Chương 37: Danger Lurks on Every Side — The Fiend Tiger Saber Reaches Mastery!

Su Zhe listened quietly for a long while. Gradually, his expression settled. According to the memories he had absorbed from Mad Shark, Huang Mazi's disappearance had finally begun attracting Wang Shan's attention. However, Wang Shan seemed occupied with matters of his own lately. Rather than investigating personally, he had dispatched the Thirteen Guardians to several fishing villages along the Su River to look into Huang Mazi's disappearance.

Huang Yuan, meanwhile, had been assigned a separate task and would only arrive at the Su River three days later. The other twelve Guardians had already begun their inquiries. One of them eventually discovered that Su Yuan of the Su Family Fishing Village had previously clashed with Huang Mazi. Because of this, Mad Shark captured that investigator and arranged for Huang Yuan to meet him beneath Withered Tree Bridge upon arriving at the Su River. His plan had been simple.

He wanted to explain that Huang Mazi's death had nothing to do with him. But fate had intervened. Su Zhe had inherited part of Mad Shark's memories and learned of the arrangement beforehand, allowing him to ambush and kill Huang Yuan. Otherwise, events would have unfolded very differently. Even if Huang Yuan didn't completely trust Mad Shark's explanation, he likely wouldn't have pressed the matter too hard for the sake of obtaining the continuation of the Flood Dragon Art.

He would have returned and reported everything to Wang Shan. And once Wang Shan became involved, the affairs of the Su Family would inevitably be investigated thoroughly. At that point... The Su family would have been in serious trouble. For now, their only hope lay with his master, Sun Tiexin. Fortunately, Huang Yuan never made it back to the manor. Wang Shan still doesn't know about Uncle's conflict with Huang Mazi. And Huang Mazi was a local tyrant who oppressed the fishermen.

Plenty of people had grudges against him. The only suspicious part is that Uncle argued with him, and then Huang Mazi vanished a few days later. Still... time is on my side. As long as I can keep delaying things, there's hope. And even if Wang Shan eventually discovers the truth... I can strike first. Su Zhe silently calculated. He casually stopped an inner-sect disciple.

"Senior Brother, County Lieutenant Luo is a man of tremendous status. Why does he seem so respectful toward Hall Master Wang?" The disciple glanced at him. Su Zhe looked unfamiliar, and the man clearly wasn't interested in chatting. Without a word, Su Zhe slipped his hand into his sleeve pouch. The Creation Immortal Cauldron activated. A silver ingot appeared in his palm. With a pinch of his fingers, he shaved off a small piece of broken silver worth roughly two mace.

In this world, common currency consisted mainly of silver and copper coins. It was incredibly inconvenient. Official silver ingots in Tang Prefecture came in ten-tael units, yet even a relatively wealthy household might possess only a single ten-tael ingot in total savings. As a result, people often carried small scissors with them. Whenever they needed to buy something inexpensive, they would simply cut off a piece of silver.

Shopkeepers kept precision scales for weighing silver, medicinal herbs, and other valuable goods. Frugal families even carried wax and fire starters. The silver dust lost while cutting could be collected, sealed in wax, and later melted down to recover additional fragments of silver. It was an absurdly cumbersome system. Su Zhe handed over the two mace of silver with a grin. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

"Senior Brother, I think you dropped this." The disciple froze. Then he immediately understood. His previously indifferent face blossomed into a warm smile.

"Ah! My memory really is terrible. Good thing Junior Brother spotted it. Truly a man of noble character." Pocketing the silver, he glanced around before lowering his voice.

"Right now, Lu County is dominated by three powers—the Canal Guild, the County Government, and our Blacksmiths' Guild."

"Our guild's three leaders are all extraordinary figures."

"As for Hall Master Wang of the Pojun Hall, he's only in his thirties and is said to be just one step away from the Fourth Rank. His talent is exceptional."

"If fortune favors him and some senior expert takes him as a disciple, breaking into the Fourth Rank would be like soaring into the heavens."

"The County Lieutenant understands exactly what that means. Naturally, he's very respectful toward Hall Master Wang." Su Zhe nodded. That matched what he already knew. Among the Blacksmiths' Guild's three giants, Wang Shan was the youngest and arguably the most talented. He was probably not far from possessing Grade-A Bone Talent. Unfortunately, he had failed to catch the eye of Sword-Casting Manor in his youth. Su Zhe's eyes flickered.

Then he asked casually,"I've heard Hall Master Wang rarely leaves his residence these days. Any idea why?" After all, those two mace of silver couldn't go to waste. The disciple gave him a suspicious look.

"You sure are nosy." Then he shrugged.

"I heard Sword-Casting Manor's recruitment plans changed this year. In a few months, they'll send disciples to Lu County to scout for talents."

"Didn't Hall Master Wang recently take in a genius named Yu Yi?"

"These days he's personally guiding the boy. Doting on him like a treasure. It's obvious he's pinned all his hopes on him." The disciple leaned closer and lowered his voice even further.

