World’s Best Martial Artist

October 19th.

Zhang Dingnan’s saber was personally brought by Zhang Yuqiang to MCMAU.

…

It was not a guandao like the one Fang Ping was wielding; it was a zhanmadao.

A zhanmadao was not as long and broad as a guandao. It was similar to the samurai swords the Japanese wielded. Of course, it had a longer history, having originated in the Han Dynasty.

The hilt of Zhang Dingnan’s saber was 40cm long, while the blade was 80cm.

With a total length of 1.2m, it was not a particularly long zhanmadao, but it was not short either. It was personally crafted by Zhang Dingnan himself.

Fang Ping had seen various weapons before. Sabers, spears, swords, and halberds of various grades.

The first time he laid eyes on this zhanmadao, though, Fang Ping had a clear thought: this was a Divine Weapon!

Differing from the withdrawn aura of Old Man Li’s Longevity Sword, Zhang Dingnan’s saber gave out a bitingly incisive aura!

Fang Ping felt the biting coldness emitting from it even from a distance away!

And it was unsheathed!

There was a sheath to the saber. According to Zhang Yuqiang, the sheath was not made of metal, but of the skin of a higher-ranked beast.

The skins of higher-ranked beasts could dampen the aura of the object contained within.

Like the Jiao from before. Fang Ping had almost failed to detect its presence after it had dampened its aura.

After the beast’s death, the effectiveness of this function would decrease, but it was still of use.

Despite that, despite the fact that the saber was still sheathed, Fang Ping still sensed it. The biting incisiveness. The overwhelming aura of death. The skyrocketing thirst for blood!

“Nice saber!”

Fang Ping could not help uttering these words of praise even before the saber was in his hands.

If it could be said that the sabers he used to wield were non-living objects fresh from the production lines, Zhang Dingnan’s saber felt like it had a soul even before Fang Ping received it.

The development of modern technology made weapon production easier, but it also made the weapons less alive.

Zhang Dingnan’s saber was full of life. Not only was it because it was handcrafted, but it was also because Zhang Dingnan had spent years nurturing his saber with his essence, spirit, and soul.

Zhang Yuqiang chuckled at the sight of Fang Ping’s elation. “This is a good weapon. It has killed higher-ranked creatures before!”

Fang Ping’s pupils dilated.

“After the Governor entered Rank-5, he had to borrow a huge sum of money, on top of everything he possessed, just so that he could ask someone to forge this Bandit-slaying Saber. The saber traveled to many places and has killed countless people. The day the Governor ascended to Grandmaster-level, he paid respects to this saber with the blood of a higher-ranked beast. This was also the last time he ever wielded it.”

“Are weapons of no use to Grandmasters?”

“Not really.” Zhang Yuqiang shook his head. “A Grandmaster-level powerhouse can continue to nurture his weapon, but he’ll have to reforge it. The Governor could not bring himself to do it, nor want to do so. A Grandmaster-level powerhouse’s Vitality and Mentality are one. Normal alloy weapons no longer suit them.”

Fang Ping inclined his head slightly. Zhang Yuqiang held the saber up in his two hands, saying seriously, “Fang Ping, I hope that you won’t sully the name of this Bandit-slaying Saber. Your expedition to Nanjiang two days ago has become a thing of the past, no matter what you think. The saber, it is yours now!”

Fang Ping laughed. “Of course. A good saber should be paired with a hero. The Bandit-slaying Saber will never be disgraced now that it is mine.”

As he spoke, he took the Bandit-slaying Saber from the other man, weighing it in his hands.

The saber was not that heavy, weighing about 40 Kati, but it felt extremely heavy in his hands.

Fang Ping grasped the hilt and pulled!

There was no sound!

The room temperature seemed to go down abruptly. The air was colder, in an eerie way.

The blade was not shiny. It was blackish in color and shone like it was made of black crystal.

“The Bandit-slaying Saber…” Fang Ping muttered.

Then he laughed. “No, it’ll be called the Chaos-vanquishing Saber! My Chaos-vanquishing Saber!”

Zhang Yuqiang laughed but did not say anything.

Now that the saber was in Fang Ping’s hands, it was his. He could call it whatever he wanted; that was not of any importance.

Fang Ping stopped speaking. His arm thickened instantly. As Fang Ping hacked downward, the saber shone!

Bang!

A loud noise, and in the small office next to the reception counter, there was an enormous hole on the wall!

A blade of energy!

It was not purely Vitality. His Vitality had transformed into something stronger and lethal.

“Whew!”

The sound of people running could be heard as the Martial Arts Society’s patrolling squad came.

They saw Fang Ping from the hole in the wall. They looked resigned as they said, “President, you’re fined 1 million for the damage on the wall!”

