"Damn it!"
"Damn it!"
"How could Young Master Lin die?"
"What exactly happened?"
Vei Musheng looked at the shattered corpses, his eyes nearly bursting from their sockets.
He had stayed at the Vei mansion to handle the aftermath, thinking Lin Hai could easily eliminate his nephew. But now... Lin Hai had died here?
The death of a Cangyuan Sword Sect outer disciple wasn't a big deal.
But Lin Hai had been acting on behalf of a true disciple of the Cangyuan Sword Sect. Now that Lin Hai was dead, how would he explain this to that person?
To curry favor with that individual, he had even killed his own brother. Would all his efforts be in vain now?
"Family... Family Head, it was Vei Shaolong who killed Young Master Lin!"
A Vei family guard who had participated in the mountain search spoke softly.
Crack!
As soon as he finished speaking, his neck was snapped by the iron-faced Vei Musheng!
"Damn it!"
"Take Young Master Lin's body down the mountain. I'll personally visit the Changhe Gang."
"Liu Qi, lead people to continue searching. If you discover Vei Shaolong's whereabouts, use signal fires!"
"I'll join you when I return from the Changhe Gang!"
Lin Hai was not only an outer disciple of the Cangyuan Sword Sect but also the grandson of Lin Tiantong, the Grand Elder of the Changhe Gang. Though he didn't fear the Changhe Gang, he didn't want to offend Lin Tiantong, especially since the Changhe Gang was backed by the Sanjiang Alliance.
This matter required an explanation to Grand Elder Lin.
...
Meanwhile, deep in Mount Luoxia, within a forest.
[Host: Vei Shaolong]
[Age: 17]
[Cultivation: Peak Ninth Rank]
[Martial Arts: Muscle Tendon Changing Classic (5/100), Fierce Wind Blade Technique (50/100), Iron Cloth Technique (55/100), Jade Wave Palm (10/100), Black Tiger Fist (20/100)]
[Experience: 1540]
[Golden Silk Armor awaiting collection!]
"Indeed, blessings come disguised as misfortune!"
"This counts as a sudden wealth!"
Vei Shaolong looked at the experience value on the system panel and spoke softly.
Killing Lin Hai had given him 500 experience points. Combined with the six or seven ranked fighters recruited by the Vei family and those small fry, his experience points had surged.
Looking at the martial arts on the panel, he immediately eliminated Jade Wave Palm and Black Tiger Fist.
Even with experience points, he should prioritize upgrading system-provided skills unless faced with this world's divine martial arts. Otherwise, the hard-earned experience points would be wasted.
"Collect Golden Silk Armor!"
As Vei Shaolong silently commanded, a form-fitting armor appeared in his hand.
This Golden Silk Armor was entirely golden, unlike what he'd seen on TV, looking just like an ordinary sleeveless undergarment.
[Golden Silk Armor (Sixth Rank, difficult to penetrate for blades below sixth rank, can resist thirty percent of internal energy)]
Seeing the description of the Golden Silk Armor, Vei Shaolong's eyes lit up.
He had been hesitating about whether to max out the Iron Cloth Technique first, given that it was the fifty-five percent proficient Iron Cloth Technique that had blocked Lin Hai's fatal sword.
But now with the Golden Silk Armor, he could upgrade other martial arts first.
After a moment's consideration, Vei Shaolong silently commanded:
"Consume one thousand experience points to improve the Muscle Tendon Changing Classic!"
[Muscle Tendon Changing Classic (6/100)]
Boom!
A warm current emerged from his dantian, rushing toward his limbs and organs. In an instant, one of the twelve main meridians was unblocked—he had reached early eighth rank!
But it didn't stop there.
Another meridian was unblocked, followed by a third, before the warm current returned to his dantian.
Hiss!
Vei Shaolong drew in a sharp breath.
One thousand experience points only increased the Muscle Tendon Changing Classic's proficiency by one percent, but it had unblocked three meridians.
The eighth rank of martial arts involved unblocking the twelve main meridians. Each unblocked meridian increased the internal energy one could contain, until all twelve main meridians were completely unblocked.
