Chapter 4: Chapter 3: The Lament of the Dragon Knight
As the system spoke, a sense of martial arts enlightenment entered Qing Yu's mind, though it was quite superficial.
"System, what's going on? Does the inheritance come with martial arts enlightenment now? Also, does a one-star card come with a two-star item?" Qing Yu asked.
"Host, upon successfully obtaining the inheritance, you will gain the character's understanding of the learned martial arts. The star rating is based on the character's combat power, independent of the martial arts and item grades."
This turned out to be a good thing. With countless villains in the system, as Qing Yu defeated more in the future, he would acquire more and more martial arts. If he were to practice each one, there simply wouldn't be enough time. This inheritance solved a potential future problem. The related star evaluations even made Qing Yu's heart blossom with joy; there are many who are buried in the martial arts world, such as those from Zhuwu Lianlian Village in Yitian, whose mixed inheritance of the Five Extremes was truly unique.
Wei Xiaobao's understanding of martial arts was very superficial, and Qing Yu digested it in no time.
"Truly, a weakling with a combat power of less than 5. This Divine Transformation has been made into a Divine Hundred Crawls. Looks like I still need to practice hard myself. And then there's Beauty's Three Moves, all escaping techniques requiring specific poses—a pitfall. Hero's Three Techniques is even worse, purely something Sect Master Hong conjured up on the spot to tease Mrs. Hong, specifically to scratch a woman's itch. What use do I have for it?"
The martial arts provided by Duke Wei were currently of no use, but his lavish equipment was very suitable for a newbie like Qing Yu.
"Next, it's that Dragon Knight's turn," Qing Yu said, stroking his smooth chin.
Yin Zhiping was at the Postnatal Fourth Realm, a level Qing Yu was not yet familiar with. Yin Zhiping wasn't as lecherous as Lord Wei, but he was a maniac, a weakness that was even easier to exploit.
Qing Yu briefly straightened up, mostly fixing his slightly messy hair from lying on the ground, and commanded, "System, select Yin Zhiping, start the inheritance."
"One-star villain Yin Zhiping, beginning inheritance."
Following the system's prompt, Qing Yu's vision blurred and he reappeared in the Inheritance Space. A figure slowly materialized in front of Qing Yu, who hurriedly turned around and struck a pose without waiting to see the figure's face clearly.
Yin Zhiping opened his eyes and saw a white silhouette in front of him; his maniacal instincts immediately kicked in. He foolishly moved forward, extending his right hand to touch the figure before him, then quickly withdrew it as if he dared not defile the fairy descended from heaven. Hesitantly, he said, "Miss Long, is that you?"
'Miss Long' slowly turned around, and Yin Zhiping held his breath in excitement. Finally, 'Miss Long' revealed her true face—eyes one large and one small, mouth askew, left pinky picking her nose.
"It's me, yah," Qing Yu said in a strange voice.
Yin Zhiping was dumbfounded.
"Bang." Qing Yu pressed the trigger of the gun hidden in his right sleeve, hitting Yin Zhiping's left chest. Then, with his left hand, he pulled out the Mystic Iron dagger from his bosom and slashed across his throat.
"Heh...heh..." Yin Zhiping pointed at Qing Yu, trying excitedly to say something, but as his throat was cut, he could only silently spit out a mouthful of blood and fell gloomily to the ground.
Qing Yu raised his hand and blew away the lingering gun smoke from the barrel, laughing, "This act has removed the grievances of hundreds of millions, truly a boundlessly meritorious deed. Placed in the Immortal World, I'm afraid I could become a god on the spot."
"Ding, congratulations to the host for defeating and killing the one-star villain Yin Zhiping, obtaining the one-star martial arts inheritance Quanzhen Heart Method, one-star martial arts Quanzhen Swordsmanship, and one-star martial arts Golden Wild Goose Skill," the system's prompt timely rang out.
Another stream of memories flooded into Qing Yu's mind—initial learning of martial arts, diligent cultivation. Yin Zhiping's cultivation memories replayed continuously in Qing Yu's mind. Qing Yu closed his eyes, reminiscing repeatedly, "This cross-dressing trip was worth it, truly worth it. What can relieve my worries, only cross-dressing."
