Floating Goose Town, the Court and the Jianghu

In the town known as Floating Goose Town, Lu Xingshi gathered quite a bit of information.

This was a world where the Imperial Court and the Jianghu coexisted. The Great Song Dynasty Court did not have much of a presence and seemed more like it operated behind the scenes.

All manner of sects stood throughout the Jianghu, countless in number, large and small.

As for just how high the "martial" in this martial arts world went, it seemed rather ordinary.

Moving mountains and filling seas was out of the question, though leaping over roofs and scaling walls was impressive enough. Its upper limit did not seem particularly high.

Yet Lu Xingshi always felt that something was off. The Innate Trait of Peerless Genius alone suggested there was a problem.

He had observed that an ordinary person's Physical Constitution was around 1, and the highest would not exceed 2.

Let alone increasing someone's physical abilities a hundredfold, even a tenfold increase would already be terrifying.

So Lu Xingshi did not quite believe this was merely a Low Martial world where people could only leap over roofs and scale walls.

That was how things appeared for now, but precisely because of that, although the Imperial Court kept a low profile, it seemed extremely mysterious in Lu Xingshi's eyes.

For instance, Heat Weapons such as Cannons and Bird Guns already existed. No matter how well Jianghu people could leap over roofs and scale walls, they were like paper in front of such things.

Then there were armor and powerful crossbows, which could also make Jianghu people halt in their tracks.

Not to mention fully organized armies. Wherever they passed, Jianghu people fled at the mere rumor of their approach.

Jianghu people were not without advantages either. With their mobility, they could carry out Decapitation Strikes quite smoothly.

It was simply that, most of the time, the Jianghu and the court were two intersecting lines.

They influenced one another, yet rarely interfered with each other.

Lu Xingshi could also see that these Jianghu sects were more like a combination of local powerful clans and Buddhist or Daoist temples. They paid no taxes and possessed a certain degree of autonomy, but they also had an obligation to cooperate with the Imperial Court.

Moreover, the Imperial Court had cultivated a strong sense of belonging. While it did not go so far as demanding unwavering loyalty to the court, most sects followed the righteous path, taking the protection of their lands and people and the suppression of the strong to aid the weak as their purpose—even if it was only lip service.

Jianghu people also had their own code of conduct, such as "Jianghu matters are settled within the Jianghu" and "misfortune does not extend to one's family." They were quite a contradictory group.

The Imperial Court had also recruited many Jianghu experts. Even the leaders and elders of famous great sects often held nominal posts with the court, using this to maintain a balance between the black and white paths.

Beyond the Imperial Court and the sects, there were also gangs. Large gangs could rival famous great sects, while small ones were merely groups of ruffians and hooligans.

True gangs were similar to sects, except they leaned more toward commerce, operating river transport, medicinal materials, and the like. They could be called merchant associations.

Lu Xingshi had also seen Martial Halls in Floating Goose Town. They were lower-tier substitutes for sects: pay money, and they would teach some common, widely available martial arts, provide personnel for wealthy merchants and gangs, or help train guards.

They also had their own secret, signature martial arts, but those were not taught lightly.

It could only be said that the Jianghu's habit of treasuring a broken broom as if it were precious was extremely severe. Some even held back a trick or two from their own disciples.

Thus, obtaining a complete inheritance was not so easy.

Lu Xingshi was very glad he had chosen the Innate Trait of Sect Inheritance, with Cliff Fall Encounter as a supplement. At the very least, he did not need to worry about cultivation methods.

As for the Jianghu's rankings, they were simply Unranked, Third Rate, Second Rate, First Rate, and Grandmaster.

These were not classifications of strength or realm, but of reputation—a reputation earned through fighting. There were no detailed divisions for strength or cultivation realms.

First Rate meant a top expert, while a Grandmaster was someone who had founded a sect and possessed extremely high prestige.

His Just Starting Out series of achievements was related to this reputation.

In truth, one did not even need to be able to fight to become a Grandmaster-level figure. As long as one knew marketing and packaging, and had the right public opinion behind them, one could be made into one—but doing so was dangerous to one's life.

Because challengers would come knocking. These people all had names and reputations, all earned through real fights. If someone truly was an empty shell, they might genuinely be beaten to death.

When Jianghu people fought among themselves, the local government offices established by the Imperial Court would not intervene. That was what they called settling Jianghu matters within the Jianghu.

With his intelligence gathering more or less complete, the next thing Lu Xingshi needed to do was uncover the map and pick up some martial arts along the way.

"At present, there are two most basic cultivation methods. One is the 'Qi Guiding Art,' and the other is the 'Breathing Exercise.'"

Lu Xingshi was playing a Martial Arts Game Character, so he would naturally focus on martial arts. These two were the most common of the common goods, practiced by the greatest number of people and the easiest to learn.

"The 'Qi Guiding Art' is External Energy, while the 'Breathing Exercise' is internal energy. They are just rather expensive."

They were common goods, certainly, but the medium itself was expensive. Books were not something people at the bottom could afford in any ancient world.

Thus, a single copy cost one tael of silver.

Of course, he could find someone to teach him. Martial Hall instructors would teach it, but they charged even more. Martial training itself was costly: poor families pursued scholarship, rich families pursued martial arts; pursuing the Dao could bankrupt a household.

Besides, Martial Halls did not teach those two methods. They had their own distinctive foundational martial arts, much stronger than these two methods.

"So I need to get two taels—no, it should be ten taels of silver."

Out of caution, aside from the two martial arts, he could not exactly stop living, could he? Uncovering the map on two legs might end with him walking himself to death.

The direct inheritance of a great sect on him needed to be triggered; it would not simply arrive while he waited... well, perhaps it might arrive if he waited, but the difficulty would probably be rather high.

So he planned to buy a mule. Forget a horse—those things were far too valuable, not something he could afford.

In ancient times, a horse was equivalent to a modern car. Even a poor or worn-out horse was not cheap, and more importantly, it was troublesome to keep. A mule was far more cost-effective.

"Then I can only sell a few things..." Lu Xingshi glanced at the huge pile of agricultural products in his Game Inventory. Chicken, duck, fish, and meat were hard currency in ancient times, and along with vegetables and fruits from various different worlds, selling them to restaurants, local great clans, or even Martial Halls would surely turn a profit.

Sell ten taels' worth to one family, and ten families would make a hundred taels.

"It's just that, as an outsider, I'll be easily targeted." Lu Xingshi was not a local of Floating Goose Town, but an unfamiliar face. On top of that, he had no Martial Arts, was alone, and was taking out so many supplies while carrying a hundred taels of silver. He was practically a fat sheep.

Nothing that happened to him would be surprising.

"I'll take it one step at a time. With my current Physical Constitution, even Jianghu people who have trained in martial arts might not be able to match me."

Physical Constitution also represented corresponding attributes such as strength, agility, and vitality. It did not merely represent potential.

So he currently possessed physical capabilities far beyond those of ordinary people. As for Comprehension, it should enhance abilities such as focus, logic, and learning.

Mental Fortitude was still unclear for now. Perhaps he would only see what it did after he began training in martial arts.