The undead have descended upon the world? I possess a sword that can cleave the heavens once more!

"Wait a minute, Wu You."

The sound came from behind, accompanied by obvious panting.

"Wait for me, hoo-hoo!"

Wu You was almost at the entrance of the residential area when she heard the sound, so she stopped and turned around.

Hua Linlin jogged up to him, stopping only when she reached him. She put her hands on her knees, bent over, and gasped for breath.

She ran so fast that her skirt got messed up and a few strands of her hair fell across her face.

Her face was also red, not the kind of red from shyness, but from heat, and her forehead was covered in beads of sweat that glistened under the streetlights.

Wu You noticed that she was holding something in her hand: a sword with a silver-gray scabbard.

"What's wrong, Hua?" he asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Whoosh—"

Hua Linlin took a couple more breaths and straightened up. She casually tucked her hair behind her ear, revealing her entire face. The sweat on her face was still wet, glistening under the streetlights, making her skin appear even whiter.

Without saying a word, she simply shoved the sword in her hand into Wu You's.

Wu You paused for a moment, looked down at the sword in his hand, and then looked up at her.

"What's going on, Hua?"

"It's yours!"

After saying that, Hua Linlin turned and left.

She walked very fast, her skirt billowing and her ponytail swaying behind her head, giving Wu You no time to react or explain why.

A few steps later, she disappeared around the corner.

Wu You stood still, looking in that direction.

A faint fragrance lingered in the air, the scent of her shower gel mixed with a hint of sweat, but it wasn't unpleasant.

He looked down at the sword in his hand.

The scabbard was silver-gray, simple and undecorated. It felt quite heavy in his hand, much heavier than his old wooden sword.

Wu You smiled.

He certainly noticed the sense of superiority emanating from Hua Linlin.

It's something only girls who have been pampered since childhood have—the feeling that they are different from others and that they should be liked by everyone.

If Wu You had met a girl like this before, he probably wouldn't have dared to say a word. He would blush after saying a few words and then feel inferior, thinking that he was not good enough to stand next to her.

But things are different now.

Hua Linlin was just a child in his presence.

Having lived for over forty years across two lifetimes, what kind of situation hadn't he seen? He could see right through Hua Linlin's little schemes.

However, he really didn't expect that she would buy the sword and give it to him.

What's going on here?

Wu You shook his head, somewhat wistfully.

I can't keep up with the way young people think.

and--

He slightly pulled the sword out of its scabbard, revealing the silver-gray blade inside, which gleamed coldly in the lamplight.

That's the training sword from the store earlier, no doubt about it.

He pushed the sword back into its sheath and smiled again.

This was the first time in both his lifetimes that he had ever received a gift from a girl.

She's such a beautiful girl.

Wu You gripped his sword and walked into the residential area.

There's a sword now.

You can start practicing swordsmanship now.

These are the only words on his mind right now.

. . .

Back in the neighborhood park, it was still that same concrete surface.

There was no one around. Most of the lights in the buildings were off, with only a few windows still lit. The night wind rustled the sycamore leaves.

Wu You drew his sword.

The silver-gray blade gleamed faintly in the night. It was heavier and harder than a wooden sword, and felt completely different in the hand.

He took a deep breath and began to practice.

Footwork comes first. Advance, retreat, move vertically, horizontally, and diagonally, each step firmly planted.

Then coordinate your breathing. Inhale as you breathe in, exhale as you breathe out; keep the rhythm consistent.

Finally, there are the Thirteen Postures.

Draw, carry, lift, parry, strike, stab, point, collapse, stir, press, split, cut, wash.

After finishing one set, take a breath, then do another set.

The sword cut through the air with a soft whooshing sound. It was deeper than the sound of a wooden sword, and it sounded powerful.

Wu You practiced and practiced more and more smoothly.

After mastering the basic sword techniques, these movements become like they are engraved in one's bones. Without thinking, the body knows how to move. The angle of each sword strike, the landing point of each step, and the rhythm of each breath are all just right.

He was so engrossed in it that he lost track of time.

He didn't know how much time had passed when he finished another set of sword techniques and stopped to catch his breath.

I took out my phone and glanced at it.

23: 07.

I practiced for more than three hours.

Wu You looked down at himself; his T-shirt was soaked through again, and sweat was streaming down his face. But he didn't feel tired; instead, he felt refreshed, as if he had taken a hot bath.

He sheathed his sword and opened the sword manual panel.

Basic Swordsmanship (Minor Success) (21/100)

My proficiency level is still 21, it hasn't increased at all.

Wu You was not disappointed.

However, he didn't add those 10 experience points either.

He wanted to see how long it would take to improve by practicing on his own.

After putting away his sword, Wu You headed home.

. . .

It was almost 11:30 when I got home.

The living room was dark, with only a small lamp on; Mr. and Mrs. Wu were already asleep. As usual, a glass of milk sat on the table.

Wu You picked up the milk, which wasn't heated, and drank it directly.

Although his family was not well-off and his parents did not earn high salaries, they never mistreated their two children.

