"The Black Tiger Saber?"
The white-haired elder's brow twitched as he looked at the Cultivation Technique Bai Yuan had chosen.
Many disciples of the Huwei Arts Hall chose saber techniques, but in over a decade, Bai Yuan was the only one to pick the Black Tiger Saber.
"Are you sure?"
The white-haired elder asked calmly, not saying much else.
Everyone chooses their own path. Bai Yuan wasn't his nephew, so there was no need to waste his breath.
"I'm sure."
Bai Yuan's response was decisive.
"Fine."
The white-haired elder wrote Bai Yuan's information in a thick ledger.
"You have seven days to copy it. It must be returned after seven days."
Bai Yuan nodded, then left the Celestial One Pavilion with the Black Tiger Saber Technique, feeling quite pleased with himself.
The white-haired elder watched Bai Yuan's retreating figure, shaking his head incessantly.
'Young people are always too ambitious for their own good.'
The Black Tiger Saber was famous and its killing power was immense, but even a genius like the Martial Arts Hall Master, Xue Gui, had failed to master it.
That was because it was a technique that harmed the user, and Martial Artists who practiced it never lived long.
...
[Name: Bai Yuan]
[Class: Hunter, Swordsman, Boxer]
[Skills: Archery (Expert), Tiger-Crane Form (Novice), Blood Tiger Saber (Uninitiated), Five Animals Fist (Proficient)...]
[Enhancement Points: 0]
A smile touched Bai Yuan's lips as he gazed at the words "Blood Tiger Saber" on the panel.
In his past life, to get this Cultivation Technique, he had to kill that black-faced old demon in the mini-game over seventy times before the rare item finally dropped.
He never thought he'd get it so easily this time.
This saber technique was not one for righteous Martial Artists; it was an evil art.
The Black Tiger Saber's true name was the Blood Tiger Saber. It was the signature technique of the Black Evil Elder, a peerless demon who had slaughtered an entire city seventy years ago.
As for why it was now called the Black Tiger Saber, no one knew.
For an ordinary Martial Artist to cultivate the Black Tiger Saber directly was undoubtedly a dead end.
A fierce tiger devours men, and the Blood Tiger Saber was no different. One could easily suffer from Qi deviation and die from their body exploding.
To master this saber, one had to feed the blade vast amounts of essence and blood. The blade would eventually turn crimson, the very image of an evil saber.
The Black Evil Elder was unwilling to expend his own essence and blood, so he used others', leading to the massacre of a city.
But Bai Yuan was completely different.
Because he had the Tiger-Crane Form, and more importantly, he had a cheat.
As a Cultivation Technique that trained both internal and external aspects, the Tiger-Crane Form's main strength was promoting vigorous and unceasing Qi and Blood, which was perfect for offsetting the drain from the Blood Tiger Saber.
However, this path was still unfeasible for an ordinary Martial Artist.
Because the Martial Dao is boundless, but a person's time is finite.
Even the Grand Ancestor Emperor, who became a Grandmaster of Martial Arts, had to die one day.
An ordinary person would probably spend their entire life just practicing the Blood Tiger Saber; even if the Tiger-Crane Form were placed right in front of them, they wouldn't have time to practice it.
Cultivating two Cultivation Techniques at the same time was a major taboo for Martial Artists.
But Bai Yuan had a system. Forget just one extra technique; he could practice ten if he wanted, as long as he had enough enhancement points.
'Evil is good.'
The smile on Bai Yuan's face grew wider.
In his past life, while grinding the mini-game, he had cleared countless dungeons using the combination of the Tiger-Crane Form and the Blood Tiger Saber. This time would be no different.
'The fiercer I cut people down, the more stable my saber practice becomes.'
He was very satisfied with the Blood Tiger Saber.
...
"The Black Tiger Saber?"
"You've lost your mind."
The moment Zhang Yang found out Bai Yuan had chosen the Black Tiger Saber, he gave him a harsh scolding.
Bai Yuan had always been level-headed, which was why he had felt comfortable letting him choose a Cultivation Technique on his own. Who would have thought he'd pick a saber technique no one dared to practice?
Unfortunately, the old man guarding the Celestial One Pavilion was someone even he couldn't afford to offend. Changing the technique was definitely out of the question.
"This is my Tyrant Saber. Just practice this instead."