Fang Ping did not mind. He said casually, “I know. Call someone here to patch it up.”

What was 1 million to him!

Fang Ping was euphoric!

Zhang Dingnan’s custom forged saber was indeed different. It was more compatible with Zhang Dingnan’s saber combat techniques; they were stronger together.

Zhang Dingnan had wielded this saber since he had ascended to Rank-5. Some of his combat techniques had been created during Rank-5 or 6.

Rather than saying that the saber accommodated its owner, it was more accurate to say that Zhang Dingnan had altered his own combat techniques to fit his saber.

Fang Ping had not cultivated Royal Decapitation in depth yet–he had only a rough understanding of it–but the saber ended up hacking the wall a few meters away!

“This is a good saber!”

Fang Ping exclaimed again. The value of this saber encompassed way more than the 40 Kati A-grade alloy metal it was forged from.

The system had also acknowledged that the value of this saber had exceeded that of the material it was made from.

200 million!

This was the number of Wealth points the system had added to his Wealth when he got the saber.

It was rare that the system put the price of something above that of the material it was made from. This saber was an exception.

After Zhang Dingnan had nurtured this saber with his Vitality (and Mentality, even) for years, the material had transformed somewhat.

“It looks like I’ll have to give up using broader sabers.”

Fang Ping had chosen broader sabers like the fengzuidao and the guandao because they were broad, heavy, and long.

After reaching the middle ranks, though, there was no need to prioritize such qualities.

The zhanmadao was not the broadest, the longest, nor the heaviest, but what that was most important was that it suited him.

Weapons like the guandao were indeed too cumbersome to carry around.

The 1.2m long zhanmadao was more suited to that purpose.

“Brother Zhang, thank the Governor for me!”

A smile bloomed on Fang Ping’s face. Zhang Yuqiang laughed as well, noting his satisfaction, and followed up with some small talk.

The two chatted for a while before Zhang Yuqiang left quickly. He did not stay there for long.

Fang Ping scanned his stats, and his eyes shone of happiness. His Wealth was almost at 1 billion!

Wealth: 890000000

Vitality: 2000cal (2250cal+)

Mentality: 680Hz (699Hz)

Bones honed: 177 bones (100%), 29 bones (30%+)

“100 million and a little more to that goal!”

At that thought, Fang Ping sheathed the saber and marched toward the logistics department.

…

The logistics department.

Fang Ping said as soon as he entered, “Instructor, how much can I get after I sell the two pairs of boots to the department?”

They were made with the skin of higher-ranked beasts!

Old Man Li said with a smile, “How does 2000 credits sound?’

“So low?”

Fang Ping was speechless. Those boots were only 1000 credits a pair?

“Duh. The shoes have to suit its wearer. They’re custom made most of the time. Other people don’t like wearing shoes worn by others, too.

“There isn’t that much of an advantage even if they’re made from the skin of a higher-ranked beast.

“Of course, they’re tough. There’s also something: they facilitate the circulation of Vitality. There are advantages.

“Aren’t you going to save a pair for yourself?”

“I don’t wear shoes worn by other people. I don’t like it.” Fang Ping shook his head. He then said, “Instructor, 1000 credits is too low a price. They’re higher-ranked beast skin, too…”

“The school doesn’t have much use for them after taking them in. Those who should have them already have them. Those who don’t can’t afford them.”

Old Man Li laughed. “You’ve picked them up after all. Take whatever little you can. You, kid, are really asking for a lot.”

“You have a point.”

Fang Ping thought for a while. He gritted his teeth. “That’s fine too, but I don’t want credits. Can I take cash instead?”

“Sure, 20 million in cash. A credit is ten thousand yuan…”

Fang Ping was completely speechless. “Whatever, just give me the credits.”

Selling the credits later would get him the same result anyway.

Old Man Li said nothing more as he transferred 2000 credits to Fang Ping quickly. After that, Fang Ping’s Wealth was increased to 930 million.

‘I’ll exchange the credits later when I return to the Society, then I’ll have 950 million.

‘I still need 50 million. I’ll be able to earn that sum if I sell the heart essence, but this thing… Old Man Chen will want to collect it from me anytime.’

Fang Ping’s head hurt, but then at the thought of the system’s impending upgrade…

The old man would definitely give him trouble, but he could not care about it right now.

“Instructor, you said that the heart essence’s worth 50 million…”

“The school won’t purchase it.” Old Man Li shook his head. “Out of the Grandmasters on campus, the Vice-chancellor’s already past the stage when he would need this, Old Huang doesn’t use this, Old Liu would’ve taken it away that first time if he wanted it. If you really want to sell it, sell this to other Grandmasters.”

