Upgrading Battle Skills

After finishing his work, Feng Wu returned straight home, ready to test his idea.

Pushing open the door, he found the kitchen in the middle, with two built-in stoves. There was a room on each side, both doors left open.

Feng Wu glanced into the room on the left. It was a spotless bedroom decorated in red and pink tones, clearly belonging to a young woman. A long whip was coiled around the doorknob.

This was his elder sister Xiao Yu's bedroom. According to the memories he had inherited, it had been several years since Xiao Yu left for Canaan Academy, and he had not seen her since. She should return in another year, when Canaan Academy began recruiting students.

Having inherited this body's memories, Feng Wu felt as though he had experienced it all himself. He really did miss Xiao Yu.

"I didn't expect that after transmigrating here, with no father or mother and a protagonist's template, I'd even have a cheap older sister who picked me up and brought me home.

"Though after that crazy woman picked me up, she was always trying to make me call her Mom!

"Still, having family isn't bad!"

A faint smile curled Feng Wu's lips as he stepped into the other room, which belonged to him.

"Let's see whether battle skills can be upgraded. If they can, then I'll really be set!"

Feng Wu was filled with anticipation. Battle skills and cultivation techniques had always been the most important things on the Dou Qi Continent, the core components of every warrior's combat power and cultivation!

However, better and stronger cultivation techniques were usually held by major factions.

For a clan like the Xiao Clan, their best battle skill was only Mysterious Rank Mid Grade, while their cultivation techniques only went as high as Yellow Rank High Grade.

Moreover, given Feng Wu's status, he definitely would not even get the chance to touch them.

As for better cultivation techniques and battle skills, one either needed an enormous stroke of fortune or had to bind oneself to an even greater faction to find a way to obtain them.

Work as a lackey for another faction and risk his life for them? Feng Wu truly had no interest in that.

If the system could really upgrade battle skills as well, that would be wonderful.

Feng Wu did not have the actual battle skill manuals, so he could only imagine the Dou Qi circulation routes of the skills in his mind. Focusing his attention, he thought, "System, can you upgrade the two battle skills I've mastered?" He prayed that he would receive a response.

He had already confirmed this when he killed the Pig King. Upgrading items did not require physical contact. He only needed to focus his attention and rapidly circulate his Dou Qi.

Stone Crushing Palm (Yellow Rank Low Grade / Upgradable)

When cultivated to Major Completion, it could shatter hard granite with bare hands.

Current Proficiency: Minor Completion Realm (Upgradable)

Experience Required for Upgrade: Yellow Rank Low Grade → Yellow Rank Mid Grade (5 experience points)

System Evaluation: This battle skill has poor potential. Even the old boxing routines practiced by elderly men and women in the park have a higher ceiling. Upgrading is not recommended.

"Tsk—! It takes so much experience just to upgrade Stone Crushing Palm from Yellow Rank Low Grade to Yellow Rank Mid Grade?"

Although the value for money was high, it still did not seem worthwhile to Feng Wu. Five experience points were simply too many!

He would try the other battle skill first. He still had another one.

Stone Crushing Palm could be freely selected from the Xiao Clan's Battle Skill Hall once one reached the third stage of Dou Qi, while Mountain Splitting Palm required the fifth stage of Dou Qi!

"Let's try it! System, can you upgrade Mountain Splitting Palm?" Feng Wu practiced the battle skill once more.

Mountain Splitting Palm (Yellow Rank Mid Grade / Upgradable)

Created casually by a Dou Wang ancestor of the Xiao Clan, it was said to be capable of splitting mountains and shattering rocks.

Don't take that too seriously. If you do, you lose. At that level, even a hard kick could smash apart a mountaintop.

Current Proficiency: Entry Realm (Upgradable)

Experience Required for Upgrade: Yellow Rank Mid Grade → Yellow Rank High Grade (5 experience points)

System Evaluation: This battle skill has average potential. You may try upgrading it for early-game use. It would definitely be handy for cracking walnuts.

Once the system evaluation appeared, Feng Wu habitually filtered out the nonsense. Still, it seemed Mountain Splitting Palm had decent potential.

But why did battle skills of different grades require exactly the same amount of experience? That made no sense.

System Prompt: Battle skill upgrades are determined by the battle skill's innate potential and its rank.

The worse the potential, the greater the difficulty of upgrading and the more experience required.

The higher the rank, the more experience required for an upgrade.

Cultivation technique potential is divided into five grades: Supreme, Excellent, Good, Average, and Poor.

Well then! Stone Crushing Palm required as much upgrade experience as Mountain Splitting Palm entirely because its upgrade potential was too low!

"Upgrade Mountain Splitting Palm!"

Without much hesitation, Feng Wu decided to upgrade Mountain Splitting Palm. If he wanted to obtain better battle skills within the Xiao Clan, it would be very difficult.

As for experience, there would be plenty of ways to earn it later!

Once he confirmed it, Feng Wu's aura suddenly deflated. A feeling of kidney deficiency washed over him, while the number on his experience panel changed to (9.5/15), dropping sharply.

At the same time, countless golden characters and diagrams suddenly emerged from Feng Wu's body. They shifted from disorder into order, densely arranged and circling his body in a full ring!

Weren't these the key principles of Mountain Splitting Palm, its Dou Qi circulation routes, and its movement diagrams?

Before Feng Wu could finish being surprised, the golden patterns filling the room began to change.

Some were removed, while new characters emerged. The Dou Qi circulation routes and movement diagrams also underwent subtle changes.

The changes continued for two or three minutes. Just as Feng Wu was becoming absorbed in watching them, they suddenly stopped.

The characters and diagrams abruptly transformed into flowing golden light and poured into Feng Wu's body.

Feng Wu only felt his head swell before waves of information appeared in his mind. It was a completely new version of Mountain Splitting Palm!

Mountain Splitting Palm (Yellow Rank High Grade / Upgradable)

After being enhanced, Mountain Splitting Palm, when cultivated to Major Completion, could do more than just destroy a mountaintop with a single strike!

Current Proficiency: Beginner (Upgradable)

Experience Required for Upgrade: Yellow Rank High Grade → Mysterious Rank Low Grade (25 experience points)

System Evaluation: This battle skill has slightly below-average potential. If you are willing, you may upgrade it once more, but don't hope for a second time unless you have more experience than you can spend.

Once your strength improves, you can use it as a basic attack in place of fists and kicks.

With the battle skill and cultivation method imprinted in his mind, Feng Wu felt as though he had memorized it millions of times.

But as Feng Wu circulated his Dou Qi and thrust out a palm—

"Smack!" The powerful palm strike smashed the stool in the room into four pieces!

It was familiar from his memories, yet when he actually used it, his movements were still awkward. However, its power was anything but ordinary.

Feng Wu could tell that this palm strike was at least twenty percent stronger than when he had previously used the Yellow Rank Mid Grade Mountain Splitting Palm!

Moreover, his Mountain Splitting Palm proficiency was only at the Beginner stage now. Before the upgrade, his Mountain Splitting Palm had already reached the Entry Realm.

With this palm strength, Feng Wu could absolutely contend with someone at the seventh stage of Dou Qi!

Although the sixth and seventh stages were separated by a threshold, the difference in pure strength was only around twenty to thirty percent.

Besides, couldn't proficiency be upgraded with experience as well?

Feng Wu felt that he could give it a try.

As for upgrading the battle skill again, it would cost twenty-five experience points. He would not consider that for the time being.

Another upgrade would cost him at least two stages of Dou Qi. It was not worth it.