First Trial of External Martial Arts

A Green Quality external martial art, along with a fine bow.

If Yao Arts truly came with the "heavy price" Gu Liehai had mentioned, then trading with him meant Lin Yi had struck it rich.

Lin Yi glanced at Gu Chenghu and thought for a moment. "Captain, I agree to the exchange, but the external martial art you mentioned..."

"Teaching an external martial art takes quite a while, and I don't have the time to instruct you. But I have the original manual. For Newborns like you, it can be used directly."

Gu Chenghu, standing nearby, said in shock, "An original external martial art manual! Liehai, you brat, you're even willing to part with the original? Once Qingshan learns it, the original will disappear."

Gu Liehai merely smiled. "This Mirage Sound Yao Art is also an original manual. One for one. Neither of us loses out."

After reaching an agreement with Lin Yi, Gu Liehai directly took the Mirage Crow Iron Feather · Green and Mirage Sound · Green. As for the Intermediate Demon Blood · Green, he left it with Gu Chenghu.

Returning to the Militia Team lodgings, Lin Yi spread out his bedding and luggage, then took out the Green external martial art Gu Liehai had handed him afterward.

It was a somewhat antique-looking book, seemingly with quite a few years of history behind it.

Judging by the writing, it appeared to have been copied stroke by stroke.

Starfall Archery · Green: A rare human external martial art. An archery technique created through comprehending the stars above. By infusing Qi-Blood into an arrow, the arrow's damage could be increased by a percentage. Upon firing the seventh arrow in succession, the seventh arrow could detonate the percentage damage accumulated by the previous six arrows.

After reading through the external martial art manual, Lin Yi did not hesitate for long before using it to learn the skill.

"Starfall Archery · Green has been learned. The original manual has disappeared!"

"Ding! You have learned an external martial art. The character Qi-Blood stat has been unlocked!"

Player: Green Mountains Never Age

Status: Minor internal injuries

ID: 007

Gender: Male

Level: Level 1

Health Points: 83

Experience Points: 300/100

Satiety: 78/100

Strength: 7 (A normal adult male has 10 points. Affects the character's physical damage and the maximum weight of weapons you can use...)

Constitution: 8 (A normal adult male has 10 points. Affects maximum Health Points, Health Point recovery speed, basic toughness...)

Agility: 7 (A normal adult male has 10 points. Affects movement and reaction speed...)

Endurance: 11 (A normal adult male has 10 points. Affects maximum stamina, stamina recovery speed, and load-bearing capacity)

Qi-Blood: 8.5

External Martial Art: Starfall Archery · Green - LV1 (0/500): For every 1 point of Qi-Blood attached to an arrow, arrow damage increases by 2%. The seventh consecutive arrow can unleash an additional 12% damage.

...

Initial Talent: Omnipotent Talent (Red) - LV1 -- Treasure Sense

...

Lin Yi had been saving his Experience Points and had not leveled up, so only his Strength had increased by one point from his recent physical labor. His other attributes had basically remained unchanged.

What deserved attention was that because Lin Yi had learned an external martial art, the Qi-Blood stat had been unlocked.

However, Qi-Blood was linked to the character's four major attributes, so Lin Yi's Qi-Blood was very low, at just 8.5 points.

If he used those 8.5 points of Qi-Blood to activate Starfall Archery, he could fire roughly eight arrows at most.

It seemed he would need to raise his Qi-Blood considerably in the future. After all, breaking through from Level 4 to Level 5 also required meeting the Qi-Blood threshold.

Lin Yi then took out the Bear Sinew Great Bow Gu Liehai had gifted him.

The Bear Sinew Great Bow was entirely black and about 1.5 meters long.

Bear Sinew Great Bow: A weapon crafted from Black Bear sinew, hide, and ironheart wood. It required great strength to draw and was not a Spiritual Artifact.

Lin Yi tried to draw the Bear Sinew Great Bow, but he could only bend its string slightly. He could not even draw it one-third of the way.

"Looks like I'll need to be at least Level 4 or Level 5 and put my attribute points mainly into Strength before I can use this great bow. For now, it's out of the question."

After putting away his things and handing over to Dugu Feng, Lin Yi logged off and left.

However, when Dugu Feng logged in and learned that Lin Yi had helped kill three Monsters earlier, he was so envious that he could barely speak.

"Three Monsters? How much benefit would that get you? That's awesome! Hey, why didn't the captain lure the Heart-Devouring Wolf when I was online..."

After returning home, Lin Yi first looked in the mirror and found a small scrape on his forehead.

Gu He must have caused it when he threw him out.

As for his two bleeding ears, fortunately, when Gu Liehai had given him Starfall Archery earlier, he had also casually handed him a Healing Talisman.

A Healing Talisman was worth 30 Contribution Points and could provide targeted treatment to a specific injured area.

Under the talisman's effects, his ears had mostly healed. However, if he rubbed them, he could still feel a faint throbbing pain.

