Trial Sword and Spiritual Metamorphosis

Nothing happened all morning, and the four of them breathed a sigh of relief—another quiet, peaceful morning.

After a hasty lunch, Shan Renhu led Jiang Yan and the other two back to the edge of the pond.

"Brother Shan, have you always been patrolling this pond?" Qian Peng asked.

"Of course not. A while back, my patrol range was larger, including that willow grove over there." Shan Renhu spoke as he pointed to a patch of willow trees west of the pond.

"The more places you patrol, the higher the chance of encountering Weirds. That's why the more people on the Patrol Team, the better—everyone shares the pressure."

"Our pay is so high, doesn't that cost the gang a lot of silver?"

"What's that got to do with me?" Shan Renhu said coldly. "All I know is, fewer people means a greater chance I'll run into danger."

"Do you think the Dahe Gang doesn't know that more people means more silver spent? But if the team's too small, the death rate shoots up. Lose morale, and who'd dare join the Patrol Team?"

Jiang Yan understood. This Patrol Team was like a high-risk industry from his past life—high pay, good benefits, and the higher-ups had to find ways to lower the death rate to keep the patrol members from breaking down mentally.

"Alright, enough of that. Actually, you three have another task this afternoon." As Shan Renhu spoke, he took the longsword from Jiang Yan's hand and chopped a branch off a roadside tree.

He casually trimmed off the smaller twigs and leaves, and a crude, rough-hewn staff took shape.

"Today's task for you: kill that Submerged Grass Weird in the pond. Consider it practice to steel your nerves."

What? They were supposed to kill a Weird?

Jiang Yan looked at the layer of waterweed on the pond. The Submerged Grass had floated to the surface now, either sunbathing or hunting.

A glint of sharp light flashed in his eyes.

"B-Brother Shan, you're not joking, are you? The three of us kill a Weird?" Meng Sheng tensed up again, his words stumbling.

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Shan Renhu gripped his spear, his tone flat. "Join the Patrol Team, and you'll run into Weirds sooner or later. Do you want to try killing one for the first time then?"

"Maybe you could try running, but I should warn you—some Weirds are a lot faster than we are."

Jiang Yan glanced at the Submerged Grass on the pond, then pulled out the Yellow Talisman tucked into his robes. "Brother Shan, is this task—killing the Weird—mandatory?"

Shan Renhu shook his head slightly. "Captain Tang said to let you get some practice on a suitable Weird. The Submerged Grass is tricky to deal with in the water, but once it's on land, all it can do is spit grass threads. Easy to kill."

"I'll be right here watching your backs. I can promise you this—with me nearby, you won't die."

Jiang Yan caught a key phrase: won't die, not won't get hurt. That meant killing the Submerged Grass Weird still carried some risk.

His expression shifted, then his eyes hardened. Damn it, let's do this.

Jiang Yan thought it through clearly. He was wary of Weirds too—ever since he'd crossed into this world, everyone around him spoke of them with fear.

But since leaving the mining camp, in just a few short days, he'd personally seen three Weirds, and people had died. That shattered any lingering hope. One day, he'd face a Weird, and he might not be able to dodge or escape.

So what could he rely on? Nothing but himself and the sword in his hand.

Now, with a chance to face a Weird head-on early—he might get hurt, but such opportunities were far too rare.

He gripped the sword hilt tightly, every muscle in his body tensing. A surge of power filled his chest. He was a true martial artist now. Regardless of experience, in terms of physique alone, he was stronger than Shan Renhu. If Shan Renhu had the confidence to kill a Weird, then he, at the very least, could dodge.

"Brother Shan, tell us what we need to do." Jiang Yan stared at the Submerged Grass Weird, speaking slowly.

"Oh? Jiang Yan, you've decided?"

Shan Renhu was a bit surprised. He hadn't expected this young man to be so decisive.

He wasn't lying. The Submerged Grass—once on land, he wasn't afraid of one, or even two.

The main purpose of having Jiang Yan and the other two kill the Submerged Grass was to cultivate their courage in facing Weirds, to help them stay calmer when encountering one, so they could quickly make a judgment—kill it directly, flee, or signal for help.

Killing the Weird was secondary.

Meng Sheng and the other's reaction was normal—afraid to face a Weird, unable to control their inner fear. That was also why new recruits had such a high death rate after joining the Patrol Team.

