The Nine-Ringed Golden Saber and the Ghost Head Saber

"You have successfully captured Tuoshui Mountain Stronghold. Your fame will soon spread, and Black Wind Stronghold's notorious reputation will rise along with it. Your Jianghu Reputation has increased by 200, triggering the main questline, 'Greenwood Overlord'."

"Main Questline: 'Greenwood Overlord I'

Quest Objective: Become a Greenwood Overlord (defined by a commandery city), leading a ninth-rate force.

Quest Difficulty: Rank A, Grade B

Quest Rewards: Jianghu Reputation +500, Title: 'Greenwood Overlord', Cultivation Points +1000, Potential Points +2000, Two random martial arts realms increased by one level."

"A rare main questline!"

After reviewing the system prompts that appeared on his panel again, Jiang Dali felt invigorated.

A main questline corresponding to his actions was incredibly rare.

Furthermore, the quest rewards were exceptionally generous.

Although he had previously assigned similar tasks to the players to unify the greenwood forces, those were merely feasts for the players, and he only received a meager amount of Cultivation Points and Potential Points.

However, now that Tuoshui Mountain Stronghold had been taken, he had unexpectedly triggered a main questline himself.

Most importantly, the difficulty of this type of quest was, in his opinion, hardly a challenge at all.

"Huizhou's commandery city is Huicheng. The greenwood strongholds surrounding Huicheng are only Black Wind Stronghold, Tuoshui Mountain Stronghold, Chongfeng Mountain Stronghold, and Swift Wind Mountain Stronghold.

As long as I control these four strongholds, I will surely be the Greenwood Overlord of Huicheng.

Now that Tuoshui Mountain Stronghold is mine, Chongfeng Mountain Stronghold shouldn't be difficult to conquer, and Feng Sihai of Swift Wind Mountain Stronghold doesn't seem to pose any problems. I'm practically close to completing this main questline."

Jiang Dali felt incredibly at ease at this moment.

While temporarily resting at Tuoshui Mountain Stronghold, he had already sent a carrier pigeon back to Black Wind Stronghold to report his victory and was simultaneously planning his next move to attack Chongfeng Mountain Stronghold.

Chongfeng Mountain Stronghold had only two leaders.

One of them was Xue Zhi Ning Suan, who had already died by his hand.

The other was the Great Chieftain of Chongfeng Mountain Stronghold, Wu Yunhong.

Wu Yunhong, a mere woman, could hold the position of Great Chieftain of Chongfeng Mountain Stronghold, indicating her martial skills were not to be underestimated.

However, Jiang Dali naturally didn't take her too seriously. He planned to set off and attack once the deceased players had regrouped.

Although the players' strength was currently very weak and unreliable, the primary goal wasn't to rely on their combat power. Instead, it was to issue the next stage of the faction war quests, helping the players grow stronger rapidly.

Only when the players became stronger could they, in turn, boost his own strength.

At this time, after completing the second stage of the 'Unify the Greenwood' quest, the players had once again gained a considerable amount of Cultivation Points and Potential Points.

Many of them had even advanced to the Strength Training Realm.

Jiang Dali, after his battle with Ghost Blade Ji Ming, had consumed a large amount of his accumulated Cultivation Points to advance to the Outer Qi Realm, significantly increasing his strength. During that fight, he had recovered a large amount of internal energy and vital energy, unleashing formidable combat power. Currently, his only weakness might be his still-insufficient internal energy.

"My Potential Points are now just over five hundred, not enough to improve my basic internal arts. I'll have to wait."

He had originally depleted all his Potential Points, but because the players had completed the first stage of the faction war quests, he had gained over two hundred more Potential Points.

Coupled with the Potential Points gained from defeating Ji Ming, Gu Sun, and others, he now had over five hundred Potential Points.

However, improving his basic internal arts to the fifth stage, 'Masterful Proficiency,' required 1000 Potential Points.

It was currently far from enough.

After pondering, Jiang Dali flipped through the unique martial arts manual he currently possessed, a rare single-volume copy, with a slightly playful expression.

This manual was a fragment of a Human-tier saber technique obtained by Ghost Blade Ji Ming, titled "Ghostly Saber."

Ghost Blade Ji Ming's moniker was derived from this very manual.

However, when facing Jiang Dali, he was completely outmatched and couldn't display any of its formidable abilities.

Jiang Dali naturally understood the value of such unique, non-copied manuals.

