Chapter 12: Boss Yu and Bone One

“So it’s actually a rare skill! Synthesize!” As soon as Lin Huang received the notification, he immediately agreed to the card synthesis.

Moments later, a green crystal card appeared within his Fate Wheel. With a thought, he drew out the card, and the green crystalline card landed in his right hand.

The entire card was made of green crystal. On the front, an image depicted a tall, upright middle-aged man standing alone in a desolate wasteland, blade in hand, as if he were facing off against the harshness of the desert itself.

Lin Huang gazed at the image for a long while before finally turning the card over to read the introduction on the back.

[Skill Card]
[Skill Name: Grand Wilderness Saber Scripture (Incomplete)]
[Rarity: Rare]
[Skill Type: Saber Technique]
[Skill Grade: Gold-rank Combat Skill]
[Status: Available]
[Note: This skill belongs to a special category of combat techniques. There is no usage level restriction; its power increases with the user's strength.]
[Card Evaluation: Passable]

“Little Black, the Grand Wilderness Saber Scripture is listed as rare. Does that mean the complete version is rare, or is this incomplete one already considered rare?” Lin Huang couldn’t help but ask.

[The Grand Wilderness Saber Scripture is divided into two volumes. The complete skill card is of Epic grade. Currently, only the first volume is available, so the skill card is incomplete and thus downgraded to Rare.]

Little Black’s explanation left Lin Huang quite surprised. He hadn’t expected that the Grand Wilderness Saber Scripture he had secretly learned was, in its complete form, an epic-level skill.

After crushing the card, the green skill card dissolved into a surge of green energy that flowed into Lin Huang’s body. He saw his exclusive card change once again.

[Host: Lin Huang]
[Gender: Male]
[Age: 15]
[Combat Level: None (Below assessment threshold)]
[Skill 1: Blood Power (Level 2)]
[Skill 2: Grand Wilderness Saber Scripture (Saber Combat Technique)]
[Summoning Privilege: Activated]
[Summon Limit: 1]
[Evaluation: Still pathetically weak!]

“Although the Grand Wilderness Saber Scripture is precious, Scarface didn’t stop me from learning it. With his strength, there’s no way he didn’t know I was observing him from above. That leaves two possibilities: either he thought I couldn’t learn it, so he didn’t care, or he deliberately let me watch, using the opportunity to pass on the technique. Regardless of the reason, I should thank him in person for his instruction. Maybe I’ll shamelessly ask if he can teach me the second volume as well, heh heh…”

As Lin Huang was daydreaming about mastering the complete Grand Wilderness Saber Scripture and displaying his might in the Reserve Hunter Assessment, Lin Xin returned from school.

“Brother, you must be thinking about something delicious again—you’re drooling!” Lin Xin pushed open the door, just in time to catch Lin Huang’s unguarded moment.

“That’s right. I was just thinking that once we have money, I’ll hire the chef from this Peaceful Residence to cook for us every day!” Lin Huang made up an excuse without missing a beat.

“Great! That sounds wonderful!” Lin Xin, a little foodie at heart, readily agreed upon hearing this.

Lin Huang wiped an imaginary bead of sweat from his brow in silence, surprised at how easy it was to fool his sister.

After dinner at the hotel’s restaurant, Lin Huang told Lin Xin to head back to their room first. He then went to knock on the door of Room 301 across the hall.

Scarface always ate at exactly six o’clock, finishing by about 6:15. In contrast, Lin Huang and Lin Xin’s mealtimes varied—they were sometimes early, sometimes late. When the siblings arrived downstairs earlier, Scarface had just finished his meal and returned to his room. He should be inside now.

A moment later, the door opened. Scarface looked down at Lin Huang, his face expressionless. “What is it?”

“Thank you for teaching me the saber technique these past three days!” Lin Huang met his gaze with sincerity and bowed deeply.

Scarface’s expression didn’t change. “I know you were secretly learning. I hardly taught you anything. Whatever you picked up is your own business, not mine.”

