Sea People

What did it feel like to have your learning ability reduced by 90%?

Zhang Ping knew very well that some Awakeners had extremely demanding conditions for using their abilities, but so far, Wang Jieming was the only one he had actually seen.

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 self-restraint was truly impressive. Though he was clearly impatient, he still persisted in breaking the Ape King Form down into the finest detail as he taught Wang Jieming. Yet Wang Jieming simply could not learn it.

Meanwhile, Zhang Ping, who had been listening in from the side, gained an even deeper understanding of the Ape King Form. He estimated that with a little more practice, he would reach minor mastery.

Those were Bai De's exact words.

Among all the apprentices, Zhang Ping was indeed the fastest learner.

If he did not have to accommodate everyone else's progress, 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 heading the same way.

Through casual conversation on the road, Zhang Ping learned that Wang Jieming's father was a member of the investigation team. Since childhood, he had received an elite education from both his mother and father at home.

Recently, his mother had kept teaching him the same things over and over. He guessed that she had run out of things to teach him and was merely keeping up appearances, so he had taken out his savings and enrolled in the Beast King Fist Hall.

In truth, Wang Jieming was not weak at all.

Whether it was basic boxing or Bright Fist, he had already mastered them to perfection. At the very least, he could fight Zhang Ping evenly. It was just that ever since awakening his ability, he had become very slow at learning new things. So if he relied solely on the Beast King Fist, he would not be Zhang Ping's match for a long time.

Halfway there, the two agreed to go to the martial arts hall together again tomorrow before parting ways.

Zhang Ping returned to Iron Soul and skillfully climbed in through the window. He then saw Liu Sishan sitting in the chair before the desk. He turned to close the window before asking, "Sister Sisi, is something wrong?"

"Did you forget to tell me some information?" Liu Sishan asked.

Zhang Ping froze, then frowned. "What information?"

"Besides their innate racial abilities, do Heavenborn Foxes have other abilities?" Liu Sishan asked seriously.

Zhang Ping nodded. "Some Heavenborn Foxes do have extra abilities, but the ones I identified for you were all ordinary Heavenborn Foxes without any additional abilities, so I did not mention it for the time being."

"During the operation to eliminate the Heavenborn Foxes just now, one of them was acting strangely. Someone was injured," Liu Sishan said in a low voice.

Zhang Ping sat on the edge of the bed and frowned. "Are you sure it was another ability?"

"Yes. According to the information I received, it seemed to be some sort of ability that made people trust the other party through language," Liu Sishan said.

Zhang Ping immediately realized what ability it was. "I know that ability. It's called Uncanny Trust. But the Heavenborn Foxes I identified definitely did not have extra abilities."

"Could they have switched identities?" Liu Sishan frowned.

Zhang Ping said strangely, "The problem is that my identification of the Heavenborn Foxes was random, and you also attacked them at random. Before you made your move, no one should have known who you were targeting."

"It could also be some kind of prophecy ability," Liu Sishan added.

Zhang Ping said helplessly, "I'll try to observe them and find out what is going on. I'll tell you once I get results."

"Mm." Liu Sishan nodded.

She rose, gradually turned transparent, and vanished in the blink of an eye.

Zhang Ping looked around the room and softly called, "Sister Sisi?"

After a moment, he still could not tell whether Liu Sishan had left. He simply stopped dwelling on it. Either way, he was not the one who would suffer.

Time for bed!

He had actually considered whether the Heavenborn Foxes could exchange identities, such as swapping the human skin pasted to their foreheads. But he could not be completely certain whether that was possible. Next, he planned to identify the Heavenborn Foxes he had previously identified again. Perhaps he would discover something.

The next day, six in the morning.

After getting up, Zhang Ping first practiced a set of Bright Fist, then trained the Ape King Form for a while.

Morning training was over.

He took a shower first, then went out to buy groceries.

Besides his main job of watching the store, he was also responsible for Liu Tiefeng's daily meals and living arrangements. He usually handled breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

In fact, the original owner of this body could not cook.

But Zhang Ping had been a lifelong bachelor in his previous life, so he knew how to make some basic home-cooked dishes. He even had a secret ultimate move: instant noodles cooked with Lao Gan Ma chili sauce, pickled mustard greens, and fermented bean curd.

By the time breakfast was ready, Liu Tiefeng had already gotten up.

After breakfast, the two went up to the third floor to begin the day's practice. While practicing kneading dough, Zhang Ping also prepared some clean flour, intending to make noodles for lunch.

Once the dough-kneading practice was over, the two entered the materials room to continue learning how to identify materials.

This was Zhang Ping's favorite part.

Whenever Liu Tiefeng explained a material, he would also explain where it came from. Whenever it involved a mutated beast, he would be especially detailed. Zhang Ping could practically picture 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 main reason was that the finger looked far too much like a human finger. If its skin had not been deep blue and its nail purple-black, he would have suspected that it had been cut from a person.

"That's a Sea Person's finger. About sixty years ago, a group of Sea People landed from the Changsha River in the east and attempted to invade Mingzhu City. The old city lord led the patrol team and the investigation team in a battle against them.

"I was just a green recruit then, doing odd jobs behind the veterans. After those Sea People were killed, everyone divided up their bodies. I got one finger." Liu Tiefeng spoke with some nostalgia.

