Immortality begins with exchanging talent attributes.

Evening, outside the city walls of Jiande Prefecture.

Inside Zhou Yan's residence, in the training room.

call!call!call!

The lightning-fast blade sliced ​​through the air, emitting a piercing buzz.

In a split second, Zhou Yan's wrist suddenly spun, and the long sword spun around in the same direction.

"Dark clouds are gathering overhead!"

A low shout rang out.

His long sword moved swiftly, leaving afterimages, and layers of sword light, like a thick, low-hanging cloud, swept fiercely forward.

call!

The knife fell.

Zhou Yan let out a heavy sigh.

He sheathed his sword, stood up, and looked at the panel that appeared before him.

Martial Arts Skill: Thunderclap Saber Technique (Beginner)

After practicing for a whole afternoon, I can finally say that I've mastered the basics of this sword technique.

Of course, a large part of the reason why I was able to get started so quickly is that the term "fast knife" is extremely compatible with the Thunderclap Knife Technique.

Zhou Yan picked up a handkerchief and wiped his sweat, then pushed open the door and went out.

In the courtyard, Uncle Zheng was tidying up miscellaneous items.

Zhou Yan asked:

"Uncle Zheng, did the family who came with me yesterday come over?"

Uncle Zheng immediately stopped what he was doing.

"I've been at the gatehouse the whole time, and no one has come."

Zhou Yan frowned slightly.

Didn't we agree that you'd come over tonight? What if something goes wrong?

He was a little worried, but then he thought that they had already arrived in the prefectural city, and the other party was going to his father-in-law's house, so nothing serious should happen. Maybe something had delayed them.

Zhou Yan thought for a moment and said to Zheng Bo:

"Uncle Zheng, could you please go to the restaurant next door and pack some food and wine to bring back? If they come later, we can have a meal together."

Zheng Bo nodded.

"The old man will go right away."

After Zheng Bo left, Zhou Yan went to the well to fetch water, rinsed himself off briefly, and changed into clean clothes.

  

But after Uncle Zheng brought back all the food and wine, Zhou Yan sat at the table waiting and waiting, but no one came. He finally became restless.

He stood up, walked out the door, and looked around.

It had gotten completely dark.

There were still pedestrians on the street, but it was far less lively than during the day.

One by one, the lights came on.

However, the Zhu family of three was never seen.

Zhou Yan frowned more and more. Given his third brother's personality, he usually wouldn't break his promise without a reason.

Something might have happened.

But there was nothing he could do about it; he had no idea where Zhu Asan's father-in-law's house was.

The city is so big, how can he find it all by himself?

Zhou Yan frowned in thought, wondering if he should seek help from the Xuanyi Guard.

A servant boy ran over, sweating profusely. He looked around the house, glanced at Zhou Yan a few times, and cautiously asked:

"Is this the residence of Young Master Zhou Yan?"

Zhou Yan looked at the other person and said:

"I am Zhou Yan. Who are you?"

The boy immediately smiled and said:

"I was entrusted by a gentleman surnamed Zhu to deliver a letter to you."

Having said that, he took a letter from his pocket and handed it over, adding:

He told you not to worry, that he's been busy these past few days and would come to see you when he's done.

Zhou Yan looked at the other person suspiciously, then took the letter and opened it.

It was indeed Zhu Asan's handwriting, and the meaning was almost identical to what the servant had said.

He said his father-in-law was very happy to see him and wanted to arrange a job for him. He insisted on taking him out for drinks and wouldn't let him leave, which is why he didn't come today. He said he would come back in a few days after things were settled.

Although the letter didn't say anything, Zhou Yan still had a vague feeling that something was wrong.

When my third brother was chatting with me before, he always seemed to think that his father-in-law looked down on him.

Why are you arranging work for him again and dragging him out for drinks?

Of course, it's also possible that the father-in-law is getting old and has started to reminisce about the past.

Though puzzled, Zhou Yan showed no expression, simply nodding to the servant and saying:

"Thanks for your hard work."

After saying that, Zhou Yan tossed over another coin of silver.

"Thank you, Young Master Zhou."

Xiao Si took the money, thanked him, and then hurriedly ran away.

