Chapter 83: He Stayed in the Wang Family for 13 Years
Chapter 83: Chapter 83: He Stayed in the Wang Family for 13 Years
If Zhou Mo had just one Martial Art to his name, then even as a mere Level 2 Cultivator, he would be completely different from an ordinary person.
"Pretty good."
Chen Fan weighed the Bamboo Scroll in his hand and suddenly laughed.
As the camp developed, some things would be impossible to hide. If he wanted to expand his influence, he’d have to make contact with the outside world, which would inevitably lead to conflicts, assassination attempts, and the like.
The whole world knew he was an Architect.
Utterly defenseless.
This was common knowledge.
Architects were a special type of Cultivator, unable to practice Martial Arts.
’When an enemy finally manages to get close after painstaking effort, seizing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for an assassination, and I just pull out a saber and unleash the Broken Water Sword Technique at the Great Perfection Realm with a backhand swing... The scene would be priceless. The look on their face would be a sight to see.’
’Looks like I’ll have to collect more Martial Arts-type Exotic Treasures from now on.’
’This stuff is great.’
’Architect?’
’I’m just an ordinary Cultivator who happens to have the Eternal Night Lord’s panel. I don’t have any talent for being an Architect.’
...
He didn’t crush the Bamboo Scroll in his hand.
This Sword Technique was a better fit for Zhou Mo. Chen Fan planned to place this Martial Art in the Training Room later. For now, he didn’t have the Building Blueprint for it, nor did he have any idea where to get one.
After upgrading the Wooden House to Level 4, there were three possible Upgrade Directions.
The Life Workshop.
The Artifact Refining Workshop.
And the Alchemy Workshop.
These three Upgrade Directions also determined the Wooden House’s future development path; there was no possibility of upgrading it into a Training Room.
’I need a Marketplace.’
Chen Fan sighed.
This further strengthened his resolve to build his own Marketplace here after the rainy season ended. Since he could see an Exotic Treasure’s stats panel, he could judge its value far more quickly and directly than anyone else. Only by attracting enough people could he build up the foundation he needed.
Just then—
Zhou Mo and Big Fish appeared in the canyon pass, riding a Skeleton Horse and a crocodile, respectively.
"This trip was a huge success!"
Zhou Mo vaulted off his horse, his face flush with excitement, and jogged up to the City Wall to report, "The Skeleton Horse is incredibly fast! Big Fish and I split up today and scoured all the posts in the northern Wilderness clean."
"We didn’t go south."
"The southern posts are too far away to make a round trip in a single day."
"Plus, the unmanned posts you set up brought in a good haul too, Sir."
"Not bad."
Lying on his rocking chair, Chen Fan glanced down at Wang Kui, who was receiving the supplies. Tossing the Bamboo Scroll he’d been fiddling with to Zhou Mo, he said with a smile, "A Green Level, Martial Arts-type Exotic Treasure. It’s the Broken Water Sword Technique. Should be a good fit for you."
"Take some time to study it over the next few days."
"Don’t break it."
"It’ll be put in the Training Room eventually."
...
Zhou Mo, who had just been reporting with such excitement, looked down at the Bamboo Scroll in his arms. The smile on his face suddenly froze. It took him a long moment to react, but when he did, his body began to tremble uncontrollably. He fell to his knees on the City Wall, his eyes turning red as he spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Sir... this is too precious... I..."
"One of the main reasons I joined the Hill and Valley Royal Family was to learn their White Martial Technique, the Gale Saber Technique. If you served the Wang Family for a year and made enough contributions, you would get a chance to study the Sword Technique within the family’s walls."
"But the contribution points were incredibly hard to earn. I was still a long way from qualifying."
"I..."
"I never dreamed I’d one day have the chance to study a Green Martial Technique. This opportunity is... it’s more than I could have hoped for. Sir, from now on, my life is yours! If you tell me to go east, I will never go west!"
...
