Chapter 3

“Forget it, I’ll continue the simulation first.”

Han Zhao didn’t pursue the matter any further, because he would know once he gave it a try.

“System, synthesize the Trait ‘Life Simulation’.”

[Synthesized once. Consumed 15 Notification Fragments and 2 taels of gold. You will definitely obtain a one-time Basic Trait, Life Simulation. The probability of obtaining a White Trait will increase by 1%.]

“What’s going on? Why did the price increase? And this is…”

Han Zhao noticed that there were a few more lines of words behind the system panel.

[If you want to become stronger, you have to spend money!]

[The price of synthesis will increase as one’s realm increases. The more money you spend, the higher the probability of obtaining a high-level Trait.]

[There’s a chance for a high-level Trait to appear after ten consecutive syntheses.]

“Good lord, how much spending must I do?!”

Looking at the notification in front of him, Han Zhao could not hold it in anymore.

“Yes.”

[Obtained one-time Basic Trait ‘Life Simulation’. Do you want to start the simulation?]

According to the previous simulation, he did not have a system in the simulation and could not exploit any bugs.

The Overlord Fist Academy was ranked first among the many martial arts schools in Blackrock City.

If his aptitude was so poor, he would have to choose a martial art with a lower difficulty.

Thinking of this, Han Zhao began the simulation.

[16 years old. Your father died. The Fuyuan Escort Agency suffered heavy losses and moved out of Blackrock City. Your Life Nurturing Technique reached the Small Mastery of the First Level.]

[You went to the Mountain Shaking Fist Academy and used the Thousand Silk Guide cultivation method as your tuition fee to become an apprentice at the martial arts school.]

[Five months later, you reached the Skin Tempering Realm and were at the lower level among all the apprentices.]

[23 years old. You relied on the Mountain Shaking Fist to break through to the Bone Tempering Realm and reached the Perfection of the First Level of the Life Nurturing Technique. You chose to join the Heavenly Moon Gang and the Edge Sharpening Manor. They paid you 15 taels of silver a year as their nominal member. You were obliged to make a move for them each year.]

[24 years old. You felt that your cultivation speed was getting slower and slower. Your need for resources increased rapidly.]

[In order to earn more money, you helped the Heavenly Moon Gang snatch territory and earned a lot of money.]

[In one battle, you were blinded by a martial artist in the Bone Tempering Realm who threw lime powder and ambushed you. You were also shot by a poisoned sleeve arrow and finally stabbed to death.]

Good lord, lime powder, hidden arrows, poison, sneak attacks.

They didn’t care about morals.

This is the role model of our generation!

Han Zhao looked at the information in the simulation and felt that he was a little eager for quick success this time.

However, in the previous simulation, he had barely broken through to the Bone Tempering Realm at the age of 25. His potential had been exhausted, and he had barely mastered the first level of the Life Nurturing Technique.

This time, he had broken through to the Bone Tempering Realm at the age of 23, which was two years ahead of schedule.

Clearly, other than the Mountain Shaking Fist being slightly easier, the true qi of the Life Nurturing Technique had also played a considerable role.

From the looks of it, if he had attribute points, he could prioritize adding points to the Life Nurturing Technique and increase the cultivation speed of the external cultivation method faster.

[The simulation is over. You can choose one of the following.]

[1: Obtain Trait (Selectable)]

[2: Obtained attribute points]

[3: Obtain any part of the life experience.]

[Current Balance: 1 tael of gold]

“Huh? I can choose a Trait now?”

At this moment, Han Zhao realized that [Option 1], which he could not choose previously, was no longer in a gray state. It was displayed as selectable.

How should he choose?

In the long run, improving his aptitude and foundation could increase his cultivation speed.

In his previous life, when he bought the cheat, the Traits he got were all very abnormal. Even the White Traits had many good ones. He didn’t believe that he would be unlucky.

‘I’ll take my chances!’

Han Zhao decided to choose a Trait.

