The fighting tournament Yin Huaichen had participated in back then could still be considered a gathering of hidden dragons and crouching tigers even by today’s standards.
It had brought together the most talented young fighters from major martial arts schools everywhere.
Yet Yin Huaichen himself had neither studied under a famous master nor come from any renowned ancient martial arts family. At most, he had merely held a nominal affiliation with a martial arts school, not even qualifying as an official closed door disciple.
To professionals within the field, he had looked nothing more than a wealthy young master treating martial arts as a casual hobby.
And yet, in the end, he had defeated everyone and taken first place, becoming the champion of that year’s fighting tournament.
The result had utterly shocked countless people.
As one of Yin Huaichen’s former opponents, Fang Lecang had never been able to let go of his defeat. Ever since losing to Yin Huaichen, he had carried that frustration with him for two whole years, training relentlessly every single day for the sole purpose of washing away that humiliation.
Yet Yin Huaichen himself had been like a fleeting meteor or a flower that bloomed only once.
His rise to fame had come without warning.
And his disappearance had been just as sudden.
Now, after finally encountering Yin Huaichen again inside the game, only to receive such an answer from him, Fang Lecang found himself momentarily at a complete loss.
Yin Huaichen’s expression was blank and distant, his thoughts obviously drifting elsewhere but his appearance was simply too deceptive.
Even while absentmindedly spacing out, there remained an indescribable sense of fragility about him, something that made people’s hearts tremble involuntarily.
“You…”
Fang Lecang opened his mouth slightly, wanting to say something comforting.
But after thinking about it, he felt there was probably no need.
If their positions were reversed, if an old rival suddenly appeared and offered hollow words of consolation, it would probably feel even worse.
After pondering for a moment, Fang Lecang deliberately adopted a relaxed tone and said, “So you’re playing this game too?”
Yin Huaichen: “…”
Meeting Yin Huaichen’s gaze, the exact kind of look one would give an idiot, Fang Lecang immediately realized he had asked an incredibly stupid question.
He scratched the back of his head awkwardly and laughed dryly.
“Hahaha… You’re playing a martial artist too. What a coincidence.”
During the ten or so minutes aboard the airship, Fang Lecang practically circled around Yin Huaichen nonstop, chatting away by himself without pause.
“How come you disappeared these past two years? There are tons of people in our circle who still want to challenge you…”
“Oh right, a lot of people from the ancient martial arts fighting scene came to play this game too. Want me to introduce some of them to you?”
“Do you have a guild yet? The guild I’m in is pretty lively and the treatment’s not bad either. Interested in joining?”
“I lost to you back during the tournament but this time inside the game, I definitely won’t lose again. When you’ve got time, let’s spar sometime. Come on, come on, let’s add each other as friends first…”
Listening to him ramble on endlessly gave Yin Huaichen a slight headache.
Seriously…
Were he and Fang Lecang even that familiar with each other?
They had only met once during the tournament back then. At the time, he definitely had not gotten the impression that Fang Lecang possessed such an overly familiar personality.
Yin Huaichen responded halfheartedly from time to time while letting his thoughts drift elsewhere. It was only when Fang Lecang suddenly commented,
“How come you customized such a skinny dog like build? Using this kind of physique for a martial artist is a huge disadvantage.”
, that Yin Huaichen finally raised his eyes and glanced at him.
…Do you even know basic manners?
Back when he participated in the competition, Yin Huaichen’s body had not yet fully matured. Later, due to illness, he became unable to continue training.
As a result, his current appearance looked thin and somewhat frail, nowhere near what people imagined a properly trained martial artist should look like.
Still, he did not quite agree with Fang Lecang’s opinion regarding martial artist physiques.
The martial arts systems of the two worlds were completely different.
If modern ancient martial arts combat focused more heavily on technique, then the martial system in this world was the classic type centered on internal cultivation. It emphasized intent over form, qi over flesh.
A large and muscular build like the one Fang Lecang had customized might indeed provide greater advantages in real world fights.
But here…
It would actually place him at a disadvantage instead.
While they were talking, the airship finally arrived at its destination.
Fang Lecang clearly still wanted to continue chatting with Yin Huaichen for a while longer but he and his teammates had missions to complete. In the end, he could only hurriedly add Yin Huaichen as a friend before reluctantly saying goodbye.
The second stage of Gu Xingxiu’s quest had provided coordinates, though the instructions were not very precise. Yin Huaichen cleared small monsters along the way while traveling toward the marked location.
