Daily life of a teacher in the martial arts department

Nephalem didn't hold back and told Ying Qin Guan about his experiences that day. He also asked Ying Qin Guan to fill in the details of his first encounter with Qiu Fei during his trip to the snow mountain, only hiding a small, unimportant part, such as his reason for infiltrating the Holy Alliance.

"There's probably some organization behind these seven souls. I hope everyone pays attention to this person. If possible, it would be best to capture him alive. He's just an ordinary first-rate fighter, and to be honest, I even feel he's weaker than an ordinary first-rate fighter..."

As Nephalem spoke, he sketched. As a top-tier agent, he needed to be proficient in various special skills, including realistic drawing. Clearly, he wanted to draw the corpse dog.

"I have some questions." Perhaps considering that Nephalem was drawing, Miss Shadow did not ask her questions directly.

The Nephalem continued moving, his mind divided, and said, "Please speak."

"What about Corpse Dog's parents?" Shadow asked. "Judging from your description, he also harbors deep hatred for his parents and may return to commit crimes again. In that case, perhaps we can temporarily protect and monitor his parents until he walks into our trap."

“I have brought his parents to this hotel, to the room right next to ours.”

—Incidentally, the Nephalem and their group used aliases throughout their arrival in the Chaotic Province. This wasn't a problem, of course, because checking into hotels here required neither ID nor even a name; simply paying was sufficient.

“This is not a good choice,” Darius said, the brass knuckles at his waist clinking together. “If the Corpse Dog had done even a little investigation, it would have found out you live nearby. If I were him, I probably wouldn’t have made a move. As a legendary agent of the Seven Luminaries, you must know there are better options.”

Nephalem gave a wry smile. There were indeed more advantageous methods for the mission, and if he were still an agent, he would have considered it that way. But doing so... would be too dangerous for the elderly couple who were to be used as bait. Although he suspected that the couple were not good people, he could no longer take it for granted that he could use such an elderly person as bait.

So he didn't answer Darius, but turned the painting around and said, "Gentlemen, please take a look. It's finished. The details may be a little lacking, but the overall effect is almost there."

Ying Qin Guan looked up and saw that Shi Gou was a young man who looked to be about twenty-five or twenty-six years old. He had an ordinary appearance and a mole on his chin. Perhaps it was because of the Nephalem art style, but he seemed to have a fierce look on his face.

He was also a little curious. If what the old couple said was true, that the Corpse Dog was just an ordinary person when the Southern Qin Kingdom fell, how could it have become a top-notch expert in just two short years?

This doesn't seem right...

—This is what Ying Qin Guan, who quickly rose to godhood by taking a piece of carpet merchandise, was thinking.

"This person..."

As everyone was looking at the portrait of the Corpse Dog, Darius spoke again, his brows furrowed, and said, "I have seen it before."

After that, he recounted his experience.

Darius did indeed encounter Corpse Dog. It was during the time before he became a stepping stone for Ying Qin Pass that many precious ores were stolen, and one of the thieves was Corpse Dog. Later, the two thieves fled into the Mach Great Forest. Darius chased after them and defeated them. Then, a top-tier expert appeared and blocked Darius's way.

It was dark at the time, and Darius relied on his class advantage and a sneak attack to kill the Corpse Dog in one move, so he didn't get a clear look at the guy's appearance. So now, after confirming for a while, he hesitated before speaking.

The information from the City of Truth and the Seven Luminaries was exchanged through a corpse dog. The three top-tier individuals exchanged glances and realized that there was probably more to this than met the eye.

"What did Bingning do with the two you captured in the snow mountain?"

Darius looked at Ying Qin Guan, and at least at this moment, judging from his facial expression, he seemed quite natural.

Ying Qin Guan had no idea about this. He was about to say he didn't know when Nefertari said naturally, "They committed suicide. It was probably some kind of trick by that organization."

This answer only added another layer of mystery to the organization.

"If that's the case, then in order to capture the Corpse Dog, we'll have to leave one of us here."

Shadow said calmly, "Nephalem and Darius, you two have both fought against the Corpse Dogs, so you might be recognized. We should take precautions in advance. It would be better if Ying Qin Guan and I stayed behind in shifts. We are both highly mobile, and if we really encounter Gu Xuan, we can provide support in time."

"Alright..."

-

That night.

The moonlight, though not gentle, failed to drape the earth in silver; instead, crimson blooms broke the silence of the night sky.

