Chapter One: Grand Chief of the Three Paths and Sixteen Provinces

[In the 32nd year of Daoyang, Emperor Qingming fell severely ill and lapsed into a coma. The grand affairs of the imperial court were entirely controlled by Prime Minister Jia Ling.]

[Twenty years ago, a group of martial artists from the land of Daoyang ambushed and slaughtered envoys hailing from the Steppe Royal Court in order to secure the borders of Daoyang.]

[The Martial Arts Convention is about to commence, and both the righteous and demonic factions are gathering!]

[As the supreme leader of the demonic faction—the personal disciple of Qiu En, the Dragon King of Troubled Times, who serves as the grand chief of the underworld and green forests across three paths and sixteen provinces—you will represent the demonic underworld to preside over this convention.]

[Main Quest: Seize the title of the number one youth in the martial arts world on behalf of the demonic underworld!]

[Class Advancement Quest: Defeat ten renowned martial arts masters of the blade across the world (0/10)! Completing this quest will unlock the next stage.]

Amidst a hazy daze, Murong Xun completed the transmission for this quest.

Unlike every previous transmission, he woke up quickly. There was neither a protective barrier of light nor any other players around him. At this moment, he was standing inside a parlor, at the upper seat of which sat a middle-aged man clad in brocade robes. The man sat squarely there, his expression carrying an unangered authority.

This person was none other than Qiu En, the Dragon King of Troubled Times, revered by all under heaven!

The fact that he could command the absolute respect and submission of the green forest heroes across three paths and sixteen provinces was proof enough that both his martial prowess and character were of the absolute highest caliber.

"Rong Xun, for this upcoming Martial Arts Convention, you shall lead the younger generation of our green forest. You must on no account tarnish the prestige of our green forest!"

"Yes, Master!"

Suppressing the awkwardness in his heart, Murong Xun saluted Qiu En, mimicking the false memories instilled by the Magic Tower.

"Mm."

Qiu En nodded in satisfaction.

Naturally, he placed immense trust in his prized disciple. Entrusting him to preside over the Martial Arts Convention this time was originally meant as a test for him—allowing him to show his face before both the older and younger generations to earn some prestige, while simultaneously signaling to others his intention to pass down the position of leadership.

"I naturally know you well. Among the younger generation, there are no more than a handful who can serve as your match, and among those of your exact age, there is simply none who can rival you."

Qiu En stroked his short beard beneath his chin and sighed lightly.

"After all, you are still too young. It is truly disadvantageous for you to contend with those who are far senior to you. Moreover, rumor has it that disciples of the Goddess Peak will also enter the mortal world this time. You must exercise utmost caution."

"Goddess Peak?"

Murong Xun was puzzled; this name did not exist within the memories instilled by the Magic Tower.

"It is no surprise that you do not know."

Qiu En stood up, placed his hands behind his back, and stared at the blooming flowers on the courtyard wall. His expression was somewhat peculiar, resembling both fond remembrance and bitter hatred.

"Those from the Goddess Peak—should you encounter them, you must not forge deep relations with them, and it is best to keep them at a respectful distance. If they approach you, you are to draw your blade and slay them!"

At this point, his tone turned frigid, completely devoid of the initial warmth.

How could anyone capable of ascending to the position of grand chief of the green forest possibly be a gentle soul?

The majesty of the green forest was entirely forged through slaughter.

In his early years, Qiu En had risen to fame with a pair of iron palms, but in his later years, he became renowned throughout the martial arts world for a set of heartless blade techniques.

As his disciple, Murong Xun had likewise inherited his blade techniques.

