Spending Years of Life to Deduce, Saber Technique Perfected

"Ugh..."

Only then did the Bride notice that the sheathed Steel Saber that should have been hanging beside the bed had vanished.

Across from her, the obsession in Shen Lin's eyes had completely faded. His face was now twisted, brimming with killing intent.

Clang!

He yanked his arm back, drawing the Steel Saber in one swift motion.

Almost at the same instant, the Bride's grotesque mouthparts snapped shut. The scabbard made of Ebony Wood was instantly bitten to pieces.

A flash of cold light streaked through the flying wood splinters as the Steel Saber swept across.

The vicious slash aimed straight for the Bride's neck, as if he meant to take her head with one stroke.

Facing this attack, the Bride reacted just as swiftly, suddenly raising her thin right arm.

Clang!

The slash landed on her flesh, yet rang out like metal striking metal.

The tremendous force sent the Bride stumbling back several steps, crashing into the table and overturning it.

At that moment, the skin on her right arm began to fall away in flakes, revealing a jade-green blade beneath.

Grotesque mouthparts, razor-sharp blades...

The Bride, who had been so delicate just moments ago, now had her Wedding Dress ripped apart, her skin split open, and her bright green body exposed.

She was a Mantis Demon.

Just before she had entered the room, the memories in Shen Lin's mind had finally fallen into place.

He remembered why his predecessor had come here.

Some wedding night, my ass!

His predecessor had come here while investigating the case of Li Family Village's missing adult men. The Mantis Demon had hacked the several constables accompanying him into human stumps right before his eyes.

Only he and another colleague, both of them handsome, had been captured alive by the Mantis Demon.

The room fell utterly silent.

Shen Lin's sudden outburst had, in the end, given him a slight advantage.

Strangely enough, Shen Lin had grown up in modern society and had no combat experience whatsoever.

Yet the instant the Steel Saber landed in his hand, he had somehow calmed down. His predecessor's combat experience had steadied the nerves of a modern man like him, allowing him to deliver that slash.

Even so, the Mantis Demon remained unhurried.

As its mouthparts opened and closed, a soft, alluring voice completely at odds with its appearance rang out.

"Your husband was clearly in poor condition, yet he still managed to deliver a slash like that. No wonder you're known as a martial arts prodigy, even in Qiulin County."

Shen Lin had joined the County Office less than two years ago, yet he had already trained the Blood Battle Saber Technique to the minor mastery stage.

Those veteran constables who had started learning the Blood Battle Saber Technique before him had trained for several years and only just managed to reach the beginner stage.

But... even within the County Office, only those who practiced the Blood Battle Saber Technique knew about this.

How had the demon before him heard of it?

Shen Lin narrowed his eyes, staring fixedly at the Mantis Demon, not daring to let his attention waver.

Having fully absorbed his predecessor's memories, Shen Lin now knew where he stood.

Even relying on his predecessor's experience, he could use the Blood Battle Saber Technique at the minor mastery stage, but he still had no chance against the Mantis Demon before him.

That was because the Mantis Demon had already cultivated Demon Power.

It was equivalent to a martial artist who had awakened Qi and Blood Force.

Though Shen Lin had trained the Blood Battle Saber Technique to minor mastery, he was still some distance away from awakening Qi and Blood Force and undergoing Marrow Cleansing and Bone Forging.

That distance was the gulf between mortals and martial artists, the distance between life and death.

According to the records of Qiulin County, the fastest person to cross this threshold had taken five years.

Most ordinary people spent their entire lives without ever awakening Qi and Blood Force.

Even if Shen Lin had better talent, there was no way he could break through in the midst of a situation like this.

Thus, though the Mantis Demon was surprised that Shen Lin, who had stopped breathing, had suddenly awakened, it remained completely off guard.

"Dear husband~"

The Mantis Demon covered its mouthparts with one scythe and said sweetly, "Be good. Stop struggling."

Truthfully, Shen Lin would have loved to put down the saber and rest.

After that single slash, who knew how many muscles throughout his body had torn? Waves of searing pain kept surging through his mind.

But when he recalled his predecessor's memories of the skeletons of the missing men laid out in the courtyard, he had no choice but to force himself to stay alert and brace for a fight.

He didn't want to be gnawed down to bare bones.

But the gap between them was simply too great.

It looked like there was no other choice.

Shen Lin sighed and slowly closed his eyes.

Seeing this, the Mantis Demon smiled. "That's more like it. As long as you behave yourself..."

Ignoring its words, Shen Lin focused all his attention on his consciousness.

He watched the system panel rapidly unfold and willed it forward.

"System! Spend ten years... No!"

Shen Lin had originally meant to try it out with ten years, but then remembered the danger he was in. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Forty-two years!"

"Spend forty-two years of my lifespan and pour them into the Blood Battle Saber Technique!!!"

If you're going to do it, go all in!

He couldn't afford to test the waters in his current situation.

Even if this life had been borrowed, he still wanted to live!

The panel rippled. The number under remaining lifespan began to race downward, reaching one year in the blink of an eye.

Then Shen Lin felt a wave of dizziness. The world around him blurred, the Mantis Demon's voice cut off, and everything seemed to freeze.

Meanwhile, lines of text began to appear in his consciousness on the panel.

[You focused without distraction and began painstakingly training the Blood Battle Saber Technique. In the tenth year, you reached the great mastery stage! You awakened Qi and Blood Force and officially became a martial artist.]

[You were not content with the status quo and continued wielding your saber day and night. In the twenty-eighth year, you broke through the first meridian and perfected the Blood Battle Saber Technique!]

[In the forty-second year, you continued to swing the Steel Saber and train the Blood Battle Saber Technique. But with your limited aptitude, you ultimately failed to progress any further.]

Blood Battle Saber Technique, perfected!