Major Accomplishment Saber Technique

2024-07-31

Major Accomplishment Saber Technique

By the time Song Changming emerged from Spring Breeze Garden, he carried the scent of alcohol, rouge, and powder all over him.

Feeling the cool wind blowing through the streets, his eyes gradually cleared.

He turned back to glance at the still-boisterous Spring Breeze Garden, exhaled a breath of stale air, and headed home.

The sky was already beginning to brighten. Though practicing martial arts had given him abundant energy, he still needed sleep and rest each day, just not an entire night's worth.

Usually, two or three hours of sleep were enough. Only when he had exhausted himself that day did he need more rest.

As he walked through San Hutong, a route he traveled every day and knew like the back of his hand, the voices of his neighbors occasionally reached his ears.

"Mom, I don't want to go to school."

"Son, you're going to become a high-ranking official someday. How can you do that without learning? You must go to school."

"I want candied hawthorn skewers! I don't want porridge!"

"I think your hide's itching. Keep making a fuss and believe it or not, I'll have that boy from the Song Family in the hutong take you away. He's a patrol guard from the Patrol Guard Headquarters, hear me? Drink your porridge!"

"No, no, no! I'll drink it. Isn't that enough? I'll drink!"

Accompanied by these neighborhood sounds, Song Changming returned to the Song Residence.

The residence was still the same residence. After nearly a year of living there, the once-abandoned house now carried much more of the warmth of daily life.

The front gates were constantly wiped clean and looked brand-new. The words "Song Residence" were carved into the gatepost beside them, declaring the identity of the household's master.

When he entered, his parents had yet to wake. Song Changming went inside and fell straight into bed.

It was only when the sun had risen three poles high that he woke.

He was in no hurry to report for duty. Carrying his saber into the courtyard, he prepared for his daily mandatory saber practice.

He had been busy all night yesterday. Even if he rested the entire day today, it would not matter.

Ordinary patrol guards might still need to ask Liang Chuanshan or him for leave, but as the deputy of the Patrol Guard Team, he no longer needed to report upward.

"Changming, go drink your porridge first. I also sliced some beef for you. It's all being kept warm in the pot," Mother Song said at once when she saw Song Changming come out.

"Alright." Song Changming stretched his back and nodded.

In the past, putting meat in their breakfast would have been an extravagance. Now, as Song Changming steadily rose through the ranks of the Patrol Guard Headquarters, the family's living conditions had visibly improved.

Even his once-thin and gaunt parents had been nursed back to good health. Their complexions were no longer waxy yellow and had gained much more color.

Song Changming had now become the family's main pillar.

After drinking two large bowls of thick porridge and eating a plate of beef, warmth immediately spread through his body. He returned to the courtyard and began practicing his saber with focused concentration.

Father Song had originally been beside the large water vat, checking on the Azure Water Silkworms they were raising. Seeing Song Changming begin his saber practice, he promptly moved over a small chair and sat down to watch, satisfaction shining in his eyes.

He loved watching his son practice the saber. It gave him the fulfillment of watching his son grow into a dragon.

"My son will surely rise like a phoenix and soar to the heavens, bringing glory to our ancestors."

In the courtyard, saber wind howled. Song Changming's strikes were incredibly swift, and the saber light flickered in and out amid the wild gusts, like a silver snake winding through the air, or a host of ghostly specters wailing within the gale.

A powerful saber momentum surged forth without end. If an opponent stood before him at that moment, they would surely feel a crushing pressure like mountains collapsing and seas overturning.

Song Changming's saber technique was now far stronger than it had been a year ago.

Over the past year, his saber technique had accumulated the full two thousand experience points, completing its final breakthrough and sublimation. It had entered the Major Accomplishment stage!

His strength had soared as a result. With the power of his saber momentum, even Liang Chuanshan as he was now would no longer dare claim that he could suppress Song Changming!

Only after a long while, when the sun hung high overhead, did Song Changming finally stop, drenched in sweat.

