Three-Year Appointment

Four days from now marks the three-year deadline, which coincides perfectly with the sect's internal assessment and evaluation.

As for the Phoenix Feather Gold, it is a spiritual material superior to Jade Cyan, so Yu Xiu intends to exchange it for contribution points only after entering the inner sect.

However, he did not want to waste these four days. Fortunately, he still had seventy of the one hundred contribution points left from his previous exchange for Jade Cyan, so he made a trip to the Library Pavilion and spent twenty points to exchange for another twenty basic sword techniques.

Basic sword techniques are cheap, costing only one contribution point each, but they can only be acquired with points. Prior to this, Yu Xiu had already practiced sixteen such basic techniques.

Continue to develop.

In the Qingwei Sword Sect, basic techniques do not even deserve names; there are three hundred and forty-two of them in the outer sect, simply titled Basic Technique No. 1 through No. 342.

The naming is plain and unadorned.

[Basic Sword Technique, No. 17: Minor Mastery (26/100)]

With 149 comprehension, practicing a basic sword technique now results in Minor Mastery after just one read-through.

In the future, when my comprehension breaks two hundred, or five hundred, I fear that a single glance at these basic sword techniques will be enough to reach Great Mastery, or even Perfection.

Yu Xiu felt a surge of excitement, the sword in his hand spinning and stirring up layers of sword light.

Basic Sword Technique No. 17 +50

[Basic Sword Technique, No. 17: Great Mastery (24/100)]

Basic Sword Technique No. 17 +50

[Basic Sword Technique, No. 17: Perfection (Sword Sense +1)]

Comprehension +1

Lifespan +1

Four times—he had practiced the technique only four times, and it had already reached Perfection!

"149 comprehension is truly beyond the reach of ordinary people." Yu Xiu took a deep breath, suppressing the excitement in his heart.

No, his comprehension was no longer 149; it was now 150.

Practicing a basic sword technique four times took very little time for Yu Xiu now; he could finish it in just over a quarter of an hour.

Twenty basic sword techniques, 20 comprehension, 20 years of lifespan—he could obtain all of that in about three hours.

If only he had enough contribution points...

Unfortunately, he did not have enough!

Otherwise, over the next three days, if he practiced for eight hours a day, his comprehension would break three hundred and push toward the four-hundred mark.

"Contribution points, I need a massive amount of contribution points!"

Yu Xiu could not help but look at the wooden box in the room, which contained the Phoenix Feather Gold.

But in the end, Yu Xiu held back. Development was important, but strength could not be neglected.

The Phoenix Feather Gold had to be saved for when he entered the inner sect to exchange for cultivation pills to boost his strength.

Only with sufficient strength could he quickly earn more contribution points, exchange for more sword techniques, and increase his comprehension and lifespan further.

This was a virtuous cycle.

Furthermore, every time his strength broke through a realm, he could choose a technique and a sword style for free, which also meant more comprehension and lifespan.

Moreover, the higher the level of the technique, the more comprehension and lifespan it would grant!

Yet, Yu Xiu still could not resist. That afternoon, he went to the Library Pavilion again and exchanged all fifty of his remaining contribution points for fifty more basic sword techniques.

The next day, night.

[Basic Sword Technique, No. 84: Perfection (Sword Sense +1)]

[Basic Sword Technique, No. 85: Perfection (Sword Sense +1)]

[Basic Sword Technique, No. 86: Perfection (Sword Sense +1)]

Seventy contribution points had been exchanged for seventy basic sword techniques, all of which had now reached Perfection.

Comprehension +70

Lifespan +70

Sword Sense +70

[Comprehension: 219 (149+70)]
[Lifespan: 16/294 (224+70)]
[Sword Heart: Hidden Edge (2/500)]

Comprehension has broken two hundred, and my lifespan is about to break three hundred!

Yu Xiu felt his mind becoming increasingly clear, as if flashes of inspiration were sparking at every moment. He could glance at any sword style and immediately have various ideas on how to improve it, what to trim away, or how to merge moves into a single strike...

If I were to practice Qi Circulation realm techniques now, it should be much faster.

Even for Qi Sea realm techniques, he would surely be able to reach the entry level with just a single glance.

