As the system’s notifications faded,
it signaled that at this very moment, Jiang Nian had finally stepped into the ranks of first-class martial artists.
But there was still one thing he was curious about.
“Low martial world. What kind of combat power does a first-class martial artist roughly compare to?”
“Is there a mid-martial world above low martial?”
The system quickly provided answers, giving Jiang Nian a general idea of his own strength.
In the low martial world, above first-class martial artists are: Masters, Pseudo-Grandmasters, Grandmasters, and Great Grandmasters.
And beyond the low martial world lies the mid-martial world, which is essentially the supernatural level. For example, Jin Yong’s martial arts novels belong to this tier.
The mid-martial world also has its own corresponding realm divisions.
Beyond that is the high martial world.
And the high martial world is already getting a bit into the realm of fantasy.
So what exactly is the strength of a low-martial first-class martial artist?
Put simply:
You now possess internal energy and are no longer limited to purely physical爆发power.
But your internal energy isn’t yet strong enough to reach the level of超凡入圣 (transcending mortality and attaining sainthood).
Your body can’t stop bullets, but in close combat, you’re nearly invincible.
Your reflexes have sharpened dramatically, your spiritual senses have become keen, and you have some special abilities that ordinary people lack, though nothing unbelievable just yet.
“I see. That’s pretty damn impressive.”
“If a low-martial first-class martial artist is already this strong, then does that mean I might eventually become a physical saint who can tank thermal weapons?”
Jiang Nian grew even more excited. But as he returned to reality, he felt an unbearable itch all over his body.
He reached out and scratched.
Rip—
A faint, barely audible crackling sound came from his skin.
Jiang Nian looked closely and saw that, for some reason, his fingernails had grown a full five or six centimeters longer.
Dried, wrinkled flakes of skin were mixed in with them.
That was the source of the sound.
“Holy crap, what’s going on?!”
Seeing this, Jiang Nian exclaimed in surprise and quickly looked at his hands.
He saw a layer of dull, yellowed skin covering them.
And beneath the spot he had torn off, there was a faint gleam!
No!
It wasn’t a gleam.
It was the color of his actual skin.
“What is this…”
“Shedding skin?!”
Looking at the strange changes on his body, Jiang Nian muttered in surprise.
Then he hurried to the bathroom and took off his clothes.
All over his body, a layer of dull, yellowed dead skin was attached.
“Jiang Nian, what’s wrong?” Zhang Yuxin, attracted by the sound of Jiang Nian’s voice, asked from the bedroom doorway.
Hearing this, Jiang Nian shook his head. “Nothing. I just bumped into something. Go back to what you were doing.”
Zhang Yuxin didn’t think much of it. “Okay.”
Then she returned to her room.
Jiang Nian, looking at the dead skin on his body, wondered if this was the result of breaking through to first-class martial artist.
So he reached out and gently peeled it.
Rip—
A crisp sound echoed as a long strip of dead skin came off his body.
It didn’t hurt. In fact, it felt strangely satisfying.
He brought it to his nose and sniffed. Aside from the smell of sweat, there was no other odor.
Seeing this, Jiang Nian stopped overthinking it. He simply grabbed a bath towel, turned on the faucet, and started washing and scrubbing.
Layer after layer of dead skin came off his body.
Before long, a small pile had gathered at his feet.
By the time Jiang Nian stepped out of the steamy bathroom,
he looked completely reborn!
The yellowed, sun-damaged skin from filming had returned to a clean, delicate white.
At first glance, it even seemed to glow.
He poked it with his finger—it was incredibly springy.
He picked up an old-fashioned foldable razor and gently drew it across his skin.
The blade slid over the surface without even breaking the skin.
Only by applying a certain amount of force could he barely manage to cut a small opening in this seemingly soft skin.
And once the blade dug in, it was quickly clamped in place by the surrounding muscles, unable to move!
“Wow, not bad!”
Seeing this, Jiang Nian beamed with delight.
He clearly hadn’t expected this kind of bonus effect from becoming a first-class martial artist.