[You have learned Qiu En's True Transmission Blade Technique (Complete Set) (Temporary)]

[You have learned the First Five Forms of the Heartless Blade Technique (Active) (Temporary)]

[You have learned the Icy Heart Formula (Passive) (Temporary), Mastery Lv.10]

[Attribute: Negative Status Resistance: +55%]

[You have learned the Shattered Jade Formula (Passive) (Temporary), Mastery Lv.10]

[Attribute: Attack: +55%]

[You have learned the Ghost and Deity Formula (Passive) (Temporary), Mastery Lv.10]

[Attribute: Instant Burst: +55%]

[You have learned the Iron-Slicing Formula (Passive) (Temporary), Mastery Lv.10]

[Burst Might: +55%]

[You have learned the Clear Moon Heart (Passive) (Temporary), Mastery Lv.10]

[Attribute: Self-Healing: +55%]

A multitude of temporary skills suddenly appeared on Murong Xun's status panel. Aside from various grades of blade techniques ranging from elementary to advanced, the highest-tier abilities were the first five forms of the supreme Heartless Blade Technique, while the subsequent passive skills opened Murong Xun's eyes to an entirely new horizon.

Although the level of each skill was not particularly high, resting merely around level ten mastery, it could not withstand the sheer abundance of them!

Having spent one hundred thousand to purchase a class advancement scroll and starting with such an identity, Murong Xun finally felt that he was getting more than his money's worth.

"Yes, Master!"

Murong Xun did not ask for the reason. Why bother pondering so much? If those people truly approached him with malicious intent, he would simply hack them down.

It was only the thought that in this world, he was actually using his real name that left a somewhat uneasy feeling in his heart.

"Hm, you may withdraw first. This master is somewhat fatigued. Three days from now, you shall depart directly; there is no need to come and pay your morning respects!"

Qiu En waved his hand, his expression looking somewhat exhausted.

Ever since the Goddess Peak was mentioned, his complexion had turned extremely unsightly.

Murong Xun did not say much more, turning directly to leave the parlor.

Fortunately, judging from the memories instilled by the Magic Tower, Qiu En's disciple—his original persona—possessed a temperament similar to his own; or rather, the persona was modeled directly after himself, sparing him the need to exhaust his wits in acting.

Otherwise, standing before someone like Qiu En, flaws would have been exposed all too easily.

After Murong Xun departed, Qiu En remained standing in place, his expression gradually twisting into something bizarre: one half was calm and detached, while the other half was ferocious and terrifying.

"Xuan Yin! Xuan Yin!"

He muttered the name twice in succession. The first utterance was serene, as though he were speaking of a completely unrelated person, whereas the second utterance was laden with boundless resentment and bitterness.

These two strange emotions intertwined within him, yet without the slightest sense of incongruity.

After an unknown passage of time, a sigh caused the expression on his face to return to tranquility.

"Rong Xun, do not let me down, and do not let yourself be bewitched by the siren of Goddess Peak!"

He turned his head to gaze in the direction where his disciple had departed, speaking in a faint, solitary whisper.

Meanwhile, after leaving the parlor, Murong Xun was soon greeted by someone rushing forward.

"Young Chief!"

As the disciple of the grand chief, Murong Xun's status went without saying.

Moreover, the reason Qiu En was able to securely maintain his position as the supreme leader of the green forest relied not only on his personal prestige and martial might, but also on the formidable power he held in his hands.

The Furious Dragon Gang was his ultimate backing!

The person currently greeting Murong Xun was named Zhao Zhao, a veteran member of the Furious Dragon Gang.

"Uncle Zhao!"

Murong Xun acknowledged him with a calm, unruffled demeanor.

Zhao Zhao failed to notice any difference, respectfully reporting the situation to him.

"I have already gathered over a dozen experts. We can set off for Mount Yandang at any moment!"

His attitude was exceptionally respectful, showing not the slightest trace of contempt for Murong Xun despite his young age.

On one hand, he was Qiu En's disciple, a case of loving the crow for its tower; on the other hand, it was due to Murong Xun's own formidable strength.

As the number one youth of the demonic green forest, Murong Xun's martial prowess was not something boasted about, nor was it solely because he was Qiu En's disciple.

Among the younger generation, there was simply no equal to him!

