Su Mu had always believed that no drop of sweat from hard work was ever wasted.
He had practiced his saber technique for the entire day, and he finally had something to show for it.
'I was right. The Points on the panel can be used to upgrade Martial Arts.
'I was sitting on a mountain of treasure but couldn't use it. Now, it's like a Flood Dragon returning to the sea—a whole new world has opened up.'
Su Mu's heart filled with immense joy. His long days of hardship were finally coming to an end.
With the system panel, as long as he reached the introductory level of a Martial Art, all he had to do was wait and accumulate Identity Points. He wouldn't even have to practice the saber himself to master this Submerging Wave Saber Technique.
Staring at the "+" on the system panel, Su Mu felt like he was standing on the edge of a cliff, about to bungee jump. He took a few deep breaths to prepare himself, then cautiously pressed it.
A flash of light sparked in Su Mu's pupils and vanished. Immediately after, he felt something being violently shoved into his mind before it exploded with a deafening ROAR.
A massive flood of information rampaged through his mind.
In an instant, Su Mu felt as if he had lived for several decades.
In those decades, he practiced his saber through biting cold and scorching heat, in frozen wastelands, and even under waterfalls and at the bottom of deep pools.
Day after day, year after year.
The amount of suffering he endured and effort he expended was immeasurable.
The quantitative change finally triggered a qualitative one.
Su Mu swung his saber, its glinting blade like endless, overlapping waves.
The thirteen forms of the Submerging Wave Saber Technique, along with every single variation, were now etched into his mind.
He now felt as if he had been practicing the Submerging Wave Saber Technique since birth. Every move and stance was ingrained in his very bones, becoming pure instinct.
His body, too, had grown stronger from the decades of training. The change from before was nothing short of heaven-and-earth-shattering.
'If it really took decades of practice to get this result, my talent must be truly awful…'
As he felt the changes in his body, Su Mu also noticed the changes on his panel.
[Name: Su Mu]
[Identity: Woodcutter (Drifter)]
[Points: 5]
[Martial Arts: Submerging Wave Saber Technique (Introductory)]
After the Submerging Wave Saber Technique reached the Introductory level, the "+" sign behind it disappeared, and his Points had decreased by 10.
Introductory was just the beginning for a martial technique. After that came Minor Accomplishment, Major Accomplishment, Perfection, and even Limit Breaking.
Generally, as long as one wasn't exceptionally dull, anyone who obtained a Martial Arts legacy could reach the Introductory level after three to five years of hard practice.
As for Major Accomplishment, that required even more effort.
However, reaching Perfection after Major Accomplishment was not so easy. It required a certain level of comprehension to achieve.
But if one could cultivate a martial technique to the Realm of Perfection, they would be considered a formidable expert, at least within a single county. Securing a life free from worries about food and clothing would be as easy as flipping one's hand.
'With my status as a drifter, I only get 1 Point every five days. That means it takes fifty days to get 10 Points. On the surface, it looked like a simple tap, but in reality, you could say it took me fifty days of cultivation to reach the Introductory level.'
As this thought crossed his mind, Su Mu willed it and tapped on the Submerging Wave Saber Technique on the panel.
A notification popped up on the panel: Minor Accomplishment required 100 Points.
'One Point every five days. To get 100 Points, I'll need five hundred days.'
Su Mu calculated in his head. Five hundred days was nearly two years, which was about the same amount of time the manual said it would take to cultivate the Submerging Wave Saber Technique to Minor Accomplishment.
'Five hundred days? I could probably reach Minor Accomplishment by practicing on my own in that time. What's the use of you, then?'
Su Mu grumbled to himself.
But even as he thought that, Su Mu knew in his heart that it wasn't that simple. It might seem like using Points took about the same amount of time as practicing, but that was only because he wasn't earning Points fast enough.
'If my identity rank were a little higher, if I could earn one Point a day…'
'A thousand-story tower is built from the ground up. First, I need to get household registration. Only with that will I have a formal identity. Whether I want to become an official or start my own business later, household registration is the foundation.'
Su Mu planned out his future path.
His identity determined his Points, so he had to climb the ladder step by step.
The Da Xuan Dynasty valued martial prowess, and there was a well-established promotion system for Martial Artists. As long as he had the strength, he wouldn't have to worry about not being able to advance.
