I became a Sword Emperor in the Martial Arts World

Chapter 212 Staged Accidents: The Fastest Way to Become Famous

After paying the fee, Ye Qingzhou and Huang Liwen were able to pass through the city gate and enter the outer city area.

Huajian City is divided into two main areas: the inner city and the outer city. The outer city is further divided into well-organized market towns of varying sizes, some offering accommodation and others providing food and beverage services. All the basic functions a city should have are available here.

The shops along the street were filled with the sounds of vendors calling out their wares, all using this traditional method to attract customers.

The ironware market was particularly bustling, as the Rakshasa Kingdom was rich in wrought iron, a highly sought-after forging material that attracted caravans from many other races to trade there.

The language here is the ancient Dongji language, and the pronunciation is different from that of the present-day Dongji Kingdom. Fortunately, Ye Qingzhou and Huang Liwen can communicate telepathically, so there is no need to worry about language barriers.

Huang Liwen lamented, "It seems that because of the development of martial arts, the level of civilization here is very low, and technology simply cannot develop."

The situation in the outer city was relatively better; the area outside the city walls was a true hell on earth, with mountains of garbage, corpses on the streets, and an extremely harsh living environment—a breeding ground for disease and plague.

The lower classes of the Rakshasa Kingdom live at an extremely low standard of living. Many Rakshasa men are emaciated and have numb expressions. They can only barely make a living by working as laborers in the dock area.

As for the women of the Rakshasa tribe, their lives are slightly better, but that is still achieved by selling their bodies.

This scene perfectly illustrates what it means for "all beings to suffer".

Even someone as hard-hearted as Ye Qingzhou, stepping from the civilized world into feudal society, felt a pang of emotion: "The gap in combat power between the lower and upper classes of the Rakshasa Kingdom is too great, making any social change difficult. Therefore, the rigid class structure that has existed for thousands of years has remained unbroken, leading to all of this."

Although Earth's technological development is far behind that of the martial arts experts in Kunlun Cave Heaven in terms of high-end combat power, the development of productivity has directly widened the gap in living standards among the common people.

In particular, the Eastern Pole Country boasts unparalleled social welfare benefits on the entire planet. It can be said that for ordinary people, being born in the Eastern Pole Country means you've already surpassed most other people on the planet.

"Let's find a place to stay first."

Ye Qingzhou was kind-hearted and couldn't bear to see the tragic plight of the common people in the Rakshasa Kingdom outside the city, so he closed his eyes and quickened his pace to leave the area near the city gate.

The entrance fee of one knife coin is enough to keep out all the destitute.

Afterwards, Ye Qingzhou rented a house with a small courtyard in the city. The rent was charged daily, one knife coin per day, which was so expensive it made people's scalps tingle.

"Ten thousand yuan a day? Are we staying in a presidential suite or something?"

Huang Liwen glanced at the dilapidated house in the yard. Not only did it lack a color TV, refrigerator, and air conditioner, but it also lacked running water. To fetch water, one had to go to the public well and pay per bucket.

What's even worse is the toilets; the houses here don't have toilets at all, not even dry toilets!

They used wooden barrels!

Ye Qingzhou took it in stride: "It's not like I'm asking you to pay anything. Besides, the purchasing power of currency varies from place to place. For many professional martial artists, they'd be quite happy to spend 100,000 yuan to stay here."

It must be said that although the living conditions in Huajian City are a bit poor, the spiritual energy here is extremely rich, which is very beneficial for cultivating martial arts.

If one can settle down permanently, the speed of cultivation improvement is very fast, so 100,000 yuan is not expensive, which is the price of buying 20 Iron Feather Chickens.

"Brother Wen, quickly sense the location of the treasure."

"Give me the jade scepter and the seal with the character '斗' (dou) on it."

Ye Qingzhou took the treasure out of the gilded jade gourd and let Huang Liwen hold it in his hand.

Although Huang Liwen couldn't understand the profound mathematical knowledge in "Qimen Dunjia", he still gained a kind of mysterious intuition by relying on his identity as a descendant of the Yellow Emperor, and was able to "calculate" the positions of the other nine seals.

"I sensed it!"

Huang Liwen held the jade scepter in his right hand and the Dou character seal in his left. After meditating cross-legged for a moment, he showed a joyful expression and then pointed to the northwest.

"..."

Ye Qingzhou was speechless: "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely, definitely, and without a doubt!"

"Things have gotten complicated."

