Sun Bing once fantasized about how he would take revenge when he could Cultivate, wondering if he should torture his opponent for a longer period.
But now, Sun Bing realized that it was meaningless, because he was simply a petty person; killing him directly was enough. Torturing him would feel like a waste of time and beneath him.
However, putting that aside, having the person who had tormented him for ten years die by his own sword did give Sun Bing a unique feeling, which was quickly followed by a sense of emptiness.
Instantly, Sun Bing snapped back to reality. This was not the time to be careless. What if Sun Yang was dead?
Sun Long was the mastermind, and besides, there were still so many people in the Family who mocked him. How could he let his guard down now?
After cleaning up the body and ensuring it wouldn't be discovered, Sun Bing moved to another location to continue practicing his sword. Perhaps because a part of the shackles in his heart had been broken, he became even more focused.
Although Basic Swordplay was just a basic set, it encompassed all methods of using a sword. Even those incredibly powerful sword skills evolved from it. Moreover, only with a solid Foundation could one be qualified to Cultivate other sword arts.
However, most people were too impatient. They felt that Basic Swordplay was too weak, and as soon as they became proficient, they couldn couldn't wait to learn flashy or powerful sword skills. In Sun Bing's opinion, this was simply putting the cart before the horse.
As the saying goes, sharpening the knife doesn't delay cutting wood. As long as the Foundation is solid, learning other sword arts will be twice as effective. What originally took ten days to master could now be mastered in just five days. The magnitude of this increase was astonishing.
However, some people, even knowing this effect, didn't have the patience, as Basic Swordplay was truly too tedious. Although it had many Moves, they were quite complicated, which led to others simply not being able to put in the hard work to practice.
That kind of perfunctory sword-waving had no effect whatsoever. Only by fully dedicating one's mind could one improve.
Of course, this was not a problem for Sun Bing. In the past ten years, for over three thousand six hundred days, he never gave up. No matter how weak his Physical Body was, as long as he could Move, he would persist in practicing tirelessly.
His Basic Swordplay had now reached the stage of Perfection, which was quite rare for the Body Tempering Realm. In fact, relying on this perfected Basic Swordplay, he had no opponent in the same Realm. If his opponent was careless, it would be easy to kill an enemy beyond his Realm.
Without mentioning anything else, Sun Bing's eyes were slightly closed at this moment, but regardless of his surroundings, the wooden sword in his hand, or the Basic Swordplay, everything was deeply ingrained in his mind, with no room for error, as he performed the Moves.
Suddenly, Sun Bing's brows furrowed. Another set of shackles seemed to open within his Physical Body, and he instantly Breakthrough to the Body Tempering Second Layer Realm, his strength increasing significantly.
In just one night, Sun Bing had already Broken through the next day. One should know that Sun Yang, who had just died, although similar in age to him, was only at the Body Tempering Third Layer, and most importantly, he had Cultivated for a full ten years, whereas Sun Bing had only done so for one night.
If others knew of such speed, they would surely drop their jaws in astonishment. No one could have imagined that the good-for-nothing, scorned by everyone in the Family, was actually such a Genius.
Sun Bing showed no surprise at his own Breakthrough. Ten years of tempering was unimaginable. Only the hand holding the sword trembled slightly, seemingly adapting to the newly acquired strength. A moment later, it returned to its original trajectory.
He could now perfectly control the newly gained strength, which was also thanks to the seemingly ordinary Basic Swordplay. This made Sun Bing quite grateful. Fortunately, he had not given up on himself; otherwise, even with a fortuitous encounter, without perseverance, it would all amount to nothing.
The entire morning disappeared as Sun Bing practiced his sword. Although it was somewhat tedious, he was quite satisfied, because now, with every sword practice, he could feel himself grow stronger. The once weak Sun Bing greatly enjoyed the feeling of becoming stronger.
After eating a quick meal, Sun Bing headed towards the Family's Merit Law Hall.
Although Basic Swordplay was extremely important, for Sun Bing, it had already reached Perfection, and there was simply no way to improve it further.
At this time, learning other Cultivation Techniques and Martial Skills would not only be twice as effective but also broaden his horizons.
Because Sun Bing knew that there was no strongest in the world, only stronger. Perfection, for most people, had already reached its peak, but that was because their horizons were not high enough. As long as one was strong enough, one could definitely improve again.
Compared to the accounting office, the Merit Law Hall was much grander. After all, a Family's Merit Law Hall was the Family's Foundation, arguably the most important place. It needed to be solemn and dignified, and also strictly guarded to prevent the leakage of Cultivation Techniques and other problems.
To be honest, this was Sun Bing's first time at the Sun Family's Merit Law Hall. After all, he used to be a useless person who couldn't Cultivate. Even if he had come before, he wouldn't have been allowed in, and moreover, the end result would likely have been self-humiliation.
