Borrowed Sword

Chapter 94: Then Let’s Go on a Date

World Protagonist, terrifying as ever.

“‘He actually raised the completeness of 【Six Formations of the Broken Array】 by 4%?’” Chu Huaixu was greatly shocked.

This also indirectly told him that 【Six Formations of the Broken Array】 was not flawed or incomplete.

Rather, its creator had yet to perfect it—it was still a semi-finished product.

Because Xu Ziqing had not added an entirely new move, but had instead made subtle adjustments.

“No wonder he has 【Comprehension 10】.”

“Could he really be the destined future leader of the Sword Dao?” Chu Huaixu thought to himself.

A person who had not even stepped into the First Realm, relying purely on his own talent and intuition, spent over a month adjusting a Heaven-rank technique.

If this were to spread, probably no one would believe it!

At this moment, Chu Huaixu could only continue putting on airs.

He slightly nodded, as if he could see through its essence with a glance, and said: “Your idea, I think there’s no problem.”

“Senior Brother, really?” A trace of joy surfaced on Xu Ziqing’s face.

This lucky cheat continued: “With your eyesight, of course you wouldn’t notice it. In truth, this 【Six Formations of the Broken Array】 was never perfected. It’s a half-finished technique.”

The delicate youth’s expression drastically changed at those words.

“I practiced for over a month, yet never realized it. I only faintly felt there were a few strange places.” He answered honestly.

A storm surged in Xu Ziqing’s heart, his reverence for Chu Huaixu growing even deeper.

“Senior Brother only skimmed 【Six Formations of the Broken Array】 today, yet already discovered its flaws?”

“So powerful.”

In truth, Chu Huaixu, being a cheat, could also rely on the System to perfect skills.

Only, the prerequisite was first raising the skill to level 4, that is, to the stage of Great Perfection.

On that basis, he could then continue investing Experience Points, or use special items rewarded by the System, to refine it further.

For him at this stage, he was still far from that!

Therefore, Xu Ziqing once again demonstrated his value as the World Protagonist.

“The flaws of this technique are not limited to this one place. You can think about it more, research further.” Chu Huaixu spoke as if setting him a question.

“Yes, Ziqing understands.” The youth was clearly a very self-aware Tool Man.

Meanwhile, this World Protagonist, who had recently suffered repeated setbacks, seemed to regain a little confidence.

“Senior Brother said my line of thought is correct. Does that mean I might also have some talent in techniques?” he thought.

Many martial moves from his family, after he comprehended them, he had modified, each time essentially strengthening them.

He never expected he could also do this in the Dao of techniques.

“Xu Ziqing, don’t belittle yourself. You still have value.” The delicate youth encouraged himself.

At that thought, he recalled what Senior Brother once told him.

That day, just after he had joined the Dao Gate, Chu Huaixu told him: “Stand straighter, step forward more.”

The youthful pride he once had seemed to partially return.

After simply praising Xu a few times, Chu Huaixu returned to his own room.

“Hit the jackpot.” He was in a very good mood.

“My strategy of forming bonds with the World Protagonist is indeed clever.” He felt somewhat proud.

Though Chu Huaixu was a transmigrator, and even a cheat with a System, he was very clear about one thing—without the ability to lead a team, he would eventually die from exhaustion!

What a joke—of course he needed to have a group of elite subordinates under him.

Individual strength was ultimately limited.

Moreover, everyone had their strengths and weaknesses.

It was impossible to personally handle everything.

In the long run, the benefits Xu Ziqing could bring him were countless.

Sitting down on his meditation cushion, Chu Huaixu happily praised Xu a few more times in his heart.

Then, he opened his Character Panel.

The next moment, after glancing at the panel, all those words of praise vanished into thin air.

“Xu!!!” Chu Huaixu was furious.

As the completeness of 【Six Formations of the Broken Array】 increased, the Experience Points required to learn the skill also skyrocketed.

“Before, it was over ninety thousand, close to one hundred thousand.”

“Now it’s one hundred thousand and a few hundred more!”

As an Experience Point pauper, Chu Huaixu instantly gnashed his teeth in rage.

Worse still, he quickly thought of a fatal issue.

“Crap! I only have 【Comprehension 2】!”

“Because 【Six Formations of the Broken Array】 was incomplete, I was able to learn it.”

“But if he perfects the technique before I save enough Experience Points…”

“Then unless I raise my Comprehension to 3, I won’t even have the qualification to learn it!”

Chu Huaixu was horrified, his expression darkening.

After this period of practice, he already had a sense of it—his luck seemed concentrated in 【Physique】. He was a top expert at drawing 【Physique】.

