Bloodbath

"Have you finished the talent assessment for the New Frontier? Is it a Combat Talent? Fill out the form yourself."

Behind the registration desk, a young man wearing the dojo's standard gray training uniform had messy hair and a dark scar on his cheek. He stared at Tao Yu impatiently and pointed to the forms beside him.

You're the seventh one today. A bunch of freeloaders!

Some of them didn't even have a Combat Talent. They were taking advantage of the half-price deal and the requirement that they accept a "Skill Loan" just to get a free try. Honestly, the skills were expensive for a reason. They weren't easy to learn!

"Just so you know, we won't take responsibility if you can't learn it. The entry requirements are high. If you want to learn the dojo's signature fist techniques, you'll need at least Level 4 Basic Combat just to get started, unless you've got good talent."

The warning took Tao Yu by surprise. If the techniques were taught openly in the Outer City, they had to be learnable. Still, needing Level 4 just to get started without good talent was a pretty high bar.

His father had Eagle Eye, but even that only kept his Basic Shooting at this level. If he pushed for Level 5, he'd hit a plateau, and the cost of maintaining it would skyrocket.

And his father was a seasoned veteran who'd scraped and struggled for decades while raising eight children. It wasn't as if he lacked ability.

"I have a Combat Talent. It's already been verified."

Tao Yu took out his "partner" certificate again. The young man froze for a moment, then broke into a smile. He didn't even bother checking the certificate, instead getting up and leading Tao Yu inside.

"Hey, don't take it personally, brother. Those people had been driving me crazy, and I was in a bad mood. Forget what I said. Come on, I'll take you to Senior Brother. You're here to pick a fist technique, right? With partner status, you get two free skills, don't you?"

There were still two people behind Tao Yu, but the young man simply ignored them. The pair didn't say a word, patiently waiting where they were.

"I do. I'm planning to use the half-price option here too."

"Brother, I wasn't just trying to scare you earlier. The core skills at our dojo really are tough."

The student who'd been handling registration didn't press him for details, but he still repeated the warning.

"Thanks for the heads-up."

Tao Yu nodded. He had some confidence in himself.

For one thing, his physical attributes were definitely good enough. There couldn't be many people in the Outer City with Level 4 Basic Combat who could match his physique.

His Basic Combat: Enhanced was only Level 2, but after Deification, it was definitely stronger than Level 4 in every way.

Besides, although he didn't have a talent that excelled at physical ability, Bullet Time gave him Dynamic Vision, allowing him to observe and remember details remarkably well. If other people could learn the techniques, he probably could too.

He might need to invest more wish power later than students with physical talents, but at least he had a clear advantage when it came to getting started.

The student led Tao Yu to one corner of the dojo's main courtyard.

There were several wooden buildings inside the courtyard, but most of the students practiced outside on the training ground.

The ground was packed coal cinders and dirt, uneven and full of dips. Nearby stood wooden posts, stone locks, weapon racks, and other training equipment.

The place looked pretty rough, but by Outer City standards, it was actually quite decent.

No wonder the dojo uniforms were gray. They didn't show dirt...

Seven or eight people were already gathered in front of Tao Yu. One wore the same dojo uniform, while the rest were dressed in all sorts of different clothes, making them look out of place.

Tao Yu also spotted Zhang Wei.

With his D+ stamina, he certainly qualified for one of the free spots.

He was still as skinny and dirty as ever, but he seemed much more confident now, judging by his expression.

When Tao Yu was led over, everyone turned to look. Zhang Wei spotted him and his gaze sharpened. Then he smiled and greeted him first.

"Brother Tao, you're here to pick a technique too?"

He knew Tao Yu had B-rank Dynamic Vision, so it made sense that someone with such good talent would be escorted over.

Still, this was where they taught fist techniques. He figured his physical Combat Talent in stamina would give him a bit more of an edge.

Deep down, Zhang Wei knew that because of Winuo's attitude, the way he'd changed sides might have left a bad impression on Tao Yu.

But circumstances had forced his hand. He regretted it a little, but not enough to wish he'd done things differently. If he had the chance to choose again, he'd make the same decision.

"Yeah. Let's work hard together from now on."

Whatever Tao Yu thought of his character, he acknowledged Zhang Wei's abilities. He could endure hardship and had determination. With a Combat Talent, he should be able to make a living in the Outer City—and might even have a shot at joining the Security Team.

"Senior Brother Smith, this is another student who wants to learn a fist technique. He's a partner too."

