Li Ziyu looked at the blue panel in his mind, his emotions surging.
The vitality accumulated from killing the Red-Eyed Rabbits earlier, together with that Shadow Cat, could actually increase his martial technique.
He had no idea how much vitality was specifically needed to improve a martial technique.
But Li Ziyu did not dwell on it. He chose to improve his martial technique without hesitation.
On the panel,
the words "Beginner Saber Technique" changed into "Intermediate Saber Technique"!
The instant his martial technique improved, a wave of heat surged through his limbs and bones.
At the same time, Li Ziyu felt an additional memory of practicing the saber technique appear in his mind.
It was as if he had possessed it all along.
Li Ziyu picked up the saber in his hand and swung it several times around himself.
Then he adjusted his direction and, with a swish, slashed at the huge tree more than a meter thick in front of him.
A cold glint flashed.
The huge tree a meter thick before him snapped with a crack, splitting into two.
It crashed heavily onto the ground.
The cut was smooth and even.
"The system really is wondrous. This Intermediate Saber Technique feels just like something I cultivated and advanced myself. There's not the slightest sense of unfamiliarity or discomfort."
"My previous understanding of saber techniques was truly shallow—practically riddled with flaws."
"After mastering the Intermediate Saber Technique, my current Combat Power has increased by at least double compared to before!"
Li Ziyu was thrilled.
If vitality was equivalent to internal energy in martial arts novels, then martial techniques were the external arts that converted that internal energy into destructive power!
They could absolutely bring about a tremendous increase in a Martial Artist's strength.
Moreover, martial techniques were just as difficult to improve as vitality, or even harder to train!
Vitality could perhaps still be increased through the use of heavenly treasures and earthly materials.
But martial techniques could only rely on talent and constant training!
"With the Intermediate Saber Technique, if I had a good weapon, killing a Shadow Cat head-on would be a piece of cake!"
"The Intermediate Saber Technique is already this powerful. Then what about the Advanced level above it? Wouldn't it be even more incredible?"
"Holy crap, Captain, look! Why is there a moving hill over there?"
"Could it be some new species of ferocious beast?!"
On the towering city wall of Xujiang City,
a soldier pointed at a moving hill in the distance and spoke to his captain in astonishment.
It was the same three city guards Li Ziyu had encountered when he left the city.
The squad captain hurriedly picked up his binoculars and looked in the direction the soldier was pointing.
"Stop making a fuss. What damn ferocious beast? That's a person!"
"There are just too many ferocious-beast corpses. It only looks like a small hill!"
The squad captain lowered his binoculars, then smacked the soldier on the head and reprimanded him.
"Uh, hunting so many ferocious beasts... This person is pretty impressive!"
This time, the squad captain did not contradict him. Instead, he nodded, his expression turning solemn.
"Indeed. I also saw the corpse of a Shadow Cat behind him."
"A ferocious beast like the Shadow Cat would require even me to treat it with caution if I encountered one."
"This person was able to hunt a Shadow Leopard and even carry so many ferocious-beast corpses. His strength is probably no weaker than mine!"
"His strength is no weaker than yours? Captain, you're a Level 1 Advanced Martial Artist! When this person arrives, we'll have to go up and greet him."
"But Captain, why do I feel like this person looks a little familiar?"
The soldier pointed toward the bottom of the hill.
The squad captain froze. Following the direction the soldier was pointing, he looked toward the figure beneath the hill.
When he saw the face clearly, he was stunned.
Beneath this hill was actually the young man who had just left the city?
At that moment, Li Ziyu happened to be looking over as well. Seeing the squad captain standing on the city wall and watching him, he grinned, revealing a mouthful of bright white teeth.
"Brother, it seems I really saw wrong earlier. I never expected you to be hiding your abilities so deeply—you're actually a Martial Artist with considerable strength?"
Once the city gate opened, the squad captain was the first to approach.
