8: Chapter 8 Despicable

[The Ultimate Sword danced, forming a seamless, airtight wall.]

[The young man sneered; without dodging or flinching, he met the attack head-on with his sword.]

[However, before that, your Zhou Poison had already landed on him; the toxin rapidly invaded his clothes and entered his skin.]

[The poison on his skin continued to seep deeper, causing even more severe effects.]

[The young man stumbled and fell to the ground, his right hand clutching his waist, his face full of indignation: "Despicable! How despicable!!"]

["Using poison, such a low-down tactic..."]

["There is no place for you in the Jianghu..."]

[-20]

[-10]

[-16]

[You withdrew the Ultimate Sword and walked up to him: "Brother, why are you so naive? Young man, don't be too green."]

[With that, without asking a single question, you stepped down and snapped his neck.]

[-100]

[This young man of the fifth Rank True Qi Realm didn't say another word; he went straight to sleep—a very permanent sleep.]

[You waited a while before acting, using the Ultimate Sword to cut open his clothes and searching him from a distance.]

[Soon, a Secret Manual and a throwing knife appeared in your hands.]

[There were thirty-five thumb-sized throwing knives in total, golden all over and tucked into a black belt; they looked quite impressive.]

[You glanced at them, then picked up the Secret Manual and flipped through it repeatedly.]

[After reading it, your eyes lit up.]

["Life-Chasing Blade Technique. Not bad, not bad. Once I master this technique, dealing with enemies will be much easier."]

[This Secret Manual was merely a technique; it didn't have a specific Cultivation Technique or Rank.]

[For you right now, it was perfect.]

["Throwing knives paired with Zhou Poison—it's just too perfect."]

[The more you thought about it, the more delighted you became.]

[But soon, your smile faded.]

[Looking at the corpse at your feet, you sighed: "I was still caught. Fifth Rank True Qi Realm."]

["It feels too dangerous; I have to run."]

[You didn't even bother dealing with the corpse; you just left, still heading east.]

[With the Ultimate Sword's enhancement, your speed was immense. Combined with the footwork inherent to the Xiaoyue Sword Technique, it felt like you were flying.]

[This battle also made you value Zhou Poison even more.]

[Even with a gap of one minor Realm, you took him out directly.]

[In the sixteenth year, one year later, you crossed another commandery and arrived at an even more remote small town.]

[There were few people here, the agrarian economy was well-developed, and the commoners were self-sufficient, living happily.]

[You spent some money to find a place to stay and settled down.]

[That very day, you achieved a Breakthrough and entered the fifth Rank True Qi Realm.]

[Your total amount of True Qi increased, making you more powerful in every aspect.]

[At night, in the ordinary courtyard, a look of joy crossed your face. You placed your right hand below your nose, casually pulled out a throwing knife, and with a flick of your wrist, the knife shot out, hitting a tree eighty meters away.]

["The range of the throwing knives is still too short."]

[As you said this, you moved quickly, pulling out over thirty throwing knives from your eyes, mouth, nose, and ears, hurling them all. They landed on the same tree eighty meters away.]

[After being hit so many times, the pine tree was teetering, looking quite pitiful.]

[You leaped forward, reached the tree, and retrieved all the throwing knives.]

[Throughout this year, you cultivated while on the run, studying the Life-Chasing Blade Technique along the way. Now, you have completely mastered it.]

[You had also used it in actual combat during this time, and the results were quite good.]

[Under the tree, you frowned, recalling the various bandits and Jianghu experts you encountered this year, reflecting on these Jianghu experiences.]

["I need a sword, and also a bow and arrows."]

[The Ultimate Sword is strong, but its hardness and toughness are insufficient; if the fighting gets intense, it might crack.]

[This thing is only suitable for being tattooed on the body.]

[As for the bow and arrows...]

[...they were the long-range attack method you had in mind.]

[Currently, with a full-strength strike, your throwing knives can only kill enemies within two hundred meters. Although this distance increases with your cultivation, the speed is too slow.]

[You need a bow and arrows even more to deal with enemies coming from afar.]

[With these thoughts, you left home and wandered around the town, finally stopping in front of a blacksmith shop.]

[After standing there for a while, a shirtless youth walked out, covered in sweat. He looked at you with some confusion: "Young hero, what do you need?"]

[With your white hair and slim-fitting black clothes, you indeed looked like a Jianghu swordsman.]

[You took out a throwing knife: "Young man, help me forge a batch of these throwing knives. Hmm, Darts or Silver Needles would also work."]

[You chuckled and set down a bulging money pouch: "Price is no object."]

[The youth weighed the pouch a couple of times, glanced at the golden throwing knife in your hand, and nodded slightly.]

[He turned around and shouted: "Old man, we've got work!"]

[Then he looked back at you: "Young hero, please wait a few days."]

[You added: "I also want a sword, something sharp and hard..."]

[The youth understood: "Sure, you have more than enough money."]

["Also, I want a bow and arrows, with several quivers."]

["No problem."]

[The youth agreed readily.]

[You handed him another money pouch and laughed: "Use the best Materials. As for the throwing knives and Darts, the more the better."]

["Don't worry, I understand."]

[Holding the two money pouches, the youth smiled happily.]

[Once the business was done, you returned to your small courtyard and continued to circulate your Internal Skill, practicing the Xiaoyue True Qi.]

[Cultivation cannot stop for a single moment.]

[Half a year later.]

[You made a trip to the blacksmith shop.]

[In six months' time, everything you requested was ready.]

[The youth and a few companions helped you carry the items to your courtyard: "Young hero, please check them."]

[You looked them over on the blue bricks.]

[The youth explained expertly: "One longsword, four feet three inches, weighing fifteen catties. It's definitely hard enough."]

["One set of bow and arrows, all made from the best Materials. Also, ten quivers, each holding twenty Iron Arrows, for a total of two hundred Iron Arrows."]

["Finally, these."]

[The youth pointed at a pile of hidden weapons on the ground: "Three hundred Plum Blossom Needles, four hundred throwing knives, and six hundred iron lotus seeds."]

["Of course, the Materials are certainly not as good as your golden knife."]

[You nodded in satisfaction and picked up an iron lotus seed from the ground to weigh it.]

[iron lotus seeds were just metal spheres; they were easy to find, especially in a blacksmith shop.]

[After seeing the men off, you began your work again.]

[You threw all the hidden weapons into your space, soaking them in Zhou Poison, leaving only a bow and a sword.]

[Picking up the longsword, you swung it a few times.]

[A fifteen-catty sword is very light for a Martial Artist; it felt like nothing in your hand, mainly because the Materials in a small town's blacksmith shop were poor.]

[But it was still harder than your Ultimate Sword.]

[That thing couldn't even be considered a glass cannon, since it dealt no damage at all.]

[Then you picked up the bow.]

["Iron Arrows or Wooden Arrows, both will work."]

[In the future, you could make more Wooden Arrows when you're free to use as consumables.]

[From that day on, you practiced the Xiaoyue Sword Technique daily, practiced with hidden weapons and archery, improving your combat strength in every way.]

[Feeling your power increase every day, you were so satisfied you couldn't pull yourself away.]