World’s No. 1 Swordsman

After resting another night at the hotel, Qing Yanzi, Wang Sheng, and Mu Wanxuan set off for the headquarters of the Cultivation Research Institute in the morning.

They still had a bit of time left before the Ancient Devil Lures the Corrupt Plan would be officially set in motion. As key combat forces, the trio could not afford to stay at the Cultivation Research Institute for too long.

The written report that Wang Sheng had submitted a few months ago failed to satisfy the research institute. What they truly wanted was to hear every word that the female immortal had spoken before leaving.

The senior members of the Special Investigation Unit even joked that if Wang Sheng was willing, the research institute would find it ideal for him to put on a replica of the immortal's dress, wear a mask painted with her face, and deliver a vivid reenactment of what she had said. Naturally, they just wanted to reassure Wang Sheng and the others that the research institute had no intention of making things difficult for them.

At ten in the morning, they flew over a forested area in central Hua Republic in a helicopter.

Noticing that Mu Wanxuan looked a bit bored, Wang Sheng took the initiative to bring out a flying sword. He then played with it alongside his senior sister's flying sword, making them chase and dart around in the confined space.

Sitting opposite the two, Qing Yanzi watched for a while, then turned his head to gaze out the window. As their master, it wouldn't be proper for him to ask his disciples to lend him a little flying sword to play with as well...

In truth, though, when he first started cultivating, he too dreamed of riding a sword to slay devils. Unfortunately, it didn't take long for him to realize that being a Daoist priest often meant going hungry. He even considered switching to Buddhism just to get by.

"Senior Sister, when they ask questions later, let me do all the answering," Wang Sheng said.

Mu Wanxuan nodded softly. "Mm."

Qing Yanzi chuckled. "There's really nothing that can't be said. Everything can be spoken openly."

Seeing his master wink at him, Wang Sheng immediately understood that the helicopter was likely equipped with recording devices. He simply smiled and replied, "I'm just worried about Senior Sister getting nervous, Master. She's never been through something like this."

Mu Wanxuan instinctively reached for her phone to find a meme in response, only to remember that they had already handed over their phones. She could only shoot Wang Sheng an indignant glare.

I've seen far more of the world than this!

The helicopter began to descend slowly. Below them was a cluster of villas built within the forest, with soldiers from the Special Warfare Unit patrolling all around.

After disembarking from the helicopter, the trio changed vehicles a few times before finally arriving at a vast cavern that felt somewhat familiar. To prepare for potential cultivator attacks or future wars, the research institute had spent quite a fortune in building their headquarters directly under the mountain. That said, their achievements more than justified the considerable attention and investment that they had received.

Inside the cavern were two wide lanes for vehicles. The cars descended slowly, passing through one massive alloy gate after another. Having already visited the place before, Qing Yanzi took the opportunity to tell his disciples about its various facilities and layouts. From time to time, vehicles passed them going the opposite direction, the people inside all bearing solemn expressions and moving quickly.

"The pressure of working here must be pretty intense," Wang Sheng commented.

"Of course it is, but the benefits are excellent," Qing Yanzi replied with a smile. "The top scientific teams in the Hua Republic related to cultivation are all gathered here. I even heard them mention recently that they've made significant progress in analyzing primal qi."

Seemingly out of nowhere, Wang Sheng asked, "Master, is Earth merely one realm among many?"

Qing Yanzi sighed softly, a trace of melancholy in his eyes. "Instead of thinking about such things, just focus on cultivating. Your cultivation realms are still too low. Even I haven't reached a high enough realm."

Wang Sheng immediately perked up. It seemed his master knew a thing or two after all.

"Master, that little box from our Daoist heritage... have you opened it?"

"What little box? There's no such thing!"

Qing Yanzi glared at Wang Sheng, the meaning of which he immediately understood. He lowered his head, feeling a surge of emotion.

Fine, I'll ask again when I reach the Golden Core Realm... No, by then, Golden Core Realm cultivators probably wouldn't be considered big shots anymore.

He wanted to wait until he reached the Golden Core Realm to ask about things beyond Earth. Such questions had been lingering in his mind for so long that it was already starting to affect his comprehension and cultivation.

The vehicle came to a stop at an underground plaza, where people were bustling in and out. A few elderly men in white lab coats walked toward them. Though not cultivators, they were all leading authorities in their respective fields.

Qing Yanzi got out with Wang Sheng and Mu Wanxuan and greeted them respectfully. After a few polite exchanges, the trio was led into a sightseeing elevator that descended for more than ten meters, revealing a massive underground city.

Mu Wanxuan stared in awe, her eyes filled with admiration. They did not enter the innermost core of the research institute; their destination was within this underground fortress.

Over ten minutes later, Wang Sheng and Mu Wanxuan sat in a conference room. Across from them sat more than twenty elderly individuals with white hair, their eyes full of hope as they looked at the two. Qing Yanzi sat nearby, sipping tea, while the elderly scholars waited patiently. It seemed someone important had not yet arrived.

After about three minutes of silence, a side door at the back of the conference room opened. A vigorous middle-aged man strode in, followed by two young researchers carrying two boxes. All eyes turned toward Ma Zibin and his iconic balding hairstyle.

Wang Sheng immediately felt reassured.

