Guidance Sword

"One still, one active—no wonder they were two completely different paths of cultivation."

After digesting the contents of Basic Meditation, along with the annotations and minor adjustments from his Soul Data, Xuan Ye fell into thought once he had fully grasped its characteristics.

Basic Meditation, developed over an entire era during the rise of the Human Race, was a seemingly simple introductory method for mental cultivation. Yet it had actually been refined to the utmost limit, infused with the wisdom of generations of sages. It was the most suitable, safest, and most universal technique for nurturing an apprentice's spiritual power.

The enormous amount of data within Xuan Ye had been gathered from the vastness of the universe and was far too broad in scope. Even the system could no longer improve this method.

But!

Everyone's mental state was different. Basic Meditation was indeed the most suitable for the general public, yet the data deep within Xuan Ye's soul automatically adjusted it into a method perfectly tailored to the fluctuations of his mind. There was no best, only most suitable. Its effectiveness had increased by at least forty percent!

Unlike the cultivation methods of physical professions, which cultivated the Inner Palace and required extensive real combat, meditation for training Spiritual Power required a quiet environment.

In the end, it could all be summed up in one word:

Homebody...

Although mages traveled everywhere to broaden their horizons and acquire knowledge, compared to that, they still spent most of their time in their own Mage Towers studying materials, meditating in seclusion, or researching alchemy.

And that just happened to be one of Xuan Ye's rare strengths right now—cultivate in seclusion for years, then emerge and sweep aside all opposition.

After fantasizing for a while and wiping away the drool that was nearly dripping from the corner of his mouth, Xuan Ye was instantly filled with motivation. His right hand felt full of strength. He planned to begin focusing on meditation during the next break, and once this operation was over and he had repaid Luo Luoji for saving his life, he would find some remote corner to go into seclusion. He would only emerge after reaching the professional rank and acquiring further knowledge.

With a cheat that could be continuously renewed, he believed he definitely had what it took to break through to the professional rank. Uh, at most, he would have to come out and gather some materials when it was time to change professions. His talent should be enough to make do with a low-quality Baptismal Potion.

After all, this identity still came with a mountain of trouble. He did not want to get arrested the moment he returned to the city.

"Brother Xuan Ye? Brother Xuan Ye!"

Just as Xuan Ye was indulging in his pleasant thoughts, an unconsciously terrible expression appearing on his face, Gypsy's voice finally pulled him back to reality.

Right. He was still only an ordinary Sixth Grade Knight Attendant. Being young meant he had decent talent, but no one out in the world would go easy on him just because of his age. On the contrary, those seasoned old hands would use their experience to bully him.

"Is something wrong?"

Xuan Ye grinned at Gypsy. Though his tone still sounded somewhat unnaturally stiff, he did not blame him for interrupting his fantasy. After all, this somewhat chatty boy his age had given him quite a bit of information he wanted, and he was much easier to deal with than those old hands.

When Gypsy saw Xuan Ye smiling at him, he suddenly became shy and bashful. He hesitated for a long time, unsure how to begin. That submissive-looking demeanor sent chills down Xuan Ye's spine.

"It's like this. I heard that Brother Xuan Ye is a Sixth Grade expert. Could you guide my swordsmanship during the next break?"

The previously carefree and talkative Gypsy had become somewhat shy and awkward. They were the same age, after all. Xuan Ye was already a Sixth Grade Knight Attendant, while he was only Third Grade. The gap was simply too great.

"So that's what it is. Hmm, no problem."

After hesitating for a moment, Xuan Ye agreed. The upcoming break would only be a brief rest, so there would not be enough time for something as time-consuming as meditation anyway.

As for the fact that he did not know any swordsmanship at all, that was no big deal. His strength and speed were both above that kid's, so he definitely would not embarrass himself. Besides, this was a good opportunity to hastily practice the combat technique memories left behind by the original owner of the body.

Though he had already decided on his future path, combat skills were for saving his life. At the very least, he could not afford to be careless before truly becoming a mage.

This was not a society governed by law. Since he did not dare return to the city, he could face threats alone at any time. Now that someone weaker than him had come over to act as a sparring partner, he naturally agreed readily.

He could even show off in front of the others. Strength gained for free was still strength. What was the difference between transmigrating without showing off and being a salted fish...

Smack!

A Wooden Sword flew through the air, spinning several times before plunging point-first into the sand.