“Phew!” He took a deep breath, put his palms together, and looked at the sky devoutly. He muttered to himself, “My cheap father, bless me! I’ll immediately set up a memorial tablet for you and burn paper money for you. I’ll borrow your lifespan of 100 years in your next life in exchange for a good Trait. Thank you! If there’s a chance, I’ll return ten times your lifespan!”

After praying, Han Zhao looked at the system interface and muttered, “I choose one.”

[Obtained Trait: ‘Sword and Saber Duo’]

[Sword and Saber Duo]: White Trait, Saber Dao and Sword Dao aptitude increased by three times (Can be upgraded to Green Trait through cultivation, the upper limit is Blue Trait)

“It really works?!”

Han Zhao was taken aback. He quickly looked up into the sky and cupped his fists. “You really are my father. I’ll have to rely on you next time.”

[Rather than relying on luck, it’s better to spend money to unlock more Traits.]

“You want money, don’t you?” The notification in the corner of the interface made Han Zhao feel powerless to complain.

However, he immediately began to worry again. Was it better to learn sword techniques or saber techniques?

The saber was domineering.

The sword was mighty.

“In chaotic times, one should rely on dominance.”

After thinking for a moment, Han Zhao followed his inner thoughts and made a decision.

“Learn the saber!”

“Then I’ll make money with a saber.”

Han Zhao went out to inquire about the situation.

There was no need to go to various martial arts schools for this kind of thing. He just needed to find a storyteller in a teahouse. The interesting stories in the various martial arts schools in Blackrock City were ready-made materials for the storyteller.

Han Zhao headed north and arrived at the riverside district.

There were more than ten districts in Blackrock City, and each of them was equivalent to a small village. They had basic living facilities.

The district was adjacent to the inner city. There was a small restaurant inside, and there were storytellers in the hall on the first floor.

After paying ten copper coins for a pot of tea, he could listen to it for a day.

By the time Han Zhao arrived at the teahouse, it was still early, so there were very few customers in the hall on the first floor.

A white-haired old man was drinking tea behind a wooden table against the wall. He was wearing a green scholar’s robe and holding a folding fan in his hand. In front of him was a stack of paper filled with small words. He was the storyteller.

Han Zhao walked towards him.

The white-haired old man saw a tall and handsome young man walking towards him. He put down the teapot, stood up, and cupped his hands. “Young Master, if you want to listen, please sit for a moment. It’s not time yet.”

Han Zhao smiled and cupped his fists at the old man. “Greetings, old mister. I am Han Zhao, and I am indeed here to hear some stories. However, I also wish to inquire about some things from you.”

“My surname is Zheng. Others call me Elder Zheng,” the white-haired old man said. Noticing that Han Zhaoxing was doing the martial arts greeting, he asked again, “Young Master, do you want to learn martial arts? Is that why you’re asking about the martial arts school?”

Han Zhao smiled and said, “That’s right, Elder Zheng. I want to learn saber techniques. I wonder which martial arts school will teach me saber techniques.”

“Young Master, you’ve asked the right person. Blackrock City is neither big nor small. If you ask every martial arts school, you’ll probably have to ask until tomorrow.” Upon hearing Han Zhao’s address, Elder Zheng revealed a smile, but his gaze still glanced at the wooden tray beside him.

Seeing this, Han Zhao took out ten copper coins and placed them on the tray.

“Waiter, serve the tea!”

Elder Zheng shouted at the waiter beside him.

“Guest, please take a seat. The tea will be here soon!” The waiter quickly came to the square table closest to Elder Zheng. He wiped the already clean seat and table with a cloth draped over his shoulder and gestured for Han Zhao to sit first.

“Yes.” Han Zhao nodded and dragged the bench to Elder Zheng’s wooden table. “Elder Zheng, please speak.”

Elder Zheng twirled his beard, opened his fan, and fanned himself twice.

