Chapter 42

Su Wangchuan was very excited.

The information Lin Xun had shared was simply impossible to look up outside.

As expected of a martial artist, he truly possessed a great deal of knowledge that Su Wangchuan himself did not have.

While continuing to forge and hammer the iron blocks, Su Wangchuan asked,

“Brother Lin, are all skills in 《spirit realm》 like this? After entering the Entry-Level stage, advancing to the first Minor Mastery realm always grants 1 attribute point? And advancing to the second realm grants 2 attribute points?”

Lin Xun stared at him, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face. “I’ve heard that you mastered 《Archery》 in Blackstone Village. The fact that you could grasp a basic combat skill purely through training shows that you truly have comprehension and perseverance.”

“Why do you say that?” Su Wangchuan asked, somewhat surprised.

Lin Xun smiled. “When we learn various martial arts techniques, we usually seize an opportunity to enter a sect, then learn directly from martial arts manuals. With a manual, you can immediately enter the Entry-Level stage. You’ve never seen a martial arts manual before, have you?”

“…”

Su Wangchuan looked utterly confused.

Lin Xun was not surprised at all and continued explaining. “There are many sects in 《spirit realm》. There are inheritances from major sects, techniques from religious forces, martial arts passed down by aristocratic families, and also third-rate martial skills from Jianghu gangs.”

“Monk Dalong joined ‘Kongming Temple,’ which belongs to a religious force, a Shaolin branch. I joined the ‘Yulong Gang’ in Huishui County, which is a branch of the Caobang.”

“In truth, we spent a great deal of effort accumulating silver and donating it to our factions before obtaining those technique manuals, allowing us to directly enter cultivation…”

“People like you, who gain recognition through training and independently master basic skill techniques, are actually very rare. However, this path is also the most time-consuming.”

Everything Lin Xun said was new to Su Wangchuan. Unconsciously, his forging slowed as he listened with rapt attention.

Lin Xun spoke frankly. “I heard you’ve been in the game for about two months already, right?”

“Two months and ten days,” Su Wangchuan nodded.

“If you had faction support and a master guiding you, advancing through the first two realms would actually be very easy.”

“For example, your 《Archery》 skill. As long as you hunt living targets—shooting sparrows, pheasants, or mountain birds—you can gain experience. I’ve personally seen several archers from our Yulong Gang shooting fish while carrying out missions along the riverbanks. They easily raised 《Archery》 to the Practice Makes Perfect realm.”

“…”

Su Wangchuan was dumbfounded.

Shooting fish worked too?!

Then he really had wasted a tremendous amount of time.

Having a famous master and having none were indeed completely different matters.

Lin Xun was quite satisfied with Su Wangchuan’s reaction and continued, “Of course, shooting fish or hunting small targets is only useful in the early stages. Once you reach Practice Makes Perfect, those ordinary kills can no longer help you at all. You can only hunt sufficiently large and dangerous prey, such as wild wolves, wild boars, or… people.”

“…”

Hearing this, Su Wangchuan could not help asking, “Brother Lin, what about close combat? Is it the same?”

“You’ve also mastered a close-combat skill?” Lin Xun froze, then could not help sizing him up. “Don’t tell me that you, a life profession player, not only independently mastered 《Archery》, but also grasped a close-combat technique?”

“《Basic Spear Technique》. I just mastered it yesterday,” Su Wangchuan said, smiling a little sheepishly.

Lin Xun was left speechless. He said slowly, word by word, “You mean that in seventy days since entering the game, you not only mastered 《Hundredfold Steel Forging Technique》, but also independently comprehended 《Archery》 and 《Basic Spear Technique》?”

Su Wangchuan nodded.

Lin Xun’s expression turned solemn.

Seventy days. Mastering two skills without any guidance was already impressive. But mastering three skills…

Lin Xun’s earlier sense of superiority instantly vanished.

“You shouldn’t continue as a life profession player.”

His tone shifted as he spoke with great seriousness. “With your comprehension and ability, you should leave Instructor Yu’s group, leave the company’s gold-farming team, and join the company’s pioneering team.”

Su Wangchuan shook his head repeatedly. “No.”

“My purpose for entering the game is to earn money to support my family. Pioneering teams have to engage with the main storyline, fighting and killing every day. If I die, my game character will be gone. Where would I earn money then?” Su Wangchuan said firmly, shaking his head with determination.

Not long ago, thirteen players from Tianshui Village had been dismissed and laid off.

Gold-farming players already faced such high risks every day, let alone those pioneering teams who lived on the edge of the blade.

He was counting on this well-paying job to climb the social ladder.

“…”

Lin Xun seemed to think of something as well. A contemplative look appeared in his eyes, and he nodded. “You’re right. The path of a martial artist is too arduous and dangerous. If something goes wrong and your game account is deleted, it might really be better to steadily work as a blacksmith.”

“But to be honest, your talent is very good. It’s a bit of a waste to be purely a blacksmith.”

Lin Xun sighed, his tone sincere.

Su Wangchuan smiled. “It’s not a waste. I’m making six figures a month now, and I’m very satisfied… Besides, I plan to properly train 《Archery》 and 《Basic Spear Technique》. That way, I’ll at least have the ability to protect myself when danger arises.”

“All right. Since you have your own plans, I won’t say more.”

Su Wangchuan continued forging.

Clang!

Clang!!

Before long, the Hundredfold Steel Arrowheads were completed one after another.

Lin Xun glanced at the arrow shafts beside him, skillfully picked one up, and swiftly completed the assembly and fixation. He then revealed a satisfied smile.

“Attack +5, Armor-Piercing +1. Not bad.”

“With an armor-piercing attribute, it means that ordinary leather armor and wooden shields will find it difficult to block completely.”

Lin Xun clearly had research into Armor-Piercing Arrows and nodded. “The quality of these armor-piercing arrows is qualified.”

“No wonder the first batch of bandits from Blackwind Stronghold suffered such a huge loss in your village. They were completely wiped out.”

“…With this kind of craftsmanship, even if Blackstone Village were gone, you could still find a respectable job in Huishui County or elsewhere.”

Su Wangchuan glanced at his experience value.

《Hundredfold Steel Forging Technique》 had reached 486/500.

Two more rounds, and he would be able to advance to the Entry-Level Mastery realm and obtain 3 attribute points.

Su Wangchuan continued forging.

Chatting with Lin Xun while hammering iron made time pass quickly.

Night had completely fallen.

Cold winds swept through the village.

Yet inside the blacksmith shop, waves of heat rolled endlessly.

From Lin Xun, Su Wangchuan learned a great deal of information about martial artists and 《spirit realm》.

Perhaps because he knew that Su Wangchuan’s 《Hundredfold Steel Forging Technique》 was about to break through to Entry-Level Mastery, or perhaps because he recognized Su Wangchuan’s talent and wished to offer guidance, Lin Xun answered every question Su Wangchuan asked without reservation.

Until—

A faint sound of something tearing through the air rang out from outside.

Without any warning, Lin Xun suddenly leapt upward onto the roof. He drew his saber, the blade flashing like snow. Step, step-step—his movements agile and swift as he swept sideways toward the top of the earthen wall and lunged out of the village.

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