He glanced at his status panel.

[Soul Severing Saber: Major Accomplishment (99/5000)]

Its experience had risen by two points. To advance further from the Major Accomplishment stage required a full five thousand experience points.

At his current rate of progress, it would take at least nearly three years to accumulate enough. It would not be easy.

But at least there was hope. It was not something endlessly beyond reach.

How many saber wielders trained bitterly for twenty years and still failed to cultivate a single saber technique to Major Accomplishment? He had already done so now, so what was there to be dissatisfied about?

Even among the several Patrol Captains, only Liang Chuanshan, Zhao Dezhi, and Qian Wen had each cultivated their saber techniques to the Major Accomplishment stage. The other three had only reached the Minor Accomplishment stage, showing just how difficult it was to achieve Major Accomplishment in saber techniques.

The progress in his saber technique could be said to be Song Changming's greatest achievement at present, and also his greatest capital for establishing himself in the Patrol Guard Headquarters.

Compared to his saber technique, however, his progress in body refinement was far inferior.

This was a grinding task that relied entirely on time and accumulated effort. Song Changming had trained his body for too short a time, so he could only slowly catch up to others. Though he had improved compared to a year ago, he had not achieved another breakthrough. Slow was the word of the day.

[Great Strength Bull Demon Art: One Ox's Strength (112/200)]

No wonder they said body refinement was a lifelong undertaking. Without a lifetime of accumulation, it was truly difficult for ordinary people to achieve anything.

Song Changming now understood his own shortcomings.

His saber technique had advanced too quickly, while he had trained his body for too short a time. Thus, even though he possessed a Major Accomplishment stage saber technique, he could often feel himself falling just short of sufficient strength.

Restricted by his progress in body refinement, he could not fully unleash the might of his Major Accomplishment stage saber technique.

If he wanted to accelerate his body refinement in ordinary times, he needed to eat wild ginseng and soak in medicinal baths!

At the end of the day, he was still short on money.

Now that Song Changming had become a deputy, his monthly salary had risen to eight strings of copper coins. He also occasionally received rewards, side earnings, and other spoils to skim. It looked decent, but it was only enough for him to occasionally eat a root of wild ginseng or prepare a tub of medicinal bathwater.

It was still not enough to fully meet the needs of his Body Refining Technique.

There was still plenty of room to improve his body refinement efficiency.

Thinking of making money, Song Changming could not help walking over to the large water vat in the courtyard.

Father Song was scattering some dead gnats into the vat.

According to the breeding method, these Azure Water Silkworms had a fairly broad diet. Besides feeding on aquatic plankton and algae, they could also digest mosquitoes and flies.

In fact, compared to food in the water, they preferred the remains of mosquitoes and flies, which also helped them grow stronger.

After the initial period, during which many Azure Water Silkworms had died, things had finally stabilized, and they had raised several decent-quality mature specimens.

Song Changming looked over and saw around a dozen Azure Water Silkworms in the vat, each about as thick as a finger.

Their bodies were semi-translucent, appearing and disappearing beneath the water.

During the day, they disliked being scorched by the blazing sun and hid themselves at the bottom of the water.

When moonlight emerged at night, they would drill up to the surface and blow bubbles.

Thus, compared to daytime, they preferred the night.

Among those dozen or so mature Azure Water Silkworms, around five had gained a ring of blue markings on their bodies.

These were Blue-striped Azure Water Silkworms, the preliminary result of their year of breeding.

Ordinary Azure Water Silkworms underwent a molting process about once a year. After molting, there was a certain chance they would become Blue-striped Azure Water Silkworms.

The quality of Blue-striped Azure Water Silkworms was much higher than that of ordinary unmarked Azure Water Silkworms, and their market price was several times greater as well.

For breeders like them who wanted to profit from this, selling unmarked Azure Water Silkworms alone would only earn them small money, even if there was some return.

Only by raising Blue-striped Azure Water Silkworms like these could their profits multiply and become truly worthwhile.

(End of Chapter)