Chapter 393 - 234: Taking Up a New Post

Chapter 393: Chapter 234: Taking Up a New Post

But when he thought about the power of Li Tingkui’s Phenomenon, Su Mu felt much better.

The power of a Phenomenon was worth the price.

Li Tingkui was known as the Taiping Bureau’s strongest Commander-in-Chief precisely because he had mastered a Phenomenon.

Below the True Essence Realm, a Realm of comprehension could make one virtually invincible, but it wasn’t quite enough against a True Essence Realm Martial Artist.

It wasn’t that a Realm was weak, just that it was difficult to maintain that previous invincibility.

After all, anyone who could cultivate to the True Essence Realm was one in a million, and they had all more or less comprehended a Realm of their own.

As for a Phenomenon... never mind True Essence Realm Martial Artists; even among Core Formation Realm Martial Artists, those who had comprehended one could be counted on one hand.

If one could comprehend a Phenomenon while in the True Essence Realm, they could, at the very least, be considered invincible among their peers.

Moreover, the power of a Phenomenon grew stronger as one’s cultivation increased, with virtually no upper limit.

Li Tingkui once said that a Phenomenon is a Martial Artist’s ultimate weapon.

After his promotion to Governor, Su Mu’s daily Point income had increased significantly.

A base of one thousand Points, with a daily cap of two thousand.

In other words, he could earn a thousand Points a day for doing nothing. If he put in a little effort and fulfilled his duties as Governor, he could get two thousand.

At this rate, he could afford one attempt at comprehending a Phenomenon about every two months...

This was far, far more difficult than simply raising his cultivation level.

Then again, while True Essence Realm Martial Artists were common, those who had comprehended a Phenomenon were practically unheard of.

The two weren’t even in the same league of difficulty.

"One more try."

Su Mu looked at the plus sign on the system panel, gritted his teeth, and decided against upgrading his Unlimited True Essence Technique of Heaven and Earth. He also abandoned the idea of raising his other Realms of comprehension to the Perfection Realm.

He tapped the option for Phenomenon.

HUM.

Instantly, the experience of comprehending a Phenomenon flooded Su Mu’s mind.

The Xun Wind Realm, the Li Fire Realm... insights regarding these two Realms flowed through his mind like a river.

He saw every kind of wind, every kind of fire.

The wind fed the fire, threatening to burn a hole through the very heavens.

The scene shifted abruptly. A raging inferno heated the air, causing it to churn and transform into a mighty gale.

Su Mu felt like a bystander, watching the interplay of wind and fire. An endless series of scenes flashed before his eyes.

He felt on the verge of a breakthrough, but the spark of inspiration vanished in an instant. He reached out to grasp it, but his hand closed on empty air.

Slowly, Su Mu opened his eyes and couldn’t help but sigh.

’Another failure.’

Seeing the hundred thousand Points deducted from his system panel, Su Mu felt his heart ache all over again.

’I knew comprehending a Phenomenon would be difficult, but I never thought it would be *this* difficult.’

’I feel like I was on the cusp of it,’ Su Mu thought to himself. ’If I could just try one more time, I might be able to comprehend the Phenomenon. But it’s a shame... I’m out of Points.’

He only had fifteen thousand Points left on his system panel. It would take over a month to save up enough for another attempt.

’The Xun Wind and Li Fire should produce two kinds of Phenomenons,’ Su Mu recalled the insights from his attempt. ’One is ’wind fanning the flames,’ with fire above and wind below.

’The other is ’fire begetting wind,’ with wind above and fire below.’

He had a much deeper insight into the first kind.

Wind fanning the flames was a common sight in daily life.

Whether lighting a cooking fire or forging weapons, one would use bellows to intensify the flames.

After thinking for a moment, Su Mu felt there was still a barrier blocking him.

He knew it was because his own insight—or perhaps his aptitude—was insufficient.

’It seems impossible for me to comprehend a Phenomenon on my own.’

’I’ll just have to wait until I save up another hundred thousand Points for one more attempt.’

"My lord, we’ve arrived at Xiangzhou."

Just as Su Mu was lost in thought, Shi Ziran’s voice sounded beside him.

Su Mu looked up and saw that the scenery below had changed completely.

Unlike the landscapes of Wuling, Hujue Pass, or the untamed wilderness, Xiangzhou was one of the most prosperous regions of Da Xuan.

It reminded Su Mu of the Jiangnan region from his past life.

With its pleasant climate, affluent populace, and scarcity of demons, Xiangzhou was perhaps the most peaceful and comfortable prefecture in all of Da Xuan.

