Gao Wu: I became a saint through daily settlements

"A sixth-order sword technique?" Lin Yue was somewhat shocked.

In the Blue Star martial arts system, sword techniques have a strict ranking system.

The first to third levels are the basic martial arts that ordinary martial artists learn. The fourth and fifth levels are the secret techniques that are not passed down to the best of the best. The sixth level sword technique has already entered the realm of grandmaster martial arts.

All the martial arts instructors Lin Yue had encountered in the past were basic techniques at the level of martial arts masters or ordinary martial artists. They were good at solidifying the foundation and refining the moves, but they had never touched the martial arts foundation of a grandmaster.

He never dared to hope that one day he would receive personal guidance in swordsmanship from a master proficient in sixth-order swordsmanship.

Thinking of this, Lin Yue felt an overwhelming sense of anticipation.

"If I were to receive guidance on swordsmanship from a master-level expert, my swordsmanship would likely improve to a terrifying level," Lin Yue thought to himself.

After replying to Tang Long's message, Lin Yue took Wang Teng to the same food therapy restaurant they had eaten at last time.

"You've struck it rich! You're treating me to such a luxurious meal," Wang Teng laughed.

Lin Yue smiled calmly, waved his hand casually, and spoke in a relaxed tone:

"It's all small change, the foundation of cultivation, no need to worry about such things."

This dietary therapy shop specializes in nourishing medicinal meals designed for martial artists. A single high-level meal can easily cost tens of thousands of Blue Star Coins, an exorbitant expense that is absolutely unaffordable for an ordinary high school student.

However, for Lin Yue, whose cultivation level is steadily improving and who has access to a lot of cultivation resources, this expense is completely within his means and not worth mentioning.

The shop owner had an excellent memory and recognized Lin Yue, a regular customer, at a glance. He quickly stepped forward to greet him warmly, his face full of polite smiles.

"My two young friends are here again. Is it the same as usual today?"

"That's right, just like last time, one tiger bone soup to strengthen bones and one soup to nourish qi and blood," Lin Yue replied crisply.

"Alright! Please have a seat, it'll be ready soon!" the boss replied loudly, then turned and went into the kitchen to make arrangements.

Lin Yue raised his hand, took out the smart martial arts bracelet on his wrist, and swiped it lightly on the front desk's sensor area.

A crisp system notification immediately sounded: "Payment successful, 55000 Blue Star Coins deducted."

As soon as he sat down, Lin Yue began to speak:

Have you ever been to Handong Province?

"Handong Province? I've been there once or twice, I guess." Wang Teng picked up a piece of tiger bone meat and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing as he spoke.

"When I was a child, I went to visit relatives there with my father. Hanjing City, the capital of Handong Province, was very prosperous, with high-rise buildings and martial arts venues everywhere. Its scale and grandeur were much larger than our Jiangcheng."

Lin Yue leaned forward slightly and continued to ask, "What's the overall environment and martial arts atmosphere like over there?"

Wang Teng swallowed the food in his mouth, pondered for a moment, and slowly said:

"In terms of lifestyle, the local accent there is very strong, and the food is on the spicy side, which is difficult for outsiders to adapt to at first. But in terms of martial arts atmosphere, our Jiangcheng simply can't compare."

He paused, his eyes filled with a hint of emotion:

"When I was a child in Hanjing City, I saw it with my own eyes. There were three or four formal martial arts schools clustered together on one street, and you could see martial artists practicing hard everywhere. There were people practicing martial arts all over the place."

"Martial arts schools are so close together?" Lin Yue raised an eyebrow, looking slightly surprised.

"Yes, that's right." Wang Teng nodded.

"Handong Province is a place with a deep-rooted martial arts tradition. There are several old residences of martial arts schools there."

"In addition, the headquarters of the Martial Arts Hall of Handong Province is also located there, where young martial artists gather in large numbers, making the competition naturally fierce."

