Chapter 115: The Secret Sword of the Wandering Dragon

Early the next morning, while Gao Wu was still performing his morning practice in his room, he heard someone banging loudly on the front gate.

Thinking something had happened, the old man opened the door, only to find two reporters—one of whom was carrying a video camera. The old man’s face darkened immediately. Out of consideration for Gao Wu, he didn't chase them away, but he didn't let them in either.

Gao Wu didn't really want to deal with them, but since they were all fellow townspeople, he knew they didn't harbor any deep affection for him; they were simply trying to capitalize on his traffic to make a living. There was no need to be overly harsh. After chatting with them at the gate for a few minutes, he learned they were independent media personnel who had come specifically to interview him.

After shooing the two away and finishing breakfast, Gao Wu received a call from his coach. What followed was a series of speeches arranged by his school, followed by invitations from various other institutions. Having already accepted a one-million-dollar bonus from his school, Gao Wu found it difficult to refuse.

There was no way around it. After two weeks of giving speeches, he had finally visited all the major high schools in Dongjiang and the surrounding counties. As time passed, the buzz began to fade rapidly. While Gao Wu had initially enjoyed the admiration, after a few days, he found it exhausting. When the hype finally died down and no one came looking for him to attend events anymore, he breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Becoming famous was exhilarating, but the various obligations that accompanied the prestige were truly troublesome. These things were inextricably linked; not to mention a minor warrior like him, even a powerhouse like a Martial King, while enjoying the reverence of thousands, had to shoulder the responsibility of protecting humanity.

With his schedule clear and having already been admitted to the Martial Arts Academy of Anjing University, Gao Wu no longer needed to take the academic exams. His grades were average, hovering between low and middle; without his martial arts specialty, he would have barely qualified for a vocational college.

Of course, that was in the past. With his mental power having increased to fifteen points, the most obvious change was his vastly improved memory, which had reached the level of near-photographic recall. If he studied a book carefully twice, he could truly commit it to memory. His heightened mental power also made his thinking sharper, allowing him to grasp formulas and theorems that had previously been difficult to understand. If he really focused on his studies, he could likely cram his way into a top-tier university, but there was no need for that.

Gao Wu knew very well that he wasn't cut out to be a scientist. Human powerhouses had already accumulated a century of exploration in the field of martial arts. As a mere junior warrior, even with the Immeasurable Merit Book, his level was still too low to be daydreaming or tinkering aimlessly. It would be soon enough to consider his own path once he reached the peak of martial arts.

With nothing to do, Gao Wu moved in with Song Mingyue. It was mainly for the convenience of cultivation; whether it was martial arts techniques or honing his mental power, he could not do without Song Mingyue, and vice versa. There were still four months until the start of the semester in September, during which he could thoroughly polish his strength. If conditions permitted, perhaps he and Song could even go and eliminate Wan Canglong to rid the people of a menace!

"What do you think I should choose?" Gao Wu opened the Hunter’s Guild website. His fifty-thousand points had already been credited, and his point-based clearance allowed him to access the internal network. The internal network contained all sorts of agents, weapons, biochemical modification surgeries, custom biochemical battle armor, and more. Although he had checked a lot of information beforehand, he was still dazzled, wanting everything he saw.

In particular, the biochemical battle armor—such form-fitting gear looked incredibly cool, representing the most direct manifestation of martial strength and serving as the pinnacle of modern biochemical and material technology. As a man, who could refuse a suit of cool armor?

Song Mingyue understood Gao Wu too well. She analyzed, "For a martial artist, biochemical armor is essentially an external organ. It requires the user to constantly provide source power and mental energy to maintain the armor’s vitality and keep it in good condition. Maintaining it is also incredibly troublesome. Since you aren't fighting every day, you would rarely use a suit of armor, and it would actually hinder your martial arts training. It’s unwise to invest such limited resources into it."

"Oh." Gao Wu was a bit disappointed, but what Song Mingyue said made perfect sense, and he had to suppress his restless heart.

