Seeing Liu Weiran's adorable little pout, Lu Lin couldn't resist reaching out to pat her on the head, mussing up her hair.
Under Liu Weiran's indignant glare, Lu Lin began, "The Twelve City Martial Arts Hall League is made up of the Martial Arts Schools in the twelve satellite cities that have signed with Jiangzuo City's Monster Slaying Martial Arts Hall. Every year, at the end of the year, they hold an internal competition among these twelve schools in Jiangzuo City. It's mainly for Martial Artist-grade fighters, and the Hall Masters of the Monster Slaying Martial Arts Hall and the twelve schools serve as judges. The competitors fight for first place."
"The Hall Master said that Liu's Martial Arts School hasn't done well in the past few years, so this time, it's all up to me. So, Liu Weiran, from now on, you need to listen to me and let me train happily. Otherwise, if I don't perform well and can't win the championship, I'll pin the blame on you. Got it?"
"Why should I?!"
"You're the one who isn't strong enough, and you're going to blame me? What kind of person does that?"
Liu Weiran shook her fist at Lu Lin, though inwardly, she took what he'd said seriously.
She'd occasionally heard her father mention the Twelve City Martial Arts Hall League, but because their results hadn't been very good, Liu and Qinglong had always brushed her off instead of explaining it properly.
Lu Lin had only just advanced to Martial Artist, but with his talent, he might really be able to win the championship.
Fine. I'll put up with him for a while. Mm, it's all for Dad's sake, so he can be happy. It has nothing to do with Lu Lin.
After riding in Liu Weiran's car back to West City Martial Arts School, Lu Lin picked up his gear. As he was passing the front desk, the young woman there called out to him.
It turned out that when Ren Tian left just now, he'd prepared another ten thousand yuan in pocket money for Lu Lin.
But that ten thousand yuan felt like a hot potato in Lu Lin's hands.
He'd trained for less than an hour today, and his training had been cut short because of his own business. Even so, Ren Tian had still given him ten thousand yuan.
Lu Lin accepted it quietly, making a note of Ren Tian's kindness. He'd have a chance to repay him someday.
At noon, Liu Weiran took Lu Lin out for a hearty meal. Lu Lin didn't think much of it.
Back at the school, Lu Lin checked his information panel.
[Master: Lu Lin] [Level: Beginner Martial Artist] [Techniques: Thousand Layered Breathing Technique Third Layer (2066/10000), Dragon Roar Golden Bell Shield Second Layer (795/1000), Sky Breaking Thirteen Slashes First Layer (0/100), Mad Ox Strength Fist Fourth Layer (495/10000), Soaring Cloud Steps (Insufficient Points), Snake Step (Insufficient Points)] [Points: 1005.7]
The Thousand Layered Breathing Technique was progressing steadily. Since this technique trained automatically as long as Lu Lin wore his weighted gear, he'd probably be able to advance to the Fourth Layer today.
The Dragon Roar Golden Bell Shield had reached the Second Layer. He'd likely advance to the Third Layer tomorrow, after sparring with Ren Tian.
The Mad Ox Strength Fist hadn't made much progress over the past few days, but Lu Lin had no intention of giving up on this foundational technique.
Although it wasn't a ranked technique, once the Mad Ox Strength Fist was trained to a high level, it could greatly increase a Martial Artist's Physical Strength.
Ordinary Martial Artists focused most of their efforts on Vitality Cultivation Methods and martial skills once they reached the Martial Artist stage. Practicing a basic martial art like the Mad Ox Strength Fist seemed like putting the cart before the horse.
But for Lu Lin, training this technique was easy. He could practice it in his spare time, little by little. Slow and steady.
As for the Mysterious Grade High Rank Sky Breaking Thirteen Slashes, Lu Lin had been too busy these past two days to train it.
