[Name: Chu Mu.]

[Skills: Basic Blade Technique (Initial Glimpse) 285/500]

[Body Refining Technique (9/1000)]

[Spiritual Radiance Value: 402.3%]

In the courtyard, Chu Mu gazed at the Light Curtain Panel in his vision. His eyes lingered on the "Spiritual Radiance Value" for a moment before shifting to the newly appeared Body Refining Technique Skill.

’No realm... Does that mean that maxing out the Skill Level signifies the Perfection of the Body Refining Technique?’

Chu Mu’s brow furrowed slightly. This was beyond his expectations.

Judging by its description, the Body Refining Technique was undoubtedly profound and mysterious. After all, just the promise of becoming impervious to swords and blades, with a body as hard as iron and stone, was already superhuman.

From a scientific perspective, for a body of flesh and blood to achieve the hardness of iron and stone was practically a wild fantasy.

And from a Martial Arts perspective, it would surely be an extremely long process.

Yet right before his eyes, the Body Refining Technique had no realm divisions, and its Skill Level only went up to a mere one thousand!

’This can’t be another exaggeration, can it...’

Chu Mu’s gaze flickered. The description for the Body Refining Technique claimed that those who reached Great Success could shatter mountains and crush rocks—that was obviously an exaggeration, basically impossible.

Then what about the body as hard as iron and stone, impervious to swords and blades... could that also be an exaggeration?

Chu Mu pursed his lips. He suddenly felt that he had probably set his expectations for this Body Refining Technique too high.

After all, just based on the name, it didn’t sound like any kind of Divine Skill Manual.

Chu Mu didn’t dwell on it. His gaze returned to the "Spiritual Radiance Value," which was still over four hundred percent.

After a moment of contemplation, Chu Mu glanced at Xu Yuan, who was still swinging his sword by himself off to the side. He then recited the command in his mind, and the familiar sensation descended upon him once more.

Under the Spiritual Radiance Blessing, his intellect soared. Thinking about the phrase "lifting the heavy as if it were light" now, the feeling was completely different.

Soon, Chu Mu discovered that he had been thinking about it the wrong way before.

"Lifting the heavy as if it were light" was not a particular stage of Sword Technique.

It was merely... a derivative of Sword Technique.

In other words, "lifting the heavy as if it were light" was about the control of Power. Applying it to fists and feet was not much different from applying it to swords and blades.

By the same logic, Sword Technique could branch into the path of "lifting the heavy as if it were light," or it could follow the path of One Force Subdues Ten Techniques. One could even possess both; there was no conflict.

But without a doubt, if he could truly reach this state of Power control, his ability to protect himself would take a monumental leap forward.

’God... or perhaps Spiritual...’

Chu Mu murmured to himself. Under the Spiritual Radiance Blessing, he felt a strange premonition.

Although he understood "lifting the heavy as if it were light" to be merely a derivative of Sword Technique, a state of Power control, he had a gut feeling that when this derivative was applied to his Sword Technique, it would produce unexpected results.

Chu Mu unconsciously raised his sword and gently stroked its edge. Then... the blade flashed into motion.

With the Spiritual Radiance Blessing expanding his mind, his movements should have been as wild and fierce as ever. But now, his blade lacked any of that wildness or ferocity. Instead, it moved slowly, almost languidly.

With each Sword Form, Chu Mu carefully experienced the change in Power brought about by the blade’s swing.

Under the Spiritual Radiance Blessing, this experience was extremely profound.

As every minute change in Power became exceptionally clear to his senses, Chu Mu tentatively began to alter the Power behind each swing of his sword.

A downward slash, with a bit more Power, or a bit less...

And the changes that this extra bit of Power, or missing bit of Power, ultimately brought to his Sword Technique.

Even with the Spiritual Radiance Blessing enhancing his thoughts and intellect, he had no practical theory to back him up.

Faced with the utterly abstract concept of "lifting the heavy as if it were light," Chu Mu could only resort to this clumsy method of trial and error.