Zhang Yang, vexed, pulled a Cultivation Technique from his robes and tossed it to Bai Yuan.
Bai Yuan caught the Tyrant Saber manual, feeling quite touched. His so-called cheap master really did care about him.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Zhang Yang rolled his eyes and turned to leave.
Bai Yuan scratched his head. He had still underestimated the Black Tiger Saber's reputation in the Huwei Arts Hall.
'Next time I cut someone down, I can't let anyone see.'
...
Blind Ridge.
These days, Blind Ridge didn't quite live up to its name.
Because Bai Yuan had already killed all the blind bears here.
Bai Yuan looked at the massive black bear, taller than two men, lying on the ground and thought it was a pity. 'Such an excellent grinding spot, and now I can't come here anymore.'
Otherwise, he had planned on grinding here until he became the Ten-Mile Slope Sword God.
He looked at the panel.
"Allocate points!"
[In the first year of practicing the Blood Tiger Saber, you nourished the blade with your essence and blood, greatly increasing your killing power.]
[In the second year of practicing the Blood Tiger Saber, you suffered a backlash from the Blood Saber, losing Qi and Blood.]
...
[In the fifth year of practicing the Blood Tiger Saber, you finally achieved a breakthrough.]
[Name: Bai Yuan]
[Class: Hunter, Swordsman, Boxer]
[Skills: Archery (Expert), Tiger-Crane Form (Novice), Blood Tiger Saber (Novice), Five Animals Fist (Proficient)...]
[Enhancement Points: 0]
A full "45" enhancement points, and the Blood Tiger Saber had finally reached the Novice level.
Bai Yuan felt completely drained, his steps unsteady, his body covered in a cold sweat.
If it weren't for the Tiger-Crane Form nourishing his body, he feared the Blood Tiger Saber would have already sucked him dry, leaving a desiccated corpse.
If he was in this state, anyone else who practiced this saber technique would have it even worse.
No wonder Zhang Yang had that expression when he learned Bai Yuan had chosen the Blood Tiger Saber. This Cultivation Technique truly was sinister.
Unfortunately, Bai Yuan didn't have a saber...
'Looks like I'll need to buy a good saber,' Bai Yuan thought to himself.
He hunted day and night, so the Bai Family now had some spare silver.
Under the moonlight, he descended Blind Ridge.
By the time he returned to the Bai Family Ancestral Mansion in Baisha Town, it was late at night, but the light in the main hall was still on.
Xiao Qiaoniang was sitting on a round stool in the hall, diligently weaving a fragrant sachet.
Needlework was extremely taxing on the eyes, so his sister-in-law was leaning in close and didn't notice Bai Yuan's arrival.
"Sister-in-law, I'm back."
Bai Yuan called out, and only then did Xiao Qiaoniang look up to see the wretched state he was in.
She jumped in fright.
Bai Yuan's face was pale, as if he had just recovered from a major illness.
"Sister-in-law, I'm... hungry."
Practicing the Blood Tiger Saber had consumed too much of his Qi and Blood. His stomach was empty; he was truly starving.
Xiao Qiaoniang hurried to the kitchen to heat up a bowl of prepared meat congee for Bai Yuan.
Bai Yuan was overcome with hunger and started gulping it down, ignoring the heat.
"Slow down, brother-in-law."
"..."
"Sister-in-law, I'd like some more."
Bai Yuan held out the large bowl, which he had licked clean, to Xiao Qiaoniang.
He drank five large bowls of meat congee in a row before the hunger in his stomach finally subsided. In the past, this amount of food would have lasted the two of them for three days.
Xiao Qiaoniang was shocked by Bai Yuan's incredible appetite.
'What normal person could eat so much?'
Bai Yuan looked at the nearly empty rice container and began to worry again.
He sold the game he hunted every day in the city, earning a good amount of silver, and the Bai Family's life was gradually becoming more comfortable.
He hadn't expected that besides draining his life force, practicing the Blood Tiger Saber would also drain their food supply. With the Bai Family's current stores, they wouldn't be able to support his eating for long.
Besides food, he also needed to stock up on medicinal herbs to treat the hidden injuries on his body in time.
Allocating points only upgraded the skill; it didn't care about the toll it took on his body.
He was good at making money, but he was also very good at spending it...