138: Chapter 138 Advancing in One Day?

Lin Tian took the scroll, and the moment his fingers touched the jade roller, a gentle coolness seeped from his fingertips.

He did not linger in the great hall; he cupped his hands in a salute to Peak Master Su Hanyan and turned to leave.

The hall doors closed behind him, and the mountain breeze rushed against his face once more.

He walked down the mountain path, passed through the pine and cypress forest, turned into the secluded trail, and returned to his small courtyard.

Closing the courtyard gate, the world became quiet again.

Lin Tian sat at the stone table in the courtyard, placed the scroll on it, untied the cord, and slowly unfurled it.

The scroll was not large, but when opened, it spanned over three feet in length.

The pale purple silk surface was densely covered with writing, accompanied by diagrams of meridian circulation, with fine lines and clear annotations.

The handwriting was slender and powerful, every stroke exuding a cold chill, exactly like Peak Master Su Hanyan herself.

The scroll was divided into three parts.

The first part detailed the Internal Energy circulation route of the Thunderclap Sword Technique, starting from the Dantian, ascending along the Hand Shaoyang Sanjiao Meridians, branching at the wrist joint—one path injecting into the hilt, the other running along the blade, converging at the tip.

The second part contained cultivation insights for the first level, with dense annotations by Peak Master Su Hanyan, marking every node prone to error.

The third part was an overview of the second and third levels; although not as detailed as the first, it pointed out the keys to a Breakthrough.

Lin Tian read it from beginning to end, then read it again, before placing the scroll on his knees, closing his eyes, and running through the Internal Energy circulation route in his mind.

Then he stood up and drew the autumn water sword.

The blade was clear and bright, reflecting the afternoon sun, feeling slightly heavy in his hand.

Following the route written on the scroll, he raised his Internal Energy from the Dantian and pushed it slowly along the Hand Shaoyang Sanjiao Meridians toward his wrist.

When the Internal Energy reached the wrist joint, he attempted to split it into two—one strand sinking down to flow into the hilt, causing the blade to vibrate.

The other strand continued forward, extending along the blade toward the tip.

The blade began to vibrate.

A buzzing sound emanated from the sword; it was very faint and scattered, like the sound of wind blowing through a window crack.

The vibration lasted for two breaths before dissipating, with most of the Internal Energy leaking out in the middle of the blade, leaving only a faint wisp by the time it reached the tip.

Failure.

Lin Tian did not stop.

He sheathed the sword, reset his stance, and tried again.

The blade vibrated again, the buzzing sound slightly louder than the first time, but the Internal Energy still leaked out in the middle of the blade.

Again.

It leaked again.

Again.

The first day, he practiced for an entire day.

From afternoon until dusk, from dusk until the moon hung in the sky.

The autumn water sword vibrated in his hand hundreds of times, the buzzing sound changing from wind through a window crack to a bee buzzing, but it was still a far cry from the Thunderclap Sword Technique.

Every time, the Internal Energy leaked out in the middle of the blade.

Either the timing of the split was wrong, the intensity of the two strands of Internal Energy didn't match, or the angle of his wrist was off by a fraction.

The second day, he continued to practice.

His arm grew sore, so he shook it out and continued.

His Internal Energy was exhausted, so he meditated to recover and continued.

In the courtyard under the moonlight, the buzzing sound rang from morning till night, startling the birds resting in the old pine tree, causing them to fly away in a flurry.

The third day, he still hadn't gained entry.

Lin Tian was not anxious.

He knew his own trait—it was difficult to gain entry.

It took him a month to gain entry to the Purple Qi Diagram, several days for the Xiaguang Sword Technique, and he had stumbled through gaining entry to the Flying Knife in the Sleeve as well.

But once he gained entry, what followed would be simple.

The Proficiency System would take over everything.

Every practice session would turn into a number on the proficiency panel; as the number rose, his Realm would rise accordingly.

He didn't need an Epiphany, he didn't need a flash of inspiration; he only needed to practice over and over again, pushing the numbers up.

The fourth day.

At dusk, the setting sun dyed the entire courtyard a golden red.

Lin Tian stood before the old pine tree, the autumn water sword held horizontally before him, the sunlight on the blade swaying slightly with his breathing.

He raised the Internal Energy in his Dantian, ascending along the Hand Shaoyang Sanjiao Meridians, and reached the wrist joint.

Split.

One strand sank down, pouring into the hilt.

The blade vibrated.

The other strand pushed forward, racing along the blade, reaching the tip.

The two strands of Internal Energy collided at the tip of the sword.

