Chapter 194 | The Path from Fisherman to Martial Deity

After explaining these essential guidelines for cultivation, Lei Jun brought up the island's daily affairs.

Newly joined disciples could collect three basic 『Acupoint-Condensing Pills』 each month to assist in their cultivation.

Aside from this, lodging, maids, food, and daily expenses all had to be paid for out of their own pockets.

The sect took no responsibility for the pills, precious weapons, or armor needed for daily cultivation; disciples had to rely entirely on themselves.

As for how the disciples obtained money, the Star-Plucking Sect naturally had its own ways of running things.

First, duties were assigned every month. Disciples would be sent to guard the sect's properties, such as mineral veins and pawnshops, in exchange for a salary.

Second, they could go to the Main Administration Hall to accept bounty missions issued by the various academy elders, core disciples, or even major clans and county towns.

Third, they could hunt Precious Beasts to sell, escort merchant goods, or assist local authorities in capturing notorious bandits and investigating unsolved murders...

In short, there were countless ways to earn money, all depending on one's own abilities.

While they talked, the two walked through a lush, green bamboo forest and arrived in front of a small courtyard enclosed by a low wall and a picket fence.

Lei Jun gestured for Shen Xiuhan to wait a moment while he quickly stepped into the courtyard.

By the time he came back out, he held several book volumes and a wooden plaque carved with the characters “Tingquan • Shen”.

“Here, Junior Brother Shen, keep this safe.”

Lei Jun handed everything over to Shen Xiuhan in one go.

“The cultivation technique is our academy's elixir method, 『Wen Clan Elixir Dao』, and the complete manual of the 『Thousand-Wave Sword』. This is enough for you to cultivate until the late-stage Anjin Rank.”

He pointed at the wooden plaque again.

“This wooden plaque is your proof of identity. You can't do without it when collecting pills, accepting missions, or receiving rewards. Do not lose it under any circumstances. Otherwise, getting a replacement will take a great deal of effort.”

“As for duties, they are distributed collectively every month. Junior Brother, you should focus on your cultivation for now. By the beginning of next month, the island will naturally assign a task to you.”

Shen Xiuhan listened quietly, then cupped his fists gratefully. “Thank you for the guidance, Senior Brother Lei. I will keep it in mind.”

“Ah, no need for thanks. Once you enter Tingquan Island, we are all family. Junior Brother, you can head over there to rent a courtyard. I still have island patrol duties, so I won't accompany you further...”

...

After seeing Lei Jun off.

Shen Xiuhan followed the directions and found the housing manager.

Paying thirty taels of silver to cover half a year's rent, Shen Xiuhan rented a courtyard with two rooms.

In Changyun County, this price would have been enough to buy a decent small house.

But on Tingquan Island, it was only enough for six months of rent!

And this was only because Tingquan Island had a vast terrain with many tiled cottages and courtyards, enough to accommodate nearly a thousand people.

According to the housing manager, if this courtyard were located in the Nanxiang prefecture capital, it would sell for at least several hundred taels of silver!

The price was dozens of times higher than in the subordinate counties!

Fortunately, he had no plans to purchase property in the prefecture capital.

Drawing well water, he thoroughly cleaned the empty rooms that had been uninhabited for a long time.

Once everything was tidy, Shen Xiuhan went to the kitchen, lit a fire, and prepared a simple hot meal.

By the time he finished satisfying his appetite, the night had already grown deep.

Inside the room.

He trimmed the lampwick to make the light brighter.

Shen Xiuhan took out the 『Wen Clan Elixir Dao』 and began flipping through it page by page under the candlelight.

The booklet mostly recorded obscure and difficult alchemy theories, as well as the mutual promotion and restraint of medicinal properties.

According to the book, as long as one thoroughly mastered the entire volume, they could attempt to open a furnace and refine basic Tier One and Tier Two Precious Pills.

Shen Xiuhan only studied it superficially for now, having no immediate plans to spend his efforts on alchemy.

After reading for a moment, he put the elixir book away, laid the 『Thousand-Wave Sword』 manual flat on the desk, and focused his attention on studying it.

After observing it for a while, he gradually gained a clear understanding.

This 『Thousand-Wave Sword』 was virtually identical to the 『Flowing Cloud Swordplay』 in terms of its intricacy.

Both sword techniques were low-tier martial skills meant for Mingjin and Anjin Rank martial artists to solidify their foundations.

And this was precisely what he currently needed!

There were not many cultivation methods or martial skills that could be practiced during the Anjin Rank.

Even fewer were those that could truly catch one's eye.

