Armament

Inside a quiet room in the Sword Pavilion.

A look of astonishment appeared on the young woman's porcelain-white face.

The sword talisman she had drawn contained a drop of her own essence blood. Even from ten thousand miles away, she would be able to sense it.

Yet in the past ten years, she had never encountered anyone with peerless talent in the sword path who could cause this "sword talisman" to react.

Even her father, powerful as he was, did not know exactly what would happen once someone successfully entered through its gate.

He had only said that once someone gained entry, she would immediately sense their location and bring them back to the sect.

"Could it be... there really is someone..."

Jiang Qingxue's feelings were complicated, but she ultimately began to actively sense it.

She reached out with her senses toward the sword talisman she had personally drawn and refined, the one that had activated millions of miles away.

A moment later.

She opened her eyes in surprise.

"I can't sense it? Did he actually gain entry or not?"

Smoke rose from the incense burner, while strands of sword intent flowed through the quiet room like rays of light.

After much consideration, she still chose not to report this to her father.

Perhaps some unnoticed accident had occurred when she drew this sword talisman? Or perhaps this person had used some strange technique to stumble into it by chance...

"...The situation is unclear. I shouldn't make Father happy for nothing. I'll keep it to myself for now."

Jiang Qingxue's eyes shifted slightly as she decided to wait and see. After all, this matter was of great importance...

"There's no response anymore." Li Mu held the Golden Page and waited a little longer, unwilling to give up.

To the old man, he merely looked like he was frowning over a tattered sheet of yellow paper.

The old man could not help but say, "Young sir, I studied that yellow talisman in your hand for quite some time as well. I found no mystery in it, and it has nothing whatsoever to do with the contents of the sword manual. It isn't some 'swordsmanship divine intent diagram.' I originally planned to throw it away, but then I thought that since its former owner had tucked it inside the manual, perhaps there was a reason for it. That was why I kept it.

"But I advise you not to waste your effort. Put your energy into cultivating this old man's Flowing Shadow, Pursuing Wind Sword instead. At least the Liu family's swordsmanship will have a successor. Consider this original copy—it contains this old man's painstaking work..."

Good thing you didn't throw it away... Li Mu was speechless. An opportunity involving a golden sword manual had nearly been destroyed by someone else's passing whim.

In the end, he gave up, casually tucked the Golden Page into the nameless sword manual, set down six taels of silver, and carried away the two sword manuals amid the old man's regretful sighs.

Li Mu did not immediately leave the black market. Instead, he made another round of purchases, borrowed a secluded place, and changed his attire.

He openly converted every last bit of silver he had into things he wore on his body and carried in his hands, leaving not a single coin behind.

Only when silver was swiftly converted into combat strength did it truly belong to him.

With that, many of the eyes watching him in secret completely gave up.

The fat sheep had become a lean wolf armed to the teeth. It was no longer easy prey.

Thinking of Ji Hong, Li Mu felt somewhat uneasy, but he had gained nothing from inquiries related to the Sacred Buddha Temple.

He decided not to waste any more time. Returning to cultivate the sword manuals was the real priority.

Carrying a small bundle on his back, Li Mu returned to the Celestial River Inn, where the people of Hidden Sword Manor were staying.

"Brother Li Mu, you've gained quite a bit." Bu Zheng was seated at a table by the entrance, having ordered a large spread of dishes and a jug of fine wine.

An empty bowl and pair of chopsticks had been placed across from him. He had clearly been waiting for Li Mu.

Li Mu readily sat down. One look at Bu Zheng's expression told him that the matter had been settled.

"You didn't run into any trouble, did you?"

"None. Those two gangs are fighting fiercely, and we took the main road, so there wasn't the slightest trouble." Bu Zheng smiled. "Still, you really did change my fortunes. I'm afraid I ought to call you big brother now."

He was delighted and began recounting what had happened.

Bu Zheng had successfully escorted Xing Lishi to the Fishers' Guild, where he received a warm welcome from Xing Erlang, Xing Yuanjia's younger brother and the brother-in-law Xing Lishi had mentioned. Xing Erlang insisted on giving Bu Zheng and Li Mu two baskets of spirit fish, and asked Bu Zheng to bring a letter back to Xing Yuanjia, promising a generous reward.

It seemed Xing Erlang had made quite a name for himself in the Fishers' Guild. He had also learned martial arts, and he could keep all the spirit fish he earned for himself.

Before returning, Bu Zheng had been treated to a grilled fish. Once the fish meat entered his stomach, the qi and blood that had stagnated for years actually showed signs of loosening.

