Chapter 83: The Judgment of Life and Death

As it turned out, Chu Bo’s worries were unfounded. As expected, their lunch was held at the Emperor’s Gourmet City, a humble establishment that sold only fried noodles with minced sauce. What surprised both Fu Zheng and Chu Bo was not only that Boss Chu personally attended, but also that the meeting was exceptionally pleasant. Right there at those battered tables, they finalized the details of Fu Zheng’s job change.

Securing his lifelong career, Fu Zheng was so overwhelmed that he paid the five-thousand-yuan syrup deposit on the spot. Holding that money, Chu Bo could hardly believe it was real.

Back at the company, General Manager Li was all smiles, praising Zhang He. Chu Bo could only marvel at the world’s endless wonders: not only did Fu Zheng personally call to apologize and clear up the complaint, but he also spoke highly of Baolijian Company and repeatedly commended young Zhang He.

Chu Bo simply couldn’t fathom why the boss of Five Stars trusted Zhang He so much.

In truth, even if Zhang He revealed the secret, Chu Bo might not believe him. The key was “Emperor’s Gourmet City,” the same secret behind their last success. As a major boss, Chu Xingzhi had endless social engagements that left him with stomach troubles. The syrup Zhang He sold him last time had solved that problem, and the fried noodles he recommended suited his taste perfectly.

It wasn’t hard to imagine—after endless delicacies, simple fare could be far more appetizing. Of course, the fundamental reason for Five Stars Group’s cooperation was their need for banking services.

“How did you know Five Stars’ branch needed a bank loan right now?” Chu Bo wanted to ask Zhang He, but he couldn’t—because at that very moment, Zhang was off in “Dynasty,” busy with his own schemes.

He had survived the battle at Bluewave Pool. Just as he was about to lose consciousness, the underwater chamber had floated to the surface. The principle of this challenge was to see if you could survive for half an hour after defeating the boss. If it had been Bai Shuangfei or Yan Yishan, the outcome might have been different. But Zhang He, who lay motionless on the floor, barely consuming oxygen, managed to survive by chance. When the bubble rose to the surface, he escaped with his life.

Call it luck, but there were also conditions for success. If he hadn’t exhausted so many stats during his fierce fight with Bai Shuangfei, he might have dashed around the room like a headless chicken and suffocated himself.

After escaping, Zhang He chose not to leave Bluewave Pool. Instead, he centered his training around the pillars in the lake, beginning a new round of wilderness cultivation.

The equipment he gained from the underwater battle required him to reach level 40 or higher to equip, so this period was the hardest training since he’d entered “Dynasty.” Leveling from 38 to 40 wasn’t difficult, but Bluewave Pool’s environment was harsh. Killing snakes and rabbits brought little experience, and he had almost no food. Hunting wild rabbits for sustenance took time, though at least water was abundant.

The battle also exposed his weaknesses. Previously, he and his leaders had to rely on bamboo rafts to reach the lake’s center, while Bai Shuangfei and Yan Yishan could fly across the water. So, alongside leveling, Zhang He seriously practiced various martial arts, especially lightness skills:

“Breeze Technique” (Master Level: restores 30% fatigue, 10% endurance, increases carry weight by 15%)
“Qi Recovery Breaks Gold” (Master Level)
“Returning Wind Technique” (Master Level: recovers 0.8 points of basic internal power per second; ineffective at higher realms)
Lightness skill: “Ripple Crossing” (Master Level).

Zhang He’s greatest pride was that his “Song-Stepping” finally reached the Supreme Level, letting him walk on water as if on solid ground. However, his agility stat still couldn’t compare to those in their third or fourth rebirth, so this technique wasn’t yet on par with “Water Gliding.”

By his sixth day at Bluewave Pool, Zhang He had reached level 45 and could finally wear most of his new equipment:

Echo Ring (Rare), Thunder Legguards (Rare), Flex Ring (Rare), Blue Cloth Cloak (Rare), Immortal Wind Boots (Rare), Golden Scale Armor (Rare).

His Cloud Blade (Rare) was replaced by the Thunderwind Staff (Rare). For someone with foundational mastery, wielding a staff wasn’t difficult—the staff is, after all, the ancestor of all weapons and hardly obscure.

Armed with this staff, Zhang He’s maximum attack soared. For a first-rebirth player, his attack was absurdly high.

The 47 attribute points gained from leveling from 38 to 45 were all invested in constitution this time, rather than strength, internal power, or agility—an experience hard-earned from his trials in Peony Tower and Bluewave Pool. His constitution had been too fragile; one heavy blow could cripple him. For safety, all 47 points went to preserving his life.

