Three months later, one morning, Hu Niu woke up from her sleep and looked at Ye Lang, still asleep, with a faint smile on her face. Is she happy? No one can really say, perhaps she herself doesn't know why she's smiling.
Hu Niu wagged her small tail and drew something on Ye Lang, just a little tease...
Next, she began to carefully slip out of Ye Lang's embrace. She didn't want to wake him up, even though she knew that he slept like a log and couldn't be woken up no matter how much she called, unless he woke up on his own.
However, fortunately, his daily routine was relatively stable and standard. He usually went to bed around ten in the evening and would get up around five or six in the morning.
As usual, Huzhi prepared breakfast and started practicing martial arts in the courtyard. However, unlike three months ago, her movements now showed a slight change.
Though her style remained valiant and forceful, with grand and powerful movements, there were now subtle elements of softness in between. This softness made her techniques more well-rounded, without diminishing the force but rather enhancing its strength.
Pure strength and aggression were not suitable for Huzhi. Despite her natural physical prowess, she was, after all, a girl with a gentle side to her character. Hence, adding a hint of feminine softness to her fighting style could yield even better results.
However, this touch of softness was so subtle that only a master would be able to perceive it. Others would simply find Huzhi's techniques domineering and be in awe of her as a woman from the Tiger Clan.
This touch was not something suddenly realized by Huzhi; rather, it came from the guidance of a master who possessed knowledge of all martial arts. Although he hadn't completed the training in all martial skills, he had studied their strengths and weaknesses and could instantly identify others' shortcomings.
Having been together with Huzhi for so long, he was extremely familiar with her martial skills’ strengths and weaknesses, and immediately began experimentally correcting them.
Through his experiments, he confirmed the formidable nature of the martial skills on this continent. The inheritance and refinement over many years had brought them to an unimaginable level. Thus, he knew that aiming to become invincible using the martial arts from the treasure trove of the martial world was no easy task.
This was a fact; achieving invincibility was no easy feat for anyone, even for a natural talent or someone who had numerous extraordinary experiences.
The path of martial arts was always arduous, no matter how many aces you held, it was never simple.
Ye Lang understood this truth. He would gradually cultivate and improve himself, progressing towards the goal of invincibility.
In fact, he didn't really aspire to be invincible but merely wanted the absolute ability to protect himself. This was a strategic move on his part. By setting higher goals, he would continue to strive without letting his guard down.
This was his little trick in life, and of course, it was also that of many others—aim for a perfect score to achieve an eighty.
He was currently cultivating inner strength and martial arts. From the day he regained his memory, he had started training. Although it was like starting over with a new body, his previous training experience allowed him to progress very quickly. In three months, he had made as much progress as in the previous three years when much of his time had been spent in study and exploration.
At this level, he only had the ability to protect himself and couldn't be arrogant in front of others. He also believed in leading a modest life, so the possibility of arrogance didn’t exist for him. Of course, this was only in terms of martial arts; other aspects were not guaranteed.
He did not simultaneously practice magic and fighting aura, aiming to become a cultivator who pursued both paths. He focused solely on cultivating ancient martial arts and inner strength.
Firstly, he didn't want to be distracted. He remembered a phrase from the treasure trove of martial arts, "Greedy for too much, one will not achieve perfection. One must proceed step by step."
Secondly, he understood that whether it was fighting aura, magic, or inner strength, they were essentially the same. They all involved developing one's potential, but fighting aura emphasized physical training, whereas magic focused on mental aspects. As for inner strength, he considered it a variation of fighting aura, but more delicate, involving even the meridians.
This was a generalization, as the explanation for fighting aura, according to him, was mostly external cultivation, with a small portion of internal cultivation, and very little involved cultivation of the meridians.
In addition to the above reasons, there was actually another important, superficial reason—his body had no innate attributes. Whether it was cultivation in fighting aura or magic, there would be no boosts, unlike with inner strength, which also didn’t have any natural talent boosts.
These were Ye Lang's thoughts, but sometimes things could take a strange turn. He probably didn't anticipate the outcome of his training, which he could only know by proceeding step by step. There might be twists, detours, and obstacles along the way, but he had prepared himself for all of that long ago.
If he hadn't done so, he wouldn't have needed to cultivate. He could have indulged in a life of ease, without too many disturbances. However, once he lost the protection of the Ye family, he wouldn't have the ability to protect himself.
Many years later, no one would know of Ye Lang's martial skills. Not because he was hiding anything, but because he achieved something outstanding in another aspect, eliminating the need to showcase his martial skills. This was something he hadn't anticipated.
For him, it felt somewhat like inadvertently getting something good. Others wouldn't know about this for many years. Currently, Ye Lang simply kept a low profile, behaving like a very ordinary prodigal, someone who was easily overlooked by others.
In this imperial capital, in this royal academy, there were many ordinary prodigals, and the addition or subtraction of one Ye Lang would make no difference. It was a state of being dispensable and easily ignored.
This situation might seem miraculous. When Ye Lang was considered a fool, there was much attention on him. Now that everyone knew he wasn't a fool, he appeared to be increasingly neglected, with his fame and attention declining sharply.
Sigh, well, let me just act like an "ordinary person" again!
The decrease in his popularity was also due to his own reasons—a result of his previous flamboyance, his habit of living an ordinary life in his previous incarnation, and his consistently low-profile behavior. He would occasionally stand out, but such incidents were swiftly forgotten, as this was a city where things happened every day.
