Chương 29: Struggles of the Poor (III)

Hmm. Indeed. This is bullshit! Spend points on this, then on that--I was promised 50 Creation Points to guide someone, yet, at minimum, I have to spend 10 to get there!... ah. These are the sore beginnings of a journey, after all; maybe if this guy were an actual Elder with some knowledge, I'd be able to offer the minimum required guidance like a normal person and receive rewards that way. But I have to depend on the system for something as basic as this. Hmm.

I do have a question, however--if I reconstruct it completely... do I also get that version? [While the reconstructed art will not count under Host's creation, Host will have unfettered access to the completed version] Oh? That's a bit interesting, at least. Of course, that wasn't happening. From what I can recall, 'Sword Coalescence' was one of the few arts that did not cost anything to learn. Even servants could grab one of the many transcripts and give their best.

I don't know how much the art would improve by fixing it, but it misaligns with my goals--hop on the bus that were my disciples. Neither of them needed the art, so I elected for the partial reconstruction, transforming it into quasi-Earth-level art. Not quite there, but almost. A flood of knowledge gave me a temporary headache, but comparatively speaking, it was... kind of dull? After all, having already experienced something vastly worse with my two creations, this was just a whole heap of nothing.

Shaking my head, I focused back on the kid and saw that he was still practicing. Taking a deep breath, adjusting my straw hat as much as I could to hide my face, I walked over and stopped about ten feet from him, appearing to observe. The kid noticed me at some point and stopped, first frowning and then hurriedly racing over to bow.

"Greetings, Senior!" Ah, good. He couldn't recognize me. This will make it much easier.

"Hm," I grunted back noncommittally. When you're playing the role of a mysterious stud, deep grunts are everything. I think.

"Not bad. You've advanced surprisingly far."

"A-ah! Thank you, Senior! I've been practicing for over a year now!" The kid legitimately seemed to beam; then again, disregarding the fact that they were beating the shit out of each other, everyone here was just... a child. At their age, I was playing basketball and hogging my parents' phone lines to catch a glimpse of--khm, anyway, the point is that even though I got into a few fights, too, it was nowhere near comparable. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"It's not perfect, however."

"Please, Senior, offer me your guidance!" He bowed deeply, appearing desperate. I sighed involuntarily; though I get a glimpse into who they are through the screen, ultimately... I know nothing. All I know is that this kid misses his family--but that's just the initial shallows of a vast lake. I fumbled through my robes, pretending to look for something, while tasking the system to print out an aged, partially fixed version of the manual.

"Here," I took it out and handed it over.

"In my youth, I practiced Sword Coalescence too and stumbled upon a few flaws that I managed to fix. It's still not perfect, but it's improved. Study carefully; I will visit you occasionally to note your progress."

"--ah, yes, Senior! Thank you very much!" He grabbed the book with shaky hands and kept his head low.... Seconds ticked, and nothing happened; I didn't move, he didn't move, and most importantly, the system didn't move. Hm? Don't tell me-- ** Please, just leave already!!! Xi Zhao cried inwardly, yet dared not move an inch. Before him stood the befouled devil, the hedonistic trash of the Spirit Sword Sect, Elder Lu Qi. Who didn't know of his evils? From servants to other elders, everyone knew!

What was he doing here, however?! He'd never come here before! He even dressed up and pretended to be some sort of a wise sage guiding disciples! Pah! What the hell did he know of Sword Coalescence? Nothing! Please, just leave! As though he heard Xi Zhao's prayers, the elder coughed for a moment before he spun and left. The former didn't dare lift up his gaze for a few moments longer, finally peeking and noticing that he truly was gone.

"Haah," Xi Zhao exhaled a rancid breath, feeling his heart wanting to leap out through his throat. That was scary! No, that was terrifying! Why did that old scrooge come up to him? There were dozens of other disciples here... why did he have to pick him?! The boy shuddered at the thought of being eyed by that beast; there were seldom worse fates, if the rumors were to be believed. He glanced down at the tattered pages of a manual in his hand, grimacing. What to do with them? Study them? Never!

He may as well trigger Qi Deviation himself and save some time.... then again... maybe? His fingers peeled the manual open, fingertips flickering with intensity; he truly was desperate, beyond a shadow of a doubt. There was nothing he wanted more than to become stronger so he could return home with his head held up high. Even if it meant making a deal with the devil...

"No, no, no," he gritted his teeth, yet still took a peek.

"Hm?" He quickly opened the book and started flipping through the pages. It really was 'Sword Coalescence'... well, mostly. It still showed six movements, but the transitory parts were different, as were some of the stances and timings, and, crucially, Qi pathways were altered slightly. All other things he could withstand, but the Qi pathways were sacred. Any slight alteration could be the difference between perfect execution and the shattering of meridians.

Ignoring the changed pathways, he first focused on the things that wouldn't have the chance to kill him. The changes themselves were quite minor, however, begging the question as to how much of a difference they would make. Nonetheless, he looked at the first stance and copied it; it wasn't much different, just a slight change in his feet's positioning. He also followed the slightly altered trajectory of the blade and swung somewhat nonchalantly.

"Hm?" Xi Zhao stopped, feeling that something was... amiss. Ordinarily, the first strike never produced any sound; in fact, it was often the hardest, as the air resistance was at its worst. Yet, now, it felt... freer. He repeated the action, putting in a bit more strength. His eyes lit up like radiant stars as he watched the wooden sword cleave through the air, facing practically no resistance.

As though possessed, he ignored every warning in his mind and rapidly began adjusting both the physical changes as well as Qi pathways; it took him about an hour until he'd executed all six movements in succession. Gasping for breath, his eyes widened into saucers--not only were all the difficulties gone, but another insane thing happened... he'd broken through to the second stage of the Qi Condensation Realm! Was I wrong?, he mused inwardly. Yes, definitely!

It has to have been some other Elder, generously offering advice! Yes, there's no way it was that trash!