Chapter 80: The Old House

Chapter 80: The Old House

No sooner had Chen Shouyi taken a seat than a salesperson approached and asked, "Would you like tea, coffee, or another beverage?"

"Just a glass of plain water, thank you!"

"You're welcome!" The saleswoman smiled and quickly brought him the water.

Leaning back on the sofa, he took a sip from the cup while surveying the surroundings, inwardly marveling at how different it was to take the Martial Apprentice Examination. Back when he was testing for the apprentice certification, there had been no such preferential treatment—just an early morning queue for registration.

Now, he didn’t even have to lift a finger. It was full VIP service.

After about three minutes, the same staff member from earlier hurried over. "Hello, the paperwork is complete. Your Physical Fitness Test is scheduled for tomorrow at 10 a.m., also held here. Will that be alright? If tomorrow doesn’t work, the next available slot is in half a month."

"No problem!" Chen Shouyi nodded.

Unlike the apprentice exam, the Martial Apprentice Examination was divided into two parts. The first was the Physical Fitness Test, which assessed whether the candidate’s physical attributes met the required standards. Upon passing, the candidate would proceed to the Combat Test, which usually involved entering a spatial gateway to complete specific tasks. Performance in these tasks would determine the final evaluation.

After collecting his ID Card and apprentice certificate, he stepped out of the building.

The sunlight overhead was glaring, refracting into a prismatic halo through his eyelashes. Watching the bustling crowd on the street, Chen Shouyi paused for a moment before walking into a cold weapons store near the Martial Arts Assessment Center.

He ignored the real blades gleaming ominously under the display lights and instead headed straight for the wooden practice swords arranged on a shelf near the entrance, carefully examining each one.

He tested the weight of each, and before long, he found one that felt just right.

"How much for this practice sword?"

"This is made from hardwood from the Otherworld. It’s dense and heavy, comparable to steel, so the price is a bit higher," a salesperson explained.

"How much?"

"Twelve hundred!"

After paying, Chen Shouyi left the store.

Running his fingers over the rough texture of the hilt, he wandered aimlessly down the street before realizing he had nowhere to practice.

The city was too noisy, too crowded—there wasn’t a single quiet spot where he could train undisturbed.

And the hotel room was far too small. If he practiced at full strength, with his sword speed capable of breaking the sound barrier, forget about disturbing the neighbors—the compensation he’d have to pay afterward would be astronomical.

Not that he was nervous about tomorrow’s test. There was no reason to be.

His current Strength and Agility had both reached 13.3.

If Strength were roughly quantified, he could already lift 380 kg, far exceeding the Martial Apprentice standard of 300 kg.

As for Agility—a far more challenging attribute for martial artists to improve—his gains were even greater. Comparing his reaction speed to that of the Black-suited Man he had recently killed, the latter had been about 30% faster at the time. Now, the gap had narrowed to nearly 40%.

Considering that the Black-suited Man had already been a martial artist, his Agility must have exceeded the standard threshold, meaning Chen Shouyi’s current reaction speed was likely about 50% faster than the Martial Apprentice baseline.

That was a full point higher.

And reaction speed was the single most critical attribute in determining combat prowess.

In a life-and-death battle, when the difference in reaction speed reaches as much as fifty percent, no matter how rich the opponent's combat experience is or how refined and effortless their muscle control may be, a single encounter is all it takes to instantly kill them before they even react. His actual combat strength had long since far surpassed that of those novice martial artists.

...

He wanted to practice swordsmanship—simply, purely practice swordsmanship.

Ever since losing the spatial gateway, he had been hiding and evading, spending each day holding a sword in his bedroom, meticulously refining the exertion of his muscles, engraving every method of force application into his muscles bit by bit until they became instinct.

Of course, this slow and steady approach had yielded decent results—for instance, his swordsmanship had improved by three points in a short time.

But just as brewing medicine requires a balance of gentle and fierce heat, swordsmanship training also demands a combination of stillness and motion.

All this refinement was for the sake of a single explosive moment.

...

After searching for a long time, he finally found a place where he could practice swordsmanship—an old house tucked away in a narrow alley.

The house looked quite aged, its marble walls overgrown with ivy, and the rusted iron gate at the entrance was secured with several equally rusted locks.

Peering through the gaps in the gate, he could see the courtyard overgrown with weeds, the main door reduced to rotten planks—clearly, no one had lived here for a long time.

What puzzled Chen Shouyi, however, was how a three-story building in such a bustling area could be left abandoned like this. With just a bit of renovation, renting it out would bring in a considerable income.

But that wasn’t his concern.

This place was perfect for him to practice swordsmanship.

Seizing the moment when no one was around, he leaped lightly over the wall.

A rockery covered in tall grass, a dried-up pond, and several animal sculptures coated in moss—these details suggested the former owner had been a wealthy family. Even now, this house would still be worth a fortune.

He placed his briefcase in a corner, first running through a set of the Thirty-Six Body Refining Techniques to warm up his body, then immediately began practicing swordsmanship.

He closed his eyes, envisioning the black-suited man as his imaginary opponent.

With a casual motion, he executed a high-speed thrusting sword, then took a light step forward, instantly covering four or five meters before delivering a horizontal slash.

No.

Too weak.

He needed to strengthen the black-suited man’s power.

...

A fierce wind began to swirl around him as a figure darted swiftly through the gusts, occasionally unleashing a sonic boom with a thrust or flashing a streak of sword light. The nearby weeds were flattened, dust swirling in the air.

A drooping branch swayed precariously—only to be stripped bare in the next instant as the sword light swept past, the leaves shredded by the violent wind.

Thud thud thud.

"Anyone in there?"

About ten minutes later, Chen Shouyi suddenly heard the voice of an elderly woman.

He stopped immediately.

"Elderly Woman, what’s the matter?" Chen Shouyi walked to the entrance.

The old woman was very advanced in years, her face deeply wrinkled and her gaze somewhat cloudy. She stared fixedly at Chen Shouyi, her voice hoarse as she said, "What are you doing in there, young man? Have you got a death wish?"

"Elderly Woman, what’s wrong? I thought this place was quiet, so I came here to practice swordsmanship. Is it off-limits?"

"This place is haunted! Over the years, who knows how many people have died here, and yet you still come? Do you not value your life?"

"Elderly Woman, it's fine, I'm not afraid of ghosts," Chen Shouyi said with a smile. He suddenly understood—no wonder this place always felt a bit chilly, carrying an eerie and sinister atmosphere.