Chapter Fifteen: The Finest Blade in the Village

After several failed attempts, which resulted in the destruction of three cardboard boxes, two foam containers, and a plastic water bucket, Xiao Jie finally stopped.

"Whew, unleashing a special move is truly exhausting!" he muttered to himself, rubbing his sore and swollen arm.

Executing a combat technique was not as simple as it appeared. Every strike required channeling one's entire essence and focus into the swing, taking a significant toll on physical stamina—especially for someone like him who lacked regular exercise. It seemed he would need to find time to work out.

He returned the kitchen knife to its place, thinking that he would need to purchase a proper blade. He couldn't keep using this kitchen tool for skill practice forever. As he learned more techniques, he would need to prepare the corresponding weapons. Perhaps he should start with a sword. Considering his limited budget, Xiao Jie did not intend to buy anything high-end; as long as it served his purpose of testing game skills, it would do.

He logged onto the Taojin website, browsed for a while, and placed an order for a decorative Xiuchun sabre. It cost only 268 yuan and even came with a maintenance kit. Looking at the magnificent blade in the product image, he felt a spark of excitement.

With the order placed and daylight still lingering, Xiao Jie decided to return to the game. He had no intention of chopping wood for the rest of the day. Spending six or seven hours in repetitive, mechanical labor was a massive drain on both his mind and body. Had he not been a former professional gamer, an average person would never have lasted. Even so, he was sick of "grinding" trees; no game required a player to spend an entire day doing nothing but hacking at wood.

Xiao Jie planned to turn in the firewood in his inventory and then scout the village for other tasks. Oh, right—he also needed a weapon for self-defense. He should have enough money now. While the village was safe, the lack of a weapon left him feeling insecure.

Back in the game, Xiao Jie first found Wang Daniu to hand over the remaining firewood.

"Young brother, you’ve chopped quite a lot of wood today," said Wang Daniu the woodcutter. "I have enough to last for a while now. If you want to keep working, you’ll have to come back in a few days."

"No problem, I can look for other work. Take care, Brother Wang," Xiao Jie replied. He returned the wood-chopping axe, collected his pay, and took his leave.

He had earned another 80 copper coins. The morning had been almost a waste, but he had managed to make 270 coins that afternoon. After deducting the costs for food and repairs, his net profit was around 200 coins. In this game, one copper coin was worth ten yuan, so 200 coins equaled two thousand yuan. At this rate, making fifty or sixty thousand a month would be easy—a solid, high-paying career. However, his "Enlightenment" effect only lasted seven days; he feared that after that, it wouldn't be so easy to level up his life skills.

Checking his inventory, he saw 296 copper coins. He had never felt so wealthy. He immediately bought ten steamed buns; these were daily consumables. His hunger level would gradually drop while active in the game, even if he wasn't working, so he would need to keep food in his inventory at all times.

Next, he headed to the blacksmith shop to buy himself a blade.

To his surprise, Wang Kai was nowhere to be seen; instead, the bearded blacksmith was back.

"Young lad, you're back. How about it? Got some money now?" asked Zhou Tong the blacksmith.

"I’ve earned a bit. I’d like to buy a blade. May I take a look?"

"Of course, feel free to choose. All the weapons in the shop are right here."

The item list appeared before him. Although there were many items, Xiao Jie only focused on blades, which narrowed his choices significantly.

* **Wood-chopping Axe:** 12 Slashing. Price: 100 copper. Description: A tool for cutting wood. Not a proper weapon, but better than being empty-handed.
* **Willow-leaf Sabre:** 14 Slashing. Price: 180 copper. Description: A single-handed blade shaped like a willow leaf. Its sharpness and power are average. A common, standard-issue weapon often chosen by those unskilled in martial arts for self-defense.
* **Ghost-head Broadsword:** 19 Slashing. Price: 300 copper. Description: A heavy blade with a demon design on the hilt. Suitable for two-handed use. Immense power, though it lacks speed due to its weight.