His palm twitched as it opened and clenched twice. Looking at the Wooden Sword that had flown away, Xuan Ye felt the inside of his face grow hotter than the scorching sun outside.

What the hell! What kind of vicious sword technique was that? My strength and speed are clearly both above his—more than twice as high! How did I get disarmed in just a few exchanges? Could Gypsy really be some once-in-a-thousand-years martial arts prodigy?

Even in Stanrosai City, which produced minerals, iron and steel weapons were considered valuable, life-saving possessions. Naturally, the members of the Scavenger Squad could not casually use such things for sparring—not because they feared injuring someone, but because they feared chipping the blades. Wooden Swords, on the other hand, were light and easy to carry, so they had become a form of casual entertainment within the Scavenger Squad.

Originally, Xuan Ye and Gypsy's "Guidance Sword" had drawn a crowd of resting scavengers because of Xuan Ye's youth and his status as a Sixth Grade Knight Attendant. But no one had expected his sword to be knocked away after only a few moves, drawing a chorus of jeers.

"Is Brother Xuan Ye trained in saber techniques...?"

Gypsy, equally surprised that he had succeeded so easily, spoke weakly. For most members of the Scavenger Squad, heavier weapons that could kill with a single strike without any flashy tricks were more commonly used. Gypsy used a sword because he had a little ambition—he hoped to become an expert, carrying the aspirations of youth.

Seeing that he had won so easily, he naturally asked the question without thinking.

"Cough—not exactly. The wound on my shoulder was just pulled."

Xuan Ye forced himself to appear unconcerned and spoke stiffly after coughing lightly. At the same time, he comforted and hypnotized himself inwardly. I'm a man who will become the Magic King. I shouldn't care about such trivial Knight Attendant details.

"But the injury you have is clearly on your left—"

Gypsy instinctively spoke honestly, but Xuan Ye cut him off before he could finish.

"Shut up! Cough—no, I mean, you're mistaken. The shoulder is a key point for exerting force. It has nothing to do with left or right. I'll get serious now. Again."

Forcing himself to bluff, Xuan Ye felt somewhat red-faced. However, his usually stiff and awkward speech instantly sped up considerably. Fine, judging by the reactions of those around him, this kid was no martial arts prodigy. He was just too weak. I'm clearly a Sixth Grade Knight Attendant, damn it.

This was far too embarrassing. He had no way to step down now.

"What a boaster. Even his sword-gripping stance is wrong. I can't even bear to watch."

Just then, a snicker came from nearby. A dark-skinned man with a square face and a cloth wrapped around his head, dressed like an honest migrant worker and looking thoroughly rustic, mercilessly exposed Xuan Ye's lie without leaving him the slightest bit of dignity.

"Who? Who said that? Come out and have a match! You—is it you? Stop looking around, it's you. Come on."

His dignity had already been trampled into the ground, and his embarrassment had completely maxed out. Xuan Ye simply decided to throw caution to the wind, pretending to be somewhat enraged. Well, they were all members of the same squad, so there should not be any danger.

Besides, it could not possibly be worse than losing to a brat like Gypsy. Losing to a kid was losing; losing to someone else was also losing. It did not matter. He might even find someone who used a saber, and then he might have a chance by relying on brute force. Though he had lost that last exchange, he had at least gotten a feel for holding a sword.

And he was still a proper Sixth Grade Knight Attendant. If people saw him get angry, perhaps he could scare some of them off. In times like these, one had to be bold and never act timid. He had to show the dignity of a Sixth Grade Knight Attendant.

That guy looked like a straightforward, honest sort. Xuan Ye should be able to handle him.

So, relying on his instincts, he pointed at the man who had spoken and puffed himself up as he issued the challenge.

"He actually challenged Jack the Dismemberer."

"Wow, as expected of someone who broke through to Sixth Grade Knight Attendant at such a young age."

"Looks like we misunderstood him earlier."

"..."

After Xuan Ye casually pointed someone out, the scene first fell silent. Then everyone suddenly began whispering among themselves.

Hearing their conversation, Xuan Ye was instantly dumbfounded. Jack... Jack the Dismemberer? What did that mean?

"Oh, interesting. Do you want to duel with me?"

The "Jack the Dismemberer" he had pointed at seemed rather surprised, then became somewhat excited.

A duel? Did something get mixed up here? This rhythm is all wrong...

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