System

Sword Immortal: Invincible from Slaying Foes for EXP

Indifferent and Unheeding

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System

Lu Zhaojin seemed to have awakened from a nightmare. Opening his eyes, he found himself lying on a shallow bank. As far as the eye could see lay a stretch of river water and pebbles of varying sizes. The gurgling of the current rang endlessly in his ears.

A sudden, wrenching pain shot through his head, but it quickly faded.

Memories surged within his mind, many both strange and familiar.

Lu Zhaojin realized that he had transmigrated.

The original owner of this body had also been named Lu Zhaojin.

He had been the Young Master of the Sihai Escort Agency.

The reason the original owner had been lying here was that the escort agency had suffered a joint massacre by Shiqiao Town's two great families.

The original owner's father, Lu Jinlin, had led him through the encirclement.

Later, Lu Jinlin had drawn away a large number of pursuers and become separated from him.

Already severely wounded, the original owner had been chased into a dead end. Unwilling to fall into the enemy's hands and be used to restrain his father, he had chosen to jump into the river.

His corpse had drifted with the current until it floated here.

The one who awakened again was the current Lu Zhaojin.

From the original owner's memories, he also learned that martial arts flourished in this world. The Great Ding Dynasty had founded its nation upon martial might, established its capital in the Central Metropolis, and unified the realm.

The original body's martial talent had been very poor. He had begun practicing stances at six to temper his foundation, started cultivating his family's inherited sword art at eight, and now, at sixteen, had reached only the Ninth Rank Early Stage.

There were nine ranks in this world's martial arts realm. Ninth Rank was the beginning, and First Rank the supreme.

Whether there were further realms beyond that, the original owner did not know.

Lu Zhaojin climbed out of the water. The movement tugged at his wounds, making him suck in a cold breath and bare his teeth in pain.

Pulling open the clothing over his chest, he saw a long, narrow sword wound. It was no longer bleeding, but having been soaked in river water, the wound had turned pale and risked infection.

The one responsible for that sword wound was a youth his own age.

That youth was named Zhang Jiao. He excelled in fist techniques and possessed Ninth Rank Mid Stage cultivation, on the verge of advancing to the late stage.

Zhang Jiao was the eldest young master of the Zhang Family.

Shiqiao Town had two great tigers: the Zhang Family and the Zhao Family. They had existed since the town's founding.

One mountain could not accommodate two tigers.

The two families had openly and secretly battled for years without a victor, yet they knew each other intimately. Only after the Sihai Escort Agency appeared did they finally lower their banners and still their drums.

But that had merely been the calm before the storm.

The Sihai Escort Agency had taken root in Shiqiao Town and swiftly grown strong. In only twenty years, it had become a towering tree comparable to the Zhang and Zhao Families.

Lu Jinlin had also officially become one of Shiqiao Town's three greatest experts.

Although Chief Escort Lu Jinlin had always maintained that he would only concern himself with the escort agency's business and would not meddle in Shiqiao Town's other affairs,

in their eyes, the Sihai Escort Agency was still a potential threat.

When the snipe and clam fought, the fisherman profited.

How could they hand over the mountain they had occupied for years to outsiders?

Thus came tonight's scene of the Zhang Family joining hands with the Zhao Family to slaughter the escort agency.

After pondering for a moment, Lu Zhaojin felt that this might not have been the greatest danger. Otherwise, the Zhang and Zhao Families would never have allowed the Sihai Escort Agency to develop and grow so smoothly before choosing to strike now.

There seemed to be a greater secret hidden behind it all.

But in his current state, thinking too much was useless. For now, he could only take one step at a time.

The most pressing matter was to leave this place as quickly as possible.

The Zhang Family certainly would not let him off lightly.

Alive, they wanted to see the man; dead, they wanted to see the corpse.

The Zhang Family's people were likely searching along the banks of the Qi River right now.

Lu Zhaojin looked toward the towering mountain in the distance—Mount Qi.

Beneath the mysterious veil of night, it resembled a colossal beast lying on the ground. With every breath, it stirred fierce winds that sent waves rolling through the sea of trees with a rustling roar.

It was early summer.

Even though Lu Zhaojin was drenched from head to toe, the wind blowing from Mount Qi did not make him feel cold. Instead, it felt rather refreshing.

However.

The faint sound of barking seemed to have ridden in on the wind as well.

Lu Zhaojin's advancing steps halted. There were wild dogs here?

Suddenly, two hounds with gaping, blood-red maws sprang from the reeds ahead and pounced at Lu Zhaojin.

Lu Zhaojin's pupils contracted. On instinct, he threw a heavy punch into the lower jaw of the hound before him, sending it flying far away and robbing it of its ability to move.

He had no time to care about the wound on his chest tearing open again.

The other hound was already close at hand. It opened its stinking maw, saliva stringing from its sharp fangs as it lunged to bite.

