13: Chapter 13: Acquisition of Swordsmanship

The clamor was like a boiling cauldron, and the fighting spirit blazed like fire.

In the square before the ancestral hall, the roar of "Flatten the Qingxi Chen Family" still seemed to echo among the beams and pillars.

But in the next second, this cohesive aura of shared hatred suddenly disintegrated, turning into countless torrents of mixed greed and fanaticism, all surging toward the same direction—the contribution exchange stone tablet deep within the ancestral hall that had just changed.

"One thousand contribution points! Holy shit! This is highway robbery!"

"Dammit, I worked so hard looting... uh, I mean, bringing glory to my ancestors, and I only saved up over eight hundred points. I'm just a little short!"

"Move! Get out of the way! Let me see! 'Black Wind Saber Technique (Incomplete Scroll)', holy crap, it's real! It's shining gold; one look and you can tell it's top-tier stuff!"

The contribution shop, a place usually only frequented by a few "Liver Emperors," was now packed so tightly that not a drop of water could trickle through.

Every player stared intently at the newly added line of golden text, their eyes so hot they seemed ready to melt the stone tablet.

"Black Wind Saber Technique (Incomplete Scroll)" was not just a cultivation technique; it represented a brand-new era.

An era where they could truly touch the threshold of "Immortal Arts."

"Move aside, everyone move aside!" A gruff voice rang out as the crowd was shoved apart by brute force.

The "Demolition Office Director" puffed out his chest and walked to the stone tablet under the envious and hateful gazes of the other players.

Below his ID, that string of shining numbers—"contribution points: 1350"—looked incredibly noble and extraordinary at this moment.

"Heh, I told you all to do more family missions, but you all complained it was too much trouble. Now you know that you only regret having so little knowledge when it's time to use it, right?" He scanned the surroundings smugly, enjoying the thrill of being the center of attention, and then pressed his hand onto the golden text without hesitation.

"Exchange!"

[System Notification: Consumed 1,000 contribution points. You have successfully exchanged for 'Black Wind Saber Technique (Incomplete Scroll)' x1.]

A faint light flew out from the stone tablet and sank into the forehead of the "Demolition Office Director."

His body jolted, and he froze in place with his eyes tightly shut.

The surrounding players fell silent instantly, everyone looking curiously at this first brave soul to "eat the crab."

A few seconds later, the "Demolition Office Director" snapped his eyes open, a brilliant light flashing within them like never before.

He instinctively gripped the fine steel broadsword at his waist, and with a flick of his wrist, a blurred saber light actually brought forth a faint, whistling wind!

Although the movement was still stiff, that flavor, that posture containing a specific "rhythm," was worlds apart from his previous brute-force hacking and slashing!

"How... how does it feel?" a player couldn't help but ask in a low voice.

"Awesome!" The "Demolition Office Director" spat out a single word, the ecstasy on his face impossible to hide. "Several saber moves just appeared in my head, along with a matching breathing and meditation method. I feel... I feel like I could take on ten of my former self!"

He opened his attribute panel and shared it directly.

[Character: Demolition Office Director]

[Technique: Black Wind Saber Technique (Incomplete Scroll) (Entry Level)]

[Effect: Strength +1, Agility +2, Attack speed increased by 5%, attacks carry a faint 'Wind-Breaking' effect.]

"Holy crap! It adds attributes! And attack speed!"

"What the hell is the Wind-Breaking effect? Sounds freaking cool!"

"Dammit, I can't take it. Even if I die on the back mountain today, I'm going to grind out those remaining two hundred contribution points!"

If the technique exchange had ignited the players' flame of hope, then the unlocking of the [Equipment Reinforcement] function completely detonated the primal desire known as "gambling" in their hearts.

At the easternmost side of the family territory, the forge that was originally simple and dilapidated had now become a sacred ground even more popular than the contribution shop.

NPC Grandpa Li, the loyal old family blacksmith, was looking dazed at the group of "Filial Sons and Virtuous Grandchildren" before him who looked like they had gone mad.

With bloodshot eyes and various weapons and equipment in their hands, they surrounded his small forge three layers deep.

"Grandpa! Grandpa! I want to reinforce! Get my saber to +1!"

"I was here first! My sword! Get it to +3! Money is no object!"

"What is Hundred Refinements Refined Iron? Grandpa, do you know where to find it?"

Grandpa Li was quite frightened by this display, but the Ancestor's divine sense had already imprinted the reinforcement rules into his mind.

