The Six Gates, Zhu Yi Building, a screen separating the inside from the outside.
Si Ma Shi stood in front of the screen, looking at the slightly awkward “Golden Seal Head” Zu Cun Shen.
Zu Cun Shen was tall, his hands hanging low, tightly against his robe, one of them holding a stack of white paper, the latest intelligence selected, the kind that needed to be reported to the Chief immediately.
But instead of directly presenting it, he whispered, “Chief, the mission given by Chief Su, Su Chief… should I continue?”
That was the matter of cracking down on rampant heretical sects.
Previous documents had already been issued, so he was anxious, fearing that Chief Si Ma might have other arrangements.
Si Ma Shi stood with one hand behind his back, solemnly and gravely said, “Heretical sects undermine the foundation of the Jin Dynasty, a matter of life and death. Chief Su handled it appropriately. You just follow his instructions. His promise is equally valid.”
Zu Cun Shen quietly exhaled in relief and handed over the intelligence, “Chief, there are rumors from the Luo Sect and the Su Nu Dao inside.”
“What rumors?” Si Ma Shi took the white paper and carefully flipped through it, casually asking.
Zu Cun Shen’s voice still carried a trace of strangeness and shock, “The Su Nu Dao claims that Chief Su possesses a divine weapon, an orange-yellow fire blade. The Luo Sect’s rumor also confirms this, saying that Chief Su also secretly holds a time-related treasure, and that the master of the Benevolent Pavilion was killed by him…”
Possessing a divine weapon, hiding a rare time-related treasure, assassinating the master of the Benevolent Pavilion who also wielded a divine weapon—each piece of news was more shocking than the last.
He felt that Chief Su was no longer “human”!
At the level of a Grand Master, aside from inheriting divine weapons from their own sects, one could typically only possess supreme-grade treasures. The fact that “Frost Immortal” Ye Yuqi obtained a divine weapon was already astonishing, though it could be attributed to her brother-in-law, Master Lu, granting her access to numerous ancient ruins. However, “Furious Blade” Su Meng had somehow amassed both a divine weapon and a rare time-related treasure, sparking envy among all Masters and Grand Masters alike!
Most importantly, even with divine weapons and treasures, killing a Grand Master was extremely difficult. Most of them had divine weapons. The master of the Benevolent Pavilion was widely recognized as the hardest to kill, because if the first strike missed, he would immediately retreat far away. Yet, he was actually killed by the Furious Blade!
Either his time-related treasure was extraordinary, or his strength and martial arts were miraculous, or both!
“I see…” Si Ma Shi sighed.
After Zu Cun Shen exited the small building, another voice came from behind the screen: “I see…”
A figure emerged from behind the screen, clearly Zhao Jing Shi. He sighed, “No wonder the ‘Furious Blade’ treats the Divine Capital Formation and this prince as nothing.”
He had claimed that even within the Divine Capital Formation, protected by thousands of powerful experts, killing him would be as easy as reaching into a pocket. It turned out he had a time-related treasure, and such treasures were the most unreasonable, difficult to counter unless one possessed a similar treasure at a certain cultivation level!
Si Ma Shi’s expression returned to calmness, “He is not a man of tyranny, his words are reliable. As long as we don’t provoke him again, we need not worry. His ranking on the Earth List should be adjusted.”
“At which position?” Zhao Jing Shi asked casually.
“Among the top ten on the Earth List, who can claim to have killed the master of the Benevolent Pavilion?” Si Ma Shi countered.
Zhao Jing Shi recalled one by one, finally uncertainly saying, “If the master of the Benevolent Pavilion failed to land the first strike and did not retreat in time, Xuan Tianzong with the Time Blade could kill him.”
He could even suppress a Law Body with the Time Blade!
Si Ma Shi nodded slightly, “Moreover, the Time Blade is said to be the pinnacle of time-related treasures, capable of suppressing all such techniques. Although its current awakening level is limited, if a time-related treasure dares to show off in front of it, it will surely teach it a lesson.”