"Thank you for your hard work, Uncle Zhao. We will set off in three days!"

Dismissing Zhao Zhao and returning to his own quarters guided by the impressions in his memory, Murong Xun finally heaved a sigh of relief.

He constantly felt as though he were treading on thin ice.

The people around him gave him a tremendously oppressive sensation, especially when standing before Qiu En. He had a distinct feeling that if the man wished to kill him, a single stroke of the blade would suffice—he would not even be capable of dodging. Given Qiu En's mastery of the Heartless Blade Technique, he would likely be slain before he could even react.

Now possessing a private sanctuary of his own, he began to ponder his next course of action.

First and foremost, seizing the title of the number one youth was imperative, though he lacked absolute certainty in achieving it. Even though he currently possessed temporary skill augmentations and his strength far surpassed what it had been before, he remained entirely ignorant of what capabilities his prospective opponents possessed.

Moreover, defeating ten renowned martial arts masters of the blade was no simple task either.

Since they were designated as renowned martial arts masters, they were undeniably established experts within the pugilistic world. The very fact that such individuals could maintain their fame without being supplanted by others was proof enough of their formidable strength.

However, since this concerned his class advancement, difficult as it might be, he had to grit his teeth and push through.

This Martial Arts Convention was convened not only to elect a new Alliance Leader of the martial world, but also to deliberate on how to resist the invasion of the steppe.

Although martial artists routinely fought and killed one another under normal circumstances, when matters concerning the country and state arose, these people still possessed a clear sense of priorities.

The Great Battle of Mount Yandang twenty years ago had been fought precisely to stall the pace of the steppe invaders' advance.

At that time, over fifty top-tier experts from the pugilistic world had marched forth, and those who returned were few and far between.

As for this convention, while its purpose was to discuss grand affairs together, Murong Xun understood that the righteous and demonic factions would still inevitably clash and test each other.

Because in his youth, Qiu En had seemingly experienced unpleasant entanglements with figures from the righteous faction. Following that period, he had drawn his blade to sever all romantic attachments, after which his martial arts advanced by leaps and bounds with each passing day. Later, he founded the Furious Dragon Gang, proclaiming himself the Dragon Head and becoming the grand chief of the northern green forest across three paths and sixteen provinces.

Consequently, the core objective of this quest was to snatch away the position of the Alliance Leader, or at the absolute least, prevent the righteous faction from securing it.

Murong Xun let out a sigh.

He was simply not cut out for using his brain!

Requiring him to ponder such complex schemes was truly arduous for him.

As expected, he was only ever suited for hacking and slashing.

Fortunately, he was not the only one mobilizing this time; numerous backbone members of the Furious Dragon Gang were marching out as well.

After all, this was an appearance before the righteous faction. As the leading authority of the green forest, if the force they dispatched appeared too weak, wouldn't that bring shame upon Qiu En's prestige?

This was a world of martial arts. Once martial artists grew powerful enough, they could not only leap over walls and tread across leaves, but feats like crossing a river on a single reed were also well within their capabilities.

Murong Xun made a mental comparison: the congenital experts here already surpassed players from the novice zones, functioning at least on par with Tier 1 players. While precise comparative metrics remained unclear, congenital masters were at the very least Tier 1.

Meanwhile, grandmaster-level figures of worldwide renown like Qiu En possessed power that was terrifyingly greater still.

With these thoughts in mind, Murong Xun crossed his legs and sat in meditation. The Heartless Blade Technique possessed a complementary cultivation manual; when raised to a certain tier, it not only increased internal energy but also passively enhanced certain attributes.

Even though these were temporary, he habitually sought to familiarize himself with them first.

After all, with so many martial arts moves suddenly appearing in his arsenal, any physical confrontation ran a high risk of exposing flaws. By familiarizing himself with them now, he could preemptively avert the possibility of blowing his cover when the time came.

As Qiu En's disciple, it would be utterly laughable if he were unfamiliar with his master's martial arts.