A New World

Pan Long knew nothing of Li Qiang's thoughts, but he noticed that after they wiped out the bandits, Li Qiang treated him and Han Feng with greater respect. He no longer made remarks about how "young" they were.

I guess he finally sees us as proper members of the Martial World, not greenhorn kids fresh out of the nest.

The thought pleased him. He had no idea that Li Qiang's assessment of them had long since gone beyond "proper members of the Martial World."

In Li Qiang's eyes, the two boys from the Northlands might be young, but they were highly skilled and decisive about killing. They were unquestionably first-rate fighters. In fact, given the choice, he would rather provoke some supremely skilled old hands than cross either of them.

A saying in the Martial World went: Better to provoke a man with all his limbs than one missing a few; better to offend an official than a monk; better to challenge a master than a child, an elder, or a woman. Half-grown boys who killed without blinking were among the people one least wanted to provoke.

"Wonder who'll be unlucky next..." he sometimes muttered.

Pan Long did not care who would be unlucky next. He was thinking about something else—something important.

The Classic of Mountains and Seas Fragment had filled with spiritual energy. He could open the Illusory World again.

In the hands of the Pan Lineage's ancestors, the treasure had accumulated spiritual energy very slowly. Apart from drawing it naturally at a pace slow enough to drive a person mad, it could only absorb some by killing demons and monsters that possessed it. Such creatures—mostly low-level spirit beasts—were scarce. It often took years to gather enough energy for a single opening.

That was why the Pan Lineage's ancestors had favored taking whatever they could get. Every time they opened the Illusory World, they imagined a vast herb garden planted with expensive medicinal plants. Then they went in, stuffed themselves with anything that replenished vitality and helped their internal energy grow, and hauled out as much as they could. They used every last drop of stored spiritual energy in one go and began the long wait to accumulate more.

Pan Long's situation was completely different. In his hands, the Classic of Mountains and Seas Fragment could draw spiritual energy from heaven and earth more efficiently—and it could seize spiritual energy when he killed people. Pan Long did not want to think too hard about what that implied. All he knew was that he accumulated energy quickly, so quickly that his ancestors would have been astonished and overjoyed.

If Grandpa and Father knew, they'd surely say with relief, "So the Pan ancestors' dying wish was always meant to be fulfilled by you!"

Less than two months had passed since he last opened the Illusory World, and his spiritual energy was already full again.

Once the Classic of Mountains and Seas Fragment filled up, it stopped absorbing spiritual energy. Any more opportunities would simply go to waste. That was why the Pan Lineage's ancestors had always opened the Illusory World as soon as the energy was full.

Pan Long intended to do the same. The question was: what kind of world should he open?

He carefully weighed his options.

First, worlds centered on everyday life or romance, where fighting ability was low, were out. He would gain nothing from visiting them.

Second, worlds built around modern technology were out. Even if he brought back one of those legendary weapons that could punch through an armored vehicle, carrying it everywhere would draw far too much attention. There were no cellos in this world, so he could not find a suitable case to carry it around in.

Martial-arts worlds were out, too. Whether they came from the works of Jin Yong, Gu Long, Huang Yi, or Wen Ruian, their masters' actual martial arts were generally nothing special, aside from a few who dabbled in mysticism. Either they had extraordinary natural gifts or their entire world operated on a much higher level. Those who were formidable because of martial arts alone could be counted on one hand. How could he expect to take their techniques or treasures from them?

After weighing his options for a long while, he reached a conclusion.

He needed a world where top-tier fighters existed but were uncommon, where most people roaming the Martial World had ordinary skills, and where many rare treasures—or at least treasures extremely useful to him—circulated.

Of course, he had considered opening the world of Sword and Lament again. But if he did, would he arrive at its second stage, or somewhere else entirely?

For him, the most important things in that world were the class-advancement items. A thief needed an Underground Training Ground Entry Pass to advance from a basic class, Thief Master's Essentials to advance to a master class, and Thief King's Insights to reach the ultimate class.

Those items could not be obtained in the early stages. Even in the great cities, one could not buy them without special connections.

In the story, only people with particular backgrounds could access the hidden shops that sold such items. The "wealthy merchant" dealt only with characters from great merchant families; the "black-market merchant" dealt only with members of thief or assassin organizations; the "court merchant" dealt only with royalty and nobles. The "great scholar" associated only with scholars, the "great mage" admitted only mages into his home, and the "great artist" received only those in bardic professions. Pan Long looked at himself and found that he met none of the requirements.

He had no background whatsoever in that world and could only make his own way. His class was thief, but the hidden shops for thieves happened to be especially cautious. Without a respected figure in the trade to vouch for him, they would rather turn down his business.

After thinking it over, he gave up on returning to Sword and Lament.

He could consider a visit once he was less short of resources. For now, though, he would stay away.

Having settled on the kind of world he wanted, he found an opportunity to slip away from Han Feng and Li Qiang under the pretext of relieving himself, then activated the Classic of Mountains and Seas Fragment.

