Volcanic Age

The Xia Wu Sect was a confederation of lowlifes and peasants. However, it was older than both the Nine Sects and One Gang or the Evil Valley.

Their ability to survive was so great that they seemed almost immortal. Yes, intelligence played a significant role in their survival, but another important consideration was the fact that they were a point organization.

Even if one tried to pursue them, it was difficult to track them down because each of their branches operated independently. Moreover, no one actually knew who their rumored Sect Master was, making it impossible to continue a pursuit even if one took down a branch and acquired their intelligence.

Most importantly, even if a branch was wiped out, there were too many people who could replace them.

After all, weren't there lowlives and peasants on every street? Everyone in the Xia Wu Sect was untrustworthy and weak, so it didn't matter if they were replaced by more untrustworthy and weak people.

Even if their members were tortured, it's not like any of them really knew the big picture. So, there was nothing any outside force could do to them.

That was the secret to their immortality.

However, that didn't mean there weren't any leaders. While they were very few in number, there were branches that served as their leaders.

Zhou Xuchuan was preparing to attack one such branch.

"Since I have the time, I should start learning new martial arts. I'll begin with the Divine Phantom Art."

Previously, he had only focused on learning its cultivation method and footwork technique since the rest hadn't been necessary.

"Little Ghost. If it's okay with you, can you teach me the hidden weapon technique?"

"Understood."

The only difference between the Divine Phantom Art and the Phantom Art was the Absolute Control ability, meaning that he could receive instruction from Little Ghost.

"Let's focus on the dagger."

His training period would be a week, and there was already a suitable location.

There were several special facilities within the basement of the Jinan branch of the Gold Will Merchants. Among them was a secret training ground.

During that week, Zhou Xuchuan only focused on the basics. From how to hold the dagger properly to how to throw it.

This secret technique, which included throwing and slashing techniques, was called the Hidden Nether Flying Dagger Art (幽隱飛刀).

The first stage focused on basic attack methods, and from the second stage, throwing the daggers became possible. He had struggled his way to learning up to this point.

During Little Ghost's training, Zhou Xuchuan once again realized how unbelievable the Phantoms were.

"W-what the hell!"

When he made a mistake in the midst of his lesson, Little Ghost suddenly flew in, aiming to kick him in the stomach with full force but stopped just before making contact.

Though it made sense that she stopped, as she wasn't able to harm the Phantom Sovereign, Zhou Xuchuan still couldn't understand why she had attacked in the first place.

"Mistakes must be corrected through violence. However, I had to stop as I cannot attack the Great Hero."

"... ha…"

He had easily passed the first level because it was so basic, but it was only considered basic because he was someone who had already reached enlightenment as a sword master.

If he were starting fresh as a Phantom Recruit, he definitely would have made many mistakes, considering he would have been a blank slate. To think he would have been subjected to such outrageous violence!

No wonder Jia Wuliang had shuddered as if he had gone through hell. The Phantoms' training methods were harsh and cruel.

But their methods were undeniably effective. Sometimes, people grew even faster when they were under a sense of crisis.

That was why people gained experience and grew stronger quickly during actual combat as compared to rote cultivation.

“Not bad.’

As he pondered, to increase the efficiency, he called over two of the ten Phantoms he had brought over from the Shandong Branch.

“You three are permitted to harm me from now on. Don’t worry about my life, and give it your all.”

The moment he gave the order, the three Phantoms, including Little Ghost, rushed at him immediately, giving him a personal lesson on how strong they were.

He had never encountered a Phantom in his previous life, and in this one, as the Phantom Sovereign, he had never been attacked by one, either.

The moment they released their restriction and gave it their all, it was quite eerie.

A dagger sliced through the air without a sound, drawing a horizontal line. There wasn’t even the faintest vibration in the air.

Like their name, it really was a phantom.

Zhou Xuchuan sharpened senses and was barely able to sense the dagger.

Clang!

No matter how insignificant the attack seemed, it was impossible for metal to clash without making a sound.

‘I have to be careful.’

Zhou Xuchuan also applied a restriction on himself.

He put down the Tai'e he usually wielded and picked up an ordinary dagger instead.

