The Martial Saint Started from Scavenging

The three small boats were moving extremely fast and closed in the blink of an eye.

The men in black on the ship moved swiftly, landing on the deck of the speedboat in just a few leaps.

The leader roared and charged forward, brandishing his sword.

With a flash of sword light, the two instantly clashed.

The other men from the boat crew also found their own opponents, and the deck immediately descended into chaos.

Ye Sheng didn't move; he stood at the stern, observing coldly.

He is waiting.

Waiting for the most suitable time to make a move.

A man in black bypassed the melee and lunged at the wooden crates in the ship's cabin.

Now!

Ye Sheng pushed off with his feet, and like an arrow released from a bow, he instantly rushed behind the man in black.

The machete was drawn from its sheath, its cold light flashing.

[Basic Knife Techniques - Thrusting]

The knife tip pierced precisely into the man in black's back.

The man reacted quickly, suddenly turning to the side. The tip of the knife grazed his ribs, drawing a string of blood beads.

The man in black grunted, turned around, and swung his knife in retaliation.

Instead of retreating, Ye Sheng advanced, stepping forward with his left foot and sweeping his right hand with a wood-chopping knife.

[Basic Knife Techniques - Chopping]

"when!"

The two swords clashed, sparks flying everywhere.

The man in black shuddered, nearly dropping the knife from his hand.

A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes; this kid was quite strong.

But he didn't have time to think much, as Ye Sheng's third strike had already arrived.

[Basic Knife Techniques - Lifting]

The blade moved upwards, aiming straight for the man in black's throat.

The man in black hurriedly retreated, but stumbled and bumped into the side of the ship.

Ye Sheng lunged forward, his machete thrusting straight at him.

The strike was so fast it was almost invisible.

The man in black's pupils contracted sharply; it was too late to dodge.

"Pfft!"

The knife pierced his throat.

Blood gushed out, the man in black clutched his neck, his eyes filled with disbelief, and his body went limp as he collapsed.

Ye Sheng withdrew his wood-chopping knife and turned to look at the other battlefields.

The men in the boat crew were all skilled fighters. Although they were outnumbered, they worked together seamlessly and held their own for a while.

But the men in black were clearly well-trained and fearless, and the battle reached a stalemate.

Without hesitation, Ye Sheng drew his knife and charged toward the nearest man in black.

The man was fighting with a boatman when he saw Ye Sheng coming at him, and his expression changed.

Ye Sheng swung his sword down, and the man hurriedly blocked it.

"when!"

The immense force made his arm go numb.

The boatmen seized the opportunity and slashed him on the shoulder with their swords.

The man in black screamed and retreated, clutching his wound.

"Thank you, brother!" The boatman nodded to Ye Sheng, then turned and lunged at another enemy.

Ye Sheng didn't speak, his gaze sweeping across the deck.

Of the dozen or so men in black, three have already fallen.

However, two people on the other side of the boat were also injured, one of whom was seriously injured and was leaning against the gunwale, panting.

Just then, two more small boats appeared on the river.

Seven or eight more men in black jumped off the boat.

The leader's expression changed drastically: "Damn it, there was an ambush!"

He roared, forced his opponent back with a single strike, and turned to Ye Sheng, shouting, "Young man, protect the goods!"

Ye Sheng nodded, stepped back to the front of the cabin, and guarded the wooden crates.

The new men in black were clearly stronger than the previous group; each one was agile and their swordsmanship was sharp.

The boatmen were forced to retreat in defeat, and soon some of them were injured.

A man in black broke through the defenses and charged towards Ye Sheng.

Ye Sheng gripped his machete tightly and assumed a fighting stance.

The man was incredibly fast, arriving in front of them in the blink of an eye, and slashed down with his long sword.

Ye Sheng dodged to the side while simultaneously slashing back with his sword.

The two instantly engaged in battle.

This man in black was quite strong, with superb swordsmanship; every strike was swift and ruthless.

Ye Sheng managed to barely block the opponent's attack by relying on his stable lower body from the "Standing Posture" technique.

But he could sense that he was at a disadvantage.

This person's strength is at least at the late stage of the entry-level realm.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

After three consecutive clashes, Ye Sheng's hand was split open, and blood flowed down the hilt of the sword.

The man in black sneered, "Kid, you think you can stop me with your meager skills?"

He forced Ye Sheng back with a single strike, then closed in, thrusting his long blade straight at Ye Sheng's chest.

Ye Sheng's pupils contracted; it was too late to dodge.

At this critical moment, a surge of heat suddenly rose from his dantian and flowed throughout his body along his meridians.

【站桩:87/100→100/100→入门1/500】

[Derivative Talent: Rooted as a Mountain (Passive)]

[Effect: Provides excellent stability in combat, making the user less susceptible to being knocked down; slightly increases stamina recovery speed.]

I've gotten the hang of it!

Ye Sheng felt a surge of power throughout his body, and his feet were firmly planted on the deck like nails.

Instead of dodging, he faced the blade head-on and took a step forward.

