Chapter 1 – Nine Yang Divine Skill

  The mountain wind howled, and the bare branches of withered trees trembled in the cold, creaking like pained groans. Nestled on the mountainside sat a ruined temple. Its walls were mottled and broken, with sections of cy having already crumbled off, revealing the jagged stones beneath.

  Inside the temple, a campfire crackled and burned.

  A corpse y sprawled on the ground. Next to it stood a young man gripping a bde. His expression was cold and resolute. A bck bandage covered his eyes—he was blind.

  Beside him, a young girl was gasping for breath.

  She flipped the corpse over and excimed, thrilled, “Brother, we might’ve struck gold! This guy... he looks like Zhou Tong, the flower thief with a 300 tael bounty from the magistrate!”

  “It’s him,” the young man replied.

  “You can’t even see. How are you so sure?”

  “I just know.”

  He didn’t expin. Instead, he tossed the bde to the ground and said, “Cut off his head. We’ll take it to Linjiang City for the reward.”

  This young man was named Gu Mo. A blind man.

  He knew the dead man was Zhou Tong, the wanted flower thief, because right now, a panel had appeared in his mind:

  [Sin: Three-Star Bounty Target]

  [Reward: Max-Level Nine Yang Divine Skill]

  [Cim reward?]

  Despite his outward calm, Gu Mo’s heart was pounding.

  His golden finger had finally arrived.

  It had been three days since he awakened his past-life memories, three days of anxiety and fear. This world was a perilous martial realm, filled with bloodshed and endless conflict. Though he was a martial artist, he was also blind, and most of his skills had long withered away.

  Originally, Gu Mo wasn’t blind. He had been the youngest escort of the Changfeng Escort Agency in Linjiang City, renowned for his masterful bde technique. He was once considered the most promising candidate to become the youngest Escort Chief in the agency’s century-long history.

  But a month ago, during his st mission before his promotion, he was ambushed by a gang of bandits. In the chaos, he was poisoned by a skilled enemy. Though he survived, the deyed treatment left him permanently blind.

  Just like that, his rise in the martial world was cut short.

  The once-celebrated young hero became a cripple. He lost all independence.

  To heal himself, he spent every coin he had. And at his lowest, the Changfeng Escort Agency kicked him out, abandoning all brotherhood and honor.

  When he tried to argue, he was beaten and humiliated. In his rage, he spat blood and fainted—only to awaken with awakened past-life memories, unlocking the truth of his rebirth.

  Fortunately, though he had become a cripple, his younger sister Gu Chudong, who had grown up by his side, refused to leave him. Once he recovered, they pnned to return to their hometown and leave the martial world behind.

  Gu Mo didn’t protest. He agreed happily and left Linjiang City with her.

  After a day of travel, they reached this ruined temple to rest for the night, only to discover someone was already inside.

  Though blind, Gu Mo had the instincts of a veteran escort. The moment he entered, he caught the scent of blood and guessed the temple's occupant was a fellow martial artist. Out of caution, he signaled his sister to leave.

  However, the man inside was jumpy and aggressive. Seeing them turn to leave, he attacked.

  Fortunately, Gu Chudong was no novice. Though her skills couldn’t rival her brother’s, she was swift and nimble, able to hold off the attacker—but only barely.

  The attacker underestimated Gu Mo due to his blindness. That gave Gu Mo the chance he needed.

  Despite his blindness, years of escort work and fighting alongside his sister had made them a deadly duo. With her guidance, he struck—killing the man with one clean blow.

  And the moment the man colpsed, the system’s voice echoed in Gu Mo’s mind: Zhou Tong, the infamous flower thief.

  His system was the Ghostwriter Bounty System.

  The function was simple—hunt down and kill bounty targets, and receive rewards: martial arts, legendary weapons, rare treasures, and more.

  Each target was ranked, and the reward given accordingly.

  Zhou Tong was a Three-Star bounty. The reward—Max-Level Nine Yang Divine Skill.

  The fire in the ruined temple burned steadily.

  Gu Chudong quickly severed Zhou Tong’s head, wrapped it in his robe, and asked, “Brother, should we stay until dawn or move now?”

  “Can you see the road clearly?”

  “The moon is bright.”

  “Then we move.” Gu Mo said, “Zhou Tong’s bounty has made him a target for many bounty hunters. We got lucky—he was already wounded, and his injury is fresh. That means there might be other hunters nearby. Better we leave before they show up.”

  “Got it.”

  Gu Chudong wasn’t new to the jianghu. She knew Zhou Tong’s head was worth a fortune—and with a 300 tael bounty, greed could easily ignite conflict.

  Without hesitation, she took Gu Mo’s hand, and they set off.

  Gu Mo wasn’t sure if ciming the reward would trigger something strange, so he held off.

  They traveled for some distance until they found a cave.

  Inside, Gu Mo connected with the system again—this time, accepting the reward.

  In that moment,

  A wave of bzing heat surged through his body. An immense, vigorous, and fiery internal force flooded into his meridians like a tidal wave, charging through his body with explosive force.

  Simultaneously, intricate knowledge of the Nine Yang Divine Skill surged into his mind—its essence, methods, secrets—etched into his soul like divine scripture.

  Within seconds, Gu Mo had completely mastered the Nine Yang Divine Skill. There was no pain, no resistance. It felt as natural as if he had trained for years.

  Gu Mo was eted.

  He knew what the Nine Yang Divine Skill was.

  When fully mastered, it generated endless inner energy, automatically formed protective qi, granted near-immunity to poison, immense healing, and even enhanced one’s comprehension like a cheat code.

  Then he noticed something else—

  His senses had drastically changed.

  No longer was he adrift in total darkness. Now he could clearly sense his sister’s presence, her silhouette outlined in his mind. He felt the wind stir outside the cave. He even heard a bird nding on a branch over ten feet away.

  This was perception only achievable at the peak of internal mastery.

  In this world, martial arts had no rigid levels like in novels. Everyone cultivated differently—some trained body, some mind, some sword, some poison. There was no universal ranking.

  Take Gu Mo, for example. Before this, his inner strength was about third-rate. But his strength y in his explosiveness and bde mastery, which let him spar with top-tier fighters and even gain the upper hand.

  Thus, true power was judged by a martial artist’s own path.

  Now, with maxed-out Nine Yang Divine Skill, Gu Mo had surged past most inner strength masters. The technique’s endless qi, self-regenerating force, and perception enhancement made him formidable.

  Even more, the skill’s insight-boosting power allowed him to instantly elevate his bde technique to new heights.

  Now, Gu Mo felt at ease.

  He had been afraid before—blind in a dangerous world. But with this power, as long as he stayed cautious, even a blind man didn’t need to live in fear.

  His perception and hearing were now so sharp that even without sight, he could move confidently without hesitation.

  At dawn, Gu Mo and Gu Chudong shared a small meal and set out—heading for Linjiang City.