novelraw Chapter 249: The Creditor Comes Calling
Chapter 249: The Creditor Comes Calling
Zhang Yao had actually broken through to First Rank on the spot.
It truly caught Su Wangchuan by surprise—and delighted him.
Without intending to, he had cultivated a First-Rank Martial Artist for his own branch helm ahead of time.
Su Wangchuan immediately rewarded him with ten taels of gold to purchase a Second-Rank martial arts manual, and told him to come back at dawn the next day to continue sparring.
Back to his room. Log off!
Su Wangchuan felt invigorated.
With a sufficiently strong physique and defense, plus the 《Qingcheng Heart Method》, and with a full-fledged Martial Artist sparring with him, the training cycle for a body-protection technique really could be compressed drastically. What had once required twenty minutes for a single point of experience, when averaged out now took roughly five minutes per point—several times more efficient.
He had even advanced a realm in less than half a day.
“If I train seriously for a full day tomorrow, I should be able to raise the 《Dragon-Elephant Body-Protection Technique》 smoothly to ‘Practice Makes Perfect’ and gain another two points of Stamina.”
Su Wangchuan smiled.In a single day, three martial arts had advanced realms.
“Being a Helm Leader has its benefits.”
At the very least, he did not need the Warring States Game Studio to intervene. He could mobilize a large group of Martial Artists himself and complete a high-difficulty mission like “clearing the Snake Den”…
This was something that would have required the Warring States Game Studio to mobilize all members of the Land-Clearing Team.
And moreover…
In the very first Snake Den clearing operation, if he had not brought Yulong Gang disciples with him, and if Captain Zhao Heiniu had not been present, then if the Warring States Game Studio had run into the Snake Elder, how many would have come back alive would have been hard to say.
In a certain sense…
the “armor” he had built for himself within spirit realm had already begun to take shape.
The next day.
Su Wangchuan rose early.
He cultivated the 《Black Tortoise Art》 in the bathhouse until seven, then entered the game.
Zhang Yao was already waiting in the courtyard.
“Helm Leader.”
“I have sent word to the brothers in the Yulong Gang. I asked them to help me obtain two Second-Rank martial arts manuals from over there, so I can cultivate the ranked 《Green Robe Dance》 and the Second-Rank 《Swift Sword Art》.”
“Mm.”
Su Wangchuan nodded without further comment.
“Begin.”
And so that day’s training began again.
Su Wangchuan’s realm in his body-protection technique advanced.
Zhang Yao’s realm in the 《Black Tiger Fist》 advanced.
Maintaining the rhythm of the previous day, Su Wangchuan trained straight into the deep night. Near midnight, he finally heard the system notification.
“Ding!”
“《Dragon-Elephant Body-Protection Technique》 has advanced from ‘Minor Mastery’ to ‘Practice Makes Perfect.’ Reward: +2 Stamina.”
His Stamina rose to 52.
《Dragon-Elephant Body-Protection Technique》: Practice Makes Perfect
Current Realm: +15 Defense. Dragon-Elephant Guard. When this body-protection technique is activated, there is a certain probability of avoiding attacks aimed at vital areas and reducing vital-area damage by 40%.
Next Realm: Entry-Level Mastery
Next Realm Effect: +20 Defense. Dragon-Elephant Bearing. When this body-protection technique is activated, there is a high probability of avoiding attacks aimed at vital areas and reducing vital-area damage by 50%.
“Zhang Yao.”
“How has your 《Basic Fist Technique》 progressed?”
Su Wangchuan smiled as he dismissed the Status Panel and asked him.
Zhang Yao cupped his fists and replied.
“In reply to the Helm Leader, my 《Basic Fist Technique》 has broken through to ‘Integration’!”
Su Wangchuan nodded.
By sparring with him, Zhang Yao had also gained quite a bit. Once he began cultivating Second-Rank martial arts, he would be able to become an elite of the Sanjiang Branch Helm in the future.
“We will stop here for today. Tomorrow, we continue!”
At first, Su Wangchuan had planned to spend five or six days cultivating the 《Dragon-Elephant Body-Protection Technique》 to ‘Practice Makes Perfect’. Yet now, in less than two days, he had already achieved that goal.
