Section 131: The Swordsman in Black

“Enough, Abili. Are you finished with your work?” The middle-aged man turned his head and swore. “He isn’t one of the Black Soul’s people. It’s perfectly normal that he hasn’t awakened a bloodline. At the fifth rank, his strength is already impressive for someone his age. Which of you could have reached the fifth rank at his age?”

The others immediately fell silent, looking embarrassed.

“Young man, we’re heading to Black Mountain City. If you’re willing to travel with us, then come along.” The middle-aged man looked at Tang Tian solemnly. “But I must warn you that the road ahead will not be safe. You’ll have to look after yourself. If you run into danger, no one will be able to save you.”

“I can take care of myself.” Tang Tian raised a hand.

“Good.” The middle-aged man wasted no words and called out loudly, “Once you’re ready, prepare to move. We must reach Whitewater Gully before nightfall, so hurry.”

He turned to the young girl with an apologetic expression. “Miss, I’m afraid you’ll have to endure some hardship.”

“Uncle Murray, you don’t have to worry about me.” The girl looked obedient and spoke in a delicate voice. “I can rank among the top three at school.”

A look of satisfaction appeared in Murray’s eyes. He merely nodded without saying anything more.

He was extremely pleased with the young lady’s performance. They were accustomed to the hardships of travel, but none of them had expected this delicate young lady to endure the journey without a single complaint or cause them any trouble. Everyone had witnessed it, and they all held her in high regard.

“Let’s go.” Murray’s decisive and efficient nature was immediately apparent.

The group threaded its way through the dense forest.

Although Murray had warned them beforehand, the others still looked down on Tang Tian. Being young and already possessing fifth-rank strength sounded impressive, but in Black Mountain City, any young person with even a little reputation could achieve the same. Most of those youths had awakened two or three bloodlines as well.

An unawakened commoner would be looked down upon anywhere.

Unexpectedly, it was the young lady who showed some curiosity toward Tang Tian. She had never met an outsider before. “Hello, my name is Gu Xue.”

Tang Tian grinned, doing his best to make his smile appear friendly and approachable. “Hello. My name is Tang Tian.”

“Are you still in school, Tang Tian?” Gu Xue had beautiful brown eyes and skin as pale as snow. Her nose was high and straight, her features more sharply defined, and her figure was tall and slender.

“No.” Tang Tian shook his head. “I left school more than half a year ago. Are you still studying?”

“Yes. I still have another year before I graduate. I’m really envious of you. You’re so young, yet you’re already able to venture out into the world.”

Tang Tian shook his head. “Adventuring is difficult too.”

“Do you regret it?” Gu Xue asked.

Tang Tian paused, then shook his head. “I don’t regret it. Although it’s hard, I can learn many things. And being able to do what I want to do makes me happy.”

Gu Xue was stunned. Her thoughts drifted away involuntarily, and she murmured, “That must be wonderful.”

Noticing the young lady’s mood, Murray said calmly, “Venturing into the world is dangerous. You could lose your life at any moment.”

Gu Xue pouted. “Then lying at home and sleeping every day would be the safest thing to do.”

Tang Tian grinned.

Murray was displeased. He shot Tang Tian a glance. “Young man, how many places have you been to? How many things have you experienced? The outside world is more complicated than you imagine. Take what happened earlier. If it had been another group of people, you would already be dead.”

“Perhaps you’re right.” Tang Tian suddenly stopped smiling and spoke seriously. “But there are always sights you want to see, and things you want to experience no matter what. If you refuse to go, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”

Murray’s heart stirred faintly, but he merely snorted. “Naive!”

Tang Tian did not argue. He simply made a face at Gu Xue.

Gu Xue covered her mouth and laughed softly.

The group moved at astonishing speed through the forest. The guards were seasoned travelers. Where to make camp, how to cautiously avoid the star-soul beasts—all of it opened Tang Tian’s eyes.

Tang Tian spoke most often with Gu Xue. It was easy to tell that she was deeply interested in his adventures and experiences. However, Murray’s warning had just been too pointed, so Tang Tian tactfully avoided saying much about that aspect of his life.

He also took the opportunity to ask about the many aspects of Philin Star. Only then did he finally understand why everyone had laughed when he said he wanted to leave Philin Star.

Among the many planets ruled by the Black Soul, Philin Star was not considered particularly powerful. The regulations here were extremely strict, and there were countless harsh restrictions on leaving the planet. The greatest restriction of all, however, was the limited number of travel permits.

Those permits had become the most fiercely contested resource on the entire Philin Star.

Tang Tian was left dumbfounded.

He had always assumed that traveling between planets only required enough money—that one could go wherever one wished and leave whenever one wanted. For Tang Tian, this was certainly bad news.

What surprised him even more was Gu Xue, Murray, and the others’ indifferent attitude toward the Bright Martial Assembly. Of course, that was only Tang Tian’s impression. After all, he did not dare openly reveal his identity as a member of the Bright Martial Assembly.

The sky gradually darkened. Everyone’s expressions grew solemn, and they increased their pace.

Tang Tian and Gu Xue also sensed the change in the atmosphere. They stopped talking and focused their attention on their surroundings. Tang Tian became even more vigilant; he had detected a trace of danger.

Murray, who had been secretly observing Tang Tian all along, was somewhat surprised. He had taken note of Tang Tian’s extraordinary sensitivity.

Murray had been quietly watching him from the beginning.