After experimenting for about fifteen minutes, Chu Mu finally stopped.

The small increase in Skill Level for his Sword Technique on the Light Curtain Panel proved that his study of Power was not a complete waste of effort.

But to call it effective would be a stretch. Even with the Spiritual Radiance Blessing, the results were minimal.

After all, the total time he had spent practicing with the sword was, at most, a little over two months, and that didn’t even count the time he spent recovering from his injuries.

With no teacher and no inheritance, relying completely on his own exploration, his foundation was ultimately too shallow.

’What a shame...’

Chu Mu sighed softly. For his Martial Arts training, he at least had a Body Refining Technique manual to refer to, giving him a clear path for Qi and Blood Cultivation.

This Sword Technique, on the other hand, seemed to consist of just a few repetitive moves. Relying entirely on his own efforts, achieving an Initial Glimpse was easy, but true mastery... was difficult!

But thankfully, regardless of whether his understanding of "lifting the heavy as if it were light" was right or wrong, it was at least a path forward.

And if there was a path, all he had to do was follow it. That was far better than not knowing which way to go.

With that thought, Chu Mu didn’t stop. He raised his sword and, though not under the Spiritual Radiance Blessing, he continued to earnestly practice his Sword Forms.

Xu Yuan, the seemingly unreliable kid, had actually exceeded Chu Mu’s expectations. All by himself with a single sword, he had been practicing in a corner the entire time.

The two stood in their own spaces, each with a sword, each engrossed in their own Sword Technique.

Time trickled by in this state of deep concentration.

Only when night fell did Chu Mu finally lower his sword.

"Brother Mu..."

Xu Yuan sat to the side, wincing as he kneaded his shoulders. When he saw Chu Mu lower his sword, he looked over.

Chu Mu glanced up at the darkening sky and said:

"We haven’t had dinner yet, have we? I’ll go make something."

"It’s so late, let’s eat out."

Grinning, Xu Yuan scooted closer and said excitedly, "Let’s go to Fengyue Tower!"

"Since you’ve recovered, Brother Mu, my treat!"

Chu Mu was tempted. He had spent the better part of a month recovering, drinking restorative tonics every day. All that potent Qi Blood had him feeling quite restless.

"Let’s go. It’s my treat this time!"

Chu Mu casually unfastened his sword, but then, as if remembering something, he gripped it in his hand again and followed Xu Yuan toward Fengyue Tower.

Night had fallen, but it was not yet time for the curfew. The streets were filled with people coming and going, creating a勉强算是热闹 atmosphere.

Over the past few months, following a series of incidents, Nanshan Town had grown visibly more desolate.

Only Fengyue Tower remained as prosperous as ever.

The reason was simple. No matter how chaotic things got or how many people died, as long as the order wasn’t destroyed from the bottom up, the wealthy and powerful at the top would remain unaffected.

And a den of indulgence like Fengyue Tower was, by its very nature, destined to have little to do with ordinary people.

Even someone like Chu Mu, whose income was far above the average person’s, often had to keep his distance.

It was a three-story wooden pavilion, adorned with magnificent lanterns. Drifting on the air was the distinct fragrance of wine, women, and perfume. Looking through its doors and windows, one could see a veritable feast for the eyes.

"Let’s go..."

Chu Mu waved to Xu Yuan, but couldn’t help but feel speechless at the boy’s impatient expression.

"AHH—"

"Help me—"

"There’s—"

Just as Chu Mu lifted his foot to take a step, a piercing shriek suddenly rang out, making his heart clench.

The next instant, with a sickening THUD, blood splattered. Just a few meters from Chu Mu’s side, a mangled, bloody corpse was a horrific sight.

Chu Mu instinctively looked up. He saw an enchanting woman with a face full of terror, her hands gripping the window frame tightly. But soon, as if someone was dragging her, the woman let out a wail and vanished from sight...

...