The Future Holds Promise

"May I ask, Brother Qian, what is the highest martial cultivation realm among the martial artists in Linji City?" Chen Cheng asked thoughtfully. Taking this opportunity, he wanted to learn more about the martial world of Linji City.

"Young man, don't aim too high!" Qian Bin shook his head, though he understood the curiosity of someone like Chen Cheng, who had only just begun practicing martial arts. Patiently, he explained, "As far as I know, the chief constable of the City Guard Division's Ruyi Ward branch is an Altering Tendons Realm martial artist, while the head officer of the City Guard Division's South District headquarters is a Forging Bones Realm martial artist.

The owner of our Luo's Shop, the Luo Family's patriarch, is also a martial prodigy. He entered the Forging Bones Realm many years ago.

As for those top great families in the inner city, they have Marrow-Cleansing Realm martial artists, and even Viscera-Refining Realm martial artists, standing guard."

At this point, Qian Bin changed the subject. "It is good for a beginner like you to admire the strong, but martial cultivation must be taken one step at a time.

Ordinary household martial instructors, escort agency guards, and City Guard Division runners are all martial artists who have cultivated a single skill to mastery.

If your talent is sufficient and you train diligently, then once you cultivate this saber technique to mastery, you too can emerge into prominence like them."

"Thank you for your guidance, Brother Qian. I have learned much." Chen Cheng clasped his hands and solemnly expressed his thanks.

Though Qian Bin was merely a shop steward and did not seem particularly strong, he had patiently explained martial knowledge to him. He could be considered Chen Cheng's guide on the path of martial cultivation, worthy of being called teacher.

"I dare not call it guidance." Qian Bin chuckled and repeatedly waved his hands. "To be honest, Brother Chen, I, Old Qian, have cultivated martial arts for most of my life, yet I have only reached minor accomplishment in the Skin-Tempering Realm. It truly puts me to shame."

Chen Cheng had reached minor accomplishment in the Skin-Tempering Realm in barely more than a month. Even counting the time he had trained before awakening the memories of his past life, it had only been a few months.

He had always found it rather easy, and asked curiously, "Brother Qian, isn't there a body-tempering method for cultivating the Skin-Tempering Realm? Why is it so difficult?"

Qian Bin let out a soft sigh. "How difficult is it to raise one's martial realm! There is a saying in martial arts: three years to temper the skin, five years to alter the tendons, ten years to forge the bones.

This refers to martial geniuses blessed with exceptional natural aptitude. With ample resources, they can cultivate to the perfection of the Skin-Tempering Realm in three years. After entering the Altering Tendons Realm, they can reach its perfection in five years; after entering the Forging Bones Realm, they can reach its perfection in ten years.

Every advance into a major realm is as difficult as crossing a heavenly chasm.

As for those of ordinary natural aptitude, even with a famous master's guidance, a body-tempering method, and ample medicinal decoctions, reaching perfection in the Skin-Tempering Realm is already fraught with countless hardships."

Chen Cheng seemed to gain some understanding. Seeing that Qian Bin had fallen silent, as though the little store of martial knowledge in his belly had been completely emptied, he changed the subject. "Brother Qian, how much is this Chasing Wind Saber Technique manual?"

As the steward of Luo's Shop, Qian Bin had been so tireless in answering Chen Cheng's questions partly because he appreciated him, but his foremost purpose was still to sell the shop's manuals.

He smiled. "The Chasing Wind Saber Technique is a mid-grade manual and normally sells for sixty taels of silver. However, since you just sold an internal breath method manual to our shop, you are a valued guest here.

I can make the decision to sell this manual to you for fifty taels of silver. Of course, Brother Chen, since you keep calling me brother, I, Old Qian, cannot let you call me that for nothing. If you buy this manual, I'll give you another stroke of fortune as a gift. How about it?"

Fifty taels of silver—though Chen Cheng had been prepared for it, he was still greatly shocked!

