Becoming a Martial Master: Starting as a Swordsmith

Senior Brother Zhao raised his head and looked ahead in disbelief.

Standing opposite him was a man who looked even younger than him.

The man was dressed in a dark blue robe, with a handsome face and a faint look of weariness between his brows, as if defeating Senior Brother Zhao was nothing more than a trivial matter to him.

In the previous contest, that person didn't even draw his weapon; he merely caught three sword strikes from Senior Brother Zhao with his bare hands, and then casually struck out, sending Senior Brother Zhao flying.

The carefree and sophisticated demeanor that Senior Brother Zhao once displayed in front of Shen Chu has now vanished, leaving only a mess.

The young man withdrew his hand, dusted off his sleeves, and turned to look at the Longchuan Sword Sect Master beside him:

"Too weak. I suppressed my cultivation level to the Opening Meridian Realm, and he couldn't even withstand three of my moves. Your Longchuan Sword Sect has been living too comfortably in Qingyang County these past few years; you've probably long forgotten the rules and requirements of the upper sect, haven't you?"

Upon hearing this, the sect leader of the Longchuan Sword Sect was terrified. His face turned deathly pale, and beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.

He strode up to the young man, bowed, clasped his hands in a respectful gesture, and spoke in a deferential tone:

"Please calm your anger, Your Excellency! This remote town cannot compare to the spiritually rich land where our sect resides. Finding these promising talents is already quite an achievement; they naturally cannot be compared to the outstanding individuals within our sect. Ling Fei... he is already one of the best among the younger generation in our sect, truly..."

As he spoke, he subtly slipped something from his sleeve and quietly placed it into the young man's hand while bowing.

The object felt warm and heavy to the touch, clearly not an ordinary item.

The young man glanced down at the object in his hand; it was a jade pendant, entirely emerald green, with fine texture, exquisite carving, and a faint shimmering light flowing within it.

He lightly stroked the surface of the jade pendant with his fingertips, and without refusing, simply put it into his sleeve pocket. His expression softened slightly, but still held a hint of displeasure as he said indifferently:

"Fine, since you've brought it up, I'll give you face. This kid may be mediocre, but he has a solid foundation. Taking him to the outer courtyard as a handyman to practice his skills would be more than enough."

Upon hearing this, the sect leader of Longchuan Sword Sect was overjoyed and repeatedly bowed in gratitude, saying, "Thank you, Your Excellency! Thank you, Your Excellency! I will certainly teach him well and will never let you down!"

The young man waved his hand, seemingly tired of such polite words, and then changed the subject: "There's one more thing I need you to do."

"Your Excellency, please give your orders."

"I need a spiritual plant." The young man gestured with his hand, "About this tall. It's the main ingredient for refining a certain elixir. Send someone to find it, and once you find it, have this kid deliver it to the place I specify."

He pointed to Zhao Lingfei, the senior brother who had been helped up from the ground.

The sect leader of Longchuan Sword Sect listened carefully, but a troubled look quickly appeared on his face: "Your Excellency, this...this spiritual plant, I have never heard of it before, let alone know where to find it. Please give us some guidance so that we may have a direction."

The young man frowned, seemingly a little impatient, but still spoke:

"Go towards Wulao Peak. I've found traces of this spiritual plant there before. If you search carefully, you should be able to find it."

"Misty Peak..."

The Longchuan Sword Sect Master's expression changed slightly, and his voice became more hesitant.

"Your Excellency, I have heard that demons and monsters frequently appear in the area around Mist Peak, and there are even rumors that a powerful demon dwells in the mountains. The disciples in our sect are of limited strength, I'm afraid..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a sneer from the young man.

"What can a few little demons who haven't even taken human form amount to?" The young man's tone was filled with undisguised contempt. "If they can't even handle this kind of trash, they deserve to die. It just means they're useless and not worth wasting resources on."

He thought for a moment, then casually added, "As for the monsters that have taken human form, I already killed two before entering the city. Now, as long as you don't go too deep into the Mist Peak area, you'll be perfectly safe."

Of course, if you really do encounter it, it's your fate.

The young man kept these words in his mind, and his eyes held a hint of mockery as he looked at the crowd.

Upon hearing this, the sect leader of the Longchuan Sword Sect was startled, and his gaze towards the young man held even greater reverence.

He dared not say another word, and respectfully clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes, I understand. I will arrange for men to search towards Wulao Peak immediately."

......

Shen Chu and the others had been away from Qingyang County with Xu Zhibao for three days.

Unlike the tense atmosphere on the way there, everyone was noticeably more relaxed on the return journey.

Li Chengwen even had the leisure to lift the carriage curtain, point to the scenery along the roadside, and chat and laugh with Madam Hu.

Although Madam Hu mostly responded with a smile and a nod, Li Chengwen was already very satisfied.

After walking along the official road for a while, farmland gradually became less visible on both sides, replaced by overgrown weeds and low shrubs.

Occasionally, you can see a few abandoned earth god temples leaning precariously by the roadside, their tiles covered in moss.

Shen Chu saw this and couldn't help but compare the bustling scene outside the city with that inside Qingyang County. The scene outside the city seemed desolate and bleak.

Despite Xu Zhibao's repeated warnings about the dangers outside the city, the three-day trip was unusually peaceful. They didn't encounter any bandits, or even a petty thief trying to rob them.

They traveled according to a set schedule each day, arriving at the pre-arranged village inn before dark to rest, and setting off again before dawn. The route, locations, and even rest stops were all arranged in advance, and everything was in good order.

This overly peaceful journey left Li Chengwen, who had forgotten the pain of his past wounds, feeling somewhat bored.

He even began to doubt whether Xu Zhibao's earlier claim of "danger outside the city" was an exaggeration.

If it weren't for Madam Hu's constant presence, he probably would have already been urging Xu Zhibao to speed up and get back to Changping County as soon as possible.

On the evening of the third day, the convoy was about to reach a certain area, and the team stopped to rest in a dilapidated temple in the wilderness.

In front of the dilapidated temple stands a bridge, hundreds of meters long, spanning between two barren mountains. The valley beneath the bridge has long since dried up, leaving only jagged rocks.

The road in front of the dilapidated temple was actually paved with huge bluestone slabs.

However, due to years of neglect, many stone slabs have cracked and loosened, with weeds growing in the gaps. The interior of the dilapidated temple is also abandoned, with broken doors and windows, and half of the roof collapsed. Only the four stone walls remain relatively intact.

Xu Zhibao directed the group to form a semi-circle around the caravan and horses, creating a makeshift barrier. Then, more than ten people squeezed into the spacious, dilapidated temple.

Although the house is dilapidated, it has the advantage of being spacious enough to provide shelter from the wind and rain.

Soon, two bonfires were lit in the room.