"I comprehended saber intent?!"
After his brief astonishment, an uncontrollable look of delight bloomed across Jiang Ye's aged face.
The Blood Moon Saber manual recorded that once one's saber technique broke through to the Minor Achievement stage, there was a chance of comprehending saber intent.
The size of that chance depended entirely on one's talent for comprehension.
Those with great talent could grasp it in a flash of insight.
Those with little talent might practice for ten years and still fail to reach the threshold.
That ugly man from the Seven Kill Cult had practiced the saber his entire life and taken countless heads before he had barely managed to comprehend saber intent.
But Jiang Ye had practiced for only a few days, and he had already comprehended it.
Well, that was what it meant to have extraordinary comprehension.
Jiang Ye glanced at the system panel.
Martial Arts Mastered: Five Animal Fist [Perfection] Blood Moon Saber [Minor Achievement, 3/2000]
As expected, the Blood Moon Saber had broken through to Minor Achievement.
"Let's test the saber!"
A flash of excitement crossed his eyes. He immediately set down the two slender branches and turned back toward the wooden cabin.
A moment later, he opened the door and stepped out, now holding a curved saber that gleamed with cold light.
The moment the saber entered his hand, Jiang Ye felt that something had changed.
Before, holding a saber had simply felt natural.
Now, holding it felt as though the saber were an extension of his arm, a part of his body.
The saber itself was unchanged, but to his senses, it felt a third lighter and a third more agile, as if a thought alone would send its gleam flying at his command.
Holding the saber, he stepped into the Medicine Garden once more.
Under the moonlight, the crimson Heavenly Sunflower Grass swayed gently.
He walked slowly among the plants, his gaze sweeping over every inch of ground like a hawk's, hoping to find a decent Fire Centipede to test his saber on.
But perhaps that one slash had frightened the beasts away, or perhaps his luck was poor tonight. After circling a few times, he found only a handful of little ones, each about half a foot long.
The Fire Centipedes emerged from the soil, but before they could even nibble at the leaves, he had already picked them up one by one.
"Still no good."
He glanced at their undersides—the Fire Seals were still faint, no different from those "scrap" specimens he had found before.
Whoosh.
A flash of saber light.
The Fire Centipedes didn't even have time to struggle before that blood-moon-like arc of light sliced them all in two.
The cuts were smooth as mirrors, with not the slightest hesitation.
But Jiang Ye looked at the severed insect corpses and shook his head slightly.
These were such low-grade specimens that they weren't even worthy of a full-power slash.
Test the saber? There was nothing to learn from this.
He looked around, and his gaze suddenly fell on a small tree beside the Medicine Garden, its trunk as thick as a bowl.
The tree stood a little taller than a person, its straight trunk casting a faint shadow in the moonlight.
Jiang Ye walked up with his saber and stopped about three feet away from the tree.
He took a deep breath. His blood and qi surged within him as the newly comprehended saber intent silently flowed into the curved saber in his hand.
The next instant—
He swung the saber with a sudden slash.
At that moment, the curved saber in his hand seemed no longer to be a saber, but a waning moon rising straight from a sea of blood.
A faint crimson glow flowed along its blade as it carved a breathtaking arc through the moonlight and slashed toward the small tree from afar.
Whoosh—!!!
A piercing whistle tore through the stillness of the night.
The air seemed to ripple visibly, sweeping toward the small tree in the direction of the blade.
Bang!!!
A loud crash!
A cut, smooth as a mirror, suddenly appeared in the middle of the trunk of the small tree, three feet away.
The upper half of the tree swayed slightly, then crashed to the ground with a heavy thud, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Jiang Ye stood with his saber in hand, staring at the fallen trunk, his aged eyes gleaming.
Saber intent!
So this was saber intent!
The saber hadn't even reached the tree from three feet away, yet the tree had already been severed.
He slowly lowered his saber and looked down at the curved blade in his hand.
"Fine saber!"
He murmured to himself, unsure whether he meant the saber, the technique, or the saber intent he had just comprehended.
Feeling the blood and qi in his body gradually settle, Jiang Ye didn't continue practicing his saber. Instead, he kept searching the Medicine Garden for Fire Centipedes.
Perhaps the Fire Centipedes' feeding time had passed. He wandered around several times but couldn't find even a trace of one.
There was plenty of time. Jiang Ye hadn't expected to find a top-grade Fire Centipede so quickly.
After wandering around the Medicine Garden a little longer, Jiang Ye shook his head and returned to the wooden cabin to rest.
The next day, dawn was just breaking.
Jiang Ye got up as usual and was practicing the Five Animal Fist.
Although he had already reached Perfection in the Five Animal Fist, practicing this health-preserving martial art a little more could only benefit his aged body.
"Elder Jiang!"
Before long, a clear, melodious voice came from nearby.
Jiang Ye turned toward it and saw Wen Yueyao hurrying along the path through the Medicine Garden.
The young woman wore no makeup today. Her face was bare, yet her bright eyes and white teeth looked all the more striking.
