Chapter 253 252: Saber Practice

Mu Lin shot him a sideways glance. "I say it's mine, so it's mine. You have a problem with that?"

A shiver ran through Bai Jingchang's entire body, and he didn't dare say anything more.

The Bai Family was already deathly afraid of Mu Lin, seeing enemies in every shadow. No one dared to cross him.

Mu Lin looked at Bai Zhenshan. "Elder Bai, I'd like to find a place to look at the saber manual."

"Isn't the Cultivation Chamber empty? Go practice there. In any case, few in my Bai Family are truly dedicated to cultivation. I'll have others stand guard for you. As for Miss Lin and Miss Hong, I'll arrange rooms for them and see that they're well taken care of."

"Thank you, Elder Bai!"

Mu Lin rushed into the Cultivation Chamber, all other thoughts banished from his mind. Only one thing mattered: making the words on the saber manual reappear.

He sat cross-legged in the Cultivation Chamber and opened the Nameless Saber Manual, which was made of a special material.

He placed the saber manual in his palm and felt a warm life force coursing through it.

It was as if the saber manual was alive.

An idea struck him, and he injected his True Qi, following the direction of the life force's flow.

The surface of the saber manual began to glow brilliantly.

'It's working!' Mu Lin thought.

'More power!'

Words appeared on the saber manual.

Mu Lin's eyes narrowed. 'Just as I thought.'

"Heartless Nine Sabers? What a name. I've heard that Dong Wu's three slashes are peerless, so how incredible must nine sabers be?"

At the same cultivation level, the force one could unleash with a nine-slash technique would surely be far greater than with a three-slash one.

Mu Lin began to read, studying it carefully and mulling it over in his mind.

He could tell this saber manual was something special—incredibly formidable.

It even contained the insights and experiences of its previous owners, spanning a period of four to five hundred years...

Elder Bai probably didn't understand its inner workings, which was why he couldn't leave his own mark on it.

Moreover, this thing could actually follow two paths.

For the Martial Artist path, it focused on Sword Skill and physical abilities.

While the Qi Force path allowed one to manipulate will and saber qi.

With a wide variety of options to choose from.

Mu Lin felt very tempted by both. He was already cultivating both paths simultaneously, so naturally, he wanted to master them all.

The power from cultivating both paths combined would definitely surpass Dong Wu's.

With this, he could improve his strength and skill with great efficiency.

Again, and again.

Inside the Cultivation Chamber, a lone figure practiced with feverish concentration.

Lin Shishi and Hong Rui were still at the Bai Family residence. The estate was vast, with many courtyards and buildings. However, the sight of them only reminded the girls of the previous carnage. Therefore, Bai Zhenshan had a small room prepared for them in his own house.

The two young women stayed close together, growing even closer.

The small space felt safer, so they weren't as frightened.

Meanwhile, Bai Zhenshan began to sort through the Bai Family's affairs from recent years. The more he sorted, the bigger his headache grew.

'What the hell is this? They sold off such a profitable enterprise?'

'And they poured a fortune into this money-losing venture.'

Bai Zhenshan felt completely numb as he read on. 'Why the hell did I go through all the trouble of faking my death?!'

'If it was all just to let my worthless son show off what a complete idiot he is, I might as well not have bothered. I should have just let him drive the entire Bai Family into the ground.'

But that was just his anger talking. He still summoned the relevant parties to question them in detail about their reasoning.

Unexpectedly, after careful questioning, all roads led back to one person: Bai Jingjing was the one ultimately responsible for everything.

As the Patriarch, he was impulsive and ignorant, ridiculously easy to fool. As long as someone told him it was a good idea, he would happily go and do it.

The resulting losses were staggering... But Bai Zhenshan didn't blame Bai Jingjing too much. 'He was young,' he reasoned. 'Mistakes like that are understandable.'

'If he kept it up, though, I'd really have to beat him to his senses.'

Bai Zhenshan tried to console himself. 'He'll probably get better in the future.'

But after reading more, Bai Zhenshan had a very bad feeling. Bai Jingjing hadn't improved at all, and the deficits he created were getting larger and larger.

If the records hadn't been so truthful—the record keeper clearly not one for embellishment—Bai Zhenshan would never have been able to clearly piece together what had happened.

In the end, he was furious. He punished Bai Jingjing by banishing him, telling him to get lost and go wherever he pleased.

As for Bai Jingqiong and Bai Jingchang, they were ordered to kneel outside the Cultivation Chamber for a long time. They were also forbidden from appearing at any formal occasions for the next few days, lest they anger Mu Lin again.

