I offer up 'Six and a Half Taels' of silver, then trade this meager firewood body for my ascent into the azure clouds!

A saber technique!

Earlier, at the gates of the Lin Residence, Qin Biao had cracked steles and split stones with his whip, terrifying the servants.

That foundation had deeply shaken Ji Xiu, stirring a thirst within him and giving rise to ambitions he should never have had.

And now—

Was this mysterious corner of this great martial age finally about to be unveiled before him?

Ji Xiu did not blink.

He stared fixedly at that martial art, his gaze growing ever more fervent as he silently waited for Duantou Duan's next words.

The middle-aged martial man in a Purple Silk Robe, holding a saber sheath aloft in one hand, was quite satisfied by the look in the eyes of this scantily clad young man standing in the early autumn chill.

This was how a martial man ought to be!

If there was no fire in his eyes, no breath in his chest—

How could he rise above the rest on that long road of controlling qi and blood, tempering sinews and bones day after day, spending vast sums of silver and enduring endless pain?

Wine, beauty, wealth, power!

These were humanity's greatest desires.

And if a man had no desires, his martial path would be blocked and stifled; he could not bring out twelve parts of strength!

At the very least, this was true of the Strength Threshold that barred ninety-nine percent of martial men beneath heaven.

As for things like "locking the heart's ape and capturing the mind's horse," or "forgetting emotion, severing emotion, until skill nears the Dao"—

Those were matters for Qi Refining Experts, or figures of even higher standing—great figures!

For ordinary folk like them—

To turn their lives around, for wealth and power;

To raise their status, to become men above other men!

Only with such fierce desires and worldly thoughts could they grit their teeth afterward, temper their sinews all day, temper their bones, refine their skin, master the saber, and become true martial men!

Otherwise, how could they cultivate themselves to stand "a head above others"?

By harboring ambitions for home and country, by roaming the world in chivalrous deeds?

That was all empty!

At the beginning of martial training, the secret within the Strength Threshold was to crush all others—even every martial man of the same generation under heaven!

Otherwise, what was the point of learning martial arts?

Duantou Duan exhaled a mouthful of white vapor that lingered for over a yard before dispersing.

Then he raised the saber manual in his hand.

"Come here!"

Ji Xiu stepped forward at once. With excitement swelling in his heart, he rubbed his hands together and extended both hands, intending to receive it solemnly—

Smack!

The secret manual landed in his palms!

"The Heaven River Saber originated from a secret saber school that once bore the name 'Heavenly River,' before gradually falling into ruin."

"In the past, it could be considered the saber manual that guarded one of the county's martial halls. Once practiced to success, it lets one comprehend Saber Force. It is a technique sufficient to support you in Entering the Ranks and breaking through!"

"Kid, you bring me two fish and cut me two pieces of meat, and you think you can freeload this kind of true secret martial transmission from me?"

"You should know that if you wanted to learn a saber art like this elsewhere, unless you offered up dozens or even hundreds of taels of Fine Silver in tribute, the martial men of those fist halls and saber halls would not even spare you a proper glance!"

Duantou Duan glared, rolled the thin saber booklet into a tube, and struck Ji Xiu's palm.

You brat—

You wanted to freeload?

Though he had indeed passed his Dragon Gate Formation and Plum Blossom Stakes, showing some real weight, and had indeed earned some of his approval—

There were as many gifted martial youths beneath heaven as crucian carp crossing a river, coming one after another without end.

Over all his years of traveling north and south, he had roamed countless prefectures and counties and seen far too many people of every kind.

The path of martial men was unlike those arts of "gods and ghosts," classified by the imperial court as heterodox side paths. It was the most grounded and practical of all.

Even if you had talent and foundations—

You still had to walk step by step; a ten-thousand-foot tower rose from level ground!

Without earthly treasures nurtured by Spirit Mountains and Blessed Lands;

Without Heavenly Materials born by nature, wondrous in their limitless uses;

Without even medicinal powders or pills to assist in Sinew Tempering, Bone Tempering, and the other cultivation methods for polishing the Strength Threshold—

What could you cultivate with, and what did you hope to cultivate into?

The same went for secret manuals!

The fact that he had taken out the Heaven River Saber rather than some ordinary fist technique or saber manual peddled by lowly martial men already showed how highly he regarded this kid.

But for him to show no sincerity at all was rather hard to justify.

"Uh..."

Ji Xiu was somewhat embarrassed.

Just now, he had thought that because he had seen through Duantou Duan's trial and earned his favor, the man would teach him introductory martial arts for free.

Now, it seemed he had taken that for granted.

As though he had seen through Ji Xiu's thoughts, Duantou Duan shook his head and smiled.

"To a martial man, at least before becoming a Qi Refining Expert, talent is not that important."

"Unless you are the sort with extraordinary comprehension, a peerless genius unseen for generations, whose realm arrives before the flesh does. That is another matter."

