Chapter 1: Nine Yang Divine Skill

The mountain wind howled, and withered branches trembled, creaking like painful groans. A dilapidated temple stood on the mountainside. Its walls were mottled and peeling, revealing incomplete stones beneath the fallen mud plaster.

Inside the crumbling temple, a bonfire glowed.

A corpse lay on the ground, and beside it stood a young man holding a saber. His expression was stern, and a black cloth covered his eyes, making him appear blind.

Next to the young man, a girl was panting heavily.

The girl turned the corpse over and exclaimed in surprise, "Brother, we might be rich! This person… he looks like Zhou Tong, the serial rapist wanted by the authorities with a 300 tael bounty!"

"It is him."

"But you can't see, how are you so certain?"

"I just know," the young man offered no explanation. He simply dropped his saber to the ground and said, "Cut off his head. We'll go back to Linjiang City and collect the reward."

The young man was Gu Mo, and he was blind. The reason he was so certain the killed man was the wanted serial rapist was because, at that moment, a system panel had appeared in his mind:

Slay Three-Star Wanted CriminalReceive Three-Star Reward – Max-Level Nine Yang Divine SkillClaim?...

At that moment, Gu Mo's inner world was far from as calm as he appeared; on the contrary, he was incredibly excited.

His golden finger — his cheat system — had finally arrived.

He had awakened his past-life memories three days ago, and those three days had been filled with dread and unease, making life extremely difficult.

This was a highly dangerous martial arts world, rife with killings and conflicts. Although he was a martial artist, he was also blind, forced to live in darkness, and his martial arts skills had almost atrophied.

In fact, Gu Mo hadn't always been blind. He was once the youngest escort at the Changfeng Escort Agency in Linjiang City, renowned for his exquisite saber technique. He was a celebrated young talent in the martial arts world around Linjiang City and was even considered the youngest chief escort in the agency's century-long history.

However, a month ago, during his final escort mission as a standard escort before his promotion to chief, he encountered a group of bandits. During the skirmish, he was struck by a poison master's attack. While he narrowly survived, his eyes became permanently blind due to the untreated poison.

Overnight, his path to renown in the martial arts world came to an abrupt halt. A rising star had fallen, and he was no longer able to care for himself.

Gu Mo was consumed by frustration. He had spent all his savings on treatment, and at this critical time, the Changfeng Escort Agency, showing no regard for martial ethics, forcibly expelled him.

When he tried to reason with them, he was met with humiliation. Enraged, he vomited blood and fainted. It was during this dazed state that he awakened his past-life memories, comprehended the mysteries of rebirth, and recalled both his previous and current lives.

Fortunately, despite his debilitated state, his younger sister, Gu Chuxia, with whom he had depended on since childhood, remained devoted. After he awoke, they discussed returning to their hometown, leaving the martial arts world behind for good.

Given his current circumstances, he naturally didn't object. He readily agreed to leave Linjiang City with his sister.

After a day's journey, they arrived at the dilapidated temple, planning to rest for the night. To their surprise, someone was already inside.

Gu Mo, a seasoned escort with extensive experience in the martial arts world, smelled blood upon entering, even though he was blind. He instantly deduced that the temple's occupants were also martial artists. Out of caution, he subtly signaled his sister to leave, hoping to avoid any trouble.

However, the people inside, as skittish as startled birds, were incredibly sensitive. Seeing Gu Mo and his sister preparing to leave, they suddenly launched an attack.

Fortunately, Gu Chuxia, like Gu Mo, had trained in martial arts since childhood. Although her skills weren't as refined as her brother's, they were formidable. Her reaction was swift, and she immediately engaged the assailant, though she could only barely fend him off, constantly in peril.

The assailant, seeing that Gu Mo was blind, lowered his guard against him. This lapse in vigilance created the perfect opportunity for Gu Mo.

Despite his blindness, Gu Mo and his sister had relied on each other since childhood and had developed an incredibly close understanding. Guided by Gu Chuxia, he suddenly struck, catching the enemy off guard and killing him with a single saber blow.

As the man fell, a system prompt sounded in Gu Mo's mind, informing him that the slain individual was indeed Zhou Tong, the notorious serial rapist who had recently caused a stir throughout Linjiang City.

His system was a 'Saber Catcher' system, effectively a bounty hunter system.

Its function was straightforward: apprehending and slaying wanted criminals would grant rewards. These rewards could be martial arts skills, divine weapons, rare treasures, or other items.

The system would rate each task and provide a reward corresponding to its difficulty level.

Zhou Tong was rated a three-star target by the system, and the reward was none other than the max-level Nine Yang Divine Skill.

