Staying Alive Cautiously in the Celestial Realm and Becoming the Strongest

Wang Chen had actually misunderstood one thing.

It was that the Confucian-capped man did not care about the so-called "Art of Concealing Weapons", even dismissing it as a Martial World deception.

But the intent to take down Wang Chen was crystal clear.

Having witnessed Wang Chen slay several interceptors, the Confucian-capped man had a high regard for his strength. Therefore, despite the air of superiority he projected, he did not underestimate Wang Chen.

"Bold move!"

As Wang Chen hurled the long saber towards him, the Confucian-capped man bellowed deeply and drew his own sword in a flash, instantly blocking and deflecting the incoming weapon.

Clang!

The clash of blade and sword resounded with a clear and piercing tone.

The Confucian-capped man's expression became serious, his longsword shimmering like a pool of autumn water, its chilling sharpness forbidding.

The sword and the man seemed to merge into one!

From a young age, he had studied literature and practiced swordsmanship; his skill in sword arts was profound, having defeated many peers.

Watching Wang Chen charge towards him, a sneering smile curled on the lips of the Confucian-capped man.

He guessed that Wang Chen surely wanted to catch him off guard with the Art of Concealing Weapons after closing the distance.

However, with his guard up, how could such Martial World tricks possibly succeed?

But in the next moment, the Confucian-capped man's smile froze on his face.

For when the distance between them narrowed to about five steps, Wang Chen suddenly struck out with both palms.

An invisible palm force surged towards the Confucian-capped man with the ferocity of an overwhelming tide!

How was this possible!!!

The Confucian-capped man was shocked to his core.

He thought he had given Wang Chen enough credit, but reality proved that Wang Chen's strength far exceeded his expectations.

With no time for regrets, the Confucian-capped man could only cross his sword in front of him, forcibly resisting Wang Chen's fierce palm force.

Bang!

The longsword in the Confucian-capped man's hand suddenly bent, striking hard against his own chest, the sound of breaking ribs followed, and his body flew backward like a kite with a severed string.

In truth, with the Confucian swordsman's prowess, if he had played to his strengths of swordsmanship in fighting Wang Chen, it certainly wouldn't have been a one-move defeat.

Yet he underestimated Wang Chen, and for that, he paid with his life!

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Two Harpoon Spears infused with the power of the Evil Wheel shot forth, pinning the yet-to-land Confucian-capped man alive to the ground.

One spear in the chest, another in the lower abdomen, creating a grotesquely twisted posture.

But this Confucian-capped man amazingly did not die on the spot; bleeding from his mouth, nose, eyes, and ears, he used his last breath to say, "You, you wait... I, my…"

His words were cut off as his head tilted, and he fell silent.

Wang Chen snorted, bending down to pick up the longsword that had fallen to the ground.

Holding the sword in hand, he flicked his fingers, and the blade vibrated, emitting a clear and pleasing ring, with sword light spreading fiercely.

"Fine sword!"

Wang Chen praised, then he removed the scabbard from the confucian-capped man's waist.

He sheathed the sword.

In consideration of the gift of a fine sword, Wang Chen gave him special treatment—burying him deep in the mountain forest.

Ironically, Wang Chen didn't even know the man's name.

As for those others before, he left them to the wilderness, to be dealt with by beasts or kindhearted passersby.

Along the lengthy mountain path, Wang Chen continued onward.

The journey onwards was very smooth, and he encountered no obstacles or troubles until he saw the county city nestled at the foot of the mountains in the distance.

Yan City was not large, with a population of perhaps tens of thousands judging by its architectural layout, but to avoid unnecessary trouble, Wang Chen still put on the human skin mask given to him by Zhang Weiran before entering the city.

The thing was quite ingenious, though it was not very comfortable to wear on the face; the skin would feel itchy when it started to sweat.

And he couldn't scratch it, or he risked tearing it.

Mainly because Ling Zhiyuan's face was too recognizable, and Wang Chen was not skilled in the art of disguise, he had no choice but to use this mask to temporarily avoid the risk of being wanted and arrested.

He rested in Yan City for one night.

Afterwards, he spent all but a fraction of the silver taels he carried on him.

He purchased only two sets of new clothes and boots, as well as food, drink, and provisions for the road, the most costly of which was a horse for transportation, setting Wang Chen back by a whole 127 silver taels!

Jiangyuan City was not within Jingnan Prefecture, and there was over a thousand li to Yan City. Although there were official roads to travel on, walking such a long distance on foot was purely masochistic.

Wang Chen couldn't be bothered to take a ride with a merchant caravan or a post station carriage, he simply picked out a horse from a local horse trading business.

These horses were truly expensive, even the worst nag cost thirty to forty silver taels, and because Yan City was a small place, there weren't many options to choose from in the horse trading businesses.

He could only buy the most expensive one.

The owner of the horse trading business was rarely able to encounter a major customer like Wang Chen and gave him a complete set of horse gear and a map as a bonus.

It did save Wang Chen some trouble.

Riding this high-priced mount, Wang Chen sped toward Jiangyuan City, thousands of li away.

When the hoofbeats crossed the Prefecture Boundary Stele, he couldn't help but look back.

This journey spanned thousands of li; he didn't know when he would be able to return.

But Wang Chen would definitely come back!

He traveled day and night through the wind and rain, nearly running his mount into the ground, and after five days, he reached Jiangyuan City.

This pace and efficiency made Wang Chen particularly miss his Flying Warship and Flying Sword; it felt like going back to ancient times from the modern world, where inconveniences were everywhere.

Luckily, there were no complications on this stretch of the road, although he nearly took the wrong path several times, he ultimately arrived safely at his destination.

Outside Jiangyuan City, Wang Chen took off the human skin mask.

He had come to Jiangyuan City to join the Blood Cloak Guard, and if he were to go to the Capital Guard Yamen with that mask on, he'd likely end up in jail under severe torture.

Such a mask might fool the ordinary people but would never deceive the experts of the Blood Cloak Guard!

Before entering the city, Wang Chen sold his mount to a passing merchant caravan, getting fifty silver taels in return.

The price was so low because he had worn the horse out a bit too much, and besides, they needed to make a profit.

Wang Chen mainly wanted to avoid the hassle and get rid of it quickly.

Jiangyuan City, being the Prefectural City of Taiping Prefecture, surpassed the Prefectural City of Anyang in both size and prosperity.

Wang Chen did not linger in the bustle of this large city; upon entering, he hired a carriage and went straight for the Capital Guard Yamen.

The Capital Guard Yamen in Jiangyuan City was located in the heart of the city, adjacent to the Prefect Mansion Yamen, and opposite the Prefectural Prince Mansion.

The bright vermilion gates were very eye-catching.

"If you want to lodge a complaint, go to the Prefect Mansion Yamen over there," Wang Chen was stopped at the entrance, and the other party, expressionless, pointed at the nearby Prefect Mansion Yamen: "We don't handle that here."

"I'm here to enlist as a guard," Wang Chen immediately produced the copper token given to him by Zhang Weiran: "Please allow me through."

"Eh?" The gatekeeper took the token, glanced at it, and his expression showed surprise: "Where did you get this token?"

His tone became stern!

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The first update is delivered.