Fuyang Saber Technique

Zhang Lin had been immersed in the joy of finding a suitable manual, but the moment he heard the words "Meng Hu," his expression changed. Several times, he tried to speak, but ultimately held himself back.

Seeing Zhang Lin's expression, Xie An realized that something was wrong.

Could this Meng Hu be some demon person from an evil sect?

Someone who was utterly beyond redemption and killed indiscriminately?

Would anyone who practiced his saber technique be done for?

At this thought, Xie An could no longer remain calm.

But what Lin Yun said next shocked Xie An even more.

"Meng Hu is one of the two sect masters of our Tiger Wolf Gate. It was he who, relying on his unrivaled Heavy Mountain Saber Technique for mounted slashing, established the Tiger Wolf Gate across Qingwu County and beyond. The Heavy Mountain Saber Technique is also the Tiger Wolf Gate's highest-level saber technique. If it weren't so difficult to practice, the sect master would never have copied his notes and distributed them to the various branches."

Hiss.

Even though Xie An had lived through fifty years in this world, he was still deeply shocked upon hearing this.

Although he had not known of Meng Hu's reputation during his month working at the Blood Ridge Black Market, he had genuinely felt the might of the Tiger Wolf Gate.

It was a colossal beast that towered over the heavens.

Powerful gentry and wealthy merchants carried silver to its door to curry favor, while the county magistrate presented gifts every year to keep it supplied.

What kind of mighty figure had the founder of such a sect been?

Unexpectedly, the notes he had picked up by chance had come from this very sect master.

But... even if the Heavy Mountain Saber Technique was difficult to practice, there was no need for Lin Yun to stop him, was there?

Just as Xie An was wondering, Lin Yun continued, "The Heavy Mountain Saber Technique emphasizes heavy sabers. With a saber weighing over a hundred jin in hand, one can swing and hack with naturally unmatched might. But behind that, it requires a powerful body and abundant qi and blood for support. Back then, Sect Master Meng Hu prepared for thirty years just to practice this saber technique. You're advanced in years and don't have that much time to accumulate such a foundation. You shouldn't reach for the stars. It would be safer to choose a more practical saber technique. Besides, practicing the sect master's saber technique would not only waste your time, but also easily invite gossip."

Faced with Lin Yun's rather forceful advice, Xie An did not stubbornly insist. He nodded in agreement.

He had only just arrived. There was no need to offend the Chief Steward over such a minor matter. It seemed that wasting time was merely an excuse, while inviting gossip was the real concern. Wei Dian was seriously injured now and did not want the people under him to stir up any discussion that others could use as ammunition against him. That was understandable.

But Xie An knew that the Heavy Mountain Saber Technique had already carved an indelible mark into his heart. Sooner or later, he would find a chance to get his hands on it.

"Thank you for informing me, Chief Steward Lin. It's just that I don't know much about saber techniques. Could you please offer me some advice?"

Seeing Xie An's respectful and humble attitude, Lin Yun wore a satisfied expression and carefully introduced him to the other saber techniques.

Depending on the type of saber, saber techniques were divided into many varieties.

There were long sabers and short sabers. They were further divided into ring-pommel sabers, butterfly twin sabers, nine-ring sabers, horse-chopping sabers, cleavers, ghost-head sabers, Miao sabers, willow-leaf sabers, two-handed sabers, broad sabers, and so on.

The varieties were complicated, and the saber techniques had endless transformations.

But Xie An preferred broad sabers above all. These sabers had heavy blades and broad faces, and hacking with them was like swinging an axe. They could bring out his advantage in strength.

In the end, following Lin Yun's advice, Xie An chose a saber technique called "Fuyang."

It was also a heavy saber technique that emphasized strength and had been specially created for broad sabers.

However, it was nowhere near as outrageous as the Heavy Mountain Saber. It was easier to get started with, making it quite suitable for him at present.

Lin Yun paid out of his own pocket and used his authority to borrow two martial manuals for Zhang Lin and Xie An. As they walked out of the Library Pavilion, Lin Yun did not forget to encourage Xie An. "I heard that during the evaluation, you lifted seven hundred jin with one arm. You're quite suited to this Fuyang Saber Technique. If you encounter anything you don't understand, go to the Instruction Pavilion and watch how the instructor demonstrates it."

Xie An clasped his hands and thanked him. "Thank you, Chief Steward Lin."

"Mm. I still have to look after the hall master, so I won't accompany you any farther. Zhang Lin, take him around the area." Lin Yun left them with those words and departed.

"Old brother, shall I take you to the Instruction Pavilion for a look?"

