Cultivation Complete

Chen Hao stopped once he had practiced all the moves of the Nine Heavens Thunder Blade to familiarity, putting away both the manual and the disc.

He picked up his war blade. "Xiao Mei, keep monitoring the house's surroundings. No one is allowed in for now."

"Understood, master. Xiao Mei will keep a good watch!"

He called up the Synthesis Panel and looked at the eight Skill Cards in the Copy page, directly using the Proficient Basic Saber Technique.

Instantly, Zhuge Tao's over twenty years of training and insight into basic saber techniques flooded into Chen Hao's mind.

As the memories were absorbed, Chen Hao involuntarily began to swing his war blade, and the speed of his swings grew faster and faster.

After about half an hour, his movements came to a halt, and the blade light around him dissipated.

"So this is the Proficient level of basic saber technique? It's indeed a whole lot stronger than Familiar. Now my footwork and saber technique realms should be on par, and there won't be any uncoordinated issues for now."

"It's a pity my basic saber technique isn't at the Mastery level yet. If it were, it would definitely help a lot with practicing the Nine Heavens Thunder Blade."

But no problem—he still had copied Skill Cards. He used the Mastery Basic Saber Technique Skill Card next.

Wang Heng's experience in training saber techniques and fighting monsters rapidly poured into his mind. As Chen Hao practiced, his saber technique grew faster and faster, until only a fierce, cold gleam remained in the air, with no sound of the blade slicing through it.

Chen Hao stopped swinging, closed his eyes, and savored the feeling for a long time. Then his eyes snapped open. "So this is Mastery-level basic saber technique? The long blade feels almost like an extension of my arm. Even just the eight basic moves have terrifying power in my hands."

He took a bite of the Hundred-Year-Old He Shou Wu and then used the Mastery Basic Footwork Skill Card.

Zhuge Tao's experience in hunting monsters, along with his methods of using the surrounding environment to evade monster attacks, streamed continuously into Chen Hao's mind.

Unlike training saber techniques, footwork training had no fixed moves. Though there were no obstacles, he still followed the footwork experience from his memories and practiced dodging.

Another hour later, Chen Hao's clothes were soaked with sweat. "I didn't expect footwork training to be this exhausting." He didn't stop immediately. After taking another bite of the Hundred-Year-Old He Shou Wu and waiting for the medicinal effect to kick in, he directly used the Nine Heavens Thunder Blade First Layer Skill Card.

Zhuge Tao's experience in cultivating the first layer of the Nine Heavens Thunder Blade surged into him again, but this time it felt different—like being possessed. He couldn't help but slash out with his blade.

There was no silence. As time passed, his swinging grew faster and faster, but the force behind each strike gradually decreased. An hour went by, and he had no idea how many slashes he had made.

Finally, Chen Hao swung out one slash, and the power on the blade suddenly doubled, far exceeding any of his previous strikes.

He opened his eyes and let out a breath. The Nine Heavens Thunder Blade really was hard to get started with. If it weren't for the Skill Cards, and since he wasn't the protagonist, he probably wouldn't have mastered the first layer in under two months like Luo Feng—hell, he might not even get it in three months.

Only now did he realize that an hour of continuous swinging had drained his stamina enormously, and his right arm was swollen and aching. Practicing the Nine Heavens Thunder Blade really required a strong physique.

Without hesitation, he shoved the remaining Hundred-Year-Old He Shou Wu into his mouth and swallowed it all down.

Soon, a powerful heat surged in his abdomen, making the blood in his entire body boil.

Not daring to waste time, he directly clicked to use the Nine Heavens Thunder Blade First and Second Layer Skill Card. As he accepted the training experience, he once again fell into a state akin to enlightenment.

Training in the first two layers of the Nine Heavens Thunder Blade consumed a lot of stamina, but under the medicinal supplement of the Hundred-Year-Old He Shou Wu, Chen Hao's physical fitness was rapidly improving.

Another hour or so passed. As Chen Hao swung his blade, a sharp gleam flashed in his eyes. He slashed out—the blade moved fast, yet felt slow. Two hidden forces transmitted through his arm simultaneously, generating two additional forces that stacked onto the war blade, and all three forces burst out at once.

The second layer of the Nine Heavens Thunder Blade was finally complete. Only then did Chen Hao realize that his physical fitness had unknowingly broken through the limits of an Advanced Warrior.

He casually cast an Identify on himself:

Chen Hao 19 years old Earth Human Talent: Mental Power Realm: Mental Power Apprentice Level 6 Body: Apprentice Level 4 Skills: Mastery Basic Saber Technique Mastery Basic Footwork Nine Heavens Thunder Blade Second Layer

Although his physical fitness had more than doubled, thanks to the Skill Cards and high-intensity training, his control over his own strength hadn't diminished.

On the contrary, because of practicing the Nine Heavens Thunder Blade, his control over himself had become even smoother.

"Xiao Mei, no one came by while I was training, right?"

"That's right, master. Zhuge Tao, the manager of the Jiangnan Base City Extreme Martial Arts Hall, called you once during your training. Also, Jiang Nian, the Hall Master of the Yi'an District Extreme Martial Arts Hall, called you as well."

"Jiang Nian called me? It's normal for Manager Zhuge Tao to call, but why would Jiang Nian call? Is something up?"

"I'll head to the Extreme Martial Arts Hall later anyway. I probably won't be going there much from now on—I'll be heading to the Wilderness Zone soon, so my time at the Yi'an District Extreme Martial Arts Hall will be very limited."

He took out his phone and dialed Zhuge Tao's number.

Zhuge Tao's figure appeared on the screen. "Chen Hao, I see you bought the Nine Heavens Thunder Blade. That saber technique is very hard to master. Don't rush if you can't get it. If there's anything you don't understand, you can come to the main city and ask me. By the way, when are you planning to go to the wilderness? I'll find a team for you to tag along with."

Chen Hao could only reluctantly refuse Zhuge Tao's kindness. He had too many secrets and wasn't suited for teaming up with others.

"Manager, you know my strength. As long as I don't run into a flying Lord-level Monster in the Wilderness Zone, I won't be in life-threatening danger. If I'm with others, it probably won't serve as real training. So I want to start alone around the base, practicing on low-level monsters, and once I get used to life in the Wilderness Zone, I'll venture into more dangerous cities."

Zhuge Tao was silent for a moment. "Alright. Your strength really doesn't need worry about danger. After some real combat in the wild, you'll probably catch up to me quickly. Going solo is fine too. If you run into any trouble in the wilderness, you can contact me directly. Around the Jiangnan Base City, I still have some face!"

"Mm, I understand. Thanks for your concern, Manager. I plan to head outside the base tomorrow to get acclimated and train for a few days. Then I'll push deeper into the wilderness."

"Mm, stay safe. Call if anything comes up. Good luck!" Zhuge Tao then hung up.

Chen Hao tidied up a bit, stashing everything at home that might expose his secrets into the Space Backpack.

After all, the space had a volume of 100 cubic meters, enough to hold quite a lot. Everything he'd bought these past few days only took up a tiny corner.

Thinking about needing tents in the wild, he said, "Xiao Mei, buy eighty-one tents from Extreme Home. Leave one million in the account and use the rest for the budget."

"Yes, Master. Found it. The most suitable tent is made from material second only to the D1-level Combat Suit, with a price to match—300,000 each. Eighty-one tents total 24,000,000."

"Alright, go with that."

"Order placed, Master. Spent 24,000,000. Account balance: 15,550,000."

"Mm, got it." He then walked toward the Extreme Martial Arts Hall in Yi'an District.

Thank you all for your support, and thanks to Wúqíng for helping with corrections.