Infinite Professions from a Pearl Collector

The scabbard was old and worn, but the blade itself was as bright as a pool of clear water, its edge glinting with a sinister, cold light under the moonlight.

SLASH!

A brilliant flash from the blade suddenly lit up the dim temple.

A spurt of black blood immediately followed!

The Green-haired Zombie let out an inhuman, wretched howl and staggered back several steps.

A deep gash now ran across its crone-like face, stretching diagonally from the corner of its left eye to the right side of its mouth. Its left eyeball had been completely obliterated, and black blood gushed out.

Though his first strike hit its mark, Chen Ye didn’t dare let his guard down in the slightest.

He panted heavily. This body’s weakness was far beyond his imagination; just that single explosive movement made his lungs burn.

Chen Ye then bent his knees slightly, gripped the saber with both hands, and settled into a standard defensive stance, his eyes locked on the enraged monster opposite him.

"ROAR—!"

The grievously wounded Green-haired Zombie descended into a complete frenzy. It ignored the excruciating pain in its face, its single remaining eye glinting with madness as it roared and lunged forward again.

It was faster and more ferocious than before!

In that fleeting moment, Chen Ye subconsciously mobilized the faint wisp of Inner Qi within his Dantian.

In an instant, a strange sensation washed over him.

It was as if the world had entered slow motion. The Green-haired Zombie’s phantom-like movements became slow and clear to his eyes, riddled with openings.

Chen Ye then took a small sidestep, twisting his body to evade the monster’s frontal assault.

At the same time, he channeled the entirety of that faint wisp of Inner Qi into the saber’s blade.

HUM!

The long saber in his hand let out a low hum, and a faint yet incredibly concentrated pinpoint of light appeared at its tip.

Though the light was faint, it contained a sharpness that felt capable of slicing through anything.

With a flick of his wrist, Chen Ye let his long saber follow the momentum of the Green-haired Zombie’s lunge, swinging upward in a graceful arc.

There was no earth-shattering impact, only a soft slicing sound.

A green-haired head immediately shot into the air, tumbling over and over, its face still frozen in a savage, crazed expression.

The Green-haired Zombie’s headless body took two more steps forward from sheer momentum before crashing to the ground.

Then, foul-smelling black blood surged from the stump of its neck like a fountain.

Chen Ye had anticipated this and quickly darted away, wary of being splashed by the strange blood.

’After all, who knows if that stuff is poisonous.’

Calm returned to the dilapidated temple.

Chen Ye leaned on his saber, gasping for air, his chest heaving violently.

Only after confirming that the monster was truly dead did he allow himself to relax.

Just then, a familiar, semi-transparent panel quietly appeared before his eyes.

[Initiating Profession...]

[Profession Acquired]

[Profession: Bounty Swordsman Level 1 (Swordsmen who wander between towns and the wilderness, making a living by slaying demons and monsters. Their blade serves both fortune and the Way.)]

[Talent: Bloody Vision—When the host’s life is threatened or their body is injured, their mind becomes highly focused, their dynamic vision is significantly enhanced, and their perception of time slows. The more severe the injury, the stronger the effect.]

Chen Ye grew pensive as he looked at this Talent on the panel.

’No wonder the Green-haired Zombie’s movements seemed so slow during that life-or-death moment,’ he thought. ’I must have triggered this Talent without realizing it.’

’This Talent is practically tailor-made for turning the tables in a desperate situation.’

’The activation requirement is steep, but it’s a guaranteed lifesaver in a critical moment.’

Chen Ye was quite satisfied with this new Talent. His gaze soon fell upon another section of the Professional Panel.

[Dharma Gate: Golden Toad Qi Swallowing Technique (Level 1)]

Chen Ye’s heart skipped a beat. This was the first time he had seen a Cultivation Technique on the panel.

Although he knew from his memories that the impressively named Golden Toad Qi Swallowing Technique was, in reality, a dime-a-dozen Qi Refining Technique, Chen Ye was still thrilled.

It represented a brand new beginning.

However, now was not the time to study it. Chen Ye suppressed his excitement and glanced outside the temple.

It was already afternoon. Although the sun had not yet set, the dense forest made it seem quite dim outside.

Chen Ye’s heart sank. He knew he was short on time and had to get back to the city as quickly as possible.

Otherwise, things would get dangerous once night fell.

After all, the nights in this world were far more terrifying than the days.

Demon Ghosts with physical bodies like the Green-haired Zombie were manageable. The truly frightening things were the formless, intangible specters and malevolent entities.

Once they latched onto you, you wouldn’t even know how you died.

His mind made up, Chen Ye delayed no longer. He carefully wrapped the Green-haired Zombie’s head in a scrap of cloth and tied it to his waist.

This was the proof he needed to collect the bounty. If he lost it, all this would have been for nothing.

Then, Chen Ye walked over to the pile of mangled, gory remains and sighed softly.

They had only been brief acquaintances, but to see someone who had been fighting beside him just moments ago reduced to a heap of gore on the ground was a sobering thought.

Then, another face surfaced in Chen Ye’s mind.

It was the man who had pushed him toward the Green-haired Zombie at the critical moment to cover his own escape. Chen Ye’s eyes grew cold at the memory.

’There was nothing wrong with running away; I would have done the same,’ he thought. ’The problem is that you don’t use someone else as a stepping stone, sacrificing their life to create your own chance to escape.’

Chen Ye silently marked this debt in his mind, planning to settle the score after he returned to the city.

Chen Ye then quickly searched through the dead man’s scattered belongings. He found nothing of use, only a few sheets of talisman paper, now blood-soaked and rendered ineffective.