We weren't particularly well-fed or clothed, but we were never lacking in anything. We weren't pressured to study, and whether we did well or poorly on tests didn't really matter, as long as we were safe and sound.

After finishing his milk, Wu You passed by Wu Jing's room.

Light shone through the crack in the door.

She's still learning at this point.

The pressure at Lanhe No.1 Middle School is immense, with weekly and monthly exams. In her memory, Wu Jing was the kind of person with a strong will to succeed, and she wouldn't feel comfortable unless she got first place. Wu You shook her head, didn't disturb her, and went straight into her room.

After washing up and lying in bed, I lost consciousness the moment my head touched the pillow.

Since I started practicing basic swordsmanship, my sleep quality has become ridiculously good. I fall asleep as soon as I close my eyes and wake up as soon as I open them, without even having any dreams in between.

. . .

Wu You opened his eyes at six o'clock the next morning.

I took my sword downstairs, practiced for an hour, then went home to change clothes, ate breakfast, and went to school.

When I got to class, everything was the same as usual.

The morning reading session hadn't started yet, and the classroom was noisy. Some people were copying homework, some were eating breakfast, and some were catching up on sleep. Wu You walked to her seat and sat down; the table next to her was still empty.

He glanced at it, then looked away.

Then he felt a gaze fall on him.

It wasn't just once or twice; it happened frequently, scanning over every now and then.

Wu You looked over following her intuition.

She had long, straight black hair and an innocent-looking face; she sat in the row by the window.

Hua Linlin.

They met each other's gazes.

Wu Youchong nodded and smiled. After all, they had given him a sword, so he had to show some courtesy.

Hua Linlin was clearly taken aback for a moment, then a hint of panic flashed in her eyes as she quickly turned her head to stare at her textbook.

She only realized what was happening after her deskmate called her twice.

"Linlin, Linlin."

"ah……!"

"Linlin, what's wrong?" Her deskmate leaned over to look at her face. "Why do you look so distracted?"

"Ah, no..." Hua Linlin reached up and tidied the stray hairs at her temples, her ears turning slightly red. "I didn't sleep well last night."

Her deskmate looked at her suspiciously.

"Oh, right, Xiaoman," Hua Linlin quickly changed the subject, "what did you just say?"

"Want to go to the bathroom together?"

"go."

The two girls stood up and walked towards the back door.

Wu You didn't pay any attention to any of this.

He was staring at the table, going over the three basic sword moves in his mind over and over again: the straight thrust, the top-splitting strike, and the blocking strike.

The key points of force exertion in each move, the possibilities of each variation, and the scenarios in which to respond—

It's all going on in my head.

. . .

After school, go home, practice swordsmanship, eat, practice swordsmanship again after eating, and go to sleep after practicing swordsmanship.

Wake up, practice swordplay, get out of school, come home, practice swordplay again...

Three days.

And that's how it happened.

. . .

Three days later, on the night of the same day.

After Wu You finished practicing his swordplay one last time, he sheathed his sword.

Then he paused.

The text on the Sword Manual panel has changed.

Basic Swordsmanship (Minor Mastery) (21/100) → Basic Swordsmanship (Minor Mastery) (22/100)

My proficiency in basic swordsmanship has improved slightly.

Wu You stood there, looking at the line of text, silently calculating in his mind.

I practiced for about four days and improved my skills a little.

He looked up at the streetlights overhead, somewhat speechless.

My current basic swordsmanship is 22/100, and I need 78 more points to reach the next stage.

Four days, one point; 78 points is...

312 days.

More than 300 days.

Almost a year.

Only then can one advance from a minor achievement to the next level.

Wu You shook his head.

Practicing on your own is too slow.

He glanced at the column for assignable experience points again.

10 points.

I haven't touched the 10 points I made on the sly before.

This time he didn't hesitate and injected it directly.

Allocable experience points: 10 → 0

Basic Swordsmanship (Minor Mastery) (22/100) → Basic Swordsmanship (Minor Mastery) (32/100)

boom--

A flood of techniques and experience rushed into my mind. Things that were previously vague suddenly became clear. My straight thrusts became more stable, my overhead strikes more powerful, my blocking strikes more frequent, and my other movements became smoother, more effortless, and more precise.

It still has to be experience points.

Wu You clenched his fist.

It would take more than 300 days to train on your own.

But there are monsters in this world.

He couldn't wait more than 300 days.

After thinking about it, Wu You decided to spend some time each day wandering around the neighborhood to see if he could encounter ordinary zombies like last time.

Why only near the residential area?

Of course, Wu You wouldn't dare go anywhere else.

Lin Yuan said that the source of the corpses in this community has been cleared out, and there will be patrols afterwards. In other words, this area of ​​the community is relatively safe, but what about other places?

he does not know.

I don't dare to go anywhere casually.

If he were to run into someone of that middle-aged man's caliber, his current abilities wouldn't be enough to provoke him.

Having made his decision, Wu You picked up his sword and headed home.

After washing up, I lay down in bed.

Tomorrow is Saturday, I'll go check out those martial arts gyms.

A final thought flashed through my mind.

He closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.