Chapter 4: Adding Points
Ji Qing carried a back basket, and Ji Yao, sitting inside, had already fallen asleep.
After several days of long-distance travel, Ji Qing had long since escaped the borders of Liang City.
Now, as dusk gradually fell, the nearest city was still dozens of miles away, and Ji Qing was both tired and thirsty.
Even if he could endure it, Ji Yao would not be able to.
Therefore, Ji Qing decided to rest his feet in the small town ahead, recuperate for a night, and then continue their journey tomorrow morning.
This small town was called Luomadian.
Located at a vital transportation hub, with many merchants, travelers, and pedestrians coming and going, the town had numerous inns for mules and horses to rest and for travelers to stay, hence its name.
Ji Qing found a relatively less crowded inn.
He led his horse forward, clapped his hands on the table, startling the innkeeper who was dozing off.
"Guest, how many are in your party?"
"Just one. Give me a superior room, a bucket of bathwater, and send the food to my room."
"Yes, honored guest."
Ji Qing wore a cloak, carried a back basket, and held a long saber, looking like a martial artist from the jianghu. The innkeeper dared not ask more and immediately sent the waiter to make arrangements.
It was dinner time, and there were many guests in the inn's main hall.
Ji Qing's gaze swept around slightly, noticing quite a few people dressed as jianghu martial artists in the inn.
At this moment, several martial artists were chatting about the hottest topic in the jianghu recently.
"Hey, have you heard? A major case of parricide, matricide, and arson to wipe out an entire family occurred in Liang City. The authorities have issued a warrant, offering a reward of a thousand taels of silver for the capture of the culprit. I wonder who will be lucky enough to get the reward?"
"The person who committed such a heinous crime is named Ji Qing. I heard he once held the title of a xiucai. Tsk tsk tsk, I never thought a xiucai who read the sagely books could be so heartless, murdering his parents and burning down the entire Ji Residence."
"Towards such a heartless scoundrel, even without a reward, if our brothers encounter him, we will surely strike him down with our sabers!"
"Three great heroes, I have also heard about that major case in Liang City you mentioned. It is said that this Ji Qing coveted the beauty of his stepmother, and when she refused, he committed such a monstrous crime..."
Some travelers also joined the discussion.
And each of them added fuel to the fire, with rumors that had passed through who knows how many hands, making the entire incident unrecognizable.
And "Ji Qing" became a heartless, fickle, unethical, and shameless villain whom everyone wished to punish.
Ji Qing's expression was not very good.
The rumors about him were simply too outrageous; all sorts of accusations were being thrown at him.
Now his reputation was utterly foul, akin to a rat in the street, hated by everyone.
However, this kind of thing was also within Ji Qing's expectations.
He was already a wanted criminal; how could he come out to explain and clarify?
Ji Qing ignored their discussions and went straight upstairs to his room.
The waiter quickly brought hot water and served the food.
"Ji Yao, wake up."
Ji Qing called Ji Yao awake.
Ji Yao rubbed her eyes, and upon seeing the fragrant food, she immediately transformed into a little glutton and pounced on the table.
After all, the two had been on the run for several days without proper rest, only eating some dry rations along the way, so they were already tired and hungry.
After they had a full meal, Ji Qing first washed Ji Yao, put her to bed, and then Ji Qing sat alone in the wooden tub, enjoying a comfortable hot bath.
While bathing, Ji Qing concentrated and opened the demon record in his mind.
Ji Qing: Third-rate Martial Artist
Jade Skill: Minor Accomplishment (Third-rate Martial Art)
Thirteen Road Fast Saber: Great Accomplishment (Third-rate Saber Art)
source point: 4 points
Now that his source points were plentiful, Ji Qing no longer hesitated and silently thought, "Improve Jade Skill."
"Consuming one source point, Jade Skill Great Accomplishment!"
A series of "training" images appeared in Ji Qing's mind.
He practiced Jade Skill for years, day in and day out.
Hard work paid off, and finally, one day, his Jade Skill reached Great Accomplishment!
The Great Accomplishment of a martial art is actually its highest realm.
