Skill Specialty!

Technique Specialization!

Uncle Wang cried out in alarm. To avoid being injured by the pig's kicks, everyone had no choice but to retreat.

No one had expected a rope suddenly snapping to trigger such a chain reaction.

Fang Ling hid to the side, but unexpectedly, the pig seemed to have picked him out and charged straight at him.

The people around him shouted for him to get out of the way.

But he had been too close to begin with. How could he possibly dodge it all?

He could only shift aside as much as he could.

In that critical moment, Fang Ling neither panicked nor tensed up.

His heart pumped powerfully, allowing his mind to calm down with startling speed.

He could not panic in a crisis, or even a winning situation could be lost.

There was no time to draw his blade, nor time for further thought. Fang Ling swiftly summoned his Scythe Martial Soul, its edge gleaming with cold light.

In that instant, inspiration struck, and he slashed.

The tip of the blade pierced the pig's neck and sank deep inside.

Using that slight pull, Fang Ling grabbed the pig by the ear and leveraged his powerful arms to flip himself onto its back.

Then he yanked the blade free, and Fresh Blood gushed out, splattering across the ground.

He flipped away again and leaped far back. The pig let out a miserable scream, ran wildly for a few steps, then crashed to the ground with a boom.

Everyone was stunned by the sudden turn of events.

In such a perilous situation, his reaction had been so swift. He truly was a soul master genius!

Fang Ling seemed to be reflecting on something as well, standing still where he was.

He truly was reflecting, but not on that slash just now.

His cheat had activated!

The gray Stats Panel in his eyes began to flicker.

In the specialization section, two dim descriptions suddenly appeared—yet to Fang Ling, they were still incomparably dazzling—

First: Scythe Technique Lv1 (Skill Specialization. Persistent practice has given you a decent foundation, and the attack born from a flash of inspiration was somewhat stunning. Though this is merely the beginning of scythe combat, it is already exceptionally good for a newcomer with no foundation. You are a born Battle Maniac!)

Most importantly, second: Battle Maniac Lvmax (Special Talent. Cannot be upgraded. Your innate Battle Maniac nature has been activated. Training in techniques yields twice the results with half the effort.)

"I'm a Battle Maniac?"

The Stats Panel's assessment left Fang Ling somewhat unable to believe it.

In his Previous Life, he had been such an honest person. Even on Douluo Continent, he had always disliked conflict and merely cultivated in peace.

Before this, he had only killed and dismembered people because he had been forced to.

How could that be called a Battle Maniac?

Fang Ling put away his Martial Soul and lightly flexed his fingers.

He could feel the warmth where his fingers and palm pressed together.

When he placed a hand over his chest, he could feel his heart beating with immense strength, as though the lingering thrill of facing danger still remained.

His body trembled.

Not from fear or terror, but from excitement!

The feelings he had suppressed for so long were finally truly released.

This was battle!

Battle where every strike drew blood, where every clash decided life and death!

The Battle Maniac specialization would not increase the speed of his Soul Power cultivation, but it could allow his combat techniques to improve to the fullest extent.

Soul Power growth came with a cheat. As long as he killed, it would grow.

Combat skill, however, was extremely difficult to train. After a year of fumbling about, he had only truly entered the door now.

Fang Ling grinned and clenched his fists.

He had already chosen the path he would take in the future.

A Scythe Martial Soul was meant for close combat!

He would become invincible in close combat.

To be invincible in close combat, he still needed a Body Technique. Only by being able to dodge, charge, and fight could he live longer.

If he encountered a long-range enemy, then he would just close the distance before fighting.

Fang Ling was not carried away by the words "born Battle Maniac" on the Stats Panel.

Having his technique training speed doubled merely added another safeguard to his future strength.

He still needed to train hard. He could not gain something for nothing.

And that was exactly what he had hoped for.

The future was promising!

Everyone who witnessed the scene was stunned.

A moment later, someone began cheering and clapping excitedly.

Praise poured from their mouths.

"Young man, that was amazing!"

"A true genius among Soul Masters!"

Seeing Fang Ling standing there without moving or joining the others in celebration, Old Liu hurried over.

He looked Fang Ling over from head to toe and asked anxiously, "Little Fang Ling, are you hurt anywhere?"

"I'm not hurt. Thank you for your concern, Grandpa Liu. Let's continue slaughtering the pigs." Fang Ling came back to his senses and let out a long breath.

Warmth rose in his heart as he clasped his fists toward the cheering crowd.

