Choosing a Saber Technique!

Contribution points could be earned by completing tasks issued by the academy, making contributions to the dynasty, or turning in valuable ferocious beast materials, among other methods. Federation coins might buy some basic resources, but the truly essential cultivation techniques, martial techniques, and pills all had to be exchanged for contribution points!

Looks like I'll have to get contribution points as soon as possible, whether I want a more advanced skin tempering technique or want to prepare to exchange them for a Flesh Refining Method later!

I need to find a job!

Dongfang Yueming immediately opened the "Task Hall" section, and a dazzling array of task listings appeared before his eyes.

"Clean the training grounds, 1 contribution point per day." Too little, pass!

"Assist a pharmacist in processing medicinal herbs. Knowledge of pharmacology required, 5 contribution points per day." He didn't know how, pass!

"Sparring partner wanted. Internal Force Realm cultivation required..." He wasn't qualified, pass!

He patiently sifted through them one by one. His goal was clear: a task with manageable risks and relatively high pay that suited his current strength.

Before long, one listing caught his attention:

"Recruiting: city security patrol members (temporary)"

"Task description: conduct daily patrols in designated areas, maintain order, drive off small mortal beasts, and record any unusual incidents."

"Requirements: cultivation of at least the Skin Tempering Lesser Accomplishment Realm."

"Pay: 3 contribution points per day. If a mortal beast is encountered and successfully killed, additional contribution points will be awarded based on its level."

Dongfang Yueming's eyes lit up!

Lesser Skin Tempering is enough... I'm at Skin Tempering Perfection (Cowhide Realm) now, so I meet the requirements easily!

Three contribution points a day makes ninety a month! That's already pretty good! And there are extra rewards for killing mortal beasts!

Patrolling inside the city is much less risky than going outside. I might still run into mortal beasts that slipped through the cracks, but they'd be perfect for testing my strength!

He made a quick estimate. One contribution point had roughly the purchasing power of 100 Federation coins, so a daily wage of three points was already a considerable income when converted to Federation coins. It would be enough for him to live without worry and still save up quite a bit.

This is the one!

He clicked the "Apply" button without hesitation.

A dialog box soon popped up on his terminal. It was an automatic reply from the task issuer:

"Application received. Patrol duty carries certain risks. Mortal beasts that have gone out of control or slipped into the city occasionally appear. Are you sure you want to participate? Reminder: patrol members kick the bucket because of this every year!"

The tone carried a measure of routine indifference, yet it pointed out the risks with absolute bluntness.

Looking at the darkly humorous reminder that patrol members kicked the bucket every year, Dongfang Yueming didn't shrink back. Instead, his lips curved into a confident smile.

Risk? What step on the path of martial arts is free of risk?! If I'm going to be afraid of my own shadow, why practice martial arts at all? I might as well go home and farm!

Without hesitation, he typed a single word into the dialog box:

"Confirm!"

The reply from the other end came almost instantly, with a numb, businesslike tone: "All right. Your courage is commendable, or perhaps... your head's just hard enough to take a beating. Report to the east city gate patrol station at eight tomorrow morning and ask for Captain Wang."

After sending the message, the person on the other end seemed about to end the conversation.

Dongfang Yueming's eyes flashed, and his fingers flew across the keyboard.

"Wait! I have another question."

The other party: "Go ahead."

Dongfang Yueming: "The task requires Lesser Skin Tempering and pays 3 contribution points a day. But I'm not at lesser accomplishment. I'm at... Greater Skin Tempering! According to the rules, shouldn't the pay be higher?"

He had deliberately said only "greater accomplishment," not "perfection." After all, according to the information on the website, Skin Tempering Perfection was fairly rare in itself, let alone the distinctions above it between Ox Skin, Stone Skin, and Jade Skin. Those were described even more vaguely, and ordinary students had no access to them at all. Blurting out that he had reached perfection would be far too shocking and might instead invite unnecessary trouble.

But even "Greater Skin Tempering" was as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns among newly enrolled students! It was enough to draw attention!

Sure enough, the other end of the terminal went silent for a few seconds, as though checking something.

A moment later, a new message popped up, its tone noticeably tinged with surprise and gravity:

"Greater Skin Tempering? A new student?... Verified. Good! Very good! Since your cultivation is at greater accomplishment, naturally we can't pay you according to the Minor Accomplishment rate."

