Chapter 874 - Martial Ranks
With a sickening thud, Gold Axe’s head was pierced clean through. Blood and brain matter splattered across the floor.
The bystanders fled in terror, afraid that Han Wu would attack them next. The Axe Gang was the largest gang in town, and Gold Axe was one of its leaders. Rumors even linked him to the town magistrate. Yet the man who could command the entire small town had died without warning.
Silver Axe saw Gold Axe’s corpse and cried with fury and grief, “No! Brother!”
He Xu seized the opening and whipped his head forward to fling steel strands of hair at Silver Axe’s face.
Two struck Silver Axe in the eyes. The attack was so sudden that it severely damaged his vision. His defense fell apart, and He Xu finished him off within a few exchanges.
With both leaders dead, the gang members panicked. Those sprawled across the floor scrambled to their feet and bolted for the door. Their injuries were superficial. They were painful but not fatal. If they failed to escape now, however, their next injuries would be far worse.
As the gang members tried to escape through the door, Qin Shuang was already waiting there. She grabbed one of them and unleashed a shock that cooked him to medium-rare on the spot.
After witnessing that, no one else dared move.
Once the gang was subdued, Jia Gui crawled out from under his table, looking extremely pleased with himself. He walked around the gang members and slapped them.
“Where’s all that tough talk now? It should be an honor for me to take your clothes. You know what this is called? This is called biting the hand that feeds you!”
The gang members could only listen in silence. Their fate rested in Han Wu’s hands now.
Han Wu had no interest in them. He dragged their boss in front of him. The man had broken down. He dropped to his knees and begged for mercy, swearing that he would never appear before Han Wu again.
Han Wu cut him off. “Enough. I’m going to ask you some questions, and you’re going to answer them. Understood? You said we have special powers. Tell me, are users like us common here?”
The man answered tremblingly, “I’ve heard that special users are about one in a hundred. But people with special abilities as powerful as yours are absolutely one in ten thousand.”
“Stop flattering us!” He Xu snapped. “How many fighters in your gang are as strong as those two leaders?”
The man answered quickly, “The Axe Gang only had those two, and they were Third-rate fighters. Nobody else in the gang or even in all of Pigpen Town is stronger.”
“Third-rate? That level of skill is only Third-rate?” Han Wu pressed. He needed to understand where he stood in this civilization’s power hierarchy.
The thug explained, “Gold Axe and Silver Axe were on the weaker end of Third-rate. Pigpen Town doesn’t have anyone stronger, so those two of them got to rule. Now that you’ve beaten them, you’re the Axe Gang’s new bosses.”
Han Wu wasn’t interested in it, and he continued questioning the man for more details. After an extensive interrogation, the group gained a much clearer picture of the civilization.
Martial artists were divided into six ranks: Unranked, Third-rate, Second-rate, First-rate, Top-tier, and Martial Grandmaster.
Unranked fighters were basically ordinary people with little talent and no serious training. Most had only three to five years of casual practice and could take on two or three regular people at once.
Third-rate fighters had some talent and had spent several years training diligently. They could defeat over a hundred ordinary people on their own, and some even developed special abilities as their strength increased. When a special ability complemented a practitioner’s technique, its effectiveness could increase dramatically.
Second-rate fighters were several times stronger than Third-rate ones. They could casually handle eight or ten Third-rate opponents at once. People at this level usually found a reasonably powerful sect and served as a guest of honor.
First-rate fighters were stronger still. Many possessed techniques or styles that synergized perfectly with their special abilities. In the larger cities, they could establish their own minor sects and pass down their knowledge.
Top-tier fighters had mastered their techniques to perfection, refined their forms to the highest standard, and fully developed their special abilities. They typically served as senior leaders within major sects or ruled large cities. Some simply chose to wander the martial world.
Martial Grandmasters existed only in legend. They were said to possess the power to burn mountains and boil oceans and could nurture an entire domain to shelter their descendants for generations.
After hearing all this, Han Wu and He Xu formed a rough estimate. Martial Grandmasters most likely corresponded to the World rank. That meant the strongest life forms in the Martial Arts Civilization amounted to World rank at best, placing them one step below the Divine Civilization.
Of course, Han Wu’s group was stuck at Third-rate. They were in no position to look down on Martial Grandmasters.
After extracting all the intel they could, Han Wu’s group stripped the Axe Gang of their wealth, solving their funding problem for the journey ahead.
Among the loot, Han Wu found two manuals. One was called Heavenly Axe Triple Strike, while the other was Earthly Axe Triple Strike. Both were Third-rate techniques, but when practiced together with the golden and silver axes, their combined power could approach Second-rate.
With little else to occupy him during the journey, Han Wu decided to put his Shadow Xun to work. He had Xun train in both axe techniques. As expected, under Han Wu’s guidance, Xun practiced day and night and mastered both manuals within three days, giving Han Wu a small boost in strength. At the very least, he now had the option of throwing flying axes at distant enemies.
Thanks to their newfound wealth, the group followed the directions they had obtained from the locals and quickly reached the next city: Maple City. Maple trees lined its streets, and the locals claimed that the falling leaves in autumn created a breathtaking sight.
They planned to resupply in Maple City before continuing their journey.
