Li Hao frowned slightly. He knew that there would be speculations, but hadn’t anticipated that someone would expose him to his face so quickly. He Yong... was as rumored, seemingly a bull in a china shop, but in reality a combination of boldness and wisdom!
“Are you interested in sparring?” He Yong looked merrily at Li Hao. “To be honest, I’d like to witness the might of a Dominator swordsman. I fought one in the central region once, but he couldn’t stand up to a single blow!
“Of course, he wasn’t a swordsman of Silver Moon. There is a premier swordsman in the central region who was the Sky Sword of yesteryear. He’s a supernatural now and unbelievably strong, a premier existence and a titan in the Nova level!
“Sky Sword is domineering while Earthturner cowers like a turtle. I can’t be bothered with him. Jadelight is killing Red Moon all over the place with your master. The Light Sword has gone missing... To be honest, it’s almost impossible to run into a Silver Moon swordsman these days. Why don’t you keep me company?”
Li Hao looked at He Yong and asked after a moment, “Does... the senior wish to test our skills against each other?”
“I do indeed have that in mind.” He Yong raised an eyebrow. “Of course, don’t be like your teacher and want to kill whoever you’re sparring with! Your master killed people because he purposefully fought others on a similar level to him. There’s a ninety percent chance of death under those circumstances. If it’s us two... I don’t know if I dominate you or you overpower me. I think there’s no need for a fight to the death as there’s no chance of us being on a similar footing.
“I came to Silver Moon to witness the might of Summoner of Spirit. But I want to see your master, not you.”
“Then forget it!” Li Hao shook his head.
“Swordsmen do not spar, they only kill when the sword is unsheathed!”
He Yong frowned and sighed after some consideration. “Then... Yes, forget it. Someone else once said those words—Sky Sword. He also killed innumerable people in the central region and shed blood whenever he drew his sword.
“What a pity that I have certain matters to attend to.” The old martial master shook his head with regret. “I haven’t seen your master yet, so I don’t wish to fight to the death with you. Even if I win, I’ll be mocked for switching targets to the old demon’s disciple because I couldn’t fight him. It would be a loss of face regardless.”
“Senior might not be a match for my senior brother either...” Wang Ming couldn’t help but say off to the side. He didn’t mind injecting some opportune flattery since everything was out in the open.
“Perhaps!” He Yong laughed silently and looked at Li Hao. “I know your reason for coming. Martial masters all crave to grow stronger, or rather, everyone wants to grow stronger. But blood transfusions aren’t a good method for you. You have a strong physique and you may not quickly increase your strength after you change your blood.”
The young man frowned. Did He Yong not wish to exchange knowledge with him? That was also a normal reaction. This was a path that the man had found by himself and not everyone was willing to freely share their knowledge. Li Hao himself had kept the crux of Summoner of Spirit to himself. It was just that he’d come with the thought that he would more or less gain something from this visit.
“Don’t think too much,” He Yong laughed. “It’s not that I’m not willing, but that there’s no need! And it’s not like I don’t have anything to tell you.” The old man thought for a moment. “You’re a swordsman, so there’s a method suited to you if you wish to grow stronger. However, it’s up to you to see if you dare try it.”
“The Flaming Phoenix Spear!”
Li Hao blinked. What did that have to do with anything?
“Hou Xiaochen must have been a premier martial master back in the day—he was absolutely one of the three commanders of the Skystar Guards! He was probably already a Dominator then. I can’t tell if he’s still a martial master now or a supernatural. But I could see a few things when he killed Red Hair. His spear intent remains and his aura is still there!
“Go and ask to borrow his Flaming Phoenix Spear. Origin weapons are a bit special as some of their spirit will awaken after many years of nurturing. Once they come back to life, they inherit some of their master’s legacy—such as the aura!
“If you can borrow his origin weapon and if you’re rich enough, get some mysterious power stones to activate it. Don’t fight Hou Xiaochen, that’s meaningless as he’s so much stronger than you. But if you fight the Flaming Phoenix Spear by itself, you might come across unexpected gains.
“Perceive some of Hou Xiaochen’s aura and sense the fierceness of the spear killing a Nova with one jab. So long as you don’t die to the origin weapon, you’ll see great gains from the clash between your sword intent and the spear intent!
“You might even be able to take the opportunity to comprehend some of Hou Xiaochen’s aura. He was very powerful back in the day and still is...”
“Do you mean this, senior?” Li Hao’s eyes danced with excitement.
“No shit!” He Yong laughed. “Is there a need to lie to you? This doesn’t just apply to Hou Xiaochen, but also Huang Yun. You’ll gain something too if you can borrow Huang Yun’s weapon. Every martial master in those days had their own personal weapon that was infused with some of their mind intent. Origin weapons are the best candidate because they have their own spirit!
