Samuel Bennett recognized it; this was the very executioner’s blade that Old Man Walker had used to behead nearly a hundred people.

Usually, Old Man Walker treated it like a precious treasure, never allowing anyone else to touch it, not even for a moment.

In the past, Samuel Bennett had envied it but never gave it much thought. But now, as his gaze swept over it, his heart couldn’t help but skip a beat.

‘Could this ghost-headed broadsword also be an ingredient?’

“Heh heh~”

Old Man Walker picked up his teacup, sat upright, and replied in a flat tone:

“The Yang family isn’t much, but why should I buy all these fields and houses and bring trouble upon myself?”

“It’s not buying, it’s giving!”

Samuel Bennett gave up on wishful thinking and gritted his teeth.

He directly took out the property and land deeds and slapped them onto the table.

Old Man Walker was the trading partner he had long decided on.

First, Old Man Walker wouldn’t be afraid of those relatives from the Yang family. Second, he himself had learned skills under him.

Though not quite master and apprentice, there was still some bond between them.

Compared to others, it was much better.

“Oh?”

Old Man Walker looked at Samuel Bennett in surprise, then sneered, “Selling off your father’s land without a care! Old Yang spent most of his life accumulating these things.”

“No matter how much you have, it’s useless if you can’t keep it.”

Samuel Bennett was very clear-headed.

Rather than let those so-called relatives bleed him dry, he’d rather give the land away and make a deal that benefited himself.

There were plenty of disciples under Wei He; he didn’t believe this old man would shamelessly take these things for free.

“I really underestimated you, kid.”

Old Man Walker put down his teacup and gave Samuel Bennett a deep look.

He didn’t have a strong impression of this boy who had come to learn from him; what he remembered most was that the kid had once eaten dirt.

Now, he was genuinely surprised.

Samuel Bennett kept his head down, saying nothing.

“Hmm…”

William Walker picked up the land deed, pondered for a moment, then spoke:

“You do call me teacher, after all, so I won’t take these things for nothing. Here’s what we’ll do: your two years of apprenticeship are waived. Starting tomorrow, you’ll practice swordsmanship with the others!”

“Whew!”

A huge weight lifted from his heart, Samuel Bennett finally let out a sigh of relief:

“Yes, Master.”

Chapter Five: Steady, Accurate, Ruthless!

The moon was bright and the stars sparse. In the guest room, Samuel Bennett lay awake for a long time. He simply sat up, took out the broken blade, and began practicing sword moves.

To call them sword moves wasn’t quite accurate.

They were even more basic than the basics—like how to hold the sword.

There were various grips: standard, reverse, left-handed, right-handed, slanted, and so on. Each grip had its own basic stance and technique.

Samuel Bennett naturally held the hilt in the standard way.

Whoosh—

The broken blade swept through the moonlight shining into the room. Samuel Bennett’s eyes were bright, countless techniques branded in his mind, ready for reference at any moment.

“Too bad I can’t see a progress bar…”

He methodically performed each technique from his memory. Samuel Bennett glanced at the wall, feeling a bit regretful.

But before long, he was fully immersed, forgetting all other matters.

It wasn’t until waves of soreness spread through his body that he realized dawn had already broken.

“Has the whole night passed already?”

Samuel Bennett shook his numb hand, his heart filled with amazement.

He was certain he’d never had this level of focus before.

In the past, even if he really wanted to accomplish something, he couldn’t help but get distracted.

He wasn’t exactly fickle, but he’d never been able to concentrate to this extent.

“Was it the previous ‘refining’ that improved my focus?”

Samuel Bennett stretched his muscles as he pondered.

Inside the cauldron, he hadn’t felt tired or been able to keep track of time. Thinking back, he must have persisted for quite a long while.

Maybe it wasn’t that he’d become more focused, but that he’d formed a ‘habit’?

He couldn’t help but want to try refining again, but now wasn’t the time. If he ended up unconscious for several days, that would be a real problem.

……

Learning martial arts under Old Man Walker’s tutelage came with no strict rules; in fact, it was quite lax.

Come and go as you pleased, practice whenever you wanted—William Walker didn’t care at all.

Most of the time, he’d be holding his old monkey, half-asleep in a big chair. But if anyone made a mistake in their practice, he’d immediately bark at them.

Samuel Bennett knew there was no other way.

William Walker’s place wasn’t a formal martial arts school. Those who came to learn from him did so in their spare time; most still had to work.

Only two or three people could manage to come and practice for a few hours every day.

Like Samuel Bennett before, making it three to five days a month was already pretty good.

“Since we have a new junior apprentice today, I’ll say a few more words.”

As soon as Samuel Bennett arrived in the courtyard, he heard Old Man Walker’s voice and quickly hurried to stand behind his senior brothers.

William Walker let go of the old monkey and limped back and forth, his voice rising and falling: “They say you should master fists and kicks before moving on to weapons, but most of you don’t have that luxury. Learning unarmed skills takes much more time and effort than weapons…”

Samuel Bennett listened intently, knowing that Old Man Walker was speaking for his benefit.