"How about this? Your base pay will be raised to 6 contribution points per day! Double the Minor Accomplishment rate! If you can demonstrate strength befitting the greater accomplishment realm, there's room for further increases! Report in tomorrow, and I'll assess you personally!"

Six points a day!

Dongfang Yueming was overjoyed!

This was a truly unexpected windfall! Just by stating that his cultivation was at "greater accomplishment," he had doubled his pay! That came to 180 contribution points a month! It was already a considerable income! More than enough to exchange for the Basic Flesh Refining Method, with plenty left over!

"Thank you! I'll be sure to report on time tomorrow!" Dongfang Yueming replied quickly.

Having ended the conversation with the patrol station and settled the question of where to get contribution points, Dongfang Yueming was in excellent spirits. But he didn't stop there. His fingers began swiping across the terminal once more.

Skin Tempering Perfection (Cowhide Realm) has given me decent defense and basic strength, but... I still lack an effective means of attack! His gaze sharpened. Fighting barehanded has its limits, especially when facing the claws and fangs of ferocious beasts. I need a weapon-based martial art!

He reopened the "Cultivation Techniques and Martial Arts" exchange section and began searching for a martial technique that suited him. Sword techniques were graceful, spear techniques domineering, and fist and palm techniques fierce... The dazzling array of martial arts left his eyes spinning.

Considering the complex situations he might face on patrol and the fact that ferocious beasts generally had thick hides and tough flesh, he set his sights on saber techniques. The saber used broad, sweeping movements and delivered powerful chops, making it ideal for battlefield combat!

Before long, a saber technique called the Basic Thirteen Fast Saber Forms caught his attention. It wasn't expensive to exchange for, costing only 10 contribution points.

However, when he opened the details page, the student discussion section below piqued his curiosity.

"Sigh, the Basic Thirteen Fast Saber Forms are easy to reach Entry, but mastering them is as hard as ascending to heaven!"

"Tell me about it. Apparently, this saber technique makes extremely high demands on your movement technique, eyesight, and reaction speed. The further you get, the harder it is to practice!"

"The thing is... even if you work yourself to the bone and reach greater accomplishment, its power is just so-so. Compared with other mainstream saber techniques at greater accomplishment, it doesn't have any obvious advantage."

"Exactly! What makes this saber technique truly formidable is the legendary 'perfection' realm! Supposedly, once you reach perfection, your saber moves like the wind and strikes as swiftly as rushing thunder. Hardly anyone at the same level can withstand its edge!"

"Perfection? Forget it! According to the academy's records, no one in recent years has managed to practice this 'basic' saber technique to perfection! They all say there's a bottleneck later on that simply can't be broken through!"

"So it's a chicken rib, nothing more! You'd be better off spending that time practicing the Thick Earth Saber Technique or the Gale Saber Technique. Once you reach greater accomplishment, their power is the real deal!"

As Dongfang Yueming read the discussions, his eyes flickered. Far from being put off, he grew even more interested!

Hard to practice? A bottleneck? Mediocre power at greater accomplishment? Only formidable at perfection?

This is practically tailor-made for me!

Others are afraid it's difficult, but what do I have to fear? I can add points!

Others are afraid of bottlenecks, but what do I have to fear? I can add points!

Others can't reach perfection, but I... as long as I have enough points, I can even add my way beyond perfection!

Besides, this saber technique's mediocre power at greater accomplishment means fewer people practice it, so it won't easily attract attention. It's perfect for keeping a low profile while I grow stronger early on! Once I add enough points to reach perfection, its power will surge, and it'll make an ace up my sleeve to catch people off guard!

Perfect!

You're the one!

Dongfang Yueming hesitated no longer. Although 10 contribution points were still a "fortune" to him right now-the equivalent of 1,000 Federation coins-he gritted his teeth and confirmed the exchange!

He was penniless and had no contribution points, so he could only choose to... pay in Federation coins!

Watching a large chunk of the already scant Federation coins in his account disappear in an instant, Dongfang Yueming felt a pang of pain, but his eyes grew even brighter.

You can't catch a wolf without risking your child! This investment is absolutely worth it!

Before long, the electronic manual for the Basic Thirteen Fast Saber Forms had downloaded to his terminal.

A new goal had appeared!

Grind!

No, add points!