Standing in front of the cold and deserted cafeteria, the chilly wind brushed against his body, bringing a trace of coldness. Brian Carter clenched his fists, slowly relaxed them, and then quickly tightened them again.

Returning to his shabby little room, he took a small cloth bag from a small box under the bed. Opening it, he found the three taels of spirit rice he had received last month. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to save it, but the amount was too little—if it wasn’t at least a full jin, the people at the granary management office wouldn’t accept it at all.

He picked up a grain of spirit rice and put it in his mouth, chewing slowly.

The taste was fresh and delicious, with a sweetness that seeped deep into the lungs, and a faint, elusive aura that spread through his heart like a sweet spring.

This was the spiritual energy contained within the spirit rice itself.

Therefore, by insisting on eating spirit rice and persevering, one could accumulate enough spiritual energy to regulate the internal organs, strengthen the vital energy and blood, and greatly benefit one’s cultivation.

However, spirit rice was too expensive. Even ordinary low-level martial artists couldn’t afford to eat it as a staple at every meal, let alone ordinary people.

The menial workers of the Zhongnan Sword Sect used to receive spirit rice as a monthly benefit, but most would exchange it for other living resources rather than eat it. After all, eating such a small amount brought negligible benefit and was of little use.

“Three... five... eight...”

When he ate the eighth grain, Brian Carter reluctantly tied the bag shut again and put it back in the small box. While eating the spirit rice, he silently counted in his heart, making sure he knew exactly how much he had eaten, so he wouldn’t overindulge out of greed.

With eight grains of spirit rice in his stomach, he finally managed to suppress the burning hunger. After a quick wash, he went to bed early.

He dreamed again, but this time it wasn’t the nightmare of being hunted by a wild beast. It was a different dream.

In the dream, a flickering light appeared in his mind, just over three inches long and two fingers wide, moving nimbly through the air.

At first, he couldn’t see it clearly and didn’t know what it was. But as it drew closer, its true form was finally revealed—a small, narrow sword.

The little sword suddenly accelerated, drawing a long arc, its sharp edge exposed, piercing through the air—

Brian Carter woke with a start, sat up, and looked out the window. The sky was already turning pale.

Today was the third day of the Sword Lecture Hall, and also the last day.

Chapter 7: The Last Day

The palm-sized jade sword token remained motionless, embedded in the stone wall, showing no sign of change—it had not been solved. Henry Clark stroked his chin and suddenly realized he had made a mistake—although a mid-grade Profound-level sword puzzle was only one rank higher than a low-grade one, the difference was like night and day. Not to mention, the first part of the “Tanhua Sword Qi Manual” itself shouldn’t have been classified as a Profound-level martial art in the first place; it was greatly overrated.

A watered-down low-grade Profound-level sword puzzle might be solvable by some of the new generation disciples; but for a genuine mid-grade Profound-level one, the difficulty increased several times, and the chances of solving it became extremely slim.

You have to know, even for high-level disciples with Qi cultivation or above, cracking a mid-grade Profound-level martial art was no easy task—it would take quite a few days at the very least.

And now?

Henry Clark had brought out the second part of the “Tanhua Sword Qi Manual” at the Sword Lecture Hall, but only gave people a single day to solve it.

With such a tight deadline, combined with the difficulty of the sword puzzle itself, the result was predictable.

Thus, from the perspective of the new sword puzzle, Henry Clark had been a bit too optimistic. His original intention was to lure out the mysterious disciple who could solve the puzzle, but with so many disciples in the Sword Lecture Hall, it was hard to tell who it was in such a short time.

Well, in any case, the trouble that had plagued three sessions of the Sword Lecture Hall was finally over, which was a great relief; as for the real solver choosing to keep a low profile, let him be. As long as the person was a disciple of the Sword Sect, he would never be overlooked.

With that matter set aside, the elder’s mood lightened.

“All right, it seems the new sword puzzle I brought out was too difficult. But let me make this clear: whoever solved the first part of the sword manual, if you want to continue with the second part, you can come to me for the sword puzzle at any time. I will not only give it to you, but also guide you through its key points!”

“Wow!”

A gasp of admiration rose from the group of disciples.

Elder Clark’s meaning was clear—he greatly appreciated whoever solved the sword puzzle, and was willing to give away a mid-grade Profound-level sword puzzle and offer strong support.

This was no ordinary favor. If he was pleased enough, he might even take the person as a personal disciple—a tremendous opportunity. After all, Elder Clark had yet to accept any disciples.

But who was it? Elder Clark had said so much, so why hadn’t the person stood up yet? Still playing it low-key?

Don’t be foolish...

Ignoring discipline and rules, the disciples couldn’t help but whisper among themselves, discussing the matter. Countless suspicious glances were exchanged, as if the person who solved the sword puzzle might be sitting right beside them.

The atmosphere grew a bit strange.

“With this matter settled, follow me to the Sword Demonstration Field. I will demonstrate sword qi for everyone to see.”

No one stepped forward, so Henry Clark changed the subject.

At the mention of “sword qi,” the disciples’ eyes immediately lit up, flashing with fervor. As soon as the elder led the way out, they hurried to follow.

The situation was a bit chaotic, so Henry Clark couldn’t help but glance back.

With a single look, he restored order to the bustling crowd.