5. Informers will be executed without mercy.

After finishing his breakfast, He Chen carefully considered the attributes.

Divine Skill: Three Thousand Layers of Divine Bell Shield (System Gift), currently three thousand layers of vine-covered Divine Bell Shield.

Swordsmanship: One slash, three thousand cuts; currently, one slash, two cuts.

Weapon: Gentleman's Blade, sturdy and sharp, level 1

Inner Strength Technique: Thunderfire Inner Strength Technique Level 1

Realm: Rank 1

Kill Points: 5

Items for exchange: None

The exchange options are plentiful, including items already available in this world, such as storage bags, rings, and contracts. The sheer variety is enticing, but looking at the exchange points, I just don't have enough kill points!

The Divine Bell Shield is currently a rattan Divine Bell Shield, similar to an ancient rattan-woven shield. A three-thousand-layer rattan-level Divine Bell Shield is much stronger than a three-thousand-layer paper one!

The next upgrade requires 100 kill points to upgrade to the Bronze-level Divine Bell Shield!

Upgrading the swordsmanship from "One Strike, Two Cuts" to "One Strike, Three Cuts" requires 100 points.

The Gentleman's Blade can be upgraded to another level at 10 points, but level one is sufficient for now.

The cultivation techniques are even more resource-intensive; upgrading to level 1000 requires kill points!

An ordinary person only has about 5 points, which is unspeakable and unthinkable. The bottom line in my dreams is the principle that I demand of myself to abide by, otherwise, I will eventually become a killing machine!

At this moment, with the bottom line firmly established in one's heart, as if one's mind were at peace, a strange feeling, indescribable and inexplicable, surged up in one's heart. The mind was solid, and evil spirits could not invade!

After reading it, He Chen stopped thinking about killing points and focused on cultivating his swordsmanship and mental techniques!

The more he used his swordsmanship, the faster it became. With each strike, the speed was so fast that he couldn't even grasp it. It seemed that his mental cultivation and spiritual awareness were still a bit weak, which was why he couldn't control his swordsmanship with complete precision!

I tried my best to practice the mental technique myself, hoping to break through and save some killing points. Unfortunately, my aptitude wasn't very good. Perhaps the mental technique was too difficult and I couldn't break through to the next level!

No wonder my father wouldn't let me cultivate; he probably knew I was unlikely to succeed!

However, the internal cultivation method and sword technique have already been burned; keeping them would only be a disaster!

Suddenly, I heard footsteps approaching straight ahead from a dozen or so feet away! I sheathed my sword, stood still, and waited!

The newcomers had no murderous intent, so there's nothing to worry about! This is Jin Family Village. Of course, there's no gold here, but many people in this village have the surname Jin, hence the surname. Of course, neither my father nor He Chen is surnamed Jin.

After waiting for a while, the person who arrived appeared: the big guy, Uncle Golden Bear! In the dream world, this person must have been very attractive to the opposite sex, and in this world, he also looks tall and mighty!

"Brother Chen, I have something to discuss with you. Is this convenient?" Jin Xiong said frankly.

Perhaps the blazing fire last night gave people a glimmer of light and direction in the cold, dark night, or perhaps it was because the village chief was dead and the village tyrant was gone, and a heavy weight was lifted from their hearts!

"Please sit down, Uncle Xiong, you're too kind," He Chen invited Uncle Jin in and poured him a bowl of tea.

"Brother Shen, if I may be so bold, are you already a second-rate master or a first-rate master?" Uncle Xiong asked somewhat nervously.

Seeing that He Chen didn't answer, Jin Xiong immediately changed his tune, saying, "Brother Cheng, you studied in the county before and even passed the imperial examination. Your future is definitely bright. However, since last year, there have been rumors that we, people from the remote borderlands who aren't in the county seat, will no longer have any protection. The county will no longer care about our lives!"

Seeing He Chen's surprised expression, Jin Xiong explained, "We didn't believe it at first either, but since last year, although the village head collected our taxes as usual, no county officials have come to collect them. The village head himself said they delivered them and didn't need the county officials to come and collect them, but no officials from nearby villages have come either. It's most likely true!"

Then he continued, "They said that after that, no one cared about the border outside the county town anymore, and they didn't care about our lives. It is said that if we can move to the county town to settle down, we will be safe!"

So, Lan's husband, along with several other households in the village, considered moving to the county seat. However, living in the county requires owning property, and we... sigh!

He paused, then continued.

'So, as far as I know, they and other villagers from neighboring villages all ended up working for the mine manager.'

They say the wages there are high, but most of them never come back. The village head's wife is a relative of the Cheng family. Don't be fooled by how much the village head's wife boasts; in reality, the Cheng family is just a small, insignificant household in the county. She herself is also trying to find a way to move to the city.

These past two years, the village head has been relentlessly exploiting everyone! We've paid 20% more in taxes than in previous years! So things are getting harder and harder for everyone in the village! The village head is supposedly a third-rate martial arts expert, wielding a 50-pound broadsword; dozens of ordinary people wouldn't be a match for him. But since he's a first-rate expert like Brother Shen, there's nothing to fear!

"I wonder if a fifty-pound broadsword can penetrate my three thousand layers of divine bell shield?"

He Chen thought to himself, "Since I killed Muramasa last night, a conflict is inevitable!"

Seeing He Chen deep in thought but without any fear, Jin Xiong made up his mind and quickly said, "Brother Chen, I've come here on behalf of the villagers. We hope you can take on the position of village head, and we're willing to contribute 40% of our income!"

Brother Shen, we've been studying all this time, and we won't lie to you. Before, this area was under the jurisdiction of the county, which was fine. But now that the county doesn't have jurisdiction, the merchants who come to collect goods are increasingly driving down the prices. The roads to the county are becoming more and more unsafe for us to travel to.

Moreover, I heard the county has raised our entry fee and transaction tax; this is practically driving us crazy! If Brother Shen wants to develop his career in the county, then pretend I never mentioned this!

Jin Xiong explained the current situation clearly: if He Chen was willing, all their goods would be traded by He Chen when the traveling merchants came, and they would only receive 60% of the proceeds!

"Okay, I won't leave for now. I accept this condition while I'm here," He Chen agreed. As for what happens after I leave, nobody cares anymore!

"Thank you, Brother Shen, no, thank you, Muramasa!" Jin Xiong changed his address and said.

He Chen did not refuse. He didn't care what the title was; it was just a code name. Strength was the key. He would definitely go south to witness the grandeur of the world: talented young people, beautiful women, and towering buildings!

"It's here, it's here! He's the one who robbed the Muramasa family!" Suddenly, a young voice came from afar!

He Chenyou, knife in hand, strode through the door, a murderous intent emanating from him, which he could not avoid!

Moreover, the newcomers didn't pose a significant threat! After breaking through to the first tier of my cultivation technique, my perception of danger has become much stronger! I could hear that there were more than a dozen people, but the danger wasn't great!

Are they just here to give away kill points again?