Chapter 277 150: Mark 3

In a flash!

The blade's aura finally landed on Jiang Ran's left shoulder.

He looked down to see his shoulder was unharmed.

The blade's aura, it turned out, wasn't real.

"Young Master!"

"Young Hero Jiang."

"Master!"

Seeing Jiang Ran jumping about on the spot, Ruan Yuqing, Luo Qingyi, the Degenerate Gambler, and the others knew something was wrong and rushed over.

Li Tianxin, meanwhile, stared at the Ghost King.

A chill ran down the Ghost King's spine...

Just as he was about to find the source of that stare, he saw Jiang Ran wave a hand.

"I'm fine."

Li Tianxin finally retracted her gaze. She tilted her head back, cradled her saber, and slowly walked toward Jiang Ran's group, saying as she went:

"You're certainly young at heart. Frolicking about like that at your age."

"...Come take a look at this wall."

Jiang Ran pointed.

"What's wrong with this wall?"

Li Tianxin followed his finger and saw the mark on the wall.

"Isn't it just a finger mark?

"Masters of the internal arts can use their fingers like brushes to write on boulders and cliffs. That's common knowledge. This is just a scratch on a wall. What's the big deal?"

"...You can't see it? Look closely!"

"??"

Li Tianxin frowned slightly and stared at it intently. A moment later, she looked back at Jiang Ran in confusion.

"What do you want me to see?"

Jiang Ran froze. From Li Tianxin's expression, it seemed she really couldn't see anything.

Besides Li Tianxin, Ruan Yuqing and the others were also gathered around the wall, examining it closely.

But no matter how much they stared, they couldn't see anything odd about it.

The Ghost King had, at some point, also made his way over to Jiang Ran's side.

"It seems you're the only one who can see what's strange about this wall...

"What exactly did you see?"

"...A blade."

Jiang Ran frowned. "A piercing blade!"

"A piercing blade?"

The group exchanged glances. Ruan Yuqing spoke softly,

"Could that be the secret of the Slaughter Tower? Someone set up a martial arts trap in the tower, luring people into a meditative state, then killing them with saber intent?"

"It's probably not that simple."

Jiang Ran let out a soft breath.

"If that were the case, this mark shouldn't have appeared on the wall.

"And there shouldn't be only one...

"This must have been left by someone who entered the Slaughter Tower years ago.

"This person must have had some kind of epiphany inside the Slaughter Tower."

As he said this, Jiang Ran's eyebrows shot up, and he looked at the mark again.

A moment later, the aura of a blade was once again reflected in the depths of his eyes.

But this time, Jiang Ran was prepared. He stared fixedly and, sure enough, noticed something.

But he still couldn't dodge it.

This final time, the blade's aura landed on his throat.

In that instant, a bitter feeling welled up in Jiang Ran.

'He left this mark decades ago, yet I've already been cut down by it twice.

'In all the years since, I wonder how much the skills of the person who left this mark have improved?'

Jiang Ran took a deep breath and looked at the blade mark again.

This time was different from the first two. He now had a plan, so the strike—already somewhat familiar—suddenly became much clearer.

And this time, he wasn't cut down by it.

Because as he drew his Shattered Gold Saber, its edge met the blade's aura in his mind's eye, and the two dissipated upon impact.

When the others saw Jiang Ran draw his saber, they immediately backed away to give him space.

Jiang Ran was clearly on the verge of a martial arts epiphany. Staying near him would, one, disturb him, and two, if he entered a trance and decided to use them for practice... what a pointless way to die that would be.

A complex light flickered in the Ghost King's eyes, his thoughts unreadable.

The group gathered to one side, waiting quietly.

They waited for the time it takes an incense stick to burn.

Jiang Ran seemed to be fighting someone.

At first, he was primarily dodging and countering. But gradually, the exchanges grew longer.

It was as if he could see more and more moves, each more complex than the last.

At its peak, the Shattered Gold Saber in Jiang Ran's hand was a blur of golden light, his movements forming an impenetrable defense.

The evolution of his forms was astonishing, displaying an exhaustive array of variations.

Yet, during the latter half of the incense stick's burn, Jiang Ran's movements began to simplify.

It was as if he was seeing less and less.

By the end, his gaze had regained its calm. With a casual swing of his saber, he left a strange and unpredictable trace in the air.

It was a movement that people dared not watch.

It was as if staring at the blade would cause it to suddenly slash at one's very soul.

"His... his saber techniques have improved again."

The Ghost King's expression changed.

Just then, Jiang Ran suddenly sheathed his saber. He made a blade with his fingers and slashed lightly.

HISS!

The section of the wall opposite him was instantly split in two.

Finally, Jiang Ran let out a long breath.

"Let's go."

He turned and looked at the Degenerate Gambler.

"You and your six subordinates will stay here in the Ghost King Palace for now. Help your unlucky, foolish king rebuild this place.

"When the time is right, I will come back for you."

The Degenerate Gambler froze. "But... what about our deal to gamble once a month?"

Jiang Ran thought for a moment. "Simple. We can just gamble a few dozen times right now. We'll compress the next few dozen months into a single sitting. How about it?"

"Deal!"

The Degenerate Gambler nodded immediately, his face alight with excitement. He felt his chance to win everything back was at hand.

「An hour later.」

The Degenerate Gambler looked utterly crushed, staring at Jiang Ran with a pitiful expression.

"Master, one more time, just once!"

"Maybe next time."

Jiang Ran glanced at the Ghost King.

"Farewell."

"..."

The Ghost King glanced at the Degenerate Gambler beside him, and then at the six dice fiends. He sighed, realizing Jiang Ran must have already found his answer.

Seeing that he was really turning to leave, the Ghost King couldn't help but ask:

"What saber technique did you comprehend from that wall?"

Jiang Ran paused for a moment, then broke into a smile.

"Little children shouldn't ask about grown-up business."

The Ghost King: "???"