High Martial: I Use Everything as Swords

BANG!

The last bullet tore through the air.

It drilled precisely into the middle-aged man’s unguarded brow.

The gunshots came to an abrupt halt.

The middle-aged man’s charging body stiffened violently.

The madness and unwillingness in his eyes rapidly faded to a deathly, ashen gray.

His head, a fatal weak point, was completely exposed to Han Feng’s muzzle.

BANG!

Han Feng delivered the final shot.

THUD.

The body hit the cold concrete floor like a heap of sludge.

Warm blood quickly spread out, forming a dark red pool.

Han Feng strode forward and, with a precise kick of his right foot, sent the pistol beside the body flying into a corner.

He crouched down, his expression blank, and picked up the dark brown shield, which was now only the size of a pot lid.

It felt heavy and cool to the touch.

Other than its energy being depleted, the shield itself was surprisingly undamaged.

’A good item.’

"Han Feng!"

"Kid, you still alive?"

Outside the factory, Uncle Long’s gruff voice boomed like thunder, interspersed with Gao Fei’s blood-curdling shouts.

"He’s taken care of. He’s dead."

Han Feng’s voice sounded distant, though he himself didn’t notice.

Soon, Uncle Long’s burly figure stepped cautiously into the factory, a shotgun in his hands.

Gao Fei followed close behind, daring only to peek his head in.

Inside the factory, the strong, acrid smell of gunpowder still hung in the air.

Uncle Long gave the room a quick scan before walking straight to the corpse.

He nudged it with the tip of his boot, confirming it was thoroughly dead.

He slowly raised his head, his single eye staring intently at Han Feng.

His gaze was complex, as if he were looking at a monster.

"Kid... you really did this?"

"A Meridian Passage Third Layer scum, and you just shot him down like that?"

Seeing the body on the ground and the floor littered with shell casings, Gao Fei’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and he swallowed the rest of his words in fear.

Without waiting for Han Feng’s reply, Uncle Long went straight to pick up the dark brown shield.

When he saw the deep dents in the center of the shield and the spiderweb cracks spreading from them, a terrifying glint flashed in his single eye.

"Holy shit!"

"You even managed to punch through a Profound Turtle Shield?!"

Uncle Long sucked in a sharp breath, examining the shield over and over.

It was as if he were caressing a priceless treasure.

"You kid... did you really use that piece of junk I sold you?"

Han Feng shrugged but said nothing.

He just put the still-warm Sand Python back into his backpack.

His expression calm, he began to search the body.

A heavy leather pouch.

A black metal card made of some unknown material.

"Not bad, kid! You’ve hit a windfall!"

Uncle Long glanced at the glint of silver in the leather pouch and let out a wry chuckle.

"This bastard had a lot of blood on his hands. According to the rules, all this loot is yours."

"I’ll clean up the body and the scene. I guarantee no one will be able to trace it back to you."

"Thank you, Uncle Long."

Han Feng’s voice was hoarse, but his gratitude was sincere.

Having a professional handle the clean-up would save him a world of trouble.

He handed the damaged Profound Turtle Shield and the black metal card over.

"Uncle Long, I’ll have to trouble you with these two items as well."

Uncle Long took the items, weighing them in his hand.

"This Profound Turtle Shield is a good item, based on the Turtle Shell of a Tier Two Spirit Turtle. A pity you blasted it and caused internal damage."

"I know an old-timer who can fix it, but there’s no guarantee."

"I’ll have him give me a quote, then I’ll have Fatty let you know. You can decide whether to repair it or sell it for materials."

He then picked up the black card.

"An anonymous Storage Card from the Black Market’s ’Reef Bank.’ There’s probably a lot of stuff inside."

"I’ll find someone to crack it. Same old rules, they take a thirty-percent cut."

"No problem. I’ll leave it all to you, Uncle Long."

Han Feng’s reply was crisp and decisive.

"Alright, straightforward enough!"

Uncle Long nodded in approval, pulled a communicator from his pocket, and started calling for his men.

"I’ll handle the rest. You two, get the hell out of here. Don’t be an eyesore."

Han Feng didn’t linger. He grabbed Gao Fei, who was still in a state of shock, and quickly walked out of the abandoned factory.

On the way back, Gao Fei was like a monkey on stimulants, flailing his arms and legs in excitement.

"Brother Feng! From this day on, you’re my real brother!"

"One-on-one, you totally crushed a Meridian Passage Third Layer expert!"

"If word of this gets out, the entire East Sea Martial Arts University will be shaken!"

"Keep a low profile."

The evening wind was bitingly cold against his face, cooling his feverish mind and calming his racing heart.

"Low profile my ass!"

Gao Fei slapped his own thigh.

"Brother Feng, you have no idea! When Uncle Long told me to lead the way earlier, he looked like he was going to eat me alive!"

"I thought you were a goner for sure! But you... you actually turned it around and killed him!"

He leaned in, his voice lowered to a whisper, his eyes shining.

"Brother Feng, be honest with me. Can someone at the Body Tempering Tenth Layer really be this strong?"

"That’s the Meridian Passage Realm! They’re protected by Inner Qi! They’re like a completely different species from us!"

"I’m just at the Body Tempering Tenth Layer."

Han Feng’s reply was as calm as ever.

