Copy

Chen Hao chatted with the other students while pulling up his panel. Only when he saw that the appraisal data once again showed a copy option did he finally relax.

Looking at the appraisal data: Yang Wu, Earth Human, 24 years old, Talent: None, Realm: None, Skills: Proficient Basic Blade Technique (Copyable), Proficient Basic Movement Technique (Copyable).

Seeing Chen Hao getting along with the students, Jiang Nian breathed a sigh of relief, then turned and left. He still had many matters to attend to, and had only stayed here earlier to wait for Chen Hao.

Chen Hao watched Jiang Nian leave, knowing this was a rare opportunity. He immediately issued a copy command targeting Jiang Nian's Basic Movement Technique.

A flash of white light shot out, covering the Microscopic Basic Movement Technique. The light then twisted and coalesced into a card, which displayed the words: Microscopic Basic Movement Technique.

When Chen Hao looked back at Jiang Nian's appraisal data, the "Copyable" tag behind Basic Movement Technique had been replaced with "Copied."

Chen Hao understood in his heart—it seemed that while skills could be copied, each skill could only be copied once per person.

As the skill card formed, Chen Hao once again felt that hollow, drained sensation, his face turning slightly pale.

He forced a smile and said goodbye to the group in front of him: "Brothers and sisters, I still have something to take care of back home. I'll come back tomorrow for formal training."

Seeing Chen Hao's worsening complexion, the few who had been joking around had their doubts, but knowing that prying too deeply into a new acquaintance wasn't wise, they didn't ask further.

"Alright, we'll wait for you tomorrow."

"Come early tomorrow."

"Let us know if you need help."

Chen Hao left the martial arts hall and hurried home. He lay down on his bed and rested for a good while before the feeling of being hollowed out eased. He hadn't expected that copying, like fusion, would consume so much mental energy.

Looking at the successfully copied Microscopic Basic Movement Technique card, he was still very excited. Cautiously, he didn't use it immediately, unsure whether doing so would put a strain on his spirit. He decided to wait until his mental energy had fully recovered.

Seeing that it was already late, Chen Hao tidied up, ate a simple dinner, returned to his bedroom, and fell into a deep sleep.

May 8, 2056, 5:00 AM. Chen Hao woke up right on time thanks to his internal clock. Sitting up, he found his mental energy had fully recovered, which put him at ease.

Although he had experienced mental exhaustion before from using the fusion function and had recovered afterward, this was a different function. Chen Hao didn't dare take it lightly. Fortunately, this time was the same as before.

It seemed that as long as his spirit didn't suffer some irreversible damage, it would always recover.

He was a little curious about what would happen if his mental energy wasn't sufficient, but he didn't try it—he wasn't the type to court death.

Chen Hao guessed that the panel would either drain him dry or simply refuse to copy or fuse.

After getting up, he tidied up and had a simple breakfast. Then he went to the balcony, pulled up his panel, looked at the skill card icon, and mentally commanded its use.

The card instantly turned into a beam of white light that vanished into his forehead. A vast flood of memories poured into his mind.

Memories and experience of practicing Basic Movement Technique—from beginner to microscopic mastery—unfolded before him. It felt as if he were watching Jiang Nian's countless battles and evasions against monsters, gradually making him feel as if he were there himself.

After an unknown amount of time, Chen Hao's body began to follow the memories in his mind, instinctively practicing Basic Movement Technique.

Starting stiff and awkward, it gradually became unpredictable, his speed increasing. Chen Hao remained immersed in the experience brought by the memories and insights.

When Chen Hao came back to his senses, he found that over an hour had passed. He checked his phone—it was already past six. His clothes were soaked through with sweat.

A large amount of sweat had evaporated, forming a thin mist around him. It almost felt like cultivating immortality.

Assessing his own condition, Chen Hao smiled wryly. It seemed that from now on, he would have to be prepared before using a card.

If his physical fitness hadn't already reached the level of a Junior Warrior, and he were still a Senior Trainee, he definitely wouldn't have been able to handle such a huge drain.

