CHAPTER 61: CHAPTER 61: INVINCIBILITY IS TRULY LONELY... (FOURTH UPDATE)

Is this really the work of human hands? Su Ping was puzzled.

He was looking at the latest TV series on his computer, a martial arts drama titled: "My Sword Spirit Pet Beast Girlfriend."

It certainly had a similar flavor to what he remembered from his previous life, he thought. It seemed that no matter the genre, romance was a mandatory element. However, in this world, there was an additional rule: every show, regardless of type, had to feature Pet Beasts.

Of course, since Blue Star was a world of Beast Tamers, this was somewhat justifiable. But...

Su Ping looked at the pretty-boy lead on the computer screen. He isn’t even as handsome as I am, Su Ping thought, yet he still garners a barrage of ’AHHH!’ screams in the bullet comments. The actor was holding a Sword Device, a blatant product placement with "Ouyezi Corporation" displayed in enlarged font. The female Sword Spirit materializing from the Sword Device made him feel completely numb.

Artefact Spirit Pet Beasts did exist, but they were known to be as difficult to train as Mechanical Type Pet Beasts. The Beast Master Association even had two corresponding subsidiary branches: the Artifact Refiners Association and the Mechanics Association. Compared to Elemental, Plant, Animal, and Undead Type Pet Beasts, these two types were much rarer.

But could Pet Beast Devices capable of producing Artefact Spirits really be made by your damn metal resource manufacturing company? If they had that capability, the chairman of the Artifact Refiners Association in the Imperial Capital would surely be their company’s chairman. Su Ping simply didn’t believe it.

Indeed, he had no reason to expect anything from these cringeworthy modern TV dramas. However, at least a few highly-rated films had decent performances. But as for any deeper interpretation of Beast Taming Swordsmanship or related Skills, there truly was none. The general content was similar to the Swordsman movies and novels of his previous life, just with some Pet Beast elements added.

The swords wielded by protagonists were often extremely high-quality Artefact Spirits. These types of movies were typically sponsored and produced by the Artifact Refiners Association. Compared to other Beast Tamers, those specializing in Mechanical Types were indeed rare. If not for their efforts to maintain a presence in the entertainment industry, they might easily be forgotten. And the concepts of knights-errant and the martial world, long-standing in the Dragon Nation, were undoubtedly the best vehicles for this.

Shaking his head, Su Ping mentally reviewed some lines and dialogue from the movies, along with information about the Paperman’s habits shared by Undead Type Breeders on a private online forum exclusive to Breeders. Only then did he begin his meditation.

I need to work harder and faster. I can cut down on sleep a bit, but my Realm must improve rapidly. Setting aside the agreement about Qin Xiaoxue’s professional Beast Tamer assessment, I have to strive hard just to break through to the Elite Level quickly. Then I can figure out how to contract this little Paperman without any lingering concerns.

「The night passed swiftly.」

The next day followed a similar routine. After finishing the daily training with the Forest Wolf and his own meditation, Su Ping went to the side room.

Almost the moment he opened the door, spatial ripples appeared, and the Paperman reappeared before him. "WOAH!"

It was a simple greeting, nothing more. But Su Ping smiled, took out a stack of something, and handed it to the Paperman.

It was a stack of stiff paper cards Su Ping had prepared some time ago when he first started scheming to get this little Paperman. Papermen needed to eat too, and their food was precisely this kind of paper.

Su Ping’s stack of stiff paper cards was clearly top-grade. Made from low-grade ironwood, the taste was absolutely superb!

And it truly was. The Paperman immediately tore off a piece and tossed it into its mouth. "WOAH! (Delicious!)"

At the same time, its face switched to a cheerful expression, complete with rosy cheeks.

Truth be told, with those rosy cheeks, it was quite an adorable sight. Obviously, this little fellow wasn’t that easy to fool. After munching away, it looked up at Su Ping expectantly.

Su Ping, meanwhile, began to deliver the speech he had prepared, summarizing what he had watched the previous night and the points he had thought out during the day. "For a Swordsman, the most important thing is to start with the fundamentals. And for a Swordsman, the most crucial fundamental is undoubtedly Swordsmanship! So, what is Swordsmanship?!"

"WOAH?! (What is that?!)"

