Chapter 53: Chapter 53: Ten Moves

“Try them out, see if they feel right. If you don’t like one, swap it for another,”

Guo Wei said.

“Yes, sir!”

Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu nodded in unison and began practicing their Saber Technique off to the side.

“Hahaha, Master Guo, these two disciples of yours have great spirit. They’re sure to become something great in the future.”

Boss Zhuang laughed, inviting Guo Wei into the guest hall and ordering his men to serve tea.

Meanwhile, Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu were in the courtyard, engrossed in testing the weapons one by one.

Whether a weapon felt right or not mainly depended on its weight and the smoothness of its lines. This was especially true for a long saber; the blade could be neither too soft nor too hard. It had to feel natural and effortless when chopping, and a single clean slash should feel like it could cut through iron as if it were mud.

Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu both used long sabers to practice on the wooden posts and large bundles of bamboo in the courtyard. These were targets the smithy used to test the sharpness of its blades. If a blade was damaged, the smithy would reforge it themselves, so there were no business disputes.

They both knew that cutting through the bamboo and wooden posts wasn’t difficult. The key was whether they felt that sense of nimbleness during the strike.

For the same amount of force applied, the more effort a strike took, the poorer the weapon’s quality.

This was something Guo Wei had taught them on the way over.

Of course, Guo Wei had taught them more than just that. He had also shared various tricks for inspecting weapons and had stressed that a weapon’s killing power offered no particular advantage in the examination. The most important thing was how it felt in their hands. Only a suitable weapon would allow them to unleash their full potential.

“This one won’t do.”

Chu Lingguang shook his head.

Although the saber in his hand made clean, smooth cuts, it didn’t feel right to wield. It would take a long time to get used to it.

He swapped it for another saber.

Hei Hu did the same, returning the awkward saber to the Soldier Landing Platform and marking the ones that felt promising.

An hour later, both Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu had found suitable long sabers. They then turned their attention to the Long Spears. Selecting a Long Spear was a more demanding process than choosing a long saber.

With a long saber, as long as the weight wasn’t drastically different, being a little heavier or lighter didn’t matter much.

A Long Spear, however, was different. If it was too light, it lacked presence and power when brandished. If it was too heavy, it would quickly drain one’s Qi Blood. The weight had to be just right, ideally proportional to one’s own Qi Blood.

It also had to be both strong and flexible, not easily broken. In a fight, it should move like a nimble silver serpent. When striking, it should be like a giant axe splitting the heavens. It needed to be capable of sweeping through a thousand soldiers and withstanding a torrent.

Of course, these were extremely demanding requirements. It was difficult to find such a perfectly suited weapon in an ordinary smithy.

Chu Lingguang didn’t harbor such hopes either.

He had already achieved Spear Form, and his Qi Blood Power was constantly changing. He could choose a slightly heavier Long Spear, so that by the time of the examination, its weight would be perfectly proportioned to his Qi Blood, allowing him to exert his full power.

Therefore, he focused on screening the spears for their flexibility.

A perfectly suited weapon was not easy to find.

Boss Zhuang had lunch prepared for the three of them. After they finished eating, Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu were still selecting their weapons, while Guo Wei dozed off in the guest room for an hour.

When he awoke, Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu had already found a suitable saber, spear, and staff. Hei Hu had also picked out a Great Bow.

Since Chu Lingguang already had the longbow gifted to him by Big Saber Hong, he could save Guo Wei the expense of one weapon.

“All picked out?”

Guo Wei asked.

“Yes, we’re done.”

Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu both nodded.

“Boss Zhuang, what do you think is a fair price for these weapons?”

Guo Wei called Boss Zhuang over.

Boss Zhuang had been waiting for some time.

He carefully examined each weapon Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu had chosen, then held up three fingers.

“Thirty taels?”

Hei Hu exclaimed in shock.

“Three hundred taels.”

Boss Zhuang corrected him.

Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu both felt their breath catch in their throats.

The weapons in their hands suddenly felt scorching hot. They looked at Guo Wei with embarrassment.

