Initiated

Chen Mu had always believed that everything had its causes and consequences.

He had come to this world and become a lowly Yamen Runner, living a hard life while caring for his seven-year-old sister. For over two years, aside from the meager salary that had been skimmed by his superiors until little remained, he had never stumbled upon any windfall.

The misfortune accumulated over all those years had finally brought him a return, allowing him to find a saber manual—and then gain a tiny modifier capable of improving his Martial Arts.

"Hmm, it should let me add points by consuming experience, but I may not have enough experience yet."

Chen Mu studied it for a while and roughly figured out its function.

As long as he practiced the Whirlwind Saber Technique, even without anyone to guide him, even if he practiced incorrectly, he would gain "experience" so long as he was practicing. Once he accumulated enough experience, he could directly raise the realm of the Whirlwind Saber Technique.

In other words, even without a Martial Master's guidance, he could train behind closed doors and slowly temper this skill to completion.

"Brother?"

Chen Yue watched Chen Mu from the side, utterly confused.

She had watched him suddenly wave at empty air for no apparent reason, then lapse into thought one moment and chuckle foolishly the next. It made her a little afraid.

"Oh, I'm fine. I just thought of something."

Chen Mu looked at Chen Yue and smiled. Then he could not help reaching out and vigorously rubbing her cheeks. "Yue Er, perhaps it won't be long before we no longer have to live such hard days."

Chen Yue stared at Chen Mu with wide eyes and blinked twice, unable to understand where his confidence came from.

"Alright."

Still, she smiled and echoed him.

Whether life was hard or not did not really matter to her. She thought things were fine as long as Chen Mu was safe and sound. Their parents were gone; she was a sliver of comfort in Chen Mu's heart, and was Chen Mu not her only light as well?

After sending Chen Yue back to the bedroom, Chen Mu picked up his Yamen Saber and began practicing again. But unlike before, when he had hesitated and tested every move, this time there was no more delay. It did not matter whether he was exerting force correctly; he only needed to practice according to the forms.

After practicing for a while—

Chen Mu indeed saw the words "Experience +1" appear before his eyes.

"Very good."

Chen Mu smiled. Everything was largely in line with his judgment.

He just did not know how much experience it would take to raise the Whirlwind Saber Technique from Uninitiated by one level. But as long as it produced results, then through the accumulation of days and months, there would eventually come a day when he mastered this saber technique. Unlike before, he was no longer wandering without direction.

The days passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, seven days had gone by.

Over those seven days, aside from reporting to the City Guard as usual and patrolling with Liu Song and the others, Chen Mu devoted nearly all his remaining time to practicing the Whirlwind Saber Technique.

Experience for the Whirlwind Saber Technique did not come easily. It could be said that every point was bought with sweat. He had to bury his head in bitter practice for nearly an hour just to gain two or three points of experience.

But no matter how slow it was, this was solid, tangible experience—not blind, directionless flailing.

Finally.

That afternoon, after practicing until sweat streamed down his body, Chen Mu's accumulated experience for the Whirlwind Saber Technique reached exactly one hundred points.

Martial Arts: Whirlwind Saber Technique (Uninitiated/+)

Experience: 100 points

Sure enough, the modifier changed. A "+" symbol appeared after the Uninitiated saber technique.

Chen Mu took a deep breath and stared solemnly at the interface. Then, with a thought, he tapped the "+."

Buzz!

A dim golden light flashed past.

Martial Arts: Whirlwind Saber Technique (Initiated)

Experience: 0 points

As the interface changed, Chen Mu immediately felt a vast flood of information pour into his mind. The Whirlwind Saber Technique, whose precise methods of exerting force and directions of power in every move he had never understood, was corrected move by move within that information.

It was as though he had followed the most correct training path and practiced bitterly for several months.

When all the changes faded—

Chen Mu drew a deep breath and gripped his Yamen Saber. At once, a completely different feeling welled up within him. The twelve forms of the Whirlwind Saber Technique, every form and every variation, were now deeply etched into his heart.

How to exert force, how to shift and transform—everything had become crystal clear. It was nothing like before, when he knew nothing at all.

"I've entered the gate."

"With just that light tap, it was probably worth one or two months of bitter training under a Martial Master's guidance in a martial hall... Though I had also trained bitterly for seven whole days."

Chen Mu murmured inwardly, then abruptly swung his saber forward and unleashed the First Form of Chaotic Wind.

