The last class of the afternoon was Basic Swordsmanship, much like a college elective from his past life. Everyone was practicing the moves, wooden sword in hand.

The instructor was a sturdy, dark-skinned man surnamed Song, known for being stern and unsmiling.

Rumor had it he was once a wandering Martial Artist. No one knew if this was true, but ever since he’d personally beaten some troublemaking punks bloody, the students had been filled with a healthy dose of fear and respect for him.

The Basic Swordsmanship course at Saint City Noble Academy, as mandated by the Ministry of Education, was centered around the Eight Maternal Sword Techniques as its core. These were the eight fundamental movements: Chop, Thrust, Raise, Parry, Circle, Point, Smash, and Intercept.

Just like always, the swordsmanship teacher, Old Song, spent only fifteen minutes leading the students through a review of the eight movements before announcing free practice.

This gave Wan Ze plenty of time to complete his advancement task.

Five seconds. Ten strikes.

The moment he completed the sequence, he successfully mastered Basic Swordsmanship. The knowledge of it in his mind became much more profound.

But that wasn’t enough.

After glancing at the task for the Intermediate level, Wan Ze continued without the slightest pause.

Two minutes later, he smoothly completed twenty repetitions each of the Chop, Thrust, and Raise movements. The Intermediate level was complete.

He finally shook out his tingling arm, composed himself, and focused on the red data frame that had appeared in his vision.

...

[Illustrated Guide: Basic Swordsmanship] (Intermediate - Mastered)

[Ability: Enhances physical flexibility (Coordination +0.02)]

[Skill High Level Satisfying Conditions: Practice each of the eight movements 200 times and defeat one opponent using Basic Swordsmanship.]

...

’So the High Level Skill has two conditions. They’re not exactly hard, but...’

Without a word, Wan Ze looked away from the frame and went back to diligently practicing the movements.

A slender boy with a buzz cut was showing off for a group of girls, earning a smattering of cheers. He only scurried away after getting a glare from Old Song. He quickly made his way over to Wan Ze and stared for a moment before realizing something was off. "Old Wan," he said quizzically, "you’re not actually planning to get serious about martial arts, are you?"

"What’s so bad about practicing martial arts?" Wan Ze asked, smiling at him.

The newcomer was Zhao Hexiang. Their families were in similar financial situations, and they had been in the same class since middle school, so they were pretty close.

"But..." Zhao Hexiang opened his mouth, unsure of what to say.

The old saying, "Poverty breeds scholars, wealth breeds warriors," was no joke.

The initial tuition alone was no small sum. He’d heard that training also required purchasing vast quantities of medicinal herbs, which could cost several thousand a year... and with the recent wave of layoffs, this was an expense that an ordinary family of three simply couldn’t afford.

What’s more, Wan Ze also had a little sister at home.

Zhao Hexiang’s expression was complicated; looking at Wan Ze was like looking at his former self.

So many people dreamed of becoming a First Generation Grandmaster, founding their own school, and reaching the pinnacle of their lives. But the reality was that most just exhausted their family’s fortune without ever completing their training, only to end up destitute.

Because succeeding in martial arts depended not only on your wallet, but also on your talent.

That was why he couldn’t even begin to imagine how Wan Ze dared to attempt this.

Wan Ze paid no mind to his friend’s astonishment. He just smiled and continued to immerse himself in his practice.

Just then, Zhou Xianchuan walked over, slinging an arm around Zhao Hexiang’s shoulders with a grin. "Old Zhao, you heading to the Dragon Eagle Martial Arts Hall this afternoon?" he asked.

"What for?" Zhao Hexiang asked, not quite following.

Zhou Xianchuan made a few mock-fighting gestures. "To train, of course! Ah Ze and I are going after school. You in? The three of us could form a little squad."

Zhao Hexiang was tempted, but the thought of an expense his family could never bear was disheartening. He put on a dismissive sneer. "Train my ass. What’s the use of martial arts these days? No matter how strong you get, one bullet is all it takes to put you down!"

"That’s not necessarily true," Zhou Xianchuan explained with a smile. "The instructors at my uncle’s hall... from ten meters away, you wouldn’t even be able to hit them with a gun."

But Zhao Hexiang just sneered. "And what about at point-blank range? They’d still be dead."

He waved his hand dismissively, showing he had no interest in hearing any more.

Zhou Xianchuan didn’t get angry. He just turned to Wan Ze with a smile and said, "Actually, my uncle told me that within the world of Martial Artists, some experts are completely impervious to blades and guns. To kill someone like that, you’d need a cannon—and you’d have to tie them to ground zero. Otherwise, they’re basically unkillable."

