Chapter Six: A Road of No Return

Sun Yuan rushed back to Bibo City with the urgency of a shooting star, dashing into the Su family estate the moment he arrived.

Then, he was stunned: the Su family was empty. Everyone who held any authority was nowhere to be found.

"Where did they go?"
"Unknown."
"Did they leave any message?"
"None."
"Who is still in the house?"
"Only the ladies."
"When are they coming back?"
"Unknown."

Sun Yuan was speechless. What kind of nonsense was the Su family pulling? Was this not too absurd? He scoured the estate with his divine sense, but finding no one capable of making a decision, he sulkily returned to the inn. Along the way, he cursed the Su family’s ancestors for eight generations. Since there was no other choice, he decided to find Fang Che himself.

Upon arriving at the Fang residence, he saw Fang Che busy preparing venison. A boning knife danced and flickered in Fang Che’s hand—*swish, swish, swish*...

He had only watched for a dozen strokes before he couldn't help but reveal himself. Those few cuts were brimming with an effortless, spiritual grace. Even though it was just butchering meat, the way he drew the blade, retracted it, navigated the joints, vibrated the edge, guided the tip, and sliced at an angle... it all felt perfectly natural, as if crafted by heaven itself.

Sun Yuan’s heart blazed with excitement. *I have discovered a genius!* That was exactly the feeling. He scrutinized the young man’s movements and the look in his eyes, becoming even more satisfied. Observing the state of his muscles, flesh, and tendons, there was a faint, crystalline luster beneath the skin.

"This doesn't look like ordinary Grade-B aptitude; it looks more like Grade-A."

As this thought crossed his mind, Sun Yuan’s heart raced. Martial arts aptitude was divided into four grades: A, B, C, and D, with each grade further subdivided into high, middle, and low. A low-grade D was essentially a commoner who could practice martial arts but would only ever have slightly more strength; a high-grade D, with diligent practice, could at least live a comfortable life. Grade-B was what the secular world considered a genius, and high-grade B was the basic standard for major sects looking for disciples. Grade-A, however, was reserved for super-geniuses, with high-grade A being one in ten thousand. Above Grade-A lay the legendary constitutions—the Sword Bone, the Spiritual Sword Body, the Innate Spirit Body, the Ethereal Body, and various others unique to women.

Sun Yuan had initially assumed Fang Che was merely Grade-B, so he had tossed the Five-Spirit Gu onto him and left without giving it another thought. He never expected otherwise.

"The Su family has misled me!" Sun Yuan felt a surge of indignation. However, recalling the long-standing rivalry between the Su and Fang families, he understood. "They flattered me while trying to ruin a genius of the Fang family—the Su family’s calculations were quite clever. No wonder this boy’s talent didn't match what they described. That must be it."

Sun Yuan snorted, feeling a flicker of anger. "They almost made me miss such a rare piece of raw jade."

He felt the Five-Spirit Gu inside the boy, lively and feeding back information with extreme clarity, further proving that the boy’s aptitude was enough to make the Gu feel comfortable. This was a sign of top-tier talent. Overcome with impatience, he jumped out.

"Are you his helper?" Fang Che looked at Sun Yuan and curled his lip. "Who are you?" Even though he had already decided to pursue this path, he couldn't give in too easily. As the saying goes, the harder something is to obtain, the more it is cherished.

"I am Sun Yuan, known in the martial world as the Flying Blade King!" Sun Yuan said with a hint of pride. A King-level expert—this was his public identity, and in a small place like Bibo City, it was enough to rule supreme. Mentioning his name should, by all rights, be shocking.

"Never heard of you."
"???"
"And I don't like using blades."

Fang Che rolled his eyes. "Besides, I don't know you. This is my home; how did you get in? Someone! Help!"

"No, no, no..." Sun Yuan was momentarily flustered, but then he thought, *Fine, it's better if your family is here to witness this anyway.*

"Witness what?"
"I intend to take you as my disciple!"
"But I don't want to find myself a master. Besides, you're only a King-level..."

