Chapter Thirty-Six: First Steps into the World of Smiles and Pride

Since there was nothing pressing to attend to, Yang Wenhao chose to watch television during his idle moments.

His reasoning was simple: he knew that the worlds he would traverse in the future were most likely derived from film and literary works. With his photographic memory, whatever he watched, he remembered, almost without effort.

In just a month's time, he had devoted himself almost entirely to absorbing films and television dramas.

...

"Would you like to initiate the traversal..."

"Begin," he replied.

With the descent of a brilliant white light, everything began to change.

[Traversing to an Intermediate Martial Arts World: The Swordsman]

[Main Quest: Kill one among Linghu Chong, Lin Pingzhi, Dongfang Bubai, Ren Yingying, or Yue Lingshan. Completing the quest grants 500 points.]

[Side Quest 1: Kill Feng Qingyang of the Sword Sect, Mount Hua. Completion grants 400 points.]

[Side Quest 2: Kill Yue Buqun, who has mastered the Evil-Resisting Sword Technique. Completion grants 400 points.]

[Side Quest 3: Kill Zuo Lengchan, leader of the Five Mountain Sword Alliance. Completion grants 400 points.]

As the white light before his eyes faded and the system's information merged into his mind, Yang Wenhao at last understood which world he had entered for his third journey.

However, what puzzled him was that The Swordsman had numerous versions. In just this past month, he had seen several, each differing from the others.

Therefore, his first priority was to determine which version of the world he had entered.

"System, which version of The Swordsman is this?" Yang Wenhao asked.

"Please explore this on your own," came the system's terse reply.

Upon seeing these seven words, Yang Wenhao felt a strong urge to curse under his breath.

"Forget it. Even if I don't know the version, they shouldn't differ too greatly."

Glancing down at his attire, Yang Wenhao saw himself dressed in modern clothes, a glaring mismatch with this world.

Yet, this posed little trouble for him. He stepped into a narrow alley, and when he emerged, he was clad in elegant ancient robes.

Dressed thus, he cut an impressive figure, exuding the air of a refined gentleman. The only incongruity was his neatly cropped hair, which looked out of place in this era.

But growing his hair wasn't something he could do at will.

"The system recommends purchasing a hair-growth spray for ten points. Even the completely bald can grow half a meter of hair instantly. System quality assured."

"Ten points?" Yang Wenhao was surprised by the system's timely offer, just as he desired. "Buy it."

After purchasing the spray, a small bottle of clear liquid appeared in his hand.

"Do I just spray it like this?"

He gave his scalp a few tentative spritzes. At first, there was only a mild tingling sensation.

But when he reached up to touch his hair again, he was stunned.

He could feel, with just his hand, that his hair had grown much thicker and longer.

"System, buy me a mirror," Yang Wenhao said.

"Purchased one ordinary mirror for five points."

Examining his reflection, Yang Wenhao saw not only had his hair thickened, but it had grown long—almost down to his waist.

"This stuff is a thousand times better than anything sold online," he couldn't help but marvel. As expected, system products were always of the highest quality.

After tying up his hair, Yang Wenhao turned his attention to the passersby on the street.

Suddenly, he spotted a tavern, and the corners of his lips curved into a smile.

Taverns were always prime spots for gathering news.

If one wanted to get information quickly, there was hardly a better place.

Upon entering, just as he had done in The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber world, he sat down to enjoy some wine and side dishes, but the news he overheard was disappointing.

All he heard were trivial, petty rumors—nothing of value for his purposes.

"Waiter!"

Hearing the call, the tavern boy hurried over, smiling at the young guest. "Sir, is there anything else you would like?"

Yang Wenhao placed some broken silver on the table.

The boy's eyes lit up at the sight. "Sir, just say the word if there's anything you need."

With so much silver, he thought, not only tonight's bill but several more could easily be covered.

Yang Wenhao smiled, inwardly confirming that money truly made things easier. "Tell me, where is this place?"

"Where is this..." The boy paused, puzzled, then asked, "Sir, are you from out of town?"

Yang Wenhao did not deny it. "Indeed, I am."

"This is Hengyang," the boy explained.

"Ah, I see. You may go," Yang Wenhao said, waving him off.

As the boy took the silver, his eyes gleaming, he bowed obsequiously. "If you have any other questions, sir, just ask!"

Afterwards, Yang Wenhao stroked his chin, deep in thought.

Hengyang... He truly couldn't recall any significant events from The Swordsman centered in Hengyang.

However, he did remember that Hengyang was close to Mount Heng.

"If time allows, I might as well pay Mount Heng a visit," he mused. Yang Wenhao was no longer solely obsessed with returning home as he once was; now, his thoughts were increasingly focused on the future.

His Heavenly Dao cultivation method was, at its core, boundless and originless, requiring the fusion of countless techniques for him to advance rapidly.

This was part of why he was so fond of collecting martial arts manuals.

But the main reason was how prohibitively expensive the techniques in the system's shop were.

Buying even one was painful enough; acquiring dozens was simply out of the question.

After leaving the tavern, Yang Wenhao decided to find an inn for the night.

Unfortunately, all the inns in the city were full.

Of course, only the decent ones—the filthy, rundown establishments didn't appeal to him in the least.

Not only were they dirty, but the service was appalling.

He had no choice but to wander the streets, hoping to find a suitable place to stay. Perhaps tomorrow he would consider making the journey to Mount Heng.

Judging by the standards of this world, his strength should already be at the peak of acquired-level martial artists.

Once he broke through to the fifth stage of Qi Refinement, he would be able to rival the innate masters.

Of course, in this world, innate masters were exceedingly rare. As a peak acquired-level practitioner, as long as he remained cautious, he could act with relative impunity, fearing little.

Night fell, and darkness gradually enveloped the land.

Yet Yang Wenhao still hadn't found a place to stay.

By now he had left Hengyang and was out in the countryside.

Just as hunger began to gnaw at him and he reached for some food from his inventory, he spotted smoke rising in the distance—bright lanterns and festive decorations suggested a wedding celebration.

The thought of a wedding feast immediately brought to mind tables laden with delicacies.

Compared to the dry rations in his item space, the sumptuous fare of a wedding banquet was clearly superior.

"Why not? A guest is always welcome," he murmured, striding toward the festivities.

(End of chapter)