Although only a little over an hour had passed, Chen Hao felt as if more than twenty years had gone by. His movement technique was now worlds apart from what it had been an hour ago. Basic Movement Technique now felt as effortless to him as a leisurely stroll.

In just one hour, he had reached the microscopic level shown on the card. But this kind of microscopic mastery wasn't like Yang Wu's—the kind used in a testing room. This was the real microscopic Movement Technique used in life-or-death battles against monsters, honed through Jiang Nian's twenty-plus years of risking his life.

Chen Hao felt fortunate. Using the card hadn't put too much strain on his mental energy; instead, it demanded more from his physical stamina.

In other words, turning skill and experience into muscle memory required a lot of practice. The skill card just amplified the efficiency of that practice by a thousand times or more.

Besides, this was only Basic Movement Technique. The consumption was manageable—a Warrior Rank could handle it. In the future, there might be profound secret techniques, but that was still far off for him now.

Back home, Chen Hao took a nice shower and changed into clean clothes. Today, he planned to go to the martial arts hall and learn Basic Blade Technique.

He figured Brother Yang and Sister Tong wouldn't hold back—after all, even Junior Students could learn this stuff.

He also planned to copy a Proficient Basic Blade Technique skill. That would fill the gap in his power output, making it easy to pass the Quasi-Warrior assessment on June 1st. The only problem was that the Warrior Combat Assessment wouldn't be until August 1st.

If he could copy a Specialized-level Basic Blade Technique, he could quickly reach a high level of proficiency, enough to last him until the War General Rank.

The earlier practice had drained him, so Chen Hao had to eat another breakfast. By the time he arrived at the martial arts hall, it was already past seven.

Yang Wu and the others had already been training for a while. When Yang Wu saw Chen Hao, his eyes lit up. "Chen Hao, over here!"

Chen Hao saw Tong Yun waving at him and Yang Wu calling him over. He smiled back. "Brother Yang, Sister Tong, good morning. You're here early."

Yang Wu walked up to Chen Hao and patted him on the shoulder. "Kid, you sure know how to keep your cool. I thought you'd be here at the crack of dawn."

Chen Hao rubbed his head sheepishly. "I'm just used to it. I exercise at home after getting up in the morning. Haven't broken the habit yet."

Tong Yun nodded. "True. Habits aren't changed overnight. Take your time. But today, do you want to learn movement technique or blade technique? I can help with movement, but for blade technique, you'll want to ask Brother Yang. Even the Hall Master praises his blade work."

"Then let Brother Yang teach me blade technique first. I've never practiced Basic Blade Technique before. I want to work on it and improve my power output." Chen Hao thought for a moment and made his choice.

Before Yang Wu could agree, a sharp, sarcastic voice cut in from the side. "Having physical fitness but no technique? You'll just be throwing your life away when you meet a monster. Hope you don't wet your pants when you see one."

Chen Hao glanced calmly in the direction of the voice. A young man, a bit younger than him, stood there with a few others, wearing a haughty expression and looking at Chen Hao with undisguised contempt.

Before Chen Hao could retort, Tong Yun exploded. "Zhang Haobai, are you out of your mind? What does our conversation have to do with you? Mind your own business and get lost. Don't come here annoying us. If you want a beating, I'll be happy to oblige!"

"Zhang Haobai." Looking at the cocky young man before him, Chen Hao realized: Isn't this the first little boss our Luo Feng faces! Though the book never said his final outcome, his fate probably wasn't good. After getting out of prison, nothing comfortable awaited him.

For a small fry like this, Chen Hao didn't care—he could crush him anytime. He casually appraised Zhang Haobai: Zhang Haobai, Earth human. Age 18. Talent: none. Realm: none. Skills: Beginner Basic Movement Technique, Beginner Basic Blade Technique.

Seeing the appraisal result of a blank-slate skill set, Chen Hao was speechless: Who gave you the guts to talk so big? With Zhang Haobai's level, even in two or three years, his Basic Blade Technique and Movement Technique probably wouldn't reach Proficient.

