Star Gate

The Silver Moon Guards.

It was September 12 in the blink of an eye, the third day since Li Hao’s arrival. More newcomers arrived in the living quarters on this day.

Constant shock colored the face of simple and honest Chen Jian. He’d seen numerous martial masters along the way, all of them domineeringly strong. Multiple people exuded the overwhelming presence of the aura, something that should only come from half step Dominators. But here, it seemed that every other person possessed the aura. He’d thought that he and Wu Chao would count among the more powerful in a group of martial masters after absorbing incredible mysterious power. They’d swiftly progressed from initial Sunderer to mid Sunderer, but when they arrived at White Moon, they found that... Sunderer was incredibly weak!

The gaunt Wu Chao was likewise startled, no sign of his usual carefree ease to be found. He was so taken aback that he seemed to float his way over the path—there were so many powerhouses here!

The only one who kept his composure was Liu Long. Nothing could be discerned from Liu Yan, apart from some urgency and admiration deep in the depths of her eyes. She’d swiftly broken through to late Sunderer thanks to Li Hao’s help, but half step Dominator was beyond her reach. No insight into the aura was forthcoming.

Li Hao hadn’t gone to see her after he arrived at White Moon, but sent Wang Ming to her once. The handsome supernatural had told her to be as careful as possible and not to go to Li Hao if it could be helped. Their situation wasn’t the safest. These instructions had caused her a bit of anguish, but she knew that under those circumstances, it was safest not to meet.

Now that she was part of the Guards, Liu Yan felt an increasing sense of urgency and suffering. There were so many martial masters here that a late Sunderer like her seemed very ordinary. Reality disproved her fantasy of being a powerhouse in the absence of supernaturals.

Liu Long walked calmly, not a flicker of change in expression. He followed a young man—not Mu Lin, but the captain of Golden Spear’s bodyguard, Wang Qing.

The young man was curious about Liu Long, that was all. This was Silver Spear’s son! The Three Spears were once known throughout Silver Moon. When one spoke of spear powerhouses in the province, these were the only three mentioned. Bronze Spear’s legacy seemed to have ended and Silver Spear’s son no longer employed the weapon. Wang Qing did not sense spear dao from Liu Long. He was curious about the son of Silver Spear who insisted on remaining in Silver City, but after seeing him... There didn’t seem much to the man!

This was his most honest assessment. Liu Long didn’t give him the slightest pressure—just the calmness of a water’s surface without ripples. It was this martial master who once told the Night Watchers of White Moon that he would protect a city with his strength alone. He’d withstood the temptation of becoming a supernatural and decisively left White Moon, building the so-called Demon Hunters in the tiny Silver City.

The people by his side were the team members he’d cultivated over the years, weren’t they? Three Sunderers...

Sunderers might be nice in a small place like Silver City, but they were the bread and butter of the Silver Moon Guards. They were the starting point and numbered more than half of the vast army unit. The rest were Slayers about to make the breakthrough.

“Chief Commissioner Liu, up ahead is where you’ll live,” Wang Qing introduced. “Centurion Li has been busy training lately and should not be disturbed. But he left instructions ahead of time that Chief Commissioner Liu should do as you see fit when you arrive, and for you to help him straighten out some internal affairs. Centurion Li has already established his team—there are thirty members at the moment, all from the Sword Sect.”

“Many thanks!” Liu Long replied coolly as he inclined his head.

“You’re welcome.” Wang Qing led the group to the small building and thought for a bit before saying, “Chief Commissioner Liu can visit our ranking officer after you’re settled in. He has a few words he’d like to say to you.”

Liu Long nodded. Golden Spear! He’d known before coming that Golden Spear was in charge. The man had had decent relations with Silver Spear; his father had spoken some of the Three Spears when he was still alive. Liu Long met the man once when he was young, but that had been so many years ago that the impression had long grown hazy.

Liu Long watched Wang Qing march off. He wasn’t in a hurry to seek out Li Hao or meet the Sword Sect members. Instead, he led the members of the team into the room he’d been assigned.

All of the team members were present within the room, apart from Yun Yao who was a supernatural. He’d sent her to the Night Watchers because Liu Long didn’t want to cause trouble for Li Hao. Since the Guards were unwilling to accept supernaturals, the Darkmoon was much better off in the Night Watchers.

“After all these twists and turns... the Demon Hunters have still come to White Moon City,” Liu Long said softly and looked outside the window. “Since you’ve all come with me, there is nothing further to say. I am no longer your chief from this day forth. Li Hao calls the shots here. Although I am a Dominator, my strength is far less than Li Hao’s. Not only is my strength less, but so are my methods and courage.”

The small group was silent.

“Wang Qing looked at me up and down no less than ten times along the way, possibly thinking that this is Silver Spear’s son? He is so weak, how is his father worthy of being mentioned alongside Golden Spear?

