Intimidated by Chu Lingguang's reputation and unnerved by Guo Wei's blatant favoritism today, Hei Hu performed poorly. Even though his Saber Technique was clearly superior, he failed to gain an advantage in their spar.
Guo Wei saw the change in Hei Hu's mentality. After giving him a tongue-lashing, he stopped the match. He then personally stepped in to demonstrate the key points of the Iron Mountain Saber Technique for Chu Lingguang several times over.
He gave Chu Lingguang hands-on guidance to master the critical essentials. Even when Chu Lingguang made many mistakes in the process, he remained affable and enthusiastic, showing no sign of impatience.
Under Guo Wei's instruction, Chu Lingguang's Iron Mountain Saber Technique improved significantly.
Meanwhile, Hei Hu had retreated to a corner. Grasping a lance, he relentlessly practiced thrusts and upward flicks against a scarecrow.
After a while, the scarecrow was battered beyond recognition. He threw down the lance and started practicing Iron Mountain Fist on it.
That evening, Guo Fang specially stewed a pot of pork knuckles for Chu Lingguang. As for the rest, following Guo Wei's instructions, she made it into cured meat, slicing some off each day for Chu Lingguang to replenish his Qi Blood.
In addition, Guo Fang also suggested to Guo Wei that it would be more appropriate to exchange the goods for silver taels and give half to Chu Lingguang. After all, besides the silk and cookware, most of the things Butcher Hu had sent were foodstuffs.
Chu Lingguang ate all three of his meals at the Martial Arts Hall and couldn't cook the white flour and white rice if he took them back. So when he left, Chu Lingguang was carrying five jin of white flour, a bolt of silk tucked under his arm, and had an extra two taels of silver in his pocket.
The things Butcher Hu sent were worth several silver taels, but the most expensive items were the large white pig and the two bolts of silk.
Now, Guo Wei had turned the big white pig into cured meat, reserved exclusively for Chu Lingguang. Even if everyone else occasionally had some, Chu Lingguang still ate the most.
And of the two bolts of silk, Chu Lingguang was told to take one back with him.
The remaining items, when converted to silver, weren't even worth two taels. Yet Guo Wei had given Chu Lingguang two whole taels of silver, and another five jin of white flour on top of that. It was almost as if he had given everything from Butcher Hu directly to Chu Lingguang.
Chu Lingguang knew that with Guo Wei's financial resources, he didn't care at all about the things Butcher Hu sent. What he truly cared about was his disciple making a name for him.
Otherwise, the ten-day medicinal bath he'd received wasn't any cheaper than the gifts from Butcher Hu.
But he knew he had to refuse what he could.
If he couldn't refuse, then he had to find a way to repay the favor. So on the way back, Chu Lingguang was constantly pondering what he could exchange the silver for that would please Guo Wei.
After spending two months together, he had some understanding of Guo Wei's preferences, and an idea quickly formed in his mind.
But then his thoughts quickly turned to Hei Hu.
He had been in the spotlight recently, especially today, bringing great honor to Guo Wei, which in turn made Guo Wei appreciate him even more. Hei Hu didn't say anything, but Chu Lingguang knew he must be feeling resentful.
So, when trying to please Guo Wei, he couldn't do it in a way that would make Hei Hu feel more awkward, or think that he was scheming behind his back. Otherwise, pleasing Guo Wei only to offend Hei Hu would be a troublesome matter.
They were martial brothers, after all. Chu Lingguang had to find a way to let Hei Hu release his pent-up frustration and help him become the apple of Guo Wei's eye again.
"Helping Guo Wei build his reputation has granted 56 Favor Points; saving the life of Butcher Hu's wife and child has granted 63 Favor Points; in return for the gratitude of Guo Wei and Butcher Hu, you have acquired the Basic Body Technique."
When Chu Lingguang arrived home, a line of text appeared before him.
He had been waiting for this for a long time. When he saw that his Favor Points added up to over one hundred, and that he had also obtained a Basic Body Technique, he was ecstatic and almost cried out in surprise.
