Host: Shen Fan Talent: 5 (Utterly Mediocre) Lifespan: 36 Martial Path: Savage Bull Fist (Not Yet Initiated) Realm: None
Shen Fan looked at the Attribute Panel before him, his expression somewhat helpless.
"Heavens, how am I supposed to live like this?!"
Shen Fan felt bitter. As a transmigrator, he had arrived in this world over a month ago.
At first, he had thought he was dreaming, but after a day, he realized this dream felt a little too real—and he couldn't wake up.
Helpless, Shen Fan could only accept the truth.
Fortunately, he hadn't missed out on a transmigrator's perks. Two days later, he awakened this Attribute Panel.
But after a month of exploring, Shen Fan still hadn't figured out what the panel did, and that left him deeply frustrated.
As a transmigrator, Shen Fan naturally knew that the Attribute Panel displayed his own stats.
His talent was a pitiful 5. No wonder it had been rated "utterly mediocre." Perhaps it would be worth looking at once it reached 10.
But that wasn't what made Shen Fan despair the most. What upset him even more was that his lifespan was a mere thirty-six years!
He was already eighteen, which meant he had lived half his life! Of course, that was assuming nothing unexpected happened.
Although it was hard to bear, Shen Fan had no way to fix it for the time being.
Still, no matter what, life had to go on.
Setting aside the matter of the Attribute Panel, Shen Fan began to learn more about this new world.
Shen Fan had transmigrated into the body of an apprentice at the Ox Demon Martial Arts School in Laiyang City.
And speaking of the Ox Demon Martial Arts School, it was impossible not to mention this world's background.
Though he lived at the bottom of society, Shen Fan had gradually learned that this was an ancient world where the Martial Path reached divinity!
There had once been a martial expert who split open a mountain with one sword and cut a river in half with one palm. And that was merely the power demonstrated by the martial experts of this little city of Laiyang.
Shen Fan was now in the Great Xia Kingdom. Great Xia had seventy-two provinces, each province had thirty-six prefectures, and beneath each prefecture were hundreds of major cities and tens of thousands of minor ones!
Laiyang City was just an insignificant little city under Lanzhou Xuanyang Prefecture in the Great Xia Kingdom!
It was easy to imagine just how powerful the strongest fighters in this world must be.
But all of that was still far beyond Shen Fan's reach. He was nothing more than a tiny apprentice at the Ox Demon Martial Arts School in Laiyang City; he hadn't even initiated the Savage Bull Fist taught at the school!
With talent like his, he was pitifully weak in a world where the Martial Path reigned supreme and the strong ruled over everything.
And yet Shen Fan still hadn't figured out what the Attribute Panel he'd placed so much hope in could do.
It made him feel as though he were sitting before a mountain of treasure but couldn't get inside. It was truly maddening.
Still, being able to establish himself in Laiyang City and join the Ox Demon Martial Arts School to study martial arts already put Shen Fan in a far better position than many ordinary people!
That was the one thing Shen Fan could take comfort in.
"Knock, knock, knock."
"Get up! Morning practice is starting!"
The disciples' calls rang through the martial arts school.
Shen Fan's eyes snapped open. He quickly got out of bed, put on his clothes, then ran to the training ground as fast as he could to assemble.
It was just before dawn. The sun hadn't risen yet, and the chill was biting.
But not a single person standing on the training ground looked uncomfortable. They were all perfectly composed, as if they were long accustomed to it.
A quarter of an hour later, all the apprentices had gathered on the training ground, around fifty of them.
A disciple of the school strolled up onto the raised platform and looked down at the dozens of people below.
"Good. Morning practice begins. I'll be demonstrating the Savage Bull Fist for you again today!"
Without waiting for anyone below to respond, the disciple began practicing the fist technique on his own.
Every move carried an imposing force.
Shen Fan followed along.
After joining a martial arts school, one became an apprentice, but not a true disciple. To become a disciple, one had to train the Savage Bull Fist to Minor Accomplishment!
Although the Savage Bull Fist was a basic technique, reaching Minor Accomplishment still required years of unremitting effort from an ordinary person.
And once one reached Minor Accomplishment, one could step through the gates of the Martial Artist realm!
That was what the Master who had taught them the Savage Bull Fist had said, and Shen Fan had remembered it clearly.
Although Shen Fan had only transmigrated here a little over a month ago, his predecessor seemed to have been practicing the Savage Bull Fist for a long time already. So lately, Shen Fan had begun to feel that a breakthrough was just around the corner!
After running through the Savage Bull Fist once, Shen Fan felt heat spread through his whole body, his qi and blood surging abnormally.
The disciple standing on the raised platform seemed to notice the change in Shen Fan, too.
"That kid seems to have been at the school for over a year. Is he finally about to initiate the Savage Bull Fist? With talent like his, this is really..."
Shaking his head, the disciple turned to observe the other apprentices.
Shen Fan's talent really was beneath his notice.
But Shen Fan didn't care what anyone else thought. He was completely immersed in the pleasure of practicing the fist—or, rather, in the joy of being on the verge of a breakthrough.
Sensing that his efforts were about to bear fruit, Shen Fan was suddenly filled with bold confidence. He practiced the Savage Bull Fist over and over again.
At last, with each repetition, Shen Fan's understanding of the Savage Bull Fist deepened, and his movements grew more and more practiced.
"Ha!"
When he finished that round of the Savage Bull Fist, Shen Fan suddenly felt a strange force welling up inside him.
"Is this... qi and blood?!"
Shen Fan was overjoyed. This meant he had taken a major step forward on the path to becoming a Martial Artist.
Ordinary people cultivated martial arts to generate qi and blood, then relied on it to strengthen their bodies. Qi and blood were the foundation of the Martial Path in this world.
Feeling the faint, warm flow of qi and blood within him as it nourished his skin, Shen Fan felt more grounded than ever before.
Just as Shen Fan was celebrating finally initiating the Savage Bull Fist, he suddenly noticed a change in his Attribute Panel:
Host: Shen Fan Talent: 9 (Utterly Mediocre) Lifespan: 40 Martial Path: Savage Bull Fist (Initiated) Realm: None
His talent had suddenly risen to 9, and his lifespan had increased to 40. Both had gone up by 4 points, which meant that initiating the Savage Bull Fist had increased both his talent and his lifespan!
At the thought, Shen Fan's breathing quickened. He had never imagined that the Martial Path could bring him such a delightful surprise.
Sure enough, as his talent increased, Shen Fan felt his mind grow much clearer. So many principles he hadn't understood before suddenly clicked into place!
Even the Savage Bull Fist he had just initiated made another huge leap forward.
The qi and blood inside him also grew a little richer and more nimble.
And all of this had come from an increase of just 4 talent points.
With every practice, Shen Fan could feel himself improving. Compared to before, he felt as though he were flying!
Originally, reaching Minor Accomplishment in the Savage Bull Fist would have taken him at least another year or two of hard work. But with his talent nearly doubled, Shen Fan was confident he could do it within six months.
He would train the Savage Bull Fist to Minor Accomplishment, break through to the Skin Refining stage of the Qi and Blood Great Realm, and become a true Martial Artist!
As for the change in his lifespan, Shen Fan couldn't feel it yet, but he trusted the Attribute Panel.
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