Chapter 346: The Sword Technique Prodigy

Chapter 346: The Sword Technique Prodigy

In the blink of an eye, Li Wu had been in Zone 11 for a week.

A week might not seem like a long time, but it was enough for Li Wu to gain a general understanding of the situation in Zone 11.

It had to be said that Zhang Yunyi's intelligence about Zone 11 was somewhat problematic.

Of course, this wasn't Zhang Yunyi trying to deceive him.

It was just that Zhang Yunyi's information was a bit one-sided.

According to Zhang Yunyi's intelligence, Zone 11 was in a state of chaos and post-feudalism.

This gave Li Wu the impression that causing trouble there wouldn't be an issue.

However, after a week of investigation, Li Wu realized that the situation in Zone 11 was not as simple as he had thought.

Indeed, Zone 11 was more chaotic than Zone 1, and it was in a post-feudal state.

But after more than a hundred years since the Great Cataclysm, the region had evolved, and despite the chaos and post-feudalism, a relatively stable structure had formed.

Behind every small town in Zone 11, there was a Summoner of value, and behind every Summoner family, there was a force known as the 'Ban' faction.

These forces fought against each other but also supported one another.

The entire Zone 11 was intricately woven together, forming a complex network.

If Li Wu wanted to blend in as an ordinary person, it wouldn't be a problem at all.

He was confident that even Zhang Yunyi wouldn't be able to find him if he didn't want to be found.

However, if he wanted to mingle as a Master-level powerhouse in Zone 11, he would stand out like a sore thumb.

Powerhouses of this caliber were well-known among the various factions, and their connections were clear.

They might even be related if one were to trace their origins.

Therefore, if Li Wu wanted to gain sufficient resources to enhance himself by mingling as a Master-level powerhouse in Zone 11, the difficulty would be immense.

After all, Zone 11 was only so big, and after more than a hundred years, most of the Mystic Realms worth discovering or excavating had already been explored.

Even those that weren't fully excavated were mostly controlled by others, making it challenging for Li Wu to infiltrate them.

Without access to the Mystic Realms, he couldn't harvest resources and, thus, couldn't advance his growth.

"In other words, Zone 11 is not suitable for me at all," Li Wu concluded with a hint of disappointment.

As Li Wu pondered this, feeling a bit down, a crisp voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Lord Zhengda, you're here? That's wonderful! I've finally found Lord Zhengda!"

Behind Li Wu, a girl wearing a kimono, clogs, and a long sword hanging at her waist approached, hopping and skipping.

This girl was named Sakura Hana, the youngest daughter of the lord of the small city where Li Wu was currently located.

Four days ago, in order to gather more intelligence about Zone 11, Li Wu had used the cliche method of saving a damsel in distress to get to know this girl.

However, Li Wu strongly suspected that his success in meeting this girl had little to do with his heroic rescue.

This girl was mainly attracted to his physique.

His plan to play the hero only got started, but after seeing him with a mask, the girl took the initiative.

Li Wu didn't have to exert much effort to obtain information about Zone 11 from this girl.

Although she was attracted to his physique, Sakura Hana proved to be quite competent as an informant.

As a result, Li Wu maintained a friendly attitude towards her.

He gently supported Sakura Hana as she hopped over, panting, and handed her a glass of water, "Sakura, slow down. Don't rush, I won't run away. Here, have a drink."

"Thank you, Lord Zhengda!"

Sakura Hana's face turned red as she accepted Li Wu's water glass, thinking that it was Lord Zhengda's cup. She drank a sip, feeling delighted and dizzy.

She pondered the fact that she had indirectly kissed Lord Zhengda and blushed, feeling heat rise to her head.

At that moment, Li Wu spoke casually.

"I haven't even drunk from this cup yet."

His words quickly cooled down Sakura and reminded her of the reason for her visit.

The heat that had subsided rose again, and she whispered, "Lord... Lord Zhengda, my father wants to see you!"

...

Li Wu wasn't overly surprised by Sakura Hana's request to meet him.

After all, since entering the small city, he had moved from the shadows into the light, interacted with the lord's daughter, and developed a close relationship with her. It was only natural for her father to take notice.

Li Wu had a rough idea of what the situation might be.

