It wasn't long before his respectable-looking practice fell apart completely. In the end, Chu Mu was leaning against a courtyard wall, his Long Saber set aside, panting heavily.
"No wonder this saber is rusted so badly!"
Gazing at the Long Saber before him, Chu Mu suddenly let out a laugh. The saber weighed several pounds. Swinging it once or twice was manageable, but truly practicing with it was no easy feat, to say nothing of keeping it up long-term.
In the original owner's memories, his father had only practiced frequently for the first two years or so after joining the Inspection Department. After that, he seemed to have become a jaded workplace veteran.
Perhaps he felt there was no opportunity to use his hard-practiced skills, or maybe he just went with the flow. This saber had become something of a "peaceful blade," rarely seeing the light of day. Being covered in rust was its normal state.
Shaking his head, Chu Mu didn't dwell on it. With a silent thought, the Light Curtain Panel appeared in his vision once again.
[Name: Chu Mu.]
[Skill:
Basic Blade Technique (Beginner's Practice) 15/100]
[Spiritual Radiance Value: 100.5%]
Seeing this change, Chu Mu's eyebrow twitched, unable to hide his astonishment. After all, his practice session just now had been little better than child's play. The only difference was the boost from the original owner's memories!
'Memories?'
As this thought occurred to him, Chu Mu froze. He glanced down at the Long Saber, then lifted it and swung it a few times. After carefully sensing the movements, he suddenly understood.
He, Chu Mu, had no foundation in this, but the original owner had practiced extensively with his father. Whether it was memories or the body's instincts, they must have naturally integrated with him during his practice just now.
'In that case, I suppose I do have some foundation in Sword Technique. It's not so strange for it to appear on the Light Curtain Panel this quickly.'
With his question answered, Chu Mu's gaze fixed on the "Spiritual Radiance Value." The number, exceeding 100%, made it clear that its accumulation wasn't capped at that limit.
Normally, Chu Mu would have mulled this over. But now, as he looked at the Sword Technique Skill that had appeared and the small plus sign still flashing after "Spiritual Radiance Value," his brow furrowed again.
'Logically, if "Spiritual Radiance Value" is like skill points, shouldn't the plus sign for adding points be next to the Skill? But the flashing "+" is still next to the "Spiritual Radiance Value".'
'How am I supposed to assign points, then?'
'Or maybe the "Spiritual Radiance Value" isn't for assigning points at all?'
After a moment of deliberation, Chu Mu came to a decision. No amount of speculation could replace an actual experiment.
With his decision made, Chu Mu focused his will, and the plus sign after "Spiritual Radiance Value" suddenly stopped flashing.
In that instant, Chu Mu, who had been staring intently at the Light Curtain Panel, felt his body jolt. An expression of utter disbelief spread across his face.
It took a long moment for Chu Mu to snap out of his shock. Though the astonishment remained, an indescribable look of joy began to surface.
"Yes!"
Seemingly unable to contain his excitement, Chu Mu let out a loud laugh. His eyes shone with an unprecedented light as he snatched up the nearby Long Saber and stepped forward. Once again, respectable Sword Forms filled the courtyard.
If his earlier practice of the Sword Technique could only be described as clumsy imitation, then this time, while still an imitation, it was one that had entered the fast lane. His growth was visible to the naked eye.
Before long, his fumbling awkwardness had largely faded. His movements and the arc of his swinging blade now possessed a visible nimbleness, even a hint of ferocity.
And Chu Mu, the source of this newfound nimbleness and ferocity, was also clearly different from his usual self.
His eyes were bright and deep, fixed in an indescribable state of intense concentration, as if nothing else existed in the world but the blade in his hands.
Hack, slash, parry, thrust...
The ordinary, basic Sword Forms flowed from Chu Mu's hands, one after another. As time went on, the once cumbersome Long Saber began to feel as light as a feather.
At some point, with a sharp CLANG, the cold glint of the blade dancing in the moonlight came to a sudden stop.
The Long Saber fell to the ground, and Chu Mu collapsed along with it. Drenched in sweat and gasping for breath, he was completely overwhelmed by the crushing fatigue of total exhaustion.
"Haaaah..."
He gasped for air, his body and mind filled with a profound soreness and exhaustion. But even that couldn't conceal the joy he felt.
'Today, I, Chu Mu, finally understand what it means to part the clouds and see the sky!'
A mere mortal's intellect, suddenly graced by a wisp of Spiritual Radiance... His thoughts, logic, memory—everything related to his mind had received a Spiritual Radiance Blessing, allowing it to blossom without restraint.
To put it simply, it was similar to the "study mode" of protagonists in the academic ace novels he'd read in his past life. A state of extreme focus and diligence, where his intellectual Spiritual Light flared, turning yesterday's insurmountable obstacles into today's smooth paths.
'That feeling... was exhilarating!'
'If I'd had this power in my past life,' Chu Mu mused, 'I would've been the protagonist of one of those academic ace stories for sure. With the Spiritual Radiance Blessing, I bet I could've even scaled the peaks of science.'
As his thoughts drifted, something occurred to him and his eyebrow twitched. The path to becoming an academic titan and conquering the peaks of science was closed to him, but here he was, in an ancient era where the imperial examinations were a very real thing.
'This ancient society is all about two paths: civil and martial. With this Spiritual Radiance Blessing, maybe I can walk the path of an ancient scholar?'
'An academic ace in ancient times?'
Chu Mu's expression grew odd. 'Something about this picture feels... off.'
He quickly pushed these stray thoughts aside. In any case, for a mediocre person like him, this miracle was already a blessing from the heavens.
"Huuuuuuh..."
Chu Mu let out a long breath, as if expelling all the uncertainty and anxiety he had felt over the past few days as a newcomer to this world.
With this miracle, even if the future was still murky and uncertain, he finally had a bit more confidence and a lot less dread. The future was now something to look forward to!
The moonlight remained bright and hazy. After collapsing and resting for a long time, the figure finally, slowly, climbed back to his feet.
The intellectual leap granted by the Spiritual Radiance Blessing was simply intoxicating, almost maddeningly so.
In that frenzied state, he had completely ignored everything else.
And now, the consequences were making themselves known.
Every inch of his body ached. When he tried to stand, he trembled uncontrollably. He didn't even have the strength to pick up the Long Saber. He staggered as he tried to walk, and after only a few steps, fell flat on his back.
The distance from the courtyard to his bedroom was only a few dozen steps, yet it took Chu Mu several minutes of stumbling to cross it.
'I probably can't report for duty tomorrow.'
Collapsing onto his bed, Chu Mu shook his head with a wry smile.
The Inspection Department had allowed him to delay reporting for duty because of the funeral, but an "iron rice bowl" was an enviable position. Chu Mu had planned to start as soon as possible, to get that secure job firmly in his grasp and put the matter to rest.
But now that he'd pushed himself so far past his limits, that plan was clearly out of the question.
'I probably won't recover if I don't rest properly for a few days...'