He found a Duckbill Cap in his wardrobe that could hide the injury on his forehead. After putting it on, Lin Yi headed toward the Workshop.

Over the past few days, Lin Yi had still found time to keep an eye on the Workshop's progress, but his focus had shifted to the Apocalypse World. As a result, the Workshop's daily earnings had fallen considerably.

He needed to go urge them on.

About two or three hours later, the sky gradually darkened. Lin Yi simply ate a bowl of beef noodles at a snack shop near the Workshop before returning to the Fitness Center near his apartment.

There were many sports facilities near the Fitness Center Lin Yi had joined, spanning three floors of the mall. There was a swimming pool, an ice-skating training center, and an Archery Range...

After a simple workout today, Lin Yi went to the Archery Range downstairs and purchased a Quarterly Membership Card.

Originally, he had planned to learn saber techniques first in the Apocalypse World. But since Gu Liehai had taught him an archery external martial art, he would have to focus on archery instead.

After all, his current attributes were far too low. Fighting Monsters at close range was still highly risky. If he could kill Monsters from afar with a bow, it would be much safer.

But no one in the Apocalypse World could teach him how to use a bow, so he could only learn in reality.

Not long after Lin Yi signed up, a coach surnamed Zhang came over.

The coach was not old, a man in his forties with thick, powerful arms. He smiled at Lin Yi. "New here, brother? Have you practiced archery before?"

Lin Yi shook his head. "No. I just started."

"Alright. Then I'll teach you some basic shooting knowledge first, and after that we'll pick a bow with a suitable draw weight for you to try..."

"First, let's talk about shooting techniques. Traditional bows basically have two methods: the Three-Finger Draw, also called the Mediterranean draw. This is the most instinctive shooting method for ordinary people. Then there's the Thumb Draw, also known as the traditional thumb-ring style. That technique requires some training and different thumb rings..."

It had to be said that the coach at this Archery Range was quite responsible, and his instruction was both basic and comprehensive.

After roughly grasping the fundamentals of archery, Lin Yi chose a 40-pound bow to practice with.

As a beginner, Lin Yi did not immediately try the Starfall Archery he had learned from the Apocalypse World. Instead, he honestly practiced shooting form and accuracy.

After practicing for a little over an hour, when Lin Yi had become somewhat familiar with the bow in his hands, he began to nock arrows and infuse them with Qi-Blood.

He released one arrow, and the arrow's tail seemed to trail a faint gleam.

The first arrow was nothing special. The 2% increase was too weak to show much.

Then came the second arrow, the third arrow... all the way to the seventh. With a whoosh, Lin Yi's arrow shot forth, its tip deeply embedding itself in the Log Target.

Lin Yi shook his head slightly. Though the seventh arrow had received a 12% attack boost, his own Strength was too low, and he was using a low-poundage bow. The attack did not look particularly powerful.

But Coach Zhang moved closer. Seeing how deeply the arrow had sunk into the Log Target, he looked astonished.

"Brother Lin, your arm strength is impressive. You can shoot a 40-pound bow that deep? Practice a little more, and I think you'll be able to handle higher-poundage bows..."

Lin Yi smiled but said nothing. He continued practicing his archery with full concentration.

The next day, as soon as Lin Yi logged in, he found Dugu Feng waiting for him outside the room.

Today was the Second Team's rest day, so they did not need to defend the city.

Dugu Feng's face was full of excitement. "Brother, I heard you traded for an archery external martial art manual from the captain. Have you learned it? I'll pay a high price for it! RMB or in-game items, either is fine. I guarantee you'll be satisfied."

"Sorry, I've already learned it."

"Ah, what a shame..."

Dugu Feng let out a deep sigh. After Lin Yi had logged off yesterday, he had tried to find out exactly what Lin Yi had gotten. Once he learned that Lin Yi had traded with Gu Liehai for a Green Quality archery external martial art, he had been so excited he could not sleep all night, determined to get his hands on it.

He had not expected Lin Yi to learn it so quickly, using the external martial art manual that very same day.

After all, he practiced archery too. His original target had been the archery external martial art of Militia Squad One.

But Militia Squad One had extremely strict requirements for recruiting Newborns. He had exhausted every method and still failed to get in, so he could only bribe Gu Xiaoliu from the Second Team. In the end, he had slipped into the Second Team just like Lin Yi.

Although he could learn an archery external martial art in the Second Team as well, the manual Gu Liehai had traded to Lin Yi was supposedly Green Quality, exceptionally rare.

Dugu Feng had originally looked down on Lin Yi somewhat, believing he was just a new player who had gotten lucky enough to join the Militia Team.

But now that Lin Yi had even learned a Green Quality external martial art, he was clearly someone with potential. Dugu Feng felt he ought to build a good relationship with Lin Yi in the future.

"Brother Qingshan, I'm guessing you earned over a hundred Experience Points yesterday, but it seems you haven't leveled up?"

Lin Yi smiled. "No rush. I heard that killing Monsters at low levels gives more experience."

"Low levels get an experience bonus?"