That was the pride of the Time Blade.
“Therefore, the Furious Blade can be ranked second.” Si Ma Shi concluded.
This was different from before. Back then, the world was stable, and Grand Masters would leave their divine weapons at their sects when traveling the martial world to ensure safety. Thus, rankings often excluded divine weapons unless they were personally owned. But now, with more frequent use of divine weapons, Earth List rankings needed to consider this factor more.
“The second on the Earth List…” Zhao Jing Shi was momentarily stunned, then sighed, “The Furious Blade is not yet twenty-five, having just reached the Eighth Heaven not long ago, yet he has already climbed to the second on the Earth List. While this prince is old enough to be his grandfather, having already crossed the Ninth Heaven to become a Grand Master, I still fall short of him, regarded by him as mere chickens and dogs, truly frustrating and depressing.”
First Han Guang, then Su Meng. Just emerging from one shadow, he seemed to fall into another!
Si Ma Shi glanced at him, calmly saying, “No need to worry. In two or three years, you won’t feel frustrated anymore.”
“Why?” Zhao Jing Shi perked up.
Had Si Ma foreseen something, or did he have a good solution?
Si Ma turned his head, walked to the desk, picked up a writing brush, and casually said, “At his pace, in two or three years, he will definitely have crossed the third tier of Heaven’s Ladder, becoming a true Grand Master. By then, you will be slightly inferior only under the same cultivation level, so naturally no need to feel frustrated.”
Zhao Jing Shi’s mouth hung open, his expression stunned, finally saying after a long time, “Si Ma, I didn’t expect you to have a sense of humor…”
Ignoring him, Si Ma Shi began writing Meng Qi’s Earth List profile:
“Name: Su Meng.”
“Age: Under twenty-five.”
“Nicknames: Furious Blade, Blade King.”
“Techniques: Unknown, similar to the Indestructible Golden Body Art. Blade reaches its ultimate realm, questioning the heart and the Dao, acting as Heaven’s executioner, possessing the ‘Karmic Touch’ technique, an unbeatable blade move, wielding the divine fire blade and a time-related treasure.”
Feats: Slayed the Crying Elder with a single strike of “Karmic Touch”; triumphed over Hasuwala, who wielded a divine weapon, along with two Masters in a head-on battle; during an ambush by the current Joyous Bodhisattva, the Divine Envoy of Fengdian bearing the Law King’s token, and the master of the Benevolent Pavilion—with the Great Luo Demoness observing from the sidelines—he decapitated the Benevolent Pavilion’s master and forced the remaining three to retreat in fear.
“Ranking: Second.”
“Evaluation: Below the Law Body level, anyone without a time-related treasure is killable!”
…
In the Western Liang, the old residence of the Si Ma family.
Si Ma Yin was caressing the “Dharma-Annihilating Whip,” contemplating its profound mysteries, his mind and body unified, oblivious to the outside world.
The benefit of connecting with a divine weapon was that it allowed one to reflect inward, experiencing the boundless wonders of the Law Body realm in advance.
Teng teng teng, hurried footsteps approached, and Si Ma Yin opened his eyes, smiling while scolding, “As a young lady from a noble family, you should not be so frivolous and impetuous, lacking composure!”
The door opened, and a girl under twenty entered. Her clothes were simple and elegant, her appearance delicate and refined. If she stood quietly without speaking, she would be calm and pleasant. But now, her delicate eyebrows were raised, her cheeks flushed, her breathing rapid, resembling a wild child who had just run about wildly: “Father, big news! Big news!”
She was Si Ma Yin’s youngest daughter, Si Ma Fang, his most beloved child.
“What big news? You must act with composure. Even when facing the most shocking and incredible events, you must remain calm as a mountain collapses before you—that is the righteous path.” Si Ma Yin, with the heart of a doting father, lectured her.