Ye Qingzhou felt a headache coming on: "That's the inner city. With our current status, we probably can't get in."

The inner city of Huajian City is the noble district, where only the powerful, their families, and servants can live.

As for sneaking in?

The inner city is heavily guarded, with hundreds of master-level martial artists and over two thousand ordinary soldiers who possess professional-level skills.

In addition, the high-ranking officials in the city are basically all grandmaster-level experts, and the city lord himself is said to have the cultivation of a martial saint, capable of cutting a ten-mile-wide river in half with a single slash.

With such a lineup, Ye Qingzhou would not dare to infiltrate unless he was tired of living.

It should be noted that although the Rakshasa Kingdom reveres women, it is, after all, a true warrior nation, with every citizen a soldier and countless experts.

Ye Qingzhou had no choice but to abandon his idea of ​​forcibly breaking in and seizing the treasure. He was still young and didn't want to die young.

Huang Liwen said, "I have a feeling that as long as we collect all nine characters of the mantra, we can activate the power of the Jade Scepter and sense the location of the Xuanyuan Sword."

"Brother Wen, I only need to collect seven Dragon Balls to make a wish to Shenron, and you want me to collect the Nine Syllable Mantra? Thumbs down!"

"That's not something I can control."

Huang Liwen rolled his eyes at Ye Qingzhou, annoyed. "So, you're planning to give up?"

That's the Holy Sword Xuanyuan! How could Ye Qingzhou possibly give it up?

No matter how difficult, he was determined to obtain such a peerless weapon. His gaze turned towards the inner city, and Ye Qingzhou's eyes deepened: "It seems the only option is to outsmart them."

After two days, Ye Qingzhou finally obtained a useful piece of information from the local residents.

"The Queen of the Rakshasa Kingdom will marry a human king after the Divine Sword Festival. This is our opportunity. Now, in order to go to the royal city to participate in the sword offering ceremony, the city lord is planning to invite the city's most renowned craftsmen to a banquet."

"Sacred Sword Festival?"

Huang Liwen asked with great curiosity, "Is this considered a holiday?"

"More or less."

Ye Qingzhou was also silently calculating in his heart, and then revealed his plan: "In the Rakshasa Kingdom, the High Priest and the Queen hold the highest positions, followed by the powerful warriors of the kingdom. And if warriors want to defeat their enemies on the battlefield, they need a good weapon, and that's where the Divine Blade Sacrifice comes from."

In the Kingdom of Rakshasa Women, artisans who can forge weapons hold a very high status. Even if you are of commoner origin, as long as you can forge a good knife, you can become a guest of honor of the nobles.

After sensing it more than ten times over several days, Ye Qingzhou and Huang Liwen confirmed that the "行" character seal in the Nine True Word Seals was located in the City Lord's Mansion.

"My plan is to first obtain an invitation, and then become a guest of honor at the city lord's mansion. In this way, I should have the opportunity to use the pretext of presenting the sword to enter and leave the mansion's treasury and obtain the official seal."

Ye Qingzhou was very confident about this.

"Is...is there enough time?"

Huang Liwen was worried about the lack of time, since the Divine Blade Festival had already begun, while Ye Qingzhou was still an unknown nobody in Huajian City.

"Quick, there's a quick way to play."

Ye Qingzhou remained very calm, because he already had a plan in mind.

…………

Outer city district, ironware market.

A massive high wall separated the inside from the outside.

Outside, there are grand streets lined with old trees.

Inside, there are houses arranged in a staggered and orderly fashion, with terraces and pavilions.

The Kingdom of Rakshasa has a strict hierarchical system; only royalty and nobles are entitled to have their doors facing the main street. Ordinary markets, on the other hand, are like fortresses, guarding the lord's mansion.

The ironware market sold a large number of metal products and attracted many merchants, hence it was also known as the gold market.

The Lanxiangfang, located next to the Ironware Market, is a brothel specializing in prostitution. Even at night, there are beautiful Rakshasa women dressed in only a few strips, their bellies exposed, performing hot dances.

For visiting merchants, Rakshasa's dance was exotic and captivating. So even late at night, the Lanxiangfang was filled with red candles and laughter.

As Ye Qingzhou entered the ironware market, his ears twitched slightly, and he heard various clanging sounds coming from all directions.

The market is divided into four sections by two intersecting streets in a cross shape, and on both sides of the streets are shops selling various metal products.

