Daqian Martial Saint

"Very well." Chen Ping’an looked at Yuan Zutong. "You must be exhausted from the long journey. Go and get some rest."

"Yes, sir!" Yuan Zutong replied respectfully, a look of profound gratitude on his face. "Thank you for your concern, my lord. It is my honor to serve you."

Whether it was genuine or not, when a superior showed concern, it meant they valued you. At such a moment, regardless of your true feelings, you had to display gratitude—ideally, looking as if you were ready to die for them. This was the path of an official.

Yuan Zutong might look like a burly, simple man, but to have survived in the Garrison Commandant’s Office, he was naturally well-versed in this art.

Chen Ping’an gave Yuan Zutong a long, deep look before turning away and waving his hand dismissively.

"This subordinate takes his leave!" Yuan Zutong saluted respectfully with clasped fists, announced his departure, and then left the courtyard.

After Yuan Zutong left, Chen Ping’an remained still for a moment, staring blankly at a corner of the courtyard, lost in thought.

In his current position, he was surrounded by smiling faces. Everyone acted utterly loyal and obedient. As for promises of being willing to die for him, he had heard them so often his ears were callused from it.

But if he really thought about it, how many of them were sincere, and how many were just going through the motions?

Spotting when a subordinate was faking it only meant their performance was subpar. Words were useless; actions were what mattered. But even then, you couldn’t stop people from putting on a show.

A thousand people have a thousand faces, each different. In the end, it all came down to one thing: impossible to see through, impossible to explain, and impossible to articulate.

Although he had not yet reached the true summit, he had begun to understand the meaning of "it’s lonely at the top."

Subordinates had their ways, and superiors had their rules. Since he now occupied this position, he had to adapt to and master those rules.

’Being a good superior isn’t easy. At least, it’s far from as easy as I imagined.’

Chen Ping’an chuckled and pulled his gaze from the corner of the courtyard. He shot to his feet and drew his saber.

’The Martial Dao is so much simpler! All it takes is arduous cultivation!’

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

In the courtyard, flashes of saber light and gusts of wind followed Chen Ping’an’s shifting, darting form.

The sun slowly set. As the last glimmer of twilight vanished, the courtyard was plunged into darkness.

SWOOSH!

A cold glint of light flashed, kicking up a cloud of dust.

+1!

A familiar notification for Cultivation Experience flashed before Chen Ping’an’s eyes.

"Success!" A look of delight crossed Chen Ping’an’s face as he sheathed his saber and stood straight.

Name: Chen Ping’an

Realm: Profound Light - Mystic Light Penetrating Object

Martial Arts: Great Success in Three-Thirds Human Tribulation Finger (507/1600), Soul-Severing Saber (Uninitiated) (80/80), Vajra Unbreakable Divine Skill Perfect, Great Vajra...

...

The 80 points of Cultivation Experience needed for the Soul-Severing Saber to reach Entry Level had been fully accumulated!

For the past several days, Chen Ping’an had temporarily set aside his practice of the Three-Point Human Tribulation Finger, focusing all his energy on the Soul-Severing Saber. He had been constantly accumulating experience and cultivating on the road to Beicang Town.

Now that he was in Beicang Town with a proper space to practice his saber skills, he had gathered enough Cultivation Experience in one final push.

’Breakthrough!’

Without any hesitation, Chen Ping’an’s eyes flashed, and the panel floating in the void changed.

The experience points swirled, transforming into starlight that flowed into the space between his eyebrows.

It was the same familiar process. When Chen Ping’an opened his eyes again, insights and understanding regarding the Divine Skill Soul-breaking Blade had already flooded his mind.

Because he had only just reached Entry Level in the Broken Soul Saber Technique, the corresponding insights weren’t overwhelming. It mainly allowed him to perform the basic Saber Forms and regulate his True Qi.

In addition to the insights into the saber skill, with the help of the Golden Finger Panel, the Spiritual Bud between Chen Ping’an’s eyebrows gained even more Spiritual Energy. It looked vibrant and dewy, thoroughly nourished.

’One step closer to the Jade Balance Realm!’ Sensing the change between his brows, Chen Ping’an’s mood soared.

Merely reaching the Entry Level of a Divine Skill didn’t cause a major breakthrough in his Realm, but it did deepen his foundation!

This deepened foundation caused a subtle increase in his combat power!

This minuscule change in combat power should not be underestimated. Against a true peak expert, if a battle dragged on, this sliver of a difference would be as vast as that between heaven and earth.

"Exhilarating!" Chen Ping’an sheathed his saber, feeling thoroughly invigorated.

Constant cultivation, constant breakthroughs—the feeling was intoxicating!

...

