Silver Paving the Way, Entering the Martial Path

Days slipped through his fingers like sand, and in the blink of an eye, a month had passed.

Over that month, Black Stone County's yamen gained a ruthless man named Ji Ye. He did not like talking, but his hands were vicious. Whether arresting vagrants or interrogating thieves, any case that passed through his hands left the criminal either dead or stripped of a layer of skin. Yet strangely, he was also scrupulous about the rules. He respected the constables above him and got along with his colleagues below. When it came time to divide the spoils, he never muddled things up—he took not a penny less than what was his, and never touched a penny that was not.

A man like that thrived in the yamen.

Early morning, at the training grounds.

Ji Ye stood bare-chested, his lean back exposed. He was still far from burly, but the rib-thin scholar who had looked ready to topple over in the wind a month ago had long since vanished. In his place were tight, fluid lines of muscle draped over bone.

With money came meat.

Over the past month, Ji Ye had traded nearly all his share of the spoils and his wages for huge chunks of braised beef and nourishing medicinal soups. For someone with [Brute Force x3], every single improvement in his base physique would be magnified by his talent into the terrifying benefit of +90% Strength.

Ji Ye walked to a corner of the training grounds, where several oversized stone locks sat untouched by anyone.

He casually grabbed a bluestone weight marked at two hundred jin. Without circulating any power or letting out a roar, he lifted it one-handed as easily as if he were picking up a basket of vegetables. Then he lightly tossed it twice in the air and caught it steadily.

The sensation of strength brimming through every limb and bone was intoxicating.

The Triple Brute Force bonus gave even his everyday movements a strange sense of lifting heavy things as lightly as feathers. If he was not careful while eating, he could crush his chopsticks; if he paid the slightest bit too little attention while opening a door, the bolt would let out a mournful cry.

"Whew..."

Ji Ye set down the stone lock, and the ground trembled faintly.

Strength alone was not enough.

Over the past month, he had used brute strength to send bricks flying and solved quite a few troubles, but he had also seen his own weakness—the barrier of true martial arts.

That contraband salt dealer last time would have killed Ji Ye without question if Ji Ye had not caught him off guard and stunned him with a single club strike. If they had truly squared off with sabers, Ji Ye would have been the one to die. With brute force but no knowledge of how to exert it, no footwork, and no skill at shifting and dodging, he would be nothing but a living target before a genuine martial artist.

He needed martial arts.

Real martial arts.

Ji Ye wiped away his sweat, put on his constable's uniform, and turned his gaze toward the raised platform at the training grounds.

There, Captain Wang Meng reclined half-sprawled in a grand chair, a wine gourd in hand as he watched his subordinates drill with utter boredom.

In Great Liang, martial arts were tightly controlled. What could be bought on the market were mostly deceptive routines. True killing arts were held by the military, aristocratic families, or gangs. For Ji Ye, the nearest path was Wang Meng.

Ji Ye touched the heavy cloth bundle in his robes. It contained everything he had saved over the past month—ten taels of silver.

There were wages, his share of the spoils, and extra money he had earned trafficking information at the Ghost Market.

He took a deep breath and walked toward the platform.

"Captain."

Ji Ye walked up to Wang Meng and respectfully cupped his fists.

Wang Meng narrowed his eyes, glanced at him, and tipped back his head for a gulp of wine. "What is it? Ding Seven, why aren't you out patrolling the streets? Did you come here to slack off?"

"I wouldn't dare."

Ji Ye stepped forward and, without drawing attention to it, placed the cloth bundle on the small table beside Wang Meng. When it landed, it made a dull metallic clunk.

Wang Meng paused in the middle of drinking.

He was an old hand in the jianghu, with ears sharper than a dog's. He could tell at once from that sound that it was silver—and quite a lot of it.

"What is this supposed to mean?" Wang Meng set down his wine gourd and looked at Ji Ye with an ambiguous smile.

"I want to learn saber techniques."

Ji Ye met Wang Meng's gaze without the slightest concealment. "The Basic Saber Technique issued by the yamen only has three stances. It's enough for killing chickens, but too slow for killing people. This subordinate knows you have the real thing, Captain."

Wang Meng raised a brow and weighed the cloth bundle in his hand.

Ten taels.

This kid really was willing to spend. For a newcomer who had only joined the yamen a month ago to save that much money, it showed not only that his hands were black, but that he had a brain as well.