Fang Che meant exactly what he said. He was only a King-level? Fang Che wasn't particularly impressed. He wanted someone with more weight. As a King-level, he probably didn't hold a high position in the "Only I Am Orthodox" sect anyway.

Sun Yuan was shocked. *I am a King-level, a Blade King, and wanting to take a disciple in this tiny family is this difficult?* Your family's highest level is a Grandmaster, a small one at that! Compared to my King-level, there are the Great Grandmaster, Martial General, Martial Marshal, and Martial Marquis—four major ranks, equivalent to thirty-six minor tiers! How does this brat think a Martial King is weak? And he even said "only"?

"You don't think highly of me? I'm not necessarily going to take you, either." Sun Yuan snorted and shook out a small white jade pagoda; it was the Fish-Dragon Pagoda used in the cultivation world to test aptitude. *So infuriating!* If the boy was only low-grade A, he would just recommend him to the sect to complete his mission and let someone else take him. If he was middle-grade A or higher, he would find a way to take him himself. He would test him now, so as not to waste his feelings.

"Give it here!"
"What for!"

Sun Yuan snorted, grabbed his hand roughly, pressed it onto the Fish-Dragon Pagoda, and then placed his other hand on Fang Che’s back, channeling his spiritual energy into him.

In an instant, the bottom six levels of the Fish-Dragon Pagoda lit up, skipping over the D, C, and B grades entirely.

"So fast!" Sun Yuan gasped. He had only just started channeling his energy, hadn't he?

Immediately, the seventh level lit up—low-grade A. Then the eighth level flashed, and in quick succession, the ninth level lit up, glowing with brilliant gold.

"High-grade A... so fast!" Sun Yuan gulped.

Next was the top-tier tenth level, the legendary aptitude. Without the slightest obstruction, all ten levels lit up, erupting in a dazzling golden light that shot straight out through the top of the pagoda!

*Pop!*

The Fish-Dragon Pagoda's light vanished instantly. It was ruined.

Sun Yuan stood frozen, stunned. It was beyond legendary! The testing light had shattered the Fish-Dragon Pagoda! He had never even imagined in his life that such a thing could happen. His eyes nearly popped out of his head. Ignoring the destruction of the pagoda, he grabbed Fang Che’s hand, refusing to let go for anything. "You, you must take me as your master!"

*This is insane...* An aptitude beyond the legendary! Sun Yuan was so excited he could almost cry. *I only have low-grade A aptitude myself, and after being injured years ago, I knew I had no hope for the future. Yet now, such a piece of raw jade has been delivered to me! If I let this pass, it would be a crime against heaven.*

"I've decided, this will be my successor!"

Fang Che was also a bit stunned. He had gone along with the test half-heartedly, wanting to know his current aptitude himself. He naturally knew about the Fish-Dragon Pagoda; ever since it was successfully forged, it had been a craze in the cultivation circle. He knew that his original body was at most high-grade B, but the three Heavenly Pulse Vermilion Fruits combined with the marrow-cleansing effects of the Boundless Truth Scripture had elevated him to legendary quality! It was several levels higher than his own high-grade A aptitude from his previous life. *But the Heavenly Pulse Vermilion Fruits couldn't possibly have such power. Was it the effect of the Boundless Truth Scripture combined with the fruit?*

Following this, Sun Yuan began showing off all sorts of skills to secure his new disciple: crushing steel with his hands, turning breath into blades, smashing giant hammers with his head, and performing star-rain sword displays. He made all kinds of promises: "As long as you become my disciple, I won't restrict you; you can take other masters in the future, and you'll be free to act as you please. I won't force you; you'll just have to complete a few sect missions..."

He offered every benefit and used every trick in the book. Sun Yuan knew very well that he could never keep a genius like this for himself! Once his cultivation improved and he completed a few missions, entering the sight of others, some powerful figure would inevitably come to take him as a disciple. With his own strength, he could never stop them; if he showed the slightest bit of resistance, he would be obliterated. If he died, others would just take the disciple anyway. So, he couldn't be greedy.

