Genius

Beside them, Tian Zeyi, Guan Gu, Jiao Yang, and the others also began sharing their experiences from past martial contests. Whether they had won or lost, they all spoke with a touch of emotion.

Li Mu and Hui Zhen listened, broadening their horizons considerably.

By the time everyone had talked their fill and gone home, it was already late at night.

Zhao Tuo watched Li Mu leave, but instead of returning to his own room, he excitedly knocked on Zhao Meng's door. Huff, huff...

Inside, the sound of breathing was like a tiger's—deep and forceful.

Having consumed powerful medicine, Zhao Meng's blood and qi steadily accumulated as apertures throughout his body were continuously opened.

"Big Brother!"

Suddenly, the door was pounded hard.

Zhao Meng frowned, ceased his cultivation, and opened the door.

The smell of alcohol hit him head-on. Zhao Tuo stood there red-faced and smiling.

Still drinking? You hopeless wretch!!

Zhao Meng flew into a rage and raised his hand to strike.

"Big Brother, Li Mu!!"

Zhao Tuo hurriedly shouted. The vicious slap instead landed on his shoulder.

"What happened to Li Mu? Speak!" Zhao Meng frowned. Ever since Cao A-Man had been poached away, he had kept an eye on Li Mu. The latter had always behaved himself, cultivating quietly and never provoking anyone. Could Forging Sword Tower have gone too far?

"Li Mu is a fine seedling! Big Brother, you've really struck gold!" Zhao Tuo burst into laughter and recounted what had happened that night.

"What did you say? Li Mu's Dripping Water Swordsmanship has already reached Minor Accomplishment?" Zhao Meng was shocked as well. This talent might not be outrageous, but it already surpassed that of the poached Cao A-Man—and was even better than his own!

Li Mu had always kept a low profile, improving steadily without showing off. He had never acted fiercely, competed recklessly, or grown impatient. In Zhao Meng's eyes, he had been a reliable talent of above-average aptitude, progressing step by step.

It had already pleasantly surprised him when Li Mu used skill to overcome strength, defeated Fan Rong, and took second place.

He had not expected an even greater surprise to be waiting for him.

"Good, good!" Zhao Meng laughed aloud as well.

This kid had not let down the expectations of Manager Leng and himself.

Delighted, Zhao Meng reached for his younger brother's ear and gave it a vicious twist.

"Ah..." Zhao Tuo's face immediately fell, and the root of his ear was twisted red. He had clearly brought good news, so why was he still being punished?

"Wine and women harm people. How many times do I have to say it?" Zhao Meng sneered.

"You got Li Mu drunk like this. If his blood and qi breakthrough is damaged, I'll break every bone in your body!"

"I..." Zhao Tuo felt utterly wronged.

"Starting today, you're going into seclusion. You're not allowed to go anywhere. I gave you powerful medicine, yet you're still drinking and dragging down a good seedling like Li Mu. Listen carefully: if you don't break through the second barrier, don't even think about coming out! I'll speak to the manager."

Zhao Meng kicked Zhao Tuo away and locked him back in his room.

Then he looked toward Li Mu's little house, his eyes gleaming.

Perhaps Li Mu really could help him win back some face and shine brilliantly in the servants' martial contest at the end of the year.

When Li Mu woke up from a long sleep, he still felt a little groggy.

"Sure enough, you can't drink too much."

"Fortunately, I've broken through in blood and qi. My body can circulate blood and qi far faster than ordinary people, so it's easy to disperse the alcohol..."

After getting up, washing, gulping down water, and eating a tael or two of Red-Scaled Python meat, warmth quickly surged through his body. He immediately began practicing his swordsmanship.

Now that he knew the Water-Questioning Sword Manual could also encompass movement techniques and assassination, he did not want to waste a single moment.

But he had not practiced for long before Zhao Meng arrived.

"Good kid, and you didn't even tell me you'd reached Minor Accomplishment." He watched Li Mu practice swordsmanship despite his arms being wrapped in bandages, and the more he looked, the more satisfied he became.

"Instructor, I only broke through by chance. Look." Li Mu smiled bashfully.

"You could spar with others last night and practice swordsmanship again today. Looks like your injuries won't delay your sword training. Come with me. I'll teach you the first form of the Water-Questioning Sword Manual." Without waiting for an answer, Zhao Meng pulled him outside.

Once outside, Zhao Meng suddenly drew his sword.

"The first form: Thunder-Hearing Tide Severance."