Song Mingyue clicked on the page for agents and pointed to various intermediate ones. "I still suggest you use agents to maximize your body's potential. There’s the Intermediate Flying Squirrel Agent, the Intermediate Flying Dragon Agent, the Intermediate Diamond Agent..."

Gao Wu checked the prices; they were generally one thousand points per vial, which was equivalent to one million in market value. He muttered, "That’s so expensive!"

"Intermediate agents are all priced like this. After all, the extraction technology is complex and monopolized by several pharmaceutical groups, and generic intermediate agents are rarely seen. Besides, now that you’ve become a warrior, very few people would risk their lives to save money..."

"That’s true." Gao Wu understood this well. It was easy for a warrior to make money; injecting agents was already dangerous, and using generics meant valuing one's life too cheaply. Although he wasn't afraid of generics, he didn't have a good channel to buy them anyway. Besides, he needed to make use of his fifty thousand points.

"Let’s start with ten vials of the Intermediate Flying Squirrel Agent to test it out." Gao Wu’s weakest attribute was agility; injecting the agent would save him a lot of time. His Azure Dragon Divine Qi Mantra had boosted his constitution, and twenty points of constitution were more than enough to withstand any side effects, so there was no need to overthink it.

After redeeming the agents with his points, Gao Wu soon received a text notification on his phone, telling him to pick up his order at the Dongjiang Hunter Association the next day. Gao Wu admired such efficiency.

The next morning, Gao Wu originally planned to head to the Hunter Association, but he received an invitation from Tie Dalong. He still held this teacher in high regard and had even visited him a few days prior. The fact that he was suddenly being invited meant there must be something going on...

At ten in the morning, Gao Wu arrived at the Tielong Martial Arts Hall. From a distance, he saw a huge four-meter-square billboard at the entrance. It featured a giant photo of him in his crimson martial arts uniform, saluting, with bold text next to it: "Kirin Cup Champion Gao Wu, Tielong Martial Arts Hall Student."

Gao Wu couldn't help but smile, understanding why Tie Dalong had sought him out. He had no objections. Before he had become successful, Tie Dalong had treated him very well. He was a student of the Tielong Martial Arts Hall, so the advertisement was perfectly legitimate.

When Tie Dalong heard Gao Wu had arrived, he brought his younger sister, Tie Ying, to the entrance to greet him personally, his attitude extremely courteous. Gao Wu felt a bit embarrassed. Even though they hadn't held a formal master-disciple ceremony, Tie Dalong was his teacher nonetheless.

"Teacher, you’re being too polite. I don’t deserve this, I really don’t."

"Nonsense, you won the Kirin Cup; you are the hero of our Dongjiang."

Tie Dalong took the initiative to shake Gao Wu’s hand, and Tie Ying and the others quickly seized the opportunity to take pictures. Gao Wu knew the other party was using him for publicity, but he smiled quite brilliantly.

There were many new students in the hall who had come specifically for Gao Wu. Seeing him appear in person, they were quite excited. The bold ones approached to ask for photos, and Gao Wu agreed to them all. Once the first one started, Gao Wu was soon surrounded by students. After a long while, he had taken photos with everyone, and it was finally over.

Once they were in the tea room, Tie Dalong dismissed Tie Ying and handed Gao Wu a bank card. "I said before that I’d give a five-hundred-thousand prize for winning the Xuetao Cup. Here is one million; it’s a token of my appreciation, Teacher."

"Teacher, there’s no need for this," Gao Wu declined. Mainly, Tie Dalong had been detained for several months, and his business had been severely affected. He must have spent a fortune navigating the bureaucracy. Gao Wu said earnestly, "I am your student; helping the martial arts hall with advertising is only natural. You don't need to pay me."

Tie Dalong was slightly surprised. He could see that Gao Wu wasn't just being modest—he was genuinely refusing. This was very different from Gao Wu’s usual reputation for loving money! However, since he intended to use Gao Wu for advertising, he had to pay. As the Kirin Cup champion, Gao Wu had massive popularity even in North Province. With Gao Wu’s name, no other martial arts hall in Dongjiang could compete.