This execution was completely different from before. What had once seemed like an awkward move suddenly became exceptionally refined—legs tensed, abdomen drawn in, saber slanting upward... As the blade swept out, it actually raised a gusting whistle of wind!

"It truly is completely different from ordinary freehand techniques."

Chen Mu nodded to himself.

Just the opening stance of this strike, with every part of his body performing to standard, was already stronger than the Horizontal Chop and Vertical Slash Freehand he had practiced before. Not to mention that after this move came several variations, which could then link further into subsequent forms. It was unlike ordinary freehand techniques, where after one slash, he could only rely on brute force and hack wildly.

According to the Whirlwind Saber Technique's description, this saber art was divided into Initiated, Initial Accomplishment, Major Accomplishment, and Perfection.

Following the proper path of training, an ordinary person could generally become Initiated within a few months. In one or two years, they could reach Initial Accomplishment; at that point, saber in hand, they could defeat two or three armed bandits who knew no Martial Arts. In five or six years, they could reach Major Accomplishment, and often five or six opponents would find it difficult to get close.

As for Perfection...

That step was exceedingly difficult. It required one to grasp the true mysteries of a raging wind and cultivate Saber Force. Once achieved, one would be a match for at least ten men. Taking the Martial Exam to earn the title of Martial Scholar would be practically effortless.

Now that official administration had decayed and the world was in chaos, the civil examination system existed in name only. Never mind Child Scholars and Cultivated Talents at the bottom; even at the level of Recommended Man, it had largely become a trade in silver. Without power or influence, one could scarcely reach the level of Recommended Man.

The Martial Exam, by comparison, was different. Because it involved mastery of force, even though the quotas were controlled by powerful clans and great families, anyone with strength at that level could still rise through the ranks and might even be courted by every side.

"If I can earn the title of Martial Scholar, I'll basically be guaranteed a promotion to Head Runner. Even if I fail to earn it, as long as I show strength at that level, I can still become a Head Runner."

Chen Mu pondered inwardly.

For an external art like the Whirlwind Saber Technique, reaching Major Accomplishment basically gave one hope of becoming a Head Runner. So long as a position opened up or one gained a superior's favor, one could generally rise to the post. Even in the worst case, after slowly accumulating some seniority, there would still be a chance to take that seat.

And if he could reach Perfection and cultivate Saber Force, then becoming a Head Runner would be as certain as ironclad fact. As far as he knew, even among the many Head Runners, there were exceedingly few who had cultivated force through saber or sword techniques.

After all, people who reached this level could, even several hundred years ago, easily pass the orthodox Martial Exam and earn the title of Martial Scholar, thereby directly entering official service beneath the imperial court. Nowadays, it was merely because official administration had crumbled and the civil and martial court examinations existed in name only that selling offices and titles had become far more common, while the orthodox path of advancement through the imperial court had been practically abandoned.

"To train a saber technique to Major Accomplishment, someone of ordinary talent and comprehension can still manage it after more than ten years of bitter practice. But to cultivate force? Fewer than one in a hundred can do it."

A few days earlier, Chen Mu had chatted with several Yamen Runners at the City Guard whom he got along with well. He had learned that among the five Head Runners in the City Guard where he served, only one had cultivated force and become a Head Runner through sheer strength.

Among the other four, Zhao Zong, the oldest Head Runner, was already over sixty. He had practiced the saber his entire life without comprehending Saber Force. The Zhao Family could be considered powerful and influential locally; if Zhao Zong could cultivate Saber Force, he might even have a chance of becoming a Runner Office official.

"They cannot grasp that flash of spiritual light, so they halt where they stand. But I am different. As long as I patiently keep practicing, sooner or later I'll reach Initial Accomplishment, Major Accomplishment, and finally Perfection... I probably need no more than a year to reach Perfection."

A faint glimmer flashed through Chen Mu's eyes.

His saber technique had now become Initiated, and reaching Initial Accomplishment required three hundred experience. At his previous pace of practice, that would take about a month. After that came Major Accomplishment and Perfection. Even if the required experience increased step by step, it should take only around a year.

And once his saber technique reached Perfection and he cultivated Saber Force, whether he took the Martial Exam to gain a title or quietly revealed some of his strength at the City Guard, becoming a Head Runner would be utterly secure. His status and position would then be completely different from what they were now.

He had already been in this world for more than two years.

At this peril lurking on every side of the lowest rung, he had lived cautiously and carefully for so long. He did not mind enduring such days for another year. Besides, compared with the days when he could see no hope at all, having a goal now felt completely different.