Points

When Lin Ye opened his eyes on the stone bed, the sunlight leaking through the cracks in the wooden hut shone right onto him.

He blinked.

A line of pale gold text that only he could see appeared before his eyes:

[Points: 366]

Ten years ago, he transmigrated into this fantasy world called Great Yan, becoming an orphan abandoned in Qingshi Town. He had no illustrious family background, no peerless talent, only a point total that grew naturally over time.

"It's time to go to the martial hall today."

Lin Ye rolled off the bed, took a cloth garment from the wooden cabinet in the corner to put on, and tucked the three-page basic fist manual from the table into his shirt.

Pushing open the wooden door, Qingshi Town had already awakened.

Several early-rising youths were running together toward the only martial hall in the west of town, which was also the place Lin Ye was heading to today.

"Yo, Lin Ye, going to the martial hall to mooch off a lesson again?"

A hunter greeted him with a smile.

Lin Ye nodded and quickened his pace.

Ten years ago, he thought this world was similar to the martial arts novels of his past life, until he saw a demonic beast outside the town shatter a giant boulder with a single slap and saw the master of the martial hall leap three zhang high; only then did he realize this was a fantasy world.

In this place, the martial path leads to divinity.

To learn martial arts, one must go to a martial hall or a sect.

Lin Ye chose the martial hall because he had no money and no background. He only had the points that grew with time.

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

Over these years, he had never used his points.

Yesterday was his seventeenth birthday, and his points had increased to one per day.

Ten years of accumulation, plus the one point added today, made exactly three hundred and sixty-six points.

Lin Ye took a deep breath and turned the corner of the street.

A line had already formed in front of Qingshi Martial Hall.

Today was the martial hall's monthly "Guidance Day," where the master would personally come down to guide the students in their cultivation. Lin Ye couldn't afford the tuition, so he earned the chance to listen to the guidance once a month by cleaning and running errands for the hall.

"Move aside, move aside!"

Shouts came from behind him.

Lin Ye saw three youths in fine silk clothes swaggering over. The leader was about sixteen or seventeen years old with a white jade pendant hanging from his waist; it was Zhou Ming, the young master of the Zhou Family in town.

Zhou Ming glanced at Lin Ye and sneered, "Yo, isn't this our Qingshi Town genius, Lin Ye? What, here to mooch a lesson again today?"

Low laughter erupted from the surroundings.

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

But today, his footsteps paused, and he cast a faint glance over.

"Move."

His voice wasn't loud, but it left Zhou Ming stunned.

"You dare speak to me like that?"

Lin Ye ignored him and walked straight into the martial hall.

Soon, the gates of the martial hall opened.

A burly middle-aged man walked out; it was the master of Qingshi Martial Hall, Zhao Tieshan.

"Everyone, come in."

Zhao Tieshan's voice was resonant. His gaze swept over the crowd, pausing briefly on Lin Ye before moving on.

Lin Ye followed the crowd into the martial hall's training grounds.

Dozens of cushions had already been set out, and the students sat down one by one. Lin Ye chose a spot and silently took the basic fist manual from his shirt.

"Today, I will explain the third form of the basic fist manual, the method for channeling the Mountain Crushing Force."

Zhao Tieshan stood in the center of the grounds and began his explanation.

Lin Ye listened intently while silently simulating the movements in his mind.

Over these ten years, although he only had one basic fist manual, he had relied on Zhao Tieshan's monthly guidance to hone the first three forms to perfection. But without follow-up techniques, continuing to practice them would just be a waste of time.

"Remember, power rises from the ground, starts at the legs, travels through the waist, gathers in the arms, and finally explodes from the fist."

As Zhao Tieshan spoke, he demonstrated.

He slightly bent his right leg, stepped firmly with his left foot, twisted his waist, and punched out like a cannonball.

The wind of his fist whistled, and the wooden dummy three zhang away shattered upon impact!

"Good!"

The students cheered one after another.

Lin Ye, however, frowned slightly.

Zhao Tieshan's punch looked fierce, but the rotation of his waist during the exertion of force seemed somewhat sluggish, causing at least twenty percent of the power to be lost during the transfer.

If he could coordinate a brief pause in his breathing with the exertion of his waist, allowing the power to accumulate along his spine before erupting suddenly...

As soon as this thought crossed Lin Ye's mind, pale golden text flashed before his eyes.

[Consume 1 point to deduce the optimization path for the third form of the Basic Fist Manual, "Mountain Crushing Force"?]

Lin Ye's heart skipped a beat.

This point system, which had followed him for ten years, finally had a use.

Suppressing his excitement, he silently thought, "Yes."

In an instant, a humanoid phantom appeared before his eyes, practicing the "Mountain Crushing Force" over and over again.

[Deduction complete]

[The third form of the Basic Fist Manual, "Mountain Crushing Force," has been optimized. Power increased by thirty percent, energy consumption reduced by twenty percent.]

Lin Ye opened his eyes, a flash of realization crossing them.

"Alright, everyone practice on your own."

After saying this, Zhao Tieshan sat on a chair to the side to drink tea.

The students stood up one after another and began practicing in the arena.

Zhou Ming, accompanied by two lackeys, deliberately practiced near Lin Ye, his punches whistling through the air as he glanced at Lin Ye from time to time, clearly looking for trouble.

Lin Ye acted as if he hadn't seen them and set up his stance on his own.

Following the optimized method, he took a deep breath, slightly arched his right leg, and planted his left foot firmly on the ground.

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 finally gathering in his right fist. Throughout the entire process, the power suffered almost no loss; instead, it gained a brief moment of accumulation and enhancement at his spine.

"Ha!"

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

As his fist pierced the air, it produced a sharp, explosive sound.

"Swish!"

Several surrounding students turned their heads.

Even Zhao Tieshan, who was drinking tea, looked up, a trace of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"You..."

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

Lin Ye's heart stirred, but he kept his face calm. "It was just as the master taught: force rises from the ground, starting from the legs..."

"No."

Zhao Tieshan shook his head, staring at Lin Ye. "The way you exerted force from your waist is different from what I taught. It's much smoother."

Just as Lin Ye was about to explain, Zhou Ming, standing nearby, sneered, "Master, what could be different? He probably just stumbled upon it by luck, a blind cat catching a dead mouse."

Zhao Tieshan ignored Zhou Ming and kept his eyes on Lin Ye. "Do it again."

"Yes."

Lin Ye set up his stance once more.

This time, he did not hold back.

"Ha!"

His posture stretched, his strength surging like a rushing river, and as his fist landed, the ground seemed to tremble slightly.

Seeing this, Zhao Tieshan gasped, "You've actually practiced the basic fist techniques to this level?"

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

Beside them, Zhou Ming's face had turned incredibly ugly.

Zhao Tieshan said nothing more and turned to continue instructing other students.

Lin Ye retreated silently to a corner, his heart churning with waves of emotion.

He had used only one point to optimize a form of the Basic Fist Manual.

And he had three hundred and sixty-six points.

What if he used them all for deduction?

Lin Ye suppressed the impulse rising from the bottom of his heart.

He would first use the points to deduce basic techniques and solidify his foundation. Once his strength was sufficient, he would then aim for more profound martial arts.

His gaze was already fixed on the near future.

"Next month is the day the major sects come to Qingshi Town to recruit disciples."