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Xu Qing nodded in response to the man’s questions.

“Very good,” the old man said, chuckling coldly. “Ailing Ghost has a sort of symbiotic relationship with the poison the Holytides hit him with. Because of that, it’s a simple thing for him to utilize poison. However, his understanding of the dao of poison is minimal. This group of swordsages isn’t bad at all! You’re Xu Qing, right? Step forward. As a reward for poisoning Ailing Ghost, I’ll have you assist me in my lecture about nonhuman species.”

Xu Qing stepped over and stood somberly next to the old man.

At this point, the old man looked at the other swordsages in the study hall. “You can call me Ghost Hand. Today I’ll be teaching you about some of the defining characteristics of the most common nonhuman species. Also, their fatal weaknesses.”

Qing Qiu instinctively glanced at Xu Qing. [1]

Being so close to Ghost Hand, Xu Qing could sense a strong odor of blood on him. He also noticed that Kong Xianglong seemed to revere Ghost Hand even more than he did Ailing Ghost.

As he pondered that, Kong Xianglong projected a message to him.

“Jailer.”

Xu Qing’s eyes narrowed in focus. He knew what ‘jailers’ were. And that indicated this man came from the Corrections Division. That made Xu Qing all the more interested in the contents of the lecture.

Back when he worked in the Violent Crimes Division in Seven Blood Eyes, he’d had dealings with some of the nonhumans who lived on the Forbidden Sea, and thus knew that many of them had different body structures than humans. Because of that, their fatal weaknesses were different. Grueglooms and Seastars were good examples.

“Smokewights are born in direct sunlight, and exist in a state of energy. It might seem like they have no weaknesses, but the truth is that their fatal weakness is right in front of you. All you need is a wind-based magical technique to take advantage of it.... Take this, Xu Qing.”

Ghost Hand thrust his hand out, causing a lump of ice to appear, which then floated over to Xu Qing.

Xu Qing extended his hand to catch it. Being closer than the others, he had a much better view of the ice. It was transparent, and inside of it was a clump of smoke.

“Dealing with Smokewights is actually quite simple. You can simply freeze them, like I’ve done here.”

Ghost Hand flicked his sleeve, causing the ice to fly back to him. Then he went on to talk about other species.

“The Clothmakers are a species with the innate ability to turn enemies into cloth dolls. Their weakness is that within the third finger of each hand, they have a vital meridian.”

Ghost Hand waved his hand, causing an emaciated corpse to fly over and hover in front of Xu Qing. Xu Qing took control of it. The unclothed corpse had wrinkled green skin and a horn growing out of its forehead.

“Xu Qing, find the third finger.”

As instructed, Xu Qing rotated the corpse and then found the right hand, the third finger of which was clearly broken. He pulled the hand out so the other swordsages could see it.

“Next we have the Dualfaces, who are close relatives of the Saintfiends. Because we’re allies with the Saintfiends, killing them is prohibited. But it’s not the same with the Dualfaces. Similar to the Saintfiends, they have incredibly strong fleshly bodies. Their fatal weakness can be found when their two faces rotate. In that moment, you can strike a fatal blow in the spot between their eyebrows.”

Ghost Hand waved his hand again, causing a 6-meter-tall Dualface corpse to appear, with a bloody wound visible between its eyebrows.

Being close up, Xu Qing was able to see the wound clearly. Also, he could see that it was a sword wound that pierced to the same spot on the opposite face.

The other swordsages in the class were paying very close attention to everything.

Ghost Hand’s lecture included details of over a hundred nonhumans. Each time, he would bring out a specimen, none of which seemed to have been dead for very long. Some were still alive, which gave Ghost Hand the opportunity to teach about their fatal weaknesses by killing them. Before long, the study hall filled with the smell of blood.

Xu Qing benefited greatly. He could see everything very clearly, and sense things that the others couldn’t. He was also privy to many small details the others weren’t.

“Last we have a Demi-Immortal.” Grinning as if pleased from all the killing he’d done, Ghost Hand pulled out a gourd of alcohol and took a long drink. “All of the previous specimens were personally gathered by me, just for this lecture. Each and every one had engaged in ruthless slaughter of human cultivators. Some were even guilty of killing swordsages, and were on the Swordsage Palace’s wanted list. I’m pleased that not a single one of you is the pedantic type who felt compassion for them. Believe it or not, we have had some idiots like that throughout the years.

“Demi-Immortals are easy to deal with. I dragged this one out of the Corrections Division. Unfortunately, just like the Saintfiends, we can’t kill them.” With that, he waved his hand, causing a Demi-Immortal to appear in front of everyone, hovering there unconscious.

“Take a close look. Demi-Immortals are very similar to humans in appearance. However, they have five hearts. That’s one of the reasons they’re so strong. They also have incredible powers of regeneration, and few fatal weaknesses. In my opinion, if you want to kill them, it’s much better to aim for their kidneys than their hearts. What’s more, if you encounter them in the future, you should make sure to dismember their bodies to ensure they don’t regenerate.

