Nine Yang Divine Skill

The mountain wind howled, and the branches of the withered trees shivered in the wind, making a "creaking" sound, like painful groans. A dilapidated temple sat on the mountainside, its walls mottled and peeling, with several patches of mud revealing incomplete stones underneath.

Inside the broken temple, a bonfire was burning.

A corpse lay on the ground, and beside it stood a young man holding a saber. The young man had a stern face and a black strip tied over his eyes, making him look like a blind man.

Next to the young man was a young girl gasping for breath.

The girl flipped the corpse over and exclaimed in surprise, "Brother, we might be rich! This person... seems to be the Flower-Picking Thief Zhou Tong, the one the yamen has a bounty of three hundred taels for!"

"It's him."

"Your eyes can't see, how can you be so sure?"

"I just know."

The young man didn't explain. He simply threw the saber on the ground and said, "Cut off his head and we'll go back to Linjiang City to collect the bounty."

The young man's name was Gu Mo, and he was blind. The reason he could confirm that the person killed was the wanted Flower-Picking Thief was because a system panel was currently appearing in his mind:

[Killed a Three-Star Wanted Criminal]

[Received Three-Star Reward - Max Level Nine Yang Divine Skill]

[Claim Reward?]

At this moment, Gu Mo's heart was not as calm as he appeared. On the contrary, he was incredibly excited.

His cheat had finally arrived.

He had awakened his past life memories three days ago. For three days, he had been filled with fear and unease, living a life of torment.

This was because it was a very dangerous martial world, filled with killing and fighting everywhere. And he, despite being a martial artist, was a blind man who could only live in darkness, his martial arts skills almost abandoned.

Actually, at first, Gu Mo wasn't blind. He was the youngest escort of the Long Wind Escort Agency in Linjiang City. His blade techniques were exquisite, and he was a renowned young talent in the Jianghu around Linjiang City, once having the potential to become the youngest escort head in the Long Wind Escort Agency's hundred-year history.

However, just a month ago, during his last escort mission as an escort before being promoted to escort head, he encountered a group of bandits. During the fight, he was struck by a poison master's move. Although he miraculously survived, his eyes became blind due to the poison and delayed treatment.

In an instant, his path to fame in the Jianghu came to an abrupt halt.

A rising star of the Jianghu had fallen, unable to care for himself.

Gu Mo was filled with frustration. He spent all his savings to treat his injuries. And at this very moment, the Long Wind Escort Agency, disregarding martial ethics, forcibly expelled him.

When he went to argue, he was instead subjected to humiliation. In a fit of rage, he vomited blood and fainted. Then, in a daze, he awakened his past life memories, saw through the mystery of his womb, and remembered his past and present lives.

Fortunately, although he had become crippled, his sister, with whom he had lived since childhood, never abandoned him. After he woke up, they discussed returning to their hometown and leaving the Jianghu forever.

Given his current situation, he naturally did not object and gladly left Linjiang City with his sister, Gu Chundong.

After traveling for a day, they arrived at this dilapidated temple, intending to rest for the night. They didn't expect someone to be there already.

Gu Mo had extensive experience in the Jianghu from his years as an escort. Even though he was blind, he smelled blood as soon as he entered the temple and guessed that the person inside was also from the Jianghu. Out of caution, he signaled his sister to leave, so as not to get into trouble.

However, the person inside was like a startled bird, extremely sensitive. Seeing Gu Mo and his sister preparing to leave, they suddenly attacked.

Fortunately, Gu Chundong, like Gu Mo, had practiced martial arts since childhood. Although her martial arts skills were not as good as Gu Mo's, they were not bad. Her reaction was swift, and she immediately engaged the attacker in a fight, but she could only barely fend them off, facing constant danger.

Seeing that Gu Mo was blind, the attacker let down their guard against him. It was precisely this that gave Gu Mo an opportunity.

Although Gu Mo was blind, he and his sister had lived together since childhood and had a very tacit understanding. Under Gu Chundong's guidance, he suddenly attacked, catching the enemy off guard and killing them with one saber strike.

As the person fell, A system prompt sounded in Gu Mo's mind, letting him know that the opponent was indeed the Flower-Picking Thief Zhou Tong, who had been causing a stir in Linjiang City recently.

And his system was a Blade Catcher System.

Its function was very simple: apprehend and kill wanted criminals to receive rewards, which could be martial arts skills, divine weapons, heavenly materials, earthly treasures, and so on.

The system would rate the mission and provide rewards of corresponding levels.

And this Zhou Tong was rated as a Three-Star criminal by the system, with the reward being the max-level Nine Yang Divine Skill.

Inside the dilapidated temple, the bonfire burned.

Gu Chundong quickly cut off Zhou Tong's head and then tore off Zhou Tong's long robe to wrap it, asking, "Brother, should we stay here until dawn or leave now?"

