Wanderer of the Martial World - Chapter 32

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Satori

◈ Wanderer of the Martial World ◈

Chapter 32

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I had already known that first-rate was not far off.

Only a few unopened blood acupoints remained, and while I had been pushed back when fighting the demon practitioner on the Yangtze River and when facing the Dark Sheep Sect Leader this time, it was not as though I had been unable to hold my own at all.

Even so, I could not help being stunned.

I had suddenly become first-rate.

And in the process, my internal energy had gone out of control and forced its way through my blood acupoints.

If I had failed to steer it properly, I might have fallen into qi deviation.

The thought gave me chills, and I swore never to train my inner-energy method while drunk.

I sat in a tub of warm water as though reclining in it and looked up at the ceiling.

The ceiling of an old storehouse damp with moisture.

When I woke up, nearly a day and a half had passed.

During that day, So-ok had remained by my side without even eating.

And the moment I woke up, she ordered water and brought me here.

They said impurities were expelled from the body upon becoming first-rate, and there really was a sticky black liquid covering my entire body.

It would probably be like this for the next few days whenever I percompleted the Minor Heavenly Cycle.

That made me all the more grateful to So-ok.

She had endured in that cramped room without even airing it out, prepared for any possible threat.

For me alone.

I wanted to do something for her.

“Brother! Congratulations on your great achievement!”

When I returned to the room after washing, So-ok greeted me with a bright smile.

She must have aired the room out after I went downstairs to wash. I embraced her amid the slightly faded musty smell.

“Thank you.”

“For what? It was only natural.”

“Let’s head out.”

“Okay! Ah, we need to stop by the wandering martial artists’ inn too. We still haven’t received the payment for the job.”

We left the room together.

There was much to do, so we filled our stomachs with simple wheat noodles from a street stall before heading to the wandering martial artists’ inn.

I intended to receive the payment and have my advancement to first-rate certified.

There was no great benefit in putting it off, so it was better to do it right away.

The wandering martial artists’ inn looked much as it always did.

I passed the Unranked wandering martial artists who avoided my eyes as though they all knew me now and went inside.

“Hey! Where have you been? I thought you’d run off.”

Ju Daegang approached us as soon as we entered.

“Huh? But... you...”

He hesitated slightly, as though something seemed strange.

I gave him a small nod and walked straight to the innkeeper.

“You’re here. Hand over your wandering martial artist badge. Your payment... Hm?”

Those with internal energy could subtly sense the realm of others.

Of course, not everyone could do so. Only those whose qi sense was sharp enough could.

It was possible to deliberately conceal one’s realm, but there was no need for that now.

“I have become first-rate. I wish to apply for advancement.”

As soon as I finished speaking, silence fell over the inn before it became noisy again.

“Fine. Follow me.”

The old man nodded and headed to the back.

I followed him.

The old man’s broadsaber was pointed at me.

I drew my sword and aimed it at him as well.

I had not sold the sword yet, so it could not be helped.

Since this was to confirm my realm, a sword would do.

Vwoong.

My internal energy circulated through the Minor Heavenly Cycle, and the world slowed slightly.

Instinctively, I realized that I could pour internal energy into my sword.

As I did, the sword became sturdier and sharper, its edge radiating a fierce presence.

It was not sword qi.

Sword qi could only be used from the Peak Realm onward, when one could project qi outside the body.

Still, merely infusing a weapon with qi brought considerable benefit.

The innkeeper stared at my sword and spoke.

“You really have become first-rate. Still, we need to exchange a few moves.”

Whoosh!

The instant he finished speaking, I rushed at the old man.

Clang! Clang!

We exchanged several moves.

“Stop!”

At the innkeeper’s command, I retreated.

“Ugh... Ah, my wrist hurts. Go a little easier on this old man.”

The innkeeper grumbled as he rubbed the hand holding his broadsaber.

“Let’s go back inside. We need to process your advancement.”

We went back inside.

The wandering martial artists suddenly fell silent when the old man and I entered.

They glanced at me cautiously, reading the mood.

“Ah... It’s hard dealing with someone when you’re this old.”

The innkeeper complained as he took his seat.

“I have confirmed that he is first-rate.”

The inn became quite noisy as soon as he finished speaking.

Whispers rang out one after another, and I could feel every gaze gathering on me.

Even so, no harsh words were spoken.

They knew they might suffer for it if they got on my bad side.

“Hand over your badge. I’ll raise you to Second Grade for now. You have four jobs remaining, yes? I’ll raise you to First Grade afterward. Though I suppose it no longer means much.”

The old man was right.

Now that I had become first-rate, the grades of a wandering martial artist no longer meant much.

A first-rate martial artist who had completed the Minor Heavenly Cycle and surpassed human limits.

It was not merely that strength and reaction speed increased, or that one could infuse a sword with internal energy.

As I had felt during my spar with the innkeeper, my perception had accelerated, making time seem slightly slower.

Naturally, being within that slowed time gave one a greater advantage in battle.

That was why my feints had barely worked against first-rate martial artists before.

It was also why the term master was used from first-rate onward.

Because they had surpassed human limits.

“Come pick up your badge tomorrow. And here is your payment.”

I accepted the payment and turned around.

Every wandering martial artist in the inn avoided my gaze.

Only Ju Daegang stood and nodded at me.

Then I left the wandering martial artists’ inn.

“What will you do now?”

I spoke with Ju Daegang for a moment after he followed me outside.

