Chapter 981
Chapter 981
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 981
Chapter Title: Radiant Ascension Path
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"I am the erudite general who serves the Western Ox Divine General. People call me White Snow Spear. I'm currently managing the Myriad Martial Tower, and I've taken charge of the trial on the first floor."
The Western Ox Divine General is one of the Four Great Divine Generals of the Jin Empire. As the name suggests, he commands the western front. For reference, the Four Great Divine Generals are among the top ten powerhouses in the empire.
"To cut to the chase... the trial on the first floor costs one nyang of gold. Pay me one nyang before the sun sets today, and I'll let you up to the second floor."
One nyang of gold is no small sum. An average commoner's monthly income is around five nyang of silver. By simple math, that's two years' worth of earnings for a commoner.
Most of the martial artists who come to the Myriad Martial Tower are ronin. Ronin have a reputation for being broke—and it's well-deserved. They don't save money when they earn it; they blow it all right away. You never know when you'll die, so they spend without regrets and go out in a blaze. That's the ronin mindset.
So it was only natural that grumbles erupted from the crowd.
"You want money just to enter the Myriad Martial Tower? Since when did this place start chasing coin?!"
"We came to conquer the tower's trials with our skills, not to throw money at it!"
"From what I heard, last year's first-floor trial was a martial duel! Why the change this time? This is my last shot at the Myriad Martial Tower!"
The place turned into a rowdy marketplace. Baewoon glanced around before stomping his foot. Boom! The thunderous crash spread outward as a threat, silencing the ronin who sensed the danger.
"Money represents value. It's the most rational measure of worth. A martial artist who can't earn one nyang of gold isn't even third-rate. I don't care how you do it—borrow it, steal it, sell your gear. Just scrape together one nyang and prove your minimum value."
"...You mean it doesn't matter how we get it?"
"But don't touch civilians. Harm any citizens of Myriad Martial City, and I'll execute you. Your head goes on display in the city square."
"......"
Baewoon's words were brutal, but he had the power to back them up.
At that moment, a group of over fifty men approached Baewoon. Their uniforms were uniform, and they stood protectively around a young man at the center.
"I'm O Jimu, young sect leader of the Threefold Sect. Here's fifty-five nyang of gold. May we proceed to the second floor of the Myriad Martial Tower?"
Baewoon handed the pouch of gold coins to a subordinate, who counted them and reported back.
"...Cleared. Go on in."
"Might I ask what the second-floor trial entails?"
"You'll find out when you get there. And you'll receive your reward for passing the first floor."
"A reward... Probably not worth as much as the one nyang of gold, right? No great expectations there."
"You're a talker. Trying to rile me up that badly?"
"My apologies. I forgot my place."
O Jimu backed down immediately. He knew there was no gain in clashing with the tower's overseer.
O Jimu and his Threefold Sect disciples slowly entered the Myriad Martial Tower. Then one man—a middle-aged martial artist—slammed face-first into an invisible wall. He couldn't enter.
"A b-barrier? What the hell?!"
"You're over fifty."
"No! I'm forty-nine this year!"
"Must be your mistake. This barrier blocks anyone fifty or older."
"I'm forty-nine!"
"Don't make a fuss. Get lost. I won't tolerate more disturbances."
"Th-then at least give back my one nyang of gold."
"Why should I? You already paid me. Scram."
"Ah... ahh..."
The man hung his head and slunk away.
I watched the whole exchange, then turned around. My Iron Five Squad members were rummaging through their pouches.
"Eugene, we've got plenty of coin. Worth raiding that Black Earth Alliance after all."
Sung Jigon held up one nyang of gold. The other ronin around us shifted their gazes. Sharp killing intent prickled from all sides as they charged at Sung Jigon en masse. Stealing money was fair game—the general had said so.
"As if."
Sung Jigon leaped into the air with a scoff.
"Jumping into the sky? You're begging to die, you idiot!"
The ronin's weapons swung upward. Sung Jigon drew his sword from his waist and swung it in a wide arc. Clang clang clang clang. The blades targeting him bounced off. He landed and swung again. This time, ronin bodies were slashed, blood spraying in fountains.
The ronin hesitated and backed away, realizing he was out of their league.
'Idiots. Sung Jigon's at the Departure Realm now. No pushovers like these can handle him.'
This area was crawling with folks who hadn't even reached Entry Style 5th Dan, let alone Departure Realm.
"Damn, that guy's the real deal."
"Target someone else!"
The ronin turned on each other. The Iron Five Squad clustered around Jin Gueon, fending off the attackers.
'Guys who brawl blindly for cash are all the same.'
Skill and wealth go hand in hand. The stronger you are, the more you earn. Real powerhouses already have their one nyang ready.
"Eugene, what now? Straight into the tower?"
