Henry Owen was staring fixedly at his own hands, lost in thought.

He recalled that piece of information about his talent—hands that can chase the wind, fingers that can pursue lightning!

Could his hands really be this fast?

In that instant, the illusory screen in Henry Owen’s eyes once again burst into a firework.

He focused his attention and noticed that the reputation column had changed again. The original ‘Ninth Rank, Lower (Virtual)’ had become ‘Ninth Rank, Lower (Actual)’.

The previously remaining ‘1’ martial arts point had also become ‘7’.

A look of confusion appeared in Henry Owen’s eyes.

‘Ninth Rank, Lower (Virtual)’ to ‘Ninth Rank, Lower (Actual)’?

What was the reason for this?

Chapter 3 Emily Owen

Henry Owen quickly withdrew his attention from the system.

He held his long blade upside down, cupped his fists toward the head instructor Brian Reed, and also toward Edward Blake across from him: “This disciple’s skills are lacking and failed to pull back in time. I ask the head instructor for forgiveness, and also hope Brother Blake will excuse me.”

However, Edward Blake on the other side clearly had no intention of forgiving him. Pressing on his injured wrist, he looked at Henry Owen with a mix of shock and anger, his eyes seeming to burn with poisonous flames.

This guy uses his blade so ruthlessly, and now he’s pretending?

“You were wrong to injure someone, but today’s events had their reasons. You can’t be blamed.”

Brian Reed was unconcerned, and at the same time, he looked at Henry Owen’s hands with a hint of surprise and appreciation: “What a pair of fast hands! Your blade work is impressive too. This move, ‘Wind from an Empty Cave’, is simple and refined, truly capturing the essence of the fast blade.

No wonder Instructor Harris strongly recommended you. In terms of blade talent alone, you’re not beneath this year’s chief true disciple, Charles Hunt.”

As soon as Brian Reed said this, the whole hall erupted in an uproar.

Samuel Grant’s face turned ashen. The ‘Charles Hunt’ mentioned by Brian Reed had become the chief true disciple of Zhengyang Martial Hall three months ago.

This person also specialized in the way of the blade, excelling at the ‘Gentle Breeze and Light Rain Blade’. His cultivation and combat strength were already close to the seventh rank, the best in the martial hall, and he was widely known as a blade genius.

But Samuel Grant didn’t think Brian Reed was exaggerating at all. Henry Owen’s fast blade just now was truly stunning.

William Harris’s mouth dropped open, feeling as if her jaw was about to dislocate.

Everything she’d said before was just to muddle through, simply to give Brian Reed a passable reason.

When did Henry Owen reach ninth-rank blade skills! No, that’s talent—he actually has such outstanding talent for the fast blade!

Why didn’t he say so earlier!

If she’d known Henry Owen’s blade skills were at this level, she would have pushed him forward even without payment.

It wasn’t until Brian Reed looked over with appreciative eyes that William Harris snapped back to her senses.

She quickly closed her mouth, put on a look of having expected this all along, and let out a cold ‘heh’, her expression frosty, her words tinged with ice: “This kid’s talent with the blade is indeed remarkable, but my recommendation can’t compare to the 隆 family’s spirit-gathering array, nor to a single word from Instructor Grant, can it?”

Brian Reed couldn’t help but look embarrassed, feeling guilty.

He had thought Instructor Harris was acting out of personal feelings, recommending a sickly child.

But now it seemed he had judged a gentleman with a petty heart.

This child’s body may be weak, but his talent in the way of the blade is truly outstanding.

Brian Reed immediately beckoned to an eighth-rank civil official sitting nearby: “Registrar Wen, later, the ‘Spirit Gathering Array’ sent by Instructor Grant, assign it to the East Wing. This month, allocate an extra eighty taels of magic silver to the East Wing’s dining hall for more dishes. Also, give this child five Essence Cultivation Pills and a refined light steel blade.”

William Harris’s expression immediately improved.

A spirit gathering array was worth five hundred taels of magic silver and could only last three months, enough for ten people to cultivate their internal energy within.

What William Harris cared about wasn’t the value of the array itself, but face.

As long as the array remained in the East Wing, Samuel Grant’s face would be trampled under her feet.

This was a kind of satisfaction she couldn’t buy even with money.

Henry Owen looked solemn: “Thank you, Head Instructor, for your support!”

It was said that one Essence Cultivation Pill was equivalent to ten days of cultivation.

As for the refined light steel blade, not only was the blade tough, but it was also a quarter lighter than a normal steel blade, especially suitable for his fast blade style. It was something you couldn’t buy on the market even if you wanted to.

The total value of these two items exceeded fifty taels of magic silver, which was quite a sincere compensation.

Samuel Grant’s face grew even darker. He snorted coldly, pulled Edward Blake, and turned to leave.

Edward Blake was unwilling to go, but only moved after being tugged several times by Samuel Grant.

He kept staring fixedly at Henry Owen, as if trying to etch his appearance deep into his memory.

※※※※

As Henry Owen walked down from the stone platform, he saw William Harris standing with her arms crossed, looking at him in utter amazement.

Being surprised was only natural.

Henry Owen himself hadn’t expected the ‘Hands that Chase the Wind and Pursue Lightning’ given by the system to be so powerful, truly doubling the speed of his blade. Let alone William Harris.

“Incredible.” William Harris deliberately pinched Henry Owen’s arm muscles, then felt his bones: “When you strike, your blade chases the wind and pursues lightning. I never noticed you had such a talent before.”

Since Henry Owen joined Zhengyang Martial Hall, she had given him extra lessons twice, and considered herself familiar with Henry Owen’s situation.