Reborn as Xu Xuan, Plundering Perks & Flooding the Mountain Ling

Chapter 25: Master of Martial Arts! If Everyone Loses, Then No One Loses!

“Two more times? Do you even hear yourself? Just now, if anything had gone wrong, I might already be chatting with Yama*!”

“I make people speechless for a moment when I fight…But you? You’re trying to make sure I never speak again! You know what? The name ‘Jing Yin ‘ suits you better than me!”

Jing Yin glared at Xu Xuan, his mind filled with resentment. Without another word, he stood up and walked away.

“Junior Brother, why are you leaving? If you leave now, you won’t get your reward! Are you really going? At least remember to keep it secret—”

But Jing Yin didn’t look back even once. His steps were firm. He didn’t give Xu Xuan a single chance to persuade him. Just a moment ago, he had thought one virtue merit was a great deal. But now? This wasn’t sparring, this was suicide! He wasn’t stupid enough to risk his life for one merit.

“Man, what a shame! Jing Yin’s skills weren’t bad at all…That ‘Mastery of Fist Techniques’ trait was quite decent too…”

A while later, Jing Yin returned to the Combat Sect. He tried to avoid meeting anyone but was unfortunately spotted by someone.

“Senior Brother Jing Yin! Weren’t you taking part in the sparring mission? It’s only been half an hour—why are you back so soon?”

The moment he remembered getting slammed into the wall, Jing Yin’s face turned red. His pace quickened as he tried to flee.

“Senior Brother, don’t walk so fast! What happened? Tell us too!”

Jing Yin had already suffered a brutal defeat. Now, he was being hounded with questions that made his frustration boil over.

No way! I can’t suffer alone!

With that thought, he flicked his sleeve and put on a helpless expression.

“That guy from the Alchemy Sect, his fist techniques were awful. He couldn’t even last one move against me. I sent him flying into the wall. I couldn’t stand it, so I quit the mission. No amount of virtue merits could make me stay!”

Saying this, he immediately turned to the mission elder, requesting to withdraw from the task. The moment Jing Yin withdrew, a swarm of disciples rushed in.

“His skills were that bad? Isn’t that perfect for a sparring partner?”

Very quickly, a Fourth Rank Innate disciple accepted the mission. He thanked the elder profusely and eagerly ran off to Xu Xuan’s training ground, like an innocent rabbit walking into the sly fox’s trap. This time, Xu Xuan held back. At first, he limited his strength to First Rank Innate. After half an hour, he even suppressed his true energy, fighting purely with physical strength. After another half hour, he cut his strength in half again. Yet, his opponent wasn’t able to keep up with his power. Xu Xuan sent him flying over and over,  each time using a different technique which made his system notifications chime continuously—

[Congratulations! You have defeated disciple Jin Song of the Combat Sect!]

[New Trait Acquired: Master of Kicks (Green)]

[New Trait Acquired: Master of Claw Techniques (Green)]

[New Trait Acquired: Ironclad Footing (White)]

[New Trait Acquired: Master Tactician (White)]

By the time Jing Song limped out of the training ground in tears, Xu Xuan had gained four new traits. Without a second glance, he merged them all into his “Mastery of Fist Techniques” trait. The green glow brightened, transforming into “Mastery of Combat (Green).” Although it was still green, its scope had expanded significantly—now covering fists, palms, fingers, legs—all forms of unarmed combat.

Looking at his new trait, Xu Xuan was thrilled. He even gave Jing Song one virtue merit as a bonus. Of course, with the condition that he kept zipped his mouth shut. As Jing Song limped away, he realized he had been set up.

Jing Yin, that bastard! He tricked me!

He plotted his revenge, but also… planned to trick a few of his own fellow disciples. After all, if one or two people lost, it was humiliating. But if everyone lost—then no one lost. And so, the infinite loop of conspiracy to trap fellow disciples began.

“Xu Xuan, please instruct me!”

Another excited Combat Sect disciple entered the training ground.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Fists collided, bodies crashed into walls, and the system kept chiming with new notifications. Time flew by. Xu Xuan’s mission had been running for a month. The intensity and rewards were beyond his wildest expectations. On average, he faced one opponent per day, gained three traits per fight and had acquired over 90 traits acquired in just one month. At first, he dumped everything into “Mastery of Combat”, until it fully evolved. Then, he focused on other areas.

Current Stats—

[Host: Xu Xuan]

[Race: Human]

[Realm: Fourth Rank Innate (22%)]

[Cultivation Technique: Azure Dragon Qi of Wood]

[Traits: Benevolent Man of 20 lifetimes (Gold), Pristine Physique (Red), Grandmaster of Alchemy (Red), Master of Martial Arts (Red), Power of Four Elephants (Blue), Qi Cultivation Genius (Blue), Master of Swordsmanship (Blue), Bursting Vitality (Green), Slight Talent (White)]

[New Traits Unlocked:

Master of Martial Arts (Red): You have mastered all forms of unarmed combat. You can instantly understand and exploit weaknesses in any technique.

Master of Swordship (Blue): Your sword skills are at a near-perfect level.

Bursting Vitality (Green): Your body recovers slightly faster.

[One Trait Generation Chance Available! Generate now? (Luck: 68)]

His biggest achievement this month was the trait “Mastering Martial Arts.” Even among all of Mount Longhu, there were hardly a few who could match him in hand-to-hand combat. His “Master of Swordsmanship” trait was a pleasant surprise. Since so many disciples trained in swordsmanship, it had been easy to gather the necessary traits. Xu Xuan had originally planned to upgrade “Power of the Four Elephants” to Red…But an unexpected mission from Shangqing Palace changed everything.

“Lord Wang Hongzhi, Imperial Transport Commissioner of Jiangnan, was poisoned while inspecting Ganjiang River…”

A new challenge awaited him.

*TL/N: Yama = King of Hell