Want to learn? I'll teach you!

"Walk, walk, walk~ we hold little hands and walk~ Walk, walk, walk~ let's go on an outing~"

After escaping the pursuit of the Tail-Stinger Demon Bees, Ji Ruo and the others slowed their pace. After all, sprinting at full speed made quite a racket and could easily attract unnecessary trouble.

Ji Ruo was in high spirits, even humming a children's song.

This time, he had collected a total of thirty-five stingers from the Tail-Stinger Demon Bees. Based on market prices, they could sell for around thirty-five thousand yuan.

One stinger could only make a single special arrow coated with potent venom, and the stinger itself sold for a thousand yuan.

That price wasn't exaggerated. Although the venom might not be very effective against higher-level Monster Beasts or Demonic Beasts, it still had some use. In a critical moment, that slight edge could turn defeat into victory, so there was never a shortage of buyers for this stuff.

In fact, any material harvested from Monster Beasts or Demonic Beasts, as well as precious herbs or ores, never lacked a market. With the whole nation devoted to martial arts, anything related to "martial" was in high demand.

"Ji Ruo, that swordsmanship of yours..." After hesitating for a long time, Liang Shixian finally couldn't hold back his curiosity and asked tentatively.

He knew this might be Ji Ruo's secret, and prying wasn't polite, but he just couldn't help it. That swordsmanship was too exquisite—it struck first and arrived first, blocking every single stinger without a single one breaking through the sword's perimeter!

Liang Shixian had never seen or heard of a similar sword technique. Now that they were safe, his curiosity clawed at him like dozens of kittens, unbearable. He knew he should respect Ji Ruo's feelings and not pry into secrets, but Liang Shixian was still just a teenager. Curiosity and the thirst for knowledge were in his nature.

"I created it myself. Pretty awesome, right?" Ji Ruo chuckled.

The boy wasn't lying. Though he still named that sword technique the Nine Swords of Dugu, it bore little resemblance to the original version.

The buff [Sword Dao Favor (First Glimpse of the Path)] was ridiculously powerful. Ji Ruo only recalled the description of that swordsmanship from the original novel, and he directly comprehended and mastered the sword techniques and moves with corresponding effects. Not only that, but his familiarity with the technique was as if he had practiced it for years.

For the first time in his life, Ji Ruo wielded his sword as if it were an extension of his arm!

'Increases comprehension related to sword usage methods; the increase is at the current level's max.' Such a simple description—MAX-level Sword Dao comprehension! Ji Ruo instantly grasped an entire sword technique just from a few lines of description. How terrifying was that?

He said he created it himself, and that wasn't wrong. Aside from the theory of the sword technique, all the moves and methods of wielding the sword were comprehended and invented by Ji Ruo himself.

"C-created it yourself?!"

Liang Shixian's eyes went wide. Though he had guessed as much, hearing the answer confirmed still left him incredulous.

There were many martial skills at the Martial Apprentice stage, but most came with the word "basic." They were truly just basics. Powerful martial skills required Blood Qi Power to practice; otherwise, they were just empty shells. Take Ji Ruo's Iron Sand Palm, for example. Under normal circumstances, a Martial Apprentice couldn't possibly train it to the Mastery level, and even reaching Entering the Hall was already a sign of extraordinary talent. High temperatures, even burning properties, needed Blood Qi support.

Martial Apprentices had a relatively weak understanding of the Martial Dao. In theory, it was impossible for them to create their own martial skills. Even if they did, they wouldn't be very strong—at least, not much stronger than those "basic martial skills." After all, all "basic martial skills" had been refined by humanity over many years, theoretically reaching a certain limit that was hard to break through.

Higher-level martial artists had enough Martial Dao comprehension and insight to create some relatively powerful Martial Apprentice-stage skills. But if they were already that advanced, wouldn't it be better to comprehend higher-level skills? The Martial Apprentice stage was just a transitional phase before becoming a formal martial artist!

"You bet." Ji Ruo lifted his chin and pointed his thumb at himself. "Forget what I told you before? I'm the Dual Mastery of Blade and Sword!"

"A real Dual Mastery of Blade and Sword..." Liang Shixian's mouth hung open.

