Changes

News of the sword transport being ambushed quickly spread throughout Hidden Sword Manor.

Even the brilliant morning sun seemed veiled by a faint haze.

That afternoon, Zhao Meng came to visit.

From him, Li Mu received more precise information about the casualties.

Only a dozen or so household servants who had recently broken through the first gate had been killed or injured. Martial instructors at the second gate and above, as well as formal disciples who had reached the third gate, were completely unharmed.

After all, the enemy was merely a band of mountain bandits. The talent they could recruit and the resources they possessed were destined to fall short of Hidden Sword Manor's foundations. Besides, this seemed to have been nothing more than a test.

Once one's strength reached a certain level, casualties naturally decreased.

"The new recruits from the other towers all suffered losses. When the year-end martial competition comes around, you'll have far fewer rivals," Zhao Meng said with a smile.

This sword transport had truly been perilous, but looking back, the other four towers had also sent new recruits out to gain experience. They had intended to collect some silver along the way and build up resources, yet before they could get the silver, several people had already been crippled.

As a result, Myriad Swords Tower was the only one with zero casualties in this sword transport mission. Forging Sword Tower had suffered the worst losses.

According to Zhao Meng, when Leng Shuangyu attended the discussion in the main hall, she could barely suppress the curve of her lips, while Ye Wanqing and Liu Yi's faces had turned green.

The outcome of the discussion was to raise the requirements for sword transport candidates.

Among the household servants, only those who had reached the first qi-blood gate and mastered the first move of the Water-Questioning Sword Manual could register.

Hidden Sword Manor certainly did not lack household servants, but they could not keep sending new recruits to their deaths.

For new recruits without talent or resources, this condition had become far harsher, drawing many sighs of regret. Still, they only sighed aloud. If they were truly asked to step up at a time like this, no one would dare answer. How many new recruits could break through a gate now? Cao A-Man was already a warning.

"This arrangement is reasonable," Li Mu said with a nod.

"It's October now. There isn't much time left before year's end, so hurry and break through. Keep an eye on the people on this list. In particular, pay attention to Liu Wuyou of Forging Sword Tower, Di Shuang of Night Watch Tower, and Zhong Dingyan of Sword Canon Tower. These three broke through even faster than Cao A-Man and have already begun cultivating the Water-Questioning Sword Manual. They also have some backing... Who knows what level they'll reach by year's end."

"Oh, and Liu Wuyou is Liu Yi's nephew."

Zhao Meng handed Li Mu a roster containing twenty names. It was clearly a list of the new recruits from the other four towers who required the most attention, along with brief notes on each of them.

Zhao Meng solemnly warned him that although these three publicly claimed to have only recently broken through, that was not actually the case. They had not been born servants and all had support behind them. They had likely broken through long ago, while their true progress in swordsmanship remained unknown. They were also using precious medicine to build their foundations.

Liu Wuyou in particular had followed Liu Yi out of Tyrant Blade Manor and joined Hidden Sword Manor. He likely still carried Tyrant Blade Manor's foundations with him. As for the other two, they came from the Di Family and Zhong Family, both of which had once operated martial arts schools. They should have inherited martial arts to rely on, yet had never revealed them to outsiders.

Li Mu carefully committed this to memory. If Zhao Meng had not secretly investigated, he truly would not have expected them all to be so skilled at concealing themselves. Even a household servant martial competition involved planting false information to numb one's opponents...

At the same time, Li Mu realized that others were probably keeping an eye on him as well.

There was still plenty of time before the year-end martial competition, and the rewards would be even more generous. He truly needed those resources. If he could take first place, he would not simply hand it over.

But Cao A-Man's crippling had made him even more vigilant. His current strength was still far from enough for him to draw attention. Then they could conceal themselves from one another...

During the night patrol, Li Mu found Meng Ling and briefly explained the situation.

"For the time being, I'm afraid I'm not qualified to transport swords to Azure River City. You can consider finding someone else to deliver the letter."

"Brother Mu, I only trust you." Meng Ling's expression shifted slightly, and she grew somewhat nervous. Once she understood that Li Mu was not trying to evade the matter, she immediately shook her head.

After what happened with Fan Rong, she had become deeply wary of everyone else. Only with Li Mu could she feel somewhat at ease.

She believed Li Mu would truly help her deliver the letter into her younger brother's hands and bring news back.

