The Martial Arts World is Full of Experts Chapter 1
1
At the age of seventeen, a sudden and severe illness struck Zhang Xiaoyuan. His high fever persisted for over a month, rendering him unconscious, with half of his body seemingly crossing the threshold of the afterlife.
His mother, Wei Yun, once a renowned healer in the martial arts world, personally concocted medicines and scoured old books and ancient texts but found no remedy for his condition. His father, Zhang Gaoling, desperate and erratic, sought help from various avenues — Buddhist monks, Daoist priests, shamans — all in vain. As his elder sister, Zhang Yingxue, hurried back home, thinking of sending him off on his final journey, he unexpectedly regained consciousness.
Lying in bed, he felt the heat overwhelming, his entire body aching and weak as if he had just been through a fierce battle. Looking at his parents and sister gathered around the bed, he was about to speak when—
DING.
Above each of their heads, a line of words appeared.
「Zhang Gaoling, former martial arts hero, ranked twenty-first in the martial arts world, now the proprietor of the Very Lucky Winery.」
「Wei Yun, renowned martial arts world physician, the proprietress of Very Lucky Winery.」
「Zhang Yingxue, master of the Brushing Snow Sword, ranked two hundred and seventeenth in the martial arts world, known as the Brushing Snow Heroine in the martial arts community.」
He thought he might be hallucinating, but no matter how many times he blinked, those words remained firmly above the heads of the three, never disappearing.
He rubbed his eyes, and coincidentally, the family's yellow cat, Big Pancake, leaped onto his bed with a soft thud. It meowed at him, and, immediately, a line of words appeared above its head too.
「Meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow.」
Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"
Zhang Xiaoyuan closed his eyes again, feeling like he might be hallucinating due to his illness.
2
Except for Zhang Xiaoyuan, it seemed like no one else could see those words.
Zhang Xiaoyuan found it quite strange.
Since the day he saw those strange words, his condition suddenly improved. In a matter of days, he could barely get out of bed and walk, but the words above people's heads would occasionally pop out with a "DING" and startle him.
For instance, today, Zhang Gaoling came in with a bowl of medicine, watching him drink it.
Zhang Xiaoyuan always disliked bitterness. He held the bowl with a grimace before reluctantly taking a sip.
Zhang Gaoling rambled on, "How can a real man be afraid of bitterness?"
Zhang Xiaoyuan, feeling aggrieved, was about to speak when suddenly he heard a "DING" sound. Instinctively, he raised his head and caught sight of the line of words above Zhang Gaoling's head.
「Private stash: One, two, three coins.」
Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"
Zhang Xiaoyuan froze.
Despite being a businessman, Zhang Gaoling left the accounting to Wei Yun. Zhang Gaoling was truly a henpecked husband, and the household affairs were always managed by Wei Yun. However, Zhang Xiaoyuan never imagined that his father had reached such a pitiful state...
Thinking about his unlimited pocket money and the jade pendant he had just bought for three hundred taels not long ago, Zhang Xiaoyuan couldn't help but show sympathy. He whispered, "Dad..."
Zhang Gaoling looked stern. "Your coquetry won't work. You must take this medicine today."
DING.
The words above his head flipped upward, revealing another line.
「Hiding place: Son's bed's secret compartment.
Safety rating: Five stars.」
Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"
Although he couldn't fully understand the meaning of the latter part, Zhang Xiaoyuan grasped the essence of the first half.
In the middle of the night, he burrowed under the covers and, after tapping on the bed board for a while, successfully located the secret compartment.
Inside the spacious compartment lay pitifully only two small silver coins. Zhang Xiaoyuan fell silent for a while, took his coat from the bedside, and retrieved ten silver ingots from his waistband, placing them in the compartment.
Dad, this is the filial piety of your child!
You've worked hard!
3
Zhang Xiaoyuan understood. The words he saw above everyone's heads indeed reflected their life experiences and inner thoughts.
Yet, he couldn't control this ability completely. Most of the time, the information he saw above people's heads wasn't what he wanted to know.
Purple Mist Tower utilized fans. Amidst the crowd, he watched the disciples of the Purple Mist Tower displaying graceful movements, resembling drifting snow in their white attire. The Tower Master, Lin Yi, exuded an immortal air, evoking a sense of reverence.
Zhang Gaoling led him to pay respects, and Lin Yi, too, was quite courteous. Holding Zhang Xiaoyuan's hand, he said, "Heroes emerge in youth, and indeed, you possess the same charisma as my good friend Gaoling did in his youth."
Just as Zhang Xiaoyuan was about to respond, he saw words rapidly appearing above Lin Yi's head.
「Lin Yi, Master of Purple Mist Tower, formidable martial artist, ranked thirty-seventh in the martial arts world.」
Wow, a top fifty expert!
「Respected and esteemed, admired by countless, nurtured dozens of young warriors.」
Outstanding character!
Lin Yi: "I wonder why Brother Gaoling has sought me out this time?"
As Zhang Xiaoyuan awaited his father's response, another line of words popped up above Lin Yi's head.
「True villain, false gentleman.」
Huh?
Huh?
Huh? Huh?
Huh? Huh? Huh?!
Lin Yi chuckled with a benevolent expression. "Is it for the matter of
seeking a master?"
