Chapter 5 : Chapter 5
Chapter 5: The Xiuchun Saber Was More Business, the Demon-Slaying Sword More Athletic
At the foot of Mount River-Severing.
Cheng Yu turned back to look at that incomparably magnificent and perilous peak, crowded with pavilions and towers, and felt an indescribable sense of ease and relief.
That final knot in his heart after transmigrating had finally come undone.
The River-Severing Sect was powerful, full of outstanding heroes, and had always been a place the martial world yearned for.
But Cheng Yu understood it all too clearly.
There were a thousand people in the River-Severing Sect, every last one of them at least a martial artist with the strength of an ox. Once they entered the sect, each of them ate more than three grown men, yet all they had to do was go into seclusion to cultivate and then enjoy themselves out in the Jianghu, drinking wine and eating meat to their hearts’ content.
So where did the support for all of that come from?
From the millions of mu of fertile fields tilled by the common people around the River-Severing Sect.
The Great Qian Dynasty had grown too weak to control a top-tier great sect like this. For all practical purposes, imperial taxes and state regulations simply did not exist in their eyes.
Without lifting a finger, the people of the sect could take eighty percent of the peasants’ yearly blood and sweat, all while remaining outside the reach of the law, calling it guarding a region.
Whenever some trivial matter arose, they either protected their own people or tossed it aside for the government to handle, making life miserable for the officials.
Only when something truly threatened their own foundations would they act to save themselves.
Other than squeezing and plundering, they cared about nothing.
And yet despite such tyrannical exploitation, every one of them had the words common people, chivalry, and righteous path constantly on their lips.
Cheng Yu saw it all for exactly what it was.
A pack of hypocrites, lenient with themselves and strict with others. If he had stayed any longer, sooner or later he would have been driven mad.
Now that he had cast off the burden, he could live however he pleased in the future. To repay hatred with hatred and gratitude with gratitude—what could be more satisfying?
He had climbed upward step by step from the bottom. Long ago, he had already grown used to the way the Jianghu flaunted fake benevolence in the light while doing absolutely anything in the dark.
“Now that heroes of the Jianghu are rising everywhere, quite a few great sects are training forces strong enough to resist armies. Being a Jinyiwei is not going to be easy.”
The martial arts experts of this world were not the kind who could be ground to death by ordinary armies. They were not like certain esports players who did not know how to kite.
Every one of them treasured their own life and fought cautiously. Once they were low on strength, they would flee, recover completely, and then come back to kill again. They were nearly impossible to deal with.
Individual strength was what truly mattered most.
Now that he had finally left the River-Severing Sect, Cheng Yu began thinking seriously about his future.
He had long yearned for a world where martial arts could reach the heavens. Now that he had finally become a transmigrator, his heart was full of excitement and anticipation.
Because of the system, his best choice now was to take up his post as a Jinyiwei Banner Captain.
In this world, martial cultivators were ranked from First Rank to Ninth Rank, the reverse of the rank order used for court officials.
For ordinary people, the greatest hurdle was stepping into the First Rank at all. Cheng Yu had labored tirelessly for eighteen years, hacking his way through hardship, and had only just reached the late stage of the First Rank.
In the Great Qian Jinyiwei, First Rank strength generally corresponded to the position of Banner Captain, someone responsible for affairs within a township-level division. Under him were Strongman Guards and Battalion Commanders who did not even qualify for a formal rank.
It was only because Cheng Yu’s First Rank strength had been solid enough that he had managed to wrest a decent district assignment away from a crowd of well-connected parasites.
Jiangnan was wealthy and prosperous. Though the situation there was complicated, it also offered more opportunities. It was certainly better than spending an entire lifetime in some other region suppressing bandits and killing thieves.
He had not even reached his post yet before Cheng Zhenjiang and his wife appeared to acknowledge him as their son.
“Since I chose the Nightmare of the Jianghu path in the system, then I will walk it all the way... Confiscating households—now that is something to look forward to.”
The thought of confiscating households made Cheng Yu feel a flicker of excitement.
The sects and great families of the Jianghu all lived like petty emperors, with the utmost luxury in their food, clothing, and daily life.
Take the River-Severing Sect, the one he knew best, for example.
The sect’s wealth had been built up over a hundred years, supported by tens of millions of people, and it also possessed its own mines, medicine mountains, and other endless treasure basins. Under the prestige of the Martial Alliance Leader, every medium and small sect within a radius of five hundred li paid tribute as well.
As far as he knew, the sword used by his younger brother Cheng Feng could easily be exchanged for an entire large courtyard estate in the capital of Great Qian.
“If I could confiscate all that, I do not even dare imagine how cheerful I would become. Unfortunately, I cannot touch it for now...”
Cheng Yu shook his head slightly.
