After leaving the place, Gu Chen arrived at the Hall of Merit and took possession of the weapon he had previously exchanged for. It was a longsword named Red Refinement.
This sword was about three feet long, with its blade emitting a red glow throughout. It was made from a type of ore known as Red Refinement Steel, forged and refined through thousands of hammerings, forming a low-grade treasure weapon.
Treasure weapons stood above ordinary martial weapons, divided into upper, middle, and lower grades. Gu Chen's previous sword could only be considered a sharp weapon, made from common iron, vastly inferior to a treasure weapon.
Even an ordinary person wielding a treasure weapon could easily slay a martial artist at the peak of the Body Refining Stage, and even a martial artist at the second realm, the Blood Refining Stage, wouldn't dare to face it head on—such was the power of a treasure weapon.
The divine weapons of legendary prowess that some roaming martial artists spoke of referred exactly to these treasure weapons.
Only in a place like the Jing Tian Department could one exchange for a treasure weapon with merely seven points of merit.
After securing the Red Refinement Sword at his waist, Gu Chen left the Jing Tian Department and returned to Gu Mansion.
Upon his return to Gu Mansion, after reporting the matter to Gu Chengfeng and Xu Qinge, Gu Chen set off from Tiandu the next day, hurrying toward Li Mountain County.
Da Xia governed thirteen provinces and Tiandu was situated in Shen Zhou. Everything in Shen Zhou related to demons or the martial world was managed by the Jing Tian Department of Tiandu.
The existence of the Jing Tian Department can be traced back to the very founding of Da Xia, when the realm had only recently unified and the situation was not yet stable, with no demons appearing in the nine provinces. The Jing Tian Department's duty was mainly to intimidate the land and govern the martial world of the Central Plains.
At that time, the Jing Tian Department was like a sharp blade hanging over the heads of various sects, clans, and noble families. Should anyone dare to rise in rebellion, the Jing Tian Department would directly intervene, and in severe cases, would annihilate the offender's entire family.
Over the years, countless forces were quashed by the Jing Tian Department, and a large portion of the Department's extensive archives originated from these acts.
It was only over three hundred years ago, with the emergence of demons across the nine provinces, that the Jing Tian Department took on another duty: the purging of demons across the land.
These were the two most important responsibilities of the Jing Tian Department, from which its name was derived.
One could say that the Jing Tian Department was Da Xia's sharp blade outward, an institution crucial to Da Xia; the stability of the realm was greatly influenced by the Jing Tian Department.
This was why the Jing Tian Department only asked Gu Chen to investigate and not to kill Zheng Jinan outright.
The gap between the Exterior Realm and the Thoroughfare Realm was sizeable. The latter focused on accumulation, while an Exterior Realm martial artist could externalize their inner qi, releasing various sword qis and blade qis. Those with profound cultivation could even reach the fabled state spoken of in the martial realm, where even plucked leaves and flying petals could wound someone.
Thus, once a martial artist reached the Exterior Realm, they could be considered a significant force in the martial realm. Gu Chen was only at the Thoroughfare Realm. Though his internal qi was dense and far exceeded his peers, Zheng Jinan had practiced martial arts all his life. Even if his cultivation was not as profound as Gu Chen's, it certainly wouldn't be much less.
Of course, if Zheng Jinan dared to clash head-on, Gu Chen felt confident about his chances of victory.
However, as an Exterior Realm martial artist, Zheng Jinan had no need for a direct confrontation with Gu Chen. By attacking Gu Chen with internal qi from a distance, he could easily exhaust Gu Chen, making it difficult for him to respond.
Unless Gu Chen once again obtained a substantial amount of merit points and elevated his cultivation and martial realm, he would then be able to face Zheng Jinan directly.
As Gu Chen was engrossed in his thoughts, a disturbance suddenly erupted on the second floor of the restaurant, drawing everyone's attention.
At the staircase, several figures dressed in red robes ascended with a fierce momentum. Each of them had a longsword at their waist, clearly indicating they were disciples of a certain sect.
Clang!
Suddenly, the leader—a young man—drew his sword and pointed its tip at a corner of the second floor, shouting, "Luo Feng, I've finally caught up with you. This time, I'll see where you can run!"
Then, the young man's companions, all wearing angry expressions, drew their swords as well and rushed over with him.
At that moment, in the corner of the second floor, a man was quietly eating his meal. Hearing the commotion, he sighed and lifted his head, revealing an incredibly ordinary face, one that wouldn't stand out in a crowd.
"Your Sunset Sword Sect is really like a dogskin plaster, sticking wherever you go. I can't even shake you off; you're annoying the hell out of me."
Hearing the words "Sunset Sword Sect," the other diners on the second floor immediately changed their expressions.
The Sunset Sword Sect was a highly esteemed top-ranking sect known throughout the martial realm, and the strongest martial force in Qiongtian Mansion. Throughout the entire Qiongtian Mansion, few in the martial realm dared to provoke them.