A jet-black question mark clearly appeared above the round eyes of the little Paperman, who was only as tall as Su Ping’s calf.

Su Ping then chuckled. "There are many techniques in Swordsmanship, but the most important are the slash and the stab! These are the two most critical basic skills of swordplay. Right now, you need to practice these two moves! Once you’ve mastered them, we’ll move on to other basic exercises."

"WOAH?"

Seeing the question mark on the little Paperman’s head not only remain but also multiply, Su Ping wasn’t worried. He took out a practice sword he had also prepared earlier.

He led the little Paperman to the garden outside.

It had to be said, Su Ping, having practiced a bit himself, demonstrated with some proficiency. "This is a stab. This is a slash. This slash, when drawn directly from the sheath, is particularly effective. We can call it... the Sheath-Drawing... Sword Slash!"

The little Paperman quickly began to practice.

However, it was quite obvious the little Paperman had a real aptitude for this. Or perhaps its experiences in combat within that Secret Realm, or some other reason, meant it had already mastered such Swordsmanship to perfection long ago.

Watching the little Paperman’s precise and textbook-perfect swings, which were several times faster than his own, Su Ping nodded in satisfaction. "Very good!"

"Don’t think this is too simple. Let me tell you, all the Sword Technique Skills used by famous Swordsmen begin with practicing these most basic movements! Only by thoroughly mastering these fundamentals can you learn more advanced swordplay techniques later. Understand?"

"WOAH!"

After receiving the little Paperman’s affirmative "WOAH!", Su Ping continued, "Of course. But there’s no need to rush for now. Tonight, and every day hereafter, you can practice slowly. You need to practice these two movements until they are perfect, tens of thousands of times. Got it?"

"WOAH!"

"Good. Now, I’ll show you what a true Swordsman looks like! This will help you correctly understand what it means to be a real Swordsman."

With that, Su Ping led the eager-looking little Paperman back to the living room of the guest quarters. He inserted the USB drive containing the downloaded movies into the television and set it to play on a loop.

The movie slowly began...

Then, after half an hour, the moment arrived!

Su Ping and the little Paperman watched as the white-robed protagonist on screen transformed into a streak of light and shadow.

Time seemed to freeze. The next second, the protagonist re-sheathed his outrageously flashy Spirit Saint Level Sword Device Pet Beast, the ’Snowfall Divine Sword’. Then, the scene on screen expanded, the world instantly turning incredibly bleak as an outpouring of Sword Qi energy, created by exaggerated special effects, was unleashed.

The special effects for this sword move were so dramatic they could seemingly split mountains and sunder rivers; heck, they looked powerful enough to rend the heavens and cleave the earth. Ultimately, amidst these over-the-top effects, the colossal beast antagonist—which had made the little Paperman cry out repeatedly—was instantly slain by this single strike.

The protagonist, however, didn’t even glance back. He simply adjusted his perfectly undisturbed hair, looked up at the snowflakes gently falling from the sky, and murmured, "Invincibility... is truly lonely..."

Then, he gracefully departed, leaving behind only the great beast’s corpse, the stunned onlookers, and the lingering, exaggerated special effects.

"WOAH! WOAH! WOAH!"

Pointing excitedly at the television, the little Paperman was practically vibrating with excitement. It even hopped onto the coffee table, its hand already gripping the paper sword at its waist, looking as if it might draw and imitate the move at any second.

Su Ping hastily stopped it. Even though I can make money now, I don’t want to spend it on redecorating.

But it was clear my bamboozling tactics were both professional and effective. It really got the little Paperman fired up!

Thinking this, Su Ping breathed a sigh of relief. Then, he uttered words he would regret for the rest of his life: "Alright. To become a Swordsman like that, you need immense strength. Even Swordsmen of that caliber trained one strike at a time. Understand?!"

"WOAH!"

Instantly, without even waiting for Su Ping’s command, the little Paperman dashed excitedly into the side room’s garden and began practicing the stabs and slashes over and over again.

Watching the hardworking little Paperman, Su Ping smiled and nodded. Then he uttered the words he would regret forever: "Great! From now on, after you train for more than four hours, you can watch recordings of famous Swordsmen for a while to study the way of the Swordsman!"

The little Paperman waved its arms in delight. "WOAH! (Yay!)"