[Illustrated Guide: Eagle Claw Skill] (High Level - Mastered)
[New Effect: Fingers Like Steel Hooks (Physical Strength +0.02; Power +0.02; Endurance +0.02)]
[Skill Special Level Satisfaction Conditions: Grip hard objects with both hands 5,000 times, and perform 10,000 two-finger push-ups]
...
’The task for Special Level really isn’t simple...’
’But I should be able to finish it in less than a week!’
After a quick mental calculation, Wan Ze looked away and focused on the surging Power within him.
「These past few days.」
He had successively upgraded his Horizontal Sword Technique and Jianghu One-Stroke Slash, one to Special Level and the other to High Level.
Now, even his Eagle Claw Skill had reached High Level. His strength had skyrocketed; he was on a completely different level than before.
He even felt that if he were to face He Ji again, he was confident he could kill him with a single punch, unlike before when he had given He Ji a chance to catch his breath.
...
Taking a deep breath, Wan Ze regulated his breathing to calm the qi and blood in his body.
Taking advantage of the break, he glanced at his status window.
[Illustrated Guide: Horizontal Sword Technique] (Special Level - Mastered)
[New Effect: All Attributes +0.03]
[Skill Ultimate Satisfaction Conditions: Forge an exclusive Sword Momentum]
...
[Illustrated Guide: Jianghu One-Stroke Slash] (High Level - Mastered)
[New Effect: Burst Skill - One-Stroke Slash (Strength Attribute +50% when activated)]
[Skill Special Level Satisfaction Conditions: Swing your blade 10,000 times] (200/10,000)
...
’Just as I expected,’ he thought. ’The later tasks require more time. If I want to stack attribute values in the early stages, I need more Martial Skills.’
But finding a source for Martial Skills was another problem.
Just then, a certain person naturally came to Wan Ze’s mind...
...
By the time he finished his practice, it was already past nine at night.
He had come home early today. His parents weren’t back yet; they had a work gathering.
Only a single floor lamp was on in the living room. His sister, Xiaoyu, was curled up in a corner of the sofa, engrossed in a book.
The moment she saw Wan Ze walk in, she slammed the book shut with a SNAP and shoved it under a pillow, her movements so fast they stirred the air.
Wan Ze had been training hard these past few days and his energy was nearly depleted. He only glanced at her, too tired to bother figuring out what "forbidden book" the little rascal was secretly reading this time.
"Bro, good night!" Xiaoyu hopped off the sofa and ran toward her room, her slippers slapping against the floor. Her voice was bright and clear.
"Oh," Wan Ze replied listlessly.
Xiaoyu stopped short at her bedroom door, turned her head, and puffed up her cheeks. "...Hmph, I’m not talking to you anymore!"
"..."
Wan Ze had already showered at the martial arts hall, so he went straight to his room.
He closed the door, and the world suddenly fell silent.
He picked up his communicator.
There was nothing unusual from Miss Ling’s end, just a single message asking if he was free to go to the library with her tomorrow, Saturday. She wanted to look for more clues about the *Mountain Ghost Patrol Hunting Painting* and its creator, Tao Ze.
Wan Ze replied with a simple "Okay," agreeing readily.
His fingers paused on the screen before he tapped on another contact: Tie Qingyang.
He crisply edited a message:
"Bro, when you have time, help me gather some Martial Skills. Any type or tier is fine. Price is not an issue."
Sent.
A reply came back quickly. Tie Qingyang enthusiastically agreed.
The Special Level task for the Dragon Eagle Secret Martial Arts required every attribute value to be no lower than 5 points.
For him, right now, this was by no means an easy threshold to cross.
If he wanted to clear it quickly, the most practical way was to stack attributes by learning more Martial Skills.
Of course, this was all under the assumption that the Effects from all the Martial Skills would indeed raise his attribute values.
This method wasn’t exactly clever—it was even a bit clumsy—but it was at least the clearest path forward for him.
As for the even higher-tier "Ultimate Form," the benefits it brought would naturally be greater, but a task of that level would be inherently challenging and incredibly time-consuming.
And time was precisely what Wan Ze was most unwilling to squander right now.
He put down the communicator and lay back on his bed, facing up.
In the dim light, the ceiling blurred into a swath of grayish-white.
From outside the window, the low hum of distant traffic occasionally drifted in.
’Tomorrow, I have to go to the library, help Miss Ling with her research, continue my Cultivation, and wait for news from Tie Qingyang...’
Wan Ze closed his eyes, listening to the sound of his own steady breathing.
The fire in his heart seemed to be burning.
...
...
「In the blink of an eye, it was morning.」
The early morning sun slanted through the restaurant’s glass windows, casting its light across the cream-colored dining table.
Wan Ze and Miss Ling appeared at the entrance at almost the exact same time. They both froze for a moment when their eyes met.
"What a coincidence."
"Yes, haha, what a coincidence... So, uh... shall we head to the library after we eat?" Miss Ling asked as she sat down.
Wan Ze smiled and glanced at the time on his communicator. "It’s only seven o’clock. The library doesn’t open until at least eight."
Miss Ling paused, the tips of her ears turning slightly red. She quickly changed the subject. "I was looking into Mr. Tao Ze these past few days and found something rather interesting."
"What is it?"
"Well, it’s said that in his early years... he often frequented pleasure quarters." Miss Ling lowered her voice. "Later, he contracted an illness, and his art style changed abruptly. The *Mountain Ghost Patrol Hunting Painting* is a work from that period. So I’ve been wondering, what kind of painting could possibly attract so many people to fight over it... Could there be something hidden in the painting itself?"
Wan Ze suddenly caught onto something and continued eating in silence.
But Miss Ling gave a wry smile. "But I’ve examined the painting carefully, even using a magnifying glass, and I haven’t found any hidden information..."
"I’m done eating," Wan Ze said suddenly.
Miss Ling was taken aback. She glanced down at the bowl of millet porridge in front of her, which she hadn’t even touched, and for a moment, she wasn’t sure if she should take a spoonful.
"You eat first. I have an idea... but I need to think it over," Wan Ze said, pondering.
But Miss Ling simply picked up her bowl, finished the porridge in a few large gulps, and wiped her mouth with a napkin. "Let’s go. To my room."
"Bro, you’re secretly eating good food with a pretty lady behind my back!"
A clear, crisp voice suddenly interjected.