Mastery! Green Grade! Derivation Three: Reflecting Sword Platform!

Easy as anything, the morning passed by.

After the third bell rang, the upper floors erupted like a stampede. Over a hundred sword-wiping servants rushed downstairs, just as before.

As they passed the entrance, the sword-wiping servants instinctively slowed their steps and gave slight bows to the young man and the martial monk by the door.

There was now an extra hint of reverence in the way they looked at Li Mu.

Among them, Li Mu spotted several familiar faces.

Li Lanqiao, Meng Ling, Qi Zhun... The three of them noticed Li Mu as well. Their expressions differed slightly, yet they all carried the same traces of dejection, envy, and regret.

Four spots. If they had tried harder back then, would one of them have been theirs? Would they be the ones standing there in white now?

Li Mu knew what they were thinking, but to him, it was never a matter of trying hard enough.

Unless someone had hidden their strength as deeply as he had, their usual performances had already determined their rankings.

And with Hui Zhen receiving his guidance, even with average talent, he had been walking a path more correct than any of theirs. Naturally, his actual strength was greater.

So the true rankings had already been set the moment training ended on the final day.

Lunch.

After wolfing down three pieces of braised pork, two large bowls of white rice, and a large plate of stir-fried meat with sour bamboo shoots, Li Mu felt about eighty percent full.

After relying solely on cultivation to push his vitality and blood to 9.2, the aftereffects of his long-term malnutrition had surfaced.

His hunger had skyrocketed.

Unfortunately, extra dishes and rice cost extra money.

And he had not received his monthly wages yet, so he was a little broke.

After subtracting what he had stuffed into Zhao Tuo's hands, only two taels remained from his reward money. He needed to use it to buy Blood-Nourishing Powder.

His priority now was to break through the vitality-and-blood barrier as soon as possible.

On his way to the pharmacy, as he passed the small garden, Li Mu suddenly turned around and drew his sword with a clang. "Who is it?!"

His vitality and blood surged instantly, and the Minor Mastery-level sword stance of Violent Wind and Sudden Rain could strike at any moment.

"Li Mu, it's me!"

A petite figure hurriedly stepped out.

"Meng Ling?" Li Mu froze for a moment, sheathing his sword with a wary expression. "Why are you following me? What do you want?"

Meng Ling glanced around, then quickly approached and lowered her voice.

"I wanted to tell you to be careful of Fan Rong. You beat him fair and square in the arena, but he seems to have held a grudge ever since. When he pestered me yesterday, he let slip that he would soon show you just how formidable he is...

There were those murder cases before, and I'm a little worried... so I thought I should warn you. Lately, I've felt that something about him is strange. I don't know what he might do."

When Li Mu asked what exactly was strange, Meng Ling could not explain it. In the end, she vaguely revealed that she and Fan Rong had grown up together as childhood sweethearts. Fan Rong used to be reserved and would bottle everything up, but his temperament had changed somewhat recently.

"Thanks. I'll treat you to a slice of braised pork tonight."

Li Mu's impression of Meng Ling improved. He silently changed her label from "passerby" to "good person who delivers intelligence."

And he had always repaid kindness without delay. He could only painfully part with some meat.

"Huh?" Meng Ling blanked.

"Then I'll give you another half-slice. No more than that." Li Mu frowned.

"No, that's not..." Meng Ling rolled her eyes at Li Mu, then seemed to understand. Braised pork appeared to be something he treasured greatly...

"Anyway, be careful."

Meng Ling said no more and turned to leave.

Fan Rong, huh? That guy did indeed have something strange about him, though Li Mu could not put his finger on it... For now, he remained vigilant and resumed walking.

"Two packets of Blood-Nourishing Powder."

The same Doctor Xing was in the pharmacy. When he looked up and saw Li Mu, he was immediately surprised.

"Two months since we last met, and you've become a manor servant. This old man will give you a packet of Blood-Activating Powder."

"Blood-Activating Powder? Isn't it three taels..." Li Mu was stunned.

"A congratulatory gift." Doctor Xing took the silver and, without another word, tossed out a packet of medicinal ingredients. "You have a little of this old man's bearing from back in the day. Work hard."

Then, without even raising his head, he went back to reading.

Li Mu carried the medicine packets and looked at Doctor Xing's aged frame hidden within his white robe, feeling somewhat doubtful...

Still, who would turn down free silver? Li Mu clasped his fists in thanks before leaving.

The kettle boiled fiercely over the fire, releasing billows of steam.

Li Mu wrapped a towel around its handle and poured the water into a cup already filled with Blood-Activating Powder, forming a murky brown liquid.

Then, holding a book on the geography of the Azure River beneath the daylight, he slowly flipped through it while waiting for the medicine to cool.

"It's ready."

Li Mu gulped down the cooled medicine.

At once, a boiling sensation erupted from his abdomen and spread throughout his body. The feeling was far stronger than when he had taken Blood-Nourishing Powder before!

"I need to practice swordsmanship immediately."

Li Mu's face had turned red. If the medicinal power throughout his body could not be dispersed, his vitality and blood could easily become disordered and damage his body instead.

He immediately drew his sword and began practicing!

After an entire afternoon, the unusual flush on Li Mu's face finally faded.

[Vitality and Blood: 9.5↑ (medicinal power being digested)]

[Dripping Water Swordsmanship: 1996/2000 (Minor Mastery)]

"I have to rest. I'll break through tonight."

"My vitality and blood rose by 0.3 just like that?! It wouldn't increase no matter how I trained before... Looks like I still need potent medicine."

Li Mu let out a slow breath, feeling more keenly than ever the importance of wealth in martial training.

