Chen Mu had always believed that everything in life had its causes and effects.
Ever since he arrived in this world, he became the lowest rank of serf, living a hard life with his younger sister, who was seven years younger, and for over two years, aside from the meager salary that was heavily docked by his superiors, he had never stumbled upon sudden wealth.
The perennial accumulation of bad luck finally brought him a reward, allowing him to find a Blade Technique manual, and subsequently, a small modifier that could enhance his martial skills.
"Hmm, it should require consuming Experience Points to add points, but I might not have enough Experience Points right now."
Chen Mu studied it for a while and roughly understood the functionality of the device.
As long as he practiced the Raging Wind Blade Technique, even without someone to guide him, and even if his practice wasn't correct, as long as he was practicing, he would gain 'experience,' and then, with enough experience, he could directly enhance the Realm of the Raging Wind Blade Technique.
That meant that even without guidance from a martial master, through solitary hard practice, he could slowly refine this skill to perfection.
"Brother?"
Chen Yue watched Chen Mu confusedly from the side.
She just saw Chen Mu, not knowing why, suddenly waving his hands towards the empty space in front of him, then pondering a bit and chuckling occasionally, which made her feel a bit scared.
"Oh, I'm fine, just thinking of some things."
Chen Mu looked at Chen Yue and smiled, then couldn't resist stretching out his hand and vigorously rubbing her face, saying, "Yue'er, maybe it won't be long before we don't have to live these hard days anymore."
Chen Yue looked at Chen Mu with wide eyes, blinked twice, not quite understanding where Chen Mu's confidence was coming from.
"Alright."
But she still smiled and agreed softly.
Whether life was hard didn't really matter to her, she thought it was all okay as long as Chen Mu was safe; with both parents gone, she was a sliver of solace in Chen Mu's heart, and wasn't Chen Mu her only bright light as well?
After sending Chen Yue back to the bedroom, Chen Mu picked up the Servant's Knife and began to practice again, but unlike the previous hesitant attempts, this time his practice was uninterrupted, not caring whether the force was applied correctly, just focusing on following the moves to practice.
After practicing for a while.
Chen Mu indeed saw the words 'Experience +1' appear in his vision.
"Very good."
Chen Mu showed a smile, everything was essentially in line with his judgment.
He didn't know how much experience would be needed to elevate the Raging Wind Blade Technique from 'Unskilled' to a higher level, but as long as it was effective, over time, there would come a day when he could perfect this Blade Technique, unlike before when he had no direction at all.
...
Time passed quickly.
In the blink of an eye, seven days had passed.
In these seven days, apart from his normal duties in the City Defense Division and patrolling in teams with Liu Song and others, Chen Mu devoted almost all of his time to the practice of the Raging Wind Blade Technique.
The experience from the Raging Wind Blade Technique was hard to come by; one could say that almost every point of experience was earned through sweat. He almost had to bury himself in tough practice for nearly an hour to gain two or three points of experience.
But no matter how slow it was, this was genuine experience, not aimless practice without direction.
Finally.
That afternoon, as Chen Mu was practicing until he was drenched in sweat, the experience of the Raging Wind Blade Technique accumulated to exactly one hundred points.
[Martial Skill: Raging Wind Blade Technique (Unskilled/+)]
[Experience: 100 points]
As expected, there was a change on the modifier, a '+' symbol appeared next to the Unskilled Blade Technique.
Chen Mu took a deep breath, his gaze solemn as he looked at the interface, then with a thought, he pressed the '+'.
Buzz!
A fleeting dim golden light flashed by.
[Martial Skill: Raging Wind Blade Technique (Entry Level)]
[Experience: 0 Points]
As the interface changed, Chen Mu instantly felt a massive influx of information into his mind. The specifics of force application and the direction of each move for the previously vague Raging Wind Blade Technique were being corrected one by one through this information.
It was as though he had followed the most correct practice path and had trained arduously for several months.
When all the changes ceased.
Chen Mu took a deep breath, grasped his Servant's Knife, and immediately felt a completely different sensation emerge; the twelve forms of the Raging Wind Blade Technique, including every single alteration, were now thoroughly familiar to him.
How to exert force and how to adapt were all crystal clear—unlike before when he knew nothing.
"I've entered the gate."
"Just with this light touch, it's probably equivalent to others training under the guidance of a martial master in a dojo for a month or two... But I've actually also been training hard for seven days."