“Keep in mind, this lecture relates only to the physical weaknesses of these species. Obviously, cultivators from these species will have all sorts of different magical techniques. When you end up fighting them, you’ll have to be flexible and make adjustments accordingly.

“As for Demi-Immortals, there’s one more thing I need to remind you about. The Demi-Immortals’ immortal puppets are comparatively stronger than we humans. They are vile killing machines designed specifically for combat. Even the weakest immortal puppet is at the Nascent Soul level. We don’t know exactly how they make them, but we do know that they’re made from living Demi-Immortals. You can imagine how brutal the process must be. The purpose of the procedure is to unlock resentment and madness, then use a special mutagen infusion to tap into immense power.”

With that, Ghost Hand put away the Demi-Immortal cultivator and then took another drink of alcohol before standing up.

“Unfortunately, I can’t dismember a Demi-Immortal in front of you. The three-species peace treaty specifies that if one species arrests another, the worst punishment that can be given is ten years in prison. After that, they have to be returned to their species. That applies to Saintfiends, Demi-Immortals, and humans.”

Shaking his head, Ghost Hand walked out.

Xu Qing went back to his desk and sat down.

***

It was late in the afternoon and evening was approaching. As the sunset clouds gathered, a figure entered the Swordsage Palace. It was an old man wearing a green robe, with long white hair and sparkling eyes. He looked scholarly and refined.

All swordsages who saw him clasped hands and bowed respectfully.

“Well met, Lieutenant Governor!”

The three palaces in the county capital were second only to the office of the governor. And just beneath the palaces in the hierarchy was the office of the lieutenant governor.

The lieutenant governor smiled as he walked in the direction of the study hall. Along the way, he glanced at the various palaces and halls as he conversed with the swordsage who accompanied him.

“I think the last time I was here was ten years ago,” he said. “Yesterday, the governor mentioned that this group of new swordsages is particularly outstanding. I suppose teaching this class will be a good chance to see what talented individuals will be representing humankind going forward.”

Accompanying the lieutenant governor was the highest ranking honor guard from the Swordsage Palace. “The little punks still need a lot of training,” he said. “Given how well-studied you are, Lieutenant Governor, any tips you can give them would be considered good fortune.”

The lieutenant governor nodded as he and the honor guard entered the study hall.

All the swordsages inside stood and offered greetings with clasped hands, including Xu Qing.

“This is the exalted lieutenant governor of our Sea-Sealing County,” said the honor guard. “In a moment, the lieutenant governor will teach you about the history of humankind, as well as a special method he developed for dealing with impasses when working with plants and vegetation.

“The lieutenant governor is the epitome of benevolence and morality, and there is no end to his virtuous achievements. Six years ago, he improved the white bolus formula and invented the pallid bolus. Pallid boluses are doubly effective at purging mutagen, and thus, this virtuous achievement by the lieutenant governor ensures that the commoners in our county do not suffer as greatly from the effects of mutagen.”

Having said that, the honor guard clasped hands and bowed deeply to the lieutenant governor.

The lieutenant governor returned the bow, then sighed. “I think it’s a bit of an exaggeration to say that there’s ‘no end to my virtuous achievements.’ As for the pallid bolus, the medicinal plants required to concoct them take a long time to grow. Because of that, we can only provide them to the commoners in the county capital. If we could distribute them to all the humans in the thirteen prefectures, that would be a truly virtuous achievement.”

“You’re too humble, exalted one,” the honor guard said. With that, he said his farewells and left the study hall.

The lieutenant governor walked to the front of the class and sat down. “Sit, everyone. Your honor guard went a bit overboard with his praise. The truth is that I’m just a student myself.”

Everyone clasped hands respectfully and then sat down and waited for the lieutenant governor to begin his lecture.

Being toward the front of the class, Xu Qing could sense that the lieutenant governor was similar to Grandmaster Bai and the grand elder from the Swordsage Court. He instinctively liked the man. That was especially true when it came to that pallid bolus. The mere mention of that pill sparked his interest, and he had already decided to purchase one and study it.

The lieutenant governor’s lecture was very interesting. He talked about the history of humankind, starting with the glory days of Ancient Emperor Dark Serenity, when he conquered Revered Ancient and was venerated by all species. Eventually, he reached the point when the broken face of the god arrived, and Revered Ancient was struck by catastrophe. Then he spoke about the emperors that had led humanity in the years after the broken face of the god arrived. [2]

Some had been like enlightened sages. Some had tried to lead humankind back into glory. Some had been happy to keep things as they were.