At the same time, the machete swept across.

[Basic Knife Techniques - Chopping]

"when!"

The two swords clashed, and this time the man in black was forced to take a half step back.

A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes: "You..."

Before he could finish speaking, Ye Sheng's second slash had already landed.

This strike was faster than anyone could have imagined.

[Basic Knife Techniques - Thrusting]

Moreover, this strike contained an inexplicable "momentum".

[The initial formation of sword intent]

The man in black felt a jolt and instinctively tried to dodge.

But that "momentum" slowed his movements by half a beat.

That last half-beat determined life and death.

"Pfft!"

The knife pierced his heart.

The man in black looked down at the knife in his chest, his eyes filled with resentment, and his body slowly fell to the ground.

Ye Sheng pulled back his wood-chopping knife, panting heavily.

That last strike had almost exhausted all his strength.

But he succeeded.

He killed a martial artist in the late stage of the entry-level realm.

The fighting continued in the surrounding area.

The men of the boat crew fought with increasing ferocity, and the men in black began to suffer casualties.

The leader slashed his opponent down with a single blow, then turned and saw the corpse at Ye Sheng's feet, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"Good lad!"

He roared, and morale soared.

Another fifteen minutes passed, and the man in black finally couldn't hold on any longer.

The remaining few people exchanged glances, turned and ran, jumped onto the small boat, and escaped downstream.

The deck was a mess.

Blood and corpses were everywhere.

On the boat crew's side, there were five people, two seriously injured and three slightly injured.

Eleven men in black have fallen.

The leader walked up to Ye Sheng and patted him on the shoulder.

"Brother, thanks to you today."

Ye Sheng shook his head: "It's only right."

The leader looked at the machete in his hand, then at the two corpses on the ground, his eyes full of admiration.

"You're something else, kid. Your skills are almost on par with the elite of our ship crew."

He paused for a moment: "When we get back, I'll tell the gang leader to give you credit."

Ye Sheng nodded without saying anything more.

He walked to the side of the boat, washed his wood-chopping knife with river water, and then washed his hands.

The blood flowed into the river through his fingers and was quickly washed away by the river water.

Looking at the rolling river, Ye Sheng felt a mix of emotions.

Today, he killed someone. And he killed two people at once.

Although it was self-defense, the feeling of taking someone's life still made him somewhat uncomfortable.

But he knew that this was the rule of the world.

The weak eat the strong, the fittest survive.

If you don't kill someone, someone will kill you.

Ye Sheng took a deep breath and tucked the wood-chopping knife back into his waistband.

The speedboat continued its journey and finally arrived at Firestone Bay at dusk.

The goods were successfully unloaded and handed over to the people waiting there.

The leader pulled a cloth bag from his pocket and threw it to Ye Sheng.

"Here is your payment, fifty coins."

Ye Sheng caught it, weighed it in his hand, and nodded.

"Also," the leader pulled out a small porcelain bottle. "This is medicine for healing wounds. Just apply it to the wound on your hand."

Ye Sheng accepted the porcelain bottle: "Thank you."

The leader waved his hand: "It's what we should do, you saved us all today."

He paused for a moment, then said, "By the way, your name is Ye Sheng, right?"

"Um."

"Good name." The leader smiled. "My name is Zhang Hu. If you need anything in the future, feel free to come find me."

Ye Sheng nodded.

It was getting late, so Ye Sheng didn't return to Shui Long Du immediately. Instead, he found a dilapidated temple in Huo Shi Wan and prepared to rest for the night.

The temple was dilapidated, with several holes in the roof and moss covering the walls.

But it's still better than sleeping in the wild.

Ye Sheng sat down in the corner, took out the bottle of healing medicine, and applied it to the wound on his hand.

A cool sensation came over me, and the pain lessened considerably.

He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes.

He gained a lot from today's battle.

Not only have I mastered the basics of stance training, but my progress in basic swordsmanship has also increased significantly.

He opened the panel and took a look.

[Standing Posture: Beginner Level 1/500]

[Basic knife skills: 23/500 → 35/500]

The progress has increased by twelve points.

It seems that real-world practice is indeed the fastest way to improve skills.

Ye Sheng pondered for a moment, then suddenly remembered those men in black from earlier that day.

Who are they?

Why did they dare to rob the cargo of the shipping guild?

And what exactly was inside those wooden crates?

Ye Sheng shook his head, deciding not to think about it anymore.

These are things he shouldn't be meddling in.

His most important task now is to continue becoming stronger, continue making money, and continue paying off his debts.

Thinking of this, Ye Sheng took out the cloth bag from his pocket and counted the contents.

Fifty coins.

Including what he had saved before, he now has 520 coins in his hand.

We are only 30 coins away from our goal of 550 coins.

Moreover, there is still more than a month left before the three-month deadline.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he will definitely be able to pay off the debts owed to the shipping guild.

Ye Sheng smiled slightly, put the cloth bag away, and closed his eyes.

He slept soundly that night.