Scripture of Days Past

The sparring matches continued to pass by quickly, but all thirty-two trainees had to face one another once, which amounted to over five hundred matches in total.

Before long, night had fallen, and the sparring matches were temporarily put on hold for a two-hour break.

During the break, some trainees chose to sleep, some chose to meditate, and some decided to eat dinner before resting, hoping to recover as much strength as possible.

Zhang Haizhu went to the cafeteria with Huang Xiangyu and Li Chu. On the way there, they were still excitedly discussing the battles they had just witnessed.

Naturally, the match they were most looking forward to was the one between Chu Qiguang and Jiang Longyu.

"I heard that Jiang Longyu learned his saber techniques from Dao Comprehension-state martial god Ma Yi of the Seven Kill Faction," Huang Xiangyu said. "He was taught the Seven Kill Faction's Heaven Weep Saber Techniques, which are both extremely powerful and extremely difficult to master."

This was the first time that Zhang Haizhu had heard of this. Even though he had been living with Jiang Longyu for a month, he had never once seen any of the latter's saber techniques.

Whenever he practiced his saber techniques at night, he always did so in a private chamber in the villa, away from prying eyes.

"So these Heaven Weep Saber Techniques are really strong?" Zhang Haizhu asked.

"The Seven Kill Faction was founded by Saber Sage Zheng Yu under the orders of the Gaozong Emperor during the Tianxing Era," Huang Xiangyu explained, providing some background information. "The Heaven Weep Saber Techniques were personally created by Saber Sage Zheng Yu himself, and they incorporated the very essence of all his finest saber techniques."

Zhang Haizhu's eyes lit up at the mention of the vastly renowned Saber Sage Zheng Yu.

He was a legendary figure who had secured countless battlefield accolades under the founding emperor of the Great Han Empire, playing a pivotal role in the founding of the empire itself.

Even to this day, his descendants still held the hereditary title of imperial duke, granting them enormous power and influence in the south.

"As third-state martial artists, we're all still lacking in physical prowess, so those who wield weapons will always have an advantage over those who don't," Li Chu said. "Jiang Longyu and Chu Qiguang are roughly evenly matched, but if Jiang Longyu uses his saber, then Chu Qiguang's physical advantage will be completely nullified."

Zhang Haizhu was not very pleased to hear this. Compared with Jiang Longyu, he would much rather see Chu Qiguang win, but he had to admit that Li Chu's assessment was correct.

In the end, he could only heave a forlorn sigh. Ever since coming to Jade Face Mountain, his ego had taken quite a blow.

Over the past month alone, he had met Chi Shude, Chu Qiguang, Jiang Longyu, Li He... There were so many prodigies here who were superior to him, despite the fact that he had once thought himself unmatched.

***

Meanwhile, Jiang Longyu was seated cross-legged in a private chamber in the villa with his eyes closed. A saber in a black scabbard rested across his lap.

With each breath he took, the saber vibrated slightly, as if it were alive.

Outside the private chamber, Zhong Shan'e seemed to have sensed something. Yang Ling and Song Ming were standing with him.

"Jiang Longyu came straight here to meditate without even eating?" Yang Ling exclaimed. "Is he worried that if he eats, some of his qi and blood would go to his digestive system and affect his performance?"

"It looks like Jiang Longyu really is taking Chu Qiguang very seriously," Song Ming remarked.

"I can sense that he has already become one with his saber," Zhong Shan'e said with a pleased smile.

"Already?" Yang Ling exclaimed. "I only reached that state when I was twenty-eight!"

"This is the aptitude of one of the Eight Han Resurgence Generals," Zhong Shan'e said. "If we can gather eight prodigies of the same caliber, then our Great Han Empire will be safe from the clutches of fiendish forces for at least the next two hundred years. That being said, Jiang Longyu seems to have only recently reached this state, and he still can't maintain it at all times."

"That's why he came here to meditate to try and maintain this state," Yang Ling mused. "Looks like he's really determined to even the score against Chu Qiguang."

Zhong Shan'e was very pleased to see this. His original intention had always been to use prodigies like Chu Qiguang, Li He, and Chi Shude to ignite Jiang Longyu's competitive spirit and drive him to reach his full potential.

Sure enough, it was working, and Jiang Longyu was already beginning to display the terrifying aptitude befitting one of the Eight Han Resurgence Generals.

"Song Ming, stay here and keep an eye on Jiang Longyu," Zhong Shan'e instructed. "Yang Ling and I have to return to the examination venue. Once the results of the monthly examination are out, I'll report to His Majesty right away. I'm sure His Majesty will be very pleased to hear about Jiang Longyu's progress."

***

Inside the courtyard that housed the granite boulder, Chu Qiguang was seated cross-legged, resting through seated meditation.

As his qi and blood circulated throughout his body, it looked as if something were moving beneath his skin.

He was using the Primordial High Zenith Demonic Arts to molt his current layer of skin. All of a sudden, his entire body jolted violently. A thin layer of skin peeled away from his body, then split into pieces and fell to the ground.

All the minor injuries he had sustained during the sparring matches were instantly healed.

His new skin appeared fine and delicate, making him look like a pampered young master who had never practiced martial arts a day in his life.

However, upon closer inspection, one would notice that his skin had become even more supple and resilient than before, giving off a jade-like sheen.

Chu Qiguang didn't notice these physical changes. Instead, he had entered a deeper state of meditation, trying to recover as much mental and physical strength as possible in preparation for the next round of sparring matches.

My condition has already flared up during my match against Chi Shude, so it shouldn't flare up again anytime soon. That means I won't have to worry about being forced to go all-out against Jiang Longyu. I've definitely secured a spot in the advanced school already, so it doesn't matter even if I lose to him.

Winning or losing had never been that important to Chu Qiguang, so long as he could accomplish his objectives.

Things would be much easier if I didn't have to deal with this condition.

All of a sudden, a familiar sensation washed over him.

Am I getting another vision?

***

Chu Qiguang found himself in an unfamiliar room, and he immediately tried to take in as many details as possible.

This isn't one of the trainee rooms. It seems to be a private chamber of some sort. Hmm? Why do I have a saber on my lap?

Just as Chu Qiguang was inspecting his surroundings, the doors of the private chamber were abruptly kicked open with a loud thump.

The same black figure that had appeared in the previous two visions entered the room and quickly arrived before Jiang Longyu.

This time, Chu Qiguang was finally able to catch a clear glimpse of their face.