Highway Robbery

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

If he recorded the long saber currently in his hands, he would instantly gain insights into saber techniques at the minor success level.

In other words, it would save him a full half-year of bitter cultivation!

Zhou Ming Chuan did not notice Lu Chuan's abnormality, and continued to instruct:

"Right, besides martial arts progress, there is another point that has a huge impact on tempering the physical body, and that is meat!"

His expression was solemn:

"Practicing martial arts consumes an extreme amount of qi and physical strength. If you don't have enough meat to supplement it and just practice blindly day in and day out, not only will you fail to achieve anything, but you'll end up breaking down your own physique!"

"This point is especially important for disciples like us from ordinary family backgrounds!"

Lu Chuan felt a stern jolt in his heart, and nodded heavily:

"Senior Disciple Brother's instruction, Lu Chuan will keep it in mind."

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

Having explained all the crucial points clearly, Zhou Ming Chuan finally picked up the saber and began to teach Lu Chuan the Thirty-Six Basic Forms of the Mountain Splitting Saber posture by posture.

He taught very slowly, repeatedly explaining the key points of exerting force and the common pitfalls. Seeing that Lu Chuan learned slowly, he was neither impatient nor rash.

Lu Chuan learned conscientiously, but his progress was not fast.

Moreover, he felt that since he was about to use his cheat soon, making Zhou Ming Chuan go through so much trouble now made him feel rather apologetic.

After learning for about an hour and mastering the first three movements, Lu Chuan took the initiative to call a halt:

"Senior Disciple Brother, let's learn just these three forms for today. I will ponder and practice them well to thoroughly grasp and master them. Biting off more than you can chew will only make it harder to digest."

Hearing this, Zhou Ming Chuan nodded: "Good. If there's anything you don't understand, come and ask me anytime."

"Many thanks, Senior Disciple Brother!" Lu Chuan thanked him sincerely.

Watching Zhou Ming Chuan leave, Lu Chuan felt a myriad of emotions welling up in his heart.

Sigh, if not for having a cheat, how easy would it be to defy the heavens and change one's destiny in times like these...

He shook his head and stopped dwelling on it.

By this time, the sky was approaching dusk, and most people on the training ground had already dispersed.

The martial arts hall did not provide board and lodging, so outer disciples all had to fend for themselves, while inner disciples perhaps had other arrangements.

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, Lu Chuan carried the saber and walked quickly to a secluded corner of the martial arts hall's wall.

Confirming that there were no other people around, his consciousness sank into his mind:

[Record weapon?]

"Record!"

The moment the command was issued, a massive torrent of information surged into Lu Chuan's mind!

That was insight concerning the Mountain Splitting Saber.

From the most basic saber grip, stance, and force exertion, to the essential breakdown of each of the thirty-six forms...

The process of recording the weapon was very short, but digesting this martial arts insight took Lu Chuan quite a bit of time.

[Name: Lu Chuan]

[Age: 16]

[Martial Arts: Basic Archery Skill - Minor Accomplishment (drawing the Six-Power Bow, within sixty paces, never missing a shot), Mountain Splitting Saber - Minor Accomplishment]

[Talent: Eagle Eye]

[Available weapons for recording: 1]

Not knowing how much time had passed, Lu Chuan slowly opened his eyes.

The Mountain Splitting Saber insights at the minor success level were now in his hands!

A huge surge of joy welled up in his heart.

"What a pity..." Lu Chuan muttered to himself,

"Whether it's Chen Mo Bai or Senior Disciple Brother Zhou, who treats me sincerely, they both know my comprehension is ordinary."

"If I suddenly display saber technique realms at the minor success level in a short period of time... this is likely to bring about no small amount of trouble."

"I must conceal my abilities." Lu Chuan quickly made a decision. "Starting tomorrow, I can only reveal my progress step by step."

Originally, he had wanted to take the opportunity to test out the tempering speed of minor-success saber techniques on qi and blood, but in the end he held back.

"Although there's nobody in this place, I still can't quite set my mind at ease."

Walking out of the main gates of the martial arts hall, Lu Chuan identified his bearings and walked toward Kaoshan Village.

Qinghe County city was a full dozen or so miles of mountain road away from Kaoshan Village.