Ji Ruo's swordsmanship was already astonishing in his eyes, and that was just the "sword" part. Liang Shixian looked at the Standard Issue Miao Saber still sheathed on Ji Ruo's back and couldn't help swallowing.

Suddenly, Liang Shixian felt that he, the class monitor, had been outshone. But since the one surpassing him was Ji Ruo, he accepted it wholeheartedly. After all, Ji Ruo's family situation was no secret. To maintain his grades under those circumstances, excel in all aspects of martial arts in the class and even the grade, and even create powerful sword and blade techniques—talent was important, but effort was indispensable.

Orphaned, relying only on government subsidies, Ji Ruo had reached this level. That couldn't be explained by talent alone. No matter how gifted, training in martial arts required resources, and Ji Ruo's family situation meant he could hardly obtain any resources beyond the bare minimum for practice. Even with annual scholarships, it wasn't enough to buy the supporting medicinal liquids needed for training Iron Sand Palm.

If someone else were stronger, Liang Shixian might feel jealous. But if it was Ji Ruo, he was completely convinced. He would only be happy for Ji Ruo, draw inspiration from him, and work even harder to catch up!

Liang Shixian said sincerely, "Ji Ruo, the sword technique you created is truly exquisite! I'd love to see your blade technique—it must be impressive too, right?"

"Heh, there'll be a chance." Ji Ruo chuckled and didn't dwell on the topic.

As for saber techniques—he didn't know any yet. Not to mention Liang Shixian wanted to see them; Ji Ruo himself actually wanted to as well.

Liang Shixian thought for a moment, then hesitated before speaking: "Ji Ruo, your sword technique is so powerful. After the Martial Exam ends, will you consider selling it?"

He was thinking from Ji Ruo's perspective.

If they achieved a very good result in this Martial Exam, the school would inevitably reward them with some money. If the result was even better, the Cloud City Education Bureau Branch might also give some rewards.

But while that money would be more than enough to cover university tuition, it wouldn't do much to improve Ji Ruo's family situation.

Selling a self-created martial technique, even if it was only at the Martial Apprentice level, would be enough for Ji Ruo to live well from then on.

After all, selling a martial technique wasn't a one-time deal; there would be subsequent royalty income. The Martial Apprentice rank was known as the Martial Artist Reserve, and everyone had to go through the Martial Apprentice stage before becoming a martial artist.

Theoretically, once Ji Ruo chose to sell his sword technique, his customers would be everyone in all of Great Xia!

The royalty income would inevitably be an astronomically huge number.

But not everyone was willing to sell their martial techniques.

Every martial technique that appeared was poured with the creator's immense effort. Whether to sell or not was entirely a personal choice.

Not everyone loved money, either. Even in this era, there were those who treasured their own things and kept them to themselves.

Liang Shixian was considering things for Ji Ruo. Of course, aside from that, there was another very important reason.

He wanted to learn this sword technique too!

Being able to block flying projectiles without relying on Blood Qi Power, the sword technique was exquisitely subtle, light and graceful—how cool was that!

If Ji Ruo agreed to sell it, then he would definitely have his family send him money to buy a set as soon as possible. It would also be a reasonable way to help Ji Ruo out, killing two birds with one stone.

Liang Shixian was just worried that Ji Ruo wouldn't want to sell.

If that happened, Liang Shixian would be a little disappointed, but he wouldn't try too hard to persuade him. After all, it was Ji Ruo's own choice.

"Sell it, of course I'll sell it." Ji Ruo had no objections to this. Anyway, with his [Sword Dao Favor (First Glimpse of the Path)] boost, he could create as many similar sword techniques as he wanted. Why not sell them?

Liang Shixian was delighted to hear this: "Really? That's great! Ji Ruo, I'll wish you a fortune in advance!"

"Class monitor, you want to learn it, don't you?" Ji Ruo looked at Liang Shixian with a half-smile.

"Ah, I..." His thoughts seen through, Liang Shixian was a little embarrassed.

But Ji Ruo just laughed heartily and said, "Want to learn? I'll teach you! No charge."

Thanks to the reader 'Yu Xue Lishang' for the 309-point tip~