I 100% Believe You, Kid!

Startling Swan Shadow Flash

[D-rank Saber Combat Skill. The saber light flashes like a startled swan taking flight—swift and dazzling; when the saber force sweeps past, it leaves only an afterimage. It emphasizes speed and fluidity, giving an overall impression of splendid swiftness.]

After briefly reading the description, Qin Chen lost interest.

Though he wanted to learn a saber technique as well—

He wouldn't practice one without side effects!

Qin Chen turned his gaze to the other combat skills.

Flowing Fireflies Dancing

[D-rank Sword Combat Skill. The cold gleam at the sword's tip is like fireflies dancing through a summer night—nimble, flickering, and impossible to grasp; at the same time, the sword moves shift in countless ways, like a swarm of fireflies in wild flight. It emphasizes the sword's agility, precision, and versatility.]

Duckweed Traces on Waves

[D-rank Footwork Combat Skill. The footsteps drift like floating duckweed, leaving no trace and impossible to predict; the strides are light and swift, like walking upon the crests of waves, rising and falling in seamless flow.]

Qin Chen looked through the combat skills one by one. Nearly every type of combat skill was present, yet not one had the severe side effects he wanted.

Qin Chen's mood did not waver over this.

This was only the beginning!

The first floor of the Battle Skill Pavilion held only D-rank Combat Skills.

The number of combat skills here could not be called enormous, but it was certainly not small.

There were still several hundred of them.

Even reading only the descriptions would take some time.

He had not even finished half of them. Perhaps he would find what he wanted later.

A quarter of an hour later—

Qin Chen's expression turned slightly ugly.

Nothing!

Not a single one!

There was not a single combat skill with severe side effects!

At most, there were a few combat skills that were relatively difficult to cultivate.

Naturally, Qin Chen did not think that this world lacked combat skills with severe side effects.

It could only mean that the school did not have any.

A miscalculation!

Qin Chen had originally wanted to see whether he could find a combat skill that could lower his Spiritual Energy Aptitude.

Now, it seemed that was nothing but wishful thinking here.

After a moment of silence, Qin Chen finally walked toward a certain bookshelf. Stopping before one of the blue light barriers, he reached out his hand.

As if sensing Qin Chen's choice, ripples spread across the surface of the blue light barrier before it vanished.

Flowing Clouds Chasing Moon Steps

[Use rhythm to command speed; use change to bewilder one's trajectory.]

[It pursues a flowing, graceful posture amid high-speed movement, using exquisite shifts in rhythm and changes in direction to achieve unfathomable movement. At the same time, it possesses explosive sprinting power toward a target.]

[Warning: This footwork is exceptionally difficult to cultivate. For many years, not a single student has cultivated it successfully! If you wish to choose it, please be cautious, cautious, and cautious again!!]

Among all the D-rank Combat Skills on the first floor, this was the only one whose description used the word "cautious" three times in succession.

In other words, its cultivation difficulty was the highest among all these combat skills.

The difficulty of cultivating a combat skill often represented the strength of that combat skill.

After all, if a combat skill was extremely difficult to cultivate yet weak in power, that would be rather unreasonable.

In the absence of combat skills with especially severe side effects, choosing the most difficult combat skill was undoubtedly the optimal solution for him.

Of course, that also depended on whether he lacked this kind of combat skill.

If the most difficult combat skill here had been a fist technique, Qin Chen definitely would not have chosen it. His Seven Injuries Fist was already enough for him at the Body Tempering Realm stage.

And footwork happened to be one of the methods he lacked.

If he could choose another saber technique, that would be perfect!

Having chosen his combat skill, Qin Chen did not linger. He walked straight out of the Battle Skill Pavilion.

At the entrance, the old man was no different from before Qin Chen had entered the Battle Skill Pavilion.

He was still lying on his recliner, even in exactly the same position!

Qin Chen walked up, handed over the combat skill in his hand, and said, "Hello, sir! This is the combat skill I chose!"

Zhao Wu narrowed his eyes to a slit. He had only intended to give it a casual glance, but when he saw Flowing Clouds Chasing Moon Steps on the manual, his eyes suddenly flew wide open.

He even sat up from his recliner.

Squinting slightly, he fixed Qin Chen with a dark gaze and asked:

"Kid! Flowing Clouds Chasing Moon Steps isn't so easy to learn. No one at our school has successfully mastered it in decades. Are you sure you want to choose it?"

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Qin Chen's mouth.

"Maybe I'll be the one who succeeds?"

Zhao Wu simply stared at him. After a long while, he suddenly laughed.

"It's a good thing for young people to have confidence!"

"In the first ten-odd years, plenty of self-important geniuses believed they could master this battle skill!"

"But in the end, not a single one of them even reached Entry Level. Gradually, no one dared to try anymore!"

"In recent years, it's practically been left in the Battle Skill Pavilion to gather dust. Not one student has chosen it!"

"Kid! You... have guts!"

"Old man, you don't believe me?"

Qin Chen raised an eyebrow slightly.

"I believe you! Of course I believe you!"

"How could I not?"

"A young genius like you can definitely master this insanely difficult battle skill that no one has succeeded in learning for decades!"

"I believe in you one hundred percent! Young man!!"

Qin Chen: ...

Though this Old Man claimed to believe him, the thick contempt in his eyes was practically overflowing.

And he had no intention whatsoever of concealing it.

What this Old Man said was pretty much the same as a phrase Qin Chen had heard in his previous life: "Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're totally right!"

As for whether it was actually right or not, that was in the eye of the beholder.

A smile curled across Qin Chen's lips as he looked at Zhao Wu.

"Old man, do you know why the world you see is nothing but a circle?"

"I don't know!"

Zhao Wu answered instinctively, but immediately realized something was wrong.

He stared darkly at Qin Chen before him.

This kid was calling him a frog?

Whether he answered yes or no, he would be getting insulted.

The only difference was whether he was a frog with self-awareness.

Not bad, brat!

He repaid a grudge on the spot!

Rather than getting angry, Zhao Wu found it somewhat amusing.

A moment later, he smiled.

"How about this, kid!"

"Let's make a bet. What do you say?"

Qin Chen's eyes lit up.

"What are we betting on?"

"Whether or not you can master Flowing Clouds Chasing Moon Steps!"

Qin Chen's eyes brightened even further.

A bet? Perfect!

"I accept! What do you want to bet?"

"What do you have for me to bet on?"

Zhao Wu shot Qin Chen a sidelong glance.

"Nothing!"

Qin Chen shook his head, flashing a row of gleaming white teeth.

"Because I won't lose! So there's no need to consider what happens if you win!"

Zhao Wu raised an eyebrow.

Well, well!

It was the first time he had ever seen such an arrogant brat!

But Zhao Wu said nothing more. Instead, he looked at Qin Chen and asked, "And you? What do you want?"

"Let me enter the Battle Skill Pavilion again and choose a D-rank Combat Skill?"

"Sure!"

Zhao Wu agreed without hesitation.

That decisive attitude made Qin Chen look at Zhao Wu with a hint of surprise.

Looks like this guy is a bit like that sweeper!

But that was none of his concern. All he knew was that he could gain another D-rank Combat Skill!

With that thought, Qin Chen immediately opened Flowing Clouds Chasing Moon Steps on the spot...

If you think this book is good and don't want to lose it next time, remember to add it to your bookshelf!