"Definitely!"
Wang Zhuo stated with conviction.
Su Yi pondered for a moment and asked, "Do you have paper and pen on you?"
Wang Zhuo promptly retrieved paper and pen from a treasure pouch and handed them over.
Su Yi quickly wrote a note and sealed it. He then took out the black copper whistle resembling a snail and blew it near his lips.
Buzz!
A strange melody resounded, carrying through the rain curtain and reaching the high skies.
In just a moment, a Swift Sparrow swiftly arrived, its wings displaying a faint gray hue akin to a small hawk, with a pair of azure eyes and sharp red claws.
Su Yi threw the note, and the Swift Sparrow caught it in its beak before vanishing into the sky.
"You may leave now," Su Yi turned to Wang Zhuo.
Wang Zhuo seemed somewhat incredulous and asked, "Are you certain that you want to let me go, Young Master Su?"
"Take some time to consider how you should proceed on your future path," Su Yi replied.
With those words, Su Yi opened his oil-paper umbrella and walked away into the distance.
As the rain gradually diminished, the mist filled the mountains and fields, and soon, Su Yi's figure disappeared from sight.
Wang Zhuo stood there, dazed, only then realizing that he had narrowly escaped a calamity.
He couldn't help but self-mock, "I, who had once ranked among the top ten Martial Ancestors of Da Zhou, am nothing more than a lowly ant in the world of true cultivators..."
Letting out a long sigh, the wielder of power in Tianxing Academy rose to his feet, folded his robes, and departed, his figure melancholic.
...
The night was as dark as ink.
Atop a solitary mountain peak.
A roaring bonfire illuminated the surroundings, casting its flickering light upon an elderly man with unkempt hair who sat cross-legged on the ground, holding an ancient scroll. Bathed in the fire's glow, he calmly studied its contents.
Not far away, a portly middle-aged monk in a monk's robe, his bald head shining, lay sprawled on a soft straw mat, snoring thunderously.
On the side, a stern-looking man dressed in a black robe sat in meditation, with his eyes slightly closed, emanating a tranquil aura.
By the cliff's edge, a young man in a white robe sat there, resembling a youth, holding a roasted chicken dripping with oil in his hands. His delicate face was filled with an expression of enjoyment.
Suddenly, from the distant night sky, a Swift Sparrow broke through the air.
The white-robed young man, still eating the chicken, reached out and pointed toward the elderly man by the bonfire, mumbling with a mouthful, "Go find him."
Swoosh!
The Swift Sparrow gracefully landed on the shoulder of the elderly man.
The withered old man reluctantly put away the scroll in his hand, took out a round and translucent bronze mirror from his sleeve, and, gesturing with his hand, lightly touched the Swift Sparrow.
Sizzle!
The Swift Sparrow trembled, and within its pair of azure eyes, a magnificent and colorful radiance emanated. When it projected onto the round bronze mirror, vivid scenes immediately appeared.
Those were none other than the battle scenes taking place in the Longqiao Relay Station.
"They've started fighting so soon?"
The elderly man exclaimed in surprise.
Soon, when the withered old man saw Su Yi's sword kill the qin-playing woman from a distance, he couldn't help but be moved, murmuring to himself:
"How terrifying swordsmanship!"
As one of the seven elders of the Ten Directions Pavilion distributed within the Da Zhou Kingdom, the withered old man naturally understood that the qin-playing woman hailed from the Da Qin Kingdom and was a Martial Ancestor at the Precelestial level.
Her name was Huang Duanyu, with the title of "Swordmaster of the Qin." She was proficient in both swordsmanship and qin playing. In terms of strength, she could easily become a king or a prime minister within the Da Zhou Kingdom.
Yet, such a Precelestial Martial Ancestor was split in half with a single sword strike!
The bloody scene made even the withered old man involuntarily gasp in shock.
"Let me take a look."
The white-robed youth approached, holding a half-eaten roasted chicken, his lively eyes fixed on the unfolding scenes, his face filled with curiosity.
Soon, when he witnessed Tie Kong and the "Gathering Qi Formation" formed by the eighteen figures launching their attack, the white-robed youth exclaimed in admiration:
"This battle formation is formidable. It has at least doubled the strength of Tie Kong, the 'Great Strength Rampaging Ape.' He could even go head-to-head with Wang Zhuo."
But not long after his words fell, the white-robed youth froze, staring blankly, holding the roasted chicken in his hands, his delicate cheeks filled with astonishment.
The withered old man beside him also widened his eyes.
Another sword strike, slicing through Tie Kong, breaking the battle formation, and piercing through the earth for thousands of feet!
"Can only a Master-level Second Order achieve this?"
A strange cry rang out. At some point, the plump monk who had been snoring soundly also approached. When he saw this scene, his chubby face trembled in shock, displaying a look of astonishment.
The white-robed youth muttered, "This sword is extraordinary!"
The withered old man said, "Su Yi's foundation is even more terrifying!"
As they exchanged glances with the plump monk, they could see the astonishment in each other's eyes.
This was the first time these elders of the Ten Directions Pavilion had witnessed Su Yi's battle, despite having already gathered various means to understand his background.
However, seeing these scenes of overwhelming and bloody combat with their own eyes, they couldn't maintain their composure.
The withered old man contemplated, saying, "It seems we need to reevaluate Su Yi's combat power."
