Ambush

Half a year... Lu Chuan's heart skipped a beat.

If he were to claim this long saber in his hand, he would instantly gain saber technique insights at the Minor Accomplishment level.

That meant saving himself a full half year of bitter training!

Zhou Ming Chuan didn't notice Lu Chuan's oddity and continued his instructions:

"Oh, and besides martial arts progress, there's one more thing that greatly affects body tempering—meat!"

His expression turned serious:

"Training martial arts drains a lot of blood, energy, and stamina. Without enough meat to replenish yourself, blindly pushing yourself won't get you anywhere—it'll just ruin your body!"

"This is especially important for us disciples from ordinary families!"

Lu Chuan's heart tightened, and he nodded solemnly:

"Senior Disciple Brother's advice, Lu Chuan will remember."

These words showed that Senior Disciple Brother Zhou truly saw him as one of his own and cared about him.

After laying out all the key points, Zhou Ming Chuan picked up his saber and began teaching Lu Chuan the Thirty-Six Basic Forms of the Mountain Splitting Saber, one move at a time.

He taught slowly, repeatedly explaining the key points of power application and common mistakes. When he saw Lu Chuan learning slowly, he didn't get impatient.

Lu Chuan studied earnestly, but his progress wasn't fast.

Besides, he knew he'd be cheating soon, and he felt a bit guilty for making Senior Disciple Brother Zhou go to so much trouble.

After about an hour, having grasped the first three forms, Lu Chuan took the initiative to stop:

"Senior Disciple Brother Zhou, let's just learn these three forms today. I'll ponder and practice them thoroughly, master them solidly. Biting off more than I can chew won't do any good."

Zhou Ming Chuan nodded: "Alright. If you have any questions, come ask me anytime."

"Thank you, Senior Disciple Brother!" Lu Chuan expressed his sincere gratitude.

Watching Zhou Ming Chuan leave, Lu Chuan's mind swirled with emotion.

"Ah, if it weren't for the cheat, in a world like this, how hard would it be to defy fate..."

He shook his head and stopped dwelling on it.

Dusk was falling, and most people had already left the Training Ground.

The Martial Arts Hall didn't provide room and board; Outer Disciples had to handle it themselves, while Inner Disciples might have other arrangements.

Taking advantage of no one watching, Lu Chuan picked up the saber and quickly walked to a secluded corner of the hall.

After confirming no one else was around, he sank his consciousness into his mind:

[Claim?]

"Claim!"

The moment the command was given, a vast torrent of information flooded into Lu Chuan's mind!

It was insight into the Mountain Splitting Saber.

From the most basic grip, stance, and power transfer, to the essential breakdown of each of the thirty-six forms...

The process of claiming the weapon was short, but digesting this martial insight took Lu Chuan a considerable amount of time.

[Name: Lu Chuan]

[Age: 16]

[Martial Arts: Basic Archery Skill - Minor Accomplishment (draws a Six-Power Bow, no missed shots within sixty paces), Mountain Splitting Saber - Minor Accomplishment]

[Talent: Eagle Eye]

[Claimable Weapons: 1]

After who knows how long, Lu Chuan slowly opened his eyes.

The Minor Accomplishment-level insight into the Mountain Splitting Saber was now his!

A surge of immense joy welled up inside him.

"Too bad..." Lu Chuan muttered to himself, "Whether it's Chen Mo Bai or Senior Disciple Brother Zhou, who truly treats me well, they both know my talent is ordinary."

"If I suddenly showed Minor Accomplishment-level saber skill in such a short time... that would definitely cause no small trouble."

"I have to hide my ability." Lu Chuan quickly made his decision. "Starting tomorrow, I can only reveal progress gradually."

He'd originally wanted to test how Minor Accomplishment saber technique affected blood and qi tempering speed, but in the end, he held back.

"This place might be empty, but I'm still not at ease."

