2001 Rare Beast Island
After that fight, Sky Palace students frequently debated whether Han Sen or Lone Bamboo was stronger. The discussions never yielded any answers, though.
Lone Bamboo had become a Marquise, but Han Sen remained an Earl. If they were to have a rematch, it wouldn’t be for a long time. However, Han Sen’s performance in the fight had garnered him much respect from all of the students of Sky Palace.
The next few rounds of the exam offered no trouble. He won every match and achieved first place in the Earl cla.s.s exams. He received permission to visit the holy house, and there, he found the Under the Sky knifeskill.
He was also the recipient of more Fenghou Pills and a Marquise treasure for a prize.
Han Sen’s name was famous in Sky Palace, but he cared little for the recognition. He focused on practicing his knifeskills at home.
Yu Jing was super c.o.c.ky when walking up to the rich men to collect his winnings. With a smug look, he said, “I brought you the contract. Did you guys bring the harvest?”
One of the men smiled and instructed his maid to give Yu Jing a box. He smiled and said, “We did lose. It was amazing to watch, and it was worth losing this. What you deserve is inside.”
“Thank you.” Yu Jing accepted the box and had a look at the contents. He smiled like a flower.
Yun Suyi didn’t go looking for Han Sen for a few days. She knew there couldn’t be a happy ending between them, but she couldn’t stop thinking about him each day.
After Han Sen took the scroll, he quickly learned the knifeskill. And just as expected, with his Heavenly Go, Dongxuan Sutra, and Sky Palace as a base, it was easy to get comfortable with. He improved a lot in just a few days.
“This knifeskill has a significant flaw. It is not because Yun Suyi performed it incorrectly.” After Han Sen practiced with it himself, he quickly discovered the problem.
Han Sen had a decent understanding of Sky Palace’s text. With Heavenly Go and the Dongxuan Sutra, there was a way he could fix the problem without having to learn the Textless Book. That way, he would be able to make Under the Sky nearly perfect.
“If I’m known to hold this knifeskill, when I use the Dongxuan Sutra and Heavenly Go, people will believe I’m using Under the Sky. If I’m careful, Yisha won’t think I am Dollar.” Han Sen wanted this skill badly, and that was one of the reasons why.
Otherwise, he couldn’t use Dongxuan Sutra and Heavenly Go. Without them, he was a good deal weaker, which sucked.
Han Sen did not see Yun Suyi, and he didn’t make plans to see her, either. But if he happened to run into her, he would show her the modified version of Under the Sky.
Han Sen went to the seventh floor of the White Jade Building. He did not see Yun Suyi, so he settled for absorbing the Jade Air and leveling up his Jadeskin.
“Brother Han, how have you been recently?” Han Sen was sitting near an old tree, reading. Yu Jing came flying over on his mount.
Now Yu Jing looked like a bona fide rich person. The Jade Night Crane he had used previously was gone, and he was now riding a green flying dragon.
His armor had been exchanged for a new set that looked incredibly valuable, and he was also decorated with an array of jewelry. He looked very powerful.
“Not bad. What do you want?” Han Sen asked Yu Jing, looking up from his reading.
“Brother Han, I gave you my Fenghou Pills, but you did not use them in the exam.” Yu Jing smiled.
“You said you gave them to me as a gift for free. Are you saying you want them back?” Han Sen asked lackadaisically.
“Of course not. The pills belong to you. Why would I want them back? I am saying there is someone who would like to buy them. When you reached first place, you received more of them. Would you like to sell the ones I gave you? The price is handsome,” Yu Jing explained, making an expansive gesture with his hands.
“I’m not selling,” Han Sen said, then went back to his reading.
Yu Jing took a peek, and seeing that Han Sen was trying to learn the regional populations of xenogeneics, he smiled and said, “Ah, Brother Han. You are hunting xenogeneics? I have a good place you can go. Are you interested?”
“Oh, tell me.” Han Sen looked at him.
He had been looking for a long time, and he hadn’t been able to find a location in which he could slay many Earls in a small amount of time.
Every place had some sort of drawback. Old Night Island’s monster population was spread too thin, and it was difficult to find big groups of Earl xenogeneics there. Xuanyuan Cave’s xenogeneics were hidden, and you usually had to wait for them to find you.
Every place had a flaw, and not one had large groups of Earls.
“I’ve seen this pamphlet before,” Yu Jing said. “This is shared with other students, so of course it doesn’t have the really good spots. I know of a private island with lots of rare xenogeneics. They are mostly Earls, too.”
“If it’s private, how do I gain access?” Han Sen asked.
Yu Jing laughed and said, “In the past, you wouldn’t have been able to get in. But now, things are different. You are Han Sen. At this point, who doesn’t know your name? Being the Knife and Sword Master is no joke.”
“Wait, when was I given this t.i.tle?” Han Sen thought the label sounded old fas.h.i.+oned.
“No, you’re not the Knife and Sword Master by yourself,” Yu Jing said.
Han Sen didn’t understand that, so he waited.
Yu Jing, seeing Han Sen’s confusion, coughed and said, “It only works when you and Lone Bamboo are together. You know of Lone Bamboo’s reputation here. If the students of Sky Palace put you—an outsider—on par with Lone Bamboo, you should know how lofty your reputation has become.”
“So, am I the knife master or the sword master?” Han Sen asked with a smile.
“Neither. You cannot be separated. You are both the Knife and Sword Master. There is no Knife Master, and neither is there a Sword Master.” Yu Jing then changed his tone. “The island I have told you about is called Rare Beast Island. That island is owned by the second elder. He treasures it so much, not even his students can go there. Only those of his bloodline can enter and hunt there. The elder has a young son called s.h.i.+ Beifeng, and he admires you a great deal. He would like to invite you to hunt there.”
“Something that great exists?” Han Sen looked at Yu Jing in disbelief.
“Of course, but there is one condition. He wants you to help him capture a xenogeneic.” Yu Jing finally explained the true purpose of all this.
Rare Beast Island was an amazing place. It looked like one island, but n.o.bles of any rank could enter. They’d be teleported to different places across the island, and it would seem as if they were actually on different islands.
Only those of the same level could appear at each spot, though.
s.h.i.+ Beifeng wanted to capture an Earl xenogeneic for a mount, but that Earl xenogeneic was special. He had gathered a few teams to try their hand at capturing it, but none of their attempts were successful. So this time, he wanted Han Sen’s help.