Equipment skills

"This is where you'll be staying. Today doesn't count toward your month, so you can rest first and think about what you want to learn. A month is neither long nor short, so choose carefully. If you're just about to get the hang of something, staying a few extra days won't be a problem."

The Wu Family Martial Arts School consisted of two rows of four courtyards each. A large section of the outer courtyard on the eastern side served as the training ground, while their rooms were in a side courtyard.

"Thank you, senior sister."

Since they had already paid, they could naturally take the opportunity to address her that way.

"Learning martial arts isn't easy. Remember not to waste this opportunity."

Since all four of them had paid together, Wu Xin reminded them once more.

They shouldn't assume that paying for a month of instruction meant they would actually accomplish anything!

"Do you have any recommendations, senior sister? Could we take a look at the Martial Arts Ground?"

When Zhao Xiaowen spotted a well in the courtyard, her smile grew considerably brighter. That meant they would at least have enough water every day to wash up.

Beside her, Lin Hao secretly gave Zhao Xiaowen a thumbs-up. They needed to inspect the goods at the Martial Arts Ground and see whether there were any old objects that granted skills.

"If you practice fighting without building your foundation, you'll end up with nothing. A martial artist's greatest asset is their own body, and martial arts aren't meant for picking fights. For ordinary people, conditioning methods generally matter more than combat techniques."

As Wu Xin led them toward the Martial Arts Ground after they had put away their belongings, she gave them a brief introduction.

"You're starting a few years late, but any time before thirty is still a good time to build up your bodies. The best time to start training is always today.

"So conditioning is absolutely essential. This month, you should do your best to memorize all the conditioning routines. Afterward, we'll teach each of you a few combat moves suited to your individual strengths, so you can defend yourselves in certain situations."

Once they had mastered the conditioning routines, they could continue strengthening their bodies even after leaving the Martial Arts School. Teaching them a few combat moves tailored to their abilities could also be considered a form of accelerated training.

Eye gouges and groin grabs, for instance, didn't form a complete system, but they could be devastating when unleashed.

"Our school's basic conditioning and stance training are primarily based on the Crouching Tiger Fist. It also branches out into the Crouching Tiger Staff, Crouching Tiger Spear, and Crouching Tiger Saber, but all of those are built on the foundation of the Crouching Tiger Fist.

"Besides those, we have a few other techniques. The military's Bowstring Force is the easiest archery training method to get started with. Iron Sand Hardening is a body-hardening technique that requires at least the Bright Force level and abundant blood and qi before you can begin. The Twin-Dagger Force I practice is more suitable for women. Our strength is naturally somewhat lacking, so this technique focuses on concentrating force on a single point to pierce a broader surface..."

As Wu Xin finished speaking, two Emei Daggers slipped out of her sleeves. She spun them deftly in her hands at high speed, then casually thrust them into the air ahead several times.

Each thrust looked extremely short, yet even striking nothing but air produced a series of sharp cracks. Their eyes almost seemed to sting.

Even Lin Hao felt a chill.

Her strikes seemed to target vital points at roughly head, throat, and chest height. A sudden flurry at that speed would leave him riddled with holes!

And there was no warning before she struck. He hardly dared imagine what would happen if she launched a surprise attack.

Nie Yi, who had barely spoken, watched Wu Xin's movements with a glimmer of longing in her eyes.

Could women really be this strong?

When Wu Xin stopped, the Emei Daggers vanished again. Lin Hao couldn't even tell whether they were Wish Power equipment.

"Twin-Dagger Force is also particularly effective against body-hardening techniques. With the right weapons and sufficient force, it can pierce even heavy armor."

That gave Lin Hao an idea, and he asked,

"Senior sister, heavy armor is restricted, isn't it? We're unlikely to encounter any, right?"

"Privately possessing three or more suits of armor is treated as rebellion, so it is indeed rare to encounter any. But that doesn't mean there's none around. My father brought back a suit of Infantry Armor when he left the military, and it's completely legal."

Just then, they reached the Martial Arts Ground. Around a dozen people were training there in several groups.

