If a craftsman wished to do good work, he must first sharpen his tools.
On his way to the Training Ground to cultivate, Ling Mu made a detour to his aunt Liu Ruoying's residence, intending to shamelessly ask to borrow two hundred Cangyun Coins from her so he could buy a suitable weapon from the Simulation System's shop.
Who would have thought that when Liu Ruoying heard the money was for cultivation, she was overjoyed. Without another word, she took out five hundred Cangyun Coins and stuffed them into his hands.
Her nephew had become more and more self-abandoning over the years, and it had always been a sore spot in Liu Ruoying's heart. Now that he was willing to start cultivating, she was delighted beyond measure. She said outright that if he needed help with anything, he only had to ask, and his aunt would empty her coffers to support him.
Clutching the five hundred Cangyun Coins, Ling Mu was somewhat dazed. This was nearly a year's worth of spending for his former self, so such a sum naturally had to be planned carefully.
He skillfully opened the Shop System. Under Granny Yodel's usual inquiry, Ling Mu exchanged all five hundred Cangyun Coins for shop gold, then carefully compared the items on the list. In the end, he spent a full four hundred gold to buy a longsword—the first weapon he had acquired since crossing over.
The sword was named Shadowless. Forged from meteoric iron, it was swift as lightning. It severed its own shadow and cut off its own trail, hence its name.
"Now that was a real splurge. I have a weapon now, and all my Spiritual Talent points have been added. It's time to see the results."
Upon arriving at the Training Ground, Ling Mu was completely confident that he would pass Ling Yue's assessment and successfully enter the academy.
The Cangyun Empire revered martial strength, and cultivators held extremely lofty status within its borders. The sect master of the foremost sect, the Cloud Mist Sect, even possessed authority above the imperial family. It could be said that whoever ruled the Cangyun Empire still had to listen to the Cloud Mist Sect.
Under such a trend, every important city had academies responsible for selecting outstanding cultivation talent. Qinglan City, for instance, had two major cultivation academies: Cangyun Academy and Qinglan Academy.
Cangyun Academy was a standard academy established by the empire in all major cities. Inheriting the empire's martial spirit, it trained outstanding cultivators for its service. Anyone who graduated from it after reaching the Core Formation Realm could obtain an official post within the imperial system.
Qinglan Academy, on the other hand, had been founded single-handedly by Qinglan City's lord, Ling Yu Bai. As a powerful expert at Nascent Soul Perfection, he had made indelible contributions to Qinglan City's rise. Although the academy likewise existed to select talent, unlike Cangyun Academy's graduates, who were all branded with the empire's mark, Qinglan Academy did not force its graduates to join any particular faction, so long as they did not threaten Qinglan City.
Thus, Qinglan Academy naturally became the academy used by the Ling Clan and its followers, and it had also trained a number of gifted young powerhouses, including Ling Yue and Lin Qingzhu.
That was why Ling Mu had chosen to join an academy as the first step of his cultivation journey. It was also the best way for him to rapidly improve his strength at this stage. After all, the former Ling Mu had wasted far too much time. Although he now had the Simulation System's help, learning the system's knowledge was still the quickest way to see results.
"Let's start with the three forms of the Ling Family Sword Style. Let me see whether adding five points of Spiritual Talent really raised my comprehension by such a huge margin."
Ling Mu drew Shadowless Sword from his waist, stepped forward into a bow stance, and began practicing the sword style.
The Ling Family Sword Style was renowned for its mysterious moves and astonishing speed. It had been created by the Qinglan Sword Immortal, Ling Yu Bai, and the complete style consisted of ten forms.
The first three forms, the Three Basic Sword Techniques, were nothing more than a bow-stance straight thrust, a knee-raised horizontal slash, and a turning back chop. These three moves could also be called the foundation of every sword style under heaven. No matter how sword techniques evolved and changed, tracing them back to their roots would always reveal the shadow of this thrust, this slash, and this chop.
These three forms of the Ling Family Sword Style emphasized speed and precision. Before the sword edge arrived, the sword intent had to move first. Once practiced to the Perfection Realm, they could almost be called invincible below the Core Formation Realm.
In Qinglan City, the fastest person to cultivate this sword style to Perfection had been Ling Yue, who took one month. Lin Qingzhu came next, taking half a year. Most Ling Clan disciples needed a full year to master it.
The noonday sun was always so vicious. Ling Mu stood alone on the Training Ground, thrusting, slashing, and chopping without pause. The essentials of the moves had long been engraved in his heart since childhood. Now that he was practicing again, all he could do was train bitterly without end.