Though initially confident and energetic, Ma Zibin began bowing and apologizing profusely to the senior scholars as soon as he entered. "I'm sorry. I got caught up in my research project and lost track of time."

An elderly man in a wheelchair smiled. "Let's get started, Little Ma. Did you bring the gifts for the two young Daoist masters?"

"I did," Ma Zibin replied as he took the boxes from the young researchers. Before turning back to the others, he instructed, "You two can head back to the lab now. Thanks for your hard work."

Visibly nervous, the two young men quickly lowered their heads and left. They acted so terrified that it seemed as though the elders were going to eat them alive.

Once the two young researchers had left, Ma Zibin walked straight toward Wang Sheng and Mu Wanxuan. He smiled and greeted Qing Yanzi, who was now standing by the wall, with a nod before making exaggerated winks at Wang Sheng.

His expression clearly said, "Don't blame me for failing to negotiate for you. These two treasures are seriously incredible."

Wang Sheng couldn't help but feel a surge of anticipation.

"Fei Yu, come take a look. This one's specially prepared for you." Ma Zibin picked up a locked case and scanned his fingerprint to unlock it. He then turned it toward Wang Sheng and opened it.

Wang Sheng was rendered speechless.

Wait, the research institute's big shots weren't joking? Do they seriously want me to dress in a celestial gown and repeat, word for word, what the female corpse had told us that night? Have these old scientists actually taken a liking to that sort of thing?

"Eh?You don't like it?" Ma Zibin, who had been eagerly waiting for a reaction, glanced down. "Oooh... Oops,my bad. I grabbed the wrong one. This was meant for your senior sister..."

Wang Sheng promptly reached out and snatched the case out of Ma Zibin's hands. He then passed it to his senior sister.

Mu Wanxuan blinked lightly. With a hint of delight and surprise in her eyes, she gently brushed her fingers across the pale, gauze-like ancient dress.

"It's modeled after a celestial artifact," Ma Zibin explained calmly. "That's actually the biggest result we've obtained from years of research on 001—the female corpse. Even after analyzing the celestial garment of 001 for six whole years, we still couldn't find a way to explain it through science. Not even a nanoscopic lens could detect a single fiber. As the research progressed, though, we discovered—"

"Professor Ma," an elder interrupted. "You're even more long-winded than us old folks. Just tell them the properties of these treasures and get to the point."

"Alright, alright." Ma Zibin chuckled in embarrassment and opened the second case.

Inside was a Daoist robe in soft shades of blue and white. Smiling with a trace of pride, he gestured for Wang Sheng to take it and then slid both hands into his pockets. The clothes before them were clearly his team's latest inventions.

"These two garments are called the Flowing Celestial Robe and the Soaring Celestial Dress. You won't see any formation inscriptions on the surface, but in every single thread, we used nano-etching tools to engrave simplified versions of the Primal-Qi Guidance Formation, Primal-Qi Condensation Formation, and Foundation Consolidation Formation.

"The three are interlinked and follow the trinary pattern. Though they can't block strong kinetic forces, they can offer protection against blades and spears even without injecting them with true essence. If you do imbue them with true essence, their defensive performance will scale with the strength of your essence. They become impervious to water and fire, immune to hidden weapons and ordinary flying swords.

"The first batch we developed was turned into suits and shirts to protect key personnel. Since we had some leftover materials—" Ma Zibin cleared his throat. "Ahem, since everyone at the institute agreed that you two have been working really hard, we decided to make a Daoist robe and a dress for you and your senior sister."

What's the point of all this? Are they giving us gifts first so we'd feel too embarrassed not to share everything we know?

Ma Zibin knowingly winked at Wang Sheng again. He then stepped aside, picked up a folder, and cleared his throat. "Alright, let's get down to business. The reason we invited you two here today is primarily to discuss the deeper interactions you've had with 001."

Now feeling somewhat guilty for taking the gifts, Wang Sheng couldn't bring himself to bluff outright. Except for matters concerning his senior sister's identity, he did his best to relay everything he had learned from the female corpse, word for word.

The quiet rustle of pens filled the room as the group of elderly researchers diligently took notes. By the time Wang Sheng had answered over ten questions, a few were already showing disappointment. They clearly hadn't gleaned much useful information.

Fortunately for them, Qing Yanzi took over. However, no one could tell if it was because the research institute had given his two disciples such precious items or simply because he felt this was a good opportunity to pass on certain things to the higher-ups of the Cultivation Research Institute.

"I can offer a few supplementary explanations regarding matters that the immortal did not share with my two disciples, and even things that the immortal may not have known."

Everyone in the meeting room instantly perked up.

Qing Yanzi cleared his throat. "I do hope that all the information I'm about to share doesn't make you too pessimistic or discourage you too much."

He then brought out his Crane-Spirit Treasure Pouch and took the now patina-free bronze box. Holding it in his palm, he slowly inhaled.

The atmosphere immediately tensed up. Wang Sheng and Mu Wanxuan also subconsciously held their breath. This was their sect's most treasured artifact—and the only one they had.

"This Daoist robe of mine is starting to fall apart," Qing Yanzi calmly commented.

"I've got you covered! I'll have my team work on a new one right away. Fortunately, we have one last set of materials left," Ma Zibin replied without hesitation.

Qing Yanzi nodded with composure. The ancient bronze box in his hand began to shine brightly.