Chapter 92 - 91: Moon Stick and Year Blade! What is a Genius! (Subscription Request)

"Let’s go." "This place is too small; it’s hard to maneuver." With his hands clasped behind his back, Qiu Lao led Jiang Shu through the inner city streets to a compound with red brick walls. As the master of the Hungry Tiger Martial Arts School, he was known as a Bone Forging Realm powerhouse. Of course, he owned more than just one property. The Hungry Tiger Martial Arts School was merely a convenient place for him to teach disciples and reside casually. Inside the compound, the ground was paved with bluestone, flanked by large trees with lush branches. Under the shade of the trees, several precious sabers lay horizontally on a weapons rack, their edges glinting coldly. "I’ve told you before: first fists, then legs, followed by grappling, and finally, integrating weapon force with your martial arts." "Among these, weapon techniques are often the ultimate martial arts of any school. Why? Because Martial Artists have limited resources. You’ve been to the great mountains; you know that when facing ordinary wild animals or small, relatively harmless Mutant Beasts, you can rely on physical strength. But what about a Second Rank Mutant Beast?" "The Stepping Cloud Ink Leopard and the Red-haired Purple-skinned Ape—could you defeat those two Fierce Beasts without a weapon?" Qiu Lao asked, pulling out one of the precious sabers. As Jiang Shu shook his head, Qiu Lao continued, "Only by mastering weapons can one hunt Second Rank or higher Mutant Beasts! Even among the county’s martial arts schools, very few possess a true weapon arts foundation! Most only have some unranked weapon-based Martial Arts." "They might be barely adequate for a Skin Grinding Realm practitioner, but when a Bone Forging Realm Martial Artist faces a Second Rank Mutant Beast, such weapon arts will only be a hindrance!" "Only ranked weapon arts can channel a Martial Artist’s energy, unleashing power several times, even ten times, greater than fist and leg techniques!" "Martial Arts without rank are mere empty shells! Of course, any ranked Martial Art must be learned from the basics. I will now teach you the Thirteen Saber Forms of our Da Jing Dynasty. Although this saber art is unranked, once you learn these thirteen forms, you’ll have a foundation to learn any other saber art in the future." He tossed a saber directly to Jiang Shu. Qiu Lao stood in the courtyard, his breathing steady. Gripping the large saber, he sliced through the air. "The Thirteen Saber Forms are: Chop, Hack, Uplift, Mince, Parry Upwards, Intercept, Push, Thrust, Slide, Stir, Collapse, Point, and Draw." As he spoke, he demonstrated each form, offering a brief explanation for each. Jiang Shu held the saber, his eyes fixed, meticulously replicating the movements. Having reached the Dark Force stage, his control over his body had improved by more than just a notch. He was tense on the outside, relaxed on the inside. Especially after tempering his right forearm, the saber in his hand felt like an extension of his arm. On the panel, the Thirteen Saber Forms was updated to entry-level, its proficiency rapidly increasing. "A staff takes a month, a saber a year, a spear a lifetime." Nearby, Qiu Lao had finished his demonstration. He stood watching Jiang Shu’s every move, circling him as he spoke, "Saber arts may sound easy, but for an ordinary person, it takes at least a year of solid foundational training to perform them properly." "Of course, for you, such lengthy effort isn’t necessary. Practice the saber diligently for the next few days. In ten days, I’ll teach you a true saber art." With that, he fetched a recliner from a room. Qiu Lao settled into it in the courtyard, closed his eyes slightly, and continued speaking to Jiang Shu. Jiang Shu held the large saber. With slight adjustments to his stance, he executed the Thirteen Saber Forms, one after another. Not wanting to miss this excellent opportunity, he practiced while asking, "Master Qiu, you mentioned the Stepping Cloud Ink Leopard and the Red-haired Purple-skinned Ape earlier. Does our Da Jing Dynasty have any records of them?" "When I went into the great mountains this time, I felt completely ignorant. I couldn’t identify many of the Mutant Beasts." "You reached the Bone Forging Realm at eighteen. While luck and opportunity played a part, your innate Talent is definitely not poor. You simply started Martial Arts a bit late and are in a small place like Pingling County. Very well, let me give you a proper overview." "Did you know that the martial path of our Da Jing Dynasty has six major Realms?" "Skin Grinding, Bone Forging, Refining Internal, Blood Exchange, Acupoint Passage, and Transcendence!" From the recliner, Qiu Lao began to speak slowly, each sentence packed with