Chapter 006: The Five Tigers Gate-Cleaving Sabre

Old Wang seemed not to notice Yao Qian secretly watching from the side, or perhaps he had known all along.

When the entire set of saber techniques had been fully displayed, the final three moves became even more fierce and domineering. Yao Qian saw the figure in the center leap like a tiger crossing a ravine, slashing down with a single blow. The momentum behind that strike had reached its peak.

Boom!

It was as if a bomb exploded right beside his ear. A corner of the artificial rockery was cleaved off by that slash, crashing down at Yao Qian’s feet, leaving him utterly dumbfounded.

The power of that strike was truly astonishing!

After finishing, Old Wang stood tall, though his face appeared slightly pale, his forehead beaded with sweat—clearly, he had overexerted himself.

Yao Qian hurried over and asked, “Uncle, what saber technique is this? I’ve never seen you use it before.”

Old Wang took several deep breaths before the color returned to his face. He glanced at Yao Qian’s youthful countenance, then finally replied, “External martial arts are ruthless and domineering, but they’re also quick to yield results—far quicker than internal arts. However, they have a significant drawback: they are extremely damaging to the body. Experts in external arts rarely live past forty. If you want to live longer, you must avoid fighting as much as possible.”

Yao Qian nodded, understanding Old Wang’s meaning. He had survived this long precisely because he hadn’t fought in a very long time.

In that instant, he also realized why Old Wang had demonstrated the saber technique earlier. It was obvious—he had been waiting for this little fish to willingly take the bait.

As for how Old Wang was so certain? It was simple. Anyone who had read the strange casebook they kept would feel a strong sense of crisis and insecurity, as if encountering a wild beast in the wilderness, instinctively wanting to find a weapon for protection.

Though he understood all this, Yao Qian kept his thoughts hidden. He bent at the waist, his posture respectful, and sincerely knelt, earnestly pleading, “Uncle, I wish to learn this saber technique and strengthen myself.”

Ever since Old Wang gave Yao Qian the casebook, he had already made up his mind. Originally, he’d planned to pass this saber art to Chen Zekuan, but…

Thinking of Chen Zekuan, Old Wang sighed inwardly. Yet, looking at Yao Qian, he was satisfied—the boy’s temperament had changed a great deal since last time. He now strategized before acting, rather than being reckless. The Chen brothers fell short in this regard; learning such powerful martial arts might do them more harm than good, possibly hastening their demise.

Now over forty, Old Wang’s judgment was keen, and since these youths were all his kin, there was no need for pretense. Hearing Yao Qian’s words, he drew from his breast a bundle wrapped in heavy silk and handed it over. “The manual is inside. Take it home and study it carefully. If you have questions, come ask me.”

Not daring to be careless, Yao Qian accepted the silk-wrapped package with utmost respect and carefully unwrapped it layer by layer, revealing a thin booklet within.

The booklet was perhaps twenty pages at most, and on its cover, five bold, calligraphic characters caught his eye: “Five Tigers Gate-Cleaving Saber.”

Yao Qian felt a pang of embarrassment. In his previous world, this saber technique was quite famous—often the signature skill of the first minor boss the protagonist would defeat, only to be swept aside by the protagonist’s overwhelming power.

“What is it? Nephew, have you heard of this saber art before?” Old Wang asked, curious at the look on Yao Qian’s face.

Yao Qian quickly composed himself and smiled. “No, I’m just curious, that’s all.”

“Hmm, as for this manual, we came by it years ago when investigating a case. We met a strange monk, and he taught us this defensive saber art. In the martial world, it ranks as a third-tier skill.”

A look of reminiscence appeared on Old Wang’s face, as if recalling his youth.

Yao Qian’s eyes glinted. From Old Wang’s words, he could guess that the case they had investigated was likely one from the strange casebook. And the eccentric monk—could he have been a cultivator or a qi refiner?

That possibility made Yao Qian’s eyes light up. Perhaps it was a lead worth following.

“What happened to that monk?” he asked quickly.

Old Wang gave him a disdainful glance, easily seeing through his thoughts. “He left, of course. Kid, do you still want to learn this saber art or not? If not, give it back.”

“I want to learn—I definitely want to learn,” Yao Qian replied with a grin.