The instant the sword tip pierced the air, a short, crisp explosion rang out from the tip.

It wasn't a buzz, it wasn't a bee's hum—it was a sharp "pop," like the sound of dry firewood being thrown into a fire.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was clear in the quiet courtyard.

Lin Tian sheathed his sword, looked down at the tip, and the corners of his mouth curved up.

He closed his eyes and brought up the proficiency panel.

At the very bottom of the martial arts column, a new line had appeared.

Thunderclap Sword Technique, Entry, 1-100.

Finally, he had gained entry.

Four full days—no, adding the five days he practiced in the great hall, it had been nine days in total.

In nine days, he had finally touched the threshold of a Yellow Rank High-Grade sword technique.

Lin Tian returned the autumn water sword to its scabbard, sat down at the stone table, and let out a long breath.

As long as he had gained entry, it was fine.

Once he had gained entry, what followed was just grinding work; he just needed to practice it over and over.

Proficiency rising from one to one hundred, from proficiency to Minor Achievement, from Minor Achievement to Major Achievement—he had walked this path too many times; he knew how to walk it even with his eyes closed.

However, he did not continue practicing.

He put away his sword, changed into clean clothes, pushed open the door, and headed toward the peak.

Peak Master Su Hanyan had said to go find her once he had mastered it.

He wanted to show her that he had "mastered it."

In the great hall, Peak Master Su Hanyan was flipping through something at her desk.

Hearing footsteps, she looked up, saw Lin Tian walk in, and her eyebrows twitched slightly.

"You've mastered it?"

"I have."

Peak Master Su Hanyan stood up from behind the desk and walked to the center of the great hall, holding that deep purple longsword in her hand.

She did not draw her sword, but merely pointed at Lin Tian with the scabbard: "Demonstrate it once."

Lin Tian drew the autumn water sword.

He didn't make any unnecessary movements; he started, raised his energy, split it, and executed the strike.

The blade vibrated, the Internal Energy converged at the tip, and he thrust the sword out.

The moment the sword tip pierced the air, a crisp explosion rang out in the great hall.

The sound was not loud, but it was clean and neat, without the slightest bit of sloppiness.

Peak Master Su Hanyan looked at his sword tip, was silent for a breath, and then nodded.

"You have indeed gained entry."

Her tone was very flat, so flat that no emotion could be discerned.

But her gaze lingered on Lin Tian, as if she were calculating something.

Ten days.

From the time she handed the scroll to Lin Tian until now, it had been ten days.

Ten days to gain entry to the Thunderclap Sword Technique.

This speed could only be described as average.

Very average.

It could even be considered low-tier.

The Thunderclap Sword Technique was a Yellow Rank High-Grade martial art, one grade more difficult than the Xiaguang Sword Technique.

Disciples with good talent, after receiving the scroll, could touch the threshold of entry in as fast as one or two days, or as slow as three to five days.

With talent like Zhao Mingyang's, if he were to Cultivate the Thunderclap Sword Technique, he would likely gain entry in a day or two.

Gaining entry in ten days was definitely not fast on Zixia Peak; it could even be said to be on the slower side.

"You said you were a late bloomer." Peak Master Su Hanyan looked at Lin Tian, her voice steady and unhurried, "That it's difficult to gain entry, but cultivation is fast afterward, right?"

Lin Tian nodded.

Peak Master Su Hanyan did not speak again.

She was silently deducing in her heart.

Ordinary Martial Artists were the exact opposite of Lin Tian—easy to gain entry, difficult to achieve mastery.

A Genius like Zhao Mingyang, cultivating the Thunderclap Sword Technique, gaining entry in a day or two and practicing to proficiency in a month was not difficult.

But wanting to go from proficiency to Minor Achievement required at least half a year to a year.

Going from Minor Achievement to Major Achievement required two or three years.

From Major Achievement to mastery required over ten years of effort.

The further one went, the harder it became; the time required to break through each Realm was several times or even dozens of times that of the previous Realm.

Yet Lin Tian said he was the exact opposite.

Difficult to gain entry, easy to achieve mastery.

If what he said was true—ten days to gain entry was considered low-tier talent.

Then, following the rule of "difficult to gain entry, easy to achieve mastery," he should be faster than ordinary people from entry to proficiency.

But even if he was faster, there was a limit.

From entry to proficiency, ordinary people needed about a month; even if Lin Tian was faster, he would need at least... three months?

Peak Master Su Hanyan set a conservative number for herself.

Three months.

If Lin Tian could raise the Thunderclap Sword Technique from entry to proficiency within three months, it would prove he was indeed somewhat special.