This thrilled him beyond measure. He was deeply grateful to Xing Erlang and even more eager to thank Li Mu.

Bu Zheng believed that without Li Mu, he would never have encountered such an opportunity. He had never imagined that spirit fish could improve his qi and blood.

It could only be said that Xing Erlang truly had a knack for catching fish. He was also extremely cautious. Unless someone was close to him, almost no one knew how valuable the spirit fish he caught were. He sold them all through the Fishers' Guild master who appreciated him.

"While you were gone, I went to the gambling house again. Not only did I win back my stake, I even made another two taels of silver. It's all thanks to you, brother. You have to let me pay for today's drinks." Bu Zheng poured Li Mu some wine. There was something he did not dare say aloud: he believed Li Mu was the person with a baleful star clashing with his fate, as the fortune teller had described. Otherwise, how could his destiny have changed? But it sounded far too unpleasant...

"Helping others out of loyalty and accumulating good deeds will surely bring rewards. Brother Bu, this has nothing to do with me." Li Mu clinked cups with him.

Yet both of them understood that in this world, there were countless cold-hearted and ungrateful people. Human warmth and coldness changed with circumstances. They had received such returns only because the Xing Family valued loyalty and righteousness.

Bu Zheng did not know the Xing Family, but he trusted Li Mu, whom Zhao Meng and Zhao Tuo thought highly of. He had helped out on that account, only to discover the Xing Family's loyalty and receive unexpected rewards, leaving him deeply moved.

If he had not met Li Mu, none of this would likely have happened.

"If you need anything in the future, just give the word." Bu Zheng spoke solemnly. No matter what, he had to repay Li Mu.

After they finished drinking, Bu Zheng delivered the fish basket to Li Mu's room and left without asking the slightest thing about Li Mu's affairs that day.

Li Mu shut the door, opened his bundle, and looked over his equipment once more.

Heavenly Silkworm Soft Armor, 30 taels.

Heavenly Silkworm Bracers, 10 taels.

Heavenly Silkworm Finger Guards, 10 taels.

Heavenly Silkworm Leg Guards, 10 taels.

Heart-Protecting Copper Mirror, 2 taels.

Wrist-Hidden Sleeve Sword, 10 taels.

He had already equipped all of them, greatly increasing his sense of security.

Though none were top-grade items, they were already the more suitable protective gear he could buy in the black market.

Inside the bundle.

Half-face fox mask, 1 tael.

A complete set of black clothing for concealment and disguise, 1 tael.

He found a black-market merchant to appraise the medicinal powder left behind by the Azure Dragon Gang, then traded it for other items. He kept only useful things such as sleeping incense, poison powder, antidote pills, and the like, spending another four taels.

As expected, he could not find a profound disguise technique like the one used by Wu Chen, the Faceless Blade. Li Mu had to make do by buying some cheap rouge and face powder from a street stall. If necessary in the future, he could apply it to his face, and no one would recognize him. That cost another tael.

One trip out of the city, and money flowed away like water. Li Mu had only just felt his purse grow heavier before it quickly shriveled again.

Fortunately, he had gained quite a lot on this trip.

Satisfied, Li Mu finally took out the two sword manuals and began reading them.

A faint white light rapidly flowed into his forehead, and Li Mu immediately understood their meaning.

[Thirteen Bone-Setting Swords: 0/100 (Flexible Bones)]

[Minimum requirement for entry-level (Flexible Bones) cultivation: Qi and blood 9.0 or above]

Then came the second manual. The shimmering green light upon it likewise poured into Li Mu's forehead in full.

[Flowing Shadow, Pursuing Wind Sword: 0/100 (Flow-Character Formula)]

[Minimum requirement for entry-level (Flow-Character Formula) cultivation: Qi and blood 10.0 or above]

For sword manuals of such a low tier, achieving enlightenment was now effortless for him and did not tax his mind in the slightest.

"Thirteen Bone-Setting Swords should be something I can enter immediately, right?" Li Mu glanced at his sword path talent, as high as "200.0 (Blue)," and smiled.

That indescribable sense of obscurity he had felt when he first encountered Dripping Water Swordsmanship would never appear again.

He suddenly rose with his sword and began practicing directly according to the insights that had appeared in his mind.

[Thirteen Bone-Setting Swords: 10/100 (Flexible Bones)]

[Thirteen Bone-Setting Swords: 20/100 (Flexible Bones)]

...

[Thirteen Bone-Setting Swords: 100/100 (Flexible Bones) → 10/500 (Hard Bones)]

After eleven practice rounds, Thirteen Bone-Setting Swords had reached entry level! The Flexible Bones sword force had formed!

