Tang San's Draw, Edge-Breaking Intent

Tang San's Draw, Edge-Breaking Intent

"Won?"

Xiao Wu was the first to react.

She nearly jumped out of her seat, but afraid of disturbing Tang San, she could only clench her fists tightly.

Ma Hongjun shouted outright, "Little San, that was awesome!"

Dai Mubai could not help but smile as well.

They had all fought the White-Clothed Scholar before and knew just how troublesome that white snake was.

Tang San's victory had not come from mere luck, nor had it relied on Soul Power suppression. He had truly absorbed the rules Lin Chuan had taught them.

Hu Liena watched the screen with a complicated expression.

She had encountered this internet cafe before the Shrek group and had received rewards earlier as well.

Yet Tang San had accomplished on his first complete challenge against the White-Clothed Scholar what she had failed to do.

That left her somewhat uncomfortable.

But beneath that discomfort, a fighting spirit had also been ignited.

She did not want to lose.

On the screen, Tang San did not move immediately.

He looked at where the White-Clothed Scholar had fallen and slowly exhaled.

That battle had been perilous.

If that final light strike had come even an instant later, he would have been the one to die.

But precisely because of that, he became even more certain of this internet cafe's value.

Here, battle magnified every bad habit a person had.

Greedily attacking would get you killed.

Dodging recklessly would get you killed.

Missing an opportunity would get you killed.

But as long as one could correct those mistakes bit by bit, improvement would be visible to the naked eye.

Just then, a system notification sounded.

[Congratulations to player Tang San for killing the White-Clothed Scholar for the first time and completing the stage achievement: Two-Stage Insight]

[Reward: One draw opportunity]

The white roulette wheel appeared again.

The atmosphere in the internet cafe, which had just relaxed, immediately tensed once more.

Flender's eyes nearly bulged out.

"Another draw?"

Lin Chuan glanced at him. "Complete an achievement, and naturally there will be one."

Flender began seriously calculating whether he ought to make the academy's funds a little more flexible.

He even started recalling whether he had any private savings stashed away.

But as soon as the thought arose, Flender immediately became wary.

No.

This was very wrong.

How could he, the dignified headmaster of Shrek, let an internet cafe owner lead him around by his purse strings?

Flender took a deep breath and tried to pull his gaze away from the roulette wheel.

Yet less than two breaths later, he could not help looking back.

Ten Gold Soul Coins per hour really was expensive.

But if playing a few more times meant he could draw a prize...

The instant that thought surfaced, he forcibly suppressed it.

No, he could not let this shady shop lead him astray.

Tang San removed his helmet but did not spin the roulette wheel right away.

He first looked at Lin Chuan. "Will the thing I draw conflict with what I already have?"

At that question, Grandmaster, Flender, and Xiao Wu all looked toward Lin Chuan.

Tang San possessed the Mysterious Heaven Skill and the Tang Sect's inheritance.

If he drew something that conflicted with his original cultivation path, it would instead become a problem.

Lin Chuan said, "Usually not. System rewards will adapt to the player. If something is unsuitable, it will appear as a fragment, insight, shard, or auxiliary effect."

Tang San nodded.

He closed his eyes and gently stirred his thoughts.

The roulette wheel began to spin.

This time, the lights and shadows on the wheel were more complex than they had been for Xiao Wu.

Lin Chuan merely swept his gaze across it before spotting several names that made his eyelids twitch.

[Staff Stance Mastery: Split-Staff Fragment]

[Immobility Spell: One-Breath Fragmentary Insight]

[Copper Head Iron Arms: Edge-Breaking Intent]

[Body-Sheltering Method: Field-Guard Fragment]

[Life-Saving Hair: Phantom]

[Seeing Joy: Spiritual Root Fragment]

This reward pool was clearly a level higher than the previous one.

Lin Chuan immediately came to a conclusion.

The rewards given by a stage boss like the White-Clothed Scholar truly were better.

The roulette wheel slowed more and more.

Tang San appeared calm on the surface, but his fingers tightened slightly.

Xiao Wu was even more nervous than he was.

Hu Liena and Xie Yue were also staring at the indicator.

At last, the indicator stopped.

[Congratulations to player Tang San for drawing the reward: Copper Head Iron Arms: Edge-Breaking Intent]

The entire internet cafe fell silent for an instant.

Then Ma Hongjun nearly jumped up.

"Copper Head Iron Arms?"