No one in the Bai Family was a fool. They could all see that Bai Zhenshan was dead set on making the entire Bai Family submit to Mu Lin.

It was simply inexplicable.

Mu Lin knew nothing of this. He remained shut in the Cultivation Chamber, cultivating without sleep or rest.

A full day and night passed. The Bai Family had almost forgotten about Mu Lin practicing his saber in the Cultivation Chamber. It was only when they saw Lin Shishi and Shi Rui eating happily that they would remember. 'Oh, right, there's still someone holed up in the Cultivation Chamber.'

Bai Zhenshan was still reviewing the Bai Family's past documents, day and night.

Suddenly, his hand trembled violently.

He snapped his head up toward the Cultivation Chamber, sucking in a sharp breath. 'To think it's possible...'

Overjoyed, Bai Zhenshan threw open his door and hurried straight in that direction.

He had spent over twenty years devoted to studying saber intent; he couldn't be more familiar with it.

'Has Mu Lin mastered it in such a short time?'

Bai Zhenshan was so shocked he nearly stumbled, desperate to see Mu Lin's technique for himself as quickly as possible.

When he reached the clearing in front of the Cultivation Chamber, Bai Zhenshan could feel a ponderous saber aura coiling like a great dragon above the building, refusing to disperse.

He gritted his teeth but didn't dare enter. He waited a while longer until the saber aura had completely dissipated. Only then, his heart still pounding, did he push open the door to the Cultivation Chamber.

Mu Lin held an ordinary, unsharpened practice blade. This type of blade was typically used by beginners to practice forms. Once a Cultivator gained even a little proficiency, they would eagerly switch to a better weapon, leaving these crude blades behind.

These crude blades were never maintained and were covered in a thick layer of dust. Yet in Mu Lin's hands, this one seemed like a great dragon restored to its youth, his every move radiating power.

"Young friend, have you mastered it?" Elder Bai asked cautiously. If Mu Lin hadn't fully contained his saber aura, Elder Bai was prepared to retreat immediately and wait for him to get it under control.

Mu Lin looked at Elder Bai. "Not yet. This is nothing. It's barely taken shape. I'm still a long way from true saber aura."

As if Elder Bai would believe that nonsense. This was a genuine saber aura, no doubt about it. He'd worked with sabers his entire life; how could he not recognize it?

"Young friend, you mustn't be so modest. This is already an incredibly threatening saber aura. Among any gathering of Swordsmen, you would rank in the top three."

Mu Lin didn't understand. "Elder Bai, what do you mean?"

Elder Bai smiled. "In this world, the only one who can threaten you is Dong Wu. Everywhere else, you are undoubtedly number one!"

'Damn, so that's what he meant!'

'Elder Bai really knows how to lay on the praise,' Mu Lin thought.

"'Young friend, your talent is truly terrifying. When I first got the saber manual, it took me over a decade to develop a saber aura.'"

Seeing Mu Lin, Bai Zhenshan now knew that geniuses truly existed in this world.

Compared to Mu Lin, he was simply a joke, a huge joke.

Mu Lin waved his hand dismissively. "Elder Bai, please, stop pulling my leg. With my current saber aura, I might not even be able to fully execute the first slash of the Heartless Nine Sabers. How could I possibly manage all nine?"

Bai Zhenshan waved his hands frantically. "Please, stop! If you say another word, I won't even have the nerve to call myself a man of the saber. You'll make every Swordsman in the world die of shame!"

They fell into a bout of competitive modesty. 'This could go on all day,' Bai Zhenshan thought, realizing he had to change the subject.

"'Young friend, would you be willing to spar?' Bai Zhenshan asked seriously. 'Just a one-on-one exchange using our saber auras. Let me see your strength.'"

"'Alright.' Mu Lin's eyes lit up. Elder Bai was incredibly experienced; there would surely be something to learn from sparring with him."

"'Elder Bai, please use your full strength,' Mu Lin said. 'Don't be afraid of injuring me! I'm young, I can take it!'"

Elder Bai laughed heartily. "Don't be fooled by my frail appearance from before. I'm much stronger now. How about this: I'll use fifty percent of my power. If you can't even handle that, don't blame me!"

Of course, Mu Lin knew that the Elder Bai before him was stronger than he had ever been in the past.

He smiled. "Of course! Let's begin!"

They each stood in a corner of the training room, raised their long sabers, gathered their power for a moment, and then unleashed a slash at each other.