Qingyou Garden was the name of the inn where Chen Ping’an was staying in Beicang Town. As one of the most high-end inns in the city, at a critical time like this, its guests were naturally either rich or noble.

The rear of Qingyou Garden consisted of a series of private residences, while the front featured a beautiful, exquisite high-rise known as Qingya Tower.

Qingya Tower was five stories tall, with an Observation Platform at the very top that offered a panoramic view of most of Beicang Town. Below the platform were floors dedicated to banquets and entertainment.

On the third floor of Qingya Tower, Chen Ping’an sat by a window, a spread of the tower’s signature dishes on the table before him.

Yuan Zutong sat stiffly across from Chen Ping’an, looking utterly constrained. He never imagined he would end up sharing a table with his lord. It was an honor, to be sure, but the pressure was immense. The difference in rank between them wasn’t just a small gap!

Chen Ping’an glanced at Yuan Zutong, then ignored his discomfort and helped himself to a mouthful of food.

At first, Yuan Zutong had wanted to stand watch by the side while Chen Ping’an ate, but Chen Ping’an found it too conspicuous and told him to sit down as well.

Whether Yuan Zutong could relax or even dared to pick up his chopsticks after sitting down was another matter entirely.

Besides attending the auction, Chen Ping’an had come to Beicang Town with another purpose: to clean out some of the items he was carrying. The Cyan Rainbow Sword, the Long and Short Dual Sabers, the Pitch-Black Longsword, the Soft Sword... they were all ill-gotten goods that couldn’t see the light of day. If he didn’t take this opportunity to fence them, when would he!?

He planned to convert all these unneeded Treasure Artifacts into Yuan Crystals to give himself more confidence when bidding for his desired items at the auction.

Putting aside the ordinary auction items, Chen Ping’an was most interested in a few of the six known headline items. First was the Divine Skill, the Dragon Elephant Dominating Body Technique. Second was a supporting-class Divine Skill. And third was the Quasi-Divine Profound Ice Silk Armor.

The remaining items—the Three Yang Nourishing Spirit Pill used for breaking realms, the Burst Secret Technique known as the Essence-Burning Blood Curse, and the Ice Soul Profound Heart Lotus that deepens one’s foundation for breakthroughs—held little appeal for Chen Ping’an.

With his Golden Finger Panel, he had no need for external items to break through realms. And since his Vajra Unbreakable Divine Skill was at the Perfect level, the enhancements from his Golden Body Unbreakable transformation were more than enough, so he had little need for a so-called Burst Secret Technique. At the very least, a secret technique that consumed one’s foundational Essence and blood was not something Chen Ping’an was considering for now.

His greatest desire right now was for Divine Skills!

At his current Realm, ordinary cultivation techniques were of little help to him. Even if he cultivated one to the Perfection realm, the benefits would be minimal. Only Divine Skills could provide him with significant assistance!

And when it came to Divine Skills, the higher the grade, the better!

Naturally, the Dragon Elephant Dominating Body Technique was within his consideration. Although its effects were similar to the Vajra Unbreakable Divine Skill, Divine Skills were rare to begin with. He couldn’t afford to be picky.

The same went for that other supporting-class Divine Skill, the Enchanting Soul Technique. However, in terms of grade, its allure for Chen Ping’an was not as great as the Dragon Elephant Dominating Body Technique.

As for the Quasi-Divine Profound Ice Silk Armor, it wasn’t its defensive properties that Chen Ping’an valued. When he was in his Golden Body Unbreakable state, his defensive capabilities were stronger than the Profound Ice Silk Armor, not weaker!

What truly interested Chen Ping’an about the Profound Ice Silk Armor was its ability to resize at will.

Having mastered the Vajra Unbreakable Divine Skill, his most powerful technique was naturally transforming into the Little Giant of the Golden Body Unbreakable state. This trump card was excellent, but it was a bit hard on his clothes!

Every time he transformed into his Little Giant form, his clothes would inevitably be destroyed in the process. Although a haze of Golden Light and a shield of Profound Light prevented him from being completely exposed, changing clothes afterward was still quite inconvenient.

If he could get this Quasi-Divine Profound Ice Silk Armor, its resizing ability would perfectly match his physique!

However, Chen Ping’an’s attitude toward the armor was that it was simply ’better than nothing.’ If he had to choose between it and a Divine Skill, he would still choose the Divine Skill. After all, Divine Skills were crucial to his grand cultivation plan, while the Profound Ice Silk Armor was merely a trivial detail.

Chen Ping’an had chosen to come out for a while not just to relax from his cultivation but also to see if he could overhear any useful information. Of course, the latter was just a passing thought; it didn’t matter if he heard anything or not.

Just as Chen Ping’an was lost in his thoughts, a discussion nearby caught his attention.