Blood Profit

"From the New Frontier? Have you finished your talent assessment? 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, with messy hair and a dark scar on his cheek, looked at Tao Yu impatiently, gesturing to the form next to him.

This was the seventh one today, a bunch of freeloaders!

There were even people who didn't have combat talents, using that half-price privilege and the condition that 'skill loans' must be allowed to come and mooch. He was truly impressed; skills are expensive for a reason, and they aren't that easy to learn!

"Let me remind you, we won't be responsible for whether you learn it or not. The entry barrier for skills is very high. If you want to learn our dojo's ultimate martial arts, if your talent isn't good enough, it'll be difficult to even reach Level 4 in Basic Combat."

This reminder actually surprised Tao Yu a little. Skills taught openly in the Outer City should be learnable, but a Level 4 entry requirement for those with poor talent was indeed not low.

Tao Yu's father, with the boost from [Eagle Eye], could only maintain Basic Shooting at this level. If he pushed for Level 5, it would enter the marginal stage, causing maintenance costs to skyrocket.

This was an old hand who had been through decades of hardship and raised eight children. His abilities could not be considered weak.

"I have a combat talent, and it's already been certified."

Tao Yu took out his 'Partner' certificate again. The other party was stunned for a moment, then switched to a smiling face. Without even looking at it, he stood up and led Tao Yu inside.

"Ah, brother, don't mind me. I was so annoyed by those people earlier that I was in a bad mood. Please don't take it to heart. Let's go, I'll take you to my senior brother. Are you looking to choose a boxing style? Since you're a Partner, you get two free slots, right?"

There were still two people behind Tao Yu, but the young man completely ignored them. The two behind him didn't make a sound and waited there obediently.

"Yes, I have two free slots, and I plan to use the half-price offer here as well."

"Brother, what I said earlier wasn't entirely to scare you. The difficulty of our dojo's core abilities is quite significant."

The registering student didn't pry further but still emphasized it once more.

"Thank you for the reminder."

Tao Yu nodded. He was quite confident in this regard.

Firstly, his physical fitness was definitely up to par. There weren't many people in the Outer City with Level 4 Basic Combat who could surpass his physical fitness.

Although his [Basic Combat: Enhanced] was only Level 2, after Deification, it would be stronger in all aspects than Level 4.

Moreover, although his talent wasn't particularly focused on physical aspects, the dynamic vision brought by [Bullet Time] allowed him to observe and record details quite thoroughly. Since others could learn it, he most likely could too.

Perhaps the cost of investing Wish Power later on would be higher than for students with physical talents, but at least for entry, he had an absolute advantage.

Thus, Tao Yu followed this student to a corner of the dojo's courtyard.

There were several wooden buildings within the dojo's courtyard, but most students practiced outdoors in the plaza.

The ground was compacted with cinders and dirt, appearing somewhat uneven. Beside it were training aids like wooden stakes, stone locks, and weapon racks.

Although the environment seemed a bit shoddy, it was actually quite good for the Outer City.

No wonder the dojo uniform was gray; it's dirt-resistant...

Currently, there were seven or eight people in front of Tao Yu. One of them wore the same dojo uniform, while the others were dressed in various outfits, looking somewhat out of place.

Tao Yu also saw Zhang Wei.

This guy had [Stamina] D+, which indeed qualified him for a free slot.

Although he was still thin and a bit dirty, his expression seemed much more confident.

When Tao Yu was led over, the special treatment he received, unlike those in front, drew everyone's attention. Zhang Wei saw Tao Yu, his eyes focused, then he smiled and nodded in greeting.

"Brother Tao, you're here to choose this path too."

He knew Tao Yu had B-rank [Dynamic Vision], so it was normal for someone with such good talent to be led over.

However, this was a place to learn martial arts. He felt that his physical combat talent like [Stamina] should have more of an advantage.

In fact, Zhang Wei knew in his heart that because of Winuo's attitude back then, his transformation might have left a bad impression on Tao Yu.

But he was forced by the circumstances. Although he regretted it a little, he didn't feel any remorse. If he had to do it again, he would make the same choice.

"Yeah, we'll have to work hard together from now on."

Regardless of personality, Tao Yu recognized Zhang Wei's abilities to some extent. He could endure hardship, was persistent, and with the emergence of his combat talent, he should be able to get by in the Outer City, even having a chance to join the Security Team.

"Senior Brother Smith, this one is also here to learn boxing, and he's a Partner."

The tall man with light yellow hair, whose hairline was already quite high at a young age, saw his junior brother directly bring someone over and knew that the person probably had good talent.