After being simplified, the Sky Breaking Thirteen Slashes could gain proficiency easily as long as Lu Lin used a wooden saber to strike a wooden dummy. This martial art would be an essential combat skill when he went out to slay Monster Beasts in the future, so of course he needed to raise its level as soon as possible.
As for the two footwork techniques, Lu Lin had told Liu and Qinglong today that he needed a Monster Core to help him train. Qinglong had agreed to prepare a suitable Fifth Order Monster Core for him tomorrow.
Then Lu Lin would be able to simplify both footwork techniques.
After reviewing the martial arts he currently knew, Lu Lin changed into his training clothes, took a wooden saber, and entered the school's combat-skill training area.
Since practicing martial skills could be dangerous, the school had set aside a separate area so that Martial Artists training their skills wouldn't interfere with one another.
As a sparring partner at the Martial Arts School, Lu Lin's benefits included being able to use the school's training facilities whenever he was free.
After checking more than a dozen Cultivation Rooms, Lu Lin finally found one with a wooden dummy. He picked up his wooden saber and began chopping at it.
[Sky Breaking Thirteen Slashes: 1/100]
[Sky Breaking Thirteen Slashes: 2/100]
[Sky Breaking Thirteen Slashes: 3/100]
As his proficiency increased bit by bit, Lu Lin's understanding of the Sky Breaking Thirteen Slashes deepened.
The Sky Breaking Thirteen Slashes was a unique combat skill that could continuously stack strength, vitality, and attack power.
The technique had thirteen levels in total. Reaching the First Layer allowed the user to unleash 1.5 times their own attack power. Each level after that increased it by another factor of 1.5.
The Second Layer increased it by 2.25 times. The Third Layer, 3.38 times. The Fourth Layer, 5.06 times... By the Thirteenth Layer, the increase to a Martial Artist's attack power reached a terrifying level.
194.62 times!
An attack power boost of nearly two hundred times. How terrifying was that?
Yet in the more than three hundred years since the Spiritual Energy Resurgence, no one had ever been said to have trained the Sky Breaking Thirteen Slashes to its limit.
In fact, it was unheard of for anyone to reach even the Eighth Layer.
But none of that was a problem for Lu Lin.
As long as he had proficiency, he could grind his way up the ranks of the Sky Breaking Thirteen Slashes sooner or later. Even the legendary Thirteenth Layer, which no one had ever reached, was within possibility.
As his proficiency kept rising, when he broke through to the First Layer, more ways to train and use the Sky Breaking Thirteen Slashes appeared in Lu Lin's mind.
The Sky Breaking Thirteen Slashes had only thirteen moves, but different combinations could unleash different levels of power. Each situation called for a different way to use them.
A move that looked like an attack could turn into a defensive move once executed.
Lu Lin had received these subtleties in his mind, but to master them completely—to be able to produce the most suitable move at a moment's notice—he still needed to practice over and over.
With that thought, Lu Lin suddenly stopped.
He felt that although hacking away at random could still raise his proficiency, it did very little to improve his actual ability.
When it came time to fight, he'd still be at a loss, a useless fighter with high skill levels but no combat strength.
Rather than that, he might as well practice the moves one by one. It could slow his proficiency gains, but it would turn his mastery of the blade into actual fighting power.
After all, when he fought Monster Beasts in the future, they wouldn't obediently offer up their heads for him to chop off just because his Blade Technique was advanced.
"First Slash."
"Crack."
The wooden saber slammed into the dummy. Lu Lin focused on feeling how this slash differed from the move in his mind.
But the proficiency display that suddenly appeared before his eyes made him pause.
[Sky Breaking Thirteen Slashes: 4/1000]
What was going on?
He'd just broken through. Shouldn't his Blade Technique proficiency be 1/1000? How had it suddenly increased by four points?
Lu Lin had no time to think about the subtleties of the move. He swung the saber again, following the technique.
"Second Slash."
"Crack."
[Sky Breaking Thirteen Slashes: 8/1000]
His proficiency had increased by another four points.
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