Most likely, if things went as expected, it would be a scene of a father trying to separate the young couple.

Despite the depressing background he had set for himself, Lu Wu couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement.

Bright Light, male, 24 years old, was originally a professional-level summoner, or what they called a 'Boss-level' summoner in Zone 11.

The reason he used the word 'originally' was because, in Lu Wu's setting, his summoned beast was a demon blade that had been damaged in battle, reducing him to a barely elite-level summoner.

On top of that, he was a commoner by birth and had half of his face disfigured in battle.

With such a pathetic character setup, Lu Wu felt that even in a feudal setting, no lord would want him, let alone in his past life.

A guy like this, getting cozy with someone's daughter, would surely get him a beating from her father.

However, Lu Wu didn't have any intention of showing off or defying expectations.

It was pointless; he was already preparing to leave, so why bother?

"Meeting the girl and getting beaten up as a farewell, now that's quite a unique parting gift," Lu Wu thought to himself.

Yes, Lu Wu was prepared to get beaten up.

But he forgot one thing—reality rarely followed his plans.

He was ready to throw out lines like, "Give me 500,000, and I'll leave your daughter immediately," or "The tides of fortune turn; don't underestimate a young man's potential."

Yet, reality didn't play by his script.

As soon as Lu Wu entered the lord's mansion, instead of interrogation or cold stares, he was greeted by a pair of warm hands and a pair of eager eyes.

"Bright Light, I entrust my daughter to you!"

Lu Wu was stunned.

His small head was filled with big question marks.

'What's going on? Is this old man's brain fried? Or did something go wrong?'

No, the one with the fried brain wasn't the old man named Sakura Hado in front of him; it was his own!

To be precise, it was the character setup he had given himself.

He thought he had made his setup miserable enough.

At 24 years old, he was only boss-level, and his summoned beast was gone. When he appeared to save Sakura Hana, his Battlefield Sword Technique was merely at the Mastery level.

He was a commoner, with half his face disfigured. In the eyes of someone like Lu Wu, who could reach the Master level in just two years, this guy was barely tolerable.

He felt that a summoner couldn't possibly be more pathetic than this.

But with the same setup, in front of Sakura Hado, this guy was a genius sent from heaven!

At 24 years old, he was already boss-level.

Although his summoned beast had died unexpectedly, his Mastery-level swordsmanship couldn't be faked.

A commoner with such strength and skill at this age was a rare talent.

Sakura Hado was particularly envious of such talent.

He had searched his entire faction but couldn't find a genius like this.

And now, such a genius had come knocking on his door. Wasn't this a gift from heaven?

Of course, Sakura Hado also realized that there was some intention behind Lu Wu's encounter with his daughter.

But that was fine; he could understand. After losing his summoned beast, a commoner genius like Lu Wu would surely struggle to get by.

Approaching Sakura Hana intentionally was likely for his own future, and that was completely understandable.

If he were in Lu Wu's shoes, he would have made the same choice.

In a world where men used all sorts of methods to grow, not using any was the real waste!

What impressed Sakura Hado even more was that Lu Wu had never tried to hide this intention over the past few days, and this behavior had earned him the utmost goodwill.

So, after merely observing for four days, he decided to meet Lu Wu.

A talented, resourceful, and honest young man like his name, Bright Light, was someone Sakura Hado didn't want to miss.

"Bright Light, I understand your purpose, and I will fulfill it!

Rest assured, I will use all my influence to obtain the most suitable sacred artifact. With my help, you will surely return to the peak and even surpass it."

Sakura Hado began by directly offering his promise.

It was a combination of genuine excitement and his 'understanding' of Lu Wu.

Bright Light, even if he had used some methods, wouldn't hide it. The best approach for someone like him was sincerity.

Sakura Hado believed that his sincerity would surely touch Bright Light's heart.

As for Lu Wu, he didn't know about sincerity, but he was sure that the old man's brain had some issues! However, regardless of the old man's mental state, Lu Wu's first impression of him was still quite positive.

The old man was incredibly thoughtful and considerate during their conversation, never bringing up topics that might make Lu Wu uncomfortable. Even if he accidentally touched on something sensitive, he deftly steered the conversation elsewhere.