Favor Points: 119
Iron Mountain Fist (41/100)
Basic Breathing Technique (47/100)
Heavenward Force (27/100)
Iron Mountain Saber Technique (2/100)
Basic Body Technique (0/100)
(Remaining Lifespan: 43)
"With over a hundred Favor Points, I have enough to raise my Iron Mountain Saber Technique to Perfection. I could produce a Sword Cry immediately!" Chu Lingguang exclaimed.
The Iron Mountain Saber Technique really was hard to practice.
Today, Guo Wei taught him hands-on and trained with him for the entire day, correcting him countless times, yet the value for his Iron Mountain Saber Technique only went up by a single point.
An opportunity like today wouldn't come by every day. Guo Wei couldn't always focus on just Chu Lingguang. Besides, this kind of hands-on instruction was incredibly draining. If this kept up, even Guo Wei wouldn't be able to take it.
So Chu Lingguang considered raising his Iron Mountain Saber Technique to the Perfection state in one go.
'No.'
'The Daoist Examination doesn't just test one Saber Technique. If my other Martial Arts don't show results, even if I practice the Saber Technique to Perfection, I still won't make the list.'
'I should improve everything across the board, not just focus on a single Saber Technique.'
'The Basic Breathing Technique not only strengthens my Qi Blood, but it also extends my lifespan and even speeds up my cultivation. I can't neglect upgrading it; in fact, it's the highest priority.'
'And then there's this Basic Body Technique. As a Body Technique, it can be combined with other Kung Fu. Whether I'm fighting or fleeing, it'll give me an advantage. I can't neglect it either.'
'Of course, the Saber Technique should be improved too, but not too quickly, or it might arouse suspicion.'
'As for Heavenward Force? I'll upgrade that too!'
After some deliberation, Chu Lingguang decided to focus on upgrading his Basic Breathing Technique and Basic Body Technique, followed by the Saber Technique and Heavenward Force.
And so, the information on his panel changed.
Favor Points: 0
Iron Mountain Fist (41/100)
Basic Breathing Technique (84/100)
Heavenward Force (40/100)
Iron Mountain Saber Technique (34/100)
Basic Body Technique (37/100)
(Remaining Lifespan: 57)
Chu Lingguang used up all his Favor Points in one go. Except for Iron Mountain Fist, which remained unchanged, his other Kung Fu skills were all upgraded, and his lifespan instantly increased by more than a decade.
Under the cover of night, with no one around, Chu Lingguang pulled a bamboo stalk from the fence and, using it as a long saber, began to practice the Iron Mountain Saber Technique in his yard.
The scene he had imagined—a single slash that produced a Sword Cry echoing through heaven and earth—did not happen.
But Chu Lingguang could already feel a surge of Power being transmitted through his Saber Technique. He was not far from producing a Sword Sound. As long as he trained hard, given time, he would be able to produce a Sword Sound before the examination, even without the help of Favor Points.
He practiced in the yard more than ten times. The Twelve Knife Skills flowed and changed in his hands, as if free from all rules, yet they were exceptionally fluid.
Previously, although Chu Lingguang could perform the Saber Technique smoothly, he was still rigidly bound by the sequence of moves and couldn't switch between them freely. Every move and every stance was proper and methodical. It looked grand and sweeping, but in the eyes of an expert, it was extremely rigid.
But now that his Iron Mountain Saber Technique had reached a value of 34, when Chu Lingguang performed it, he could do as he pleased. Not only could he switch freely between the twelve stances, but he could also integrate them, striking out with unpredictable slashes.
Chu Lingguang was confident that if he were to face Hei Hu again now, even if Hei Hu had regained his confidence, he could defeat him within a few moves.
Gradually, Chu Lingguang also discovered that the reason his Saber Technique had become so fluid and unrestrained was inextricably linked to his Basic Body Technique. It was with the help of the Body Technique that his footwork became so effortless, making his every slash and chop impossible to guard against.