Chapter Fifty-Two: The Human Resource

  These days passed in a similar way: every day, eating and sleeping on time, except that there were more people like Old Wu and Jin Chengwu, but it was not much different from before.

  These days, Su Jing was almost as elusive as Xiao Qian. When we ate, she would come over to eat by herself, and when I slept, she would lead her away. This reminded me of the electronic pets I played with in middle school - those electronic watch-like things that had three or four buttons. Apart from having to feed it and clean up after it at regular intervals, you also had to play with it sometimes. But Su Jing didn't need me to accompany her when she played - these days, she often dispersed her sword energy everywhere, causing everyone's hair in the room to stand on end like hers whenever this happened. I was getting used to it, but there was a good side to this: every time she had one of her episodes, I would turn off the air conditioner and save a lot of electricity.

  That day, after we finished eating instant noodles, I saw a bit of oil stain on Su Jing's mouth corner. I was a bit distracted and subconsciously handed her a paper towel. At that time, Su Jing still had a fork in her hand, and she directly put the paper towel into her mouth...

  Before I could react, she had already chewed twice. Her eyes flashed coldly and she frowned, saying: "What kind of thing is so hard to eat?" She spat out the tissue in her mouth and stared blankly for a moment, saying: "What's this?"

  Xiao Qian looked at her timidly and said: "Sister, it's paper..."

  "Who stuffed my mouth?"

  Everyone pointed at me without saying a word...

  I stamped my foot and beat my chest, saying: "You can't frame a loyal person like this, I'm kind-hearted!"

  Xiao Qian pouted and said: "What kindness, you've even given ginger slices to Sister Su before."

  Su Jing looked at me with a smile that was not quite a smile and said, "Is it?"

  I was taken aback and immediately said: "You're awake?"

  Su Jingdao said, "I should say I'm out of seclusion." She stood up and stretched her legs, asking, "How long have I been in seclusion?"

  I took a glance at the calendar on the wall and said, "Today is exactly the fifth day."

  Duan Tianya was particularly concerned about the outcome of the closed meeting and asked: "Have you found a way to help him recover his power?"

  Su Jing said calmly: "A part of it."

  Duan Tianya was about to ask again when Su Jing lowered her head and sniffed herself, her expression painful as she said: "Why do I smell so bad?"

  "You haven't taken a bath for 5 days, aren't you all stinky?" I said cautiously: "Actually, I wanted to help you wash, but I was afraid that after you woke up, you would beat me..."

  Su Jing smiled and said: "Your idea is right - I'll go take a bath first, wait for me."

  Ten minutes later, Su Jing wiped his wet hair and went downstairs. Duan Tianya urged impatiently: "Hurry up, what plan have you come up with?" He was more proactive than me.

  Su Jingdao: "Have you guys felt my sword aura over the past few days?"

  Duan Tianya said: "I feel it, very strong!"

  "That's because I've dissipated all my sword energy."

  "What's going on?" Duan Tianya exclaimed in shock.

  Su Jingdao: "In order to experience Xiao Long's current state."

  Duan Tianya said: "You've dissipated your sword energy, how can you protect him?"

  "Listen to me slowly, at the beginning I was only dispersing one-tenth of my sword energy, and I found that the dispersed sword energy could still be easily retrieved. Then I gradually increased the proportion, three-tenths, five-Tenths, until all of it, just like Xiaolong, having a Sword God position but no sword energy at all. In this state, how to retrieve the sword energy becomes the key. If I can succeed, then it means that this method is also applicable to Xiaolong."

  "Did you succeed?" Duan Tianya asked with a start.

  Su Jingdao: "It's done."

  "May I know?" Duan Tianya's eyes lit up instantly:

  Su Jing said calmly, "It's simple. After I dispersed my sword energy and started re-cultivating like a beginner, I found that as long as a tiny bit of sword energy is reborn in my body, it's not difficult to recover the original sword energy. As long as the Sword God stage is still there, plus this tiny bit of sword energy as a catalyst, the original sword energy will return to my body like iron filings being attracted by a magnet." No wonder these two days have been gloomy and windy, Su Jing has been using himself as a wind machine for experimentation.

  Duan Tianya was shocked: "So, at a certain moment, you were completely devoid of sword energy?"

  Su Jingdao said, "Yes. I once tried to leave only one-tenth of the sword energy, but this is not consistent with Xiaolong's situation. Later, I simply abolished my martial arts and started again from scratch, and finally found this method."

  "Haven't you thought about what would happen if you failed? At that time, even I can easily kill you."

  Su Jingdao said: "In the end, didn't we succeed?"

  "You're crazy!"

  "So, you just need to retract your sword energy and become a Sword Child."

  "What's the big idea?"

  "In our continent, the levels of martial artists are divided into Sword Child, Sword Birth, Swordsman, and Pre-Middle-Post period of Sword Master. As for the so-called Sword Saint and Sword God, those are already realms that can be encountered but not sought after. Ordinary people don't hold onto hope and don't think about it much, anyway, it's mostly impossible to reach."

  "I stroked my chin and said, 'So you're saying I only need to reach the enlightenment stage? What does this Sword Boy have to say about that?'"

  Duan Tianya said, "This sword child is simple but not simple. Without a teacher's guidance, no matter how strong and agile you are, it's impossible to become a sword child. An ordinary sword child can definitely beat a strong man in a fight - the minimum requirement for junior officers in most countries on both continents is usually at the level of a sword child."

