"The secret to using a blade is nothing more than six words: keep your hand steady, your eye true. Aim for the head, bring your blade down in one strike, and as long as you don’t lose your grip, you’ve already won half the battle."
"Look at this pathetic saber technique of yours."
"Your eyes are inaccurate, you can’t hold your blade steady, and not a single one of your movements is decent."
"Start over!"
........
The sun was high in the sky, and the training grounds of the County Magistrate’s Office were already bustling with activity. But unlike other days, many of the senior constables were nowhere to be seen.
"They’ve all gone to hunt down those White Lotus Bandits."
Liu Ye took a drag from his cigarette as he continued to instruct Wang Ping, saying irritably, "It’s a huge windfall, after all. What constable wouldn’t be tempted?"
"That rebel broke into the County Magistrate’s Office last night and was shot clean through by Lord Chen’s arrow. Everyone saw it. His flesh, muscles, and bones were torn apart, he lost more than half his blood, and his marrow couldn’t be in good shape either. Even if he’s reached Great Perfection in an external technique, he’d be lucky to have a tenth of his strength left. It’s the perfect chance to kick a man while he’s down."
Hearing this, Wang Ping couldn’t help but ask, "Aren’t you tempted, Master Liu?"
"Of course not."
Liu Ye’s tone was flat. "Xiaowang, I see you have potential, so I’ll teach you something today. Do you know what the most important thing is for a constable?"
"What is it?" Wang Ping asked curiously.
"Patience!"
Liu Ye’s tone grew heavy. "No matter what happens, even if the sky falls, I will remain patient and unmoving. If the sky falls, it’s the tall ones who get crushed first. It won’t reach you or me."
"Kid, you remember this: this world belongs to the strong. For little people like us to survive, we have to learn how to live in the cracks... To put it more bluntly, only do things that are well within your abilities. That way, you’re guaranteed to succeed and have plenty of room for error."
"Take me, for example."
"In the entire County Magistrate’s Office, almost every constable collects protection money in the city, raking it in. I’m the only one who goes to the Grass Market outside the city to earn a little pocket money."
"Why?"
At this, a smug look appeared on Liu Ye’s face. "Because it’s safe outside the city! The truly powerful people are all inside the city. Collecting protection money there is risky."
"After all, it’s not exactly honorable. It’s basically blood money."
"If you’re not careful, you might run into some hot-headed young hero trying to serve justice. They’re full of vigor and don’t know how to hold back. They could very well beat you to death!"
"And don’t think I’m kidding. There’s precedent for it at the County Magistrate’s Office!"
"But the Grass Market outside the city doesn’t have all that trouble. There are basically no formidable characters there. I don’t collect much, so even though I earn less, the trade-off is safety."
"Take this time, for another example."
It was as if a switch had been flipped, and Liu Ye continued, unstoppable:
"Without a doubt, what happened last night was the White Lotus Sect Leader and our Lord Chen engaging in Magical Combat from afar. Is that something we can just jump into?"
"What if, while you’re on the way to catch that rebel, you run into the White Lotus Sect Leader coming to rescue him?"
"If you’re lucky, Lord Chen might get there in time to save you, and you’ll get away with a lifelong disability at most. If you’re unlucky, I’m afraid all we’ll be able to do is send a death benefit to your family."
Upon hearing this, Wang Ping instantly understood:
"Bait..."
Liu Ye nodded slightly. "It’s good that you understand. Anyway, I’m not getting involved in this mess, and you, kid, should calm down and just focus on practicing your saber."
Wang Ping nodded and then let out a long breath.
It was as if that single exhale expelled all the restlessness from his heart. Wang Ping’s expression became calm again, and he resumed practicing his saber technique.
Seeing this, Liu Ye was quite impressed.
’He really has a future. He can take advice and control his greed. It looks like he’ll truly master the basics of Yama’s Three Demonic Sabers within three days.’
’Speaking of which, how is his practice of the Iron Bull Skill going?’
’It seems he still hasn’t been to the Danfeng Building...’
Liu Ye thought for a moment, believing he had figured out Wang Ping’s mindset: ’He’s probably worried that since he’s a virgin, he won’t be able to control himself and will finish too quickly, right?’
So he wants to master the basics and improve his ability before the real thing... Young men care about their pride. It’s understandable!
Thinking of this, Liu Ye laughed to himself:
’Naive kid. Do you think mastering the basics is that easy?’
’With the difficulty and intensity of the Iron Bull Skill, if you want to master the basics in one night, you’d have to practice it at least seventeen or eighteen times. Not even a young man could handle that.’
......
’I’ll aim to practice it another hundred times tonight!’
After finishing his training and returning home, Wang Ping ate the meal delivered from the Yuelai Building. He then closed his doors and windows again and sat cross-legged on his bed, prepared to begin his martial arts practice.
It was just as Liu Ye had predicted.
Although his body was still young, by the third repetition, Wang Ping’s face had already paled, and his hands, held in the posture, were trembling slightly.
But in the next second, he took a deep breath, then laced his fingers together, forming a strange Seal Decision. A spark of Star Fire suddenly burst from his fingertips, flickering in the dim room before flowing like water through his entire body, revitalizing him.
Magic: Qi Suppression!
Although he had lost his Warrior’s body, and his Qi Suppression could no longer make him impervious to blades and spears, it could still staunch bleeding, regenerate tissue, and restore his body.
This was especially true when used for cultivation.
The amount of True Qi he had painstakingly refined wasn’t large, but it was more than enough to replenish his deficits and quickly restore his spent essence, qi, and spirit.
Therefore, Wang Ping’s progress with the Iron Bull Skill was far beyond what Liu Ye could have imagined.
This was only the second day, yet he had already reached the minor success stage with the Cultivation Technique. By a conservative estimate, he would be able to bring this Cultivation Technique to the Great Perfection stage within seven days at the latest.
"Again!"
Wang Ping clenched his jaw and threw himself back into his practice, casting all thoughts of the city-wide manhunt and the White Lotus Thieves to the back of his mind.
A moment later, Wang Ping successfully completed another cycle of the technique.
And as the Cultivation Technique circulated once more, Wang Ping felt his soul suddenly leave his body. He shed all distracting thoughts and entered a state of pure, effortless tranquility.