One percent proficiency in the Muscle Tendon Changing Classic meant three meridians. Did that mean just three more times would bring him to peak eighth rank?
By that calculation,
He just needed to kill six eighth-rank martial artists?
This way, upgrading wouldn't be a problem!
"I still have 540 experience points. Upgrade the Fierce Wind Blade Technique completely!"
Vei Shaolong spoke softly.
With the Golden Silk Armor, there was less urgency to improve the Iron Cloth Technique.
Boom!
Countless experiences of practicing the Fierce Wind Blade Technique flooded Vei Shaolong's mind. His hands grew hot and developed a layer of calluses, as if he had diligently practiced the Fierce Wind Blade Technique for countless years.
Moments later,
[Host: Vei Shaolong]
[Realm: Early Eighth Rank]
[Martial Arts: Muscle Tendon Changing Classic (6/100), Fierce Wind Blade Technique (75/100), Iron Cloth Technique (55/100), Jade Wave Palm (10/100), Black Tiger Fist (20/100)]
[Experience Value: 40]
The Fierce Wind Blade Technique's proficiency had increased by 25 points.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
The notch-covered Hundred-Forged Blade was unsheathed. Blade light flashed, countless blade shadows appearing in the air. Three or four small trees as thick as a fist were cut down, transformed into neat sections on the ground.
Clang!
The blade returned to its sheath.
Whew!
Vei Shaolong let out a long breath, muttering:
"In 'The Smiling, Proud Wanderer,' it wasn't without reason that Tian Boguang could handle eighty percent of experts in the martial world with his blade technique and lightness skill. With my current early eighth-rank cultivation and seventy-five percent proficient Fierce Wind Blade Technique, even facing Lin Hai head-on, I could take his life within three moves!"
"It seems that all these martial arts should be upgraded to their maximum!"
"However, having killed an outer disciple of the Cangyuan Sword Sect, and with Lin Hai seemingly acting on someone else's orders, I shouldn't linger here!"
With this thought,
Vei Shaolong sorted through the spoils he had casually gathered, then headed in a direction away from Linshui Prefecture.
...
Linshui County, Great Ferry Crossing.
Linshui County was located south of Mount Luoxia, while Lechun County, where the Vei family resided, was to the north. The two counties were separated by Mount Luoxia, with only one official road connecting them. Without using the official road, one had to cross the mountain.
However, Mount Luoxia was home to many poisonous snakes, tigers, and leopards. Only experienced hunters dared to cross it.
Now, approaching evening,
The usually bustling Great Ferry Crossing had only a single, lonely large boat docked at the pier.
"Captain, it's getting late. There won't be more passengers. We should go!"
"That's right!"
"If we wait any longer, it will be dark. We don't know when we'll reach Eastern River Prefecture tomorrow."
"..."
Seeing the sun about to set while the boat captain showed no intention of departing, the passengers on the boat spoke up.
Though it was downstream from Linshui County to Eastern River Prefecture, it still took a day and a half. Due to the low passenger count today, they had already been waiting on the boat for nearly an hour.
"Sigh!"
"Too few people. I won't even recover my costs on this trip!"
The boat captain sighed.
Due to the conflict between the Twelve Linked Strongholds and the Sanjiang Alliance, business was becoming increasingly difficult.
"Look! More coming!"
"Seven or eight people are coming. Now can we leave?"
Someone shouted, looking toward the ferry crossing.
The boat captain's face broke into a smile. Counting these six or seven people plus their cargo, this trip might earn him a little profit.
Another incense stick's time later, after the deckhands had loaded all the cargo onto the boat,
The boat captain prepared to depart.
"Boatman, please wait!"
"Take me along!"
Just then, a deep voice reached the ears of everyone on the boat.
Upon seeing the speaker, they frowned.
The newcomer was disheveled, with tattered clothes, carrying a large bundle and a long blade on his back.
Could this be a beggar?
Vei Shaolong lightly leaped from the dock, landing on the ship's deck, and tossed a silver tael to the boat captain.
"This boat is going to Eastern River Prefecture, right?"
"I'm also heading to Eastern River Prefecture!"