Sword Qi Divided into Ten Levels

Jiang Ping was not without worries, but he believed that with his talent, he should be able to forge Golden Bone in a short time.

Of course, that was something for after reaching Seventh Rank. Right now, he was more concerned with how to maximize his strength.

Next, Escort Huang explained to the three of them the domains that came after sword qi or blade qi.

"This realm treats ten strands of blade or sword qi as ten percent, and it can be divided into ten levels!"

"Doesn't that mean the Flying Snow Blade Qi we seek is only ten percent?" Liu Wensheng raised a brow.

"Even a Blade Art with only ten percent of its principles is enough to occupy you for a very long time."

Escort Huang glanced at him before continuing.

Whether it was blade qi or the Blade Light beneath it, the limit was control over a hundred strands.

The difference was that the Blade Light realm had only three levels. Once one broke through, the number of Blade Lights one could control would increase dramatically.

The Blade Qi Domain, however, was entirely different. It was a grander and more powerful manifestation of skill. One had to comprehend each strand of blade qi, one by one; every strand mastered was another step forward.

To put it more plainly, reaching the ultimate level required a hundred advances!

Moreover, as one controlled more blade qi, it was not merely an increase in quantity. It also meant a deeper understanding of the principles of Blade Art, and the power of the blade qi itself would become even more terrifying.

If comprehending a single strand of blade qi allowed one to fight upward across ranks and pierce the Iron Skin physical body of someone newly entered into Eighth Rank, then after comprehending ten percent blade qi, the power of a single strand could tear apart the physical body of someone at Eighth Rank Great Accomplishment.

"Terrifying!" Liu Wensheng felt his heart pound in dread.

Naturally, cultivation in such a domain was difficult. Escort Huang mentioned that across the dozen or so county towns of Changping Prefecture, many renowned saber wielders and swordsmen pursued this kind of skill, yet after decades of bitter practice, most had not even reached ten percent.

"But didn't Song Yuanshan unleash dozens of sword qi the moment he attacked?" Fang Yong said. The splendor Song Yuanshan had displayed that day remained unforgettable to him even now.

"He is a genius no weaker than you. How can you bind him with common sense?"

Furthermore, Escort Huang revealed that when Song Yuanshan began practicing martial arts at sixteen, his father had spent a great sum to hire a swordsman who had cultivated Twenty Percent Sword Qi to teach him swordsmanship. He trained under him for five years.

That was how he gained his current strength. His sword qi surpassed his teacher's, and he controlled more than Thirty Percent.

"His talent rivals yours, he had a renowned teacher's guidance, and he still needed five years of bitter training just to command over Thirty Percent Sword Qi. Do you think this skill is difficult or not? If you, without a strong family background, want to reach his level of swordsmanship, you will need to spend several times as long."

Fang Yong fell silent after hearing this, even feeling somewhat bitter as he deeply realized the importance of family background and resources.

Their talents were clearly about the same, yet their strength was as far apart as heaven and earth.

Jiang Ping, standing nearby, shrugged. He had merely wanted to ask about sword qi, yet it seemed he had dealt Fang Yong another crushing blow to the heart.

Escort Huang had no choice but to comfort him again. "You needn't worry about this, nor do you need to pursue it deliberately. Though skill is powerful, one's Martial Dao realm is the foundation and the most important pursuit. After Seventh Rank, one cannot be harmed without Thirty Percent Sword Qi. Once Golden Bone is forged, unless one reaches the Seventy Percent Grandmaster Realm, one cannot shake it."

"Looking at it this way, Martial Dao realm is still more important." Fang Yong let out a breath, having settled on the focus of his future Martial Dao.

Afterward, Jiang Ping asked where he could buy Blade Arts or swordplays with deeper sword qi principles, and how much silver they would cost.

Fang Yong did not need to deliberately pursue such skills, but Jiang Ping did. Compared with improving his Martial Dao realm, he could advance much faster in skill.

"Jidao Martial Academy has two swordplays with very deep principles. One can cultivate Thirty Percent Sword Qi, while the other can reach the realm of Grandmaster Sword Qi."