Zhou Yan stood at the door, watching the servant's figure disappear around the street corner, before turning back into the courtyard.

In the hall, a table was already set with food and drinks.

The heat was still rising.

Zhou Yan glanced at it and sighed softly.

He said to Uncle Zheng beside him:

"Uncle Zheng, my friends aren't coming today, let's eat together."

Zheng Bo hurriedly waved his hand and said:

"This won't do, this won't do!"

After much persuasion, they finally got Uncle Zheng to agree to pack some food to take home, but he refused to go with them no matter what.

He could only sit at the table by himself, pick up his chopsticks, and start eating.

......

The next morning.

Li Kun came to find Zhou Yan again to go to roll call together.

The two traveled through the outer city. Along the way, Zhou Yan stopped at the blacksmith shop from the previous day to inquire about the progress of the meteor hammer.

The blacksmith said it wouldn't be finished until the afternoon.

That's how they arrived at the Xuanyiwei (Black-Clad Guard) office.

Finished clicking.

Li Kun said he was going to the armory to pick out a secret manual.

Although his trip to Qingzhou was dangerous, he also gained considerable merit.

Zhou Yan also asked Li Kun when his merits would be awarded.

Li Kun smiled and said to him:

"You don't need to rush. You've just been registered, so you still need Commander Lu's help."

Zhou Yan nodded. Since he had nothing else to do, he accompanied Li Kun into the armory.

Li Kun went to the second floor, while Zhou Yan started reading on the bookshelves on the first floor.

I picked up a random book, "The Great Yan Regional Chronicles".

Upon turning to the first page, a map of the Great Yan territory comes into view.

The Great Yan was divided into seven provinces.

Dongchao Prefecture, where Jiande Prefecture is located, is just one of the prefectures, and not a large one at that.

There are four other prefectures larger than Dongchaozhou.

The largest of these is Zhongtian Prefecture, where the imperial city is located.

Zhou Yan glanced at it a few times and got a general idea of ​​what was going on.

The world is bigger than he had imagined.

I flipped through the pages again, and the rest of the descriptions were mostly about the local customs and culture of each state.

There's not enough time to read all of this.

He didn't read it carefully; he simply put the book aside, intending to register it later and take it home to browse through at his leisure.

After walking a few more steps, he saw another book.

[History of Martial Arts]

Zhou Yan's brows twitched slightly, and he reached out to take it off.

Turning to the first page, the very first sentence sent a jolt through Zhou Yan's heart.

The path of martial arts leads to the heavens, overshadowing the mortal world!

—Chuxiong!

Domineering!

Who is this Chu Xiong? Why is he talking so arrogantly?

Just as Zhou Yan was about to flip through the pages, Li Kun came down, holding a thin manual in his hand.

"Brother Li, you've made your choice? So quickly?"

Li Kun beckoned to him and said:

"I've had my eye on this intermediate-level footwork technique for a long time, but I just haven't had enough merit points before."

Zhou Yan also picked up the book "Historical Records of Martial Arts" and went to register it with the registrar.

I was told that although the books were given away for free, I would have to return them after reading them, and I would have to pay for any damage.

Zhou Yan nodded to indicate that he understood, and then walked out of the armory side by side with Li Kun.

"By the way, Brother Li, do you know who this Chu Xiong is?"

Zhou Yan suddenly asked.

Upon hearing this, Li Kun looked at Zhou Yan with disbelief and said:

"Chu Xiong was the founding emperor of the Great Yan Dynasty, didn't you know that?"

"what?"

Zhou Yan really didn't know this. He did know that the founding emperor of the Great Yan Dynasty was a master of martial arts and was known as the greatest person in history.

But I really don't know his name.

Just as Zhou Yan was about to ask a few more questions...

A tall figure walked over from the side and blocked their way.

It was Zhou Jing, the captain I had met yesterday.

What a coincidence! I run into her everywhere I go.

Li Kun hurriedly clasped his hands and said:

"I have met Lieutenant Zhou."

Zhou Jing responded expressionlessly, without even glancing at him, and said to Zhou Yan:

"Commander Fang wants to see you. Come with me."

Zhou Yan frowned.

Fang Baihu wants to see him?

He doesn't know any Fang Baihu.

Why do I need to see him?

......