A Glimpse of Talent

That night, after the raid on the bandits, Constable Chen Qingzhou led the others back to the county yamen in a sorry state.

Several miles away, in the forest, the night was dark and the wind strong. Only the rustling leaves and the occasional chirp of insects broke the eerie stillness.

A middle-aged man wearing a bamboo hat was wiping the blood from his hands with a handkerchief.

Several bodies lay in the grass beside him. They were unmistakably the bandits who had fought the constables to a standstill earlier that day.

"Whether that young constable is Ye Family's grandson or not, his martial arts are still below the first rank. He also took one of my palm strikes today, so there's no way he survived. What a pity. That True Martial Secret Manual the lord mentioned has vanished like a stone dropped into the sea. There hasn't been a word about it." The man in the bamboo hat muttered.

"Looks like I'd better report this to the lord as soon as possible." In a few breaths, he had vanished, leaving only the corpses behind.

After several days of rest, Ye Yun felt much better. He had finally finished absorbing the memories of his predecessor.

After the Ye Family had been slaughtered ten years ago, Uncle Fu had taken Ye Yun into hiding in the old family home in the city. The house had belonged to Ye Yun's grandfather before he made his fortune, and it was clearly dilapidated and ancient.

It consisted of two mud-brick houses and a courtyard. Fortunately, Uncle Fu had kept the place in good order, so both the rooms and the courtyard were clean and tidy.

Ye Yun's predecessor had mediocre martial talent. His family had trained him in martial arts for as long as he could remember, but when he was six, disaster suddenly struck the family, and he sank into overwhelming grief.

He had thrown himself into training even harder, studying martial arts, but over the years he had learned only rudimentary punches and kicks. He had never sensed Essence Qi, so he had never entered the ranks of martial artists.

The Mountain-Crushing Saber Technique was a saber art left behind by Ye Yun's grandfather. It had evolved from the Army-Breaking Saber Technique used by the military.

Ye Yun's grandfather had created it by combining other martial arts with what he had learned over years of military service. It was more than just a saber technique; it also contained insights into the martial path. With it, Ye Yun's grandfather had been invincible on the battlefield and raised his martial cultivation to the third rank.

Though he possessed a family saber technique, Ye Yun had never grasped its true essence. After all these years of training, he had gotten no further than the basic moves. They looked powerful, but were all show and no substance; against a first-rank martial artist, he wouldn't last a single move.

"God, are you messing with me? I transmigrated, so you could've at least made me a once-in-a-generation genius with unparalleled talent. Why make me a good-for-nothing? Waaah!"

"System, are you there?" After calling for ages, Ye Yun finally accepted his fate. He had no system, the transmigrators' must-have, and he had no talent either. What was he supposed to do now?

Though Ye Yun's body had recovered considerably over the past few days, he still couldn't get out of bed. All he could do was lie there quietly.

Ye Yun had accepted reality. With no system and no talent, he would just have to rely on himself.

Lying in bed, Ye Yun carefully sensed the world around him. It really didn't seem all that different from his old one.

From his predecessor's memories, Ye Yun knew that martial artists who entered the ranks could slay demons and beasts, and that the Essence Qi and blood within their bodies could even drive away the eerie. High-ranking martial artists could supposedly punch mountains apart.

It was said that one could only enter the ranks after sensing Essence Qi.

Ye Yun carefully sensed the Essence Qi between heaven and earth. With every breath, he felt the air entering his body change somehow, as faint traces of something flowed into his eight extraordinary meridians.

As his blood circulated, he could even feel it entering every cell.

Could this be the so-called Essence Qi of this world?

With every breath, more of it entered his body. Each trace was almost imperceptible as it flowed through his meridians, but the more he breathed, the more clearly he felt it nourishing them.

Ye Yun was instantly thrilled. He lay there, breathing quietly. With each breath in and out, he could clearly feel his wounds improving. Was Essence Qi really this easy to absorb?

Ye Yun had no idea how his predecessor had spent all those years. Something this easy, and he had never sensed Essence Qi once. His talent really must have been terrible.

Then again, perhaps that wasn't quite fair. There were countless martial artists, and even among ordinary ones, those who could sense Essence Qi were one in ten thousand.

Take Uncle Fu, for example. In his youth, he had followed Ye Yun's grandfather. For decades, he had been unable to sense Essence Qi, so he left the military and returned to the Ye residence to spend his remaining years.

If someone could sense the Essence Qi of heaven and earth after ten years of martial training, it proved they had exceptional talent. If, like Ye Yun, they could guide Essence Qi to temper their meridians after just a few breaths, they were nothing short of a genius.

As Ye Yun felt Essence Qi flow through his meridians, he found that after just half a day, his wounds had nearly healed. Compared with the days he had spent lying in bed before, he was recovering dozens of times faster.

Just then, Uncle Fu came in carrying a bowl of medicine. "Young Master Yun, it's time for your medicine." As he spoke, he moved to help Ye Yun sit up. Ye Yun straightened and drank it all in one gulp.

Uncle Fu was now utterly devoted to him and took excellent care of him. It was all thanks to Ye Yun's grandfather. It was said that Uncle Fu had been born a beggar. Ye Yun's grandfather had never looked down on him for his lowly origins, instead taking him in and teaching him martial arts. Though Uncle Fu had little martial talent, he had always been loyal and had cared for the family all those years.

"Uncle Fu, help me outside for a walk." Ye Yun had been lying in bed for days and couldn't stand it any longer. Besides, he had felt Essence Qi tempering his body today, and his wounds were nearly healed. He wanted to go outside for some fresh air.

"That won't do, Young Master Yun. Your wounds haven't healed yet. You need to rest properly," Uncle Fu said worriedly.

Ye Yun showed Uncle Fu how much better he was, explaining that his wounds had mostly healed and that he just wanted to go outside for some fresh air.

Uncle Fu was unconvinced, but Ye Yun was impossible to dissuade. He helped him out to the courtyard.

The courtyard was small, with two leafy trees growing by the wall. Beneath one stood a stone table and a few stone stools. Uncle Fu helped Ye Yun sit on one, then went off to the kitchen to get busy.

Ye Yun sat quietly on the stone stool, surveying the courtyard. It was simply furnished, and some stone locks and hammers sat against the wall, probably for strength training.

Beside the stone weights stood a weapon rack holding all kinds of weapons: sabers, spears, swords, halberds, and more. As Ye Yun looked around, something suddenly occurred to him. His predecessor had possessed mediocre talent, but ever since Ye Yun transmigrated into his body, he had sensed Essence Qi at once. Could his talent have awakened?

At the thought, Ye Yun closed his eyes and recalled the family's Mountain-Crushing Saber Technique. His clothes stirred though there was no wind, and a thin, mistlike glow seemed to envelop him.

Ye Yun's eyes snapped open. A flash of light flickered in them and vanished.

Just moments ago, Ye Yun had felt Essence Qi spill out of him, his blood quicken, and his bones and sinews hum. These were signs that he was on the verge of entering the ranks of martial artists.

He hadn't expected to make such progress in less than a day. It seemed that with his arrival, the talent of this body had awakened—and it was truly peerless.