Around noon.
Inside the room.
"Hooo..."
Xu Qing slowly finished his practice, exhaling a turbid breath. He had been training all morning, for about five hours, and his Baji Fist had gained twenty-five Experience Points.
[Baji Fist Level 6: 40/320]
"Hmm."
Xu Qing mused, 'At my current pace, I can practice Baji Fist at home all day for about eight to ten hours. That should get me forty to fifty Experience Points.'
'At night, I can practice the Snake Body Technique and the Cyan Eagle Claw Force.'
'This way, my Baji Fist should level up in about six or seven days.'
At noon, Xu Qing took out another piece of Tai Sui Spirit Meat. He cooked it by pan-frying it until it was about thirty percent done, then ate it.
Afterward,
Xu Qing took the opportunity to examine the gift from Zhao Jingyuan. He opened the small red sandalwood box, and inside lay five small gold bars.
In the Great Zhou Martial Country, gold was far more valuable than silver. One tael of gold had the purchasing power of one hundred taels of silver, and each of these small gold bars weighed one tael.
That meant the five small gold bars were worth five taels.
This was equivalent to five hundred taels of silver.
It was indeed a hefty gift.
In addition,
adding Yu Hu's apprenticeship fee and the gift from Ye Langtian,
the amount of silver Xu Qing had on hand had reached two thousand taels.
For Xu Qing, this was a veritable fortune.
Time flew by.
In the evening, Xu Qing left his residence and headed for the Cangying Martial Arts Hall. Upon arriving, he walked straight toward the Inner Courtyard, passing through the Outer Courtyard on his way.
"Senior Brother Xu."
"Greetings, Senior Brother Xu."
"Senior Brother Xu, you're here."
"..."
Many of the students wore fawning expressions.
"Mm."
Xu Qing simply gave a faint nod.
"Senior Brother Xu is so magnanimous. And he really did come from a poor background, not like the other senior brothers. When we greet them, they act like they don't even see us."
"Yeah! That's right!"
"To think I was bad-mouthing Senior Brother Xu just yesterday, yet he repaid my malice with virtue. Not only does he not hold a grudge, but he's also so magnanimous. I admire Senior Brother Xu from the bottom of my heart."
"Isn't that the truth."
"I heard that Senior Brother Xu used to be a beggar, but he completely changed his destiny through martial arts. Compared to him, we need to work even harder."
Nearby, quite a few students were beginning to admire Xu Qing.
Indeed, that was just how people were.
In his past life, Xu Qing had, after all, started from scratch and built himself up step by step into a renowned tycoon in his city. This alone was enough to prove his shrewdness and cunning.
When it came to winning people over,
Xu Qing was quite skilled.
The most important part was establishing a positive public image.
That, and having real strength to back it up.
In the Inner Courtyard, Xu Qing met with Instructor Shan. Following the instructor's introduction, Xu Qing first went to the Martial Arts Pavilion, where he planned to choose a swordsmanship manual.
First floor of the Martial Arts Pavilion.
"Token."
An old man sat at the entrance in a lounge chair, resting with his eyes closed. Sensing Xu Qing's arrival, he called out to him and spoke a single word faintly.
"Elder Xu."
Xu Qing clasped his hands in a salute. He had already learned from Instructor Shan about Elder Xiao, who guarded the warehouse in the Outer Courtyard, and this man before him, Elder Xu, who guarded the Martial Arts Pavilion.
Although these two elders were very old, they were both masters who had reached the Huajin realm or even higher, and they held extremely high status within the Cangying Martial Arts Hall.
Clearly, they were part of the Cangying Martial Arts Hall's hidden foundation.
"Yes."
Xu Qing took out his token.
"Mm."
Elder Xu nodded. "Go on in."
"Thank you, Elder Xu."
Xu Qing bowed again and walked into the first floor of the Martial Arts Pavilion. Inside were rows upon rows of bookshelves, each labeled with categories: Fist Techniques, Leg Techniques, Body Techniques, Swordsmanship, Saber Techniques...
There were a great many of them.
After looking around,
Xu Qing walked to the swordsmanship shelf and began picking up the books, only to find that they couldn't be absorbed by his Encyclopedia of All Things.
The reason was simple.
These secret manuals did not belong to him.
'A pity.'
Xu Qing shook his head. 'Oh well. When it comes to martial arts, it's better to master one thing than to bite off more than you can chew. Even with the help of the Encyclopedia of All Things, my time each day is limited. I should focus on mastering one art first.'
Therefore, after a careful selection process,
Xu Qing settled on a fairly decent swordsmanship manual.
It was called: Life-taking Thirteen Swords.
'This is the one.'
Xu Qing nodded in satisfaction.
The Life-taking Thirteen Swords.
It emphasized speed, precision, and ruthlessness. Each strike was imbued with an incredibly vicious aura, representing a swordsmanship of death and destruction.
At the entrance, Xu Qing emerged with the Life-taking Thirteen Swords manual.
"Oh?"
Elder Xu raised his eyebrows, glanced at Xu Qing, and remarked, "Kid, you've got good taste, choosing this swordsmanship."
"Elder Xu, may I ask how many taels of silver it costs?"
Xu Qing asked.
"One thousand taels."
Elder Xu said.
"What?"
Xu Qing's eyes widened. "It's that expensive?"
"Expensive? I'd say it's reasonable."
Elder Xu chuckled. "And that's because the Hall Master has accepted you as an Official Disciple. If you were just a Registered Disciple, it would cost two thousand taels of silver."
"Also, once you learn this swordsmanship, you can only practice it yourself. You are not to teach it to anyone else."