Her long hair fluttered gently in the morning breeze, and a few playful strands brushed her cheek before she casually tucked them behind her ear.
Her natural, unadorned beauty, paired with her usual sweet smile, gave her a uniquely captivating charm.
"Miss Wen, you're up early."
Jiang Ye stopped his fist practice and went to greet her, a polite smile on his face.
"Haha, those of us who practice martial arts have to get up early!"
Wen Yueyao came to a stop in front of him with a bright smile, revealing a row of neat white teeth. "Besides, Elder Jiang, you're up early too."
"I'm old. I just can't sleep."
Jiang Ye smiled and shook his head slightly.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, the smile gradually faded from Wen Yueyao's face, replaced by an apologetic look.
"Elder Jiang, there's something... I need to apologize to you for."
She pressed her lips together and spoke with some embarrassment.
"I told you before that once you joined the sect, I'd transfer my contribution points to you so you could exchange for the Qi Nourishing Method as soon as possible..."
She paused, her fair cheeks turning slightly red. She clearly wasn't used to having to "break a promise."
"The peak master wanted me to break through to Transformation Strength and begin cultivating qi as soon as possible, so the peak master took it upon himself to exchange all my contribution points for pills."
"So I may need a while before I can save up enough contribution points to transfer them to you."
As she spoke, the young woman lowered her head slightly, her face red with embarrassment.
Jiang Ye smiled faintly at her words and waved a hand. "It's all right. I've lived this long. A little more time won't make any difference."
His aura was perfectly contained, and he had killed Black Old Five with a single surprise attack back then. As a result, Wen Yueyao had always assumed Jiang Ye was a martial artist at the peak of Transformation Strength.
She must have thought he was in a hurry to get the Qi Nourishing Method and begin cultivating qi.
In truth, he was still only at the early stage of Transformation Strength...
Jiang Ye estimated that, at his current pace, it would take about a month to reach the peak of Transformation Strength.
Wen Yueyao's "a while" would work out just right.
"Elder Jiang, I'm truly sorry. I'll do my best to save up the contribution points as soon as possible!"
Hearing Jiang Ye say it was all right, Wen Yueyao breathed a sigh of relief. Then, with a solemn expression, she assured him again and again that she would gather enough sect contribution points as quickly as she could.
Jiang Ye took the opportunity to ask how many contribution points were needed to exchange for the Qi Nourishing Method.
The answer left him stunned.
Exchanging for a single Qi Nourishing Method required a full thirty thousand contribution points!
At his salary of a thousand contribution points per month as a deacon, he would have to save every last one for two and a half years to afford it.
"That's outrageous. Is the Qi Nourishing Method really so precious?"
Jiang Ye sighed softly and shook his head.
"The Qi Nourishing Method is the core of the sect!"
Wen Yueyao said gravely, "Each Qi Nourishing Method represents a different path. Elder Jiang, you'll understand someday. Thirty thousand contribution points really isn't expensive at all."
After chatting for a little while longer, Wen Yueyao hurried off.
It seemed this True Disciple of hers was quite busy.
Jiang Ye had planned to take advantage of his morning energy and practice the Blood Moon Saber for a while after finishing the Five Animal Fist.
But before he could turn around, he saw the chubby Little Fatty, Lv Ming, walking toward him along the path through the Medicine Garden with two others, all smiles.
"Deacon Jiang!" Lv Ming called from a distance. "These two are also my colleagues who guard the Medicine Garden. They heard a new deacon had arrived at the Heavenly Sunflower Grass garden and wanted to meet you, so I took the liberty of bringing them along."
As he spoke, the three reached him.
Jiang Ye's gaze passed over the two newcomers.
The one in front was a young man in his twenties, dressed in the Azure Sky Sect's uniform. He had a square face and regular features, but there was a gloomy air about him.
"This is Junior Brother Fang Ming. He's in charge of guarding the Flame Heart Fruit garden," Lv Ming introduced.
Fang Ming half raised his eyelids and glanced at Jiang Ye before giving him a casual salute. His voice was so perfunctory it was almost inaudible. "Greetings, Deacon Jiang."
Jiang Ye's expression remained unchanged. He gave a slight nod in reply.
Lv Ming then gestured toward the other person.
She was a young woman, also dressed in the Azure Sky Sect's uniform. Her face was oval, and although her features weren't breathtaking, she was the sort of woman who grew more pleasing the longer one looked at her.
There was a natural warmth in her eyes and brows, and when she smiled, her eyes curved into two crescents.
The Azure Sky Sect robe was so loose that it billowed around her, yet her chest filled it out with a prominent, ample curve while her waist tapered to a strikingly slim line.
Clearly, beneath the fabric lay a very well-endowed figure.
"This is Senior Sister Chen Lili. She's in charge of guarding the Earth Fire Ginseng Herb Garden!"
Chen Lili laughed heartily and stepped forward. Her bright eyes sized up Jiang Ye as she spoke in a clear, pleasant voice.
"Greetings, Deacon Jiang! I've been in the Medicine Garden for ages, and this is the first time I've met a deacon as old as you!"
