Mastered

Chen Hao stopped after he had familiarized himself with all the moves in Nine Heavens Thunder Blade, then put away the manual and disc.

He picked up his battle saber. "Xiao Mei, monitor the area around the house and temporarily prevent outsiders from entering."

"Of course, Master. Xiao Mei understands. I'll keep a close eye on the door!"

He opened the Synthesis Panel and looked at the eight Skill Cards on the Copy page, then used Proficient Basic Saber Technique.

In an instant, all of Zhuge Tao's experience and insights from more than twenty years of practicing Basic Saber Technique flooded into Chen Hao's mind.

As he absorbed the memories, Chen Hao began swinging his saber of his own accord, and his strikes grew faster and faster.

After about half an hour, he stopped moving. The flashes of saber light surrounding him vanished at once.

"So this is Basic Saber Technique at the Proficient level? It's definitely a huge step up from the Skilled level. Now my movement technique and saber technique should be on par, so I won't have any coordination problems for the time being."

"It's a shame my Basic Saber Technique hasn't reached perfection yet. If it had, it would definitely help a lot with practicing Nine Heavens Thunder Blade."

But that was no problem. He still had a copied Skill Card, so he used the Skill Card for Basic Saber Technique at perfection.

Wang Heng's experience practicing saber techniques and fighting monsters rapidly poured into Chen Hao's mind. As Chen Hao practiced, his saber strokes grew faster and faster. In the end, only a fierce glint remained in the air, with none of the usual sound of the blade parting it.

Chen Hao stopped swinging and closed his eyes, savoring the feeling for a long while. Then his eyes snapped open. "So this is Basic Saber Technique at perfection? The saber is practically an extension of my arm. Even the eight basic moves are incredibly powerful in my hands."

He took a bite of the Hundred-Year-Old He Shou Wu, then used the Skill Card for Basic Movement Technique at perfection.

Zhuge Tao's experience hunting monsters with movement techniques, along with his experience dodging their attacks by using the surrounding terrain, streamed into Chen Hao's mind.

The movement technique experience being passed on to him was different from that of saber practice. Movement techniques had no fixed moves. Though nothing held him back, he still followed the techniques in his memories, practicing how to dodge.

After another hour, Chen Hao's clothes were soaked with sweat. "I didn't expect practicing movement techniques to take so much stamina." He didn't stop right away. After taking another bite of the Hundred-Year-Old He Shou Wu and waiting for the medicine to take effect, he immediately used the Skill Card for the first level of Nine Heavens Thunder Blade.

Zhuge Tao's experience practicing the first level of Nine Heavens Thunder Blade surged into his mind once more. This time, though, it was different. It felt as if Zhuge Tao had possessed him, and Chen Hao couldn't help but unleash a saber strike.

He didn't stop. As time passed, his swings grew faster and faster, but the force behind each one gradually weakened. An hour went by, and he had no idea how many times he had swung.

At last, Chen Hao struck out, and the force behind his saber suddenly surged, far greater than anything he had managed before.

He opened his eyes and let out a breath. Nine Heavens Thunder Blade really was hard to learn. If he hadn't had the Skill Card—and if he weren't the protagonist—he probably wouldn't have mastered the first level in under two months like Luo Feng. He might not even have made it past the basics in three.

Only after stopping did he realize how much stamina he had used up from swinging continuously for an hour. His right arm was swollen and aching, and it was clear that physical fitness really mattered when practicing Nine Heavens Thunder Blade.

He might as well go all in. He stuffed the rest of the Hundred-Year-Old He Shou Wu into his mouth and quickly swallowed it all.

Soon, a powerful wave of heat welled up in his abdomen, making the blood throughout his body boil.

He didn't dare waste time. He tapped to use the Skill Card for the first two levels of Nine Heavens Thunder Blade. As he absorbed the training experience, he once again entered a state much like sudden enlightenment.

Practicing the first two levels of Nine Heavens Thunder Blade took a toll on his stamina, but the effects of the Hundred-Year-Old He Shou Wu replenished it as Chen Hao's physical fitness rapidly improved.

