Kill the Bandit Leader, Become a Senior

[The bandit leader—let's just call him the Bandit Leader for now—was like a wounded fierce tiger in a desperate situation, his momentum soaring. The coarse clothes on his body were stained with blood, the red patches still spreading. He had been fleeing your pursuit all along, and after his earlier fight with He Yi, he hadn't had the strength to tend to his wounds, nor had he used his vital energy to seal them off.]

[Below the rooftop, you could hear the screams of the women in this wealthy household and the curious questions of the children, along with seven or eight household retainers shouting in the courtyard, telling you and the Bandit Leader to come down quickly and obey the law...]

[The Bandit Leader spat out a mouthful of phlegm laced with Red-White Vital Energy, directly punching a hole through a retainer's head, sending the rest scattering in terror.]

[You and the Bandit Leader began to fight.]

[Every strike he made was heavy and forceful, jarring your hands numb, but it was clearly weaker than half a month ago—either due to his injuries or because he was conserving his vital energy.]

[Clang, clang, clang—blade light and saber shadows clashed. Two large blades met head-on, two different streams of vital energy causing the surrounding air to hum incessantly. The wind force that spread out made both your clothes flap loudly.]

[You fought and retreated step by step. The roof tiles beneath your feet cracked and shattered one after another, a series of sharp pops ringing out. Suddenly, the Bandit Leader thrust out a strike, sending you staggering back dozens of steps!]

[Your right foot missed a step, and your body lost balance. In the next moment, you were about to fall, but in a burst of desperation, a surge of vital energy instantly condensed into a solid platform in the air. You stepped onto it, then immediately crossed your saber in front of you, blocking the Bandit Leader's full-force thrust!]

[This was the Bandit Leader's killing blow. Crimson Vital Energy roiled over his body like ocean waves. You could feel your Zhanming Saber's blade trembling, as if it might snap at any moment.]

[And in the next instant, your arms and body were sent flying by an irresistible force, like being rammed by an elephant. With a crash, you flew backward, smashing through a wooden door in the wealthy residence below, then skidding several meters across the ground before crashing into a woman's dressing table, scattering it to pieces amid her screams.]

[At this moment, your whole body was numb and aching, your bones nearly falling apart, but in your heart, there was a faint, almost smug relief: good thing you condensed that vital energy and stomped solidly on that step. Otherwise, with no foothold in midair and panicking, you would have been run through by the Bandit Leader's blade—certain death!]

[At least you were alive now. You staggered to your feet, reached out to grab the Zhanming Saber beside you, ignored the woman's screams, and used your vital energy to adjust your breath and condition, ready for the Bandit Leader's arrival.]

[...]

[After a dozen or so seconds, you cursed, "Damn it!" and charged out through the door you had smashed open. After that killing blow earlier, the Bandit Leader had exhausted all his vital energy. He was on the run again.]

[This time, he had no more chances. When you found the Bandit Leader in an alley, his vital energy spent, it took only a dozen exchanges for you to shatter the bones in his fingers and send his long blade flying from his hand.]

[You struck again. The Bandit Leader raised his left arm. You slashed deep into his flesh, but when you hit the bone, it felt like striking solid stone—astonishingly hard. He had indeed reached the stage of "Vital Energy Infused into Bone."]

[Too bad—you pulled back your saber and struck again, three consecutive blows. Amid the Bandit Leader's roars, you severed the bone in his arm. Without vital energy, a First-rate Martial Artist's strength was cut by more than half. He was now only a Second-rate Martial Artist.]

[Crack! Crack! Crack! You hacked off the head of this powerful First-rate Martial Artist. Seeing his eyes still wide open in death, you kindly closed them for him.]

[Then you searched his corpse. Aside from silver, you were astonished to find a Grandmaster Martial Art manual!]

[Although even a common technique like the Iron Body Technique could allow a martial artist with sufficient Talent Aptitude to become a Martial Master, Grandmaster, or even a Great Grandmaster, there were always better martial arts that provided greater bonuses, allowing those with only Second-rate aptitude to hope for Martial Master.]

