Fragmentary Array Breaker Art

Niu Ben's quarters were spacious, with a central hall for receiving guests and screens on either side partitioning off a study and bedroom. They were nothing like an ordinary runner's dormitory.

Shen Yi immediately sensed something out of place.

A man like Niu Ben barely knew a few characters. Would he really read? What use did he have for this desk and bookshelf?

Shen Yi went straight to the bookshelf and began searching, taking down the thread-bound books one by one and flipping through them.

Most were Confucian classics or works by the Strategists. They made impressive decorations, at least.

But there was not a single genuine martial arts manual, let alone the Pacification Office's internal cultivation art that Cui Kui had taught Niu Ben in secret.

Shen Yi was not discouraged.

Even if he had guessed wrong, he would have no regrets after doing his utmost.

He strode to the desk. The writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone were arranged neatly, but all of them were covered in a thin layer of dust.

They must have been placed there from the very beginning.

They had never been touched since.

Suddenly, Shen Yi's gaze sharpened. He spotted something amiss: the black paperweight was smooth as new.

There was not a speck of dust on it.

It was plainly marked by frequent handling.

Shen Yi's heart began to drum. Realizing he might have found the blind spot, he immediately reached out to seize the paperweight and lift it.

Hmm?

Shen Yi found that the paperweight was connected to the desk and weighed more than a thousand catties. He promptly tried pulling it, then pushing it up and down, but there was still no response.

Shen Yi pressed down on the upper part of the paperweight, applying force horizontally.

At last, there was a reaction.

With a click, the paperweight sank an inch, as though it had slotted into a groove.

A dull rumble came from the direction of the bookshelf.

Shen Yi hurriedly looked toward it.

Tsk.

The mechanism was on the desk, yet the hidden cache opened at the bookshelf.

Someone had put some thought into it.

No wonder Shen Yi had noticed signs that some books on the shelf had been moved, yet found nothing upon closer inspection.

Shen Yi walked to the bookshelf.

The wall panel at the center of the shelf had dropped away, revealing a niche. Standing within it was a thread-bound secret manual with a blue cover.

Two large handwritten characters were inscribed on its cover:

"Array Breaker."

Shen Yi's heart stirred.

He had heard the instructor mention that the Black Guard of the Pacification Office possessed diverse inheritances, including supreme arts from the Strategists, Confucians, Legalists, Mohists, and other schools.

Among them, the Strategists' inherited supreme art was called "Array Breaker."

It was a complete compendium of cultivation methods encompassing weapons, external cultivation, internal cultivation, fist and foot techniques, movement arts, and more, pointing directly toward the great path of shattering the heavenly mortal realm.

The Wind Severing Blade and Bone Dislocation Hand had both been selected from the Array Breaker Skill, simplified, and widely spread through the military and the Pacification Office.

Could it be?!

Shen Yi felt his heart pounding.

He picked up the manual and rapidly leafed through it.

Dense small regular script filled its pages, with annotations appearing from time to time along the margins. It looked like a handwritten copy.

After roughly skimming it, Shen Yi finally calmed down.

Sorry, I was thinking too much...

How could Cui Kui, a mere Squad Leader, possess the complete Array Breaker Skill?

What he could secretly pass on to Niu Ben...

Was only the portion he could exchange for through his merits, probably no more than the first one or two layers of the cultivation formula.

Martial Art: Fragmentary Array Breaker Art (severely incomplete)

Quality: First-rate
Realm: Not initiated

After Shen Yi skimmed through it once, the Fragmentary Array Breaker Art appeared in his system as well, though he had yet to enter its gate.

He still had one year of secluded cultivation time.

He would invest half of it first and test the waters.

Shen Yi poured six months of secluded cultivation time into the Fragmentary Array Breaker Art. In an instant, that experience of secluded cultivation—of falling into a profound and mysterious space—washed over him again.

You browsed the Fragmentary Array Breaker Art and committed the manual's formulas and mental method to memory. Following the breathing method described within, you attempted to draw qi into your body...

Three days passed. You successfully sensed a trace of heaven and earth's vital energy, absorbed it into your body through the breathing method, and attempted to refine it into inner force...

