Chapter 1 The First Fast Sword
Raindrops trickled down, sliding from Chu Qing's chin.
He slowly opened his eyes in a daze and found himself sitting under a large tree, leaning against the trunk, a blood-stained long sword in hand.
Not far away, a corpse hung from another tree, impaled through the chest by a long spear.
Around him stretched a deep forest shrouded in light drizzle. The cold wind cut to the bone, chilling his very soul.
All of this entered his sight in an instant. Before he could observe further, a wave of dizziness struck, making the world spin violently.
The intense vertigo made him nauseous, yet nothing came out.
"What's going on? Where is this? Why am I here… and who's that dead man?"
Questions flooded his mind, but just as the dizziness faded, a stream of memories flashed before his eyes.
Moments later, Chu Qing opened his eyes again, the confusion gone. He rubbed his temple lightly.
"So that's how it is…"
Chu Qing, nineteen years old.
Third son of the Chu family from Tianwu City… yet he left home at twelve.
The reason was simple: the Chu Clan had two prodigies—Chu Tian and Chu Fan.
The two brothers had shown extraordinary talent from childhood. Chu Tian inherited their father's bearing and was seen as the next clan head, while Chu Fan, born with divine strength, was sent to Taiyi Sect to become a disciple under the Unmoving Divine Fist, Cui Bunu.
Among the three brothers, Chu Qing was the most mediocre. So his father, Chu Yunfei, arranged a marriage for him.
But Chu Qing had his own aspirations and refused such an arrangement.
Thus, at the age of twelve, he left a letter behind, declaring his intent to pursue the path of chivalry and asking his family not to search for him.
That journey lasted seven years.
For most of those years, he remained hidden, training diligently in his clan's secret martial arts.
A year ago, feeling his skills had finally matured, he stepped into the martial world for real.
Then he encountered the organization called "Niejingtai."
Niejingtai was an assassin guild that claimed to act under the banner of justice, killing villains and tyrants of the martial world.
Their creed resonated deeply with Chu Qing, so he joined them and became one of their assassins.
But the truth revealed itself soon enough. In less than a year, Chu Qing discovered that Niejingtai's motto of 'justice' was only a facade—they killed for profit and power.
His final mission was to assassinate Zhou Changtai, master of Zhou Manor in Hongshu Ridge.
According to Niejingtai's intel, Zhou Changtai was a cruel oppressor who allowed his son to abduct women and even murdered a father who came to seek justice, hanging the corpse for three days.
Yet Chu Qing's investigation proved all of it false.
Instead of killing Zhou Changtai, he secretly warned him of an impending assassination.
He had planned to leave quietly but was ambushed midway.
The attackers—five assassins from Niejingtai.
They clearly knew his route and lay in wait for him.
Fortunately, Chu Qing had grown suspicious of Niejingtai long ago and stayed vigilant.
Though the ambush was sudden, he managed to react.
He fought while retreating, escaping death several times. Just when he thought he would get away, the strongest of the five blocked his path.
That man's code name was Blood Spear, one of Niejingtai's elite killers—his skills surpassed Chu Qing's.
A fierce battle followed. Chu Qing fought desperately, exchanging his life to kill the enemy.
The corpse hanging from the tree impaled by a spear belonged to Blood Spear.
After sorting through the fragmented memories, Chu Qing could only sigh helplessly.
"A young fool leaves home chasing ideals, only to die halfway…"
He muttered wryly to himself, "Which immortal lady did I offend to end up transmigrating here?"
Looking down, he realized pain throbbed through every inch of his body.
After several brutal fights, his injuries were severe.
Still, he forced himself to stand.
He was in grave danger—the remaining three assassins were still alive. In this state, if they caught up, he'd die for sure.
But before fleeing, there was something else that puzzled him.
He walked toward Blood Spear's corpse and frowned.
"What is that floating above his head?"
Ever since his mind cleared, he had noticed a rectangular object hovering above Blood Spear's body, glowing faintly, its details obscured.
He knew this world was full of martial experts, but none possessed divine powers—certainly not enough to leave a soul behind after death.
That made the object all the more suspicious.
After a brief hesitation, Chu Qing leapt up with surprising ease.
Although it was his first time using lightness skill, his body moved as if by instinct.
He reached out and grabbed the floating object.
The moment he touched it, glowing text appeared before his eyes.
[Assassin System Activated!]
[You have obtained one 'Random Martial Arts Treasure Box.']
Startled, Chu Qing landed softly. The object vanished from his hand, replaced by a translucent interface floating in front of him.
[Assassin System]
[Host: Chu Qing]
[Current Assignment: None]
[One Unopened Martial Arts Treasure Box. Open now?]
He examined the screen—it was simple to the point of absurdity.
Without hesitation, he nodded. "Open it."
[Opened Successfully. You have obtained the Supreme Technique: A Fei's Fast Sword!]
Before he could react, streams of information flooded his mind.
At the same time, an odd sensation coursed through his body—his waist, arms, and legs tingled and trembled.
The changes came swiftly and faded just as fast.
Then—
A sharp whistle sliced through the air behind him.
"They're fast!" Chu Qing's instincts flared.
Without thinking, he pivoted. The long sword in his hand rose in one fluid motion.
No wasted movement. No unnecessary flourish.
A single thrust.
Buzz!
The masked assassin behind him heard the sound but never saw the strike.
He raised his blade—but too late.
Chu Qing's sword had already pierced through his throat.
That strike… was faster than sound.
(End of Chapter)