On the balcony, Ji Qiuming leaned against the railing, his gaze indifferent, looking down at this city of sin.

After leaving Qiyao and reuniting with his brother, Ji Qiuming felt the Rebellious Ghost Blood within him growing stronger. He began to lose interest in everything and become indifferent to everything. At the same time, he also felt himself growing stronger.

I'm getting stronger and stronger. Even if I do nothing, when I wake up the next day, I'll feel stronger than the day before. When an ordinary martial artist stands in front of me, the flaws on their body seem to speak, shouting loudly, "I'm here!"

At the same time, his punches became darker, faster, and more ruthless.

Ji Qiuming didn't know or care where these changes came from. He would use power if he had it, and if he didn't, then so be it.

His gaze was deep, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Behind him, heavy footsteps sounded, and a person slowly emerged from the shadows. It was Gu Xuan. He was wrapped in many bandages and his face was pale. Clearly, Ying Qin Guan's two attacks had caused him great damage, and even with the use of secret medicine, he had not been able to recover.

Ji Qiuming didn't turn his head and said in a low voice, "You should go back and rest. Those people are looking for you. This place is not safe to stay for long. We need to move to a different location tomorrow."

Gu Xuan walked over slowly and said in a low voice, "You're a little different today."

Ji Qiuming still didn't turn his head. His words sounded like a mockery, but his tone was as flat as plain water.

"How long have you known me? You're not qualified to say that."

"I haven't known you for very long," Gu Xuan said, not angry. "It's just that your appearance was too consistent before, but now it has suddenly changed... Is Fei Han here?"

Gu Xuan's guess came out of nowhere, but it hit the nail on the head. Ji Qiuming finally turned around and glanced at Gu Xuan.

"..good."

"They can only be here to arrest me." Gu Xuan silently looked up at the dark night sky.

Ji Qiuming withdrew his gaze, and after a moment, he suddenly asked, "Why did you take him as your disciple?"

Gu Xuan shook his head.

"This is not a funny story."

"Perfect," Ji Qiuming said calmly. "I'm not exactly an interesting person either."

Chapter Twenty-Six: The God of War from Another Race

The humanization of alien races is an inevitable trend; all alien races will become more like humans with each generation of reproduction.

If this is considered evolution, then the demi-humans are the most successful lineage, followed by the rebellious demons.

The demi-humans are in a class of their own, then the rebellious demons are in a class of their own, and below them, there are three or four other races that can be considered to be in the same class.

To put it humorously, in terms of 'human-likeness,' demi-humans are a god-level alien race, followed by rebellious demons, who are considered top-tier. The level of peerless masters is actually somewhat more folk-oriented, similar to a level like 'peak of a half-step quasi-general,' which is not officially recognized.

Below that, there are three or four other races that resemble humans, but not entirely.

This includes...

'Fuluo'

They are similar to owls, possessing racial talents and being natural-born fighters. However, compared to owls, they have strengths and weaknesses; their strength lies in the fact that they are more like humans.

—The owl looks exactly like a human, but its physical abilities are so good that even a three-year-old child can lift a 300-pound boulder. It's the kind of thing that can't be hidden at all.

The weakness, of course, is that they are far less powerful than the Owl, and they must actively develop their racial talents to gain any benefit. In game terms, the Owl's racial talent is that all attributes increase with age, while the Fro's is that when your profession is a Martial Artist, you gain some extra experience points.

This race's talent is quite average. Compared to the Owl's all-attribute growth, it is inferior in combat. Compared to the Biya's perfect disguise, it is inferior in survival. Compared to the Reverse Ghost, it is inferior in terms of explosive power. It can usually beat the Reverse Ghost, but it will be killed in a life-or-death battle.

Gu Xuan... is just a Fu Luo.

During his childhood and adolescence, he lived with his parents in Southern Qin. Like Ying Qin Guan, they were ordinary people who had no opportunity to engage in martial arts. Therefore, at that time, even they themselves did not realize that they were of a different race.

However, Fuluo was not a top-tier alien race like the Rebels or Demi-humans. When Gu Xuan's mother's race was discovered, he and his mother were to be burned alive. Gu Xuan's father protected his wife, trying to escape his homeland, where he had lived for decades but which suddenly felt completely unfamiliar. But in the end, he was harpooned to death by a haystack.

