Former Acquaintances, the Beginning of the Nine Yang Divine Skill

As he recalled the past, Jiang Dali's thoughts drifted. He stood there in a daze for a moment, then looked at the post Drunk Green Shirt had published.

"Today is the first day of the closed beta. I was born in a little village called Cloudmist Village, but fortunately, I found out that Mount Hua Sect is actually less than a hundred li from the village.

"Hahaha, Mount Hua Sect reigns over all directions, with the sword qi's two branches at your disposal.

"I feel like it won't be long before I learn the Purple Haze Divine Skill and Dugu Nine Swords, then dominate the Jianghu.

"Smug, smug! Sure enough, your starting point is crucial. But now there's a problem. The official information only says these two martial arts are incredibly powerful and are Mount Hua Sect's specialties, but I have no clue how to obtain them. Do I have to sell myself and suck up to Master's wife?

"Fellow Jianghu brethren, what do you think?"

Reading Drunk Green Shirt's post now, Jiang Dali could not help but laugh.

That lively, smug tone truly did not fit the cold and arrogant aura the man would later possess as he roamed the Jianghu with only a sword in hand.

Below Drunk Green Shirt's post,

quite a few people had already replied.

"Damn! I don't know how to get divine martial arts manuals, but you're seriously a dog! Can you stop coming out here to rub it in?"

"The hero above gave himself away. Were you born in some godforsaken backwater where birds don't shit and chickens don't lay eggs?"

"Hehehe, looks like none of you had very good starts. Mine was all right—I was born in a small county town. Although I live in a dilapidated City God Temple and my identity is that of a homeless orphan, there is actually a martial arts school in our little town, hahaha. When I went to its entrance to ask to become a disciple, the head instructor actually said I had some talent and good bones. As long as I scraped together two taels of silver, he'd agree to take me in."

"I bow before the future master of the martial arts school above! But I don't want to stab you in the heart—do you know how hard it is to earn two taels of silver? I've just done some preliminary research on prices and ordinary people's income levels in this Comprehensive Martial World.

"Two shi of rice, or around 380 jin, costs one tael of silver. Converted to our old red bills, that's about 665 yuan.

"Two taels of silver is equivalent to more than 1,300 yuan.

"And there are really very few ways for ordinary people in this world to make money.

"In this lousy county of mine, the waiter at the only tavern gets the best benefits possible: food and lodging included, yet his yearly wage is only one tael of silver. And without connections, the owner won't even hire you.

"Unless you leave the city to hunt wild game like boars and rabbits, it'll be hard to earn that much in a short time.

"Then there's another serious problem. Without money, even eating every day becomes an issue. We can only beg or work for merchants who need help in exchange for meals, the kind with no wages.

"So this game is fucking ridiculous. We start with nothing and can only rely on where we're born. And we still want to learn martial arts at a martial arts school? Dream on."

"Fuck! No way! If it's really like you say, then this shitty game is way too hard to play, isn't it?"

"Are you all really that miserable? I was also born in a little village, but I have a plot of farmland, so feeding myself shouldn't be a problem. And today I ran into some mountain bandits. I gathered my courage and approached them, wanting to join their stronghold, but they rejected me."

"Your luck is way too high, dude! You actually ran into mountain bandits so quickly, and you survived without getting killed. That's an opportunity! It looks like this game is hard to get by in. Maybe if you join a bandit stronghold, you could make something of yourself.

"Or try teaming up with brothers nearby to take out some mountain bandits. Maybe they'll drop martial arts manuals and silver."

"I'm officially jealous! Looks like we need to go out and explore too. Maybe we'll run into some opportunities."

After reading the exchanges between that bunch of idiot players on the forum, Jiang Dali had an even clearer picture of the situation.

If he had been able to speak on the Jianghu Forum, he would have said a thing or two and helped fan the flames.

Now it seemed that things really were much the same as when the closed beta had first begun in his previous life. The players all had miserable starts. Only a small number with better luck were born into favorable circumstances and won at the starting line.

The overwhelming majority, upon entering this world, had effectively entered this muddled, suffering Jianghu. Most were powerless to control their own fate, while few could live freely. None of them could possibly be like him, a reincarnator who knew the storylines of multiple Comprehensive Martial Worlds and possessed foresight.

It's good that they're all suffering. After hardship comes sweetness. These leeks—uh, these players—are suffering now, which makes it easier for me to recruit them one by one.

Jiang Dali immediately summoned the bandit underlings and instructed them all to go out and start expanding their business.

His plan was simple.

Over the next two days, once the players realized how difficult it was to enter martial arts schools and learn martial arts, he would offer them a helping hand and plant this batch of leeks in his own field.

For now, the preliminary work was to have the bandit underlings frequently wander around the surrounding villages and draw the players' attention.

These people were all highly imaginative. To put it bluntly, they were very good at overthinking and spinning wild theories.

After repeatedly coming into contact with his bandit underlings, they were bound to trigger something eventually.

"If any players want to hunt down my bandit underlings, that will be perfect. It'll give them their first lesson in the Jianghu and let them understand what death feels like."

Jiang Dali was full of wicked schemes.

He instructed the bandit underlings to head down the mountain and wander about.

Then he spent some more time browsing the Jianghu Forum. He discovered that some players, thanks to their birthplaces, had already come into contact with Jianghu figures and had even begun their storylines. He could not help sighing at their good fortune.

"Speaking of which, now that this batch of closed-beta players has arrived, it's time to put my follow-up plans into action.

"The officials must have already established Overlord Hall. Before long, they will recruit a large number of elite closed-beta players.

"I need to compete with the officials for people, and I also need to seize resources from them.

"Judging by the timing, in a while, I'll be able to take the Nine Yang Divine Skill."

Jiang Dali had already made plans beforehand.

As a reincarnator, he naturally knew of some opportunities that top experts had obtained in the past.

Among them was the Nine Yang Divine Skill that One God had once acquired.

Now that the players had arrived, the place where the Nine Yang Divine Skill was hidden should open within half a month.

However, only he knew this. The ancient records in the players' hands could not possibly reveal this secret. The officials, on the other hand, might possess information related to the Nine Yang Divine Skill, which could present a certain threat.

"Brother Da Li, bad news!"

At that moment, Second Boss Xiong Ba burst into the council hall in a rush and said in his gruff voice.

"What is it? Why are you so flustered? Did some blind fool of a dragon crossing the river come knocking again?"

Jiang Dali rose unhurriedly, looking surprised.

"You really called it."

Xiong Ba's eyes widened so much that the wrinkles on his forehead appeared. "Do you remember the Dragon Gate Escort Agency? Last time, following orders from above, we robbed the Dragon Gate Escort Agency's cargo. I got word that the Dragon Gate Escort Agency has actually sent people from thousands of li away.

"They haven't reached our territory yet, but they should arrive in a couple of days."

I've been looking after my child at home, so the update was a little late. Please forgive me. The day before yesterday, a reader asked me to talk more, so it seems some of you also want to communicate with the author. I'll say a little more today, then. This book was published in a small category, and since its release, it has always been first in that category. Of course, in the larger pool of all categories, it ranks somewhat lower, which is the disadvantage of a small category. The book has now changed to signed status. Those of you who can, please send it a tip, claim a spot on the fan ranking, and help this book rise a little higher on the charts. Thank you, everyone.