Chapter 29: Sword Heart
Lu Changfeng called for Hei Niu.
Carrying a pile of gifts, Hei Niu began making the rounds to visit the members of the Retainer Hall.
Perhaps because they knew Lu Changfeng was a top-tier Saber Master who had condensed Saber Intent, the Retainers were very polite to him.
Over the next two days, Lu Changfeng visited every single Retainer and met them all face-to-face.
He even made some unexpected discoveries.
Among these Retainers, even the one with the worst Root Bone was Middle B Class, and most were B Class+.
The six Retainers at the Tendon Transformation Realm all possessed A-Class Root Bone.
As for Talent, only eight of the more than thirty Retainers had a Martial Talent. Among them were Liu Anx and Mo Tian, with whom Lu Changfeng had previously partnered on a Retainer mission.
Of everyone, the one who surprised Lu Changfeng the most was a listless old man at the Tendon Transformation Realm.
This person called himself Old Luo and was a Tendon Transformation Realm Retainer for the Wang Family.
Old Luo’s Root Bone was the best among all the Retainers—Middle A Class. Additionally, he possessed a High-Grade Martial Talent: [Sword Heart].
This was clearly a Swordsmanship-related Talent.
However, judging by its name, its focus was different from Lu Changfeng’s other High-Grade Talents.
Lu Changfeng asked the interface about this.
The interface’s response was that High-Grade Talents could be further fused into a Supreme Talent.
However, a Supreme Talent required four different High-Grade Talents of the same type to be successfully fused.
This meant that for Ye Sheng’s High-Grade Talent, [Dark Assault], the most Lu Changfeng could do was copy it once. That would be the limit.
To advance it to a Supreme Talent, he would need three other different High-Grade Talents related to Hidden Weapons.
After figuring this out, Lu Changfeng immediately decided on his next copy target: Old Luo’s [Sword Heart] Talent.
「The next morning.」
The copy interface refreshed.
Carrying a jug of wine, Lu Changfeng went to find Old Luo.
In Lu Changfeng’s eyes, Old Luo’s identity was definitely not simple.
A High-Grade Talent plus a Middle A Class Root Bone—in a Sect, he would be considered a top-tier genius worthy of being nurtured.
’Why would he end up as a mere Retainer in the insignificant Wang Family?’
Furthermore, Lu Changfeng had asked around about Old Luo’s usual performance.
The strength he normally displayed during the Wang Family’s Retainer missions was that of an ordinary Martial Artist; he showed no trace of his Talent in Swordsmanship.
This further confirmed Lu Changfeng’s suspicion. ’This Old Luo fellow must be living incognito in the Wang Family, either cultivating in seclusion or just slacking off.’
Old Luo’s usual hobbies were drinking and playing Go.
So today, Lu Changfeng brought a jug of wine and went to find him.
"Oh? It’s Lu the Saber Master! Come in, come in!"
Old Luo opened the door, and his eyes lit up when he saw the wine jug in Lu Changfeng’s hand.
As for the nickname "Lu the Saber Master," it had spread throughout the Retainer Hall after the other Retainers learned that Lu Changfeng had condensed Saber Intent.
For some reason, the nickname had left a deep impression on Old Luo, and by extension, so had Lu Changfeng.
"I’ve heard that Retainer Luo is a master at Go. Since I am free today, I came to ask for a lesson or two," Lu Changfeng said after entering the house.
"Haha, a ’lesson’ is too strong a word. But since you also enjoy the art of Go, Lu the Saber Master, let’s have a fierce match!"
Old Luo sat down at a stone table in his courtyard, upon which a Go board was already set.
Lu Changfeng sat down and placed the wine jug on the table.
"You could have just come. Why bring wine!"
Despite his words, Old Luo immediately took out two cups from under the stone table and opened the jug.
"Mmm, this is the Osmanthus Pavilion’s Osmanthus Brew, isn’t it? A top-quality wine that costs fifty taels a jug! Lu the Saber Master, you’re truly generous!"
Old Luo poured a cup for each of them, took an intoxicated sip, and excitedly began placing his stones.
Lu Changfeng smiled slightly. The two went back and forth, and in the blink of an eye, the game reached a critical point.
