136 Returns with the Wind
"Come on, guys from the artillery company, we're about to part ways, let's have a good drink."
"We're free! We're finally free from that devil Enstein."
"I plan to study martial arts next. Before, I could only learn the military's ' Nail-Thorn Aura Refinement Art,' but there are better options in society..."
The carriage swayed and rocked, like a lazy dragon passing through an icy valley. If one didn't already know, probably no one would imagine that five hundred years ago, this place was once a vast blue ocean.
It should be said that the modern people of Azure Planet are fortunate. In this era, there are no oceans separating countries, and all civilizations are land-based. Communication and understanding have become much easier.
In reality, people do not become closer because of geographical proximity. People who are tens of thousands of kilometers apart and have never met in their lives, who also live a life of hardship, are more hostile to each other. Under the Malefic Calamity, everyone is fighting for their limited resources for survival.
Breakthroughs in one or two technologies alone are insufficient to change humanity or any country.
The empire understood this principle well, and with the accumulation of generations of blood feuds, it relentlessly expanded its military strength to ensure that as many people as possible had the Combat Power and could be put into war when necessary.
In 221, the Empire discovered that its army was too cumbersome, its systems were outdated, and its Combat Power was declining. It then announced military reforms and reinstated contract soldiers, which was one of the reasons why Isaac was asked to retire early.
[Following the Martial Artist path is the most profitable option. Therefore, let's skip all those random martial arts styles and just buy martial arts classics directly from the Abyss.]
While sleeping at night, Li Aoz switched back to his original form and contacted Olavier, the owner of the 'Heroic Soul' bar.
"Are you there, Olavier? I need to talk to you."
"Hey, Lioz, what's wrong? Short on cash again? Too bad I don't have any jobs for you right now." Olavier looked refreshed, casually shaking his cocktail, with jazz music playing in the background.
The swift acquisition of the Radon-Glutinous Planet, the brokering of the Spirit Maggot trade, and Valenkov's mission had earned him a fortune. Now, his tone of voice towards Lioz was much more intimate.
"I have a friend's child who has just embarked on the path of Martial Artist, and I want to find a suitable martial arts lineage for him."
After thinking for a moment, Li Aoz added some conditions, "He is a carbon-based human, born on a marginal planet, not even at the Alpha Rank, and preferably with good growth potential."
"Is that all? To be honest, this isn't a particularly special request. I have three suitable sets here, and I'll give them all to you."
Olavier seemed a little incredulous. He couldn't understand how Lioz, who was supposed to have a powerful backer who had returned from the Abyss, could be so stingy with his gifts.
But thinking about it, it's possible that Lioz's family has been specializing in the [Domination] system for too long, and they haven't developed any awareness of collecting other knowledge.
This little bit of stuff is nothing, but he still doesn't know who the powerful figure behind Lioz is, so he's just offering it as a token of his appreciation.
"Thanks, Lao Ao. I'll definitely look for you again if there's anything good in the future."
Li Aoz was pleasantly surprised to be able to acquire them for free, saving him a considerable amount of Ammonium Gold. Soon after, Olavier sent over the three martial arts manuals.
As expected of Old Ao, after so many years of building up his territory in a place like Valkyrie Fortress, a place teeming with hidden talents, he truly understands human nature and the ways of the world.
Li Aoz's physical body cannot learn extraordinary knowledge, but he can directly use the ability of the [Astral Echoer] to remotely transmit these three pieces of knowledge for beginners to the path of Martial Artist to himself.
He did a similar thing to the Nethermark Pioneer back then.
After he finished broadcasting, the system immediately switched to Isaac's character, just as the player system interface popped up:
For some reason, the distant echo ' Li Aoz ' has revealed to you a piece of knowledge related to the [Destruction] element—"The Baphomet Clan Secret Transmission: Aura Refinement Art."
[How strange, the Echoer ' Li Aoz's ' whom you've never met before has shared some knowledge of the [Destruction] type with you— 'Gathering Qi Fist ']
[Admirable! The Echoer ' Li Aoz ' values you highly and has imparted to you a [Destruction] type of knowledge—'Magic Demon Spirit Fluctuation '.]
"Hmm, this series name sounds familiar..."
Li Aoz for a moment, then suddenly remembered. "Ah, is this a martial arts technique that has been passed down from the [Outer Society] or the civilized era?"
Unlike the ancient monsters of the "Society" in people's minds, the "Outer Society" did not become famous early. When it was still a civilization, the Demon Civilization, although not Narrative-level Civilization, was close enough.
Demons were once the main force against the Destroyers. They were advanced but not arrogant, and were happy to share their magical skills. As the servants of the [Artistic] system's main god, they were frequently active in the universe.
Unfortunately, apart from the [Plunder] system's main god and the great traitor Red King, none of the Star Abyss Main God survived. Moreover, the Demon Civilization that once fought valiantly against the Destroyers has now become the most terrifying [Outer Society].
The Star Abyss-side Civilization has a rather complicated attitude toward this. Over the years, demons have gone from being an adjective of respect and admiration to an object of insult and terror. However, the magic that people use today is itself a product of the Demon Civilization.
"When we meet again, the hero of yesteryear has become a dragon? I knew it! There are always these kinds of melodramatic stories that are hard to believe. It turns out that there are countless examples of this in real life."
Although the Demon Civilization no longer exists, demon weapons, technology, magic, and power are still sought after by people with fervor. After all, these things are not wrong, nor are they guided by the values of [society]. In fact, many Demon Civilization have declared themselves to be the true demons after the emergence of [Outer Society].
With Isaac's physique, learning this was naturally stress-free. Although he lacked the experience to learn it directly, he could use the system to browse and understand it, and cultivate on his own without any problems.
As it turns out, Isaac's talent was indeed outstanding, and since Li Aoz, as a player, did not have the Recognition Filter hindering him, his comprehension ability was still at the Delta-rank, so learning was not difficult.
The Baphomet Clan is the main force of the Demon Civilization's ground forces. They are not particularly adept at flying, but possess formidable physiques and destructive power. Unlike conventional Aura Refinement Technique, the Baphomet Clan's cultivation method can maximize the improvement of their bloodline and correct genetic defects. However, this also generates demonic energy during the cultivation process, which has a certain impact on their race...
It's no wonder they were the top civilization back then.
Cultivating one's strength can improve one's genes—even a modern, Narrative-level Civilization probably doesn't possess much of this level of basic knowledge.
Isaac's [Constitution] attribute was good, and he could completely withstand the torment of the demonic aura. With the blessing of the wisdom of the main body of Li Aoz, he pondered and cultivated for several hours, and on the train, he extracted strength from his cells.
[Through your own enlightenment, you have officially embarked on the path of [Destruction]]
Please choose the path you decide to take from the following three directions.
A. [Martial Artist] - With [Constitution] and [Strength] as the Primary Attribute, this class focuses on personal close-range destructive power and physical strength. You can wear various heavy protective gear and implant more enhancement prosthetics to strengthen yourself.
B. [Assassin] - Emphasizes [Agility] and [Strength], focusing on quick action, one-hit kills, stealth and concealment, but can be tricky when facing multiple targets.
C. [Ranger] – [Strength] and [Agility] are your only two requirements. You can combine your strength with your firearms, a magical skill that other classes cannot achieve. Coupled with the [Agility] bonus, you will gain powerful firepower output while also possessing highly efficient mobility.
"[Martial Artist]."