Lin Yue nodded thoughtfully.

"By the way, why are you asking this?" Wang Teng looked at Lin Yue curiously. "Are you going to Handong Province?"

"Yes, I'm going to Handong Province tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? So soon?" Wang Teng was a little puzzled. Logically speaking, nothing major had happened in the past two weeks, so there shouldn't have been any opportunity to leave the province.

Although they were not in the same school, the arrangements at their schools were roughly the same.

"Because I'm still missing one last bone-cracking grass to refine the Martial Essence Pill, and only the Martial Hall in Handong Province has a stock of this bone-cracking grass."

"However, the number of such items in Handong Province is not very large, so the master of the Starry Sky Martial Hall in Handong Province organized a friendly sparring match."

"The top three will get the Bone-Splitting Grass."

"So that's how it is." Wang Teng suddenly realized, and then patted Lin Yue on the shoulder.

"Then you'd better do well this time and don't embarrass Jiangcheng."

"I'll do my best." Lin Yue smiled faintly, picked up the warm tiger bone soup in front of him, and took a small sip.

The scalding hot and mellow medicinal soup slid down the throat and into the stomach, instantly transforming into a warm and powerful current that flowed through the meridians and throughout the body, instantly dispelling the slight fatigue in the body.

In an instant, Lin Yue could clearly feel a series of subtle tingling sensations coming from deep within his bones, and his muscles and bones were quietly tempered and strengthened under the nourishment of the medicine.

The two ate and chatted until it was completely dark before they got up and left.

……

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Lin Yue arrived at the Starry Sky Martial Hall.

Two tall figures had been waiting for a long time in front of the Martial Hall. They were Hall Master Tang Long and Deputy Hall Master Zhao Hengshan.

"Palace Master," Lin Yue said respectfully.

"Here you are." Tang Long nodded slightly, his expression calm, his gaze falling on Lin Yue with a hint of approval, before turning to introduce him.

"Let me introduce you. These two are our carefully selected seed players from the Jiangcheng branch. They are coming with us to Handong Province for the competition and exchange."

As soon as he finished speaking, a burly young man with broad shoulders and a thick back stepped forward from the left, a simple and honest smile on his face, and extended his right hand to Lin Yue:

"Hello, my name is Zhou Yuanwu, and I am at the late stage of the Martial Artist realm."

Zhou Yuanwu's aura was refined and steady, and his bones and muscles were solid. It was clear that he was a martial artist who had worked hard to hone his physique over the years and had an extremely solid foundation. His aura was calm and reliable.

"Lin Yue, mid-stage Martial Artist." Lin Yue reached out and shook hands with him.

"His name is Jing Ruoyi, and he is also in the late stage of the Martial Artist realm," Zhou Yuanwu introduced.

"Hello." Lin Yue nodded to Jing Ruoyi.

Jing Ruoyi nodded slightly, as if to say hello.

"Now that everyone is here, let's set off immediately." Tang Long didn't waste any time. He raised his hand and took the lead in walking towards the black hovercar parked at the entrance of the Martial Hall.

The four people boarded the vehicle, which smoothly took off and sped off towards Handong Province.

This hovercar is the exclusive official vehicle of the Martial Hall, equipped with a fully automatic intelligent driving system. It requires no human operation, travels smoothly and swiftly, and stays locked on the high-speed martial arts passage throughout the journey, avoiding civilian air routes. It is extremely fast.

The carriage is spacious and quiet, with comfortable seats and excellent sound insulation.

Zhao Hengshan turned to look at the three young martial artists in the back seat, his expression gradually becoming serious.

"This trip to Handong Province is for Lin Yue's Bone-Splitting Grass, but the two of you also have a mission," Tang Long said with a hint of seriousness.

"This sparring match organized by Handong Province was nominally a competition for the distribution of the Bone-Splitting Grass, but in reality, it was also a test of the strength of the young martial artists from different branches."