Of course, using the Twenty-four Sword Forms of the Plum Blossom was out of the question, so he only used the Hidden Nether Flying Dagger Art that he had learned from Little Ghost.

Clearly sensing that his life was in danger, his movements became desperate. Every move was filled with caution.

While he could have used sword aura or sword qi, he refrained from doing so, knowing it wouldn’t help his training.

"Another one of you."

A Phantom who had been waiting nearby joined the fight.

Although the weakest among them was a Peak realm expert, even the strongest Phantoms were slightly weaker in head-on combat.

Zhou Xuchuan easily handled the attacks of three people, and one more didn't make much difference.

Soon, it was increased to seven, yet he still held his ground without much struggle.

It wasn’t until there were eight Phantoms that even the great Zhou Xuchuan began to feel the strain, forcing him to drop back to seven. Despite this, he was holding up remarkably well, especially considering he was relying on the Hidden Nether Flying Dagger Art, which he had only recently learned.

He had been fighting against seven Phantoms for more than fifteen minutes, but strangely enough, none of them were sweating. It was thanks to the Phantom Art.

Zhou Xuchuan drew dizzying lines in the air with his dagger, using his Phantom Steps to attack without making a single sound.

The fact that he had to subdue the Phantoms without hurting them made his training even more difficult.

However, after a week, he grew accustomed to it and went up from seven to eleven.

He was now completely proficient in throwing, and he could use multiple daggers at the same time instead of just one.

While his hidden weapon art wasn't as good as that of the Phantoms, it had improved significantly.

“Okay. You all worked hard.”

When he was satisfied, he stopped and reapplied the restriction.

It wasn't just Zhou Xuchuan who had grown during this time. The Phantoms, who had spent the entire week fighting, had also improved—but only in their ability to handle their weapons.

Phantoms didn't have their individuality or ability to think for themselves. Thus, they could no longer attain enlightenment.

The process of Mind-Killing meant the end of their path.

Since the ability to think to gain enlightenment had disappeared, the Phantoms could no longer cultivate to higher levels.

Still, most of them only started their Mind-Killing process once they reached the Peak or Transcendent realm, so it wasn't a complete loss.

Besides, reaching the Harmony realm required not only skill but also a bit of luck to achieve within a single lifetime.

"Do you know the Disguise Art (易容術)?"

"We do not."

Zhou Xuchuan was a little surprised.

He wasn't making fun of them; he was genuinely confused.

Although most assassins wore masks when they operated, there were times when they had to hide in plain sight. In those cases, they would disguise their faces, even going as far as shifting their skeletons to avoid revealing their identities.

"There are experts who can sense when the Disguise Art is used, so we don't use it. If we need someone with a specific appearance, we can simply send an appropriate Phantom."

“I see.”

It was hard to sense the Phantoms anyway, so if they really needed to send an old man, they could just send one of their elder assassins.[1]

***

Zhou Xuchuan finished his week-long seclusion and emerged.

‘Let's delay the delivery of the Prajna Divine Art a little.’

The Shaolin Temple would undoubtedly pressure the Martial Alliance Leader, but he was confident the Martial Alliance Leader would explain that the delay in delivery was unavoidable, given the importance of the manual..

When he imagined Nangong Weiwu sighing in exhaustion, he put his hands together and prayed for the old man to have a headache.

Since his destination and the Shaolin Temple were in the same place anyway, making a detour wasn't a big problem.

Henan (河南), Zhengzhou (鄭州).

Known as the cradle of the Yellow River Civilization, Henan still had an incredible reputation.

Since ancient times, major cities have been located in Henan. It was still the same now.

Zhengzhou, the capital, wasn’t particularly special, but it was a highly developed metropolis. The city was always busy, full of energy, and the nights seemed to go on forever.

In addition, the Shaolin Temple, the center of Buddhist studies and the greatest of the murim, resided in Henan. People from all over the Central Plains visited frequently.

However, despite that, the security was not that good, something that was deemed the fault of Buddhist mercy.

The Shaolin Temple prohibited killing unless absolutely necessary—and even then, they strongly discouraged it. That was why they urged those in their surroundings to resolve disputes through subduing rather than taking lives.

While it was merely a recommendation, few dared to provoke the Temple's wrath without good reason.

In this sort of situation, there were quite a few criminals and fools who believed that they were invincible.