Opening his eyes, Qing Yu casually picked up a tree branch and began practicing Quanzhen Swordsmanship in the courtyard, from "Setting Sail" to "River and Mountain Dreams," with forty-nine moves in seven sword forms. Although there was no boost from Inner Strength, with Yin Zhiping's understanding of swordsmanship, he managed quite a decent performance.
After completing the entire "Quanzhen Swordsmanship," Qing Yu was drenched in sweat, but he shouted, "Thrilling, truly damn thrilling!" For four years, living in constant fear of sudden death, now that he saw a glimmer of hope, Qing Yu took the rare chance to vent.
"Next, I need to cultivate the 'Quanzhen Heart Method' and strive to reach the entry level soon. Huh? This memory isn't right! Yin Zhiping is in his forties, he must have been practicing martial arts for at least thirty years, why is his martial arts enlightenment so brief? System, what's going on?" Qing Yu asked in his mind.
"Martial Arts Inheritance only transmits memories related to martial arts. Yin Zhiping, in his early years, was playful and seldom practiced. Although he woke up in time, he then met Little Dragon Girl and afterward lost interest in martial arts."
"MDZZ, he deserves to be single for life, couldn't win anyone's heart, nor would he practice martial arts, couldn't even seize his own body. A disgrace to the villain community." Qing Yu felt unsatisfied with what he got; little did he know, without the Dragon Knight's lovesick nature, he wouldn't stand a chance even in women's clothing.
After cursing for a while, Qing Yu calmed down and returned to his room to cultivate the "Quanzhen Heart Method."
The "Quanzhen Heart Method" is Taoist martial arts, balanced and mild, very suitable for foundation building, and easy to get started with. Even someone with slow innate talent like Guo Jing could quickly enter under guidance; with related knowledge, Qing Yu found it even simpler.
Over the following month, Qing Yu stayed in the Taoist temple, didn't step out of the main gate or the secondary gate, and focused on cultivating the "Quanzhen Heart Method." Only the protagonist would start adventuring right after learning martial arts—famous villains usually left only after achieving expertise in martial arts; my goal is to be the "Ten Miles Slope Sword God." That's what Qing Yu thought, determined to cower till victory.
"ding, the new month has arrived. Would you like to start this month's Character Card draw?"
"A new month, another Character Card draw, I almost forgot." Qing Yu smacked his forehead as he thought.
"Let's begin."
"Starting the Character Card draw. Ding, congratulations to the host for drawing a one-star Character Card—Lin Pingzhi.
Name: Lin Pingzhi
Realm: Postnatal Sixth Realm
Item: Old No. 2 (Souvenir)
Martial Arts: 'Hua Mountain Heart Method,' 'Hua Mountain Swordsmanship,' 'Exorcism Swordsmanship'
Evaluation: Great luck, big profit, tonight we eat chicken, specifically, a child chicken!"
On the copper-colored card, there was an image of a young man with his eyes closed, delicate and handsome but with a touch of madness, wearing a bright red robe, the person looking rather flamboyant.
As always, an unreliable evaluation. Ignoring this capricious comment, Qing Yu asked, "Lin Pingzhi should be quite strong, right? How come he's only at the Postnatal Sixth Realm?"
"Realm does not equal combat strength. Lin Pingzhi is powerful for his 'Exorcism Swordsmanship,' not his inner power cultivation," the system briefly explained.
"That makes sense. Lin Pingzhi's martial talent really isn't that great." Qing Yu nodded. During the era of Swordsman, although martial arts seemed still flourishing, it had actually begun to decline. People in the worldly society relied more on techniques; Yue Lingshan could easily defeat the elder high expert of the Yu Generation from the Taishan Sect just by technique suppression. Ling Huchong, not using inner strength and merely relying on swordsmanship, could dominate the society—none with the ability to externalize their innate power.
"Such a drag." Qing Yu felt a headache coming on, "Although Lin Pingzhi is only at the Postnatal Sixth Realm, combined with the 'Exorcism Swordsmanship,' he could easily kill a regular seventh or eighth-layer postnatal, and probably need just one strike to kill me. And even if I could defeat him, I couldn't use the Exorcism Swordsmanship; I can't really go around castrating chickens, can I? Well, no castration for me."
"Forget it, let's not think about it anymore. Just continue training."