“Still, thank you,” Lin Huang replied with a genuine smile. Whether or not the other party cared didn’t matter to him; he simply wanted to have a clear conscience. However, seeing Scarface’s cold, distant demeanor, Lin Huang gave up on asking about the second volume of the Grand Wilderness Saber Scripture and returned to his own room. “I’ll wait until after the Reserve Hunter Assessment to ask about the second volume,” he thought.

Not long after he returned, his tail ring began to vibrate—a message request from an unfamiliar contact popped up.

Curious, Lin Huang accepted the call. A somewhat familiar voice came through.

“Mr. Lin Huang, the renovation of your house is complete. You and your family can return anytime to inspect it. If there’s anything unsatisfactory, feel free to contact me.” Lin Huang recognized the voice as that of the well-dressed middle-aged man who was in charge a few days prior.

“Alright. We’ll return tomorrow at noon. I’ll return the room key to the hotel owner when we leave,” Lin Huang replied.

After hanging up, Lin Xin emerged from the bedroom. “Brother, are we leaving tomorrow?”

“Yeah, the house is renovated. No reason to stay at the hotel any longer,” Lin Huang nodded.

“Oh…” Lin Xin sounded a bit reluctant. She had grown fond of the food and drinks at Peaceful Residence.

Lin Huang noticed his sister’s reluctance. “If you don’t want to leave yet, we can stay one more day. We booked the room for five days anyway. We can stay tomorrow night and head back the day after.”

“I’m not the one who doesn’t want to leave…” Lin Xin insisted, refusing to admit her feelings.

“It’s me who doesn’t want to go, alright?” Lin Huang shook his head with a laugh. “It’s settled then—we’ll leave the day after tomorrow at noon.”

In the blink of an eye, another day and two nights passed. Each night, Lin Huang watched Scarface practice his saber forms as usual. However, he no longer gained any skill fragments from the practice, so he didn’t spend much more time on it, instead focusing on rest and adjusting his body.

On the sixth morning, after breakfast, Lin Huang and Lin Xin put the carpet and furniture back in place in their room before heading downstairs to say goodbye to the hotel owner, Mr. Yu.

Mr. Yu watched them leave with a smile. Suddenly, Scarface’s figure materialized silently beside him.

“Sir, I still don’t understand what you see in that boy,” Scarface said. “He was just a bit lucky, managing to kill a Bloodthirsty Beast by chance. Judging by the extent of the damage to his Fate Wheel, he has at most two months to live.”

“Gu Yi, you’ve known me long enough—have I ever misjudged anyone?” Mr. Yu looked up at Scarface, a smile on his face.

“Never,” Scarface—Gu Yi—hesitated, then shook his head, though he still seemed unconvinced. “But, sir, your position is special. You can’t get entangled with the fate of this world. Why did you have me guide him in saber techniques?”

“Don’t worry; I know what I’m doing. You’ve interacted with him. What do you think?” Mr. Yu asked.

“He’s decent in character, but hardly a genius. He’s nowhere near as talented as that Li Lang from a few days ago,” Gu Yi replied, shaking his head.

“Is that so? Tell me—how long did it take you to master the first volume of the Grand Wilderness Saber Scripture?” Mr. Yu asked.

“It looks simple, but it’s full of profound saber principles. I practiced over 18 hours a day for 103 days before I dared say I’d mastered the first volume,” Gu Yi answered, his expression growing serious.

“You were born with saber bones and still took 103 days. How long do you think it would take him?” Mr. Yu raised an eyebrow.

“In my opinion, he’d need at least two or three years, if he could learn it at all,” Gu Yi replied, clearly doubtful.

“That’s where you underestimate him. The boy mastered the first volume in just three days,” Mr. Yu said, and, seeing Gu Yi’s disbelief, pointed a finger into the air.

A projection appeared before them, showing Lin Huang in his room practicing the saber technique over the past two days. At the very first move, Gu Yi’s face changed dramatically. “Impossible!”

“Nothing is impossible,” Yu Qin said, waving his hand to dispel the image. “Take care of whatever you need to—it's almost time for us to go.”

Gu Yi nodded without further questions, only letting out a faint sigh. “Understood…”

~~~~~~

[Special thanks to Gu Yi for providing the character names “Gu Yi” and “Yu Qin.” Everyone is welcome to sign up as extras and supporting characters.]