In the evening, the candlelight flickered in the room, casting a wavering glow.
Song Changming, who was off duty tonight, was carefully examining the sheepskin parchment in his room.
The origin of the ring's old man was unclear, whether good or evil, the risk was hard to determine.
If there was an ominous demon beyond his knowledge hidden in it, deceiving him with ulterior motives, keeping it would truly bring trouble.
Moreover, his secret to longevity did not allow him to carry such a ring old man with him.
Hence, he felt no regret in discarding the ring.
Instead, the martial arts recorded on the sheepskin parchment were worth his closer inspection.
If it were true, he might as well practice accordingly.
Regarding martial arts, he already had ideas for some time.
He couldn't possibly remain a low-level Night Patrol forever; to improve his life, he had to keep moving up.
Every year, the Patrol Armor Bureau in various streets across the city had vacancies for Patrol Guards, either to fill or to expand.
To become a Patrol Guard, the most basic requirement was to possess a certain level of skill and ability.
Simply put, one needs to be a Martial Artist who has practiced martial arts.
After all, this was an armed unit maintaining law and order, even those muddling through needed to have some skills.
Therefore, practicing martial arts was something Song Changming had to get involved with.
Not just to become a Patrol Guard, but to have the ability to protect himself and retreat safely when faced with danger.
Originally, he wanted to enroll in a martial arts gym in the city for training.
However, to enter a decent martial arts gym, one needs to pay an expensive tuition fee at the start, and he currently didn't have this money, needing to save up more over time.
Furthermore, it was said that subsequent training expenses were also extremely high; money was needed everywhere, making the path of martial arts difficult to tread.
At the moment, unable to enter the martial arts gym, only the martial arts on the sheepskin parchment allowed him some research.
Even if he couldn't ultimately master it, perhaps it could still serve as a valuable reference.
The two folded pieces of sheepskin parchment were quite large when spread out, covering half a square table together.
They were densely packed with text; the handwriting was messy, and there were some illustrations, but it was clear that the transcriber's drawing skills were not high, with some skewed.
It made Song Changming looking at them as if he were an old man on a subway trying hard to see a cell phone, very painstaking.
"Soul-breaking Saber, Ghost Blade Faction martial arts, blade wind is sinister and venomous, skilled at throat-cutting and beheading, Minor Success Realm can cultivate a sliver of Yin Ghost Blade Technique, traceless and unpredictable..."
After a comprehensive read, Song Changming felt utterly confused, unable to understand much of the noted content.
The several illustrations of sword momentum were unclear too, requiring him to add his understanding and slowly ponder the essentials.
"If I manage to practice this, it'd be uncanny..." Song Changming shook his head helplessly, then examined the second piece of sheepskin parchment.
"Great Strength Bull Demon Skill, Body Refinement martial arts, primarily bone forging, requires twenty-year old Wild Ginseng monthly for consumption, a medicinal bath every half month, Bone Forging Powder every five days, and at least two pounds of meat daily, lamb or calf preferred... When practiced to perfection, it grants Nine Bull Power!"
Upon seeing its complex content, he finally understood why martial arts practice was so costly.
Such required supplements, medicinal herbs, and food were vast and precious, not something ordinary families could afford.
"Indeed, martial arts is not something everyone can practice…"
The meager silver he earned monthly as a Night Patrol wasn't nearly enough.
Forget about the twenty-year old Mountain Ginseng; even the two pounds of meat daily was challenging for him.
"Which household can feast daily..." Song Changming sighed silently.
Anyway, on this Baiyi Street, few could.
Fortunately, Song Changming didn't become discouraged; without a martial arts foundation, he didn't expect to achieve success with these two unexpectedly acquired Martial Arts Secret Records immediately.
For him, it was a brand new domain, one he would steadily ponder and study.
As night fell, the rain outside grew heavier, threatening a downpour; after dinner, Song Changming continued to immerse himself in the exploration of these two martial arts.
He combined the illustrations with some annotations, dissecting their meanings word by word, sentence by sentence.
Comparing them, the Body Refining martial arts on the second sheepskin parchment seemed less promising than the Soul-breaking Saber.
At least, practicing the Saber did not require all sorts of precious items as strict practice conditions.
"Let's try."
After a thorough examination, Song Changming finally drew the official saber issued by the Patrol Armor Bureau, attempting to practice as per the sheepskin parchment's content.
Though he hadn't systematically practiced martial arts, he had grasped the basics of wielding, cutting, and stabbing with a saber, making the official saber not entirely ornamental to him.
This practice lasted well into the night.
Ultimately, the results were minimal...
Until.
[Today's Evaluation: A somewhat meaningful day, lifespan +3, gained the limited-time state 'Concentrated']
Concentrated: Single-minded, focused, doing things with high concentration.
"Finally a change of status effect, hope it helps..."
Listening to the notification, Song Changming set down his saber, wiped the sweat off his face, and let out a deep breath.
His panel ability evaluated his daily performance at midnight, offering a lifespan reward and granting a limited-time state that lasted a day.
For example, previously, his limited-time state was 'Aimless.'
Aimless: Goofing off, slacking, mediocre, idle.
In this state, his efficiency was not high, which severely negatively impacted martial arts practice and cultivation.
In this idle state, managing to achieve anything would indeed be unusual.
The reason he kept practicing, burying himself in apparently futile efforts, was merely to brush away this negative state at midnight.
The current replacement with 'Concentrated' was a positive state, offering a boost to his cultivation efficiency.
It was akin to a minor cheat.
With the mindset that a small cheat doesn't count as cheating, Song Changming invested himself more intently into saber practice.
This time, the effects of practicing turned out to be notably different.
Principles of blade techniques that had been elusive suddenly seemed clear, as if he had an epiphany, grasping them instantly.
He even felt he had been too dull before, unable to learn even these basic things.
Gradually, he increasingly found this set of Soul-breaking Saber not as difficult to master as anticipated.
Just as the ring had indicated, this set of sword skills was indeed suitable for a novice like him.
Most of the profound content found in exquisite martial arts appeared infrequently on this sheepskin parchment; the application and essence of the sword forms were mostly understandable.
As Song Changming gradually got the hang of this sword skill, everything began to fall into place.
Before long, his panel suddenly displayed new content.
Name: Song Changming
Lifespan: 36,002
Spirit: 7
Root: 10
Related Physique: Fear of Water (Gray)
Martial Arts: [Soul-breaking Saber: Basic level (0/100)]
Looking at the newly appeared information on the panel, a smile gradually emerged on Song Changming's face.
...