Great River Gang, Three Rivers Heart Method

The next morning, Lin Xiao woke up to find a complete set of blue cloth clothes on his bedside. Looking at the other young man beside him, who also had a set, he figured these must be the standard uniforms of the Great River Gang. Without hesitation, he picked them up and changed.

After breakfast, everyone gathered in the center of the large courtyard. They waited until the sun was high in the sky before Manager Li Daoqi, a tall and sturdy man, entered with his hands behind his back. Four burly men in black followed him. He scanned everyone with his gaze and said in a deep voice:

"Now that you've joined our gang, you will naturally begin your martial arts training."

He pointed to the four men in black behind him and said:

"Behind me are four Senior Brothers from the gang's martial arts instruction hall. They specialize in saber techniques, swordplay, fist techniques, and leg techniques, respectively. You can choose one of them to learn a martial art from later. Once you've grasped the basics of your chosen technique, come find me, and I will teach you our gang's internal energy cultivation method – the Three Rivers Heart Method."

With that, he turned and went to a thatched shed by the training grounds to drink tea. The four men in black immediately stepped forward. Each of them had a large character embroidered on their chest: Saber, Sword, Fist, and Leg, representing their areas of expertise.

The man in black whose chest was embroidered with the character 'Saber' stepped forward and said loudly:

"Anyone who wishes to learn saber techniques, come here."

As soon as he finished speaking, the man in black with 'Sword' embroidered on his chest also stepped forward and said:

"Anyone who wishes to learn swordplay, come here."

"Anyone who wishes to learn fist or palm techniques, come here."

"Those who want to learn leg techniques, come here."

The four men in black stood apart, looking at the young men, who in turn looked at them, contemplating which martial art to learn.

Soon, a young man stepped out and approached the man in black with 'Saber' on his chest. He said:

"Senior Brother, I want to learn saber techniques."

"Wait over there for now."

With one person taking the lead, other young men began to walk behind the martial arts instructors they preferred. Lin Xiao considered for a moment and decided to learn saber techniques.

Since he had joined a gang, he knew he would inevitably encounter conflicts with other gangs in the future. Saber techniques were easier to learn and more powerful than fist or leg techniques. Although not as stylish as swordplay, saber techniques were more common. Even if his weapon was lost, he could pick up any saber on the ground and continue fighting. However, if a sword was dropped or broken, it wasn't guaranteed he'd find a suitable replacement.

And indeed, among the four men in black, the one teaching saber techniques had the largest crowd gathered around him, more than the other three combined.

The four instructors divided themselves into four corners of the training grounds. Lin Xiao, along with the others, squeezed together to watch the man in black in the center holding a saber and addressing them:

"Saber techniques are easy to learn but difficult to master. It requires diligent effort and a certain amount of talent to reach the highest level. However, that's too far off for you now. I have three saber techniques here: the Three Rivers Saber, the Dark Cloud Saber, and the Riptide Saber Technique. You can choose one to learn."

This instruction wasn't one-on-one. After everyone had chosen, the man in black first demonstrated the Three Rivers Saber, then the Dark Cloud Saber, and finally the Riptide Saber Technique. After completing the set, he started again from the Three Rivers Saber.

"The Three Rivers Saber is our gang's most basic saber technique, rated as a one-star mid-grade technique. It has five moves. Mastering it is enough to place you among our core members. If you also achieve mastery in our internal energy cultivation, you might even become a mid-level member of the gang in the future."

The instructor, holding a Ghost Head Saber, began demonstrating each move, breaking down the simple five moves and explaining them: Rushing Waves, Galloping Waves, Ebbing Waves, Surging Waves, and Furious Waves.

"Rushing Waves, as the name suggests, is the initial move of the Three Rivers Saber. It emphasizes surprise and explosive power in an instant, but you must reserve some strength to avoid exhausting your moves and being exploited by the enemy."

Lin Xiao watched the man in black demonstrate the saber techniques intently, listening to his explanations as each move was broken down and taught, firmly memorizing his words.

After the man in black finished explaining the entire set of the Three Rivers Saber, Lin Xiao opened his status panel. The cultivation technique section now displayed the name "Three Rivers Saber," with the status "Beginner." He focused his intention on the technique for half a second, and a green plus sign appeared. With a thought, a faint ripple of light swept across the panel, and the display changed. The Three Rivers Saber had advanced from "Beginner" to "First Level."

Simultaneously, a mysterious power surged from somewhere within his body, flowing rapidly through him. As it finally converged in his Purple Mansion's Sea of Consciousness, Lin Xiao felt memories related to the Three Rivers Saber appear out of nowhere in his mind. It felt as if he had been practicing this saber technique for a long time.

He instinctively picked up a practice Ghost Head Saber he was used to and swung it, executing a Rushing Waves move with practiced skill.

"This is truly amazing!"

He had never practiced it before, yet now it felt like he had been practicing for a long time. It was incredible.

And this was just by consuming one Potential Point. Looking at his status panel again, upgrading the First Level of the Three Rivers Saber to the Second Level only required two Potential Points.

However, he didn't continue to upgrade. He had only just started practicing, and reaching the First Level was already pushing it. Further upgrades would be too outrageous, so he decided to wait.

Next, the Senior Brother explained and broke down the Dark Cloud Saber and the Riptide Saber Technique, move by move. Lin Xiao stood by and listened attentively.

The Senior Brother in black didn't restrict them to learning only one technique or even all three. These three techniques were offered for them to learn. Each of the three saber techniques had a different style, and only by learning all of them could they discover which style suited them best. Being able to learn all of them wouldn't cause trouble; instead, it would earn them recognition.

As long as it wasn't too excessive and their background was clean, being outstanding wasn't a misfortune but a blessing.

The four Senior Brothers in black demonstrated their respective martial arts three times each and then stopped teaching. Whether they could learn it and how much they could learn was entirely up to them. In any case, Lin Xiao guessed that no one else could learn all three saber techniques like he had.

With the help of his status panel, he reviewed all three saber techniques from beginning to end. They successfully appeared on his status panel as "Beginner," and now he only needed to spend Potential Points to upgrade them to the First Level.

After the four Senior Brothers finished teaching, they left without any delay. Manager Li Daoqi finished his bowl of tea in one gulp and strode towards them. The young men who were practicing stopped immediately and respectfully looked at him.

Sensing the fierce aura emanating from him, Lin Xiao felt that this manager was even more formidable than the four Senior Brothers.

Li Daoqi's fierce gaze swept over everyone, and he said in a deep voice:

"Now, I will teach you the first three levels of our gang's internal energy cultivation method, the Three Rivers Heart Method."

Lin Xiao was overjoyed. Regardless of whether he was a transmigrator or came from the Primordial Gate, he knew that internal energy cultivation was the foundation of one's power. Without the cultivation to activate them, skills alone couldn't be fully utilized.

"But let me make one thing clear from the start: our gang's internal energy cultivation method is absolutely forbidden to be spread outside. Violators will be punished according to gang rules!"

His tone became exceptionally stern at this point. Even though he didn't explicitly state the punishment, everyone knew the consequences would be dire. They all nodded in agreement.

Li Daoqi nodded with satisfaction and began:

"Our gang's Three Rivers Heart Method was passed down by our founding ancestor. It has a total of eight levels. Reaching mastery is comparable to being a top-tier expert in the martial world. However, you cannot chew more than you can swallow. As new recruits with no contributions yet, you can only cultivate the first three levels. Only after you perform meritorious service for the gang in the future will you be taught the remaining levels."