Borrowed Sword

Chapter 1: Rainy Night, Blade, Umbrella

Chu Huaixu put on the 【Game Helmet】, then opened his eyes.

The environment before him changed instantly, and he felt the scene in front of him slightly dim.

It was a night of torrential rain.

At this moment, he wore a short blade at his waist, held an oil-paper umbrella in his hand, and stood on a forest path.

The scent of rain mixed with soil rushed into his nostrils, making him feel all the more awake.

Dark clouds filled the night sky, and not even a trace of moonlight could be seen.

Chu Huaixu frowned, raised his right hand which wasn’t holding the umbrella, brought his index and middle fingers together, and made a slash in the air upwards.

In the next moment, the entire world became noticeably brighter!

Everything in front of him suddenly became clearer.

Just as Chu Huaixu was about to examine his surroundings, a figure darted out from the dense forest ahead.

That person also held an oil-paper umbrella and wore black tight-fitting clothes, the only difference being the long blade at his waist.

Oh right, he also held his umbrella quite low, so from Chu Huaixu's angle, only most of his face could be seen—just like a close-up shot in a movie.

So, Chu Huaixu silently lowered his umbrella a bit too.

The man who had emerged from the forest already had his right hand on the hilt of his long blade.

His voice was slightly hoarse, and it sounded like there was phlegm stuck in his throat:

"I advise you to do nothing. Come back with me now and be thrown into the 【Heavenly Prison】."

After speaking, the stubbled man added another sentence:

"Of course, you do have a second choice."

"Give me fifty taels of silver."

After he finished, he stepped slightly aside to show he was letting him pass.

Upon hearing this, Chu Huaixu lowered the umbrella even further.

Rain poured down noisily, beating against the oil-paper umbrella. In the dark of night, his expression couldn't be clearly seen.

‘Fifty taels—that’s about the same purchasing power as over fifty thousand yuan on Earth,’ Chu Huaixu calculated mentally.

Spending over fifty thousand to avoid jail, or even to save one's life, didn't seem that expensive.

But he wasn’t sure if the current “him” even had that kind of wealth.

So, he began searching himself for money.

To his surprise, he actually pulled out a banknote worth one hundred taels from his chest.

‘Huh? Seems like this time’s 【Starting Scenario】 isn’t simple,’ he thought.

Chu Huaixu lifted the oil-paper umbrella slightly, raised an eyebrow at the man, held up the hundred-tael note, and asked seriously:

“Wait… can you make change?”

The stubbled man also raised his umbrella, his eyes suddenly turning sharper.

His original idea was to see what this kid was carrying.

Most people wouldn’t carry all their valuables on them.

Just robbing the silver on his person? That wouldn’t be enough.

Basically, he didn’t just want the wallet—he wanted everything in the 【Bank】 too.

But to his shock, this brat was actually carrying such a large denomination note!

The stubbled man licked his dry lips and said in that phlegm-stuck voice: “I used to be suspicious about your identity, but now…”

“Shing—!” The man suddenly drew the long blade from his waist!

He grinned viciously at Chu Huaixu, umbrella in his left hand, blade in his right, and took two steps forward.

“I just don’t get why they’d send a 【False Spirit Embryo】 like you, a mere mortal—what’s the point?”

The current times were special. A great catastrophe was approaching, and the era of 【Universal Cultivation】 had already begun.

Anyone with even a hint of 【Spirit Embryo】 potential could step into cultivation and become a cultivator.

This man appeared older, yet hadn’t stepped through the cultivation door—he was clearly a 【False Spirit Embryo】.

Listening to the man’s words, Chu Huaixu tilted his head slightly and looked at him sideways:

“Buddy, aren’t you the same?”

Laughable—he was a 【False Spirit Embryo】 too, and still looking down on others?

The stubbled man’s eyes grew even more sinister, his face showing anger.

In earlier times, the right to cultivate was monopolized by sects, dynasties, and noble families, keeping the class hierarchy intact.

Ordinary people had no chance unless they were exceptionally gifted.

Now, due to the coming catastrophe, the era of 【Universal Cultivation】 had opened.

But under such circumstances, being a 【False Spirit Embryo】 was especially cruel.

Besides 【Body Training】, there were no other options.

Yet trying to break into cultivation through 【Body Training】 was like climbing to heaven!

The effort required was a hundred, even a thousand times more than those with true 【Spirit Embryo】 potential!

So to this man, the 【Spirit Embryo】 was something he envied deeply.

He dreamed of becoming a cultivator.

His rage surged instantly, and his grip on the blade tightened.

But before slashing, he still wanted to get in a few insults.

After all, cutting someone was one thing—trash talk was another.

“Yeah, I’m a 【False Spirit Embryo】 too.”

“But I never thought of sneaking into the 【Dao Gate】 with a lowly 【False Spirit Embryo】.”

“You useless waste—do you even know your worth? Don’t tell me you’re relying on your delicate looks to... get in the back door?” He licked his upper lip.

Chu Huaixu listened and digested the information.

“Sneak into the 【Dao Gate】?” He caught onto that keyword.

Strictly speaking, 【False Spirit Embryoes】 really couldn’t be admitted into the 【Dao Gate】.

However, a smile appeared on Chu Huaixu’s face, and he spoke words the other man couldn’t understand at all:

“Don’t ask.”

“I’m a 【Student-Athlete】.”

......

......

The rain kept falling.

The stubbled man wondered if he had water in his brain—or if the other guy did.

He was completely lost.

But then, the other party moved!

Chu Huaixu also drew the short blade from his waist.

“Rainy night, blade, umbrella, huh?” he muttered to himself.

Then, he tossed the umbrella aside.

The short blade left its sheath!

The heavy rain battered his body as Chu Huaixu stepped forward with his blade, splashing muddy water from the puddles with his first step.

“Bold!” the stubbled man roared in anger, tossing aside his umbrella as well.

The long blade slashed forward with fierce momentum, using a wide, aggressive style.

The blades clashed, and Chu Huaixu felt his tiger’s mouth tremble.

Clearly, the other man was far stronger!

No doubt, this stubbled man had trained his body.

He just hadn’t broken through that first cultivation barrier yet.

“Interesting 【Starting Scenario】,” Chu Huaixu thought.

But seriously, this old and still trash-talking—was this all your 【Body Training】 got you?

“This is it?”

The short blade suddenly flicked upward!

The stubbled man was shocked.

He couldn’t understand—why couldn’t he land a hit on this young man, who had neither great strength, nor speed, nor a tough body?

If it were just one close dodge, he might chalk it up to luck.

But every time?

And the angles of his strikes, and the precision—were terrifying.

It felt like he had freakishly perfect control over his body!

“Why?” the stubbled man couldn’t comprehend.

A bad feeling crept over him.

“If he hits me even once, it’ll be a vital spot. I’ll definitely die!”

And he was right.

Because just as that thought surfaced, the short blade drew a red line across his neck.

——You were right. Happy now?

After slitting his throat, Chu Huaixu kicked the man hard in the abdomen, sending him flying to maintain a safe distance in case he did anything while dying.

The man collapsed on the ground, twitching, clutching his throat tightly, but the blood still wouldn’t stop.

——The situation was settled.

The rain washed over his body. Chu Huaixu lowered his head slightly, sheathed his blade, and said calmly:

“If you’re bad, practice more.”

......

......

Chu Huaixu walked forward a few steps, picked up the oil-paper umbrella he’d thrown, then shook it to get rid of the water.

He thought he looked really cool just now.

But soon after, he became confused—and then annoyed, bewildered, suspicious, all at once.

“What the hell! Where’s the damn 【Log Out】 button?!”

......