Volume One, Chapter Five: Certified Warriors
Page 1/3
A new weight, a new beginning.
Ye Cheng locked himself in the backyard, training with his sword relentlessly.
Two days later, that night.
Ye Cheng’s vital energy surged like a dragon, causing his skin to glow with a faint reddish hue.
Sweat poured down, tracing the lines of his muscles and dripping onto the ground.
His eyes sparkled with intense light, consciously guiding the flow of his vital energy toward his heart by using the cultivation method described in the Heavy Sword Technique—
A swirling vortex of mist surged forward.
Qi has its sea, blood has its sea, and consciousness has its sea.
The Blood Sea is the reservoir of vital energy and blood.
To become a true martial artist, opening the Blood Sea is the first step.
Afterward, one must expand the Blood Sea to store more vital energy and blood.
Finally, continuously refine the vital energy to strengthen the body.
It is said that the Blood Seas of high-level martial artists are as vast as deep oceans.
A single refined drop of their vital energy could demolish a building.
This is the realm of the extraordinary!
The mist Ye Cheng was currently breaking through was the Blood Sea!
With the continuous assault of his vital energy, the barriers loosened more and more.
“Aaaahhh—”
Ye Cheng’s muscles bulged, veins expanded, and his face flushed like blood.
Boom!!
In the next moment, the mist was finally broken through, and his vital energy surged wildly into the Blood Sea.
Ye Cheng felt an indescribable exhilaration.
As everything settled, he lightly clenched his fist, and a wave of vigorous power spread throughout his body.
He had finally broken through to the Martial Disciple stage, becoming a true martial artist!
His Blood Sea was not yet expansive, about the size of a bathtub.
It couldn’t compare to those of high-level martial artists, but after tempering with the Heavy Sword Technique, his vital energy was far denser than that of others at the same stage.
[Congratulations, host! After arduous and outstanding cultivation, you have finally become a true martial artist.]
[Achievement unlocked at this stage. Reward: Ancient Witch Blood Cauldron.]
[Please collect life forms’ corpses promptly to refine Blood Pills.]
Page 2/3
[Next achievement: Reach Martial Disciple Stage Five, Strength Level Five. Reward: Supreme Physique Talent Pill.]
“It seems the system and I share the same thoughts. After ensuring my offensive power, the next goal is to strengthen defense.”
“After that, agility. The ultimate martial skill is speed—enhancing speed lets you anticipate the enemy’s moves and seize the initiative in battle.”
With a clear goal, Ye Cheng was full of confidence. He trained with the Heavy Sword Technique for a while longer before returning home to sleep.
The next morning, he took his ID card and headed toward the Martial Artists’ Tower.
The purpose of coming to the Martial Artists’ Tower was to authenticate as a martial artist.
Authenticated martial artists enjoy many benefits.
First, when venturing outside the city to fight monsters, one must carry a martial artist’s permit or be accompanied by a martial artist; otherwise, the city’s defense forces will not allow passage.
Second, after authentication, the Martial Alliance rewards some supplies, and trading within the tower offers certain discounts.
Also, the Martial Alliance regularly issues missions such as eradicating strange beasts, collecting supplies, and protecting mineral veins.
Only martial artists can accept these tasks.
Completing missions grants corresponding rewards.
Finally, Ye Cheng was a member of the Ye family.
Before his father died, he told him that once authenticated as a martial artist, he could visit any merchant affiliated with the Ye family and claim a substantial family fund.
He even heard he could choose a weapon.
This weapon could be any forged weapon at the Thousand-Forge level, extremely precious.
Ye Cheng planned to pick a handy heavy sword, starting at a weight of three thousand jin.
The heavy sword he took from Guan Tie met the weight requirement but was only a forged blank.
It was suitable for training but far from up to standard for combat in terms of material and forging quality.
It must be known that the wilderness was fraught with danger, and some strange beasts had bones harder than iron.
A crudely made heavy sword couldn’t kill them; it might even bend upon impact.
“Sir, how may I assist you?”
Upon entering the Martial Artists’ Tower, a young lady wearing a refined uniform approached.
Seeing the handsome and upright Ye Cheng, her eyes brightened, and she felt a slight tingling sensation.
“Aww, so handsome!”
Ye Cheng smiled, “Hello, I want to authenticate as a martial artist.”
“Oh!”
The young lady snapped out of her daze, blushing slightly.
She silently scolded herself for being lovestruck—had she never seen a handsome guy before?
Page 3/3
Then, comforting herself, she thought, “I’ve seen handsome guys before, but never one this stunning.”
Returning to her professional demeanor, she bowed and invited Ye Cheng inside: “Please follow me.”
They arrived at a testing device. The young lady said, “Please place your ID card on the reader and then place your palm on the testing orb.”
Ye Cheng complied.
When his hand touched the orb, the LCD screen displayed his level: Martial Disciple Stage One.
Becoming a martial artist at eighteen was not uncommon; some gifted prodigies began striving for the Grandmaster stage as early as their senior year.
The young lady had worked here for several years and was well experienced, so she wasn’t particularly surprised.
She smiled and said, “Mr. Ye, you’re a senior in high school, right? One month left until the college entrance exam—keep it up!”
Ye Cheng smiled back, “Thank you for the encouragement! By the way, I heard that with each major level advancement, one can re-authenticate and receive a corresponding reward—is that correct?”
She nodded, “Yes.”
After some casual conversation, the machine beeped.
The young lady returned his ID card and said, “Mr. Ye Cheng, your information has been recorded. You have successfully authenticated as an honorable Huaxia martial artist.”
“Related items are currently being prepared, including your martial artist’s permit and a multifunctional wristwatch. This will take some time, so please keep your ID card safe and return in an hour.”
Ye Cheng replied, “Understood.”
As he stepped out of the Martial Artists’ Tower, Ye Cheng was about to find a large merchant nearby to redeem the Ye family’s reward.
At that moment, several familiar figures approached, and a boy exclaimed, “Hey, isn’t this our class’s hard worker, Ye Cheng?”
The speaker was Wang Wei, Ye Cheng’s classmate.
Known for his sharp tongue and mean remarks, especially enjoying mocking the weak to boost his own presence, few in the class liked him.
Ye Cheng despised him, casting a disdainful glance as if not seeing him and walked straight ahead.
Standing beside Wang Wei were two young girls—his girlfriend and her best friend.
The best friend, secretly admiring Ye Cheng’s handsomeness, tugged at Wang Wei’s sleeve: “Wang Wei, your classmate? Introduce me!”
Wang Wei, annoyed by Ye Cheng’s cold treatment, thought, “You loser, still pretending to be important.”
Anger rising, he reached out to block Ye Cheng’s path coldly:
“We’re classmates; once out of school, you just turn your back? Come on, we’re all young—let’s get to know each other.”
He glanced at the two girls with a smirk:
“This is our class’s hardworking prince, from the Ye family—Ye Cheng! He’s a celebrity at our school, haha!”