Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Sword Master City was famous in the Middle State. Its name told of how extraordinary it was. It was a dreamland for many swordsmen.
The city was full of young swordsmen carrying swords at their waists. Even their sheaths were of fine quality, both in terms of material and workmanship.
When two swordsmen met on the street and glanced at each other’s swords, one would feel lost, and the other would feel the opposite way.
This was one of the key features of the Sword Master City.
In addition, this spacious city had four city walls.
For people living in the city center, the city walls were too low to stop them from watching the sunrise or the sunset, but if they stood right beside the walls, they would find their view was blocked. Even if they looked up, they couldn’t see very far.
Besides the four city walls, there were many other high walls in the city. Crossing over each other, they formed many small cities within the city and smaller courtyards inside bigger courtyards, which was a very special thing to see.
And it was forbidden to fly at will in the city.
As a result, the wide streets were busy with traffic, like endless water flowing by.
At that moment, in a popular tea house…
A youngster was sitting by the window on the second floor. He was very thin and pale, coughing from time to time, but remarkable.
Practitioners were physically strong. They almost never caught a cold or had fevers.
They wouldn’t look like this youngster unless they had injuries from errors in practice.
“Quite an intense competition.”
The youngster was Jiang Chen. He had disguised himself when he had arrived in the Sword Master City that morning.
The news had been spread widely in the Middle State that the Flying Dragon Dynasty was recruiting generals. Many people were talking about it.
No one wanted to participate in a war, especially to serve a foreign force. It was obvious that such a force would use them as cannon fodder.
But to be a general was a different matter. It was a government post recognized by the Flying Dragon Dynasty. If they made any great contributions in the war, they would have the chance to get promoted and gain fame in the dynasty of the Realm of True Force.
Moreover, generals were paid better than soldiers.
Some people analyzed the information provided on the recruitment notice. If it was true, it would be a great chance for many people.
It would be far better than joining the Nine Great Forces of the Middle State.
That was why the competition was so intense. The Flying Dragon Dynasty only needed a few generals.
The nine forces had only been given five spots, but these wouldn’t be decided by the forces. The Flying Dragon Dynasty had told them to hold a competition to select the candidates.
Otherwise, the Infinite Sword School would have simply given these places to their own disciples.
The requirements of the competition were simple—someone below Venerable, regardless of age and gender.
Many people were discussing why only people below Venerable were wanted.
The most popular explanation was that the Flying Dragon Dynasty had suffered great losses due to spies planted by the revolutionary army, due to which they had come to the Realm of Milky to look for candidates.
Based on this information, some people assumed the dynasty would train the winners into Venerables.
This was all of the information Jiang Chen had found out during the half day.
He threw a glance at the crowd down below. There were many brilliant young people with different-colored fight loops on their sleeves.
“Azure Demon, if I become a Venerable, with the help from deva and naga, how strong will my fighting power be?” Jiang Chen asked through holy awareness.
In others’ eyes, he was just drinking tea with a heavy heart.
“I understand what you’re asking. By then, you should be able to deal with Venerables at the middle level, but only one at most each time. You know what I mean?” Azure Demon answered.
Jiang Chen nodded, almost unnoticeably. Of course, he knew what Azure Demon had meant.
He had to take it slow if he wanted to change the situation in the Dragon Field all by himself.
But he said, “Then at least I’ll be strong enough to join the fights in the Dragon Field, unlike now, when I have to stay out of it.”
“It’ll be dangerous,” Azure Demon said after a short silence.
Everything could be dangerous, but my family and friends are there, Jiang Chen thought to himself.
At this moment, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed some people stop at his table. Then he heard an articulate voice.
“Are these seats occupied?”
Jiang Chen looked over and saw energetic and pretty men and women, all of the same age and in uniforms. He supposed they were from the same group.
This was a long table meant for six or seven people. Jiang Chen was sitting there alone. It was only natural that they had asked him that.
“No. Please,” Jiang Chen said with a smile.
He felt better since he had found a goal to achieve.
“Thank you.”
The woman pulled a chair back and sat down with her companions. They ordered a pot of tea.
Soon, Jiang Chen heard them talking about the general recruitment. Just like others, they were looking forward to it.
In such an atmosphere, the cruelty and bloodiness of battlefields seemed to have been forgotten.
Jiang Chen suddenly sensed someone looking at him. He looked over and saw the woman sitting opposite him.
The woman hadn’t expected this. She looked down, smiling embarrassedly.
She was actually a pretty charming woman if one looked at her carefully. Her eyebrows were skinny and curved, and she had a pair of big eyes.
Her skin was fair and smooth, like silk.
But Jiang Chen had no idea why she had been looking at him secretly.
Feng Wei had no idea, either. Jiang Chen was nothing special with his disguise. It was his attitude that had caught her attention.
He was acting very polite. His smile and tone made her feel comfortable, but after they sat down, she found his sickly looks and simple clothes a big contrast.
She had the impression that he might have been a young master from a bankrupted family that had once been powerful.
It occurred to Feng Wei that she hadn’t been very polite, so she looked up and said in a graceful manner, “Apprentice brother, are you waiting for someone?”
Her companions were surprised. They all looked towards Jiang Chen, then they seemed more surprised.
“No, I’m alone, waiting for the start of the general recruitment,” said Jiang Chen.
“My friend, are you going to take part in the competition, too?” a man sitting beside him asked in a casual manner while checking his sleeves.
Then it seemed he had found something interesting. He signaled for his companions to look.
Soon, all of them found Jiang Chen didn’t have any fight loops. They looked at him with disdain, except for Feng Wei.
“Ahem. Ahem.”
Noticing her companions’ impoliteness, Feng Wei coughed unhappily. When they had all quieted down, she said, “Good luck, apprentice brother. You don’t look like you’re from here. May I ask your name?”
“The good thing is that we’ve met. It doesn’t matter whether we know each other or not. Why bother?” Jiang Chen didn’t even bother to give them a false name. He just smiled gently.
“It doesn’t matter whether we know each other or not?” Feng Wei was struck dumb. She became even more interested in Jiang Chen.
It was the others who felt unhappy. They wondered whether Jiang Chen knew the Fengs’ status.
“Feng Wei, you’re here! I was looking for you.”
A voice came, unafraid of any possible disturbance that it could cause others. They heard majestic footsteps, under which the wooden floor of the second story was creaking.
