Chapter 227: Mr. Luo, the Storyteller
Daybreak City, Sword Province.
In a sense, this city truly reflects the unique characteristics of Sword Province.
Just stepping into the city, one could immediately feel how different it was from other places.
'The streets were filled with sword cultivators, the goods sold throughout the city were more or less related to swords, and the residents deeply admired tales of swordmasters and sword immortals...'
Inside a teahouse, a young man stood deep in thought.
The teahouse itself was quite spacious. The four walls were adorned with exquisitely carved sword sheaths. Only at the center, on a tall, thick block of redwood, a large character for "tea" '茶' had been etched with sword marks, clearly indicating that this place was not for selling swords.
This type of décor was clearly popular with the residents of Daybreak City, as the teahouse was bustling with visitors.
The young man, appearing somewhat thoughtful, stood casually before the sword-marked redwood. He had a handsome face and wore flowing white robes, giving off an otherworldly aura. A flawless white jade pendant and a wooden broad-bladed short sword hung from his waist. In his hand, he lightly held a folded fan.
"Stories and songs guide the hearts of men;
Three paths lie ahead, choose the central one.
In the end, good and evil reap their own rewards;
The righteous path of the mortal world is ever turbulent—"
As he recited these words, he snapped open the folded fan with a crisp sound, revealing a single elegant character—"sword" '剑'—inscribed upon it.
The commotion drew the attention of all the guests in the teahouse, their gazes converging on the young man.
"Oh? The Jian Tea House has a new storyteller today? And so young? Anyone know who he is? How does he compare to the usual storytellers?"
"Looks unfamiliar. Maybe he's not from Daybreak City? Still, the old storytellers here are seasoned and well-traveled. Would a youngster like him really have stories worth listening to…? Hmm, unless he's been through some adventures in the martial world. Then he might have something interesting to share."
"I don't know… I think his opening lines had a nice ring to them. Honestly, I've heard the same stories from the old storytellers dozens of times. Maybe something fresh wouldn't be too bad."
The teahouse stirred with lively discussion.
The corners of the young man's mouth lifted into a faint smile.
This young man was none other than Luo Wusheng, who had only recently arrived in Daybreak City.
Seeing that the opening verses he had managed to recall after digging through his memory achieved the desired effect, Luo Wusheng nodded to himself in satisfaction.
Earlier that morning, after receiving a message from Little Yuli, saying she would need a few more days visiting relatives, Luo Wusheng finally decided to explore Sword Province properly. His first stop: Daybreak City, renowned for its deep connection to sword culture.
But he wasn't here merely for leisure.
Currently, Luo Wusheng's cultivation was restricted by a Buddhist sect's seal, which prevented him from advancing further. To strengthen himself, he had only a few options left.
The first one is to devour the tribulation lightning thunder core left for him by Yao Ji using his tribulation-devouring ability.
The problem? If he wasn't extremely careful, the process could leave his whole body numb and paralyzed. Ideally, he would need someone to protect him while he undertook it.
Moreover, the improvement it would bring was limited. Based on Luo Wusheng's calculations, even if he devoured the entire thunder core, the most he could achieve was barely enhancing the tribulation lightning in his right arm to the Nascent Soul level.
Given these limitations, this option was shelved for now.
The second one is to refine the golden blood sealed within him using the Hemal Sanguine Technique—this blood had been left by a headless Buddhist statue to suppress his Diabolic Saint Physique from awakening.
However, after multiple attempts, Luo Wusheng only managed to peel off a nearly imperceptible trace of it.
He sighed inwardly. This outcome wasn't unexpected. After all, the golden blood currently acted as a seal to prevent the premature awakening of his physique. Refining it completely at this stage would result in the seal's removal, plunging him into a far more complicated predicament.
'If I'm not mistaken, once I fully refine that drop of golden blood, the seal will break, and I'll gain the ability to shatter the Buddhist restriction on my own…'
For now, however, Luo Wusheng couldn't afford to lift that seal completely. But he must have the ability to break it at any moment, so he could truly advance to the Nascent Soul Realm when the time came.