Hearing this, Jiang Ping could not help grumbling inwardly, Why does every good thing come from Jidao Martial Academy?

He then asked about the price. Escort Huang answered, "Such swordplays are quite precious, and only the Scorching Sun Swordplay, which contains Thirty Percent principles, is sold publicly."

"An inherited family swordplay?" Jiang Ping immediately recalled the vendor selling fake Sword Manuals whom he had encountered at the Black Market that day.

"You know quite a lot." Escort Huang gave him a surprised glance, then smiled. "It is indeed inherited through a family, and its power is considerable. It is much stronger than Flying Snow Saber, and naturally quite expensive as well—three hundred taels of silver. Stop entertaining wild thoughts for now. Just focus on practicing your blade."

Jiang Ping revealed a troubled expression.

It was not because of the silver. His younger brother was at Jidao Martial Academy, and he also bore an indirect grudge against one of that academy's martial artists. For the time being, he did not want to appear in Chen Weimin's sight.

"Is it sold in the Black Market?" Jiang Ping asked in a low voice.

Escort Huang glared at him in response, reminding him that powerful factions kept strict control over precious skills and cultivation methods. Everyone seeking to purchase them was recorded on a list. If someone not on that list practiced one and displayed it before others, they would certainly be watched—or even killed.

Jiang Ping did not react much upon hearing this. He verbally promised that he would certainly follow the rules, but inwardly, he had already made up his mind to buy that swordplay from the Black Market.

He had no intention of displaying it in public. He only wanted it as a trump card to preserve his life.

Besides, Jiang Ping believed that different swordplays surely had points in common. Practicing a few more swordplays could do no harm.

Though Escort Huang warned Jiang Ping, he still mentioned that the Black Market in Yun County, adjacent to Yang City, seemed to have it for sale, and it apparently cost only several dozen taels of silver.

"Where can one find Grandmaster Swordplay?" Jiang Ping asked again.

Practicing the Scorching Sun Swordplay was only part of the process. What he truly wanted was a swordplay or Blade Art that could reach the Grandmaster Realm.

He was already looking forward to the sight of using Grandmaster Sword Qi to hack at Golden Bone.

"The principles behind such swordplays run very deep. They are rarely found in the major county towns; you can only try your luck in Changping Prefecture City. There are auctions there, but because sword qi is difficult to cultivate and few people pursue it, not much is put up for sale."

The moment Escort Huang finished speaking, he suddenly widened his eyes and stared at Jiang Ping. "Since when did you become so ambitious, youngster? You want to cultivate Grandmaster Sword Qi too?"

"The Martial Examination Ranking!"

Escort Huang went on to speak of the most renowned ranking of honor in Changping Prefecture.

Across all the territories under Changping Prefecture's jurisdiction, it selected twenty Heroes no older than thirty. None who made the list were anything less than exceptionally gifted.

They were all geniuses most likely to earn Martial Examination Merit; Song Yuanshan was among them.

"And the next Martial Examination will be in three years. With Song Yuanshan's talent, he has a fair chance of earning Martial Examination Merit."

"Even if he fails this time, he's still young. He'll have another chance next time." As Escort Huang spoke, he glanced at Fang Yong.

The other man was gifted, but unfortunately, he had started too late and had no backing. The Martial Examination Ranking would likely remain beyond his reach.

Fang Yong listened in silence. After thinking for a moment, he suddenly said, "Escort Huang, Master Liang once said that as long as one's talent is good enough, one might be accepted as the Chief's disciple. I believe my talent is inferior to no one's—not even Song Yuanshan's. Why has that person never met me even once? If the Escort Agency were to tilt its resources toward me, I think Fifth Rank wouldn't be entirely out of reach."

"You came too late."

"Huh?" Fang Yong froze.

Only after Escort Huang explained the reason did he understand.

Long ago, the Escort Agency had already concentrated its resources on someone else, whose talent was also exceptional.

This person was named Ji Baichuan. Only twenty-five years old, his strength was roughly on par with Song Yuanshan's. He had appeared on the Martial Examination Ranking twice before—the ranking changed once each season.