After a full day of productive training, he looked up to find the sky already studded with stars.
Zhou You returned to his room from the training ground, boiled a pot of water for a bath, washing away the grime while easing his fatigue.
He sipped hot tea, feeling the faint tearing pain throughout his body. Training had brought obvious results.
Starting the Wild Goose Formation Fist anew from the level of Martial Force gave him the exhilarating feeling of looking down from a great height.
As everyone knew, the process of cultivating martial arts involved not only improving skill proficiency, but also strengthening and enhancing the physical body.
Zhou You had cultivated Martial Force through the Tiger Subduing Fist, and all three of his physical attributes had generally risen to 22 points. He had passed the physical-body stage.
What remained was to familiarize himself with the forms of the Wild Goose Formation Fist and raise its proficiency.
"Pecking Ground Vertical Step lv3, Wild Goose Formation Fist lv2."
In just one day, he had already glimpsed the doorway and wielded the Wild Goose Formation Fist with such force that wind rose wherever it went.
But that progress was not enough. With a sense of urgency, Zhou You had to raise the Wild Goose Formation Fist to the Martial Force level within a short time.
To deal with Tu Laosan in secret, he had to rely on the Lu Zhigang identity.
"Consume Experience Points to increase Wild Goose Formation Fist proficiency."
Zhou You soaked in the large wooden tub, steam curling around him.
He raised a hand and pinched the web between his thumb and forefinger, slowly kneading it as he felt the thickness and direction of the muscle fibers. Then he worked upward, kneading and massaging his arm and shoulder.
Martial arts emphasized the union of motion and stillness, hardness and softness, likening it to the drawing and releasing of a bowstring.
Practicing fists during the day was moving practice, hard force. Massaging and kneading muscles and bones at night was the corresponding still practice, soft force.
Many rustic fighters and wild-path practitioners trained their fists blindly, knowing nothing of relaxation. They trained their fist muscles as hard as stone, able to break tree trunks barehanded and punch through stone slabs, yet they also damaged the tiny branches and details of their bodies, leaving them short-lived.
The martial arts school's cultivation system was far more comprehensive. It used massage and kneading techniques to relax muscles and sinews, promote circulation, and heal minor injuries.
Originally, this sort of massage and kneading was best done with Sparring Partners helping one another.
After all, the human joints had their limits, and there were blind spots on the body one simply could not reach.
With Sparring Partners helping each other, they could achieve twice the result with half the effort. If hidden injuries were discovered, they could also be pointed out in time.
The martial arts school's sparring partner system was quite reasonable, but the key lay in people's hearts.
Sparring Partners had to be closer than blood brothers, and many people could not manage that.
Zhou You and Li Hao were such a pair, each harboring secrets they did not want the other to know. Even in training, they practiced separately.
At night, Li Hao also returned to his own room, with no intention of coming over.
"Was the Thousand Army Shattering Fist really so formidable that it was worth him guarding it so tightly?"
Thinking this, Zhou You shook his head and continued kneading the sore places on his body.
After reaching the Martial Force level, Tiger Bone Paste had little effect left. He applied it to the sore areas with his fingertips, slowly absorbing its medicinal power.
According to the System Panel's feedback, his drug resistance was growing stronger and stronger. Ten applications of Tiger Bone Paste could barely raise one attribute point.
That progress was far too slow.
The next day, Zhou You practiced a round of Tiger Subduing Fist as usual, followed by Imperial Strike Hand and Square Step.
"Imperial Strike Hand lv9→lv10, Experience Points +90." "Skill has reached perfection. Further practice will no longer increase Experience Points." "Square Step lv9→lv10, Experience Points +90." "Skill has reached perfection. Further practice will no longer increase Experience Points."
Experience Points +180. The two basic skills had reached full level, signifying that the related training had come to an end for the time being.
Zhou You let out a soft sigh. From here on, he could only count on the Tiger Subduing Fist and Wild Goose Formation Fist—then, without warning, he heard there was more to come.
"Square Step skill has reached perfection, triggering skill mutation. Converted into Basic Lightness Skill lv1/lv?."
