"The Three Slashes of the Rivers and Mountains are known for their speed."
"The Black Tiger Overlord Saber must be paired with a wide-blade heavy saber, and its blade skill is both fierce and vicious, quite remarkable."
"The White Crane Circling the Willow is a blade skill that requires a Willow Leaf Blade, focusing on lightness and trickery."
"The Five Tigers Mountain-Opening Saber..."
"The Eight Trigrams Saber..."
"The Hu Family Quick Saber..."
Qin Zheng continuously picked up one blade skill manual after another, explaining them to Qin Yuesheng.
Inside and outside the house, the ground was piled high with stacks of manuals, numbering in the hundreds. They were all folk blade skill manuals Qin Zheng had collected from raids, worth a fortune.
As Qin Zheng introduced them, Qin Yuesheng was also continuously picking up one blade skill manual after another for a cursory glance.
Though there were many blade skills to learn, Qin Yuesheng currently needed only one.
The first time he obtained the Supernatural Aid Device, Qin Yuesheng figured out its functions.
Attributes | Skills | Enhance | Disassemble | Fuse
Attributes allow you to view and enhance your own five-dimensional data.
Skills allow you to see the martial arts you have learned and enhance them.
Disassemble, for now, seems capable of disassembling anything you touch, though there are success rate issues with living beings and spirits.
Enhance and Fuse are two functions Qin Yuesheng has yet to use.
It's not due to conservatism but because these two functions require a lot of All-Purpose Essence.
Holding the blade skill manual named "Burning Wood Blade Skill" in his hand, Qin Yuesheng activated the Enhance function.
[Yes/No—Consume 100 All-Purpose Essence to enhance "Burning Wood Blade Skill"]
"No." Qin Yuesheng immediately picked up another manual, "Southern Barbarian Saber Skill," activating the Fuse function.
[Yes/No—Consume 500 All-Purpose Essence to fuse "Burning Wood Blade Skill" and "Southern Barbarian Saber Skill"]
"Reject." Qin Yuesheng set down both blade skill manuals.
In fact, the truly powerful martial arts manuals are in the hands of martial sects and great martial leaders, known as Secret Arts.
Qin Yuesheng heard from Qin Yue that these martial arts are divided into five levels: Divine Skill, First-rate, Second-rate, Third-rate, and Non-rated.
The folk martial arts you can buy with a little money are Non-rated.
Even if mastered, their power cannot compare to the other four levels.
So Qin Yuesheng had Qin Zheng buy so many blade skill manuals. He would first practice one, and when he'd gathered enough All-Purpose Essence, he would then fuse them one by one, requiring 500 All-Purpose Essence. The new blade skill would certainly not be weak.
In this way, Qin Yuesheng could definitely obtain a blade skill not inferior to First or Second-rate.
Without leaving home, he would travel a thousand miles, becoming a peerless blade master.
In such a dangerous world, staying safe at home to enhance strength is the way to go.
"Housekeeper Qin, you don't need to read anymore." Qin Yuesheng picked up a blade skill manual he had already chosen and said, "This one."
"Sea One Slash"
Seeing the title of the blade skill manual, Qin Zheng breathed a sigh of relief, no longer needing to continue reading.
"Young Master, what about the remaining blade skills?"
"Find a clean place to display them. Have people clean them daily; they must not gather dust, get wet, or be eaten by insects," Qin Yuesheng said calmly.
"Yes."
As Qin Zheng looked for people to move the books, Qin Yuesheng sat at the table, reading the "Sea One Slash" he had chosen.
The swimming dragon returns to the sea, rivers and lakes return to the sea.
The sea accepts all rivers; everything returns.
"Sea One Slash" truly contained only one slash, one form.
This slash emphasizes a fatal blow, drawing blood and taking life.
This slash resembles waves enveloping the enemy from all directions, leaving nowhere to hide, forcing a head-on confrontation.
It determines superiority and life or death.
Overall, this blade skill is quite sinister.
However, Qin Yuesheng was very satisfied, as the skill's simplicity made it easy to learn. Once he reached the beginner level, he wouldn't need to practice manually anymore and could directly enhance it with All-Purpose Essence.
Holding the Evil-Subduing Saber and the "Sea One Slash," Qin Yue walked out into the garden to practice this slash.
Unlike the Tiger Crane Double Form Fist, which relies on technique and posture, "Sea One Slash" required internal Qi coordination. Fortunately, Qin Yuesheng had practiced Vitality Cultivation Skill and was familiar with it, otherwise it would have wasted some time.
Following the meridian and Qi flow path described in the book, Qin Yuesheng quickly circulated his Qi once and used the "Sea One Slash" towards the fake mountain.
Swish!!!
The blade moved swiftly like the wind.
The gust created by the slash made the grass on the ground sway slightly.
When Qin Yuesheng focused his gaze, he saw a more than two-foot-long slash mark on the fake mountain.
"Hmm?" Qin Yuesheng frowned.