"Zhou Yuanwu and Jing Ruoyi, although you two do not need to compete for the medicinal herbs, you represent the face of our Jiangcheng branch."

"I hope you can go all out, show your true level, and demonstrate the spirit and character of Jiangcheng martial artists. We cannot let the branch halls from other places look down on us."

"Understood." Zhou Yuanwu and Jing Ruoyi nodded at the same time.

"Lin Yue," Tang Long looked at him, "You only have one goal: to get into the top three and get the Bone-Splitting Grass."

"The person sent by Jiangbei Province is no ordinary person. His name is Han Lie. He is in the late stage of the Martial Realm and has been practicing second-order sword techniques for three months. He has rich practical experience."

"But you don't need to feel pressured, just play your best."

Lin Yue nodded without saying anything.

The hovercar sped along the highway, the scenery outside the window rushing past.

Lin Yue leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes to rest, and repeatedly simulated possible battle scenarios in his mind.

More than an hour later, the hovercar landed on the plaza of the Martial Hall headquarters in Handong Province.

The Han Dong Province Martial Hall is more than twice the size of the Jiangcheng branch hall. The towering buildings gleam with a cold metallic luster under the sunlight, and the square is already full of vehicles from various branch halls.

"There are quite a few people here." Zhou Yuanwu looked around and rubbed his hands together excitedly.

"There are twelve branch halls in total, with two to three people assigned to each branch hall. Including the host province of Handong, there are about forty people in total," Zhao Hengshan explained as he walked.

"The rules for the competition are simple: draw lots to form groups of four, play each other in a round-robin format, and the top two teams advance. The final eight teams will then compete in a knockout tournament to determine the top three."

"The distribution of the bone-splitting grass is as follows: three plants for the first place, one plant for the second place, and one plant for the third place."

After listening, Lin Yue understood the situation.

The top three spots include the Bone-Splitting Grass, so this goal isn't too difficult.

But his goal is not just to finish in the top three.

Since we're here, we have to win first place.

Tang Long led the three into the main hall of the Martial Hall, where a burly middle-aged man walked towards them.

"Palace Master Tang, it's been a long time!" The middle-aged man laughed and extended his hand.

"Chief Instructor Sun, it's been a long time. You're still as dashing as ever." Tang Long smiled, raised his hand to shake hands with him, and then turned to introduce him.

"Lin Yue, you three come and greet him. This is Sun Yi, the chief instructor of the Starry Sky Martial Arts Hall in Handong Province."

Lin Yue carefully examined the man in front of him.

Sun Yi was tall and broad-shouldered, with a square face that gave him a rugged look.

But what's most eye-catching is the knife hanging at his waist.

This knife is clearly not made of ordinary materials; it is very likely forged from extraterrestrial materials.

"After all, he's a ruthless master of sixth-level swordsmanship, so it's normal for him to use such a high-quality sword." Lin Yue glanced briefly at the sword at Sun Yi's waist before looking away.

"Hello, Instructor Sun," Lin Yue said, trying to make a good impression.

Sun Yi's gaze swept over the three of them, lingering for a moment on Zhou Yuanwu and Jing Ruoyi before finally landing on Lin Yue.

"You're Lin Yue?" Sun Yi looked at him with great interest.

"Yes," Lin Yue replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"Palace Master Tang mentioned you to me; you're a promising talent." Sun Yi nodded in approval.

"Let's go, I'll take you to the rest room first. Almost everyone from the other branch halls has arrived. It will officially start at 2 PM."

The group followed Sun Yi through the spacious lobby and into the elevator.

As the elevator ascends, you can overlook the entire Han Dong Province Martial Hall through the transparent glass wall.

The training ground, martial arts hall, equipment room, medicine room... all the functional areas are divided in an orderly manner, and the scale and facilities far exceed those of the Jiangcheng branch hall.

