Taking Stock

Daylight streamed through the window. Lu Bai stretched, then sat up.

His whole body was wrapped in bandages to keep his wounds from reopening.

After all, he shouldn't be doing anything strenuous while injured.

"Sir, your medicine." Qi'er came in from outside. At least she hadn't called him "Darling."

Lu Bai gulped down the medicine and began taking stock of what he'd gained this time.

He hadn't accumulated many consumable modules like [Vitality] and [Internal Force].

But he'd stored up quite a few [Meridians] and [Acupoints]. It looked like he wouldn't have to wait long before he could build a proper martial art.

He just didn't know whether the Withered Glory Scripture, which he still hadn't gotten his hands on, required any other special modules.

Besides those, there were several special modules.

His biggest haul had come from the [bandit chief], who was also a Traveler.

Control Modules: [Breath Control], [Hold Breath], [Close Eyes].

[Breath Control] didn't mean being lucky. It meant regulating one's breathing. This module gave Lu Bai some control over the circulation of his Internal Force and Vitality.

[Hold Breath] meant holding one's breath. It could be used to tighten the core, lending itself more to muscle-powered force. Holding his breath also caused his muscles to tense instinctively, increasing his resistance to blows.

Operation Modules: [Skin], [Tendons and Bones], [Flesh and Blood], [Ears].

There wasn't much to say about these.

Then there were the Elemental Modules: [Imperfect], [Hardness], [Rebound], [Reduction], [Metal].

Aside from [Imperfect], which the bandit chief had condensed himself and which wasn't much use, the other Elemental Modules were all quite good.

[Rebound] and [Reduction] were especially impressive, both coming with comments.

[Rebound]: Returns force through vibration. Comment: Decades of hard training, combined with just a few Special Extraction Points, created this module.

[Reduction]: Reduces the effect of certain things. Comment: Greedy capitalists are always trying to reduce what they pay out, whether it's wages or the streetlamps they hang themselves from. This module was condensed from a fallen streetlamp using a Special Extraction Point.

Clearly, the bandit chief had also received Death Compensation. That was how he'd managed to condense these two high-quality modules.

As for why he'd condensed [Imperfect], Lu Bai glanced at his own leg. Perhaps he'd been the reason.

Release Modules: [Cover], [Fill], [Clothing], [Linkage], [Sound Imitation].

The first three were probably from Iron Shirt. The last two, however, were more interesting.

[Linkage] had an effect similar to the one Lu Bai achieved by combining [Reliance] and [Mind Movement].

The latter had allowed Lu Bai to develop a second stage of his skill, while the former seemed to let a module produce two effects at once.

For example, [Rebound] was a core module of Iron Shirt. But if he linked it with [Linkage], then added [Ears] and [Sound Imitation], he could use vibrations to locate sounds, then conjure images of what he heard in his mind.

If [Reliance] was a series connection, then [Linkage] was a parallel connection.

With enough similar modules, even a single Skill Bar could be developed to produce all kinds of effects, allowing for growth on every front.

"So modules can also be extracted from the environment. That's useful to know." Lu Bai put away the modules and analyzed what they revealed.

He'd previously obtained martial arts manuals and broken them down into modules. Now he'd learned that modules could also be extracted from the environment, such as from the streetlamps capitalists hanged themselves from.

Looks like I can try extracting modules from places where something unusual has happened.

Aside from the modules he'd gotten from the bandit chief, Lu Bai had obtained only two from the archer.

Release Module: [Crosshair]. It added a crosshair to help him aim. It would be a great module if he wanted to develop ranged skills.

The other was the Control Module [Fight to the Death].

[Fight to the Death]: Conviction can control one's entire body. Comment: A final strike delivered when one's will and conviction rise above the limits of the flesh.

When you had the resolve to fight to the death, this module let you force your body to move through sheer conviction, no matter how poor your physical condition was.

It was just what he needed. Combined with the Elemental Module [Combat] and Volcano Mode, Lu Bai felt that his ability to walk the tightrope and risk his life in battle had improved another level.

"But I still need to get the Withered Glory Scripture—or some related martial art—as soon as possible and see if I can condense an ability to come back to life."

Lu Bai knew all too well that if you spent enough time walking along the riverbank, sooner or later you'd get your shoes wet.

He was reckless, and he knew it. He had a pretty good handle on himself.

Before, he'd been able to make sure he wouldn't get himself killed through recklessness because of his Dragon-like Vitality talent and because he'd practiced both the orthodox and unorthodox ways of being a shady bastard.

But that wouldn't work anymore. The ceiling for martial strength had risen, and if he wanted to keep living recklessly, he'd need a few more safety nets.

Lu Bai had also discussed superior martial arts with Rou'er the night before.

Tianwu Holy Land really did have superior martial arts, and it had three of them.

According to Rou'er, ordinary martial arts generally developed along one of several paths: Lifeform, Momentum Cultivation, Hard Body Training, Strange Arts, or Object Perception.

Superior martial arts, on the other hand, combined two of these paths, or even all of them.

That made them exceptionally difficult to cultivate.

The Phoenix Flying Ladies had had their bodies transformed by Phoenix Blood, so they could cultivate one of them: the superior martial art called the Flying Immortal Scripture.

As one cultivated this martial art, Internal Force would eventually give rise to lifeforms, which could then be used to control threadlike objects.

There was also the Long Song Sword Scripture, a superior martial art along the Strange Arts and Object Perception paths.

And the Spirit Heart Method, which developed along three paths: Lifeform, Momentum Cultivation, and Strange Arts. Unfortunately, its requirements were so demanding that no one had ever managed to master it.

All three superior martial arts were quite powerful, but none suited Lu Bai.

The Withered Glory Scripture was probably the best fit for him.

"But there's no rush." Lu Bai knew what to expect. "Hundred Flower Grave won't necessarily let me off the hook."

"They'll probably find a way to get rid of me before long."

"I might even become the spark that sets off a war between Hundred Flower Grave and the Holy Land."

"When that happens, I'll have plenty of chances to get the relevant manuals from Hundred Flower Grave."

I wonder if the Traveler supporting Hundred Flower Grave is still around.

According to Rou'er, a little over four months ago, the Tianwu Group's stationed personnel had been rotated. Three people had arrived, but one of them was a traitor.

Around the time Lu Bai and the others descended, the traitor had made his move. Two of them had died, while the traitor had escaped with serious injuries.

Travelers could only remain in one dimension for two or three months. By then, they'd already been there for three months.

Now, it had been nearly two months since Lu Bai descended.

By all accounts, the traitor who'd escaped with serious injuries should have returned to Earth by now.

But the Holy Land had uncovered some traces suggesting that the traitor might still be in the dimension.

First update of the day! I've made it onto the recommendation list. If you have monthly or recommendation tickets, please vote for me. Thanks!