System: Game World

Being deeply worried about the future, Tang Ling could only sleep with a heavy mind. Letting the [System] transport his self into another world.

[Host is now starting Heavenly Ascension, 10%, 50%, 100%. Start!]

Bzzzzz...

Tang Ling felt a little dizzy but soon, his vision returned clear and he once again greeted with the sight of the inn's ceiling.

"Ugh..."

What should be pitch-black void has been replaced with a world full of color and vitality. Very discomforting.

Tang Ling stood up and went to the small eatery in the inn. Here, he found some disciples eating but most of them were missing. Confused, he could only order a few buns for a few coppers and went to the Feng brothers.

"What's going on? Where are the others?" Tang Ling asked curiously as he sat on the bench.

The brothers were munching on their noodles and when they were asked this question. The younger brother moved his face to respond but choked in the process. The older brother first finished the food in his mouth and carefully answered the question.

"The Wandering Sect puts no restriction to the disciples' ability to travel around. After their first day, they are free to roam around without reporting the master. This is also the main attraction of the sect, to inherit the sect's pieces of knowledge and immediately put it in experience..."

"That's only an emphatically way to put it, I would rather just say that they are here for the sect's cultivation technique and then immediately run away when they got it." Tang Ling expressed his thoughts on the situation.

Feng Cai shook his head: "It is simply how the world works and the sect accepts that. As long you show enough potential and is not that bad, they will impart core techniques in the first days. Then, you can quit the sect instantly after; the badge of Heaven and Earth, Traveller Coming from afar is almost obsolete with 10 000 people possessing such badges. Less than five thousand are still true disciples, still remembering to come by and greet fellow disciples. The rest simply vanished in Jianghu, becoming vagrant wanderers or dead. The only ones who left with style were descendants of nobles who were more like patrons than disciples.

They will put down their pride and wallow in humility for a few days and learn the basic crafts of the sect before quitting. The 'patrons' of our sect consist of simply capricious young masters and mistresses dreaming of traveling around and becoming a Jianghu hero like in those stories. After a while, they'll get bored of it and return to become the heir of the family."

Hearing this, Tang Ling was a little speechless. Was the sect so pathetic that any person can enter and leave at will; like a cheap open woman?

No!

Tang Ling shook his head in disbelief. One can't simply accept to be cucked like that.

Alas, in the end, it remained a fact that the sect allowed people to join and quit wherever they like. Even Master Gu clearly explained that the Martial Library was open to outsiders too.

Sigh.

While eating the buns he ordered, Tang Ling was a little depressed. In his world, his city would be attacked and he had no idea what to do while in this world, the sect he depended as backing was weak.

Even the bountiful and bouncy buns which he quite liked yesterday felt tasteless in his mouth. The tea, which he last liked, was bitter.

Ding-ling-ling!

The bell sounded, meaning that Master Gu was already waiting. Tang Ling and the Feng brothers quickly rushed finishing the meal and went to the room where the master was beckoning them to come to.

As Tang Ling followed the Feng brothers, he encountered another person. It was one of the commoner cultivators from before. Apart from Tang Ling, the Feng brothers and the three noble descendants, there were four cultivators of common descent. From what he heard, they could only be considered vagrant martial artists, unable to obtain a heritage in which they can become Veinmasters. In the world of Jianghu, they composed 95% of its population and were only slightly stronger than the average person but combining with their experiences and mentality, an average vagrant martial artist could best five commoners in a fight. A more experienced one could best fifteen of them.

Speaking of which, he, Tang Ling, could also be part of them. Before coming to the Wandering Sect, he only cultivated a widely-known cultivation technique with the max level being 30. To be fair, cultivation techniques leading to Veinmasters and above were monopolized by the noble families, the imperial court, and sects, making outsiders cannon fodders.

It is only after one becomes a Veinmaster, which he could only get in chance encounters and institutions, that one can become 'somebody' and to become 'somebody', he'll first need to become an 'insider'.

Vagrant martial artists are considered worthless and so, most of them dream of entering one of three major institutions in the world. They were even those who enter third-rate sects, enduring many tasks, for the chance of becoming a Veinmaster. One has to know that third-class sects were the bottom feeder of the chain; basically at death's door but people are still lining up to become servants and disciples of a dying establishment.

At least with those sects, you had a chance to become a Veinmaster. To be sectless is to be without a background in Jianghu. Anyone could bully you and you couldn't retaliate.

The man nodded at Tang Ling and the Feng brothers before opening the door and entering. The rest followed suit.

Here, the decor changed from last time. The rows of tea setups in front of Master Gu was replaced with a huge tatami and a rack of weapons on the side. The old man was meditating by the time they opened the door, it was only after they properly sat down in front of him before he opened his eyes and explained his intention.

"Yesterday, I've offered further guidance to you all, and you've accepted. So today, I suppose that I can teach you a few moves."

Gu Ye took a cup of tea from who-knows-where and drunk it, continuing:

"Martial artists without schools, sects, and proper education are often brutes without technique. They often strike without finesse and consideration, often relying on pure body's qualities to overpower their opponents. It is really just a competition of whose has the best strength, agility, and reaction with a little of luck. With superior cultivation technique and sometimes, an orthodox fighting skill set, it is no surprise that orthodox disciples are generally stronger than the common martial artist."

Saying that, Gu Ye stood up and reached for his sword sheat which he took out, revealing a snow-white thin blade. The cold reflection on the thousand-forged steel made everyone shiver; it was clear it was no ordinary metal, capable of striking fear with just the visual contact. It was a sword of exceptional quality!

[Frost Thorn Blossom (Epic) LV: 75

??? (The blade belongs to another realm and is wielded by a master which it acknowledged. Unable to acquire information.)

Remark: Extremely Dangerous! Even a feeble child acknowledged by this sword can fight evenly with you!

Fragmented Information: On the middle of the blade is written in an ancient forgotten language: "The frost engulf the entire world, thorn harm everything it touches and blossom is the life in this cold winter."

Fragmented Information: Extraordinary weapon only below those of legendary repute and the artifacts from gods. Worthy to even those who transcended the limits of the human body and is one step away to completion.]

!!!

Tang Ling's eyes almost popped off with shock. He knew it was an extraordinary weapon, but to be that great! The normal panel of description he usually got after inspecting the item was slightly modified. He didn't have the attack value, skills, or anything concrete about it; only knowing some trivia and that it was very powerful.

"First, let's start with the most basic move: Slash."

Gu Ye gripped his blade and stood steadily. In a blink, they could only see a shadow before confirming that the slash happened. With such speed, they'll only have to blink before never knowing how they die.

"Slash, Chop, Strike. It's all about the same movement, to waive your blade on your opponent and strike it on the sharp edge. But the intricacies surrounding a different technique and name is the way how you wave it. Let's say..."

Swish!

A blast of air struck Tang Ling's face, he was really amazed at how strong the supervisor is. Just a strike created a gust of wind!