Eternal Life Begins with Learning

At Chu Mu’s transformation, the black-clothed man couldn’t help but let out a soft cry of surprise. His gaze toward Chu Mu was now filled with shock and suspicion.

But the situation no longer allowed the black-clothed man the luxury of distraction.

Chu Mu’s intervention drew the brunt of the black-clothed man’s assault. And while the few cowering Inspectors at the side didn’t seem like much of a threat, the gleaming blades in their hands could still wound—or even kill.

The brute in Iron Armor, though grievously wounded, was clearly not out of the fight. His powerful, sweeping iron fists still posed a considerable threat to the man in black.

Besides, more Inspectors than just this handful had entered the mountain.

The tables had turned. The black-clothed man’s intent to retreat was now obvious. He forced Chu Mu back with a series of slashes, then feinted and tried to disengage.

Even with the Spiritual Radiance Blessing, Chu Mu could only barely parry and defend himself. As for going on the offensive, his spirit was willing, but his flesh was weak.

Just as the man in black was about to escape, the heavily wounded brute in Iron Armor suddenly exploded with power.

The chains on his fists uncoiled. With a swing, they stretched taut, lashing out like a long whip to block the black-clothed man’s retreat.

As the man in black moved to block the chains, Chu Mu pressed forward and swung his saber, re-establishing their pincer attack.

"Get out of my way!"

Shocked and enraged, the man roared. His Iron Saber flashed like a silver ribbon, arcing to block both attacks.

But in doing so, his attempt to retreat was completely thwarted!

"There he is! Keep him busy! Don’t let him get away!"

"You bastard!"

Faint shouts echoed from the dense forest in the distance. A hint of panic crept into the man’s already furious expression, and his desire to flee grew more desperate.

Seeing that powerful reinforcements were on their way, the timid Inspectors at the side no longer dared to be spectators. Howling to build their courage, they brandished their Long Sabers and charged the man in black.

Their swings were clumsy and ordinary. ’Even without the Spiritual Radiance Blessing, I could block those with ease,’ Chu Mu thought confidently.

But to the black-clothed man, already caught in a pincer and desperate to escape, these clumsy swings posed a significant threat. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

There’s some truth to the old saying: even a master can be felled by a thousand clumsy cuts.

He was already facing Chu Mu’s lethal attacks and the brute’s terrifying iron fists. Now, he had to deal with these wildly swinging blades as well.

The man in black was clearly desperate to escape, not wanting to get bogged down.

Under the mounting pressure, an opening appeared.

And to Chu Mu, empowered by the Spiritual Radiance Blessing, even the slightest flaw looked like a gaping, undefended hole. It was the perfect chance to attack!

In a rare move, Chu Mu changed his swing to a thrust. The saber shot forward, aimed straight for his opponent’s vitals. The man was horrified, but surrounded as he was, he had no way to parry. All he could do was twist his body, desperately trying to keep the blade from hitting a vital organ.

But the blade still found its mark, sinking accurately into his torso.

In Chu Mu’s eyes, the strike was crystal clear.

He had aimed for the man’s neck, but when his target dodged, Chu Mu didn’t hesitate.

The blade plunged deep into the man’s abdomen with little resistance, like a wooden stick piercing soft earth after a rain.

The only difference was the gush of blood that instantly stained the blade’s bright steel.

As the saber sank in, the man froze as if struck by lightning. His agile body went rigid, the terror in his eyes now mixed with utter disbelief.

Chu Mu didn’t pause. He ripped the blade free in a spray of blood and immediately swung again.

This time, a thrust became a chop.

The blade aimed for the man’s neck.

His goal... to take the man’s head!

This time, the man was truly panicked. With a hysterical roar, he ignored his fatal wound and lunged backward, trying to dodge the killing blow.

THUD!

An iron fist appeared out of nowhere. The punch caved the man’s chest in, sending him flying backward like a kite with a snapped string.

Chu Mu stomped hard, launching himself into the air. He glided like a great goose, hot on the man’s heels. His Long Saber shifted from a chop back to a thrust. With a wet SCHLICK, the blade once again sank into the man’s body, piercing straight through him.

He pulled the saber free, raised it high, and chopped down again!

THUMP! THUMP!

Two dull thuds echoed as they landed. Chu Mu remained frozen in his downward-chopping stance. Before him, the man...

...had collapsed to the ground in a bizarre posture. A huge gash gaped in his neck, and blood gushed out, instantly staining a wide patch of snow red.

His head lolled to one side, face twisted in a permanent grimace, eyes wide with the last vestiges of disbelief.

THUMP!

Another dull thud. Chu Mu collapsed unceremoniously to the ground, gasping for breath. The short battle had completely drained him of all his strength.

"Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!"

The brute in Iron Armor was overjoyed. His face flushed as he roared, and then... with another THUMP, he collapsed stiffly to the ground.

"Go, quick, carry him!"

Chu Mu managed to stop his gasping and shouted weakly.

The few Inspectors, still in a daze, were jolted back to their senses. They scrambled over to the man in Iron Armor and, with clumsy haste, lifted his stiff body and ran in the direction of the Thousand Households’ command.

"Hahh..."

The forest fell silent once more. Chu Mu didn’t dare relax. He struggled to his feet and was bending over to pick up his saber when his eyes suddenly fell upon the corpse of the man in black.

Chu Mu hurried over and began searching the body. When his fingers brushed against something hard and papery, a look of delight spread across his face.

’Carrying a Martial Arts manual around? Now that’s some real protagonist-level treatment!’

A moment later, Chu Mu stared blankly at the thick stack of Paper Currency in his hand, unsure if he should be happy or sad.

He hadn’t found someone carrying a Martial Arts manual on their person.

But this thick stack of Paper Currency... it was enough for him to live lavishly for several days and nights, even at Fengyue Tower, the biggest money sink in Nanshan Town.

"Well, this isn’t bad either."

Chu Mu smacked his lips, stuffed the Paper Currency into his robes, and turned his attention to the dead man’s saber.

The style of the blade was no different from an Inspector’s Saber, but its material was clearly of a much higher quality.

After such a fierce battle, the blade’s edge was completely unchipped. The entire body of the saber was free of scratches, as if it were brand new.

With the fine saber in his hand, Chu Mu’s eyes lit up. He couldn’t resist giving it a couple of swings and was surprised to find it felt quite natural in his grip.

"Nice!"

Chu Mu exclaimed in admiration. He found the scabbard on the corpse and sheathed his new prize.

Holding it gave him an incredible sense of security.

The memory of his own saber shattering was still vivid in his mind. The feeling of powerlessness and despair that followed had been simply indescribable.

With this fine weapon, at least it wouldn’t be broken so easily...

...