[Name]: Lin Shuguang; [Blood Energy Value]: 966 cal; [Skills]: Basic Body Refining Technique LV6 (increases blood energy value by 5 cal daily; recharge 50,000 to upgrade), Star Prison Gale Slash LV5 (recharge 500,000 and reach 1,000 cal of blood energy value to upgrade), Tiger Roar Saber Technique LV6 (max level), Bone Dissection LV3 (max level); [Destined Soul]: Slaughter Blade (silver); (Description: possesses a certain degree of destructive power when manifested); [Special Ability]: Absorption LV4 (can seize four times the blood energy value upon a successful kill)
After this brush with life and death, Lin Shuguang's overall strength had risen another level.
His blood energy value had actually broken past nine hundred cal and was approaching the minimum standard of one thousand cal for a Martial Artist.
His Basic Body Refining Technique had risen to LV6, improving his physique a notch... his skin and flesh seemed a little tougher.
[Tiger Roar Saber Technique] had reached max level. This basic nurturing technique allowed Lin Shuguang to keep his body active under intense exertion, greatly increasing both his endurance and resilience.
Lin Shuguang felt stronger than ever before.
Beneath his clean, neatly arranged clothes were large muscles that bulged with the slightest exertion.
Lin Shuguang could not resist pulling his collar open and looking down to admire them...
The left side twitched, then the right, then the left again, followed by another twitch on the right.
After a long while, he lowered his hand in satisfaction and walked out of his room, humming a tune.
Lin Xiaoxi peered over from the couch. Seeing her brother in such high spirits, she rolled her big eyes and ventured, "Bro, you look really different today!"
Lin Shuguang's eyes lit up. "Really?"
Lin Xiaoxi nodded furiously. "Really, really! I can't find a single adjective to describe you right now. You're perfect!"
The corners of Lin Shuguang's mouth twitched beneath his forced expression of composure.
Under his clothes, the left side twitched, immediately followed by the right...
Lin Xiaoxi asked tentatively, "Bro, can you bring me fried chicken tonight?"
Lin Shuguang reached out and vigorously ruffled Lin Xiaoxi's hair. "Wait to hear from me."
Once Lin Shuguang had left, Lin Xiaoxi took out a mirror with a dark expression and straightened her carefully styled bangs strand by strand.
"Lin Shuguang, for the sake of fried chicken, I'll forgive your rudeness this once. Don't let it happen again!"
When he arrived at the Storm Martial Arts School, Lin Shuguang heard everyone cheering before he even reached the Training Ground.
"Ye Tianhao is amazing!"
"How long has it even been? He's already learned the [Tiger Roar Saber Technique]!"
"Yeah, he's incredible. I feel like it won't be long before the teacher teaches him a Killing Technique."
"Who do you think is stronger, him or Lin Shuguang?"
"Do you even need to ask? Ye Tianhao, obviously!"
"I think it's Ye Tianhao too..."
Lin Shuguang listened to their discussion calmly, walking past them without a word.
When they saw him, their voices immediately grew quieter.
Finding a corner, Lin Shuguang picked up a wooden saber and began practicing.
His blood energy value was already over nine hundred cal, just a step away from the minimum required of a Martial Artist, but...
Would breaking through one thousand cal of blood energy value really make me a Martial Artist?
Lin Shuguang had actually had this question for a while.
So far, he could just about count four Martial Artists he had come into contact with.
Song Shi!
Old Fu!
The Demonic Cultivator!
And that man named Ye Wu!
Fortunately, the Martial Artist he had fought was that Demonic Cultivator.
Last night, Lin Shuguang had spent the entire night thinking about that Demonic Cultivator's condition, and he increasingly felt that being a Martial Artist was not as simple as he had imagined.
Otherwise, couldn't rich people just gorge themselves on Heavenly Treasures until they became Martial Artists?
That clearly did not match reality!
There must be a secret I don't know!
Putting away his saber, Lin Shuguang found a deserted spot and took the black notebook out of his clothes.
"Nothing?"
After flipping through a dozen or so pages and finding nothing, Lin Shuguang was feeling deeply disappointed when he suddenly gave a startled murmur.
A line of extremely messy small writing had been crossed out. The character for "martial" had only been half crossed out, so Lin Shuguang spotted it clearly at a glance.
It seemed the notebook's owner had not intended to conceal this passage completely, or perhaps he had never imagined that his notebook would one day fall into Lin Shuguang's hands.
