?” An Jing frowned as he saw that both the old and the young had tokens at their waists, one engraved with ‘Earth’ and the other with ‘Heaven.'”

“The Heaven and Earth Net, spies of the Emperor.”

Lou Xiangzhen frowned and asked, “Were you marked by the Xuanyi Guard?

The Heaven and Earth Net was Great Yan’s strongest intelligence organization, the Emperor’s eyes in Jianghu, monitoring every action there.

If the Heaven and Earth Net targeted you, that could be really troublesome.

“No.”

An Jing shook his head; he had been marked before, but it had been removed.

Lou Xiangzhen nodded slightly, “That’s good; the Heaven and Earth Net must be investigating something, but it doesn’t concern us. We shouldn’t meddle in the Court’s affairs, lest it bring endless trouble.”

An Jing nodded, “Let’s get something to eat first.”

After that, both of them stopped talking and walked towards the tavern.

Lou Xiangzhen seemed to have a lot on his mind and didn’t say a word.

Suddenly, the leading An Jing pointed towards a tall building ahead and laughed, “Elder Lou, stop thinking about sword practice. Sometimes you should also sharpen your spear.”

“Do you gentlemen want to come in and sit for a while?”

At this moment, a fairly attractive woman with a face full of rouge came forward, grabbed An Jing’s arm, and rubbed against it.

Such guests from Jianghu were known to be very generous, spending silver like water.

“Nonsense!”

Lou Xiangzhen’s expression darkened as he spoke righteously, “Filthy, low, I’m ashamed to be in the presence of such scum like you.”

At this, many nearby people turned to look.

An Jing was somewhat helpless on the side, thinking, I was just joking. There’s no need to defame me as scum in such a public setting.

I know you’re impressive! You’re above all this!

“Sir, you jest, there are even more depraved things the girls can do, would you like to see?”

Seeing this, an old madam fanning herself nearby chuckled, hugged Lou Xiangzhen’s arm, and almost pressed her entire body against him.

The overwhelming smell of her rouge nearly made Lou Xiangzhen faint.

“There’s no need, I never come to such places.”

Lou Xiangzhen quickly pushed the old madam away.

Unable to stand the tacky and vulgar surroundings any longer, An Jing quickly walked away, “Let’s just go get some drinks.”

He was merely speaking casually; he naturally had no interest in such vulgar women.

He needed to save his money for his own wife.

The two men quickly left the area below the tall building and soon arrived at a tavern in Wangjiang City.

Fine wine and dishes were served, and they drank merrily.

During these days, the two had been together constantly, often exchanging insights on sword skills, and their relationship had grown considerably.

“Elder Lou, this wine is good, come drink.”

“Good.”

……

As they drank and chatted, it seemed they had forgotten all about the earlier incident.

An Jing didn’t mind Lou Xiangzhen’s misunderstanding; after all, whether he was scum or not, he knew himself, and there was no need to explain anything to Lou Xiangzhen.

After three rounds of drinks and five different dishes,

Lou Xiangzhen appeared as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Seeing this, An Jing raised an eyebrow, “Elder Lou, if you have something to say, just speak.”

“Ahem ahem… there were quite a few people earlier.”

Lou Xiangzhen cleared his throat a couple of times and said, “Let’s go back there tonight; I mainly want to see if it’s really as you said, reaching the Sixth Realm in a day.”