Chapter 1: Fivefold Beast Soulblade The sun hung high in the sky, casting its rays over a courtyard. Li Chaofeng heard the sound of furniture crashing to the floor in the inn and sighed inwardly. He dipped his hand into the water basin in front of him and splashed some water onto the whetstone. Once the whetstone was wet, Li Chaofeng placed the black-backed, blue-edged short knife in his hand on it and began to carefully sharpen the blade. Five years had passed, and as a transmigrator, Li Chaofeng had spent the last five years navigating this martial world. Li Chaofeng knew he was in a martial world because he had heard many familiar tales. For example, Li Xunhuan had rejected the love of the world's most beautiful woman, Lin Xian'er, and fled to the frontier, turning Lin Xian'er's title of "the world's most beautiful woman" into a joke. Yan Nantian had died in the Vale of Villains while investigating the death of his sworn brother, Jiang Feng. Recently, there were rumors of a skilled thief named Chu Liuxiang, who had exceptional lightness of foot. The Great Banner Sect, Azure Dragon Society, Happy Grove, Green Robe Hall, and the Evil Sect—all these factions existed as if a mysterious hand had forcibly merged countless Gu Long worlds into one, creating a world that felt utterly real. At least, Li Chaofeng had not found anything false about this world. He was unsure if the relationships between these characters were chaotic or if there were deeper connections, because over the past five years, he had been focused on survival, working as a cook in an inn, killing chickens and gutting fish. Using the knowledge he brought from the modern world, he had become a chef in the inn with his limited culinary skills. The reason for this was something he had known five years ago: the black-backed, blue-edged short knife he was sharpening. The blade was about seven and a half inches long, roughly the length of a palm. While it was called a short knife, it more closely resembled a dagger. It had the shape of a knife, which is why it was called a short knife. Despite its small size, the knife was intricately crafted with patterns on the blade, inscriptions on the handle, and engravings on the guard. The back of the blade was thick and heavy. Apart from the scabbard, it had everything a proper weapon should have. When sheathed, it was a beautiful piece of craftsmanship. Li Chaofeng had bought it on a whim from an antique market while driving, simply because it was attractive. At the time, it came with a scabbard. When he bought it, the knife was only three inches long and more like a black stone than a metal weapon in terms of material and weight. With its exquisitely crafted scabbard, it resembled a modern cast and aged artifact. However, when Li Chaofeng wiped the knife clean before bed one night and touched its tip, it cut his finger instantly, despite being made of stone. Then, he found himself in a new world, a ten-year-old boy with a beautiful short knife in one hand and an alcohol sprayer in the other. The scabbard was gone, and he had become a child. If not for the adult pajamas he was still wearing, he might have doubted that his modern life was just a dream. A modern teenager in a martial world with no powers, but possessing a valuable and exquisite short knife. Fortunately, the knife had become a genuine weapon without turning into a gemstone. It was simply a beautifully crafted weapon. With a few casual smears of dirt, Li Chaofeng made the three-inch knife look like a toy a child might bring from home. Since then, Li Chaofeng had been searching for a way back, eventually discovering the knife's special properties. The knife could absorb animal blood to become more powerful. He had also researched the inscription at the end of the handle in the modern world. Fivefold Beasts. The ancients divided all animals into five categories, collectively known as the "Fivefold Beasts." Feathered creatures, led by the phoenix, were called "Feathered." Furred creatures, led by the qilin, were called "Furred." Shelled creatures and aquatic animals, led by the divine turtle, were called "Shelled." Scaled creatures, including fish, lizards, and snakes, as well as winged insects, were led by the dragon and called "Scaled." Naked creatures, such as humans, earthworms, and frogs, which had no fur or scales, were led by the sage and called "Naked." Over the past five years, Li Chaofeng had used the knife to slaughter chickens, gut fish, cut turtle shells, peel snake skins, and slice earthworms. As his butchery skills improved, the knife grew from three inches to its current length of seven and a half inches, its blade now sharp enough to be a deadly weapon. The effects of the Fivefold Beasts also became apparent. Feathered blood made the blade sharper, capable of cutting through anything in an instant. Furred blood made the blade's aura more enduring, able to sever water without it rejoining. Shelled blood made the blade heavier, capable of crushing bones and flesh without damaging the skin. Scaled blood made the blade's tip more precise, able to leave a single red dot on a vast landscape. Naked blood made the knife grow larger and longer in proportion. The knife grew from three inches to seven and a half inches, partly due to the fluids of earthworms and frogs, and partly due to Li Chaofeng's own blood. However, in the past year, Li Chaofeng had noticed that the knife had reached its limit, even with the blood of chickens, fish, and his own. This was a world of mixed Gu Long martial arts, where even the emperor was an anonymous figure known only as "the emperor." In Li Chaofeng's experience, such a low-magic world never featured mythical creatures like phoenixes, qilins, divine turtles, or dragons. The only possibility was the sage! Or, in other words, humans. Li Chaofeng was sharpening the knife, but the Fivefold Beast Soulblade never needed sharpening. It only needed Li Chaofeng to kill. To kill insects, beasts, and even humans. He was sharpening his heart, the goodness that had grown in him in the modern world. "Scritch, scritch, scritch~" The knife continued to scrape against the whetstone. When the sound of a girl's cries for help came from the inn, Li Chaofeng finally stopped sharpening. Holding the knife up to the sunlight, he admired the gleaming blue edge, his eyes half-lidded. He knew that the knife in his heart was now sharp. Or perhaps, he had never needed to sharpen it; he just couldn't let go of his attachment to modern habits. With a blink, the knife shrank and disappeared from his hand. Not only that, but there was no trace of the knife on his body. This was the knife's second property: it could grow or shrink and be hidden in Li Chaofeng's mind. Yes, his mind, or his consciousness. Whenever Li Chaofeng closed his eyes, he could feel the knife suspended in his consciousness. This property had been discovered when the knife grew to five inches. The knife was magical, and Li Chaofeng seemed to have become its master, able to control it at will. Or perhaps, Li Chaofeng himself had become the scabbard for the Fivefold Beast Soulblade. Sheathing the knife, Li Chaofeng stood up. At sixteen years old, his body was already six feet tall, making him look like an adult. His muscles bulged beneath his slightly tight ancient clothing, making him appear both imposing and formidable. Man nourished the knife with blood, and the knife nourished the man with qi. His body was the scabbard for the Fivefold Beast Soulblade, and as the knife grew, so did he. With Li Chaofeng's current physical prowess, ordinary people were no match for him. Feathered blood nourished his skin, Furred blood nourished his muscles. Scaled blood strengthened his sinews, and Shelled blood fortified his bones. The Naked blood, mostly his own, seemed to have no other effect besides making his body more harmonious. He now had two problems. First, he didn't understand True Qi. Second, he didn't know any lightness techniques. Yes, despite being a peak human in the modern world, Li Chaofeng knew no martial arts. (End of Chapter)