Minor Mastery and Limit-Breaking

Yu Muqing turned and saw Shen Cheng stroll in with his hands behind his back.

She frowned. Shen Cheng rarely involved himself in affairs anymore, but he had the most seniority. If he intended to protect Lin Qing, she could hardly force the issue.

"Office Chief Shen, someone reported that Lin Qing hid a Wooden Idol and failed to report it. This is a serious matter. I intend to get to the bottom of it," Yu Muqing said coldly.

"Oh? Where did this information come from? Is there any evidence?" Shen Cheng asked.

"There's no evidence, but Jiang Baihe said it himself," Yu Muqing explained.

Anger flared in Lin Qing's chest. No wonder Yu Muqing had suddenly come looking for trouble. Jiang Baihe, that beast, had been stirring things up behind his back.

"Since there's no evidence, what exactly are you doing here, Office Chief Yu?" Shen Cheng narrowed his eyes.

"Lord Shen knows how I operate. In serious matters, I'd rather kill the wrong person than let one slip through. The Yin-Yang Bureau also handles intelligence, and whenever there's a lead, I make sure it's investigated thoroughly. I'm not targeting anyone today. This is simply how I've always done things. But since Office Chief Shen says he's innocent, I suppose the information was wrong. Farewell!"

Yu Muqing turned and strode away. From beginning to end, her expression had barely changed, and even her voice had scarcely wavered.

Lin Qing let out a breath and put another mark against Jiang Baihe's name. This time, there was no room left for reconciliation. He silently resolved to find a chance to kill that vile bastard once he grew stronger.

Shen Cheng, meanwhile, looked Lin Qing up and down with a kindly smile.

"Shen Lian told me you're promising and asked me to look after you. I thought I'd come see for myself, but I didn't expect to run into this. Yu Muqing has always acted this way. If you encounter trouble like this again, have someone come to me for help at once."

"Thank you, Lord Shen," Lin Qing said clearly.

"Good. Keep working hard. Aim to join the Prefectural City Soul-Calming Office next year."

Shen Cheng yawned as he spoke, looking utterly exhausted, then turned and left as well.

"Brother Lin, Jiang Baihe was behind this. Office Chief Yu has always acted this way; she wasn't deliberately targeting you," Yu Qiuyu said, coming over.

"I understand." Lin Qing nodded. "Brother Yu, what would've happened if Yu Muqing had taken me away?"

"Hard to say. You might've taken a beating, but with Master here, your life should've been safe. Of course, if she'd actually found anything, nobody could've saved you," Yu Qiuyu said after some thought.

"I see." Lin Qing nodded slightly, his loathing for that old bastard Jiang Baihe deepening.

For a while after that, Lin Qing's life remained uneventful.

He kept his head down at the Soul-Calming Office, collecting corpses and practicing martial arts each day. His strength grew steadily.

Before he knew it, the depths of winter had passed and the snow and ice had melted. A spring breeze came overnight, and tender buds sprouted on the old tree in the courtyard.

In the Corpse Collectors' courtyard, two figures faced each other in the Martial Arts Arena. Yu Qiuyu and the other constables gathered around, their faces bright with excitement as they watched. Lin Qing stood on the left, Yang Feng on the right, each holding a saber in one hand.

"Lin Qing, it's been two months since you became my disciple. Let me see how much you've improved. Draw your saber," Yang Feng said in a deep voice.

"Forgive me, Master!"

Lin Qing charged forward, and as he closed in on Yang Feng, he swung his saber. Again, he opened with the familiar Arc Moon. His saber's afterimage wheeled and flashed like moonlight, beautiful enough to draw gasps from the onlookers.

Yang Feng swung to meet him. Their blades struck, and the ringing of steel echoed across the courtyard.

This time, however, Yang Feng held back. Rather than knocking the saber from Lin Qing's hand, he kept his strength close to Lin Qing's. The contest became a pure test of saber technique.

They darted and pivoted across the courtyard, blades flashing, their afterimages weaving into a net. In an instant, their sabers clashed more than a dozen times.

Yu Qiuyu and the others stared, dumbfounded. Lin Qing's saber technique was flexible and varied, no longer bound to fixed patterns, yet every move flowed naturally into the next. He had clearly reached Minor Mastery.

Many veterans who had spent over three years on the Corpse Collection Team still lacked such skill. For a time, the spectators watched in a trance.

They exchanged more than twenty rapid moves before Lin Qing finally fell short, and Yang Feng sent his saber flying with a single strike.

A string of cheers rose around them.

"Excellent!"

"Brother Lin's saber technique is fierce!"

"That looks like Minor Mastery, doesn't it?"

The onlookers gazed at him with curiosity and envy, talking without pause.

Yang Feng sheathed his saber, his eyes full of approval. "Not bad. Your saber technique has reached Minor Mastery, and your foundation is exceptionally solid. You're skilled with every individual move, and there are virtually no openings. Very good. You haven't slacked off this past month."

Lin Qing got up and sheathed the saber embedded in the ground. "I still haven't worked hard enough, Master. I'll train twice as hard from now on."

As he spoke, he glanced at the panel. Lone Swan Reflecting Shadow had reached Minor Mastery.

That was his level without the Rebirth Record's aid. Once he equipped the Perfect Mastery version of Lone Swan Reflecting Shadow, his saber technique would reach Limit-Breaking.

It was a profound and elusive level. His understanding of the technique would deepen immensely, its many flaws would naturally be corrected, and its moves would become even more exquisite—perhaps surpassing those of its creator.

When Yu Qiuyu and the others heard Lin Qing confirm it, they were overcome with envy.

In two months, Lin Qing had taken Lone Swan Reflecting Shadow from the beginner stage to Minor Mastery. Since the founding of the Jiangyin County Yamen, no one else had advanced so quickly.

Most people could toil for three years without even becoming proficient, let alone reaching Minor Mastery.

"Still, don't push yourself too hard. Martial arts training requires a balance of effort and rest. I've been watching you these past two months. Aside from attending to your basic needs, you've spent all your time training. You need to relax now and then," Yang Feng instructed.

"I understand, Master." Lin Qing nodded respectfully.

"How far have you gotten with Eight Strikes of the Spirit Snake?" Yang Feng asked.

"I'm still at Minor Mastery," Lin Qing answered.

It wasn't for lack of effort. Without the Rebirth Record's aid, training on his own was simply too slow.

To break through, he needed to find a way to copy a Perfect Mastery version of Eight Strikes of the Spirit Snake.

But that required luck. Over the past two months, he had performed last rites for more than twenty corpses. All of them had been ordinary people, without a single martial artist among them.

Lin Qing suspected that if things continued this way, he might fail to qualify next year.

But he knew impatience would do him no good. He had to keep doing what needed to be done each day and not lose his composure.

"Too slow. It seems you've put too much time and energy into your saber technique. Next year's Soul-Calming Office Reexamination won't care how advanced it is. Minor Mastery is enough to keep you alive. Ease off from now on and focus on Eight Strikes of the Spirit Snake." Yang Feng walked over to the pavilion, poured himself a cup of cool tea, and took a long swallow.

"Yes, Master." Lin Qing nodded. He had no intention of explaining; he couldn't let anyone learn about the Rebirth Record.

"Overall, I'm very pleased with your progress these past two months. Here's a bottle of Origin-Restoring Pills as a reward. Take one each day. They'll nourish your blood and vigor, strengthen your body, and help you reach Bright Force Perfection sooner." Yang Feng took a palm-sized, dark-green medicine bottle from his robe.

"Thank you, Master."

Yu Qiuyu and the others looked on enviously. Origin-Restoring Pills were among the finest medicines for nourishing blood and vigor that Bright Force martial artists could take.