In Principle, There Is No Surveillance

"In principle, I can't tell outsiders."

Meng Tian raised an eyebrow, instantly annoyed.

He was willing to talk nicely to Xu Zhiming, but that didn't mean he'd be nice to everyone.

Seeing Meng Tian's displeasure, Ling Tianjian quickly spoke up.

"But if Young Master Meng wants to know, I can bend the rules a little."

Meng Tian's brow relaxed. That was more like it.

"Speak."

Ling Tianjian twisted open his teacup, took a shallow sip, and cleared his throat.

"C-grade Rolling Heavenly Thunder is already brushing up against the core of our Wind Thunder Martial Hall."

"Young Master Meng should know that True King Wind Thunder is the only true powerhouse in Daxia who fought his way up from billions of ordinary people."

Meng Tian nodded.

Of course he knew. Anyone who'd gone through Nine-Year Compulsory Education knew that.

Was this guy questioning whether he'd finished Nine-Year Compulsory Education?

"Go on."

"The old True King knows how hard it is to climb from the bottom to the top."

"So when he had the hall's upper echelons create the Martial Dao Visualization Charts, they all contained a more powerful martial skill derived from Wind Thunder Fist—an A-grade Martial Skill."

Meng Tian shot to his feet.

Shock rippled through him.

"An A-grade Martial Skill? You mean the Heavenly Thunder Fist that pairs with the complete Rolling Heavenly Thunder?"

Ling Tianjian nodded.

He was quite satisfied with Meng Tian's reaction.

Back when he'd first learned this, he'd been just as stunned.

So what if the kid had the True King bloodline?

He was still just as green as everyone else.

Meng Tian clicked his tongue, his respect for True King Wind Thunder deepening.

An A-grade Martial Skill—that was the skill that made True King Wind Thunder famous.

To actually embed a skill of that level inside a visualization chart... that took real guts.

No wonder True King Wind Thunder was a True King level powerhouse.

"Then why didn't I find any trace of an A-grade Martial Skill when I used C-grade Rolling Heavenly Thunder to refine my qi and blood twice?"

Ling Tianjian coughed awkwardly.

"Young Master Meng, when the final thunderous power was about to fade, did the remaining bits of lightning seem to dance wildly?"

Meng Tian nodded.

"That wasn't a power leak..."

Meng Tian tactically lowered his head and didn't finish.

Damn it. The guy had given him a chance, and he'd just blown it himself.

Wait, no.

Why hadn't anyone told him beforehand?

If he'd known that current that looked like a power leak was actually an A-grade Martial Skill, he'd have stared at it a few more times at least.

Meng Tian changed the subject.

"Is there a way to check if Brother Xu has comprehended it?"

Ling Tianjian nodded.

"In principle, no."

Meng Tian raised an eyebrow.

Damn, the Wind Thunder Martial Hall was really shady.

But he'd keep this to himself today.

"Hurry up, turn on the camera. Let's take a look."

Ling Tianjian nodded.

"Young Master Meng, you can't tell anyone else. This is a secret of the Wind Thunder Martial Hall."

"After the visualization chart's final power is triggered, the camera automatically turns on."

Meng Tian sat down across from Ling Tianjian, having already forgotten why he'd come in the first place.

A-grade Martial Skill? That thing looks like a leaking electric current—who would think of it as a martial skill.

He wanted to see if Xu Zhiming could comprehend it.

"Hall Master Ling, has anyone in your Wind Thunder Martial Hall ever gleaned anything from that leaking current?"

Ling Tianjian narrowed his eyes, a flood of information surfacing in his mind.

"Yes, many who joined Wind Thunder Martial Hall have understood something from it."

"Probably a few dozen every year."

Meng Tian raised an eyebrow.

A few dozen every year? Wind Thunder Martial Hall was that strong? He didn't know about it.

A Level Nine Martial Artist could comprehend something from that dancing current.

He didn't believe it.

If Wind Thunder Martial Hall had that many geniuses, humanity would have long dominated all races.

"What realms are they at?"

Ling Tianjian couldn't help but laugh.

"Mostly martial artists above Level Thirty, who've cultivated other algorithms from Wind Thunder Martial Hall for many years."

Meng Tian shot a cold glance at Ling Tianjian, seriously suspecting he was doing it on purpose.

"How many at Level Nine have comprehended it?"

Li Tianjian thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"I don't know. Whether they've comprehended it or not is usually hard to tell."

Suddenly.

Both were drawn to the computer screen.