Having said that, Qing Yu buried his head in cultivation once again, determined to cautiously make his way to victory.
Chapter 5: Chapter 4: Descend the Mountain
Three months later, Qing Yu still huddled in the Taoist temple, completely dedicated to cultivation.
Cultivating in the Postnatal Realm was simple, measured by the unlocking of the Extraordinary Meridians and the generation of Inner Strength. Achieving the Postnatal First Layer meant unlocking one of the Extraordinary Meridians, and unlocking all of them equated to the Postnatal Ninth Layer. Afterward, one needed to unlock the Heaven and Earth Two Bridges and draw in the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi into one's body to enter the Innate Realm.
The Primordial Qi of this world was much stronger than that of the "Legend of the Condor Heroes" realm. Although the cultivation of the Postnatal Realm did not involve the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, its strength could still nourish the body, granting those born here far greater potential and physical capabilities than those from the "Legend of the Condor Heroes" realm. Combined with the insights and comprehension of Yin Zhiping, even without the enhancement from Elixirs, advancing to the Postnatal Fourth Realm was a natural progression.
Stretching his arms and swinging his fists, creating gusts of wind, the feeling of possessing strength intoxicated Qing Yu. However, he soon calmed himself, knowing that the Postnatal Fourth Realm was merely the beginning of the Martial Arts journey. Settling for this would inevitably render him a withered skeleton in the tomb.
"My talent is not lacking; otherwise, Xuanfa, that old ghost of a master wouldn't have chosen me. After all, even a show must have a good performer. Choosing a misshaped and split melon would only embarrass him. But the issue at hand is not about talent. I lack guidance. Yin Zhiping, that idiot, is only at the Postnatal Fourth Realm, so now I must rely on myself."
"The problem that lies before me now is how to accelerate the progress of my cultivation. Either continue lying low, farming Character Cards, or descend the mountain to search for resources like Elixirs."
Qing Yu pondered his future path. During these three months, he had still obtained a Character Card of the same Realm each month: One-star Card — Ao Bai, One-star Card — Ping Yizhi, One-star Card — Scorpion, with the specific attributes as follows:
Name: Ao Bai
Realm: Postnatal Fifth Realm
item: None
Martial Arts: "Thirteen Grand Protectors' Horizontal Training Golden Bell Shield"
Evaluation: I've caught it, hey, Contracting Yang into the Belly!
Name: Ping Yizhi
Realm: Postnatal First Layer
item: Ping Yizhi's Medical Book
Martial Arts: None
Evaluation: Save one, kill one. Maintain ecological balance, I'm a humble destroyer under the director's seat, blowing the daoist child's horn.
Name: Scorpion
Realm: Postnatal Eighth Layer
item: Golden Cicada Gu
Martial Arts: "Five Poison Palm"
Evaluation: Like Li, like Li, still like Li!
Among them, Ping Yizhi was considered a villain, but he was merely a simple doctor. Qingyu pondered this a lot on the day he drew his Character Card. It's well known that medicine and poison are closely related; villains skilled in medical techniques usually excel even more in poisoning. Although Ping Yizhi was only at the Postnatal First Layer, one couldn't ensure that he wouldn't start off with a storm of poison. In the end, Qingyu gritted his teeth and took the risk, and then he slit Ping Yizhi's throat with a Mystic Iron dagger. The reason Ping Yizhi was considered a villain was that he adhered to the principle of killing one to save another and wasn't the protagonist's close friend. He mostly stayed at home, awaiting those who came to seek help, with several people usually guarding his door, so he was never worried about safety. Though he made poison, he only carried his life's work, his Medical Book, which probably led to his extremely frustrating death and the drop of his life's essence, "Ping Yizhi's Medical Book."
The remaining two characters were Ao Shaobao, who possessed the "Thirteen Grand Protectors' Horizontal Training Golden Bell Shield" and was fierce and unmatched. Even with the Mystic Iron dagger, Qingyu dared not provoke this tiger. After all, Ao Shaobao in the drama enjoyed tearing his enemies apart live, a treatment Qingyu dared not try, which usually was only experienced by Neon People.
