What did it feel like to have your learning ability reduced by 90%?
Zhang Ping knew very well that some Awakened abilities had extremely harsh usage conditions, but so far, the only person he had actually encountered with such conditions was Wang Jieming.
By the end of class, Wang Jieming still had not learned the Ape King Form.
Zhang Ping had to admit that Instructor Bai De's patience was at least impeccable. Although he was clearly extremely impatient, he still persisted in breaking the Ape King Form down into its smallest parts and teaching Wang Jieming in painstaking detail. Yet Wang Jieming simply could not learn it.
Instead, Zhang Ping, who had been listening in from the side, gained an even deeper understanding of the Ape King Form. He estimated that after practicing for a while longer, he would achieve a minor mastery of it.
Those had been Bai De's exact words.
Among all the apprentices, Zhang Ping was indeed the fastest learner.
If he had not needed to accommodate the pace of all the apprentices, he could have learned the first three forms of the Beast King Fist in a single day.
After leaving the Beast King Fist Hall, Zhang Ping and Wang Jieming happened to be headed in the same direction.
Through their casual conversation along the way, Zhang Ping learned that Wang Jieming's father was a member of the Investigation Team. From a young age, Wang Jieming had received an elite education from both his mother and father at home.
Recently, his mother had kept teaching him things he had already learned. He guessed that she had nothing left to teach him and was merely putting on a brave front, so he had simply taken out his usual savings and enrolled at the Beast King Fist Hall.
In fact, Wang Jieming's strength was not bad.
Whether it was basic boxing or Pearl Fist, he had already practiced them to perfection. At the very least, he could go fifty-fifty with Zhang Ping. However, ever since awakening his ability, the speed at which he learned new things had become very slow. Therefore, if he relied solely on the Beast King Fist, it would be a long time before he could defeat Zhang Ping.
Halfway there, the two agreed to go to the martial arts hall together again the next day before parting ways.
When Zhang Ping returned to Iron Soul, he deftly climbed in through the window. He then saw Liu Sishan sitting in the chair before the desk. He turned around to close the window first, then asked, "Sisi, is something wrong?"
"Did you forget to mention some information?" Liu Sishan asked.
Zhang Ping was taken aback, then frowned. "What information?"
"Besides their innate racial abilities, do Heavenly Foxes have any other abilities?" Liu Sishan asked seriously.
Zhang Ping nodded. "Some Heavenly Foxes do possess additional abilities. However, the Heavenly Foxes I identified for you were all ordinary Heavenly Foxes without any additional abilities, so I didn't mention it for the time being."
"During the operation to eliminate the Heavenly Foxes just now, one of them was abnormal. Someone was injured," Liu Sishan said in a solemn voice.
Zhang Ping sat on the edge of the bed and frowned. "Are you sure it was another ability?"
"Yes. Based on the information I received, it seemed to be some kind of ability that made people trust the user through language," Liu Sishan said.
Zhang Ping immediately realized what ability it was and said, "I know this ability. It's called Uncanny Trust. But the Heavenly Foxes I identified definitely didn't have any additional skills."
"Could they have switched identities?" Liu Sishan asked with a frown.
Zhang Ping said strangely, "The problem is that I identified the Heavenly Foxes at random, and you also attacked the Heavenly Foxes at random. Before you acted, no one should have known which one you would target."
"It could also be some kind of precognitive ability," Liu Sishan added.
Zhang Ping said helplessly, "I'll try observing them and see what's really going on. I'll tell you once I have a result."
"Mm." Liu Sishan nodded.
She then stood up and gradually became transparent, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Zhang Ping looked around the room and called softly, "Sisi?"
After a moment, he still could not determine whether Liu Sishan had left. He simply stopped dwelling on it. In any case, he would not be the one to suffer.
Time to go to bed!
