Chapter 5: The Daily Routine of Killing and Seizing Treasures in the Martial World

Chapter 5: Chapter 5: The Daily Routine of Killing and Seizing Treasures in the Martial World

Li Ye guessed right.

They were all old foxes who had been around the Martial World for a long time. If they had been fooled by a wet-behind-the-ears youth with just a few words, they might as well wash their hands of the Martial World, go home, and farm the land with their wives and children.

They took Li Ye’s explanation with a grain of salt, at best.

Terms like "spatial jump" sounded profoundly unfathomable, but the underhanded tricks he used and his claims of running a scam on an Immortal were simply too absurd to believe...

Whether it was the short-bearded middle-aged man, Fan Jie, or Liu Guangsheng, they were merely stringing Li Ye along, trying to figure out his identity in order to use him.

***

After steering the conversation back on track, Li Ye quickly figured out the structure of this world from the crowd.

This was indeed a Martial World.

Or rather, a world similar to an ancient feudal dynasty.

The nation in the Central Plains was called Chu, surrounded by numerous small barbarian states. The Chu Country’s greatest threat was the Western Regions, and the two nations had been in constant friction for decades.

Unlike Earth’s ancient feudal dynasties, the Martial World Sects here held an extremely high proportion of power outside the Imperial Court. It was so high that even when the Government Office took action, they had to consider the intentions of the major Martial World Sects.

The Imperial Court and the Martial World—one in the light, one in the dark—harmoniously and perfectly intertwined into two systems that maintained the stability of this world.

The factions of the Martial World were complex and intricate. The two largest factions in the Central Plains were the Celestial Dao Alliance, composed of several top-tier Sects, and the Red Flame Sect, the leader of the unorthodox path. The two stood as equals, each dominating half the realm.

There was no obvious tier system among Martial Artists; they were simply and crudely divided into Innate Masters and Postnatal Masters.

Only by becoming an Innate Master did one have the qualifications to aspire to become a Grandmaster.

Innate Masters were common, but Grandmasters were rare.

Today, there were only four widely recognized Grandmasters in the Martial World: the Celestial Master of the Chu Country, Murong Kaixin; the National Preceptor of the Western Regions, Fu Runbo; the Alliance Leader of the Celestial Dao Alliance, Yu Hai; and the Grand Elder of the Red Flame Sect, Huaiyi.

The four Grandmasters each suppressed one region, balancing the power between the Imperial Court and the Martial World.

***

Having gained a rough understanding of the world’s main power distribution from the crowd, Li Ye looked at Fan Jie and the others in front of him and asked, "Are there any Innate Masters among you?"

At that single sentence, everyone fell silent.

A moment later, a mutter emerged from the crowd, "If we had an Innate Master, would we still be afraid of you?"

Fan Jie awkwardly shook his head. "We only have a small reputation around the Jiangnan area. We are still far from being Innate Masters."

Liu Guangsheng lifted his eyelids and said, "Being an Innate Master requires extremely high aptitude and comprehension. If one out of a thousand Martial Artists can become an Innate Master, that’s already considered quite good."

Before they knew it, the sky had grown dark. Li Ye glanced outside the cave and asked, "What are you all gathered here for?"

Fan Jie raised an eyebrow slightly, smiling as he replied, "Nothing much. It’s just a simple Martial Arts World gathering, for fellow practitioners to exchange pointers and spar."

"Sparring in a cave deep in the barren wilderness? Is your gathering that shameful?" Li Ye coldly snorted and stood up tall, skillfully stepping on an unlucky fellow’s head. "Old Fan, have you forgotten who calls the shots here? If you aren’t willing to talk, I’ll find someone else who is. I have plenty of patience..."

Seeing Li Ye turn hostile at the drop of a hat, Fan Jie’s expression drastically changed.

Liu Guangsheng coughed and subtly shot Fan Jie a look. "Mountain Master Fan, there’s no need to hide it at this point. We’ve lost more than half of our people. If we want our plotted endeavor to succeed, we still need this Young Hero’s help!"

Fan Jie paused, suddenly realizing the intention, and seized the out he was given. He cupped his fists in apology. "Young Hero, it is my fault. I initially thought that since you had just arrived, I couldn’t bear to drag you into the disputes of the Martial World, which is why I tried to hide it. But Sect Leader Liu is right. Our people were severely injured by you, and if we want our plotted endeavor to succeed, we truly must rely on your strength."

Li Ye looked at him with a half-smile, waiting for him to continue.

Fan Jie coughed and cleared his throat. "A few days ago, we received news that the Hall Master of the Red Flame Sect’s Cyan Dragon Hall, Shi Xiang, accidentally obtained the Martial Arts Secret Manual of the Independent Hero Xie Yue, who shook the Martial Arts World decades ago. The manual is called the Dragon Emperor Spell. Shi Xiang intends to present it to the Red Flame Sect and will be passing through Cangsong Ridge over these two days. We set up an ambush here to intercept and kill him, all to seize the Dragon Emperor Spell."

The Dragon Emperor Spell?

Li Ye couldn’t help but laugh. Martial Hero novels hadn’t deceived him—wherever there was a Martial World, there would inevitably be murder and looting. The sudden appearance of a Martial Arts Secret Manual would always kick off a reign of terror and bloodshed!