He looked forward to entering the Inner Court and the arrival of the time to cultivate Qi Sea Realm techniques.

Two days later.

"Clang!" "Clang!" "Clang!"

Early in the morning, three successive bell tolls rang out, echoing throughout the entire Outer Court.

Across Mianzhu Mountain, disciples emerged from every corner—some with nervous expressions, some pale-faced, others filled with urgency, and still others striding out with confidence and high spirits.

The vast majority, upon hearing the bells, headed toward the summit.

"Is it the day for assessment and evaluation again?"

"The senior brothers who entered three years ago are about to face the pressure!"

"If they haven't broken through the Flawless Realm in three years, it means blind, hard cultivation no longer holds much meaning; they might as well go out and gain experience."

"Heh, Shadow Demons and evil spirits are everywhere outside the mountain. They call it gaining experience, but what use is it for disciples in the Flawless Realm to go?"

"One moment of carelessness and it's a death sentence. Unless one reaches the Qi Sea Realm, no one is willing to go out and train."

"Some people break through the Flawless Realm and Qi Circulation stages within three years and can go straight into the Inner Court!"

"Yet others enter the Flawless Realm within three years, only to spin their wheels there without making an inch of progress. The gap between people is just too vast!"

"I heard that among the disciples who entered three years ago, there are three with astonishing talent. They crossed the Flawless and Qi Circulation stages within a single year and went straight to the Inner Court. Now that three years have passed, I fear they are already close to breaking through the four Ascending Dragon stages and entering the Main Sect!"

"You must be talking about Senior Brothers Zhu Wenjiu, Feng Zhiyuan, and Zhang Yundu!"

"As for figures like them, we had best not try to chase them; we can only look up to them. They are destined to become peerless figures who reach the Great Four Stages or even beyond. You rarely see a few like them in the Outer Court even in a decade!"

"On the other hand, there are senior brothers and sisters like Shan Yu, Liu Qingchuan, Zhao Hong, and Xu Rou. They broke through the Flawless and Qi Circulation stages within three years. They can still serve as our goals, and there is hope to catch up to them!"

"Even if we can't catch up to such people, we should at least avoid becoming those who fail to break through the Flawless Realm within three years. Otherwise, we'll only be sent out to gain experience, with our lives hanging in the balance!"

On the Martial Arts Arena at the summit, the disciples gathered.

Some were disciples whose three-year term had expired and needed assessment, while others were simply there to watch the spectacle, forming a massive, surging crowd.

When Yu Xiu arrived, he couldn't even squeeze into the front and had to settle for the back rows.

Just then, the crowd stirred and automatically parted to make a path.

A tall, upright youth walked through. His features were ordinary, but his aura carried a cold, sword-like quality that made people afraid to get close.

"It's Liu Qingchuan, Senior Brother Liu. He must be entering the Inner Court with this assessment!"

"Indeed, I heard he already broke through the two stages of the Qi Circulation Realm and entered the third stage, the Qi Sea, a month ago!"

"In this Outer Court now, no one is stronger than him."

Yu Xiu watched as Liu Qingchuan walked through the crowd that had parted for him and went straight to the front. The other disciples felt no dissatisfaction; instead, they were filled with awe, envy, and burning gazes, looking at Liu Qingchuan as a target to chase.

He thought about it, having originally considered taking the opportunity to follow in Liu Qingchuan's footsteps and squeeze to the front, but he stopped himself to avoid being accused of forcing his way into the spotlight or riding on Liu Qingchuan's coattails.

Although he didn't care much, inviting unnecessary trouble wasn't his desire either.

A moment later, the crowd stirred again.

Another young expert, Shan Yu, arrived. Compared to Liu Qingchuan, Shan Yu was more robust, with thick brows and large eyes; he looked less like a sword cultivator and more like a body cultivator.

"This Senior Brother Shan Yu gives off such a strong sense of pressure!"

"Senior Brother Zhao Hong and Senior Sister Xu Rou have arrived as well."

A young man and woman approached together. The man was handsome and the woman was pretty; the two chatted and laughed with ease, looking very much like a pair of wandering heroes, drawing envy from all around.