In the courtyard where Elder Yvonne Chen of the Cloudwater Sword Sect resides.
Ian Song stood quietly before her.
Yvonne Chen was very satisfied with her newly accepted disciple.
Smiling, she said, "Yan'er, since your Harvest-Haze Art is even more advanced than the Breath-Gathering Art, I won't be passing you any internal methods. I have three Innate-level sword techniques here: Sword of Drizzling Rain, Smoke-Cloud Sword, and Cold-Moon Sword. Which one do you want to learn?"
"Can I learn them all?" Ian Song asked.
Yvonne Chen chuckled, half amused and half exasperated. "If you try to chew too much, you'll never finish. Master one sword technique first, then I'll teach you the others!"
"Alright then, I'll choose Sword of Drizzling Rain," Ian Song replied.
"Then watch closely!"
With a soft hiss, Yvonne Chen drew her longsword and began demonstrating each move in front of him, explaining as she went, "Sword of Drizzling Rain consists of nine moves and twenty-seven variations. Once mastered, you become like fine rain, able to penetrate any defense."
It took her a full quarter of an hour to finish the demonstration, mainly because she performed it slowly so Ian Song could see every detail.
So, after Yvonne Chen finished her demonstration, Ian Song imitated her move for move, flawlessly reproducing the entire set.
"Excellent!"
Yvonne Chen was overjoyed. No wonder the Immaculate Daoist had chosen Ian Song as a disciple—he was a martial arts prodigy rarely seen in centuries.
Next, Yvonne Chen demonstrated the Cold-Moon Sword. Ian Song copied it perfectly, move for move.
"Good, you've already mastered all three sword arts. What you lack now is only practice and familiarity. If you keep training, your swordsmanship will surpass mine one day. Here are the manuals for all three techniques—take them!"
Yvonne Chen handed over the three sword manuals to Ian Song, though she felt a bit of loss in her heart—before she could truly enjoy being a teacher, her disciple had already graduated.
After thanking her, Ian Song said, "Master, I just became a xiucai and haven't had a chance to return home yet. I'd like to go back and share the news."
Normally, new disciples aren't allowed to leave the sect, but Ian Song's case was special. He was already Innate, and had learned all three sword arts—there was little left for her to teach, so she agreed to his request.
"Before you leave, remember to visit the Library Pavilion and pick out some light-body and footwork manuals!"
Yvonne Chen reminded him.
"Will do, Master!"
Ian Song nodded. Innate-level techniques were the foundation of any sect and would never be placed in the Library Pavilion; it only stored manuals below Innate level, including light-body and movement arts.
After leaving Yvonne Chen’s residence, Ian Song went to the Library Pavilion and copied down two light-body and movement techniques.
He then returned to his own quarters.
With a thought, he summoned a secret manual from his System.
It was a cultivation method.
Earlier that day in the sect master’s hall, he had scanned Sect Master Quentin Fan and the other elders, copying all their cultivation methods and martial arts.
Cloudwater Sword Sect’s highest manuals were reserved for the sect master alone.
Unless he became the next sect master, he’d never be taught those arts. Not being stubborn about ‘orthodox’ transmission, he simply scanned everything Quentin Fan had learned.
This method was called Green Emperor Art—a Grandmaster-grade technique. When cultivated to its peak, it could reach early Grandmaster, but Ian Song found serious flaws and omissions in the later chapters. At best, it could reach peak early Grandmaster; forcing a breakthrough could easily lead to qi deviation.
In less than half an hour, Ian Song finished correcting Green Emperor Art. Now, it could be safely cultivated to late Grandmaster perfection.
The true qi it generated was also several times stronger than before.
He checked the System—the cost to fuse it using Qi Luck was two hundred points.
He decided not to fuse it yet; breaking through to Grandmaster inside Cloudwater would cause too much commotion. He’d wait until he returned to Songjia Village.
In addition, he’d also obtained three martial arts from Quentin Fan.
These three matched Green Emperor Art: Green Emperor Sword, Green Emperor Palm, and Green Emperor Seal—all Grandmaster-level techniques.
When used together with Green Emperor Art, their power multiplied.
He spent an hour perfecting all three techniques, raising them to late Grandmaster level.
Unfortunately, fusing each one with Qi Luck was costly—about two hundred points apiece.
"Looks like I’ll need to find a way to earn more Qi Luck!"
Ian Song thought to himself.
Suddenly, an idea struck him. He left his room and found Chloe Cao. "Senior Sister, do you know how many bandit gangs there are in Mingshan Prefecture?"
"Junior Brother, are you planning to wipe out the bandits?"
Chloe Cao asked.
Ian Song nodded. "Exactly. Both my parents were killed by bandits. Now that my martial arts are strong, I plan to eradicate every last bandit in Mingshan Prefecture!"
"If you take me with you, I'll tell you!"
Chloe Cao’s eyes sparkled mischievously.
"Deal!"
Ian Song agreed. After all, Chloe Cao was Innate—she wouldn’t hold him back.
"Follow me!"
Chloe Cao led Ian Song back to the Library Pavilion, pulled out a compiled register, and handed it to him. "Every bandit stronghold in Mingshan Prefecture is listed in here!"
Ian Song flipped through the book and found that there were over two hundred bandit forts in the prefecture.
He then found a map of Mingshan Prefecture.
Comparing the map, he saw that the route from Cloudwater Sword Sect to Songjia Village passed through seventeen bandit strongholds. If each stronghold had around a hundred bandits, that meant 1,700 people—one Qi Luck point per person, making 1,700 points just from this trip.
The next day.
Ian Song and Chloe Cao left Cloudwater Sword Sect. In just an hour, they arrived at the first bandit stronghold.
The two of them stood before the bandit fort, ready to begin their campaign to clear out the bandits and harvest Qi Luck.
Ian Song glanced at Chloe Cao. "Senior Sister, how do you want to do this?"
Chloe Cao smiled. "You’re the one on a quest for revenge. I’ll just watch and back you up if needed."
Ian Song nodded, then strode toward the bandit stronghold, sword in hand.
He kicked open the gate, and the bandits inside rushed out, weapons drawn.
Ian Song didn’t bother with words. He charged in, Frostbrand Sword flashing, and cut down bandit after bandit.
Within moments, the courtyard was littered with bodies. Chloe Cao watched from the sidelines, her eyes shining with admiration.
After clearing out the stronghold, Ian Song checked his System—his Qi Luck had increased by dozens of points.
Chloe Cao grinned. "Not bad, Junior Brother. Seventeen more to go!"
Ian Song smiled, feeling a surge of confidence. The journey to wipe out the bandits and gather Qi Luck had just begun.