...

Inside the dilapidated temple, the bonfire continued to burn.

Gu Chuxia quickly severed Zhou Tong's head, then tore off his long robe to wrap it. "Brother," she asked, "should we stay here until dawn, or leave now?"

"Can you see the path clearly?"

"The moon is bright."

"Then let's go," Gu Mo replied. "Zhou Tong has been the most prominent wanted criminal in Linjiang City recently, and many bounty hunters are tracking him. We simply got lucky. This man was injured before, and his wound is still bleeding, indicating a fresh injury. It's highly likely there are other bounty hunters nearby, perhaps even a group. It's better for us to put some distance between us and them to avoid any conflict."

"Okay."

Gu Chuxia was no martial arts novice; she knew Zhou Tong's head was valuable. If they encountered other bounty hunters, it was highly probable someone would be tempted by the reward. Three hundred taels of silver was certainly worth fighting for.

Immediately, Gu Chuxia took Gu Mo's hand, and they departed.

Gu Mo hadn't dared to claim the reward immediately, unsure if it would trigger any unusual phenomena.

They walked a considerable distance with Gu Chuxia leading the way, until they found a mountain cave.

Once inside the cave, Gu Mo communicated with the system again and claimed his reward.

In that instant, Gu Mo's entire body grew warm. An incredibly potent, scorching, and vibrant internal energy surged into him like a raging tide. This energy roared and pulsed, freely coursing through his meridians.

Most critically, profound insights and cultivation methods of the Nine Yang Divine Skill continuously flooded his mind. This knowledge was etched deep into his soul, like a brand.

In mere moments, he had mastered the perfected Nine Yang Divine Skill. There were no strange phenomena or discomfort; everything felt as natural and seamless as if he had cultivated it himself over many years, a truly effortless achievement.

Gu Mo was overjoyed. He, of course, knew of the Nine Yang Divine Skill.

Upon mastery, its internal energy would be self-sustaining and boundless, automatically generating protective *qi* that rendered the user nearly invulnerable. Furthermore, the Nine Yang internal energy was of exceptionally high quality, possessing the effect of cleansing meridians and marrow. Not only did it have powerful healing properties, but it also made the user virtually immune to all poisons and granted an almost cheat-like level of comprehension.

At the same time, he felt his surroundings had changed. More accurately, his perception had become incredibly acute.

Previously, his blindness had dulled his other senses; he could only hear people speak, and his consciousness remained shrouded in darkness. But this moment was different.

He could clearly perceive his sister's presence beside him, even visualizing her outline in his mind. He could also sense something subtly swaying outside the cave behind him. Furthermore, his hearing had intensified manyfold, allowing him to precisely pinpoint a bird landing on a branch ten feet away.

This was an ability only attained when internal energy reached a state of perfection.

The martial arts of this world were magnificent, yet unlike novels, there were no clear-cut cultivation realms. After all, everyone specialized in different paths: some focused on body hardening, others primarily on internal energy, some on swordsmanship, and others on saber techniques. There was a wide variety, even including poison and hidden weapons. Moreover, even within the same broad discipline, different martial arts practices led to different levels of attainment, making fixed realm divisions impossible.

For instance, Gu Mo himself, being young, didn't have exceptionally high internal energy cultivation, perhaps only third-rate in the martial arts world. However, his internal energy was explosive, and combined with his exquisite saber technique, he could contend with some well-established first-rate masters, even gaining the upper hand for a short period.

Therefore, a martial artist's standing in this world was solely determined by their personal martial cultivation.

And at this very moment, with the Nine Yang Divine Skill perfected, Gu Mo could leverage its inherent properties, such as self-generating protective *qi* and boundless internal energy. These traits allowed him to absolutely rival, and even surpass, most internal energy masters in the world.

Furthermore, the Nine Yang Divine Skill's almost supernatural comprehension allowed him to instantly elevate his saber technique to a higher realm, also achieving mastery.

In that moment, Gu Mo's heart settled. Before this, he had been filled with profound apprehension, being blind in a dangerous martial arts world, he lacked any sense of security. But now, he felt a newfound confidence.

With the perfected Nine Yang Divine Skill, even as a blind man, as long as he remained cautious and guarded against insidious tactics, he wouldn't need to be overly concerned. He no longer felt as though he was constantly facing mortal danger.

The most crucial point was that his internal energy's perfection had dramatically enhanced his perception and hearing. While he still couldn't see, he now possessed a unique form of "sight," no longer needing to hesitate with every step.

The night passed. As dawn broke, Gu Mo and Gu Chuxia ate some dry rations, then resumed their journey towards Linjiang City.