If he couldn't do it, then his so-called late bloomer status was just another excuse.

"Very well." Peak Master Su Hanyan spoke, "Come see me in a month. I will test the progress of your sword technique."

A month.

She intentionally stated a shorter time.

Going from Beginner to Proficiency within a month is impossible at the normal cultivation speed of a Martial Artist.

She just wanted to see exactly what level Lin Tian could reach.

Even if he didn't reach Proficiency, she could deduce his true cultivation speed through his progress over this month.

Lin Tian nodded, "Understood."

He cupped his fists, turned around, and left the main hall.

As he walked out of the hall, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up. He had obtained a Yellow Rank High-Grade sword technique for free, saving at least five thousand taels of silver. This deal was a win no matter how he calculated it.

Returning to his small courtyard, he closed the door.

Lin Tian sat down at the stone table and unfolded the Thunderclap Sword Technique scroll to read it again. After reaching the Beginner stage, reading the annotations written by Peak Master Su Hanyan gave him a different feeling.

When he read it before, he only half-understood many parts and could only bite the bullet and practice according to what was written.

Now that he had reached the Beginner stage, looking back, the key points and tricks hidden in those annotations suddenly became clear.

He closed the scroll and drew his autumn water sword.

Since he had reached the Beginner stage, the next step was to grind for Proficiency.

The next day, early morning. The sky wasn't fully bright yet; a line of fish-belly white had just appeared over the eastern ridge.

Lin Tian stood in the courtyard, facing the old pine tree that he had riddled with holes using his moyuan flying dagger, and thrust his sword out.

The sound of thunder exploded in the courtyard.

It wasn't the short, sharp explosion of yesterday. It was the true sound of thunder—short, dull, and carrying a soul-shaking force. The sound erupted from the tip of the sword, bouncing back and forth between the four walls of the courtyard twice before gradually dissipating.

The pine needles on the old pine tree trembled under the sound waves, and a few withered yellow needles drifted down, only to be swept away by the residual Qi before they even hit the ground.

Lin Tian sheathed his sword, closed his eyes, and pulled up the Proficiency System panel.

Martial Arts—Thunderclap Sword Technique, Proficiency, 5/500.

The corners of his mouth curled up.

Nine days to reach the Beginner stage, and on the tenth day, he had a Breakthrough to Proficiency.

From Beginner to Proficiency, it had taken less than a day.

Peak Master Su Hanyan estimated that he would need three months to go from Beginner to Proficiency, but in reality, he only used one day—or to be precise, one night.

He reached the Beginner stage last night and had a Breakthrough to Proficiency this morning; less than four hours had passed in between.

This was the true power of the Proficiency System. For others, going from Beginner to Proficiency required day after day of hard training, constant realization and Breakthroughs, and finding that flash of inspiration amidst countless failures.

For him, he only needed to practice over and over again to push the numbers up. Every practice session would not be in vain, and every sword strike would become a number on the Proficiency System panel.

Once the number was sufficient, the Realm would have a Breakthrough.

If Peak Master Su Hanyan knew this news, what expression would she have? Lin Tian thought about it and felt it would probably be quite a sight.

However, he didn't plan to tell Peak Master Su Hanyan right now.

Going from Beginner to Proficiency in a day was too Heaven-Defying; he couldn't explain it clearly.

If Peak Master Su Hanyan asked, what could he say? That he had a Breakthrough after practicing for one night? That wasn't being a late bloomer; that was being a monster.

It was better to wait until a month later.

One month was enough time for him to push the Thunderclap Sword Technique up by a significant margin.

By then, when he went to see Peak Master Su Hanyan, although his progress would still be astonishing, it would at least be within a range that could barely be explained by being a "late bloomer."

Lin Tian sheathed his autumn water sword, sat down at the stone table, and began to calculate his next steps. The crisis of being expelled from the Sect had been resolved.

Not only had he passed the assessment, but he had also received personal guidance from the Peak Master—although those five days had almost made Peak Master Su Hanyan cough up blood from anger again, the result was good.

With the Thunderclap Sword Technique scroll in hand, he had saved five thousand taels of silver and gained an extra Yellow Rank High-Grade sword technique.

Now he still had silver on hand.

Last time he collected herbs on Taixuan Mountain, he received twelve thousand taels, plus the two thousand taels he had left before, totaling fourteen thousand taels.

He had spent some on Medicinal Pills and some on daily expenses, but there was still plenty left. It was enough for him to go buy that cold moon bow back.

