Major Success

After leaving Renhetang Pharmacy, Lu Chuan did not hurry back to the village.

He first bought a sack of fine white flour, then another ten jin of pork belly before heading toward Kaoshan Village.

His father and mother did not have much spare money on them. With him absent from home and unable to hunt, the two of them had probably been living quite poorly. They needed to be properly nourished.

Lu Chuan walked quickly along the way, barely stopping.

When he pushed open the gate to his courtyard, Lu Danian was sitting there smoking his dry tobacco, while Mother Lu was tidying up the bowls and chopsticks in the kitchen.

Seeing him return, the two hurried over and began asking after him.

Only after Lu Chuan confirmed that his parents looked normal and bore no injuries did the stone that had been hanging over his heart for days finally fall to the ground.

"Father, Mother, did the Black Tiger Gang... send anyone over these past few days?"

What he feared most while he had been away was that Wang Xiaochuan would fail to find the murderer, then, like a dog driven to leap over a wall, vent his rage on others.

Especially his own family. After all, he had clashed with Wang Kun during the tax collection.

Lu Danian sighed. "How could they not? Yesterday, a gang member came by and said he wanted to see you. I told him the truth—that you'd only been learning martial arts for a little over two months, that you were just an Outer Disciple with no real ability... and that you'd gone hunting in the mountains a few days ago, with no telling when you'd return."

"That man walked around the courtyard once, then left without saying anything."

Lu Chuan frowned but did not reply.

They really had come. Though it had only been an ordinary gang member rather than Wang Xiaochuan personally, it was clear they had already begun investigating.

He was, after all, one of the few young men practicing martial arts in the nearby villages. He had also beaten up Liu Biao, so it was no surprise he had caught the Black Tiger Gang's attention.

"Wang Xiaochuan... First Qi and Blood Complete..." Lu Chuan repeated silently to himself.

If he faced him now, he would have no chance of winning.

They were separated by two minor realms. The other man was also the deputy leader of the Black Tiger Gang, someone who had licked blood from the blade for decades. His real combat experience was not something Lu Chuan could even pretend to compare with.

He had to raise his strength as quickly as possible—the faster, the better.

He carried the flour and pork belly into the kitchen, then took out three taels of loose silver from his robe and stuffed them into Mother Lu's hand.

"Mother, keep this money. Buy whatever you need."

Mother Lu froze. Looking at the silver in her hand, then at her son's travel-worn face, her lips moved slightly.

Before she could speak, Lu Chuan lowered his voice.

"I caught some game during this trip into the mountains and traded it for some money. But this matter... don't tell anyone, you or Father. If anyone asks, just say I've been hunting small game nearby these past few days."

Lu Danian knew his son was highly capable, so he did not ask what sort of game he had caught. "We understand."

Lu Chuan nodded as well. Saying no more, he turned and entered his little room.

After sitting cross-legged on the bed, Lu Chuan picked up the saber Senior Disciple Brother Zhou had given him.

The blade was narrow and long, slightly curved, its edge gleaming with a cold blue light.

A good saber.

[Weapon: Hundred Refinements Steel Saber]

[Quality: Mortal Grade High-rank]

[Description: This is a Precious Saber steeped in sweat. Though its owner lacked talent, years upon years of painstaking effort had finally allowed even this ordinary blade to forge a sharpness of its own.]

[Record Effect: Can obtain martial art · Mountain Splitting Saber Major Success, Talent · Heaven Rewards Diligence]

[Record?]

"Record!"

The instant the words fell, a vast torrent of information surged into his mind.

The instincts born from countless days and nights of swinging a saber, the painstaking effort Senior Disciple Brother Zhou had poured into every single stroke, all of it flooded into Lu Chuan's body at this moment.

He closed his eyes, and the long saber in his hand vanished without a trace.

After an unknown amount of time, Lu Chuan opened his eyes.

[Name: Lu Chuan]

[Age: 16]

[Realm: First Qi and Blood · Minor Success]

[Martial Arts: Basic Archery · Perfection (Open a Stone Bow, within one hundred paces, every arrow hits its mark)

Mountain Splitting Saber · Major Success (0/1000)]

[Talents: Eagle Eye, Heaven Rewards Diligence]

[Recordable Weapon Slots: 2]

Mountain Splitting Saber · Major Success, Talent · Heaven Rewards Diligence!

From now on, no matter what martial art or cultivation technique he practiced, even if it had bottlenecks, as long as he put in the effort, he would be rewarded!

But his gains did not end there. Beyond the advancement of the saber art itself, something even more crucial emerged deep within his mind.

Ultimate Technique: Mountain Collapse. This was another gain he had obtained after bringing the Mountain Splitting Saber to Major Success.

Beyond the Thirty-Six Basic Forms, the Mountain Splitting Saber also had two ultimate techniques: Mountain Collapse and Mountain Severing.

Only after reaching Major Success would one have a chance to comprehend these ultimate techniques.

