Basic Chopping

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Basic Chopping manifested on Zhou Ye's status panel shortly after his transmigration, when he was an undernourished corvée laborer with no formal martial training. He believed the skill had emerged from the original body's recent work chopping wood and gathering firewood. 1

While establishing Little Homestead, Zhou Ye confirmed that concentrated chopping with either an axe or woodcutter's knife could produce experience. He then discovered that practicing with a military waist saber was far more efficient, turning the skill from a survival tool into his primary means of self-improvement. 4 5

At the Proficient stage, Zhou Ye realized that Basic Chopping was not limited to a specific weapon. It was a shared foundation for cutting attacks with sabers, axes, swords, short swords, and greatswords. 11

Hunting and real combat accelerated its later growth. Zhou Ye gained experience by killing Bamboo Leaf Green snakes, fought off wolves, and ultimately relied on his perfected foundation during his battle with skilled thieves. 15 16 27 43

After reaching maximum level, Zhou Ye initiated the Ten Military Saber Forms and merged Basic Chopping into it, converting the completed basic skill's accumulated foundation into experience for the third-rate saber art. 28

Abilities & Skills

Foundational Chopping

Basic Chopping governs the fundamental mechanics of cutting and slashing rather than a fixed weapon style.

• Applies to sabers, axes, swords, one-handed short swords, and two-handed greatswords. 11
• Can complement thrusting fundamentals when a weapon style uses both cuts and thrusts. 11
• At the Proficient stage, it gave Zhou Ye practical knowledge of chopping methods and force application. 11
• It does not replace ranked martial arts, which include formal combinations and specialized methods of exerting force. 11

Training Efficiency and Limits

Zhou Ye's early experimentation established several practical rules for training the skill.

• Focused chopping with an axe or woodcutter's knife earned roughly 1 experience point per hour. 4
• A waist saber raised the rate to 1 experience point every fifteen minutes, or up to 8 points during a two-hour daily training period. 5
• Training beyond roughly two hours triggered an overdraft warning, risking damage to Zhou Ye's body and foundation. 5
• Simply slashing through the air with a machete remained inefficient, earning only 1 point in an hour. 5
• Killing Bamboo Leaf Green snakes awarded 2 experience points per kill. 15 16

Combat Applications

Basic Chopping became Zhou Ye's core close-combat foundation before he could properly cultivate the Ten Military Saber Forms.

• At Minor Accomplishment, Zhou Ye cleanly severed a Bamboo Leaf Green's head in a single strike. 15
• Upon entering the 0–1000 progress tier, Zhou Ye judged that his improved strength could let him handle five or six ordinary people at once. 20
• During his fight with a saber-wielding thief, Zhou Ye's maxed Basic Chopping compensated for the thief's superior Ten Military Saber Forms, allowing him to block attacks and create dangerous counterattacks. 43
• Zhou Ye later identified his perfected Basic Chopping, together with his superior agility and Basic Shield Strike, as a decisive reason he overcame the more experienced thief. 47

Integration

• Once Zhou Ye initiated the Ten Military Saber Forms, the panel allowed him to merge Basic Chopping into the saber art. 28
• The merger raised the Ten Military Saber Forms from Initiated (0/50) to Initiated (39/50). 28
• Unlike Basic Poison Technique, Basic Chopping displayed no “+” after reaching maximum level. 28