The tall young man had pale blond hair and a surprisingly high hairline for his age. When he saw his junior bring someone over, he guessed the newcomer might have decent talent.

But when he heard that Tao Yu was a partner, his eyebrows rose.

Here to freeload? Hadn't he only completed his first Abyss expedition yesterday? And he'd already become a partner?

His talent had to be at least B-rank—a standard Combat Talent—and better than Smith's own.

"Very well. We'll certainly comply with the company's requirements. But let me make one thing clear: I'll teach you to the best of my ability, but whether you learn the techniques is up to you."

Smith nodded to Tao Yu in greeting. The scar-faced junior who'd brought him over leaned in and explained quietly.

"Senior Brother Smith is one of the dojo's veterans. He's reached Level 3 in all five fist techniques. The key is that he's reached that level in every one of them.

"The Dojo Master said that once he gets all five techniques to Level 4, he'll be able to try combining them and grasping his qi and blood."

Tao Yu's interest was piqued. He lowered his voice and asked,

"Senior Brother, there's always been a rumor that the dojo has an advanced Breathing Technique. Is it true? Does it work together with the fist techniques?"

"Uh, yeah, it's real, but it's definitely not taught to outsiders. Only true disciples get the chance. Even Captain Zechuan of the Security Team wanted the Dojo Master to take his son on as a disciple, but the Dojo Master refused."

It wasn't a secret. Tao Yu had only asked out of curiosity. If he got the chance, he wouldn't pass it up, but he wasn't saying he had to learn it.

"I'm Yi Wei. If you have questions, you can ask me. I've got to get back outside and wait, so I'll head over first."

Yi Wei, the scar-faced junior, had brought Tao Yu over partly to make up for being dismissive earlier. Whether Tao Yu held a grudge or not, he wanted to smooth things over. Now that he'd done that, he had to get back to his post. The work counted toward tuition, and not everyone got that opportunity.

"Good. Looks like everyone's here, right?"

Smith glanced around.

"I think two are still missing. I'll go get them. You can start without them, Senior Brother."

The scar-faced junior quickened his pace and waved as he went. Smith had no intention of waiting.

"I know why you chose this place. You saw how expensive the skills were and thought they'd be worth learning. And they are. The dojo's five fist techniques are the best skills available in the Outer City.

"Besides, if you learn all five, you may be able to combine them and grasp your qi and blood, raising your body's limits."

For most people in the Outer City, the limit was an ordinary human body's potential.

The mere promise of raising that limit was enough to excite anyone.

Some people looked thrilled, certain they'd made the right choice.

Others looked worried. They'd need to learn all five fist techniques to have a chance, and they couldn't afford the later ones.

Smith seemed to notice their concern. He chuckled.

"Actually, you don't need to worry about how you'll earn money for the later techniques. If you specialize in one fist technique, the dojo has jobs that count toward your tuition. The important thing is to learn one technique first. Even getting started is difficult."

As he finished speaking, he sank into a horse stance and performed a set of fist techniques on the spot.

He moved very slowly, and the movements looked awkward, as though they had no power at all.

But Tao Yu had exceptional Dynamic Vision. By watching the subtle shifts in Smith's muscles and the way his movements stretched his body, he could see what was going on.

It seemed to be a set of training exercises. He just didn't know how they related to the fist techniques. There were five of them, so shouldn't they let the students choose first?

Tao Yu watched intently, memorizing every movement. Everyone else stared just as hard.

Even the two students who'd hurried over after missing the introduction didn't have a chance to ask what was going on.

Some students had already started trying to follow along.

After about fifteen minutes, Smith finished the set and slowly exhaled as he settled into his final stance.

"You're probably wondering which of the five fist techniques I'm teaching first."

Smith wore a faintly amused expression.

"Now I can tell you: the set I just showed you is a prerequisite for all five fist techniques. It's called Myriad Flow Stance."

As if he knew what the students were worried about, he waved a hand.

"Relax. This is included free with every fist technique. There's no extra tuition. We simplified it to help you get started quickly and use wish power to speed things up. Once you reach Level 2 in this skill, learning the fist techniques gets a lot easier."

Only after everyone had breathed a sigh of relief did Smith's lips curl up.

"But since we've taught you this skill, there'll be no refunds, whether or not you can learn the techniques that come afterward..."

If you had the talent and ability, that one lesson was like getting two skills. If you didn't have what it took, then all you'd learn was the introductory stance.

But Tao Yu's eyes lit up.

The stance was clearly an excellent way to train the muscles throughout the body. If he turned it into a skill and Deified it, he'd basically gotten another one for free. What a steal...