I Want to Rob Even the Imperial Palace
Yeop Hyeon raced straight to Chwi Seon Ru.
The largest trading house in Jiang Kingdom, Chwi Seon Ru could procure any item if asked.
Yeop Hyeon rounded a street corner when he suddenly halted. A man stood blocking his path, dressed in fine white silk robes, a fan in one hand. Even to Yeop Hyeon, he exuded an air of refined elegance.
"One of those Changmok Academy bastards?"
"That's right. You're Yeop Hyeon..."
In that instant, a fierce fist intent slammed toward the man.
His expression hardened, eyes widening. The fan in his hand spun, whipping up razor-sharp winds like a blade.
Boom!
With a thunderous crash, both figures reeled back.
Yeop Hyeon quickly regained his stance and launched another assault.
The man folded his fan with a grave look and leaped forward. In a flash, a streak of cold gleam sliced through the air.
Shiiik!
With the sound of parting wind, the man's form retreated over ten zhang away.
Yeop Hyeon's gaze dropped to his fist. A thin line of blood traced it.
He shook it off and clenched his fist again.
Crack!
The ground before Yeop Hyeon split open as an invisible aura drenched the man like a storm of rain.
The man looked stunned.
"Such overwhelming fist power!"
As he spoke, the fan flew from his hand, slicing toward Yeop Hyeon like a keen blade.
Shiiik!
The fan tore not just the air between them but Yeop Hyeon's aura as well.
Yet Yeop Hyeon's figure had already closed in before him.
And then came the tyrannical strike.
Boom!
The man's body hurtled back over ten zhang in an instant. His fan ended up in Yeop Hyeon's hand. Though Yeop Hyeon had intended to shatter it, he recognized it as a spirit tool and pocketed it without hesitation.
"..."
The man stared in disbelief and shouted.
"Looks like you're no saint yourself..."
But Yeop Hyeon had already charged, driving a fist into him.
This punch differed from the last. It carried several times the power of anything shown before!
The man's face froze.
As he prepared a counter, immense fist power enveloped his body.
One Fist Explodes Your Head!
Splat!
Taking Yeop Hyeon's ruthless blow head-on, the man's head burst like a watermelon.
Silence fell over the street.
Yeop Hyeon scanned the surroundings with cold eyes and bellowed.
"Changmok Academy scum! I'll kill every one I see!"
Ever since Yeop Ryeong's kidnapping, his rage toward Changmok Academy had become unstoppable.
He could tolerate attacks on himself, but touching his sister was unforgivable.
In the aftermath, onlookers stared in awe. The fan-wielding man had been at the peak of Soaring Realm!
To fell such an expert with a single punch?
Meanwhile, three men watched the direction Yeop Hyeon had vanished.
Students from Changmok Academy branches in other nations.
After a silent pause, the leader in ornate robes shook his head.
"We're heading back."
"Just like that? The bounty on his head is massive..."
"What's a bounty worth if you're dead?"
The man's expression darkened.
The ornate-robed one glanced at the corpse.
"His strength was no less than ours combined. Yet he couldn't even withstand one punch from Yeop Hyeon."
He turned toward Cangshan.
"That Yeop Hyeon is no ordinary monster. There's a reason they used the chariot assassination squad from Jiang Kingdom's Changmok Academy. We don't wade into this mud pit. We don't have the skill for it. Let's go!"
As he turned, the other two hesitated but followed.
Of course, no one could resist the lure of rare weapons and techniques. But life came first!
At that moment, a black-robed man nearby eyed the corpse as well.
"Impressive skill!"
He vanished from the spot.
Yeop Hyeon halted again. The black-robed man now faced him.
"Did you just kill that Changmok Academy student?"
The man beckoned.
"I'm a Changmok Academy student too. If you can, try me..."
Before he finished, Yeop Hyeon shot forward.
The man's lips curled. Savage energy erupted from within him.
"Th-that's... Penetrating Nether Realm? No, half a step from it..."
Someone shouted.
"Half a step into Penetrating Nether Realm—that explains his confidence!"
Then, a sharp sword cry rang out.
One Sword Determines Life and Death!
Yeop Hyeon's ultimate killing move.
Seeing it, the man's eyes trembled wildly. He snapped to focus, unleashing potent phenomena energy and thrusting a fist at Yeop Hyeon.