'Household registration. First, I have to get household registration.'
Su Mu returned to reality. This was the first problem he needed to solve.
If he couldn't change his status as a drifter, just reaching Minor Accomplishment with his saber technique would take nearly two years. Wouldn't Major Accomplishment take more than ten?
As for developing the Submerging Wave Saber Momentum, that would take who knows how long.
By then, it would be too late for everything. Even if he did develop the saber momentum, his prospects would be bleak.
Su Mu thought to himself, 'The household registration issue isn't too hard to solve. It just costs 500 cents.'
Three-zhu coins were copper coins minted by the Da Xuan Dynasty, named for the characters for "three zhu" inscribed on them.
'I spent eighty cents on a doctor and medicine before, so I only have seventy cents left. But that's okay. Now that my saber technique has reached the Introductory level, I can't say for sure about other things, but my woodcutting efficiency should improve a lot.'
His saber technique was only at the Introductory level, placing him at the very bottom of the social ladder in Wuling City. Trying to make money with it wasn't realistic.
With an Introductory-level martial technique, he would only be a low-level grunt even if he joined a gang.
If he revealed his saber technique now, the gangs would just use him as cannon fodder. There was no other possibility.
'Patience, patience.'
Su Mu comforted himself. With the system panel, as long as he could endure this most difficult period, he was certain to climb to a high position in the future.
For now, he had to be steady and not act rashly.
「Time flew by.」
For several days in a row, Su Mu left the city to cut wood as soon as the gates opened.
He would only end his day's labor when the city gates closed at sunset.
He hadn't yet seen how effective the Submerging Wave Saber Technique was at cutting people, but its effect on cutting wood was immediately apparent.
Before, it took Su Mu over an hour to cut a full load of firewood, and it would leave him completely exhausted.
Now, using the Submerging Wave Saber Technique, he could sever even arm-thick dead branches with a single strike.
A full load of firewood now only took him the time it takes to eat a meal.
He used to carry three loads of firewood a day, earning seven or eight cents.
Now, he could carry at least six loads a day, earning a minimum of fifteen cents!
At this rate, he would be able to save up enough money for his Wuling City household registration in two months at most.
After finishing his work for the day and returning to the dilapidated temple, Su Mu would sneak off to a deserted spot behind it to practice his saber for two hours.
Even though he had the system panel, he discovered that he could reduce the number of Points needed to upgrade a martial technique by practicing it himself.
Moreover, he needed to use this method to familiarize himself with his own strength, lest he fail to react in time when faced with danger.
WHAP!
Tense the legs, contract the abdomen, turn, and swing the saber…
Power flowed in a straight line from his spine to his arm, and his woodcutting saber sliced through the air with a sound like a firecracker exploding.
'If this were my past life, I'd probably be considered a master in the Martial World.'
Su Mu nodded to himself, very satisfied with his progress.
「The days passed, one by one.」
Every day, Su Mu cut wood, practiced his saber, and counted his money.
Before he knew it, more than half a month had gone by, and he had already saved up 350 cents.
After carefully counting all the copper coins, he put them in a shabby cloth pouch and tucked it inside his robes.
This was his entire fortune, so naturally, he only felt safe carrying it on his person. He even made sure to avoid the other drifters and beggars in the dilapidated temple when he counted his money.
Although he was already very careful, it was impossible to avoid being seen when he collected his pay from the Chai Bang each day.
Wealth stirs men's hearts. In the past few days, he had noticed several people in the temple frequently sneaking glances at him.
When he looked their way, they would shift their gazes, their attempt to hide their intentions only making them more obvious. They didn't dare to meet his eyes.
A dozen or so drifters and beggars lived in this dilapidated temple. It was a mixed bag of people involved in all sorts of things. Although Su Mu rarely interacted with them, he knew the ones spying on him were up to no good.
'There's no privacy or safety to speak of in a place like this. I have to get my household registration as soon as possible and move to where the 'normal people' live.'
Su Mu calmly withdrew his gaze, slid his woodcutting saber under his body, and quietly raised his guard.
The night deepened.
There was no moon tonight. Not a single light could be seen on the entire street, and the dilapidated temple was plunged into absolute darkness.
In the darkness, a faint RUSTLING sound reached Su Mu's ears.
His eyes snapped open, shining with a frightening light.