Zhang He’s current attributes:

Level: 45, School: None, Title: None
Constitution: 378, Endurance: 78, Strength: (Beginner Realm 55) +71, Internal Power: (Beginner Realm 48) +73,
Agility: 135, Mental Technique: 8, Courage: 26, Fortune: 0, Defense: 147, Chivalry: 4, Evil Value: 35.

Only now had Zhang He truly outgrown the novice stage, far surpassing the first-rebirth limit. His strength and internal power stats exceeded the Beginner Realm, meaning that if the second rebirth allowed for further advancement, he could unleash even greater power.

His one regret was being unable to equip the Thunder Legguards (Rare, level 60) and the Profound Iron Shoulderguards (Uncommon, level 80), as well as being unable to use the secret weapon technique “Swallow’s Return” until reaching the next internal power realm.

He knew he’d reached his first bottleneck: second rebirth. No matter how long he trained—one year, even two—if he didn’t achieve it, even reaching level 100 would be meaningless.

But these reflected only his main profession; his secondary professions had long stagnated. According to Jun Ruo Jian, secondary skills should also be cultivated to support combat, or else one is merely a brute, with no hope of dominance.

Of course, Zhang He had no such grand ambitions—he just wanted to craft better weapons for a more comfortable life.

Besides being an alchemist, Zhang He’s other side profession was blacksmith—a notorious money pit.

Being a blacksmith sounded impressive: forging weapons, constructing mechanisms, and, as one advanced, specializing in swords, sabers, throwing weapons, and more. With the right materials, site, and skill, one could forge powerful gear.

The Sword Guest he met in the dusky mountains proved it—just by the sword box on his back, he could forge weapons like the Cloud Blade with ease. Now that Zhang He owned “Celestial Iron,” he was eager to experiment.

Traveling south along the Golden Buddha Mountains, training as he went, Zhang He left the deep mountains after two days—on foot—and crossed from Ezhou into Yuezhou, in the southeast of the Central Plains.

Yuezhou was still a long way from Chenzhou, but eager to leave the mountains, Zhang He headed south, planning to reach a small town to buy supplies and trade equipment.

Whether Yuezhou or Chenzhou, both were in the Jiangnan region. Curiously, most major orthodox sects in the Central Plains were in the north, with fewer in the south. Yet Yuezhou, one of the largest regions, was home to the most diverse factions.

Many prominent groups in “Dynasty” were based here; for instance, the Beggars’ Sect—the world’s largest—had their main hall in Yuezhou.

And in Yuezhou, one could not ignore the infamous “Life-and-Death Judicator,” a sect even Zhang He had heard of.

Also known as the God of Retribution, this group straddled the line between good and evil, specializing in vengeance. For any major event in the martial world, as long as the employer could pay the price, they would pursue revenge to the end, leaving behind a signature vermilion brush as a mark of completion.

Even the most well-informed forum user, “Dynasty’s Know-It-All, Annoying Hoof,” couldn’t uncover the truth behind this mysterious group.

Such organizations, akin to assassins’ guilds, were the last thing Zhang He wanted to get involved with—his evil value was already high enough; if this kept up, he’d need to complete countless chivalry quests just to enter a city.

But fate had other plans. From afar, he spotted bodies strewn across the official road. As he approached, a chill ran up his spine.

Where there were corpses, the killings had occurred within the last fifteen minutes.

Eight bodies in total—regardless of their skills, anyone capable of felling eight people at once was no amateur.

Examining them, Zhang He saw their clothing varied—no uniform of a sect, martial clan, or imperial official.

But all eight had one thing in common: each had a short, exquisite vermilion brush embedded in their chest, its tip stained not with cinnabar, but with human blood.

Some brushes had been deliberately placed; others were stabbed into the chest; a few had been driven into their foreheads with internal force—whether as a killing blow or a distraction, Zhang He could not tell.

A cold dread swept over him. He’d just been wishing to avoid such shadowy organizations, and here he was, stumbling into the aftermath of the Judicators.

Oh, Zhang He—of all things to encounter, you had to stumble into the Life-and-Death Judicator’s handiwork.

As Zhang He was contemplating a quick escape, a faint breeze sounded behind him. Had he been any less alert, even with seventy or eighty endurance points, he might not have sensed it—a foe was approaching with the wind.

Instead of turning, Zhang He lunged several meters forward. A crisp clang sounded behind him—an edged weapon missing its mark and striking the stone pavement.

Recently, many readers have mentioned that the protagonist’s in-game name is too sensitive. Let me clarify: the name was intended for humor, not as a reference to any real-life issue. To avoid unnecessary trouble, I will be changing the protagonist’s name in all chapters. The new name is “Might Conquers All.” I hope everyone understands and refrains from drawing conclusions. And as always, please support with your votes!