Character: Chu Xisheng Reputation: Ninth Rank Lower (Superior) Martial Arts: Wind-Chasing Blade Technique Fragment (First Stage) Elemental Skill: Yuan Element Technique (First Stage/Not Entered) Martial Arts Points: 25 Talents: Eagle Eye, Hand of Wind Pursuit (First Tier) Condition: Six Yin Resurrection Curse Lifespan: 19 days
Chu Xisheng's pupils widened, showing surprise. The system unexpectedly changed again; the reputation section changed from Ninth Rank Lower (Stable) to Ninth Rank Lower (Superior). The martial arts points also changed to 25. Previously, Chu Xisheng had exchanged for a "Divine Power Pill," which consumed one martial arts point, decreasing the value to 15. But now, it suddenly increased by 10 martial arts points.
What could be the reason for this change? Chu Xisheng pondered as he glanced at the fourth-floor window. He speculated that the changes in reputation and martial arts points might be related to him taking on new responsibilities, but he had no evidence.
Chu Xisheng sat on the ground, resting for a moment until the soreness and tremors in his limbs subsided. Then he stood up. Looking around, he noticed that everyone, including many martial arts instructors and members of the Jin Yi Wei, looked at him with some admiration.
Suddenly, someone slapped his shoulder heavily, and a rough voice sounded beside him. "Kid, not bad! I didn't expect you to actually kill that eighth-ranked adept, and most importantly, you survived after taking action. But when I saw you using the blade just now, your talent is quite good, but you lack technique. You still need to practice using the blade properly."Chu Xisheng glanced sideways and saw that it was Qiu Feng, the head instructor of the North Courtyard. Qiu Feng was smiling as he looked at him. "You've done a great service this time. The library contains more than 18,000 volumes, including thousands of volumes of true intent and illustrated books, all preserved because of you. Master Lei is fair in his dealings; there will be rewards afterward."
Chu Xisheng was upright and honest. He thought he couldn't wrongly take credit for this, nor could he covet others' achievements. He explained with a cupped hand, "Master Qiu, you've misunderstood. Actually, the one who killed the adept today wasn't—" He stopped speaking as he noticed the martial arts points section flashing, with the number 25 faintly changing to 23.Chu Xisheng's face twitched, and then he said, "Actually, I teamed up with a female disciple surnamed Lu to kill that sorcerer."This is just like the miraculous battle in the NBA's Staples Center in the past, where Brian Cook and Kobe combined for 83 points.Kobe scored 81 points, Brian scored 2, but you can't say that Kobe's 81 points didn't have Brian's contribution. After all, he made an assist.Chu Xisheng also made a contribution; he contributed a knife and a talisman that could communicate inside and outside.
"A female disciple surnamed Lu?" The head of the North Court, Qiu Feng, pondered whether there were any female disciples surnamed Lu among the newly appointed inner disciples.Qiu Feng was not sure, but since he had not heard of her, it was evident that this woman was not an outstanding figure, probably just assisting Chu Xisheng.
"Yes, that junior fellow apprentice is about the same age as me, and she goes by the surname Lu," explained Chu Xisheng. "This woman was the main force in killing that sorcerer—"
He didn't get to finish his sentence because there was suddenly a deafening explosion on the rooftop. A figure in green burst through the wall of the twelfth floor of the library.This person wielded a blood sword, combining with it as if they were one, and flew toward a distant location like a rainbow.The library owner, Lei Yuan, and several others followed closely behind, gliding through the air like swift eagles in pursuit.Looking up, Chu Xisheng saw that the green figure was also looking at him in the air, with a cold and sinister gaze full of killing intent.
At this moment, a large group of bandits broke out of the library, one of them roaring angrily, "A kid who hasn't even reached the first level of elemental cultivation actually dared to interfere with the plans of my Blood Wind Gang. I see you don't want to live. You, the brat who killed my brother, listen up. Within ten days, the Blood Wind Gang will surely take your life!"Chu Xisheng was stunned for a moment.He didn't want to take all the credit for this, nor could he bear all the blame.
Seeing that his expression wasn't good, Qiu Feng comforted him by patting his shoulder. "Don't worry, this time Cao Qianhu has set up a watertight net. None of the Blood Wind Gang's thugs can escape. Even Li Daogui won't get away today. Master Lei made his move this time with great reluctance, and the library owner Ye Jingyuan is also a hidden expert. Cao Qianhu's cultivation is closer to the fourth level, and they will definitely capture this person and bring him to justice."
"No," Chu Xisheng tried to explain. "That junior fellow apprentice, Lu, practices both martial arts and sorcery, and her knife skills are outstanding. She's the one who took action to kill the sorcerer, and I was just assisting—"
But Qiu Feng thought he was just afraid of retaliation from the Blood Wind Gang, which was why he said that.The core figures of the Blood Wind Bandit have spoken out, and the truth of the matter is already very clear.As for the inner disciples, where did they find a disciple skilled in both martial arts and techniques? This guy is simply speaking without using his brain.He chuckled, leaped into the air, and intercepted a scar-faced thug of the Blood Wind Bandit with a shower of knife light.
