Chu Xisheng quickly shifted his attention away from the system.
He held his long saber upside down and cupped his fists towards Master Lei Yuan and Long Sheng, who was opposite him, "Disciple's skills are not yet refined, and I failed to restrain my attack in time. Please forgive me, Master, and I also ask for Brother Long's understanding."
However, Long Sheng opposite him clearly had no intention of forgiving him. He was pressing on his injured wrist, a look of both shock and anger on his face, as if his eyes contained venomous flames.
This guy uses his saber so viciously, what's he putting on airs for?
"You are in the wrong for injuring someone, but today's incident had a cause, and it is not your fault."
Lei Yuan was unconcerned, at the same time, with a glance that contained a hint of surprise and admiration, he appraised Chu Xisheng's hands, "What remarkable Fast Hands! You've also trained well with the saber. This move, Chasing Wind and Lightning Hand, is concise and refined, truly capturing the essence of fast knife samadhi.
No wonder Coach Ye strongly recommended you. Considering just your talent with the saber, you are not even beneath this year's True Inheritor, Li Fenglai."
As soon as Lei Yuan made this statement, the hubbub within the arena soared with surprise.
Shao Lingshan's face turned ashen. The 'Li Fenglai' mentioned by Lei Yuan had become the Chief Disciple of Zhengyang Martial Arts Hall three months ago.
He also specialized in the Sword Tao and was proficient in Gentle Rain Blade, with cultivation and combat strength nearing Seventh Rank, unrivaled in the Martial Arts Academy and known as a sword talent.
Yet Shao Lingshan didn't find Master Lei Yuan's words to be exaggerated, for Chu Xisheng's fast sword moments earlier had indeed been dazzling.
Ye Zhiqiu's mouth dropped open, feeling like her jaw was about to dislocate.
The things she had said before were just to fool people, simply to give Master Lei Yuan a decent excuse.
When did Chu Xisheng achieve Ninth Grade swordsmanship? No, that's his talent—he actually possesses such exceptional talent in fast sword!
Why didn't you say so earlier!
Had she known that Chu Xisheng's swordsmanship had reached the level it had today, she would have pushed him forward without asking for a single coin.
It wasn't until Lei Yuan looked over with an admiring gaze that Ye Zhiqiu came back to her senses.
She hurriedly closed her mouth and put on a look of having anticipated all of this, while letting out a 'Heh' with a cold laugh, her face cool and her words frosty, "This child's talent with the saber is naturally exceptional, but can my recommendation compare to the Spirit Gathering Array provided by the Long Family, or a single word from Coach Shao?"
Lei Yuan couldn't help but look sheepish and felt a sense of guilt.
He had originally thought Coach Ye had recommended a sickly youth out of personal regard.
But now it seemed he had judged Ye Zhiqiu wrongly, expecting the worst of others.
Although this child's body is weak, his talent in the Sword Tao is truly outstanding.
Lei Yuan immediately gestured to an Eighth Rank Civil Official sitting beside him, "Mr. Wen, the 'Gathering Essence Array' that Coach Shao will send later, arrange for it to go to the Eastern Courtyard. Allocate eighty taels of Demon Silver for the Eastern Courtyard's canteen to add to the menu this month. Also, allocate five Essence Building Pills and a Hundred-refined Light Steel Saber for this child."
Ye Zhiqiu's expression immediately improved greatly.
A single Spirit Gathering Array which costs five hundred taels of Demon Silver could only be maintained for three months and was enough for ten people to cultivate Primordial Skill within.
Of course, what Ye Zhiqiu cared about was not the value of the Spirit Gathering Array itself, but the prestige.
As long as the Spirit Gathering Array was in the Eastern Courtyard for one day, Shao Lingshan's face would be trampled in the mud by her.
This was a feeling of joy and satisfaction that she couldn't buy with money.
A solemn look came across Chu Xisheng's face, "Thank you, Master, for your cultivation."
It was said that one Essence Building Pill was equivalent to the efforts of ten days of cultivation.
As for the Hundred-refined Light Steel Saber, not only was the blade resilient, it also weighed a quarter less than a normal steel saber, especially suitable for his fast sword style—a fine item not available for purchase on the market.
The total value of these two items exceeded fifty silver taels, making it a sincere compensation.
Shao Lingshan looked even more uncomfortable, he harrumphed coldly and turned to leave, pulling Long Sheng behind him.
Long Sheng, unwilling to leave like this, was dragged several times before he finally moved.
His gaze remained fixedly on Chu Xisheng, as if imprinting his features deep into his memory.
※※※※
As Chu Xisheng stepped off the Stone Platform, he saw Ye Zhiqiu with her arms crossed, looking at him with utter astonishment.
Being stunned is only natural.
Chu Xisheng himself hadn't expected the 'Chasing Wind and Lightning Hand' bestowed by the system dad to be so powerful, actually doubling the speed of his saber technique, let alone Ye Zhiqiu's reaction.
"Inconceivable," Ye Zhiqiu made a point of squeezing Chu Xisheng's arm muscles and feeling his bones, "Your saber strikes are like chasing wind and lightning, I didn't realize you had such talent before."