Furthermore, there was another reason—his latent talent hadn't been declared to the world, making him appear quite ordinary. Everyone knew that Ye Lang had become smarter, but his talent was considered below average, and some even felt that he was less intelligent than before.
Yes, this was true in some respects. When he used to answer questions, although unusual, he often had unique insights. Now, his answers were correct, but lacked the unique perspectives he had before.
The more this happened, the less people paid attention to him. And since he was deemed as someone without any innate talent, he couldn't achieve much even if he tried.
For the people of this continent, power was the most important indicator. Hence, Ye Lang, the once-in-a-thousand-years "waste," was gradually forgotten.
"Waste? Young master is not a waste; he just looks down upon you." Every time she heard someone call her young master, Huzhi felt quite displeased and scoffed privately.
In Huzhi's heart, her young master was the best, even when he used to be foolish. Now, it was needless to say. If he were truly a waste, how could he guide her in martial arts and even customize a set of techniques and fighting aura for her?
After finishing her fist technique, she moved on to the weapon phase. She brought out a long-handled weapon, the long-handled Mo Knife among the four distinguished Tang knives. The Mo Knife was an important military weapon in the Tang Dynasty, strictly forbidden to be produced or kept privately. Its predecessor was a heavy infantry's horse-killing sword used by the Feathery Forest army battling against the Xiongnu cavalry of the Han Dynasty.
The Mo Knife was double-edged with a four-foot handle, employed by heavily-armored infantry, and was an extremely lethal weapon on the battlefield, unstoppable in the face of any adversary. However, after the Tang Dynasty, traces of the Mo Knife were very rare in history, attributed to its high cost. It was considered a luxury item and no dynasty after the Tang Dynasty could withstand its military expenses.
However, for a single one, many could produce it. For Ye Lang, this prodigal, it was a walk in the park.
After designing, ordering materials, and forging, under the onslaught of a large number of gold coins, a material-focused, finely crafted long-handled Mo Knife capable of being passed down for generations was created.
Actually, this design wasn't Ye Lang's. It was based on a book from the treasure trove of martial arts called the Armory Catalog. In addition to recording the armaments of various Chinese dynasties, it also included some obscure exotic armaments, including the legendary Zhuge Crossbow, which could release three-shaft crossbows from the Song Dynasty. It even included firearms.
This Armory Catalog was perhaps just as valuable as Ban's Alchemy Notebook, but it only existed in Ye Lang's memory, and he wouldn't show it to others.
As for why Ye Lang remembered this Armory Catalog, it was actually a common hobby for most boys—studying armaments, be they ancient or modern. Hence, when he found this Armory Catalog, it was like a treasure trove to him, and he carefully studied and researched it.
Returning to the point, it wasn't sheer coincidence that he chose the Mo Knife from among the numerous armaments. It was because, after considering it, he felt that this kind of Mo Knife was most suited for Huzhi. Moreover, this Mo Knife design went together with a modified Yang's Spear Technique, specially tailored for the Mo Knife, which could maximize the Mo Knife's potential.
The Yang's Spear Technique had been summarized on the battlefield and consisted entirely of the most simple and direct movements. These seemingly simple movements were extraordinarily powerful, and the simpler the movements, the more adaptable and able to develop personalized movements they were.
When Huzhi saw the Yang's Spear Technique, which was no longer just a spear technique, her eyes brightened. It was evident that she really liked this set of martial skills, and she was especially fond of the Mo Knife customized by Ye Lang.
After the completion of her fist technique, she began the weapon stage. She wielded a long-handled weapon, the Mo Knife—specifically, the long-handled Mo Knife from the Tang Dynasty. The Mo Knife was an important military weapon in the Tang Dynasty, strictly prohibited for civilian production and possession. It evolved from the heavy infantry's horse-slaying sword used to counter the Xiongnu cavalry during the Han Dynasty.
This historical section ended.
Actually, there are some differences between this unknown blade and the authentic Tong Sword among the four types of weaponry. In the weapon manual, there are two versions of the unknown blade, one original and one suitable for warriors, which has been improved to better suit their use, rather than being specifically designed for the battlefield, considering that it comes from a martial arts treasure trove.
The modified version also has an interesting mechanism in the middle. However, Ye Lang felt that this mechanism was not suitable for the martial arts in this world. But he kept it anyway, as he didn't mind the extra cost of crafting. He considered it a better way to indulge himself a bit more.
However, he hadn't told anyone about this, including Hu Niu. This was not because he wanted to keep it a secret from her, but because he felt that she probably wouldn't use these mechanisms. More importantly, he understood her character and knew that she wouldn't make use of them.
When Hu Niu asked what this unknown blade was called and what the martial arts set was called, Ye Lang thought for a moment and then said, "This unknown blade is called the Tiger Niu Blade, and the martial arts are called the Yang Family Spear Technique."
As mentioned above, Ye Lang did not want to claim the achievements of his predecessors for himself, nor did he want to rename things arbitrarily. He wanted to show respect, just like the person who had originally modified the Yang Family Spear Technique. It was still called the Yang Family Spear Technique, with the addition of the modifier's name.
"... Young Master, can't you be more serious? How am I supposed to tell others this name?" Hu Niu said impatiently.
"Well, then... let's call it the Taiya Blade."
"... Alright, at least that's a little better," Hu Niu said. She figured that she probably couldn't come up with a better name, so she just accepted it. At least this name was passable.
In this continent, many things are named after their owners or creators, such as the Eslara Claw and the Kuro Blade, and so on.