"It was a good gun, and I got lucky. That’s all."

Gao Fei rolled his eyes, his expression clearly saying, ’Yeah, right.’

’Lucky enough to crack the Profound Turtle Shield of a Meridian Passage Realm expert?’

’Lucky enough to land a fatal headshot with every bullet?’

He tactfully decided not to press the issue, but the mix of admiration and awe on his face was practically overflowing.

Back at the B Level Student Apartment in Building Seven, Gao Fei flopped onto the soft sofa and urged impatiently.

"Brother Feng, quick, take out that pouch of Spirit Coins! Let me feast my eyes!"

"The entire fortune of a Meridian Passage Realm expert!"

Han Feng tossed the leather pouch onto the table.

Gao Fei eagerly untied it and dumped all the contents out.

"Holy cow! So many!"

He stared at the pile of coins shimmering with a captivating silver light on the table, his eyes wide.

He nimbly counted them and smacked his lips.

"Five hundred and fifty Spirit Coins! Tsk, tsk, just as you’d expect from a hardened expert who lives on the edge!"

He then picked up the few bottles of Elixir Pills, uncorked them, and took a sniff.

"This is all common stuff. Qi Replenishing Pills and Golden Sore Medicine. All together, it’s worth maybe a hundred or so Spirit Coins."

"Brother Feng, with all this, plus that card and the shield, you’ve really struck it rich this time!"

Gao Fei rubbed his hands together excitedly.

But when he looked up, he found Han Feng staring blankly at his own hands.

Under the light, his face was unnaturally pale.

Gao Fei’s excitement instantly faded.

He asked cautiously.

"Brother Feng, are you... all right?"

"First time killing someone... Is it getting to you?"

Han Feng withdrew his gaze and shook his head.

His tone was frighteningly calm.

"He wanted to kill me, so I had to kill him first."

"This is just how the world is."

Gao Fei fell silent.

He could feel a glacial chill hidden beneath Han Feng’s calm words.

He scratched his head, wanting to say something, but couldn’t find the words.

"Alright, it’s getting late. You should head back."

Han Feng stood up.

"I’ll leave these with you to handle. Trade them for Spirit Plants."

"Okay, you got it!"

Gao Fei nodded quickly, gathering everything on the table.

"You get some rest, Brother Feng. I’ll get it done tomorrow!"

After seeing Gao Fei out, the apartment returned to a dead silence.

Han Feng didn’t turn on the lights.

He stood before the massive floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the brilliant nightscape of the Inner City.

Countless Hovercars streaked across the sky, leaving dazzling trails of light. In the distance, skyscrapers were brightly lit, presenting a picture of peace and prosperity.

But beneath this prosperity, how many hyenas like the middle-aged man tonight were lurking, ready to devour others for their own gain?

He looked down at his hands.

It was as if the tremor from pulling the trigger still lingered on them.

The choking smell of gunpowder also seemed to still hang in his nostrils.

’My strength... it’s still not enough...’

Han Feng muttered to himself, his fists clenching unconsciously.

A single Martial Artist at the Meridian Passage Third Layer had forced him to use almost all of his trump cards.

If not for the early warning from his [Spiritual Vision].

If not for his masterful technique of imbuing bullets with Qi Blood.

If not for the astonishing power of the Sand Python.

The one lying in that pool of blood tonight could very well have been him.

And that Profound Turtle Shield...

Han Feng recalled the solid shield, a trace of desire appearing in his eyes.

At a critical moment, something like that could truly save your life.

’Looks like I need to get a defensive item for myself too.’

He made up his mind. Regardless of whether Uncle Long could get the shield repaired, he had to acquire a reliable piece of defensive gear as soon as possible.

After a long while, he turned and walked back to the living room.

To dispel the cloying discomfort that lingered in his heart after the killing.

To regain absolute control over every muscle in his body.

He stretched his body and began to practice the most basic Body Forging Technique from East Sea Martial Arts University.

As the Cultivation Technique circulated, the Qi Blood Power within him surged like a great river. A warm current flowed into his limbs and bones, tempering his entire being.

Suddenly, Han Feng felt something was different.

In the past, when he practiced the Body Forging Technique, his Qi Blood would drain like an open floodgate, but his Cultivation would grow at a snail’s pace.

This time, however, he could clearly feel that the efficiency of converting Qi Blood into Cultivation seemed to have undergone a qualitative improvement.

He immediately stopped his movements, pulled up his personal status panel, and made a quick calculation.

’Before, I had to consume 90 points of Qi Blood to increase my Cultivation progress by 1 point.’

’Now... I only need about 60 points?’

Han Feng’s eyes lit up.

Although this conversion rate was nowhere near the terrifying ten-to-one ratio he achieved when flying with the [Sword Control Technique], it was still a massive, tangible improvement!

’It’s the [Sword Bone]!’

He instantly understood the key.

Each evolution of the Sword Bone not only strengthened his physical Talent, but it also boosted the efficiency of his daily Cultivation!

’I was just trying to regain my sense of control through training. I didn’t expect this pleasant surprise.’

Han Feng smiled and once again threw himself into the tedious but focused training.

Outside the window, the night grew deeper.

And the figure inside the apartment, drenched in sweat, grew ever more upright, ever more resolute.