But she had no confidence in the other household servants, nor could she imagine what price they might demand to force her into compromise.

"Brother Mu." "Sister Meng." "Master Mu..."

As they spoke, the boys and girls passing by occasionally greeted them respectfully from afar. Yet none dared approach too closely, afraid of disturbing them.

Li Mu inadvertently noticed that quite a few sword-wiping slaves were looking at Meng Ling with envy.

There were two reasons for this.

First, without realizing it, Li Mu had become a rising talent among the household servants.

One only needed to look at the sword he wore. Even if they did not recognize Black Frost, they could tell from its scabbard that it was a high-grade treasured sword. What ordinary household servant could carry such a thing?

Moreover, after the Cao A-Man incident, the signs that Zhao Meng and his brother treated Li Mu differently had become even more obvious.

Especially after Cao A-Man had proudly revisited Myriad Swords Tower, only to become a cripple within a day of going out to transport swords. By contrast, Li Mu had been steadily improving in silence.

Whenever people casually mentioned the difference between the two, they could not help sighing. Li Mu was simply too composed. He scarcely touched wine or women and devoted himself to cultivation. His future was limitless.

If one could attach oneself to Li Mu now, the benefits went without saying...

Second, quite a few people had seen Meng Ling frequently going to Li Mu's residence, and many female slaves privately envied her.

Given their backgrounds, and without sufficient talent to compete for maidservant positions, their only hope was to attach themselves to a household servant. That way, if they were transferred to the laundry, they would still have someone to rely on. A fine young man like Li Mu was naturally their first choice.

Yet whenever these female slaves approached Li Mu, he would smile and reject them, whether intentionally or not. They could only sigh, wishing they could become Meng Ling...

The other young sword-wiping slaves had also changed their attitudes toward Meng Ling. In front of her, none dared speak frivolously, and all addressed her as "Sister Meng."

At this moment, Meng Ling looked at Li Mu with some concern, afraid he might be displeased by this. She hurriedly explained that she had not deliberately borrowed his influence and had never spoken of anything between them, begging him to believe her.

Li Mu waved a hand, unconcerned. Meng Ling's nervousness was not an act. Given her temperament, she truly would not have deliberately guided things this way.

He could not be bothered with what other people thought.

Thinking back to three months ago, he had still been silently wiping swords in the vast Myriad Swords Tower, racking his brain over the sword manual for Dripping Water Swordsmanship.

Now, he had become a sword-bearing household servant whom others called "brother" and "master."

The circumstances of those close to him had changed as well.

This is the benefit brought by increased strength. Li Mu's eyes gleamed faintly, but this small change was still far from the stability he desired.

Meng Ling watched Li Mu leave, her emotions churning. She could not help fretting again over what else she could do to repay his kindness. Yet Li Mu had never asked for anything, so she could only continue thinking about it in distress...

Inside the room, the oil lamp shone brightly.

Li Mu gripped Black Frost, and his heart stirred. His proficiency in the second move of the Water-Questioning Sword Manual had finally reached its limit.

Tonight, he would break through completely.

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

[Qi-Blood: 12.6↑]

He had already eaten all the Red-Scaled Python meat, and the accumulation of qi-blood had once again become incredibly slow.

Suppressing his slight anxiety, Li Mu focused his mind. The little figure in his mind was already wielding the sword techniques from beginner to mastery. The various essentials had become instantly clear the moment he reached 500 proficiency.

He suddenly swung his sword.

Black light flashed. With every cleave and slash came the sound of thunder and surging tides, blasting open whirlpools of air.

Whoosh!

Immediately afterward, he pushed off with both feet. Several acupoints running through his legs suddenly spurred his qi-blood into motion, sending him three steps backward in a single leap. He then slashed downward, unleashing two crescent moon-like sword arcs.

Brilliant black light swept past, and the astonishing sword force once more blasted apart billowing waves of air...

Li Mu landed lightly.

The second move, Moon-Severing over a Calm Lake! It was fully mastered!

[Water-Questioning Sword Manual: 1/1000 (Mastery)]

"It's time to record the sword manual and improve my talent again." Li Mu smiled. This was the part he looked forward to most after cultivating diligently every day.

The more he cultivated, the more he understood how precious talent was.

Li Mu once again entered the Sword Talisman Space with his consciousness, and a message suddenly appeared.

[Water-Questioning Sword Manual has been mastered and can be recorded.]