Chapter 6

Muxiang stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and firmly gripped the secret letter from his mother.

---

Prince Wang Zhiying, who was resting in the room, urgently requested an audience with the leader.

"What's the matter?"

"Asura Blood Sect and the Imperial Palace have clashed."

"The Imperial Palace?"

"Yes! The Black Wind Corps of the Prosperous Emperor attacked Great Hope Mountain and completely annihilated all the zombies and the experts there."

"The Black Wind Corps, I've heard, are selected from the best martial artists and are taught the Imperial Palace's martial arts, making their skills extremely advanced. It's said that their formidable power can topple Mount Tai. It seems to be true."

"But... that..."

"What is it? Speak up."

"The Black Wind Corps also suffered tremendous losses. About 2,000 were killed, and over 6,000 were injured."

"Impossible! I heard that the Black Wind Corps wear heavy armor and even armor their horses. How could they suffer such heavy losses?"

"According to the information, there were about 2,000 already-made zombies, over 50 new-type zombies, and about a thousand defending warriors, including several highly skilled experts. The impact was on them."

"The Imperial Palace's group focuses more on external skills than internal cultivation! Even so, the Black Wind Corps are different from ordinary warriors; they have cultivated internal energy."

"When facing martial artists, they wouldn't have suffered such heavy losses. Martial artists bleed when cut. The problem is the zombies, which can only be killed by highly skilled experts. The heavy armor and shields are why the losses were limited to that extent."

Now, thinking that all the important conversations were over, the leader gently held Wang Zhiying's slender waist and pulled her into his embrace.

"Things are getting interesting. How did a carp end up being caught with a pike as bait?"

"Ah... Leader, it seems the Martial Alliance has ensnared the Imperial Palace, which is still unfamiliar with the martial world."

"The Martial Alliance is quite capable, hehehe."

"From this incident, I think we need to prepare for future conflicts and secure more experts. We should select those who have shown remarkable achievements in various martial arts and provide them with special training to cultivate the next generation of experts. This incident has further highlighted the need for experts."

The leader, while leisurely undressing Wang Zhiying, said. Wang Zhiying, not disliking such a leader, adjusted her posture to make it easier for the leader.

"Good, good. You handle it as you see fit."

"Regarding the current deployment of Muxiang... hmm... he has perfectly eliminated twenty-three top targets but is still inexperienced in martial arts. His success in missions is more due to his intelligence than his martial skills. Therefore, he is still training in martial arts. Ah... stop it, I can't speak... Ugh... He is skilled with the sword, so I think he should be selected for training."

The leader, looking at Wang Zhiying's body, which was far too beautiful for her age, said.

"Indeed, despite his young age, he is remembered by many in the upper echelons for his assassination skills and swordsmanship... But since I have already given the order, you can handle it as you see fit, right?"

"The others are trainees, so it's fine, but Muxiang is under the command of the Chief of the Black Wind Corps. It would be more convenient if you spoke to him."

"Understood. I'll talk to the Chief of the Black Wind Corps."

"Thank you, Leader."

Now, the leader, thinking there was nothing more to say, gently lifted her, now perfectly naked, and walked towards the bed.

---

Muxiang's seventh instructor was a very experienced person. He did not look like an assassin at all. A perfect assassin does not look like one. Who would stay with someone who looks like an assassin? A true assassin does not reveal their killing intent even at the moment of killing.

So far, all his instructors had been either former or current assassins. Assassins who are too old to be active are assigned to train their juniors. However, no one had ever thought of an instructor as perfectly an assassin as this one.

The older the ginger, the spicier it is, as the saying goes. This is due to the seasoned expertise and experience that come with age. The older one gets, the more refined they become. Therefore, most instructors are retired experts who have spent a long time as assassins, rather than current skilled assassins. They wanted to pass on the knowledge and experience they had gained to their juniors.

The new instructor appeared to be in his early forties and had a fairly good-looking face. His face had a deep scar running from above his left eye to his nose, but it was not severe enough to damage his eyesight.

"I am Yu Bai, the Illusory Evil Sword. I will be your instructor from now on."

"Are you an assassin, Senior Yu?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because you don't look like one at all."

"Hehehe, I was an assassin in the past. But now I am a sword instructor. I will be teaching you exclusively from now on. I don't know how long it will take, but I will guide you to the level the upper echelons desire. It seems they have decided to use you as a warrior rather than a disposable assassin. As you know, it's easy to kill an opponent, but it's very difficult to escape after the kill..."

"I understand."

"While practicing swordsmanship, you must continue to cultivate your internal energy. However, in my experience, internal energy is not the most important thing. The key is enlightenment. When you reach a certain level, internal energy comes naturally. Conversely, to reach a certain level, a certain amount of internal energy is necessary... What do you think?"

"I agree with the first point you mentioned."