"Can you see the way?"

"The moon is bright."

"Then let's go," Gu Mo said. "This Zhou Tong is the most wanted criminal in Linjiang City recently. Many Blade Catchers are watching him. We just got lucky. This guy was injured before, and his wound is still bleeding, indicating it's a fresh injury. It's very likely there are Blade Catchers nearby, possibly even a group of them. We should get further away to avoid conflict."

"Okay."

Gu Chundong was not a novice in the Jianghu either. She knew well that Zhou Tong's head was valuable. If they encountered other Blade Catchers, who knew if someone would become greedy for money? Three hundred taels of silver was worth risking one's life for many people.

Immediately, Gu Chundong took Gu Mo's hand and they left.

Gu Mo didn't dare to claim the reward rashly, unsure if there would be any special phenomena.

He followed Gu Chundong for a long time until they encountered a cave.

After entering the cave, Gu Mo communicated with the system again.

He claimed the reward.

In that instant, Gu Mo's entire body suddenly felt a surge of heat. An incredibly powerful, scorching hot, and life-filled Inner Force poured into his body like a surging tide. This Inner Force roared and rushed, traversing his meridians wantonly.

Most crucially, his mind was flooded with the profound mysteries and cultivation methods of the Nine Yang Divine Skill. This knowledge was deeply etched into his soul like a brand.

In mere moments, He had mastered the Nine Yang Divine Skill to its peak. There were no anomalies, no discomfort. Everything felt as if it were the natural result of his own years of cultivation, effortless and complete.

Gu Mo was overjoyed.

He naturally knew of the Nine Yang Divine Skill.

Upon reaching its peak, the Inner Force became self-sustaining and inexhaustible, automatically generating Protective True Qi and Vajra Indestructible. Furthermore, the Nine Yang Inner Force was of extremely high quality, possessing the effect of strengthening tendons and cleansing marrow. Not only did it have potent healing capabilities, but it also made one nearly immune to all poisons. Moreover, it granted an almost cheat-like comprehension.

At the same time, He felt as if his surroundings had changed.

To be precise, his perception had become terrifyingly acute.

Before this, he was blind and mentally lost, only able to hear people speak, but his consciousness was shrouded in darkness. This moment was different.

He could clearly sense his sister's presence beside him. A silhouette of her even appeared in his mind's eye. He could also perceive the faint rustling of leaves outside the cave behind him. His hearing had also improved manifold; he could accurately pinpoint a bird landing on a branch twenty feet away.

These were abilities that only manifested when one's Inner Force reached a state of perfection.

The Martial Dao in this world was incredibly brilliant, but unlike in novels, there weren't clear stages of cultivation. After all, everyone excelled in different areas. Some focused on body hardening techniques, some on Inner Force cultivation, some on swordsmanship, some on bladesmanship, and a myriad of other disciplines, including poisons, hidden weapons, and more. Even within the same path, the specific martial arts practiced would lead to different levels of mastery, making fixed cultivation stages impossible.

Take Gu Mo, for instance.

Due to his youth, his Inner Force cultivation wasn't particularly high, perhaps only at a third-rate level in the Martial World. However, his Inner Force was explosive. Combined with his exquisite blade techniques, he could contend with some long-established first-rate Masters and even gain the upper hand for a short period.

Therefore, the level of martial prowess in this world depended solely on the martial artist's own cultivation.

And at this moment, Gu Mo's Nine Yang Divine Skill had reached its peak. Relying on its unique characteristics, such as self-generating Protective True Qi and inexhaustible Inner Force, he could now absolutely rival, or even surpass, most Inner Force Masters in the world.

Furthermore, the cheat-like comprehension granted by the Nine Yang Divine Skill

allowed him to elevate his blade techniques to an even higher realm in an instant, also reaching the peak of mastery.

At this moment, Gu Mo's heart settled.

Before this, he had been filled with fear and unease. As a blind person in a dangerous martial arts world, he lacked a sense of security. But now, he had gained confidence.

With the perfected Nine Yang Divine Skill at his side, even as a blind man, as long as he was cautious and vigilant against cunning tricks, he didn't need to worry too much, no longer feeling constantly threatened with his life.

The most crucial point was that his Inner Force had now reached perfection, granting him incredibly enhanced perception and hearing. Although he still couldn't see, he possessed a unique form of "sight" that prevented him from hesitating with every step he took.

One night passed.

As dawn broke, Gu Mo and Gu Chundong ate some dry rations and then resumed their journey towards Linjiang City.

ps: A small note, in this book, "mastery" signifies the highest level, also understood as perfection. It's used this way by referencing the usage in Jin Yong's martial arts novels, where mastery is indeed the ultimate level!