Chu Huaixu put on the ăGame Helmetă, then opened his eyes.
The environment before him changed instantly, and he felt the scene in front of him slightly dim.
It was a night of torrential rain.
At this moment, he wore a short blade at his waist, held an oil-paper umbrella in his hand, and stood on a forest path.
The scent of rain mixed with soil rushed into his nostrils, making him feel all the more awake.
Dark clouds filled the night sky, and not even a trace of moonlight could be seen.
Chu Huaixu frowned, raised his right hand which wasnât holding the umbrella, brought his index and middle fingers together, and made a slash in the air upwards.
In the next moment, the entire world became noticeably brighter!
Everything in front of him suddenly became clearer.
Just as Chu Huaixu was about to examine his surroundings, a figure darted out from the dense forest ahead.
That person also held an oil-paper umbrella and wore black tight-fitting clothes, the only difference being the long blade at his waist.
Oh right, he also held his umbrella quite low, so from Chu Huaixu's angle, only most of his face could be seenâjust like a close-up shot in a movie.
So, Chu Huaixu silently lowered his umbrella a bit too.
The man who had emerged from the forest already had his right hand on the hilt of his long blade.
His voice was slightly hoarse, and it sounded like there was phlegm stuck in his throat:
"I advise you to do nothing. Come back with me now and be thrown into the ăHeavenly Prisonă."
After speaking, the stubbled man added another sentence:
"Of course, you do have a second choice."
"Give me fifty taels of silver."
After he finished, he stepped slightly aside to show he was letting him pass.
Upon hearing this, Chu Huaixu lowered the umbrella even further.
Rain poured down noisily, beating against the oil-paper umbrella. In the dark of night, his expression couldn't be clearly seen.
âFifty taelsâthatâs about the same purchasing power as over fifty thousand yuan on Earth,â Chu Huaixu calculated mentally.
Spending over fifty thousand to avoid jail, or even to save one's life, didn't seem that expensive.
But he wasnât sure if the current âhimâ even had that kind of wealth.
So, he began searching himself for money.
To his surprise, he actually pulled out a banknote worth one hundred taels from his chest.
âHuh? Seems like this timeâs ăStarting Scenarioă isnât simple,â he thought.
Chu Huaixu lifted the oil-paper umbrella slightly, raised an eyebrow at the man, held up the hundred-tael note, and asked seriously:
âWait⌠can you make change?â
The stubbled man also raised his umbrella, his eyes suddenly turning sharper.
His original idea was to see what this kid was carrying.
Most people wouldnât carry all their valuables on them.
Just robbing the silver on his person? That wouldnât be enough.
Basically, he didnât just want the walletâhe wanted everything in the ăBankă too.
But to his shock, this brat was actually carrying such a large denomination note!
The stubbled man licked his dry lips and said in that phlegm-stuck voice: âI used to be suspicious about your identity, but nowâŚâ
âShingâ!â The man suddenly drew the long blade from his waist!
He grinned viciously at Chu Huaixu, umbrella in his left hand, blade in his right, and took two steps forward.
âI just donât get why theyâd send a ăFalse Spirit Embryoă like you, a mere mortalâwhatâs the point?â
The current times were special. A great catastrophe was approaching, and the era of ăUniversal Cultivationă had already begun.
Anyone with even a hint of ăSpirit Embryoă potential could step into cultivation and become a cultivator.
This man appeared older, yet hadnât stepped through the cultivation doorâhe was clearly a ăFalse Spirit Embryoă.
Listening to the manâs words, Chu Huaixu tilted his head slightly and looked at him sideways:
âBuddy, arenât you the same?â
Laughableâhe was a ăFalse Spirit Embryoă too, and still looking down on others?
The stubbled manâs eyes grew even more sinister, his face showing anger.
In earlier times, the right to cultivate was monopolized by sects, dynasties, and noble families, keeping the class hierarchy intact.
Ordinary people had no chance unless they were exceptionally gifted.
Now, due to the coming catastrophe, the era of ăUniversal Cultivationă had opened.
But under such circumstances, being a ăFalse Spirit Embryoă was especially cruel.
Besides ăBody Trainingă, there were no other options.
Yet trying to break into cultivation through ăBody Trainingă was like climbing to heaven!
The effort required was a hundred, even a thousand times more than those with true ăSpirit Embryoă potential!
So to this man, the ăSpirit Embryoă was something he envied deeply.
He dreamed of becoming a cultivator.
His rage surged instantly, and his grip on the blade tightened.
But before slashing, he still wanted to get in a few insults.
After all, cutting someone was one thingâtrash talk was another.
âYeah, Iâm a ăFalse Spirit Embryoă too.â
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âBut I never thought of sneaking into the ăDao Gateă with a lowly ăFalse Spirit Embryoă.â
âYou useless wasteâdo you even know your worth? Donât tell me youâre relying on your delicate looks to... get in the back door?â He licked his upper lip.
Chu Huaixu listened and digested the information.
âSneak into the ăDao Gateă?â He caught onto that keyword.
Strictly speaking, ăFalse Spirit Embryoesă really couldnât be admitted into the ăDao Gateă.
However, a smile appeared on Chu Huaixuâs face, and he spoke words the other man couldnât understand at all:
âDonât ask.â
âIâm a ăStudent-Athleteă.â
......
......
The rain kept falling.
The stubbled man wondered if he had water in his brainâor if the other guy did.
He was completely lost.
But then, the other party moved!
Chu Huaixu also drew the short blade from his waist.
âRainy night, blade, umbrella, huh?â he muttered to himself.
Then, he tossed the umbrella aside.
The short blade left its sheath!
The heavy rain battered his body as Chu Huaixu stepped forward with his blade, splashing muddy water from the puddles with his first step.
âBold!â the stubbled man roared in anger, tossing aside his umbrella as well.
The long blade slashed forward with fierce momentum, using a wide, aggressive style.
The blades clashed, and Chu Huaixu felt his tigerâs mouth tremble.
Clearly, the other man was far stronger!
No doubt, this stubbled man had trained his body.
He just hadnât broken through that first cultivation barrier yet.
âInteresting ăStarting Scenarioă,â Chu Huaixu thought.
But seriously, this old and still trash-talkingâwas this all your ăBody Trainingă got you?
âThis is it?â
The short blade suddenly flicked upward!
The stubbled man was shocked.
He couldnât understandâwhy couldnât he land a hit on this young man, who had neither great strength, nor speed, nor a tough body?
If it were just one close dodge, he might chalk it up to luck.
But every time?
And the angles of his strikes, and the precisionâwere terrifying.
It felt like he had freakishly perfect control over his body!
âWhy?â the stubbled man couldnât comprehend.
A bad feeling crept over him.
âIf he hits me even once, itâll be a vital spot. Iâll definitely die!â
And he was right.
Because just as that thought surfaced, the short blade drew a red line across his neck.
ââYou were right. Happy now?
After slitting his throat, Chu Huaixu kicked the man hard in the abdomen, sending him flying to maintain a safe distance in case he did anything while dying.
The man collapsed on the ground, twitching, clutching his throat tightly, but the blood still wouldnât stop.
ââThe situation was settled.
The rain washed over his body. Chu Huaixu lowered his head slightly, sheathed his blade, and said calmly:
âIf youâre bad, practice more.â
......
......
Chu Huaixu walked forward a few steps, picked up the oil-paper umbrella heâd thrown, then shook it to get rid of the water.
He thought he looked really cool just now.
But soon after, he became confusedâand then annoyed, bewildered, suspicious, all at once.
âWhat the hell! Whereâs the damn ăLog Oută button?!â
......