Not to mention Cheng Zhenjiang, the Ninth Rank super-expert and overlord of the martial world, even Cheng Feng was still far beyond his reach.
At such a young age, Cheng Feng had already entered the Fourth Rank and earned a place on the Human Ranking of the Baibao Tower. He was an absolute genius.
Even one casual palm strike from him was something Cheng Yu had found nearly impossible to resist with all his strength.
But Cheng Yu was not discouraged in the slightest.
With the system backing him, anyone temporarily stronger than him would one day be surpassed.
Since he was going to become the nightmare of the Jianghu, then not just some mere young alliance leader on the Human Ranking—even the top masters should live beneath his shadow.
Only then would this life not have been wasted.
Cheng Feng had struck him with a palm, and Cheng Zhenjiang had nearly killed him with family punishment. Cheng Yu remembered those things with perfect clarity.
One day, he would definitely raid the River-Severing Sect and repay that hatred!
Before that, however, he needed to open the great gift pack the system had given him...
Beixuan City.
A major city of Great Qian, the great northern stronghold defending against outside lands.
Cheng Yu returned to the residence he had been renting.
“System, open the reward gift pack!”
To forge iron, the metal itself had to be hard. If he wanted to become the kind of Jinyiwei the system had chosen for him to be, then swagger alone would only amount to courting death. He needed the support of real strength even more.
Everything now depended on whether the system’s gift pack could bring him a turning point.
【Ding!】
【Your reward gift pack has been opened!】
【Ding!】
【Congratulations! You have received: True Martial Inheritance — Demon-Slaying Dao Canon!】
【Congratulations! You have received: Supreme Treasure — Demon-Slaying Sword (Broken)!】
【Congratulations! You have received: Hundred-Battle Reincarnation Saber Art!】
【Congratulations! You have received: Hundred-Forged Xiuchun Saber, Cold-Silk Flying Fish Uniform!】
“Hiss... Is this not a martial arts world? How did you somehow give me a True Martial Inheritance?”
The stream of notifications left Cheng Yu frozen on the spot. Only after a long while did he suck in a sharp breath.
Even the techniques of martial overlords did not stand on such a lofty level. This was like making everyone else practice martial arts while he alone cultivated immortality!
“This is good. Very good!”
Shocked as he was, what he felt even more strongly was satisfaction. What he intended to do was raid households, exterminate sects, and become the nightmare of the Jianghu. Without some real strength, how could he possibly manage that?
He fixed his gaze on the first reward.
“True Martial Inheritance, Demon-Slaying Dao Canon?”
【Do you wish to accept the inheritance?】
“Accept.”
【Ding! Inheritance accepted successfully. Congratulations! Your Demon-Slaying Dao Canon has reached the Beginner Level!】
A supreme aura, one that fundamentally should not have existed in this world at all, appeared and slowly began moving through Cheng Yu’s body.
This aura did not circulate along the cycle of meridians and pathways used by Internal Energy. Instead, it moved along a trajectory so elusive it was almost impossible to sense.
It felt as though it did not even exist within his body at all.
As that aura drifted slowly through him, Cheng Yu felt himself being cleansed on both the physical and spiritual level, so comfortable it was almost transcendent.
Only after quite some time did the aura finally come to a gradual stop, flowing fully into his widened meridians and refining his Internal Energy to an extraordinary purity.
Cheng Yu let out a long breath of stale air and felt a level of comfort and natural ease unlike anything he had ever known.
“As expected of a True Martial Inheritance. Cultivating it really is completely different from the grueling martial work of tempering the body and honing techniques.”
If those martial overlords saw the way he cultivated, their jaws would surely drop.
It was simply too advanced!
In addition to the aura, countless memories also entered Cheng Yu’s mind. They contained innumerable inheritances, all-encompassing in scope, from insights into martial arts to alchemy and treasure refinement. It was practically an encyclopedia.
Among them, the most critical information consisted of several Great Daos under the True Martial Inheritance.
The Dao of Weapons. The Dao of Water and Marshlands. The Dao of Fate. And others besides...
For the Cheng Yu standing here now, they were still far too distant. For the moment, they required the right opportunity to unlock.
“Claim the other rewards!”
【Ding!】
【Please receive your rewards!】
As the system’s voice rang out, the Xiuchun Saber at Cheng Yu’s waist and the Flying Fish uniform he wore both glimmered faintly.
Soon the light faded. The somewhat old Xiuchun Saber had become cold and gleaming, sharp enough to cut hair with a single touch. It was obvious at a glance that it was no ordinary weapon.
The Flying Fish uniform, once dulled and stained with blood, now became close-fitting and comfortable. Its patterns grew even more intricate and vivid, making his tall, straight frame appear incomparably dashing.
