Backbone

Guiyuan Sect, outer disciple living quarters.

"Knock, knock, knock."

A series of rapid knocks echoed.

"Zhang Su, your old family servant is here, waiting just outside the mountain gate."

The door opened, and Zhang Su walked out.

He looked a bit dazed, as if he were recalling something.

"That's right, it's the beginning of the month. Uncle Guan is most likely here to deliver silver again..."

Zhang Su immediately headed toward the mountain gate.

Soon, he spotted a familiar figure.

It was an old servant.

He was hunched over, peering into the mountain gate.

"Uncle Guan."

Zhang Su walked over quickly.

When Uncle Guan saw Zhang Su, a smile appeared on his face. He hurried forward and said with a smile, "Second Young Master, the five hundred taels of silver that the Eldest Young Master sends you every month have already been deposited into your identity token here at the Guiyuan Sect."

"In addition, these are Blood Replenishing Pills that the Eldest Young Master specifically commissioned someone to purchase; they are good for martial arts training. And there's also..."

Uncle Guan had brought many things.

Zhang Su knew these were all items his "older brother" had brought him, according to his memories.

The relationship between him and his older brother was very complicated.

He had unilaterally declared that he was severing ties with his older brother.

Yet, his older brother still had Uncle Guan bring silver and supplements up the mountain for him every month.

Seeing Zhang Su fall silent, Uncle Guan let out a long sigh.

But he said nothing.

He was an old servant of the Zhang family.

He knew the affairs of the Zhang family very well.

But regarding the matter between the Eldest Young Master and the Second Young Master, he could only sigh in his heart.

"Is... Big Brother doing well?"

After a long while, Zhang Su spoke slowly.

"Hm?"

Uncle Guan looked up abruptly.

How long had it been since he heard the term "Big Brother" from Zhang Su's mouth?

"Second Young Master, you..."

Uncle Guan was very moved.

Could it be that the Second Young Master had forgiven the Eldest Young Master?

Zhang Su took a deep breath and then said, "Uncle Guan, go back and thank Big Brother for me."

"Good, I will definitely pass the message along! The Eldest Young Master will be very happy..."

Uncle Guan wiped away his tears.

He was too emotional.

The Zhang family now only had the Eldest Young Master, the Second Young Master, and the young lady left.

He had seen the discord between the Eldest Young Master and the Second Young Master with his own eyes, and it had weighed heavily on his heart.

For an entire year, Zhang Su hadn't gone down the mountain to see his older brother even once.

Who would have thought that Zhang Su would have a change of heart today?

Uncle Guan left with a few sturdy servants.

Zhang Su carried the many items back to the outer disciple living quarters.

Outer disciples were basically all crammed into one room.

Of course, those with the means could live in a separate room.

Logically speaking, Zhang Su had the means to do so.

After all, Uncle Guan would unfailingly bring five hundred taels of silver up the mountain every month.

But because of his strained relationship with his older brother, Zhang Su had stubbornly refused to use the silver his brother sent.

And so, he remained crammed into a room with many other outer disciples.

There was only Zhang Su in the room.

The other three outer sect disciples were all out at the moment.

Zhang Su set his things down and began to sort through the memories in his mind.

He had woken up from a nap to find that he had inexplicably replaced Zhang Su.

He was still unclear about many of Zhang Su's memories.

He only knew that his relationship with his elder brother was poor, seemingly due to his brother marrying into another family.

However, Zhang Su did not know the specific circumstances.

As he combed through his memories, those concerning his elder brother gradually surfaced in his mind.

It turned out that the Zhang Family had previously been a scholarly household.

His father had been an official in the capital.

Because he offended Marquis Wuqing, the Marquis had framed him, leading to his death.

His mother had brought the three Zhang brothers back to their hometown in Qingquan Prefecture.

As a result, she passed away from illness not long after.

His elder brother had supported the Zhang Family alone, but when a wall is about to collapse, everyone gives it a push; their relatives not only refused to help but also tried to seize their property, making things difficult for the Zhang Family at every turn.

Later, his elder brother Zhang Chen married into the Su Family, wedding the only daughter of the Su Family, Su Zhenzhen.

A fierce argument had erupted between Zhang Su and his elder brother.

He felt that his brother marrying into a merchant family brought shame upon the entire Zhang Family.

From then on, he severed ties with his brother and went alone to the Guiyuan Sect, becoming an outer sect disciple.

He hadn't even attended his brother's wedding.

His predecessor had even been quite "principled."

For an entire year, he hadn't spent a single cent of the silver that his brother had sent via Uncle Guan.

It was all sitting on his identity token.

According to the rules of the Guiyuan Sect, contribution points could be exchanged for silver at a one-to-one ratio.

Therefore, he currently had at least six thousand contribution points on his identity token.

