"Mm, I just broke through to Body Tempering fourth-grade," Lin Guanhuo said without hiding it.
Body Tempering fourth-grade!!
At those words, even Chen Jianxing couldn't help but feel a jolt of shock!!
After all, he had trained bitterly for thirty years, risking life and limb, and had only reached Body Tempering fifth-grade!
In the Demon Suppressing Division, fifth-grade martial artists were already qualified to wear a Bronze Badge and work independently!
And the young man before him was only eighteen!
He was just one step away from standing on equal footing with him!
"A monster... what a monster..."
Chen Jianxing was at a loss for words.
Every time he saw Lin Guanhuo, he was deeply shaken.
Back when he had joined the Demon Suppressing Division, he had started out as an apprentice. At the time, he too had been called a genius by many.
Times had changed. Alas, the world belonged to the young now!
Chen Jianxing felt wistful, but also somewhat proud.
After all, Lin Guanhuo had joined the Demon Suppressing Division on his recommendation.
If Lin Guanhuo had a bright future, wouldn't that mean he deserved some of the credit too?
Chen Jianxing said with a sigh, "Brother Lin, with your talent, I'm afraid this little Blackwater Division won't be able to keep you."
"In the future, you won't just have a shot at the Prefectural Division or the Provincial Division—you may even have a chance at the State Director's office..."
Chen Jianxing wasn't just being polite. He truly believed what he was saying.
Lin Guanhuo smiled and, unwilling to dwell on the subject, changed the topic. "By the way, Brother Chen, I'd like to buy a martial art. Do you know where I can find one?"
"A martial art?"
Chen Jianxing thought for a moment. "Most high-end martial arts are controlled by Noble Families and powerful clans. They're rarely seen on the open market. The truly good stuff only circulates among the upper echelons of Blackwater City at the 'Martial Arts Exchange Meet.'"
"Besides, most people trade items or lend them to one another. They don't accept silver. Only those few Gold Badge Walkers in our Demon Suppressing Division are qualified to attend."
Lin Guanhuo furrowed his brow.
Class barriers were everywhere.
"But..." Chen Jianxing changed tack. "If you're looking for an ordinary First or Second Rank martial art, you can check out the Luohe Merchant Guild in the city. It's an enterprise run by the Luohe Martial Arts School. The prices are a little steep, but they have a decent selection."
"Thank you for the advice, Brother Chen."
After saying goodbye to Chen Jianxing,
Lin Guanhuo changed into an inconspicuous black outfit during the lunch break, put on a straw hat, and left the Demon Suppressing Division.
The Luohe Merchant Guild was located in the busiest part of Blackwater Plaza.
It was a magnificent five-story building.
The customers coming and going were all rich or noble, and even the guards at the entrance were Ranked Martial Artists.
That was the Luohe Martial Arts School's foundation.
Lin Guanhuo didn't linger at the entrance.
He walked straight in and told the clerk what he was looking for.
"Looking to buy a martial art? This way, please."
Led by a maid, Lin Guanhuo made his way to the second floor.
This floor was noticeably quieter than the first.
The spacious hall was lined with exquisite display cases.
The section on the left held ordinary books, most priced at a few dozen taels of silver. Those were First Rank martial arts. Though they were manuals, most were handwritten copies and common as dirt.
The section on the right was entirely different.
It had a series of glass display cases that were clearly a class above.
Inside the cases lay one smooth, translucent jade slip after another.
Martial Dao Jade Slips—Second Rank martial arts!
Lin Guanhuo walked over and looked at the jade slips.
He had been in this world for a while now and had learned a thing or two.
The higher one advanced along the Martial Dao, the more it came down to "intent."
Ordinary books could only record the moves.
These specially made jade slips could carry the martial imprint of a master.
The student only had to let their mind sink into the jade slip to comprehend and study the martial art's cultivation method.
But the imprint was consumable.
Each time someone studied it, the imprint faded a little.
Usually, a single jade slip could be studied by about ten people. Once its uses ran out, it would shatter. Unless a master passed the art down in person, there would be no record of it left in the world.
That was why profound martial arts couldn't be found everywhere and remained monopolized by powerful forces.
They couldn't be copied, and each use meant one less.
Lin Guanhuo made a round of the display cases, his gaze finally settling on a jade slip in one corner.
A small wooden plaque below it listed some information about the martial art.
"Second Rank lower-grade martial art, Mountain Piercing Art."
"Modeled on the intent of the pangolin. It trains the skin until it reaches the flesh. Upon mastery, the skin becomes as tough as scales and also nourishes the qi and strengthens the foundation."
"Hmm?"
Lin Guanhuo was surprised when he saw the price.
"One hundred and fifty taels?"
The other Second Rank martial arts were all priced at three hundred taels or more.
The better ones even cost five or six hundred taels. Why was this one so cheap?