Now, even if someone came at him with a blade in close quarters, he wouldn’t be afraid.
“That beating was worth it!”
Jiang Nian finally made peace with the ordeal he had gone through during his breakthrough.
Then he glanced at the time: 8:00 AM.
He figured it was getting late and he should head to the set.
So he put on his clothes, left the bathroom, and called out to Zhang Yuxin.
When she saw Jiang Nian, she froze.
“Uh, excuse me, handsome, who are you?”
Jiang Nian couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s me, Jiang Nian. What, you don’t recognize me?”
“You’re Jiang Nian?”
“Yeah.”
“Hiss—”
Zhang Yuxin sucked in a sharp breath. She looked utterly astonished, circling around Jiang Nian as she asked, “What happened to you? How did your skin suddenly get so good?”
Jiang Nian shot back with a question of his own: “Has my skin ever been bad?”
“But this change is way too dramatic!”
Zhang Yuxin exclaimed.
Without exaggeration, the Jiang Nian standing before her now and the Jiang Nian from two hours ago were two completely different people.
If it weren’t for his face, Zhang Yuxin would have suspected he was someone else entirely.
Then she grabbed Jiang Nian’s hand, looking excited. “Teacher Jiang, can you tell me how you did it? I want to learn too.”
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“Sure, but if you want to learn, you’ll have to train in martial arts with me. Your skin might get better, but your body type will probably turn into a ‘Kung Fu Barbie.’ Can you handle that?”
Jiang Nian said very straightforwardly.
He really knew how to hit where it hurt.
The moment those words left his mouth, the excitement on Zhang Yuxin’s face froze solid.
She instinctively pictured herself as a Kung Fu Barbie.
Shivering at the thought, she let go of Jiang Nian’s hand and forced a dry laugh. “Haha, well, you know, Teacher Jiang, I was just saying. I don’t actually care that much about my skin quality.”
“Really? You might miss your chance. And honestly, I think your bone structure is pretty good. Even though you’re starting a bit late, with my guidance, it’s still possible.”
“No, no, no. I don’t want to train. I want to act. Right, acting! Teacher Jiang, let’s hurry up and go, or Director Xu and the others might get impatient waiting.”
Zhang Yuxin said hurriedly.
Then she took the lead, rushing toward the set.
Watching her hurriedly retreating figure, Jiang Nian chuckled to himself and followed.
An hour later.
On the set of The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate.
Even though he had witnessed it many times, Jiang Nian couldn’t help but marvel at the magic of filmmaking.
Outside, snow was falling heavily.
But inside the studio, it was a scene of swirling yellow sand that made you feel hot just looking at it.
This was Jiang Nian’s second-to-last scene and, at the same time, the most spectacular group battle scene in the movie The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate.
The scene takes place after Tan Luzi, the second-in-command of the Western Depot, is toyed with by Feng Lidao.
When Yu Huatian and his men arrive late and mistake Tan Luzi for Feng Lidao pulling the same trick again, a major fight breaks out.
At this moment, Yu Huatian is sitting on his horse.
After watching his chief deputy, Ma Jinliang, go forward to exchange the secret code,
only to be met not with a warm welcome from Tan Luzi and his men but with a hidden arrow instead,
he removes his mask, catches the incoming arrow with an indifferent expression, and hurls it back.
With his cunning mind, he naturally realizes that their secret code has been compromised.
That’s why they are now killing each other.
But he doesn’t care. Absolute power allows him to handle any situation with calm composure.
“Still, these rats are quite annoying.”
Yu Huatian mutters to himself. He casually draws a long saber from a guard’s waist, channels his internal energy, and gives it a sharp shake.
Bang!
The saber shatters into dozens of fragments, spinning violently as they slam into the faces of the attacking barbarians, cutting them down from their horses.
Then, seeing Ling Yanqiu charging toward him on horseback with a red-tasseled spear held high, he tries the same trick again.
But Ling Yanqiu is no pushover.