He had already reached the Beginner stage of the Meteor Arrow Technique, and his proficiency had increased a bit, but because he didn't have a bow, he could only practice empty-handed. Practicing empty-handed and actually drawing a bow to shoot an arrow were two different things; the way force was exerted was different, and the circulation path of Internal Energy was also different.

If he continued to practice empty-handed like this, not only would his proficiency increase slowly, but he might not even be able to use it when the time actually came.

Lin Tian stood up, patted the dust off his robes, pushed open the door, and walked out of the courtyard.

Yunzhou Prefecture. Wanbao Pavilion.

When the Fat Storekeeper saw Lin Tian walk in, his eyes immediately lit up. He had a very deep impression of this young man—the last time he came, he spent twelve thousand taels at once to buy the moyuan flying dagger without batting an eye.

One didn't come across such a big spender more than a few times a year.

"Young Master! You've come!" The Fat Storekeeper greeted him with a smile all over his face, "What would you like to see this time?"

"The cold moon bow. Is it still here?"

The Fat Storekeeper was stunned for a moment, then his smile deepened: "It is, it is! I have been saving it for you!" He turned around, took the deep blue bow from the weapon rack behind the counter, and carefully placed it on the counter.

The cold moon bow was still the same. The bow body was deep blue throughout, emitting a faint cold light, as if it were carved from ice in the deep sea.

The bowstring was tanned from the sinew of a wild bull, pulled tight, and emitted a faint amber luster under the light.

Lin Tian picked up the cold moon bow, held the bow body with his left hand, hooked the bowstring with his right hand, and slowly pulled it open. The bowstring tightened, emitting a low humming sound.

That cold, icy chill spread from the bow body to his palm, then traveled up his arm, causing a layer of chill to ripple across half of his body.

He pulled it to seven-tenths, paused for a moment, and then slowly released it. Hum—the bowstring snapped back to its original position, and the lingering sound echoed in the air.

The feel was still as good as last time.

"How much?"

"Four thousand taels. However, Young Master, you have a VIP card, so it's a ten percent discount, three thousand six hundred taels."

Lin Tian took out silver notes from his pocket, counted out three thousand six hundred taels, and placed them on the counter. The Fat Storekeeper took the silver notes, verified them one by one, and the smile on his face became even brighter.

He took out a leather bow case from under the counter, carefully put the cold moon bow inside, and then took a bundle of arrows from the drawer next to him.

"Young Master, this bundle of arrows is a gift for you. Cold iron arrowheads, ironwood arrow shafts; they are a perfect match for the cold moon bow."

Lin Tian took the bow case and the arrows, nodded to the Fat Storekeeper, turned around, and walked towards the door.

On the stairs of the second floor, a figure was walking down.

Young Master Zhao Qingyun.

He was wearing a dark martial outfit today, with a saber at his waist, followed by three Martial Artists in the same attire.

When the four of them walked down the stairs, they happened to come face-to-face with Lin Tian.

Young Master Zhao Qingyun's footsteps paused. He didn't expect to meet Lin Tian here. Last time he sent a secret agent to assassinate Lin Tian, but the agent died, and Lin Tian returned to the Qixia Sect unscathed.

Since then, he had restrained himself a lot—he still remembered the words of his father, Zhao Zhenshan; the consequences of assassinating a Genius Disciple of the Qixia Sect were something the entire Qingyun Martial Arts Hall could not afford.

Although the tracks had been cleaned up, the thorn in his heart had never been removed.

Meeting face-to-face in Wanbao Pavilion at this moment, Young Master Zhao Qingyun's gaze lingered on Lin Tian's face, then fell on the deep blue bow case in his hand.

The corners of his mouth twitched slightly, he didn't say anything, and stepped aside to make way.

Lin Tian glanced at him, didn't say anything either, and walked out of Wanbao Pavilion with the bow case on his back.

Young Master Zhao Qingyun stood at the stairs, watching Lin Tian's back disappear into the crowd outside the door, his gaze gradually darkening. Alone.

No Sect members, no companions, leaving Yunzhou Prefecture alone and entering the vast mountain range.

To return to the Qixia Sect from Yunzhou Prefecture, one had to pass through several uninhabited mountain forests.

He looked back at the three companions behind him.

Those three people were all experts raised by the Qingyun Martial Arts Hall, with the cultivation of the Early Stage of the Fourth Rank; they had followed him for many years and had all had blood on their hands. Sensing Young Master Zhao Qingyun's gaze, the three of them all looked up at once.

Young Master Zhao Qingyun lowered his voice, his tone carrying a chill that had been suppressed for a long time.

"You three, go and kill that kid for me."