“This is…” He felt a slight stir in his heart. His gaze fell on the symbol, and immediately, streams of information began to flow from it.

“Red Pine Sword Technique—Beginner. (Advancement requirements: Master Thrust, Songyang Needle)”

“Able to see the advancement requirements?” Henry Clark felt a surge of excitement in his heart. With this, when he hit a bottleneck, he could directly pinpoint his target and avoid taking unnecessary detours.

But what made him even more delighted was that the thrust he had just accidentally succeeded in performing actually remained in his field of vision like a skill.

Even if he closed his eyes, he could still see this red skill symbol, just like a sword thrusting forward, stirring up a great stream of air.

“From this perspective, this ability really is like a piece of software installed in my brain. It can precisely grasp the changes in my body and also accurately capture my body’s memory.”

Henry Clark quickly analyzed in his mind.

He gently focused his intent on a certain skill.

Unconsciously, as if some force was controlling his body, he raised the wooden sword and thrust it forward.

Whoosh.

A faint sound of air being pierced rang out.

“As expected!” Henry Clark felt that this time was exactly the same as the previous successful attempt—the strength used, the angle, the speed—there was almost no difference. It was almost like a perfect copy.

“Perfect memory has copied the body memory of that successful thrust. Truly…” Henry Clark didn’t even know what to say. This ability already belonged to the realm of minute control over one’s own body. It wasn’t a superpower, but it was even better than a superpower!

He put down the wooden sword and, without using the skill, tried thrusting forward with his bare hand.

No sound.

Again!

Whoosh.

This time, the sound was even stronger.

Based on the memory of that previous thrust, Henry Clark made a slight adjustment and immediately found an even better thrust.

He soon saw an upward arrow appear behind the Red Pine Sword Technique.

“That’s it! Haha!” Henry Clark felt a surge of joy and began trying again and again, searching for the most perfect thrust.

The skill would help him memorize the most perfect successful thrust as body instinct, and then he could use the skill to become thoroughly familiar with it, thus achieving perfect mastery.

The whole night, he kept practicing the thrust over and over, quickly finding the most perfect one, fixing it as a skill, and then repeatedly using it, savoring its subtleties.

After all, a skill is rigid, but only by mastering it himself could he fully integrate it into his instincts and reach the level of acting at will.

After coming to this environment, these past few days had already made Henry Clark feel a serious sense of insecurity. Without any self-defense skills, he was simply a lamb waiting to be slaughtered in this world.

……

At the foot of the mountain, Red Pine City.

In a large red-lacquered household in the southeast of the city.

In the main hall, a burly man with thick eyebrows and a broadsword at his waist was frowning at another man sitting in a chair.

“Big brother, The Cooper Family’s terms are a bit too much. Isn’t this just taking advantage of us while we’re down?”

The man sitting in the chair was dressed like a wealthy merchant, with a white hat inlaid with a piece of green jade on his head. His exquisite white silk and blue animal fur were woven into a thin cloak-like garment.

“No need to worry, second brother. There’s still some time to ease this matter. General Howard in the city has already reported it up the chain.” The wealthy merchant twirled two green stone balls in his hand and replied unhurriedly.

“Besides, I have other arrangements…”

“I’ve long been fed up with that Robert Cooper. I’ll definitely find a chance to teach him a lesson.” The burly man said bluntly.

“Last month’s shipment was short by twenty percent. Have Little David look into it. Even if my The Clark Family is in a temporary predicament, we’re not some stray cats or dogs that anyone can bully.” The wealthy merchant looked plump and prosperous, but his tone was somewhat chilling.

To have built up such a family business in these troubled times, none of them were simple characters. The wealthy merchant was none other than the head of the The Clark Family, James Clark, a well-known figure throughout Red Pine City.

The burly man with thick eyebrows was John Clark, his biological second brother, and also the chief constable of Red Pine City.

“That’s easy.” John Clark responded, “I’ll arrange it in a bit. By the way, I heard your fourth son is back?”

“He’s back.” The stone balls in James Clark’s hand paused slightly. “The second son went to Wanxin City to take charge on his own and opened the third shop. The third is still stationed at Shimen Mountain, and a few days ago sent word that he’s been promoted to squad leader and is highly valued by the company commander. My The Clark Family finally has some connections in the military. As for the fourth… if nothing goes wrong this time, he should have already made contact with the The Bennett Family. A county magistrate is in the bag.”

“Tsk tsk, a county magistrate… As expected of the The Bennett Family, the fourth really made a move… With real power in hand and this layer of protection, a lot of things will go much more smoothly for us.” John Clark showed a hint of envy in his eyes.

“I just hope the fourth can handle his wife’s temper.” James Clark let out a breath.

“I heard the two of them get along well. Otherwise, why would his father-in-law, Mr. Bennett, go all out to help? Arranging things for his own son-in-law?”