Chapter 28: The Vicissitudes of Life
"However, the conditions to cultivate this Saber Technique to Great Success are extremely harsh. With your talent, there’s absolutely no need to force it. I’m giving you this Saber Technique, not because I expect you to cultivate it to Great Success. You just need to reach Minor Success."
Gu Chuan took a sip of tea and said, "This Saber Technique is very advanced. Even just cultivating it to Minor Success is stronger than most first-class Saber Skills. Within the Postnatal Realm, it’s more than enough."
Gu Zhan opened the Jinghong Saber Technique with some curiosity.
Soon, after skimming through it,
he understood why Gu Chuan didn’t suggest forcibly cultivating it to the Great Success Realm.
The requirements for Great Success in the Jinghong Saber Technique were simply too demanding.
The Entry Realm and Minor Success Realm were still normal—just needed painstaking effort and years of tempering and understanding. Achievable, just required exceptional talent.
But the requirements for the Great Success Realm were as difficult as reaching the sky.
You actually had to first dissipate all your cultivation, then start practice from scratch, and the cultivation method had to fully imitate the meridian flow of Innate Martial Artists.
In other words, first cultivate the Saber Technique to Minor Success, then dissipate all your cultivation and become an ordinary person, and use the conditions of an ordinary person to simulate an Innate Martial Artist.
Not to mention the dangers of Dissipating Skill,
even just simulating an Innate Martial Artist was practically a death sentence.
An ordinary person’s meridians are extremely fragile. Practicing Postnatal Techniques, plenty go astray and fall into demonization—even more so if you try to leap straight up. The slightest mistake and your meridians are shattered and your body explodes.
And still, you can’t stop in the middle—
if you stop for even a moment, you’ll meet the same end.
In other words, if you choose to dissipate your skill for this cultivation, then it is succeed or die trying.
Gu Chuan smiled and said, "The person who created this Saber Technique was called the Jinghong Blade Master, a man from over two hundred years ago. He was an absolute prodigy."
"Because his talent was limited, he could never break through to the Innate Realm. But he had a nemesis who was an Innate Martial Artist. Seeing that revenge was hopeless, that Jinghong Blade Master actually derived this strange Saber Technique from an Innate Technique—and in the end, with First Grade cultivation, killed an Innate Martial Artist."
"There’s no doubt about how powerful this Saber Technique is. However, according to the records, after the Jinghong Blade Master, over the next two hundred years, there were plenty who tried to repeat his brilliance. But in two hundred years, only two people succeeded—actually, one and a half."
"The ’half’ was someone who, over a hundred years ago, cultivated to Great Success, but on the day of success got too excited, accidentally made his meridians reverse, and his body exploded right away. The other one... that was the person I killed five years ago. I almost stumbled then—although I won, I didn’t dare make a move for half a year afterward. The injuries were severe."
Gu Zhan looked at this Saber Technique, feeling a bit moved inside,
Truly, with so many people in the world, there’s every kind of genius—one even able to create such a heaven-defying Saber Technique.
Gu Chuan continued, "But, as for you, I’m not worried. With your talent, there’s no need to put the cart before the horse. Cultivate this Saber Technique to Minor Success, that’s enough. You’re bound to reach the Innate Realm one day anyway. There’s no need to risk everything for one Saber Technique."
Gu Zhan smiled slightly,
He really didn’t need to take risks, but—he was "cheating." He didn’t need to risk anything at all,
He didn’t need to dissipate his skill, or even really cultivate, to reach the Great Success Realm.
Of course, this was something he wouldn’t tell Gu Chuan. He accepted the secret manual with a chuckle, clasped his hands, and said, "Thank you, sir, for the gift."
"No need to be so polite," Gu Chuan patted Gu Zhan’s shoulder and stood up. "Just rest and recover at home. Once you’re healed, come to the Hundred Households Office to take over as Chief Banner. By then, I’ll throw a celebration for you, gather the brothers, and go to Baihua Building for a good drink. Ha, I heard Baihua Building just got a new courtesan. Once you’re healed, I’ll definitely set you up with that courtesan!"
"Anyone who can become a courtesan at Baihua Building, their ’broad-mindedness’ must be something else!" Gu Zhan joked.
Gu Chuan raised his brows, snickering, "Brother Gu really knows the ropes. The girls at Baihua Building really are ’broad-minded’!"
"... ..."
Gu Zhan walked Gu Chuan to the door,
All the way out, the two cheerfully discussed which girl at Baihua Building had the best conversation skills, and who had the nicest singing voice,
until the carriage arrived,
Only then did Gu Chuan, still savoring the moment, get on the carriage and leave.
Gu Zhan chuckled,
Back in the days when he’d just entered the Hundred Households Office, he’d done nothing but go around brothels with those young Embroidered Uniform Guard subordinates, "experiencing people’s lives."
"Sir,"
Chen Fei came out from the inner courtyard and asked, "Did Hundred Households Gu leave?"
Gu Zhan nodded.
Chen Fei said, "Hundred Households Gu brought quite a lot of rare medicinal herbs, even three stalks of hundred-year-old ginseng. He really values you, sir!"
Gu Zhan smiled mildly,
At the moment, getting along with Gu Chuan was actually pretty pleasant.
"Go back and prepare for the next couple of days," Gu Zhan said, "Once I return to the Hundred Households Office in a bit, I’ll be taking over the Chief Banner position. That’s when you’ll take over my spot as Small Banner!"
Chen Fei’s heart leapt, barely able to hide his excitement, he stammered, "S-Sir... I... I..."
"Just get ready. Everything else, relax."
Gu Zhan gave a word of advice, then walked into the inner courtyard with his hands behind his back,
Actually, among the Captains in the East Courtyard, Chen Fei wasn’t the best in cultivation or seniority, but—it couldn’t be helped that he was the first to side with Gu Zhan,
As he walked, Gu Zhan opened his system panel:
Player: Gu Zhan
Realm: Third Grade
Cultivation Technique: Profound Yuan Skill (Seventh Floor 0/3000)
Skills: Wind-Breaking Saber Technique (Great Success)
Big Goose Skill (Great Success)
Mountain-Opening Saber Technique (Great Success)
Jinghong Saber Technique (Not Entered 0/100)
Experience Points: 4
...
The requirements to advance to Second Grade Martial Artist are much higher—it now takes three thousand experience points. Still, this was pretty much within Gu Zhan’s expectations.
The only thing that really awed him was the Jinghong Saber Technique—worthy of being the most top-notch Postnatal Secret Manual, its Entry Level alone required 100 points.
Still, that only made him more excited in anticipation.
...
Snow was falling heavily, and the Gu Family’s estate was blanketed in white.
Chen Fei stood out in the snow, his cheeks red, his whole body trembling—not from cold, but from excitement. It was a long while before he finally calmed down from the overwhelming joy.
Small Banner versus Captain—they look nearly the same on the surface,
But in reality, they’re two completely different tiers,
Captain is an official, but Small Banner is an officer,
This change in status is like clouds and mud—worlds apart.
If not, why would Cao Feng have risked extermination of his whole family back then, just to get rid of Gu Zhan?
Speaking of Cao Feng,
Chen Fei suddenly felt a bit emotional. Fate and timing, truly.
It’s only been a month,
The things Cao Feng fought so desperately for, have just fallen right into my hands,
Life’s twists of fate, truly unfathomable.