Points

When Lin Ye opened his eyes on the stone bed, sunlight slipping through the cracks in the wooden hut fell right across him.

He blinked.

A line of pale golden text appeared before his eyes, visible only to him:

[Points: 366]

Ten years ago, he had crossed into this fantasy world called Great Yan and become an orphan abandoned in Qingshi Town. He had no illustrious family, no peerless talent—only points that increased naturally with time.

"Time to head to the martial hall."

Lin Ye rolled out of bed, took a set of clothes from the wooden cabinet in the corner, and pulled them on. Then he tucked the three-page Basic Fist Manual from the table into his shirt.

When he pushed open the wooden door, Qingshi Town had already woken.

A few boys who had risen early were running together toward the only martial hall in the western part of town. That was where Lin Ye was headed, too.

"Well, Lin Ye, off to mooch another lesson at the martial hall?"

A hunter called out to him with a laugh.

Lin Ye nodded and quickened his pace.

Ten years ago, he had thought this world was much like the wuxia novels from his previous life. Then he had seen a demon beast outside town smash a boulder to pieces with one swipe, and watched the martial hall master leap three zhang into the air. Only then had he understood that this was a world of fantasy.

Here, the martial path could reach the divine.

To learn martial arts, you had to join a martial hall or a sect.

Lin Ye had chosen the sect, because he had no money and no connections. All he had were points that increased with time.

"I wonder if they'll come in handy today..."

All these years, he had never used his points.

Yesterday had been his seventeenth birthday. From now on, he gained one point a day.

Ten years of savings, plus the point he'd gained today, brought him to exactly 366.

Lin Ye took a deep breath and turned the corner.

A line had already formed outside Qingshi Martial Hall.

Today was the martial hall's monthly "instruction day," when the master personally guided the students in their training. Lin Ye couldn't afford the tuition, so he'd earned a chance to attend one lesson a month by cleaning and running errands for the hall.

"Make way, make way!"

A shout rang out behind him.

Lin Ye saw three young men in fine clothes strolling toward him. The one in front looked about sixteen or seventeen. A white jade pendant hung at his waist. He was none other than Zhou Ming, the young master of the Zhou Family in town.

Zhou Ming glanced at Lin Ye and sneered. "Well, well, isn't this Qingshi Town's genius, Lin Ye? What, come to mooch another lesson today?"

Quiet laughter rippled through the crowd.

In the past, Lin Ye would have silently stepped aside.

But today, he stopped and cast a cool glance over his shoulder.

"Move."

His voice wasn't loud, but Zhou Ming froze.

"You dare talk to me like that?"

Lin Ye didn't bother answering. He walked straight into the martial hall.

Before long, the martial hall's doors opened.

A burly, middle-aged man came out. It was Zhao Tieshan, the master of Qingshi Martial Hall.

"Everyone, come on in."

Zhao Tieshan's voice boomed. His gaze swept over the crowd, paused on Lin Ye for a moment, then moved on.

Lin Ye followed the others into the martial hall's training ground.

Dozens of meditation cushions had been laid out across the grounds, and the students sat down in order. Lin Ye picked a spot and quietly took the Basic Fist Manual from his shirt.

"Today, we'll cover the force-generating method for the third form of the Basic Fist Manual, Mountain Crushing Force."

Zhao Tieshan began his explanation from the middle of the training ground.

Lin Ye listened intently, silently working through the movements in his mind at the same time.

For the past ten years, he'd had only the most basic fist manual. But with Zhao Tieshan's monthly instruction, he'd still brought the first three forms to perfection. Without any techniques to follow them, though, further practice would be a waste of time.

"Remember: power rises from the ground, begins in the legs, passes through the waist, gathers in the arms, and finally bursts from the fist."

Zhao Tieshan explained as he demonstrated.

His right leg bent slightly, his left foot stamped down, and his waist twisted. His right fist shot out like a cannonball.

The wind from his fist howled. Three zhang away, a wooden training dummy exploded on impact!

"Excellent!"

The students cheered.

Lin Ye, however, frowned slightly.

Zhao Tieshan's punch looked fierce, but the twist of his waist seemed a little stiff. At least twenty percent of the power was lost as it traveled through his body.

"If I could coordinate the force from the waist with a brief pause in my breathing, letting the power build up along the spine before unleashing it all at once..."

The thought had barely formed when the pale golden text flashed before his eyes.

[Spend 1 point to derive an optimized method for the third form of the Basic Fist Manual, "Mountain Crushing Force"?]

Lin Ye's heart gave a violent leap.

The points that had followed him for ten years had finally come in handy.

He fought down his excitement and silently thought, Yes.

In an instant, a human-shaped phantom appeared before him, practicing Mountain Crushing Force over and over.

[Derivation complete]

[The third form of the Basic Fist Manual, "Mountain Crushing Force," has been optimized. Power increased by 30%; energy consumption reduced by 20%.]

Lin Ye opened his eyes, a flicker of understanding passing through them.

"All right, everyone, practice on your own."

After speaking, Zhao Tieshan sat in a chair nearby and drank his tea.

The students rose one after another and began practicing across the training ground.

With his two followers in tow, Zhou Ming practiced deliberately near Lin Ye, his punches whooshing through the air. Every so often, he glanced over at Lin Ye, plainly looking for trouble.

Lin Ye acted as if he hadn't noticed and took up the stance on his own.

Following the optimized method, he drew a deep breath, bent his right leg slightly, and stamped down with his left foot.

Then he twisted his waist.

This time, he could clearly feel the power rising from the soles of his feet, passing through his legs and spine, and gathering in his right fist. Almost none of the force was lost along the way. Instead, it briefly built up along his spine, growing stronger.

"Ha!"

Lin Ye let out a low shout and threw a punch.

As his fist tore through the air, it gave off a sharp, piercing crack.

"Whoosh!"

Several students nearby turned around.

Even Zhao Tieshan, who had been drinking tea, looked up, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

"You..."

Zhao Tieshan set down his teacup and walked over to Lin Ye, looking him up and down. "How did you generate that force just now?"

Lin Ye's thoughts stirred, but he kept his expression calm. "I just followed what you taught us, Hall Master. Power rises from the ground, begins in the legs..."

"No."

Zhao Tieshan shook his head and fixed his gaze on Lin Ye. "The way you used your waist wasn't the way I taught you. It was much smoother."

Lin Ye was about to explain when Zhou Ming sneered from nearby. "Hall Master, how could it be any different? He probably got lucky. Even a blind cat can stumble onto a dead mouse."

Zhao Tieshan ignored Zhou Ming and simply looked at Lin Ye. "Do it again."

"Yes."

Lin Ye took up the stance once more.

This time, he didn't hold back.

"Ha!"

His body opened out, his force surged like a great river, and his fist came down. The ground seemed to tremble faintly.

Zhao Tieshan stared, nearly speechless. "You've actually trained the Basic Fist Technique to this level?"

Lin Ye's expression stayed calm. "I just added a little of my own understanding."

Beside them, Zhou Ming's expression had turned utterly sour.

Zhao Tieshan said no more and turned to instruct the other students.

Lin Ye quietly stepped back to a corner, but inside, his thoughts were churning like a storm-tossed sea.

With only one point, he had optimized a single form of the Basic Fist Manual.

And he had 366 points.

What if he used them all for derivation?

Lin Ye suppressed the urge rising within him.

First, he would use his points to derive a basic cultivation method and build a solid foundation. Once he was strong enough, he could set his sights on deeper martial arts.

His gaze had already settled on the not-so-distant future.

"Next month, the various sects will come to Qingshi Town to recruit disciples."