Blade Blade Blazing Fire

"The ceiling was unfamiliar, but it was made of earth. Good, I'm still in the Barbarian Wastes. I haven't transmigrated again."

With that thought, Lu Chen, lying on the bed, tried to get up. But the moment he moved, a searing pain shot through his head.

"Ah!" Clutching his head, Lu Chen crouched down beside the bed.

"A'Chen, are you all right?!"

"My lord, you're awake."

The moment Lu Chen got up, two people rushed in from outside. One was the Witch Doctor Master, concerned for Lu Chen; the other was Lu Chen's maid, Xiao Wei.

In no mood to respond to either of them, Lu Chen crouched on the ground for quite a while before his headache finally eased a little.

Then, as he stood and rubbed his head, Lu Chen gave them a wry smile. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine. In fact, I gained something from this."

"You gained something?!"

The Witch Doctor Master did not quite understand Lu Chen's words, but seeing that Lu Chen did not wish to elaborate, he did not press further.

Instead, he brought over a bowl of hot soup, handed it to Lu Chen, and spoke with some reproach.

"Next time you encounter an evil spirit, don't charge in so quickly. If it's a powerful one, wait for the Clan Chief and me to arrive."

"When dealing with evil spirits, there's no need to follow Barbarian Tribe rules. You need to wait until there are enough people, then attack together."

Regarding Lu Chen charging at the evil spirit alone, the Witch Doctor Master gave Lu Chen a fierce scolding.

Yet while scolding him, he gave Lu Chen three whole bowls of hot soup to replenish the vitality and blood Lu Chen had lost last night.

From this, it was clear that he was still quite satisfied with Lu Chen.

He truly was satisfied. Although he already knew of Lu Chen's talent, he had feared that Lu Chen might be selfish and unwilling to protect his clansmen.

But what had happened last night erased every last trace of that concern.

"To fight a Black Coffin Level Evil Spirit alone for the sake of protecting his clansmen—he has such courage and responsibility, along with enough talent. A'Chen will certainly lead us to prosperity."

Charging at an evil spirit alone was indeed not something to encourage, but if it was done to protect one's clansmen, then it was a display of responsibility and courage.

And Lu Chen's actions made the Witch Doctor Master and Clan Chief, who had dared to come afterward, feel heartfelt joy.

It could only be said that the two had misunderstood somewhat. Lu Chen was indeed brave, but his bravery was not for the sake of protecting others. It was for his own strength.

"Only by killing monsters with my own hands can I gain experience points. That evil spirit had rushed into the Totem Pillar—it was the perfect target for me. How could I let someone else steal it?"

Lu Chen had been so valiant because he feared someone would steal his monster.

Of course, Lu Chen would keep doing this sort of monster-stealing in the future, so this lie would likely remain uncovered for a long time.

With matters on his mind, Lu Chen did not say much. Soon, after three bowls of hot soup went down his throat, his body finally recovered some strength.

Seeing that it was already noon outside, Lu Chen did not stay long. He took Xiao Wei and returned home.

"A'Chen, y-you need to be more careful in the future!"

Along the way, Xiao Wei gathered her courage and tried to advise Lu Chen.

Lu Chen did not answer.

"Careful? In this world, being a little more careful isn't enough to stay alive for long."

Before long, Lu Chen and Xiao Wei returned home. Once they arrived, Lu Chen sent Xiao Wei outside and began to think alone.

When he had told the Witch Doctor Master that this misfortune had turned into a blessing, he had not merely been saying it. He really had gained something.

While unconscious, Lu Chen had felt as though he had become a young man whose heart held nothing but the sword, endlessly training Basic Swordsmanship. That training had lasted for years.

In the dream, his swordsmanship had reached the state of returning to simplicity.

Of course, a dream was ultimately only a dream, separated from reality by countless layers. After returning to reality, Lu Chen's memories had already become somewhat blurry. Though he still retained quite a few insights into swordsmanship, that state of returning to simplicity was gone.

Yet even the remaining swordsmanship insights were enough for Lu Chen to use.

Casually picking up the iron sword beside him, Lu Chen was stunned by this simple action alone.

Holding the iron sword, Lu Chen did not feel as though he had merely picked up an object as before. Instead, it felt as if limbs that had been gone for years had returned to him.

One hand gripping the hilt, the other brushing across the blade, Lu Chen came to understand certain information.

"This sword is 1.8 meters long, its blade is four centimeters wide, and it weighs three hundred jin. With this sword, I can use heavy sword techniques!"

By merely touching the blade, Lu Chen could sense the iron sword's information. He could even immediately think of how to best bring out its power. That was Lu Chen's current realm.

After examining the iron sword, Lu Chen opened the system panel again. He wanted to clearly see his own improvement.

At that moment, rows of information still remained in the system log.

"System notification: The host received a large amount of external information. The brain crashed, and the host fell unconscious."

"Ding! System notification: The host gained swordsmanship experience points. The Swordsman basic skill—Swordsmanship Proficiency—has improved."

"Ding! System notification: The host's Swordsmanship Proficiency has changed from Swordsmanship Proficiency (Beginner) to Swordsmanship Proficiency (Intermediate)."

"Ding! System notification: The host's Swordsmanship Proficiency has reached Advanced."

"Ding! System notification: The host's Swordsmanship Proficiency has reached Completion."

"A large amount of swordsmanship experience has been detected. The host's Swordsmanship Proficiency is advancing..."

"Ding! System notification: The host's Swordsmanship Proficiency has advanced into Master-level Swordsmanship (Beginner)."

Master Swordsmanship Proficiency (Beginner) (Silver): After practicing sword swings day after day for years, the sword has become the host's limbs. The host can skillfully wield all varieties of longswords. No matter what kind of sword falls into the host's hands, the host can wield it with effortless mastery. At the same time, through years of unwavering practice, the host's will has been tempered, and the host's body has been honed.

Passive abilities: Will +10, Longsword Mastery +20 (the host can freely control any sword), Basic Swordsmanship +20, Strength Control +10

"Ding! System notification: The host's Strength Control +10 has triggered the Silver ability, Fatal Blow. Fatal Blow has now risen to Intermediate."

Fatal Blow (Intermediate) (Mutation): Years of swordsmanship training have made the host's body seamless and flawless when holding a longsword. While wielding a longsword and using sword techniques, the host can place the body under perfect control and can constantly unleash the effects of Fatal Blow.

"Fatal Blow actually improved—and it came as a bonus from the improvement of another ability."

Lu Chen was rather surprised by this, but he quickly thought of something.

"That makes sense. Skills can conflict with and merge into one another. When some linked skills advance, other skills will advance as well."

"Just like how my Gold skill, Barbarian King Bloodline, can enhance the basic attributes of a Barbarian Blood Warrior."

"Master-level Swordsmanship is perfect control over the body and the sword. Since I can perfectly control my body, Fatal Blow, which is merely a matter of how force is exerted, will naturally improve."

"No, it's not just Fatal Blow. The twenty points of Basic Swordsmanship will also greatly enhance my other sword moves in the future."

A Sword Art Master might seem to add little, but it was the foundation of swordsmanship. With this skill, if Lu Chen gained swordsmanship abilities in the future, they would likely be directly raised in level under the Sword Art Master's enhancement, perhaps even increased in rank. That was the terror of foundational abilities.

"Still, it's a pity that Fatal Blow was only a bonus brought by the Sword Art Master's improvement. Therefore, I can only have Blade Blade Blazing Fire while holding a longsword."

As Lu Chen thought this, he had clearly forgotten that although his physique was strong and his vitality abundant, at his core, he was a Swordsman.