Chapter 48

Baiyi "Gongzi" watched the young man's retreating back, her chest heaving violently, her hand gripping the hilt of her sword. Several times she wanted to draw her sword, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

When the figure disappeared, she released her grip in a state of dejection, her forehead covered in a fine sheen of sweat, her lips pale.

The old man beside her watched her, his heart sinking.

Her condition was even more serious than he had imagined; she had lost the courage to draw her sword.

It seemed he hadn't been mistaken. The young man had just used the Wu family's secret technique, the "Nine Forms of God-Slaying," a technique that specifically breaks the martial artist's will.

Since the Wu family was wiped out over a decade ago, this technique had been lost. He never expected it to reappear today.

Moreover, the blade intent of this technique was cultivated by a Fourth Rank martial artist.

Generally, only martial artists of Third Rank and above could cultivate blade intent.

In ancient times, martial artists from Third Rank to First Rank were known as the Spirit Refinement Realm.

Cultivating blade intent at Fourth Rank was as rare as a phoenix feather or a qilin's horn. Only a few long-standing Fourth Rank martial artists who couldn't advance to Third Rank had such abilities.

The young man, who looked to be in his early twenties, possessed such extraordinary talent in the Way of the Blade, which was rare in both ancient and modern times.

"Could he be a descendant of the Wu family?"

The old man speculated.

A family like the Wu, with a lineage spanning over a thousand years, wouldn't be so easily exterminated. It was only natural that a few descendants remained.

"Why did it have to be the 'Nine Forms of God-Slaying'?"

The old man was in a panic. "Gongzi's cultivation method places the greatest emphasis on the will. Encountering a technique like the 'Nine Forms of God-Slaying,' which specifically breaks the will, the consequences are unimaginable."

...

On the other side, Gu Yang left the Tian family with Ling Ling, feeling quite pleased.

This time, he had achieved three goals: first, he helped the Qingxuan Sect solve a problem, earning fifteen thousand taels of silver and a treasure map; second, he took over Tian Fei's business and warehouses. The Tian family's business was one of the top five in Pingjun City, with a substantial scale, conservatively estimated to earn over ten thousand taels annually; third, he used this to intimidate Ling Ling.

Times had changed. Now, his strength surpassed hers, and she couldn't control him anymore.

Just by seeing Ling Ling's shocked expression, he knew his demonstration had been successful.

Of course, Gu Yang didn't know that his blade had inadvertently injured someone else.

As they neared home, Ling Ling finally spoke, her voice somewhat dry. "Where did you learn that blade technique?"

"I obtained a damaged blade manual from a bandit, which only had three forms," Gu Yang didn't hide it from her.

Ling Ling was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "You're in trouble."

Gu Yang was puzzled. "Trouble?"

"One of those two people was the last disciple of the Sword Palace's master, the sixth-ranked beauty on the Red List, Xu Ruomei. She cultivates the Sword Palace's secret technique, the 'Red Dust Sword Technique.'"

Gu Yang had heard of the Sword Palace, one of the most powerful sects in the world, the holy land that countless sword cultivators aspired to.

The last disciple of the Sword Palace's master was no small figure.

"So what?"

Ling Ling explained, "The 'Red Dust Sword Technique' cultivates the will, requiring a transcendent mindset to mingle with the mundane world, travel through life, and understand the myriad aspects of human nature. Ultimately, it aims to sever all ties with the mundane world and achieve the realm of divine power."

"However, if one's will is broken before the technique is fully cultivated, the consequences can range from a severed martial path to the complete destruction of one's cultivation."

"Your blade just now broke her will."

"Really?"

Gu Yang was stunned. "I didn't mean to target her. Is her will so easily broken? Is she that fragile?"

Ling Ling, hearing a strange term, asked, "Fragile? What does that mean?"

Not knowing what glass was?

Gu Yang realized that since he had come to this world, he had never seen any glass products.

He suddenly saw a path to wealth. Making glass was a must for any穿越者...

But no, now wasn't the time to think about that.

This was the Sword Palace, a behemoth far more terrifying than the Lin family, which dominated Jiangzhou. The Sword Palace's master was a divine power realm expert.

Wounding the master's last disciple was a major grudge.

Gu Yang, holding out a sliver of hope, asked, "Is there any way to resolve this?"

"There is. Let her kill you, and she can reshape her will, even advancing to a higher level."

"..."

A flash of ferocity appeared in Gu Yang's eyes. "Or, we could find a secluded place and eliminate them both."

Ling Ling said softly, "Xu Ruomei's companion is a sword slave, a Second Rank cultivator."

Second Rank...

Forget it, he probably couldn't even block one of their strikes.

It made sense; the last disciple of the Sword Palace's master wouldn't be without protection.

Gu Yang was taken aback. "A Second Rank cultivator, a sword slave?"

Ling Ling explained, "In the Sword Palace, disciples who can't break through to First Rank after the age of fifty can only remain in the Sword Palace as sword slaves, serving the divine sword of the Sword Palace for life."

"Of course, you don't need to worry too much. Since you didn't bully the weak, as long as Xu Ruomei lives, the sword slave won't attack you. He will let her handle it herself."

Gu Yang understood her implication. "In other words, if Xu Ruomei dies, he will come after me and my family?"

"Not only will he kill you, but he will also kill your entire family."

Ling Ling's words dispelled his last shred of hope.

It seemed that the righteous and rule-abiding sects in novels didn't exist in this world.

This was truly an unforeseen disaster.

Gu Yang couldn't help but sigh. Another trouble had fallen on him.

Counting on his fingers, he had been out of seclusion for less than a month and already had several enemies: the Liu family, the Fifth Prince, the Shen family, and now the Sword Palace...

Comparatively, the Liu family was the weakest.

So, the life simulator wasn't omnipotent.

In the last simulation, he and Ling Ling easily dealt with Tian Fei, and this didn't happen.

But this time, with his greatly increased strength, he couldn't resist showing off and used his strongest blade intent, only to cause such a huge trouble.

One variable had completely changed his future destiny.

This was a lesson.

After returning home, Gu Yang called Zhang Xiaohai over. "Contact the Fang family and the Heavenly Dragon Gang. Ask if they are interested in the Tian family's business and warehouses."

Zhang Xiaohai was startled, worried he had misunderstood. "Ah, Master, what do you mean?"

"Starting tomorrow, the Tian family's business and warehouses will belong to me. I plan to sell them."

Gu Yang originally intended to keep the business, letting it generate a steady income. But now, with the situation changed, he needed to strengthen his power urgently, so he had to liquidate it.