"Martial Artist... cultivation method... temper the bones by flushing them with blood energy... extremely dangerous, in severe cases, a living corpse..."
Reading those few words, Lin Shuguang's heart gave a jolt.
What did that mean?
Becoming a Martial Artist required a specific cultivation method too?
He read it over several more times.
Soon, Lin Shuguang frowned. "In other words, even if my blood energy value breaks through one thousand cal now, it's useless. I have to get a Martial Artist Cultivation Method!"
"There's still time. I can make it!"
Over the following period, rather than rushing to increase his blood energy value, Lin Shuguang began searching for any information related to Martial Artist Cultivation Methods.
Strangely, however, neither the textbooks nor any documents he could find contained information about Martial Artist Cultivation Methods.
That could only mean information about Martial Artist Cultivation Methods had been suppressed!
"No wonder Xu Jie said to go to a Martial Arts School if I wanted to become a Martial Artist! Martial Arts Schools must have Martial Artist Cultivation Methods!"
Was that really the only way?
Lin Shuguang instinctively recalled what Xu Jie had mentioned before: someone had once become a Martial Artist without relying on a Martial Arts School.
So there were other ways to obtain a Martial Artist Cultivation Method!
He went to ask Xu Jie about that person, but Xu Jie hemmed and hawed without explaining clearly. "All I know is that he was from Kyoto. It happened years ago. Back then, my senior brother only heard about it from other people too..."
Hearing that, Lin Shuguang knew the lead had gone cold.
He turned his attention to the resourceful Feng San.
Returning to the Martial Arts Hall, Lin Shuguang pulled Feng San aside, and the two whispered in a corner.
"San, I have a friend..."
Feng San froze, then exclaimed in a low voice, "A Martial Artist Cultivation Method?"
Lin Shuguang asked without betraying anything, "Do you have any channels?"
Feng San smiled wryly. "You think far too highly of my abilities. I'm sure your friend has looked into it too. There's absolutely no information about this stuff on the open market. Why? Because it's too precious."
"So the Black Market has it?" Lin Shuguang's eyes lit up.
Feng San pondered for a moment, then looked around to make sure no one was nearby before whispering, "You can't exactly say the Black Market has it. Only a few big shots with incredibly powerful connections have this stuff. I can't say whether they'd be willing to offer it up. All I know is that someone once offered five million for the lowest-grade Martial Artist Cultivation Method, and not one of those big shots paid him any attention."
Lin Shuguang fell silent.
He could not even come up with five million.
Didn't that mean he had no chance...?
Then Feng San added, "But I do have a job connected to a big shot in the Black Market. If your friend does well, he could get some exposure in front of that big shot. Who knows, it might lead to wealth and status someday."
Lin Shuguang grew more interested. "Please, go on, San."
Feng San said quietly, "It's a Bodyguard Mission. It requires a blood energy value of at least five hundred cal. It doesn't matter whether you have a Martial Arts Apprentice certificate... it only takes three hours. If there's no danger, the pay is fifty thousand. If there is danger, it starts at two hundred thousand."
Lin Shuguang's eyes flickered. "What would you suggest, San?"
Feng San knew the kid was sharp. He smiled. "Handle support duties and pocket an easy fifty thousand. There won't be much danger, either. But that would make it hard to catch that big shot's attention. What to do specifically is still up to your friend."
Lin Shuguang suddenly said, "Could I go?"
"You?" Feng San froze.
Suddenly, he whipped the wooden saber in his hand upward in a slash, swift as lightning.
Yet Lin Shuguang blocked it easily.
Feng San wore an expression that said he had expected as much. "I knew you were a sly one. That reaction speed isn't something an ordinary person could manage. You've been hiding quite a bit of your ability, haven't you?"
Lin Shuguang said, "Likewise."
The two exchanged a smile, each with his own meaning behind it.
Feng San put away his saber and smiled as he punched Lin Shuguang's shoulder. "All right, then. I'll put together the details and send them to you later."
Lin Shuguang asked, "Will you be going?"
"I have other things to do. I can't get away."
"That's a shame. You won't get to worship me as I slaughter everyone in my path."
"You little brat, keep bragging. But seriously, make sure you stay safe. Don't force it. If something happens, turn around and run. Screw the damn mission. Your life is worth far more than money."
Lin Shuguang flashed a toothy grin.
That reckless streak in him was raring to go!
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