"There is an old saying: three years to temper sinews, ten years to temper bones, and a lifetime to refine skin. And that is with resources."

"If you have no resources, no means—"

"Just the three realms of the Strength Threshold for Entering the Ranks, even the very first and most basic realm of Sinew Tempering—"

"An ordinary person will basically never see through it in an entire lifetime."

"But the Heaven River Saber records how to refine Saber Force. If you can reach Minor Accomplishment, you may gain comprehension and use it to step into the Strength Threshold, beginning to borrow force and command blood, tempering your great sinews and gradually shedding mortality."

"Those ordinary martial halls only teach techniques for brawling and fighting fiercely. But no one teaches this martial knowledge that points directly to the true essence."

"Now, do you understand its value?"

As Duantou Duan spoke—

Ji Xiu pulled a coarse cloth pouch from his clothes.

The pouch still bore a few sweat stains from when he had assumed his horse stance and stood on the stakes earlier. It looked filthy.

Inside was every bit of savings he had accumulated so far.

Six taels and seven mace in total.

He had received three taels from selling himself and five taels as a reward from Lin Ruyue, making eight taels altogether. Because Ji Wei had fallen mildly ill and needed medicine, along with everyday expenses and the money he had spent winning over Qin Biao by treating him to a meal every other day—

Only this much remained.

To train in martial arts and seek advancement—

He had not even kept money aside to card cotton for himself and Ji Wei, much less make them each a thin padded jacket.

The old yellow mud walls at home leaked wind. Their one thin quilt was not only ragged, but only reached Ji Wei's calves.

As for himself, there was even less to say.

Had he not become a groom and secured a shed in the Lin Residence's stables, where a pile of dry grass was enough to make do—

His circumstances would have been even more cramped and difficult!

But this kind of life—

Ji Xiu had truly had enough of it.

Learn martial arts, cast off Slave Status, then find respectable work that could earn enough to cover his expenses!

That was the most urgent matter!

Though reluctance filled his eyes, he still opened the money pouch and held it up with both hands.

"Master Duan, this is all this disciple has—six taels and seven mace in total."

"If it is not enough, could you allow me to come every morning and evening to serve in the residence by washing clothes, cooking, feeding horses, and adding firewood, to pay off the remainder on credit for now?"

"Once I achieve success in cultivation, I will never forget Master Duan's kindness today. Should you encounter any troubles in the future, Ji Xiu will shoulder them all!"

Having said that, Ji Xiu made to kneel.

But Duantou Duan raised a hand and pressed him down with the saber manual.

He frowned.

"What does your family do? How many people are there in your household?"

Ji Xiu answered, "My parents passed early, leaving only a younger sister. As for me..."

He hesitated, but ultimately told the truth.

"Because I could no longer survive before, I could only sell myself to the Lin Residence and become a groom, earning a mouthful of food."

His parents were dead. He was a groom. And he had even entered Slave Status, losing his freedom?

Though he had already guessed as much—

Duantou Duan still frowned deeply. He had nearly said, "In your state, learning martial arts will only waste effort and money."

But then he saw how thinly Ji Xiu was dressed.

And because he had moved his qi and blood earlier, assumed the horse stance, and stood upon the stakes—

The moment he relaxed, the cold wind swept in, making him shudder twice. Yet he still clenched his teeth, held his bones straight, and refused to accept this fate until the very end.

Duantou Duan fell silent for a moment.

Suddenly, from within his blurred memories, he saw the shadow of himself as a child, kneeling in a torrential downpour.

Then he glanced at his half-severed sleeve and could not help but sneer.

"Heh."

"A person like me can actually show kindness?"

"How rare."

Then he closed his eyes for a long while. When he opened them again—

They were stern and cold.

"From now on, you will rise at the fifth watch and come here to add firewood, cook, wash clothes, and feed horses."

"At dusk, at the hour of the dog, you will come sweep the courtyard, put away the equipment, and light the stove."

"If you miss even one day, I will abolish your saber technique."

"If you fail to enter the gate of this saber art within half a year, there will be no need for you to come again."

"As for when you practice the saber and when you work for your master's household, that has nothing to do with me."

Duantou Duan reached out and took Six and a Half Taels, leaving Ji Xiu only two mace.

But in exchange—

He placed that copy of the "Heaven River Saber"!

Heavily into Ji Xiu's hands.

In that instant—

Ji Xiu's heart seemed to stop beating.

Only because—

Primordial Dao Talisman

Ordination Master: Ji Xiu

Skill: Horsemanship—Mastery (778/1000)!

Trait: Waist-Horse Unity

The Ordination Master has come into contact with the Entering the Ranks saber art, Heavenly River Saber Manuscript. The Heavenly River Saber Technique may be advanced in advance.

Once Horsemanship cultivation is complete,

it may be activated.

Advance the future once more!