Yan widened his eyes as well. "Why does that name sound like something made for taking hits?"

Grandmaster's expression instantly became solemn.

The words "Copper Head Iron Arms" sounded crude and simple, but the words "Edge-Breaking Intent" that followed made his heart tremble.

If it could truly protect vital points at the instant a heavy strike landed, then use the enemy's force to shock out an opening, it would hold tremendous value for any close-combat Soul Master.

Especially for someone like Tang San, who excelled in hidden weapons and movement techniques. Once he could shore up his defensive window, his room for error in battle would be forcefully raised by a considerable margin.

Tang San himself was stunned as well.

His first reaction was not wild joy, but caution.

The explanation on the screen soon appeared.

[Copper Head Iron Arms: Edge-Breaking Intent: A body-protecting counterattack technique from a game world. Gather blood energy and Soul Power in the instant before a heavy strike lands. If timed accurately, it can withstand one blow, shatter the enemy's edge, and seize an opening.]

[Additional insight: Insight. After successfully breaking an edge, the next close-range counterattack is more likely to strike where the enemy's old force has been exhausted and new force has yet to arise.]

[Restriction One: This is fragmentary insight into the true intent, not genuine bodily ironization, nor is it a Spirit Bone.]

[Restriction Two: The timing requirement for activation is extremely high. A misjudgment means taking the full damage.]

[Restriction Three: Repeated use consumes stamina and Soul Power, and it cannot guard against an ambush that one has not detected at all.]

Only after seeing these three restrictions did everyone come back to their senses somewhat.

It was not true invulnerability to blades and spears.

But even so, it remained terrifying.

What did Soul Masters fear most?

A powerful attack breaking through their defenses, being pressured out of position, and reacting half a beat too slowly.

If there was a protective technique that could withstand a heavy strike in the most dangerous instant, rebound the enemy's momentum, and reveal a counterattack window in the process, its value would be no lower than a Spirit Bone suited for close combat.

For Tang San in particular, who already excelled in Mysterious Jade Hands, Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon, and Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, it held even greater meaning.

Tang San closed his eyes.

A foreign yet clear understanding of body protection and counterattacks surged into his mind.

It did not replace the Mysterious Heaven Skill.

It was more like adding another layer of understanding—of bearing force, redirecting force, rebounding force, and the courage of an instant—beyond the resilience of Mysterious Jade Hands.

It was not simply about enduring blows.

It was about standing firm in the half-breath before danger crashed down, receiving the force, turning it, then slamming the enemy's edge back at them.

Tang San could sense that his body had not immediately grown much stronger.

But he knew that given time, this true intent would grant him one extra counterattack opportunity that he should not have had between life and death.

Xiao Wu asked softly, "Brother, how is it?"

Tang San opened his eyes, unable to suppress the shock within them.

"Very precious."

He said only those three words.

But those who knew him could tell that those three words already carried enough weight.

Grandmaster said softly, "This is not mere defense."

Tang San glanced at Grandmaster and nodded.

"It is the gate to counterattacks."

Hu Liena took a deep breath.

She looked at Lin Chuan. "Boss, killing the White-Clothed Scholar can draw rewards like this?"

Lin Chuan shook his head. "Draws depend on luck, and on compatibility. Tang San drawing this does not mean you will draw the same thing."

Hu Liena was not disappointed.

On the contrary, the fighting spirit in her eyes burned even stronger.

The fact that it could be drawn meant it was in the reward pool.

As long as it was there, she had a chance.

A system notification also appeared before Lin Chuan's eyes.

[Player Tang San has completed a stage achievement]

[Host received points: 300]

[Received synchronized benefit: Trace Edge-Breaking Perception]

[Store operation permit under evaluation...]

Lin Chuan felt an extremely faint tension between his muscles and bones, and his heart was equally unsettled.

It was not Soul Power.

Yet it felt as though his body had learned for the first time just how valuable that extra half-inch before danger struck truly was.

He raised his head and looked at the customers filling the room.

Tang San's reward had changed everyone's gaze.

From this moment onward, they no longer viewed the internet cafe as merely a novel game shop.

This place truly could change cultivation.

And it could change it far more deeply than they had imagined.

Just as everyone was still immersed in the words "Edge-Breaking Intent," the system notification sounded again.

[Stage achievement completion detected]

[Grand Dao Internet Cafe has unlocked a new function: Game purchase and personal save files]

Lin Chuan's eyes flickered.

New business had arrived.