But upon hearing that he was a Partner, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

Came to freeload? They just completed their first Abyss exploration yesterday, and they're already a Partner?

His talent must be at least B-rank ordinary combat talent, even better than mine.

"Alright, we will definitely follow the company's requirements. However, let's be clear upfront: I will teach diligently, but whether you can learn it truly depends on yourselves."

Smith nodded at Tao Yu, acknowledging him. The scarred junior brother who brought him over quietly explained to Tao Yu.

"Senior Brother Smith is a veteran of the dojo. He has Level 3 proficiency in all five boxing styles. The key is that he has reached this level in every single one of them.

"Even the Dojo Master said that if he can push all five boxing styles to Level 4, he can attempt to achieve complete mastery and grasp Blood Essence."

Hearing this, Tao Yu's heart stirred. He then lowered his voice and asked, "Senior brother, there have always been rumors that the dojo has an advanced breathing technique. Is it true? Is it used in conjunction with the boxing styles?"

"Uh, it does exist, but it's definitely not publicly taught. Only true disciples have a chance to learn it. Captain Zechuan of the Security Team wanted the Dojo Master to accept his son, but he didn't even agree."

It wasn't exactly a secret that Tao Yu wouldn't pass up an opportunity if one presented itself, but it didn't mean he had to learn it.

"My name is Yi Wei. If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me. I have people waiting for me outside, so I'll head over first."

The scarred junior disciple had brought Tao Yu over, and he'd been a bit neglectful earlier. Regardless of whether it was petty or not, he needed to appease him first. Now that he'd done his part, he naturally had to return to his post. This was all work that could offset tuition fees, something not everyone could get.

"Alright, are all the people here?"

Smith scanned the group.

"There seem to be two more. I'll have them come over. Senior disciple, you can start first."

The scarred junior disciple quickened his pace and waved his hand. Smith didn't seem inclined to wait.

"I know why you've chosen this place; it's simply because the tuition for the skills is expensive. However, there's a reason for the price. The five martial arts taught at this dojo are indeed the top-tier skills available in the Outer City.

"Moreover, if you learn all five, you'll have a chance to achieve mastery and grasp Blood Essence, increasing your human potential."

The usual limit for people in the Outer City was the standard human potential!

The mere description of increasing human potential was enough to excite people.

Some revealed expressions of excitement, knowing they hadn't made the wrong choice.

But others showed worry. Achieving mastery of all five martial arts was the only way, and they didn't have the money for the later ones.

Smith seemed to notice some people's concerns and chuckled lightly.

"Actually, you don't need to worry about how to get the money for the subsequent courses. If you can specialize in one martial art, the dojo offers work positions that can offset tuition. The first priority is to learn one martial art; getting started is quite difficult."

As he finished speaking, he directly lowered his stance, planted his feet, and performed a set of movements on the spot.

He performed this set of movements very slowly, appearing quite awkward, as if it had no offensive power whatsoever.

However, Tao Yu, possessing extremely keen Dynamic Vision, discerned something from the twitching of the opponent's muscles and the stretching of his movements.

This seemed to be a training technique, but he wasn't sure how it related to the martial arts being taught. Weren't there five different ones? Shouldn't they have been allowed to choose first?

Tao Yu stared intently, memorizing every movement. The others also stared with wide eyes, fixed on the performance.

Even the two latecomers, who hadn't heard the initial speech, didn't have time to ask any questions.

Some students had even started trying to follow along.

After about fifteen minutes, when the set of movements was finished, Smith slowly exhaled, completing the final pose.

"You might be wondering which of the five martial arts I'm teaching first?"

Smith wore a knowing smile.

"I can tell you now that the set of movements you just saw is the prerequisite for learning all five martial arts: the Myriad Flow Stance.

"As if anticipating your concerns, he waved his hand.

"Don't worry, this is considered a free skill that comes with learning any of the martial arts. It won't cost extra. It's streamlined to help you get started quickly and invest Wish Power to accelerate your progress. Reaching Level 2 in this skill will make learning the martial arts much easier."

As everyone breathed a sigh of relief, Smith's lips curled slightly.

"However, precisely because we're teaching this skill, whether you can learn the subsequent martial arts or not, there will be no refunds..."

If one had talent and ability, the course would essentially allow them to learn two skills. If their talent wasn't enough, they would only learn the introductory stance.

But Tao Yu's eyes lit up.

This stance was clearly an excellent set of exercises for all the muscles. If it could be fully developed into a skill and achieve Deification, it would be equivalent to getting another skill for free – a huge profit