He had actually considered whether Heavenly Foxes could exchange identities with each other—for example, by exchanging the human-skin masks stuck to their foreheads. However, he could not be one hundred percent certain that it was possible. Next, he planned to appraise one of the Heavenly Foxes he had appraised before again. Perhaps he would gain something from it.
The next day, six o'clock.
After getting up, Zhang Ping first performed a set of Pearl Fist, then practiced the Ape King Form for a while.
His morning training ended.
He took a shower first, then went out to buy groceries.
Besides his primary job of watching the shop, he was also responsible for taking care of Liu Tiefeng's daily life and meals. He generally handled breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
In fact, the original owner could not cook.
But Zhang Ping had been a single man in his previous life, so he knew how to make some basic home-cooked dishes. He had even kept a secret ultimate move: instant noodles cooked with Lao Gan Ma, pickled mustard greens, and fermented tofu.
After breakfast was ready, Liu Tiefeng had already gotten up.
After eating, the two went up to the third floor and began the day's training. While practicing kneading dough, Zhang Ping also prepared some clean flour so they could make noodles for lunch.
After finishing their kneading practice, the two entered the materials room and continued learning to identify materials.
This was Zhang Ping's favorite part.
Whenever Liu Tiefeng explained a material, he would also explain its origin. Whenever Mutated Beasts were involved, he was especially detailed. Zhang Ping could even visualize the appearance of the Mutated Beasts in his mind.
"Grandpa Liu, what material is this?" Zhang Ping asked curiously when he saw a deep-blue finger sealed on the counter.
The finger looked far too much like a human finger. If not for its dark-blue skin and purplish-black fingernail, he would have suspected that it had been cut from a human being.
"That's an Oceanfolk's finger. It was probably about sixty years ago. A group of Oceanfolk landed at the Changsha River in the east and tried to invade Mingzhu City. The old city lord led the Patrol Team and the Investigation Team into battle against them.
"At that time, I was still a rookie soldier. I just followed the veterans around and helped out. After that group of Oceanfolk was killed, everyone divided up their bodies. I was given a finger as well." Liu Tiefeng spoke with a hint of nostalgia.
Zhang Ping asked in surprise, "Oceanfolk? Are they savages too?"
"It's normal that you haven't heard of them. Old Scholar Chen found this information only after examining a vast sea of ancient texts back then. It's said that a group of Oceanfolk live in the sea. They have bluish skin, red hair, and fangs. They evolved from fishermen who used to live along the coast. They worship the Sea God and regard land-dwelling creatures as forbidden mortal enemies, which is why they're called Oceanfolk," Liu Tiefeng said.
Human evolution in this world really was varied.
People in Mingzhu City had a chance of becoming Awakened, while the wilderness was home to savages whose power systems were unknown. He had never expected there to be a branch like the Oceanfolk as well.
Although neither savages nor Oceanfolk could still be considered human, Zhang Ping still felt as if his horizons had been broadened.
He even began making connections from this.
Could there be even more human branches?
Forget it.
Zhang Ping did not continue thinking about it. It was too far removed from him.
Next, Liu Tiefeng did not mention the Oceanfolk again. Instead, he returned to the subject at hand and continued explaining knowledge about "Firebirds."
Firebirds were Mutated Beasts evolved from sparrows. Usually, they were no different from ordinary sparrows. However, when flying at high speed, friction between their feathers and the air caused them to burst into flames, making them look like miniature Flame Bombs.
Their feathers were extremely special. When added to weapons, they caused flames to appear whenever the weapons were swung.
There had once been a throwing-knife expert in Mingzhu City who always carried throwing knives made with Firebird feathers. The power of those throwing knives was even greater than that of the Firebirds themselves.
However, such weapons had one drawback.
Once their movement speed reached a certain level, they would inevitably ignite. Therefore, they needed the skin of a snake called the Frost Serpent to serve as a protective sheath.
"Grandpa Liu, do we have weapons like that in our shop?"