He cleared his throat, picked up the iron hammer he had used for decades, and struck the anvil hard.

*Clang!*

The crisp sound brought the noisy scene to a halt.

"Line up! One by one!" Grandpa Li shouted with full vigor. "Reinforcing equipment requires contribution points and Hundred Refinements Refined Iron. The Ancestor said, beyond +3, even the gods can't predict the outcome. If it's destroyed, we are not responsible!"

In the crowd, a figure silently squeezed to the very front.

It was "War God Number One."

In the skirmish with the Chen Family Cultivators, he was the first to be killed instantly, dropping his beloved +2 fine steel broadsword—it was a total humiliation.

Now resurrected and back, his face was as calm as water, but the flames of revenge burned in his eyes.

He placed a white-quality [Iron-Core Saber] he had just exchanged from the warehouse and a few pieces of [refined iron] looted from Black Wind Stockade (a lower-tier material than Hundred Refinements Refined Iron, barely usable) onto the anvil.

"Reinforce," he said succinctly.

"Alright," Grandpa Li took the saber and placed it into the roaring furnace fire.

Everyone held their breath.

Grandpa Li muttered something under his breath, seemingly reciting an ancient forging mantra. He took out the red-hot saber blank, swung his hammer, and began to strike with precision and rhythm.

With every strike, sparks flew, accompanied by a strange ripple of energy.

[System Notification: Reinforcement +1 successful!]

"War God Number One" remained expressionless and continued: "Continue."

[System Notification: Reinforcement +2 successful!]

The blade of the Iron-Core Saber already emitted a faint green glow, its sharpness far exceeding what it was before.

The surrounding players let out bursts of amazement.

"Awesome! Two consecutive successes!"

"Is this the King of Luck?"

War God Number One's Adam's apple bobbed. He looked at his remaining materials and contribution points, then remembered that Flying Sword descending from the sky. Gritting his teeth, he spat out two words: "Go for three!"

The air seemed to freeze at this moment.

Everyone knew that +3 was a hurdle.

Success meant a divine weapon in hand;

Failure meant everything was gone.

This wasn't just about the gain or loss of a weapon; it was about a warrior's honor!

Grandpa Li's expression also turned solemn. He put the saber back into the fire again, tempering it for a longer time, and the rhythm of his strikes became even more complex.

Fine beads of sweat broke out on his forehead, and every hammer fall seemed to use all his strength.

*Clang! Clang! Clang!*

Just as he swung the final hammer, a dazzling white light burst forth from the blade!

"It worked!" a player screamed out.

[System Notification: Reinforcement +3 successful!]

A [Potent Iron-Core Saber +3] flashing with eye-catching white light lay quietly on the anvil. The sharp aura it emitted was even stronger than the +2 fine steel broadsword War God Number One had lost before!

"Awoooo—!" The suppressed atmosphere was completely detonated as the crowd erupted into thunderous cheers.

War God Number One picked up the saber and gripped it tightly, feeling the powerful energy coming from the hilt. A trace of a smile finally appeared on his tense face. Then he turned and walked toward the back mountain without a word.

Everyone knew what he was going to do.

He was going to hunt, to accumulate contribution, to find that damn "Hundred Refinements Refined Iron," and then... reinforce this saber to an even higher, stronger realm!

However, the birth of a King of Luck was often accompanied by the blood and tears of the Unlucky Ones.

"My! My heirloom sword!" a shrill scream rang out.

A player looked dazed at a pile of fragments on the anvil. His +2 green longsword had shattered with a crisp "crack" at the final moment of attempting +3.

"You said it would break above +3, why did it break at +3! Liar! This system has a BUG!" he wailed, pounding his chest and stamping his feet.

Grandpa Li wiped his sweat and said helplessly, "The Ancestor said failure 'above +3' would result in destruction; he didn't say +3 was a guaranteed success. Everything... has its risks."

The bloody reality poured a bucket of cold water over all the hot-headed players.

They finally understood that this was a gamble.

Where someone got rich overnight, someone else lost everything.

This kind of gameplay, where excitement and risk coexisted, instead of discouraging them, made this group of highly-addicted players even more crazed.

Their desire for "Hundred Refinements Refined Iron" reached an unprecedented peak.

The "Miner Boss," a survivor who had just crawled back from the brink of death, had now become the hope of the entire village.

He hadn't even fully recovered from the fear of being dominated by the Fireball Spell when he was surrounded by a group of players.

"Boss! Stop nursing your wounds, get up and work!"