"Nah, we've got till sunset for the first floor. No rush. Let's eat first. They might not feed us inside, so stock up on emergency rations too."
I watched groups hauling piles of gear into the tower. Once you're in, you don't come out unless you quit.
'I've got inventory, but the squad needs food.'
The Iron Five trusted me. For two months, I hadn't messed with them—hell, I'd looked out for them. We split the loot from bandits evenly.
'They know my strength too. They'll stick to me. Once they pass the trials, they'll get spirit herbs... so I'll kill them and take 'em.'
More herbs for me that way.
What a brilliant plan. I couldn't help but admire my own genius.
We ate, packed supplies, and headed to the tower. The entrance was quiet now—no fights, but bodies everywhere. Blood pooled on the ground, corpses strewn in corners, stripped naked. Crows and vultures pecked away gleefully.
"Gotta be at least thirty thousand dead."
"Whoa... brutal."
I looked away. Merchants had set up in the cleanest spots.
"Buying! I'll buy your goods!"
Stealing wasn't the only way to get cash.
But we had enough, so we bypassed them and approached the tower.
Baewoon sat stone-faced. I handed one nyang to his subordinate.
"Cleared."
Baewoon's eyes flicked to me, then away. Sung Jigon and the squad followed suit, each paying up.
"Cleared."
We entered the Myriad Martial Tower.
The barrier must've been the reason—the air shifted the moment we stepped in. Cool, but stifling.
A soldier inside pointed right.
"Stairs to the second floor are that way. Oh, first, claim your reward here."
"What kind of reward?"
I asked the soldier. Couldn't afford to disrespect him—his affiliation aside, his skill matched Sung Jigon's.
"Here's the list. Relics start from the seventh floor."
I checked the scroll. The first-floor martial arts and spirit herbs were all third-rate junk.
The techniques were so bad even ronin shook their heads. Only the herbs were worth picking.
'Five-year codonopsis, three-year astragalus... These have barely a pinky-nail's worth of spirit energy.'
Hardly worthy of the name spirit herb. Fifty nyang of silver could buy them easily. They had some effect, but nothing major for cultivation.
As everyone sighed in disappointment, the soldier chimed in like he'd been waiting.
"The Myriad Martial Tower's foundation and barriers are special. Herbs taken inside amplify their effects. The tower's energy rivals the world's famed spirit mountains. If you pick a herb, I recommend consuming it right away."
"Impressive, Myriad Martial Tower."
I said flatly. I'd researched it—effects boosted maybe ten percent, tops.
'Still better than nothing.'
Crunch crunch.
I popped the five-year codonopsis in my mouth and chewed.
'Worse than the herbs my Heavenly Citadel system gives weekly... Sometimes even century-old ones pop up. Sigh. This won't even register in my liver.'
No need to waste it on Radiant Ascension Path. Better to reinforce with real herbs.
Chewed it up and headed to the second floor.
Thud! Pop pop thud!
The second floor echoed with bursting sounds. I scanned quietly. Crowds were pummeling straw dummies. Many swung swords, but oddly, the dummies didn't slice.
A soldier approached.
"Second-floor trial: destroy the dummy. Break it to pass, claim your reward, and head to the third floor."
"Time limit?"
"Until that hourglass runs out."
He pointed to a massive hourglass on the wall.
'That gives us about three days.'
We took positions at dummies. I threw a punch.
Thwack!
The dummy shook faintly.
'Held back, but enough to knock out a man... and all it does is wobble? Not your average dummy.'
Special material or enchanted. I figured the latter—no one wastes rare stuff on dummies.
Crackle.
Lightning sparked between thumb and forefinger. I zapped it. Flames flickered—then died.
'No exploits allowed, huh?'
I clenched my fist and hammered it ten times harder. The dummy rocked wildly, cracks spiderwebbing its surface. They mended on their own.
'Gotta exceed a damage threshold, game-style.'
Boring once I figured it out.
I poured internal energy into my fist and unleashed an uppercut.
Kaboom!
The impact roared. The dummy ripped free and smashed into the ceiling, stuck fast. Eyes turned my way.
"What're you staring at, you worthless shits."
I raised my fist and growled. They snapped back to their dummies.
I glanced at Sung Jigon—no worries there. He'd breeze through.
He glared at his dummy, fists raised.
"Hoo..."
Exhaling low, he dove in, hammering away.
Papapapapapop!
Relentless punches. Cracks formed. Before they healed, more blows landed. The dummy crumbled bit by bit.
Sung Jigon stopped just shy of total destruction.
"Eugene, this is kinda fun. Good training too. Mind if I play around a bit?"
"Don't overdo it."
He'd pass easy. Jin Gueon too. The rank-and-file might take longer, though.
'If they can't handle this, ditch 'em.'