Starry Sky Spear Technique

Starry Sky Spear Technique

"B-level Contract?"

Song Yi sat on the sofa, murmuring to herself, "Among fifth-level branches, only the branch master is qualified to sign B-level Contracts, with no more than two slots each year."

"If she wants more slots, she'll have to apply to the Jiang City Branch or even the Jiangbei Province Branch."

Whether it was the Starfire Martial Hall or the Starry Sky Martial Hall, branches of the same rank were basically equal in standing.

The Guanshan District Branch was a fifth-level branch, as well as the most basic-level branch.

The Jiang City Branch was a fourth-level branch.

The Jiangbei Province Branch was a third-level branch.

Above that were the Xia Country Headquarters, a second-level branch, and the Blue Star Headquarters, a first-level branch.

"Wan Qinghe?"

"So the rumors were true. He was born a gambler." Song Yi murmured, "The moment he arrived, he gave me a show of force."

"Just wait and see."

"A kid with decent mental strength whose Martial Arts Spirituality hasn't even awakened is worth, at most, a C-level Contract. Yet you gave him a B-level Contract? I'll be waiting to see you make a fool of yourself."

As a Source Martialist and the deputy branch master, Song Yi did not truly care about missing out on signing one martial arts prodigy.

It was simply that this matter had made her feel humiliated.

It was past ten at night. At Wanhua Platinum Mansion, in the Li Family home, Li Qianqian and Li Muhua would normally have already washed up and gone to bed by this hour.

But today—

The living room lights were on, and the whole family was gathered there.

"Qianqian, Muhua." Li Yuan sat on the sofa with the light screen of his Smart Ring Watch open, his fingertips moving across it as he rapidly filled out information.

Li Qianqian and Li Muhua both stood excitedly beside Li Yuan, staring at the light screen.

Suddenly—

A pop-up appeared on the light screen: Family Card review approved.

"Alright." Li Yuan smiled. "Your Family Cards have been processed. Tomorrow, you can enter the family area of the Starfire Martial Hall with facial recognition."

"Wow! The Martial Hall!"

"The last time I visited was during a school activity. The place was huge."

"Training there will definitely be much better than in the neighborhood Martial Arts Room."

"Brother, is everything really free?" Li Qianqian and Li Muhua were both incredibly excited, eagerly surrounding Li Yuan with questions.

Chen Hui sat on a small stool, smiling as she watched the scene.

"Not everything is free."

"But things like fruit, drinks, basic physical therapy, public Martial Arts Rooms, and weekly public martial arts classes... those are all free. There are also a few things that require payment, such as nutritious meals. But your Family Cards are already linked to my account. If you want to buy any small items, just swipe them directly," Li Yuan said. "From now on, eat dinner at the Martial Hall every evening, then train in the public Martial Arts Room."

Middle school students did not have evening self-study sessions.

"At nine in the evening, come to the entrance of the Martial Hall building and wait for me. We'll ride home together." Li Yuan looked at his younger brother and sister.

L3-level Members received a free "Independent Electric Vehicle" from the Martial Hall, with usage rights and on-call service anywhere within Jiang City.

"Awesome!"

"Last time, one of my classmates bragged to me about getting a W2-level Membership Card." Li Muhua's eyes shone. "Brother, I saw the introduction. Family Card privileges are one level higher, equivalent to a W3-level Membership Card."

"And physical therapy." Li Qianqian said excitedly, "Every time I finish training, my whole body aches like crazy..."

The two siblings grew more excited the longer they talked.

Watching his brother and sister, Li Yuan could not help feeling happy.

Ever since the second year of middle school, he had thrown himself wholeheartedly into training.

Wasn't it all for a day like this, to improve the family's circumstances?

Li Yuan had always felt that he had taken up his younger brother and sister's resources. Being able to care for them... being able to make it up to them even a little was what made Li Yuan happiest.

"Alright, the cards are done." Chen Hui's smile faded as she said seriously, "Your brother only signed early because he worked and fought desperately for it."

"I'm not asking you to be as outstanding as your brother, but you must train diligently at the Martial Hall. Understand?"

"Got it, Mom." Li Qianqian smiled.

"Mom, I'll definitely learn from Brother and strive to sign with the Martial Hall early too." Li Muhua's face brimmed with fighting spirit. "Then I'll buy you a big house."

