From a chaotic world of folk customs to becoming a god through extreme methods.

Chapter 7 Ripples

The warm current gradually transforms the body, tempering the blood, skin, flesh, and bones.

Lin Yuan clenched his fist.

I felt completely comfortable, my energy surged, and I had a feeling of fullness throughout my body.

At the same time, countless sword moves and techniques became more familiar to him, and his understanding of the sword became more profound.

Lin Yuan picked up the wooden sword and looked at the blue stone beside him.

His eyes narrowed, the sword moved with the wind, and with the help of the moonlight, he slashed down fiercely.

boom!

The sound echoed through the night sky, and the blue stone was cleaved open with a large crack.

The wooden sword, apart from having a slightly dull blade, was undamaged.

This is a kind of power!

The extension of sword sense and the tempering of the body can elevate sword skills to a higher level, skillfully avoiding damage to the sword while creating a stronger attack.

Lin Yuan was greatly encouraged and had a sudden realization.

Looking at the scene I had created, I felt much safer.

"Is this the first body tempering?"

He muttered to himself, continuing to sense the changes in his own strength.

Having the essence of folk customs is great; you can directly add points, skip the arduous training, and ditch the intermediate process to obtain the final result.

The only problem is...

The essence of folk customs is extremely difficult to obtain.

Lin Yuan has been awakening his innate wisdom for a month, and has only gained a total of seven points, scattered and sporadic.

This time, five points were used up, leaving only two points.

He looked at the skill panel.

[Skill: Twelve Styles of Gentle Ripples (Perfect 1%)]

His gaze sharpened; was it one percent perfect?

In other words, can we add more points?

Generally speaking, after mastering the Twelve Forms of Ripples and completing the first body tempering, one should then begin practicing the next chapter, "Ripples Chapter".

Otherwise, no matter how much you practice, you'll only be stuck in the first body tempering and won't be able to temper yourself a second time.

But what changes would occur if we could continue to add points to the "Ripples" chapter?

Lin Yuan remembered that in the initial version of the game...

There is a major bug.

Once a player has completed mastering a skill, they generally need to acquire the next stage before they can continue practicing.

However, due to the early stages of the game, there are still many flaws in various aspects.

This led to a bug where, after completing the beginner's guide to a martial arts technique, one could continue to use skill points to upgrade and continuously increase their skill level.

At that time, a bunch of players who were clearly practicing beginner-level techniques appeared to have the strength of various big bosses, exploiting a bug.

To ensure stable combat power in the game, the development team urgently fixed the bug.

However, what if your own panel inherits that bug?

Once one's cultivation technique is perfected, one can continue to accumulate and improve it infinitely!

Lin Yuan couldn't help but start to look forward to it.

He tried to incorporate some folk elements into the panel.

[Consumes 1 point of Folk Essence, increases proficiency of "Twelve Styles of Rippling Waves" (Perfect) by 10%]

Sure enough!

Lin Yuan was overjoyed.

As long as there is enough essence of folk customs, one can ignore the restrictions of cultivation techniques, break through limitations, and improve infinitely!

The current "Ripples" chapter is equivalent to starting to cultivate the next stage, the "Vast Ripples" chapter.

Therefore, the demand for folk culture essence has also increased, and the progress has changed from 1 point increasing by 20% to 1 point increasing by 10%.

However, what will happen when I continue to cultivate the "Ripple Chapter" is unknown.

Lin Yuan suppressed his excitement.

He must not become complacent or slack off; he has only just embarked on the true path of martial arts.

There are endless possibilities ahead, but I will need to put in more effort.

Lin Yuan continued to explore the panel's functions.

He resumed practicing the swordsmanship he had just mastered, relying solely on self-training without any additional points.

After practicing several times, the progress on the panel finally jumped slightly.

[Proficiency in "Twelve Styles of Gentle Ripples" (Perfect) +0.3%]

Lin Yuan gave a wry smile.

My natural talent is indeed lacking. Although I can continue to improve through hard work, the progress is too slow.

But he was not discouraged by this.

As long as one can increase one's spiritual progress, there are no limits to cultivation; it is an endless process.

The essence of folk customs is of paramount importance.

We need to find ways to acquire more of the essence of folk customs.

After exploring the panel.

Lin Yuan put the wooden sword back on the weapon rack, turned around and went back to his room to prepare for bed.

He paused as he passed under the corridor.

The study light was still on, and the image of his elder brother, Lin Che, was reflected on the paper.

He was hunched over his desk, flipping through thick ledgers, occasionally picking up a pen to write something down. He was probably dealing with the Lin family's business, and it was another all-nighter.

Lin Yuan shook his head, feeling anxious and worried.

