Becoming a Martial Master: Starting as a Swordsmith

It was that dark-faced leader.

Impressive skill indeed!

He almost found out!

Shen Chu's heart tightened again, and she replied:

"They're here! They're here!"

Fortunately, when Shen Chu killed the cultist, he reached out and supported the man's body, gently leaning him against the wall.

From behind, it looked as if the cultist was leaning against the wall, keeping watch.

The night was very dark, and the dark-faced leader didn't even notice.

Shen Chu's mind was racing. He took a deep breath and quickly returned to the black-faced leader, lowering his voice to say, "Leader, the sleeping gas has been placed, and someone is guarding it over there."

The dark-faced leader had returned to his position. He glanced coldly in the direction of the post station and said in a deep voice:

"Alright. Pass down the order to prepare for action. Once inside, kill everyone you see; leave no one alive."

The followers behind him drew their weapons.

Shen Chu's gaze fell on those weapons, and her pupils suddenly contracted!

Those knives, with their blades gleaming with a familiar cold light, and their shape and patterns, were clearly the same batch of standard long knives that had just been forged at the Li family's knife-forging compound!

These people from the Red Lotus Cult have actually obtained the Li family's knife!

How did they get it?!

"Brother, here's your knife!"

In a daze, Shen Chu took a long knife handed to him by someone else.

He gripped the long sword forged by the Li family, standing in the night, his mind racing.

Shen Chu wanted to warn the people inside the courtyard, but dozens of Red Lotus Cult members had already surrounded the post station.

The black-faced leader stood not far from him, his eyes like an eagle's, scanning everyone's movements.

If he were to forcefully issue a warning, not only would he fail to save Li Chengwen and the others, but he himself would also be immediately exposed and surrounded by dozens of people, inevitably leading to his death.

Let's think of another way...

Shen Chu took a deep breath, suppressed her impulse, and decided to observe the situation and wait for a better opportunity.

The dark-faced leader crouched behind a low rock, his gaze fixed on the tightly closed wooden door of the post station, and whispered:

"Send two people in to scout ahead and see if anyone inside is fast asleep. The rest of you stay put and wait for the signal to rush in immediately."

His gaze swept over the believers behind him, waiting for someone to volunteer.

However, the believers looked at each other, and no one stepped forward.

Everyone knows that the person who goes in first to scout ahead faces the greatest risk.

If the people inside weren't drugged, or if the night watchman wasn't exceptionally vigilant, anyone who went in to scout might never return.

The dark-faced leader's expression immediately darkened, and he cursed in a low voice:

"A bunch of useless trash! They're all so capable of bragging and flattering everyone else, but when it comes to actually using you, you all turn into cowards!"

Shen Chu's heart skipped a beat, realizing this was an excellent opportunity. He stepped forward and volunteered, "Chief, I am willing to go in and scout ahead."

The dark-faced leader's gaze fell on Shen Chu, and then an approving expression appeared on his face.

He patted his shoulder heavily, then turned to the other believers and shouted:

"See that?! These are the true brothers of the Holy Church! You bunch of good-for-nothings, you always brag like crazy, but when it comes to fighting for your lives, we have to rely on others to step up!"

He turned back to Shen Chu, his tone filled with undisguised admiration: "Good brother, tell everyone, why did you join the Holy Church?"

Shen Chu's heart tightened slightly, but she remained outwardly calm and casually replied, "Reporting to the leader, it's to obey your and the Holy Church's orders!"

Upon hearing this, the dark-faced leader was momentarily stunned, then felt an overwhelming sense of comfort, as if he had just eaten a ginseng fruit.

"Good brother! You truly are a good brother of my Holy Church!"

The black-faced leader was overjoyed and immediately announced:

"From today onwards, you are the squad leader of our team, holding the rank of corporal! After this mission is completed, I will personally recommend you for commendation to the flag lord!"

The expressions on the other people's faces immediately changed.

Damn it, how did Shen Chu come up with such a flattering idea?!

As soon as the black-faced leader finished speaking, Shen Chu's eyes suddenly lit up.

The system panel popped up automatically, and a line of clear text appeared before his eyes:

[Follower's professional rank promoted to Corporal]

[Initial skill "Fragrance of All Beings" upgraded from lv1 to lv2; passive skill "Concealment of Breath" slightly improved.]

[Unlock Team Skill: Crimson Lotus Cult Corporal Authority: Can command members of this squad and obtain internal information about lower-level Crimson Lotus Cult members]

Shen Chu was both surprised and delighted.

He glanced quickly at his system panel, where three professions were clearly listed:

[Swordsmith], [Martial Artist], [Cultist (Corporal)].

After a period of exploration and practice, he has roughly figured out the upgrade paths for these three professions.

The level of a [Swordsmith] is increased by improving their forging skills.

Forging higher-quality weapons and mastering more complex forging techniques will both promote the growth of this profession and improve the skill level of "Refining Through a Thousand Hammers".

He had previously reached level 2 by forging silver-patterned meteorite iron into a high-quality longsword, using the "Thousand Hammers and Hundred Refinements" skill.

Working overtime during this period has significantly improved my professional skills.

Although the next upgrade is still some distance away, the direction is clear.

As long as you keep working hard and keep studying, you'll eventually make a breakthrough.

Although the initial skill of the [Martial Artist] class, [Twice the Result with Half the Effort], has not yet been upgraded, Shen Chu has a vague feeling that...

Upgrading this profession and skills doesn't rely on external things or status; it only relies on genuine, hard-earned martial prowess.

The improvement of physical constitution, the refinement of skills, and the experience and insights accumulated in actual combat are all accumulating strength for this breakthrough.

Once his martial prowess reaches a certain threshold, his level will naturally break through.

The [Cultist] profession was unlocked after he killed Han Tieshan and obtained the "Netherworld Ghost Control Technique".

After some trial and error, he discovered that the upgrade path for this profession was completely different from the other two, and he had no clue what to do.

He originally thought that advancing in the profession of "clergyman" would require a long time and complicated conditions.

Unexpectedly, it didn't rely on blacksmithing or martial arts training.

Just because he was promoted to a minor leader in the Red Lotus Sect, his professional rank was directly increased!

This discovery gave Shen Chu new ideas for her next move.

If I continue to climb the ranks in the Red Lotus Cult, will I be able to unlock more skills and information?

But thinking about this, he felt something was off.

Could it be that I really have to associate with these demons in order to go further down the path of "cult"?

As Shen Chu was pondering this, the dark-faced leader stopped talking and glanced at the remaining cultists, then casually pointed at one of them: "You, come out. Go in with the squad leader to scout ahead. Follow his orders."