How do you gain experience points in a game?
Answer: Kill monsters and level up.
But in the real world, how would you gain experience points?
Zhao Zuo temporarily abandoned the idea of taking stock of the original owner's inheritance. He decided to first study his Golden Finger.
The key was figuring out how to gain experience points. Since the Magical Artifact had already accumulated 350 experience points, it meant that some of the original owner's actions could generate them.
Zhao Zuo returned the Sky-Breaking Saber to the hidden clasp on his waist and closed his eyes, beginning to search his memories. He carefully reviewed every memory related to the Sky-Breaking Saber, starting from when it was purchased.
Soon, Zhao Zuo came up with two possibilities.
First, using the Magical Artifact to fight living creatures.
Second, simply using the Magical Artifact.
The former couldn't be verified for now, but the latter could be tested right away.
The room was about eighty square meters. Besides a bedroom and a kitchen, there was also a storage room. Inside were some cheap ores, a large pile of wood, and two sheets of Demon Beast hide on a wooden rack.
Zhao Zuo wedged the old wooden bolt on the door more tightly, as if sealing off two different worlds and blocking out the noise and clamor from outside.
Moyun Workshop only had Guard Teams stationed in its four core districts. As for the outer districts... there was no safety guarantee at all. Tribulation Cultivators often came knocking in the dead of night to kill the owner and steal their savings.
When someone died, they were just dead. No one cared. The Immortal Dao was all about strife!
The wooden door, pieced together from planks, could only offer Zhao Zuo a sliver of security.
Beyond the room was a backyard of about thirty square meters, partially paved with flat flagstones, but mostly packed earth.
This space could be used for practicing Magic Skills or some Body Refining Techniques. A green vine grew in the corner, with a few small flowers blooming at its tips, which had withered slightly from prolonged exposure to the sun.
Zhao Zuo scooped a bowl of water from a bucket and poured it on the corner, saying aloud,
"Live a good life."
A strange face reflected in the water, causing Zhao Zuo to pause for a moment.
It was the face of a young man with thick eyebrows and large eyes. His features were sharply defined, exuding a steady and dependable yet resolute air. His skin was slightly tan, brimming with a sense of power.
Zhao Zuo clenched his fists, looking at the bulging muscles on his arms and his clay pot-sized fists. The original owner's memories resurfaced in his mind.
For the convenience of his work, the original owner had practiced a Body Refining Technique called the Golden Body Technique.
Unfortunately, it only had the first Three Layers, corresponding to the Early-period of Qi Cultivation. After starting his Cultivation, the original owner discovered that the cost of Body Refining far exceeded that of Qi Cultivation by several times. Just successfully cultivating the first layer had consumed a massive amount of resources.
In order not to slow down his Qi Cultivation progress, he eventually chose to give it up.
Because of this technique, the original owner's body had become burly and broad-shouldered, giving him an intimidating appearance that had saved him a lot of trouble over the years.
'This is a good thing. It adds a bit of security.'
His moment of reflection over, Zhao Zuo placed the Sky-Breaking Saber in his palm. Docile Mana flowed through his Meridians, gathering in his right hand before being evenly and steadily channeled through his skin into the mana pathways inside the Sky-Breaking Saber.
The Sky-Breaking Saber began to tremble slightly. Once enough Mana was stored, it slowly floated to a distance of about five centimeters above his palm, quivering like a Crossbow Arrow waiting to be fired.
Following his memories, Zhao Zuo changed his Mana output. It exited his body from several acupoints on his chest and back, resonating with the Magical Artifact. The Sky-Breaking Saber moved like a fish, darting around about five centimeters from the surface of his body. Its thin blade cut through the air, making a SWISH SWISH SWISH sound.
This was the most basic way to control a Magical Artifact with Mana. Essentially, every Cultivator in the Middle Period of Qi Cultivation could do it. If one poured all their Mana into a single strike, the Sky-Breaking Saber's initial burst speed could approach one hundred meters per second, equivalent to one-third the speed of sound.
Of course, this information was a conclusion Zhao Zuo had drawn from analyzing the original owner's memories. There might be some inaccuracies, but the general idea should be correct.
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
The Sky-Breaking Saber continuously sliced through the air, revolving around his body under the guidance of his Mana. In just a few dozen seconds, Zhao Zuo had fallen in love with the feeling of wielding extraordinary power.
And there was no awkwardness in the maneuver; after all, the original owner had practiced it thousands of times.
A minute later, Zhao Zuo's face had grown slightly pale. His Mana was almost depleted. He could only reduce the Sky-Breaking Saber's flight speed and let it slowly descend back into his right palm.
'The duration is too short, and the power is still unknown. I'll need to run a few more tests to get a concrete conclusion.' Zhao Zuo thought, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve while suppressing his excitement.
'This rich and colorful life is far more exciting than my previous one. Since the fact of my transmigration can't be changed, I want to see this magnificent world for myself!'
Zhao Zuo reigned in his emotions and tapped the surface of the Sky-Breaking Saber.
[Level: Lower Grade Magical Artifact +1 · Sky-Breaking Saber]
[Experience: 155/400]
[Status: Not upgradeable]
[Creation Points: 0]
"!!!"
A powerful surge of joy washed over Zhao Zuo. He hadn't expected to find the method for increasing experience points on his very first test! The Magical Artifact's experience increased through use, but the Creation Points hadn't changed at all.
Apparently, the methods for acquiring experience and Creation Points were different.
Still, just figuring out how to gain experience was enough to thrill Zhao Zuo.
Zhao Zuo returned the Sky-Breaking Saber to the hidden clasp on his waist, went back inside, and sat cross-legged on his bed. He assumed the "five hearts facing heaven" posture, emptied his mind as per his memories to achieve a state of inner peace, and began to perceive the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power.
Due to his Three Spirit Roots, the Fire, Wood, and Gold attribute Spiritual Power from the world began to pour into his body. After being refined by his Meridians, it finally entered the Dantian located in his lower abdomen.
The Wood Series Mana would be devoured by the Fire Series Mana, leaving only Gold and Fire dual-attribute Mana stored distinctly within his Dantian.
"Hooo."
After more than an hour had passed, Zhao Zuo let out a long, turbid breath.
By this time, Zhao Zuo's Mana had been fully replenished. Thanks to his aptitude from his Three Spirit Roots, his Mana recovery speed was faster than that of many Loose Cultivators in the Market, which was a decent advantage.
Zhao Zuo opened the back door, went into the yard, and began scanning the ground.
This time, he planned to test the power of the Magical Artifact. After searching for a few seconds, Zhao Zuo took a few steps forward and pried a moss-covered brick from the top of the wall. He placed it at the base of the courtyard wall, then returned to the house.
Zhao Zuo planned to test the Magical Artifact's power by attacking the brick from inside the house, a distance of about ten meters.
With one attempt under his belt, activating the Magical Artifact felt much more natural this time. As Mana was poured into it, the Sky-Breaking Saber once again defied gravity and floated about five centimeters above his palm.
He held his breath and focused his qi, preparing to control the artifact.
'Aim.'
'Fire!'
"SWISH!"
The Sky-Breaking Saber transformed into a streak of black light, cutting through the air at an incredible speed.
With a loud BANG, the Sky-Breaking Saber accurately struck the brick. To Zhao Zuo's astonishment, the brick shattered into pieces, the fragments scattering in all directions like shrapnel.
After shattering the brick, the Sky-Breaking Saber embedded itself forcefully into the stone wall, about four centimeters deep!
"That's really impressive."
...
PS: Newbie author here, please add to your collection and give recommendations.