Great Zhou Dynasty, Ascending Cloud County.
Inside the Shen Family Pawnshop.
Shen Bai reclined in a chair, holding a painting in his hands.
Beside him, Zhang Chaofeng, already past fifty, was tallying the day's accounts as he spoke to Shen Bai.
"Shopkeeper, ever since that poor scholar pawned this painting, you've been staring at it. I don't see what's so special about it—at most, it's a little old."
Within the painting, a Dancing Sword Painting of a Lady came vividly to life upon the paper.
Shen Bai picked up the teacup beside him, took a sip, and said, "Scholars and refined gentlemen naturally appreciate paintings and chant poetry."
Zhang Chaofeng closed the account book and set it on the counter. "You're no scholar or refined gentleman yourself. If you ask me, this painting isn't worth even one tael of silver. You paid far too much."
Shen Bai shook his head. "That scholar was heading off to take the imperial exams. I merely gave him a hand while I could. The accounts are settled today, so go home first, Old Zhang."
Zhang Chaofeng smiled helplessly, then suddenly recalled something. "Shopkeeper, don't go out at night lately. I heard that after Old Master Qian passed away a few days ago, people in his household have somehow often seen him wandering about the kitchen. It's downright creepy."
Shen Bai waved a hand. "Got it."
Zhang Chaofeng tucked both hands into his sleeves and glanced at the Dancing Sword Painting of a Lady. He shook his head in disappointment, said nothing more, and turned to leave.
Yet before leaving, doubt rose in Zhang Chaofeng's heart.
"The shopkeeper has never misjudged an item. Why had he suddenly decided to play the good Samaritan?"
After Zhang Chaofeng left the pawnshop, Shen Bai set down his tea and turned his gaze toward the Dancing Sword Painting of a Lady.
Before his eyes, a line of smoke appeared, drifting and dispersing without pause.
Dancing Sword Painting of a Lady
Appraisal Progress: 98%
A wisp of Killing Intent can rapidly complete the appraisal
It had been more than three months since Shen Bai transmigrated here. His Cheat System had been with him all along, yet it had never made a single move.
Until over a month ago, when Shen Bai acquired this Dancing Sword Painting of a Lady from a poor scholar, he suddenly discovered that he could appraise things.
Shen Bai had taken the Dancing Sword Painting of a Lady and spent an entire month finally raising its progress to 98%.
In Shen Bai's understanding, there were two methods of appraisal. One was simply looking at it, slowly grinding away at the progress bar.
The other was using Killing Intent to speed up the progress.
As for what Killing Intent was, Shen Bai had no idea.
The progress before his eyes was slowly rising.
Shen Bai yawned, rubbed his dry eyes, and continued watching.
Time gradually slipped away. In the blink of an eye, an hour had passed.
Under Shen Bai's expectant gaze, the progress before him finally reached completion.
Bang!
The smoky words suddenly exploded, then continuously gathered in the air, finally forming new text.
Appraisal complete. Divine ability acquired: Sword Dance Technique
A divine ability?
Sword Dance Technique?
What the hell was that?
Shen Bai did not understand, but that did not stop him from studying the words.
Sword Dance Technique lv.1 (Swordsmanship +1): 1/100
As the new words appeared before Shen Bai, a massive amount of information flooded into his mind.
Shen Bai closed his eyes and felt as though a lady was dancing with a sword before him in his mind, each strike faster than the last.
At first, the swordsmanship was soft and weak. Yet before long, it transformed from gentleness into fierce power, every stroke carrying an air of grim slaughter.
When Shen Bai opened his eyes, a thread of Scorching Qi Flow suddenly appeared within his dantian, and he had completely mastered the Sword Dance Technique.
"This swordsmanship looks incredibly fierce. Those numbers afterward seem a lot like the proficiency I saw in games in my previous life."
Shen Bai pondered briefly, then rose and searched around the room.
Since it resembled proficiency, Shen Bai intended to test it out.
As the owner of a pawnshop, he had quite a few strange things stored here.
Before long, Shen Bai dug a Rusty Longsword out of a wooden chest.
This was a forfeited pawn, something that could not be redeemed. Shen Bai vaguely remembered that some wanderer had pawned it for perhaps three copper coins.
Holding the Rusty Longsword, Shen Bai began moving according to the forms of the Sword Dance Technique.
Within the spacious shop, Shen Bai's posture was graceful, each sword stroke brimming with a sense of splendor.
At the same time, as Shen Bai danced with the sword, the smoke before his eyes once again gathered into words.
Sword Dance Technique +1
"One round of sword dancing added one point. Looks like it isn't too difficult. And that lv.1 afterward—could that be the level of this divine ability?"
"And the swordsmanship attribute should be something that can be improved."
Shen Bai danced with his sword while thinking to himself.
Every strike increased Shen Bai's proficiency by one point. As his proficiency rose, so did his understanding of the Sword Dance Technique.
After dancing roughly a hundred strikes, the proficiency before Shen Bai changed.
Sword Dance Technique lv.2 (Swordsmanship +2, Demon-Breaking +2): 1/1000
When the Sword Dance Technique reached level two, a massive amount of information poured into Shen Bai's mind.
This time, Shen Bai's comprehension of the Sword Dance Technique underwent a qualitative transformation.
"So that's how it is. Once it reaches level two, swordsmanship improves, and it gains an additional Demon-Breaking attribute."
Shen Bai felt the Scorching Qi Flow at his dantian increase by another thread.
When Shen Bai danced with the sword again, the Rusty Longsword carried an aura of awe-inspiring righteousness.
Demon-Breaking represented a unique effect against things with strange attributes.
Shen Bai had only just received this information, and he felt there was rather a lot to take in.
"Things with strange attributes—what the hell are those?" Shen Bai thought, gripping the longsword.
He had been here for three months, yet Shen Bai had never encountered anything strange.
If not for this Cheat System, he would have been preparing to take a wife already.
Now, this new information had suddenly appeared, leaving Shen Bai at a loss.
But it was no big deal.
Shen Bai rubbed his chin and decided to keep grinding.
One thousand proficiency points only meant another thousand sword strikes. It would be quick.
With that thought, Shen Bai planned to continue grinding the Sword Dance Technique.
But just then, a voice suddenly sounded outside the door.
Shen Bai turned his head slightly and rested the Rusty Longsword at his waist.
Outside the door stood an elderly man in a daoist robe, with long white hair and beard, carrying the air of an immortal beyond the dust of this world.
"Shopkeeper, I'm here to redeem something."
The Old Daoist Priest held a pawn ticket and walked in from outside.
Shen Bai returned to the counter, set the Rusty Longsword aside, accepted the ticket, and frowned. "A Peachwood Sword?"
The Old Daoist Priest nodded. "Shopkeeper, a few days ago, some unruly disciples from the temple lost money gambling in the county town and pawned this sword. This old daoist has come to retrieve it today."
A bag of silver was placed on the table.
A redeemable pawn was another rule of the pawnshop. It could be redeemed within the allotted period; once that period passed, it belonged to the pawnshop.
The pawnshop recognized tickets, not people.
Shen Bai was not particularly fussy about it. After counting the silver and confirming it was sufficient, he took out a worn Peachwood Sword and placed it on the counter.
The Old Daoist Priest took it and examined it, then tucked the Peachwood Sword at his waist, visibly letting out a sigh of relief.
Just as he was about to leave, the Old Daoist Priest suddenly recalled something and turned around to ask.
"Shopkeeper, do you know where the Qian family residence is located?"
That's right, I'm back again.
After recuperating for so long, my illness has stabilized. I just can't let my emotions get too agitated.
Before you continue