Half an hour later, he finally arrived at the quest coordinates.
The area resembled a vast desert map.
Massive wind eroded stone pillars stood scattered everywhere around him, while rust colored metal and reddish yellow gravel blended together, naturally forming something akin to a giant labyrinth.
The monster distribution on this map was not particularly dense and most monsters were only around levels two to four. As a leveling area, there were obviously many better alternatives elsewhere.
As far as the eye could see, the surroundings were desolate and sparsely populated.
Walking across the yellow sands gave rise to an unmistakable sense of loneliness.
Yin Huaichen wandered around nearby for quite some time.
Forget the NPC required for the quest,
He could not even spot another player anywhere.
Surely Gu Xingxiu would not trick him, right?
That thought surfaced in Yin Huaichen’s mind.
Still unwilling to give up, he continued searching the surrounding area once more.
A few minutes later, some movement finally broke the silence of the barren desert.
It was the sound of combat.
Following the noise, Yin Huaichen soon spotted several figures in the distance.
They were surrounded by towering wind eroded stone pillars. At the center stood a large and imposing figure, an elite monster. Judging from the movements and skill effects of the surrounding figures attacking it, the others were clearly players.
Yin Huaichen did not rush closer.
Instead, he found a taller rock pillar nearby and quietly observed the battle from afar.
The players were obviously part of the same team and their coordination was fairly smooth. A front line Iron Guardian class was tanking the monster head on, while a Spirit Healer stood at the edge of the battlefield continuously restoring health. The remaining ranged damage dealers relentlessly unleashed skill after skill from the backline.
This was the first time Yin Huaichen had ever watched other players fight monsters from such a close distance.
No wonder ranged DPS classes were currently so popular.
Among the attackers, one of them was a Thunder Sound Hall warlock, a class currently in fashion. Purple talismans continuously flew from his hands, transforming into streaks of heavenly lightning that smashed down upon the monster.
Another was a Skyfire Sect mechanic engineer. Holding a precisely crafted Scarlet Python sniper cannon, he fired a powerful shot toward the elite monster.
The scale like heat dissipation fins on the weapon automatically unfolded, spewing scorching steam into the air. Accompanied by dazzling skill effects, a blazing beam of energy erupted straight toward the monster’s face,
Whether the actual damage was effective or not aside, the spectacle alone was far more impressive than what martial artists could usually produce.
Yin Huaichen watched with great interest from the sidelines.
Unfortunately, the situation for the players within the battle was far from optimistic.
“Heal me! Heal me!”
The Iron Guardian standing at the front and resisting the elite monster head on was beginning to fail. Bracing himself behind two shields while retreating step by step, he shouted desperately.
“I’m already healing nonstop!”
The Spirit Healer in the backline was under enormous pressure as well. The moment each healing skill came off cooldown, it was immediately cast again. Sweat had already begun forming on his forehead.
Yet even so, the main tank’s health bar continued dropping like a dam that had burst open.
“Where did these inexperienced little brats crawl out from, ”
The elite monster standing in the center laughed wildly while wielding an enormous halberd. His offensive momentum became even fiercer.
“Let grandpa loosen your bones for you!”
As soon as he spoke, he abruptly withdrew the halberd, then kicked the shaft with his left leg. Instantly, the direction of the weapon changed. What had originally been a thrust transformed into a wide horizontal sweep, carrying overwhelming force as it slashed viciously toward the two fragile damage dealers nearby!
The moment Yin Huaichen saw this from afar, his eyes lit up.
What an exquisite halberd technique!
From Yin Huaichen’s perspective, the elite monster’s halberd skills were incredibly refined. When the blade thrust forward, the edge trembled sharply while the shaft moved in flowing waves like a dragon’s spine. It truly embodied the feeling of “splitting golden locks while flood dragons surged forth.”
Upon closer observation, there were even faint traces of the Heavenly Dragon Halberd Style hidden within it.
What looked marvelous to Yin Huaichen, however, was an outright nightmare for the players facing it.
Caught completely off guard, the two fragile backline players had no time to react at all. They were instantly swept flying through the air as massive damage numbers exploded across their bodies.
Before the Spirit Healer could even restore their health, both players transformed into white light and died on the spot.
The moment the damage dealers fell, the battlefield situation instantly spiraled downward.
The Iron Guardian responsible for maintaining aggro panicked. His skill rotation faltered, causing the monster’s hatred to immediately shift away from him.
This time, the remaining Spirit Healer suffered.