Dugu Feng looked somewhat surprised. He truly had not known that.

"Brother Qingshan, this information is very important to me. But I won't let you lose out, either. I'll sell you some information too. There's a valley southwest of Ancient Pool Village, and Level 5 Corpse Fiends are there. Most of those Corpse Fiends were Militia before they died. Killing them can make them drop the external martial arts they learned while alive."

Dugu Feng paused, then added, "I have a lightness-skill external martial art called Swift Steps. It dropped there."

Lin Yi was slightly surprised. "A lightness-skill external martial art? What quality is it?"

Dugu Feng curled his lip. "Brother, what quality do you think? Of course it's White Quality. What do you take Green external martial arts for, watermelons you can find everywhere...?"

Lin Yi rubbed his nose. Yesterday, he had tested the Green Quality Starfall Archery in reality, but he had not felt that this Green external martial art was all that powerful.

Of course, the low power of the arrows might have been related to the external martial art's current level being too low.

Lin Yi asked, "Brother Dugu, outside Ancient Pool Village is too dangerous. Monsters are everywhere. Aren't you afraid of encountering Monsters on the way to that valley? Or can the Militia Team take us there?"

"The Militia Team won't deal with those Corpse Fiends. After all, the Corpse Fiends only wander outside the valley and pose no threat to the village. But the valley is only about three kilometers from our village in a straight line, so it's not too far. Besides, we'll have an expert leading us."

"An expert?"

Dugu Feng showed a hint of pride as he smiled. "I have a brother in Squad One who's Level 8 and has three external martial arts. If we prepare some Protective Talismans and potions when necessary, there generally won't be any danger."

Lin Yi asked again, "Brother Dugu, since you told me this, do you think I can join your team too?"

"Of course. With a Green external martial art as your foundation, I might have to rely on you in the future, little brother. But your level is too low right now. Once you're Level 4 or Level 5, I guarantee you can join our team. Getting a few external martial arts then won't be a problem."

"Thanks, Brother Dugu. I'll come find you once my level is high enough."

Lin Yi did not make a firm commitment. After all, in the Apocalypse World, external martial arts were rare. Valley Corpse Fiends that could drop external martial arts were absolutely an important resource.

"No problem."

Finally, Dugu Feng said, "Little brother, the information I told you is pretty important, so you..."

"Don't worry. I promise I won't spread it around..."

After Dugu Feng left, Lin Yi began organizing the items in his backpack.

First was the Mystic Stone · Growth Soul Artifact. He had dug it up through his talent two days ago. It was extremely valuable and could detect nearby Ghost Spirits. Lin Yi planned to bind it today.

Then there was the Low-grade Demonic Blood · White material he had received from yesterday's drops. It was worth around 30 Contribution Points in the Treasure Vault. Lin Yi planned to find time today to exchange it for some talismans that could save his life.

Finally, there were the Bear Sinew Great Bow, the Amulet of Extreme Speed, and several hundred Copper Coins.

Since he had been able to kill three Monsters in a row yesterday only thanks to the brothers of the Second Team, he also had to treat the entire Militia Second Team to a feast around noon. He did not know whether those Copper Coins would be enough.

If they were not, he could exchange some more Contribution Points. After all, if Gu He had not protected him yesterday, he might well have died in the Mirage Crow's cries because he ran too slowly.

He needed to maintain a good relationship with the Militia Team.

Lin Yi was not stingy over a little money.

Lin Yi then went first to the Treasure Vault in the center of Ancient Pool Village. The guard was still Village Elder Gu Yuan, but Lin Yi found something strange. A patch of Gu Yuan's white hair seemed to have been shaved off, and the corner of his eye was somewhat red and swollen.

Had he gotten into a fight?

Who in Ancient Pool Village would dare fight the Village Elder?

Without thinking much about it, Lin Yi exchanged the Low-grade Demonic Blood · White in his hand.

Perhaps because the Heart-Devouring Wolf was of a higher level, the quality of this Monster Blood was much better than what the Ghost Fiend had dropped. Lin Yi received 41 Contribution Points in exchange.

Seeing Lin Yi's gaze lingering on the swollen corner of his eye, Gu Yuan snapped irritably, "Kid, what do you want to exchange? Stop staring."

"Elder Gu Yuan, I'd like to exchange for more Copper Coins. Let's start with five hundred Copper Coins, and I'll save the remaining Contribution Points for now."

What Lin Yi lacked was a sense of security.

At present, what he wanted most was the Defense Talisman in the Treasure Vault, which could withstand attacks from Monsters and Ghost Spirits below Eighth Rank.

Unfortunately, the Defense Talisman was extremely expensive, requiring 80 Contribution Points. He could only save up some more before exchanging for it.

"Alright."

This time, Gu Yuan did not give him a large bag of Copper Coins, but five taels of silver.

In Ancient Pool Village, the exchange rate between silver and Copper Coins was not 1:1,000, but 1:100. Thus, five hundred Copper Coins were worth five taels of silver.

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