There were only three options. The wood-chopping axe was out of the question; it was just a tool, and too short—fine for branches, but useless against people.

"May I try them out?"

After receiving an affirmative answer, Xiao Jie first picked up the Willow-leaf Sabre. It only had 14 Slashing damage, barely better than the axe, but it was longer, giving him more reach. Most importantly, it was within his budget.

After equipping it, Xiao Jie performed a combat technique at the air: "Severing Strike!"

The blade swished through the air, feeling light and powerless. Yet, the bearded blacksmith looked surprised. "A fine move, young brother! That strike was truly elegant. I can tell you're an expert."

"Heh, you're too kind. Just messing around," Xiao Jie replied. "Forgive my impudence, but may I try the Ghost-head Broadsword?"

"Go ahead!"

Xiao Jie equipped the broadsword, but immediately frowned. While the damage was good, it was too heavy. It weighed 12, and his Strength was only 8. He could only wield a weapon of weight 8 with one hand. If he used two hands, he could gain a 50% Strength bonus, allowing him to use it, but he wouldn't be able to trigger his combat techniques. That was a nuisance.

He swung the broadsword twice; it was noticeably slower than the Willow-leaf Sabre, but the latter's damage was too low. Neither felt ideal. Xiao Jie felt reluctant.

"Master Zhou, do you have anything better? Your current stock is quite underwhelming."

"Hahaha, you have high standards, young lad! Fine, if anyone else said that, I wouldn't bother, but I can see you're a skilled wielder of the blade. I'll let you see something special."

As he spoke, a new item appeared on the list.

**[Wild Goose Feather Sabre (Limited Time Item)]**

*Oh? A limited-time item?* He hurriedly checked its stats.

**[Wild Goose Feather Sabre (One-handed/Fine)]**
**Attack Power:** 21 Slashing, 17 Piercing.
**Weapon Effect: Goose Feather Flight.** The narrow blade ignores air resistance, increasing attack speed by +1. Attack speed is unaffected by wind-based spells.
**Description:** A long, narrow blade shaped like a wild goose feather. Forged from refined steel, the edge is exceptionally sharp. It maintains a light weight while delivering massive lethality. The sharp tip can also be used for thrusting. A fine weapon requiring high-level forging skills.

*Good stuff!* Xiao Jie felt a surge of desire. Among the pile of "white" common weapons, this green-quality sabre stood out like a crane in a flock of chickens.

He looked at the price: 3,000 copper coins.

*Damn it!* That was a bit of a rip-off. It was just a green-tier weapon; why so expensive? Then he realized—it wasn't that the blade was expensive, it was that he was too poor. Looking at the two hundred-odd coins in his bag, he suddenly felt like they weren't worth much at all.

"What's wrong, young brother? How is the blade?" the blacksmith asked triumphantly.

"It's a great blade, but I can't afford it."

"Hahaha, that can't be helped. That's on you for being broke. You can't say my blades are poor now, can you? Don't worry, I won't sell this one easily; only a true master deserves it. If you earn enough money later, come back and buy it. How about taking the Willow-leaf Sabre for now?"

Xiao Jie ultimately didn't buy the Willow-leaf Sabre. He would rather wait until he had saved enough for something good. Trashy white-tier gear wasn't worth his time.

Leaving the shop, Xiao Jie continued to wander the village. He couldn't chop wood for now, so he needed a new job. He hadn't gone far when he paused. On the village wall near the entrance, Wang Kai was standing and staring into the distance.

*Why is that kid up on the wall?* Curious, Xiao Jie hesitated for a moment before deciding to go check.

"Brother Wang, what are you looking at?"

Wang Kai was startled by the sudden voice. He turned around, and upon seeing Xiao Jie, he let out a sigh of relief.

"It's nearly dark, but he still hasn't returned," Wang Kai said with a sigh. "I have a bad feeling about this."