Zhang Su remained silent for a long time after organizing his memories.

Principles?

In his view, it was nothing more than the impetuousness of a youth.

What was his brother's purpose in marrying into the Su Family?

In truth, it was for the sake of the entire Zhang Family.

The Su Family was known as "Su Half-City"; although they were merchants, they had endless amounts of silver.

Zhang Su's various actions might have seemed principled.

But in reality, his status as an outer sect disciple of the Guiyuan Sect had also been bought by the Su Family at a great cost, with an unknown amount of silver spent to secure it.

Otherwise, he would have been a full fifteen years old when he joined the Guiyuan Sect a year ago.

The minimum age for the Guiyuan Sect to recruit outer sect disciples was fourteen.

He had already exceeded the age limit.

But the Su Family had the money to make the devil turn the mill.

They had forced a spot for an outer sect disciple for him, which was the only reason he had been able to join the Guiyuan Sect.

"The impetuousness of a youth, and... pedantry!"

"A whole year has passed, and in the Guiyuan Sect, he hasn't even cultivated any Blood Qi; all that's left is his so-called pride..."

Zhang Su shook his head.

He immediately attempted to circulate his cultivation technique.

The result... absolutely nothing happened.

"Wait, a whole year, and he hasn't even mastered the most basic Blood Qi Realm martial art?"

Zhang Su was dumbfounded.

Even if his talent was poor, it shouldn't be to this extent, right?

Or was there some hidden reason?

Zhang Su recalled carefully.

As it turned out, he really did find the cause.

When he first became an outer sect disciple, he was allowed to choose one cultivation technique and one martial skill for free.

As it happened, his predecessor had been arrogant and chose a martial art that was incredibly difficult and obscure for the Blood Qi Realm.

It is called the Great River Divine Art.

Once successfully cultivated, one's qi and blood will flow like a surging river, reaching several times the volume of an ordinary person and laying an unparalleled foundation.

However, it has one fatal flaw: it is difficult!

Too difficult!

Countless disciples have attempted to cultivate this martial art, only to fail and be forced to switch to a different one.

The previous owner of this body was no exception.

Moreover, he was stubborn; unable to master the Great River Divine Art, he stubbornly persisted for an entire year without switching techniques.

Not only pedantic, but also stupid...

Zhang Su had already made up his mind.

He had to switch his cultivation technique.

Otherwise, if he couldn't even nurture qi and blood, how could he practice martial arts?

Without qi and blood, one cannot even be considered a martial artist.

Precisely because of this, Zhang Su had actually become a laughingstock among the outer disciples of the Guiyuan Sect.

"Great River Divine Art..."

Although Zhang Su had decided to switch techniques, he was still curious.

Just how difficult was this martial art, really?

With that, the incantations of the Great River Divine Art surfaced in his mind.

Zhang Su read through them carefully.

The result... bewilderment.

He was completely and utterly confused.

This martial art was truly obscure and difficult to comprehend, let alone cultivate.

"Great River Divine Art, compatibility 11%..."

Suddenly, Zhang Su felt a flash of golden light before his eyes.

Immediately after, a panel appeared in his vision.

Host: Zhang Su

Great River Divine Art: Compatibility 11% (Not yet initiated)

Spirit Snake Fist: Compatibility 81% (Minor accomplishment)

Compatibility Points: 0

Note: One compatibility point can increase the compatibility of any technique by 10%.

Note: Mastering any technique to perfection grants one compatibility point.

Note: A technique with 100% compatibility is guaranteed to reach perfection.

Zhang Su's heart stirred.

Could this be his golden finger?

Zhang Su studied it carefully.

The higher the compatibility of a technique, the faster the cultivation speed.

One compatibility point could increase the compatibility of any technique by 10%.

It seemed like a small amount.

But in reality, these compatibility points were incredibly useful.

They could forcibly raise the compatibility of techniques that weren't naturally at 100% to that level, and once at 100% compatibility, the technique was guaranteed to reach perfection!

If used correctly, the help it provided to a martial artist would be immense!

The potential was immeasurable!

"The Great River Divine Art only has 11% compatibility. With such low compatibility, it would be impossible to even reach the entry level, let alone master it, even in ten years..."

Zhang Su shook his head.

He compared the Great River Divine Art with the Spirit Snake Fist.

With 81% compatibility, the Spirit Snake Fist had reached minor accomplishment in just one year.

That was considered quite good.

Meanwhile, the Great River Divine Art didn't even have a glimmer of hope for entry.

This was the difference that compatibility made.

His resolve hardened; he had to switch away from the Great River Divine Art.

Furthermore, he had to make good use of his advantage.

When choosing a martial art, he had to choose one with very high compatibility.

Thinking of this, Zhang Su no longer delayed; he stood up immediately and headed straight for the Scripture Pavilion.