Supreme Sword Master - Chapter 6

"Supreme Sword Master - Chapter 6: Crisis! Fourth-Tier Demonic Beast!"

Chapter 6: Crisis! Fourth-Tier Demonic Beast!

In the dense forest.

Bang!

With a casual flick, Gu Han sent a first-tier demonic beast flying before turning to face the guard in front of him.

"Are you sure it's him?"

"Judging by the wounds, they're identical to the ones before—it must be him!"

"Good!"

Gu Han nodded approvingly.

"You've done well. To kill a first-tier demonic beast so cleanly shows his strength has recovered significantly. It was wise of you not to act rashly. From here on, I'll handle him personally!"

"Yes!"

***

"So-called supreme realms."

Within the consciousness space.

The shadow had regained his earlier composure and confidence, speaking eloquently to Gu Han.

"They are special realms hidden beyond ordinary cultivation stages. How could someone like you, who's only just begun cultivation—a weakling akin to an ant—possibly understand? Even those who know about supreme realms find them nearly impossible to achieve. Back in my day..."

"Get to the point!"

"..."

The shadow choked on his words, irritated. "In short, they're extremely difficult to attain! Not every stage has one, and achieving them requires immense time, effort, and a great deal of luck!"

Earlier.

He and Gu Han had struck a deal.

He would teach Gu Han how to cultivate the supreme realm in exchange for sparing his life.

Though he felt stifled,

He still answered truthfully.

"The stages of Qi Condensation, Spirit Enlightenment, and Spirit Mastery... these stages seem to end at the ninth level, but that's not true. The tenth level is the true endpoint—the supreme realm I mentioned earlier!"

"And surpassing the ninth level means breaking free from the shackles of the Great Dao. The difficulty of this can only be imagined. Back then..."

"What's next?"

Gu Han interrupted bluntly.

"You..."

The shadow was furious.

"Didn't you say you're only at the Qi Condensation stage! Why do you need to know all this? Young people shouldn't aim too high—they should focus on solid progress!"

"Fine!"

Gu Han stopped pressing further.

"First, tell me how to achieve the supreme realm in the Qi Condensation stage!"

He naturally understood the shadow's ulterior motives.

By withholding some details, the shadow hoped to keep Gu Han curious and driven enough to spare him for now.

In truth.

Gu Han had already decided to honor his promise.

With the sword prison in place, the shadow couldn't pull any tricks. Moreover, given his mysterious origins, keeping him alive was far more useful than killing him.

"The supreme realm of the Qi Condensation stage isn't hard!"

Seeing Gu Han stop asking, the shadow secretly exhaled in relief.

"The ordinary method of cultivation involves drawing spiritual energy into the body. Once the main meridians are filled with spiritual energy, you reach the ninth level, after which you can naturally progress to the next stage."

"But the supreme realm involves not progressing to the next stage and instead continuing to draw spiritual energy into the body!"

"When the spiritual energy within the meridians is compressed to its limit and transforms from gas into liquid, you succeed!"

"Just imagine," his tone dripped with temptation. "When you fight someone at the same level, your spiritual energy concentration will be several times greater than theirs. How can they possibly compete with you? Forget about the same level—even ordinary Spirit Enlightenment cultivators might not have as much spiritual energy stored as you! Setting aside secret techniques, just in terms of spiritual energy alone, you'll be able to overpower them!"

"Several times?"

Gu Han was intrigued.

If he could truly achieve this, it wouldn't just lay a solid foundation for his future cultivation—it would also vastly increase his combat power!

"What's next?"

He suppressed his excitement and asked again.

"That's it?"

"That's it!"

"It's that simple?"

"Heh, it's that simple! You don't need to doubt me—I'm of such high status, why would I deceive someone like you... cough, cough. Just focus on your cultivation. If anything goes wrong, come find me!"

"Alright!"

Gu Han nodded.

"I'll trust you this once."

The shadow's life was in Gu Han's hands, so he wasn't worried about any underhanded schemes. Seeing that matters were settled, he didn't linger further. Leaving A Sha outside alone still made him uneasy, so he returned to her side.

"Ha!"

Watching Gu Han leave, the shadow sneered softly.

"Truly inexperienced!"

"The method is correct, and it's indeed one of the easier supreme realms to achieve. But unless you've been strengthening and expanding your meridians with rare medicinal herbs since childhood, and had a master carefully protecting you to ensure your meridians could handle massive amounts of spiritual energy, who would dare attempt this?"

"Boy, wait until your body explodes!"

"When you die, I'll finally be free!"

***

Inside the cave.

Gu Han slowly opened his eyes.

A Sha, exhausted, had long since fallen into a deep sleep. Her beautiful eyelashes occasionally fluttered, as if even in her dreams she worried about Gu Han's safety.

Not wanting to disturb her,

Gu Han took out the fat shopkeeper's storage pouch.

Just as he was about to open it—

"Hmm?"

Suddenly.

He sensed something amiss!

Someone was nearby!

Previously, he wouldn't have had such sharp perception, but after being nourished by the shadow's soul energy, his spiritual awareness had greatly increased. Every movement around the cave was now clear to him—even the sound of grass swaying in the wind reached his ears distinctly.

Glancing at the sleeping A Sha,

He quietly stepped outside the cave.

***

Under a massive tree with gnarled roots, over ten feet thick.

A guard from the Gu Family carefully left a hidden mark on the ground before stealthily hiding himself.

It was confirmed!

Gu Han was ahead!

