Robert Cooper's face turned alternately pale and ashen, his breathing rapid. He pressed several acupoints on his shoulder to stop the bleeding, his gaze growing even colder. In a chilling voice, he said, "Good! Good! Good! David Carter, you truly have made me see you in a new light. But don't get cocky—you will never be my match. Sword Qi—Slash!"

With a loud shout, Robert Cooper gripped his sword with both hands. Instantly, the sword's radiance grew brighter as he swung it down in a slash.

Ssshh—

A streak of sword qi tore through the void, like a solitary wave, shooting toward Edward Grant as swiftly as an arrow.

The disciples below the stage fell silent once more, not blinking, their eyes fixed intently on the two figures atop the platform.

Sword qi! Only experts at the seventh level of martial arts could unleash sword qi. It was said that those below the seventh level could not withstand it.

"Although this David Carter is astonishingly strong, his cultivation is still a bit low. Once Robert Cooper releases his sword qi, he won't be able to withstand it and will surely lose." Some elite disciples thought to themselves.

With Robert Cooper defeated by Edward Grant, they, as elite disciples, also felt disgraced. Naturally, they hoped Robert Cooper could turn the tables.

Robert Cooper's sword qi slashed rapidly toward Edward Grant, but Edward Grant's face showed not a trace of fear; he remained calm and composed. Suddenly, he shouted, "Sword qi! I can do it too!"

As he spoke, he brought his sword down in a slash.

Ssshh—

A streak of sword qi suddenly shot from the tip of his sword, even brighter than Robert Cooper's, like a crescent moon.

In the blink of an eye, the two sword qis collided in midair.

Rip—

A sound like tearing cloth rang out. Robert Cooper's sword qi was split in two by Edward Grant's and instantly vanished into the void, while Edward Grant's sword qi only dimmed slightly, still surging with unstoppable force, and in a flash, it struck the utterly shocked Robert Cooper.

"Ah…"

A scream rang out, blood splattering. Robert Cooper's body was sent flying backward, a sword mark running from his shoulder to his abdomen, his clothes torn, the wound deep and ghastly.

Robert Cooper fell straight off the platform, gravely injured. It would take at least two or three months before he could hope to recover.

"You… how could you possibly use sword qi?" Robert Cooper, sprawled on the ground, struggled to point at Edward Grant atop the stage. As soon as he finished speaking, he fainted.

"How is this possible? David Carter is only at the sixth level of martial arts—how can he unleash sword qi?"

"Who is this person? With just the sixth level of martial arts, he actually used sword qi to defeat an elite disciple?"

"His name is David Carter. He used to be a very ordinary disciple, but recently he suddenly rose to prominence—"

"His name is David Carter, and he's amazing…"

"Senior brother David Carter is only at the sixth level of martial arts, yet he can unleash sword qi and defeat an elite disciple at the seventh level. His strength is terrifying!"

……

……

In an instant, the outer disciples below the stage erupted in an uproar. The name David Carter spread among every outer disciple present. Even the elite disciples stared at him in shock, and when they spoke to each other, it was about David Carter.

For a time, Edward Grant became famous among the outer sect, becoming one of the most talked-about figures among the outer disciples.

Chapter 009: The Three-Month Pact (Part 1)

To advance quickly in martial arts, one needs not only top-tier talent but also miraculous pills and elixirs—both are essential.

Pills, secret manuals, and weapons—these three things are always indispensable to martial artists.

In the land of Shenzhou, everyone practices martial arts, and the consumption of pills is extremely high. As a result, demand far outstrips supply, and prices are steep.

Before reaching the seventh level of martial arts, cultivation focuses on tempering the body, requiring only one type of pill: the Body-Tempering Pill.

Body-Tempering Pills come in three grades: low, medium, and high. Low-grade pills temper the skin and flesh, medium-grade pills temper the tendons and bones, and high-grade pills temper the internal organs, corresponding to the first and second, third and fourth, and fifth and sixth levels of martial arts cultivation, respectively.

A single low-grade Body-Tempering Pill is worth 300 taels of silver; a medium-grade pill is worth 600 taels; a high-grade pill is worth 900 taels.

Taking pills accelerates cultivation by several times compared to direct training. An ordinary disciple who uses pills to cultivate can progress just as fast as a genius who trains without them, showing just how important pills are.

One Body-Tempering Pill is enough for about three days of cultivation. There are many outer disciples in the Heavenly Sword Sect, and each is barely allotted three pills per month—enough for only nine days of training.

For the rest of the month, if they want to use pills for cultivation, they must buy them from the sect. If the sect distributed them for free, it would be an enormous drain. The sect has developed over hundreds or even thousands of years and simply cannot afford such consumption.

John Harris's family is a minor, unranked clan. His cultivation is only at the third level of martial arts, so he is not valued. The family provides him with only 2,000 taels of silver per month.

With 2,000 taels, he can only buy three medium-grade Body-Tempering Pills—enough for nine days of cultivation. Adding the three pills given free by the sect, John Harris can only use pills for eighteen days of training each month. So, 100 taels of silver is extremely precious to him.