This was only low-grade Blood-Activating Powder, and it already cost three taels of silver. The farther he advanced, the more expensive the potent medicines he needed would become.

How could ordinary people afford that?

Seeing that it was already dark outside, Li Mu knew that after dinner, he would be on night duty.

At that thought, intense hunger surged up again, and Li Mu could not help but smile bitterly.

"Only Hidden Sword Manor could afford this. Otherwise, feeding this many manor servants alone would bankrupt them..."

Night had fallen, and the cool breeze drifted through the air.

A sword-bearing youth carried a red lantern as he followed a burly figure wandering casually through the Myriad Swords Tower area.

"Li Mu, let me tell you, your Brother Tuo is the dream man of all those girls in the laundromat... But you're quite handsome too. You look completely different after changing clothes. Believe it or not, if you went to the laundromat tonight, those little vixens would suck your marrow dry..."

Zhao Tuo proudly bragged about the exploits of the Laundromat Sword God, while Li Mu smiled and humored him.

When the timing seemed right, he quickly threw out the question that had been on his mind.

Zhao Tuo was stunned when he heard it. "You want a map of the area around Hidden Sword Manor? Preferably one marked with places where bandits or fierce beasts appear?"

"That's precious stuff. My brother has one, but if you want it, you'll need this much."

Zhao Tuo held out one hand.

"Five taels?"

"Fifty taels!!!" Zhao Tuo snapped irritably. "Five taels? This can save your life! Can five taels buy your life?"

"Only experienced veterans have maps like these, and they never sell them casually."

"I'm only telling you because it's you, kid. Don't let this leak out."

Fifty taels... Li Mu was speechless.

How many years would he have to save before he could afford it?

But Zhao Tuo was right. This was not some ordinary martial manual, but genuine, constantly updated survival knowledge.

"You want to go hunting for some extra money, but you don't want to run into bandits, do you?" Zhao Tuo suddenly asked.

Li Mu immediately gave an embarrassed laugh. "Brother Tuo, you have to help me. My pockets are empty right now..."

"Which of us manor servants, with a bit of martial skill, hasn't thought about it?" Zhao Tuo smiled knowingly. "How about this? Once you break through the vitality-and-blood barrier, and can't get an escort-the-swords assignment, I'll take you on a trip."

Li Mu's spirits rose, and he quickly said, "Brother Tuo, it's a deal."

"In any case, you need to be strong enough before I can take you." Zhao Tuo patted Li Mu on the shoulder. "All right, that's enough for today. Want to have a drink together?"

So soon?

Li Mu was stunned. They had not even made a few rounds before they were slipping off? No wonder no one noticed when four people were killed on that rainy night. Night duty was this lax...

"What are you panicking for? The Night Watch Tower people are here. Night duty was never our main responsibility anyway. Leave everything to them."

Zhao Tuo pointed at several lanterns slowly drifting over in the distance.

Li Mu understood. He could only say that slacking off was human nature. If people could do less work, who would do more?

After vaguely declining Zhao Tuo's invitation, Li Mu quietly returned beneath the century-old banyan tree.

With no one around, he prepared to reach mastery in one stroke.

[Dripping Water Swordsmanship: 2000/2000 (Minor Mastery)]

The instant the swordsmanship filled up, an image flashed through his mind. In it, an endless curtain of rain covered everything.

The principles of exertion were reorganized once more, with demands even higher and more difficult than before.

Watching the small figure in his mind practice swordsmanship, Li Mu had no doubt that if his vitality and blood had not reached above "9," he would not have been able to execute this sword strike at all.

Fortunately, every condition had been met.

His body suddenly moved, and his great spine shook like a dragon.

His vitality and blood erupted! Every ounce of strength in his body poured into his arms!

In an instant, the sound of tearing wind rose, and sword shadows layered upon sword shadows.

Within a single breath, he thrust thirty-six times.

One hundred and eight tiny whirlwinds rippled outward.

They shot out in a dense barrage, like pear blossoms beneath a violent rainstorm.

They swept up the leaves overhead and ground them into fine powder, which glittered as it drifted down.

The words on the Sword Register blurred, then became clear.

[Dripping Water Swordsmanship: 2000/2000 (Mastery)]

The Mastery-level sword stance, "Endless Rain Curtain," was complete!

He had finally trained Dripping Water Swordsmanship to its limit.

And all of this had taken only three months.

Without the slightest delay, Li Mu quickly returned to his small room. His consciousness entered the Sword Talisman Space, and he sat down before the Sword-Inquiring Platform.

[Dripping Water Swordsmanship has reached Mastery and can be recorded]

Ignoring the notification, his hand was already moving like the wind.

A moment later, the experience of the entire Dripping Water Swordsmanship manual had been completely recorded.

A booklet radiating white light abruptly appeared on the table.

[Mastery-level Dripping Water Swordsmanship fully recorded. Sword Dao Talent +10]

[Dripping Water Swordsmanship (White) fully recorded. Sword Dao Talent +40]

[Sword Dao Talent: 50.0 (Green)]

"Green grade. My talent is already equal to Leng Shuangyu's!"

Li Mu smiled.

At that moment, a clear sword cry thundered through the air.

'With a brush, one may write a register of ten thousand swords; with one sword, one may stand against a million armies.'

'Only after swinging the sword ten thousand times can one prove a sword heart; only by seeing through life and death can one obtain the true fruit.'

'See through true intent, and you may ascend the peak.'

'Derivation Three: Reflecting Sword Platform.'

The ball of white light atop the black iron table suddenly rose into the air and fell onto the massive boulder beside it.

Its radiance blazed.