Thunder roared as tides rose and fell. It was exactly the same as what Li Mu had mastered.

"The second form: Moon-Severing over a Calm Lake. The third form: Yellow Dragon Spits Emerald. The fourth form: Dream Spring Tiger Run."

Next, Zhao Meng's body moved like flight, sword shadows scattered in disarray. One moment he was left, the next right; one moment forward, the next behind. His movement technique had reached a level where Li Mu could no longer see him clearly, while his sword momentum was even more perilous and unpredictable. Li Mu had no idea where the next strike would come from.

Li Mu felt that if he were caught within it, he would not be able to receive even one move. Within a few exchanges, he would certainly die.

"This is the power of the Water-Questioning Sword Manual at Great Accomplishment."

Li Mu's heart shook, his eyes shining.

This was the swordsmanship he wanted!

"With your comprehension, you should be able to understand some of it. Before becoming a formal disciple, even I cannot obtain the sword manual for the Water-Questioning Sword Manual. I can only ask Manager Leng for a copied version to study whenever I complete a stage, then return it afterward. So you can only come find me whenever you encounter something you don't understand in your training." Zhao Meng sighed.

Hearing this, Li Mu silently took out a sword manual. "Instructor, I have one."

"You..." When Zhao Meng saw that Li Mu actually possessed a copied version of the Water-Questioning Sword Manual, he nearly cursed aloud.

For the first time, he felt that things were so unfair.

"Manager Leng gave it to you?"

"On the night Fan Rong mutated, I killed him. This was a reward from Manager Leng." Li Mu answered honestly. There was nothing to hide about it. He then showed Black Frost. "This sword too."

"You kid..." Zhao Meng stared wide-eyed. He could not help feeling a little envious of Li Mu. Back then, he had never received rewards this generous!

Still, Leng Shuangyu had always been a very free-spirited person. Whenever she was pleased, she never begrudged rewards. It was simply her style.

"Fine. Then study it properly, and don't disappoint Manager Leng's high regard! Also, how is your blood and qi accumulation?"

"I should have a chance to challenge the first blood and qi barrier in ten days to half a month," Li Mu said after some consideration.

"Hurry up. One step behind means every step behind. If your blood and qi can't keep up, cultivating the Water-Questioning Sword Manual will become extremely difficult.

"When challenging the blood and qi bottleneck, avoid using powerful medicine if you can. Only by relying on yourself can you go farther. Otherwise, future breakthroughs will only become harder and harder.

"If there's truly no other way, go buy a Blood-Exchange Pill. Medicine for breaking through the first barrier isn't expensive, only ten taels of silver. If that isn't enough, go ask Zhao Tuo."

Zhao Meng knew that Li Mu had received quite a few rewards, so he should be able to scrape together enough to buy a dose of powerful medicine.

Zhao Meng himself was not well-off either, so naturally he could not promise to provide everything.

"Thank you, Instructor." Li Mu had also come to understand what Zhao Meng meant. That was why he had wanted to rely on himself, but in the end, he had resigned himself to using that strand of white sword qi directly.

He felt that the sword qi generated by the Great Expansion Sword Register was highly extraordinary. Its quality should be far superior to powerful medicine, so he might not need to buy a Blood-Exchange Pill.

Even after so long, he could still feel the sword qi tempering his body. However, the pain had already vanished, and there were no other side effects.

In the blink of an eye, seven days passed.

News came from Forging Sword Tower that Cao A-Man had broken through the blood and qi barrier. Breaking through the first blood and qi barrier after just over a hundred days of sword practice was an extremely dazzling achievement among newly recruited servants of the past thirty years.

Of course, he could not compare to the direct descendants of Hidden Sword Manor, who came from distinguished backgrounds and had enjoyed medicinal baths and meat from birth. But among this group of servants, he was practically one in a million.

This news was deliberately sent to Myriad Swords Tower, sparking discussion among the servants.

"They're deliberately showing off, mocking our tower for not being capable of nurturing a 'genius' like Cao A-Man."

"They squeezed us dry for resources and stole our spots, and they still have the nerve? Now only two new recruits are left in our tower, yet they come here to rub our faces in it. They've gone too far."

"I heard they even snatched one of our sword-transport slots this time, all to let Cao A-Man go out and gain experience."

"This is outrageous! Myriad Swords Tower might as well be shut down and merged away! We're all in the same manor—do they really have to go this far?"

All kinds of news spread through Myriad Swords Tower. Zhao Tuo and Hui Zhen also occasionally brought him information and asked about Li Mu's progress.