"My cousin used to train in Pojun Hall before becoming a guard at Wang Manor."

"He told me Huang Yuan, the manor steward, originally left on business related to Yu Yi."

"After that, he went to the Su Family territory..." The disciple shuddered.

"And then he never came back."

"Damn. That King of River Bandits really is terrifying. One man wiping out all thirteen Guardians..." Su Zhe raised an eyebrow. He knew Huang Yuan had handled other matters before heading to the Su family's area. What he hadn't known was that the matter involved Yu Yi.

"Are you sure?" Su Zhe narrowed his eyes.

"Of course I'm sure!" The disciple immediately became offended.

"Why would I lie?"

"If I'm making this up, may lightning strike my cousin dead!" Su Zhe was momentarily speechless. This senior brother really was an honest soul. To have a cousin like him... What a blessing. After gathering a few more pieces of intelligence, Su Zhe left in excellent spirits. He headed straight for the Hall of Craftsmanship and resumed his life at the forge. Although the immediate crisis surrounding the Flood Dragon Art had been temporarily delayed, he still felt immense pressure.

Just how terrifying was a peak Third-Rank expert like Wang Shan? Su Zhe didn't know. But judging from the County Lieutenant's attitude, he could imagine. Within a county, the most powerful officials were the County Magistrate, County Deputy Magistrate, and County Lieutenant. Yet even someone of that stature treated Wang Shan with obvious respect. The threat was impossible to ignore. The only solution was simple. Become stronger. By any means necessary. For now, forge weapons. Train martial arts.

The battle on the Su River brought enormous gains. My cultivation has reached the high stage of Second Rank. The Savage Bull Hammer has reached Perfection. The Fiend Tiger Soul-Slaying Saber is approaching Major Mastery. And I've obtained the continuation of the Flood Dragon Diving Art, allowing me to push toward the Small Success stage. Sweat poured from Su Zhe's body as he worked. He pawned a large amount of martial materials to the Internal Affairs Hall and devoted himself entirely to forging.

The sound of hammer strikes echoed endlessly. One after another, First-Rank mortal weapons emerged from the forge. His success rate continued climbing. A week passed in the blink of an eye. His Thousand-Forging Method advanced rapidly. He could now reliably produce dual-layered six-pattern weapon inscriptions and independently forge Second-Rank mortal weapons. The achievement sent shockwaves through the Hall of Craftsmanship.

"This kid's progress is absurd..."

"At this rate, he might be forging Third-Rank mortal weapons before long!" When Sun Tiexin heard the news, he personally came to verify it. After confirming it himself, he delivered that astonishing assessment. The entire hall erupted. At present, only Xiao Xunhuan and Guo Ju could forge Third-Rank mortal weapons—and even they succeeded only rarely. As for peak Third-Rank weapons, only Sun Tiexin himself possessed that capability. Yet Su Zhe... How long had he even been here?

His skill in the forging path was already approaching the level of Xiao Xunhuan and Guo Ju. Sun Tiexin's words instantly placed tremendous pressure on the two direct disciples. Su Zhe's talent was becoming impossible to conceal. Sooner or later, surpassing them seemed inevitable. But both men were geniuses in their own right. Neither was willing to accept that day arriving too quickly. Before long, the Hall of Craftsmanship once again descended into a frenzy of competition. Bang!

Inside the Su family courtyard, saber light flashed. Su Zhe wielded the Tiger-Roaring Fiend Saber. Its blade radiated murderous force. Every swing unleashed howling gusts of wind. The rings attached to the back of the blade rattled violently, producing the roar of a tiger. Su Zhe immersed himself completely in the technique. In his mind, he became the king of beasts. The tiger possessed the ferocity of a predator and the majesty of a sovereign.

Tiger force originated from the base of the spine, surged upward along the Governing Vessel, nourished the brain, and completed the circulation between the Governing and Conception channels. As the final movement concluded, Su Zhe slowly lowered his saber. A long breath escaped him. Dense white mist poured from his nose and mouth like rolling clouds. His face remained calm. Yet an invisible aura of authority radiated from him naturally. Like a tiger king crouching in wait before the hunt.

At the same time, his body had become lean, powerful, and remarkably flexible. His entire presence resembled a spiritual flood dragon preparing to ascend into the heavens. Beyond the "Strength of an Ox" beast manifestation, he now possessed the manifestations of "Tiger's Majestic Might" and "Soaring Phoenix, Rising Flood Dragon." The three beast manifestations merged together, producing something profoundly mysterious. A smile appeared on his face.

"The Fiend Tiger Saber has finally reached Major Mastery."

"And now..." His gaze fell upon the Tiger-Roaring Fiend Saber.

"I can finally make proper use of this weapon." The Creation Immortal Cauldron released a beam of light that enveloped the tiger-headed saber in his hand. This was none other than the weapon Huang Yuan had wielded. And within it... Were fragments of martial memories left behind by a cultivator who had brought the Fiend Tiger Saber Art to the Grand Perfection realm.