Becoming a Martial Master: Starting as a Swordsmith

After receiving several days of guidance from Li Qingning, Shen Chu's progress was clearly visible, but another layer of worry gradually arose in his heart.

Currently, Shen Chu can count the number of martial arts skills she knows on her fingers.

It's just three skills: Crushing Stone Fist, Crimson Flame Seven Kill Blade, and Xuanming Ghost Control Technique.

Of these three martial arts, the Crimson Flame Seven Kill Blade is a sword technique of the Red Lotus Sect. Using it in public is tantamount to revealing one's identity.

The Xuanming Ghost Control Technique is an even more sinister and clandestine art that cannot be brought to light; it cannot even be mentioned.

The only fist technique that can be openly and legitimately used is the Crushing Stone Fist.

However, the Crushing Stone Fist is a common technique, and he has already reached a fairly high level. Further improvement would be increasingly limited.

If an emergency arises that requires the use of force, he can't just keep repeating the same set of boxing techniques.

Thinking of this, he found Situ Aotian, who was reading in the courtyard, and explained his thoughts.

This courtyard was originally Situ Aotian's villa. He had previously claimed it was the academy's property, just in case Shen Chu and the others felt awkward.

When Situ Aotian wasn't at the academy, he liked to come to this small courtyard to read.

After listening, Situ Aotian closed the book in his hand and replied with some difficulty:

"Brother Shen, it's not that I don't want to help you, it's just that the academy has its own rules. The martial arts manuals in the academy are not to be passed on to outsiders. Senior Sister instructing you in martial arts is already an exception, because she sees your talent and you are Brother Li's friend. But asking me to take out the academy's secret manuals for you to learn is another matter, I don't have that kind of courage."

Upon hearing this, Shen Chu couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. Just as she was about to say that it was fine, Situ Aotian changed the subject and winked, "However, if you really want to learn new martial arts, it's not entirely impossible."

Shen Chu's spirits lifted: "What method?"

"Just buy it," Situ Aotian said matter-of-factly.

"There are several shops in Qingyang County that specialize in buying and selling martial arts manuals. They are all backed by powerful forces, so their sources are reliable and they are honest with everyone. As long as you can afford the price, you can find everything from fist and leg techniques to knife, sword, spear, and staff techniques."

Shen Chu was overjoyed and quickly said, "Miss Situ, could you do me this favor? I'm not familiar with Qingyang County and don't know which shops are reliable. I'm afraid I'll get ripped off."

Situ Aotian smiled and nodded: "Leave it to me! But you'd better make sure you have enough money on you!"

"no problem!"

Shen Chu waved his hand, exuding boundless pride.

He still had six or seven hundred taels of silver in his pocket, all of which he had plundered back then, plus the bits and pieces he had saved up before. It should be more than enough to buy a few secret manuals.

Seeing that he agreed so readily, Situ Aotian asked, "What type of martial arts do you want? Tell me, and I'll help you choose one."

Shen Chu thought for a moment: "I only know one set of Crushing Stone Fist right now, and I'm almost done with it. Are there any fist techniques stronger than Crushing Stone Fist? Give me a set. And then give me a set of leg techniques. To put it bluntly, my current movement technique is just jumping fast, relying purely on brute force to bounce around. It's not enough against a real master. I want to learn a movement technique that allows me to jump high into the air, so that if I can't win, at least I can run away."

Situ Aotian nodded: "Alright, I've memorized the fist and leg techniques. Anything else?"

Shen Chu hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Um... is there such a thing as internal energy cultivation?"

Situ Aotian paused for a moment, then smiled.

"Internal energy? Brother Shen, you've been reading too many storybooks, haven't you? There's no such thing as internal energy! A martial artist's cultivation involves refining the skin, forging the bones, cleansing the marrow, and opening the meridians, tempering oneself step by step. Only when you reach the meridian opening stage can you draw qi into the body, but that's not internal energy; it's just a natural result after the meridians are opened. If you're thinking of taking a shortcut to instant success, you've misunderstood."

Shen Chu felt a little embarrassed by her laughter, touched his nose, and said awkwardly, "Alright, I was overthinking it. Then I'll trouble Miss Situ with the fist and leg techniques."

Situ Aotian acted quickly, bringing the items back that afternoon.

She placed a cloth bundle on the stone table, untied the knot, and revealed two books inside.

The pages are yellowed and the edges are worn, making it look quite old, but it is still in relatively good condition.

"This is originally a boxing technique called 'Crushing Mountain Force'."

Situ Aotian picked up the first book and handed it to Shen Chu.

"You can tell from the name that it's similar to your Crushing Stone Fist, both being powerful and domineering. However, Crushing Mountain Force is a level above Crushing Stone Fist. When mastered, a single punch can unleash layers of hidden force, making it easy to strike through mountains. Most importantly, this fist technique can be used from the Bone Forging Realm all the way to the Meridian Opening Realm, so you won't experience any gaps in your skills."

She picked up the second book:

"This is a leg technique called 'Nine Steps of Wind-Treading.' It's not some unfathomable, peerless movement technique, but its strength lies in its practicality. Once mastered, it makes short-distance maneuvering and turning extremely agile, and it also saves a lot of energy for long-distance attacks. Although it's not the kind of divine technique that allows you to fly around, this leg technique is definitely sufficient for those below the Meridian Opening Realm."

Shen Chu took the two manuals, flipped through a few pages, and became more and more satisfied, his face full of joy.

He closed the book and asked, "How much are these two books in total?"

"One hundred taels." Situ Aotian held up one finger and made a gesture.

Shen Chu's smile froze on her face.

"How much?!" His voice rose eight octaves. "One hundred taels?! How can it be so expensive?!"

Situ Aotian shook his head: "Brother Shen, you don't understand. This is a martial arts manual, not some cabbage on the street. It's something with a price but no market; many people would be willing to pay a fortune for it. If it weren't for my connections, these two books wouldn't even be sold for two hundred taels, let alone a hundred. Go out and ask around; in Qingyang County, a decent boxing manual starts at fifty or sixty taels, and that depends on the person's attitude. I helped you bargain and did you a favor, and you still think it's too expensive?"

Shen Chu opened her mouth, wanting to refute, but found herself speechless.

He glanced down at the two manuals in his hands, then weighed his purse in his hand. Finally, he gritted his teeth and pulled out a one-hundred-tael silver note from his pocket.

After handing it over, he felt an unbearable pain in his heart, as if his own flesh had been cut off.

"make a deal."

Situ Aotian smiled and accepted the silver note, skillfully slipping it into his sleeve pocket, then clapped his hands:

"That's more like it! Don't worry, these two books are definitely worth the price. Just practice hard, and don't forget to treat me to a meal when you've mastered them."

Shen Chu gave a wry smile and carefully put away the two manuals.

He secretly vowed that once this matter was over, he would definitely find a way to make money!

Otherwise, it would be too frustrating if we couldn't even afford a decent martial arts manual in the future!