But Jiang Yan—this time, he truly earned a second look.

This kid, as long as he's not too unlucky, he'll definitely make it through the rookie period and survive tenaciously.

"Actually, besides being sluggish and not liking to attack people, the Submerged Grass has another contradictory trait—its temper is extremely violent!"

With that, Shan Renhu hurled the staff in his hand with force, slamming it heavily onto the Submerged Grass.

The Submerged Grass, lying like a carpet on the water, instantly sprang up. A large ball of grass formed in a flash, rolling across the water's surface with a thunderous rumble.

As it moved, it let out a series of sharp, piercing cries.

"That's... way too violent."

Jiang Yan drew his longsword, slapped the Yellow Talisman onto the blade, and the talisman automatically wrapped around it, layers of pale yellow flames flickering to life.

The Submerged Grass rolled wildly onto the shore and charged straight at them.

"Watch out for its grass threads! And don't let it ram you—the tips on its surface are sharp."

Shan Renhu warned them just in time.

Jiang Yan watched the Submerged Grass monster charge at him with ferocious momentum, and he suddenly felt at a loss, his chest tight and his breath short.

When it came down to it, his past self had only been an ordinary person from the new era.

The danger that had now abruptly arrived was like a sharp blade, threatening to shatter his fragile heart.

Jiang Yan silently gripped his sword hilt tighter, roaring in his heart: "Jiang Yan, what are you still afraid of? What right do you have to be afraid?"

"This is no longer the peaceful Azure Planet."

"This is a world overrun with monsters and demons."

"This is a world where the strong rule, and the weak have no control over life or death."

"When danger comes, you have nothing but yourself, nothing but the sword in your hand—nothing else, nothing else!!"

Under this constant self-suggestion, a fierce surge of willpower welled up in his heart. He suddenly lifted his head, staring at the Submerged Grass monster now right in front of him, and fiercely raised his sword. A perfectly standard straight thrust shot out in an instant.

As this sword struck, he seemed to break through his own limits. Everything before his eyes became different. He could clearly see the yellow flames coiling around the blade, and the sharp tips of the Submerged Grass monster's leaves.

His heart was filled with confidence, his gaze sharp.

With a bang, the long sword thrust forward. Jiang Yan could distinctly feel a force, like a trickling stream, traveling from his left foot, through his leg, hip, waist, chest, arm, and fingers, layer by layer transmitting and amplifying, finally converging like a hundred rivers into a surging, raging wave at the long sword, stabbing straight into the monster.

With a pfft.

The Submerged Grass monster couldn't even dodge, and the sword pierced a huge hole straight through it.

"Squeak squeak!"

The Submerged Grass was enraged. The large clump of grass suddenly contracted, then instantly expanded.

"Careful, grass threads."

Countless fine grass threads shot out in all directions like sharp swords.

Jiang Yan's mind was calm. His body retreated swiftly, his long sword flicked up, and with a series of shua shua shua sounds, he chopped apart the grass threads. The martial arts level enhanced by the Martial Arts Modifier made him feel as if he had truly practiced basic swordsmanship for over a decade; every fundamental sword technique was executed with masterful skill.

Then, like a cheetah, he swayed his body and charged forward again. Jiang Yan circled the Submerged Grass like a cunning assassin, occasionally striking out with a sudden straight thrust, each sword flash carrying astonishing power.

Gradually, Jiang Yan began to feel it becoming easier. He slowly grew accustomed to the full strength the Martial Arts Modifier had granted him, integrating it seamlessly, and soon he was handling the fight with ease.

In the end, the harassed Submerged Grass was pierced through by Jiang Yan's straight thrust, and the battle abruptly ceased.

Jiang Yan went up and stabbed it many more times, until he had chopped the Submerged Grass into grass pulp.

Weird Value: 9

The scene suddenly grew quiet. Jiang Yan slowly straightened up, standing tall and upright.

"Brother Shan, this monster is dead. Let's find another one for Meng Sheng."

"Dead... dead." Shan Renhu suddenly started stammering just like Meng Sheng had.

After a moment, he snapped out of it and looked at Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan rubbed the back of his head and grinned at Shan Renhu. "Brother Shan, if I told you I'm a genius, would you believe me?"

"I believe you!"

Shan Renhu laughed along with him. He felt like he had just discovered a rising star.

PS: Please throw me your recommendation tickets!