To be honest, Lü Zhong had thought that controlling a Magical Artifact was as simple as directing it with his mind.
He never imagined it would require dedicated practice.
You had to use specific Sword Mantras to control the Sword, which in turn allowed you to execute basic Sword Techniques. Only by combining these techniques could you form what was generally considered Swordsmanship.
From this perspective, wielding a sword was a skill that took time to master.
Lü Zhong's rosy fantasy was shattered, and he couldn't help but feel a little frustrated.
But regardless, buying a Magical Artifact was still necessary, whether for self-preservation or any other reason.
After he paid the Spirit Stones, he successfully acquired the Green Frost Sword.
Wan Baoshan then gave an order, and an attendant brought over a pitch-black stone block. Its surface was covered in slash marks of all sizes.
"This is a Trial Sword Stone. Fellow Daoist Lü, why not give it a try?"
That was exactly what Lü Zhong wanted to do. Holding the hilt, he slowly infused it with his Spiritual Power.
With a soft HUM, the Array inside the Green Frost Sword activated. Glowing patterns instantly appeared on the originally cyan blade, and a layer of white frost began to form on its surface.
Wisps of white mist slowly drifted from the blade.
The temperature in the main hall immediately began to drop.
Lü Zhong's hand gripping the hilt ached from the biting cold; he could feel a frigid energy surging into his body.
If he wasn't mistaken, this had to be the so-called Cyan Frost Cold Qi.
"Ahem... I wouldn't recommend holding the Sword directly while its Divine Techniques are active, Fellow Daoist. It's best to control it with a Sword Mantra," Wan Baoshan, who couldn't bear to watch any longer, reminded him with a light cough.
Lü Zhong felt a wave of embarrassment. 'And here I was just complaining,' he thought.
'How am I supposed to use a sword that freezes its own master's hand?'
He'd never considered that he was simply using it incorrectly.
Under Wan Baoshan's guidance, he quickly learned how to control the Green Frost Sword with his Divine Thought and how to use a Sword Mantra to perform the "Slash" Sword Technique.
"Slash!"
Lü Zhong gave a sharp cry as his hands shifted through the seals for a Sword Mantra.
The Green Frost Sword, hovering before him, responded instantly. A Spiritual Light flared across its blade as it slashed straight down at the Trial Sword Stone.
With a crisp CRACK, the blade sank an inch into the stone.
It was neither more nor less—exactly the standard power of a Lower-grade Magical Artifact.
He tried a few more times, and the results were consistently within that range.
"Not bad, it's indeed a good sword!"
"Haha, I'm glad you're satisfied, Fellow Daoist!" Wan Baoshan said, stroking his beard with a smile.
...
He returned home and shut the courtyard gate behind him.
He strode into his living room and excitedly examined the Green Frost Sword for a long moment before putting it away in his Storage Bag. Then, he turned his attention to the manual on the fundamentals of Sword control.
The number of Sword Mantras was limited—only thirty-six in total—so they were quick to learn.
Lü Zhong memorized them all in less than an ancient hour.
But memorizing them was one thing; using them in actual combat would require practicing until it became muscle memory.
Otherwise, with his sluggish speed at forming hand seals, he would have been cut down countless times over.
Learning the Sword Techniques, however, was a bit more troublesome.
Although there were only a dozen or so basic Sword Techniques, each one involved variations and combinations of Sword Mantras. Furthermore, there were specific requirements for transitioning between different techniques, resulting in hundreds of dazzlingly complex permutations.
Everything had to correspond perfectly, with no room for error.
It was fine at first. Executing each Sword Technique individually only required rote memorization and a bit of trial and error.
But when he started learning how to transition between them, he immediately became a clumsy, flustered mess.
He would either form the wrong Sword Mantra or miss one entirely, causing the transition to fail or the Green Frost Sword to spin out of control.
His practice session wreaked havoc on the flowers and plants in his courtyard.
He practiced for a long time, only stopping, drenched in sweat, when darkness fell.