The effects of five points of Spiritual Talent were indeed immediate. The many details in the three sword forms that required comprehension became effortless in Ling Mu's hands, and he quickly grasped them all as one.
In merely half a day, he had cultivated sword intent. This unbelievable speed thrilled Ling Mu to no end. As long as he took one step further and could release his sword intent beyond his body, he would reach the Perfection Realm of the Three Basic Sword Techniques.
With such progress, even Ling Yu Bai would probably have his jaw drop if he saw it.
Is this what I'm like after putting points into talent? Ling Mu felt his confidence surge sky-high, and an overbearing aura of having the system in hand and the world at his feet arose within him.
However, another two days passed, and Ling Mu still could not release his sword intent. Time and again, he swung his sword. His sword intent was full and complete, yet it could never break free of the shackles of the blade itself.
"I've completely comprehended the three sword forms, and my sword intent has reached its peak, but it still feels as though something is missing. I'm only one step away from the Perfection Realm. What exactly am I lacking?"
As time passed, Ling Mu gradually became impatient. Even Lin Qingzhu's visit could not ease his anxiety. Yet he had no solution other than to swing his sword again and again and again.
Just as Ling Mu was dripping with sweat, trouble came knocking.
"Oh, isn't this the Second Young Master? Instead of going to Twin Phoenix Tower to enjoy himself with those top courtesans, what are you doing at the Training Ground?"
The piercing words pulled Ling Mu from his practice. Turning around, he saw two youths nearby watching him with mocking eyes.
"Ling Bo, Ling Zhan, do I need to report to the two of you what I'm doing here?"
After searching through his memories, Ling Mu recognized the two before him. Both belonged to a relatively powerful branch of the Ling Clan, usually followed Ling Yue's lead, and often mocked Ling Mu behind his back.
"Of course the Second Young Master need not report to us. But the Training Ground is an important place for Lineage disciples to cultivate and spar. Since the Second Young Master is so devoted to pleasure and romance, why come here to occupy resources meant for other disciples? If people see it, there will inevitably be gossip."
Their words brimmed with contempt and ridicule for Ling Mu. They did not take this Second Young Master of the main household seriously at all. This had much to do with the Cangyun Empire's custom of strength being supreme. In their eyes, even if he was the main household's son, he was nothing more than a useless wastrel obsessed with women.
"You say I'm wasting the resources of other Lineage disciples only because you think my strength is lacking. How about this? The two of you fight me. If I lose, I will never set foot on the Training Ground again. If I win, the two of you must run one lap around this Training Ground while standing on your hands. How about it?"
Ling Mu had not wanted to waste words on these two, but inspiration suddenly struck him. Perhaps the reason he had been unable to break through and release his sword intent was precisely because he lacked actual combat. These two had delivered themselves to his door—how could he let them go?
"This..."
Ling Mu's response instead made Ling Bo and Ling Zhan reveal troubled expressions. No matter what, Ling Mu was the patriarch's biological son. Mocking him verbally was one thing, but when it came to actually fighting him, neither of them had the nerve.
"What? You two were just speaking up for the Lineage disciples, yet now you don't have the courage to accept the challenge?"
Ling Mu saw their hesitation and promptly added fuel to the fire. No matter what happened today, he could not let these two sparring partners escape.
"Hmph, what a joke. We're only worried that swords have no eyes. It would be bad if we accidentally injured the Second Young Master."
Ling Bo and Ling Zhan were ultimately only teenage boys. How could they endure such provocation from Ling Mu? Their blood boiled at once, and all their concerns were thrown to the back of their minds.
"You need not worry, brothers. In a formal Lineage match, no one may pursue responsibility regardless of the outcome. That is a rule set by my father, and I will naturally abide by it."
Ling Mu looked at the two calmly, longsword in hand. His eyes contained three parts fighting spirit, three parts provocation, three parts confidence, and one part lofty disdain.
When had they ever seen Ling Mu like this? A playboy who had not cultivated for ten years, a useless good-for-nothing who spent all his time in places of pleasure—yet now he gave Ling Bo and Ling Zhan the feeling of facing an expert. How could they endure it? They were young men to begin with, and after Ling Mu provoked them like this, they could no longer care about anything else.
"Fine! We'll do as the Second Young Master says. The two of us will fight you. We only hope the Second Young Master keeps his word." Both were red-faced, clearly angered beyond measure.
"My word carries the weight of nine tripods. Come, you make the first move."
With a sweep of his longsword, Ling Mu extended his left hand in a provocative gesture.
"Ahhh!" Ling Bo and Ling Zhan could endure no more. They both drew the swords at their waists and charged at Ling Mu.
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