Chapter 162

Root?

He turned his head to look at Qin Shuo, then as if recalling something, he said in realization: "You mean the chain connecting the Thunder Tiger Sever-Heaven Blade, right?"

"You know?"

Qin Shuo was genuinely somewhat startled.

He originally thought this would be another covert manipulation similar to Blackwater City.

But unexpectedly, He Mingjing also knew of the existence of the chain binding ordinary blade intent and the thousand-zhang divine blade.

"Of course I know!"

He Mingjing gathered his spirit, refreshed his vigor, and said solemnly:

"Not only do I know it, every blade nurturer, after passing the test, is informed of the existence of the blade-nurturing chain."

"Oh?"

Qin Shuo raised his eyebrows; it seemed he had somewhat misunderstood that Pacifying Martial King.

"The reason you have this doubt is because Elder Huang hasn't had the chance to tell you that you've already achieved blade-human unity, catching him off guard."

Saying this, He Mingjing let out an involuntary light sigh, as if resigned.

He then refreshed his spirit and continued:

"The blade-nurturing chain is a mental connection that exists in the unseen between the blade nurturer and the Thunder Tiger Sever-Heaven Blade."

"The blade nurturer can, via this chain, comprehend the Sever-Heaven Blade Intent upon the heavenly blade."

"As for what you said, that the Sever-Heaven Blade Intent is a root drawing the blade nurturer's spiritual will, that statement is not accurate."

"In my view, this strand of blade intent is more like a seed."

"The blade nurturer, through this seed, draws nourishment from the heavenly blade, strengthening and growing, enhancing his own strength."

"Even, by means of this blade intent, one can directly cross the Grandmaster's Heavenly Chasm and reach the gate of the Martial Sage."

"Only when the blade nurturer perishes and his Dao vanishes will this strand of blade intent return to the heavenly blade itself."

"I know, Old Qin, you worry that the Blackwater City affair will repeat."

"But I, He Mingjing, can guarantee with my life that for us martial practitioners, the blade-nurturing art brings only benefits and no harm."

"At least, this art has been promoted for years in the Great Li court, and I have never heard of anyone being controlled by a prince because of it."

"I think, given the prince's character, he has no need to use such base means to control us petty fellows who aren't even grandmasters."

"He Mingjing spoke very sincerely; evidently he trusts greatly the Pacifying Martial King who has suppressed the world for sixty years."

"By this point, Qin Shuo also finds it hard to advise further."

"Since it's mutually agreeable, and the pros and cons were already explained before practicing the blade-nurturing art, he has nothing to object to—just a difference in personal choice."

"As for whether that Pacifying Martial King will thus control blade nurturers..."

"Qin Shuo feels that for such matters, it's better not to place too much faith in human nature."

"After all, controlling blade nurturers via blade intent is merely something the Pacifying Martial King is unwilling to do, not that he cannot."

"Even if he has never done so in the past few decades, who can guarantee he won't in the coming decades?"

"Compared to entrusting one's livelihood and life to a prince one has never met, then praying he is virtuous and will not control oneself..."

"Qin Shuo still trusts more the bow-blade in his own hand."

"Even if that person is the number one martial artist under heaven, the Pacifying Martial King, it still wouldn't do."

"Under He Mingjing's guidance, Qin Shuo familiarized himself with the layout of the Demon-Subduing Office in just a morning, pretty much completely."

"At noon, the two ate lunch together on the street,"

"Afterward, still under He Mingjing's lead, they found a local brokerage in Yunzhou City and directly bought a fairly luxurious compound."

"Although Yunzhou City is extremely expensive, given Qin Shuo's current finances, a few hundred taels of silver is naturally no problem."

"In the following days, Qin Shuo's life began to grow leisurely."

"The Demon-Subduing Office differs from the Pacifying Martial Hall and the Divine Captors Office; it does not require daily roll-call for work."

"It is a loose organization, not directly under the prefecture's administration, but takes orders from the Dao City Demon-Subduing Office Headquarters."

"Although it occasionally participates in public order maintenance, its main duty is still to apprehend demons and eliminate monsters, to sweep away mountain ghosts and evil beasts."

"One could even say it chiefly targets great demons and the Ghost Mother Sect lurking deep in mountains and lakes."

"Thus, the Demon-Subduing Office is usually very lax, with no compulsory duties, focusing more on specific tasks."

"For example, upon receiving reports or pleas for aid from subordinate prefectures and counties, it goes to exterminate mountain monsters or root out Ghost Mother Sect strongholds."

"Besides that, there are also hunting missions issued by the Demon-Catching Hall."

