"The Great Zhou Kingdom is landlocked. People who live here will never see the sea in their lifetimes."
"If I want to take Mad Saber Three Stacks Wave from proficient to mastery, I have to go to the seaside."
"If I have this scholar paint a picture of waves, then practice my saber techniques while looking at it, I wonder if it'll work."
Zhao Han thought his idea seemed feasible. The system had only said to observe waves; it hadn't said whether they had to be waves in a picture or real waves.
As long as they were waves, that was good enough.
In that case, I won't hold back.
Still, Zhao Han didn't interrupt the scholar while he painted. The picture of the pretty young woman looked nearly finished, and there was no need to rush.
The person waiting in front of Zhao Han looked like a steward. He wore luxurious clothes and had an average build. At a glance, it was clear he was either rich or important.
"Finished!"
A quarter of an hour later, the scholar twisted his aching wrist and sighed in relief.
Yet his eyes remained fixed on the figure in the painting. This pretty young woman had come to him to have her portrait painted some time ago.
The first time the scholar had seen the pretty young woman, he'd felt that his life had finally begun.
As for this steward, he was the steward of the Liu Family, Blackwater County's foremost lineage. That showed the young woman's status was no ordinary matter.
"Here are two taels of silver for the portrait, Scholar Liu. Please take it," the steward said, holding out the money.
"No need. To paint a woman as peerlessly beautiful as Miss Liu is already the greatest blessing of my life. How could I accept payment?" The scholar waved his hand, magnanimous to a fault.
When it came to a mere two taels of silver versus winning Miss Liu's favor, the scholar knew which mattered more.
"Heh, just take it. Otherwise, if I fail to do my job properly, how am I supposed to explain myself when I return?"
The steward chuckled and pressed the two taels of silver onto the table. Then he took the painting, rolled it up, and turned to leave. He glanced at Zhao Han before striding away.
"Ah..." The scholar sighed, feeling a little vexed.
Zhao Han gave the steward a long look. He hadn't expected even a steward to be a Muscle Refining Realm expert.
The Liu Family was clearly no ordinary family.
Then he turned and pointed at the Nautical Chart. "Shopkeeper, how much for this Nautical Chart?"
"One tael of silver."
"Here." Zhao Han put down the money, took the Nautical Chart, and left.
"Ah, Miss Liu... When will I be lucky enough to paint you again? I'd die a happy man..."
In a secluded alley, Zhao Han hung the picture on a wall, drew his steel saber, and began practicing Mad Saber Three Stacks Wave.
"Ha! First Wave!"
"Second Wave!"
"Third Wave!"
After finishing the set, Zhao Han checked the panel and was delighted to find that his proficiency had indeed increased by one point.
Mad Saber Three Stacks Wave [Simplified, entry-level, proficient 1/100, observe waves and practice saber techniques a hundred times]
"In that case, again!"
He practiced ten times in a row, then stopped after finishing the eleventh set.
His proficiency wasn't increasing anymore.
"Maybe the effect of this painting wore off. I'll have to buy another one."
He put away the picture. It wasn't useful now, but he could still give it to someone later.
He returned to the scholar's stall. Seeing the scholar sitting around, lost in thought, Zhao Han smiled and said:
"Shopkeeper, I need nine more paintings of waves. I have only one requirement: each one has to show different waves. Can you paint them for me?"
The scholar looked at Zhao Han in surprise, wondering what was so strange about this person. One painting wasn't enough, and now he wanted to buy nine more?
It seemed there were no other requirements—only that the waves in each painting be different.
"Certainly. That'll be nine taels of silver in total. I'll need three taels as a deposit, and you can come back to my stall the morning after tomorrow to pick them up." The scholar accepted the commission.
"Sounds good!"
Zhao Han slapped down three taels of silver and strode away.
It was almost noon, and the Mad Saber Martial Arts School's assessment was about to begin.
After returning to the school, Zhao Han ate a simple meal and rested for a while. Then Senior Brother Han found him, and they headed to the Training Ground.
The students on the Training Ground were arranged in pairs. Zhao Han's other two roommates were among them.
Usually, Zhao Han saw only a little over thirty students, and around fifty during morning practice. But now, there were seventy.
Clearly, many students had merely signed up and paid, without any real passion for martial arts.
Some might have joined the school in name only, hoping to make connections with promising students or disciples.
After waiting a while, Master Yang Wuji emerged at an unhurried pace, followed by nine school disciples who had reached the Skin Refining Realm.
Liang Feng and Yu Qiuyue were among them.
The wound on her face probably hadn't healed yet. She wore a veil and followed behind a young woman in a fitted purple outfit.
Seeing the woman in purple, Zhao Han couldn't help being taken aback. Wasn't this the woman he'd run into at the Jinshi Weapon Shop earlier? She was actually a disciple of the school.
The woman in purple noticed someone looking at her. When she turned her eyes toward him, she saw the ambitious boy she'd encountered at the Weapon Shop and couldn't help being taken aback.
He was actually a student at the school.
He probably hadn't even mastered saber techniques yet, and he already wanted to practice archery?
"Ahem!"
"Students, the monthly assessment is beginning..."
Yang Wuji was a middle-aged man with a booming voice. He didn't waste time on pleasantries; once he'd finished the opening remarks and explained the rules, he told the students to begin their matches.
The purpose of holding this assessment was not only to spot those with a strong foundation and motivate the students, but also to keep them from leaving.
Before the matches, everyone had to draw lots. Those who drew the same number would face off.
After the lots were drawn, the matches began.
Only wooden sabers were allowed, and the students could use only Mad Saber Nine Forms. No other martial arts techniques were permitted.
By "bad luck," Zhao Han and Senior Brother Han drew the same numbers as two veteran students. The two veterans looked certain of victory, mainly because they thought Zhao Han was new and easy to bully.
"Junior Brother Zhao, looks like we're in trouble!" Senior Brother Han said with a rueful smile.
"Don't worry, Senior Brother Han. I have a trump card of my own. We've got this. Those two may not be able to beat us."
"Let's hope so!" Senior Brother Han didn't believe him at all.
Then the assessment began.
The referee was Third Senior Brother, whom Zhao Han didn't know.
Watching the matches put Zhao Han to sleep. They were all small fry, and they were using wooden sabers, to boot. He just couldn't get interested.
"Zhao Yan and Han Yang will face Wang Qiang and Yao Gang!"
When it was Zhao Han's turn, he perked up a little, took a wooden saber, and stepped into the open space.
He was up first, so he had to make a strong showing.
"Begin!"
The two sides clashed. Wang Qiang wore a serious expression and didn't underestimate his opponent in the least. He charged forward, hoping to end the fight quickly.
"Ha! Mad Saber Nine Forms!"
Zhao Han neither dodged nor retreated. He swung his wooden saber and struck first.
Wang Qiang, facing Zhao Han head-on, froze. He hadn't expected Zhao Han not only to stand his ground, but to take the initiative and attack.
In that case, I'll settle this in one strike!
"Doesn't he know Wang Qiang is already right on the verge of the Skin Refining Realm? He really doesn't know when to quit."
"That new guy clearly hasn't mastered Mad Saber Nine Forms. He's just relying on brute force!"
"I can't even beat Wang Qiang. That kid's practically asking to get himself killed."
"Heh, I think that new Starving Ghost just wants to finish early and clock out."
Quite a few students below them laughed scornfully.
A newcomer was still a newcomer. They couldn't compare with the rest of them.
Before you continue