’The Go class I took before I transmigrated wasn’t a complete waste, after all,’ Lu Changfeng thought. ’This Old Luo’s skill is too strong. I can only struggle to hold on. It was a close call, but at least I wasn’t crushed instantly.’
"Mm, not bad, not bad. Lu the Saber Master, for you to dare to come and challenge me, you’ve really got some skills," Old Luo said, his eyes growing brighter.
As soon as he finished speaking, Old Luo’s offense grew fiercer, and Lu Changfeng was soon utterly decimated.
"I’ll take my leave. I’ll come back for another lesson next time!"
Lu Changfeng turned and left, leaving a bewildered Old Luo behind. "We haven’t even finished the wine! You’re not staying for another game?"
Without looking back, Lu Changfeng waved his hand. "No, I’m going back to cultivate."
’I’ve already copied the [Sword Heart] Talent. Who has time to stay here and keep an old geezer like you company!’
Even if this old man did have some secrets, Lu Changfeng had no interest in digging into the old geezer’s inner world.
Back in his own Retainer’s courtyard,
Lu Changfeng drew his Autumn Water Long Sword, which had not been unsheathed for a long time.
As the Treasure Artifact glinted with a cold light, Lu Changfeng began practicing the Gale Swordsmanship.
As he delved deeper into the movements of the Gale Swordsmanship, his Gale Sword Intent naturally erupted!
This time, Lu Changfeng’s [Sword Heart] and [Swordsman] Talents activated simultaneously, and his comprehension of Gale Sword Intent instantly deepened by another level!
After he finished practicing, the interface visually presented the changes.
The description for [Gale Sword Intent] changed from "Swordsmanship power increased by 50%" to "Swordsmanship power increased by 65%."
This was the effect of a Talent’s enhancement. For the same Swordsmanship and Sword Intent, someone with a stronger Talent would naturally unleash greater power.
’The change in the fusion rules for High-Grade to Supreme Talents has disrupted my copy plan.’
’Next, I can change my fusion target to the Heroic Root Bone. If I copy a Middle A Class target, it should take about four years to fuse the Heroic Root Bone.’
’I can afford to wait four years.’
After setting his goal,
Lu Changfeng began his secluded cultivation. The only Cultivation Technique he practiced was the [Fengtian Forging Body Saber Skill].
He would occasionally go play Go with Old Luo to maintain their relationship.
When the copy interface refreshed, Lu Changfeng found Old Luo and copied his Root Bone once.
After three such copies, the new year was once again approaching.
Lu Changfeng had been with the Wang Family for a full six months. Having gone through several Retainer missions, he was now considered a veteran Retainer.
In that half year, Lu Changfeng had become extremely proficient in the First Layer of the [Fengtian Forging Body Saber Skill].
He could practice it eight times a day.
This was the sign that he could begin cultivating the Second Layer of the [Fengtian Forging Body Saber Skill].
Although he was still at the Blood Forging Sixth Layer, Lu Changfeng could clearly feel his physique had grown much stronger. His strength, stamina, and explosive power had all increased significantly.
’This [Fengtian Forging Body Saber Skill] is definitely no ordinary Cultivation Technique.’
Cultivating the Second Layer of the [Fengtian Forging Body Saber Skill] required increasing the greatsaber’s weight to two hundred jin.
Thus, amid a heavy, goose-feather snow,
Lu Changfeng left the Prince’s Mansion, carrying the greatsaber on his back as he hurried to the weaponsmith’s shop.
He spent one hundred and twenty taels of silver to have the shop’s owner add another one hundred jin to the greatsaber.
The owner clearly recognized Lu Changfeng and silently marveled at what a freak he was.
But who would turn down profitable business?
This time, it took two days. The iron greatsaber was successfully weighted up to two hundred jin.
The greatsaber’s length was still one point eight meters, but its thickness had increased significantly, especially along the spine of the blade.
It took two blacksmiths to carry the two-hundred-jin greatsaber over to Lu Changfeng.
Lu Changfeng took a deep breath, grasped the hilt with one hand, and slowly lifted the long saber. He once again felt that long-lost sense of immense weight.