Seven World Martial God

Chapter 31: One with the Saber

Translator: Aristophaneso Editor: Caron_

The April weather was refreshing—neither too cold nor too hot.

Ye Meng had spread the news and the hunters were already gathered by the gate where Ye Ba was handing out the weapons. All of the hunters were chatting and laughing, undercurrents of excitement clearly running through each one.

“Ye Meng, I say, your Ye Tian has finally given approval. We can go hunting again.”

 “Yeah, it’s been too long. My hands are restless.”

“Hehe, I’m going to kill as many beasts as I can today!”

…

None of the villagers who joined the hunter team were peaceful men, and after staying at home for the past month, they were all restless.

Now that they could finally go hunting again, the hunters were all excitedly rubbing their hands, anticipating a great harvest.

“Enough, quiet down. The young Captain is here!” Ye Ba called out suddenly.

The villagers snapped to a semblance of attention, turning their heads to a young figure walking over to them. Of course it was Ye Tian.

“Captain, good morning!”

“Hehe, good morning Captain!”

…

All the hunters greeted Ye Tian with such joviality and foolishness that Ye Tian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

“Enough! Settle down!” Ye Ba scolded loudly and to great effect. None of the hunters dared to anger the second most respected hunter of the village.

Ye Ba turned to greet Ye Tian, calling out seriously: “The Ye Family Village’s Hunter Team has assembled. Your orders, Captain?” After he spoke, he quietly wiggled his eyebrows at Ye Tian.

Ye Tian was rendered speechless. After a moment, he shook his head and gestured, stepping out the gate. “Eh… let’s head out!”

“Head out!” Ye Ba echoed loudly, leading the rest of the hunters behind Ye Tian.

They raced into the mountainous forest with Ye Tian in the lead, alert to the wind and sun around them. This was Ye Tian’s first expedition as Captain and he took his responsibilities incredibly seriously, scanning the woods around him cautiously.

“Ye Tian, relax and trust yourself—you’ll do well!” Ye Ba whispered cheerfully, running up beside Ye Tian and assuaging the young man.

“Yes Uncle Ba, you’re right!” Ye Tian smiled in reply, his face relaxing though the alertness in his eyes remained.

An hour later, they were in the danger zone and Ye Tian grew even more cautious.

Suddenly—

A black shadow flashed forward, lunging for a hunter on the outskirts of the group. Ye Ba’s pupils narrowed, clearly identifying the Level Seven Black Dragon Python, a powerful beast that only a few hunters could take on.

“Ye Tao, careful!” Ye Ba hurriedly shouted, stepping forward but he was already too slow, the python having ambushed them.

“Ah!”

“Black Dragon Python!”

Some of the other quick-eyed hunters were calling out. Ye Tao was terrified; he was only a Level Five Martial Artist and wouldn’t even be able to resist a single blow from the Black Dragon Python.

It would be an instant kill and there was no one beside him who could save him.

Even as everyone mourned Ye Tao’s death, a dazzling scarlet blur flashed in front of him. Ye Tian had attacked, the Scarlet Saber in his hand a bolt of lightning through the Black Dragon Python’s neck.

The python hissed gutturally, its pupils beginning to narrow as its head slid away from its body.

Hong!

Ye Tian landed upright, his saber gleaming with the Black Dragon Python’s blood.

Beside him, the almost four-meter-long python was split in two, its blood spurting forward and staining the ground.

Silence!

Everyone stared for a stunned moment in disbelief.

The Black Dragon Python was a Level Seven Martial Artist Beast, equivalent to a Level Eight human cultivator. Even Ye Ba would’ve had to exchange blows before taking it down and perhaps only the previous captain could have killed it with one strike.

But now Ye Tian was such an expert.

Everyone stared at Ye Tian, shocked. Their minds were racing.

While Ye Meng was still processing it, Ye Ba had already figured it out, his eyes expectant and excited as he asked: “Ye Tian, you broke through to Level Eight?”

“Yes, this morning!” Ye Tian answered, a confident grin on his face.

The hunters burst out in celebration, suddenly in an uproar as everyone exclaimed.

“Brat! No wonder you finally agreed!” Ye Meng smiled as he scolded his son, somewhat dissatisfied that his son never told him anything.

“Hahaha, Ye Tian! With your cultivation and your Thundering Palm, you’re now equal to a Level Nine Martial Artist!” Ye Ba called excitedly. The powerful Ye Family Village Hunter Team was back on its feet; a level Nine Martial Artist had emerged to replace the injured Ye Feng.

“Alright, clean the corpse and bring it with us!” Ye Tian commanded.

 “Yes, captain!”

Ye Ba and the other hunters called out in reply, respect flashing across their eyes.

An expert would be respected no matter where he came from, even if he was a mere sixteen year old boy.