"Alright, alright. I'll wait for you to show filial devotion to me someday. Now hurry up and take a bath." Chen Hui urged them toward the bathroom.

A few minutes later, Chen Hui returned to the living room.

"Auntie, I just transferred one million Blue Star Coins to you. You received it, right?" Li Yuan asked quietly.

"I told you, there's still money at home." Chen Hui said helplessly. "Once you become a martialist, there'll be oceans of places to spend money."

"Auntie."

"This money is for Qianqian and Muhua." Li Yuan said solemnly. "Muhua has awakened his Martial Arts Spirituality. If he proceeds step by step, getting into a martial arts university won't be difficult."

"But Qianqian... her Martial Arts Spirituality hasn't awakened. The Basic Blood-Qi Potion absolutely cannot be cut off, or she won't be able to keep up with martial arts training."

"Qianqian's martial arts talent..." Chen Hui hesitated. She had never planned to let Li Qianqian pursue martial arts training deeply before.

"Auntie."

Li Yuan interrupted Chen Hui. "Qianqian's martial arts talent is indeed not high, but that's precisely why we have to do our best to nurture her. Even if she takes the academic track in the college entrance examination, martial arts scores account for thirty percent."

"Qianqian's academic grades are good. As long as her martial arts grades are a little better, she has hope of getting into C9 University in the future." Li Yuan said solemnly.

"As for me?"

"The money I have left is enough for now."

"After the January Adjustment Exam, the school will have scholarships too." Li Yuan smiled. "Once I get into university, there will also be all kinds of national rewards."

Only after much persuasion did Chen Hui reluctantly agree to accept it.

Late at night, Li Yuan returned to his room.

"I gave Auntie one million Blue Star Coins."

"My cash balance has 1.33 million left." Li Yuan's gaze swept across his account balance.

The Martial Hall's next cash payment of "1.2 million Blue Star Coins" would not arrive until next October.

It could be said—

Li Yuan's current cash and Martial Hall Points, if used to purchase all kinds of martial arts resources, might not last until then.

But Li Yuan did not regret it.

"In martial arts cultivation, there is never enough money to spend. If I wanted to find excuses not to give it, there would always be excuses." Li Yuan's eyes were sharp. "But these next few years are also the most crucial for my brother and sister."

"Not enough resources?"

"I'll find another way."

"There are still three months until the January Adjustment Exam. I'll give it everything I have and charge into the top five." Li Yuan had not forgotten Teacher Xu Bo's promise.

Top ten in the grade meant one hundred thousand Blue Star Coins.

Top five meant a special scholarship of five hundred thousand Blue Star Coins.

"First, I'll study spear technique." Li Yuan sat inside the Virtual Network Pod and connected his consciousness.

He arrived in his personal cultivation space.

It was empty. Both its length and width exceeded two hundred meters, while its height exceeded fifty meters.

"Study the Starry Sky Spear Technique." Li Yuan said aloud. "First lesson."

Immediately—

Boom~ A vast amount of light condensed, eventually forming the figure of a burly man in black battle armor. He held a long spear, his gaze sharp.

He stared directly at Li Yuan.

The intangible aura he radiated instinctively tightened Li Yuan's heart, though only for an instant.

"Virtual instruction?" Li Yuan looked at the Black Robe man.

"The Starry Sky Spear Technique is a Second Order spear technique, an advancement of the First Order spear technique Rock Spear Technique."

"The Rock Spear Technique originated from the Rock Cultivation Method, drawing upon the meaning of being steady as a rock and unmoving as a mountain." The Black Robe man said in a deep voice, "It emphasizes using defense in place of attack, dissolving the enemy's momentum into the invisible..."

Whoosh!

As the Black Robe man spoke, he had already begun wielding the long spear. Sometimes he withdrew it with a backhand motion, sometimes thrust straight ahead, sometimes chopped down furiously, sometimes lashed out, sometimes raised the spear to block... The seemingly simple moves were all so familiar in Li Yuan's eyes.

They were precisely the Rock Spear Technique he had practiced countless times, and within them, he could also see traces of the spear technique ultimate moves he had comprehended himself.

Bedrock Pillar, Hidden Dragon in the Rocky Ravine, Qunshan Wanxiang... one move followed another.

