Chapter 218: Sword Trial of the Grandmaster
[That praise could hardly be called anything but high — in this world, the number of people who use swords is countless, and the strong are as numerous as fish in a river. But you didn't feel especially elated. Defeating Leng Xue was only the first step of your mission, and it could hardly be called an easy one.]
[Still, the reward for this mission was tempting, especially since it seemed to pay out in stages. Simply by defeating Leng Xue, your swordsmanship advanced greatly, effortlessly breaking through a long-standing bottleneck. You obtained Basic Swordsmanship (Master Level).]
[After defeating Leng Xue, your eyes turned toward the second swordsman near Luoyang — Jing Wuming, the famous left-handed swordsman and right-hand man of Shangguan Jinhong, leader of the Money Gang. You didn't rush to challenge him, because the Six Gates had received a tip: Ye Gucheng, the master of Baiyun City, had already set out for the capital. The entire Six Gates was on high alert regarding this sword giant's movements. As for you, you were rather calm — after all, Ye Gucheng was destined to be your nemesis sooner or later.]
[On March 6, Year 23, you officially began your career as a government hound in Luoyang. In your career plan, working as a government hound was the best way to pick up side missions, gain experience, and meet other players. You'd have to stick with it for a while yet — like that monthly visitor all girls get, it was unpleasant and irritating, but something you just had to endure.]
[Compared to Yangzhou, Luoyang — as the imperial capital — was far more complex. Aside from the Six Gates, there were major forces such as the Golden Wind Drizzle Tower, the Six and a Half Halls, the Money Gang, and the Jingnian Zen Monastery. Several sects of the Demonic Sect were entrenched here as well. These powers often fought openly and covertly, undercutting one another. To establish yourself better in Luoyang, you hadn't forgotten to bring along the few players you'd trained in Yangzhou. After half a year of tempering, their strength had improved considerably — most were on par with Zhu Baokun, and the strongest was equivalent to two Zhu Baokuns, making them very useful.]
[On your very first day in office, you witnessed a clash between the Golden Wind Drizzle Tower and the Money Gang. Jing Wuming was there. Although you didn't get to fight him, you observed his entire exchange and gained some insights.]
[Over the following days, while carrying out missions to apprehend criminals and improve yourself, you also sent your players to stir up trouble for the Money Gang. This gave you several more opportunities to watch Jing Wuming in action. His swordsmanship was not only strange and unpredictable, but specialized in unorthodox strikes — every thrust targeted a spot his opponent would never expect. But walking the unorthodox path was also his weakness.]
[On March 9, Year 23, you formally issued a challenge to Jing Wuming, arranging to duel three days later in a peach blossom grove seven li outside the city.]
[On March 12, as a swordsman, Jing Wuming naturally wouldn't refuse such a challenge. Among the swirling petals of the peach blossoms, he was the first to draw his sword. But you countered with a single, light stroke — like a hanging antelope's horns, subtle and elusive — striking him in his most vulnerable points just as he was beginning his attack, before his sword momentum could even unfold.]
[Then Jing Wuming unleashed his rapid swordplay, but in the face of your seemingly casual strike, a dozen consecutive blows were dissolved into nothing. Your own swordplay was free-flowing and effortless, your energy rising with each exchange. Moments later, amid the dancing petals, a dazzling stream of light flashed — when it passed, Jing Wuming had already been struck and fallen, leaving everyone present wide-eyed with shock. You obtained Elite Specialty (Weak Point Strike).]
[After defeating Jing Wuming, your swordsmanship not only improved again, but you also gained many new insights. You vaguely began to understand — this mission might be guiding you to challenge swordsmen across the land, to become the strongest swordsman in Ode to Gallantry. No, not just the strongest swordsman — a Sword God.]
[On March 14, Year 23, you set out again, this time heading to Shaolin Temple in the guise of a pilgrim. Your goal, of course, was the Nine Yang Manual hidden in the temple's Scripture Pavilion, one of the three legendary martial treasures in Jin Yong's worlds. Even if it couldn't be practiced together with the Nine Yin Manual, it could at least serve as a valuable reference.]
[After donating a large sum of money and asking only to copy a few scriptures, Shaolin readily allowed you into the Scripture Pavilion, though you had to be accompanied by a guest monk. After searching a few shelves, your eyes locked onto the Lankavatara Sutra tucked between a stack of ordinary scriptures — this was the joy of hidden treasures!]
[Thus, for only a small price, you obtained the Nine Yang Manual, copied onto paper in the folds of the Lankavatara Sutra. And you did it right under Shaolin's nose. You obtained the item Nine Yang Manual.]
[From March 15 to April 1, Year 23, you encountered some difficulties attempting to merge three different martial arts. You could have learned them by spending experience points, but that would only pile up stats without providing any real boost in power. In the end, while watching the sunrise and sunset, you were struck by inspiration. The Zhouyi Cantong Qi states: "In the morning, advance the Yang fire; in the evening, withdraw the Yin talisman." When Nine Yin True Qi and Nine Yang True Qi meet the Longevity Formula's True Qi in the Niwan Palace, they can naturally spiral together, one forward and one backward, flowing in opposite directions through the meridians. Unintentionally, you achieved a fundamental breakthrough in cultivation. As the saying goes: "Head bowed, you climb for sixty years — only then do you see the lamp atop Kunlun's peak."]
[From April 15 to June 1, Year 23, over nearly two months, you challenged numerous renowned swordsmen: the true Sword God, Zhuo Bufan; Fei the Flying Swordsman, whose swift sword exceeded even Jing Wuming's; the sword-obsessed Sword Glutton from Wind and Cloud, who loved nothing more than collecting all kinds of treasured blades; and Yuan Chengzhi, who had just risen to fame with the Golden Snake Sword Technique. For a time, the heroes of the Heluo region were left powerless before you.]
[You also ran into Lu Xiaofeng, famed for his "Spirit-Finger Capture" — said to be able to catch and immobilize any weapon, be it sword, saber, whip, or spear, with the index and middle fingers of his right hand. Out of curiosity, you tested him, but the moment you drew your sword, he bolted. That shameless guy!]
[During this period, your swordsmanship underwent another fundamental transformation. Now, even compared to long-established masters, you had a fair chance of victory. You felt ready to challenge true legends.]
[Among players, your reputation soared. Your repeated challenges to top-tier swordsmen were seen as trials of the sword across the martial world — the path to becoming a Grandmaster of the Sword. Compared to other stingy NPCs, you were like an angel in the players' eyes. You not only issued them many quests, but also taught them a great deal of martial arts. Admittedly, some skills were priced a bit high, but you got what you paid for — exquisite techniques like Great Demon-Subduing Fist, Nine Yin God Claw, and Serpentine Weasel Flip weren't things one could just find anywhere.]
[Of course, these were all derived from the Nine Yin Manual. In this high-martial world, while the Nine Yin Manual was indeed a supreme art, there was no need to keep it overly secret. Harvesting players for profit and using them to work for you seemed to be etched into your DNA. Now, wherever you went, a large crowd of players trailed behind you, shouting all sorts of nonsense slogans, eager to witness your next duel — much like the Star Sect's old freak. Impressive, yes, but also a bit socially embarrassing.]
[In the latest Rookie Ranking of the Martial World on June 1, Year 23, you finally broke your personal record. You'd surpassed Qiao Feng, the former second place, and now stood just behind Jian Chen, ranked second overall, nicknamed the Little Sword Saint. Naturally, your next target was Jian Chen.]
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