novelraw Chapter 234
Chapter 234
Black Tortoise Art: Minor Mastery
Temporarily increases Stamina cap by 5 points, increasing maximum HP by 50 points. Increases personal Defense by 10%, and protective-body Defense by 20%.
Next realm: Practice Makes Perfect
Temporarily increases Stamina cap by 8 points, increasing maximum HP by 80 points. Increases personal Defense by 20%, and protective-body Defense by 30%. Increases Attack by 20%.
…
The moment Wangchuan circulated his internal breath and fused his Inner Force into 《Iron Shirt》 and his body, he clearly felt himself become far tougher. It was as if 《Iron Shirt》 had gained a soul, bringing the steady, mountainlike reassurance of immovability. Both inside and outside his body, an additional barrier seemed to form.
At the same time, he could sense his Inner Force slowly decreasing.
He hurried to check the Status Panel.
Wangchuan: Male (Hunger 47/100)
(Life Profession: Blacksmith)(Combat Profession: Second-Rank Martial Artist)
Strength 41; Attack 13–14;
Agility 45; Defense 19.5 (Torso bonus +2.4; Limbs bonus +1.2); Speed +45;
Stamina 50; HP 500/500;
Spirit 10: Inner Force 94/100;
Free Attribute Points: 5 (Unassigned)
His HP had increased by 50, and his Defense by 2.5.
《Black Tortoise Art》 was only at the ‘Minor Mastery’ realm for now, so the boost was limited. Even so, it was effectively the same as adding one more piece of equipment.
Wangchuan was already very satisfied.
However…
What surprised him was how quickly his Inner Force was consumed.
After several tests, he discovered:
Each time he activated 《Black Tortoise Art》, it immediately consumed 5 points of Inner Force, then consumed 1 point every five seconds.
That amount of Inner Force could support short bursts and brief combat, but it could not sustain prolonged fighting.
“Higher Defense and higher HP should let me withstand one or two more moves against a third-rank martial artist…”
“It still is not enough.”
Even in his exhilaration, Wangchuan remained calm and murmured to himself,
“It would be best if I can break through to ‘Practice Makes Perfect.’ Not only would it increase my HP and Defense further, but I could also fuse Inner Force into my techniques to kill the enemy!”
But advancing from ‘Minor Mastery’ to ‘Practice Makes Perfect’ required 300 Experience Value.
Even with the cultivation trick and a shortcut, he would still need to train for a full thousand hours.
“Wait.”
“Let me see whether the speed of circulating a Great Circulation improves after the realm breakthrough.”
Without wasting a moment, Wangchuan logged off. He tossed his clothes aside, submerged himself in the bathtub, and began circulating his cultivation method.
Six minutes passed…
Wangchuan opened his eyes with a smile.
After the realm breakthrough, the circulation of 《Black Tortoise Art》 had indeed become smoother. One Great Circulation now took less time—reduced from the original seven minutes to a little over six.
He continued cultivating.
The training cycle for one Great Circulation of 《Black Tortoise Art》 stabilized at six minutes—an entire sixty seconds shorter than before.
One Experience Value every three hours.
In a day, he could accumulate at most seven Experience Value.
Then Wangchuan realized he faced a difficult choice:
Should he cultivate the third-rank lightness skill 《Water Strider》, or continue his grueling training of 《Black Tortoise Art》?
After thinking it over again and again—
He gritted his teeth.
He would continue cultivating 《Black Tortoise Art》!
Increasing Inner Force would not only raise his maximum HP and Defense, but would also raise his Attack in the future. More importantly, a breakthrough would certainly increase his Spirit attribute, raising the cap of his Inner Force.
No one knew when Crimson Pavilion’s assassins would come again…
Firming up his foundation came before everything else.
Wangchuan continued his seclusion to cultivate 《Black Tortoise Art》.
Day after day.
At the Sanjiang Branch Helm, the sun rose and set, people came and went, and operations ran as usual.
Until…
A northbound cargo ship from the direction of Leishui approached the waters near the Sanhe Commandery docks.
Inside the hold, several men and women stepped out one after another.
“We are almost at the docks.”
“At last.”
“Sanhe Commandery.”
The four of them spoke with unmistakably foreign accents. Their eyes swept sharply over the river, where large and small ships crossed in dense traffic, their expressions complicated and unreadable.
“This place’s bustle is not inferior to the coast.”
“I cannot understand how Seventeen failed in a place like this.”
“…”
“No matter how he failed, this time we must restore our organization’s reputation.”
“That damned imperial envoy has already been taken. These Caobang trash must die as well.”
“…”
“As planned.”
“One person to each branch helm. Tomorrow, in the daytime, when they are busiest, we strike at the same time! Slaughter several helm leaders and deputy helm leaders, and Caobang will fall into chaos. Their hall master will be forced to come out and steady morale. Then we join hands, cut off his head, and bring it back.”
Before long, the ship docked.
And the four Crimson Pavilion assassins vanished into the crowd without a trace.
…
Sanjiang Branch Helm.
Li Qing had a piece of grass clenched between his teeth—no one knew where he had plucked it from. He wandered through the crowd with two underlings.
He looked idle, but in truth, whenever he spotted an unfamiliar ship or face disembarking at a distance, he would naturally drift closer. He would brush past them and examine their clothing up close, listen to their accent, and even observe the thickness of their hands, feet, and bone structure to judge whether they were martial artists and whether they carried weapons.
These past days, he had reported many unfamiliar faces to his superiors, but most had been worthless, and the bonuses had been meager.
Crimson Pavilion assassins…
Had they still not come?
Li Qing did not grow discouraged.
A new helm leader always had to set three fires.
Yet he still had not earned a single merit.
If he did not prove his value soon, collecting one hundred taels of silver each month would start to feel like holding a hot iron.
More importantly, he feared that he might miss something, let someone slip through, and then he would never survive in the Sanjiang Branch Helm again.
“Boss.”
“A brothel in town has a new face. It is this…”
When one of his underlings ran over to report, he made a gesture.
Li Qing’s spirit jolted awake.
“A martial artist? What level?”
“In any case, he is stronger than I am. He is drinking with the girls in the main hall, but in truth he is gathering information.”
Li Qing’s man was no fool. “Xiao Hong said the man’s teeth are very black, his skin is very dark, and he has a salty smell on him, like someone from the seaside. He is highly suspicious.”
Li Qing’s eyes shone brighter and brighter. He commanded at once,
“You take the brothers and watch the area! Do not alarm the target! I will go find the helm leader!”
Black teeth did not mean much. But dark skin, a sea-salt smell—nine times out of ten, he was from the coast. He had martial skill, and he was alone…
How was that merely suspicious?
It was extraordinary.
In an entire year, the Sanjiang Branch Helm might not encounter more than a few like him.
Li Qing was cautious enough to know that if the man truly was a Crimson Pavilion assassin, his own people would not even be enough to fill the assassin’s teeth. He did not dare to provoke him. He immediately went to report to the helm leader.
He found Chen Ergou and notified Bai Yuhui as well. A group of them waited in the helm leader’s courtyard.
When Wangchuan received the news, he immediately logged in in a frantic rush.
“Where is he?!”
“Reporting to the helm leader, he is at Chunfeng Pavilion. The brothers below are watching him there.”
Li Qing reported.
Wangchuan slowed his movements, his eyes narrowing in thought.
“Chunfeng Pavilion?”