Chapter 2: Modifying Martial Arts—Achieving Perfection! Embryonic Sword Intent!

To quickly raise his cultivation, Gu Yang would need rare pills, heavenly materials, and spirit stones.

However, as an outer disciple, he had none of those resources.

That was incredibly frustrating.

Staying cooped up in his room and racking his brains wouldn’t help either, so Gu Yang went out for a stroll.

Very soon, he caught wind of a critical piece of news—

The Inner Sect Selection Tournament was coming!

It would begin in half a month, and all outer disciples who had reached the tenth level of the Body Refinement Realm could participate.

And the prize for placing in the tournament… was ten low-grade spirit stones!

Upon hearing this, Gu Yang was instantly tempted.

Ten low-grade spirit stones—that was a generous reward.

Although these spirit stones were highly prized by outer disciples in the Body Refinement Realm, they weren’t usable just yet.

That was because body refinement focused on training the body and strengthening blood and qi.

Only after reaching the Qi Gathering Realm could one absorb the abundant spiritual energy within spirit stones.

In short, those ten low-grade spirit stones were still extremely desirable.

And for him, with his system, he could effectively use them twice, meaning they were worth twenty. That was a fortune.

“If the requirement to enter is Body Refinement Level 10, I already qualify. As long as I learn a few more martial techniques and modify their training time… I might be unbeatable in this tournament!”

Excitement sparked in Gu Yang’s eyes.

He had to win those ten spirit stones.

Of course, his top priority now was to learn more martial skills and gather cultivation resources—he needed to see if he could break through to the Qi Gathering Realm.

With that in mind, Gu Yang went to the Martial Pavilion to pick out a few new techniques.

According to the sect’s rules, outer disciples who reached Body Refinement Level 7 could choose up to three high-grade human-tier martial skills for free.

Soon, Gu Yang arrived at the Martial Pavilion and reported to the elder guarding the pavilion.

“Punch me,” the elder said casually. “Let me see if you’ve really reached the seventh level of body refinement.”

In the Body Refinement Realm, cultivation level couldn’t be judged by aura alone—it had to be measured through strength.

Gu Yang didn’t hesitate. He threw a punch, and the air cracked from the force.

But even though the punch was strong, the elder simply raised a hand and blocked it effortlessly—he didn’t even flinch.

“Well now,” the elder’s eyes gleamed, “you’ve reached the peak of Body Refinement Level 10 and only now come to choose martial arts? You’re quite the diligent type.”

“Your praise is too much, Elder,” Gu Yang replied modestly.

“Go on in, then. You can pick three high-grade human-tier techniques from the second floor,” the elder said, stroking his beard.

Gu Yang didn’t waste time. He stepped straight into the Martial Pavilion.

The interior was spacious and filled with martial techniques.

The first floor only had low- and mid-grade human-tier skills.

Gu Yang considered flipping through them and modifying their training time to broaden his martial understanding, but he didn’t dare.

Each scroll had a protective seal, and unauthorized access was against sect rules. The consequences would be severe.

Soon, he reached the second floor and carefully selected three martial arts that suited him.

One was a high-grade human-tier sword technique: Fierce Wind Sword.

Another was a high-grade human-tier movement technique: Phantom Shadow Step, which specialized in short- and mid-range bursts of speed. Gu Yang picked it as a safety measure—it gave him an escape route when facing stronger foes.

The last one was a high-grade human-tier fist technique: Vajra Fist. He chose it to diversify his combat style. Sword techniques would be his main path, but fists could serve as backup—if his sword broke or got knocked away, he’d still be able to fight.

When Gu Yang walked out with the techniques, the elder didn’t say much—he just registered the scrolls.

“You know the rules,” the elder said solemnly. “No passing them to others. Return them within a month. No overdue returns.”

“I understand, Elder,” Gu Yang nodded and left.

Back in his wooden hut, Gu Yang began studying the three martial skills.

Once he had memorized them, he modified the training time for each:

Ten years of training in Vajra Fist—instantly perfected.

Ten years of training in Phantom Shadow Step—instantly perfected.

Ten years of training in Fierce Wind Sword—insight surged in his mind—instantly perfected.

Then, Gu Yang entered a strange state of mind.

After a while, his body shuddered, and he snapped back to awareness. He instinctively drew his sword.

Suddenly, a sharp, cutting aura burst from the blade.

Even though the sword wasn’t touching the wooden wall, it left a deep gash in it.

“This is… the embryonic form of sword intent?”

Gu Yang was stunned—he hadn’t expected to touch upon the fabled sword intent so quickly.

Sword intent was a mysterious force, and those who could comprehend it were true prodigies.

Once a swordsman grasped sword intent, fighting opponents above their level became as easy as eating and drinking—their combat strength skyrocketed.

Though an embryonic sword intent wasn’t full sword intent yet, it already carried a portion of its power and could greatly boost a swordsman’s abilities.

Gu Yang never imagined he’d comprehend it so easily.

“Wait, can I modify the training time of embryonic sword intent too?”

His heart stirred. He set its training time to ten years in the future.

In an instant, vast amounts of sword insight surged into his mind.

The sharp aura around his body surged severalfold—it felt as if his sword could cut through anything.

“This is… sword intent. True sword intent…”

Gu Yang was filled with awe.

He never thought he’d achieve the dream of countless swordsmen so effortlessly.

To comprehend sword intent was rare.

But to do so at the Body Refinement Realm?

That was nearly unheard of.

If anyone found out, it would cause a huge stir.

Of course, it would also paint a target on his back—hostile sects wouldn’t hesitate to come after him.

“Whew… now that I’ve grasped sword intent, it’s time to head down the mountain and earn some cultivation resources. Once I break through to the Qi Gathering Realm, my power will rise again.”

With that, Gu Yang didn’t hesitate. After packing a bit of food, he headed down the mountain.