From a slave to the Great Qian Martial Saint

"Please come this way to buy a knife."

The waiter, with a smile on his face, led Chen Shi inside.

On several walls, one could see all kinds of knives, from short swords to horse-slaying swords, from single swords to double swords and mother-and-child swords, from straight swords to curved swords, willow-leaf swords, phoenix-beak swords, goose-feather swords, and ghost-head swords.

"The sword is the king of all weapons, and the knife is the commander of all weapons. There are many people who use knives, so we sell a lot of knives."

The waiter smiled and then asked.

"What level of cultivation do you have for the sword you're using, or do you simply want one that looks good and is expensive? Do you have any special requirements?"

"An eighth-rank martial artist."

"At the eighth rank, also known as the Qi Explosion Realm, one must first be able to withstand the impact of a martial artist's blood and qi. The blade used at this stage must be sturdy."

The man nodded, then pointed to a wall.

"Sir, look over here. These are all excellent swords suitable for use by those at the Qi Burst Realm."

Although only one wall remained, Chen Shi was still dazzled by what he saw.

"Can you recommend one for me?"

"Alright, do you want a regular sword, or a one-foot sword specifically for those at the Qi Explosion Realm?"

"A one-foot-long knife?"

Chen Shi was taken aback. What was that?

"The term 'one-foot knife' means that the blade is only one foot long."

Seeing that Chen Shi didn't understand, the waiter smiled and carefully explained.

"Ordinary swords and knives are about three feet long, but this one-foot sword is only one foot long. Four hundred blood qi bursts make one foot long, eight hundred blood qi bursts make two feet long, and the remaining two feet are made up by the bursting qi. Think about it, if it were an ordinary sword and knife, and then bursted another one or two feet long, wouldn't it reach four or five feet long? That would be too long, and some moves would be difficult to execute."

"so."

Chen Shi nodded, suddenly realizing what was going on.

Once you master the Burst Qi technique, your strength can double due to the amplification from the burst of blood energy.

However, due to differences in their foundations, the scale of their burst of blood energy varies.

If someone at the Blood Nourishing Realm has 400 jin of strength, they can only unleash their Qi by a maximum of one foot; if they have 800 jin of strength, they can unleash it by two feet.

Therefore, the typical range of an eighth-rank martial artist's burst of energy is one to two feet.

A burst of energy one foot is also a basic requirement for determining the rank of an eighth-grade martial artist.

Some sword techniques require the sword to be drawn back and sheathed. As this fellow said, if the blade is three feet long, it would be too long after the burst of energy, and these techniques would not be able to be executed smoothly.

"I want a foot-long knife."

Thinking of this, Chen Shi said something directly.

"Please look this way."

Without a word, the waiter pointed to two rows of knives on the wall below, each with a blade only about a foot long.

It looks somewhat like a broken knife, or a machete.

It is indeed a foot-long knife!

"There are still so many."

"Although they are all one-foot knives, they each have their own characteristics."

The waiter was very patient and introduced everything to Chen Shi one by one.

"This one, forged by a master swordsmith, is incredibly sharp from refined steel, capable of cutting a hair in two. This one, infused with ebony, has a completely black blade that doesn't reflect light, making it a formidable weapon for night combat. This one, also forged by a master swordsmith, is not only sharp but also extremely sturdy..."

"No need to introduce them one by one, just pick out the important ones for me."

Chen Shi quickly waved his hand, saying that if he were to introduce all the knives one by one, it would take until dark.

"The key point? Only this one requirement."

The waiter looked at Chen Shi, somewhat surprised, and asked again.

"right."

Chen Shi nodded, with absolute certainty.

He initially practiced with a bamboo pole, but as he became more skilled, he switched to a real knife. He didn't think much of it, except that it was too light.

With the immense strength of a 2,000-pound elephant, an ordinary knife in Chen Shi's hands was no different from a blade of grass, utterly unsuitable.

"In that case, you can try this one. It weighs four pounds and seven ounces, which is considered heavy for a one-foot knife."

The waiter thought for a moment, then took out a foot-long knife with an unusually thick back and handed it to Chen Shi.

Chen Shi took it, fiddled with it casually for a couple of seconds, shook his head, and handed it back to the shop assistant.

"Too light."

Ordinary swords are three feet long, but a one-foot sword has a blade that is only one foot long, so it is naturally more than half the weight. A one-foot sword weighing four pounds and seven ounces is indeed heavy, but it is too light for Chen Shi's strength.

"Then why don't you give this one a try?"

The man frowned, then took down another one.