Zhang Xiaoyuan, frightened, turned pale. Trembling, he desperately pulled his hand from Lin Yi's grasp, crouched down, and with a shaky voice, stammered, "I, ah, ah... Dad, my stomach hurts!"
4
Zhang Xiaoyuan hurried into the outhouse, covering his face in fear. Lin Yi's benevolent expression filled his mind.
Was the martial arts world really this terrifying?!
Zhang Gaoling, ever indulgent, didn't doubt him. They left Lin Yi behind and went back to the area beneath the martial arts competition platform.
At this moment, the on-stage combat involved the Scattered Blossom Palace and the Mountainous View Sect, both employing swords. However, joining the latter required a commitment to monastic life, which naturally wasn't within Zhang Gaoling's considerations.
Zhang Gaoling held Zhang Xiaoyuan's hand and introduced him to the Master of the Scattered Blossom Palace, Mei Leng'an.
Mei Leng'an was nearing fifty but maintained himself exceptionally well. He had a clear and charming appearance, his skin looking even better than that of a twenty-year-old maiden.
He was also very amiable. He held Zhang Xiaoyuan's hand, remarking that they hadn't seen each other in several years. He commented on how much Zhang Xiaoyuan had grown, his tone friendly, inevitably creating a favorable impression on Zhang Xiaoyuan.
However, Zhang Xiaoyuan had learned his lesson this time. He remained silent, just staring at the top of Mei Leng'an's head, waiting for the line of words to appear.
「Mei Leng'an, Master of Scattered Blossom Palace, mediocre martial arts skills, ranked nine thousand eight hundred and seventy-sixth in the martial arts world.」
Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"
Hold on, these martial arts skills are way too weak!
Zhang Xiaoyuan felt he could easily defeat him.
No, no, no. With such poor martial arts skills, how could one become a Palace Master? There must be some mistake!
He widened his eyes, seriously examining the line of words above Mei Leng'an's head, and indeed, those words had changed.
Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"
How could it regress!
......
5
Zhang Xiaoyuan felt that in this perilous martial arts world, it was challenging for someone without martial arts skills to survive.
Yet, Mei Leng'an not only survived to fifty but also became the Master of the Scattered Blossom Palace!
He must have exceptional qualities!
He scrutinized Mei Leng'an even more earnestly, thinking that to attain his current position, it might be due to intelligence, wit, or perhaps a combination of virtue and conduct.
Why resort to fighting! Can't everyone sit down and talk things through?
Zhang Xiaoyuan joyfully called out, "Elder Mei!"
Mei Leng'an smiled gently, looking at him warmly. "Nephew, do you have something to say?"
Zhang Xiaoyuan: "Actually—"
Another line of text popped up above Mei Leng'an's head.
「Entered the sect as the former Palace Master's favorite, receiving special favor. Against popular opinion, the former Palace Master passed on the leadership position to him.」
Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"
Mei Leng'an: "Nephew?"
Mei Leng'an was stunned. "Huh?"
Zhang Gaoling: "......"
Zhang Xiaoyuan, with a stiff expression, continued, "Um... I wanted to buy some as a gift for my mother..."
Seeing Mei Leng'an's peculiar expression, he finally closed his mouth.
......
6
The atmosphere became somewhat awkward.
Zhang Xiaoyuan desperately tried to salvage the peculiar situation. Since his father remained silent, he awkwardly laughed and said, "I apologize for my abruptness. Elder Mei, you are naturally grace—"
"—graced with powerful martial arts!" Zhang Xiaoyuan forcefully redirected the sentence, "Constant martial arts practice, formidable skills, vibrant energy circulation, that's why you've managed to stay youthful!"
Seeing Mei Leng'an's complexion seemingly improving, he hurriedly continued, "I admire Scattered Blossom Palace's swordsmanship the most! I've heard people say that every top swordsman in the world originated from Scattered Blossom Palace. Today, after meeting Elder Mei, I realize this saying is not unfounded. It's truly admirable."
Mei Leng'an regained a gentle smile, turning to Zhang Gaoling. "Brother Gaoling, your son's words are sweeter than honey."
Zhang Xiaoyuan kept insincerely praising, "With a master like Elder Mei, Scattered Blossom Palace deserves to be the number one sword sect in the world!"
Bang!
This was a bit too much...
Zhang Xiaoyuan couldn't help but wear a wry expression as he raised his head to look at the opponent of the Scattered Blossom Palace's senior disciple on the stage.
It was a young man in his early twenties, dressed in plain gray attire, wearing a bamboo hat, exuding an imposing aura. He also wielded a sword, its blade over three feet long, no wider than three fingers. The scabbard looked aged, and even the tassel attached to the sword seemed faded. He didn't quite resemble a disciple from a prestigious sect.
Unable to determine his martial arts school, Zhang Xiaoyuan focused on the top of his head, hoping to glean some clues.
His ability did not disappoint him. After a moment, words appeared above the man's head.
「Lu Zhaoming, unknown individual.」
Nothing more.
Mei Leng'an, though displeased, still spoke politely, "This young hero, in a martial arts exchange, it's acceptable to exercise restraint."
Lu Zhaoming glanced at him and calmly responded, "For me, this is indeed exercising restraint."