Could he build up his blade technique by stacking them?
After careful consideration, Ji Qing felt that it was feasible!
As long as he could pinpoint the core of a blade technique and improve around that core, it would definitely work.
What was the core of Ji Qing's blade technique?
Without a doubt, it was speed!
With Ji Qing's current attainments, if he practiced a third-rate blade technique, he could quickly bring it to great mastery on his own.
He only needed one Origin Point to raise the blade technique to perfection. Once fused, not only would its power soar, but he could also obtain a killer move.
With that thought, Ji Qing decided to give it a try and see exactly how effective it would be.
He selected a fast-blade technique called Gale Slash from the library.
It was merely an ordinary third-rate blade technique.
On the first day, Ji Qing reached minor mastery.
Three days later, Ji Qing reached great mastery.
Ji Qing's speed in practicing "fast blades" was simply astonishing.
After all, all fast-blade techniques were much the same. Though they changed in myriad ways, they never strayed from their roots, which was why Ji Qing could practice them so quickly.
But perfection was different.
Perfection required gaining insight from the blade technique itself.
That required an opportunity.
Some people might grasp that opportunity in a single day.
Others might need decades before they could grasp it.
Naturally, Ji Qing would not waste time waiting for such an opportunity.
A blade technique at great mastery was almost impossible to fuse.
It had to be raised to perfection!
"Raise Gale Slash to perfection."
As one Origin Point was consumed, scene after scene surfaced in Ji Qing's mind.
Day after day, he practiced Gale Slash.
He wanted to gain a trace of opportunity from Gale Slash, to comprehend something.
Again and again, Ji Qing seemed on the verge of catching that opportunity, only to fall short at the last moment.
Finally, one day, Ji Qing felt a faint breeze brush past him.
A blessing came to his heart, and he comprehended it in an instant.
Whoosh.
Ji Qing slashed out. This strike seemed to merge with the wind itself, its speed surging wildly.
"Gale Slash has reached perfection. Your Gale Slash has attained miraculous mastery. You have comprehended the killer move Airflow Propulsion! Wherever there is wind or air, your blade technique can accelerate along the currents of air!"
Swish.
Ji Qing opened his eyes.
His Startling Swan Blade had fused with another blade technique—Gale Slash.
He had even comprehended the killer move Airflow Propulsion.
From now on, he could use changes in the air and environment to make his blade faster.
Now, under the killer move Airflow Propulsion, Ji Qing's Startling Swan Blade had become even faster.
And this also proved Ji Qing's previous deduction: his method of using third-rate blade techniques to "stack" them was entirely feasible!
The Startling Swan Blade was improving at a breakneck pace!
Ji Qing still had three Origin Points. He could practice three more kinds of "fast blades."
There were many third-rate blade techniques in the Hundred Battles Sect library, and quite a few of them were "fast blades."
That was why Ji Qing had remained in the Hundred Battles Sect library all this time.
He would even continue practicing blade techniques in the future, continuing to fuse them into the Startling Swan Blade.
But each blade technique had comprehended one killer move.
As for their exact effects, there was no intuitive number to show them.
After thinking it over, Ji Qing decided that the information in the Demon Record needed to change.
His blade technique mainly focused on speed, with strength as a secondary factor.
So he would use ordinary third-rate blade techniques as the baseline.
It would be more intuitive to use specific numbers to show how much each blade technique increased blade speed.
Thus, Ji Qing carefully sensed them.
Thirteen Fast Blades increased blade speed by 30%. It was absolutely a powerful fast-blade technique.
Hundred Battles Blade increased blade speed by 10% and strength by 20%, placing greater emphasis on strength.
Blade Drawing Technique increased blade speed by 30%, providing a substantial boost to blade speed.
Gale Slash increased blade speed by 20%, a somewhat weaker boost to blade speed.
These were the blade techniques Ji Qing currently possessed. Together, they increased blade speed by 90% and strength by 20%. No wonder Ji Qing's blade technique was unbelievably fast. A 10% increase in blade speed could already decide life and death, much less an increase of nearly double!
That was a blade technique on an entirely different level.
"Continue."
Thus, Ji Qing continued searching for third-rate "fast blades" to practice.
In the blink of an eye, more than ten days passed.
Ji Qing stopped.
He faintly heard the sound of firecrackers outside.
Calculating the time, it was almost New Year's Eve.
"New Year's Eve... another year has passed..."
Over this past year, Ji Qing had experienced much.
He opened the Demon Record and checked his own information.
Ji Qing: Second-Rate Martial Artist (has opened two Extraordinary Meridians) Supreme Yang Pure Essence Internal Breath Technique: Perfection (Supreme Yang Inner Force, Inner Force Burst increased by 30%, Inner Force Purification, Inner Force Reversion) Startling Swan Blade: Perfection (blade speed increased by 150%, strength increased by 40%) Grass on Wings: Perfection (killer move Void Borrowing Strength) Origin Points: 0
His Origin Points had been completely used up.
