Ripples

The next morning, at the crack of dawn, steward Leng Shuangyu came again to arrange a large batch of sword storage.

However, she seemed to be in a terrible mood; it was written all over her face.

Just like last time, eight boxes were packed.

But this time, the seventh-tier sword rack under Li Mu's care was not selected.

Those whose racks had been selected could not help but show a hint of anticipation.

After all, those who had done well last time had received a full tael or two of silver as a reward.

As usual, no problems were found after the spot check.

"Mm, you've learned the rules."

Leng Shuangyu said coldly, "Do your duties properly, or the whip will serve you, and you'll be expelled from the manor!"

With that, she waved a hand and had the boxes carried away.

The others were somewhat disappointed, but they also understood that a single reward could amount to ten taels of silver. It could not happen every time; it depended entirely on the steward's mood.

But if they did poorly, the whip would certainly not spare them.

"That's what it means to be a servant. Whether you're rewarded or punished depends on a superior's whim. You have to watch other people's faces; nothing is in your own hands."

Li Mu silently returned to his workstation.

Soon. This tail-wagging, begging existence would change in two months at the latest.

As he wiped the swords, he looked forward to the afternoon's practice.

He had an idea that needed testing.

"Splash!"

Bucket after bucket of water was poured onto the ground. The bluestone slabs hissed, giving off faint white vapor.

The sweltering heat eased considerably.

The training ground was used by Li Mu and the others, so they naturally had to maintain it.

After cleaning up, Li Mu drew a practice iron sword from the rack. He went to a shaded corner and eagerly began practicing.

After running through the complete routine once, the proficiency of Dripping Water Swordsmanship jumped from "1/1000 (Proficient)" to "4/1000 (Proficient)."

"Just as I expected. Improved talent can accelerate cultivation."

Li Mu smiled.

Previously, his swordsmanship talent had been 10.0. Each complete practice routine could only earn him 1 point of proficiency.

After it rose to 20.0, he gained 2 points per run. Now, it had increased again to 3 points each time.

He could basically derive the formula: swordsmanship talent ÷ sword manual entry talent = the proficiency gained from each practice of that swordsmanship.

In other words, the higher his talent, the faster Li Mu would cultivate.

And there were no bottlenecks.

This is outrageous. Li Mu was secretly delighted.

It truly was outrageous. According to instructor Zhao Meng, why was martial arts training so difficult for ordinary people? Because it was easy to remember things incorrectly, practice incorrectly, and fail to grasp the essence. That was why they needed guidance from famous masters. Yet even that was not enough—there would still be martial arts bottlenecks.

Swordsmanship was the easiest to learn and the hardest to master.

One only had to look at the talent-testing schedule set by instructor Zhao Meng. Taking one month to reach the entry level in Dripping Water Swordsmanship counted as passing; only those who reached proficiency within three months could take the household servant assessment.

The proficiency requirements also made it clear. Reaching entry level required only 100 points, while proficiency required 500. To reach Minor Mastery now, he needed 1,000 points.

The farther one progressed, the harder martial arts became to cultivate, and the harder it was to break through bottlenecks.

But none of that was a problem for Li Mu.

As long as he had enough sword manuals and enough time to cultivate and record them—

his swordsmanship talent could stack without limit!

Others became less able to master anything the more they learned.

But Li Mu needed to learn as much as possible. Only by stacking talent could he seize the lead!

"Besides, once swordsmanship reaches the Proficient level, it can increase vitality and blood."

"I wonder if learning more sword arts means accumulating more vitality and blood?"

But there was no way to answer that question right now.

He could only wait until he became a household servant and had the chance to learn a few more sword arts in the Scripture Tower to test it.

After that, Li Mu completely immersed himself in sword practice.

Watching his proficiency rise by 3 points each time, he was deeply satisfied.

With normal practice and appropriate rests to regulate his breathing, he could practice fifteen times a day.

That was 45 proficiency points a day. He would reach Minor Mastery in less than a month!

Looking around, Li Mu found the sword-practicing progress and routines of the other ten people somewhat clumsy.

With the enhancement of Clear Sword Eyes, and with his proficiency a full level above the others', watching them practice swordsmanship felt like a middle school student watching elementary school students solve problems. He had a strong urge to go over and offer guidance.

However, Wang Que was already showing off, instructing Si Xiaoshuang and Meng Ling. From time to time, he even stood behind them and taught them hand in hand.

Noticing Li Mu looking over, Wang Que smiled. "Junior Brother Li Mu, need some pointers?"

They were only about thirty paces apart. Wang Que's voice was full and strong, deliberately loud enough for Li Mu to hear clearly.

Li Mu shook his head and cupped his fists in response before looking away.

At this rate, I can reach Minor Mastery before the assessment. Wang Que's vitality and blood can be at most 1 point higher than mine. Crushing him shouldn't be a problem.

Minor Mastery sword intent should also be enough to slightly narrow the gap in vitality and blood between Cao A-Man and me, right?