The elite monster’s body flashed forward in a blur, instantly arriving before the healer. With a casual swing of his halberd, he directly sent the poor man to the afterlife.
As for the last surviving Iron Guardian, he naturally no longer had any hope of staying alive.
All he could do was sigh, memorize the coordinates of this location and then die cleanly beneath the halberd before returning to the city to resurrect.
“That’s all you’ve got?”
The elite monster sneered coldly while resting the halberd upon his shoulder.
“Not satisfying enough.”
After speaking, he turned to leave.
Yet just as he took a single step, he suddenly paused.
“So there’s still one little bug left.”
The elite monster tilted his head slightly to the side.
“Since you’re already here, why bother hiding?”
Wind and sand swept across the barren land. The setting sun sank into the desert like rusted iron disappearing beneath a sea of sand.
Yin Huaichen sat sideways atop a rock pillar, the desert wind carrying yellow sand past his high tied ponytail. An iron sword rested horizontally across the raised knee of his right leg, while his left leg dangled lazily beneath him.
Meeting the elite monster’s gaze from below, Yin Huaichen released his grip on the crack in the rock and spun gracefully down from the pillar.
“Who’s hiding?”
Squinting his left eye slightly against the blowing sand, he lifted his chin faintly.
“There wasn’t any sign here saying spectators have to pay admission, was there?”
As his gaze settled upon the elite monster before him, the other party’s information appeared simultaneously.
[Chi Bantu: Lv7 (Elite), Fourth Chief of Bladewind Stronghold.]
“Cangming Sword Sect?”
Chi Bantu’s eyes narrowed as his gaze landed on the iron sword in Yin Huaichen’s hand.
“You know the Cangming Sword Sect?”
Yin Huaichen’s eyes immediately brightened.
“Then have you seen someone named Li Ming…”
Li Mingrui was the NPC Yin Huaichen had been tasked to find in Gu Xingxiu’s mission.
However, halfway through speaking, Yin Huaichen suddenly stopped.
Because hanging from Chi Bantu’s waist was a string of identification tokens from various sects.
Among them was one belonging to the Cangming Sword Sect.
“Looking for someone?”
Chi Bantu grinned viciously and shook the row of tokens at his waist.
“There are plenty of souls beneath my halberd. I can’t remember names. If you want to find him, go search in hell.”
Yin Huaichen: “……”
The NPC he needed to find…
Couldn’t possibly already be dead, right?
Then how was he supposed to complete the quest?
No, that didn’t make sense.
Since the quest clues had provided coordinates leading here, then this elite monster definitely had some connection to the mission.
Yin Huaichen narrowed his eyes thoughtfully for a moment.
Then his expression suddenly turned serious as he stared at the token hanging from Chi Bantu’s waist, revealing a mixture of shock and fury.
“…That’s my senior brother’s token. You… you killed my senior brother?”
Chi Bantu froze briefly before bursting into loud laughter.
“Killed one big one and now a little one shows up too. What, you want revenge for your senior brother?”
Yin Huaichen clenched his teeth tightly.
“Our Cangming Sword Sect is a righteous and honorable sect. Whoever offends us shall surely be punished… Do you dare accept my fair and honorable challenge?”
Chi Bantu looked visibly impatient at this speech. He lowered his halberd and sized up the young martial artist before him.
“Here we go again. You sect disciples really love talking in those sour, pretentious tones. If you want to die then, hm?!”
Before he could finish speaking, a flash of cold light suddenly exploded before his eyes.
In a single instant, Yin Huaichen’s sword tip had already arrived directly before his face!
Hidden Azure Dragon from the Sleeve!
Chi Bantu had absolutely no guard up whatsoever.
The moment the newcomer mentioned the Cangming Sword Sect and spoke about revenge through an honorable duel, Chi Bantu had naturally grouped him together with those rigidly righteous sect disciples.
Yet the very moment he relaxed his guard and spoke,
The other party struck.
The sword was fast and ruthless, aimed precisely at the instant his body relaxed!
With a sharp slicing sound, Yin Huaichen had already flashed behind Chi Bantu. A wound split open along Chi Bantu’s waist where the sword edge had cut through, blood spraying outward. Though not fatal, it instantly enraged him.
“What a righteous sect indeed…”
Yin Huaichen did not even give him a chance to finish speaking.
The moment his feet touched the ground, he lightly kicked off again, his body twisting back around as the sword shot directly toward another vital point!
What a joke.
Those words earlier were obviously just empty talk.
