At that moment, the familiar notification sound rang out in Chen Zui’s mind.
【Ding! The permanent passive Trait “Old-fashioned Warmth” has taken effect.】
【Detected that the host has positively influenced the fate trajectories of Ye Zhibai and Xiao Chengyan. Both have recently achieved breakthroughs in their martial paths; a portion of their progress is now being returned to the host as experience points.】
【Ye Zhibai: After observing the sword draw of the Sword Attendant Gu Yiyou, she entered seclusion for two months. Her comprehension of the Frost-Sigh Sword Technique has deepened, and she has broken through to the mid stage of the Inquiry Realm. Reward: 180 experience points.】
【Xiao Chengyan: After enduring trials of life and death, his state of mind has transformed. He has reclaimed the martial path, breaking through two realms within two months to reach the Mountain and Sea Realm. Reward: 250 experience points.】
【Total experience points gained: 430.】
Chen Zui was slightly stunned.
He hadn’t expected this reward to come so quickly.
It had only been two months.
Senior Gu’s strike had been incredibly profound, but for her to break through in such a short time meant her comprehension truly lived up to her reputation as a once-in-a-century genius of the Frost-Sigh Sect.
That girl Ye Zhibai certainly didn’t disappoint.
But the one who truly surprised him was Xiao Chengyan.
Two months ago, he was a destitute Prince who lacked the strength to truss a chicken and felt nauseous at the sight of blades. Yet, in just two months, he had re-entered the martial path, charging straight through the bottleneck of the Candlelight Realm and into the Mountain and Sea Realm.
Although he was still one major realm away from Chen Zui’s current level.
One had to remember that two months ago, Xiao Chengyan was merely a useless youth at the Knocking Realm who could do nothing but talk.
This kid’s skeletal structure was indeed a once-in-a-century martial arts talent, just as he had claimed.
He had simply been trapped for twelve years by the unresolved regret of his mother’s tragic death. Now that the knot was untied, his accumulated potential had burst forth, allowing his progress to advance by leaps and bounds.
The corners of Chen Zui’s mouth curled up slightly as he made a mental note for Xiao Chengyan, who was far away in Grand Shuo.
Those words spoken on the snowy plains hadn’t been in vain.
This kid was showing some backbone and hadn’t wasted his efforts.
Chen Zui’s motion of munching on the bun paused for a moment.
430 experience points.
Combined with what he had saved before, it seemed to be just enough.
He thought to himself, “System, increase my realm.”
【Leveling up realm...】
A warm current rose from his dantian, flowing slowly along his meridians.
That current wasn’t overbearing; instead, it possessed a gentleness like spring rain nourishing the earth.
Chen Zui felt as if his entire body was being soaked in warm water. Every pore was expanding, and every meridian was singing with joy.
He heard an extremely faint crack from within his body, like something being punctured.
That was a threshold.
The martial arts bottleneck that had trapped him for so long quietly shattered at this moment.
【Realm】: Mountain-Viewing Realm (20/5000)
【Congratulations to the host for breaking through to the Second Rank Earthly Realm. Reward: Basic spear technique proficiency increased. The host may check this at their convenience.】
Chen Zui stuffed the last bite of the bun into his mouth and chewed slowly.
He felt the internal energy surging within him.
Although there was only a single step between the peak of the Inquiry Realm and the Mountain-Viewing Realm, the gap of that single step was as different as heaven and earth.
The First Rank is also known as the Human Dao Realm, focusing on a martial artist’s personal cultivation and establishment of their life’s path.
The Second Rank is called the Earthly Realm. A martial artist who reaches this realm has broken through their own shackles and begun to resonate with the world, possessing the initial ability for heaven-man resonance.
At this moment, Chen Zui could clearly feel that the internal energy in his body had transformed from a gaseous state into a liquid state.
He looked down at his palm, slowly closing his fingers and then slowly opening them again.
“This feels good.”
“Brother Chen, what’s wrong?” Xiao Shitou asked, looking up.
Chen Zui snapped out of it and reached out to pinch Xiao Shitou’s cheek. “Nothing. I just realized these buns taste even better than before.”
Yun'niang, hearing this from the side, felt another flush of red rise to her plain face.
However, this brief moment of peace in Meiwu Town was like the fine March rain of Jiangnan—seemingly long-lasting, yet gone in the blink of an eye.
...
Seven days later.
The ferry pier outside Meiwu Town.
The spring waters had begun to rise, and a thin layer of mist drifted over the river, shrouding the distant willow-lined embankments and black-awning boats in a hazy veil.
A black-awning boat silently docked at the shore.
Three people stepped off.
They wore identical grey cloth robes with long swords hanging at their waists, the scabbards engraved with the same cloud patterns.
All three were pale and beardless, their steps as light as a cat’s, landing without a sound.
The leading swordsman was named Zhao Hanqiu, the head of the third-generation disciples of the Taixu Sword Sect.
In the martial world, the Taixu Sword Sect couldn’t compare to the Frost-Sigh Sect of old, but it was still considered a respectable quasi-second-rate sect.
Since the elders of the sect were currently in seclusion, he had brought two junior brothers down the mountain for experience. He hadn’t expected to hear news of that Nameless Spearman in the nearest provincial city.
He stepped onto the stone stairs and looked around, his gaze finally landing on the mottled stone monument at the pier.
The words “Meiwu Town” were carved into the stone.
“This is the place,” he said flatly.
“Senior Brother Zhao, he’s just a Nameless Spearman without even a sect. What is there to fight over?”
The junior brother walking at the back, Li Qing, muttered in a low voice.
He had the shallowest cultivation in the sect and was dismissive of the rumors, feeling that the talk of a sword manual was just an exaggeration by people in the martial world.
Meng Ping, walking in the middle, took up the conversation.
“Junior Brother Li, you are mistaken. Though that Nameless Spearman is obscure, his feat of challenging Xie Jiuzhen with a spear in Luoyan City and publicly crippling the Young Sect Master of the Jinyang Sect is a solid record. Furthermore...”
He lowered his voice slightly and continued.
“This person likely possesses the sword path inheritance of the Senior Sword Attendant. If we can bring it back to the sect, Master will surely look upon us with high regard.”
As soon as Li Qing heard the words “Master’s high regard,” he immediately perked up.
“Then we must get there before anyone else!”
With that, his pace quickened.
It was currently the peak of the morning market.
The town’s main street was lined with stalls on both sides. People were selling vegetables, fish, cloth, and needles; the cries of vendors rose and fell in succession.
A few children chased each other through the crowd, occasionally bumping into pedestrians and drawing a round of playful scolding.
Old Sun sat in his usual spot at the entrance of Dingxiang Tower, a plate of peanuts and half a flask of yellow wine before him. He was boasting to a few old cronies about Chen Zui’s heroic feat of entering the Qian estate alone a few days ago.
He spoke with such fervor that spit flew everywhere, and at the exciting parts, he would even slap the table, causing the surrounding idlers to crane their necks and listen with great interest.
“Let me tell you, that Chen kid’s spear is no ordinary object. They say it’s some kind of...”
His words suddenly halted.
At the end of the street, three figures were slowly approaching.
The aura radiating from the three of them was completely out of place with this bustling market.
Wherever they passed, the cries of the vendors on both sides involuntarily quieted down. Even the children who had been chasing each other seemed to sense something, stopping their play to peek over timidly.
The three walked up to Old Sun and looked down at the white-haired old man.
“Old man, we’re looking for someone.”
Li Qing’s voice wasn’t loud, but it carried an undeniable coldness.
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