Thinking about it, rich kids were fine with eating, drinking, and having fun, but making them endure hardship to train—that was practically asking for their lives.

"Zhang Haobai, right? Whether I'm asking for death doesn't matter—you don't even qualify to ask for death. Why don't you take a piss and look at yourself in it? Do you even have the right to judge others? What a big dog face you've got!" Chen Hao's tone was calm, not particularly intense, but it was infuriating to hear.

Zhang Haobai never expected a newcomer to be so disrespectful, especially with Tong Yun, that bitch, glaring at him. He shot them a resentful look, turned, and walked away. "Just wait and see how long you can keep acting tough." He'd have to get his uncle to teach them a lesson.

Chen Hao watched him drop his threat and leave, feeling speechless. You're eighteen years old and still this childish? Even saying something like "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west—don't bully the youth in poverty" would at least show some spirit. Losing the fight but not the face—instead, he'd just revealed his true nature of bullying the weak and fearing the strong.

Having confirmed Chen Hao wanted to learn blade techniques, Tong Yun went off to train on her own. This little spat was just a minor episode, drawing no attention—after all, everyone at the martial arts hall was focused on practicing and training, hoping to pass the Quasi-Warrior assessment.

Life was short, and a warrior's golden years were from eighteen to thirty. Especially for Senior Trainees from poorer families, they all dreamed of becoming Quasi-Warriors to improve their family's situation.

Yang Wu led Chen Hao to a weapon rack, fully stocked with blades, spears, swords, and staves. "This is the Blood Shadow Series battle blade. Take a look and see which model you want. I'll use this one," he said, picking up a Blood Shadow Series 1 Battle Blade—heavy and thick, good for chopping.

"I'll use this one," Chen Hao said, pulling out a Blood Shadow Series 2 Battle Blade. It resembled a Tang straight sword but was thicker and wider. He swung it a couple of times—it felt good in hand.

Seeing Chen Hao had chosen his weapon, Yang Wu didn't say much. He assumed a starting stance. "Basic Blade Technique doesn't have many moves. It's derived from basic blade moves before the Great Nirvana. In the end, there are only eight techniques: slice, chop, wipe, flick..."

As Yang Wu taught and demonstrated, Chen Hao quickly learned the Basic Blade Technique. After all, there weren't many moves—just eight basic actions, and those eight were the core of blade technique power application.

Seeing Chen Hao mimic the eight moves decently, Yang Wu nodded. "Mm, that's about right. For now, you need to practice them until they're smooth and standard. When you can execute all eight moves in one smooth flow, that means you've reached Beginner Basic Blade Technique. Being able to freely combine these moves means you've reached Proficient. To go a step further, you need talent—then any random move will achieve the best combination. The Hall Master said that level is called Specialized. Beyond that is Mastery." He shook his head.

"I've heard some War Gods haven't even reached Mastery in Basic Blade Technique. Usually, once you hit Specialized, you can move on to higher-level manuals, like the world's number one blade technique, Nine Heavens Thunder Blade. Most warriors buy it, but very few actually master it."

He glanced at Chen Hao, who was listening intently, and grinned. "But that's still far off for us. Let's become warriors first." He patted Chen Hao on the shoulder. "You practice here. I'm going to move around a bit. Call me if you don't understand something."

Chen Hao watched Yang Wu walk away casually, feeling a bit moved. "Brother Yang, thanks."

Yang Wu waved a hand without turning around. Chen Hao tucked the gratitude deep in his heart—he'd repay it someday. He pulled up his panel and looked at Yang Wu's appraisal data. Silently, he thought "Copy" toward Basic Blade Technique.

A white light enveloped the skill, Proficient Basic Blade Technique. Slowly, the white light formed a card. On the card were the words: Proficient Basic Blade Technique.

Chen Hao was a bit surprised. His mind only felt slightly tired, not drained like yesterday. He realized that the level of a skill probably determined how much mental energy was used. He had more guesses about the copy and fusion functions now. It seemed he still had more to uncover about the panel's capabilities.