He Had Stayed with the Wang Family for Thirteen Years

As long as Zhou Mo possessed a martial technique to defend himself, then even as a mere Level 2 cultivator, he would instantly stand apart from ordinary mortals. "Not bad." Chen Fan weighed the bamboo slip in his hand and suddenly smiled. As the camp developed, many things could no longer be kept under wraps. If he wanted to expand his power, he would inevitably have to interact with the outside world, which naturally meant conflict, assassination attempts, and the like. The world knew him as an architect. A man too weak to truss a chicken. That was common knowledge. Architects were special cultivators incapable of practicing martial techniques. When enemies went through great pains to draw near, finally seizing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to launch an assassination, only for him to pull a blade from his robes and strike back with a Grand Consummation Water-Severing Saber Technique, the scene would surely be fascinating. The look on their faces would be magnificent. It seemed he would need to gather more martial technique exotic treasures in the future. These were truly fine items. An architect? He was merely an ordinary cultivator with an Eternal Night Lord panel, possessing no real talent as an architect at all. ... He did not crush the bamboo slip in his hand. This saber technique suited Zhou Mo better. He intended to place it in a Training Chamber later. He did not possess that building blueprint yet, nor did he know where to get one. The wooden cabin had three branching upgrade paths once it reached Level 4: Living Workshop. Artifact Refining Workshop. Alchemy Workshop. These three directions determined the future development of the wooden cabin, leaving no possibility of upgrading it into a Training Chamber. "I need a marketplace." Chen Fan sighed softly. This strengthened his resolve to build a marketplace of his own here once the rainy season ended. Able to view the exotic treasure panels directly, he could gauge their worth much faster and more straightforwardly. Only a sufficient influx of people could help him build up enough foundation. Just then— Zhou Mo and Da Yu appeared in the canyon passage, mounted on the Skeleton Horse and the crocodile. "We had a massive haul this trip!" Zhou Mo dismounted and jogged excitedly all the way up to the wall to report. "The Skeleton Horse is really fast! Da Yu and I split up today and stripped all the outposts north of the wasteland bare. "We didn't go south. "The southern outposts are too far away for a round trip within a single day. "And the unmanned outposts you set up yielded quite a lot too, Stationmaster!" "Well done." Lying on his rocking chair, Chen Fan glanced down at Wang Kui, who was busy receiving the supplies. He tossed the bamboo slip he was toying with to Zhou Mo and smiled. "A Green-grade martial technique exotic treasure: the Water-Severing Saber Technique. It suits you quite well. "Take some time over the next few days to study and comprehend it. "Don't break it. "It will need to be placed in the Training Chamber later." "..." Zhou Mo, who had just been making his report with boundless excitement, looked down at the bamboo slip in his arms. The smile on his face froze. It took him a long while to come back to his senses. His body trembled uncontrollably, and he fell to his knees on the wall, his eyes reddening as he choked out in a raspy voice: "Stationmaster... this is too valuable... I... "When I joined the Qiuhe Wang family back then, a major goal of mine was to learn their White-grade martial technique, the Gale Saber Technique. As long as one served the Wang family for a year and met a certain contribution quota, one would have the chance to comprehend that technique within their courtyard. "But contribution points are so hard to earn. I was still so far away. "I... "I never imagined that one day I'd have the chance to comprehend a Green-grade martial technique! An opportunity like this is simply too precious to me. Stationmaster, from now on, my life belongs to you. If you tell me to go east, I'll never go west!" "..." Chen Fan tilted his head to look at Zhou Mo. He had not anticipated such an intense reaction. Was a simple chance at comprehension really worth getting so worked up over? It wasn't as if it instantly raised him to Grand Consummation—he still had to train on his own, didn't he? The rogue cultivators of this world were truly pathetic. Even a White-grade martial technique could be monopolized. Still, this only underscored the rarity of martial technique exotic treasures, giving him a deeper understanding of their true value. He could only chuckle exasperatedly. "You've said that before. "You already owe me several lives by now. "Besides, whenever you want to express your loyalty, don't you have any other lines?" "Uh..." Overcome with emotion, Zhou Mo's mind had completely stalled. Incapable of thinking straight, he answered purely on reflex, "My life is the only thing I have that's worth anything. I don't have anything else of value on me..." "All right, that's enough." Swaying gently in the rocking chair, Chen Fan gave a helpless laugh. "Go down and take your time comprehending it." "Rest assured, Stationmaster." Zhou Mo drew a deep breath and rose, enunciating each word with solemn gravity. "I will never disappoint your expectations. Within five years, I will definitely cultivate this technique to the realm of completion. Anyone who dares offend you will become a ghost beneath my blade!" "..." The corner of Chen Fan's mouth twitched slightly. He said nothing, merely waving a hand. Five years? It would be far too late by then. If he couldn't even obtain a Training Chamber blueprint in five years, wouldn't that make him utterly incompetent? His efforts in fortifying the camp these days were not just to weather anticipated crises; they were preparations for making contact with other factions once the rainy season came to an end. ... "I heard just now—a Green-grade martial technique?" Inside the cave. Wang Kui, who had hauled all the goods into the warehouse but had yet to take inventory, jogged over to Zhou Mo as the latter came down from the wall. Wang Kui craned his neck, eyes brimming with envy. "Can you let me see? I've never laid eyes on a Green-grade martial technique in my entire life." "Shoo, get lost." Zhou Mo swatted Wang Kui's reaching hand away and carefully unrolled the bamboo slip. "Looking is fine, but why keep putting your hands on it? If you break it, can you take the blame?" "The highest good is like water, benefiting all things without contention..." After Zhou Mo murmured the chant under his breath, a profound, esoteric sensation welled up in his heart. It felt as though he had achieved a faint touch of comprehension. Thrilled even further, he hastily rolled the bamboo slip back up and tucked it carefully into his robes. "Wait..." Wang Kui recited the words after him, but confusion flickered across his eyes. "Why don't I feel anything at all? How about you let me hold the slip for a moment so I can see if holding it gives me the feeling?" "Then be careful." After a moment's hesitation, Zhou Mo handed the slip to Wang Kui. ... Following a brief experiment. Wang Kui looked at the simplified illustrations of stances on the back of the bamboo slip. After falling silent for a moment, he said with a complicated expression, "So... only by holding the bamboo slip and reciting the chant can one attain comprehension. Then, supplemented by the stance diagrams on the back, one can master it through long-term practice. "Without the slip in hand, it's impossible to comprehend anything from the chant alone." In truth, a deep sense of melancholy stirred within him. He and Zhou Mo both hailed from the Qiuhe Wang family. Zhou Mo had stayed with the Wang family for three years. He had stayed with the Wang family for thirteen years. He had devoted the strongest, healthiest years of his life to the Wang family, yet they had never allowed him into the Scripture Pavilion, let alone given him a chance to touch the Wang family's White-grade martial technique. The Gale Saber Technique. For the first time in his life, he finally learned what it felt like to comprehend a martial technique.