He intended to ride this momentum and push the 《Dragon-Elephant Body-Protection Technique》 straight to ‘Entry-Level Mastery’. After all, it was only five hundred points of experience—at most a day and a half.
At the same time, he could help Zhang Yao raise the 《Black Tiger Fist》 to ‘Integration’ as well, gifting him a stroke of fortune.
After logging off in his room, he thought about many other things.
If he found a high-ranked Martial Artist to spar with him and cultivated the Third-Rank martial art 《Wudang Sanshou》, could he, like Zhang Yao, advance rapidly, stack attributes, and break through to become a Third-Rank Martial Artist quickly?
“The sparring partner must also master the 《Qingcheng Heart Method》.”
“And they must have at least Second-Rank strength.”
“Captain Bai?”
That probably would not work.
He did not have the standing to ask a Fourth-Rank martial artist to spar with him.
Captain Bai primarily served the Warring States Game Studio.
Bai Yuhui?
Bai Yuhui might not be able to withstand his 《Wudang Sanshou》 either.
His physical attack was already fourteen or fifteen. 《Wudang Sanshou》 added thirty attack. If a double-damage strike triggered, a ninety-point burst could land—and one palm might smash Bai Yuhui into a severe injury.
“Then I definitely cannot practice 《Wudang Sanshou》.”
“Or should I simply cultivate the 《Black Tiger Fist》 like Zhang Yao? Or the Second-Rank 《Blazing Leg》?”
As he pondered, he gradually fell asleep.
Over the next two days, he devoted himself fully to training, and the 《Dragon-Elephant Body-Protection Technique》 smoothly broke through to ‘Entry-Level Mastery’.
“Ding!”
“《Dragon-Elephant Body-Protection Technique》 has advanced from ‘Practice Makes Perfect’ to ‘Entry-Level Mastery.’ Reward: +3 Stamina.”
His Stamina surged to 55.
With the Helm Leader’s sparring, Zhang Yao also successfully raised the 《Black Tiger Fist》 to ‘Integration’. Every gesture and movement of his now carried even more of the bearing of a First-Rank Martial Artist.
Just then, in Sanhe Commandery, a piece of news spread through the entire city:
The Caobang hall master “Old Seven” had acquired a complete giant bear pelt, a rare treasure. It was laid out in the main discussion hall, lending the place even more dominance. People throughout the prefectural seat discussed it endlessly, praising it without restraint.
“I heard the pelt’s color and sheen are superb. Spread out, it is more than two zhang in both length and width! It is a whole tier above the one sold at auction a few years ago.”
“Many gang bosses went to view it and appraise it as soon as they heard. Even some of Caobang’s higher-ups came after hearing the news, wanting to buy it for a fortune…”
“A fortune! Tsk, tsk! That is the Caobang for you.”
“Strange thing is, Caobang higher-ups offered a fortune and Old Seven still would not sell. He said he would keep it to suppress the hall and display the prestige of the Sanhe Commandery hall.”
“The Caobang really is loaded… If it were me, I would sell it for five hundred taels. Five hundred taels of gold would be enough for wealth and honor for a lifetime.”
“You can talk all you like, but with bodies like ours, we would not even be enough to fill a giant bear’s teeth.”
“Haha…”
“Drink!”
In a restaurant in Sanhe Commandery, many were discussing Caobang’s giant bear pelt.
No one noticed that at some point, an elderly, hunched figure had appeared at the street entrance, his entire body shrouded in black cloth, as if sick and frail.
When the news about the giant bear pelt reached the hunched elder’s ears, a flash of cold, vicious light passed through his eyes.
“Caobang!”
“Hmph!”
“So it was you who killed the mountain-guarding divine beast of my branch helm.”
The hunched elder soon arrived near the Caobang hall.
A streak of green light slithered down his arm and slipped into the Caobang hall without a sound.
Immediately after, screams rang out from within.
“Ah!”
Then everything inside erupted into chaos.
“Quick! Someone come! One of our brothers has been bitten by a snake…”
“Where is the snake?”
“It is gone!”
“Forget the snake! Hurry and take him to Divine Physician Shen!”