『Thousand-Wave Sword』 was a lower-tier technique of the 『Thousand-Wave Flying Waterfall Sword』.

Academy Head Wen of the Tingquan Academy was able to condense the 『Flying Waterfall Sword-Yuan』 relying on this sword technique, so there was definitely a profound reason behind it.

Furthermore, Shen Xiuhan coveted the inheritance of that 'Qingyang Sword Immortal,' which required one to comprehend sword-yuan before the age of thirty...

Therefore, learning a new sword technique was absolutely essential!

“It is a pity that the 『Ice Soul Misty Rain Sword』 I obtained from the bottom of the deep pool is a Gangjin Rank sword technique, which I cannot practice for the time being...”

Shen Xiuhan shook his head slightly and cast those thoughts aside. He glanced at his accumulated intelligence points, which happened to be just enough for one Deduction!

Without hesitation, he focused his mind and muttered silently:

“Deduction!”

【Detected deducible martial art 『Thousand-Wave Sword』. Begin Deduction?】

“Yes!”

In the next instant.

Time froze.

The cool night breeze and the flickering candlelight seemed to sink into a swamp at this moment.

A faint golden phantom materialized out of thin air within his sea of consciousness without any warning.

The phantom held a simple, unadorned longsword, sitting cross-legged atop a hundred-zhang-tall cliff where waves surged furiously and rocks pierced the clouds.

All around, angry torrents beat against the shore as the river surged wildly. The figure's robes fluttered and rustled in the wind, making him resemble a divine pillar that had stood unshakable amidst the raging waves since ancient times.

Golden characters streaked across the void like shooting stars:

【In the first year, you stood on the cliff overlooking the river to watch the tide. Listening to the sound of the rushing waters, you endured the tedious loneliness and swung your sword ten thousand times a day. Through your tireless efforts, your 『Thousand-Wave Sword』 reached Minor Accomplishment.】

【In the sixth year, you traveled the world's great rivers and watched a hundred streams return to the sea. Amidst the raging waves and wild torrents, you comprehended the vast, true intent of a thousand overlapping waves. You thrust out an endless, continuous sword strike. Once this strike was unleashed, sword-qi surged like the tide, and your 『Thousand-Wave Sword』 reached Great Accomplishment.】

【In the eleventh year, you attempted to project your sword force to harm enemies from a distance. Although you failed due to a lack of foundation, your gains were not small. When you struck, the sword momentum fell like a cascading waterfall, each strike stronger than the last. Your 『Thousand-Wave Sword』 finally entered Great Perfection.】

【In the fifteenth year, you watched rivers breach their dykes and ten thousand tides converge to their source, comprehending the true essence of 'only when the great waves wash away the sand does the gold appear, and only when a thousand waves gather does the waterfall form.'】

【You held your sword and unleashed your moves as your force transformed into the momentum of overlapping waves. With a single thrust, the power stacked layer upon layer, the residual force extending endlessly. After untiringly executing four thousand three hundred and ninety-six sword strikes, a sudden stroke of inspiration hit you, and you slashed out a wave of qi as massive as a cresting billow!】

Buzz!

In his mind, the sword-wielding phantom suddenly opened its eyes.

With a flick of its wrist, it swept the sword horizontally in a wide arc!

A strand of sword-qi, as large as a ship's sail and carrying the weight of rolling waves and a tearing sonic boom, crashed toward Shen Xiuhan like an angry dragon breaking free from the ocean!

Swoosh!

In an instant!

Shen Xiuhan's entire aura abruptly became incomparably sharp, like a peerless divine weapon tempered ten thousand times, radiating a keen edge capable of slicing through all creation.

He pressed the five fingers of his right hand together and swept them through the air, causing the 『Hanlin』 to materialize in his palm.

“Clang!”

The longsword left its scabbard, its clear and resonant ring echoing through the room.

Immediately after, a brilliant strand of sword-glow, as white as sunlight, seeped out inch by inch from the hilt and coated the blade's surface, illuminating the dim room as bright as day.

Shen Xiuhan took a deep breath and lightly swept the sword.

“Swoosh!”

An extremely subtle, cicada-wing-thin thread of white sword-qi gently drifted out from the tip of the 『Hanlin』.

The sword-qi seemed slow and deliberate, but was actually as fast as flowing light, silently passing over the flickering candle on the desk.

“Chis...”

The candlewick made a faint popping sound, and the bean-sized flame was instantly split in two, completely extinguished.

After passing through the candlelight, that tiny, sharp, and transparent thread of sword-qi did not damage the wall or the wooden window behind it, but slowly dissipated into the air.