Zhang Ping felt that this kind of weapon suited him very well. Most importantly, he possessed the talent ability Fire Eater, so he could use such a weapon to absorb flames during battle and recover his stamina.
That was equivalent to having infinite stamina.
"No. Firebirds are extremely fast and difficult to hunt. A single Firebird feather costs about 50,000 Pearl City Coins on the market, and they're practically priceless even when available. Most Firebird feathers are collected, and very few are used to forge weapons." Liu Tiefeng shook his head. After speaking, he carefully placed the only Firebird feather back into its preservation bottle.
That Firebird feather had been stored at Iron Soul for a long time. Until suitable materials were found, Liu Tiefeng's family had no intention of using it.
Zhang Ping felt it was a pity.
However, he also understood that this was only natural. If he obtained a precious raw material, he would not use it lightly either.
At least, he absolutely would not use it before he had complete confidence.
The lesson ended.
Zhang Ping and Liu Tiefeng had ramen for lunch.
In the afternoon, Liu Tiefeng lacked energy and needed to take a nap. Zhang Ping was full of energy, so he continued sitting beside the furnace and practicing his Fire Eater ability as usual.
Although Iron Soul was open for business, hardly anyone came by under normal circumstances. Even when someone did come, they usually only took a look. After seeing the prices, they would say goodbye, take their leave, and apologize for the trouble.
Most weapon shops followed the saying, "A shop may stay closed for three years, but one sale can feed it for three years." The more precious the weapon, the higher its price. Most of Iron Soul's weapons could be considered minor masterpieces, and it even had a top-tier item as its signature treasure. Selling just one weapon a year was enough to keep Iron Soul running.
As for Zhang Ping watching the shop, he really did not need to do anything.
No customers came in until closing time. After Zhang Ping and Liu Tiefeng ate, they shut the shop directly.
Liu Tiefeng went to bed early. Zhang Ping had already told him at noon that he had enrolled at a martial arts hall, so this time he did not need to climb out through a window. He left through the shop's back door instead.
On the way, Zhang Ping saw Wang Jieming waiting beneath a tree.
Because of the effects of Nightwalker and the Assassination Ring, Wang Jieming did not notice Zhang Ping's existence even when he walked right up to him. Only after Zhang Ping patted him on the shoulder did Wang Jieming realize he was there.
"How did you do that? Invisibility?" Wang Jieming asked in surprise.
Zhang Ping smiled. "You were just distracted. Let's go, or we'll be late."
"Mm. I hope I can learn the Ape King Form today." Wang Jieming nodded seriously.
He had promised Instructor Bai De that he would practice the Ape King Form to the entry level within five days. Otherwise, he would withdraw from school.
The worst part was that when he tried to practice the Ape King Form on his own at home, he could not remember a single thing Instructor Bai De had taught him at the martial arts hall.
The two arrived at the Beast King Fist Hall. Today's lessons focused mainly on consolidation and practice.
This time, Zhang Ping was assigned to another apprentice. The apprentice was over twenty-five years old and was named Zhou Jielin.
Zhou Jielin was an experienced adventurer. According to him, he had become an adventurer at eighteen and had been doing it for six or seven years. Although he was still somewhat unfamiliar with the Ape King Form, his body was stronger than Zhang Ping's, and he also had rich combat experience. Every time Zhang Ping attacked, Zhou Jielin saw through his intentions.
"Don't keep staring at the spot you want to attack with your eyes." Zhou Jielin dodged Zhang Ping's fist and said with a smile.
Zhang Ping leaped backward like an ape to evade Zhou Jielin's attack, then asked, "What should I look at, then?"
"Don't focus on a single point. Look at the overall scene, as if you're looking at a painting," Zhou Jielin said.
Zhang Ping tried to do as Zhou Jielin said, but knowing was easier than doing. Some habits really were not easy to change. It was like how someone who had never received training would instinctively close their eyes when another person attacked them.
Without training, it was difficult to correct such subconscious movements.