He had practiced three more fast-blade techniques, all of which had reached perfection.
After the three blade techniques fused into the Startling Swan Blade, both its blade speed and strength improved greatly.
The Startling Swan Blade had now fused with seven blade techniques in total, and its blade speed had already far surpassed that of ordinary third-rate blade techniques by more than double!
At this point, Ji Qing was extremely confident. By relying on ordinary third-rate blade techniques to "stack" them, he would definitely be able to "stack" them into a first-rate blade technique that would astonish the world!
However, Ji Qing did not know just how fast a first-rate blade technique, especially a first-rate fast blade, truly was.
After all, Ji Qing had never seen a first-rate blade technique.
Yet every first-rate blade technique in the Jianghu could be called an unmatched marvel of blade arts!
Whenever a first-rate blade technique appeared in the world, it was enough to stir up turmoil throughout the Jianghu.
Any first-rate blade technique or martial art could be passed down for hundreds or even thousands of years!
Therefore, Ji Qing estimated that a first-rate blade technique, especially a fast blade, needed at least a tenfold increase!
That was Ji Qing's estimate.
For now, he set a tenfold increase in blade speed as his goal.
By that standard, his Startling Swan Blade was still far from enough.
But as long as he had enough Origin Points, Ji Qing was confident that he could "stack" the Startling Swan Blade to a tenfold increase!
"Hero Ji, we made dumplings for New Year's Eve. We hope Hero Ji will honor us with your presence and join us for a meal."
At that moment, Lie Yingniang's voice came from outside the room.
"Alright! I'll go out and take a look first. I'll return tonight."
Ji Qing left the Hundred Battles Sect and came outside the Zhao Residence, where he watched Ji Yao from afar.
Several maidservants followed beside Ji Yao.
Her clothes were all new as well.
Several children from the Zhao Residence were playing together too, and they had not excluded Ji Yao.
Ji Qing saw the smile on Ji Yao's face.
Clearly, Ji Yao was living happily.
It seemed that sending Ji Yao to the Zhao Residence had been the right choice.
Ji Yao did not belong in the Jianghu.
Ji Qing returned to the Hundred Battles Sect and ate dumplings with its people, spending New Year's Eve together.
This year had now passed.
The next day brought a new year and a new day.
Ji Qing braved the wind and snow to the Listening Wind Tower teahouse.
Today was the day Lingxiao Pavilion updated its Jianghu rankings.
All the Jianghu ranking lists would be updated.
Thus, many Jianghu folk had gathered early at the Listening Wind Tower teahouse.
"They're out."
"The top spot on the Rising Stars Ranking has changed hands..."
"And the Swordsman Ranking, the Blade Master Ranking..."
"The Villain Ranking is out too. Huh? The Jianghu title of Ji Qing, the Heartless Blade, ranked fifth on the Villain Ranking, has changed to Startling Swan Blade?"
"Startling Swan Blade suits him better. Like a fleeting glimpse of a startled swan, and heads hit the ground..."
"Look at eighth place on the Villain Ranking—Poison Demon Ouyang Bo. He was previously twenty-third on the Villain Ranking. How did he suddenly leap to eighth?"
"Poison Demon Ouyang Bo, in order to test a strange poison, poisoned Great Huai Village in Yellow Mausoleum County on the twenty-sixth day of the twelfth lunar month in the tenth year of Yongchang. Two hundred and eighty-one villagers in total—none survived!"
"A few months ago, this Great Huai Village caused quite a stir in the Jianghu. They said a giant rat as large as a calf had been killed in Great Huai Village. The Yellow Mausoleum County yamen dragged the rat's corpse around the county town for a month. Many people saw it with their own eyes and believed the rat had become a spirit."
Boom.
Ji Qing had originally been absent-minded, but upon hearing "Great Huai Village in Yellow Mausoleum County" and "giant rat's corpse," his mind roared.
Ji Qing's gaze instantly fell upon the Villain Ranking.
Beneath the name "Poison Demon Ouyang Bo," he scrutinized every single word with the utmost care.
Two hundred and eighty-one villagers in total—none survived!
Black words on white paper, every character crystal clear.
Yet in Ji Qing's eyes, every word seemed to be flowing with blood!
Clack.
Ji Qing set down his teacup, ignored the wind and snow outside, and turned to leave.
On the first day of the first lunar month in the eleventh year of Yongchang, Ji Qing spurred his horse onward at full speed, leaving Anyang City and heading straight for Great Huai Village in Yellow Mausoleum County!
Hearing was false; seeing was believing.
He had to go and see for himself!
Before you continue