As she spoke, she suddenly giggled. "Seeing you is just like seeing my grandpa. You feel so familiar!"
At her words, a smile appeared on Jiang Ye's aged face. He cupped his hands.
"You're both too kind. I've only just arrived. I'll be counting on you both to look after me."
Then he stepped aside from the doorway and invited the three of them inside.
Fortunately, though the wooden cabin was simple, the sect had provided enough tea and food. At least he wasn't left without so much as a thing to offer his guests.
The four sat around the simple wooden table, eating and chatting.
With Little Fatty Lv Ming around, there was no chance of the conversation growing dull.
Once he started talking, he was like a dam bursting open. He chattered away about everything from the weather in the Medicine Garden to the habits of Fire Centipedes, then moved on to gossip about the True Disciples of the various peaks.
Chen Lili was just as forthright. Once he got her going, she opened up completely and talked even more than Lv Ming, punctuating her words with exaggerated gestures. Even her loose deacon's robe couldn't hide the rippling fullness of her chest.
Jiang Ye sipped his tea with a smile, listening and occasionally chiming in.
He noticed that Fang Ming, with his gloomy air, rarely spoke, but his gaze kept drifting toward Chen Lili.
"An admirer from afar?"
Jiang Ye shook his head slightly, understanding glimmering in his aged eyes.
He also took the opportunity to learn more about the sect.
As they chatted, the conversation somehow turned to the news that had caused a sensation throughout the sect the day before.
"Tsk, tsk, the Azure Sky Sect was in an uproar yesterday!"
Lv Ming slapped his thigh, his face full of envy and resentment. "That young lady who just joined the sect—what was her name, Xu Qinghuan? She's a True Yin Body! You've heard about it, right?"
Chen Lili rolled her eyes. "Obviously. Who in the entire sect hasn't?"
"Do you know who ended up taking her in?"
Lv Ming teased them with the question. When he saw both of them watching him, he lowered his voice and put on a mysterious air. "Golden Star Peak's Jin Hai, Senior Brother Jin! The one ranked third on the True Disciple Ranking!"
"Jin Hai?" Chen Lili's eyes lit up. "Now that's a famous figure. I heard he's only twenty-five this year and has already reached the Core Formation Realm."
"Exactly." Lv Ming sighed. "And I heard they've already set the wedding date. It's three months from now..."
He threw his head back and sighed, looking as if he were thinking, "If only I could take his place."
Chen Lili sighed along with him, but what she said nearly made Jiang Ye choke on his tea. "What a pity! I hate that I'm a woman and don't have one of those! Otherwise..."
"Cough, cough..."
Jiang Ye's hand trembled slightly as he held his teacup, and he nearly spilled the tea.
He glanced at Chen Lili. She'd spoken with complete conviction, not a hint of embarrassment on her face, as if she were simply discussing what to eat for dinner.
No, this girl was way too bold.
Jiang Ye discreetly glanced at her lower body.
The other woman's fair, slender legs were pressed tightly together, and a faint, delicate fragrance lingered around her.
Clearly, the young woman was still a virgin, untouched by a man.
Fang Ming, sitting nearby, could no longer sit still.
He furrowed his brow and looked at Chen Lili with a stern expression. There was a note of disapproval in his voice. "Lili, you're a woman. How can you say such vulgar, lewd things..."
At that, Chen Lili rolled her eyes and gave him a thoroughly exasperated look. "Junior Brother Fang, how many times have I told you? You don't get to call me Lili. You should call me Senior Sister!"
She paused, lifting her chin slightly, her tone edged with impatience.
"And besides, it's none of your business what I say!"
At her words, Fang Ming's expression changed abruptly.
The atmosphere in the wooden cabin turned a little chilly, too.
Fortunately, Lv Ming was a smooth operator. Seeing this, he quickly laughed it off and changed the subject with a few jokes.
Before long, the atmosphere warmed up again.
Jiang Ye held his teacup, listening to them talk as he quietly digested the information he had just heard.
Jin Hai, third on the True Disciple Ranking, a Core Formation Realm expert, was marrying Xu Qinghuan in three months.
He set down his teacup and casually asked, as if the thought had just occurred to him:
"I heard that the True Yin Body can only help martial artists below the Core Formation Realm break through. Jin Hai has already reached the Core Formation Realm. What does he want with Xu Qinghuan? Is he just after her beauty?"
"Deacon Jiang, there's something you don't know."
Lv Ming shook his head, wearing an expression that said, "You're not privy to the whole story," as he replied:
"For Jin Hai, the greatest use of the True Yin Body isn't helping him break through. It's cleansing his body!"
"I've heard that if a man absorbs all the True Yin, the strength of his body will increase dramatically after it's been cleansed!"
At that, a sudden gleam lit Jiang Ye's aged eyes.
For the past few days, he had been wanting to cultivate the Diamond Body Refining Technique.
But his old, frail body had kept him from even getting started.
At that very moment.
A bold and dangerous idea began to sprout in Jiang Ye's heart like wild grass.
Before you continue