Tie Dalong insisted, but Gao Wu remained firm. He had money now; he didn't care about this one million. After some back-and-forth, Tie Dalong stopped forcing the issue. He could see that after winning the Kirin Cup, Gao Wu’s entire outlook and stature had changed; he truly didn't care about the money.

With the business out of the way, Tie Dalong enthusiastically invited Gao Wu to spar with swords. He was curious how this student, who clearly had mediocre aptitude, had managed to condense his source power and become a warrior.

The two picked up wooden swords, starting their sparring session just as they had the previous year. As soon as they began, Tie Dalong realized something was wrong. Gao Wu had attained profound mastery in the Roaming Dragon Sword style; his movements were elegant and agile, yet exceptionally fierce. In his advances and retreats, his footwork was even more ingenious than his own.

After over a hundred exchanges, Tie Dalong’s sword strikes grew faster, and he was already using eighty percent of his strength. Yet, the Gao Wu across from him responded with ease, moving back and forth fluidly. Tie Dalong executed the Cloud-Piercing Nine Swords in succession, only to be steadily blocked by Gao Wu. He knew that if he continued to fight, he wouldn't gain any advantage unless he went all out with his source power—but there was no need for that.

He voluntarily stopped and retreated. Looking at Gao Wu, whose breathing was steady and long, it was clear he still had energy to spare. Tie Dalong sighed with a complex expression, "Your sword technique is already above mine. I have nothing left to teach you..."

Tie Dalong remembered clearly that the first time they met, although Gao Wu was spirited, he still had the callowness of a youth and had to be brought along by Old Man Shang. At that time, Gao Wu’s sword and fist techniques were equally raw, even immature. He only had strong physical talent. He never imagined that in just half a year, Gao Wu would have grown to this extent. Not to mention his physical strength, the fact that Gao Wu’s mastery of the sword had surpassed his own was truly miraculous!

Gao Wu was also quite moved. A few months ago, he had to look up to Tie Dalong; now, he could slightly best his teacher. With Tie Dalong as a reference point, he had a clear quantification of his progress over the last few months. He bowed sincerely and said, "It is all thanks to your teaching, Teacher."

"I dare not claim the credit." Tie Dalong waved his hand with a smile. He could see that while Gao Wu’s path in the Roaming Dragon Sword was precise, the underlying essence was different from the Tie family's style. The same technique in different hands always manifested differently, much like how the same song sung by different people has a completely different flavor.

True experts could tell which school a student belonged to just by listening. There were clear differences in the details of Gao Wu’s swordplay compared to the Tie family's. It could only be said that Gao Wu’s grasp of source power had allowed him to develop his own insights into the sword. Such a person truly had a boundless future.

"A talent like this—he has a limitless future. I must invest in him early!" Thinking this, Tie Dalong steeled his heart and said to Gao Wu, "Our Tie family possesses a secret manual for the Roaming Dragon Sword that has been buried since my generation. You have immense talent, and I hope this secret legacy can be carried forward in your hands..."

Gao Wu was surprised. Tie Dalong had a secret sword manual? Although he was curious, he knew this was a family-transmitted secret, likely not even taught to direct disciples. "Teacher, how could I accept a family secret?"

"You must not refuse!" Ignoring Gao Wu’s protests, Tie Dalong pulled him into a secret room on the top floor. He opened a heavy safe and took out a silver crystal ball the size of a fist. "This was a legacy given to my father by a martial arts master. He used this otherworldly silver light crystal to leave behind a mental imprint. Use the crystal against your brow and stimulate your mental power..."

Gao Wu thought for a moment and accepted it; it was his teacher’s kind intention, and there was no need to refuse. He would just ensure it remained private. On the other hand, he was quite curious about the Roaming Dragon Secret Sword. He wondered what kind of sword technique it was that Tie Dalong had kept so well-hidden.

High-level martial arts legacies were concentrated in martial arts academies and the Alliance. Although there were some folk martial arts schools, they were insignificant by comparison. Placing the crystal ball against his brow, Gao Wu stimulated his mental power. The silver light on the crystal flared intensely, and an old man in black, holding two swords, appeared in his mental world...