Especially swords, the snow-white steel knives are hung on the shelves with straw ropes, like wind chimes. When the wind blows, they make a clear, tinkling sound.

Ye Qingzhou stopped in front of a knife shop.

"Sir, would you like to buy a knife?"

A shopkeeper whose smile was uglier than a cry approached Ye Qingzhou. He was a member of the Rakshasa tribe and had a face that could stop children from crying at night.

Ye Qingzhou casually picked one out: "How much is this knife?"

When the shopkeeper saw that Ye Qingzhou was from out of town, he narrowed his eyes and pretended to be honest and simple, saying, "It's not expensive, ten dollars a piece. This is top-quality refined steel. Look at the pattern on it, isn't it beautiful?"

Ye Qingzhou found the other party's offer to be ridiculous.

The steel knife in his hand wasn't even ten times refined, let alone a hundred times refined. It wouldn't even be suitable as a kitchen knife on Earth, yet he dared to ask for ten knife coins.

They really think they're easy targets!

"Is the blade of your knife made of gold, or the handle? How dare you ask me for ten knife coins?"

"Hey!"

The knife shop owner immediately flew into a rage, his ugly face contorting into a menacing expression as he glared at Ye Qingzhou: "Look around, where can you find refined steel these days? This is all ancestral craftsmanship, a unique art form, don't you understand? You think it's too expensive? I think it's too expensive too!"

"Alright, then pick a good one for me."

"Okay."

The knife shop owner's expression immediately became amiable. He quickly selected a snow-white steel knife and handed it to Ye Qingzhou: "Sir, here is the hundred-refined steel knife you requested."

"Are you sure it's 100% refined steel?"

Ye Qingzhou held the knife in his hand, examined it for a moment, and immediately saw through the trick: "It doesn't look right to me. There are too many impurities in the material, and the forging process is also problematic."

"Are you fucking looking for trouble?!"

The knife shop owner also had a fiery temper. He himself possessed the strength of a professional-level martial artist. Now that he was convinced that Ye Qingzhou had come to challenge him, he was not going to be polite to him.

Seeing this, Ye Qingzhou didn't waste any words and simply flicked his finger.

The burst of power instantly converged at the joint of the blade's structure. Due to manufacturing issues, the blade already had minute cracks inside, which were now magnified infinitely.

Hey~

The moment the fingertip touched the blade, a crisp sound rang out, followed by a snap as the blade broke in two.

Upon seeing this, the knife shop owner's eyes immediately cleared.

The move Ye Qingzhou displayed seemed simple, but it was actually extremely skillful. It not only represented his profound cultivation, but also his mastery of forging techniques, which was at least at the level of a master craftsman!

I've met a true industry leader!

I can't afford it!

"I was blind and didn't recognize your esteemed name. May I ask how you are addressed?"

The knife shop owner asked nervously, his tone becoming humble.

The Kingdom of Rakshasa is known for its martial spirit, which has led to a rise in the status of master craftsmen. Even in the capital, a master craftsman can receive the treatment of a nobleman, let alone in a small border town like Flower Stream City.

"My name is Ye Long."

Ye Qingzhou casually gave a pseudonym. Now, he possessed the ability to think in terms of numbers and images. As long as he opened his Heavenly Eye, he could see through all the phenomena in the world.

It was as if he had X-ray vision; he could see through any weapon with a single glance, clearly understanding its material, craftsmanship, and even the internal structure of the blade.

"In Flower Stream City, whose blacksmithing skills are the best?"

"Duan Qianfeng, the master of the Yanfeng, is undoubtedly the best. It is said that his craftsmanship has reached the level of a master craftsman. Even the city lord has asked him to forge his sword. He was also the first to receive an invitation to the sword banquet three days later."

"Heh, you're quite honest."

Ye Qingzhou knew the other party was trying to shift the blame, but he didn't care. He casually tossed the broken sword back and turned to leave.

The knife shop owner didn't dare to ask for compensation at all. Instead, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief because he had successfully gotten rid of the plague god, and at the same time, he was also somewhat expectant.

After all, nothing is more enjoyable than seeing your peers suffer.

"Let's go, Brother Wen."

"Where to?"

"Challenge the venue."

"!!!"

The Yanfeng is a colossal vessel that occupies a unique corner of the ironware market in Huajian City.

Compared to the surrounding ironware shops, the Yanfeng Ship was more than ten times larger, and it was arranged like a castle. The outer shops were used for business, while the central area was the production and living area, where there were hundreds of apprentices alone.