Chu Xisheng looked at the scene with a complex expression, seeming both sad and happy.Just after that thug shouted, his martial arts points unexpectedly increased by two points, from 25 to 27.At this moment, he suddenly felt a connection and looked up, only to see a familiar figure standing on a camphor tree several dozen feet away.It was Chu Yunyun, who was supposed to be on her way to the Taoist temple to gather spiritual seeds.The girl, carrying a war spear on her back, looked him up and down.Seemingly confirming that Chu Xisheng was safe and sound, Chu Yunyun smiled at him with relief, then swiftly disappeared into the shadows behind the tree canopy.
Chu Xisheng's lips curled upwards, and a warm feeling surged in his chest.The members of the Blood Wind Bandit scattered and fled, resorting to all means, setting fires as they escaped and causing casualties within the martial arts hall, attempting to take advantage of the chaos.The Jinyiwei and the martial arts instructors also dispersed, making every effort to pursue and intercept them.
A group of powerful martial artists engaged in fierce battles, causing fires to spread within the martial arts hall, leaving a trail of destruction and debris.The battlefield quickly extended beyond the martial arts hall, affecting nearly half of the Xiu Shueng County.The City Guard also joined in, deploying thousands of people to pursue and extinguish fires from all directions.Even so, more than thirty members of the Blood Wind Bandit managed to escape.Chu Xisheng felt deeply disappointed, as this meant that the threat of the Blood Wind Bandit might become a reality.
His "Black Cloud Flying Yan Knife" was also taken by someone else.
This was a sword belonging to a Jinyiwei hundred-hou, which was temporarily loaned to him by Cao Qianhou and naturally had to be returned after the incident.After the pursuit came to an end, the expressions of the martial arts hall master, Lei Yuan, and the library owner, Ye Jingyuan, were as dark as iron, and the four martial arts instructors looked extremely grim.Cao Xuan, a thousand-hou of the Jinyiwei, used the excuse of searching for stolen goods and investigating explosive symbols to rummage through the library, turning over boxes and books.Even Chu Xisheng's many senior brothers were utilized.
Although the bandits had escaped, Cao Xuan used the pretext of rooting out spies to force them to search for Qin Mugge's notes and annotations.It wasn't until late at night that the entire library was thoroughly searched, and the Jinyiwei finally withdrew from the martial arts hall.Just before leaving, Cao Qianhou showed some interest in meeting Chu Xishieng.It was just a brief meeting, as the green-haired thousand-hou looked at Chu Xisheng from a distance of twenty feet, chuckled, and said, "You have a good appearance, truly a young hero."
He waved his hand, and a Jinyiwei officer brought a plate over.On the plate was a bottle of "Peiyuan Pill" and fifty taels of magic silver.However, Chu Xisheng's expression stiffened slightly, as the thing he truly wanted was not in this plate.This high-ranking official of the Jinyiwei was indeed generous in appearance but miserly in deeds.
"Is this the reward you high-ranking officials promised?" Ye Zhiquan, standing by Chu Xisheng's side with a heavy sword on his shoulder, showed no regard for the presence of the Jinyiwei and glanced at the plate with contempt. "So stingy."
The chief standard-bearer smiled and said nothing, then bowed to Chu Xisheng and walked back to Cao Xuan's side.
Ye Zhiquan glared at Chu Xisheng with a look of disappointment, saying, "Do you see it? In someone else's eyes, your life is only worth one hundred taels of magic silver. Don't be so foolish in the future. Just because someone says a few words to provoke you, you recklessly put yourself in danger. Do you realize that if I had been slightly slower in providing backup just now, you would be dead by now? Focus on training well in the martial arts hall, learn the true teachings from your master, and you will naturally have wealth and glory waiting for you. Why do you need to seek trouble?"
Chu Xisheng gazed up at the sky, unsure of how to explain himself. If he hadn't been deceived by that lily girl earlier, he would never have taken on such a dangerous task. No matter how much money or promises that person surnamed Cao offered, Chu Xisheng would not have agreed. Although their identities and directions were indeed problematic, he could have simply abandoned that identity, left with Chu Yunyun, and found another way out. Even though it meant that their efforts of the past three months would go to waste, it was better than losing their lives. However, today's gains were quite substantial. Chu Xisheng looked at the 27 martial arts points on the illusory screen and caressed the bottle of Peiyuan Pill in his hand, realizing that it was worth taking the risk today. Despite the Jinyiwei being more stingy than he had imagined, Chu Xisheng felt that the rewards he obtained while accompanying the lily girl made these items seem more valuable.