Facing Yu Huatian’s attack, she swings her red-tasseled spear and deflects the incoming sword fragments.
But such petty tricks are hardly a challenge for Yu Huatian. With a flick of his embroidered sleeve, the deflected fragments turn around and fly back.
Ling Yanqiu can’t dodge in time and is knocked off her horse.
Fortunately, just then, Zhao Huai’an arrives. Seeing Ling Yanqiu at the scene, he’s very surprised, but the battle is intense. He has no time to question why she came alone. He simply points to the archers nearby, signaling for her to take them out.
Then he draws his sword and charges at Yu Huatian.
Looking at Zhao Huai’an, the man who had escaped from him once before,
Yu Huatian recalls his previous failure, and a fierce glint flashes in his eyes.
At the same time, knowing that this man is no small fry,
he doesn’t choose to wait passively but instead urges his horse forward to attack.
The distance between them grows shorter. Yu Huatian has already planned to decapitate Zhao Huai’an as soon as they get close enough.
But just then, a black horse suddenly charges in.
Zhao Huai’an uses the opportunity to climb onto the black horse, kicks off into the air, and narrowly avoids the fatal blow.
But because he has no leverage in midair, he still takes a few hits from Yu Huatian and crashes to the ground.
The rolling wind and sand pick up.
Watching the fallen Zhao Huai’an struggle to his feet,
Yu Huatian’s eyes turn cold.
He knows that Zhao Huai’an dodging his killing blow has made him wary.
And now, with the sandstorm growing stronger, staying on horseback would not help him; on the contrary, it would put him at a disadvantage.
So he dismounts, grips his longsword, and slowly walks toward Zhao Huai’an.
One step, two steps…
The distance between them shrinks.
When there are fewer than five meters left,
Yu Huatian strikes without warning. His longsword splits into three pieces, the two outer blades gleaming with cold light as they spin toward Zhao Huai’an.
Last time, he nearly killed Zhao Huai’an with this very move.
This time, he’s confident he can settle the score.
But Zhao Huai’an has already prepared for it. He grabs the iron chain at his waist and swings it in a circle.
Clang, clang, clang!
The sound of metal clashing rings out continuously.
Using this unique defensive technique, he manages to deflect Yu Huatian’s attack!
Seeing this, Yu Huatian changes tactics on the spot. He channels his internal energy to retrieve the sword fragments, attaches them back to the main blade, and spins the sword as he presses forward step by step.
The two are locked in a fierce, evenly matched battle.
But in the end, Zhao Huai’an finds an opening and turns Yu Huatian’s own technique against him.
Using Yu Huatian’s attack against him, he actually manages to leave a bloody mark on Yu Huatian’s face!
“Cut!”
Seeing this, Director Xu Ke shouted loudly from behind the monitor.
There was no need to explain how this scene had gone.
Three actors—Best Actor Jet Li, Best Actress Zhou Xun, and Jiang Nian—were delivering a powerhouse performance together.
Unsurprisingly, they nailed it in one take.
Hearing this, Jet Li finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He put down the iron whip in his hand and complained to Director Xu, “It’s finally over, Director Xu. If you hadn’t called ‘cut,’ I was about to call it myself.”
“Why would you call ‘cut’?” Xu Ke asked, puzzled.
“Are you kidding? Because I could barely keep up!” Jet Li said with exasperation.
As an experienced martial artist himself, he could feel just how terrifying Jiang Nian’s displayed fighting ability was during the scene.
So while acting opposite him, Jet Li had been on edge the entire time, not daring to relax for a moment.
Then he looked at Xu Ke.
“But I have to say, Director Xu, filming Jiang Nian’s final scene on the very first day of shooting was the best decision you’ve made for this film.”
“Otherwise…”
Jet Li glanced at Jiang Nian and couldn’t help but shake his head. “I honestly can’t imagine how I would have played it, or what I would have done, to convincingly defeat this monster.”
He paused for a moment, then added with a hint of resentment, “No one told me that Yu Huatian actually exists in real life…”
