Boom...
After a single point of merit was added to the Seven Kill Saber Art, the martial arts section of the Attribute Panel immediately burst forth with a blinding light. The information for the Seven Kill Saber Art changed at once.
Martial Art: Seven Kill Saber Art (Minor Success, 28%)
Lin Baichuan's gaze sharpened, brilliance flashing in his pupils as excitement surged through his heart. A single point of merit had actually raised the Seven Kill Saber Art from beginner level to Minor Success, equivalent to at least a year of bitter cultivation. The effect was simply heaven-defying.
"By that calculation, five points of merit might very well bring the Seven Kill Saber Art to perfection."
Lin Baichuan pondered silently.
Suddenly, at that moment, a powerful torrent of information instantly flowed into Lin Baichuan's mind. It was precisely the Seven Kill Saber Art at the Minor Success realm. Lin Baichuan's consciousness shifted, and it was as though the stars had turned and the world had changed as he entered another world.
In that world, he became a young man and trained tirelessly in the Seven Kill Saber Art.
He fought Demonic Beasts between life and death, spending a year before finally cultivating the Seven Kill Saber Art to Minor Success.
"Whew..."
He exhaled a breath of turbid air. A glint flashed through Lin Baichuan's eyes, and they instantly became deeper, carrying far more of life's vicissitudes. This was the system's power. Though only an instant had passed in reality, he had lived through an entire year in the world woven by the system.
During that year, he had no idea how many people he had fought. He had sensed great terror and Great Opportunity between life and death, finally raising the Seven Kill Saber Art from beginner level to Minor Success. The feeling was utterly marvelous. At this moment, Lin Baichuan could clearly sense that his understanding of the Seven Kill Saber Art had indeed improved. He could perfectly unleash the combat power of the Seven Kill Saber Art at Minor Success.
At the same time, Lin Baichuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. What he had feared most was that using merit points to increase his strength would merely raise his realm without truly improving his combat power. It might even leave his realm unstable from advancing too quickly.
Now, it seemed he had simply been overthinking things.
The system's power far exceeded his imagination. Though it used merit to improve cultivation methods and martial arts, it also created an alternate space that allowed his mind to enter it, as though he had lived another life, building an incomparably solid foundation.
"Since I can't leave anyway, I might as well raise the Golden Bell Shield and Seven Kill Saber Art first."
Having made up his mind, Lin Baichuan did not waste even a quarter of an hour. He immediately began adding points to the Golden Bell Shield. Compared with the Seven Kill Saber Art, improving the Golden Bell Shield was clearly more important. Without hesitation, Lin Baichuan added four points of merit to the Golden Bell Shield.
Buzz...
At once, golden light flashed, and Lin Baichuan's consciousness seemed to enter a profound world. He became a young boy who trained bitterly in the Golden Bell Shield for three years, finally raising it to the second layer.
The next moment, a vast surge of energy instantly flowed into Lin Baichuan's body, wildly tempering his flesh and physique. He could clearly feel his skin and flesh transforming at an unprecedented speed.
Across the surface of his skin, faint golden light could vaguely be seen emerging, merging with his flesh.
For a time, the skin and flesh around Lin Baichuan's body seemed to undergo an ultimate sublimation. His physical strength surged, reaching nearly three thousand catties.
"The Golden Bell Shield has three layers in total. Reaching perfection in all three layers means perfect Skin Refinement, and physical strength can reach five thousand catties."
Lin Baichuan opened his eyes, dazzling brilliance shooting from his pupils as he muttered, "But that is not what I want. With an advantage like the system, I must make every step solid. If I do something, I must do it to the very best.
"First, I'll set a small goal: raise my physical strength to the limits of the human body. Then I'll consider breaking through to the eighth-rank Bone Forging Realm."
Feeling the transformation of his skin and flesh, Lin Baichuan exhaled another long breath of turbid air. Countless thoughts flashed through his mind. He did not continue adding points to the Golden Bell Shield. It had three layers in total, and raising it from the first layer to the second had consumed five points of merit.
Five points of merit would definitely not be enough to raise it from the second layer to the third, yet he only had five points left. Since the Golden Bell Shield could not reach the third layer anyway, he might as well add them all to the Seven Kill Saber Art!
"Don't disappoint me, Seven Kill Saber Art. Add points..."
With a movement of his mind, Lin Baichuan added points to the Seven Kill Saber Art through his thoughts.
Martial arts differed from cultivation methods. Cultivation methods had layers; the Golden Bell Shield, for example, had three layers. Martial arts, however, did not have many divisions of layers. They were simply divided into four realms: beginner, Minor Success, Major Success, and perfection.
Lin Baichuan did not add another point just to test it. He had already tested it with one point of merit before, which directly raised the Seven Kill Saber Art from beginner level to Minor Success.
By his estimate, adding the remaining four points of merit would likely bring the Seven Kill Saber Art directly to perfection.
With that thought, Lin Baichuan moved his mind and added all four remaining points of merit to the Seven Kill Saber Art.
Boom!
It was as though thunder exploded in his mind, and the martial arts section of the Attribute Panel immediately burst forth with blinding light.
Martial Art: Seven Kill Saber Art (Perfection, 19%)
Sure enough, the information changed directly. The Seven Kill Saber Art leapt from Minor Success straight into perfection. At the same time, an abstruse artistic conception swept over him again, pulling Lin Baichuan's consciousness into a profound world. He once more became that young man.
For ten years, the young man remained unchanged. He fought people, fought Demonic Beasts, tempered himself between life and death, and cultivated the Seven Kill Saber Art. Ten years of cultivation blurred into nothingness; after countless trials of life and death, he finally comprehended the Dao in a single day, perfected the Seven Kill Saber Art, and became a grandmaster of the Blade Path.
"Whew!"
Lin Baichuan's consciousness returned, and he could not help exhaling a long breath of turbid air.
The memories of ten years spent practicing the saber fused perfectly with him. His pupils were deep, and a faint sharpness lurked in his eyes. At that moment, Lin Baichuan himself seemed to turn into a saber, its edge fully exposed.
"Ten years comprehending the saber, success in a single day. The Seven Kill Saber Art has finally reached perfection." Lin Baichuan focused his mind on the Attribute Panel and immediately frowned.
Name: Lin Baichuan Identity: Junior Demon Slayer of the Demon Suppression Division Cultivation: Ninth Rank Cultivation Method: Golden Bell Shield (Second Layer, 12%) Martial Art: Seven Kill Saber Art (Perfection, 19%) Merit: 0
"What's going on? Why hasn't the percentage after the Seven Kill Saber Art disappeared after it reached perfection? Could it be that martial arts perfection is not the final realm, and there are even higher realms beyond it?" Lin Baichuan's brows were tightly furrowed, unable to make heads or tails of it.
He had never heard of a realm beyond martial arts perfection.
Yet judging by his current mastery of the Seven Kill Saber Art, he truly felt that the realm of perfection was not the limit. There should still be room to advance further. He vaguely had a premonition that once the Seven Kill Saber Art took that step, his combat power would absolutely soar.
Unfortunately, he had no merit points now and had no way to improve it. Otherwise, he truly would have wanted to give it a try.
"Merit points. Everything comes down to merit points... I must find a way to earn merit points..."
Lin Baichuan thought to himself, sharp light flashing in his eyes as he looked toward the entrance to the great prison.
Before you continue