Old Man Li teased. “Aren’t you afraid of Old Chen giving you trouble after you sell it?”

“I can’t care about that now.”

Fang Ping could not think about it now. He could just think of something after the system upgrade. He was short of Wealth, not cash. If everything came to a standstill, he could just buy another with money.

Fang Ping changed the topic after he finished talking about his spoils. He said, a smile on his face, “Instructor, teach me that sword combat technique you were talking about then. I have everything but explosive moves like that one.

“Of course, it’ll be better if it was modified for a saber. One move would be enough to kill a Rank-6 warrior, if not a Rank-7 one.”

“You want to kill a Rank-7 martial artist?”

Old Man Li eyed him, sneering.

After some consideration, he said, “You won’t have any use for it even after you learn it. I’ll be honest with you. This move can’t be done whenever on your whim. Did you really think that transcending ranks was an easy task?

“Did you really think that a Rank-6 martial artist can kill a Rank-8 martial artist after learning a move?

“This move… I prepared it for a long, long time.

“It’s not a technique, so to say. Just save your energy, compress it, tamp it down, nurture it with your Vitality. Keep it inside you, converse with it.

“Wait for the moment to strike!

“It’s only for the moment!”

Fang Ping raised his brow. “I guessed. Did it require you to unite your essence, spirit, and soul, while paying a huge price, at that?”

Old Man Li laughed. “You want to transcend ranks. Isn’t paying a price the thing to do?”

“Will you die?”

“Guess?”

Fang Ping chuckled. “I won’t. You better not use it as well. I didn’t ask you this because I want to learn it. I want to learn how you accumulate your strength and increase your strength outburst. How you seem ordinary before you strike, and how you always kill when you strike!

“The essence of that move of yours is this. As for the price-paying part, I’m not going to learn that.

“I’m not his match today, but it doesn’t mean that I won’t be tomorrow.

“It isn’t worth it, paying such a huge price just to kill a strong opponent.

“Do you agree?

“Even if you killed a Rank-8 martial artist with a move, can you change the situation down under in the Catacombs?

“If I were you, I’ll kill more of those Rank-5 and 6 powerhouses, and run away when I come across a stronger opponent. Isn’t killing hundreds of middle-ranked martial artists more worth it than killing just one powerhouse?

“These middle-ranks, they might be higher-ranks someday…”

Old Man Li smiled. He did not say anything. ‘What you said is right, if one looked at it from a rational perspective, but you, kid, don’t understand that it’s the future you’re talking about. Right now, the disparity between the humans and the Catacombs is in the strength of higher-ranked warriors.’

If he had hope of ascending to Grandmaster-level, maybe, he would agree with what Fang Ping had said. If he was not a match to his opponent, he could just come back to him some other day.

Killing hundreds of middle-ranks was the same as killing a higher-rank.

Pity God did not give him that chance.

He did not answer Fang Ping’s question. He said, thinking, “I have techniques on strength accumulation and outburst magnification for you, but you need a good weapon…”

“How about this one?”

Fang Ping set his saber on the table. He laughed. “The Chaos-vanquishing Saber. This is really a good one!”

“I can see how.” Old Man Li was not surprised at the slightest. He laughed. “Don’t change its name just like that. Zhang Dingnan’s Bandit-slaying Saber has made quite a name for itself.”

“You know about this saber too?”

“I know.” Old Man Li smiled. “After ascending into Grandmaster-level, the weapons they wield are both corporeal and not. They no longer wield alloy-made weapons.

“Real weapons were only used before Rank-7!

“Weapons like these, there’s a ranking list of them circulating in the insider circles. The Weapons List or the Ten Divine Weapons everyone talks about refers to this.

“Of course, there’s no definite ranking.

“Some of those weapons are famous in those circles, though. Like Zhang Dingnan’s Bandit-slaying Saber, for example, Xu Mofu’s Killing Sword, Lion Tang’s Bloody Gloves… Of course, the most famous one’s my Longevity Sword!”

Old Man Li’s expression revealed his glee, but Fang Ping did not shower him with praise. He said instead, “The Big Lion owns a weapon?”

“Duh!”

Old Man Li was dissatisfied by his lack of reaction, but he still replied, “Lion Tang has a weapon, of course. His Bloody Gloves are quite famous. This is actually related to the power of their wielder.

“Although Lion Tang hasn’t managed to unite his essence, spirit, and soul, his nickname “Mad Lion” isn’t just for show.

“He rarely uses weapons. He’s not using any now because he wants to hone himself and reach the realm where he can unite his essence, spirit, and soul.

“When he really gets mad and dons his Bloody Gloves, that’s when you should run as far away as you can.

