Cultivating in Different Professions

The constables on night watch couldn’t help but pull their clothes tighter, muttering curses about the awful weather.

They didn’t notice at all that the wind was constantly changing—at times gentle, at times violent, and sometimes even carrying a touch of soothing warmth.

Though Su Mu’s eyes were closed, he perceived a brilliant light before them.

Countless threads appeared in his vision, crisscrossing and entangling one another.

This was the wind of the world—winds of every conceivable nature.

The Mental Realm Map he had once seen surfaced in his mind, and a flash of insight dawned on Su Mu.

’Xun Wind Realm!’

Su Mu felt as if he had transformed into a wisp of wind, soaring freely between heaven and earth.

After an unknown amount of time, he gradually became aware of the weight of his body again.

Slowly opening his eyes, Su Mu carefully savored the faint breezes that drifted between heaven and earth.

He felt as if he could grasp the wind itself just by reaching out his hand.

But Su Mu knew he couldn’t truly grasp the wind just yet.

That was something only achievable with Realm Perfection.

His Xun Wind Realm was currently only at the lesser mastery stage.

But even at lesser mastery, a Realm was still a Realm.

Su Mu held out his fingers like a sword and swept them gently forward.

FWOOSH!

The bonfire was instantly split in two, and a fissure even opened in the earth beneath it.

The noise startled the two dozing night-watch constables, who jumped up and exclaimed, "Who’s there?"

All the constables were woken up, scrambling to their feet in a panic and looking around blankly.

"It’s nothing. Go back to sleep. We’re heading into the mountains at dawn, and this might be our last chance for a decent rest."

Su Mu said with a casual wave of his hand.

Seeing that it was nothing, the other constables shot a glare at the two jumpy sentries before rolling over to go back to sleep.

The two night-watch constables scratched their heads, looking sheepish.

’How did the bonfire suddenly split in two?’

They looked at the bonfire with some confusion, trying hard to recall if they had poked it apart while they were dozing off.

Su Mu paid no mind to the two constables, who now suspected they had witnessed something paranormal. Instead, he closed his eyes and summoned his system panel.

[Name: Su Mu]

[Identity: Ghostwriter / Chief Constable / Taiping Bureau White Clothes (Ninth Grade)]

[Points: 20]

[Realm: Third Stage of Body Tempering (Extreme Skin Tempering Realm, Extreme Flesh Tempering)]

[Cultivation Technique: Heavenly Dragon Eight Sounds Marrow Tempering Technique (Lesser Mastery)...]

[Martial Arts: Kan Water Realm (Lesser Mastery), Xun Wind Realm (Lesser Mastery), Archery (Initiate)]

On the system panel, several Sword Techniques from the Xunfeng Lineage had disappeared, replaced by the Xun Wind Realm.

A great sense of accomplishment welled up in Su Mu’s heart.

All told, in a little over a year—not even two—he had cultivated from an ordinary person to his current state.

His Tendon Tempering Technique was at lesser mastery, and he had grasped two separate Realms.

’Even in the Inner City of Wuling, there couldn’t be many in the younger generation stronger than him now, could there?’

’Luo Anning is considered quite strong. Her Body Tempering Realm is higher than mine, it’s true, but when it comes to martial skill, she’s only mastered two levels of sword potential so far.’

’And Luo Anning has her family’s backing.’

’But I... I’ve reached this point all on my own, one step at a time.’

’No one can stop my ascent. Not the heavens, and certainly not the Hu Family.’

Su Mu’s heart surged with fighting spirit.

***

On the rugged mountain path.

Several large carts struggled onward.

The mules and horses huffed and wheezed. The constables pushed and pulled, their Official Uniforms already drenched in sweat.

After entering Daxing Mountain, their easy days were a thing of the past.

For the past two days, they had been bone-weary, yet they had only managed to cover a few miles of road.

Su Mu walked at the head of the caravan, leading the way with a route map in hand.

The late-October weather was already getting chilly, and it was even colder in the mountains.

Thanks to his Body Tempering cultivation, he was untroubled by the cold.

But the same couldn’t be said for the constables. If this kept up, he feared most of them would fall ill before they even arrived.