"Hundred Refinements Refined Iron! A new ore vein! We're following you!"

"How about we form an 'Underground Exploration Team'? I'll provide the funds, you provide the skills!"

The Miner Boss looked at his hyped-up companions, then at his empty contribution points and his tattered, burnt equipment. He gritted his teeth hard: "Let's do it! Don't those Chen Family sons of bitches know spells? When I dig up the ore and reinforce all my gear to +10, I'm going to blind their dog eyes with golden light!"

Exploration teams aimed at finding "Hundred Refinements Refined Iron" were formed with unprecedented efficiency, radiating out toward the unknown areas outside the family territory like sharks smelling blood.

The entire family territory had completely transformed into a high-speed war machine.

Hunting team players fought bloody battles with demonic beasts on the back mountain just to save up a bit more contribution points;

Life-skill players, led by "Skillful Hands Mending," frantically gathered various basic materials to supply the forge's needs;

And on the forums, "Gossip Reporter Little Trumpet's" posts were updated in real-time—

[SHOCKING!]

[Luck King 'War God Number One' with +3 Saber in hand, soloing the Black-Haired Wild Boar King!]

[TRAGEDY!]

[Unlucky One 'I Am Not A Chieftain' broke three weapons in a row, has fainted from crying at the ancestral hall entrance!]

[LATEST INTEL!]

['Miner Boss' leads a team to discover a suspected Hundred Refinements Refined Iron vein in the West Mountain, currently in a fierce battle with a group of 'Spiked Porcupines'!]

Amidst the bustling atmosphere, those players who were the first to exchange for the "Black Wind Saber Technique" began their initial explorations on the open ground in front of the ancestral hall.

The "Demolition Office Director" held an ordinary iron saber and practiced meticulously according to the method in his mind.

His movements went from stiff to fluid. With a move called "Black Wind Sweeping Leaves," the saber light kicked up dust from the ground, actually forming a small whirlwind.

"Shield Mountain" held a giant wooden shield modified from the Black Wind Stockade gate and stood opposite him, acting as a human target.

"Director, use more force! Didn't you eat? Where's your Wind-Breaking effect?"

"Dammit, don't just block with the shield! Use some footwork!"

"I'm a freaking Tank, why would I use footwork!"

"I Love Exploiting Loopholes" watched with great interest from the side, occasionally offering some "unorthodox" suggestions: "Director, that 'Splitting Mount Hua' move of yours, can you swing it from the bottom up? Target the lower body? I feel like that would have more of a 'Wind-Breaking' effect."

And in a corner of the crowd, "Appearance is Justice" was pestering Grandpa Li incessantly.

"Grandpa Li, let me tell you, this +3 white light is too plain. Can you add some other colors? Like pink? Or rainbow colors? I'm willing to pay extra! Extra contribution points!"

Grandpa Li held his hammer and looked at this girl with her strange line of thinking, falling into deep confusion.

Deep within the ancestral hall, above the memorial tablets.

Lu Bei quietly "watched" all of this.

Every successful reinforcement by the players, every wail of failure, every study of the techniques, every desire for new resources... all these complex yet pure emotions turned into streams of pure energy, surging into his soul body.

This energy was more condensed and more "active" than simple incense faith.

It was like bricks and stones, rapidly repairing and reshaping his broken spiritual body.

He could feel his control over the "system" becoming stronger.

Before, he could only passively issue some tasks, but now, he could actively "create" rules based on the players' needs and guide their growth direction.

For example, he could set "Hundred Refinements Refined Iron" to only be produced in more dangerous areas, thereby forcing the players to challenge stronger enemies.

In the future, he could also add the cultivation techniques of the Chen Family Cultivators to the contribution shop's exchange list as loot.

He gave the players one clear "grindable" goal after another, while the players used their infinite energy and creativity to provide him with a continuous stream of growth nourishment.

It was a perfect closed loop.

Lu Bei's "gaze" passed through the noisy crowd and looked toward the direction of the Qingxi Chen Family.

He could imagine that at this moment, the Chen Family might still be smugly celebrating for easily driving away a group of "country bumpkins," perhaps discussing how to completely take over that newly discovered spirit stone mine.

They knew nothing of the impending storm.

They would not understand exactly what kind of existences they had provoked.

The corner of Lu Bei's mouth curled into an unnoticeable arc.

Very good.

Just let these "locusts"... no, let these "Filial Sons and Virtuous Grandchildren" develop for a little while longer.