Zhengzhou, around the time of the pig.[2]

The nights in Zhengzhou were long.

The usually bustling streets were now dark and silent, with all the shops closed except for the inns.

Zhou Xuchuan passed through the main streets, where only the full moon rising between the clouds illuminated his path, slipping into an alley by the side.

As the narrow alley opened up, a busy street appeared, bustling with people, unlike the main road he had just passed.

Red lanterns hung on the walls and pillars of the buildings, and in the multi-story buildings, women with their pure white shoulders smiled seductively at the men on the street.

Drunken men, swaying unsteadily, grabbed at their crotches, glanced up at the women, and, after making up their minds, stumbled into the brothels.

Zhengzhou's redlight district was one of the most popular entertainment districts across the Central Plains.

Another name for Zhengzhou's redlight district?

The Xia Wu Sect.

The Xia Wu Sect's main branch.

The courtesans leaning on the railings were part of the Xia Wu Sect, and the brothel employees who solicited the men on the street were also part of the sect.

In fact, everyone who worked in this district was a part of the Xia Wu Sect.

Now, Zhou Xuchuan had to find the Dark Heavens Association's spies.

‘I should gather some information before tearing through things.’

Before destroying the branch he already knew about, Zhou Xuchuan decided to infiltrate the district and gather useful information.

The Xia Wu Sect, known for running and hiding at the slightest hint of trouble, wasn’t the usual kind of threat to deal with.

Because they were so easily spooked, he had to be careful.

He bought an expensive second-skin mask and covered his face, disguising himself.

Since it was such an unscrupulous neighborhood, it was easy to get something like that as long as you had the money. Of course, he was careful and made sure to have a male Phantom handle it.

Zhou Xuchuan also instructed Little Ghost not to come out for the time being.

A young girl in a place like this was too conspicuous.

In a neighborhood where kidnapping and rape were common, having her get targeted would be quite a nuisance.

Of course, Little Ghost would slaughter any would-be attacker before they could even make a move, but Zhou Xuchuan wanted to avoid attracting any unnecessary attention.

It was only after wearing the expensive second-skin mask that he could enjoy the streets of Zhengzhou in peace.

To be thorough, he had the Phantoms roam the city to gather information. As a result, no one was by his side anymore.

“I want to become a Xia Wu Sect member," Zhou Xuchuan said to the owner after entering a shabby inn.

The owner, who had a fierce expression, glanced at Zhou Xuchuan and held out his hand.

“One tael. In silver."

“Here it is.”

“Name.”

“Dagger Phantom (匕靈).”

It wasn’t that difficult to become a Xia Wu Sect member.

The courtesans handled courtesan membership, while pickpockets, wanderers, and the rest could have their names listed by paying an appropriate amount of silver.

Nearly anyone could become a Xia Wu Sect member. Of course, this was only after some verification or recommendation was received.

"While you don't seem that normal, judging by your aura, we can't accept a child who can't do anything."

The moment the owner finished speaking, a dagger appeared embedded in the decoration behind him like a ghost.

Most importantly, Zhou Xuchuan hadn't even turned his head around when he threw the dagger.

A whistle of admiration could be heard from the surrounding inn residents.

“Welcome.”

The owner said, waving his hand dismissively.

“I need work.”

"So you're impatient as well. Tell me what you're good at."

"I'm good with daggers and generally good in a fight."

"Then there's a suitable job for you. But it's not a job you can complete with just one or two lives. Would you still like to accept?"

Zhou Xuchuan nodded instead of answering.

"A few months ago, the brothels fought among themselves over a promising newcomer. What started as a small scuffle gradually escalated into a life-or-death struggle, and even the big figures behind them got involved."

"Understood. Are you asking me to join that battle?"

“Yes. And don't get hurt by poking around in strange places looking for it, either. Zhengzhou stinks of rotting corpses because of that battle."

"Then where should I poke around?"

"Anywhere."[3]

As expected of the Xia Wu Sect.

1. In other words, they don't care if they get recognized because you can't even see them anyway. ☜

2. Roughly 9 pm to 11 pm. ☜

3. Yes, the man literally goes, "don't stick your nose in places you don't belong because they'll kill you, while saying, go find the fight yourself. ☜

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