Longxing County, the training grounds of the County Magistrate’s Office.
Early in the morning, Wang Ping changed into the black and red uniform of a constable, an Ox-tail Saber hanging from his waist. After eating breakfast, he came to attend the constables’ daily morning training.
Many other constables had already arrived at the training grounds. Some were practicing their stances, others were brandishing their sabers, and a few were gathered in a corner, chatting idly.
Wang Ping scanned the area and voluntarily joined the group practicing their stances. He had just finished reading the manual for Yama’s Three Demonic Sabers yesterday. Although he could easily begin practicing the martial art with the Ox-tail Saber he already had, he knew that a tall building rises from the ground. Even at the introductory level of the same saber technique, the difference in skill could be as vast as that between the clouds and the mud.
So, to be safe, he hadn’t rushed to start his training yesterday.
’I’ll come to the training grounds first and ask around. I should find out from the senior constables how they practice this saber technique. It won’t be too late to start after I have a better understanding.’
As Wang Ping was lost in thought, a voice suddenly boomed from behind him.
"Fall in line!"
It was a familiar voice. Wang Ping recognized him almost instantly. It was the same man from the White Lotus Sect’s Daoist Temple—the one who had "opened his heart" with a single arrow!
In the next instant, the constables who had been scattered about quickly assembled. Wang Ping didn’t dare to delay, immediately blending into the crowd and falling into formation. The once-noisy training grounds fell silent as a hundred pairs of eyes focused on the man in the center, who was dressed in a black and red official’s robe.
’Chen Haoyan...’
Wang Ping quickly found information about the man in his new identity’s memories. He was Chen Haoyan, the Chief Constable of Longxing County, stationed here by the Court’s Divine Capture Sect. His martial arts prowess was immeasurable.
"Lin Sheng is on leave."
At the front of the formation, Chief Constable Chen Haoyan spoke in a calm voice. "To fill his post, we have recruited a new brother, whom you all know."
"The person whose name I call will step forward."
"Wang Ping."
As his voice fell, Wang Ping quickly stepped out of the ranks. Chen Haoyan met his gaze with a slight smile before calling out another name.
"Liu Ye."
Watching the second constable step out from the formation, Wang Ping couldn’t help but show a hint of surprise. He hadn’t expected to see another familiar face.
’Master Liu from the Grass Market...’
Then, Chen Haoyan said nonchalantly, "Lao Liu, you’re in charge of patrolling the Grass Market. Your duties aren’t heavy, so you should have the time. Take Wang Ping under your wing."
"Help him master Yama’s Three Demonic Sabers as quickly as possible."
"This subordinate obeys."
Liu Ye quickly cupped his fist and assented. Chen Haoyan nodded, had the two of them return to the ranks, and then raised his voice to begin the morning’s training.
"Today, we will focus on weapons."
"As you all know, we recently eradicated the White Lotus Sect that was plaguing the various counties. We also captured the Lotus Saber from the hands of the White Lotus Sect Leader, Shouchong."
"However, this is not the end. The Lotus Saber is a ’Famed Treasure’ that Shouchong, that old coot, refined with his own life force. The reason it fell into our hands was likely intentional on his part. He did it to build its renown and gather fortune, hoping to use the fortune of our County Magistrate’s Office to elevate it into a true ’Divine Object’."
’Famed Treasure? Divine Object?’
Wang Ping was puzzled, but fortunately, he wasn’t the only one. Soon, another constable raised the same question. Seeing this, Chen Haoyan nodded.
"Those of you brothers from prominent families should already know about these things, but some of you are less familiar. I’ll give you a simple explanation."
"There are five ranks of weapons in this world."
"Mortal Arms, Sharp Tools, Famed Treasures, Divine Objects, and Celestial Craft. These five ranks of weapons also correspond to five types of Martial Artists. The better the martial arts, the stronger the weapon."
At this point, Chen Haoyan gestured to all the constables present.
"Take you all, for example. The vast majority of you are the first type of Martial Artist. The Ox-tail Sabers issued to you by the Court are ’Mortal Arms,’ and your martial arts are limited to the physical, external cultivation of the body."
Wang Ping seized the opportunity to raise his hand and ask, "What is the physical, external cultivation of the body?"
"It is, naturally, the Skin, Flesh, Tendons, Bones, Blood, and Marrow!"
Chen Haoyan explained patiently, "Skin like an ox, flesh like an elephant, tendons like a dragon, bones like a tiger, blood like fire, and marrow like frost. Only when all six are perfected is one’s external cultivation complete."
"Different martial arts also have different focuses. For example, our Yama’s Three Demonic Sabers primarily trains the tendons. Just by reaching the introductory level, you can achieve ’tendons like a dragon.’ However, dragons also vary in size and power. Whether it’s a Hui Dragon, a Jiao Dragon, a Qiu Dragon, or a True Dragon, the difference in strength is immense."
"Let’s use Yama’s Three Demonic Sabers as an example again."
Chen Haoyan drew his saber from its sheath. In that instant, Wang Ping felt the great tendons in the Chief Constable’s hand vibrate, producing a continuous sound as clear and resonant as a dragon’s cry.
"After mastering the basics of Yama’s Three Demonic Sabers, the ’tendons like a dragon’ most people develop are ’Hui Dragon Tendons.’ Only by perfecting the Cultivation Technique can they be upgraded to ’Jiao Dragon Tendons’."
"However, a small number of people with superior natural aptitude can cultivate ’Jiao Dragon Tendons’ right from the start. Upon perfection, they can even advance to ’Qiu Dragon Tendons,’ far surpassing ordinary people."
"As for the True Dragon Tendon, that is a level that cannot be reached with Yama’s Three Demonic Sabers."
"But at the end of the day, all of this is limited to just the ’Tendons’."
"If you want to achieve complete external cultivation, you must master five other martial arts, each corresponding to Skin, Flesh, Bones, Blood, and Marrow."
Wang Ping’s scalp tingled with dread.
’Skin, Flesh, Tendons, Bones, Blood, and Marrow—each one corresponds to a different martial art. Six martial arts are like six divine items. Does this mean I have to collect a full six-piece god-tier set just to complete my external cultivation?’
For a moment, many of the constables looked dismayed.
After all, finding six martial arts that specifically corresponded to Skin, Flesh, Tendons, Bones, Blood, and Marrow was no easy task—at least, not for people like them.
Didn’t this mean that for the vast majority of them, completing their external cultivation was a lifelong, hopeless dream?