Wan Ze raised an eyebrow. "Are there many people like that?"

Zhou Xianchuan gave a sheepish cough and rubbed his nose. "I’m guessing not... otherwise, there’d be chaos."

Wan Ze suddenly gestured with his hand. "Wanna test it?"

"Test what?" Zhou Xianchuan asked, confused.

Wan Ze raised his wooden sword as if to strike. Zhou Xianchuan yelped and scrambled to dodge as Wan Ze chased after him, yelling, "Do you yield?"

"Yield, my ass!"

Zhou Xianchuan shot back defiantly, but in the next instant, the wooden sword was smacked out of his hand.

He froze, taking an instinctive step back. Realizing what happened, he quickly threw his hands up in surrender. "I yield, I yield! You’re the boss, alright?!"

Wan Ze chuckled and glanced down at his interface.

The Illustrated Guide task was complete!

...

[Illustrated Guide: Basic Swordsmanship] (High Level - Mastered)

[Effect 1: Enhances physical flexibility]

[Effect 2: Enhance Power (Added Power +0.02)]

[Skill Special Level Satisfying Conditions: Defeat a total of 10 opponents using Basic Swordsmanship.] (1/10)

...

’What a shame,’ Wan Ze thought to himself. ’If the task was just to defeat an opponent ten times, I’d have made Zhou Xianchuan call me "Grandpa" at least ten times.’

’But defeating ten *different* opponents... That’s pretty tough.’

He turned his head, a sudden idea striking him. He beckoned to his friend. "Xiang, my man! Get over here, I’ve got something for you."

Zhao Hexiang trotted over, clueless. "Something for me?"

"Yeah, a taste of your grandpa’s sword!"

"...The hell!" Zhao Hexiang laughed in exasperation, raising his sword to block. It was just fooling around, so he didn’t think much of it.

But then Wan Ze suddenly said, "Hurry up and surrender. I’ll buy you a drink later."

Zhao Hexiang immediately tossed his sword aside. "For real, Brother Wan? In that case, I want a Da Le Bao!"

"First, tell me if you yield or not," Wan Ze confirmed.

"I yield, I yield."

"Good." Wan Ze turned and walked away.

"Hey, Brother Wan, what about my Da Le Bao...?"

"Next time for sure." By the time he’d said it, Wan Ze was already gone.

"Huh?"

Zhao Hexiang froze for a second before it dawned on him. He flushed with shame and anger. "Damn it, Wan Ze, are you even human? How could you play with my emotions like that?"

"You’d be right not to think of me as one."

"...Damn it, you’re unbelievable!"

Zhao Hexiang was left speechless, shooting two middle fingers at Wan Ze’s retreating back.

But a moment later, when he saw Wan Ze use the same trick on the other boys, he couldn’t help but laugh. He had no idea what had gotten into the guy today.

...

[Illustrated Guide: Basic Swordsmanship] (High Level - Mastered)

[Skill Special Level Conditions: Defeat a total of 10 opponents using Basic Swordsmanship.] (6/10)

...

’Four more to unlock the Special Level...’

Wan Ze was a little disappointed.

’Looks like I’ll have to find another way.’

"You’ve trained before?" The swordsmanship teacher, Old Song, had appeared behind him at some point. His voice made Wan Ze jump.

Once he was sure the man was talking to him, Wan Ze composed himself and replied nonchalantly, "I’ve just been messing around on my own."

"Messing around?" Old Song raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable. His tone was flat. "The Eight Maternal Sword Techniques give birth to sixty-four children. They are not fixed moves. Just as the set plays in Go are not meant to be slavishly followed, they are meant to train the wisdom of letting form follow intent, of unifying the way of the sword and the game... You have a good foundation. If you truly master it, you could become an expert with this basic skill alone. If you have the chance, you should join a martial arts hall to be properly trained. Don’t let your talent go to waste."

Wan Ze’s interest was piqued. He was just about to ask a question when the bell signaling the end of class rang in the distance. Old Song said no more, turning on his heel to leave. Once he announced class was dismissed, everyone scattered.

Zhou Xianchuan sidled up and slung an arm around Wan Ze’s shoulders. "What was Old Song rambling on about with you?"

"He said I’m a once-in-a-generation Martial Dao genius... It’s such a shame," Wan Ze sighed dramatically.

Zhou Xianchuan was baffled. "A shame about what?"

"I wanted to hang out with you as just a regular guy, but my incredible power just won’t allow it." Wan Ze slapped his friend’s hand away, dusted off his shirt, and spoke with an air of breezy nonchalance.

"...Damn it, would it kill you to not be a pretentious prick for once?"

"Believe it or not!"

"You’re serious?! You’re not messing with me?"