"Most of the demons on those mission lists have long hidden in the mountains and forests, not having emerged to wreak havoc for ages."

"The Demon-Subduing Office follows the principle of eradicating evil completely and preventing trouble before it arises; whenever there is leisure, it dispatches demon-hunting teams to go slay."

"After joining the Demon-Subduing Office, Qin Shuo was naturally assigned some tasks."

"However, they were merely patrols of the forests, investigations of mountain ghosts—trivial tasks—all of which He Mingjing had his Cloud Pattern Colonels help complete."

"Thus, during the day he either wandered Yunzhou City, familiarizing himself with the city, purchasing exotic beast meat to stock the Gluttonous Cauldron, or returned to his small courtyard to practice martial arts."

"At night he consumed elixirs, soaked in medicinal baths, and refined the Magnetearth Pearl."

"Seemingly leisurely, in fact his strength was advancing by leaps and bounds."

"From the ten years' salary drawn in advance from the Demon-Subduing Office, plus the two Human Origin Grand Pellets gained from slaying Situ Long and the Snake-Eagle Ghost Elder, he finally filled his hundred apertures with true essence, reaching the Perfected Condensation of True Essence."

"Moreover, all that true essence he refined completely into Magnetearth True Qi using the Magnetearth Pearl."

"Whenever he releases his true qi, all metal objects within a one-zhang radius are drawn by the Magnetearth True Qi and ring out."

"He can even pull objects from afar and manipulate some lighter metal items."

"However, for heavy blades like a black-iron sword weighing dozens of catties, to draw it through the air likely requires him to have fully refined the Magnetearth Pearl."

"After several days of refinement, the Magnetearth Pearl has shrunk a bit, but it is still far from being completely refined."

And the exotic beast meat Qin Shuo had purchased these past days had basically all been turned into energy for the Taotie Cauldron, used to refine this Primordial Magnetic Earth Pearl.

Days passed one by one.

Since the failed assassination attempt on me at the restaurant last time, the Ghost Mother Sect has vanished without a trace, never to appear again.

However, Qin Shuo knew this was merely the calm before the storm.

If they truly determined that I possess an item related to the World-Pacifying Divine Weapon, they will certainly not let it rest.

Speaking of the World-Pacifying Divine Weapon, Qin Shuo spontaneously recalled the Sun-Shooting Divine Bow hidden within Wind Thunder Valley, and the unknown divine weapon that had lured the Howling Moon Demon King to Phoenix Yang City back then.

Back then he thought it was the Ghost Mother Sect that slaughtered Phoenix Yang City, seized the World-Pacifying Divine Weapon, and framed the Howling Moon Demon King.

But now it seems the Ghost Mother Sect never obtained the divine weapon, and may not even know that Phoenix Yang City once had a World-Pacifying Divine Weapon appear.

Otherwise, when the Snake-Eagle Ghost Elder sought me out that day, his words would not have been so vague.

He wasn't even clear about what he had obtained from the Howling Moon Demon King, merely guessing it was related to the World-Pacifying Divine Weapon.

Thus, besides the Sun-Shooting Divine Bow, it is likely there was also a World-Pacifying Divine Weapon that once appeared in Cloud Province and has since been seized by unknown forces.

"World-Pacifying Divine Weapon! I don't know when I'll be able to go to Wind Thunder Valley to investigate."

Qin Shuo pondered in his heart.

Since learning that the Sun-Shooting Divine Bow is in Wind Thunder Valley, he has not gone a single day without wanting to sneak in to investigate and locate the divine weapon.

But for now, he and Wind Thunder Valley are like fire and water.

After Nie Jin Feng returned from Phoenix Yang City, he immediately announced to the whole of Cloud Province City that Wind Thunder Valley's True Disciple Yue Shan would fight him, Qin Shuo, to the death on the Life-and-Death Platform.

This news spread like a hurricane, soon reaching every street and alley of Cloud Province City.

Nowadays, as Qin Shuo walks the streets, he can hear people everywhere talking about this impending grand event.

Not bad, a grand event!

For the stable and prosperous Cloud Province City, the opening of the Life-and-Death Platform is no less than a top-tier star's concert in a previous life.

Especially since one side of the Life-and-Death Platform is none other than Cloud Province's Premier Alchemy Sect.

And the combatant is none other than Wind Thunder Valley's Ninth True Disciple, the Thunder God Yue Shan!

In no time, not only Cloud Province City but also the surrounding areas saw various well-informed martial heroes and aristocratic young masters rushing to Cloud Province City.