Ruthless Charge: Charge with a spear toward a designated target area, dealing physical damage to targets within the area and knocking them airborne. A second charge can be launched within five seconds after charging, but it will not knock enemies airborne. (No mana required)
Yang Ming rubbed his eyes. When he repeatedly confirmed that he had obtained Han Xin's skill, a massive amount of information suddenly flooded into his mind, like a stone being forced into a sponge.
Yang Ming had originally thought that obtaining a skill simply meant being able to use it.
But now, he realized that he had been wrong—terribly wrong!
The information pouring into his mind contained everything about Han Xin's use of the spear, including types of spears, how to use them, how to maintain them, how to fight enemies with them, how to train normally, and so on.
The spear was one of ancient China's weapons. It was a long-handled thrusting weapon composed of a sharp blade and a shaft, similar in appearance to a lance. Its handle was longer than its blade. Strictly speaking, it was one of the eighteen martial weapons and the foremost of the four great weapons, known as the king of all weapons.
The spear evolved from the ge and the long halberd. The most common types were the red-tasseled spear, white waxwood spear, Six Harmony Spear, elephant-patterned iron spear, Dragon Camel Spear, and so on. Its basic movements centered on blocking, taking, and thrusting. There were also advanced techniques such as whipping, smashing, winding, circling, stabbing, pouncing, pointing, deflecting, and spinning flowers. They were difficult to master, hence the saying: "A staff takes a year, a saber takes a month, but a spear takes long practice."
Clutching his swollen, aching head, Yang Ming's expression shifted constantly.
"Phew!"
After quite a while, the pain in his head finally faded, and Yang Ming breathed a sigh of relief. He had broken out in a cold sweat just now, nearly thinking he would not be able to endure the explosion of information in his mind.
I should find a branch and give it a try. Let's see how effective it is.
With that thought, Yang Ming found a pine tree nearby and forcefully snapped off a branch. It was slightly longer than an adult's arm, just right for Yang Ming to use.
When his palm tightened around the branch and he treated it as a spear, a sense of familiarity welled up in Yang Ming's heart.
This came from Han Xin's instinct, forged through training in the scorching heat of summer and the bitter cold of winter!
With a flick of the branch, Yang Ming followed the information in his mind and displayed each move one by one. At first, his grip was still awkward, like a babbling infant learning to walk. But as he gradually found his rhythm, his speed increased until he could wield it as skillfully as Han Xin.
The wonder of spear techniques lay in practice making perfect. Once one became proficient, the heart forgot the hands, and the hands forgot the spear. One had to be fluid and refined without becoming sluggish; above all else, one had to remain calm. When calm, the heart would not act rashly, allowing one to handle every situation with ease and change unpredictably, with limitless transformations. A spear had feints and substance, orthodox moves and unorthodox ones. Its advance was sharp, its retreat swift, its rhythm short. Still as a mountain, moving like thunder!
Spear thrusts were divided into high-level, middle-level, and low-level straight thrusts, with the middle-level thrust being the essential method. Thus came the saying: "The middle-level spear is the king of spears; the center point is the hardest to block."
Beyond spear techniques themselves, there were corresponding footwork techniques. They had to be light, swift, and steady, achieving "steps opening like the wind, stealthy steps rooted like nails."
It was as though Yang Ming had a famous master guiding him. He could not stop, and as he incorporated the footwork, the strength of his waist, legs, arms, and wrists gradually merged as one with the spear.
The spear was courage.
Since ancient times, spearmen had been cursed with E-rank luck. Every thrust had to be made with the resolve to die. Either the enemy died first, or he did.
Yang Ming raised the spear. His shoulders trembled slightly, his waist moved with force, and power traveled from his arm to the tip. His thrust was like Qianlong emerging from the water, a flash of cold light arriving first, followed by the spear shooting out like a dragon and faintly producing a piercing whistle.
Thanks to Han Xin's decades of experience and insights, although Yang Ming held only a branch in his hand, at this moment it gave off a sharp, deadly aura!
Limited by the fact that his current body was only that of a six-year-old child, his stamina had its limits. After practicing for nearly half an hour, Yang Ming felt as though his entire right arm were carrying a sack of sand, and he had no choice but to stop.
"That's enough practice for today."
Although his body was exhausted, Yang Ming's spirits remained extremely high.
Carrying the branch over his shoulder, Yang Ming turned and left. On the road back to the village, he happened to encounter Tang San coming down the mountain.
Seeing Yang Ming drenched in sweat and holding the branch in such an odd manner, Tang San's expression became extremely strange. It was like seeing a brat who loved kicking other people's cars and assuming Yang Ming's thought process was just as bizarre as those brats'.
"Yang Ming, are you taking that branch home?"
"Yeah." Yang Ming tilted his head and looked at Tang San in confusion. "Why?"
"Nothing. As long as you're happy." Tang San's expression grew even stranger.
Yang Ming paused. He had been too tired to react just now, but now he realized that Tang San was looking at him as though he were an idiot. How could he tolerate that?
I'm the boss of Holy Soul Village!
"Third Brother, what kind of look is that?" Yang Ming walked toward Tang San. "Why don't you tell your big brother about it?"
Not to mention that Tang San had the Mysterious Heaven Skill supporting him, giving him physical abilities far beyond those of his peers, even his past life as an adult was enough for him to look down on Yang Ming, this little brat in his eyes.
Watching Yang Ming approach step by step, Tang San did not panic in the slightest. He smiled and said in the tone of someone coaxing a child:
"Yang Ming, you should go home early. If you get back too late, the village chief might spank you."
Stopping in front of Tang San and seeing that he was no shorter than himself, Yang Ming knew his own limits. He did not underestimate Tang San, the original protagonist, just because he had obtained a cheat ability. After comparing them in his mind, he already had an idea.
"Third Brother, how about we race and see who gets back to the village first?" To make Tang San agree, Yang Ming deliberately added, "If you win, I won't call you Third Brother anymore. I'll call you Third Elder Brother!"
Tang San curled his lips and thought to himself:
Isn't it only because you're so shameless? You keep calling me Third Brother just because the village chief backs you up. Otherwise, I would've made you change how you address me long ago.
Still, Tang San felt that making Yang Ming change how he addressed him would be quite nice. After all, he did not want to inexplicably gain an older brother.
The two took their positions.
"Three, two, one, run!"
The instant Yang Ming finished counting down, Tang San relied on his Mysterious Heaven Skill, lifted his leg, and sprang forward. Like a galloping colt, he moved far faster than children his age and immediately left Yang Ming behind.
Yang Ming did not care about this outcome. Using the branch in his hand as a spear, he activated his skill, Ruthless Charge!
The branch struck the ground, and Yang Ming leaped like a high jumper, magically tracing a graceful arc through the air and landing ahead of Tang San despite setting off later.
"Th-This... can someone tell me what just happened?"
Tang San rubbed his eyes and discovered that he had not seen wrong. Yang Ming had actually used a strange method to jump in front of him.
How could this be allowed!
Tang San stopped holding back and fully unleashed the Tang Sect Lightness Skill, quickly catching up to Yang Ming.
However, less than five seconds later, Yang Ming repeated the same move and jumped in front of Tang San again.
The two went back and forth, one ahead and one behind, repeating the cycle until Yang Ming landed at the village entrance first. He grinned at Tang San, who arrived a step later, patted his shoulder, and laughed:
"My foolish little brother!"
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