Starting with The Eagle Shooting Heroes: I gain a year's worth of skill every day.

The Imperial Palace of Lin'an, the Hall of Hanging Arches.

The interior of the main hall was dimly lit, with only a few Changxin Palace lanterns flickering with candlelight. The air was filled with the scent of ambergris, but it couldn't mask the suffocating oppression.

"You mean, that sword energy lingered on the stone for three days and hasn't dissipated yet?"

On his throne, Emperor Zhao Kuo of the Song Dynasty toyed with a jade thumb ring in his hand, his voice revealing neither joy nor anger. But in his slightly narrowed eyes, a chilling light gleamed.

Zhao Dexuan knelt on the ground, his forehead pressed against the cold gold brick, his back soaked with cold sweat.

"Your Majesty, it is absolutely true. When I left, the sword intent on that bluestone was even sharper than on the first day. The head instructor of the Imperial Guards who accompanied me saw it and said... said that it was the skill of a terrestrial immortal, beyond human capability."

Snapped.

A crisp sound.

The jade tablet in Zhao Yun's hand was thrown to the ground.

He slowly stood up, walked to the entrance of the main hall, and looked in the direction of Zhongnan Mountain.

"Beyond human power..." Zhao Kuo chewed on these words, a cold smile curving his lips. "Under the whole heaven, all land belongs to the emperor. In this world, there can only be one voice. If anyone rises above imperial power, then he is the calamity of the Song Dynasty."

"Your Majesty, regarding the matter of the investiture..." Zhao Dexuan asked cautiously.

"Seal it off! Of course it should be sealed off!"

Zhao Yun turned around abruptly, his eyes flashing with murderous intent, but he instantly concealed it, revealing a deep and unfathomable cunning.

"Issue an imperial decree to bestow upon Master Xuanmo of the Quanzhen Sect the title of 'Guardian of the Nation,' granting him a gold seal and purple ribbon. Furthermore..." He lowered his voice, "get the Imperial City Guards moving. I want to see whether this 'sword' can be used by me or will wound my hand."

"If it can't be used..."

Zhao Yun didn't continue speaking, but simply made a downward cutting gesture.

The candlelight inside the hall suddenly flickered.

Zhao Dexuan shuddered, cold sweat dripping from his forehead onto the gold brick, making a soft pattering sound.

……

Lin'an City, Imperial Street.

The fine drizzle cast a hazy, misty hue over this bustling capital.

Shen Mo strolled along the cobblestone path, holding an oil-paper umbrella. Raindrops dripped from the edge of the umbrella, but bounced off automatically three inches from the hem of his clothes.

In my mind, the mirror ripples.

"Shen Mo, where are you going today?" Yang Yuhuan's voice came. "Your murderous aura is even stronger than it was a few days ago."

Shen Mo's gaze remained calm as he looked at the mansion with its vermilion gates and high walls in front of him.

"kill."

He responded silently to himself.

"Who to kill?"

"Minister of War, Sun Zhidong."

Shen Mo stopped in his tracks.

Ahead lies the Sun residence.

The vermilion gate was tightly closed, and two stone lions stood majestically.

Two rows of private soldiers in fine armor stood in front of the gate, each with their hands on the hilts of their swords and fierce eyes.

Sun Zhidong was the leader of the pro-peace faction in the court, but he secretly colluded with the Mongols, selling border defense maps and causing the Xiangyang defense line to be under threat several times. On the list provided by Tie Youxia, his crimes were listed first.

Yang Yuhuan remained silent in the mirror for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Shen Mo, are you... afraid?"

"Afraid?"

"Yes, if we kill a high-ranking official of the imperial court, that emperor will definitely go mad. Then he'll have to mobilize a massive army..."

Shen Mo smiled: "I'm scared."

Yang Yuhuan was taken aback.

"But what needs to be done must still be done," Shen Mo said calmly. "If you're afraid of death and don't do it, what's the difference between you and those corrupt officials?"

"You..." Yang Yuhuan's voice choked with emotion, "You're so foolish."

"Halt! This is the Minister's residence, a place of serious intimacy...!"

A private army commander stepped forward and reprimanded him, but his voice stopped abruptly before he could finish speaking.

Because he saw a pair of eyes.

Indifferent, lofty.

Shen Mo didn't waste any words, nor did he even stop. He simply continued walking forward, his footsteps making soft pattering sounds on the puddle-covered flagstones.

hum-

An invisible wave emanated from him and spread outwards.

The commander, along with the eighteen private soldiers at the gate, suddenly froze. The next instant, the steel swords in their hands snapped in two, and they were struck as if by a heavy hammer, spitting blood as they flew backward and crashed heavily into the vermilion gate.

Boom!

The heavy vermilion gate collapsed with a crash, sending up clouds of dust.

He silently closed his umbrella and stepped into the mansion.

"Who goes there! How dare you trespass into the Minister's residence!"

Chaos erupted instantly within the mansion. Hundreds of guards and assassins surged in from all directions, while archers occupied the high walls, raining down arrows.

Shen Mo glanced around, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.

These guards were not ordinary servants. Their hands were stained with blood; they were Sun Zhidong's henchmen used to threaten the people and persecute loyal officials.