Walking out of the Martial Arts Hall's gate, Lu Chuan oriented himself and headed toward Kaoshan Village.

Qinghe County town was a good ten-plus miles of mountain road from Kaoshan Village.

Lu Chuan hurried along the road, finally catching sight of the village entrance just before dark.

He was about to breathe a sigh of relief, but his steps suddenly froze.

Behind the old tree at the village entrance, there seemed to be... a figure hiding!

Lu Chuan startled, immediately crouching low and slipping behind a patch of withered grass.

The sky had darkened, and the figure was tucked behind the tree—almost impossible to spot without the night vision enhancement from Eagle Eye.

"Skulking around here in the dead of night... can't be anything good!"

Alarms blared in Lu Chuan's mind. "Could it be... bandits?"

Qinghe County hadn't been peaceful these past few years, and with this year's drought, he'd heard that several bands of displaced villagers had turned to banditry in the surrounding hills.

But... even bandits wouldn't be bold enough to ambush right at the village entrance, would they?

Still, this road was the only way home—no way around it.

After a moment's thought, Lu Chuan quietly picked up a thick wooden branch from the ground, about as thick as a wrist.

His physique hadn't been truly tempered yet, but he had grasped the Minor Success level of Mountain Splitting Saber.

Using the branch as a makeshift long saber, he was confident he could handle a few ordinary thugs.

Taking cover in the fading dusk, Lu Chuan crept silently toward the figure.

But as he drew closer, he was shocked!

It wasn't one person!

He could clearly see that behind the thick tree trunk, three cowering figures were squeezed together!

"Damn it!" Lu Chuan cursed inwardly.

His foot stepped on a loose pebble, making an extremely faint sound.

That tiny noise was startlingly clear in the stillness!

Among the three behind the tree, one with sharp ears immediately hissed: "Heads up! Stop dozing! What was that noise?!"

Lu Chuan's heart sank. He knew it was bad and gripped the wooden branch tighter.

But the three didn't seem to have spotted him.

They all turned in unison, staring at the main road into the village.

Seeing the road empty, they finally relaxed.

Boss spat: "Shit! Scared me half to death! False alarm!"

"Why isn't that Lu Chuan kid back yet? Got us three brothers waiting here for almost two hours! Freezing my ass off!"

Hearing his own name, Lu Chuan's heart plummeted.

Boss turned to one of them:

"Second Brother, you sure you weren't seeing things? The one who sold those two Great Medicines at Renhetang Pharmacy today—it was really Lu Chuan and his dad?"

Second Brother hastily defended himself: "Eldest Brother! How could I be wrong? I was right there at Renhetang getting medicine! I saw the father and son with my own eyes!"

"When they came out, Lu Danian's grin was practically splitting his ears! Fifteen taels of silver—how could that be fake?"

Boss sneered darkly: "Lu Danian came back today carrying a lot of stuff."

Second Brother continued: "I watched all afternoon! Lu Danian bought grain and went straight back to the village, but that kid stayed alone in the county seat—who knows if he went to a whorehouse or what..."

"But he's definitely coming back! This road's the only way! We'll just wait here, and when he shows up, heh heh..."

Third Brother hesitated, speaking up:

"Eldest Brother, Second Brother, can... the three of us take him? I heard a couple days ago, Lu San went at him one-on-one and didn't come out on top—even got the worse of it..."

"Pah!" Second Brother spat, his tone dripping with contempt.

"I heard about that fight too! That Lu Chuan kid's strength is nothing special—just relies on being a bit quick. But there's three of us today! And..."

He raised the long saber in his hand, his tone turning vicious:

"We're all armed! When he comes, don't waste words—just surround him and go straight for the vitals!"

"Grab the silver, toss the body into a ravine—no one'll ever know! In this world, who gives a damn about one dead man?"

Boss added coldly: "Right. Fast and ruthless. Pull this job off, and we'll be set for a good while."

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