Basic Swordsmanship, Fifth Tier!

After buying five thousand kilograms of rice and bringing it home, Molly moved the living room furniture into the corners, clearing a space to stack the bags of rice.

Once that was done, Molly poured out two bags of rice, took a deep breath, and focused.

"Extraction!"

She pointed a fingertip at the pile of rice, and a milky-white light flared.

The rice in the pile visibly lost its sheen, shriveling and turning yellow before finally crumbling into powder.

At Molly's fingertip, a cloud of milky-white Rice Essence gathered, growing denser by the moment.

[Extraction Method proficiency +1 +1 +1...]

Molly's movements grew more practiced, while Warrior's Breathing Technique rapidly restored the mental energy she expended.

Before long, Molly had repeated the process until the mountain of rice had become a heap of gray-brown powder.

Floating before her were fifty fist-sized clouds of Rice Essence.

Each gave off a rich aroma of rice and was pure, without a trace of impurity.

Molly looked at the Rice Essence and nodded in satisfaction.

But the next moment, she frowned.

Though the Rice Essence had taken shape, it was still gaseous and extremely fragile.

She blew on it gently, and the cloud nearest the edge wavered, showing signs of dissipating.

"No, this won't do."

Molly muttered to herself:

"This essence escapes too easily. Leave it overnight, and I bet half of it will be gone."

She tried wrapping a cloud of essence in a plastic bag, but it didn't work well.

The bag held the essence for a while, but within a minute, it began to vanish for no apparent reason.

Molly stared at the fifty clouds of Rice Essence with a worried frown, trying to work out how to store them.

"Should I just break through to Fifth-Tier Basic Swordsmanship, then eat all this Rice Essence?"

As she pondered, the Transformation Device on her right wrist suddenly began to flash with a faint blue light.

The light grew brighter until it formed a virtual screen before Molly's eyes.

The screen was divided into empty slots, with a small label in the upper right corner:

[System Inventory]

Molly's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Holy crap! This wristband has an inventory?"

She reached out and gingerly touched the screen.

It was smooth and slightly cool to the touch. It was actually solid.

Molly's heart began to race.

She tried using her mind to place a cloud of Rice Essence inside it.

The next second, something incredible happened.

As if answering a summons, the cloud of Rice Essence zipped into an inventory slot and stayed there, with no sign of dissipating.

Molly was stunned.

"Has this wristband come to life? Can it understand me?"

She had no time to dwell on it. Using her mind, she hurriedly put the remaining forty-nine clouds of Rice Essence into the System Inventory.

Seeing them neatly arranged inside, Molly finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good. Now I don't have to worry about the essence escaping."

She closed the System Inventory. The Transformation Device's blue glow faded, and it returned to its ordinary appearance.

Molly stretched her limbs, an eager smile tugging at her lips.

She had plenty of energy in reserve. It was time to break through to Fifth-Tier Basic Swordsmanship!

At a thought, silver-white light flashed, and she took on the form of Magical Girl Pale once more.

Broken Sword in hand, she radiated a sharp aura.

Molly took a deep breath and pushed Fourth-Tier Warrior's Breathing Technique to its limit. Power surged through her body like a roaring river.

She skipped the basic moves and went straight for the downward slash she knew best.

She raised Broken Sword high above her head, her long silver hair stirring in the breeze.

"Hah!"

With a sharp cry, she brought Broken Sword down with tremendous force!

Whoosh!

A flash of sword light cut through the air with a piercing whistle.

At the same time, the proficiency on her panel jumped.

[Basic Swordsmanship proficiency +1]

[Fourth-Tier Basic Swordsmanship: 9999/10000]

Just one more!

Molly's gaze sharpened. Without pausing, she turned her wrist and slashed with Broken Sword again!

This strike was faster, fiercer, and sharper than the last!

She poured all her strength into it!

Boom!

Sword light burst outward. An invisible wave swept across the room, scattering the rice powder on the floor.

[Basic Swordsmanship: Fifth Tier 0/10000]

Hum!

A vast flood of information surged into Molly's mind.

Countless intricate sword techniques flashed through her thoughts.

One year of sword practice, three years, ten years...

Downward slashes, horizontal cuts, thrusts, upward cuts...

Every move took on a new meaning!

At the same time, a burning force rose from her lower abdomen and coursed through her entire body.

Molly's bones crackled as her muscle fibers stretched and strengthened. Her physical abilities soared at a visible rate.

Strength, speed, reflexes... all of them rose to a new level!

Even more thrilling was the mysterious sensation that welled up inside her as Basic Swordsmanship reached the fifth tier.

Looking at Broken Sword in her hand, she felt as though she could sense the sword's soul.

At a thought, a faint white light flowed from Broken Sword's blade, rippling gently like water.

This was... Sword Intent!

Minor Sword Intent Mastery!

Molly's eyes lit up.

She had finally grasped the legendary Sword Intent!

"This is great!"

Overjoyed, Molly swung Broken Sword, feeling the changes Sword Intent brought.

Every swing became smoother and more precise.

As sword light flashed, each strike carried a force that seemed capable of cutting through anything.

Once her excitement subsided, a fierce hunger washed over her.

Molly's stomach growled. All the strength seemed to drain from her body, leaving her barely able to lift a hand.

"Damn, I need more energy after the breakthrough than I thought!"

With a thought, Molly opened the System Inventory and took out a cloud of Rice Essence.

Without hesitation, she stuffed it into her mouth.

It melted on her tongue.

Pure energy surged into her body, sliding down her throat into her stomach before spreading through her limbs.

Her hunger eased considerably, and her strength rapidly returned.

"That hits the spot!"

Molly's eyes brightened. She took out another cloud of Rice Essence and put it in her mouth.

One cloud, two clouds, three...

Like someone who had been starving for days, she devoured the Rice Essence.

Only after swallowing the twentieth cloud did her ravenous hunger finally ease. She felt about eighty percent full.

Molly slumped to the floor, stunned.

"Twenty clouds of Rice Essence... That's the essence of two thousand kilograms of rice!"

She used to eat just two bowls of rice at a meal. Now she had consumed the essence of two thousand kilograms of it.

Her appetite had become downright terrifying!

"But it was worth it!"

Feeling the power filling her body, Molly smiled with satisfaction.

She felt so strong that killing five oxen with one punch didn't seem like an exaggeration!

After resting for a moment, Molly picked up Broken Sword and began experimenting with the Sword Intent she had just grasped.

At a thought, Sword Intent flowed, bathing Broken Sword in white light.

Looking at the jagged notch in the blade, Molly suddenly had an idea.

"I wonder if Sword Intent can repair Broken Sword?"