Chen Shi tried it too, but shook his head. Although it was heavier than the previous one, it was still too light.

"this……"

The waiter scratched his head, looking somewhat perplexed.

A martial artist's strength far surpasses that of an ordinary person, but one must know that swords are weapons for killing, not stone weights. If they are too heavy, they will not only consume more energy when fighting, but they will also be less agile.

That one weighed at least six or seven pounds, which is quite heavy.

Seeing his colleague's predicament, Chen Shi frowned slightly, realizing it would be difficult to find a suitable knife.

If it's custom-made, it takes a long time, and I'm afraid it won't be ready before we go into the mountains.

"Hmm? Then why is it on the ground?"

Just as I was in a dilemma, I suddenly saw a one-foot-long, jet-black knife, not on a shelf, but leaning against the wall.

"That one you mentioned is too heavy. It won't hold up on the shelf for long, so we have to put it on the ground."

"You said it's too heavy?"

Upon hearing what the waiter said, Chen Shi's eyes lit up instantly.

"Let me try it!"

"No, no, that won't work."

The waiter waved his hand repeatedly and said with a smile.

"That knife was a whimsical creation by some novice, made on a whim. The handle and blade are one piece, entirely forged from black iron. It's ugly enough, and difficult to sharpen enough, but the main problem is that it weighs a whopping eighty-two pounds, making it completely unusable for combat. It can only be used to train wrist strength. But the thing is, this knife is made entirely of black iron, which is quite expensive to produce, and therefore it sells for a high price. Who would want to spend so much money on a knife that can only be used to train strength? A simple stone lock would be enough."

"Let me try it!"

"...Then why don't you give it a try?"

Seeing that Chen Shi was still persistent, the waiter said no more and went over to drag the one-foot knife over.

Seeing that the waiter was having difficulty moving, Chen Shi stepped forward and picked up the knife.

He casually twirled the knife and began to play with it.

The 82-pound knife was wielded with a whooshing sound as it was swung.

"This...this..."

The waiter had initially thought Chen Shi was just showing off, but when he saw him wielding the knife with such skill, he was completely dumbfounded.

Being able to lift something and actually using it are two completely different things; this person must be incredibly strong!

"This one's the one! How much?"

After trying it a few times, Chen Shi was overjoyed. He had never had a knife as handy as this one!

"Just give me the cost of the materials, one hundred and twenty taels. Anyway, they'll just gather dust in our shop."

The man then came to his senses and gave an awkward laugh.

Made entirely of black iron, the price is indeed not high.

Chen Shi didn't say much and directly took out the silver.

After the money and goods were settled, the shop assistant gasped again as he watched Chen Shi walk out of the shop carrying a knife.

The world is a vast place, and there are all sorts of extraordinary people out there!

After leaving the weapons shop, it was already dark, so Chen Shi went straight back to Sweetwater Lane.

Upon entering, an excited Chen Shi, without even bothering to go inside, unwrapped the cloth strip covering the knife and immediately began practicing his knife skills in the courtyard.

"A fine knife!"

After practicing the "Eight Directions Night Battle" twice, Chen Shi finally stopped and couldn't help but praise it.

This knife is as if it were tailor-made for him.

But when he saw the knife marks left on the wooden stake next to him, he couldn't help but frown slightly.

The knife is a good knife, but his cultivation level is not high enough.

He had only recently learned how to unleash his Qi, and his Qi burst only reached one inch. Four hundred Qi equals one foot, so his two thousand Qi should at most reach five feet.

If you want to unleash your power five feet, you still need to practice diligently.

Cultivating martial arts skills is like building a tall tower; each level is the foundation for the next, and only with a solid foundation can the tower be stable. Chen Shi silently resolved to cultivate until he could unleash his full power five feet before continuing his training.

Time was precious, and with that in mind, Chen Shi decided to continue practicing his swordsmanship.

"Alright, it's not too late to practice after you've eaten."

At this moment, Cui Nong came over and handed Chen Shi a towel soaked in hot water.

"I'll go cook."

"Stop cooking, buy some food and drinks, let's celebrate today."

Chen Shi wiped his face and hands, and said with a smile.

"Another celebration? What's it all about today?"

Cui Nong was taken aback, and her face flushed slightly.

"I've gotten a fine knife!"

Chen Shi smiled and raised the one-foot-long knife in his hand.

"Pah! You've got a good knife, so you're going to use a gun to stab me."

Cui Nong spat lightly, muttered something under her breath, picked up her little basket, and happily wiggled her bottom as she went out.