That much money was enough to cover an ordinary commoner family's food and expenses for ten years, yet it could only buy a single mid-grade saber technique manual. It was truly expensive—outrageously expensive!

The saying that scholars were poor while martial artists were rich did not deceive!

Over the past few days, he had also made inquiries in many places about martial cultivation.

In Linji Prefecture City, not only were there martial academies in the inner city, but there were also quite a few in each of the four outer districts—east, south, west, and north.

Ruyi Ward alone had three martial academies. Tuition was ten taels of silver per month, and the instructors taught martial skills such as fist and palm techniques, sabers, and swords. With a master teaching them by word and example, one could cultivate a martial skill to mastery within one or two years.

Of course, martial academies in the outer city had their limitations. The instructors themselves were not very strong, most of them merely Skin-Tempering Realm martial artists who had cultivated one or two external skills to perfection. Naturally, the disciples they taught could not become particularly strong either.

These martial academy disciples generally focused on cultivating a single external martial skill. Once they reached mastery or perfection, they were considered to have completed their training and could be regarded as ordinary martial artists of the jianghu.

Household martial instructors for wealthy families, escort agency guards, and minor gang leaders were generally martial artists of this kind. Among them, very few were Skin-Tempering Realm martial artists.

If one wished to cultivate more profound martial arts, one could only enter a martial academy in the inner city. Thus, the children of somewhat capable wealthy families either inherited martial arts from their families or trained from childhood under the family's household martial instructors. Once they had achieved something, they would then find a way to enter an inner-city martial academy.

What Chen Cheng lacked at present was an external martial skill, and a saber technique was his first choice. A mid-grade saber technique capable of cultivating saber intent was precisely what he needed now—the foundation upon which he could settle himself and make a living. He had to buy it.

"Fine, I'll buy it!" Chen Cheng answered after giving it some thought.

Qian Bin had not expected Chen Cheng to agree so readily. His eyes lit up again as he praised, "Brother Chen truly has courage!"

By all reason, Chen Cheng was only a lowly prison guard with meager wages. He did not even have the means to enter an outer-city martial academy to learn martial arts. Now that he suddenly possessed a fortune of a hundred taels of silver, the best choice should have been to enter an outer-city martial academy, take a master, and train.

Yet this lowly prison guard was willing to spend fifty taels of silver on a saber technique manual. Qian Bin could not help but view him in a new light.

"Brother Chen, do you need any other cultivation method manuals?" Acting on professional instinct, Qian Bin casually asked another question.

Chen Cheng thought for a moment, then asked, "Do you have any body-tempering method manuals? The cheapest one will do."

The Iron Garment Art was an internal breath method. Cultivating it did not interfere with cultivating other methods at the same time, and he planned to buy everything in one go.

"Of course we do." Qian Bin smiled cheerfully. He suddenly had the feeling that this young man before him was no lowly prison guard at all, but clearly a young master from a wealthy clan who spent money like dirt. Perhaps he was even the illegitimate son of some grand lord.

"This Iron Sand Skin-Tempering Method manual is quite good. It can be cultivated to perfection in the Skin-Tempering Realm, and the medicinal ingredients required for its decoction formula are not expensive either."

"How much?" Chen Cheng asked without changing expression.

With a beaming smile, Qian Bin replied, "Not expensive, not expensive. Since you are a valued guest of our shop, fifty taels of silver will do if you buy it."

"I can't afford it!" Chen Cheng's expression froze. He suddenly felt as if Brother Qian had mistaken him for some gullible fool.

"Uh..." Qian Bin was caught off guard and forcibly swallowed the speech he had prepared about how training both internally and externally was the proper path of martial cultivation.

Fortunately, Chen Cheng's next question spared him the awkwardness.

"Brother Qian, you seemed to say earlier that as long as I bought this Chasing Wind Saber Technique manual, you would give me another stroke of fortune. What kind of fortune is it?"