Becoming a Martial Master: Starting as a Swordsmith

Two "plop" sounds.

Both hands landed on the ground, their fingers still twitching nervously.

Han Tieshan was stunned for a long while before he felt the excruciating pain.

He immediately let out a heart-wrenching scream, and collapsed to his knees, rolling and wailing in agony.

Shen Chu stepped forward, placed her foot on Han Tieshan's chest, and exerted a slight force: "Tell me, who taught you this evil magic?"

Han Tieshan was sweating profusely from the pain, but he still gritted his teeth and stubbornly said:

"Shen Chu! You'd better let me go! Otherwise, if our banner chief finds out, he will never let you off! You won't even know how you died!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Chu not only showed no fear, but instead chuckled softly.

His gaze slowly moved down, landing on Han Tieshan's right hand, which had been broken but was now completely healed, and he said calmly:

"I remember your hand was broken by the Second Young Master a while ago, but it's completely healed now. It seems that the Banner Master healed it for you, right?"

Han Tieshan's expression immediately changed.

Shen Chu continued, "You're being so stubborn now, probably because you have the banner leader backing you up, and you think you can get your hands back even if you lose both hands."

He paused, his gaze shifting to the two severed hands still twitching slightly on the ground. His tone remained calm, yet carried a chilling undercurrent.

"If I were to grind these two hands into a pulp, do you think your banner chief would still be able to reattach them to you?"

Han Tieshan's pupils contracted sharply, and the fierce but cowardly look on his face vanished instantly.

Looking into Shen Chu's calm and unwavering eyes, he realized that Shen Chu was truly fearless and truly dared to do it.

He finally couldn't hold on any longer and began to confess in fits and starts.

It turned out that after he left the Li family, someone came to his door, trying to recruit him into an organization called the "Red Lotus Cult."

At that time, he was still hoping that the second young master would help him return to the Li family, so he naturally did not agree.

However, his plan was later ruined by Shen Chu, Sun Ping and Steward Li, and his savings were stolen by his two apprentices. When he went to the second young master for help, his right hand was also broken.

With nowhere else to turn, he had no choice but to join the sect, and it was the flag leader of the Red Lotus Sect who healed his broken hand.

"Who is the flag leader?" Shen Chu asked.

"I don't know... I really don't know!"

Seeing Shen Chu's displeasure, Han Tieshan hurriedly shook his head.

"All I know is that he calls himself the Flag Master and is a leader of the Red Lotus Sect; I know nothing else!"

"What does he want to do?"

"I don't know either... He just told me to settle in first, saying that he might need my help in the future."

Shen Chu asked several more questions, but Han Tieshan knew nothing about them.

It wasn't until Shen Chu inquired about the origin of the evil technique that Han Tieshan hurriedly replied, "It was the headmaster who taught me! He said I had a lot of resentment and was suitable for cultivating this. He also gave me a secret manual, which is on me; you can take it!"

Shen Chu reached into Han Tieshan's clothes and rummaged around for a while, and sure enough, pulled out a thin booklet.

The cover features five simple, ancient characters: "The Art of Controlling Ghosts in the Underworld".

Shen Chu began to peruse the book by moonlight, casually asking Han Tieshan questions about cultivation methods as she read.

Han Tieshan was terrified and answered the questions honestly one by one.

Shen Chu asked the same question repeatedly in different ways. After confirming that Han Tieshan was not lying, she sat down cross-legged in front of Han Tieshan and began to practice according to the methods in "The Art of Controlling Ghosts in the Netherworld".

Han Tieshan stared in disbelief, momentarily forgetting the pain of his broken wrist.

The "Netherworld Ghost Control Technique" wasn't a particularly profound method to begin with, and with the added benefit of the "Twice the Result with Half the Effort" skill, Shen Chu quickly grasped its essence.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he felt a cold aura within his body, independent of the martial artist's blood and qi, yet coexisting within him without interfering with each other.

At the same time, a new line of text appeared before his eyes:

[Successfully became a follower and gained the initial skill: Fragrance of All Beings Lv1]

[Fragrance Extraction: This technique allows you to absorb the residual essence of demons, monsters, and those who practice demonic arts. Once accumulated to a certain level, it can be used to break through bottlenecks in your cultivation techniques.]

Immediately afterwards, another line of text appeared:

Passive Skill: Conceal Your Breath

[Concealing Aura: Conceals one's cultivation level and aura, preventing others from sensing one's presence or true cultivation level.]

[Introduction to the Art of Controlling Ghosts in the Underworld (1/100)]

Shen Chu slowly opened her eyes, a dark light flashing in them before returning to calm.

Seeing that he remained silent, Han Tieshan grew increasingly uneasy and cautiously began, "Brother Shen... I've said everything I needed to say, and you've taken the manual. Can you let me go now?"

Shen Chu glanced at him and said calmly, "I, Shen Chu, am clear about my debts and grudges. You used evil magic to harm me, but you have already paid the price. Now get out of here, and don't let me see you again. If we meet again, I will not let you off easily!"

Upon hearing this, Han Tieshan was overjoyed, inwardly cursing Shen Chu as an idiot.

Once he finds the flag lord and gets his hand healed, he'll make that kid wish he were dead!

But on the surface, he put on a grateful act, bowing and scraping to Shen Chu repeatedly: "Thank you so much, Brother Shen! Thank you so much, Brother Shen! I'll be leaving right now! I'll be leaving right now!"

He turned to run outside, but when he reached the door...

"Pick up your hands! Pick up your hands!"

Shen Chu's voice came from behind, tinged with a hint of helplessness.

Han Tieshan then remembered, so he turned back, knelt on the ground, and tucked his two severed hands into his bosom.

He then clutched his two severed hands and rushed out of the house in a disheveled state, plunging headlong into the night.

He ran wildly along the alley, already plotting how to find the flag leader and how to take revenge on Shen Chu.

He had just run to the corner of the alley when he looked up and froze on the spot.

under the moonlight,

Shen Chu was standing at the alley entrance, quietly watching him.

Han Tieshan was taken aback for a moment, then forced a smile that looked more like a grimace: "Brother Shen...you're taking this route too? What a coincidence, what a coincidence..."

Shen Chu sighed softly, her tone tinged with regret: "I've already said that I won't let you off easily next time I see you. Since you insisted on taking this path to meet me, then I can't show any mercy anymore."

"No, it's clearly you..."

Before Han Tieshan could finish speaking, a flash of light appeared before him. Before he could even wipe the smile off his face, he felt his vision suddenly rise higher.

Then he saw a headless body still standing in the same spot, blood gushing from its neck like a fountain.

Huh?

That body looks so familiar.

Who is that?

Oh right, that's my body...

Then Han Tieshan's consciousness was plunged into eternal darkness.

The head landed on the ground, rolled twice, and still had that fawning smile on its face.

At the same time, Shen Chu's [Fragrance of All Beings] skill activated on its own!