With a casual glance, Ye Qingzhou discovered that all the apprentices in front of him possessed the cultivation level of professional-level martial artists.

Two of them even possessed the strength of a half-step master, seemingly capable of opening the bridge between heaven and earth at any moment and ascending to the heavens in one step.

They were all Rakshasa people, each with a fierce and menacing appearance, and they exuded a scorching and sharp aura, clearly having cultivated some kind of fire-attribute technique and being skilled in combat with long swords.

"Old Ye, are you really going to challenge us?"

"Since we're already here, we should at least give it a try, right?"

Ye Qingzhou was not flustered at all; on the contrary, he was eager to try.

The fastest way to become famous is to piggyback on the fame of another celebrity and climb to the top by stepping on them.

Of course, this approach can easily offend people.

But Ye Qingzhou didn't intend to settle down in Kunlun Cave Heaven, so what if he offended people?

Once this matter is settled, we can simply pack up and leave. Do you think they can chase us all the way to Earth?

Huang Liwen was still a bit timid: "Old Ye, let's not go for it. They look pretty fierce. We might get beaten to death, right?"

"Don't worry, I'm a civilized person. What kind of behavior is it to resort to violence all the time?"

"..."

Left with no other choice, Huang Liwen had to bite the bullet and follow Ye Qingzhou into the Yanfeng.

"Sir, are you here to buy a knife?"

"no."

Ye Qingzhou smiled slightly and said in a friendly tone, "I've come to seek your guidance."

"Holy crap, Senior Brother Wen, Senior Brother Wu, someone's here to challenge us!"

The apprentice shouted angrily.

Upon hearing this, Duan Wen and Duan Wu immediately became furious. They walked up to Ye Qingzhou, staring intently into his eyes: "You're here to challenge us?"

In recent days, Yanfeng has been constantly bothered by the competition for a spot to participate in the Divine Blade Festival.

Therefore, none of the people inside the Yanfeng gave Ye Qingzhou a friendly look.

"Hey, don't get me wrong, I'm here to ask for your advice."

As a cultured person, Ye Qingzhou always believed in using courtesy before resorting to force, ensuring that his actions were justified.

"Hmph, that's easy for you to say, but you're just here to challenge us."

Duanwu raised an angry eyebrow and grinned, revealing a mouthful of shark-like sharp teeth: "If you lose, you'll leave one of your hands behind."

"Isn't that a bad idea?"

Ye Qingzhou was somewhat troubled by this.

"What, are you scared?"

Duanwu burst into laughter, his tone full of mockery and contempt.

Upon hearing this, Ye Qingzhou sighed deeply, his expression one of profound sorrow: "Alright, you asked for this yourself."

"Hmph~"

Duanwu sneered as he drew his sword from his waist, looking at Ye Qingzhou with an arrogant expression: "This sword is called Crimson Fang. It is made of wrought iron with a sharp edge and fine steel with a spine. It is four feet and seven inches long and was personally forged by me over three years. It once killed a fully grown sword-spine dragon in the wilderness."

The Stegosaurus was over ten meters long and weighed over eight tons. It was extremely ferocious and had bony plates on its back that resembled sword blades. When enraged, it could roll its body and slice through rock walls.

The ability to slay such a monster is enough to prove the skill of the swordsmith, and also enough to prove that the Crimson Fang in his hand has entered the ranks of famous swords.

Ye Qingzhou casually took out a broken golden longsword from his treasure ring, held it in his palm, and said in a calm tone, "I made this sword in my spare time. I forgot what materials I used. I originally intended to reforge it, so I didn't give it a name."

The flippant words instantly enraged Duanwu: "How dare you insult me?"

He leaped forward, swung his sword vertically, and unleashed a strike powerful enough to melt gold and iron!

The blade of the Crimson Fang Blade was now enveloped in a scorching martial arts aura, turning a deep reddish-brown color and capable of cutting through iron like mud.

"A sneak attack? That's utterly unsportsmanlike."

Faced with a strike that could kill a professional martial artist in one blow, Ye Qingzhou remained calm and unhurried, wielding the golden saber in his hand.

At this moment, he had activated his Heavenly Eye, taking in the flow of true energy throughout his body, and also seeing the weak point of the Crimson Fang Blade in his hand.

The texture of metal is not absolutely uniform, and the joints are often the most vulnerable, making them extremely easy to break under external force.

(End of this chapter)