[And allowing those with only First-rate aptitude to hope for Grandmaster!]

[You briefly flipped through this Grandmaster Martial Art and discovered it wasn't from a sect in the Qing Kingdom, but from the Hongniu Sect in the neighboring Wu Kingdom.]

[It seemed the Bandit Leader's progress in "Vital Energy Infused into Bone" might not be very deep. His high combat power was likely due to the strong boost from this Grandmaster-level martial art.]

[You pocketed the manual but didn't plan to switch to it. First, you notified the city guards to deal with the bandits. After some time passed and the turmoil in East Forest City gradually subsided, you began searching for information on the Wu Kingdom's "Hongniu Sect."]

[You spent silver at the intelligence organization "Golden Wind Tower" to buy information. You learned that a disciple named "He Ping'an" had defected from the Hongniu Sect over a decade ago. You figured the Bandit Leader was this man—the age matched, the martial art matched, and as for appearance... Golden Wind Tower wasn't that detailed; they had no relevant records.]

[In Da Qing 283, a new City Lord was assigned to East Forest City. This new City Lord was even more eager to curry favor with you than the old one. He clearly regarded you as a top expert among First-rate Martial Artists.]

[Your "Flowing River Technique" finally reached Perfection, granting your vital energy an additional boost.]

[In Da Qing 284, you were 29 years old, your foundation at 143%, and your Extreme Viscera Enhancement progress was nearing 70%.]

[You did not disperse your cultivation to switch to that Grandmaster Martial Art, because you knew your Main Body wouldn't choose the martial path advancement option. Better to wait until the next simulation, when your Talent Aptitude was higher, before switching.]

[(Mainly because this martial art's characteristics were too distinctive. You were afraid the Hongniu Sect would "reclaim their martial art.")]

[That same year, you heard that the Daoist Sect was convening a Grandmaster Assembly, inviting Grandmasters from various kingdoms to participate.]

[The Daoist Sect was the Qing Kingdom's founding sect, sharing the nation's fate. Rumor had it that the Daoist Sect had never lost its Great Grandmaster lineage, and in the current era, there were even multiple Great Grandmasters in secluded cultivation.]

[For this Grandmaster Assembly, the Daoist Sect had invited not only domestic sects but also various sects from the two neighboring kingdoms: the Wu Kingdom and the Ning Kingdom.]

[But you knew it was a trap. The Grandmaster Assembly was indeed a trap, its purpose being to bury a group of Grandmasters from the Wu Kingdom.]

[As for why... how would you know? You hadn't chosen to inherit the memories.]

[However, based on information from the previous Simulator, after that group of Grandmasters was killed, a reclusive Great Grandmaster from the Wu Kingdom emerged.]

[He didn't head straight for the Daoist Sect after emerging. Instead, he assisted the army in breaching cities.]

[So you guessed that the Grandmaster Assembly trap was related to the Qing Kingdom. It wasn't a dirty trick between sects, but a nation playing underhanded games.]

[But it didn't matter. You thought to yourself, "What's that got to do with me?"]

[The people you cared about—Old Man Wang, Uncle Ji, and the others—had already been sent by you to Qingcheng, where they had means to make a living. The Wu Kingdom's army couldn't breach Qingcheng, because Zhu Baowen would act.]

[In Da Qing 285, the Wu Kingdom raided Qing Kingdom border villages, but you felt the Qing Kingdom was orchestrating it themselves. Not that you had evidence.]

[In Da Qing 287, a young man suddenly visited your residence, wanting to seek advice from you, a senior expert. You took a closer look: Ye Hongqi.]

[You recalled a bit. In the simulation, it seemed this youth and a few others had teamed up with you to take down the Fierce Tiger King (though it was really all thanks to Ye Hongqi's temporary breakthrough and burst of power).]

[As a senior expert, you earnestly guided him, your attitude very warm, leaving the young genius deeply grateful.]