Li Mu was unaffected. He continued keeping a low profile, slowly revealing that his Dripping Water Swordsmanship was nearing Great Accomplishment while he was still exploring the Water-Questioning Sword Manual.

He practiced swordsmanship, stood watch in the tower, and patrolled at night as usual.

Cao A-Man returned once as well. He wandered around Myriad Swords Tower and wanted to invite Li Mu to spar. Though he wore the same guileless smile as always, anyone could see the triumphant, high-spirited pride about him.

Naturally, Li Mu did not accept. He knew that Cao A-Man still harbored resentment over Manager Leng paying more attention to him that day, and had come deliberately to display the results of his cultivation and compete with him in secret.

However, there was no real enmity between them. Li Mu would not expose his strength over such a petty contest of pride. With his current strength, he no longer needed to care about Cao A-Man.

Cao A-Man seemed to have expected the refusal and did not press the matter.

Seeing Li Mu back down, he felt satisfied. He no longer thought there was anything worth fussing over.

In his eyes, Li Mu was already far beneath him.

He then asked, "I'll be joining the sword-transport mission and heading to Azure River City soon. We trained together, so we're fellow disciples in a way. Is there anything you want me to bring back? Just say the word."

Li Mu shook his head with a smile. He could get anything he wanted himself. As for Meng Ling's letter, after thinking it over, he felt it would be more appropriate to deliver it personally.

"What a pity. If you'd come to Forging Sword Tower too and received Instructor Liu's guidance, mastered the Iron-Forging Aperture-Piercing Method, you probably would've broken through soon as well. Then we could transport swords together." Cao A-Man seemed genuinely regretful.

"I hear things have been rather unsettled lately." Li Mu smiled and casually told Cao A-Man to be careful of bandits.

This was also why he was not in a hurry to reveal that he had reached the first blood and qi barrier. Leaving the manor in haste right now felt very unsafe.

"Let the bandits come. My sword isn't dull either." Cao A-Man was extremely confident. Recently, many people had praised him, greatly boosting his confidence. Besides, after practicing swordsmanship for so long, he had never seen blood. He was itching to try.

Li Mu said no more. Cao A-Man left happily.

As he watched Cao A-Man walk away, information from the Great Expansion Sword Register appeared before Li Mu's eyes.

[Water-Questioning Sword Manual: 481/500 (Beginner)]

[Blood and Qi: 12.1↑ (Exotic beast meat digesting)]

Looking at the fruits of his cultivation these past days, he could not help smiling.

He was getting closer and closer to completing the second form of the Water-Questioning Sword Manual.

The first strand of white sword qi had been completely digested. Not only had it helped him break through, it had also increased his blood and qi by a full 2 points. Though the Red-Scaled Python meat had contributed as well, Li Mu knew that exotic beast meat could not produce such rapid, intense results. Its effects were gradual and long-term, and they were limited by one's physique.

Otherwise, those people who ate even better exotic beast meat every day would have seen their blood and qi soar long ago.

Still, his build had grown increasingly tall and sturdy. The muscles all over his body had become stronger too, to the point that he was almost unable to conceal them.

"Keep cultivating. Once the second form is complete, it'll be about time to reveal my strength at the first blood and qi barrier. Then I can begin sparring and gain real combat experience."

Li Mu's plan was clear.

On the official road to Azure River City, camphor trees, pines, and cypresses grew thickly along both sides. Numerous gullies carved by rainwater were scattered along the route.

Within the dense forest, canopies overlapped high above, rising more than ten meters tall. Wild grass and shrubs grew unchecked beneath the trees.

Figures hid among them, watching the slowly approaching convoy from afar.

Yellow flagpoles stood throughout the convoy, their banners bearing the large characters: Hidden Sword.

The sword-transport convoy of Hidden Sword Manor had been traveling for half an hour, and the journey had been smooth so far.

"Cao A-Man, I heard Manager Ye poached you from Myriad Swords Tower and gave you quite a few rewards. That really makes people jealous."

"With your physique, you'll probably have a chance to challenge the second barrier in less than half a year. No, in three months."

"If you take first place among the new recruits in the year-end martial contest, don't forget us brothers. You'll have to treat us to drinks."

"What are you saying, Senior Brothers? I'm still far from that."

Several people from Forging Sword Tower chatted idly. Cao A-Man responded with a guileless grin, enjoying the feeling.

Everyone was relaxed, drinking and laughing, completely unaware of the figures hiding nearby...