But if they slowed down, it might affect the schedule, and if they couldn’t reach the supply point on time, the consequences would be unbearable.

"We’ll make camp and rest after the next turn."

Su Mu sighed. For the moment, he didn’t have a better solution.

Hearing Su Mu’s words, the constables all sighed in relief.

They’d all thought this would be an easy assignment. Who knew the mountain roads would be this difficult?

"Chief, could we have taken a wrong turn?"

During the break, one constable worked up the courage to ask, "This road is so treacherous. How did the Xu Family manage it before?

From what I can see, no carts have ever passed this way before."

"You can read cart tracks?"

Su Mu looked at the constable and recognized him as Chen Er, who was honest and diligent.

"My grandfather and my father were both cart drivers, so I’m pretty familiar with this sort of thing."

Chen Er scratched his head. "I just get the feeling this road doesn’t see much cart traffic. Our carts are pretty well-made; otherwise, the axles would’ve snapped long ago."

Su Mu nodded.

’The destination on this map is probably correct, but the route... this isn’t the one the Xu Family usually takes.’

’That made sense.’

’The Hu Family was almost certainly behind this escort mission. Why would they give me the Xu Family’s real route map?’

’They’re probably hoping I don’t arrive on time.’

"We aren’t familiar with these mountain roads. Our only choice is to follow the map. If we change course on our own, we could easily get lost."

Su Mu said pensively.

"It would be great if we had a guide who knew these mountains."

Chen Er said, "If we keep going like this, Chief, I’m really afraid the axles will snap from all the jolting."

If the axles broke, there’s no way they could carry all these supplies on their backs.

"For now, all we can do is be extra careful and move slower."

Su Mu said.

Even though they slowed down as much as they could, half a day later, one of the large carts gave out under the strain, its axle snapping in half.

The attached mule was also injured, its hind legs struck by the collapsing frame. It was clear the animal could no longer pull a cart.

Su Mu ordered the men to unload the supplies. He then assigned Chen Er and a few others to repair the cart while he climbed to higher ground, hoping to spot a smoother path.

Just as Su Mu was scanning the horizon for a new path, a piercing killing intent erupted behind him.

Su Mu whipped around just in time to see a burly figure standing a short distance away.

’So they’ve finally come.’

Su Mu’s expression remained calm. He had been on guard for this moment ever since they entered Daxing Mountain.

’Their timing is perfect.’

’I’ve been in the mountains for days, I’m tired and weary, and to top it all off, I’m frustrated about the broken cart.’

’This is the worst shape I’ve been in since leaving the city.’

’They must have noticed, which is why they chose to strike now.’

"I’ll give you a choice. End yourself now, and I’ll leave you a complete corpse."

The newcomer spoke in an icy tone, "It will save both of us the trouble."

"We’ve only just met. I don’t believe we know each other. Why would you say such a thing, sir?"

Su Mu said calmly.

"You talk too much."

The newcomer said coldly, "It seems you’re choosing to do this the hard way.

Very well. I will personally send you on your way. When you meet King Yama, remember the name of the man who killed you: Bao Tong."

The moment the words left his mouth, the great saber on Bao Tong’s back was in his hand. It sliced through the air with a vicious whistle, appearing before Su Mu in the blink of an eye.

’Fourth Stage of Body Tempering. At least greater mastery in bone tempering, and he’s grasped saber potential.’

Su Mu instantly assessed his opponent’s strength.

’With this kind of power, he must be a notorious figure on the wanted list. He’d rank in the top hundred, at least. If his list of crimes were longer, he might even break the top seventy.’

’A head like that must be worth at least a few hundred taels of silver.’

The thought flashed through Su Mu’s mind.

If Su Mu’s cultivation was truly only at the Second Stage of Body Tempering, and if he hadn’t mastered a Realm—even with his skin and flesh tempered to the extreme—this strike would have left him severely wounded, if not dead.

Unfortunately for them, the Hu Family’s information was out of date.

They had underestimated Su Mu.

If he wanted to kill Su Mu, Bao Tong was nowhere near strong enough.

In that instant, Su Mu took a step forward.