Knowing that the monk’s trail had gone cold, he didn’t dwell on it, and his unease lessened considerably. With the existence of a figure like that monk, there might well be immortal sects in this world, just like in novels and dramas.

Should he ever find such a place and manage to gain entry, learning a few skills, surviving in this world and living steadily shouldn’t be too difficult.

With hope came motivation. Though the Five Tigers Gate-Cleaving Saber was somewhat… basic…

Old Wang glanced at his expression, instantly understanding his thoughts, and scoffed, “You think this third-tier saber art isn’t good enough?”

Yao Qian chuckled, about to deny it. In his current situation, he couldn’t afford to be picky—after all, even the meat on an ant’s leg is still meat.

But before he could speak, Old Wang waved him off and continued, “Don’t underestimate a third-tier manual. In all of Pingyang City, the so-called experts you’ve heard of train with nothing better than third-tier skills. Even the great sects covet third-tier manuals, sometimes enough to cause bloody feuds in the martial world. Now you know how valuable the manual in your hands really is.”

He hadn’t expected Old Wang to say this, and for a moment, Yao Qian was surprised. The Five Tigers Gate-Cleaving Saber now felt heavier and more precious.

“That’s enough. I won’t say more. Take this manual, study it well, and in a few days I’ll give you proper guidance,” Old Wang said, striding away, leaving behind only a tall, imposing silhouette and swallowing any words Yao Qian might have wanted to say.

Back in the magistrate’s hall, Yao Qian dragged a chair to the doorway, basking in the sunlight and feeling utterly comfortable.

He opened the saber manual, and on the first page, the preface stated clearly: this saber art was founded on agility, fierce strength, and brutal precision.

After absorbing the general principles, he moved on to the individual movements.

The Five Tigers Gate-Cleaving Saber was a system of saber techniques, primarily consisting of slashing, hacking, parrying, chopping, cleaving, rending, hooking, hanging, along with thrusting, slicing, twisting, blocking, and sweeping strikes. These basic moves, combined with wrist flourishes, reverse grips, winding, and wrapping strikes, made the entire technique both flexible and forceful.

The last five pages detailed the most lethal maneuvers of the art, each several times more powerful than the rest.

The move Old Wang had demonstrated earlier was “Tiger Leaps the Ravine.” The remaining four were “White Tiger Drags the Corpse,” “Tiger Roars, Winds Rise,” “Dominating the Mountains,” and “Elephant Subdues the Lion.”

Yao Qian read through the entire manual several times. Luckily, each move was accompanied by a detailed diagram, so he had little fear of making grave mistakes.

Following the manual's instructions, he took up a single-handed saber and began practicing in the hall.

At first, the sequence was difficult to execute smoothly; he often had to pause and consult the diagrams. By the third repetition, though, he could perform the whole set in slow motion without interruption.

A fourth time…

A fifth…

…

By the tenth repetition, Yao Qian had committed every move to memory. He could now execute the entire routine fluidly, without the initial stops and hesitations.

Wiping sweat from his brow, he fanned himself with the flat of the saber. For him, the sequence itself wasn’t very difficult—almost reminiscent of the broadcast calisthenics he’d done in middle school. Not that the movements were the same, but the underlying rhythm and flavor were similar.

Honestly, the Five Tigers Gate-Cleaving Saber wasn’t complicated. There were perhaps thirty moves in total. To reach the level of instinctive mastery, like a deer’s antlers or making the difficult seem effortless, would be hard. But memorizing the moves and practicing them seamlessly from start to finish was easy enough.

It was much like memorizing classical poetry: reciting an entire poem isn’t too difficult, and with a dozen or more repetitions, proficiency follows. But if someone were to scramble the poem and only offer you half a line as a prompt—especially the latter half—and ask you to supply the rest, it would be much trickier.

These thoughts ran through his mind as he sheathed the saber and sat to rest. Ten rounds of practice had left him exhausted. Seated, he downed several cups of warm water before he finally felt restored.

He silently called out “Blue Star” in his mind. The blood-red interface appeared before his eyes once more, its information now updated:

Yao Qian—

Five Tigers Gate-Cleaving Saber: Beginner

Lock-picking Technique: Beginner

Potential: 3