information. "Mutant Beasts are correspondingly divided into First to Sixth Rank. For Third Rank and above Mutant Beasts, the Dynasty maintains a list. Any beast on this Exotic Species Beast List possesses combat capabilities or value far exceeding others of its rank." "Second Rank Mutant Beasts might seem powerful to you, but compared to Third Rank ones, they’re no different from ordinary wild animals. The gap between Second and Third Rank is a true watershed!" "Similarly, in Martial Arts, only by reaching the Refining Internal Realm can one refine the internal organs with one’s vital energy and extend one’s lifespan by two sixty-year cycles." "In Pingling County, someone of your age and Realm would be considered a genius. But across our vast Da Jing Dynasty, eighteen-year-olds at the Bone Forging Realm are a dime a dozen!" "Never mind the Royal City or the various State Capitals. Even in Yongning County’s main city, there are numerous young geniuses: sixteen-year-olds in the Skin Grinding Realm, seventeen-year-olds reaching Bone Forging, and by eighteen, some have already attained the Refining Internal Realm!" Eighteen years old and already in the Refining Internal Realm! That’s like reaching the Transformation Realm at eighteen on Xuanxing, in the Xia Country! And those are just the geniuses of a single commandery. In a true state, they’d probably be considered merely above average. Pingling County really is too small, especially with the great mountains isolating it. News from the commandery city barely makes its way here, and the Martial Artists here are becoming increasingly shortsighted and ignorant. Reaching the Skin Grinding Realm is enough to establish oneself in the inner city, and Bone Forging Realm practitioners are considered powerhouses. Thankfully, my master is Qiu Lao, a Refining Internal Realm expert of unknown origin. If I had apprenticed under a typical martial arts school master, I’d probably only know about the first few Martial Arts Realms by now, completely oblivious to the geniuses in the commandery and state cities. After all, the Realms they pride themselves on are insignificant compared to those geniuses. "However, don’t be discouraged. Different places naturally have different Martial Arts resources. Take Pingling County’s Martial Artists, for example. If commoners from the outer city practice Martial Arts, they can barely afford enough food to eat, let alone access meat." "Meanwhile, disciples from wealthy families have medicinal meals, herbal baths, and Mutant Beast meat. Their progress is incomparably faster than that of commoners." "It’s the same for geniuses from the commandery city. The Martial Arts resources you’re currently exposed to are still primarily Mutant Beast meat. But in the commandery city, what geniuses truly consume are Elixirs refined from Heaven and Earth Treasure Medicines and Mutant Beast meat!" "Take the Blood Purifying Pill, for instance. When ordinary Martial Artists consume beast flesh, impurities accumulate in their bodies. This Elixir cleanses filth, toxins, and impurities, purifying the blood and flesh." "Or the Leopard Strength Tiger Bone Pill: it enhances strength and accelerates Bone Forging speed, making it the best cultivation Elixir for the first two Realms." ... "Of course, Elixirs are merely supplementary. What truly determines if someone can be called a Martial Arts genius is their combat strength!" "Our Da Jing Dynasty has vast territories. Every year, the true combat strength of all great geniuses is assessed and recorded on a ranking called the Dragon Tiger List." "There are a total of one hundred and eight positions on it." "Each major state also emulates this by publishing its own Little Dragon Tiger List, ranking the geniuses within that state." "Anyone who makes it onto these lists, without exception, can reach the Blood Exchange Realm or higher." "The Refining Internal Realm involves refining the internal organs with vital energy, extending life by over two sixty-year cycles." "The Blood Exchange Realm involves tempering the marrow until it’s like frost and refining the blood until it’s like mercury, granting another sixty-year cycle of life." "The Acupoint Passage Realm..." On the recliner, Qiu Lao’s voice grew fainter, and he didn’t elaborate further. Perhaps such Realms were too distant even for him; even he couldn’t articulate their profundity. Jiang Shu gazed straight ahead, committing everything Qiu Lao had said to memory: the Exotic Species Beast List, the various wondrous Elixirs, and the Dragon Tiger List that only geniuses could ascend. He executed one saber form after another, unceasingly. Chop, Hack, Uplift, Mince, Parry Upwards, Intercept, Push, Thrust, Slide, Stir, Collapse, Point, Draw. From entry-level to small success. A whole new world was slowly unfolding before him!