Over the past three years, although Guo Xingyue still could not eliminate the magical essence from his primordial spirit, his understanding of the Dao deepened, allowing his true essence to gradually dominate and suppress the magical essence. He could barely muster true essence at the mid-primordial level, and his spiritual awareness had significantly improved. Guo Xingyue himself was unaware of the extent to which his awareness had grown. While casually strolling through the streets, he had locked onto the group that had come to challenge the Martial Arts Hall, keenly aware of their every move and word from a hundred meters away.
The group of challengers walked into a large courtyard, looking dejected. Guo Xingyue casually found an inn nearby, ordered some snacks and drinks, and sat down while observing the movements within the courtyard. (For cultivators, eating and drinking are largely inconsequential, but Guo Xingyue had indulged in food and drink to blend in with the mundane world over the years.)
Surprisingly, there were quite a few people in the courtyard. Listening carefully, Guo Xingyue soon realized that the masters of the largest martial arts halls in Qiyuan City were gathered there. The group was buzzing with discussions, expressing their astonishment at the martial prowess of the Martial Arts Hall's apprentices. As for how to deal with the Martial Arts Hall, opinions were rampant. Some suggested ambushing the isolated apprentices, while others proposed gathering all the forces from the martial halls to confront them head-on. There were even suggestions to enlist the help of "immortals" from the royal palace. After a lengthy discussion, they finally reached a consensus—to bribe the officials to take action against the Martial Arts Hall.
Guo Xingyue withdrew his spiritual awareness with a slight smile, called the innkeeper to settle the bill, and then headed back to the Martial Arts Hall. For ordinary people, gold represented wealth, but for cultivators, it was practically worthless—just shiny trash. Guo Xingyue could easily exchange a piece of mid-grade crystal for countless gold coins. Knowing that the group intended to bribe officials to leverage government power against the Martial Arts Hall, Guo Xingyue felt reassured; the bribery would only cost money, and as long as he wanted, he could easily empty the treasury of the Liro Kingdom. However, the mention of the "immortals" from the palace piqued Guo Xingyue's interest.
Over the years, Guo Xingyue had tried various methods to expel the magical essence from his body but had failed each time. Although his true essence had recovered, the underlying issue remained unresolved. To fundamentally address the problem, he believed he needed to understand the techniques of demon cultivation, to identify the characteristics of the magical essence and ways to resolve it. Guo Xingyue had learned of demon cultivators in the royal palace from Han Benye, the prime minister of the Liro Kingdom. At the time, he had only possessed the strength of an early-stage primordial spirit and had been too afraid to investigate the palace, fearing he might run into those demon cultivators. Now that his true essence had reached the mid-primordial level, and he had the ability to set up higher-level formations, he felt confident that the demon cultivators assigned to the palace would not be particularly strong. Even if he couldn't defeat them, escaping would be no problem, so he entertained the idea of investigating the palace.
Upon returning to the Martial Arts Hall, Guo Xingyue called Sun Chengwu, Wan Ming, and Sheng Zheng aside to discuss certain matters. After listening, they all laughed and dispersed, while Guo Xingyue returned to his room to meditate and recuperate.
As the sun set, night fell gradually, and the twin moons of Lingyan Star quietly peeked through the clouds, casting soft silvery light upon the land. Although night had fallen, the nightlife in the eastern district of Qiyuan City was just beginning. (The eastern district is the noble area, home to many high-ranking officials and wealthy individuals of the Liro Kingdom, while the northern district houses the royal palace.) Various styles of carriages, drawn by Wind Horses, flowed in and out; those who could afford to travel here were all members of the affluent class.
Master Zhang sat in a carriage, lamenting the several bags of gold beside him while cursing the Martial Arts Hall inwardly: If it hadn't been for the rapid rise of the Martial Arts Hall, which had siphoned off numerous apprentices, we wouldn't have thought to unite against them. Initially, we planned to challenge them with our skills, but who would have expected to be defeated by two thugs? How embarrassing! We must now spend money to resolve this. The amount we've lost could have opened ten more major martial arts halls. But as long as we can take down the Martial Arts Hall, this money will be worth it. Otherwise, if they continue to grow, how will the other martial halls survive?
The night deepened as Master Zhang visited several officials, handing out bags of gold, receiving assurances from them. In a cheerful mood, he turned the carriage toward home. Suddenly, the carriage jolted to a stop. Confused, Master Zhang lifted the curtain of the carriage to peek outside and asked, "What's the matter? Why aren't we moving?" Instead of seeing his driver, he was confronted by a masked man holding a large club, who swung it down toward Master Zhang's head.
As someone who had become one of the top experts in Qiyuan City, Master Zhang reacted quickly. Seeing the club whooshing toward him, he hurriedly retracted his head, kicking through the back of the carriage and leaping out. But before he could regain his balance, several more clubs swooshed in his direction. Master Zhang quickly dropped to the ground, attempting to roll away to avoid the blows. Unfortunately, a heavy foot pinned him down, and several clubs rained down on the fallen Master Zhang. He cried out for help, but the attackers showed no signs of stopping, ignoring his angry curses and pleas for mercy, delivering blow after blow. Although he was a martial artist with a stronger physique than the average person, after taking dozens of hits, he fainted.
The assailants let out a whoop, leaving behind the scene of chaos and the bloodied, unconscious Master Zhang, vanishing into the night.
Guo Xingyue handed several notes to Sheng Zheng, who was dressed in black, giving him a few instructions before heading toward the palace in the northern district. Sheng Zheng tucked the notes into his clothes, soaring into the air like a large bird with a few leaps, landing in the home of an official previously visited by Master Zhang. He carefully avoided the guards, stealthily entered the official's bedroom, took out a small dagger and a note, threaded the note onto the dagger, and stuck it at the head of the sleeping official's bed. Then, like a ghost, he slipped out and vanished into the night. Not long after, Sheng Zheng appeared in another official's bedroom, repeating the same process until he had visited every official Master Zhang had encountered. Only then did he return to the Martial Arts Hall with a satisfied smile.