Plans and Discoveries

"I'm planning to board Doreze's ship the next time that fellow comes to Andal Harbor and go smuggling with him! But he was only here yesterday, so I reckon it'll be another three or four months before he comes back! That means I haven't got much to do lately, so I'll just tag along with you! Zhang Yao, why don't you board his ship with me when Doreze comes next time? He did say he'd saved you a first mate's position!" Luo De explained his plan to join Doreze aboard his ship and go smuggling, and invited Zhang Yao along.

"Hmm, let's talk about that when the time comes! Right now, I mainly want to improve my strength. If I feel I'm ready by then, I'll board Doreze's ship with you!" Seeing Luo De's expectant gaze, Zhang Yao wanted to agree at once, but he knew that he and Luo De were different, after all. So he considered it before answering, neither refusing outright nor agreeing.

"Haha, all right! Once we're aboard, I'll be counting on you to look after me, First Mate!" Zhang Yao hadn't promised to go, but Luo De seemed to take it as a firm agreement and burst into delighted laughter.

"Ah! Zhang Yao, I didn't sleep a wink last night, and I spent half the morning running around the Bounty Hunters' Guild. I really can't keep going! I'm going to get some sleep. Don't wake me for lunch!" With his business taken care of, Luo De yawned repeatedly, visibly exhausted. After calling out to Zhang Yao, he kicked off his shoes, stripped off his coat, tossed them aside, and flopped onto the bed. Before long, soft snores rose from him.

Watching Luo De slip so quickly into dreamland, Zhang Yao shook his head and pulled up the blanket at the head of the bed to cover him. Then he quietly left the bedroom and entered the suite's sitting room.

Character attributes, Zhang Yao said silently. Then he sat in a chair in the sitting room, staring at the translucent character attribute panel as he sank into thought.

Zhang Yao: Level 7, 1100/6000.

Attributes: Strength 17 (+1), agility 17 (+3), constitution 21 (+1), mental power 18.

Health (red bar): 290 (health = constitution × 10; increases by 10 with each level gained).

True qi (blue bar): 90 (leveling up does not increase true qi).

Skills: Fetal Breath Technique (self-developed), Concealment Technique level 1, Basic Battle Aura (mutated) level 1.

Items: Gemstone Ring, Sharp Water Ghost Dagger, Sturdy Water Ghost Leather Armor, Concealment Technique, gems × 8, Bewitching Siren Boots, Spyglass, Basic Battle Aura, damaged nautical chart, Bounty Hunter Badge.

Money: 1 Purple Crystal Coin, 19 gold coins, 90 silver coins.

Talent: Nine Netherworlds (first layer).

Hmm, if I want to improve my strength quickly, one way is to learn new skills, and the other is to level up. Unfortunately, skill books aren't easy to come by, and leveling up quickly here in Andal Harbor isn't very feasible either. I don't want to end up wanted for murder or something. Those two basic paths won't work for now! Looks like I'll have to find another way! Zhang Yao pondered how to improve his strength at his current stage. Unfortunately, various restrictions had rendered the usual methods available to a Chosen One unworkable.

My true qi increased by five in a single night. That's really good! Unfortunately, my dantian is still painfully swollen. Being able to look at it but not cultivate is killing me! Sigh, at this rate, when will my Nine Nether Art ever break through to the second layer? Huh?! Looking at the five points of true qi he had gained from last night's cultivation, Zhang Yao felt a surge of delight. But then he remembered his current predicament and immediately grew dejected again. Those swings in his mood turned his once-calm heart restless. Just as the increasingly agitated Zhang Yao was about to close the attribute panel, he suddenly stopped, his eyes fixed on one particular spot.

Concealment Technique: Rank D support skill, a beginner thief skill. Conceals the user in shadows. Level 1, 1/100. Special effects: Uses shadows to conceal the user, consuming 1 true qi every 2 seconds. Movement speed decreases by 90% while concealed. Attacking cancels the skill. Cannot be used in illuminated areas. Cooldown: 180 seconds.

Basic Battle Aura (mutated): Rank D combat skill, a beginner skill for warrior-class professions. Increases combat power and improves physical attributes to a certain extent. Has undergone a mutation after merging with the user's true qi. Level 1, 25/500. Special effects: Circulating battle aura during combat increases strength by 20%, agility by 20%, and overall defense by 20%. Consumes 1 true qi per second. No cooldown.

Reading the descriptions of the two skills, Zhang Yao couldn't help giving himself a hard smack, inwardly berating his own stupidity. I'm such an idiot! If my dantian is painfully swollen, all I have to do is use up that true qi! When the Guiding Stone drained my true qi before, cultivating afterward not only restored it but increased it by a lot! How could I forget something so important? I need to test this properly. If it works, I can rapidly increase my true qi and shorten the time it takes to reach the second layer, while also raising my skill proficiency and bringing my skills to new levels. That's killing two birds with one arrow!

Brimming with excitement, Zhang Yao immediately began his experiment. He stepped into the shadows in a corner and activated the Concealment Technique, hiding himself from sight. At the same time, he stirred the true qi in his heart and sent it flowing throughout his body.

Zhang Yao currently had only 90 true qi, while the Concealment Technique consumed 1 true qi every two seconds, and Basic Battle Aura consumed a full point every second. Thus, a minute later, Zhang Yao exhausted his true qi and reappeared from the shadows.

Without pausing after he reappeared, Zhang Yao sat cross-legged and began regulating his breathing and cultivating to restore his true qi. The true qi permeating the surrounding space swiftly entered his body, the greater portion flowing into his dantian and a smaller portion into his heart. Once he felt his empty dantian fill again and begin to ache with swelling, Zhang Yao emerged from cultivation.

"Character attributes!" As soon as Zhang Yao opened his eyes, he summoned his character attributes. Seeing his true qi displayed as 92, along with Concealment Technique level 1, 5/100, and Basic Battle Aura (mutated) level 1, 40/500, he sprang up in delight. If he hadn't been worried about waking the sleeping Luo De, he would have shouted a few times to vent his excitement.

After pacing back and forth through the sitting room several times, Zhang Yao finally managed to suppress the excitement in his heart.

Whew, looks like my method works! At this rate, I might be able to open the lesser celestial circuit within a year, complete the first layer's cultivation, and break through to the second! Yes, keep it up! Cultivate hard! Zhang Yao exhaled the pent-up breath in his chest. Thinking that a goal which had once seemed far beyond his reach might actually be achieved within a year filled him not only with excitement, but with boundless drive. After all, that once-unreachable goal was now right before his eyes. It would have been strange if Zhang Yao hadn't been bursting with motivation.