"Indeed, young disciples from famous sword schools often show faster progress in internal energy cultivation compared to those from other schools. When you go out into the martial world, you will often see young people defeating older experts. This is because they have a faster enlightenment, not because they have practiced internal energy more than the older people, which is practically impossible. The levels of internal energy are indicated by terms like 'one cycle' or 'two cycles,' but this does not mean they have practiced internal energy for 60 or 120 years in isolation. It represents a cycle. The level of skill is determined by whether one has surpassed this cycle or not. When one surpasses a cycle, at least ten times the power is gained. Internal energy should be cultivated without leaning too much towards yin or yang. If you lean too much towards one side, you can become an expert quickly, but it will be difficult to reach higher levels. Eventually, it can even endanger your life. Therefore, it is better not to cultivate internal energy that leans too much towards one side. As internal energy continues to accumulate, you can perform extreme yin or yang martial arts without forcing it. Of course, you can do both. There's no need to take unnecessary risks by cultivating unrealistic internal energy from the beginning. By the way, I heard you are skilled with the sword..."

As he said this, Yu Bai drew his sword. His sword, when drawn, emitted a transparent jade-like glow, indicating it was a precious sword. It resembled a typical sword used by martial people, which is thin, long, and has a well-developed tip but dull edges, making it more suitable for thrusting than cutting. However, the edges of his sword were extremely sharp, making it possible to cut as well.

"The sword is a weapon that focuses more on thrusting than cutting. It does not mean that it cannot cut at all, but thrusting is more important. The swords carried by martial people are different from the swords used by soldiers; they are lighter, thinner, and longer. Because of this, when blocking an opponent's cut or thrust, the sharp edge can be damaged, and the sword might even break due to the pressure of the opponent's weapon. Therefore, the edge is not made too sharp. However, a precious sword, due to its superior strength, can have a sharp edge without breaking. In contrast, a saber has a single edge and a curved blade, making it more suitable for cutting than thrusting. It can also thrust, but the thick part without an edge makes it less likely to break from a powerful strike. Some people use very heavy sabers to make it easier to attack with their strength, with some using sabers weighing nearly 60 catties (about 36 kilograms). Would you like to see your weapon?"

Muxiang drew his sword halfway and showed it to Yu Bai. Out of respect, one should not fully draw a weapon when showing it to a superior. If the superior takes it and fully draws it, that's fine, but otherwise, it should be drawn only 30% to 50%.

After the first stage of training, assassins like Muxiang create a sword that suits their preferences. If their preferences change later, they can create a new weapon. Some assassins create a sword with a completely serrated edge to inflict more damage by tearing the flesh rather than cutting. Being stabbed by such a sword causes immense pain when it is pulled out, and the internal organs are torn out, causing even more damage. Even when cutting the skin, the serrated edge makes it difficult to treat and causes severe bleeding.

Assassins use various deformed weapons because they need to ensure the target is definitely sent to the other world without being bound by any rules. Muxiang's beloved sword, Muhun, is a saber with a half-moon shape. The blade is 2 chi 3 cun (about 70 centimeters) long, and the handle is 1 chi long, making it a deformed sword without a guard. The characters "墨魂 (Muhun)" are engraved near the handle. After carefully examining the sword, Yu Bai spoke.

"You must be quite a unique assassin to use such a distinctive sword. But the blade is not very sharp, is it?"

"Currently, I would prefer a sword made of a strong, black metal, but when this was made, my position was low, so it was made of bai lian jing gang (a very strong steel)."

"Why did you make such a sword? It is the same length as a regular sword, but the handle is too long, making it inconvenient to carry. It only hangs diagonally from the back of your waist. This makes it too noticeable."

"But it has many advantages. If I hold the back part of the handle, the sword is 3 chi long, and if I hold it normally, it is 2 chi 3 cun. I change my grip position while using the sword, making it difficult for the opponent to gauge the distance. As you know, a short sword is fast, and a long sword is slower but can attack from a distance. The blade is sharpened to make it possible to cut. So far, my attacks have been mostly ambushes, so I have never clashed with an opponent's weapon."

"Hmm, you must have put a lot of thought into making this sword. However, the highest level of swordsmanship is not just about confusing the distance. If you cannot kill the opponent in one strike, you will die. You must have the resolve to kill the opponent in one strike or die trying. Swinging the sword to find a weak spot will not show its true sharpness. In a direct confrontation, the most difficult opponent is one who uses a suicidal technique, aiming to kill both of you. If the opponent is much weaker, it's not a problem, but if they are similar in skill, it's hard to win. Even if the opponent is slightly weaker, you must be prepared to be injured to defeat them; otherwise, you might lose your life. As the saying goes, those who are ready to die will live..."

"I will keep that in mind. But I can't replace my beloved sword with a new one."

"That's up to you. How many sword techniques have you learned so far?"

"I have learned twelve. But I have never used swordsmanship in a real fight. If I use it, I will be exposed, so I was instructed to die rather than use it in the worst-case scenario."

"Hmm, sword techniques are a collection of various attack and defense moves. Once you understand the concepts of attack and defense in detail, the moves themselves are not that important... However, it's not that the moves