Before his eyes, the smoke continuously twisted and gathered, finally forming a line of text that hovered in midair.
Blood Sword Dance lv.4 (Swordsmanship +8, Demon-Breaking +8, Concussion +8, Sword Qi +8): 0/10000
Level four.
Once the Blood Sword Dance reached level four, not only did its original attributes double, but Shen Bai also gained the Sword Qi attribute.
A phantom, half-real and half-illusory, emerged in Shen Bai's mind.
When the phantom appeared, it held a longsword in its hand.
The longsword was ordinary, yet in the phantom's grasp, it seemed like a divine weapon capable of parting clouds and scattering mist.
A hazy bloody glow appeared upon the sword. As it surfaced, streaks of Sword Qi coiled around the phantom's body.
The phantom began to dance with its sword.
With every movement of the phantom's sword dance, a surging crimson Sword Qi burst forth with each strike.
The Sword Qi tore open heaven and earth, carrying a magnificent righteous aura. It was like the first sword strike at the dawn of creation, shredding all the void before it.
A moment later, everything returned to normal.
"Sword Qi condensed into threads, released and withdrawn at will."
Shen Bai drew the sword at his waist and circulated the qi within his body.
The next moment, crimson Sword Qi wrapped around the blade.
The Sword Qi remained poised but unreleased, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, gleaming with danger.
"This is my long-range ability now." Shen Bai was overjoyed.
Ever since obtaining the Cheat System, Shen Bai had always fought in close quarters.
But now, after the qualitative transformation of Blood Sword Dance, it completely made up for Shen Bai's shortcomings in ranged combat.
Every streak of Sword Qi could carry the attributes of Blood Sword Dance, and could even be enhanced with the Profound Heart Incantation.
"What did a hexagonal warrior mean? This was what a hexagonal warrior meant."
Shen Bai sheathed his sword and sensed the qi within his body.
At this point, more than half of both kidneys had been filled. He was not far from completing the First Treasure of the Three Treasures Realm.
"I only need two more level-four divine abilities to successfully reach the complete First Treasure of Essence and Qi."
By then, dawn was already breaking.
Shen Bai felt his stomach was empty.
Though he had newly bought Qi-Blood Medicine, constantly practicing Blood Sword Dance still consumed his qi and blood.
Shen Bai had intended to grind the Vajra Demon-Subduing Fist, but it was still early. He turned and left the house, heading for the nearest breakfast stall.
Ascending Cloud County was as bustling as ever.
Even though Huaixi Village had suffered the tragic annihilation of an entire family, after the passage of time, the common folk had already forgotten it completely.
Sometimes, memories were the most stubborn things; but more often, they vanished in a flash.
The slaughter of a whole family could serve as gossip over tea and meals, but it could not disrupt life.
After breakfast, Shen Bai let out a satisfied belch and leisurely returned to the Shen Family Pawnshop.
Zhang Chaofeng was not there, so Shen Bai still had to open the shop for business.
After all, he had to eat.
The pawnshop's daytime hours passed in great leisure.
At noon, Shen Bai went out for another meal and bought some oranges. He ate them as he returned to the pawnshop to continue slacking off.
Shen Bai had thought the day would pass just like that.
Unexpectedly, someone came to the pawnshop in the afternoon.
"Shopkeeper, how much is this worth?"
Hearing the voice, Shen Bai turned his head and saw an ordinarily dressed middle-aged man place a longsword on the counter.
"A martial artist?"
Though the middle-aged man was plainly dressed, he carried the air of someone long steeped in the mortal world. The weathered aura that hit him head-on made him impossible to underestimate.
Shen Bai picked up the longsword and examined it carefully for a moment before saying, "Five taels of silver."
The pawnshop had received martial artists before, so Shen Bai was used to it.
These people who licked blood from the edges of blades were not a single one of them easy prey.
This sword truly was good—at least, much better than the one in Shen Bai's hand.
But the pawnshop needed to make money. Shen Bai would not quote too high a price.
The middle-aged man was silent for a long while before raising his head. "Give me five taels. Once the matter is done, I'll return ten taels to you. If I fail, this sword, along with my corpse, will be delivered to Ascending Cloud County."
Shen Bai raised his brows at those words.
Among cultivators of the martial world, only a very few who lacked ability would end up in dire straits.
After all, they all possessed special skills. Even at worst, they could serve as guards for a major power and never worry about food or drink.
Though the middle-aged man before him appeared down-and-out, Shen Bai saw him as an expert.
It was a feeling—the feeling of a swordsmanship expert.
Level-four Blood Sword Dance had already made Shen Bai outstanding in the path of swordsmanship, and he could sense it.
"If you're unwilling, forget it."
The middle-aged man thought Shen Bai would not agree. He picked up the sword and prepared to leave.
Shen Bai asked, "Why are you so certain you can return ten taels to me?"
The middle-aged man shook his head. "Shopkeeper, there are some things that are better left unknown."
With that, the middle-aged man carried the sword and left the pawnshop.
Shen Bai yawned and did not bother with the matter.
Going by how things unfolded in dramas, the protagonist would generously hand over five taels of silver and choose to trust him.
But reality was that five taels of silver was still money.
The entire day passed without incident.
Only when night fell did Shen Bai close the pawnshop and begin grinding the proficiency of the Vajra Demon-Subduing Fist.
The night passed without a word.
When the next morning arrived, Shen Bai let out a long breath.
Vajra Demon-Subduing Fist +300
After grinding without sleep or rest for an entire night, Shen Bai had gained three hundred proficiency points.
Added to the one thousand points he had converted earlier, the Vajra Demon-Subduing Fist now had 1,300 proficiency points. This counted as a major breakthrough.
"Time to sleep."
Even with qi assisting him, after grinding without sleep or rest for so long, Shen Bai felt exhausted in both body and mind.
He lay down on the bed, and before long, fell into a deep sleep.
It was only when the sun stood high in the sky that Shen Bai woke up.
After resting, Shen Bai felt as vigorous as a dragon and as fierce as a tiger, and his stomach began growling again.
After tidying himself up simply, Shen Bai slung his sword at his waist, left the house, found a shop, and ordered a heap of food.
As he ate, Shen Bai considered his future plans.
"Once I grind the Vajra Demon-Subduing Fist to level four, then grind the Jade Evil Body to level four, I'll reach the realm of the Second Treasure."
"After that, I'll grind the Profound Heart Incantation."
More proficiency was needed from level four to level five. Shen Bai did not want to neglect one area for another, so he decided to develop evenly.
If he encountered danger before grinding Blood Sword Dance to level five, while his other divine abilities had not improved, that would be rather awkward.
Having made up his mind, Shen Bai wolfed down the food in a few bites, rose to his feet, and prepared to return to the pawnshop.
But at that moment, a sudden commotion erupted.
Shen Bai turned toward the source of the noise and discovered that Zhou Qing was leading a group of constables, carrying someone as they hurried toward the county yamen.
Since they had to pass by this shop, Zhou Qing and the others drew closer and closer to Shen Bai.
When Shen Bai saw the person they were carrying, he froze slightly.
The middle-aged man had his eyes closed, still clutching that longsword. His body was covered in wounds, and he was already at death's door.
The wounds covering his body were deep, as though they had been left by an animal's claws.
From those wounds, Shen Bai sensed an unusual aura.
"Something strange!"
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