Si Ma Fang waved the thin paper in her hand proudly and raised her head, “The current master of the Benevolent Pavilion failed in an assassination attempt and was killed on the spot.”
“Who was he trying to assassinate?” Si Ma Yin was surprised, but his expression and tone remained calm.
“The ‘Furious Blade’ Su Meng!” Si Ma Fang’s eyes sparkled, shining like countless stars, filled with admiration and adoration.
Si Ma Yin paused, “Who?”
Which Law Body expert was named Su Meng?
Wait a moment, the “Furious Blade” Su Meng?
He managed to kill the master of the Benevolent Pavilion!
As his expression changed, he heard Si Ma Fang proudly say, “Master Su obtained the divine fire blade and a time-related treasure. In an encirclement by two Half-Steps wielding divine weapons and an Outer Manifestation Peak expert bearing a Law Body token, he easily beheaded the master of the Benevolent Pavilion. He is now ranked second on the Earth List!”
Encirclement, easy victory, second place… Si Ma Yin was momentarily speechless, like a clay or wooden statue.
Si Ma Fang glanced at her father, giggling, “Father, stay composed. Remain calm as a mountain collapses before you!”
…
In Lu Long, in Lang Ya, in the Three Immortal Islands, in the Huamei Villa, one after another of the great figures saw the latest Earth List and learned of the unprecedented encirclement and assassination event in a century.
Xiahou Yan, known as the “Grandma,” stroked the name above her own on the list with her index finger and sighed, “He shines even brighter than Su Wu Ming back then…”
“Immortal Frost Fairy” Ye Yuqi stood beside Master Lu, her mind drifting. She recalled the youthful feelings when they first met in the Immortal Trace, the composed and confident demeanor and spirited attitude when they reunited in the Divine Capital. Only a few years had passed, yet he had become a true great figure. If they were to fight to the death, she would not be the one to survive.
“In the future, if you encounter him, remind him, until he reaches the Legend level, never become overly reliant on time-related treasures, or they will surely backfire,” Master Lu said calmly, looking at the thin paper in his hand.
After reading the Earth List, Old Master Ruan stood up with his hands behind his back, pacing back and forth, murmuring, “A pity.”
“Wandering Rogue of the Six Seas” Wu Ji Zhen received the news much later than others. After hearing the report from his steward, his face twitched slightly, muttering, “This can’t be real, can it…”
The last time he saw “Furious Blade” Su Meng seemed to be only half a year ago?
He had even looked down on him then…
…
The one who surprised everyone, Meng Qi, was currently dejected. He had forgotten to change his nickname, forgotten to change his nickname, forgotten to change his nickname—important words repeated three times!
Too devoted to his duty, he had forgotten his original purpose!
At this moment, he had already returned to the Immortal Trace, storing away the Ice Eye Crystal Soul and materials related to the Netherworld Ghost Gate worth over 20,000 points, while listing the rest for sale in the Immortal Trace Bazaar. After all, he still had nearly a year left and wasn’t in a hurry to acquire a sword-type divine weapon. Naturally, he wouldn’t let Liu Dao benefit from the deal—selling to other Immortal Trace members could recover around 60,000 Virtue Points, whereas selling to Liu Dao would yield at most 35,000. The choice was obvious!
Of course, Meng Qi exchanged a small portion of the items for 1,600 Virtue Points, adding them to the remaining 22,420 Virtue Points he had previously, and used them to redeem ten years of time to restore the power of the Seven Killing Tablet.
After completing all this, Meng Qi returned to the Biyou Palace, found a quiet room to sit in, gathered his Yuan Shen inwardly, and began sensing and connecting.
His Earth avatar had entered the city of Luo Yi in the Zhou Kingdom and needed his full attention for a while.
His primary plan was to go to the Luo Yi Royal Archives to see if there was a “Librarian” named Li Dan!
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