Ye Tian had finally gained the full hearted acknowledgement of the other hunters and was now truly Captain.

…

Time flowed and soon, another three months had passed.

Under Ye Tian’s leadership, the Ye Family Village’s hunter team brought back fruitful harvests after every expedition.

Gradually, Ye Tian’s standing in the village grew from talent to pillar, and soon, no one thought of him as a child any longer.

He had already become a dependable expert.

…

Shua!

Shua!

…

Two shadows danced in the mountainous forest—it was Ye Tian and his opponent, a purple cheetah.

The purple cheetah was incredibly powerful and had been exchanging blows with Ye Tian for a full hour with no end in sight.

“The Captain can actually fight evenly with the Purple Cloud Cheetah!”

“Incredible! The Purple Cloud Cheetah is a Peak Stage Level Nine beast. Not even Brother Feng would dare to tangle with this local tyrant.”

“Captain’s talent is insane and his cultivation is so fast. He’s already a Late Stage Level Eight Martial Artist and might even break through to Level Nine soon. When that time comes, we won’t even have to worry about Level Ten beasts.”

…

The hunters stood a little distance away watching the fight, casually and calmly chatting.

Every time they had gone to hunt, any powerful loner beast was dealt with by Ye Tian one on one, both to prevent casualties and to give Ye Tian more practice.

By now, the hunters had already grown accustomed to this new tradition, and all of them stood witness day by day as Ye Tian progressed in strength until even a Peak Stage Level Nine Purple Cloud Cheetah couldn’t hurt him.

“Little Tian’s gains are incredible!” Ye Meng commented, smiling.

“Yes! I’m guessing he’ll advance to Martial Master within three to five years!” Ye Ba happily replied.

As they thought about their village’s future powerhouse expert, all the hunters were filled with emotion and joy.

…

Back in the fight, Ye Tian moved with utter calm.

The Purple Cloud Cheetah is truly strong. No wonder it ruled over this area. Even with my saber skills and Thundering Palm together, I still can’t defeat it, Ye Tian thought, brows furrowed as he tangled with the beast, planning his moves.

“Roar!”

The Purple Cloud Cheetah roared, its fury tinged with anxiety. The young human facing it was a dangerous threat and off in the distance were more hunters, watching and waiting.

But it couldn’t turn its back on Ye Tian to flee.

“En?”

Suddenly, Ye Tian’s eyes flashed as the Scarlet Saber in his hand seemed to come to life, moving by itself and controlling his hand, dancing through the air.

What’s happening? Ye Tian wondered in shock. The sensation was incredibly strange and suddenly, the roles had reversed. Rather than controlling the weapon, the Saber was controlling him.

Shua! Shua! Shua!

Three rays of saber light struck forward and although the Purple Cloud Cheetah immediately dodged, an intense foreboding filled it and its pupils shrank. It was a step too slow and its tail sheared straight off.

“En?” Ye Ba grunted, his eyes quivering as shock filled his face.

“He hit it?” The other hunters were also surprised by the sudden change.

“Hong!”

Ye Tian felt as if an explosion had gone off in his brain, a vague feeling of enlightenment flitting through him before disappearing, taking with it the strange, wondrous sensation.

He marveled at the Scarlet Saber in his hand, the feeling gone.

“Roar!”

While Ye Tian was in his momentary trance, the tailless Purple Cloud Cheetah immediately turned and retreated, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

“Ye Tian, what happened? Why did you let the Purple Cloud Cheetah go?” Ye Ba asked with confusion, his brows knitted as he approached and examined Ye Tian.

“Yeah, Tian er, the Purple Cloud Cheetah is worth a fortune,” Ye Meng added with a hint of protest. Ye Tian had clearly injured the beast, so why had he not followed up his strike with a killing blow?

“Uncle Ba, Dad, let’s call it. We’re retuning to the village!” Ye Tian finally replied, lost in his thoughts. The strange sensation had left him dazed.

“Ye Tian, are you alright?” Ye Ba asked with worry, noticing Ye Tian’s expression was off.

“Tian er, what happened? Are you hurt?” Ye Meng also asked.

“I’m fine, I just feel as if I had an enlightenment. Let’s go. It’s getting late—we should head back,” Ye Tian replied, shaking his head before turning to gather up the hunters and bring their harvest back to the village.

Ye Ba and Ye Meng exchanged a look, shaking their heads helplessly.

As they headed home, Ye Tian couldn’t shake the memory of his battle with the Purple Cloud Cheetah. Truly strange.

Weird. I felt as the Scarlet Saber had become a limb, a natural extension of my body. Is this becoming “one with the sabre” like I’ve read about? Ye Tian wondered.

I must ask the Martial Instruction Elder and Uncle Feng. They’re old, experienced, and knowledgeable. Surely they know the answer.

Ye Tian shook himself from his daze and sped up, heading back to the village.