“Out of the Peak Rank-6 powerhouses in MCMAU, he’s the most famous. Even your mentor falls short. Unconquerable Wu is only what she calls herself; she can win against Lion Tang when he’s calm, but even she’ll have to bend under the maddened Lion…”

“But he didn’t seem too strong when he fought that Rank-6 back then… He landed a punch on that Rank-6 chasing after me but didn’t kill him. He ran away instead.”

Old Man Li shook his head. “Either the Rank-6 martial artist after you is quite strong, or he didn’t use his full strength. Of course, maybe it’s because you were in the way. Who knows what’s the real deal. Nonetheless, just don’t rile him up that much.

“The Rank-6 ranking list isn’t out yet. If it’s out, Lion Tang will be among the top ten.”

“How about you?”

“Me?”

Old Man Li said, flippantly, “Number one.”

Fang Ping was speechless. He said, after consideration, “I mean, if you didn’t use that sword technique…”

Old Man Li’s expression darkened. He did not deign to answer that question.

‘Without that move, I can’t even enter the top 100!’

Noting his silence, Fang Ping asked, “How about my mentor?”

“The top 30. That’s the limit.”

“That weak?”

Fang Ping looked surprised. Lu Fengrou was someone close to Grandmaster-level!

“Weak?”

Old Man Li harrumphed. He said, exasperated, “You know sh*t. There are three categories of Peak Rank-6 martial artists.

“The first has started to use their Mentality. People like them can be called a Peak Rank-6 martial artist, provided that their Sanjiao Gate is shut.

“The second type, their Mentalities can be used externally.

“The Mentality and Vitality of the third category of Peak Rank-6 are already united. Rank-7 is only a matter of time for them!

“Lu Fengrou’s Mentality is quite strong, even among the second category, but she’s unable to unite her Vitality and Mentality, so she can’t be said to be strong. Of course, her Mentality’s strong, so she won’t necessarily lose against a powerhouse whose Mentality and Vitality are united.

“Lion Tang can’t unite his Vitality and Mentality as well, so he should be weaker, but his Vitality is extremely robust, he’s honed his combat techniques to the zenith, and he’s also mastered his bodybuilding cultivation techniques. Although his body is not as strong as my semi-golden body, he doesn’t fall short to the average Rank-7 physique.

“If he and Lu Fengrou fight to the death, there’s a huge possibility that Lu Fengrou won’t be his match…”

“The Big Lion’s that strong…”

Fang Ping swallowed. ‘I didn’t see it!

‘Does that mean that I’ve been walking on the edge every day?’

That said, he had dared to rile Grandmasters up. The Big Lion seemed like nothing in comparison.

Old Man Li laughed at his realization. After some consideration, he said, “But this is not set in stone. There are actually a lot of Peak Rank-6 powerhouses missing down under in the Catacombs. It’s not clear whether they’re still alive. That’s why the Rank-6 ranking list isn’t published.

“Of course, if it is published, the names of those going missing won’t be included.”

Fang Ping had wanted to ask about the “semi-golden body” when Old Man Li interjected, “I can teach you the ways to accumulate strength and magnify strength outbursts in battle. As for the techniques to cultivate the semi-golden body, we’ll talk about it when the time is right.”

Old Man Li did not intend to pass it down. It was meaningless.

His semi-golden body was a result of his own wayward experimentations, which in turn were born because he had no hope of ever entering Grandmaster-level.

He did not know if Fang Ping’s learning them would be disadvantageous toward his cultivating a golden body in the future.

The Strength Accumulation Technique and Outburst Magnification Technique were also his secret techniques. Those past ten years, the years after he had completely lost hope of ascending to Grandmaster-level, he had tinkered many wayward combat techniques like those.

They were useless to the average person, though, when they did not even have a suitable weapon.

Learning those secret techniques was easier than combat techniques. Lu Fengrou’s Blood Arrow Method was one of those if one wanted to be strict about that.

Fang Ping committed Old Man Li’s words to memory.

Old Man Li had hidden something from Fang Ping, though. That was because of what Fang Ping had told him, that Fang Ping chose not to learn techniques that would shorten his lifespan.

Time passed quietly as the two asked and answered questions.

The sky was already dark when Fang Ping memorized everything.

“Tomorrow’s the top hundred’s competition. Instructor, I’ll leave now.”

“Mm.”

“How about you give me that sword of yours someday. I think double-wielding a sword and a saber suits me.”

“F*ck off!”

Fang Ping turned and left, with a smile on his face and a thought on his mind: should he steal that sword?

Without that sword, Old Man Li was merely a run-of-the-mill Peak Rank-6 martial artist. What did he want, killing those Rank-7 and 8 martial artists? Did he think they were as easily shattered as clay men?