This initiative had to be firmly in his own hands.
Unfortunately, judging from his current progress, the road ahead was long and arduous.
With this in mind, only one viable path remained if he wanted to gain a powerful trump card in a short period to handle any unforeseen circumstances.
Luo Wusheng gently closed the folding fan in his hand and tapped it against the redwood panel behind him, producing a crisp sound.
The noisy teahouse gradually quieted down.
"What the esteemed guests mentioned earlier is indeed correct—this humble one has only arrived here today—"
"However, when it comes to storytelling skills, though I dare not claim mastery, I do possess some modest expertise. I believe I shall not disappoint."
A smile played across his face. Without giving the crowd a chance to react, he began narrating a tale he had long prepared—a story of a Sword Immortal.
The people of Daybreak City revered tales of sword immortals above all else. However, fresh stories had been scarce for a long time. The few sword-immortal tales they knew had been told countless times, to the point of exhaustion, leaving even the most enthusiastic listeners feeling a sense of aesthetic fatigue.
But now, as Luo Wusheng's words flowed through the teahouse, all the guests were momentarily stunned.
This was a new story!
As curious and surprised gazes fixed upon him, Luo Wusheng narrowed his eyes slightly.
Earlier that morning, before arriving in Daybreak City, he had swiftly gathered information about this sword culture–rich city.
The reason?
'I wonder how much recognition value I can gather from this attempt…'
Luo Wusheng muttered inwardly.
Indeed, from the very beginning, his true objective had been to fill the recognition value storage of the [Phantomless 2.0], which had evolved after its most recent advancement.
[Phantomless 2.0] was already fully charged. Now, he needed only to fill this new storage unit. Once complete, a powerful trump card would be at his disposal.
To achieve this, Luo Wusheng had devised a plan by combining the intelligence he gathered with his current situation.
Since the people of Daybreak City loved sword-related stories, why not give them tales they had never heard before—stories from a world far beyond the cultural reach of this one?
Always one to prepare thoroughly, Luo Wusheng had even changed his appearance to better blend in with the city's sword cultivators.
Since his previous clothes had been damaged by lightning during his tribulation, he took the opportunity to wear the cloud-patterned white robe that his adorable junior sister had custom-made for him back in the royal city. After some adjustments, he now perfectly resembled a graceful young master—a white-robed sword cultivator.
The folding fan in his hand? Purchased from a neighboring town. The elegant "sword" '剑' character on it? Certainly not written by Luo Wusheng himself—he was all too aware that his handwriting left much to be desired.
At this moment, Luo Wusheng demonstrated his ability to multitask—a skill honed through countless storytelling sessions with a certain little girl. As he spun his tale with practiced ease, his mind silently monitored the accumulation of recognition value.
However, a lingering puzzle remained in his mind.
For some reason, he had already stored a substantial amount of recognition value yesterday—completely inexplicable to him.
After successfully advancing his cultivation yesterday, the only beings he had come into contact with were the Netherkin followers under Yao Ji's command.
Yet, throughout that period, he had been thoroughly paralyzed by the tribulation lightning. How could he have manifested any presence under such conditions?
Just as Luo Wusheng pondered this mystery, his mind stirred.
A veiled woman had stepped into the teahouse at that precise moment.
'Her cultivation surpasses mine… Nascent Soul Realm? Mid-stage at that?'
Luo Wusheng glanced at her briefly before quickly withdrawing his gaze, as though nothing had happened.
- - - - - - - - - -
Note: If you want to see more chapters of this story, please join my Patreon[1], for $5 each month, you can read all of the available chapters.
Patreon Account: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=93297024[2]
Latest Chapter In Patreon: Chapter 395: Witness It, My Transfor—[3]
Link to the latest chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/135351788?collection=1625505[4]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/user?u=93297024
[2] https://www.patreon.com/user?u=93297024
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/135351788?collection=1625505
[4] https://www.patreon.com/posts/135351788?collection=1625505