Each form involved methods of circulating Qi and blood; those without abundant Qi and blood could not wield them.

Mountain Collapse was a technique that poured all one's Qi and blood onto the blade in an instant.

Lu Chuan sensed it carefully.

If you think this book is good, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you won't have trouble finding it next time.

Mountain Collapse—this slash sought no cleverness, only weight. When it came down, it was like a collapsing mountain splitting stone.

He tried circulating his Qi and blood.

He had only recently broken through the Blood Pass, and his foundation had yet to fully stabilize.

Mountain Collapse required an explosive outpouring of Qi and blood. He could barely manage it, but it would drain all his Qi and blood in a single use, leaving him powerless to continue fighting.

As for the second form, Mountain Severing...

That required an even more robust foundation of Qi and blood, as well as a more complex method of exerting force.

Senior Disciple Brother Zhou had not mastered it himself. From the recorded material, Lu Chuan had obtained only incomplete insights, far from enough to use it.

He slowly let out a breath.

"The Mountain Splitting Saber at Major Success is more than enough for me right now. Mountain Collapse... is enough to face enemies as well."

Now that he had an ample supply of Qi and Blood Pills, Lu Chuan naturally intended to properly improve his strength.

Over the next two months, Lu Chuan completely set hunting aside and devoted himself wholeheartedly to martial training every day.

Later, finding the daily journey back and forth too troublesome, he discussed it with Master Zheng and spent two taels of silver to rent a room at the Martial Arts Hall for half a year.

One Qi and Blood Pill after another went down, and Lu Chuan soon stabilized his First Qi and Blood Minor Success realm before breaking through to First Qi and Blood Major Success.

After consuming all of the hundred-odd taels of silver's worth, Lu Chuan was only one step away from perfection.

That day, after practicing a full set of Mountain Splitting Saber forms at the Training Ground, Lu Chuan looked at the Status Panel again.

[Name: Lu Chuan]

[Age: 16]

[Realm: First Qi and Blood · Major Success]

[Martial Arts: Basic Archery · Perfection (Open a Stone Bow; within a hundred paces, every arrow hits its mark)

Mountain Splitting Saber · Major Success (240/1000)]

[Talent: Eagle Eye, Heaven Rewards Diligence]

[Weapons That Can Be Recorded: 2]

"Heaven Rewards Diligence really is a delightful surprise. It steadily increases Proficiency by 4 points every day. At this rate, my Mountain Splitting Saber will reach perfection in half a year at most!"

This was who knew how many times faster than practicing on his own before!

One had to know that ordinary people could only attain Minor Success after half a year of bitter training, while he was about to reach perfection!

Just as Lu Chuan was about to practice another round, the voices around him caught his attention.

"Senior Disciple Brother Zhou is back!"

"Senior Disciple Brother Zhou!"

"Look, it's Senior Disciple Brother Zhou!"

A commotion suddenly rose by the eastern gate of the Training Ground.

Following the sound, Lu Chuan saw Senior Disciple Brother Zhou, whom he had not seen for a long time. An irrepressible smile was on his face.

Unlike Lu Chuan, who was only close with Zhou Ming Chuan, Senior Disciple Brother Zhou had quite good relations with everyone. At that moment, many people stepped forward to greet him.

"Senior Disciple Brother Zhou, you've come out of seclusion?"

"How did it go? How did it go?"

One sharp-eyed disciple stared Zhou Ming Chuan up and down, then suddenly said:

"Senior Disciple Brother Zhou... y-your aura... You broke through to Second Qi and Blood?!"

That cry of shock was like a stone cast into still water, and the area immediately erupted.

"Really?!"

"My heavens, Second Qi and Blood! Our Mountain Splitting Saber Hall has gained another Second Qi and Blood expert!"

"Senior Disciple Brother Zhou, you made it!"

Zhou Ming Chuan stood where he was, surrounded by people asking questions from every direction. At last, he could not help laughing aloud.

He raised a hand and pressed it down, his voice brimming with unconcealed delight.

"Luck, luck! I only succeeded last night, so it's not fully stable yet."

"Senior Disciple Brother Zhou, you're far too modest!"

"Exactly, exactly!"

Zhou Ming Chuan smiled and waved his hand, but said nothing more.

He swept his gaze around, and it quickly settled on someone in the Training Ground.

Then Zhou Ming Chuan walked straight through the crowd toward Lu Chuan.

Lu Chuan stood where he was, smiling as well. From the bottom of his heart, he was happy for Senior Disciple Brother Zhou.

When he reached him, Zhou Ming Chuan stopped.

He straightened his lapels, clasped his hands in salute, and bowed deeply to Lu Chuan.

Lu Chuan froze for a moment before quickly helping him up. "Senior Brother..."

Zhou Ming Chuan's voice was clear:

"Junior Brother Lu, the greatest credit for my success this time goes to you."

"Without that Mountain Lord Tiger Bone of yours, I don't know how many more years I would've been stuck at this step. I might not have been able to cross it even in this lifetime."