Then he said regretfully, "It's just a pity so much blood spilled. What a waste."

Old Liu relaxed. "As long as you're fine, pig blood doesn't matter."

"You were standing there without moving. You must be tired, right? Why don't you go rest for a while first?"

"I'm fine." Fang Ling shook his head. "I'm a Battle Spirit Master. I'm not that fragile. Let's keep going."

"Good lad, just as expected of a genius Soul Master!"

Old Liu patted him on the shoulder with satisfaction and said earnestly, "You'll definitely become someone important in the future!"

"Even then, I won't forget Grandpa Liu."

Fang Ling replied with a smile.

"Why remember an old wreck like me?" Old Liu glared. "Just cultivate properly. If I can hear that you've become a famous and powerful Soul Master someday, then our time together won't have been in vain!"

"Mm, the rope needs changing." Fang Ling gave a soft snort and took hold of his dry, bony hand.

Old Liu grumbled, "Of course it needs changing! Once I find out which little bastard inspected the tools today, I'll make him pay!"

The remaining steps were much simpler. Fang Ling was not strong enough to help much, so he only assisted with bleeding the pigs, inflating them, scraping off the hair, and so on.

Because of the thrilling incident earlier, even though nothing had happened, Fang Ling still returned to the Academy early after Grandpa Liu urged him to.

Naturally, he brought back meat and offal as well.

Why not eat free, fresh, and tasty meat?

Xiao Wu had become a Soul Master and was no longer poor.

But one Gold Soul Coin per month was not much.

She had to save her money to buy other things later.

By the time Fang Ling returned, it was nearly dinner.

There were not many people in the dormitory. Tang San was not there, having already gone to forge iron, while Xiao Wu was still asleep.

Judging by how sweetly she slept, perhaps she was having some beautiful dream.

Fang Ling found it rather strange. Did she really have a grudge she needed to avenge?

Ever since arriving at the Academy, he had never seen her cultivate seriously.

Even with Tang San urging her on, she only practiced for a little while under his watchful eye.

Then she would lose patience, and the two of them would start fooling around.

The moment Tang San was gone, she immediately became lazy again.

Other than leading people around to show off and enjoy the admiring looks of others, she simply lay in bed.

Even so, her Soul Power cultivation kept rising rapidly.

Tang San meditated diligently every day and was still nearly unable to keep up with her.

Fang Ling was even further behind.

If he had to compare it, she was like one of those rich second-generation heirs with a huge fortune to squander.

A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast that had taken human form was something others could only envy.

Fortunately, he had a cheat too. Once he killed more in the future, Soul Power would no longer be a problem.

"Sister Xiao Wu, wake up. Time to eat." Fang Ling carried the food box over to her side and called softly.

"Urgh~!"

A familiar scent of blood drifted into her nose. Her expression changed sharply in her sleep, and at that familiar call, she suddenly jolted awake.

She covered her nose with one hand and waved the other in disgust. "Fang Ling! You didn't shower first again!"

"Wouldn't the food taste bad if it got cold?" Fang Ling argued.

"What food?" Xiao Wu gave a cold snort, then sniffed. Her expression suddenly changed to one of delighted surprise.

"I used your name, Sister Xiao Wu, to make my own dish in the cafeteria—Stir-fried Pork Intestines."

Xiao Wu had gotten a little tired of Braised Meat. Now that she had become a Soul Master and the Academy's big sister, Fang Ling could freely borrow the school kitchen.

To satisfy his appetite, he made different dishes every day.

Unfortunately, he hadn't unlocked any strange specialties.

Fang Ling took out a bowl and served her some rice.

"I brought the rice back too."

"Come on, everyone. Time to eat."

He called everyone over.

"Pork intestines? Large intestines?" Xiao Wu nudged them with her chopsticks but did not dare eat them. Her mouth twitched. "Can this thing even be eaten?"

"This is good stuff! It's my exclusive secret recipe. Sister Xiao Wu, you'll know once you try it."

After much internal struggle, Xiao Wu noticed a sweat-soaked figure entering through the doorway, and her eyes suddenly lit up.

"Tang San, hurry and try Fang Ling's new dish."

"Ah, I have to be the taste tester again?" Tang San's face twitched fiercely.

Whenever he faced Xiao Wu, he always wanted to indulge her and could never bring himself to refuse.

Besides, Fang Ling's cooking had always tasted pretty good.

He'd eat it. It was no big deal.