Every unique manual in the Comprehensive Martial World was incredibly rare. Frequently perusing them would naturally enhance one's understanding of the martial art and improve its proficiency.

This special effect was something that copied manuals could not replicate.

For a faction to grow and prosper, the number of unique manuals in its library in the future would be a key criterion for evaluation.

The widely circulated saying in the Jianghu, "All martial arts originate from Shaolin," was partly due to the richness of the martial arts collection in Shaolin's Sutra Repository, which was the most extensive in the world.

Putting away the manual, Jiang Dali picked up the treasured saber that Ghost Blade Ji Ming had used to sever the Nine-Ringed Golden Saber and examined it.

As the saber's body turned, a cold, clear light reflected on his face, giving him a hair-raising sense of sharpness.

"[Ghost Head Saber]

Grade: 3rd Rank Famous Weapon

Weight: 88 catties, 3 taels, 2 qian

Damage: 30~37"

Introduction: "The renowned Ghost Head Saber, forged by master craftsman Gan Hu, has a blade infused with a century of profound iron, capable of slicing through iron like mud, sturdy and durable, and worth a considerable sum."

"A good saber! What a shame."

Jiang Dali appraised the Ghost Head Saber for a moment, then inwardly lamented its shortcomings.

This Ghost Head Saber was more than twice as heavy as the Nine-Ringed Golden Saber, and its ability to slice through iron like mud while being sturdy and durable suited his taste perfectly. In terms of lethality, it surpassed the Nine-Ringed Golden Saber's 6-8 lethality by four times, easily capable of piercing the 15-17 defense of Golden Silk Armor.

However, it was a pity that this saber lacked the nine rings, which hindered the full potential of his saber techniques.

The Nine-Ringed Golden Saber had a thick blade with nine iron rings attached to its spine. The tip was flat and did not protrude forward. The hilt was slightly slender with a larger curve, and there was a ring at the pommel.

The "rings" of the Nine-Ringed Saber further enhanced its chopping effect. When the saber was held upright, the metal rings would droop, shifting the saber's center of gravity towards the wielder's hand, making it easier to control.

Furthermore, when confronting enemies, shaking the rings created a formidable deterrent effect.

Compared to the Ghost Head Saber, Jiang Dali was more accustomed to using the Nine-Ringed Golden Saber for his heavy slashes.

He recalled that there was a blacksmith in the Tuoshui Mountain Stronghold.

Jiang Dali immediately expressed his desire to meet the blacksmith.

"Master, please be seated. I will immediately summon Blacksmith Zhang to meet you!"

A sharp-witted bandit leader said considerately.

"No need!"

Jiang Dali stood up. "I will go and meet this blacksmith myself."

Led by the respectfully bowing bandit leader, Jiang Dali soon arrived at the blacksmith's room in the Tuoshui Mountain Stronghold and met the rare intermediate blacksmith within the stronghold.

The blacksmith was a one-armed middle-aged man, exceptionally robust and strong, with sharp, spirited eyes. He clearly knew his craft.

With the change in leadership at Tuoshui Mountain Stronghold, Jiang Dali was now the new master, and the blacksmith was aware of this. He respectfully and humbly greeted Jiang Dali, his expression showing a hint of apprehension.

"No need for formalities. This master values talent greatly. I know you are skilled at forging weapons, and I will now test you. If you pass, this master will reward you handsomely!"

Jiang Dali waved his hand.

Immediately, two bandit subordinates respectfully stepped forward, carrying two weapons.

The bandit carrying the broken Nine-Ringed Golden Saber looked relatively calm.

However, the bandit carrying the Ghost Head Saber appeared to be struggling.

"Master, whatever you command, I will do my utmost!"

Upon seeing the two sabers, Blacksmith Zhang's expression became even more flustered, and his heart grew anxious.

This new master, who looked so robust and imposing, had promised a reward for passing the test.

But what if he failed? The punishment hadn't been mentioned.

He had heard that the new master enjoyed beheading people. Would the punishment involve his own head?

Blacksmith Zhang's mind raced with anxious thoughts. He glanced at Jiang Dali's arms, which were even more muscular than his own as a blacksmith, and swallowed hard, his throat dry.

Brothers of Black Wind Stronghold, please give us some recommendation votes! Also, I apologize for changing the 80 stone bow from yesterday to 8 stone; I miscalculated the unit of measurement.