Zhang Ping said in surprise, "Sea People? Are they barbarians too?"

"It's normal that you haven't heard of them. Back then, Old Scholar Chen searched through an ocean of ancient texts before finding records of them. Apparently, there is a group of Sea People living in the ocean, with azure skin, red hair, and fangs. They mutated from fishermen who once lived by the sea. They worship the Sea God and regard land-dwelling creatures as forbidden mortal enemies, which is why they are called Sea People," Liu Tiefeng said.

Human evolution in this world really was diverse in every possible way.

People in Mingzhu City had a chance to become Awakeners, while barbarians with unknown power systems existed in the wilderness. He had not expected there to be a branch like the Sea People as well.

Although neither the barbarians nor the Sea People could still be considered human, Zhang Ping nevertheless felt as though his horizons had been broadened.

It even sparked a thought.

Could there be even more branches of humanity?

Forget it.

Zhang Ping did not continue thinking about it. It was too far removed from him.

After that, Liu Tiefeng did not mention the Sea People again. Instead, he returned to the main topic and continued explaining Firebird-related knowledge.

Firebirds were mutated beasts that evolved from sparrows. Normally, they were no different from ordinary sparrows. But when flying at high speed, their feathers rubbed against the air and ignited, making them look like tiny fireballs.

Their feathers were extremely special. If added to a weapon, swinging the weapon would produce flames.

There had once been a throwing-knife expert in Mingzhu City who always kept throwing knives containing Firebird feathers. Those knives were even more powerful than Firebirds themselves.

However, this kind of weapon had one drawback.

Once its movement speed reached a certain level, it would inevitably ignite. Therefore, it required the shed skin of a snake called the Frost Serpent as a protective sheath.

"Grandpa Liu, do we have this kind of weapon in the store?"

Zhang Ping felt that this kind of weapon suited him well. Mainly because he possessed the talent ability Fire Eater, he could use such a weapon to consume flames during battle and restore his stamina.

That was practically unlimited stamina.

"No. Firebirds are extremely fast and difficult to hunt. A single Firebird feather costs around 50,000 Pearl City Coins on the market, and even then they are scarce despite the demand. Most Firebird feathers are collected rather than used to forge weapons." Liu Tiefeng shook his head, then carefully returned the only Firebird feather to its preservation bottle.

This Firebird feather had been stored in Iron Soul for a long time. Until they found suitable materials, Liu Tiefeng's family had no intention of using it.

Zhang Ping found that somewhat regrettable.

But he also understood that it was only human nature. If he obtained a precious raw material, he would not use it lightly either.

At the very least, he absolutely would not use it before he was completely certain.

The lesson ended.

Zhang Ping and Liu Tiefeng had ramen for lunch.

In the afternoon, Liu Tiefeng lacked energy and needed a nap. Zhang Ping, on the other hand, was full of energy and continued practicing Fire Eater beside the furnace as usual.

Although Iron Soul's storefront was open, almost no one came in under normal circumstances. Even if someone did, they merely looked around, checked the prices, and promptly said goodbye, sorry for the trouble.

Most weapon shops operated on the principle of three years without business, then one sale to last three years. The more precious the weapon, the higher its price. Most of Iron Soul's weapons were considered fine pieces, and it even had a top-grade weapon as its prized treasure. Selling just one weapon a year was enough to keep Iron Soul running.

Zhang Ping did not actually need to do much while watching the store.

No customers came by until closing time. After Zhang Ping and Liu Tiefeng ate dinner, they closed the shop directly.

Liu Tiefeng went to bed early. Zhang Ping had told him at noon that he had enrolled in a martial arts hall, so this time, he did not need to climb over the wall to leave. He simply went out through the shop's back door.

Halfway there, Zhang Ping saw Wang Jieming waiting for him beneath a tree.

Because of the effects of Nightwalker and the Assassination Ring, Wang Jieming did not notice him even after he walked right up to him. Wang Jieming only discovered him after Zhang Ping patted him on the shoulder.

"How did you do that? Invisibility?" Wang Jieming asked in surprise.

Zhang Ping smiled. "You were just distracted. Let's go. We shouldn't 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 reach the entry level in the Ape King Form within five days, or he would withdraw from the school himself.

The worst part was that when he tried to practice the Ape King Form on his own at home, he could not remember anything 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 reinforcing their practice.

This time, Zhang Ping was assigned to a different apprentice. The apprentice was over twenty-five years old and named Zhou Jielin.

Zhou Jielin was an experienced adventurer. According to him, he had started working as an adventurer at eighteen and had been doing so for six or seven years. Though he was still relatively unfamiliar with the Ape King Form, he was stronger than Zhang Ping and had extensive combat experience. Every time Zhang Ping attacked, he saw through his intentions.

"Don't keep staring at the spot you want to attack." Zhou Jielin dodged Zhang Ping's fist and said with a smile.

Zhang Ping leaped backward like an ape, dodging Zhou Jielin's attack. "Then where should I look?"

"Don't focus on a single point. Look at the entire picture, like you're looking at a painting," Zhou Jielin said.

Zhang Ping tried to follow Zhou Jielin's advice, but knowing was easy and doing was hard. Some habits were not easy to change. It was like someone without training: when attacked, many people instinctively closed their eyes.

Without training, it was difficult to correct such unconscious movements.