Chapter Forty-Six: The Last Two Items

"Ding dong! Congratulations, Host, you have obtained Huashan Sect Basic Sword Technique 10. After consuming ten skill books, you have automatically mastered the Huashan Sect Basic Sword Technique from the world of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer."

As soon as the system finished speaking, ten skill books appeared in the system space, floating gently amid swirling white mist. Occasionally, a faint golden light would flicker from within, making them appear extraordinary.

The Huashan Sect might be utterly unknown to the people of this wild continent, but for someone like Chen Bo, a native of Earth, the name was renowned. Particularly for someone born in the 1990s like Chen Bo, whose childhood was filled with martial arts TV dramas and movies.

When he reached secondary school, smartphones had yet to become commonplace and computers were still expensive. It was various martial arts novels that accompanied him through those four years, most often the works of Mr. Jin Yong.

In Jin Yong’s novels such as The Smiling, Proud Wanderer and The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, the Huashan Sect was always front and center. Especially in The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, where the protagonist Linghu Chong was Huashan’s foremost disciple, and the sect itself was one of the Five Mountain Sword Sects—a prestigious and eminent school.

It was said the Five Mountain Sword Sects originated from the Quanzhen Sect in The Legend of the Condor Heroes and The Return of the Condor Heroes. Chen Bo hadn’t paid much attention to the specifics when reading, only remembering that the predecessor of the Five Mountain Sword Sects was the Huashan Sect.

As a great sect in the martial world, even a basic sword technique held its own subtle brilliance.

Some might wonder: in martial arts worlds, internal energy is usually essential to unleash a technique’s true power. Yet in Chen Bo’s world, while martial prowess was formidable, the path taken was similar to traditional Chinese martial arts.

One first trained the body, refining the energy and blood throughout until breaking through the shackles to enter the innate realm. This was likely equivalent to the pinnacle of traditional martial arts, the state of seeing the divine without decay.

Conversely, in martial arts worlds, although the body was also tempered, internal energy reigned supreme. There were even masters whose inner strength was abundant yet whose bodies were frail.

But Chen Bo could tell them: the martial arts in The Smiling, Proud Wanderer suited him perfectly!

Many people on Earth have remarked that internal energy isn’t particularly emphasized in The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. The novel is filled with sword techniques rather than internal arts. The legendary Dugu Nine Swords, for example, could be practiced without any internal energy at all. At the start, Linghu Chong’s internal energy was weak—practically useless.

Yet, as soon as he learned Dugu Nine Swords, his prowess skyrocketed. Even when his internal energy grew stronger later, Jin Yong never mentioned it boosting the power of the Dugu Nine Swords.

The world of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer is a fusion of martial arts and traditional combat arts, making the Huashan Sect Basic Sword Technique practically tailor-made for Chen Bo.

"Finally, I’ve drawn something good again. Living on edge like this nearly gave me a heart attack," Chen Bo sighed in relief. With the Emperor’s Long Fist and the Huashan Sect Basic Sword Technique, plus the Ninefold Killing Fist, he should be able to catch Chen Long off guard!

"Six six six six six! Streamer, you should hand this treasure over to the country! That’s how a true successor of our great nation is cultivated!"

"There are probably over a billion successors to the Party by now! Don’t listen to the guy above, streamer—show me the secret manual first, and then I’ll hand it over to the country. Trust me, do I look like someone who would lie?"

"Little Dot tips the streamer 888 coins. Only a fool would trust the guy above!"

"The streamer just drew two martial arts manuals in one go. That’s some god-tier luck. If I watch this stream today, maybe I’ll get lucky too. I’m off to buy a lottery ticket!"

"Wishing the guy above a jackpot win! But seriously, you should look at all the useless stuff the streamer’s drawn lately before deciding to buy a ticket."

"Streamer, show us a set of sword moves. But I’m curious, why are you so obsessed with swordsmanship? Why not practice saber or spear techniques? Swords aren’t much use on the battlefield—except for heavy swords."

"Come on, you’re talking about the battlefield. The streamer’s all about duels right now. Besides, I think swordsmanship looks cool! Handsome guys should wield swords—that’s how you look dashing!"

"No comment. If things follow the usual script, the streamer will have to fight groups in the future. If you don’t prepare now, how will you cope later? When there are too many opponents, the sword isn’t that effective."

"I think only those who’ve actually been on a battlefield have a say in this!"

The chat was as chaotic as ever. Chen Bo suddenly found the scrolling comments more entertaining than a novel.

"Ding dong! Congratulations, Host, you have obtained a solar-powered electric fan. As long as there’s sunlight, you’ll never worry about power outages!"

As expected, two strokes of good fortune were enough—any more would be inhuman.

Chen Bo consumed the Emperor’s Long Fist and the Huashan Sect Basic Sword Technique—a total of twenty skill books—all at once.

He literally ate them, biting into them one by one. There was no taste, just as if he were biting into thin air, and they didn’t fill him in the slightest. Poor experience!

As soon as he finished, his mind went blank as two massive streams of information flooded his consciousness.

In his mind’s eye, two figures appeared. One clenched his fists, feet planted in a horse stance, every punch and kick brimming with blazing yang energy, each movement etched perfectly into his memory.

The other held a long sword, each strike as swift and thunderous as lightning, weaving a net of cold light around himself. Since the Huashan Sect derived from Quanzhen Daoism, its sword techniques carried a subtle, graceful yin quality.

With his blood surging, Chen Bo couldn’t help but let out a long howl. Clenching his fists, he threw himself into the Emperor’s Long Fist, practicing it until he was drenched in sweat.

Still unsatisfied, he drew a beginner-level treasured sword from the system space. Holding it single-handed, he suddenly felt like a hero wandering the world with sword in hand.

It was an exhilarating feeling, one that many have surely experienced. For instance, when picking up a long stick, one might imagine oneself a swordsman of the martial world, stealing from the rich to aid the poor, a hero of an era.

Even many middle-aged men feel this urge; after all, everyone harbors a hero’s dream in their heart.

Chen Bo then tested the Huashan Sect Basic Sword Technique, and when he came to, his face fell. The dorm room’s furniture had been reduced to wreckage, as if a tornado had torn through.

"At least I now have some means of self-defense, but I’m still no match for Chen Long. Looks like I’ll need a clever plan to win," Chen Bo muttered, just as the chat exploded again. The self-proclaimed strategists in his audience were at it once more, spamming advice—endearing and amusing in equal measure.