Chen Mu murmured to himself and then swung his knife forward fiercely, executing the first form of Chaotic Wind.
This execution was utterly different from his prior attempts. The previously somewhat awkward moves suddenly became extremely refined—tensing legs, tightening the abdomen, and slashing diagonally... This swing of his knife even produced a whooshing of the wind!
"Indeed, it's vastly different from ordinary freehand fighting."
Chen Mu nodded to himself.
Just this initial move, with every part of his body performing to standard, was already stronger than the crude hacking and slashing he had practiced before. Not to mention, this move was followed by several variations, each linking smoothly to the next, unlike ordinary freehand moves that relied solely on brute force after the first strike.
According to the description within the Raging Wind Blade Technique, this technique was divided into Entry Level, Minor Achievement, Major Achievement, and Perfection.
Following the correct practice methods, an average person could reach Entry Level within a few months, attain Minor Achievement within a year or two—by then, armed with a blade, one could overcome two or three unarmed bandits; within five to six years, one could achieve Major Achievement, often making it difficult for five or six opponents to get close.
As for Perfection...
This level was extremely challenging, requiring mastery of the true essence of the raging winds and cultivation of "Blade Momentum." Once achieved, one would be at least a match for ten men and could easily pass the "Martial Examination" and qualify as a "Martial Scholar."
Nowadays, with the administration corrupted and the world in disorder, the literary examinations have practically become nominal. Not to mention the lower-level scholars, even those who have reached the rank of Scholar, have mostly fallen into the practice of buying and selling offices, with no power or influence to even contend for such ranks.
By comparison, Martial Examinations are different because they involve martial power. Even if the quotas are controlled by influential clans, as long as one possesses that level of capability, one can still rise and even attract support from various parties.
"If I could qualify as a 'Martial Scholar,' I'm basically guaranteed to be promoted to Head Constable. Even if I don't pass, just by demonstrating that level of skill, I can still become a Head Constable."
Chen Mu pondered in his mind.
With an external skill like the Raging Wind Blade Technique, achieving Major Achievement usually offered a chance at becoming a Head Constable. If a position became vacant or if admired by superiors, rising to that position was nearly assured; or, at the very least, one could slowly accrue enough seniority to assume it eventually.
If one could reach Perfection and cultivate Blade Momentum, then becoming a Head Constable was a certainty, for as far as he knew, even among the many Head Constables, very few could cultivate "Momentum" in their blade or sword techniques.
It is known that those who achieved this level of skill could have easily passed the official Martial Examination and become a "Martial Scholar" centuries ago, directly entering the service under the Imperial Court. Nowadays, only the traditional route of promotion within the Court has been disrupted due to corruption, resulting in more instances of buying and selling offices, although the official examinations have nominally continued.
"To cultivate a blade technique to Major Achievement, a person of average talent and perception could achieve it with over ten years of hard training, but to cultivate 'Momentum' is one in a hundred."
Several days ago, Chen Mu had chatted with a few close colleagues from the City Defense Division and learned that of the five Head Constables in his Division, only one had cultivated Momentum and had been promoted based on real skill.
Among the other four, the oldest, Zhao Zong, was already over sixty and had practiced the blade all his life without ever grasping Blade Momentum. The Zhao Family had considerable influence locally, and if Zhao Zong could have cultivated Blade Momentum, he would likely have had the chance to become Prefecture Chief.
"They fail to grasp that essential insight and thus cannot advance, but I am different. As long as I patiently continue practicing, I will eventually reach Minor Achievement, Major Achievement, and then Perfection... and it will probably take me no more than a year to reach Perfection."
A spark flickered in Chen Mu's eyes.
Now that he had entered the gate of the blade technique, reaching Minor Achievement would require three hundred Experience Points. According to his previous practice method, it would take about a month; thereafter, Major Achievement and Perfection might require progressively more Experience Points, but it should still be within a year.
Once he had perfected his blade technique, cultivating Blade Momentum, whether he participated in a Martial Examination to obtain an official qualification or quietly demonstrated some of his skills in the City Defense Division to be promoted to Head Constable, both were assured. After that, his status would be entirely different from now.
He had been in this world for over two years now.
In these peril-ridden lower strata, he had lived cautiously for so long and didn't mind enduring another year, especially compared to the previous days when he saw no hope, this mindset of having a goal felt completely different.