novelraw Chapter 157: Teacher An's Basic Lesson
Chapter 157: Teacher An's Basic Lesson
I hope the Pioneer Hunter Teams from the fringe hunters don't arrive too soon... Chen Qi muttered in his heart.
If the hunter teams enter White Tree Shallows and discover his assets there, the consequences would be unthinkable.
If I'm not careful, I might get caught, publicly executed, or even sent to the tribunal... Chen Qi organized his thoughts:
"Teacher An, I hope you won't encounter the Coastal Apex Predators or ghost ships."
Right now, the Coastal Apex Predators needed to lay low—after all, the one in these waters was just a juvenile.
"Mmm... Qi, you must be careful too."
An looked at Chen Qi uneasily.
Although Chen Qi now possessed the strength to face ordinary sea beasts alone, if he encountered a Coastal Apex Predator, those razor-sharp teeth would reduce him to mincemeat in an instant.
Chen Qi was lucky not to have met any vicious sea creatures yet, but if he did, he needed to master combat skills against them.
An gripped her staff tightly with her stubby, lucky-cat-like hands, spinning it like a massive hammer:"Qi, I have some experience fighting deep-sea monsters and know techniques for utilizing spiritual energy. If you hit a bottleneck in your training, you can always come to me."
Though she specialized in spells, she also knew some basic combat techniques!
Private lessons from Teacher An... Chen Qi lowered his head in thought.
Despite having skill cards, he'd realized through practice that perfect execution still eluded him in many fine details.
An possessed unique insights into spiritual energy perception and manipulation.
Over a decade of foundational spiritual energy control practice, combined with her formidable talent, had earned her the title An Aotian.
"Thank you, Teacher An."
Chen Qi smiled slightly.
Recently, he'd acquired numerous skill cards and supernatural artifacts.
Even with Spirit Points for upgrades, mastering these skills would take considerable time.
Moreover, he still hadn't practiced with his ultimate weapon, Flesh Cleaver Bone Breaker.
Currently, equipped with Ember's Touch and Flesh Cleaver Bone Breaker, his offensive power could rival third-tier Blade-affinity Transcendents.
Before his next voyage, he absolutely needed to complete training with these skills and weapons... Chen Qi made a mental note.
Unfortunately, practicing with Ember's Touch and Flesh Cleaver Bone Breaker could only be done at White Tree Shallows.
After some more casual conversation, night had unknowingly deepened, the bonfire dimming.
"It's late,"
An waved her lucky-cat-like hand, smiling: "See you tomorrow, Qi."
"See you tomorrow."
Chen Qi yawned.
After bidding farewell, the exhausted young man followed the newly built stone path to Damarro Town's recently constructed inn.
The moment he entered his room, Chen Qi flopped onto the soft bed with a thud.
Hopefully, the coming days would pass peacefully.
Chen Qi turned his head, gazing at the water spirits by the boat's bow, before slowly closing his eyes.
......
Half a month later, noon at White Tree Shallows.
The sky was overcast, rolling dark clouds foretelling an approaching storm.
Chen Qi sat cross-legged on the tree roots, digesting the knowledge gained over these days.
A notification appeared before his eyes again.
[You have fully mastered Shadow Step. Agility +8. You can now channel energy into your feet for enhanced movement and more powerful kicking techniques.]
[You have fully mastered Shadow Armor. You can instinctively concentrate energy in localized body areas to form impact-absorbing armor that mitigates physical damage.]
"Finally done..."
Chen Qi exhaled deeply.
These past two weeks, he'd lived with monastic discipline, following the same routine daily.
Wake up, buy groceries.
Head to White Tree Shallows to manage ghostfire fish and sea clouds.
Afternoons dedicated to skill practice and mastering Flesh Cleaver Bone Breaker and Ember's Touch.
Evenings operating the food boat to earn money and Spirit Points.
Occasionally seeking Teacher An for spiritual energy perception training while helping her with Damarro Town errands.
These monotonous drills had borne rich fruit... Chen Qi checked his stats again.
60 Inspiration, 42 Constitution, 28 Strength, 37 Agility!
Looking down at his reflection in the water, he appeared composed, bearing the demeanor of a young master.
Though muscle growth wasn't dramatic, his bones and blood had undergone qualitative enhancement.
Thanks to supernatural vegetables and previously acquired mystical fruits, his constitution now rivaled second-tier Cup-affinity Transcendents.
He felt tremendously vigorous.
The agility boost mainly came from movement-type skill cards, totaling a 15-point increase.
Inspiration remained unchanged—his innate 60 points were already exceptionally high. Without Book-affinity artifacts, further improvement seemed unlikely.
His current stat spread presented a well-rounded profile.
For a freshly promoted second-tier Transcendent, these were impressive attributes.
Stat-wise, he could contend with late-stage second-tier Transcendents, even third-tier ones with shaky foundations.
With Ember's Touch and Flesh Cleaver Bone Breaker, he might even hold his own against ordinary third-tier Transcendents!
"Perhaps I could spar with An now, if she refrains from large-scale spells."
Chen Qi reflected on their training sessions.
Contrary to expectations, An hadn't engaged in actual combat but taught tedious spiritual energy perception techniques.
She'd intended to teach meditation methods but discovered Chen Qi's astonishing 60-point Inspiration perception!
An frequently sighed—with such talent, he could rank among the elite in Beiguo Royal University's Book-affinity department.
Pity he'd already chosen his singular path, preventing him from becoming a calligraphy mage.
Considering Chen Qi still too weak, An focused on foundational lessons rather than combat training.
Her primary instruction involved leveraging heightened spiritual energy perception with physical senses to anticipate enemy intentions.
Through her guidance, combining perception with dynamic vision, Chen Qi could now predict attacks as they formed.
Just then, Deepsea Water Spirit No.3 approached:
"Waku waku! (Master! Your newspaper!)"
"Mm."
Chen Qi accepted the paper.
Lately, immersed in self-improvement, news about Little Crow and ghost ships only reached him through newspapers.
He opened White Pigeon Times:
"Blood Blade Pirates' emperor gravely ill—Blood Lady assumes de facto control."
"Mysterious whirlpools in coastal waters—dimensional rifts to another world?"
"Reporter Pelu interviews Ghost Captain, who vows to massacre merchant ships and dominate coastal waters!"
Boring news all around—still nothing about Little Crow's group... Chen Qi set aside White Pigeon Times for the risqué Witch Times:
"Blood Lady allegedly manipulated by Big Mom into murdering husband Blood Emperor!"
"Goldenfinch Kingdom experts teach how to 'taste' seafood with your body~"
"Affinity career divination! Renowned seer's questionnaire helps determine your ideal Affinity."
The Witch Times brimmed with conspiracy theories and titillating content.
Though equally vacuous, its sales had surpassed White Pigeon Times.
Lacking major scoops and failing to locate the Flower Witch, White Pigeon Times' circulation plummeted.
In Damarro Town taverns, Witch Times now vastly outsold its competitor.
Setting the papers down, Chen Qi noted that Little Crow's activities remained shrouded in mystery.
"Woo woo..."
What was that sound? Chen Qi turned toward the distant sea, where fresh blood spread across the water's surface.