“In the year 37,938 of the Eastglory calendar, Emperor Eastglory sought to accomplish extraordinary things. Ignoring the advice of his counselors, he marshaled all humans to wage war against the Firemoon Darkheaven species. The war ended in a resounding defeat. The resources we humans had stockpiled for tens of thousands of years were lost forever. Countless brave young men died and were buried in foreign lands. It was such a blow to our imperial might that we never recovered. In fact, that war was a turning point that led to the decline of humanity. That event was later called the Darkheaven Rebellion.

“In the year 21,435 of the Sageheaven calendar, the consequences of the Darkheaven Rebellion became fully manifest. Over a period of ten thousand years, humans lost a total of thirty-nine regions. Billions upon billions of commoners were displaced and left homeless, and were ultimately either enslaved by nonhumans or forced to scatter to various parts of Revered Ancient. As the generations passed, many of those commoners didn’t even know what species they belonged to, and died not knowing where to truly call home. Sometimes they would band together to form small nations, but such places were almost always enslaved or destroyed.

“Many years into the Mirrorcloud calendar, we humans finally had a chance to rise to new heights. Emperor Mirrorcloud was wise and capable. Furthermore, a small kingdom in the Violet and Cyan Region rose to prominence, eventually taking over the entire region. That kingdom was named Violet and Cyan. Its king was exceptional, but its crown prince was outstanding beyond belief, and eventually came to be known as the most prominent human to rise up since the arrival of the broken face of the god. He was conceived at the behest of the destiny aura of humankind. When he was born, a howl of grief echoed out of all the forbidden grounds in Revered Ancient, and mutated blood flowed from within them. [3]

“Later generations believed that he was sent by this great world of Revered Ancient to save itself. They believed that he was a convergence of the power of the world, and that he was sent down with the mission of uniting Revered Ancient.

“This Crown Prince of Violet and Cyan, who crushed an entire generation, saw eye to eye with Emperor Mirrorcloud, so the two of them agreed to join forces. They were the ones who turned things around for humankind. After endless failures, they brought stability. At that time, humans controlled three regions and twenty-seven counties. Among them was the Violet and Cyan Region, upon which we stand right now! It is now called the Holytide Region!

“Eventually, that most consummate of chosen humans perished. He fell in the Sovereign Kingdom of Violet and Cyan. The nonhumans who attacked him were astonishing individuals. Even gods sleeping in the earth joined in the effort. Emperor Mirrorcloud wasn’t in time to save him. And thus... there is no Violet and Cyan in the world anymore. That most incredible of chosen finally died overseas on a distant continent.

“The day he died, the mountain ranges in Revered Ancient all howled in anguish. The rivers flowed backwards as they wept, and the eyes of the broken face of the god opened.

“Years after Violet and Cyan vanished for good, in the year 12,578 of the Dao Life calendar, Grand Duke Holytide was named chancellor of the region. During that time, Emperor Dao Life was enlightened and benevolent, yet things changed again. That was when the Nightshades rose to prominence and launched their attack against humankind!

“Emperor Dao Life personally led the troops into battle. All humans fought back, and eventually drove away the Nightshades. Except, in a critical moment, Grand Duke Holytide betrayed us, handing over the entire region to the Nightshades. He even mixed his own blood with that of the Nightshades, thus turning completely against humankind!

“After that war, humans lost two regions and twenty counties.... The event came to be known as the Holytide Betrayal. That was also when the name of the Violet and Cyan Region was changed. From then on, it was the Holytide Region.”

The lieutenant governor\'s voice seemed to carry everyone through the River of Time to see all of those events from the history of humankind. As it echoed out, it contained both pride and grief.

“And that is how humans went from controlling all of Revered Ancient to the current state of having one region and seven counties. We are now in the year 2,931 of the Dark War calendar, and we can only hope that Emperor Dark War once again brings light and holiness to humankind.”

Having finished his lecture, the lieutenant governor sighed. “Much of it will be up to all of you. I hope that you can bring back some of that ancient glory. I hope that you become true protectors of humanity, and not just swordsages out for personal gain!”

The study hall went completely silent.

As for Xu Qing, his head was bowed. At some point, his hands had clenched so tightly into fists that they had gone numb and turned pure white.

1. Just to clarify, yes this swordsage’s name, Ghost Hand, is exactly the same as the nickname Qing Qiu has mentally assigned to Xu Qing. ☜

2. There is a somewhat unique and specific term used to describe these ‘emperors.’ Specifically they’re called ‘human emperors.’ For the sake of pithiness, I’m generally just going to call them emperors. If the ‘human’ emperor aspect is ever relevant, I’ll adjust the wordage to make the same point, or possibly use a footnote if necessary. I also want to point out that certain characters like ‘emperor’ and ‘imperial’ often relate to cultivation levels in these novels as well. Usually I capitalize the cultivation stuff to make it stand out. That said, I also need to capitalize them when used as part of a title. Just because you see the words emperor/imperial, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s related to cultivation level. ☜

3. Compare this story of the Crown Prince of Violet and Cyan with what Master Seventh said back in chapter 262. ☜