Chapter 1

Among the older generation, there are Gan Baobao, Qin Hongmian, Li Qingluo, Ruan Xingzhu, Dao Baifeng, and Kang Min.

There are also the century-old yet ageless Mountain-Child Witch Wuxing Yun, and the two sisters Li Qiushui and Li Canghai.

Tsk, before I knew it, I had counted twenty-one, and more than half of them are connected to Duan Zhengchun, being either wives, lovers, or illegitimate daughters.

In a sense, the three Heavenly Dragon brothers are merely the protagonists on the surface, while Scum Duan is the true powerhouse lurking in the shadows.

As for The Four Great Constables, I do not know which version this is, or whether that Wuqing is male or female.

I should find someone to ask sometime, or perhaps go see for myself.

Speaking of other peerless beauties from wuxia works, do Yao Yue and Lian Xing exist in this world? And also Shi Feixuan, Zhao Min, Zhou Zhiruo, Ren Yingying, Fu Tianxiang, Ming Yue, Bai Axiu...

I have strayed too far, too far; I do not even know if these people exist in this world, so it is too early to speak of such things.

However, when discussing the peerless beauties of the wuxia world, one usually cannot bypass three women.

They may not be the most brilliant, but they are arguably the most renowned.

In my past life, any Chinese person who had watched wuxia dramas might not know other beauties, but would definitely know these three.

The first is Wang Yuyan.

After all, she is the "Fairy Sister" in the mouth of Duan Yu, the primary protagonist of Heavenly Dragon, and as the lead heroine of Heavenly Dragon, she certainly commands respect.

In Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, Wang Yuyan is infatuated with her cousin Murong Fu; for his sake, she memorized martial arts secret manuals from every sect under heaven, capable of deciphering nearly all martial moves, making her a profound martial arts theorist.

Pity that in a world where martial prowess is supreme, this woman actually does not practice martial arts!

It is simply a waste of such excellent talent.

And the reason is merely that she hates martial arts and dislikes wielding swords, brandishing blades, and engaging in killing and fighting.

This is simply outrageous.

One must understand that "having a sword but not using it" and "having no sword to use" are entirely different matters.

Moreover, with Wang Yuyan being so willful, Li Qingluo does not even advise her, allowing her to waste her aptitude.

Wang Yuyan, a young girl who has never left home, does not know the perils of the world and is making a fuss there; but you are a person in your thirties, so surely you understand such an obvious principle?

To say nothing of other things, if one of the Four Great Evils, the lecherous thief Yun Zhonghe, were to ascend Mandala Manor, what would Mandala Manor rely on to repel him?

Would it rely on Murong Fu, who spends all day rushing about chasing a dream of restoring his nation?

Although Yun Zhonghe is certainly no match for Murong Fu, Murong Fu cannot possibly guard your Mandala Manor at all times.

And in this comprehensive wuxia world, the ways of the world are even more dangerous; I do not know if Wang Yuyan is still as confused as she was in Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils.

I will not guess; anyway, Mandala Manor is also in Suzhou, so I will go see later and check if Wang Yuyan is indeed as described in the original work, possessing the utmost beauty of a celestial fairy.

Next, let us speak of Xiao Longnu of Mount Zhongnan.

The heroine of The Return of the Condor Heroes, a truly otherworldly fairy untouched by mortal dust, the goddess in the hearts of countless people in China in my past life, a fairy for whom men would willingly tread through fire and water.

I do not know if she exists in this world.

If she does, I must find her quickly, lest she be defiled by Zhen Zhibing as in the original work, thus beginning her tragic life.

Although the comprehensive wuxia world has changed, and Xiao Longnu may not encounter Yang Guo's sworn father Ouyang Feng, meaning Zhen Zhibing may not have an opportunity, one cannot rely on luck in all matters, or else regret will come too late.

"Dragon Knight"—everyone hates him, yet everyone wants to be him.

The last peerless beauty that the wuxia world cannot bypass...

002. Cicada Awareness, Heaven-Slaying Sword-Drawing Art

Suzhou.

Inside an ordinary commoner's house, Jiang Sishui put down the brush in his hand, exhaled a mouthful of turbid air, and said, "Three thousand words on the first day are sufficient; it can be submitted."

[Congratulations on officially activating the "Diary System"; reward: Special Talent "Cicada Awareness".]

[Congratulations on completing the first diary entry; reward: Heavenly Art "Heaven-Slaying Sword-Drawing Art".]

[Congratulations on completing today's diary entry; reward: Martial Arts Experience +500.]