A little over an hour later, as Chen Hao swung his saber, a flash of brilliance suddenly crossed his eyes. He struck out. The blade moved incredibly fast, yet somehow seemed slow. Two waves of hidden force traveled down his arm at once, then overlapped as they entered the swing of his saber. Three layers of force erupted simultaneously.

He had finally mastered the second level of Nine Heavens Thunder Blade. Only then did Chen Hao realize that, without noticing, his physical abilities had surpassed the limit of an Advanced Warrior.

He casually used Identify on himself:

Chen Hao

19 years old

Earthling

Talent: Mental Power

Level: Mental Power Apprentice Level 6

Physical Level: Apprentice Level 4

Skills:

Basic Saber Technique at Perfection

Basic Movement Technique at Perfection

Nine Heavens Thunder Blade, Second Level

His physical abilities had more than doubled, but thanks to the Skill Cards, the intense training hadn't diminished his control over his strength.

On the contrary, practicing Nine Heavens Thunder Blade had made his control even more fluid.

"Xiao Mei, no one came by while I was training, right?"

"That's right, Master. Zhuge Tao, the supervisor at the Extreme Martial Arts Hall in Jiangnan Base City, called once while you were training. Also, Jiang Nian, the Hall Master of the Extreme Martial Arts Hall in Yi'an District, tried calling you too."

"Jiang Nian called me? It's normal for Supervisor Zhuge Tao to call, but why would Jiang Nian call? Could something have happened?"

He was going to the Extreme Martial Arts Hall in a bit anyway. He probably wouldn't be able to go there again for a long time. He'd soon be heading to the Wilderness Zone, and he'd have very little time to visit the Extreme Martial Arts Hall in Yi'an District after that.

He took out his phone and called Zhuge Tao.

Zhuge Tao soon appeared on the screen. "Chen Hao, I saw that you bought Nine Heavens Thunder Blade. It's a difficult technique to master, so don't get discouraged if you can't learn it. If there's anything you don't understand, you can come to the main district and ask me. By the way, when are you planning to head to the Wilderness Zone? I can find a team to take you along."

Chen Hao could only regretfully turn down Zhuge Tao's kind offer. He had too many secrets to risk teaming up with anyone.

"Supervisor, you know what I'm capable of. As long as I don't run into a flying Lord-level Monster in the Wilderness Zone, my life won't be in danger. If I go with other people, I probably won't get much out of the experience. So I'd like to practice on low-level monsters by myself near the base first. Once I've adjusted to life in the wilderness, I'll venture into the more dangerous cities."

Zhuge Tao was silent for a moment. "That's fine. Your strength means you don't need to worry too much about the danger. After fighting in the wild and honing your skills, you'll probably catch up to me very soon. Going on your own isn't a bad idea, either. If you run into any trouble in the Wilderness Zone, contact me directly. I still have some influence around Jiangnan Base City!"

"Mm, I understand. Thanks for your concern, Supervisor. I plan to head outside the base tomorrow and spend a few days getting used to it. After that, I'll venture deeper into the wilderness."

"Mm, be careful. Call me if anything happens. Good luck!" Zhuge Tao hung up soon after.

Chen Hao tidied up, putting everything in the house that might expose his secrets into the Space Backpack.

After all, it had a capacity of one hundred cubic meters, enough to hold a lot. Even after he put away everything he'd bought over the past few days, it took up only a tiny corner.

He thought about the tent he'd need in the wilderness. "Xiao Mei, buy eighty-one tents from Extreme Home. Leave one million in the account, and use the rest for the budget."

"Of course, Master. I found the best option. It's made from material second only to that used in a D1-level Combat Suit, and it costs almost as much as one: 300,000 each. Eighty-one tents will cost 24 million in total."

"Fine. That's the one!"

"Order successful, Master. Total cost: 24 million. Account balance: 15.55 million."

"Mm, got it." He then walked toward the Extreme Martial Arts Hall in Yi'an District.

Thanks, everyone, for your support, and thanks to the kind Mr. Wu Qing for helping correct the errors.