As long as Commander Gu arrived in time, he'd earn a great merit!

"Strange."

He still couldn't quite understand.

"His cultivation was completely destroyed by Elder Gu, and his meridians were shattered. How could he possibly..."

Suddenly!

The tip of a sword gently pressed against his back.

"Who's there!"

He spun around, only to meet Gu Han's cold, murderous gaze.

"Gu... Gu Han!"

"Of course I knew you wouldn't give up!"

Gu Han pushed the sword forward slightly.

"How long have you been here?"

"Gu Han, I advise you to surrender. Commander Gu will be here soon... Ahhh!!"

A flash of sword light.

An arm fell to the ground!

"I asked you, how long have you been here?"

"Not... not long..."

"How many of you are there?"

"Ten... more than ten..."

"Good!"

Gu Han nodded.

"You go ahead and wait for them!"

Pfft!

A faint glow flashed on the sword, and the guard's head rolled off.

This guard, only at the fifth level of Qi Condensation, posed no challenge to Gu Han.

Commander Gu!

Gu Han exhaled softly, feeling a chill run down his spine.

If his spiritual awareness hadn't increased, he would never have detected this guard. And Commander Gu, an eighth-level Spirit Enlightenment expert, would surely crush him if he caught up. By then... it would all be over!

Time!

With time, he could increase his cultivation!

Realizing this,

He didn't waste another moment. After quickly gathering his things, he immediately returned to the cave.

Hoisting the still-drowsy A Sha onto his back, he moved swiftly, heading deeper into the Wilderness Forest!

There...

Were mostly second-tier demonic beasts!

And also...

A place where many wandering cultivators roamed!

***

Not long after Gu Han left,

Commander Gu followed the marks left by the guard and tracked him to this spot.

"Just died recently!"

"It must've been him!"

After inspecting the guard's corpse, he left another hidden mark and began meticulously searching for traces of Gu Han, chasing after him!

***

As they ventured deeper,

The jungle grew denser, blocking most of the light from above and making the already dim forest even more eerie and terrifying.

Along the way,

Gu Han naturally encountered many people.

Some traveled alone, others in groups of three or five. Most were at least at the Spirit Enlightenment stage—wandering cultivators from around Tianwu City.

Gu Han's heightened spiritual awareness allowed him to sense the dangerous gazes directed at him.

However.

No one dared to make a move.

Killing for treasures required knowing the opponent's strength. Someone like Gu Han, daring to wander the Wilderness Forest with a young girl on his back, clearly wasn't someone to be trifled with.

After some time,

Human presence gradually disappeared.

The deep green vegetation on the ground, previously monotonous, now bore streaks of fiery red.

The deeper they went,

The redder it became!

At the same time, a faint, intoxicating fragrance wafted toward them from ahead.

"Young Master!"

A Sha stirred awake, her voice drowsy.

"So warm... so fragrant..."

Gu Han had already noticed.

Though he often visited the Wilderness Forest, this phenomenon was new to him.

But even a fool would understand.

Ahead...

Was a spirit herb!

And judging by the situation, it was undoubtedly an exceptionally rare one!

At this moment, desperate to boost his cultivation, Gu Han had nothing but the dozen or so spirit crystals he'd obtained from the fat shopkeeper and the guard. Encountering such a treasure, he naturally wouldn't let it slip away!

Slowing his pace,

He cautiously approached the source of the fragrance.

This place wasn't hidden, and he didn't believe all those wandering cultivators were blind to its existence.

The only reason...

There was immense danger here—danger so great that no one dared approach!

As if to confirm his suspicions, after moving forward a bit more, his hair stood on end, and his spiritual awareness screamed a warning!

Danger!

Run!

Or risk your life!

"Young Master."

Sensing Gu Han's unease, A Sha tensed up.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

After scanning the area and confirming there were no demonic beasts in sight, Gu Han gently set her down.

"Rest here. I'll... go take a look ahead!"

He naturally understood.

To survive, he had to take risks!

With Commander Gu hot on his heels, he had no time to waste on ordinary spirit herbs. Besides, with so many people gathered here, those herbs were likely already picked clean—there wouldn't be any left for him.

"Young Master..."

Seeing the seriousness on Gu Han's face, A Sha's heart tightened.

Ahead.

Gu Han slowly advanced further. The fragrance grew stronger, and the warning in his spiritual awareness intensified!

Suddenly!

Gu Han froze in his tracks!

A hundred paces away.

On a two-foot-tall, pitch-black, leafless tree with a strange shape, a bright red fruit the size of a baby's fist swayed gently in the breeze, radiating heat and fragrance in all directions.

Just inhaling its scent,

Gu Han felt a surge of fiery energy enter his body, invigorating his spiritual energy.

Treasure!

An absolutely rare treasure!

However.

He didn't make a move, even breathing lightly.

Because coiled around the branches of the small tree was a thumb-thick, one-foot-long, fiery red snake!

And the warning in his spiritual awareness...

Came from it!

Though the snake looked unassuming, its aura subtly surpassed the third-tier demonic beasts Gu Han had encountered before.

Fourth-tier!

This snake was undoubtedly a fourth-tier demonic beast!

Perhaps... even higher!

Gu Han instantly assessed the situation.

No wonder.

This place was deserted—not even other demonic beasts dared approach. Everything was due to this snake's overwhelming presence!

At this moment.

As if sensing his gaze,

The snake on the branch suddenly opened its eyes. Its cold, vertical pupils locked onto Gu Han, freezing him in place!