Lu Chuan hurried all the way and finally caught sight of the village entrance just before dark.

Just as he wanted to relax a little, his footsteps came to an abrupt halt.

Behind that old tree at the village entrance, it seemed... someone's figure was hiding!

Lu Chuan was startled, instantly lowering his posture and diving behind a patch of withered grass.

The sky had already darkened, and that figure was huddled behind the tree. If not for the night-vision enhancement brought by Eagle Eye, he would have been almost impossible to detect.

"Sneaking around here in the middle of the night... absolutely no good will come of it!"

Alarm bells rang wildly in Lu Chuan's heart. "Could it be... bandits?"

Qinghe County hadn't been very peaceful these past few years, and coupled with this year's severe drought, he had heard that a few groups of refugees turned outlaws had indeed increased in the surrounding mountain forests.

Yet... no matter how bold bandits were, they wouldn't be arrogant enough to directly ambush the village entrance, would they?

However, this path was the only route he had to take home; he couldn't bypass it.

Pondering briefly, Lu Chuan quietly picked up a hard wooden stick the thickness of a wrist from the ground.

Though his physique had not yet undergone true tempering, the insights of the minor-success Mountain Splitting Saber were already in his heart.

Temporarily treating the wooden stick as a long saber, he felt confident he had a certain degree of assurance in dealing with a few ordinary petty thieves.

Utilizing the cover of the dusk, Lu Chuan silently crept toward that person.

However, as the distance closed, he received a shock!

That wasn't just one person!

He clearly saw that behind that thick tree trunk, there were actually three huddled, shifty figures squeezed together!

"Damn it!" Lu Chuan cursed inwardly.

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

At this moment, this tiny disturbance appeared exceptionally clear!

Among the three people behind the tree, one with sharp ears immediately shouted in a low voice: "Pay attention! Stop sleeping, all of you! What was that sound?!"

Lu Chuan's heart sank, silently cursing himself for a bad move, and he immediately gripped the wooden stick in his hand tightly.

However, those three didn't seem to have discovered Lu Chuan.

They turned their heads in unison and looked at the main road leading to the village entrance.

Seeing that the road was empty, they finally let out a sigh of relief.

The boss spat a mouthful of saliva: "Damn it! Scared the hell out of me, false alarm!"

"Why hasn't this brat Lu Chuan come back yet? He's had the three of us brothers waiting here in vain for nearly two hours! I'm freezing to death!"

Hearing his own name, Lu Chuan's heart sank violently!

The boss looked toward one of them again:

"Number Two, are you fucking sure you didn't see wrong? Was it really Lu Chuan and his dad who sold those two stalks of great medicine at Renhetang Pharmacy today?"

Number Two anxiously defended himself: "Big Brother! How could I have seen wrong? I was getting medicine at Renhetang Pharmacy at the time and saw the father and son with my own eyes!"

"When they came out, the smile on Lu Danian's face was about to split all the way to his ears! Fifteen taels of silver, could that be fake?"

The boss gave a sinister, chilly hum: "Lu Danian carried quite a few things back when he returned today."

Number Two continued: "I stalked them all afternoon! Lu Danian bought rice and grain and went straight back to the village, but that brat stayed behind in the county town alone. Who knows if he went to visit a brothel or what..."

"But he's bound to come back! This road is the only way! We'll just keep watch right here, and when he comes back, hehe..."

Number Three spoke with some hesitation:

"Big Brother, Second Brother, can the three of us... really handle that kid? I heard that two days ago, Lu San had a one-on-one fight with him and didn't get any advantage, even coming out on the losing end..."

"Bah!" Number Two spat, his tone full of disdain.

"I heard about that fight from people too! That brat Lu Chuan's strength is just so-so; he just relies on having a slightly faster reaction. But there are three of us today! And..."

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

"We all brought our tools! Later when he comes over, stop the fucking chatter, surround him immediately, and chop straight for his vital spots!"

"Rob him of the silver, throw his corpse into a mountain ditch, and nobody will be any the wiser! In these times, dying a person or two counts for shit!"

The boss added chillingly: "Right, the strikes must be fast and ruthless. Finishing this job will be enough for us to carouse carefree for a while."