Accompanied by a series of ethereal heavenly sounds ringing in his mind, three orbs of light rose above the diary, then merged with the pen, transforming into a streak of flowing light that plunged into Jiang Sishui's body.

"Cicada Awareness? Heaven-Slaying Sword-Drawing Art? Martial Arts Experience?"

Jiang Sishui fixed his gaze on the three orbs of light before him; were these the system's rewards?

He reached out to grasp the first orb of light, which then transformed into specks of rosy radiance and merged into his heart.

At the same time, Jiang Sishui understood what this "Cicada Awareness" was.

Simply put, it was a kind of mental perception ability.

A mental perception directed at danger!

As the saying goes, "Before the golden wind stirs, the cicada perceives first": before the autumn wind arrives, the cicada has already detected it.

With "Cicada Awareness," Jiang Sishui could know the moment someone harbored ill intentions toward him or when danger approached.

The range of perception was within thirty zhang in every direction from where Jiang Sishui stood.

That is, a range of one hundred meters.

"Amazing!" Jiang Sishui could not help but exclaim in astonishment, his heart filled with great joy.

When traveling the jianghu, the greatest dangers are encountering opponents whose strength far exceeds one's own and various schemes and tricks.

As the saying goes, "It is easy to paint a tiger's skin but hard to paint its bones; one may know a person's face but not their heart."

The human heart is hard to fathom, and the human heart is hard to guard against.

A single carelessness could lead to falling into someone's calculations.

But with the special talent "Cicada Awareness," Jiang Sishui might not be able to prevent all schemes and tricks, but he could at least distinguish friend from foe.

Such a good thing was simply a guarantee for survival and establishing oneself in the world!

Calming his inner excitement, he reached for the second orb of light.

The next moment, a sharp and bright, blazing white sword light slashed out like lightning, plunging into Jiang Sishui's brow.

Jiang Sishui instinctively closed his eyes.

In an instant, a powerful sword intent radiated from every pore of Jiang Sishui's body; he seemed to transform into an unsheathed sharp sword, poised to strike and cleave the heavens!

Fortunately, this phenomenon was confined within three feet of Jiang Sishui's body and did not leak out; otherwise, this wooden house would never have survived.

Two breaths later, the sword intent receded, and Jiang Sishui, this "sharp sword," seemed to return to its scabbard.

The sharp edge vanished, returning to simplicity and truth.

Jiang Sishui remained motionless, carefully sensing for a moment before slowly opening his eyes.

The sword intent from before had disappeared, yet a "sword intent seed" had appeared in his mind.

The "sword intent seed" was silvery-white throughout, radiating brilliant light, shining like a tiny star; it was currently spinning rapidly, as if waiting for the day it would grow and expand.

A sudden inspiration struck Jiang Sishui, and he reached out to grab the final orb of light.

As the orb of light merged into his body, Jiang Sishui felt the "sword intent seed" grow slightly larger.

At the same time, a voice as beautiful as heavenly music rang out in his mind.

[Heaven-Cleaving Sword Draw Technique (Heavenly Art): Beginner (500/**

Jiang Sishui froze for a moment.

Wait, how many zeros?

He counted carefully: six!

A full six zeros! Nine million!

Did this mean that mastering the Heaven-Cleaving Sword Draw Technique, this Heavenly Art, to perfection required nine million Martial Arts Experience points?

If writing one day's diary entry yielded only five hundred Martial Arts Experience points, it meant he would have to write for eighteen thousand days.

That was nearly fifty years.

That was far too long!

Jiang Sishui was merely a scholar and did not know how the realms and levels of the Martial Dao were divided, but any art worthy of being called a "Heavenly Art" would certainly not be inferior.

Perhaps achieving perfection would make him invincible!

Yet Jiang Sishui still felt it was far, far too slow.

It simply did not match the stature expected of a transmigrator protagonist!

Besides, if the System rewarded other martial arts in the meantime, would he not still need Martial Arts Experience points?

Five hundred points per day were simply not enough to go around.

"No! Since the System could produce such excellent items as 'Cicada Awareness' and the 'Heaven-Cleaving Sword Draw Technique,' it absolutely cannot be this useless."

Calming down, Jiang Sishui thought to himself, "I have only just obtained this diary; I am still exploring how to use it, so I cannot jump to conclusions yet."

This was only the first day; Jiang Sishui could not yet summarize any patterns and could only wait a few more days and write a few more entries to see.

"However, what I lack most right now is an internal energy cultivation method! Without cultivating internal energy, I will have no internal force; what use is a sword technique alone?"