Basic Blade Technique

Lu Changsheng then took a deep breath and began breathing according to the stance technique.

He maintained a special rhythm throughout, gradually letting his mind enter a state of tranquil emptiness.

That was right—he planned to cultivate the Basic Blade Technique on his own.

With his current circumstances, it was impossible for him to obtain a blade technique manual.

If he carelessly exposed his unusual nature, it would be a dead end.

But even without a blade technique manual, it would still be quite good if he could gain an entry-level grasp of the Basic Blade Technique.

Any blade technique that could kill was a good blade technique. Once he gained entry-level mastery of it and added one Source Energy Point, its power would increase greatly, making up for the last shortcoming in his abilities.

Besides, he had no intention of looking down on the Basic Blade Technique.

Every profound blade technique manual had been elevated from the Basic Blade Technique.

It could be said that the Basic Blade Technique was the foundation of all blade wielders.

Only by laying a sufficiently solid foundation could one climb the heights of martial arts step by step.

The moment Lu Changsheng decided to pick up the butcher's knife, he had decided to cultivate the Basic Blade Technique to perfection.

Strengthening his foundation would also bring enormous benefits in the future.

Though he had no martial arts inheritance, he still knew roughly how the Basic Blade Technique should be cultivated.

"A blade is a tool for killing."

How to swiftly cut down an enemy was the core of the Basic Blade Technique.

The first move: Slash!

From top to bottom, suppress the enemy with momentum.

Lu Changsheng raised the butcher's knife and fiercely slashed forward.

"Whoosh..."

Even the air rang with explosive booms.

The surrounding mist churned, and the momentum was quite astonishing.

A moment later.

Lu Changsheng frowned, dissatisfaction appearing on his face.

This slash seemed rather powerful, but in truth, it was useless.

Most of its force had scattered away, resulting in such an alarming commotion.

It was of no use whatsoever in killing an enemy. It was far too flashy.

This clearly ran contrary to the blade technique's pursuit of the simplest and most efficient method of killing.

Lu Changsheng pondered carefully for a while and did not strike again.

Instead, he repeatedly simulated the scene of that slash in his mind.

From the timing of the strike to his posture, he considered whether there was room for improvement.

He had always possessed one strength: after every failure, he would review it. As long as he improved a little the next time, it was a success.

Time slowly passed as he reviewed his actions.

Soon, the time it took to drink a cup of tea had passed.

Lu Changsheng adjusted his posture and slashed forward once more.

"Whoosh..."

Another whistling sound rang out, and the surrounding mist trembled.

Even the dead leaves on the ground were swept up.

Only, the commotion was slightly smaller than during his previous strike.

Seeing this, Lu Changsheng revealed a faint smile.

This also indirectly proved that there was nothing wrong with his cultivation approach.

Then, he began contemplating his striking posture again.

He repeatedly corrected every minute detail, tirelessly.

A moment later.

Lu Changsheng slashed out once more.

"Hiss..."

The commotion grew slightly quieter again.

For the time that followed, he stood in the clearing and slashed forward again and again.

It was as though he bore a blood-deep grudge against the air before him.

After every strike, he would review it for a moment, until the commotion caused by his next strike decreased a little more.

Time passed amid Lu Changsheng's self-forgetful cultivation.

Before long, evening arrived.

The setting sun slanted westward, and the chill gradually deepened.

"Hiss..."

Lu Changsheng gripped the butcher's knife tightly and slashed out swiftly.

The sound was more than half as quiet as when he had first struck, while its attack power had also increased somewhat.

The force had become more condensed as well.

The force he exerted had not changed, so it seemed the destructive power had become increasingly concentrated.

Yet after cultivating for half a day, he had also developed a trace of doubt.

With the strength of his Iron Skin Realm, the power of this slash had clearly not reached his expectations.

Lu Changsheng began to rack his brains.

But half an hour later, he was still without a clue.

He looked at the Attribute Modifier and found no trace of a skill on it.

"Looks like I still haven't gained entry-level mastery of the Basic Blade Technique."

Just as Lu Changsheng was preparing to return and rest, inspiration suddenly flashed through his mind.

A weapon was an extension of one's arm, so the power of an attack was certainly closely linked to the user himself.

Yet the strength of one's arm was often limited. Compared with the entire body, it was merely the tip of the iceberg.

"Could it be...?"

