Chapter 227: True Wu Demon-Slaying!

Chen Mu's eyes lit up.

Master Sikong Lei had mentioned it when he hoped Chen Mu would go to Wudicheng and take part in the "Long Hufengyun Tournament."

If Chen Mu won first place in the tournament, he would receive One Low-Grade 【Weapon】, as well as the reward of cultivating a true art and becoming a disciple of a Pacification Commissioner.

Now the reward had materialized?

"That's right, exactly what you're thinking."

Zhao Fuzhou watched the change in Chen Mu's eyes and chuckled lightly. "Inside is One Low-Grade 【Weapon】, the Dragon-Slaying Sword, fire-attribute."

"And this."

As Zhao Fuzhou spoke, he took out another crystal-clear jade slip, handed it to Chen Mu, and said, "This is what my master asked me to pass on to you."

A technique-transmitting jade slip?

Giving a true art directly?

"Thanks."

Chen Mu happily took the jade slip, pressed it to his brow, and began to sense it.

The next instant, a stream of profound information flooded into his mind.

"True Wu Demon-Slaying Sword Art"!

The jade slip was indeed a technique-transmitting jade slip, and the Wu Gong recorded was indeed at the absolute-skill level, but it was not a true art and could not Breakthrough Realm.

The "True Wu Demon-Slaying Sword Art" — utmost yang, utmost hardness, the majestic might of heaven, righteous qi without peer.

Paired with the fire-attribute "Dragon-Slaying Sword," it would absolutely be devastating in killing power.

The problem was that at the very end of the "True Wu Demon-Slaying Sword Art," there was one more line.

"One more path, one more choice."

What did it mean?

Chen Mu put away the jade slip that had turned ash-gray, looked toward Chen Mu, and could not help asking, "Brother Zhao, does your esteemed master have any other instructions?"

"Nope."

Zhao Fuzhou looked puzzled. "What's wrong? Is there a problem with the jade slip?"

"... No problem."

Chen Mu thought for a moment, then temporarily set aside his doubt and turned to ask about something else. "The jade slip records the 'True Wu Demon-Slaying Sword Art.' If I'm not mistaken, the 'True Wu Demon-Slaying Sword Art' is one of the absolute skills of the Zhenwu Sect, right?"

The Zhenwu Sect — one of the Qidawu Sect, on par with the Yaoyue Sect, Jiuyou Sect, and Giant Spirit Sect.

"Correct."

Zhao Fuzhou nodded and explained, "The 'True Wu Demon-Slaying Sword Art' is the Zhenwu Sect's absolute skill, but over a hundred years ago, the Zhenwu Sect owed our Martial Suppression Bureau a very great favor, so they exchanged the 'True Wu Demon-Slaying Sword Art' and several other treasures for it."

"Therefore, feel free to cultivate this absolute skill and display it as you wish."

"So that's how it is." Chen Mu understood and felt relieved.

Stealing the absolute skill of the Qidawu Sect would be a death wish — the kind where they wouldn't stop until you're dead.

Since there were no aftereffects, that was that.

As for why Duan Tianhe had not taken him as a disciple, and why the other Pacification Commissioners had made no moves either.

Perhaps it was a test for Chen Mu?

A seventeen-year-old prodigy on the Hidden Dragon Ranking, ranked thirtieth at that.

Potential, strength, talent — beyond doubt.

But if it was a test, no one could say anything about it.

Of course.

There was another possibility — that Duan Tianhe suspected Chen Mu already had a master behind him.

After all, when Chen Mu was in Nanyun Prefecture, he had fabricated an Innate Realm "master" for himself.

But Chen Mu had risen so quickly that this "Innate Realm master" clearly wasn't impressive enough.

If it were a Myriad Manifestations Realm master, or even a slightly weaker Tiangong Realm one, it would make sense.

Once it was "known" that Chen Mu had a master, a big shot like Duan Tianhe — whose status, position, and strength were all beyond reproach — naturally wouldn't insist on taking a disciple.

Giving the "True Wu Demon-Slaying Sword Art" and the Dragon-Slaying Sword as the reward for first place in the Long Hufengyun Tournament was more than enough.

This was something Chen Mu couldn't easily ask about.

In a certain sense, he did already have a "master."

Duan Tianhe!

The cultivation of the "Duan Tianhe Art" — Duan Tianhe had provided a detailed analysis within the technique-transmitting jade slip.

Chen Mu barely needed to comprehend it at all before he was thoroughly familiar with it.