Sun Yuan’s requirements were simple: he just needed the status of "Master," and he would give anything for it. Once Fang Che grew up, his own family would naturally receive the greatest protection! With this aptitude, he was almost certain to enter the higher echelons of the "Only I Am Orthodox" sect! By then, his status as a "High-Level Master" would be enough to sustain himself and his descendants forever.

In the end, Fang Che agreed, appearing very reluctant.

"...Fine. Master, please accept..."
"Wait!" Sun Yuan wasn't satisfied. "This must be witnessed by your elders; the apprenticeship ceremony must be grand and solemn."

Fang Che was immediately unwilling. "I'm the one becoming a disciple, not them. Why does the family need to witness it?" He knew clearly that if the family witnessed it and Sun Yuan’s identity was exposed later, the Fang family would be implicated. If it were just his personal act, he would have ways to maneuver. At worst, he would be the only one implicated. This was exactly what the Guardian Code stipulated. Using the excuse of "youthful rebellion" to refuse was perfectly timed.

The two argued, but eventually, Sun Yuan stepped back. After all, geniuses were entitled to privileges.

"I will just make a note within the sect, that will suffice." Sun Yuan had his own plans.

Everything ended happily. "Master is above, please accept this bow from your disciple, Fang Che."

Fang Che didn't care about the formalities. To him, he just needed to get inside; the future would have its own path. *The one who took you as a master is Fang Che; what does that have to do with me? Although, I don't know who I am...*

However, from this moment on, Fang Che knew he had chosen an incredibly difficult path: as a standard undercover agent, he had no superior and no subordinate. He was fighting alone, misunderstood. Perhaps one day, he would die mysteriously at the hands of his own people.

But Fang Che did not regret this choice. In his previous life, he had started as an ordinary martial artist, passed the trials to join the Town Guard, and after reaching a certain level of cultivation, he took on missions and gradually ascended to become a Guardian. He had climbed from an Iron-rank Guardian to Silver, and on his final mission, he was about to upgrade to Gold before he died.

But along that journey, he had seen countless comrades, brothers-in-arms, and friends die at the hands of the "Only I Am Orthodox" sect. His master, his master's wife, his senior brothers, junior brothers... and his junior sister! All his loved ones and the thousands of brothers he fought alongside had perished at their hands.

He had witnessed the harm the sect brought to the entire world. Village after village of corpses. Mountain after mountain of white bones. Smoke of war rising from every city and town! He remembered entering that small city, as silent as a graveyard. The flocks of carrion birds flying up and landing, their ear-piercing cries that made his scalp crawl. Walking down the main street, the only sound was the hollow echo of his own footsteps. Masses of corpses, old and young, strong and weak, none were spared. So many corpses, all with expressions of confusion. They didn't understand why they had lived such peaceful, secluded lives only to die like this!

Fang Che hated the "Only I Am Orthodox" sect to the core, with a gnashing, bone-deep hatred. And now, the sect was growing stronger, and the Guardians were falling into a disadvantageous position. Now that he had the chance to infiltrate them, even if he were to be shattered into dust, Fang Che would never change his mind.

He had the memories of his past life; he remembered all the secret codes, even if they might have changed. He knew countless secrets. But he also knew that within the Guardians, even at the highest levels, there were undercover agents from the sect.

An identity like his, with no superior or subordinate, appearing as if out of thin air, was the perfect candidate for an undercover agent. Because... no matter how the "Only I Am Orthodox" sect investigated, they would never find him in their archives!

Now, he just needed to pass this first hurdle with the sect!

...

Sun Yuan was grinning from ear to ear! He had taken an absolute genius as his disciple. He could already see the day he would rise within the sect. He felt his disciple would surely achieve greatness; he would definitely become a high-level member of the sect—that was a certainty. At the very least, becoming a leader within the sect was within reach, and becoming a sect leader or deputy leader wasn't impossible. At the absolute worst, holding a branch, with power in his hands—that was a predictable, certain future. By then, he, Sun Yuan... hahaha.

Thinking of this, he almost laughed out loud. *Heavenly-grade aptitude! Beyond legendary! Who wouldn't envy me? Just tell me, who else? Wahahaha...*

And so, he started pulling out treasures on the spot.