Martial Arts Longevity Begins with the Equipment Slot

Chapter 31 Great virtue carries all things; honing one's skills

The eight instruments remained silent, like eight examiners.

Chen Yu circled around once, his fingertips lightly touching each weapon.

First, we can rule out the meteorite iron sword.

The sword's special effects are indeed impressive, but it's too dependent on luck.

A 25% probability doesn't seem that low.

But recalling the time in his past life when he played a certain game and got a red-tier character by mistake, Chen Yu decisively gave up on it.

If games are like this, wouldn't life-or-death battles be even more psychologically taxing?

Double whips aren't very effective either.

While combos are triggered consistently, the multiplier is only so-so.

And there's also that annoying muffled thunderous sound.

If it doesn't trigger, it's fine, but if it does, it will only reveal your location.

It could attract a group of people to surround and kill it.

Looking at the Iron Bone Mace, the first special effect is also based on probability, and the second special effect is a 15% damage reduction when standing still.

It's not very practical either.

If you can dodge, you definitely won't choose to take the hit head-on.

Those that cannot be dodged are likely to be unable to withstand the attack either.

Even if you can reduce damage by 15%, what's the point if someone can kill you with only 85% of the damage?

There are also soft swords, Emei daggers, and mandarin duck axes, which are all unconventional weapons and are relatively troublesome to operate, making them less suitable for practical use.

The hook-and-sickle spear is a battle formation weapon, and it is obviously of little use to me at the moment.

This thick-backed machete is actually not bad.

The special effects are incredibly powerful.

It has output, control, and detrimental effects.

Although the special effect requires charging to trigger, the charging time is not too long.

A powerful sword strike requires charging up the energy, which is not an unacceptable flaw.

Moreover, once you get used to using a knife, you might not be used to using another weapon.

After much deliberation, Chen Yu finally made a decision.

"Master, I choose the machete."

Xiahou Fei nodded and helped him remove the knife.

"This knife is named 'Houde' (meaning 'Great Virtue'), and it was salvaged from a sunken ship of the Canal Gang."

"The original owner was a leader of a shipping guild, who used it to pry open ship planks, smash locks, and break stones, using it as a hammer."

"Later, the original owner died in battle, and the blade was chipped in sixty-three places. It took me forty-nine days to repair it completely."

Chen Yu took the knife and examined it carefully.

The blade is black with a bluish tinge, wider at the front and narrower at the back, resembling a fish head with its gills open.

The blade has no edge, no tip, and no guard.

The base is thick, gradually thinning towards the back, achieved through a forging process.

This technique is Xiahou Fei's signature skill, "Fish Tail Swing".

When in use, the force is transferred from the thick back to the thin blade, making it less prone to breakage and less likely to cause hand vibration.

"Try it out and see if it works. If it's not convenient to use, switch to another one."

Xiahou Fei led Chen Yu into the courtyard.

Moonlight filtered through the locust tree branches, bathing the entire courtyard in a silvery-white glow.

Chen Yu gripped the handle with his right hand and supported the back of his hand with his left.

The blade is held horizontally in front of the knee, with the edge facing left and the back of the blade facing right.

"First, the way you hold it."

Xiahou Fei demonstrated by loosening his right hand and then clenching it again.

"The rear hand is one fist's distance from the tail, and the front hand is one palm's distance from the rear hand."

"Too wide, you can't swing it; too narrow, you can't get any strength out of it."

Chen Yu did as instructed, and the blade felt heavier, making the feeling of his wrist sink more directly.

"Start the knife strike from behind the shoulder."

"It's not about using your arms, it's about rotating your waist, from your waist to your shoulders, from your shoulders to your elbows, from your elbows to your hands, expanding layer by layer."

Following the bone-chopping knife technique he had learned before, Chen Yu swung the knife in an arc.

The moonlight flashed across the blade, and Xiahou Fei immediately stopped him.

"wrong!"

"Forget the sword techniques you learned before!"

"Tonight's lesson is about sword stances, not specific techniques; there are no individual moves or stances."

Chen Yu stopped when the knife was above his head.

Xiahou Fei demonstrates by swinging his sword in the air while sideways.

"Look carefully, the back of the knife is facing backward, and the blade is facing forward."