That question mark was rather eerie. Did the Basic Lightness Skill have no level divisions?
Or was the Basic Lightness Skill mutated from Square Step an evolvable skill, unrestricted by levels?
Zhou You found it strange. He guessed that the mutation had most likely been triggered by cultivating a second stepping technique, the Pecking Ground Vertical Step.
The Pecking Ground Vertical Step was the foundation of the Wild Goose Formation Fist, and wild geese were birds, closely connected to lightness skills.
"That's it. If I cultivate the Pecking Ground Vertical Step to perfection, perhaps the Basic Lightness Skill will undergo further changes."
Zhou You glanced at his Experience Points. He already had more than 900, so he decisively ordered the System Panel to strengthen it.
"Pecking Ground Vertical Step lv3→lv4, Experience Points -30." "Pecking Ground Vertical Step lv4→lv5, Experience Points -40." "Pecking Ground Vertical Step lv9→lv10, Experience Points -90." "Pecking Ground Vertical Step has reached perfection, triggering skill mutation. Basic Lightness Skill lv2/lv?." "Name: Zhou You. Strength: 22. Speed: 22. Defense: 22. Experience Points: 402. Profession: Martial Arts Apprentice. Level: Newly Entered Martial Force. Skills: Imperial Strike Hand lv10 (Perfected), Tiger Subduing Fist lv10, Basic Lightness Skill lv2/lv?, Wild Goose Formation Fist lv1. Trial Project One (Two-Star): Break through the Blood Qi Gate and become an Inner Court disciple of Jianxiong Martial Arts School. Trial Project Two (One-Star): Kill Tu Laosan and eliminate future trouble. Trial Project Three (Four-Star): Perfect the Basic Lightness Skill."
The System Panel showed that after the two stepping skills, Square Step and Pecking Ground Vertical Step, reached perfection, they had mutated into the Basic Lightness Skill.
Another Trial Project had also appeared: perfect this Basic Lightness Skill. It seemed to be a long-term task.
Zhou You guessed that the key to perfecting this skill was to gather more stepping techniques and draw upon the strengths of every school.
However, the martial arts of each school were not passed outside. They guarded them tightly, and even basic stepping techniques were difficult to obtain.
To acquire the stepping techniques of different schools, in the end, he would need money, effort, and opportunity.
Secret medicine required money, and buying skills required money as well. The financial gap was enormous!
"Two perfected lv10 stepping techniques only exchanged for a lv2 Basic Lightness Skill. That shouldn't be a losing deal."
Although the word "Basic" at the front sounded a little low-class, judging by the System Panel's evaluation, this lightness skill was certainly no trivial matter.
Zhou You tried taking a step, and suddenly felt his body grow lighter, the soles of his feet as slick and smooth as if coated in oil.
Whoosh! His vision went black, and he vanished from where he stood. By the time he reacted, he was nearly crashing into the wall.
A distance that had originally required four or five steps was now crossed in a single stride.
Factors that affected speed during movement—wind resistance, ground friction, and the like—had all been greatly weakened.
Zhou You even sensed that when he activated the Basic Lightness Skill, his body weight truly changed.
The footprints he left on the ground were much shallower than usual, further confirming his thoughts.
"Sharp!"
Zhou You's heart pounded. This Basic Lightness Skill was simply a great sharp weapon.
Lightening the body and increasing speed—these two supporting functions had immense practical value, whether in combat or in getting things done.
Just imagine it: if he relied on the speed of his lightness skill to attack his enemies at will while they could never hit him, would he not stand undefeated?
Who could have imagined that cultivating foundational stepping techniques to perfection would bring such a transformation?
It was very likely a benefit brought by the System Panel.
The System Panel before Zhou You changed again. One value flickered several times before finally stabilizing.
"Speed: 30."
In other words, after Zhou You cultivated the lv2 Basic Lightness Skill, his Speed attribute had risen by a full 8 points in one breath.
Skills, techniques, and physical attributes turned out to share a symbiotic relationship, each complementing the other.
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