Brian Grant also gradually came to understand the value of this armor, and for this, he spent three years visualizing before finally transforming the Hundred Illusion Armor from the Illusion Demon Realm into a real magical artifact.

It was also because of this artifact that Brian Grant dared to act so recklessly. The law enforcement team was one of the most powerful forces in the empire, with countless experts and unfathomable magical abilities. As a mere level-five Qi practitioner, Brian Grant would have absolutely no chance of escape if he made even the slightest mistake.

What’s more, among the scum he planned to kill this time, one was Eric Bolton, the son of the director of the Changchun City Law Enforcement Bureau.

Although the empire claimed that everyone was equal, in reality, from the moment of birth, differences in gender, appearance, and family background predetermined all kinds of inequality.

The power of authority placed people like Eric Bolton and Brian Grant in completely different social strata. The tragedy that befell Brian Grant’s friend David Thompson and others was also a testament to this inequality.

After fully equipping himself with the silver-scaled inner armor, the cold iron Wind-Slashing Blade hidden in the phantom lizard skin belt, and the bracer with the Black Fiend Needle Shuttle, Brian Grant felt his whole body brimming with strength. Yet, at the thought of killing someone with his own hands, Brian Grant couldn’t help but feel a wave of panic.

Even though he had fought many bloody battles in the Illusion Demon Realm, in reality, the most Brian Grant had ever done was help people repair magical artifacts or buy some smuggled goods on the black market. These barely counted as skirting the law, let alone being truly illegal—completely different from murder.

At this moment, Brian Grant still had a choice. Even though he had already made up his mind, when the time came, Brian Grant couldn’t help but hesitate. But when he thought of all the injustice and unfairness, Brian Grant’s gaze gradually became resolute. “If Heaven does not punish, I will; if the law does not execute, I will…”

Chapter Two: The Flying Sword Competition

The Bi-Scaled Sword was fastened to the specially designed sword sheath on his sleeve. Brian Grant silently circulated the Vajra Divine Power Technique, slowly connecting the true power within his body to the divine rune array on the Bi-Scaled Sword, activating the special aura hidden within.

Although Brian Grant’s Vajra Divine Power Technique was the most common cultivation method in the empire, it was reliable and upright, and no matter how one practiced, there would never be any problems. Likewise, the cultivation speed of the Vajra Divine Power Technique was as steady as its nature, making it the slowest among all cultivation methods.

To have reached the fifth level of the Vajra Divine Power Technique by the age of eighteen, Brian Grant’s cultivation speed was enough to make most prodigies feel utterly ashamed. It was precisely this Buddhist cultivation method—though extremely slow in progress—that was the most balanced and compatible. Moreover, because it emphasized both physical and spiritual cultivation, it was actually an excellent choice for most people.

After more than ten years of relentless practice, Brian Grant discovered the root cause of the slow progress in the Vajra Divine Power Technique. This method focused most on building a solid foundation; most of the spiritual energy absorbed each day was used to transform the body, leaving only a pitiful amount for circulating through the meridians, hence the extremely slow advancement.

The Vajra Divine Power Technique had ten levels in total. The first level was the easiest—most people could master it within a year. The second level was much harder, usually taking over three years. The third level typically required six years. The fourth level, at the fastest, took ten years. To reach the tenth level step by step would take a total of four hundred years.

When circulating spiritual power through the body, this method constantly tempered the physique. If one truly reached the tenth level, the foundation would be naturally established, with no bottleneck at all. But the long cultivation time offset all the advantages of this technique.

Of course, there were exceptions. According to historical records, there were occasionally prodigies who reached the tenth level and established their foundation within a hundred years. But those people either had extraordinary talent or fortuitous encounters—conditions that could not be replicated.

Because of the benefits of tempering the body, even reaching just the third level would make one’s body strong enough to mine or blaze trails in the outer realms—making one the best laborer.

For all these reasons, the Vajra Divine Power Technique became the most popular cultivation method in the empire. All orphans naturally practiced this method. When Brian Grant was twelve, he visited the Great Buddha Temple and happened to see a few rune combinations on the Vajra Dharma Body at the temple gate. This inspired him to use runes to aid his cultivation of the Vajra Divine Power Technique. After more than two years of study, Brian Grant developed several rune combinations that could be integrated with the technique.

It was precisely thanks to this secret that by the age of eighteen, Brian Grant had barely broken through to the sixth level of the Vajra Divine Power Technique. His muscles, bones, and flesh were already incredibly tough, with divine strength of several thousand jin, and his true power was several times more robust than other level-five Qi practitioners.

With such a strong foundation, Brian Grant could control the Bi-Scaled Sword as he wished, rather than having to hold the small sword in his hand to connect with its aura. Stimulated by his true power, the divine rune array slowly activated, constantly absorbing and exhaling the aura of heaven and earth. The green sword light on the Bi-Scaled Sword gradually rose, forming a green shield that tightly enveloped Brian Grant within the sword’s glow.

As the simplest and most popular flying magical artifact in the empire, the flying sword was a means of transportation that everyone over sixteen could use. Competing with flying swords was also one of the most popular contests in the empire.

The flying sword competition that Brian Grant was about to participate in was not just a test of speed, but also required strictly following a predetermined route, weaving through the gaps in the mountains and forests.