Overall, the first impression the old man gave Lu Wu was that of a kind and benevolent father-in-in-law who wanted to give his daughter and family fortune to Lu Wu, or perhaps he was just a bit eccentric, or a cunning old fox.

This trip to the City Lord's Mansion successfully resulted in Lu Wu staying there.

Although Lu Wu was initially reluctant, when the old man brought out a box of swordsmanship manuals, Lu Wu happily decided to stay.

...

Late at night, in Zone 11, within the City Lord's Mansion of the Sakura Clan.

Lu Wu had a hard time getting rid of the maid who was supposed to attend him, and he lay on the bed, staring blankly.

"What should I do now? It seems like the old man really wants to keep me here.

His words and actions imply that he not only wants to be my father-in-law but also my father."

Sakura Hado had mentioned the idea of marrying into the family during the meal, but when he saw Lu Wu's dissatisfaction, he didn't bring it up again. Still, his intentions were clear.

"Forget it, it's impossible to stay here anyway. Once I've thoroughly studied these dozens of swordsmanship manuals, I'll pack up and leave."

With this thought in mind, Lu Wu once again entered his intense study mode.

He spent the entire night going through the dozen or so swordsmanship manuals that Sakura Hado had given him.

The old man had provided 14 manuals, 12 of which were at the Mystic Realm level, similar to the Battlefield Sword Technique. The remaining two were specifically collected by the old man for Lu Wu in recent days, and their level was comparable to the Slaughter Sword Technique.

It was evident that the old man had put in a lot of effort to obtain these manuals for Lu Wu.

Lu Wu finished reading all 14 swordsmanship manuals around 5 a.m.

After a sleepless night, Lu Wu immediately got up to practice his sword skills.

On the other side of the City Lord's Mansion, Sakura Hado also spent the night awake.

While Lu Wu was hard at work, Sakura Hado was excited.

The Sakura Clan had once produced Archmages in their heyday, but since the death of his grandfather, each generation had been weaker than the last.

By the time it got to Sakura Hado, the clan's strength had dwindled to barely Lord-level. His children's talents were so poor that he often worried that the Sakura Clan might not survive.

Now, with Lu Wu, he felt there was hope for the Sakura Clan.

Even if Lu Wu didn't marry into the family, his son could still be considered.

Of course, this was all contingent on Lu Wu's ability to rise to the occasion. If he couldn't, it would all be for nothing.

As the old man was deep in thought, one of his maids came to inform him that Lu Wu had gotten up to practice his sword.

Hearing this, the old man quickly got up to go and see for himself, eager to assess Lu Wu's talent.

Lu Wu's talent would determine the old man's plans for him.

Soon, the old man quietly made his way to the attic near Lu Wu's courtyard. When he arrived, Lu Wu was already practicing, and the old man immediately recognized one of the swordsmanship manuals he had given Lu Wu earlier that day.

As he watched, the old man became perplexed.

"Strange, has Bright Lord practiced this set of sword techniques before? Why does he seem so proficient?"

While the old man was puzzled, Lu Wu practiced the set of sword techniques again.

On the second repetition, the old man's mouth hung open in surprise.

He clearly noticed that Lu Wu's second attempt was significantly better than the first, showing rapid improvement!

But it didn't end there. Lu Wu continued with the third, fourth, and fifth repetitions...

The old man watched intently as Lu Wu practiced the set of sword techniques ten times, witnessing his proficiency improve from beginner to master.

And this was just the beginning.

After finishing the first set, Lu Wu moved on to the second.

Again, he practiced ten times, improving from beginner to master in just one set! He then proceeded to the third, fourth, and fifth sets...

Sakura Hado's mouth, initially slightly open, gradually widened, and the emotions in his eyes shifted from skepticism to bewilderment and then to intense fervor.

At this moment, he finally confirmed Lu Wu's extraordinary talent.

This wasn't just a genius; this was a prodigy!

At that moment, Sakura Hado made a decision.

"I must nurture him with all my might, even if it means spending my entire fortune. The honor of the Sakura Clan now rests on Bright Lord's shoulders!"

...

After a week of slacking off, tomorrow marks the beginning of a renewed dedication to hard work and regular updates!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end