  "I said: 'Then how can I become a sword boy?'"

  Duan Tianya said: "The standard for distinguishing between a sword child is based on the ability to release sword energy, that is to say, even if it's just a thread or a tiny bit, it counts."

  "Oh, how long will it take for me to become a Sword Master?"

  "Considering your abilities, about 5 years," said Duan Tianya.

  "I leapt up in anger: '5 years? Are you kidding me? Even if I could wait, ask your Su Jianming if he's willing to wait!'"

  Su Jing said calmly: "He was talking about someone else, and he didn't mention you."

  Duan Tianya smiled complacently and said, "Yes, it usually takes five years for ordinary people to cultivate sword energy, but I only took a mere seven months to succeed." With an air of pride, he asked Su Jing with a slightly arrogant tone, "May I ask how long did the Sword God take?"

  Su Jing's expressionless face said: "3 days."

  Duan Tianya stopped talking...

  I waved my hands vigorously in front of my chest: "I'm not a genius, no way - I'm even dumber than that! I didn't know how to solve cubic equations until the first year of high school!" I kind of understood now. The 'Sword Prodigy' they were talking about was roughly equivalent to our elementary school graduation level. Normally it takes five years, but a prodigy can master it in one or two years, and then move on to middle school, high school, university, graduate school, and doctoral studies. A Sword Saint is probably at the level of an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. But being an academician is one thing, wanting to invent atomic bombs, record players, steam engines, and whatnot is a whole different level - that's called a Sword God.

  I've never had any natural talent for learning things since I was young, not better than others nor worse, completely an "average person" in their words. However, we know that to practice the most powerful martial arts, one should avoid being such an average person. People like Linghu Chong, Xiao Feng and Yang Guo relied on intelligence, while Guo Jing and Shi Potian relied on stupidity. As an average person learning martial arts, at best you can only reach the level of "Guanzhong Wuhu", "Saiwai Shuangxia" or "Wangjiagou Sanbai Liu Shi Er Meng".

  Su Jingdao said: "You are the sword god of the previous life, at least you should have some understanding?"

  I cried with a sad face: "The old eagle of the previous life has become a rabbit in this life, no matter how high the wisdom is, it can't fly up. It's just right to jump down from a high place and fall into a pile, and then be picked up by someone to stew!"

  Su Jingdao said: "Even if you don't have the aptitude, I will make you cultivate sword energy within 10 days. I won't believe that I, personally teaching, can't even teach a single sword child."

  "Can't you think of some other way?"

  Duan Tianya said: "Su Jing as the Sword God, didn't hesitate to disperse all her sword energy, she has risked her life for you, can you bear to let her efforts go to waste?"

  "How did you end up speaking for her?"

  Duan Tianya said: "I'm just saying a fair word, I and she are enemies, but the Sword God is always our continent's glory. A person can practice sword energy to this extent, it's not her own business anymore, that represents the brilliant achievements of our continent's martial arts. What great risks did Su Sword God take for you? If she fails in the experiment, it will be more painful than losing her life, do you understand?"

  I couldn't have imagined that this kid could take the question to such a height, our teacher was right, distance breeds jealousy, but if the distance is too great, there's only admiration left. In my class of over 60 people back then, I scored 48th place and was very dissatisfied with the kid who got 47th place, if he hadn't cheated, that position would have been mine. But for the freak who was first in our class and the whole grade level, there's only room for admiration left. That kid could score 702 points on a 750-point test, what's there to be jealous of? Duan Tianya is like this towards Su Jing.

  Su Jing didn't say anything else, but finally declared to me in a solemn tone: "From today on, I will start teaching you martial arts until you become a sword child."

  I made a bitter face and said: "What if I still haven't practiced out the sword energy by the time you leave?"

  "So I hope you can be more diligent, and don't forget that Lu Renjia and the others exist. Even if you don't go back with me, they'll still come to kill you after I leave. However, if you can recover at least three-tenths of your sword energy from before, you should be able to protect yourself without a problem. The person who took away three-tenths of your sword energy has already been found by me. As long as you succeed in the first step, the rest will be very simple. Just shake hands with him or have close contact, and those sword energies will return to your body."

  I sighed and said, "It seems I have no choice either."

  Su Jingdao said, "There's one more thing I need to make clear to you. The method I've researched this time is only effective against pure sword energy. As for the other complex powers and attributes on your body, it probably won't work."

  I said disappointedly: "So, does this mean I still can't get my charm back?"

  Su Jingdao said, "Those I will think of another way, it's good that you can take back 30% of the sword energy first, and after returning to the mainland, as long as you shout loudly, our morale will be different immediately."

  "You're taking advantage of this to cheat consumers!"

  "Alright, let's get started," Su Jing said faintly. "From now on, I'll give the orders and you follow them."

  I spread out my hands and feet in a big character shape on the chair, with a reckless look, loudly saying: "Come on, come on, let me show you how many legs the King of Horses has!"

  Xiao Qian covered her mouth and laughed: "Is it a few eyes?"

  I glared at her and said: "Today's Ma Wangye doesn't count eyes but counts legs, otherwise how can it be called a man of medium talent?"

  ……

  Division line

  One thing: I must get on the shelves by mid-month, right? I've heard there's something called a "guaranteed monthly pass", you guys have to save one for me, don't you?