In fact, in the past ten years, except for the first few years, in the subsequent period, Sun Bing only appeared before others when collecting his monthly stipend. More often, he Cultivated alone in silence.
Gazing at the solemn gate before him, Sun Bing walked straight inside. However, before he could even step through the gate, a sudden aged figure blocked his path.
Immediately, Sun Bing stopped. He didn't recognize the person blocking him; he had never even seen him before. His face was extremely old, with white hair and beard, and his entire body was somewhat stooped, like an old man on his last legs.
Of course, Sun Bing would not underestimate the other party because of his appearance, because the Family's Merit Law Hall was the most important location, and the fact that he could guard it was enough to show his formidable strength.
Moreover, in this world, there were many Senior experts with unique hobbies, such as pretending to be disabled, blind, or fortune-tellers. In short, they were all sorts of strange. They looked ordinary on the outside, but if provoked, they would instantly erupt.
A series of discussions came from Zhou Wei:
"Look, that good-for-nothing Sun Bing actually came to the Merit Law Hall and was stopped by Elder Sun Wei. Haha, he's dead this time."
"That's right, although Elder Sun Wei isn't famous, he has been guarding the Family Merit Law Hall for decades, and during this time, no accidents have occurred. His strength can be said to be unfathomable. What is this good-for-nothing Sun Bing doing here? Does he still want to Cultivate?"
"He's dreaming. Maybe he's delirious today. If he could Cultivate, he would have come ten years ago. If he walks in, I'll eat this doorpost."
These discussions did not sway Sun Bing's mind in the slightest. How he was doing was irrelevant to others. However, hearing the last person's remark, he tilted his head slightly.
He hadn't expected it to be Sun Yong. His Cultivation was a bit higher than Sun Yang's, reaching the Body Tempering Fourth Layer. Although it was only one Layer apart, the difference between them was huge.
Body Tempering First to Third Layer was merely about tempering the Physical Body. Breakthrough in Realm manifested as greater strength and agility. Overall, it was still the same level; as long as one's technique was sufficient, challenging opponents beyond one's Realm was not an issue.
But the Fourth Layer was different. The requirement for Breakthrough to the Lianqi Third Layer was the birth of a trace of Qi in the Physical Body. Although it was only a trace of Qi, it was much stronger than pure Physical Body strength.
"What a coincidence to meet you!" Sun Bing muttered to himself, but soon he gave a cold laugh: "Don't worry, you'll soon be joining Sun Yang."
However, since the other party had a unique Hobbies, Sun Bing mercifully indulged him. Immediately, Sun Bing cupped his hands: "Elder Sun Wei, I am Sun Bing, the Clan Chief's adopted son. Please allow me to enter the Merit Law Hall."
Upon hearing this, Elder Sun Wei carefully scrutinized Sun Bing. After confirming his identity, he said indifferently: "Since you are already at the Body Tempering Second Layer Realm, you are qualified to enter and choose one Cultivation Technique or Martial Skill. But remember, only one."
With that, he stepped aside and continued to close his eyes and rest.
"Thank you." Although the younger generation had bullied Sun Bing for the past ten years, the Elders mostly turned a deaf ear. The monthly stipends were still issued as usual, treating him as an idler. After all, the Sun Family had a large enterprise and didn't care about such trivial matters.
However, at this moment, Sun Bing did not directly enter the Merit Law Hall. Instead, he provocatively glanced at Sun Yong, as if to say: Didn't you say I couldn't get in? Now I'm in, so go ahead and eat the doorpost!
In fact, Sun Bing didn't need to say the rest himself. There were plenty of onlookers nearby, who immediately teased: "Sun Yong, didn't you say you'd eat the doorpost? Eat it now. Haha."
The piercing laughter made Sun Yong's eyes turn red. When had he ever suffered such humiliation? The most important thing was that he couldn't retaliate against these people. Because of this, Sun Yong's eyes were bloodshot, and his heart was filled with anger, making him believe that Sun Bing was the culprit for everything.
"Impossible, you're just a good-for-nothing, how could you Cultivate? It's impossible." His appearance was even somewhat deranged. At this point, he completely ignored that he was the one who had provoked first, instead attributing all the blame to others.
"Scram." Elder Sun Wei, who had been resting with his eyes closed nearby, silenced Sun Yong with a single word. Sun Yong's face was even flushed, but he couldn't say anything.
Because if he continued to argue, he would be questioning an Elder, and he couldn't bear the consequences of that. He could only slink away.
However, before leaving, he glared fiercely at Sun Bing, his eyes filled with resentment.
Sun Bing didn't care about this at all: "You also know humiliation? In the past ten years, how much humiliation have I endured, and who knew about it? Resentment is right. It's best to quickly find a place to seek revenge, so I'll have a chance to send you to meet the King of Hell!"