His fingers moved nimbly as the football Team Emblem flipped back and forth in his palm.

The mission of a Time Traveler was to collect civilization resources from another world and bring them back. Obviously, in this world, what he needed to collect were Martial Arts Secret Manuals.

He was just a novice Time Traveler. Originally, the goal he had set for himself was merely to survive.

At this moment, he only had a rough understanding of this world. In truth, it wasn’t suitable to get involved in this Martial World dispute too early, as it would increase the risk to his survival.

He didn’t even know if these people were telling the truth or lying.

Li Ye knew in his heart that the safest course of action was to kill everyone in the cave and leave.

That way, news about him wouldn’t leak out anytime soon, extending his development time. He would have plenty of opportunities to slowly integrate into this world.

Most Time Travelers did exactly that.

They would usually spend a month or two understanding the world, and then factor in their Demon to choose a growth path of their own.

However, his starting situation was truly quite terrible.

Just three months ago, he was still an ordinary person. He could violently suppress the opposition for the sake of survival, but to have him slaughter this entire group of people when he already controlled the situation was something he couldn’t bring himself to do.

Besides, he might not even be able to kill them all; if a few managed to escape, it would be just as troublesome.

There was a rule in the Demon Hunter’s code: try to avoid choosing slaughter-type Demons, because killing itself easily provoked the hostility in one’s heart and accelerated the rate of erosion by Demon Qi.

He had chosen a team-collaboration-type Team Emblem. If he had to start off by killing people, was he worried the Demon Qi was eroding him too slowly?

Moreover, the Team Emblem was a team-oriented Demon. It made no sense to immediately abandon this group that had clearly already been conquered...

If he wanted to improve his Skill Level without being eroded by Demon Qi, it meant that the Secret Manuals containing the most advanced Martial Force of this world had to be his top priority.

With the help of Demon Qi, a Demon Hunter received a talent bonus whether they practiced martial arts or cultivated. Therefore, both professionally and personally, he had to get his hands on the Dragon Emperor Spell.

There was no such thing as a fixed plan; it was merely about going with the flow. A Demon Hunter had to be flexible.

In the blink of an eye, Li Ye sorted out the pros and cons. He waved his hand grandly. "Why the hell didn’t you say so earlier! I am a Star Thief. I rob the heavens, I rob the earth, I rob the very air! You’ve found the right person to ask for help.

"Do you remember what I said earlier? Hang with me, and I’ll make sure you live the high life. First, we’ll grab the Dragon Emperor Spell, and next, we’ll rob the Red Flame Sect and the Celestial Dao Alliance..."

Fan Jie and the others froze.

After a long while, Fan Jie awkwardly said, "Young Hero, grabbing the Dragon Emperor Spell will be enough. There’s really no need to rob the Red Flame Sect and the Celestial Dao Alliance."

"Old Fan, put your heart at ease." Li Ye looked at him and laughed. "I come from a Level 4 Civilization. Even if my Skill Level is less than one ten-thousandth of what it was, coming to your planet is like a dimensional strike. How could I possibly submit to anyone else?

"Once my Skill Level recovers a bit, crushing the so-called Celestial Dao Alliance and Red Flame Sect will be as easy as flipping my hand. It’s not like I haven’t conquered Primitive Planets before. In the future, when I rule this planet, you will be my founding ministers, and we will throw our weight around this planet as we please."

"Easier said than done," another person in the crowd said disdainfully. "With your abilities, you’re only good enough to fight us. Forget about a Grandmaster; even a single Innate Master could handle you effortlessly. Why are you bragging so much?"

Li Ye lifted his eyes to look at the speaker. Before he could say anything, Fan Jie turned around and glared at the man, scolding, "Deng Wei, shut up."

After saying that, Fan Jie turned back to Li Ye with an apologetic smile. "Young Hero, don’t mind him. He’s just an uncouth brute. We will follow your arrangements. If there comes a day when you recover your Skill Level, we’d also like you to take us to see the Galactic Federation!"

"Mountain Master Fan is absolutely right," Liu Guangsheng said, stroking his beard.

He thought, "Two old foxes, tricking me into working for free! The first thing you’ll do after grabbing the Secret Manual is ditch me, right?"

Li Ye saw right through their intentions but did not expose them.

He would be leaving after staying here for a year, so he was also using them. They were birds of a feather; it was just a matter of who was more cunning.

Li Ye laughed heartily. "As long as you are loyal, Lord Li will sooner or later take you out to broaden your horizons. You don’t understand me right now, but once you get familiar with me in the future, you’ll know that I’m a very easy-going person.

"In the Star Thief circles, I have a renowned nickname—Timely Rain. Whenever someone is in danger, I will step in for justice. No one is more loyal than me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be respectfully addressed as Lord Li by everyone while only in my early twenties."

Lord Li?

Timely Rain?

This was the first time Li Ye had revealed his title. Fan Jie seized the opportunity to play along. "Then we will rely on Lord Li’s care."

"Of course, of course." Li Ye smiled and nodded. "However, when is that guy named Shi Xiang arriving? What was your plan before this? Tell me about it..."