He wasn't sweating from exhaustion, but from the frights he'd given himself.
By now, he had a preliminary grasp of executing the basic Sword Techniques and had even mastered the transition from a slash to a thrust.
In this way, he had taken his first step on the path of the Sword Dao.
'That's enough practice for today. I still need to cultivate and make Talismans with the time I have left.'
He put the small manual away and started making dinner.
...
In the days that followed, Lü Zhong added a new item to his daily schedule.
He was relentless in his daily cultivation and Talisman Making; the former was the foundation of his practice, the latter his means of survival. He would review the three Magic Skills he had already mastered: Qi Observation, Breath Convergence, and Fire Rain Technique. Then, he would devote all his remaining time to practicing his Sword Techniques.
Occasionally, he would allow himself to relax. After selling his Talismans on market day, he would go for a stroll.
He might buy some exotic food to try, watch an opera troupe perform, or just treat himself to a big meal at a restaurant.
Unfortunately, Jiangwei Pavilion had been destroyed during the first Demon Cultivator invasion.
Steward Qin, the one who had once offered a high bounty for the Peach Blossom Mandarin Fish, had also vanished in the chaos that followed.
Otherwise, Lü Zhong would have definitely gone to try the Spiritual Food there.
Life was relatively stable, so naturally, his thoughts turned to other things.
Lü Zhong decided that once he saved up a few more Spirit Stones, he would buy a bottle of Pills.
Although taking Pills had its downsides, like the accumulation of Pill Poison in the body, they could also rapidly increase one's cultivation.
This benefit alone made Pills an absolute necessity for Lü Zhong.
Otherwise, with his unremarkable Four Spirit Roots, his cultivation speed was as slow as a tortoise's. Heaven only knew when he would ever reach the Qi Refining Ninth Layer.
Finally, after saving up enough for half a year's rent, Lü Zhong bought his first-ever bottle of Pills.
The Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill, a type of Pill with gentle medicinal properties that could increase one's cultivation.
Pills were also divided into nine tiers. The Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill was classified as a Tier One Pill, suitable for cultivators in the Early-stage Qi Refining realm.
For an Early-stage Qi Refining cultivator, taking a Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill had a significant effect, with a single pill being roughly equivalent to a month of arduous cultivation.
The increase in cultivation wasn't enormous, which was likely why each one only sold for Two Spirit Stones.
But even so, many of the Loose Cultivators in Qingliu Square still couldn't afford them.
Unlike the Loose Cultivators who hadn't mastered a trade, Lü Zhong had used the Gray Mist Space to quickly master the art of Talisman Making, which allowed him to earn a steady and continuous income of Spirit Stones.
Yet even with this advantage, he still had to save for some time before he could grit his teeth and buy a bottle of Bone Marrow Cleansing Pills.
Loose Cultivators in the Workshop Market had an extremely difficult time earning money. Simply surviving consumed nearly all of their time and energy, let alone saving up to buy Pills. They would much rather save their Spirit Stones to learn a trade first.
...
Taking a Pill wasn't as simple as just swallowing it—that would be a waste.
The proper method was to immediately circulate one's Cultivation Technique after swallowing the Pill. The goal was to absorb and refine the Medicinal Spiritual Qi it released, ensuring that the vast majority of it was converted into one's own power.
Lü Zhong took a Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill and immediately began the refining process.
The process lasted a full three days before he finally finished refining the single Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill.
Sensing his cultivation, he found there was indeed a noticeable improvement.
At this rate, he was confident he could break through to the Qi Refining Fourth Layer within two years.
"'No wonder everyone gets addicted to these things. The effect of these Pills is truly significant,'" Lü Zhong reflected.
At the same time, he had a premonition that he would probably be reliant on Pills from now on.
Furthermore, one couldn't take Pills continuously; there had to be a waiting period in between doses.
This time was usually spent in arduous cultivation—absorbing nature's spiritual energy—which had the effect of refining one's Spiritual Power.
This, in turn, could dissolve the Pill Poison within the body.