Tie Youxia's list clearly records that these people, acting on Sun Zhidong's orders, had murdered more than a dozen officials and civilians who tried to expose his crimes.

"Those who uphold evil are guilty of evil themselves."

Shen Mo uttered those words calmly.

He raised his right hand and flicked his index finger.

laugh!laugh!laugh!

The raindrops froze for a moment, then transformed into countless crystal-clear sword energies that surged upwards.

Screams echoed throughout the room.

The archers on the high walls fell one after another, their crossbows pierced by raindrops, leaving bloody holes in their throats. The guards on the ground fell in droves, each with a sword between their eyebrows, dying instantly.

He moved forward in silence, as if he were in an empty field.

He has only one goal.

Inner hall.

Sun Zhidong, carrying a box of gold and silver valuables, was terrified as he crawled into the secret passage.

Beside him stood an elderly man in a gray robe, his aura steady, his temples bulging high, clearly a master of internal martial arts.

"Stop him! Stop him now! What use are you to me!" Sun Zhidong screamed hysterically.

The gray-robed elder stepped forward, blocking Shen Mo's path, and clasped his hands in greeting, saying, "My friend, I am from the 'Iron Palm Clan'..."

boom!

Shen Mo slapped him across the face.

It's like swatting a fly.

The gray-robed old man, who was considered a top-notch expert in the martial arts world, didn't even have a chance to react before he was slammed into the wall next to him and couldn't be pried out.

"Noisy."

Shen Mo uttered two words in a low voice.

Sun Zhidong was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground, his crotch instantly becoming wet.

"You...you can't kill me! I'm a first-rank official of the imperial court! I'm the Minister of War! Killing me is tantamount to rebellion! It's tantamount to being an enemy of the Song Dynasty!"

Shen Mo walked up to him, looking down at this fat pig who betrayed his country for personal gain.

"The Great Song Dynasty?"

Shen Mo's lips curled into a mocking smile.

"If all officials in the Song Dynasty were like you, then the Song Dynasty might as well perish."

"Master Xuanmo, wait!"

Just then, a hurried shout came from outside the mansion.

A figure swept across the rooftops like an eagle and landed in the courtyard.

It was none other than Tie Youxia, the chief constable of the Six Doors.

He was drenched in sweat and panting heavily, clearly having run all the way here. Seeing the mess in the courtyard and the corpses scattered everywhere, his pupils contracted sharply.

Tie Youxia had just returned to Lin'an with the honor guard and hadn't even had time to shake off the dust of the journey when he received news that several death row inmates had mysteriously died in the dungeon, and that Shen Mo had already killed several corrupt officials on the list.

He originally intended to find Shen Mo immediately to discuss the follow-up matters.

But then an urgent report came in—Shen Mo had broken into the Ministry of War's residence!

Tie Youxia was startled.

Those killed before, though also officials of the imperial court, were of low rank and had limited influence. But Sun Zhidong was different—he was a first-rank official, the Minister of War!

Killing him is tantamount to rebellion!

Tie Youxia wasn't worried about Shen Mo's safety; with Shen Mo's strength, even a thousand troops couldn't do anything to him.

What he was worried about was that Shen Mo would completely break with the court and there would be no room for maneuver from then on.

"Daoist Master!" Tie Youxia shouted urgently, "Although this man deserves to die, he is a high-ranking official! Killing him will surely enrage the court, and then..."

He paused, then gritted his teeth and said, "The imperial court will use the pretext of rebellion to mobilize troops from all over the country to suppress us! Although you, Daoist, are a master of martial arts, you can't fight against so many opponents, not to mention there are firearms, poison, and traps..."

Tie Youxia knew that Shen Mo was not afraid of death.

But he feared that Shen Mo would be plunged into an abyss of no return.

Shen Mo turned around and looked at this loyal and renowned constable.

He could see the worry in Tie Youxia's eyes and understood that the other party was genuinely concerned for him.

"Iron Summer".

Shen Mo's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable firmness.

"The list you gave me details his crimes: treason and collusion with the enemy, resulting in the deaths of 30,000 border residents."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Sun Zhidong, who was slumped on the ground.

"It would be against all reason and justice not to kill such a person."

"As for the imperial court..." Shen Mo's lips curled into a cold smile, "If they really want to come, then let them come."

Tie Youxia opened his mouth, but in the end, it turned into a long sigh.

He knew he couldn't persuade Shen Mo.

We shouldn't try to persuade them either.

Because Shen Mo is right—people like that truly deserve to die.

"Master..." Tie Youxia's voice was low, "Then I, Tie, will accompany you and bear the name of this rebellion."

Shen Mo glanced at him, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

He then shook his head.

"No need."

Shen Mo said calmly, "This matter has nothing to do with you. You just need to do what you're supposed to do—continue investigating those corrupt officials and continue to seek justice for the people."

"As for me..."

He turned around and looked at Sun Zhidong.

"I'm just doing what I'm supposed to do."

The words fell.

puff.

A stream of azure true energy condensed into a sword, piercing through Sun Zhidong's crown and penetrating his entire body, pinning him and the box of gold and silver to the floor.

The blood stained the gold and silver, making it look particularly glaring.