He stepped forward through the pale, empty Void World. Passing through an invisible barrier, he saw the sky full of stars he had seen before.

"I want a world where top-tier fighters aren't too common, but plenty of rare things and powerful treasures circulate through society!" he called.

The countless stars surrounding him began to turn. One star that had almost reached his face retreated, while another from quite far away drifted toward him. At last, it collided with him.

His vision went black. When it cleared again, he was in a forest.

It was already late. The light beneath the trees had grown dim and would soon be swallowed by darkness. He looked around but saw nothing that might tell him which world he was in. He found a fairly tall tree nearby and climbed it.

At the top, his view suddenly opened up. The forest was not large—no more than ten li across. Beyond it stretched wide plains, and he could make out traces of buildings to both the east and the west.

So either east or west will do. There are people in both directions.

He did not climb down at once. He stood there thinking.

It's getting late, and the buildings on both sides look pretty far away... Hmm. The ones to the west seem closer. Or maybe they're just grander. I'm not tired yet, so I'll head west. If I get tired, I can rest once I'm out of the forest.

His mind made up, he jumped down. The Most Holy Boots absorbed the impact, letting him land as easily as if he had made an ordinary little hop.

After walking in his chosen direction for a while, he climbed into the treetops again to make sure he had not veered off course.

The greatest danger when traveling through a forest was losing one's bearings. Once that happened, even a small wood only three or five li across could trap a person until they died. He needed to climb a tree now and then to check his direction.

Going on like this, he soon spotted a narrow path half-hidden among weeds and bushes. It was rough, but someone had clearly worked on it. The stumps of felled trees along the path were proof enough.

Lumberjacks generally did not go deep into a forest to work. This was still close to its center. Even setting aside the risk of wild beasts, they would have to worry about how to drag the cut timber out.

Pan Long was delighted to find the path. If he followed it, he would not have to keep climbing up and down like a monkey. It would save him a great deal of effort.

He walked a little farther. Suddenly, he heard hooves and wheels ahead.

Travelers? Who's still on the road this late?

Puzzled, he called toward the sound, "Is anyone there?"

The hooves and wheels soon stopped. An elderly voice answered, "Who are you?"

"A traveler passing through."

"This road leads only to Sheltered Candle. No traveler 'passes through' here!" The old man's voice turned stern.

Pan Long felt awkward. He had not expected that.

After a moment's hesitation, he decided to answer more honestly. "I'm lost."

"Where did you come from, then? And where are you going?"

"I don't know. I'm not familiar with this place at all. I don't even understand why I ended up here."

The old man's voice softened. "Ah, another poor soul caught by an unreliable teleportation spell... Come over, then. It's late. Our carriage isn't large, but there's room for you to sleep, if you don't mind being cramped."

The hooves and wheels began moving again.

Pan Long walked toward them and soon saw a plain carriage. Driving it was a tall, sturdy young man whose fiery red hair stood out even in the dark. Behind the raised carriage curtain sat a pretty young woman with short pink hair and a white-haired old man.

All three were dressed differently. The young man wore a helmet and armor, with a small buckler fixed to his left arm and a sword strapped to his back. One glance said he knew how to draw that sword and cut people down. The woman wore a close-fitting robe that allowed her to move freely, its deliberately snug cut showing off her figure. Pan Long sensed something familiar about her at once; she was probably a fellow thief. The old man wore an exceptionally plain gray hooded robe, but lightning-like flashes passed through his eyes from time to time. One look told Pan Long he was formidable.

"My name is Pan. Thank you for helping me," Pan Long said as he approached. "There's nothing more frightening than being completely ignorant of everything around you. I'm lucky to have met people willing to help me when I'm in that state!"

The old man smiled faintly. "Perhaps. Who can say whether the lady smiling at you is Lady Luck or Lady Calamity?"

Pan Long gave two dry laughs. He had no idea how to respond.

The old man was clearly quoting an allusion, but Pan Long did not know it!

Fortunately, the old man did not look down on him for his lack of learning. He still let him into the carriage.

"Have you lost your memory?" the pretty girl with short pink hair asked the moment he climbed in. "Like in a bard's story—forgotten who you are, where you came from, where you're going... everything?"

"...I still remember who I am."

"Then it isn't too bad. As long as you remember who you are, the rest doesn't matter," the girl said brightly. "Everyone needs to set off on a journey without warning now and then. Where it begins and ends doesn't really matter, so long as you enjoy the road or see something you've never seen before."

Pan Long smiled and nodded, privately trying to work out who these three were.

If the pink-haired girl talked a little less and carried a shield, and if the young man were less burly and had black hair, Pan Long might have guessed they were a group that traveled through different eras saving the world.

Clearly, they were not.

The group before him seemed vaguely familiar, but he could not place them.

Just who are they?

I somehow scheduled the update for one in the afternoon... I only saw the reminder a reader sent me when I checked my phone after lunch...

(The end of the chapter)