"But it truly does fulfill your dream of becoming a heroine—and quite perfectly at that…"
Thinking of a particular section of the sword manual, Sylvester grew even more intrigued. With a faint smile, he said, "Most importantly, this sword manual requires no hard practice at all! The only thing needed is comprehension—it's the ultimate gospel for lazy people."
"Isn't that exactly what I need?"
After hearing just a few sentences, March 7th's eyes lit up.
No grueling training—just some thinking, and she could grasp top-tier swordsmanship like absorbing a skill book in a game.
Wasn't this the perfect sword manual she had always dreamed of?
Sure, she'd just promised Master Yanqing that even if she found nothing valuable in the trash can, she'd still work hard to reach the pinnacle.
But now that a shortcut had appeared, it wasn't too bad to take it, right?
Hehe, Master Yanqing… your little disciple will soon master the Ayanami Grace Gossamer Steps!
The more she thought about it, the more excited she became. With confidence shining in her eyes, she said, "Shopkeeper Sylvester, go ahead and tell me. I've always been bright as ice and snow—wisdom is something I never lack!"
"Uh…"
Yanqing and Yunli exchanged uneasy glances.
Though they'd only been around March 7th for a few days, they had already figured out her swordsmanship prospects—completely.
Because… there was nothing to figure out. She was the kind you could see the bottom of at a glance.
Her physical fitness wasn't bad, but her natural aptitude? Let's just say above average, nowhere near genius.
And they had heard of sword manuals that didn't require solid fundamentals but relied purely on comprehension.
Those were the kind only peerless prodigies could possibly grasp!
Even they would only dare claim to "understand" such manuals when the other was present—just to save face.
In front of their Master or Grandfather? They wouldn't even dare pretend. Because even those elders might not fully comprehend them!
Yanqing, in particular, felt this deeply. Having once experienced Jingliu's matchless sword firsthand, he was certain—of all the people he'd ever met, only she could understand it at a glance.
And that was after a thousand years of accumulated insight!
The sword manual they'd found in the trash can matched his impression of those impossibly demanding tomes perfectly.
Giving that to Miss March? Wasn't that just too cruel?
Having long been influenced by Jing Yuan to act with emotional intelligence, Yanqing was already wondering how to console her if she couldn't make sense of even a single line.
But while her teachers stayed calm, others didn't.
After all that humiliation, Stelle, sprawled across the row of seats, perked up at March 7th's words. A sly grin crept across her face—time for revenge against her shattered ideals.
She teased, "Why not open it and see for yourself? Oh, but if the ice-and-snow-bright Heroine March 7th can't learn even a single move, make sure you don't throw a tantrum and start crying again~~"
"I won't cry or make a scene!"
March 7th crossed her arms stubbornly.
She turned back toward Sylvester. "Shopkeeper Sylvester, what do you think? I can definitely comprehend it, right?"
Sylvester blinked, thought for a moment—then, as if not hearing her question, began speaking on his own.
"It is said that in another world, there was a master named Lü Dongbin, titled the Pure Yang Immortal. He cultivated both sword and qi, his techniques reaching divine perfection. Eventually, he ascended to the heavens, transcending the mortal realm. During his time in the world of men, he founded a sect to teach the immortal arts. Because of his title, 'Pure Yang,' his sect took the same name—the Pure Yang Sect."
He narrated the origin of the book, then pointed to the tome in March 7th's hands. "And this," he continued, "is the supreme secret art of the Pure Yang Sect—the untransmitted knowledge of its successive leaders. Its name is—[Pure Yang Supplementary Manual]."
Words like immortal, Pure Yang, supreme secret art—things she'd never heard before—rattled March 7th's little brain completely.
Especially the way Sylvester enunciated the name at the end—it struck her dumb with awe, her eyes brimming with wisdom.
"Did you understand any of that?"
Yanqing asked hesitantly.
He himself had been utterly lost. But Miss March looked as though enlightenment had struck her.
Without changing expression, March 7th shook her head. "Nope."
Yanqing was speechless. "Mm…"
"But from the way it sounds, it's clearly something amazing!" March 7th said matter-of-factly. "Immortals, ascension, transcending mortality—all that stuff sounds super impressive, right? So that means my gains will be huge!"
Genius!
Yanqing almost wanted to applaud his clever disciple.
Her logic was flawless—airtight even.
Unlike in modern times, immortals and ascension weren't just storybook dreams right after the Plague of Longevity from the Abundance's curse—they were literal terms. Even now, remnants of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus used honorific titles like "Skyborne Celestial."
And Sylvester's mention of 'transcending the mortal realm'—even in the weakest interpretation—implied partial divine authority. That would make the Pure Yang Immortal at least an Emanator.
And certainly not one of the weaker ones.
Maybe… linking it with ancient Xianzhou legends, Yanqing couldn't help but imagine the cataclysmic being who once brought ruin to the Luofu, the cause of the High-Cloud Quintet's schism—Shuhu.
If the sword manual was truly left behind by someone of that caliber, even a single glance would be a supreme honor—enough to benefit one for a lifetime!
But Miss March… could she really handle it?
Flipping through the pages at random, March 7th frowned. "Shopkeeper Sylvester, why can't I understand this first move?"
Yanqing smacked his forehead with his palm.
As expected—she couldn't handle it!
Then he suddenly turned to Yunli. "Why are you copying me?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing!" Yunli lowered her hand defiantly. "I was swatting a mosquito. What about you?"
"Swatting a fly."
"It's fine if you can't read it—I'll explain, and you'll understand."
As for whether she could actually use it… that was another matter.
Sylvester thought this silently, though his face wore a gentle smile. Raising one finger, he said, "The first move is called [The Sentimental Sword Technique]."
"This technique not only slays the body—but strikes at the heart."
"So powerful?" March 7th's face lit up with excitement.
If the very first move was this grand, what could the later ones possibly be like?
"But how do I actually use it?"
She flipped through the manual again. The blue-bound, vertically printed stitched volume had large characters but was written so obscurely that even her cognitive beacon couldn't translate it clearly.
Sylvester understood her struggle with the densely classical phrasing, so he offered, "Let's take an example. Suppose you're in a martial performance ceremony, facing an opponent slightly stronger than you. What would you do?"
"Charge forward, of course!" March 7th pumped her little fist, her voice brimming with fighting spirit. "Go all out right from the start and finish them in one combo!"
"Wrong!" Sylvester pointed at her. "According to the essence of the Sentimental Sword Technique, you should instead shatter your own sword upon contact with your opponent's weapon, fall to the ground, and cry out sorrowfully—'This sword was my father's dying gift!'"
"Huh?"
Sylvester said it lightly, but the expressions on March 7th and her teachers' faces perfectly conveyed 'Seriously, bro?'
That's a sword technique?
That's more like a cheap trick!
And how could that possibly work?