I Broke Up with My Girlfriend — Don’t Look Down on Me Just Because I’m Poor - Chapter 4:
Chapter 4: Ten Thousand Sword Swings
In Qingshan Town, a newcomer had arrived, an outsider rumored to be a martial artist who had opened a martial arts school here. He was now recruiting disciples.
Su Mo’s father thought it would be good to send Su Mo there for training. Originally, he felt Su Mo was too young, but the child’s intelligence made him reconsider. Moreover, during some casual interactions, he noticed his son’s grip strength was frighteningly strong, possibly born with innate strength. That was all the more reason to give it a try.
When Su Mo arrived at the newly established martial arts school, several families had also brought their children to seek apprenticeship. However, most of these children were around seven or eight years old, with some even eleven or twelve. A child like Su Mo, only three years old, coming to apprentice was truly rare.
Amidst the curious gazes, Su Mo walked past everyone, his eyes fixed on the middle-aged man in martial attire seated on a grand chair. This was his first time seeing a real martial artist in this world.
[Name: Long Xiaohu]
[Age: 47]
[Level: 21 (39), suffering from internal injuries (Early Stage Dark Jin / Late Stage Transforming Jin)]
[Skills: Dragon Tiger Fist, Rainbow Sword Technique, Dragon Tiger Steps]
Long Xiaohu sat upright, savoring tea, exuding a powerful aura far beyond that of ordinary people.
“So this is a true martial artist? Indeed powerful! And he’s even injured…” Seeing Long Xiaohu’s level, Su Mo understood something. The normal level represented standard combat strength, while the bracketed number was his explosive peak power.
“What kind of injury would make him fall an entire realm?” Su Mo was startled. He also began to understand the world’s cultivation stages: Bright Force Realm, Dark Force Realm, Transforming Force Realm. What lay beyond was still unknown.
He knew about Ming Jin because the village chief was at that stage—level 11. But Long Xiaohu was the first “high-level monster” Su Mo had encountered since arriving in this Reincarnation World, and he even had multiple skills.
Sensing Su Mo’s focused gaze, Long Xiaohu looked over, his eyes lighting up. He strode forward, examining Su Mo with great interest, feeling his joints, and joyfully exclaimed, “Not bad, a good seedling indeed.”
“Disciples, from today onwards, those who wish to learn swordsmanship must swing their sword 1000 times daily. Those wanting to learn fists must strike the wooden stake 1000 times daily. Before practicing advanced sword techniques, your basics must be rock-solid. Practice through harsh winters and scorching summers until your sword becomes an extension of your body, until you achieve unity of man and sword, mind and blade!”
“Similarly, those who wish to master fists must fully unleash every ounce of strength in their bodies. Advanced martial artists can even strike with 120% of their strength. Mastering power control is essential for every martial artist!”
“You have one month to prove yourselves. Those who can’t keep up, go back to farming! Don’t waste time here!”
Long Xiaohu stood tall, holding a cold three-foot sword, his voice stern as he addressed his new disciples.
“A thousand swings a day? Seriously?”
“That’ll kill us! Our arms will be useless!”
Complaints erupted one after another. Most of the children’s faces turned bitter upon hearing such monotonous training.
Children were naturally lively and impatient with tedious tasks. The initial excitement for martial arts quickly faded, replaced by reluctance.
“Yes!”
Among the grumbling, a tender yet spirited voice rang out. A small figure had already silently picked up a wooden sword longer than himself, diligently swinging it.
“I see now, Su Mo is the one most suited for martial arts!” Long Xiaohu’s face lit up with joy as he watched Su Mo start practicing before anyone else. Seizing the opportunity, he mocked the other disciples, “Those who can’t persist should go back to farming. Your fathers are farmers, you’ll be farmers too. Your ancestors have always been farmers. Stop dreaming of martial arts, just go plant your crops!”
His words pierced straight to their hearts. Though unwilling, the disciples clenched their fists. Seeing even the youngest Su Mo training, they grit their teeth and joined in.
In an instant, the entire martial arts school came alive with sword swings and fist strikes.
“Sigh, they’re still children after all.” Long Xiaohu shook his head in disappointment. With his experience, he could tell most of these children were merely acting on impulse, barely putting out thirty percent of their strength. True cultivation depended on oneself. With such weak will, they had no future in martial arts.
Only Su Mo remained fully focused, each sword swing delivered with at least eighty percent power. Watching Su Mo’s earnest form, Long Xiaohu couldn’t help but smile in satisfaction.
What first drew Long Xiaohu’s attention was Su Mo’s sharp, determined gaze—like a blade. Such eyes belonged to a true martial artist. It was hard to imagine such a look on a child’s face.
Two hours later.
“This kid is a monster, doesn’t he know fatigue?”
“My god, I thought he was just putting on a show, but he’s still swinging after all this time?”
By now, many disciples had stopped, their arms sore and swollen. They massaged their wrists, shook their hands to relieve the pain. This was their third break, resting every half hour.
But only one small figure continued to swing his sword relentlessly, sweat pouring yet never resting, instead looking more energized by the minute.
“What the hell… is this the legendary martial arts prodigy?”
The older kids stared wide-eyed, unable to believe what they were seeing. What kind of willpower allowed this? How was his body not exhausted?
[Ding! You swung your sword 100 times, gained some martial insights, experience +10.]
[Ding! You swung your sword 100 times, Basic Swordsmanship proficiency +1.]
Basic Swordsmanship LV0 [7/100] (Uninitiated)
Su Mo couldn’t have lasted this long, but the system rewarded him generously. He hadn’t expected sword practice to increase proficiency and give experience points. Every 10 experience points brought a warm current that nourished and healed his body, sweeping away all fatigue.
Thus, sword practice caused no harm, only constant strengthening. The joy of leveling up was simply addictive. After two hours of continuous sword swings, averaging one swing every ten seconds, Su Mo had already completed 720 swings, nearing Long Xiaohu’s set goal.
But a thousand swings a day was far from enough.
Su Mo’s goal was ten thousand! The pleasure of gaining experience and proficiency was irresistible.
Of course, he couldn’t yet achieve ten thousand swings in one day. Increasing speed compromised form and power, which would be judged as invalid swings by the system, granting no experience or proficiency.
Ultimately, to maintain effective swings, he completed 5000 swings on the first day.
On the second day, still 5000 swings, but his Basic Swordsmanship finally leveled up to Beginner.
[Name: Su Mo]
[Age: 3]
[Level: 7]
[Experience: 1314/5000]
[Skill: Basic Swordsmanship LV1 [42/200] (Beginner)]
[Evaluation: Strength of one person.]
After reaching Beginner level, Su Mo’s swing speed increased significantly.
Now, he could swing once every eight seconds with precision.
On the third day, he reached 6200 swings.
On the fourth day, 7300 swings.
In just a few days, his Basic Swordsmanship reached the Proficient stage, allowing him to swing once every five seconds—all effective swings.
By then, Su Mo could easily swing ten thousand times a day.
However, no extra experience or proficiency was gained beyond that, seemingly capped. Additionally, as the skill leveled up, martial insights gained from practice diminished. From initially gaining a thousand experience points per ten thousand swings at level 2, it dropped to only five hundred at level 3.
Even so, Su Mo continued his relentless practice, maintaining a daily routine of ten thousand swings, steadily increasing his proficiency. Time flew by, his swing speed becoming faster, his foundation more solid.
Until eventually, one swing per second, then two swings per second…
At such speeds, ten thousand swings no longer took a whole day—just two to three hours. The rest of his time? Naturally used for challenging other disciples one-on-one…
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Johnson
child prodigy ?