Mental Augmentation

Staying inside the cultivation room, Lin Mu practiced until a little past ten at night before stopping.

He walked out, only to find Min Tie waiting for him not far away.

Lin Mu's expression shifted slightly.

"Still here this late?"

"Considering your Martial Arts Exam is coming up, I figured you wouldn't know how to choose what I gave you," Min Tie explained.

Lin Mu snapped back to reality. He still had the exchange vouchers for the Third-Stage Cultivation Method and the Mental Secret Technique in hand.

"You're right, I don't know much about these things."

"Your talent is high. I have a few recommended cultivation methods you can look at." Min Tie placed his phone in front of Lin Mu.

A list of information appeared on the screen.

Lin Mu's eyes scanned over it.

"Dragon Serpent Body Tempering Technique (Third-Stage): Uses the dragon-serpent method to temper the physical body, greatly developing physical potential and boosting Blood Qi Value."

"Six Paths Golden Body (Third-Stage): A cultivation method created by a certain great being based on the evolution of the six paths. Though incomplete, it offers unexpected cultivation effects."

"Buddha Body Refining Art (Third-Stage): Refines the mortal body into a Buddha, opening Buddhist techniques within the body to strengthen it."

"..."

"These cultivation methods are all extremely difficult among third-stage ones, and they suit your training well."

"There are also Mental Secret Techniques." Min Tie swiped his finger, and more information appeared.

"Mental Defense (First-Stage): Uses mental power to form armor around the body, resisting damage to a certain extent."

"Mental Augmentation (First-Stage): Skillfully applies mental power to amplify various attack methods."

"Mental Intrusion (First-Stage): Evolves mental power into a tangible state to attack, directly affecting a person's consciousness."

"..."

Seeing these Mental Secret Techniques, Lin Mu's expression shifted slightly.

Although these techniques were only first-stage, it wasn't hard to tell they were far from simple.

Moreover, he realized that mental power seemed to be a very mysterious thing, capable of providing varying degrees of enhancement to a cultivator.

"There aren't many mental techniques in Li City. Among the first-stage ones, these few are suitable for you. Take a look," Min Tie explained.

Lin Mu nodded slightly. After thinking for a moment, he chose Dragon Serpent Body Tempering and Mental Augmentation.

He knew that Dragon Serpent Body Tempering was relatively domineering, capable of enhancing his abilities across the board and fitting his combat style. As for the other two, one was incomplete and easy to stray from the path during cultivation, while the other was a Buddhist technique that might limit his future development.

As for choosing Mental Augmentation, it could be applied to various moves and weapons, making it a versatile all-rounder.

Compared to Mental Defense and Mental Intrusion, it would be more helpful.

After all, his combat experience was very seasoned; those of equal cultivation were no match for him.

For those much stronger than him, the added defense would be practically useless.

Mental Intrusion, on the other hand, required finding the right angle to be effective.

If he tried to face it head-on, it would actually hinder Lin Mu's performance.

"I knew you'd pick these two." A hint of a smile appeared on Min Tie's face as he operated his phone.

About half an hour later, two cultivation methods appeared before Lin Mu.

Seeing these two jade slips, Lin Mu felt a stir in his heart. In the past, he wouldn't have dared to even think about it.

"Train hard. I'm waiting for your good news," Min Tie said.

Lin Mu nodded.

The two chatted briefly before parting ways.

Time passed slowly, and seven days went by in the blink of an eye.

During this period, Lin Mu was mostly in a state of cultivation.

His supply of potions was also depleting quickly.

In the past, he only needed one B-grade supply per hour.

But as his strength grew, it had now reached four supplies every three hours.

Lin Mu had a feeling that this consumption would only increase later on.

Looking at the three or four potions left in his account, he felt a growing pressure.

This was even after he had spent money to buy more.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have a single potion left.

"There's only one hundred fifty thousand left in the account. If this keeps up, it won't last more than a few days," Lin Mu thought to himself.

He discovered that ever since he started cultivating, he never had enough money.

His eyes swept across, and the system interface appeared before him.

"Name: Lin Mu."

"Blood Qi Value: 7.48 points."

"Mental Strength: 1.78 points."

"Skills: Fist Technique (Silver Grade 6%), Movement Technique (Silver Grade 31%), Blade Technique (Silver Grade 21%)."

"Secret Art: Dragon Secret Art Fragment (Minor Success 50%)."

"Breathing Technique: Xuanmu Breathing Technique Fragment (Minor Success 50%)."

"Cultivation Method: Dragon Serpent Body Tempering Technique (Minor Success 30%)."

"Martial Skills: Dragon Roar Fist (Perfection), Flowing Dragon Steps (Perfection), Dragon's Thousand-Mile Stride (Major Success 23%), Immovable Rock Golden Body (Minor Success 99%), Berserk Strike (Major Success 12%), Thunder Extermination Strike (Minor Success 29%), Mental Augmentation (Minor Success 10%)."

"..."

"With my current strength, I can almost crush any martial artist with the same Blood Qi Value. As long as their Blood Qi Value doesn't exceed mine by more than 0.5, I have a fighting chance!"

Lin Mu thought to himself.

Compared to before, his strength had improved greatly, and he could feel the change himself.

Closing the system, Lin Mu took out his phone and did a quick search.

"Virtual Combat Arena Rank Rewards."

"One-star reward: 20,000."

"Two-star reward: 300,000."

"Three-star reward: 5,000,000."

"Four-star reward: 30,000,000."

"..."

Seeing these numbers, an idea formed in Lin Mu's mind.

With his current strength, getting to two-star shouldn't be too hard. Add in betting, and he could make a decent amount of money in a short time.

Besides, there were still two or three days before the Training Camp started.

He could take the chance to earn some cash.

With his plan set, Lin Mu headed outside.

But just as he arrived at the Virtual Duel Hall, a figure walked toward him.

When Lin Mu saw this person, a faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Manager Wang!"

Wang Tao also had a smile on his face. "I was just about to look for you!"

Lin Mu looked a bit puzzled. "Looking for me?"

"En! I watched your previous match—it was very impressive. So I submitted a report upward, and the review just came back. I'm taking you to meet someone!"

Wang Tao explained.

Lin Mu's expression grew even more confused. "Who?"

"Someone who can change your fate."

Lin Mu didn't understand.

"Just follow me. It's not like I'd harm you!" Wang Tao said with a laugh.

Lin Mu nodded slightly.

He knew Wang Tao's status. If someone like that wanted to target him, it would be very easy.

Besides, he had already signed a B-grade Contract with the Virtual Martial Arts Hall, putting him on the same side as Wang Tao.

The two of them walked forward, got into a luxury car, and soon left the Virtual Duel Hall, heading toward the outskirts of the city.