Outside Xianyang City.
Zuzong gazed at the towering, majestic city walls before him, sighing to himself: Such grandeur! In terms of sheer height and magnificence, it certainly surpasses Heaven Dou City of the Douluo Continent.
Drawing out his black sword, Zuzong strapped it to his waist and swaggered through the city gates.
Zuzong's plan was simple: first, he would purchase a quiet courtyard. He would spend his days practising swordsmanship and his nights waiting for assassins to come to him. After dealing with them, he would return to the Douluo Continent at night to train his soul power. This way, he could refine his swordsmanship without delaying his soul power cultivation.
As expected, as soon as Zuzong entered Xianyang City, he could feel many eyes on him.
Some were staring at the black sword hanging from his waist, subtly, but not escaping his notice. Others were curious about his strange clothing, their gazes completely unrestrained. And still, others were drawn purely by his appearance.
It was well-known that the Douluo Continent was full of handsome men and beautiful women. Zuzong was considered one of the most attractive there, especially with his striking blue-silver hair and handsome features, which were irresistible to girls. Naturally, he attracted many curious glances.
Zuzong found a random inn, removed his black sword, and sat down.
The waiter approached and asked, "Are you here for a meal or lodging, sir?"
Zuzong glanced at the waiter. As he approached, Zuzong noticed him sneaking a glance at his black sword. It seemed he was a spy from some faction.
But Zuzong didn't bother exposing him. "Bring me some good dishes and your best wine. Also, inform your boss that I'm looking to buy a courtyard. I'm willing to pay a high price."
"Certainly! Please wait a moment."
A short while later, Zuzong's meal was served.
As Zuzong enjoyed his food, a scholarly middle-aged man approached him from the inn's back area.
The scholarly man cupped his hands respectfully and said, "I heard you are looking to buy a courtyard?"
Zuzong nodded. "Yes, any recommendations?"
"There happens to be an empty courtyard on the west side of Xianyang. It gets great sunlight and has a beautiful environment. However, the price..." the man gestured subtly with his fingers.
Zuzong waved his hand dismissively. "It just needs to be quiet. I don't want to be disturbed."
Aside from the few million-dollar gold cards from the Douluo Continent, Zuzong also carried tens of thousands of gold coins. Gold was a universal currency, so he wasn't worried about the cost.
More importantly, he needed peace and quiet. He knew the Net (Luo Wang) assassins would come for him at night, and he didn't want any innocents to get caught up in it.
Meanwhile, in the Prime Minister's residence.
Lu Buwei was writing something, while behind him, a black-clad figure kneeled.
"Have you found Xuan Jian's whereabouts yet?" asked Lu Buwei.
"Reporting to the Prime Minister, ever since Master Xuan Jian was rescued by a masked man four months ago, he has disappeared without a trace, as if he had vanished from the world."
Lu Buwei's eyes flashed coldly. "Then why are you back?"
The black-clad man began to sweat. "Sir, though we couldn't find Xuan Jian, we did discover the whereabouts of the black sword."
"Oh?" Lu Buwei's eyes glimmered with interest. "Tell me more."
"Earlier today, a blue-haired youth in strange attire, carrying the black sword, swaggered into Xianyang. Considering the significance of this, I came to report it immediately."
Lu Buwei narrowed his eyes. "And where is he now?"
"He's currently staying in a courtyard on the west side of Xianyang. Coincidentally, it's Xuan Jian's former residence."
"The black sword? A blue-haired youth? Xuan Jian?" Lu Buwei pondered. "Could this youth be related to the one who rescued Xuan Jian?"
After some thought, Lu Buwei glanced at the black-clad man. "The person can die, but the sword must not. Tonight, take a few Earth-level assassins to test his strength. If he's bluffing, kill him and take the sword."
"Understood, Prime Minister."
The black-clad figure melted into the shadows.
Night soon fell. After two hours of sword practice, Zuzong sat in his courtyard pavilion, sipping tea, waiting for his "guests" to arrive.
Suddenly, Zuzong frowned. He sensed someone approaching.
"Come out!" Zuzong called loudly.
At his words, five black-clad assassins dressed in web-patterned uniforms dropped from the roof, surrounding him.
The lead assassin sneered, "Kid, hand over the black sword, and I'll leave your body intact."
To Zuzong, these killers were no different from the soulless maids he had encountered at Heaven Dou's auction house—hardly even human. The maids were victims of the empire's corruption, but these killers were heartless outlaws, not forced into the Net, except for a few unlucky souls like the original Jing Ke.[T/N - Any FGO Player here ?]
With a swift motion, Zuzong drew his black sword and moved into his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track stance, weaving through the group and attacking.
This time, Zuzong didn't use his Instant Movement technique. If he had, only experts on Xuan Jian's level could have survived even a single strike.
After just a dozen moves, Zuzong sighed in disappointment. He didn't even bother activating his Sharingan. The assassins' swordsmanship was crude, full of flaws. Apart from the leader, the other four were pitifully weak—so weak that even the still-developing Gai Nie or Wei Zhuang could have wiped them out with ease.
Growing bored, Zuzong's aura shifted, and his sword speed suddenly increased. The lead assassin, taken aback, realised Zuzong had been holding back.
Moments later, the four underlings lay dead in pools of blood.
Zuzong flicked the blood off his sword and slowly approached the leader.
With every step Zuzong took, the leader retreated, his hands trembling as he gripped his sword.
"Kid... y-you better think twice! If you offend the Net, we'll make sure you'll beg for death but never find it!" the leader stammered.
Zuzong smirked, murmuring, "Heavenly Net, inescapable and ever-present. The largest and most terrifying secret organisation in the seven kingdoms of Qin. Interesting. But you still have to die."
Just as Zuzong was about to deliver the killing blow, he sensed something and dodged. A flying knife embedded itself into the pavilion post where he had just stood.
Taking advantage of the distraction, the lead assassin leapt onto the roof and vanished in the blink of an eye.
Zuzong chuckled and didn't pursue.
He had already sensed the one who had attacked him. His surroundings were covered in his Blue Silver Grass, so nothing could escape his notice.
In fact, Zuzong had never intended to kill the leader; he wanted to lure out bigger fish. Since someone had attacked him, he decided to play along.
After making sure there were no more threats, Zuzong unleashed his Extreme Flame Blue Silver Emperor, incinerating the assassins' corpses into nothing. Only then did he return to his room, close the door, and activate his never-before-used Clone Technique, leaving a non-physical clone in his place.
It was time for Zuzong to return to the Douluo Continent to continue his soul-power training.
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