He looked Li Ziyu up and down, his eyes filled with emotion.
"To be able to kill a Shadow Leopard alone, your strength is much greater than I imagined, Brother!"
"Hehe, just luck, just luck."
Li Ziyu scratched his head sheepishly and replied with a chuckle.
If the Shadow Cat had not been injured, then before mastering the Intermediate Saber Technique, he truly might not have been able to kill it alone.
However, in the squad captain's eyes, Li Ziyu's words were simply modesty.
A trace of admiration flashed through the squad captain's eyes as he looked at Li Ziyu.
"Not only are you powerful, Brother, you're also this modest. I, Wang Long, admire you!"
"All right, Brother, we won't delay you any longer. If we get the chance in the future, I'll buy you a drink!"
Li Ziyu nodded, said goodbye to Wang Long and the others, and then walked into the city.
"Captain, that kid looks like he's not even seventeen. At such a young age, is he really a Level 1 Martial Artist?!"
"He seemed to say just now that he's from Third High School and is preparing to take the Martial Arts Exam. Has Third High School become this strong?"
After Li Ziyu had gone some distance, the soldier moved up beside Wang Long and curiously watched Li Ziyu's back.
Wang Long's gaze was solemn.
"He's probably a hidden genius from Third High School."
"To be able to hunt a Level 1 ferocious beast at such a young age, it seems this year's Martial Arts Exam in Xujiang City is going to be interesting."
Xujiang City.
A three-story building in the prosperous central district.
Li Ziyu stood beneath the building, looking at its signboard and reading it aloud.
"Precious Martial Pavilion."
"One of the top five Martial Artist shops in Xujiang City. It mainly deals in purchasing and selling ferocious-beast corpses, weapons, and martial techniques."
The three-story building before him had an antique charm, somewhat resembling the Huizhou-style architecture of his previous life.
This was the shop Li Ziyu had carefully selected.
He had originally wanted to find a shop closest to the city wall and sell these ferocious-beast corpses.
But then he thought that he would surely be leaving the city frequently to hunt ferocious beasts in the future, so he decided to find a long-term partner.
Precious Martial Pavilion was the result of his meticulous online search, examining all kinds of reviews and weighing every consideration.
It was said that its owner was a Level 2 Advanced Martial Artist with a good reputation, and would not arbitrarily suppress prices.
After looking for a while,
Li Ziyu tightened the enormous sack on his back, which was as large as a small hill, and walked into Precious Martial Pavilion.
His appearance had attracted more than a few glances from passersby along the way.
Although Martial Artists returning to the city after hunting ferocious beasts could often be seen on the streets,
it was rare to see someone carrying back this many corpses.
Not to mention that among them was a Level 1 ferocious beast—the Shadow Cat.
Many ordinary people had never left Xujiang City in their entire lives.
They were utterly unfamiliar with ferocious beasts.
They had only seen ferocious beasts online or on television, so they were intensely curious.
Li Ziyu could be said to have been followed and filmed the entire way.
Several pretty girls even came over of their own accord to take pictures with him and ask for his Feixin.
Helpless, Li Ziyu eventually found an empty corner and stuffed the Shadow Cat's corpse into the sack.
Only then did the crowd around him thin out considerably.
After all, although Red-Eyed Rabbits were also rare, they were not unavailable on the market.
Many parents whose children were preparing to take the Martial Arts Exam would buy them a little Red-Eyed Rabbit meat, more or less, to replenish their vitality.
Li Ziyu walked inside.
The first thing he saw was a spacious hall spanning several thousand square meters.
It had an antique charm, with individual counters partitioned throughout the hall.
Various weapons, pills, and other items were displayed inside.
It was already evening, but the hall was brightly lit.
Quite a few people dressed as Martial Artists were accompanied by tall, young female sales guides. Some were selecting items, while others sat in the rest area beside the hall, drinking tea.
The moment Li Ziyu entered, he drew the gazes of everyone in the hall.
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