His wildly surging fist even blazed with flames.
Most crucially, it brimmed with fist intent!
Gasps erupted from the crowd.
Mastery of fist intent meant this black-garbed man could become a martial grandmaster—or already was one!
But then, Yeop Hyeon's sword arrived.
The arena fell deathly silent.
Slash!
With a chilling sound, a head soared high.
The black-garbed man's!
Having swiftly crushed the provocations, Yeop Hyeon resumed his path to Chwi Seon Ru.
* * *
Endless poverty. Yeop Hyeon now felt it in his bones.
Ignorance had been bliss. He'd accepted it as normal.
But after meeting Gang Gu, he realized the world wasn't equal. Was he the only one scraping by in such misery?
In Yangjie City, he'd learned a single spirit tool cost at least two million taels of gold.
Swords fetched far higher prices.
He half-wanted to rob the imperial palace.
Arriving at Chwi Seon Ru, Yeop Hyeon flashed his purple nameplate. An elder led him to a lavish reception hall.
"Young Master Yeop, what brings you today?"
Yeop Hyeon pulled nine jade-grade spirit stones from his bosom.
"How much for these?"
"Jade-grade spirit stones!"
The elder's eyes lit up.
"They're exceedingly rare across all Jiang Kingdom."
He pondered briefly before replying.
"For that size, about five hundred thousand taels of gold each."
'Five hundred thousand taels of gold!?'
"So, four million five hundred thousand total?"
The elder nodded.
"What's the going rate for a spirit sword?"
"Spirit swords... At least three million taels minimum."
Yeop Hyeon gave a wry smile. No wonder sword cultivators were so rare.
Three million for one sword! For an ordinary person, becoming a sword cultivator was like plucking stars from the sky!
Even pooling a whole clan's wealth couldn't easily afford it.
And that didn't include costs for sword techniques and more—the sum was astronomical.
Yeop Hyeon hesitated, then dumped a pile of items. Spoils from slain foes. Amid the miscellany, the fan stood out as most valuable.
The elder's gaze lingered on it.
"Young Master Yeop, aside from the fan, these won't fetch much."
Yeop Hyeon nodded.
"Combined, can they buy two spirit swords?"
The elder looked troubled.
"You want two spirit swords?"
Yeop Hyeon nodded. The elder smiled.
"As Chwi Seon Ru's honored guest, we'll make it work. Please wait."
The elder gathered the items and left.
Half a shichen later, he returned with two black boxes under his arms.
"Sorry for the wait."
He set them before Yeop Hyeon.
"Two spirit swords, as requested. Please inspect."
Yeop Hyeon opened one. A sharp, three-chi blade gleamed within.
Its spirituality confirmed it as a true spirit sword!
He closed it and eyed the elder.
"That money wasn't enough for two."
"Hahaha, as I said, you're our VIP. This is the least we can do."
Yeop Hyeon accepted graciously.
The elder beamed.
"One more thing: Beware Changmok Academy. Our investigation into the Yunxian incident points to them. They won't give up—stay vigilant!"
Yeop Hyeon nodded.
"Thanks for the heads-up. If you hear more, let me know."
"Of course."
"I'll be off."
Yeop Hyeon cupped his fists, took the swords, and left.
Once gone, a black-robed elder appeared.
Gu Ru-ju, former lord of Chwi Seon Ru.
"Well done. When I'm away and the boy comes, accommodate him like this. And tip him off if Changmok Academy stirs."
"Understood!"
Gu Ru-ju closed his eyes thoughtfully.
"Changmok Academy... This is how you crumble, bit by bit..."
* * *
Leaving Chwi Seon Ru, Yeop Hyeon headed straight for Canglan Academy.
Two spirit swords!
Absorbing them offered an eighty percent chance of reaching Soaring Realm.
Once there, he could attempt sword flight!
The day he soared on a blade, he'd circle the imperial city's skies!
The thought made Yeop Hyeon grin unwittingly.
His steps lightened, quickening.
Passing a narrow alley—barely wide enough for two—he stopped.
Flanked by house walls, no pedestrians in sight.
Suspicious!
Yeop Hyeon lowered his stance, ready to retreat.
Confident in his skill, but no need to charge into a trap.
Then, a breeze stirred behind him.
He whipped around, unleashing a fist.
Boom!