Infinite Professions from a Pearl Collector

One day, a person arrived outside the gates of Cyan Bamboo Mountain.

A youth in fine clothes, riding a spirited horse.

He galloped forward. As the minions guarding the gate moved to question him, he wasted no words, leaping from his horse and rushing to the gate in an instant. Then he drew his sword and struck!

A cold Sword Light flashed, and a dozen heads soared into the sky. Gushing hot blood stained the snow-white mountain gate a glaring crimson.

After the slaughter, the youth didn’t even bat an eye. He vaulted forward, charging deeper into the mountain fortress.

Only then did the sound of warning gongs finally echo throughout the entire fortress.

Hordes of minions, led by their chieftains, tried to intercept him, but their lines crumbled in mere moments.

The youth was simply too fast.

His Body Technique was fast, but the sword in his hand was faster still.

Wherever he passed, men and horses were thrown into chaos, and heads flew.

Meanwhile, Chen Ye was hiding behind a large boulder halfway up the mountain, secretly watching the scene unfold.

Upon seeing the bloody carnage, Chen Ye’s pupils constricted, and he huddled down, hiding himself more thoroughly.

The youth was simply too strong.

’To charge into Cyan Bamboo Mountain all alone, cutting down minions as if they were vegetables... this person was undoubtedly a top figure in the Martial World.’

’With my current half-baked skills, I’d be dead the second I showed my face.’

Meanwhile, the youth had fought his way to the summit with astonishing speed. Then, the furious roar of the Great Village Chief echoed from the Unity Hall.

"The Mu Family is too overbearing! You..."

The rest of the words were drowned out by the sounds of battle.

The sounds of battle came as quickly as they went.

In about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, all of Cyan Bamboo Mountain fell eerily silent. Only the mournful howl of the cold wind sweeping through the forest remained.

’Is it over?’

Chen Ye’s heart hammered with uncertainty. He didn’t dare make a move.

Just then, the crisp sound of horse hooves approached, followed by a hearty, teasing laugh.

"Third Young Master Mu, you’re a little too fast, aren’t you? We agreed to storm Cyan Bamboo Mountain together. How could you go and solve the whole affair by yourself?"

Chen Ye’s interest was piqued, and he cautiously shifted his gaze.

On the mountain path, the same murderous youth from before was walking down, his expression indifferent, a longsword dripping blood in his hand.

At the foot of the mountain, a man and a woman watched him with smiles on their faces.

The man was tall and elegant, with a folding fan in hand and an extraordinary bearing. The woman was lovely and charming, with a graceful figure and a pair of lively eyes filled with mirth.

Both of them, in dress and demeanor, were clearly no ordinary people.

"They were just a bunch of common bandits. It wasn’t worth wasting so much time," said Third Young Master Mu, Mu Jianqing, his tone flat, as if he had just done something utterly insignificant.

The charming woman covered her mouth with her hand and giggled, her voice as lovely as a songbird’s. "Third Young Master Mu is truly incredible. Though the Great Village Chief of Cyan Bamboo Mountain, Tian Ying, was only a second-rate expert, his Gold-Breaking Fist was infamous in the area and made him quite a handful. To think he would be so utterly defenseless against your blade."

Chen Ye overheard every word, and his heart trembled.

’The Great Village Chief, Tian Ying, is dead?’

’A second-rate master, killed just like that?’

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the man with the folding fan, Xiao Che, spoke up. "Brother Mu, now that the bandit chief has been dealt with, what should we do with this massive fortress?"

"What else is there to do?" Mu Jianqing said, wiping the blood from his sword, his eyes cold. "Burn it down, of course. To make an example of them."

"Oh, we’ll definitely burn it," the woman, Lin Wan’Er, said with a laugh.

"However, I hear these Cyan Bamboo Mountain bandits have been here for years and have accumulated quite a fortune. It would be a terrible waste to just burn it all down. Why don’t we... go up and loot the place first? We can always burn it later."

Mu Jianqing’s brow furrowed slightly.

He had come here sword-in-hand only to make a name for himself; he had no interest in worldly treasures like gold and silver.

His Mu Family was one of the wealthiest in the region; they certainly didn’t need this paltry sum.

But seeing his friends, Xiao Che and Lin Wan’Er, both looking eager, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse them. So, he nodded.

"Very well."

Seeing the three of them heading toward the back of the fortress—in the direction of the storehouses—chatting and laughing, Chen Ye didn’t dare delay a second longer. He stooped low and, without a single glance back, bolted down a small patrol trail leading away from the mountain.

He didn’t stop running for several miles, not until he was well clear of the Cyan Bamboo Mountain range. Only then did Chen Ye stop, leaning against a large tree and gasping for breath.

He glanced back in the direction of Cyan Bamboo Mountain, his heart a turmoil of fear and doubt.

’The Martial World in this place is terrifying.’

’I thought Cyan Bamboo Mountain would be safe for a while with a second-rate master in charge, but it was wiped out in the blink of an eye.’

Chen Ye dared not take any more chances. He immediately ran for the main road in the distance.

He didn’t dare go to the nearest town.

After all, there was no telling if those three killers would stop there to rest.

If he happened to run into them, his burly frame, combined with the fact that he was coming from the direction of Cyan Bamboo Mountain, would make it impossible not to attract attention.

Thus, to be safe, Chen Ye bypassed the nearest town and walked for a good dozen miles. It was already dark by the time he arrived outside a town called Pingyang.

The town wasn’t large, but with plenty of merchants coming and going, it seemed quite bustling.

Chen Ye found a corner to quickly tidy his appearance, trying to look less disheveled before entering the town.

Chen Ye had a habit of keeping all his worldly possessions on his person, which was proving useful now.

He found a cheap inn to stay the night. After resting up, he began to wander around town the next day.

And that was when he made a surprising discovery.

Pingyang Town actually had a martial arts hall.

Full of hope, Chen Ye immediately went inside and explained his intentions.

However, the Steward in charge of recruitment simply looked him up and down a few times and shook his head.

"At your age, your bones have already set. You’ve missed the best time to start training. Your potential for achievement is limited."

"Most importantly, joining our hall requires sponsorship from three local residents. Your Identity is unknown, so we cannot accept you."

The Steward’s words were polite, but his tone was firm, leaving no room for discussion.

Thoroughly rebuffed, Chen Ye was filled with disappointment.

’It’s true, though. People who run a martial arts hall value their reputation and lineage above all else. How could they possibly accept some stranger of unknown origin?’

Leaving the martial arts hall dejectedly, Chen Ye wandered the streets aimlessly, his mood growing heavier and heavier.

’I can’t even get into a third-rate place like this. What hope do I have with the truly famous sects and great clans?’

’What am I supposed to do?’

Just as he was racking his brain for a solution, a commotion up ahead caught his attention.

A large notice was posted on a wall, with a long line of people queued up in front of it.

Chen Ye edged closer out of curiosity. When he finally saw the contents of the notice, he froze.

It was a recruitment notice from the Government Office. They were drafting civilian laborers to transport supplies for the army fighting up north.

The pay and rations offered weren’t great, but there was an endless stream of people lining up to enlist.

"Brother, this work is hard and the pay is low. Why are so many people scrambling to sign up?" Chen Ye asked, grabbing a man standing in line next to him.

The man glanced at him, then grinned, revealing a set of yellow teeth. "You’re not from around here, are you, brother? That’s why you don’t get it."

"Being a laborer for the army is hard, sure, but at least you get to eat your fill, right?"

"But the most important part is, if you join the supply convoy, you can learn the Body Forging Technique they teach in the army. That’s a method that can help you cultivate Inner Strength!"