"Our headquarters in Handong Province has a total of twelve training grounds, three of which are Class A gravity chambers that can be adjusted to ten times the gravity," Sun Yi casually introduced.

"Ten times the gravity?" Zhou Yuanwu's eyes widened. "How strong would one's physique have to be to withstand that?"

"Late stage of Martial Master realm, I suppose," Sun Yi said casually.

"However, true masters do not rely solely on gravity to train their physique; that is merely the most basic method."

As they were talking, the elevator stopped on the seventh floor.

Sun Yi led the four people into a spacious lounge, where tea and snacks had already been prepared.

"You all rest first, I'll go check if the other branch halls have arrived yet."

"These are your room cards, each with your room number marked on it. Just swipe them at the access control to check in," Sun Yi said before leaving.

Only the four people from the Jiangcheng branch remained in the rest room.

"Everyone has their own room, and the conditions are pretty good," Lin Yue remarked.

Zhou Yuanwu plopped down on the soft sofa, let out a long sigh, and said with lingering fear:

"Chief Instructor Sun has such a strong presence. Standing in front of him, I didn't even dare to breathe. He was so intimidating."

"The aura of a master of sixth-order swordsmanship is naturally different," Jing Ruoyi said, rarely speaking up.

Lin Yue walked to the window and looked down at the training field through the glass.

Several young martial artists were warming up on the field, their swords flashing and their fighting intense.

As someone who practices martial arts, his spirit and energy are ultimately unmatched by ordinary people.

……

After arranging accommodations for the group, Sun Yi then went to find Tang Long.

"The prodigy you mentioned who practices ancient martial arts, is that Lin Yue?" Sun Yi asked directly, his eyes filled with keen interest.

"Not bad." Tang Long nodded in affirmation.

"There aren't many young people practicing ancient martial arts these days," Sun Yi said, raising an eyebrow and a hint of interest in his eyes.

"There aren't many left," Tang Long sighed.

"But as you also know, the path of ancient martial arts is slow to show results in the early stages, has many bottlenecks in the middle stages, and only one in ten can persevere."

"But once you truly get the hang of it, the foundation you gain is something that modern martial arts, which can only be learned quickly, can never match."

Sun Yi became even more curious upon hearing this and pressed for the core question:

"What ancient weapon does he specialize in? The core of ancient martial arts is ultimately inseparable from the way of killing with cold weapons."

"A Mo Dao (陌刀)," Tang Long replied briefly.

"Mo Dao?" Sun Yi's voice rose slightly.

The Mo Dao, an ancient battlefield weapon, was designed to break through enemy lines, charge into enemy ranks, and break through cavalry. Its swordsmanship is domineering and fierce, unstoppable, and its momentum is overwhelming.

However, precisely because of this, the Mo Dao (陌刀) places extremely demanding requirements on the practitioner's physique, strength, and endurance.

However, in modern martial arts, those who practice the Mo Dao (陌刀) are even rarer than those who practice ancient martial arts.

The reason is simple: the Mo Dao (陌刀) requires extremely high physical strength.

An ordinary martial artist can wield a Mo Dao (陌刀) a couple of times, but to truly unleash the essence of swordsmanship, one needs an abnormally strong physique to support it; otherwise, it's simply impossible.

"How is his physique?" Sun Yi asked the crucial question.

"Mid-stage Martial Artist Realm, Life Energy Level 15.7." Tang Long paused, then added, "But he can already fight normally under three times gravity."

A hint of surprise finally appeared in Sun Yi's eyes.

"Three times the gravity? Mid-stage Martial Artist?"

"Yes." Tang Long's tone carried a hint of pride. "Moreover, his physique is still growing rapidly. I estimate that it won't be long before he can withstand four times the gravity."

"That's interesting," Sun Yi said with a smile. "I'll have to watch the sparring session later."

"Speaking of which, it's quite lucky that your Martial Hall was able to find such a promising talent in ancient martial arts."