The white-robed youth sighed, "I suddenly feel some sympathy for those who planned to seize Su Yi's opportunities..."
The plump monk snatched the half-eaten roasted chicken from the white-robed youth's hand and took a big bite, puffing up his cheeks as he said, "Oh my, even if you say this kid was possessed by some old monster, I wouldn't believe it if he killed me!"
Just as they were speaking, the black-robed man who had been sitting cross-legged on the pine tree approached. His stern face showed displeasure as he said, "Is this how you behave, making a big fuss?"
With a frown, he saw the scenes of Wang Zhuo killing the thin old man and the other eighteen strong individuals. He couldn't help but comment, "So, the King of Qingxun has backed down?"
The withered old man had a complex expression and sighed, saying, "Taking measures to preserve one's life can be understood. After all, his opponent is too terrifying."
As they witnessed Su Yi slaying the black cat with his sword, a series of eerie scenes unfolded, causing the expressions of the four elders from the Ten Directions Pavilion in Da Zhou to change simultaneously.
"There's actually a demonic soul attached to the black cat?!"
"The origin of that demonic soul is bound to be extraordinary."
"Unfortunately, we can't understand their conversation..."
Due to these scenes, which were observed by the Swift Sparrow from several thousand feet away, they could only see the visuals but couldn't hear any sound.
As a result, the withered old man and the other three were unaware that the strand of demonic soul was actually the manifestation of a remnant soul from a spiritual cultivator who called himself the "True Lord of Liuhuo."
Nevertheless, even without this knowledge, the bizarre scene shocked them all.
At this point, all the visuals disappeared.
The withered old man put away the round copper plate and glanced at the other three, saying, "Do you think we should publicize the details of this battle?"
The man in the black robe spoke first, saying, "If we do so, we will undoubtedly completely offend Su Yi. After all, these battle details could be used against him by his enemies."
The white-robed youth couldn't help but remind them, "Don't forget, this time we already sold Su Yi's whereabouts as intelligence. If I were Su Yi, I would definitely bear a grudge against the Ten Directions Pavilion."
The plump monk rubbed his shiny bald head and couldn't help but sarcastically comment, "Who knows what the boss was thinking, insisting on getting involved and using Su Yi's whereabouts to make money. He's clearly blinded by greed."
The others fell silent.
Among the seven elders of the Ten Directions Pavilion in Da Zhou, the Grand Elder was the top figure with absolute authority. They referred to him as the "boss."
The Grand Elder was good in many aspects, but he had one flaw — an obsession with accumulating wealth.
In this case, the information about Su Yi's whereabouts was treated as top-secret intelligence and sold off by the Grand Elder.
The white-robed youth murmured, "If the boss knew the details of this battle, I wonder if he would regret using Su Yi's whereabouts for profit."
The other three chimed in unison, "The boss definitely wouldn't regret it!"
They knew all too well that the boss wouldn't hesitate to do anything as long as it brought him wealth.
At that moment, a sound of breaking through the air came from the distant night sky —
A Swift Sparrow flew over and landed on the white-robed youth's shoulder.
"Huh, there's a piece of paper."
The white-robed youth took a note from the Swift Sparrow's mouth and casually opened it.
Everyone leaned in to see.
The note read, "Using my whereabouts to accumulate wealth? Fine, but you must give me ninety percent. Otherwise, don't blame me for coming to settle accounts in the future."
"Furthermore, refrain from speaking or looking inappropriately. If I catch another Swift Sparrow spying on my battles, there will be no mercy."
Signed: Su Yi.
The elegant and flowing handwriting seemed to be etched with iron and silver hooks, the strength permeating through the paper like sharp sword qi.
"He... How dare he threaten us?"
The white-robed youth said in astonishment.
The plump middle-aged man sighed, "See, I told you so. Su Yi is clearly dissatisfied with our Ten Directions Pavilion!"
The man in the black robe hit the nail on the head, saying, "But he didn't stop us from leaking his whereabouts."
"But... There's no way the boss would agree to give away ninety percent of the wealth," the withered old man shook his head.
The man in the black robe concluded, "Let the boss decide on this matter himself."
"Very well."
The other three readily agreed.
They didn't want to provoke someone like Su Yi, who seemed to have been possessed by an old monster. What if he really came looking for them to settle the score?
Soon, the note from Su Yi was carried away by the Swift Sparrow, vanishing into the air.
Time passed by.
Until the night faded and dawn was about to break.
The withered old man and the others received a letter from the Grand Elder of the Ten Directions Pavilion.
The letter had only one sentence: "Do as he says."
Seeing this, the withered old man and the others were surprised. When did the boss ever willingly spit out the food in his mouth?
The plump monk scratched his head, "This doesn't seem like the boss's style."
The white-robed youth gloated, speculating, "The boss must be afraid of attracting the attention of someone as dangerous as Su Yi... Although the boss is powerful, Su Yi might be an old demon that has taken possession of his body. Who wouldn't be afraid?"
The man in the black robe frowned, "The boss must have sensed something that led him to make this decision."
"Why bother thinking so much? The urgent matter is to quickly reply to Su Yi. No matter what you guys think, I, the monk, don't want to be targeted by someone who exudes danger from every pore..." The plump monk urged.
The other three nodded in agreement.
Soon, the Swift Sparrow carried the Ten Directions Pavilion's reply, breaking through the air and disappearing into the distance.