"One more thing. Among the five instructors in the entire Cangying Martial Arts Hall's Inner Courtyard, none of them know the Life-taking Thirteen Swords, because it is extremely difficult to master."
"You could say that even if you have a chance to step into the Gang Qi Realm in the future, this swordsmanship will still be worthy of you."
"Haaa..."
Xu Qing took a deep breath and nodded. "If what you say is true, Elder Xu, then this swordsmanship isn't expensive at all."
So, Xu Qing took out the one-thousand-tael silver note that Yu Chen had given him that morning.
"Elder Xu, here is the one-thousand-tael silver note."
Xu Qing said.
"Mm."
Elder Xu nodded in satisfaction. He took the original manual from Xu Qing, made a rubbing copy, and handed the copy back to him. "Young man, you're welcome to come again."
"..."
Xu Qing was a little speechless. He looked at the Martial Arts Pavilion—it was practically a money pit. He had only gone inside once and had already spent a full one thousand taels of silver.
"A word of advice,"
Elder Xu added, "After you learn the Life-taking Thirteen Swords, remember to destroy the rubbing copy. And don't even think about challenging the rules of the Cangying Martial Arts Hall. Otherwise, you'll have to bear the consequences."
"Yes."
Xu Qing nodded respectfully.
Next, Xu Qing paid a visit to the Resource Tower. There, he met Elder Wang, who was another expert at the Huajin realm or above. His status was equivalent to that of Elder Xiao and Elder Xu.
If one had to make a comparison, Elder Xiao, Elder Xu, and Elder Wang were like the elders of the Cangying Martial Arts Hall.
Zhang He and Instructor Shan were the hall's instructors.
And Xu Qing, Huo Yi, and Ye Langtian were its disciples.
Spirit Essence Powder.
It was one of the Cangying Martial Arts Hall's secret medicines, capable of tempering the bones, healing internal injuries, and even had a slight marrow and sinew washing effect. The price was five hundred taels of silver per dose.
One dose of the secret medicine could be used for three days.
This showed just how expensive the secret medicine was.
Practicing martial arts cost far too much money.
"Haaa..."
Xu Qing took a deep breath and bought one dose of Spirit Essence Powder.
Afterward, Xu Qing went to the Weapon Tower and spent ten taels of silver on a decently forged Fine Iron Sword, which was much better than the Iron Sword he had first obtained.
'Time to head back.'
Having finished all his errands, Xu Qing returned to his residence.
Inside his room.
'Absorb.'
Xu Qing's gaze fell upon the rubbing copy of the Life-taking Thirteen Swords. With a thought, a fluorescent glow flashed across the Encyclopedia of All Things in his mind.
At the same time, a white light flashed over the rubbing copy of the Life-taking Thirteen Swords.
Absorption complete.
[Life-taking Thirteen Swords Level 1: 0/30 (This is an extremely exquisite swordsmanship, comprising thirteen swords in total. Each sword contains one hundred and eight variations. It emphasizes speed, precision, and ruthlessness. Each strike is imbued with an incredibly vicious aura, representing a swordsmanship of death and destruction.)]
BZZT! BZZT!
The next moment,
Xu Qing felt as if the illustrations and text on the rubbing copy in his hand had come to life, transforming into countless tiny figures that surged through his eyes and into his mind.
BOOM!
In an instant, Xu Qing's mind jolted. His consciousness seemed to enter a mysterious space, where he began to practice the swordsmanship, one technique after another.
In that moment, he lost all sense of time's passage.
BZZT!
Finally, Xu Qing opened his eyes.
CLANG!
Faintly, the Iron Sword on Xu Qing's back began to hum, as if in celebration, while the Fine Iron Sword showed no reaction.
"Life-taking Thirteen Swords."
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!!!
Xu Qing let out a low shout. With a wave of his right hand, he drew not the Level 10 Iron Sword, but the Fine Iron Sword he had prepared.
Then, Xu Qing began to practice the Life-taking Thirteen Swords inside his room. Flashes of sword light filled the air, cold glints and fleeting shadows, as he executed one sword technique after another.
"Hooo..."
Finally, half an hour later, Xu Qing exhaled a turbid breath. He had just finished practicing the full set of the Life-taking Thirteen Swords. It had taken him a full thirty minutes to practice the swordsmanship just once.
[Experience +1]
'This Life-taking Thirteen Swords is probably the most profound martial art I've encountered so far,' Xu Qing mused. 'Although it's just a swordsmanship, it contains the operational secrets for Ming Jin, An Jin, and even realms above Huajin.'
'In fact, the latter sword techniques require one to be at the Huajin realm or higher to execute. Forcing them would not only result in low power but also cause damage to the body.'
'Of course, swordsmanship is ultimately just swordsmanship. It's an exquisite fighting method, not a training technique. So, I can't cultivate Ming Jin, An Jin, or Huajin just by practicing the Life-taking Thirteen Swords...'
'Absorb.'
Xu Qing glanced at the Fine Iron Sword in his hand.
With a thought,
BZZT!
a fluorescent glow flashed across the Encyclopedia of All Things.
Absorption complete.
[Fine Iron Sword Level 1: 0/15 (This is a Fine Iron Sword forged from refined iron by an ordinary blacksmith.)]
Similarly, the Fine Iron Sword also gained Experience Points by being swung.
One swing added one point.
However, Xu Qing had no intention of leveling up the Fine Iron Sword. He needed an ordinary iron sword to practice the Life-taking Thirteen Swords in the future. If he upgraded the Fine Iron Sword as well,
then when the time came, drawing a Level 10 Treasure Sword and practicing the Life-taking Thirteen Swords just once would be enough to demolish his entire room.