Skill Effects

The old village chief's house!

Five taels of silver were handed to Qin Yan.

"This is compensation from those Zhao brothers," the old village chief said with a faint smile.

He gestured for Qin Yan to sit in the chair beside him.

"Thank you, Village Chief!"

Qin Yan couldn't help admiring the old village chief's efficiency. It was also the first time he had seen the old man's influence in the village.

"A-Yan, going by seniority, you should call me Great-Uncle!"

The old village chief smiled unconcernedly. "From now on, don't go anywhere near Zhao Family Village unless you have to.

"You're still young, so people don't believe you could have beaten the Zhao brothers.

"Otherwise, this matter wouldn't have been settled so easily."

The old village chief gave Qin Yan a long look. Since yesterday, the boy seemed to have shed his mortal body and been reborn.

Decades of experience told him that, as long as Qin Yan didn't die young, his future prospects were beyond anything the people in this village could match.

That was also why he had been willing to use his prestige to settle this matter.

Hearing the old village chief's words, Qin Yan nodded silently. If he kept a low profile for a while, all his physical abilities would surely grow by leaps and bounds.

Then he wouldn't have to fear the people of Zhao Family Village!

"A-Yan, I hadn't wanted to meddle too much in the matter between you and your two brothers.

"But I hope you understand that there must be a limit to everything.

"Our Qin clan is one of the largest in the village. This old man has only gained such prestige thanks to the support of our clansmen. They trust me and let me stand up for them."

As he spoke, the old village chief looked at Qin Yan with a trace of hope. "I can see you're no fish destined to remain in a pond, but how far can you go? No one can predict that.

"But you must understand that your surname and your clansmen can all become a force at your back.

"Of your generation, I'm afraid you're the only one we can put forward."

The old village chief smiled. "You need to learn to ride the prevailing wind. Being a lone wolf has its advantages, and being the pack leader has its own.

"The world is in chaos now. You need to learn to huddle together for warmth.

"If things get too ugly between you and your brothers, it will affect how your clansmen see you."

Qin Yan was astonished to hear the old village chief tell him all this. He couldn't quite fathom what it meant.

"Curious why I'm telling you this?"

The old village chief smiled faintly. "What did you notice about the fellow villagers who came to help today?"

Qin Yan recalled the scene and thought for a moment. "Most of them were members of the Qin clan, and the others were related to us by marriage to some degree.

"The Qiaos and some of the others either didn't come or stood by and watched."

"Good! A-Yan, you observed carefully."

The old village chief smiled with satisfaction. "A village is a small web of personal ties.

"Who is close and who is distant is as distinct as the Jing and Wei rivers.

"Your father used to be the leading figure among the young and strong men of the Qin clan. His prestige was only a little below mine.

"He most likely would have become the next village chief. What a pity!"

The old village chief sighed. The younger generation was mediocre; now Qin Yan was the only promising seedling left.

He hoped the position of village chief would remain in the hands of their Qin clan in the future.

Seeing that Qin Yan remained silent, he continued.

"Those Qiao brothers have been riding high these past few years, and their influence in the village has been growing.

A-Yan, keep your distance from them. Don't get involved in anything with them or come into conflict with them for now."

"Yes!"

A thought stirred in Qin Yan's mind. The Qiao brothers were indeed capable, especially given their influence among their fellow Qiaos. They could be called the leading figures of their clan.

It wasn't apparent in ordinary times, but once something happened, the strength of the clan's bonds would immediately become clear.

On top of that, they controlled the purchasing of pelts, so many people in the village depended on them.

Farming could only keep a family fed and clothed. Pelts and game from the mountains could bring in extra income.

That was why, even though people knew the Qiaos were driving down prices, they still had to pinch their noses and accept it.

The old village chief's meaning was also clear.

He wanted to send Qin Yan into the ring so that, when he stepped down as village chief in the future, Qin Yan could take his place.

Qin Yan hadn't expected the old village chief to think so highly of him.

"Don't worry, Great-Uncle. As long as those two brothers of mine don't come looking for trouble with me again, I won't go out of my way to cause trouble for them either."

Qin Yan spoke solemnly.

"Good!"

The old village chief smiled at his answer and slowly rose to enter the room. Before long, he came out carrying a bow and arrows and walked up to Qin Yan.

"Take this bow and these arrows and practice your Archery. Whether you're practicing martial arts or still growing, you need plenty of meat."

Seeing the bow and arrows held out before him, Qin Yan's eyes lit up. He cupped his fists and looked gratefully at the old village chief. "Thank you, Great-Uncle!"

"All right, all right! You should head back now."

After bidding the old village chief farewell!

Qin Yan collected the things he had bought that day and returned to the old house.

Only then did he notice a message.

[Defeated enemies using Unlimited Combat. Proficiency increased by 7%.]

[Unlimited Combat (Entry level): proficiency 19%]

Effect: combat intelligence increased by 20%; combat ability increased by 20%.

Qin Yan raised an eyebrow. So improving skills required proficiency.

But he had beaten up both his brothers and his eldest sister-in-law. Why hadn't his proficiency increased?

Was their level too low, or did the system not count them as people?

He looked at his other skills.

[Swimming (Proficient level): proficiency 5%]

Effect: swimming speed increased by 30%; stamina increased by 30%; breath-holding ability increased by 30%.

[Archery (Beginner level): proficiency 73%]

Effect: hit rate increased by 10%.

"So that's how it is."

Qin Yan nodded to himself. He suddenly thought of the Basic Body-Tempering Technique he practiced and wondered whether he could grind it into a skill of his own.

He acted as soon as the thought occurred to him.

He began practicing the movements of the Basic Body-Tempering Technique.

He could clearly feel streams of warmth surging through his body, traveling through his limbs and bones as though washing over his flesh.

[Practiced the Basic Body Tempering Technique for two hours. Strength cap increased by 0.1.]

[Practiced the Basic Body Tempering Technique for two hours. Speed cap increased by 0.1.]

[Practiced the Basic Body Tempering Technique for two hours. Spirit cap increased by 0.1.]

[Qin Yan]

[Talent: infinite physique]

Strength: 1.7

Speed: 1.7

Spirit: 1.4

Seeing the changes on his panel, Qin Yan finally confirmed how his spirit attribute increased: for every 0.3 increase in a base attribute, it automatically grew by 0.1.

At the same time, another message popped up.

[Mastered Basic Body Tempering Technique (Beginner level): proficiency 10%]

Effect: base attribute growth rate increased by 20%.

"So that's how it is. For a skill to show up, I have to grind its proficiency to at least 10%."

Seeing this, Qin Yan formed a guess.

Every skill had its own unique ability, and their passive abilities all looked quite good.

If he ground up the proficiency of all of them, the hidden improvements to himself would probably be even greater.