Li Mu felt as if the great dragon of his spine had undergone a subtle change, becoming more supple.

The power of this swordsmanship was indeed rather ordinary. After a brief comparison, Li Mu found that it fell far short of Dripping Water Swordsmanship.

It could only be said that one could not judge the power of a sword art solely by its talent requirements and grade. Every sword art focused on different things.

The first acupoints this Thirteen Bone-Setting Swords required him to open were all located along the great dragon of the spine.

It was simply that this swordsmanship was far too weak when it came to mobilizing qi and blood. Even after reaching entry level, his qi and blood had not increased in the slightest.

Li Mu did not mind. So long as his physical body truly grew stronger, that was enough. At worst, it could still stack his sword path talent.

"Truly fast... High talent really is wonderful."

"Cultivating low-tier swordsmanship like this takes no effort at all. I can bring it to mastery tonight."

Li Mu was no longer in a hurry to cultivate the Water-Questioning Sword Manual. Sharpening the axe did not delay chopping wood. Building up his talent would make cultivation faster.

With a thought, Li Mu's consciousness entered the Sword Talisman Space.

[Thirteen Bone-Setting Swords has reached entry level and can be recorded]

Li Mu sat before the Sword-Inquiring Platform. Familiar with the process, he picked up his brush and began writing.

Ever since the Water-Questioning Sword Manual had reached the "minor accomplishment level," his cultivation progress had slowed. It had been quite some time since he had recorded a sword art.

As he wrote, Li Mu unexpectedly gained a slightly different understanding of the key points in Thirteen Bone-Setting Swords for tempering the great bones of the spine, refining them further.

[Entry-level Thirteen Bone-Setting Swords has been recorded. Sword path talent +20.0]

The number in the sword path talent column blurred, then became clear again.

[Sword path talent: 220.0 (Blue)]

"It rose by twenty points just like that." Li Mu smiled.

His talent had now completely surpassed Ye Puyuan, the core disciple leading the caravan and an inner court senior brother.

As a result, his cultivation speed for Thirteen Bone-Setting Swords increased directly to eleven proficiency points per practice.

Li Mu left the Sword Talisman Space and continued swinging his sword.

"Thirteen Bone-Setting Swords has four stages: Flexible Bones, Hard Bones, Tough Bones, and Shaking Bones."

"The cultivation requirement for the proficient-level 'Hard Bones' only rises to 'qi and blood 12 points.' It won't be difficult either."

Li Mu was full of drive, as though he could see talent beckoning to him.

[Thirteen Bone-Setting Swords: 10/500 (Hard Bones)]

[Thirteen Bone-Setting Swords: 21/500 (Hard Bones)]

[Thirteen Bone-Setting Swords: 32/500 (Hard Bones)]

...

[Thirteen Bone-Setting Swords: 500/500 (Hard Bones)]

"Fifty rounds, and the 'Hard Bones' proficiency is full."

A message appeared in his vision. Li Mu was very satisfied with this speed.

He became immersed in his practice and barely noticed time passing. Before he knew it, the night had grown deeper.

His talent was too high, and he had the foundation of peak-level Dripping Water Swordsmanship and minor accomplishment-level Water-Questioning Sword Manual. Combined with his current qi and blood of "15.3," cultivation came to him with extraordinary ease.

It was simply that this sword art contained thirteen sword moves and seventy-two forms, making it rather time-consuming.

Following the key points that surfaced in his mind, Li Mu's muscles and bones trembled. Sword force gathered along the blade, sending out a faint hum.

[Thirteen Bone-Setting Swords: 11/1000 (Tough Bones)]

The sword force of this art was ordinary, but it seemed to constantly temper the great dragon of his spine. Li Mu felt certain changes in his muscles and bones, and his control over his body became stronger, though he felt nothing more remarkable.

"Maybe it really is this useless. It's a wild-path sword art, so I can't expect too much from it." Li Mu gave up expecting anything more. It was already good enough that it could increase his talent.

His consciousness entered the Sword Talisman Space to record it, then emerged again.

His talent rose by another twenty points.

[Proficient-level Thirteen Bone-Setting Swords has been recorded. Sword path talent +20.0]

[Sword path talent: 240.0 (Blue)]

"Two hundred and forty points of talent. The proficiency has increased again..."

At this point, the cultivation speed of Thirteen Bone-Setting Swords had risen to "twelve proficiency points per practice."

Li Mu still had energy to spare, so naturally, he was unwilling to waste time that could strengthen him.