You spent more than a month tirelessly drawing qi into your body. At last, you accumulated a thread of inner force in your dantian. You began guiding that inner force to open your meridians, circulate it through a full cycle, and continue maintaining the breathing method...

You began practicing martial arts only as an adult. Your meridians had already taken shape and become obstructed, making the process of opening them with inner force exceedingly difficult. After three months, you barely succeeded in opening the meridians needed to circulate a full cycle...

After six months of relentless effort, you could freely circulate your inner force through a full cycle and skillfully guide it through every limb and bone. Your internal cultivation crossed the threshold of the Entry Realm.

Shen Yi's consciousness returned.

He let out a long breath.

He felt a warm current flowing through his dantian, moving as he willed. Both his strength and speed had risen greatly because of it.

Host: Shen Yi
Cultivation: Entry Realm

Martial Arts: Wind Severing Saber Technique (Hall Entrance), Bone Dislocation Hand (Initiated), Fragmentary Array Breaker Art (Initiated)

Remaining secluded cultivation time: 6 months

Now that Shen Yi cultivated both internally and externally, he had finally stepped fully over the threshold of martial arts and become a capable Entry Realm fighter in the martial world.

Yet this infusion of secluded cultivation also revealed a problem: he had started martial arts too late. Because the meridians within his body had already formed and become congested, progress in his internal cultivation was difficult.

In terms of the results gained for his investment, it was not as worthwhile as pouring the same amount of secluded cultivation time into the Wind Severing Saber Technique or Bone Dislocation Hand.

After giving it some thought, Shen Yi knew the problem was not without a solution. In this world, miraculous treasures capable of cleansing the sinews and washing the marrow surely existed.

For now, though, it was better to improve his saber technique first and increase his ability to preserve his life.

Shen Yi immediately poured his remaining six months of secluded cultivation time into the Wind Severing Saber Technique. For the moment, this Wind Severing Blade was still what he relied on most.

You once again practiced the Wind Severing Saber Technique. With the insights gained from actual combat and the support of internal cultivation this time, you found it even more natural and effortless.

After three months of secluded cultivation, the saber moves and techniques that had once been obscure and difficult to understand suddenly became clear...

Six months flashed by. Your understanding of the Wind Severing Saber Technique deepened further, reaching the grand completion realm where it moved like an arm and followed the heart's command.

Martial Art: Wind Severing Saber Technique
Quality: Second-rate
Realm: Grand Completion

A cold gleam flashed through Shen Yi's eyes.

Like a razor-sharp saber radiance.

His understanding of the Wind Severing Blade had likewise entered an entirely new realm.

He glanced out the window.

A faint strip of fish-belly white had appeared at the edge of the sky.

He had no time to test how much his strength had improved. There was not much time left for him.

Shen Yi left Niu Ben's quarters and silently hurried back to his own residence.

First, he removed the bloodstained runner's uniform and changed into an ordinary dark, coarse-cloth short tunic.

He then poured the copper coins and silver he had saved into the money pouch he had taken from Niu Ben and put it away.

Finally, he took a black-sheathed horizontal saber from beneath his bed and fastened it at his waist together with a set of short blades.

He had bought them earlier from a blacksmith shop in the prefectural city.

He had long planned to change his outfit and flee after killing Niu Ben. Naturally, he could not take the Pacification Office's standard Wild Goose Saber with him.

He tossed the bloodstained Wild Goose Saber directly beneath the bedboards and sealed them back up.

Then he hurried out and left.

The glow of dawn was just beginning to brighten the horizon.

"Ah Yi, where are you going before dawn has even broken?"

When Shen Yi reached the entrance, the old gatekeeper had awakened. Seeing Shen Yi dressed in plain cloth, like a ghost in the night and hurrying along, he called out to ask.

Shen Yi quietly rested one hand on the hilt at his waist, loosely gripping it, and answered calmly:

"Old Lu."

"I'm returning to my village to pay respects to my ancestors."

"If I leave too late, I'm afraid I won't make it in time."

Old Lu gave an oh and did not suspect a thing. He waved his hand.

"Then hurry on."

"If you go now, you'll reach the city gate just as it opens."

Shen Yi gave a slight nod in thanks, then left the guard post and headed toward the city gate.