Chen Fan tilted his head, glancing at Zhou Mo. He hadn’t expected such an extreme reaction. ’Is he really this worked up over a chance to study it? It’s not like I’m instantly granting him the Great Perfection Realm. He still has to practice it himself, doesn’t he?’
’Loose Cultivators in this world really have it rough.’
’To think even a single White Martial Technique could be monopolized like that.’
Still, this only served to highlight how rare Martial Arts-type Exotic Treasures were, giving him a deeper appreciation for their true value.
He just chuckled with a hint of exasperation.
"You’ve said that before."
"You already owe me several lives."
"By the way, don’t you have any other lines for when you want to pledge your loyalty?"
"Well..."
Zhou Mo was so worked up that his brain seemed to short-circuit. He couldn’t think straight and just blurted out subconsciously, "My life is the only valuable thing I have... I don’t own anything else worth mentioning..."
"Alright, alright."
Chen Fan rocked gently in his chair and said with a helpless smile, "Go on, get down there and take your time studying it."
"Don’t worry, Sir."
Zhou Mo took a deep breath, stood up, and declared solemnly, enunciating each word, "I will not disappoint you. Within five years, I will cultivate this Martial Art to the Perfection Realm! Anyone who dares to offend you, Sir, will die by my blade!"
...
The corner of Chen Fan’s mouth twitched. He didn’t say anything, merely waving his hand dismissively.
’Five years?’
’By then it’ll be too late.’
’If I can’t even get my hands on a Building Blueprint for a Training Room in five years, then I’d be pretty pathetic, wouldn’t I?’
The work he’d been putting into the camp wasn’t just to deal with the anticipated crisis; it was also preparation for making contact with other factions after the rainy season ended.
...
"I heard that just now... a Green Martial Technique?"
「Inside the cave.」
Wang Kui, who had just finished moving all the supplies into the Warehouse but hadn’t yet taken inventory, jogged over to Zhou Mo as he came down from the City Wall. His eyes were filled with envy as he craned his neck for a look. "Can I see it? I’ve never seen a Green Martial Technique in my entire life."
"Get away, get away."
Zhou Mo slapped Wang Kui’s outstretched hand away and carefully unrolled the Bamboo Scroll. "Looking is one thing, but don’t you go touching it! Can you take responsibility if you break it?"
"The highest good is like water. It benefits all things without striving..."
After quietly reciting the incantation, Zhou Mo felt a profound, mysterious sensation wash over him. It was as if he’d already grasped a sliver of insight. Growing even more excited, he hastily rolled up the Bamboo Scroll and tucked it carefully inside his shirt.
"Wait..."
Wang Kui repeated the phrase, a flicker of confusion in his eyes. "Why didn’t I feel anything? How about you let me hold the Bamboo Scroll? Maybe I’ll feel something if it’s in my hands."
"Be careful with it, then." After a moment’s hesitation, Zhou Mo handed the Bamboo Scroll to Wang Kui.
...
「After some experimentation.」
Wang Kui stared at the simple diagrams of stick figures demonstrating the moves on the back of the Bamboo Scroll. After a moment of silence, he spoke, his expression complex. "So... you can only gain insight by holding the Bamboo Scroll and silently reciting the incantation. Then, by using the diagrams on the back as a guide, you can reach Great Success through long-term practice."
"Without the Bamboo Scroll in hand, you can’t gain any insight from the incantation alone."
He was, in fact, feeling quite emotional.
He and Zhou Mo had both come from the Hill and Valley Royal Family.
Zhou Mo had been with the Wang Family for three years.
He had been with the Wang Family for thirteen years.
He had given the prime of his life, his strongest and healthiest years, to the Wang Family. But the Wang Family had never once allowed him into the Library Pavilion, let alone given him the chance to touch their White Martial Technique.
The Gale Saber Technique.
This was the first time in his life he had ever known what it felt like to truly comprehend a Martial Art.