"My strength and speed had clearly already reached the attribute range of a Second-tier Martial Apprentice."
Fang Yan rubbed his chin, a puzzled look in his eyes.
"But why did they still show the attribute range of a First-tier Martial Apprentice?"
Just then, the system's notification chimed, answering Fang Yan's question.
"A Martial Artist's cultivation is the foundation of their training. Once the host's cultivation reaches the Second-tier Martial Apprentice level, the corresponding attribute range will be displayed."
Hearing this, Fang Yan nodded in sudden understanding.
It seemed the system didn't want him to neglect one aspect for another. It wanted him to develop in a balanced way.
Improving his cultivation could boost all his attributes. He had heard that some powerful Martial Venerables could even make enemies struggle to resist through sheer pressure.
Under an overwhelming gap in cultivation, attributes alone were no use.
As if worried Fang Yan might have overlooked something, the system suddenly reminded him,
"Martial Skill Experience detected. Would you like to use it now to improve your only current Martial Skill: Fierce Fist?"
Fang Yan naturally wouldn't overlook anything that could help him improve. He had only not used it earlier because his attention had been on the Attribute Panel.
At the system's reminder, he immediately noticed an experience bar behind Fierce Fist on the translucent Attribute Panel, with a "+" at the end.
Fierce Fist (37/100)+
The 37 was the proficiency his predecessor had achieved in Fierce Fist before Fang Yan transmigrated.
Once his proficiency reached 100, his Fierce Fist would attain the Slightly Accomplished level.
Fang Yan focused his mind and tapped the "+".
The Martial Skill Experience on the panel plummeted, dropping by 63 points.
Scenes of Fierce Fist training appeared in Fang Yan's mind. In each one, the person performing Fierce Fist was none other than himself!
The scenes played through his mind like a movie, letting him experience them firsthand and deepen his understanding of Fierce Fist.
These insights felt just like something he had gained through diligent study and tireless practice.
"This feels amazing!"
Fang Yan couldn't help grinning.
For most Martial Artists, while cultivating their Blood Qi, they also had to divide their attention to practice Martial Skills, which took up a great deal of time.
If they focused all their efforts on tempering their Blood Qi, their cultivation might improve quickly, but they would be left with a serious lack of Martial Skill proficiency.
Against an enemy of equal cultivation, they would be utterly unable to fight back!
Once Fierce Fist reached the Slightly Accomplished level, its experience bar changed to 0/500!
Martial Skill proficiency had six levels: First Glimpse, Slightly Accomplished, Mastery, Perfect Comprehension, Superb Mastery, and Peak Perfection.
Going from Slightly Accomplished to Mastery required a full 500 points of Martial Skill Experience.
But Fang Yan had only 137 points of Martial Skill Experience at the moment. To improve further, he would have to keep accumulating more.
Still, his Slightly Accomplished proficiency was already enough to put him ahead of most Logistics Soldiers.
After taking stock of everything he had gained, Fang Yan turned his eyes to Li Xuan's corpse.
First, he retrieved the dagger, its poison spent.
Although there was no poison left on it, the dagger Gu Chen's elder brother had given him was still much sharper than the battered saber he had received from the Logistics Department.
Then Fang Yan turned his gaze back to Li Xuan's corpse.
He crouched down and searched Li Xuan's body. After a while, he found two blood-red pills.
Thanks to his predecessor's knowledge, Fang Yan recognized them at once.
They were called pills, but in truth, they were only pill pellets.
"That guy had two Blood Tempering Pills and wouldn't use them. Now they've fallen into my hands instead."
Fang Yan chuckled and stuffed them into his pocket.
Blood Tempering Pills were among the lowest-grade pill pellets.
To improve their Blood Qi, Martial Disciples usually had to spend a long time training, relying on slow, steady effort.
Blood Tempering Pills, on the other hand, could help Martial Disciples temper their Blood Qi and support their cultivation.
With Blood Tempering Pills, they could improve their Blood Qi several times faster than through training alone and slowly toughening their bodies!
Li Xuan must have gone to a lot of trouble to get those pills. He hadn't had the chance to use them before ending up dead at Fang Yan's hands.
After making sure he hadn't missed anything, Fang Yan dragged Li Xuan's corpse to an open patch of ground.
Then he hid nearby and waited for the smell of blood to draw over some carnivorous Wild Beasts.
Before long, four ravenous Green Wolves came running, lured by the scent of blood.
Li Xuan's corpse was soon devoured. Even his bones were left covered in tooth marks, leaving no way for anyone to recognize him.
Only then did Fang Yan relax and head back the way he had come.
Along the way, Fang Yan didn't forget to hunt some relatively weak Wild Beasts to absorb their attributes.
In the woods not far from the camp,
Ma Tie and the others hurried over with Li Lei to the place where they had killed the Green Wolf earlier.
But Fang Yan and Li Xuan had long since vanished.
"Could Fang Yan already have fallen victim to Li Xuan?"
Seeing no one around, Ma Tie was filled with guilt.
He had rushed over with Li Lei as quickly as he could, but he hadn't expected to still be too late.
"Let's ask the Logistics Soldiers who went with Li Xuan."
Li Lei's face darkened horribly. He immediately led Ma Tie and the others away.
Fang Yan had five War Soldier elder brothers. If anything happened to him here, Li Lei, as the one in charge, would never get away with it!
He might be a veteran, but in front of the War Soldiers, he was just an ordinary Logistics Soldier!
Fang Yan and the others hadn't gone far. They were lying in wait nearby, hoping Wild Beasts would come to them.
Following the tracks, Li Lei soon found them with Ma Tie and the others. Ma Tie stepped forward and seized Fang Yan by the collar.
"Which of you knows where Li Xuan took Fang Yan?"
Fang Yan slapped Ma Tie's hand away in annoyance.
"I'd advise you not to lay your hands on me. That kid's not here. Do you think the few of you could take us on?"
As he spoke, the others around Fang Yan, some limping and others with their arms hanging limp, glared at Ma Tie and his companions with ill intent.
They were still fuming over their earlier defeat at Fang Yan's hands!
Now that Ma Tie and the others had walked right into their hands, they could finally get their revenge!
Li Lei's expression was grim.
"I'd advise you to tell me where Fang Yan is. If anything happens to him, you won't be able to bear the responsibility!"
Only then did Fang Yan notice the veteran Logistics Soldier standing behind Ma Tie and the others.
At the sight of Li Lei's angry expression, Fang Yan's face changed dramatically.
He hadn't expected Ma Tie to bring backup. He hurriedly said,
"Greetings, Senior Li."
"Cut the nonsense and tell me where Fang Yan is!"
Li Lei was beside himself with worry. He feared that if he was even a little too slow, Fang Yan would be in mortal danger.
Fang Yan had no idea why Li Lei was so anxious. He was only a Logistics Soldier, and as far as Fang Yan knew, Logistics Soldiers went missing in this border region all the time.
But with Li Lei asking so urgently, Fang Yan could only force himself to answer,
"I don't know either. The kid ran off, and after Senior Li Xuan chased him, neither of them came back."
Before you continue