Practicing martial arts is a delicate task, requiring the correction of countless details. It’s not something you can easily master just by casually following a manual.

“Thank you, Uncle Baker!”

Henry Walker carefully accepted the booklet.

With the Black Tiger Saber manual in hand, he went straight back to his own bedroom, closed the door, lit the candlestick by himself, and began flipping through its contents.

The Black Tiger Saber Technique—though called a saber technique—actually consists of only three moves.

All three moves are offensive.

No defense, no evasion, only attack.

The first move: Tiger Fiend.

The second move: Tiger Might.

The third move: Tiger Roar.

The moves themselves are simple—just three different saber trajectories, each producing a different effect.

Henry Walker glanced through it and quickly grasped the basics. But while the moves are simple, their power depends on proficiency—on strength and speed.

And strength and speed, in turn, depend on the body’s coordination and power generation.

So, these three saber moves are accompanied by a set of mental cultivation techniques.

So-called “mental cultivation” refers to how to coordinate daily life, thoughts, and spirit to bring the saber technique to its greatest potential.

In essence, the mental method is about adjusting one’s inner spirit and mind.

The moves adjust the external; the mental method adjusts the internal. The two work together to unify energy, spirit, and mind.

The Black Tiger Mental Method has three levels, each with no special name—just the ordinary first, second, and third levels.

Only when the mental method is mastered and, as the manual says, the external moves are practiced to proficiency, can one be said to have fully mastered the saber technique.

He gently closed the booklet.

Henry Walker sat silently at the desk for a long time, repeatedly memorizing all the difficult points of the Black Tiger Saber Technique in his mind, recalling them over and over again.

Then, he silently recited in his heart:

“Deep Blue.”

Immediately, the interface of the Deep Blue Skill Modifier appeared before his eyes.

Inside the blue-bordered frame were rows upon rows of small boxes.

In the first row, first column, the box currently displayed his current status.

“Henry Walker——

Martial Arts:

Black Tiger Saber Technique: Not Initiated.”

The display was simple, showing only the Black Tiger Saber Technique he had just read through.

“As expected… it really isn’t an illusion!”

Henry Walker’s body suddenly stiffened.

Not out of fear, but excitement!

This world was far too dangerous.

He had originally planned to be a layabout, to live and die in peace, but now it felt like he’d fallen into a pit of snakes, with venomous serpents possibly emerging at any moment. One careless move and he could become a side character in some legendary ghost story—dead beyond dead.

“But now, at least there’s a glimmer of hope… If this modifier really works…”

Henry Walker suppressed his excitement and began recalling the functions he’d programmed into this cheat tool.

The Deep Blue Modifier’s sole function was to modify all martial arts skills mastered by the game’s protagonist.

It could alter the level of martial arts, directly upgrading them to mastery or peak level. However, it couldn’t change proficiency, blood vitality, strength, speed, internal energy, or any of those other miscellaneous stats.

The only thing it could change was the level of martial arts already learned!

“Looking at the boxes, the only thing I can modify is this Black Tiger Saber Technique. So, how do I start modifying it?”

Henry Walker began to experiment and study.

Alone in his bedroom, his hands unconsciously flipping through the booklet, his attention was focused on the Deep Blue Modifier in his mind.

He carefully examined the modifier up and down, over and over. Soon, he discovered a very small button at the very bottom of the modifier.

The button was labeled: Start Modification.

“This is it.”

Henry Walker willed it, imagining a finger pressing down hard on the button.

Immediately, the entire Deep Blue Modifier flashed.

He suddenly felt he could control everything on the modifier at will.

It was a strange sensation, but Henry Walker didn’t dwell on it. He quickly focused his attention on the Black Tiger Saber Technique.

The status after Black Tiger Saber Technique was “Not Initiated.” The moment he focused his attention on it, the status jumped.

It became “Initiated.”

Henry Walker was overjoyed—this might really work. He continued to focus on the Black Tiger Saber Technique.

Soon, it jumped again, becoming “Level One.”

Then “Level Two,” “Level Three”…

“It worked!” Henry Walker was ecstatic—apparently, the modifier was indeed effective.

He was just about to relax his mind.

Suddenly, the Black Tiger Saber Technique jumped again.

“Level Four!!”

The Black Tiger Saber Technique had suddenly jumped to Level Four!

Boom!!

The instant the Black Tiger Saber Technique reached Level Four, Henry Walker felt a roaring in his mind.

His whole head felt like it was splitting, his body convulsed as if struck by lightning.

Collapsed over the desk, he took a long time to catch his breath before he could barely lift his head.

Under his nose was wet, with a faint metallic smell.

Henry Walker reached out and gently touched it—dark red blood.

He felt his vision blur, his whole body aching everywhere. He was so weak and powerless that even standing up felt exhausting.