At the same time, an incomparably superior saber art fused instantly into his mind, as though he had comprehended it to an extremely high level in a single moment.
“Hundred-Battle Reincarnation Saber Art, a Heaven Grade High-Rank martial art!”
In this world, martial arts techniques were divided from low to high into six grades: Low, Middle, High, Human, Earth, and Heaven.
Each grade was further divided into low, middle, and high ranks.
Even the River-Severing Sect’s sect-defining art, River-Severing Sword Strike, was only an Earth Grade Low-Rank martial art.
One could well imagine how powerful the Hundred-Battle Reincarnation Saber Art was.
Now, paired with the Hundred-Forged Xiuchun Saber, it was more than enough to crush powerful enemies.
Among all these rewards, the one that drew Cheng Yu’s attention most was a black-sheathed sword three chi in length.
The moment he drew it, a terrifying pressure of the Sword Dao exploded outward, shaking the room so violently that the miscellaneous objects inside trembled and fell to the floor.
“The Demon-Slaying Sword... What a divine weapon!”
Holding the Demon-Slaying Sword in his hand, Cheng Yu felt as though he instantly understood everything about the Sword Dao.
With a casual swing, he could already sense every flaw in his posture and execution.
After correcting several points in his movements based on that understanding, his progress immediately became astonishing, and the power of his sword swings grew more and more terrifying.
“With this kind of Sword Dao enhancement, it may well be connected to the Dao of Weapons within the True Martial Inheritance. As expected of a supreme treasure like the Demon-Slaying Sword... Though it is a pity it is damaged.”
That regret aside, Cheng Yu was already more than satisfied.
With this sword in hand, he felt he could contend even with powerful enemies far above his own realm.
But then he suddenly realized that the Internal Energy in his body was being consumed frantically. The hand holding the sword began to tremble faintly and even throb with pain.
His body could not endure using the Demon-Slaying Sword for long!
After giving it some thought, he concluded that the only reason he could use the Demon-Slaying Sword at all was because the Demon-Slaying Dao Canon had already cleansed his Internal Energy. If it were anyone else, they would not even be able to wield it—instead, they would be badly injured by the sword’s murderous aura.
“I can only use four or five strikes...” Cheng Yu said helplessly as he sheathed the Demon-Slaying Sword and rested a hand on the Xiuchun Saber instead. “In the end, it still has to be my old friend.”
“The Xiuchun Saber is more business, while the Demon-Slaying Sword is more athletic.”
After more than ten years of using a saber, the Xiuchun Saber was still what felt most familiar to him.
Besides, he was Jinyiwei. Carrying a Xiuchun Saber simply felt right.
After sorting through all his gains, Cheng Yu nodded in satisfaction.
Next came taking up his post and beginning his life as a Jinyiwei Banner Captain.
His future accumulation of strength and improvement in realm would depend on that.
“I’ll report to the Thousand-Household Office first, then head south to take up my post in Jiangnan.”
...
Beixuan City Jinyiwei Thousand-Household Office.
Cheng Yu walked out holding the wooden identity token that represented his status as a Banner Captain.
He had once served as a Battalion Commander in Beixuan City, and later passed the examination to become a Jinyiwei Banner Captain.
The whole process had gone smoothly. No one foolish had made trouble over the fact that he had taken a month of leave.
The Jinyiwei was currently caught between the court and the Jianghu and was having a difficult time of it. Cheng Yu’s assignment to Jiangnan could not be changed, and the people there were already waiting for him to come work like a beast of burden, so naturally no one was interested in making things difficult for him.
Looking at the Banner Captain token in his hand, he let out a quiet sigh.
The earnest hopes of his foster parents still seemed to linger before his eyes in his memory. They had offered up everything for a son with whom they shared no blood.
“I will live like a human being in your place. No one will ever again look down on me. I will trample this hypocritical Jianghu beneath my feet!”
The world was rotten, so he was determined to live with defiance!
Just then—
A discordant voice cut through the moment.
“Cheng Yu, so you still remembered to come back? Where have you been hiding all this time?”
Cheng Yu frowned and looked up, only to see a face he hated.
Luo Xin, his former superior from back when he had still been a Battalion Commander—a Banner Captain himself.
Back then, taking advantage of Cheng Yu’s lack of background, he had deliberately assigned him the filthiest and heaviest work, docked his pay, and seized his resources. Long ago, Cheng Yu had already placed him firmly on his must-kill list.
The problem was that the man had already advanced to the Second Rank and possessed strength suitable for serving as a Central Banner Captain. For the time being, there was not much Cheng Yu could do.
But now, Cheng Yu’s lips curled slightly upward.
“I did not expect him to deliver himself to my door. That saves me the trouble of having to hunt him down myself when I settle the score.”