“If Xu has another new insight soon, I’ll shut his mouth!”

The next morning, Chu Huaixu woke up early.

A heavy rain had fallen yesterday, but today the weather was fine.

However, the temperature had dropped significantly.

One did not know summer had passed when it was sunny, but one rain heralded autumn.

“Xu.”

“Eh, Senior Brother.”

“You seem in very good spirits?” Chu Huaixu asked, seeing Xu Ziqing brimming with energy.

The delicate youth looked a bit embarrassed and replied: “Last night, when I was cultivating the 《Sword Refining Art》 in my room, I clearly felt that as my Spirit Embryo advanced, my cultivation speed increased greatly.”

By now, Body Tempering Medicine Liquid was useless to him.

But he believed that before long, with his own efforts, he could break through the already-loosening Seventh Aperture!

Chu Huaixu nodded slightly at those words.

He had personally experienced this himself—“I get it, I get it.”

“Heh! This wonderful feeling of improved aptitude, Han Shuangjiang can forget about experiencing it in this lifetime! Her life is broken!”

After breakfast, leaving Xu Ziqing alone at home to clean the dishes, Chu Huaixu brought Han Shuangjiang along to the Scripture Pavilion and Treasure Pavilion, intending to borrow her Contribution Points.

Along the way, the cold-faced girl was puzzled.

“Chu Huaixu, why did you suddenly want to learn pill refining?” she asked.

“This household still needs someone to earn money, right?” he answered matter-of-factly.

Hearing that, the Little Housekeeper didn’t dare reply.

After all, right now, this “family of three” was indeed living off Chu Huaixu’s money.

“The further one progresses on the cultivation path, the more Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures are consumed,” Chu Huaixu said.

“Including when we reach the Second Realm—after obtaining cultivation methods, different methods require different Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures to assist in cultivation, only then can they be learned.”

“Not to mention the Third and Fourth Realms.”

“Learning a trade will never be wrong.”

This fellow who had acquired the 【Medicinal Cauldron · Dao Birth One】 began laying groundwork early. He looked up at the sky, making things up:

“I think I have talent for pill refining.”

The Big Ice Block glanced at him, saying nothing. Instead, she began to consider whether she too should learn something.

“Spending some of his silver coins now is fine, but I can’t rely on him forever, right?” Han Shuangjiang didn’t want that.

The two talked as they walked, soon arriving at the Scripture Pavilion.

They went together to the fourth floor, stopping before the shelves that held pill refining techniques.

In 《Borrowed Sword》, there were four mainstream secondary professions: pill refining, artifact refining, talisman crafting, and formation arrays.

These four trades were also the most profitable.

Seeing Chu Huaixu carefully selecting books from the shelves, Han Shuangjiang casually browsed nearby.

Although her Contribution Points were limited, fortunately, entry-level pill refining techniques weren’t expensive.

Chu Huaixu quickly chose a pill refining method called 【Profound Fire Burning Heaven Art】.

Because its compatibility with him was the highest, reaching as much as 89%.

“With high compatibility, it’ll save me Experience Points when leveling it up.”

Cultivation methods and techniques in the Xuanhuang Realm all seemed to be like this—the lower the grade, the grander the name!

“A technique that, even when mastered to the extreme, can only refine Second-grade Spiritual Pills, and it dares to call itself ‘Burning Heaven’?” He smiled faintly.

“Let’s go.” Chu Huaixu called out to the Big Ice Block.

“So fast?” She was slightly surprised.

Chu Huaixu then continued putting on airs: “I already said, I suspect I have great talent in pill refining. For a Heavenly Prodigy, whatever I learn is all the same.”

The girl secretly pouted, but obediently followed behind him as they went downstairs together.

After paying the Contribution Points, under the steward’s guidance, the contents of the jade slip 《Profound Fire Burning Heaven Art》 were imprinted into Chu Huaixu’s mind.

Without stopping, the two headed straight for the Treasure Pavilion to buy recipes for First-grade Spiritual Pills and materials for pill refining.

After selecting for quite a while, Chu Huaixu finally decided on the Qi-Gathering Pill.

He chose the Qi-Gathering Pill mainly for two reasons.

First, its market demand was huge.

This pill could accelerate the absorption of spiritual energy during cultivation. Although it only worked for low-level cultivators, it was indeed useful.

Second, its refining difficulty was the highest among First-grade Spiritual Pills, and thus, its profit margin was high.

“Since the success rate of my medicinal cauldron is one hundred percent, of course I’ll only refine Qi-Gathering Pills.”

As for the pills he would personally need in daily cultivation, he was in no rush for those now.

