My Artifacts Can Upgrade Infinitely

Chapter 72: Chapter 72: Cultivating Blade Skill

Zhao Zuo left the Earth Fire Chamber and, following his memory, returned to his bedroom.

The bedroom contained a few simple, complimentary pieces of furniture: a square table, a few chairs, and a cabinet. Though spartan, Zhao Zuo was quite satisfied. At least he didn’t have to spend his own Spirit Stones to furnish the place.

There wasn’t a sound from Shen Yunjiao’s room upstairs, but he figured she was also cultivating. He first took a Cleaning Talisman from his Storage Bag and activated it with his Mana. Within seconds, all the grime covering his body was gone.

Zhao Zuo ambled over to the bed and sat down, feeling the warmth of the bedding. He stretched out comfortably, his body naturally relaxing as the wooden bed creaked softly.

After a long, busy day of hard work, he could finally get some rest.

After lying down for about an hour, Zhao Zuo leaned forward slightly, engaged his core, and sat up on the bed. He took a palm-sized wooden box from his Storage Bag. The box looked exquisite, its wooden surface coated in a dark red varnish. Inside, it was lined with a soft, yellow silk cloth embroidered with delicate patterns.

Resting on the silk cloth was a Baolan-colored round bead. It looked incredibly vibrant and pure, like a patch of azure sky that unknowingly calmed one’s heart.

It seemed to hold the light of the stars, emitting a faint glow in the dark.

This was the Source Water Bead, a Lower Grade Spiritual Object, the same rank as the Huayang Bead. Even its method of use was quite similar. Besides these, there were also the Spirit Wood Bead, the Thick Earth Bead, and the Gold Essence Bead, corresponding to the Five Elements Attributes.

The Source Water Bead felt smooth and cool in his hand, its surface dewy as if coated in water. Zhao Zuo placed it on his abdomen and simultaneously mobilized the Mana in his body, enveloping the bead before quickly drawing it inside himself.

In a daze, Zhao Zuo felt his palm become empty. A few seconds later, he felt an incredibly faint stream of energy emerge from his Dantian, flowing through his muscles, blood vessels, and bones.

It was obviously unrealistic to expect this faint energy to repair one’s body. No wonder the Source Water Bead was so beloved by female Cultivators for its two main abilities: maintaining skin moisture and adding a healthy glow.

’The Huayang Bead is of the fire attribute; it uses the Power of Fire Element to burn away Pill Poison. The Source Water Bead is of the water attribute; it uses the Power of Water Element to repair and nurture the body.’

The two attributes countered each other, but fortunately, they didn’t conflict within his Dantian. Otherwise, Zhao Zuo would have had to consider temporarily abandoning one of them.

「The next morning.」

Zhao Zuo awoke from his state of Cultivation. Although the Source Water Bead’s energy was faint, it could still heal his Meridians when they were damaged, allowing him to extend the duration of each of his Cultivation sessions.

With these various boons, he was confident he could raise his Cultivation to the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer before June of the coming year.

As the morning sun rose, its light spilling everywhere, Zhao Zuo went to the kitchen. He cooked a pot of Spirit Rice and took out some pickled radish strips. The addition of chili oil gave him a hearty appetite, and he polished off three large bowls of Spirit Rice.

After his meal, Zhao Zuo went into the courtyard and drew the Hidden Blade Giant Sword from its sheath. Ink Pattern Steel was a rather magical metal. For one, it remained a pure, deep black even under the brightest light. For another, its innate patterns couldn’t be altered in the slightest, even after being hammered a thousand times.

Therefore, if one looked closely at the blade’s incredibly smooth surface, one could see extremely fine yet unusually complex patterns, giving it a magical appearance.

Zhao Zuo took out the blade manual, *One Slash*, and began to practice according to its instructions. Gripping the hilt with both hands, he swung his arms, creating a whistling wind as the pure black blade cut through the air with extreme speed.

*One Slash*, aside from its methods for channeling power, consisted of three moves: a downward chop, a horizontal slash from left to right, and a horizontal slash from right to left. These three wide, sweeping moves alone carried an air of supreme dominance.

Yet, these three moves held a deep complexity. Each one had a unique method for channeling force, requiring the coordination of every muscle in the body and even the circulation of Mana to achieve greater power.

Coincidentally, his Golden Body Technique had just hit a bottleneck, so he could take the time to practice *One Slash*.

At the moment, Zhao Zuo was just clumsily imitating the forms in the Blade Manual. From a distance, his body looked incredibly stiff and his movements were full of flaws. He often channeled his force incorrectly, causing his actions to become distorted and awkward. Every single move looked clumsy.

Shen Yunjiao sat by her window on the second floor, and upon seeing this scene, she let out a series of tinkling, bell-like laughs. Zhao Zuo had no reaction, continuing to practice the three Blade Skill forms with stern focus.

’Since Shen Yunjiao has already made her feelings clear, I’m not about to go begging for her attention.’ In his past life, he had been a simp a few times when he was younger, and only after getting burned did he finally wise up.

Though he was exhausted, his motivation was unaffected. Perhaps this Blade Skill manual from the secular Martial Path was just a minor, useless technique in the eyes of most Cultivators, but to Zhao Zuo, it held a special significance he couldn’t share with anyone.

It was this significance that gave him the drive to keep practicing.

Around Noon, Zhao Zuo sheathed the Hidden Blade Giant Sword. As he did, words appeared on the transparent panel, confirming his thoughts.

[Rank: Lower Grade Magical Artifact · Hidden Blade]

[EXP: 40/200]

[Status: Not upgradeable]

[Creation Points: 1.5]

’So it’s true. I can gain experience just by swinging it. Swinging it counts as using it!’

Of course, the only thing limiting his EXP gain was stamina, and no Magical Artifact could speed up its recovery. That could only be done through rest and food.

Zhao Zuo had to take several breaks to persist through six straight hours of swinging.

After eating, Zhao Zuo resumed his blade practice. Partly hoping to impress Shen Yunjiao, he began practicing his Blade Skill with even more vigor, all while mentally deconstructing the secrets of *One Slash*.

By evening, Zhao Zuo’s Blade Skill was already quite proficient. His movements looked smooth and natural, his posture as agile as a tiger roaring through the forest. Every step he took kicked up a cloud of dust, and each of his forms carried the force of a landslide.

The Hidden Blade Giant Sword was the ultimate weapon. In his hands, it felt as if it could cleave the air itself, letting out a sharp, lingering shriek as it sliced through.

"Hah! Invigorating! Absolutely invigorating!"

Zhao Zuo threw his head back with a long shout, then took a sudden step forward and swung the sword. It was as if a Sword Aura radiated from the Sword Peak, blowing the pebbles on the ground several meters away. Zhao Zuo was now covered in sweat, his Taoist Robe and underclothes soaked through and clinging to his chest and back.

The muscles from his legs to his arms and fingers were incredibly sore, even painful, but his mind was in a state of extreme excitement. A boundless, heroic feeling swelled in his heart.

But by the windowsill on the second floor, Shen Yunjiao could no longer laugh. Her expression had grown stiff.

She had just witnessed someone go from a complete beginner in Blade Skill to the level of someone who had been immersed in it for three or four years.

Shen Yunjiao herself had spent years of painstaking effort on *One Slash*, but now she had the unsettling feeling that she could be surpassed at any moment.

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