Stronger by Killing-Chapter 45: Snow Covers the City

Inside Baihua Building.

The banquet had just ended. Gu Zhan sat by the window, gently wiping his Horizontal Saber. A gust of cold wind whistled in, carrying snowflakes that landed on him, instantly melting into his clothes.

A system page floated before his eyes,

He checked his experience points. He had accumulated over nine hundred. Gu Zhan pondered for a moment,

Then immediately started allocating points:

[Use 100 experience points]

[Golden Bell Shield upgraded to Minor Success Realm]

[Use 300 experience points]

[Golden Bell Shield upgraded to Great Success Realm]

...

[Use 500 experience points]

[Jinghong Saber Technique upgraded to Great Success Realm]

...

In that instant, a faint golden glow surged from Gu Zhan’s body,

His Golden Bell Shield instantly leaped from Entry Realm to Great Success Realm, reaching the level famed for surviving water and fire, holding breath without suffocation, and being impervious to blades and spears.

Gu Zhan valued this martial art greatly,

Because, the moment he picked up his saber,

He knew his path was set—to walk the way of slashing through all obstacles, a road destined for endless battle.

That’s why a defensive, strength-type martial art like Golden Bell Shield was necessary. It could ensure he suffered far fewer wounds.

And right after,

When Jinghong Saber Technique advanced to Great Success,

The saber in Gu Zhan’s hands suddenly let out a low hum,

This saber was custom-made for him,

Four feet seven inches long, weighing sixteen pounds,

Forged from Profound Iron, it was a solid weapon but couldn’t be called a divine weapon that shaves hair or slices iron like mud,

Yet at this moment, the saber seemed to possess spirituality,

The spirituality of hate,

As if intent on killing through everything,

It looked fiercely menacing and bloodthirsty,

And at the same time, Gu Zhan’s calm face appeared covered with a layer of frost, his eyes vaguely reddened, filled with resentment.

That was hate, but also Saber Intent,

Jinghong Saber Technique, at Great Success,

It was said that even with Postnatal Cultivation, one could erupt with Saber Qi that only Innate Martial Artists could wield.

Innate and Postnatal realms are divided by an unbridgeable chasm,

The essence of power changes greatly,

Inner Strength at the Postnatal Realm stays within the body, focusing on explosive drives via Inner Strength, but once Postnatal advances to Innate, there’s a clear transformation—Inner Strength converts to True Qi,

True Qi can leave the body,

That’s the greatest difference between Innate and Postnatal realms.

True Qi can flow throughout the entire body, forming a natural protective mechanism, so it’s also called Innate Gang Qi.

Similarly, martial arts display their unique power—like swordsmen can wield Sword Qi, saber wielders can unleash Saber Qi, able to attack at range,

This is the basic difference between Postnatal and Innate, aside from physical attributes.

That’s why it’s so rare for Postnatal to reverse and defeat Innate. After all, Postnatal can only fight up close, relying mainly on weapons. Innate is entirely different—they can let True Qi leave the body,

No matter how exquisite your techniques are,

I simply won’t let you get close!

This is why Innate experts can almost always crush Postnatal.

But now, with Jinghong Saber Technique at Great Success,

Gu Zhan could use Postnatal Cultivation to master Innate capabilities.

"Hoo..." 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Only after a long while did Gu Zhan finally let out a deep breath, calming the agitation within. He slowly opened the system page and glanced over it:

Player: Gu Zhan

Realm: Second Grade

Cultivation: Profound Yuan Skill (Eighth Floor 0/5000)

Skill: Wind-Breaking Saber Technique (Great Success)

Big Goose Skill (Great Success)

Mountain-Opening Saber Technique (Great Success)

Jinghong Saber Technique (Great Success)

Cloud Platform Three Falls (Minor Success 0/300)

Golden Bell Shield (Great Success)

Experience Points: 64

...

Just then,

Ma Lang walked in, cupping his hands. "Lord Gu, I’ve settled our brothers. All trustworthy men. With their supervision, those Martial World gangs won’t dare pretend to cooperate."

"It’s just a formality, for easier communication," Gu Zhan slowly returned the Horizontal Saber to its scabbard, gently dusted off snow from his clothes, and said, "People from the major gangs aren’t fools. They all know that at this stage, there’s no choice left. Anyone trying to stay out of it is already dead. Even the Celestial Water Gang can’t keep themselves unscathed, let alone them."

Ma Lang pondered, then replied, "That’s true. They have no way out now, so the only thing left is to fight. But, Lord Gu, should we make some preparations in case the Celestial Water Gang or Hundred Households Office finds out?"

Gu Zhan chuckled, saying, "You don’t think my invitation to the gangs could possibly be kept secret from the Celestial Water Gang or Hundred Households Office, do you?"

Ma Lang looked a bit puzzled.

Gu Zhan smiled again and said, "Secrecy is impossible. Just like the Celestial Water Gang gathering so many men right now—do you think we don’t know?"

"Uh..." Ma Lang was taken aback.

Gu Zhan poured a cup of hot tea, saying, "This situation is already all-out war, Chief Banner Ma. Go back and make your preparations. Tomorrow night, there’ll be a bloodbath. Whether you stand or fall, whether a general rises or thousands are buried—it all depends on this!"

Ma Lang drew a deep breath, saluted. "I understand. Well then, Lord Gu, please rest well, uh..."

Ma Lang glanced around, finally realizing this was a brothel, and said, "Lord Gu, I personally think, the land of tenderness is a hero’s grave. You should show some restraint—you’re still young!"

Gu Zhan replied with a stern face, "Bah! Nonsense! What do you take me for, Gu Zhan? I stand upright and sit square..."

Just then, a brothel attendant nervously peeked in at the door, quietly saying, "Lord Gu, Lord Gu, the young lady asked me to tell you—the water’s ready!"

Gu Zhan: "..."

Ma Lang: "I’ll take my leave!"

...

This night in Linjiang City felt particularly quiet,

The snow had fallen all day, and hardly a soul could be seen on the streets; most shops kept their doors closed and didn’t open for business.

Throughout the day, everywhere was blanketed with thick, accumulated snow.

Occasionally, someone stepped through, leaving a row of footprints, but before long, new snow would cover them again, erasing all traces.

As night fell,

Things became even more silent. The city seemed to echo only with the howl of wind and snow,

Except, at some unknown hour,

There began to be faint sounds of footsteps crunching through the snow, slowly growing denser and heavier.

Some curious folks peeked out their windows, only to be scared out of their wits, hurriedly shutting it and warning the family not to make a sound. This scene appeared all over the South City.

Because, in tonight’s blizzard,

The South City was anything but calm,

In streets and alleys, many Martial World men appeared, all without exception carrying gleaming steel sabers, advancing purposefully,

And their destination was the South City Embroidered Uniform Guard Hundred Households Office!