The most important thing now was compounding profits, making money first!

The two spent all their remaining Contribution Points on raw materials.

This trip out could truly be said to be a fruitful one.

On the way home, Han Shuangjiang couldn’t help but ask: “Chu Huaixu, do you think I should also learn something? And if so, what should I learn?”

She always felt that he had strong opinions, and unlike an ignorant beginner in cultivation, he was never confused. He always seemed to have a clear plan and direction for what to do next.

This was something she admired.

“You?” Chu Huaixu looked her up and down.

Han Shuangjiang met his gaze, her body tensing slightly, her long, round jade legs pressed tightly together.

“I can’t tell.” He spread his hands.

“You can’t tell, yet you stared for half a day?” The Big Ice Block muttered inwardly.

Chu Huaixu withdrew his gaze, walking forward as he said: “Senior Sister Han, do you really not know what your greatest advantage is?”

“What is it?” she asked.

In truth, she knew in her heart—her greatest innate advantage, aside from her Body of Profound Yin, was probably her looks?

But unlike Chu Huaixu, she wasn’t shameless enough to say it out loud.

“It’s your luck.” Chu Huaixu answered.

“Luck?” Han Shuangjiang frowned slightly, not liking the sound of that.

“Don’t you think you’re someone with fortune on your side? Like when we went to that secret realm, there were ten branching paths, and every single time you picked, you chose correctly.” He said.

Back then, the Big Ice Block also found it strange, though she thought it probably wasn’t that mystical, so she said: “That might just be coincidence.”

“That’s why my suggestion is—when you have free time, wander around the Dao Gate more, and see if you can stumble upon any inheritance secret realms.”

Chu Huaixu continued: “If you really can, then it would prove you truly are blessed by Heaven, with fortune upon you.”

“You just babble nonsense all day.” Han Shuangjiang couldn’t help but complain as he spoke more and more mysteriously.

“But I’m serious.” Chu Huaixu said: “And when you wander, you’d better bring me along too—I also want a share.”

Now that they were more familiar, he could shamelessly phrase mooching in such a righteous manner.

Such divine legs—if he didn’t cling to them, it really would be a waste.

In fact, the Dao Gate had this very kind of tradition—emphasizing fate and opportunities. Many disciples, when idle, really did roam around looking for secret realms, almost like a sect-wide treasure hunt.

Chu Huaixu even felt this was like the predecessors playing a game with future generations.

Of course, the main reason he brought this up was because he knew—the Outer Sect still had two Dao Ancestor inheritances!

It was as if the Dao Ancestor had set up a treasure hunt thousands of years ago.

Only two Dao Ancestor inheritances remained undiscovered. In 《Borrowed Sword》, they were originally both found by Han Shuangjiang, and found alone at that.

But Chu Huaixu couldn’t be certain—now that he had transmigrated, with his butterfly effect, would the Big Ice Block still obtain those opportunities?

“Doesn’t matter. She’s famed for her profound fortune—it should be fine.” He had confidence in his own lucky charm.

In fact, how profound was Han Shuangjiang’s fortune?

If the four World Protagonists planned to go somewhere together, she was often the one who arrived late.

For a simple reason—because even while hurrying along under moon and stars, she would encounter chance after chance, delaying her travel time.

If the opportunity was too great and she couldn’t leave immediately, she had no choice but to stand them up.

Chu Huaixu had once seen a post on the forum, saying a certain guild had great luck accepting a team dungeon mission issued by Han Shuangjiang, helping her enter a dungeon.

But following her halfway, lo and behold, they suddenly fell into another dungeon!

Not only that, but often they’d encounter hidden dungeons within dungeons!

Hearing that he even wanted to follow her around just to share in her fortune, Han Shuangjiang couldn’t help but laugh.

“So you’re convinced I have fortune upon me? What if you follow me around every day, and nothing ever happens?” The Big Ice Block asked.

Unexpectedly, Chu Huaixu shrugged nonchalantly, smiling as he said: “So what? Then we’ll just treat it as a casual evening walk after dinner.”

He said it casually, but though the speaker was careless, the listener took it to heart.

“A walk?”

Han Shuangjiang lowered her head slightly, her lips pressed together, her heartbeat quickening for no reason.

In her mind, she even pictured the scene of tonight’s bright moon, the two of them walking side by side in the forest.

“Dead fox, who wants to walk with you.” She dispersed the image in her head.

Chu Huaixu walked ahead, still speaking to himself: “I’ll be busy refining pills these days. How about… we set it for three days later?”

“…That works too.” Han Shuangjiang said.

After speaking, the girl quickened her pace, overtaking him with her head lowered.