The cold wind blew against his face. He shivered and put away his fan. Then, he said unhurriedly, “If Young Master wants to learn weaponry, you should first approach the Overlord Fist Academy. Although this martial arts school teaches fist techniques, as long as you pay enough money, you can learn the famous spear technique of Overlord Spear, Zhao Mo. This Zhao Mo is…”

“Elder Zheng! Elder Zheng! Please talk about the martial arts school that teaches saber techniques first, then talk about the other martial arts schools.” Han Zhao hurriedly interrupted Elder Zheng. If he continued, he would probably not have time to talk about serious matters when there were more people.

“Alright.” Elder Zheng saw Han Zhao’s serious expression and returned to the main topic.

“Speaking of saber techniques, it’s naturally the Flying Cloud Academy. This Flying Cloud Saber, Wei Kang, is one of the top five Force Tempering Martial Masters in the city. He’s very strong. However…”

Elder Zheng suddenly lowered his voice.

“The Flying Cloud Saber is famous for being difficult to practice. Moreover, Wei Kang loves money, so the fee is very expensive. The tuition fee is four taels of silver a month. You have to pay for a year. If you don’t learn it halfway, the tuition fee won’t be refunded.”

Elder Zheng saw that Han Zhao had an extraordinary bearing and was not an ordinary person. However, his clothes were not luxurious. Clearly, he was not from a big family in the inner city, so he might not be able to afford the Flying Cloud Saber, so he reminded him kindly.

“I can’t afford to practice this Flying Cloud Saber,” Han Zhao said frankly.

The tuition fee alone was so expensive that he could not afford it.

Buying a decent saber cost at least seven to eight taels of silver, which was equivalent to the price of a horse. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be a saying that weapons were passed down from generation to generation.

The reason why the martial arts school was so profitable was that these Martial Masters had cultivation techniques that could allow them to grasp Internal Force and were willing to nurture talents for the various large factions in the city.

Even if a large family clan had a cultivation method of the same level, they would not give it to all their disciples to cultivate.

Furthermore, everyone’s foundation and comprehension were different, and the martial arts they were suitable to learn were also different.

The Thousand Silk Guide could only be cultivated to the Blood Tempering Realm, and it was not something that those factions with Martial Masters would take seriously. It probably could not be sold for much money.

If he offered the Thousand Silk Guide to a greedy person, it was very likely that the price would be greatly reduced.

Elder Zheng continued, “The rest is the Mountain Shaking Fist Academy. The Martial Master of this martial arts school is Lu Yi, the Mountain Splitting Saber. He was also one of the top experts in Blackrock City more than 20 years ago.”

Unfortunately, Lu Yi was old now. In addition, among the apprentices he had taught over the years, those who could break through to the Blood Tempering Realm were all practicing the Mountain Shaking Fist.

The strongest person who learned the Mountain Splitting Saber Technique was only in the Bone Tempering Realm. Therefore, the reputation of the Mountain Splitting Saber Technique was not as good as before, and not many people learned it.

“However, Lu Yi’s reputation is very good. The tuition fee for the Mountain Shaking Fist is one tael a month, and the Mountain Splitting Saber is three taels a month. It’s paid every three months. If you don’t learn it halfway, the tuition fees will be refunded according to the remaining time.”

“That’s it!” Han Zhao’s eyes lit up.

It was very important to have a good reputation. Just the fact that he did not refund the tuition fees halfway through showed that Lu Yi was a particular person.

Moreover, in the second simulation, he also learned the Mountain Shaking Fist. It seemed that it was fate.

After getting the answer he wanted, Han Zhao was not in a hurry to leave. He could not waste ten copper coins.

Due to his poor aptitude and the fact that he studied behind closed doors all day, his personality was relatively introverted. He only learned a portion of the information about the factions in the city from Han Lin.

Now that he heard Elder Zheng talk about the strange things in Blackrock City, he could deepen his understanding of the various martial arts schools and families in the city.

Although many things sounded exaggerated, they gave him a lot of useful information.

Just like that, Han Zhao stayed until the hall was filled with guests and noises.