The last one was Scorpion, from the "The World's Number One" series. This drama could be described as a gathering of big names. Qingyu would never forget the intro, where the four grand spies made their entrance riding horses, which was very rhythmic. In the series, besides many stars taking turns to appear, there was one who, although not appearing frequently, was always present in crucial scenes. Yes, that was Scorpion. He was the Scorpion among the Five Poisons, also a Land Protector, a monk from the Shaolin Temple, a guard of Heavenly Prison, a blind musician providing clues at critical times, and one of the worlds top ten generals holding vast armies. With so many disguises, he could have played the final boss, but unfortunately, the scriptwriters disagreed, so he could only be the top extra.
Ahem, back to the main story, although Scorpion was just an extra, he was skilled. With the strength of the Postnatal Eighth Layer combined with the Golden Cicada Gu that even an Innate Expert like Cheng Shifei, once infected, could only wait for death, a hundred Qingyus were not enough for him to kill, so it was better to save it for later.
After much thought, since there were no Elixirs and the characters he drew were too strong to defeat, just idly staying in the Taoist Temple wasn't a solution. When there was no hope in the past, he had stayed for three years, knowing he could only wait to rot away. Now was different, Qingyu could not tolerate returning to the state of doing nothing and waiting to rot, so descending the mountain was a must.
Of course, descending the mountain had to be planned. Qingyu, a paranoid of persecution thought that it was crucial to be cautious, needing a safe route to avoid the Observers at the foot of the mountain. Indeed, Qingyu still believed someone was watching. After all, with the vast enterprise of True Martial Dao, calling a few from the Postnatal Realm was enough to watch over Qingyu (Postnatal Fourth Realm's forty-year-old Dragon Knight faints in tears).
So, why wait any longer? Wasn't it just a safe and hidden path down the mountain? Qingyu quickly packed up his belongings, mainly clothes and various other strange bottles and jars, which were concocted during his idle time from practicing martial arts and according to Ping Yizhi's medical book, as he had also made some medicine over the past few years and was adept at crafting higher-level elixirs. There were several other robes, but they were all Daoist robes. Currently, Qingyu also held the position of temple master. These Daoist robes were too conspicuous to bring.
After packing up, Qingyu stealthily escaped over the wall from the back of the Taoist temple. 'Golden Wild Goose Skill is potent, escaping over the wall is really thrilling.' Qingyu thought secretly, having always used the main gate when returning late to the dormitory in his past life.
He carefully checked the surroundings to ensure there was no movement, then Qingyu climbed along the mountain's terrain upwards. Indeed, climbing. Qingyu planned to climb to the mountain top and descend from the other side, letting the perhaps non-existent Observers below keep stupidly watching the road.
Beicang Mountain did not look tall, but the mountain path was quite long, mainly because the mountain waist upwards was steep, and the path always needed to wind around. However, this was not a big problem for Qingyu; as long as it wasn't too high, Qingyu could use his Qinggong to leap directly up, and some places with leverage points didn't matter if they were a little higher, as the Golden Wild Goose Skill specialized in handling this kind of terrain.
"Quanzhen Golden Wild Goose Skill, walking feels so easy."
Qingyu hummed lightly as he climbed to the mountain top. Looking down from the summit, he could still see Qingshui Town below. The not-so-small Qingshui Town seemed grasped in one hand in Qingyu's eyes.
"Feeling like I control everything," Qingyu said, his right hand air-grasping, "But, it's too small. I need higher, higher, until no one else is stepping over me at the top." Recent years' experiences intensified Qingyu's desire to climb higher.
"I'll be the one to stand at the summit and look down at all other mountains. I want that feeling too."
Half a day later, Qingyu finally descended the mountain. Beicang Mountain was indeed small without even a mountain bandit, which was a bit disappointing for Qingyu, who wanted to test his skills.
Walking along the big road at the mountain's base, Qingyu crossed the border of Province Qing and Ling and stepped into the Daqian Border of two hundred years ago.
Two days later, Qingyu arrived at Yang City, formally entering Ling Province.
"Ding, mission system activated, now issuing mission. My voice: In this city, make your own voice heard in any way, become one of the individuals who can decide the future direction of Yang City. Time limit: One year. Mission reward: Intermediate Lottery once, Two-star Martial Arts Secret Manual. Failure penalty: Loss of all martial skills, start over from the beginning."
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
9 Power
stone 
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