"Sir."
A salesperson in a green robe walked over and explained with a smile, "This Mountain Piercing Art is indeed a genuine Second Rank martial art. It's just that..."
He pointed to the jade slip's surface, where the light had grown somewhat dim. "The martial imprint in this jade slip has already been used nine times. It only has one use left."
"In other words, once you buy it and use it yourself, the jade slip will be useless. You won't be able to resell it or pass it down to your descendants. That's why we've cut the price in half."
For ordinary martial artists or small families, the entire family would usually pool their resources to buy a martial art for the sake of passing it down.
Spending a fortune on a one-use item was clearly not worth it.
But as far as Lin Guanhuo was concerned...
He had the system. As long as he learned the basics, he could add points without limit.
He didn't need to study it over and over, and he had no plans to pass it down to anyone else.
One chance?
That was enough!
Besides, this martial art perfectly suited Lin Guanhuo's needs. He didn't waste any more words and took out the silver. "I'll take it..."
He paid up, took the jade slip, and left the Luohe Merchant Guild.
Late that night, in the apprentice dormitory, Lin Guanhuo sat in his room.
He sat cross-legged on the bed, holding the Martial Dao Jade Slip he had just bought.
Then he sent his mind into it.
"Crack."
With a faint sound, the jade slip crumbled to pieces in his hand.
It turned into a heap of useless white powder.
At the same time, countless martial insights and cultivation methods surged into Lin Guanhuo's mind like a tide of memories.
This martial art drew its intent from the pangolin and focused on defense. Upon mastering it, one's body would be clad in golden armor, impervious to blades and spears!
"An ordinary talented person... would need ten years to understand it, then another ten to learn the basics..."
"Twenty years just to learn the basics?"
Lin Guanhuo felt the weight of it. How many twenty-year stretches did a person get in their life?
That was why most martial artists spent their entire lives hovering between First and Second Rank, never managing to enter the true lineage of martial arts.
At the same time, the system panel appeared.
[Martial art detected: Mountain Piercing Art] [Comprehension requirement: 1,000 Draw Sword counts.]
"One thousand?"
Lin Guanhuo's eyelid twitched.
When he had first comprehended the first level of Precept Breaking Saber Art, he had needed only 100.
The threshold between First and Second Rank had increased tenfold...
But when he looked at his remaining eighty-two years of lifespan, Lin Guanhuo didn't hesitate.
Exchange!
[Lifespan consumed: 80 years] [Remaining lifespan: 2 years] [Draw Sword counts obtained: 8,000]
Lin Guanhuo thought to himself, "Infuse 1,000 counts and comprehend Mountain Piercing Art!"
Then he sat cross-legged where he was and began to grasp the Mountain Piercing Art.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
During that time, countless insights and cultivation methods
continued to merge with Lin Guanhuo's meridians, cells, and flesh!
At dawn on the third day, Lin Guanhuo suddenly opened his eyes.
"Rise!"
He gave a low shout and circulated the Mountain Piercing Art!!
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!!
Gray-brown scales emerged across the smooth surface of his skin.
They swiftly spread over his arms, chest, and back!!
Lin Guanhuo reached out and touched them. They felt cold, rough, and hard as stone!
With nothing but the strength of his body, he could now kill a Ranked Martial Artist with a single punch!
[Martial art Pangolin has been successfully comprehended!]
Looking at the system prompt before him,
"Three days."
Lin Guanhuo sighed inwardly.
Others needed ten years of hard training; he had done it in three days. That was the joy of being a cheat.
"But... comprehension alone isn't enough!"
He glanced at the system panel. He still had exactly 7,000 Draw Sword counts left.
"All in."
"Infuse all the remaining 7,000 counts!"
Another three days passed in the real world.
Lin Guanhuo remained seated cross-legged.
He didn't move at all.
But by now, he hardly looked like a "human" anymore.
The gray-brown scales covering his body had completely vanished, turning pitch-black.
Even in the candlelight, they gleamed with a dim sheen!
They looked just like a suit of black armor!!
At that moment, Lin Guanhuo sat there in stillness.
He stood firm as a mountain.
The black armor covering his entire body made Lin Guanhuo look like a pitch-black statue.
Still as a mountain!
[Simulation complete.] [Mountain Piercing Art has advanced to the Minor Accomplishment stage: Black Armor]
"Whew..."
Only then
did Lin Guanhuo shift his thoughts and dismiss the technique.
The terrifying black armor quickly sank beneath his skin, and its normal luster returned.
He pushed open the window.
The sky outside was already growing pale.
The distant sound of a gathering drum drifted faintly toward him.
Without realizing it, he had been in seclusion for a week.
If he remembered correctly...
"Today... should be the Monthly Exam, right?" Lin Guanhuo murmured.
Then he left his room and headed to the Martial Arts Arena.
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