However, Ji Qing remembered that the martial arts master had once said that if by chance, one was highly compatible with a martial art, it might be possible to cultivate it to "Profound Mastery," which is the legendary "Perfection" realm.
At that time, the martial art would undergo incredible changes.
Ji Qing saw that Jade Skill seemed capable of further improvement.
So, he decided to give it a try.
"Continue to improve Jade Skill."
"Consuming one source point, Jade Skill Perfection! Your Jade Skill has reached Profound Mastery, and you have comprehended Inner Force Burst! It can increase inner force by up to thirty percent!"
A series of images once again appeared in Ji Qing's mind.
His Jade Skill had already reached Great Accomplishment, but he continued to cultivate it. One day, he seized a fleeting opportunity and comprehended the method of Inner Force Burst from the operational route of Jade Skill.
It could instantly increase inner force by thirty percent.
However, Inner Force Burst put a great strain on the meridians, and could only be used a few times in battle.
If used too many times, the meridians might be damaged.
"Jade Skill is, after all, just an ordinary third-rate martial art. Even if cultivated to Perfection, a thirty percent increase in inner force is not considered very profound. Let alone comparable to a second-rate martial artist, it is not even considered top-tier among third-rate martial artists."
"The martial arts master once said that for a martial artist to break through a realm, they either rely on profound and mysterious cultivation methods or accumulate several low-level cultivation methods. If I had a second-rate cultivation method, I could immediately break through to become a second-rate martial artist, but I currently don't have one. Perhaps I can try practicing a few more third-rate cultivation methods to accumulate inner force."
Ji Qing estimated that roughly three third-rate cultivation methods should be enough to break through his inner force to the second-rate realm.
Since Jade Skill could no longer be improved, Ji Qing decided to improve Thirteen Road Fast Saber.
Ji Qing's Thirteen Road Fast Saber had already reached Great Accomplishment, but it could still be improved further.
"Improve Thirteen Road Fast Saber."
"Consuming one source point, Thirteen Road Fast Saber Perfection, comprehending the ultimate move 'One Line Sky.'"
Images of him practicing Thirteen Road Fast Saber day after day immediately appeared in Ji Qing's mind.
Thirteen Road Fast Saber primarily emphasized the word "fast."
There were no unnecessary flourishes; the faster, the better.
At this realm, Thirteen Road Fast Saber was no longer confined to specific stances for Ji Qing; he could execute it effortlessly, each saber technique naturally flawless!
Moreover, through years of practicing the saber art, Ji Qing also found a spark of inspiration from Thirteen Road Fast Saber; he comprehended an ultimate move called "One Line Sky."
With one strike, the saber light was dazzling, and its speed was as swift as a startled swan!
"Saber art Perfection, actually comprehending an ultimate move? This move 'One Line Sky' is truly terrifying; it can kill an enemy with one strike if they are caught off guard!"
On the demon record, Ji Qing's information had changed significantly.
Ji Qing: Third-rate Martial Artist
Jade Skill: Perfection (Inner Force Burst, 30% increase)
Thirteen Road Fast Saber: Perfection (Ultimate move One Line Sky)
source point: 1 point
Ji Qing's martial arts had been maxed out, and he had one source point remaining, which he could only save for now.
Seeing both martial arts at "Perfection," Ji Qing was very satisfied.
For ordinary martial artists, reaching Great Accomplishment in a martial art was the limit.
As for Perfection?
Unless one was a peerless genius in martial arts, it might be possible to cultivate one or two martial arts to Perfection under fortuitous circumstances.
Otherwise, it was absolutely impossible!
But Ji Qing could cultivate every martial art to Perfection.
This was his greater advantage over other martial artists!
"Snap."
Ji Qing was lost in thought, his eyes narrowed.
Suddenly, his ears twitched slightly, hearing a faint sound from above him.
"Who?"
Ji Qing opened his eyes, and with a sweep of his hand, his clothes and saber immediately fell onto him.
He slightly bent his knees, then pushed off forcefully, directly flying up from the bathtub and breaking through the roof.
On the rooftop, Ji Qing immediately saw two masked figures in black.