"What do you want to learn?" Wang Meng tucked the silver into his robes, and his attitude immediately became far friendlier. "Forget about inner cultivation manuals. I don't even have one myself. Those are secrets never passed beyond great aristocratic clans. All I have are external techniques."

"As long as they can kill people." Ji Ye's voice was calm.

"Heh, I like that straightforwardness of yours."

Wang Meng stood and stretched his somewhat stiff left leg—an old injury of his. He pulled a crumpled booklet from his robes and casually tossed it to Ji Ye.

"Mountain Splitting Saber Technique, a routine used by military scouts. There are only six moves, but every single one aims to split a man in half."

Wang Meng pointed at Ji Ye. "You were born strong, kid. This saber technique is all about opening wide and closing wide, using one force to overcome ten techniques. It suits your path perfectly. Take it and practice. If there's anything you don't understand, come ask me."

Ji Ye caught the booklet.

If you can't find it by searching the book title, try searching for the author. Maybe it was simply renamed!

Its cover was stained with oil and wine, but that did nothing to diminish its value in Ji Ye's eyes.

"Thank you, Captain."

Ji Ye did not waste any more words and turned to leave.

The transaction was complete.

After returning to his quarters, Ji Ye eagerly opened the Mountain Splitting Saber Technique.

Just as Wang Meng had said, there were none of those flashy moves like "White Crane Spreads Its Wings" or "Su Qin Carries a Sword on His Back." Every part of it was the most direct method of exerting force.

First move: Mountain-Splitting Strike.

It focused on gathering the strength of the entire body in the waist and abdomen, passing it through the great dragon of the spine into the arms, then pouring it into the blade and chopping down with the force of Mount Tai bearing down from above.

Ji Ye drew the saber at his waist—a Wild Goose Feather Saber of refined steel that he had bought with money.

He stood in the courtyard, adjusted his breathing according to the diagrams in the booklet, sank his waist, and planted his stance.

[Talent: Strength +90%]

At that moment, the immense strength granted by his talent seemed to find an outlet. The brute force that had previously rampaged wildly through his muscles now followed the force-exertion path of the Mountain Splitting Saber Technique, like a flood returning to its river channel, surging and roaring onward.

"Ha!"

Ji Ye chopped down with his saber.

A shrill ripping sound actually tore through the air!

"Whoosh—!"

The blade stopped in midair, and the fierce wind it kicked up scattered the snow piled on the ground in every direction.

Ji Ye looked at the saber in his hand, and wild joy flashed through his eyes.

The power of this strike was more than twice as strong as his previous wild hacking and slashing!

If his Triple Brute Force had previously been a heavy iron hammer, then with this method of exerting force, it had become a sharp, heavy axe.

"Again!"

Ji Ye swung his saber tirelessly.

With every swing, he could feel his muscles cheering and his strength growing. The tangible sensation of becoming stronger was more addictive than any drug.

In this cold world, only the saber in his hand and the strength within his body would never betray him.

Ten days later.

Ji Ye was practicing his saber in the courtyard when he suddenly heard the courtyard gate being pounded urgently.

"Ji Ye! Is Ji Ye here?"

It was Pockmarked, a constable from the same team.

Ji Ye sheathed his saber, steadied his breathing, and walked over to open the gate.

Pockmarked was drenched in sweat, his expression panicked. "Quick! Something happened! Captain Zhao and his men were surrounded at the Ghost Market! Captain Wang specifically ordered every brother in Team Ding to rush over and support them!"

"The Ghost Market?"

Ji Ye's eyes narrowed.

The Ghost Market was a place where dragons and fish mingled, and even the authorities usually kept one eye open and one eye shut. Why had Zhao Ba Pi been surrounded there?

"It seems Captain Zhao drank too much and tried to rob the robbers, but he kicked an iron plate..." Pockmarked panted heavily. "The other side belongs to the Black Tiger Gang. They say they have a martial artist holding the fort."

A martial artist.

Ji Ye touched the hilt at his waist.

After practicing the Mountain Splitting Saber Technique for ten days, he happened to be lacking a target to test his blade on.

"Let's go."

Ji Ye locked the door, his tone flat, as though he were not going to risk his life but heading to a banquet.

Current Great Liang world realm system:

Mortal Shell -> Skin Tempering Realm (Copper Skin) -> Bone Tempering (Iron Bone) -> Organ Tempering (Internal Strength/Thunder Sound) -> Meridian Opening (True Qi/Grandmaster).