Volume One

Chapter One: The Blood Is Still Not Cold

"The Jade-Scaled Sword, Flowing Wind Third Form. Main material: jade-feathered serpent scales. Thirty-six divine runes are inscribed within, granting acceleration, wind-riding, and water-mastery attributes. Price: 3,500 Sky Coins. Origin: smuggled from the Eastern Isles. Although it's only a first-grade high-quality magical weapon, with a standard output of 100 degrees of spiritual energy, its top speed can reach 250 kilometers per hour. Flight altitude is below 1,000 meters. With a tailwind, speed can increase by another 20%."

Brian Grant silently recited the attributes of the Jade-Scaled Sword in his hand, and had to admit that those depraved perverts from the Eastern Isles had an extraordinary talent for the precise refinement of materials. The simple combination of thirty-six divine runes produced attributes perfectly suited for a flying sword used solely for flight.

The Jade-Scaled Sword was thirty-seven centimeters long, with a blade two centimeters wide. Although the jade light on the blade was somewhat impure, the beautiful green serpent scale pattern made up for this flaw. The black mulberry wood hilt was designed entirely to fit the human hand; as long as the proportions weren't too far off, anyone would find it comfortable to hold.

Tall and well-proportioned, with equally balanced features, Brian Grant held the Jade-Scaled Sword and practiced the "Heaven and Man Point the Way" stance in front of the spirit-light mirror, only to find that his tall, strong, sun-kissed self looked rather mismatched holding such a slender, short sword—hardly fitting his sunny and handsome image.

Looking at his own reflection in the spirit-light mirror, those clear, dustless eyes of black and white, Brian Grant made a strange face and mocked himself: "This look is really lame…"

In the two-meter-tall spirit-light mirror, Brian Grant, dressed in a black student uniform, mimicked the same movement, his lips parting to reveal a dazzling row of neat, white teeth.

The black suit with an open collar, embroidered with an orange-red dragon pattern at the neckline, and matching black trousers—all made from spirit-light silkworm silk, woven with six divine runes. Thanks to the properties of the spirit-light silk, the uniform was smooth and dust-repellent. The outfit was crisp in appearance, with flowing lines and comfortable to wear. It was the only decent set of clothes Brian Grant owned.

Today, the school held a commendation ceremony for him being admitted to Yuqing Jingyang University, which was why Brian Grant was dressed so formally. Of course, if the school hadn't agreed to pay all his expenses for six years at Yuqing Jingyang University, he wouldn't have bothered with this bunch of useless bureaucrats.

It could be said that Brian Grant got into Yuqing Jingyang University, the nation's most prestigious university, entirely thanks to his extraordinary talent with divine runes. It had nothing to do with his teachers, classmates, or school administrators.

As an orphan, Brian Grant was neither cynical nor narrow-minded. But after tasting the bitterness of life, his heart had been tempered to be unbreakably tough. Beneath his carefree, joking exterior was a mind always calm to the point of coldness.

Brian Grant believed he would never do anything irrational. Just like today—even if he despised the school leaders and teachers, he still wore a bright, sunny smile.

In ten days, it would be time to report to Yuqing Jingyang University. From then on, Brian Grant would step from being an ordinary orphan into the ranks of the quasi-elite. With his unparalleled talent in divine runes, Brian Grant's future was bright.

Thinking of this, even the always decisive Brian Grant felt a rare hesitation about tonight's sword duel. The face of his childhood friend David Thompson surfaced once more from the depths of his heart. In an instant, David Thompson's honest and kind face turned into a bloody, tragic mess.

Ever since the day he learned of David Thompson's death, Brian Grant had been plagued by inner demons. He had been on the verge of breaking through to the sixth level of the Vajra Divine Power Art, but now found himself unable to make any progress.

Inner demons are a hurdle every cultivator must face on their path. For low-level Qi practitioners, inner demons always arise from within. Although Brian Grant bore no fault in David Thompson's death, a trace of doubt had crept into his heart, making David Thompson's death the inner demon blocking his way forward.

David Thompson's girlfriend, Grace Bolton, was assaulted by a group of thugs outside the school—not only losing her purity, but also being expelled due to the scandal. Grace Bolton had been an outstanding student with a bright future, but overnight she fell into the abyss. The trauma was too much for her to bear, and she vanished without a trace.

Grace Bolton was also an orphan from the orphanage, and Brian Grant had some impression of this quiet, delicate girl. When he heard the news, Brian Grant had sighed in sorrow. It was on that day that his long-lost childhood friend David Thompson found him, and after a night of heavy drinking, David Thompson left without a word.

The next day, Brian Grant heard that David Thompson had been shot dead on the spot by law enforcers for using a deadly spell to attack someone without authorization. When Brian Grant rushed to the scene, all he saw was a glaring pool of blood on the ground.

Afterwards, Brian Grant made inquiries everywhere and finally pieced together the general story. It turned out that the ones who assaulted Grace Bolton were a group of degenerate scions from noble families, led by none other than the son of the director of the Tianlin City Law Enforcement Bureau.

Although Brian Grant couldn't learn the exact details, the truth of the matter was already clear. Leaving aside Grace Bolton's case, the fact that David Thompson was killed on the spot so conveniently meant the other side had clearly been prepared in advance.