“Also, some origin weapons from the ancient civilization may bear traces of their master’s intent if they were sealed away. You can try unsealing them, but that can be very dangerous! Too much is unknown about those kinds of origin weapons. If their master was too strong and the lingering intent is also too strong, you’re doomed if you awaken them. When the spirit stirs with life again, it’ll kill you with one move.
“Therefore, it’s best not to try random origin weapons. One unsealed for many years like the Flaming Phoenix Spear is a bit more stable.”
He Yong truly knew a lot; Li Hao drank in everything that he heard.
“Thank you for your pointers, senior!” Although Li Hao hadn’t learned the exact method for blood transfusion, He Yong had taught him a lot. The young man was very happy. He’d discovered that while the old martial masters of Silver Moon adhered to the perspective of their disciplines and didn’t easily teach their secret arts, they didn’t mind sharing some basic reflections.
Such was Hong Yitang, as was He Yong. Even Liu Long had gifted Li Hao the Nine Forged Force not long after they met. These veteran martial masters were quite generous in some ways.
“What are you being so polite for!” He Yong was in a merry mood. “I’m happy to see martial masters grow stronger! This is also a convenient way for me to appraise how strong Hou Xiaochen is. If his spear can’t kill you, then that means his aura is within a tolerable range for me.
“But if you die, that means this guy is absolutely terrifying and I should leave Silver Moon as soon as possible.”
Li Hao laughed and nodded at the smirk on He Yong’s face. He didn’t mind being used as a lab rat. “Senior, are there martial masters in the central region who can stand against Novas?”
“Who knows? He Yong shrugged. “Martial masters keep a low profile and their noses to the ground after the rise of the supernatural. They’re all incredibly low key other than those who crossed over the supernatural. I know some who’ve killed Solars, but Novas...? I really haven’t heard of any, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.
“There may be more than one path beyond Dominator and Summoner of Spirit may not be the only way!” He Yong gave it some thought. “For example, I know of a guy who’s not necessarily weak. Sky Sword is domineering among Novas after crossing over, but that guy is also ferocious while remaining a martial master...”
“Tyrant Blade!” He Yong intoned. “I saw him once seven years ago. The skies break and earth shatters when he strikes with his weapon! I’m certain that he’s still a martial master, not a supernatural. But he slew a Solar with one stroke earlier than your master. That was seven years ago, who knows what he’s like now.”
“His blade gives me the feeling that he walks a different path! He didn’t strengthen his body, change his blood, or enhance his organs. He improved his blade intent and turned himself into a blade!”
“Is senior saying that Tyrant Blade turned himself into a blade by enhancing his consciousness and aura, but he himself isn’t that strong?” Li Hao mused.
“That’s right!” He Yong nodded. “Tyrant Blade gave me the feeling that his mind intent is invincible, but his physical body is frail and weak. He’s so fragile that I suspect that if I punched him before he deployed his blade intent, I’d beat him to death with one punch.”
Enhancing one’s aura and consciousness to the extreme and ignoring the body...
Li Hao learned of yet another possibility today. Martial masters proceeded down a variety of paths in the bid to strengthen themselves, his teacher wasn’t the only one. Many of Silver Moon’s martial masters continued to explore.
He Yong focused on blood and qi, Tyrant Blade on the mind, Sky Sword crossed over to the supernatural, and his teacher fortified the five visceral organs... Each of these old guard martial masters walked their own paths.
They might not forget martial dao even after converting to the supernatural. In fact, it was impossible for them to forget. The martial world was an interesting place. Li Hao quite regretted that he’d never been able to experience it for himself. Tyrant Blade, Sky Sword, Southern Fist, the Three Spears, and three commanders of the Skystar Guard... That must have been a fascinating era.
Of course, present day was just as well. The supernatural was filled with all sorts of profound mysteries. Li Hao didn’t look down on the supernatural. While he’d killed some of their practitioners, that didn’t mean he had the right to dismiss them. Powerful supernaturals might run beyond the imagination.
He Yong and Li Hao conversed for a long period of time. The old martial master spoke of the fun happenings back in the day while the young man listened. They discussed the auras and gossip of the age...
He Yong wouldn’t have spoken of this to Li Hao before; he wouldn’t be interested in a conversation. But now, he was. At the same time, he couldn’t be bothered to look at Wang Ming. The young supernatural wasn’t worthy!
Martial masters could be quite focused on profit and gain. Li Hao was pulled into a conversation now because the young man had killed a Solar. He Yong had deduced that, which was why he deigned to chat today.