“I haven’t given it much thought yet. I should spend some time getting my body in order.”

“Hmm... I see. Do you intend to continue as a wandering martial artist?”

Ju Daegang seemed a little worried.

There was a reason he asked.

There were very few first-grade wandering martial artists who were first-rate, and special-grade wandering martial artists who were in the Peak Realm.

Of course, few wandering martial artists reached those realms in the first place, but that was not the fundamental reason.

Once one became first-rate, one’s choices broadened.

The same went even more so for the Peak Realm.

Most became resident retainers of wealthy merchant groups. Some joined the secular branch of a martial sect or placed themselves under the Martial Alliance.

They could even establish a martial sect in a place like Amgok Village and practically rule the entire village.

Whatever they chose, they were guaranteed better treatment and a better life than that of a wandering martial artist.

That was why many wandering martial artists stopped taking jobs once they became first-rate.

It was retirement in all but name.

In the end, only the few wandering martial artists who disliked being tied down anywhere continued down that path.

“For the time being.”

Even so, I had no intention of making a choice right away.

I had only just entered the first-rate realm, and there were certain restrictions on what I could choose.

In the end, it was because of absorbing Yodans.

More precisely, because of the yokai aura that escaped while I absorbed them.

Those in the Peak Realm or above could sense that yokai aura even if the range of their senses was not wide, so it would be difficult to live in close proximity to them.

But I could not simply stop absorbing Yodans either.

Fundamentally, it was my greatest means of growing stronger.

“That’s a relief.”

Ju Daegang’s expression brightened at my answer.

From his perspective, we had not even been part of the same group for long. It would be a shame if it ended like this.

“Anyway, congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

“Shouldn’t we hold a celebration? Have a few drinks. Hahaha.”

Drinks... That would be nice, but there was much to do right away.

“We need to find a house first!”

“Ah! Right! Follow me.”

Only then did Ju Daegang seem to remember at So-ok’s words.

We went with him to see a broker.

The thing I cared most about when looking for a house here was its location.

It had to be far from the Peak Realm martial artists in Huangzhou.

The rooms did not need to be large, but it needed a private courtyard hidden from view.

The place we found was right next to Ju Daegang’s house.

The broker was a childhood friend of Ju Daegang’s, so we were able to get it at quite a cheap price.

“I know because I live here, but this neighborhood is better than you’d think. It’s not too poor, and the people aren’t as rough as most Huangzhou folk. If not for this friend here, it would have been hard even to find a place.”

Connections really were everything.

As Ju Daegang said, the people passing by and the children playing in the streets all had fairly bright expressions.

The atmosphere itself was completely different from my home in the slums of Yeongheung County.

At a glance, So-ok seemed to like it quite a bit as well.

After signing the contract, we headed to the market to buy household goods.

First, I went to sell my sword.

The sword itself was far better quality than the straight saber I had used, but its length and balance were entirely different. There was no need to keep using it.

Rather than adapt to a new weapon, it would be better to sell the sword and have a new straight saber made.

When we entered the forge Ju Daegang had recommended, intense heat greeted us.

“What are you looking for?”

A middle-aged blacksmith with thick arms and burn scars all over them rose from his seat upon seeing us.

“Ju Daegang sent us.”

“Daegang?”

“That’s right.”

“Hmph. Ha. That bastard. Since he sent you, I can’t exactly overcharge you. I’ll have to make him buy me a drink later.”

The blacksmith’s words were casual, as though he and Ju Daegang were quite close.

“I want to sell this.”

The blacksmith took the sword I offered and drew it.

“It’s quite well made. Good iron, properly forged. Hmm... seventy nyang. It has been maintained fairly well, but it is secondhand.”

The enormous sum of seventy silver taels came from the blacksmith’s mouth.

Unlike the modern world, this was a world without proper forging techniques.

Depending on the skill of each blacksmith, even a slight increase in a weapon’s quality could send its price soaring.

A broadsaber, with its thick blade that remained usable even if roughly made, generally cost around five silver taels.

That was why broadsabers were the weapon most commonly used by Unranked wandering martial artists.

The straight saber I had used until now had a thin blade and had to be properly made. Even though it was not of great quality, it cost around ten silver taels.

That showed how valuable this sword was.

If it had not been secondhand, it might have been worth around one hundred silver taels.

“I wish to sell that and buy other weapons. A weapon to replace mine, and a sword for this woman as well.”

“Huh? No, I’m fine!”

“No. It is my gift.”

So-ok stared blankly at me for a moment at my serious look, then nodded.

“Hmm? Let me see the sword first.”

So-ok’s sword went into the blacksmith’s hands.

“It’s cheap. And it has a few cracks, too. It will probably need to be melted down... Well, if you buy weapons here, I’ll make it eighty nyang altogether. Since you know Daegang.”

Connections really were everything.

“I would like to see a straight saber and a sword worth forty nyang each.”

“Wait a moment.”

The blacksmith went inside, and So-ok looked at me worriedly.

“It would be better to buy a more expensive straight saber for you, Brother.”

“It’s fine.”

Weapons were consumables anyway.

Unless it was an unrivaled famous sword, I believed a weapon in an appropriate price range was enough for use.

A good weapon did not make one better at killing people.

The blacksmith returned, and I picked up the straight saber he handed me.

The balance was properly set, and it was the same length as the straight saber I had used.

The handle fit snugly in my hand.