Xie An wanted to see it as well, so he agreed.

The Instruction Pavilion was an independent courtyard where different instructors gave lessons each day. The martial arts covered saber techniques, sword techniques, fist techniques, and more.

The disciples only needed to spend a little silver to attend, while stewards... attended for free.

From this, it was clear that the Tiger Wolf Gate truly offered many enticing benefits to attract talent.

Xie An watched for most of the morning, but he never saw an instructor demonstrate the Fuyang Saber Technique. In the end, he left disappointed. He followed Zhang Lin to the medicine preparation room to collect the free medicinal supplement.

Xie An only knew that after becoming a steward, he could receive medicinal supplements regularly. But what exactly these supplements were and how much they were worth, he did not know.

The shopkeeper at the medicine preparation room seemed extremely stingy with the medicinal supplements. He checked Xie An's token repeatedly before finally taking out a packet of medicinal ingredients wrapped in mulberry paper and handing it to Xie An. "According to the rules, an ordinary steward can receive one packet of Tiger Hide Elixir every three months."

After saying this, the shopkeeper offered no further explanation and immediately went back to work, as though he did not particularly welcome Xie An.

After leaving the branch, Xie An asked curiously about the reason.

Zhang Lin merely explained with a laugh, "Old brother, you don't know about this, do you? This is Tiger Hide Elixir, a medicinal supplement specifically used to temper the skin membrane and break through bottlenecks. If you want to become a Bronze Skin Realm martial artist, you absolutely cannot do without it. Buying one packet of Tiger Hide Elixir on the market costs at least twenty taels of silver. Its medicinal effect is gone after three baths."

Only then did Xie An understand.

One packet could be used for three baths and cost twenty taels.

Each medicinal bath came to more than six taels!

That was ridiculously expensive.

No wonder the shopkeeper had not been very welcoming. He was probably heartbroken over it.

No wonder people said that poor families produced scholars while rich families produced martial artists. How could ordinary households possibly withstand such expenses?

After returning to the Blood Ridge Black Market, Xie An did not hurry to take a medicinal bath. Instead, he had Zhang Lin carefully explain every detail of Skin Tempering so that he would know exactly what he was doing.

Generally speaking, Skin Tempering came down to two crucial things: a technique and medicinal supplements.

Saber techniques were also martial techniques. With the Fuyang Saber Technique, Xie An could be considered to have fulfilled one of the requirements.

Next came the medicinal supplement, namely Tiger Hide Elixir. Generally, after a person's technique reached the standard for Skin Tempering, they needed five or six packets of Tiger Hide Elixir and a month of continuous medicinal baths. Only then could their skin membrane become as tough as oxhide, impervious to cold and heat and resistant to ordinary scratches.

That marked entry into the Bronze Skin Realm.

After entering the Bronze Skin Realm, one still needed to continue using Tiger Hide Elixir and pass through the three stages of entry, minor accomplishment, and major accomplishment in the Bronze Skin Realm. Only then could one take the higher-level Tiger Marrow Soup and begin attempting to break into the Muscle Realm.

Without the corresponding medicinal supplements, the difficulty of advancement increased more than tenfold. Thus, medicinal supplements were an indispensable part of martial training.

"Expensive, far too expensive!"

Just thinking about it made Xie An click his tongue in amazement.

Entering the Bronze Skin Realm's initial stage alone required five or six packets of Tiger Hide Elixir. After that, he would still need to keep taking it...

Xie An made a rough estimate. To reach the Muscle Realm, he would need at least a thousand taels of silver.

"I'll try the Fuyang Saber Technique."

After learning enough information, Xie An began practicing.

After practicing for a little over half a day, Xie An immediately sensed the difference between martial techniques and the Health Cultivation Technique.

The Health Cultivation Technique emphasized slow growth, nourishing the body, and filling the qi and blood. It was a gentle process that focused on strengthening oneself from within. Martial techniques, on the other hand, did the opposite. They crazily squeezed the body's potential and transformed it into techniques of killing, as though they wished to wring every last bit of strength from the body.

It was incomparably fierce and overbearing, enough to make one tremble.

"No wonder everyone practices martial arts. Such a fierce style is indeed suited for killing."

"However, I've discovered that martial techniques and the Health Cultivation Technique can supplement each other and complement one another. The Health Cultivation Technique strengthens the body from within and constantly raises its limits, then martial techniques release that power and turn it into killing arts. Wouldn't that be unity of the inner and outer? Double the might..."

At this thought, Xie An became extremely excited, feeling as though he had discovered a new continent.