Lu Zhaojin's right arm muscles tightened as he thrust it across the hound's mouth. Its fangs pierced his forearm, and blood flowed.

The hunting dog still tried to tear into him.

How could Lu Zhaojin let it have its way? His brows drew tight, vicious light flashing in his eyes. He clenched his left hand into a fist and savagely hammered its waist and abdomen.

A copper head and iron bones, but a tofu waist.

This punch struck the hunting dog's fatal weakness. After two whimpers, it went limp.

This time, a notification sounded beside his ear.

Lu Zhaojin heard it clearly. His eyes brightened, seeming to gleam with light.

Hunting hound slain. EXP +1

Slay Foes for EXP System successfully activated. We are dedicated to serving you.

The system's purpose is to help you become the strongest being above and below heaven, throughout ancient and modern times, and into the future.

EXP can be used to exchange for martial arts proficiency.

The exchange rate varies slightly depending on the rank and realm of the cultivation art.

Integrating character panel...

Lu Zhaojin

Bone Age: Sixteen

Talent: Inferior

Realm: Ninth Rank Early Stage

Cultivation Arts: Brute Ox Stance (60/100), Gale Sword Art (25/100)

EXP: 1

Inventory: 0

Newcomer gift pack reward: 1000 EXP

A system was essential for transmigrators. The predecessors had indeed not deceived him.

Lu Zhaojin was inwardly thrilled, and the weight in his heart seemed to lighten considerably. Yet a lingering gloom still refused to disperse.

His boiling blood gradually cooled, and a weak, drained feeling followed close behind. He felt dizzy and lightheaded, finding it difficult even to stand.

Lu Zhaojin sat on the ground to recover for a while. Looking at the hound's corpse by his feet, he saw smooth, glossy fur and a sturdy build. More importantly, a spiked stud collar encircled its neck. It was clearly no wild dog.

On such a dark and windy night, it was not hunting season either.

Then the only possibility was that the Zhang Family's people had found their way here.

A hint of urgency could not help rising in his heart.

Lu Zhaojin looked at the character panel. "System, consume EXP to upgrade the Brute Ox Stance."

200 EXP consumed.

As EXP poured in,

the Brute Ox Stance's proficiency soared all the way to one hundred percent.

Brute Ox Stance (Perfection)

Cultivation arts had four stages: Beginner, Minor Accomplishment, Major Accomplishment, and Perfection.

The original owner had practiced stances for more than nine years, yet had only just entered Major Accomplishment. With the system's help, he had now finally attained Perfection.

Lu Zhaojin shuddered all over and unknowingly closed his eyes. As though driven by an invisible force, he rose from the ground and spread his legs shoulder-width apart.

His consciousness drifted, and he seemed to become a young man practicing a stance atop an enormous blue stone.

That stance was precisely the Brute Ox Stance.

No matter the wind or rain, scorching summer or bitter winter, the youth had never slackened.

Time flowed on. From youth to old age, a lifetime had been brief, yet he had finally attained perfection. His clouded eyes burst forth with radiance as dazzling as dawn.

Like a pine or cypress atop a cliff, the old man overcame countless perils and finally grew lush green branches, brimming with life.

His consciousness returned to his body.

Lu Zhaojin felt an inexplicable warm current arise within him, swiftly circulating and spreading. His whole body became pleasantly warm, as if he were soaking in a hot spring.

A tingling sensation came from the sword wound on his chest and the bite on his forearm. Lu Zhaojin could not help opening his eyes to look. Those wounds were actually healing at a visible rate—bleeding stopped, scabs formed, and complete recovery was only a matter of time.

Lu Zhaojin also caught a foul stench. Upon closer inspection, he found himself covered in a layer of black, greasy substance. It was likely impurities secreted from his body after the Brute Ox Stance reached Perfection and tempered his flesh.

And that was not all.

The realm bottleneck that had troubled the original owner for years also broke through at this moment.

Realm: Ninth Rank Mid Stage

The feeling of weakness melted away like snow. His energy overflowed, and the surging strength made Lu Zhaojin feel as though he could punch a tiger to death.

In truth, this was merely an illusion born from his inability to control the strength that had suddenly surged within him.

"Damn beast, why did it run so fast? It wouldn't even come back when we called!"

"Isn't it all your fault? I told you to hold the leash, but you wouldn't. We haven't found the man, and now the dog is gone too. If the young master blames us, we'll be in deep trouble."

"How is that my fault... If anyone's to blame, blame Lu Jinlin. That bastard can really run—he actually fled into Mount Qi to hide... Eh, there's someone over there!"

Simply raising the Brute Ox Stance to Perfection had brought so many benefits.

Lu Zhaojin was somewhat impatient to upgrade his sword art, but he suddenly heard the noisy sounds of mutual accusations. Following the voices, he saw three figures emerge one after another as they pushed through the reeds.

The leader was startled when he saw Lu Zhaojin, but after recognizing his face, his surprise turned to delight. "Lu Zhaojin!"