Layer by layer, breakthroughs came easily.

But the "True Wu Demon-Slaying Sword Art" given by Duan Tianhe had no analysis — only the content of the sword art itself.

After parting ways with Zhao Fuzhou for the time being, he checked into an inn.

Chen Mu immediately began comprehending the "True Wu Demon-Slaying Sword Art."

It took two full days just to enter the door of this absolute skill.

The "True Wu Demon-Slaying Sword Art" had nine layers in total, thirty-six forms, and several hundred variations.

With the martial technique entered, he could use cultivation cards!

Chen Mu immediately took out cultivation card after cultivation card and began cultivating the "True Wu Demon-Slaying Sword Art."

Wu Gong of utmost yang and utmost hardness, especially absolute skills, had certain demands on one's temperament.

In this regard, Chen Mu had never been hindered. Cultivation card after cultivation card was used up, and the profundities and techniques of the "True Wu Demon-Slaying Sword Art" surged into his mind, branded into his body — especially the meridians of his hands and feet.

After quite a while, he finally stopped.

At this moment, regarding his grasp of the "True Wu Demon-Slaying Sword Art," Chen Mu had already reached the third layer.

To go higher, cultivation cards were useless — comprehension was required!

Once he grasped it, once he attained true understanding, he could advance again.

If he couldn't comprehend it, then he couldn't leap past it.

The third layer of the "True Wu Demon-Slaying Sword Art" was, however, enough to kill enemies.

Don't forget, there was still the mystic weapon "Dragon-Slaying Sword."

He stopped his contemplation, opened the weapon-storing case, and a palm-wide longsword without a scabbard came into view.

The sword hilt was densely covered in dragon scales, with a dragon pearl at the top, and the blade, engraved with mysterious patterns, extended from the dragon's mouth.

An invisible sharpness, a killing aura, came rushing toward him.

In the midst of that aura, however, there was a wisp of an indistinct spiritual resonance.

Sentience!

The unique sentience of a mystic weapon.

Unlike a spirit weapon, which could be used by simply channeling true Qi while holding it,

to bring out a mystic weapon's power, one had to perform a simple refinement — repeatedly bathing it in one's own true Qi, and repeatedly sensing it with one's spiritual will.

Only after achieving a certain tacit resonance of the mind with the mystic weapon could one truly master it, achieving unity of heart and intent.

No need to hold it in hand — one could wield the sword through the air, killing enemies from afar!

This kind of sword-wielding was not a special Wu Gong, but the unity of swordsman and sword.

Unity of man and sword!

……

As for this.

On the road to Zhenzhouzhoucheng with Zhao Fuzhou, Chen Mu had been holding the "Dragon-Slaying Sword" the entire time, constantly bathing it in true Qi, and from time to time sensing it with his spirit.

When they were about to reach Zhenzhouzhoucheng, the two parted ways, with Zhao Fuzhou going on ahead.

Chen Mu changed into his new Inspector's official uniform, sword in one hand, seal in the other, mounted his horse, and along the official road, entered Zhenzhouzhoucheng, heading straight for the Zhenwu Division government office.

Among the several prefectures under Jiangnan Dao, Zhenzhou was in the middle rank.

There weren't many martial Dao forces within its borders, but there weren't few either.

The most famous one was called "Hidden Sword Palace," with a legacy of several hundred years.

Its founding ancestor was a Heavenly Palace realm expert.

But after the founder's death, no one within the palace ever broke through to the Heavenly Palace realm again.

Without a Heavenly Palace realm expert holding the line, "Hidden Sword Palace" could only remain confined to Zhenzhou, its influence unable to spread to Jiangnan Dao, let alone step out of Jiangnan Dao.

And below "Hidden Sword Palace," the forces were many.

Blazing Sun Gang, Black Water Gate, Azure Cloud Mountain Manor, Mandarin Duck Sect……

Local noble families — the Lu family, the Xu family, the Zhao family……

Each of these forces had an Earth Altar realm expert holding the line.

If it were someone else who had just broken through to the Earth Altar realm, wanting to hold steady in the position of Zhenzhou Zhenwu Division's chief official — they wouldn't last more than a few days.

Zhao Fuzhou was different.

Although he had only just broken through not long ago, the mere fame of his name on the newly-elevated Grandmaster Ranking was enough to make no one dare look down on him!

Chen Mu, this Inspector at Innate Perfection, was likewise no one dared look down upon!