"Xiangzhou is quite a beautiful place."

Su Mu remarked with admiration.

"I spent some time in Xiangzhou when I was younger," Shi Ziran said. "Xiangzhou has a flourishing literary culture. Here, scholars are actually more popular than Martial Artists.

"The Xiangzhou People have never experienced the horror of a demonic siege. Many of them go their entire lives without ever seeing a demon.

"That’s why their voices are the loudest when it comes to supporting peace talks with the Demon Court."

Su Mu nodded.

’Since they’ve never known hardship, they’re full of bleeding-heart sentimentality. They probably think demons are just cute, transformed animals.’

"Even in literary talent, they’re no match for you, my lord," Xiang Xiaoyuan said proudly.

That one line, "Capturing all the charm, Xiang Xiaoyuan," was enough to put all the so-called geniuses of Xiangzhou to shame.

Su Mu couldn’t help but laugh. He was a dignified Taiping Bureau Governor. What need was there to compete with a bunch of pedantic scholars?

"My lord, should we head directly to Songjiang Prefecture, or should we first go to the capital city to pay a visit to the Commander of Xiangzhou?" Shi Ziran asked.

"Let’s go to the capital city first."

Su Mu considered for a moment.

The Commander of Xiangzhou was his direct superior; protocol dictated he should pay a visit first.

Fortunately, the Commander of Xiangzhou, Li Tingkui, was an old acquaintance.

A smile couldn’t help but touch Su Mu’s lips at the thought of Li Tingkui.

Li Tingkui’s temperament was completely at odds with Xiangzhou. ’Those Marquises in the Bureau really have a sense of humor,’ Su Mu thought, ’placing someone like Li Tingkui here to "polish" his disposition.’

The Garuda was incredibly fast. In the time it took to exchange a few words, the Xiangzhou Capital City appeared on the horizon.

The Xiangzhou Capital City was vast, but its walls were nowhere near as high as those of Hujue Pass. They weren’t even as imposing as Wuling City’s.

This was mainly because Xiangzhou had so few demons there was no need to build the walls any higher.

Su Mu now had an even more direct sense of just how peaceful Xiangzhou was.

To avoid causing a commotion, Su Mu had the Garuda land while they were still some distance from the Xiangzhou Capital City.

After stabling the Garuda in the mountains, the group of four—plus Ao Qing, who was perched on Su Mu’s shoulder—began walking toward the Xiangzhou Capital City.

The official road was packed with people, and a constant stream of merchant caravans flowed in both directions.

Neither Luo Anning nor Xiang Xiaoyuan had ever seen such a bustling scene. It was a novel experience for them both.

"If there were no demons, all of Da Xuan could be this prosperous," Luo Anning said. "Demons are despicable! Making peace with the Demon Court is just feeding a tiger that will eventually devour you!"

"Absurd!"

Suddenly, a voice rang out from nearby.

"Peace talks with the Demon Court are national policy! What does a little girl like you know?"

A young man, fanning himself with a paper fan, spoke with an angry expression. "Rashly resorting to arms is an ill omen.

"Peace talks hold immense benefits for Da Xuan.

"Only those bellicose Martial Artists would ever advocate for war.

"They would disregard the lives of the people just to get rich and advance their own careers.

"The demons of the Demon Court have already gained sentience. They’re no different from humans! How can you kill them without first trying to educate them?"

"I see you are all carrying weapons. You must be Martial Artists."

The young man snapped his fan shut and declared with righteous indignation, "I’m telling you, to kill without first educating is tyranny!"

Su Mu and his companions were speechless. ’Where did this clueless hothead come from?’

’Slaying demons is tyranny?’

’You’ve probably never even seen a demon, have you?’

"What? You dare to disregard my words?"

Noticing Su Mu’s expression, the young man grew furious. "You Martial Artists! You don’t read the books of the sages, you only know how to kill and maim! You’re more demonic than the demons themselves!

"The world is in chaos precisely because of people like you!"

SLAP!

Before the words were even out of his mouth, he was sent spinning through the air. The clear imprint of five fingers appeared on his cheek, and several of his teeth went flying.

"For your youth and ignorance, I’ll spare you a death sentence," Su Mu said coolly. "But if you can’t keep a civil tongue in your head, things won’t end so simply next time."

"You!"

The young man scrambled up from the ground and roared, "Seize them! I’m going to the Government Office to file a complaint!"

His entourage of followers yelled as they surrounded Su Mu and his companions.