He was about five or six steps away from that artificial hill, and the Evil-Subduing Saber was only two feet long. Both in reason and reality, this slash shouldn't have reached that artificial hill.
But where did the knife mark come from?
"Try again." Qin Yuesheng gathered his Qi anew, but this time he changed direction, slashing Sea One Slash towards a flower bush.
Swoosh!!!
And out from the blade of the Evil-Subduing Saber, a faint transparent saber shadow shot forth, rushing several steps away, slicing the flower bush flat as if meticulously trimmed by a gardener.
"Hiss!" Qin Yuesheng was shocked: "Is this saber Qi?"
Clearly, he hadn't touched the target, yet he had caused destruction to the flower bush from afar. What else could it be if not saber Qi?
Qin Yuesheng looked incredulously at the Evil-Subduing Saber. The manual of Sea One Slash didn't mention saber Qi after a slash; it only stated that after gathering Qi, the saber's power becomes fierce and mighty, able to cut through iron and stone.
"Could it be related to True Qi?" Qin Yuesheng suddenly recalled that he had elevated Nurturing Essence Skill to the Minor Success Realm, storing a trace of True Qi in his Dantian each time he gathered Qi.
After a brief check, indeed, the True Qi in his Dantian had decreased somewhat.
"Unexpectedly, the combination of True Qi with Sea One Slash produced such magical effects." Qin Yuesheng said joyfully.
If he were to fight an enemy, he could surely catch them off guard.
"Young Master! Young Master!!"
Suddenly, a household servant hurried over.
"Why the rush?" Qin Yuesheng felt puzzled; why did someone always come looking for him in a hurry every day?
"Two officials from the government office came, saying they need you to go there for questioning."
"Oh? What is the reason?"
"I don't know, those officials didn't say, just asked you to come over."
Qin Yuesheng pondered; he hadn't done anything heinous or murderous lately. The only notable event was related to Murong Yuhan in Celestial Immortal Pavilion and the water ghost at Baihe Village.
"Alright, take me there." Qin Yuesheng placed "Sea One Slash" on his back, instantly decomposing it.
Suddenly, his understanding of one saber technique from Sea One Slash became more familiar.
"Indeed, relying on mystical assistants to practice martial arts is faster; painstaking practice alone is too time-consuming, and might not even be as effective as direct decomposition." Qin Yuesheng thought to himself.
Following the household servant, he approached the Guest Hall, where Qin Feng was already seated. The sudden arrival of officials requesting Qin Yuesheng to visit the government office made Qin Feng uneasy.
"Father." Qin Yuesheng greeted proactively.
"What trouble have you caused now, for the officials to come?" Qin Feng asked sternly.
"It's no big deal, don't worry. It's likely related to the matter I handled at Baihe Village." Qin Yuesheng explained, then turned to the two blue-robed officials sipping tea: "Gentlemen, shall we set off now?"
"Indeed, Qin Sir, rest assured, we only wish to ask Young Master Qin some questions, nothing more."
The group quickly left the Qin Mansion.
...
Cyan Yang City Government Office.
The entrance was grand, spanning two zhang, paved with white marble, and five feet of stairs.
On both sides stood bronze lions two people tall, alongside dragon-patterned skin drums meant for appeals, with two officials standing as guards underneath them.
After a few more glances, Qin Yuesheng followed the two officials into the government office.
Inside the main door was the interrogation hall, followed by the guest hall, where Qin Yuesheng saw Gao Peng the village chief sitting dutifully on a chair.
He must have reported everything about last night's events at Baihe Village.
"Young Master Qin." Gao Peng greeted.
At the main seat sat a man with long whiskers, not dressed in official robes, yet Qin Yuesheng could instantly sense he was indeed the city governor Xun Sheng.
"Sir." Qin Yuesheng bowed.
"Qin Yuesheng, I heard from Gao Peng that you handled the monster at Baihe Village."
"Yes, sir, it was just a casual act."
Xun Sheng leaned against the armrest, lightly tapping his temple: "Do you know the origin of that monster?"
"I don't know; it's my first time encountering one."
Xun Sheng reclined against his chair and spoke flatly: "Do not spread this matter publicly; it could easily alarm the townsfolk with its peculiar and shocking nature. I don't want the citizens living in constant fear."
"If the sir asks, I shall comply."
"Very well." Xun Sheng stood. "Since you encountered the entity and survived, and possess some ability to combat it, you meet certain criteria. Follow me; I will introduce you to someone."
"Who?" Qin Yuesheng asked, confused.
This city governor was indeed rather mysterious, making him feel odd.
"A figure specializing in handling such spirits and abnormalities, apart from certain assignments in our Cyan Yang City, he intends to recruit suitable members. Your ability to counter such entities fits his selection criteria."
Qin Yuesheng hesitated: "Sir, I'm not inclined to join any organization."
"Do not worry; we won't force you. However, some things should be made known to you. Aren't you curious about the monster? Come with me; that gentleman can provide answers."
Watching the city governor walk farther away, Qin Yuesheng pondered, and eventually followed.
Mysterious it may be, but worth seeing.