“Golden Spear’s bodyguard captain personally welcomed me undoubtedly to assess my capability. He saw it, but was disappointed. Otherwise, he would request to spar with me. He didn’t even mention that, so plainly, he doesn’t think much of me.”

These words stoked anger in the group, but they didn’t know what to direct their anger towards. Was Wang Qing wrong in not offering to spar with the chief?

No, but it did give one the feeling of being belittled.

“You have all been with me since the formation of the Demon Hunters,” Liu Long continued. “It’s been almost four years and I haven’t brought anything to you guys other than a body covered by injuries. Before Li Hao arrived, I was the only Sunderer on the team.

“If you’d been willing to come to White Moon early on, you might already be late Sunderer if you’d joined any faction, organization, or agency when the supernatural domain rose. You might even be a supernatural right now. After all these years, I’ve only brought roughly twenty insignificant cubes of mysterious power to you all.”

Silver City was too small and weak. That was all the mysterious power they’d obtained after all these years of killing Darkmoons from the shadows. There would certainly be a market for these peak Slayers if they’d come to White Moon City early on. It was easy for Slayers to ascend as Darkmoon and it’d be so much better than what they could earn in Silver City.

“Chief!” Chen Jian said in a muffled voice. “It was what we wanted too! Not to mention, I think things were fine! If you’re not comfortable here, we can go back to Silver City!”

“No, we won’t be going back!” Liu Long smiled. “At least not right now. Silver City is too small, even though it is our hometown. With Huang Yun there, Silver City will be fine. Only when we come here, see more of the world, and obtain more benefits, will we have a chance of catching up to others.

“Are those in the outside world stronger than us? Not necessarily! They’ve just seen more and gained more. The benefits of coming from a small place like ours means that not all of our potential has been excavated yet. We’ll catch up to them sooner or later if a suitable opportunity presents itself!”

The group nodded their heads rapidly.

“I’ve decided to stay in the Guards!” Liu Long breathed out softly. “Dignity is earned, not given by others. The Demon Hunters are first rate no matter where we go! We were before and we will be in the future! Just remember that here, Li Hao is our heart. Don’t let others make a mockery of us!”

The group nodded again. They understood Liu Long’s meaning, they just felt bad for the chief. He’d always been the heart of the team; he’d raised Li Hao from humble beginnings, but now the young man was their superior. It was Liu Long who needed to make the biggest adjustment.

“Li Hao...” Chen Jian scratched his head.

“Don’t use his name in the future,” Liu Long reminded. “We’re in the army, so let’s go by his title. People might laugh at us otherwise and think that those who come from Silver City have no manners.”

“Alright then!” Chen Jian agreed with resignation. “The centurion... that’s his title, right? If the centurion isn’t here, shall we go meet those from the Sword Sect?”

“Let’s go!” Liu Long smiled. “We should strike up good relationships with them because we’ll be eating out of the same pot in the future. The centurion had me come also due to the fact that he has no foundation in White Moon City. He wants us to help him create a solid footing. So just remember that while we can suffer a bit, we cannot let other people suffer. We’re all on the same team behind closed doors, so we need to pull them to our side as well.”

He knew full well why Li Hao wanted him to be here, so Liu Long reminded yet again, “We are the centurion’s eyes and tongue in the team when he’s not here, does everyone understand?”

“Understood!” Everyone nodded.

Liu Long breathed out again without saying anything. He trusted that the team would be able to accomplish it, but he still couldn’t help but feel some apprehension and unease. With this trip to White Moon... who knew if he’d be able to find his footing in the end or flee back to Silver City in shambles?

He’d done the latter years ago.

Did Li Hao wish to make a name for himself in White Moon, or was it enough to keep himself safe? Liu Long wasn’t fully cognizant of the young man’s goals at the moment.

......

Inside the jungle.

Li Hao waved stroke after stroke, his sword quick to the extreme. It suppressed the Flaming Phoenix Spear and every move was incomparably swift, but the more Li Hao struck, the more anxious he grew.

The sword aura was still not taking shape! The metal sword didn’t seem that easy to manifest.

The Flaming Phoenix Spear dulled, a sign that the latest mysterious power stone was about to be depleted. Li Hao had fed it nine times over the past three days! That was nine stones!

If it wasn’t for the replenishment from earlier, what he had left wouldn’t be enough. Nine mysterious power stones were the equivalent of several cubes of mysterious power and they were all being wasted. It was a worthwhile trade if the metal sword aura could appear. But when all he had to show for his efforts was simply food for the origin weapon, it gave Li Hao a feeling of enormous loss.

His sword strokes were faster and faster these days, so fast that a sonic wave formed long after his last stroke swung. The Ghost Shadow Sword was being practiced to perfection, but he still hadn’t succeeded.

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