Guo Wei, however, remained calm. This wasn’t his first time buying weapons from Boss Zhuang; he knew the prices.

The weapons Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu had selected were all forged through countless hammer blows, and with Boss Zhuang’s craftsmanship, Guo Wei found a price of three hundred taels for that many weapons acceptable.

But when it came to business, haggling was inevitable.

Guo Wei said, “My disciples will be taking these weapons to the examination grounds for the competition. With their Martial Arts and talent, forget becoming a Martial Scholar, they could at least return as a Martial Arts Scholar. In the future, when they carry weapons from your shop, whether they’re roaming the Jianghu or fighting on the battlefield, they will bring honor to your Zhuang Family. I believe that honor should be worth quite a bit.”

“Hahaha, I understand what you mean, Master Guo. Tie Zhennan said the same thing before. How about this! Master Guo, have your disciples show me a thing or two, just like Tie Zhennan’s disciples did. If they can satisfy me, I’ll give you these weapons for half price. Consider it a favor between us.”

Boss Zhuang, clearly prepared for this, replied unhurriedly.

“Fine. Hei Hu, Lin Guang, demonstrate your Saber Technique and Spear Technique for Boss Zhuang.”

Guo Wei thought that was acceptable.

“Hold on. Master Guo, you wouldn’t mind if I tested them myself, would you?”

Boss Zhuang said with a smile.

As the owner of a smithy who dealt with weapons year-round, how could he not know some Kung Fu? He casually took down a long saber and grinned.

“Everyone knows the reputation of your Tieda Manor. My two disciples are quite precious.”

Guo Wei shook his head.

He clearly acknowledged Boss Zhuang’s strength.

“Don’t worry, Master Guo. As long as they can last ten rounds against me, just like Tie Zhennan’s disciples, I’ll consider it their win.”

Boss Zhuang chuckled.

Guo Wei gave a wry smile. He knew Boss Zhuang kept mentioning Tie Zhennan because he was afraid Guo Wei wouldn’t agree. So he said, “If you insist, Boss Zhuang, then please, go easy on them.”

“You two, learn what you can from Boss Zhuang.”

After speaking, Guo Wei added a few words of instruction to Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu.

“Yes, sir!”

Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu nodded in unison.

“Senior Zhuang, please guide me!”

Hei Hu was the first to step forward.

His Martial Arts had improved greatly recently, and he had been eager to prove himself. This was the perfect opportunity.

He unslung his longbow, set aside his staff and Iron Spear, and prepared to face Boss Zhuang with his Saber Technique against the other’s.

“Please.”

Boss Zhuang cupped his fists in a salute.

“Here I come!”

Hei Hu struck with blinding speed. He had already mastered the Sword Sound, and he unleashed his full power from the very first move, intending to overwhelm Boss Zhuang with the Twelve Iron Mountain Saber Techniques.

He clearly remembered that he only needed to last ten rounds against Boss Zhuang to win. If he could execute all Twelve Knife Skills, that would count as twelve rounds.

And having practiced the Iron Mountain Saber Technique for so long, he refused to believe he couldn’t last ten moves.

“Good Saber Technique.”

Boss Zhuang said with appreciation. He didn’t clash head-on with Hei Hu at first, instead using yielding techniques to maneuver around him. When Hei Hu’s eighth strike was clearly less fierce than before, Guo Wei sighed inwardly.

With a single move, Silver Fox Look Back, Boss Zhuang knocked the long saber from Hei Hu’s hand and laid the edge of his own blade against Hei Hu’s neck.

Hei Hu froze. He had lasted less than eight rounds in total.

Chu Lingguang was amazed. ’Boss Zhuang’s Saber Technique has a unique quality to it. Once he finds an opening, it’s impossible to defend against. If I showed an opening, I admit I couldn’t block that Silver Fox Look Back either.’

It looked like he would have to choose his Spear Technique.

’I wonder if I can last ten rounds against Boss Zhuang with my Spear Form?’

(Pleading for a wave of one-yuan tips! If I get more than ten, I’ll release an extra Chapter!)

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep