Perfect mastery

Through his conversation with Zhang Tieniu, Qin Shujian gained a general understanding of Liangshan Stronghold.

Only after taking over Liangshan Stronghold did he discover that NPCs needed to eat, too.

Whether it was him or those dim-witted cannon-fodder Bandits, everyone needed to eat every day.

And eating meant spending money.

Trying to farm in a godforsaken place like Liangshan and become self-sufficient was nothing short of a pipe dream.

Thus, the stronghold needed to buy provisions at regular intervals.

Or rather, squeeze some supplies out of other villages and strongholds.

But Liangshan Stronghold was weak, and those settlements had their own guard units. Raiding them was a gamble the bandits took only when they had no other choice.

More often than not, Liangshan Stronghold's Bandits went down the mountain to buy supplies.

When Qin Shujian discovered this, a wave of misery washed over him.

Ordinary Bandits were under no restrictions preventing them from leaving Liangshan. As long as they stirred up no trouble, they could go anywhere in the world.

Likewise.

As a bandit stronghold, Liangshan Stronghold naturally engaged in robbery and plunder.

Although its location was far from ideal, merchant caravans still passed through quite often.

When that happened, the caravans could pay a fee, and Liangshan Stronghold would guarantee their safe passage out of Liangshan.

Otherwise, Liangshan Stronghold would swallow them whole.

This was also the stronghold's main source of income.

Qin Shujian rubbed his brow, feeling mentally exhausted.

Liangshan Stronghold had only fifty taels of silver left, yet it housed seventy Bandits, not counting him.

Those seventy Bandits consumed roughly two taels of silver a day.

That meant fifty taels would cover Liangshan Stronghold's expenses for little more than half a month.

Qin Shujian could easily imagine what would happen once the silver ran out.

"Zhang Tieniu, take three men and investigate the factions around our Liangshan Stronghold. Report their general situation to me."

"Yes."

Zhang Tieniu nodded in acknowledgment.

Then Qin Shujian turned to Wang Tiezhu. "Keep a close watch on Liangshan. If any merchant caravans arrive, report to me immediately."

"Yes." Wang Tiezhu also accepted his orders.

Watching the two leave respectfully without having questioned a single word of his orders, Qin Shujian felt thoroughly satisfied.

Most of Liangshan Stronghold's seventy bandits might not be very intelligent.

But they could respawn, and they were utterly loyal, incapable of harboring any rebellious thoughts.

As long as he remained the chief of Liangshan Stronghold, he could continue issuing orders to these bandits.

By Qin Shujian's estimation.

Liangshan Stronghold was essentially a small game instance, populated by a fixed set of NPCs. Even if they were killed, they would automatically respawn after a certain amount of time.

There was, however, one exception.

And that was—

NPCs killed by players could respawn, but NPCs killed by other NPCs could not.

In other words, the Liangshan Stronghold bandits he had killed before could not respawn.

Only after he became Liangshan Stronghold's new chief did the system respawn the stronghold's bandits.

Aside from that.

If he wanted to expand Liangshan Stronghold's forces further, he could recruit displaced people and turn them into new bandits.

These converted bandits differed from the stronghold's original bandits.

They would not obey the chief's orders unconditionally, and they could potentially rebel.

Afterward, Qin Shujian turned his attention back to himself.

Whatever the problem, increasing his own strength remained the most fundamental solution.

I only have eighteen points of Life Source right now. Improving the Body Tempering Scripture is impossible, but there's still room to improve this Mortal Tier, Middle Grade Black Tiger Saber Technique.

Originally, I only had the Body Tempering Scripture and no means of attack. Now that I have the Black Tiger Saber Technique as well, my strength has increased considerably, even though my cultivation realm hasn't changed.

In that case...

Qin Shujian's expression shifted slightly as he stared at the Black Tiger Saber Technique on his attribute panel, lost in thought.

In his view, cultivation realm was the foundation.

As long as his realm rose, his strength would rise with it.

But eighteen points of Life Source fell far short of what he needed to raise his realm. Accomplishing that within just two days was clearly impossible.

"Rather than saving it forever, I might as well make the most of every point of Life Source." Once Qin Shujian reached that conclusion, he no longer hesitated.

Looking at the plus sign beside the Black Tiger Saber Technique, he activated it with a thought.

His Life Source instantly dropped by three points, and the Black Tiger Saber Technique advanced directly from beginner to proficient.

A new insight welled up in Qin Shujian's heart.

The Black Tiger Saber Technique, which had felt somewhat awkward in his mind, now felt as though he had practiced it for years. A faint aura began to emanate from him.

Three points of Life Source had raised the Black Tiger Saber Technique by one level.

Seeing that the plus sign beside the Black Tiger Saber Technique remained, Qin Shujian glanced at his fifteen remaining points of Life Source and steeled himself.

Whoosh!

All fifteen points of Life Source instantly vanished.

Before Qin Shujian could feel the sting of that loss, a powerful torrent of memories surged into his mind, forcing him to close his eyes.

Only after a long while did he finish absorbing those memories.

The Black Tiger Saber Technique had also advanced from proficient to perfect mastery.

"Perfect mastery!"

Qin Shujian gripped the Tiger Head Saber beside him, and a feeling of sudden inspiration arose within him.

In an instant, the Black Tiger Saber Technique's three moves and eighteen forms flashed before his eyes like an animation.

Merely holding the Tiger Head Saber, he exuded a fierce presence that rushed toward anyone facing him, as intimidating as a crouching tiger.

The next instant.

Qin Shujian directly left the Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness and stepped into the open grounds outside.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Cold light flashed from his Tiger Head Saber as he executed the Black Tiger Saber Technique's three moves and eighteen forms, one after another.

It was as though a gale howled across the ground, and a tiger's roar shook the mountain.

Tiger Descends the Mountain!

Shocking a Hundred Miles!

Tiger Turns Its Head!

As he reached the end, Qin Shujian felt something pent up within him that he could not bear to leave unreleased.

A long cry burst from him, accompanied by a tiger's roar.

The cold light filling the air converged into a single saber strike, cleaving fiercely into a man-high boulder before him.

Bang!

The boulder shattered, scattering fragments in every direction.

Qin Shujian lowered his saber and stood still, his chest rising and falling as he panted, irrepressible joy shining in his eyes.

Powerful!

Very powerful!

Only after actually executing the technique did he understand just how much power the Black Tiger Saber Technique possessed at perfect mastery.

If he faced his former self from before he had learned the Black Tiger Saber Technique, that former self would not last more than a few exchanges.

Because—

One had a cultivation realm but no means of fighting an opponent.

The other possessed the same cultivation realm but had practiced a profound saber technique, making him far stronger.

Qin Shujian did not know what level Wu Sheng had reached in the Black Tiger Saber Technique, but if Wu Sheng had attained proficiency, or even perfect mastery...

In a head-on fight, even if Qin Shujian seized the initiative.

He would most likely still have been the one defeated and killed.

He had spent all eighteen points of Life Source in exchange for a Black Tiger Saber Technique at perfect mastery.

That trade was no loss at all.