Steadfastness

Not the Xuan Shang Empire, but the Xuan Shang Dynasty!

Jiang Yuan noticed this. It seemed that the once-mighty empire had gone through something as well.

For the current Jiang Yuan, those matters were still far too distant.

He was now in Xuan He Dao Qian Yun City. His younger sister, Li Ke, only knew the name of her own city and knew nothing about anywhere else.

After learning some information from Li Ke, Jiang Yuan rubbed his brow.

Starting out as a poor commoner and an orphan.

It was truly worlds apart from the second-generation start in reality.

And he still had a younger sister to raise.

But none of that could stump Jiang Yuan.

Although Jiang Yuan had lost all his cultivation.

His trump cards were gone as well, and he was even nothing more than an ordinary man.

Yet Jiang Yuan still possessed quite a bit of knowledge.

That knowledge was the foundation for his rise in this life.

Just as Jiang Yuan was about to plan his future development, Li Ke, who had nestled back into his arms, said weakly, "Brother, I'm hungry!"

Jiang Yuan froze. He got to his feet, looked around the house, then went to the stove and searched through it, only to find not a trace of food.

Jiang Yuan sighed softly. It seemed the family circumstances in this life were far worse than he had imagined.

Jiang Yuan searched every part of his body before finding a few copper coins. Those coins were only enough to buy two steamed buns.

Jiang Yuan crouched down and smiled at Li Ke. "How about Brother buys you some buns?"

Li Ke immediately smiled. "Okay."

He had never imagined that they would nearly have no money left even for food.

But if there was no money... making money was simple enough...

Jiang Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly.

*

*

*

"Thank you, Senior Sister!" Jiang Yuan solemnly tucked the few pieces of broken silver into his clothes.

Then, with a grateful clasp of his hands, he said to Li Juan with utmost seriousness, "Senior Sister, I'll repay this silver tenfold later."

Li Juan was staring at Li Ke, whom Jiang Yuan was holding by the hand. The motherly affection in her eyes was practically overflowing.

She waved her hand. "It's fine. Senior Sister only brought this much silver today. If you need more, just come find me... Is this your younger sister? She's so adorable. What's your name, little girl?"

"Li... Li Ke..." Li Ke hid behind Jiang Yuan and spoke softly, somewhat shyly.

Li Juan smiled faintly and pinched Li Ke's cheek.

Jiang Yuan pondered for a moment before asking, "Senior Sister, what gangs are there in the city...?"

Upon hearing this, Li Juan immediately replied, "There are quite a few—the Poisonous Snake Gang, the Small Knife Gang... But they're all third-rate forces. Our Golden Saber Sect doesn't think much of them... Junior Brother, did someone from a gang come looking for trouble with you?"

Li Juan was neither foolish nor slow-witted. Jiang Yuan's abrupt question, coupled with what had happened today, immediately made her think that someone might be causing trouble for Jiang Yuan.

Li Juan's brows rose slightly as she said with some hostility, "They dare lay a hand on someone from the Golden Saber Sect? Junior Brother, rest assured!"

Jiang Yuan nodded slightly.

He was not a reckless man. Since there was someone he could borrow strength from, Jiang Yuan naturally would not waste it.

As for charging in himself?

Even if he was skilled with his hands and feet, Li Xiaotian's body was still far too weak. Defeating those thugs had already been a struggle, much less facing gang members with some foundation in martial arts.

Now that the Golden Saber Sect valued him, Jiang Yuan naturally would not waste this hidden resource.

Jiang Yuan finally got a taste of what it felt like to have ordinary talent.

Ever since Jiang Yuan had transmigrated, with the simulator's various talent bonuses, his martial cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds each day. But now, this body did not have the slightest talent bonus.

Even River Spirit's Blessing was something Jiang Yuan could not sense at all.

The conclusion from the Third Life had been overturned.

The only thing Jiang Yuan could rely on now was his martial arts experience from reality. Talents could be lost, but that martial arts experience could not be taken away.

"Ha!"

Jiang Yuan stood among a crowd dressed in fitted martial clothes. This was the Golden Saber Sect.

Those around him were all Golden Saber Sect disciples, though like Jiang Yuan, they were merely probationary disciples who had yet to enter the martial path.

Jiang Yuan trained alongside the surrounding disciples. What they cultivated was the Five Tiger Forms from the Golden Saber Sect's Five Tiger Severing Gate Saber, a method for cultivating qi and blood.

Jiang Yuan had also gotten a taste of fading into the crowd.

But... perhaps there was one talent Jiang Yuan had not lost.

[Tenacity]

Jiang Yuan cultivated bitterly. Others would grow tired after training for an hour, but Jiang Yuan could train without stopping for three or four hours at a stretch, only stopping once his body could no longer endure it.

Because of this, Jiang Yuan forcibly made up for his lack of talent through sheer hard work.

Half a month ago, the old gentleman Golden Overlord Saber of the Golden Saber Sect—the old man Jiang Yuan had met before—had brought him a fragrant medicinal pill.

After Jiang Yuan swallowed it, he could feel his body slowly recovering.

His martial path, which had originally been nearly impossible to enter, finally produced a thread of qi and blood after half a month of constant cultivation.

Jiang Yuan exhaled, feeling the qi and blood within his body at last. A trace of joy appeared in his eyes.

Even when he had broken through a stage in reality, he had never been this excited.

Because this thread of qi and blood had been far too hard-won.

This meant that he could enter the sect as well.

"Junior Brother! This is... You've broken through to the Early Qi and Blood Stage! Congratulations!"

Jiang Yuan did not leave immediately. Instead, he patiently continued cultivating in the Golden Saber Sect's training ground. Who knew how much time passed before he finally left? The sky had gradually darkened when a female voice sounded by his ear.

It was very familiar. It was Li Juan.

"Senior Sister." Jiang Yuan clasped his hands. During these days, Li Juan had taught him quite a bit of saber technique as well.

Although Jiang Yuan's saber attainments were the lifelong attainments of the old instructor Zhang San, the Severing Gate Saber seemed to have undergone considerable refinement over a period of time.

The level of the saber technique had risen. Only after Li Juan's instruction had Jiang Yuan reached the current era's grand completion realm of the Severing Gate Saber.

And his body, which was recovering day by day, was now able to support Jiang Yuan in using the grand completion Severing Gate Saber.

Li Juan looked at the sky and said, "It's getting rather late today, and Master has already retired. Come again tomorrow. We'll hold the formal initiation ceremony, and from then on, you'll be an official member of our Golden Saber Sect."

Jiang Yuan naturally agreed. In this life, the Golden Saber Sect had given Jiang Yuan medicine to remedy his innate deficiencies and taught him cultivation methods. To Jiang Yuan, the Golden Saber Sect held no less a place in this life than the escort agency had.

"However..." A trace of difficulty appeared on Li Juan's face as she said, "Entering the martial path is like swallowing gold. It consumes an enormous amount of resources. Given Junior Brother's family circumstances, you may need to find a livelihood."

Resources... Those two words flashed through Jiang Yuan's mind.

"If Junior Brother doesn't mind, I'll spread the news that you've advanced to qi and blood. I believe quite a few lineages will sponsor you or offer you some work."

"I'll follow Senior Sister's arrangements."