"Woodhead, once you become a household servant, you'll shed your slave status. Your monthly pay will rise, and you'll have much more freedom. If you get the chance to leave the manor someday, what do you want to do?"

"I haven't thought about it. What about you?"

Inside the wooden shed, Li Mu drank rice porridge and casually chatted with Hui Zhen.

Hui Zhen smiled. "This is something this little monk has truly thought about carefully."

"My master once told me, 'Hui Zhen, I don't know whether it was right or wrong for me to bring you back. These times are too bitter, and no one even comes to offer incense at our little ruined temple anymore. In the future, don't be a monk. Settle down and start a family properly.'"

"I thought that if I became skilled in swordsmanship, I would find those bandits and avenge my master."

"After taking revenge, I'd save money, marry a wife in the outer city of Azure River City, have a big, chubby son, then burn incense and tell Master that everything was well."

Hui Zhen smiled, as though sand had gotten into his eyes, and wiped at the corners of them.

"Sounds good." Li Mu nodded.

In times like these, being able to achieve that much was already the dream of many people.

If not for the Great Expansion Sword Register, Li Mu would also have thought carefully about how to live out this life safely and happily in this world.

But things were different now.

He wanted to climb higher.

Sooner or later, he wanted to see what this world was like—and what the scenery at the peak of martial arts looked like.

"Finish eating, quick! The Forging Sword Tower sent over two hundred sword blanks. They need to be dealt with immediately!" A household servant jogged over and shouted loudly.

"Sword blanks?" "The Forging Sword Tower has always handled sword blanks themselves. Why have they sent them to us?"

Discussion immediately broke out.

The job was not particularly difficult, but it required time and strength.

They had already worked all day and usually ate little to begin with. Anyone who could rest wanted to rest, not to mention that this work was not supposed to be theirs.

"What are you babbling about? Move it! Want a taste of the whip?"

A tall figure rose from a bench in the shed and cracked a whip against the ground.

It was Zhao Tuo. Among the household servants of Myriad Swords Tower, he was the most ruthless when it came to beating people.

Everyone shrank their necks and dared not say another word. They hurriedly finished their meals and rushed back to work at Myriad Swords Tower.

Several boxes of sword blanks sat on the first floor of Myriad Swords Tower, gleaming with metallic luster beneath the candlelight.

Everyone sat on the ground around them, each taking two sword blanks. They wiped them with all their strength, then took out whetstones and vigorously ground them down.

Li Mu could only follow suit. He found it quite strenuous, far more exhausting than wiping swords.

Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong!

Five bell chimes suddenly rang out! Everyone looked up.

Steward Leng Shuangyu suddenly appeared and shouted coldly, "Stop what you're doing. Send the sword blanks back wherever they came from."

Zhao Tuo hurriedly stepped forward. "Steward Leng, these are from Steward Ye at the Forging Sword Tower—"

"Do my words mean nothing?!"

Before Zhao Tuo could finish, Leng Shuangyu cut him off. Her tone was higher and colder than usual.

Anyone could sense the anger in her voice.

Zhao Tuo was silenced on the spot.

"I'll say it one more time. Send the sword blanks back wherever they came from!"

"Yes!"

"If the Forging Sword Tower sends any more, tell them to come find me!" Leng Shuangyu threw down those words, flicked her sleeve, and left.

Zhao Tuo nodded and bowed as he saw Leng Shuangyu off. Then his expression changed, and he turned around angrily. "Didn't you hear the steward? Pack up the sword blanks and send them back to the Forging Sword Tower!"

Everyone was slightly stunned. Only after Zhao Tuo roared again did they hurriedly comply...

Things between the stewards in this manor aren't peaceful either.

Li Mu watched Leng Shuangyu's figure gradually disappear into the night, his gaze flickering.

The sparse clouds drifted apart, and moonlight spilled across the bluestone slabs.

Tree shadows swayed across the entire training ground. The moonlight was bright and pure, creating a rather poetic atmosphere.

More than ten figures trained silently, with the occasional sound of discussion and laughter.

With no work to do, everyone was seizing the time to practice swordsmanship.

Li Mu hid in the shadows. He did not use sword intent, only practiced the moves, slowly increasing his proficiency without drawing anyone's attention.

[Dripping Water Swordsmanship: 51/1000 (Proficient)]

After charging all the way to 50 proficiency points in one go, Li Mu panted lightly. Feeling the fatigue in his muscles and bones, he knew he had to stop for the day.

"Mm? My vitality and blood increased."

Li Mu examined the Sword Register and froze for a moment, pleasantly surprised.

[Vitality and Blood: 5.9↑]

"After entering the Proficient level, the rate at which I accumulate vitality and blood really has increased."

This was his greatest gain today.

Very soon, just like Hui Zhen, he would reach 6.0 vitality and blood.

Such a small increase had little effect on his strength or body. He could barely feel any change at all.

"Take it slowly. Change is a good thing." Li Mu smiled. No matter how small the improvement, it was still improvement.

His progress was more solid than anyone else's!