A figure appeared on it, along with the wildly dancing current.

In the footage, Xu Zhiming stared blankly at the dancing lightning, motionless.

Li Tianjian realized inwardly—even with an A-grade Martial Skill right in front of him, Xu Zhiming didn't recognize its worth.

"Xu Zhiming's reaction is the same as mine—dazed and confused."

"He probably didn't gain anything either. After all, it's an A-grade Martial Skill; no one can understand it after just two looks."

Meng Tian felt a bit annoyed at this.

This old man really thought everyone had the same poor comprehension as him?

"What if Brother Xu has already achieved enlightenment just by looking at that leaking lightning?"

As a friend Meng Tian acknowledged, he couldn't let others belittle Xu Zhiming.

Though Meng Tian felt a little uncertain himself saying that.

Li Tianjian shook his head and smiled faintly.

How could he not recognize this performance?

Many people, when first trying to comprehend an A-grade Martial Skill from a Visualization Diagram, showed this same dazed expression.

As a fellow C-grade aptitude, he understood Xu Zhiming's current bewilderment very well.

In the Training Room.

Xu Zhiming wiped the sweat from his forehead, his gaze fixed on the humanoid light point.

A trace of lightning energy remained inside it.

He was practicing Wind Thunder Fist, intending to draw out the last shred of power for one final lightning tempering.

The light point's brightness dimmed considerably, and the light in the Training Room instantly darkened.

The next second.

Xu Zhiming saw strands of white lightning power seeping out from the light point, slowly writhing.

He froze.

What was this?

"A leak?"

Staring blankly at the lightning, this dancing current seemed a little different.

The writhing lightning—did it resemble Wind Thunder Fist somehow?

[You have diligently observed the A-grade Heavenly Thunder Fist once, triggering a 30x Critical Hit]

A flood of information suddenly appeared in his mind. The Wind Thunder Fist Seventh Level had no obscure parts.

It was as if oiled with lubricant, flowing much more smoothly.

Xu Zhiming's heart steadied. He focused all his attention as the humanoid light point went dark.

The speed was a bit too fast; the light dimmed by another three points.

Thunder continued to dance.

Xu Zhiming stared intently.

At this moment, he had only one thought: he must remember as much as possible.

An A-grade Martial Skill—it seemed there was still one chance left.

[You have striven to observe the A-grade Heavenly Thunder Fist once, felt something stir within, and triggered a 10x Critical Hit]

By now, the light had completely extinguished, leaving only the dancing thunder in the Training Room to provide faint illumination.

Xu Zhiming absorbed the critical hit insights in his mind and slowly began to perform the Wind Thunder Fist.

A few more movements had been added—exactly the ones he had gleaned from watching the Heavenly Thunder Fist.

In the darkness.

The thunder, as if its power was nearly spent, slowed its pace of dancing.

Xu Zhiming practiced and watched simultaneously, his gaze shining like stars.

He felt that this radiant thunder was like a person's skeleton.

The skeleton supported the body, allowing it to move and dance.

A realization seemed to dawn in Xu Zhiming's heart.

The sixth stage of the Wind Thunder Fist tempered Vitality—could the seventh stage be about tempering the bones?

Watching the thunder's dance grow slower and slower, Xu Zhiming began comparing the differences between the two martial skills in his mind.

The Heavenly Thunder Fist had more movements and was more complex, but it shared many similarities with the Wind Thunder Fist.

Xu Zhiming visualized the movements he had comprehended, using them to verify his thoughts.

Crackle.

The electric arc vanished.

The Training Room was swallowed by darkness.

Xu Zhiming did not stop; he continued practicing his fist technique.

He could not see his body, nor could he tell if his movements had become distorted.

Xu Zhiming simply closed his eyes—his Vitality had not yet reached the level where he could see in the dark.

Relying on the countless times he had practiced the Wind Thunder Fist, even with his eyes shut, he could sense whether his body's movements were off.

[You have striven to observe the A-grade Heavenly Thunder Fist once, attempted to integrate the Wind Thunder Fist into it, felt something stir within, and triggered a 1000x Critical Hit]

[The Wind Thunder Fist has advanced, becoming a C-grade Martial Skill, with the effects of tempering Vitality and bones, and improving talent]

[Your talent has been somewhat enhanced]

[Your Vitality has increased, and your Vitality Quality has improved, now twice that of an ordinary person]

Xu Zhiming closed his eyes, and the panel content surfaced in his mind.

Gazing at the numbers above, Xu Zhiming could not have been more satisfied.