"The recycling price is 1/2 of the original price. Trust me, with my advancement speed, you'll still make a profit." Mai Ge smiled and said nonchalantly, "You should know that there's a weapons shop right next to me. For 1,000 gold coins, I can also customize a decent standard long sword. It won't be difficult to resell it for 500 gold coins."
A buyer's market refers to a market trend where supply exceeds demand, putting buyers in a favorable position in transactions. In his trading with the system, Mai Ge habitually places transactions in a buyer's market, thus gaining the upper hand in the transaction. From experience, this is a very efficient way to negotiate prices.
"Deal!"
"Ding! 1000 gold coins deducted successfully! The long sword is ready and can be delivered at any time."
A somewhat unwilling voice sounded from the system.
"Now, put the sword by the balcony door." Mai Ge's lips curled slightly as he took a set of loose-fitting but not cumbersome clothes from the wardrobe changed into them, and walked towards the balcony.
He opened the balcony door, and there was a long sword already placed in the doorway, the very same one he had used when he went to Stranglethorn Vale for the quest last time.
Having almost been killed by a long sword that fell from the sky by the system last time, Mai Ge had no confidence in the system's logistics. It was best to avoid showing off, as the system might not cooperate and he would easily be defeated.
Mai Ge reached out and picked up the long sword. The hilt was slightly cool to the touch. It weighed about five jin (about 2.5 kg), which felt a bit heavy, but not at all cumbersome. He twirled the sword in his hand, and the blade gleamed coldly in the cool moonlight, its sharpness unparalleled.
He gently closed the balcony door, took a deep breath, and Mai Ge's mind became incredibly peaceful, his expression serious and focused.
If the repetitive daily cooking had brought about many changes in Mai Ge, then the most obvious was his mindset—how to concentrate on doing something, how to get into the zone quickly.
After the dust of his past life had settled, and having experienced death once, he began to understand what truly mattered to him.
In the silent night, he gripped a black long sword, seemingly blending into the darkness, and then suddenly thrust it forward.
It was a very simple sword strike, devoid of any superfluous or ornate techniques, seemingly just a casual thrust.
But this sword strike was straight, perfectly straight.
The sword tip, blade, hilt, wrist, forearm... were all in a straight line, as if measured with the most precise ruler, without the slightest deviation.
This straightness was natural, and this speed was undeniable.
Mai Ge takes his sword back, expressionless, and thrust it out again. It was still a straight thrust, with no change in angle, speed, or even the height of his raised hand.
On the third floor balcony, under the moonlight, Mai Ge stood still, silently thrusting his sword again and again. Each sword seemed the same, yet each sword seemed different.
The monotonous and tedious sword strikes seemed effortless, but before long, Mai Ge's forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat, and the back of his clothes was soaked with sweat. However, each sword strike remained straight, and the angle and speed of the thrusts were impeccable.
"98, 99, 100..." Mai Ge thrust out the last sword, slowly withdrew his slightly numb hand, and let out a long breath. The tingling sensation traveled from his fingertips all the way up to his entire right shoulder, but his eyes were exceptionally bright as he looked at the long sword in his hand, as if he was savoring something.
"The Thirteen Shadow Techniques are simple and unadorned killing techniques. The first technique—the Straight Thrust—must be mastered to the extreme, allowing one to adapt to any situation with unchanging principles. This is the true essence of swordsmanship." Mai Ge murmured to himself.
This is the sword technique that Mai Ge • Alex has been practicing for over ten years. The first five moves are the simplest sword techniques: thrust, point, wipe, strike, and slash. Mai Ge • Alex has practiced each move tens of thousands of times, and the moves are deeply ingrained in his body.
Mai Ge's body has recovered to some extent. Now, all he needs to do is redevelop his body, unleash the limits of what he can currently achieve, and completely take control of his body's abilities.
Advancing one's strength is a gradual process, but Mai Ge's path to becoming stronger differs from the typical person's training and practice. The system gave him a body that had once reached the pinnacle of human potential, and then used physical attribute points to slowly activate the potential of this body. Moreover, he has powerful sword skills and combat techniques in his memories.
All of this only gave Mai Ge a very high starting point and unlimited potential, but he was still Mai Ge, not Alex.
It's as if the system has prepared the best kitchen and ingredients for him, and thrown a top notch recipe and experience pack into his brain. But to make the most perfect dish, he still needs to practice countless times in the Chef God Trial Ground, transform the experience of others into something he can master, and use the best ingredients to make the most perfect dish.
Now, Mai Ge faces the same problem in terms of improving his strength. He has a top notch body and the most suitable techniques and experience in his mind. What he lacks is how to completely make these things his own.
Of course, Mai Ge is very good at doing this now.
Mai Ge felt that anything that could be achieved through continuous effort was not a problem. His tireless practice day and night in the Chef God Trial Ground did not deter him in the slightest. From then on, setting aside one or two hours each night to practice swordsmanship had become part of his schedule.
With a twist of his wrist, Mai Ge switched the long sword to his other hand, then used his left hand to thrust the sword forward again, the movements equally precise and swift, even a little faster.
On the Nolan Continent, everyone knows that Mai Ge • Alex's right hand sword is fast, but many dead people also know that his left hand sword is even faster.
Three years ago, on that night, when he was ambushed by six level 10 experts, he managed to kill three of them. Alex used his left-handed sword.
"It's a bit pity that I can't use source power before level five." Mai Ge thought to himself as he practiced his sword seriously, flipping through the incredibly powerful sword techniques in his mind, feeling a little itchy.
The so-called "source power" is somewhat similar to the internal energy in martial arts novels.
The key to humanity's ability to emerge victorious in the racial wars and share the continent with the eight major races was the awakening of the cultivation method of source power a thousand years ago, which gave the naturally weak humans the ability to confront giant dragons and demons head-on.
Cultivating Source Power raises the limits of human physical capabilities, both strength and speed can be increased as Source Power increases.
Upon reaching level five, and with the corresponding combat techniques, one can unleash their source energy, resulting in a dramatic increase in combat power.
A blade aura fifty meters long might be a bit of an exaggeration, but a sword aura three to five meters long is no exaggeration.
Back then, when Mai Ge • Alex was at the peak of level ten, his sword aura stretched twelve meters across the sky, and he slew a dragon with a single sword strike, shocking the world!
The thought of cleaving a fireball in two with a single sword strike is inexplicably exhilarating.
This is the true world of swords and magic that Mai Ge envisioned.