If my brother continues like this, his body may not be able to take it.

Fortunately, there was good news from his parents: his cultivation had successfully broken through.

Everything is getting better.

No matter how difficult things are, you can always get through them if you just hold on for a little longer.

……

The next day, at Chen Shi (7-9 AM).

Lin Yuan arrived at the Cold River Sword Pavilion as usual.

Before the morning mist had dissipated, disciples in the courtyard had already begun practicing their swordsmanship. The swords moved with their bodies, their moves were fierce, and they created a whooshing sound in the wind.

He took his wooden sword from the weapon rack and found an empty spot.

Wang Gou Dan is already practicing.

After practicing, his sword style was noticeably different, and he had begun to practice the "Ripple Chapter," his sword dance flowing smoothly and swiftly like the wind.

Upon seeing Lin Yuan, Wang Gou Dan immediately called out, "Young Master."

Lin Yuan nodded without saying anything more and began practicing his sword.

He took a deep breath and drew his sword.

Without using the force from the first body tempering, but only using the posture from when comprehending sword sense, he unleashed the "Twelve Forms of Rippling Waves" one by one.

Point, tease, hang, cloud, split...

A faint force rose from his waist and abdomen, traveled down his shoulders and back, over his arms, and into the sword.

The sound of a wooden sword cutting through the air was clear and melodious, like the wind passing through a bamboo forest.

Each move, flowing in the wind, creates ripples.

Its graceful and beautiful posture is so captivating that just looking at it brings a sense of comfort and well-being.

Until he had practiced the final move, the sword-slaying strike.

Lin Yuan sheathed his sword and stood still, his breathing steady.

In the courtyard, several disciples had already stopped what they were doing and were looking at him.

His eyes were filled with surprise and astonishment.

"Sword sense?"

I don't know who blurted it out.

Wang Gou Dan recognized it too, and his face lit up with surprise. Just as he was about to speak, another voice beat him to it.

"Oh, so Young Master Lin has finally gotten a feel for swordsmanship?"

The speaker was the disciple who had mocked him to his face yesterday. His name was Zhao Ping, and he had been in the academy for half a year and had already completed his first body tempering.

He stood to one side, holding his sword, a smile on his face.

"It's been almost a month, and we've finally gotten the hang of it. It's really not easy, Young Master Lin."

His tone was sarcastic and mocking.

The other disciples also joined in the laughter, but their tone was less contemptuous and more surprised.

Lin Yuan didn't speak, or even look at him, but simply put the wooden sword back on the weapon rack.

He never intended to reveal his level of body tempering during his first tempering, as that would be too conspicuous.

It takes a month to grasp the sword sense, and then to directly rush to the first body tempering is simply impossible in the eyes of outsiders.

Lin Yuan couldn't let others discover his secret.

Showing off your swordsmanship is enough.

Zhao Ping then added from the side.

"But Young Master Lin, don't be too happy. Sword sense is just the beginning. You're still a long way from the first body tempering."

"Wang Gou Dan spent over twenty days tempering his body, and you've barely grasped the essence of swordsmanship, tsk tsk..."

There were also some whispers around.

"It took almost a month to develop a sword sense, so it's just so-so."

"With such inferior bone structure, it's already good enough that he can feel the sword's edge; what more can you expect from him?"

"Yeah, it was just good luck."

"But he was indeed very hardworking, it's a pity."

Wang Gou Dan's face flushed red as he listened to those words, and he wanted to say something in Lin Yuan's defense.

But Lin Yuan simply shook his head and walked straight down the corridor.

Shen Jianhe was sitting in a recliner, holding a cup of tea in his hand.

He had naturally seen what had just happened.

Of course, in his eyes, Lin Yuan had also grasped the feeling of swordsmanship.

Unlike other methods that possess supernatural powers, martial arts training makes it difficult to perceive the opponent's level of cultivation unless one is at a very high level.

Lin Yuan stepped forward and bowed first.

"The curator."

Shen Jianhe also looked up at him.

"You've grasped the essence of swordsmanship?"

"Yes."

"Hmm," Shen Jianhe responded without saying anything more.

It took Lin Yuan more than twenty days to grasp the essence of swordsmanship. Considering Lin Yuan's natural talent, this was not slow, but it was definitely not fast either.

No matter how hard you try, without talent, it's all for naught.

He picked up his teacup, about to drink.

Lin Yuan then said...

"Master, I have a request."

"What is it?" Shen Jianhe put down his teacup and looked at him.

Lin Yuan then shared his thoughts.

"Disciple wishes to learn the 'Ripples Chapter' of the Body Tempering Realm ahead of time."