"A killing technique?!"
"Teacher has already started teaching Lin Shuguang a killing technique?"
Outside the courtyard, several heads poked out, their eyes wide as they watched Song Shi teach Lin Shuguang a killing technique. They wanted to learn, but their bodies and comprehension could not keep up.
They had joined the Martial Arts Hall much earlier than Lin Shuguang, yet their grasp of saber techniques still stopped at the basics. Now Lin Shuguang had already reached the point where he could practice a killing technique. It would have been a lie to say they were not envious.
While most of the students were envying Lin Shuguang, several young men in a corner elsewhere wore unfriendly expressions.
One curly-haired young man said indignantly, "I've been at this Martial Arts Hall for three years, and this is the first time I've seen Teacher look after a student like this! He even taught him a killing technique so easily. I had to beg him for three months before he let me learn one. How many days has this kid even been here?!"
Beside him stood a tall young man with fair features and a lean, muscular build, his arms folded and his face expressionless.
He was Peng Chao, the Martial Arts Hall's Second Senior Brother. He had joined the Martial Arts Hall in the same intake as Lu Yifan, but his aptitude was considerably higher. He had begun practicing a killing technique six months ago and could be considered the first student in the Martial Arts Hall to do so, giving him extremely high standing there.
Another young man beside him said quietly, "This Lin Shuguang seems pretty full of himself. He's been at the Martial Arts Hall all these days, but he hasn't come over to greet us once. Is he looking down on us because he has Teacher backing him?"
Someone agreed, "If you ask me, we should teach him a lesson and let him learn the rules of our Martial Arts Hall."
"What do you think, Senior Brother Peng?"
Peng Chao snorted. "Is that all you amount to?"
The young men who had been so disgruntled immediately fell silent at his words, looking utterly deferential.
Peng Chao cast an indifferent glance toward Lin Shuguang, then withdrew his gaze and said flatly, "The Martial Arts Apprentice Exam is in a month. With so little time left, you still have the leisure to concern yourselves with someone irrelevant? If we want to leave this place and rise above others, becoming a martial arts apprentice is our first stepping stone. If I were you, I'd spend my time improving my strength instead of watching a rookie who isn't even qualified to take the Martial Arts Apprentice Exam!"
The young men immediately lowered their heads. "You're right to reprimand us, Senior Brother Peng."
Peng Chao dismissed them, picked up his wooden saber, and resumed his focused practice.
The Inner Courtyard.
Song Shi demonstrated several more times in front of Lin Shuguang, explaining every detail. "Have you memorized it?"
"I need some time to think it over."
"All right. Practice here first. Come ask me if there's anything you can't figure out."
"Yes, Teacher."
Song Shi left the courtyard and sent all the other students away as well, leaving it to Lin Shuguang alone.
No one knew that Lin Shuguang was opening the Attribute Panel with his full attention.
[Obtained killing technique: Star Prison Gale Slash, a saber technique with tremendous destructive power; prolonged practice can hone strength and develop the body's potential] [Star Prison Gale Slash LV1: upgrade requires 500 Wealth Value]
"Tremendous destructive power?" Lin Shuguang's eyes lit up. An opportunity to improve his strength was exactly what he needed.
"Upgrade!"
With a thought, a flood of knowledge poured into his mind. The blood energy throughout his body gradually began to boil and stir, as though a key were about to unlock part of the treasure within his body.
[Star Prison Gale Slash LV2: upgrade requires 1,000 Wealth Value and a Blood Energy Value of 120]
"Upgrade!"
The martial skill upgraded again, and the blood energy inside Lin Shuguang seethed even more fiercely. It seemed that with a single thought, this blood energy would erupt into a tremendous force behind his saber technique.
[Star Prison Gale Slash LV3: upgrade requires 5,000 Wealth Value and a Blood Energy Value of 180]
"Upgrade!"
The next second, Lin Shuguang's strength began to soar, and he seemed like an entirely new person.
The blood energy inside him boiled completely, like an erupting volcano, reaching a critical point.
Whoosh-
Lin Shuguang grabbed his wooden saber and casually slashed downward.
Amid the surging blood energy, a force several times stronger than before erupted like thunder.
Bang!
But halfway through the swing, the wooden saber could not withstand the force and shattered on the spot.
Lin Shuguang froze, staring at the hilt left in his hand.
A moment later, the corners of his mouth curved slightly upward.
"I like this kind of overwhelming power."
Setting aside his delight, he looked at the upgrade requirements for Star Prison Gale Slash LV4.
[Star Prison Gale Slash LV4: upgrade requires 10,000 Wealth Value and a Blood Energy Value of 300 cal]
"A Blood Energy Value of 300 cal... that'll only take a few days. There's no rush."
With his strength having increased substantially, Lin Shuguang was in an excellent mood.
While no one was around, he cautiously gathered up the broken pieces of the wooden saber and threw them into the trash, then took another wooden saber and began practicing. By the time Song Shi arrived, he was acting like a beginner again.
Song Shi quietly watched Lin Shuguang's movements from the side, knowing nothing of what had happened in the courtyard earlier.
"When you swing, try to find the feeling of the Tiger Roar Saber Technique in your lower body. Your center of gravity needs to shift with the saber..."
"Yes, just like that."
"The reason a killing technique is called a killing technique is that your blood energy fluctuates when you use it. You've only just started learning, so you might not be able to stimulate your blood energy yet. Keep trying to get a feel for it."
"Yes, Teacher." Lin Shuguang practiced several more times.
Dusk soon fell, and only when Song Shi called to him from outside did he put away his saber.
Song Shi's eyes showed appreciation. "You're very talented. Don't worry if you can't learn it right away. Keep reflecting on it, and you'll definitely get there. All right, my classes are over too. Be sure to stay safe on your way home... hmm, go easy on them. We are in the city, after all."
Lin Shuguang: "..."
He was just about to speak when Song Shi suddenly bellowed to one side, "Feng San, just try hiding again! Get out here!"
Lin Shuguang looked up and saw Feng San emerge from the shadows with an awkward smile, protesting his innocence. "Teacher, what are you saying? I wasn't hiding!"
Song Shi looked him up and down and chided him with a laugh, "You've already changed your clothes? Were you slacking off during practice again?!"
"No, I really wasn't! I'm innocent!"
"Like I'd believe you! All right, enough nonsense. Take your Junior Brother Lin home in a bit."
Feng San breathed a sigh of relief. "Sure, no problem." He turned to Lin Shuguang with a smile. "I happened to drive here tonight. Where do you live, Junior Brother?"
Lin Shuguang was not quite used to this kind of friendliness, and his first reaction was to decline. "There's no need to go to all that trouble. I don't live far from here."
Song Shi smiled. "Let Feng San take you. Huai City hasn't been peaceful lately."
Feng San also urged him, so Lin Shuguang stopped insisting. "Sorry for the trouble, Senior Brother Feng San."
"Hey, no need to be so polite, Junior Brother."
After the two said goodbye to Song Shi, Feng San stole a glance behind him. Once they were beyond the grounds of Song Shi's Martial Arts Hall, he suddenly asked Lin Shuguang to wait a moment, then dragged three large burlap sacks out of a corner, calling softly as he dragged them, "Junior Brother Lin, come give me a hand, please."
Lin Shuguang walked over and saw several more sacks in the shadows. The corner of his mouth twitched on the spot. "You're running quite a sizable business, Senior Brother."
"Ah, just putting food on the table for the family."
"You're already married?"
"Ah, it's just a figure of speech."
"..."
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