White Calamity Qi, a Bandit's Start

Chen Ye carefully removed the egg-sized spirit pearl from the clam's flesh. Its warm, smooth touch and the immense spiritual essence it contained lifted his spirits.

Without a moment's hesitation, Chen Ye tucked the spirit pearl into the pouch at his waist and swam toward the surface.

Just then, an inexplicable fear suddenly welled up in his heart. Immediately afterward, Chen Ye felt an intensely frigid Yin Qi envelop his entire body.

Crack.

The Yin-Dispelling Talisman hanging around his neck shattered in less than five seconds.

Amid the chill, cold enough to freeze every drop of blood in his body, Chen Ye caught sight of a hazy white mass approaching him in the distance.

It's White Calamity Qi!

Chen Ye's heart trembled. He immediately thought of the terrifying creature said to inhabit Blackwater Lake.

Calling it a creature was not quite accurate, since no one had ever seen what it truly looked like-or rather, everyone who had seen it was already dead.

People only knew that the thing was exceedingly bizarre. Whenever it appeared, the already frigid water became even more terrifying, and only a handful of lucky people had ever escaped under such circumstances.

Chen Ye had not expected to be so unlucky as to encounter it this time.

But when he thought back to the strange fish that had ambushed him while he was harvesting the ninth-grade spirit pearl, Chen Ye understood.

There was no need to ask. These terrifying underwater entities were probably drawn here by the presence of graded spirit pearls.

These thoughts flashed through Chen Ye's mind as the white mass rapidly approached.

But just as it was about to reach him, Chen Ye suddenly vanished from the dark depths.

The mass of white Qi lunged at empty water, then drifted back and forth in apparent confusion. Clearly, it had no idea how Chen Ye had disappeared either.

Meanwhile, Chen Ye suddenly broke through the surface of the lake and began gasping for breath.

Chen Ye had just activated his Nightwalker talent and merged his entire body into the darkness, allowing him to evade the White Calamity Qi.

Damn it, I'll have to look carefully next time I harvest a pearl, Chen Ye warned himself.

And this time, he had encountered a terrifying entity like White Calamity Qi over just an eighth-grade spirit pearl. What would happen if he harvested a first-grade spirit pearl?

Chen Ye shuddered and stopped himself from thinking any further. Then he climbed into the small boat and returned to the cabin.

He first changed into a dry set of clothes and rowed the boat to a secluded spot. After checking to make sure he had overlooked nothing, he selected Devour.

The next moment, the familiar pulling sensation came. The world before his eyes instantly twisted and peeled away, turning into lines of shimmering light before finally dissolving into nothingness.

When Chen Ye opened his eyes again, he found himself lying on a hard wooden bed.

The room was not large and was even somewhat shabby, but it had a table, chairs, a bed, and a cabinet. A few pieces of calligraphy and paintings even hung on the walls, looking rather out of place.

Judging by the furnishings, this was clearly an ancient era.

Before he could think further, a vast torrent of jumbled memories flooded his mind.

A moment later, Chen Ye wore an expression caught between laughter and tears.

He had transmigrated into a world where martial arts flourished.

His current identity was that of a minor mountain patrol leader in the Green Bamboo Mountain bandit stronghold.

To put it plainly, he was a bandit.

With a thought, Chen Ye brought up his profession panel.

[Name: Chen Ye]

[Identity: Green Bamboo Mountain minor patrol leader]

[Profession: Bandit (lv2)-You rally in the forests and lick blood from your blade. Chaos is your soil, and ferocity is your capital. In the lawless world where the weak are prey to the strong, the blade in your hand is the only law.]

[Talent: Ferocious Physique-Your body is stronger than an ordinary person's. Your endurance and ability to withstand blows are slightly increased.]

[Martial art: Wind-Cleaving Saber Technique lv1]

Chen Ye breathed a quiet sigh of relief as he read the descriptions.

An eighth-grade spirit pearl was indeed much better than a ninth-grade one.

Last time, he had started as a little study attendant at anyone's mercy. This time, he not only had a starting profession, but also a martial art. More importantly, he was a minor mountain patrol leader with over a dozen men under his command.

This start was indeed much smoother.

Chen Ye stood and walked over to the bronze mirror in the room, which was clearly plundered.

The mirror reflected a face in its early twenties. It was not handsome and even looked somewhat honest and guileless, but paired with his tall, muscular build, it had a fierce air that warned strangers to keep away.

Through the memories, Chen Ye also gained a preliminary understanding of the martial might of this world.

The upper limits of martial arts in this world far surpassed those of the previous one.

Experts emerged one after another in the martial world, and the legends of some of the strongest were almost indistinguishable from tales of immortals walking the earth.

Even a second-rate expert could found a sect and dominate a region.

For example, the chief of the Green Bamboo Mountain stronghold was said to be a genuine second-rate expert. His fist techniques were incomparably domineering, and splitting stone and sundering metal were nothing to him.

Just then, someone knocked at the door, followed by a rough, hearty voice.

"Boss, you awake? Time to patrol the mountain."

Chen Ye gathered his thoughts and answered in a deep voice, "Got it. Coming."

He put on the original owner's coarse cloth clothes, took a heavy ring-pommel saber from the wall, and hung it at his waist before pushing the door open.

Outside was a larger courtyard. Beyond it, tiers upon tiers of buildings rose along the mountainside, stretching all the way to the summit.

The entire stronghold was vast. Armed underlings patrolled everywhere, sentry posts stood in rows, and security was tight. It was far beyond the likes of an ordinary ramshackle outfit.

Seventeen or eighteen men were already standing in the courtyard. When they saw Chen Ye come out, they all called out in unison.

"Boss."

Most of these men were displaced people from nearby or farmers who could no longer make a living. They had come up the mountain for a bite to eat. Though they had little fighting strength, they were intimidating enough.

Chen Ye nodded without saying much and led the group toward the mountain patrol path outside the stronghold.

For the next month, all was quiet on Green Bamboo Mountain.

During this time, Chen Ye's days followed an exceptionally regular routine. Every day, he led his dozen or so subordinates on patrol along a set route. He spent the rest of his time shut in his room, concentrating on the Wind-Cleaving Saber Technique manual.

Chen Ye had, after all, mastered Swift Blade at max level. With that foundation, learning this rudimentary saber technique naturally yielded twice the result for half the effort.

In just one month, Chen Ye felt his understanding of the saber technique deepen another level.

[Martial art: Wind-Cleaving Saber Technique lv2]

But that was worth fuck all.

The Wind-Cleaving Saber Technique was a common technique handed out to every underling on Green Bamboo Mountain. It was purely an external art, and no matter how well one practiced it, its upper limit was fixed. It was fine for cutting down ordinary people, but against a true martial artist, it was a joke.

What Chen Ye wanted was a proper cultivation method that could develop internal force.

But such things were more precious than gold in the martial world. Although the stronghold's chiefs were all skilled martial artists, who would offer others the skills they relied on to survive?

Chen Ye was in no hurry, however.

Green Bamboo Mountain looked well fortified and had occupied this place for many years, with firm foundations. Presumably, it would remain secure for a long time yet.

So Chen Ye felt he had plenty of time to plan things out.

But in the end, Chen Ye had underestimated how dangerous this world was.

Shortly after the New Year, before the snow had fully melted, trouble came to Green Bamboo Mountain.