Since Chu Xisheng had been taken under Zhengyang Martial Arts Hall, she had made special arrangements for him twice, believing she knew Chu Xisheng's circumstances well.
At that time, Chu Xisheng's sword speed was only a bit faster than the average person and nothing too remarkable.
"I also feel like I'm dreaming. I didn't think of anything at the moment. When I drew my sword, it suddenly became faster."
Chu Xisheng didn't know how to explain, so he just made something up.
Ye Zhiqiu actually believed him. She nodded thoughtfully and let go of Chu Xisheng's arm.
"This must be a Bloodline Awakening. Our Human Clan descends from Pangu, but for some reason, our bloodline was sealed and the Innate Divine Power lost. So, your situation isn't that uncommon. Many people awaken previously nonexistent talents and superpowers when they face dangers and desperate situations.
However, you still need to work hard on your sword skills. How can a swordsman fail to control his own sword? Right now, you're only using less than seventy percent of your talent."
Ye Zhiqiu glanced at Chu Xisheng's face, and then clicked her tongue and averted her gaze.
This guy's face is too deceptive.
"Let's go. I'll take you to the storeroom to get an Essence Building Pill and a Hundred-refined Light Steel Saber. With a Light Steel Saber in hand, your sword speed could increase by another twenty percent. By the way, are you and your sister still renting a place outside the Martial Arts Academy?"
"We've found a small attic room, not far from the south gate of the Martial Arts Academy," answered Chu Xisheng with a hint of doubt, not understanding why Ye Zhiqiu suddenly brought up the matter of renting.
Zhengyang Martial Arts Hall provided food and accommodation for all disciples, even for Outer Disciples like them, offering dormitories with eight people per room.
But the siblings couldn't accept that.
It wasn't because they were uncomfortable, but rather, they had too many secrets on them and didn't suit living with others, so they preferred to spend money to rent outside.
"I really don't understand. When you siblings first came to Xiushui, you were willing to do all kinds of hard and tiring work, spending money as frugally as possible, yet you chose to spend silver on renting a place instead of staying in the dormitories with others."
Ye Zhiqiu unfastened a long key from her waistband and tossed it to Chu Xisheng: "There are two vacant rooms in the miscellaneous yard to the right of our Eastern Courtyard. You can move in there."
Chu Xisheng's eyebrows raised slightly, revealing a trace of joy.
This miscellaneous yard, said to store miscellaneous items, actually contained mostly unused materials like wood, steel ingots, and stone, so it was seldom visited and quite private.
There was also a square space of about five zhang behind the small courtyard that could be used for practicing martial arts and swordplay.
"How can I accept this? Wouldn't it be against the rules?" Chu Xisheng said, though he had already slipped the key into his sleeve.
"If you feel embarrassed, then give it back to me."
Ye Zhiqiu disdainfully glanced at Chu Xisheng's hand, then broke into a smile: "This is what you deserve. Today, you've made me proud. You didn't see the look on Shao Lingshan's face just now, tsk tsk, it was indescribable—"
Chu Xisheng wasn't listening. Fondling the key in his sleeve, he thought of his sister, Chu Yunyun.
Chu Yunyun, who had left to escort a shipment a day later than him, should have returned by noon if she had kept pace.
If everything went smoothly, they could move into the Martial Arts Academy in the afternoon.
After parting with Ye Zhiqiu, Chu Xisheng went to a pharmacy just down the street and prepared four bottles of medicine.
The medicine, named 'Yanghe Powder,' not only could prolong Chu Xisheng's life by two days but also could expel the Yin poison and cold evil accumulated in his body, easing the symptoms after exposure to light.
Such medicine was expensive, with a cost as high as three taels of Demon Silver.
Chu Xisheng, risking his life in the wild, could only earn enough for two bottles of 'Yanghe Powder' after a round-trip of three days.
At this moment, he had less than half a tael of Demon Silver left in his pocket, which was nearly empty.
After hesitating for a long while, Chu Xisheng still went to the market to get a two-pound bass to take home.
He figured that his admission to the Inner Sect was an occasion worth celebrating.
Chu Xisheng arrived back at their rented attic, lit the fire in the stove to cook rice, and then set about preparing the bass.
He skillfully snipped off the fins, scraped the scales clean, and slit open the belly.
While handling the innards, Chu Xisheng deliberately kept aside the fish intestines and swim bladder.
People in this world looked down on these parts, considering them too fishy, but Chu Xisheng couldn't bear to throw them away.
The siblings seldom had the opportunity to eat meat, so they cherished any meat or fish they could get.
Not long after Chu Xisheng had sliced some ginger and garlic and sprinkled them on before steaming the bass, the sound of a creaking door came from the attic entrance.
Chu Xisheng turned his head to see the door being pushed open, and a young girl in a white dress stood in the doorway, a swath of sunlight streaming in and casting her expression into shadow.
This was his 'sister,' Chu Yunyun.
Well, strictly speaking, she was also his nominal wife.