Gu Xuan's mother was burned to death, and he jumped into the river and survived by chance.

After that, Gu Xuan left Nan Qin and came to Huanxing Plain. He began to carefully hide his identity. When he learned that Fu Luo had an advantage in martial arts, he found a way to start cultivating and made great progress in his cultivation.

Gu Xuan omitted a large section about the Black Dragon Empire, only casually recounting how he encountered Fu Feihan one snowy night. Fu Feihan was left at the door of a wealthy family, wearing only a thin layer of clothing. However, the family was unwilling to adopt this unexpected child. At that time, Gu Xuan was not yet a top-tier expert, not even a first-tier expert, and was forced to teach swordsmanship to the wealthy family's son to make a living. Ultimately, it was Gu Xuan who took Fu Feihan in and adopted him.

“You’ve said a lot,” Ji Qiuming said in a low voice, “but in the end, you still haven’t gotten to the point. Think about what I asked you at the beginning, Gu Xuan. I asked you why you adopted him.”

Gu Xuan remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "Perhaps it's because I wasn't very mature back then... No, saying that would be too insulting to the word 'mature.' Perhaps I wasn't as reckless as I was back then; what I was thinking was..."

"That's true, it's a human life."

"..." Ji Qiuming was silent for a moment, then said, "So, you are very different now."

“There are some things I have never forgotten.” Gu Xuan raised his head. “But at the moment of successful revenge, I didn’t seem to feel relieved. Instead, I walked into an even deeper abyss.”

The Black Dragon slaughtered the city... Is this Gu Xuan's revenge?

Ji Qiuming's heart skipped a beat, but he quickly dismissed it. Gu Xuan seemed to hold a high position within the remnants of the Black Dragon Clan. But at that level, he couldn't possibly influence such a major event as the massacre of a city; this wasn't thousands of years ago.

He wasn't surprised that Gu Xuan was from a different race; in fact, there were very few things in the world that could surprise him these days.

"Who do you hate?" he asked.

“Whom do I hate…” Gu Xuan gave a bitter smile. “I hate the villagers, I hate the Southern Qin, I hate ignorance, I hate myself, I hate the ancestor. I hate everything, but all this hatred is useless.”

As he spoke, his tone suddenly changed, becoming sinister as he said, "Even if it's useless... I still hate it."

“My father was stabbed to death with a harpoon on a haystack. He was an honest and simple man. I have traveled so many roads, met so many people, and understood so many principles, but I still don’t know what he did wrong to deserve being stabbed to death there.”

"He just wanted to protect his wife."

"If simply wanting to live is a sin, then we have no other choice."

"The progenitor is immortal, so who is the one who died?"

A hint of madness flickered in Gu Xuan's eyes.

He believed, he was certain... that the answer would come soon.

Everything will be guided back home by that man.

He was an orator, a schemer, an ambitious manipulator, a military strategist, a political strategist, a scientist, a psychologist, a philosopher, and a power manipulator. For Gu Xuan, the difference between a god and that man was that he had never seen a god.

He is the war god of the alien race.

He should have swept across the world, but then the nameless swordsman from Southern Qin appeared, suddenly and inexplicably, from who-knows-where, who-knows-who, and for what reason, annihilating his main army—a situation that would break anyone. No matter how strong a person, faced with such a maddening situation, they would be utterly crushed. But the man was not defeated. He slowly gathered his strength, waiting for the right opportunity.

There will never be another person as powerful as him. His terrifying will, advanced strategy, and perfect execution made him seem like a god sent to save the alien race.

If even he can't do it, then perhaps... for a different race to live is truly a sin.

Rules, laws, crimes—these are all made by the victors, by the living.

Gu Xuan's expression was somewhat crazed, while Ji Qiuming beside him remained expressionless.

He had pondered this question before, but now he felt it was all irrelevant. The only thing that bothered him was Gu Xuan's mental state... something was always inexplicably off.

If he's going to go crazy, hopefully it will be a little later.

Because Ji Fenming had already sent word that he would be returning to the Chaotic Province soon.

Moreover, Ji Qiuming had already guessed that if they were really looking for someone, then the Nephalem, whose expertise matched theirs, might also be there. If it was that Nephalem, they would probably be found sooner or later. If Ji Fenming wasn't there, things might have become very troublesome.

"Please hurry, brother..."

Ji Qiuming glanced at Gu Xuan subtly.