Excitement flashed in Lu Changsheng's eyes, and he immediately began testing his idea.

He leaned his upper body forward and began mobilizing the strength of his entire body, channeling it into his right hand.

Then, he swiftly raised the butcher's knife and slashed forward.

"Whoosh..."

An explosive boom rang through the air once more.

Even the force had clearly increased by a great deal.

Seeing that the experiment had worked, he began cultivating arduously again.

With every slash afterward, he mobilized the power of his entire body. From the violent sounds at the beginning, the strikes gradually returned to silence, while their power became increasingly restrained.

The progress of his blade technique was also quite gratifying.

Soon, it was deep into the night.

A silver moon hung high overhead. A cold wind swept in, stirring the dead leaves on the ground.

The entire courtyard held only the sound of Lu Changsheng's blade strikes. Like a ghostly apparition, it was rather eerie.

After cultivating for another hour, he put away the butcher's knife.

After an entire day of training, his mind was somewhat exhausted.

After briefly washing up, he headed toward the bedroom and soon lay down on the bed, falling asleep.

Over the next three days.

Lu Changsheng continued diligently cultivating the Basic Blade Technique.

He also trained that Slash move until he had become extremely proficient with it.

Yet what puzzled him was that no new skill appeared in the Attribute Modifier.

This left him quite confused.

"Could it be that I can't cultivate skills? Or is there a flaw in the Basic Blade Technique?"

Several guesses arose in his mind.

He was more inclined toward the latter. The Basic Blade Technique did not consist of Slash alone.

Next, he continued training Horizontal Sweep and Upward Slash.

He cultivated them according to the same approach he had used over the past few days.

Another two days passed.

That day, at dawn.

The rising sun had just emerged, and a gentle breeze blew.

Lu Changsheng stood with his legs apart in the center of the clearing, his long black hair dancing in the air.

His gaze was cold as he stared fixedly into the empty space before him.

Suddenly, a dead leaf slowly drifted down from high in the air.

At that moment, it was as though enlightenment had descended upon him, and an indescribable feeling surged into his heart.

"Slash."

A brilliant silver flash appeared in the void, passing through the dead leaf before him like lightning.

The dead leaf was directly cleaved into two pieces. The cut was smooth and even, and there was barely any sound.

"Basic Blade Technique discovered. Record it?"

Hearing the familiar prompt once more, Lu Changsheng's face filled with delight.

After many days of arduous cultivation, he had finally gained entry-level mastery of the Basic Blade Technique.

Compared to his martial arts aptitude, his progress in blade techniques was much faster.

It seemed his talent for skills was far stronger.

This was truly an unexpected delight.

Lu Changsheng opened the panel and saw a new change in the skills section.

Skill: Basic Blade Technique (Entry-Level 40%)

He had reached forty percent the moment he entered the entry-level stage. This was also the result of his arduous cultivation.

Without hesitation, a thought crossed his mind, and he tapped the plus sign behind Basic Blade Technique.

"Buzz..."

As the final Source Energy Point vanished, an intangible ripple descended.

Lu Changsheng felt as though he had been transported into an illusory space.

At every moment, he was cultivating the Basic Blade Technique.

"In the first year, you cultivated the Basic Blade Technique with all your strength and reached the Minor Mastery stage."

"Afterward, you did not slacken. You continued cultivating with all your strength, without pause through cold or heat. Another year passed, and you cultivated the Basic Blade Technique to the Major Mastery stage..."

Just then, the ripple came to an abrupt halt.

Lu Changsheng instantly woke up.

It seemed that one Source Energy Point had been completely exhausted.

A trace of understanding arose in his heart.

Though both required the consumption of Source Energy Points, cultivating martial arts was also closely tied to one's aptitude.

This time, he had used only one Source Energy Point to cultivate the Basic Blade Technique to the Major Mastery stage.

Its consumption was far less than that of Iron Cloth Shirt.

This unusual result greatly surprised Lu Changsheng.

The reason for this was definitely not merely the difference between a cultivation method and a skill. More likely, he possessed a natural affinity for blade techniques.

Lu Changsheng was born to wield a blade.

Now that the Basic Blade Technique had reached Major Mastery, the shortcoming in his attack power had also been remedied.

Though it was not as good as those top-tier blade technique skills, it was enough for the time being.

Once he acquired a large number of Source Energy Points in the future, he could seek out a more profound blade technique manual.