Su You opened the weapons page and searched directly for the Baihong Sword. The prices for the Baihong Sword series soon appeared.
Baihong Sword A1 Model — Price: 100,000 Huaxia Currency (full price), 50,000 Huaxia Currency (half price; requirement: 1 Contribution Point)
Baihong Sword A6 Model — Price: 20 million Huaxia Currency (full price), 10 million Huaxia Currency (half price; requirement: 1-star Contribution Points)
Baihong Sword A7 Model — Price: 200 million Huaxia Currency (full price), 100 million Huaxia Currency (half price; requirement: 2-star Contribution Points)
"A tenfold difference?" Su You shook his head. The A6 model could go toe-to-toe with Advanced Beast Generals, while the A7 model could fight Elementary Lords. Even so, he hadn't expected the price to differ by a factor of ten.
"I can't afford that. I'll have to settle for an A6." Su You sighed and opened the combat suit page.
Combat suits were even more expensive than weapons. A Type 6 suit cost 80 million at full price, and the half-price discount required 1-star Contribution Points.
By Type 7, a combat suit cost 800 million at full price, and the half-price discount required 2-star Contribution Points.
Su You had also learned about the contribution point tiers from the introductory video for newcomers. Ten thousand points qualified as 1-star, 100,000 as 2-star, one million as 3-star, ten million as 4-star, and 50 million as 5-star.
"I'm so broke!" Su You lamented. He took out paper and a pen and wrote down the items he'd chosen: two A6 Baihong Swords, a complete Type 6 combat suit, a backpack, and a combat watch.
The reason he was buying two Baihong Swords was that he planned to use a dual-sword style. This suited his talent for using both hands at once.
Most people in the world were more dexterous with their right hand and clumsier with their left. So, in general, warriors who used one-handed weapons held their weapons in their right hands and shields in their left.
But Su You's hands were equally nimble, just like in the novels' ambidextrous fighting techniques. The dual-sword style was a perfect fit for him.
The next morning, after signing for the two manuals, Dripping Water Sword and the Thunderbolt movement technique, Su You headed to the Lubei District Extreme Martial Arts Hall. He handed Uncle Li the money and his list, asking him to buy the equipment on his behalf.
As a veteran warrior who had spent over twenty years fighting, Uncle Li had naturally reached 1-star status in Contribution Points long ago.
That afternoon, in the fourth-floor training hall of the Lubei District Extreme Martial Arts Hall—a hall reserved for Quasi-Martial Artists and official warriors—
Su You sat cross-legged on the floor, the Dripping Water Sword manual open in front of him.
"The Dripping Water Sword takes its inspiration from the way water wears through stone: a continuous, unbroken force. The essence of the Dripping Water Sword I created lies in those words—continuous and unbroken."
"With a full-force strike, an ordinary person can unleash their entire strength. But a practitioner of the Dripping Water Sword can use only sixty percent.
"As the saying goes, hold back seven-tenths of your strength when attacking. When they unleash the first layer of force, practitioners of the Dripping Water Sword can exert themselves again, stacking the two layers together to reach 120 percent of their strength!
"The Dripping Water Sword has eight layers. Mastering the first layer lets you unleash two layers of sword light, reaching 120 percent of your strength. Each additional layer mastered adds another layer of sword light.
"Once you master the eighth layer, you can unleash all nine layers of sword light at once, reaching 5.4 times your strength."
Su You turned the page and saw the twelve sword moves of the first layer of the Dripping Water Sword. According to the manual, practicing these moves extensively would greatly help him grasp the way force was exerted in the first layer.
Su You stood up and was just about to give it a try when he heard a familiar voice.
He turned around and immediately saw Uncle Li, who had just reached the training hall entrance, carrying a large silver-white case.
"Uncle Li, it got here so quickly?"
Li Da walked over with a cheerful smile and set the case on the ground. "It was shipped from Kyoto Base City, and they even sent someone to deliver it personally. This kind of speed is normal."
Su You nodded excitedly and opened the case. On top lay two Baihong Swords, crossed at an angle and still sheathed.
The small box beside them held the Communication Watch. The backpack and combat suit were at the bottom of the case.
"This whole set wasn't cheap. You really don't hold back, do you? I've been training all these years, and even I can't bring myself to buy gear like this!"
Su You chuckled. His strength was improving quickly, and at his current pace, he estimated he'd reach Elementary Warlord Level across the board by the end of the year.
With the special training at the Basic Training Camp, he might make it even sooner. For him, this Type 6 gear was only a short-term stopgap.
Li Da chatted with Su You for a while. As he was leaving, he patted Su You on the shoulder and said,
"All right, I won't keep you. Train hard. I'm counting on you to help me earn more Contribution Points!"
After Li Da left the training hall, Su You took out the combat suit and tried it on. Once he'd enjoyed the novelty, he put it away, then drew one of the Baihong Swords and practiced the twelve moves one by one, carefully studying the essence of the Dripping Water Sword.
More than ten days later, Su You suddenly received a message from Supervisor Wang. The headquarters envoy had arrived in Kyoto Base City, and might assess him in the next few days.
Sure enough, the next day Su You received a summons.
In the large training hall on the thirty-first floor of the Kyoto Base City Extreme General Hall, Su You followed Supervisor Wang inside. The moment he entered the place he'd visited once before, he spotted a middle-aged man in a gray robe standing beside President Tang Xilie.
He was Yang Hui, an envoy from the Extreme Martial Arts Hall's Global Headquarters. Supervisor Wang had introduced him to Su You on the way up.
"President Tang, Mr. Yang," Su You and Supervisor Wang greeted them respectfully in unison.
Yang Hui nodded and proceeded according to protocol. "Su You, I've already reviewed your file. You should also know about the Basic Training Camp by now. Are you willing to join?"
"I am."
"Good. Come with me."
Yang Hui led Su You to the neural response testing room. Once Su You was standing inside the red circle, Yang Hui pressed the red button.
This was simply a verification test. They only needed to see whether Su You's movement technique had truly reached the Micro-level.
A short while later, Yang Hui led Su You back to the training hall and brought out four copies of the contract. Once Su You had signed them, Yang Hui took out the envoy's jade seal and stamped them with the official seal.
After handing one copy of the contract to Su You, Yang Hui said with a smile,
"Su You, on August 24, you'll fly with me to the Global Headquarters of the Extreme Martial Arts Hall. You must meet me at the airport by 2 p.m. that day. Understood?"
"Understood!"
Yang Hui smiled and nodded. "All right. Go home and spend some time with your family. From now on, you'll only be able to come back for the New Year."
Before you continue