He could not determine Tang Tian’s origins, but anyone capable of entering Philin Star through an unknown star gate could not be simple. For the Gu family as it currently stood, an unexpected variable might be a good thing.

At last, just before night descended, a small white ravine appeared before them.

The ravine was extremely unusual. It was a little over ten feet wide. The soil outside was black, while the earth within the ravine was snow-white and strikingly conspicuous.

“We’ve finally reached Whitewater Gully.” Gu Xue let out a long sigh of relief. “Once we reach Whitewater Gully, Black Mountain City isn’t far away. Star-soul beasts never approach this place.”

Curious, Tang Tian went over to the edge of the ravine. It was the first time he had seen such a strange watercourse. The soil within the ravine was as white as snow. He scooped up a handful and found that it felt somewhat like snow salt.

The guards remained alert, but their spirits relaxed involuntarily. After a battle during the day and a long journey, they were utterly exhausted.

Even Murray wore a faint smile. Whitewater Gully was very close to Black Mountain City, and many martial artists passed through this area. No one would dare set up an ambush here.

Seeing how interested Tang Tian was in the ravine, Gu Xue explained, “The white substance in Whitewater Gully is a kind of snow sand. It has no real use, but wild beasts and star-soul beasts dislike it. Some people gather it here and sell it in the city. Everyone scatters it around their walls to keep away mosquitoes and ants…”

Without warning, Tang Tian felt a trace of alarm.

Having just survived two hundred and ninety-three battles, Tang Tian’s reactions were almost instinctive.

Like a nimble cheetah, he suddenly sprang toward Gu Xue.

Gu Xue’s vision abruptly darkened. A figure shielded her sight, and before she could react, Tang Tian had already tackled her to the ground.

She screamed in fright.

The tip of a slender stiletto sword flickered coldly like a serpent’s tongue. It shattered her hair ornament and flew dangerously close to her scalp. Before she could react, the world spun around her, and she began rolling across the ground.

Tang Tian’s leap had been astonishingly fast. Holding Gu Xue in his arms, he rolled like a tumbling gourd and plunged headlong into the snow-white sand of Whitewater Gully.

“Hm?”

A soft sound drifted through the air like a wisp of smoke.

Neither Murray’s furious roar nor the guards’ shouts gave Tang Tian the slightest sense of security. That ethereal sound seemed to explode directly beside his ear.

Every hair on Tang Tian’s body stood on end.

Without thinking, he drove his right foot against the ground and dashed forward with Gu Xue in his arms. His left foot, infused with Heavenly Dragon Force, struck into the snow sand.

Boom!

Countless grains of snow sand erupted behind him, rising like a curtain of snow.

He hoped it would obstruct his enemy’s vision.

A speck of jet-black light pierced through the snow sand.

At almost the same moment, Tang Tian sensed the danger. He slammed his right palm against the ground and used the force to fling himself desperately to the side.

Whoosh!

An extremely fine sound of tearing air passed beside Tang Tian’s face. A nearly imperceptible strand of force silently bored a finger-wide hole into the ground.

Clang!

A deafening impact sounded behind Tang Tian, accompanied by Murray’s furious roar.

Taking advantage of the opening, Tang Tian carried Gu Xue and sprinted forward. He ran several dozen feet before finally stopping.

Only then did he regain his senses. Fear surged through him, leaving his hands and feet weak. His heart pounded violently, and his face was pale. He had just brushed shoulders with death. If he had been even slightly slower, he would already have been dead.

What a terrifying swordsman!

Tang Tian swallowed with difficulty and turned his gaze toward the battlefield.

A swordsman dressed in black wore a ghastly white mask, his entire body wrapped in dark clothing. In his hand was an apparently impossibly slender stiletto sword. Every thrust forced Murray into a frantic defense.

So strong!

Tang Tian clicked his tongue in astonishment. It was the first time he had seen a swordsman with such a style, and the first time he had encountered a stiletto sword like this. Such swords had no edge. They served only one purpose—to pierce.

The swordsman before him had brought the power of the thrust to absolute perfection.

Murray roared again and again. Silver light shimmered across his palms, and radiance coiled around his entire body, making him look like a war god descended to earth. His movements were broad and powerful, filled with imposing force. The other guards were also remarkably strong, their abilities close to those of Liang Qiu and the others.

And yet, the black-clad swordsman was the one holding the advantage.

His movements were elusive and impossible to predict. Every motion appeared light and without force. Even when he swung his sword, there was not the slightest sound. His thrusts seemed gentle and weightless, but those very thrusts left Murray and the others in complete disarray.

For the first time, Tang Tian felt a chill rising from the depths of his heart while watching someone else fight.

The black-clad swordsman was like black mist in the night—impossible to guard against and impossible to fathom.

So strong…

Tang Tian murmured to himself.

Suddenly, the black-clad swordsman swept his blade several times. The stiletto carved several streaks of dark light through the air.

Clang, clang, clang!

Murray and the others felt heat surge through their hands as tremendous force struck them. They involuntarily staggered back several steps.

The black-clad swordsman blurred and effortlessly withdrew from the battle.

His ghastly white mask turned toward Tang Tian’s position. He spread his arms and, like a night owl, vanished into the dark forest.

“Don’t pursue him!” Murray shouted sharply.

A trace of terror appeared on his face. The other guards collapsed to the ground one after another, each wearing the expression of someone who had narrowly escaped death.

A chill ran through Tang Tian’s heart.

His intuition was extraordinarily sharp. That final glance from the black-clad swordsman had been directed at him! (To be continued.)