The elite monster before him was four entire levels above him. He had no teammates whatsoever. Only an idiot would challenge him to some proper head on duel.
Still, this elite monster’s reaction speed truly was frighteningly fast.
Yin Huaichen’s attack had already been unexpected enough yet at the moment the blade neared a fatal point, Chi Bantu still instinctively avoided it. The sword that should have pierced his kidney only managed to slash open the side of his waist.
Whoosh,
Yin Huaichen’s first strike had succeeded through surprise.
But Chi Bantu was no fool.
There was no way he would fall for a second attack so easily.
Seeing Yin Huaichen charge again, Chi Bantu immediately roared loudly. His heel slammed against the ground as the massive halberd thrust forward like a swarm of dragons descending to slaughter, layers of real and false attacks intertwining together!
The roaring soundwaves of dragon cries crashed forward.
Yin Huaichen could naturally sense the terrifying power contained within the strike.
In that instant, his footwork shifted.
His sword switched into a reverse grip, sliding upward along the halberd’s edge while his body twisted sideways to evade the attack.
At the same time, his free hand casually brushed across the yellow sand beneath him.
“Take my Cloud Dragon Claw Strike!”
Yin Huaichen shouted with overwhelming confidence.
The moment Chi Bantu heard those words, his heart immediately tightened.
Cloud Dragon Claw was one of the killing techniques recorded within the Cangming Sword Manual, a move that only fourth rank martial artists could perform.
Chi Bantu himself had not even entered the official martial ranks yet. Hearing the name of such a technique naturally alarmed him, causing him to instinctively retract his halberd into a defensive posture.
Wait…
This brat’s inner breathing is weak. How could he possibly be a fourth rank martial artist…
Just as Chi Bantu reacted,
The next second, Yin Huaichen suddenly flung his hand upward.
A massive cloud of yellow sand blasted directly into his face!
Chi Bantu reflexively shut his eyes.
???
And you call this righteous sect behavior?!
✦ ✧ ✦
Cresvynia
[Translator]
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Tiny coffee. Big appreciation. ✧
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← PreviousNext →
ChaptersChapter 1 · Remember to keep a positive moodChapter 2 · Have fun playing the gameChapter 3 · Skill completion rateChapter 4 · Strange and malevolent creatures roam outside the cityChapter 5 · 90% complete!Chapter 6 · Serving the sect is my dutyChapter 7 · First meetingChapter 8 · Fang LecangChapter 9 · A prestigious and righteous sect!Chapter 10 · Kill Chi BantuChapter 11 · Spoils of warChapter 12 · We’ve made a fortune!Chapter 13 · Thunder and fire extinguish goldChapter 14 · You found it?Chapter 15 · The so called degree of freedomChapter 16 · The secrets of life and deathChapter 17 · A minor leader of the first rank.Chapter 18 · What kind of luck do you have?Chapter 19 · Let’s Do itChapter 20 · The BOSS escapedChapter 21 · “A wound to the heart is also a wound.”Chapter 22 · Good people are always blessed.Chapter 23 · The Old Man of the Valley of BonesChapter 24 · It’s me, young master!Chapter 25 · Take it slow and steadyChapter 26 · The older they get, the stingier they becomeChapter 27 · You know this person tooChapter 28 · I saw Wei Wanzhou againChapter 29 · You’d better keep having this kind of luckChapter 30 · “Password lock” crackedChapter 31 · We’ve come to punish you!Chapter 32 · A boorish country bumpkin who knows no manners.Chapter 33 · You have crossed the lineChapter 34 · Now that we’re here, do you think we can leave?Chapter 35 · A trivial skillChapter 36 · Actually, I was just kiddingChapter 37 · Upgrade mission complete, rating: SSS!Chapter 38 · AwardChapter 39 · I have always been law-abiding and law-abidingChapter 40 · Are you coming back for dinner tonight?Chapter 41 · Purple Lightning Square Seal.Chapter 42 · A money-grubberChapter 43 · BetChapter 44 · Four Continents Chamber of CommerceChapter 45 · This was my third meeting with Wei WanzhouChapter 46 · Oh, you want to hit on me.Chapter 47 · The angry drizzle has stoppedChapter 48 · Thunder SpearChapter 49 · “Are you a devil?”Chapter 50 · The Impermanent Lord!?Chapter 51 · Loot everywhere..Chapter 52 · His identity remains a mystery.Chapter 53 · Why not show yourself?Chapter 54 · He confronted Li Mingrui.Chapter 55 · Auction