They all looked ordinary, yet in the Black Robe man's hands, they possessed the flavor of turning decay into magic.

"This!"

"This... this!" Li Yuan's eyes widened. "I've trained with the spear for years. First I mastered the basic spear forms, then I cultivated the Rock Spear Technique, and eventually broke through to the Third Stage and comprehended several ultimate moves."

"But how could my few moves possibly flow together like this? Perfectly seamless and without flaw." Li Yuan held his breath.

Too powerful!

The same moves, in different hands, had worlds of difference in power. The Black Robe man was far stronger than Li Yuan.

"Fourth Stage."

"What this Black Robe man is displaying is definitely Fourth Stage spear technique. He has truly unified the force of his entire body. He is the spear, and the spear is him." Li Yuan felt a realization dawn upon him. "This is the realm of a spear technique master."

"The Rock Fist Technique has eighteen forms."

"The Rock Spear Technique also has eighteen sets of routines." The Black Robe man's demonstration grew faster and faster, yet his breath remained full and his voice boomed like a great bell. "But as you continue practicing them, you must try to gradually simplify those eighteen routines."

"Until they ultimately form five great killing moves."

"Bedrock Pillar, Hidden Dragon in the Rocky Ravine, Qunshan Wanxiang, Rock Cloud Layered Green, Rock Settles the Universe." The Black Robe man named them in succession.

The first three great killing moves he named were also the three great killing moves Li Yuan had comprehended on his own.

"The moves I comprehended are the same as the foundational section of the Starry Sky Spear Technique?" Li Yuan was deeply excited.

This was enough to prove—

His spear technique cultivation had always followed the most correct path.

Of course, Li Yuan knew that he could not entirely count the great killing moves as his own comprehension. In a sense, it was Teacher Xu Bo's repeated guidance that had kept him from straying off course.

"Once you master the five great killing moves, your spear technique should be close to Third Stage perfection. That means you will have completed the foundational cultivation of the Starry Sky Spear Technique." The Black Robe man said. "At that point, you may attempt to cultivate the 'Five Starry Sky Forms.'"

"As long as you learn any one of them, it means your spear technique has entered the Fourth Stage realm."

"If, in the future—"

"You comprehend all of the 'Five Starry Sky Forms,' and even comprehend the Starry Sky Artistic Conception... then that will be Fifth Stage spear technique."

"Your skill will be so high it will nearly approach the Heaven-Human Realm. Even within all human civilization, you will be considered an expert." The Black Robe man said. "Next, cultivate the five great killing moves of the Rock Spear Technique with me."

After that, the Black Robe man continued his demonstration, while Li Yuan also conjured a long spear.

He began training along with him.

The Black Robe man broke down and drilled every move of the Rock Spear Technique.

Then, by observing Li Yuan's spear technique level, he guided Li Yuan's training and helped him understand how force circulated amid the transformations of spear technique moves.

This Black Robe man was clearly an intelligent instructor.

As his training deepened, Li Yuan could feel the power of this Second Order secret manual.

Its efficiency was more than several times greater than figuring things out by himself.

"One million cultivation points—worth it!" Li Yuan was immensely excited.

What he had bought was not merely a secret manual.

He had also bought the intelligent instructor's guidance throughout the entire process.

"However, practicing in the virtual world is only learning through consciousness. To truly teach my real body, I'll still need extensive training in reality." Li Yuan understood this clearly.

Only when the mind arrived and the body arrived could one count as truly having learned it.

After studying the Starry Sky Spear Technique for an hour, Li Yuan began studying the Dragon Movement Technique in the virtual space.

This was likewise an exceptionally exquisite movement technique.

It was past one in the morning when Li Yuan finally exited the Virtual Network and came to the window. All was silent.

"Virtual cultivation is only an aid."

"What matters is reality. I'll first cultivate the Great Sun and Starry Sky Sutra for two hours, then go to school to train." Li Yuan thought to himself. Sitting cross-legged, his mental consciousness had already entered the Mind Divine Palace.

It was past four in the morning when Li Yuan finally left home and ran toward school.

It had been a long time since he had gone to school so late.

The third year of high school was tedious, yet Li Yuan enjoyed it, traveling back and forth between school, home, and the Martial Hall.

Feeling his strength rise day by day.

Day after day.

In the blink of an eye, more than two months had passed.

(End of Chapter)