Task

After returning the books, Li Qiming and the others headed outside.

As soon as he stepped out of the Scripture Pavilion, Li Qiming spotted a familiar figure.

"Senior Brother Qin?"

Li Qiming was a little surprised. The person he saw was Qin Yu, whom he had briefly met at the restaurant before.

At that moment, Qi Weiwei was standing beside Qin Yu.

"Junior Brother Li, I knew you could do it. Just as I expected!" Qin Yu said with a faint smile.

"Heh, you little rascal. I didn't expect you to be hiding your abilities so well." Qi Weiwei's tone toward Li Qiming was lukewarm.

She was genuinely surprised. She had never imagined that Li Qiming could win first place yesterday and become a Registered Disciple.

Now, even she wouldn't dare look down on him.

It wasn't wise to offend a martial artist.

"Senior Sister Qi." Li Qiming cupped his fist to her, his manner impeccable.

Then he looked at Qin Yu. "Senior Brother, what brings you here?"

"It's like this: each of the eight True Disciples has one Registered Disciple spot. Junior Sister Qi and I are representing Senior Brother Shen Changsheng, bringing a group of Registered Disciples to the Scripture Pavilion," Qin Yu explained.

Only then did Li Qiming understand. So Wang Liang and the others had become Registered Disciples because the eight True Disciples had intervened.

It seemed Senior Brother Qin Yu and Qi Weiwei were both in Senior Brother Shen Changsheng's camp.

At that thought, Li Qiming moved closer and asked in a low voice, "Senior Brother Qin, I'm new here and don't know much. Is there competition between people within our Martial Hall? I'd be grateful for your guidance."

"Of course. Every three months, the eight True Disciples have to compete over their contribution points!"

"To become a True Disciple, you need more than talent and an exceptional martial arts realm. Contribution points are essential too!"

"Actually, to some extent, as long as you earn more contribution points than one of the True Disciples and your strength is sufficient, you have a chance to become a True Disciple yourself!" Qin Yu said.

Li Qiming nodded to himself, understanding the situation. The eight True Disciples would naturally compete with one another behind the scenes, and most of the Registered Disciples in the hall would be recruited by them. By forming groups, they could earn the most contribution points.

That was why promising newcomers like Wang Liang had already been taken in by the True Disciples.

Suddenly, Qin Yu lowered his voice as well. "I'm about to go on a mission. Want to come with me?"

Li Qiming's heart stirred.

Missions were unavoidable. Sooner or later, he would have to take one.

And Qin Yu was at the peak of the Blood Refining Realm, ready to break through to the Bone Refining Realm at any moment.

Having a senior brother like that take him along was something others could only envy.

"Then thank you, Senior Brother." Li Qiming nodded.

At the same time, he understood that if he spent a long time working with Qin Yu, he would probably end up siding with Senior Brother Shen Changsheng's faction.

But that didn't matter. It was still better than siding with Fourth Senior Brother.

In this cutthroat melting pot, it was almost impossible to avoid taking sides altogether.

He might as well choose someone reliable and familiar.

"By the way, what martial art did you choose?" Qin Yu asked curiously.

"One Blade Style," Li Qiming replied.

"What? You chose One Blade Style?" Qin Yu had clearly heard of this "unique" martial art.

He immediately looked worried on Li Qiming's behalf.

"Junior Brother, you've made a mistake! In the three hundred years since the Martial Hall was founded, no disciple, no matter how talented or clever, has ever managed to learn One Blade Style! You'd need the blade comprehension of the Old Ancestor himself. And someone like that hasn't appeared even once in several hundred years!"

"Here, I have a third-rate martial art, Nine Style Blade Art. Give One Blade Style a try first. If it doesn't work out, switch to Nine Style Blade Art!"

As he spoke, Qin Yu pulled a manual from inside his robe and handed it to Li Qiming.

This... it feels so valuable. Should I really accept it?

"Don't worry. I got this as spoils of war after killing an enemy on a previous mission. I'm allowed to pass it on to you, so go ahead and practice without hesitation," Qin Yu said.

For some reason, seeing Li Qiming reminded him of himself when he had first joined the Martial Hall.

Li Qiming was steady by nature—silent until he suddenly made a stunning impression. Qin Yu had a feeling that he would accomplish great things one day.

"Alright! Thank you, Senior Brother!" Li Qiming stopped hesitating and readily took the Nine Style Blade Art.

At the same time, he silently committed this kindness to memory.

"That kid really stumbled into good fortune. First he picked One Blade Style, a martial art nobody can learn, and now he's gotten Nine Style Blade Art from Senior Brother Qin Yu..."

Mo Su was secretly jealous.

But the Tyrant Blade he'd chosen would surely crush Li Qiming's martial art. He was confident of that!

Li Qiming first went to the Blacksmith Shop and spent seven taels of silver on an ordinary steel saber.

Then he returned to his room and carefully studied One Blade Style.

After memorizing the entire manual backward and forward, he took his steel saber to the Martial Arts Arena and swung it through the air, chopping again and again.

One Blade Style hinged on comprehension and had no real techniques. It consisted of a single movement: draw the blade, raise it over your head, and chop down!

His movements were extremely fast, but they were completely useless.

Still, he remained utterly focused, repeating the mind-numbingly dull chopping motion over and over again.

"What's that new kid doing?"

"I heard he chose the impossibly difficult One Blade Style!"

"Why does he look... kind of like an idiot?"

Several disciples practicing their martial arts in the Martial Arts Arena turned to look and began discussing him. After all, Li Qiming stood out far too much. He stayed rooted in one spot, without moving his feet at all, endlessly repeating the same chopping motion.

"Can that really kill an enemy?" Someone couldn't help laughing.

Li Qiming paid no attention to the others' doubts.

This was only an experiment, and even he had no idea how it would turn out.

And now that he had Nine Style Blade Art, he naturally wouldn't spend all his time on One Blade Style.

After repeating the chopping motion for two hours, he switched to practicing Nine Style Blade Art.

That was his plan: whether or not One Blade Style showed results, he would spend two hours a day practicing it and use the rest of his time to practice Nine Style Blade Art.

This time, Li Qiming's figure moved as he awkwardly worked through one blade technique after another.

That evening, Wang Liang invited him to a simple meal at the Martial Hall's dining hall. Wang Liang had only just joined the hall, and before that he'd been a servant, so he didn't have much money.

Still, the two hit it off and became ordinary friends in earnest.

Day after day passed.

Nine days later.

Li Qiming's heart grew heavier and heavier. He had practiced very hard during this time, but he had made no progress at all—not with One Blade Style, nor even with the ordinary third-rate martial art Nine Style Blade Art.

He couldn't even reach the Entry Level!

This could only mean one thing: he had no talent for the blade!