"You made a mistake here; the back of the blade will vibrate when you strike."

Chen Yu nodded without saying anything more.

"The knife should strike hard, not just smash."

"The knife moves with the waist; for every inch the waist sinks, the knife becomes three times faster. This is achieved by leveraging the ground, not by using brute force alone."

"call--"

The blade fell, striking empty air.

The wind whistled, like clapping hands, not the whistling of sharp blades.

Chen Yu stopped his stance, the blade resting in front of his knees.

"The landing point must be accurate; otherwise, the knife will deviate on its own."

Xiahou Fei pointed to the woodpile.

"Choose one that is straight and follows the grain; don't pick the hard ones."

Chen Yu picked a locust tree and placed it upright on the anvil.

He didn't rush to chop it; he turned the wood first.

"Look at the grain, and split it along the grain."

Xiahou Fei explained.

"The blade follows the diagonal lines, saving effort and preventing chipping."

Chen Yu took a step back, inhaled, lowered his waist, and swung his arm.

"Bang!"

With a muffled thud, the firewood split in two.

The knife remained firmly on the anvil without the slightest movement.

The cross-section of the firewood is rough, not smooth like it was cut with a sharp blade, but rather shattered and broken.

Xiahou Fei picked up the firewood and examined it.

"Your aim is fine, looks like you've chopped a lot of wood, but your strength isn't quite focused enough."

"From now on, I'll chop a thousand catties of firewood every day. In less than three years, my arms will be a size bigger, and I'll have mastered the art of wielding a knife."

"If you can master the sword techniques, it means you're already proficient in using this machete."

Chen Yu chopped firewood a few more times and gradually got the hang of it.

The thick-backed machete still cannot be equipped; it seems the equipment requirements have not been met.

[Equipment Requirements]: Strength no less than 80 jin (40 kg), proficient in heavy weapons.

My strength must be greater than 80 pounds, so it can only mean that I haven't mastered heavy weapons yet.

We still need to practice!

As Xiahou Fei said, one can chop wood every day to gradually get used to it and reach a proficient level.

"Alright, it's getting late tonight, let's practice again tomorrow."

Xiahou Fei left after he finished speaking.

Chen Yu practiced for a while longer, then felt a bit tired, so he put away his knife and went back to his dormitory.

The dormitory is a four-person room, and it's full of four people.

Chen Yu was only familiar with his senior brother Cheng Daqi, and didn't know much about the other two apprentices from different forging workshops.

At this moment, only Cheng Daqi was lying on the bed in a daze, while the other two had gone out for drinks.

Upon seeing Chen Yu push the door open and enter, Cheng Daqi immediately jumped out of bed.

"Why are you back so late?"

"Something came up and I was held up."

Chen Yu responded calmly, without saying anything more.

He knew Cheng Daqi was timid, and if he told him about the bandits killing people, he would probably be so frightened that he couldn't sleep.

As Cheng Daqi spoke, he walked to the wooden table in the corner and beckoned to Chen Yu.

"The dinner I left for you is still warm, come and eat."

Two rough earthenware bowls were placed upside down on the table.

Sitting down at the table, Chen Yu removed the bowl from the table.

The bowl below is half filled with white rice, and the other half contains several pieces of stewed pork belly that are tender and soft.

The glistening sauce coated the radish chunks, shimmering under the dim light.

On the corner of the table was a dish of pickled mustard greens, finely chopped and drizzled with sesame oil.

Chen Yu had been running all the way and was getting a bit hungry.

The aroma of the food instantly whetted my appetite.

"Senior brother, have you eaten?"

Chen Yu looked up and asked.

"I ate it a long time ago, this was specially saved for you."

"You came back too late today. If you go to the cafeteria now, there probably won't be much left."

After Cheng Daqi finished speaking, he lay back down on the bed and stared blankly.

"Thank you so much, senior brother!"

Chen Yu bowed and thanked him, then, without further ado, began to eat.

After finishing the meal, wash the dishes and wipe the table.

He then locked his belongings in the cabinet.

Chen Yu then took a wooden basin to the washroom to wash up.

He ran and fought his way through, his body covered in sweat and grime.

I need to take a hot shower and relax.