The largest group consisted of ten people practicing the same fist routine in the center of the Martial Arts Ground. It was probably the Crouching Tiger Fist.

Besides the eldest senior brother, two other instructors paced back and forth nearby, immediately correcting any mistakes they spotted.

Sometimes they even laid hands on the students, hitting and scolding them. No one complained, however. They simply lowered their heads and accepted the instruction.

"Female students are rare here. I'll teach you two myself, so don't worry."

Wu Xin reassured Zhao Xiaowen and Nie Yi.

Meanwhile, Lin Hao had already started examining the weapon racks along both sides of the training ground.

Four apprentices were swinging staffs with impressive vigor, filling the air with whistling sounds.

Two other students were rolling stone training locks to strengthen their bodies.

The way they moved the stone locks followed a particular routine, presumably a specialized conditioning method.

After making a circuit, Lin Hao found several pieces of equipment with attributes!

There was even a piece of blue equipment!

[Crouching Tiger Staff · Wooden Staff (blue)]

[Value: 1,700 Wish Power]

[Weight: 2 kg]

[Additional affix: Training bonus (white)]

[Extra additional affix: Crouching Tiger Staff training bonus (green)]

[Additional skill: Crouching Tiger Staff · Mastery (blue)]

[A wooden staff used by apprentices for years of practice. Crafted from twenty-year-old camphor wood through careful drying, baking, lacquering, and other processes. Its moderate weight and high flexibility make it suitable for apprentice training.]

The staff sat in a corner, its surface polished by years of handling to a deep, soy-sauce brown. In Lin Hao's eyes, however, it gave off a faint glow.

It came with a skill-and a blue one at that!

It also had two separate training-bonus affixes!

For a moment, Lin Hao's breathing quickened.

"Senior sister, are these staffs for practice?"

Lin Hao gripped the Crouching Tiger Staff and refused to let go.

The instant he picked it up, Lin Hao felt as though his muscles had come alive. They even seemed to have acquired new instincts, as if simply swinging the staff would allow him to perform the Crouching Tiger Staff technique automatically.

He barely managed to suppress the urge.

"Yes. Don't underestimate these staffs. They're quite troublesome to make. You can't just use any old stick."

Wu Xin smiled.

"Then how much would they cost? I'd like to buy a few, along with those two stone locks."

Lin Hao pointed at two other staffs, then at two stone locks.

Here, these

long training staffs were almost all Wish Power equipment, except for the newer ones currently being used for practice!

The newer they were, the lower their grade. Most were gray or white, with similar attributes. Starting at white grade, they came with [Beginner] skills.

The other two Lin Hao had pointed out were green and carried [Proficiency]-level Crouching Tiger Staff skills.

The two stone locks, polished smooth from use, also glowed green.

Lin Hao's request left Wu Xin a little stunned.

Well, now. Someone actually wants to buy these things? They're troublesome to make, but they really aren't worth much. Replacing them would just take a little time.

"If you want to practice, you can simply use them. There's no need to buy them. But if you really want them, you can take the lot for five taels of silver. We can replace them with new ones. Would you prefer new ones? I can have some custom-made for you."

"No, no. We want these. We'd like to get a feel for the martial convictions of those who came before us."

Lin Hao waved his hands repeatedly, then immediately took out the money.

Valuables like silver still needed to be kept close to the body.

As Wu Xin accepted the two silver bracelets, her eyes brightened slightly, and she couldn't resist turning them over in her hands.

These bracelets are beautifully made. It would be a shame to treat them as mere silver. What a bargain!

It looks like they really do come from some wealthy household.

Meanwhile, Lin Hao cradled his spoils and motioned for Yi Feng and the others to help carry them, secretly delighted.

Five taels of silver for the lot. We really picked the right place!

As the foremost of the three major martial arts schools, the Wu Family Martial Arts School was an established institution with a long-standing reputation. That was probably why it had been able to nurture this blue item!

"I need to strengthen my body quickly and unlock a few more replacement slots so I can switch things around more easily..."